Baseball gave him his earliest challenge. He was an excellent players in Little League. At graduation, the coach named Daniel the team’s most valuable player.

His finest hour, though, came at a school science meeting. He entered an exhibit explaining how the circulatory system works. It was traditional, especially compared to（與…相比）the modern, computerized, blinking-light models entered by other students. My wife, Sara, felt embarrassed for him.

It turned out that the other kids had made their exhibits. As the judges went on their rounds, they found that these other kids couldn’t answer their questions. Daniel answered every one. When the judges awarded the Albert Einstein Plague for the best exhibit, they gave it to him.

By the time Daniel left for college he stood six feet tall and weighed 170 pounds. He was in superb condition, but he quit baseball for English literature. I was sorry that he would not develop his athletic talent, but proud that he had made such a satisfactory decision.

One day I told Daniel that the great failing in my life had been that I didn’t take a year or two off to travel when I finished college. This is the best way, to my way of thinking, to broaden oneself. Once I had married and begun working, I found that the dream of living in another culture had disappeared. Daniel thought about this. After graduation, he worked as a waiter at college, a bike messenger and a house painter. With the money he earned, he had enough to go to Paris.

The night before he was to leave, I tossed in bed. I was trying to figure out something to say. Nothing came to mind. Maybe, I thought, it wasn’t necessary to say anything.

【1】How can we describe little Daniel?

A. He was thin and tall. B. He was slow in his study.

C. He was good at basketball D. He got on well with his classmates.

【2】Why was Daniel’s mother upset about his exhibit?

A. Because it was not to the taste of the judges. B. Because it was computerized.

C. Because it was designed by his father. D. Because it was attractive.

【3】How did the author feel about the major（專業(yè)）Daniel chose at college?

A. Angry. B. Satisfied.

C. Disappointed. D. Astonished.

【4】What can we infer according to Paragraph 6?

A. Daniel will study in Paris.

B. Daniel dropped out of college.

C. What the author said impressed Daniel greatly.

D. Daniel worked hard to pay off the money he borrowed.

【題目】語(yǔ)法填空
Traditional Chinese wedding
Traditional Chinese wedding customs are considered as the foundation of rites in traditional Chinese culture. Although varying from region to region and time to time，they have been holding an essential position in the lives of Chinese people，（cause） a far-reaching impact on the way the Chinese lead their lives．The traditional Chinese marriage usually （involve） some necessary procedures，such as match-making，engagement，meeting the bride，and three bows． addition，a typical Chinese wedding nowadays goes like this：when a new couple is engaged， follows is a （choose） of the date of their marriage．
Most people would favor a bank holiday or special Chinese festival for their relatives and friends （attend） the wedding．However，quite a few others，especiallyare in the countryside，would fix a lucky date so that their marriage would have "Double Happiness"．The wedding ceremony is usually hosted （warm），and the wedding ceremony very often ends with unique banquet．Toasts are made to wish the new couple long life，everlasting love and happiness，early birth of a （health） baby and so on．

要點(diǎn)提示：

1.個(gè)人情況：年齡、性別、學(xué)歷（高中）

2.個(gè)人條件：英語(yǔ)好、愛(ài)好運(yùn)動(dòng)、善于交往、樂(lè)于助人、熟悉當(dāng)?shù)厍闆r（有方向感）

3.承諾：提供最佳服務(wù)

注意：1. 詞數(shù)100左右，開(kāi)頭和結(jié)尾已為你寫(xiě)好（不計(jì)入總詞數(shù)），

2.可適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫；

Dear Sir./Madam,

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

Awareness can be tested by studying whether the animal recognizes itself in the mirror, that is, its own reflected image（反射出的影像）.Many animals fail this exercise bitterly, paying very little attention to the reflected image. Only humans, and some intelligent animals like apes and dolphins, have shown to recognize that the image in the mirror is of themselves.

Now another animal has joined the club. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report that an Asian elephant has passed the mirror self-reflection test.

“We thought that elephants were the next important animal,” said Dinana Reiss of the Wildlife Conservation Society, an author of the study with Joshua M.Plotnik and Fans B.M. de Waal of Emory University. With their large brains, Reiss said, elephants “seemed like cousins to apes and dolphins.”

The researchers tested Happy, Maxine and Patty, three elephants at the Bronx Zoo.They put an 8-foot-square mirror on a wall of the animals’ play area (out of the sight of zoo visitors) and recorded what happened with cameras, including one built in the mirror.

The elephants used their long noses to find what was behind it, and to examine parts of their bodies.

Of the three, Happy then passed the test, in which a clear mark was painted on one side of her face. She could tell the mark was there by looking in the mirror, and she used the mirror to touch the mark with her long nose.

Diana Reiss said, "We knew elephants were intelligent, but now we can talk about their intelligence in a better way."

【1】What can mirror tests tell us about animals?

A. Whether they have self-awareness.

B. Whether they have large brains.

C. Whether they enjoy outdoor exercises.

D. Whether they enjoy playing with mirrors.

【2】Why does the author mention apes and dolphins in the text?

A. They are most familiar to readers.

B. They are big favorites with zoo visitors.

C. They are already known to be intelligent.

D. They are included in the study by Reiss.

【3】What made Happy different from Maxine and Patty?

A. She used her nose to search behind the mirror.

B. She painted a mark on her own face.

C. She recognized her own image in the mirror.

D. She found the hidden camera.

I’m 【1】 (terrible) sorry for my using the mobile phone in your lecture last week. I admit 【2】 (make) a mistake and I accept any 【3】 (punish) for being such a rude student. But I 【4】 (use) the mobile phone on purpose. I was trying to find a part-time job and that day, a company e-mailed me a job offer and I 【5】(require) to present my further information 【6】 (immediate). As 【7】result, I had to try 【8】 ( send) them a text message in class. I promise it will never happen 【9】 me again. But I do need my phone to communicate with others. I would be grateful 【10】you could give it to me this time.

Thank you.

Tom

I was on my lunch break and had ___ the office to get something to eat . On the way, I __ a Busker(街頭藝人)，with a hat in front of him. I had some __ in my pocket but I would not give them to him, thinking to myself he would __ use the money to feed his addiction to drugs or alcohol. He __ like that type-young and ragged. ___what was I going to spend the money on ? Only to feed my addiction to Coca-Cola or chocolate! I then __ I had no right to place myself above __ just because he was busking.

I ___ and dropped all the coins into his __, and he smiled at me, I watched for a while. As __ as it sounds, I expected something more to come from that moment—a feeling of ___or satisfaction, for example. But nothing happened ___, I walked off. “It proved to be a waste of __ ,”I thought.

On my way home at the end of the __, I saw the busker again and he was __ . I watched him pick up the hat and walk ___a cafe counter. There he poured the __ contents into a tin collecting __ an earthquake fund-raising(募捐) event. He was busking for charity(慈善)！

Now I donate any __ I have to charity tins and enjoy the feeling of giving.

【1】A. cleaned B. left C. prepared D. searched

【2】A. led B. saw C. chose D. fooled

【3】A. chocolates B. tins C. coins D. drugs

【4】A. almost B. rather C. only D. still

【5】A. looked B. acted C. sounded D. smelt

【6】A. Though B. For C. But D. Therefore

【7】A. realized B. declared C. expected D. guessed

【8】A. it B. him C. all D. them

【9】A. waited B. followed C. arrived D. stopped

【10】A. hat B. rag C. pocket D. counter

【11】A. innocent B. awkward C. selfish D. special

【12】A. love B. sadness C. happiness D. hate

【13】A. Unfortunately B. Disappointedly C. Coincidentally D. Comfortably

【14】A. words B. money C. space D. effort

【15】A. moment B. event C. break D. day

【16】A. walking around B. packing up C. passing by D. running off

【17】A. to B. in C. behind D. around

【18】A. chief B. basic C. total D. actual

【19】A. by B. on C. for D. with

【20】A. work B. time C. change D. energy

【1】 At one point, I felt as though my daughter might be better off without me. If she were placed with a rich family, she would have a good life. I was unable to provide a good life for her. 【2】 She went from having a beautifully decorated bedroom of her own, to having temporary shelter. She doesn’t complain（抱怨） that I can’t afford to give her the extra things she would love to have.

Today I dug through the changes at the bottom of my purse and bought her a lollipop (棒棒糖) at the store. She’d had her eye on it the entire time we were in line to pay for it. It was anold-fashioned one that cost $1.00. 【3】 It was the end of the month and I only had $1.35 left to my family. However, she’d been such a good girl, and I really thought she deserved a special treat.

Then I reached into my purse and counted out enough for the lollipop. You would have thought I gave her the key to the magic kingdom! “ Thank you, Mommy! You’re the best mommy!” 【4】

All at once, the cloud of worries and despair that had hung over me lifted. 【5】 I was ready to continue my journey, willing to face whatever challenges may lie ahead.

A. I really couldn’t afford it.

B. I became upset at my loss.

C. I could see tears shining in her eyes.

D. She cried with joy as she hugged me with all her strength.

E. However, she never complains, although she has every right to.

F. I wouldn’t have any money coming until the first day of next month.

G. I knew without doubt at that very moment that I was the family that my little girl needed.

Paper cards are seen as wasteful and, for some people, going card-free is another way ofgoing green. They also argue that in a world of e-mail, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, peopleare in touch all the time anyway; they no longer need the yearly card that connects them with long lost friends. If you want to send Christmas greetings, there are freee-cards, which get the job done with no postage or wasted paper.

However, especially for people who didn’t grow up with e-mail, there is something missing from a Christmas e-mail. The first Christmas cards appeared in London in 1843and were designed by the same man who had introduced the world’s first postage stamp three years earlier. His name was Sir Henry Cole.Theyrose in popularity throughout the 20th century. Many people sent cards that were sold for charity (慈善). In the UK this year, in the three weeks before Christmas, the postofficeexpects to handle 100 millioncards every day.

When we think of trees at Christmas, there is one that instantly springs into mind---the evergreen tree that people decorate with ornaments and place their giftsunder.Thecustom dates back almost a thousand years to Germany. Nowadays 33 to 36 millionChristmas trees are produced in America and 50 to 60 million in Europe each year.Some trees are sold live with roots and soil so people can plant them later and reusethem next year.

Some people prefer artificial trees as they are reusable and much cheaperthan the natural ones. However, environmentalists point out that theyare made from petroleum(石油) products, thus causing many pollution problems.

【1】What is the purpose of writing the article?

A. To introduce the debate about some Christmas traditions.

B. To explain the history of two typical Christmas traditions.

C. To analyze how two Christmas traditions grew in popularity.

D. To suggest the solution to the problems caused by celebrating Christmas.

【2】What does the underlined word “They” in the fourth paragraph probably refer to?

A. Many people. B. Christmas e-mails.

C. Postage stamps. D. Christmas cards.

【3】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?

A. There is always a wider Christmas tree market in America than in Europe.

B. The custom of decorating Christmas trees first appeared in Britain.

C. Some people love to buy live trees that can be reused next year.

D. Artificial trees are better than natural ones in all aspects(方面).

【題目】閱讀理解
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
Author: Stephen King
US author Stephen King is well-known for creating contemporary horror, supernatural fiction and science fiction stories. His latest book delivers a generous collection of stories with hidden connections. The master storyteller also includes insight into why and how he came to write them.
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
Author: Rick Riordan
A troubled kid named Magnus Chase has lived alone on the streets of Boston since his mother's mysterious death. His life changes when he meets Uncle Randolph, a man his mother warned him about. Randolph reveals that Chase is the son of a Norse god. Chase is then tasked with searching for a lost weapon to save the world from monsters.
Little Victories: Perfect Rules for Imperfect Living
Author: Jason Gay
There are always moments in our lives when we feel doomed（注定） to be imperfect. In this collection of humorous essays，Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Gay tells us that, when we mess things up，we should just give ourselves a break and celebrate the things we did right.
Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words
Author: Randall Munroe
Have you ever been puzzled by complex terminology (術(shù)語(yǔ)）？ Has it prevented you from learning about science? This fascinating book provides simple explanations and line drawings to explain essential science concepts. The book's author is the man behind the popular science blog -- What If.
（1）What do the first two books have in common?
A.They are both humorous.
B.They are both science essays.
C.They are not about real life.
D.They are both collections of stories
（2）Whose book is your best choice when you feel dissatisfied with life?
A.Stephen King.
B.Jason Gay.
C.Rick Riordan.
D.Randall Munroe.
（3）What does Randall Munroe differ from the other authors?
A.He's written a story about the son of Norse god.
B.He inspires readers to live a perfect life.
C.He is well-known for supernatural fictions.
D.He writes blog posts on popular science.

增加：在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏字符號(hào)（∧），并在其下面寫(xiě)出該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線（\）劃掉。

修改：在錯(cuò)的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫(xiě)出修改后的詞。

注意：1.每處錯(cuò)誤及其修改均限一詞。

2.只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計(jì)分。

Nowadays, more and more farmers were moving to cities. The farmers have chances in cities as good as difficulties. Of course, there are more opportunity in cities because most of them can find jobs to earn more money. Besides, their children can get a good education and have brighter future. But at the same time, they meet a lot of challenges. Some remains unemployed thus they can not afford to living in cities. As far as I’m concerned, we should do something to help with them. I hope the farmers can live happy in cities.