1 . A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington D. C.. I saw many of our nation’s treasures, and I also saw a lot of unfortunate people like beggars and homeless folks in the streets.

Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, "Can you help me?" When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended. In a natural reaction, I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it in her hand. I didn’t even look at her. I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar.

But the blind woman smiled and said, "I don’t want your money. I just need help finding the post office."

Immediately, I realized what I had done. I acted with prejudice—I judged a person simply for what I thought she was.

The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant. I left Honduras and arrived in America at the age of 15. Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, cashier, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other jobs, and finally I became a network engineer.

In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice. I remember a time, at age 17—I was a busboy, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well at school, he would end up like me.

But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going. That blind woman on the street of Washington D. C. cured me of my blindness. She reminded me to always keep my eyes and heart open.

1. When the author came to America at first________.

A．he usually did some work with a little payment.	B．he used to beg for some money on the street.
C．he lived a comfortable life as a network engineer.	D．he was respected by others all the time.

2. According to the passage, what did the author regret?

A．That he gave all his change to the blind woman.

B．That he came to Washington D.

C．That he didn’t tell the woman the way to the post office.

D．The way he treated the blind woman.

3. The father mentioned in the passage wanted ________.

A．to encourage his son to make a living by himself	B．his son to become a busboy in the future
C．his son to work harder at school	D．to remind his son to depend on himself at school

4. We can infer all of the following statements from the passage EXCEPT________.

A．He disliked being bothered by beggars.

B．He once suffered a lot.

C．The blind woman didn’t beg for money at that time.

D．He was happy to give away his money to beggars.

3 . One day, 12-year old Sean Redden logged on to the Internet and went to a popular chat room. Just as he was about to sign off, he saw the name of someone he'd never seen there before, Susan. Her brief message was “Would someone help me?”

Sean typed back, “What's wrong?” A moment later he received this message, “I can't breathe. Help me! I can't feel my left side. I can't get out of my chair.”

At first, Sean thought pretending to be paralyzed (瘫痪) was a bad joke. Then he wondered what if she really was sick. “Hey, Mom,” he called. “There's a kid here who's sick or something.” Sharon looked at the computer screen. “It's not just some game, is it?” she asked.

The message was not a joke. “Susan” was actually a 20- year- old student, working late at night at a college library near Helsinki, Finland-almost 7, 000 miles away from Sean's home in Texas. While searching the Internet, she began to feel terrible pain all through her body. The library was silent and empty. The nearest phone was outside in the hallway. She couldn't move that far. Any movement caused the pain to get worse. Then she realized she might get help on the Internet.

“I don't think it's a joke, Mom,” Sean said. And he typed, “Where are you?” After a long pause (暂停), the letters appeared: “Finland.” Sean and Sharon couldn't believe it. Not knowing what else to do, Sharon called the local police.

Sharon explained the situation to Officer Amy Schmidt. Schmidt told Sharon to try to get the sick girl's phone number. Texas police called the international telephone operator and asked to be connected to the proper agency (机构) in Finland. The call was connected to a nearby rescue station. The Texas police gave Susan's address to the Finnish operator. When Sean heard that, he typed, “Help is on the way.”

In a few minutes, Susan heard people running down the hallway outside the door. Suddenly, the door opened. Emergency workers and three policemen ran in. Susan turned once more to the computer, “They are here. Thanks. Bye-bye. ”

Four days later, the police in Texas received message from officers in Finland: “Thanks to her Internet friend, Susan had received medical treatment she badly needed and is doing well.”

1. According to the text, Sean was about to sign off when __________.

A．he noticed an unfamiliar name

B．he came across a friend in the chat room

C．a boy started a conversation with him

D．he met with difficulty in sending messages

2. What was Sharon's first attitude toward the message for help?

A．Happy.	B．Doubtful.
C．Frightened.	D．Worried.

3. What happened to Susan?

A．A robber hit her on her left side.	B．She was locked in the library.
C．She left her phone in the hallway.	D．She was too sick to move.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Help on the Internet	B．Help on the Way
C．Making Friends Online	D．Police Officer's Act of Kindness

4 . On an ordinary day, Debbie’s doorbell rang out of the blue. Sixteen-year-old Amy from next door was there -“Help, my brother Dylan is ___________,” she shouted.

Debbie and her sister Ellen _____________ to their house to find eight-year-old Dylan bleeding heavily from a huge cut in his _________.

Amy had been ___________ Dylan while their mum had popped out to the shop. Dylan had fallen while running through the house, _________ pushing his arm through a glass door panel.

Debbie had recently taken a first aid _____________ and knew what to do. “I knew I needed to _____________ pressure to stop the blood from running. I ___________ a towel from the bathroom and used it to press on the ___________,” she said. She told Ellen to call for an ambulance __________ she knew the cut would need medical treatment.

Just as the ambulance pulled up, Dylan’s mum came back home. She was deeply   ________________ by what had happened. She held Dylan’s arm and then the two of them __________ to the hospital together in the ambulance.

After a few weeks, Dylan ______________ and went back home. Dylan’s mother thanked Debbie and Ellen the day after the incident. “I’m so ____________ that I learned first aid,” Debbie said. “I never thought I’d need to use my first aid ________ so soon, but I’m very glad I knew what to do. ”

1.

A．collapsing

B．screaming

C．dying

D．bleeding

2.

A．wandered

B．rushed

C．slipped

D．jumped

3.

A．leg

B．arm

C．face

D．hand

4.

A．calling on

B．bringing up

C．looking after

D．knocking over

5.

A．accidentally

B．strangely

C．cautiously

D．gently

6.

A．plan

B．try

C．course

D．kit

7.

A．apply

B．reduce

C．escape

D．increase

8.

A．removed

B．grabbed

C．discovered

D．prepared

9.

A．wound

B．pain

C．hurt

D．blood

10.

A．though

B．unless

C．since

D．once

11.

A．impressed

B．relieved

C．shocked

D．disappointed

12.

A．hiked

B．drove

C．jogged

D．travelled

13.

A．suffered

B．survived

C．restored

D．recovered

14.

A．pleased

B．stressed

C．satisfied

D．amazed

15.

A．lessons

B．skills

C．instruments

D．certificates

5 . I became a gardener when I was twelve. My early________of gardening may not have originated from my love for nature. It was to ________my parents.

At that time, we had a big yard in which a beautiful maple tree stood. But my mother often looked with ________at this work of natural art. Those golden leaves seemed like tons of rubbish to her, “something else to ________!”Seeing the neighbors busy with gardening, my father ever thought it a waste of time.

At that age, I always did something________to whatever my parents did! If gardening were something they found________, I would plant a garden!

I planted some lily (百合花)seeds in the yard. But they failed to ________. I continued to sunflower seeds and roses. Wild ________joy, I found the first rose bloom (开花). One by one, the flowers bloomed their heads off.________, I was touched by this land of wonder.

________, my parents showed no interest in my garden. My father even________at me because he found it was ________to move around my garden to the driveway. To my mother’s ________, I put her vase my real roses which, in her eyes, were simply weeds________flowers.

Regardless of their ________, I kept on planting my garden and ________to enjoy the pleasure gardening. Plants make such good companions: they breathe, they bloom, they________to care and love.

It has been many years since I made my first garden out of my desire to ________my parent. Today I become known as Mrs. Greenthumbs, teaching gardening and hosting a gardening show which makes my parents feel very________. And now I could say it is my affection for________that makes me a real gardener.

1.

A．memory

B．dream

C．intention

D．design

2.

A．please

B．change

C．help

D．annoy

3.

A．doubt

B．appreciation

C．surprise

D．excitement

4.

A．collect up

B．care about

C．clean up

D．come in

5.

A．equal

B．similar

C．superior

D．opposite

6.

A．painful

B．valuable

C．upsetting

D．interesting

7.

A．come up

B．break out

C．hold on

D．get through

8.

A．to

B．with

C．in

D．by

9.

A．Luckily

B．Cheerfully

C．Regularly

D．Eventually

10.

A．Inetead

B．However

C．Therefore

D．Besides

11.

A．shouted

B．laughed

C．glanced

D．jumped

12.

A．convenient

B．troublesome

C．enjoyed

D．dangerous

13.

A．sadness

B．displeasure

C．delight

D．relief

14.

A．other than

B．more than

C．rather than

D．less than

15.

A．dislike

B．encouragement

C．threat

D．suggestion

16.

A．decided

B．stopped

C．continued

D．struggled

17.

A．devote

B．turn

C．respond

D．lead

18.

A．defeat

B．satisfy

C．respect

D．challenge

19.

A．proud

B．comfortable

C．strange

D．disappointed

20.

A．freedom

B．life

C．growth

D．nature

6 . My favourite book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, talks about a formula called “SFF” which stands for “stopping finding fault”. I used to be a critical person and tried to find fault. I guess I somehow inherited this character from my father. Actually, many good qualities of my father are worth admiring except this.

My father is a person who constantly looks for mistakes in other people and he thinks no one is perfect in the world. His character created a negative atmosphere in my family. I was the same as my father, so I often felt angry, disappointed, depressed, and lonely in school.

After I had read my favourite book I began to seek “good things” in other people. It has completely changed my life. Now I feel happier, I have more friends, I have more trust in people, and I realize everyone has his own strength! Another important lesson I got from this book is that I should always behave myself in a positive manner. Let's admit that we sometimes complain about our situation. That's not good. Believe it or not, people don't like to listen to negative opinions.

One more valuable lesson I got from the book is that I should be a good listener. When I was younger, I only wanted people to pay whole attention to my words so that I could show them how important I was. I was very proud and would show off my achievements in school without considering others' feelings. I had very few friends and most people considered me as an arrogant person. Now, I find it much easier to make friends after making some changes!

1. What do you know about the author's father?

A．He makes his son feel angry and disappointed.

B．He likes finding fault with people around him.

C．He seems a critical person but in fact easy-going.

D．He can create a negative atmosphere when necessary.

2. The underlined word “arrogant” probably means “________”.

A．self-important	B．admirable
C．troublesome	D．cold-blooded

3. What is the author's purpose of writing the text?

A．To persuade readers to be good listeners.

B．To share his painful experience of making changes.

C．To tell readers the influence of a book on him.

D．To show the result of his father's negative character.

7 . When Pat Jones finished college，she decided to travel around the world and see as many foreign places as she could ________ she was young. Pat wanted to visit Latin America ________，so she got a job ________ an English teacher in a school in Bolivia. Pat spoke a little Spanish，________ she was able to communicate with her students even when they didn’t ________ much English.

A sentence she had read somewhere stuck in her mind: if you dream ________ a foreign language，you have really mastered(掌握)it. Pat repeated this sentence to her students and ________ that some day she would dream in Spanish and they would dream in ________.

One day，one of her ________ students came up and explained in Spanish that he had not done his homework. He had ________ early and had slept ________.

“What does this have to do with your ________？” Pat asked.

“I dreamed all night，Miss Jones. And my dream was in English.”

“In English？” Pat was very ________，since he was such a bad student. She was ________ secretly jealous(嫉妒的).Her ________ was still not in Spanish. But she encouraged(鼓励)her young student. “Well，________me about your dream.”

“All the people in the dream ________ English.” the student said. “And all the signs were in English. All the newspapers and magazines and all the TV programs were in English.”

“But that’s ________，”said Pat. “What did all the people say to you？”

“I’m sorry，Miss Jones. That’s ________ I slept so badly. I didn’t ________ a word they said. It was a nightmare(噩梦)！”

1.

A．because

B．while

C．if

D．since

2.

A．first

B．at first

C．last

D．at last

3.

A．for

B．of

C．as

D．like

4.

A．and

B．but

C．so

D．yet

5.

A．say

B．know

C．read

D．write

6.

A．in

B．about

C．of

D．for

7.

A．thought

B．realized

C．hoped

D．wanted

8.

A．English

B．Spanish

C．Russian

D．German

9.

A．bright

B．excellent

C．best

D．worst

10.

A．got up

B．gone to bed

C．stayed up

D．woken up

11.

A．well

B．soundly

C．badly

D．happily

12.

A．English

B．language

C．dream

D．homework

13.

A．surprised

B．worried

C．pleased

D．excited

14.

A．yet

B．seldom

C．also

D．still

15.

A．study

B．class

C．word

D．dream

16.

A．answer

B．write

C．tell

D．ask

17.

A．read

B．liked

C．spoke

D．learned

18.

A．funny

B．terrible

C．wonderful

D．strange

19.

A．how

B．why

C．when

D．because

20.

A．hear

B．understand

C．know

D．remember

8 . Having worked for more than a decade in finance in the oil industry in Canada, Tori Fahey found herself wanting more from life. But it wasn't through desperation that her circumstances changed: “I didn't get fed up and storm off, nothing like that; it was curiosity about other interests and wanting to experience something new.”

Fahey left her job and completed an MBA before setting up a move to New York to begin a degree. However, the opportunity of an open year between the MBA and the degree came up, and as a keen touring cyclist, Fahey realised that a much dreamed-about adventure was now becoming a possibility: "The ride in Africa had been on my fantasy list. It was a moment when I realised that I could do anything, so I should."

Fahey rode across Africa, a 7,500-mile trip that took four months. The whole experience had a life-changing impact. Fahey said: “Bicycles provide a literal freedom. You don't allow yourself to feel like that in everyday life because there are so many distractions. But when you' re out on the bike and there's nothing else, you' re really free to experience what life is.”

Post-degree, Fahey worked on projects with the UNDP(United Nations Development Project) in Montenegro with the aim of bringing investment to rural communities.

It was while working on these projects that the seeds were sown for the next new investment. “It was through my trip across Africa that I discovered pannier and rack systems inconvenient and I was never going to use them again.” Little did she know this would lead her to start up her own company.

In 2013, Apidura was born, producing storage solutions for people looking to travel the world by bike, race across continents and carry all they need to do so. It's now a successful global brand, but Fahey remains reflective about what else the company can do for people.

1. Why did Fahey leave her job in Canada?

A．She was bored with the job.	B．She was disappointed with life.
C．She wanted to add new dimensions to her life.	D．She found it hard to adjust to the circumstances.

2. Which can best describe Fahey's ride experience in Africa?

A．Demanding.

B．Liberating.

C．Eventful.

D．Dangerous.

3. Why did Fahey launch Apidura?

A．To encourage bicycle traveling.	B．To make her investment profitable.
C．To help cyclists carry traveling stuff.	D．To increase the pleasure of riding bikes.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A tough path to fame.	B．An adventure across Africa.
C．The benefits of green travelling.	D．The story behind the birth of Apidura.

9 . I had difficulty in finding work when I was in my twenties. Finally, Seagulls Reuse in Leeds took me on as a volunteer. It's an environmental social enterprise that rescues 400 tonnes of paint from landfill (垃圾填埋池) annually and repurposes it to offer a bespoke (定制的) paint-mixing service. I carved out my own role, mixing paint, working with other volunteers and assisting customers, before being hired as a decorator and full-time member of staff. It wasn't until then, in my late 20s, that I realised I'm colour-blind.

Mixing paint is nothing like the colour wheel you learn at school; blue and green doesn't just make green. You don't even mix different greens to make green paint. It's more technical and complex than that, and there are so many subtle (微妙的) variations.

Dulux and other big companies let machines do all the work, but our process is nothing like that. We can also only use the colours we have in the warehouse that day, so we sometimes have to get creative. They have scientists, but we have our intuition (直觉), years of experience and an essential human touch and eye.

I'm 38 now, and have been at Seagulls for 11 years. I've learned that I struggle most with colours. I see green in dark browns and creams and some reds I see as pink. So, along with the knowledge I've now memorised, I use different skills with customers. I get them involved by explaining how I'm creating their paint and encourage feedback (反馈). That way, we're both helping each other get the perfect result. I write down things I do wrong, so I don't repeat them.

If I tell customers I'm colour-blind, they're always shocked and say they'd never have guessed. I do have a visual problem, but I'm not angry about it and wouldn't change it even if I could. It's made me push myself harder.

1. Why did the author volunteer to work in Seagulls Reuse?

A．It accepted colour-blind staff.

B．It helped to save the environment.

C．He had no other better jobs to do.

D．He possessed a talent for the work.

2. What does Paragraph 2 tell us about mixing paint?

A．It's rather challenging.

B．It's compulsory at school.

C．It's attractive to teenagers.

D．It's unbearable to the author.

3. How does the author improve his work?

A．By learning from his mistakes.

B．By depending more on machines.

C．By turning to experts if necessary.

D．By managing to see colours correctly.

4. What can we learn from the author's story?

A．We shouldn't regret what we’ve done.

B．We should do what we're really good at.

C．We shouldn't let our problems hold us back.

D．We should keep learning new things all our life.

10 . It was late, about 10:15 p. m. Esposito got off the train at Bellport, New York, went to her car and started driving home. She was so familiar with the route that she almost drove automatically: turned left to the Station Road, then another left onto Montauk Highway, and then-bam! When Esposito's car had just crossed the railroad tracks, it hit another vehicle and was plashed back onto the tracks. Injured but mostly shocked by the crash and by the airbags that popped up, she was stuck in the vehicle.

As it happened, Pete DiPinto was just about to go to sleep when he heard a sharp noise and saw the accident not far outside his bedroom window. As a volunteer firefighter and retired teacher, DiPinto, who was 65, fetched a flash light and rushed out without hesitation. "Any firefighter would have done what I did," he said, "We're always on duty. "

At first, he spotted the other car in the accident. After making sure that the driver was all right. DiPinto looked around and discovered Esposito's car straddling(横跨)the railway tracks. And then he heard the bell ring, which signaled a train's arrival.

DiPinto rushed to Esposito's car and broke the window on the driver's side. Esposito looked up at him, with her eyes glazing over. "I don't know where I am,” she said.

"You're on the railroad tracks," DiPinto yelled. "I have to get you off right now!" The train was running toward them at a speed of some 105 kilometers per hour. The driver's door cannot be opened due to the collision, so DiPinto quickly ran to the other side and managed to open the door. He put the airbags aside, seized her arms, pulled her toward him across the passenger seat until finally got her out and walked her to safety as swiftly as possible. Several seconds later, the train crashed into the vehicle. "It was like a Hollywood movie, " DiPinto told reporters the next day.

"Last night," said Gregory, Chief of the Department in South Country Ambulance, "the hero arrived in pajamas (睡衣)，not in a fire truck."

1. What was the reason for the accident?

A．Esposito didn't know the route well.

B．Esposito's car hit another vehicle.

C．Esposito drove out of the highway.

D．A running train crashed into Esposito's car.

2. How was Esposito in the accident?

A．She got stuck and couldn't move out.

B．She lost awareness completely.

C．She was lucky to escape from the train.

D．She helped rescue the driver in another car.

3. How was Esposito rescued from her car?

A．Through the roof of the car.

B．Through the passenger's door in the back.

C．Through the window on the driver's side.

D．Through the door on the passenger's side.

4. What did Gregory mean by "the hero arrived in pajamas, not in a fire truck"?

A．DiPinto was not a professional firefighter.

B．DiPinto rushed to save life without thinking about himself.

C．DiPinto was a special firefighter who liked wearing pajamas.

D．DiPinto was unable to find a fire truck in his house.