La Tomatina, Spain
Tomato juice flows through the streets of Bunol on the last Wednesday of August as the world’s largest tomato fight happens. Festivities begin in the town square where there is a huge pole covered in soap and with a leg of ham at the top. Participants try to climb up the pole to get the ham as watchers throw buckets of water to them. After a gun is fired to signal the beginning of the fight, people catch the tomatoes and throw each other in the streets until the gun sounds again, marking the end of the event.
Holi, India
This spring festival is celebrated throughout the country in late February or early March. The two-day event celebrates the legend of Prahlad, who escaped unharmed from the fire of the evil Holika Dahan. People mark the event by lighting fires and throwing colored powder on one another. Children load colored water into toy pistols called pichkari and take aim at passers-by. Holi is known as a happy celebration of the triumph of good over evil.
Burning Man, Nevada
This infamous festival began in 1986 with the burning of a large figure to mark the summer solstice(夏至). It’s since grown into a week-long annual event that draws more than 48,000 people to the Black Rock Dessert. It is held during the week before Labor Day. Participants set up camp in the desert to celebrate art.
Songkran, Thailand
This festival marks the Thai New Year, which is celebrated in the second week of April. This is the hottest time of the year in Thailand, so it makes sense that the biggest Songkran tradition is to throw water on people. Thais of all ages join in water fights, using buckets, hoses and water guns to celebrate the event.
1.The following celebrations are related to water EXCEPT_________.
A. La Tomatina B. Burning Man
C. Holi D. Songkran
2.The underlined word “pichkari” is probably_______.
A. a kind of gun B. a bad man
C. fire D. powder
3.If you want to experience the hottest season in a country, you can choose to visit______.
A. Spain B. Nevada
C. India D. Thailand
4.The text is written mainly to ______.
A. encourage people to travel
B. introduce some interesting festivals
C. advertise the world’s biggest parties
D. show the most famous performances
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Long ago, there was a rich man, who had a very big house with a lot of treasures and many servants. One day, two silver saucers were stolen from the cupboard. After a few days, another two saucers were stolen again. The rich man was very angry. He thought, “Someone must have stolen them. I must catch the thief, or another two saucers would be stolen in a few days.”
Then he had an idea. He called in all his servants and said. “Some of my silver saucers have disappeared. Someone among you must have taken them. Who has taken them?”
The servants looked at one another and kept quiet. Then the rich man said, “I shall catch the thief myself. I am giving each of you a stick. Look, all the sticks are of the same length, Keep the sticks. Bring them back tomorrow. The thief’s stick will two centimeters longer.”
That evening, Salleh, one of the servants, went home sadly. His wife asked him, “Why are you so sad this evening?”
“This stick will grow two centimeters longer tomorrow because I have taken the silver saucers,” he said.
“Oh, don’t worry. Cut off two centimeters from the stick,” his wife said. “In other words your stick will be of the same length as any of the other sticks.”
Hearing this, he was very happy. At once, he cut off two centimeters from the stick with a knife.
The next day, each of the servants brought back his stick. The rich man then measured each of the sticks. He found Salleh’s stick shorter by two centimeters. Salleh was the thief. He was caught and put in prison. The rich man got back the stolen saucers.
1.The silver saucers were kept in____
A. a cupboard B. a box
C. the kitchen D. the bedroom
2.The rich man found _____ silver saucers were stolen
A. two B. four
C. six D. three
3.The next day, the rich man knew that Salleh was the thief because Salleh’s stick _____.
A. remained the same length
B. was shorter by two centimeters
C. was longer by two centimeters
D. broke in two
4.Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Salleh’s wife told him to return the stolen saucers
B. Salleh’s wife was angry with him
C. Salleh brought back the stolen saucer himself
D. Salleh did as his wife told him to.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Scope: Recently your school board proposed moving the school start time from 7:50a.m. to 7:20 a.m. What was your reaction to this?
Jilly Dos Santos: I was getting only four to six hours of sleep a night and I was late for school a lot. With the new start time, I’d have to wake up even earlier. After we heard about the proposal, a teachers said to my class, “If you don’t like it, why don’t you do something about it?”
Scope: What did you do?
Jilly: I organized a group of students to speak to the school board.
Scope: What did you do to prepare for the meeting?
Jilly: I wanted to focus our presentation on why having an earlier start time was unhealthy. There is scientific research about teens and sleep. I learned that during your teen years, because of a change in hormones(激素), your body begins to change. You start to want to go to bed later. School starts the same time it always has, so getting enough sleep becomes difficult. I realized there wasn’t something wrong with my time management or me; the way I was feeling had a physical and biological basis.
Scope: How did it go?
Jilly: About 30 students came to support me, and the board liked that I didn’t get emotional and just provided the evidence. Two months later, an 8:55 a.m. start time became official. The board decided to make the start time later instead of earlier.
Scope: What has changed since the later start time?
Jilly: I don’t need to stay up an extra hour or two at night, because I can get work done in the morning. I’ve also been late a lot less. And this year, there are more morning clubs and more people going to them.
1.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Talking With the School Board? Cheer Up!
B. An Interview on a Proposal
C. A Dialogue between Scope and Jilly
D. Moving the Start Time Earlier? Say No!
2.Jilly’s teacher seemed to encourage the students____
A. to talk with the school board
B. to get their work done in time
C. to voice their opinions bravely
D. to take action to support the proposal
3.What does the underlined word “it” refer to?
A. Jilly body clock
B. The scientific research
C. The meeting Jilly organized
D. Jilly’s secret for time management
4.How did Jilly succeed in persuading the school board?
A. By showing scientific evidence
B. By putting forward a new proposal
C. By telling different students’ stories
D. By presenting her personal experience
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Michelle Yeoh also known as Yeoh Choo Kheng was born in Ipoh, Malaysia. At a very young age she dreamt of being a ballerina. Unluckily, when she was 16, she suffered a serious back injury and her professional dancing career was broken down.
Michelle would have given up her dreams and become a lawyer instead. Against her doctor’s advice, she continued going for her dream. She believed that if she can’t dance, there must be something else she can do. In 1983, at the age of 21, she won the Miss Malaysia beauty contest. Thin won the attention of Jackie Chan and the Hong Kong movie industry. In 1988 after her 5th movie, she married to retire from the silver screen. Her marriage was somehow filled with tears and loneliness. It ended in 1992 in the end.
So again, another of her life dreams was blown away. But Michelle did not think over spilled milk. Although she had been away from the movie industry for over 4 years, she had an attractive comeback. She costarred with Jackie Chan in Police Story 3 : Supercop. It was the top popular film in Asia for the year. Michelle Yeoh became the most popular and highest paid actress in Asia with a huge number of fans following throughout the world.
1.What contributed most to Michelle’s high pay in Asia?
A. Her winning the Miss Malaysia beauty contest
B. Her performance in Police Story 3: Supercop
C. Her wonderful dance on the silver screen
D. Michelle became the most popular actress in Asia
2.Which is the right time order of the following statements according to the passage?
①Jackie Chan became interested in Michelle
②Something terrible was wrong with Michelle’s back
③Michelle said goodbye to her husband
④Michelle became the most popular actress in Asia
A. ①③②④ B. ①②③④
C. ②③①④ D. ②①③④
3.What does the underlined sentence mean?
A. She wasn’t interested in milk products
B. She was quite poor at doing housework
C. She recovered from the sorrow soon
D. She decided to take up something new
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Informal conversation is an important part of any business relationship. 1.Latin Americans enjoy sharing information about their local history, art, and customs. They expect questions about their family and are sure to show pictures of their children. The French think of conversation as an art form. 2.For them, arguments can be interesting — and they can cover pretty much or any topic — as long as they occur in a respectful and intelligent manner.
In the United States, business people like to discuss a wide range of topics, including opinions about work, family, hobbies and politics. 3.They do not share much about their thoughts, feelings or emotions because they feel that doing so might take away from the harmonious business relationship they’re trying to build. Middle Easterners are also private about their personal lives and family matters. It is considered rude, for example, to ask a businessman from Saudi Arabia about his wife or children.
4.This can get you into trouble, even in the United States, where people hold different views. Sports is typically a friendly subject in most parts of the world, although be careful not to criticize a national sport. 5.
A. Instead, be friendly and praise your host’s team.
B. They enjoy the value of lively discussions as well as disagreements.
C. In Japan, China and Korea, however, people are much more private.
D. In addition, discussing one’s salary is usually considered unsuitable.
E. You may feel free to ask your Latin American friends similar questions.
F. As a general rule, it’s best not to talk about politics or religion with your business friends.
G. Before you start a discussion, however, make sure you understand which topics are suitable in a particular culture.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Good memories are usually thought to be connected with delicious food. It is really________for my experience. My grandmother’s spaghetti sauce was wonderful. On Sundays, our family would always gather around for dinner. The________of the sauce would fill the house and I’d breathe________with joy. My grandmother would slowly cook Italian sausages, potatoes, and pieces of chicken in the kitchen too. Then she’d boil enough spaghetti to_______a small army. When I ______sat down at the table, I could feel my taste buds(味蕾)jumping in ______in my mouth. _______the dinner was done, both my stomach and my heart would be full of happiness.
For years, I _______to copy my grandmother’s recipe, but was never able to get it exactly right. I would always _______out just the right amounts of garlic, salt, sugar, pepper and olive oil to add to the tomato sauce. I’d simmer(炖)it slowly and stir it with care, but it ______came out as good as hers. Finally one day it occurred to me that I was missing the ______ingredient that made hers so ______ : LOVE. You see, my grandmother always _______her spaghetti with a big smile, a gentle hug and the loving _____ : “Mangia! Mangia!”, which means “Eat! Eat!” I could always taste her_______for us in every bite.
Love is the secret ingredient in our ______too. The more you love, the sweeter your life will be. The more love you give to_______, the happier you will become.
I think I’ll try my hand at making my grandmother’s sauce again this week. It may never________as good as hers, _______it will bring back the memory of her love and laughter. And while I’m______stirring it, I may even imagine as if she was smiling at me.
1.A. awful B. true C. false D. imaginable
2.A. smell B. soup C. dishes D. food
3.A. briefly B. surprisedly C. accidently D. deeply
4.A. support B. feed C. reward D. serve
5.A. unwillingly B. immediately C. concern D. suddenly
6.A. wonder B. delight C. concern D. sadness
7.A. By the time B. The time C. Before the time D. The first time
8.A. managed B. pretended C. failed D. tried
9.A. measure B. find C. work D. make
10.A. usually B. ever C. never D. hardly
11.A. secret B. reasonable C. favorable D. forgettable
12.A. particular B. special C. beautiful D. creative
13.A. connected B. provided C. satisfied D. served
14.A. jokes B. names C. words D. songs
15.A. skill B. love C. kindness D. hope
16.A. life B. study C. dream D. career
17.A. others B. yourself C. grandmother D. grandchildren
18.A. look B. sound C. taste D. smell
19.A. and B. but C. so D. or
20.A. slowly B. quickly C. violently D. patiently
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Insomnia(失眠)can be caused by psychiatric(精神病的)medical conditions, unhealthy sleep habits, specific substances, and/or certain biological 1.(factor). It can be an2.(annoy) problem and has an ill effect on our physical and mental health. Do you have sleeping problems? If so, then these tips may help you fall asleep fast.
Never force 3.(you) to fall asleep. Set aside the thought that you have to fall asleep. The4.(much)you think of it, the harder you will fall asleep.
A healthy eating habit also 5.(play)an important part. Avoid eating or drinking things like chocolates, coffee, tea and energy drinks. If you have to, then have them in the morning and never in the afternoon, especially before going to bed. Don’t eat too much 6.night. A full stomach will make it harder for you to fall asleep because your body is working more time to digest the food you ate.
Make7.fixed time to go to bed. For example, by 9 o’clock in the evening you should already be in bed. Do this even if you’re not sleepy yet. Once following this routine, you will 8.(gradual) see that you feel sleepy when it’s 9 o’clock.
Make your room comfortable for sleeping. You should also take note that the sleeping environment also affects your sleep. It must be in the room9.it’s not noisy. You will find it difficult 10.(fall)asleep again after waking up.
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。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。
Western people often say “Excuse me”. In China, “Excuses me” is only used apologize when a person has done something wrong and has hurt someone else. Western people say it when they want to pass in the front of someone, or when they find himself late for an appointment. Even at home the husband will thank the wife unless she gives him a glass of water. “Thank you” mean you appreciate what someone has done for you, no matter how smaller it is. “Excuse me” and “Thank you” are the most ordinary word Western people use every day. They could help people get along well to each other.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，近期你所在城市的空气质量越来越差。某英文报纸就此现象进行征稿。请你简要分析空气污染的原因，并提出有效的解决措施。内容包括：
1．分析原因；
2．解决措施；
3．呼吁。
注意：
1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Recently the air quality of the city I live in is becoming worse and worse. _________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析