1 . If you ever have a chance to go to Finland, you’ll probably be surprised to find how “foolish” the Finnish people are.

Take the taxi drivers for example. You can go anywhere on a journey, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have some business to attend to, and that you will pay the taxi driver later. He will agree without any anxiety but just accept your words in good faith (诚意).

The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also provide outside diners. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals, and the most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration card (住房卡) to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration card to take a couple of friends to wine and dine free of charge.

Finnish workers are paid by the hour. If you work in Finland and have agreed with the boss on the hourly rate (费用), then you just say how many hours you have worked and they will be paid accordingly.

With so many loopholes（漏洞) in everyday life, surely Finland must be a country to those who love to take “small advantages”. But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have attended to their business, not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms, workers always give the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good faith and always have an attitude of “right is right” and “wrong is wrong” in everything they do, so living in such a society has turned everyone into a real “gentleman”.

What we regard as “foolish” is actually the Finnish people’s way of life.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about Finland according to the passage?

A．The taxi driver will be angry if you forget to pay your fare.

B．Hotels provide their guests meals for free.

C．Hotels’ dining rooms don’t serve outside dinners.

D．It is very cheap to take a taxi in Finland.

2. How are the workers in Finland paid?

A．By the hour.	B．By the day.
C．By the week.	D．By the month.

3. The fifth paragraph is mainly to tell us that the Finnish people are very ________.

A．stupid

B．clever

C．honest

D．lovely

4. The author’s attitude towards Finnish people’s way of life is that of ________.

A．doubt

B．not caring

C．worry

D．praise

5. What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Old Finnish customs

B．How to take “small advantages”

C．How to get a job in Finland

D．The “foolish” Finns

2 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容用英语回答问题。

What do you do in a situation like this? You’re eating dinner with friends in a nice restaurant. You’re having a great time when a phone rings at the table next to you. A man takes out his phone and starts talking loudly about problems he’s having with his girlfriend. He talks for almost ten minutes! This happens all the time - on buses, in restaurants, everywhere!

Many people find cell phones useful in their daily lives. But we’ve all sat next to someone talking too loudly on a cell phone. You may want to tell the loudmouth to end the conversation, but let the management take care of noisy customers. You can only control your own behavior. Here are a few rules:

* Off means off! Follow the rules of restaurants and other public places. If a sign says “turn off cell phones”, don’t use your phone.

* Lights off, phone off! Never take calls in a theater or at the movies.

Pay attention! Talking on a cell phone while driving is dangerous. And watch where you’re going when you’re walking down the street and talking on the phone.

As more people use cell phones, things are only going to get worse. So, the next time you’re getting ready to make a call, stop and consider the people around you.

1. What does the passage mainly talk about? (no more than 10 words)
2. What does the underlined word “loudmouth” in Paragraph 2 probably mean? (no more than 5 words)
3. Where could you see the sign “Light off, phone off!” according to the passage? (no more than 10 words)
4. What’s the author’s attitude towards someone talking too loudly on a cell phone in public? (1 word)
5. How do you like people who talk loudly on a phone in public? (no more than 25 words)

3 . “It’s over! Thank goodness!” school was _______ and I was tired. I _______ at the front of the school bus.

Janie, the driver, tries to _______ the uncomfortable atmosphere by striking the match of talks. I try to listen _______, but usually I am too _______ thinking about my day. On this day, however, her talk was worth _______.

“My father’s ill ,” she said to no one in particular (特别地). I could see worry in her _______. I had never seen her like this before. She always meets students _______ a smile.

With a sudden change of interest, I asked, “what’s wrong with him?”

With her eyes wet and her voice _______, she answered, “Heart trouble.” Her eyes lowered as she continued. “I’ve already ________ my mum, so I don’t think I can stand losing him.” I couldn’t answer. My heart ached for her.

I sat on the ________ thinking of the great pain my own mother was thrown into when her father died. I saw how hard it was, and still is, for her. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through that.

Suddenly I realized Janie wasn’t only a bus ________, that was just her job. She had a whole world of family and cares ________.

I suddenly ________ very selfish. I paid no attention to Janie because she was a bus driver. I had judged her by her job and brushed her off as unimportant.

I shouldn’t have been so selfish and self-centered. ________ people is an art.

1.

A．in

B．off

C．over

D．on

2.

A．ran

B．walked

C．stood

D．sat

3.

A．rest

B．break

C．close

D．open

4.

A．polite

B．rude

C．politely

D．quickly

5.

A．busy

B．free

C．busily

D．freely

6.

A．looking at

B．agreeing with

C．talking to

D．listening to

7.

A．eyes

B．face

C．mouth

D．ears

8.

A．with

B．within

C．without

D．for

9.

A．usually

B．usual

C．unusual

D．truly

10.

A．remembered

B．forgotten

C．missed

D．lost

11.

A．seat

B．house

C．room

D．desk

12.

A．worker

B．driver

C．teacher

D．doctor

13.

A．also

B．either

C．too

D．at all

14.

A．feel

B．felt

C．thought

D．was

15.

A．Looking at

B．Understanding

C．Getting to know

D．Watching

4 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容用英语回答问题。

After an exhausting swim practice on a cold winter evening, I received an invitation from my friend Lucy, asking me to attend a dance. At the top of the invitation, Young Angels was written across the page. Young Angels was organizing a dance to raise money for community service projects. I thought it was such a great idea that I not only wanted to attend it, but also wanted to become involved.

This was over two years ago and since then, I have become a lead member in Young Angels of America. At each dance, teens not only have fun with their friends but are also informed about different charities. Knowing that I have taught others how they can get involved makes me feel satisfied and delighted.

The most memorable experience of my time in Young Angels was the Middle School Winter Dance in 2007, when we had a special child help organize the dance and participate in the event. This child was Lily. Lily had a dreadful disease that will eventually kill her. Lily had the best attitude towards life: she enjoyed every moment and made the best of it. Lily got me inspired to help others and never take any moment for granted.

I now have a dream, I want to inspire as many children as possible to volunteer. So many kids don’t realize how easy it is to make a difference to the world. I am only 15 years old and I have organized over five events, getting nearly 1,000 children involved. I want to be the angel to inspire that passion in others to make the difference that I feel as I have made to my community.

1. What’s the purpose of the dance organized by Young Angels?
2. How did the author feel about her influence on others?
3. What does the underlined word “dreadful” in Paragraph 3 mean?
4. What is the author’s dream?
5. What do you think of the author’s dream?

5 . Music is a language which speaks to everyone—from the day we are born we hear music of some kind of our lives. But there are as many different kinds of music as there are different languages, and it is impossible to describe them all. Here are just a few well-known types.

Classical music is serious Western European music from the Middle Ages to the present (1500 to today) and it is often written for a large orchestra, or for a small group of players. Many instruments can be used. A lot of classical music is also written to be sung as opera. Classical music is very popular and schools often teach this type of music.

Jazz developed in the Southern States of North America at the beginning of this century. The black people of these states, who were originally slaves from Africa, had their own rhythms. Jazz brought classical music and African rhythms together.

Blues was originally black country music from the Southern States at the beginning of this century. It is slow, usually sad music which is often sung by one person with a guitar.

Rhythm and Blues(R&B) developed from the Blues in America in the 1940s. It became faster and more complex and used more instruments, eg. Saxophone, guitar, piano, drums. The music was often about city life and white musicians started playing it as well.

Musicians developed Rock and Roll from Rhythm and Blues in the 1950s and it became popular with young people. It spread to Europe in the 1960s and is now known in most countries. A lot of pop music comes from Rock and Roll.

Pop music developed from Rock and Roll in America, Britain and Europe in the 1960s and is now in every country. The name is used for most commercial music, which we can buy on records and hear on “pop radio”. It is usually played by groups who often use electronic instruments and make videos to go with their records.

1. A classical piece of music which is sung in a theater is called ________.

A．opera

B．jazz

C．Blues

D．Rock and Roll

2. Pop musicians often make ________ to go with their records.

A．films

B．tapes

C．videos

D．radios

3. ________ started in the Southern States of North America.

A．Rhythm and Blues	B．Jazz and Blues
C．Rock and Roll	D．Pop music

4. Rock and Roll became popular with ________ in the 1950s.

A．the young

B．the old

C．the middle-aged

D．teenagers

5. The passage is mainly about ________.

A．that music is an international language	B．how music is spread around the world
C．a few different kinds of music and their history	D．how jazz was developed in America

6 . Driving on up to Yosemite with my family was exciting yet nerve racking.I had never been to such an amazing national park before yet I wasn't the most athletic person so I knew that I couldn't stick through all the hiking up and down.It actually ended up being a fun and adventurous experience.

The ride there was definitely long but worth it.As I woke up from my nap，I saw the beautiful scenery of the tall mountains and beautiful streams.The trails were made nicely for visitors.The waterfalls were breathtaking with capturing views.Climbing up rocks was one of my favorite parts.Even though I fell a couple of times，I still had a lot of fun.The fact that my family and I spent so much time together all trying to find out which route to take and what views to watch really brought us closer together.

The great thing about nature is that，it's just you，the views，and the people around you.There's nothing there to bother you and it's the best way to relax and enjoy yourself.Yosemite has 5 of the world's highest waterfalls，and about 300 lakes.The structure of each mountain is incredible，it's formed in ways that literally take your breath away.Some of them are a deep dark color with waterfalls forming，some are formed with spots of green peeking out.It's definitely something you wouldn't want to miss.The park also has 67 mammalian species with a variety of different types of animals that roam around you.

Yosemite isn't the only great National Park but based on my experience I highly recommend going out and enjoying nature with family and friends.It's a great time to bond，laugh，and take in what Mother Nature has to offer.

1. The author writes the first paragraph mainly to________.

A．offer an example to us

B．introduce the topic of this passage

C．describe a national park

D．tell us his/her future plan for hiking

2. While climbing up rocks，the author was________.

A．worried	B．injured
C．puzzled	D．pleased

3. What interested the author most in the National Park?
a．The forms of the mountains.
b．The color of the waterfalls.
c．The different species.
d．The animals around you.
e．The hunters here and there.

A．a，b，c	B．b，c，e
C．a，c，d	D．a，d，e

4. In the author's opinion，Yosemite________.

A．is worth travelling to

B．is made up of some hills

C．is not the most beautiful park

D．is crowded with visitors every day

5. The author suggests us________.

A．trying to protect the environment

B．visiting Yosemite now and then

C．keeping a good bond with other people

D．going out to enjoy the beauty of nature

7 . 阅读短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。
I’m a 34-year-old man, married, lived in a nice house, and have a successful career as an educational consultant. But my life was not always so great. I had a learning disability from an early age. I went to a special school where I got plenty of extra help. Still, I suffered the rest of my school days in public schools.
My life improved remarkably when I discovered art. The art world gave me a chance to express myself without words. I went to a workshop and gradually got good at making things with clay(黏土). Here I learned my first important lesson: disabled as I was in language. I could still be smart and well express myself with clay. And my confidence came along.
I got my next lesson from rock climbing. It was a fun thing but I was scared from the start. I soon noticed it wasn’t a talent thing; it was practice. So I did it more. After about five years of climbing, I found myself in Yosemite Valley on a big wall. I learned that if you fall in love with something and do it all the time, you will get better at it.
Later I decided to apply my previous experience to learning how to read and write. Every day I practiced reading and writing, which I used to avoid as much as possible. After two hard years, I was literate.
Having gone through the long process with art, rock climbing, and reading and writing, now I’ve got to a point in my life where I know I am smart enough to dive into an area that is totally unknown, hard, but interesting.
1. What made the author’s school days difficult? (No more than 5 words)
2. Why did art give the author confidence? (No more than 10 words)
3. What lesson did the author learn from rock climbing? (No more than 15 words)
4. What is the meaning of the underlined part in Paragraph 4? (No more than 5 words)
5. How does the author’s story inspire you to overcome difficulties in life? Put it in your own words. (No more than 20 words)