What would you do if you were a fifth grader facing a huge homework load every night，and you found out that there was a machine that would do all the work for you? That’s the situation presented to Sam，Kelsey，Judy and Brenton in Dan Gunman’s entertaining new book for young readers，The Homework Machine．
The four children．all fifth graders in Miss Rasmussen’s class at Grand Canyon School，are as different as any other 11 year-old children could be，but they have one thing in common--all are somewhat separated from their classmates. Sam is a newcomer and has had his share of school trouble before; Kelsey quietly carries her pain at losing her father；Judy’s sense of justice always annoys others；and Brenton---well，he is another story entirely．Brenton is the smartest child in the school, so smart that even his parents and teachers have trouble keeping up with him．When Brenton and his three classmates are put into the same study group by their teacher，the others discover that Brenton has made a time-saving gadget(装置)to do his homework for him．While the boy is perfectly able to do the homework himself，Sam，Kelsey and Judy could use the help．
Having perfect grades is something new for these three，and as they meet every day to “do homework”，they find that they’re learning a lot about each other．Such a good thing can't last though，and when a secret man starts trying to get in touch with them，the children begin to get nervous. Soon there’s an even more frightening problem--why can’t the Homework Machine be turned off?
Gunman is a gifted writer who has written dozens of children’s books，each with a funny and impressing tale that should be equally liked by boys and girls．
1.What type of text is it?
A. A book review． B. A school report．
C. A science story． D. A student’s diary．
2.What is one common thing that all four children have to deal with at school?
A. Getting along with classmates．
B. Overcoming sad feelings．
C. Following school rules．
D. Keeping good grades．
3.What can we learn about Brenton?
A. He is strange and nervous.
B. He is clever and helpful.
C. He is brave and special.
D. He is quiet and smart.
4. Why did the children get frightened?
A. They had no idea how to stop the machine．
B. They lost the connection with each other．
C. They were questioned by a strange man．
D. They were tracked down by the police．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Last Saturday on the way to the mall, two children, a boy and a girl, came running towards me with bottles on their hands, asking if I wanted bottled water. It was a surprising gesture. I was wondering if they were doing fund-raising. I knelt and asked them where their parents were and how much a bottle of water cost. Then two adult women came up to me explaining what the children were doing. “We are teaching the children to give without anything in return. We are teaching people to accept without giving in return. ”
Two mothers had bought bottled water and placed a sticker(小贴纸)on all bottles with five different quotes(引述):
1. Smile at everyone. You’ll never know when someone may need it.
2. If Plan A does not work, there are 25 more letters in the alphabets.
3. Have a thirst for life. Every day is filled with possibilities.
4. In your thirst for knowledge, be sure you don’t drown in all the information.
5. Dig your well before you’re thirsty.
The bottle I have has quoted No.5. A sudden change of attitude opened up between me, the mothers and the children. We are no longer strangers to each other. We were having such a great time chatting and I ended up helping them give away the rest of the bottled water.
One young lady was so thankful that she happily accepted the water and said it was the best thing that happened to her all day since she had a bad day at work. A man refused and walked away saying “no thanks”. A couple kept on bowing to us in gratitude. When it was all done, the children and I were giving each other high-five. It was so much fun. I think I had more fun doing this than the mothers and the children.
1.How did the author feel when he was offered bottled water?
A. Embarrassed B. Surprised
C. Excited D. Disappointed
2.Different quotes were placed on the bottles to ________.
A. inspire others to think positively.
B. show how rich and colorful our life is.
C. encourage people to get more bottled water.
D. explain why at times abandonment is necessary facing trouble.
3.What did the author do after chatting with them?
A. Buy the rest of the bottled water.
B. Give away some money for charity.
C. Decide to meet with them regularly.
D. Join them in being kind to strangers.
4.What do we know from the last paragraph?
A. Children had more fun from this than adults.
B. This random act of kindness is warmly welcomed.
C. People responded quite differently to this activity.
D. The author learned a lot from this random act of kindness.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
New research shows how kids’ brains reorganize as they learn math.
All the time you spent memorizing multiplication tables(乘法表)may have made you a better mathematician, according to a new study. A team of scientists from Stanford University, in California, have shown how the brain reorganizes itself as kids learn math.
After a certain amount of time spent practicing math, kids can put away the calculator(计算器). They don’t even need to count on their fingers. They simply know the answers to subtraction(减法), addition, and multiplication facts. The quicker kids can recall basic math facts, the easier it is for them to solve more complicated math problems.
The Stanford University researchers observed the brain activity of 28 students aged 7to 9 for the study. They took scans of the students’ brains as the students solved math calculations without the help of a calculator, pen or paper. A calculation—three plus four equals seven, for example—flashed on a screen. The students pushed a button to say if the answer was right or wrong. The scientists also recorded the response speed, and what parts of the brain became active as the kids pushed the button.
These observations showed a process called fact retrieval(事实检索). Rather than using their fingers to count, or writing out answers on a piece of paper, the students pulled the answers from memory. It’s as if the answers to basic math problems are kept in a long-term storage area in the brain, which was built from repetition. “Experience really does matter,” said Dr. Kathy Mann Koepeke.
Children make the shift(转换)from counting to fact retrieval when they are 8 to 9 years old, the study shows. This is the time when most students are learning basic addition and subtraction. When kids have basic math facts memorized, the brain has more free space to learn more complicated math.
This process has benefits for the future. The study shows as kids grow older, their answers rely more on memory and become quicker and more accurate. Less brain activity is devoted to counting. Some children make this shift quicker than others.
1.What did the researchers do when students worked out the given problems?
A. They recorded the students’ brain activities.
B. They pushed a button linked to the students.
C. They noticed whether they used a calculator.
D. They found out who responded most quickly.
2. Fact retrieval is a process when the students________.
A. calculate answers using pens
B. use their fingers to count out
C. repeat the answers they remember
D. find the answers from their memory
3.What plays a key role in solving a math problem?
A. Intelligence B. Experience
C. Learning method D. Constant practice
4.What happens to kids when they are 8 to 9 years old?
A. Their brains are more active than before.
B. They depend on fact retrieval for answers.
C. They become more interested in learning math.
D. They work out complicated problems more quickly.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Perhaps you think you could easily add to your happiness with more money. Strange as it may seem, if you’re unsatisfied, the issue is not a lack of means to meet your desires but a lack of desires—not that you cannot satisfy your tastes but that you don’t have enough tastes.
Real riches consist of well-developed and hearty capacities(能力)to enjoy life. Most people are already flooded with things. They eat, wear, go and talk too much. They live in too big a house with too many rooms, yet their house of life is a hut.
Your house of life ought to be a mansion(豪宅), a royal palace. Every new taste, every additional interest, every fresh enthusiasm adds a room. Here are several rooms your house of life should have.
Art should be a desire for you to develop simply because the world is full of beautiful things. If you only understood how to enjoy them and feed your spirit on them, they would make you as happy as to find plenty of ham and eggs when you’re hungry.
Literature, classic literature, is a beautiful, richly furnished room where you might find many an hour of rest and refreshment. To gain that love would go toward making you a rich person, for a rich person is not someone who has a library but who likes a library.
Music like Mozart’s and Bach’s shouldn’t be absent. Real riches are of the spirit. And when you’ve brought that spirit up to where classical music feeds it and makes you a little drunk, you have increased your thrills and bettered them. And life is a matter of thrills.
Whatever rooms you might add to your house of life, the secret of enjoying life is to keep adding.
1.The author intends to tell us that________.
A. true happiness lies in achieving wealth by fair means
B. big houses are people’s most valued possessions
C. big houses can in a sense bring richness of life
D. true happiness comes from spiritual riches
2.The underlined sentence in the second paragraph probably implies that________.
A. however materially rich, they never seem to be satisfied
B. however materially rich, they remain spiritually poor
C. though their house is big, they prefer a simple life
D. though their house is big, it seems to be a cage
3.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. House of Life B. Secret of Wealth
C. Rest and Refreshment D. Interest and Enthusiasm
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The Internet has opened up a whole new online world for us to meet, chat and go where we’ve never been before.
But just as in face to face communication, there are some rules of behavior that should be followed when on line. 1.Imagine how you’d feel if you were in the other person’s shoes.
For anything you’re about to send: ask yourself, “Would I say this to the person’s face?” If the answer is no, rewrite and reread. 2.
If someone in the chat room is rude to you, your instinct (本能) is to fire back in the same manner. But try not to do so. 3.If it was caused by a disagreement with another member, try to fix the situation by politely discussing it. Remember to respect the beliefs and opinions of others in the chat room.
It is not polite to ask others personal questions such as their age, sex and marital status. Unless you know the person very well, and you are both comfortable with sharing personal information, don’t ask such questions.
4. Offer advice when asked by newcomers, as they may not be sure what to do or how to communicate. When someone makes a mistake, whether it’s a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer, be kind about it. If it’s a small mistake, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before saying anything. Having good manners yourself doesn’t give you license to correct everyone else. 5. At the same time, if you find you are wrong, be sure to correct yourself and apologize to those that you have offended.
A. It’s natural that there are some people who speak rudely or make mistakes online.
B. Repeat the process till you feel sure that you’d feel comfortable saying the words to the person’s face.
C. Everyone was new to the network once.
D. The basic rule is simple: treat others in the same way you would want to be treated.
E. When you send short messages to a person online, you must say something beautiful to hear.
F. You should either ignore the person, or use your chat software to block their messages.
G. If you do decide to tell someone about a mistake, point it out politely.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
It was a bitter, cold evening in northern Virginia many years ago.The old man’s beard was glazed by winter’s frost while he waited. He was waiting for a across the river. The wait seemed so that his body became numb and stiff. He watched as several horsemen rounded the bend.
He let the first one without an effort to get his attention. Then another, and another. Finally, as the last rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a snow statue, the old man caught the rider’s and said, “Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side?”
Stopping his horse, the rider , “Sure.” Seeing the old man was to lift his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman got down and helped the old man onto the horse.
The horseman took the old man not just across the river, but to his destination. As they neared the tiny but cozy cottage, the horseman’s caused him to ask,“Sir, I noticed that you let several other riders go by without making a(n) to get a ride. Then I came up and you asked me for a ride. I’m curious why, on such a bitter winter night, you would wait and ask the last rider. I had refused and left you there?”
The old man himself slowly down from the horse, looked at the rider straight in the eyes and replied, “I’ve been here for some time. I think I know people pretty good.” He continued, “I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw there was no for my situation. It would have been even to ask them for a ride. But when in your eyes, kindness and compassion were . I knew, , that your gentle spirit would welcome the opportunity to give me help in my time of need.”
Those heart-warming touched the horseman deeply.“I’m most grateful for what you have said,” he told the old man. “May I never get busy in my own affairs that I fail to the needs of others with kindness and compassion.”With that, Thomas Jefferson turned his horse around and made his way back to the White House.
1.A. drive B. horse C. ride D. bridge
2.A. urgent B. freezing C. careless D. endless
3.A. quickly B. anxiously C. luckily D. eventually
4.A. come over B. get off C. pass by D. take off
5.A. hand B. horse C. eye D. leg
6.A. rejected B. hesitated C. replied D. continued
7.A. afraid B. eager C. unable D. sorry
8.A. honesty B. courage C. enthusiasm D. curiosity
9.A. choice B. stop C. effort D. contribution
10.A. immediately B. hurriedly C. friendly D. strongly
11.A. What about B. What if C.How come D. If only
12.A. lowered B. dropped C. located D. climbed
13.A. in B. out C. around D. beyond
14.A. concern B. bitterness C. chance D. interest
15.A. confused B. helpful C. meaningful D. pointless
16.A. representative B. evident C. reliable D. important
17.A. then and there B. for a moment C. all of a sudden D. sooner or later
18.A. thoughts B. complaints C. movements D. comments
19.A. too B. so C. very D. not
20.A. aim at B. respond to C. bring up D. ask for
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
In the 1950s, a family that owned a farm near Beulah, Michigan kept a bull chained to an elm (榆树). The bull paced around the tree, dragging the heavy iron chain, 1. led to a groove (槽) in the bark. The groove was deepened over the years. Though for whatever reason, 2. did not kill the tree.
After some years, the family took their bull away. They cut the chain, 3. (leave) the link around the tree.
Then one year, agricultural catastrophe 4. (strike) Michigan in 5. form of Dutch elm disease. All of the elms lining the road leading to the farm became infected 6. died. Everyone thought that the old elm would be the 7. . The farm owners considered8. (go) the safe thing: pulling it out and chopping it up into firewood before it died.
9. (amazing), the tree did not die. It’s said that what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. Or, 10. a plant pathologists (病理学家 ) put it , “Life breaks us all, but afterwards, many of us are strongest at the broken places.”
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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，并在该词下面写出改正后的词。
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。
Dear Mary,
I've received your e-mail. Don't worried about me. I'm getting on well with my research work in the lab. But in my great surprise, you say you will give up learn English. The reason is because you have not done well in it recently and you have lose interests. I'm afraid I can't agree with you. I know it is not easy to learn English, and English is widely used in the world today and it will be important tool in the future. Beside, it is becoming more and more important in our daily life. I am sure that if you study hardly, you will succeed. I'm looking forward to hearing a good news from you.
Yours,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如你叫李华，你发现在放学时学校门口车辆秩序十分混乱，有很多安全隐患。你打算写信给某英文报刊阐述你的观点。内容要点如下：
1． 你发现一到放学时学校门口停满家长接学生的车辆，人车混行，十分危险。
2． 现如今很多中国家庭拥有私家车。家长接送孩子很方便，但是很多家长早早到校门口占据多排车道，互相抢占有利位置，甚至为此而争吵，为孩子树立不好的榜样。
3． 作为一名学生，你有什么建议？
注意：词数：100词左右，信件开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
提示：车道 lane 抢夺battle for
Dear Editor,
Recently I noticed a phenomenon: ____________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析