1 . People usually consider voluntary work as a completely selfless act, but voluntary work has its place in everyone’s lives, and my personal experiences have confirmed my belief in this.
Volunteer work has reminded me to cherish and appreciate little things in life. When I volunteered to teach life skills to students with cerebral palsy (脑瘫), I found that they were very grateful to the teachers and assistants by saying “thank you” and smiling.
Doing voluntary work has given my life more meaning.
| A．I felt that they had taught me a lesson on gratitude. |
| B．It is easy to be obsessed with material wants in society. |
| C．I am now able to go through life with more love and compassion. |
| D．Volunteer work has provided me with opportunities to make friends. |
| E．With the determination, the decisions I make are now more meaningful. |
| F．Moreover, I realized they are often unreasonably judged by other people. |
| G．Voluntary work has helped me better understand the lives of the less fortunate. |
2 . Denmark retired after practicing medicine for 73 years and then volunteered her services until she couldn’t anymore. She died at the age of 114.
I met her by phone when the pediatrician (儿科医生) couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my baby. On the phone, she talked with me for more than 30 minutes. I took her advice, and my baby was better about 10 days later. She never charged me.
“You keep on doing what you do best as long as you can,” she was famous for the words. And it turned out her advice about actively helping others was as good as her medical advice.
Obviously, we can’t all live as long as Dr. Denmark. But recent research has shown that volunteering provides a longevity boost similar to the effects of adding multiple servings of fruits and vegetables to your daily diet. Specifically, older adults who volunteer are at 24 percent less risk of early death. The positive impact of giving and volunteering on older people goes beyond that. According to the research, adults over 55 who give their time for others have an easier time with everyday tasks. Besides, volunteers experience 250 percent less cognitive decline leading to dementia (痴呆).
According to a new study in the Journal of Happiness Studies, people who volunteer report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. The study took it a second step and followed people who began volunteering—monitoring their responses from the time they started volunteering. The longer they volunteered and the more they volunteered, the greater level of happiness they reported.
You may already be volunteering your time. But if you’re not, consider the charities you support. Think about the skills you might be able to offer them. You are likely to be glad about what you do.
1. What can we infer about Denmark?| A．She retired at the age of 73. | B．She volunteered for 73 years. |
| C．She was patient and professional. | D．She once forget to charge the author. |
| A．1. | B．2. | C．3. | D．4. |
| A．Seek support. | B．Advise about sharpening skills. |
| C．Offer solutions. | D．Encourage people to volunteer. |
| A．The kindness of a doctor. | B．The benefits of volunteering. |
| C．The process of being a volunteer. | D．The struggle of child-raising. |
3 . My grandchild, Harold, was celebrating his 7th birthday. Asked what
Harold remembered me telling of these
I followed the
As I presented the perfectly crafted fudge to Harold, his eyes sparkled with
| A．colour | B．gift | C．plan | D．game |
| A．did | B．witnessed | C．bought | D．considered |
| A．stick | B．pie | C．candy | D．soup |
| A．changes | B．failures | C．thrills | D．hardships |
| A．fact | B．reason | C．belief | D．theory |
| A．complained | B．resisted | C．persisted | D．agreed |
| A．story | B．recipe | C．grandson | D．thought |
| A．avoided | B．regretted | C．enjoyed | D．kept |
| A．scary | B．interesting | C．amazing | D．awkward |
| A．quiet | B．proper | C．regular | D．difficult |
| A．ahead | B．late | C．fine | D．wrong |
| A．joy | B．intelligence | C．humor | D．inspiration |
| A．stood for | B．weighed on | C．struck at | D．washed over |
| A．education | B．involvement | C．growth | D．fun |
| A．interruption | B．request | C．answer | D．pleasure |
4 . I live with my husband Jack in Iowa, which is far away from Florida. One day, my husband suddenly decided to play
“Why Florida?” I wanted to know. “We are so busy every day with our work. Why not someplace
“Because,” he said, “Florida is famous for golf. It’s just something I
So when Jack talked about playing in
In order to make our life without
After many years, our plans were all finished.
| A．football | B．golf | C．basketball | D．volleyball |
| A．farther | B．closer | C．larger | D．warmer |
| A．dream | B．hurry | C．refuse | D．afford |
| A．In fact | B．For example | C．At once | D．In case |
| A．lent | B．bought | C．missed | D．found |
| A．called | B．practised | C．made | D．explained |
| A．Georgia | B．Hawaii | C．Iowa | D．Florida |
| A．support | B．learn | C．finish | D．prepare |
| A．where | B．when | C．although | D．because |
| A．came | B．rose | C．failed | D．happened |
| A．regret | B．hope | C．difficulty | D．difference |
| A．turned down | B．taken away | C．put out | D．carried out |
| A．started | B．changed | C．appeared | D．stopped |
| A．Simply | B．Finally | C．Quietly | D．Sadly |
| A．early | B．busy | C．slow | D．fast |
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.
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Nana and I created a blog and frequently updated about the community’s efforts.
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6 . Amazing and perfectly beautiful, The Midnight Library is everything you’d expect from the genius storyteller, Matt Haig. I picked it up from our readers’ recommendations (we asked our readers to send in some of their favorite recent books) and I can see why it won Best Fiction of 2020 in the Good Reads Choice Awards.
The story follows Nora Seed, a woman who is struggling and feels like nothing in her life has gone according to plan. While the initial chapters of the book are quite sad, Nora finds herself given a chance to start over in the Midnight Library, a magical place full of books of all the different paths her life could have taken. Nora is forced to stay in the library and try out different versions of her life until she finds the life she most wants to live.
I loved the idea that no dream or fork in your road is insignificant, and that they all lead us to become different versions of ourselves. In one life, Nora is an Olympic swimmer. In another, she is a glaciologist living on a boat off the coast of Antarctica. The novel reveals in a beautiful way that the potential we all have within us is impossible to measure, and that we have the possibility to be happy in many different versions of life.
It also discusses how dangerous it can be to live your life with regrets. The Midnight Library revealed to Nora that even if you make very different choices, you may uncover a deeper appreciation for your current home and the people in your life. It is your perspective that matters.
I really loved the fantasy and magical realism in this novel, and I would love for this to be turned into a series where we get to explore The Midnight Library of other characters’ lives as well.
1. What can we know about the author of the text?| A．He should be an editor. | B．He is the friend of Matt Haig. |
| C．Magical realism books are his favorite. | D．He shares a similar experience with Nora. |
| A．A magic library. | B．The harm of regret. |
| C．The exploration of life. | D．Ways to make correct choices. |
| A．In a novel. | B．In a magazine. | C．In a history book. | D．In a biography. |
| A．To thank readers who introduced the book. | B．To honour Matt Haig, the author of the book. |
| C．To share the author’s opinions on the book. | D．To publicize the book to people who are struggling. |
7 . True beauty is not found in looks.
Place your beauty in your identity but not your identity in your beauty. If you hold onto youthful beauty as a narrow definition of yourself, you won’t enjoy your looks as you age.
The fountain of youth doesn’t exist. Despite many anti-aging products, there is no magic solution to stopping the effects of aging. You should stop devaluing (贬低) yourself just because you are getting older. Aim for a healthy life and keep yourself strong and fit. Eat healthy diet and be committed to a daily exercise routine. Lots of efforts are needed.
Beauty relates to physical and psychological aspects.
| A．Everyone does it. |
| B．It comes from the inside. |
| C．Go beyond your mirror image. |
| D．You will feel better over a long term. |
| E．It’s human nature to believe beauty is everything. |
| F．People generally think beauty is only a skin-deep issue. |
| G．Be less scared of aging and you will look more beautiful. |
Be yourself and always follow your heart. Never let anyone change who you are. This is the lesson I have learned from my childhood experience when I figured out I wasn’t invited to the party, Bridget’s party.
One morning, I got off the bus and saw my friends except me hugging under the tree where we used to stand. The circle seemed tighter as I approached；the white invitation cards being hastily stuffed into backpacks gave it away. I knew as well as the entire universe that Bridget’s party was this weekend. Bridget was the most popular girl in our class. She was thin and beautiful, always wearing fabulous clothes and fine makeup.
Why hadn’t she invited me? My feet were too big? No. Maybe. My face was broken out? Why did she invite every person in my group except me? I tried to think of any interactions I’d had with Bridget recently. A few days earlier, we’d been partners during a sixth period project. I was determined to get the project done and she was absorbed in looking at fashion magazines. She barely spoke to me except to say, “You’re so serious. You know, you should smile more."
Soon, I had overheard all the details about the party. They were going swimming. It was a sleepover. They were renting scary movies and were going to stay up all night. Each time someone mentioned the party, I smiled weakly and nodded, with my stomach in knots.
When having my favorite English class, I found myself just unable to concentrate on the short stories we were supposed to be reading in class. Maybe she didn’t invite me because of my coat. It is pretty ugly compared to some of the other girls’ coats. I should have bought another color. Maybe I should smile more but I just can’t get into smiling at people unless I know them really well. But I just couldn’t pretend to be the person I wasn’t. I felt sick.
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。
At lunch, my friend Kate who had been invited came over to me, trying to show off.
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I was about to let it go when Bridget invited me as a substitute for a girl who couldn’t come.
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When my little brother Tom was four, Mom said something like “I’d give anything to have a few more hours in the day.” And Tom said, “Why don’t we buy a bigger clock?” If time worked that way, I could have used an extra-big clock last week!
Our teacher had asked us to make an art project showing how plants eat, “I can’t believe we only have two nights to finish it,” Noah said with a sigh. “I have no idea how I’ll get mine done.”
I didn’t say anything. Not because I was nervous—I wasn’t nervous at all. 1 love art projects! In fact, I was so relaxed that I didn’t work on the project at all on Monday night. I planned to start the minute I got home from baseball practice on Tuesday. But there was just one thing.
I forgot baseball would run later than usual because it was the day of Baseball Buddies, which happens every month, and it’s a chance for us older students to practise baseball with the adorable younger kids. The second I got home, I threw the entire craft box (手工盒) onto the kitchen table, took out my “How Plants Eat” paper, and started to work. But just then, the telephone rang.
It was my friend Ollie, who said his grandmother Abuela had just made cookies and wanted to know if I’d come help decorate them. I love decorating cookies, and I love, love, love Abucla’s world-famous Thanksgiving cookies that only happen once a year!
I had no choice. I had to go. Ollie and I put all the star cookies with red jam filling in one group, and all the snowflakes with white cream-cheese filling in another. It was 7 o'clock when I finally got home.1 planned to work on my project right after we ate. But then another interruption hit me.
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。
Just as I was about to start, Dad said, “Joanna, it’s your turn to do the dishes.”
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Looking at the big “F” on my paper, I started to reflect on what I had done these days.
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It was my twelfth birthday, and what I really wanted most was a new bicycle. But I knew that my family couldn’t afford one, so I settled for a bedside table with lockable drawers, a safe place to keep my private stuff.
We went to the charity shop where we found an old dark one. It didn’t look too cool, but I thought that I would paint it to make it look better.
After we took it home, I was getting ready to paint it. When I pulled the drawers out. I felt something stuck to the back. I reached in all the way, and guess what? A sealed bag with some papers in it.
When I opened the bag, I realized that the papers were official documents. And, wrapped in them were a bunch of ten and twenty dollar bills! Talk about finding a treasure! And on my birthday!
“Is this some kind of joke?” I said aloud. I went ahead and read the papers, and it turned out to be a will. Some old lady was leaving her savings for her son and grandchildren.
My mind was going crazy. Was I the luckiest twelve-year-old ever? With this money I could buy the coolest bicycle. Who knows?
I began counting. When I reached a thousand dollars, my mother was knocking on my bedroom door. I quickly closed the drawer with the money in it.
“Do you want some help? Is everything all right?” she asked.
No, everything was not right. Actually, my stomach was growling (低吼).
“I’m okay,” I lied.
When my mother left my room, I lay on my bed, starting thinking. What a dilemma (窘境)! I wished there were some one I could talk with. Could I keep it and get all kinds of stuff for me and my family? It wouldn’t be too bad for me to keep it, if I shared it...right? Thoughts ran through my mind. But I really didn’t need someone else to give me the answer.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I finally made a decision and called my parents into my bedroom.
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Though surprised, the shop owner helped find the family’s telephone number.
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