1 . 21-year-old Joe McGrath received a strange Facebook message. Someone asked if he ________to go on holiday to Spain with a group of________for free! McGrath thought it was a ________.

But it turned out the________was legitimate （合情理的）. A group of friends were looking for someone to take the place of another mate, who shares the same________with Joe McGrath and had dropped out of a pre-booked holiday, to take a mad________to Majorca.

The message read: “Hi Joe. Would you________coming on holiday with a group of nice strangers if they had already arranged（安排）flights for you and an all-inclusive hotel?”

“It’s our friend Nathan’s 30th birthday and we ________to throw him a surprise holiday   break in Majorca.   Unluckily, our friend Joe McGrath   can’t ________, but we have   already   booked it all up for him.”

Although they ________15 other Joe McGraths on social media, the 21-year-old from Manchester, England, was the only one to reply and finally ________ to go on the paid-for trip.

“At first I was ________ the holiday,” McGrath said, “After speaking to Dan, one of the     group, on the phone, I realized he was a(n) ________ person and the friends were real, and this holiday was ________.”

In the end, McGrath decided to leave for the moment and drove to Bristol to ________ the nine strangers. “When I turned up at Dan’s house and it was all dark I was a bit ________ but as soon as I met him it was_______. There was no awkwardness（尴尬）really.”

“They were a lovely group of people! I ________ every minute of it.”

McGrath said he is already ________ to visit his new friends again and has invited them to Manchester, where he lives, to take them on a night out to express ________ to them.

1.

A．wanted

B．promised

C．hurried

D．managed

2.

A．friends

B．neighbors

C．classmates

D．strangers

3.

A．mistake

B．joke

C．story

D．warning

4.

A．thought

B．method

C．offer

D．question

5.

A．job

B．name

C．hobby

D．problem

6.

A．test

B．prize

C．trip

D．service

7.

A．continue

B．suggest

C．avoid

D．consider

8.

A．decided

B．happened

C．forgot

D．began

9.

A．answer

B．afford

C．work

D．attend

10.

A．helped

B．praised

C．messaged

D．studied

11.

A．agreed

B．asked

C．needed

D．learned

12.

A．excited about

B．tired of

C．unsure about

D．supportive of

13.

A．handsome

B．important

C．silly

D．real

14.

A．again

B．too

C．more

D．on

15.

A．train

B．meet

C．stop

D．save

16.

A．nervous

B．sad

C．careless

D．bored

17.

A．simple

B．funny

C．terrible

D．fine

18.

A．knew

B．expected

C．enjoyed

D．imagined

19.

A．regretting

B．planning

C．refusing

D．remembering

20.

A．thanks

B．worries

C．interests

D．ideas

2 . In the past, many people regarded people living around them as their close friends and even relatives. And there was a need to _______ one’s neighbors. But nowadays, people do not _______ with those who live close to them as they did decades ago. _______, these people are now living lonelier lives and they are living in a neighborhood of _________.

To begin with, there are several reasons for this _________,which may help the understanding of why this is _______. Firstly, people’s lives are generally _______ today than in the past, as they have much more work to do, which leads to interacting with their _______ instead of their neighbors. Secondly,the lives of the general public are more mobile these days. _______ frequently causes them to develop a more superficial(表面的) relationship with local residents. Lastly, in some ________, there may be cultural differences between neighbors, which makes communication almost non-existent.

________ these reasons, there are also a number of ________, which may help deal with this problem. First of all, the local council(委员会) could ________ community events, to improve relations between local people. Moreover, people should ________ themselves and invite their neighbors to dinner or a casual barbecue, in order to ________ a relationship with each other. Finally, ________ people ought to attend local council meetings so that ________ of the community have the opportunity to communicate with each other.

________, many different solutions are available to help start introductions and communication among ________ such as community events, social gatherings in one’s home and council meetings. And it is in my opinion that it is up to the ________ to do something first. What about spending next weekend with your neighbors in your backyard?

1.

A．spy on

B．look for

C．give up

D．rely on

2.

A．play

B．compete

C．communicate

D．shop

3.

A．Consequently

B．Suddenly

C．Interestingly

D．Surprisingly

4.

A．problems

B．challenges

C．strangers

D．enemies

5.

A．custom

B．attitude

C．issue

D．accident

6.

A．occurring

B．increasing

C．spreading

D．recovering

7.

A．quieter

B．busier

C．nicer

D．healthier

8.

A．colleagues

B．schoolmates

C．instructors

D．assistants

9.

A．Traveling

B．Appearing

C．Quarreling

D．Moving

10.

A．steps

B．cases

C．methods

D．fields

11.

A．Despite

B．Besides

C．Without

D．Beyond

12.

A．tools

B．conditions

C．decisions

D．solutions

13.

A．choose

B．organize

C．change

D．discover

14.

A．introduce

B．help

C．entertain

D．forgive

15.

A．describe

B．show

C．start

D．understand

16.

A．foreign

B．local

C．old

D．smart

17.

A．stars

B．workers

C．members

D．leaders

18.

A．At best

B．On purpose

C．For example

D．In conclusion

19.

A．friends

B．neighbors

C．guests

D．relatives

20.

A．family

B．community

C．government

D．individual

3 . After cleaning the window, he ________ the room to see if there was anything else he could do.

A．looked up

B．looked over

C．looked across

D．looked through

5 . Experts using a high-tech laser scanner (激光扫描仪) have discovered thousands of ancient Maya buildings hidden under the thick forests of northern Guatemala, officials said Thursday. Some 60, 000 buildings were found over the past two years in a scan of an area in the northern department of El Peten between Mexico and Belize, said Marcello Canuto, one of the projects’ lead researchers.

These findings are a “breakthrough in Maya archeology(考古),” Canuto said.

The new discoveries in this Central American country include city centers with sidewalks, homes, wide steps, farming facilities and so on, said Canuto, an archaeologist at Tulane University in the United States.

Among the finds was a 30-meter high pyramid (金字塔) that had been earlier recognized as a natural hill in Tikal. Also discovered in Tikal: a series of holes and a 14 kilometer-long wall.

The Maya development reached its height in what is present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of Belize, El Salvador and Honduras between 250 and 950 CE. Researchers now believe that the Maya had a population of 10 million, which is “much higher” than previous judgment, Canuto said.

The project depended on a remote (远程的) sensing method known as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Aircraft with a LiDAR scanner produced 3D maps of the surface by using light in the form of laser linked to a GPS system.

The technology helped researchers discover sites much faster than using traditional archeological methods. “Now it is no longer necessary to cut through the jungle to see what’s under it,” said Canuto.

Details of the research will appear in a documentary to air on February 11 on the National Geographic TV channel, said Minister of Culture and Sports Jose Luis Chea.

1. What did Canuto think of the new discoveries in the past two years?

A．Leading.

B．Frightening.

C．Annoying.

D．Puzzling.

2. Which one is NOT LiDAR’s advantage?

A．It saves time in discovering site.

B．It is more convenient for researchers to work in forest.

C．Explorers have to go deep into the jungle to research.

D．Research can be done at a distance.

3. According to the new discoveries, Maya might have been a nation________.

A．that lay in Africa	B．that was less developed
C．whose pyramid was made of a hill	D．with a surprisingly large population

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To inform readers of the new discoveries about Maya.

B．To introduce a new method used to discover Maya buildings.

C．To show Maya development was of great influence.

D．To tell us a new documentary will be launched on TV in Feb.

8 . 阅读下面短文,在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Leafcutter ants     1     (consider) an advanced species of ant. While most ant species are made up     2     three types of ants —the queen, workers and males. Leafcutter ants have     3     many as five, since worker ants are     4     (far) divided into different groups according to their sizes. There     5     (be)medium-sized leaf-collecting and leaf-cutting ants, tiny gardening ants and massive soldier ants. Different ants show different features that make     6     (they) do specific jobs. Soldier ants, for example,     7     role is to protect the nest(蚁穴), are about 300 times the size of their gardening sisters. Their jaws are strong enough     8     (cut) leather. A single nest may be home to millions of ants and contain a thousand     9    (room). Not all ants are environmentally     10    (friend) farmers like leafcutter ants.

9 . Whether you’re trying to persuade your kid to turn off the TV or your boss to give you a raise, how do we win the bargaining game? By being persuasive!    1     How can you be more persuasive — at home, at work, in your relationships? By using the 4 Ps.

Purpose

For example, do you want a 20 percent salary increase? Do you want your kid to limit video games to 45 minutes a day? Having a clear purpose in mind makes you confident because being clear does not allow for confusion or mixed messages.    2    

Preparation

This step is commonly overlooked (忽略) as we make request What’s the why behind your purpose? For example, if you want a raise, how much money are people in your role being paid at different companies? How have you gone above and beyond in your position over the past twelve months?    3     Preparation puts you in the strongest situation possible.

Presenting benefits

When we want someone to do something, we want to present the decision in their best interest. Once I was bargaining a conference room in a nice hotel and wanted to pay less. I didn’t mention my limited budget. I didn’t talk about my needs. What I did was to tell the manager that my guests would come to her hotel, see its amazing facilities, and even consider hosting their own conferences there.    4     My aim was to get a 20 percent discount. I got 30 percent. Win-win for all!

Patience

We are too likely to quit and leave dissatisfied from any bargaining. After more than ten years in sales, I can tell you that the best salesmen are patient enough. It’s true that success is a patience game.    5    

A．Have a clear purpose.

B．Persuasion is more effective than force.

C．She realized more money was coming her way.

D．However, most people leave the party too early.

E．List all the reasons that best support your request.