2 . Every year on April 1, April Fools' Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. In France, it's called "Poisson d^’Avril" or "Fish of April”. In Scotland, the holiday is often called "Gowkie Day". In Iraq, the holiday is called "Kithbet Neesan” or "April Lie".

History experts say people have celebrated April Fools^’ Day for a long time. Some believe April Fools' Day comes from the ancient Romans more than two thousand years ago, which was a day of playing games and pretending to be someone else.

Others say the day for fooling began in France in 1564. when King Charles changed the yearly calendar. He moved New Year's Day from April 1 to January I Many people did not know about the change because of communication problems then. Some people continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Other people called them April Fools and played jokes on them.

In the United State, April Fools' Day is just a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. These kinds of jokes are also called pranks （恶 作 剧）.These jokes typically end in the prankster shouting “April Fools”!

Simple pranks, like telling a friend a funny lie or making prank phone calls, are still common. But major companies also get in on April Fools' Day in a much bigger way. A few years ago, on April 1, Starbucks announced it was introducing new coffee cup sizes-plenta and Micra. The very large cups, bigger than a human head, remained useful for customers even after finishing all that coffee. According to Starbucks, the cups could be used as a rain hat, a pot for plants, or a lampshade.

It did not take long for customers to catch on to the prank. More and more people use media or smartphone apps to play pranks on their friends on April Fools' Day. One very annoying smartphone app, Cat Facts, sends funny facts about cats to your friends⁵ phones every day.

1. Why did some French people keep the old New Year's Day?

A．They liked the old celebration.

B．They did not know the change.

C．They wanted to be different from others.

D．The king wanted to play plank on the people.

2. Americans celebrated April Fools' Day to ________.

A．escape the stress of their work

B．find a chance to give children gifts

C．improve the friendship between them

D．have fun and play jokes on others

3. What is the   meaning of the underlined words "get in on” in Paragraph 5?

A．Join in	B．give away
C．stick to	D．break away from

4. What is the author's purpose of writing the text?

A．To introduce a new festival.

B．To tell a story on April Fools'   Day.

C．To introduce April Fools' Day.

D．To explain the misunderstanding of April Fools' Day.

4 . Amanda Kofoeds had found a strange lump in her arm one day and visited a doctor at a friend's urging. During this time, she was enrolled in school for education and was currently uninsured due to the expense. She planned to save money so she could get on her husband' s insurance and then seek medical treatment for the cancer.

Her friends and family didn't want her to postpone her treatment due to the expense. They took matters into their own hands and started a GoFundMe campaign. The friend came up with the creative idea to spread the word and invite family, friends, and strangers who wanted to help to participate in a donation flash mob (快闪行动).The event started an outpouring of enormous generosity from the local community.

Amanda and her husband Clint teared up as the crowd passed by and the donations poured in. The generous act of kindness gave the family a comforting, and optimistic feeling during a time when all hope seemed lost. Clint said that Amanda struggled with the idea of asking for help. She felt guilty and undeserving compared to others who are also struggling.

In the time since, Amanda has enrolled in an insurance plan and has finished chemotherapy. Life for the family has started getting back to their normal routine.

Once Amanda got her strength back, she returned to school and completed her bachelor's degree in education. She is now a teacher. She said the experience motivated her to instill (灌输) the value of charity in her children. The family is now inspired to volunteer in their local neighborhood and contribute to crowdfunding (众筹) efforts. They are grateful for the opportunity to give back and help others as many have helped them.

The couple said they feel blessed by the strong support. PassItOn wants to celebrate those heroes during the family's darkest time. These individuals perfectly demonstrate the value of community. It is with the help of their generosity that the family is now happy, healthy and whole.

1. Why did Amanda Kofoeds postpone her treatment?

A．She was admitted to a school.

B．Her family couldn't afford the medical cost.

C．No good doctors could treat her cancer.

D．Her friends and family refused to assist her.

2. What did her friends do to help Amanda Kofoeds?

A．They started a donation flash mob.

B．They founded a community school.

C．They supported her through local hospitals.

D．They fought for assistance from the whole country.

3. Which word best describes the couple's feeling when strongly supported?

A．Guilty.

B．Satisfied.

C．Anxious.

D．Grateful.

4. What can we learn from Amanda Kofoeds' story?

A．Hard work pays off.

B．The value of charity is great.

C．Education is the key to success.

D．A friend is never known till a man has need.

5 . Good Schools to Learn English

Atlanta English Institute (AEI)

It is designed for academically oriented, non-native speaking adults from beginners levels to those seeking mastery. Each program in the school is specially designed for our students and based on their current English levels and their goals. a student may register anytime, not merely at the beginning of a course. But at the middle of the course, registration time depends on the availability of space in the classrooms.

Atlanta International Language Institute (AILI)

It provides the opportunity to learn how to read, write and speak English as a second language for those who have little knowledge of the English language. Courses include ten continuous weekly classes and the classes meet once a week for two hours. The curriculum of this language program is built for groups of three or more students who can complete the material in ten weeks.

TALK Atlanta English School (TAES)

Located in the heart of Atlanta's Midtown Center area on Peachtree Street, it opened in 2011. Atlanta is home to numerous industries, making the Midtown location perfectly suited for corporate programs. With ample covered street parking space, the school is designed in the popular Atlanta loft style and has 10 large classrooms, a large and welcoming reception area, devoted full-time teachers and staff for teenagers and adults.

Language Institute of Georgia (LIG)

It is a well-established school in Atlanta that offers English classes using Graded Reader Method. Our maximum class size is eight students. Class meets once a week for two hours for six weeks. Please check our schedule section for start dates. Refunds (退款) have to be requested within a week of the start date of the class.

1. How many hours does it take students to finish the courses at AILI?

A．Ten.

B．Twelve.

C．Twenty.

D．Twenty-four.

2. What should students who need a refund pay attention to at LIG?

A．The limited courses there.	B．The location of its reception area.
C．The deadline for a refund demand.	D．The requested levels of the students.

3. What do the four schools have in common?

A．They are located in the same city.	B．They all use Graded Reader Method.
C．They have the same registration time.	D．They are all intended for adult learners.

6 . A new report has concluded that advertising managers are becoming increasingly interested in children. Studies show that children influence about 50 percent of things that families buy, so they’re an attractive target for advertisers.

John Taylor, the author of the report, says:“Advertisers can reach their target in many ways. They can, for example, show an ad many times during school holidays, they can make the TV advertisements a little louder than the programmes to attract attention, or they can sponsor programmes and show their advertisements just before the programme begins.”

Most advertisements aimed at children are short, imaginative and often in the form of animated cartoons(动画片).“Children love the ads and watch them in the same way as any entertainment programmer,”Taylor says.

There’re concerns about advertising aimed at young people. The concerns are shared by Sarah Durham, a writer and journalist specializing in media analysis. “The most worrying thing is that children don’t think carefully when they see television advertisements. They’re less critical than adults and don’t usually realise the advertisement has a persuasive message, to encourage them or their parents to spend as much money as possible on the product or service,”she says.

There’re also concerns over the vast sums of money that junk food producers spend on advertising to persuade children to buy their food products. Many advertisements, argues Durham, sell food that is a lot higher in fat, salt and sugar than healthier alternatives. “Many companies target children with offers of free toys, models of cartoon characters and gimmicky（耍花招的）packaging.”

Government approaches to controlling advertising to children vary. In Sweden, one of the strictest countries where advertising is concerned, TV advertising to children under the age of 12 is banned. Greece bans television advertisements for children’s toys between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Denmark and the Netherlands also have legal controls whereas France, Britain and Germany prefer self-regulation（自动调节）．

Some countries are not as certain as the Swedes that advertising to children is harmful. The French argue that children need to see many advertisements so that they can develop their ability to think as they grow up. The belief is that advertising will help children to be more aware of its persuasive power.

1. What does John Taylor mainly talk about in Paragraph 2?

A．Ways in which advertisers reach children.

B．The time children spend watching television.

C．Examples of successful advertising to children.

D．The serious problems of advertising to children.

2. Why is Sarah Durham concerned about advertising aimed at children?

A．TV ads limit children’s imagination.

B．TV ads affect children’s brain development.

C．Children lack the good sense to make decisions.

D．Children may spend lots of time watching television.

3. What does Durham say about the food advertised?

A．It’s tasty.	B．It’s cheap.
C．It’s unhealthy.	D．It’s ready­made.

4. What is the French’s attitude toward advertising to children?

A．Doubtful.	B．Relaxed.
C．Objective.	D．Unfavorable.

7 . For several months, Cara has been working up the courage to ask her mother about what she saw on the Internet. Not long ago, the 11-year-old found out that her mother had been posting her photos in her blog, without her agreement, for much of her life. "There are pictures I don't like of myself. It would be an embarrassment(令人尴尬的事)if my friends see those photos online," she said. "Now I'm even worried anytime someone has a phone out around me. I'm afraid that my photos could be taken and posted somewhere."

Not all kids feel the same when finding out they've been living a life online. Some are happy. In the fourth grade, Nate searched his name and found that he was in a news report about his making a beautiful kite in his third-grade class. He was really happy with that and he decided to search online every few months, hoping to find other things about himself online.

"I was surprised, really surprised," he said. "It made me feel famous."

He even kept saying, "Oh, I'm in a news report online." Although his friends knew that, many of his friends refused to stay close to him.

Like most other kids, Cara and Nate grew up in a society rich with social media. While many kids may not yet have accounts(账户)themselves, their parents, schools, sports teams, and organizations have been building an online presence for them since their birth. According to a study from the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida, 92 percent of kids under the age of 2 already have their own life online.

"The blog posts are sure to follow the children into adulthood," says the study. "Therefore, we have to be careful about putting the children's personal information online."

1. Why does Cara want to stop her mother putting her pictures online?

A．She is not a very pretty girl.	B．Her friends keep laughing at her.
C．She does not like being photographed.	D．Some of the pictures are embarrassing.

2. What happened after Nate told his friends that he was in a news report?

A．They felt really happy for him.	B．Many of them stayed away from him.
C．Many of them did not believe him.	D．They also opened their own accounts.

3. The study from the Levin College of Law suggests that        .

A．parents should keep their kids away from the Internet

B．pictures should not be put online without kids' agreement

C．kids should not tell their stories of success to their friends

D．putting kids' information online might lead to some problems

4. How is the text mainly developed?

A．By giving examples.	B．By reasoning.
C．By following time order.	D．By comparing.

8 . Shenzhen is an ideal shopping place for visitors. The following is a list of the most popular shopping areas in the city.

North Huaqiang Area

The most prosperous shopping area in Shenzhen, it is home to dozens of market places for electronic products, clothing and jewelry. Some market places each house hundreds of shops, from flagship stores selling big brands to small shops where you can bargain.

It is also a great place to dine, with plenty of restaurants offering various Chinese dishes and foreign brands like Pizza Hut, Hagen Dazs and AijiSen.

Dongmen Area

One of the oldest commercial centers in Shenzhen, this area highlights a walking street flanked by humming stores. It is a good place to buy clothes, handbags, fashion accessories, jewelry, handicrafts, toys and small electronic gadgets.

MixC Shopping Mall

It is the city’s largest shopping mall and one of the most luxurious, selling clothes, cosmetics and fashion accessories. There is a large indoor ice skating rink, a movie theater and a supermarket selling many imported goods. You can also find quite a few foreign restaurant brands here, including Pizza Hut, Starbucks and a Japanese noodle house.

Shekou

Sitting by a beautiful cove in Western Nanshan District, this quiet place is frequented by many expatriates living in Shenzhen. There are stores selling antiques, collectibles, handicrafts and souvenirs, as well as bars and restaurants offering western food.

1. What can you do at North Huaqiang Area？

A．Skate.	B．Enjoy Chinese food.
C．Watch a film.	D．Buy antiques.

2. Where can you find a large indoor place to skate？

A．In North Huaqiang Area.	B．In Dongmen Area.
C．In MixC Shopping Mall.	D．In Shekou.

3. Where does this passage probably come from？

A．A text book.	B．A museum guide.
C．A news report.	D．A travel magazine.

9 . Inventors are always at work, dreaming up new technologies. Some inventions help us solve problems. Others make life easier, or more fun. Here, TFK(Time for Kids) presents 3 of our favorite inventions. See how they make us live a better life.

Stopping Sickness

Christine Schindler is an engineer. She wanted to help stop the spread of foodborne illnesses. So she created PATHSPOT. It uses light to scan a person’s hands for harmful germs. Restaurant employees hold their hands beneath the scanner. Then the scanner judges whether they must be rewashed. About 100 locations have started using the product since it launched in May.

Talking Eyes

For people who are blind or have other visual problems, the ORCAM MYEYE 2 could be a game changer. It might also prove useful for people with reading difficulties. Described as “talking glasses,” this AI device can be attached to any eyeglass frame. It can identify faces. It can also read text aloud. Fitting all this power into such a small device is like “putting an elephant in a small closet,” says Amnon Shashua, the inventor of the technology. Now the device can be bought online.

Sport-safe

Research shows that playing football increases the risk of brain injury. Still, about a million kids under the age of 13 play football, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. That’s where the VICIS ZERO1 YOUTH football helmet comes in. It has thick, force-absorbing support on the front and sides, where kids are likely to take the hardest hits on the field. Players on 1,500 youth teams have worn the helmet.

1. What is the function of Pathspot?

A．Killing the germs on hands.	B．Checking if hands are clean.
C．Rewashing employees’ hands.	D．Stopping the reproduction of germs.

2. Which of the following is the feature of Talking Eyes?

A．Low-noise.	B．Portable.
C．Single-function	D．Power-saving.

3. What can we learn about VICIS ZERO1 YOUTH ?

A．It is available to the public now.	B．It improves kids’ football skills.
C．It is designed for kids under 13 only.	D．Its front and sides are the hardest.

10 . Last fall, I went to New York for sightseeing. I visited many tourist attractions there, and I also saw many unfortunate citizens on the street, like beggars and homeless folks.

Standing outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I heard a voice ask, “Can you do me a favor?” When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended out. Naturally, I reached into my pocket for some change immediately and placed it in her hand without even looking at her. I was really annoyed at being bothered by a beggar. What I only thought at that moment was to send her away.

But the blind woman said with a warm smile on her face, "I don't want your money. I just need you to show me the way to the subway entrance."

In an instant, I realized what I had done just now. Her unexpected words took me by surprise and shame. I had acted with prejudice ——I'd judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be. I felt ashamed of myself and couldn't face the old woman anymore. And I felt small beside her.

The incident reminded me that I believed in being humble, even though I had lost that belief for a moment. The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant. I left Honduras and arrived in the U. S. at the age of 15. Through the years, I have experienced many acts of prejudice. I remember a time at the age of 17 when I was a busboy, I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me. But now, living my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to go. It is the blind woman who cured me of my blindness.

1. What did the author think the blind woman wanted at first sight?

A．To ask for directions.	B．To offer him some help.
C．To demand some donations.	D．To borrow money from him.

2. Why did the author feel ashamed?

A．He had a prejudice on the woman.	B．He couldn't face the woman.
C．He was judged by his appearance.	D．He was an immigrant himself.

3. Why did the author mention his experience as a busboy?

A．To indicate he led a miserable life.	B．To tell he didn't work hard at school.
C．To prove he used to be a humble man.	D．To show he used to be unfairly judged.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Be Considerate - Always Minding Your Words

B．Be Humble - Always Dropping Your Prejudice

C．Be Generous - Always Helping Those in Need

D．Be Aggressive - Always Having a Big Dream