1 . Every festival has its own meaning. Labor Day, for example, celebrates the value of hard work. Thanksgiving is about showing thanks to people around you. And Valentines’ Day is a time when you express love to your loved ones. But somehow it now seems that all festivals we just care about one thing — shopping. And that can be a big problem.
“In a way, over-consumption (过度消费) is the mother of all our environmental problems,” Kalle Lasn once told CNN. Lasn is the organizer of Buy Nothing Day, a day set up in Canada in 1992 to fight against unhealthy spending habits, and has now become an international event. It’s held on the day, which is known as Black Friday — a famous shopping day in the US and Canada.
You can see the irony (讽刺) here.
Even though the idea of Buy Nothing Day was brought up 26 years ago, we seem to need it now more than ever. It’s just as Lasn said, all the different kinds of pollution in our lives today — bad air quality, the reduction of forest area, endangered animal species, and plastic bags found in the ocean — seem to be the same cause: over-consumption.
The latest example is the Singles’ Day shopping craze of Nov 11, which saw a new sales record. But as Nie Li, a campaigner at Greenpeace, told Reuters, “Record-setting over-consumption means record-setting waste.” And it was reported that last year the Singles’ Day packages left more than 160,000 tons of waste, including plastic and cardboard. The Collins Dictionary has also just named “single-use” its Word of the Year, pointing out the problem that there’re too many things we tow out after only using them once.
So, Buy Nothing Day might only be here for one day a year, but it’s not just to remind us to the a break from shopping on that day, but to change our lifestyle completely, focusing on fun “with people we care about” rather than wasting money on useless things.
1. What’s the authors purpose of writing the first paragraph?| A．To express the people’s love for all festivals. |
| B．To talk about the meaning of the festivals. |
| C．To appreciate the value of the festivals. |
| D．To bring out the topic of the passage. |
| A．To help people save money. | B．To cut the cost for daily life. |
| C．To prevent over-consumption. | D．To set up a new sales record. |
| A．Opposed (反对的). | B．Supportive. |
| C．Unknown. | D．Neutral (中立的). |
| A．Creating a New Lifestyle | B．Buy Nothing Day |
| C．Festivals Around the World | D．A Change in People’s Life |
Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighborhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money with which to buy food. As they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was breathing down their necks.
One day, Ali took Zahra's shoes to a shoe repairman to be fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it a secret. Zahra agreed and the two decided to share Ali’s running shoes. Zahra's school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.
Ali heard about a long distance race that was held for the boys in the city.When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win her the new shoes.
The day of race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength, and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finish line drew near, another runner collided(碰撞) with Ali from behind and he crashed to the ground.
Ali looked up and saw the other boys rushing ahead.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Filled with delight, Ali walked home quickly.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . Today, we visit one of the most famous parks — Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. This huge park in the southeastern part of the state covers more than 10 thousand square kilometers of the Alaskan wilderness. It includes mountains, glaciers, fjords (峡湾), and even rain forests. Glacier Bay supports hundreds of kinds of animals, including many species of birds, fish, bears, whales and sea lions.
As its name suggests much of Glacier Bay is covered by glaciers. A glacier is a large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley, or over a wide area of land. Glaciers cover a large area of the park.
The glaciers found in the park today are what remain from an ice development known as the Little Ice Age. That period began about 4,000 years ago. During the Little Ice Age, the cold weather caused the ice to grow and develop. That growth continued until the 1700s, when the climate began to warm. The hotter temperatures caused the ice to start melting (融化). That melting led the huge glacier to divide into more than 1,000 different glaciers.
The extremely tall mountains seen in Glacier Bay were formed by the ice developing and then melting over time. The melting of the ice also created water that filled in and created the many fjords within the park. Fjords are narrow parts of the ocean that sit between cliffs or mountains.
Glacier Bay is a popular place for people searching for adventure. Some visitors choose to explore the park by kayak. The small, narrow boats offer visitors a chance to experience the park’s many fjords and its hundreds of kilometers of coastline.
1. If you pay a visit to Glacier Bay, you will find ________.| A．it almost covers the whole Alaskan wilderness |
| B．the rain forests are rare in such conditions |
| C．there live numbers of kinds of animals |
| D．there are more birds than other species |
| A．Some glaciers existed there long long ago. |
| B．Greenhouse effect has affected the glaciers. |
| C．The glaciers will disappear in the soon future. |
| D．Only 1,000 large glaciers are left at present. |
| A．They are formed on the top of mountains. | B．The melting of the ice is also called fjords. |
| C．Water is the source of creating many fjords. | D．Fjords move as the oceans flow around. |
| A．To do a research about Glacier Bay. | B．To warn visitors there are too many dangers. |
| C．To show Glacier Bay has a long history. | D．To introduce Glacier Bay to readers. |
4 . Some students get so nervous before a test. They do poorly even if they know the material. Sian Beilock, a professor at the University of Chicago in Illinois, has studied these highly anxious test-takers. The students start worrying about the results. And when they worry, it actually uses up attention and memory resources (资源).
Professor Beilock and another researcher, Gerardo Ramirez, have developed a possible solution. Just before an exam, highly anxious test-takers spend ten minutes writing about their worries about the test.
The researchers tested the idea on a group of twenty anxious college students. They gave them two short maths tests. After the first one, they asked the students to either sit quietly or write about their feelings about the upcoming second test.
Professor Beilock says those who sat quietly scored an average of 12% worse on the second test. But the students who had written about their fears improved their performance by an average of 5%. Next, the researchers used younger students in a biology class. They told them before final exams either to write about their feelings or to think about things unrelated to the test. Professor Beilock says highly anxious students who did the writing got an average grade of B+, compared to a B- for those who did not.
“What we showed is that for students who are highly test-anxious, who’d done our writing intervention (干预), all of a sudden there was no relationship between test anxiety and performance. They were performing just as well as their classmates who don’t normally get nervous in these tests.”
But what if students do not have a chance to write about their fears immediately before an exam? Professor Beilock says students can try it themselves at home or in the library and still improve their performance.
1. What may the students start worrying about before an exam?| A．Whether they can pass the exams. |
| B．What other students do during the test. |
| C．Whether they have remembered the materials. |
| D．What kind of problems they will meet on the test paper. |
| A．Asking the students to think nothing of the test. |
| B．Asking the students to focus on the test. |
| C．Asking the students to sit quietly before the test. |
| D．Asking the students to write about their worries before the test. |
| A．became less nervous before the test. |
| B．were better at controlling their feelings. |
| C．did worse than those who wrote about their feelings. |
| D．did better than those who took two tests. |
| A．Writing about worries before an exam can work a bit. |
| B．Studying in the library can improve students’ performance. |
| C．Students can only write about worries right before an exam. |
| D．It doesn’t matter where to write about worries before an exam. |
5 . Everyone has received an invitation to a party or event they couldn’t or didn’t want to accept. Declining(谢绝)an invitation can be done without hurting the host’s feelings or creating hostility(敌意) between the two of you.
Follow up with a handwritten note. Thank the host for the invitation, say you will not be able to make it, and wish them luck with their event. The kind of note should match the kind of invitation sent. For a wedding or bridal shower, send a formal card or use nice-looking stationery.
Be honest when giving any explanation(s). If you have something else to do, let him/her know. If you don’t, and can’t comfortably explain why you don’t want to go, just politely decline without offering a reason.
| A．Don’t make up a reason for not attending. |
| B．It is considered rude to ignore an invitation completely. |
| C．Look on the invitation as the preferred method of contacting the host. |
| D．Respond in the manner requested as soon as possible. |
| E．Send a congratulatory note and a gift, if proper. |
| F．It’s important to stick to your original decision. |
| G．Never send a typed response to a personal invitation. |
The Negative Sides of Fast Food
With today's fast-paced lifestyle, it is very hard to keep up with the traditional way of taking care of all human needs. Eating habits are no exception. According to an article in a science magazine, Americans today have more fast food than ever before. Ninety-six out of every one hundred Americans eat fast food on a regular basis. There are many side effects related to this popular eating habit.
The food sold in most fast food restaurants may not be entirely good for us. In order to make food still taste fresh, a lot of chemicals have to be added. Besides, the main element that the fast-food market advertises and competes for is not good food or fresh ingredients, but the lowest price.
People who have the habit of eating fast food rarely even try to change their diet. Instead, people tend to get more and more used to the convenience and taste of fast food. According to a survey, out of every ten fast food eaters, only four will eat the same amount or less, and the other six will double their "loads" of fast food within four years; and out of every ten people who finally get to control their eating disorder, six will come back to eating fast food within six years. These alarming figures seem to be contrary to today's convenient ways of cooking at home. Easy-to-make dishes like those for microwaves, soups etc., would appear to be the solution to the fast food problem, but obviously the real problem is not the trouble of cooking at home, but the convenience of fast food.
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7 . My father was born in a small town in the US.He wasn't sure what he wanted from
It’s easy to feel lonely
Getting along well sometimes seemed
This is why road trips were like
| A．move | B．life | C．experience | D．belief |
| A．live up | B．struggle on | C．get out | D．walk around |
| A．because | B．if | C．until | D．when |
| A．wasted | B．worked | C．spent | D．chatted |
| A．better | B．easier | C．safer | D．cleverer |
| A．break down | B．cool off | C．clear up | D．turn over |
| A．available | B．alternative | C．necessary | D．impossible |
| A．arguments | B．fights | C．embarrassments | D．amusements |
| A．settle | B．rest | C．sit | D．watch |
| A．sharing | B．respect | C．communication | D．tolerance |
| A．silence | B．doubt | C．return | D．disappointment |
| A．unusual | B．common | C．free | D．mobile |
| A．earned | B．expected | C．missed | D．valued |
| A．on | B．by | C．like | D．beyond |
| A．friend | B．service | C．route | D．chance |
When a tornado touched down in a small town nearby，many families were left completely destroyed.Afterward all the local newspapers carried many humaninterest stories featuring some of the families who suffered the hardest.
One Sunday，a particular picture especially touched me.A young woman stood in front of an entirely shattered mobile home，a depressed expression twisting her features.A young boy，seven or eight years old，definitely in low spirits，stood at her side，eyes downcast.Clutching(紧握) at her skirt was a tiny girl who stared into the camera，eyes wide with confusion and fear.
The article that went with the picture gave the clothing sizes of each family member.With growing interest，I noticed that their sizes closely matched ours.This would be a good opportunity to teach my children to help those less fortunate than themselves.I taped the picture of the young family to our refrigerator，explaining their difficulty to my sevenyearold twins，Brad and Brett，and to threeyearold Meghan.
“We have so much.And these poor people now have nothing，” I said.“We'll share what we have with them，thus they will smile again.”
I brought three large boxes down from the room upstairs and placed them on the living room floor.Meghan watched seriously，as the boys and I filled one of the boxes with canned goods and foods.
While I sorted through our clothes，I encouraged the boys to go through their toys and donate some of their less favorite things.Meghan watched quietly as the boys piled up discarded toys and games.
“I'll help you find something for the little girl when I'm done with this，” I said.
The boys placed the toys they had chosen to donate into one of the boxes while I filled the third box with clothes.Meghan walked up with Lucy，her worn，faded，muchloved rag doll hugged tightly to her chest.She paused in front of the box that held the toys，pressed her round little face into Lucy's flat，paintedonface，gave her a final kiss，then laid her gently on the top of other toys.
“Oh，Honey，” I said.“You don't have to give Lucy.You love her so much.”
Meghan nodded seriously，eyes glistening with heldback tears.“Lucy makes me happy，Mommy.Maybe she'll make that other little girl happy，too.”
Paragraph 1：
The boys，openmouthed，had watched their baby sister placed her favorite doll in the box.
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Paragraph 2：
Taking the cue from my little ones，I removed my old jacket from the box of clothes.
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9 . Not all people know how to make every day count. Do you want to enjoy every day no matter what happens?
Wake up early every day. I wake up at 5 a.m. each weekday morning and at 6 a.m. on weekends. Waking up early is key to starting my day right and following my daily routine in the rest of the day.
Nourish (滋养) your body. I drink a full glass of water and eat a piece of fruit in the morning. Not only does it help clean my body, but it also helps me wake up.
| A．I get up early every day. |
| B．It's actually not that hard. |
| C．Immediately get in a positive mind. |
| D．Many successful people are early risers. |
| E．Write to clear your mind and clarify things. |
| F．Say something aloud immediately after you get up. |
| G．And I’m doing something good for my body right away. |
10 . What will the future school look like is difficult to make clear, but most experts agree that the school will be electronic in the future .
" Present-day schools will no longer exist in the next century," says a report in The Age. "At that time, future schools will become community-style centers, which run seven days a week,24 hours a day. ” At the same time, computers will surely become a central part of the school in the future.
According to The Age, the distant learning will be popular and students will listen to teachers on computers. Going into classrooms on their computers, students will study at any time, which is very easy for them. However, it is necessary for students to go to the actual school in order to develop some social skills.
The Seashore Primary School is an imaginary school in the future created by the Education Department of Australia. At this school, all the teachers and students have laptop computers . Teachers check messages and call students back on a special telephone system and students use telephones to search for information or speak to their experts who teach their lessons. Besides, all the lessons are related to all sorts of subjects and all the students have their own learning plans created by teachers .
As one headmaster says, a laptop computer is students5 library, data storage （数据存储）as well as the bridge to a wider world. Technology has changed the emphasis of future learning. Thus, well pay more attention to the learning of kids rather than the teaching.
1. According to the report in The Age, students in future schools will _______.| A．have no teachers | B．study at a set time |
| C．mainly study online | D．never go to actual school |
| A．telephones are important in Australia |
| B．how future schools will work |
| C．every student needs a learning plan |
| D．students enjoy getting in touch with teachers |
| A．The Schools in the Future |
| B．Great Changes in Technology |
| C．The Seashore Primary School |
| D．Actual Schools to Be Replaced |
