When I was a boy my father told me that he could do anything he wanted to．Dad said that he wanted to be the first to develop color prints in our city, and so he did．
When I was 16，dad looked closely at the violin I played and said that he wanted to make one．He read about violinmaking，and then became a violinmaker at the age of 43．He bought the tools and materials，opened a small store and set Mom up as the shopkeeper，while he worked at a local company．He retired from the company 17 years later and continued to make violins and other instruments．
Dad often guessed why the Stradivarius violins sounded so beautiful．Some experts told him that it was the special varnish(油漆)that gave the instruments their beautiful sound．Dad argued that chemists could analyze the varnish—if that was the answer．
One of Dad’s friends asked him which kind of wood was used to make violins．When dad explained that the top was made of spruce(云杉)，his friend said that he had all old piece of spruce which dad might be interested in．
He worked for the next 12 months making a violin from the wood that his friend had given him．It proved to be an excellent violin and it would become Dad’s masterpiece．He believed that the secret of the Stradivarius sound was in the wood itself．
Later, the instrument was stolen． Dad’s spirit was broken and he stopped making instruments. But he kept the music shop until he was 80 years old，selling guitars and violins．
The violin has been missing for more than 25 years．Somewhere a musician is playing a late-20th-century violin with an excellent tone．The owner today may never understand why this Ordinary-looking violin sounds so much like Stradivarius．
1.In Paragraph l，the writer mentioned his father's developing color prints to ．
A．let others know that he believed his father
B．show that his father would like to make violins
C．prove that his father could do anything he wanted to
D．give an example showing that his father was an inventor
2.What did the writer's father think about Stradivarius violins?
A．They were made by experts．
B．The wood of the violins was special．
C．The way of making them was unusual．
D．The varnish was different from the others．
3.From the underlined sentence，we learn that the writer's father ．
A．found another new job
B．wanted to become famous
C．lost interest in instruments
D．liked the violin very much
4.What could be the best title of the passage?
A．My Experienced Father
B．My Father and His Violin
C．The Secret of Making Violins
D．The New Owner of the Violin
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A supermarket checkout operator was praised for striking a blow for modern manners and a return to the age of politeness after refusing to serve a shopper who was talking on her mobile phone.
The supermarket manager was forced to apologize to the customer who complained she was told her goods would not be scanned unless she hung up her phone. Jo Clark, 46, said, “I don't know what she was playing at. I couldn’t believe how rude she was. When did she have the right to give me a lecture on checkout manners? I won’t be shopping there again!”
But users of social media sites and Internet forums(论坛) were very angry that store gave in and the public appeared to be supporting the angry checkout worker. “Perhaps this is a turning point for mobile phone users everywhere. When chatting, keep your eyes on people around you. That includes people trying to serve you, other road users and especially people behind you in the stairs,” said a typical post.
“It’s time checkout staff fought back against these people constantly chatting on their phones. They can drive anyone crazy. It’s rude and annoying. I often want to grab someone’s phone and throw it as far as I can, even though I am not a checkout girl, just a passer-by,” said another.
Siobhan Freegard, founder of parenting site www. Netmums.com said, “While this checkout operator doesn’t have the authority to order customers to switch off their phones, you can see clearly how frustrated and angry she felt. No matter how busy you are, life is nicer when you and those around you have good manners.”
1.According to Jo Clark, the checkout operator_____________.
A．lacked the knowledge of checkout manners
B．played with a mobile phone while at work
C．had no right to forbid her from using her mobile phone
D．deserved praise for her modern manners
2.The third and fourth paragraphs imply that the public_________.
A．are used to chatting on their mobile phones
B．are driven crazy by constant mobile calls
C．ignore the existence of mobile phone users
D．seem to support the checkout operator
3.The attitude of Siobhan Freegard towards the checkout operator was________.
A．disapproving B．supportive
C．neutral(中立的) D．indifferent
4.The passage is mainly about _________.
A．whether we should talk on our phones while being served
B．why we can talk on mobile phones while shopping
C．what good manners checkout operators should have
D．how we can develop good manners for mobile phone users
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Alibaba started taking the lead in China by connecting big Chinese manufacturers(制造商) with big buyers across the world. Its business-to-business site, Alibaba.com allowed business to buy almost everything. Alibaba’s advantage wasn’t hard to judge: size. Alibaba is just big, even by Chinese standards. Its market attracts 231 million active buyers, 8 million sellers, 11.3 billion orders a year — and Alibaba is just the middleman. It encourages people to use its markets — not charging small sellers a percentage of the sale.
If you want a quick look into the influence of Alibaba on daily Chinese life, take my experience. I moved to Beijing a year ago and quickly got tired of visiting small stores across the crowded, polluted city of 20 million people in search of new electronics, bathroom furnishings, and anything else my wife wanted. “You’re looking for what exactly? Why not try it? ” my Chinese teacher asked me one day. With that, my wonderful new relationship with Alibaba began.
Alibaba’s original business-to-business model now is second to consumer buying. Chinese retail(零售) buying makes up 80% of Alibaba’s profit, and leading that group is Taobao, with 800 million items for sale and the most unbelievable selection of things you’ll ever find. TMall.com is Alibaba’s other big site, where you can find brand name goods from Nike and Unilever near the lowest prices.
What I have a hard time explaining to friends and family back in the U.S. is how China has gone beyond traditional shopping — big-box retailers especially —in favor of online purchases on Taobao and a few other sites. In smaller towns than Beijing, where big retailers have not yet traveled, shopping online is shopping, and shopping is Taobao.
I have a list of some of my recent purchases on Taobao for a sense of how wide the marketplace is. Almost everything arrived a day or two after ordering with free shipping. I’m not even a big buyer, because I need friends to help me search the Chinese-language site. When I was searching my purchase history on my Chinese teacher’s iPad, which helps me buy goods, I looked through with great difficulty about 10 of her purchases for every one of mine.
1.Alibaba’s advantage mainly lies in .
A．its low price
B．its big size
C．its not charging small sellers
D．its business-to-business service
2.We know from the passage that Alibaba .
A．will continue to develop.
B．charges all the sellers on its site a percentage of the sale.
C．acts as a bridge between the buyers and sellers.
D．is of middle size among all the online sites.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A．Alibaba’s business-to-business service earns more money than retail.
B．TMall.com provides more profit than Taobao.
C．Taobao has no obvious advantage over other similar online sites.
D．The author’s Chinese teacher is also an online purchase lover.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A．Shopping online in China is TaoBao.
B．How the author purchases online in China.
C．Shopping online goes beyond traditional shopping.
D．Alibaba influences people’s daily purchase in China.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
What is an Oyster card?
Oyster is the easiest way to pay for journeys on the bus，Tube，tram，Docklands light Railway (DLR)，London Overground and National Rail journeys in London You can store your travel cards, Bus & Tram Pass，season tickets and credit to pay for journeys as you go.
Where to get an Oyster card?
There are a number of ways for you to get an Oyster card ：
• At over 3,900 Oyster Ticket stops
• At Tube and London Overground station ticket offices
• At some National Rail stations
• At London Travel information Centres
• Online at tfl. gov. uk/oyster
How to use an Oyster card?
To pay the correct fare on the Tube，DLR，London Overground and National Rail services，you must always touch in on the yellow Oyster card reader at the start of your journey，and touch out at the end. if you don’t, a maximum cash Oyster fare will be changed When using the bus or tram, you must only touch in at the start, but not at the end of your journey.
What happens if I don’t visit London very often?
Don’t worry. Any pay as you go credit on your card will not expire (过期)，so you can keep it for your next visit or lend it to a friend.
Fares
Traveling by Tube from Central London (Zone l)to Heathrow (Zone 6)
Adult Oyster single fare
£ 4. 20 Monday to Friday 06:30 - 09:30 and 16:00一19:00
£ 2. 70 at all other times including public holidays
Adult single cash fare £ 5.00
For further information，visit tfL.gov. uk /fares.
1.You can get an Oyster card at the following places EXCEPT_____
A．at a post office B．at an Oyster Ticket stop
C．on the website D．at a Tube station
2.If a person with an Oyster card takes the 7 o’clock Tube from Central London to Heathrow for a week (no public holiday in between)，he should pay_____.
A．£ 18.90 B．£ 29.40 C．£ 26.40 D．£ 21.90
3.The passage is probably taken from a_______
A．journal B．travel brochure C．textbook D．novel
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。
Although problems are a part of our lives, it certainly doesn’t mean that we let them rule our lives forever. One day or the other, you’ll have to stand up and say – problem, I don’t want you in my life.
1. Problems with friends, parents, girlfriends, husbands, and children – the list goes on. Apart from these, the inner conflicts within ourselves work, too. These keep adding to our problems. Problems come in different shapes and colors and feelings.
But good news is that all problems can be dealt with. Now read on to know how to solve your problems.
Talk, it really helps. What most of us think is that our problem can be understood only by us and that no talking is going to help. 2. Talking helps you move on and let go.
Write your problems. 3. When you write down your problems, you are setting free all the tension from your system. You can try throwing away the paper on which you wrote your problems. By doing this, imagine yourself throwing away the problems from your life.
Don’t lose faith and hope. No matter what you lose in life, don’t lose faith and hope. Even if you lose all your money, family… you should still have faith. 4.
Your problems aren’t the worst. No matter what problem you get in life, there’re another one million people whose problems are huger than yours. 5. Your problems might just seem big and worse, but in reality they can be removed.
Go about and solve your problems because every problem, however big or small, always has a way out.
A．When we have a problem, a pressing, critical, urgent, life-threatening problem, how do we try and solve it?
B．But the truth is that when you talk about it, you’re setting free the negative energies that have been gathering within you.
C．Having a personal diary can also be of huge help if you don’t want a real person to talk with.
D．We can often overcome the problem and achieve the goal by making a direct attack.
E．Of course, we’ve been fighting troubles ever since we were born.
F．With faith and hope, you can rebuild everything that you lose.
G．Tell yourself: when they can deal with them, why can’t I?
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
完型填空,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。
My class and I visited Chris Care Center in Phoenix, Arizona to comfort the old people who needed a little cheering up during the holiday season.
The first two there were for persons requiring help in taking care of themselves. We sang________ for them. They loved our sweet songs and the flowers that we left with them.
As we were ________ on the third floor for old people with Alzheimer (老年痴呆症), most of them ________off at the walls or floor. However, one lady ________ my eye. She was sitting by the door, in a wheelchair, singing songs to herself. They weren’t the songs that we were singing, at least they didn’t ________ like that. As we got ________ with each festive song, she did as well. The louder we got, the louder she got. ________ she was singing, she was also ________ out to us with her hands and body. I knew that I should have gone over to her, but I thought that my________ were to my students. People who worked at the care center could ________ to her, I thought. Just when I stopped feeling ________ about not giving her the attention she needed, one of my students, Justin, showed me what the holiday season is really about.
Justin also ________ the same lady. The difference between us is that he ________ on her needs, but I didn’t. During the last song, “Silent Night,” Justin walked over to her and held her hand. He looked this aged lady in her ________ and with his actions said, “You are important, and I will take my ________ to let you know that.” This tired, elderly lady stopped singing and held his hand. Then she touched his cheek with the other hand. Tears began to fall down her face. No________ can completely describe that touching moment.
It ________ a boy to teach me, a man, about kindness and love. Justin’s example of a complete, selfless attitude toward another was a ________ that I will never forget. He was the teacher that day, and I consider myself ________ to have witnessed his lesson.
1.A. rooms B. buildings C. floors D. groups
2.A. bravely B. beautifully C. madly D. shyly
3.A. singing B. meeting C. gathering D. dancing
4.A. glared B. shut C. paid D. stared
5.A. looked B. caught C. escaped D. hurt
6.A. appear B. hear C. sound D. feel
7.A. higher B. nearer C. faster D. louder
8.A. As B. Because C. Since D. Though
9.A. moving B. reaching C. coming D. spreading
10.A. interests B. abilities C. feelings D. responsibilities
11.A. speak B. attend C. object D. compare
12.A. guilty B. sure C. afraid D. scary
13.A. feared B. avoided C. helped D. noticed
14.A. called B. acted C. insisted D. kept
15.A. tears B. hands C. eyes D. face
16.A. body B. flower C. time D. cheek
17.A. words B. poems C. expressions D. songs
18.A. made B. wasted C. caused D. took
19.A. message B. lesson C. activity D. class
20.A. clever B. foolish C. lucky D. right
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或括号内单词的正确形式。
It is recommended that one of the effective ways to make your English writing skills improved should be keeping a diary.
1. (compare) with other form of writing， it takes 2. (little) time as well as being shorter. It is 3. (general) recognized that you will get to learn how to express yourself in English if you insist on practising. Apparently you may meet with 4. good many difficulties at times. The trouble is 5. you can not find appropriate words and phrases to give expression to your mind. In addition, there are lots of idiomatic ways of Chinese appearing in your diary.
6. my point of view, a piece of good advice is that there should be no 7. way more suitable than keeping a notebook and an English dictionary within easy reach. Whenever something 8. (beat) you, put 9. down and then consult the dictionary. Certainly you can get help from your English teacher if necessary. I’m sure it is of great use to keep a diary in English for the 10. (improve) of writing abilities.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
What I am actually eager to do is being a responsible person. I used to thinking it was so hard to grow up into a responsible member of our society. Besides, it was an accident happening in a snowy morning that changed my attitude . I was on the way to school and was waiting for the green light with my classmate John while a girl was knocked down by passing car. Without hesitation we ran to her and gave her first aid the instant when we saw it . Soon many help was given to him by the people nearby. Because we sent her to the nearest hospital in time, she was able to receive proper treatment . By the time she left the hospital, she has written a letter expressing her gratitude to those giving help. We both felt so proud that from then on we made up our mind to be always kind and responsible men.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
假如你是校学生会主席，高二年级在下个月举办英语周活动，请根据以下内容写一篇英语书面通知。
时间：12月7日-----11日 下午4:30----6：30
地点：学校体育馆
活动安排：1．周一开幕式 周五闭幕式
2．周二知识竞赛 周三英语演讲比赛 周四英文歌曲比赛
另外，每班准备一个英语短剧，在开幕式和闭幕式上表演，请各班务必认真组织，争取把这次英语周办的丰富多彩。
注意：1．字数：100字左右
2．应包括要点，可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．通知格式已给出，但不计入总词数
提示词：体育馆 gymnasium
Notice
The English Week held every two years is approaching. _____________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
The Students’ Union
November 28.2015
难度: 中等查看答案及解析