1 . One day, my 12-year-old daughter participated in a school poetry reading event. All her classmates were invited to write a “lie poem” about how ________ they were and read them aloud. They were supposed to ________ untruths about themselves that made them sound ________ wonderful. As I listened to the poems, I realized that the children were actually ________ the picture of their future. By “lying” to themselves, they were creating a ________ of who they wanted to be in the future.

I couldn’t help admiring the school for ________ the children to dream big in such a special way, even if it might not be the first intention. In fact, most of us are ________ to see the truth of who we could be. My daughter’s school developed an unintended ________ to that difficulty: If it’s hard for you to imagine the ________ in yourself, then you might want to begin by expressing it as a ________, as did the children who wrote the poems.

Think up some stories about who you would like to be. In due course, this ________ exercise would help you build the necessary blueprint for ________ your achievements. Without a picture of your ________ self, you can’t live into that self. So ________ it till you make it. The lie will become the ________ in the end.

1.

A．rich

B．busy

C．great

D．smart

2.

A．point out

B．make up

C．hold back

D．rely on

3.

A．unbelievably

B．unconsciously

C．unacceptably

D．unreasonably

4.

A．exaggerating

B．restoring

C．admiring

D．clarifying

5.

A．sample

B．vision

C．message

D．principle

6.

A．forcing

B．requesting

C．motivating

D．warning

7.

A．unable

B．anxious

C．nervous

D．unwilling

8.

A．excuse

B．balance

C．solution

D．connection

9.

A．interest

B．courage

C．expectation

D．potential

10.

A．fantasy

B．fortune

C．benefit

D．reference

11.

A．healthy

B．creative

C．gentle

D．formal

12.

A．ensuring

B．informing

C．stretching

D．measuring

13.

A．highest

B．biggest

C．happiest

D．bravest

14.

A．stop

B．forget

C．hide

D．pretend

15.

A．dream

B．reality

C．memory

D．nightmare

2 . The alarm rang in my ear. After silencing it, I remained in bed. My motivation to push ahead with my Ph. D. was disappearing, which made it hard to face each new day. Continuing would risk a total breakdown. With anxiety, I decided to cease my Ph. D. temporarily and take a 9-month position at a health care charity. Back when I looked for Ph. D. positions, I was unclear what I wanted to study. For me, the degree mostly served as a means to an end, securing more interesting and higher-paid positions in the private sector than my master’s degree would unlock. So I wasn’t picky and reasoned a variety of projects would provide the training and degree I wanted.

In hindsight (事后想来), I should have been more selective. I ended up working on a project I was technically capable of completing but over time felt full of disappointment. The purely academic research was intellectually interesting, yet I struggled to see how it would make an impact on the wider real world.

Some unexpected things amplified my trouble. I started my program in 2020, when meetings were virtual and in-person contact was actively discouraged, so I had few opportunities to form personal connections with co-workers. Research became my only focus, and when my interest in that faded, my project felt depressing.

After only 1 month at the charity, it became clear that I’d made the right decision. My mental health improved and I found it easier to come into work. Things 1 did could matter and energize me after all — if I chose wisely. That was exactly what I needed and desired. After that realization, I decided I wanted to return to my Ph. D. program and make changes. I told my teacher I wasn’t interested in the current research. To my relief, he was supportive, and we redesigned the project to better fit me. I will return to my program next month, optimistic that this time will be different. But if it doesn’t go as I hope, my charity experience has given me direction and confidence that I’ll live a satisfying life, with or without a Ph. D.

1. What did the author view the Ph. D. degree as at first?

A．A struggle for new days.	B．A way of getting a better job.
C．A breakthrough in his study.	D．A chance to build connections.

2. Why did the author become disappointed at his project?

A．It was of slight practical use.

B．It had a high degree of difficulty.

C．It failed to meet his social need.

D．It showed an unpromising future.

3. What does the underlined word “amplified” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Reflected.	B．Caused.
C．Solved.	D．Increased.

4. How did the charity work affect the author?

A．It inspired him to face challenges.

B．It made him regain self-confidence.

C．It helped him find a purpose in life.

D．It fueled his enthusiasm for his program.

3 . Earlier this year, I moved into a suburb of Atlanta. I decided to _________ the area on foot. On my walks, as I admired the range of residential _________, I also admired another type of house: Little Free Libraries. I’d seen them all over Atlanta and _________ it’d be fun to build my own, but when I looked at the website’s official map, it turned out there were already a handful nearby. _________, I decided to seek each of them out.

I’ve since found six sites of these free book _________. Without them, I would never have been able to “meet” people in my community. I quickly _________ my neighbors’ reading tastes, sorting through their small boxes of books. Each library is unique and shows the _________ of the person who built it, with _________ colors and designs. These Little Free Libraries are also the perfect way to _________ conversations with strangers.

Since the pandemic began, Little Free Libraries have become a lifeline for many. They don’t __________ social distancing and everything is on an honor system. People __________ a book in exchange and some libraries have even become __________ food pantries (食品储藏柜) for people in need. In all the __________ they’ve taken on, these libraries have brought people together in a sense, especially when it feels like everything is trying to __________ us. Beyond conversation starters and personality __________, Little Free Libraries find common ground — a precious thing, pandemic or not.

1.

A．explore

B．search

C．measure

D．clean

2.

A．district

B．setting

C．development

D．architecture

3.

A．promised

B．explained

C．thought

D．proved

4.

A．Secretly

B．Fortunately

C．Naturally

D．Cautiously

5.

A．exchanges

B．giveaways

C．reservations

D．publications

6.

A．corrected

B．learned

C．improved

D．satisfied

7.

A．appearance

B．expression

C．health

D．personality

8.

A．standard

B．ordinary

C．varying

D．new

9.

A．go on with

B．strike up

C．break in on

D．act out

10.

A．require

B．permit

C．deserve

D．guarantee

11.

A．leave

B．order

C．edit

D．write

12.

A．fancy

B．traditional

C．private

D．temporary

13.

A．subjects

B．burdens

C．forms

D．risks

14.

A．inform

B．persuade

C．surprise

D．divide

15.

A．balancers

B．indicators

C．testers

D．separators

4 . I come from a long line of farmers. When my parents moved to Wisconsin, farming allowed them to _________ back to Laos, to the culture, and the land. Wisconsin’s cornfields _________ the rice fields of Laos. But for me as a child, farming was just a _________. I would be assigned (分配) a row of green beans. My mom _________ me a big basket and it was my _________ to fill it. That was how I spent my summer vacation _________ my friends were either at camp or doing other fun activities.

I didn’t _________ how farming brought hope to my parents until I was an adult. I am a _________ removed from Laos and I have found that farming allows me to _________ my parents’ story. It allows me to see a little bit into their story. What I’ve __________ from my mom is that you can grow just about anything. My mom wants to start growing __________ like she did back in Laos. With a snowy climate, it is something I never thought __________ here. To me, this shows resilience (适应力). Maybe it __________ and maybe it doesn’t. But there is __________ in that.

As a kid, I hated doing farm work and I never thought that someday I would say that I kind of __________ putting my feet in the mud and weeding (除草) the corn.

1.

A．connect

B．head

C．retire

D．report

2.

A．changed

B．covered

C．replaced

D．affected

3.

A．dream

B．game

C．chore

D．mystery

4.

A．sold

B．gave

C．sent

D．lent

5.

A．intention

B．opportunity

C．choice

D．job

6.

A．while

B．if

C．since

D．until

7.

A．regret

B．monitor

C．appreciate

D．complain

8.

A．generation

B．graduate

C．professional

D．beginner

9.

A．give away

B．make up

C．act out

D．relate to

10.

A．expected

B．learned

C．chosen

D．demanded

11.

A．corn

B．rice

C．beans

D．flowers

12.

A．flexible

B．necessary

C．legal

D．possible

13.

A．improves

B．revives

C．works

D．exists

14.

A．confusion

B．permission

C．balance

D．hope

15.

A．miss

B．risk

C．delay

D．escape

5 . 你校英文报正在举办主题为“戏剧人物评析”的征文活动。请你从《百万英镑》中挑选一个人物，写一篇短文投稿。内容包括：
1. 人物介绍；
2. 你的评析。
注意：
1. 参考人物：Henry Adams, the brothers (Roderick and Oliver), the clerks or the owner in the tailor’s shop…；
2. 写作词数应为80左右；
3. 请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . 假如你是李华，即将参加校英语角举办的演讲比赛。请你就以下一则寓言写一篇演讲稿。内容包括：
1. 故事的简要介绍；
2. 你的感悟和体会。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

It’s never too late to mend

Once upon a time, there was a man who kept several sheep. One morning, he found one of his sheep was missing. After checking the pen carefully, he discovered a hole in the wall of the pen. It turned out that a wolf had broken into the pen and stolen his sheep.

His neighbor advised, “You should fix the pen and cover the hole right away.” But he rejected, “The sheep has already lost. It’s no use fixing it now.” However, the next morning, he found another sheep missing. The wolf stole the sheep through the hole again!

He regretted not taking the neighbor’s advice and began to cover the hole immediately. From then on, no more sheep was stolen.

Good morning, everyone. I’m Li Hua

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for listening!

7 . Not every man is cut out to be a father. If the thought of fatherhood fills you with fear, maybe it isn’t for you or maybe it’s a sign that you take the responsibility of fatherhood seriously.

As a parent, you are always going to have to trust your instincts (本能). There’s no comprehensive rule book on parenting. You’ll screw up sometimes. (Hopefully, your husband or wife will be there to nudge (用肘推) you in the right direction. ) And, as in many other aspects of life, doing the right thing will rarely make you popular. Your kids will need limits and discipline, and some days they will get angry with you for it. But the kids know on some level that they need limits and that the responsible parent who is setting and enforcing them is doing so because he or she cares. It’s the children whose parents allow them to do anything they want who often harbor doubts about whether they are really loved.

Certainly, we can find meaning in a lot of places in life. But for most of us who have seen the emergence of a small baby, fatherhood gives life unparalleled meaning. Parenthood, for a lot of us, may well be an antidepressant—not because you always feel good, but because you no longer have any time to sit around feeling bad. Your kids will always need you in one way or another—first for bottle-feeding, then as fellow pretend superheroes and to apply Band-Aids to skinned knees, and then, when they are teenagers, as a free personal Uber service or, once in a great while, for unexpected deep talks about the meaning of life.

I know what I did with my kids day after day, night after night, year over year, mattered so much. I won’t pretend to have everything figured out about life, but I did figure out the immeasurable value in being one link in a great chain of family, stretching back to our ancestors and continuing into the future, into whatever the world throws at us next.

1. What does the underlined phrase “screw up” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Mess up.

B．Feel down.

C．Stay strong.

D．Get inspired.

2. Which statement will the author probably agree with?

A．Parenting books are essential for parents.

B．Strict parents are popular with their kids.

C．Disciplining kids is a way to show love.

D．Kids seldom understand parents’ intentions.

3. Why does the author mention the things a parent does for kids in paragraph 3?

A．To share some parenting tips.

B．To stress the difficulty of parents.

C．To recall the growth of his kids.

D．To show the value of being a parent.

4. How does the author mainly feel about fatherhood?

A．Fearful.

B．Stressed.

C．Proud.

D．Amused.

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。

It was a chilly morning in spring. Only a few people were around as I jogged through the park. Ahead was an elderly gentleman sitting on a wooden bench a few feet off the path. I was ready for a break to catch my breath and check my pulse. I sat next to him, looked at my watch, and started counting my heartbeats. After a few seconds, he interrupted my focus by asking how often I jogged. I responded without making eye contact, “Two or three times a week.” He attempted to engage me in the small talk that one engages in with a stranger.

His genuineness and comfortable smile eventually won me over, and soon we were talking about everything under the sun. We first discussed our favorite television programs, great places we had visited, meaningful moments in our lives, paths taken and not taken. Unexpectedly, we began revealing our politics, exchanging our different experiences as parents. He mentioned that his daughter and her ten-year-old son were coming to visit him in a couple of weeks; he hadn’t seen them for two years. How he looked forward to their visit! We chatted as if we had been friends for decades.

I think it was the chill that broke the moment between us. I looked down at my watch. What seemed like a half-hour had actually been three hours! We were totally unaware of time and place. We who were strangers had somehow become soul mates. We said our gentle farewells, “See you around,” smiling and waving as we parted. We knew we probably wouldn’t meet again.

Several days later, while putting newspapers into a recycling bin, I chanced to see the old man’s picture on the back page, in the obituaries (讣告): “Mr. – passed away yesterday… Please send donations to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation.” Tears welled up in my eyes and trickled down my cheeks as I drove home. I was also weeping for his daughter and her not having had that moment of closeness with him that I just had on that Sunday morning.

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。

Arriving home, I sat down and wrote her daughter a brief letter.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was almost eight months later when an envelope arrived.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . My mother-in-law asked me to climb a mountain in her rural village. We went through tall and weedy expanse of grass, pulling ourselves up with the help of smooth bamboo trees. Weathered gray rocks dotted tracks only visible to an experienced hiker. The view we were rewarded with halfway up the mountain, fixing our eyes upon the colorful pieces of fields and whitewashed homes set against the deep green hills and a sky so blue that it looked digitally polished, was a side benefit of being there.

Our eyes were mostly on the wild eatable plants that grew on the mountainside. We first came upon the wild mountain bamboo, a plant that was the main part in my mother-in-law’s salted bamboo shoots that, once preserved, could be used all year long in cooking. Along the way, we also encountered another precious wild food — fiddlehead ferns (蕨菜). Those delicate leaves, when stir-fired, were a tasty treat. Once I had purchased fiddleheads at a market in the US. Yet there we were, picking this prized vegetable on our own, with only our labor as the cost.

What we had collected that afternoon looked the same as any other wild mountain bamboo shoots and fiddlehead ferns I had seen before in my mother-in-law’s kitchen. And yet, they felt different to me because I had used my own hands to help pick them and carry them back down the mountain. Spending time and energy gathering these wild plants gave me a deeper appreciation for the food that ends up on the dinner table.

“Many generations have kept this natural lifestyle. We depend on the mountains for our life,” my mother-in-law says. Those mountains and rivers supporting her life aren’t some abstract concept. They are right there, outside her door and within her rural village. Once I saw them through her angle that afternoon, I realized they are closer to me than I ever imagined.

1. Why was the author asked to climb a mountain?

A．To pull some bamboo trees.	B．To enjoy its beautiful scenery.
C．To get some wild vegetables.	D．To lake some digital pictures.

2. What made the picked fiddlehead ferns different?

A．The fresh leaves.	B．The input of labor.
C．The rich nutrition.	D．The help from Mother-in-law.

3. What does the author want to show by quoting her mother-in-law?

A．Nature feeds villagers and sustains their life.

B．City people want to settle down in mountains.

C．Rural areas are inaccessible to some outsiders.

D．Farmers dream of changing the natural lifestyle.

4. How does the author sound when telling the story?

A．Humorous.

B．Anxious.

C．Satisfied.

D．Tolerant.

10 . 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。

By good fortune, I was able to drift down the Motu River in New Zealand     1     (two) during last year.

The first journey     2     (lead) by Buzz, an American guide with a lot of rafting experience. The first half day was spent     3    (develop) teamwork. The discipline of following commands     4     question was necessary. In rapids (急流), we     5     (fight) against the river and overcame it. We took the raft exactly     6     Buzz wanted it to go. At the end of the journey, we were all excited and happy     7     we won.

The guide on the second journey was very softly­spoken. It seemed that it would be     8    (possible) to hear his voice above the noise of the rapids. He didn’t try to take command of us or the river. At the end of the journey, the river became our friend, but not our enemy. The quiet guide was not our leader, but only the person whose sensitivity was more developed than     9    (we)．

    10    (give) the opportunity to choose a leader, everyone would have chosen someone like Buzz. However, at the end of the second journey, we had a different vision.