常州市2025-2026學(xué)年第一學(xué)期高三期中質(zhì)量調(diào)研

英語

注意:本試卷分四個部分，答案全部做在答題紙上?？偡譃?50分?？荚嚂r間120分鐘。

第一部分:聽力(共兩節(jié)，滿分30分)

第一節(jié)(共5小題;每小題1分，滿分5分)

聽下面5段對話。每段對話后有一個小題，從題中所給的A、B、C三個選項中選出最

佳選項，并標(biāo)在試卷的相應(yīng)位置。聽完每段對話后，你都有10秒鐘的時間來回答有關(guān)小題

和閱讀下一小題。每段對話僅讀一遍。

1.Whichkindofinformationdoesthewomanneed?

A.Touristattractions.B.Accommodations.C.Transportation.

2.Whatwillthespeakersbuyfirst?

A.Asofa.B.Achair.C.Abed.

3.Whatdoweknowabouttheman?

A.Heisinlawschool.B.Heisthemiddlechild.C.Heislivingabroadnow.

4.Wheredoestheconversationtakeplace?

A.Atastore.B.Athome.C.Atanoffice.

5.Whatarethespeakersmainlytalkingabout?

A.Ahandinjury.B.Acaraccident.C.Avisittoadoctor.

第二節(jié)(共15小題;每小題1.5分，滿分22.5分)

聽下面5段對話或獨白。每段對話或獨白后有幾個小題,從題中所給的A、B、C三個

選項中選出最佳選項。聽每段對話或獨白前，你將有時間閱讀各個小題，每小題5秒鐘:聽

完后，各小題將給出5秒鐘的作答時間。每段對話或獨白讀兩遍。

聽第6段材料，回答第6、7題。

6.Whatisthewebsiteusedfor?

A.Studyingdesign.B.Meetingnewpeople.C.Learningaboutstudyskills.

7.Whatisthewoman’sopinionaboutthewebsite?

A.Helpful.B.Useless.C.Original.

聽第7段材料，回答第8至10題。

8.WhatisAnnagoingtodo?

A.Buyasportssuit.B.Findacoach.C.Dosports.

9.Howoldistheman?

A.11.B.15.C.26.

10.Whatdothespeakersdecidetodotogether?

A.Dosomeshopping.B.Playagame.C.Watchamatch.

聽第8段材料，回答第11至13題。

11.Whydidn’tthewomanlearndriving?

A.Shecouldn’tsparethetimeonweekdays.

B.Shewasafraidofdrivinginurbanareas.

C.Shelivesfarfromdrivingschools.

12.Whatdoesthewomanthinkoftheman’sdrivingteacher?

A.Strict.B.Responsible.C.Flexible.

13.Whowillthewomancalllater?

A.Theman’smother.B.DanielSmith.C.AlanSuckliff.

聽第9段材料，回答第14至17題。

14.Whereisthewoman?

A.InPerth.B.InSydney.C.InNewYork.

15.Whencantheman’sconferencebeheld?

A.FromJanuary21stto22nd.

B.FromJanuary28thto29th.

C.FromFebruary4thto5th.

16.HowmanypeoplecantheTeslaroomholdatmost?

A.50.B.60.C.100.

17.Whatdoesthemanrequestatlast?

A.Internetaccess.B.Aprojector.C.Microphones.

聽第10段材料，回答第18至20題。

18.Whatwillthelistenersdonextweek?

A.Visitamuseum.B.Workatamuseum.C.Attendalecture.

19.WhichdoorleadstoGallery1?

A.Theonebehindthereceptiondesk.

B.Theonebehindastatueofahorse.

C.Theonebehindabigdonationbox.

20.Howdoesthespeakersuggesthavinglunch?

A.Taketheirownlunch.B.Orderlunchatthecafe.C.Makesandwichesinthekitchen.

第二部分閱讀(共兩節(jié)，滿分50分)

第一節(jié)(共15小題;每小題2.5分，滿分37.5分)

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中選出最佳選項。

A

Maintainingahealthyweightinvolvesmorethanjustthenumbersonascale—it’sabout

understandingyourbody’sneeds.

WangYan,aphysicianatRafflesHospitalBeijingwithover30yearsofexperience,noted

thatteenagersoftenreceivemixedmessagesaboutbodyimage.“Manybelievethatbeingthin

meansbeinghealthy,butvisceralfat(內(nèi)臟脂肪)canstillbepresentinthosewhoappearslim,”

sheexplained.Differentfromsubcutaneousfat(皮下脂肪)whichsitsjustbeneaththeskin,

visceralfatsurroundsinternalorgansandismorecloselylinkedtolong-termhealthrisks.While

bodymassindex(BMI)isahandytoolforassessingweight,BMI=weight(inkilograms)/height

(inmeters)2,Wangadvisedteenagerstobecareful.“It’sbesttousegrowthchartstounderstand

BMIratherthanadultrules,”shesaid,notingthattemporaryweightgainoftenbalancesoutas

heightincreases.BMIalsohasitslimitations—forinstance,ateenagerwithanormalBMImight

stillcarryexcessbodyfat.Sherecommendedconsideringadditionalindicators,suchasthebody

roundnessindex(BRI)forafullerpictureofhealth.

BRIrangeforrelativelyhealthypeople:4.5-5.5

Beyondnumbers,Wangpointedoutthatpoorstamina(耐力)duringactivitieslikerunning

couldsignalpotentialweight-relatedissues.Still,sheemphasizedit’snotsolelyaboutweight—

regularexerciseimprovesstamina.

21.Whichofthefollowingaremostprobablythetargetreadersofthistext?

A.Adults.B.Teenagers.C.Parents.D.Doctors.

22.Whichofthefollowingshouldwewatchmoretoassessourhealthiness?

A.Visceralfat.B.Subcutaneousfat.C.Slimness.D.Weight.

23.WhichofthefollowingismoreregardedasbeinghealthyaccordingtoWangYan?

A.BMI=22.5;BRI=6.B.BMI=26.4;BRI=5.6.

C.170cm,58kg;BRI=4.9.D.160cm,68kg;BRI=4.6.

B

WhenAdamKovalcikflewtoOhiofortheRegeneronInternationalScienceandEngineering

Fair(ISEF),aninternationalsciencecompetition,hedidnotexpecttocomehomewiththetop

prize.“Icannotdescribethisfeeling,”Adamsaidafterreceivingtheawardinalivelyceremony.

“Ididnotexpectsuchahugeinternationalcompetitiontobewonbysomeonefromasmallvillage

inasmallEuropeancountry.So,itwasjustpureshock.”

The19-year-oldfromSlovakiahaddevelopedanewwaytomakeanexperimentalanti-viral

drugcalledgalidesivir,whichtargetsRNAviruseslikeCOVID-19andEbola.“Thiscouldbea

hugesteptohelppreventsomeoftheseRNAviruses,”saidChrisRoDee,chairofthejudging

committeeoftheISEF.

Adam’sbiginnovationstartedwithcornhusks(玉米殼).Well,furfurylalcohol(糠醇),

whichcomesfromcornhusksandisrelativelycheapcomparedtootherstartingpointsformaking

drugs.Onebyone,headdedchemicalstofurfurylalcoholinthelab,buildingthemolecule(分子)

blockbyblock,untilhegotacrucialsugarcalledaza-saccharide.Itonlytooksevenstepstoget

there.Fromthere,itwasonlythreemorestepstogetgalidesivir.Incomparison,current

manufacturingrequires15steps.

“Hewasabletoshortcutthisentireprocessbecausehejustwentinthroughadifferentdoor,”

RoDeesaid.

Also,Adam’sprocesstakesfivedays.Theconventionalmanufacturingmethod,hesaid,takes

nine.Basedonearlycomputercalculations,hethinkshisnewversionofthedrugcouldbefive

timesaseffectiveasthecurrentgalidesiviragainstCOVID-19.

Theyoungman’sambitionsdon’tendwithadvancingdrugmanufacturing,though.Hesaid

healsowantstousehischemistryskillstostartacompanythatmanufactureseco-friendly

perfumes(香水)fromcorn.“FromthefirsttimeIsteppedfootintoalab,IknewthatIwantedto

dosomething,”hesaid.

24.HowdidAdamfeelwhenhewonthetopprize?

A.Awkward.B.Surprised.C.Dismissive.D.Grateful.

25.WhichofthefollowingisthemajoradvantageofAdam’snewmethod?

A.Fewerproductionsteps.

B.Eco-friendlywayofproduction.

C.Lowerrequirementsforchemistryskills.

D.Effectivenessincuringvirusesofdifferenttypes.

26.WhatcanweknowaboutAdamfromthearticle?

A.Helikestakingpartincompetitions.

B.Hecomplainsaboutlivinginasmallcountryside.

C.Hetriesnewmethodsinordertoavoidrepetitivework.

D.Hewantstocontributetothesocietywithhisknowledge.

27.Whichofthefollowingisthebesttitleforthepassage?

A.Fromwinningtowinning:ACompetitionStory

B.CornHusks:TheBestSolutiontoViruses

C.FromCorntoCure:ATeen’sBreakthrough

D.Galidesivir:AUniqueCureforRNAViruses

C

It’snotsurprisingthatmanypeoplefearthedentist.Replacingatoothoftenrequiresinvasive

surgeryandimplantingatitanium(鈦)screwintoapatient’sjawbone,thenwaitingmonthsfor

thattostrengthenintoanartificialroot,beforeattachingacrownorcapontopofit.Butresearch

groupsaroundtheworldareworkingtofindwaystoimplantandgrowrealbiologicalteethina

humanjaw.

Thatmaybeawayoff,butatKing’sCollegeLondon,AnaAngelovaVolponihasbeen

experimentingwithlab-grownteethforalmosttwodecades,andwaspartofateamthatin2013

grewatoothfromhumanandmousecells.Thisyear,sheledastudythatbuiltuponthatworkand

achievedabreakthroughinthematerialusedtohousethegrowingtoothinthelab,whichbetter

mimicstheactualenvironmentwherebiologicalteethgrowinthemouth.It’sakeysteponthe

waytoreplacingthemousecellswithhumancellsandstimulatingthemtoformatooth.

Theideaofcreatinglab-grownteethdatesbacktothe1980s,Volponisaid,buttheonethat

sheandhercolleaguescreatedoveradecadeagowasthefirstthatusedadulthumangingival(牙

齦的)cellsandcombinedthemwithtoothcellstakenfromamouseembryo(胚胎).

“It’salmostlikeatripod(三腳架),”shesaidabouttheelementsthatcontributetogrowinga

toothinalabsetting.“Thetwotypesofcellsareengagingintoothmaking,inasortof

conversation,andthenwehavetheenvironmentwherethishappens.”

Researchersstilldon’tknowexactlyhowtoreplacetheembryonicmousecellswithadult

humancells,butifthatpuzzleissolved,Volponienvisionstwopossiblewaystointegratelab-

grownteethintoeverydaydentistry:“Weeithergrowatoothuptoacertainstageofdevelopment,

andthenputitintothetoothsocketwherealosttoothwas.Or,wefullygrowthetoothfirstand

thenimplantitsurgically.It’sstilltooearlytosaywhichapproachwillbebetter.”

28.Theauthormentions“invasivesurgery”inthefirstparagraphto______.

A.criticizeoutdateddentaltechniques

B.comparedifferenttypesofdentalsurgeries

C.explainthecomplexityoftraditionaldentalprocedures

D.highlighttheneedforalternativetoothreplacementsolutions

29.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“mimics”inthesecondparagraphmostprobablymean?

A.Imitates.B.Creates.C.Displays.D.Improves.

30.Theauthorimpliesthattheuseofadulthumancellsinlab-grownteeth______.

A.hasalreadybeenachievedbyVolponi’steam

B.isthebiggestremainingchallengeintheresearch

C.islesseffectivethanusingmouseembryoniccells

D.willendtheneedforasupportingenvironment

31.Whatismainlytalkedaboutinthepassage?

A.Challengesintraditionaldentalimplants.

B.Advancesinlab-grownbiologicalteethresearch.

C.Problemsinimplantingrealbiologicalteeth.

D.Methodstoreplacemouseembryoswithhumans’.

D

Whatdefinesahigh-qualitymiddle-schoolteacherintoday’seducationallandscape?While

academicknowledgeremainsafoundationalrequirement—masteryofsubjectmatterallows

teacherstoexplaincomplexconceptsclearlyandanswerstudents’questionswithauthority—it

representsjustonedimensionofexcellence.

Atrulyexceptionalteachergoesbeyondmereknowledgetransmissiontobecomecatalyst(催

化劑)forstudentgrowth,mixingpassion,empathy,andadaptabilityinequalmeasure.TakeMs.

SarahChen,a9th-gradebiologyteacheratLincolnMiddleSchool,whoexemplifiesthis

multidimensionalapproach.WithaPhDinmolecularbiology,Ms.Chencertainlypossessesdeep

academicqualifications,butherstudentsrememberhermostfortransformingboringtextbook

chaptersintoengagingnarratives.Thisabilitytoconnectabstractconceptstoreal-worldrelevance

isasignofinspiringeducators,asstudiesshowstudentsare50%morelikelytoremember

informationwhenit’stiedtomeaningfulcontexts.

Equallycriticalis..._____________________________________________________________

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Suchmentorship(導(dǎo)師制)extendsbeyondacademics;high-qualityteachersrecognizethat

students’emotionalwell-beingdirectlyimpactstheirlearning.Theycreateinclusiveclassrooms

wherediverseperspectivesarevalued,whetherbyincorporatingmulticulturalliteratureor

adjustingteachingstrategiesfordifferentstudents.

Inaneraofrapidtechnologicalchange,adaptabilityisanotherkeyquality.Ms.ElenaKim,

whoteachesEnglishlanguagearts,easilyintegratesdigitaltoolslikeinteractivestorytellingapps

whilestillprioritizingface-to-facediscussions.Shenotes,“Agreatteacherdoesn’tjustfollowthe

curriculum—theytailorittotheirstudents’needs,whetherthatmeansusingTikToktoanalyze

poetryorhostingadebateonsocialmediaethics.”Thisabilitytochangeensuresthatlearning

remainsrelevantandengagingfordigital-nativestudents.

Perhapsthelastoneisthemostimportanttohigh-qualityteachers.Allthroughtheirlives,

theyattendworkshopstoupgradetheirteachingapproaches,collaboratewithcolleaguestorefine

practices,andreflectontheirteachingthroughstudentfeedback.AseducationalresearcherDr.

LindaDarling-Hammondwrites,“Thebestteachersarethosewhoneverstopgrowing,modeling

thecuriosityandstrengththeyhopetoinstillintheirstudents.”

Ultimately,definingahigh-qualityteacherisn’taboutcheckingboxesonalist;it’sabout

fosteringadynamicenvironmentwherestudentsfeelchallenged,supported,andinspiredtoreach

theirfullpotential.

32.WhatmakesMs.Chensomemorabletoherstudents?

A.Heracademicknowledge.B.Herprofessionalenthusiasm.

C.HerPhDeducationalbackground.D.Hercontextualizedteachingstyle.

33.WhatisthemissingParagraph3mostprobablyabout?

A.Thesolutiontoteachers’emotionalproblems.

B.Thereasonformakingacademicprogress.

C.Theimportanceofemotionalintelligence.

D.Theadvantageofthemultidimensionalmethod.

34.WhichofthefollowingisthemostimportanttoMs.Elena?

A.Technologicaluse.B.Curriculumrequirements.

C.Students’needs.D.TheabilitytoChange.

35.WhatdoesDr.Darling-Hammondemphasize?

A.Lifelonglearning.B.Teachingability.

C.Collaborativespirits.D.Professionaldemonstration.

第二節(jié)(共5小題;每小題2.5分，滿分12.5分)

閱讀下面短文，從短文后的選項中選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項。選項中有兩項為

多于選項。

Haveyouevercaughtyourselfsmilingatsomethingsmall,likesolvingatoughhomework

problem,finishingagoodbook,ortakingawalkafteralongday?36

Inourbusyworld,weoftenfeelpressuredtoreachbigmilestonessuchasenteringahigh-

rankinguniversityorsteadilyclimbingtheladderofsuccess.37Truegrowthoften

happensinthequietspacesinbetween,likewhenyoumanageyourtimebetter,helpafriend

withoutbeingasked,orkeeptryingafterasetback.Theymaynotbegrandvictories,butthey

shapeyourcharacterandbuildresilience(韌性).

Howmanytimeshaveyoufeltoverwhelmedwithschoolworkorotherresponsibilities—

yourmindsocrowdedthatyoucannolongerfocus,andyoujustwanttogiveup?Butyou’re

moreresilientthanthat,sotakeashortbreakandre-centreyourselfbydoingsomethingjustfor

you.That’swhatIdo.38Thismayseemmundane(平凡的),butthosebriefmomentsof

mindfulnessallowmetosortoutmythoughts.ThenIcomebackandmaybewritejustone

paragraph,calmerandproudofmyselffornotgivingup.Progressdoesn’talwayscomewith

applause;sometimesit’sjustquietlyshowingupforyourself.

Whenweapproachlifeasalongjourneyratherthanarace,everysmallaction,whetherthat’s

wakingupearly,practisingaskillorsimplyshowingkindness,addsanothersteppingstonetothe

pathwewalk.Whenwelookback,wecanseehowfarwe’vecome.39Everyday,write

onesimplethingyouaccomplished:Ifinishedreadingachapter;Ispokeupinclass;Itookcareof

myselftoday.Overtime,thesenotesbecomearecordofyourquietcourageandproofthatyou’re

growing,evenwhenprogressfeelsslow.

40So,whenyoufaceachallenge,rememberthateventhesmallestactof

perseveranceisworthcelebrating.You’regrowing,slowly,bravely,andbeautifully.

A.Besides,Ibelievethateveryeffortcounts.

B.Ifithelpstoseethisclearly,keepasmall-achievementsjournal.

C.Asimportantasthesegoalsaretomany,they’renotthewholestory.

D.However,we’realllearningtonavigateourwayforwardinthisfastway.

E.Imakemyselfacupofteaortakeamomenttolistentothebirdsinthetrees.

F.Momentslikethesemayseemordinary,buttheyquietlytellthestoryofwhoweare.

G.Life’sdepthisn’tbuiltfromshiningmomentsbutfromthesteadyrhythmofordinarydays.

第三部分語言運用(共兩節(jié)，滿分30分)

第一節(jié)(共15小題;每小題1分，滿分15分)

閱讀下面短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中選出可以填入空白處的最佳選

項。

Awomanwasthinkingaboutaskingherbossforaraiseinsalaryandshewasstrugglingfor

days.Thisdayshefeltnervousandhesitantallday,andfinallyasthesunset,shegatheredher

41totalkwithheremployeraboutthis.Tenminuteslater,shecameoutofthemanager’soffice

withherrequestmetwitha(n)42.

Uponherreturnhome,shewas43byasurprisingsight:thediningtable,setwiththeir

finestchinaandsoftlylitbythewarmglowofcandles,wasa(n)44toherhusband’s

efforts.Hehadarrivedhomeearly,preparingarichmeal45hersuccess.Shecouldn’thelp

butwonderifawell-meaningcolleaguehadrevealedthenews,orifherhusbandhadsomehow

knownshewouldnotget46.

Inthekitchen,shesharedtheexcitingnewswithherhusband,theirembraceandkiss47

themomentofvictory.Astheysatdowntothewonderfulmeal,shediscoveredabeautifully

scriptednotebesideherplate,which48,“Congratulations,mylove!Ihad49in

yoursuccess.ThesethingswilltellyouhowmuchIloveyou.”

Afterthemeal,asherhusbandwentintothekitchentotidyup,asecondcardslippedfrom

hispocket50.Curious,shepickeditupandreadthewordsthatwouldforevercarve

themselvesintoherheart:“Don’tworryaboutit!You51theraiseanyway!Thesethings

willtellyouhowmuchIloveyou.”

Someonehassaidthatthemeasureofloveiswhenyoulove52measure.Whatthis

manfeelsforhiswifeistotal53andlove,whethershesucceedsorfails.Hislove

celebrateshervictoriesand54herpains.Hestandswithher,nomatterwhat55

throwsintheirdirection.

41.A.strengthB.courageC.thoughtsD.patience

42.A.smileB.laughC.nodD.talk

43.A.greetedB.waitedC.expectedD.absorbed

44.A.reactionB.approachC.accessD.witness

45.A.insearchofB.inanticipationofC.infavorofD.inneedof

46.A.turnedoverB.turnedupC.turneddownD.turnedaround

47.A.confirmingB.rememberingC.findingD.exposing

48.A.advisedB.warnedC.readD.claimed

49.A.predictionB.faithC.interestD.expectation

50.A.unpreparedB.uncollectedC.uncompletedD.unnoticed

51.A.getB.requestC.deserveD.consider

52.A.forB.underC.onD.without

53.A.toleranceB.acceptanceC.commitmentD.involvement

54.A.relaxesB.checksC.experiencesD.eases

55.A.lifeB.bossC.workD.love

第二節(jié)(共10小題;每小題1.5分，滿分15分)

閱讀下面短文，在空白處填入1個適當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或括號內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。

OnXiaohongshu,aChineselifestyle-sharingplatform,over100,000postsareaboutthe

fashioncrazesamongChina’syouth:the“MintMambo”styleand“Tyndall”style.

Theso-calledMintMamboStyleissimply56(dress)inshadesoffreshgreen.“Mint”

in“MintMambo”representsthecolormintgreen,while“mambo”comesfromapopulardancein

SouthAmerica,adancefullofenergyand57(free),creatingapassionateatmosphere.

Themintmambostylecentersarounditssignaturemintcolorpalette,andcombining

individualpieces,itcreates58freshandlivelyvisualeffect.Meanwhile,italsoarousesa

senseofthemambodance,59(give)peopleanimpressionthatthewearerisenergeticand

dynamic,asifreadytodanceatanymoment.Thisfashiontrendcombinesthefreshnessofmint

greenwiththeenergyoftheMambo,creatingalook60bringsrelaxationandcheerfulness.

Chinesenetizensarealsoembracinganothertrend—Tyndallstyle.61thedopamine

(多巴胺)dressingtrendof2023,wherepeopledressedthemselvesinbrightandvividcolors

62(express)joy,Tyndallrepresentsamuchmorecomplicatedapproachtomatchingoutfits.

63(science)explained,theTyndalleffectreferstothephenomenonwherelight,upon

passingthroughacolloidalsolution(膠狀溶液),64(spread)bythecolloidalparticles,

therebymakingthelightpathvisible.Notably,thespreadingeffectivenessvariesamongdifferent

typesoflight.Thisexplainswhytheskyappearsblueduringthedayandbecomesredderatdusks,

65theTyndalldressingtrenddrawsinspirationfromskygradients(漸變)tocreateavisually

appealingoutfit,showingnature’sfascinatingcolortransitions.

第四部分寫作(共兩節(jié)，滿分40分)

第一節(jié)(滿分15分)

假定你是李華，你校將與英國友好學(xué)校聯(lián)合舉辦“數(shù)學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)方法”討論會，話題是“強化

刷題訓(xùn)練”和“深化概念理解”兩種方法哪一種更好，請你寫一段發(fā)言稿，內(nèi)容包括：

1.你選擇的方法(A或B);

2.支持該方法的核心理由。

注意：

1.詞數(shù)80左右；

2.請在答題卡的相應(yīng)位置作答。

Ladiesandgentlemen,

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第二節(jié)(滿分25分)

閱讀下面材料，根據(jù)其內(nèi)容和所給段落開頭語續(xù)寫兩段，使之構(gòu)成一篇完整的短文。

ThanksgivingDaywasnearlyhere,andthesmalltownsmelledofwarmcinnamon.ForMrs

Henderson’sYearOneclass,thatmeantaspecialtask:“Drawsomethingyou’rethankfulfor.”

Whenshewroteitonthewhiteboard,thechildren’seyeslitupwithexcitement.

Manyfamiliesintheclassdidn’thavemuchmoney.Fancydinnersandnewtoyswerescarce,

yetthechildrenstilllovedThanksgiving.TheychattedaboutMum’sroastturkey,sweetcranberry

sauce,andGranny’spiesthatmadekitchenssmellwonderful.MrsHendersonsmiled,guessing

shewouldseelotsofcolourfulpicturesofgoodfoods.Bybreaktime,indeed,mostdeskswere

coveredwithorangeandbrowncrayondrawingsofturkeysandpies.

However,Douglaswasdifferent.Hisclothesweretoolarge,andhisshoesweretorn.During

break,heneverplayedwiththeotherchildren.Instead,hestoodbesideMrsHenderson,shoulders

hunched,handsinhers,eyesfullofsadnesswellbeyondhissixyears.Shetriedtalkingtohim,but

heonlymumbled(嘰咕)ornodded,thenlookedaway.

Whenthebreakended,MrsHendersonwalkedaroundtheclassroom,praisingeachchild’s

work—brightsunsandfunny-lookingturkeys—untilshereachedDouglas’sdesk.Onhispaper

wasjustonething:asimplepencildrawingofahand,withnocolourordetail.MrsHendersonfelt

puzzledbutsaidnothing,realisingDouglasmusthaveareasonforhischoice.

Attheendofthelesson,severalchildrengatheredaroundDouglas’sdesk.

“Isitafarmer’shand?Theyraiseturkeys!”Miaaskedexcitedly.

“No,itmustbeapoliceofficer’shand.Theykeepussafe,”Jakesaid.

“Maybeit’sGod’shand,becauseGodlooksaftereveryone,”Lilasuggested.

TheychattereduntilMrsHendersonaskedthemtopackaway.Thechildrenleftwithlaughter

andsmiles,butDouglasslippedoutsilently.

Whentheclassroomemptied