Failing in something isn’t a really nice feeling, but Scotland’s Fettes College in Edinburgh wants to show its students that failure isn’t something to fear and is actually something to accept willingly!

The boarding school held “failure week” to celebrate taking risks and learning from them. Whether in sports or school, children often face lots of pressure to succeed and do well, and the school was becoming concerned.

“Young people from all walks of life live in a high-pressure environment where they are trying very hard to achieve a level of perfection,” said Sue Bruce, head of personal and social education in the school.

“This week at Fettes we have been focusing on one of the most misunderstood parts of success: failure. While we are often scared of failure, it is important to learn that it is only through failing, often many times, that we learn how to succeed. All through the week, we have looked at the experiences of some of the most successful inventors, artists and businessmen, who failed hundreds, if not thousands of times on their journey to success,” read a letter on Fettes College’s website.

To celebrate failure, students were encouraged to try something they’ve never done before, like playing an instrument or dancing in front of audiences. A number of students stepped up and tried things that they finally failed in, but they had fun and enjoyed the experience. “The concert was extremely enjoyable, proving that we should always try not to worry about failure and have a go!” read another note on the website. Students were also taught about famous people like J.K. Rowling and Richard Branson who failed many times before they finished what they set out to do.

“If they let the fear of failure stop them from doing something, they are actually stopping themselves from learning, developing, and potentially succeeding,” said Bruce.

1.What is the purpose of the boarding school to hold “failure week”?

A. To get the students involved in social activities.

B. To help the students accept and learn from failure.

C. To make the students study even harder.

D. To teach the students how to get relaxed.

2.During the “failure week” the students could do the following things EXCEPT ___________?

A. taking risks

B. learning from others’ experiences

C. trying something new

D. trying to entertain themselves

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Many successful people are lucky and achieve success easily.

B. Because we are often scared of failure ,we never succeed.

C. The fear of failure can stop the students from learning and succeeding.

D. The students who failed in trying new things felt depressed.

Lee’s mother Sun became unexpectedly pregnant while married to a disabled man. Doctors told her that because of a medication she had been taking her child would not be normal. She chose to continue with the pregnancy and in 1985 in Seoul, South Korea, little Hee Ah Lee was born with only two fingers on each hand, disfigurement of her legs, and slight brain injury. The hospital told Sun that she could not care for the child at home and her relatives wanted her to place the child for adoption in a foreign country. Sun, however, thought her baby would live a successful life.

When Lee was a pre-schooler, Sun wanted her daughter to take piano lessons for two reasons. One was that she felt it would help her strengthen her hands so she could hold a pencil. The other was that she felt that if she could master the piano, she could master anything. For six months piano schools turned them down and then the one teacher who did accept the task got discouraged and wanted to quit. It was a three-month contest of wills between mother and daughter that led to a conflict in which Sun actually threw her daughter on the floor in frustration. But Lee got back up on the piano bench and for the first time played a children’s song. That was the turning point and one year later Lee won the grand prize in a piano concert for Kindergartners. It was at the age of 7 that Lee won Korea’s 19th National Handicap Conquest Contest and was presented with her award by the President of Korea.

Lee has won numerous awards, and is a widely traveled concert pianist with more than 200 appearances. Her first album titled “Hee-ah, a Pianist with Four Fingers” was released in June, 2008.

Lee speaks highly of her mother for challenging her to master the piano and said that although her training was difficult, “As time went by, the piano became my source of inspiration and my best friend.”

1.Which of the following can best describe Sun?

A. stubborn and devoted

B. impatient and strict

C. enthusiastic and hardworking

D. honest and responsible

2.What was probably in Lee’s mind when on the floor?

A. Learning piano was too difficult for her.

B. Life was unfair to her.

C. She would try her best to learn piano.

D. Her mother didn’t love her any more.

3. When was Lee awarded by the president of Korea?

A. 1985 B. 1992 C. 2008 D. 2007

4. What’s the best title of the passage?

A. A 4-finger pianist

B. Love between mother and daughter

C. Learning piano

D. An abnormal girl

七選五

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。

Training for a marathon requires careful preparation and steady，gradual increases in the length of the runs._ 1.__，buy the best－fitting，best－built running shoes you can find. No one can say which brand will work best for you or feel best on your feet，so you have to rely on your experience and on the feel of each pair as you shop. When you have found shoes that seem right，walk in them for a few days to double－check the fit.__ 2.__．As always，you should stretch(伸展) at least ten minutes before each run to prevent injuries.

During the first week，do not think about distance，but run five minutes longer each day.__ 3.__，it is wise to take a day off to rest. But during the next week，set a goal of at least a mile and a half per run.__ 4.__．After two weeks，start timing yourself._ 5.__．Depending on the kind of race you plan to enter，you can set up a timetable for the remaining weeks before the race.

A．After six days

B．For a good marathon runner

C．Before you begin your training

D．With each day, increase the distance by a half mile

E．If they still feel good, you can begin running in them

F．Time spent for preparation raises the quality of training

G．Now you are ready to figure out a goal of improving distance and time

語(yǔ)法填空

閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入適當(dāng)?shù)膬?nèi)容（1個(gè)單詞）或括號(hào)內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。

For centuries, everybody knows laughter is the best medicine. Besides bringing joy, the doctor also1. （believe） that laughter helps release stress, which is the cause of many diseases.

The celebration of World Laughter Day is 2. （mean） to bring good health, joy and world peace. It is a special day that can 3. （celebrate）annually by anyone on the first Sunday of May. All people need to do is laugh aloud and wildly. The fun event was started 4. Indian physician, Dr, Madan Kataria.

His quest to make the world a happier place 5.（begin） in 1995, with the introduction of Laughter Yoga（大笑瑜伽課）, a fitness class 6. people practice breathing exercise and uncontrolled laughter.

Though only five students attended the first class, this fun way of exercising soon began to spread and in a short time it began to be held 7. more than 70 countries around the world.

Members get together every day or twice a week 8. exercise by simply laughing out loud, waving their hands and making funny faces each other to keep the laughing going.

In 1998, in an attempt to spread the laughter to every person, the physician declared the first Sunday of every May World Laughter Day. Not 9. （surprise）, it became an instant hit. To make it more fun, Dr. Kararia suggested 10. （organize） the celebrations in public places so that other people could join in. Some even awarded prizes to participants who could perform this feat in natural and effortless way.

單詞拼寫

1.The job requires f___________(流利) in English.

2.We are concerned about his frequent a ___________.

3.He d_________ that he had no intention of giving up.

4.She is still a student and is only working here t__________

5.Send the photos to the lab to be _________(放大)。

6.___________ (歧視) on the grounds of sex or race is unlawful..

7.Two of the suspects have been i _________ by witnesses.

8.Teachers like their students to be p________(守時(shí))

9.Our game starts this Sunday, weather p _________.

10.The c_________ (候選人) must demonstrate good communication skills.

改錯(cuò)

My family was very poor when I was a child. My parents lost their jobs or lived with heavy pressure. As a result, I wanted to study hardly so as to have different future. During my high school life, I spent all my time studied those difficult subjects, which made me one of the best student in our school. After graduation, I was admitted in a key university where I meet a lot of interesting friends. Now, I am working in a big company and I am able to afford anything I wanted. What’s more, my parents also have been found new jobs. So I believe that our dream will came true if we try our best.

書面表達(dá)

現(xiàn)在很多青少年發(fā)現(xiàn)很難與父母相處，為此某英文報(bào)社發(fā)起了一項(xiàng)主題為“父母與孩子的關(guān)系”的征文活動(dòng)。假如你是李華，請(qǐng)你根據(jù)下面提示寫一篇100詞左右的信，闡述你對(duì)此事的認(rèn)識(shí)。

提示：

(1) 父母對(duì)孩子生活過于關(guān)心，對(duì)孩子的學(xué)習(xí)施加壓力過大；

(2) 孩子與父母缺乏交流，難以相互理解；

(3) 你的建議。

(4) 信的開頭和結(jié)尾已給。

Dear Sir/Madam

As we all know, many teenagers nowadays find it hard to get on well with their parents.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

The pen is more powerful than the sword. There have been many writers who use their pens to write things that were wrong. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of them.

She was born in the U. S. A. in 1811. One of her books not only made her famous but has been described as one that excited the world, and was helpful in causing a civil war and freeing the slaves.The civil war was the American Civil War of 1861, in which the Northern States fought the Southern States and finally won.

This book that shook the world was called Uncle Tom's Cabin. There was a time when every English-speaking man, woman, and child had read this novel that did so much to stop slavery. Not many people read it today, but it is still very interesting. The book has shown us how a warm-hearted writer can arouse(喚起) people's sympathies. The author herself had neither been to the Southern States nor seen a slave. The Southern Americans were very angry at the book, which they said did not at all represent the true state of affairs, but the Northern Americans were widely excited over it, and were so inspired by it that they were ready to go to war to set the slaves free.

1. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe became famous for .

A. she was a kind wife

B. she was a very heartedly person

C. one of her books

D. she worked for the war

2.From the passage we can know ___

A. Whether win or not doesn’t matter.

B. We don’t know which side will win.

C. The Southern States finally won.

D. The Northern States finally won.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. We must understand the importance of literature and art.

B. No war can be won without such a book as Uncle Tom's Cabin.

C. We needn't use weapons to fight things that are wrong.

D. A writer is more helpful in war than a soldier.

We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money, but most mistakes are about people.“Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?”“When I got that great job,did Jim really feel good about it，as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?” When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad.But when we look back,it’s too late.

Why did we go wrong about our friends or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don’t really listen, we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you,“You’re a lucky dog.” Is he really on your side? If he says,“You’re a lucky guy！”that’s being friendly. But“l(fā)ucky dog”? There’s a bit of envy in those words. What he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck.

“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for”is another noise that says one thing and means another.It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem.But this phrase contains the thought that your problem isn’t important.

How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says shown by the tone of voice? The look in his eyes? Stop and think.The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

1.By saying“You’re a lucky dog,”the speaker_______.

A. is just being friendly

B. expresses the same meaning as “You’re a lucky guy”

C. may has a hidden jealous feeling behind the words

D. is humorous to apply the word“dog”to people

2.In listening to a person,the important thing is______.

A. to notice his tone,his posture,and his clothes

B. to listen to how he pronounces his words

C. to check his words against his manner,his tone of voice.

D. not to believe what he says

3.This passage tries to tell you how to______.

A. avoid mistakes about both money and people

B. say things elegantly

C. keep people friendly without trusting them

D. avoid mistakes in understanding what people tell you

Wealth is what you accumulate(累積), not what you spend. If you make $1 million a year and spend $1 million, you’re not getting wealthier, you’re just living high.

The most successful accumulators of wealth spend less than they can afford on houses, cars,vacations and entertainment. Why? Because these things offer little or no return.The wealthy would rather put their money into investments(投資) or their businesses. It’s an attitude.

Millionaires understand that when you buy an expensive house, you buy an expensive life-style too.Your property taxes(財(cái)產(chǎn)稅), insurance, and the prices of nearby services tend to be higher.

The rich man’s attitude can also be seen in his car. Many drive old cars. Sam Walton, billionaire founder of the Wal-Mart Store, Inc, drove a pickup truck.

Most millionaires measure success by net worth(凈值)，not income. Instead of taking their money home, they put as much as they can into their businesses.Why? Because the government doesn’t tax wealth; it taxes income you bring home for consumption(消費(fèi)).

The person who piles up net worth fastest tends to put every dollar he can into investments, not consumption.

The best wealth-builders pay careful attention to their money and seek professional advice.

The self-made rich develop clear goals for their money.They may wish to retire early,or they may want to leave something to their children.The goals vary,but two things are consistent:they have a goal in mind-- the amount they want to save by age50, perhaps--and they work unceasingly(不斷地)toward that goal.

One thing may surprise you. If you make wealth---not just income--your goal,the expensive house you’ve been dreaming about won’t seem so attractive.You’ll have the attitude.

1.In the author’s opinion,those who spend money on expensive houses and cars_____.

A. will not be taxed by the government

B. live high and have little saved

C. Have accumulated wealth in another sense.

D. can show that they are among rich

2.The rich put their money into business because_______.

A. they are not interested in luxury houses and cars

B. they can get much in return to build their wealth

C. their goal is to develop their company

D. that is the only way to spend money yet not to be taxed by the government

3.The US government doesn’t tax what you spend money on______.

A. cars B. houses C. boats D. Stock（股票）

4.To become wealthy, one should______.

A. work hard unceasingly

B. seek as much income as he can

C. stick to the way he lives

D. save up his earnings