1 . Former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965) once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” These are certainly words that millions of volunteers around the world could agree with.
In the US, April is National Volunteer Month, which recognizes and thanks volunteers who lend their time, talent, and support to causes (事业) they care about.
Volunteering means choosing to work without being paid for it. People who volunteer spend their time doing things they feel strongly about. For example, animal lovers may volunteer at an animal shelter to help improve the treatment and well-being of animals.
For students, valuable lessons may also be learned by volunteering. Take Andrew Makhoul, a sophomore (大二学生) at the University of Pennsylvania, as an example. Makhoul didn’t spend the 2012 spring break partying. Unlike his classmates, who planned on relaxing after a term of hard work, the 19-year-old decided to do something for people less fortunate than himself.
He traveled to an orphanage (孤儿院) in Guatemala in Central America. The orphanage is in one of the poorest and most violent parts of the country, and depends on volunteers to stay open.
Makhoul doesn’t speak much Spanish, but he found communication wasn’t a problem: “You communicated with love,” according to an article on his university’s website, “You could see love when you looked in their eyes.”
Makhoul’s first time as a volunteer only lasted a week, but by the end of that week, he knew he’d be back soon – because he saw love and hope.
US author Sherry Anderson once wrote, “Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.” And this is perhaps why volunteers all around the world keep doing what they do.
1. Why is Winston Churchill mentioned in the first paragraph?A.To teach readers a lesson. | B.To sum up the main idea. |
C.To lead in the topic. | D.To involve readers in a story. |
A.To collect money for the volunteers. | B.To offer care about the causes of volunteers. |
C.To appreciate the work of volunteers. | D.To encourage more to become volunteers. |
A.He threw a party. | B.He relaxed himself. |
C.He went to an animal shelter. | D.He visited an orphanage. |
A.warm-hearted | B.lovely | C.brave | D.energetic |
A.Worthless. | B.Priceless. | C.Highly-paid. | D.Badly-needed. |
I was hungry and hopeful that our babysitter would make a meal. But I found she was sleeping on the sofa. So I wanted to turn to my sister, Ashley. She was coloring in her room. When she saw me, unexpectedly, she said, “I’m hungry. Let’s make some sandwiches.” Unluckily, before making sandwiches in the kitchen, Ashley and I had a fight. We ran around the kitchen, throwing flour at each other. Flour flew in the air around us as we went into the living room. Suddenly, we heard footsteps outside.
“Oh, no! Mom is coming!” I said. “What are we going to do about the mess?” I wondered nervously. It looked like it had snowed inside the house. Ashley quickly ran and took a vacuum cleaner, but she didn’t know how to turn it on. Suddenly, Mom walked in, tired from a long day’s work. After seeing the scene, she shook her head.
Ashley and I ran to her and smiled. Mom didn’t get angry at us. But she seemed disappointed at the babysitter when she woke her up and showed her the mess. Once the babysitter had gone, Mom went into her room. “We’re not in trouble!” I shouted with joy. “But Mom didn’t look so good,” Ashley said to me in a sad voice. “What? She was smiling. Surely she looked good and happy!” I argued. Then Ashley continued, “Well, let’s go and see!”
So we went to Mom’s bedroom door and secretly looked in. Mom was sitting on the bed with tears in her eyes. We returned to the living room. “Mom is crying because of our mess,” Ashley said. “Let’s clean the house. And she’s probably hungry now. Why don’t we make sandwiches for her? We just need to put some meat, vegetables, or something else in between two pieces of bread.”
注意:1. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答;
2. 续写词数应为150左右。
After hearing Ashley’s words, I agreed.
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Seeing the kitchen become clean again, Ashley and I began to make sandwiches there.
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The people of Kiunga, Kenya, have been forced to drink, cook and bathe in dirty and
The main issue is that water plants cost a lot
“Just $20 provides clean, healthy, fresh water for one person for
4 . At rush hour, as the highway to Mexico City is crowded with fast buses and cars, Manuel Amador is going the other
His destination is Ecatepec, a neighbourhood with a population of 1.7 million, an hour’s ride outside the capital. It’s where he has been
Mexico estimates a(n)
Mr. Amador says he was
“Here I feel good, because this is the first man, or
A.association | B.community | C.area | D.direction |
A.teaching | B.driving | C.traveling | D.singing |
A.backward | B.dangerous | C.helpless | D.hopeless |
A.decline | B.percentage | C.increase | D.trend |
A.unsafe | B.uncomfortable | C.uncertain | D.unable |
A.relieved | B.shocked | C.unsatisfied | D.frightened |
A.violence | B.condition | C.pressure | D.damage |
A.put | B.stick | C.leave | D.stand |
A.affection | B.imagination | C.influence | D.devotion |
A.classrooms | B.equipment | C.walls | D.surroundings |
A.attend | B.create | C.collect | D.contain |
A.idea | B.concept | C.realization | D.acceptance |
A.attacks | B.hardships | C.disadvantages | D.sufferings |
A.at last | B.at most | C.at least | D.at best |
A.creates | B.recognizes | C.bears | D.ignores |
5 . Chemical farming is the most widespread way of farming. It is the conventional way in which large agricultural societies grow crops.
Chemical farming has a negative impact on the environment. Pesticides are used to protect plants from various pests, diseases, and weeds.
Organic farming relies on natural processes, biodiversity, and man-made fertilizer rather than the use of chemicals. In opposition to the negative effects that conventional farming has on the environment and human health, organic farming is an agricultural production system that does good to the health of soils, ecosystems, and people.
For the benefit of our health and our planet, we have to change our ways of farming.
A.Chemical farming does damage to our health in many ways. |
B.The shift from chemical farming to organic farming may take time. |
C.Organic farming has great potentials in agricultural in future farming. |
D.However, pesticides can also pollute the soil, water, or other vegetation. |
E.It has been practiced in many agricultural countries for many many years. |
F.It may be the cheapest and easiest option but it surely isn’t the best choice. |
G.It produces no environmental pollution and offers various benefits to health. |
6 . As both a parent and a college professor, I have witnessed the destructive effects of test anxiety. Students with it can say quickly the material and explain complex content in a relaxed environment but fail in an exam. When it matters the most, students with test anxiety can convey the least.
Some students turn to drugs. With any medicine, there is a concern for safety, particularly when it is with the brain, the body’s most complicated and important organ. A new study suggests there may be a choice to these drugs for students: an open-label placebo (安慰剂).
Placebos have long been known to effectively reduce symptoms for different illnesses. Traditionally, service of a placebo treatment requires some tricks, in that people believe they are receiving an active, effective treatment, but in reality, they are taking a sugar pill or an activity that has no medical help. An open-label placebo is different: people are told from the start that they are receiving a placebo that contains no medication. And yet Schaefer’s findings indicate that people may still benefit from it.
Why did the placebo work? At this point, scientists are not entirely sure. Human mental processes can be changed by environment. Taking the pills each day may have encouraged participants to think about test anxiety and may have also provided a sense that they were doing something to deal with it.
Finally, although participants taking the placebos did show improvement on a number of self-report measures, they had no benefit over the control group with respect to scores on their final exams. They may have felt better about taking their exams, but those feelings did not change into improved test scores.
Despite these limits, the present findings are appealing and suggest a low-cost, low-risk way for reducing an all-too common problem among students.
1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?A.Test anxiety prevents some students perform normally in exams. |
B.Test anxiety can improve some students’ performance after exams. |
C.A relaxed atmosphere helps students bring out their best in exams. |
D.Some students’ performance in exams is connected with environment. |
A.Because people feel it necessary psychologically. |
B.Because people’s psychological feelings are at work. |
C.Because placebos are made from sugar and taste sweet. |
D.Because placebos are an open choice for the people taking it. |
A.Taking placebos can reduce test anxiety. |
B.Taking placebos can improve test scores. |
C.Taking placebos is not as effective as taking drugs. |
D.Taking placebos can increase sense of achievement. |
A.Drug, a public concern for brain safety. |
B.Test anxiety, a destructive factor in exams. |
C.Open-label placebo, a free choice for students. |
D.Placebo, a likely way to deal with test anxiety. |
7 . Surf holidays don’t have to mean noisy backpacker hotels and sticky floors. You can also book some truly unique surf stays right here.
The house on an island, Newquay, England
Separated from the mainland and accessed via a suspension bridge, this island is completely isolated (隔绝的) by water. It’s particularly famous for surfing and storm watching. Once on the island, you can pick your own flag from the collection in the house and raise it to let everyone know you’ve arrived.
Sleeps Six, from £ 1,776 for Three Nights.
The eco turf house, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
Folks in the northern hemisphere (半球) have been building such houses since 4,000 BC. Special roofs keep the houses naturally warm. These cottages also attract wildlife. For extra warmth, there’s under-floor heating and fuel-burning stoves. And stay guilt free-a wind turbine 300 metres away provides all the power to these eco houses.
Sleeps two, from £ 600 for two nights.
The inland surf camp, Bristol, England
The Camp at The Wave is minutes from an artificial surf break producing 1,000 perfect waves of varying sizes and shapes an hour. Unlike other surf destinations, you can book your trip for whenever suits you and be guaranteed perfect waves. These tents have a kitchen. There’s also a cafe on site.
Sleeps eight, two-night minimum stay mid-week and three-night minimum stay on weekends. From £ 105.
The coastal carriage, Ceredigion, Wales
The last of its type in existence, this Edwardian original sleeper carriage was built in 1905 for the London and South Western Railway. It used to form part of the Plymouth-Waterloo “boat train”, before it was retired from service in 1931 and transported here. Excellent waves can be found down the coastal path at Tresaith beach.
Sleeps five, from £ 354 for three nights.
1. What can we know about “The house on an island”?A.It offers flag service. | B.It is surrounded by water. |
C.It appeals to water skiers. | D.It is accessible by vehicles only. |
A.The house on an island. | B.The eco turf house. |
C.The inland surf camp. | D.The coastal carriage. |
A.The eco turf house, Isle of Lewis, Scotland. |
B.The coastal carriage, Ceredigion, Wales. |
C.The inland surf camp, Bristol, England. |
D.The house on an island, Newquay, England. |
8 . Howard walked across the vast desert planning to walk through it for one month. Twenty
“I’ll be able to walk out of this
Now, he only had a (n)
One day and one night passed quickly , but the desert still seemed to have no end, and hunger, thirst and
A small pear became the
To keep hope is one of the best ways to achieve
A.years | B.months | C.weeks | D.days |
A.smooth | B.hopeless | C.impossible | D.terrible |
A.forest | B.desert | C.garden | D.village |
A.once | B.ever | C.never | D.always |
A.Before | B.After | C.When | D.Since |
A.sewed | B.covered | C.matched | D.cleaned |
A.tied | B.put | C.pulled | D.equipped |
A.rain | B.fog | C.sandstorm | D.snowstorm |
A.apple | B.pear | C.orange | D.banana |
A.at most | B.at least | C.on time | D.on purpose |
A.to | B.on | C.of | D.about |
A.shock | B.joy | C.fear | D.excitement |
A.Altogether | B.Besides | C.Therefore | D.However |
A.stand up | B.look up | C.give up | D.put up |
A.eating | B.cooking | C.watching | D.keeping |
A.sadness | B.injury | C.hope | D.interest |
A.when | B.until | C.while | D.if |
A.died | B.survived | C.breathed | D.coughed |
A.success | B.failure | C.agreement | D.experience |
A.everything | B.anything | C.something | D.nothing |
During my sixth-grade-year, my puberty(青春期) came and my voice started changing. Sometimes it 'd crack(嗓音变哑). The first time it happened, I was embarrassed. I thought people around me might make fun of me since they didn't have the same problem of controlling their voices.
After my first voice crack experience, trying to prevent it from happening again, I almost stopped talking. If I had to talk, I'd first clear my throat. Limiting how much I spoke and clearing my voice before I spoke made my break and lunch experiences less stressful. Even when my voice did crack, only my closest friends would hear. My biggest fear was having a voice crack during class.
Unfortunately, one day the worst thing I had feared came. It was about halfway through the year when I was happy to have made it so long without a bad voice crack incident.
On the day it happened, everything was the same as always until I got into class. When I walked through the door, the first thing I noticed was that we had a new teacher. For some classmates, seeing a new teacher was a great thing, but for me, it was a problem. I immediately started thinking about how the new teacher would need to take attendance. My previous teacher never had to. Since he already knew each student and where they sat, he just had everyone sit down in their seat, and marked the students whose seats were empty absent.
I started to panic. So many thoughts were rushing through my mind that I could not think straight. I calmed myself down by telling myself that I only had to say one word: “here”. Wasn't it easy enough? Well, I thought so too until my name was called. I did my normal routine; I cleared my throat, took breath, and said, “Here!” The only problem was that while saying this, I had the worst voice crack in the history of voice cracks.
Paragraph 1 :
The whole class turned to look at me.
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Paragraph 2 :
A break finally came.
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Spade coins are Chinese metal currency and
Researchers hope this new site can tell people