1. Who is probably the speaker?
| A．A reporter. | B．A teacher. | C．A writer. |
| A．He read a book. |
| B．He looked after the horse. |
| C．He enjoyed the snow. |
| A．Sad. | B．Moved. | C．Casual. |
| A．Help those around us as much as we can. |
| B．Read as many books as we can. |
| C．Be grateful for what we have. |
She was six years old when I met her on the beach near where I live. I drive to this beach whenever the world begins to close in on me. She was building a sandcastle and looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea. “Hello,” she said. I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small child. I was depressed: my life seemed completely out of balance.
“What’s your name?” She wouldn't give up. “Ruth,” I answered. “Mine’s Wendy....I’m six.” She giggled, “Nice to meet you, Miss Ruth. Do you want to play? Maybe we can build something together. You’ll be happy!” She looked at me eagerly, waiting for my answer.
I just couldn’t refuse this lovely creature. I asked her: “Why don’t you go to school?” “I don’t go to school. Mommy says we’re on vacation.” She chattered little girl talk as we built the sandcastle. When I left for home, Wendy said it had been a happy day. Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and agreed. She pointed toward a row of summer cottages and told me she lives there.
Three weeks later, I rushed to my beach in a state of near panic. I was in no mood to even greet Wendy when Wendy caught up with me, “I’d rather be alone today.” She seems unusually pale and out of breath. “Why?” she asked. I turned to her and shouted, “Because my mother died!” “Oh,” she said quietly, “then this is a bad day.” “Yes, go away!” “Did it hurt when she died?” “Of course!” I shouted. She didn’t say anything more, tears rolling down her face.
A month or so after that, when I went to the beach, she wasn’t there. Feeling guilty, ashamed and admitting to myself I missed her, I went up to the cottage and knocked at the door.
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。
A drawn-looking(憔悴的) young woman with red and swollen eyes opened the door.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“She left something for you,” her mum’s voice trembled and handed me an envelop.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I used to play football when I was a little kid. Okay, let’s face it. I was never really a little kid. I was so big that I got to play football a whole year ahead of my friends. Our football league didn’t have an age limit, but it had a weight requirement. If you were heavy enough, you got to play. I was heavy enough at the age of eight.
The only problem was, by the time I turned ten I was too heavy. You had to weigh a certain amount to start playing, but if you weighed too much they made you stop. Not playing would be just fine with me. I would be happier sitting at home reading a book.
Dad was one of the team’s big sponsors and friends of the coach, so I figured I would let him down and that quitting wasn’t an option. I went, day after day, and week after week... until I was eleven and weighed more than two hundred pounds. I thought that would be the end of it, once and for all.
However, my coach came up with a bright idea to help me lose weight. The very next practice he presented me with a T-shirt made out of a black garbage bag. “Put it on,” he said, pointing out the holes for my head and arms. “Start running around the practice field.” “Koop going, Fireplug (消防栓),” other players would shout. “Fireplug” was the new name they gave me. Although no one ever explained it to me, I figured it had something to do with me being shaped like it.
Every day in practice, I had to run in that stupid garbage bag. My short fat legs weren’t exactly comfortable, and often I’d trip and fall. The other players would laugh. At that moment, I asked myself, “Why? Was I being punished for something? Wasn’t the running, sweating and pain enough?” I suddenly realized that I’d been knocking myself out for something I didn’t even want to do in the first place!
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
It was then that I decided I wouldn’t play football anymore.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Much to my surprise, my dad was on my side.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . I first saw a real durian (榴莲) in an Asian supermarket in Queens. That strange-looking fruit was big, heavy, and covered with sharp pricks (刺). I decided to buy one. The Chinese checkout girl carefully wrapped it thickly in a newspaper before putting it into a shopping bag.
On the train home, I cautiously opened the Chinese newspaper and lifted it out. Its strangeness made me think of kung fu, yoga and Taijiquan.
Upon arriving home, I dug out the biggest knife and cut through the tough prickly husk (壳). I tasted the pale-yellow flesh, delicious!
After that, durian was my favourite fruit. My skill at cutting durian open was improving. I showed the skill to my girlfriend.
A few years later, we moved to Taiwan. One day I noticed some durians had begun to open by themselves. The owner tried to get me to buy one but I shook my head, thinking it was far-gone. Instead I selected one whose outer husk wasn’t open.
The next morning I woke up to a strong durian smell. I found a small crack (裂缝) had appeared all on its own. I used the smallest pressure and tasted a more delicious durian. Suddenly, I realized something. I ha felt so satisfied with my own skill in opening the durian that I never thought about letting the durian open itself. The higher art was not in doing but in not doing — letting the thing happen on its own in the way it happens best.
1. Why did the Chinese checkout girl wrap the durian thickly in a newspaper?| A．To decorate the durian. | B．To stop the durian from falling apart. |
| C．To prevent the author from being hurt. | D．To encourage the author to read Chinese. |
| A．A strange fruit. | B．A delicious dinner. |
| C．Other passengers’ attention. | D．Some symbols of Asian culture. |
| A．He thought it was too ripe. | B．He enjoyed the selection of durian. |
| C．He wanted a chance to show his skill. | D．He preferred the durian with open husk. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Let nature take its course. |
| C．Interest is the best teacher. | D．Kill two birds with one stone. |
5 . When my Dad visited me in London recently, I took him for a classic English afternoon tea at The Ritz Hotel. The thought of showing him a piece of authentic British life excited me for weeks, so when we finally sat down in the Ritz’s elegant tearoom, with the sound of a pianist in the background, I was thrilled.
I looked at the polished silver tea stand topped with finely cut sandwiches, freshly baked scones (烤饼), and mouthwatering pastries and teacakes. I was ready to dig in. Then I looked at Dad and a trace of nervousness flashed across his face. He carefully copied what I at e and how to use the knife and fork, and from time to time anxiously looked up at the waiter in his bow tie who was serving our table.
When we got to the scones, Dad took a big bite and remarked how delicious it was. He asked me to explain how the British eat scones, so I supplied him with details about the custom of breaking scones into small pieces, spreading cream and strawberry jam on top, before consuming each piece in one mouthful.
“Oh, why did you not tell me earlier?” Dad’s face turned red in embarrassment, suddenly realizing his mistake. For the rest of the scones session, he busied himself with neatly spreading the cream and jam like an obedient (听话的) child.
Suddenly, I felt a complex mixture of happiness, sadness and loneliness. Growing up, Dad was my hero, my mountain. I still remember flying into his arms after school at the kindergarten gate. Through the sound of his voice, I learned to feel and understand the world.
After moving to London alone, I have learned to achieve academic grades, found a job, and started a new life all by myself. But I did not fully realize how much I had grown up, until I saw how dependent Dad was on me in London. Although he is still a mountain in my heart, I realized I have in the meantime built a strong mountain of my own. And by being away from Dad’s protective wings I have come to understand more of myself and to find my own place in the world.
1. Why did the author take her father for a classic English afternoon tea?| A．The food in the restaurant was delicious. |
| B．She wanted her father to experience real British life. |
| C．Her father was deeply attracted by the elegant tearoom. |
| D．She intended to introduce an excellent pianist to her father. |
| A．Disappointed and painful. | B．Embarrassed and desperate. |
| C．Nervous and cautious. | D．Sorrowful and helpless. |
| A．She had a happy childhood. |
| B．She had achieved a lot in academic area. |
| C．Her father was not her mountain any more. |
| D．She should be the person for her father to rely on. |
| A．An eating experience changed a father. |
| B．Eating with Dad spoiled our relationship. |
| C．Dining environment was vital for a restaurant. |
| D．Living alone abroad enhanced a person’s independence. |
6 . 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。
It was the last day of school, and the long year spent in fourth grade had finally come to an end. It had rained heavily all day, and by the afternoon it became chilly. The sun had dipped below the horizon (地平线) as I got home soaked (湿透) and cold. I rushed into my room and slipped into some dry clothes. Once I had changed, I joined my mother in the kitchen. She had already lit the fire to prepare supper.
The wood soon caught fire, and the warmth spread around the room. I tried to get closer to the fire as my body was shivering with the intense cold. My mother gently rubbed my back and said, “I am proud of you, my little hero,” as I told her how my schoolwork had improved. I remember her bright smile and the joy in her eyes.
My mother started humming the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, “Heal the World” by Michael Jackson. I immediately began to sing with my mother. We would always sing songs like this together. My mother knew how much I loved singing. She always felt sorry that she couldn’t afford to pay for music classes for me.
Life was not easy for us during that period. I was living with my mother after she separated from my dad, which happened the year before when I was in third grade. Sometimes the nights were tedious (单调乏味的) and tiresome as we did not have a television and the batteries in our old radio would often run out. However, I enjoyed the 20 songs that my mother and I sang together. As she hummed the tune and I sang along, I dreamed of a world where performing on stage would be the pillar (支柱) of my life. The turning point of my childhood came after the end of fourth grade. Our neighbor moved away and left his old piano to us.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150个左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My mother was so happy that she could teach me singing at home with this piano.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The next term, I became the lead singer of the school chorus, which was one step closer to my dream of becoming a singer and inspiring people with my voice.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 . Once a famous painter lived in a certain city. Thousands of people used to come to see his art exhibition. People would never get tired of
One day, he thought, “Do people praise me only in front of me and talk about
In the evening, when he went to the square to see the painting, he became
His friend realized that the painter was troubled by something and
The next morning he put a new painting at the square. With a note written below it — “Whoever finds any mistake in the painting,
| A．buying | B．praising | C．commenting | D．revising |
| A．mistakes | B．secrets | C．images | D．styles |
| A．made up | B．woke up | C．cheered up | D．cleaned up |
| A．invitation | B．letter | C．document | D．note |
| A．apply | B．bury | C．put | D．imagine |
| A．sad | B．curious | C．amazed | D．confused |
| A．calmly | B．wisely | C．silently | D．happily |
| A．tried | B．appreciated | C．enjoyed | D．stopped |
| A．gave | B．asked | C．told | D．shared |
| A．Seeing | B．Recording | C．Hearing | D．Reading |
| A．admire | B．contact | C．destroy | D．correct |
| A．surprised | B．anxious | C．frightened | D．confident |
| A．hope | B．point | C．doubt | D．shame |
| A．Therefore | B．However | C．Otherwise | D．Anyway |
| A．support | B．information | C．advice | D．help |
8 . We grow up — unavoidably — with a strong attachment to a plan A, that is, an idea of how our lives will go and what we need to do to achieve our particular set of well-defined goals.
But then, for some of us and at one level all of us, life turns out to have made a few other plans. A sudden injury puts a certain career forever out of reach. A small but significant error changes everything about how crucial others view us. And so, promptly, we find we have to give up on plan A altogether, which can feel devastating. We alternately weep and anger at the turn of events. It is for such moments that we should consider one of life’s most vital skills: that of developing a plan B.
The first element involves fully acknowledging that no one gets through life with all their careful plan As. Plan As simply do not work out all the time. Something unexpected, shocking and hateful regularly comes along, not only to us, but to all human beings.
The further point is to realize that we are, despite moments of confusion, absolutely capable of developing very satisfactory plan Bs. Adults are good at keeping needing to refresh in our minds and drawing comfort from in anxious moments. We have enormous capacities to act and to adapt. Perhaps we’ll have to leave town forever, maybe we’ll have to resign an occupation we spent a decade nurturing — until we rediscover our potential plan B muscle. In reality, there would be a possibility to relocate, to start afresh in another field, to turn around the terrible event. There was no one script for us written at our birth, and nor does there need to be only one going forward.
Crucially, we don’t need to know right now what our plan Bs might be or anticipate every frustration that might come our way; we should simply feel confident that, were the universe to command it, we would know how to find a very different path.
1. What’s the function of the opening paragraph?| A．To arouse thinking. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To define a concept. | D．To set the background. |
| A．Disastrous. | B．Indifferent. | C．Entertaining. | D．Relaxing. |
| A．We must be blamed for having to make a plan B. |
| B．There will be only one script for us written in life. |
| C．Adults are an adaptable species to tackle problems. |
| D．Plan Bs are actually superior to plan As all the time. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
As Wale Ayeni once said, “Be thankful for what you have. Your life, no matter how bad you think it is, is someone else’s fairy tale (童话). ”
Often, I find myself wishing I was living other people’s lives. I’m sure many of us wish that we could step into a luxurious (豪华的) private plane and fly to a private island. However, I’m also sure that many of us wish to have a bigger house, or wish to be able to work fewer hours.
I’ve seen numerous homeless people on the street and in the subway.
When I was younger, I never understood the reality of their lives. I was just scared of them and walked on the opposite side of the street. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to consider how difficult and painful their lives must be and how much they struggle.
I take the subway home every day after school. One day, when I got off, I noticed a young man on the side of the road holding a sign asking for money. I had seen him a couple of times in that spot, and now I saw the sadness on his face. He looked upset. I immediately looked in my wallet to see if I had cash to give him, but I didn’t.
I finally realized that this guy’s wants are things that come to me so easily every day. He probably never gets to eat three meals in a day. He doesn’t have a home to live in. He doesn’t have a family to spend time with.
I went home and continued to think about that look on his face and knew that I had to bring cash with me the next day to give to him.
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 afternoon, when I got off the subway to walk home, I hoped he would still be there, and he was.
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After that day, I began to reflect on the things I should be grateful for.
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10 . Brady has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. It has been
We truly
Last week, I bought a simple card, reading, “Healing thoughts and wishes are coming your way. We are all
He is still undergoing intense treatment, trying his best to stay
Despite being too sick to teach classes, my professor has managed to continue being a great teacher, introducing his last
| A．disappointing | B．challenging | C．heartbreaking | D．confusing |
| A．normal | B．responsible | C．ordinary | D．outstanding |
| A．collected | B．awarded | C．delivered | D．chosen |
| A．admit | B．admire | C．inspire | D．cure |
| A．hard | B．natural | C．practical | D．simple |
| A．seeking | B．searching | C．praying | D．competing |
| A．text | B．message | C．comment | D．wish |
| A．anxious | B．thoughtful | C．curious | D．optimistic |
| A．Therefore | B．Instead | C．Particularly | D．Besides |
| A．related | B．devoted | C．committed | D．applied |
| A．relief | B．power | C．pain | D．vain |
| A．motivated | B．frightened | C．interested | D．touched |
| A．added | B．considered | C．wandered | D．hesitated |
| A．personal | B．precious | C．professional | D．inaccurate |
| A．offer | B．convey | C．sacrifice | D．mean |
