It is named a kind of wooden Eiffel Tower, because of the fact that there was a large wooden platform far out in the lake on which stood an improbably high diving board. It was, I’m sure, the county’s tallest wooden structure and no one had ever been known to jump from it.
So it was quite a shock when our teacher, Mr. David, announced that he would dive off the high board that very afternoon.
Word of his questionable plan was already spreading through town as Mr. David swam out to the platform. He was just a tiny, stick figure when he got there but even from such a distance the high board seemed almost to touch the clouds. Once at the top, he paced the enormously long board, then took some deep breaths and finally stood at edge. He was going to do it.
Several hundred people had gathered at the shore to watch. Mr. David stood for quite a long time, then he raised his arms, took one massive bounce and launched himself into a perfect dive. It was beautiful. He fell with perfect style for what seemed minutes. The crowd fell silent. The only sound to be heard was the faint whistle of his body tearing through the air toward the water far, far below.
But about three quarters of the way down he seemed to have second thoughts and began suddenly to panic, waving his arms and legs like someone having a bad dream. When he was perhaps thirty feet above the water, he gave up on waving and spread his arms and legs wide, apparently hoping that it would somehow slow his fall.
It didn’t.
He hit the water at over six hundred miles an hour. The impact was so loud that it made birds fly out of their trees three miles away. I don’t think he entered the water at all. He just bounced off it, about fifteen feet back into the air. After that, he lay still on the surface, spinning like an autumn leaf.
He was brought to shore by two passing fishermen in a rowboat and placed on an old blanket where he spent the rest of the afternoon. Occasionally he accepted small sips of water, but otherwise was too shocked to speak. From head to toe, he was covered with deep red bruises.
It was the best day of my life.
1.How did the writer find Mr. David’s plan to jump from the diving board?
A. Heroic. B. Disappointing. C. Crazy. D. Confused.
2.In Paragraph 3, Mr. David is described as “a tiny, stick figure” because he was ________.
A. very far away B. very small and thin
C. tired after swimming D. sure to be broken
3.Why did Mr. David suddenly start swinging his arms and legs during the dive?
A. He thought it was the best way to slow his fall.
B. He wanted to show his courage.
C. He was signaling the crowd for help.
D. He lost his confidence and started to panic.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
To be successful in any aspect of life, you need to know when to use the carrot or the stick.
Here are a few tips to help you decide whether it’s better to use the carrot or the stick.
With the kids
The carrot
When it comes to raising a kid, the carrot or the stick dilemma is quickly disappearing as too many parents take the carrot approach to the extreme. In child raising, the carrot should never be materialistic things. If you want to ask for good behavior with a reward, it should be with something that can’t be bought, say, trust. The stick Nowadays, no one likes to use the stick any more, or in my father’s case, the belt. I’m not overlooking child abuse, if you ever want to call it that, but I am encouraging parents to toughen up a bit. You don’t want your kid to test your limits only to find out he can get away with it. If you want to raise a kid, raise the hand and let him know it comes down on the second offense.
At the office
The carrot
People need encouragement and motivation to perform well. However, the carrot only really works well with employees who have already proved themselves. If you’ve got someone who can’t show up at the office before noon, the promise of a raise isn’t going to do much. On the contrary, if there’s a guy with a good work moral, he’ll thrive (grow stronger) when you add a promotion to the picture.
The stick
When considering the carrot or the stick in the office, remember that, overall, the stick is the more practical method in the office. A wise man, who just happened to be an Italian, once said “It’s best to be both loved and feared.” It’s nice to have everyone love you, but running a business isn’t like running a family. You need to have the stick constantly raised.
With the wife
The carrot
When it comes to marriage, always use the carrot. I’ve had a lovely marriage for many years, and I’ve always stuck to the carrot approach.
Sometimes you catch more flies with honey, and sometimes it’s the crack of a whip(鞭子) that gets the horse moving. Try not to use too many sticks at home; the carrot is much more fun.
1.What is the best title of this passage?
A. The Carrot or the Stick?
B. The Introduction to the Carrot and the Stick
C. Tips in the Daily Life
D. The Advantages of the Carrot and the Stick
2.In kids raising, the author prefers ________.
A. the carrot approach
B. the stick approach
C. both the carrot approach and the stick approach
D. neither the carrot approach nor the stick approach
3.Which do you think is the best to be a good boss at the office?
A. Always using carrots.
B. Eating a lot of carrots.
C. Being both loved and feared.
D. Using too many sticks.
4.Which is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The author often gives more carrots to his wife to eat at home.
B. The carrot is much more fun when it comes to marriage.
C. On different occasions, the carrot or the stick is effective.
D. You need the stick to get your horses to move faster occasionally.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The poaching (偷猎)，or illegal killing，of rhinos(犀牛) in South Africa is growing worse each year．The government recently reported that a record number of rhinos were poached in 2015，a year which had more rhino killings in South Africa than ever before．
The World Wildlife Fund，or WWF，says about 20, 000 rhinos live in South Africa． That is more than 80 percent of the rhinos in the world． Edna Molewa， South Africa’s Environment Minister，says, “During 2015，we are sad to say this，1, 215 rhinos were killed．This is a rise in the number of poached rhinos from 1,004 in 2014 and indeed very worrying.”
The animals are hunted for their horns(角)．Many people in Asia believe the horn has curing power， which drives poachers， at all costs， mad for more horns． But there is no scientific evidence for this belief．The horn is made of keratin(角蛋白)．That is the same thing as human hair，fingernails and toenails．
Ms．Molewa said 386 suspected poachers were arrested last year，an increase from the year before．But rhino protection workers say poachers often go unpunished after arrest． South Africa’s legal system is ineffective． Ms． Mo1ewa said more needs to be done and South Africa is taking strong measures to protect rhinos．The efforts include moving some of the animals to secret places in neighboring countries. “Now approximately 100 rhinos have been moved to neighboring states in the SADC region during 2015 and 200 more rhinos will be moved this year,” Molewa said.
Jo Shaw，the rhino program manager at the WWF，said，“We’re talking about a loss of a hundred rhinos a month，or more than three a day．We really need to see effective action not just at a national level but internationally．” She says officials should find the criminal groups responsible for the poaching and punish them. Government officials are to meet in Botswana in March at the Inter-governmental Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade．
1.According to paragraph 2, we know ________.
A．half of rhinos live in South Africa
B．less than 1,000 rhinos were killed in 2014
C．the killing reached the highest point in 2014
D．there are only 20,000 rhinos left in the world
2.What is the main reason for people to hunt rhinos?
A．To get more keratin． B．To protect the farmland．
C．To use them for decoration． D．To make money from horns.
3.Jo Shaw thinks that ________.
A．many criminal groups are well organized
B．new laws are needed to punish the killers
C．rhino protection needs international cooperation
D．conferences about protecting rhinos are to be held every year
4.What can we infer from the text?
A．Rhino protection has a long way to go.
B．No one would like to buy horns in the future.
C．The illegal killing of rhinos will soon disappear.
D．Rhinos living in South Africa will move to other countries.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
“Selfie” may have been named Oxford Dictionary’s word of 2013. In effect，so widely known has the selfie become that in the past 12 months，its frequency in the English language has increased by 17000 percent， said Oxford dictionaries. However，its popularity has just earned it another honour-being voted the most annoying and overused term of the past 12 months. But I’d like to offer that maybe it isn’t so bad.
According to the Oxford online dictionary, selfie is a photo that one takes of oneself， often from a smart phone， and send them to a social media website. Women and men alike decorate their Facebook and Twitter accounts with these pictures， sometimes with exaggerated facial expressions，such as large smiles or puckered lips（噘嘴）.
Let’s think about it. Someone takes about 10 selfies each time they do， and they only end up posting one or two of those. They pick the one that they feel makes them look the best. Isn’t that beautiful？ In that one picture，somebody has given himself or herself confidence. Self-image is vital. In today’s society，we are so crazy about being perfect. But perhaps， with that one selfie，we feel as if we fit that need. We feel handsome，beautiful，confident，smart，happy，and content. For that moment，everything bad or terrible that has ever happened to us seemed to have been erased，for that smile or that pucker is what gives us the determination to love ourselves.
A spoken-word poem I saw lately set me thinking：If I ask you what you love，the answers will most likely roll of your tongue. You love to read. You love to write. You love birds，music…your mom，your brother，your sister，your daughter，your best friend，your dog. How long do you think you could go on and on before you said，“I love myself.”？
The poem hit me like a ton of bricks. I’ve struggled with confidence all of my life. And I still do. And in no way am I saying that taking a selfie is a gateway to that confidence. However，the selfie does deserve some credit for allowing individuals to express themselves. Just as Pamela Rutledge put it，“There are many more photographs available now of real people than models.”
1.According to the writer, we live in a society where ________.
A. selfie leads to success
B. a good image decides one’s status
C. one’s poor performance can be erased
D. being perfect is highly valued
2.The spoken-word poem mentioned in the 4th paragraph implies ________.
A. our pleasure to enjoy beauty
B. our need to love people around us
C. our tendency to ignore ourselves
D. our real love to share with others
3.What does the underlined word “credit” in the last paragraph mean?
A. praise B. grade C. trust D. fame
4.In the writer’s opinion, selfie ________.
A. brings about people’s sense of confidence
B. is merely popular among teenagers
C. tells the true meaning of life
D. is an annoying phenomenon on the Internet
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。
High school can be quite the stressful time for any student. There are numerous stresses to deal with and the pressure can be more intense as you enter your senior year. 1. The answer is as follows.
2. Adjust your approach to your specific situation. For instance, if you’re active in your community and your school and have a large family, you may feel depressed by having all these people involved in your life on a daily basis. 3. You just may need a moment to be alone and collect your thoughts before moving on to the challenges that face you.
4. If your stress persists and you can’t figure out a way to handle it, you may want to try speaking to your school counselor(顾问). If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to your counselor, try getting some other types of counseling.
Realize your limits, and plan around them. Don’t take on more than you can handle. If you take on too many things, you will be spread too thin and won’t be able to perform at your best in anything. 5. You will definitely feel more at ease!
A. Seek professional counseling.
B. Why does the stress come into being?
C. Try thinking of alternative ways to deal with stress.
D. When you feel relieved, you can have a happier life.
E. Taking some time out to be alone may be the best way to handle such stress.
F. But how on earth can you reduce some of the stress?
G. Evaluate what tasks and activities are most important and leave others behind.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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。
Millions of people seek help from psychologists in part because they feel different from others. But a _________ Andrew Erlich says that everyone is a freak(怪物) in some way. Erlich _________ for acceptance of differences in his book “The Long Shadows” about an uncle, Jake Erlich, who overcame prejudice, depression and _________ caused by his extreme height.
“Most of us have something that we are embarrassed about. It is like an invisible clubfoot（畸形足）. But for Jake, it was_________ . Everybody saw it,” said Andrew. As a clinical psychologist, Andrew Erlich helps patients who see themselves as freaks. First, he tells them about his uncle. “Here is a man that _________ the challenges, and he does it not by _________ who he is, but by embracing(拥抱) who he is _________ and expressing it in the visual _________ and in his performances,” he said.
Erlich’s _________ tells about how Jake toured with the circus and then, after suffering temporary blindness, _________ sculpture and painting. “He found _________ through creativity. I am _________ interested in the creative process in the people that I see, and I use Jake as an example, and I _________ them his paintings,” said Erlich.
“Jake really wanted to do something _________ . You see a scene and your _________ come through as you see and feel it, and you believe he painted it from different _________ ,” said Erlich. “People were _________ of human differences, and they would _________ walls to protect themselves from those differences and those walls that _________ us are very dangerous,” he said.
Erlich hopes that his uncle’s story will help readers _________ themselves and fulfill their dreams.
1.A. physician B. painter C. writer D. psychologist
2.A. argues B. defines C. prepares D. protests
3.A. disappointment B. loss C. pain D. illness
4.A. pleasant B. present C. sick D. widespread
5.A. fears B. overlooks C. overcomes D. rejects
6.A. avoiding B. admitting C. recognizing D. imagining
7.A. tightly B. quickly C. bravely D. easily
8.A. books B. arts C. actions D. habits
9.A. clinic B. book C. painting D. experiment
10.A. gave up B. thought over C. figured out D. took up
11.A. freedom B. health C. pressure D. sorrow
12.A. seldom B. rarely C. quite D. nearly
13.A. explain B. count C. draw D. show
14.A. suddenly B. differently C. happily D. simply
15.A. emotions B. possessions C. talents D. abilities
16.A. colors B. books C. lights D. angles
17.A. aware B. tired C. confident D. Frightened
18.A. build B. destroy C. remove D. break
19.A. prevent B. separate C. withdraw D. threaten
20.A. recover B. upgrade C. accept D. learn
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（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Is there such a thing as being “over-protective”?
I can honestly say that my answer to that question 1. (change) dramatically(戏剧性地) since I became a parent.
Before the birth of my daughter, I taught at 2. private school, often viewing my students as over-protected, worrying 3. would happen when they went on to middle schools. Some did fine, and some did not. Some needed constant pats on the back, words of 4. (inspire) and extra support, which I 5. (happy) gave. Others were content on their own, needing little 6. no interaction(互动) with their teacher. I’d always supposed their parents were over-protective, for they were the ones that still walked their 7. (five) graders into the classroom and met them at the school gate.
Admittedly, I laughed at those parents, 8. (think) their children would never learn to be 9. (independence) if they didn’t let go just a little. Then I had my own daughter. The moment I looked at her little face, I 10. (know) I’d do everything in my power to protect her and make sure she always felt safe!
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：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），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：在错的词下面划一横线（____），并在该词下面写出修改的词。
注意：1.每处错误及修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分
As Senior Three approaching, I really hope to have a heart-to-heart talk with my parents. I always feel grateful for his unselfish care and love. Thanks for their constant encouragement, I have made rapid progress in my study.
It will be less than one month since the final exam, so I’m under a pressure now. I would appreciate it if they could have frequently talks with me to provide me with timely help, which contribute to keeping me in a good state of mind.
I made up my mind to study hard, for I believe hard work is the key to succeed. Meanwhile, I will spare some time to participate in various activity to build up my body.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
李华是生活在某个社区的孩子，她感到孩子们的社区生活单调，几乎没有朋友，于是打算向社区负责人黄叔叔提出解决该问题的建议。请你就此事以李华的名义写一篇 100 词左右的邮件。
内容包括：
1. 组织社区里的孩子参加清洁本小区的劳动。
2. 提供一个固定场所供孩子们课后学习和交流。
3. 鼓励孩子们加入社区足球俱乐部并安排比赛。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 信的开头与结尾已为你写好。
Dear Mr. Huang,
I am Li Hua, a child living in this community.______________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes!
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析