1 . On the first day of my new high school, I almost had a nervous breakdown. Everything about the school seemed so difficult. On that first day I was late for every class and was constantly lost. The school seemed like a puzzle that I couldn't figure out. Was this how the whole year was going to be? I didn't think I could rise to this challenge, especially carrying a huge backpack that I could hardly lift. It was so big that I could knock someone out with it! The schoolmates seemed to regard me as a fool, and they were probably right.
Despite my fears, after the first week I finally had my schedule figured out. With the exception of falling up and down the stairs a couple of times and getting laughed at, high school was turning out to be not so bad. It was actually much better than middle school and much more challenging.
Since then, I've been elected vice monitor of my class, which wasn't much of a victory since only three people ran for the four positions.
It is normal to be scared about a new school. Take a deep breath and relax. High school is something that any student can overcome. Make sure you participate in some out-of-class activities because you'll find it easier to make friends. Try to do your best, even if it isn't straight A's.
Most important of all, be who you are, whether you're a "fool", an athlete, or a lower grader. Don't try to pretend to be someone you're not. Now you know the true secrets of high school.
1. The main reason for the author's fear on his first day is that .| A．he was not familiar with the new surroundings |
| B．his schoolmates were unfriendly to him |
| C．he was unable to work out the puzzle |
| D．his schoolbag was too heavy for him to carry |
| A．his home was far away from the school |
| B．he got to school after classes began |
| C．he didn't get any school schedule |
| D．he didn't know the right way to class |
| A．gradually adjusted himself to the new school |
| B．was still not accustomed to the schedule |
| C．found high school not so challenging as he had imagined |
| D．ran for monitor of his class against three other students |
| A．making more friends | B．getting more A's at school |
| C．being who he really is | D．joining in out-of-class activities |
2 . I was 15 years old the day I skipped school for the first time. It was easily done: Both my parents left for work before my school bus arrived, so when it showed up at my house on that cold winter morning, I simply did not get on. The perfect crime!
And what did I do with myself on that glorious stolen day, with no adult in charge and no limits on my activities? Did I get high? Hit the mall for a shoplifting extravaganza (狂欢)?
Nope. I built a warm fire in the wood stove, prepared a bowl of popcorn, grabbed a blanket, and read. I was thrilled and transported by a book ---- it was Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises ---- and I just needed to be alone with it for a little while. I ached to know what would happen to Jake Barens and Lady Brett Ashley and Robert Cohn. I couldn’t bear the thought of sitting in a classroom taking another biology exam when I could be traveling through Spain in the 1920s with a bunch of expatriates (异乡客).
I spent that day lost in words. Time fell away, as the room around me turned to mist, and my role ---- as a daughter, sister, teenager, and student ---- in the world no longer had any meaning. I had accidentally come across the key to perfect happiness: I had become completely absorbed by something I loved.
Looking back on it now, I can see that some subtle things were happening to my mind and to my life while I was in that state of absorption. Hemingway’s language was quietly braiding itself into my imaginations. I was downloading information about how to create simple and elegant sentences, a good and solid plot. In other words, I was learning how to write. Without realizing it, I was hot on the trail of my own fate. Writing now absorbs me the way reading once did and happiness is their generous side effect.
1. Why did the author skip school on that day?| A．Because she was fascinated by novel. | B．Because it was a cold winter morning. |
| C．Because she hated to take the biology exam. | D．Because her parents left home early. |
| A．Reading by the fire. | B．Travelling in Spain. |
| C．Being occupied by one’s passion. | D．Breaking the regulations. |
| A．I was tired of my real-life roles. |
| B．Hemingway’s style influenced me a lot. |
| C．Becoming a writer was my childhood dream. |
| D．I learnt how to write on the internet. |
3 . I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office？”
Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks（地标）in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office？” you ask. “Oh,” they answer “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it？” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan！
1. When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.| A．describe the place carefully. | B．show him a map of the place. |
| C．tell him the names of the streets. | D．refer to recognizable buildings and places. |
| A．New York. | B．Los Angeles. | C．Kansas. | D．Iowa. |
| A．To show cultural differences in showing directions. |
| B．To show how to ask the way properly in different countries. |
| C．To explain why people have similar understanding of direction. |
| D．To share the experience of traveling around the world. |
4 . The human brain remembers negative experiences more easily than positive ones. Our brains have developed in this way because threats, like dangerous animal, have a more immediate effect on people's survival compared to positive things like food or shelter. As a result, you clearly know what makes you unhappy, but do you know what makes you happy?
Research suggests that our level of happiness is partly shaped by the choices we make. If you've been chasing wealth, fame, power and some material things, you may be looking for happiness in the wrong places. Psychologists suggest that the following habits can make people happier.
People who own close relationships tend to be happier than those who do not. The number of our friends is not important. What matters is the quality of our relationships. Relationships that bring happiness usually consist of the sharing of feelings, acceptance, mutual respect and trust.
People who exercise regularly can improve both their physical and mental well-being. Some research has shown that exercise can be as effective as some medicine in treating depression.
If we are so interested in an activity, we may lose track of time, and we can be in a state of flow. The activity could be playing the piano, surfing the Internet or playing a game. People who experience flow in their work or life tend to be happier.
People are more likely to be happy if they know what their strengths are and can use them regularly. People are especially happy when they can set goals and use their strengths to achieve them.
People, who think positively by being grateful, mindful and optimistic, are more likely to be happy. Being grateful means being thankful. Being mindful means considering, focusing on, and enjoying the experiences of the present moment. Being optimistic means being hopeful about the future.
1. Human brains remember negative things more easily because negative things_________.| A．tend to affect human survival immediately |
| B．are much more important than other thing |
| C．can make people live much happier |
| D．are easy to remember |
| A．being famous | B．setting life goals |
| C．chasing power | D．earning money |
| A．think more about our future |
| B．focus on everything in our life |
| C．be positive in our life and work |
| D．only enjoy the present moment |
| A．Why people remember positive things easily. |
| B．Why people remember negative things easily. |
| C．What makes people happy. |
| D．What makes people sad. |
5 . Science had always believed that trees competed with each other for carbon, sunlight, water and nutrients. But an ecologist, Suzanne Simard, says trees have a complex and interconnected social network existing underground. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to a surprising discovery: trees talk, communicating often and over vast distances. Trees are much more like us humans. They are extremely social and depend on each other for their survival.
Simard planted 240 trees in a Canadian forest and started her experiments. Once she discovered a loud sound of communication between the fir (冷杉）and birch (白梓树）trees who were sharing carbon with each other. She found birch sent carbon to fir, especially when it was shaded. Later the opposite happened. When the birch was leafless in winter, the fir sent over more carbon.
Simard’s groundbreaking work showed that trees are interdependent and cooperative. In fact, they are immersed in deep relationships with each other. The trees were having conversations via the mycelium (菌丝). These messages determined which trees needed certain nutrients. They communicated via carbon, nitrogen, and chemicals and then shared these elements, balancing the entire forest.
The mycelium connects different individuals in the same forest, from the same species and other species. This network works in a similar way to the Internet.
She discovered that mother trees care for and protect the younger trees and that a single mother tree can be connected to hundreds of other trees. Trees talk, and through these conversations they increase the adaptability of the whole community. It’s a magical community of trees all supporting each other.
Suzanne’s research has important environmental implications for the destruction of our forests. She says that when mother trees are injured or dying, they send their wisdom onto the next generation, but they can't do this if they are all wiped out at the same time. She hopes that her research will change the way we practice forestry.
1. The main purpose of the passage is to ___________.| A．report some new discoveries about trees |
| B．introduce different species of trees in a forest |
| C．explain the reasons for the destruction of forests |
| D．discover similarities between human beings and trees |
| A．enthusiastic | B．involved | C．lacking | D．sceptical |
| A．Mycelium plays a significant role in balancing the entire forest. |
| B．The fir and birch trees supplied carbon to each other when facing difficulties. |
| C．The wisdom of mother trees cannot always pass down to the next generation . |
| D．The Internet is mentioned to show it is possible to use advanced technology in forests. |
6 . Whether you admit it or not, people's love for Christmas Jumper（毛衣）around Christmas has increased over recent years. And while you may be less willing to get involved in the Christmas jumper trend, Christmas Jumper Day now enables you to do more with your jumper than build up sweat in an incredibly warm office.
The origin of the Christmas jumper can date back to the late 19th century in the USA. Americans in the 1930s knitted（编织）for Christmas to create an item of clothing to keep them “warm” during the Great Depression（大萧条）when people led a poor and miserable life. They copied the jumpers they saw their favorite stars wearing on the big screen. From the 1950s, it was common to see American families wearing festive jumpers as they sat down to eat their Christmas dinner.
Now, alongside wearing a festive jumper for the fun of it, there are other positive outcomes. Christmas Jumper Day has been set up to stimulate people to make the world better and raise funds for save the Children by wearing a Christmas jumper and making a minimum donation of £1. Ladbrokes, a company in the UK, is running a competition in which all you have to do is to take a selfie（自拍）outside of one of their shops while wearing a jumper—the winner will win a good prize and for every submission（提交作品）, Ladbrokes will donate £5 to St. Luke's Hospice charity. For you, it's a win-win situation.
If you're still unconvinced that it's about time you bought yourself a Christmas jumper, then maybe the fact that Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Snoop Dogg have all been spotted wearing Christmas jumpers will raise your enthusiasm. Retailer（零售商）such as Topshop, Burberry and H&M have also become devoted to Christmas Jumper Day and have their very own types of Christmas jumpers.
1. Which statement is true according to paragraph 1?| A．Wearing Christmas jumpers in the office has been a trend. |
| B．Wearing Christmas jumpers can make you incredibly warm. |
| C．Christmas jumpers have gained huge popularity. |
| D．Christmas jumpers serve many functions. |
| A．To protect them from cold weather. | B．To lift their spirits. |
| C．To follow the stars. | D．To form a tradition. |
| A．demand | B．advise | C．encourage | D．persuade |
7 . My dad was a farmer in the Midwest and he spent his winters selling insurance. Dad could really talk up anyone and his favorite thing to do was find out their income. Once we were at Chicago's O'Hare airport. Dad was sitting with me as I waited for my flight to Fort Lauderdale. A Russian guy who sat down next to my dad could not speak a word of English but this did not stop my dad. He found out his business, how many children he had and of course how much he made.
I used to be a little embarrassed by this, but I changed later. It was in the last year of dad's life. As I was home visiting with my husband and twins and I was in the car with my mom, she told me a story about how she was in the doctor's office with dad and how he was his usual self-talking away to the others in the waiting room. She said he started talking to this young man in a wheel chair who could not talk, could not move his arms or head, really couldn't do anything. But dad was asking questions and got the young man to smile in response. And he carried on like that with the disabled man till he was called back to the doctor's office. When the young man and his father got up to see the doctor, the father of the young man came over and shook my dad's hands and said, "Thank you for speaking to my son. Most people just turn away when they see him.''
My father ended up dying later that month, a sudden heart attack. Fortunately, all the 9 children of his had been home that summer to visit. I told this story at his funeral（葬礼）. Truly, my dad was one who never knew a stranger.
1. What was the author's dad most interested in when talking with strangers?| A．What fields they worked in. |
| B．What insurance they bought. |
| C．How much they made yearly. |
| D．How many children they had. |
| A．calling in the doctor in time |
| B．chatting with his disabled son |
| C．comforting the other patients |
| D．teaching his disabled son to smile |
| A．To well remember her dad. |
| B．To entertain the whole family. |
| C．To introduce her dad's business. |
| D．To change strangers, opinion of her dad. |
8 . One of the most exciting parts of senior year is deciding where your class will go on your senior trip. It’s a time when you get to relax and celebrate getting through the past thirteen years with your class. Many schools use money their class has saved over the years and organization of the trip is done with the student union and teachers. If your school doesn’t organize class trips, you can gather your closest friends and take a trip.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California is the center of the entertainment industry. In Los Angeles enjoy Universal Studios amusement park and Hollywood Walk of Fame for entertainment.
Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida is a great location to go for your senior trip. It is the home of Walt Disney World, where thrill seekers can enjoy the roller-coasters and other rides. Others may want to enjoy the environment and Disney atmosphere, which is enjoyable for adults and children alike.
Salt Lake City
For a colder trip, spend the days skiing and take the evening to curl up (蜷作一团) in front of a fire and socialize in the mountains of Utah. Try different restaurants in the area or visit local attractions for a change of pace. Most ski popular holiday centers close for the season in mid-April so if this is a choice, plan for the trip in March or earlier.
New York City
New York City, the Big Apple, is a great location for students that attend countryside schools. Students that live in farm country without the noise of a large city will enjoy the action that is happening continuously, no matter what time of day or night. Students can visit well-known areas such as the Statue of Liberty and Central Park, along with visiting some museums. There are multiple hotels and restaurants to suit any tastes.
1. What’s the purpose of the author in writing the text?| A．To recommend good trips for seniors in high school. |
| B．To introduce some famous American cities to readers. |
| C．To remind students to prepare graduation celebration. |
| D．To encourage schools to organize short holiday trips. |
| A．fine food |
| B．thrilling scenery |
| C．history museums |
| D．entertainment industry |
| A．Los Angeles |
| B．Orlando, Florida |
| C．Salt Lake City |
| D．New York City |
| A．home to Apple company |
| B．the land of fruit |
| C．the center of amusement parks |
| D．a sleepless city |
9 . Homebuyers nationwide are watching housing prices go up, up, and up. "How high can they go?" is the question on everyone's lips.
It's crazy, "said Tim, who is looking for a house near the beach. "In 1993, I bought a two-bedroom house in Venice for $70，000. My friends thought then that I was overpaying. Five years later, I had to move. I sold it for $230，000, which was a nice profit. Last year, the exact same house was for sale for S510,000!
It is a seller’s market. Homebuyers feel like they have to offer at least 10% more than the asking price. Donna, a new owner of a one-bedroom house in Venice Beach, said, "That's what I did. I told the owner that whatever anyone offers you, I'll give you $20,000 more, under the table, so you don' t have to pay your realtor(房地产经纪人) any of it. I was tired of looking.”
Tim said, "Whether you decide to buy or decide not to buy, you still feel like you made the wrong decision. If you buy, you feel like you overpaid. If you don't buy, you want to kick yourself for passing up a great opportunity.”
Everyone says the bubble has to burst sometime, but everyone hopes it will burst the day after they sell their house. Even government officials have no idea what the future will bring. "All we can say is that, inevitably, these things go in cycles," said the state director of housing. "What goes up must come down But, as we all know, housing prices always stay up a little higher than they go down. So you can’t lose over the long run. Twenty years down the road, your house is always worth more than you paid for it.”
1. It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that .| A．it's not easy for people to buy a suitable house |
| B．the housing price in Venice Beach has gone down |
| C．the realtor can make $20,000 for each new house |
| D．Donna enjoyed looking for houses all the time |
| A．surely | B．luckily | C．strangely | D．terribly |
| A．Foolish Homebuyers | B．An Unfair Market |
| C．A Wrong Decision | D．Crazy Housing Prices |
10 . I had been burning some leaves as part of my housework, unfortunately the fire grew, and grew...I wasn’t one to panic, but my fun had turned to fear and desperation, and I realized help was needed. So while I still beat at the flames with my shovel (铲), I gave up my pride, turned my face to the house, and began to shout for Mom.
By now, the flames behind me had crawled through the rocky area, ran through thick grass, and now were halfway to the big ditch (沟渠). Fire was everywhere.
“We’ll have to let the hill go,” Mom said when I reached her. “Have to. We can’t stop it there.” Her voice was lower than usual, and controlled. Mom was known as an enthusiastic person in everyday conversation. But in time of emergency, she was calm. I’d seen it once when I cut my foot and we had trouble getting the bleeding stopped; another time when Dad developed a serious illness and his face and throat started swelling up-as if dying! Mom was using that controlled voice right now.” Help me here, Jamie. Over here.”
She was already in action, stopping flames with each throw of her wet blanket. But it was like trying to stop a flood with a sponge (海绵)—it just wasn’t fast enough.
A flood! That was it! I was extremely clever! “Here, Mom. I've got it! I know what to do,” I shouted. Our garden channel could save us. My shovel made four or five quick digs into the bank, and in a moment the stream was rushing across the small field.
The effect was impressive. The fire immediately lost its power as its roots were killed. In one place fire had come within a few feet of the fence, but to our relief, nowhere had the wood or the brush been touched.
1. It is suggested in Paragraph 2 that the flames are______.| A．moving faster. | B．growing higher. | C．getting hotter. | D．roaring louder. |
| A．support that Mom is a doctor with excellent skills. |
| B．prove that Mom is always active in daily conversation. |
| C．show that Mom is capable of dealing with difficulty calmly. |
| D．indicate that there are too many troubles in the author's family. |
| A．wise but naughty. | B．practical but incapable. |
| C．calm and caring. | D．courageous and quick-minded. |
