W: Yes, I have lived there for10 years, why?
M: Tomorrow I will go to an American friend's home to celebrate Christmas.
W: OK. No problem.
M:
W: Both are OK. Don’t get there early.
M:
W: If you're going to be more than fifteen minutes late, I advise calling your hosts to tell them.
M:
W: Certainly Flowers are always nice.
M:
W: Just watch the other guests and follow them.
M: Thank you.
A. Should I arrive on time or five to ten minutes late?
B. What should I do at the dinner table?
C. Have you got some flowers?
D. Could you give me some advice?
E. I worry I might meet terrible traffic.
F. Should I bring a gift?
G. Should I arrive early ?
2 . I dropped out of college after my freshman year. Three years later, I quit a dead-end job and returned college. I saw school as my way out. But I quickly found myself facing the same roadblocks that had caused me to quit before: I was confused with college-level algebra and a heavy workload of reading and writing assignment. Moreover, I was unsure of my career direction. I was ready to drop out again. Then a smartly-dressed woman walked confidently to the front of my English composition class. “Look at you! Look at each and every one of you,” she said. “You’re here to change your lives for the better. And you’re going to make it!” I can’t remember the rest of the speech, but it changed the course of my college career and my life.
Mrs. Smith didn’t know me from any of the other 40 faces in her classroom, but I felt she speaking directly to me. Having trouble keeping up with the workload? Break it down into small pieces, and set up a schedule that suits you. If college algebra is too difficult, drop back to introductory college math. As for English composition, she gave us writing assignments we could relate to. “Go for the best, kid. You’re worth it,” she’d say.
I graduated from that college and went on to get my bachelor’s degrees. Today, as a college instructor, each fall when I stand in front of a new class, I think of Mrs. Smith and how much teachers can affect their students. She couldn’t have known it when she gave that pep talk, but she made a huge difference in my life.
1. Why did the author want to quit school again?| A．He wanted to return to hid former job. | B．He decided on his future career. |
| C．The academic pressure seemed unbearable. | D．Many changes took place in his life. |
| A．She made him feel relaxed. | B．She helped him with algebra. |
| C．She talked to him directly. | D．She brought him courage and faith. |
| A．He learnt to be a better teacher. |
| B．He didn’t finish his college education. |
| C．He became Mrs. Smith’s favorite student. |
| D．He didn’t understand the writing assignments. |
| A．Always believe in yourself. |
| B．Never quit before trying. |
| C．Experience is worth valuing. |
| D．A lady changed my life in time. |
3 . The European Union(EU) is an organization of European countries. The countries are independent and are governed in different ways. In the United Kingdom ,for example, the head of state is a king or queen. In France, on the other hand, the head of state is a president. But each of them sends representatives to European Parliament, which has some control over what happens in each of the member countries.
The idea of the EU began in the 1950s. The first members were France, Germany, Belgium,Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy. Little by little, the number increased during second half of the twentieth century. By the year 2000,there were 15 member countries. The new countries were Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
In 2004,the EU increased to 25 members. The Czech Republic ,Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, plus the Mediterranean islands of Cyprus and Malta all became members. The expanded EU has a population of more than half a billion people, twice as big as the population of the US.
1. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?| A．The UK was not included in the first members. |
| B．The thought of the EU first came into being in the 1950s. |
| C．The member countries of the EU are independent. |
| D．Ireland became a member country of the EU later than Poland. |
| A．9 | B．10 |
| C．15 | D．25 |
| A．In both countries, the head of state is a king or queen. |
| B．In both countries, the head of state is a president. |
| C．In the United Kingdom ,the head of state is a president while in France, a king or queen. |
| D．In the United Kingdom ,the head of state is a king or queen while in France, a president. |
| A．The UK | B．France |
| C．Germany | D．The passage doesn’t mention. |
4 . Mother’s Day is a time of memory and celebration for Mom. The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations date back to ancient Greece in honour of Rhea, the Mother of Gods. During the 1600s, England celebrated a day called “mothering Sunday”. Celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent(四旬斋)，“mothering Sunday” honoured the mothers England.
During the time many of the England’s poor worked as servants for the wealthy.AS most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday, the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along.
As Christianity(基督教) spread throughout Europe, the celebration changed to honour the “Mother Church”---the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival combined with mothering Sunday celebration. People began honouring their mothers as well as the church.
In the United States Mother’s Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe as a day devoted to peace. Then in 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign(运动) to establish a national Mother’s Day. Ms Jarvis persuaded her mother’s church in Grafton, Virginia to celebrate Mother’s Day on the second anniversary of her mother’s death, the 2nd day Sunday of May. By the next year Mother’s Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.
Ms Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessmen, and politicians demanding to establish a national Mother’s Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mother’s Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement that Mother’s Day was a national holiday and it was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.
While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother’s Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mother’s Day on the 2nd Sunday of May.
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the first paragraph?| A．To raise questions. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To interest readers. | D．To solve problems. |
| A．mark the birth of Greece | B．prepare for the autumn harvest |
| C．honour the Mother of Gods | D．honour the mothers of England |
| A．the feast of Mother’s Day in the U.S. |
| B．the origin of Mother’s Day in the U.S. |
| C．the development of Mother’s Day in the U.S. |
| D．the celebration of Mother’s Day in the U.S. |
| A．give readers some information | B．persuade readers |
| C．report a story | D．amuse readers |
5 . Our local Community Youth Club is a very popular organization with young people in my town. I have been a member for four years now and I’ve taken part in a lot of interesting projects. These include fun activities such as holiday camps and discos. We have organized sports competitions and we even made a video.
But it isn’t all just enjoyment, we have also started doing social work to help people in our neighbourhood. We have organized activities for small children during the holidays. We have also formed a social support group to help young people stop smoking.
We are particularly proud of the most recent group we have created. It organizes regular visits to the local old people’s home. This idea came from a school visit to an old people’ home. My class spent an afternoon at a home and everyone found the visit very rewarding.
The old people at the home were very excited by our visit. They were very talkative(健谈的) and they told us their personal stories. During our visit ,the home was filled with the sound of laughter. We sang songs and played games with the old people and had tea together. But we realized that life wasn’t always easy. Some of them were in poor health and were very unhappy. They couldn’t go outside the visits by children brought some sunshine into their lives.
Many young people like me do not live with our grandparents and we have very little contact with elderly people. As a result, many young people don’t know what they are like and we have a lot of wrong ideas about them. We have little or no idea of the kind of lives they lead in their homes. After this visit, my friends and I decided we should do something to help improve the quality of their lives.
Since the creation of our visiting group, over twenty volunteers(志愿者) have joined us. Up to now, we have organized three group evenings and a concert. But it is the individual(单独的) visits which are the most important. Club members regularly visit old people and everyone finds the experience rich and rewarding.
1. The writer _____.| A．works at an old people’s home | B．lives with her grandparents. |
| C．lives in an old people’s home. | D．regularly visits old people. |
| A．only organizes leisure activities for young people |
| B．has made a video about life in an old people’s home |
| C．has arranged a school visit to the local old people’s home |
| D．mainly does social work. |
| A．are not interested in how old people live | B．do not want to get to know old people |
| C．have very little contact with old people | D．live with their grandparents |
| A．take the old people to the beach | B．only visit the elderly on sunny days |
| C．make the old people feel happy | D．take the old people outside |
6 . For many years, our next-door neighbor's house was a terrible mess. It would be impossible to describe the awful smells of her house. The health department came and shut down an illegal puppy mill (幼犬繁育场) in the house a few years ago.
The house was sold for a rather high price because of the good location of the neighborhood. My husband and I looked into the house at that time and were upset by the scene: black mold (霉菌) growing on the walls; cigarette ends all over the floor; the wall between the garage and the living room completely destroyed by water damage. We couldn't spend more than one second in the house before running away.
We thought that it would be a teardown, but the new owners set about cleaning the inside. They worked for months making it safe and livable. After everything was clean and tidy, the owners decided to resell the house for a higher price.
Yesterday while I was out in my yard, a potential (潜在的) buyer pulled up and asked me what I could tell her about the history of the house. I just said that I didn't know anything.
What is my ethical obligation (道德义务) in this situation? It's possible that they have removed all the awful smells, dangerous mold and that the house is safe and livable. But it's also possible that they have just structurally fixed the house and that some unsafe mold will take root in the future. I wouldn't personally live there knowing what I know. But really, it's none of my business, and given the choice, I wouldn't talk to anyone about what I know. While it feels like a lie not to answer a direct question, I also feel that it's not my place to potentially ruin the seller's business deal. If I am asked again, what should I say?
1. What can be learned about the author's neighborhood?| A．It's nice. | B．It's noisy. |
| C．It's wealthy. | D．It's crowded. |
| A．To move into it. |
| B．To please the neighbors. |
| C．To get it ready for resale. |
| D．To make it match the surrounding area. |
| A．Sad. | B．Troubled. | C．Relaxed. | D．Proud. |
| A．To offer help. | B．To ask for advice. |
| C．To make a complaint. | D．To give an explanation. |
7 . Top 5 money-making websites
Picturenation.co.uk
New photographs are needed every day for company websites, public-sector newsletters, presentations and many other uses. This means anyone with a camera and an eye for a good image can sell photos for good money. Your earnings depend on the resolution and quality of your photos. Picturenation pays you a 40% commission (佣金) on all pictures, beginning at 40p or a subscription (订阅) website resolution and going up to £30 for higher resolutions.
Justpark.com
Use your drive or your garage to make money! Previously known as ParkatmyHouse, JustPark covers all the UK, and you can put your unused parking space on the site for anyone coming to your area to park in ... for cash! If your home is near a railway station or education centre, your space and bank account certainly won't feel ignored (忽视). It's free to list on ParkatmyHouse, and you could make £100 per month.
Ratesetter.com
If you're looking for a better deal than the small savings rates offered by your bank, you can head to RateSetter, where lenders make an average return of 5.5%. RateSetter works as an online financial community by bringing lenders and borrowers together and cutting out the banks. You decide who to lend to and what rate you'll charge, as well as how long to lend your money (choose from one to five years) and how much you want to lend (from £10 to £25,000).
Pineconeresearch.com
Online surveys are a great way to earn money quickly. PineCone Research does better than all other online survey websites by giving you £3 for every completed questionnaire. Registration is quick and simple (not to mention free).
Designerdesires.com
If you have designer clothes, shoes or accessories (配饰) that you'd like to offload, this website does a good job of selling them for you. They do charge a 40% commission, but once you've sent the item they do everything for you, including authenticating (鉴定) it and wrapping it nicely in tissue paper when it's sent to the buyer.
1. What is the key to selling your photos for good money?| A．Copyrighting your photos. |
| B．Offering high-quality photos. |
| C．Making business-related photos. |
| D．Adding key words to your photos. |
| A．Ratesetter.com. |
| B．Picturenation.co.uk. |
| C．Designerdesires.com. |
| D．Pineconeresearch.com. |
| A．It charges £3 for registration. |
| B．It's instructive to researchers. |
| C．It provides free survey results. |
| D．It's competitive in similar websites. |
8 . There was a farm, where lived Farmer John with his wife Molly. They raised many animals on their farm. Also there lived a little mouse.
One day the mouse accidentally discovered that the farmer had a mousetrap(捕鼠器). The mouse ran around the farmland to warn all the animals of the danger.
First it met the chicken. “There is a mousetrap on the farm!” the mouse said in fear. But the chicken answered peacefully, “There is nothing to do with me.” Then the mouse rushed to the pig and the cow to tell them about the mousetrap. But they said it was no big deal for them, either. Sad and depressed, the little mouse returned to the house.
On that night, Molly heard a sound of the mousetrap. She hurried to see what was in it, but because of the darkness, she did not see that it was a poisonous（有毒的） snake. Unluckily the snake bit Molly. John rushed her to the hospital. Later, when they returned home, John killed the chicken to build up her body. Molly’s sickness continued and many friends came to visit her, the farmer killed the pig so he could treat all the visitors.
Unfortunately, Molly became weaker and weaker. Finally, she died. Many neighbors, relatives and friends arrived for the funeral. John had to kill the cow to treat all of them.
The mouse watched all that happened with great sadness. Remember, when we learn that someone is facing difficulties or in danger, we are all at risk. It is better to help and encourage one another.
1. Which animal(s) realized the danger of the mousetrap?| A．The mouse | B．The chicken | C．The pig and the cow | D．The snake |
| A．Because Molly was bitten by a poisonous snake. |
| B．Because Molly’s body needed building up. |
| C．Because John treated the relatives. |
| D．Because the chicken didn’t realize the danger. |
| A．peaceful | B．fearful | C．sad | D．worried |
| A．It is better to help others in danger. |
| B．Don’t be cold to other people. |
| C．People need to help each other in life. |
| D．It’s a risk to tell others their dangerous situations. |
9 . Today, we are told , children don’t spend enough time in the fresh air. Many of them are addicted to a screen either on a computer or a TV—they seem to be living in a virtual world. They have lost touch with nature.
But now 400 organizations in the UK, from playgroups to the National Health Service, are encouraging children to have some “wild time”. They want kids to swap at least 30 minutes of watching TV or playing computer games for time playing outside. Activities such as building dens, climbing trees, rummaging for conkers and playing hide and seek are just some of the things kids can do. Even if they live in a city, they can go on adventures in the garden or the park.
Children often need a helping hand from mom and dad. They need to be shown what to do and where to go. Andy Simpson from National Health Service says, “We want parents to see what this magical wonder product does for their kids’ development, independence and creativity., by giving wild time a go”.
So despite the complicated world that young people grow up in now, it seems that going back to basics and experiencing “nature’s playground” is what modern children need. David Bond from Project Wild Thing says, “We need to make more space for wild time in children’s daily routine, freeing this generation of kids to have the sort of experiences that many of us took for granted”.
This might sound a bit old fashioned to you or maybe, like me, it’s made you think about sticking on your boots, getting outdoors and relieving your childhood. There’s no age limit on enjoying yourself!
1. What’s the best title of the text?| A．Wild time for children |
| B．Benefits of wild time |
| C．More space for children |
| D．Adventures of children |
| A．building dens | B．climbing trees |
| C．playing hide and seek | D．watching TV |
| A．wild time is hard to design |
| B．wild time is beneficial for children |
| C．parents know the importance of wild time |
| D．parents like keeping their children indoors |
| A．Modern children need wild time. |
| B．Adults value outdoor activities. |
| C．The present world is complicated. |
| D．This generation of kids have no freedom. |
10 . Built from 2011, Shanghai Disney Resort is the sixth Disneyland park in the world, and the first one on the Chinese mainland. Like other Disneyland parks, the one in Shanghai will have classic Disney characters and stories. But it will also have new attractions designed for Chinese people. It is open to the public now in 2016.
Enchanted Storybook Castle
Located at the heart of the theme park, the Enchanted Storybook Castle will be the tallest and largest Disney castle yet. Inside the castle, there are spaces for entertainment, dining and performance. There you can meet all the Disney princesses.
Treasure Cove
This is the first pirates-themed land in a Disney park. The land will have a major attraction, which is a high-technology boat ride attraction. The attraction will bring visitors along a pirate adventure. Are you ready to jump on the boat?
Garden of the Twelve Friends
In almost every other Disneyland park around the world, there is a “Main Street, USA” at the entrance. But Shanghai Disneyland park is the first without that attraction. Instead, it has the Garden of the Twelve Friends. Each friend stands for one of the 12 animal signs using popular Disney characters.
Toy Story Hotel
Living experience is also fun inside the park. Toy Story Hotel features the characters of the film Toy Story. There are about 800 rooms for visitors to stay in. In the restaurant of the hotel, you may even see the characters walking around and take photos with them.
1. How many Disneyland parks can people visit in the world now?| A．4 | B．5 | C．6 | D．7 |
| A．Enchanted Storybook Castle. | B．Garden of the Twelve Friends. |
| C．Treasure Cove. | D．Toy Story Hotel. |
| A．You can experience the pirates-themed activities. |
| B．You can see the characters of the film Toy Story. |
| C．You can enjoy entertainment, dining and performance. |
| D．You can meet twelve friends standing for the twelve animals. |
