2 . Everyone wants to perform well at school. Add these tips to your life and you should be on your way to being a top student!

    1    I cannot stress how important it is to pay attention to what your teacher is teaching you. Take part in class discussions if you have something worth adding. Pay attention during class.

Taking notes is important. You don’t need to write down every single word your teacher says but write down what he or she writes on the blackboard, or any special fact you think you might need for a test.    2       In this way, it will help you learn more effectively by thinking about what you are writing.

Don’t skip school. You will be missing courses.    3    However, you will have more work and you have missed lectures. Also, try not to be late for class. It’s most likely that your teacher won’t appreciate it and you will get yourself behind.

Keep a good attitude (态度) towards things. If you have an “ I don’t care about school or this class” attitude, then teachers will be less willing to help you with problems. The same goes for lazy attitude. Have a respectful attitude to the teacher and other students.     4    

Always ask questions.     5     If you don’t understand, ask someone. Read your textbook and notes, and then if that fails, ask a teacher, friend, classmate, parent, etc.

A．Be prepared.

B．Write in your own words.

C．Staying organized will be helpful.

D．Pay attention to what the teacher says.

E．It is true that you could make up the work.

F．There is no shame (羞愧)in needing some help.

G．Try not to laugh when other students make mistakes.

5 . Nostalgia (怀旧) has become increasingly common in our current climate of unexpected, fast-paced change. More and more people are turning back with longing for what feels like simpler, sweeter times. They collect cassette tapes, manual typewriters even decades-old video games.

Is it a mistake to get too obsessed with the past? Some psychologists warn that too much devotion to the so-called good old days is an escape from reality; it can indicate loneliness or that a person is having a difficult time coping in the present. Psychologist Stephanie Coontz argues that nostalgia distracts us from addressing the problems of modern life and contributes to anxiety, depression, insomnia etc.

But new studies suggest that a modest dose of nostalgia is not only harmless, but actually beneficial. They suggest it helps strengthen our sense of identity and makes us feel more optimistic and inspired. It is also a tool for self-discovery and memories are a psychological immune response that is triggered when you want to take a break from negativity. Interestingly, those happy memories can be particularly beneficial both to kids in their teens and to society’s elders. Recalling our childhood reminds us of “the times when we were accented and loved unconditionally,” says Krystine Batcho, a psychologist. “That is such a powerfully comforting phenomenon, knowing that there was a time in life when we didn’t have to earn our love.” Nostalgia can transform even the most ordinary past into legends which warms the heart and the body. Let’s not forget that nostalgia has been a source of inspiration to innumerable American writers. Mark Twain recalled his boyhood, writing, “after all these years, I can picture that old time to myself now, just as it was then: The white town drowsing in the sunshine of a summer’s morning.”

So go ahead, daydream a little about your best childhood friend, your first car, a long-gone family pet. As Dr. Sedikidessays, “Nostalgia is absolutely central to human experience.” But at the same time, keep these words of wisdom from the great inventor Charles Kettering in mind as well: “You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.”

1. What did some psychologists in paragraph 2 probably agree?

A．Nostalgia can cause some mental problems.

B．Nostalgia makes us devoted to the present life.

C．Nostalgia shows you are trying to get rid of loneliness.

D．Nostalgia helps us cope with the difficult time we are going through.

2. There are many benefits of nostalgia except ________ .

A．It can enable us to know ourselves better

B．It can bring us some comfort when we recall

C．We are likely to gain attention if we recall the happy childhood

D．We can sometimes break away from negativity with happy memories

3. What will be talked about in the following paragraph?

A．The reasons why we should avoid nostalgia.

B．The great changes nostalgia will bring to you.

C．The bad memories that always stick around you.

D．The bad influence of too much devotion to nostalgia.

4. What does the author intend to tell us?

A．People tend to be lost in nostalgia.

B．People actually benefit from nostalgia.

C．Childhood memories influence present life.

D．There are some periods when people look back.

6 . This is the second workplace _________ I used to work at, many workers of __________ still have a good relationship with me.

A．that, which

B．where, which

C．where, whom

D．that, whom

7 . Canada is one of the most________(ethnic) diverse nations in the world. (所给词的适当形式填空)

8 . When I was a young man, I had a big ego (自负) and very little empathy (同理心). I thought I knew everything. I looked forward to fame and success. I can even remember proudly telling one of my friends in college: “If only everyone listened to me, they would all be happy.” I finally left school, ready to take on the world. Little did I know the world was about to take on me.

In the years following college, instead of success, I found struggles. I had trouble finding work. The jobs I did work at were either temporary or back-breaking and none of them paid well. When my wife and I had children, we were shocked to learn that not one but both of our sons had autis (自闭症) and would need to be taken care of for the rest of their lives. I had no idea why this had happened to us and I was very angry with the world.

In time, however, I began to change. My formerly massive ego was shrinking fast and my empathy was beginning to grow. Instead of finding joy in success, I found it in moments of love. Playing and laughing with my sons brought me so much happiness. My boys taught me more about peace, patience, kindness, joy, and unconditional love than I could have ever learned on my own. I began to share the lessons I learned through my writing and my life.

I finally realized that my purpose in this world had nothing to do with fame or success but everything to do with allowing love and light into my life and sharing it with everyone I could.

1. What was the author like when he was young?

A．He was popular.

B．He was a top student.

C．He was overconfident about his abilities.

D．He was warm-hearted to others.

2. After graduating from school, the author ______.

A．found a tiring but well-paid job

B．wanted to live a challenging life

C．didn’t want to have children early

D．suffered many difficulties in life

3. What made the writer change greatly?

A．The time with his family.

B．The books he wrote.

C．The difficulties in his work.

D．The improvement in his life.

4. What does the author intend to tell us with his story?

A．Life can be very hard for some people.

B．Parents need to be patient with their kids.

C．It’s important to learn how to be a father.

D．The purpose of life is to share love.

9 . Helen’s face gave no ________(indicate) of what she was thinking. （所给词的适当形式填空）

10 . Mandara seemed to know something big was about to happen. So she let out a yell, caught hold of her 2-year-old daughter Kibibi and climbed up into a tree. She lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

And on Tuesday, August 23rd, witnesses say, she seemed to sense the big earthquake that shook much of the East Coast before any humans knew what was going on. And she’s not the only one. In the moments before the quake, an orangutan (猩猩) let out a loud call and then climbed to the top of her shelter.

“It’s very different from their normal call,” said Brandie Smith, the zookeeper. “The lemurs (monkey-like animals of Madagascar) will sound an alarm call if they see or hear something highly unusual.”

But you can’t see or hear an earthquake 15 minutes before it happens, can you? Maybe you can — if you’re an animal. “Animals can hear above and below our range of hearing,” said Brandie Smith. “That’s part of their special abilities. They’re more sensitive to the environment, which is how they survive.”

Primates(灵长类）weren’t the only animals that seemed to sense the quake before it happened. One of the elephants made a warning sound. And a huge lizard (蜥蜴) ran quickly for cover. The flamingoes (a kind of bird) gathered before the quake and stayed together until the shaking stopped.

So what kind of vibrations（震动）were the animals picking up in the moments before the quake? Scientist Susan Hough says earthquakes produce two types of waves — a weak “P” wave and then a much stronger “S” wave. The “P” stands for “primary”. And the “S” stands for “secondary”. She thinks the “P” wave might be what set the animals off.

Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith says the zoo’s giant pandas didn’t jump up until the shaking actually began. But many of the other animals seemed to know something was coming before it happened. “I’m not surprised at all,” Smith said.

1. Why did Mandara act strangely one day?

A．Because it heard an orangutan let out a loud call.

B．Because its daughter Kibibi was injured.

C．Because it sensed something unusual would happen.

D．Because an earthquake had happened.

2. According to Brandie Smith, _____.

A．many animals’ hearing is sharp

B．earthquakes produce two types of waves

C．primates usually gather together before a quake

D．humans can develop the ability to sense a quake

3. Which word in the passage has a close meaning to the underlined word “cover”?

A．vibration	B．quake
C．shelter	D．range

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．How animals survive a quake.

B．How animals differ from humans.

C．How animals protect their young in a quake

D．How animals behave before a quake.