2 . The elderly people in care homes in London are given hens to look after to stop them feeling lonely. The project was started by a local charity. It also helps them to be healthier. Workers in care homes have reported old people use less medicine after hens are in use.

Among those taking part in the project is 80-year-old Ruth Xavier. She said, “I used to keep hens when I was younger and had to prepare their breakfast each morning before I went to school. I like the project a lot. I am waiting there in my wheelchair in the morning letting the hens out and waiting there again at night to see they’ve gone to bed. It’s good to have a different interest. People have been bringing their children to see the hens and they come and sit outside to watch them. I’m enjoying the creative activities, and I feel great to have a sense of achievement*.”

There are now 700 elderly people looking after hens in 20 care homes in the North East, and the charity has been given money to start it all over the country. Wendy Wilson, a care manager at 60 Penfold Street, one of the first to embark on the project, said, “Elderly people really welcome the idea of the project and the creative way. We are looking forward to the good result and the fun the project can bring to people here.” Lynn Lewis, director of Notting Hill Pathways, said, “we are happy to be taking part in the project. It will really help connect old people through a shared interest and creative activities.”

1. What is the purpose of the project?

A．To help old people learn new knowledge.	B．To provide part-time jobs for the aged.
C．To raise money for elderly people.	D．To improve the elderly people’s life.

2. How has the project influenced Ruth Xavier?

A．She has learned new life skills.	B．She has done something useful.
C．She has made her memory better.	D．She has developed a strong will.

3. The underlined words “embark on” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.

A．improve

B．know

C．begin

D．refuse

4. What can we learn about the project from the last paragraph?

A．It is popular with old people.	B．It needs to be more creative.
C．It makes a lot of money.	D．It takes time to see the results.

3 . 根据短文内容和所给中文提示，写出空白处各单词的正确形式。

Sammie learned about Buddy Benches from a video at the age of eight. It showed how these benches were used on the playground in schools. “To stop feeling lonely sometimes, a student can choose to sit on the bench if he     1     (经受) a lot. Another person can come up to him and invite him to play,” explained Sammie. Sammie thought it was     2     (必要) for her school to use a Buddy Bench, so she and her mom made a     3     (决定) to have a meeting with the head teacher. With the teachers’ support Sammie then created a cartoon to show how a Buddy Bench worked. She and her mom posted it on social media to ask friends,     4     (邻居) and families to save caps.

As words     5     (传播), collecting bins began to fill up both at school and around the community. People     6     (在国外) even shipped their caps to Sammie. In just two months, she collected more than 1,200 pounds—enough to make three Buddy Benches! After reaching her goal, Sammie set a new one—“Buddy Benches everywhere”!

    7     (无论什么) she does, she never gives up! So far, she has provided schools and organizations with 100 benches. She also plans to make videos to encourage others to start their own projects. That’s an     8     (惊人的) thing!

What she did made a lot of     9     (意义) to others. People took     10     (骄傲) in her. “You are not an adult, but you can still make a difference,” says Sammie, “it all starts with you. Don’t stop. You’ll get there, one cap at a time.

4 . 假如你是李明，你是校英语报《成长的烦恼》栏目的编辑，最近你收到九年级读者Sally的一封邮件，她在邮件中讲述了她在新学校的情况。请你给Sally回一封邮件，针对邮件中的问题，提些合理的建议。

Dear Li Ming, I’m a ninth grader. I went to a new school last month. I’m so shy that I don’t have any friends and I’m very lonely now. What’s worse, I’m especially weak in English. And I’m worried about the coming exam. What should I do? Can you give me some advice? Many thanks! Yours, Sally

注意：1. 文中不得出现真实姓名、学校等信息；
2. 字数：110词左右；开头与结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Sally,

It’s great to hear from you. I’m sorry to know that _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hope you have a great time in your new school.

Yours,

Li Ming

5 . In my opinion, it’s not a good idea to miss meals and r________ them with snacks.

6 . Jenny wanted to relax herself by watching TV, but found it didn’t work p________.

7 . Mr Smith is a famous writer, so he is often asked to make s________ in universities.

8 . Because of the earthquake, m________ of people have lost their homes.

9 . After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her few times. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

“What’s wrong, are you well?” she asked. My mother is the type of woman who thinks that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

“I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you,” I answered. “Just the two of us.”

She thought about it for a moment, and agreed.

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up, I was a bit nervous.

When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. “I told my friends I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed,” she said, as she got into the car. “They can’t wait to hear about our meeting.”

We went to a nice and comfortable restaurant. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. During the dinner, we had an enjoyable conversation. We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.

A few days later, my mother died of a serious heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have time to do anything for her.

Some time later, I received a note with a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. The note said:

“I have paid this bill. I wasn’t sure that I could be there. I paid for two plates — one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.”

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: ‘I LOVE YOU!’ and giving our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family.

1. Why did the writer only visit his mother few times?

A．His wife didn’t want him to.	B．He was too busy with his work and kids.
C．They had a bad relationship.	D．He lived far away from his mother.

2. The changes of the writer’s mother’s feelings are ________.

A．proud-nervous-pleased-surprised	B．excited-hopeful-pleased-anxious
C．anxious-excited-hopeful-pleased	D．surprised-nervous-proud-pleased

3. From the sentence “… but only if you let me invite you”, it can be inferred that ________.

A．the mother wondered if she had free time

B．the mother would like to pay the bill on her own

C．the mother wanted her son to spend more time with his wife

D．the mother was not sure of a second chance to have dinner with her son

4. What’s the writer’s purpose of writing this story?

A．To show us the love between Son and Mother.

B．To remind himself of the last dinner with his mother.

C．To ask people to express love to their loved ones in time.

D．To tell us something in life is more important than our family.

5. What will the writer probably do for his family in the future? Why? (about 40 words)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . Ladies and gentlemen,

Do you enjoy walking? If your answer is “Yes”, please join us for our walk for charity. Starting in Central Park, you and your friends can choose to walk for 10, 20 or 30 kilometers. Please read the information below carefully.

See you on Saturday, May 21st ☆ STARTING TIMES: 30 km: 8:00 a.m.—10:00 a.m. 20 km: 8:00 a.m.—10:30 a.m. 10 km: 8:00 a.m.—11:30 a.m. ☆ CLOTHING should be taken according to the weather. If it is rainy, bring some protections. It is better to wear shoes that are old, instead of new ones. ☆ ROAD MAPS will be offered from the starting point. If you need help along the way, please tell the volunteers. ☆ BUSES: A bus will be waiting at Guangming Square to take walkers back to Central Park. The bus will leave every 30 minutes starting from 12:00 p.m. The service is free.

1. Peter will enter the walk at 11:00 a.m. He can ________.

A．walk for 10 km

B．walk for 20 km

C．walk for 30 km

D．walk for 21 km

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Wearing new shoes is better for protection.	B．Ask for help from doctors if you need help.
C．Take free buses to go back to Central Park.	D．Start the walking from Guangming Square at 8:00 a.m.

3. We can read the information above from ________.

A．a music magazine

B．a safety guide

C．a local newspaper

D．a playground notice