In America, when the eighth graders leave the middle school, they are often worried about moving to the high school. It is a hard time for them, but it can be an exciting one as well. To make it easier, students need to get familiar with their school.

Even though they’ve done this already in the middle school, it’s still important to find where their classrooms are. Most schools take students to the high school for a visit at the end of their eighth grade year. And, most schools also have a freshman (新生) speech for parents and students before the first year begins. Sometimes the main office will give away a map of the school. This can help students and parents to find different places in the school.

One way to know your high school more and make new friends is to join a club or play a sport. Schools often offer chances to join different clubs and sports. Fall activities begin in August before the first day of school. If you are not interested in sports, there are clubs for any interest, such as drama, dance, chess, photography, community service, etc. These clubs allow students from different grades. By joining an activity, students can find new friendships, not to mention improving their chances in future college applications (申請(qǐng)). The school office will have a list of activities offered at the school and information on how to join them.

What’s more, to have a great start to a high school year, students can write down some of their worries, and ask for help from teachers and school workers.

According to the text, most students feel ________ when entering the high school.

A. excited          B. nervous          C. lonely           D. disappointed

Which of the following is TRUE about the school clubs?

A. There are fewer students from higher grades in the school clubs.

B. The school clubs in high school only welcome sports fans.

C. Summer activities begin before school starts.

D. The school office can help new students join school clubs.

When do many schools take students to visit their new high school?

A. Before the eighth grade year starts.

B. Right after the high school year starts.

C. At the beginning of the new term in the high school.

D. At the end of their eighth grade year

The main offices will give away maps of their schools________.

A. only to help students to find different places of the schools

B. only to help parents to find different places of the schools

C. to help students and parents to find different classrooms of the schools

D. to help students and parents to find different places of the schools

What is the purpose of this text?

A. To tell the new students how to learn in high school

B. To introduce new schools.

C. To give the teachers some advice.

D. To give advice to new high school students.

It was the first time in two years that I________ my youngest son face to face.

   A. have seen      B. had seen       C. saw           D. see

We should keep an open mind about some strange old wives tales,       they do have some truth in them.

    A．a(chǎn)nd  B．so   C．because  D．until

Over the past decades, sea ice_______ in the Arctic as a result of global warming.

A. had decreased                 B. decreased

C. has been decreasing             D. is decreasing

NPR has ended its contract with Juan Williams, one of its senior news analysts, after he made comments about Muslims on the Fox News Channel．

NPR said in a statement that it gave Mr． Williams notice of his ending in this organization on Wednesday night．

The move came after Mr． Williams, who is also a Fox News political analyst, appeared on the “The O’Reilly Factor” on Monday． On the show, the host, Bill O’Reilly, asked him to respond to the idea that the United States was facing a “Muslim dilemma（窘境）．”Mr． O’Reilly said, “The cold truth is that in the world today jihad（圣戰(zhàn)）, helped and encouraged by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet．”

Mr． Williams said he agreed with Mr． O'Reilly．

He continued: “You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country． But when I get on the plane． I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim clothing and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and known as Muslim． I get worried． I get nervous． ”

Mr． Williams also made reference to the Pakistani immigrant who was guilty this month trying to plant a car bomb in Times Square． “He said the war with Muslims, America's war is just beginning, first drop of blood． I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts,” Mr． Williams said．

NPR said in its statement that the remarks “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and weakened his reputation as a news analyst with NPR”

The public radio organization said it thanked him for many years of service． Mr． Williams did

not immediately respond on Wednesday night to an e-mail seeking comment．

Mr． Williams' contributions on Fox raised eyebrows at NPR in the past． In February 2009, NPR said it had asked that he stop being identified on “The O’Reilly Factor” as a “senior correspondent for NPR,” even though that title was accurate．

According to the passage, NPR is probably_       ．

   A． a TV station            B． a public radio organization      

    C． a newspaper         D． a website

NPR has ended its contract with Juan Williams because

   A． Juan Williams made comments on the Fox News Channel without NPR's permission

   B． NPR was disappointed about Juan Williams’ performance in its programs

   C． Juan Williams' remarks about Muslims ruined NPR's reputation

   D． Juan Williams' comments and performances didn't agree with NPR's traditions

What can we infer from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5'?

   A． Juan Williams is afraid of taking a plane．

   B． It’s very easy to recognize Muslims because their clothes are special．

   C． Muslims are sometimes considered dangerous to the safety of the world．

   D． Juan Williams looks down upon Muslims．

The best title of the passage is        ．

    A． NPR ended its contract with Juan Williams

    B． Muslims are the biggest threat to the world

    C． Juan Williams, the senior news analyst of NPR

    D． Fired from NPR, Juan Williams keeps talking on Fox

The girl had hardly rung the bell __________ the door was opened suddenly, and a birthday party was waiting for her．

    A． until       B． since  C． when   D． after

More than seven in ten get angry ________ to wait longer than one minute for a web page to  be downloaded.

A. if forced        B. unless forced        C. once forcing         D. until forcing

Almost    everyone has his own strengths and weakness．It is          others are weak that maybe you have a great advantage.

    A．a(chǎn)s   B．where    C．that     D．what

The teacher knows that you are always the first ________ to the classroom since last september.

A. coming           B. to come          C. came             D. has come

Too cold for recess?  School policies vary as much as temps

When is it too cold for schoolchildren to go outside for recess（課間休息）? The answer varies widely based on where a school is located and what the kids are used to.

Consider:  One northern Minnesota school says it has to be 15 below zero before kids are kept inside. But in areas along the East Coast, temperatures below 35 to 40 degrees could keep kids inside. Canceling recess because of the cold is no small issue considering that much of the USA is trembling through what may be its coldest winter in a generation, according to AccuWeather.

There is no national temperature standard for when to keep kids inside during the winter months, the U.S. Department of Education says. Decisions are made at the local level, either by principals or school districts.

Consequently, policies are all over the map:

?? In International Falls, Minn., the self-described "Icebox of the Nation," where the average high temperature in January is 13 degrees, Falls Elementary School Principal Jerry Hilfer says, "if it's 15 below (or warmer), they go out, no matter what." "At 20 below, it gets iffy," he adds.

?? In Wicomico County, Md., principals typically keep children indoors when temperatures drop below freezing, or if it's raining or snowing, says Susan Jones, the school system's director of elementary education.

"That's the bottom line," says Curtis Twilley, principal of Pemberton Elementary School in Salisbury, Md. Twilley says students get little exercise when recess stays indoors. At Pemberton Elementary, the students will typically play board games or computer games in a classroom because the school's gym is occupied with other classes, he says.

?? For schools in Marquette, Mich., which averages about 12 feet of snow per season, school officials acknowledge students are probably a little more prepared than those in some more mild climates.

Which of the following is not true according to the passage_________.

A. No national temperature standard is made for when to keep kids inside during the winter months.

B. Susan Jones insists students get little exercise when recess stays indoors.

C. In Wicomico County, children are kept indoors when temperatures dip below freezing.

D. Mich has about 12 feet of snow per season on average.

Which place calls itself Box of Ice?

Wicomico County  B. Marquette    C.Salisbury       D. Minn

Considering_______, canceling recess In USA because of the cold is a big issue.

A. different schools have different principles.

B. much of the USA has very cold winter.

C. physical activity can boost student performance.

D. decisions are made at the local level,

The underlined word iffy means _______.

A. uncertain        B. surprising  C.  serious     D. worse

What will be talked about next?

A. More school policies 

B. The reasons why school policies vary.

C. Measures to improve the situation.

D. Necessities to improve the situation