1 . Sharon, Aged 22

The most important thing to keep in mind when going into high school is to be yourself. Besides, I don’t know what your middle school was like, but high school teachers will not care about things such as how much homework you already have in one night. It’s best to just learn to deal with things and manage your time wisely so you can achieve everything you need.

Frank, Aged 21

I think almost every kid feels both nervous and excited before their first day. You will probably love it. I know I did. You should join in some sports or activities that will make your high school experience more enjoyable. Good luck！

Eddie, Aged 20

When I started high school I was really nervous too, especially since I had been home-schooled all through middle school and didn’t really know anyone, I suppose the best advice would be to just relax. The first couple of days can be a little bit hard, but things will become easier after you know it.

David, Aged 19

I’m not going to lie. The first day is kind of frightening. But you’ll get used to it. Don’t be afraid of anyone; upperclassmen will pick on you more if you let them know you’re afraid. Just take it easy. Making some friends and staying with them will greatly help you get used to high school quickly. After the first week it’s really not bad at all. Don’t worry.

1. What can we infer from Sharon about high school?

A．Teachers are quite strict.

B．Students often stay up at night.

C．Teachers provide little care for students.

D．Students should make good use of their time.

2. How did Eddie feel on his first day of high school?

A．Excited

B．Bored.

C．Worried.

D．Relaxed.

3. Who mentions the importance of friends?

A．Frank.

B．David.

C．Sharon.

D．Eddie.

2 . Are you worried about moving up to Senior High school? It can be a new experience, but you shouldn’t worry. We’ve put together a guide on how to survive the first week.

You’re not alone!

Remember everybody else in your year is on the same boat. They may not realize it, but they’re just as nervous as you are. Moving to Senior High school is an opportunity, not a problem. Things are different and all you need to do is be polite and learn the new rules.

Teachers are ready to help!

If you’re unsure what to do or are worried about anything then you had better ask for help. Teachers are probably the best people to turn to as they’re experienced in helping new students. Some Senior High schools also have a “friends system”. If your school has this, then you will be paired with an older student. They will look out for you and help you if you have any problems or questions.

All change

There are lots of differences between Junior High school and Senior High school. You’ll have a homework diary or a student planner. You will have your lessons with different teachers in different rooms. You will have homework for different subjects on different days, so make sure you get organized. Make sure you have a copy of your school timetable written down so you know which rooms your classes are in and on which days you will have your different subjects.

Other points

If you’ve got an elder brother or sister at the school then ask them for advice.

Be yourself! It sounds simple, but people will know you much better if you just act naturally.

Having early nights makes a difference and you’ll find it easier to get up in the morning!

1. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?

A．Other students have similar feelings to yours.

B．Other students have to learn boating with you.

C．Other students will help you solve your problems.

D．Other students will teach you politeness and new rules.

2. The new students turn to teachers first when having problems because_______.

A．teachers won’t blame them as parents do

B．teachers are good at helping solve problems

C．teachers are equal to every student

D．parents are too busy to help them

3. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To tell students the importance of learning.

B．To warn students not to ignore friendship in Senior High school.

C．To make a difference when moving up to Senior High school.

D．To help new students to get used to the life in Senior High school.

3 . A new study suggests some of America’s favorite Independence Day fireworks can give out lead and copper (铜), which are used to give fireworks their vivid colors, and also damage human cells and animal lungs.

Led by researchers at NYU, the study showed poisonous levels of lead in the fireworks. Experiments showed that lung exposure to particle emissions (颗粒排放物) from five types of fireworks significantly increased oxidation (氧化), a chemical process in the body that can damage or even kill cells.

The researchers say the new study is believed to be the first to examine the effects of firework exposure in human cells and living animals, and to test for particles of common firework metals thrown into the atmosphere.

“While many are careful to protect themselves from injury from explosions, our results suggest that inhaling firework smoke may cause, longer-term physical damage, a risk that has been largely ignored,” says study senior author Terry Gordon, a professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine.

Gordon and his team also analyzed 14 air quality samples taken at dozens of sites across the US throughout each year. They found that levels of poisonous metals were higher in samples taken on Independence Day and New Year’s Eve celebrations than at any other time of the year. Along with lead, copper and other poisonous metals are commonly found in fireworks. “Our research shows that although we are only exposed to these poisonous substances for a short time each year, they are much more poisonous than the pollutants we breathe every day,” says Gordon.

Gordon cautions (警告) that the current investigation is the first step, only addressing the potential effects of one-time exposure to the firework metals. He says repeated exposure is likely a larger concern. Nevertheless, he is planning to share his findings with local health officials, firework producers, the Environmental Protection Agent, and other regulatory agents to alert them to the potential for harm.

1. Why do some fireworks harm our health?

A．They are oxidized in the air.

B．They can give out harmful metals.

C．They are exposed to particle emissions.

D．They can melt chemical substances in the body.

2. What does the underlined word “inhaling” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Letting out.	B．Working out.
C．Taking in.	D．Blowing off.

3. What can we infer from Gordon’s research findings?

A．Fireworks are the main cause of air pollution.

B．Air quality on New Year’s Eve is above normal.

C．People breathe in poisonous air for a short time daily.

D．Air pollution on Independence Day is worse than usual.

4. What does Gordon intend to do with fireworks-related persons?

A．Remind them not to set off fireworks.

B．Caution them against producing metals.

C．Alert them to the harm of the experiment.

D．Warn them of the possible dangers of fireworks.

5 . In the United States, the baggage of passengers from abroad will get inspected by the beagles (小猎兔犬) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Working with human officer partners, the beagles sniff (嗅) out probable threats to American agriculture.

An orange or an apple, for example, might contain a Mediterranean fruit fly. Ham could carry some disease. These could cause great damage to farmers’ crops and livestock (家畜). “Once we introduce something that is not part of the environment, maybe there aren’t any controls of it in the environment,” said USDA’s Lisa Davis at the National Detector Dog Training Center in Orlando, Florida. “The best thing for us to do is prevent it from coming across the border.”

When a beagle sniffs a bad smell, it signals its partner by sitting. The human partner then examines the baggage. When the dog is right — which happens 90 percent of the time — it gets something to eat.

“The dogs are not out there working,” explained Davis. “They’re out there playing. It’s a game to the dogs.” The human partners make sure the beagles get first-class medical attention, too. When the dogs finally stop working after 9 to 11 years, the USDA finds caring homes for them. It’s a dog’s life indeed!

Their human partners work and study harder. Most of them hold degrees in the biological sciences or related sciences.

How well do the beagles do their jobs? Davis said, “Each year our 54 teams find around 75,000 items.” Since even one dangerous item could cause great damage, that’s a great result for America’s agricultural environment.

1. What might be a problem with agricultural products brought into the US from abroad?

A．They may contain something illegal.

B．They often cause serious air pollution.

C．They often go bad and give off some bad smells.

D．They may harm America’s agricultural environment.

2. The beagles signal that they have found a threat by ________.

A．playing a game	B．begging for a treat
C．sitting next to the item	D．barking at their partners

3. According to the text, the beagles ________.

A．may fall ill because of some threats

B．often work harder than their partners

C．are doing a job that is really dangerous

D．get enough love and care from their partners

4. In the last paragraph, the author mentions the figures to show ________.

A．the beagles enjoy inspecting items

B．the beagles play an important role

C．the number of threats found by the beagles is big

D．one dangerous item could cause great damage

6 . Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge Located in San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge started in the year 1933 to connect the San Francisco Peninsula with Marin County. It was finally thrown open to public in 1937. It cost more than S 35 million in the construction. Till the year 1957, the Golden Gate Bridge, at a length of 2, 737 meters, was the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is located in Brooklyn. It is one of the oldest bridges in the United States, opened in the year 1883. The length of the bridge is 1, 825 meters. The bridge has been featured in several Hollywood movies.

George Washington Bridge

Also known as the Hudson River Bridge, the George Washington Bridge which connects Fort Lee with Manhattan came into use in 1931 after a construction period of almost 4 years. It is a two-level suspension bridge.

Mackinac Bridge

This is the third biggest suspension bridge in the world at a length of 8, 038 meters. The architect of this bridge was Dr. David B. Steinman who directed the construction of the bridge which started in the year 1954 and opened to the public in 1957. People using this bridge are charged a certain amount of money.

Navajo Bridge

Located in Arizona, this bridge crosses the Colorado River and is almost 250 meters long.

The construction of this bridge started in the year 1927, ending two years later and costing＄390,000. In the 1990s a second bridge was built which was opened to the public in 1995. The first bridge is still used by pedestrians now.

1. What do we know about the Golden Gate Bridge?

A．It consists of two bridges

B．It takes about 4 years to complete the construction

C．It is the longest suspension bridge in the world.

D．It costs the least of the five bridges

2. Which of the following bridges was built the earliest?

A．Golden Gate Bridge

B．Navajo Bridge

C．George Washington Bridge

D．Brooklyn Bridge

3. What will you do if you drive across Mackinac Bridge?

A．See the statue of Dr David	B．Steinman. B.Use the second bridge
C．Cover nearly 250 meters	D．Have to pay some money.

7 . On my recent trip to Sydney with my parents,we visited the Wildlife Park.

The Wildlife Park has lots of different animals. Some are native（当地的）to Australia and can only be found there. There are over 600 animals there，including kangaroos, koalas and crocodiles（鳄鱼）.They are kept in their natural environment. I like the Wildlife Park better than a zoo where most of the animals are in cages.

We first spent some time with the kangaroos. We were allowed to touch and feed them. It was very exciting to be so close to them.There were koalas there too. They looked very cuddly（令人想拥抱的）. Although we were not allowed to carry them, I got to take a photo with one. It is a wonderful souvenir of my holiday in Sydney.

The Wildlife Park has plenty of freshwater and saltwater crocodiles. Some of them are really big and scary with huge teeth! I did not want to get too close to them.

There was also a bird show. The keepers showed us different species they had. I saw an old parrot which could “talk”. It made a great impression on me.

I enjoyed the trip very much.There was so much to see.

1. Where is the Wildlife Park？

A．In Sydney.

B．In Cairo.

C．In Paris.

D．In Rome.

2. What is a wonderful souvenir of the writer＇s holiday？

A．A parrot that could talk.

B．A chance to feed a kola.

C．A photo with a kola.

D．Food for the kangaroos.

3. Why didn't the writer want to get very close to the crocodiles？

A．They lived in water.

B．The writer was afraid of them.

C．The writer did not want to feed them.

D．The writer did not like the smell of saltwater.

4. Which of the following is TRUE？

A．The kangaroos are kept in cages in the Wildlife Park.

B．The writer traveled to the Wildlife Park alone.

C．The writer went to see koalas first.

D．The writer watched a bird show.

8 . A shopping center is a place where many different shops and stores are collected under one roof. You can buy everything there and there are also banks, restaurants and, sometimes, a post office.

There are other places in the United States which are called five-and –ten-cent stores because they used to sell things for 5 to 10 cents. Today they sell almost anything and some of the things cost several dollars. Supermarkets are found in all the cities. They sell food and many other goods. You walk around the supermarket, choose the things you want, put them into a special basket prepared by the store and pay for them all together at the door. Supermarkets often stay open later than other stores.

Stores are usually open every day of the week except on Sunday. Some close on Saturdays in July and August.

1. The shops and stores in a shopping center are ________ .

A．in the same building	B．on the top of a big roof
C．close to your house	D．near banks and restaurants

2. A five-and-ten-cent store usually sells________.

A．expensive things	B．small and cheap things
C．things worth many dollars	D．everything you need in the house

3. ________have baskets ready for people to carry the things they are going to buy.

A．Shopping centers	B．Fine stores in America
C．Five-and-ten-cent stores	D．Supermarkets

9 . Captain James Cook was a great explorer. Before he started exploring, maps of the Pacific Ocean were almost empty. He visited hundreds of islands across the Pacific Ocean and put them in the correct places on the map. He made maps of the coastlines of Australia and New Zealand. James Cook was born in England in 1728. His parents were poor farm workers. When James was 18, he found a job on a coastal ship. He worked on the ship until he was 27 years old, and then he joined the navy. He fought in Canada in a war against France, and he mapped some of the eastern coasts of Canada. In 1768 King George made him Captain of a ship and sent him to the Pacific. He was gone for nearly three years. When he returned, he was regarded as a national hero.

He started his third voyage in 1776. On this trip he visited Hawaii. He was the first European to set foot on this beautiful island. Then he mapped the western coast of North America. After that he returned to Hawaii. Unfortunately there was some trouble between the Hawaiians and the white men and they started fighting. In the end Captain was killed in a clash with the local.

1. He started exploring when _______.

A．he worked on a coastal ship	B．he was 18 years old
C．he was sent to the Pacific	D．he served in the navy

2. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．He made the first maps of the Pacific Ocean.

B．He went on three long important voyages in his life.

C．He was the first English man to reach Hawaii.

D．He was respected by his people.

3. He was considered a national hero because of _______.

A．his experience in Canada

B．his being the first European to visit Hawaii

C．his heroic death

D．his devotion to exploration on the Pacific Ocean

4. Captain Cook was killed by _______.

A．his sailors	B．the Hawaiians
C．the Canadians	D．the French