1 . Jenna had graduated from middle school and was ready for new _____ in high school.

_____ , high school was different. In the first week, Jenna tried out for a cheerleading team. She _____ very excellent girls, and she knew it would be difficult for her to be chosen. Two hours later, the judge（裁判） _____ a list of the girls for the second try-out. Her name wasn’t on the list. Feeling _____ , she walked home carrying her schoolbag full of homework.

_____ home, she started with math. She had always been a good math student, but now she was _____. She moved on to English and history, and was _____ to find that she didn’t have any trouble with those subjects. Feeling better, she decided not to _____ math for the time being.

The next day in   ______ class, Jenna spent most of her time working out the problems that had given her so much ______ . By the end of class, she finally got the answers. As she gathered (收拢)her books, Jenna ______ she’d continue to try to fit in at her new school. She wasn’t sure if she’d succeed, but she knew she had to ______ . High school was just as her mom had said, "You will feel like a small fish in a big pond ______ a big fish in a small pond. The challenge is to become the ______ fish you can be."

1.

A．courses

B．decisions

C．challenges

D．exercises

2.

A．So

B．However

C．Therefore

D．Besides

3.

A．fought

B．connected

C．beat

D．encouraged

4.

A．pronounced

B．forgot

C．saw

D．heard

5.

A．strange

B．happy

C．sad

D．lonely

6.

A．Arriving

B．Going

C．Staying

D．Leaving

7.

A．struggling

B．improving

C．working

D．continuing

8.

A．anxious

B．disappointed

C．scared

D．relaxed

9.

A．work with

B．prepare for

C．worry about

D．give up

10.

A．physics

B．history

C．English

D．math

11.

A．pleasure

B．hope

C．trouble

D．courage

12.

A．decided

B．accepted

C．refused

D．felt

13.

A．swim

B．try

C．ask

D．travel

14.

A．in exchange for

B．in case of

C．in terms of

D．instead of

15.

A．thinnest

B．smallest

C．best

D．gentlest

2 . SPACE: THE FINAL FRONTIER

“Are we alone? What’s out there?” Looking up at the stars, people have always wanted to learn more about space, and scientists work hard to find answers. They make vehicles to carry brave people into space to find out the secrets of the universe. They also really wish to discover other planets that are suitable enough to support life.

Before the mid-20th century, most people felt travelling into space was an impossible dream. However, some scientists were determined to help humans realise their dream to explore space. After many experiments, they succeeded in making rockets that could escape Earth’s gravity. On 4 October 1957, the Sputnik 1 satellite was launched by the USSR and successfully orbited around Earth. Afterwards, the USSR focused on sending people into space, and on 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person in the world to go into space. Over eight years later, on 20 July 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, famously saying, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Following this, many more goals were achieved. For example, America’s NASA space agency launched Voyager 1 on 5 September 1977 to study deep space, and it still transmits data today.

Although scientists try to make sure nothing goes wrong, accidents can still happen. All the astronauts on the USSR’s Soyuz 11 and America’s Challenger died during their missions. These disasters made everyone sad and disappointed, but the desire to explore the universe never died. This is because people believe in the importance of carrying on space exploration despite the huge risks. An example of this ongoing work is the International Space Station. It orbits Earth and has astronauts from different countries on board, providing a continuous human presence in space.

China’s space programme started later than those of Russia and the US, but it has made great progress in a short time. China became the third country in the world to independently send humans into space in 2003, when Yang Liwei successfully orbited Earth in the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft. Then Shenzhou 6 and 7 completed a second manned orbit and the first Chinese spacewalk, followed by the vehicle Jade Rabbit being sent to the moon to study its surface. After that, China launched the Tiangong 2 space lab into space and Tianzhou 1 to dock with it. This signalled one step further in China’s plan to establish a space station in the future. More recently, China has sent Chang’e 4 to explore the surface of the far side of the moon to make measurements and observations.

The future of space exploration remains bright. Europe, the US, and China all have plans to further study and explore planets like Mars and Jupiter. Despite the difficulties, scientists hope future discoveries will not only enable us to understand how the universe began, but also help us survive well into the future.

1. 语篇结构

(1)________ (2)________ (3)________ (4)________(5)________
2. What had happened before the Sputnik 1 satellite was launched?

A．Many experiments on rockets had been carried out.

B．Yuri Gagarin had got well prepared to fly into space.

C．America’s NASA had made great research on rockets.

D．Quite a few severe accidents had killed some astronauts.

3. What can be inferred from Neil Armstrong’s words?

A．Neil Armstrong has made unbelievable achievements.

B．It is easy for him to step onto the surface of the moon.

C．Human beings have made a great breakthrough in history.

D．In exploring space the US achieved more than the USSR.

4. How did the scientists react after the disasters happened?

A．They gave up building the task.

B．They rose to the challenge bravely.

C．They felt disappointed and hopeless.

D．They decided to put off the exploration.

5. What’s the author’s attitude to space exploration?

A．Supportive

B．Unconcerned.

C．Objective.

D．Negative.

3 . I used to walk around the store with my parents, constantly begging for something. I still remember the _______ of all the bright bags of chips and candies that I asked my mom to _______ for me. At that time, I had no real _______ about the value of money.

When I was about twelve years old, my dad always _________my begging and told me with an angry face "You can waste all the money you _______ when you have a job." I listened to him, but I never really understood the message he was trying to express to me.

I _______ to find a part-time job when I was 18. One day, a young man handed me a flyer (传单), which said at the top "Looking for a summer job? Be a _______!" I started to think about the money I could make, so I applied. A few minutes after my application was _______, I got an email from AMS Pools, informing me to have a(n) _______ the next day.

After I __________ the training process, I finally started the job. Every afternoon, I worked in the pool, keeping a close watch on the __________ people. I was proud I rescued several drowning children. And I could earn my pocket money with my skill. __________, the more money I made, the less I wanted to spend. Instead of wasting my money on __________ things, I started saving up. As the pay increased, so did my understanding of money. I came to __________ that money meant so much more to me because I was the one working for it. Because I value my money, I limit myself to what I buy. I now have 3,300 dollars in my bank __________.

1.

A．photo

B．scene

C．symbol

D．dream

2.

A．present

B．produce

C．prepare

D．buy

3.

A．knowledge

B．command

C．skill

D．technology

4.

A．followed

B．appreciated

C．rejected

D．accepted

5.

A．earn

B．spot

C．lose

D．discover

6.

A．failed

B．agreed

C．pretended

D．decided

7.

A．waiter

B．secretary

C．nurse

D．lifeguard

8.

A．sent

B．delayed

C．cancelled

D．ignored

9.

A．instruction

B．interview

C．performance

D．flight

10.

A．came across

B．took over

C．gave up

D．went through

11.

A．skating

B．dancing

C．swimming

D．riding

12.

A．Besides

B．Therefore

C．Anyhow

D．However

13.

A．meaningful

B．useless

C．important

D．necessary

14.

A．complain

B．comment

C．regret

D．realize

15.

A．account

B．password

C．book

D．logo

4 . One rainy afternoon I was sitting at home feeling so bored. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I wanted to meet people and have new ________, so I decided to start volunteering. I found a website where I could volunteer on a farm in France.

Volunteering ________ so many opportunities to have fun and share fantastic stories. It was the first time for me to work on a farm. It was almost a(n) ________ holiday as food and accommodation were provided. It was not one ________ holiday, however, as I had to ________ fifteen horses and sheep! I soon discovered that I was an awful farmer but it did not matter because I made some great friends and also improved my ________.

However, you do not ________ go abroad to volunteer. I have had plenty of adventures at home as volunteering can become a ________. For example, I love singing, so I enjoyed waving my arms in order to ________ my local choir (合唱团). At university, I organized a concert for charity with my friends. It was really ________ to find bands and raise money for a cause.

It is true that you feel good about volunteering but there are also other ________. I once volunteered as a steward (干事) at a charity sports event where the organizers ________ gave me a cupcake from an expensive London bakery to thank me for my ________. I also volunteered in a charity shop so I found loads of nice cheap clothes to ________ my wardrobe (衣橱).

While this is all fun, my favourite aspect of volunteering is ________ and sharing stories. My terrible attempt at farming has given me funny stories to tell!

1.

A．opportunities

B．discoveries

C．experiences

D．changes

2.

A．recommends

B．offers

C．misses

D．affects

3.

A．free

B．impressive

C．cheap

D．special

4.

A．unique

B．nervous

C．convenient

D．typical

5.

A．hunt for

B．research into

C．attend to

D．communicate with

6.

A．English

B．Chinese

C．Russian

D．French

7.

A．normally

B．basically

C．necessarily

D．naturally

8.

A．trend

B．hobby

C．job

D．reality

9.

A．greet

B．conduct

C．organize

D．control

10.

A．meaningful

B．hopeful

C．powerful

D．successful

11.

A．adventures

B．achievements

C．factors

D．advantages

12.

A．proudly

B．cautiously

C．equally

D．generously

13.

A．patience

B．services

C．determination

D．choices

14.

A．decorate

B．replace

C．update

D．beautify

15.

A．choosing

B．imagining

C．creating

D．completing

5 . Parents have widely different views on pocket money. Five new fathers were asked this question and this is how they answered.

Ashish Khanna: Although many argue that pocket money helps develop children's sense of value, I don’t agree. I wouldn’t give my child any pocket money. First of all, I never got pocket money when I was a child and I seem to have a good sense of value. If my child ever wants something and I feel it is necessary, I will buy it for him.

Sharad Sanghi: I wouldn’t give my child pocket money because I don't want her to form the perception (看法) of “her” money and “my” money. Besides, if I refuse to buy her something that I think is bad for her, she may buy it with her pocket money secretly. I feel it also encourages children to care more about money than anything else. I don’t want my child to start judging other children by the amount of money they have.

Rakesh Shah: I would give my child pocket money. I feel that children should learn to spend money intelligently and not go overboard on spending. They will learn what their limitations (局限) are and feel the difficulty when they have to pay for something that they can’t afford.

Rajiv Patel: I would give my child pocket money because it is important for her to learn how to manage money. I will give her a fixed amount every month and if she spends all the money before the month is over, then she will learn a lesson and not spend money so freely.

Vikram Desai: I would certainly give my child pocket money. But I would not give it to him on a weekly or monthly basis. He would have to earn it. If he helps me finish some of my jobs or helps his mother with housework, I will reward him. This helps him realize that “money does not grow on trees” and it needs hard work to earn money.

1. What do you know about Ashish Khanna?

A．Pocket money helps children develop better.

B．He can have much control of his child by money.

C．He was given too much pocket money when young.

D．He will buy something he thinks his child really needs.

2. What do Rakesh Shah and Rajiv Patel have in common?

A．They allow their children to spend money freely.

B．They want their children to learn to manage money.

C．They teach their children the difficulty of making money.

D．They ask their children to get pocket money by working.

3. According to Vikram Desai, what do children learn from earning pocket money?

A．Money is not easy to get.

B．Money can be got from trees.

C．One can get lots of money if he/she works hard.

D．Money is not so important to people nowadays.

4. Who would give his child pocket money every month?

A．Ashish Khanna.

B．Sharad Sanghi.

C．Rakesh Shah.

D．Rajiv Patel.

6 . Very few of us become fluent in another language by learning it in high school. I went to university and then moved across the country to seek a demanding job, married and _____ children. I made a(n) _____ to keep the little French I learned in school, but eventually I realized that this was really pointless. I was quite aware that new languages are best learned when young and that our abilities in that regard decline with _____ .

However, just before my 50th birthday, I _____ French classes. After I was tested to see which group I belonged to, I was placed at almost the introductory _____ . When I looked around at my first class, I was surprised that many of the students were learning French as a third, fourth or even fifth language.

Contrary to my _____ that learning a new language was impossibly difficult, there were people who learned new languages as a matter of course. While I had always thought of myself as a _____ learner, that was no longer the case. I _____ new vocabulary rather slowly. What I learned one week ago seemed to _____ as soon as I learned the next skill. I had to look up the same words and language structures over and over. Now, after several years of learning, I can listen to the news in French and ______ 90% of it on the first try, read a novel if the language isn’t too difficult and carry on a conversation if it doesn’t go too fast. I’ve learned so much beyond grammar and vocabulary. I’ve met people from around the world and all walks of life who have the ______ to make a fool of themselves in order to learn something new. I’ve been taught by patient and inspirational teachers from many corners of the world. Listening to the news as it is ______ to the people of France, I have a renewed understanding of how something can look ______ different from another viewpoint. I’ve learned that a language is not just a set of words, but a way of ______ . But most of all, I’ve learned that it is never too ______ to learn something new.

1.

A．found

B．raised

C．chose

D．escaped

2.

A．action

B．grade

C．operation

D．effort

3.

A．health

B．concern

C．interest

D．age

4.

A．got ready for

B．got on with

C．signed up for

D．fell in love with

5.

A．level

B．position

C．attempt

D．test

6.

A．agreement

B．research

C．belief

D．action

7.

A．slow

B．confident

C．serious

D．quick

8.

A．absorbed

B．overcame

C．created

D．recognized

9.

A．go down

B．pay off

C．slip away

D．build up

10.

A．understand

B．recite

C．guess

D．hear

11.

A．chance

B．trick

C．desire

D．courage

12.

A．faded

B．stopped

C．returned

D．presented

13.

A．completely

B．equally

C．roughly

D．slightly

14.

A．working

B．thinking

C．living

D．learning

15.

A．slow

B．impossible

C．late

D．inconvenient

7 . Limericks (五行打油诗) are usually humorous, and have five lines: the first two rhyme, the two in the middle rhyme, and the last line rhymes with the first two lines. Here is how to write a limerick.

Pick what you would like your limerick to be about. It could be about mice, a tree, a person, or whatever.

__________. Don’t end it with something you can’t rhyme-like “orange”, Start it like “There once was a man who ate limes (酸橙)” or something like that.

Your next line has to rhyme with the first line. If you use “There once was a man who ate limes”, your second line could be like “ He ate them all the time” or “ And sampled various wines”. Your limerick would now be like “There once was a man who ate limes/And sampled various wines”.

The third and fourth lines have to be related to the first part of your limerick, but are not with the same rhyme. They could be like, “ He wouldn’t touch a tomato/It tasted too much like potatoes” or something along those lines.

The fifth line must rhyme with the first two lines.Your last line could be like, “And potatoes, you know, do not shine” or something like that.

Your entire limerick would be kind of like this: There once was a man who ate limes/And sampled various wines/ He wouldn’t touch a tomato/It tasted too much like potatoes/And potatoes, you know, do not shine.

If you don’t like your limerick, you can always go back and change it. It’s not permanent.

1. What should be cared about most to write limericks?

A．The length.	B．The rhyme.
C．The structure.	D．The style.

2. Which can most properly fit the blank in Paragraph 3?

A．Consider your limerick.	B．Decide a perfect content.
C．Care for your words.	D．Start your first line.

3. How does the writer develop the text?

A．By giving an example.	B．By testing some theories.
C．By analyzing cause and effect.	D．By following the time order.

4. What might be the most suitable title for the text?

A．How to Write a Limerick

B．How to Appreciate a Limerick

C．How to Analyze Limericks Exactly

D．How to Organize Five Lines into a Limerick

9 . The earthquake was over and the city was in ruins.

I had no choice but to walk home as all the _______ had stopped as a result of the quake. On my way home I _______ an old lady at a bakery (烘焙店) giving out free bread, which made my heart warm. A man was holding a sign saying,“ Please use our _______ .” He was opening his house for people to go to the toilet.

My friend, who wanted to be of help to others, stood in the cold with a sign “If you don’t _______ a motorcycle (摩托车), I’ll be glad to drive you home.”

Then the next day I drove to have my car _______ . There was not enough _______ now and many gas stations were either closed or had very _______ lines. I got worried, since I was behind fifteen cars. Finally, when my _______ came, the man smiled and said, “Because of this situation, we are only giving $30 worth of gas per person. Is that all right?” “Of course. It’s nice that we are all able to _______,” I said. His smile gave me so much comfort.

At the escape center I saw a man ________ when people brought food to him. It was the first time in three days that food had been ________ there. However, after he dried the tears, his next ________ surprised me. “I am very ________ that we are provided with food. But people in the city next to us haven’t ________ any food at all. Please go to that center as well.” Hearing that, I realized there was a bright future on the other side of this ________ .

1.

A．life

B．business

C．help

D．traffic

2.

A．saw

B．missed

C．rescued

D．caught

3.

A．bedroom

B．bathroom

C．living room

D．kitchen

4.

A．buy

B．care

C．matter

D．mind

5.

A．cleaned up

B．washed down

C．filled up

D．pulled up

6.

A．gas

B．information

C．food

D．water

7.

A．direct

B．fine

C．long

D．short

8.

A．time

B．turn

C．order

D．decision

9.

A．share

B．offer

C．learn

D．choose

10.

A．crying

B．eating

C．smiling

D．singing

11.

A．brought

B．stored

C．left

D．kept

12.

A．ways

B．roles

C．words

D．promises

13.

A．sure

B．grateful

C．shocked

D．proud

14.

A．cooked

B．wasted

C．prepared

D．received

15.

A．disaster

B．chance

C．city

D．center

10 . As more and more books become movie adaptations, I can’t help but think how this will affect English classes in America. Thinking back to my years in middle and high school—ten years ago, I would be rewarded if I read a number of classics. Today, a majority of those books are also rearranged into movies: Life of Pi, The Great Gatsby, Much Ado About Nothing and Anna Karenina, to name but a few.

Even modern books such as The Hunger Games and Harry Potter have been adapted for the big screen. In discussion with my students, I often hear them say they are not going to read books because movies will come out soon, which makes me wonder what effect movie adaptations have on modern-day students. Will the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) encourage them to read books more carefully or to use movies to improve their understanding of the text?

The CCSS require students to provide text-based evidence when they are reading and discussing a book. By focusing on such evidence, teachers can pull specific details from a book that may have been cut when the book was adapted for the big screen. For instance, after reading and watching The Hunger Games — there were a number of details from the book that were missing from the movie — many people were disappointed with Rue’s meek (温顺的) movie role. A student who failed to read The Hunger Games would not quite understand Rue’s impact on the games in the same way as someone who had read the book and remembered all the details about her death.

I am not saying the CCSS will stop students from cutting corners, but I believe if teachers use the support the CCSS provide, it can be a great roadway to ensure all students are digging deeply into texts and not just pressing the play button.

1. Ten years ago, what did students in America do?

A．They were fond of reading all kinds of novels.

B．They were forbidden to discuss movies in class.

C．They were not allowed to watch movies in the cinema.

D．They were encouraged to read many literature works.

2. How can movie adaptations affect modern-day students?

A．They spend less time in studying.	B．They can’t understand English texts.
C．They spend less time in reading.	D．They discuss movies more frequently.

3. What can we learn from the third paragraph?

A．The Hunger Games is the worst movie adaptation.

B．It is a waste of time reading and discussing a book in class.

C．Movie adaptations may bring trouble in understanding the books.

D．Rue’s impact on the games is perfectly presented in the movie.

4. According to the text, what can we know about the CCSS?

A．They may prevent students watching movies.

B．They may provide students with well-known movies.

C．They may encourage students to write novels.

D．They may provide guidance on teaching and learning.