My dearest son and daughter,
The story of New Jersey high school student Rachel Canning suing (起诉) her parents for child support and high school education inspired me to write you a little letter. Let me just put this out there: the only way I expect to see you in a court is as a lawyer or a judge.
There are two things about this case that seem to be disaster.
First, it’s natural for parents and children to argue. I can guarantee that we will disagree. One or both of you will, at some point, scream at the top of your lungs the various ways you hate me. And I won’t always like you, either. But I will always love you and do everything I can to keep your best interests as my focus, even when I’m so angry. We are family. That means we are as much a part of one another as the flesh, blood and bones in our body. And we all should think about it very deeply instead of breaking that bond.
Second, I’ll be honest, no matter how far apart we are on your life choices, your father and I will most certainly pay everything we can for your higher education. But that doesn’t mean you deserve it. To be clear, that is a privilege we happily extend (给予) to you—not a right you are born with. And you will have to work hard to earn that privilege. Growing up is hard work.
If I do my job properly as your mother—and you do yours as my children—you would sooner get a job or two, and find a way to make your dreams come true than go to trial over what you think you have the right to.
Love always,
Mom
1.The mother writes this letter because she wants her children to ______.
A. be prepared for education
B. learn a lesson from the case
C. take up the legal profession
D. remember Rachel Canning
2.When in disagreement, the mother expects her children not to ______.
A. guarantee anything
B. scream out their anger
C. break the family bond
D. forget their best interests
3.The mother thinks of parents’ paying for their children’s higher education as ______.
A. a way in which children realize their dreams
B. a test of whether parents love their children
C. a privilege that children should earn
D. a right that parents are born with
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
BRAD GARRETT’S COMEDY CLUB
Category: Comedy
Best known for his role on the Emmy award-winning sitcom (情景喜剧) Everybody Loves Raymond, Brad Garrett returns to his Vegas roots with his comedy club at the MGM Grand. It is a good place to check out when you need a break from work.
Prices from: $56.40 and up
Age restriction: Must be 21 years of age or older
Show Length: 115 minutes
MAC KING COMEDY MAGIC SHOW
Category: Comedy, Magic
The Mac King Comedy Magic Show is different every afternoon, with lots of audience participation. He is willing to make fun of himself instead of his guests in order to make everyone feel welcome and entertained. The afternoon is kid-friendly from start to finish. Still, whether you’re eight or 80, you won’t be able to figure out King’s secrets.
Prices from: $40.90 and up
Age restriction: No age restriction
Show Length: 90 minutes
THE MENTALIST, GERRY MCCAMBRIDGE
Category: Comedy, Magic
Using his skills as a “mentalist”, Gerry McCambridge shocks the crowds as he uses his abilities to predict just what audience members will do next. Anyone who has seen the show has walked away in disbelief, amazed by his unusual power.
Prices from: $34.99 and up
Age restriction: Under 13 will not be admitted into the theater
Show Length: 75 minutes
ROCK OF AGES
Category: Plays & Musicals
The cheerful Rock of Ages brings audiences back to the times of big hair and even bigger bands with 28 popular rock songs from the 80s including “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “I Wanna Know What Love Is,” “Here I Go Again,” and more.
Rock of Ages has been nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical. It also received a Drama League nomination for Distinguished Production for a Musical.
Prices from: $74.00 and up
Age restriction: Must be 15 years of age or older
Show Length: 125 minutes
1.Who is most likely to be able to read audiences’ minds?
A. Raymond.
B. Mac King.
C. Brad Garrett.
D. Gerry McCambridge.
2.Which of the following is good for a kid of 10 years old to go to?
A. Gerry McCambridge’s show.
B. Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club.
C. Mac King’s comedy magic show.
D. Performances of Rock Of Ages.
3.If someone is interested in musicals, his best choice must be ______.
A. ROCK OF AGES
B. BRAD GARRETT’S COMEDY CLUB
C. MAC KING COMEDY MAGIC SHOW
D. THE MENTALIST, GERRY MCCAMBRIDGE
4.How many shows are about two-hour long?
A. One.
B. Two.
C. Three.
D. Four.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Modern humans have a hard time controlling their desire to eat. Often you eat not because you are hungry, but because you are affected by many other things. How much you eat is strongly affected by how much those around you eat. People eating alone eat least. People eating with one other person eat 35 percent more than they do at home. People dining in a party of four eat 75percent more. Eating with overweight friends? You’ll eat more. Is your waitress overweight?You’ll eat more. Wide variety of food? You’ll eat more.
Plates can decide how sweet dessert tastes. If people ate it off a paper plate, they’d say, “This is good.” If they ate it off a fancy silver plate, they would say, “This is the greatest cake I’ve eaten in my entire life.”
Your knowledge about what makes food good or bad also affects how much you eat. You tend to eat more when you think the food is good, and less when you think it is bad. So Grandma’s cookies always taste better than other cookies. “Good food” even has a “health halo(光环) effect”. If we’re eating something healthy, we feel that everything in that meal is healthy. Due to this, people often believe that a cheese cake with a salad has fewer calories (卡路里) than the cheese cake alone. That’s perhaps also why eating organic (有机的) food might turn you into an annoying guy. Your brain may use anything that makes you feel good about your own morality to excuse your immoral behavior .
Food and hunger affect your judgment too. Hungry judges give more serious sentences. Kids who don’t eat breakfast behave worse than kids who eat their breakfast. People who have low blood sugar are more likely than the average person to have trouble concentrating and controlling their unpleasant emotions.
1.What is mentioned as a cause of overeating?
A. Suffering from great loneliness.
B. Being served by a helpful waitress.
C. Being treated to high quality food.
D. Eating with many friends.
2.According to the passage, an annoying person may be one who ______.
A. finds any excuse for eating more
B. is crazy about the quality of plates
C. competes with others in making cookies
D. teaches people to stick to morality
3.According to the passage, people are more likely to make a bad judgment when ______.
A. they don’t feel hungry
B. they aren’t overweight
C. they have low blood sugar
D. they know little about food
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. When Can’t We Go on a Diet?
B. What Affects Eating?
C. How to Make Good Food
D. Where to Find Safe Food
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Books are typically written first, then narrated (朗读) for audio (有声) books. Until now. Audible , the largest company of audio books, has begun asking well-known writers to create works specifically for audio, instead of inviting people to narrate already existing print books. It’s a new chapter for the book industry.
Audible now has about 30 totally new audio works in production. And it turns out that audio books, which have long been regarded as less important than e-books, have actually been doing quite well. They are a $1,000,000,000 industry, with more than 35,000 titles published in 2013 alone.
What promotes that progress is not only an evolution of technology, but more importantly ,the rise of the celebrity (名人) narrator. Narrators are key to the success of an audio book and these days, producers are signing on more and more celebrities. Celebrities’ narration is like a private performance to customers, who get a feeling of closeness in listening to their voices. Many of the customers buy audio books based on the narrator. They will listen to anything a specific actor or actress reads.
That is why Audible is taking the risk of not producing print books at all but starting totally new audio works. There’s another reason why the company is expecting its risk-taking action to pay off: humans have been telling stories since the beginning of time. We are taking part in a little habit that goes back thousands and thousands of years—before the first mark was ever made on a stone. Long before writing, people were telling each other stories and the audio book goes all the way back to that tradition. As Peter Allen sang softly in the 1970s, everything old is new again.
1.The “new chapter” (Para. 1) refers to a time of ______.
A. producing totally new audio works
B. starting audio companies
C. narrating print books for audio
D. creating electronic books
2.What does Paragraph 2 tell about audio books?
A. Their difference from e-books.
B. Their previous production.
C. Their great importance.
D. Their bright future.
3.Customers like celebrities’ narration because ______.
A. celebrities help them understand the stories
B. celebrities have more attractive voices
C. celebrities have better narrating skills
D. celebrities seem to be within their reach
4.Audible believes its risk-taking action will be rewarding because ______.
A. the action agrees with the story-telling tradition
B. customers play an active role in the action
C. the company has spent a lot on the action
D. the action has lasted for a long time
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
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。
While it is impossible to live completely free of stress, it is possible to prevent stress as well as reduce its effect when it can’t be avoided. The US Department of Health and Human Services offers the following suggestions for ways to deal with stress.
·Try physical activity.
When you are nervous, angry or upset, try releasing (释放) the pressure through exercise or physical activity. 1.
·Take care of yourself.
You should make every effort to eat well and get enough rest. If you easily get angry and cannot sleep well enough, or if you’re not eating properly, it will be more likely that you will fall into situations of stress. 2.
·Make time for yourself.
3. Don’t forget, play can be just as important as work. You need a break from your daily routine to just relax and have fun. Go window-shopping or work on a hobby. Allow yourself at least a half hour each day to do something you enjoy.
· 4.
Stress can result from disorganization (杂乱无章) and a feeling that “there’s so much to do ,and not enough time.” Trying to take care of everything at once can be too much for you and, as a result , you may not achieve anything. Instead, make a list of everything you have to do, then do one thing at a time. 5. Set out to do the most important tasks first.
A. Bear in mind the most important task.
B. Schedule time for both work and play.
C. Check off each task as it is completed.
D. Make a list of the things you need to do.
E. For example, you could take your job as your hobby.
F. If stress repeatedly keeps you from sleeping, you should consult a doctor.
G. Running, walking, or playing tennis are just some of the activities you might try.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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。
Mac was cycling along a road in Canada’s Yukon, halfway through a 2,750-mile bike tour to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. He was carrying a 30-pound camping bag, ________ he wasn’t moving very fast. Suddenly he heard loud breathing behind him. “Man, that’s a big dog!” he thought. He looked to the side, but to his great ________ , he saw that it wasn’t a dog, but a wolf, running hard to ________ him.
Mac’s heart jumped. He reached for the ________ from his bag. With one hand on the handle bar, he ________the spray. A bright red cloud covered the wolf ________ , and it fell back, shaking its head. But a minute later it was by his side again. He sprayed a second time, and the wolf fell________again, but only to quickly restart its ________ .
The wolf was getting closer and closer, ________a dozen yards away. Mac waved and yelled at passing motorists, but meanwhile ________ hard. He knew clearly that he must be ________ not to slow down. Otherwise, he would become a ________ of the wolf.
Paul and Becky were driving along the same road. From a distance, they spotted what they________ was a dog running after a man on a bike. As they got ________, they realized it was a wolf.
Mac heard a car coming up behind him, and he slowed down. The car veered (改变方向)around the ________ , then suddenly stopped in front of him. Mac ________ off his bike and dashed for the back ________ of the car. It was locked. Paul quickly ________ the door so as to let Mac in, and the ________ man dived in, shutting the door behind him.
It was quite a while before Mac became________ and cried out: “I thought I was going to die!” And Paul and Becky were glad that they had given a helping hand to people in need.
1.A. but B. so C. for D. or
2.A. regret B. disappointment C. fear D. anger
3.A. catch up with B. break away from C. give in to D. come back to
4.A. hammer B. stick C. gun D. spray
5.A. dropped B. fired C. threw D. held
6.A. in turn B. at last C. in time D. at random
7.A. back B. down C. behind D. over
8.A. flight B. race C. journey D. attack
9.A. still B. just C. also D. even
10.A. kicked B. rode C. hit D. pressed
11.A. crazy B. wrong C. careful D. fair
12.A. victim B. competitor C. killer D. protector
13.A. decided B. declared C. assumed D. found
14.A. faster B. closer C. stronger D. wiser
15.A. climber B. motorist C. cyclist D. runner
16.A. sent B. fell C. turned D. jumped
17.A. window B. seat C. door D. trunk
18.A. bent B. struck C. blocked D. unlocked
19.A. frightened B. worried C. discouraged D. confused
20.A. brave B. calm C. optimistic D. confident
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。
Talking is the most effective and satisfying way of communication with others. There are many forms of communication, 1. include: texting, cell phones, email, and social media. 2. (use) these alternative forms to communicate with others may be faster, 3. it lacks many qualities that a face-to-face conversation 4. (possess).
Facial expression and body language can 5. (great) affect a conversation. They can be used to give a person some information about what the other person 6. (think) and feeling. Facial expression can 7. (apply) to video chatting, but body language can only be found in a face-to-face conversation. Talking in person can have physical 8. (feature). Giving someone a hug and holding their hand 9. (comfort) them can only be done in person. When you are talking to someone by texting or instant messaging them, physical touch does not exist at all, which can limit the connection 10. the people in the communication.
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。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。
Some of us is having problems with our parents, as they often look for our school bags. I fully understand when we are not comfortable about it, but there’s no need to feel too sadly. Our parents check our bags to make it sure we’re not getting into trouble. They had probably heard some horrible stories about other kid and think we might do the same. Or perhaps they just want to connect with us and are doing it all wrong. I suggest that we telling them we want them to trust us as much we’d like to trust them.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
假定你是李华，你今天在21 stCentury上看到一则由于乱扔垃圾砸伤行人的报道，打算就此事用英文给该报写一篇文章谈谈你的看法。文章内容包括：
1．事件报道；
2．看法；
3．建议。
注意：1．词数为100左右。
2．文章的开头已为你写好（不计入你所写词数）。
3．已给出的文章的开头不得抄入答题卡。
难度: 中等查看答案及解析