Phew! I'm so glad the day is over. I'm really tired, but my first day at school went well.
First of all, we met outside the school building.I was very nervous because my primary school only had 300 pupils but in the middle school there are about 1,300.What a difference! The older pupils are really big.I felt so small waiting there in front of the school.
The head teacher came out and told us to go into the school hall.Then he called our names out to tell us which class we were in. My class teacher is called Mrs. Black. She took us to our classroom.It's on the 5th floor.We aren't allowed to use the lift! I couldn't believe it.
We spent all morning with Mrs.Black looking at our timetables.Everyone in the school had a different timetable.I'm worried that I'll forget my timetable and go to the wrong room.
Lunchtime was OK. I had salad, fish and fruit, which was quite good, and then I went to play football with some of the other boys. They were all friendly and I don't think it will take me long to make friends.
After lunch we started lessons. I had maths and then history, where we started to learn about ancient Greece.That looked interesting.I have to do some homework tonight to find out how the ancient Greek people lived, so I'm going to do an Internet search and look it up in the library.
So far so good.I am quite looking forward to tomorrow, even though I've got science. I hate science!
Yours,
Jason
1. Why did the head teacher come?
| A．To give the pupils a timetable. | B．To tell the pupils which class they were in. |
| C．To show the pupils how to use the lift. | D．To take the pupils to their classrooms. |
a．Jason looked at his timetable. b．Jason went to the school hall.
c．Jason started his lessons. d．Jason played football with some boys.
| A．c a b d | B．a c b d | C．b c a d | D．b a d c |
| A．Jason didn't realize the new school was smaller than his primary school. |
| B．Jason was lucky enough to have someone else in the same class. |
| C．Jason thought it unbelievable, for they are not allowed to use the lift. |
| D．Jason didn't think the boys were friendly when playing football. |
| A．Terrible. | B．Disappointed. | C．Worried. | D．Good. |
2 . An elm tree (榆树) was planted in the first half of the 20th century on a farm in Michigan, US.
In the 1950s, the family that owned the farm kept a bull chained to it. The bull walked around the tree. pulling a heavy iron chain, which made a grove (沟) in the tree about a meter off the ground. The groove deepened over the years, thought for whatever reason, it didn’t kill the tree.
After some years, the family sold the farm and took their bull with them. They cut the chain, leaving most of it hanging down from the tree. Eventually, bark (树皮) slowly covered the old chain.
Then one year later, disaster struck Michigan in the form of Dutch elm disease. It left a path of death across vast areas. All of the elms lining the road leading to the farm were infected and dies. Everyone figured that the old elm tree would be next. There was no way the tree could last, with its age and the chain hanging off its trunk.
The present owners considered pulling the chain out and chopping the tree up into firewood before it dies. But they simply couldn’t bring themselves to do it. It was as if the old tree had become a family friend, so they decided to let nature take its course. Amazingly, the tree didn’t die. Year after year, it grew stronger. Nobody could understand why it was the only elm still standing in the whole area.
Experts from Michigan University came to observe the tree later examining the scar left by the iron chain. The experts decided that it was actually the chain that saved the elm’s life. They reasoned that the tree must have absorbed so much iron from the chain that it became immune to Dutch elm disease.
It’s said that what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. So if you’re ever in Michigan, look for that beautiful elm tree. Look for the wound made by the chain — it serves as a reminder that even with wounds, we can still have hope. Our wounds can give us the resources we need to cope and survive. They can truly make us strong.
1. What is the right order of the events related to the elm tree?a. The new owners left the elm tree as it was.
b. A farmer planted an elm tree on the farm.
c. A bull was chained to the elm tree by the owner.
d. The tree was left behind with most of the chain hanging down.
| A．c d b a | B．b d c a | C．b c d a | D．c b a d |
| A．A heavy iron chain gradually became part of it. |
| B．The scar in the tree was completely healed finally. |
| C．The tree was almost killed by the bull and its chain. |
| D．The tree grew stronger because of the owners’ care. |
| A．Its thicker bark protected it from the disease. |
| B．Infected trees near it were all chopped down. |
| C．It was saved by experts from Michigan University. |
| D．It got enough iron that sheltered it from the disease. |
| A．We should make use of what we have to overcome difficulties. |
| B．Something we consider a weakness can make us stronger. |
| C．Never give up hope on life even in hopeless situations. |
| D．Letting nature take its course is the best way to deal with problems. |
3 . Ieoh Ming Pei, one of the last great modernist architects, has died aged 102.Although he worked mostly in the United States, Pei will always be remembered for a European project: his redevelopment of the Louvre Museum in Paris in the 1980s.
Pei was the first foreign architect to work on the Louvre in its long history, and initially his designs were fiercely opposed.But in the end, the French — and everyone else — were won over.His glass pyramid outside the Louvre, completed in 1989, is now one of Paris' most famous landmarks.
Pei was born in China in 1917 into a wealthy family.His father was a banker.His artistic mother—a calligrapher and musician—had the greater influence on him.Despite not speaking English, he moved to the US at the age of 18 to study at Pennsylvania, MIT and Harvard.He worked as a research scientist for the US government during World War Two, and went on to work as an architect, founding his own firm in 1955.He carried on working well into old age, creating one of his most famous masterpieces—the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar—in his 80s.
He has designed buildings, hotels, schools and other structures across North America, Asia and Europe.His other work includes Dallas City Hall and Japan's Miho Museum.His style was influenced by his love of Islamic architecture.His favoured building materials were glass and steel, with a combination of concrete.
He won a variety of awards and prizes for his buildings, including the AIA Gold Medal, the Praemium Imperiale for Architecture.In 1983 Pei was given the fifth Pritzker Architecture Prize for giving the 20th century some of its most beautiful interior spaces and exterior forms.He used his $100,000 prize money to start a scholarship fund for Chinese students to study architecture in America.In person, Pei was always neatly dressed, good-tempered, charming and unusually modest.
1. What do we know about Pei and his work on the Louvre Museum?| A．The French approved of his designs at first. |
| B．Pei was the only foreign expert employed by the Louvre. |
| C．Pei made use of glass in his designs. |
| D．Pei retired after completing the work. |
①He received the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
②He founded his own firm.
③He created the Museum of Islamic Art.
④He worked as a research scientist.
| A．①③②④ | B．④①②③ |
| C．④②①③ | D．①④③② |
| A．Productive and humorous. | B．Generous and modest. |
| C．Determined and outgoing. | D．Attractive and responsible. |
| A．Louvre Pyramid Architect Dies Aged 102 | B．Prizes Awarded to Pei |
| C．Landmarks Created by Pei | D．A Famous Architect Passed Away |
4 . A 1400-year-old Peruvian method of diverting (转向) water could supply up to 100 million cubic meters of water—equal to 40,000 Olympic-size swimming pools' worth of water—to Lima each year, according to a new study published in Nature Sustainability. It's one example of how ancient methods could support existing modern ones in countries without enough water.
More than a billion people across the world face water shortages. Man-made reservoirs store rainwater and water overflow for use during drier times. But reservoirs are costly, require years to plan and can still fail to meet water needs.
Peru's capital, Lima, depends on water from rivers high in the Andes Mountains. It takes only a few days for water to flow down to the city. So when the dry season begins in the mountains, the water supply quickly disappears. The city suffers shortages of 43 million cubic meters during the dry season. It solves this with modern structures such as man-made reservoirs. These reservoirs are not the only solution, however. Over a thousand years ago, indigenous (本地的) people developed another way to solve water problems.
Boris Ochoa-Tocachi is a researcher at Imperial College London and lead writer of the study. He explored one of the last remaining water-harvesting systems in the small mountain community of Huamantanga, Peru. The system was developed even before the ancient Inca civilization.
The 1,400-year-old system is designed to increase the water supply during the dry season by diverting and slowing water as it travels down the mountains. This nature-based method is made of special canals that guide water from its source to a series of water bodies and hillsides. The water goes slowly into the ground, then flows downhill through the soil and reappears in water bodies near the community.
The researchers measured how much the system slowed the flow of water by injecting special dye in the highlands and noting when it reappeared in water bodies. The dyed water started to surface two weeks later and continued flowing for eight months—a huge improvement over the hours or days it would normally take.
1. How much water does an Olympic-size swimming pool need?| A．2,500 cubic meters. | B．4,000 cubic meters. |
| C．1,000 cubic meters. | D．1,400 cubic meters. |
| A．It was developed during the ancient Inca civilization. |
| B．It is nature-based and made of special canals. |
| C．It is the last water system left in Huamantanga. |
| D．It can satisfy water needs of Lima throughout the year. |
| A．Water resources. | B．Water supply. |
| C．Water shortage. | D．Water system. |
a.The water flows downhill through the soil.
b.The water surfaces in water bodies.
c.The water goes slowly into the ground.
d.The water flows to water bodies and hillsides.
| A．d,a,b,c | B．b,c,a,d | C．a,b,c,d | D．d,c,a,b |
5 . When I was about twelve, I headed to a restaurant for dinner with my family. It was a windy winter night. As my mom and I headed towards the restaurant from our car, a girl about my age and her mother came up to us. They asked if we had any spare dollars. My mom immediately asked where they kept their things. They pointed to an old car in the parking across the street. The girl said there were six of them living in that car, the same size as my own family.
My mom said she had something to do after handing the people a few dollars. She sent me inside the restaurant with my dad and my three siblings(兄弟姐妹). But she didn’t come.
Later, I found out she had gone home and emptied our cupboards into a few bags. Then, she brought that food over to the car and handed the bags to the family. I wasn’t there when that part happened, but I could imagine the joy it brought to their faces.
A few days later, when I actually found out about what she had done, I asked her why she helped those people. She told me that they were not lucky. I remember the face of that girl who had asked us for dollars;she was the same age as me, yet our lives were so different.
Here I stood, dressed in almost new clothes, headed to a restaurant and then back home to the bedroom I shared with my younger sister. I remembered thinking that the girl didn’t have any food to eat and that she was heading back to a cold car shared with five other people.
After painting this picture in my mind, I understood my mom. I will never forget what she did that night. And that night I also learned one of the best lessons she taught me.
1. We learn from the passage that the girl about the writer’s age_____.| A．lived a hard life |
| B．had her own bedroom |
| C．received a good education |
| D．made friends with the writer |
a. My mom gave the girl a few dollars.
b. My family was on the way to a restaurant.
c. My mom went home and brought some food.
d. We met with a girl and her mother asking for dollars.
| A．b, d, a, c |
| B．b, a, c, d |
| C．d, a, c, b |
| D．d, c, b, a |
| A．Patient. |
| B．Strict. |
| C．Proud. |
| D．Kind. |
6 . I was driving my newly acquired motorcycle across the vastness of North Dakota when all of the sudden it froze up on the road. I would later be told the belt had slipped and this caused one of the pistons(活塞) to crack a cylinder (气缸) head, or something like that.
Anyway, I sat on the side of the road for what seemed like hours. I even pretended to have been in an accident, which didn't help. Finally, a young man pulled over and offered me a ride, but given that he already had two motorcycles in the back of his truck, he could only take me.
He drove me to the next town, where I asked to be dropped off. Rather than drop me off, he waited while I asked around if anyone could help me to pick up my motorcycle. One elderly gentleman was working and said that I could use his pickup! Can you imagine that a stranger gave me the keys to his pickup. It was quite an experience, I must say. So, as I drove back 20 miles to get my motorcycle, the gentleman who first stopped to help me followed me. We both put the motorcycle in the back of the truck, and then I followed him another 50 miles or so and we both unloaded the motorcycle at his place. Then, he followed me back to the small town so I could return the man's truck. I didn't have much cash on me, maybe $40, but I gave it to the man for the use of his truck.
Two strangers helped rescue me from spending the night on the side of the road in ND. I don't recall their names, but when I close my eyes I can see their faces as if it were yesterday. Thank you, strangers. You may be reading this right now.
1. What happened to the author’s motorbike?| A．It was too old to drive | B．It suddenly broke down |
| C．It was left by the road forever | D．It was picked up by another motorcyclist |
| A．He was too lazy. | B．He didn’t want to help him. |
| C．His truck was already full. | D．He was busy working. |
① My motorbike froze up on the road. ② I gave the ole gentleman $40.
③ The young man drove me to ask for help. ④ We put the motorcycle in the pickup.
| A．①②③④ | B．④③②① | C．①③④② | D．②④③① |
| A．a heartbroken experience in North America |
| B．the author was rescued on the road in North Dakota |
| C．faces of strangers are always there |
| D．driving motorcycle in North Dakota is too bad |
| A．hateful | B．indifferent(漠不关心的) | C．unclear | D．thankful |
7 . I was driving my newly acquired motorcycle across the vastness of North Dakota when all of the sudden it froze up on the road. I would later be told the belt had slipped and this caused one of the pistons(活塞)to break a cylinder ((气缸) )head, or something like that.
Anyway, I sat on the side of the road for what seemed like hours. I even pretended to have been in an accident, which didn't help. Finally, a young man pulled over and offered me a ride, but given that he already had two motorcycles in the back of his truck, he could only take me.
He drove me to the next town, where I asked to be dropped off Rather than drop me off, he waited while I asked around if anyone could help me to pick up my motorcycle. One elderly gentleman was working and said that I could use his pickup! Can you imagine that a stranger gave me the keys to his pickup. It was quite an experience, I must say. So, as I drove back 20 miles to get my motorcycle, the gentleman who first stopped to help me followed me. We both put the motorcycle in the back of the truck and then I followed him another 50 miles or so and we both unloaded the motorcycle at his place. Then, he followed me back to the small town so I could return the man's truck. I didn't have much cash on me, maybe $40, but I gave it to the man for the use of his truck.
Two strangers helped rescue me from spending the night on the side of the road in ND. I don't recall their names, but when I close my eyes I can see their faces as if it were yesterday. Thank you, strangers. You may be reading this right now.
1. What happened to the author?| A．He lost his way. |
| B．His motorcycle broke down. |
| C．He was caught in a snowstorm. |
| D．He had an accident with his motorcycle. |
| A．The young man was too lazy. |
| B．The young man didn't want to help him. |
| C．The young man's truck was already full. |
| D．The author didn't want it any more. |
① My motorbike froze up on the road.
② I gave the old gentleman S40.
③ The young man drove me to ask for help.
④ We put the motorcycle in the pickup.
| A．①②③④. | B．④③②① | C．①③④② | D．②④③① |
| A．About S40 in cash. | B．His heartfelt appreciation. |
| C．His motorcycle. | D．His promise to do the same. |
| A．Hateful. | B．Indifferent. | C．Doubtful. | D．Grateful. |
8 . When I was young at school, I loved to talk, which was not appreciated by Miss Jordan, my tenth-grade English teacher.
She wasn't a popular teacher because she was not good-looking and was so strict. Whenever she got upset, she would lower her head and look at you over the top of her glasses.
One day in her class, while I was busy talking, I didn't realize that she had stopped teaching. She stared straight at me. “Young lady, I would like to see you after school.”
For punishment she told me to write a thousand-word essay on education and it must be handed in by the following Wednesday. Well, that day came. I wasn't worried. It was a good paper. And I expected praise from her. The next day, however, she called me forward, looking at me over her glasses, and returned my paper. "Go back and rewrite. Remember, each paragraph must have a topic sentence." Then came the second time, the grammar. The third time, the spelling. The fourth time, the punctuation. The fifth, it wasn't neat enough. I was sick.
The sixth time, I rewrote the whole paper slowly, in ink, leaving generous space. Seeing it, she removed her glasses and smiled. She finally accepted the paper. After that, I put the whole thing out of my mind.
Two or three months passed, one day Miss Jordan said to us, “Class, do you still remember an essay contest held citywide? They have announced the winners. Yes, Mary has won the first prize."
I was amazed! It was the first time I had won a prize. Years later, I told a reporter the story and expressed my great thanks to Miss Jordan. Soon after that, I got a letter from Miss Jordan, and it said, "What I did wasn't that important. What mattered was the lesson you had learnt. When you wrote and rewrote that paper for me, you began to learn how to discipline yourself.”
1. What made Miss Jordan unhappy with the author?| A．She often lowered her head in class. | B．She always talked too much in class. |
| C．She often made her classmates upset. | D．She often laughed at Miss Jordan's glasses. |
①Grammar. ②Punctuation. ③Topic sentence. ④Spelling. ⑤Neatness.
| A．③②①⑤④ | B．③①⑤②④ | C．③①④②⑤ | D．③⑤④②① |
| A．Active and open-minded. | B．Honest but cold-blooded. |
| C．Energetic and kind-hearted. | D．Strict but broad-minded. |
| A．A naughty girl | B．A good lesson in life |
| C．An essay contest | D．A terrible memory in mind |
| A．No pains, no gains. | B．Love me, love my dog. |
| C．All roads lead to Rome. | D．Two heads are better than one. |
9 . When photographer Simon Czapp took pictures of a curious five-month-old fox, he soon realized this little fox was attracted by his subject. The clever fox was so curious about the camera equipment that she climbed on top of it. And while she was supposed to be the subject of the shoot, the fox stood on the shutter release button (快门按钮) and took her own frames.
Mr. Czapp visited the New Forest Wildlife Park to capture images of new arrival Jessie. Jessie is a lovely little fox. She has been at the animal park in Ashurst, Hampshire—home to wolves, deer and others in 25 acres of ancient woodland after being abandoned by her mother.
Mr. Czapp said, “Jessie was very playful and curious and not shy at all in front of the camera. Soon after I arrived she was chewing my shoes and everything seemed to be a game to her. Then she started exploring the camera I had set up on a tripod (三脚架). She stood on her back legs to look at the back of the camera. She balanced her front paws on it and at one point knocked it over. ”
He put the camera back on the tripod and Jessie soon jumped back up. At one point she had all four paws on the camera and was keeping her balance. Mr. Czapp added, “She jumped up there several times and I realized it could make a good picture. As I was leaving away with the public’s viewing window (取景窗) behind me, I thought I heard the camera go off but didn’t think much of it. However, when I checked the memory card afterwards, I was amazed to see Jessie had actually taken two frames of me photographing her. I couldn’t believe I had been outfoxed (智取) by a fox! There were some lovely photos of her but she obviously thought the photographer was worthy of a picture too! ”
1. The underlined word “frames” in Para. 1 refers to _______.| A．photographers | B．pictures |
| C．equipments | D．subjects |
a. Jessie pressed the shutter release button, taking her own pictures.
b. Jessie balanced her paws on the camera.
c. Mr. Czapp set up his camera on a tripod.
d. Jessie stood up to look at the back of the camera.
| A．c, d, b, a | B．a, c, d, b |
| C．d, c, b, a | D．b, a, c, d |
| A．Naughty but lovely. | B．Clever but annoying. |
| C．Careful and grateful. | D．Quick but rude. |
| A．Wildlife photographers took photos of wild animals. |
| B．Clever fox took pictures of professional photographer. |
| C．Mr. Czapp showed the fox how to take photos. |
| D．Wild animals enjoy equal rights with humans. |
On Thanksgiving weekend, the Heffelmire family gathered for a meal at their home. After dinner, the family went down to the finished basement to relax except Charlotte’s father, Eric, who was in the garage to fix his truck．
Around 8 p.m., Charlotte decided to check on her dad. She walked through the kitchen. When she opened the side door to the garage, black smoke rose up into the kitchen. She could barely make out her father lying on his back, trapped under the truck. He’d removed the front passenger-side tyre and raised the truck on a jack（千斤顶）. The truck had slipped off the jack, and now the whole weight of the wheel was on his chest and shoulders．
Charlotte ran to the front of the truck and struggled to lift it. Eric was still conscious, and he yelled, “You got it! One more try!” She tried again and was able to tip the truck backward just enough for her to pull her dad by the shirt with both hands from under the truck．
She dragged him across the garage and 20 feet down the driveway. Then she ran back to the garage, which had burst into flames. “I was afraid the car was going to explode,” says Charlotte, so she climbed into the truck, which faced forward, turned the key, and pressed the gas pedal（油门）. The car slowly rolled out, the metal wheel scratching loudly against the concrete．
Safely on the driveway, Charlotte stopped the truck and ran back to the basement. “There’s a fire! Everybody get out!” she yelled as she picked up her three-month-old niece and ran out. Outside, she handed the baby to her mom, and then ran around to the burning garage. She picked up a garden hose（水管）and sprayed the fire while calling 911．
A few minutes later, firefighters and an ambulance arrived. Charlotte was treated for second-degree burns on both her feet and face. Her dad had injuries on his chest and shoulders, as well as minor burns on his face. The garage and the house were damaged but the family survived．
The Heffelmires are staying in an apartment while their house is rebuilt. “Charlotte is a remarkable kid,” says her dad. Charlotte, however, simply says, “ I was saving my family and my house. I wasn’t going to let my dad die.”
1. Eric got trapped because_________| A．the truck slipped off the jack. |
| B．the wheel fell off the truck. |
| C．the front tyre was removed. |
| D．the kitchen was on fire. |
a. Charlotte called the firefighters．
b. Charlotte saved Eric from under the truck．
c. Charlotte drove the truck out of the garage．
d. Charlotte warned the family to leave the house．
| A．b, c, a, d | B．a, b, d, c |
| C．b, c, d, a | D．a, c, b, d |
| A．the house was not fit to live in. |
| B．the truck exploded. |
| C．the three-month-old baby was injured. |
| D．Charlotte was burned on her chest and shoulders. |
| A．proud and clear-headed. |
| B．calm and quick-minded. |
| C．modest and easy-going. |
| D．independent and self-centered. |
