1 . My best friend traveled to stay with our family last weekend. When she arrived, she went straight to the kitchen and, without asking, ate a spoonful of raspberry jam and some dried fruit. She wasn’t being rude. I knew she would do this. We’ve known each other for almost 20 years. She can eat anything she wants from my kitchen. Indeed, I bought her favorite fruits and snacks at the shop that morning.

Our long weekend together was luxuriously (惬意地) simple. I was recovering from surgery (手术) and couldn’t go to shopping malls. We passed the time running errands (做杂事), going to the post office and collecting dry cleaning. We drank way too many cappuccinos. But we talked about every little detail of our lives.

There’s never been a quiet moment in our friendship. We’ve lived in different cities for almost a decade. Reunions demand constant conversation. our personalities are matched, to be sure, and a shared history is indescribably valuable. We were competitors in high school before bonding over a bad experience. Then we discovered the many interests that we had in common. Our friendship cemented (巩固) itself quickly. We stayed companions through law school, through our first jobs and our first boyfriends. We supported each other through break-ups and breakthroughs. Ours is a friendship for the ages.

There is something special about friends who know everyone and everything about you. They are rare. These are the people you’ve chosen to witness your life. They have seen the bright lights of achievement, the depths of despair (绝望) and the boring routine (平淡乏味) of the in-between.

It’s special to unpack feelings and frustrations without wasting time filling in the blanks. As my long weekend shows, with such friends we don’t have to “do”, we simply have to “be”. We drop the act, the performance, the public version of ourselves.

The special friendships are those which never fail to delight, the continuation of which is worth the extra effort, despite distance and difference sneaking (溜进) into your separate lives. I had the very great joy of this reminder last weekend. I’m lucky to have found this friend, to see a future where her companionship remains. Being together is perfection.

1. What happened during her best friend’s visit?

A．They enjoyed an eventful long weekend.	B．They bonded by having long conversations.
C．They made their favorite snacks and coffee.	D．They talked about recent news events.

2. One thing that the author appreciates about their friendship is that ______.

A．they help each other deal with the boredom of life

B．they prefer to witness each other’s lives from far away

C．they try to show each other their best selves

D．they are comfortable being themselves when together

3. Which of the following would the author agree with?

A．Charm comes from differences.	B．Politeness brings best friends closer.
C．Good friendships last naturally.	D．Good friendships need devotion.

4. The author’s main purpose in writing this article is to ______.

A．describe what her best friend is like	B．tell about the friendship she treasures
C．explore the key aspects of friendship	D．express thanks to her best friend

2 . Do you know what is the most beautiful sound in the world?

Being in the same dormitory in university, one of my classmates, who was from a big city, had never______his parents. He said that there was no phone at home and it was OK for. him ,to write to his parents. We were_____ - he lived in a modern city, why not_______ a telephone at home?

After the summer vacation, he often went to bed to listen to a tape_____, which was taken from his home. Sometimes he was crying in______. We proposed to_____ his tape to listen to. However, he____. One time when he was out, we got the ___. After we listened to it, it seemed that there wasn't______ in it. We were puzzled and put it back under his pillow. In the coming of graduation, he told us that his parents were deaf and unable to____. To make a living； his parents_____ all hardships and never got others’ ____. For his study, his parents' paid much attention to creating the best conditions for him. He had to ____ his parents to go to university after their living condition was better. He often_____them, especially when the night fell. His____was from “Silent Love” of his parents. He taped the sound of their______. He listened to it every night, feeling his_____ being with him.

We were_____ . Care from family is like light to____our misfortune ,and_____love is the most beautiful sound in the world.

1.

A．commented

B．phoned

C．contacted

D．mentioned

2.

A．surprised

B．delighted

C．excited

D．interested

3.

A．change

B．select

C．carry

D．fix

4.

A．eagerly

B．patiently

C．secretly

D．casually

5.

A．doubt

B．sadness

C．panic

D．anger

6.

A．borrow

B．wipe

C．record

D．release

7.

A．sighed

B．nodded

C．hesitated

D．refused

8.

A．pillow

B．recorder

C．telephone

D．tape

9.

A．something

B．everything

C．anything

D．nothing

10.

A．speak

B．read

C．see

D．walk

11.

A．forgot

B．suffered

C．overcame

D．feared

12.

A．blame

B．abuse

C．commitment

D．respect

13.

A．allow

B．leave

C．persuade

D．abandon

14.

A．missed

B．accompanied

C．upset

D．misunderstood

15.

A．achievement

B．confidence

C．kindness

D．talent

16.

A．singing

B．quarreling

C．breathing

D．sobbing

17.

A．friends

B．roommates

C．parents

D．relatives

18.

A．confused

B．scared

C．puzzled

D．touched

19.

A．put out

B．settle down

C．cast away

D．take in

20.

A．blind

B．silent

C．deep

D．true

3 . According to a new study from Cornell University, about one-fifth of the global population, of 2 billion people worldwide, will be forced to resettle or go deeper inland by 2100 due to the continuous rise in sea level.

The study, published in the journal Land Use Policy, showed that the growing global population could make the matter worse. The researchers expected that there are about 1.4 billon “climate change refugees(难民)” in the world by 2060 and by 2100 the number of the displaced people due to the rising sea level could reach up to two billion.

“We’re going to have more people on less land and sooner than we think,” said lead author Charles Geisler, professor at Cornell. “The future rise in global average sea level probably won’t be gradual. Yet few policy makers are observing the significant barriers that coastal climate refugees, like other refugees, will run into when they move to higher ground.”

For the study, the researchers reviewed(回顾) potential problems that climate change refugees may face if they go deeper inland. The researchers identified these land difficulties with relocation using three organizing groups. Including depletion(损耗) zones, win-lose zones and no-trespass(不得擅自进入) zones. By doing so, the researchers were able to provide primary estimates of their toll(损失) on inland resettlement space. The researchers found that some inland regions were unlikely to support new waves of climate change refugees due to the remains of war, road developments and rare natural resources.

Apart from the rising sea level, increasing storm weather and the booming global population are also having a huge influence on the number of climate change refugees. Storm can push seawater further inland. The increasing global population requires more land even as the ocean swallows up rich costal zones and river deltas(三角洲). These force people to search for new places to move to higher ground.

1. What would happen if the sea level were to rise?

A．2 billion people would be “refugees” by 2060.

B．50% of the population would lose their homes.

C．Inland regions would become more crowded.

D．Coastal regions would be polluted seriously.

2. What can be inferred from Charles Geisler’s words?

A．The sea level will go up in a little-by-little way.

B．Moving to higher land isn’t the key solution.

C．Land and population vary according to climate change.

D．Policy makers should think more for climate change refugees.

3. Why do climate change refugees fail to move to some inland regions?

A．Because they can’t live a common life there.

B．Because they can’t adapt to the climate there.

C．Because they may consume more than expected.

D．Because they will destroy the natural resources.

4. What does the author stress in the last paragraph?

A．Global warming is a double-edged sword.

B．In the future climate will become worse.

C．The earth will see more climate change refugees.

D．Sea will bring humans more disadvantages.

4 . For a long time Gabriel didn’t want to be involved in music at all. In his first years of high school, Gabriel would look pityingly at music students, _______across the campus with their heavy instrument cases, _______at school for practice hours _______ anyone else had to be there. He swore to himself to_______music, as he hated getting to school extra early.

_______, one day, in the music class that was _______of his school’s standard curriculum, he was playing idly (随意地)on the piano and found it _________to pick out tunes. With a sinking feeling, he realized that he actually _______doing it. He tried to hide his _______pleasure from the music teacher, who had ________over to listen. He might not have done this particularly well, ________the teacher told Gabriel that he had a good________and suggested that Gabriel go into the music store-room to see if any of the instruments there ________him. There he decided to give the cello(大提琴) a ________. When he began practicing, he took it very ________. But he quickly found that he loved playing this instrument, and was ________to practicing it so that within a couple of months he was playing reasonably well.

This ________, of course, that he arrived at school early in the morning, ________his heavy instrument case across the campus to the ________looks of the non-musicians he had left________.

1.

A．travelling

B．marching

C．pacing

D．struggling

2.

A．rising up

B．coming up

C．driving up

D．turning up

3.

A．before

B．after

C．until

D．since

4.

A．betray

B．accept

C．avoid

D．appreciate

5.

A．Therefore

B．However

C．Thus

D．Moreover

6.

A．part

B．nature

C．basis

D．spirit

7.

A．complicated

B．safe

C．confusing

D．easy

8.

A．missed

B．disliked

C．enjoyed

D．denied

9.

A．transparent

B．obvious

C．false

D．similar

10.

A．run

B．jogged

C．jumped

D．wandered

11.

A．because

B．but

C．though

D．so

12.

A．ear

B．taste

C．heart

D．voice

13.

A．occurred to

B．took to

C．appealed to

D．held to

14.

A．change

B．chance

C．mission

D．function

15.

A．seriously

B．proudly

C．casually

D．naturally

16.

A．committed

B．used

C．limited

D．admitted

17.

A．proved

B．showed

C．stressed

D．meant

18.

A．pushing

B．dragging

C．lifting

D．rushing

19.

A．admiring

B．pitying

C．annoying

D．teasing

20.

A．over

B．aside

C．behind

D．out

5 . Recently I understood the true meaning of love. The _________ was Kane, my neighbor Joline’s two-year-old son.

Kane was born with a physical problem on his _________. And I witnessed the _________ that Kane’s physical shortcomings had on his family. I also witnessed much more than that. I saw a _________ family that embraced (拥抱) this special child. A family that wouldn’t allow Kane to know he was _________. Joline had constructed a small cart just a few inches off the floor for his son to_______. Kane used his hands to move about, and the cart _________ him to “go to” any place just as everyone else was able to do. Kane was not just a member of the family, but the _________ of the family.

With a wide smile, it was easy to see that even at the age of two, Kane liked to _________ with people very much. With wisdom of an individual, this boy even __________ the most complex of human emotions. Later I came to __________that this child was sent to help some of us who weren’t just getting what love was all about.

Kane demanded attention, __________ not because of his mobility (移动能力) challenges or other apparent shortcomings. In his mind, he had no __________ or shortcomings. The __________ was that he received attention because he was alive and real and had so much to offer.

Kane __________ me in a deep way. His ability to refuse to be different has __________ me. Kane was and is __________ lots of warm and powerful energy to me. From him and his family I learnt the __________: love surpasses (超越) all things. I can only imagine that as the parent of a child like Kane one might be filled with __________. But I believe that having a child like Kane is actually a(n) __________. The parents of such special babies are angels too, just as the babies are.

1.

A．problem

B．reason

C．matter

D．pressure

2.

A．hands

B．eyes

C．legs

D．arms

3.

A．effect

B．comment

C．demand

D．look

4.

A．similar

B．wonderful

C．practical

D．fair

5.

A．irregular

B．difficult

C．different

D．terrible

6.

A．go ahead

B．speed up

C．turn out

D．get around

7.

A．invited

B．allowed

C．advised

D．caused

8.

A．symbol

B．signal

C．center

D．mark

9.

A．communicate

B．compare

C．agree

D．compete

10.

A．reminded

B．understood

C．discovered

D．trusted

11.

A．recognize

B．experience

C．imagine

D．realize

12.

A．and

B．or

C．but

D．as

13.

A．challenges

B．expectations

C．promises

D．chances

14.

A．goal

B．result

C．possibility

D．truth

15.

A．touched

B．stopped

C．caught

D．kept

16.

A．puzzled

B．shocked

C．amused

D．inspired

17.

A．even

B．yet

C．still

D．almost

18.

A．lesson

B．subject

C．notice

D．skill

19.

A．excitement

B．determination

C．anger

D．anxiety

20.

A．ability

B．advantage

C．problem

D．exception

6 . In a room at Texas Children Cancer Center in Houston, eight-year-old Simran Jatar lay in bed with a drip (点滴) above her to fight her bone cancer. Over her bald (秃的) head, she wore a pink hat that matched her clothes. But the third grader’s cheery dressing didn’t mask her pain and weary eyes.
Then a visitor showed up. “Do you want to write a song?” asked Anita Kruse, 49, rolling a cart equipped with an electronic keyboard, a microphone and speakers. Simran stared. “Have you ever written a poem?” Anita Kruse continued. “Well, yes,” Simran said.
Within minutes, Simran was reading her poem into the microphone. “Some bird soaring through the sky,” she said softly. “Imagination in its head…” Anita Kruse added piano music, a few warbling (鸣, 唱) birds, and finally the girl’s voice. Thirty minutes later, she presented Simran with a CD of her first recorded song.
That was the beginning of Anita Kruse’s project, Purple Songs Can Fly, one that has helped more than 125 young patients write and record songs. As a composer and pianist who had performed at the hospital, Kruse said that the idea of how she could help “came in one flash”.
The effect on the kids has been great. One teenage girl, curling (蜷缩) in pain in her wheelchair, stood unaided to dance to a hip-hop song she had written. A 12-year-old boy with Hodgkin’s disease who rarely spoke surprised his doctors with a song he called I Can Make It.
“My time with the kids is heartbreaking because of the severity of their illnesses,” says Anita Kruse. “But they also make you happy, when the children are smiling, excited to share their CD with their families.”
Simran is now an active sixth grader and cancer-free. From time to time, she and her mother listen to her song, Always Remembering, and they always remember the “really sweet and nice and loving” lady who gave them a shining moment in the dark hour.
1. Simran Jatar lay in bed in hospital because ________.

A．most of her hair had fallen out

B．she was receiving treatment for cancer

C．she felt depressed and quit from school

D．she was suffering from a pain in her back

2. What do we know about Anita Kruse’s project?

A．It helps young patients record songs.

B．It is supported by singers and patients.

C．It aims to replace the medical treatment.

D．It offers patients chances to realize their dreams.

3. What does the case of a 12-year-old boy suggest?

A．Most children are naturally fond of music.

B．He was brave enough to put up performance.

C．The project has positive effect on young patients.

D．Singing is the best way to treat some illnesses.

4. What is probably the best title for the passage?

A．Purple Songs Can Fly

B．Singing Can Improve Health

C．A Shining Moment in Life

D．A Kind Woman—Anita Kruse