1 . As a college student in Boston, I formed the habit of buying used books. I enjoy the hunt, the good price and the unrecognized treasures. I find old textbooks, ex-bestsellers, and books on subjects I’ve never heard of and now must learn all about. I don’t search for rare books, first editions, or leather-bound editions but books that are worth reading.
Rereading, for me, is a pleasure during retirement. The theater and the concert hall become less appealing to me, along with crowds. Staying alone and reading books have become extremely important to me. Literature needs the flesh of experience to have its full effect. Different books offer me insights and ways of expressing that stuck in my mind as grains of sand in an oyster now shine like pearls. My taste in books improves with age.
While packing for a move, which occurs at intervals of five to seven years, I clear my shelves and pick my books. I abandon a few, later regret my decisions, and look for them again. Several years ago, I got rid of books related to my job-architecture. Some were design guides, reference books, product catalogs, and things that went out of date. Some were historical or centered on a period or an architect. These had given me many hours of pleasure. Will I ever open their covers again? Certainly. I held on to the red bulk of Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture and books on Paris, Rome, and Boston.
I gave away drafting equipment and instruments. I threw out rolls and rolls of paper, and old drawings of projects completed long ago, some of which had even been damaged. This time, I stay put in a cottage that suits my status and I’ve moved on in spirit. No doubt I will acquire more used books and throw away more books as passions grow and fade, like feathers changing with the seasons.
1. What does the author consider most important when choosing used books？| A．Their appealing covers. | B．Their reasonable prices. |
| C．Their excellent content. | D．Their collection value. |
| A．He has a small circle of friends. | B．His attitude towards work changes. |
| C．His communication skills improve. | D．He has a deeper understanding of life and books. |
| A．To show some books are worth reading repeatedly. |
| B．To recommend Sir Banister Fletcher’s books. |
| C．To suggest we avoid making poor decisions. |
| D．To explain his love for architecture. |
| A．He will stop throwing away used books. |
| B．He likes updating his collection of used books. |
| C．He is bad at using advanced drafting equipment. |
| D．He enjoys leading an active life in the countryside. |
You’ve been around forever. I can remember all the pain you’ve caused for me.
Do you remember the night you almost took my father’s life? I do. He loves you. Sometimes I think he loves you more than he loves me. He’s addicted to you, to the way you promise to rid him of his problems only to cause more of them. You just sat back and laughed as his car went spinning through the street, crashing into two other cars. He wasn’t the only one hurt by you that night.
Do you remember the night of my first high school party? You were there. My friends were intrigued by you. They treated you as if they were never going to see you again, drinking all of you that they could. I spent two hours that night helping my friends who had fallen completely. “I’m so embarrassed,” they said as I held their hair back so that they could vomit（呕吐）. “I’m sorry,” they said when I called taxis for them, walking them out and paying the driver in advance. “This won’t happen again,” they said as they were sent to the hospital to have their stomachs pumped. Two 15-year-old girls slept in hospital beds that night thanks to you.
Do you remember the night when you took advantage of my 17-year-old neighbor who had to drive to pick up his sister from her dance lessons? Do you know how we all felt when he hit another car and killed the two people in the other car? He died the next morning too. His sister walked home from her dance lesson, and passed police cars and a crowd of people gathering on the sidewalk just two blocks away from the dance studio. She didn’t realize her brother was in the midst of it all. She never saw him again. And it’s all your fault.
I wish you’d walk out of my life forever. I don’t want anything to do with you. Look at all the pain you’ve caused. Sure, you’ve made people happy too from time to time. But the damage you’ve caused in the lives of millions is inexcusable. Stop luring（引诱）in the people I love. Stop hurting me, please.
Sincerely,
Anonymous
1. What is author’s purpose in writing to alcohol?| A．To introduce Mr. Alcohol to the readers |
| B．To describe the harm alcohol did to his family. |
| C．To show how much alcohol can hurt people. |
| D．To show the great fun that alcohol can bring to people’s life. |
| A．It made him crash into two other cars and took his life. |
| B．It made him drink too much and he had to get his stomach pumped. |
| C．It made him kill two other people when driving. |
| D．It made him get into a car accident and badly injure himself. |
| A．Critical. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Unconcerned. | D．Humorous. |
| A．Making something more noticeable than usual. |
| B．Representing something in the form of a person. |
| C．Describing something by listing its harmfulness. |
| D．Comparing one thing with another to make his point clear. |
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. |
| 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. |
| A．that lay in Africa | B．that was less developed |
| C．whose pyramid was made of a hill | D．with a surprisingly large population |
| 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. |
6 . Robin was 12 years old when his mother sent him to me for his first piano lesson. I preferred that students begin at an earlier
Although Robin tried very hard, he didn’t seem to have the basic sense of music. However, he
Several months later when I was preparing my students for a music show, Robin came to my home and said he had to
I was even more
However, on the show his fingers danced
“How could you do it?” I could not help asking him a few days later.
“Well, I kept practicing at home. My mom had cancer and just passed away the day I went to your
| A．level | B．convenience | C．age | D．moment |
| A．task | B．plan | C．dream | D．hobby |
| A．acted | B．continued | C．commanded | D．proved |
| A．encouraged | B．disappointed | C．touched | D．guided |
| A．told | B．showed | C．convinced | D．promised |
| A．guideline | B．comment | C．arrangement | D．advertisement |
| A．look forward to | B．sign up for | C．focus on | D．learn from |
| A．warn | B．persuade | C．allow | D．force |
| A．determination | B．happiness | C．reflections | D．anger |
| A．excited | B．satisfied | C．relieved | D．surprised |
| A．gracefully | B．awkwardly | C．slowly | D．quickly |
| A．shook | B．clapped | C．shouted | D．laughed |
| A．set | B．drove | C．woke | D．ran |
| A．house | B．office | C．class | D．stage |
| A．similar | B．important | C．special | D．popular |
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(^),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Last weekend my classmates and I took part a voluntary activity in the community, which is actually organized by our school. As planned, they met at 9 on the Saturday morning at the school gate. When we arrived, we first went to the old people home in which we told stories but put on a talent show. What’s more, we visited some sick kid and gave them some gifts, what I thought could encourage them a lot. Finally, we helped to cleaning up the city parks so that people could have a clean and beautiful environment. How meaningfully it was!
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!
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.
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?
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.
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.
| 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. |
10 . As a boy, Ramirez Cruz loved hiking with his grandfather up into the mountains of central Mexico. While the old man hunted for wild mushrooms, Ramirez would play among the monarch butterflies that migrated 3,000 miles to this forest each autumn, turning the blue sky into a sea of orange.
Ramirez is 75 now and each winter he still goes looking for butterflies. But these days, he might spend hours searching the forest without catching sight of a single one.
The world is losing monarch butterflies at a surprising rate, as many human activities destroy their natural habitats. But the biggest threat yet has only recently come into focus. Climate change, with its extreme storms, is destroying the forest that serves as the butterfly’s winter home.
To help his beloved butterflies, Ramirez has partnered with scientists on an experiment: They are trying to move an entire forest 1,000 feet up a mountain. He agrees with scientists that it is necessary to create an ecosystem where the butterflies will be able to survive.
Over the last several years, the team of researchers has overseen the relocation (迁移) of about 1,000 trees that were growing at lower altitudes up to higher and cooler areas. Ramirez and the scientists hope to expand the project and establish the trees at even higher altitudes on other nearby mountains if temperatures continue to soar.
After checking on the trees, Ramirez went off to look for the butterflies. He found a few butterflies then a few more. There weren’t as many as he remembered from his childhood, but it was still a sight to see. Ramirez eased himself down to sit on the soft forest floor and watched in silence. The only sound was the whistle of the wind and the gentle flapping (拍打) of their wings.
1. What is the main cause of the decline in monarch butterfly population?| A．Human activities. |
| B．Climate change. |
| C．Scientific experiments. |
| D．Increasingly cold winters. |
| A．By growing more trees. |
| B．By exploring the forest. |
| C．By measuring temperatures. |
| D．By moving the forest higher up. |
| A．Rise sharply. | B．Drop slightly. | C．Vary greatly. | D．Change regularly. |
| A．Ramirez’s efforts have paid off. |
| B．The butterflies are hard to find |
| C．More trees will be relocated at higher altitudes. |
| D．Climate change won’t be a threat to butterflies. |
