1 . An old man went to live with his son, his daughter-in-law, and a four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was very poor, and he couldn’t walk steadily (平稳地). The family ate together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Rice often dropped on the floor.
The son and the daughter-in-law became angry with the old man, so they put a small table in the corner. There, the grandfather ate alone, while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the table. Since the grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.
The four-year-old son watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with a piece of wood on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” The boy answered, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up.” The four-year-old son smiled and went back to work. The words struck the parents so hard that they were in silence. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks (脸颊). Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table.
1. Why was the old man’s food served in a wooden bowl?| A．Because the wooden bowl was light enough. |
| B．Because the old man had broken a few bowls. |
| C．Because there was only a wooden bowl left. |
| D．Because the son and the daughter-in-law became angry with the old man. |
| A．annoyed | B．worried | C．scared | D．shocked |
| A．Led the old man back to the family table. | B．Ignored. |
| C．Kicked the old man out of their house. | D．Blamed the boy. |
| A．An Old Man and His Son | B．A Couple and Their Son |
| C．A Wooden Bowl | D．A Dinner Table |
2 . Once upon a time, a daughter complained to her father that her senior high school life was unhappy and that she was tired of struggling with homework all the time.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, h placed potatoes, eggs and coffee beans in them. After 20 minutes, he took them out, putting the potatoes and eggs in a bowl and the coffee in a cup.
Turning to his daughter, he said, “Look closer, and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After puling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee. Its good smell brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked. He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans were in the same adversity (逆境)—the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently.
The strong and hard potato became soft and weak in boiling water. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. “Which one do you want to be like,” he asked. “When adversity knocks on your door, how will you respond?”
In life, challenges happen to us all, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.
1. Why did the girl complain to her father?| A．Because of her tiring job. | B．Because of her hard school life. |
| C．Because of her father’ s busy work. | D．Because of the food her father cooked. |
| A．The girl liked the coffee best. |
| B．The father was good at cooking. |
| C．Different people have different reactions to adversity. |
| D．The girl didn’t like the potatoes and eggs. |
| A．thick | B．hard | C．strong | D．easily-broken |
| A．Challenges and responses. | B．Adversities and a chef. |
| C．A chef and coffee beans. | D．Father and daughter. |
3 . How to deal with your homework
Write it down.
Create a homework station. Find somewhere comfortable and quiet to do your homework.
Do homework as early as possible. Don’t leave homework to the last minute.
Treat yourself. You can easily get tired by sitting through an hour or two of homework without stopping. Once you finish homework for a subject, take a small break (no more than 15 minutes). Either taking a walk or finding something to eat will do. But do not turn on the TV, or you’ll never go back to your study.
| A．Use your time wisely. |
| B．Start as soon as you get home. |
| C．Start with your hardest homework. |
| D．Do not burn the midnight oil, either. |
| E．Never do your homework in front of the TV. |
| F．After short breaks, return to finish the rest of your homework. |
| G．Keep a homework notebook where you record all your homework. |
4 . Patrick never does homework. “Too boring,” he says. He always plays baseball and basketball after school. His teachers tell him, “Patrick! Do your homework, or you can’t learn anything.” But what can he do? He hates homework.
One day, his cat was playing with a little “doll”. He found it wasn’t a doll at all, but a man of the smallest size. The man called, “Save me! Don’t give me back to that cat. I have magic. I will help you if you save me!”
How lucky he was! Here was the answer to all of his problems. So he said, “If you help me to do my homework until the last day of school, I will get good grades.” The man agreed. He began to do Patrick’s homework. The man didn’t always know what to do and he needed help. “Help me! Help me! ”he said. And Patrick had to help. Day after day, Patrick had to work harder. Finally the last day of school arrived and the man was free to go. As for homework, Patrick didn’t hate doing it any more. Patrick got his A’s. His teachers and classmates were all surprised. Who really helped Patrick?
1. Patrick likes ________ after school.| A．doing sports | B．doing some reading |
| C．doing his homework | D．learning things |
| A．It means “Patrick got the teachers’ help”. | B．It means “Patrick got good grades”. |
| C．It means “Patrick got more friends”. | D．It means “Patrick got more problems”. |
| A．Patrick never hates doing his homework. |
| B．The man sometimes didn’t know what to do when he helped Patrick. |
| C．The man didn’t go until the last day of school. |
| D．Patrick finally started to like doing homework. |
| A．the man liked to play with the cat |
| B．the man never helped Patrick do his homework |
| C．Patrick’s classmates always helped him do his homework |
| D．in fact, Patrick helped himself |
5 . English is English, right? Not exactly. Although Americans share the same language as those in Great Britain, words that commonly mean one thing in America can mean something completely different in Britain. Here are some examples.
In the United States a bird is, well, an animal with feathers. In England, however, a bird is often used to describe a young female, similar to the way young women are referred to “chicks” in America. But be careful when you are calling your boss’ daughter a bird, because some Britons consider the word a negative expression.
Saying you need a new trainer in America means something quite different from it does in England. In the US, trainers are healthy and strong experts who can help you work out. However, in England, trainers are just another name for tennis shoes.
In America, the word “jumper” usually means a call to 911, as it can refer to a person who’s trying to jump from a bridge or building. The meaning couldn’t be more different in Great Britain, where “jumper” is the name given to a knit top, or, as it’s called in America：a sweater.
Telling a Londoner that you like to sleep with your comforter every night may cause some strange looks, unless you’re a baby. In the US, a comforter is a cover for bed that is filled with a soft material, but in England, a comforter is a word used to describe a baby’s pacifier (橡皮奶嘴).
In America, a casket, also called a coffin (棺材), clearly has a sad meaning. In Great Britain, on the other hand, a casket has a completely different meaning：it refers to a small box used to store jewelry or other valuable objects.
If a Londoner tells an American he locked something in his boot, the American may look at him strangely. In America, a boot is a type of footwear, while in England the word is used to refer to a trunk (后备箱) of a car.
1. If you call a young English female a bird, she would most probably ________.| A．feel unhappy about it |
| B．find it very interesting |
| C．consider you are strange |
| D．think you come from the US |
| A．chick | B．trainer |
| C．jumper | D．comforter |
| A．has locked his car by accident |
| B．needs to return to his car for something |
| C．has dropped something into his footwear |
| D．needs to open his casket to get some jewelry |
| A．English is widely spoken in the world. |
| B．British English has experienced many changes. |
| C．American English is easier than British English. |
| D．British English and American English have some differences. |
6 . In the long history of about 5,000 years, numerous Chinese traditional festivals were celebrated in honour of gods or some significant days, some of which are passed down from generation to generation and people always practice special traditional activities in each festival.
The Qingming Festival
The Qingming Festival is on the 15th day after the Spring Equinox (春分), around April 4 or April 5 every year.
The Double Ninth Festival
The Winter Solstice (冬至)
The winter solstice is on around December 22 or 23 of the solar calendar each year. From that day on, the daytime will be longer and longer.
In China, this festival is in late January or early February, the last day of the lunar year. People celebrate it by having a family reunion dinner, setting off fireworks and staying up late. Breaking the dishes and bowls is a thing all the people are afraid of, but if you did it, you should say “Sui sui ping an!”
| A．The Spring Festival |
| B．New Year’s Eve |
| C．People will go to commemorate (纪念) their ancestors |
| D．People always visit their friends and relatives |
| E．It is celebrated on Sep. 9th of the lunar calendar, around in October of the solar calendar |
| F．It’s a holiday which is regarded as important as the Spring Festival |
| G．It is a double-meaning word, meaning you will be safe during the new year |
Name | Personal Information |
Fei Junlong | Born in 1965 in Jiangsu, China An astronaut (宇航员) Traveled in Shenzhou VI in outer space with Nie Haisheng from October 12th to October 17th, 2005. |
Jay Chou | Born in 1979 in Taiwan, China A popular singer Favorite music: Hip-Hop |
Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) | Born in Sweden A scientist Known for the Nobel Prizes |
Helen Keller (1880-1968) | Not able to see or hear Worked hard and became one of the famous writers in America Wrote a lot, such as The Story of My Life |
| A．two | B．six | C．seven | D．nine |
| A．writer | B．singer | C．astronaut | D．scientist |
| A．sport | B．song | C．prize | D．book |
8 . Every year in May, art galleries and museums prepare shows to honour Leonardo da Vinci, who died in France on May 2, 1519. He is remembered as one of the greatest artists and the most creative thinkers of all time. His most famous paintings are Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Recently, researchers have been studying a painting-Landscupe 8P, which they think is Leonardo’s earliest-known artwork. They used special lighting to study the artwork and discovered there were two images(图像), not one. One drawing is on the back of the piece, which dates back to August 5,1473.
The drawing on the front was painted when Leonardo was 21 years old. It shows a river valley and a castle outside the city of Florence. There is little left of the drawing on the back, perhaps because it was wiped off. Only a bridge over a river can be seen. But there is writing on both sides.
The writing on the front gives the date and goes from right to left. Some people would call this “mirror writing”. It’s a way Leonardo often wrote in his notebooks. The writing on the back goes from left to right and tells an agreement, probably to produce a work of art.
Cecilia Frosinini is an art historian. She said, “By looking at his writing, including that from this drawing, we can see his right-handed handwriting is educated and well done.”
Experts compared the two handwriting samples(样本)and said they were both made by Leonardo. They show he could write well using his left hand or his right hand.
The drawing is known as Landscape 8P from its number in an art list. It is part of an exhibit at Italy’s Uffizi Gallery. The gallery-director, Eike Schmidt, said by studying the drawing researchers gave us a new way of looking at Leonardo’s drawing technique and his abilities in writing.
1. Which of the following mentioned in the text has been studied by researchers recently?| A．Mona Lisa. | B．Landscape 8P. |
| C．Mirror-writing. | D．The Last Supper. |
| A．A statement about the painting. |
| B．An introduction about Leonardo. |
| C．An agreement to produce a painting. |
| D．Something about the city of Florence. |
| A．He could write with either of his hands. |
| B．He did badly in right-handed handwriting. |
| C．He wasn’t good at writing with his left hand. |
| D．He taught himself to write with his right hand. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Indifferent. | C．Doubtful. | D．Positive. |
9 . San Francisco Fire Engine Tours
San Francisco Winery TourRunning: February 1st through April 30th
This delicious tour goes through the city on its way to Treasure Island where we will stop at the famous Winery SF. Here you can enjoy 4 pours of some of the best wine San Francisco has to offer.(Included in tickets price)
Departing from the Cannery: Tour times upon request.Duration(时长): 2 hours
Price: $90
Back to the Fifties Tour
Running: August 16th through August 31st
This tour transports you back in time to one of San Francisco’s most fantastic periods, the 1950s! Enjoy fun history as we take you through San Francisco for a free taste of ice cream.
Departing from the Cannery: 5:00 pm and 7:30 pmDuration: 2 hours
Price: $90
Spooky Halloween Tour
Running: October 10th through October 31st
Join us for a ride through the historical Presidio district. Authentic fire gear(服装) is provided for your warmth as our entertainers take you to some of the most thrilling parts of San Francisco.
Departing from the Cannery: 6:30 pm and 8:30 pmDuration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Price: Available upon request
Holiday Lights Tour
Running: December 6th through December 23rd
This attractive tour takes you to some of San Francisco’s most cheerful holiday scenes. Authentic fire gear is provided for your warmth as you get into the holiday spirit.
Departing from the Cannery: 7:00 pm and 9:00 pmDuration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Advance reservations required.
1. Which of the tours is available in March?
| A．San Francisco Winery Tour. | B．Back to the Fifties Tour. |
| C．Spooky Hallowen Tour. | D．Holiday Lights Tour. |
| A．Go to Treasure Island. | B．Enjoy the holiday scenes. |
| C．Have free ice cream. | D．Visit the Presidio district. |
| A．Take some drinks. | B．Set off early in the morning. |
| C．Wear warm clothes. | D．Make reservations in advance. |
10 . How similar are language and music?
Language is part of our daily lives, no matter where we live in the world.
Both language and music have a writing system.
In English we record language using the alphabet, which is a collection of letters. Similarly, we use notes (音符) to keep a record of music. Musicians read notes and create meaning in the form of music.
You can make a good guess at where someone is from by listening to the language he uses. In the same way, we know that styles of music are different around the world, giving us the opportunity to explore many different cultures through their music and providing us with music for every situation.
Both share emotion.
| A．Both are expressive. |
| B．Both vary with culture. |
| C．How do you know that I am angry? |
| D．We use language to express our thoughts. |
| E．Similarly, music is part of many people’s lives. |
| F．So just as you read English, you can read music. |
| G．In contrast, you probably also listen to sad music when you are feeling down. |
