Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity. But, it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series，began writing at the age of 6. In her biography, she remembers with great fondness when her good friend Sean, whom she met in secondary school, became the first person to encourage her and help build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.
“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”
Despite many setbacks, Rowling persevered in her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn't until 1990 that she first conceived the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls，it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into her head.“To my immense frustration (沮丧), I didn't have a functioning pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, blackhaired, bespectacled(戴眼镜的) boy who didn’t know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”
That same year, her mother passed away after a tenyear battle with multiple sclerosis, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression. Unemployed, she completed her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being rejected by 12 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her commitment to writing that was fostered by the confidence of a friend !
1.Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter________.
A. at the age of 6
B. on a train journey
C. after her mother’s death
D. in her secondary school
2.It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is________.
A. openminded B. warmhearted
C. goodnatured D. strongwilled
3.The text mainly tells us________.
A. hardship makes a good novelist
B. the courage to try is a special ability
C. you can have a wonderful idea everywhere
D. encouragement contributes to one’s success
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Moving to a new neighborhood，town，state，or even country can be a pretty scary experience. All you know is that things will be different and chances are you won’t know the kids at your new school.
The experiences that go with moving make many kids feel nervous and worried. This is perfectly normal but don’t let these emotions overrun your thoughts! You will soon get used to your surroundings and find new friends at your new school.
Leaving old friends and familiar places behind can be difficult. However，as you begin the moving process，keep in mind that saying goodbye to your old house，school，and friends does not mean that you have to forget them or that your farewell is permanent！If you’re moving to a new state or even a different country and won’t see your friends for a long time，don’t despair.
Make sure to ask everyone for their address so you can write them letters. Also，thanks to the Internet，it is very easy to stay in touch through email or instant messaging technologies. With your parent’s permission，you can even create a blog or web page to chronicle（记载） all of your new experiences. Include your thoughts，tales of your new adventures，even pictures of new friends，your new house，and new town. Your old friends will love seeing what you are busy with.
Many schools have an orientation（培训） program where a student already established at the school shows a new student around for their first week. This can help you to find your way around the school and to make new friends faster.
While moving is tough on kids of any age，high school counselor Karen Turner says moves can be particularly difficult for teens .“I think moving during adolescents is an extremely stressful experience，especially if you are into your junior high or senior year. Students tend to have established a very strong peer network during that period in their lives. Often this has more influence on them even than their families in some cases，and when they are torn from that there’s often resentment(怨气)．”However，Turner adds that while moving isn’t easy，there are things that your parents and the school can do to help you deal with the change.
1.Who are the intended readers of the passage?
A．Education experts. B．School teachers.
C．Parents. D．Students.
2.Which of the following is mainly suggested in Paragraph 3?
A．Staying in contact with old friends.
B．Expressing yourself when it is possible.
C．Forming good habits at school.
D．Keeping positive about your new school.
3.According to the passage，Karen Turner may agree that________．
A．many parents seem to care little about their children
B．teens can easily be attached to their friends
C．parents should communicate with the school teachers
D．teens tend to behave rudely in a new school
4.If this passage continues，what would the author further discuss?
A．What a new school is like.
B．Why parents move with their children.
C．How parents and the school can help the children.
D．How children can express their anxiety.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Stilton Cheese Rolling
May Day is a traditional day for celebrations, but the 2,000 English villagers of Stilton must be the only people in the world who include cheese rolling in their annual plans. Teams of four, dressed in a variety of strange and funny clothes , roll a complete cheese along a 50-metre course. On the way, they must not kick or throw their cheese, or go into their competitors' lane. Competition is fierce and the chief prize is a complete Stilton cheese weighing about four kilos (disappointingly, but understandably the cheeses used in the race are wooden ones). All the competitors arc served with beer or port wine, the traditional accompaniment for Stilton cheese.
Fiery Foods Festival—The Hottest Festival on Earth
Every year more than 10,000 people head for the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They come from as far away as Australia, the Caribbean and China, but they all share a common addiction—food that is not just spicy ,but hot enough to make your mouth burn, your head spin and your eyes water. Their destination is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival which is held over a period of three clays every March. You might like to try a chocolate-covered habanero pepper—officially the hottest pepper in the world—or any one of the thousands of products that are on show. But one thing's for sure—if you don't like the feeling of a burning tongue, this festival isn't for you!
La Tomatina—The World's Biggest Food Fight
On the last Wednesday of every August, the Spanish town of Bunol hosts Ea Tomatina—the world's largest food fight. A week-long celebration leads up to an exciting tomato battle as the highlight of the week's events. The early morning sees the arrival of large trucks with tomatoes—official fight-starters get things going by casting tomatoes at the crowd.
The battle lasts little more than half an hour, in which time around 50,000 kilograms of tomatoes have been thrown at anyone or anything that moves, runs, or fights back. Then everyone heads down to the river to make friends again—and for a much-needed wash!
1.In the Stilton cheese rolling competition, competitors on each team must .
A. wear various formal clothes
B. roll a wooden cheese in their own lane
C. kick or throw their cheese
D. use a real cheese weighing about four kilos
2.Where is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival held?
A. In New Mexico. B. In the Caribbean.
C. In Australia. D. In China.
3.The celebration of La Tomatina lasts .
A. three days B. seven days
C. less than three days D. more than seven days
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The chief prize for the Stilton cheese rolling competition is beer or port wine.
B. More than 10,000 Chinese take pail in the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival.
C. Thousands of spicy foods are on show in the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival.
D. An exciting tomato battle takes place at the beginning of La Tomatina.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
WHAT’S the most important thing of life?
People’s answers vary greatly. For British scientist Robert Edwards，the answer is having a child.“Nothing is more special than a child，”he told the BBC.
Edwards，the inventor of the In Vitro Fertilization(IVF)technology—more commonly known as“testtube(试管)baby”technology—passed away on April 10 ,2013 at the age of 87.
Edwards changed the lives of millions of ordinary people who now rejoice(充满喜悦)in the gift of their own child，”said Peter Braude，professor at King’s College London.“He leaves the world a much better place.”
Edwards started his experiments as early as the 1950s，when he had just finished his PhD in genetics. At that time，much of the public viewed test-tube babies as“scary”，according to Mark Sauer，professor at Columbia University，US.
Edwards and his colleague Patrick Steptoe faced opposition from churches，governments and media，not to mention attacks from many of their fellow scientists.“People said that we should not play God and we should not interfere with nature，”Edwards once told Times. He said that he felt “quite alone” at the time.
“But Edwards was a fighter，and he believed in what he was doing，”said Sauer. Without support from the government，the two struggled to raise funds to carry on. And in 1968 they finally developed a method to successfully fertilize human eggs outside the body.
The first test-tube baby was born on July 25，1978.Her name was Louise Brown. Despite people’s safety concerns，Brown was just as healthy as other children.
“IVF had moved from vision to reality and a new era in medicine had begun，”BBC commented.
Ever since then，public opinion has evolved considerably. Couples who were unable to have babies began thronging(蜂拥)to Edwards’ clinic. Nowadays，Reuters reports，some 4.3 million other“test-tube” children exist. Edwards received a Nobel Prize in 2010 and was knighted(封为爵士)by Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ the following year.
Before his death，Edwards was still in touch with Louise.“He is like a granddad to me，”she said in an interview with the Daily Mail.
He is a granddad to millions, in fact.
1.What is the article mainly about?
A．The first test-tube baby.
B．A new era in medicine.
C．The inventor of IVF technology.
D．The changes IVF technology has brought.
2.The writer quoted Peter Braude to ________．
A．show how difficult it was for Edwards to do his work
B．describe what kind of person Edwards was
C．explain why he is loved by all children
D．comment on his achievement
3.The underlined word“opposition”in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to ________．
A．attack B．support
C．test D．influence
4.What is the CORRECT order of events in Edwards’ life?
a．He received a Nobel Prize.
b．He struggled to raise funds.
c．The first test-tube baby was born.
d．He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ.
e．He succeeded in fertilizing human eggs outside the body.
f．He started his experiments on IVF technology.
A．f—e—b—c—a—d B．f—b—e—c—d—a
C．f—b—e—c—a—d D．f—e—d—a—c—b
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
根据短文内容，从短文后的七个选项中选出能填人空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
__1.__
Home can be a great place for children to study. It's important to provide a workspace of their own where they can read books or just write a letter to their friends.
●Location (位置)
__2.__Kitchen and dining room are not so well suited for regular study，since books and pens get in the way of the daytoday uses of those areas. Set up a place where a child can settle in and leave papers and pens at hand without having to clear everything away each night. For a child that likes being alone，set aside a corner of his bedroom，but keep it separate from things like games，music and other hobbies not related to studying.
●Keeping Things in Order
Parents should encourage their child to spread out，but to leave it neat and orderly when he isn't using his workspace. Ownership is very important for selfrespect __3._ The workplace should be personal，but not another part of the playroom.
●__4.__
Encourage the whole family to help build a supportive environment that children need for success in school. Give them a good example of how to deal with problems，how to manage time and get things done in the right way.__ 5._Study will be more enjoyable and effective when supported by the whole family.
A．Attitude Is Everything
B．Bring Organization into Your Home
C．Here are several ways to choose a location.
D．Building a Good Home Learning Environment
E．Hold a cando attitude and your child will follow your example.
F．Setting up a space in a common area of your home can be a good idea for children.
G．A child who learns to organize his space will carry organization into every corner of his life.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Face adversity（逆境）with a smile
I told my friend Graham that I often cycle the two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, "You mean ________ .”He explained that I should be glad of the ________exercise that the hill provided.
My ________ to the hill has now changed .I used to ________ as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to________ and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. ________ ,I have a smile of________as I reach the top of the hill.
Problems are there to be faced and ________ .We cannot achieve anything with a/an ________life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to________an University degree. She wrote, ‘Character cannot be ________in ease and quiet. Only through________of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved."
One of the main________of success in life is our attitude towards adversity. At times we all face hardships, problems, accidents and difficulties. ________ we cannot choose the adversity, we can choose our attitude towards it．
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs amputated（截肢）following a flying accident. He was________ to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces（擅长的人）．He was a/an________to others during the war. He said ,“Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can't do this or that. That's nonsense. ________ your mind, and you'll never ________ crutches(拐杖)or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go________you want to. But never, never let them ________ you that things are too difficult or impossible."
1.A. slowly B. fortunately C.carefully D.quickly
2.A. abundant B. proper C.extra D. necessary
3.A. attitude B. access C. entrance D. affection
4.A. climb B. confuse C. comment D.complain
5.A. put on weigh B. gain weight C. lose weight D.take my weight
6.A. Gradually B.Finally C. Rarely D. Approximately
7.A. satisfaction B. devotion C. decoration D. caution
8.A. understood B. clarified C. defeated D. overcome
9.A. tough B. difficult C. easy D. reasonable
10.A. gain B. accept C. accomplish D. admire
11.A. founded B.produced C. constructed D. developed
12.A. happiness B.experiences C. difficulties D.pressures
13.A. emphasis B. conflicts C. factors D. powers
14.A. While B. As C.Because D.If
15.A. devoted B.determined C. commanded D.forced
16.A. appreciation B.qualification C.inspiration D. destination
17.A.Open up B. Make up C. Come to D. Come into
18.A.reject B. deliver C.abandon D. use
19.A. anywhere B. everywhere C.nowhere D. somewhere
20.A. advise B. attempt C. request D. Persuade
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
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
God has blessed me with a lovely brother. He is 4 years younger than me. I still remember that day when he was born. He is 1. premature baby. When he was a little baby, he always used to cry for no reason and hardly slept. He never allowed me and my parents 2. (sleep) well.
As time went by, he3. (become) a little older. I used to get angry with 4. since he started snatching(抢) all my toys away from me. 5. , my parents taught me that he is my younger brother and I 6. make him learn to share things.
Now, 7. we still fight over things, we both love each other deeply. We share the same school and have the same 8. , like doing sports, singing and reading.
We do a lot of secret things without informing our parents and if 9. (catch), we will join hands to deal with the situation. Life is fun when we are together. As we are growing old day by day, we are becoming 10. (responsible) for our duties than before. And we know that no matter where we go in life, we both are always there for each other to face the hardships of life.
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：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（^），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。
May I have your attention, please?
As you know it, our class will have a talk show on environment protection with Class One on May 4th. Before it take place, we will invite Dr. Lil from Qinghua University give us a talk on the environment problem and he will also tell you about the improvement in environment protection in recent years in Beijing.
The report will begin at 2:00 pm in Wednesday, April 30th in the auditorium on the third floor in the classroom building. I’m sure we can get enough informations from his talk to make well preparations for a coming talk show. Everyone should be there on time, then listen to the report or take full notes on the same time.
That’s all. Thank you.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如你是李华，国际学校的教师Paul邀请你星期六参加该校举行的“中国文化日”活动。但你爷爷突然生病住院，你要和父母一起去医院探视，不得不谢绝他的邀请。请根据下列要点用英语给Paul写一封电子邮件。
要点：1.谢绝邀请；
2．说明理由；
3．预祝活动成功。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．邮件开头和结尾已为你写好。
Dear Paul，
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Yours，
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析