Ⅰ.阅读理解
I am not interested in making the New Year's decisions. But this year, there came a decisive moment. It came when my adult children, who'd been home for two weeks, headed back to their homes. There was a sadness I felt as I waved their cars out of sight, not knowing when I'd see them again. But there was also a knowing in that moment that something in me needed to change. So I asked myself, “What is truly good in your life？”
What is good is my relationships with my children, but not only those relationships. What also keeps my heart beating is creating a home, no matter who is there, and cooking balanced, plantbased meals, even if just for me. I find joy in nature and connections with close friends and family. I love doing photography and writing and teaching myself piano.
Whatever was missing from my life, at the end of last year I knew about the parts that worked. As winter ended and the visiting children prepared to leave, I looked to the future.
I think of my friend, Lisa, who in May lost her husband of 30 years to cancer, and who found herself on New Year's Eve with no one to be with. Her aloneness was lasting in that turningpoint moment, but her sadness was momentary (短暂的). “I realized I had a choice，” she told me. Instead of giving way to loneliness and despair, she chose to find something productive to do.
We humans can become bored with defeat. We know something is just the other side. Like a new year, I have two choices. I can brand myself as the longsuffering mother who never figured out how to live on after her children left. Or I can take to the piano in the center of the house each day and practice Ode to Joy with one hand until such time as I feel ready to play with two.
本文是一篇记叙文。新年过后，孩子们都离开家，作者孤独一个人在家，然而她没有向孤独和绝望屈服，而是选择做一些有意义的事情。
1．What can we know about the author from the first paragraph?
A．She didn't want to live a lonely life any more.
B．She was curious about her life in the New Year.
C．She had a difficult relationship with her children.
D．She didn't think her life kept any promise any more.
答案：A
解析：推理判断题。根据文章第一段There was a sadness I felt as I waved their cars out of sight, not knowing when I'd see them again. But there was also a knowing in that moment that something in me needed to change.可知，孩子们离开之后，作者感到悲伤，但就在那一刻，作者意识到自己内心需要改变，从而可以推断出，作者不想再过孤独的生活了。故选A。
2．How will the author probably change her life?
A．By improving her physical health.
B．By taking more music classes when free.
C．By spending more time with her children.
D．By focusing on things that bring her happiness.
答案：D
解析：细节理解题。根据文章第二段I find joy in nature and connections with close friends and family. I love doing photography and writing and teaching myself piano.可知，作者在大自然中找到了快乐，与亲密的朋友和家人建立了联系，并且喜欢摄影、写作和自学钢琴，故可知作者专注于能给她带来快乐的事情。故选D。
3．Why does the author mention her friend Lisa?
A．To show there are people with worse lives than herself.
B．To point out there are choices even when life is difficult.
C．To prove being on one's own has a big influence on others.
D．To stress the importance of family members on New Year's Eve.
答案：B
解析：推理判断题。根据文章第四段，特别最后一句Instead of giving way to loneliness and despair, she chose to find something productive to do.可知，作者的朋友丽莎没有向孤独和绝望屈服，而是选择做一些有意义的事情，可以推断出，作者提及朋友丽莎是为了指出，即使生活很艰难，我们也有很多选择。故选B。
4．How does the author feel about her future?
A．Optimistic. B．Doubtful.
C．Worried. D．Hopeless.
答案：A
解析：推理判断题。根据文章第三段Whatever was missing from my life, at the end of last year I knew about the parts that worked. As winter ended and the visiting children prepared to leave, I looked to the future.可知，从作者展望自己的未来可以推断出，作者对自己的未来是乐观的。故选A。
