2 . Everyone wants to perform well at school. Add these tips to your life and you should be on your way to being a top student!

    1    I cannot stress how important it is to pay attention to what your teacher is teaching you. Take part in class discussions if you have something worth adding. Pay attention during class.

Taking notes is important. You don’t need to write down every single word your teacher says but write down what he or she writes on the blackboard, or any special fact you think you might need for a test.    2       In this way, it will help you learn more effectively by thinking about what you are writing.

Don’t skip school. You will be missing courses.    3    However, you will have more work and you have missed lectures. Also, try not to be late for class. It’s most likely that your teacher won’t appreciate it and you will get yourself behind.

Keep a good attitude (态度) towards things. If you have an “ I don’t care about school or this class” attitude, then teachers will be less willing to help you with problems. The same goes for lazy attitude. Have a respectful attitude to the teacher and other students.     4    

Always ask questions.     5     If you don’t understand, ask someone. Read your textbook and notes, and then if that fails, ask a teacher, friend, classmate, parent, etc.

A．Be prepared.

B．Write in your own words.

C．Staying organized will be helpful.

D．Pay attention to what the teacher says.

E．It is true that you could make up the work.

F．There is no shame (羞愧)in needing some help.

G．Try not to laugh when other students make mistakes.

5 . One of my neighbors used to have a beautiful tree in her front yard. It was nothing more than a little branch _________ her dad planted it for her and several years later it started to _________ towards the sky at an amazing speed. Soon it blessed her with cooling shade in the _________ and glorious, golden leaves in the fall.

When the two-day snowstorm struck our town, heavy snow _________ the tree’s branches that were still full of leaves. The weight broke that lovely tree down the _________ . It was so sad seeing half of it _________ on the ground after the storm. When I talked to my neighbor later, she said the damage had been so _________ that the tree would have to be cut down. _________ she had saved a few young plants from it that she hoped to _________ in the future. It was a shock to drive by her house the other day and see __________ but a stump (树桩) in her front yard. I missed that tree. I missed seeing its branches reach towards the heavens and leaves __________ in the afternoon sun. I thought that the stump would be a sad __________ of its loss for a long time to come. My wonderful neighbor, __________ , had another plan. When I dropped in yesterday, I saw a tiny bird feeder sitting on that __________ and a colorful songbird having its dinner. It was such a joy to see the evidence of __________ . I could feel my heart __________ .Life by its very nature is a __________ bag. It offers us both beauty and tragedy, love and loss, __________ and pain. What we can do with it is up to us. We can let it __________ us in two, or we can use even its hardest times to make our __________ stronger and our hearts more loving. We can spend it complaining or we can use it to help others.

1.

A．unless

B．when

C．until

D．because

2.

A．erupt

B．wind

C．shoot

D．stand

3.

A．spring

B．summer

C．fall

D．winter

4.

A．fell on

B．took apart

C．got through

D．tore down

5.

A．top

B．middle

C．bottom

D．root

6.

A．dancing

B．spreading

C．trembling

D．lying

7.

A．obvious

B．unexpected

C．subtle

D．severe

8.

A．Consequently

B．Eventually

C．Thankfully

D．Accidentally

9.

A．replace

B．decorate

C．plant

D．remove

10.

A．everything

B．something

C．anything

D．nothing

11.

A．falling

B．shaking

C．floating

D．shinning

12.

A．vision

B．example

C．reminder

D．view

13.

A．however

B．therefore

C．moreover

D．otherwise

14.

A．leaf

B．stump

C．branch

D．stick

15.

A．life

B．time

C．effort

D．nature

16.

A．beat

B．smile

C．hurt

D．sink

17.

A．mixed

B．changeable

C．separate

D．stable

18.

A．sorrow

B．wealth

C．pleasure

D．sympathy

19.

A．break

B．pull

C．benefit

D．attach

20.

A．connections

B．families

C．bodies

D．souls

6 . Nostalgia (怀旧) has become increasingly common in our current climate of unexpected, fast-paced change. More and more people are turning back with longing for what feels like simpler, sweeter times. They collect cassette tapes, manual typewriters even decades-old video games.

Is it a mistake to get too obsessed with the past? Some psychologists warn that too much devotion to the so-called good old days is an escape from reality; it can indicate loneliness or that a person is having a difficult time coping in the present. Psychologist Stephanie Coontz argues that nostalgia distracts us from addressing the problems of modern life and contributes to anxiety, depression, insomnia etc.

But new studies suggest that a modest dose of nostalgia is not only harmless, but actually beneficial. They suggest it helps strengthen our sense of identity and makes us feel more optimistic and inspired. It is also a tool for self-discovery and memories are a psychological immune response that is triggered when you want to take a break from negativity. Interestingly, those happy memories can be particularly beneficial both to kids in their teens and to society’s elders. Recalling our childhood reminds us of “the times when we were accented and loved unconditionally,” says Krystine Batcho, a psychologist. “That is such a powerfully comforting phenomenon, knowing that there was a time in life when we didn’t have to earn our love.” Nostalgia can transform even the most ordinary past into legends which warms the heart and the body. Let’s not forget that nostalgia has been a source of inspiration to innumerable American writers. Mark Twain recalled his boyhood, writing, “after all these years, I can picture that old time to myself now, just as it was then: The white town drowsing in the sunshine of a summer’s morning.”

So go ahead, daydream a little about your best childhood friend, your first car, a long-gone family pet. As Dr. Sedikidessays, “Nostalgia is absolutely central to human experience.” But at the same time, keep these words of wisdom from the great inventor Charles Kettering in mind as well: “You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.”

1. What did some psychologists in paragraph 2 probably agree?

A．Nostalgia can cause some mental problems.

B．Nostalgia makes us devoted to the present life.

C．Nostalgia shows you are trying to get rid of loneliness.

D．Nostalgia helps us cope with the difficult time we are going through.

2. There are many benefits of nostalgia except ________ .

A．It can enable us to know ourselves better

B．It can bring us some comfort when we recall

C．We are likely to gain attention if we recall the happy childhood

D．We can sometimes break away from negativity with happy memories

3. What will be talked about in the following paragraph?

A．The reasons why we should avoid nostalgia.

B．The great changes nostalgia will bring to you.

C．The bad memories that always stick around you.

D．The bad influence of too much devotion to nostalgia.

4. What does the author intend to tell us?

A．People tend to be lost in nostalgia.

B．People actually benefit from nostalgia.

C．Childhood memories influence present life.

D．There are some periods when people look back.

7 . 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。

I wasn’t the most popular kid in my freshman year. I wasn’t into fashion, preferred reading to sports, had difficulty talking to boys. Therefore, the first year of high school hadn’t been kind to me. I had no close friends. I mostly kept to myself with my head buried in a book.

Ashley was very different from me. She was outspoken and fashionable. She was quite popular. These were qualities I knew nothing about. We had always been in the same classes throughout school, but had never talked much.

During summer school, we were both taking classes. The teacher paired us up on an assignment. We met at the library to work on the project and really got well. Of course, Ashley did most of the talking. When classes ended we continued to hang out.

I looked up to Ashley; she was all of the things I thought I wanted to be. I began listening to the music she listened to, wearing the clothes she wore. I quit reading and started watching the TV programs Ashley watched. I even tailored my sophomore (大二) year schedule to her interests. I decided to take art class even though I had really wanted to take theatre.

When we started school again, Ashley introduced me to her group of friends, the “cool girls.” She was the leader of their group. Finally I fit in. I followed them around, laughing when they told jokes, agreeing when they had opinions. I didn’t say much. I wouldn’t want them to think that I was being rude by disagreeing. This continued for several months.

One day, I overheard Ashley and her friends were talking about me.

“She’s such a loser,” one girl said to the group. “Ashley, she just follows you around trying to be you. She copies you; she doesn’t have a personality of her own.”

Then Ashley replied, “I know, I wish she would leave us alone. We were in summer school together and now she thinks we’re best friends or something.”

注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1：

I stood rooted to the spot, feeling mortified (受辱的) and heartbroken.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：

Hearing my mom’s advice, l decided I was going to stop crying and discover who I was.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . Directions: Write an English composition in 120 -150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
俗话说：与其诅咒黑暗，不如点亮光明。（It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness），结合你自己或者身边人的一个事例，谈谈你对这句话的理解。

10 . I learned something really early from my family: Even the biggest challenges are less _________ when you solve them as a community.

My brother, sister and cousins were my first group. _________ we got more and more fights at home, we never _________ that outside our house, if you messed with one of us, you got _________ of us.

From school to sports, I was _________ in a class project, club, team or group. From speech and debate to field hockey, when I was in a community, I felt _________ to try for things that seemed _________ . I grew because others pushed me. _________ didn’t seem so scary because we were taking risks together.

When a drunk driver _________ my father, it was our community that stepped in. It was our family friends, our community theater and our sports teams that __________ us. My father had been a high school history teacher, and his colleagues — now my teachers — began to keep a __________ eye on us because he __________ could.

I don’t __________ a parent’s death as the way to learn about the __________ of small communities, but it did make me __________ that if I looked for bigger challenges with the support of a group, I was going to __________ broader goals and build deeper relationships __________ the journey.

As I sit here tonight with my team of five, I’m __________ of how much I love these moments — building __________we believe in, that we’ll learn from and that we’ll do together. If you are going to do something that terrifies you, first find a(n) __________ .

1.

A．terrifying

B．risky

C．exciting

D．amazing

2.

A．Once

B．When

C．While

D．Since

3.

A．argued

B．considered

C．decided

D．doubted

4.

A．none

B．all

C．nothing

D．anyone

5.

A．sometimes

B．seldom

C．always

D．barely

6.

A．curious

B．discouraged

C．scary

D．safe

7.

A．under control

B．out of my reach

C．out of order

D．within my ability

8.

A．Failures

B．Goals

C．Fights

D．Disasters

9.

A．killed

B．attacked

C．comforted

D．backed

10.

A．looked into

B．belonged to

C．stood by

D．turned away

11.

A．bigger

B．stricter

C．warmer

D．closer

12.

A．no longer

B．never

C．hardly

D．instead of

13.

A．convince

B．recommend

C．adopt

D．announce

14.

A．belief

B．power

C．possibility

D．harmony

15.

A．realize

B．figure

C．consider

D．notice

16.

A．go through

B．get over

C．go for

D．come across

17.

A．for

B．before

C．by

D．throughout

18.

A．informed

B．reminded

C．blamed

D．encouraged

19.

A．anything

B．everything

C．something

D．somebody

20.

A．dream

B．partner

C．organization

D．group