Driving to a friend’s house on a recent evening, I was attracted by the sight of the full moon rising just above my friend’s rooftop. I stopped to watch it for a few moments, thinking about what a pity it is that most city people --- myself included --- usually miss sights like this because we spend most of our lives indoors.
My friend had also seen it. He grew up living in a forest in Europe, and the moon meant a lot to him then. It had touched much of his life.
I know the feeling. Last December I took my seven-year-old daughter to the mountainous jungle of northern India with some friends. We stayed in a forest rest house with no electricity or running hot water. Our group had campfires outside every night, and indoors when it was too cold outside. The moon grew to its fullest during our trip. Between me and the high mountains lay three or four valleys. Not a light shone in them and not a sound could be heard. It was one of the quietest places I have ever known, a bottomless well of silence. And above me was the full moon, which struck me deeply.
Today our lives are filled with glass, metal, plastic and fiber-glass. We have television, cell phones, electricity, heaters and ovens and air-conditioners, cars, computers.
Struggling through traffic that evening at the end of a tiring day, most of it spent indoors, I thought, “Before long, I would like to live in a small cottage. There I will grow vegetables and read books and walk in the mountains. And perhaps write, but not in anger. I may become an old man there, and wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled and measure out my life in coffee spoons. But I will be able to walk outside on a cold silent night and touched the moon.”
1.The best title for the passage would be _________.
A. Break away from Modern life
B. Touched by the Moon
C. A Bottomless well of Silence
D. The Pleasures of Modern Life
2.The writer felt sorry for himself because __________.
A. there was too much pollution.
B. there were too many accidents on the road.
C. he failed to see the fullest moon.
D. he didn’t adapt to modern inventions
3.Modern things are mentioned mainly to ___________.
A. show that the writer likes city life very much.
B. explain that people have less chances to enjoy nature.
C. tell us that people greatly benefit from modern life.
D. show that we can also enjoy nature at home through them.
4.The author wrote the passage to __________.
A. show the love for the moonlight.
B. want to communicate longing for modern life.
C. advise modern people to learn to live.
D. express the feeling of returning to nature.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our time together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.
1. What does the author think of her father before her visit to Tucson?
A. He was silent most of the time.
B. He was too proud of himself.
C. He expected too much of her.
D. He did not love his children.
2. When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel ____ .
A. tired B. nervous C. sorry D. Strict and hare-working.
3. What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
A. Gentle and friendly. B. More talkative.
C. More critical. D. Strict and hard-working.
4.The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to _____ .
A. the author’s son
B. the café owner
C. the friend of the author’s father
D. the author’s father
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
THEATRE
City Varieties
The Headrow, Leeds. Tel. 430808
Oct 10—11 only A Night at the Varieties. All the fun of an old music hall with Barry Cryer,Duggle Brown, 6 dancers, Mystina, Jon Barker, Anne Dural and the Tony Harrison Trio; Laugh again at the old jokes and listen to your favorite songs.
Performances: 8 pm nightly.
Admission: ₤5; under 16 or over 60: ₤4.
York Theatre Royal
St Leonard's Place, York. Tel. 223568
Sept. 23--Oct 17 Groping for Words - a comedy by Sue Townsend. Best known for her Adrian Mole Diaries, Townsend now writes about an evening class, which two men and a woman attend. A gentle comedy.
Admission: First night, Mon: ₤2; Tues—Fri: ₤3.25 - 5.50; Sat: ₤3.50 - 5.75.
Halifax Playhouse
King's Cross Street, Halifax. Tel. 365998
Oct 10—17 On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson. This is a magical comedy about real people. A beautifully produced, well-acted play for everyone. Don't miss it.
Performances: 7:30 pm.
Admission: ₤2. Mon: 2 seats for the price of one
Grand Theatre
Oxford Street, Leeds. Tel. 502116
Restaurant and Caf
Oct —17 The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13. Sue Townsend’s musical play, based on her best-selling book.
Performances: Evenings 7:45. October 10—17,at 2:30 pm. No Monday performances.
Admission: Tues—Thurs: ₤2—5; Fri & Sat: ₤2—6.
1. Which theatre offers the cheapest seat?
A. City Varieties B. Halifax Playhouse
C. Grand Theatre D. York Theatre Royal
2.If you want to see a play with old jokes and songs, which phone number will you ring to book a seat?
A. 430808 B. 223568 C. 365998 D. 502116
3. We may learn from the text that Sue Townsend is________.
A. a musician B. an actress
C. a writer D. a director
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Have you ever wondered?
1. Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?
It can take five hours to go west-east from New York (NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet(喷射) stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when they are moving with the wind than in the opposite direction.
2. What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off?
Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed, moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something round your head on a string, it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Things not attached to the Earth would fly off in a straight line. People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things would fly off into space.
1. What information can we get from the first passage?
A. The jet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic.
B. Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind.
C. It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY.
D. It is the jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly.
2. The word “shoot” underlined in the 2nd passage probably means“ ______”.
A. send for B. come out
C. move quickly D. grow quickly
3. It can be inferred that without gravity _________.
A. trees and buildings would not so easily fly off
B. buildings and other structures would float away
C. something around your head would not float away
D. everything outside buildings would fly off into space
4. Where can we most probably read this text?
A. In a student’s book B. In a short story
C. In a travel magazine D. In a research paper
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。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Are your children liked by their teachers? All parents want their children to impress their teachers and succeed in school．You can get your children to impress their teachers by following these easy steps．
1.
Teachers are impressed by children coming to school prepared to learn. Make sure they have everything they need：pencils，textbooks，erasers and so on．
2.
Teach them to ask teachers questions when they don’t understand something. Some children think teachers are bothered by questions，but most teachers are impressed when children take the initiative（主动）to ask．They should take part in class discussions，giving their opinions politely．
Keep your children healthy．
If your children are tired and hungry，they won’t be ready to learn．Children need at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night． 3. Provide them with fruit and other healthy foods—apples or bananas are better for them than cookies．
Make sure that your children do their homework．
If they really don’t understand it，discuss it with them patiently． 4. Teachers can always tell who is doing the work．
Teach your children good manners and habits．
Children need to arrive at school on time，and be polite to their teachers and classmates． 5. Nothing is sweeter than children who say “please” and “thank you” and these are children their teachers are certain to love．
A．Require them to be active in class．
B．Don’t do their homework for them．
C．Parents need to teach these skills at home.
D．Tell your children to behave themselves as often as possible．
E．Make sure your children can become taller.
F．Feed your children a solid breakfast and prepare a healthy lunch．
G．Make sure they’re prepared．
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。
It was pouring outside. We all stood there ________ , some patiently, others annoyed ________ nature messed up (弄糟) their hurried day. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens __ ________ away the dirt and dust of the world.
“Mom , let’s run through the rain,” a girl’s voice ________ me.
“No, honey. We’ll wait until it ________ down a bit,” Mom replied.
The young girl waited about another minute and ________, “Mom, let’s run through the rain.”
“We’ll get wet if we do,” Mom said.
“No, we won’t, Mom. That’s not what you said this morning,” the young girl said as she________ her Mom’s arm.
“This morning? ________ did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?”
“Don’t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, ‘ If God can get us through this, he can get us through ________ .’ ”
The entire crowd turned ________ . Mom paused and thought for a moment about ________ she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being ________ But then we heard, “Honey, you are________ . Let’s run through the rain. If we get wet, maybe we just need washing,” Mom said. Then ________ they ran.
We all stood ________, smiling and laughing as they ran past the cars. Yes, they got wet. But they were ________ by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the ________ to their cars. Circumstances (境况) or people can take away your material possessions, and they can even take away your ________ . But no one can ever take away your precious ________ . So, don’t forget to make time and take the ________ to make memories every day! I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.
1.A．waiting B．talking C．complaining D．expecting
2.A．as if B．even if C．when D．because
3.A．taking B．washing C．driving D．putting
4.A．broke B．caught C．impressed D．called
5.A．pushes B．comes C．slows D．calms
6.A．asked B．required C．repeated D．added
7.A．felt B．touched C．waved D．pulled
8.A．Why B．When C．How D．Where
9.A．the rain B．the disease C．something D．anything
10.A．silent B．still C．serious D．angry
11.A．whether B．how C．what D．if
12.A．dishonest B．forgetful C．daring D．silly
13.A．stupid B．right C．clever D．wrong
14.A．on B．along C．off D．over
15.A．sighing B．joking C．discussing D．watching
16.A．guided B．followed C．respected D．praised
17.A．way B．time C．same D．best
18.A．health B．money C．house D．time
19.A．children B．courage C．memories D．experience
20.A．Opportunities B．challenge C．risk D．possibilities
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。
The first aid knowledge acquired in class may make a difference to others. One day, Peter, the last one1.______(leave) school, walked back home, thinking about the class, which was about 2._______ to give first aid. Suddenly, he saw a girl lying on the ground with blood flowing out. Obviously, 3.______ girl was hit by a vehicle, got 4.______(bad) injured and lost her consciousness. Peter dialed “120” 5.______ delay to call an ambulance. 6._______ he was waiting for the ambulance, according to the first aid knowledge, he took out his handkerchief and tried to stop the 7.________(blood). Several minutes 8._________(late), the ambulance arrived. The doctor did something urgent with the girl and 9._________(praise) Peter. Then 10.______(place) safely onto the ambulance, the poor girl was sent to the hospital immediately and saved at last.
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。作文中共有 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：在缺词处加一个漏子符号（∧）并在其下面写出该加的词。 删除：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；.只允许修改 10 处，多者（从第 11 处起）不计分。
Nowadays, it is very easily to find a student who is nearsighted. What’s worse, the number of nearsighted students are still increasing. From my point of view, there are many reason that can cause nearsightedness. First of all, the wrong posture will result from nearsightedness. Read in the dark places can lead to nearsightedness as well as. Moreover, too much reading without a rest can be other important reason. My dear friends, it is high time that we paid attention to protect our eyes. The most useful method is do eye exercises more often and relax for a while after reading. Watching green trees could also do good to the eyes.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
假如你是李华，最近你发现你的好友李明因为一次英语考试的不及格而有了厌学的情绪。你很担心他。请根据以下的要点给李明写一封英语邮件，鼓励他战胜困难、努力学习。
1.分析李明的学习情况。他上课不注意听讲等；
2.高中生应该如何面对考试中的失败和挫折；
3.对他今后的学习提供帮助。
注意：1．短文必须包括所有要点，可以适当增加情节，使内容连贯。
2. 词数100左右。
3. 开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。
4. 参考词汇：frustration 挫折
发件人：LiHua@yahoo.com.cn
收件人：LiMing@163.com.cn
日期：Thur,6 Nov 2014 11:30
主题：Cheer up! Everything will be fine.
Hi, Li Ming,
To be honest, I’m really concerned about you as I find you are tired of studying English after taking the exam. I’m writing to_________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析