American actress Marisa Tomei won an Academy Award for her work in the 1992 movie My Cousin Vinny. People laughed when they saw her film character telling a boyfriend that they need to get married. Why marriage? Because her biological clock is ticking and she wants a baby.
“Well I hate to bring it up because I know you got enough pressure on you already. But…we agreed to get married as soon as you won your first case(law case). Meanwhile, ten years later…my niece…the daughter of my sister is getting married. My biological clock is ticking like this (stomp, stomp, stomp). And the way this case is going…I ain’t never getting married.”
“Lisa, I don’t need this. I swear to God I don’t need this right now.”
Using it this way, a biological clock means the time in a woman’s life when she is able to bear children. In the not-so-distant past, most people thought that when a woman reached her 40s it was too late for her to have children. The time on her biological clock had run out.
Well, that has changed. These days some women are resetting their biological clocks. They are giving themselves more time to have children.
Make no mistake. Being a “Single Mother by Choice” is very different from younger women who find themselves pregnant, perhaps not by choice.
Generally speaking, single mothers by choice are older and well educated. They are usually financially secure and successful in their careers. So, they have the money. What they may not have is a partner.
This is the place in life where writer Kerry Reichs found herself several years ago. She says she did not plan to become a single mother. She says she just did not find the right partner.
“Well, I think I had a set of standards for the partner I was looking for and I didn’t meet anyone that fit those standards. And, at 39 I found myself single, without children and I wanted them very much. So, I made the difficult decision that I could do this on my own.
1. According to the passage, what is a biological clock?
A. It’s a clock made of biological matters.
B. It refers to a women’s certain life period.
C. It records when women need to bear children.
D. It refers to a woman in her 40s.
2. According to the passage, in the past, when a woman reached her 40s, ________.
A. she can’t get married.
B. she might not be able to have children.
C. her biological clock will need to be reset.
D. her status of being a single mother is difficult.
3.What does “Single Mother by Choice” mean?
A. It means single mothers have a choice.
B. It means single mothers are pregnant by chance.
C. It means single women in their late 30s or early 40s decided to have children.
D. It means women want to make a choice.
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Choosing to be a single mother.
B. A woman’s biological clock.
C. Getting married by force.
D. Single women wanting marriage.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Hidden in our subconsciousness (潜意识) is a perfect mental picture. We see ourselves on a long trip that goes across the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we think in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle feeding on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, or row upon row of corn and wheat, of flat lands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hills, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw（拼图玩具） puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles(通道), condemning the minutes for loitering --waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
“When we reach the station, that will be it!” we cry. “When I’m 38.” “When I buy a new 450SL Mercdes Benz!” “When I put the last kid through college.” “When I have paid off the loan!” “When I get a promotion.” “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after! ”
Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
“Relish(appreciate) the moment” is a good motto, actually it isn’t the burdens of today that drive man mad. It is the regret over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. Then the station will come soon enough.
1.Why does the author describe the mental picture?
A．To lead us into a perfect world.
B．To let people enjoy the scenery.
C．To introduce an actual trip of his.
D．To compare it to our life’s journey.
2.How do people feel when they’re on their trip?
A．Puzzled. B．Happy. C．Relaxed. D．Impatient.
3.What does the author mean by “Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today” in Line 2 Paragraph 5?
A．Regret and fear are responsible for the loss of today.
B．We must be careful of the two thieves: regret and fear.
C．regret and fear stop us from enjoying our present life.
D．We’re frequently challenged by the two : regret and fear.
4.Why does the author write the passage?
A．To teach us a good lesson.
B．To tell us the right attitude to life.
C．To advice us to forget our worries.
D．To stop us wandering along the aisles.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Rules for the University Entrance Examination
You must be at the examination center ten minutes before the examination starts．If you are more than ten minutes late, you may not enter the examination center．The examination takes place at the same time in different states．
You must have proof of your name and grade as well as official examination number．Show these when you come to the examination center．
Depending on which examination you are taking you may bring certain items into the examination center．Mathematics examinations may allow you to use electronic calculators（计算器）．Other subjects may allow you to use dictionaries and other reference material．Please read the notes sent with your time table carefully．
You must bring your own pencils．None will be provided for you．The following items are not allowed in the examination center: walkmans and radios, head sets, any food or drink, school bags, electronic equipment （unless specifically permitted for various subjects）, and mobile phones．
Once in the center, you must sit at the desk with your examination number on it．When you sit down, place your examination number at the to corner of your desk．You must remain silent during the examination．You must not disturb other people who are taking the test．
If you need a drink or toilet break, you should raise your hand and wait for the supervisor（监督者） to speak to you．You will be given water or the supervisor will take you to the bathroom．You are not allowed to talk with anyone during the break．
You must write your answers in the official answer sheet．Your supervisor will provide extra paper if you wish to make notes．
You may leave the examination room at any time if you do not plan to return, If you finish early and want to leave well away from the examination center．
The supervisor will warn you fifteen minutes, five minutes and one minute before the end of the examination．When the supervisor says that the time is up you must put down your pencil and wait at your desk until your paper is collected．
1.What kind of examination are these rules probably for?
A．A local exam． B．A final exam．
C．A college exam． D．A national exam．
2.What are you allowed to have with you when you take mathematics examination?
A．Related material． B．Proof of yourself．
C．A cell phone． D．A dictionary．
3.What should you do if you finish the test early and want to get a better result?
A. Take some notes carefully．
B．Leave the room immediately．
C．Remain in your seat and check again．
D．Raise your hand to inform your teacher．
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Expensive and new gloves allow chatterboxes（话匣子）to take the term “handsfree” to a new level—by talking into them as they make a call. The gloves are known as “Talk to the Hand” and cost £1,000 a pair. They fixed a speaker unit into the thumb and a microphone into the little finger that can be connected to any mobile handset using Bluetooth.
Artist Sean Miles designed the new gloves that double as a phone in part of his project that shows the possibilities of gadget(小装置，小机械) recycling. He uses outdated gloves and combines them with parts from mobile handsets recycled through O2, which commissioned（承担）the project. Mobile phone users will be able to keep their hands warm while they chat without taking their phones out of their pockets or handbags.
Mr Miles designed two pairs of the new gloves—one in pink and the other in brown and yellow. They will appear in an exhibition this July and visitors will be able to win the gloves. If demand is high, they will then be produced on a larger scale. O2 Recycle, which backed the project, estimates that there are already 70 million unused mobile handsets in the UK. The service pays up to £260 to those who recycle gadgets including phones, handheld consoles, MP3 players and digital cameras.
Designer Sean Miles hopes his work will get people thinking about recycling. The 41-year-old said, “I hope that my ‘Talk to the Hand’ project will get people to think again about the waste created by not recycling gadgets. If a few more people recycle their gadgets rather than send them to trash, I think this project will have fulfilled its aim.”
Bill Eyres, head of O2 Recycle, urges people to recycle their phone responsibly. He said, “There’s a pressing need for all of us to look at outdated handsets, and all the gadgets that we move on from or upgrade each year. Whether they are consoles or cameras, we should think of them as a resource that we need to recycle responsibly rather than throw them away.”
1. The underlined word “O2” in Paragraph 2 is probably the name of ______.
A. an artist B. a company
C. a mobile D. an exhibition
2.Consumers can buy the “Talk to the Hand” gloves ______.
A. in the exhibition
B. from Mr Miles
C. when they are mass produced
D. after they recycle the gadgets
3. The purpose of the project is to _______.
A. promote the technology of IT
B. enable people to talk to their hands
C. raise people’s awareness of recycling
D. attract visitors’ attention in the exhibition
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. New mobiles that are fashionable.
B. Outdated handsets that are upgraded.
C. Outdated gadgets that can be used for recycling.
D. New gloves that can be used for making phone calls.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A woman aborted(流产) her second baby in Central China’s Hubei province after her 13-year-old daughter threatened to commit suicide.
The event drew people’s attention to the single child mentality, which may be an obstacle as the country tries to relax the single-child policy.
The woman, 44, had been pregnant for 13 weeks. _1.__ after knowing that she was going to have sibling（兄弟姐妹）. Her anxiety reached its peak when the ninth-grader cut her wrists with a razor blade in an attempted suicide, according to a report of the local Wuhan Evening News.
__2._, but the girls is not the only child in China showing jealousy of a younger sibling.
Zhuang Zhuang(not his real name) was 16 when his younger brother was born last year. __3.__.
“They never cared about me again.” the teenager complained. “I’m under great pressure to do well in academic performances, so as to win attention from my parents.”
The one-child policy was relaxed I 2013, in an attempt to address the country’s declining labor force and aging population.
__4.__, including the most populated Henan, have allowed couples to have a second child if either parent is an only child. Beijing followed suit last December.
Although 11 million couples have been granted a permit to have a second child, statistics from the National Health and Family Planning Commission show only close to one million couples out of them filed birth applications by the end of last year.
“Economic cost”, “time cost” and “one child is enough” were listed as top reasons for not having a second child, according to a survey by China Youth Daily. _5.__ out of concern for their first child.
Xia Xueluan, a sociology professor at Peking University, believes the one-child policy, enacted more than three decades ago, created many young “emperors” and “empresses” in China.
“Parents spoiled their children, so many kids tend to be self-centered without consideration for others,” he said.
A. The case may sound extreme.
B. A majority of the Chinese provincial regions.
C. Her daughter became unhappy.
D. Since then he’s fallen behind in his classes.
E. They don’t want their child to be alone.
F. Many parents give the third reason.
G. It’s easier for them to raise one child.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
There was a boy that dreamt of becoming the world’s best violinist. To achieve his life goal, he travelled to a faraway land where the famous and best violinist of all time__ .
The apartment he was directed to was in an old, lonely place. There was no evidence of life at all. The young man was __ and turned to leave. ___ _ he heard someone coughing from within.
The famous violinist was very old and __ . He refused to teach the young boy, who also refused to __ . The boy played his violin in the yard, and this he did for three nights__ _ the old man could not bear it any more. He came out on the fourth night and began to ___ the boy. Under his instruction, the ___ _student’s musical skills rapidly improved.
Years passed by. Now the old man asked the boy to __ an important competition. It was the best violin competition in the world. The young man was among hundreds of __ _ from all over the world. The __ lasted for days. On the day he played, everyone was deeply ___ _. First, the boy was so young, but no violin player could have played__ . Second, the boy was focused on one ___ _ and never looked elsewhere till he finished. Third, tears came down his focused eyes but his ____ _ was not drawn away from the music. He was ___ _the winner.
Only the boy knew the __ __for his success in the competition. ___ _learning from the best violinist the world ever knew, his teacher had come in person that day to ____ _him. The old man stood in the dark where he wasn’t ___ _ to anyone around. The old violinist died few days later.
1.A. performed B. lived C. toured D. lay
2.A. bored B. disappointed C. excited D. satisfied
3.A. Still B. Also C. Thus D. Then
4.A. weak B. polite C. kind D. strict
5.A. leave B. talk C. learn D. play
6.A. so B. unless C. if D. till
7.A. punish B. persuade C. beg D. coach
8.A. slow B. gifted C. kind D. quiet
9.A. take part in B. look forward to C. stay away from D. come up with
10.A. judges B. students C. competitors D. fans
11.A. program B. event C. concert D. lecture
12.A. annoyed B. moved C. hurt D. concerned
13.A. better B. quicker C. harder D. louder
14.A. book B. model C. direction D. question
15.A. hand B. eye C. interest D. attention
【小题 16】A. announced B. known C. shown D. predicted
16.A. prize B. wish C. way D. reason
17.A. Without B. Besides C. Through D. By
18.A. find B. comfort C. support D. visit
19.A. dangerous B. unfair C. noticeable D. particular
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
As the communication between China and Britain is becoming __1.__(increasing) frequent, the differences between them _2.__(cause) a heated discussion in the past few years.
Firstly, table manners are the essential procedure in everyone’s daily life. We get used to __3._(use) chopsticks while Englishmen use knife and forks. It’s not polite to burst into laughter when eating in Britain, __4.__indicates you don’t respect others. _5.__ the contrary, we laugh and talk during a meal. What’s more, in Britain, we have to wander along the left side of the road, but traffic in our country keeps to the right. In addition, for Chinese students, _6._they have experienced in studying is an __7.__(organization) learning style. Students are required to follow a clear plan. __8._(compare) with Chinese education, British education is __9.__ flexible and imaginative. Students there are encouraged to discuss the subject they want to learn. Last but not least, in China, “thank you” is not frequently used between friends and family members while “thank you” is widely used in Britain.
There is no sense in debating which is better. We owe these manners __10.__ a long history, so you should do as the Romans do.
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，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改仅限一词。
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分.
Dear fellow students,
There is a serious phenomenon in our school that many students crowded in the school store to buy snacks and some students even eat snacks in class.
Eating snacks are a bad habit and is also waste of money. In addition to, most snacks are unhealthy food, for they contain too many fat and sugar. Eating snacks improper may lead to fatness and illness. What’s more, some students throw the wrappers everywhere, that pollutes our campus.
Dear fellow students, it’s high time that we pay attention to this phenomenon. Our high school students, should develop good eating habits. Remember that three regular meals a day as well as a balance diet is essential for us.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，将要在2015年组织佛罗里达冬令营，请你给Joe回一封电子邮件，介绍冬令营的相关情况。内容主要包括：
1. 时间：2015年1月27日至2月13日；
2. 活动内容（英语课程，与接待家庭度周末，参观迪士尼乐园等）
3. 预期收获（语言，文化等）
注意：1. 词数100左右 2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3. 开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：佛罗里达冬令营Florida Winter Camp; 迪士尼乐园 Disneyland
Dear Joe,
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Yours truly,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析