| A．Friends. | B．Strangers. | C．Classmates. |
2 . My First Marathon（马拉松）
A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later informed me that I was ＂not athletic＂.
The idea that I was ＂not athletic＂ stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!
At mile 3, I passed a sign: ＂GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!＂
By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, I was starving!
As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a ＂marathon winner＂.
1. A month before the marathon, the author ____________.| A．was well trained | B．felt scared |
| C．made up his mind to run | D．lost hope |
| A．To acknowledge the support of his teacher. |
| B．To amuse the readers with a funny story. |
| C．To show he was not talented in sports. |
| D．To share a precious memory. |
| A．He made it. | B．He quit halfway. |
| C．He got the first prize. | D．He walked to the end. |
| A．A man owes his success to his family support. |
| B．A winner is one with a great effort of will. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. |
| D．One is never too old to learn. |
3 . Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are, like a nearby port or river. People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade. New York City, for example, is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million. But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight. In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness(荒野). But gold was discovered there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of 30,000.
Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris. People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers. The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warming. An avalanche(雪崩) once closed the path, killing 63 people. For many who made it to Dawson, however, the rewards were worth the difficult trip. Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives.
But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities like food and wood were very expensive. But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found. The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come. Today, people still come and go — to see where the Canadian gold rush happened. Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City — its present population is 762.
1. What attracted the early settlers to New York City?| A．Its business culture. |
| B．Its small population. |
| C．Its geographical position. |
| D．Its favourable climate. |
| A．Two-thirds of them stayed there. |
| B．One out of five people got rich. |
| C．Almost everyone gave up. |
| D．Half of them died. |
| A．They found the city too crowded. |
| B．They wanted to try their luck elsewhere. |
| C．They were unable to stand the winter. |
| D．They were short of food. |
| A．The rise and fall of a city. |
| B．The gold rush in Canada. |
| C．Journeys into the wilderness. |
| D．Tourism in Dawson. |
4 . 假定你是李华，你的新西兰朋友Terry将去中国朋友家做客，发邮件向你询问有关习俗。请你回复邮件。内容包括：
（1）到达时间；（2）合适的礼物；
（3）餐桌礼仪。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
5 . A young couple decided to get married. As the big day drew nearer and nearer, they both grew nervous because each of them had a problem. The bridegroom decided to ask his father for advice. “Dad,” he said, “I love Lily very much, but I have very smelly feet, so I’m afraid that she will not put up with them.” His father said，“All you have to do is wash your feet as often as possible, and you should always wear socks, even when you go to bed.” Well, it seemed a workable solution, the young man thought.
The young woman turned to her mother. “Mom,” she said, “My morning breath is so bad that I’m afraid my new husband will not want to live in the same room with me. I love him. I can’t live without him.” Her mother said, “In the morning, get straight out of bed when you wake up, and head for the bathroom and brush your teeth. Don’t say any word before you brush your teeth.” The young woman followed her mother’s advice.
They were finally married in a wonderful ceremony (仪式). Not forgetting the advice each had received, they carefully spent every day. The husband wore his socks every night and the wife kept her mornings silent; they did quite well until about a month later. Just before dawn (黎明), the husband woke only to find that one of his socks was gone! Thinking of the terrible result, he felt frightened at once. He jumped up and began to search the bed for his sock in a hurry. Of course, this made the wife woken. Without thinking, the wife asked, “What on earth are you doing?” The husband stopped in surprise, and then he cried, “Oh, no! You must have swallowed (吞) my sock!”
1. What troubled the young man before he got married?| A．His feet had an unpleasant smell. | B．He was unprepared for the big day. |
| C．He was too poor to marry the girl. | D．His habit was too bad to be known. |
| A．Because he forgot to wear the socks. | B．Because one of his socks was missing. |
| C．Because his wife might find the truth. | D．Because it would disappoint his father. |
| A．his wife was very hungry in the morning | B．his wife often dreamed of eating things |
| C．he wanted to have his wife buy new socks | D．he found his wife’s breath very smelly |
| A．The wife would leave the husband soon. | B．The couple would tell each other the truth. |
| C．The husband would buy a new pair of socks. | D．The couple’s parents would help find the sock. |
6 . More and more people in America are celebrating the Indian holiday Diwali. Diwali is Hindi for “row of lights.” It is the most important holiday in India.
Many people around the world are beginning to celebrate it as well. The United States is one of the places where the festival is becoming more common. Diwali celebrations can now be found at American landmarks like Disney land in California and New York City’s Times Square. They are also held in many parks and museums.
Neeta Bhasin created the Times Square event. She said Indian immigrants (移民) have found great success in America. But, she said, many Americans still do not know much about India. So, she decided to act. “I felt it’s about time that we should take India to mainstream America and show India’s rich culture, heritage, arts and variety to the world,” she said, “And I couldn’t find a better place than the center of the universe: Times Square.”
Bhasin came to the United States from India 40 years ago. She is president of ASB Communications, the marketing firm behind Diwali at Times Square. Tens of thousands of people attend the event, now in its fourth year.
In India, Diwali is a five-day harvest festival held just before the Hindu New Year. The exact dates change from year to year but Diwali is always in the fall. Celebrations include lighting oil lamps or candles called diyas. The lights represent “a victory of knowledge over ignorance, light over darkness, and good over evil.”
A Diwali celebration will light up Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim this year. Visitors can watch pertormances of traditional Indian dances and take part in a Bollywood dance party. The event is part of a Festival of Holidays program at the theme park to show cultural traditions from around the world.
1. Which is the main symbol in the Indian holiday Diwali?| A．Clothes. |
| B．Lamps. |
| C．Foods. |
| D．Dances. |
| A．To make the American culture rich. |
| B．To create a new business to make a living. |
| C．To make Indian culture better known in the US. |
| D．To show off the achievements of Indian immigrants. |
| A．It is held in autumn. |
| B．It is held in a fixed date. |
| C．It lasts five days in America. |
| D．It takes place around the Hindu New Year. |
| A．Diwali is mainly celebrated in Disney Parks. |
| B．Many American cities compete to hold Diwali. |
| C．Diwali is the most popular festival in America. |
| D．Indian Holiday Diwali Lights Up America, Too. |
7 . Surviving Hurricane Sandy (飓风桑迪)
Natalie Doan, 14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the wave from her house. “It’s the ocean that makes Rockaway so special,” she says.
On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned fierce. That night, Hurricane Sandy attacked the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Natalie’s family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the city’s bridge closed.
When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Natalie’s friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Natalie’s school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.
In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway recover inspired Natalie. Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to deliver water and food to elderly people trapped in powerless high-rise buildings.
“My mom tells me that I can’t control what happens to me,” Natalie says. “but I can always choose how I deal with it.”
Natalie’s choice was to help.
She created a website page matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to help. Natalie posted introduction about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball card collecting when his house burned down. Within days, Patrick’s collection was replaced.
In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Natalie also worked with other organizations to bring much-need supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.
Today, the scars (创痕) of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt. “I can’t imagine living anywhere but Rockaway,” Natalie declares. “My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before.”
1. When Natalie returned to Rockaway after the hurricane, she found ______.| A．some friends had lost their lives. |
| B．her neighborhood was destroyed. |
| C．her school had moved to Brooklyn. |
| D．the elderly were free from suffering. |
| A．The people helping Rockaway rebuild. |
| B．The people trapped in high-rise building. |
| C．The volunteers donating money to survivors. |
| D．Local teenagers bringing clothing to elderly people. |
| A．She gave her toys to the kids. |
| B．She took care of younger children. |
| C．She called on the White House to help. |
| D．She built an information sharing platform. |
| A．Little people can make a big difference. |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．East or West, home is best. |
| D．Technology is power. |
8 . Ecotourism(生态旅游): A Different Way to Travel
Are you attracted to obscure(偏远的)places? Do you prefer to vacation away from other tourists? Are you careful to take only memories and to leave only footprints? If you answered yes to more than one of these questions, you just might be an ecotourist.
Ecotourists are people who want to experience the unspoiled natural world and leave it that way when they return home. This trend started in the 1990s and ecotourism is now growing three times faster than the tourism industry at large. The Ecuador’s remote Amazon Basin(盆地) is contributing to that expansion, and it gives a snapshot of what ecotourism looks like.
At the Ecolodge, a small group of cabins(小屋) sits Kapawi Ecolodge in the middle of the Achuar people’s reserve(保护区) and is only reached by air. From here, visitors can explore parts of the Amazon rainforest seen by few outsiders. As they do local Achuar guides explain how the forest is like their supermarket, where they find food, clothing, medicine and tools. As a result, tourists learn to appreciate the local culture as well as the natural environment.
The owners of Kapawi pay monthly rent to the Achuar people, but they also train the community to run and manage the lodge. They have agreed on a plan to turn the operation over to the Achuar completely by 2011.The owners are working to make ecotourism benefit and empower the local people.
You probably won’t start your own ecolodge, but you can be an ecotourist if you follow these guidelines: Protect the environment; Support local businesses; Respect the local customs and traditions.
The world is full of fascinating places to visit. As an ecotourist, you can enjoy them yourself and make sure that they remain beautiful for future generations as well.
1. According to the text, the ecotourists should be________.| A．those who like to experience the easily-remembered natural environment |
| B．those who like to go to their travelling places by hiking |
| C．those who prefer an undamaged natural world and remain what it used to be |
| D．those who prefer unique natural environment of cultural relics |
| A．explore the Amazon rainforest |
| B．reach there by air |
| C．live in the Achuar reserve |
| D．see many travelers from outside |
| A．Idea. | B．Aim. |
| C．Adventure. | D．Opportunity. |
| A．the Kapawi Ecolodge will continue to run and manage the lodge after 2011 |
| B．the Kapawi Ecolodge owners are the Achuar in favor of ecotourism |
| C．the Achuar people have benefited a lot by collecting money from ecotourists |
| D．the owners of Kapawi encourage tourists to appreciate the Achuar culture |
9 . The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May. Here are some helpful suggestions for your first trip to the Kentucky Derby!
Fashion vs. Comfort
In many ways, the Kentucky Derby is the world’s largest and most entertaining fashion show, with impressive hats and clothes! You’ll be on your feet and walking a lot, so pack a pair of comfortable shoes to change into during the day.
Your Tickets
You MUST have your tickets in order to get through the gates. Please note that the only place that has official permission to buy and resell Kentucky Derby tickets is the Kentucky Derby Ticket Exchange. Law enforcement officials will be on site to prevent people from selling tickets at a much higher price.
If you have questions about your tickets in advance of the Derby, please call Churchill Downs customer service at 502-636-4400.
Finding Help
With over 14,000 employees throughout the track on Derby day, you aren’t too far from someone who can help. If you can’t find an employee to help you, please text the word HORSE to 69050 and you will be placed in touch with Guest Services.
Safety & Security
For the safety of all our guests, your bag may be searched by security. A number of items are forbidden from entering the facility(场所).
For security and crowd control reasons, you can’t enter the facility again after you get out. This means that you will not be able to go outside the gates to fetch items from your car once you have passed through security. Please be sure to bring everything you need.
1. What is the dressing tip?| A．Dress in popular sports clothes. |
| B．Bring several sets of clothes to change into. |
| C．Prepare a pair of comfortable shoes. |
| D．Put on a hat to provide protection from the sun. |
| A．Call Churchill Downs customer service. |
| B．Consult law enforcement officials. |
| C．Find a buyer by yourself. |
| D．Go to the Kentucky Derby Ticket Exchange. |
| A．You can’t enter the facility after the game begins. |
| B．You are not permitted to re-enter the facility. |
| C．You can bring whatever you need into the facility. |
| D．Your car needs to be examined by security. |
10 . Today most Chinese teenagers are happy to be favored by two parents and four grandparents in their families. But have you ever thought about how to take care of four to twelve old people when you grow up and get married? This could be a problem for most Chinese youths as China is entering a new stage of an aging society.
An aging society refers to one where 10 percent or more of its population is over 60. By the end of 2007, Chinese over 60 years old have made up 11.7 percent of the nation’s total population. “China is getting old before becoming rich,” said Cai Chuang, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The population increase that has powered Chinese growth for three decades will give way over the next ten years to a rapid aging of the society. This will lead to weaker economic growth, because of a lack of labor resources.
As a result of the family planning policy, it is expected that the country's total working population will decrease after 2015.
China is not the only country getting old. More than 60 countries have become aging societies and one in three people in the European Union is a senior citizen.
However, experts said that China doesn't have a highly developed social security network to support the old. Social security is an insurance program protecting those in need, including the old, the disabled and others.
1. An aging society is a society that ___________.| A．less than 10% of its population is over 60 |
| B．10% or more of its population is over 60 |
| C．there are four old people in a family |
| D．most of its population is over 60 |
| A．there will not be enough labor resources |
| B．the family planning policy will be ended |
| C．everyone needs to take care of four to twelve old people |
| D．China will have a highly developed social security network |
| A．an aging society | B．Chinese social problems |
| C．family planning policy | D．aging problem in China |
