1 . An act of kindness doesn't have to be a grand gesture. Even those small acts of kindness can make a difference in someone's day. That was just the case for Amie Mickey when she____________a bumper sticker on her car reading: You Matter.

Amie started to do this several years ago. At first, she wondered if people would________________it. However, much to her surprise, she began seeing a flood of____________every time she hit the road. More often than not, people________________slowly near her car would roll down their windows, raising their____________________,waving and smiling. Sometimes, she even found some sticky notes left on her windshield saying things like “You________________too! “Once while she was driving down the highway, she became____________when a man driving a sports car at a high speed pulled his car alongside suddenly, waving and mouthing, “You matter!” Though it took her some time to recover from the________________, she still felt happy. Last year, someone____________________her car while she was waiting for her friend in the car by the roadside, saying to her, “It is a(an)________________sticker. I’ve seen various stickers before, but none of them have touched me as your sticker has done. “The two small words on the sticker seem simple enough, but they really struck a chord with many complete strangers who___________to catch sight of the sticker.

Stories like Amie's really________________the rest of us. Sometimes a kind word or gesture may lift our____________and it doesn't cost a thing except for a little extra thought. Maybe it means offering a friend a hug, praising the children when their children________________well in school, helping someone out or volunteering at animal shelters or shelters for the homeless. Acts of kindness are waiting everywhere. Small as they seem, they can make a____________impact on the world, and help form general goodness.

1.

A．tore up

B．picked up

C．fixed up

D．put up

2.

A．watch

B．overlook

C．notice

D．neglect

3.

A．attention

B．strangers

C．confusion

D．trouble

4.

A．running

B．driving

C．walking

D．riding

5.

A．voices

B．hats

C．shoulders

D．thumbs

6.

A．count

B．share

C．value

D．matter

7.

A．frightened

B．frustrated

C．embarrassed

D．disappointed

8.

A．parking

B．speed

C．incident

D．event

9.

A．approached

B．blocked

C．repaired

D．cleaned

10.

A．important

B．special

C．typical

D．skeptical

11.

A．happened

B．occurred

C．managed

D．offered

12.

A．shock

B．inspire

C．delight

D．satisfy

13.

A．feelings

B．thoughts

C．spirits

D．minds

14.

A．work

B．exercise

C．conduct

D．behave

15.

A．reliable

B．subjective

C．positive

D．brief

2 . Schuylerville High School students have a broad range of interests, which are reflected by the number of clubs and organizations in which our pupils participate. Here are some of the most popular clubs.

Environmental Club

Open to students in grades 9-12

Advisor: Mrs. Flores

The High School Environmental Club is open to all students interest increasing environmental awareness throughout the school. Activities include: recycling, environmental competitions, volunteering with green schools and outdoor events. This run student club collects and recycles paper products throughout the school building.

Freshman Class

Open to students in grades 9-10

Advisor: Mr. winslow

The freshmen class participates in several activities throughout the year to raise money for the class account. The class officers meet once a month to discuss business that affects the entire class. All members of the freshman class are encouraged to participate in some type of community service during the year.

Literary magazine

Open to students in grades 10-12

Advisor: Mr. Sgambati

Members of the Literary Magazine collect, edit and often contribute to the body of student work. Literary Magazine meetings will also give students the opportunity to share and receive feedback on the creative pieces that they re working on, as well as the chance to learn about writing practices and strategies.

Mock Trial Team

Open to students in grades 11-12

Advisor: Mrs. Lewis

Mock Trial is an after-school activity that helps students develop useful knowledge about the law. Students play out all the roles and use general rules of evidence and fact explanations in a school court. They will work with a real lawyer and an advisor to further understand the court process.

1. At which club can you take part in the community service?

A．Environmental Club.	B．Freshman Class.
C．Literary Magazine.	D．Mock Trial Team.

2. What does Mock Trial Team aim to do?

A．To encourage students to be lawyers.	B．To develop students’ writing skills.
C．To explain all kinds of facts at school.	D．To help students learn more about laws.

3. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A news report.	B．A school website.
C．A research paper.	D．A science magazine.

3 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and

philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.

Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.

A．provide some key facts about Confucius

B．attract the readers' interest in the subject

C．show great respect for the ancient thinker

D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations

2. We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students___________.

A．have a great interest in studying Chinese

B．take an active part in Chinese competitions

C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams

D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese

3. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Forgotten Wisdom in America

B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language

C．Chinese Culture for Westerners

D．Old Thinker with a Big Future

4. The passage is likely to appear in__________.

A．a personal biography	B．a history paper
C．a cultural newspaper	D．a philosophy textbook

4 . A couple of days ago, my 9­year­old son and I were shopping at a grocery store (食品杂货店). At the checkout, a mother was trying to understand her bill. She didn't have enough _______ for her milk and cheese. The manager _______ the items (商品) from her cart and carried them away to the fridge section.

There had been _______ when I myself didn't have money to buy groceries my family needed, but today was _______. It was payday so there we stood in line with our groceries.

I whispered to my son and told him to run and get the _______ back with the items. He was confused. He didn't understand me. I was trying to do an act of kindness, but it went _______.

The lady left with her son and _______ groceries than she had planned. I told the checkout guy to _______ me for her milk and cheese and that we'd run to the parking lot and _______ her up. He said “You'd do that？” and I said “Yes, I want to make sure they have what they ________.”

He quickly called the manager back. I paid for my items and hers and my son and I ran to the parking lot where we ________ we would find the lady. But the mom and her son were ________ and with them went my opportunity to gift these small but ________ items.

I felt ________ for not speaking up and telling her what I wanted to do for her. If I had told her about it, I wouldn't have ________ the chance of doing a good deed. Perhaps because of this our future acts will be delivered with speed, as it is intended and necessary for love and kindness.

1.

A．space

B．money

C．patience

D．help

2.

A．counted

B．added

C．removed

D．replaced

3.

A．times

B．reasons

C．ways

D．stores

4.

A．free

B．different

C．common

D．familiar

5.

A．fridge

B．mother

C．partner

D．manager

6.

A．wrong

B．bad

C．crazy

D．hungry

7.

A．cheaper

B．heavier

C．fewer

D．larger

8.

A．reward

B．search

C．pay

D．charge

9.

A．pick

B．catch

C．cheer

D．give

10.

A．need

B．buy

C．order

D．lose

11.

A．proved

B．doubted

C．remembered

D．thought

12.

A．grateful

B．unwilling

C．gone

D．tired

13.

A．necessary

B．expensive

C．useless

D．beautiful

14.

A．lucky

B．frightened

C．terrible

D．hopeless

15.

A．had

B．missed

C．welcomed

D．refused

5 . 阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(不多于3个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

One morning, I was waiting at the bus stop, worried about     1     (be) late for school. There were many people waiting at the bus stop,     2     some of them looked very anxious and     3    (disappoint) . When the bus finally came, we all hurried on board. I got a place next     4     the window, so I had a good view of the sidewalk. A boy on a bike     5     (catch ) my attention. He was riding beside the bus and waving his arms. I heard a passenger behind me shouting to the driver, but he refused     6     (stop) until we reached the next stop. Still, the boy kept     7    (ride). He was carrying something over his shoulder and shouting. Finally, when we came to the next stop, the boy ran up the door of the bus. I heard an excited conversation. Then the driver stood up and asked,“    8     anyone lose a suitcase at the last stop?” A woman on the bus shouted, “Oh, dear! It s     9     (I )”. She pushed her way to the driver and took the suitcase thankfully, Five others on the bus began talking about what the boy had done and the crowd of strangers         10    (sudden) became friendly to one another.

6 . Trekking (徒步旅行) 500 miles across Spain is no easy task for anyone, but for the wheelchair user Justin Skeesuck, achieving the dream seemed nearly impossible. However, Skeesuck’s lifelong best friend, Patrick Gray, simply didn’t accept that idea. He said, “We’ve done everything together so far. Why don’t we have one more adventure?”

That’s exactly what he did — pushing Skeesuck across northern Spain’s Camino de Santiago. Though Skeesuck has a muscle disease similar to ALS (肌萎缩侧索硬化) and high blood pressure, he first got the idea to go on the journey after he watched a travel show about the trail. He said, “I knew immediately since my heart was just telling me, ‘You need to do this.’”

With Gray on board and the blessings of their family, the two best friends from Idaho set off to make Skeesuck’s dream of going for the journey a reality. However, neither Gray nor Skeesuck realized how physically and emotionally arduous the trip would be. Not only did they have a strict time limit — about six weeks to get from start to finish, but they also faced extremely difficult obstacles (障碍). With Gray pushing Skeesuck in a three-wheel wheelchair, the pair crossed mountains, rivers and a desert. “I’ve never been that physically exhausted in my entire life,” Gray said. The pair came across countless kind people during their trip who were eager to help them finish their journey, but they refused their help with gentle words. 34 days later, the two best friends finished their journey, realizing a dream that helped them learn about themselves and others. “The adventure has taught me for sure that when you do something with faith, and never give up, amazing things can really happen,” Skeesuck said.

Gray recorded their incredible trip in a book — “I’ll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends and One Wheelchair”, which would be published soon. Skeesuck and Gray are also working on a children’s book that will tell the story of their adventure. They hope that the book will give kids strength when they deal with difficulties.

1. What can we learn about Patrick Gray from Paragraph 1?

A．He is a wheelchair user.

B．He has been to Spain several times before.

C．He wanted to challenge what was thought impossible.

D．He didn’t think trekking 500 miles was an adventure.

2. What does the underlined word “arduous” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Relaxing.	B．Disappointing.
C．Challenging.	D．Satisfying.

3. What can we infer about the pair’s journey from Paragraph 3?

A．They set off on foot.	B．They finished it ahead of time.
C．They received a lot of help.	D．They met with no difficulties.

4. Why did the two friends write a children’s book on that journey?

A．To encourage kids to face difficulties bravely.

B．To earn some money by selling books.

C．To persuade kids to take a trip to Spain.

D．To show kids the beautiful natural scenery.

7 . There are many gardening tips. Some suggest playing music for your house plants, having conversations with them, or even giving them a gentle touch now and then. Most of these practices are probably more for the benefit of the gardener than the garden, and generally harmless enough but except the last one. Your plants really dislike it when you touch them.

A new study out of the La Trobe Institute for Agriculture and Food has found that most plants are extremely sensitive to touch, and even a light touch can significantly stunt(阻碍) their growth. “The lightest touch from a human, animal, insect, or even plants touching each other in the wind, can cause a huge gene response in the plant,” Jim Whelan, who led the new study, said. “Within 30 minutes of being touched, 10% of the plant’s genome(基因组) is changed. This involves a huge expenditure(消耗) of energy which is taken away from plant growth. If the touching is repeated, then plant growth is reduced by up to 30%.”

Whelan and his team are still trying to find out why plants respond, at the genetic level, so strongly. They do have some theories, however. We know that when an insect lands on a plant, genes are activated(激活) preparing the plant to defend itself against being eaten ,” said Dr. Yan Wang, co-author of the study.

Until more research is done, it’s just a guess at this point. Still, the findings might already lead to new methods for how agriculturalists deal with their crops, to best promote healthier growth.

It’s worth noticing that while the study found that plants often respond to just a single touch in negative ways, it’s really repeated touching that causes lasting stunted growth. That’s because the plants are looking for patterns in the touching, to tell harmful touch from random touch. So it doesn’t matter if you accidently brush up against a bush during a walk through the woods.

1. How is the passage mainly developed?

A．By comparing

B．By giving examples

C．By listing numbers

D．By showing results of studies

2. Why can touching stunt a plant growing according to the study?

A．It leads to the plant’s energy expenditure.

B．It makes the plant sensitive to threats.

C．It causes a genetic disorder in the plant.

D．It prevents the plant absorbing nutrients.

3. What’s the importance of the study by Whelan and his team?

A．It gives us more useful gardening tips.

B．It helps find ways to ensure plants’ healthy growth.

C．It contributes to the further study on genes.

D．It uses data to warn people not to touch plants.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Something is done to help plants grow.

B．Plants’ genome can be changed easily.

C．Plants don’t really like to be touched.

D．What we do every day may destroy plants.

8 . Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia (百科全书), is the largest encyclopedia ever. An encyclopedia is a collection of informative articles about various things. Encyclopedias used to be printed as books.     1    

“Wiki” is an internet term that means "a website that can be edited by the public." It comes from “wikiwiki”, a Hawaiian word for "quick". Two Americans, Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, created Wikipedia in 2001.     2    It has about 6 million articles in 300 languages and is visited by billions of people each day, who want to find information on just about anything – science, math, languages, art, culture, and company histories. There are articles on sports stars, too, and even long-forgotten soap operas from the 1970s.

    3    Except for a small number of pages, anyone can edit articles, anonymously (匿名地) or with a user account, and registered (注册的) users can create their own articles. Editing is unpaid, although Wikipedia does employ a small staff. Wikipedia is freely available to anyone with an internet connection. Its founders hoped that the model would make use of humanity's collective knowledge.

    4    Many Wikipedia pages contain errors, although the organization has a content review system that works to fix this problem. Several studies have concluded that Wikipedia is as accurate as most print encyclopedias. Indeed, a 2005 report in the journal Nature found it to be only slightly less reliable (可靠的) than Encyclopedia Britannica.

    5    It does not rely on advertising. Instead, all of its funds (资金) come from donations. Perhaps more importantly, the number of its volunteer editors is shrinking.

Despite these difficulties, Jimmy Wales says he will still stick to his dream. He has big plans for the future. He wants Wikipedia available in all of the world's languages.

A．Today Wikipedia faces many challenges.

B．Wikipedia employs an open editing model.

C．It allows users to get information within seconds.

D．It is now the fifth-most visited website on the internet.

E．Most of its editors are volunteers.

F．Now, they are mostly found online.

G．However, some people doubt the accuracy (准确性) of Wikipedia's content.

9 . Like clockwork, nearly every fourth February includes one extra day. February 29th, otherwise known as Leap Day, isn’t exactly a holiday. Instead, it’s there to keep your calendar consistent with the earth’s rotation (旋转) around the sun.

According to History, com, Roman emperor Julius Caesar is the “father” of Leap Year. Until he came along, people used a 355-day calendar, which was 10.25 days shorter than the solar year. Roman officials were supposed add an extra month every now and then to keep the seasons exactly where they should be. But that didn’t work out all that well. When special occasions started shifting into different seasons around 45 BCE, Caesar consulted with astronomers and decreed (下令) that the empire should use a 12-month, 365-day calendar, which he named after himself, Caesar’s Julian calendar included a Leap Day every four years.

Though Leap Day keeps your calendar in line with the earth’s rotation around the sun, it causes a different kind of problem for leapsters. When should these February 29th babies celebrate their birthdays during the other three-quarters of their lives? Some party on February 28th, while others prefer a two-day celebration that spans the last day of February and the first day of March.

Leap Day can be a nuisance in the legal system. In 2006, a court in Massachusetts was deciding whether criminal John Melo could be released a day early since his 10-year sentence included a Leap Day. In the case, the judge decided that since the man was sentenced to prison for years, not days. Leap Day didn’t make a bit of difference.

Though a few timekeepers have pushed for calendars that don’t include Leap Day, almost all astronomers and societies agree that Leap Day is the best method to keep the calendar on track.

1. Why was Leap Day created?

A．To celebrate special occasions.	B．To honor Emperor Julius Caesar.
C．To keep pace with the solar year.	D．To keep track of all the seasons.

2. What is the problem with the birthday celebration of February 29th babies?

A．It is sometimes delayed.	B．It lasts at least two days.
C．It has to be held every other year.	D．It may take place on different dates.

3. What does the underlined word “nuisance” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Joke.	B．Topic.
C．Trouble.	D．Mistake.

4. what is the attitude of most astronomers towards Leap Day?

A．Critical.	B．Supportive.
C．Doubtful.	D．Cautious.

10 . My Chinese speaking experience

It’s one thing to study and learn a language, but it’s quite another when you finally get to use it.

On the _______ from Venice to Paris, a group of girls my age sat around me. I had caught enough of the conversation to know that they were speaking Chinese, but at first I didn’t feel _______starting a conversation with the stranger next to me. If it didn’t _______ well, I’d be stuck next to them for the rest of the flight.

As the food cart began to make its way down the aisle (过道) _______ us, I finally found my chance. I _______ to the girl to my left and asked, “Will you be having lunch?” in Chinese. She nodded her head, then realizing the language I had _______, and asked me in English, “You speak Chinese?”

I was a bit surprised. I _______ again in Chinese. “A little bit but not very well.” She nodded again and then returned to her magazine, _______ my effort to communicate with her. Perhaps I should have lied and said that I spoke better...

Another time, at a dinner I sat next to a man who I knew spoke Chinese. I told him that I was learning Chinese, but _______ only speak a little and not very well. When ________ me use the language, he suddenly began to speak ________ in Chinese, but all I caught was that he told me that for Chinese people, the ability to speak a little bit is actually a lot. His behaviour was the complete opposite of my earlier ________. I felt somewhat overwhelmed (不知所措). I never quite     ________ the chance to continue or make any further efforts because the conversation returned to ________ as other people joined the table.

All in all, my experience has ________me that I still have a lot of work to do.

1.

A．subway

B．train

C．plane

D．boat

2.

A．satisfied

B．lucky

C．happy

D．comfortable

3.

A．go

B．fit

C．feel

D．do

4.

A．beyond

B．with

C．off

D．towards

5.

A．promised

B．turned

C．led

D．referred

6.

A．owned

B．used

C．written

D．advised

7.

A．agreed

B．stressed

C．tried

D．delivered

8.

A．ending

B．making

C．focusing

D．increasing

9.

A．should

B．must

C．need

D．could

10.

A．letting

B．seeing

C．hearing

D．helping

11.

A．rapidly

B．extremely

C．calmly

D．seriously

12.

A．class

B．experience

C．lecture

D．attitude

13.

A．got

B．missed

C．exchanged

D．gave

14.

A．Chinese

B．French

C．English

D．Italian

15.

A．requested

B．left

C．regarded

D．taught