| A．Robert | B．Scott | C．Michael. |
2 . I spent time at my father’s house and mountain cabin this weekend, both of which have plug -in electric kettles. I enjoyed how quickly they boiled water, plus it’s kind of nice to not have to run across the house to stop the unbearable scream of the whistle( 哨 声 ) , My father was shocked that I didn’t own one, but I explained that I value the classic design of my Revere Ware kettle and I enjoy boiling water on the stove for my tea.
However, I’m nothing if not practical. I have a gas stove and the price of natural gas has been coming up, which isn’t ending any time soon. We’re not as bad as Europe, where people are removing their beloved stoves due to skyrocketing gas prices, but it’s certainly worth considering the cost of gas vs. electricity. The gas company is rolling out a 25% rate increase, which made me dive down this rabbit hole.
It’s not easy to compare gas to electric costs, as an electric kettle uses 1. 5 kilowatts to boil water and it takes 6428 British therm units (BTUs)to boil water using a standard gas stove. Of course, the gas company uses “therms”, and there are 1. 00024e-5 therms in one BTU. 1 kWh=0. 0341296 therms and I pay 14.47e/kWh for electricity and 61. 458≠/therm for gas. So you can see why you almost need an advanced mathematics degree to puzzle out the cost of heating a kettle on the gas stove vs. a plug-in electric. Of course you also have to consider that you’re not actually boiling water for a full hour
I never got even close to a point where I could do the math, but I did come to the conclusion that I could stop mindlessly filling the entire kettle when I’m having just a single cup of tea. Plus my low-tech kettle was produced without planned obsolescence( 过 时 )and should last for a very long time. No additional purchases necessary.
1. What does the author think of her father’s electric kettles?| A．They cause annoying noise | B．They are inconvenient to use |
| C．They are classic in design. | D．They lose some traditional flavor |
| A．Hold a negative attitude to life. | B．Consider moving somewhere else |
| C．Get into an awkward situation. | D．Study how to escape like a rabbit |
| A．To stress an advanced math degree is rewarding |
| B．To show it’s hard to make an economical choice |
| C．To prove the gas company has overcharged users |
| D．To explain the author is a price-sensitive consumer |
| A．Keep using it. | B．Upgrade it. | C．Replace it. | D．Sell it |
It was an early winter morning. Joan was sleeping soundly when the phone rang in the living room. She rolled over and glanced at the clock on the wall—it was already nine o’clock.Every weekend morning, her mother had to work part-time in the cafe. Although Joan was still sleepy, she knew she had to get up. After all, she didn’t expect her brother Mike, who was sleeping like a log, to hear the phone. She quietly went over to the living room. When she picked up the receiver, on the other end came the warmhearted greetings,“Good morning, my Dear!”Recognizing the voice from her father, Joan was immediately surrounded by a sense of joy and the sleepiness swept away.
Joan’s father was a seaman, who rarely came back. Working on the sea was really hard.Born in a not-rich family, Joan and Mike felt the stress of life but they were happy to enjoy the family atmosphere. At school, they were straight-A students throughout the academic career and actively involved in school activities. They became the pride of the school and the envy of the students.
“Good morning, Dad, what’s up?”Joan said in an easy tone.“I have been very nice recently, my baby. Today is your mother’s birthday, and I have ordered her a cake online and it should come to the house in one and half an hour. Do remember to take the cake.”
Hearing her father’s words, Joan felt a little ashamed. How she could forget Mum’s birthday!She took a glance at the dirty clothes piled on the sofa and the oily floor that hadn’t been mopped(拖地) for a few days—There was two hours before her mother came back. She calculated they had enough time to prepare a surprise for Mum.
Thinking of this, she felt full of excitement.“Well, Dad, now I’m going to wake Mike up.We will give Mum a surprise !”
Joan hung up the phone with Dad, and hurriedly went to Mike’s room to share him her Big Cleaning plan. After listening to Joan, Mike readily accepted her idea.
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 Big Cleaning plan began.
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With the cake placed on the table, Mum came in.
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I live in a small but lovely neighborhood. Our house is neither large nor luxurious, but it has a fairly big garden. My father loves his garden. He planted some seeds in it and took good care of the plants, watering them, applying fertilizer, weeding and getting rid of bugs. He was never tired of doing all that stuff. But at that time, I didn’t understand why working in the dirt excited him so much.
Unfortunately, in the summer vacation before senior high school, my father was seriously injured in an accident. He had to stay in bed for a while. My mother had several business trips, so she couldn’t take care of the garden. I didn’t want my father to worry. I said that I would take care of his garden until he recovered. I assumed that the little plants would continue to grow as long as they had water, and luckily it rained fairly often, so I didn’t think much about the garden.
One Saturday morning, my father said to me, “Christine, the vegetables should be about ready to be picked. Let’s have a salad today!” I went out to the garden and was upset to see that many of the lettuce (生菜) leaves and carrots had been half eaten by bugs. There were hundreds of bugs all over them!
I panicked for a moment but then I quietly went to the nearest supermarket to buy some vegetables. When I was making the salad, my mother came home and saw the bag from the supermarket in the kitchen. I was embarrassed and admitted, “Dad would like a salad, but the garden is a disaster. I don’t want to disappoint him, so I went to the store and bought some vegetables.” My mother smiled, saying, “Honey, you know what is the right thing to do.”
Paragraph 1
My father seemed very pleased when I took the salad to him.
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Paragraph 2
Feeling guilty, I decided to do the right thing.
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Shoveling the snow had always been the best part about winter. Not that I thought it was fun, but my dad’s reaction to a clean driveway kept me going. He hated shoveling snow more than anything. So, I took it upon myself at eight years old to do it for him. Every time I saw snow fall from the sky, I knew the universe was ready to put me to work.
I would run and put on my jacket, snow boots to prepare myself for the work ahead. But every single time, before I went outside, I would stop by my older sister’s room to see if she wanted to help me. I knew she would say no, but I always asked anyway.
One day there was a lot of snow, and there was no way I would be able to clean it all up myself. It was getting dark, and I hated the thought of my dad having to shovel the snow after a long day of work. So I did the routine and knocked on my sister’s door. As I expected, she gave me the same old “no”. Annoyed, I asked again. Without saying anything further, she got up, pushed me out of the room and slammed (平地关上) the door in my face.
I stood there silently for a second. Then, I turned around, went out of the house, and set out in the cold to tackle the enemy that lay in my driveway. But I couldn’t calm down. I was really angry that she would leave me to battle this alone. All I wanted was some help. The more I remembered every “no” she had ever said to me, the angrier I became.
I fought tirelessly, my short arms swinging from side to side while the wind cut against my cheeks. After one long hour, I was not even halfway done. Looking at the victorious snow, I thought of Dad’s disappointment.
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。
Feeling bitter and desperate, I couldn’t stop my tears.
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My sister and I went outside.
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6 . I recently heard a wonderful new parenting phrase that I guess is going to become a regular addition to my vocabulary. The phrase is "benign neglect", and it refers to leaving one's children free to make their own decisions, control their own time, and generally act like adults.
Jeni Marinucci, who first introduced me to this phrase, described how she treats her children almost as if they were hearty houseplants: "They should be watered plentifully and you should ensure they get plenty of sunshine. But otherwise, just let them be." From a young age, her children have been making their own hair and other appointments （after she showed them how to do it）. Similarly, their time is their own to use as they wish. On a lazy Saturday, it's up to them to figure out a ride to the movies and how to make breakfast and lunch for themselves.
The "benign neglect approach" may sound unacceptable to some readers. Indeed, one commenter on Marinucci's article accused her of failing to raise her children at all, which seems a bit uncomfortable. It's true that her approach would not work for everyone, but at the very least she recognizes what so many parents these days fail to acknowledge—that our beloved children will spend a far greater percentage of their lives as adults than they will as children, so we parents forget a basic requirement of our job if we fail to prepare them for that independence.
"Benign neglect" pays attention to the parental side of parenting, and does not focus entirely on the children. However, miracles will only happen if I hand over responsibilities to my growing children. It's like the old proverb: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．Making decisions. | B．Controlling one's time. |
| C．A new parenting phrase. | D．The author's vocabulary. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By analyzing the data. |
| C．By giving a statement. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．Give them a good education. | B．Instruct them to be independent. |
| C．Meet their reasonable demands. | D．Love them unconditionally. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Intolerant. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Favorable. |
