July 21st, 2007 was a typical English summer’s day — it rained for 24 hours! As usual, I rushed home from work at midday to check on the house. Nothing was amiss. By the time I lift work at 5 pm, however, the road into our village was flooded. Our house bad never been flooded but, as I opened the front door, a wave of water greeted me. Thank God the kids weren’t with me, because the house was 5 feet deep in water. We lost everything downstairs. And the plaster had to be torn off the walls, ceilings pulled down.
At first we tried to push on through. We didn’t want to move the children out of home, so we camped upstairs. we put a sheet of plastic across the floor to protect us from the damp. But after three months, we felt very sick, so we moved to a wooden house in a park. The house was small, but at first we were all just delighted to be in a new place. Unfortunately, things took longer than expected and we were there for 10 months. The life there was inconvenient. What surprised me most was how much I missed being part of a community（社区）.We had lived in a friendly village with good neighbours, and I’d never thought how much I’d miss that.
Although-our situation was very bad, it’s difficult to feel too sorry for yourself when you look at what’s happening elsewhere. I watched a news report about floods in Northern India and thought , “We didn’t have a straw hut（茅草房）that was swept away , and our house is still sanding . We’re lucky .”
We moved back home in August. With December coming, there’s reconstruction work to be done, so it’s difficult to prepare for Christmas. But I can’t wait — I’m going to throw a party for our friends in the village to say thanks for their support. This year , I won’t need any gifts — living away from home for months has made me realize how little we actually need or miss all our possessions . Although we are replacing things, there’s really no rush — we have our home back, and that’s the main thing.What does the underlined word “amiss” in the first paragraph mean?
| A．Wrong. | B．Missing. | C．Right. | D．Found. |
It can be inferred from the text that the author .
| A．was sick of staying upstairs |
| B．cared much about her children |
| C．could not stand living a wooden house |
| D．did not deal well with her family affairs during the flood |
Why does author say that they were lucky in the third paragraph?
| A．Because her situation was not serious. |
| B．Because many other places were flooded. |
| C．Because she had been to Northern India. |
| D．Because some others suffered even more. |
What does the author mainly want to express by telling her story?
| A．She valued human feelings more than before. |
| B．She realized she almost didn’t need possessions. |
| C．She found Christmas gifts no longer badly needed. |
| D．She thought her own home was the most important. |
You may go to karaoke or disco clubs with your friends during the summer holidays. But be careful. In these41 places you may see people selling small, colourful pills. Make sure you do not try them.
The seller42 say they are safe and can help you enjoy yourself or43 from sadness. They may even offer you a free44 , and tell you that everybody is using45 .But you must be alert to the46 that these drugs could destroy your life.
When you put them into your body, often47 swallowing, breathing in or injecting, drugs find their way into your brain.
Drugs may either speed up48 slow down your senses. Their effects are different depending on body size, shape, and chemistry.49 it can make you feel good at first, a drug can do a lot of50 to your body and brain.
One of the most popular drugs in nightclubs is the so-called head-shaking or ecstasy pill. The drug hits users with a fast high,51 them feel powerful and full of52 . Heart rate, breathing and blood pressure53 - risking damage to your nervous system. Marijuana (大麻) is a54 used illegal drug. It is called the gateway drug, because using it sometimes55 harder drugs. It is mostly smoked in a cigarette.
There is56 risk related to taking drugs that must be57 . Sharing a needle to inject a drug puts a user at a very58 risk of being affected with HIV.
Drugs may appear in many different59 , some with cool names, but taking them could60 your health forever.
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Believe it or not, the ability to choose is the power to change. If you can choose to live your life differently, will you be the same person?
Well, choosing to do the following few “simple” things will help to change your life.
Review your life. Take time to go through your life and ask yourself, “If I do the same thing I do every day, will there be a change? If I want to change, where will my first step be?”
Make careful choices. Choose exactly what you wish to get to live your life; describe and think what you really want.
Keep up with chances. Find out about the possibilities and ways that can make you move toward your goals, write them down and see which one suits you most.
Get down to business. Start working on your goals. People may bring you down; you may have difficulties; you will fail and want to give up. But the most important thing is never to give up.
If you try these “simple” things, you will find that success is something for everyone, and you will finally become what you want to be. Remember, success is more than what you hold in your hands; it is something from the heart.How many pieces of advice does the writer give on changing one’s life?
| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
Once you get down to business, the most important thing is to _____.
| A．set goals | B．see possibilities |
| C．keep on trying | D．ask for help |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to ____.
| A．change | B．choice | C．life | D．success |
This passage mainly discussed the relationship between ______.
| A．power and life | B．choice and change |
| C．power and success | D．choice and difficulty |
Every year, British newspapers report on the stranger questions asked in Oxbridge (Oxford & Cambridge) interviews. Often, though, these questions are not as strange as they first seem. And they are all designed to give applicants (申请者) a chance to think.
Arriving for her first Oxford interview, my sister Jen saw that there was only one chair in the waiting room. On the chair was a large fork. Jen had heard about the strange things in Oxbridge interviews, and believed that this was a test. “What if they’re watching me?” she thought. “If I move the fork, it will show initiative (主动性); if I don’t move it, it will show that I can easily fit into new situations.” In the end, she sat uncomfortably on the edge of the chair!
Applicants must be prepared for the unexpected. Now it was Jen’s turn. She was handed a monkey skull (颅骨) and asked to talk about it. At first, this seemed unfair --- what could she say? But she soon calmed down, started thinking, and found that there was plenty to talk about.
Oxbridge interviews are designed to find out how you think, not just what you think. And there are no wrong answers. Jen learnt that, and she passed the interview. What advice does she give? “ Don’t be nervous, and be prepared for the unexpected!”According to British newspapers, questions for Oxbridge applicants are very _____.
| A．unfair | B．normal | C．easy | D．strange |
On her first interview, Jen ____ after she entered the waiting room.
| A．moved the fork | B．sat down on the fork |
| C．sat down on the chair | D．moved the chair |
Jen learned that it was very important to _____ in order to pass the Oxbridge interviews.
| A．make up new situation | B．show how one thinks |
| C．describe what one hears | D．talk about various monkeys |
The writer uses a(n) ____ to introduce how Oxbridge applicants are interviewed.
| A．example | B．guess | C．experiment | D．survey |
| Parents Are Invited To a Lecture On Raising a Self-Disciplined Child Help Your Child Become More Responsible, Confident, and Lively  Presented by Dr Robert Brooks Robert Brooks, Ph.D., one of the two authors of Raising a Self-Disciplined Child, is a nationally famous speaker and author. This book presents parents with “ a positive approach to discipline that helps children to develop self-discipline, respect, responsibility and liveliness rather than anger.” Dr Brooks of Harvard Medical School uses real-life stories to discuss such topics as self-respect and family relationships. Copies of Raising a Self-Disciplined Child, Raising Lively Children, and other books by Dr Brooks will be available for sale and signing following the talk. Wednesday, January 12 @ 7 PM Allison Williams Activity Center Trinity School 4301 Northside Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30327 Call Ms Ginny Perkinson at 404-231-8113 for questions |
Who is this lecture intended for?
| A．Children | B．Robert Brooks | C．Ginny Perkinson | D．Parents |
This lecture is mainly about how to _____.
| A．tell stories | B．sell a book | C．raise children | D．become a writer |
People can _____ if they have questions about the lecture.
| A．visit Dr Goldstein | B．call 4301-30327 |
| C．call 404-231-8113 | D．visit Mr Williams |
Raising a Self-Disciplined Child is the name of a ______.
| A．book | B．company | C．school | D．newspaper |
The US government has started a website, Admongo, to help children think critically about the advertising aimed at them. It claims to provide visitors with an “education” through games and other amusement.
A cartoon man dressed in old time pilot clothing greets visitors to Admongo. “Call me Haiz”, he says upon arrival in a rocket ship that opens up with a crazy world inside it. Spacey dance music plays in the background as Haiz tells visitors that they need to learn about advertising.
Its inventors say eight to twelve years old is the age kids develop their critical thinking abilities. Kids that age are also a big market for advertisers.
The idea behind Admongo is to teach children three things: To identify the advertiser. To know what the advertiser is really saying. And to know what the advertisement is trying to get the child to do.
Children learn these things through a video game. They create their own game character. They can choose different skin colors, hair styles, eye and mouth shapes. Then they begin a trip through ad-land, where there are ads on buses and billboards. The players have to find all the marketing in the neighborhood before they can move on to the next level.
The Admongo game takes players inside a home, to the advertising studio and everywhere else ads can be found. It is a complete exploration of the world of marketing.
One such area is food marketing. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says it is a big business. The FTC estimates that food, drink and fast-food restaurants spent more than one and a half billion dollars on advertising to young people in 2010.
The FTC says children are important for three reasons. They buy products. They influence parents and caregivers to buy. And they are the future adult buyers of the products.
A recent study says most advertising aimed at children is for foods of the lowest nutritional value. First Lady Michelle Obama has said she would like to see advertisers marketing healthy foods for children.What is the best title of the text?
| A．The guide of Admongo |
| B．An education website for children |
| C．A popular online video game |
| D．A website aimed at children |
Why did the government start the website?
| A．To attract the biggest market of buyers. |
| B．To sell the products of its company. |
| C．To help children know about advertising. |
| D．To advertise the video game for children. |
The underlined word “identify” can be replaced by _________.
| A．recognize | B．inform | C．persuade | D．forbid |
What can players do in the website game?
| A．Choose hair styles for their character. |
| B．Travel to a supermarket. |
| C．Eat in a fast-food restaurant. |
| D．Play video games during the trip. |
Children are important for advertising because they are _________.
| A．important for the society | B．the most potential buyers |
| C．easily influenced by ads | D．easily affected by poor products |