1 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.

In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.

Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To tell about true friends.	B．To start a discussion.
C．To encourage online friendships.	D．To summarize(总结) the text.

2. What does the underlined part “in the flesh” mean in paragraph 3?

A．In any case.

B．In public.

C．In person.

D．In advance.

3. What is Katie’s attitude toward online communication?

A．Unconcerned.

B．Positive.

C．Worried.

D．Confused.

4. Which of the following is the Rosen’s view?

A．Teenagers need to focus on real-world friendships.	B．It’s easier to develop friendships in real life.
C．It’s wise to turn to friends online.	D．Social media help people stay closely connected.

2 . The village super league, or “Cun Chao” in Chinese, is a soccer game among different villages in Rongjiang county, Guizhou Province, and it is so down-to-earth but popular that it has attracted not only the attention of football legend Michael Owen but also millions of Chinese netizens (网民), who are paying attention to this non-professional football league.

The players come from a variety of backgrounds. They are vendors, drivers, students, carpenters, tilers, former butchers, and brick factory workers. Their ages range from 15 to over 40 years old. At the game site, representatives wearing various traditional national costumes play national musical instruments and enter the field with the players, and perform songs and dances.

“This kind of football game is natural and with ‘pureness’ and it is driven by the love of the ordinary people not the economic benefits. The game is providing not only values of sports, but also a way of socializing with low costs,” an expert noted. This kind of atmosphere is very rarely seen and is treasured, especially for people in urban areas who are getting increasingly busy and under great work pressure, and when they look at the fun, relaxing and down-to-earth way of life in the countryside, they will naturally be interested, experts said. There is at least one good effect brought by the “Cun Chao” to Chinese soccer—to make more people see the pureness of joy and encourage them to play soccer.

Today, more and more grassroots sports events are held in the mountains and are using sports as a medium to showcase the unique charm of the local area, reflecting an energetic lifestyle filled with agricultural activities and rural fun.

1. Why does the author mention Michael Owen in Paragraph 1?

A．To show he is a household name in China.

B．To voice his view on modern soccer game.

C．To show the great popularity (流行) of “Cun Chao”.

D．To stress the importance of “Cun Chao”.

2. What do we know about the players of “Cun Chao”?

A．They are from all walks of life.

B．Seniors are welcome to join the team.

C．They are able to play national musical instruments.

D．They wear traditional costumes on the soccer field.

3. Which of the following best describes “Cun Chao” according to Paragraph 3?

A．Slow-paced (慢节奏的).	B．Highly stressed.
C．High-cost.	D．Nonprofitable.

4. Which is the best title for the text?

A．The village super league wins the hearts of Chinese.

B．The village super league: From nobody to somebody.

C．The village super league bridges the countryside and the city.

D．The village super league promises the future of Chinese soccer.

4 . How to improve long-term memory

There are some things that are easy for us to remember and you notice that you can still recall that information even when you no longer need it. Sometimes it is difficult to remember information.     1     Try the following steps below to remember information you want to keep in your long-term memory.

Organize information into groups.     2     It is like a supermarket; things of the same kind are put in the same place.

Connect related information.     3     This is an excellent way for you to keep information in mind as it can make your memory function better when the related information is needed.

    4     When you need to remember a piece of information, try relating it to a picture that is easily remembered. This is how many people remember positions. They can simply recall that the store is near the bridge.

Repeat. The more you are exposed to something, the easier it is to remember at a later time.     5     Try using his name at least three times when you first talk to someone. That name will be easier to remember later.

A．Relate what you have already known to what you will remember.

B．This will help you remember things better and longer if they are grouped.

C．Write down the information in order, read it and say it aloud at once.

D．Develop pictures in your mind.

E．But there are ways to make it easier

F．Deal with information effectively.

G．This is especially good for meeting new people

5 . I thought I knew a lot about Hamlet. I had been always full of ________ about it before I saw The Revenge of Prince Zidan-the Peking Opera version of Hamlet. ________ an orchestra playing traditional Chinese instruments, the opera brought a ________ new sound to my Western ears. At first, I thought what I ________ was a violin, ________ later I learnt that it was an instrument with two strings called jinghu. Then, I was ________ when the main characters came on ________. The costumes and masks were amazing. Although the performers sang in Chinese, the music, exaggerated movements and mime helped get the ________ across to the audience. The voices sounded really ________. So ________ were some of the female voices that I was sure they could break glass! And the stage was really ________: a decorated whip represented a horse, and a screen with Chinese character, a study. Using such techniques, the opera had transformed a small stage into the whole universe. What I liked most was how the characters moved on stage. It was so dazzling and ________ that I wasn’t sure if the characters were performers or athletes! Everyone was ________. Feeling the strong emotions of love, anger, fear and grief in the ________, I could easily ________ the theme of Hamlet.

1.

A．complaint

B．hope

C．confidence

D．fear

2.

A．Dealing with

B．Agreeing with

C．Starting with

D．Ending with

3.

A．recently

B．completely

C．hardly

D．suddenly

4.

A．heard

B．saw

C．tasted

D．smelt

5.

A．but

B．and

C．therefore

D．besides

6.

A．moved

B．ashamed

C．tired

D．surprised

7.

A．mind

B．TV

C．stage

D．radio

8.

A．masks

B．costumes

C．colors

D．meanings

9.

A．terrible

B．sad

C．unique

D．common

10.

A．low

B．high

C．soft

D．sweet

11.

A．silent

B．noisy

C．simple

D．dark

12.

A．energetic

B．weak

C．slow

D．competitive

13.

A．fighting

B．leaving

C．waiting

D．clapping

14.

A．performance

B．book

C．film

D．lecture

15.

A．write

B．recognise

C．share

D．forget

7 . 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。

As a nature photographer, I enjoy     1     (work) outside in the wild. One of the best things about this job is that you can see animals in their     2     (nature) environments.

My favorite place to take     3     (photo) is Yellowstone National Park. As the world’s first national park, it is     4     (probable) best known for its bears. Although the bears have a     5     (weigh) of up to 300 kilograms, they are good runners and excellent swimmers.

Last spring in Yellowstone, I followed a path     6     took me through a dark forest. When I finally stepped out of the trees, the view was amazing. While I     7     (concentrate) on photographing this scene, I suddenly had a feeling that I was being watched. Slowly, and with the camera still held to my eye, I turned and was frightened. Only metres away from me was a bear. With water falling off     8     (it) thick, brown hair, the bear stared back     9     me. Time stood still as the bear and I both waited     10     (see) who would move first. My legs started shaking. Somehow, I forced my finger to press the button. Luckily, a second later, the bear turned and ran back into the forest.

8 . A Love of Gardening

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” These words come from the author of the book The Secret Garden, first published in 1911. At that time, only the very rich in Britain had gardens. Very soon after this, homes with gardens began to be built. This is what started the British love of gardening! Today, millions of Brits like to say that they have “green fingers”, with around half the population spending their free time gardening.

For many people in the UK, their garden is their own private world. Each spring, children plant sunflowers and wait to see which one is the tallest. Expert gardeners know just the right corner for roses, and others spend hours trying to grow perfect vegetables to enter into competitions. And while many Brits like nothing better than spending their Sunday cutting the grass, some are happy just to sit under the branches of the trees and enjoy the beauty of the world around them.

But in cities, limited space has led to people looking for new solutions. Those without outside space can rent small pieces of land on which to grow things. Today, there are over 4,000 people in London waiting for such pieces of land. One recent idea has been to turn rooftops and walls into private gardens. These gardens have helped make the cities greener and improve air quality.

As well as being good for the environment, gardening is also good for the soul. What other free-time activity allows you to be at one with nature and create more beautiful living things? And if you’re in any doubt about this, take a moment to reflect on this line from The Secret Garden: “Where you tend a rose… A thistle cannot grow.”

1. What inspired the British to create their own private gardens?

A．A rise in earnings.	B．The call of the government.
C．The publication of The Secret Garden.	D．The competition among neighbors.

2. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．How to build a garden well.	B．Where is suitable for building gardens.
C．When is the right time to do gardening.	D．How the private garden is enjoyed by the British.

3. Why is it difficult for the British living in cities to build private gardens?

A．They don’t have free time.	B．They don’t have enough space.
C．They lack gardening knowledge.	D．They are not allowed to do so by law.

4. What can we know about gardening according to the text?

A．It wastes money.	B．It takes up too much land.
C．It worsens air quality.	D．It benefits the environment and people’s soul.

9 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year -old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow (乌鸦) perched (栖息) on their window.

The father asked his son, “what is this?” The son replied, “It is a crow.”

After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, “What is this?” The son said, “Father , I have just now told you, it is a crow!”

After a little while, the old father again asked his son for the third time, “What is this?”

At this time some expression of irritation (恼怒) was felt in the son’s tone when he said to his father with a rebuff (生硬回绝) . “It’s a crow , a crow.” A little while later, the father again asked his son the fourth time, “ What is this?”

This time, the son shouted at his father, “ Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again, although I have told you so many times ‘IT IS A CROW’. Are you not able to understand this?’

A little while later the father went to his room and came back with an old tattered (发皱的) diary, which he had maintained since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:

“Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I did not at all feel annoyed but I rather felt love for my innocent son.

注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150词左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
Paragraph 1:

After reading the diary,

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Paragraph 2:

Feeling ashamed , the son got down on his knees before his father.

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