Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was greatly surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!
1.The text is mainly about __________.
A. a strange man
B. an unusual party
C. how roller skating began
D. how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century
2.People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he __________.
A. was full of imagination
B. was a gifted musician
C. invented the roller skates
D. often gave others surprises
3.Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to __________.
A. show his skill in walking on wheels
B. arrive at the party sooner
C. test his invention
D. impress the party guests
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Don’t be surprised if you see a group of people dancing or shouting on the square. They are a flash mob (快闪族). Confused by their name? Actually, a flash mob, organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communications networks, is a group of people who gather suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a period of time, such as exchanging books, coming together to look at the sky, waving their hands and shouting something at the top of their lungs for 30 seconds, and then quickly disappear before the police can arrive.
Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob gathered on June 3, 2003 at Macy’s department store involving 100 people gathering on Macy’s Department Store. Following this, about 200 people flooded the lobby of the Hyatt hotel, applauding in one voice for fifteen seconds, and next participants pretending to be tourists on a trip invaded a shoe shop in Soho. A later mob saw hundreds of people in Central Park making bird noises.
Wasik claimed that he created flash mobs as a social experiment designed to tease hipsters (追逐时尚的人), and highlight the cultural atmosphere of agreement and of being part of “the next big thing”. Many web logs, chat rooms and Web groups are devoted to the craze. Though flash mobs were originally regarded as useless, the concept has already developed for the benefit of political and social events. Flash mobbing takes advantage of the efficiency of communicating information on Websites and by email, and protesters can similarly use the “on and off” concept to be involved in political events. Such flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock or frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place. They also have enormous economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product.
The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular. People use it to do many things. For example, in 2009, hundreds of Michael Jackson’s fans took part in a flash mob to remember him, gathering outside the railway station in Liverpool, singing and dancing Michael’s famous song, beat it together. In another example, some people took part in a flash mob to warn people against negative words. Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory.
1. A flash mob is most likely to .
A. give out leaflets of a brand bicycle to the passers-by
B. gather in public places performing and leave quickly
C. plan to go mountaineering on the first day of Horse Year
D. sit for days in front of the city hall for higher wages
2.According to the passage, what contribute(s) most to the popularity of the flash mob?
A. Harper’s Magazine B. the government
C. political events D. digital networks
3.The purpose of the writing is .
A. to amuse and interest B. to argue and advise
C. to describe and introduce D. to question and comment
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
There are many older people in the world and there will be many more. A limeknown fact is that over 60 percent of the older people live in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization，by 2020 there will be 1 billion，with over 700 million living in developing countries.
It is a surprising fact that the population ageing is particularly rapid in developing countries. For example，it took France 115 years for the proportion of older people to double from 7 percent to 14 percent. It is estimated（估计） to take China a mere 27 years to achieve this same increase.
What are the implications（暗指） of these increased numbers of older folk？One of the biggest worries for governments is that the longer people live，the more likelihood there is for diseases and for disability. Attention is being paid to the need to keep people as healthy as possible，including during old age，to lessen the financial burden on the state.
Another significant problem is the need for the younger generations to understand and value the older people in their society. In some African countries，certainly in Asia，older people are respected and regarded as the ones with special knowledge. Yet traditions are fading away daily，which does not ensure the continued high regard of older people. As society changes, attitudes will change.
Much needs to be done to get rid of age discrimination (歧视) in employment. Lifelong learning programs need to be provided to enable older people to be active members in a country’s development.
Social security policies need to be established to provide adequate income protection for older people. Both public and private schemes are vital in order to build a suitable safety net.
To achieve equality in such matters will take considerable time and effort. One thing is sure：there is no time to be lost.
1.The proportion（比例）of older people________.
A. is bigger in developed countries than in developing countries
B. is one seventh of the population in developing countries
C. will increase much faster in China than in France
D. will be sixty percent in developing countries by 2020
2.According to the passage，which of the following are governments most worried about?
A．The diseases and disability of older people.
B．The longer life and good health of people.
C．The loss of taxes on older people.
D．The increasing respect for older people.
3.Which of the following measures is NOT mentioned to solve the population ageing problem?
A．Getting rid of age discrimination in employment.
B．Ensuring adequate income protection for older people.
C．Providing free health care for sick older people.
D．Supplying lifelong learning programs to older people.
4.The author concludes in the last paragraph that________.
A．governments have spent lots of time in solving the ageing problem
B．population ageing is a hard problem，but it needs to be solved urgently
C．people are too busy to solve the population ageing problem
D．much time and effort will be lost in solving the ageing problem
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
根据内容, 从对话后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有两项多余选项。
There are many reasons for people to study abroad. One is that you can have the chance to make yourself know about the culture of the place. Although we humans belong only to the same one species, we are divided into several races. 1. .And when countries are divided by oceans, naturally the way of life in that country is different from ours.
Once you are studying in a foreign country, you will slowly learn to speak the language of the place.__ 2.___If you want to ask for directions or if you are lost, it can be of great help.
3.____If you study in such places as Spain and the Philippines, there are lots of foreign sights to see.
Studying abroad will also give you the chance to experience a totally different curriculum(课程). 4. .
Studying abroad is also a memory that can be valued for a lifetime. 5.____Once you have made friends with your classmates, I’m pretty sure you will enjoy being with them in your hang-outs, in your parties, and even in helping out with each other’s homework.
A. This is an opportunity to make friends from other races.
B. Studying abroad also offers an opportunity to travel.
C. Different countries have different cultures.
D. A college course in the UK, for example, is not similar to the one we have here.
E. Learning the native language of the place can also greatly help you to go around.
F. English is spoken as a third language in many countries.
G. There are Africans, Europeans, Asians and etc.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
This past Thanksgiving Day the boss of the company I work for decided to serve a Thanksgiving meal for the poor. I couldn't ________ this and decided that I wanted to ________ ! I could deliver foods and send out my smile card.
I arrived at my ________ around 11 and found a line of families waiting outside the doors. I wasn't sure ________ I wanted to give my card to because there were so many people there ________ I knew I wanted to give it to a mother.
I served ________ table plates of turkey with all the fixings and slices of pumpkin pie for desert. Everyone was so happy and honestly seemed ________ for what my co-workers and I were doing.
At my last ________ there was an older lady with about eight kids. She looked tired, but ________ that her children were ________ . Smiling at her, I exchanged a few words ________her and knew that she was a foster mom(养母) and that ________ she would have liked to cook at home she couldn't __________it because of the size of her family. She then thanked me for ________ time with my family to serve hers.
She burst ________ a smile and gave me a hug__________ .I gave my smile card to her.
At the end of the day I didn't think about how I gave up time with my ________ to do this because I got so ________ out of this special and unforgettable experience, ________ made me so incredibly thankful for ________ I have and I now realize it is important to give back, and not just on the holidays.
1.A. escape B. accept C. forget D. miss
2.A. ignore B. sign C. help D. take
3.A. factory B. company C. home D. farm
4.A. what B. when C. who D. where
5.A. but B. so C. and D. while
6.A. an amount of B. a number of C. the series of D. the number of
7.A. thankful B. regretful C. confused D. amused
8.A. round B. table C. turn D. desk
9.A. surprised B. upset C. happy D. curious
10.A. sitting B. singing C. laughing D. eating
11.A. with B. for C. about D. over
12.A. in case B. as though C. even if D. so that
13.A. pay B. think C. succeed D. afford
14.A. putting up B. giving up C. taking up D. making up
15.A. in B. out C. onto D. into
16.A. hardly B. slightly C. carefully D. immediately
17.A. family B. friend C. boss D. co-workers
18.A. much B. little C. many D. few
19.A. as B. which C. what D. it
20.A. something B. somebody C. everything D. Everybody
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
课文填空
This gift was the Amber Room, 1. was given this name because several tons of amber were used to make it. The amber which was 2. had a beautiful yellow-brown colour like honey. The design of the room was in the fancy 3. popular in those days. It was also a treasure 4._ with gold and jewels, which took the country' s best artists about ten years to make.
However, the next King of Prussia, Frederick William I, to whom the amber room 5. , decided not to keep it. In 1716 he gave it to Peter the Great. In return, the Czar sent him a 6. of his best soldiers. So the Amber Room became part of the Czar' s winter palace in St Petersburg. About four metres long, the room served as a small 7. hall for important visitors.
However, some of the Nazis secretly 8. the room itself. In less than two days 100,000 pieces were put inside twenty-seven wooden boxes. There is no 9. that the boxes were then put on a train for Konigsberg, which was at that time a German city on the Baltic Sea. After that, what happened to the Amber Room 10. a mystery.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
语法填空
Yesterday was my 18th birthday. As Father and Mother thought it was a big occasion for me，they suggested I 1. (hold) a birthday party at home to celebrate it. For several days they had been busy 2. (prepare) for this. By 4 o’clock I was pleased to see all my friends had come 3. a lot of beautiful presents. Mother cooked us a big meal.
We 4. (spend) a wonderful night together, eating and talking 5. (happy). The most exciting moment was when Mother put a big birthday cake on the table and all my friends began to sing Happy Birthday. Seeing the 18 candles burning, I couldn’t keep back my tears. 6. mother and father’s love, I would not lead such a happy life now. Mother asked me to make a wish 7. I blew out all the candles. After that，everyone enjoyed the sweet birthday cake and shared my happiness.
I am eighteen years old now, 8. means I’ve become an adult and have more 9._ (responsibility). I’ll do 10. (me) best to return my parents’ love and live up to their expectations.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
文中共有10处语言错误,每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。 删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。 增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧）,并在其下面写出该加的词。 修改：在错的词下划一横线,在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1、每处错误及修改均仅限一词。 2、只允许修改10处,多者（从11处起）不计分。
Hiking has become popular in China during recent years, and more and more people become hikers, that are called Donkey Friends (驴友) in Chinese. A discussion about hiking has held in our class. Some students think that hiking during vacation can make people to feel healthier, fresher and more harmonious with nature. They find themselves deep attracted by the beauty of nature. They can also be relaxing walking in deep mountains. But nowadays some hikers even begin to explore the places people have never been to, and accidents have been happened now and then because poor knowledge of hiking. Some hikers even lost their life. The other students in our class think it not safe to organize so dangerous activities. They make suggestions which laws should be passed and hikers should be trained before they attend the activities
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
随着科技的进步，多媒体已走进很多学校的课堂。课间休息时，有些学校利用它来播放音乐。假如昨天你班就“课间是否要播放音乐”展开了讨论。请你根据以下信息用英语写一篇短文，陈述讨论结果。
[写作内容]
| 1．讨论的时间和讨论的问题； 2．学生们的观点： 大多数学生认为：活跃气氛，放松，带来快乐，学习效率高。 部分学生认为：时间短，没效果；课间太吵，需要安静。 3．达成的共识：最好播放柔和并适合于中学生的音乐。 |
参考词汇：the class break, efficiency（效率）, relaxation（放松）, agreement（共识）...
[写作要求] 句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯：
难度: 中等查看答案及解析