It was nearly dark, the sun was dropping down the mountains far away. Little Tom came back home, with tears in his eyes.

"What's the matter, Tom? How's your trip?" his mother asked with a big smile. "I failed（失败）. The mountain is so high and full of big or small stones on the way, I still go ahead. But I was tired and it was so late that I had to come back." Tom cried. "It doesn't matter, you are only 14 years old after all. You will have another chance." his mother said. "But, standing at the top of the mountain is my dream!" Tom said. His father came over and asked, "Did you see the green trees on your way to the mountain?" "Sure, and there are a lot of beautiful flowers by the side of the road." Tom replied. "Did you hear the birds singing?" his father asked. "There were many kinds of birds singing in the trees, and the sound was very sweet." Tom said. "Did you feel the beauty of nature?" his father asked. "Yes, the blue sky, the white clouds, the green trees and the colorful flowers made a nice picture." Tom answered. "That's enough!" his father smiled and said, "Please remember, son. For often, achieving（达到）what you expect is not the most important thing. Although you didn't reach the top of the mountain, you got a lot on the way."

It is true that not every goal will be achieved, not every job will end up with a success, and not every dream will come true. The most beautiful scenery (风景) is on the way.

1. Tom got back home        when the sun was dropping.

A．slowly

B．sadly

C．quickly

D．early

2. Tom's parents wanted Tom        .

A．to be friendly

B．to be happy

C．to be clever

D．to be healthy

3. What's the main reason(原因）that Tom didn't reach the top of the mountain?

A．The mountain was so high.

B．The way was full of big or small stones.

C．He was tired and it was so late.

D．He was only 14 years old.

4. Tom saw a lot of things on the way to the mountain except（除了）    .

A．clear water

B．blue sky

C．colorful flowers

D．green trees

5. The writer tries to tell us that          .

A．the goal is not important.

B．everyone should climb the mountain.

C．the mountain is very beautiful.

D．the process (过程) is more important than the result.

Nature’s warnings
When the sky suddenly turns dark and the wind is strong, watch out! A dangerous storm might be coming. Storms are scary. Watch for flashes of lightning. Listen for thunder. If nature sends these warnings, don't wait for rain. Act right away to keep safe.
Safety Steps
At the first flash of lightning, quickly get inside a building or a car. Do not go into a shed (棚）for protection. It is not closed like a building, so it is not safe.
Even after you are indoors, be careful. It is not smart to go near doors and windows. They can blow in or break. A room with no windows is the safest place to be.
Do not wash your hands during a storm. Do not use anything that runs on electricity either. Water and electrical lines are like roads for lightning. Even if you really want to play computer games, don't! It is better to be bored than to risk getting hurt. Try reading a book instead. Reading is more fun than playing computer games.
If you can’t get to somewhere safe, stay out in the open. You may feel safe under a tree, but that is not a good place to be. Lightning is pulling toward tall poles and trees. Stay down in an open space and cover your ears to protect them. Loud thunder can damage your hearing.
Lightning Strikes
Lightning does not strike people very often. It is not likely that you will ever see that happen. If you do, call 1-2-0. Only trained emergency workers should care for a person who has been hit by lighting.
If you follow these rules, you should stay safe during a storm.
6. From Paragraph I, we learn that _________.

A．storms are frightening and harmful

B．storms often come without warnings

C．people should wait and watch lightning

D．people should take action after the storm

7. The underlined word "It" in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A．a building

B．a car

C．a room

D．a shed

8. During a storm you had better _______.

A．use a computer for a while

B．listen for thunder by a window

C．leave the room and stay out

D．find a closed or an open place

9. If a person is hit by lightning, you should _________.

A．call for emergency help

B．stay down in a safe space

C．move him or her to safety

D．cover his or her ears quickly

10. The best title for the passage is __________.

A．Training Steps

B．Home Rules

C．Natural Order

D．Storm Safety

All the teachers want to get along well with you and enjoy seeing you learn. But teachers and students sometimes have personality clashes, which take place between any two people.

By dealing with such a problem , you can learn something about how to get along with people who are different from you.

Even if a certain teacher isn’t your favorite, you can still have a successful relationship, especially if you perform your basic duties as a student. Here are some ways.

* Attend classes on time and always get ready to learn.

* Be preparing for classes with the right pencils, books, and complete studying tasks.

* Listen carefully when your teacher is talking.

* Do your best, whenever it’s a classroom task, homework or a test.

After all, many teachers make such a strong impression on their students that students may even go back to visit them long after moving on to a higher grade. That’s a real compliment (赞美) to the teachers.

And there’s an even higher compliment you can give to a favorite teacher: Grow up to become a popular teacher yourself!

11. What do all the teachers want to do?

A．They want to get along with students well.

B．They want to give lots of homework to their students.

C．They want their students to have high marks in exams.

D．They want students to listen to them all the time.

12. Which is NOT the suitable way to have a good relationship with teachers?

A．Attend classes on time.

B．Get ready for class.

C．Talk with classmates when your teacher is talking.

D．Try your best to study.

13. What does the underlined word “clashes” mean in Chinese?

A．冲突

B．知识

C．考试

D．尊敬

14. Which of the following is a compliment to the teachers?

A．The students are the cleverest.

B．The students finish homework well.

C．The students are impolite to teachers.

D．The students go back to visit teachers long after graduation.

15. If you grow up to become a popular teacher, that will be ________ you can give to a favorite teacher.

A．the best gift	B．the highest compliment
C．the sweetest memory	D．the strongest impression

From a young age, I’ve had a really deep connection with being outside. I’ve been skiing since I was eight or nine years old. I’ve been on expeditions（探险）in many places like China,   Pakistan and so on. But it was in my home country, the USA, that I came closest to death.
It was April 1, 2011. I was skiing in the Tetons with my friends Jeremy and Xavier, both experienced snowboarders. That day, I was the last person to ski. They were watching me from a safe area. Suddenly, I heard someone cry loudly. I turned around and saw the whole mountain start to move behind me. It was a massive avalanche（大雪崩）. The kind of avalanche that destroys trees, cars, buses, even houses! Tens of thousands of tons of snow were coming straight down the mountain behind me. I felt the snow push me forward, hundreds of meters, and then cover me. It was so heavy that I couldn’t breathe. And then it pushed me forward again and up, out of the snowpack. I looked around, and for a few seconds I actually stopped being terrified. I had a moment to pause and to look at the power of the avalanche.
I looked down into the bottom of the valley（峡谷）. I could see trees that were 30m tall, because I was so far away, they looked tiny to me. “OK, I’ m going all the way to the bottom!” I thought. Then the snow pushed me again down the mountain another 450m. I thought the force of the snow would destroy me, it was powerful. But in the end, I felt the avalanche slow down and l just popped（迸出） right out of the snow at the bottom of the valley.
It took Jeremy and Xavier about 20 minutes to reach me. There was a pile of debris（碎片）across the bottom of the mountain 300m wide. They couldn’t believe it when they saw me. I was so lucky.
Has the experience changed me? Do I think about life differently?   I don’t know, maybe. But I do know that it’s important to live your life with meaning. Life is a gift, so use it wisely.
16. What impressed the writer most in his skiing experience is________.

A．the power of snow	B．the sight of the valley
C．the danger of popping	D．the luck of his expedition

17. The underlined word ‘they’ refers to________.

A．the mountains	B．the trees
C．Jeremy and Xavier	D．piles of debris

18. From the passage, it’s true that________.

A．the writer came closest to death when he skied in Pakistan

B．the avalanche pushed the writer down about 300m away

C．the writer’s friends watched him at the bottom of the valley

D．the writer couldn’t breathe because of the weight of the snow

19. The writer was thrown out of the snow when________.

A．his friends reached for him	B．he was pushed to the bottom
C．the avalanche started to slow down	D．the snow drove him forward again

20. According to the writer, ________.

A．his experience and his friends have changed him

B．it’s impossible to know the force of snow

C．one should not live a meaningless life

D．he doesn’t mind the matter of life or death

The Outdoor Center

Opening time

Water sports: 10:00 am—6:00 pm
Play Park:10:00 am—5:30 pm

Parking fee (费用)

Low season (September 12—July 22):
Weekdays £ 20.00 every day
Weekends £ 30.00 every day
High season ( July 23—September 11): £ 30.00 every day

The center provides outdoor sports. All staff are fully trained to teach the activities in the center.

One-day windsurfing (帆板运动) course

Beginner windsurfing courses are offered on Saturdays and Sundays when the weather is good enough. Learning windsurfing is a lot of fun.

Course fee: £ 32.50

One-day adventure course

Come and try sailing, climbing and surfing. This course introduces outdoor activities to adults in a fun way. You don’t need to be strong or to have any experience of the activities. All you need is to be interested.

Course fee: £ 22.50

Play Park

Play Park is suitable for children from two to ten years old. It’s one of the best of its kind in the country. It has sand and water, a large swimming pool, a play castle and many others. Next year the center will open a new Play Palace and Play Ship.

Summer adventure holidays (for 8—14 years of age)

Sailing Climbing Windsurfing Fun Games

Safety is the most important at the Outdoor Center. We also make sure that all children only take part in activities that are suitable for their ages and physical abilities. Children must be able to swim if they want to take part in these programs.

21. Peter wants to drive to the Outdoor Center on July 31 and stay there for another two days. How much is the parking fee?

A．£ 40.00.

B．£ 50.00.

C．£ 60.00.

D．£ 90.00.

22. In the one-day adventure course, you can try some sports EXCEPT ________.

A．windsurfing

B．sailing

C．surfing

D．climbing

23. Sumner adventure holidays are open to kids who are ________.

A．very strong

B．interested in outdoor activities

C．two to ten years old and are able to swim

D．between eight and fourteen and can swim

24. Which of the following is NOT true according to the material?

A．Beginner windsurfing courses are on weekends.

B．The new Play Ship has not been open to the public yet.

C．The windsurfing course costs more than the adventure course.

D．You must have some experience of the activities to learn the adventure course.

25. The material is probably from a magazine about ________.

A．education

B．travel

C．safety

D．health

Jackie is writing a summary（总结）and feedback about School Day to his teacher.   

Summary:
       School Day was held successfully on May 6th.Twenty-four student helpers from Grade 8 were divided into four groups of six. Each group had a task to raise money for the disabled.

Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
School postcards （Leader: Natalie）	Chinese paintings （Leader: Tina）	Recycling bags made by students （Leader: Leo）	Homemade snacks by parents （Leader: Nick）

All of groups performed well on School Day and received praise from the visitors. In short, our School Day went well and we got no poor opinions from the visitors.
Feedback:
       Opinions from 100 students have been collected. Most students thought the activities were good. However, some students thought the prices of the school postcards were a little too high.
       Satisfaction Feedback（反馈）

Follow-up:
       Have a meeting with the headmaster about prizes for excellent student helpers.   
26. The text is written to ________.

A．give a report	B．have School Day
C．collect opinions from visitors	D．hold a meeting with teachers

27. What were sold in Tina's group? ________

A．School postcards.	B．Chinese paintings.
C．Recycling bags.	D．Homemade snacks.

28. How did the visitors feel about the activities? ________

A．Disappointed.

B．Satisfied.

C．Worried.

D．Surprised.

29. How many students like the recycling bags according to the feedback? ________

A．50.

B．25.

C．15.

D．10.

30. Which of the following is TRUE about the activities? ________

A．Nick was the leader of Group 1.

B．Twenty-four students offered their feedback.

C．The postcards were cheap.

D．Student helpers who did well can get prizes.

Decisions, decisions. Every day, you probably face endless choices from what clothes to wear to what friends to have lunch with.     31     Maybe you’ve been offered a job. Should you take it? Your friend offers some advice. Should you follow it?

According to a study by Sheena Iyengar of Columbia University, Americans make about 70 decisions every day.     32     Maybe following suggestions can help you.

Follow your heart.

Be self- reflective. “People who aren’t self-reflective are going to end up making bad decisions because they don’t really know what they want in the first place.” says David Welch. He’s the writer of Decisions, Decisions: The Art of Effective Decision Making.

    33     A choice made by your feeling happens to be more beneficial (有益的) for you.

Weigh the possible results.

After you have all the facts, weigh the advantages and disadvantages of your opinions. Need a second opinion?     34     They may have a different understanding on the same thing.

Don’t rush.

When faced with a difficult choice, collect the information you need, and then take a break.     35     Keeping calm is one of the most important keys to make a good decision.

A．So how do you make a good one?

B．Listen to that quiet voice inside your heart.

C．Some decisions are easy while others are not.

D．Don’t make any decisions when under a lot of stress.

E．Explain the situation to someone you trust to help have new understanding.

When you speak, write a letter, or make a telephone, your words carry a message. People communicate with words.     36     A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears (眼泪) in your eyes tell others that you are sad.    37     the teacher knows you want to say something or ask questions, You shake your head and people know you are saying "No". You nod and people know you are saying "Yes".

    38     For example, a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the door tells you where to go in or out. Have you ever thought that there are a lot of other signs around you and that you receive messages from them all the time?    39     An artist can use his drawings to tell about the beautiful mountains, the blue seas and many other thing. A writer writes books to tell you about all the wonderful things in the world and also about people and their ideas.    40     They can help us to know what is going on in the world and what other people are thinking about.

A．People can communicate in many other ways.

B．But do you know people also communicate without words?

C．If you make noise in class.

D．When you put up your hands in class.

E．Magazines, TV, radio and films all help us communicate with others.

F．Other things can also carry messages.

You’ve probably heard the expression, “a leopard can’t change its spots.” which, of course, is true of leopards.     41     Can people change? Are we human just creatures of habit?

One guy said, “Bad habits are like a comfortable bed: they’re easy to get into, but hard to get out of.” Someone else said, “The chains (枷锁) of habits are too small to feel until they’re too strong to break.”     42    

Habits are like the roads we take through life every day. The problem is that not every road takes us where we need to go. That’s why we must change our bad habits as soon as possible before they become our “second nature”. Because our habits become our character (性格) and our character becomes our life. As one wise person said, “    43    ”

But we humans don’t like to change, do we? So we come up with excuses, like “I can’t be different, that’s just the way I am,” or “    44    ” and the good old saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But that’s just it: we’re not dogs or animals. In fact, we’re the only creatures who have the freedom and power to change and choose the kind of person we want to become.     45    

A．So what habits do you need to start changing today?

B．I was born this way.

C．So breaking our bad habits takes effort.

D．First we make our habits, then our habits make us.

E．But is it true of people?

根据短文内容，从方框中的六个句子中选出五个句子还原到短文中，使短文通顺、完整。

This year 2,300 teenagers from all over the world will spend about ten months in US homes. They will attend US schools, meet US teenagers, and form impressions of America.     46    They will learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.

    47    Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America. Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study, the language began to come to him.     48    Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.

    49    The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than one of the members. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.

“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”

Meanwhile, in America, Mike, a German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize（批评）American schools,” he said. “It is far too easy by our level.     50    In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There should be some middle ground between the two.”

A．Family life, too, was different.

B．But I have to say that I like it very much.

C．Here is a two-way student exchange in action.

D．School was quite different from what he had expected-much harder.

E．In fact, there are many differences between the two countries’ cultures.

F．At the same time, about 1,300 American teenagers will go to other countries.