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 . 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。

Dogs are often called “man’s best friend” and make ideal pets.     1     most attractive quality of a dog is its faith in its owner. They always greet us when we come home and they will never leave us when we are     2     danger. For example, there was a very sick man and his dog barked and barked until the rescue team     3     (arrive).

Furthermore, dogs are strong animals     4     will protect us. Houses with dogs are considered much     5     (safe) than those with burglar alarms (防盗警报器). Not only will they stop thieves,     6     they will also guard against fire. For example, there was a serious fire and a dog managed     7     (pull) its owner out.

And     8     (final), dogs can be trained by people. Dogs can do a number of things that people can not. For example, they can find drugs, bodies, illegal DVDs and hunt down prisoners with     9     (they) nose. They’re also used to help the elderly and disabled.

To sum up, dogs are really friendly, civilized (文明的) and loyal     10     (partner) .

3 . 假如你是李华，最近收到了你的美国朋友John的来信。他在来信中说，他刚上高中，不能适应新环境，不知道如何去结交新朋友，因而情绪低落。请你给他回信，内容如下：
1. 向John表示安慰；
2. 针对他的问题提出建议。
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear John,
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . That year I was eleven and in sixth grade. In Wethersfield, all sixth-graders are ________ to take part in the R. O. P. E. Program. Its main ________ is to believe your peers (同龄人), work together, and ________ new adventures. These programs including falling backward and ________ peers to catch you, working together to fit into a small circle (圈子) and something of that kind.

I was ready to take part in these ________ . Falling backward and fitting into a small circle were nothing to me. Crossing over a stream (小溪) with nothing holding me up but a rope was daring, but I could ________ it. Finally the day came when my sixth grade class would travel to climb and rappel (绕绳下滑) a mountain in Southington. Those people who were too ________ were allowed to practice climbing and rappelling a smaller area of rocks, but that wasn’t for me. I could climb the big mountain.

Twenty minutes later, my ________ arrived. As I was well ________, I set off at once. I got a quarter of the way up but couldn’t seem to get any ________ . I tried and tried. I began to put myself down and cry. There was nothing more ________ than my classmates were looking at me. All I kept ________ was “Lisa, you can do it. Try to fit your foot in there. ________, Lisa. You’re almost there.”

It was then that I thought to myself, “Why am I crying? I can do this.”Almost ________ I went on going up the mountain. Within five minutes I successfully ________ to the top.

1.

A．forced

B．reported

C．required

D．reminded

2.

A．idea

B．result

C．question

D．road

3.

A．run

B．introduce

C．experience

D．describe

4.

A．requesting

B．thinking

C．promising

D．trusting

5.

A．lectures

B．discussions

C．stories

D．activities

6.

A．finish

B．discover

C．change

D．need

7.

A．naughty

B．noisy

C．frightened

D．annoyed

8.

A．friend

B．turn

C．teacher

D．day

9.

A．relaxed

B．balanced

C．organized

D．prepared

10.

A．quicker

B．warmer

C．farther

D．longer

11.

A．awkward

B．amazing

C．exciting

D．disappointing

12.

A．shouting

B．remembering

C．learning

D．hearing

13.

A．Watch out

B．Come on

C．Hurry up

D．Walk along

14.

A．fully

B．carefully

C．dangerously

D．immediately

15.

A．reached

B．got

C．arrived

D．took

5 . The first week of September was a week that I had been expecting (期待) all summer. I didn’t want summer to end, but I was excited about going to high school for my first week.

When I got to school in the morning on the first day, I realized how large the school was, and how many students went there. I ended up in the wrong classroom because of the size of the school. Luckily, a kind senior showed up and guided me to my homeroom before I was late. I was happy to see that in a class of unfamiliar (不熟悉的) faces, the only open seat was next to my good friend Casey. My science teacher seemed like a good teacher. She was exciting and fun.

After finishing four classes without too much of a challenge, I didn’t feel too bad about ninth grade. However, the fifth class changed everything. I didn’t feel ready after all. My teacher’s name is Mr. Valassidis but he told us to call him Mr. V. Mr. V told us that we would have to write 40 essays (文章) and read AP-level books such as The Odyssey this year. I love reading and writing. But come on. 40 ESSAYS? AP-level books? Now I was afraid.

The courses in high school seem like they’re going to get much harder, but they haven’t yet. Even though my classes look hard, they look really exciting too.

The first week passed quickly. Although a lot of things were overwhelming (令人不知所措的): the size of the campus, the crowds (人群) and the seniors, having a totally different experience than I had ever had before was really exciting. Now, I’m really happy about high school. I have lots of friends in my classes, I really like my teachers and I’m meeting new people.

1. How did the author feel when his high school life was about to start?

A．Happy.

B．Nervous.

C．Relaxed.

D．Helpless.

2. What happened to the author on his first day of high school?

A．He was late for class.	B．He was praised by Mr. V.
C．He got lost on the campus.	D．He met Casey for the first time.

3. What made the author afraid?

A．The strict rules in classes.

B．How his science teacher behaved.

C．What he was expected to do with his studies.

D．The reading homework on the first day of high school.

4. Which of the following can best describe the author’s first week of high school?

A．Hard and unexpected.	B．Busy but eye-opening.
C．Tiring but meaningful.	D．Different and exciting.

8 . The African elephant holds the record for sleeping the least among mammals — about two hours a day — but now, the elephant seal is giving its namespace a run for its money. Recent experiments on elephant seals showed the animals averaged only two hours of sleep per day during the seven months out of the year they spent at sea.

Jessie Kendall-Bar, a Ph. D. at the University of California, discovered elephant seals’ special ability. She found in the open ocean, elephant seals sleep less than two hours per day. While on land, they sleep more than 10 hours a day. “That’s really special,” she says. Previous observations had shown that elephant seals in the open ocean surface for a couple of minutes at a time. So scientists knew that they must be sleeping underwater. But they knew very little about it.

To find out more, Kendall-Bar developed a headcap to gather data about the animals’ brain waves, heart rates, dive (潜水) depths, and movements to determine when they were sleeping. She discovered that seals do not sleep in two-hour bursts. Instead, they take some “catnaps (小睡)” lasting less than 20 minutes each. Starting at the surface, adult seals take 10-minute dives at great depths, usually from 300 to 1,000 feet.

At this point, the animals enter the first stage of sleep, or slow-wave sleep. Then, they fall into REM sleep, when their bodies turn upside down. It seems REM sleep at great depths is risky because of the inability to escape at that moment. “It is just scary to imagine an animal doing this underwater in that state,” says study co-author Terrie Williams.

But what’s likely happening is that the seals are sleeping at great depths where their primary hunters — sharks and killer whales — hardly appear. “The elephant seal is basically using its ability to div e really deep as a protective mechanism (机制),” says Kendall-Bar. “It doesn’t have to keep one eye open or stay awake. It’s sleeping with its entire brain.”

1. Why does the author start the text with the African elephant?

A．To point out the sleep problems of animals.

B．To introduce elephant seals’ sleeping patterns.

C．To praise elephant seals’ great ability to survive.

D．To stress the importance of getting enough sleep.

2. What has Kendall-Bar found about elephant seals?

A．Their sleep habits vary by location.

B．They spend a long time playing in the sea.

C．They can enter a stage of deep sleep quickly.

D．Their brain waves are slower than other large animals’.

3. What is mentioned about elephant seals’ sleep in the sea?

A．It’s a common group activity.	B．It can increase their heart rates.
C．It’s made up of a series of short sleep.	D．It helps them develop their swimming ability.

4. Why do elephant seals choose REM sleep deep into the sea?

A．To get sufficient food easily.	B．To escape from loud noises.
C．To maintain their body temperature.	D．To avoid attack from natural enemies.