My Mother’s Hands

   50 years ago, for some reason, I was not accepted by the school. However, it was my mum, who held my little hands and tried countless schools and managed to get me registered

   50 years later, the day after my mother had slipped into a coma from a stroke, I sat next to her, holding her hand, stroking it, watching her body heaved up and down as she breathed heavily, like she was struggling with something.

   A few days later. Mum died. At her bedside, I spent some time just looking at my mother, soaking in the finality of her death. There she was, my mother, motionless and lifeless. I took hold of her still warm but lifeless hand, holding it for the last time, recalling every piece of precious moment we spent together. . .

   I finally let go of her hand---1ifeless, yet having given so much life to so many of us---and placed it next to her body. I found myself saying silently to her the only words that came to my mind, “Goodbye Mum, thank you for everything.”

   Thank you, Mother, for not giving up, so that I could go to school. Thank you for coaching me, for reading to me, for ironing my school uniforms, for combing my hair, for tying my shoe laces, for making sure I had a little handkerchief inside my pocket…

   Rest in peace, Mother, you are still very much alive in us. Happy Mother's Day

【写作内容】

   有人说, 因为上帝不能无处不在, 所以他创造了“母亲”。你的母亲是一位怎样的女性?请以“母亲”为主题写一篇记叙文, 结合自身的经历讲述母亲对你的爱或者她对你成长的影响。内容要点包括：

   1. 以约30个词概括以上短文内容。

   2. 然后以约120个词讲述母亲对你的爱或者她对你成长的影响, 并包括以下要点：

   （1）描述你的母亲;

   （2）简述她对你的影响;

   （3）你准备怎样表达对她的感激之情?

He stood at the window, thinking where he 　　　 his camera last.

A.saw   B.has seen  C.had seen  D.would see

As the morning school bell rings and students rush in，teenagers in one classroom settle onto mats and meditation (冥想)pillows. They fall silent after the teacher taps a “singing bowl”.

These students are in a for-credit，year-long mindfulness class，which is meant to ease youth anxiety and depression and to prevent violence. For 90 minutes, three days a week, they practice a mix of yoga, sitting, and walking meditation, deep breathing, journaling, and non-judgmental listening.

Yoga and meditation have gained popularity among Americans in recent decades，supported by studies showing benefits to emotional, mental, and physical health. The centuries-old practices have roots in eastern religions, but Western culture has long focused on physical postures (姿势)，breathing, and relaxation techniques.

Some people have greeted the move with less than enthusiasm. Last year, an elementary school in Ohio ended its mindfulness program after parents complained it was too closely linked to religion. But many school districts are reporting success. In Richmond, California, schools have reported drops in school problems among low-income, at-risk youths. The school district in South Burlington, Vermont, introduced a successful mindfulness course as part of a health and wellness program, and now administrators there have advocated mindfulness into K-12 currculums.

Two years ago, Caverly Morgan developed the after-school mindfulness program teamed up with Allyson Copacino，who teaches yoga. After hundreds of students signed up，Principal Brian Chatard took note. The school was dealing with a student，s suicide (自杀），and few resources were available to address students’ emotional and mental health.

“High school is the hardest period of time for kids,” Mr. Chatard said. “You’ve got emotional changes, physical changes, and all the social pressures. It’s also the onset of mental illness for some kids, depression hits, and there’s the pressure of college and sports. All these things kids do is over¬whelming without having a strategy (策略）to deal with it. ” And now schools all over the country are introducing the practices.

25. What do Western people value more about yoga and meditation?

   A. Non-judgmental listening.       B. Religious meaning.

   C. Physical benefits.                 D. Journaling.

26. What can we infer about the mindfulness class?

   A. It is supported by parents.

   B. It relives pressure of students.

   C. It mainly builds students up physically.

   D. It improves students’ academic performance.

27. Who started the mindfulness class?

   A. Administrators.     B. Brian Chatard.    C. Caverly Morgan.  D. Allyson Copacino.

28. What is Mr. Chatard’s attitude towards the program?

   A. Supportive.        B. Concerned.     C. Doubtful.      D. Reserved.

As a teenager, my laziness was strong like a lock, which stopped me from doing things for my family. I worked hard at school, and something looked after my younger sister. Still, I found myself regularly resisting the request to  41   out at home with even the simples things.

Every Wednesday afternoon, for example, my mother 42  me to another town for a piano lesson. During my two-hour lesson, she’d rush to the nearby store and buy a week’s worth of 43  . Given the fact that my mom had driven me twelve miles there, twelve miles back,44  for my lesson, and bought me a candy bar, you’d think I’d be very  45  to help her bring the groceries into the house. 46 I wasn’t. I generally just brought in an armload(单臂之量) and left the 47  for Mom as I ran to my room, shut the door, and started studying. 

Don’t get me wrong: even back in my room, I felt  48  about not helping my mother more. Deep inside, I wanted to change my 49 . But I also realized that once I did change, there would be no going back. 50  I took on more responsibility, my parents would start 51   more of me. At age fifteen, I sensed that this one small change would 52   something much bigger: my personal change from a cared-for, spoiled (被宠坏的) child to a more  53  , caring and giving young man.

I’ll never forget the Wednesday when I made a(n) 54  to jump in and see what happened. Returning home from the  55  , I disappeared into my room, as usual. But once inside, I felt that deep and burning 56  . Throwing my school books on the bed, I suddenly opened my door and  57  back to the garage to help my mother. How happy I felt that day!

Surely, over time, I continued to help out with more housework. The neat thing was, the more I helped out, the  58 I felt about myself and my place in my family. As Mom and Dad realized they could 59  on me more, our trips became far less stressful, too. In short, it was a win-win situation for everyone.

Sometimes the little things we put off doing the longest  60  out to be the simplest things to complete. And feeling happy beats feeling guilty any day.  

41. A. work             B. stand            C. start            D. help

42. A. drove            B. sent             C. walked               D. guided

43. A. fruits               B. groceries        C. products         D. vegetables

44. A. applied              B. fought               C. paid             D. prepared

45. A. grateful             B. nervous              C. confident        D. unwilling

46. A. So                   B. But              C. Thus             D. And

47. A. half                 B. rest             C. next             D. other

48. A. disappointed         B. curious              C. doubtful         D. guilty

49. A. purpose              B. world            C. way              D. shape

50. A. Once             B. Though               C. Unless               D. Since

51. A. warning              B. reminding        C. informing        D. expecting

52. A. tell                 B. mark             C. express          D. describe

53. A. energetic            B. generous         C. responsible          D. outgoing 

54. A. excuse               B. appointment          C. statement        D. decision

55. A. practice             B. store            C. lesson               D. holiday

56. A. shame            B. anger            C. delight              D. pleasure

57. A. called               B. headed               C. looked               D. brought

58. A. smarter              B. better               C. warmer               D. stronger

59. A. depend               B. press            C. focus            D. live

60. A. set                  B. make             C. point            D. turn

----Ready to quit guessing , Sandy? 

----No, no, I hold on! I think I ____ to the answer.

A. come  B. have come  C. came  D. am coming

  Last night my mother told me a story of an old man and I was touched by it. A girl became a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, which meant visiting and taking care of a patient suffering from a/an  1  disease with days numbered.

   The girl was 2  to look after an old man suffering from cancer whose children lived abroad. Their living conditions were not satisfactory  3  the old man had a lot of savings, so she was expected to comfort him and   4  his spirits.

    Every Saturday the girl came on time to keep him  5  , telling him stories. When he was having an intravenous drip（静脉滴注）, she would help gently press his   6  . The doctor found the patient much improved  7 . The old man began to involve himself actively  8  the medical treatment and he seldom   9  at others.

     But something that happened made the doctor uneasy and puzzled. Each time the girl left, the old man would  10    her some money. The doctor did nothing to interfere（干预）,  11   to offend the old man. Later the old man showed evident signs of  12   after suffering coma（昏迷）a few times.

     When   13.  from the latest coma, the old man told the doctor his last wish, “I have deep  14  for the girl. Will you be kind enough to help her  15   her studies?” But the doctor knew that her family was   16  and she had no difficulty pursuing her studies. Sometimes she even came to the hospital in her father’s car.

     When the girl came at the weekend after the death of the old man, the doctor told her the bad news. She was very sad and burst into  17   . Then she handed $500 to the doctor, saying, “The old man had all along thought I came to do the job because of  18    . He gave me money so that I could continue my   19  .” Now he got the answer to the puzzle. In the last period of his life, the old man found it a real pleasure to be able to help a girl  20    in need. The story taught me that we are responsible for reaching out to others with kindness.

1. A. incurable             B. strange             C. rare               D. unavoidable

2. A. organized     B. assigned            C. reminded        D. urged

3. A. because              B. after                C. while                      D. once

4. A. hold up         B. pick out       C. turn down              D. keep up

5. A. sponsor              B. friend              C. company          D. survivor

6. A. head            B. face           C. legs            D. arms

7. A. physically       B. economically   C. materially            D. mentally

8. A. in                B. with           C. about            D. for

9. A. stared          B. shouted        C. smiled               D. waved

10. A. show          B. lend           C. donate        D. give

11. A. unhappy             B. unwilling       C. unable               D. unfit

12. A.die                   B. decline         C. recovery            D. conflict

13. A. protected       B. prevented      C. rescued       D. defended

14. A. regret          B. sympathy      C. impression        D. disappointment

15. A. finish          B. improve        C. pay           D. change

16. A. badly-off       B. broken         C. well-off             D. ordinary

17. A. anger          B. tears           C. laughter           D. cheers

18. A. curiosity       B. pleasure        C. motivation        D. poverty

19. A. life          B. career              C. schooling          D. dream

20. A. badly        B. slightly             C. hardly        D. eventually

   Living with a roommate can be a great experience as many roommates become lifelong friends. However, roommates living together under the same roof for a long time unavoidably conflict with each other.  36  To prevent this from happening to you, each conflict should be addressed in a productive, healthy way.

   1. Set a time for discussion.

   Once conflicts occur, you need to set up a time to discuss the conflict.   37  They may think about any problems they want to discuss. It also allows for a better discussion as the both roommates will most likely enter the discussion fairly calm.

   2. Make rules for discussion

Before discussing the actual conflicts, set up some rules to guide the discussion. For example, each roommate is allowed to air one problem at a time and the other roommate has a chance to respond to it before another one is brought up. Making rules beforehand can prevent a screaming match from breaking out.    38   

3.    39     

You can use your discussion to point out to your roommates their great traits and specific things you like about them. While this won’t solve the conflict, it can help your roommates be more understanding of your point of view and more willing to compromise.

4. Come up with a written roommate agreement

Once grievances（不满）have been aired by both parties you should develop a roommate agreement that is written down. This agreement should discuss what the rules are as well as what consequences exist for breaking them. For example, roommates having a conflict about overnight guests may compromise to allow overnight guests only on weekends with guests on weekdays being gone by 11 p. m.    40  

A. Talk about your problems openly

B. Point out good things about roommates

C. Being honest can avoid unfriendly discussion

D. This provides both parties a chance for preparation

E. And disaster can strike when a conflict never gets settled

F. A consequence may be that the violator(违反者)pays $ 5 for breaking the rules

G. This is because both sides know they will have an opportunity to speak.

 By improving reading skills, you can read faster and understand more of          you read．

A．that                 B．what                 C．which                    D．whether

 Little        that the course of his life was about to change then.

A. he is known                                 B. did he know

C. does he know                             D. is he known

 “Tiger Mother” parenting raises media storm. A new book written by a self-described Chinese descent(血统)on her super-strict parenting—Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother has raised media storm and fierce debates in the U．S.
    Amy Chua is a Yale Law School professor and the mother of two teenage girls. She is the daughter of immigrants of Chinese descent. In the Chinese culture，the tiger symbolizes strength and power. In her book Ms.Chua writes about how she demanded excellence from her daughters. For example，her daughters，Sophia and Louisa，were never allowed to attend a sleep-over，be in a school play，watch TV or play computer games. They couldn’t choose their own after-class activities or get any grade less than an A．They had to play piano or violin—and no other musical instruments. She writes that if a Chinese child gets a B—which she says” would never happen”—there would be a screaming，hairtearing explosion”．She describes making her 7-year-old daughter play a piano piece perfectly—yelling and not letting her leave the bench even to use the bathroom—until it was.
      Many people have criticized Chua. Some say her parenting methods were abusive. She even admits that her husband，who is not Chinese，objects to her parenting style. But she says that was the way her parents raised her and her three sisters.
       Stacy DeBroff，who has written four books about parenting，says Amy Chua’s parenting style is not limited to Chinese families. She says it represents a traditional way of parenting among immigrants seeking a better future for their children. But she also sees a risk. When children have no time to be social or to follow their own interests，they might not develop other skills that they need to succeed in life. Stacy DeBroff advised parents not to just repeat the way they were raised.
      Alison Lo，an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Washington’s Bothell campus said，“I don’t think Amy is advocating a best practice of parenting style，or that success and achievements are critical yardsticks(衡量标准)of a good life. But I can imagine how strong her daughters’ college applications are going to be. For many parents whose dreams are seeing their kids graduating from a competitive university，Amy is sharing with the readers that it is achievable by persistent，dedicated parental guidance，”Lo said in an interview with Julie Muhlstein，a columnist with the US-based Heraldnet.com.“In that sense，a young adult’s giftedness can be born，or made，”Lo continued.
28．According to the passage，which is TRUE of Amy Chua?
    A．She is an easy-going woman.
    B．She is an assistant professor.
    C．She is a demanding parent.
    D．She is a cruel teacher.
29．Which of the following are Sophia and Louisa allowed to do?
    A．Playing the piano.
    B．Playing the guitar.
    C．Dating with boys.
    D．Getting an A minus.
30．Stacy DeBroff advised parents to________.
    A．seek a better future for their children
    B．develop their own style of parenting
    C．be strict with their children
     D．follow Amy Chua’s parenting style
31．Alison Lo concluded that________.
    A．persistent，dedicated parental guidance is the best parenting style
    B．parents should respect children’s personalities
    C．a gifted child was born with talent
    D．a teenager can be raised to be talent by strict parenting

 You can’t 　　　 the camera unless you can prove it’s yours. 

A. take possession of　 　         B. in the possession of

C. in possession of                        D. possess of

We live in a world where there is so much competition. Every single person has a(n)___41____ to succeed and be the best at what they can. There are college basketball players ___42____reaching the professional level and students trying their best to get an "A" on their math test. We meet businessmen that have___43____a lot of money. We all have a role___44____ we look up to, or have looked up to at some point in life, whether it is a respected elder in our family, a trusted friend around us, or a(n) ___45____person often appearing on TV screens or magazine covers.

It is___46____having role models and looking up to people that___47____us. However, how often do you ask yourself, "why is he smarter than me?" or " How did this person achieve such a great___48____at such a young age?" I went to a great high school that was very ___49____and demanding; I saw many very___50____student graduate and get into Ivy League a famous school. I also___51____when I got my math test papers back, I sometimes___52____why I never got consistent "A"s like the student sitting two seats away from me.

However, what I___53____after entering college was that one should never___54____their skills or levels of success with other people's. Every single person is___55____ and we all have some sort of unique talent. If you are not good at___56____or want to improve a specific skill, you have to learn how to be patient and understand your___57____and try to overcome them.

The___58____is you can all become an honor student if you want to or even improve your running skills. But you have to keep in___59____that understanding your weaknesses and strength is a very___60____step in the process. You have to learn how to look at yourself and set goals step by step so that you can track your improvement.

41.A. stress        B. choice         C. desire         D. ability

42.A. dreaming of   B. informed of    C. getting into     D. broken into

43.A. spent         B. taken         C. earned        D. offered

44.A. style         B. model         C. type          D. pattern

45.A. cheerful      B. strange         C. famous       D. awkward

46.A. funny        B. astonishing     C. ashamed       D. great

47.A. oppose       B. persuade       C. motivate       D. follow

48.A. prizes        B. goals          C. tendency       D. success

49.A. competitive   B. acceptable      C. diverse         D. positive

50.A. careful       B. delicate         C. bright         D. curious

51.A. suspect       B. suggest         C. advocate       D. remember

52.A. noticed       B. wondered       C. explained      D. believed

53.A. achieved      B. learnt          C. checked       D. removed

54.A. combine      B. compare        C. adopt         D. relate

55.A. perfect       B. simple          C. ordinary       D. different

56.A. anything      B. nothing         C. something     D. everything

57.A. advantages    B. weaknesses      C. potential      D. personalities

58.A. problem      B. question         C. truth         D. doubt

59.A. contact       B. touch           C. action        D. mind

60.A. important     B. difficult         C. interesting     D. obvious

目前，教育厅严禁各个学校假期补课，对此不同的人有不同的看法。阅读下表内容，写一篇介绍性短文，并谈谈自己的看法。

    注意：词数120左右。短文的开头已经给出，不计入总词数。

参考词汇：补课remedial work

Nowadays, many middle schools are forbidden to do remedial work during the vacation, about which different students have different opinions.

 Don’t become addicted to online games, ______about what is more important.

A. forgot B. to forget    C. forgetting         D. having forgotten

 —I’m afraid you missed a fantastic lecture yesterday. How come you were absent from it?

—If you _______ know, I asked for a day off and visited a relative of mine in hospital.

A. might                 B. may

C. shall                 D. must

  There are thousands of products of all colors and shapes in a supermarket , making you believe that they are worth a try . How ? Packaging (包装)is the silent but persuading salesman .

There on the shelves, each bottle, can, box, and jar has been carefully designed and measured to speak to the inner self of the consumer（消费者）, so that is buying not only a product but also his belief in life. Scientists have studied consumer behavior recently and found that the look of the package has a great effect on the “quality” of the product and on how well it sells, because “Consumers generally cannot tell between a product and its package. Many products are packages and many packages are products,” as Louis Cheskin, the first social scientist studying consumers’ feeling for packaging, noticed.

Colors are one of the best tools in packaging. Studies of eye movement have shown that colors draw human attention quickly. Take V8 for example. For many years, the bright red color of tomatoes and carrots on the thin bottle makes you feel that it is very good for your body. And the word “green” today can keep food prices going up.

Shapes are another attraction. Circles often suggest happiness and peacefulness, because these shapes are pleasing to both the eye and the heart. That’s why the round yellow M signs of McDonald’s are inviting to both young and old.

This new consumer response（反应）to the colors and shapes of packages reminds producers and sellers that people buy to satisfy both body and soul.

21．Why is the package of the product so important according to paragraph 2 ?

A. Because people enjoy the beautiful packsge more than products.

B. Because it is a rule that good products in fact need good package.

C. Because the package has a great effect on the “quality” of the product.
    D. Because the outlook and the quality of products are the same.

22. The underlined sentence “And the word ‘green’ today can keep food prices going up” in paragraph 3 suggests that consumers today are ________.

       A．starting to notice the importance of new food

    B．enjoying the beauty of nature more than before

       C．beginning to like green vegetables         D．paying more attention to their healthy

23．It can be inferred from the passage that V8 is a kind of ________.

       A．vegetable dish      B．iced drink            C．healthy juice        D．red vegetable

In every society it is necessary to have a general system of laws to ensure justice. Laws are designed to make certain that people's rights are protected and that people respect each other's rights. Sometimes, however, laws are passed which are specific(明确的) to a time or situation. For example, a town in Indiana once passed a law making it illegal(非法的) to shoot open a can(罐头) of food. Apparently, some gun - carrying citizens(公民) forgot their can openers and naturally enough, used their guns to do the job. This disturbed other citizens, and endangered their lives, so a law was passed to prevent it.

Specific laws sometimes remain in existence long after the problem has disappeared. The laws then seem strange. For example, the Indiana law was no longer necessary when citizens stopped carrying guns and using them as can openers. Since the law was no longer needed, what once made sense now seems like nonsense.

Sometimes laws designed to serve a good purpose were passed but somehow these became mixed up in their wording. As a result, the laws don't make sense. In one state there is a law which says that it is "illegal to move or to attempt to move a motor vehicle. " Obviously, a massive traffic jam would occur if everyone suddenly obeyed that law. But no one does, of course, because the intention of the law was not to prevent owners from moving their own cars. It was to prevent people from moving (stealing) other people's cars.

It is often harder to repeal (废止) a law than to pass one, so many of these old laws remain in existence. Because they no longer fit the way people live or because the problem no longer exists, these laws are ignored. Everyone understands that and life goes on. Thus, laws that once made very good senses now seem like nonsense.

61. According to the passage, laws are designed for the purpose of _____.

A. protecting people's rights                    B. making people respect each other

C. preventing gun-carrying                     D. punishing criminals

62. The author used the Indiana law as an example to explain ______.

A. how some laws are passed and changed    B. how people in Indiana open cans

C. why some laws may seem strange            D. why people in Indiana no longer use their guns

63. What's the problem with the law concerning motor vehicles?

A. It leads to traffic jams.                                    B. It is not clearly written.

C. It is not designed to serve a good purpose.        D. It has been out of date.

64. We can conclude from the passage that _______.

A. a law system is necessary for every society

B. some laws that don't make sense may also get passed

C. it is more difficult to change the old law than pass a new one

D. some laws may seem strange as time passes

    Grandpa Hodge was the most popular elder in the village.Believe it or not ,he was so____41____in speaking and doing things that everyone __42______him as “Grandpa Wisdom”.

    One day ,a man hurried to Grandpa Wisdom and said,“Grandpa,I have a piece of ___43____”to share with you.”“Wait a moment,”Grandpa Hodge stroked(抚摸)his beard and ___44_____him,“Have you___45_______the news you will tell me with three seieves(狮子)?”

“Three sieves?Which three sieves?”the man asked with____46____.“The first sieve is truth. Is the news you will tell me ____47____?”Grandpa Hodge asked,narrowing his eyes.“I don’t know because I heard it from the __48_____.”“Now let’s check it with the second sieve,”Grandpa Hodge ___49___,“If the news you will tell me is not true,it should be friendly.”The man ___50____answered,“No,just the ____51____way round.”

    Grandpa Hodge once again interrupted him,“So let’s use the __52_____sieve. Can you tell me if the news that is ___53___you is very important?”“It is not so important,”the man answered with _ 54__.

    Grandpa Hodge___55____the shoulder of the man and said meaningfully,“____56____the news you will tell me is not true,___57____or important,please don’t tell me . Then it won’t___58____you and me.”The man learned a ____59____and never spread the ___60___news ever since.

41. A.wise              B.foolish               C.quick             D.strict

42.A.punished           B.called                C.used              D.tested

43.A.paper              B.cake              C.news              D.work

44.A.praised            B.thanked           C.impressed             D.stopped

45.A.checked            B.wrote             C.arranged              D.planned

46.A.disappointment     B.puzzlement            C.argument          D.agreement

47.right                B.wrong             C.true              D.joyful

48.A.class              B.book              C.newspaper         D.street

49.A.went on            B.went away         C.went up           D.went of

50.A.confidently   B.awkwardly         C.happily           D.strangely

51.A.same               B.only              C.other                 D.last

52.A.old            B.new               C.second                D.third

53.A.exciting           B.defeating         C.disturbing            D.annoying

54.A.anger              B.embarrassment     C.tears                 D.encouragement

55.A.shot           B.beat              C.touched           D.kicked

56.A.In order that      B.In case           C.Even if               D.Now that

57.A.kind          B.wonderful             C.friendly          D.precious

58.A.forgive            B.trouble               C.miss              D.doubt

59.A.lesson             B.story                 C.diary                 D.excuse

60.A.following          B.valuable              C.great                 D.uncertain