1 . Thomas was a well-known wise man. One day, he wandered in a beautiful small town. Because of his fame, people from nearby towns who heard of his arrival all came to visit and seek his advice.

Many who came sought help with difficulties in daily life, and Thomas, unable to bear turning them away, patiently offered suggestions. Word spread quickly, and more and more people came to see Thomas for guidance.

One day, dozens of people crowded outside Thomas’s door, all clamoring (大声地要求) that their problems were the most serious and urgent, each insisting that Thomas address their concerns first, with no one willing to yield (让步).

After a moment of thought, Thomas took out some paper and a pen and said, “I can’t hear clearly with everyone talking at once. How about everyone write down your problem on a piece of paper and place it in this basket beside me?”

Once everyone had placed their notes in the basket, Thomas shook the basket and said, “Please each take a piece of paper from the basket and read what it says.”

As everyone read a note from someone else, they all realized that indeed, each person has their own troubles, and every household has its own challenges. Then Thomas spoke up, “Now, whose problem is the most urgent to solve?” Hearing that question, no one spoke again, because now no one dared to claim that their problem was the most severe.

Often, we are bound by our immediate feelings. When difficulties and problems strike, it feels as though we are caught in a vortex of pain. But if we shift our focus from ourselves and look towards others, we might discover that the problems we face are not so significant. Perhaps others are the ones who need help more urgently, or maybe there is something within our power that we can do for them.

1. Why did people visit Thomas?

A．For advice.	B．For a meeting.
C．For a competition.	D．For introductions.

2. How did Thomas handle the crowd?

A．He ignored them.	B．He listened to each one individually.
C．He prioritized the problems himself.	D．He asked them to write down their problems.

3. What did reading others’ problems show to the people?

A．The complexity of their difficulties.	B．The similarity of their situations.
C．Their need for more advice.	D．Their living conditions.

4. What lesson did Thomas teach?

A．Competition.

B．Sympathy.

C．Prioritization.

D．Self-confidence.

2 . I was born with facial differences. My first surgery was when I was 3. That same year, I started _______ lessons when my mom signed me up to learn ballet. My mom said, “When you’re on stage, no one _______ your face,” and what I think she _______ was, “When you’re on stage, people can look past your difference and _______ you for who you are.”

I’ve had nine surgeries. I am forever _______ to my family for trying to give me every chance at a “normal” life. _______, what I would have really wanted was for that ”normal“ life to be a result of a culture where typical _______ weren’t a requirement for full participation in society.

It’s a daily experience for people with facial differences to get _______ questions like, “What happened to your face?”— that’s very _______, which I think is so messed up. I see ________ a lot when strangers are asking these questions.

I want people to examine their deeply held beliefs about what they ________ is beautiful and worthy of adoration and ask why? Why do we devalue people based only on what they ________?

The next time you see someone with a(n) ________, take a moment before asking annoying questions. You can help reduce your bias (偏见) by just ________ a person’s humanity — not through a lens (镜头) of pity, but by recognizing them as someone who is probably more ________ than different from yourself.

1.

A．piano

B．dance

C．acting

D．violin

2.

A．notices

B．shows

C．values

D．anticipates

3.

A．affected

B．predicted

C．chose

D．meant

4.

A．see

B．help

C．need

D．change

5.

A．equal

B．resistant

C．awesome

D．grateful

6.

A．Instead

B．Therefore

C．Otherwise

D．However

7.

A．families

B．faces

C．chances

D．lives

8.

A．exciting

B．amusing

C．disturbing

D．astonishing

9.

A．complex

B．important

C．common

D．practical

10.

A．hope

B．pity

C．panic

D．pain

11.

A．think

B．recall

C．demand

D．obtain

12.

A．rely on

B．decide on

C．put aside

D．look like

13.

A．expression

B．personality

C．difference

D．background

14.

A．recognizing

B．announcing

C．improving

D．classifying

15.

A．unique

B．similar

C．obvious

D．desperate

3 . 阅读短文, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

    1     (change) a bad habit is difficult, and it is easy     2     (make) excuses and give up. We need to make     3     our minds and show some discipline , and make small changes over time. There is no pill to help us, but changing will ensure we have     4     magic happy and healthy life!

4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Special#2，Please

My flight arrived in San Diego around midnight, and by the time I drove home and got into bed it was nearly 2:00 a. m. I was tired and jet-lagged when I dragged myself out of the bed. Nevertheless,I had to be up bright and early that morning: I was the opening keynoter(主旨发言人) at a national conference.

In short, I needed to recover quickly. A hearty breakfast in the early morning sun was what I needed. I headed for Carlos & Annie’s, a popular restaurant located in the heart of the seaside town.

“I’d like steak and eggs, please,” I said to the waitress after I had finally found a table in the restaurant. “Oh, I'm sorry,” she apologized. “We're out of Special#2. We've served the last of our steaks. How about Special#14?” “Oh, no steak and eggs?” I couldn't seem to accept it.

I'm not sure if it was my heartfelt sigh that caught Carlos, the owner's attention. His warm, caring brown eyes seemed determined to pinpoint the best solution. He then said, “You know, I think I did see one final steak back

there.”

Pressing my luck,I quickly declared, “Wow,that would be great. But you know, I’m not sure if I want a breakfast stenk at all. What I really want is a steak—one that’s two inches thick, tender and juicy, served medium rare.” “Not to worry,” Carlos assured meand left. The young waitress gave me a wink(眨眼) and said with a knowing smile, “Carlosis being Carlos again!” I did not give her words much thought.

Then, I noticed Carlos as he left the restaurant through the side door and walked into a neighborhood grocery store across the street. Carlos exchanged morning greetings with everyone he knew and even helped the owner of the bookstore next door by holding the items that filled her arms. Then he reentered the restaurant with a bag in his hand.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Paragraph 1: Within minutes，an exact Special#2 was in front of me.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2: I was about to leave when I learned Carlos had already sold the restaurant.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . My wife and I parked by a rough path the same time as a young man covered in tattoos (纹身). I ______ he was unfriendly，so we tried to ______ ourselves from him. But he struggled hard to ______ and wanted to talk some. We slowed down. He said he was recovering from a bad time in his life. We ______ left him in the dust，heading up the river.

Hours later we turned back ______ a flash flood had taken out the bridge. There he was again, following to ______ us. He shared a little more of his ______. He lost his mother and sister in a car accident and he was permanently ______ too. We slowed down to the pace he could ______ for the whole way back.

He continued, “During much surgery and ______ I came to hate life...” Then he pulled up his shirt to show us a ______ life size tattoo from neck to waist. It was two ladies in a ______ light waving to him. “This is my mom and this is my sister,” he pointed, “They told me to stop hating everything. They loved me just as they always had and ______ me to live in love too!” He explained the brightly colored tattoo was the exact dream he had that day.

My ______ went away. It had painted a wrong picture of this wonderful person with a beautiful ______ . I learned more than he hoped to tell.

1.

A．assumed

B．remembered

C．admitted

D．confirmed

2.

A．tell

B．distance

C．save

D．free

3.

A．turn away

B．set out

C．catch up

D．settle down

4.

A．politely

B．secretly

C．carelessly

D．accidentally

5.

A．though

B．unless

C．because

D．before

6.

A．impress

B．interrupt

C．persuade

D．engage

7.

A．target

B．story

C．plan

D．journey

8.

A．confused

B．discouraged

C．ignored

D．injured

9.

A．observe

B．judge

C．manage

D．challenge

10.

A．silence

B．pain

C．failure

D．guilt

11.

A．massive

B．funny

C．random

D．popular

12.

A．brilliant

B．gentle

C．weak

D．sensitive

13.

A．allowed

B．begged

C．forced

D．expected

14.

A．doubt

B．sympathy

C．prejudice

D．resistance

15.

A．reputation

B．message

C．appearance

D．insight

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个合适的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

I had a very special teacher in high school. Her husband unexpectedly died of a heart disease. About a week after his     1     (die), she shared some of her thoughts with us.

When the class was nearly over, she     2     (move) some things aside on her desk and sat down there. With a gentle look of reflection, she said, “Before class is over, I’d like to share something with you. Each of us     3     (put) here on earth to learn, share, love and enjoy. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away     4     any moment.”

Her eyes began to water,     5     she went on: “So I’d like you all     6     (make) a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or home, find something beautiful to enjoy. It doesn’t have to be something     7     you see. It could be a scent (气味), or it could be the sound of the soft wind slightly touching the     8     (leaf) in the trees ...”

The class was completely quiet.     9     (pick) up our books, we went out of the room one by one silently. That afternoon, I noticed     10     (many) things on my way home from school than I had in a whole term.

7 . The doorbell rang one mid-December evening. I frequently had unexpected visitors in those early days after my husband’s ________. But when my 6-year-old son opened the door, nobody was there. ________, on the doormat was a box, tied with a silver ________ and a note that said “On the First Day of Christmas...” A mystery.

Sam had died that fall, ________ me the single parent of our two boys, 6 and 8. My sons and I had already ________ to deal with Halloween, and Thanksgiving without Daddy. Still, I was afraid of Christmas. How could December have ________ without my husband?

The next night, the doorbell rang again. Another ________ came, decorated with the same silver ribbon (带子) and ________ the same card reading “On the Second Day of Christmas...”

For the next couple of nights, my boys waited near the front door to see who was leaving the gifts, but the bearer would always choose the moment they left to ________.

I didn’t know who the secret Santa was. But there was one thing I did know. In those dark days of ________, somebody was shining a light our way with a simple but ________ message: “You are loved.” It was such a strange feeling, to be left in darkness on the one hand and drawn so firmly toward ________ on the other. I believe hope will make a(n) ________.

After 11 days of offerings, we weren’t sure what to ________ when we approached home on that 12th night. I trusted there would be ________.

1.

A．promotion

B．death

C．retirement

D．operation

2.

A．Otherwise

B．Besides

C．Instead

D．Therefore

3.

A．rope

B．paper

C．flower

D．ribbon

4.

A．leaving

B．finding

C．naming

D．considering

5.

A．agreed

B．planned

C．managed

D．promised

6.

A．arrived

B．returned

C．ended

D．escaped

7.

A．book

B．toy

C．box

D．pet

8.

A．designing

B．including

C．showing

D．making

9.

A．get through

B．set off

C．move on

D．turn up

10.

A．regret

B．sadness

C．anger

D．disappointment

11.

A．annoying

B．funny

C．urgent

D．powerful

12.

A．dream

B．light

C．future

D．home

13.

A．difference

B．effort

C．comparison

D．contribution

14.

A．support

B．offer

C．expect

D．appreciate

15.

A．something

B．nothing

C．anything

D．everything

8 . My long-distance cycling career of 13 years and 35,000 kilometres ended as I approached 75 in 2019. The realisation of this dawned on me slowly during my last ride in the US summer of that same year. Although I am now no longer strong enough to endure the long days and big climbs, day in and day out, I have my memories.

Long distance cycling brings pain, anxiety and exhaustion, but these pale into insignificance compared to the joy and satisfaction of climbing huge mountains or seeing spectacular sights for the first time. Real joy would come when I was alone, on my bicycle, in some remote and beautiful place. You could say that these same feelings could have been experienced in a car, but I know this not to be true. I had time to observe nature and life, all of which would have been bypassed in a car.

I enjoyed meeting and beating the daily schedule I had set for myself. I enjoyed the ever-changing vegetation, the people, kind, unkind and indifferent, whom I met along the way. No matter how hard or easy the ride was, I always enjoyed the achievement of arriving, followed by a hot shower and bed, when I could find a motel. On the other nights, I was happy to camp. Meeting a diversity of people with different perspectives on life was easy. The cycling devices allowed me to strike up conversations in pubs and cafes and I got to see and experience the very best in people.

The road ahead always loomed large, as did the mountains, the cold, the mosquitoes and the rain. The road behind is just memories, lack of pain and anxiety, some soon to be forgotten, others to be valued and boosted with the retelling.

Cycling taught me to like who I am. I am finally happy with and accepting of my introverted (内向的) personality. I have more persistence and courage than I ever imagined. These trips all required courage, courage which I never knew I possessed.

1. What made the author end his cycling career?

A．Financial problems.

B．Lack of interest in cycling.

C．Desire to pursue other hobbies.

D．Physical inability to bear long rides.

2. What was the real pleasure for the author?

A．Meeting different people.	B．Beating the daily schedule.
C．Experiencing nature up close.	D．Climbing huge mountains.

3. What special insight did the author gain through cycling?

A．Nature deserves exploring.

B．One could find a real self.

C．Introverted people could be sociable.

D．Communication with strangers helps a lot.

4. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A magazine.

B．A brochure.

C．A novel.

D．A manual.

9 . Looking back, I spent many unhappy days. In middle school I didn’t think I was as smart as everyone else; I didn’t have cool enough clothes. Junior high was the same. I wasn’t as tall and thin as all the other girls; my baby teeth hadn’t fallen out yet. Fast forward to high school. Still everyone was smarter; still everyone dressed better. Eventually, in my first job out of college I wasn’t making as much money as my friends did.

I come from a long line of people who’ve suffered from depression. When I was single, I thought that was just who I was — it was the genes (基因) I was born with. When I was twenty-six, I got married, and three years later I had my first child.

Once we had kids, my excuse of “it’s-in-the-genes” didn’t work so well for me anymore because that meant my kids would be depressed. Although I realized that still might be the case, I began looking at my unhappiness in new ways.

Over the years many things helped me fight depression: healthy eating, exercise, fresh air, friends and medicine. They all helped. But I had a little secret, too. It’s an exercise I did every night before bed. By the side of my bed, I had a small datebook — every day I only had enough space to write one line.

Every night I asked myself: “What made me the happiest today?” Because I didn’t have space to write a lot, it only took me a few seconds. But in those seconds I replayed my day and decided on its happiest moment.

Some days it was “reading before bed with the kids” or “laughing with a friend on the phone”. And other days it was “finally getting to get into bed” or “not having to cook dinner again”. Anyway, I actively sought the positive every day. Today, when I have a difficult day, I look back through the datebook, read and remember those happy moments in the past.

1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?

A．The author led a poor life.

B．The author got a high-pay job.

C．The author challenged herself bravely.

D．The author usually compared herself with others.

2. What changed the author’s mind?

A．Her first career.	B．Her happy marriage.
C．Her care for her children.	D．Her knowledge of genes.

3. Why did the author keep a datebook every day?

A．To ease her loneliness.	B．To have a sound sleep.
C．To recall happy moments.	D．To serve as bedtime stories.

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.

B．Mother should set a good example for kids.

C．There could be a solution to any problem.

D．We should appreciate life’s bright aspects.

10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Listening to Be Heard

Our P. E. teacher Ms. Lopez had been out with a skiing injury. She was a caring and considerate teacher who showed patience and understanding to little minds like us. So, when we knew she was returning, some of us asked our substitute(替代) gym teacher if we could plan a welcome-back party.

“Sounds great,” said Ms. Green, “We have a few minutes before the bell rings, so you can do a little brainstorming while I put some stuff away.” We were excited and could not wait to let our minds wander. But here came the problem.

“I bet Ms. Lopez would like welcome-back cards.” I said.

“We should have a rock ‘n’ roll theme!” said Noah.

“No, we should make it a soccer theme! What about a cake shaped like a soccer ball!”said Avery.

“Why is soccer better than music?” said Noah.

“I think cards are really important!” I said, louder.

The discussion soon turned into a noisy chaos (混乱). Everyone had their ideas to present and wished them to be realized. Even the “fashionable” kids interrupted, demanding to bring balloons and some fancy clothes like a skirt with orange flowers. It seemed all voices were ignored.

That was when the bell rang and the party discussion ended. I was in confusion and fear for the rest of the day. It was going to be a disaster, and Ms. Lopez wouldn’t even know we missed her.

When I returned home, my little brother and sister were arguing about a board game.

“I know the rules!” Tex shouted. “You don’t have to start over if you land on blue!”

“I know the rules!” shouted Indi. “You get an extra point if you get the flowers!”

I walked over to where they were playing and said, “If you’d stop and listen to each other, you might realize you’re both right.” I pointed to the rule sheet and read them the parts they’d been arguing about. They were surprised that they were both right. Suddenly it clicked—we had been busy presenting our ideas without listening to others.

注意：
1.续写词数应为 150 左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

The next day in gym class, during the party discussion, I asked my classmates for a stop.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A week later, Ms. Lopez was amazed at the welcome-back party containing our various ideas.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________