Rome can be pricey for travelers, which is why many choose to stay in a hostel (旅社). The hostels in Rome offer a bed in a dorm room for around $25 a night, and for that, you’ll often get to stay in a central location (位置) with security and comfort.

Yellow Hostel

If I had to make just one recommendation for where to stay in Rome, it would be Yellow Hostel. It’s one of the best-rated hostels in the city, and for good reason. It’s affordable, and it’s got a fun atmosphere without being too noisy. As an added bonus, it’s close to the main train station.

Hostel Alessandro Palace

If you love social hostels, this is the best hostel for you in Rome. Hostel Alessandro Palace is fun. Staff members hold plenty of bar events for guests like free shots, bar crawls and karaoke. There’s also an area on the rooftop for hanging out with other travelers during the summer.

Youth Station Hostel

If you’re looking for cleanliness and a modern hostel, look no further than Youth Station. It offers beautiful furnishings and beds. There are plenty of other benefits, too; it doesn’t charge city tax; it has both air conditioning and a heater for the rooms; it also has free Wi-Fi in every room.

Hotel and Hostel Des Artistes

Hotel and Hostel Des Artistes is located just a 10-minute walk from the central city station and it’s close to all of the city’s main attractions. The staff is friendly and helpful, providing you with a map of the city when you arrive, and offering advice if you require some. However, you need to pay 2 euros a day for Wi-Fi.

1. What is probably the major concern of travelers who choose to stay in a hostel?

A．Comfort.	B．Security.
C．Price.	D．Location.

2. Which hotel best suits people who enjoy an active social life?

A．Yellow Hostel.	B．Hostel Alessandro Palace.
C．Youth Station Hostel.	D．Hotel and Hostel Des Artistes.

3. What is the disadvantage of Hotel and Hostel Des Artistes?

A．It gets noisy at night.	B．Its staff is too talkative.
C．It charges for Wi-Fi.	D．It’s inconveniently located.

During the 1930s, the Great War broke out. A 25-year-old American soldier, probably never thought that his life would change forever when he volunteered to go to France.

One night while the American unit was returning to the base after a bloody fight, Suleyman stumbled into the ground and noticed a bit of movement from the bush. Being stuck between two choices either its enemy or an animal, Suleyman found a five-year-old girl from the bushes shivering with cold and utmost fear. Due to the atrocity of the war, the girl was abandoned by her family and the whole village was killed.

During the war, it was impossible to find the child’s family so Suleyman took this little French girl under his wings and gave her an American name Flora which means like the flower. Soon, Flora became the apple of the eye of everyone living in the army camp.

For one and a half years, Flora and Suleyman became inseparable; however, every fairy tale comes to an end. When the war ended, Suleyman was sent back to USA, while Flora was put in an orphanage, the Normandy School, which was founded by the American government for orphaned French children to have an education.

For years, Suleyman always thought about Flora. When the French National Olympic Team was playing in the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984, Suleyman gazed through the audience on TV, hoping to catch a glimpse of Flora, but he never could.

At the age of 85, Suleyman attended the 60th anniversary reception of the Great War where Suleyman shared his story with American and French officials. After hearing his story, a French journalist started to investigate the story, and all government files were read in detail. The moment the journalist helped dial the number, in tears, Flora said Suleyman was her hero, and everything came flooding back to her.

8. What does the underlined word “atrocity” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Cruelty.

B．Challenge.

C．Range.

D．Stress.

9. Why did Suleyman watch 1984 Summer Olympics?

A．Because Flora might be in the French team.

B．Because Suleyman was greatly interested in sports.

C．Because Flora might be watching the event.

D．Because Suleyman wanted to travel to Los Angeles.

10. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Flora and Suleyman became attached to each other.

B．Flora was sent to an orphanage called Normandy.

C．Suleyman found some animals in the bush.

D．Suleyman would never see Flora again.

11. Which can serve as the best possible title for the text?

A．A Tough Flower in the War	B．The Influence of the War
C．The Lost and Found Love	D．The Apple of the Father's Eye

By day, Robert Titterton is a lawyer. In his spare  time though he goes on stage beside pianist Maria Raspopova — not as a musician but as her page turner. “I’m not a trained musician, but I’ve learnt to read music so I can help Maria in her performance.”

Mr Titterton is chairman of the Omega Ensemble but has been the group’s official page turner for the past four years. His job is to sit beside   the pianist and turn the pages of the score so the musician doesn’t have to break the flow of sound by doing it themselves. He said he became just as nervous as those playing instruments on stage.

“A lot of skills are needed for the job. You have to make sure you don’t turn two pages at once and make sure you find the repeats in the music   when you have to go back to the right spot.” Mr Titterton explained.

Being a page turner requires plenty of practice. Some pieces of music can go for 40 minutes and require up to 50 page turns, including back turns for repeat passages. Silent onstage communication is key, and each pianist has their own style of “nodding” to indicate a page turn which they need to practise with their page turner.

But like all performances, there are moments when things go wrong. “I was turning the page to get ready for the next page, but the draft wind from the turn caused the spare pages to fall off the stand,” Mr Titterton said, “Luckily I was able to catch them and put them back.”

Most page turners are piano students or up-and-coming concert pianists, although Ms Raspopova has once asked her husband to   help her out on stage.

“My husband is the worst page turner,” she laughed. “He’s interested in the music, feeling every note, and I have to say: ‘Turn, turn!’ Robert is the best page turner I’ve had in my entire life.”

12. What should Titterton be able to do to be a page turner?

A．Read music.	B．Play the piano.
C．Sing songs.	D．Fix the instruments.

13. Which of the following best describes Titterton’s job on stage?

A．Boring.	B．Well-paid.
C．Demanding.	D．Dangerous.

14. What does Titterton need to practise?

A．Counting the pages.	B．Recognizing the “nodding”.
C．Catching falling objects.	D．Performing in his own style.

15. Why is Ms Raspopova’s husband “the worst page turner”?

A．He has very poor eyesight.	B．He ignores the audience.
C．He has no interest in music.	D．He forgets to do his job.

Personal Forgiveness

Taking responsibility for mistakes is a positive step, but don’t beat yourself up about them. To err (犯错) is human.     16     You can use the following writing exercise to help you do this.

In a journal or on a piece of paper, put the heading “Personal strengths.”     17     Are you caring? Creative? Generous? A good listener? Fun to be around? They don’t have to be world-changing, just aspects of your personality that you’re proud of.

At the top of a second page, put the heading “Acts of kindness.” On this one, list all the positive things you’ve done for others. It might be the time when you helped a friend with their homework, when you did the ironing without being asked, or when you baked cookies after the family had had a tiring day.     18    

You could ask a friend or family member to help add to your list.     19     That way, you could exchange thoughts on what makes each of you special and the aspects of your personality that shine through. In fact, don’t wait until you’ve made a mistake to try this — it’s a great way to boost self-confidence at any time.

It’s something of a cliché (陈词滥调) that most people learn not from their successes but their mistakes. The thing is, it’s true.     20     We’ re all changing and learning all the time and mistakes are a positive way to develop and grow.

A．A little self-forgiveness also goes a long way.

B．Now list all the characteristics you like about yourself.

C．They might even like to have a go at doing the exercise.

D．It’s just as important to show yourself some forgiveness.

E．It doesn’t mean you have to ignore what’s happened or forget it.

F．Whatever it is, no matter how small it might seem, write it down.

G．Whatever the mistake, remember it isn’t a fixed aspect of your personality.

On Oct. 11, hundreds of runners competed in a cross-country race in Minnesota. Melanie Bailey should have _________ the course earlier than she did. Her _________ came because she was carrying a _________ across the finish line.

As reported by a local newspaper, Bailey was more than two-thirds of the way through her _________ when a runner in front of her began crying in pain. She _________ to help her fellow runner, Danielle Lenoue. Bailey took her arm to see if she could walk forward with _________. She couldn’t. Bailey then _________ to let Lenoue climb onto her back and carried her all the way to the finish line, then another 300 feet to where Lenoue could get _________ attention.

Once there, Lenoue was _________ and later taken to a hospital, where she learned that she had serious injuries in one of her knees. She would have struggled with extreme __________ to make it to that aid checkpoint without Bailey’s help.

As for Bailey, she is more __________ about why her act is considered a big __________. “She was just crying. I couldn’t __________ her,” Bailey told the reporter. “I feel like I was just doing the right thing.”

Although the two young women were strangers before the __________, they’ve since become friends. Neither won the race, but the __________ of human kindness won the day.

21.

A．designed

B．followed

C．changed

D．finished

22.

A．delay

B．chance

C．trouble

D．excuse

23.

A．judge

B．volunteer

C．classmate

D．competitor

24.

A．race

B．school

C．town

D．training

25.

A．agreed

B．returned

C．stopped

D．promised

26.

A．courage

B．aid

C．patience

D．advice

27.

A．went away

B．stood up

C．stepped aside

D．bent down

28.

A．medical

B．public

C．constant

D．equal

29.

A．interrupted

B．assessed

C．identified

D．appreciated

30.

A．hunger

B．pain

C．cold

D．tiredness

31.

A．worried

B．ashamed

C．confused

D．discouraged

32.

A．game

B．problem

C．lesson

D．deal

33.

A．leave

B．cure

C．bother

D．understand

34.

A．ride

B．test

C．meet

D．show

35.

A．secret

B．display

C．benefit

D．exchange

37. The plan is designed to motivate students to work more efficiently.

A．to express praise for sb or sth. because you approve of them

B．to take part in or become involved in an activity

C．to make sb. want to do something , especially sth. that involves hard work

38. If someone misses the best chance in everyday life, which idiom can you use?

A．Three strikes and you are out.

B．Throwing someone a curveball.

C．A ballpark estimate.

44. The term “artificial intelligence” was coined in the mid-1950s.

A．advised to do sth.

B．asked for sth very firmly

C．invented a new word or phrase

47.    阅读下面材料, 根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段, 使之构成一篇完整的短文。

When I was in middle school, my social studies teacher asked me to enter a writing contest. I said no without thinking. I did not love writing. My family came from Brazil, so English was only my second language. Writing was so difficult and painful for me that my teacher had allowed me to present my paper on the sinking of the Titanic by acting out a play, where I played all the parts. No one laughed harder than he did.

So, why did he suddenly force me to do something at which I was sure to fail? His reply: “Because I love your stories. If you’re willing to apply yourself, I think you have a good shot at this.” Encouraged by his words, I agreed to give it a try.

I chose Paul Revere’s horse as my subject. Paul Revere was a silversmith (银匠) in Boston who rode a horse at night on April 18, 1775 to Lexington to warn people that British soldiers were coming. My story would come straight from the horse’s mouth. Not a brilliant idea, but funny; and unlikely to be anyone else’s choice.

What did the horse think, as he sped through the night? Did he get tired? Have doubts? Did he want to quit? I sympathized immediately. I got tired. I had doubts. I wanted to quit. But, like Revere’s horse, I kept going. I worked hard. I checked my spelling. I asked my older sister to correct my grammar. I checked out a half dozen books on Paul Revere from the library. I even read a few of them.

When I handed in the essay to my teacher, he read it, laughed out loud, and said, “Great. Now, write it again.” I wrote it again, and again and again. When I finally finished it, the thought of winning had given way to the enjoyment of writing. If I didn’t win, I wouldn’t care.

注意:
1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

A few weeks later, when I almost forgot the contest, there came the news.

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I went to my teacher’s office after the award presentation.

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