I decided a few months ago that l was going to treat myself to a 4-day getaway from Los Angeles and visit Chicago. I turned in some long-saved frequent flier miles(航空积分里程) for the airplane ticket, but had to shell out cash I really couldn’t afford for the hotel. I found a travel website where a discounted promotional 3-night stay was purchased from a recently opened hotel.
About three weeks before the trip, I had to regretfully cancel and only then realized the room, while transferable to another person, couldn’t be changed to a later date and wasn’t refundable(可退款的)．For the next two weeks, I tried selling it on Craig’s list with no success. Five days before the “big weekend” I gave up trying to spend any money and decided I’d contact some friends who live in Chicago and offer someone a free “staycation”. After trying a handful of people all of whom already had their own plans, I was determined to have the room not go to waste.
That’s when it suddenly occurred to me that I was looking at the rooms in the wrong way. Instead of viewing them for vacation purposes, surely there must be a way to put them to good use, and that was when the idea that some sort of shelter might be able to use it hit me. I finally found one whose focus is aiding victims of domestic violence. This particular one was willing to listen to my out-of-left-field story and facilitated the transfer of the rooms. The shelter was working with a desperate woman and her young daughter, who were fortunately able to make use of the room.
1.What did the author decide to treat himself to?
A. A big meal in Chicago.
B. A 4-day travel.
C. A holiday abroad.
D. A get-together with family.
2. The author purchased a 3-night stay from a newly-opened hotel .
A. to act as a promoter
B. to experience e-business
C. to get a free air ticket
D. to save some money
3. The room the author booked could only be .
A. cancelled within 24 hours
B. changed to a later date
C. transferred to another person
D. refunded half of the money
4. What did the author decide to do with the room at last?
A. Sell it online.
B. Let it go to waste.
C. Use it to help strangers in need.
D. Offer it to one of his friends.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty forces will come to your aid.
Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.
Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.
Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting（面对） a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet— and stopped him cold.”
Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks and disappointments in life; Boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.
So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.
1.Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?
A. He faced huge risks.
B. Fear prevented him from trying.
C. He lacked mighty forces.
D. Failure blocked his way to success.
2.What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?
A. Act slightly above your abilities.
B. Swallow more than you can digest.
C. Develop more mysterious powers.
D. Learn to make creative decisions.
3.What was especially important for Tim’s successful defense in the football game?
A. His physical strength. B. His basic skill.
C. His spiritual force. D. His real fear.
4.What can be learned from Paragraph 5?
A. Boldness can be gained little by little.
B. Confidence grows more rapidly in adults.
C. Trying without success is meaningless.
D. Repeated failure creates a better life.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
For anyone still doubting the belief that our emotions influence our physical health, a new study from New Zealand should be able to settle the matter. It reports that the physical wounds of healthy seniors healed more quickly if they wrote about their most upsetting experiences.
This confirms the results of a 2010 study, and extends those findings to cover older adults—a group that is likely to suffer wounds (as from surgery), and one with less access to other ways of lowering tension (such as exercise).
Reported in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, a research team led by the University of Auckland’s Elizabeth Broadbent made a study featuring 50 healthy adults ranging in age from 64 to 97. They were asked to write for 20 minutes per day for three consecutive(连续的) days.
Half were asked to write about the most upsetting experience in their life, describing their deepest thoughts, feelings, and emotions about the events, ideally not previously shared with others. The others were asked to write about their daily activities without mentioning emotions, opinions or beliefs.
Two weeks after the third day of writing, all participants received a standard 4mm skin biopsy(皮下活体组织检查) on their inner arm. The very tiny wounds caused by the biopsy were photographed regularly over the following days to determine the rate at which they healed.
On the 11th day after the biopsy, the wounds completely healed on 76.2 percent of those who had done the expressive writing. That was true of only 42.1 percent of those who had written about everyday activities.
“The biological and psychological mechanisms(机体) behind this effect remain unclear,” the researchers wrote, noting that those who had done the expressive writing did not report lower stress levels or fewer depressive symptoms than the others in the control group. Even if they weren’t consciously aware of feeling more relaxed or positive, the expressive writing appeared to have caused some sort of bodily reaction—probably involving their immune systems—that hastened their recovery.
1.What was the difference between the two groups of participants in the study?
A. What they wrote.
B. Where they wrote.
C. When they wrote.
D. How often they wrote.
2.According to the text, the experiment lasted .
A. about three days B. about a month
C. about two weeks D. about ten days
3.The underlined word “hastened” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to .
A. speeded B. showed C. limited D. ruined
4. What would be the best title of the text?
A. Sharing with others can reduce stress.
B. Skin biopsies are likely to cause wounds.
C. Expressive writing heals physical wounds.
D. Upsetting experiences influence our emotions.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Roll over, sit and fetch aren’t commands normally given to a robot, but the smart toy company WowWee has developed a new way of owning a puppy.
CHIP (Canine Home Intelligent Pet) is a robotic dog with blue LED eyes and pointy ears and can sit, shake, dance and make all types of dog noises. It also has tracking capabilities to help locate its owner. “The beauty about CHIP is that it has its own thing going on,” said Sufer, CTO at WowWee. “It has its own life and own kind of intelligence. Even if you’re not around, it’s always doing something.”
CHIP uses wheels to get around and is loaded with sensors(传感器) that give it a 360-degree view to find its ball. The pup is Bluetooth enabled, which connects to a wristband worn by its owner. The wristband, similar to a watch, displays icons（图标）for different commands such as a thumb-up, which allows you to give your pup a digital belly rub. With its owner wearing a smart wristband, it can even follow him around the room.
“We worked on CHIP for about five to six months,” Davin Sufer, told dailymail.com, “We typically come up with a concept, model and product and get it on shelves within a year.” The company plans to start shipping units by next fall, which will allow them to load up the robotic dog with sensors and add many more animated responses per-owner interactivity.
The high-tech toy company made its debut（处女作）in 2004 by releasing the 1.5 foot RoboSapien, which sold millions of units. MiP, which hit shelves last year, is a seven inch tall robot covered in white with black accents. Users can direct it, change its emotions and make it dance to any song on your iPad. It’s loud, fast and active.
About 15 years ago, a company called ToyQuest developed the first ever electronic robotic dog---Tekno, the Robotic Puppy. The company sold over seven million units in the first season and 40 million more during its original four years of production. Tekno was built with over 160 emotions and instructions, but most importantly offered consumers a quick look into the future.
1.According to Sufer, the amazing characteristic of CHIP is that _____.
A. it is loaded with special sensors
B. it can make all kinds of dog noises
C. it has quick response to the commands
D. it can do something without instructions
2.CHIP can follow its owner with the help of _____.
A. a watch B. a smart wristband
C. pointy ears D. blue LED eyes
3.From the passage, we can know_______.
A. CHIP can be bought in the store now
B. WowWee introduced its first product last year
C. Tekno provided the bright future of the robotic puppy
D. MiP is the first company to develop the robotic puppy
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
根据短文内容，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。
Doctors say anger can be an extremely damaging emotion, unless you learn how to deal with it. They warn that anger can lead to heart disease, stomach problems, headaches, emotional problems and possibly cancer.
1. Some people express anger openly in a calm reasonable way. Others burst with anger, and scream and yell. But other people keep their anger inside. They can not or will not express it. This is called repressing anger.
For years many doctors thought that repressing anger was more dangerous to a person’s health than expressing it. They said that when a person is angry, the brain releases the same hormones (荷尔蒙). They speed the heart rate, raise blood pressure, or sugar into the blood, etc. __2. _
Some doctors say that both repressing and expressing anger can be dangerous. They believe that those who express anger violently may be more likely to develop heart disease, and they believe that those who keep anger inside may face a greater danger of high blood pressure.
3. They say the first step is to admit that you are angry and to recognize the real cause of the anger, then decide if the cause is serious enough to get angry about. If it is, they say, “ 4. Wait until your anger has cooled down and you are able to express yourself calmly and reasonably.”
Doctors say that a good way to deal with anger is to find humor in the situation that has made you angry. 5.
A. In general the person feels excited and ready to act
B. They said that laughter is much healthier than anger.
C. Expressing anger violently is more harmful than repressing it
D. Anger may cause you a cancer.
E. Do not express your anger while angry.
F. Anger is a normal emotion that we all feel from time to time
G. Doctors say the solution is learning how to deal with anger.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
完形填空
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
We humans love to make comparisons. On the market, we ___________ to find the best ones. In the classroom teachers compare their students to the___________. And parents compare their child to his or her peers to ___________an idea of what is “normal”.
___________ , comparisons of any kind come with a sting(刺痛) for everyone. When parents make it clear to anyone that their child is ___________ to all other children in all ways, they put their child under ___________ . Some children will obey when they are pressured to___________ their parents’ need for perfection; others may ___________ , trying to be just like any other kid, or, better still, to be just who they are. In other ___________ , parents who compare their child to other children might end up ___________ their child is somehow “deficient(有缺点的)” . And, again, they pressure their child to be___________ enough.
A most disturbing ___________ of all this comparing is that it pushes children into the destructive world of competition. “In a ___________ culture, a child is told that it isn’t enough to be good---he or she must ___________ others,” writes Alfie Kohn, a parenting expert.
According to Kohn, research doesn’t ___________ the theory that competition brings success. One after another, researchers have concluded that children don’t learn better ___________ education is changed into a competitive struggle. Competition prevents a child’s ability ___________ not only educationally but socially, too.
So, ___________ competition, cooperation! Instead of ___________ other people’s children, parents need to pay close attention to their own, learn who they are, discover their interests and talents, and teach them how to cooperate with others. They will need role models to ___________ them.
1.A. see B. touch C. sell D. compare
2.A. mature B. new C. model D. overseas
3.A. get B. use C. share D. explain
4.A. Therefore B. However C. Otherwise D. Besides
5.A. harmful B. superior C. responsible D. thankful
6.A. pressure B. control C. discussion D. consideration
7.A. express B. prove C. satisfy D. create
8.A. disappear B. wait C. resist D. rest
9.A. cases B. words C. ways D. nations
10.A. denying B. deciding C. predicting D. concluding
11.A. honest B. good C. patient D. polite
12.A. process B. consequence C. purpose D. method
13.A. traditionalB. scientific C. political D. competitive
14.A. defeat B. accept C. recognize D. choose
15.A. test B. challenge C. support D. change
16.A. since B. until C. when D. unless
17.A. losing B. progressing C. showing D. reducing
18.A. apart from B. because of C. as for D. instead of
19.A. shouting at B. laughing at C. looking at D. striking at
20.A. guide B. force C. invite D. expect
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(不多于3个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
A lecturer was giving a lecture to his students on stress management. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience, “How heavy do you think this glass of water is？” The students' answers ranged from 20g to 500g. It doesn't matter on the absolute 1. (weigh). It depends on how long you hold 2. . If I hold it for a minute, it is OK. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have 3. ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance. It's exactly the same weight, but the 4. (long) I hold it, the heavier it becomes. If we carry our burdens 5. the time, sooner or later, we won't be able to carry on, the burden 6. (become) increasingly heavier. What you've to do is to put the glass down, rest for a while before holding it up again. We've to put down the burden periodically, so that we can 7. (refresh) and are able to carry on.
_8. you return home from work tonight, put the burden of work 9. . Don't carry it back home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're having now on your shoulders, let it down 10. a moment if you can. Life is short, enjoy it!
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。
The famous person I would really like to interview him is Yang Liwei. He is not only the first Chinese to going to space but also one of the greatest astronaut in the world. I have long interested in space exploration and I believe I could learn a great deal by him about it.
If I could interview him, I will ask him what made him an astronaut and how he was training. I’d also like to know how he felt in space and whether space travel is so great fun as I have read. Finally, I would like to ask a few questions about his personally life, that must be very interesting.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
假如你是李华。你的美国网友Kate想阅读中文小说。请用英语给她写一封信，为她推荐一部小说。
内容提示：
1. 我推荐的小说是________； 2. 理由； 3. 祝福。
要求：
1. 字数100左右；
2. 开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数；
3. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Kate,
I’m very glad to know you are very interested in Chinese novels.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析