1 . In a gray box, I have a thick pile of love letters. I imagine about sharing them with a granddaughter when I’m 90. But my most treasured love letter is from one of my best friends. It’s a handwritten letter years ago when I was having trouble getting over a man. Her letter is the most romantic in my pile. It made no excuses. It simply let me know that I was loved.

Reflecting on her gift, and the dying art of handwritten letters in our age of emails and emoticons, I chose to conduct an experiment this Christmas: replacing presents with heartfelt, handwritten love letters for my family members.

In our digital era, most of us rarely take the time to share deeply considered thoughts and emotions with the people in our lives. Handwriting captures the writer’s emotions, often preserved longer than digital exchanges. However, technology is taking over. First came typewriters and keyboards. Now a new brain-computer lets people type with their minds. What are we losing when we sacrifice the physical labor behind the written word? We tend to value what we struggle for. Have we undervalued the human exchange of ideas?

That day, I came across a letter my mom wrote to her parents when she was young. She seemed so comfortable with her parents. It was a relationship I didn’t have with her. I was inspired by my mother’s letter to her parents when I sat down to write my letter to her. I wanted her to know my love, and to close the crack that technology and culture had created between us. With each sentence, I was discovering new and deeper ways of seeing my mother, and making myself known to her in more thoughtful ways as well.

Eight single-space pages later, my hand was aching but I was done. It was only the first of my love letters, but it was already clear: What had begun as a fun project was in fact one of the most important undertakings of my life.

1. Why does the author mention her love letters in Paragraph 1?

A．To show her grand charm as a young girl.	B．To share them with one of her granddaughters.
C．To highlight the value of handwritten letters.	D．To look back upon her romantic relationship.

2. How will technology probably affect us in the digital age?

A．Making our interaction less emotional.	B．Encouraging our thoughtful communication.
C．Saving our physical labor in conveying emotions.	D．Increasing our effort in handwritten exchanges.

3. Why did the author handwrite a letter to her mother?

A．To give her mother a big surprise.	B．To answer her mother’s handwritten letter.
C．To bridge a communication gap.	D．To make her mother feel more comfortable.

4. What did the author learn from her experiment?

A．The irreplaceable bond of family members.	B．The tendency of information technology.
C．The expression of emotions in the digital age.	D．The power of handwritten correspondence.

2 . After decades of married life, I realized that my life was limited, and even having friends frightened me. To ease my anxiety, my husband and I explored the Blue Ridge Mountains about an hour’s ride from home. We chose a path only a couple of miles long. The process of putting one foot in front of the other started to ease my worried soul. Being with nature slowed down my racing mind. Up and down the path we went. The trees gently swayed in the wind as we enjoyed views of valleys below us.

I knew this was my way to heal. I found the Internet site Meetup, picked a group and signed up for a five-mile hike in Shenandoah National Park. All my worries came into play when meeting the hiking group. The fifteen hikers, at least ten years younger than me, started slowly, crossing many little streams on rocks. I enjoyed the tour but struggled to keep up. After a half-mile, my steps got into the rhythm. I felt a part of all that surrounded me.

I have been actively hiking since that day, walking thousands of miles, with several worn pairs of hiking boots to prove it. With my fellow hikers, I climbed Mount Le Conte at 6,593 feet. It was a challenging hike, but I made it.

I have hiked the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland with five other women, through more than a hundred miles of green hills and valleys filled with baby sheep and their mothers. I’m fortunate to have the Blue Ridge Mountains nearby. Before the pandemic, I backpacked on the AppalachianTrail, falling short of my 100-mile goal but enjoying it. I met hikers along the way, camping next to them and listening to their determination to hike the entire 2,200 miles.

I don’t intend to give up being one with nature outdoors anytime soon. We all are responsible for our peace and happiness.

1. What made the author less worried at the mountain path?

A．Closely following her husband.

B．Choosing a path near her home.

C．Taking a walk outdoors in nature.

D．Racing with the wind in the trees.

2. How did the author feel upon meeting the hiking group?

A．Worried.	B．Energetic.
C．Confident.	D．Excited.

3. What did the author fail to do on the Appalachian Trail?

A．Travel with backpack before the pandemic.

B．Keep her boots to prove her ability.

C．Plan the hiking route of 2 ,200 miles.

D．Finish the 100-mile goal along the trail.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Outdoor Life Is Beneficial

B．The Mountains Are Calling

C．I Learned to Face My Worries

D．Nature Is Our Best Friend

3 . On my way home from coaching basketball yesterday, I was listening to WGN, my favorite talk radio station. What_______me was that Bob Collins, the morning show man for WGN, had been killed in an accident. He was a man who was _______ by many. The radio told story after story, _______ him as the best friend. True love and feelings _______ in from all over the country. The more I listened about how this man had influenced those around him, the more _______ I became.

I was upset because I wanted to know _______ we wait until somebody has passed away _______ we tell them how much we love them?

I now have a stronger determination to tell those around me how much they _______ to me. I am going to let my wife know just how loved and _______ she is, not only by my words, but also by my ________. I am going to play Batman with my son more often, and in the middle of our romping (嬉戏), I am going to grab him, hug him tightly, and tell him how ________ I am that he is my son.

Do you love someone? Then ________ them! Has someone been an influence in your life? Then give them a call! Has someone had a positive effect on you in your life? Then write them a letter or send them an e-mail! Don’t let another day ________ without letting that person know. There is something ________ about a written letter that ________ feelings of love towards another. I don’t know about you, but I have letters and cards from people that I have __________ for years, and ________, I get them out and reread them. They can turn a depressing day into one when you ________ just how blessed and loved you are.

Life is too ________ to leave kind words unsaid. The words you say, or the letter you write, might just make all the ________ in the world.

1.

A．shocked

B．excited

C．worried

D．confused

2.

A．loved

B．hated

C．judged

D．criticized

3.

A．explaining

B．describing

C．advising

D．thinking

4.

A．threw

B．poured

C．filled

D．crowded

5.

A．comfortable

B．disappointed

C．discouraged

D．cheerful

6.

A．what

B．how

C．where

D．why

7.

A．when

B．because

C．after

D．before

8.

A．mean

B．symbolize

C．refer

D．represent

9.

A．admired

B．appreciated

C．accepted

D．affected

10.

A．sounds

B．actions

C．opinions

D．ideas

11.

A．useful

B．hopeful

C．thankful

D．wonderful

12.

A．inform

B．notice

C．tell

D．ask

13.

A．go by

B．go over

C．go out

D．go off

14.

A．special

B．strange

C．difficult

D．funny

15.

A．indicates

B．expresses

C．displays

D．discovers

16.

A．bought

B．written

C．sent

D．saved

17.

A．first of all

B．in the end

C．now and then

D．at a time

18.

A．realize

B．recognize

C．recall

D．remember

19.

A．long

B．short

C．hard

D．easy

20.

A．effect

B．influence

C．difference

D．function