Though I know that I can do little to help the animals, I often check dog rehoming websites. Looking through page upon page of pitiful faces looking up, you might be forgiven for thinking that the only dogs to be abandoned in this country are fierce-looking or large and unruly dogs.
Recently, it seems there are some new additions in dog homes. Dogs Trust — the country’s largest dog welfare charity - says that in the past year over 400 “toy dogs” were handed in, a 44% increase on the year before.
“Toy dog” is the traditional term for all little dogs, but in recent years they’ve increasingly been referred to as “handbag dogs” after the ridiculous manner in which famous people like Paris Hilton carry them around in their $ 1,000 handbags, making these dogs the most wanted for impressionable teens. As the popularity of Hilton has waned, however, these dogs are being rudely tipped out of the handbags and given up to charity.
In spite of the sad ending that this trend brings for some of these dogs, it can only be a good thing if people become aware that the toy types are still dogs, not dolls to be carried around. If you really are prepared to stick with them, a small dog is just as capable of bringing joy without the need to dress him or her up. A large dog won’t sit on your lap while you read the papers or travel happily on the train with you. And a park full of pugs (哈巴狗) would be a happier and safer place than one full of teenage boys and badly trained large dogs. As Edith Wharton said, “My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet.”
1.What is the author's new finding in the dog rehoming websites?
A. More “handbag dogs” are given up.
B. Some dogs in Dogs Trust are large dogs.
C. Teens are likely to play with their “toy dogs”.
D. The number of abandoned dogs is increasing.
2.What does the underlined word “waned” most probably mean?
A. Grown. B. Weakened. C. Begun. D. Worked.
3.What does the author seem to suggest about dogs in the last paragraph?
A. Large dogs and children make a good park.
B. Keeping small dogs can bring joys in a way.
C. “Handbag dogs” should be forbidden in public places.
D. Ifs good to dress dogs up before carrying them around.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A U-shaped object，resembling a silvery dome (穹顶), is now under inspection by Russian experts, after being secretly removed under cover of night from the possession of villagers who found it.
After discovering it on Sunday, locals from the village of Otradnesnky had managed to drag the “UFO fragment” from the thick forest where it had fallen. They loaded it onto a truck and took it through the snow to their village, where local inspectors then examined it before reporting Moscow authorities.
In an official statement, Sergey Bobrov, who found the object, agreed to keep it safe. But following their secret removal of the 200-kilogram metal fragment (碎片), police have it under close guard on orders from unnamed authorities.
The object has not had its origin confirmed yet. However, it does not come from a rocket or missile or be in any way associated with earth space technology, it has been announced. “The object found is not related to space technology. A final conclusion can be made after a detailed study of the object by experts,” said Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. Experts have also examined the object to determine whether it is dangerous. “We measured the radiation level near and inside the object. We found no radiation here,” said Yuri Bornyakov, who heads the rescue service department of the Kuybyshevsky district in the Novosibirsk region. Part of the fragment is made of ultra-strong titanium (钛), said Valery Vasiliev, the head of the Kuybyshevsky Department for Civil Defence and Emergency Situations.
A guess that it had come from a failed Kazakhstan rocket or satellite launch was also denied. “You can see inside it. All is open. It’s empty. No danger here. We were asked to take and store it. We brought it here. And now we are going to wait until they come to take it if they need it," said local police spokesman Sergei Sulein.
1.The “UFO fragment” was found .
A. in the sky B. in the field
C. in the forest D. in the sea
2.We can infer from the passage that .
A. the “UFO fragment” comes from outer space
B. the fragment could be used to make a rocket
C. the person who found it will get a reward from Moscow
D. the local police will keep the “UFO fragment” for a while
3.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. A fallen “UFO fragment” in Russia. B. A UFO found by Russian villagers.
C. An inspection of a “UFO fragment”. D. A report on a failed rocket.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Street dances are dance styles that evolved (演变) outside of dance studios in any available open space. They are often improvisational (即兴的) and social in nature，encouraging interaction and contact with audiences and the other dancers. These dances generally evolve out of urban and suburban spaces and are a part of the native culture of that geographical area. Some examples of street dances include B-boying, or breakdancing, which originated in New York City, and Melbourne Shuffle which originated in Melbourne, Australia.
Street dances are dances that evolve between people in a social environment，although it cannot be always determined as to how they actually do evolve between people. In theory, as one person comes up with a move that looks good to another person, that other person tries to copy that move. Similar to the game of Chinese Whispers, the effect is that the other person cannot absolutely perform that move the same way as the other person, thus leading to the dancer creating their own style or entirely new moves.
There is a small difference between entirely freestyle dance and an absolute street dance. While freestyle dance is random and a personal dance invented by a single person (even if ifs based on someone else’s dance style), a full street dance is a collection of the various similar dance moves and styles collected into one practice and regarded as the same dance. For example, when B-boying evolved out of early hip-hop culture, people came up with their own moves, and other people improved them. Street dances constantly evolve for as long as they are now and then practiced and regarded as the same dance. All the moves danced to breaks in hip-hop culture were regarded as B-boying.
Sometimes it is possible to trace back street dance styles that were mostly pioneered by specific persons. One example is Locking, which is often regarded as being started by Don Campbell, who was a 1970s pioneer of American street dance. Most of the time it is impossible to owe street dances to specific people; since the dances evolve outside of professional dance environments, and there is no social or legal record. Street dance pioneers also rarely have professional degrees in dance, thus distinguishing street dance from other modern dance forms.
1.Paragraph 1 is intended to tell us the of street dances.
A. varieties B. changes
C. characteristics D. distributions
2.What do we know about street dances?
A. Dancers perform them in dance studios.
B. They are developed by professional dancers.
C. They are collected from different moves and styles.
D. Dancers create moves based on other people’s moves.
3.Chinese Whispers are mentioned in Paragraph 2 to .
A. stress a street dancer’s own style
B. show the effect of Chinese whispers
C. introduce a popular Chinese game
D. explain the characteristics of street dances
4.The passage is probably taken from .
A. a travel journal B. a history textbook
C. a popular magazine D. a museum brochure
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Ensuring that disabled people have an easy life is very important, not just because they are human, like all of us, but because their dignity and social well-being should not be ignored just because of a disability. Disabilities can occur through illness, aging, accidents and other different causes that may happen to anyone or affect us all at some stage in life. 1.
We are all human beings and so have the same basic needs. But we should remember that there is a wide range of what we call a disability, and while the basic needs are all the same for everyone, the different lifestyle needs are entirely individual. 2. It is best to find out people’s needs from spending time with them.
3. Even the most attractive homes can feel like a cage, so it makes a huge difference to be able to go out to a park or a shopping center, or to plan a day trip such as a picnic or a trip to the beach. Even if a trip can only be organized one day a month, it is more than nothing and does really make a difference.
If they are interested or able, pets can be great companions. 4. Some may be able to take care of a cat or dog; some prefer goldfish or birds in a cage. Very often, people who are cared for don’t feel that they have the chance to care for someone or something else, so caring for pets can improve their confidence and mental health, which can take their mind off their own troubles.
Do not let pets be their only companions. Book a regular appointment with a social worker to visit them at least once a month. This is to check on their mental and physical health as well as ways of improving their living conditions. 5.
A. Plan regular trips.
B. Stay with them in a friend way.
C. It is wise to check the abilities of the individuals.
D. You won’t know if they can help if you don’t ask them.
E. It is important because they may need to talk to someone.
F. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all method to improve quality of life.
G. The great thing is that it is not hard to make disabled peopled lives easier.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
According to a recent survey, the modem housewife spends an average of 60 hours a week on household work compared to 46 to 52 hours some 50 years ago; and a far greater part of her __ hours are spent in shopping.
In grandma’s __, the butcher, the baker and the grocer’s shop were just __. Today’s housewife goes to the __ at least twice a week-- __ the stores are so big, so crowded and so far away that each trip __ anything up to three hours.
I don’t think we have to go as far back as 50 years for confirmation of the great __ in shopping patterns. It is only 23 years __ I moved from one of the most beautiful High Streets in Buckinghamshire-a lovely wide street where almost every __ is listed as an architectural jewel. Wandering back last week I __ to think about the changes. Of some 15 shops, 12 have turned __ to antiques or something similar. So shops that had been in the High Street for generations are __ forever -- and a way of life has gone with them.
I love the __ of those old shops, the gossip and the chatter while __ to be served, the arrival of new neighbors and the births and deaths all swiftly __. We were part of a neighborhood--made so by our __ meetings--and we stayed friends.
Soon after my daughter was married she returned to live in this same High Street. “Why, Fiona,” __ the postwoman when she walked into the tiny P.O. store which __ survives, “how lovely to see you! You haven’t changed a bit.” Fiona was a __ girl when we left and the postwoman hadn’t seen her for 13 years or more.
See what I __? It could never happen in a supermarket!
1.A. busy B. spare C. happy D. extra
2.A. name B. home C. day D. way
3.A. outside the town B. in the distance C. on the way D. around the corner
4.A. countryside B. supermarket C. park D. restaurant
5.A. so B. but C. though D. because
6.A. takes B. provides C. saves D. contains
7.A. time B. fun C. idea D. change
8.A. that B. until C. since D. when
9.A. building B. garden C. neighbor D. customer
10.A. forgot B. hated C. paused D. managed
11.A. back B. over C. up D. on
12.A. lost B. ruined C. missed D. kept
13.A. business B. friendliness C. tidiness D. fairness
14.A. helping B. preparing C. waiting D. offering
15.A. reminded B. recorded C. reviewed D. reported
16.A. daily B. rare C. official D. private
17.A. asked B. said C. whispered D. announced
18.A. hardly B. also C. even D. still
19.A. little B. nice C. shy D. lovely
20.A. doubt B. guess C. mean D. remember
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The moment Jane, just nine months old, saw another baby fall, tears came into her own eyes and she crawled (爬) off to her mother 1. (comfort) as though it was she who had been hurt. And 15-month-old Michael went to get his own teddy bear for his crying friend. 2. of the above acts of sympathy and caring were observed by scientists. They have found that babies feel sympathy even before they 3. (full) realize that they exist apart from other people. Even 4. (month) after birth, babies react to a pain in others as if it 5. (be) their own, crying when they see another child’s tears. 6. about one year old, they start to realize the pain is not their own but someone else’s. In a study, for example, a one-year-old brought his own mother over to comfort a crying friend, 7. (ignore) the friend s mother, 8. was also in the room. This confusion is seen too when one-year-old babies imitate (模仿) the pain of someone else, possibly to 9. (well) understand how they are feeling. For example, if another baby hurts her fingers, a one-year-old might put her fingers in her mouth to see if she hurts, too. On seeing his mother cry, one baby wiped his own eyes, 10. there were no tears in his eyes.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
你校的英国姊妹学校将于本周来校访问交流，假如你是校学生会主席李华，请你用英语准备一份讲话稿，向交流团师生介绍一日活动安排，内容如下：
| 时间 | 地点 | 内容 |
| 上午 | 报告厅 | 校史介绍 |
| 校园 | 参观校园 | |
| 下午 | 操场 | 中英学生足球赛 |
| 晚上 | 学校湖边 | 英语晚会 |
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析
“Ouch!” I howled in pain as I dropped the hammer onto my foot. I felt foolish.
It was pouring with rain, and, lame for a moment, I hopped around to the driver's side.
“No luck?” said George. We had a flat tyre (轮胎) and I was trying to change the wheel. But it was stuck firm.
We had driven ten hours along the road through the jungle without seeing another soul. In the distance was an ox working in the field.
“So what do we do now? How can we find a garage?” asked George, as I got back into the car.
About fifteen minutes later, the rain stopped. Out of the jungle came an old woman. She walked towards us carrying something long and thin.
“Uh, oh, here comes danger!” said George, “ She’s got a spear.”
She was wearing traditional garments, with short sleeves, a colorful necklace and other jewelry. As she got closer, we saw the spear was just a wooden pole. I got out.
“Hello!” I said, in English. “Can you help us?” I pointed to the wheel.
She stared at it, and then made a gesture to follow her back to the jungle. George and I looked at each other, and then set off after her.
Soon we came to a tent under some trees. It had a firm framework of wooden poles, like the one the woman was carrying, covered with heavy cloth, and fastened with rope made of some kind of loose plant fiber. All round were corn plants. It was harvest time for the grain, and a spade, a fork and other tools were lying on the ground. Nearby were some chicks and a rooster, and a pig tied to a post.
The woman folded back a cloth and invited us in. My eyes had to adjust to the darkness inside. The tent was furnished with a few mats on the floor, and a low table with a teapot. She picked up a photo and showed it to us. Was it her husband? The man in the photo was bare to the waist. He looked much too young. She was probably a widow (寡妇). Maybe her son or her nephew?
Our hostess poured some tea, and watched smiling as we drank.
“Say something,” said George.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
3. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
I was wondering what to say when I heard the sound of footsteps out of the tent.
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难度: 困难查看答案及解析