1 . Hi! My name is Adam and I’m a freshman at senior high school. Going from junior high school to senior high school is a really big challenge. The first week was a little confusing.

First, I had to think very carefully about which courses I wanted to take. The school adviser helped me choose the suitable ones: maths, English, chemistry, world history, and Chinese. I know that Chinese is a very difficult language, but I hope to be fluent when I graduate. My adviser recommended that I should sign up for advanced literature because I like English and I’m good at it.

I had to choose extra-curricular activities, too. I tried to join the school football team, but the coach told me that I didn’t play well enough. Obviously, I was unhappy, but I won’t quit. I’ll find a way to improve on my own so that I can make the team next year. I joined a volunteer club instead. Every Wednesday, we work at a soup kitchen and hand out food to homeless people in the community.

I know I’ll have to study harder as a senior high school student and get used to being responsible for a lot more. I’m a bit worried about keeping up with the other students in my advanced course, and it’ll be quite difficult to get used to all the homework. Still, I’m happy to be here. Studying hard isn’t always fun, but I’ll be well prepared for university or whatever else comes in the future.

1. Which course do you think would be Adam’s favourite?

A．English

B．Chinese

C．advanced literature

D．world history

2. The phrase “make the team” in Paragraph 3 means ______.

A．to try out and then be allowed to join a sports team

B．to coach the team

C．to build a team

D．to make the team strong and successful

3. What is Adam worried about?

A．The extra-curricula activities he has to choose.

B．That he will have to work at a soup kitchen while he works hard at his lessons.

C．Joining the school football team.

D．Keeping up with the other students in his advanced course and getting used to all the homework.

4. How do you know that Adam is confident that he will get used to senior high school life?

A．Because he has a school advisor who can help him choose the suitable courses.

B．Because he says that he is happy to be there, and he will be well prepared for university or whatever else comes in the future.

C．Because he likes English and is good at it.

D．Because he is a freshman and can do anything as long as he likes.

3 .

Antarctica (南极洲)

Weather Antarctica lies in the most southern part of the world. It is the coldest area on Earth. There isn’t much rain, but there is a lot of snow and wind. The lowest temperature was on 21 July in 1983 at -89.2℃ !

Population Nobody lives in Antarctica all the time! The first people to stay there for a while were fishermen in 1786. Now there are about 5, 000 scientists and researchers there in the summer

History of exploration (探险) During 1907-1909, British explorer Earnest Shackleton explored Antarctica on foot. In 1911, two explorers — a British man named Scott and a Norwegian named Amundsen — raced 1, 400 kilometres to the South Pole (南极). Amundsen arrived first.

Animals and birds There aren’t any large animals in Antarctica. Polar bears live at the North Pole. But there are a lot of penguins and seabirds. Every spring there are over 100 million seabirds in Antarctica.

1. When did the lowest temperature appear in Antarctica?

A．In 1786.

B．In 1983.

C．In 1907.

D．In 1911.

2. Who first stayed in Antarctica for some time?

A．Fishermen.

B．Scientists.

C．Researchers.

D．Explorers.

3. What animals or birds do not live in Antarctica?

A．Penguins.

B．Seabirds.

C．Polar bears.

D．Fish.

4 . As she approached 97, Gwen Erickson from Minnesota began raising one of America’s most popular, yet endangered, butterflies — the Monarch. Last year the grandmother _________ to raise 27 butterflies and this year the _________ has gone up to 61.

While some might say that nature should be left to _________ itself, the butterflies’ population is _________ rapidly and is in need of a little extra help. _________, that love and devotion is exactly what the 97-year-old is able to _________ for her little winged friends.

The whole process is a little _________, beginning with collecting eggs from the milkweed leaves that grow in her backyard. Four days after Erickson placed the eggs in jars on her living-room table, the caterpillar (毛毛虫) appeared, and then, within several weeks, formed a chrysalis (蛹). A fortnight later the beautiful butterfly _________. Erickson then released the butterflies into the wild, but a couple seemed a little _________ to leave their loving home and __________ the senior by flying around the house.

When __________ her first attempt to raise the butterflies, Erickson said she hoped it could enable her grandchildren to __________ an interest in these beautiful insects. __________, it’s her who has found the pleasure in raising butterflies in the end.

Normally Erickson doesn’t like to talk about herself and what she does, but she does this time as she wants to __________ others to care for this endangered species. Happily a friend and her son have joined her in her newfound __________ and hopefully we will see a(n) __________ in those decreasing numbers.

This new __________, started so late in life, is a fine example of people __________ the smaller things in life. And it __________ us that it’s never too late to be __________ in life.

1.

A．decided

B．desired

C．managed

D．expected

2.

A．number

B．size

C．type

D．variety

3.

A．suit

B．study

C．feed

D．sustain

4.

A．aging

B．declining

C．increasing

D．moving

5.

A．Regretfully

B．Hopefully

C．Thankfully

D．Unfortunately

6.

A．provide

B．fight

C．seek

D．charge

7.

A．money-saving

B．labour-demanding

C．energy-efficient

D．time-consuming

8.

A．sped up

B．turned up

C．woke up

D．grew up

9.

A．impatient

B．delighted

C．nervous

D．unwilling

10.

A．accompanied

B．attended

C．greeted

D．followed

11.

A．evaluating

B．analyzing

C．recalling

D．conducting

12.

A．revise

B．develop

C．keep

D．express

13.

A．Therefore

B．Moreover

C．Meanwhile

D．However

14.

A．allow

B．encourage

C．persuade

D．invite

15.

A．passion

B．business

C．dream

D．world

16.

A．opportunity

B．result

C．change

D．inspiration

17.

A．hobby

B．habit

C．routine

D．exercise

18.

A．relying on

B．asking for

C．calling on

D．caring for

19.

A．promises

B．reminds

C．warns

D．convinces

20.

A．successful

B．generous

C．optimistic

D．purposeful

5 . Traveling can be expensive. But there are some ways to save money when traveling. Try some of the advice below on your next vacation and your wallet will thank you.

Look for city tourism cards. With the card, you can pay less at restaurants and shops. You don’t have to wait for a long time at busy attractions. You might even get free tickets to top tourist attractions. City tourism cards can save your money and time without question.

Don’t get the best room. How long will you stay in your room? Will you just be sleeping there? Do you really need a bigger room with a good view (景色)?

Find a hotel outside a city. It can help you save some money by choosing a hotel away from big tourist attractions, for you are always doing the same — go to the attractions and then return to your hotel to sleep.

Book (预订) a room with a kitchen. Although some people might not like to cook while on vacation, I don’t mind making breakfast in my room. We always eat at a nice restaurant on our last night of the vacation. I’d rather eat breakfast and lunch at the hotel and then spend much money on a delicious supper.

1. With ________, you can pay less at restaurants and shops.

A．ID cards

B．tourism cards

C．bank cards

D．phone cards

2. The underlined words “tourist attractions” in Paragraph 2 mean ________.

A．旅游方式

B．旅游设施

C．旅游手册

D．旅游景点

3. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．How to save money when traveling.

B．How to get a tourism card.

C．How to find a hotel outside a city.

D．How to book a room on the Internet.

6 . Traveling without a map in different countries. I find out about different ways of giving directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”

Foreign tourists are often puzzled in Japan because most streets there don’t have name signs. In Japan, people use landmarks (标志性建筑) to give directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the comer. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”

People in Los Angeles, the US, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance by time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “It’s about five minutes from here.” You don’t understand completely. “Yes, but how many miles away is it, please?” To this question you won’t get an answer, because most probably they don’t know it themselves.

People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because tourists seldom understand the Greek language. Instead, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.

Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. What happens in the situation? A New Yorker might say. “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People there believe that “I don’t” is impolite. They usually give an answer, but often a wrong one. So a tourist can get lost very easily in Yucatan! However, one thing will help you reach your destination everywhere in the world. It’s body language.

1. Which of the following is probably an example of Japanese directions?

A．“The post office is at Street Kamira.”

B．“Turn right at the hospital and go past a school.”

C．“The post office is about five minutes from here.”

D．“Go south two miles. Turn west and then go another mile.”

2. Why don’t people in Los Angeles give directions in miles?

A．They prefer to lead you the way.

B．They prefer to use body language.

C．They use landmarks to give directions instead of distance.

D．They often have no idea of distance measured by miles.

3. How do Greeks give directions?

A．Using street names.	B．Leading the way.
C．Using landmarks.	D．Giving people a wrong direction.

4. According to the last paragraph, we can learn that ______.

A．people in Mexico know street names well

B．body language makes you get lost in Yucatan

C．people in Mexico prefer to use body language

D．people in Yucatan sometimes give wrong directions

7 . My 12-year-old niece was staying with us for a little while. One night we stayed up talking about how we used to _______ and take part in random (随机的) acts of kindness. We talked about how so much had _______ and how it would be difficult to do so many of those things now, _______ when it came to helping out strangers.

The next day, I _______ something from downtown and took her with me. As we walked around, we heard a beautiful male voice _______. We turned around to see a middle-aged man sitting on a corner with his guitar. A couple was sitting on a bench nearby and listening to his _______.

After I ran my errand (差事), we _______ to sit at an outdoor restaurant across from him on the other side of the street. My niece kept _______ and saying how wonderful his singing was. Seeing how moved she was by his music, at the end of our _______, I gave her a $10 bill and asked her to put it in his bowl.

She was ________, but headed over. As she ________, the man was just finishing a song, and they had a conversation. She told him how ________ she was by his music, and he told her she ________ his day.As she was excitedly talking about the ________ with me, she mentioned, “He didn’t even know how much it was. He just ________ that someone was enjoying his music.”

1.

A．volunteer

B．exercise

C．communicate

D．research

2.

A．remained

B．changed

C．reached

D．improved

3.

A．simply

B．luckily

C．usually

D．especially

4.

A．bought

B．found

C．needed

D．chose

5.

A．singing

B．speaking

C．shouting

D．crying

6.

A．speech

B．music

C．stories

D．advice

7.

A．failed

B．expected

C．agreed

D．happened

8.

A．asking

B．arguing

C．smiling

D．joking

9.

A．visit

B．talk

C．shopping

D．meal

10.

A．surprised

B．tired

C．worried

D．excited

11.

A．appeared

B．approached

C．left

D．passed

12.

A．bothered

B．touched

C．relaxed

D．encouraged

13.

A．took

B．set

C．filled

D．made

14.

A．conversation

B．situation

C．event

D．accident

15.

A．considered

B．remembered

C．valued

D．understood

9 . A crowd cheered Kunle Adeyanju as he turned off his motorbike engine after completing a tiring 41-day trip. The 44-year-old left London on April 19 and arrived in Nigeria’s commercial center Lagos on Sunday after travelling more than 8, 000 miles across 13 countries. He started the impressive journey to raise funds for Rotary International to deal with polio(小儿麻痹症）in his native Nigeria.

Accompanied by a dozen bikers for the last stretch of the journey from the Republic of Benin , Adeyanju was welcomed by supporters in Ikeja, in central Lagos. Adeyanju, called “Lion Heart” by fans won popularity among the public by posting daily pictures with comments about his journey on social media. At every stop along the way, he was greeted by enthusiastic supporters.

He did face some challenges, like the one in Mali where one of his wheels broke. “I was standing in the middle of the night, alone in a bush, not knowing what to do,without speaking the language,”he said, explaining he had to walk to the nearest village.“Fortunately, the locals helped me. ”Not all of the challenges he faced were solved smoothly.“Mauritania, a country in northwest Africa, was ‘terrible’, ” he said, after he got robbed of hundreds of euros. “The worst experience,” he added.

The former Shell employee self-funded his trip with $ 20, 400 in savings,hoping to raise up to $ 48million for Rotary International. “I have been suffering from a lack of sleep lately because I slept only three to four hours per night. But I feel proud because I finished this challenge,” Adeyanju said just after he arrived, wiping the sweat off his face. Adeyanju added that he is now planning to have a possible cycling trip to Ghana or a bike ride to Israel to help raise more funds. And he has another dream: to climb Mount Qomolangma.

1. Why did Adeyanju go on the 41-day trip?

A．To challenge himself.	B．To help fight polio.
C．To connect with more people.	D．To advertise Rotary International.

2. How did Adeyanju become popular during the journey?

A．By using the title “Lion Heart”.	B．By commenting on other bikers’ journeys.
C．By sharing his experiences online.	D．By showing his deep love for his hometown.

3. What made Adeyanju’s experience in Mauritania unpleasant?

A．His getting lost in the bush.	B．His failing to understand the locals.
C．His meeting with crime.	D．His motorbike’s breaking down.

4. Which words can best describe Adeyanju?

A．Caring and determined.	B．Generous and sensitive.
C．Reliable and enthusiastic.	D．Adventurous and confident.