How cool can libraries be in an era of iPods and Kindles? More than you think．Only if you know where to go.

Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States

The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours. It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Ramus. Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening. The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the Chocolate cart for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime.

Trinity College Library: Dublin, Ireland

The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 of the library's oldest books. The Long Room houses one of the oldest harps（豎琴）in Ireland. Dating to the 15th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol foreland.

Geisel Library, University of California: San Diego, United States

At first glance, it looks like a spaceship. Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970. It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels. The library hosts “Dinner in the Library,” which invites readers for cocktails, and also a special speech from distinguished authors．

TU Delft Library: The Netherlands

The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997 and has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum．The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can't really see the actual Library. What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill. The roof covers 5,500 square meters. And it has become one of the most striking and greenest structures in the area.

1.Which of the four libraries has the longest history?

A. Central Library B. Trinity College Library

C. Geisel Library D.TU Delft Library

2.What makes Geisel Library different from the others is that _____________.

A. Queen Elizabeth I founded the library

B. it has a roof of grassy hill

C. famous writers often deliver speeches there

D. it is the largest single library in the world

3.In Central Library, you can _________________.

A. drink cocktails B. buy souvenirs

C. enjoy sci-fi films D. see the old harp

“A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smart phone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website” is the definition of “selfie” in the Oxford English Dictionary. In fact, it wasn't even in the dictionary until August of last year. It earned its place there because people are now so obsessed with (對……癡迷) selfies ─ we take them when we try on a new hat, play with our pets or when we meet a friend whom we haven't seen in a while.

But is there any scientific explanation for this obsession? Well, you should probably ask James Kilner, a neuroscientist(神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)科學(xué)家) at University College London.

Through our lifetime we become experts at recognizing and interpreting other people's faces and facial expressions. In contrast, according to Kilner, we have a very poor understanding of our own faces since we have little experience of looking at them ─ we just feel them most of the time.

This has been proved in previous studies, according to the BBC.

Kilner found that most people chose the more attractive picture. This suggests that we tend to think of ourselves as better-looking than we actually are. To further test how we actually perceive our own faces, Kilner carried out another study. He showed people different versions of their own portrait ─ the original, one that had been edited to look less attractive and one that was made more attractive ─ and asked them to pick the version which they thought looked most like them. They chose the more attractive version.

But what does it say about selfies? Well, isn't that obvious? Selfies give us the power to create a photograph ─ by taking it from various angles, with different poses, using filters (濾色鏡) and so on ─ that better matches our expectations with our actual faces.

“You suddenly have control in a way that you don't have in non-virtual(非虛擬的) interactions," Kilner told the Canada-based CTV News. Selfies allow you “to keep taking pictures until you manage to take one you're happy with”, he explained.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. The definition and fun of taking selfies.

B. A study of why people love taking selfies.

C. How taking selfies influences people’s daily lives.

D. How to interpret people’s facial expressions in their selfies.

2.The underlined word “perceive” in Paragraph 5 can be replaced by “______”.

A. interpret B. beautify C. choose D. explain

3.What did Kilner discover from his researches?

A. People tend to believe they look more attractive than they actually are.

B. People tend to spend more time looking at their faces than at others’.

C. People interpret others’ facial expressions worse than their own.

D. People who like taking selfies know more about their facial expressions.

4.According to Kilner, people like taking selfies probably because they think ______.

A. it is a good chance to learn more about their actual faces

B. it allows them to satisfy their expectations with their appearances

C. it enables them to interact with their friends in social media

D. it is a way to respond to others’ facial expressions correctly

Canadian short story writer Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Eighty-two-year-old Munro is only the 13th woman to win the 112-year-old prize．

Munro didn’t publish her first collection of short stories until she was 37 years old, but her stories have always been well-received. Lots of her stories share similar themes and characters, but each story has its own twists and turns.

Even though she’s won Canada’s most famous literary award, the Giller Prize, twice, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature is the cherry on top of Munro’s career. “It brings this incredible recognition，both of her and her career，and of the dedication to the short story, ”said one person.

Along with the well-respected title comes 1.3 million dollars. Munro said everything was “so surprising and wonderful” and that she was “dazed by all the attention and affection that has been coming my way.”

Munro knew she was in the running—she was named the second-most likely person to win this year’s prize, after Haruki Murakami（村上春樹）of Japan—but she never thought that she would win.

Munro’s win also represents the long way Canadian writers have come. “When I began writing there was a very small community of Canadian writers and little attention was paid by the world. Now Canadian writers are read, admired and respected around the globe,” Munro said on Thursday.

She is technically not the first Canadian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, but many like to think that she is．In 1976 Saul Bellow, who was born in Quebec but moved to Chicago when he was still a child, won the prize. Even though he was born in Canada, he is mostly considered to be an American writer.

“This is a win for us all. Canadians, by our very nature，are not very nationalistic,” said Geoffrey Taylor. “But things like this suddenly make you want to find a flag．”

She wasn’t sure whether she would keep writing if she won the prize，saying that it would be “nice to go out with a bang. But this may change my mind.”

1.What is the feature of Munro’s stories？

A. They have specific themes for children．

B. They have similar story backgrounds．

C. They have their own complicated contents．

D. They have the same characters in each book．

2.For Munro, the Nobel Prize for Literature is an award for______．

A .her love for Canadian culture

B. her devotion to the short story

C. her special form of writing

D. her career of editing short stories

3.What is implied in the sixth paragraph？

A. Canadian writers have long been ignored．

B. Canadian writers are just a small community．

C. Canadian writers paid little attention to the prize．

D. Canadians have a long way to win the prize．

4.What does the passage mainly tell us？

A. How Alice Munro wins the Nobel Prize for Literature．

B. An introduction to the Nobel Prize for Literature．

C. Alice Munro wins the Nobel Prize for Literature．

D. A world-famous writer, Alice Munro．

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)。

This is the season for giving. Looking to get in touch with your generous side? Learn these four habits of truly thoughtful gift givers.

1. 1.

Considerate gift giving is as much about planning as it is about how well you know the person. Take time to think about his or her personality and interests to figure out how he or she will get the most value.

2. They don’t focus on cost.

The practice of thoughtful giving offers a wealth of benefits, but that doesn’t mean givers should focus on expensive gifts. 2. It seems that having more cash could actually reduce compassion(同情). And isn’t compassion what this time of year is all about? So don’t take it too hard if you don’t have a lot to spend. 3.

3. They make gifts personal.

Gifting is an opportunity to let a person know how much you appreciate and love him, and show how well you know him. 4. Book a massage (按摩), take them to a wine tasting event, or get a couple of tickets to a concert or show. If you’re buying for a parent, taking their kids for an evening could be the best gift of all.

4. They think about the presentation.

5. See what you have around your house to customize packaging. You can use pretty towels to cover something like a bottle of wine. You can also tie on a decoration that fits the theme of your gift.

A. They plan ahead.

B. Instead, get creative.

C. They enjoy giving more than receiving.

D. In fact, thoughtful gift givers don’t concentrate on the cost of presents.

E. Thoughtful gift givers pay attention to detail, including how their gifts are packaged.

F. Make a list of your ideas ahead of time to make sure you find the perfect fit for everyone.

G. If you’re buying for someone who seems to have everything, consider gifting an experience.

完形填空

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個選項(xiàng) (A、B、C和D)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

As I rushed among the tables, suddenly, a ________ asked if I could mind a child. I was quite ________ but I could tell the man was quite desperate. So I had to make a________ with him that if he wanted his son to stay and wait for him, he had to ________ something in the shop．

This was quite ________ for the man to do; I could ________ he was quite poor by the ________ he was dressed. It looked as if he had tried to come in his ________ clothes. But they still looked a bit old and worn out ________ he had often worn them, just to make himself look best. Looking down I could see his________ were also a bit torn and the heels were in a terrible state. I thought he was going for a job interview. In the end he bought a small box of ________ for his little son and seated him down in the corner. I could tell the boy was feeling down and only could ________with a bit of cheering up．

Seeing that the kid sat there for quite a while, I was a bit ________ as the poor little kid was sitting________ his own. People watched him and some kids even came over to pick on him. I was ________ to see one of them even knocked his cookies off the table．He quickly went and got them back without saying a word．I was hoping his father would________ up and come back for his son's ________ .

At closing time, the only person left was the little boy．After a while, the father finally came in with a tiresome look. I ________ he didn't get any job．As they were leaving, I offered the kid a little cake, but the man rejected it. I________ he felt as if I had just abused him．Of course I didn't mean to．But I could understand why he felt like that．I only wished them good ________ whatever happened．

The man opened the door to leave－father and son hand in hand．

1.A. good B. bad C. new D. casual

2.A. commitment B. appointment C. preference D. success

3.A. managed B. agreed C. hesitated D. decided

4.A. did B. mentioned C. shared D. missed

5.A. greet B. inspire C. introduce D. remember

6.A. kindness B. happiness C. stories D. sadness

7.A. still B. often C. never D. even

8.A. whispered B. explained C. reported D. replied

9.A. surprise B. challenge C. concern D. moment

10.A. cashier B. customer C. beggar D. secretary

11.A. mark B. sign C. symbol D. flag

12.A. paying for B. picking up C. paying off D. picking out

13.A. occasionally B. usually C. probably D. hardly

14.A. unoccupied B. unnoticed C. unorganized D. unquestioned

15.A. wisdom B. existence C. generosity D. appreciation

16.A. society B. love C. holiday D. family

17.A. encouraging B. inviting C. helping D. affecting

18.A. dropped B. bought C. found D. fell

19.A. strange B. lucky C. cool D. funny

20.A. after B. though C. unless D. when

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

Many people travel during the holiday season but do not make sure that their houses and homes __1._ (protect). Crime goes up __2._ (rapid) during the winter and summer holiday seasons. Here are some things that you should keep in mind when you go __3.__ a holiday.

Always give __4. (strange) the feeling that you are at home. Have the snow __5. __(clean) off your stairs or out of your driveway during the winter season. You might ask someone to park __6._ cars in your driveway.

Tell your newspaper deliverer that you are not at home. __7.__ (have) a pile of newspapers and other mail on your doorsteps tells people that you are not at home, so you could also have a neighbor __8.__ a relative get your mail every day.

Fix a timer in some of your rooms _9.___ turns lights on and off during different times of the day. Some TVs also come with a timer that you could set to be turned on during certain times. Have motion (運(yùn)動) sensitive lights outside your house that keep thieves away__10.__you are not at home.

短文改錯

假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文， 請你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處語言錯誤，每句中最多有兩處。每處錯誤僅涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加: 在缺詞處加一個漏字符號(∧)，并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除: 把多余的詞用斜線( \ )劃掉。

修改: 在錯詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意: 1. 每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

2. 只允許修改10處，多者(從第11處起)不計分。

Dear Jack,

Welcome to my school! Upon your arrival, there will be a party for you organizing by my classmates. You may attend to English classes to feel a differently learning style. After that, you can go to your host family that you can experience the Chinese way of life. You can have meals together chatting about whatever interest you.

The host family will also show you off some famous scenic spots. You can see people selling kites everywhere because our city was home to kites．There are varieties of kites to choose. So isn’t that a good idea to buy some for your friends? Write to me unless you have any questions about the schedule．

Yours,

Li Hua

書面表達(dá)

請你為《21st Century》寫一篇報道, 介紹我校為高三學(xué)生創(chuàng)立的 “心靈城堡（Soul Castle）”專欄(column)，并談?wù)勛约旱母邢搿?/p>

內(nèi)容要點(diǎn)包括：

1.開設(shè)目的：緩解壓力, 確保健康 2. 專欄優(yōu)勢：專業(yè)指導(dǎo)

3. 專欄內(nèi)容：建議, 心聲 4. 你的感想

注意：

1. 詞數(shù)120左右

2. 開頭語已為你寫好(不計入總詞數(shù))

Our school has set up a column called “Soul Castle” for senior 3 students.

---Oh, you sounded just like a native.

---_________. I still have trouble expressing myself.

A. Well, not quite B. I don’t care

C. Yes, you’re right D. I’m glad you like it.

New York State has passed a law requiring that all legal contracts _______ in simple, understandable English.

A. be written B. written

C. to be written D. write