北京中考英语阅读冲刺 (第七期)
Cloze
A Meaningful Gift
Emily was an eighth grader. To pass her Civics cour (公民课程), she had to do some volunteer rvice in a nursing home for a week.
One Monday, Emily went to the nursing home after school. When she arrived, she was told she would (31) an hour every weekday with an elderly lady, Mrs. Blair. She was then led into a room, where an old lady in a flowery dress was sitting on a sofa.
Emily (32) awkwardly (别扭地) in front of the lady. She cleared her throat and said, “Good afternoon, I’m Emily.”
“Good afternoon, Emily. Take a at, plea.” Mrs. Blair replied.
Then, (33) filled the space between them. Emily wondered what to say.
“Tell me about yourlf, Emily, “Mrs. Blair said suddenly.
“Well,” Emily started, “I don’t have any grandparents, so I can’t relate to elderly people much. I love the performing arts. I’m here mainly becau I have to (34)______ here to get a good grade for my Civics class.”
Mrs. Blair didn’t em to (35) gentle什么意思. “Many people, especially teens, don’t em to care about old people like me. Now you are here, and I’m going to change that about you. Ask me anything.”
Emily thought for a moment, and finally decided, “What was your job?”
“I was a Broadway star in the 1950s.” Mrs. Blair answered.
“Cool! Can you tell me about it?” Emily asked, amazed.
reprentationsMrs. Blair smiled. “Back then, only the lead actress had the honor to wear a (36) _______bracelet. I was the lead in almost all of the plays, so I always wore the bracelet. Till this day, I still have it.”
Emily smiled along with Mts. Blair and listened to the other stories, attentively. She had become so interested in Mrs. Blair’s (37) that she decided to come earlier the next day.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday pasd by quickly. Then came Friday. As she was leaving, Emily was really (38) to say goodbye.
“Don’t be sad. You can still visit me,” Mrs. Blair comforted her. She then handed a small box to Emily, “It’s my gift to you.”
Emily (39) opened the box and was surprid to e what was inside. “It’s the bracelet that you wore. Thank you!” Emily said, with tears in her eyes. “I’m sure to visit you whenever I’m free.”
On the way home, Emily thought of her own love for the performing arts. She touched the bracelet and made a (40) that she would keep her word to Mrs. Blair.
31. A. waste | B. spend | C. plan | D. exerci |
32. A. asked | youtube B. sat | C. stood | D. danced |
33. A. warmth | B. sadness | C. happiness | D. silence |
34. A. study | B. live | C. volunteer | D. play |
35. A. mind | B. fear | C. insist | D. regret |
36. A. strange | B. special | C. common | D. private |
37. A. dreams | 新通出国 B. hobbies | C. stories | D. jokes |
38. A. upt | 高等英语B. confud | purple什么意思C. surprid | D. nervous |
39. A. proudly | B. cretly | C. worriedly | petals on the windD. carefully |
40. A. promi | B. change | C. judgment | D. choice |
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Reading 1
We often reach a point in our life when we should be ready for change that will help us unlock our lf-improvement power. However, there’s always something staring at us right under our no but we don’t e it. The only time we think of unlocking our lf﹣improvement power is when everything gets worst.
When do we realize that we need to change diets? When none of our shirts and jeans would fit us. When do we stop eating candies and chocolates? When all of our teeth have fallen off. When do we realize that we need to stop smoking? When our lungs have gone bad设计者. We e the warning signs and signals when things get rough and difficult.
The only time most of us ever learn about unlocking our lf﹣improvement power is when the whole world is falling apart. We think and feel this way becau it is not easy to change, but change becomes more painful when we ignore (忽视) it.
报酬Change will happen, like it or hate it. At one point or another, we are all going to finally unl
ock our lf-improvement power not becau the world says so, but becau we realize it’s for our own good.
Happy people don’t just accept change; they embrace (拥抱) it. Unlocking our lf-improvement power means unlocking ourlves out of the box of thought that is just the way we are. It is such a poor excu for people who fear change.
Jane always tells everyone that she doesn’t have the courage to be around groups of people. She heard her family tell the same things about her to other people. Over the years, that is what Jane has believed. Every time a great crowd come, she steps back and locks herlf up in a room. Jane not only believes in her story, but lives it!
Self-improvement may not be everybody’s favorite word, but if we look at things in a different way, we might have greater chances of enjoying the whole process instead of counting the days until we are fully improved. Three ssions in a week at the gym would result in a healthier life. Reading books every day would build up knowledge. And only when we are enjoying the whole process of unlocking our lf-rhythmicimprovement power will we
realize that we’re beginning to take things light and become happy.
