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绝密★考试结束前
浙江省金砖联盟 2025 学年第一学期期中联考
高二年级英语学科 试题
考生须知：
1. 本卷共 8 页满分 150 分，考试时间 120 分钟。
2. 答题前，在答题卷指定区域填写班级、姓名、考场号、座位号及准考证号并填涂相应数字。
3. 所有答案必须写在答题纸上，写在试卷上无效。
4. 考试结束后，只需上交答题纸。
选择题部分
第一部分 听力（共两节，满分 30 分）
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 has the woman already got?
A. The car. B. The flowers. C. The wedding dress.
2. What does the man remind the woman to do?
A. Throw away the garbage. B. Do the washing. C. Walk the dog.
3. What is the woman going to do?
A. Travel to Japan. B. Take a language test. C. Start new branches.
4. How does the man feel about the woman’s suggestion?
A. Confused. B. Uninterested. C. Excited.
5. What can we learn about Samantha?
A. She is a vegetarian.
B. She ought to go on a diet.
C. She often goes to Le Chou-Heur.
第二节（共 15 小题；每小题 1.5 分，满分 22.5 分）
听下面 5 段对话或独白。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。
听第 6 段材料，回答第 6、7 题。
6. What are the speakers mainly talking about?
A. Employee training. B. A new schedule. C. Work handover.
7. What will the woman do on Wednesday evening?
A. Travel to Sydney. B. Go to the airport. C. Train new employees.
听第 7 段材料，回答第 8、9 题。
8. When will be the first boarding call?
A. At 3:30. B. At 3:00. C. At 4:00.
9. What will the speakers probably do next?
A. Grab a bite. B. Board a flight. C. Continue their waiting.
听第 8 段材料，回答第 10 至 12 题。
10. Why does the woman make the call?
A. To book a flight. B. To make a complaint. C. To check her lost belongings.
11. Where did the woman’s plane leave from?A. Paris. B. Barbados. C. London.
12. What do we know about the woman’s luggage?
A. It was taken by mistake.
B. It was delivered to her home.
C. It was sent to the wrong address.
听第 9 段材料，回答第 13 至 16 题。
13. What is the topic of today’s programme?
A. Urban artistic buildings. B. Graffiti art in Liverpool. C. Some talented artists.
14. Where probably are the speakers?
A. In a studio. B. In a gallery. C. In a street.
15. What can we learn about the graffiti?
A. Betty has mixed feelings about it.
B. Most of it is based on sci-fi.
C. It will be removed soon.
16. What does Betty think of the signature?
A. It brings some life to the area.
B. It needs improvement in design.
C. It makes the building look ugly.
听第 10 段材料，回答第 17 至 20 题。
17. What was the initial “dead line”?
A. A fixed day or time.
B. A frame on a printing press.
C. A boundary around a prison camp.
18. When did the term “deadline” acquire its current meaning?
A. In the 1920s. B. In the mid 1900s. C. In the late 1900s.
19. What do sociologists say about deadlines?
A. They ensure successful management.
B. They cause unnecessary pressure.
C. They serve as motivational tools.
20. What should people do to reduce anxiety during a big project?
A. Request an extension. B. Break the task down. C. Ask for help.
第二部分 阅读理解（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 A、B、C 和 D 四个选项中，选出最佳答案。
A
To some, a water bottle is just a daily item. But When You’re On the Go, This Water Bottle May
Change Your Health!
Studies by the World Health Organization show that over 60% of people fail to meet their daily
hydration needs, often because they forget to drink water or avoid carrying huge, inconvenient bottles.
Dehydration can lead to fatigue, poor focus, and even weakened immune function, issues that slip under
the radar for most busy people.
Not all water bottles are created equal. With countless trendy designs—from vibrant plastic to
minimalist stainless steel—it’s easy to overlook what truly matters: smart hydration support.
But now, research by engineers from the Stanford Center for Health Technology has introduced a
game-changing innovation. This intelligent bottle technology was developed, combining temperature-
sensing tech with gentle reminders to create what’s now known as HydraSmart®.Key Features of HydraSmart®
The Only Water Bottle certified by the International Hydration Association for Accurate Tracking &
Temperature Control. The HydraSense™ System monitors your daily water intake in real time
(connecting to your phone via Bluetooth) and keeps liquids cold for 24 hours or hot for 12—plus it sends
a soft LED reminder when it’s time to sip, so you never miss a drink.
Exclusive Offer
Buy one, get a FREE Hydration Tracker Band! We’ll give you a high-quality HydraSmart® Activity
Band (a $39.99 value) absolutely free—perfect for pairing with your bottle to track steps and hydration
together!
Don’t let a basic bottle hold back your health. Trust your daily hydration to the same science that
keeps athletes and health experts at their best.
21. Why are the studies of the WHO mentioned?
A. To prove that most people don’t like drinking water.
B. To explain the common reasons for buying water bottles.
C. To show the problem of insufficient hydration and its risks.
D. To introduce the standards of healthy water intake set by WHO.
22. What’s the highlight of the product?
A. It greatly encourages sports participation.
B. It promotes academic research in Stanford.
C. It is the first among its kind to be released.
D. It is paired with intelligence and reminders.
23. What type of text is this?
A. A health review. B. An advertisement.
C. A product manual. D. An academic paper.
B
In 1962, a quiet woman from the United States published a book that would change how the world
thought about nature. The book, titled Silent Spring, told a troubling story: if humans continued to use
harmful chemicals (called pesticides) freely, birds might stop singing, rivers might lose their fish, and the
once lively natural world could become “silent”. When the book first came out, many people were
shocked—some even argued against it, especially chemical companies. But over time, its words started a
global conversation about protecting the environment.
The author of this influential book was Rachel Carson. She was born in 1907 in a small town in
Pennsylvania, USA. As a child, Carson spent most of her free time exploring the woods and streams near
her family’s farm. She loved watching birds build nests and collecting small plants, and she often wrote
down her observations in a notebook. Her deep affection for nature from a young age motivated her to
pursue a degree in biology at the university, where she learned how all living things—from tiny insects to
large trees—are connected.
After college, Carson worked as a scientist for the U.S. government, where she studied the ocean and
wrote articles about marine life for a popular magazine. She also published several books about the ocean,
but none gained as much attention as Silent Spring. To write this book, Carson spent four years
researching. She read hundreds of scientific studies and talked to farmers, scientists, and fishermen who
had seen the damage pesticides caused—like birds dying after eating poisoned insects, or fish floating
dead in rivers.
Carson knew her book would face criticism. At that time, pesticides were widely seen as a "miracle"
tool to kill pests and protect crops. But she believed people had a right to know the truth about their
dangers. Even after Silent Spring was published, she continued to speak up for the environment, evenwhen her health was failing. Sadly, she died in 1964, just two years after her book came out. But her work
lived on: Silent Spring led the U.S. government to ban the most harmful pesticides, and it inspired
millions of people to start caring about protecting the planet. Today, she is still remembered as one of the
first people to warn the world about the risks of harming nature.
24. Why did people argue against Silent Spring when it first appeared?
A. It threatened the interests of most industries.
B. It talked about nature, which few people cared about.
C. It was too difficult for ordinary readers to understand.
D. It criticized the use of pesticides, which many supported.
25. What can we infer about Rachel’s childhood?
A. Her hobby markedly impacted her later academic choice.
B. She learned about the harm of pesticides during this period.
C. She was encouraged to study plants and birds by her parents.
D. Her family’s farm was too small to allow her to explore nature.
26. Why did Carson spend four years researching?
A. To work with famous university to test the pesticides.
B. To travel around the world to study all the marine life.
C. To collect enough evidence about the harm of pesticides.
D. To learn how to write a convincing book with scientific support.
27. What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To prove the accuracy of Rachel’s studies.
B. To introduce Rachel Carson and her influence.
C. To describe the process of writing Silent Spring.
D. To explain how pesticides harm the environment.
C
Theatre is one of humanity’s oldest entertainments, and acting is far more than pretense—it demands
fully personifying another character’s personality, emotions, and mannerisms. Yet the neural mechanisms
behind “getting into character” remain poorly understood, with few studies exploring the neuroscience of
role-taking.
Recent research has begun to bridge this gap. A 2019 study published in Royal Society Open Science
used MRI technology to scan method actors as they responded to assumptive questions—first as
themselves, then as their assigned characters. The results revealed a clear pattern: when in character, the
actors showed reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region critical to self-processing. This
finding led researchers to suggest that acting involves suppressing one’s sense of self. Steven Brown, a
cognitive scientist involved in the study, noted this “self-suppression” is a feature of theatrical
performance that has long been understudied, even though childhood pretend play—an early form of role-
taking—is known to be vital for social development.
A 2022 study in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience further supported this. Using wearable brain
imaging tools, researchers found that when actors heard their own names mid-performance, their
prefrontal cortex, which typically lights up at the sound of one’s name, had reduced responses—another
sign that self-awareness is turned down during acting.
Yet this blurring of self and character carries risks. A 2019 literature review found it can lead to
temporary personality shifts or even dissociation, and method acting—known for its immersive approach
—has been linked to mental health challenges. Typical examples include Michael B. Jordan, who
struggled to let go of his Black Panther role, Erik Killmonger, post-filming, and Lady Gaga, who faced
psychological difficulty after being deeply absorbed in her House of Gucci character, Patrizia Reggiani.Today, key gaps persist in understanding acting’s psychological impacts. More neuroscience research
is needed—especially into how acting training shapes the “distance” between actor and character, a factor
that may determine whether the effects on one’s sense of self are short-lived or long-lasting.
28. What can we infer from the 1st paragraph?
A. Acting is basically a form of pretense, focusing on copying.
B. How actors “get into character” has been thoroughly researched.
C. Theatre has a long history as a form of entertainment for mankind.
D. Acting merely requires actors to demonstrate a character’s emotions.
29. What happened to actors’ brain when their own names are called?
A. Its response was reduced.
B. Its activity was stopped.
C. Its response was more active.
D. Its activity remained the same.
30. What risk does the blurring of self and character bring to actors?
A. It may make actors lose interest in their acting careers.
B. It may lead to physical health problems like exhaustion.
C. It may make actors unable to remember their real identities.
D. It may cause temporary personality switches or disconnection.
31. What may influence the effects of acting on one’s sense of self?
A. The type of roles actors play in the film.
B. The time actors spend on a single role.
C. The number of neuroscience studies on the actors.
D. Actor-character “distance” shaped by acting training.
D
You probably already know information about you is leaking—even if you’d rather not think about it.
Your age, your phone number and where you live. What you bought for lunch yesterday, where you went
afterwards and who you stood next to. In the online data market all of that is up for grabs—sliced, and
packaged for purchase.
Given the quantity of data that is now constantly spilling out of us, it makes sense that some privacy
fatigue might have set in. A few years ago I started covering my laptop camera after seeing a photo of
Mark Zuckerberg doing the same thing. If paranoia was good enough for a tech CEO, it was good enough
for me. But it didn’t last. When weather apps are selling your location and webcams are monitoring your
eye movements, why bother?
In fact, why try to hide your data at all when you can be paid for it? Earlier this year a company
called The Generation Lab attempted to set a price for personal information by offering young people an
average of $50 per month to set up a tracker on their mobile phones. The tracker doesn’t keep track of
sensitive information like banking passwords, but pretty much everything else can be harvested. Scrolling
habits, streaming choices and purchases — it’s all fed into a database for real-time analysis.
Is $50 per month a fair price? The British mathematician Clive Humby was the first to come up with
the phrase “data is the new oil” back in 2006. But the marketplace for these goods, which is filled with
private companies such as Fog Data Science, is not clear. Our personal information powers the digital
advertising industry that supports the internet. In return for being monitored, we get targeted adverts and
free online services. What we don’t get is pricing clarity.
Still, right now, $50 is a good deal because we lack the knowledge to come up with a more accurate
price for personal information. But like oil, data is not a one-off deal. Even if you’ve handed out vast
quantities already, there is always more to bargain with, whether its demanding clearer pricing for yourbrowsing habits or choosing which apps get access to your location.
32. What does the underlined phrase “up for grabs” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Ready to be sold. B. Difficult to obtain.
C. Kept secret. D. Easy to lose.
33. What does the author imply about the $50 monthly payment for personal data?
A. It reflects the true market value of most personal information.
B. It is generous, considering the sensitivity of the data collected.
C. It is random for the lack of pricing openness in the data market.
D. It is strictly regulated by federal privacy laws in the United States.
34. What is Clive Humby’s attitude toward $50 per month?
A. Favorable. B. Cautious. C. Negative. D. Unconcerned.
35. What is the best title of this passage?
A. The fair price of personal information.
B. The reason for personal data trade online.
C. The online collection of personal information.
D. The personal data trade and concerning problems.
第二节（共 5 小题；每小题 2.5 分，满分 12.5 分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后的选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选
项。
When you’re exhausted, the thought of putting on gym clothes and pushing yourself to work out can
feel impossible. ___36___ . A new fitness trend has given a fresh name to these super low-intensity
activities: “zone zero” exercise.
___37___ . It generally refers to any activity in which your heart rate stays below half of its
maximum capacity, such as taking an slow walk after dinner, going for an easy bike ride, playing with
your kids or doing light housework.
___38___ If you spend most of your time sitting, even adding a modest amount of movement to your
day can help to improve your health. Over time, moving more step by step and at gradually higher
intensities can improve your balance, muscle strength and endurance, too. Some studies suggest that
people who are completely inactive face a significantly higher death rate compared with those who move
slightly more. If zone zero activity is the only movement in your routine, the experts recommended
incorporating it as often as possible throughout your day. ___39___
Zone zero shouldn’t replace more intense exercise. However, if you regularly exercise at moderate or
high intensities, zone zero training can be a useful complement but not a substitute. ___40___ But on rest
days, it can be a worthwhile form of active rest or recovery.
Don’t overcomplicate it. Giving the activities of everyday life a seemingly formal name may
motivate some people, especially those who have felt excluded from more intense fitness spaces. But the
key point is to increase your daily movement in whatever way feels manageable and sustainable.
A. Less active people may benefit more from zone zero
B. It can also be a helpful start to more intense exercise
C. But a casual walk or a good stretch might not seem out of reach
D. Exercise such as running with a group helps you to be more social
E. Exercise requiring more effort will lead to greater fitness benefits
F. Zone zero training is meant to be so easy that it feels almost effortless
G. The benefits of physical activity go far beyond just physical fitness
第三部分 语言运用（共两节，满分 30 分）
第一节（共 15 小题；每小题 1 分，满分 15 分）阅读下面短文，从每题所给的 A、B、C、D 四个选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Rolling down hills with granddaughters Bailey and Peyton felt like a distant memory, although it was
only a decade ago. I missed those ___41___ moments so in my journal, I wrote down my wishes for a
young person to play with and to help a foreigner to do conversational English. These deep ___42___
reminded me of Robert Frost’s definition of poetry, “A poem begins with a lump in the throat. It is a
reaching-out toward ___43___ ; an effort to find fulfillment.”
At that same time, I needed help with housecleaning. A friend ___44___ Yanet, who was from
Mexico and a single parent with a nine-year-old son Noe and a five-year-old daughter Maria. After
chatting, it was as if my ___45___ fell off the shelf and hit me on the head, so I expressed my wish by
asking if I could help her with English. She agreed happily. Further conversation ___46___ that her son
Noe felt lonely without family nearby. I persuaded him to have a pen pal.
A couple of months later, it was Noe’s birthday. My husband Lee and I ___47___ the family over to
celebrate Noe’s birthday. We sang “Happy Birthday” and Noe ___48___ the candles. Then he looked at
us and said “Will you be our grandparents?”
___49___ by his request, I looked at Lee. “Yes!” we replied ___50___ .
We began spending time with them ___51___ . Lee taught chess to Noe while I played checkers with
Maria. We ___52___ their artworks home and looked at them with pride. We gave them the tennis rackets
the ___53___ grandkids didn’t want and took them to the tennis court. This bond turned my desires into
___54___ , just like Robert Frost’s words about poetry—but it was not a poem but a ___55___ response
to a boy’s request.
41. A. painful B. regretful C. joyful D. hopeful
42. A. longings B. belongings C. surroundings D. savings
43. A. permission B. expression C. possession D. explosion
44. A. employed B. recommended C. interviewed D. instructed
45. A. journal B. granddaughters C. friend D. poetry
46. A. hid B. predicted C. evaluated D. revealed
47. A. forced B. permitted C. invited D. reminded
48. A. blew out B. blew up C. blew off D. blew over
49. A. Acknowledged B. Astonished C. Adopted D. Amused
50. A. for the first time B. at the same time C. for the time being D. from time to time
51. A. apparently B. eventually C. regularly D. gradually
52. A. drafted B. integrated C. combined D. posted
53. A. crucial B. original C. potential D. external
54. A. diversity B. flexibility C. majority D. reality
55. A. passionate B. accurate C. fortunate D. delicate
非选择题部分
第二节（共 10 小题；每小题 1.5 分，满分 15 分）
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1 个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Classical Chinese gardens, whether the imperial ones found in Beijing ___56___ the private
residential gardens in Suzhou, have become top destinations for those who travel the country. The
graceful designs exhibit how the ancient Chinese ___57___ (attempt) to recreate nature in miniature scale
for daily life, using lush plants, hollowed rocks and pavilions, bridges and corridors to pursue peace,
harmony and perfection.
___58___ artist seeks to convey the same feeling when creating Chinese ink paintings. The style is
half realistic, painting landscapes and lives in the real world, and half imagined to highlight ___59___
(one) life ideals and yijing, or artistic conception. At the ink artist Wang Mingming’s exhibition, hecombines these two ___60___ (represent) examples of classical Chinese artistry. The exhibition,
___61___ (run) until Oct 8 in NCPA’s west exhibition hall, displays nearly 100 paintings that Wang has
created in recent years ___62___ (celebrate) the beauty and atmosphere of Chinese gardens, as well as the
philosophical ideas about the relationship between humans and nature in the rich details of garden design.
There is a pursuit ___63___ “emptiness” in both the classic garden design and Chinese painting
tradition through which one is to understand the ___64___ (rich) and rules of the world. Thereafter, as
Wang says, one could enter a spiritual world ___65___ he can express himself through artistic creativity.
第四部分 写作（共两节，满分 40 分）
第一节（满分 15 分）
假设你是李华，你校与英国友好学校将办“线上文化交流周”，英方计划以“中西戏剧讲
座”（Chinese-Western Drama Lecture)为主。请给英方负责人 Mr. Smith 写邮件，内容包括：
1.你的观点；
2.提出建议。
注意：(1)写作词数应为80个左右；(2)请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Mr. Smith,
I’m Li Hua from your Chinese partner school. ______
Yours,
Li Hua
第二节（满分 25 分）
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
Dad and I sat by the canoe, wet from head to toe, our clothes sticking to our bodies. We looked at
each other and smiled. This was how I was now, which was completely different from how I had felt
when I first set out on this trip.
Two months ago, my parents sat me down, sharing their summer plans: a guide-free, two-week canoe
trip through Minnesota’s Boundary Waters. Dad, eyes gleaming, lit up talking about it. But my ideal?
Books, video games, AC. Dad’s? Sweat, water, mosquitoes.
Somehow I ended up here, sweating and slapping mosquitoes every five seconds. And it was only the
second day. Twelve more days to go. We were currently transporting our canoe and luggage overland to
camp.
Mom came around the corner of the trail carrying a large pack. “What are you doing just sitting
there?” she asked. “I needed a break.” “Good idea,” Mom said. She took off her pack, and sat next to me.
“The scenery here is really beautiful, isn’t it?” “It’s hot,” I complained. “And I’m sunburned.”
Just at that moment, a huffing and puffing trailed into our ears. Then Dad swung into view, with a
canoe on his shoulders. “What are you two lazy guys doing?” Dad cried. His voice echoed inside the
canoe. “We have to finish this portage and find a camp all before nightfall. There’s no time for breaks!”
We managed everything for the night, but not without thoroughly ruining my shoes. I was just
settling down to a nice evening of reading. But then Dad had the brilliant idea to fish for dinner. Even
Mom looked skeptical. “But we have plenty of other food to eat.” she said.
“This will be fun,” Dad said. “Come with me, Seth?” “Not really,” I grumbled. “I have a book to
read.” “We’re in nature! You can’t spend the evening reading!” Dad said. “You’re learning to fish
tonight!” With that, he bent down to get a handful of worms, then grabbed a fishing pole from the pile of
gear, setting the line and the hook—all quick, sure moves, like he’d been waiting for this moment all day.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Hesitantly I helped Dad load up the fishing gear.Before either of us could steady the canoe, it tipped hard to one side.
浙江省金砖联盟 2025 学年第一学期期中联考
高二年级英语学科参考答案
第一部分：听力（共 20 个小题；每小题 1.5 分，满分 30 分）
1-5 CBABA
6-10 BBCAC
11-15 BCBCA
16-20 ACACB
第二部分：阅读理解
第一节（共 15 个小题；每小题 2.5 分，满分 37.5 分）
21-23 CDB
24-27 DACB
28-31 CADD
32-35 ACBD
第二节（共 5 个小题；每小题 2.5 分，满分 12.5 分）
36-40 CFABE
第三部分：语言运用
第一节：完形填空（共 15 个小题；每小题 1 分，满分 15 分）
41-45 CABBA
46-50 DCABB
51-55 CDBDA
第二节：语法填空（共 10 个小题；每小题 1.5 分，满分 15 分）
56. or 57. attempted 58. An 59. one’s 60. representative
61. running 62. to celebrate 63. of 64. richness 65. where
第四部分：写作
第一节：应用文（满分 15 分）
（参考范文）
Dear Mr. Smith,
I’m Li Hua from your Chinese partner school. I’m writing to share my views on the upcoming online
cultural exchange week.
I believe centering it on a Chinese-Western Drama Lecture is excellent. As vivid cultural carriers,
dramas let us explore each other’s traditions through comparisons between the two art forms. For the
lecture, I propose playing 3-minute clips of classics like Shakespeare’s Hamlet and China’s The Peony
Pavilion, for visuals elements make abstract plots concrete and keep students engaged. Additionally,
inviting several students from both sides to share character interpretations would add depth, since diverse
cultures bring unique views. Afterward, a 20-minute “mini drama workshop”, where we jointly perform
simple lines, can boost interaction and enliven the exchange.
Looking forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
第二节：读后续写（满分 25 分）
（参考范文）Hesitantly I helped Dad load up the fishing gear. The path covered with pine needles that crunched
softly under our boots, the unique scent of the forest soothed my nerves. We pushed the canoe into the
lake together. He fixed my line first, then guiding my hand to grip the pole. “Keep it loose but steady,” he
instructed, his palm warm over mine. I cast awkwardly, the hook splashing too close, but he laughed and
showed me again as his line sailed out. During the waiting, an unknown bird called distant, and the sun
tinged the sky pink. Then stirred my pole! “Hold on tight!” Dad urged. Adrenaline surging through my
vein, I leaned too far forward in my excitement. Dad scrambled across to catch me, his hand wrapping
around my arm to pull me back. But his sudden movement shifted the canoe’s weight, and we both froze
as the boat began to tip.
Before either of us could steady the canoe, it tipped hard to one side. I exclaimed as I lost my grip on
the pole, and Dad’s arm slipped from mine. We both went over the side, crashing into the lake with a loud
splash. No sooner had I surfaced, wiping water from my eyes, than Dad popped up beside me. “Guess we
should’ve practiced balancing first!” he teased. The fish was long gone, but I didn’t care—the cool water
felt incredible on my sunburn, an welcoming break from the day’s heat. The tiny fish darting between my
toes brought a silly, unexpected joy. We swam to shore, dragging the canoe behind us, our clothes
dripping but our smiles wide. By the time we reached camp, Mom had a fire crackling, the smell of
grilled sausage and pine smoke wrapping around us. I looked up at the bright and endless star-dotted
velvet. Perhaps the next twelve days wouldn’t be so bad after all.
