________, I could not memorize the text.

     A．However hard did I try               B．However hard I tried

     C．However I tried hard                 D．However I had tried hard   

       In modern society, it is necessary for middle school students to take part in academic activities and enrich their knowledge. There are many academic clubs that students can participate in. Students can choose clubs that focus on an area of interest.

Mathcounts Club

       Mathcounts tries to increase excitement towards mathematic achievement. It hopes to provide students with the foundation for success in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers. Schools select individuals and teams to participate in competitions. Local competitions are held in February with winners progressing to state competitions and then on to the national level. Mathcounts works to challenge student math skills, develop self-confidence and give rewards for their achievements.

Envirothon

       The Envirothon program focuses on natural resources knowledge and exposes students to diverse environmental issues, ecosystems, and topography. The ecology field competition for five-member middle school teams offers competitions in wildlife, soils, forestry, current environmental issues and aquatics. Students work and learn in middle school clubs and can compete at the local and state level.

Future Problem Solvers

       Future Problem Solvers is an academic club that uses a six-step process to solve problems that may happen in the future. Students who are in the talented and gifted program, who like to “think out of the box,” or who enjoy thinking about futuristic problems may like this club. Teams comprised of four students read future scenes and write up solutions in a booklet using the six-step process. Teams that score high enough can go to the state competition and then to the international competition.

Builders Club

       Builders Club is open to any middle school student who wishes to perform community service. Each Builders Club is co-sponsored by a Kiwanis club and the middle school. The members learn by doing, and they learn organization, teamwork, and leadership. Builders Clubs can sponsor a "Teacher of the Year" program, provide a recycling collection point, organize canned food and clothing drives to support local shelters, adopt a resident at a local senior citizens home, adopt a highway, tutor, etc.

       Middle school academic clubs offer students a place to explore interests or talents. The clubs that join in middle school can help guide choices in high school and beyond.

59. The students who are not interested in competitions would like to choose___________.

       A. Mathecounts Club                     B. Builders Club

       C. Future Problem Solvers             D. Envirothon

60. Why do some of the students choose Mathcounts Club?

       A. To be successful in science careers.

       B. To enjoy solving future problems.

       C. To perform community service.

       D. To study wildlife and soils.

61. What is the common feature of the four clubs?

       A. Competitions                             B. Sponsorship

       C. Scientific researches                  D. Teamwork.

62. The passage mainly talks about___________.

       A. the state academic competitions          B. middle school clubs

       C. extra – curricular activities                   D. the gifted students

第三部分：閱讀理解（共20小題；每小題2分，滿分40分）

         閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項。

         When I worked in Swaziland, one day we went to an orphanage （孤兒院）．There we found a beautiful little girl named Tanzile．I gave her a sweet and she said something back to me in Si-swati, which the nurse next to me translated, “She wants another one — to give to her little sister．” I said “of course”．When we were going to leave, we passed by Tanzile’s house to say goodbye．To our surprise she seemed to be holding on to that extra sweet I had given her．I remember saying to the nurse “this little darling is clever — she has taken two for herself．”

         But the nurse told us, “Tanzile is 7 now．Two years ago her mum and dad both died of AIDS．She was separated from her sister who was three at the time．Tanzile has not laid eyes on her since．But from then on whenever Tanzile receives anything from anyone, including food — she refuses to accept it, unless they give her two．” In fact, in the little mud hut where she lives, we find a pile of old things which she has been collecting to give to her sister one day．

         People sometimes look at faces of African children and think that they are somehow different from our kids — that somehow they don’t feel pain or love．But that is not true．Their pain is deep．And so is their love．I can still remember the nurse trying to convince her that “if someone gives you food, you must accept it — even if it is only one piece and not two — for your own health．” And it was so hard for us to keep the tears from our eyes as she shook her head．Her hope and her love was all that she had．It mattered more than anything else．When I returned home that day, I was shocked to find that this was not an isolated story but others in the hospital knew of orphans just like Tanzile — waiting with a little pile of things in their hut, for their lovers who they haven’t seen so long．

         I think of that old song — “when we’re hungry, love will keep us alive．”

56．From the passage we can learn Tanzile        ．

         A．is very clever                          B．knows her sister has died

         C．has stored a lot for her sister           D．doesn’t like sweets

57．How old was her sister when the author met with Tanzile?

         A．Three years old．           B．Four years old．

         C．Five years old．             D．Six years old．

58．What has the author learned from her experience in Africa?

         A．Love is more important in life than anything else．

         B．African children are different in a way．

         C．African children should be treated fairly．

         D．We should express our love in time．

59．The best title for the passage would be         ．

         A．Give every child two sweets        B．Tanzile’s love for her sister

         C．One for my sister                D．Change your attitude to African children

                               If you have ever been rock climbing, then you will know that it is not a very easy sport. In fact you probably felt quite defeated when you first tried to do any serious climbing. Indoor and outdoor rock climbing are both extremely demanding and, like anything else, require practice, to get good at. What most people don’t know is that the sport of rock climbing is one of the most physically and mentally demanding sports there is.

There are three basic types of rock climbing. Top roping is probably one of the most common types and is basically climbing with a partner. The second type, which is very similar to top roping, is called lead climbing. In both of these types of rock climbing the climber can sit off the wall and rest on the rope.

The third type of rock climbing is called bouldering. Bouldering is a type of free climbing without any ropes. This is the most demanding of all climbing types. The climber must be able to complete the climbing without taking a rest on the rope.

Believe it or not, climbing is said to be about 75% legs and only 25% arms. To climb efficiently and successfully, a person needs to have a wonderful technique. One of the major rules of rock climbing is to always have three points touching the wall, whether it is both feet and one hand, or one foot and both hands, as it is much easier to have your weight rest on three points than on two. Another important idea to grasp is that your arms in most cases will do the climbing; they only hold you into the wall so that your legs are actually pushing you upward. Also, the closer you are to the wall, the easier it is to climb.

Rock climbing may sound a bit too extreme for the everyday person but it really is an amazing workout. Once you get into the sport, and learn how to position your body and rest your weight, then you can begin to deal with some difficult problems. The great thing about rock climbing is that it is mentally challenging as well. You are constantly analyzing the way your body moves and how to do certain moves on the wall. For anyone who wants to get into shape, rock climbing is a fun and effective way to exercise muscles.

41．What does the author think of rock climbing?

       A．It is an easy sport.          B．It is challenging.

       C．It is quite dangerous.       D．It is extremely difficult.

42．According to this passage, we know that __________.

       A．indoor rock climbing is much easier than outdoor rock climbing

       B．while rock climbing, people depend mainly on their arms

       C．ordinary people can practise rock climbing

       D．during climbing, the climber can always stop for a rest

43．It is much easier for a rock climber if he ___________ while climbing.

       A．takes a rope            B．has a partner

       C．has three points touching the wall   D．uses feet more often

44．___________ will make rock climb easier.

       A．Keeping the body closer to the wall   B．Resting more often on the arms

       C．Resting more often on the feet     D．Pushing forward without thinking of the problems

45．By rock climbing, one can _____________.

       A．get more weight and stronger muscles        B．get both physical and mental exercises

       C．have a terrible experience that will last long.   D．probably feel quite defeated

                       Phys ed (physical education) is making a comeback as a part of the school core curriculum(核心課程)， but with a difference. While group sports are still part of the curriculum, the new way is to teach skills that are useful beyond gym class. Instead of learning how to climb a rope, children are taught to lift weights, balance their diets and build physical endurance(忍耐力). In this way，kids are given the tools and skills and experiences so they can lead a physically active life the rest of their life.

Considering that 15 percent of American children 6 to 18 are overweight, supporters say more money and thought must be put into phys ed curriculum. In many cases, that may mean not just replacing the old gym-class model with fitness programs but also starting up phys ed programs because school boards often "put P.E. on the chopping block(砧板), cutting it entirely or decreasing its teachers or the days it is offered," says Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, the executive director of Action for Health Kids. The difference in phys ed programs is partly due to the lack of a national standard. "Physical education needs to be part of the core curriculum," she added.

The wisdom of the new approach has some scientific support. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have showed how effective the fit-for-life model of gym class can be. They observed how 50 overweight children lost more weight when they cycled and skied cross-country (越野)than when they played sports. The researchers also found that teaching sports like football resulted in less overall movement, partly because some reluctant students were able to sit on the bench.

    Another problem with simply teaching group sports in gym class is that only a small percentage of students continue playing them after graduating from high school. The new method teaches skills that translate to adulthood.

31.According to the passage, what is usually taught in the old gym class?

A. Lift weights   B. Climb a rope   C. Cycle        D. Have a balanced diet

32. What does Alicia Moag-Stahlberg mean by saying “some school boards put P. E. on the chopping block”?

   A. Schools do not pay enough attention to P. E..

   B. Schools welcome P. E. but do not have time for it.

   C. Schools put P.E. in the first place.

   D. Schools cut down other subjects’ time for P.E..

33. Which is NOT the reason to carry out phys ed programs according to the passage?

   A. More teenagers are overweight.

   B. Traditional group sports teaching is not effective.

   C. Students need to learn some skills to help them lead a physically active life.

   D. Phys ed programs need less money to support.

34. How many problems are mentioned in the passage with simply teaching group sports?

   A. Two     B. Three      C. Four      D. One

35. What’s the difference between the come-back phys ed and the ordinary gym-class model？

   A. The Phys ed teaches group sports.

   B. The Phys ed provides more fitness programs.

   C. The Phys ed teaches tools and skills which could be used in the future life.

   D. The Phys ed has more support from the government.

第二節(jié) 語法填空(共10小題；每小題l 5分．滿分l5分)

       閱讀下面短文，按照句子結(jié)構(gòu)的語法性和上下文連貫的要求，在空格處填入一個適當?shù)脑~或使用括號中詞語的正確形式填空，并將答案填寫在答題卡標號為16—25的相應(yīng)位置上。

       Tony, a robot made by Larry Belmond’s company, was expected to do house work. And it was tested out by Larry’s wife, Claire, when he was    16    (absence) for three weeks. The handsome and smooth-haired Tony left Claire     17    (alarm) at first sight of Tony because he was too handsome for a machine. When Tony offered to help her dress, Claire felt embarrassed.

       But when Tony’s sympathy won her trust Claire told Tony how she and her home weren’t elegant(優(yōu)雅的，極好的) and how she envied Gladys Claffern, one of the richest and most powerful women around. As Tony made effort to help Claire get herself and her home       18       (improve), Claire began to feel her earlier attitude  19      Tony really absurd(荒唐可笑的，荒唐的，不合理的).

       Then one day, Claire got protected from a rude salesman by ringing   20       Tony and asking the man to speak to Tony but found her “affair” with Tony discovered as she turned     21          to see Gladys Claffern standing nearby. But then Claire,  22          (advise) by Tony, arranged a party to invite Gladys and her friends to the house when it was           23         (complete) transformed.

       The love scene well planned by Tony without Claire’s knowledge won Claire a sweet victory as her guests had seen everything, but she shouted “Leave me alone!” and cried her heart out.   24        Tony caused no risk to Claire’s marriage; he was finally taken back to the company to be   25       (built), for he was a heartbreaker for women!

With world economic crisis_________, people appeal to the government for more unemployment benefits.

       A．worsening     B．worsened        C．gone bad        D．went bad

一How will she behave in case of our failure?

—She’ll put the blame on us if it       badly．

       A．turns up        B．turns down           C．turns off   D．turns out

I remember sometimes feeling _____ to grow up and be independent.

   A. in a hurry          B. in a rush            C. in a minute         D. in a moment

——What do you think of Harry Potter and Philosopher’s Stone?

   ——Fantastic. Steven Kloves_______ each character in the movie impressive through lively dialogues and fascinating plots.

A. makes             B. would make             C. made                       D. had made