Like many, I felt pressure from my parents and teachers to go to university and study something academic. With top grades I received at the end of high school, I was almost able to enter any course of my pick. Yet the thought of spending the next few years facing the four walls of a classroom caused a lump (肿块) in my throat.
After a year majoring in photography at university, which was not just what I expected, I made the decision to take a break and go on a gap year. In fact, I gained more knowledge in the real world in four months than I did from my entire schooling, but most importantly, I learnt so much about myself.
One day, my posted photos were noticed by Topdeck Travel, and they asked if they could use some of my travel pictures for their posters. This really was the beginning of my career. I began developing my relationship with Topdeck Travel, and before long, I got my first pay travel overseas to take photographs.
Soon I reached the point where I had to make a decision— either to play it safe, go back to university and settle down like everyone else, or to follow my heart and go my own way— a path with an uncertain future. I chose the latter, and it was the scariest and best decision I have ever made.
Five years after leaving school, I might not have a university degree, a well-paid job, a husband or a house with a white fence. Instead, I’m sitting at my office, with a cafe by a beach at Goa, India. As I stare past my laptop screen at the sun setting beyond the waves, a salty breeze touches my face.
To me, success is about pursuing my dreams and creating my own path instead of trying to follow someone else’s. Somehow, I feel like my life is exactly where it is meant to be.
1.What did the author think of going to university?
A.She took it seriously. B.She showed little interest.
C.She looked forward to it. D.She thought it was a must.
2.What benefit did the author gain from her gap year?
A.The knowledge about the real world.
B.Her paid overseas travel experience.
C.Realizing what she really wanted in her life.
D.Knowing what really mattered at university.
3.What can we infer about the author from the passage?
A.She regrets not going back to university.
B.She gets less knowledge in the real world.
C.She feels quite satisfied with her present life.
D.She misses the days working for Topdeck Travel.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
In Britain, business leaders are becoming increasingly concerned that growing numbers of new employees are unable to divide a real pie into eight equal slices.
There are so many examples of the shortage of basic literacy and numeration (读写和计算) skills among many school and university leavers.
A report from the Confederation of British Industry says the problem is so bad that one in three employers has to send staff for training to learn the English and maths they did not learn at school.
“Employers’ views on numeration and literacy are clear — people must read and write fluently and must be able to carry out basic mental arithmetic (算术).” Richard Lambert, director general of the CBI, said.
The CBI report, Working on the Three R’s, which was sponsored by the Department for Education, found that poor literacy was a problem in all fields, while poor numeration was of particular concern in the manufacturing and construction field.
One company manager complained of a “total lack of knowledge of timetables” among staff, which meant many were unable to carry out simple calculations.
A personnel manager for a construction firm said that many applicants were unable to construct a sentence and that grammar, and their handwriting and spelling were often “awful”. He also mentioned the case of an employee who became very expert at hiding his lack of literacy by getting his wife to write his reports for him. The problems are not limited to school leavers, but extend to higher levels of the education system, the CBI said.
1.What would be the best title for the text?
A.How to Divide a Pie into Eight Parts
B.How to Grasp Basic Literacy and Numeration Skills
C.British School Leavers Lack Basic Literacy and Numeration Skills
D.Train School Leavers to Learn English and Maths
2.According to the last paragraph, we can know that ________.
A.literacy problems go beyond the education system.
B.an employee asked his mother to write reports for him
C.the schools were to blame for the lack of literacy skills
D.the applicants were poor students in school
3.The purpose of writing this passage is to _________.
A.offer ways to improve the school leavers’ basic skill
B.criticize the existing education system
C.present some information about school leavers
D.make comments on employment
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Fruit farmers in Okayama, Japan, have managed to make peeling (去皮) a banana optional by developing a special variety with eatable skin. The peel of their “Mongee bananas” isn’t particularly tasty, but it’s much thinner and far less bitter than that of regular bananas, making it 100% eatable.
Scientists at D&T Farm in the country’s Okayama Prefecture released the social media-ready news following months of experimenting with a freezing-and-thawing (解冻) method, which keeps the banana tree at extremely cold temperatures followed by a dramatic heat increase. The result is soft and thin skin that hasn’t fully developed. They froze young banana trees to -60 degrees Celsius, planting them again as they began to thaw. This apparently activated an ancient part of their DNA, which not only allows the plant to grow in Japan’s cool climate, but also speeds up its development. While tropical varieties of bananas require two years to grow large enough for consumption (消费), the Mongee banana needs just four months.
The first bunch of Mongee bananas hit department stores’ shelves in the November of last year, but getting your hand on one of these incredible fruits remains a huge challenge. D&T Farm only produces 10 bananas per week, and they only deliver them to the Fruit Corner of Tenmanya Okayama, a local department store. But even if you happen to find one available, you’d probably be a bit put off by the price – 648 yen ($5.70) per fruit.
Banana peel is an excellent ingredient that can contain vitamin B6 and magnesium related to the production of serotonin (血清素). At the same time, it has a positive effect on both brain and sleep. Research results that ripe fruit peels have a good effect on treating prostatic hypertrophy (前列腺肥大) have also been published.
John Guterman, a botanist, says, “And what about shipping? For most of the fruit’s history, the peel has provided protection, allowing it to travel long distances. A softer, more bruise-prone banana would be a step back from hardy banana varieties that travel thousands of miles. In this sense, the day we all stop peeling bananas and instead bite straight through their skin may still be a long way away.
1.Compared with regular bananas, Mongee bananas ________.
A.are far easier to peel B.have much sweeter flesh
C.are much more thin-skinned D.have a longer growth period
2.Why is it hard to buy a Mongee banana now?
A.It isn’t affordable at all. B.It hasn’t come into the market yet.
C.It is made for certain people. D.Its production ability is still limited.
3.What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?
A.The medical value of banana peel.
B.The nutrition (营养) of banana peel.
C.The way of making banana peel sweeter.
D.The studies about how to make banana peel eatable.
4.What does John think of the Mongee banana?
A.It should not be widely grown.
B.It won’t be spread widely soon.
C.It indicates the future of fruits with skin.
D.It has no advantage over regular bananas.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Avoid Internet Addiction
1. Many people suffer from addition to the Internet and have a hard time paying attention to the important things around them．How can we prevent ourselves from going online too much？
Admit you have an addition．2. Realize more and more people in the world are becoming addicted．You are not the only one with ths problem．Do not be embarrassed； find others with the same problem and help each other beat it．
Limit your computer time．Make sure not to turn it on too many times a week．Befoe using your computer，decide on a time limit such as 30 minutes．Set the clock and make sure that you get off he computer when the time is up．3.
Try using the computer at the library．You won't be as attracted to look at certain websites and they do have a limit on how long you can stay online．4.．So you won't be as attracted to be on the Internet as at home．
5. Go for a run with a friend or get exercise some other way．Keep up with the local events in your neighborhood．There may be talks，films，concerts and sports events etc．Find some，as long as it is not on the Internet，and get involved．
A．You will be happier if you use the Internet less．
B．There is no use avoiding the truth．
C．Also，it is a good place to get some good books and magazines to read．
D．Get a hobby or an interest．
E．Internet addition affects a lot of people．
F．Get your family to remind you if you've been on a long time．
G．Try to reduce the amount of time by 5minutes each time．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Grandma lived on Sugar Creek Mountain with a lake. I still remember the day when Grandpa _______ in the lake. My parents tried to talk Grandma into moving into town, but she wouldn’t _________. Today I was going to visit Grandma, and the excitement grew inside me _________ the thought of it. _________, it had been ten years since I had last seen Grandma. As I _________ the top of the mountain, I _________ see Grandma staring out the window of her house. Grandma _________ me with a big hug, saying she would give me a special surprise. _________ did Grandma know that I had a very special surprise for her as well.
When we baked cookies in the kitchen, Grandma told me how she used to bake _________ for Grandpa, which were his ____________. Listening to her talking about him was a ____________ experience. I could ____________ her love for him. After dark, Grandma handed me the special present. It was a quilt made out of my dresses that I had ____________ as a little girl. I would value it forever. When I asked Grandma ____________ special gift for Christmas she wanted, without ____________ thinking, she would like to see my Grandpa just one more time.
Just then, Grandma’s face ____________ up. ____________ slowly towards her, with an apple pie in his hand, was Grandpa! Tears of joy were ____________ down Grandma’s cheeks as she ____________ her arms around Grandpa.“We thought you had drowned” Grandma cried. “How can I ever thank you for bringing Grandpa home to me?” asked Grandma. I replied, “Seeing the ____________ and the love you have for each other is all the thanks I need.”
1.A.killed B.injured C.drowned D.shot
2.A.listen B.wait C.understand D.see
3.A.with B.in C.on D.at
4.A.Therefore B.However C.After all D.Above all
5.A.saw B.left C.arrived D.approached
6.A.could B.should C.would D.must
7.A.accepted B.greeted C.joked D.begged
8.A.Little B.Few C.Much D.many
9.A.it B.them C.one D.none
10.A.favour B.favourite C.reward D.supply
11.A.real B.deep C.false D.shallow
12.A.think of B.refer to C.feel D.admire
13.A.bought B.appreciated C.afforded D.worn
14.A.what B.whatever C.which D.whichever
15.A.even B.ever C.merely D.nearly
16.A.excited B.delighted C.burnt D.lit
17.A.Running B.Walking C.Climbing D.Leaving
18.A.flying B.slipping C.flowing D.floating
19.A.beat B.shook C.rose D.threw
20.A.sadness B.sympathy C.happiness D.embarrassment
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(1个单词)或括号内单词的适当形式。
In the USA, the importance of a student’s Grade Point Average (GPA) cannot be underestimated (低估). This measure of a student’s academic performance is 1. important factor when he or she decides to apply to a university. It is, however, not the only 2.(consider). One of the most important factors universities look at is the student’s extracurricular (课外的) activities, which are 3. (simple) the work students do outside his or her academic studies.
One of the 4. (easy) ways to get involved in extracurricular activities is to join a campus club. There are many clubs 5. campus that might interest students. 6. (find) a list of the clubs your high school or college offers, you can go to the Student Union. Additionally, nearly every department has a club which is 7. (connect) with it . For example, the Psychology Department probably has a psychology club.
Community involvement is another good way to show university officials your extracurricular activities. There 8. (be) countless volunteer opportunities students can engage in, 9. help both the community and the student. Working with the homeless or disabled people in the community 10. (look) good on a college application. The more a student is involved in extracurricular activities, the better.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
请使用第一册前四1—4单元词汇表单词的适当形式填空(每空一词。)
1.It is usually the g_________ gap that results in misunderstanding between father and son.
2.What big losses! Who do you think shall be r___________ for them?
3.Since you claim to be very f__________ with this place, how about serving as our guide today?
4.If you subscribe to this newspaper, it will be d____________ to your home.
5.For the sake of the unexpected shower, we’ve decided to p____________ the sports meeting to the next week.
6.Until now Jim is not yet a_______ of but instead proud of what he has done. What a mean guy!
7.For a time we corresponded, but after a year or two we lost t__________ of each other.
8.A play is a story performed on a stage, which has a plot, settings, c_________ and actions.
9.Today I’m joined by a f________ student of our school, Lisa Osborne, who graduated last June.
10.Never a____________ (假设) others should be good to you unconditionally. Treat others as you want to be treated.
11.Powerful measures are already in place, i____________ (意图) to defend the farm against dangerous fire ants.
12.Noticing flames shooting from under the vehicle, people around ______________ (惊慌) and began to scream.
13.According to the student ________________ (委员会), the Culture Week is to take place this weekend.
14.I don’t have a good knowledge of French, but I can tell the main idea based on the ____________ (上下文).
15.The poor player was ______________ (取消资格) with his hand touching the football.
16.______________ (虽然) the fact that it’s raining cats and dogs, Jim still managed to attend the meeting on time.
17.His appearance set off an __________________ (气氛) of tension among the people already present.
18.There’s no artificial _____________ (添加物) to this cake; all the ingredients are natural.
19.Thanks to great a_____________ (进步) in medical technology, heavily sick patients have much greater chances of survival.
20.Nobody invited Jim to dance at the party and he felt ____________ (忽视).
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
读后续写
注意：1. 所续写的短文词数应为150词左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已经为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents’ home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station (加油站) about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register (收银台), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.
I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend’s. We chatted on the way to the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.
I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holiday meaningful.
Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In the late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I’d left the lights on all day, and the battery (电池) was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership— a shop selling cars— was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom.
I entered the shop, and one of the salesmen came to me, ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After a while, my car was repaired by them. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
难度: 困难查看答案及解析