1 . Once there was a little girl who had many misfortunes in life and was struggling with problems. One day she felt so upset that she couldn’t help ________ to her father why her life was so ________.

Sensing her ________, her father, a chef, took her to their ________. He asked her to just ________ till he finished everything. He filled three small pots with water and placed each on a burner. Once the water began to ________, he placed a potato, an egg, and some ground coffee beans in each pot. Curious, though, she kept ________ as her father instructed her to do so.

About twenty minutes later, he turned off the ________. The chef turned towards his daughter and said, “See, the potato went in strong and hard but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was ________, but now the egg became hard. ________, the ground coffee beans were unique. After being ________ the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.”

Seeing the little girl was still confused, he then ________, “The potato, the egg and coffee beans had each faced the same ________-the boiling water. However, each reacted ________. When hardships come your way, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?” Hearing these words, the girl made her choice inside-she would be the ________, which could not only change the whole situation but also change in its own way. After all, life is 10% what happens to you and 90%how you react to it.

1.

A．explaining

B．complaining

C．requesting

D．obtaining

2.

A．fortunate

B．permanent

C．memorial

D．miserable

3.

A．depression

B．desire

C．enthusiasm

D．curiosity

4.

A．study

B．kitchen

C．bedroom

D．cupboard

5.

A．absorb

B．listen

C．observe

D．seize

6.

A．cool

B．freeze

C．melt

D．boil

7.

A．cruel

B．silent

C．noble

D．modest

8.

A．lights

B．microwaves

C．burners

D．taps

9.

A．rough

B．plain

C．precious

D．fragile

10.

A．Therefore

B．Moreover

C．However

D．Otherwise

11.

A．exposed to

B．connected with

C．committed to

D．motivated by

12.

A．revolved

B．proceeded

C．teased

D．responded

13.

A．emergency

B．dilemma

C．choice

D．adversity

14.

A．sufficiently

B．generously

C．differently

D．primitively

15.

A．coffee beans

B．potato

C．egg

D．chef

2 . How to Bring Family Closer

Strong family bonds (纽带) can encourage better behaviors in children and teach them how to be a good friend.    1    

Set aside time for family.    2    By keeping this day on a regular schedule, everyone will know that they need to keep that day clear for family time. Then the entire family can get together for a fun activity.

Eat meals together. Choose a few nights during the week when you expect everyone to gather around the dinner table. Studies have shown that eating meals together has a positive effect on children’s physical and mental well-being.    3    Don’t allow phones. What’s the most important is that you come together and enjoy a meal free of distraction (分心).

    4    Make cleaning your home a responsibility for the whole family. Create a list of housework and have everyone sign up. Then set up a time during the week or on the weekend when everyone can do their housework together.

Encourage support. Feeling supported by your family is one of the most important things in building strong family bonds. Bonds like these will last your kids a lifetime. They will enjoy these strong bonds when they are your age and even after you are gone.    5    

A．Do housework as a family.

B．Try to set aside a regular day every week.

C．That’s why you create a sense of support.

D．As a result, never feel bad about taking a break.

E．Remember that your children learn by example.

F．Just eat a meal and have a conversation together.

G．Here are some tips to help bring your family closer.

4 . My 15-year-old boy is a high achiever. He is very bright, pursuing everything he does with devotion and determination. And he is a great kid; honest, kind, faithful and caring.

Like a lot of kids who are high achievers, he is a perfectionist and very easy to fall into anxiety. That is manifested in his study, and other things he does as well. For example, he loves tennis but he is often worried about losing in the game. Now he has to stop competing because the pressure he puts on himself is becoming unhealthy. He still plays, but playing socially rather than competitively means that it’s an outlet for him rather than a source of stress.

He does not manage stress well. He puts so much pressure on himself to the point of worrying himself sick over just about every assessment. And he gets so negative about it, everything I say to him is met with negativity, every suggestion with a response that it won’t work, and honestly it’s depressing and tiring.

To help my son, I had a patient conversation with him, and he finally followed my advice about physical exercise to ease stress. Whenever he was under a lot of pressure, I would run with him for half an bour and do some push-ups to relax the pressure. Gradually, he became less nervous in the later exams and his scores became more and more stable.

Pressure from grades and perfectionism can be really hard to manage when it comes to schooling. As kids, what they need is effective communication and sincere encouragement. So I have always told and shown my son that we’re proud of him, and that pride doesn’t merely depend on top grades.

1. Which of the following best explains “manifested” underlined in paragraph 2?

A．Exchanged.

B．Explored.

C．Achieved.

D．Reflected.

2. Why does the author’s son keep playing tennis?

A．He is a high achiever.	B．He’s easy to fall sick.
C．He hopes to release stress.	D．He wants to win the game.

3. What does the author mainly tell us about his son in paragraph 3?

A．His son fails to handle stress properly.	B．His son becomes tired of stress.
C．His son is good at some sports.	D．His son is doing well at school.

4. What is the author’s advice for his son?

A．Taking up a new hobby.	B．Hanging out with some friends.
C．Doing some exercise with him.	D．Talking to friends as much as possible.

5 . A heartwarming letter written by Yuan Longping, known as “the father of hybrid rice”, has caught people’s eyes as the nation is mourning (悼念) over his passing away. In 2010, at the age 80, Yuan wrote this letter in memory of his late mother, Hua Jing, and many are deeply touched by its sincerity (真情).

In the letter, entitled“The Rice is Ripe (成熟), Mom”, Yuan recalled the old days with his mother in Anjiang town in Central China’s Hunan province, where his mother was buried in 1989.

Born in a wealthy family in Yangzhou, eastern China’s Jiangsu province, Hua Jing was well educated and open-minded. She taught Yuan English when he was very young. Having never worked in the fields, Hua moved to Anjiang town to support her son’s family and research.

“Mom, the rice is ripe and I come back to Anjiang to see you... Every time when I was able to deliver a speech to the audiences from around the world or take a prize in my study, I always thought of you. You made me who I am. People say I’ve changed the world with one tiny rice seed but mom, I know you sowed (播种) the seed in me when I was a little boy.”

1. Why did Yuan Longping write a letter in 2010?

A．To honor his mother.	B．To attract people’s eyes.
C．To comfort his mother.	D．To public his achievements.

2. What moved many people deeply in the letter?

A．The seed.

B．The emotion.

C．The speech.

D．The education.

3. What can we know about Hua Jing?

A．She was born in a poor family.	B．She used to work in the fields.
C．She didn’t get any schooling.	D．She moved to Anjiang for her son.

4. What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．The speech to the audience.	B．The growth in Anjiang.
C．The seed of Yuan’s mother.	D．The prize in his study.

6 . My 88-year-old grandfather and I are both starting 2022 as new college graduates. He was ________ to continue school because he got married and started a ________ in the 1950s. Over the next few decades, he managed to ________ his roles as a husband, a father of five, working at a local bank and taking a college class here and there.

Our higher ________ journey together at Palo Alto College began in 2016. I had just ________ from high school then and my grandfather, 82, was ________ to take classes to make his lifelong dream of earning his bachelor’s degree become a ________. In 2017, we were both ________into the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Over the past year, his health has continued to ________ and he now has difficulty speaking. As graduation day ________ in December, my family and I ________ university officials to approve of my grandfather having a degree of recognition. We had the ________ that he could have that memory before his death.

My grandfather was worried he would steal the show from my graduation moment when I told him we were graduating together. I told him this is our moment and that I want to _______   it with him. I’m so ________ and proud that I was able to have this moment with him.

I ________ my grandfather’s lifelong passion of learning and his strong wills.

1.

A．proud

B．eager

C．unhappy

D．unable

2.

A．bank

B．family

C．company

D．business

3.

A．compare

B．evaluate

C．balance

D．accept

4.

A．education

B．survival

C．recovery

D．research

5.

A．benefited

B．returned

C．graduated

D．heard

6.

A．shocked

B．advised

C．forced

D．determined

7.

A．reality

B．challenge

C．memory

D．question

8.

A．checked

B．admitted

C．refused

D．invited

9.

A．restore

B．change

C．decline

D．improve

10.

A．involved

B．established

C．passed

D．approached

11.

A．encouraged

B．persuaded

C．ordered

D．reminded

12.

A．conclusion

B．achievement

C．excitement

D．expectation

13.

A．share

B．regret

C．control

D．discuss

14.

A．independent

B．helpful

C．grateful

D．polite

15.

A．examine

B．appreciate

C．consider

D．understand