1 . A funeral or an obituary (讣告）is traditionally how we honor those who have died. But the way we remember loved ones is changing, as thousands of families turn to one project using TikTok and a surfboard.

Since the death of his father Randy Mendioroz, Tony Mendioroz dreamed of reuniting him with the place that he loved most—the ocean. Randy’s life revolved around water. He was a specialist in building water parks, wave machines and swimming pools, and Tony once worked for him for a while. The Mendioroz family were also regulars at the coast and spent wonderful time from some of San Diego’s best beaches.

Randy passed away from liver cancer in 2013. Feeling lost, Tony began to search for ways to feel a connection with his dad again. He found comfort in the sea and surfing, but always felt it was an experience he should have shared with his father. So, when he came across a video of a man offering to grant Randy “one last wave”, he jumped at the chance.

The man behind the video was surfer Dan Fischer. He, too, had lost his father Karl Fischer to cancer and had turned to the ocean to feel closer to him. After one unforgettable trip into the waves off the coast of Newport, with his father’s name written on his surfboard, Dan realized the potential healing power this simple activity could have when dealing with loss.

“Through surfing, I took him out there because he always loved the ocean, and he and I were adventure buddies,” Dan says.

When he got back to the shore, Dan posted a TikTok video, encouraging others dealing with grief to reach out and have the names of their lost loved ones written on his surfboard.

The Mendioroz family were one of thousands of those who got in touch from around the world, sparking the beginning of the “One Last Wave Project”.

The project prompted Dan to document each of his trips to the beach as names continued to cover his board. It has been a powerful force in creating a global community and support network for those going through loss.

1. What do we know about Tony and his father?

A．They had a tough relationship.

B．They all grew up near the ocean.

C．They never went surfing together.

D．They once built a water park together.

2. Dan turned to the ocean to feel closer to his father because of ________？

A．his father’s love for the ocean.

B．his father’s interest in surfing.

C．his father’s adventurous spirit

D．his father’s working experience

3. What inspired Dan to do the “One Last Wave Project”?

A．One of his trips to Newport.

B．The Mendioroz family’s request.

C．Encouragement from his family.

D．Worldwide attention to his video.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．A journey of overcoming loss

B．The healing power of a surfboard

C．Seeking comfort from TikTok videos

D．Remembering loved ones at the seaside

2 . My mother and I don’t speak the same language. Her English is not good, and my Mandarin stopped at the picture-book level on the day I started kindergarten in California, as I realized that the few English words I knew weren’t going to get me very far. I immersed (沉浸) myself in strange grammar and new vocabulary. As my mother tongue withered (逐渐淡去) in my mind, English allowed me to explain my personhood here and silence the narrative that I was just a shy, odd Asian.

My wish to write, however, made me unintelligible to my mother. She couldn’t understand why I’d spoil other better chances. I’d tried to communicate with her in Chinese, searching my mind for sentences: How could I describe my gratitude for a path to self-fulfillment when all I could say was “kai xin” or “happy”? Without the words to bridge the gap between our worldviews, our dissatisfaction and worry turned into stubbornness.

I landed a day job editing a design magazine but worked on my novel in my off-hours. As its main characters, Marissa and Kathleen’s mother-daughter relationship was similar to my own, troubled and split by cultural differences—though always revived by love. But the book is in English, so my mom won’t be able to read it.

Writing the book gave me a reason to mine for details about my family. I’d spent so much of my adolescence shedding (摆脱) my background that when I reached adulthood, I became interested in our history. I started asking questions, hoping to find a new understanding of us.

Her answers were mixed with joyful memories, like the pleasant smell of the flowers my mother would pin to her blouse, or the hubbub(喧闹)of visiting her cousins in the countryside. As her world became clearer to me, I came closer to knowing who she is.

When I showed my mother a copy, she noticed her Chinese name in the acknowledgments and said in Mandarin with a shaking voice, “Now I know you truly love me.” I wish it hadn’t taken this long to find a way to tell her. She may not understand it word for word, but I know she gets the message.

1. Why did the author start to learn English?

A．She hoped to read picture books in kindergarten.

B．She was eager to introduce herself to more people.

C．She realized its importance to her life in the country.

D．She found the language strange but fairly easy to learn.

2. What does the underlined word “unintelligible” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Sensitive.	B．Sympathetic.
C．Grateful.	D．Incomprehensible.

3. What motivated the author to dig into her family history?

A．Her interest in her own childhood.

B．Her curiosity about other cultures.

C．Her desire to know her mother better.

D．Her need for inspiration for her novel.

4. How did the author’s mother react to the acknowledgments of the book?

A．She was surprised by it.

B．She was deeply moved and felt loved.

C．She was disappointed that she couldn’t read the book.

D．She was grateful for the author’s efforts to understand her.

3 . One summer evening, after a shopping trip back home with my six kids, I suddenly realized 6-year-old Lesley was not around. When the desperate search ended____, I rushed into the driveway. Through the glass of our green car, I saw my ____girl. The moment I ______ open the door, she plunged (猛冲) into me, her arms wrapped so tightly around my ______ that I was hard to breathe, her little heart beating ______ against my chest.

“I’m so sorry, but I didn’t know you were in there. I love you.” I ______, “I’m sorry.”

I ____ her inside. Seating her on my lap, I kissed her face and whispering my______ again and again. She sighed and finally ______, but I couldn’t that night, filled with shame and horror.

Every summer brings headlines of 38 horrible ______ of kids left in the locked____ cars. Although I narrowly ______ it by luck, I didn’t talk to my daughter about the ______ for seven long years. It seemed too much to bear. I ______ decided to bring it up one day.   “Yeah, actually, I do ______,” the middle school girl said quietly. “I stayed longer playing, but when I was ready to get out, I couldn’t ______ the door. I was scared you weren’t coming back.”

I asked her what she remembered the most. “You apologized,” she said. “I felt____, a lot. You’re a ______ mother.” she said calmly, grabbing my hands. Her words ______ me from the lasting burden.

Good parents make terrible mistakes sometimes. I’m _______ to live in a universe where love and forgiveness live stronger.

1.

A．with relief

B．by accident

C．on purpose

D．in vain

2.

A．smiling

B．jumping

C．frightened

D．thrilled

3.

A．kicked

B．pushed

C．broke

D．tore

4.

A．arms

B．neck

C．waist

D．shoulders

5.

A．slowly

B．regularly

C．wildly

D．weakly

6.

A．repeated

B．replied

C．shouted

D．admitted

7.

A．drove

B．carried

C．pulled

D．protected

8.

A．guilt

B．anger

C．celebration

D．disappointment

9.

A．stood out

B．got up

C．gave up

D．fell asleep

10.

A．births

B．abuses

C．deaths

D．disappearances

11.

A．big

B．dusty

C．old

D．hot

12.

A．continued

B．missed

C．defeated

D．met

13.

A．disrespect

B．violence

C．heat

D．incident

14.

A．immediately

B．fortunately

C．eventually

D．deliberately

15.

A．remember

B．forget

C．forgive

D．hesitate

16.

A．open

B．lock

C．reach

D．touch

17.

A．abandoned

B．comforted

C．forgiven

D．amused

18.

A．lucky

B．lazy

C．good

D．mindless

19.

A．prevented

B．distanced

C．separated

D．freed

20.

A．ashamed

B．grateful

C．surprised

D．proud

4 . When reading, my mother likes to slice a paragraph or a sentence out and attach it to the wall of her kitchen. She picks boring sentences that puzzle me. But I prefer copying favorite bright lines into a journal in soft, gray No. 2 pencil, word by word.

She doesn’t know any of this. There's nothing shocking: for our chatting. we seldom begin certain conversations though we talk on the phone weekly, sometimes making each other laugh so hard that I choke and she cries. But what we don't say could fill up rooms. Fights with my father. Small failures in school. Anything that really upsets us.

My mother has never told me “I love you, Lisa.”—as if the four-word absence explains who I am—so I carry it with me, like a label on me. The last time she almost spoke the words was two years ago, when she called to tell me a friend had been in hospital. I said, “I love you, Mom.” She stopped for a while and then said, “Thank you.” I haven't said it since, but I've wondered why my mother doesn't until I've found a poem that supplies words for the blank spaces I try to understand in our conversations:

Don’t fill up on bread. I say absent-mindedly. The servings here are huge.

My son, middle-aged, says: Did you really just say that to me?

What he doesn’t know is that when we’re walking together, I desire to reach for his hand.

It's humble, yet heartbreaking. After copying it down in my journal, I emailed it to mom, adding “This poem makes me think of you.” My mother doesn’t read poetry—or at least, she doesn’t tell me, and I felt nervous clicking “Send”.

She never mentioned the poem. But the next time I went home for vacation, I noticed something new in the kitchen fixed to an antique board: the poem. The board hung above the heater, the warmest spot in the kitchen. The poem still hangs there. Neither my mother nor I have ever spoken about it.

1. What's the function of paragraph 1?

A．To stress the theme.	B．To establish the setting.
C．To represent the characters.	D．To create the atmosphere.

2. Which of the following best describes the mother daughter relationship?

A．Shaky.

B．Distant.

C．Reserved.

D．Intense.

3. Why did the author send the poem to her mom?

A．It reminded her of mom's love.

B．She wanted to apologize to mom.

C．It suited mom's taste of literature.

D．She needed an interpretation from mom.

4. What does the poem mean to mom?

A．A memory of golden days.

B．Daughter’s gratefulness to her.

C．A decoration in the plain kitchen.

D．Daughter's understanding of her.

5 . Brothers and sisters can actually boost your physical and mental health. Here’s how.

Having a younger sibling might make you slimmer. A study by University of Michigan found that children who were six or under when a new brother or sister arrived had a healthier BMI. Given that childhood weight issues can turn into adult weight problems, having a younger brother or sister might well resolve the annoyance.

Sisters can protect you from depression. Sisters, whether younger or older, help prevent their teenage siblings from feeling guilty, unloved, lonely, shy and fearful,according to a study from   Brigham University. That will benefit you even when you reach adulthood.

Having brothers and sisters makes you more charitable. The same research found that having siblings made you twice as likely to do good deeds. A study of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research found that if a sibling was warm and kind, the other sibling was likely to display the same qualities.

They’re a spirit booster in later life. Research has found that having a meaningful relationship with brothers and sisters when you’re older can lead to greater life satisfaction, greater psychological wellbeing, higher spirit and fewer depressive symptoms. That is vital as you enter old age.

They help you live longer. In a study from the American Sociological Association,older adults who described themselves as being “extremely close” to the family members they listed had a 6% chance of dying over the next five years, compared to a 14% risk for the people who reported not being very close to the family members listed.

Having good friends can bring many of the same benefits. We don’t all have brothers and sisters, or you might be distant from yours. Don’t panic; research also shows that having close friends can boost your health, wellbeing and longevity. Make friends by signing up to groups or classes and finding people who enjoy the same things as you.

1. What does the underlined word “sibling” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Brother or sister.

B．Parent.

C．Uncle or aunt.

D．Friend.

2. How do sisters benefit a teen according to the study of Brigham University?

A．Acting like adults.	B．Having a good figure.
C．Enjoying mental health.	D．Being more independent.

3. Whose study concludes that siblings help one with a longer lifespan?

A．Michigan University.	B．Brigham University.
C．The Canadian Institutes of Health Research.	D．The American Sociological Association.

4. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To help teens make good friends.

B．To introduce the benefits of siblings.

C．To help keep good family relationship.

D．To advocate following siblings’ advice.

6 . My sister Blythe is one of the highest achievers I’ve ever known. Growing up, she was ________ in absolutely everything. She remains the most gifted ________ I’ve ever met. She’s received many prizes in sports competitions.

2007 was ________ for our family. We lost our brother in July to cancer, which ________ us completely. After over a year, I had no choice but to put one ________ in front of the other. It happened only because the sun continued to rise day after day, ________ how I felt. At the same time, Blythe ________ and committed herself to efforts that demanded her ________ best, including a 4th place finish in her final Olympics. We watched nervously. 4th can be a ________ place to get in a highly competitive competition like this. We released a collective sigh of ________ and cheered when we saw her huge and ________ smile.

She has since ________ gracefully from the sport. Needless to say, she continues to ________ herself, winning cooking competitions and doing well in flag football. Meanwhile, I’m always at home in her ________ whenever necessary.

I have watched Blythe with ________ and in wonder since my earliest memories — I ________ do now. I have worried about every ________ , wishing I could protect her from every hurt, and smiled happily with ________ at every reward. Knowing that the very person I have watched grow up from the ________ is the one who has lived the best life helps me believe that I ________ .

1.

A．brilliant

B．active

C．engaged

D．absorbed

2.

A．expert

B．student

C．athlete

D．performer

3.

A．meaningful

B．cruel

C．significant

D．frightening

4.

A．broke

B．astonished

C．transformed

D．bothered

5.

A．view

B．point

C．hand

D．foot

6.

A．regardless of

B．thanks to

C．rather than

D．except for

7.

A．started off

B．pulled together

C．held on

D．rose up

8.

A．constant

B．absolute

C．extra

D．initial

9.

A．desirable

B．creative

C．tough

D．pure

10.

A．tiredness

B．relief

C．admiration

D．sympathy

11.

A．calm

B．interesting

C．pleasant

D．broad

12.

A．retired

B．benefited

C．separated

D．suffered

13.

A．change

B．fight

C．win

D．challenge

14.

A．memory

B．company

C．place

D．opinion

15.

A．amazement

B．curiosity

C．anxiety

D．disbelief

16.

A．still

B．barely

C．already

D．simply

17.

A．risk

B．arrangement

C．attempt

D．opportunity

18.

A．envy

B．pride

C．dignity

D．ambition

19.

A．bottom

B．course

C．inside

D．beginning

20.

A．succeed

B．shine

C．mature

D．matter

7 . The sweetest memory of my childhood is about a round table. When I was still little, my _______ family would get together on different traditional festivals to _______ dinner. We kids would be sitting around or playing hide-and-seek under the table _______ the grown-ups were having a chat.

When I got a bit _______ , my aunt brought back her boyfriend and my grandma cheerfully _______ another seat to the round table. It seemed a little more _______ , but we all felt much closer to each other. When I was twelve, my grandpa _______ . That made us feel _______ . However, when the whole family got together once again, we totally _______ that his chair, his bowl and his chopsticks should __________ the same. Even though his seat was __________ , we felt like that he had never left us.

We all have a table like this in our __________ . It is a sign of reunion of our family __________ our feelings. Although the __________ why we come together may be different, the feelings behind it are the __________ . Usually different cultures are __________ by us around the table. What’s more, we __________ the love not only for our family, but also for a company, our __________ and even the whole world.

The history of our nation has been the stories of looking for or running to the round table which we belong to. The round table has been a __________ of the Chinese feelings. It was, it is and will __________ be.

1.

A．happy

B．whole

C．dear

D．warm

2.

A．cook

B．make

C．prepare

D．have

3.

A．while

B．or

C．but

D．so

4.

A．taller

B．bigger

C．older

D．stronger

5.

A．set

B．lay

C．fetched

D．added

6.

A．crowded

B．friendly

C．enjoyable

D．different

7.

A．was in debt

B．fell ill

C．lost his job

D．passed away

8.

A．mad

B．sad

C．worried

D．nervous

9.

A．agreed

B．imagined

C．guessed

D．judged

10.

A．leave

B．place

C．remain

D．repeat

11.

A．missing

B．empty

C．taken

D．dirty

12.

A．units

B．societies

C．home

D．families

13.

A．acting

B．showing

C．performing

D．declaring

14.

A．custom

B．fact

C．habit

D．reason

15.

A．common

B．true

C．same

D．deep

16.

A．received

B．accepted

C．refused

D．changed

17.

A．express

B．want

C．impress

D．trust

18.

A．school

B．relatives

C．nation

D．parents

19.

A．milestone

B．mark

C．tool

D．symbol

20.

A．always

B．still

C．even

D．ever