Once upon a time, there lived a poor but cheerful shoemaker. He was so happy that he sang all day long. The children loved to stand around his window to listen to him.
Next door to the shoemaker lived a rich man. He used to sit up all night to count his gold. In the morning, he went to bed, but he could not sleep because of the sound of the shoemaker’s singing. One day, he thought of a way to stop the singing. He wrote a letter to the shoemaker inviting him over for a cup of tea.
The shoemaker came at once, and to his great surprise, the rich man gave him a bag of gold as a gift. The shoemaker took the bag and thanked the rich man. When he returned home, the shoemaker couldn’t wait to open the bag. He had never seen so much gold in his life! He sat down at his bench and began, carefully, to count it. The children watched through the window.
There was so much there that the shoemaker was afraid to let it out of his sight. So he took it to bed with him. But he could not sleep for worrying about it. So he got out of bed and went to hide it in the attic (阁楼), but he was not sure if that was a good place.
Very early in the morning, he got up and brought his gold down from the attic. He had decided to hide it up the chimney (烟囱) instead. But after breakfast, he thought it would be safer in the chicken house. So he hid it there. But he was still uneasy, and in a little while he dug a hole in the garden and buried his bag of gold in 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。
Paragraph 1:
He was in no mood for singing and found it difficult to focus on his work.
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At last the shoemaker felt so unhappy that he took his bag of gold and ran next door to the rich man.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . I had always felt like I didn’t fit in the school. My true friends weren’t in the crowd of
Parading before me was “the fun group”— the popular kids — always laughing and whispering (窃窃私语). I wanted to be just like them and wished to be
Later, my dream came true when I joined a cheer leading team. Immediately, I
However, the more I was included with the “in crowd”, the more confused I became.
Worst of all, I
| A．busy | B．clever | C．popular | D．serious |
| A．accepted | B．praised | C．challenged | D．helped |
| A．thought | B．learned | C．requested | D．changed |
| A．teachers | B．classmates | C．neighbors | D．friends |
| A．finally | B．responsibly | C．strangely | D．privately |
| A．In shock | B．On hand | C．In fact | D．On earth |
| A．alone | B．certain | C．perfect | D．unique |
| A．dreamed | B．pretended | C．demanded | D．chose |
| A．searched for | B．cared about | C．watched over | D．looked after |
| A．excitement | B．curiosity | C．peace | D．disappointment |
| A．begged | B．wondered | C．explained | D．realized |
| A．order | B．need | C．advance | D．common |
| A．stopped | B．began | C．continued | D．enjoyed |
| A．cheated | B．left | C．helped | D．supported |
| A．lucky | B．popular | C．former | D．confident |
3 . Looking back, I spent many unhappy days. In middle school I didn’t think I was as smart as everyone else; I didn’t have cool enough clothes. Junior high was the same. I wasn’t as tall and thin as all the other girls; my baby teeth hadn’t fallen out yet. Fast forward to high school. Still everyone was smarter; still everyone dressed better. Eventually, in my first job out of college I wasn’t making as much money as my friends did.
I come from a long line of people who’ve suffered from depression. When I was single, I thought that was just who I was — it was the genes (基因) I was born with. When I was twenty-six, I got married, and three years later I had my first child.
Once we had kids, my excuse of “it’s-in-the-genes” didn’t work so well for me anymore because that meant my kids would be depressed. Although I realized that still might be the case, I began looking at my unhappiness in new ways.
Over the years many things helped me fight depression: healthy eating, exercise, fresh air, friends and medicine. They all helped. But I had a little secret, too. It’s an exercise I did every night before bed. By the side of my bed, I had a small datebook — every day I only had enough space to write one line.
Every night I asked myself: “What made me the happiest today?” Because I didn’t have space to write a lot, it only took me a few seconds. But in those seconds I replayed my day and decided on its happiest moment.
Some days it was “reading before bed with the kids” or “laughing with a friend on the phone”. And other days it was “finally getting to get into bed” or “not having to cook dinner again”. Anyway, I actively sought the positive every day. Today, when I have a difficult day, I look back through the datebook, read and remember those happy moments in the past.
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?| A．The author led a poor life. |
| B．The author got a high-pay job. |
| C．The author challenged herself bravely. |
| D．The author usually compared herself with others. |
| A．Her first career. | B．Her happy marriage. |
| C．Her care for her children. | D．Her knowledge of genes. |
| A．To ease her loneliness. | B．To have a sound sleep. |
| C．To recall happy moments. | D．To serve as bedtime stories. |
| A．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
| B．Mother should set a good example for kids. |
| C．There could be a solution to any problem. |
| D．We should appreciate life’s bright aspects. |
4 . Not long ago when I had a dinner party, a guest noticed the gravy boat (船形酱汁壶) — a piece of china, “Is it a heirloom (传家宝)?” The boat is very old, matches nothing else, and has a V-shaped cut on it. But it is the one I will keep forever.
Our history together began fifty years ago when I was seven. That December the river started to rise. We worked hard against the disaster and even kept a rowboat downstairs. My mother carefully packed the china in the study upstairs because it’d been her mother’s and was valuable to her. She told me, “You must treasure the things people you love have treasured. It keeps you in touch with them.” But then I didn’t really understand her concern.
The water rose higher. One night, the floor of the study fell through and the china was on the first floor under the rising river. The loss really broke her heart. That night she sat on the top of the stairs and cried.
The next morning I could tell how bad she still felt. Suddenly I saw the rowboat —yes, I could fish for the china. I put a hook (钩) onto a line, let it down until I felt it hit bottom and slowly moved the rowboat back and forth, pulling my line, but time after time I pulled the line up empty.
When we had to leave as the water poured in, I tried for the last time. Suddenly I felt something and raised my catch. The gravy boat! The moment I took it out in front of my mother, she was in tears of joy.
It was just then that I realized how deeply that old gravy boat connected me to the people and places of my past, tying me to my mother as well as her life, her joy and her love.
1. What can we learn about the gravy boat?| A．It is fifty years old. | B．It means much to “my” family. |
| C．It is old but perfect. | D．It matches the furniture well. |
| A．Pain of the injury. | B．Rise of the river. |
| C．Damage of the study. | D．Loss of the treasure. |
| A．Caring. | B．Honest. | C．Confident. | D．Responsible. |
| A．Stay calm in face of a disaster. |
| B．“Heirlooms” connect generations. |
| C．Suffering improves the parent-child tie. |
| D．Mother’s love promotes her child’s growth. |
Listening to Be Heard
Our P. E. teacher Ms. Lopez had been out with a skiing injury. She was a caring and considerate teacher who showed patience and understanding to little minds like us. So, when we knew she was returning, some of us asked our substitute(替代) gym teacher if we could plan a welcome-back party.
“Sounds great,” said Ms. Green, “We have a few minutes before the bell rings, so you can do a little brainstorming while I put some stuff away.” We were excited and could not wait to let our minds wander. But here came the problem.
“I bet Ms. Lopez would like welcome-back cards.” I said.
“We should have a rock ‘n’ roll theme!” said Noah.
“No, we should make it a soccer theme! What about a cake shaped like a soccer ball!”said Avery.
“Why is soccer better than music?” said Noah.
“I think cards are really important!” I said, louder.
The discussion soon turned into a noisy chaos (混乱). Everyone had their ideas to present and wished them to be realized. Even the “fashionable” kids interrupted, demanding to bring balloons and some fancy clothes like a skirt with orange flowers. It seemed all voices were ignored.
That was when the bell rang and the party discussion ended. I was in confusion and fear for the rest of the day. It was going to be a disaster, and Ms. Lopez wouldn’t even know we missed her.
When I returned home, my little brother and sister were arguing about a board game.
“I know the rules!” Tex shouted. “You don’t have to start over if you land on blue!”
“I know the rules!” shouted Indi. “You get an extra point if you get the flowers!”
I walked over to where they were playing and said, “If you’d stop and listen to each other, you might realize you’re both right.” I pointed to the rule sheet and read them the parts they’d been arguing about. They were surprised that they were both right. Suddenly it clicked—we had been busy presenting our ideas without listening to others.
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 day in gym class, during the party discussion, I asked my classmates for a stop.
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A week later, Ms. Lopez was amazed at the welcome-back party containing our various ideas.
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6 . People usually consider voluntary work as a completely selfless act, but voluntary work has its place in everyone’s lives, and my personal experiences have confirmed my belief in this.
Volunteer work has reminded me to cherish and appreciate little things in life. When I volunteered to teach life skills to students with cerebral palsy (脑瘫), I found that they were very grateful to the teachers and assistants by saying “thank you” and smiling.
Doing voluntary work has given my life more meaning.
| A．I felt that they had taught me a lesson on gratitude. |
| B．It is easy to be obsessed with material wants in society. |
| C．I am now able to go through life with more love and compassion. |
| D．Volunteer work has provided me with opportunities to make friends. |
| E．With the determination, the decisions I make are now more meaningful. |
| F．Moreover, I realized they are often unreasonably judged by other people. |
| G．Voluntary work has helped me better understand the lives of the less fortunate. |
7 . My plan to learn to play the cello (大提琴) was a health y choice. So I took the next innocent step of going to a shop that sells and rents string instruments, especially violins, violas, and cellos. The place was a hole-in-the-wall, up a steep flight of stairs. Instruments left a narrow path to the counter where a woman with grey hair and warm eyes greeted me. Since I couldn’t form a question about what I wanted, I just stood there exploring the scene, which felt immensely pleasurable.
I rented a cello, a bow, and a case to hold them. What attracted me to the cello was its enormous size and its soft, smooth, and memorable sounds. It’s an instrument made of beautifully polished wood that I could wrap my arms around and feel its powerful vibrations when the strings were played. That was a good starting point for me. The only problem was that I didn’t know how to play it.
There’s a popular belief that the cello is a particularly difficult instrument to learn. Another is the admonition, “Don’t bother if you are a beginner over age 10!” Well, I was 70, and what others thought no longer influenced me. And besides, I thought of the words of Dr. Cohen, who suggested that learning causes physical changes in the brain.
So I found a teacher who had respect for older adult beginners and I practiced diligently, daily for years, and sometimes disheartened, but I kept up. I’m happy to report that now, more than a decade later, I can hold my own in a string trio and two quartets （two violins, a viola, and me, the female cello）and even a senior community band. Of course, I’ll never sound like Yo-Yo Ma but you could recognize a Mozart piece if you heard me play it. And, more importantly, I don’t need to please anyone but myself.
Whether it’s a pleasurable pastime or a new career, the starting point is the same: wonder, curiosity, determination, and the desire to keep your brain sharp.
1. How did the writer feel in the shop?| A．Amused by the shop assistant. |
| B．Anxious for a live performance. |
| C．Pleased at the nice music atmosphere. |
| D．Curious about where to find a teacher. |
| A．Approval. | B．Criticism. |
| C．Puzzlement. | D．Warning. |
| A．To recommend a reliable doctor. |
| B．To provide proof for common belief. |
| C．To add another reason for her decision. |
| D．To stress the crucial function of the brain. |
| A．Art is man’s second nature. |
| B．One is never too old to learn. |
| C．Education is the key to success. |
| D．Happiness is the best form of health. |
8 . Recently, I accidentally found a set of Hanfu l only wore once from the bottom of the cupboard. I remember buying them simply to match the ancient-style hair accessories (配饰) a friend gave me. It occurred to me that 1 had been trapped in the “birdcage effect”.
“Birdcage effect” means that when you get an item one day, you will prepare more things to match it. Weeks ago, I was in the company of friends engaged in shopping. One said that she wanted to buy a good writing pen to match the delicate notebook that her sister gave her, so that she would fall in love with taking notes on reading, and thus love reading, not just reading. I joked that she must have fallen for the “birdcage effect”. But the friend said with a smile: “Why not use the ‘birdcage effect’ instead?”
For the first time, I heard that the “birdcage effect” can be used in reverse (逆向). However, this can’t help but remind me of middle school, and I seem to have used the “birdcage effect”. Passing by a bookstore one day, I purchased a magazine and saw the call for contributions published in the magazine, so I started writing with eager hands, and then I fell in love with writing.
After shopping with my friends that time, I began to proceed to use the “birdcage effect”. I bought a small fresh tablecloth to decorate my desk, and a beautiful notebook to record my inspiration. When everything was ready, I started writing again.
But how can we get rid of the “birdcage effect” in many things, and even use the “birdcage effect” in the opposite way? Various “birdcages” unavoidably appear in life, but we can distinguish them. If it is not in line with the actual situation, it is a “negative birdcage”, then we must learn to stop losses in time and maintain a heart of abandonment and separation. If it is a “positive birdcage” that motivates us to develop upward, we can clarify our goals, shop or decorate appropriately, and motivate ourselves to move towards our goals. At this time, you will find that the “birdcage effect” is actually not so terrible!
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The application of the “birdcage effect” in life. |
| B．The necessity of using the “birdcage effect” in life. |
| C．The turning point of the author’s idea on the “birdcage effect”. |
| D．The author’s conflict with her friend over the “birdcage effect”. |
| A．To recall her delightful days at school. |
| B．To explain the reason for her love with writing. |
| C．To confirm the positive of the “birdcage effect”. |
| D．To prove her knowledge of the “birdcage effect”. |
| A．By realizing this effect has two sides. |
| B．By promoting our personal consumption. |
| C．By recognizing this effect is not so terrible. |
| D．By guiding our acts to go with reasonable goals. |
| A．Getting Rid of the Birdcage Effect Confidently |
| B．Motivating Ourselves to Move Towards Our Goals |
| C．The Birdcage Effect: Influence on Consumer Behavior |
| D．The Birdcage Effect: How to Use It to Your Advantage |
9 . The days that make us happy make us wise.
--- John Masefield
When I first read this line by England's Poet Laureate, it
Slowly, I seemed to
Active happiness---not mere satisfaction or
Nor are the
Consequently, the long vision is there for the seeing. The ground at your feet, the world about you---people, thoughts, emotions, pressures---are now
| A．terrified | B．satisfied | C．surprised | D．upset |
| A．other | B．opposite | C．view | D．contrast |
| A．arresting | B．amazing | C．interesting | D．disturbing |
| A．handle | B．observe | C．appreciate | D．seize |
| A．iced | B．clouded | C．rained | D．snowed |
| A．roads | B．paths | C．spots | D．places |
| A．fulfillment | B．sorrow | C．disappointment | D．entertainment |
| A．embraced | B．interrupted | C．responded | D．accompanied |
| A．brightness | B．stupidity | C．shortcomings | D．memories |
| A．physical | B．sharp | C．spiritual | D．solid |
| A．insights | B．impressions | C．attentions | D．expectations |
| A．extended | B．collapsed | C．witnessed | D．withdrew |
| A．got out | B．stayed on | C．kept off | D．fitted into |
| A．proportion | B．position | C．explanations | D．duty |
| A．happiness | B．wisdom | C．ability | D．life |
My five-year-old daughter Ruthie seemed very small standing at the base of the huge rock-climbing wall as a young employee double-checked her equipment. It was our second time at this indoor crowded climbing gym. On our first visit, Ruthie had begged my husband and me to let her try climbing the wall, but I denied her, afraid that she was undersized.
But life had dramatically changed since then. After receiving a cancer diagnosis (诊断), I felt that my life was too short to deny her a chance. I stood outside the waiting area, watching the employee attach Ruthie to a safety rope. Then he gave her a thumbs-up sign, and my daughter began climbing!
With that rope, she couldn’t possibly fall. She might slip, but she wouldn’t fall. I was surprised at how she did that so easily and joyfully. “If my cancer is the rock wall, I want to be Ruthie,” I thought.
When she touched the ground again, I leaned over the low fence and asked, “How do you do that?”
“I just trust the rope. It’s very easy,” she said with a shrug, and started on her second climbing.
Apparently, if I had known the secret, I could have climbed the wall myself. When I was sixteen, I once failed to climb a rock wall. With added weight and reduced muscle tone, I doubted if I could even do it. I didn’t see any other moms trying to climb the wall. Several months earlier, embarrassment would have stopped me from trying. But my cancer did funny things to my brain. It made me realize that I needed to be braver than I thought.
With determination, I decided to try it and the same young employee checked my safety rope and gave me the thumbs-up sign. As I began my climb, I was excited by my own bravery for trying something so new. However, only ten feet up, my fingers and toes started to tire, and there was absolutely no place to rest. My excitement began to disappear and I was afraid that I was going to slip and fall.
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。
But I knew if I wanted to make it, I had to trust the rope.
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That day’s successful experience inspired me in my cancer battle.
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