2 . When you set a foot outside of your door to drop trash, go to a social event or go for a walk, thoughts like “I hope I don’t see anyone I know” or “please don’t talk to me” may run through your mind. I’ve also said such things to myself. Sometimes the last thing you want to do is to talk with someone, especially someone new.

Why do we go out of our ways to avoid people? Do we think meeting new people is a waste of time? Or are we just lazy, thinking that meeting someone new really is a trouble?

Communication is the key to life. We have been told that many times. Take the past generations, like our parents, for example. They seem to take full advantage of that whole “communication” idea because they grew up talking face to face while Generation-Y grew up staring at screens. We spend hours of our days sitting on Facebook. We send messages to our friends and think about all of the things we want to say to certain people that we don’t have the courage to do in reality.

Nowadays, we are so caught up in our little circle of friends—our comfort zone. We love it that they laugh at our jokes, understand our feelings and can read our minds. Most importantly, they know when we want to be alone. They just get us.

Holding a conversation with someone new means agreeing with things that you don’t really believe and being someone you think they want you to be—it is, as I said before, a trouble. It takes up so much energy, and at some point or another, it is too tiring.

But meeting new people is important. Life is too short, so meet all the people you can meet, make the effort to go out and laugh. Remember, every “hello” leads to a smile—and a smile is worth a lot.

1. What do we learn about the author?

A．He likes to meet someone new.	B．He feels stressed out lately.
C．He’s active in attending social events.	D．He used to be afraid of talking to others.

2. What’s the problem of Generation-Y in the author’s eyes?

A．They rely on the Internet to socialize.	B．They are less confident in themselves.
C．They have difficulty in communicating.	D．They are unwilling to make new friends.

3. Why do many young people avoid meeting new people?

A．They think it troublesome.	B．They are busy with their study.
C．They fear to disappoint their friends.	D．They want to do meaningful work.

4. Why does the author write the text?

A．To stress the importance of friends.

B．To give tips on how to meet new people.

C．To encourage people to meet new people.

D．To display the disadvantages of Generation-Y.

3 . Owura Kwadwo Hottish teaches computer science in a school. It is a normal school except for the fact that it didn’t have______

Owura became famous after he posted photos of him on the Internet. In the picture. people could see he was teaching his students by______ an entire computer on the blackboard.The photos showed the______level of education for children in Ghana. People were______ that Owura made sure each button was drawn correctly. He would come to school half an hour ahead of______every day. He drew the computer on the blackboard, but at the end of his class, it was______off to start the next class, so he had to______it the next day! Owura’s efforts______when Microsoft took______of his act. They first took him to an international educators’ meeting in Singapore. He made a______about his teaching methods at the meeting and ______a standing ovation(欢呼) after the speech.

______,Owura got the thing he always wanted for his students—some companies______computers to the school. Not a single child in the school had seen a real computer in their lives. Thanks to their teacher’s______the world took care and treat them with ______

1.

A．classrooms

B．computers

C．playgrounds

D．tools

2.

A．operating

B．repairing

C．describing

D．drawing

3.

A．poor

B．unique

C．average

D．avanced

4.

A．annoyed

B．pleased

C．frightened

D．surprised

5.

A．line

B．culture

C．schedule

D．school

6.

A．rubbed

B．called

C．cut

D．shown

7.

A．exchange

B．improve

C．revise

D．repeat

8.

A．broke out

B．paid off

C．came back

D．held back

9.

A．care

B．control

C．place

D．notice

10.

A．suggestion

B．speech

C．decision

D．arrangement

11.

A．made

B．waited

C．received

D．carried

12.

A．Suddenly

B．Importantly

C．Exactly

D．Naturally

13.

A．lent

B．sold

C．donated

D．applied

14.

A．efforts

B．pains

C．legend

D．experiment

15.

A．glory

B．wisdom

C．kindness

D．pride

4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

It took place in a teacher’s family. One day, Ben was playing basketball in the living room after school, when he accidentally threw the ball at a vase sitting on the shelf. The vase dropped to the floor and a large piece broke off. What made Ben more upset was that the vase was not a common decoration but an antique (古董), which was handed down through generations from the 18th century. It was also his mother’s favourite possession. To cover his terrible action, the terrified boy glued the pieces together hurriedly and put the vase back to its place.

As the mother herself dusted the vase every day, she naturally noticed the cracks (裂纹) that evening. To her surprise, the repair work was actually very good. At dinner time, she asked her boy if he broke the vase. Fearing punishment, the suddenly inspired boy said that a neighbour’s cat jumped in from the window and he couldn’t drive it away no matter how hard he tried. It raced around the living room and finally knocked the vase off its shelf. His mother was quite clear that her son was lying, for all the windows were closed before she left for work each morning and opened after she returned. However, in the face of her son’s nervous eyes and the suspicious looks of the other family members, Ben’s mother remained calm. She realized she shouldn’t just simply blame and punish her son for lying. She came up with another idea.

Before going to bed, the boy found a note from his mother in his room, asking him to go to the study at once. The boy thought he would now be punished but, as he had already lied, he was determined to deny everything to the end, no matter how angry his mum became.

In the study, calmly bathed in the light, his mothers face showed no sign of anger. On seeing her son push open the door and cautiously enter, she took a chocolate box out of a drawer and gave him one.

注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

The mother said, “This chocolate is a reward for your imagination: a window-opening cat!”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now with some chocolates in hand, the boy’s bad attitude disappeared.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Once, when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus(马戏团). Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter.

This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of twelve. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money.

Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly talking about the clowns, elephants, and other acts they would see that night with their brothers or sisters in a low voice.

One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It should be highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You are my knight in shining armor.”

He was smiling and responding in pride, looking back at her as if to say, “You got that right.” The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”

The ticket lady gave the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand; her head dropped, and his lips began to shake. The father leaned a little closer and asked, “How much did you say?”

The ticket lady told the price to him again. The man didn’t have enough money. How could he turn and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?

In fact, we were not rich. So I understand how the kids would feel. I felt sorry for them.

注意:
1.所续写短文的词数应为150 左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头已为你写好。
Paragraph l:

Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

That day my father and I went back to our car and drove home without any tickets.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . It happened in Knoxville (a city in Tennessee in the US). A mother said she was feeling ________ as she tried to comfort her autistic (自闭的) son. But a stranger’s act of kindness turned both of their days around.

Ashley Fox was ________ at Walmart with her son Norris, three. Norris picked out a toy dog at the store. ________, it cost more than Fox had ________, so she put it back.

“That’s when Norris just had a meltdown (情绪突然失控). I rushed out of Walmart as fast as I could. He was screaming and ________,” said Fox. She was struggling to get Norris into his car seat when a woman approached her with the ________ her son had wanted in the store.

“The lady came up behind me and she pulled this toy out, and she said, ‘Is this what he was wanting?’ and I said, ‘Oh my god, yes it is.’ I gave it to him and he just ________. It was great. I expressed my ________ to her and offered to pay for this toy. She ________ to let me do it, ________ saying that she understood that because she has ________, too. I just really wanted her to know that it made his night and made his ________. He loves it and I just think it was a really ________ thing that she did,” said Fox.

She posted on Facebook that Norris and the toy are inseparable. Thousands of people have liked the ________ and hundreds have appreciated the act of ________.

“This woman, she didn’t judge. She just helped me. If more people were like that, I feel like we have much less negativity,” said Fox.

1.

A．regretful

B．surprised

C．helpless

D．comfortable

2.

A．shopping

B．working

C．chatting

D．cooking

3.

A．Otherwise

B．Besides

C．However

D．Therefore

4.

A．returned

B．doubted

C．lost

D．expected

5.

A．smiling

B．crying

C．carrying

D．admitting

6.

A．toy

B．food

C．cellphone

D．money

7.

A．broke down

B．calmed down

C．looked out

D．gave up

8.

A．thanks

B．pity

C．regrets

D．sadness

9.

A．forgot

B．refused

C．wished

D．chose

10.

A．bravely

B．angrily

C．coldly

D．gently

11.

A．kids

B．parents

C．pets

D．friends

12.

A．rule

B．way

C．day

D．mark

13.

A．stupid

B．beautiful

C．frightening

D．disappointing

14.

A．diary

B．notice

C．warning

D．post

15.

A．worry

B．courage

C．kindness

D．politeness

7 . How Star Wars Changed Movie-making Forever

“May the force be with you!” If you are a Star Wars fan, then you have probably heard this phrase many times.     1     So many characters, devices, and phrases from the movie have become well-known. But you might be surprised to find out how much this movie has changed how movies are made.

“A long time ago in a galaxy (银河系) far, far away...”is how Star Wars begins. Its plot was not creative.

    2     The story was typical science fiction with lots of drama, traditional characters and good battling evil, in space and in hand-to-hand fight.

It was the special effects that made Star Wars much better than other movies. People still talk about the light swords (剑) that could cut, burn and melt through most substances. Spaceships sped through space and landed on huge, realistic-looking space stations.     3     When Star Wars first came out in 1977, most movie theaters were stand-alone (单独的) buildings, with just one movie screen. Using the money Star Wars had made for them, movie-theater owners built more theaters, leading to the multiplexes (多影厅影院) that are common today.

Theaters needed more movies to show on all the additional movie screens and in all the new multiplexes. So new movie companies sprang up, including small ones creating experimental movies.     4     Some of the methods became popular and others failed. But, thanks to Star Wars, people got to see new types of movies.

    5     There had been movie continuations (续篇) before, but they were often just poor imitations of the first movie. The Star Wars movies were all popular. There have been two trilogies (三部曲) so far, with more planned.

A．They tried out new techniques.

B．In fact, it was quite old-fashioned.

C．Audience had never seen anything like these.

D．Thus, audience began to enjoy science fiction movies there.

E．Star Wars was the first really successful movie trilogy in history.

F．If you are not a fan, you are still likely familiar with these words.

G．If you are a movie maker, you may be inspired by this classic film.

8 . When 12, I knew my teen years would be the _______ years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied (欺凌) at school. I felt _______ alone in my small town. _______ , by doing volunteer work when 14, I turned my _______ into a chance to help others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel my life had a greater _______. The more _______ energy shared, the more kindness and appreciation I _______. I realized my purpose in life would be to help people, especially teenagers, feel less alone.

Books were my true friends back then. I was so _______ that the authors wrote those books. The _______ they offered with their books saved my life. My biggest dream was to become an author to write books that would ________ other teenagers as those books helped me.

After ________ terrible experiences at school and at home, I chose to take the positive road in later steps of my journey. I have been a full-time ________ of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach ________ to readers every day.

Kindness saved me ________ I needed help the most. Small acts of kindness can change someone’s life. You never know what someone else is ________. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.

1.

A．best

B．worst

C．calmest

D．craziest

2.

A．completely

B．obviously

C．suitably

D．amazingly

3.

A．Therefore

B．However

C．Besides

D．Finally

4.

A．appreciation

B．impression

C．problem

D．organisation

5.

A．strategy

B．personality

C．purpose

D．style

6.

A．formal

B．suitable

C．negative

D．positive

7.

A．believed

B．arranged

C．received

D．addicted

8.

A．confused

B．obvious

C．fluent

D．thankful

9.

A．comment

B．recommendation

C．accommodation

D．kindness

10.

A．help

B．master

C．honor

D．rescue

11.

A．shocking

B．surviving

C．calming

D．sharing

12.

A．author

B．summary

C．shelter

D．volunteer

13.

A．away

B．in

C．for

D．out

14.

A．when

B．if

C．although

D．because

15.

A．working out

B．making a difference

C．going through

D．working on

9 . Last weekend, I had an opportunity to serve as a volunteer at a nursing home in another city. I don’t have a car and even the _________ train station is far away from my house. _________， I wasn’t sure how to get there.

I posted a request for a ride on the ride share board. Soon an individual I’d never met _________ that he’d be able to pick me up and drop me off at the station. He said he’d wait until my train arrived before he drove away. My heart _________ and the stress I’d been feeling disappeared immediately and thus our friendship began.

I _________ arriving at the nursing home in time. The tiny team of workers there were _________ for the additional help. We all worked together as a team. I was glad to be a part of this and be of _________ to the elderly.

That evening when my new _________ dropped me off at the station, he noticed that it was in a deserted (空寂无人的) area. So he parked his car and said, “We will wait for the train to come together.” I couldn’t believe his _________.

With five minutes left before the train arrived, he __________ with me stories of his childhood. As a young boy, he __________ to sit near the edge of the railway tracks, waiting __________ for the trains to rush by with all their force. That night he waited with me as my train __________. It didn’t rush by with full force but I left that station __________ the full force of his kindness and generosity. People like him would always __________ me how to love and how to give.

1.

A．best

B．largest

C．closest

D．newest

2.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Instead

D．Otherwise

3.

A．replied

B．joked

C．remembered

D．pretended

4.

A．broke

B．warmed

C．sank

D．changed

5.

A．ended up

B．gave up

C．put off

D．insisted on

6.

A．grateful

B．regretful

C．responsible

D．sorry

7.

A．interest

B．service

C．hope

D．curiosity

8.

A．driver

B．customer

C．neighbor

D．friend

9.

A．bravery

B．confidence

C．courage

D．kindness

10.

A．argued

B．shared

C．discussed

D．compared

11.

A．used

B．refused

C．wished

D．decided

12.

A．unwillingly

B．proudly

C．excitedly

D．embarrassedly

13.

A．started

B．passed

C．stopped

D．approached

14.

A．doubting

B．ignoring

C．feeling

D．wondering

15.

A．warn

B．remind

C．expect

D．promise

10 . The cost of living in countries like the US, Britain, Australia or France has skyrocketed in recent years. However, if you’re willing to leave your country and explore life in other areas, there are many countries boasting an extremely cheap and low cost of living. Check out the following countries when planning your next move.

Ecuador

Ecuador is similar to the United States in many ways, and as a result has become a popular American getaway. They even use the US Dollar for their currency. In this country, it’s cheaper to eat out every day than cook for yourself on a budget in the US. You can even buy a building for around $ 50, 000 and hire someone to look after it while you’re away.

Mexico

Although the country is known for its poverty ridden streets, there $are many wealthier areas that provide every facility you might need. You can live off a mere $ 700 to $ 800 a month in Mexico, and this includes rent for a nice place, facilities, food, and any sightseeing.

Argentina

Argentina has been a popular tourist destination for many years. It has great restaurants, a rich history, and many places to explore. Not to mention, it’s not very expensive to live here. A decent sized home can cost around $ 139, 000, which is relatively cheap in relation to homes in the United States.

Vietnam

Vietnam has also become a popular tourist destination in recent years. There are many million-dollar luxury homes by the beach, but you can find a modest flat or a small home for around $ 25,000 to $ 50,000 if you search in the right areas.

1. In which country is the US Dollar used for its currency?

A．Argentina.	B．Mexico.
C．Ecuador.	D．Vietnam.

2. How much does it cost to live in Mexico for a year?

A．About $ 7,000.	B．About $ 8,000.
C．About $ 8,800.	D．About $ 12,000.

3. What do Argentina and Vietnam have in common?

A．They have great restaurants.

B．The cost of living is expensive.

C．The middle-sized homes cost around $ 139,000.

D．Tourists enjoy travelling in the two countries.