1 . How to Make Friends at a New School

Starting with a new school can be difficult. Everything seems to be different, and you don’t even know where to go for your own classes.     1     However, if you use these skills, you can quickly turn some of those strangers into friends.

Be yourself

    2     If some people don’t accept you, they’re not the kind of friends you need. People often stay together because they have similar interests. For example, someone who does a lot of sports may make friends with those who also run or swim a lot.

    3    

Remember to be nice to the people you meet at your new school. If you think that you will say something that may make them feel sad, do not say anything and just nod your head if they talk to you. Also, remember to be as helpful as possible!

Believe in yourself

A smile goes a long way. When you walk in the halls, don’t keep your eyes on the floor. Raise your head and make eye contact with other people.     4     Introduce yourself. Tell them your name and where you’re from.

Remember people’s names

You like it when people use your name, and so do other people.     5     Besides, ask them in a kind way if they have a nickname. You’d be surprised how often this may come in handy.

A．Be friendly to others.

B．Making new friends can be hard, too.

C．Join after-school activities like

D．Never change what you are to try and fit in.

E．If you see someone you know, smile or say “Hi”.

F．People may become angry if you just begin by saying ”Hey“ each time.

G．Don ‘t sit at the back of the classroom where other people don’t notice you!

2 . 假如你是李华，请给你的外国朋友Tom写一封信，给他提一些汉语学习方面的好建议并陈述理由。要点如下：
1．培养兴趣；
2．多阅读；
3．中文电影。
注意：
1．词数100词左右(信的开头和结尾已经给出，并不计入总词数)；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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3 . After years of heated debate, gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Fourteen wolves were caught in Canada and transported to the park. By last year, the Yellowstone wolf population had grown to more than 170 wolves.

Gray wolves once were seen here and there in the Yellowstone area and much of the continental United States, but they were gradually displaced by human development. By the 1920s, wolves had practically disappeared from the Yellowstone area. They went farther north into the deep forests of Canada, where there were fewer humans around.

The disappearance of the wolves had many unexpected results. Deer and elk populations — major food sources (来源) for the wolf — grew rapidly. These animals consumed large amounts of vegetation (植被), which reduced plant diversity in the park. In the absence of wolves, coyote populations also grew quickly. The coyotes killed a large percentage of the park’s red foxes, and completely drove away the park’s beavers.

As early as 1966, biologists asked the government to consider reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone Park. They hoped that wolves would be able to control the elk and coyote problems. Many farmers opposed the plan because they feared that wolves would kill their farm animals or pets.

The government spent nearly 30 years coming up with a plan to reintroduce the wolvers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service carefully monitors and manages the wolf packs in Yellowstone. Today, the debate continues over how well the gray wolf is fitting in at Yellowstone. Elk, deer, and coyote populations are down, while beavers and red foxes have made a comeback. The Yellowstone wolf project has been a valuable experiment to help biologists decide whether to reintroduce wolves to other parts of the country as well.

1. What is the text mainly about?

A．Wildlife research in the United States.

B．Plant diversity in the Yellowstone area.

C．The conflict between farmers and gray wolves.

D．The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park.

2. What did the disappearance of gray wolves bring about?

A．Damage to local ecology.

B．Preservation of vegetation.

C．A decline in the park’s income.

D．An increase in the variety of animals.

3. What is the author’s attitude towards the Yellowstone wolf project?

A．Doubtful.

B．Uncaring.

C．Positive.

D．Disapproving.

4 . How to deal with your homework

Write it down.     1     Always be sure to write down all the homework so you won’t forget anything.

Create a homework station. Find somewhere comfortable and quiet to do your homework.     2     It will take twice as long to get the homework done. Shut off your cell phone, log off (退出) your computer (unless you need it for your homework) and close the door.

Do homework as early as possible. Don’t leave homework to the last minute.     3     The earlier you start your homework, the sooner you will finish! Do all your homework as early as you can, so you don’t have a pile of ( 一 堆 ) homework the next day.

    4     Think about how long it will take you to complete homework for each subject. For example: English-ten minutes, science-ten minutes, math-forty minutes, history-twenty minutes.

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.     5    

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.

5 . While English is getting more important in our schools, Chinese has become popular among foreign kids. But Chinese can be more difficult to learn. At least 16-year-old Piao Chenglong thinks so. “English is easier for me. Chinese characters (汉字) have too many strokes (笔画),” said Piao. “But I want to learn it. I want to study at Beijing University when I grow up.” Piao is from Korea. He came to China in 2008.

In Korea, there are more than 300, 000 Chinese learners like Piao. Some Korean students begin to learn to write the language on their first day at school. To help students learn Chinese, Korea holds speaking competitions for high school students every year.

Chinese isn’t just popular in Korea. People from all the world want to learn it. The Ministry of Education of China says that nearly 130 million people from 85 countries are learning Chinese. This number will be increasing to 800 million in the coming years.

In America, Chinese is the second most popular foreign language after Spanish. Some American middle schools have Chinese classes. Students learn to make jiaozi and tie Chinese knots (中国结). Some even try to write and draw in the Chinese way!

People want to learn Chinese because China is becoming such an important country. Foreign countries want to understand China better to help them with business. The Chinese government is also helping the world learn Chinese. It has sent more than 200 Chinese teachers to more than 60 countries in the world. Many more Confucius Institutes (孔子学院) will be set up in the world. These institutes will teach Chinese to foreign students.

1. Which of the following is the topic sentence for the text?

A．Chinese has become popular among foreign kids.

B．Chinese can be more difficult to learn.

C．In America, Chinese is the second most popular foreign language after Spanish.

D．Students learn to make jiaozi and tie Chinese knots.

2. Where does Piao Chenglong come from?

A．China.

B．America.

C．Korea.

D．Spain.

3. According to the text, some American middle school students learn to do the following EXCEPT ________.

A．making jiaozi

B．writing and drawing in the Chinese way

C．tying Chinese knots

D．singing Chinese songs

4. Why do foreign people want to learn Chinese?

A．Because Chinese is getting more important in their schools.

B．Because Chinese characters have too many strokes.

C．Because the number of people learning Chinese will be 800 million.

D．Because China is becoming more and more important in the world.

6 . The exhibit, Digital Dunhuang — Tales of Heaven and Earth, which was held at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, brought to Hong Kong more than 100 exhibits including the visual murals and other related programs that could allow visitors to learn about the art and history of the Mogao Caves in a fun way.

“Dunhuang was an international city, a place where East met West, on the old Silk Road. So the Mogao Caves, which were completed in a period of over 1,000 years, record the ways of life and beliefs of the different peoples that crossed paths there,” explained Fion Lin of Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

Visitors can now get up close and personal with these faraway treasures without having to step into the caves, thanks to the digitization project of the Dunhuang Academy, a pioneer that has made great progress in the digitization and 3D scanning of the Dunhuang treasures.

“Studies have shown that in a cave, both temperature and CO₂ concentration level can rise with 15 tourists inside for ten minutes. As a result, the wall paintings are going to eventually fade. Digital technology has helped to strike a balance between sharing the treasures and protecting them,” said Lin.

However, digitization of the caves faces many challenges such as poor lighting and rough wall surfaces. On average, 40,000 pictures have to be taken to cover 300 m². Great amount of efforts have been made to piece the pictures together. What the exhibition presented is the result of years of hard work.

During the exhibition period, a mini display on Dunhuang music culture was also being held at the Museum for public participation.

1. What could visitors see at the Digital Dunhuang exhibit?

A．The Mogao Caves.	B．About 40,000 Dunhuang pictures.
C．Digital Dunhuang wall paintings.	D．Ancient records of Dunhuang.

2. What is the significance of the digitization project of the Dunhuang Academy?

A．It helps Dunhuang become an international city.

B．It lets people better appreciate the Dunhuang art.

C．It is effective in cutting the CO₂ level in the caves.

D．It attracts more tourists from East and West to Hong Kong.

3. What do we know about the Dunhuang wall paintings?

A．They are brightly lit.	B．They are very rough.
C．It is very hard to protect them.	D．It is impossible for the tourists to see them.

4. Where can you find the evidence that supports “digitization of the caves isn’t easy”?

A．In paragraph 2.	B．In paragraph 3.
C．In paragraph 4.	D．In paragraph 5.

7 . 阅读下面材料, 在空白处填写一个适当的单词或用括号内单词的正确形式。

With the development of modern technology, people can stay     1     (connect) with their families and friends easily, however far apart they are from each other. WeChat is one of the most     2     (frequent) used means of communication in China. It is reported that the number of the WeChat users     3     (reach) over 1.1 billion so far.

Once joining the WeChat, people can find more and more people start to add them     4     fiends. They don’t have to consider time     5     (zone) when communicating. Another reason why it is so popular is that it costs nothing. It’s also very convenient for people to immediately update     6     they are doing by WeChat.

However, addiction to WeChat will rob people of the time that should otherwise     7     (spend) on something more important. And the many so-called friends on it are not really friends at all, who simply want     8     (put) ads or sell items on Moments. Besides, people on the WeChat are more likely to compare     9     (they) with others, which will make them feel bad when finding some people seem to be     10     (success).

8 . Five Steps to Better Handwriting

Some kids love handwriting, but others hate when it’s time to put their pen to paper. Maybe they are worried about their handwriting. Are you one of them?     1     Here are five steps that really work!

Get a great grasp

Try this — hold your pencil at the top and try to write your name. Pretty hard? But when you hold your pencil the correct way, writing is much easier.     2     Hold it in place with your thumb, and your index (食指) and middle fingers.

Let the lines be your guide

Lined paper is your friend! Those lines can help you create letters that are the right size and proportion (均衡).     3     Also be sure to fill up the lined space completely. Those capital letters should be from the bottom line to the top one.

Slow down

If your writing is hard to read, try slowing down a little. If you rush, it’s hard to control where you stop and start your letters.

Lower the pressure

    4     That makes it harder to make the smooth lines. Try easing up and don’t hold the pencil too tightly.

    5    

Lots of games require you to write or draw pictures. So even though it’s not schoolwork, you’re still using the skills you need to control your pen better.

A．Play games

B．Ask for more advice

C．So “a” should be half the height of a capital “A”．

D．You’ve been writing since you were a little kid.

E．Some kids press down really hard when they write.

F．The good news is that just about everyone can improve their handwriting.

G．The best way to hold a pen or pencil is to let it rest next to the base of your thumb.

9 . Eyes can speak

Much meaning can be conveyed, clearly, with our eyes, so it is often said that eyes can speak.     1    In a bus you may look at a stranger, but not for too long. And if he senses that you are staring at him, he may feel uncomfortable.

The same is true in our daily life. If you are stared at for more than necessary, you will look at yourself up and down to see if there is anything wrong with you.     2    Eyes do speak, right?

Looking too long at someone may seem to be rude and aggressive.     3    If a man stares at a woman for more than 10 seconds and refuses to look away from her, his intentions are obvious. He wishes to attract her attention and let her know that he is admiring her.

However, when two people are engaged in a conversation, the speaker will only look into the listener’s eyes from time to time to make sure that the listener does pay attention to what the former is speaking.     4    If a speaker looks at you continuously when speaking as if trying to control you, you will feel awkward. A poor liar usually exposes himself by looking too long at the victim. He wrongly believes that looking straight in the eye is a sign of honest communication.     5    

Actually, eye contact should be made based on specific relationships and situations.

A．That’s what normal eye contact is all about.

B．But things are different when it comes to staring at the opposite sex

C．Therefore, continuous eye contact is limited to lovers only.

D．On the contrary, it will give him away.

E．After all, nobody likes to be stared at for quite a long time.

F．Do you have such kind of experience?

G．If nothing goes wrong, you will feel annoyed at being stared at that way.

10 . Some people seem to be born happy. Nothing seems to get them down. However, some people seem to have everything going well but they still do not seem to be happy.     1    

◆Listen to music

Music is good for people.     2     Light music can help us relax; some pop music can make us feel happy. You can listen to it, or take up playing an instrument in your spare time.

◆Have a pet

You may not have a pet of your own, but pets are so good at making people happy.     3    Some pets are lovely and some need exercise, which is helpful to you, too.

◆ Stay fit and healthy

Try to keep fit and healthy by exercising every day.     4     The great thing about exercise is that it helps release chemicals and these chemicals make you feel happy!

◆    5    

Often it is the small things that make people happy. Being kind and smiling at people in your daily life can make others happy, and at the same time, it will also build happiness for you.

A．Be kind and smile

B．Be active and happy

C．Exercise can keep you happy.

D．There are different kinds of it.

E．Many reasons can explain why people like to have pets.

F．One thing is for sure that money cannot make a person happy.

G．No matter who you are, you can build happiness by doing the following.