1 . A relative invited me to come and live in his house. With complete
When I arrived, he said, “Things have
I was stunned. I was so
In order to live, I submitted articles to magazines in India and, occasionally, they
Those years of
| A．agreement | B．interest | C．faith | D．curiosity |
| A．ready for | B．bound for | C．relevant to | D．accessible to |
| A．secretly | B．constantly | C．frequently | D．smoothly |
| A．adventure | B．advantage | C．choice | D．application |
| A．improved | B．failed | C．ended | D．changed |
| A．touched | B．frightened | C．excited | D．shocked |
| A．impossible | B．opposite | C．unknown | D．unlimited |
| A．surfaced | B．disappeared | C．passed | D．melted |
| A．blamed | B．charged | C．paid | D．thanked |
| A．exploring | B．wandering | C．frustration | D．contribution |
| A．settle | B．decorate | C．restore | D．visit |
| A．logical | B．physical | C．spiritual | D．material |
| A．expectation | B．perseverance | C．imagination | D．experience |
| A．saved | B．affected | C．hidden | D．overcome |
| A．office | B．hotel | C．home | D．company |
2 . Autumntime
① I saw my first tree today. Dad finally broke down and took us to East Boston Urban Center after Mom had been harping on it for the past two weeks. I think he was glad we went after all because he was smiling quietly all during the trip back.
② Dad used to tell me stories about the trees that still existed when he was a boy. There weren’t very many even then, with the urbanization program in full swing, but most people had seen at least one tree by the time they started school. It wasn’t like nowadays, at any rate. Oh, I’ve seen the plastic trees; practically every street has a few of them. But you can tell the plastic ones are artificial just from looking at pictures in the microdot library.
③ This morning when we got up, the house was all excited. Mom dialed a light breakfast of toast and synthetic milk so that we wouldn’t waste time eating. And when finished, the three of us took an elevator bus up to the fourth level, where we caught the air track to Brooklyn. From there we took another elevator bus down to the main level, rode the monorail to Intercity Subway Station 27, and caught the second sublevel AA train to Boston. Our expectations were so high that Dad and I didn’t mind it when Mom told us again how the tree was discovered.
④ The O’Brien home was one of the few examples of old—style wooden structures that hadn’t been pulled down in Boston’s urban—renewal campaign at the turn of the century. The family had been able to avoid this because of its wealth and political influence, and the house was passed on through several generations to the present. Old man O’Brien had no heirs, so when he died, the family home went up for auction (拍卖), and the Urban Center bought it. When local officials arrived for an appraisal, they discovered that the house had a backyard, which is forbidden by zoning restrictions.
⑤ In the yard was a live tree—an oke was what Mom called it. When the news of the tree’s discovery leaked out, quite a few sightseers stopped by to have a look at it, and the local government, realizing the money—making potential, began charging admission fees and advertising the place. By now it had become a favorite spot for school field trips and family excursions such as ours.
⑥ When we arrived in main Boston we rode the elevator bus up to ground level and caught a monorail out to East Boston Urban Center. An air—cush taxi took us the rest of the way to the place.
⑦ The home itself was unimpressive. It had none of the marble gloss or steely sheen of modern buildings, but was rather a dull white color, with the paint peeling in places. Dad paid the admission fee, and we spent the next 15 minutes on a dull guided tour of the house. ‘The rooms were roped off to keep people from touching anything, but there were no windows facing the illegal backyard anyway, so it really didn’t matter that I couldn’t enter the rooms on that side.
⑧ My mind was on the tree, and I thought the inside tour would never end, but soon we were walking through a doorway hidden in one of the bookshelves and into the backyard. The yard was big—at least 10 by 20 feet, and I was surprised to find real grass growing on the sides of the concrete walkway built for tourists. The grass didn’t distract me for long, however, because I just couldn’t help noticing the tree!
⑨ It was located at one end of the yard, and there was a mesh fence around it for protection. It was similar in form to the plastic trees I’d seen, but there was much more to it than that. You could see details more intricate than in any artificial plant. And it was alive. Long ago someone had carved their initials in the bark, and you could see where the wound had healed. But best of all was the smell. It was a fresh, living odor, alien to the antiseptic world outside with all its metal, plastic, and glass. I wanted to touch the bark, but the fence prevented me from doing so. Mom and Dad just breathed deeply and stared up with smiles on their faces. The three of us stood there for a moment, and then the tour guide told us to make room for the next group. I didn’t want to go—in fact, I felt almost like crying.
⑩ On the way back home, Mom and Dad were silent, and I read through one of the brochures the guide had passed out. When I came to the part that said the O’Brien home would be open only for the rest of this year, I was sad. They intend to tear down the place to make room for some kind of insurance building, and the tree will have to go, too. For the rest of the trip, I just sat still, fingering the object in my pocket that I had picked off the grass in the O’Brien’s backyard. I think it’s called an acorn (橡子).
1. According to the passage, the O’Brien home was not destroyed at the turn of the century because ________.| A．a secret passageway was found in the library |
| B．the family had wealth and political influence |
| C．a tree was found in the backyard of the home |
| D．the home had historical and architectural value |
| A．It is the oldest known tree in the city. |
| B．It belonged to a family with privileges. |
| C．“Oke” trees are an especially rare species. |
| D．There are very few real trees remaining. |
| A．The narrator is excited by nature, but not deeply affected by it. |
| B．The narrator is impressed with the beauty of nature. |
| C．The narrator prefers the world of steel to the world of nature. |
| D．The narrator is unaccustomed to nature and tries to keep a distance. |
| A．Technological progress and urbanization come at a cost. |
| B．Economic profits overweigh environmental protection. |
| C．There is no point in preserving nature in the urbanization process. |
| D．Nature is resilient and there’s no need to worry about it. |
3 . Curiosity is rooted in our DNA. We are fascinated by the future; we are impressed with the unknown that surrounds us; we are amazed at all that we have to explore. The mysteries of the world have always been a push for us to watch.
Children are known for sticking their fingers in places where young fingers should never be. They are famous for putting all kinds of objects and substances in their mouths, everything from plastic blocks to any object in the room.
Curiosity is the catalyst(催化剂) for questioning, and questioning is what urges us to seek out the unfamiliar and the unknown.
| A．Curiosity has its own reason for existing. |
| B．Without questioning, knowledge becomes inactive. |
| C．Nowhere is this truer than when we watch our children. |
| D．But curiosity is much more than a simple search for answers. |
| E．Curiosity becomes a boost for new opportunities and new options. |
| F．So ask questions to which there may be a wide variety of responses. |
| G．In adults, curiosity guides us toward a lifetime occupation and to new destinations. |
A couple of years ago, I volunteered to be a finish-line “hugger” at the Kentucky Special Olympics held in Richmond.
The day of the event dawned dull, wet and gray. Even though it started to rain and a cold wind blew, most of the participants were so excited that they didn’t seem to notice the weather at all.
My job was to stand at the end of a lane on the track and hug the person in that lane when he or she crossed the finish line. It seemed to me that many of the participants completed their races just so they could get that finish “hug”. As the arms of the hugger closed around them, their faces lit up with pure joy, whether they came in first or dead last.
While we huggers stood around, we talked. I was told that most of the participants had been training for the races all year. I also noticed that, the Special Olympic participants weren’t here just to win. They didn’t talk negatively about the people they were racing against. In fact, they hugged and wished each other luck before they started, and hugged again when it was over, whether they had won or not.
What I remember most vividly from that day was the long-distance race. It was a long race by any standards: twelve laps around the track. There were only four participants, three boys and one girl. They were only a couple of laps into the race when the rain started up again. Standing in the rain, I began to feel miserable. My feet hurt. I was soaking wet. I was hungry. I was cold when the rain and wind came and hot when the sun came out. I thought irritably: This race is lasting entirely too long. Even though the three boys were nearly finished, the girl was at least four laps behind. I wondered why she kept going when there was obviously no way she could win.
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。
Finally, the three boys finished but they didn’t leave right away.
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As she approached the finishing line, the girl was barely running.
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5 . Hank, a two-year-old cat, is a homebody. But recently, he got
Hank’s big
When Hank’s owner, Delores Bushong,
The neighbor, whose tree Hank had climbed, let Bushong sit in his backyard and
By day five, they tried a new
The cat, following the familiar scents, climbed into the basket and was
Bushong said the help of her community was
| A．injured | B．stuck | C．involved | D．lost |
| A．practice | B．challenge | C．adventure | D．appearance |
| A．by chance | B．in turn | C．on time | D．as usual |
| A．rescued | B．observed | C．trained | D．spotted |
| A．Typically | B．Surprisingly | C．Unfortunately | D．Strangely |
| A．smooth | B．stable | C．flexible | D．fixed |
| A．shocked | B．embarrassed | C．ashamed | D．helpless |
| A．talk | B．catch | C．bring | D．frighten |
| A．received | B．donated | C．preserved | D．sold |
| A．energetic | B．hungry | C．curious | D．cautious |
| A．instruction | B．opinion | C．approach | D．choice |
| A．created | B．repaired | C．bought | D．texted |
| A．made | B．carried | C．raised | D．decorated |
| A．comforted | B．protected | C．returned | D．lowered |
| A．responsible | B．serious | C．available | D．remarkable |
It was the last day of the month-long summer camp. All the camp leaders and volunteers were preparing for the grand wrap-up event that evening. Some were setting up chairs and tables outside; some were preparing water balloons for games we would play later; and some were cutting fruits and veggies for snacks.
One of the leaders, George, came to me, handed me a small broom and a dustpan, and asked me to sweep the gym. Alone. While the others were chatting and laughing outside. While the gym was dusty and stuffy (不通风的) after weeks of camp and crafts.
I didn’t have a choice. I was sixteen, and George was my elder. I was a staff member at camp, and George was my employer. I put on as cheerful a face as I could and began to sweep the floor of the gymnasium.
Every time I made a decent (合宜的) pile of dust and scraps (残羹剩饭) to push into the dustpan, I had a nice little part of the gym cleared. But I would look up and see the rest of the gym and realize how big the job was. The whole situation felt so unfair.
I wasn’t really happy then. I’m not proud of it, but I was angry as well. I could hear the sounds of people talking, laughing, and generally having a great time outside. There was silence in the gym, except for my sweep, sweep, sweep.
During a break between sweeps, I looked up. George was quietly and matter-of-factly moving the speakers and cleaning the stage at the front of the gym. I noticed he worked alone as well. He didn’t seem particularly excited about what he was doing, but I noted the calmness and joy in his eyes as he went about his work, doing what had to be done because he was there and he was able to do it.
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。
I watched him silently for the next ten minutes.
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“Thanks, Laura.” he said and nodded as if acknowledging the small sacrifice I had made.
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7 . Now I live in Paris. Actually, I don’t mind the food or the people, but I do care about the land that is extraordinarily lack of characteristics of hiking. I enjoy being outdoors and hiking, but Paris’s natural resources don’t hold much potential for my bent. So when my dad asked if I wanted to go hiking with him, I was overjoyed.
We started our main hike up Flattop Mountain. As we hiked it was much more challenging than I expected.
I stared up at the top to see how much farther we had to go and I began to worry that I wouldn’t finish it.
As I was hiking, I started to reflect on how hiking was similar to other aspects of my life.
| A．Hiking could make me fly. |
| B．Hiking gave time for my mind to wander. |
| C．I thought I would finish the journey with ease. |
| D．But I was shocked at the beauty surrounding me. |
| E．I was satisfied with the landscape along the way. |
| F．It was unlike anything I had ever witnessed before. |
| G．A recent ankle injury had left me unsure of my physical capabilities. |
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. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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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