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Tasha Tudor(August 28，1919 — June 18，2008) was an American illustrator(插画家)and writer of children’s books. She received many awards and honors for her contributions to children’s literature. When people talk about her creativity in artwork，she said,“I do it to support my dogs and my four children.”Her great publishing record, the number of magazine stories that have been written about her over the years, and her admirers have no effects on her at all.
Much of Tasha’s artwork and her reading are done in the wintertime.“I love winter. It’s delightful，”she says.“I don’t have to go anywhere because I work at home. If I’m snowed in，I can stay this way for months.”She hopes for early, deep snow to protect her garden from the hardship of the New England winter，and when it comes she puts on snowshoes when she needs to get down the mile-long dirt path that leads to the road.
Given her enjoyment of winter and her fantasy(梦幻)way of life，it’s not surprising that Tasha’s Christmas is a storybook holiday. She hangs flowers over the front door. Her tree comes from the woods,
and it goes up on Christmas Eve，lit by homemade candles and decorated with her great- grandmother’s collection that dates from 1850. In a place of honor on the tree are large cookies cut into the shapes of her animals.
The grandchildren and friends get presents from Tasha’s old dolls；so do the animals and they
have their own Christmas tree. “Of course，it’s a known fact that all the animals talk on Christmas
Eve,”she has written. Small, handmade gifts fill a big wooden box
At the end 0f each year, Tasha can look back and know that her life is perfect，that she has
again ignored the twentieth century，and that the magic continues. And for the rest of us，here’s
a bit of advice, Tasha style：“Nowadays, people are so restless．If they took some tea anti spent more time rocking on the porch(门廊)in the evening listening to light music，they might enjoy life more.”
1.Tasha loved winter because it allowed her to ____________．
A．read stories to her grandchildren
B．show her DIY snowshoes to kids
C．stay indoors working mid reading
D．enjoy bicycle tiding along the path
2.From the passage, we can learn that Tasha’s life is ____________．
A．modern and fashionable B．simple and fantastic
C．lonely and hard D．adventurous and inspiring
3.Which of the following is TRUE about Tasha?
A．She cared little about fame.
B．She created an animal fund.
C．She wrote many stories for magazines.
D．She bought presents for her relatives.
4.In which section of a paper can you probably read the article?
A．Travel. B．Sports. C．Economy. D．People.
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The traditional American school year begins in late August or early September.It ends in May or June, followed by summer vacation. 1.___ Because long ago, young people had to help their families harvest summer crops. At least this is what people today may think.
2.__ A recent report from an education policy center at Indiana University explored the historical roots of the traditional school calendar.
In the early days of the United States, children were not required to attend school School calendars depended on local needs. 3.__ They worked on family farms during the other months. City schools were often open much longer, some for eleven months of the year.
After the Civil War, more and more people saw the need for a system of required education.__ 4.______Many city schools wanted a shorter year and a longer summer break. The schools were often crowded. There was no modern air conditioning. Hot days would make it difficult to learn. Many rural educators, however, pushed for a longer school year. They thought it would keep children safe from industrial dangers when there were few child-labor laws.
So the traditional school calendar was a compromise (折中). The average school year used to be one hundred and seventy days. Times have not changed much. 5.___ But some experts think the traditional school calendar needs to change because the needs of the nation have changed. This thinking has led some schools to keep students in class longer.
A. Why such a long break?
B. Today the common average is one hundred and eighty days.
C. Americans think highly of their traditional school calendar.
D. Most schools had similar school calendars.
E. But the reason has more to it.
F. Students in rural areas went to school for no more than six months of the year.
G. But they had different ideas for the calendar.
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Jenny Bowen, an American living in Beijing, was selected as the only American to carry the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch on Chinese soil．She and seven other non-Chinese winners had been chosen from 262 applicants from 47 countries in a contest organized by Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group and the official English-language newspaper, China Daily．When Bowen ran with the Olympic torch, she was not only representing the United States, but also representing thousands of Chinese orphans (孤儿).
Bowen, a mother of two adopted (收养) Chinese daughters, is director of Half the Sky Foundation, an organization which was founded in 1998 and aims to enrich the lives of orphaned children in China．In nearly 10 years, Bowen and Half the Sky have touched the lives of over 13,000 children．Half the Sky is now present in 36 welfare institutions in 28 Chinese cities． About 4,000 children are active in the program, which provides trained staff, educational tools, medical support and care for orphans.
Bowen hoped that running with the Olympic torch would help draw attention to the children in China．She was among 19,400 runners who carried the flame along an 85,000-mile, 130-day route across five continents．Beijing organizers say it was the longest torch relay in Olympic history.
Like Bowen, the seven other non-Chinese winners, including a German engineer and a Venezuelan designer, live in China．Other countries represented were the Philippines, Colombia, India, Japan and Russia.
According to Olympic organizers, candidates (候选人) were selected based on an online vote, committee selection, their “love of Chinese culture and history” and devotion to “communicating information of a real China to their native countries”．Each runner carried the torch for 200 meters on Chinese soil.
1．Bowen hopes that being a torch runner would help ________.
A．collect educational tools, medical support, etc, for orphans
B．make Half the Sky Foundation well known
C．draw special attention to orphans in China
D．communicate information of America
2．According to the text, Jenny Bowen ________.
A．is interested in Chinese sports
B．founded the organization of Half the Sky
C．has adopted 13,000 children during 10 years
D．loves Chinese culture and history
3．Which of the following about the 2008 torch relay is WRONG?
A．The contest for its runners is organized by Lenovo Group and China Daily.
B．It has eight foreign runners, including an American, a German and a Venezuelan.
C．It will be the longest relay with the most runners in Olympic history.
D．It will be an opportunity to communicate information of a real China to the world.
4．What’s the best title for the passage?
A．Happy Life of a Great US Woman in China
B．A US Woman Carrying 2008 Olympic Torch in China
C．The Development of Half the Sky Foundation
D．The Longest Torch Relay in Olympic History
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Donald John Trump, born on June 14, 1946, is an American businessman. As the Republic Party’s nominee for president in the 2016 election, he defeated Hillary Clinton in the general election on November 8, 2016.
Trump is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization, which is the principal holding company for his real estate (Trump is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization, which is the principal holding company for his real estate(房地产) ventures and other business interests. During his career, Trump has built office towers, hotels, casinos, golf courses, and other branded facilities worldwide.
Trump was born and raised in New York City and received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. In 1971 he was given control of his father Fred Trump’s real estate and construction firm and later renamed it The Trump Organization. Trump has appeared at the Moss USA pageants, which he owned from 1996 to 2015, and has made cameo(配角) appearances in films and television series. He sought the Reform Party presidential nomination(提名) in 2000, but withdrew before voting began. He hosted and co-produced The Apprentice, a reality television series on NBC, from 2004 to 2015. As of 2016, he was listed by Forbes as the 324th wealthiest person in the world, and 156th in the United States.
In June 2015, Trump announced his candidacy(候选人资格) for president as a Republican and quickly emerged as the front runner for his party’s nomination. In May 2016, his remaining Republican rivals suspended(暂停) their campaigns, and in July he was formally nominated for president at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Trump’s campaign has received unprecedented media coverage and international attention. Many of his statements in interviews, on Twitter, and at campaign rallies(集会) have been controversial or false. Several rallies during the primaries were accompanied by protests or riots.
1.What do we know about Donald John Trump?
A. His career is limited in America.
B. It was a surprise that he defeated Hillary Clinton.
C. His business has expanded all over the world.
D. His father was against him being a politician.
2.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 3?
A. Introduction to Trump’s life. B. Introduction to Trump’s family.
C. The secret of Trump’s success. D. Trump’s dream.
3.Which of the following is WRONG for Donald John Trump once?
A. He once acted as a leading actor in films.
B. He once worked as a host.
C. He owns a lot of money.
D. He majored in economics in university.
4.According to the last paragraph, we can conclude at the campaign ________.
A. Trump owed his success to his family
B. at a point all Americans protested against Trump
C. Trump had no Republican rivals
D. all people didn’t agree with the remarks Trump made
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——Who do you know lit the Olympic flame on August 8，2008？
——The former gymnastics star Li Ning.
| A．was it that | B．that it was | C．that was it | D．it was that |
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Watching some children trying to catch butterflies one hot August afternoon, I was reminded of an incident in my own childhood. When I was a boy of 12 in South Carolina, something happened to me that cured me forever of wanting to put any wild creature in a cage.
We lived on the edge of a wood, and every evening at dusk the mockingbirds would come and rest in the tree and sing. There isn’t a musical instrument made by man that can produce a more beautiful sound than the song of the mockingbird.
I decided that I would catch a young bird and keep it in a cage and that way have my own private musician.
I finally succeeded in catching one and put it in a cage. At first, in its fright at being captured, the bird fluttered about the cage, but eventually it settled down in its new home, I felt very pleased with myself and looked forward to some beautiful singing from my tiny musician.
I had left the cage out on our back porch（门廊）, and on the second day of the bird’s captivity my new pet’s mother flew to the cage with food in her mouth . The baby bird ate everything she brought to it. I was pleased to see this. Certainly the mother knew better than I how to feed her baby.
The following morning when I went to see how my captive was doing, I discovered it on the floor of the cage, dead. I was shocked! What had happened? I had taken excellent care of my little bird, or so I thought.
Arthur Wayne, the famous ornithologist, happened to be visiting my father at the time and, hearing me crying over the death of my bird, explained what had occurred: “A mother mockingbird, finding her young in a cage, will sometimes bring it poison berries. She thinks it better for her young to die than to live in captivity.”
Never since then have I caught any living creature and put it in a cage. All living creatures have a right to live free.
1.The boy caught a mockingbird because___________.
A. he wanted a pet for a companion
B. he liked its beautiful feather
C. he wanted it to sing for him
D. he had just got a cage
2.The mockingbird died because__________.
A. it ate some poisonous food the boy gave it by mistake
B. it ate the poisonous food its mother gave it
C. it was frightened to death
D. it refused to eat anything
3.The word “ornithologist” in the last but one paragraph probably means________.
A. a religious person
B. a kind and sympathetic person
C. a schoolmaster
D. an expert in birds
4.The most important lesson the boy learned from the incident is that______.
A. birds put in a cage won’t live long
B. you have to be very careful about the food you give to young birds
C. when you capture a young mockingbird, you should keep it away from its mother
D. freedom is valuable to all living creature.
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Camp Takajo
Camp Season：June 20，2015 to August 15，2015
Camp Address：60 Takajo Road Naples，Maine 04055 USA
Phone：(207)693-6675
Off-Season Address：34 Maple Avenue Armonk，New York 10504 USA
Phone：(914)273-5020
Camp Takajo provides an upbringing environment for campers ，improving their sense of abilities and self-worth．We provide opportunities to explore all aspects of their personalities，encouraging them to take risks and expand their boundaries．By summer’s end，we hope that our campers can describe themselves in more positive and concrete terms than they did upon arrival．
We can help our boys develop：
Respect for oneself and others
Camp Takajo teaches the importance of making moral choices，forming tolerance and respect for others．Daily team games create all atmosphere of cooperation rather than“win-at-all-costs”．
Courage to face new challenges
Our diverse program of arts and sports provide an opportunity for campers to master skills of each activity．Campers participate in all activities that are offered at camp．Our ropes course and rock-climbing departments allow campers to see the importance of cooperation and perseverance in achieving their goals．
A sense of pride in belonging to a larger group
Campers are part of an age group．Older campers model appropriate behavior as they assume leadership positions．
An appreciation of nature
Our boys have opportunities to explore the natural beauty of Maine and New Hampshire on hiking and，boating．
1.If you want to get in touch with Camp Takjo on October 15，you should_____．
A．dial(914)273-5020
B． dial(207)693-6675
C．go to 60 Takajo Road Naples，Maine
D．go to New Hampshire
2.Who are the intended campers of Camp Takajo?
A．Babies B．Girls C．Adults D． Boys
3.Campers can develop the following character-building skills except_______．
A． cooperation B．competition
C．perseverance D．1eadership
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An agreement was made in June when both sides met for the first time in 21 years, ______ by another meeting for further cooperation.
A．following B．to follow C．having followed D．followed
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阅读理解。
Music
Opera at Music Hall：1243 Elm Street. The season runs June through August, with additional performances in March and September. The Opera honors Enjoy the Arts membership discounts. Phone：241–2742. http://www.cityopera.com.
Chamber Orchestra: The Orchestra plays at Memorial Hall at 1406 Elm Street, which offers several concerts from March through June. Call 723–1182 for more information.
Symphony Orchestra: At Music Hall and Riverbend. For ticket sales, call 381–3300. Regular season runs September through May at Music Hall and in summer at Riverbend. http://www.symphony.org/home.asp.
College Conservatory of Music (CCM): Performances are on the main campus(校园) of the university, usually at Patricia Cobbett Theater. CCM organizes a variety of events, including performances by the well-known Lasalle Quartet, CCM’s Philharmonic Orchestra, and various groups of musicians presenting Baroque through modern music. Students with I．D. cards can attend the events for free. A free schedule of events for each term is available by calling the box office at 556–4183. http://www.ccm.uc.edu/events/calendar.
Riverbend Music Theater: 6295 Kellogg Ave. Large outdoor theater with the closest seats under cover (price difference). Big name shows all summer long! Phone:232–6220.
1. Which number should you call if you want to see an opera?
A. 241–2742． B. 723–1182．
C. 381–3300. D. 232–6220.
2. When can you go to a concert by Chamber Orchestra?
A．February． B. May．
C. August． D. November．
3. Where can student go for free performances with their I.D. cards?
A. Music Hall．
B. Memorial Hall．
C. Patricia Cobbett Theater．
D. Riverbend Music Theater.
4. How is Riverbend Music Theater different from the other places?
A. It has seats in the open air．
B. It gives shows all year round.
C. It offers membership discounts．
D. It presents famous musical works.
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When can the woman take a vacation?
A. At the end of August. B. At the end of June. C. This week.
