Raised in a motherless home, my father was extremely tight-fisted（吝啬的）towards us children. His attitude didn't soften as I grew into adulthood and went to college. I had to ride the bus whenever I came home. Though the bus stopped about two miles from home, Dad never met me, even in severe weather. If I grumbled, he'd say in his loudest father-voice, "That's what your legs are for！"

The walk didn't bother me as much as the fear of walking alone along the highway and country roads. I also felt less valued because my father didn't seem concerned about my safety. But that feeling disappeared one spring evening.

It had been a particularly difficult week at college after long hours in labs. I longed for home. When the bus reached the stop, I stepped off the bus and dragged my suitcase to begin the long journey home.

A row of hedges（树篱）edged the driveway that climbed the hill to our house. Once I had turned off the highway to start the last lap of my journey, I always had a sense of relief to see the hedge because it meant that I was almost home. On that particular evening, the hedge had just come into view when I saw something gray moving along the top of the hedge, moving toward the house. Upon closer observation, I realized it was the top of my father's head. Then I knew, each time I'd come home, he had stood behind the hedge, watching, until he knew I had arrived safely. I held back my tears. He did care, after all.

On later visits, that spot of gray became my watchtower. I could hardly wait until I was close enough to watch for its secret movement above the greenery. Upon arriving home, I would find my father sitting innocently in his chair. "So! My son, it's you!" he'd say, his face lengthening into pretended surprise.

I replied, "Yes, Dad, it's me. I’m home."

1. What does the underlined word "grumbled" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Accepted happily.	B．Spoke unhappily.
C．Agreed willingly.	D．Explained clearly.

2. What made the author feel upset?

A．The tiredness after long hours in labs.

B．The difficulty walking on the mountain road.

C．The feeling of being less valued.

D．The fear of riding the bus home.

3. Why did the author's father watch behind the hedge？

A．Because he wanted to help his son build up courage.

B．Because he was concerned about his son's safety.

C．Because he didn't want to meet his son in the doorway.

D．Because he wanted to give his son a surprise.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text？

A．Terrible Journey Home	B．My College Life
C．My Father's Secret	D．Riding Bus Alone

If you're reading this, then you're probably studying English. Maybe you speak a couple of other languages too. But what are the British like when it comes to learning languages？

According to a survey published by the European Commission, the British are officially the worst language learners in Europe-62 percent of them can't speak any other language apart from their own！ While 38 percent of Britons speak at least one foreign language, only 18 percent speak two.

However, the European Union data show that 56 percent speak at least one foreign language and 28 percent speak at least two. Moreover, 51 percent of EU citizens can have a conversation in English.

Learning a foreign language is not a popular choice at schools in Britain; children start studying a foreign language at the age of 11 and many give up completely at 14. So why don't young people continue with languages at school? Research suggests that students think that it is more difficult to get good grades in languages than in other subjects such as science or history.

The government is now looking for different ways to improve language learning. One idea is to start much earlier and introduce foreign languages from the age of five. Another plan is to give schoolchildren more choices and expand the range of languages taught to include Arabic, Mandarin and Urdu.

Mandarin is predicted to become the second most popular foreign language learned in UK schools. Gareth from Wales says, "I am learning Chinese and find it fun." Another student, Thomas from London, says, "Just saying that I learn Mandarin impresses people. Even having a very basic level gives you an advantage." Brighton College headmaster Richard Cairns says, "One of my key tasks is to ensure that pupils are equipped for the realities of the 21st century. One of those realities is that China has the fastest-growing economy in the world."

It may be a challenging task to change the Brits' attitude to learning languages but the government is determined to try.

5. What does the survey published by the European Commission indicate?

A．Britons aren't fond of speaking other languages.

B．Britons are the people who are excellent in languages.

C．More than half of EU citizens can only speak one language.

D．English is a second language to half of EU citizens.

6. Why don't British students pick up foreign languages?

A．Because they don't want to make an effort.

B．Because they have too many subjects to learn.

C．Because English is the most widely spoken language.

D．Because they feel other languages boring and useless.

7. The examples in the sixth paragraph are meant to tell us Chinese ________.

A．is the most popular foreign language in Britain

B．has become a language most people speak

C．will become more important in the future

D．will obviously become an international language

8. What does the passage mainly tell？

A．British students are poor in language learning.

B．British students are losing their advantages of learning languages.

C．There is no need for the British to learn other languages.

D．The British government is promoting language learning.

Your next car might drive itself. After years of trials on city streets, driverless vehicles are now nearing the production phase. Last month, a driverless bus began carrying passengers through Lyon, France. Most in the automobile industry think self-driving vehicles will be on the road by 2020 or before.

Driverless cars will at first be huddled with human-driven cars. But the first places where they will become dominant（占支配地位的）are dense urban areas-precisely the spots most damaged by the automobile age. Many advanced cities are already reducing the role of human-driven cars. Driverless cars will quicken that process and will bring us great benefits.

Driverless cars will reduce accidents by around 90 percent. That's big-the annual death toll on the world's roads is about 1.2 million a year. Pollution and carbon emissions will drop, because urban driverless cars will be electric. The old, otherwise they would stay at home most of the time and the disabled and teenagers will suddenly gain mobility.

On the other hand, driverless cars will bring catastrophe（灾难）.The best thing about the automobile age is that it employs tens of millions of people to make, market, insure and drive vehicles. Over the next 20 years, most men who now drive trucks, taxis and buses will see their jobs reduced. Carmakers are especially scared. A few cars in the future might be made by tech companies such as Apple, Baidu and Google. Imaging the impact on Germany, where the automotive sector is the largest industry.

Dramatic change is coming, and driverless cars could arrive by 2020. But governments have hardly begun thinking about it. Only 6 percent of the biggest US cities have factored them into their long-term planning.

A decade ago anyone hardly saw the smartphone coming. It has brought an epidemic of mass addiction. Let's hope we do a better job of handling the driverless car.

9. The underlined words "be huddled with "in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by "________".

A．show up with	B．exist together with
C．get rid of	D．take the place of

10. Why can driverless cars reduce pollution and carbon emissions?

A．Driverless cars reduce the number of human-driven cars.

B．Driverless cars will be powered by electricity.

C．Driverless cars save fuel by driving themselves.

D．Driverless cars will reduce too many accidents.

11. What can we know about driverless cars？

A．They will not hit the road until 2020.

B．They will only be used in urban areas.

C．They will not cause any road accident.

D．They aren't still seriously taken by governments.

12. What's the author's attitude toward driverless cars？

A．Doubtful.	B．Negative.
C．Objective.	D．Worried.

Many things about languages are a mystery, and many will always remain to be so. But there is something we do know.

First, we know that all human beings have a language of some sort. There is no race of men anywhere on earth so backward that it has no language, or no set of speech sounds by which people communicate with one another. Furthermore, in historical times, there has never been a race of men without a language.

Second, there is no such thing as a primitive（原始的）language. There are many people whose cultures are undeveloped, and who are, as we say, uncivilized, but the languages they speak are not primitive. In all known languages we can see their complexities（复杂之处）that must have been tens of thousands of years in developing.

This has not always been well understood；indeed, the direct contrary has often been stated. Popular ideas of the language of American Indians will illustrate（说明）that. Many people have supposed that the Indians communicate in a very primitive system of noises. Research has proved this to be nonsense. There are, or were, hundreds of American Indian languages, all of them turning out to be very complicated and very old. They are certainly different from the languages that most of us are familiar with, but they are no more primitive than English and Greek.

A third thing we know about languages is that all languages are perfectly plentiful. That is, each one is a perfect means of expressing the culture of the people who speak the language.

Finally, we know that the language changes. It is natural and normal for languages to change；the only languages which do not change are the dead ones. This is easy to understand if we look backward in time.

Changes go on in all aspects of a language. Grammatical features change as do speech sounds, and changes in vocabulary are sometimes very extensive（广泛的）and may occur very rapidly. Vocabulary is the least stable part of any language.

13. What does the author think in the second paragraph?

A．Some backward races don't have a language of their own.

B．Some races in history didn't possess a language of their own.

C．Any human race, whether backward or not, has a language.

D．Some races on earth can communicate without a language.

14. According to the author, people of undeveloped cultures can have.

A．complicated languages	B．uncivilized languages
C．primitive languages	D．well-known languages

15. The author has used American Indian languages as an example to show that.

A．they will disappear if attention is not paid to them

B．they are just as advanced as some well-known languages

C．they are even more developed than some well-known languages

D．they will exist much longer because they are complex

16. According to the author, language changes are most likely to occur in.

A．grammar	B．pronunciation
C．vocabulary	D．intonation

When you are studying foreign speech, don't forget about body language. To help you master these significant parts of communication, here are four non-verbal characteristics that vary from culture to culture.

Gestures

When you are trying to communicate through a language barrier（the inability to talk with someone because you speak a different language）, it's natural to use gestures as a way of explaining your point.    17    . Hand movements are, however, culturally relative, and the wrong gesture can lead to confusion.

The thumbs-up sign is equal to the middle finger in Greece and Sardinia. Tapping your finger to your temple is a gesture to show memory in North America, but it suggests insanity（精神错乱）in RussiA.     18    . The yes-no gestures are reversed（相反的）in countries like Bulgaria and Albania.

Silence

Though it can feel like a void in communication, silence can be very meaningful in different cultural contexts. Western cultures, especially cultures of North America and the UK, tend to view silence as problematic. In their communication at work, school, or with friends, silence is often regarded as a sign of disinterest.    19    . In China, silence can be used to show agreement.

Touches

Britain is classed as a "non-contact" culture, in which there's very little physical contact in people's daily communication.    20    .By comparison, in the high-contact cultures of the Middle East, the physical touch is a big part of socializing.

Eye Contact

    21     .They tend to assume that a conversation partner who looks away is either disengaged or lying. Of course, this is not the standard around the world.

A．Even nodding yes can be misunderstood abroad.

B．Individual gestures can cause miscommunication.

C．Even accidentally brushing someone's arm is a reason for an apology.

D．We think it's helpful, since our words are being visually strengthened.

E．In most western countries, frequent eye contact is a sign of confidence.

F．Naturally, these different standards of contact can lead to misunderstanding.

G．In other cultures, however, silence is not viewed as a negative（消极的）situation.

I've started driving again. I drive along a road _______ 12 years ago near my home. As I drove tonight, I _______Kelly.

Kelly was a _______ when it was constructed. She and her brother were _______ by her father after her mother passed away. By her own _______, she was a _______ child, climbing out of windows, staying out drinking etc. She started to settle in college. The year after I taught her, a _______ thing happened.

It was about this time of year and Kelly's dad was about to turn to the new road. Since he was not _______ with it, he had a deadly accident. The lecturers sent her a _______ card. I wrote that I would help her with one of the 6 ________she still had to complete. I knew it would be difficult for Kelly but I ________ to help her anyway.

At that time I had just ________ my marriage and was living in rented accommodation alone. Things were ________but I committed myself to helping Kelly. I brought her to my home and I ________ her the full unit. I got her to complete all the assignments at my home ________ she could stay focused. Kelly made ________ in the unit I taught her, which fundamentally helped raise her overall grades. Kelly's lecturer was so ________ with this that she got Kelly to ________ to the rest of the class！At last Kelly completed her course. I was so glad she didn't ________.

A few years ago I met Kelly. She was pushing a pram（婴儿车）, her baby sleeping soundly. It's the least she ________.

22.

A．built

B．shaped

C．designed

D．destroyed

23.

A．called

B．honored

C．thanked

D．remembered

24.

A．waiter

B．worker

C．student

D．conductor

25.

A．adopted

B．visited

C．raised

D．abandoned

26.

A．will

B．admission

C．design

D．preference

27.

A．shy

B．wild

C．violent

D．peaceful

28.

A．lucky

B．funny

C．normal

D．terrible

29.

A．familiar

B．satisfied

C．concerned

D．strict

30.

A．gift

B．game

C．comfort

D．birthday

31.

A．units

B．courses

C．programs

D．subjects

32.

A．refused

B．agreed

C．intended

D．hesitated

33.

A．left

B．saved

C．started

D．strengthened

34.

A．ambiguous

B．tough

C．upset

D．smooth

35.

A．taught

B．followed

C．advised

D．consulted

36.

A．in case

B．in that

C．so that

D．even if

37.

A．promises

B．mistakes

C．contributions

D．progress

38.

A．annoyed

B．disappointed

C．impressed

D．bored

39.

A．adapt

B．reply

C．explain

D．apologize

40.

A．drop out

B．stay back

C．watch out

D．show up

41.

A．replaced

B．deserved

C．respected

D．admired

语法填空

Nathan Sawaya showed a strong     42    （prefer）for building blocks when he was young. At the age of 5, his grandparents bought him his first set of building blocks and he     43    （play）with them ever since. He even took his building blocks to college with him. Instead of books and a computer, he had a model of Greenwich Village     44    （make）of bricks on his desk.

Nathan started as a lawyer     45     gave up his well-paid job to become     46     artist that uses toys in his art. He uses toy bricks to build everything from the Statue of Liberty to Superman！He has more than 1.5 million colored bricks that     47    （use）by him to make pieces of art in his office in New York. He started by building small     48    （model）but then decided to do something big and created a self-portrait（自画像）.It took him two days just     49    （build）the eyes.

Nathan's works have appeared in museums around the world. People love his arts because they are     50    （attract）.Since it began in 2007, Nathan's exhibition "The Art of the Brick" has been very popular with museum visitors everywhere.

"I'm proud that I have realized my childhood dream, and I have actually made a job out of it, "says Nathan. "To do     51     you love in life is the most important thing."

52. 短文改错
Dear Sir or Madam,

I've learned from the newspaper which your company is looking for a receptionist. I'm very interesting in the job and I'd like to apply to the position.

First of all, allow me to introduce myself. I had just graduated from senior high school and was taken the College Entrance Examination. I want to find apart-time job in summer. I'm 18 years old and have good knowledge of English, especial in terms of speaking and listening. In fact, I won first prize in the English speech competition holding in our school last year. Besides, I'm quite easy-going but therefore very popular among my classmate.

I sincerely hope you can give me a chance. I'm looking forward to your early reply.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

53. 假如你是光明中学高二学生李华, 你校学生会文学部（Literature Department）打算招聘一名英文编辑, 请你根据以下要点用英语给文学部负责人Lucy Wu写一封词数100左右的自荐信。
要点：1.写信目的；

2.个人基本信息；

3.自荐理由（至少三点）。

Dear Lucy,
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua