I didn’t think I had a passion(激情). I would sit in front of the TV all day, thinking about nothing but the next show.

It was not long ago that I first learned how important having a passion is to life.

On that day I went with my mum to drive my sister to the gym. I was bored. Then, as my mum stopped at a red light, s 1. on the side of the road caught my eye. It was a man dressed in rags (衣衫褴褛). He was homeless. That didn’t interest me, for I had seen many like him b2. .

But in some ways he was d 3. . This man was not sitting down with a sad expression. He had a radio in his hand and was dancing h 4. to the music. The radio seemed to be the most precious(珍贵)thing he had.

“ Mum, why does that man have A、radio even thought he’s homeless?” I asked.

“He bought it,” she replied.

“But if he’s homeless, why doesn’t he use the money to buy food or clothes? He w 5. it on something he doesn’t need.”

“Well, Sarah, sometimes food and clothes aren’t the most important things. We need happiness, too.”

That man must c 6. enough music to buy a radio instead of food or clothes. I soon realized that happiness is the k 7. to life.

Without it, there’s nothing to look forward to. A passion gives a person the happiness they need to keep going.

Alice Munro has won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature. The short story writer is the first-ever Canadian, and the 13th woman, to win the prize. She has been called “the master of the modern short story”.

Alice Munro was born on July 10, 1931, just outside Wingham, Ontario, which has appeared in her stories many times.

Munro said that she began to escape into books when she was only ten years old. After her mother was diagnosed(诊断)with a serious disease, she started to throw herself into the world of books to make herself feel better.

Munro was a late bloomer(大器晚成) as a writer. She produced her first collection when she was 37 and didn’t get known outside Canada until the 1970s.

In fact, Munro works with an easy-to-read writing style, which is often described to be “practically perfect”. Her story, The Bear Came Over the Mountain, was made into a movie called Away From Her.

The 83-year-old author is often compared to Chekhov, the 19th century Russian who is considered one of the greatest short story writers in history.

Munro lived for many years in the small town of Clinton, Opt, but she was so shy that many people in the town didn’t know who she was. Munro said she was trying to be more social and accept invitations and go out to see people.

1.Who is Alice Munro?

2.How old is Alice Munro?

3.Why did she escape into books?

4.Can readers find any information about Wingham in Munro’s stories?

5.What is the film Away From Her based on?

6.What kind of person do you think Alice Munro is? Tell us your impression of her in TWO to THREE sentences.

Write A、passage of at least 60 words on the topic “I want to volunteer in/at_________”.以“我想在________担任志愿者”为题,写一篇不少于60个词的短文，标点符号不占格。)

（ 注意：短文中不得出现考生的姓名、校名及其他相关信息，否则不予评分。）

Questions for reference （以下问题仅供参考）

Where do you want to volunteer?

Why do you want to be a volunteer there?

Do you have any problem with volunteering?

We should have a light supper every day. Which of the following is correct for the underlined word in the sentence?

A. /?sju:p?/ B. /?su:p?/

C. /?s?:p3/ D. /?s?p?/

Which of the following underlined parts is different in pronunciation from others?

A. We know that cormorants are large black birds.

B. The man wants to teach his son everything he knows.

C. His trips often begin in the late afternoon.

D. The old man likes to catch the fish with his friends at weekends.

It’s clear that ________ little money he earns can hardly support his family.

A. aB. anC. theD. /

Paul learns English ________. He often goes to the English Corner at weekends.

A. he B. him

C. his D. himself

Robert saw two boys making fun ________ an old man, and then he stopped them.

A. in B. on

C. at D. of

On Alice’s birthday, her mother prepared some food and ________ beer.

A. few B. a little

C. littleD. a few

Of all the books Dickens wrote, Oliver Twist is probably ________ famous one.

A. the most B. the more

C. most D. more