1 . As we grew up, my mother would sit my sister and me down on the last Sunday of every month and force us to write letters to family in India. Despite being an orphan, my mom came from a large, tight-kmit Anglo-Indian family back in Hyderabad and loved the cousins she was raised with like siblings. At the time, we were the only ones who had left India to go abroad. She missed all our relatives deeply.
It was the 1970s, and my mother was recently divorced, raising two little girls on her own and finding her way in a new country. We lived in a basement apartment and couldn’t afford long-distance calls. Letter-writing was the cheapest and only way for us to maintain contact. The last thing I wanted to do was sit down for an hour after dinner and write letters to people I barely knew. But over time, my sister and I came to enjoy it. My mother would tell us stories about each family member, and it was interesting to get to know a whole clan of people who looked and sounded just like us.
When my mother died, my sister and I took her ashes back to India. We hadn’t been back for over 25 years, having visited only once when I was 10. After the funeral, we spent a month visiting relatives. Each household would take out photo albums full of photographs of us as well as the letters they’d received over the years. They’d saved them all and wanted to show us that they’d never forgotten us.
As we struggled as new immigrants, my mother ensured that we always knew who we were, where we came from and where we were going. She kept us connected to a family that was thousands of miles away but near to our hearts through a lifetime of letter-writing. And she taught me the power of storytelling.
It's a legacy to be proud of and a gift I’m grateful for every day.
1. What can we learn about the author’s mother from the text?| A．She was born into a poor family. | B．She raised her children alone. |
| C．She left India to study abroad. | D．She once lost touch with her cousins. |
| A．Curious. | B．Excited. | C．Confused. | D．Unwilling. |
| A．They lived all over the country. | B．They had forgotten about them. |
| C．They had saved all the letters from them. | D．They had similarities with the author’s mother. |
| A．The power of trust. | B．The joy of giving. |
| C．The impact of storytelling. | D．The importance of caring for one’s relatives. |
| A．where the writer’s family came from |
| B．what the writer’s relatives did with their letters |
| C．why the writer’s family moved to a new country |
| D．how the writer’s family kept in touch with their relatives |
As a young man, Al was a skilled artist, a potter. He had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his older son developed a severe stomachache. Thinking it was only some common intestinal (肠的) disorder, neither Al nor his wife took the condition very seriously. But the disease was actually acute appendicitis (阑尾炎), and the boy died suddenly that night.
Knowing the death could have been prevented if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, Al’s emotional health declined under the enormous burden of his guilt. To make matters worse his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than Al could handle, and he became an alcoholic.
As the alcoholism progressed, Al began to lose everything he possessed—his home, his land, his art objects, everything. Eventually Al died alone in a San Francisco motel room.
When I heard of Al’s death, I thought, “What a complete failure! What a totally wasted life. ”
As time went by, I began to re-evaluate my earlier harsh judgment. You see, I knew Al’s now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most caring, most loving men I have ever known. I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free flow of love between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.
I hadn’t heard Ernie talk much about his father. One day I worked up my courage to ask him. “I’m really puzzled by something, ”I said. “I know your father was basically the only one to raise you. What on earth did he do so that you became such a special person? ”
Ernie sat quietly and reflected for a few moments. Then he said, “From my earliest memories as a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ‘I love you, son. ‘”
Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to judge Al as a failure. He had not left any material possessions behind, but he had been a kind loving father, and he left behind one of the finest, most giving man I have ever known.
1. Why was Al in guilt? (no more than 15 words)
2. Where did Al die? (no more than 5 words)
3. What made Al addicted to alcohol? (no more than 10 words)
4. What does the underlined word “enormous” most probably mean? (1 word)
5. What did Al’s son Ernie learn from his father? (no more than 15 words)
3 . Draper was the owner of a secondhand bookstore. One day, when he was sorting through a pile of old books, an envelope fell
Tears were welling up in Draper’s eyes. These were a
He supposed if the
He started with the local newspaper. The Northern Echo ran the story of the
Bethany was only 4 when her mother
She remembered unpacking and looking for the letter, and then
Draper
| A．in | B．on | C．down | D．from |
| A．message | B．email | C．postcard | D．letter |
| A．reading | B．destroying | C．forgetting | D．copying |
| A．determined | B．steely | C．selfish | D．dying |
| A．find | B．introduce | C．phone | D．comfort |
| A．tear up | B．throw away | C．cut up | D．pull out |
| A．book | B．girl | C．reporter | D．news |
| A．prefer | B．appreciate | C．imagine | D．recognize |
| A．As if | B．Even if | C．Now that | D．If only |
| A．wet | B．cruel | C．lost | D．broken |
| A．However | B．Therefore | C．Meanwhile | D．Otherwise |
| A．mother | B．editor | C．daughter | D．assistant |
| A．ticket | B．magazine | C．homework | D．article |
| A．tenses | B．terms | C．words | D．languages |
| A．writing | B．dreaming | C．joking | D．playing |
| A．came back | B．died out | C．passed away | D．calmed down |
| A．burned | B．donated | C．dirtied | D．robbed |
| A．madly | B．suddenly | C．secretly | D．regularly |
| A．kept | B．composed | C．delivered | D．published |
| A．expectation | B．carelessness | C．kindness | D．intelligence |
4 . An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house chatting with his 45-year-old son. Suddenly a crow (乌鸦) landed on their window edge.
The father asked his son, “What is that?”
The son replied, “That is a crow.”
After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, “What is this?”
The son said, “Father, I told you just now. It’s a crow.”
After a little while, the father asked his son the same question for the third time, “What is this?”
This time, the son said to his father in a low and cold tone, “It’s a crow, a crow, a crow.”
After a moment, the father yet again asked his son for the fourth time, “What is this?”
This time the son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? I have told you already, ‘IT IS A CROW.’ Are you unable to understand this?”
A minute later the father went to his room and came back with a diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page.
“Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa when a crow suddenly landed on the window edge. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied him 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I didn’t feel angry at all, but instead felt affection for my son”.
If your parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden, but speak to them gently, and be kind to them. From today say this aloud, “I want to see my parents happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little child. They have always showered me with love. I will respect and take care of my old parents in the best way no matter how they behave.”
1. In what tone did the son said to his father “It’s a crow, a crow, a crow.”?| A．Impatient. | B．Excited. | C．Hurried. | D．Surprised. |
| A．eighty | B．three | C．thirty-eight | D．forty-five |
| A．A crow | B．Father’s love | C．An old dairy | D．An old man |
5 . Dad was not only my best friend, but my compass (指南针). While he was alive, he
If there was one phrase my dad
When I was in high school, I had a
After months of
Even now, whenever I
| A．understood | B．forgave | C．guided | D．impressed |
| A．history | B．lesson | C．skill | D．language |
| A．always | B．almost | C．ever | D．never |
| A．so | B．or | C．but | D．and |
| A．good | B．free | C．terrible | D．short |
| A．still | B．nearly | C．hardly | D．probably |
| A．real | B．practical | C．immediate | D．extra |
| A．suggested | B．risked | C．enjoyed | D．missed |
| A．meeting | B．testing | C．learning | D．interviewing |
| A．excited | B．nervous | C．happy | D．shocked |
| A．believe in | B．hold back | C．stand for | D．look after |
| A．hope | B．forget | C．worry | D．promise |
| A．different | B．hard | C．important | D．interesting |
| A．grateful | B．sorry | C．polite | D．useful |
6 . My daughter graduated from college this year. I couldn’t be more proud of her. Through countless hours of study, books read, papers written, and tests taken, her hard work has paid off. She is no longer a little girl. She has become a wise, giving, caring, and loving adult. She has learned so much and is ready to start the rest of her life.
I think the things I take most pride in her learning, though, aren’t the ones she learned in the classroom. They are the ones she learned through living her life. My daughter already knows things that it took me much longer to learn. She knows that money can’t buy happiness. She knows that laughter exercises the lungs and love opens up the heart. She knows that doing what you love and loving what you do turns work into play. She knows that children are life’s most precious (珍贵的) gift and that every child should be treated with kindness and love.
My daughter knows that life often isn’t fair, that society often isn’t wise, and that everyone of us will face our share of problems. She also knows, however, that with love in our hearts we can bring learning, laughter, and joy to even the toughest days. She knows that life is a journey taken on a rocky road and that sometimes we stumble. She knows that we can pick ourselves up each time and even help someone else up as well. Most of all she knows that she is still learning, just as we all are. May she always know too just how much I love her.
1. How did the author feel when her daughter graduated from college?| A．Grateful. | B．Satisfied. | C．Calm. | D．Concerned. |
| A．Her daughter is ready to start a new life. |
| B．Her daughter knows a lot about society. |
| C．Her daughter’s knowledge learnt through living her life. |
| D．Her daughter’s achievements in the classroom. |
| A．you should love work as well as play |
| B．it’s important for one to turn work into play |
| C．your work will become interesting if you love it |
| D．what you love and what you do are totally different |
| A．her mother is well educated |
| B．her mother loves her very much |
| C．she is cleverer than her mother |
| D．she has to keep learning all her life |
| A．Fall. | B．Climb. | C．Control. | D．Shock. |
7 . People get angry because they don’t know enough to keep calm. I couldn’t control my emotions and used to feel annoyed (使恼怒) when I was a child. Worse still, I was not good at communicating with my
One morning, my mother
I took out my anger on my mother
After a long time, mother told me about my father’s
On that day, I decided never to let anger get the better of me. I learn to
| A．teachers | B．classmate | C．parents | D．friends |
| A．casually | B．carelessly | C．suddenly | D．finally |
| A．put on | B．put down | C．put up | D．put out |
| A．scared | B．interested | C．annoyed | D．quiet |
| A．without | B．beyond | C．besides | D．despite |
| A．dirty | B．cheap | C．wrong | D．old |
| A．up | B．away | C．off | D．around |
| A．calmly | B．sadly | C．nervously | D．anxiously |
| A．save | B．give | C．hold | D．wash |
| A．compliment | B．happiness | C．surprise | D．disappointment |
| A．hoped | B．joked | C．imagined | D．decided |
| A．faced | B．covered | C．pleased | D．filled |
| A．cool | B．turn | C．break | D．put |
| A．If | B．But | C．And | D．So |
| A．forget | B．remember | C．clean | D．wear |
8 . With his leg lame and his teeth uneven, the boy thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world. He
One spring, his father brought home some saplings (树苗).
Several days later, he was
From then on, the boy slowly became
When he came to the courtyard, he found his father working near the tree! Immediately he
Decades passed. The boy didn’t become a botanist.
| A．seldom | B．ever | C．still | D．often |
| A．held | B．lowered | C．raised | D．covered |
| A．Both | B．None | C．Each | D．One |
| A．likes | B．grows | C．protects | D．watches |
| A．And | B．But | C．Or | D．So |
| A．came up with | B．got rid of | C．put forward | D．cared for |
| A．contributed to | B．turned to | C．got used to | D．attended to |
| A．disappointed | B．frightened | C．surprised | D．amused |
| A．roots | B．seeds | C．branches | D．leaves |
| A．balance | B．word | C．agreement | D．opinion |
| A．botanist | B．gardener | C．president | D．teacher |
| A．satisfied | B．optimistic | C．independent | D．upset |
| A．believed | B．remembered | C．repeated | D．knew |
| A．probably | B．hardly | C．recently | D．generally |
| A．understood | B．doubted | C．wondered | D．admitted |
| A．cutting | B．watering | C．decorating | D．fertilizing |
| A．Therefore | B．Besides | C．Instead | D．Moreover |
| A．president | B．doctor | C．lawyer | D．teacher |
| A．Water | B．Love | C．Disability | D．Father |
| A．So long as | B．If only | C．Even though | D．Now that |
Seven years ago, my wife told our 6-year-old daughter about our wedding weekend. My wife had moved back home to spend the weekend with her family.
As I was tucking our daughter in (把女儿的被子掖好) later that night, she asked if she could “come home like mommy did” when she got married one day. (Hopefully, one day far off into the future...) I told her our house would always be open to her. She gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. She was extremely happy.
After a few seconds, I could see her mind churning (思绪翻腾) — the happiness dissipated. She pushed her finger into my belly and told me in low spirits, “Your belly is too big and you are too fat. I don’t know if you are going to make it.”
I was shocked. It was true that my health had fallen into a huge decline in the previous five years as I was building Contegix. I had not thought of it as destroying a future with my family. A 6-year-old girl saw what I missed.
I decided to run a mile the next morning. I couldn’t make it 1/4 mile. I didn’t give up and went out the next morning.
Seven years later, I have lost 60 pounds and regularly run ultra marathons. I attempted my first 100 miles last August, but I missed the terminal point at mile 87 after running on a torn hamstring (腿筋撕裂) for the previous 79 miles.
Yet, the most important distance I will ever go will be walking her down the aisle (结婚) one day. I would not make it if it hadn’t been for the honesty and innocence of a 6-year-old.
1. Why was the author’s daughter happy? (no more than 15 words)2. What does the underlined word “dissipated” in Paragraph 3 mean? (one word)
3. What happened to the author as he was building Contegix? (no more than 10 words)
4. What does the author regularly do seven years later? (no more than 5 words)
5. What do you think of the author? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
It’s important that parents talk with their kids. But some kids hardly talk to their parents. How can parents get their kids to talk to them more? Here is how I do it.
From the time my boys were little, we had strict rules about screen time in the car. We did not watch movies unless we were going to be in the car for more than an hour. Now that they are older, we have the same rule about earphones, let alone phones.
I have watched about 11 billion YouTube videos featuring everything from stupid kid stunts (特技) to stupid professional stunts and sports highlights. These are not interesting to me but they are interesting to my kids, so I watched them all. I also try to find funny things in the news to use as conversation starters.
Listening is the key to more talking, right? But sometimes kids just need to talk instead of having a two-way exchange. Or there are other kids in s the car who have somehow forgotten that the driver is an actual mom, and they talk about some serious news. I just listen to them quietly. Make note of things to circle back to if necessary. Just let the words flow when what they really need is your listening.
My kids love stories about the older days. They want stories about me falling in the dining hall, getting in trouble at school or crashing my car, but not the, “I walked 10 miles to school in the snow”. Luckily I have plenty of examples and provide just enough information to cause questions for more details.
1. What aren’t her kids allowed to do if the author has a very short trip with them in the car? (no more than 10 words)2. Why has the author watched so many YouTube videos? (no more than 15 words)
3. How do you understand the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4? (no more than 10 words)
4. What do the author’s kids want to know about her? (no more than 15 words)
5. What can you learn from the text? (no more than 25 words)
