My sister and I grew up in a little village in England. Our father was a struggling lawyer, but I always knew he was special. He never criticized us, but used praise to bring out our best. He’d say, “If you pour water on flowers, they flourish(茂盛). If you don’t give them water, they die.” I remember as a child I said something unkind about somebody, and my father said, “Any time you say something unpleasant about somebody else, it’s a reflection of you.” He explained that if I looked for the best in people, I would get the best in return. From then on I’ve always tried to follow the principle in my life and later in running my company.
Dad’s also always very understanding. At 15, I started a magazine. It was taking up a great deal of my time, and the headmaster of my school gave me a choice: stay in school or leave to work on my magazine.
I decided to leave, and Dad tried to stay me from the decision at first, as any good father would. When he realized I had made up my mind, he said, “Richard, when I was 23, my dad persuaded me to go into law. And I’ve always regretted it. I wanted to be a biologist, but I didn’t pursue my dream. You know what you want. Go fulfill it.”
As it turned out, my little publication went on to become Student, a national magazine in the U.K.. My wife and I have two children, and I’d like to think we are bringing them up in the same way Dad raised me.
1.What can we know about the author’s father?
A. He seldom looked for the best.
B. He was a specialist in law.
C. He usually encouraged kids.
D. He was a father without principles.
2.The author left school at 15 mainly because ________.
A. the school forced him to
B. he had to work for money
C. his father understood him
D. He had a dream to fulfill
3.The underlined phrase in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by ________.
A. persuade me out of B. accuse me of
C. remind me of D. agree with me on
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Be nice to others B. My Respectable Father
C. My Happy Childhood D. Go Fulfill Your Dream
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Modern life can be stressful. It’s full of pressure and hardships, worries and annoyances. But after years of being dosed up by doctors and seeking solutions on the self-help shelves, can most common complaints be cured through your next holiday?
The festival doctor will see you now.
| Complaint | Prescription(处方) | Dosage(剂量) |
| Guilty | Restart yourself at the Wanderlust Festival. | A weekend at any Wanderlust Festival should restrain some of the shame you are feeling. Empty your mind with meditation(冥想) sessions in the mountains of America or adjust your feelings with a sound bath in Santiago, Chile. |
| Sad | A healthy dose of laughter at Just for Laughs in Montreal, Canada in July. | Have fun at the largest comedy festival, which attracts more than two million ha-ha hunters every summer. Apart from 250 comedy acts, there will be walkabout theatre, circus acts and lots of new comedy films to make you laugh to tears. |
| Over- thinking | Get nourishing food for your thought at the UK’s How The Light Gets In in May. | Spend a week or so in the company of like-minded individuals and you will see you are not the only one overthinking things. The world’s largest philosophy festival, held in Hareous Wye, will have talks, debates and classes on culture, philosophy, politics, art and science. |
| Heart- broken | Find one of your favourite fish in the sea at Ireland’s matchmaking festival in June. | A week at Liverpool’s matchmaking festival could be a choice as Ireland’s mythical matchmakers(媒人) have been pairing lovers together for centuries. Try to find Willie Dally, a fourth-generation matchmaker, for your best chance of everlasting love. Those who touch his lucky book are said to fall in love and marry within six months. |
1.When celebrating the festival Just for Laughs in Montreal, you will ________.
A. empty your mind with meditation sessions
B. be thrilled and your depression will be removed
C. burst into tears by watching comedy films
D. have discussions on the meaning of life
2.If you are thinking too much about work, you can spend a few days at ________.
A. the Wanderlust Festival
B. How The Light Gets In
C. Just For Laughs
D. Ireland’s matchmaking festival
3.According to the passage, we can learn the festival doctor specializes in ________.
A. treating people falling ill during festivals
B. listening to people’s complaints during festivals
C. offering a cure through the festival form
D. celebrating the festivals with the patients
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
In the Pacific Northwest there is a kind of owl (猫头鹰) that serves as a unique piece to the Northwest habitat (栖息地) — the northern spotted owl.
Northern spotted owls are known to be curious. When seeing you, these owls will come down close and check you out.
The northern spotted owl has been a savior of old-growth forests. Old-growth forests are forests that have been around for a long time without significant disturbances. One way the spotted owl has become a protector of old-growth forests is simply by being there. The northern spotted owl has become endangered, and so to protect them from dying out, the government has to protect their habitat. So now any destruction of old-growth forests is illegal. Another way the owls help their habitat is by eating small animals. This helps create a balance in the forest.
So, if the northern spotted owl is in a habitat that is protected by laws, why are they still endangered?
Unfortunately, a cousin of the northern spotted owl has moved into its neighborhood. The bigger, more aggressive “barred owl” has grown in population and due to loss of the forests they lived in on the East Coast of the United States, they have begun to move to the west coast.
These owls are taking the food source and pushing northern spotted owls out of their own home. Although the barred owl is able to live in different habitats, the northern spotted owl can only live in old-growth forests.
Many government officials have been at a loss to find an answer to the difficult question, “What do we do with the non-native barred owls?” Some methods include shooting them. It is a difficult problem to deal with. Can you think of any possible solutions?
1.The northern spotted owl ________.
A. is particular about its food
B. has difficulty adapting to a new habitat
C. seems dangerous and aggressive
D. is a common bird in the USA
2.Old-growth forests seem to ________.
A. become less safe for the owls
B. benefit from northern spotted owls
C. be in danger of dying out
D. regrow at a fast speed
3.Northern spotted owls are in danger mainly because of ________.
A. illegal hunting
B. the destruction of the forests
C. another kind of owl
D. environmental pollution
4.The methods being used to help northern spotted owls are ________.
A. creative B. far-sighted C. unbearable D. ineffective
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5:30 and at 6:30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club. At last, the traffic was moving. She swung quickly racing to her house. As she opened the door, she nearly tripped over Sheba.
“Hey, Sheba,” she said, “I’ve got no time for you now, but I’ll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club.” Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking. Obviously, she could hardly breathe. Immediately, Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet.
When she got there, the vet was just about to close for the day. Seeing the state of Sheba, Dr. Sterne brought her quickly into his office.
“Listen, doctor, I’m really in a rush to get to a meeting. Can I leave her with you, and go and get changed? I’ll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, and then I’ll take her on to the meeting with me. Is that OK?”
“Sure.” said the doctor.
Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes. As she was once more entering the hall, the phone by the door began to ring.
“This is Dr. Sterne,” said an anxious voice. “I want you to get out of that house immediately,” said the doctor’s voice. “I’m coming round right away, and the police will be there any time now. Wait outside!”
At that moment, a police car screeched to a stop outside the house. Two policemen got out and ran into the house. Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened. Then the doctor arrived.
“Where’s Sheba? Is she OK?” shouted Joanne.
“She is fine, Joanne. I took out the thing which was choking her, and she’s OK now.”
Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white-faced man, who could hardly walk. There was blood all over him.
“My God,” said Joanne, “how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”
“I think he must be a burglar.” said the doctor. “I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba’s throat: it turned out to be three human fingers.”
1.From the passage we can infer that ________.
A. the police found the burglar had broken in
B. Joanne had planned to take her dog to the meeting at first
C. Sheba fought against the burglar
D. the doctor performed a difficult operation on the dog
2.The underlined word a burglar in the last paragraph probably means ________.
A. thief B. physician C. cleaner D. murderer
3.In this passage, the writer intends to tell us that the dog is ________.
A. clever B. devoted C. frightening D. friendly
4.Which of the following statements is true?
A. Joanne had no time to take Sheba to the vet because she had to go to a meeting.
B. It was the doctor who found what the dog had done had called the police.
C. The woman left the dog with the vet and picked her up after the meeting.
D. The woman was warned not to enter the house because there was a burglar.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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。
How to get siblings to get along
One of the greatest gifts of parenthood is seeing your children form a relationship with each other that is independent of you. By giving them someone else to play with, you can free up some time for yourself. Here are four techniques you can use to help your children appreciate each other while they are young.
1. 1. The No. 1 thing parents can do to help their kids stay on good terms with each other is not to compare them with each other. Never say “Your sister never...” or “Why can’t you do what your brother does?” 2.
2. Stay out of the way. Try not to get too involved in your kinds’ arguments. Learning cooperation and problem-solving is an important skill in life. 3. And don’t blame the older one for not “knowing better”. That puts pressure on the older child and leads to unhappiness.
3. Activities and opportunities. Have your kids go to their siblings’ games and activities. 4. “My kids go to each other’s activities, and take part in activities together,” says Patricia Walters-Fischer, mother of two. Not only do her children go, but they also offer support, encouraging each other before a big game or performance and offering comfort when things don’t go well.
4. Vacations. Don’t ignore the value of a family vacation for bringing siblings together. When kids are away from their friends and forced to spend time together, they often enjoy each other. 5. In fact, a weekend camping trip offers some of the best opportunities for working together, having fun and experiencing something new.
A. Never shout at them.
B. Don’t compare.
C. It doesn’t need to be anything extremely great.
D. Get them involved in one another’s lives, so they can have a better appreciation of who their sibling is.
E. That only serves to fuel the competition.
F. They may need help solving a conflict, but try not to take sides.
G. Give them a project, and they will learn how to work together.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
根据短文内容，从每题所给的A，B，C，D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I was an unlucky nurse who had to work on Christmas Day. It was always ________ in the emergency room on this day; so I was not expecting any patients. When I was ________ about working on such a beautiful festival, five people showed up at my desk—a pale woman and four small children.
“Are you all sick?” I asked in a(n) ________ way because they seemed all right.
“Yes,” the woman answered ________ and lowered her head.
But when they started to present their problems, things got a little vague. Two of the children had headaches, but the headaches weren’t ________ by normal body languages such as holding the head. Two children had earaches, but neither of them could tell me ________ ear was in pain. The mother complained of a cough, but she seemed to be ________.
Something was wrong. I didn’t say anything but explained that it might take a while ________ a doctor could meet them. “Take your ________, please,” the mother responded. Then, I checked their charts—no address. Suddenly I knew, they were homeless and the hospital was ________.
I looked out at the family, gathering together under the Christmas tree, smiling and chatting with each other ________. Quietly, I went back to the nurse’s station and told them that we had a homeless ________ in the waiting room. It was just like God sending us a ________ on Christmas Day. The nurse’s station suddenly came back to ________. All the nurses went into action, just as we did when there was a real ________ emergency. But this one was a “Christmas emergency”.
We ________ our meals for our Christmas “patients”. We also put together oranges and apples ________ presents. Usually we just tried to ________ the physical needs of our patients. But today, we worked hard to exceed the needs of a family who only ________ a warm place on Christmas Day.
Later, when the family was leaving, the four-year-old girl ran back and gave me a kiss. “Thanks for being our angel today,” she whispered in my ________.
1.A. dark B. quiet C. bright D. noisy
2.A. complaining B. worrying C. talking D. annoying
3.A. expecting B. forgetting C. accepting D. suspecting
4.A. weakly B. strongly C. excitedly D. surprisedly
5.A. accompanied B. caused C. resulted D. shown
6.A. what B. how C. which D. why
7.A. explaining B. pretending
C. understanding D. promoting
8.A. unless B. after C. before D. when
9.A. money B. breath C. time D. break
10.A. big B. small C. cold D. warm
11.A. sweetly B. tiredly C. unhappily D. friendly
12.A. mother B. girl C. boy D. family
13.A. gift B. job C. luck D. chance
14.A. space B. earth C. school D. life
15.A. traffic B. political C. medical D. history
16.A. put out B. gave out C. took out D. turned out
17.A. for B. on C. as D. in
18.A. miss B. meet C. cut D. increase
19.A. wanted B. built C. escaped D. refused
20.A. face B. ear C. mouth D. nose
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The house where I lived before was near a railway station. I had become so familiar with the sound and sight that I took little interest in 1. . However, when my father decided to take up a new 2. (appoint) in another town, he intended to travel by train. It was only then 3. I discovered how pleasant a journey by train might be.
We 4. (board) the train one afternoon. As the train moved out of the station, I began to think of the days I had spent in our old house, which soon went out of sight.
The train was now moving quite fast. The first thing that impressed me was the beauty of the landscape. There were green valleys. Tropical plants could 5. (see) everywhere, which reminded me of the geography lessons I had in the classroom.
About four hours 6. (late), it became dark. The moon appeared and the landscape looked romantic. I felt a thrill 7. admiration for the great artistry of nature.
After passing several stations, I felt 8. (sleep) and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I saw the dim light of the dawn. Looking outside, I saw mist-covered plants. The air was fresh, and birds 9. (fly) about. 10. a beautiful scene! I was lost in admiration of it.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
下面短文中有10处语言错误。请在有错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写上该加的词。
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。
Tom is one of my best friends at high school. We spent a lot of time together every day. We share a lot common. For example, we both work hardly and love sports. Although I am not so smart as her, we both do very well at school. Tom’s favorite subjects is history and Chinese, and he also speaks excellent English. I am used to be bad at English. Thank to his help, I have made a great progress in it. Yesterday, our English teacher said she decided to hold an English speech contest next week. I think a good chance to improve my English. Both Tom and I are looking forward to show our potential in the speech contest!
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
你是高三学生李华，与美国的Bob是网友。请你给Bob写封信，介绍自己希望在高考之后的假期实现的三个愿望，并询问Bob的愿望和建议。
1. 实现大学梦，考上自己理想的大学；
2. 实现志愿者梦，到孤儿院做义工；
3. 实现旅游梦，体验蒙古草原上的生活。
注意：1. 词数120左右；
2. 不要逐句翻译，可适当增加情节。
3. 参考词汇：孤儿院：orphanage；蒙古草原：Mongolia grassland
难度: 中等查看答案及解析