1 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.

In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.

Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To tell about true friends.	B．To start a discussion.
C．To encourage online friendships.	D．To summarize(总结) the text.

2. What does the underlined part “in the flesh” mean in paragraph 3?

A．In any case.

B．In public.

C．In person.

D．In advance.

3. What is Katie’s attitude toward online communication?

A．Unconcerned.

B．Positive.

C．Worried.

D．Confused.

4. Which of the following is the Rosen’s view?

A．Teenagers need to focus on real-world friendships.	B．It’s easier to develop friendships in real life.
C．It’s wise to turn to friends online.	D．Social media help people stay closely connected.

2 . He was upset that the valuable watch ______ (belong) to him was lost yesterday. (用所给词的适当形式填空)

3 . Hey! You have a hairless spot on the back of your head! " Mom’s alarmed cry hit me like a shock.

I tried to shrug it off. “It’ll grow back.” I worked to sound________.

At first, the loss was minimal. ________the spot with my fingers became the top priority every day. No new hair, smooth as an egg. Weeks later, the spot was a little larger and there was still no________ of any hair poking through the skin. I began to________but continued to try to be cool about it.

As days went by, my hair started to fall faster and more. ________my fingers through it, I would stare at the alarming quantity of hair in my hands, wiling this to________happening to me.

We went to see a doctor, who diagnosed my condition as alopecia (脱发症) . He recommended an injection to try, which would be________to the head skin. I underwent several costly injections over a few months, but in vain.

________the injection began to trouble my sleep, and we finally had to stop the________My hair still didn’t grow back.

I had to wear a wig to school every day, worried it might slip one day and that everything would________Though aware that I should________the fact to my friends, I was scared, not knowing how they would handle the information. ________ hesitantly, I told them what was happening after days of struggle. To my surprise, they all thought nothing of it. This was a(n) ________for me.

I came to realize that what had happened was not my fault, and not something I should feel________of. I am learning that being bald doesn’t change who I am, and if I don’t let it affect my self ________then other people are much more likely to accept me as I am, too.

1.

A．mid

B．calm

C．upset

D．relieved

2.

A．Checking

B．Polishing

C．Clearing

D．Covering

3.

A．sense

B．chance

C．sign

D．way

4.

A．wonder

B．panic

C．expand

D．relieve

5.

A．Reaching

B．Shifting

C．Feeling

D．Running

6.

A．delay

B．avoid

C．cease

D．keep

7.

A．attached

B．connected

C．guided

D．applied

8.

A．After all

B．Worse still

C．In brief

D．By contrast

9.

A．motion

B．procedure

C．routine

D．mission

10.

A．break out

B．draw to a close

C．fade away

D．come to light

11.

A．reveal

B．restrict

C．distribute

D．highlight

12.

A．Instead

B．Furthermore

C．Anyway

D．Thus

13.

A．blow

B．credit

C．exception

D．miracle

14.

A．proud

B．ashamed

C．fond

D．guilty

15.

A．evaluation

B．introduction

C．acceptance

D．dependence

4 . This fall marks an especially memorable time for one family celebrating three generations walking onto Carthage College together. Samantha Malczewski, 19, the sophomore nursing student recalled. “It was really __________. I didn’t expect it.” However, Carter aged 18, said she had a(n) __________that their mom Amy Malczewski and grandmother Christy Schwan were interested in going back to school.     

Calling herself “Carthage’s biggest fan”, Amy Malczewski has a deep __________to Carthage College. “And Carthage has this amazing __________for the master’s degree in business and design, which is really __________ all the things that I love,” said she.

Meanwhile, when Christy heard of her daughter’s __________, she quickly realized they could __________on the journey together. The 71-year-old __________three years ago after working in employee benefits consulting. Amy said, “I think you ought to __________it too.” And I’m like, “OH, I think you’re right, we should do this __________,” Christy recounted. “It’s helped fill a(n) __________space for me.”

As the four settle into classes and busy __________, the two sisters said they’re __________to accompany them to class, have this little study group, or get dinner together in the cafeteria.

In a statement, Carthage College __________the family and their educational goals. “Spanning three generations, this family reminds us of the power of __________learning,” the school said, “Age isn’t a factor-we can all continue to learn.”

1.

A．awkward

B．surprising

C．shameful

D．comforting

2.

A．guess

B．lesson

C．proposal

D．promise

3.

A．discussion

B．invitation

C．connection

D．innovation

4.

A．program

B．test

C．reason

D．routine

5.

A．in need of

B．in line with

C．in return for

D．in advance of

6.

A．role

B．power

C．bet

D．plan

7.

A．take off

B．set aside

C．take away

D．set out

8.

A．retired

B．complained

C．withdrawn

D．followed

9.

A．delay

B．admit

C．consider

D．risk

10.

A．willingly

B．heartily

C．apart

D．together

11.

A．empty

B．important

C．limited

D．narrow

12.

A．roads

B．schedules

C．gatherings

D．journeys

13.

A．expecting

B．motivating

C．learning

D．pretending

14.

A．reflected

B．mentioned

C．applauded

D．understood

15.

A．tough

B．temporary

C．basic

D．lifelong

5 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写。

At first, Michael didn’t see the black smoke or flames shooting from the windows of his neighbors’ home. He and his wife had just parked around the corner from their own house when they got a call from one of his daughters: “The house next door is on fire!” He went to check. That’s when he saw two women and a girl helpless and heartbroken on their doorway.

“The baby’s in there!” one of the women cried. Though the fire department had been called, Michael, then 64, immediately ran inside. “The baby” was 8-year-old Tiara, the woman’s granddaughter and a playmate of Michael’s three youngest kids.

The thick smoke caused Michael to stumble blindly around, burned his eyes, and made it impossible to breathe.

After a few minutes in the smoke-filled house, he retreated outside to catch his breath. “Where is Tiara?” he asked desperately.

“The second floor,” her aunt shouted back.

Michael knew he couldn’t hold his breath for long. However, taking a deep breath, he went in a second time. The darkness was overwhelming. Yet because the house had a similar design to his, he made it to the second floor. He turned to the right and was met by intense heat. He was already out of breath.

“Baby girl, where are you?”

His throat and lungs burned as if he’d inhaled fire instead of the smoke in the air. Every blink stung his eyes. All he could hear was the crackling and popping of burning wood. Then a soft but distinct moan emerged. Still unable to see, Michael fell to his knees on the hot wood floor. He crawled toward the sound, feeling around for any sign of the girl. An unlucky thought crossed his mind: I’m probably gonna die up here.

注意：
1．续写词数应为80左右；
2．每段开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:

Finally, Michael touched something.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

Tiara was safe now; however, Michael fainted down to the ground, unconscious.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . Activities all take place under the ___________(指导) of an experienced tutor. (根据汉语提示单词拼写)

8 . There is always a lot of talk about what is fair, and what is not.     1     Yet, some of the 99% seem to believe life has somehow treated them unfairly, and some of the 1% feel life hasn’t treated them fairly enough. My questions are these: What is fairness? Is life fair? Should life be fair?

We definitely have no choice about how we come into this world. We have little choice early in life. But as we grow older, choices exist around. I have long believed that while we have no control over the beginning of our life, the majority of us have the ability to influence the outcomes we attain. Fairness is a state of mind, and most often, an unhealthy state of mind. Our state in life cannot, or at least should not, be blamed on our parents, our teachers, or our society.     2    

I agree that challenges exist. I agree that many have an uphill battle due to the challenges they face.     3     Rules and orders don’t create fairness, but people’s desire and determination can work around most life challenges.

    4     A friend of mine came to this country from Africa in his late teens, barely spoke the language, drove a cab while working his way through college, and is now the president of a technology services firm.     5     They do, however, demonstrate blindness to the mindset of the fairness.

A．Most people tend to insist that life should be fair.

B．There is no absolute fairness in life, but it’s relatively fair.

C．Life is full of examples of people who complain about life being unfair.

D．In fact, it’s largely based on the choices we make, and the attitudes we adopt.

E．But I disagree with the attempt to use fairness to solve all problems in the world.

F．Stories like this are all around us-they are not miracles, nor are they the rare exception.

G．It doesn’t matter whether we are born with a silver spoon, plastic spoon, or no spoon at all.

9 . Why did the accident happen?

A．One of the drivers drove after drinking.

B．The traffic signal stopped working.

C．The drivers didn’t keep to the speed limit.

10 . What are the speakers mainly talking about?

A．Clothes.

B．A plant.

C．A season.