Here is Booked．net’s selection of the strangest events worldwide·
Elephant polo(象球)
The title is self-explanatory, but elephant polo is more interesting than the traditional alternative played on horses．Elephants make the game slower，and, because of this the field is only three-quarters the length of a standard polo field．The elephants carry two people and are guided by mahouts(看象人)．The player hits the ball and tells the mahout which way to go. The Kings Cup Elephant Polo Tournament is the sixth largest event in the Thai calendar.
Volcan de Lodo El Totumo
If you are in Colombia at the end of March，you should make Cartagena part of your journey—here．between December and March every year，is the opportunity to get dirty, Bathing in mud from the Volcan de Lodo El Totumo can best be described as a primitive experience. The volcano is diminutive(微小的)，looking more like a little hill rising about 10 to 15m from the ground. If you climb a wooden staircase to reach the very top, you will discover a pit(大坑)of gray mud. It is believed that the mud has a curing effect，purifying your skin．
La Tomatina
It is possibly the most famous and most specific food fight in the world. If you think tomatoes are only for salads，you are on a wrong track．Just a visit to Valencia，or more precisely，a small Spanish village named Bunol in August can totally change your perception . There，on the last Wednesday of August every year．trucks dump 120 tons of tomatoes in the streets of the town, and tomato juice and pulp(果肉)flow from there.
Balloon Fiesta
Have you ever been taken to the skies in a hot-air balloon? The annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in America gives you the chance to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the city and countryside．Since 1972, perfect October weather，blue skies and wind patterns have combined to allow balloonists to control and retrace their route thanks to the direction of the winds. This is the only place in the world to enjoy a mass rise of balloons floating in the blue skies each October.
1.Where can visitors experience bathing in mud in February?
A. In Thailand． B. In Colombia，
C. In Spain D. In America·
2.Visitors to Bunol in August can_____.
A. attend the annual balloon fiesta
B. watch volcanoes erupting in person
C. take part in the game of elephant polo
D. witness the most specific food fight in the world
3.We can learn from the passage that________.
A. mahouts decide which way to go and hit the ball
B. the Kings Cup Elephant Polo Tournament is held each October
C. the tomato fight is intended to purify people’s skin with tomato juice.
D. the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has been held for 45 years.
4.Which of the following groups of people are likely to be interested in this passage?
A. Students who like biology．
B. Those who like eating fruit．
C. Scientists who are doing research on volcanos
D. People who are curious about very strange events.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Dear Windows Internet Explorer．
Our relationship has been strained(紧张的)for a long time．Of course. it’s not all your fault,and nor is it a11 mine．Our intermediary is also to blame；my hated Gate-way PC. which runs far too slowly. But that does not get you off the hook．
You see，Windows Internet Explorer．I can no longer deal with your ridiculous loading time.Sure，at one time I found it attractive--even--sexy for my browser to take ages to log in or load a web page．But not any more My life is fuller than it was, and I don’t have time for you to semi-load and then stop．
Also．as much as I loved it when we got together, your refusal to log me into some of my necessary accounts．such as email and MySpace．has become a problem. It was unfair of you, and I should not have submitted to your cruelty and mistreatment.
A third reason for my leaving you may seem mean：you are simply far too sickly. You are constantly contracting new viruses．and your immune system is terrible·I don’t have the time or the money to care for you any more. It may seem unfair，but you will have to survive on your own. I cannot keep curing you．going through and finding all your corrupted(损坏的)files，cleansing our intermediary’s system because you have given it some virus，bug or spyware. It takes far too much time and energy，which I do not have．
Windows Internet Explorer，you did wonderful things for me that，at the time，no other could do．But，my dear．times have changed，and while you have，too，you have not changed enough. I am 16 now，nearly a grown woman，and I cannot tolerate your childish ways As much as I once cared about you，I fear that the time has come for us to part.
Your former friend，
Kirsty
1.What is the intermediary．according to the passage?
A. The computer． B. The network speed
C. A virus D. An account．
2.Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons why the author doesn’t use Wmdows Internet Explorer?
A. Its immune system is really bad
B. The author cannot log into her accounts
C. It cannot find corrupted files automatically
D. It takes the author too much time to open a web page
3.What is the author’s attitude towards the subject of this letter?
A. Cautious B. Skeptical．
C. Critical D. Contradictory·
4.What kind of letter is this reading material?
A. A thank-you letter． B. A break-up letter．
C. A warning letter D. A consultation letter．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
She has been teased，stared at in the street，and called“the world’s ugliest woman” by cyber bullies(网络地痞)．Lizzie Velasquez of Austin，Texas，was born without adipose tissue(肌肉组织)meaning that she has no body fat，and，despite eating up to 60 small meals a day，remains a delicate 27 kilos．The rare condition is thought to affect just two other people worldwide.
Miss Velasquez has now written a second book about her struggle to be accepted，and hopes it will help others in a similar position．In Be Beautiful．Be You the college student shares advice on being unique．how to make and keep good friends，and how to deal with bullying and other negativity．When asked how she deals with being constantly stared at in the street, Miss Velasquez says，“I always go up to these people and introduce myself，or give them my card and say，‘Hi，I’m Lizzie--maybe you should stop staring and start learning．’”
Miss Velasquez says when cyber bullies first started attacking her online it was hard. Eventually she realized that the people mocking her online were just cowards hiding behind a computer screen．
“Lizzie was born four weeks prematurely．Doctors told us they had no idea if she would survive．”Miss Velasquez’s mother Rita says．“They told us she would never be able to walk，talk or have a norma1 life．”Rita Velasquez has two other daughters，and both of them are of average height and weight. When Lizzie was four，doctors discovered she had gone blind in one eye.
Miss Velasquez’s case has fascinated doctors all over the world，and she is part of a genetic study run by Professor Abhimanyu Garg．Professor Garg and his team now believe Miss Velasquez may have a form of Neonatal Progeroid Syndrome(NPS)，which causes accelerated aging and fat loss from the face and body" People with NPS often have prematurely aged faces and pointy(尖的) noses
1.What can we learn about Miss Velasquez?
A. She is a college student
B. Her siblings have the same condition as her·
C. Her appetite is smaller than that of healthy people-
D. She has published two novels popular with students·
2.Which of the following is a characteristic of NPS?
A. Inability to walk B. A prematurely aged face
C. Blindness D. A flat nose
3.Which of the following words can replace the underlined word“mocking”?
A. teasing B. copying
C. loving D. hating
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
The results of an admittedly small but telling new study suggest that Medicare and other insures could be spending billions of dollars on screening(拍片检查)smokers for lung cancer that would be better spent on helping them quit and keeping others from starting．The new study indicated that screening more often supported smokers’ beliefs that they could safely continue to smoke．Most participants remained smoker because they believed screening could catch cancer early before it would threaten their lives.
“They compared how hard it was to quit smoking with how easy it was to be screened，”said Steven B. Zeliadt, the lead author of the study. "They engaged in magical thinking that now there's this wonderful painless external test that can save lives."
He and seven colleagues conducted the study of 37 current smokers who were offered lung cancer screening at Department of Veteran Affairs. After being screened and told the results. they were interviewed about their smoking-related health beliefs. For about half of those in whom cancer was not found. "Screening lowered their motivation for quitting." the team reported in July in JAMA Internal Medicine. The participants focused only on lung cancer, ignoring other potential harm of smoking. the researchers wrote.
A national study published four years ago found that annual CT screening for lung cancer three years in a row could reduce deaths among heavy smokers by about 20 percent.In an interview, Dr. Russell P. Harris, a preventive medicine specialist at the UNC-Chapel Hill. noted that "screening is being believed by people as an alternative to stopping smoking. But stopping smoking would have huge benefits for the individual and society." Furthermore, smoking causes many other cancers.
Dr. Harris agreed that rather than screening money is better spent on smoking prevention. He suggested providing free stop-smoking aids. sponsoring anti-smoking advertising and raising taxes on tobacco products and the age at which people are allowed to buy them.
1.What does the new study suggest?
A. Screening technology remains to be advanced and more effective.
B. Screening can find cancer in patients and give them timely treatment.
C. Helping people quit smoking is better than screening them for cancer.
D. Admitting smoking before screening can help one to stop smoking.
2.What effect can screening have on most smokers?
A. They will be scared by the result and quit smoking.
B. They will believe screening can catch cancer early and not quit.
C. They will lose hope and go on smoking.
D. They will know screening costs less than smoking.
3.What does the underlined word“they”（in Paragraph 5）refer to?
A. The smokers screened in the study.
B. Steven Zeliadt and his colleagues.
C. Dr. Harris and his patients.
D. The patients' smoking-related health beliefs
4.Which of the following can be a suitable title for the passage?
A. The Effect of Screening for Cancer Patients
B. Screening Alone Doesn’t Do the Work
C. Screening Has a Say in Cancer Detecting
D. Screening May Not Push Smokers to Quit
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Exam anxiety is something that almost every person experiences during his or her student life. 1.．However．if students spend all their time feeling anxious, a lot of valuable time would be wasted．
In this competitive world；exams cause a tot of nervousness to students. For some. exam anxiety encourages them to work harder．while for others it may be the root for poor performance.leading to failure in exams and lack of confidence．2.．They will have a low opinion of themselves even if they have prepared well.
One of the most important methods of avoiding exam anxiety is 3.．Studying regularly for a few hours helps increase the confidence of students．If students are not able to handle anxiety. they can talk to their teachers and friends to relax themselves4.． Creating a peaceful a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere at home can be equally helpful.
5.．Students tend to avoid sleep or they don’t have meals due to anxiety. but it is harmful to their study and health. It’s better that students should plan their time reasonably and take proper breaks between studying
A．In fact．some students ale anxious by nature
B．to communicate with others
C．Little anxiety helps one concentrate
D．To sleep and eat well is equally important
E．to prepare well in advance ．
F．Fairing to handle it may result in poor academic performance
G. Parents also avoid putting pressure on their kids to do well
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
My medical team had said my brain could no longer send the signals for walking because those nerves in my spinal cord(脊髓)had been destroyed．Though_______unintentionally. my doctors did take something very important away from me：hope.
Then．a friend of mine_______me to try to help myself．I was angry. I said,“They’ re four of leading neurologists．They all said I'd never get any _______”
“They could have all been wrong.”．
“They said there’s _______I can do! I’m not _______any effort into trying to walk and then be miserable when I _______.”
“Trying is never failure．”
I was encouraged by him．That day I tried walking_______．I said to myself.“Why not?”
When I_______I have a Frankenstein-style gait(步态)．I get embarrassed, so I explain. I met a girl who said，“Stop_______yourself . Walk proudly!”She’s________one of the many who've taught me that if I open my heart to acceptance，the world is filled with________teams.
One morning my husband Bob said there was a huge present for me in our driveway. It was a 300-pound cycle for ________．The seats were side by side．He could pedal(踩踏板)while I ________by him and enjoyed the outdoors again．Last week he repeated. “There’s a huge present in our driveway．”He________me outside. It was a one-woman Dynamo Power Bike. “Sweetheart, you know I can’t ride a bike by myself．”I ________． He laughed sweetly. “I know. And you can't walk either. Then why does the pedometer(计步器)I bought you have 74 miles on it?”
Recently，hundreds of miles later，after________hours of efforts. for the first time in five years，I went out back，put my cane(拐杖)________and started walking .I ________42 yards.And so，I have made a(n)________silent resolution--a declaration that I am praying others will say to themselves as well．
“Yes，I can．”Christopher Reeve once said，“When we have________，we discover powers within ourselves we may have never known．”
1.A. regularly B. surely C. now and then D. sometimes
2.A. urged B. persuaded C. permitted D. ·expected
3.A. wiser B. stronger C. better D. luckier
4.A. what B. much C. reason D. nothing
5.A. putting B. turning C. giving D. casting
6.A. fail B. try C. walk D. cry
7.A. in the long run B. at best C. at no time D. on my own
8.A. race B. walk C. crawl D. stand up
9.A. helping B. excusing C. being D. finding
10.A. still B. yet C. just D. even
11.A. support B. discouragement C. depression D. optimism
12.A. free B. two C. all D. reference
13.A. waited B. walked C. sat D. 1aughedaited
14.A. led B. waited for C. pointed D. 1ooked for
15.A. shouted B. wondered C. whispered D. questioned
16.A. amazing B. impressive C. hopeless D. exhausting
17.A. away B. down C. over D. off
18.A. helped it B. put it C. appreciated it D. made it
19.A. satisfying B. increasing C. best-designed D. often-repeated
20.A. trouble B. skills C. hope D. friendship
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
One day，a professor 1. (enter)the classroom and asked the students to take a surprise test.
As 2. （usual）.he handed out the exam papers. 3. everyone’s surprise. there were no questions-just a black dot in the center of the paper. The professor，4. (see) the expressions on everyone’s faces，told them to write about what they see there.
At the end of the class，the professor started to explain：“I am not going to grade you. I just wanted to tell you not co focus on the black dot．ignoring the surrounding white However. in our daily lives most of us insist on laying great 5. (emphasize) on the black dot-the heath issues and unfriendly people 6. bother us. and the lack of money. Actual1y, the dark spots are very small．when 7.(compare) to everything we have. but they are the 8. (one) that influence our minds．Don’t focus your eyes on the black dots. 9.. enjoy each one of your blessings and each moment that life 10. (give) you.
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l0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。
The Oxford English Dictionary is thinking of adding the Chinese word “tuhao”to its latest edition．The word had become popular in China during the past few months to describe rich people who spend money in wasteful ways.“Tuhao”has been caught on in western countries，either．Similar people are described likewise in his countries.
True speaking，the adoption of the word by foreign countries is example of China’s spreading influence．Foreigners are paying attention to which is happening in China and are picking up some Chinese words．especially the words which express unique
Chinese idea and cannot be easily translated into English. Hopefully，China’s influence for the world will continue to be strengthened with an increasing number of Chinese words adopting by foreign dictionaries．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是高三学生李华，你最近看到“中美大学生的经济资助状况”的一个调查结果(如下表)想就这个话题给美国的笔友Joe写封信，进行相关探讨。
信的内容包括：
1．描述中美大学生的经济资助状况；
2．分析这种状况的成因；
3．预测中国大学生经济资助的可能变化。
| Financial Sources of College Students | ||
| Financial sources | Examinees | |
| American StudentS | Chinese StudentS | |
| Parents | 45％ | 90％ |
| Part-time Jobs | 40％ | 5％ |
| Scholarship | 15％ | 5％ |
注意；1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数-
Dear Joe，
How is everything going? I’m writing to talk about financial sources of college students，which are quite different between in China and m America. According to a survey，
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What’s your idea? Looking forward to your reply!
Yours．
Li Hua
难度: 困难查看答案及解析