1 . I started playing the piano when I was around four years old—that was 15 years ago!—and since then, the longest I haven’t touched piano keys was probably two months. This was an enormous amount of devotion to something that I wasn’t even planning to make money off of—so there must have been something worth holding on to, right?

The easy guess is that I was always so purely in love with music and piano that I couldn’t bear to let them go. However, it’s a bit more complicated than that. I struggled a lot with piano. I felt pressure to improve, innovate, and be the best in order to prove something to others. The seed of my musical interest was grown with competition and doubt.

It’s difficult to learn to love something that you didn’t choose in the first place. But somehow, sometime, love grew. And by high school, it was strong enough that I found the strength to hold on tighter, dig further, and find something of my own to grow. In a way, I had to start over.

And so, I took a pause. I switched teachers, and got incredibly lucky with one who encouraged me and helped me tunnel into what I loved, not what I was told I should learn. Anything I had was good enough to be loved.

This summer, I started learning the guitar. I deliberately wanted to learn on my own—this was just for me, to form a new relationship to music. Even though my guitar skills are miles lower than my piano skills, I feel I can express myself even more wholly through strings than keys. There’s just something about doing it all for myself that has helped me heal the damages to my relationship to music.

The love and hate I’ve had for the piano were both planted and grown. If you too have learned to hate something you once loved—or something you never chose—remember that with dedication, it can be uprooted, and love can make a home in its place. There is always time. There is always room.

1. What can we learn about the author’s experience from Paragraph 1?

A．He probably spent two months in playing the piano.

B．He began to play the piano when he was 15 years old.

C．He thought it necessary to start playing the piano early.

D．He committed himself to the piano not for financial factors.

2. Which of the following words best describes the author’s relationship with the piano?

A．Bittersweet.

B．Harmonious.

C．Painful.

D．Passive.

3. What inspired the author to learn the guitar?

A．His teacher’s constant encouragement.	B．His desire for a new relationship with music.
C．His interest in strings rather than keys.	D．His talent for playing musical instruments.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Practice makes perfect	B．Love cannot be forced
C．Love is a thing that grows	D．There is no end to learning

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

We have a problem that is deeply rooted in our world today. When it     1     (come) to the holidays, people tend to forget that it’s the season of giving rather than receiving. We tend to be more     2     (interest) in what we’ll receive on Christmas morning instead of looking at the holidays as an opportunity     3     (help) out those who don’t have it as good as we do. So how can we change the culture around the holidays and make sure that people are emphasizing the time to give as much     4     they are looking forward to opening up their stockings? This is a question worth     5     (think) about. Giving     6     (selfless) is the right thing to do, though many of us     7     (challenge) by the task. Whether or not we have much money to spare, it isn’t always easy to give away     8     we have worked so hard for, especially when we have set financial goals — saving for retirement, a vacation or a     9     (rain) day. Even with so many reasons to be unwilling, the advantages of giving outweigh them all. When we give to those in need, we make a positive difference     10     the lives of others and our own.

3 . A week ago, my daughter said, “Mom, I don’t think I’m very athletic.”

I’ve observed her in various sports, and she is just like me: two left feet. But even knowing it, my first instinct (本能) was to snow her with some________ “Oh, you’re actnally good at sports!”

I held back, however, and after thinking twice, I told her the________: “No, you’re kind of not.”

And I could see it hurt a bit. So I________: “Dear, everyone may have a natural talent for something. Like you and________: You’re a 5^th grader and read Charles Dickens. But we also have things we are not________. If we want to reach a satisfactory level at those things, we have to________twice the effort and if we want to________we need to try even harder.”

She was nodding. She totally________it. Why? Because it’s the truth. Sometimes I wonder why we run around telling our kids some rubbish that don’t even________when they can actually accept the truth. Besides, when they realize we are lying, we________our credibility.

I want my kids to have a_______understanding of themselves so they won’t be________when things get tough. They can be Olympians, but nobody is going to band it to them and________may work against them. They will understand that many things________a nearly huge amount of WORK. They can’t just expect something to happen. They________it happen.

1.

A．sense

B．advice

C．rubbish

D．love

2.

A．idea

B．truth

C．news

D．lie

3.

A．replied

B．added

C．commented

D．repeated

4.

A．learning

B．speaking

C．reading

D．writing

5.

A．fond of

B．amazed at

C．good at

D．interested in

6.

A．put in

B．put away

C．put up

D．put off

7.

A．improve

B．excel

C．pass

D．continue

8.

A．got

B．forgot

C．made

D．did

9.

A．take place

B．get around

C．come along

D．make sense

10.

A．develop

B．damage

C．ignore

D．value

11.

A．heart-felt

B．hot-headed

C．right-sized

D．good-natured

12.

A．tired

B．shocked

C．excited

D．inspired

13.

A．nature

B．time

C．history

D．experience

14.

A．perform

B．increase

C．require

D．change

15.

A．watch

B．let

C．help

D．make

4 . We had just completed a unit on community heroes, and my kindergarten class homework was to draw their favorite hero. Each child was busy _________ colorful drawings. However, one little boy named Cameron was having difficulty with the homework. He was on the autism spectrum (自闭症谱系), but that didn’t _________ to me or his classmates. We all loved him just the way he was.

I sat and watched as Austin, another little boy, _________ Cameron. Austin had a wonderful way of interacting with Cameron, and helped him _________ his hero. Within a few minutes, Cameron began drawing blue lines on his paper.

_________, it was time for everybody to _________ their hero pictures. I listened carefully to each student’s _________ of his or her hero. It was finally Cameron’s _________ to share his hero. Cameron stood up and _________ his drawing in front of his face. He then said it was a picture of me and I helped him learn things.

When Austin shared his picture, I was __________ it would be a policeman, but he __________ me when he held up a picture of Cameron. He said Cameron was his __________ because he had a sickness that made it __________ to learn, but he was like Superman and was really smart. What had started out as a simple __________ on community heroes had turned into a moment that changed my understanding of teachers’ __________. Teachers should lead their children in discovering their own amazing qualities and helping them find their inner superhero.

1.

A．selecting

B．observing

C．creating

D．seeking

2.

A．matter

B．happen

C．belong

D．apply

3.

A．learnt from

B．relied on

C．worked with

D．apologized to

4.

A．draw

B．find

C．visit

D．impress

5.

A．Suddenly

B．Immediately

C．Luckily

D．Finally

6.

A．enjoy

B．examine

C．share

D．revise

7.

A．description

B．expectation

C．adjustment

D．improvement

8.

A．way

B．turn

C．permission

D．ambition

9.

A．hid

B．colored

C．donated

D．placed

10.

A．disappointed

B．afraid

C．curious

D．certain

11.

A．persuaded

B．surprised

C．reminded

D．calmed

12.

A．patient

B．brother

C．hero

D．classmate

13.

A．hard

B．necessary

C．interesting

D．flexible

14.

A．survey

B．decision

C．lesson

D．suggestion

15.

A．responsibilities

B．predictions

C．achievements

D．arrangements

5 . One day my 10-year-old son, Kavi, left his typewritten math homework at school. He came to me in ________ . “What should I do?” he asked.

Together, we ________ that he could ask his friend to send a photo of the homework so that he could ________ the content by hand. The problem got solved, right? Wrong. He remained anxious. Soon, I discovered what really ________ him: He was afraid that his teacher would   ________ the homework left on his desk at school and be upset with him. He begged me to email the teacher to offer a(n) ________ .

I wanted to help—which parent doesn’t want to make the ________ go away, especially when the solution is as ________ as sending an email? Yet, that would have been a(n) ________ thing to do. Research shows parents’ helping to avoid worry-causing ________ may comfort anxious children at the moment, ________ it prevents them from learning to cope in the long run.

I never sent that email to Kavi’s teacher. I ________ to talk Kavi through his worry, but he still felt restless at supper. However, the next day, he got an A+ on his homework along with a note: “You did a good job ________ how to get your homework done.”

I think it’s necessary for parents to let their children stay with worry but ________ them in seeking solutions, and that children’s gaining mastery over their worry is just the key to their growing up ________ .

1.

A．silence

B．comfort

C．panic

D．amazement

2.

A．convinced

B．remembered

C．announced

D．considered

3.

A．copy out

B．clear away

C．point at

D．pass down

4.

A．touched

B．inspired

C．bothered

D．probed

5.

A．replace

B．ignore

C．correct

D．notice

6.

A．cooperation

B．explanation

C．guarantee

D．definition

7.

A．embarrassment

B．homesickness

C．hurt

D．dream

8.

A．simple

B．essential

C．ridiculous

D．intense

9.

A．complicated

B．permanent

C．illegal

D．wrong

10.

A．principles

B．comments

C．situations

D．contests

11.

A．otherwise

B．but

C．because

D．nevertheless

12.

A．tried

B．spotted

C．hesitated

D．pretended

13.

A．setting aside

B．benefiting from

C．figuring out

D．focusing on

14.

A．criticize

B．support

C．assign

D．contact

15.

A．willingly

B．flexibly

C．crazily

D．healthily

6 . 请阅读下面这则寓言，并按照要求用英语写一篇80词左右的review。
相关词汇：crow (乌鸦)

Why don’t you drink water as the book told us?

Crows Drink Water

There was only a little water in a bottle which had a long and narrow neck. A fat crow came to the bottle and drank the water by a straw. He was enjoying the water when another thirsty crow went by. Accustomed (习惯于) to the way of drinking water taught in books, the thirsty crow was very surprised. He asked the fat crow, “Why don’t you drink water as the book told us?” The fat crow replied,“Because this method can make me drink water faster.”

7 . Peyton Manker, an 18-year-old girl from Illinois, has been getting a lot of attention on social media lately. In order to _________ this year's Stuck at Prom (舞会) contest, in which participants can have a chance to _________ a $10,000 scholarship, she used dozens of rolls of _________ to make a unique prom dress.

“I decided to make the dress _________ the pandemic, because I knew no one in the _________ was going to be able to recreate it,” Manker said. “I knew I would _________ in that way and I wanted to base it off of what was happening in the world.” The pandemic infects many people, causes deaths, and has widespread social and economic _________.

_________ COVID-19, her prom and graduation ceremony were canceled this year, but this didn't stop Peyton Manker from _________ just under 400 hours of work and 41 rolls of duct tape into her prom dress. The amazing dress __________ various coronavirus-related scenes, __________ front-line medical personnel wearing face masks, people fighting with a giant coronavirus and a(n) __________ graduation ceremony.

“The entire dress is supposed to represent the pandemic in a __________ light,” Peyton said. “I don't want people to think about the dress as just trying to __________ a moment in history. It is a __________ that we go through it.”

1.

A．organize

B．attend

C．hold

D．conduct

2.

A．accept

B．offer

C．create

D．win

3.

A．tape

B．mask

C．cotton

D．tissue

4.

A．belonging to

B．responding to

C．composed of

D．based on

5.

A．performance

B．ceremony

C．competition

D．joint

6.

A．show off

B．stand out

C．turn up

D．dress up

7.

A．results

B．interests

C．cases

D．impacts

8.

A．In spite of

B．In memory of

C．Because of

D．Instead of

9.

A．sinking

B．wasting

C．absorbing

D．taking

10.

A．attracts

B．sets

C．features

D．dominates

11.

A．including

B．exploring

C．promoting

D．filming

12.

A．virtual

B．genuine

C．influential

D．traditional

13.

A．dynamic

B．dim

C．historic

D．positive

14.

A．explain

B．declare

C．show

D．track

15.

A．foundation

B．representation

C．memorial

D．breakthrough

8 . It was midnight, and I was on my knees, burying head in my hands. I struggled to________the sobs that threatened to wake my two tiny children. The call came just hours ago—I got the job. After five interviews and three presentations, I received a generous ________, one that needed my answer by tomorrow.

To others, the decision was ________—live the dream, with its security. But to me, taking the job would_______ compromise my heart.

Exhausted, I rose to my feet, and made my way upstairs to check on my children, finding each curled up in a________sleep. I heard their breathing, soft and even I became one with the moment. And in that breathtaking silence, I heard a voice:________your heart. The words echoed through my soul.

The decision, indeed, was simple. I would ________ somebody else's dream job and keep my own. I felt a great ________ lift off my shoulders. I pursued my options for working for myself. I started to write and edit, ________pages of scripts. I stretched myself and discovered that I could learn anything if I ________ some time to it.

To be sure, I lost a number of business opportunities. But I was available to ________the simple moments with my children. On sunny days, we'd ________ to the zoo with my backpack of work projects. Each night, when I tucked my kids into bed, my ________ was full. Over time, as my kids grew, my business did, too.

Now I have no regrets. I am ________ for the life that I have, a cherished closeness with my now adult children and a variety of fulfilling, passion-filled work. I'm glad I trusted my inner ________.

1.

A．put out

B．jump at

C．turn down

D．hold back

2.

A．card

B．offer

C．letter

D．essay

3.

A．simple

B．smart

C．casual

D．cautious

4.

A．carefully

B．nervously

C．critically

D．eventually

5.

A．light

B．sound

C．fresh

D．hard

6.

A．relax

B．follow

C．rescue

D．inspire

7.

A．decline

B．change

C．respect

D．accept

8.

A．honour

B．backpack

C．weight

D．project

9.

A．publishing

B．preserving

C．exploring

D．accumulating

10.

A．devoted

B．connected

C．limited

D．donated

11.

A．imagine

B．report

C．embrace

D．adjust

12.

A．adapt

B．refer

C．turn

D．head

13.

A．heart

B．room

C．mood

D．book

14.

A．anxious

B．grateful

C．ready

D．famous

15.

A．design

B．hope

C．worry

D．voice

9 . The US Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recently asked scientists, lawyers, social scientists and other experts to consider some of these ethical dimension. To give two examples: on privacy, as we let more listening devices into our homes, how do we prevent the data they collect falling into the wrong hands through hacking (黑客) or simply being sold between companies without us receiving any money? Another example: mixed reality, including virtual reality, will become pervasive in the next few years. As we move from headsets to what the IEEE committee describes as “more delicate sensory enhancements” we will use technology to live in an illusory world in many aspects of our lives. How do we balance the rights of the individual, control over our virtual identity, and the need to live and interact on a face-to-face basis while being empowered to live rich lives in mixed reality?

There is, of course, always a tension between innovation and regulation. But it can often seem that giant steps are taken in technology with minimal public discussion. Take the self-driving car: although it may be safer than human drivers and is likely to save more than a million lives a year worldwide, it will also take jobs from drivers, traffic police, sign-makers, car-repair companies, carmakers and more. Is this a bargain we want to make? In taking that decision, have we given thought to a car that knows everywhere we go, decides routes, perhaps, based on paid advertisement from shops along the way—and listens and sees everything we do on board? What will happen to that data and can it be kept safe?

Additionally, while some worry about the uncommon “trolley problem” of whom the car should choose to hit in a strange accident—an old lady or a mother and baby—perhaps the more frequent issue will be how we find out what the algorithm (运算程序) was thinking at the time of an accident, because AIs (Artificial Intelligence) are self-learning and devise their own strategies.     

Similar concerns are emerging over the internet of things. Robot vacuum-cleaners already plot cleaning cycles using computer-aided vision that, for some models, is relayed to their manufacturers. As more things at home become connected, they will be hackable and the data they collect saleable.

It’s time for some messy, democratic discussions about the future of AI.

1. Two examples in paragraph 1 are used to________.

A．shed some light on hacking in our modern life

B．lead the reader to think of ethical issues brought by hi-tech

C．lead in the following example concerning the self-driving car

D．list the existing problems that caught the attention of experts

2. The word “pervasive” in paragraph 1 probably means “________”.

A．intelligent

B．powerful

C．widespread

D．skillful

3. We can infer from the passage that________.

A．innovation should be accompanied by guidelines to relieve tension

B．more giant innovative steps will lead to fewer public discussion

C．disadvantages of the self-driving car will outweigh its advantages

D．artificial intelligence fails to have a promising and bright future

4. In the passage, the author intends to ________.

A．expose some underlying problems in high-technology

B．call on professionals to enforce law and order

C．illustrate AI’s abilities in self-devising and self-learning strategies

D．display our inter-connected computer-aided life in future

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。

People use the proverb “seeing is believing” to describe situations where it’s hard to believe something is possible if you haven’t seen it happen. I am here today to tell you that the proverb is true and to share with you how a girl and her grandmother made a positive transformation in a community.

It was a year ago when I was studying life cycles in my science class. I wrote a paper about the life cycle of the monarch butterfly (帝王蝶) and received a perfect score. I was so thrilled; I called my grandmother Nana and told her the exciting news. My talk recalled memories from Nana’s childhood. “I remember when I was a girl,” she said, “those orange and black butterflies were a common sight. Come late summer, there would suddenly be hundreds of them, and before long there were so many it felt like you were standing in an orange cloud.”

“It sounds like you witnessed a migration (迁徙), but what happened to them?” I asked. “To be honest, I’ve never known,” Nana admitted. “But there do seem to be fewer monarchs around the neighborhood.” Nana and I decided to investigate.

That weekend, we met at the public library. Our research produced plenty of information: some fascinating and some concerning. Apparently, the number of monarchs has been in decline for the last several decades. Housing developments have destroyed much of their habitat (栖息地). Some information was hopeful, though, like how conservationists are working to save them.

The best was this — it doesn’t take lots of money or equipment to do so. It takes only a little bit of land, some seeds, and dedicated people to create what’s called a Monarch Waystation (驿站).

“What if we set up our own Monarch Waystation?” I suggested. “We’ll need people to help.” Nana responded immediately and didn’t waste time to get started.

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, Nana presented the idea to her garden club and I talked to my friends.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nana and I created a blog and frequently updated about the community’s efforts.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________