1 . Sitting in the garden for my friend’s birthday. I felt a buzz (振动) in my pocket. My heart raced when I saw the email sender’s name. The email started off: “Dear Mr Green, thank you for your interest” and “the review process took longer than expected.” It ended with “We are sorry to inform you…” and my vision blurred (模糊). The position—measuring soil quality in the Sahara Desert as part of an undergraduate research programme — had felt like the answer I had spent years looking for.

I had put so much time and emotional energy into applying, and I thought the rejection meant the end of the road for my science career.

So I was shocked when, not long after the email, Professor Mary Devon, who was running the programme, invited me to observe the work being done in her lab. I jumped at the chance, and a few weeks later I was equally shocked—and overjoyed—when she invited me to talk with her about potential projects I could pursue in her lab. What she proposed didn’t seem as exciting as the original project I had applied to, but I was going to give it my all.

I found myself working with a robotics professor on techniques for collecting data from the desert remotely. That project, which I could complete from my sofa instead of in the burning heat of the desert, not only survived the lockdown but worked where traditional methods didn’t. In the end, I had a new scientific interest to pursue.

When I applied to graduate school, I found three programmes promising to allow me to follow my desired research direction. And I applied with the same anxious excitement as before. When I was rejected from one that had seemed like a perfect fit, it was undoubtedly difficult. But this time I had the perspective (视角) to keep it from sending me into panic. It helped that in the end I was accepted into one of the other programmes I was also excited about.

Rather than setting plans in stone, I’ve learned that sometimes I need to take the opportunities that are offered, even if they don’t sound perfect at the time, and make the most of them.

1. How did the author feel upon seeing the email sender’s name?

A．Anxious.

B．Angry.

C．Surprised.

D．Settled.

2. After talking with Professor Devon, the author decided to ________.

A．criticise the review process	B．stay longer in the Sahara Desert
C．apply to the original project again	D．put his heart and soul into the lab work

3. According to the author, the project with the robotics professor was ________.

A．demanding

B．inspiring

C．misleading

D．amusing

4. What can we learn from this passage?

A．An invitation is a reputation.	B．An innovation is a resolution.
C．A rejection can be a redirection.	D．A reflection can be a restriction.

2 . As a child, I was proud of my southern origin. My own voice reflected my family’s past and present-part northern Mississippi, part Tennessee, all southern. There was no sound I loved more than my grandmother’s accent: thick, sweet, warm.

While growing up, I began to realize outside of our region, southerners were often dismissed as uncultured and ignorant. I was ready to leave behind my tiny town in West Tennessee, starting a new life and jumping at big chances in some far-off cities. In that embarrassing space between “teen” and “adult”, my accent was a symbol of everything I thought I hated about my life in the rural South. I feared it would disqualify me from being a noted magazine writer. I would have to talk less “country”. So I killed a piece of myself. I’m ashamed of it, but I’m more ashamed that I tried to kill that part of someone else-change Emily’s accent.

I met Emily in college. She was determined to work for the student newspaper, which was where I spent most of my waking hours, and we became friends. She, unlike me, accepted her roots. Early in our friendship, her mother asked where I was from, assuming it was somewhere up north. Then I felt my efforts paid off and even wanted to ignore the mistake.

Emily is two years younger and she cared about my opinion. I advised her to be more like me and hide her signature Manchester accent. I stressed that throughout our college years, often by making fun of her vowel (元音) sounds. I told myself I was helping her achieve her dream of working as a reporter. Now, I see that it was actually about justifying my hiding part of myself.

Grandma Carolyn used to tell me, “Girl, don’t forget where you come from.” Now I truly understand that. Many things have faded from memory, but this sticks in my mind with uncomfortable clarity. Now that I am grown and have left the South, it’s important to me.

1. What made the author want to leave her hometown?

A．Appeal of convenience in cities.

B．Her dream of becoming a writer.

C．Outside prejudice against southerners.

D．Her desire for the northern accent.

2. How did the author feel about the mistake of Emily’s mother?

A．Upset.

B．Pleased.

C．Ashamed.

D．Surprised.

3. Why on earth did the author try to change Emily’s accent?

A．To prove herself right.	B．To help Emily be a reporter.
C．To make herself influential.	D．To protect Emily’s self-dignity.

4. What message does the text want to convey?

A．Stay true to your roots.	B．Never do things by halves.
C．Hold on to your dreams.	D．Never judge a person by his accent.

3 . Last Christmas, I volunteered for WNWNB, a charity which takes surplus (剩余的) produce from New Covent Garden Market and ________ it to the local community.

The food was already in containers. So we set up the stand and got ready to distribute some Christmas ________. At first, it was ________. People seemed a bit suspicious of taking food for free. But they gradually ________ us and we had a fun afternoon singing carols and trying to ________ passersby to take our food.

It was then time to deliver meals to those who weren’t able to come. This is ________ things changed for me. The first door I knocked on was ________ by a woman in her 30s. She had children and looked absolutely worn out. I told her I was from WNWNB and gave her the ________ meals. It was probably only about two days’ worth of food but, the way she ________, I felt as if I was handing her gold.

I had similar responses to my next ________. In some cases, when people were elderly or alone, I’d go into their homes and have a brief ________ before heading off. Many felt ________, but I saw how happy they were to have another adult human to ________.

As a local politician I knock on doors and talk to people a lot, but there was something deeper about those ________ on Christmas Day. I finished my day at WNWNB a slightly different person from the one who ________.

1.

A．distributes

B．introduces

C．sells

D．exhibits

2.

A．forgiveness

B．images

C．recipes

D．cheer

3.

A．easy

B．nice

C．slow

D．safe

4.

A．broke away from

B．put up with

C．cut in on

D．warmed up to

5.

A．threaten

B．encourage

C．allow

D．command

6.

A．why

B．how

C．where

D．when

7.

A．opened

B．repaired

C．cleaned

D．guarded

8.

A．costly

B．unfinished

C．deserted

D．ready

9.

A．declined

B．reacted

C．argued

D．traded

10.

A．purchases

B．interviews

C．deliveries

D．schedules

11.

A．meal

B．chat

C．report

D．silence

12.

A．proud

B．free

C．lonely

D．content

13.

A．connect with

B．look after

C．turn to

D．rely on

14.

A．conversations

B．budgets

C．explanations

D．deals

15.

A．hesitated

B．started

C．ignored

D．struggled

4 . Traveling itself is an experience hard to be described in words.     1     Especially the solo (独自) traveling experience is so transforming that it lives with you forever. Here I am sharing some lessons.

    2     Thinking how I would manage my entire day among strangers on campus, I pretended to be sick. Then I had the same feeling when I was planning to travel alone. Exploring a city on my own was a big fear for me but I successfully managed it all and now, I seek out new opportunities and experiences. I love to push myself.    3    

Having grown up and lived all my life in a single place, I had a small set of friends since my school days which continued till my college days.    4     I met a few very interesting people with whom I could feel an instant connect and got some new friends for life.

I totally agree that traveling with family and friends is fun and enjoying. But traveling alone is satisfying too. It’s among those few things that you do for yourself and nobody else.    5     During my solo travels I have explored my inner self and have expanded my boundaries which people around me have acknowledged at times.

A．I want to experience more.

B．But all this changed with my first solo trip.

C．I never thought I would travel alone in my life.

D．I was so scared when I went to school first time.

E．Every journey prepares you for the journey of life.

F．The farther you travel, the more independent you become.

G．After all you need to take care of yourself a bit too at times.

5 . When it comes to my fathering lessons, few adventures compare to the motorcycle trips I’ve shared with my daughter, Ewa.

Our first_______, in August 2017, was a winding (蜿蜒的) ride around the Catskills and Finger Lake districts of New York state. We _______ big highways and spent the week on_______ scenic back roads. At one point, I found myself _______along a Catskills meadow (草地) not far from Woodstock, keeping pace with a deer and shouting, “Go Bambi, go!”

On our second day, we _______ in a small town for ice cream. I asked the woman at the picnic table next to us: “What’s the_______ of this town?” “Interlaken,” she answered.“Where are you trying to get to?”

Me: “We don’t know. ”

It _______ to me then that I’d always wanted to do this no-schedule kind of trip, when you ride just for riding. Ask any middle-aged _______: We’ve all dreamed about doing the Easy Rider (逍遥骑士) thing, throwing our wristwatches into the ditch and heading toward the horizon without a_______. Now, travelling with no plan became a________ of my rides with Ewa.

Since we almost ________ knew where we were going, we were almost never ________ when we arrived, pulling ________ the road at the end of each day with satisfaction. The reason to celebrate? We________! The truth is that life on a motorbike is one close call (死里逃生) after another. On the way, riders must stay ________ 100 percent of the time. A tiny stone can be deadly. I used to be nervous, but Ewa had a different take: “To me, motorcycling is like meditation(冥想). ”

1.

A．sail

B．flight

C．goal

D．journey

2.

A．avoided

B．chose

C．built

D．promoted

3.

A．straight

B．twisty

C．main

D．broad

4.

A．walking

B．running

C．riding

D．laughing

5.

A．settled

B．stopped

C．landed

D．moved

6.

A．population

B．rule

C．name

D．position

7.

A．occurred

B．happened

C．mattered

D．referred

8.

A．engineer

B．bicyclist

C．chemist

D．motorcyclist

9.

A．destination

B．reaction

C．exploration

D．explanation

10.

A．course

B．benefit

C．feature

D．present

11.

A．never

B．always

C．completely

D．absolutely

12.

A．satisfied

B．disappointed

C．surprised

D．frightened

13.

A．out

B．in

C．off

D．down

14.

A．grew

B．failed

C．waited

D．survived

15.

A．silent

B．smooth

C．careful

D．energetic

6 . Ben was bothered every time he went through the kitchen. It was that little metal contain on the shelf above his wife Martha’s cook stove, which he had been repeatedly _________ never to touch. The reason, she said, was that it contained a “secret _________” from her late mother, and since she had no way of ever _________ the container, she was _________ that if Ben picked it up and looked inside, he might accidentally drop it and spill its _________ contents.

Ben never saw Martha cook a dish without taking the container of the shelf and sprinkling (洒) _________ a little of the contents over the ingredients. Whatever was in that container, it surely _________ Anyone who ever ate at their house felt Martha was the best _________ in the world. Looking into that container became increasingly _________ for Ben, but he never allowed himself to do so.

Then one day Martha became ill and was kept overnight in the hospital. Feeling lonely and bored in the house after returning home, Ben __________ the kitchen, and then the container on the shelf immediately came into view. It __________ his eyes like a magnet, and he quickly looked away, yet his curiosity brought him back again. He carefully took the container off the shelf, and opened it. Ben became __________ when what was inside came to I his sight. The container was empty, except for a little folded slip of paper at the bottom. He carefully picked it up and slowly __________ it under the kitchen light. Ben immediately __________ the handwriting as that of Martha’s mother. Very __________ it said: “Martha to everything you make, add a dash of love.”

1.

A．forbidden

B．told

C．inspired

D．threatened

2.

A．recipe

B．menu

C．herb

D．tobacco

3.

A．refilling

B．restoring

C．emptying

D．decorating

4.

A．pleased

B．concerned

C．puzzled

D．relieved

5.

A．valuable

B．previous

C．tasteless

D．messy

6.

A．yet

B．even

C．still

D．just

7.

A．failed

B．hurt

C．worked

D．changed

8.

A．wife

B．host

C．housekeeper

D．cook

9.

A．delightful

B．comforting

C．annoying

D．irresistible

10.

A．broke into

B．wandered into

C．ran out of

D．went back to

11.

A．opened

B．wetted

C．blinded

D．drew

12.

A．satisfied

B．calm

C．astonished

D．angry

13.

A．wrapped

B．unfolded

C．tore

D．wrinkled

14.

A．recognized

B．mentioned

C．treated

D．received

15.

A．stupidly

B．simply

C．cautiously

D．safely

7 . 假定你是李华，某英语网站正在讨论对“The man who has made up his mind to win will never say ‘impossible’.”的理解。你打算跟帖参与讨论，内容包括：
1. 你对此的理解；
2. 结合具体实例；
3. 你的启发与感悟。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . 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。

The average present merely satisfies a temporary desire; the great one becomes more precious with time going by.

When I was a boy of fourteen, I needed to have 80 hours of community service per year and I used to take care of Mrs. Long’s garden, which was near the Presbyterian Church. As a junior high school student, I devoted myself to it, sweeping the fallen leaves and mowing the lawn (修剪草坪). There I learnt how to cut away dry branches and even helped to plant a sapling (小树苗). Tired as I was every time I finished my work, I did enjoy the time there for learning something new. I clearly remembered that Mrs Long, a nice and caring elder, always treated me to delicious meals and drinks. She also loved taking photos, always with an old camera in hand. It was said that the camera was passed down from her father and she cherished it a lot.

Several days before Christmas, she whispered to me, “When Christmas comes, I shall have a present for you.” I spent much time wondering what it would be. The boys I played with had baseball gloves, ice skates and bicycles, and I was so eager to acquire any one of these that I convinced myself that she intended to choose from among them. But at the same time, I had some doubts whether she would buy me such things because she was not that well-off.

The day before Christmas, I went there as before. With the work done, I was going to leave when she pulled me aside. “Kid, wait for a minute,” she said, leading me into her living room. She seated me on a chair, went to another room, and in a moment stood before me holding a small package that under no circumstances could hold a bicycle or a pair of skates or even a baseball glove. It weighed almost nothing.

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:
I took the package with disappointment. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Opening the package, I was totally astonished. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . The curb cut (下斜路缘). It’s a convenience that most of us rarely, if ever, notice. Yet, without it, daily life might be a lot harder—in more ways than one. Pushing a baby stroller onto the curb, skateboarding onto a sidewalk or taking a full grocery cart from the sidewalk to your car—all these tasks are easier because of the curb cut.

But it was created with a different purpose in mind.

It’s hard to imagine today, but back in the 1970s, most sidewalks in the United States ended with a sharp drop-off. That was a big deal for people in wheelchairs because there were no ramps (斜坡) to help them move along city blocks without assistance. According to one disability rights leader, a six-inch curb “might as well have been Mount Everest”. So, activists from Berkeley, California, who also needed wheelchairs, organized a campaign to create tiny ramps at intersections to help people dependent on wheels move up and down curbs independently.

I think about the “curb cut effect” a lot when working on issues around health equity (公平). The first time I even heard about the curb cut was in a 2017 Stanford Social Innovation Review piece by PolicyLink CEO Angela Blackwell. Blackwell rightly noted that many people see equity “as a zero-sum game.” Basically, that there is a “prejudiced societal suspicion that intentionally supporting one group hurts another.” What the curb cut effect shows though, Blackwell said, is that “when society creates the circumstances that allow those who have been left behind to participate and contribute fully, everyone wins.”

There are multiple examples of this principle at work. For example, investing in policies that create more living-wage jobs or increase the availability of affordable housing certainly benefits people in communities that have limited options. But, the action also empowers those people with opportunities for better health and the means to become contributing members of society—and that benefits everyone. Even the football huddle (围成一团以秘密商讨) was initially created to help deaf football players at Gallaudet College keep their game plans secret from opponents who could have read their sign language. Today, it’s used by every team to shield the opponent from learning about game-winning strategies.

So, next time you cross the street, or roll your suitcase through a crosswalk or ride your bike directly onto a sidewalk—think about how much the curb cut, that change in design that broke down walls of exclusion for one group of people at a disadvantage, has helped not just that group, but all of us.

1. By “might as well have been Mount Everest” (paragraph 3), the disability rights leader implies that a six-inch curb may become ________.

A．as famous as the world’s highest mountain

B．an almost impassable barrier

C．a connection between people

D．a most unforgettable matter

2. According to Angela Blackwell, many people believe that ________.

A．it’s fair to give the disadvantaged more help than others

B．it’s impossible to have everyone be treated equally

C．it’s necessary to go all out to help the disabled

D．it’s not worthwhile to promote health equity

3. Which of the following examples best illustrates the “curb cut effect” principle?

A．Spaceflight designs are applied to life on earth.

B．Four great inventions of China spread to the west.

C．Christopher Columbus discovered the new world.

D．Classic literature got translated into many languages.

4. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?

A．Everyday items are originally invented for people with disabilities.

B．Everyone in a society should pursue what is in his or her interest.

C．A disability rights leader changed the life of his fellow men.

D．Caring for disadvantaged groups may finally benefit all.

10 . I’ve had a string of bad luck lately. Last week my washing machine broke. I planned to fix it myself but soon ________ the repairs would cost more than a new one would. Then this week the ________ thing happened to my daughter’s washing machine! This time I ________ called a friend to help. Once again, however, it was broken beyond ________. I ended up having to ________ two. While both the new machines got delivered quickly, I still ________ about what I was going through in my heart.

The moment I did, my ________ traveled back to when I was a child, I saw my grandma ________ an old-fashioned washing machine with my jeans and shirts. It didn’t have a spin dryer (甩干机) inside so she had to put each item through a pair of rollers to _________the water. When the washing was done, she’d often pat the machine ________. She had grown up hand-washing clothes and was ________ for the machine that did so much of the work for her.

Remembering this helped me realize that I was looking at things in the ________ way. I was getting ________ in the inconveniences of modern life instead of being thankful for all I have. The good old days had their share of ________ and joys. And so do the good new days. What ________ is how we live them and what we can learn from them.

1.

A．regretted

B．remembered

C．denied

D．appreciated

2.

A．usual

B．same

C．funny

D．amazing

3.

A．even

B．still

C．ever

D．already

4.

A．recognition

B．control

C．repair

D．compare

5.

A．sell

B．order

C．return

D．fix

6.

A．lied

B．cared

C．complained

D．argued

7.

A．memory

B．dream

C．doubt

D．fear

8.

A．covering

B．decorating

C．loading

D．equipping

9.

A．purify

B．remove

C．hold

D．absorb

10.

A．firmly

B．hurriedly

C．wildly

D．lovingly

11.

A．grateful

B．eager

C．sorry

D．responsible

12.

A．ideal

B．proper

C．wrong

D．traditional

13.

A．carried away

B．caught up

C．turned down

D．taken over

14.

A．purposes

B．duties

C．excuses

D．struggles

15.

A．matters

B．remains

C．works

D．happens