1 . It was a few days before Christmas many years ago. It looked like it would be a(n) ______ one for my family. The factory where I was working had laid off(解雇) many of us workers, so we didn’t have much ______. My wife and I had saved to buy our young children some toys, ______ an unexpected car repair had taken most of our cash. We decided that we could only ______ to get one small gift for each of our children.

We arrived at the ______, walked down the parking lot and saw people putting gifts into their ______. We searched all through the store ______ to find one thing each of our small children would like. ______, we were able to get one for each of them. We ______ the checkout (结账台), bought the toys and were ______ that we even had a few dollars ______ finning. As we walked out of the store into the winter ______, I stopped and dropped those ______ into the charity box. I didn’t have a dime (一角硬币) left but that didn’t ______. Suddenly, it felt like Christmas.

I think the ______ actress Dale Evans ______ it best when she said: “Christmas, my child, is love in ______.” It doesn’t have to be a gift of money, either. When we ______ our smile, it’s Christmas. When we give others our ______ and compassion (同情), it’s Christmas. When we do anything at any time to ______ another, it’s Christmas. May you do all you can to make it Christmas every day of the year and every day of your life here.

1.

A．colorful

B．poor

C．early

D．exciting

2.

A．time

B．energy

C．noise

D．money

3.

A．but

B．or

C．so

D．if

4.

A．refuse

B．remember

C．afford

D．hesitate

5.

A．store

B．station

C．gym

D．hospital

6.

A．offices

B．bedrooms

C．cars

D．houses

7.

A．forgetting

B．agreeing

C．pretending

D．hoping

8.

A．Immediately

B．Thankfully

C．Sadly

D．Strangely

9.

A．headed for

B．gave up

C．turned off

D．kept off

10.

A．discouraged

B．worried

C．puzzled

D．surprised

11.

A．watched over

B．looked over

C．left over

D．taken over

12.

A．air

B．forest

C．cave

D．season

13.

A．gifts

B．books

C．dollars

D．fruits

14.

A．work

B．bend

C．stop

D．matter

15.

A．lucky

B．wonderful

C．foolish

D．proud

16.

A．put

B．broke

C．threw

D．cleaned

17.

A．force

B．control

C．action

D．silence

18.

A．hide

B．share

C．change

D．support

19.

A．truth

B．power

C．kindness

D．health

20.

A．choose

B．hold

C．enjoy

D．help

2 . Do you like shopping? Or does the thought of wandering round the shops fill you with terror? For some of us, shopping is an enjoyable way of spending our spare time and money. For me, it’s something I would rather avoid. Thanks to the Internet, we can buy goods and services cheaper online. But sometimes the problem is knowing what to buy. This has led to a type of shopping called “showrooming”.

Showrooming is something I’ve done. I will go to a shop to see, touch and try out products but then go home and buy them online at a knock-down price. I’m not alone in doing this. Research by a company called Foolproof, found 24% of people showroomed while Christmas shopping in 2013.

Amy Cashman, head of Technology at TNS UK, says the reasons for this new shopping habit are that “people are lacking time, lacking money and they want security about the products they are buying.”

But does this mean technology will kill shops? Certainly shops will change. They will have to offer more competitive prices or encourage people to buy more by giving in-store discounts (折扣) or free gifts.

We mustn’t forget that buying in a shop means you can get expert advice from the sales assistant and you can get good aftercare. It’s good to speak to a real human rather than look at a faceless computer screen but at least by showrooming, you get the best of both worlds!

1. The two questions in Paragraph 1 are raised to __________.

A．give two examples	B．introduce the topic
C．compare different opinions	D．get answers from readers

2. What does showrooming mean in the text?

A．Buying something in a store	B．Showing products in a room.
C．Trying in shops and buying online.	D．Shopping on the Internet.

3. According to Amy Cashman, which is not the reason for showrooming?

A．The lack of time.	B．The security of the product.
C．The shortness of money.	D．The comfort of the sofa.

4. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A．Shops need necessary changes.	B．Free gifts will surely promote sales.
C．Online shops will disappear.	D．Shops will be replaced by online shops

3 . The world has many beautiful sounds. we can hear the songs of birds and laugh of people. We can listen to cool music and news reports. And all this is due to(归功于) our ears! They bring us a world of sounds.

But some people can’t hear any sound at all. Some are born deaf. Others can hear well in their childhood, but too many loud sounds hurt their ears later on.

In China, 6 children out of 1000 have hearing problems when they are born. They can not hear ordinary sounds clearly. Children who have hearing problems usually also have learning problems at school.

A lot of things can cause hearing problems. For example, too much earwax is not good for our hearing and noise louder than 85 decibels(分贝) can hurt our ears and make us lose our hearing for a short time or even forever.

Hearing is a problem for all of us. So we should do our best to give our ears special care. Don't forget the following:

Try to stay away from places with too much noise. If you have to go, wear earplugs(耳塞). A pair of earplugs can cut the noise by 30 decibels. When swimming, remember to put earplugs into your ears to stop water from getting in. Never put anything sharp into your ears. If you think you have too much earwax, ask your parents to help you clean it out.

Keep these things in mind! Then you won’t ask “WHAT?” when you are older.

1. In the first paragraph, the writer wants to       .

A．tell us many beautiful sounds.	B．describe the sounds.
C．teach us how to use ears.	D．show the importance of ears

2. The word earwax means        in Chinese.

A．耳膜

B．耳鸣

C．耳垢

D．耳疾

3. Hearing problems may be caused by       .

A．a little earwax	B．learning problems at school
C．noise louder than 85 decibels	D．earplugs that can only cut noise by 15 decibels

4. Which of the following is not mentioned(提到) in the passage?

A．Hearing problems caused by diseases(疾病).	B．People with hearing problems.
C．Ways to protect our ears.	D．Danger of loud noise

4 . Influenced by many negative reports, some people usually regard teenagers as lacking a responsibility, concern for others, and awareness of life. To_______the stereotype(刻板印象), I'm going to talk about the story of Jordan Rice.

I_______you've got no idea about who Jordan Rice is. Actually, Jordan Rice was a 13-year-old boy who lived with his mum, dada, and little bother Blake in Toowoomba, Australia. He went to buy school uniform this Monday with his mum and_______. It was around 2 p. m. when they were in the car_______the way back from the shops. Not an_______day.

Unexpectedly, a huge flood poured into the area. The water rose high enough to_______the engine. Unfortunately, they were_______in flood waters. Mum got scared, and Jordan was _______ because he couldn't swim. No one came to_______them out until an old man grabbed a rope, tied it to his body, and jumped into the water. Hopes were________for the survival of Jordan - the old man was swimming toward him. Instead of seizing the chance, Jordan________Blake forward, saying, “Save my brother first.”

There was no time for arguing. The old man tied the rope around Blake________carried him ashore. Then he________back to save the other two. But the weight of two people were 100 much for the________. It broke and so did Jordan and his mother's________. They were carried away by the________water. Though they managed to hold on to a tree for a little while, they________loosened their grasp and accepted their late. Being the only________of the trip, Blake was reunited with his father to become a family of two.

Jordan Rice was a 13-year-old boy from Toowoomba. Australia, During the destructive floods of Queensland, Jordan Rice sacrificed his________for his little brother. He is a________and deserves to be remembered.

1.

A．break

B．make

C．forget

D．turn

2.

A．realize

B．suppose

C．understand

D．remember

3.

A．dad

B．sister

C．brother

D．schoolmate

4.

A．in

B．of

C．at

D．on

5.

A．unhappy

B．uncomfortable

C．unusual

D．unreal

6.

A．turn on

B．shut off

C．set down

D．blow up

7.

A．trapped

B．found

C．attacked

D．damaged

8.

A．disappointed

B．frightened

C．satisfied

D．excited

9.

A．call

B．check

C．help

D．set

10.

A．missing

B．following

C．falling

D．growing

11.

A．pushed

B．pulled

C．put

D．threw

12.

A．but

B．and

C．or

D．so

13.

A．drove

B．walked

C．swam

D．ran

14.

A．floodwaters

B．engine

C．man

D．rope

15.

A．hope

B．car

C．house

D．uniform

16.

A．clear

B．brown

C．deep

D．gentle

17.

A．carefully

B．quickly

C．finally

D．firstly

18.

A．guide

B．visitor

C．shopper

D．survivor

19.

A．life

B．fate

C．study

D．chance

20.

A．student

B．son

C．shopper

D．hero

5 . Robert Spring, a 19^th century forger (伪造者), was so good at his profession that he was able to make his living for 15 years by selling false signatures of famous Americans. Spring was born in England in 1838 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1858 to open a bookstore. At first he prospered(繁荣)by selling his small but genuine collection of early US autographs (亲笔签名). Discovering his ability at copying handwriting he began imitating the signatures of George Washington and Benjimin Franklin and writing them on the title pages of old books. To lessen the chance of detection (被发现), He sent his forgeries to England and Canada for sale. Forgers have a hard time selling products. A forger cannot approach a respectable buyer but must deal with people who don’t have much knowledge in the field. Forgers have many ways of making their works look real. For example, they buy old books and use the aged paper of the title page, and they can treat paper and ink with chemicals.

In Spring’s time, right after the Civil War, Britain was still fond of the southern states, so Spring invented a respectable young lady known as Miss Fanny Jackson, the only daughter of General “Stonewall” Jackson. For several years Miss Fanny’s financial problems forced her to sell a great number of letters and manuscripts (手稿) belonging to her famous father. Spring had to work very hard to satisfy the demand. However, all this activity did not prevent Spring from dying in poverty, leaving sharp-eyed experts the difficult task of separating his forgeries from the originals.

1. Robert Spring spent 15 years ________.

A．running a bookstore in Philadelphia	B．as owners of old books
C．selling real signatures of famous Americans	D．as a forger

2. Why did Spring sell his false autographs in England and Canada?

A．There was less chance that his forgeries would be discovered there.

B．The prices were much higher in England and Canada.

C．There was a greater demand there than in America.

D．Britan was Spring’s birthplace.

3. After the Civil War there was a great demand in Britain for ________

A．Civil War battle plans	B．southern manuscripts and letters
C．the signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin	D．southern money

4. Which of the following about Miss Fanny Jackson is TRUE?

A．She was Robert Spring’s customer.

B．She was an imaginary person created by Spring.

C．She was a little-known girl who sold her father’s papers to make money.

D．She was the only daughter of General Stonewall Jackson.

6 . Mrs. Jones was over eighty, but she still drove her old car like a woman half her age. She loved driving very fast, and was proud of the fact ______ she had never, in her thirty-five years of driving, been punished _____ driving offence(犯规，犯法).

Then one day she nearly ______ her record. A police car ______ her, and the policemen in it saw her ______ a red light without stopping. Of course, at last she was stopped by the police. It seemed ______ that she would be punished.

______ Mrs. Jones came up to the judge(法官), he looked at her seriously and said that she was ______ old to drive a car, and that the ______ why she had not stopped at the red ______ was most probably that her eyes had become weak ______ old age, so that she had simply not seen it.

When the judge had finished what he was ______ , Mrs. Jones opened the big handbag that she was ______ and then took out her sewing(针线活). Without saving a word, she ______ out a needle(针) with very small eve, and threaded(穿线) it at her first attempt.

When she had ______ done this, she took the thread out of the needle again and handed ______ the needle and the thread to the judge, saying. “Now it is your ______. I suppose you drive car, and that you are quite sure about your own eyesight."

The judge took the ______ and tried to thread it. After half a dozen tries, he had still not succeeded. The case(案例) against Mrs. Jones was not ______, and her record _______unbroken.

1.

A．which

B．when

C．that

D．this

2.

A．about

B．on

C．to

D．for

3.

A．kept

B．won

C．missed

D．lost

4.

A．watched

B．saw

C．followed

D．looked

5.

A．pass

B．go

C．run

D．rush

6.

A．possible

B．indeed

C．certain

D．perhaps

7.

A．Before

B．Why

C．Until

D．When

8.

A．so

B．very

C．too

D．quite

9.

A．cause

B．reason

C．matter

D．trouble

10.

A．light

B．lamp

C．sign

D．one

11.

A．with

B．to

C．in

D．of

12.

A．looking

B．saying

C．talking

D．telling

13.

A．holding

B．getting

C．carrying

D．bringing

14.

A．made

B．broke

C．sold

D．picked

15.

A．almost

B．hardly

C．successfully

D．nearly

16.

A．both

B．all

C．neither

D．either

17.

A．time

B．turn

C．chance

D．job

18.

A．thread

B．threads

C．needles

D．needle

19.

A．passed

B．allowed

C．settled

D．studied

20.

A．was

B．kept

C．seemed

D．remained

7 . I was driving to a business appointment when I came to a very busy crossroad. The traffic light had just turned red. Suddenly, an unforgettable _________ caught my eye. A young couple, both blind, were _________ arm-in-arm across this busy crossroad with cars racing by in every direction. Each of them had a walking stick extended, searching for clues to _________ them.

At first I was moved. They were trying to _________ what I felt was one of the most scary disability—blindness. My thought was quickly interrupted by _________ when I saw that the couple were directly walking toward the middle of the crossroad. Without _________ the danger they were in, they were walking right into the path of oncoming cars. I was _________ because I didn’t know if other drivers understood what was happening.

To my astonishment, I saw a _________ scene unfold before my eyes. Every car in every direction came to a(n) _________. No sharp sounds of brakes or noisy horn were heard, nor did anyone __________, “Get out of the way!” Everything __________. At that moment, time seemed to stand still for this couple.

Amazed, I __________ the cars around me. I noticed that everyone’s attention was fixed on the couple. __________, the driver to my right yelled, “To your right! To your right!” Other people __________ in union, shouting, “To your right!” The couple adjusted their own __________ and they made it to the other side of the road.

1.

A．scene

B．car

C．accident

D．driver

2.

A．wandering

B．walking

C．rushing

D．marching

3.

A．inspect

B．guide

C．preserve

D．approach

4.

A．overcome

B．achieve

C．suffer

D．recover

5.

A．sorrow

B．regret

C．terror

D．frustration

6.

A．realizing

B．recognizing

C．removing

D．preventing

7.

A．concerned

B．certain

C．lucky

D．interested

8.

A．familiar

B．peaceful

C．wonderful

D．terrible

9.

A．agreement

B．conclusion

C．end

D．stop

10.

A．yell

B．order

C．announce

D．promise

11.

A．developed

B．calmed

C．froze

D．changed

12.

A．looked for

B．looked around

C．looked up

D．looked at

13.

A．Strangely

B．Obviously

C．Suddenly

D．Hopefully

14.

A．arrived

B．followed

C．replied

D．accepted

15.

A．schedule

B．voice

C．speed

D．course

8 . Mike has loved flying since he was small. When he was three years old, his dad took him to an air show. Mike loved the sounds of the plane, he________of becoming and airplane pilot(飞行员)someday. As Mike grew up, he learned as________as he could about flying. He wanted to go to flying school________university. He kept on________his parents about it all the time. At that time, pilot training was very________. Mike's parents couldn't afford it.

Later Mike became a salesman. He hoped to get lots of money for flying school. He traveled________America for his factory. He liked to travel,________by plane. To save money, he usually stayed in cheap hotels.

One morning, Mike________to Altanta. On the plane, after breakfast, he went to________. Some time later, he woke up. The two men beside him were talking in a________voice. When Mike heard the word "hijack(劫持)", he nearly________out of his seat, but he pretended(假装)he was still________. he listened when the two men talked. Mike quickly learned what was________. They planned to hijack the plane to Cuba(古巴). This made Mike very________. He knew he had to stop them before they began their________.

Mike pretended to use the washroom. On the way he met a hostess(空姐)and told her about the coming________. A moment later, the passengers were told that there was something wrong with the plane. Soon the plane landed at the________airport.

The two men received a________when they saw twenty police officers were________them at the airport.

Later Mike was given free flying training as a reward.________he became a pilot and flew happily ever since. Now his story is well known in the United States.

1.

A．spoke

B．heard

C．dreamed

D．thought

2.

A．little

B．much

C．easily

D．quickly

3.

A．as well as

B．such as

C．because of

D．instead of

4.

A．warning

B．talking

C．asking

D．complaining

5.

A．expensive

B．cheap

C．difficult

D．enjoyable

6.

A．along

B．towards

C．through

D．around

7.

A．never

B．widely

C．except

D．especially

8.

A．flew

B．came

C．moved

D．drove

9.

A．work

B．sleep

C．rest

D．bed

10.

A．loud

B．nervous

C．low

D．serious

11.

A．ran

B．walked

C．jumped

D．dropped

12.

A．awake

B．asleep

C．quiet

D．careless

13.

A．saying

B．changing

C．discussing

D．happening

14.

A．sad

B．angry

C．painful

D．careful.

15.

A．plan

B．story

C．challenge

D．accident

16.

A．danger

B．trouble

C．flying

D．training

17.

A．safest

B．biggest

C．nearest

D．farthest

18.

A．surprise

B．welcome

C．message

D．present

19.

A．looking for

B．waiting for

C．asking for

D．talking about

20.

A．So

B．Since

C．Though

D．Then

9 . If there is one thing I'm sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers. It is not that newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people, a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.

The nature of what is news may change. What basically makes news is what affects our lives-and the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It's already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic engineering. In the future, I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do-as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.

It's quite possible that in the next century, newspapers will be transmitted electronically from the Fleet Street and printed out in our own home. In fact, I'm pretty sure that is how it will happen in the future. You will probably be able to choose from a menu, making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read-say, sport and international news.

I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media. They actually feed off each other. Some people once foresee that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn't happened. What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air. And as for the Internet, it's never really pleasant to read something just on a screen.

1. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Best Way to Get News	B．The Changes of Media
C．Make Your All Newspaper,	D．The Future of Newspaper

2. In the writer's opinion, in the future        .

A．newspapers will not be printed in publishing houses any longer

B．more big political affairs, wars and disasters will make news

C．newspapers will cover more scientific research

D．more and more people will read newspapers

3. From the passage, we can infer        .

A．newspapers will win the competition among the different media

B．newspapers will stay with us together with the other media

C．television will take the place of newspapers

D．the writer believes the media will die out

4. The underlined words "feed off" in the last paragraph means         .

A．depend on

B．live on

C．fight with

D．kill off

10 .

Genetics (遗传学) is the science of what makes you who you are. People who study genetics，called geneticists, learn about how parents pass on information through their genes (bits of information in your body that you cannot see) to their children. Is there anyone in the world like you? No! Your eye color，how tall you are and the size of your nose all come from the special information in your genes that makes you different from everyone else.

We get our genes from our parents. So genetics explains why you might look similar to your mother or brother and why you like some of the same things or speak in a similar way. Genes come in pairs-you get half from your mother and half from your father. We know that some genes are stronger than others. For example, the gene for brown eyes is stronger than the gene for blue eyes. So does it mean that if your parents both have brown eyes that you do too? Not always.

Because genes come in pairs, it's possible that someone with brown eyes has the gene for both brown eyes(B) and blue eyes (b). Look at the picture on the right that shows how the genes from Mum and Dad might be passed on to their children.

Why is genetics important? It's fun to think about which family members you are similar to and which genes you have, but studying genetics is also very important for our health. Some diseases are in our genes, so studying genetics can help us know if we might become ill in the future. It also helps doctors and scientists to know what medicine might help that disease.

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．What genetics is.

B．What geneticists learn about.

C．How the size of your nose comes from.

D．How parents pass on information to their children.

2. What does human genetics explain?

A．Why you look like your friends.

B．Why you are different from other people.

C．Why parents pass on information to their children.

D．Why many people in the world look exactly the same.

3. What can we know from the text?

A．Our genes come in pairs.

B．Some genes are longer than others.

C．People get their genes mainly from their mothers.

D．Your parents both have brown eyes that you do too.

4. Why is studying genetics very important according to the text?

A．Because it is very funny.	B．Because it is useful for scientists.
C．Because it can help us fight diseases.	D．Because it can help us make medicine.