Every Wednesday, I go to Cantata Adult Life Services, a local retirement community in Brookfield, Illinois, US, with my classmates to do community service.
After my very first visit to Cantata, my life changed forever. That may sound a bit dramatic, but volunteering with the elderly has changed my views on life.
Our visits last about an hour, and we bring 25-30 students every time. We play board games and cards with the residents while we’re there.
You can watch all the movies and TV shows you want about “life back then”, but nothing compares to talking to the people who were actually there. Just hearing their stories has touched me in a way I never thought possible.
Whether it was talking to 98-year-old “Hurricane Hilda” about her glory days as a roller skater or chatting with Lou about the times she danced with a famous actor, I was completely attracted by every single memory the residents wanted to share with me.
Even the residents who don’t have amazing memories make the experience satisfying . I remember visiting Mrs Robinson. She couldn’t recall much about her past, but she told me she’d never forget how kind I wasjust to listen to her “rambling (漫谈)”. It made me realize that it’s the little things that make life worth living. That’s something I won’t forget anytime soon.
If there’s one thing I’ve realized in my three years of visiting Cantata, it’s that presence –just being there –means more than anything to many of the residents. And despite how busy our lives are, there’s always time to make someone’s day.
For me, it feels great to be a source of happiness, a smile on a bad day or a listening ear for old memories. And at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.It’s easy to feel like you don’t have anything in common with the elderly –especially when you’re a teenager. But that’s not true at all.
I hate to be overly clichéd (陈词滥调的) here, but age really is just a number. As young adults, it’s important for us to realize this sooner rather than later. We can learn a lot from the elderly, and they can often benefit from teenagers too.
1.What do the volunteers do according to the passage?
A. They share everything with the residents.
B. They play board games and cards with the residents.
C. They watch the residents play games.
D. They buy gifts for the residents.
2.According to the writer, what is the most important thing that volunteers can do for the elderly?
A. Playing with them. B. Benefiting from them.
C. Helping them. D. Being there with them.
3.What does the writer want to tell us by writing this passage ?
A. We don’t have anything in common with the elderly.
B. Age is just a number.
C. It is important to help the elderly.
D. Young adults and the elderly can benefit from each other.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The new high-speed railway line between Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur self-governing region, and Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province, has cut train travel time by half to less than 12 hours.
The dramatic improvement will benefit many families planning reunions for Spring Festival.
"For the first time, I feel home is not that far away after all," said Liang Shaofu as he boarded a high-speed train in Urumqi with six members of his family.
The 35-year-old left Lanzhou to set up a dry fruit business in Xinjiang eight years ago, and he has now settled in Urumqi.
The 1,776-km line, which passes through Qinghai province and is the country's first high-speed railway to be built in a high-altitude region, came into service on Dec 26.
"We normally drive home for Spring Festival to avoid the difficulties of buying seven train tickets for the whole family during the peak season," Liang said. "Driving can be very tiring and dangerous sometimes, so one year we even decided not to go back to Lanzhou simply to avoid the trip.
More than 600,000 passengers traveled on the line during its first month, and the Urumqi Railway Bureau said the introduction of high-speed services will ease transport pressure during the Spring Festival peak season.
The existing usual railway line could no longer support Xinjiang's development. All passenger trains will gradually shift to the new link, leaving the old one to be used for goods. As a result, Xinjiang's annual goods ability could reach 200 million metric tons from the current 70 million.
The line passes through areas that experience high winds, and it also crosses parts of the deserted Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the bone-dry sands of the Gobi Desert.
The project could help China to promote its high-speed railway technology abroad, said Ma Xizhang, director of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang railway project's management department in Xinjiang.
1.How long did it take to go from Urumqi to Lanzhou by the usual train before?
A. about 12 hours. B. About 6 hours.
C. About 18 hours. D. About 24 hours.
2.What’s the main advantage of the new high-speed railway?
A. It takes more time to go to Urumqi to Lanzhou.
B. It will be more convenient for people all over the country to Xinjiang.
C. All the people in Lanzhou can return home on festivals.
D. It helps to improve Xinjiang’s development.
3. From the passage we can learn _______.
A. Xinjiang’s annual goods ability can increase nearly four times
B. the new railway technology may help more railway lines to be built abroad
C. the high-speed railway lines can’t be built across the bone-dry sands
D. the old railway lines can only carry goods now
4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. The new high-speed railway line is good for all people to go home.
B. The new high-speed railway line benefits businessmen to carry goods.
C. Taking the new train is safer than driving home from Urumqi to Lanzhou.
D. Businessmen seldom went home for Spring Festival before.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
What are American high schools like? Well, I’m happy to tell you what I know.
When I started school here, it had already been a week since the school opened. At this school, freshmen usually go on a trip for about three days at the beginning of school. Unfortunately I missed that wonderful trip, which would have been the best time to get to know my classmates. I was really sad. I wished I’d known about it earlier.
Despite the disappointment, however, I gradually adapted to my new life and school.
There is a space in the basement of the teaching building where students chat and meet each other. As we do not always have the same classrooms and classmates, the school wants us to get to know each other there. Students usually come to school early, sit in that space and have fun. Around the space, there are many lockers for students to leave their books in, so that students do not have to carry a heavy schoolbag everywhere.
It really surprises me that we have almost no textbooks. We only have textbooks for World History and Algebra 2 and they are big and heavy, like bricks. For other classes, we only need binders (活页夹) with paper in them. Without textbooks, students learn things freely and actively. For example, my humanities teacher just teaches us what is in her mind at the time. We never know what we will learn.
Another difference between American schools and Chinese schools is that American schools care about students’ morality more than their academic studies. For example, if you do not finish your homework, you will just be asked to do it later, but if you cheat or lie, you will get a warning or even be kicked out.
I think that most students here are good at schoolwork as well, but compared to Chinese students, they can make learning a more joyful experience. I think we should take the good points from our two different kinds of education to perfect our approach to studying.
1. What was the writer sad for?
A. He was late for school.
B. He missed the trip at the beginning of school.
C. He didn’t know anyone.
D. American students looked down upon him.
2. Why do students go to the basement of the teaching building?
A. To attend class. B. To share a classroom.
C. To have fun. D. To meet teachers.
3.How do teachers in the US teach the students?
A. However they want to.
B. They use bricks.
C. Some use textbooks; some teach freely.
D. They always teach as required.
4.According to the passage, in American high schools, ________.
A. you are likely to be kicked out if you cheat
B. you’ll be punished if you do not finish your homework
C. students are better at school work than Chinese students
D. students care much about the grades they get
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Researchers in the psychology department at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) have discovered a major difference in the way men and women respond to stress.This difference may explain why men are more likely to suffer from stress related disorders.
Until now，psychological research has maintained that both men and women have the same “fightorflight” reaction to stress.In other words，individuals either react with aggressive behavior，such as verbal or physical conflict (“fight”)，or they react by withdrawing from the stressful situation (“flight”)．However，the UCLA research team found that men and women have quite different biological and behavioral responses to stress.While men often react to stress in the fightorflight response，women often have another kind of reaction which could be called “tend and befriend.” That is，they often react to stressful conditions by protecting and nurturing their young (“tend”)，and by looking for social contact and support from others—especially other females (“befriend”)．
Scientists have long known that in the fightorflight reaction to stress，an important role is played by certain hormones(激素) released by the body.The UCLA research team suggests that the female tendorbefriend response is also based on a hormone.This hormone，called oxytocin，has been studied in the context of childbirth，but now it is being studied for its role in the response of both men and women to stress.The principal investigator，Dr.Shelley E．Taylor，explained that “animals and people with high levels of oxytocin are calmer，more relaxed，more social，and less anxious.” While men also secrete(分泌) oxytocin，its effects are reduced by male hormones.
In terms of everyday behavior，the UCLA study found that women are far more likely than men to seek social contact when they are feeling stressed.They may phone relatives or friends，or ask directions if they are lost.
The study also showed how fathers and mothers responded differently when they came home to their family after a stressful day at work.The typical father wanted to be left alone to enjoy some peace and quiet.For a typical mother，coping with a bad day at work meant focusing her attention on her children and their needs.
The differences in responding to stress may explain the fact that women have lower frequency of stressrelated disorders such as high blood pressure or aggressive behavior.The tendandbefriend regulatory(调节的) system may protect women against stress，and this may explain why women on average live longer than men.
1.The UCLA study shows that in response to stress，men are more likely than women to ______.
A．turn to friends for help
B．solve a conflict calmly
C．find an escape from reality
D．seek comfort from children
2.Which of the following is true about oxytocin according to the passage?
A．Men have the same level of oxytocin as women do.
B．Oxytocin used to be studied in both men and women.
C．Both animals and people have high levels of oxytocin.
D．Oxytocin has more of an effect on women than on men.
3.What can be learned from the passage?
A．Male hormones help build up the body's resistance to stress.
B．In a family a mother cares more about children than a father does.
C．Biological differences lead to different behavioral responses to stress.
D．The UCLA study was designed to confirm previous research findings.
4.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A．How men and women get over stress
B．How men and women suffer from stress
C．How researchers overcome stress problems
D．How researchers handle stress related disorders
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。
Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half your life. 1. .
Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they’ll help you put people at their ease, and make friends with them quickly.
First of all,good talkers ask questions. 2. . One well-known businesswoman says, “At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It’s a common question，but it will get things going.” From there you can move on to other matters—sometimes to really personal questions. 3. .
Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answers .This point seems clear, but it isn’t. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively. 4. . If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he’s really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then, it’s time for you to change the subject.
Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion of parting. If you’re saying goodbye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, “I’ve really enjoyed meeting you.” 5. . Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they’ve known you half their life.
A. Real listeningat least means some things.
B. You can become a popular person.
C. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question.
D. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.
E. If you want to see that person again, don’t keep it a secret.
F. It’s polite to listen to others with a smile.
G. These people have something in common.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
完形填空（共20小题：每小题1.5分，满分30分）
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。
Ricardo Semler became boss of his father's business Semco in Brazil at the age of 21. Ricardo worked like a(an) man, from 7：30 am to midnight every day. One afternoon, while he was visiting a factory in New York, he . The doctor told him if he like that, he would find a new home in hospital. Semler got the . He changed the way he . In fact, he changed the ways his worked, too.
He let his workers take more so that they would be the ones worrying when things went wrong. He them to set their own salaries， their own working hours and he cut all the jobs he thought were , like receptionists and secretaries.
He changed the office： walls, they have plants at Semco, so bosses can't themselves away from everyone else. And the workers are to decorate their work space as they want.
It sounds perfect，but does it ? The answer is in the ：in the last six years, Semco's revenues（收入）have from $35 million to $212 million. The company has gone from eight hundred employees to 3,000. Why?
Semler says it's because of "peer pressure" which makes employees work for everyone else. If someone isn't doing his job , the other workers will not allow the to continue. In other words，Ricardo treats his workers like adults rather than children, and expects them to act like responsible . And they do.
1.A.interesting B. independent C. mad D. great
2.A. fell down B. gave up C. went out D. got off
3.A. changed B. continued C. dropped D. went
4.A.sound B. way C. sense D. message
5.A. walked B. talked C. worked D. treated
6.A. family B. workers C. friends D. children
7.A. responsibility B. money C. power D. expectation
8.A. persuaded B. forced C. forbade D. allowed
9.A. decide B. want C. understand D. try
10.A. unnecessary B. unpopular C. stupid D. difficult
11.A. above all B. instead of C. apart from D. except for
12.A. put B. get C. shut D. take
13.A. willing B. free C. tired D. eager
14.A. develop B. grow C. happen D. work
15.A. eyes B. numbers C. persons D. dollars
16.A. grown B. dropped C. beaten D. made
17.A. straight B. slow C. hard D. seldom
18.A. perfect B. wrong C. well D. late
19.A. trouble B. situation C. pressure D. suffering
20.A. children B. teenagers C. professors D. adults
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Are you facing a situation that looks impossible to fix?
In 1969，the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland，Ohio．It_1.__（be）unimaginable that it could ever be cleaned up．The river was so polluted that it__2.__（actual）caught fire and burned．Now，years later，this river is one of_3.___most outstanding examples of environmental cleanup．
But the river wasn't changed in a few days___4.___even a few months．It took years of work__5.__（reduce）the industrial pollution and clean the water．Finally，that hard work paid off and now the water in the river is_6.___（clean）than ever．
Maybe you are facing an impossible situation．Maybe you have a habit__7._is driving your family crazy．Possibly you drink too much or don't know how to control your credit card use．When you face such an impossible situation，don't you want a quick fix and something to change immediately?
While there are_8.___（amaze）stories of instant transformation，for most of us the__9.__（change）are gradual and require a lot of effort and work，like cleaning up a polluted river．Just be__10.__（patience）．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
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（八），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 Mr. President,
I am writing to express my concern about the sports facilities in campus. I have noticed that our school has very limited resources in term of students’ opportunities to do sports.
It is known to all what sports are very important to young people. If they have an access to good sports facilities, young people can adopt a healthy lifestyle and become more confident.
I suggest build a new playground, where should be designed for students with different interests. They should have a different section for each activity and available to students all year round. I believe so a sports area will meet our sporting needs.
Thanks for your reading.
Yours faithfully,
Li Ming
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，你班同学决定为小明举办生日聚会。请你写信邀请外教Susan参加，要点包括：
1．时间：周五晚8点至9点2．地点：学生俱乐部
3．内容：生日歌、蛋糕、游戏等4．要求：备小礼物意：
1．词数100左右，开头语已为你写好；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．答案必须写在答题卡相应的位置上。
Dear Susan，
We're throwing a surprise party for Xiaoming's birthday.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Yours，
Li Hua
难度: 简单查看答案及解析