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 |
2 . A teenager needs to have a sense of independence in their life to feel secure (安全的). To some teenagers independence means a lot to them, and I think that some parents don’t allow their teenagers enough independence.
Independence has something to do with freedom. Some kids are not allowed to go anywhere alone, and the only thing their schedule includes is going to school, coming home, going to sleep, and repeating the process the next day. Parents tend to be afraid that their kids can get hurt if they go outside into the world. But if parents control their kids too much, they may never learn to live on their own. The best way for a teenager to learn lesson is through experience. I think it is beneficial for teenagers to have freedom.
Teenagers’ lack of freedom can also stop them from having good friendship at school. Some might say this is a good thing, because it helps them focus more on their school work. I argue that this can only discourage them not to do their school work. Some parents do not allow their children to be around their friends outside the school, thinking that this will get them into trouble. But I don’t think so. Instead, isn’t this a good reason for parents to get their children a cellphone? Cellphones allow teenagers to stay in touch with their parents, and communicate with friends.
Privacy is another issue between parents and their teenagers. Teenagers tend to enjoy relaxation by themselves in their own room. This also gives them a sense of independence. It often annoys teenagers when their parents enter their room when they are not home. I know that my mom always goes in my room when I’m not home, and this has brought me to the point where I have asked many times to get a lock on my door.
1. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?| A．It benefits teenagers to have freedom. | B．Some parents allow their kids no freedom. |
| C．Kids know how to live independently. | D．Kids have a dull routine every day |
| A．it is unnecessary for a kid to have a cellphone |
| B．kids should focus on the school work |
| C．parents should make it easy for kids to communicate with their friends |
| D．good friendships between kids harm their school work |
| A．Angry | B．Lucky | C．Disappointed | D．Calm |
| A．keep her father from reading her dairy | B．stop thieves from going in |
| C．protect herself from any harm | D．prevent her mother entering her room |
3 . Advice for Cooking on a Tight Schedule
From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don’t cook more often: ability, money, and time.
Think ahead. I usually think cooking is a pain when I’m already hungry and there is nothing ready to eat. So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook? Do you have the right materials already?
Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread?
Hopefully that gives you a good start.
| A．Try new things. |
| B．Ability is easily improved. |
| C．Make three or four instead. |
| D．Understand your food better. |
| E．Cooking is a burden for many people. |
| F．Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden. |
| G．A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧）并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
My family were travelling back to Yibin from Chengdu then it started to snow. At first, I thought it is fun and everything looked beautifully. I was looking forward to make a snowman on the playground at my school the next day, and suddenly the car drove off road and into a channel. My father called the rescue team, but they said it would be a long time after they could reach us. But we sang songs and told stories to pass the time. Several hour later, the rescue team pulled their car out of the channel. At last, we managed to drive very slowly to home. I would never forget this experience.
It’s a touching Christmas story, but not in the
Eric Schmitt-Matzen, 60, a part-time Santa, received a call
“They say I’m going to die,” the boy told him
Schmitt-Matzen said, “When you get there, you tell them you’re Santa’s Number One elf (小精灵), and they
The boy asked, “They will?” Then he sat up and gave Schmitt-Matzen a big hug and asked one more question: “Santa, can you help me?” Schmitt-Matzen wrapped his arms around the boy. Before Schmitt-Matzen could say anything, the boy died right there. Santa let the boy stay, hugging and
Schmitt-Matzen was
The story was printed, and people were
6 . A few months ago, I left my job as a program director. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been
One night, I sat at my computer
As I
Back at my desk, I opened Craigslist, a website which provides jobs, found a listing for cleaners and
On the first day of the work, I was
A month later, I
That same week I got a call from the
It was one of the best years of my life. I was reminded that
| A．concerned | B．curious | C．anxious | D．particular |
| A．similar | B．voluntary | C．fundamental | D．paying |
| A．chance | B．gift | C．ride | D．call |
| A．pointing | B．laughing | C．looking | D．glaring |
| A．beat | B．hurt | C．sank | D．broke |
| A．busy | B．bored | C．satisfied | D．familiar |
| A．got | B．showed | C．cheered | D．sped |
| A．repaired | B．checked | C．wiped | D．bought |
| A．complaint | B．living | C．choice | D．deal |
| A．consulted | B．advertised | C．surveyed | D．answered |
| A．computer | B．food | C．clothes | D．cleaning |
| A．physically | B．generally | C．gradually | D．mentally |
| A．careful | B．beautiful | C．intelligent | D．alive |
| A．visited | B．left | C．contacted | D．entered |
| A．attaching | B．offering | C．giving | D．contributing |
| A．make sense | B．make out | C．make up | D．make sure |
| A．telephone | B．picture | C．advertisement | D．name |
| A．colleague | B．cleaner | C．relative | D．reporter |
| A．happiness | B．respect | C．praise | D．honor |
| A．or | B．but | C．and | D．so |
7 . Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot… you can travel fast or slow. The movement of your feet gets you where you need to go. But it also gets you so much more!
Walking helps you in various ways. First it makes your heart stronger. Studies show regular walking lowers your chance of heart disease. Walking for 30 minutes per day also helps control blood pressure. It can reduce your chance of having a stroke or developing some cancers, too.
Want to lose weight? You need to burn 600 more calories each day than you eat.
Walking helps your brain health. As people age, their brains don’t work as well. One in 14 people over 65 years old suffers from memory loss. Older people who walk six miles or more per week keep their brains in better shape.
Walking is also good for your wallet. It saves the cost of going to a gym.
You can make walking part of your day. Instead of parking right next to your office, park a distance away— and walk. Do not take the elevator, but walk.
Make walking a habit, and see how it makes you feel.
| A．It is not easy to do that regularly. |
| B．Walking is the easiest way to do that. |
| C．You can even have walking meetings. |
| D．Putting one foot in front of the other isn’t difficult. |
| E．More walking and less driving help to make you healthy. |
| F．Walking quickly for 150 minutes each week to get a good workout. |
| G．Walking is a basic, simple exercise that’s suitable for almost everyone. |
8 . You accidentally step into quicksand(流沙）. You begin to sink. Can you drown? Quicksand is sand with so much water between its particles (颗粒) that is soupy. Quicksand can no longer support weight. So does this mean one can drown in quicksand?
The truth is that it is very rare to drown in quicksand. This is because of two things. The first reason is that most quicksand pools are not deep. Usually, a person will sink only a few inches before hitting solid ground. If it is a deep pool, an adult will usually hit solid ground after sinking only to his or her waist. Deeper pools are rare, but even then, there is a reason why people are not swallowed（吞没）up after accidentally stepping into quicksand.
The reason is that quicksand is dense（稠密）. When something is dense, its particles are crowded close together. Quicksand is denser than the human body. This means that humans will naturally float in quicksand! The upward push of quicksand is greater than the downward push of the human body.
Usually you will sink to your chest before you begin to float. Your lungs, acting like giant balloons, help you float. You will only sink further if you are loaded down, perhaps with a heavy pack. Take off your pack, and you cannot drown. You cannot be swallowed.
One man escaped from quicksand after he sank up to his chest. How did he do it? He swam. People can swim in quicksand if they move slowly enough. The man slowly made swimming motions with his arms and legs. He swam slowly and carefully for an hour. He did not stop making the swimming motions once. Finally, he reached the edge of the quicksand pool. He did not drown. He climbed out unharmed.
1. According to the text, quicksand is sand_________.| A．with high temperature | B．mixed with a lot of water |
| C．that we see on the beach | D．that can pull everything into it |
| A．People often drown in quicksand. |
| B．Most quicksand pools are very deep. |
| C．Only fat people can be trapped in quicksand. |
| D．People won’t be swallowed up even in deep quicksand pools. |
| A．Quicksand pools are usually not deep. |
| B．Quicksand can support heavy weight. |
| C．Quicksand is denser than the human body. |
| D．The downward push of quicksand is greater. |
| A．quicksand pools. |
| B．the safety of quicksand. |
| C．the dangers of quicksand. |
| D．ways to escape from quicksand. |
9 . Yesterday Matt was sick. I picked up Archie from the sitter and Eloise from school and decided to run to the supermarket for a few things. I had hoped to be in and leave in a hurry.
I found just one person ahead of me and began organizing my items on the cart in advance. After placing my items, I looked up to see that the person ahead of me was an elderly woman. She was paying for her items with change and wanted to purchase each separately. I watched the young employee help her count her change, ever so carefully taking it from her shaking hands. I listened to him repeatedly saying “yes, mam” to her. When he asked if she had enough to buy a reusable bag, she told him she did. He went two lines over to get one for her and then repackaged her items. Never once did this employee roll his eyes. He was nothing but patient and kind.
As I was watching them, I saw that Eloise was too. She was standing next to the woman, watching the employee count the change. I realized I hadn’t been inconvenienced at all. My daughter was being taught this valuable lesson by a complete stranger.
When the woman was finished, the employee began ringing up my items and thanked me for my patience. I then thanked him for teaching us patience and kindness by his treatment of that elderly woman. When he finished, I pushed my cart through the store trying to find the manager. I wanted her to know of the employee’s great quality. After sharing the story with her, we left. But what is more, a heart full of gratefulness for such an invaluable lesson.
1. Why did the writer organize her items in advance?| A．Because she had to pick up Archie. | B．Because her baby was seriously sick. |
| C．Because she wanted to be very quick. | D．Because she saw a woman before her. |
| A．The elderly woman paid each item with change. |
| B．The young employee’s hands shook all the time. |
| C．The elderly woman could not afford a large bag. |
| D．The young employee rolled eyes now and then. |
| A．Going two lines to buy the old woman a bag. | B．Learning to count the change very quickly. |
| C．Showing patience and kindness to the others. | D．Standing next to the others without speaking. |
| A．Complaining the long time waiting. | B．Praising the patient and kind employee. |
| C．Thanking for their high-quality goods. | D．Discussing the proper attitude to others. |
Where: Cooperstown, New York
When: July 6-Aug.24
Each summer, opera lovers from around the country ( and the world) travel to upstate New York to watch productions that include stars like Nathan Gunn and Ginger Costa-Jackson. This year’s performances include Wagner’s “ The Flying Dutchman” and Verdi’s “ King for a Day”, in honor of the 200th birthday of both composers.
Tickets start at $26. glimmerglass. org.
Moab Music Festival
Where: Moab, Utah
When: Aug.25- Sept.5
This area is better known for mountain biking than for music. But since 1992, it has hosted a private festival that brings classical, jazz, Latin and other types of music to the land. This year there will be 16 concerts, including three “ Grotto Concerts”, where guests take a 45-minute boat ride down the Colorado River to performances.
Events start at $25. moabmusicfest.org.
Jacob’s Pillow dance Festival
Where: Becket, Massachusetts
When: June 15-Aug. 24
Each summer, this influential dance center presents a number of classes and performances by more than 50 companies from around the world. Highlights this season include the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s production of Alvin Ailey’s “ The Lark Ascending”, which opens the festival.
Many events are free. Ticketed performances start at $22. jacobspillow.org.
Cheyenne Frontier Days
Where: Cheyenne, Wyoming
When: July19-28
There’s something for everyone at this 117-year-old festival, from an “Indian Village” and “Old West Museum” to country concerts. But the competition is still the main attraction, with cowboys and cowgirls competing for major money in the world’s largest outdoor stage.
Competition tickets start at $18, and concert tickets at $23. cfdrodeo. com.
1. If you are a big fan of Wagner, you’re advised to go to___________.| A．Jacob’s pillow Dance Festival | B．Moab Music Festival |
| C．Cheyenne Frontier Days | D．the Glimmerglass Festival |
| A．June 25. | B．July 19. | C．September 1. | D．August 24. |
| A．$41. | B．$22. | C．$36. | D．$18. |
| A．Education. | B．Literature. |
| C．Business. | D．Art. |
