湖北省武昌区2024-2025学年高二下学期期末考试英语试题（Word版附答案）含听力音频

这是一份湖北省武昌区2024-2025学年高二下学期期末考试英语试题（Word版附答案）含听力音频，文件包含湖北省武汉市武昌区2024-2025学年高二下学期6月期末质量检测英语试卷含答案docx、湖北省武汉市武昌区2024-2025学年高二下学期6月期末质量检测英语听力mp3等2份试卷配套教学资源，其中试卷共15页， 欢迎下载使用。
全卷满分150分，考试用时120分钟。
注意事项：
1．答题前，先将自己的姓名、准考证号填写在试卷和答题卡上，并将准考证号条形码粘贴在答题卡上的指定位置。
2．选择题的作答：每小题选出答案后，用2B铅笔把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑。写在试卷、草稿纸和答题卡上的非答题区域均无效。
3．非选择题的作答：用黑色签字笔直接答在答题卡上对应的答题区域内。写在试卷、草稿纸和答题卡上的非答题区域均无效。
4．考试结束后，请将本试卷和答题卡一并上交。
第一部分 听力（共两节，满分30分）
做题时，先将答案标在试卷上。录音内容结束后，你将有两分钟的时间将试卷上的答案转涂到答题卡上。
第一节（共5小题：每小题1.5分，满分7.5分）
听下面5段对话，每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题，每段对话仅读一遍。
1.
What des the man want t d nw?
A. Take an examinatin.B. G back t schl.C. Ask fr leave.
2.
What kind f straw des the wman use nw?
A. Paper straw.B. Metal straw.C. Plastic straw.
3.
Where des the cnversatin prbably take place?
A. In a shpping mall.B. In a supermarket.C. In the street.
4.
What are the speakers talking abut?
A. Why the man mved.B. When the man will mve.C. Hw the man fund a flat.
5.
What des the wman mean?
A. Jack is unreliable.B. Jack will fight the electin.C. The man will get Jack’s vte.
第二节（共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）
听下面5段对话或读白，每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题。每小题5秒钟，听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
6. What des the man regret?
A. Changing his majr.B. Drpping ut f cllege.C. Chsing the wrng career.
7. What is the man interested in studying nw?
A. Marketing.B. Internatinal trade.C. Graphic design.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
8. Why des Emma make the phne call?
A. T ask fr a ride.B. T cancel a date.C. T make an invitatin.
9. What day is it tday?
A. Tuesday.B. Wednesday.C. Thursday.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
10. What is Angela ding?
A. Attending a lecture.B. Reading a newspaper.C. Surfing the Web.
11. Hw lng are the stne highways in ttal?
A. 110 miles.B. 200 miles.C. 417 miles.
12. What were the Maya previusly thught t be?
A. Farmers.B. City builders.C. Hunter-gatherers.
13. What is Angela ging t d next Tuesday?
A. Visit Maya ruins.B. Give a presentatin.C. Talk t a scientist.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
14. Wh shuld the speakers get infrmatin frm first?
A. Mr. Black.B. Miss Smith.C. Miss Wright.
15. On which flr is the cllege ffice?
A. The first flr.B. The secnd flr.C. The third flr.
16. Why des the wman need t g t the library?
A. T meet Miss Smith.B. T prepare fr a math test.C. T have sme cffee.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
17. Hw many peple tell their disagreement t the dctr?
A. Abut 1/3.B. Less than 2/3.C. Over 4/5.
18. Why did thse peple refuse t be straightfrward?
A. They didn’t want t be criticized.
B. They didn’t trust their dctrs.
C. They hated t face bad results.
19. What kind f peple was the secnd grup made f?
A. Kids.B. The middle-aged.C. Old peple.
20. Hw des the study’s first authr feel abut the results?
A. Angry.B. Unsurprised.C. Wrried.
第二部分：阅读（共两节，满分50分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2.5分，满分37.5分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项 (A、B、C和 D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Ever thught abut enjying life in Nice with a part-time jb? We’ve been teaching English in Nice t French children since 2008. It’s nt just any ld traditinal teaching psitin — there wn’t be any grammar exercises in sight! Our unique methd wrks by creating a “bubble f English” fr the children at hme as part f their daily rutine, s that as they play, d puzzles, draw, have fun, and learn tgether with their instructrs, the children begin t pick up English as they wuld their native language.
The essential infrmatin abut the jb:
● It’s part-time: we build yur schedule arund what’s best fr yu in the lcatin that wrks best fr yu.
● The best pay rate in the industry:12.81€-20.90€/hur.
● Wrk with children and their family: becme part f a lcal family’s rutine and gain a super rewarding insight int French life and culture, as well as a great bnd with them.
● Get experience: yu’ll get teaching experience that will be valuable n yur CV r resume fr the rest f yur wrking life!
The requirements fr all applicants;
● Be a native English speaker r have native-level fluency.
● Be aged 18 r ver.
● Have sme experience wrking with children (things like tutring, childcare, r wrking at summer camps are all great!)
● Be staying fr at least a whle semester r 3 t 4 mnths (the kids will get attached!)
● Be kind, creative, keen and respnsible!
● Remember, yu dn’t need t have any prir teaching experience r French skills!
Fill ut ur nline applicatin tday! It takes 10 minutes t tell us a bit abut yurself and then yur applicatin will g right thrugh t ur lvely recruitment team.
21. What d we knw abut this jb?
A. It practices learning by ding.B. It is dne n a fixed schedule.
C. It requires teaching experience.D. It emphasizes repeated exercises.
22. Wh can be the mst suitable persn fr this jb?
A. A traveler staying in France fr ne mnth.
B. A British graduate with childcare experience.
C. A French speaker with teaching qualificatins.
D. An exchange student interested in French culture.
23. Where is this passage prbably frm?
A. A childcare advice blg.B. A travel guide abut Nice.
C. A jb advertisement website.D. A language learning textbk.
B
Friends Yuri Williams and Rdney Smith Jr. spend the weeks leading up t Christmas crssing the cuntry. They visit kids wh are sick r disabled, arriving with plenty f tys. In past years, Williams has dressed as varius superheres, while Smith dresses up as a Christmas fairy.
Thugh Williams has been spreading jy this way fr years, the stimulus came frm a jyless place. In 2009, he lst his mther t cancer and fell int a five-year depressin. But he dug himself ut by hnring his mther’s memry thrugh charitable acts, including cllecting gifts fr children with special needs. Williams launched his nnprfit, A Future SuperHer and Friends, in 2018. His gal is t bring smiles t children with health challenges, including thse fighting life-threatening cnditins.
“He was the first persn t put a smile n AJ’s face,” says Katrina Mrris abut her sn, wh was diagnsed with cancer at the age f tw. “I will never frget that day.”
Williams and Smith start their gift-giving jurney by driving thrugh the 48 states befre flying t Alaska and Hawaii. Alng the way, they stck up n tys, funded by dnatins thrugh the Future SuperHer website. Peple nminate families fr the pair t visit by filling ut an nline frm, explaining why the family deserves a visit. But they ften dip int Williams’s wn savings as well. Even mre imprtant than the gifts they bring, Williams and Smith spend time with the peple wh need it mst — and that’s nt just the children. “The parents seem mre excited than the kids smetimes,” Williams tld KTVQ News after a visit t Billings, Mntana, last year.
The pair say they want t make sure families facing tugh battles never feel alne. It’s what keeps them ging, even when they barely get any sleep in the prcess. “Every day, I get t wake up and d what I lve,” Smith says. “I can’t g wrng with that.” “I dn’t lk t get paid t d this,” Williams adds. “It’s just healing fr me fr lsing my mther, just keeping her name alive by ding this.”
24. What mtivated Willams t start his charitable wrk?
A. The need f relieving his depressin.
B The wish t inspire thers t vlunteer.
C. The desire fr hnring his late mther.
D. The hpe f gaining supprt fr his nnprfit.
25. What des the underlined wrd “nminate” in paragraph 4 prbably mean?
A. Favur.B. Invite.C. Register.D. Recmmend.
26. Why d Williams and Smith spend time with families during visits?
A. T deliver gifts t children.
B. T make the families feel cared fr.
C. T understand the families’ struggles.
D. T raise mney fr their rganizatin.
27. Hw des Williams feel abut his wrk?
A It is exhausting and brings him mney.
B. It is challenging and makes him scial.
C. It is cmfrting and gives him purpse.
D. It is enjyable and wins him friendship.
C
Plar bears have a hidden-in-plain-sight superpwer that has lng been knwn t Indigenus peples f the Arctic, but nly nw has been nticed and studied by scientists.
Bdil Hlst at the University f Bergen in Nrway is a physicist wh studies the prperties f surfaces. Her interest in plar bear fur began when, while watching a TV quiz prgramme, she saw that the bears hardly shw upn infrared (红外线的) cameras because they are s well insulated (被隔热的). That means the temperature f their uter fur is belw freezing, Hlst realised, but she had never seen a plar bear in wildlife films that was cated with ice, even after swimming in sub-zer waters. “And then I thught, well, hw cme freezing is nt a prblem?” she says.
This is, after all, a prblem fr many ther land mammals in cld envirnments. Hlst asked researchers at the Nrwegian Plar Institute if they knew why plar bear fur desn’t ice up. Nne did, but they decided t investigate tgether. Hlst and her clleagues btained samples f plar bear fur frm the wild and cmpared them with human hair. They fund that the frce required t remve ice frm plar bear hair was a quarter f what was needed fr human hair.
Washing plar bear fur remved its ice resistance, suggesting that the ily cating n the hairs, knwn as sebum (皮脂), is the key t its prperties. This substance lacks squalene (角鲨烯) but cntains sme unusual fatty acids which culd be unique t plar bears, but we need further studies t lk at the cmpsitin f animal sebum, says Hlst.
Arctic peples have traditinally used the fur in ways that make use f its ice-resistant prperties. Fr instance, Inuit hunters in Greenland have placed small pieces f plar bear fur under the legs f the benches t stp them sticking t ice. They als strapped plar bear fur t the sles f bts while tracking animals, t avid the nise made by ice-cated surfaces.
Hlst’s team is nw explring ptential applicatins, such as creating envirnmentally friendly ski waxes that cntain n lng-lasting flurcarbn (碳氟化合物) currently used t prevent icing. A hair wax based n plar bear sebum culd als help peple wh wrk in cld envirnments. “I had nt thught abut that applicatin, but abslutely, that shuld wrk,” says Hlst.
28. What made Hlst curius abut plar bear fur?
A. Plar bear’s lw inner bdy temperature.
B. Plar bear’s invisibility n infrared cameras.
C. Plar bear’s resistance t sub-zer envirnments.
D. Plar bear’s appearance in a TV quiz prgramme.
29. Hw did Hlst and her clleagues carry ut their research?
A. By keeping track f plar bears in the Arctic.
B By cntrasting plar bear fur with human hair.
C. By remving plar bear fur’s warming functin.
D. By bserving Arctic peples using plar bear fur.
30. What cntributes t the ice resistance f plar bear fur?
A. Its physical prperties.B. Its similarity t human hair.
C. Its ily cating called sebum.D. Its unique squalene cmpsitin.
31. Which f the fllwing is the ptential applicatin f plar bear fur?
A. Designing nn-stick bts.B. Making nise-reducing cats.
C. Creating heat-resistant benches.D. Develping ice-free hair prducts.
D
Peple have been using OpenAI’s GPT-4 t generate Ghibli-style illustratins, landscapes, prtraits and even events frm histry and current affairs. While it may seem entertaining, it culd be a key test fr (版权) 。
Unlike with sme previus AI cntrversies, the cmpany is nt prmising t add new cntrls t stp its generatr frm ripping ff (窃取) an artistic style r t stp peple frm using cntrversial subjects. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s nly cncern seems t be the stress it’s putting n the cmpany’s GPUs as the number f weekly active users rse by 11%. “It’s super fun seeing peple lve images in ChatGPT... But ur GPUs are melting,” he wrte.
Like sme ther cmpanies, OpenAI applied restrictins in previus versins f its AI image generatrs t prevent imitatins f the styles f living artists r the prtraits f real peple. but GPT-4’s ability t clearly imitate the Ghibli style wuld appear t suggest OpenAI has cast such measures aside.
In a technical paper, OpenAI claims that it’s still taking a “cnservative apprach” t image rights by including a refusal that activates “when a user attempts t generate an image in the style f a living artist”. But it seems it’s nw nly applying that t individual artists, nt studis. S while GPT-4 shuld, in thery, refuse t generate an image if the prmpt (提示词) asks fr the style f Hiya Mayazaki, it will accept a prmpt that asks fr the style f Studi Ghibli.
The change is curius given that cmpanies can als wn and they’re mre likely t have the resurces t be able t take legal actin. It may be that OpenAI believes that it wuld be mre difficult fr a studi t prve wnership ver a style. Legal experts argue that a “style” cannt be cpyrighted, s the questin is whether GPT-4 images use elements f existing wrks f art.
OpenAI nw has license arrangements with sme cmpanies t allw it t use their cntent t train its AI mdels. There has been n statement frm either OpenAI r Studi Ghibli abut whether this is the case.
32. What is Sam Altman’s wrry abut GPT-4?
A. Its impact n issues.B. Its GPU pressure frm user grwth.
C. Its inability t cntrl the art imitatin.D. Its failure t blck cntrversial tpics.
33. What restrictin des GPT-4 apply t images?
A. It frbids cpying studi styles.B. It bans imitating specific living artists.
C. It limits the number f images per day.D. It prevents the artwrks f real peple.
34. Why is GPT-4’s generatin f Ghibli-style images allwed?
A. Studi Ghibli can hardly prve its .
B. OpenAI has agreements with Studi Ghibli.
C. Ghibli-style images bst user engagement.
D. Studi Ghibli desn’t take any legal actin.
35. What is the passage mainly abut?
A. GPT-4 raises art issues.
B. OpenAI faces tech challenges with GPT-4.
C. OpenAI remves all restrictins n AI imagery.
D. AI-generated art is dminating the artistic wrld.
第二节（共5小题；每小题2.5分，满分12.5分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Yu chse t eat healthily. Yu integrate physical activity int yur daily rutine, and yu manage t get a gd night’s sleep. ____36____
In 1938, a lng-term study started t find ut what makes a happy life. It fllwed tw grups f men ver the curse f their lives: Harvard cllege students and pr yung men frm Bstn. ____37____ S far it has fund where yu’re frm, hw much mney yu make, r whether yu g t a gd schl isn’t as imprtant as yur clse relatinships.
Scial cnnectin keeps yu healthy and happy. We have a strng desire t belng, t be part f a grup. Scial cnnectin keeps us safe. Frm an evlutinary perspective, we were less likely t get picked ff by a hunter. ____38____ They reduce the risk f lneliness r develping depressin. We als need t be nticed and understd. A smile, a hell, r even eye cntact can shw thers that yu see them.
____39____ When we stay with friends, ur brain releases xytcin, a “trust hrmne” that makes us feel safe and builds trust. Giving yur full attentin t thers makes them feel valued and cnfident, which strengthens yur bnd.
Nurturing friendships starts with yu. Despite being busy, there are sme ways: plan regular vide calls with friends, say “thank yu” ften, and be the first t arrange meetings. ____40____ Remember, the value f friendship lies in small, caring actins. Cherish the time with thse wh matter, and lk fr every chance t cnnect.
A. It is still cntinuing tday.
B. The same envirnment creates trust.
C. But friends make the biggest difference in life.
D. Science explains the pwer f clse friendships.
E. Simple mments tgether can deepen yur relatinship.
F. Nw ur friendships prtect us against daily challenges.
G. Yet a study shws scial cntacts ensure success in yur career.
第三部分：语言知识（共两节，满分30分）
第一节：完形填空（共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Richard and his pet finally came tgether after ten year’s waiting. When he received a call frm a ____41____ number with a New Yrk area cde that year, he figured it was an advertising call and ____42____ it. Hwever, when the same number called again, Richard answered. The caller asked, “Did yu use t wn a black-and-white cat?” He indeed had ne named Mimi, wh had been ____43____ fr a decade.
The accident happened in 2012, tw years after Richard ____44____ her. After mre than a year f ____45____ search, he mved t Spain after retirement alne, with thughts f Mimi ften cming int his mind. In 2022, smene brught Mimi t an animal shelter, where wrkers ____46____ her wner thrugh a micrchip n her. They ____47____ Richard, leading t this lng-awaited ____48____.
When Richard first saw Mimi at an adptin center in 2010, he was ____49____ by the black cat with white fur beneath her chin, saying she was “beautiful _____50_____.” In 2012, he left Mimi with a family member, wh _____51_____ left the dr pen and Mimi quietly _____52_____ int the bushes utside and get lst. Depressed, Richard launched a search, _____53_____ leaflets arund and visiting every animal shelter in the district, but in vain.
In 2022, Mimi travelled t Spain with Richard. Thugh _____54_____ initially, she sn settled int her new hme, enjying the evenings n the balcny and sleeping next t her wner. A clse bnd was refrmed between them. “If yu have _____55_____ a ray f hpe fr ten years, yur belved nes will cme back.” Richard said.
41 A. familiarB. specialC. randmD. strange
42. A. returnedB. ignredC. savedD. deleted
43. A. lstB. hiddenC. frgttenD. abandned
44. A. chseB. giftedC. adptedD. purchased
45. A. effectiveB. urgentC. effrtlessD. fruitless
46. A. investigatedB. identifiedC. rememberedD. accused
47. A. emailedB. textedC. phnedD. visited
48. A. intrductinB. departureC. interactinD. reunin
49. A. frightenedB. amazedC. shckedD. inspired
50. A. beynd cmpareB. t an extentC. in mderatinD. n average
51. A. unwillinglyB. ccasinallyC. deliberatelyD. accidentally
52. A. flewB. fellC. slippedD. skipped
53. A. pstingB. hangingC. sharingD. delivering
54. A. distantB. naughtyC. quietD. weak
55. A. passed nB. let g fC. held n tD. given ut
第二节（共10题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
The Inner Mnglia autnmus regin, a vast territry in nrthern China, has recently gained glbal ____56____ (recgnize) fr its eclgical restratin effrts, particularly in the Kubuqi Desert.
Once knwn ____57____ the “Sea f Death”, the desert has becme a mdel fr integrating eclgical restratin with new energy develpment. The Kubuqi mdel integrates slar pwer generatin with agriculture and stck raising, as phtvltaic (光电的) panels ____58____ (use) t prvide cvers that help enhance plant survival and supprt the grwth f drught-resistant crps. This apprach tackles desertificatin, advances ____59____ (renew) energy develpment and helps increase lcal peple’s incme, ____60____ (achieve) multiple benefits at the same time.
The area, ____61____ until 2017 remained largely barren, was cvered by an array f slar panels at the end f last year. In December, the NASA Earth Observatry released satellite images shwing ____62____ has been praised as Kubuqi’s “Slar Great Wall”.
Stretching 400 kilmeters, with ____63____ average width f 5 km, the prject, nce ____64____ (cmplete), will help restre vegetatin (植被) n abut 200,000 hectares f the desert and generate 180 billin kWh f electricity ____65____ (annual), serving as bth a “blue energy wall” and a green eclgical barrier.
第四部分：写作（共两节；满分40分）
第一节（满分15分）
66. 假如你是某国际学校学生李华，鉴于学校大课间单一化的集体运动方式无法满足学生的需求，你给校长写一封英文书信，内容包括：
1．当前的问题；
2．你的想法与期待。
注意：
1．写作词数应为80左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Principal,
I’m Li Hua frm Senir 2.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yurs sincerely,
Li Hua
第二节（满分25分）
67. 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之成为一篇完整的短文。
Brandn was the yungest in his family, and mre than anything, he wished t be treated like a respnsible grwn-up. One afternn, he went t the pet stre with his mther and tw lder brthers, Isaiah and Matt. Isaiah needed fd fr his bunny, and Matt was lking fr a new ty fr his bird. While they wandered thrugh the aisles, Brandn std still in frnt f a large glass tank. Inside, a red-and-blue-striped fish swam gracefully thrugh the water, while tiny bubbles flated up t the surface. Brandn leaned clser t the glass and asked eagerly, “May I have a pet?”
His brthers burst ut laughing. “Yu’re t little,” they said. Even Mm smiled gently and explained that keeping a pet was a big respnsibility. “It takes mre than excitement,” she said. “Yu have t be gentle, neat, and dependable.” Brandn’s face fell fr a mment, but then he std straight. “I can be all thse things,” he insisted.
As sn as they returned hme, Brandn set t wrk. The bedrm he shared with Matt was usually a mess. He picked up his blcks, parked his ty cars neatly, and stacked his bks in rder. He even flded his pajamas and made the bed. Prud f his effrt, he whispered t himself, “I can be neat.”
Later that day, Uncle Jay came ver with his baby cusin Rubie. But Rubie was crying nnstp, her tiny face red and tear-streaked. Brandn knelt beside her blanket and sftly hummed a tune. He hid his face with his hands. “Peekab,” Brandn said, lwering his hands. Rubie stpped crying. When Uncle Jay asked fr her bttle, Brandn hurried t the kitchen, carefully checking the diaper bag. He returned, hlding the bttle upright. Uncle Jay asked Brandn t feed Rubie.
注意：
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Brandn gently held Rubie and kept the bttle steady.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The next afternn, Brandn returned frm schl greeted by a big surprise.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
英语答案
听力
1-5.CBABA
6. C 7. C
8. B 9. A
10. C 11. A 12. C 13. B
14. B 15. C 16. B
17. B 18. A 19. C 20. C
阅读
21. A 22. B 23. C
24. C 25. D 26. B 27. C
28. B 29. B 30. C 31. D
32. B 33. B 34. A 35. A
36. C 37. A 38. F 39. D 40. E
41. D 42. B 43. A 44. C 45. D 46. B 47. C 48. D 49. B 50. A 51. D 52. C 53. A 54. A 55. C
56. recgnitin
57. as 58. are used
59. renewable
60. achieving
61. which 62. what
63. an 64. cmpleted
65. annually
66. Dear Principal,
I am Li Hua frm Senir 2. I am writing t present my thughts abut the cllective physical activity during the mrning break, which currently fails t meet students’ diverse needs.
Currently, jgging and gymnastics are causing a decline in enthusiasm due t lack f engagement. I suggest ffering varied ptins t bst mtivatin. We shuld encurage team sprts like basketball and vlleyball, which many students enjy. Additinally, Tai-chi culd be ffered fr thse preferring gentle exercises, and dancing t lively music culd be a fun release. This wuld imprve fitness and make breaks mre enjyable.
I wuld deeply appreciate it if ur schl culd take these ideas int cnsideratin and create a mre vibrant and inclusive break-time envirnment.
Yurs sincerely
Li Hua
67.
Brandn gently held Rubie and kept the bttle steady. Rubie drank quietly, her eyes lcked n his face. “Yu’re s gentle with her,” Mm whispered, watching frm the drway. Brandn smiled, staring at the tiny white bubbles flating in Rubie’s bttle, remembering his wish and her wrds abut being “dependable.” When Rubie finished, he patted her sftly, earning a nd f apprval frm Uncle Jay. As he handed Rubie back, Mm added, “Yu’ve prven smething tday.” Her tne hinted at a secret, making Brandn’s heart race.
The next afternn, Brandn returned frm schl greeted by a big surprise. Waiting n the table was a small fish tank, bubbling sftly. “Happy early birthday,” Dad said. “Yu’ve shwn us yu’re ready.” Brandn’s eyes widened with jy. He knew exactly which fish he wanted — the red-and-blue-striped ne. The next day, they brught it hme. Every mrning, he fed it and checked the water carefully. Lking at the rising bubbles, Brandn smiled. He had earned mre than a pet — he had earned trust, and taken his first real step tward grwing up.