I like staying overnight at my granny Ruiz’s house until she starts telling me how wonderful my cousin Maya is. Then it’s Maya this and Maya that until I don’t ever want to hear another word about her.
That’s why I wasn’t too excited when granny called me to “come on over”. When I got there, it was worse than I expected. Maya sat there, all dressed up.
Maya was taller than I’d remembered her from her last visit four years ago. She was talking about how nice to see me again. But I could tell that she didn’t really think so.
I couldn’t remember what it was I didn’t like about her. The last time she was there, we’d had hours of fun together. After that, I’d heard about her only through granny’s tales. Now Maya looked great with the latest haircut and a beautiful dress. I glanced down at my jeans and sneakers. It was bad enough that she was granny’s favorite-smarter and more talented than I was-but elegant, too? This was too much.
Maya’s words crashed through my thoughts, “I hear you like skating,” I was surprised, wondering how she knew about my skating.
“I hear you take piano lessons,” I countered. A funny look crossed her face and she nodded.
“I hear you were captain of your softball team,” she said.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “How do you know this?”
Maya shrugged and looked down. “I hear about you all the time from granny’s letters.”
“Granny tells me about you all the time, too!” I said. “I even know you wear a size-three shoe!”
Maya laughed. I also smiled, knowing now that granny had two favorites.
1.We can infer that the author felt ______ every time granny talked about Maya.
A.excited B.curious
C.surprised D.uncomfortable
2.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.Maya and the author hadn’t met each other for about four years.
B.They both knew a lot about each other through their granny.
C.Maya was happy about the get-together but the author wasn’t.
D.The author loved sports, such as skating and playing softball.
3.What’s the best title for the passage?
A.Fun Time with Maya B.Granny’s Favorite
C.Our Loving Granny D.A Surprise Get-together
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
“If you take care of the birds, you take care of most of the big environmental problems in the world.”
That’s what Thomas Lovejoy, a well-known biologist, says. He helped introduce the term “biological diversity” to the world. And he long ago predicted that by the early 21st century, the Earth would start losing a surprising number of species-a prediction, unfortunately, that is turning out to be true.
We were taken with what Lovejoy said about birds and decided to use it as a launch pad(跳板) for marking 2018 as the Year of the Bird by National Geographic. Hopefully, this will help raise people’s awareness of this problem. In this 12-month multiplatform exploration, we’ll examine how our changing environment is leading to great losses among bird species around the globe. And just as important, we’ll record what we can do about it.
At National Geographic we’ve been looking at the planet’s health from a bird’s-eye view for a long time. This magazine has featured birds on its cover more often than it has featured other popular creatures-at least 30 times, 13 times compared with apes. And the National Geographic Society has awarded hundreds of funds(资金) for the scientific study of birds.
In 2018, we’ll take our coverage of topics affecting birds to a new level. In this issue we launch a year of storytelling with “Why Birds Matter”, an essay by best-selling author Jonathan Franzen. It’s paired with remarkable photographs of birds created by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore.
Why is National Geographic focusing so much attention on birds? That’s just another way of asking, as Franzen does. Why do birds matter? Among his fluent answers: “They are our last, best connection to a natural world that is otherwise moving gradually away from us.”
1.Why is the year 2018 called the Year of Bird?
A.To introduce different kinds of birds.
B.To record what we can do to help birds.
C.To draw public attention to the loss of bird species.
D.To examine the environmental influences on birds.
2.What is “Why Birds Matter”?
A.It is a magazine with many essays. B.It is an article with many photos.
C.It is a report with many topics. D.It is an organization to raise money.
3.What can we know about National Geographic from the passage?
A.It focuses more on birds than other creatures.
B.It receives sums of money to research on birds.
C.It’s the last connection between man and nature.
D.It’s popular with famous biologists and authors.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A recent study showed that disordered eating has negative effects on health including lower self-evaluation of health, which isn’t too surprising. What was really shocking was how common the disordered eating behaviors seemed to be in our culture.
Individually, these behaviors aren’t something to be overly concerned about, but when they add up, it became a roadblock to healthy living. Ask yourself the right questions to find out if you, too, have gone beyond healthy habits and worry about your weight.
For example, starchy(含淀粉的) foods can make people feel uneasy about eating them. Sometimes an ingredient, like fat, causes anxiety, even if it’s used to make healthy foods like olive oil. If you’re skipping foods and blaming it on an allergy(过敏) reason, but your real motivation is to lose weight, that’s a red flag.
A strict eating schedule might seem like a smart way to provide structure throughout your day, but overdoing it can leave you feeling hungry.
Not having control over how your food is prepared can be a concern, especially if you have food allergies. It’s when that anxiety is baseless and prevents you from otherwise enjoying a night out that it becomes a problem.
Tracking calories can be a useful tool to understand which foods are rich in calories, which ones aren’t, and what calorie range you should be eating. If it becomes overbearing, it’s no longer a healthy method. It’s the right way to pay attention to your hunger and satiety(饱足), and rely on those to decide when to start and stop eating.
Disordered eating is common, but it’s not harmless. Seek out help if you see yourself in these behaviors, and make sure you recognize the signs that you’re already at a health weight.
1.What does the underlined part “a red flag” in the third paragraph mean?
A.A good means. B.A negative attitude.
C.A warning sign. D.A normal situation.
2.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.Tracking calories can be a useful tool to keep fit.
B.Disordered eating is common but harmful.
C.Skipping foods won’t help you lose weight.
D.Knowing how your food is prepared can be beneficial.
3.If you have disordered eating problems, you’d better ______ accordingly.
A.avoid starchy foods B.lose weight
C.prepare your food well D.turn to the doctors
4.The author proves her point by ____________.
A.using examples B.making a comparison
C.asking and answering D.analyzing causes and effects
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Many people think of bullying (欺凌) as one child pushing or hitting another, but bullying is not only physical.
When I was in junior high, the girls in my class would laugh at me. Once a girl looked at me and announced loudly, “I don’t want to sit next to her!” Their comments didn’t hurt me physically, but they did make me feel terrible.
Bullying is a widespread problem in schools, and some adults even have to deal with it at work. 1.
Be kind
You may not think of yourself as a bully, but do you make jokes at others’ expense? If the other person isn’t laughing, your words or actions may hurt more than you think.
Many bullies were once victims (受害者) of bullying or faced other difficult experiences and now bully others to feel powerful. 2. Instead, get rid of your pain by treating others well. Despite your experiences, being kind will make you truly powerful.
Speak up
3. Many bullies are motivated by a desire to look cool, so if you tell them you’re not impressed, they’ll stop. If they don’t, walk away, and tell an adult about the incident.
Stand tall
If you’re being bullied, don’t try to face it alone, but ask a parent or other trusted adults for help. Similarly, in places where bullying happens, stay close to a friend since bullies often aim at people who are alone. 4. Leaving will keep you safe.
Finally, remember that what is happening is not your fault. The terrible things bullies say reflect who they are, not who you are. You are valuable for who you are, and nothing anyone says or does can change that. 5.
A.Bullying is a common school problem.
B.What can you do about a big problem?
C.But anyone can take action to stop it.
D.When you’re being bullied, walk away calmly.
E.If that’s you, don’t make up for it by hurting others.
F.If you notice one person bullying another, please tell them to stop.
G.When you meet people weaker than you, remember they are valuable, too.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
I love music. From the time I was a preschooler, I remember ______ my father play jazz on the piano and my family sing with ______. As I grew up and took piano lessons, I became very ______ of classical music. In the early 60s the Beatles was ______ and I was attracted to “pop” and “rock” music.
As time went on, I ______ to like almost every type of music, from opera to new age. Music did ______ for me. It helped me in every mood and ______ me up. My husband and I can go to a Broadway musical, or an opera. What is it that ______ us to music? Why do we have iPods today with thousands of songs? It’s ______ music is a part of the earth and our nature.
Music is for every ______. It is thought that babies hear ______ before they are born. Mothers sing lullabies (摇篮曲) to their babies and are able to put them to ______. When ________, pre-school children listen to music. It is also thought that it helps them ______ the beginnings of mathematics. It has been used in ______ settings as a way to comfort and help cure victims of stress syndrome(综合症). It also helps people keep ______, when music is played and sung during a memorial.
While we ______ music every day, we don’t think about all of this. ______, we listen to music regularly because it is a (n) ______ part of our earth’s rhythms. So, the next time you listen to music, think of it as a ______ that you share at any time and can have with you always.
1.A.seeing B.feeling C.hearing D.helping
2.A.records B.stories C.speeches D.movies
3.A.tired B.sure C.sick D.fond
4.A.hopeless B.popular C.sensitive D.secure
5.A.learned B.agreed C.grew D.offered
6.A.anything B.something C.everything D.nothing
7.A.cheered B.brought C.picked D.packed
8.A.forces B.orders C.teaches D.attracts
9.A.how B.because C.when D.where
10.A.moment B.singer C.age D.baby
11.A.sound B.noise C.voice D.music
12.A.sleep B.move C.talk D.speak
13.A.old B.young C.strong D.honest
14.A.change B.watch C.understand D.accept
15.A.medical B.physical C.chemical D.political
16.A.nervous B.healthy C.still D.calm
17.A.make B.enjoy C.play D.copy
18.A.Besides B.Therefore C.However D.Instead
19.A.important B.common C.ordinary D.regular
20.A.toy B.game C.treat D.gift
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）或括号内单词的正确形式。
The famous Peking opera artist Yuan Huiqin hosted two culture talks 1. were called “Charm of Peking Opera” in Stockholm and St. Petersburg last year. The two sessions 2. (organize) by Chinese embassies and local cultural organizations. Members of Chinese embassies, famous sinologists(汉学家) and those 3. (show) an interest in Peking opera, attended 4. two culture talks. During the talks, Yuan Huiqin 5. (patient) shared the charm of Peking opera in more than one way.
With the help of the local sinologist, 6. (she) talks were translated into Swedish and Russian. These words explored the concepts and artistic characteristics of 7. (tradition) Chinese operas, which got the audience 8. (experience) the distinct charm of Peking opera.
In addition, young 9. (artist) from the China National Peking Opera Company performed classic opera selections. During the interaction of the talks, some opera lovers performed 10. young artists and on the spot the audience tried costumes(戏装) of Peking opera with great curiosity.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
课本原文填空
After two days’ travel, the girls began to realize that Canada is quite empty. At school, they had learned that most Canadians live 1. a few hundred kilometers of the USA border, and2. Canada’s population is only 3. over thirty million, but now they were 4. to see such an empty country. They went 5. a wheat-growing province and saw farms that 6. thousands of acres. After dinner, they were back in an 7. area, the busy port city of Thunder Bay at the top of the Great Lakes. The girls were surprised at the 8. that ocean ships can sail up the Great Lakes. Because of the Great Lakes, they learned, Canada has more9. water than any other country in the world. In fact, it has one-third of the world’s total fresh water, and much of 10. is in the Great Lakes.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
I found the book while I was looking through some boxes in the second-hand shop down the road. It was old and a bit worn, but it was quite cheap. So I bought it immediately. The title was How to Become Master of the World Through Hypnosis(催眠).
I went home and read the book in an afternoon. Okay, I didn’t understand all of it. But the main points I remembered were:
1. A good hypnotist can make people obey him just by looking into their eyes.
2. Hold your index finger in front of the eyes of the person you want to hypnotize and move
it slowly from side to side.
3. Unfortunately, many people refuse to accept hypnosis for a number of different reasons.
It sounded really easy. I decided to try out some hypnosis immediately.
My cat Claw was asleep on my bed as usual. I woke him up very gently because he hates being disturbed when he’s asleep. Then I stared into his eyes and moved my finger from side to side.
“You will obey me... My wish is your command. Get off this bed!”
Claw looked at me for a few moments then he jumped gracefully off the bed.
Unbelievable! It worked! I was a real hypnotist! My heart beat fast as I gave him another order. “Now you will get back on the bed!”
Again, Claw obeyed me! Cool! Then suddenly, I had a thought. Maybe it was just a chance? After all, I had only asked him to do what he normally did. To make sure I had really hypnotized him, I had to try something quite different. I moved my finger in front of his nose again and said, “Go and sleep in the bin!” Claw looked bored. Then he curled up in a ball and went back to sleep.
In spite of this failure, I decided to carry on with my experiment. After all, maybe my cat refused to accept hypnosis.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150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。
Paragraph 1:
I went into the sitting room where my dad was watching the news on the television.
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Paragraph 2:
I went to the baker’s and asked for a chocolate cookie.
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析