1 . 你校英语报将出一期主题为“勇于面对挑战”的专刊，请你以“Growing through Challenges”为题目写一篇投稿。
要点：1. 结合个人的学习或生活，描述成长经历；
2. 表达自己对待挑战的观点。
注意：词数80左右。

Growing through Challenges

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2 . Today, most researchers describe sleep as occurring in two main phases: rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. Non-REM sleep comprises three stages, known as N 1, N 2 and N 3, which are characterized by specific brainwave patterns that reflect neural (神经的) activity.     1     , and people who sleep well typically experience four to six cycles every night.

    2    , their brain shows a mixture of high frequencies in which a lot of neurons (神经元) are firing, but not in a completely consistent way. Then, as the person starts to go into a light sleep, or the N l stage, those frequencies slow down into a pattern called theta waves. This stage typically lasts for one to ten minutes.

During the second phase of sleep, N 2, body temperatures drop, heart rates and breathing slow down and muscles relax. Brainwave frequencies now keep changing between slower wave sand short bursts of neural activity.     3    , but gets progressively longer in later cycles, ultimately comprising about half of a person's sleep time each night.

Slow-wave sleep occurs in the N 3 stage, which is characterized by slow, high waves called delta waves. This 20-40-minute phase makes up about one-quarter of a person's sleep time. Some evidence suggests that slow-wave sleep plays a crucial part in restoring energy levels, repairing and growing tissues, clearing waste and boosting the immune (免疫) system.     4    .

Neural activity picks up when the body enters REM sleep, which is when dreaming occurs. In this phase, which comprises one-quarter of sleep time each night, the brainwaves follow a beta-wave pattern. As the night progresses, the periods of slow-wave sleep shorten and REM sleep increases.     5    , such as emotional regulation, memory and creative problem-solving.

A．When someone is awake.

B．Sleep is a brain-wide network effect.

C．When someone enters non-REM sleep.

D．REM sleep is important for cognitive functions.

E．Slow-wave sleep also aids learning and makes memory stronger.

F．This phase generally lasts 10-25 minutes during the first sleep cycle.

G．These three stages of non-REM sleep plus REM sleep comprise the sleep cycle.

3 . Sending your rugs (小地毯) to the cleaners can get expensive. A growing number of brands are making rugs designed to be thrown directly into your own washing machine.

Revival Washable Rug

Price: $109 and up
Size: 2 ft. × 3 ft.
Care: Machine-washable, hang-dry for 36 hours.
Consumer Reports' take: This small rug feels soft under your feet and hides stains (污渍) well. After having coffee dropped on it, a 30-minute gentle cycle in a washer got rid of the resulting stains.

Lorena Canals Rug

Price: $629
Size: 5 ft. 7 in. × 7 ft. 11 in.
Care: Machine-wash in cold water. Dry on low heat.
Consumer Reports' take: A single machine washing got rid of the big coffee stain made on this wool and cotton rug. It can go in the dryer, too, and may require 2 hours to get completely dry.

Ruggable Moroccan Rug

Price: $309 and up
Size: 5 ft. × 7 ft.
Care: Machine-washable. Dry on low heat or hang-dry for 36 hours.
Consumer Reports' take: This super-soft rug is easy to clean. A damp towel alone removed a juice stain. The other stains on the rug disappeared after machine-washing it on a gentle cycle.

Ruggable Jonathan Rug

Price: $119 and up
Size: 2 ft. × 3 ft.
Care: Machine-wash in cold water. Dry on low heat or hang-dry for about an hour.
Consumer Reports' take: This rug stayed in good shape even though it was used in a high-traffic kitchen. All stains were gone after washing it using a gentle cycle.
1. How long does a washer take to remove coffee stains on Revival Washable Rug?

A．36 hours.

B．30 minutes.

C．2 hours.

D．23 minutes.

2. Which rug is suitable for kitchen use according to Consumer Reports' view?

A．Revival Washable Rug	B．Lorena Canals Rug
C．Ruggable Moroccan Rug	D．Ruggable Jonathan Rug

3. What do these rugs have in common?

A．They all cost $119 and up.	B．They are very similar in size.
C．They dry only on low heat.	D．They are machine-washable.

4 . Everything went wrong for American climber Beck Weathers on his trip to Mount Qomolangma in May of 1996. His eyes response to the extremely thin oxygen levels near the highest summit on Earth was “snow blindness”. Weathers could not see more than 3 feet in front of him. His guide, Rob Hall, made him agree not to climb to the summit and he would wait for Hall till he got back.

Another group of climbers returning down from a powerful snow storm came upon Weathers. They decided to help him down, but a storm with 70 mph winds forced them to merely gather together for warmth. During a quiet period of the storm, one man went back to the camp for assistance. Hours later help returned, but they decided Weathers was too unresponsive and appeared to be beyond saving. He was left waiting for death.

“I woke up in the snow, opened my eyes, and directly in front of me was my ungloved righthand, which was clearly dead,” Weathers remembered. "It looked like a marble sculpture of a hand. I hit it on the ice and realized that so much of my tissue was dead, so I wasn't feeling any pain. That had the wonderful effect of focusing my attention. If I didn't stand up, I realized I was going to die on that spot. I figured I had three or four hours left to live, so I started walking. All I knew was, as long as my legs would run, and I could stand up, I was going to move toward that. camp. If I fell down, I was going to get up and keep moving until I hit that camp.” As everybody thought Weathers could not survive, he struggled to stand up and move forward for survival in the face of adversity. Finally, he made it. It's believed that his success relied on his strong belief and courage.

1. Why did Beck Weathers give up climbing the Mount Qomolangma?

A．Because the tough environment took his breath away.

B．Because the cold weather froze his hands and feet.

C．Because the thin oxygen level narrowed his eyesight.

D．Because the terrible storm damaged his equipment.

2. What does the underlined word “unresponsive” mean in the second paragraph?

A．Reactionless.

B．Emotionless.

C．Faithless.

D．Fearless.

3. How did Beck Weathers manage to return to the camp?

A．By focusing attention.	B．By awaiting rescue.
C．By remaining standing.	D．By keeping walking

4. Which of the following best describes Beck Weathers?

A．Ambitious.

B．Courageous.

C．Dynamic.

D．Responsible.

5 . Poetry has a long history, dating back to the Epic (史诗) of Gilgamesh, composed 4,000 years ago in what is now Iraq and Syria. Early poems developed from folk songs such as the Chinese Shijing, or from a need to retell the actions of great men and women or about a nation’s history.

Ancient attempts to define poetry, such as Aristotle’s Poetics, focused on the uses of speech in rhetoric, drama, song and comedy. Later attempts concentrated on features such as repetition, verse form and thyme, and emphasized the aesthetics (美学) which distinguish poetry from more objectively informative forms of writing. From the mid-20th century, poetry has been more generally regarded as a creative act employing language. Poetry uses forms to suggest different interpretation to words, or to produce emotive responses. Devices such as rhythm are used to achieve musical effects. The use of ambiguity (模糊不清), symbolism, and other stylistic elements of poetic description often leaves a poem open to multiple interpretations. Similarly figures of speech such as metaphor and simile create a layering of meanings, forming connections previously not perceived.

Some poetry types are specific to particular cultures and respond to characteristics of the language in which the poet writes. Readers used to identifying poetry with Dante, Goethe, and Rumi may think of it as written in lines based on rhyme and regular meter; there are, however, traditions that use other means to create rhythm. Much modern poetry reflects a criticism of poetic tradition, playing with and testing the principle of rhyme itself, sometimes altogether giving up rhyme or set rhythm. In today’s increasingly globalized world, poets often adapt forms, styles and techniques from diverse cultures and languages.

1. What did early poetry originate from?

A．Folk songs.	B．Ethnic music.
C．Ancient stories.	D．Historical events.

2. What do we know about poetry according to paragraph 2?

A．Modern poetry study focuses on the uses of speech.

B．Poetry uses rhythm to achieve good visual effects.

C．Poetry has been treated as a creative act for years.

D．Form makes poetry different from other writings.

3. What can be inferred about modern poetry?

A．Poets will strictly follow the principle of rhyme.

B．Poets will adapt more diverse forms and styles.

C．Poets will emphasize local language characteristics.

D．Poets will develop new forms of figures of speech.

4. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．Science fiction.	B．Newspaper.
C．Fashion magazine.	D．Encyclopedia.

6 . How did the man keep fit?

A．He learned to swim.

B．He took exercise.

C．He stopped drinking.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Whose party did the man go to last week?

A．Maria’s.

B．Amanda’s.

C．The woman’s.

2. What does it mean when the Chinese ask “Have you eaten?” ?

A．An informal invitation.

B．A common question.

C．A friendly greeting

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Who are probably the speakers?

A．Teachers.

B．Writers

C．Students

2. Which of the following is Mera's favorite?

A．Nature.

B．Science

C．Newsweek.

3. How often does Mera go to the reading club?

A．Once a week.

B．Twice a week.

C．Twice a month.

4. Where are the speakers likely to go next?

A．To the new bookstore.

B．To the reading club.

C．To the dessert shop

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Which can be exchanged for a free bus ride?

A．Two large bottles.

B．Five small bottles.

C．Ten plastic cups.

2. What is the aim of the program?

A．To cut waste.

B．To collect bottles.

C．To reduce the cost.

3. Who collect the bottles in the recycling bins?

A．Ticket officers.

B．Bus drivers.

C．Bus riders.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How long has the man worked in the new company?

A．For three months.

B．For two months.

C．For a month

2. What department does the man work in?

A．In the production department.

B．In the marketing department.

C．In the human resources department.

3. How is the work done in the new company?

A．By oneself

B．In teams

C．By machines.

4. What does the man think of his new boss?

A．Respectable.

B．Active

C．Bad-tempered.