1 . Trees should only be pruned (修剪) when there is a good and clear reason for doing so and, fortunately, the number of such reasons is small. Pruning involves the cutting away of overgrown and unwanted branches, and the inexperienced gardener can be encouraged by the thought that more damage results from doing it unnecessarily than from leaving the tree to grow in its own way.

First, pruning may be done to make sure that trees have a desired shape or size. The object may be to get a tree of the right height, and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches which will thicken its appearance or give it a special shape. Secondly, pruning may be done to make the tree healthier. You may cut diseased or dead wood, or branches that are rubbing against each other and thus cause wounds. The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches that are blocking up the centre and so preventing the free movement of air.

One result of pruning is that an open wound is left on the tree and this provides an easy entry for disease, but it is a wound that will heal. Often there is a race between the healing and the disease as to whether the tree will live or die, so that there is a period when the tree is at risk. It should be the aim of every gardener to reduce that risk of death as far as possible. It is important to make the area, which has been pruned, smooth and clean, for healing will be slowed down by roughness. You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hours and then paint it with one of the substances available from garden shops produced especially for this purpose. Pruning is usually done in winter, for then you can see the shape of the tree clearly without interference from the leaves and also it is very unlikely that the cuts you make will bleed. If this does happen, it is, of course, impossible to paint them properly.

1. Why should pruning be done?

A．To make the tree grow taller.	B．To improve the shape of the tree.
C．To get rid of the small branches.	D．To make the small branches thicker.

2. Trees will become unhealthy if the gardener ______.

A．gives a tree a special shape and a definite height

B．removes small side branches and makes a tree look less thick

C．allows too many branches to grow in the middle

D．has a tree surrounded by many other trees

3. Why is a special material painted on the tree?

A．To prevent disease entering a wound.	B．To cover a rough surface.
C．To make a wound smooth.	D．To help a wound to dry.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The author tends to favor pruning frequently.	B．It’s easy to find a reason to prune trees.
C．Pruning trees properly is not easy.	D．Pruned trees will always grow taller.

5. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Discussing different methods of pruning.

B．Introducing some potential risks of pruning a tree.

C．Explaining how trees develop disease.

D．Giving practical instructions for pruning a tree.

2 . Sometimes you may find that you are not happy in your life, although everything is going well. Most of the time you have to _______ this kind of unhappy life, since it is really hard to make changes and move on to a new business, which often involves taking _______.

My father, however, was a quite different example. When I was about 9 or 10, he told me that I should be whatever I wanted when I grew up, so long as I _______ it. He said that if I were not feeling _______, I should try to change my life to make it more delightful, and I would find real _______ as a result. From him I learned a great lesson on the _______ of doing one’s favorite.

My father got into the insurance industry when he was very young, and he was very _______. He became one of the company’s top salesmen, even though he was only 25 years old. Soon he became one of the first independent insurance salesmen in our state. _______, he decided to leave his successful _______ and move on to other fields. You might ________ why he did so. The answer was simple: he liked to do something challenging, something that ________ his strength and ability, especially in a way that is interesting. My father just wanted to have a try, and so he did. After leaving the insurance company, he worked in social media and then in digital technology, which really ________ him. Of course he wasn’t successful in everything he tried, but he told me for ________ that he did something he liked, and that he had the ________ of doing what he enjoyed.

________ one’s comfortable life is not easy. I’ve learned this from my father, and I can say no matter whether the ________ is good or bad, it is ________ doing one’s favorite. When we do something we love, it gives us extra ________ to meet our goals, which are associated with psychological well-being and health. As long as we have no ________ and give it a try, we are forced to push against ourselves. After all, we all want to be where we are ________ ourselves.

1.

A．lose

B．stop

C．share

D．continue

2.

A．risks

B．turns

C．steps

D．suggestions

3.

A．promised

B．enjoyed

C．admitted

D．adjusted

4.

A．lucky

B．safe

C．comfortable

D．special

5.

A．concern

B．pleasure

C．strength

D．talent

6.

A．value

B．honor

C．control

D．relief

7.

A．sensitive

B．cautious

C．optimistic

D．successful

8.

A．Besides

B．Therefore

C．However

D．Meanwhile

9.

A．schedule

B．career

C．reform

D．competition

10.

A．wonder

B．explain

C．blame

D．conclude

11.

A．limited

B．predicted

C．tested

D．affected

12.

A．confused

B．shocked

C．discouraged

D．attracted

13.

A．free

B．certain

C．good

D．real

14.

A．satisfaction

B．sympathy

C．responsibility

D．security

15.

A．Protecting

B．Selecting

C．Leaving

D．Arranging

16.

A．function

B．result

C．signal

D．attitude

17.

A．simple

B．normal

C．popular

D．worth

18.

A．drive

B．consideration

C．burden

D．qualification

19.

A．rights

B．faults

C．regrets

D．excuses

20.

A．convincing

B．evaluating

C．representing

D．challenging

3 . Now that I have been determined to set up my own company, it doesn’t matter much ______ he is in favour of my plan.

A．which

B．what

C．whether

D．that

4 . An expert, together with some assistants, ______ in the lab day and night since the outbreak of the flu.

A．was working	B．were working
C．have been working	D．has been working

8 . What matters is that you should be happy with what you already have and not risk losing it for being ______ and trying to get more.

A．cautious

B．curious

C．humble

D．greedy

9 . It is said that most people have no more than 30 friends at any given time, and 400 over the whole of their lives. However, on social networking sites, most users have about 150 friends. If these numbers are correct, then friendship means different things in different situations.

Also, there are no rules about friendship. There are no instructions about how to make friends, how to keep friendships going, and how to finish friendships if we want to move on. People have very different opinions about this: some people would die for their friends and they value them more than family. Others say that friends are temporary, only there to help each other until they are no longer needed. If people with such different views become friends, this can lead to problems.

Because of these different definitions of friendship, it is easy to be unhappy about our friendships. We may want them to be deeper or closer, or we may want to have more friends in our lives. Sometimes we simply do not have the time to develop our friendships, or we fear we have left it too late in life to start. If we move to another country or city, we have to find ways to make new friends again.

This dissatisfaction shows us how important friendships are for most of us. We should not think that it could be too late to build friendships. We also need to understand that the need to be around other people is one that is shared by many. Therefore, we should not be too frightened about starting to talk to people who in the future may become our friends: it is likely that they too would like to get closer to us. Remember what people say: strangers are friends we have not met yet.

1. According to the text, how many friends do the majority of people probably have?

A．Over 400 friends in their whole lives.	B．30 friends or fewer at a certain stage.
C．400 Internet friends in their whole lives.	D．150 Internet friends at a certain stage.

2. What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A．There is a rule about making friends.

B．People with different views can become friends.

C．Friendships mean different things to different people.

D．Some people would die for their friends if they need to.

3. Sometimes people worry because ______.

A．they fear that there may be problems	B．they think they are too old to make friends
C．they think that they have too many friends	D．they spend too much time with friends

4. We can learn from the text that most of us ______.

A．need to be with others	B．build friendships late in life
C．are dissatisfied with our friends	D．are frightened to talk to strangers

5. What is the author’s attitude towards talking to a stranger?

A．Uninterested.

B．Cautious.

C．Doubtful.

D．Positive.

10 . A 12-year-old boy was called a hero after he saved a kid trapped in a car outside a supermarket. Ben Theriot was _________ with his mom Nikki Fields in Tusla, Oklahoma, when they heard the _________ cry of a little boy trapped in the back seat of a _________.

The day was very hot, with temperatures reaching 116 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Inside the car, the _________ must have been terrible. Quickly, Fields and Theriot decided that the boy had to be _________.

“It was so hot. I just got on the phone with the _________, and with 911,” said Fields. “I _________, ‘We’ve got to get this boy _________ immediately.’”

Following his mother’s orders, Theriot went into her car and found a small hammer. “I started _________ the side window, but it didn’t break,” he recalled. “I started attacking it a lot more, and then it __________,” Theriot added.

“He just jumped right into action and didn’t even __________,” Fields recalled. “I am proud of my son. I’m glad he knew what to __________.”

Soon the police arrived on the scene and got the boy out of the car. “Time __________ in that situation. Within __________, that boy could have passed out or even got __________,” said Officer Jeanne Pierce.

1.

A．shopping

B．exercising

C．practising

D．hiking

2.

A．exciting

B．disturbing

C．warning

D．amusing

3.

A．cinema

B．classroom

C．vehicle

D．library

4.

A．loneliness

B．wet

C．darkness

D．heat

5.

A．protected

B．comforted

C．cured

D．rescued

6.

A．experiment

B．emergency

C．research

D．service

7.

A．screamed

B．declared

C．confirmed

D．whispered

8.

A．down

B．away

C．out

D．around

9.

A．hitting

B．fixing

C．pushing

D．replacing

10.

A．escaped

B．broke

C．arose

D．sank

11.

A．insist

B．regret

C．hesitate

D．doubt

12.

A．say

B．do

C．need

D．buy

13.

A．wasted

B．cycled

C．functioned

D．counted

14.

A．weeks

B．days

C．hours

D．minutes

15.

A．frightened

B．killed

C．trapped

D．punished