When I began planning to move to Auckland to study, my mother was a little worried about the uncertainty of living in a place that was so different from India, where we lived. She worried particularly about the lack of jobs and cultural differences and the chance that I would face racism(种族主义).
Despite these concerns, I came to New Zealand in July 2009.I found the place and the people very nice and supportive. Soon after I arrived, I realized the importance of getting a job to supply my living expenses.
Determined to do this on my own, I spent a whole day going from door to door for a job. However, I received little or no response.
One afternoon, I walked into a building to ask if there were any job opportunities. The people there were very surprised and advised me not to continue my job search in that manner. As I was about to leave, a clerk in the building, who had been listening to what others had said, approached me and asked me to wait outside. Fifteen minutes later, he returned, and asked me what my plans were and encouraged me to stay confident. Then he offered to take me to his friend’s company, Royal Oak, to search for a job. The following day, I received a call from a store in Royal Oak offering me a job.
It seems that the world always gives back to you when you need it. And this time, it was a complete stranger who turned out to be a real blessing.
1.What wasn’t the author’s mother worried about?
A. There might be cultural differences.
B. People might look down on the author.
C. The author couldn’t speak the local language.
D. It might be difficult for the author to find a job.
2.After staying in New Zealand for a short time, the author .
A. decided to go back to his own country.
B. felt the local people were not very friendly.
C. wanted to get a job that needed practical skills.
D. had to find a job to cover his living expenses.
3.When the author went into a building to look for a job, .
A. a clerk gave him encouragement and advice.
B. he was confident that he would find a good one.
C. he found many college students like him already there.
D. a clerk recommended him to the company he worked for.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Service Trips for High School Students
Are you a high school student who loves to be outdoors and is eager to experience new challenges, learn new skills and meet new people? WTA offers first-time participants country trips and returning students have the option to go on trips in the back country (边远地区).
Front Country Trips
Our front country trips provide opportunities for people to experience projects near the ocean, in the scenic Cascade Mountains and in northeast Washington. Our trips also provide you with experienced leaders, a great project, some camping tents, sleeping bags and all your meals for the week.
Advanced Back Country Trips
On these trips you will be backpacking to the work site and will have a chance to advance your trail and leadership skills under the supervision of a WTA leader.
Trip Details
In 2015, trip fees for WTA members will be $195 for the first trip and $145 for each additional trip. Non-members will pay an additional $40 for their first trip and can be qualified to be members in the second trip. Due to the popularity of our trips, please submit your payment and application within two weeks. If a trip is full and you would like to be added to the waiting list, please call us at 206/625-1367 or email trail-teams@wta.org.
Scholarships
We believe no student should have to stay at home this summer because he or she can’t afford to go outside. Thanks to donations from members and supporters, WTA is proud to announce that we are able to offer a limited number of scholarships. Application Deadline: March 1, 2015.
1.If you are going on Front Country Trips, you can’t go on trips __________.
A. near the ocean
B. in the back country
C. in the Cascade Mountains
D. in northeast Washington
2.How much will you have to pay for your first trip if you’re not a WTA member?
A. $145. B. $185. C. $195. D. $235.
3.After choosing a trip, you __________.
A. will naturally become a WTA member.
B. can cancel your trip and get all your money back.
C. will be added to the waiting list.
D. must submit your payment and application within two weeks.
4.You may be lucky enough to obtain a scholarship if you __________.
A. apply before March 1, 2015.
B. donate a little money to WTA.
C. support WTA by advertising.
D. volunteer in your high school.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Chris Medina was an outstanding star on a Monday night’s audition of American Idol (美国偶像，美国真人秀电视节目). He made the Americans moved for more than just his singing. Chris performed the famous band The Script’s song “Breakeven” and he brought along his beloved fiancée（未婚妻）, Juliana Ramos, who is limited to a wheelchair following a terrible car accident. There is a very touching emotional story behind them.
Chris, an amazing singer, said he fell in love with Juliana the first moment he saw her and they became engaged soon afterwards. They had planned to get married two years after getting engaged. But shortly before they could hold each other’s hands into the marriage hall, Juliana, suffered from a brain injury in a tragic car accident. On the exact day they were supposed to get married, Chris shared a song he wrote for his fiancée. “I’m giving all I’ve got to give/ To pull you through/ In your darkest hour, I will be your light,” were some of his heartfelt lyrics.
Juliana’s idol is Oprah Winfrey and Idol judge Steven could see that she remains a fan of Chris’ music, accompanying him to the audition. Chris received a ticket to Hollywood, which Juliana proudly waved. While he is heading to Hollywood to pursue his dream of singing, Chris continues to take care of Juliana, alongside her mother.
Chris’ love story touched more than the Americans. It reached Irish rockers The Script, who spoke highly of the young man and his songs at the audition. “Chris Medina: not only are you a major talent, but you are one in a billion! Stay strong and never give up. This world needs more men like you.” the band’s guitarist, Mark Sheehan, said.
1.Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
A. Chris touched the Americans mainly for his singing.
B. Chris has always been Juliana’s idol.
C. Chris was an American idol because of his love for his fiancée.
D. Chris’ lyrics showed his true love for Juliana.
2.What is the correct order according to the passage?
① Chris took Juliana to the audition of American Idol.
② Chris and Juliana became engaged.
③ Juliana suffered from a brain injury in a terrible car accident.
④ Chris received a ticket to Hollywood.
A. ①②③④ B. ①②④③
C. ②①④③ D. ②③④①
3.The underlined word “heartfelt” in the second paragraph can be best replaced by ________.
A. sincere B. beautiful
C. exciting D. pleasing
4.What is Mark Sheehan’s attitude towards Chris Medina?
A. He is sad about Juliana’s suffering.
B. He is very pleased to hear Chris’ joining The Script.
C. He encourages Chris to continue to be a great man.
D. He hopes that Chris can do even better at the audition.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
An extinct mountain goat that was once common in the Pyrenees became the first animal to be brought back from extinction. Researchers used frozen DNA to produce a clone, but the newborn kid died within minutes of birth due to breathing difficulties.
The Pyrenean ibex is a type of mountain goat，which is believed to have died out completely in 2000. Before the death of the last known individual（a13-year-old female known as Celia）, biologists took cells from her skin and ears. An earlier cloning attempt to use the skin cells failed. But the latest attempt involved the creation of 439 cloned embryos. Of these cloned embryos, 57 were put into the female domestic goats, but only one goat gave birth and the newborn cloned kid died after seven minutes as a result of lung disease.
Researchers say that other cloned animals, including sheep, have been born with similar lung disease, but they say that overall the experiment was a major step forward in the effort to bring the ibex back to its mountain home. The leading researcher Jose Folch says, “the cloned kid was genetically like the ibex；in species such as the ibex，cloning is the only possibility to avoid its complete disappearance.”
The failure to produce a living clone from DNA that was frozen only a decade ago shows the difficulty researchers would face in trying to bring back species that have been extinct（灭绝的） for decades or centuries. Researchers have had the idea of bringing back the Tasmanian tiger, which went extinct in 1936. There are, however, other species that have been seriously suggested for cloning，such as the giant panda, the African bongo antelope, the Sumatran tiger and the pygmy hippo. Supporters believe cloning provides hope of keeping these endangered animals alive before they die out．
1.What do we know about the cloned ibex?
A. It died of lung disease.
B. It was the first cloned animal in the world.
C. It lived for thirteen years.
D. It was born in 2000.
2.Jose Foleh would agree that cloning ．
A. is not suitable and should be banned.
B. requires immediate attention.
C. should be carried out cautiously.
D. may help prevent animal extinction.
3.We can conclude from the passage that ．
A. cloning has developed quickly in developed countries.
B. no more animals will die out in the future.
C. cloning makes it possible to preserve endangered species.
D. cloning seldom results in physical problems for animals.
4.What’s the best title for this passage?
A、Great advancement in cloning goats.
B、Difficulties in saving extinct animals.
C、Public concerns about cloning.
D、Cloning brought back an extinct species for a while.
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。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Learn to Think
“I will think of it.” It is easy to say this. 1.________________ We can not see our thoughts, or hear, or taste, or feel them; and yet what mighty power they have!
Sir Isac Newton was seated in his garden on a summer’s evening, when he saw an apple fell from a tree. 2.______________ Later, he discovered how the earth, sun, moon, and stars were kept in their places.
3.____________ He began to think; he wanted to find out why the steam in the kettle moved the heavy lid. From that time he went on thinking and thinking. When he became a man, he improved the steam engine so much that it could, with the greatest ease, go the work of many horses.
4._______________
A man named Galileo was once standing in the cathedral of Pisa, when he saw a light swaying to and fro. This set him thinking, and it led to the invention of the pendulum.
Boys, when you have a difficult lesson to learn, don’t feel discouraged, and help yourselves before asking someone to help you. 5._______________
A. But do you know what great things have come from thinking?
B. Think, and by thinking you will learn how to think to some purpose.
C. A boy named James Watt sat quietly by the fireside, watching the lid of the tea kettle as it moved up and down.
D. And do you know how to think?
E. When you see a steamboat, a steam mill, remember that it would never have been built of it had not been for the hard thinking of someone.
F. He began to think, trying to find out why the apple fell.
G. He was a famous physicist and good at thinking.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
完形填空
阅读下面的短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（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。
The girl from Tennessee was standing on the stage of a drama summer camp. It was a beautiful day, but the girl didn’t feel ________ . Since she was six, Reese had wanted to be a ________. All summer long she had been acting, ________ and singing. Despite three years of ________ , at the end of the camp her coaches told her to ________ about singing. She took their words to ________ . After all, why shouldn’t she ________ the professionals (专业人士)? But back at home, her parents ________ her to never give up. So she worked hard at every ________ and was accepted by the Acting Department of Stanford University. At age 19, she got a ________ in a low-budget movie called Freeway.
She ________, “If you aren’t so attractive, play to your strengths. If you’re going to ________ it in this business, focus on what you’re good at. ________ yourself.”
And then came the offer —________ the wife of country star Johnny Cash. The singing role she had ________ dreamed of. All of a sudden the old fears were back. She was so ________ on the stage, and she would go backstage after a singing scene and ________ . But she didn’t give up on the movie or herself. ________, she spent six months taking singing lessons. And the hard work built up her ________ .
Last March, Reese walked up on another ________ and accepted the Oscar as Best Actress for her heartbreaking and heartwarming singing role as June Carter Cash in the movie Walk the Line.
1.A. good B. content C. anxious D. calm
2.A. teacher B. director C. doctor D. singer
3.A. writing B. travelling C. dancing D. racing
4.A. experiments B. lessons C. imagination D. observation
5.A. forget B. worry C. care D. think
6.A. practice B. heart C. memory D. sight
7.A. appreciate B. serve C. understand D. believe
8.A. allowed B. helped C. encouraged D. persuaded
9.A. program B. project C. career D. subject
10.A. position B. challenge C. part D. prize
11.A. guessed B. reported C. suggested D. decided
12.A. make B. keep C. enjoy D. follow
13.A. Save B. Show C. Comfort D. Reward
14.A. playing B. protecting C. supporting D. convincing
15.A. almost B. never C. always D. recently
16.A. nervous B. serious C. friendly D. negative
17.A. interview B. shake C. complain D. promise
18.A. Simple B. Therefore C. Otherwise D. Again
19.A. patience B. business C. confidence D. force
20.A. street B. stage C. road D. Bank
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
James Long is holding a debate called “The economy or the environment — must we choose?” Lin Shuiqing, 1. environmentalist and Qian Liwei, an economist expressed their own opinions.
Mr. Lin holds the opinion 2. large areas of the world are damaged by industrial waste. In addition, many sea creatures are being destroyed 3._______ fishing boats. Other types of waste flow into the river, 4._____________(kill) river and sea life. The world’s population is approaching 6.5 billion. He advises people to cut back 5. production, reduce what we make and buy, expand our cycling industry, and meanwhile teach people about environmentally friendly ways of living.
While Mr. Qian thinks economic development is not definitely bad for the environment. Through working side by side with environmentalists, 6._________ thinks a healthy environment and a stable economy should be possible at the same time. But he does agree that recycling may be the key to 7.________ (help) both sides. People need more effective laws to preserve the environment 8. still allow the economy to grow. Those factories 9.____________ pollute the environment should have to pay higher taxes.
At last, James says they will open the 10. for further discussion.
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 两处。每处错误仅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：在错的词下划一横线，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。
During this summer vacation, Li Lei went to teach in a small but poor village with others volunteers. When he arrived, he found the people here lived a hard life and all the children crowded in a small room. He was glad that the children are lovely and friendly. Though he only had something simply to eat, he was used to the hard life soon. During breaks, he often played games with his students. At a night, he was busy preparing lesson and checking his students’ homework. Realize the importance of education, he has made up his mind to becoming a teacher after he graduates from the university
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
假定你是高二年级的李明,从网上得知一个国际中学生组织将在英语兴办夏令营,欢迎各国学生参加.请写一封电子邮件申请参加.内容主要包括:
1.自我介绍(包括英语能力);
2.参加意图(介绍中国,了解其他国家);
3.希望获准.
注意:1.词数100左右;
2. 可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3. 邮件开头已给出,不计入总词数.
夏令营 the Summer Camp
Dear Sir or Madam,
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
难度: 困难查看答案及解析