1 . American love pets. Many pet owners treat these friends as part of the family. Sometimes they spice their pets’ life with entertaining videos and amusing toys. If they have an eye for fashion, pet owners can dress their pets in fashionable clothes. For special occasions, they can use perfume to make their dogs smell well.

Leading a dog’s life in America isn’t such a bad thing. Many grocery stores sell various pet foods to owners eager to please their pets. In Houston, Texas dogs can have their dinner delivered to their homes. Well-to-do dogs can attend doggy daycare center, which is usually expensive, while their owners work. Pets can even accompany their owners on vacation. Fancy hotels are beginning to accommodate both man the beast.

Beneath all these things, there lies a basic American belief: pets have a right to be treated well. At least 75 animal welfare organizations exist in America. They provide care and adoption service for homeless and abused (被虐待的) animals. Vet (兽医) can give animals an incredible level of medical care for an incredible price. People can even bury their pets in a respectable cemetery.

The average American enjoys having pets around for a good reason. Researchers have discovered that interaction with animals lowers a person’s blood pressure. Dogs can offer protection from burglars and unwelcome visitors. Cats can help rid the home of unwanted pests. Pets even encourage social relationships: they give their owners an appearance of friendliness, and they provide a good topic of conversation.

Pets are basic to American culture as hot dogs or apple pies. To Americans, pets are not just property, but part of the family. After all, pets are “people”, too.

1. The underlined phrase “have an eye for” (in Paragraph 1) probably means ________.

A．look down upon	B．look up to
C．have a proper sense of	D．keep a watch on

2. Dogs can even attend doggy daycare centers if ________.

A．their owners are wealthy	B．their owners are eager to please them
C．they do well while their owners are at work	D．they are very clever

3. Pets in America can even get very good medical care mainly because ________.

A．medical care for animals is free

B．the price of medical care for pets is extremely low

C．Americans believe that pets have a right to be treated well

D．there are many animal welfare organizations in America

4. It can be learned from the passage that dogs ________.

A．can deliver dinner to their homes in Houston

B．are liked by Americans better than cats

C．can offer burglars and unwelcome visitors protection

D．can provide companionship and love for people

5. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Americans have many reasons to love pets.	B．Pets are part of American families.
C．Pets have a comfortable life in America.	D．Americans have a childish love for pets.

2 . Ten years ago, when I was in junior school, Mrs. Amatuli was my language teacher. One day at lunch time, I was getting ready to eat my cold fish sandwich as usual and suddenly Mrs. Amatuli asked me if she could buy the sandwich from me. She explained that I could use the money to buy a hot lunch from the cafeteria. I was very pleased. I never bought my lunch from the cafeteria. It was too expensive for my family, and I always carried my lunch and took the bag back home to use again the next day.

Seeing that other students went to the cafeteria after class, I felt my heart was filled with admiration. You can imagine how pleased I was when I had the opportunity to buy a hot lunch. Kids always complained about the cafeteria food but I really wished to buy it. When we finished lunch that day, Mrs. Amatuli took me aside and explained why she had bought my sandwich. She said she was a Catholic and Catholics didn’t eat red meat on Fridays — they ate fish on Fridays. From then on, every Friday she bought my fish sandwich and with the money I could get in line with other kids for a hot lunch.

One year later, I knew from a classmate that Mrs. Amatuli was not a Catholic and her family was not rich. She bought my cold sandwich because she knew that a poor girl would be excited at the simple act of having a hot lunch. She wanted to help me! I will never forget her sympathy and generosity. I will be grateful to my dear teacher, Mrs. Amatuli, forever.

1. From the passage we can know that ________.

A．Mrs. Amatuli was a Catholic and didn’t eat red meat on Fridays

B．the author was too poor to buy a hot lunch from the cafeteria

C．Mrs. Amatuli bought the author’s cold sandwich every day

D．the author and her classmates all liked the cafeteria food

2. When Amatuli told the author to use the money to buy a hot lunch, the author felt ________.

A．happy

B．worried

C．disappointed

D．surprised

3. Why did the author admire other kids?

A．Because they were good at their lessons.

B．Because they could eat the fish sandwich.

C．Because they could carry lunch from home.

D．Because they could buy hot lunches from the cafeteria.

4. Mrs. Amatuli bought the author’s sandwiches in order to ________.

A．save time to prepare for her lessons

B．show the author she liked the fish sandwich

C．let the author buy hot lunch as other kids did

D．make others believe she was a real Catholic

5. From the passage we know a “cafeteria” is ________.

A．a place in the school where students can eat lunch

B．a big restaurant where people can have dinner

C．a shop where kids can buy food and drink

D．the kitchen where one can have a hot lunch

3 . After entering high school, you may find there are many clubs at your school. You may think you’re too busy to join one. But as a former high school student,I can tell you joining a school club can greatly benefit you.

Your old friends may have left you after entering high school.   And it means you need to meet new people. Joining a club allows you to talk with others and find those who have similar interests as you. Based on my experience, I have met some of my best friends from club activities,which opened up many new doors for me.

Another really nice thing about joining a club is that it looks really good on your applications (申请书). Trying new things is something that looks really good on any application. Outgoing is considered a very good quality which shows that you are determined and willing to put yourself out there and best of all try new things. What’s more, it can help you develop skills that can serve you during future college interviews.

Besides, joining a club can make students use their free time wisely. Most teens go to schools, then go back home and spend the rest of the day in front of a screen. Teens are also very likely to fall into the wrong crowd, which could lead to some bad results. Clubs are good places to spend time with good people to fall back on.

The most important reason why you should join a club is the long­term benefits it brings. The classroom isn’t the only learning environment in a school. The skills you learn in clubs are necessary ones that can be used in everyday life, which I think is the final goal of joining a club. Things such as meeting and speaking to new people,making the most of time,and being organized are those you will meet every single day of your life, but you can learn all of them in clubs.

So if you haven’t joined a school club yet,you know what you should do now.

1. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “ benefit” in paragraph 1.?

A．be good for

B．support

C．make use of

D．cheer up

2. What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A．Friends should share common interest.	B．Joining a club helps one make friends.
C．Joining a club benefits one’s mental health.	D．Friends may leave each other sooner or later.

3. In the author’s opinion,what’s the greatest benefit of joining a club?

A．Developing new hobbies.	B．Meeting different people.
C．Gaining useful life skills.	D．Making use of your free time.

4. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To give tips on making new friends.	B．To show ways to set up school clubs.
C．To teach students to enjoy a better school life.	D．To encourage high school students to join a club.

5. In which section of a magazine,may this text appear?

A．Health.	B．School life.
C．Culture.	D．Social work.

4 . 阅读下面短文,并根据短文内容完成下列各题。

When I was in my second year in senior high school, I found a four-dollar-an-hour part-time job at Villanova Pizza. Like many of my friends, I longed to earn some pocket money from the job as well as gaining social experience. Just one week after I worked there, Stubby, the manager, called me into his office. As the saying goes, “life isn’t a bed of roses”. My first job ended in failure. His reason was that I showed up late twice and took more breaks than others. “Oh, I’m a loser,” I thought to myself. I believed that thought was shared by my brothers, neither of whom had ever been fired, and my mother, though she would never express it in those terms.

“I am too sad to do anything,” I complained to my father.

After listening to my words, he laughed.

“It’s not funny; I’m a loser,” I said.

“No, you’re not. This is a part of growing up. You will be all right, my dear daughter,” he said, patting my shoulder. “Trust me. You are good enough.”

I looked into my father’s eyes and I could see he really trusted me. And I believed him. Since then, “Trust me. You are good enough” are the only words I have repeated to myself. I have worked hard to be a better person and cherished every chance I have got.

Finally, I succeeded in entering a good university. After graduation I found my dream job. I couldn’t wait to call my father and show my gratitude.

Look ahead when you experience something unpleasant and there is always someone around believing in you. When they believe in us, we begin to believe in ourselves, too. They tell us we are good enough over and over until we can hear it.

1. Why did the author do a part-time job when she was in senior high school?(no more than 12 words)
2. How do you understand the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?(no more than 10 words)
3. What did the author’s father do after knowing her failure? (no more than 10words)
4. What did the author do immediately after she found her dream job?(no more than10 words.)
5. What can you learn from the author’s story? Express it in your own words.(no more than 25 words)

5 . Yesterday after work, the boss told me I was fired. When I walked along a riverbed sadly, I suddenly realized it was New Year’s Day, a day to start afresh.

I passed by a man holding his son, one or two years old. The baby’s face was in pure joy, and his innocent eyes were full of wonder. The simple sweetness of the baby made me moved.

Walking on, I saw a young couple repairing their bicycle. They smiled at me and said, “Happy New Year!” I smiled and wished them the same. It was a simple thing, but for a moment it brought me a sudden joy.

I kept walking, enjoying the cheerful singing of birds. With people around laughing out loud, an old woman immersed herself in her sewing. She didn’t seem either happy or sad. A feeling of timeless peace flowed through me and all fear of what the future might bring disappeared. I thanked her in my heart, and moved on.

As I reached home, I was filled with great thanks and hope for life, which took me a long time to find. Actually, happiness could be simple and easy. Now I knew whatever the New Year would bring, there would be joy and enough love to help me through the hard times we all had to face.

“Happy New Year!” I said to myself.

1. What did the writer’s boss tell him after work?

A．It was New Year’s Day.	B．He was fired.
C．He needed a day to relax.	D．He had a day off.

2. When seeing the little baby, the writer was moved by his ________.

A．age

B．laughing

C．innocence

D．crying

3. When the writer saw the young couple, they were ________.

A．repairing their bicycle	B．waiting for the writer
C．watching the passers-by	D．celebrating the New Year

4. How did the writer feel when he saw the old woman?

A．Lucky.

B．Hopeless.

C．Fearful.

D．Thankful.

5. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Greetings make people polite.	B．Happiness could be simple and easy.
C．Walking makes people energetic.	D．Friendship lies in getting together.

6 . 假如你是李响，你的澳洲笔友Chris在微博里表达了他对“普及人工智能（AI）”的焦虑，担心人类会过于依赖AI。针对Chris的观点给他留言，内容如下：
1.赞同或反对他的观点
2.说明你赞同或反对的理由。（如：人工智能对人类生活的影响等）
3.你认为人类应该如何合理使用入工智能。
注意：1.词数不少于100；
2.可适当加入细节，使内容充实、行文连贯；

7 . California has a new program called the Digital Textbook Initiative. “Starting this fall with high school math and science, we will be the first state in the nation to provide schools with a state-approved list of digital textbooks.” That was Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in June, talking about his effort to get schools to use materials available free online. He listed reasons why he thinks digital textbooks make sense.

California approves traditional textbooks in six-year cycles. Digital one can offer the latest information. They lighten the load of school bags. They save paper and tees, and make learning more fun and interactive. And above all, he said, they help schools with their finances.

The state has had to make severe cuts in school spending because of deep financial problems. More than six million students attend California public schools.

Earlier this year, California invited content developers to offer digital math and science materials for high schools. These had to meet at least 90% of the state’s learning requirements. Specially trained teachers examined 16 textbooks and approved ten of them.

Six of the ten were published by the CK12 Foundation, a nonprofit group that had been developing digital science and math books for about two years. The foundation paid teachers and other education professionals to write and edit them. The money came from a group financed by the Khosla Family.

California cannot require schools to use the digital textbooks. Individual school districts will have to decide for themselves. Susan Martimo, a California Department of Education official, says she does not expect widespread use right away. Her best guess is that some schools with a lot of technology will be the first to use them, but only in addition to their traditional books.

School administrators point out that the texts may be free online, but students need a way to access them. Not everyone has a computer or electronic reader. Schools could print out copies, but that would not help the environment. Also, there is the cost to train teachers to use digital textbooks effectively.

1. The Digital Textbook Initiative ________

A．will probably take effect in six years.	B．covers all the high school subjects.
C．has been approved by all states.	D．is advocated by California state governor.

2. The main reason for promoting digital textbooks is to ________

A．help save money.	B．benefit the environment.
C．provide interesting materials.	D．reduce students’ heavy burden.

3. The digital textbooks were approved by ________

A．trained teachers.	B．content developers.
C．Khosla Family.	D．CK12 Foundation.

4. According to Susan Martimo, digital textbooks ________

A．are not likely to have a widespread use.

B．will soon replace traditional ones.

C．will first be adopted by well-equipped schools.

D．are certain to be approved by school districts.

5. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ________

A．schools are reluctant to print out copies.	B．the use of digital textbooks is not really free.
C．students need to pay for computers.	D．training teachers to use the textbooks is not efficient.

8 . I parked outside the grocery store that weekend, still tired after another stressful week of work. I’m an accountant, and it was the middle of busy season, which meant tight deadlines and crazy hours. A long weekend was coming up, and a friend suggested that I relax at a nearby woman recover center. I moved through the passageway with my shopping cart, hurrying to beat out a few others who were heading for the already long checkout line. It took me more than an hour to finish the shopping.

When I got back to my car, groceries in hand, I found a note on my car. In beautiful handwriting and blue ink, the writer explained that her car had scraped(刮擦) my Honda Civic when she pulled into the space next to mine. “I’m sorry!” she wrote, and added her insurance policy(保险单) number and cell phone number. At the bottom, she signed her name, Elyse.

What an honest person！I was quite surprised. Few people act like that nowadays. Most people would have just driven away. A few weeks later I got the estimate for the repair: $1,500! There’s no way she’ll pay this much, I thought. I picked up that note with the beautiful blue script and dialed the number, ready for an argument.

“Hello?” Elyse answered cheerily. “Hi, you left a note on my car?” I began. But even when she heard how much the bill was going to be, Elyse still sounded just like she had in her note, so friendly—and calm. How was it possible for her to be like that? I wondered. Believe it or not, I got the money for the repair.

When the busy period at work finally passed, I decided to go to the recover center that my friend had suggested. I had my doubts if it would help, but it couldn’t hurt, right?

Checking in at the front desk, I looked through the guest book, looking for a blank spot to write my name. Finally, I reached the last page. There, at the top, in the same perfect handwriting that she had used in her note to me, was Elyse’s name.

1. The author got her car scraped when she was _______.

A．parking her car outside the grocery store

B．doing some shopping in the grocery store

C．driving to the grocery store

D．on her way to the woman recover center

2. From the passage we learn that ________.

A．Elyse is a woman who is difficult to deal with

B．anyone who scrapes others’ car should write down his name and address

C．the grocery store where the author did shopping was not busy

D．the author didn’t expect Elyse could pay for the repair voluntarily

3. Which of the following description about the author is correct?

A．She is an accountant and usually very busy.

B．She is always too busy to make any friends.

C．She is quite selfless and likes helping others.

D．She is poor and always trying to get money from others.

4. Which of the following word can replace the underlined word “estimate” in Paragraph 3?

A．A fixed amount.

B．A repair price.

C．A guessed amount.

D．An exact price.

5. From the end of the story we may infer that _________.

A．Elyse is the boss of the woman recover center

B．the author would return the money for the repair to Elyse

C．the author is eager to learn perfect handwriting from Elyse

D．the author may meet Elyse and they might become friends

9 . Just how many truly intelligent species are there living on Earth? While they may not be living “in a pineapple under the sea”, a new study finds there’s at least one species in the ocean that shows the intelligence of human children. Researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory say cuttlefish (墨鱼) have passed a test designed to measure the advanced skill of delayed gratification (延迟满足) in primates (灵长目动物).

Researchers used an adapted version of the Stanford marshmallow test (棉花糖测试), where children were given a choice of taking an immediate reward (1 marshmallow) or waiting to earn a delayed but better reward (2 marshmallows). “Cuttlefish in the present study were all able to wait for the better reward and tolerated delays for up to 50–130 seconds,” says lead author Alexandra Schnell. This is the first time the link between self-control and intelligence has appeared in a species other than primates.

Why the species is able to delay gratification is a bit of a mystery. For humans, scientists believe the quality strengthens social bonds. An example would be when you see someone wait for a partner to eat. Delayed gratification can also be a function of tool-building animals, who need to make hunting tools before they can eat.

For cuttlefish, however, researchers say they don’t build tools and are not social creatures. For them, Schnell believes delayed gratification is likely the result of having to hide themselves to stay alive. “Cuttlefish spend most of their time hiding,” she explains. “They desist from hiding when they search for food, so they are exposed to every hunter in the ocean that wants to eat them. We assume that delayed gratification may be a byproduct of this, so the cuttlefish can wait to choose better quality food.”

Researchers add that finding a link between self-control and intelligence in an animal other than primates is a good example of convergent evolution (趋同进化). This is the event in which completely separate evolutionary histories still lead to the same signs of intelligence.

1. What can we conclude from the adapted marshmallow test about cuttlefish?

A．They were smarter than children.

B．They had little interest in marshmallows.

C．They showed a certain amount of self-control.

D．They were more likely to take immediate rewards.

2. Why are humans able to delay gratification according to the scientists?

A．To avoid dangers.

B．To maintain relationships.

C．Due to their inborn ability.

D．Due to the demand from others.

3. What does the underlined part “desist from” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Enjoy.

B．Consider.

C．Risk.

D．Stop.

4. What’s the possible reason for cuttlefish’s skill of delayed gratification?

A．Cuttlefish is a tool-building animal.

B．Cuttlefish is a social creature.

C．Cuttlefish has its special living habit.

D．Cuttlefish has high intelligence.

5. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．A possible reason for the study findings.

B．A suggestion for future studies.

C．The significance of the study.

D．The major limitation of the study.

10 . 学校英语节将举办主题为“工匠精神”的演讲比赛，谈谈你认为能代表工匠精神的人物 —— 摄影师 Cunningham, 修表匠人王津，古代建筑师雷氏一家，科学家邓稼先，钱学森等等。请结合以下要点写一篇演讲稿：
（1）你是如何理解工匠精神的；
（2）选择代表工匠精神的人物进行介绍（经历，性格，品质等）。
参考词汇：the spirit of craftsmanship 工匠精神
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