2025屆浙江省余姚八中英語高三上期末檢測(cè)試題含解析

2025屆浙江省余姚八中英語高三上期末檢測(cè)試題注意事項(xiàng)：1．答卷前，考生務(wù)必將自己的姓名、準(zhǔn)考證號(hào)填寫在答題卡上。2．回答選擇題時(shí)，選出每小題答案后，用鉛筆把答題卡上對(duì)應(yīng)題目的答案標(biāo)號(hào)涂黑，如需改動(dòng)，用橡皮擦干凈后，再選涂其它答案標(biāo)號(hào)?；卮鸱沁x擇題時(shí)，將答案寫在答題卡上，寫在本試卷上無效。3．考試結(jié)束后，將本試卷和答題卡一并交回。第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．Tomakeabreakthroughinhisscientificresearch,thescientisthasbeenmakinga(n)_____amountofeffort.A．modestB．miserableC．optionalD．tremendous2．ManyquestionshavebeenansweredbyJohn.Hemusthavepreviewedthelessonslastnight,____he?A．needn’t B．hasn’t C．didn’t D．mustn’t3．Modestyisakindofgoodquality,whichis______ittakestobeyourpersonalbest.A．what B．where C．which D．when4．—CanIpaythebillbycheck?—Sorry,sir.Accordingtotherulesofourhotel,thepayment______bemadeincash.A．shallB．needC．willD．can5．Havingahobbydoesdogoodtoyou.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatitis______itdrivesyoutomoveforward.A．ifonly B．incaseC．a(chǎn)slongas D．inorderthat6．It'salwaysagoodideatohaveasecondkeysomewhere________youlosethefirstone.A．incase B．nowthatC．eventhough D．a(chǎn)slongas7．—HowdoyoufindyourtriptoSanyaduringthethree-dayNewYearHoliday?—________Ican’tspeaktoohighlyofit.A．Oh,wonderfulindeed!B．It’sawful!C．Don’tmentionit．D．Yousaidit.8．—Alicehasjustlostherhusbandtoheartfailure.—Her______smilecan’thidehersorrow.A．a(chǎn)rbitrary B．a(chǎn)rtificialC．compulsory D．conventional9．Whenallissaidanddone,theredoesn’tseemtobe________amysterytoexplain.A．kindof B．closetoC．farfrom D．muchof10．SheseemstopreferAmericanTVShowstotalkingtome．A．towatch B．tobewatching C．watching D．havingwatched11．Someschools,includingours,willhavetomake________inagreementwiththenationalsoccerreform.A．a(chǎn)musementsB．a(chǎn)djustmentsC．a(chǎn)ppointmentsD．a(chǎn)chievements12．Perhapsyou________stopplayingcomputergamesnow.Yourbossmaybeturningupintheofficeatanymoment.A．will B．must C．should D．can13．I’mtiredout．Istayedupthewholenight,______formymidtermmathexam．A．studying B．tostudy C．tobestudying D．studied14．—Thebatteryinmycellphoneisrunninglow.—Ithatlastnightbeforewewenttobed.A．wasnoticing B．havenoticed C．wouldnotice D．hadnoticed15．—Look!Maryiscrazilylookingforsomethingagain!—_____,shecan’tfindherkeys.A．Typically B．Occasionally C．Accordingly D．Particularly16．TheleadersoftheBRICScountriesFridayreachedimportant________onbuildinganopenworldeconomyandimprovingglobaleconomicgovernance(管理)duringtheirinformalmeetingonthesidelinesoftheG20SummitinHamburg,Germany.A．considerationB．consensusC．commitmentD．confirmation17．Heisn’tsuchaman______heusedtobe.A．who B．whomC．that D．a(chǎn)s18．Allthestudentsarerequiredtochecktheyhavemadesomespellingerrorsintheircompositions.A．whetherB．whatC．thatD．which19．Theordinarypeoplealllookattheintelligentmanwithadmirationbecauseundernocircumstances________tocopewithemergencies.A．hewillfailB．ishefailingC．heisfailingD．willhefail20．Sometimeswehavetofaceembarrassingmoments________wecanonlykeepsilent.A．who B．whichC．when D．why第二部分閱讀理解（滿分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。21．（6分）FollowtheFashion---aNewAgeoftheMacBookProThenewflagshiplaptopscalledtheMacBookProfromApple,availablein13-and15-inchscreensizes,arethinner(0.6inches),lighter(3or4pounds),andfasterthaneverbefore.Thespeakersaremorepowerfulandsoundgreat.Batterylifeis8to10hours,somewhatlessthanthatofpreviousmodels.Besides,they’renotbecominggraduallynarrowerliketheMacBookAir,butthey’rethinnerthantheAirwasatitsthickestpart.That’sright,“was”.TheexistingMacBookAirwillremainavailableforawhile,buttherewon’tbeanymoremodel.ListedinthefollowingaresomeotherappealingfeaturesofthenewMacBookPromodels.ScreenTheMacBookProscreenisamasterpiece.It’ssobright;itcouldlightuparunway.It’saRetinascreen,whichissomethingMacBookAirfanshavewaitedforforever.Thecolorisveryimpressive.Youwilllovesthisscreen.Trackpad（軌跡板）Thetrackpadishuge,twiceaslargeasthepreviousoffering.Itmakesadifferencewhen,forexample,you’repaintinginPhotoshop.KeyboardAllofthenewMacBookPromodelsshareinusingasecond-generationbutterflymechanismkeyboardlikewhat’sfoundonthe12-inchMacBook.Thekeysareveryflatanddon’ttravelmuchatall,whichcanactuallyenableyoutoflywhentyping.1、HowistheMacBookProdifferentfromtheMacBookAir?A．Ithasanarrowershape.B．Ithasamoreadvancedscreen.C．Ithasamorepowerfulbattery.D．Ithasmorecoloroptions.2、WhatcanbelearnedaboutthekeyboardoftheMacBookPro?A．Itsdesignisinspiredbybutterflies.B．ItistailoredfortheMacBookPro.C．Itallowsofanicetypingfeel.D．Itskeysarelargerthantheprevious.3、Whatisthepurposeofthepassage?A．TocomparetheMacBookProwiththeMacBookAir.B．ToexplainwhytheMacBookProisunique.C．TopersuadetheyoungtobuytheMacBookPro.D．TointroducethenewproductfromApple.22．（8分）Myfavoritebook,TheSecretbyRhondaByrne,talksaboutaformulacalled“SFF”whichstandsfor“stoppingfindingfaults”.Iusedtobeacriticalpersonandtriedtofindfaults.IguessIsomehowinheritedthischaracterfrommyfather.Actually,manygoodqualitiesofmyfatherareworthadmiringexceptthis.Myfatheristhepersonwhoconstantlylooksformistakesinotherpeopleandhethinksnooneisperfectintheworld.Hischaractercreatedanegativeatmosphereinmyfamily.Iwasthesameasmyfather,soIoftenfeltangry,disappointed,depressed,andlonelyinschool.AfterIhadreadmyfavoritebookIbegantoseek“goodthings”inotherpeople.Ithascompletelychangedmylife.NowIfeelhappier,Ihavemorefriends,Ihavemoretrustinpeople,andIrealizeeveryonehastheirownstrength!AnotherimportantlessonIgotfromthisbookisthatIshouldalwaysbehavemyselfinapositivemanner.Let’sadmitthatwesometimescomplainaboutoursituation.That’snotgood.“Believeitornot,peopledon’tliketolistentonegativeopinions.”O(jiān)nemorevaluablelessonIgotfromthebookisthatIshouldbeagoodlistener.WhenIwasyounger,IonlywantedpeopletopaywholeattentiontomywordssothatIcouldshowthemhowimportantIwas.Iwasveryproudandwouldshowoffmyachievementsinschoolwithoutconsideringothers’feeling.Ihadveryfewfriendsandmostpeopleconsideredmeasan“arrogant”person.Now,Ifinditmusheasiertomakefriendsaftermakingsomechanges!1、WhydoestheauthorlikethebookTheSecret?A．Becausehe’sfoundthesecretofsuccessfromit.B．Becausethebookuncoversthesecretsofhappiness.C．Becausehe’slearnthisfather’scharactersfromit.D．Becauseithelpshimchangehisattitudetowardslife.2、Whatdoyouknowabouttheauthor’sfather?A．Hemakeshissonfeelangryanddisappointed.B．Helikesfindingfaultswithpeoplearoundhim.C．Heseemsacriticalpersonbutinfacteasy-going.D．Hecancreateanegativeatmospherewhennecessary.3、Theunderlinedword“arrogant”probablymeans“______”.A．self-important B．a(chǎn)dmirableC．troublesome D．cold-blooded4、Whatistheauthor’spurposeinwritingthetext?A．Topersuadereaderstobegoodlisteners.B．Tosharehispainfulchangingexperience.C．Totellreaderstheinfluenceofabookonhim.D．Toshowtheresultofhisfather’snegativecharacter.23．（8分）Althoughnotasmuchasinthepast,grandparentsaretheteachersoftheNavajo(納瓦霍人)youth.Theymakeyoungpeopleawareoflifeatanearlyage.Theparentsgrantthemtheprivilegeofteachingthechildren,andthegrandparentstakegreatprideinraisingthechildrenoratleasthavingabigpartinraisingthem.Youngchildrenoftenstaywiththeirgrandparentsforyearsatatime,developingacloseandtrustingrelationship.ThegrandparentsteachthechildrenNavajolegendsandtheprincipleoflife,emphasizingbothnewculturetrendsandthepreservationoftraditions.Thegrandparentsarealsooftentheleadingfiguresinteachingtheyouththeartsofweaving,caringforthelivestock,usingherbalmedicine,andotherartsandcrafts.Thechildrenaretaughttorespecttheirelders,tocareforthem,tohelpthemwhenevertheyareinneed,andtolearnfromthem.Youngpeopleareurgedtolistenwithcaretothewordsoftheireldersandtokeepasmuchwisdomaspossible.Grandparentsoftengotosocialgatheringsandtraditionalevents,andtheyounghaveopportunitiestolearnmoreabouttheircultureandtraditions.Ilivewithmygrandmotherforthirteenyears,andsheraisedmeintheoldwaysofourpeople.AlthoughIwasgoingtoschool,shetaughtmeasmuchasshecouldaboutourtraditions.Shewasabeautifulwoman.IfIhadachance,Iwouldlistenagaintoherwiseteachings,expressedwithkindnessinasoftvoicethattouchedmyheart.Weusedtoplantcornandpumpkineverysummer.Theynevergrewbigenoughtofeedus,butweplantedthemanyway.Iaskedmygrandmotherwhy.Shesaid,“Grandson,ourplantswillbefarmorebeautifulthantheflowersoutsidethefence.”IdidnotunderstanduntilonedayIsawtheirbeautyasIwascomingoverthehillwithher.Shesaid,“Anythingthatisapartofyouisalwaysfarmorebeautifulthanthethingswhichyoupassby.”Wehadsomebeautifulyearstogether.IamgladsheisapartofmeandIamapartofher.Childrenusedtobewelldisciplined,possessingmorerespectforculture,tradition,andbeliefsthantheydonow.TheworldoftheNavajohasbeeninfluencedbythewesternworld,andthegrandparentshavelesscontrolandinfluencethantheyusedto.Buttheyoungpeoplewhohavebeentouchedbytheirteachingshaveglimpsedawayoflifebeyondwhatmostpeopleknowtoday.1、WhatcanwelearnfromParagraph1?A．Parentshatetotakethetroubletoraisechildren.B．SchoolsarenotverypopularwiththeNavajoyouth.C．Grandparentsareusuallyunwillingtoteachtheirgrandchildren.D．Childrenlearnaboutthemeaningoflifefromtheirgrandchildren.2、Whydidtheauthor’sgrandmotherplantcornandpumpkin?A．Becauseshehatedwildflowers.B．Becausesheneededtofeedherfamily.C．Becauseshetriedtomakeherfencemorebeautiful.D．Becauseshewantedhergrandsontolearnalifelesson.3、What’stheauthor’sopinionaccordingtothepassage?A．Grandparentsarethesourceoftraditionalculture.B．Hisgrandmother’steachingcouldreplaceschooling.C．ThewesternworldishardlyinfluencedbytheNavajos.D．Itisimpossibletogetgrandparentsinvolvedinteachingagain.4、What’sthepurposeofthearticle?A．Tohonortheauthor’sgrandmother.B．TosharewithreadersaNavajoculture.C．ToemphasizethegreatnessofNavajo.D．TointroducethedevelopmentofNavajotribes.24．（8分）Twoyearsago，DimasAliprandiandEltonPlasterdidn’tknowofeachother’sexistence．Thentheylearnedtheyhadbeenswitchedatbirthbymistakemorethan20yearsago．Thediscoverydidn’tbringbitterness．Rather，itledtothecreationofabiggerfamily.ThechainofeventsstartedwithDimas，whowasalwayswonderingwhyhedidnotlooklikethefoursistershegrewupwith．Hewas14whenhisdoubtsgrewafterwatchingaTVnewsreportonbabiesgettingswitchedatbirthbecauseofmistakesathospitals．HewantedtodoaDNAtest，butitwastooexpensiveforthefamily．Adecadelater，Dimasdiditonhisown．TheDNAtestshowedthathewasnotthebirthsonofthemanandwomanwhohadraisedhim．Thenewswasashockforhisparents．Theyatfirstrefusedtobelievetheresults，buteventuallydecidedtohelphimlookforhisbiologicalparents．ThesearchbeganattheMadreReginaProtmannHospitalwhererecordswerechecked．ThehospitalsearcheditsrecordsandfoundEltonPlasterwasbornthereonthesameday．TherecordsledDimastothe35-acrefarmwherePiasterlived，withhisparents，NilzaandAdelson，inthetownofSantaMariadeJetiba，about30milesfromtheAliprandihomeinJoaoNeiva．Aftertests，thePlastersdiscoveredthatEltonwasthebiologicalsonofthemanandwomanthatDimashadbeencallingMomandDadfor24years．Meanwhile，thecoupleElton，hadalwaysregardedashisbiologicalparentswereDimas’parents.Aboutayearago，AliprandiandtheparentswhoraisedhimacceptedanofferfromthePlasterstomovetotheirfarm，wheretheybuiltahome．“Thisisthewayitshouldbe，”AdelsonPlasterrecentlytoldGloboTV．“WearealltogetherandInowhavetwosonslivingandworkinghere．”1、Whowasthefirsttodiscoverthebabyswitch?A．EltonPlaster．B．DimasAliprandi．C．GloboTV．D．Thehospital．2、WheredotheAliprandisnowlive?A．InSaoPauo．B．InJoaoNeiva．C．InMadreReginaProtmann．D．InSantaMariadeJetiba．3、WhatdidtheAliprandisdowhentheyknewaboutthebabyswitch?A．TheytookanotherDNAtest.B．Theyswitchedthehospital’srecords.C．TheyhelpedDimasfindhisbirthparents.D．TheywenttoGloboTVformoreinformation.4、WhoareEltonPlaster’sbiologicalparents?A．TheAliprandis．B．ThePlasters．C．DimasandElton．D．NilzaandAdelson．25．（10分）Whenmostpeoplethinkoftheword,“brand”,theythinkoftheNikeSwoosh,Ford“blueoval,”McDonaldsGoldenArches,orthe“StateFarmisThere”jingle.Theyknowwhattheywillgetwithawellbrandedproductorserviceaspromised.ThinkofVolvo,forinstance,andyourfirstthoughtsareprobablysomethinglike“wellbuilt,comfortable,Swedish”and,mostofall,“safety”.Soabrandisalotmorethanalogo,icon,orslogan.Catchyasitmaysound,itisn’tthe“brand”inthetruesense—anditcertainlyisn’twhatmakesthebrandvaluable.Acompany’sbrandisapromise.It’sadescriptionofthecompany’scharacter.Tosomeextent,it’samission;it’showthecompanycreatesanddeliversvalue.Also,it’sthefeelingthecompanyconveystoitsstakeholders.Successfulbrandsmeetvariouschallengesandconsistentlydeliverontheirpromises,whichishowtheycreatebrandvalue.Toillustrateit,herearesomebrandpromisesfromthreehighlysuccessful,world-widebrands:TheNFL:“Tobethepremiersportsandentertainmentbrandthatbringspeopletogether,connectingthemsociallyandemotionallylikenoother.”Coca-Cola:“Toinspiremomentsofoptimismanduplift.”VirginAtlantic:“Tobegenuine,fun,contemporary,anddifferentineverythingwedoatareasonableprice.”Interesting.Innoneoftheabovecasesdoesthebrandpromisedescribewhatthesecompaniesdoorprovide.TheNFL’sbrandpromisesaysnothingaboutfootball.Coca-Coladoesn’ttalkaboutprovidingthebestsoftdrinksintheworld.AndVirginAtlantic’spromisegoesalotfartherthanseatingpassengersinitsaircrafts.Ofcourse,apromiseisnowherenearenough.Thepromisealongwithlook,personality,time,money,andhardworkcombinedcaneventuallyhelptobuildandmaintaingreatbrandsandacquireaspecialpatina(光澤)ofwhatIcall“me”appeal,showingmypersonalappetite.Applehasthatpatina.Allofthiscanleadtosub-brands,likeiPhoneandiPadwhichacquirethegloryoftheparentbrand.Sometimesabrandismemorablebecauseoflittlethings.TDBankhasaspecialplaceintheirbranchesforyoutodepositallthosecoinsyoucollectinjars.ItiscalledthePennyArcadethatturnsdepositingyourcoinsintoafungameinwhichyoucanevenwinprizes.Yearsago,DimeSavingsBankinNewYorkhadasmalldime(十分硬幣)carrier.Itwasgiventokidsandthenthey’dfillupits50slots(投幣口)withadimeineachoneandbringittoexchangefora$5bill.1、Whatcanweknowfromthefirst2paragraphs?A．Peopletendtobelieveintopbrandsbecausetheydeliverwhatispromised.B．WellbrandedSwedishproductsareofgoodqualitybutmorecostlythanothers.C．Wellbrandedproductsarefacedwithgreatchallengesofqualitycurrently.D．Acompanyshouldn’tcareaboutlogosbecausetheycan’tmakethebrandvaluable.2、Intheauthor’sopinion,abrandpromiseis___________.A．thecontractbetweenacompanyandthepeoplewhointeractwithitB．theonlywaytobuildandmaintainagreatbrand’svalueC．a(chǎn)descriptionofwhatacompanyactuallydoesforitsconsumersD．a(chǎn)nimportantfactorcontributingtothesuccessofabrand3、Accordingtothepassage,whatisprobably“VirginAtlantic”?A．Afinancialcompany. B．Ahigh-techsoftwareproduct.C．Anairlinecompany. D．Anentertainmentproduct.4、Whatcanbeinferredfromthepassage?A．Buyingacertainbrandsaysnothingaboutthepersonwhobuysit.B．Littlethingscanmeanalotandmakeabrandmemorable.C．Sub-brandsarerelativelyeasytobuildandgeneratehugeprofits.D．DimeSavingsBank’sdimecarriersaredifficultforkidstooperate.第三部分語言知識(shí)運(yùn)用（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿分30分）閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C和D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)．26．（30分）完形填空閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從各題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選春最佳選項(xiàng)。ThejourneymydaughterCathyhashadwithherswimmingisaslongasitisbeautiful.Cathysufferedsometerrible1inherearlychildhood.Afteryearsofregulartreatment,she2becamehealthy.Twoyearsago,whileCathywaswatchingtheOlympics,adreamcameintohersweetlittlehead—tobeaswimmer.Lastsummer,shewantedto3outlocalswimteam.Shepracticedhardandfinally4it.Theteampractice,5wasaroughstart.Shecoughedandchokedandcouldhardly6herfirstfewweeks.Hearinghercoughingbitterlyonenight,Idecidedto7herfromitall.ButCathywokemeupearlynextmorning,wearingherswimsuit8togo!Itoldhersheshouldn’tswimafterawholenight’scoughing,butsherefusedto9andinsistedshego.Fromthatdayon,Cathykeptswimminganddidn’t10asinglepractice.Shehada11intentionwithinherselftobethebestshecouldbe.Myten—year—oldwasgrowingandchangingrightbeforemyeyes,intothis12humanbeingwithapassionandamission.Thereweremomentsof13ofcourse:oftenshewouldbethelastswimmerintherace.ItwasdifficultforCathytoacceptthatshewasn’ta14---ever.Butthatdidn’tstopherfromtrying.Thencamethefinalawardsceremonyattheendoftheyear.Cathydidn’texpectanyawardbutwasstillthereto15herfriendsandpraisetheiraccomplishments.Astheceremonywasnearingtheend,Isuddenlyheardtheheadcoach16,“ThehighesthonorgoestoCathy!”Lookingaround,hecontinued,“Cathyhasinspireduswithher17andenthusiasm.18skillsandtalentsbringgreatsuccess,themostvaluableasset(財(cái)富)onecanholdistheheart.”Itwasthegreatest19ofmydaughter’slife.Withallshehadebeen20inhertenyears,thiswasthehouroftruetriumph(成功).1、A．failure B．pressure C．loss D．illness2、A．usually B．finally C．firstly D．frequently3、A．improve B．train C．join D．contact4、A．increased B．found C．created D．made5、A．however B．therefore C．otherwise D．instead6、A．use B．survive C．save D．waste7、A．pull B．tell C．hide D．fire8、A．a(chǎn)fraid B．nervous C．ready D．free9、A．takeoff B．setoff C．giveup D．showup10、A．a(chǎn)ttend B．miss C．ban D．Start11、A．rich B．weak C．firm D．kind12、A．trusted B．determined C．experienced D．embarrassed13、A．frustration B．delight C．excitement D．surprise14、A．beginner B．learner C．partner D．winner15、A．cheeron B．competewith C．respondto D．runafter16、A．a(chǎn)dmitting B．explaining C．a(chǎn)nnouncing D．whispering17、A．humor B．will C．honesty D．wisdom18、A．Although B．Since C．Once D．Because19、A．discovery B．choice C．influence D．moment20、A．through B．under C．a(chǎn)cross D．a(chǎn)round第二節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿分15分）閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入1個(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或括號(hào)內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）AsItrieddescribingThanksgivingDaytomyin-laws(姻親）inChina,Icouldalreadyseetheireyescloudoverwith1．(confuse)andsensethequestionsarisingintheirminds.SoIattempted2．(translate)theholidaythroughthingstheywerefamiliarwith.Idescribedtheroastturkeyassomethingsimilar3．Beijingduck.IcomparedtheannualThanksgivingshowtothe4．(year)SpringFestivalGala(聯(lián)歡會(huì))onChineseNewYear’sEve.AndIcharacterized5．entirecelebrationasanAmericanversionofWinterSolstice(冬至)inChina.Yetasmuchasmyin-laws6．(nod)andsmiled,Irecognizedthateventheseexplanationswereapoorsubstitute.NowordscouldfullydescribetheThanksgivingcelebrations:IhadknownintheUS.This7．(be)thekindofdisappointmentyoufaceincross-culturalcommunication.Despiteallthedifferences,wecanstillsitdowntogetherandhaveheart-to-heart8．(discussion)abouteachother’straditions.SointhespiritofmyAmericanholiday,Isilentlygaveamomentofthanksfor9．(have)inChinasuchgreatin-laws,10．caredenoughtolistentotheirforeigndaughter-in-lawtalkaboutThanksgivingDay.第四部分寫作（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)短文改錯(cuò)（滿分10分）28．（10分）假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請(qǐng)你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處錯(cuò)誤，每句中最多有兩處。錯(cuò)誤涉及一個(gè)單詞的增加、刪除或修改。增加：在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏詞符號(hào)（∧），并在其下面寫出該加的詞。刪除：把多余的詞用斜線（﹨）劃掉。修改：在錯(cuò)的詞下劃一橫線（___），并在該詞下面寫出修改的詞。注意：1.每處錯(cuò)誤及修改均僅限一詞；2、只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計(jì)分。Mostpeoplelookforwardtotheirbirthdaysbecauseofthepresentstheyreceivethem.Ihavebeengettingmybirthdaypresentsbutnoneofwhichhavebeenremarkablesofar.Myparentsalwaysgivemebookswhichisfinebutnotexciting.Then,onmyseventeenbirthday,Igotthebestbirthdaypresentever.Onthediningtablewasawhiteenvelope.Iopeneditandfindakeyandanote.“Happybirthday,mydearnephew!”waswritt