1 . “Earthquake!” The word flashed in my brain. A roaring sound filled my ears. I tried to slide beneath my desk. The desk did a wild tap dance, slipping and sliding towards the centre of the room. I twisted my body and grabbed at the windowsill behind me, somehow kicking free of my dancing chair. I tried to stand. My legs skated away as if on a bucking escalator.
My fingers shook, grasped and held the windowsill tightly. Somewhere through the roar sounded the terrified scream of some wounded animal. I looked behind me and tried to steady my gaze on the other kids but the scene was a dizzy nightmare. Some of the class were sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by chairs and desks. One girl was screaming. A boy was trying to claw his way across the floor to the door in a crazy overarm crawl.
My grip froze me to the windowsill.
I cried aloud, “I’m going to die. I’m going to die. Save me. I’m not ready to die. I’m not ready!”
I hunched forward on my knees and pressed my face against my clenched (紧握的) fingers. I looked at the backs of my fingers and stupidly noticed the fragile pale hairs growing out of the pores. The fingers would soon cease to exist. Somehow the impending horror of my death was too terrible to even cry about.
Suddenly, I became aware that the rocking had ceased. Perhaps I wasn’t going to die.
1. The roaring sound was made by .| A．a wounded animal | B．people screaming |
| C．children running | D．an earthquake |
| A．afraid | B．angry |
| C．injured | D．impatient |
| A．injuries suffered by the narrator |
| B．effects of a bad nightmare |
| C．disorder in the classroom |
| D．narrator’s fear of death |
| A．panic | B．hope |
| C．sorrow | D．excitement |
2 . The name England comes from the words “Angle land”. The Angles were people who came from northern Germany in the 5th and 6th centuries, after the Romans had left. The French name for England is Angleterre, which also means “Angle land”. There were also invasions (侵略) of southern England by Saxons and Jutes (people from another part of northern Germany). English people are sometimes called Anglo－Saxons. The Celts who used to live in this area were forced to move back into Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall and into Western France (the area known as Brittany).
England at first became a series of kingdoms, the strongest of which was Wessex (the name comes from West－Saxon). The names of many of the areas in England come from this period—for example, the name Sussex comes from South－Saxon, Essex from East－Saxon, and East Anglia from East－Angle. The Vikings then came from Denmark, and later the Normans invaded from France. Eventually England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were united, forming the United Kingdom.
The English language is the main language spoken throughout England, although there are many different accents. It can be difficult to know how to spell or to pronounce some English words, because the language has been influenced by Latin and Greek (languages used at the time of the Romans, and used in religion and education until recent times), German (the language of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes), French(the language of the Normans), Gaelic/Scots (Celtic languages) and Danish (the language of the Vikings).
There are now many people throughout the United Kingdom who speak a foreign language either as their first or second language, mainly due to immigration (移民) from Europe or the Commonwealth (countries which used to be part of the British Empire).
1. What's the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The origin of the name England. |
| B．The Celts used to live in England but left for some reason. |
| C．Southern England once was attacked by Saxons and Jutes. |
| D．Angles and Saxons came from different parts of northern Germany. |
| A．Sussex | B．Wessex |
| C．Essex | D．East Anglia |
| A．English words are hard to spell and to pronounce. |
| B．England had been invaded by most of the countries of Europe. |
| C．The English language was influenced by several foreign languages. |
| D．It's hard for people who have different English accents to communicate. |
| A．Because they are required to learn a foreign language at school. |
| B．Because they plan to live outside the UK in the future. |
| C．Because they have moved from other countries. |
| D．Because they have worked in other countries. |
3 . Dancing until you drop is a wellknown saying, but would you really be able to dance until you dropped dead? In 1374, in some European towns, people did exactly that. They were struck by a dancing plague (瘟疫) that forced them to dance.
This phenomenon (现象) was reported to have happened throughout parts of Western Europe, affecting people from the 14th to the 17th century. Hardly stopping to eat or even sleep, they would dance, sometimes for days on end, making this one of the strangest sicknesses in Western history.
Over the next century, there were only a few outbreaks. However, in the summer of 1518, it reappeared in the city of Strasbourg, France. It all began with a woman called Mrs. Troffea, who started to dance crazily in the street.
She was soon joined by 34 people within a week; by the end of the month, the crowd had increased to 400, most of whom were women. Again, people were dancing until they could no longer continue, with some finally dying from heart attacks or exhaustion. One report shows that the plague was killing around 15 people per day.
As the plague worsened, concerned nobles (贵族) turned to the advice of local doctors, who said that the plague was a “natural disease” caused by “hot blood”. So the nobles encouraged more dancing.
The reason behind their actions was they believed the dancers could only recover if they danced continuously night and day. The nobles even paid for musicians to keep the moving.
Then, as before, it disappeared almost as suddenly as it had come.
While these events may sound highly unbelievable, there is clear written evidence that it did happen.
Now, historians and scientists are still trying to find out the true cause of this phenomenon.
1. What do we know about the plague?| A．It cost some people's lives. |
| B．It took place twice in history. |
| C．It affected people of all ages. |
| D．It stopped in the 16th century. |
| A．To see the hot blood. |
| B．To kill the dancing people. |
| C．To free people of the plague. |
| D．To prove the doctors' words. |
| A．For no reason. |
| B．With local doctors' help. |
| C．With Mrs. Troffea's help. |
| D．Because of some natural power. |
| A．To show the history of dancing. |
| B．To introduce a wellknown English saying. |
| C．To provide information on the dancing plague. |
| D．To explain the reason behind the dancing plague. |
4 . Jean is a bright young woman who comes from a rich and famous family. She goes to a good university and has everything that money can buy. Well, almost everything. The problem is that the people in Jean's family are so busy that they can hardly find time to be with her. In fact, Jean is quite lonely.
So Jean spends a lot of time on her QQ. She likes being anonymous(匿名), talking to people who do not know about her famous family and her rich life. She uses the name Linda on QQ and has made a lot of friends who she keeps in touch with quite often.
Last year Jean made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Jean had a common(共同的) interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot their time. Of course, they wanted to know more about each other. David sent a picture of himself: He was a tall, good-looking young man with a big, happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other. When Jean's father told her that he was going on a business trip to San Francisco, she asked him to let her go with him so that she could give David a surprise for his birthday. She would take him the latest DVD of their favorite rock singer. But when she knocked on David's door in San Francisco, she found that her special friend was a twelve-year-old boy named Jim!
1. Jean spends a lot of her time on QQ because she is _______.| A．rich | B．famous |
| C．young | D．lonely |
| A．made her quite happy on QQ | B．was from San Francisco |
| C．sent her a picture of himself | D．was tall and good-looking |
| A．“David” | B．Both“David” and Jean. |
| C．Jean. | D．Neither“David”nor Jean. |
| A．Don't believe those you get to know on QQ so easily. |
| B．People don't use their real names on QQ so often. |
| C．Don't go to meet those you get to know on QQ. |
| D．People should tell their real names to others on QQ. |
5 . My name is Matthew. I'm not someone who has many secrets，because I'm a terrible liar. But there is one huge secret that I kept for years- -I failed my driving test. I had never failed a test before, and had never even come close. Driving made me anxious , but my parents told me I had to. They signed me up for driving lessons. I had gotten a perfect score for my written permit exam , but getting behind the wheel was a different story.
But when October 30th rolled around ,my pride set in. I wanted to be like everyone else at my school , showing off the brand new license they'd gotten. Looking back on that special day,I can't remember if I was nervous. What I do remember is starting the test , pausing at a stop sign after a few seconds , and being asked by the instructor to pull over. I had received an auto-fail since my pause was indeed a pause and not a real stop. I wasn't upset that I was leaving without a license, but I was scared everyone would know that I had failed. So when I got to class, I told everyone I didn't want to take the test on my birthday.
One Friday a month later, I went to the test spot again and passed. Later that night I drove for the first time by myself, which brought to me an amazing feeling I've never experienced——but sill, I couldn't imagine ever telling anyone the truth. So I didn't. It wasn't until midway through college that I came clean. It turned out plenty of my college friends had failed too! And I gathered enough courage to speak the fact out. Yes ,I had also failed.
Now I realize failure and imperfection are two things everyone has to experience , without which one couldn't make a true man.
1. What can we learn about Matthew?| A．He was a slow learner of driving. | B．He relied heavily on his parents. |
| C．He was afraid of taking exams. | D．He was bored with telling lies. |
| A．To put an end to his lest. | B．To check his parking skills. |
| C．To give him a second chance, | D．To show him a better way of driving. |
| A．Failing to get a driving license. | B．Missing his birthday celebration. |
| C．Making his parents disappointed. | D．Losing face before his classmates. |
| A．Honesty is the best policy. | B．Failure is a way to grow up. |
| C．Truth stands the test of time. | D．Imperfection is another form of perfection. |
6 . Summer is the most popular season to visit Texas since there is so much to see and to do. While visiting the Lone Star State this summer, don’t miss visiting some of these attractions and taking part in some of Texas’ best summer vacation activities.
Visit SeaWorld
There are sea life shows，adventure camps，thrilling rides and a water park. A great many activities are waiting for you at SeaWorld.
Windsurf at South Padre
With miles of shallow (浅的)，calm water in the Lower Laguna Madre and strong winds conning off the Gulf of Mexico，South Padre Island is a windsurfer’s dream.
Swim at Barton Springs
Barton Springs is in the famous Zilker Park. It was formed when Barton Greek was built. Since its opening, Barton Springs has become one of the most popular swimming pools in the state.
Take part in an outdoor adventure
In the scenic Texas Hill Country, Lake Buchanan Adventures offers different kinds of activities, including boating, hiking, camping and more.
Camp and hike in Big Bend Park
Big Bend offers a great number of outdoor activities in an old way. Backpacking, mountain biking, fishing, boating, hiking, nature watching and camping - you name it. If it can be done outdoors, it can be done in Big Bend.
Enjoy saltwater fishing
Saltwater fishing in Texas is as good as anywhere else in the USA. More and more fishermen have been discovering this in recent years and packing their bags and rods (鱼竿)to make good use of Texas, world - class saltwater fishery.
1. The underlined phrase “the Lone Star State” in Paragraph 1 is another name for .| A．Texas | B．San Antonio | C．South Padre | D．Gulf of Mexico |
| A．sea life shows | B．adventure camps |
| C．climbing | D．exciting rides |
| A．San Antonio. | B．South Padre. |
| C．Barton Springs. | D．Texas Hill Country. |
7 . One day I was walking around in a national park when I saw a beautiful tarantula (狼蛛) crossing a path. I just stopped and decided to observe its walking.
Behind me there was a family going up the same way and they also noticed the tarantula. Without doubting it, a kid shouted, ''Quick, Dad, kill it. '' His brother also encouraged their dad to do that.
Then I stopped their dad. ''Wait. This is the last place the tarantula has to live in. Do you really want to kill it? ''
''Well, it's dangerous and we have kids here…''
''Why not stand still and let it cross safely? Then you can go and admire the rest of the park. ''
After some discussions I persuaded them to stand still and watch. Soon, the tarantula crossed and hid into the bushes.
Their dad thanked me and said, ''You're right. I was about to make a mistake. '' The children even said good bye to the tarantula and they learned something too.
1. What did the family want to do on seeing the tarantula?| A．To watch it. | B．To kill it. |
| C．To stand by. | D．To hide away. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Interesting. |
| C．Powerful. | D．Beautiful. |
| A．To stop it quickly. | B．To greet it politely. |
| C．To let it cross safely. | D．To drive it into the bushes. |
| A．Stay calm in time of danger. |
| B．Enjoy the beauty of nature. |
| C．Stay away from animals. |
| D．Treat the wildlife kindly. |
8 . Taj Mahal (泰姬陵), one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Exploring the beauty of this cultural relic along with the first rays of the sunlight, you’ll find yourself in a fantastic view. People have described the entire relic as a polished (抛光的) jewel in the morning sunshine.
Here is a route for you to enjoy the beautiful relic. The lowest price guarantee (保证) is $29.00.
Stop at: The hotel in New Delhi
Pick up from the hotel in New Delhi at 3:30 am and drive to Agra.
Duration (时长): 4 hours
Stop at: Taj Mahal
Note: Taj Mahal remains closed on Friday.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop at: Agra Fort
After visiting Taj Mahal, go on to visit Agra Fort, which was built in 1565 A. D. by Great Mughal Emperor Akbar.
Duration: 1.5 hours
Stop at: Mughal Spicy Restaurant
After the end of Agra fort, move towards Mughal Spicy Restaurant to have lunch. It provide you with delicious food of this city.
Duration: 1 hour
After the trip, our assistant will drive you back towards Delhi.
For more information, you can visit our website www. viator. com.
1. Taji Mahal is closed on ________.| A．Friday | B．Thursday |
| C．Wednesday | D．Monday |
| A．4 hours. | B．1.5 hours. |
| C．2 hours. | D．1 hour. |
| A．A geography textbook. |
| B．A historical report. |
| C．A travel website. |
| D．A design magazine. |
9 . Exercise helps to keep us in good health. Doctors at the American Heart Association suggest getting at least 150 minutes of proper physical activity every week. Many people exercise for a few minutes every day or every other day. So, getting 150 minutes every week is easy.
But what about those times when you are sick? If you do not feel well, should you keep following your exercise habit? Health experts answer these and other questions.
Edward R. Laskowski is a doctor at the Mayo Clinic. He and other experts have a general rule of yes about exercising when you are sick. It is usually fine to exercise, he explains, if your symptoms （症状）are all “above the neck". These signs may include a runny nose, a blocked nose, sneezing or a minor sore throat.
Geralyn Coopersmith is a physical fitness trainer who has written several books on exercise and nutrition. Both Coopersmith and Dr. Laskowski suggest taking a break from exercising if signs of your illness appear "below the neck". Pay special attention to symptoms such as chest congestion, extreme cough or pain in the stomach.
There are other symptoms that can tell you to avoid exercise. They include: a higher than normal body temperature, a sense of feeling extremely tired, and widespread muscle pain.
Both Coopersmith and Dr. Laskowski suggest listening to your body. If you feel really bad, take a break and let your body rest. If you don't feel too bad, these experts both suggest reducing the amount of exercise. For example, if you usually run, take a quick walk instead.
1. How long should people do exercise to keep healthy?| A．About 150 minutes per day. | B．Around 100 minutes per day. |
| C．At least 150 minutes per week. | D．No more than 100 minutes per week. |
| A．When your left leg is broken. | B．When you have a runny noses. |
| C．When you have a blocked nose. | D．When you have a minor sore throat. |
| A．Be careful with your cars. | B．Learn to take advice of others. |
| C．Pay attention to body signals. | D．Listen to music to keep healthy. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Nothing seek, nothing find. |
| C．Put your heart into exercise. | D．Act according to your abilities. |
10 . My husband and I recently went to Disney World with our children and grandchildren. We had a wonderful time and made lots of sweet memories together, but unexpectedly, I learned something as we made our way through the parks.
Our four grandchildren were excited about the attraction where children can drive the cars. Since our party was uneven (不均匀的) in numbers and two people fit in each car, I sat out that one and headed down to get pictures of everyone as they drove past on the track.
As I waited for my gang to drive by, I noticed a car with a father and his son who looked to be about 7. They rolled down the hill at the beginning, and then the car stopped. The young driver looked panicked, “I can’t do it.” His father quietly said, “Yes, you can.”
“No. I can’t!” “Yes, you can, son.”
The little guy was almost in tears, “I CAN’T!” With deep patience, the father said, “Son, you can do this. I’m going to help you.” Then he talked him through pushing the gas pedal (油门踏板) and driving the car. Mere moments later with the father helping his son, the two went smoothly on their way down the track.
The scene brought tears to my eyes. That sweet whispered to my soul, “Yes, you can”. Then every time things got hard or when I had failures along the way, I would think “You can”.
Time and time again, the words patiently encouraged me on the journey. That’s where the true strength comes in. I am aware that I can not do things under my own power, but the words “Yes, you can” come beside me and provide wisdom and strength. There’s no way I can fail. Are you struggling with something today? Have the “I can’t” moments taken over? You can trust the words “Yes, you can”.
1. What did the author think of her family’s trip to Disney World?| A．Surprising. | B．Disappointing. |
| C．Satisfying. | D．Boring. |
| A．Excited. | B．Frightened. |
| C．Encouraged. | D．Moved. |
| A．He encouraged the boy. | B．He let the boy drive all by himself. |
| C．He took the place of the boy and drove. | D．He was unwilling to help the boy. |
| A．The author enjoyed traveling very much. |
| B．The author was unwilling to help lazy children. |
| C．“You can” has helped the author a lot. |
| D．The author hasn’t failed in anything. |
