1 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What can we know from the conversation?

A．Tomorrow is the man's son's birthday.

B．Tomorrow is the woman's son's birthday.

C．Tomorrow is the two speakers' son's birthday.

2. What does the man think of chocolate?

A．No one loves it.

B．Everyone loves it.

C．All children love it.

3. What can we learn from the conversation?

A．The child will receive a cake.

B．The child will receive nothing.

C．The child will receive a frosting bowl.

2 . Accents are an important part of our identity. An accent gives clues about who we are, and the community we belong to or wish to belong to.     1    

What is the difference between accents and pronunciation?

Accents are about localized ways of speaking a language. A French person may speak English flawlessly (完美无瑕地), just with a French accent.     2     However, pronunciation is something that — as a learner— you can get right or wrong. If your pronunciation is correct, you can communicate effectively with others whatever your accent is.

    3    

If you think back historically people were much more localized with generation after generation of families living in the same small villages and few people traveled out of that area during their lifetimes. So over many generations differences in accent emerged and became very distinct to particular areas. Mountainous villages that are not easily accessible often develop very strong and distinctive accents.

How important is it to get an accent right?

If you’re moving to a certain part of a country, you might want to integrate better with your new community.     4     That’s because it shows a sense of belonging to the community you are trying to fit in with.

How to improve your accent?

    5     And then learners should consider which sounds exist in the language you’re learning and then spend some time in front of the mirror practicing moving your tongue and mouth to get those new and different sounds. And learners should be aware of stress and tone, which can sometimes even change the meaning of words.

A．Where do accents and pronunciation emerge?

B．They’re also important for those learning a new language.

C．Try to adapt your speech to sound more like the locals’ speech.

D．The best way is to learn the specific accent of that region.

E．Where do different types of accents come from?

F．That’s fine because there is no wrong or right with an accent.

G．Learners should first think about which sounds don’t exist in your native language.

3 . 24 Solar Terms: 5 things about Major Snow

Major Snow, the 21st solar term of the year, which falls on Dec 7 this year. During Major Snow, the snow becomes heavy and begins to accumulate on the ground. The temperature drops significantly. Here are 5 things you should know about Major Snow.

Snowy winter

The snow in North China may last a whole day, breaking tree branches and blocking the road. In the south, snowflakes fall and the world turns white. A proverb about the snow says, "A timely snow promises a good harvest".     1    

    2    

The red plum blossoms (梅花) in contrast with the white snowy world is a feast for the eyes and have inspired many great poems. The plum blossom, which originated in China, is respected in Chinese culture for its bravery against severe winters.

Eating lamb

Lamb is a favorite food for Chinese people during Major Snow.     3     People in Chongqing like to have potted lamb soup with their families and friends. Nanjing residents like to stew lamb with some plants to make it more nutritious.

Making sausages

During Major Snow, people in southern China make sausages, an important part of preparation for the Spring Festival.    4    . The sausage should be dried in the shade, and is edible after a week.

Preventing respiratory (呼吸道的) illness

During this period, Chinese people watch for outbreaks of respiratory illness, which can be prevented by wearing a warm scarf to protect the neck and properly drinking water.    5    . At the same time, don't drink cold water after exercise.

A．Writing poems about snow

B．Appreciating plum blossoms

C．But you should not drink too much water at a time

D．Drink as much water as you can whenever possible

E．The best meat for this delicacy comes from the bottom of the pig

F．As the snow covers the ground, the low winter temperature kills pests

G．It promotes blood circulation and provides protection against the cold

4 . Body language is a very powerful tool of a communication, not only between people but in the animal world as well. In many instances, we produce idioms which are all understandable by borrowing examples from animal communication. For example, we know that a frightened cat will arch（拱型）. From this starting-point we might hear the expression. “He gets my back up!” meaning “He makes me angry.”

In the same manner, we know that many animals, if challenged（挑战）by attackers, will not turn and run away because this will encourage the attackers to attack them more forcefully. Instead, they will move backwards slowly to get out of harm’s way, always facing their attacker. We call this action “backing off” and it can be used as well with humans as with animals.

In the case of humans, however, the back-off may not be physical but oral, as in using a kinder tone of voice and gentle words instead of fighting against the attackers.

1. When a cat arches its back high in a rigid curve, it shows that it is ________.

A．angry	B．pleased
C．frightened	D．defeated

2. In the article “back off” means ________.

A．to escape from the attackers

B．to get away quickly

C．to keep out the attackers

D．to avoid the attackers in words

3. Which of the following is wrong according to the article?

A．To learn knowledge, humans must learn from animals.

B．Both humans and animals have the body language.

C．Both humans and animals have ways of getting out of harm.

D．“Face your attackers” means to encourage yourself.

4. What is mentioned（提到）in this article belongs to study of English ________.

A．grammar	B．idioms
C．expression	D．communication

5 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

In most countries, turning 18    1    (mark) the start of adulthood. But what does reaching the age of majority really mean? Does it mean that you will be    2    (complete) in charge of your own life and able to express yourself in new and    3    (excite) ways? What new responsibilities will you have to take    4    ? Here, three young people tell us what turning 18 means, or meant, to them.

Bethany, 16, comes from Victoria, Australia. She won’t have the right to vote in the next general    5    (elect), because she won’t be old enough. She has been taking driving lessons but she isn’t allowed to take her driving test    6    she is 18.

Lin Ning, 19, is from Shanghai, China. At 18, although he could do things like    7    (get) a credit card and act on his desire to help others, there were still rules    8    (obey) and lessons to attend.

Morgan, 20, is from Florida, the US. He thought once he turned 18 and got    9    good job he would rent an apartment, but his salary was not high enough. The reality for him has been very different.     10    is hard for him to save money because of the household bills and high commute costs.

6 . Give with Love

Choosing a charity to support isn't as easy as picking one out of a hat.    1     . Here are a few things to consider to help you choose.

What cause do you want to support?

Typically, the first thing that people think about when choosing a charity to support is the cause. There are children’s charities, animal charities and charities that raise money and awareness for a wide range of illnesses, disabilities and issues.     2    .

Do you want to support a large or small charity?

There are big name charities such as the Red Cross, SPCA and Barnardos.    3    , some of which work at a local level. Decide whether you want to contribute to a large and potentially powerful charily that will be making big waves but will have high running costs, or whether you want to support and contribute to a smaller charily that might only help a few people al a lime but will be fighting to get noticed and raise funds.

Find your reason

Once you have decided that you would like to give some of your time or money to help others, you need to make some decisions. For instance, volunteering.    4    , while others want to meet new people, Perhaps you have been affected by a particular charity supports, such as cancer or child abuse. Or perhaps you want to add your support to your local school which relies on parents and other members of the community to help children with their reading and maths.

    5    

Think about your existing skills: do you prefer hands-on work, are you good with people, do you have a background in administration or secretarial work? Charities need a wide variety of skills, such as working in shops, organising fundraising events, driving vehicles or. in the case of animal charities, walking dogs or checking out foster homes.

A．Location is important

B．Decide on the kind of work

C．There are also many smaller charities

D．Some people want to give something back

E．Think about which organisation’s cause is dear to your heart

F．Larger charities will advertise vacant positions on their website

G．Your choice should be personal and your reasons unique to you