11．　　David was a young boy who had a talent for (1)      . He was always trying to find someone to compete with. He was (2)       for success. For him, winning was (3)      . One day, two young boys accepted his challenge. A large crowd of students got together to watch. David's P.E. teacher Mr. Smith was also (4)       them. The race began. With strength and power, David won without any difficulty. The crowd cheered loudly. David felt proud and excited. However, Mr. Smith kept quiet.
　　"Another race, another race!" shouted David. Mr. Smith stepped forward and asked him to have a group competition. There should be a boy and a girl in each group, but the right leg of the girl and the left leg of the boy (5)       be tied together. The race started and David tried his best to run fast. (6)      , both David and the girl in his group fell down because the girl didn't run as fast as him. The crowd went silent. David lay on the ground, looking at other groups passing by. The girl cried sadly. David helped the girl to (7)       and said, "Cheer up! We may (8)       the race but we shouldn't give up! Let's work together to finish the race!" As they continued running to the finishing line, the crowd cheered loudly. Mr. Smith smiled. (9)       David's group didn't win the race, David was happy because he learned a lot from it.
　　We need competitions in life, but being a real (10)       doesn't always mean being the first. It also means never giving up even if there is no hope to be the first.

12．　　It's 2050. Space tourism has become possible to everyone. So would you like to be a space tourist? Here, some middle school students are sharing their ideas.
　　Jean: I love space very much and I would like to be the first teenager to discover a new planet or a living thing in space. Besides, I would love to go to space because from there I could enjoy a nice view of the Earth. I wonder what life will be like without gravity (重力). Perhaps it would be fun to play golf in space.
　　Edward: It would be cool, but I would miss my family. Also, it needs a large amount of training to become a space tourist, and I don't think I have time for that. Also, I don't think I can afford a trip to space.
　　Emily: Space exploration can be dangerous — what if I got lost? I am also scared of heights. It would be very scary when you look down at the Earth from a spaceship!
　　Klaudia: I'd love to! We studied the solar system in science classes this term. I think space is amazing and that would be a great experience to see things I could never see on the Earth.

13．　　Once, there lived a wise man. His son, however, had no goal in life and wasn't happy. As the years passed, the man was more and more worried. One day, he handed his son a map and said, "I want you to go and find treasure."
　　The son set out eagerly (急切地). He travelled really far, across forests and mountains. At last, he reached the place and began to dig. He dug and dug, but nothing was found. Tired and sad, he decided to go back home.
　　On his way back, he noticed dancing birds and beautiful flowers. He met happy farmers in the fields. He found everything nice! He got home and his father asked, "How was your journey to the place? Did you enjoy it?"
　　"Of course not! I was worried that someone else would find the treasure before I did. But I really enjoyed the journey back home and forgot the pain of not finding the treasure." The son continued to tell his father what he noticed on his way back.
　　"Nice things are always there," the father smiled. "My son, I want you to have a goal. If you don't have a goal, you won't set out. But if the goal is the only thing in your mind, you'll miss something nice and won't be happy. So remember — it's important to have a goal in life and enjoy the journey as well."

15．　　Cheap and with a lot of different uses, rubber bands (橡皮筋) can be found in almost every home on the planet. The rubber band has a very interesting history and different uses.
　　Rubber was discovered several thousand years ago. In 1736, rubber arrived in Europe, and the new material quickly became popular. Thomas Hancock, an Englishman, invented rubber bands in the 1800s but never sold any, as they were easy to go soft or hard depending on the temperature. A few years later, vulcanization (硫化) — the process that makes rubber strong and elastic (有弹性的) — was developed. Then rubber bands became a possibility.
　　For many years, rubber bands were mostly used in factories. In 1923, American businessman William Spencer advised some local newspaper companies to use his rubber bands for their newspapers. As a result, rubber bands soon became a common thing in people's homes.
　　Of course, keeping things together is perhaps the most common way to use rubber bands around the house. But the rubber bands can be used for far more than that. For example, rubber bands are an excellent way to stop things from slipping (滑). If you're cutting vegetables in your kitchen, and you don't want your board to move, place a rubber band on either end of the board.
　　Rubber bands are so handy that they make our lives more convenient and wonderful. Whether you're using one in the kitchen or to tie back your hair, don't forget the people that made the cheap but great invention!

16．　　Everyone has feelings. They will feel stressed (有压力的), worried and frightened sometimes. The following ways will be of great value to you when you are in such bad moods.
　　1 Get support.
　　When you need help, don't be afraid to let the people who care about you know it. Talk to somebody, such as your parents or your teachers. And don't forget your friends. They might be worried about the same test or have a similar problem like you.
　　2 Keep calm.
　　It's easy to let your feelings go wild when you are sad. Notice your feelings and think about why you feel that way. Then, find a way to calm down and to express them. Doing breathing exercises, listening to music or going for a walk can help you be in a better mood.
　　3 Don't take it out on yourself.
　　Remember that there are always people to help you. Be kind to yourself and ask the person who can help you get through the difficult times for help.
　　4 Try to solve the problem.
　　Now that you're calm and have support from parents and friends, it's time to get down to business. You need to be sure what the problem is. Though you can't solve all of it, maybe you can begin by solving a piece of it.
　　5 Be hopeful — most stress won't last long.
　　It may not seem that it will end when you're in the middle of a stressful situation, but stress does go away, often when you think about the problem and start working on solving it.

17．阅读下面短文，在空白处填入一个适当的单词 (有提示词的，填入所给单词的正确形式)。
Dear Amy,
　　First of all, thank you for (1)      (write) to me. I am sorry after hearing about your (2)      ( problem). Maybe I can give you some advice. Your first problem is about your weight. Besides having a (3)      (health) eating habit, I suggest that you should try to do some exercise, like playing basketball and swimming. You will feel (4)      (good) and more relaxed after doing some sports.
　　Your (5)      (two) problem is about your English schoolwork. I think you are afraid of learning English, so you get low marks in English tests. I suggest that you should give (6)      (you) more chances to listen to and learn English, such (7)       watching TV programs in English. If you keep on working hard, your English will be (8)      (final) improved.
　　Your last problem is about your relationship with your parents. That is (9)       common problem for teenagers. I suggest that you should enjoy your holiday with your parents. What about having lunch with them on Sundays? This kind of activities can fix your relationship with your parents. I also suggest that you should share your feelings and worries with your parents, and maybe they can give you some good ideas.
I would be glad (10)       my advice works. Write to me again if you have further problems.
Yours truly,
John Chan

23．2021年，国家出台了 “双减政策” ("double reduction" policy)，即有效减轻义务教育阶段学生过重作业负担和校外培训负担。请你根据以下提示，谈谈政策实施后同学们该如何规划自己的学习和课余时间。
提示：
1. What should we do in class?
2. How will we finish our homework?
3. How should we make good use of our free time?
注意：
a. 短文须包含所有要点，可适当发挥；
b. 文中不得出现真实的地名、校名和人名；
c. 词数80左右。开头已给出，不计入总词数。
　　It is really wonderful news that the "double reduction" policy has been carried out. As middle school students, we need to make good use of our time. I'd like to share my ideas. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________