2 . America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real , yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸)sometimes deeply into both families.

Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, and share their holidays and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality(好客)easily.

Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday life, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides for our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at home, but truly can not manage a great deal of time to do with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.

For the Americans, it is often considered friendlier to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!

1. The writer of this passage must be________.

A．an American

B．a Chinese

C．a professor

D．a student

2. What does the underlined phrase “ generous with our time ” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ?

A．Willing to spend time.	B．Serious about time.
C．Careful with time.	D．Strict with time.

3. When we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will be________.

A．warmly welcomed at the airport	B．offered a ride to his home
C．treated kindly at his home	D．treated to dinner in a restaurant

4. What is the best title for this passage ?

A．Friendships between Chinese

B．Friendships between Americans

C．Americans’ hospitality

D．Americans’ and Chinese people’s different views on friendship

3 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式，并将相应答案写在答题纸上。

Naturally green, red, yellow, or white, jade (玉) is a special rock. It’s important to Chinese culture     1    (main) due to what it represents. Here is a brief    2    (introduce) to jade.

Jade is classified into soft jade and hard jade. One type of hard jade is called feicui in Chinese that is now    3    (valuable) than soft jade in China today. As a part of Chinese civilization, Chinese jade has been in use for practical and decorative    4    (purpose) since it was found.

Chinese people love jade not only because of    5    (it) aesthetic (美学的) beauty    6    because it represents social value. In The Book of Rites or, Li Ji, Confucius said that there are 11 virtues represented in jade: justice, truth, intelligence, etc.

Jade is so firmly established in Chinese culture    7    there are many stories about jade. Among them the most famous is He Shi Zhi Bi,    8    (tell) the story of Mr. He and how he found a piece of raw jade and tried to give it to two generations of kings, but they didn’t recognize it as priceless and cut off his feet    9    (punish) him for trying to pass off an unworthy stone. Afterwards, the grandson of the first king, Wenwang, had his jeweler cut the stone open and found the raw jade. It    10    (carve) into a disc and named after Mr. He.

4 . A young and successful manager was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar (捷豹) . He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.

As his car passed, one child appeared, and a brick smashed(撞击) into the Jag’s side door. He slammed (砰地关上) on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown.

He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting. “What was that all about and who are you? Just what are you doing?”

Building up a head of steam, he went on “That’s a new car and that brick you threw cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?”

“Please, mister, please, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do! pleaded(恳求) the youngster.

“It’s my brother,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up. Sobbing, the boy asked the manager, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair?

He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay.

“Thank you, sir. And God bless you,” the grateful child said to him. The man then watched the little boy push his brother to the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk backs to his Jaguar... a long, slow walk. He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent (凹痕) to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.

Life whispers in your soul and speaks to your heart. Sometimes, when you don’t have the time to listen... Life throws a brick at your head.

It’s your choice: Listen to the whispers of your soul or wait for the brick!

1. Why did the child throw a brick at the Jaguar?

A．To play tricks on the manager	B．To make fun of the manager
C．To ask him for help	D．To show his dissatisfaction

2. How did the manager feel at first after the brick hit his car?

A．Angry

B．Surprised

C．Content

D．Disappointed

3. Which of the following can best describe the manager?

A．Selfish and lazy	B．Caring and warm-hearted
C．Indifferent and stubborn	D．Determined and courageous

4. Which of the following can be the best title?

A．A Damaged New Jaguar

B．A Boy in Need

C．A Helpful Manager

D．A Pleading Brick

7 . As the new year approaches, crowds around the world may be expecting whizzes and bangs to light up the sky. The appeal of fireworks could fizzle out with the growing use of drones (无人机) for light shows, though.

Ollie Howitt, a leader of SkyMagic, which used a team of 300 drones to create a display for London’s new year celebration last year, said demand had increased substantially. “We do think it’s going to be something that’s ever catching on, as opposed to it being a short-lived sort of fashion people have suddenly got interested in. Drones are reusable and there’s no fallout. In that sense they’re a very good, sustainable option,” she said.

But not everyone agrees. A spokesperson from the British Fireworks Association said drones could also pose environmental problems. “Suggestions are that drones have less of an impact on the environment, but we have serious concerns about electrical demand and use of lithium batteries which are known not to be all that ‘green’,” they said.

An RSPCA spokesperson said that while drones were a possible idea to try to reduce the impact of displays on animals, there were downsides. “Drones are not without their own negative issues such as scaring horses or crashing into birds, and can cause disturbance to animals and members of the public. It’s therefore important for their effects to be fully considered and measures taken to minimize the chance of accidents,” they said.

Some express the opinion that the use of fireworks and drones don’t exclude each other. The sight, sound and gunpowder smell of fireworks will always provide its own unique thrill.

“We find fireworks work really well when teamed up with drones. But we don’t really see it as a one-replacing-the-other at all. We feel as if it’s just another tool in the chest for how you enliven the sky and what you want to do with the show you’re putting on,” said Howitt, noting that while fireworks give a loud, emotive, big performance, drones offer the chance to tell stories in the sky by using a series of images.

1. What does the underlined phrase “fizzle out” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Catch on.	B．Wind up.
C．Spring up.	D．Cancel out.

2. What does Howitt think about a drone display in paragraph 2?

A．It’s definitely an upward trend.

B．It’ll get us to reflect on energy crisis.

C．It’s nothing but a temporary phenomenon.

D．It’ll fuel the public curiosity about science.

3. Which of the following may Howitt suggest according to the last paragraph?

A．Promoting the production of drones.

B．Diversifying the functions of drones.

C．Prohibiting the displays of fireworks.

D．Staging drone shows as an alternative.

4. In which section of a website can we read this text?

A．Advertisement.	B．Business.
C．Health.	D．Environment.

8 . 假如你是李华，你的英国交换生朋友Jack目前在北京就读，他打算十月中旬来杭州玩，向你寻求出行建议。请你用英文给他写一封建议信，内容包括：
1.表示欢迎；
2.你的建议（交通方式、景点推荐……）及理由；
3.表达祝愿。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . A couple of weeks ago, my grandfather was explaining his favorite expression, “Nothing is ever easy.” The following day, as I tried to complete my work, I happened to _______ a big bee on the skylight (天窗). It was high up, but I thought _______ it would take no more than 5 minutes. An hour later, the bee still remained. All that had _______ was that the living room was a mess and that I was dizzy (头晕目眩) from _______ into the sunlight. I didn’t expect to waste an hour on an insect so _______ but by doing so, I understood what my grandfather meant.

In our daily lives,we often think that we can solve problems just by taking the time. Besides, we often imagine what can work in our favour but we _______ think of all the negative things that can affect us. However, it is important to remember that your day or week or year may not go as _______ and that is completely normal. It is _______ acceptable to feel challenged — even at a task you thought was simple — because that is part of life.

If you can _______ that nothing will ever be easy, then life may seem slightly more manageable. In middle school, I thought high school might be easier because I could choose the classes I wanted to ________. In high school, I thought ________ might be easier because I could have a schedule best suited for myself. Yet each time, I was both wrong and disappointed. After accepting that school wouldn’t be easy, I found myself with a more positive attitude and ________ results.

Of course, there should be preparations made to account for expenses or time. Doing so can help you ________ your goals in a better way. However, there is no need to beat ourselves up (过分自责) when something stands in our ________. Maybe we cannot see a(n) ________ coming our way, but we can always give ourselves the extra time to catch it.

1.

A．meet

B．catch

C．notice

D．attract

2.

A．exploring

B．moving

C．killing

D．removing

3.

A．cleared

B．failed

C．ended

D．changed

4.

A．cleaning up

B．looking up

C．turning up

D．making up

5.

A．anxious

B．tiny

C．annoyed

D．curious

6.

A．always

B．never

C．seldom

D．often

7.

A．registered

B．impressed

C．planned

D．promised

8.

A．actually

B．perfectly

C．obviously

D．partly

9.

A．accept

B．concentrate

C．design

D．challenge

10.

A．take

B．listen

C．keep

D．revise

11.

A．office

B．hospital

C．college

D．prison

12.

A．frightened

B．advanced

C．organized

D．improved

13.

A．forward

B．complete

C．achieve

D．quit

14.

A．age

B．path

C．plate

D．view

15.

A．bee

B．bird

C．adult

D．volunteer

10 . Sidney Keys, 14-year-old, has started a youth-led book club program, with the support and help of his mom, to help empower (给予...力量) both himself and many other boys with mental or physical problems through literature.

“I used to have a really bad stutter (结巴) and perform badly in school and I would get laughed at for it,” Sidney Keys, the founder of the book club Books N Bros said. “Reading was kind of my escape from my stutter because in my head I was able to imagine things and play out all the events clearly.” He said,“I wanted to start up Books N Bros so that I could talk to other people, especially boys, about books I love in a relaxing way because it’s like a brotherhood.”

The reading club that he started at just 10 years old now has over 250 “bros” aged 7 to 13 from the U.S. and Canada, most of whom are changing actively and positively. Marvels Hero Project, which reveals (展示) the remarkable, positive change young men make in their communities across the country and turns them into superheroes, selected Keys to be featured in the Disney series.

“I always wanted to read books that had characters that looked like me, but now I see a comic book with me in it,” Keys said.“It’s unbelievable that my friends and teachers all call me my superhero name.”

As for the future of Books N Bros, Keys and his mom hope to expand the programs reach throughout the country.“Getting Books N Bros in schools across America, we don’t want transportation to be an issue for getting that physical brotherhood and bond. It just benefits so many people, and it keeps me going,” Keys explained.

1. What’s the main reason for Sidney Keys to build the club Books N Bros?

A．His mother’s support.

B．His poor school performance.

C．His own sufferings.

D．His desire to talk to people.

2. Why was Keys chosen by Marvel’s Hero Project?

A．Because he was called a superhero by people.

B．Because he made a difference to others.

C．Because he was brave to face his shortcomings.

D．Because he looked like a role in the Disney series.

3. How did Keys feel when seeing himself in a comic book?

A．Confused.

B．Curious.

C．Anxious.

D．Proud.

4. What is this text mainly about?

A．How Sidney Keys and Books N Bros affect other people.

B．How Marvels Hero Project creates a superhero.

C．How a teenager gets help from Marvels Hero Project.

D．How a music club becomes a hit across America.