Thinking about taking a year out before going to university?Check out your gap year choices here and decide if it’s the right decision for you…
What is it?
It’s a year out between finishing senior high school and starting university in which you can travel, work and generally do mind-broadening stuff you will never forget.
I don’t want to travel, but I don’t know what I want to do at university.
You will have a good three months between finishing your A Levels and university Clearing (when last-minute vacancies (空缺) on courses for the coming academic year are advertised): surely enough time to decide what to do. You don’t need to take a year for that.
I need to take some money before starting university.
Fair enough. But don’t get comfortable and decide not to get a full-time job. Spending a year on income support (收入补贴) will be depressing; you’ll have nothing to say when future employers ask what you did in your gap year, and you’ll have to put up with smug (得意的) post-gap year students comparing notes when you start university.
I’d love to travel, but I can’t afford it.
Most gap year students work for the first six months and then travel, using the money they’ve earned in the second six months.
I’m scared.
Try not to let fear of the unknown put you off seeing the world. Earth is a big planet, but when you travel it seems much smaller (even the remotest countries have email access).
1.The potential readers of the text are _________.
A. parents B. high school students
C. university students D. teachers
2.Most students get money for their gap year trip_____.
A. from their parents
B. by borrowing from their friends
C. from the government
D. by working themselves
3.The last paragraph can be regarded as a(n) ___________.
A. encouragement B. warning
C. suggestion D. invitation
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Most nights I lie in bed, ready for an escape from myself, yet a streaming video of everything I ate, how I exercised, the activities of the day won’t stop playing in my mind.
I pause. I breathe. I try to relax once again, but it doesn’t work.
When I’m not exercising — even if I’ve already exercised that day — I’m consumed with anxiety about my next workout. Will something come up and make me miss the gym? What about holidays when the gym is closed?
Exercise has become a disease; it even disguises (伪装，假装) itself as the cure. If I don’t have it as an escape, then what’s left to hold me together? Working out feels like the only way to calm myself, but as soon as I leave the gym or finish a walk, the whole cycle starts over again.
As you might have guessed by now, I suffer from depression and OCD (强迫症). I’m a highly-educated adult woman who knows the risks of this behavior, and yet I can’t stop.
As a society, we’re told over and over that it’s important to exercise. That’s what makes it so easy to keep this addiction a secret; it’s not as obvious as lighting up a cigarette. You can continue to feed your addiction under the guise that you’re just being “healthy”. I not only have to fight the nonstop thoughts in my head but also the “more exercise is better” messages I receive from the media every day.
For me, exercise has become a drug, which is a way to numb the pain I might feel. I wonder what it would be like to “have the problem” of not wanting to go to the gym. It still feels very far away.
Yet I know I can be stronger than this. I can break the cycle I’m in. I can tell my story so as to give up a piece of the secrecy that keeps me sick.
Because no, you don’t want my problem. And finally, neither do I.
1.When the author goes to bed, she___________.
A. can’t breathe normally B. can’t fall asleep
C. always feels hungry D. always feels tired
2.The underlined word “it” in paragraph 4 probably refers to ___________.
A. the gym B. disease C. exercise D. the cure
3. What is special about the addition to exercise?
A. It is popular among highly-educated people.
B. It is widely reported by the mass media.
C. It does little harm to health.
D. it is not easily discovered.
4.We know from the text that the author ____________.
A. is emotionless
B. lives far away from the gym
C. is seriously ill
D. has difficulty in keeping secrets
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Coincidences happen all the time to ordinary people, but the following events are perhaps some of the strangest of them all.
1. In the 19th century, the famous writer, Edgar Allan Poe, wrote a book called The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. It was about four survivors of a shipwreck (船只失事) who were in an open boat for many days before three of them decided to kill and eat the cabin boy whose name was Richard Parker. Some years later, in 1884, the boat Mignonette sank, and only four survivors were left in an open boat for many days. Finally the three older members killed and ate the cabin boy. The name of the cabin boy was Richard Parker.
2. In Monza, Italy, King Umberto I went to a small restaurant for dinner. When the owner took King Umberto I’s order, the King noticed that he and the restaurant owner were doubles, in face and in build. Both men began discussing the resemblance between each other and found many more similarities. Both men were born in the same place, on the same day, of the same year (March 14, 1844, Turin, Italy). On the day that the King married Queen Margherita, the restaurant owner had married a lady named Margherita. The restaurant owner opened his restaurant on the same day that King Umberto I was crowned(加冕) King of Italy. On July 29, 1900, King Umberto I was informed that the restaurant owner had died that day in a shooting accident, and as he expressed his regret, someone in the crowd killed him!
3. Mark Twain was a popular American author who wrote famous books such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley’s Comet(哈雷彗星) in 1835, and died on the day of its next appearance in 1910. He himself predicted this in 1909, when he said: “I came in with Halley’s Comet in1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it.”
1.In The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, _________.
A. the boat was named Mignonette
B. the ship sank after the cabin boy’s death
C. three people in all eventually survived the shipwreck
D. Richard Parker was unfriendly to the other survivors
2. Whose story is related to astronomy?_________.
A. Mark Twain’s B. Edgar Allan Poe’s
C. King Umberto I’s D. Queen Margherita’s
3.The author wrote the text with a feeling of __________.
A. worry B. regret
C. amazement D. satisfaction
4.What’s the best title for the text?_________.
A. Unexplained deaths
B. Terrible events in the world
C. Well-known people in history
D. Strangest coincidences in history
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
My mother got divorced when I was 5 and was left to raise me and my two younger brothers. She didn’t have a formal education, so she had to work two full-time jobs to make ends meet.
One day several years later, I was determined to help. I told the manager of the Don Carlos Motel in Nana Point that I was 15, so I could get a work permit to work as a maid.
Since then, I’ve started to work alongside some of America’s top leaders, written books, and achieved financial independence. It took a lot of hard work and sacrifices.
But what if I was 15 years old today? Would I be able to accomplish the same things in this new, highly competitive world with so many global challenges? It seems hard work and sacrifices aren’t enough anymore.
Today, you need to be extremely adaptable. To progress in your career, it’s not enough to know one thing well. As my friend Sean Harvey, product manager at Google put it when we were speaking to students, “Today, companies aren’t hiring people for a specific position but rather people who are smart and flexible. The way you prove that is by showing you can do multiple things well.”
People need to take more risks to succeed now than ever. The combination of unemployment and slow wage growth means that we are not only at greater financial risk, but we have to take more risks to succeed.
Luckily, the new Internet world of all-the-time connectedness means that anyone with a hot idea, product or service can create a business out of almost nothing. And success can be quick and big. But that success demands more “out of the box” thinking.
And what about our kids? It makes me think a lot about the future that my 3-years-old daughter faces. But no matter what the future brings, I think the best message I’ll give her is to believe in herself. Life won’t get any easier, but the opportunities will come — as they always have — to those who work hard, adapt as they need to, and trust their abilities.
1.We can infer that the author had _________.
A. a difficult childhood B. a lonely childhood
C. a normal childhood D. a happy childhood
2.The author achieved financial independence when she was 15 largely due to ______.
A. her strong leadership
B. her boss’s help
C. her hard work
D. her competitive spirit
3. Compared to the past, people who want to succeed now need __________.
A. more time B. more money
C. to work harder D. to be more creative
4. The author writes the text mainly to __________.
A. describe her childhood
B. give some suggestions about success
C. tell a story about her mother
D. share some useful parenting skills
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Teens are busy people. They balance high school and friends; some add jobs and extracurricular activities(课外活动)to the mix. _1. . Involve your teen with a variety of activities from your life and relate them to your teen’s experiences.
Large project
_2. .Create a timeline for the project, such as making holiday cards. Take family pictures in November. Continue by designing and then ordering cards. Purchase stamps and envelops, assemble cards and mail by your deadline.
Storage
Include your teen in organizing items for storage in a closet or basement. _3. . Sort your clothes and books. Include your teen in determining the criteria for donating, trashing or storing. Decide what contents are needed for protection: plastic or cardboard. Label containers and stack for long-term safety.
Bedroom
Teens should be responsible for organizing their own rooms. Provide your children with a laundry system, clothing storage and a trashcan. _4. . Possibilities include scanning the room for clothes in the morning and at night, tidying a desk every night and so on.
Calendar
_5. . Using a computerized or paper calendar is fine, because consistency in entering the information is key. Teen may dislike having parents check on their calendars, so make an agreement to discuss the plans once a week.
A. Busy lives call for organization.
B. Involve your teen in completing a large project.
C. This activity includes sorting and protecting items.
D. Teens must keep track of activities and school work.
E. Parents can complete hands-on activities with their teens.
F. Share your weekly calendar to model organization for your teen.
G. If they do not have established routines, make a plan for an organized room.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
完形填空,阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、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。
On the morning of May 18, 2010, Enzo PiscoPo’s alarm clock went off, signaling the start of another workday. Moments later, unbearable pain shot through his back.
“I ________ so loud that I probably woke up the whole neighborhood,” he says. He became paralyzed (使瘫痪，使麻痹) from the waist down, Doctors said he’d likely never ________ again.
The last three years have been a challenging, but equally ________ , journey for Enzo, a Coca-Cola employee since 1966. He has gone through great pain, relearned everyday tasks and got used to life in a ________ .
“These lessons have made me the happiest I’ve ever been,” Enzo says. Nearly every day, someone asks Enzo how he can be so ________ after such a life-changing ________ . It’s a question, he admits; he’s asked himself more than a few times.
One particular ________ changed Enzo. A few weeks after his injury, he was talking to his wife in his hospital room. ________ focusing on what he had, he fixed his attention on what he thought he’d ________.
His wife told him the things that mattered most to them were ________ intact (完好无损的), and that they would continue to follow their dreams and do everything they ________ to do, including traveling.
“That conversation ________ me that I have the most wonderful wife and four beautiful and healthy kid,” he says.
Enzo, who returned to work three months after his injury, ________ that happiness is a choice. “You can find millions of ________ to either be happy or unhappy. The choice is yours. Many people who seemingly have everything are ________ , while some of the ________ people in the world are deeply happy. The ________ is focusing on the things that really matter. Today I make an effort to ________ all the ‘little things’ that make me happy. I still want to ________ and grow as a person in all aspects of my life, ________ I’m now enjoying the abundance of things I already have much more.
1.A. asked B．screamed C. talked D. laughed
2.A．speak B．read C．walk D．work
3.A. comfortable B. dangerous C. boring D. rewarding
4.A. hospital B. vehicle C. house D. wheelchair
5.A. optimistic B. energetic C. sweet D. smart
6.A. chance B. journey C. injury D. success
7.A. conversatio B. operation C. colleague D. friend
8.A. Instead of B. In case of C. As for D. Except for
9.A. created B. lost C. got D. explained
10.A. never B. still C. also D. even
11.A. need B. pretend C. agree D. love
12.A. reminded B. warned C. promised D. advised
13.A. doubts B. remembers C. hopes D. insists
14.A. results B. truths C. reasons D. questions
15.A. excited B. pitiful C. careful D. tired
16.A. wisest B. poorest C. prettiest D. busiest
17.A. skill B. gift C. key D. fact
18.A. change B. show C. enjoy D. ignore
19.A. relax B. refuse C. forget D. improve
20.A. but B. or C. though D. unless
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
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。
I’m the kind of girl who always has questions. I’m always wondering everything about the world. I love journalism, 1. is all about investigating, reporting, and publishing information for other people to read.
My writing career 2. (start) when I was really little. I made 3. stories about small horses and princesses. I still loved creative writing. But these days, I’m mostly into 4. (gather) information and reporting on 5. I’ve found out. I’ve learned a lot about the world.
My dad is in the entertainment business. Once I was talking with one of his friends, 6. famous singer, and she said I asked a lot of good questions. She also said I should keep it up, so that’s what I did. Now I love interviewing 7. (act) and famous musicians and getting all the facts. Sometimes I’m nervous before an interview, 8. that pushes me to work harder. Later, when I’m organizing and paragraphs, it’s 9. (real) fun. I have a blog 10. I post videos of my interviews and write about the interviews. I hope to interview celebrities（名人）on the red carpet someday.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。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。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
One day I was in the back yard teaching my little nephew how to play football. He said that play football was something easier. His words immediately bring back memories of my childhood. As a little boy, I told my uncle I wanted to become football star like him. However, he taught me how to kick the ball. After some practice, I told him it was hardly for me to kick the ball the way he kicked them. He talked to me about not giving up on how I really wanted to do. Thank to his guidance and encouragement, and I’ve become a football star in my school.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
假设你是李华， 你的美国网友Jim发来电子邮件，告诉你今年他将高中毕业，打算去国外旅行。请你根据下面的写作要点，给他回一封邮件。
要点：
1. 祝贺他高中毕业；
2. 谈谈你对国外旅行的看法；
3. 提醒他在国外旅行时应注意的事项（至少两点）。
要求：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 邮件的开头和结尾已给出，不计入词数。
Dear Jim,
I’m glad to hear that you will graduate from senior high school this year.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Wish you a pleasant journey.
Yours,
LiHua
难度: 困难查看答案及解析