Mary Allen was my best friend—like the sister I ever had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming and horseback riding.
When I was 13, my family moved away. Mary and I kept in touch through letters and we saw each other on special occasions(场合)—like my wedding and Mary’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back stamped “Address Unknown”.
Over the years, I thought of Mary often. I wanted to share stories of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Mary could fill.
One day I was reading the newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked a lot like Mary and whose last name was Wagman—Mary’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagman.” I thought, but I wrote to her anyway.
She called as soon as she got my letter. “Mrs Tobin!” she said excitedly. “Mary Allen Wagman is my mother.” Minutes later, I heard a voice and recognized it immediately, even after 40 years. We laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives.
Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And there’s one thing that Mary and I know for sure: We don’t lose each other again.
1.I want to find Mary ________.
A. to share my stories
B. to share my sorrow
C. to fill the empty place in my heart
D. all of the above
2.Which of the following is TRUE?
A. We never see each other again when I moved away at the age of 13.
B. I find my friend in the newspaper.
C. It is 40 years since we last saw each other.
D. My friend’s husband is Mr Tobin.
3.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. My good friend
B. Friend like the brother
C. An important friend
D. Friends again—forever
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
At heart, parents always wish the best for their children, and they work hard for that. Nowadays, we see parents deciding the schools for their little ones before the baby is even born. Once kids start going to school, some parents want to have a time-to-time update of their kid’s activities. They want to come to the classroom every day, keep an eye on whom they talk to, know the friends they keep, start telling them how to do their job, and keep talking or giving a feedback（反馈）to them about everything under the sun. Besides, they send their kids for extra hobby classes, as they want their children to do best in every field.
When it comes to the education, super mom and dad have all the plans made for their children, and I am sure that they have come up with the best. So, try to fight for the dreams that your parents have set for you. However, in some cases, it may happen that the kids have some different dreams. Parents sometimes don’t even consider the choices of their kids and may force them to do what they wanted to do in life. It’s good to plan the future for the children, but leave at least some decisions to them.
So what should the children do? First, hear out all the plans that your parents have made for you. If you have some different ideas, then sit down and talk to your family about it. Be patient and respect their decisions, but put your plan forth, and make them understand what you want to do and why. Many times, you are not aware of the difficulties that you may have to face while pursuing your dreams. Ask your parents for suggestions, which will make them feel good and involved. That way, they may support you if you are going on the right path.
1.The parent described in Paragraph 1 tend to ________.
A. have a good understanding of their children
B. worry a lot about their children
C. take good care of their children
D. expect too much from their children
2.With respect to educational plans, the author advises ________.
A. children to do as they are told
B. children to turn a deaf ear to their parents
C. parents to respect their children’s choices
D. parents to do everything for their children
3.The underlined word “pursuing” in Paragraph 3 in closest in meaning to “________”.
A. going after B. planning for C. adapting to D. preparing for
4.What is the author’s attitude towards these super parents’ behaviors?
A. Opposed. B. Doubtful. C. Uncaring. D. Supportive.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
There was a man playing the piano in a bar. He was a good piano player and always performed in this bar. People came in just to hear him play. But one night, a customer told him that he didn’t want to hear him just play the piano any more. He wanted him to sing a song.
The man said, “I don’t sing.”
But the customer was persistent（执着的）. He told the bar manager, “I’m tired of listening to the piano. I want that man to sing!”
The manager shouted across the room, “If you want to get paid, sing a song. Our customers are asking you to sing!”
So he did. He sang a song. A piano player who had never sung in public did so for the first time. And everyone was surprised by his song “Mona Lisa”. He got lots of applause（掌声）that night.
He had such a talent for singing, but he just had been sitting on his talent for the past years! If without such a chance, he may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. However, now he has become one of the best-known singers in America.
You, too, have skills and abilities. Maybe your “talent” is not as great as the singer above, but it may be better than you think! And with effort, most skills can be improved. So, in your life, you should be brave enough to try doing different things and find out what talents you really have!
1.Why did the man start to sing?
A. Because he wanted to make more money.
B. Because the bar manager said he liked his song.
C. Because the manager asked him to sing at the request of a customer.
D. Because he wanted to show everyone that he had a talent for singing.
2.What do you think of the bar manager?
A. Strict. B. Rude. C. Patient. D. Kind.
3.What do the underlined words “he just had been sitting on his talent” probably mean?
A. He didn’t discover his talent.
B. He didn’t play the piano.
C. He had no talent for singing.
D. He hated to sing.
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Some people really have no skills or abilities.
B. None of us is as great as the singer.
C. Sometimes through effort we can know our talents.
D. No skills can be improved even if you try your best.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Through history, children have played with toys and they help to prepare children for adult life. But the toys are changing all the time. As science and technology have changed the way adults live, the toys children play with have changed as well. Development in science and technology has had a big effect on the toys that children play with. Today trains and mobile phones are popular toys for young children, but there were no toys of this kind before real trains and mobile phones were invented. The materials that toys are made of have also changed. Today lots of toys are made of plastic. Plastic is a modern, man-made material that did not exist in the past. On the other hand, some other toys that you have might not be all that different from the ones children played with 1,000 years ago. Scientists have found some bone dice(骰子) in Aberdeen. In medieval(中世纪的) times dice were used for playing games as much as they are today.
A recent survey found that half of all the children aged from 4 to 6 have played video games, a quarter of them regularly. The increasing use of electronic toys troubles Dr Singer, a professor at Yale. “One thing we know is that kids in early years need to be in touch with the real world,” he said, “no matter how brilliant they are, they’re not going to learn to walk, to move or to talk to others unless their hands or feet have a direct role in such activities.”
Some toy experts argue that the best toys are the ones that increase a child’s creativity and imagination. Traditional toys can be used for different kinds of purposes and be used in group settings, individually(单独地), and one-to-one. They are also used differently depending on the child’s age and skill level. And these toys made of natural materials are valuable for children because they teach children what the world is made of.
1.In how many ways do toys change according to the first paragraph?
A. One. B. Two. C. Three. D. Four.
2.The author used the example of “dice” to show that ________.
A. the toys are changing all the time
B. some toys are made of different materials
C. some toys don’t change over time
D. some toys’ materials don’t change over time
3.From the article, we can know that ________.
A. only children like to play with toys
B. toys have nothing to do with children’s future life
C. the development of toys is related to science and technology
D. plastic is the best material for making toys
4.According to Dr Singer, ________.
A. the electronic toys are good for children if they play often enough
B. the electronic toys prevent children keeping in touch with the real world
C. children should be stopped from being hurt by the danger coming from the outside world
D. children should play with electronic toys instead of the traditional ones
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读短文内容，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。
Many kids and teenagers have cell phones in their hands. However, is it really necessary for them to have phones at school? Here are the pros and cons.
Pros
They can get in touch when necessary. The main benefit of having a phone is that your children can get in touch with you whenever they need to. 1. They can call the emergency services if necessary. If your children are in immediate danger, they can use their phones to call not only you but the emergency services. This is of great benefit and could potentially save your children’s lives.
2. As long as your children remember to do this , their phones won’t cause distraction(分心) in class. Giving them a standard instead of a smart-phone will also reduce the risk of distraction.
Cons
The latest smart-phones can almost double as a computer. It means they offer far more of a distraction to kids than they used to. 3. All these characteristics could disturb your children’s concentration (注意力) if they play with them in class.
Cellphones could interrupt lessons. Many children, even though they are asked to do so, forget to turn off their phones during lessons and their phones may make sounds. 4. Besides the distraction problem, cellphones can also be used to look up answers on the Internet. 5. The possibility of children having access to these during exams could be too attractive for them not to take advantage of.
A. Cellphones can be turned off or put on mute.
B. Children use ordinary phones instead of smart-phones.
C. This allows you to feel they are safe and easy to reach.
D. Without cellphones, campus life would be less colorful.
E. They have some other functions — a calculator and the ability to save notes.
F. This not only annoys other pupils, but also prevents them from learning well.
G. Nowadays, children can not only text and make calls with their phones, but also play games, surf the Internet and listen to music.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Of all the men who ever liked fresh air, no one liked it more than James Wilson did. He ________ slept with his window open even when snow was falling outside.
One winter, he went to Finland on business. When he ________ his room in the hotel, he found that the windows were closed to ________ the icy air out. He did his best to open one but failed. The bed was really ________, but Wilson couldn’t sleep. He wasn’t able to ________ the closed windows. No fresh air! It was ________ to think of.
At about one o’clock in the morning, he was ________ awake. Worrying about the air in the room, he became very angry. Where was the ________? He could see something that looked like ________ over there. He threw a shoe at it through the darkness with all the force of his strong right arm. A terrible sound of breaking glass ________ the room, but to Wilson’s sad heart, it seemed like the sound of ________ music.
When daylight came through the window, he ________ and lay with his eyes close. There was ________ to worry about. ________ was it? Oh, the broken window! Yes, indeed. He would have to pay ________ that. He opened his eyes to look. Suddenly he sat up in ________. The window was not broken at all. The ________ was all in one piece, just as good as it had been the night before. ________ fresh air was entering the room through the window!
He then turned his eyes to the ________ and saw a broken picture ________ on the all. There was a shoe on the floor below it, and a lot of broken glasses around the shoe.
1.A. seldom B. often C. sometimes D. always
2.A. left B. cleaned C. entered D. examined
3.A. prevent B. keep C. stop D. send
4.A. cold B. comfortable C. bad D. terrible
5.A. remember B. forget C. remind D. think
6.A. unlucky B. anxious C. difficult D. terrible
7.A. already B. nearly C. hardly D. still
8.A. waiter B. manager C. window D. light
9.A. paper B. glass C. picture D. man
10.A. destroyed B. covered C. filled D. entered
11.A. funny B. strange C. beautiful D. famous
12.A. got up B. woke up C. came into D. came down
13.A. nothing B. anyone C. something D. someone
14.A. What B. How C. Where D. Who
15.A. to B. with C. from D. for
16.A. silence B. surprise C. trouble D. pain
17.A. window B. picture C. glass D. shoe
18.A. Much B. No C. Still D. Yet
19.A. outside B. top C. side D. bottom
20.A. lying B. hanging C. falling D. standing
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。
From the start of Growing Pains, Mike was always getting 1. trouble. He 2. (catch) by the police for driving a car too fast. He promised his parents that he would never ride a motorcycle, but then he hunt 3. (he) riding one. However, in the last year of the program, he helped a young boy who had no home, and asked his family to help him care for and support the boy. 4. his parents were upset because he often broke his promises, the way he cared for this boy made them 5. (pride) to have him as their son. These stories are good examples of the two sides of Mike’s 6. (natural). He sometimes did wrong things, but also cared for others and was a warm person. Mike became very popular. His face was in every magazine for teenagers, and young girls bought photos of him 7. (hang) on their bedroom walls.
Perhaps another reason 8. the program was popular in America is that most of its stories were about normal family programs. Many people watching it had the same problems. 9. Mike’s parents, many working parents worry about their children and have difficult 10. (decide) to make about them.
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。
My uncle is the owner of a restaurant close to that I live. Though not very big, but the restaurant is popular in our area. It is always crowded with customers at meal times. Some people even had to wait outside. My uncle tells me that the key to his success is honest. Every day he makes sure that fresh vegetables or high quality oil are using for cooking. My uncle says that he never dreams becoming rich in the short period of time. Instead, he hopes that our business will grow steady.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
请写一篇吸烟危害的短文。
内容要点：吸烟会导致许多疾病，甚至一些危及生命的疾病。
吸烟不但对吸烟者自己有害，也严重影响不吸烟者的健康。
据报道，美国每年至少有32万人因吸烟而丧生。目前约有四千万人仍在吸烟。
可喜的是，越来越多的人已认识到其危害，开始戒烟。
青年学生不应该养成这一恶习，如有这一习惯，应尽早戒除。
难度: 中等查看答案及解析