American English | CEFR B1+ | Approximately 350 Words
Contents 目录
Reading 阅读
Questions 题目
Vocabulary 词汇
Useful Structures 常用结构
Comprehension Questions 阅读理解问题
Reading 阅读
The Secret He Could No Longer Keep
When sixteen-year-old Ryan noticed his best friend, Alex, looking at another student’s answers during an important math exam, he could hardly believe what he was seeing. Alex had always been a hardworking student, and the two boys had been close friends for years. Ryan wondered whether he had misunderstood the situation.
After the exam, Alex admitted that he had cheated. He explained that his parents expected excellent grades and that he was afraid of disappointing them. He had studied for weeks but panicked when he saw several unfamiliar questions. Alex begged Ryan to keep the incident a secret, promising that it would never happen again.
Ryan faced a difficult choice. He valued their friendship, but he also believed that cheating was unfair to students who had prepared honestly. If he reported Alex, their friendship might be destroyed. If he remained silent, however, he would feel responsible for protecting dishonest behavior.
For several days, Ryan struggled with his decision. He found it difficult to concentrate in class and began avoiding Alex. Eventually, he decided to speak with him privately. Ryan explained that he understood the pressure Alex was experiencing, but he could not pretend that nothing had happened.
Instead of reporting Alex immediately, Ryan encouraged him to tell their teacher the truth. At first, Alex refused, arguing that admitting his mistake could damage his academic record. Ryan reminded him that accepting responsibility was more important than protecting his reputation.
The following morning, Alex approached their math teacher and confessed. Although the teacher appreciated his honesty, she explained that his actions still had consequences. Alex received a zero on the exam but was offered additional support to prepare for future tests.
Their friendship became uncomfortable for a while. Alex initially blamed Ryan for pressuring him to confess. However, after several weeks, he began to recognize that Ryan had acted out of concern rather than a desire to punish him.
Looking back, Ryan realized that being a loyal friend did not always mean agreeing with someone’s decisions. Sometimes, genuine friendship required difficult conversations and the courage to challenge behavior that was clearly wrong.
Questions 题目
Part 1: True / False / Not Given
Questions 1–5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
Write TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN.
1. Ryan initially found it difficult to believe that his best friend had cheated during the exam.
Answer
TRUE
2. Alex cheated because he had not spent any time preparing for the exam.
Answer
FALSE
3. Ryan immediately informed the teacher after Alex admitted what he had done.
Answer
FALSE
4. Alex’s parents had previously punished him for receiving a poor grade.
Answer
NOT GIVEN
5. Alex eventually understood that Ryan’s actions were motivated by concern for him.
Answer
TRUE
Part 2: Multiple Choice
Questions 6–10
Choose the correct answer, A, B, C, or D.
6. Why did Alex decide to cheat during the math exam?
A. He wanted to achieve a higher score than Ryan.
B. He had forgotten that the exam was scheduled for that day.
C. He panicked when he encountered unfamiliar questions and feared disappointing his parents.
D. He believed that cheating was an acceptable way to improve academic performance.
Answer
C
7. What was Ryan’s main difficulty after discovering that Alex had cheated?
A. He was uncertain whether he should prioritize friendship or academic honesty.
B. He was afraid that the teacher would accuse him of cheating as well.
C. He wanted to help Alex improve his grades but lacked the necessary knowledge.
D. He was concerned that other students would discover their friendship.
Answer
A
8. Why did Ryan encourage Alex to confess rather than reporting him immediately?
A. He believed the teacher would ignore the incident if Alex confessed.
B. He wanted Alex to accept responsibility for his own actions.
C. He hoped Alex could avoid receiving any academic punishment.
D. He wanted to prevent other students from learning about the exam.
Answer
B
9. How did the math teacher respond to Alex’s confession?
A. She allowed Alex to repeat the exam without receiving a penalty.
B. She reported Alex to the school principal and suspended him.
C. She praised his honesty and decided not to punish him.
D. She gave him a zero but offered support for future examinations.
Answer
D
10. What is the central message of the passage?
A. Students should always report their friends when they break school rules.
B. Academic success is more important than maintaining personal relationships.
C. Genuine friendship sometimes requires honesty and difficult decisions.
D. Friends should avoid interfering with one another’s personal choices.
Answer
C
Part 3: Sentence Completion
Questions 11–15
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.
11. Alex was worried about __________ his parents if he failed to achieve excellent grades.
Answer
disappointing
12. Ryan believed that cheating was unfair to students who had prepared __________.
Answer
honestly
13. Ryan chose to speak with Alex __________ before taking further action.
Answer
privately
14. Ryan told Alex that accepting responsibility mattered more than protecting his __________.
Answer
reputation
15. Ryan eventually understood that genuine friendship sometimes required difficult conversations and the __________ to challenge dishonest behavior.
Answer
courage
Vocabulary 词汇
| cheat | /tʃit/ | 作弊 |
| admit | /ədˈmɪt/ | 承认 |
| disappoint | /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnt/ | 使失望 |
| panic | /ˈpænɪk/ | 惊慌；恐慌 |
| beg | /bɛɡ/ | 恳求；乞求 |
| incident | /ˈɪnsɪdənt/ | 事件；事情 |
| struggle | /ˈstrʌɡl/ | 艰难地应对；努力 |
| concentrate | /ˈkɑnsntreɪt/ | 集中注意力 |
| responsibility | /rɪˌspɑnsəˈbɪləti/ | 责任 |
| reputation | /ˌrɛpyəˈteɪʃn/ | 名声；声誉 |
| confess | /kənˈfɛs/ | 坦白；承认错误 |
| consequence | /ˈkɑnsəkwɛns/ | 后果 |
Useful Structures 常用结构
be afraid of doing something 害怕做某事
Alex was afraid of disappointing his parents.
亚历克斯害怕让父母失望。
beg someone to do something 恳求某人做某事
Alex begged Ryan to keep the incident a secret.
亚历克斯恳求瑞安对这件事保密。
struggle with something 难以应对某事；为某事而苦恼
Ryan struggled with his decision for several days.
瑞安为这个决定苦恼了好几天。
find it difficult to do something 觉得做某事很困难
Ryan found it difficult to concentrate in class.
瑞安发现自己很难在课堂上集中注意力。
encourage someone to do something 鼓励某人做某事
Ryan encouraged Alex to tell their teacher the truth.
瑞安鼓励亚历克斯向老师说出真相。
instead of doing something 而不是做某事
Instead of reporting Alex immediately, Ryan decided to speak with him privately.
瑞安没有立即举报亚历克斯，而是决定私下和他谈谈。
be more important than something 比某事更重要
Accepting responsibility was more important than protecting his reputation.
承担责任比维护自己的声誉更重要。
act out of something 出于某种情感或动机而采取行动
Ryan had acted out of concern rather than a desire to punish his friend.
瑞安的行为是出于关心，而不是想惩罚他的朋友。