Susan Boyle was once a Scottish church volunteer. She decided to enter a competition named “British got Talent” at the age of 47years. On April 15th 2009, when Susan got up to sing, the audience was shocked by her age and simplicity.
Middle-aged women were not the usual type of competitor on the show and the audience was even more surprised when she said before starting to sing that she wanted to become a professional singer. To them she looked well past such possibilities. However, she amazed everybody with her wonderful voice and became an overnight singing star. It was reported that the audience all stood up and clapped warmly and that within 9 days, 100 million people had watched her performances and interviews on the Internet.
This was a lot of progress for an unemployed woman who lived along with her cat. Most of her life had been spent looking after her mother who had died aged 92, two years earlier. She had never been married or in her words, “been kissed”. Susan had learned difficulties and had only once been employed as an assistant cook.
Even though Susan did not win the “British got Talent Show” and came up second, two years later, she already released two successful albums. Many people are touched by her story because Susan Boyle is like each of us in one way or another—full of weakness, often disappointed and mocked at by others. However, unlike many of us who usually give up too soon, she had the determination to fight for her dream. Susan Boyle launched her successful music career at the age of 48 and you too can still achieve your dream. Just take courage.
1.What shocked the audience most before Susan started to sing?
A. Her experience and figure.
B. Her wonderful voice
C. Her age and simplicity.
D. Her dream career .
2.What can we learn from the third Paragraph?
A. Susan was good at raising the cat.
B. Susan was a single woman.
C. Susan learned much while attending her mother.
D. Susan didn’t like cooking.
3.What does the underlined word “mocked at” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
A. Laughed at.
B. Highly respected.
C. Cut off.
D. Turned to.
4.What does the writer intend to tell us?
A. Failure is the path to success.
B. It is never too late to start your dream.
C. Entering TV talent show leads to success.
D. Some singers succeed late in life.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Trans-Bridge Tours is looking forward to providing you with another year of exciting One-Day travel destinations in 2016.
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
August 15 (Sat)
$78 Adult; $66 Child (4-12); $ 75 Senior (62+)
No visit to the New York City area is complete without a trip to the world’s most famous landmarks--- the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Price includes transportation to Liberty State Park and timed ferry tickets.
9/11 Museum& Memorial
September 29 (Tue)
$ 87 Adult; $ 78 Youth (7-17); Senior $80（65+）
The Museum displays artifacts associated with the events of 9/11, while presenting stories of loss and recovery. The Memorial between the twin reflecting pools, is a tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks.
The New York Botanical Garden
October 14 (Wed)
$126 Adult
This National Historic Landmark offers visitors 250 acres of the most unique land form of any botanical garden in the world, with huge rock outcroppings, beautiful flower collections, a river, cascading waterfalls, and 40 acres of old-growth forest dating from pre-Revolutionary times plus a world-class Conservatory.
Hagley Museum & Winterthur
November 21(Sat)
$113 Adult
Located on 235 acres along the banks of the Brandywine, Hagley is the site of the gunpowder works founded by E.I. du Pont in 1802. Winterthur was the former home of Henry Francis du Pont, a famous antiques collector and gardener.
Includes: Brandywine tour at Hagley; Lunch at Hagley Museum; Guided tour at Winterthur Garden
1.Which of the following charges an adult the lowest fee?
A. Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
B.9/11 Museum & Memorial
C. The New York Botanical Garden
D. Hagley Museum & Winterthur
2.Which day will a geological researcher prefer?
A. August 15. B. September 29.
C. October 14. D. November 21.
3.Which was set up in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks?
A. The Statue of Liberty.
B. The 9/11 Memorial.
C. Hagley Museum.
D. Winterthur Garden.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Cats like climbing trees and there are logical reasons behind this behavior. Interestingly, due to some of their physical features, cats will meet trouble getting down from the trees after climbing up, which may seem unusual.
There are several reasons why cats climb trees, mostly to do with defensive purposes. Cats, as predators(捕食者), like to understand their environment well. As they are small animals, their scope of vision is considerably smaller. Cats often climb trees to get a better view of their surroundings to help them see any potential dangers.
While cats are predators, they are also easy to get attacked from larger animals, such as dogs or even other cats. A tree often provides a safe hiding place. In the wild, cars climb up trees to give them a resting or napping place that is out of predators’ range. It also helps disguise their presence.
Some cats may climb trees for fun, on occasion, or possibly to work on improving their climbing abilities. Small cats frequently test out their claw skills by trying to climb up anything and everything, from bookcases to trees to a person’s leg. Climbing practice is good for cats; it can improve their strength and flexibility and teach them an important defensive skill.
If a cat has gotten up a tree and cannot get down, the owner may wonder why its remarkable climbing abilities only work in one direction. A cat’s claws curve inward, allowing it to grip onto surfaces while going up head first. Unfortunately, this useful climbing curve does nothing to help the animal get back down again.
Eventually, most trapped cats will either jump out of the tree or realize that they can get down by going tail first. Either way, a cat up a tree is usually nothing to worry about; they are intelligent animals and will figure out how to get down sooner or later.
1.According to the text small cats like to climb a person’s leg to______.
A. Show love to the person
B. Test out their claw skills
C. Avoid the attack from the dog
D. Get food from a person’s hand.
2.Why do cats have trouble getting down from a tree?
A. They are afraid of height.
B. They are easy to get lost in a tree.
C. They don’t know how to jump off a tree.
D. Their climbing ability doesn’t help when climbing down.
3.What should you do when you see a cat trapped in a tree?
A. Just let it alone.
B. Lead it down patiently.
C. Teach it the right way to get down.
D. Watch it closely until it comes down.
4.What does this text mainly talk about.
A. Why cats like to climb trees.
B. Why cats can’t climb down a tree.
C. How cats manage to climb down a tree.
D. What owners do to help cats down a tree.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Gone are the days when being a celebrity(名人) meant reaching the top of the social ladder. With the Internet, people now no longer need to be actors, sports stars or politicians to be famous.
You may still remember the time when Furong Jiejie, or Fengjie, appeared online. All of a sudden they were the talk of the town because of their crazy clothes and abnormal values.
But when the word wanghong, or “Internet celebrity”, was named one of Yaowen Jiaozi magazine’s “popular cyber words” in 2015, its meaning had changed. Those who are popular in the world of wanghong are largely famous for their heavily Photoshopped selfies(自拍) and the special lifestyles they advertise on social media.
The same thing is happening overseas as well. There are many women addicted to posting photos. This has led to the rise of “Instagram Husbands”, men who are willing–or most likely forced–to take photos of their wives or girlfriends for their Instagram accounts.
But what wanghong offer their fans is much more than many pretty pictures. “There is a longing for the effortless of life,” commented China Youth Daily.
Though their lifestyle may seem “effortless”, some wanghong take great pains to run their Taobao stores, communicate with their fans and think of ways to keep their viewership(收视率), for example.
Zhang Dayi, a famous wanghong with over 4 million followers on Sina Weibo, revealed some of her secrets for attracting fans. “Usually people look up to celebrities at a 45-degree angle. But I reduced that angle to 15 degrees, because no one likes to strain their necks too much,” she said. Her social media strategies include being very kind to fans. “As soon as you let down your guard, people will start to approach,” she said.
1.What is the author’s attitude toward Furong Jiejie?
A. Negative B. Concerned
C. Favorable D. Doubtful
2.How do men get the name “Instagram Husbands”?
A. They take and share photos to attract fans on the net.
B. They open Instagram accounts for their girlfriends.
C. They show off their photography skills on the internet.
D. Their duty is to take pictures of their wives or girlfriends.
3.What can we infer from Zhang Dayi’s words?
A. Celebrities are hard to meet.
B. Being a internet celebrity is not easy.
C. She has the most followers on the net.
D. Being friendly is a way of attracting fans.
4.What can be the best title of the text?
A. The age of Internet is coming.
B. Internet offers fast track to fame.
C. Internet celebrities set examples for people.
D. To become Internet celebrities, beauty isn’t a must.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Laziness is a mental state of an individual when it lacks energy or the desire to perform tasks. __1.__ . Here are some tips for overcoming it.
____2.___. An effective trick that helps you fight laziness effectively is to start with the simple things first. That will slowly but surely break your inner resistance.
Step by step. Breaking down tasks into small steps helps us to reduce the pressure of deadlines and keep us motivated. ____3.____.
Make a to-do list. ____4.____. A to-do list can help us to realize that it often looks like more work than it actually is. When you create your to-do list, make sure to arrange the tasks from the easiest one to the more difficult one, which helps you to start with the simple things first.
Remove distractions. Distractions are often the source for our laziness. We are often attracted by the distractions(TV, internet, etc.) as we perform our tasks. ___5._. Make sure that once you have started with one of your tasks, you will not get distracted form it by any means.
Remember, every time you manage to overcome laziness, reward yourself.
A. Therefore, perform your tasks one after another in a relaxed way.
B. Simple things first.
C. It can have a number of negative effects on a person.
D. Whatever it is that distracts you, remove it!
E. It is important that you focus your mind on the benefits, not on the difficulties.
F. Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation with a pile of work.
G. Regard a task as an exercise.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
My friend Monty Roberts told me a story about a young boy. One day at school, the boy was asked to write a paper what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.
That night he wrote a seven-paper his dream of owning a farm. He put a great deal of his into the paper and the next day he handed it in to his . Two days later he received his paper back. On the page was a large red F with a that read, “See me after class.” The boy went to see the teacher after class and asked, “ did I receive an F?” The teacher said, “This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like . Owning a farm requires a lot of money. There’s no a young man could ever do it.” Then the teacher added, “ you rewrite this paper, I will reconsider your .”
The boy went home and about it long and hard. Finally, after a week, he turned in the paper, making no changes.
Monty then said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my farm. I have that school paper over fireplace.” He added, “The part of the story is that two summers ago the same schoolteacher 30 kids to camp out on my farm. When the teacher was , he said, ‘Look Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream . During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. you had enough courage not to yours.”
Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what…
1.A. in B. at C. for D. about
2.A. giving B. taking C. describing D. making
3.A. opinion B. thought C. soul D. heart
4.A. classmate B. teacher C. father D. writer
5.A. front B. middle C. back D. last
6.A. word B. note C. paper D. letter
7.A. What B. Where C. Why D. How
8.A. you B. me C. him D. them
9.A. road B. way C. opinion D. idea
10.A. Now B. Although C. Since D. If
11.A. work B. idea C. grade D. advice
12.A. thought B. wrote C. spoke D. read
13.A. new B. same C. different D. second
14.A. never B. again C. even D. still
15.A. first B. biggest C. best D. most
16.A. brought B. took C. carried D. found
17.A. arriving B. leaving C. moving D. reaching
18.A. stealer B. maker C. lover D. leader
19.A. Unluckily B. Generally C. Finally D. Fortunately
20.A. take up B. make up C. give up D. break up
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A man came to the USA from other country. After 1. (settle) down at an island, he went into a cafeteria to get something 2. (eat). He sat down at an empty table and waited for someone to take his order, but nobody did. 3.(final), a woman with a tray full of food sat down opposite him and informed him4.the cafeteria worked.
“Start out at that end,” she said. “Just go along the line and pick out what you want. At5.other end they’ll tell you how much you have to pay.”
“I soon 6. (learn) how everything worked in the USA,” the man told his friend. “Life’s a cafeteria there. You can get anything you want as long as you are willing to pay the price. You can even get success, 7. you’ll never get it if you wait for someone to bring it to you. You have to get up and get it8..”
You can’t change the inevitable. The only thing you can do 9. (be)to control your attitude. Once you reach that point in life, happiness and 10. (satisfy) can’t be too far away.
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(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，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。
Dear cousin,
Long time no see! It has been almost a year ever since you move to London. I miss you a lot of. I’m writing the letter to ask you for help. As you know, I am eager to be a photographer like you, so I asked my parents to buy me the camera last week. But he told me I wouldn’t concentrate in my schoolwork if I got it. Oh, my God! What can I make them trust me? I’m not a kid any longer, but I can control myself. What’s worse, I have promised that I will take photos for the school’s newspaper next month. When asking by my classmates, I will be absolutely embarrassed. Therefore, would you like to lend me some money? If you’d like to, I will return it as soon as possibly.
Yours Sincerely,
Tom
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，从互联网上得知一个野生动物保护组织现正在招募志愿者，你希望成为其中一员。请写一封电子邮件申请加入。内容主要包括：
1. 自我介绍；
2. 申请条件（性格爱好，英语能力等；）
3. 参加意图（宣传保护动物的重要性）
4. 希望获准。
注意： 1. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯； 2．词数100左右。
3. 文中不能出现考生的具体信息。
Dear Sir/Madam,
I’m Li Hua,
________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to your reply!
Yours faithfully,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析