A charge made against fairy tales is that they harm the child by frightening him or making him sad thinking. To prove the latter, one would have to show in a controlled experiment that children who have read fairy stories were more often sorry for cruelty than those who had not. As to fears, there are, I think, some cases of children being dangerously terrified by some fairy story. Often, however, this arises from the child having heard the story once. Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered.
There are also people who object to fairy stories on the grounds that they are not objectively true, that giants, witches, two-headed dragons, magic carpets, etc. do not exist; and that, instead of being fond of the strange side in fairy tales, the child should be taught to learn the reality by studying history. I find such people, I must say so peculiar that I do not know how to argue with them. If their case were sound, the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from New York to Philadelphia on a stick or covering a telephone with kisses in the belief that it was their beloved girlfriend.
No fairy story ever declared to be a description of the real world and no clever child has ever believed that it was.
1. The author considers that a fairy story is more effective when it is ________.
| A．repeated without any change | B．treated as a joke |
| C．made some changes by the parent | D．set in the present |
| A．in a realistic setting | B．heard for the first time |
| C．repeated too often | D．told in a different way |
| A．makes them less fearful |
| B．develops their power of memory |
| C．makes them believe there is nothing to be afraid of |
| D．encourages them not to have strange beliefs |
| A．fairy stories are still being made up |
| B．there is some misunderstanding about fairy tales |
| C．people try to modernize old fairy stories |
| D．there is more concern for children's fears nowadays |
| A．they are full of imagination |
| B．they just make up the stories which are far from the truth |
| C．they are not interesting |
| D．they make teachers of history difficult to teach |
| St. Paul's Cathedral Ludgate Hill, EC4 Underground: St. Paul's; Bus: 6, 8, 11, 15, 22, 25 Open: Daily 8:00-19:00 (17:00 from Oct. to Mar.) Entrance free Designed by the great architect, Sir Christopher Wren, St. Paul's Cathedral was built following the Great Fire of London of 1666, which destroyed the gothic cathedral on the site at that time. It is an inescapable attraction for all travellers to this great city and the most recognisable gothic cathedral in England. Its choir(唱诗班) is internationally famous. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married here in 1981. | |
| Buckingham Palace South end of the Mall (SW1) Underground: St. James's Park, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner, Green Park; Bus: 2, 11, 14, 16, 19, 22, 24, 29, 30, 38, 52, 73, 74, 137 Buckingham Palace is Queen Elisabeth II's official residence(住所), and has been the official residence of Britain's monarch(君主) since 1837. The State Rooms at Buckingham Palace have been opening to the public for the Annual Summer Opening, in August and September, since 1993. The Queen is not at Buckingham Palace when it is open to the public; she goes to one of her country residences. The State Rooms are extremely grand. You can see many of the treasures of the Royal Collection: paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto; and beautiful examples of English and French furniture. | |
| The Tower of London Tower Hill, EC3 Underground: Tower Hill; Bus: 42, 78 Open: Mon.-Sat. 9:00-18:00; Sun. 8:00-19:00 Parts of the Tower of London are over nine centuries old, as building began under William the Conqueror in 1078. Famous as a prison in the distant past, the Tower has also been a royal residence, a zoo and an observatory(瞭望台). It is now a museum and many thousands of people visit it every year in particular to see the Crown Jewels. Only by going inside can you experience nearly a thousand years of history and hear the myths and legends that make it “a day out to die for”. | |
| Westminster Abbey Broad Sanctuary, SW1 Underground: Westminster, St James's Park; Bus: 3, 11, 12, 24, 29, 39, 53, 59, 76, 77, 88, 109, 155, 168, 170, 172, 184, 503 Open: Daily 8:00-18:00 (Mar.-Dec., Tuesday till 20:00) Entrance free Located next to the Houses of Parliament in the heart of London, Westminster Abbey is a gothic church and place of worship. The building of the present Abbey was started by King Henry III in 1245. The oldest parts of the building date back to 1050. Westminster Abbey has hosted many royal weddings including the wedding of The Queen and Prince Philip in 1947 and the wedding of Prince William and Kate in 2011. It is a traditional place of coronation(加冕礼) and burial for English monarchs—38 monarchs have been crowned at the Abbey. There are many tombs there, including those of Queen Elizabeth I, “Bloody” Queen Mary, naturalist Charles Darwin, many poets and writers. |
1. You can see the inside of all the buildings all the year around except .
| A．St. Paul's Cathedral | B．the Tower of London |
| C．Westminster Abbey | D．Buckingham Palace |
| A．Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey |
| B．Buckingham Palace and St. Paul's Cathedral |
| C．Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London |
| D．the Tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral |
| A．A history book about London. |
| B．A guidebook for visitors to London. |
| C．A book about London's development. |
| D．A book about London's churches. |
Throughout our lives we are going to face many challenges and pains, but we should never let these obstacles keep us from following our dreams. We must overcome every obstacle one small step at a time.
As a young girl, my parents forced me to do so many things that I didn’t like. They made me learn to play the violin and then the piano. At that time I hated music and I also hated them. But looking back now, I am so glad that my parents encouraged me to take music lessons. Music has enriched(丰富) my life in so many ways. I now realize that my parents and teachers wanted me to have a better life than they did themselves.
We are all going to experience growing pains, but they are just part of our life. They might seem so huge at the time, but we must be strong. Think about how we would feel if we had no challenges and lived a life like that. Life would be really boring and meaningless. The future is ours! A little hard work and sweat never hurt anyone! If we realize that these pains are just small bumps(碰撞) on our road to success, we will realize that our growing pains are actually growing gains!
1. The underlined word “obstacles” (in Paragraph 2) roughly means things that ______.
| A．are related to your studies |
| B．you easily achieve |
| C．make you happy |
| D．make it difficult for you to do something |
| A．She is fearful | B．She is grateful |
| C．She feels trapped | D．She feels hateful |
| A．life without challenges is dull |
| B．life needs no pains but sunshine and happiness |
| C．we should give up faced with challenges as the future is ours |
| D．we shouldn’t easily pay a little hard work in growing up |
| A．life is full of hardships |
| B．growing pains can turn into growing gains in a positive way |
| C．everyone is painful in growing up |
| D．everyone should do what they don’t like when young |
The Mangrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living place dries up, they live on the land in logs (圆木), said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered Lands Program in Florida.
The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again.
The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize.
“We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out.” Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatemala by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.
In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.
Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at a time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph.
Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.
“These animals live in conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began making the transition (过渡) from water onto land,” Wright said.
1. The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that__________.| A．like eating nuts |
| B．prefers living in dry places |
| C．is the longest living fish on earth |
| D．can stay alive for two months out of water |
| A．Patricia Wright | B．Researchers in Guatemala |
| C．Scientists from Belize | D．Scott Taylor |
| A．breathe through its skin |
| B．move freely on dry land |
| C．remain alive out of water |
| D．be as active on land as in water |
| A．It was made quite by accident |
| B．It was based on a lab test of sea life |
| C．It was supported by an American magazine |
| D．It was helped by Patricia Wright |
5 . Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime (消遣), it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food. What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.
1. According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?| A．Those who often take exercise. |
| B．Those who often watch television. |
| C．Those who often have meals at home. |
| D．Those who often walk to school. |
| A．their parents often cook meals for them |
| B．they are too busy to go out and play |
| C．they can't choose what to eat |
| D．there are too many fast food shops around |
| A．forcing | B．guiding |
| C．driving | D．moving |
| A．tell a story | B．provide facts |
| C．give advice | D．compare opinions |
6 . Spring is coming, and it is time for those about to graduate to look for jobs. Competition is tough, so job seekers must carefully consider their personal choices. Whatever we are wearing, our family and friends may accept us, but the workplace may not.
A high school newspaper editor said it is unfair for companies to discourage visible tattoos (纹身), nose rings, or certain dress styles. It is true you can’t judge a book by its cover, yet people do “cover” themselves in order to convey certain messages. What we wear, including tattoos and nose rings, is an expression of who we are. Just as people convey messages about themselves with their appearances, so do companies. Dress standards exist in the business world for a number of reasons, but the main concern is often about what customers accept.
Others may say how to dress is a matter of personal freedom, but for businesses it is more about whether to make or lose money. Most employers do care about the personal appearances of their employees, because those people represent the companies to their customers.
As a hiring manager I am paid to choose the people who would make the best impression on our customers. There are plenty of well-qualified candidates, so it is not wrong to reject someone who might disappoint my customers. Even though I am open-minded, I can’t expect all our customers are.
There is nobody to blame but yourself if your set of choices does not match that of your preferred employer. No company should have to change to satisfy a candidate simply because he or she is unwilling to respect its standards, as long as its standards are legal.
1. Which of the following is the newspaper editor’s opinion according to Paragraph 2?| A．People’s appearances carry message about themselves. |
| B．Customers’ choices influence dress standards in companies. |
| C．Candidates with tattoos or nose rings should be fairly-treated. |
| D．Strange dress styles should not be encouraged in the workplace. |
| A．Candidates have to wear what companies prefer for an interview. |
| B．What to wear is not a matter of personal choice for companies. |
| C．Companies sometimes have to change to respect their candidates. |
| D．Hiring managers make the best impression on their candidates. |
| A．Employees Matter | B．Personal Choices Matter |
| C．Appearances Matter | D．Hiring Managers Matter |
| A．enthusiastic | B．negative |
| C．positive | D．sympathetic |
7 . How to keep healthy? It’s easy for us to catch a cold in spring and winter because the weather changes a lot in spring and it is too cold in winter. But if we take care in our life, all of us can keep healthy without any cold.
Get more fresh air. Germs like staying around in dry and warm rooms.
If flu is going round house or school, you should try to stay away from those who are ill.
Boil your toothbrush for about a minute. This kills germs.
| A．Have a shower every day. |
| B．Wash your hands often. |
| C．Don’t use your hands when coughing. |
| D．Don’t go out often when you are coughing. |
| E．Besides, don’t use the same toothbrush too long. |
| F．In this way, you won’t be infected by those people. |
| G．So you’d better stay in the places with more fresh air. |
Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Confused, I glanced toward my stone-faced teacher. Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had slaved over, hoping to hide myself. “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice; flip (掷) a coin. Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.
Weeks later, standing before this unfriendly mass, I was totally lost. Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution.” The whole world became quite! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was awful. Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re-dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not justified, and I believed I deserved a second chance. Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet!
1. What did the author’s classmates think about his report?
| A．Controversial. | B．Ridiculous. |
| C．Boring. | D．Puzzling. |
| A．He was unfamiliar with American history. |
| B．He followed the advice and flipped a coin. |
| C．He forgot his teacher’s instruction. |
| D．He was new at the school. |
| A．annoyed | B．ashamed |
| C．ready | D．eager |
| A．by redoing his task |
| B．through his own efforts |
| C．with the help of his grandfather |
| D．under the guidance of his headmaster |
9 . Kids' health：Four steps for fighting stress
Everybody gets stressed from time to time.
Try taking these four steps the next time you are stressed：
(1)Get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to a trusted adult，such as a parent or other relatives.
(2)Don't take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves. Oh, dear，that's not a good idea. Remember that there are always people to help you. Don't take it out on yourself.
(3)Try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and friends，it's time to get down to business.
(4)Be positive. Most stress is temporary (暂时的). Remember stress does go away, especially when you figure out the problem and start working on solving it.
These steps aren't magic，but they do work. And if you can stay positive as you make your way through a tough time，you'll help yourself feel better even faster.
| A．Ask for a helping hand to get you through the tough situation. |
| B．Notice your friends' feelings and find a way to help them. |
| C．Different people feel stress in different ways. |
| D．Ah, it feels so good when the stress is gone. |
| E．You need to figure out what the problem is. |
| F．And don't forget about your friends. |
| G．Then, find a way to calm down. |
10 . Chinese media and Internet users on Monday condemned lack of morals in society after a toddler was struck twice — by two different vans — and left bleeding on the road as more than a dozen bystanders did nothing to help the seriously injured girl.
The incident, captured by a surveillance camera and broadcast by Southern Television Guangdong (TVS), showed the two-year-old girl was knocked down and run over by a white van on a narrow market street on the afternoon of Oct.13, in Foshan City of Guangdong Province.
The driver fled the scene of the accident, leaving the girl to bleed on the sidewalk. Over the next six minutes, more than a dozen people walked by the girl, yet not one individual did anything to help her.The girl was then hit a second time by another van before an elderly trash collector came to her aid and brought the attention of the girl’s mother, according to the video and eyewitnesses.
Doctors said that the girl, who was put on life support after being hospitalized, remains in a deep coma.The girl’s parents, who are migrants living in the city, are now with her.
Police said the drivers of both vehicles have been arrested. However, the apathy of the bystanders shown in the video has shocked the public, as Internet forums have seethed with anger, and people are questioning the morality of society.
High moral standards were once triumphed as national pride in China where individuals known for selflessly helping others were adored by the public.
But in recent years, the perception (观念) of a decline of morals has become a hot topic as profit and materialism are perceived to be affecting society’s values.
On Sept.2 an 88-year-old man in central China collapsed, his face striking the pavement.Yet, no one came to his aid, and he ended up choking to death on the blood from his nose.
Some have linked the absence of good Samaritans (模范人物)to a previous case in which a man trying to help an elderly woman who fell was accused of harming her.
A strong chorus of opinion on the Internet says laws should exempt(免除)Samaritans from liability(责任), yet laws themselves cannot solve society’s morality dilemma.
Cao Lin, a China Youth Daily commentator, said in a signed article published on Monday that the worry of liability should not be an excuse for not helping, and this case exposes the decline of humanity in Chinese society.
1. According to the passage, what would happen if someone helped others selflessly in the past?| A．He/ she would be condemned by the public. |
| B．He/ she would be awarded by the government. |
| C．He/ she would have to worry about liability. |
| D．The public would feel proud of him/ her and thus showed love and respect for him/ her |
| A．Nobody helped the girl who was struck twice by two different vans. |
| B．The toddler died immediately after she was hit a second time. |
| C．High moral standards were once regarded as national pride in China. |
| D．Journalists from TVS captured the incident by using a camera. |
| A．profit and materialism | B．people’s perceptions |
| C．the apathy of bystanders | D．the morals of society |
| A．The worry of liability. |
| B．Lack of laws that exempt Samaritans from liability. |
| C．The decline of humanity in society. |
| D．The fear of being accused of harming her. |
| A．A fashion magazine. | B．A news report. |
| C．A science fiction. | D．An education column. |
