1 . Ann and her mother had lived in a small house as long as Ann could remember. Christmas was so close. Ann wished she could get a beautiful dress. But she knew how hard her mom worked. Maybe she could make a wish--Santa Claus would come...
Her classmates were talking about Christmas gifts.
“My aunt is going to give me a pretty branded doll again,” said Rita.
“I have told my parents about that expensive watch. They will buy it for me,” Tessi said.
Ann felt left out in those conversations. She had neither rich parents nor rich relatives to give her expensive gifts.
It was not just the gift that worried Ann. Her mother was working overtime and looked weak these days.
Days passed and soon it was Christmas Eve. Ann went to bed with a heavy heart. Ring ... Ring ... Ann jumped, hearing the alarm. Without much hope, she wondered if there were any gifts for her. She found a beautiful packet! There was a beautiful white dress and a short note inside. Ann read the note:
| Dear Ann, This dress is a gift for you for being a good girl. Your loving friend, Santa Claus |
Ann looked into the note carefully. Then she realized that the handwriting was the same as her mother’s. Her mother had worked overtime to save money to buy this wonderful gift for her!
根据短文内容，判断下列句子正(T)误(F)。1. Ann and her mother lived a good life, and they cared about each other a lot.
2. Ann was still looking forward to getting a Christmas present though she thought it would be impossible.
3. Ann felt left out when hearing her classmates’ conversations.
4. Ann felt so surprised, because Santa Claus sent her a pretty doll as she always wanted.
5. This passage is mainly about a mother’s love.
2 . Once, a man sold his well to a farmer. Next day when the farmer went to get the water from that well, the man didn’t agree. He said, “I sold you the well, not the water, so you can’t get the water.”
The farmer became very sad. And he came to the judge in the office alone. He described everything and asked for help. The judge called up the man who sold the well to the farmer.
He asked, “Why don’t you let him use the water of the well? You have sold the well to him.” The man replied, “I have sold the well to the farmer, not the water. That means he can’t get the water from the well.”
The judge smiled and said, “OK, as long as you have sold the well to him, and you say the water is yours, then you can’t keep your water in the farmer’s well. Either you pay for the farmer to keep your water, or you must take it out of his well right away.”
The man understood that his idea couldn’t work. The story tells us we can’t cheat others, though we are smart. We can’t win in the end.
根据短文内容判断正、误，正确的选“A”，错误的选“B”。1. A farmer bought a well from a man.
2. The man went to the judge in the office alone for help.
3. The man thought the farmer could get the water from the well at first.
4. The judge asked the man to pay for the farmer to keep his water.
5. The story tells us we can’t cheat others, though we are smart.
3 . The United Nations put out the most complete report on the problem of food waste. It found that the world wastes about 17% of all the food. That’s about a billion (十亿) tons of food a year. A billion tons is a lot of food—it’s about 931 billion kilograms. The report said that the food wasted is about twice as much as earlier studies had suggested. The study looked at several different ways in which food is wasted—at home, in restaurants and in stores.
It turns out that most food waste—about 61%—happens at home. The food thrown at home works out to about 74 kilograms for each person every year. Restaurants caused about 26% of the food wasted. The other 13% was thrown away by stores.
Food wasted was at about the same rate (比率) in all but the poorest countries. Many people thought rich countries were more likely to waste food than countries that were less rich. That turned out not to be true. In fact, some richer countries wasted far less food than common countries. But people in richer countries may waste less food at home because they are eating out at restaurants more often. That certainly seems to be the case in the US, which has low waste numbers for homes, but quite high numbers for restaurants.
The report points out that hundreds of millions of people are hungry every year. And wasting food is also really bad for the earth. Farming creates between 10% and 30% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (温室气体排放), which make the environment worse.
The report says that it’s important for countries to study food waste more carefully in order to make out ways to sew up the problem. Some possible uses for food waste include making food for animals and burning food wastes to create energy. The important thing is to keep food from simply going into rubbish bins.
根据上文内容判断正 (T) 误 (F)
1. The report shows ‘‘People in rich countries pay most attention to the taste of food.”
2. According to the report, people in rich countries don’t actually waste more food than others.
3. The underlined expression “sew up” in the last paragraph means “avoid”.
4. Paragraph 4 mainly shows the problem of hunger is difficult to solve.
5. The report suggests that countries should study how to reuse food waste carefully.
4 . I stood there listening to my father shout at the top of his voice. “Which one of you did this?” We all stared down at a step. There was a child’s handwriting in chalk there. Would he guess it was me? I was so scared. When he asked me, I lied, “Not me, Dad. “The others denied (否认) it as well. Of course, we all knew that one of us must have done it. But as the youngest and smallest of the three, I just couldn’t find the courage to tell the truth.
To find out who had written on the step, Father gave us each a piece of paper and a pencil. “I want each of you to write exactly what you see on the step. “I tried my best to write the words differently. I didn’t want Dad to be able to tell it was me.
He gathered up our pieces of paper and looked at them. “Since none of you will admit (承认) to having done it, then I will punish you all.” I stood there and said nothing. “I did it.” My sister stepped forward and said she had done something she hadn’t. She was allowed not to go out for a month.
I didn’t tell my dad it was really me until many years later. I always felt sorry because of it. That was the last time I let anyone take the blame (承担责任) for me.
根据短文内容判断正、误。(正确的填“A”, 错误的填“B”)
1. Father asked us gently who did it when seeing a child’s handwriting in chalk on the step.
2. Father gave each of us a piece of paper and a pen to find out who did it.
3. My sister admitted to having done it so that the other children could avoid being punished.
4. I still felt sorry about it even if that was the only time I didn’t take the blame for my mistake.
5. From this story, we have learned the writer has learned to take responsibility for himself.
Every living thing needs to reproduce（繁殖）. Reproducing means creating more members of your group. In order for plants to reproduce, they have to spread their seeds（种子）to other areas. Plants have developed all kinds of ways to do this.
The simplest way is gravity（重力）. Many seeds are inside of fruit. When fruit gets too heavy, it falls from a tree to the ground. Sometimes animals will pick up the fruit and drop it in another area. That helps move the seed even farther away. Apples spread this way.
Other plants use wind to spread their seeds. Dandelions（蒲公英）are a good example of this. Dandelion seeds are so light that when wind blows, it carries dandelion seeds to new places. Maple（枫树）seeds also use wind. Their seeds are connected with long, thin leaves that look like wings. When the seed falls from the tree, its “wings” help it fly farther from the tree.
Some animals help plants spread their seeds. The animals eat the seeds. While the seed is in the animal’s body, it stays whole. When the seed leaves the animal, it’s in a new place.
Ants also help spread seeds. Some seeds have a special smell that appeals to ants. The ants bring the seeds back to their home, which of course is underground. They only eat part of the seed. They leave the rest of the seed underground. After that, the seed can start growing.
1. When fruit gets heavy enough, it will fall from a tree to the ground because of gravity.2. All plants can spread seeds by themselves.
3. Wind helps apple and dandelion seeds to fly farther to new places.
4. Some animals and ants eat seeds, and it is helpful for seeds to spread.
5. The passage is mainly about the relationship between animals and plants.
6 . In the modern world, computers and the Internet are getting more and more popular. Most people think they are very useful in their studies and lives.
The first computer was made in 1946. It was very big and it worked slowly. Today computers are getting smaller and smaller but working faster and faster. At the same time, our world is getting smaller and smaller because of the Internet. The Internet came into the world about twenty-five years later than computers, but it is important, too.
Many students like the Internet so much that they would not like to do anything else. They make friends on the Internet, but maybe they have never seen these friends. Some of the students are cheated by the “online friends”. Because of the Internet, some students can’t work hard at their lessons. Many of them can’t catch up with others on the school subjects. A few of them have to leave school.
We can use computers and the Internet to learn more about the world. But please remember, “Not all good things are good for you.”
根据短文内容，判断下列句子正误，正确的写“T”，错误的写“F”。
1. The first computer was big and worked slowly.
2. Our world is getting more beautiful because of the Internet.
3. The Internet was about born in 1971.
4. The computers and the Internet are not good for all the children.
5. The passage mainly tells us the history of computers and the Internet.
7 . Long ago, there was a teacher in a village and he often had new ideas to teach students. Once he sent four of his students to go to a small farm to see apple trees in different seasons. The first went in winter. The second in spring. The third in summer. And the last in autumn.
After they came back, the teacher asked them to describe their feelings together. The first said there were no leaves on the trees. It made him disappointed. The second said his eyes were full of light green. It made him feel hopeful. The third one disagreed. “What are you talking about? How pretty the trees were! The sweet smell of the beautiful flowers spread here and there.” The last one shook his head. He only saw a lot of apples on the beautiful trees.
The teacher said, “None of you are wrong. You just saw one season. The trees are not the same in different seasons. Everything has different sides in our life. Don’t hurry to make a conclusion (结论) before seeing the whole of it.”
正确的涂“A”错误的涂“B”。
1. The teacher taught students in a special way.
2. Four students were sent to see apples in different seasons.
3. The second students saw the beautiful trees with many apples.
4. The teacher thought his four students were completely wrong.
5. The article tells us everything has different sides and people should see the whole of it.
8 . Word Banker English-Chinese is a kind of software（软件）which allows users to practice their Chinese vocabulary in several different ways. Although the program isn’t the most convenient one you’ve ever used, it can help improve your Chinese vocabulary.
The program’s interface（界面）isn’t very attractive so many people don’t like it when they first see it. Also, it can sometimes be hard to operate（操作）. Each function（功能）holds a window, but if you close the window, it will take you back to the main menu or close the program. But if you continue using the program, you will find there are several useful exercises in it. Users can read a word or phrase（词组）in English and then click（点击）on the matching word in Chinese, hear the Chinese word spoken and choose the matching English word, or see the English word written and then type（打字）the Chinese word. The program allows users to practice not only their vocabulary, but also their reading, listening and spelling skills. Once users know a word, they can save it so that it stops appearing in the exercises. The program also allows users to practice vocabulary by seeing the English and Chinese words and hearing the Chinese spoken. The “Help” provides good instructions for users to use. Nothing is perfect. Word Banker English-Chinese has many advantages and certain disadvantages as well. We can use it according to our needs.
1. Who will be interested in Word Banker English-Chinese?| A．Native English speakers who want to learn Chinese. |
| B．Native English speakers who want to improve their English. |
| C．Native Chinese speakers who want to improve their Chinese. |
| D．Native Chinese speakers who want to learn English. |
| A．It’s hard to use sometimes. |
| B．Users can only practice vocabulary and reading. |
| C．There are few useful exercises for users to practice. |
| D．There are no instructions in the program. |
| A．吸引人的 | B．流行的 | C．干净的 | D．便宜的 |
| A．How to learn English. | B．What Word Banker English-Chinese is |
| C．How to learn Chinese. | D．What we can get from the program |
| A．introduce a software | B．stop people from using a software |
| C．ask users for help | D．announce the close of a program |
9 . Have you ever had an experience where you meet someone new, learn their name and think to yourself, “Wow, they really look just like their name!” What does this mean, exactly? Scientists are suggesting that humans tend to associate people’s names with their appearance, and can even guess someone’s name based on how they look.
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel collected thousands of photos of people faces. They labeled each photo with four names. Then, they asked volunteers to guess which of the four names was correct.
The volunteers were able to guess the right name 38 percent of the time. It seems that humans are able to recognize certain characteristics of faces that can give them clues about someone’s name, Reader’s Digest reported.
However, this only works when we’re looking at names within our own culture. In addition, the volunteers were not as good at guessing the real names of people who use nicknames more often than their real names. This shows that a person’s appearance is affected by their name only if they use it often.
“This kind of face-name matching happens “because of a process of self-fulfilling prophecy, as we become what other people expect us to become,” Ruth Mayo from the university told science news website EurekAlert.
Previous studies have shown that gender and race stereotypes can affect a person’s appearance. The researchers believe there are also similar stereotypes about names. For example, people tend to think that men named Bob should have rounder faces because the word itself looks round. People may think that women named rose are beautiful. They expect them to be delicate and feminine, just like the flower they are named for.
1. What does the passage mainly tell us?| A．People can guess others’ names base on their appearance. |
| B．A person’s appearance can be affected by three factors. |
| C．There are several ways to guess a stranger’s name. |
| D．It’s not polite to ask strangers about their names. |
| A．racial stereotypes | B．their unique culture |
| C．a self-fulfilling prophecy | D．their living environment |
| A．wear glasses | B．have big eyes | C．look beautiful | D．have round faces |
| A．Nicknames have a bigger influence on people’s appearance. |
| B．Gender and race have no influence on a person’s appearance. |
| C．The volunteers guessed nearly four names correctly out of ten. |
| D．People are good at recognizing the different characteristics of faces. |
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter（脑灰质）. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater, the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr Andrea Michelle, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learned a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density（密度）in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference is.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists. It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales has researched the link between bilingualism and math skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible（灵活的）,” he said, “You are actually going beyond（超出） language and have a better understanding of different ideas."
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, writing and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.
1. If people learn other languages, what will be changed?| A．white matter | B．grey matter | C．exercise | D．muscles |
| A．双语学习者 | B．词汇学 | C．口语交际 | D．实用语法 |
| A．Leaning other languages can make you become smarter. |
| B．A second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. |
| C．Learning other languages can change grey matter which processes information. |
| D．Grey matter density in the brain was worse in bilinguals than that in people without a second language. |
| A．Italian is the best choice for you to learn as a second language |
| B．learning a second language is the same as studying math |
| C．early learning of a second language helps you a lot in studying other subjects |
| D．you’d better choose the ages between two and thirty-four to learn a second language |
