1 . When I was nine years old, my dad worked in a heating and air conditioning company. It allowed him to work mainly in the spring and fall. With summers free, my parents took me and my two brothers to the lake every day. I supposed my parents must realize that if they didn’t find us any things to do, we would finally start fighting, as we were too bored.

On the way to the lake, my mother drove the car and my father recited (朗诵) poems so my brothers and I wouldn’t get bored. I still didn’t know how my dad had learnt so many poems by heart. But I had a great discovery that every time my father recited them, those verses (诗句) could keep us three quiet for the next twenty--minute drive. Such moments could never be achieved by what else my parents usually did such as singing, telling stories, and so on.

One of the poems that completely attracted me was a bit silly. It begins—Ladles and jellyspoons/I come before you/To stand behind you/And tell you something I know nothing about. There were still many similar ones. I found I was deeply caught. I recited these lines in my head over and over, week after week until they burned new electrical pathways in my brain. I even couldn’t help copying those poems neatly in my favorite notebooks.

It’s a love story that continues to this day, thirty years and 10 books of my own later. So the value of the story is this: Read to your kids. Sing to your kids. Recite poems for your kids. Be silly with your kids! It may make all the difference. It works for me. Thanks, Dad.

1. According to the author, why were his brothers and he taken to the lake daily in summer?

A．To reduce their study pressure.	B．To escape the heat of summers.
C．To teach them some new life skills.	D．To draw their attention to other things.

2. What did the author find on the way to the lake?

A．Poems were easy to learn by heart.

B．His parents were good at creating poems.

C．His father tried hard to get along well with them.

D．Poems could make the three brothers calm down.

3. What can we know about the author from Paragraph 3?

A．He began to write poems himself.	B．He gradually fell in love with poems.
C．He made changes to some silly poems.	D．He grew to be a kid with excellent grades.

4. Which of the following may the author agree with?

A．Children should be grateful to their parents.

B．Parents should avoid being too strict with kids.

C．Good family atmosphere is very important for kids.

D．Children should be encouraged to follow their dreams.

2 . How was the woman’s performance in the exam?

A．She failed it.

B．She just passed it.

C．She did very well in it.

3 . You’ve sized up the benefits of volunteering, looked over your schedule, and decided you have both the time and desire to give back to your community.     1     Here are some tips to find and get suitable volunteer opportunities in your area — or farther afield.

Identify your values.

    2     Make a list of the values that drive you, or the issues you care about, and then look for organizations with complementary (互补的) missions and opportunities. For instance, if your primary motivation is to strengthen social connections with peers, you might look to organizations such as school groups that require interaction with other parents, or neighbors.

If you’re motivated to serve the less fortunate, you might target organizations that work with housing-insecure populations, people with disabilities or members of historically disadvantaged groups. Motivations for volunteering are as diverse as the volunteers harboring them.     3    

Try to involve the whole family.

Many parents who volunteer turn giving back into a family affair. Community service is a great way to teach kids the value of selflessness.     4     Look for volunteer engagements that welcome people of all ages and abilities, and schedule time for the whole family to participate —whether that means spending an afternoon picking up trash on the side of the highway, or a week in a faraway flood zone.

    5    

Once you find a well-run organization that aligns with (符合) your availability, values, talents, and objectives, work with your contact there to set a volunteer schedule that fits your life. If you’re exploring a frequent engagement — say, a weekly or biweekly commitment —think carefully about how much time you can afford to donate. It’s better to commit to shorter or less frequent volunteer hours than to take on an unmanageable workload.

A．What motivates you to give back?

B．Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

C．Are you ready to build a list of ideal places to volunteer?

D．It’s also an opportunity to spend more time with your family.

E．Don’t overthink the process of finding opportunities to volunteer.

F．Whatever your motivations are, there’s an organization out there that needs your help.

G．Now comes the most difficult part: finding volunteer opportunities that are right for you.

4 . April 23 marks World Book and Copyright Day. Here are four widely praised books which received agreeably high scores on Douban in China.

The Death of a Princess

The Death of a Princess is a work of legal history. The author describes in detail the classic case of Princess Lanling of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), who was beaten by her husband and suffered the loss of her baby, leading to her death, exploring important and profound legal and married moral issues such as domestic violence and the low status (地位) of women.

Delivering Packages in Beijing

Author Hu Anyan has worked as a delivery man, a night shift stock picker, a convenience store clerk and a security guard. He transforms the bits and pieces of everyday life and the joys and sorrows of work into a sincere narrative. He finally realizes that a life filled with anger is not worth living.

The Annoyance of the Gods

Author Ma Boyong, who has written The Longest Day in Chang’an, uses the classic Journey to the West as a backdrop to describe a series of workplace issues, such as how to write a work report during a project and how to respond to emergencies.

Bright Night

Written by Choi Eun-young, the book is a female version of Yu Hua’s To Live. It tells the story of the friendship and struggle of four generations of women. The women in the book are no longer characters to be pitied against one another, nor do they play supporting roles in the lives of men.

1. Which of the following explores the low status of women in society?

A．Bright Night.	B．Delivering Packages in Beijing.
C．The Annoyance of the Gods.	D．The Death of a Princess.

2. In the Book of Delivering Packages in Beijing, the author mainly________.

A．describes his delivery job

B．shares his own stories

C．narrates his transformation

D．explores people’s life in Beijing

3. Who are the intended readers of Bright Night?

A．Children.

B．Men.

C．Women.

D．Seniors.

5 . Before traveling to Lake Tahoe, make sure your plans are in order. Complete vacation packages of the area are now offered online.

Package 1. Get Outdoors in Lake Tahoe Package Get outdoors and explore! With this fun vacation package, you can stay in the Lake Tahoe area for three nights and have a few adventures along the way. This package also features Lake Tahoe Sport Fishing, allowing guests to get out and fish! Click here to book	Package 2. Lake Tahoe Family Vacation Package If your next trip happens to be in the Lake Tahoe area, then consider booking this one. It is great because it can offer you four full nights at the hotel of your selection and an amazing sightseeing tour through the Emerald Bay. You also can enjoy Lake Tahoe Hot Air Balloons tours and the Wild West Tour. Click here to book
Package 3. Lake Tahoe Romantic Getaway Package This is perfect for people who want to have a romantic time. It includes a two-night stay at the hotel of your choice and one of the finest activities in all of Lake Tahoe — the Lake Tahoe Emerald Bay Sunset Boat Tour on the Bleu Wave. During this romantic sail, you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Lake Tahoe. Click here to book	Package 4. Lake Tahoe Weekend Getaway Package The Lake Tahoe Weekend Getaway Package is great for people of all ages, so this is a great choice for families. This package includes a two-night stay at the hotel you choose. It also includes a trip which takes place on the Bleu Wave by boat. Click here to book

1. Which package offers the longest visit to Lake Tahoe?

A．Package 1.

B．Package 2.

C．Package 3.

D．Package 4.

2. What is the similarity between the last two packages?

A．Their boat tour.	B．The hotel for staying.
C．The places for traveling.	D．Their target customers.

3. Where is the text probably from?

A．A guidebook.

B．A travel report.

C．A local newspaper.

D．A website.

6 . The event took place on Sunday, the 25^th of June. On that particular day, a south wind had been gusting (劲吹) on and off all morning. It was not strong enough to cause us any concern, so we carried on our daily work, not doubting what was about to happen.

The storm gave us very little warning. Black clouds appeared over the distant horizon (地平线) so suddenly that we were taken by surprise. Even then, we were not really worried, as the clouds seemed to be moving over our house and towards the distant mountains. Then, just as the clouds had moved inland, the wind suddenly blew around in a full circle and we were facing a major storm.

Very soon, we were busily preparing for the worst. The whole family had experienced such a storm before and everyone remembered the damage it had caused to stock and crops. There was very little we could do about the crops. But we needed to protect the animals in case the river flooded again. My older brother called his sheep-dog and began driving our small flock of sheep to higher ground above the river. If the river flooded, they should be safe there.

In the meantime, my father was mending a shed roof that had partly fallen down after many years of fine service. If the tin flew off, it could damage the house. My younger brother began hurriedly carrying firewood under the shelter. My job was to help Mum board up the windows. If the storm developed into a cyclone (旋风)，the boards would protect the glass.

The storm lasted for four hours, pouring more rain on us than we had seen in the last five years. As expected, the river broke its banks and came slowly up towards the house and the stock.

Then, just as we were beginning to lose hope, the storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun. The animals were safe, and the roof was still nailed on. “All’s well that ends well ,” said my mother.

1. When the black clouds appeared suddenly in the distance, _______.

A．the family were surprised	B．they were extremely worried
C．they were preparing for the worst	D．they faced the storm bravely

2. “There was very little we could do about the crops” suggests that ______.

A．little damage would be done to the crops

B．they had everything ready for the crops

C．they felt unable to protect the crops

D．the crops should be safe enough there

3. According to the third paragraph, what could be protected from the storm?

A．Money owned by the family.	B．Goods for sale.
C．Supplies for family use.	D．Farm animals.

4. It can be inferred from what the mother said that _________·

A．they had no damage at all	B．everything was as fine as before
C．everything was under control	D．the family had a good result

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is Jim?

A．A chemist.

B．A dentist.

C．An eye doctor.

2. Why does the woman need a new pair of glasses?

A．The old ones are broken.

B．Her eyesight becomes poorer.

C．She wants to look much smarter.

8 . 听第10段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What time will the listeners get to Loch Ness tomorrow?

A．At 11:30 am.

B．At 10:30 am.

C．At 8:30.

2. Where will the listeners get on the bus?

A．In front of the hotel.

B．In the car park.

C．Behind the restaurant.

3. What are the listeners advised to take?

A．Some food.

B．Bus tickets.

C．Warm clothes.

4. When is the talk being given?

A．In the evening.

B．In the afternoon.

C．In the morning.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How long did Reading and Leeds Festival last?

A．Three days.

B．Four days.

C．Five days.

2. Why did the woman leave for the festival one day ahead?

A．To enjoy some live bands.

B．To avoid being caught in the rain.

C．To find a good place in the campsite.

3. What did the woman think of the festival?

A．Disappointing.

B．Enjoyable.

C．Average.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Who is the man buying books for?

A．His son.

B．His students.

C．Some teenagers.

2. Which book is written by J.W. Reid?

A．Saving Big Forests to Save the Planet.

B．A Little Book about the Big Bang.

C．Science by Women.

3. How much does Science by Women cost?

A．$30.

B．$60.

C．$90.