1 . Life is filled with challenges. As we get older we ____ realize that those challenges are the very things that ____ us and make us who we are, it is the same with the challenges that come with____.

When we are faced with a challenge, we usually have two ____. We can try to beat it off, or we can decide that the thing___ the challenge isn’t worth the___ and call it quits.

Although there are certainly___ when calling it quits is the right thing to do, in most __ all that is needed is___ and communication.

When we are committed to something, it means that no matter how___ or how uncomfortable something is, we will always choose to____ it and work through instead of running away from it. Communication is making a ____ for discussion and talking about how you feel instead of just saying what the other person did wrong. ____ you can say to a friend, “I got my feelings hurt.”___ “You hurt my feelings,” you are going to be able to solve the problem much faster.

In dealing with many challenges that friendship will bring to you, try to see them for___ they are: small hurdles you need to jump or ____ on your way through life. Nothing is so big that it is ____ to get over, and hurt only ____ to make us stronger. It is all part of growing up, and it ____ to everyone, and some day you will ____ all of this and say, “Hard as it was, it made me who I am today. And that’s a good thing.”

1.

A．seem to

B．come to

C．hope to

D．try to

2.

A．design

B．promote

C．direct

D．shape

3.

A．confidence

B．pressure

C．friendship

D．difficulty

4.

A．choices

B．expectations

C．opportunities

D．aspects

5.

A．demanding

B．deserving

C．predicting

D．presenting

6.

A．comment

B．loss

C．trouble

D．expense

7.

A．means

B．times

C．dates

D．ages

8.

A．cases

B．fields

C．parts

D．occasions

9.

A．assessment

B．commitment

C．encouragement

D．adjustment

10.

A．doubtful

B．shameful

C．harmful

D．painful

11.

A．keep

B．control

C．face

D．catch

12.

A．chance

B．plan

C．topic

D．space

13.

A．If

B．As

C．While

D．Unless

14.

A．other than

B．rather than

C．or rather

D．or else

15.

A．what

B．who

C．where

D．which

16.

A．pass by

B．come across

C．get through

D．run over

17.

A．unnecessary

B．necessary

C．impossible

D．possible

18.

A．serves

B．means

C．aims

D．attempts

19.

A．opens

B．appeals

C．goes

D．happens

20.

A．look down on

B．look back on

C．look forward to

D．look up to

2 . Hacking isn’t just for computers and smart phones. According to a study, scientists have found a way to hack a plant’s genes in order to make it use sunlight more quickly. Someday, the results could increase the number of food produced around the world.

Scientists used tobacco plants in the study because it is easy to change the plants^’ genes. Hacked plants are larger than normal plants.

Photosynthesis is the word used to describe how plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make their own food. Scientists say this is a very slow process. Plants use less than 1 percent of the energy. But by hacking a plant’s genes, the scientists were able to increase the amount of leaf growth on plants between 14 and 20 percent. Scientists hacked the plant’s protective system. Normally, this system starts when a plant gets too much sunlight. When the plant senses the light, it creates more leaves. When the plant is in shade, the protective system is turned off. But the process is slow.

The new study sped up the process by changing the plant’s genes, the protective system turned on and off more quickly than normal. As a result, leaf growth on the plants scientists used in the study increased. Leaf growth on two plants increased by 20 percent, while leaf growth on a third plant increased by 14 percent. Scientists conducted the study on tobacco plants. But they think the genetic changes would produce the same results in corn and rice.

Agriculture professor Tala Awanda said the study makes sense, but cautioned the yield（产量）might not be quite so high for conventional food crops. Still, she added in an email, “this study remains a breakthrough,”

1. Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 1 ?

A．We can find hacking only in digital devices.

B．A plant’s genes can be changed by hacking.

C．Hacking has been used in improving food production.

D．Hacking can be used to change whatever you want.

2. Why did scientists choose tobacco plants to study?

A．Because they are very easy to get.

B．Because their genes are easy to change.

C．Because they are larger than other plants.

D．Because they can absorb sunlight quickly.

3. What do we know about photosynthesis?

A．It helps plants to produce energy.

B．It is regarded as a productive system for plants.

C．It can increase leaf growth on plants by 14 percent.

D．It is made up of sunlight，water and carbon dioxide.

4. We can learn from Paragraph 4 that changing the plants’ genes proved ________.

A．useless	B．deadly
C．effective	D．unrealistic

5. What is Tala Awanda’s attitude toward the study?

A．Doubtful.	B．Neutral.
C．Objective.	D．Critical.

3 . 短文改错

Western holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, are getting more and more popular in China. Some Chinese people even get crazy at them. But at the same time, people seem to have more enthusiasm for our traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival and the Moon Festival. However, most people celebrate western holidays without know the meaning behind them. They just go shopping, held parties and have fun.

In my opinion, the celebration of western holidays is good way of learning about the western cultures, which help to promote understanding and communication between Chinese cultures and other cultures. However, the celebration can make our life more interesting as well as. However, we should make greatly efforts to preserve and enrich their own traditional culture.

4 . 学校的各个学生社团(association)正在纳新。面对众多的选择，你的朋友王林没了主意，写信向你求助。假如你是李越，你认为可以考虑参加篮球协会(the Basketball Association)或者英语俱乐部(the English Club)。
请你用英语给王林写一封100词左右的信，推荐这两个社团，并分别说明推荐理由。
注意:信的开头已给出(不计入词数)。
Dear Wang Lin,
In your letter, you have asked me for my advice on how to choose a proper association in your school. Thanks for trusting me and I’ll try to make some suggestions.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours sincerely

Li Yue

5 . We may think we're a culture that gets rid of our worn technology at the first sight of something shiny and new, but a new study shows that we keep using our old devices(装置) well after they go out of style. That’s bad news for the environment — and our wallets — as these outdated devices consume much more energy than the newer ones that do the same things.

To figure out how much power these devices are using, Callie Babbitt and her colleagues at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York tracked the environmental costs for each product throughout its life — from when its minerals are mined to when we stop using the device. This method provided a readout for how home energy use has evolved since the early 1990s. Devices were grouped by generation — Desktop computers, basic mobile phones, and box-set TVs defined 1992. Digital cameras arrived on the scene in 1997. And MP3 players, smart phones, and LCD TVs entered homes in 2002, before tablets and e-readers showed up in 2007.

As we accumulated more devices, however, we didn't throw out our old ones. "The living-room television is replaced and gets planted in the kids' room, and suddenly one day, you have a TV in every room of the house," said one researcher. The average number of electronic devices rose from four per household in 1992 to 13 in 2007. We're not just keeping these old devices — we continue to use them. According to the analysis of Babbitt's team, old desktop monitors and box TVs with cathode ray tubes are the worst devices with their energy consumption and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions（排放）more than doubling during the 1992 to 2007 window.

So what's the solution（解决方案）? The team's data only went up to 2007, but the researchers also explored what would happen if consumers replaced old products with new electronics that serve more than one function, such as a tablet for word processing and TV viewing. They found that more on-demand entertainment viewing on tablets instead of TVs and desktop computers could cut energy consumption by 44%.

1. What does the author think of new devices?

A．They are environment-friendly.	B．They are no better than the old.
C．They cost more to use at home.	D．They go out of style quickly.

2. Why did Babbitt's team conduct the research?

A．To reduce the cost of minerals.

B．To test the life cycle of a product.

C．To update consumers on new technology.

D．To find out electricity consumption of the devices.

3. Which of the following uses the least energy?

A．The box-set TV.	B．The tablet.
C．The LCD TV.	D．The desktop computer.

4. What does the text suggest people do about old electronic devices?

A．Stop using them.	B．Take them apart.
C．Upgrade them.	D．Recycle them.