1 . Who are your friends? Are they all similar in age to you?     1     But you can widen your social circle and gain life-enriching benefits by becoming friends with someone younger or older than you. Having friends of different ages can greatly improve the quality of your life.

Having older friends can change your attitude towards life because they have already gone through the challenges you are facing. They have been young parents, have survived a job loss, and can help you get through these changes in your own life.     2     Then you’ll feel more ready for what’s coming in future stages.

When older people make friends with younger people, they get to share their experiences which can be very rewarding.     3     Giving your wisdom and attention makes you feel better. It gives you meaning and is good for your mental health. Having younger friends can also make you feel younger by including new ideas and energy in your life.

    4     While making new friends may seem frightening, it’s actually easier than you think. You can first think about your acquaintances or coworkers and see if any of them share your values and interests and would make a good friend. Then see if you can make a coffee date. Besides, you can consider joining in a class that your coworker or acquaintance participates in that you think you will enjoy.     5    

All in all making friends with people not your age can open your eyes to new ideas and new experiences that can be life-changing.

A．For human beings, giving is good.

B．Where to find friends sharing a common interest?

C．Then how can you make intergenerational friends?

D．Having friends at your own age is natural, of course.

E．What’s more, younger friends can give you some fresh ideas.

F．It’s believed that joining in activities like volunteering is also an effective way.

G．An older friend also helps you “try on” certain life experiences before you get there.

2 . Many years ago, I was living with my best friend and we had many happy moments together. But there was one night that ________ our lives forever.

On the night of November 25, 2011, I got into a fistfight with my best friend in our kitchen. It all started because I was trying to help him. He was drinking a lot, arguing with everyone and ________ himself from others by keeping silent most of the time. This had been going on for weeks and finally I decided it was time for a(an) ________ I told him that he needed to stop drinking so much and tried to ________ his alcohol and he got angry and started ________ with me. It was scary, but by the end of the night, we were able to calm down and talk to each other.

I thought alcohol ________ was his main problem. But he was just using alcohol to ________ himself through. He was lonely, heartbroken and struggling to connect with people. So during the Christmas season a few weeks later, I gave him a ________ that I didn’t even know I had.

That Christmas my friend didn’t have any place to go, so I invited him home to my parents’ house in Lancaster. They ________ cleaned up our guest room for him and even bought him some Christmas gifts. I’ll never forget the night we arrived at my home. My parents were already ________, but my mom had prepared dinner for us, baked some cookies and left us a note. My parents are known for their ________, so I wasn’t surprised by this warm welcome. But when my friend read my mom’s note and saw all that she had prepared, he broke down and cried. That’s when I ________ how much I took my loving family for granted.

That year my friend and I both received gifts that we would ________ forever. I gave him the gift of a warm, loving, safe place to spend Christmas. And he gave me the gift of a new ________ on life. If I hadn’t shared my home with him, I wouldn’t have understood how ________ I am.

1.

A．defined

B．inspired

C．created

D．changed

2.

A．defending

B．separating

C．protecting

D．locking

3.

A．communication

B．investigation

C．exploration

D．promotion

4.

A．put up

B．take away

C．break out

D．call off

5.

A．talking

B．crying

C．fighting

D．laughing

6.

A．access

B．addition

C．abuse

D．affection

7.

A．look

B．break

C．drive

D．carry

8.

A．time

B．holiday

C．gift

D．family

9.

A．happily

B．generally

C．formally

D．hurriedly

10.

A．awake

B．asleep

C．available

D．absorbed

11.

A．generosity

B．curiosity

C．ability

D．creativity

12.

A．admitted

B．realized

C．recognized

D．accepted

13.

A．exchange

B．present

C．treasure

D．appreciate

14.

A．day

B．test

C．skill

D．eye

15.

A．kind

B．grateful

C．blessed

D．healthy

3 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写一段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

My dad got a new job. We had to pack up and move away from everything we were familiar with. There were so many changes. We came from the north, and now we were almost as far south as possible. We landed in South Florida, and we were total strangers. We moved over during the summer vacation, so I didn’t have to deal with school right away. Summer passed by while we unpacked, arranged furniture, found stores we liked, and adapted to the Sunshine State.

School was coming, and I was afraid of it. I was not an adventurous person. Being shy and quiet, I read a lot and did not make friends easily. My head was filled with fears and worries. Would I make friends? Would If it in? Would I survive in this strange new world? Anyway, there I was, attending a new school full of people I didn’t know.

I had a difficult time adapting to the new school. However, I still loved learning and reading. I even loved homework, and I was good at doing my homework. Loving books and reading helped me to get good grades. Teachers loved that about me. Other kids, though, did not. Although I always answered questions in class, I seldom talked with my classmates. I was unpopular. I felt like a total failure and nobody would like me.

The none day, at all boy walked over to me after an English class. He introduced himself and told me he was in the school basketball team. I knew him—he was the star player! “Hey,” he said. “You do really well in English class. And you know, my teammates and I spend much time competing and practicing. The subjects, especially English, really bother us. Do you think you could help us?” “Yes. Oh, definitely yes. I could, and I would,” I replied with surprise. We made the deal with an exchange of smiles.

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。

Something gradually changed after that.

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Meanwhile, the basketball players taught me how to play basketball.

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4 . This party sounded so fun! Annie stood at Michael’s front_________waiting excitedly for him to answer. “Just be yourself.” Annie’s dad had advised when he’d dropped her off. But who else could she be but herself?

Michael opened the door, _________Annie with a welcoming smile. Bu when she followed him in, she felt_________She didn’t recognize a single kid. And they were all older! As she sat down, every kid stared at her. Her colorful new_________, she believed, was stupid compared with the other girl’s tasteful dresses in soft golden colours. The thought made her ashamed.

Michael told others she was_________. But after that introduction, Annie felt even worse as all the kids looked at her doubtfully. She sat there with a frozen smile on her face, feeling anything but herself. The kids all started to eat, chatting and joking as they_________their mouths.

“Pass me some of those strange_________” a girl said to her. All at once, without any_________from her own mind, Annie blurted out the words, “They’re not exactly bananas. They look like bananas, but they taste_________different. Some people call them plantains or the potato of the tropics.”

Now all the kids were__________Annie again, but this time their faces were interested and__________. Someone asked her more about plantains, and she__________everything she knew about them, which was a lot. They started asking her questions. They wanted to know about her family and her pets. A girl even__________Annie for her dress.

“You are the__________of the night!” Michael said when the evening was over. Annie sighed, relaxed and happy. She wasn’t sure about being a star, but Daddy was right, she’d__________to be herself after all.

1.

A．yard

B．door

C．stairs

D．street

2.

A．praising

B．presenting

C．satisfying

D．greeting

3.

A．embarrassed

B．sad

C．ashamed

D．thrilled

4.

A．hairstyle

B．socks

C．dress

D．coat

5.

A．shy

B．outgoing

C．dedicated

D．knowledgeable

6.

A．covered

B．stuffed

C．opened

D．shut

7.

A．potatoes

B．tomatoes

C．apples

D．bananas

8.

A．idea

B．voice

C．warning

D．waiting

9.

A．slightly

B．totally

C．generally

D．seemingly

10.

A．looking down upon

B．attending to

C．looking at

D．caring about

11.

A．friendly

B．weary

C．swollen

D．dirty

12.

A．repeated

B．memorized

C．forgot

D．recited

13.

A．praised

B．criticized

C．condemned

D．thanked

14.

A．soul

B．star

C．middle

D．end

15.

A．managed

B．pretended

C．planned

D．attempted

5 . Marcus is a handsome and athletic kid. He plays tennis and _________ the state tournament every year. Marcus’s neighbor, Conrad, is also _________ to compete, but he has rheumatoid arthritis (类风湿性关节炎). Although it pains him just to walk, he _________ painful days at school walking to the sports field. He loves watching his school compete so he doesn’t _________ a game.

Marcus has known Conrad since primary school. They’ve always been _________. He sees Conrad in pain and his _________ at not being able to play sports. So, every day alter school, Marcus _________ his classmates to go to Conrad’s for a moment of discussion about the game competition. The discussion is as _________ as a real high school game, which makes Conrad forget the hurt.

Finally, the doctors found a new _________ to reduce the pain. Conrad walks without much pain, and then begins running, but he still has to learn the __________ of running. After a childhood of walking carefully and taking __________ steps, Conrad has to train his walking like a kid again and stay in shape. He pushes himself every day，building his lungs and doing leg lifts repeatedly for his leg __________. He knows what pain feels like, but running for Conrad is no longer __________.

To Conrad’s delight, he gets a chance to join the cross country team. Conrad doesn’t win, not once, but Marcus is there, __________ for him who always finishes in the middle of the competitors, breathing in wind and waving his hands __________.

1.

A．gives up

B．competes in

C．hears of

D．breaks through

2.

A．able

B．lucky

C．eager

D．calm

3.

A．bears

B．counts

C．forgets

D．escapes

4.

A．accept

B．enjoy

C．lose

D．miss

5.

A．strangers

B．enemies

C．friends

D．teachers

6.

A．surprise

B．sadness

C．impatience

D．tiredness

7.

A．promises

B．asks

C．drives

D．forces

8.

A．long

B．noisy

C．boring

D．interesting

9.

A．treatment

B．excuse

C．period

D．topic

10.

A．goal

B．style

C．speed

D．skill

11.

A．suitable

B．serious

C．small

D．comfortable

12.

A．strength

B．show

C．shape

D．advantage

13.

A．relaxing

B．beneficial

C．painful

D．meaningful

14.

A．queuing

B．arguing

C．running

D．cheering

15.

A．excitedly

B．curiously

C．anxiously

D．actively

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文，续写词数应为150左右。

After I stepped into the school library, I went straight to the shelves filled with books at once. It was break time and I had dropped by the library to borrow a book. Just as I was looking through some books, a girl in my class, Alice, came up to me. Alice was a pain in the neck as she would often make fun of others. That day, Alice laughed at me about my deepest secret -that I had come last in class in the mid-year examinations.

I blushed(脸红)hotly in shame. At the same time, I became extremely angry. My best friend, Lynn, was the only one who knew my secret. How could she betray(背叛)me?

My anger grew as thoughts about my friendship with Lynn flashed through my mind. We had been good friends since Primary 1. We hung out together, studied together and stayed up till the early hours of the morning to exchange our dreams. We were closer than sisters. When she needed a shoulder to cry on, I would be there. How could she do this to me? I was so mad that I could not control myself.

Brushing aside Alice’s taunts(嘲弄), I stormed to the place where Lynn usually went - the school field. Lynn looked at me with a welcoming smile on her face. The sight of her treacherous(背信弃义的)face made me mad and crazy.

“How could you do this to me? I thought we were friends!” I shouted at Lynn. “I hate you!”

A look of bewilderment(迷茫)crossed her face as she said,

“Wha ... What’s wrong? What did I do?”

Lynn cried out but I was cold and I didn’t show any kindness to her at all. I told her, “You are no longer my friend!”

And then I stormed away and returned to the library to calm myself down.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

Paragraph 1: About 5 minutes later, one of my classmates came up to me and handed me my diary.

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Paragraph 2: Luckily, Lynn was still in the field.

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7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

About twenty minutes he waited, and then a tall man in a long overcoat, with collar turned up to his ears, hurried across from the opposite side of the street. He went directly to the waiting man.

“Is that you, Bob?” he asked, doubtfully.

“Is that you, Jimmy Wells?” cried the man in the door.

“Bless my heart!” exclaimed the new arrival, grasping both the other’s hands with his own. “It’s Bob! I was certain I’d find you here if you were still alive. Well, well, well! —twenty years is a long time. How has the West treated you, old man?”

“It has given me everything I asked it for. You’ve changed lots, Jimmy. I never thought you were so tall by two or three inches (英寸).”

“Oh, I grew a bit after I was twenty.”

“Doing well in New York, Jimmy?”

“Moderately. I have a position in one of the city departments. Come on, Bob; we’ll go around to a place I know of, and have a good long talk about old times.”

The two men started up the street, arm in arm. The man from the West, his egotism (自我) enlarged by success, was beginning to outline the history of his career. The other, submerged (埋) in his overcoat, listened with interest.

At the corner stood a drug store, brilliant with electric lights. When they came into this glare each of them turned simultaneously (同时地) to gaze upon the other’s face.

The man from the West stopped suddenly and released his arm

“You’re not Jimmy Wells,” he snapped. “Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to change a man’s nose from a Roman (鹰钩鼻) to a pug (狮子鼻).”

“It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one,” said the tall man. “You’ve been under arrest (被捕) for ten minutes, ‘Silky’ Bob. Chicago thinks you may have dropped over our way and wants to have a chat with you. Going quietly, are you? That’s sensible. Now, before we go on to the police station here’s a note I was asked to hand you. You may read it here at the the window. It’s from Patrolman (巡警) Wells.”

The man from the West unfolded the little piece of paper handed him. His hand was steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished. The note was rather short.

“Bob: I was at the appointed place on time. When you struck the match to light your cigar I saw it was the face of the man wanted (被通缉的) in Chicago. Somehow I couldn’t do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job. ——JIMMY.”

(Excerpts from “After Twenty Years” by O. Henry)
注意：1.续写词数为120左右
2.请按以下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

How time flew! Bob was released from jail. Stepping out of jail into the cold wind,

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He turned around and surprised to find a familiar-looking man.

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8 . How to Cheer up Your Friend

The following tips will make your friend cheer up. Try one or more of the suggestions below, and hopefully your friend will be happy again in no time.

    1    .   If your friend is angry about a situation at work, help her see the positive side of things. Hear out her problem before reacting (回应). But try to help her asking questions such as, “What things can you do to make the situation better?” or “What’s been happening at work lately that’s been good?”

Send her a card or postcard. Not many people get handwritten notes any more. It’s so rare (稀少的), in fact, that it’s certain to put a smile on her face. Drop a note in the mail to her.    2    

Build up her sellf-esteem (自尊). Everyone needs to hear they are smart, strong, and beautiful sometimes.     3    , as they can help her build confidence and self-esteem. Try to make your praise unique to the person, so she knows you truly mean what you say.

Try out new things together. True happiness is in part about the adventure. It may mean you may need to step outside of what’s comfortable and try something new.     4    If you want your friends to be happy, encourage them to try new things with you.

Bring her one of her favorite treats.    5    . Maybe she can’t live without an afternoon coffee,or maybe she has a special love for black forest cake. Surprise her by bringing one of them to her when you know she’s having a rough day.

A．Encourage your friend

B．Help her to see the positive side

C．You know what your friend likes

D．In turn, discover new things you love

E．Don’t be afraid to tell your friend these things

F．Similarly, your happiness will affect your friends

G．If you include one with a funny card, that’s better

9 . Good friendship can get people through almost anything. Many times, a good friend will know what you need before you even ask for it, and they’ll want to offer a helping hand. That’s what happened to two friends in Caddo Hills High School. When one differently abled young man needed help, his friend went above and beyond.

When Brandon and Tanner met, Brandon was using a hand-push wheelchair. The chair was becoming kind of a pain for Brandon as he had to push his way down the halls from class to class around Caddo Hills High School. “My arms would get really tired and I would have to stop and take rests,” said Brandon.

Sometimes when they were together, Brandon would ask Tanner to push his wheelchair. Tanner was happy to help. Most often, Tanner would offer to help and he noticed how hard using this wheelchair was on his friend. Tanner thought that if his friend had had an electric wheelchair, life would be easier for him. But Brandon’s family was unable to afford it. Seeing how much his friend struggled in his wheelchair, Tanner made up his mind to do something about it. “He’s just been a really good friend and I wanted to do him a favor. I just felt like I needed to do it and I wanted to do it,” Tanner explained.

Then the enthusiastic(热心的)high school student became devoted to getting his friend a wheelchair. He got an after-school job at an auto repair shop and he worked there every afternoon. In order to help his friend out, Tanner worked part-time for two years. All of the money he earned went towards saving for a self-powered wheelchair. That moment finally came in late February, when he would present Brandon with a life-changing gift during the school day.

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。
At the beginning, Tanner had planned on giving Brandon all the money he had saved.
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Brandon cried when he first got the wheelchair.
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10 . How many friends do you have? Not counting the hundreds on Facebook or the names gathering dust in your address book. But real friends, the ones cast in stone. The kind who would lend you $100 without asking why, or put you up if you were kicked out of your house.

Anthropologist Prof Robin Dunbar feels he can put a number on it: five. No matter how much of a social butterfly you are, you can count your real pals on one hand, he says. To that he says you can add an ideal number of 15 “good friends”, the kind of people you would see in a group and would join for a drink if you bumped into them in the pub, and up to 150 “meaningful contacts”.

Prof Dunbar’s latest research is an exact formula(公式) for friendship: new friendships take 34 hours of one-on-one time to form, in which you’d spend an ideal duration of three hours and four minutes per interaction together over the course of six months. Note that this is to turn an acquaintance into a friend, not one of the close friends that makes up your inner circle of five—to do that, you’d have to devote 90 hours, according to a 2018 University of Kansas study.

According to the experts, the pandemic years have changed the number and nature of our friendship. It gave people more grounds for disagreement: over adherence(遵守) to social-distancing rules, for example. Plenty of people lost relationships in the cracks. “We are always on the outlook for new and better friends, but lockdown has had a big effect in making people reevaluate,” says Dunbar. “Perhaps they’ve decided the time has come to part with some and therefore there’s an empty space to fill.”

The forecast for British friendship was already gloomy before the pandemic. Three million people said they feel lonely “often or always”, according to the Government’s 2019 community life survey. But the average British adult lost four friends over the course of the pandemic, according to the poll.

1. What does the underlined expression “cast in stone” probably mean?

A．Firmly connected.	B．Interested in stones.
C．Living nearby.	D．Extremely generous.

2. How long does it take to form close friendships according to the formula?

A．34 hours of one-on-one time.

B．90 hours of interaction.

C．Six months of one-on-one time.

D．Three hours and four minutes of interaction.

3. Which of the following might Prof Dunbar agree with?

A．The more sociable you are, the more real friends you can make.

B．It’s much easier for people to make friends online.

C．The more friends you make, the happier your life will be.

D．There is a limit to the number of real friends in your life.

4. What might people argue about during the pandemic?

A．Whether to part with some old friends.

B．How to make better friends.

C．Whether to obey social distancing.

D．How to limit the number of friends.