China is a big old country,
2 . Three teachers were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School. They tried to save their students from a gunman who they recognized as the son of a kindergarten teacher there. The three heroes who were murdered were Dawn Hochsprung, 47, school psychologist, March Sherlach, 56, and 27-year-old Victoria Soto, a young first grade teacher.
When the gunman Lanza began firing at the school in suburban (郊区的) Newtown, Connecticut, several other teachers were in a meeting with Mrs Hochsprung and Mrs Sherlach. Some teachers dived under tables, but Mrs Hochsprung and Mrs Sherlach never hesitated. They ran into the hallway to pull their students into their office. They bravely faced the danger and were murdered by the gunman.
When the gunman broke into the classroom of Grade One, Miss Soto sacrificed herself to save her students — throwing her body in front of the young children.
A tale of heroism came from an eight-year-old student who said a teacher pulled him from the hallway as bullets rang out. “I saw some of the bullets going down the hall that I was right next to and then a teacher pulled me into her classroom,” the boy told CBS News. His relieved mother agreed, saying that the teacher saved her son’s life.
The New York Times reports that twenty-eight people died in the shooting rampage (暴行), including twenty young children between the ages of five and ten. The gunman, Adam Lanza, took his own life finally.
1. When the shooting rampage began, Mrs Hochsprung ________.| A．was giving a class in the classroom | B．was standing in the hallway |
| C．was writing a report in her office | D．was having a meeting |
| A．by fighting with the gunman |
| B．by pulling her students into her office |
| C．by stopping bullets with her body |
| D．by keeping the gunman outside the classroom |
| A．twenty people died in the shooting rampage |
| B．the gunman killed himself in the end |
| C．the gunman was finally shot by the police |
| D．most of the dead were adults |
| A．A newspaper | B．an advertisement |
| C．a science book | D．a tour magazine |
3 . The ground we walk on seems firm, but deep under the earth and under the sea the rocks change and move. In some parts of the world there are “fire mountains”， which we call volcanoes. From time to time they burst open and throw out fire and burning ashes. These volcanoes are very dangerous.
Hong Kong does not have any volcanoes but there are many volcanoes in Indonesia and Philippines. There is also a famous mountain near Tokyo, Japan, which is a volcano too. Its name is Mount Fuji. For much of the year it is covered with snow.
One of the most famous volcanoes which erupted in recent times was Krakatoa, on an island in Indonesia. The first explosions took place on 20th May, 1883, but the biggest eruption did not come until the 26th and 27th August of that year. The people on the island were used to the explosions by that time, and so they were completely unprepared for this terrible happening. Almost all the people on the island died and the explosion also made huge waves in the sea, which drowned (淹死) many people on the other island nearby. After the eruption was over, people saw that the whole northern part of the island had completely disappeared. Scientists say that 15 cubic (立方) kilometres of rocks and ash were thrown up in the explosion. The noise of the explosion was heard nearly 5,000 kilometres away in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and the city of Jakarta was completely dark for about two and a half hours.
1. There are many volcanoes ________.| A．everywhere in the world |
| B．under the earth and the sea |
| C．in Hong Kong |
| D．in Indonesia |
| A．had never met any explosions of the volcano before |
| B．were used to the explosions by that time |
| C．didn't want to leave their island |
| D．could do nothing but wait |
| A．see that the 15 cubic kilometres of rocks and ash were thrown up |
| B．hear the noise of the explosion |
| C．see the huge waves |
| D．see that Krakatoa was dark |
| A．all the people on the island die |
| B．the whole island disappear |
| C．the city of Jakarta completely dark for about two and a half hours |
| D．huge waves in the middle of the Indian Ocean |
4 . Unlike China, where the majority of society belongs to the Han ethnic group, the United States is home to people from many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, creating great diversity within its lively society.
However, historical events that created this diversity also led to racial disputes and prejudice that have lasted until today. Around days like Martin Luther King Day, people in the US are especially sensitive to racist comments and behavior.
Recently, a Facebook message posted by a white student at my boarding school started a wave of anger among African American students and started heated conversations about minority groups at the school.
The students posted an article written by someone else who stated that Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general during the US Civil War, should be commemorated(纪念). As the Confederates broke from the Union in order to keep slavery in their states, they were usually seen as racists. The post received a flood of comments from both white and black students within minutes, and conversation about the topic spread across campus quickly.
A fishbowl conversation was organized the evening the article was posted, and students and faculty (学院) members talked about their feelings and opinions. During the discussion, students from minority groups, including African American, Jewish, Asian and Indian students, spoke up about how they felt about living in a society mainly made up of people who are different from them. It turned out that many people felt isolated because of their differences from other people.
The diversity of society can open up interesting opportunities, but the great differences between people can also create huge gaps and misunderstandings if they are not treated carefully. Thus, effective communication is essential.
After the fishbowl conversation, the atmosphere in the school seemed to be changing, at least from my point of view. Students seemed to be talking and acting more freely than before, and the expressions of judgement were seen less on their faces.
1. The main purpose of Paragraph 1 is to ______.| A．draw attention to the fact that racial problems still exist in America. |
| B．show that the United States has a wonderfully diverse culture. |
| C．explain how sensitive people in the US are to racist comments and behavior. |
| D．point out the differences between American culture and those of other countries. |
| A．The post was offensive to black students. |
| B．The post was aimed at African American students. |
| C．The author of he post was strongly in favor of slavery. |
| D．The author of the post held a negative attitude toward minority groups. |
| A．figure out whether the article should be posted or not. |
| B．educate students on how to express their opinions appropriately. |
| C．improve the lives of people who belongs to minority groups on campus. |
| D．get people to communicate how they felt and thought about the post. |
| A．We should learn to live with others’ differences. |
| B．We should always feel free to share our feelings. |
| C．Effective communication is very important in a diverse society. |
| D．If there is no difference, then there is no misunderstanding. |
5 . Qiao is a sixth grader at Yuhui Primary School.He is only 12 years old but has been smoking for three years.Liu,15，is a Junior 2 student at Chicheng No.2 Middle School.He began smoking four years ago.“Smoking is part of my life，” Liu said.Qiao and Liu are not those boys' real names.But their problem，smoking，is a very real problem.In many countries，smoking is becoming a bigger problem for young people.Most smokers start in their teens (years of a person's age from 13 to 19) or earlier.
A study of 8,000 Beijing students last May told us that smoking is a problem for many Chinese kids.More than 21% of middle school students and 6% of primary school pupils said they smoked.
“If young people start smoking early，they will probably get addicted to nicotine.And it will be very hard to give up later on，” said a professor.
Every year，about four million people die because of smoking.And if people keep smoking，that number will go up to about 10 million a year by 2030，the World Health Organization (WHO) says.So we have to learn and tell others about the dangers of smoking.
1. The sentence “Smoking is part of my life” in paragraph 1 probably means “________”．| A．I don't smoke very often |
| B．Smoking is very important to me |
| C．I don't smoke at all |
| D．I'm going to give up smoking |
| A．He will surely die early. | B．He cannot stop smoking. |
| C．It will be difficult for him to give up smoking. | D．He will become lazy soon. |
| A．smoking is a serious problem among Chinese students |
| B．there are more and more smokers in China |
| C．some student smokers have already been seriously addicted |
| D．most of smokers are young students |
| A．smoking is becoming a bigger problem for young people |
| B．many people die because of smoking every year |
| C．WHO asks young people to give up smoking |
| D．nicotine makes people addicted |
6 . NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce ,or possibly erase(抹去),the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
"Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering."
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity (特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
"All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.
1. The passage is mainly about ___________.
| A．a new medical invention |
| B．a new research on the pill |
| C．a way of erasing painful memories |
| D．an argument about the research on the pill |
| A．cause the brain to fix memories |
| B．stop people remembering bad experiences |
| C．prevent body producing certain chemicals |
| D．Wipe out the emotional effects of memories |
| A．people doubt the effects of the pills |
| B．the pill will stop people's bad experiences |
| C．taking the pill will do harm to people's health |
| D．the pill has probably been produced in America |
| A．Some memories can ruin people's lives. |
| B．People want to get rid of bad memories. |
| C．Experiencing bad events makes us different from others. |
| D．The pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories. |
