1 . The setting was a packed gymnasium just before the start of a game against another school. There were five girls who were members of the Danville High School basketball team — all of them starters. They were not in uniform to play that night and would not be on the team for the rest of this season. They were there to admit their breaking learn rules. They were there to support their coach's decision to take them off the team. They were there to let the town know there was a problem in their little community that needed to be addressed. And they did it with sincere regret rather than defensiveness.
While the school had been out for the New Year's holiday, the five girls had gone to the party with several of their friends. There was alcohol there. And they all drank some.
Coach Rainville has a zero tolerance rule on drugs and alcohol for her members though it was a hard decision to make. When classes resumed (恢复) and accounts of holiday parties were shared, rumors about the five girls began closing in on them. The coach said she couldn't back down on her rules. And the players — Iwo junior students and three senior students — agreed. That night in the gym was part of their public support of the coach's decision.
“We hope you will understand that we are not bad kids. What we did was definitely not worth it. We hope this event will make everyone realize that there is a big drug and alcohol problem in our community, one of the senior students said, “And if you work with us to try to solve this problem, you will help us feel that we have not been thrown off our basketball team for nothing." The five left the floor to deafening applause.
The team may not win another game this year. But they've learned something about personal responsibility, the effect of one's action on others, and honesty that will serve them well throughout life.
1. It can be inferred from the passage that the five girls who were kicked off the team were probably ________.| A．good players on the team |
| B．three junior students and two senior students |
| C．addicted to alcohol and drugs |
| D．scolded by their parents for drinking alcohol |
| A．They didn't fight for Danville High School any more. |
| B．They admitted their mistake in public in the gymnasium. |
| C．They would never drink any alcohol throughout their life. |
| D．They all gave speeches to apologize in the local newspaper. |
| A．Energetic. | B．Strict. |
| C．Content. | D．Cruel. |
| A．Growing Up with Pain | B．A Bad Mistake in Training |
| C．The Coach Who Values Rules Most | D．Basketball Girls in High School |
2 . Learning to speak English well may be the best thing you can do to improve your life. That’s right. If you can communicate in English, you can:
Contact people from all over the world. Talk about your ideas and opinions on Internet discussion groups. Send emails to interesting people. Learn about their life and culture.
Travel more easily. Communicate with people wherever you go-English is spoken in more than 100 countries. Ask directions, have a conversation, or ask for help. Who knows, maybe English will save your life someday.
Push your career forward. If you want a good job in business, technology, or science, get out of that armchair and start learning English now !(If you already have a good job, start learning before you lose it!)
Knowing English will let you:
Put“ excellent knowledge of English” on your CV(履历). Get your dream job and earn more money.
Gain technical knowledge. English is the language of technology, especially high technology like computer science, genetics, and medicine. If you re going to read about technology, you’ll probably have to do it
Learn computer science. Read technical articles without difficulty or write your own articles!
Be a world-class businessman (or woman). It’s simple. International business is done in English.
And all business today is international. So if you want to play, you have to know English to contact other business people, go to conferences, read international business newspapers and magazines, etc.
Become a better scientist. Contact scientists from other countries, go to international conferences, and visit academic centers abroad. Learn about new scientific discoveries by reading papers, books, and magazines.
Use your computer more effectively. Most computer applications are in English, so you will understand them better-and become a better employee.
1. According to the passage, knowing English will let you__________.| A．travel in your country more easily | B．gain technical knowledge |
| C．contact people all over your country | D．watch television net works |
| A．learn knowledge | B．work better |
| C．become a better scientist | D．contact people |
| A．write his/her own articles |
| B．read international business newspapers |
| C．talk about his/her ideas and opinions |
| D．read about technology |
3 . Traveling to a foreign country can make you frightened if you don't know the local language.Mr.Thibault has a number of tips to help travelers manage in a destination when they don't speak the native tongue, based on his own experience.Here are a few of them.
Download a Language Translation App
Mr.Thibault tends to rely on Google Translate and suggests that travelers find an app that works for them.Ideally, find one that specializes in the language you need to translate especially if the language uses a character set you’re not familiar with, or have difficulty pronouncing.
Speak with Your Hands and Head
Pointing with your hands and nodding or shaking your head, Mr.Thibault said, are easy ways to communicate with locals in the country you’re in.“Gestures are all universally understood，” he said.
Learn a Few Key Words
Knowing basic words and phrases like "hello""thank you” and “I’m sorry，I don’t speak your language.Do you speak English?” is a must, Mr.Thibault said.Showing that you care enough to learn some of the language before you go, and at least enough to acknowledge that you don’t know more, is a form of respect and will make you go a long way to be liked by locals.
Work with a Local Travel Agent
If you feel particularly uncomfortable in the country you’re heading to, and you have to go anyway, relying on a local travel agent who knows both your and your destination's languages can be incredibly useful.
Hire a Local Tour Guide
A tour guide can help you get a better grasp of the local language and is a good person to practice words and phrases with.Whenever Mr.Thibault visits a new country, he books a sightseeing tour with a guide on the first day of his trip.“I use this day to learn about my destination and get familiar with the language,”he said.
1. In what situation should a language translation app be applied while traveling abroad?| A．When you have trouble pronouncing the words. |
| B．When you want to acknowledge your ignorance. |
| C．When you want to practice the local language. |
| D．When you feel uncomfortable in the country. |
| A．Downloading a language translation app. |
| B．Learning a few key words. |
| C．Using body language. |
| D．Working with a guide. |
| A．By speaking with your hands and head. |
| B．By learning a few key words. |
| C．By downloading a language translation app. |
| D．By hiring a local tour guide. |
4 . Best Tours in Auckland
Waiheke Island
With the best of the island’s two selling points — nature and wine — this tour will have you cross through the island’s bushland, and drink award-winning wines. You’ll see New Zealand’s famously shy wildlife and native plants.
Tour: Waiheke Island Vineyards and Bush Walk
Money: $ 130 for a family of three
Coromandel
This day tour allows you to get to some of the area’s places far away. Your guide will drop you off at Stony Bay where you will begin the 10-kilometre hike to Fletcher Bay, where you will be collected. You can enjoy its natural beauty, with the shining ocean alongside you. Don’t forget your bathing suit to make the most of the place at the end of the route.
Tour: Coromandel Coastal Walkway Day Tour
Money: $ 45 per person
Hamilton
Explore endangered species of flora and fauna at Sanctuary Mountain. It’s a place where at-risk species can grow without human nearing them. Your guide will explain the species and the reasons they’re endangered to you.
Tour: Guided Forest Tour of Sanctuary Mountain
Money: $ 42 per person
Waitomo
Put on your boots and helmet, and prepare to go down underground, hiking among rocks and streams. The tour is limited to six people, allowing you a much more comfortable and personalized experience.
Tour: Glow-worm Caving Adventure
Money: $55 per adult &. $ 25 per child
1. Where can a person go for swimming according to the passage?| A．Waiheke Island. | B．Coromandel. |
| C．Hamilton. | D．Waitomo. |
| A．Waiheke Island Vineyards and Bush Walk. |
| B．Coromandel Coastal Walkway Day Tour. |
| C．Guided Forest Tour of Sanctuary Mountain. |
| D．Glow-worm Caving Adventure. |
| A．People can hike a long distance. |
| B．Endangered animals can be seen. |
| C．The number of tourists is limited. |
| D．Tourists can drink award winning wines. |
5 . Nearly all of us have a bad habit, whether we know it or not. Some people say they want to get rid of it but don’t know the proper ways. Here’s some advice on how to get rid of bad habits.
Make a list. Write down all the reasons why you want to stop a certain behavior, how it’s hurting you and why to get rid of it, this will help a lot. Look at that list regularly.
Join in other activities. It’s wise of you to do something else when you want to stop your bad habit. If you get angry easily, for example, you can practice having a deep breath or going for a walk.
Give yourself a present. Before you take action against a bad habit, decide what you’ll do to celebrate it if you reach your goal.
Keep off bad habits. If you are fat and want to lose weight, keep junk food out of your house. If you are a heavy smoker with coffee, turn to tea and keep away from friends who like smoking.
Be patient. Bad habits develop over years, so you probably won’t be able to get rid of them quickly. In fact, people often give up several times before being successful, so you should be patient.
Find support. Don’t be afraid to ask for support from friends, family or other people who have the same bad habits as you. When you talk to others, they might be able to provide advice or encouragement that you usually wouldn’t get from yourself.
1. The writer gives us ________ pieces of advice in the passage.| A．four | B．six | C．five | D．seven |
| A．When you want to stop your bad habits, don’t do anything, please. |
| B．You can write down all the reasons for getting rid of bad habits. |
| C．When talking to others, you can get what you can’t get from yourself. |
| D．It’s not easy to get rid of bad habits in a short time. |
| A．how to get rid of bad habits | B．why we have some bad habits |
| C．what to do to have a bad habit | D．where to find some support |
6 . Top Four Marathons
Portland Marathon
The marathon welcomes 8, 000 people every fall. It’s a great event for first-timers because everyone is cheered on with enthusiasm no matter how long it takes to cross the finish line. The time limit for the full marathon is now at a pace of minutes per mile, or 6 hours and 33 minutes, but in the past it had an open time limit. They promise you’ll still receive your medal if you fall behind the pace, but you have to finish using the sidewalks.
TCS New York City Marathon
As the world’s biggest marathon, the TCS New York City Marathon attracts over 50,000 people to the Big Apple each November. The time limit is generous eight and a half hours, but participants must move to the sidewalk if they drop below 15-minute mile. The famous course snakes through five boroughs (行政区) of the city and crosses five bridges to end in Central Park.
Honolulo Marathon
The marathon attracts over 30,000 participants each December. The race starts on Ala Moana Boulevard in downtown Honolulu and snakes its way along the breathtaking Hawaiian coastline to the finish line in Kapiolani Park. The start time is at 5: 00 am with finish line services officially open until 2: 00 pm. However, the organizers allow everyone to finish and have waiters on hand until 4: 00 pm.
Boston Marathon
The marathon is held in May every year. For this event running isn’t allowed as the city streets aren’t closed off. Participants must instead make their way along sidewalks under the guidance of event organizers and city police. The event attracts over 8,000 people who can choose anything from three-mile walk to the full 26.2-mile Boston Marathon route.
1. Where is a new marathon runner most likely to receive enthusiastic cheers?| A．In Portland. | B．In New York. |
| C．In Honolulu. | D．In Boston. |
| A．It is extremely popular. | B．It has an open time limit. |
| C．It starts and ends in a park. | D．It forbids using the sidewalk. |
| A．Portland Marathon. | B．TCS New York City Marathon. |
| C．Boston Marathon. | D．Honolulu Marathon. |
7 . Isaac Newton is one of the greatest geniuses in history, though in his younger years, nobody would have guessed that he would grow up to become one of the world’s most brilliant minds.
He was born prematurely (早产) and quite small. He hated his step family. He went to a school that did not teach mathematics, and then later he was removed. His mother was widowed twice. She urged him to become a farmer, and he hated that too. He was a working student in college, doing odd jobs to pay for his education. And he graduated from Cambridge without honors.
He didn’t look outstanding at all, and neither was his story. But his mind saw more complex, and fascinating stories in the concepts of mathematics and physics. His plain life did not bother him at all.
Though he went through his Cambridge years with barely any honors, the inside of his study was found to have some of the most groundbreaking discoveries in physics and mathematics. He went on to discover many of his famous theories, including the generalized binomial theorem, power series, and infinite sums. He also observed the way light is refracted ( 折 射 ) by lenses and developed his own Newtonian telescope. Through his discovery of the Laws of Universal Gravitation and Laws of Motion, the field of physics was forever transformed.
If there was anything constant about the life of Isaac Newton, it wasn’t merely that his brain was large，but that it was continuously filled with wonder. Isaac Newton’s life was brilliant, not because of his wondrous adventures, but because he saw wonder in everything- from the minute details of mathematical philosophy, to how the world works. Truly, there is nothing boring or ordinary about a mind that seeks adventure in all things.
1. Which word can describe Issac Newton as a young man?| A．Ordinary. | B．Diligent. | C．Happy. | D．Intelligent. |
| A．His life experience was extraordinary. | B．He had a gift for math and physics. |
| C．He was good at making up stories. | D．He didn’t care about his grades at school. |
| A．Newton’s life was full of adventures. |
| B．Nothing Is impossible to a willing heart. |
| C．A brain good at discovery is never boring. |
| D．Newton had a brain larger than any other’s. |
| A．The Achievements of Isaac Newton |
| B．The Brilliant Life of Isaac Newton |
| C．Interest Is the Best Secret of Success |
| D．Hard Work Makes up for Lack of Intelligence |
8 . As we all know, there are plenty of different parks to visit in the UK. All theme parks in Britain have cafes, restaurants, picnic areas and gift shops, so you’ll still have plenty to see and do when you and the kids have been on enough rides. There are usually smaller “funfair” rides and games as well, so younger children won’t get bored. Several theme parks also have other attractions next to them, e.g. water parks often open all year round, unlike the theme parks.
Whenever you are in Britain, there’s likely to be a theme park within one or two hours’drive, bus ride or train journey. Several theme parks even have accommodation (膳宿) so you can stay for a day or two if you want to make a trip into a short holiday.
Prices for UK theme parks vary considerably; some have an entrance price which allows you to go on all the rides, while in others you have to pay for every ride individually. It can also make a difference whether you go during peak time or not. For example, tickets always cost more during school holidays and weekends than they do during the weekdays.
Theme parks always get very busy during the summer months, so if you don’t like crowds it’s usually a good idea to go earlier or later in the year!
If you’re thinking of visiting a UK theme park, it’s worth having a look for special offers on tickets. Products such as chocolate bars and cereals sometimes have “buy one get one free” offers on theme park tickets, so keep a look out in shops and supermarkets.
1. This passage mainly talks about all the following EXCEPT ________.| A．things to do | B．prices for theme parks |
| C．rules to obey | D．special offers |
| A．have to spend more | B．save some money |
| C．have a good time | D．get something free |
| A．Avoid the busiest months. |
| B．Go earlier or later in the daytime. |
| C．Choose one with few visitors. |
| D．Go there when no one is in it |
| A．What to Do in the Theme Park | B．Theme Parks in the UK |
| C．Visiting the Theme Park | D．Introduction to Famous Theme Parks |
9 . If you really want to enjoy what Bermuda has to offer, cruising (乘船游览) there is the way to go. Not only is it fun, it is also affordable. It’s advisable to come in summer (Mid May- August).
BOOKING YOUR CRUISE
Most tourists prefer small cruise lines that dock in downtown Hamilton. It’s an ideal destination since it’s right on Front Street, from where you can easily get to Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda, and other parts of the island. Large cruise lines dock at Royal Navy Dockyard, which is inconveniently situated at the far western end of the Island.
TRANSPORTATION
Getting off a small cruise, you can easily go to Hamilton and other places by bus. From Royal Navy Dockyard, you can take a bus, a taxi or a boat. The most saving way of travelling around is by buying a day’s pass. You will enjoy unlimited transportation services using any public means.
ATTRACTIONS
The Bermuda Caves (洞穴)
This is a popular attraction that you have to tour. Anyone who loves to explore caves will definitely enjoy this place. You’d better wear sports shoes as some caves are a bit wet and slippery.
Beaches of Bermuda
Your trip to Bermuda is surely incomplete without spending some time at the amazing pink-sand beaches. Try Tobacco Bay and Horseshoe Bay, which are suitable for family visits. Bermuda is the world’s most famous shipwreck (沉船) site. If you’re a good diver, there are too many shipwrecks waiting to be discovered.
Sea Glass
If you want to pass time doing something for fun, head straight to the Alexander battery beach to collect lots of sea glass.
1. When is the best time to cruise Bermuda?| A．April. | B．July. | C．October. | D．November. |
| A．Buy a day’s pass to travel around the island. |
| B．Book a small ship at Royal Navy Dockyard. |
| C．Keep away from the crowded beaches. |
| D．Collect sea glass at Horseshoe Bay. |
| A．Exploring the far eastern end of the island. |
| B．Taking a bus to visit the capital city. |
| C．Diving to discover sunken ships. |
| D．Walking in the Bermuda Caves. |
10 . I speak Spanish, because I was born in Spain. But then at primary school I had to learn Russian, and at high school, I was taught how to speak German. But I always wanted to speak English.
At last I came to America. Everywhere there was English! But even if I heard and felt its presence, it was hard for me to understand it and express myself in it. The few lessons of English that I had taken in Spain gave me only a chance to introduce myself, and I didn’t even know how to buy things and ask directions.
To talk to somebody, I went to a high school to take a course in English for foreigners. Disappointingly, it took almost an hour to get through the process of introducing ourselves. Everyone had to learn something that I had already known from my books – the English alphabet (字母表) and numbers. I thought it was a waste of time, so I quit.
After a month, I tried again, but this time at college. After 15 minutes of introducing ourselves, a teacher gave us a lecture about the history of English. Then we were told that it was very important to know English in an English-speaking country. It took three hours for the teacher to tell us this. Again, I quit.
But I didn’t stop looking for something or someone that would help me to achieve my goal, and I found a tutor from Literacy Volunteers of America. But I still wasn’t happy with the classes. And when it was my turn to give a speech, I was happy to use all the long, complicated words that I had learned from one of my English books. When I had finished, my tutor said “Well, I think I have to learn English before coming to teach you!” This time, the tutor quit!
1. How many languages has the writer learned?| A．Two. | B．Four. |
| C．Three. | D．Five. |
| A．Because no one wanted to talk to him. |
| B．Because everyone had to learn the English alphabet and numbers. |
| C．Because the lessons were too easy. |
| D．Because the courses were prepared for the natives. |
| A．happy. | B．crazy. |
| C．serious. | D．friendly. |
| A．The writer learnt many foreign languages. |
| B．The writer tested the teachers’ English abilities. |
| C．The writer researched different ways of learning English. |
| D．The writer tried to look for a proper way to learn English. |
