1 . The moment I was born, I seemed to be part of a set, as if my twin brother David and I were a package deal. We faced constant comparisons in our physical appearance. People were always comparing our personalities and academic performances as well! These constant comparisons made me decide not to go to the same university as my twin brother.
That is not to say we didn’t have good academic experiences in the past or didn’t get along. In eleventh grade, we were placed in the same math experimental class. I recall arriving early to the first class and being a bit disappointed when I saw David already seated at his desk. It is hard to avoid comparisons when we were in the same class. However, we found that we actually worked well together, in our own way. We would argue about the best way to solve a problem and debate its answer. As the year went on, I noticed that our teacher kept moving us closer and closer together. Our argument was actually productive.
However, we were two very different candidates. I was very involved in extracurricular(课 外的) activities, while David had better test scores than I did. I’m fond of writing while David enjoys playing computer games. I am currently studying English and French at McGill University, while David is studying computer science at Union College.
Besides escaping comparisons, there have been other benefits to going to different universities. The first one is that we are forced to talk to each other, as we no longer see each other every day. This is healthier for our relationship. The second, also the more important one, is that after having so many similar experiences together we can have our own experiences separate from one another.
Going to a different university has benefited me thus far. It allows for more personal growth, and I’m not attached to the label of being a twin.
1. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?| A．Why Do People Like to Compare Me with My Twin Brother? |
| B．Why Am I Choosing a Different University with My Twin Brother? |
| C．What Are Some Main Benefits of Being Twin Brothers at School? |
| D．How Can Twin Brothers Get Along Well with Each Other at School? |
| A．He was fed up with people’s comparisons. |
| B．He was glad to hear people’s comparisons. |
| C．He is more handsome than David. |
| D．He was better at academic subjects than David. |
| A．Boring. | B．Harmful. | C．Awful. | D．Beneficial. |
| A．avoid seeing David | B．escape arguing with David |
| C．pursue a different experience | D．strengthen bonds with David |
2 . Discover Nature Schools Programs
All programs include outdoor time, so please help children prepare with proper clothing, sunscreen and insect repellant(驱虫剂) as needed.
Each program is taught for a class with a minimum of 10 students and maximum of 125 students.
To schedule a program, please email deprograms@mdc. mo. gov.
Acorn to Oak(K-2 grade, 1. 5-2 hours)
From seed to shade tree, the oak(橡树) changes through the seasons and the years. Through exploration, students will understand the lifecycle of a tree. On a hike, students will explore various life stages of oak tree, taking a closer look. Creation of a tree relief sculpture using recycled wood products helps students review and represent their new knowledge.
Outdoor Sensations( K-2 grade, 1.5-2 hours)
The natural world is filled with sights, sound and smells. Students will see live animals and learn how wild animals rely on their senses to find food and survive. Spending time outside students will participate in various hands-on activities, focusing on each of their senses(not taste) to better experience the natural world.
Winged Wonders(3-5 grade, 3-4 hours)
Birds add color and sound to our world and fill an important ecological role. Students will learn the basics of bird identification, understand the role birds play in food chains and go bird watching using field guides and telescopes. Using hammer and nails, students will build a bird feeder, allowing them to attract birds at home.
Exploring Your Watershed(6-8 grade, 3-4 hours)
We all live in a watershed (流域) and depend on clean water. Examine how our actions shape the waterways around us. Interact with the Brush Creek Model and go on a hike to see first-hand some of the challenging water quality issues in an urban setting. Students will assess water quality using live fish to determine the health of an ecosystem.
1. According to the text, students who participate in Acorn to Oak can ________.| A．understand various uses of an oak tree |
| B．learn about characters of various trees |
| C．take a closer look at various trees |
| D．know different life stages of an oak tree |
| A．Acorn to Oak. | B．Exploring Your Watershed. |
| C．Winged Wonders. | D．Outdoor Sensations. |
| A．learn how to build bird feeders |
| B．know how to cook birds as food |
| C．have teachers as their field guides |
| D．stay there at most two hours |
3 . Alonzo Johnson stopped. He decided to help a(n)
An old man
The old man quietly started to
Paula Picard and a friend were standing nearby and
Johnson said he never
“He looked very afraid and I thought maybe I could
| A．busy | B．frightened | C．injured | D．blind |
| A．so | B．if | C．but | D．because |
| A．praise | B．blame | C．happiness | D．anger |
| A．stopped | B．worked | C．read | D．fell |
| A．running | B．pushing | C．shouting | D．waiting |
| A．hopeful | B．convenient | C．unsure | D．uncomfortable |
| A．offered | B．sold | C．wanted | D．took |
| A．eye | B．arm | C．rope | D．stick |
| A．promise | B．prove | C．apologize | D．explain |
| A．excited | B．surprised | C．scared | D．disappointed |
| A．argued with | B．listened to | C．looked at | D．ran into |
| A．accepted | B．shook | C．refused | D．left |
| A．anxious | B．patient | C．interested | D．worried |
| A．manage | B．avoided | C．asked | D．failed |
| A．talked about | B．ran towards | C．went down | D．searched for |
| A．message | B．comment | C．example | D．photo |
| A．differently | B．quickly | C．strangely | D．completely |
| A．meant | B．admitted | C．understood | D．expected |
| A．help | B．follow | C．see | D．smile |
| A．easy | B．famous | C．right | D．perfect |
4 . Life affects friendships. As we grow, marry, fight in wars, move across the country or change jobs, old friendships fall away and new ones form. As long as we live, the things around us change, and as long as things change, friendships are affected.
When we were children, we had best friends. No matter what happened we were still friends. We live our lives, however, and do what life calls for us to do, and as we get older, memories fade, faces blur（变得模糊），and even friends’ names from childhood are forgotten.
Do you have a question about friendship？Do you wonder what to do with a friend who is no longer friendly？ Perhaps you will see that you can’t control others. If some people want to be your friends, it is their choice. All you can do is treat them well and do the best for them when you are with them. Then you wish them well when they leave.
You can talk to old-timers and they will tell you that life is full of incredible（难以置信的）joy and incredible sorrow, and that what bothers you today will one day become a memory and the pain will be gone. Seniors might tell you that you will learn more as you get older. They will tell you that friendships come and friendships go. Sometimes when they go it will hurt you, but you will be okay with it. It’s theway life works, after all.
1. According to the text, what can we learn about friendship？| A．Friendship cannot be easily affected by one’s family. |
| B．Friends are always around us and will never go away. |
| C．Friends in childhood are sometimes forgotten by us. |
| D．Friends in childhood are the best no matter what happens. |
| A．Care about them and do the best for them when we are together. |
| B．Forget them and make new friends who have a lot in common with us. |
| C．Find the reason why our friendship has changed. |
| D．Do our best to control them and make them listen to us. |
| A．make you have no good friends |
| B．help you have healthy understanding of friendship |
| C．remind you to always help your friends |
| D．lead you to be a powerful man WNIW HH |
| A．How to share happiness with friends |
| B．How to deal with unfriendly people |
| C．How to make good friends |
| D．How to face the changes in friendship |
5 . Older women who walk a little over three kilometers each day might live longer than less active women of the same age, a new study suggests.
Many Americans hoping to stay healthy set a daily goal of 10, 000 steps, or about eight kilometers. They often have this goal because they are wearing electronic devices which set that target, note researchers in the United States. Their findings appeared recently in the publication JAMA Internal Medicine.
But it is not clear how much intensity(强度)or speed matter when counting the health benefits of every step, the researchers write. They add that 10,000 steps per day might not be the right goal for everyone.
For the study, researchers observed 17,000 women, all in their early 70s. They asked the women to wear accelerometers for at least four days. Accelerometers are small devices that measure the number of steps and the intensity of movement. The researchers followed up with the women much later, around 4. 3 years later, on average. Since the beginning of the study, 504 women had died. Compared to women who took no more than 2, 718 steps daily, the women who took at least 4,363 steps per day were 41 percent less likely to die.
“Even a modest amount of steps is associated with lower death rates, "said I-Min Lee, the lead writer of a report on the study. "The rate of stepping did not matter in these older women: it was the number of steps that mattered.
The study had a few limitations. For example, the researchers only measured women’s movements once, at the start of the study period. It is possible that the women’s behaviors changed over time. Still, the results are "good news for older adults who may have difficulty walking at faster paces, "said Keith Diaz, a researcher at Columbia University. He was not involved in the study.
“Any walking is better than nothing, " Diaz said by email. "With even small amounts of walking, your risk of death will be sharply reduced "For those who have difficulty walking, other research shows that any form of aerobic activity provides health benefits," he added. "Swimming, bicycling or any form of activity that is continuous in nature will provide health benefits.
1. What conclusion can we come to from the text?| A．People who walk about 10,000 steps can live longer. |
| B．10,000 steps per day might be the right goal for people. |
| C．The more steps one walks per day, the longer life he may live. |
| D．The number of steps is important for a long life among older women. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By comparison. |
| C．By listing statistics. | D．By explaining reasons. |
| A．People who walk fast will get more health benefits. |
| B．If people have a habit of walking, the risk of death will be reduced. |
| C．People with walking difficulty can not benefit from activities |
| D．Activities such as swimming and bicycling are not as beneficial as walking. |
| A．A medical journal. | B．A news report. |
| C．A magazine about fashion. | D．A traveler brochure. |
6 . Having experienced a shocking electrical accident, which caused him to become both blind and deaf, James Franco’s world became completely dark and quiet for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow that he tried a few times to put an end to his life. His family, especially his wife, did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live.
One hot summer afternoon, he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once. He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet, but he was struck by the lightning. Witnesses thought he was dead but he woke up 20 minutes later, lying face down in muddy water. He was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw: a tree and muddy road. When Mrs. Franco came running up to him, shouting to their neighbors to call for help, he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.
The news of James regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread and many doctors came to examine him. Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from the lightning. However, none of them could give a compellent answer as to why this should happen. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since James lost his sight and hearing as a result of a sudden shock, perhaps, the only way for him to regain them was another sudden shock.
1. The reason why James attempted to kill himself was that ________.| A．a terrible electrical accident happened to him |
| B．nobody in the whole world cared about him |
| C．he was struck by the lightning once more |
| D．he had to live in a dark and silent world |
| A．Sheltering from the rain under a tree. | B．Putting an end to his life. |
| C．Taking a walk with a stick. | D．Lying on the ground. |
| A．Gradual. | B．Wrong. | C．Convincing. | D．True. |
| A．A Terrible Electrical Accident | B．What a Sudden Shock |
| C．An Unforgettable Adventure | D．James Franco and His wife |
7 . In Africa, Christmas Day begins with groups of carolers (欢唱颂歌的人) walking to and from through the village, along the roadway, by the houses of the missionaries (传教士), singing the lovely carols known to the world around. Often people may be awakened by a group of carolers beginning to gather at the house of worship(敬神活动). They return home to make final preparations as to the clothes one must wear and also as to their offering for the Christmas service.
The most important part of their Christmas worship service is the love offering. This is the gift in honor of Jesus. At about 8 or 9 o'clock everyone goes to the celebration of the birthday of Jesus. Everyone who attends the service goes forward to lay down their gift upon the raised platform near the Communion table. No one will attend the service without giving a gift.
Christmas in South Africa is a summer holiday. There is no snow, but it has many flowers, many beautiful varieties of wild flowers being in their full pride.
In Ghana, most churches show the coming of Christmas by decorating the church and homes beginning with the first week in Advent, four weeks before Christmas. This season happens to be the time of cocoa harvest, so it is a time of wealth. Everyone returns home from wherever they might be such as farms or mines.
In Africa, it is the traditional dinner of turkey, roast beef, mince pies, or suckling pig, yellow rice with raisins, vegetables, and plum pudding, crackers. In the afternoon, families go out into the country and usually there are games or bathing in the warm sunshine, and then home in the cool of the evening. Boxing Day is also a proclaimed (正式宣布的) public holiday usually spent in the open air. It falls on December 26 and is a day of real relaxation.
1. The purpose of this text is to ________.| A．persuade us to have a holiday in Africa |
| B．describe some important holidays in Africa |
| C．tell us how people celebrate Christmas in Africa |
| D．introduce to us when Christmas came into being |
| A．One must sing a carol on the platform. |
| B．One must appear in fantastic clothes. |
| C．Food is shared among carolers. |
| D．Everyone carries a gift to the scene. |
| A．the church and homes are being decorated |
| B．there are flowers all over the country |
| C．everyone returns home to harvest cocoa |
| D．it is snowing heavily everywhere |
| A．Christmas→ Boxing Day→Advent |
| B．Boxing Day→ Christmas→Advent |
| C．Christmas→ Advent→Boxing Day |
| D．Advent→Christmas→Boxing Day |
8 . 1.Part of northern California had become an inferno(火海) in the latest big fire. A nearby town, Paradise, was reduced to ash. Nearly 50 people are confirmed dead and over 200 missing. Six of the ten most destructive fires in California's history have occurred in the past decade. Last year was the most destructive year on record, until this year. Why is the Golden State so flammable?
2.There are three reasons why California has been surrounded by flames. First, the climate is becoming warmer. This has led to snow melting earlier, drier landscapes and a longer season when fires are likely to occur.
3.A second reason is that more people live in flammable places. Since the 1990s 60% of new homes in California, Washington and Oregon have been built in spaces next to nature. These areas, which environmentalists call the "wildland-urban interface", are at higher risk of wildfire.
4.A third reason is that there is more fuel. Before western settlers arrived, fires used to happen often and naturally, which made less fuel available for future fires. For the past century fires have been controlled well. This has led to a build-up of dry brush, and makes the average wildfire much likelier to turn into a big one.
5.Putting out the flame is the most immediate task for California, but not the last. Many survivors will want to rebuild their homes exactly where they were. Californians will also want to ensure that utility companies(公用事业公司) are acting and investing responsibly. Investigations into what caused the fire are still going on, but some reports suggest it may have begun with sparks (火花) from lines owned by an electricity company.
1. What may directly cause the big fire in California?| A．The warm climate. | B．Living too close to nature. |
| C．Too much fuel. | D．Sparks from electric wire |
| A．The fires in California are all very destructive. |
| B．The latest big fire in California is very destructive. |
| C．California suffered from destructive fires most last year. |
| D．There have been six destructive fires in California in the past 10 years. |
| A．The reasons why California suffered a destructive fire recently. |
| B．The reasons why California suffered destructive fires frequently. |
| C．The facts that California is a place easily suffered destructive fires. |
| D．The opinions that California is a place easily suffered destructive fires. |
| A．1//2-3// 4-5 | B．1-2// 3-5 |
| C．1//2-4// 5 | D．1// 2-5 |
9 . Thanksgiving Day is special holiday in the United States and Canada. Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing.
Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival. This is why it is celebrated in late fall, after the crops are in. But one of the first thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest. On December 4, 1619, the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia. They knelt down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic.
The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest. The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel. Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year, they had a good harvest. So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast(盛宴). The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food.
In time, other colonies(殖民地) began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. He proclaimed(宣布) the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbours. But the Canadian thanks-giving Day falls on the second Monday in October.
1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated .| A．in spring | B．summer |
| C．in autumn | D．in winter |
| A．some people from England | B．the American Indians |
| C．Sarah Josepha Hale | D．Governor Bradford |
| A．in the U. S. A. | B．in Great Britain |
| C．in Canada | D．on some island off the Atlantic |
| A．Thanksgiving Day used to be a holiday to celebrate a good harvest. |
| B．Abraham Lincoln was not the first to decide on thanksgiving celebrations. |
| C．Thanksgiving Day is celebrated to express the American and Indian people’s thanks to God. |
| D．There’s little difference between the American way and the Canadian way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. |
| A．how Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the U. S. A. |
| B．how Thanksgiving Day came into being and the different ways it is celebrated |
| C．that Thanksgiving Day is in fact a harvest holiday |
| D．how the way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day changed with the time and places |
10 . One advantage of the Internet is shopping conveniently online for clothes; one disadvantage of the Internet is also shopping conveniently online for clothes.
“Nothing fits,” said Lam Yuk Wong, a senior in electrical and computer engineering at Rice University. “Everyone says this. They order clothes and they don’t fit. People get very unhappy.”
Wong and her design partner, Xuaner “Cecilia” Zhang, are Team White Mirror, creators of what they call a “virtual (虚拟) fitting room”. Their goal is simple and consumer-friendly: to let online clothing shoppers have a perfect fit and a perfect look when shopping every time.
Both women are from China, Wong from Hong Kong and Zhang from Beijing. They both order most of their clothing online. They got the idea from their own experience as consumers and from listening to the complaints of friends and relatives. “They say, ‘The color is wrong’ or ‘I got the right size but it still does not fit.’ We want to make it like you’re in the store trying on the clothes,” Zhang said.
Using a Kinect developed by Microsoft for use with its Xbox 360 video game player,
Zhang scans Wong and turns her image into, in effect, a virtual model, keeping Wong’s dimensions (尺寸), and even her skin and hair color. “We put the clothes on the shopper’s 3-D body models and show how they look when they are dressed,” Wong said. So far, Wong and Zhang have adapted the software to show dresses and shirts, and they are now working on shorts.
Asked if she thought men as well as women might be interested in using their virtual fitting room, Wong said, “I think their wives will care about this, so it will also be important to men.”
1. Why is shopping conveniently online for clothes a disadvantage?| A．Clothes bought online may not fit. |
| B．Students may easily get addicted to it. |
| C．It attracts more online clothing shoppers. |
| D．It causes shoppers to waste too much money. |
| A．the Xbox 360 video game player | B．a program at their university |
| C．some shop-owners’ complaints | D．their shopping experiences |
| A．scanning—trying on clothes—getting images |
| B．trying on clothes—getting models—scanning |
| C．scanning—getting models—trying on clothes |
| D．trying on clothes—getting images—scanning |
| A．It is perfectly developed. |
| B．It will have its market share. |
| C．It is limited to women shoppers. |
| D．It is like a kind of video game player. |
