第二节语法填空(共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分)阅读-优题课

Since it was founded a year ago, the babysitting pool has become increasingly popular in the United States. More and more mothers have joined it and have benefited from it. What attracts them most is the idea that you pay your babysitter not in cash, but in paper cards. When you join the babysitting pool, you are given thirty cards, which are worth 30-minute babysitting time each. For each half an hour while you are gone, the babysitter gets paid one card.
There are rules regulating this service. You should not watch more than three kids at a time including your own. On big holidays, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, the babysitter should be paid twice as much, which means two cards for every half an hour. When you leave the babysitting pool, you should return all the cards. If you are out of cards, you cannot use money instead. You should have to baby-sit for others to earn enough cards so that you will have them handy when you yourself need a babysitter.
Many mothers think highly of this service. It keeps children in constant touch with one another, and makes life easier for the mothers. Since in most cases, the babysitter is the mother who watches other kids at her own home, it is still possible for her to do her own things while the kids play with each other. In fact most mother babysitters find that their own kids are less of a monster and easier to watch when they are around other playmates. Moreover, since the babysitting pool service does not involve money, it will not be a financial loss to the family.
In the past year, the babysitting pool has helped so many mothers with their work that they all think that it is indeed a good community service worth keeping.

阅读下面短文，根据以下要求：（1）汉语提示；（2）首字母提示；（3）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，所填单词要求意义准确、拼写正确。
Friday Jan. 9,2009 Cloudy
This morning, on my way to school, I saw something lying by the roadside. To my s , it was a gold necklace. I quickly picked it and looked around. No one seemed to be looking for the lost necklace. Should I hand it in to the (最近的) police station?
But classes would begin in a minutes. I had no time to deal with it. So, I decided to t it with me to school for the time being. Soon I got to school, classed began. After class, I handed in the necklace to the headmaster, (告诉) him the story. He spoke h of my honesty. When school was over, I heard our school radio station broadcast the school (新闻) that (表扬) me for doing a good deed. Mom and Dad were overjoyed to hear my story.

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）
In many countries,_ ___ is not unusual for families of different backgrounds to live together in the shared space. ____, in the United States, this idea may still be considered odd.
But this type of housing, ____(call) co-housing, is gaining ____(popular) in the United States, too. Co-housing complexes are popping up across the country. For many people, this way of life is a ___(relieve) to the busy modern lifestyle. A co-housing community has __(private) owned houses and shared land. There is often a “common house” with a kitchen and dining room, meeting room, and maybe a workshop of library or music room. About 25 co-housing communities ____(build) in recent years, and 150 more are planned.
A co-housing complex is a place ___ residents shop, cook, and eat together. Residents of a co-housing complex like its sense of shared community. Children have other kids to play ____which many families like. Other residents like the feeling of living in a “village”. Residents also say that they can live in co-housing for ___(little) money than they would pay for nearby apartments.

任务型阅读（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）
Visiting a new place can be a scary experience for a lot of people because it could include speaking in a language that most people are not comfortable with ---- English. So how can you keep away form this kind of situation? Learn how to speak English fluently. Here are 4 English speaking tips you must know to become a more confident English speaker.
1. Listen first.
One of the best English speaking tips is to listen carefully to understandable English EVERY DAY. Most people turn to textbooks to study English grammar rules, but you cannot learn the correct English pronunciation of the words merely by reading them. You do not need to learn grammar in detail because this can prevent you from speaking English fluently.
Instead, listen to how native English speakers pronounce and observe their mouth movements. Also watch English shows and movies to build on your English accent and improve your vocabulary.
2. Practice makes perfect.
Studies show that you’ll probably spend three months of practice every day in order to have strong mouth muscles. Read aloud in English for 15 to 20 minutes a day in front of the mirror, which helps in accent reduction and improves your English communication skills.
Also, practice with your friends and family. Talking with a good English speaker can help improvise (即兴发挥) your usage of words and formation of sentences.
3. Think in English.
One of the most effective English speaking tips is to think in English. What most English learners do in the early stages of learning is that they think of what they have to say in their native language, translate and then say it in English. This can be mentally tiring.
If your goal is to speak English fluently, you need to learn “thinking” in English. Make up the sentences in English as you think about them before saying them. With practice, you will be able to respond automatically in English.
4. Be more confident.
All these English speaking tips will be in vain if you are not that confident in your English speaking skills. It is quite natural to commit errors when learning a new language.
Try to relax if you’re speaking in English. When you speak at a normal speed, you’ll discover that you will be able to pronounce the words correctly and people will understand you. Most of the time, the person you are talking to is not even aware of your errors.
In a word, learning English does not happen overnight. It takes a lot of time, effort and practice. Don’t get too frustrated and never give up. Follow these English speaking tips and practice daily. Soon, you would learn to speak English fluently as if it is your own language.
English speaking tips you must know

Introduction	It’s many people’s dream to ____ the discomfort from being unable to speak English in a new place.
Tips	Listen first. v Seeking help from textbooks won’t enable you to learn the ____ English pronunciation. v Listen to how native English speakers pronounce and observe how their mouths ____. v Watch English shows and movies to improve your English accent and ____.
	Practice makes perfect. v Practice three months to ___ your mouth muscles. v Regular reading ____ can reduce accent and improve your English communication skills. v Practice with your friends and family.
	Think in English. v Thinking in your native language makes you ____ mentally. v Thinking in English will reward you with automatic ___ in English.
	Be more confident. v Committing errors is a necessary part of language learning. v Try to relax to speak at a normal speed and make yourself ____.
__	Learning English does not happen overnight.

Directions Read．the following passage．Fill．in the numbered, blanks by using the information from the passage．
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer．
Learning to improve your focus throughout the day can be a little difficult, only because we are talking about 18 to 24 hours, depending on the number of hours you sleep．However, if we break down your day into manageable time frames, it would make it much easier to learn to improve your focus．
Focus, or concentration, is a skill that can be taught, so there are some exercises you can do to improve your focus．
Start with easy exercises like staring at a picture on the wall for a few minutes without moving or talking to anyone．Once you learn how to block out your surroundings, your focus will improve．
Other mind exercises you can do are internalizing．This is when you picture yourself in a desired situation, and then you work around your picture．Actors do this a lot to block out laughter, noise, or other distractions．An example of this would be to imagine you in a potentially stressful situation, like a singer in a concert．Try to play out the scene in your mind what you would do if different scenarios were to happen．This can actually be a lot of fun．and you learn how to improve your focus by concentrating on one thing only．
If this sounds a little strange to you, you could try another strategy．Why not make lists? Make a list for the things you need to accomplish for the morning, another for the afternoon．and finally, another list for the evening．Study your lists carefully and see where you can move things around．
For instance, if you have a dinner to arrange that evening, don't bunch up everything in the afternoon, right before the guests arrive．Divide your chores and errands between morning and afternoon, and give yourself an hour or two to relax before the guests arrive．Planning helps you focus．It will also not stress you out．
Another way to improve your focus is to take breaks．If children have rest and lunch as their breaks, adults should also allow themselves the privilege of stopping for a drink or a 30 minute sitcom on TV．Of course, if you are working in an office, you are allowed coffee breaks．Use this time wisely．Don't spend it with your co-workers beside the coffee machine talking about problems in the office．Doing this would actually stress you and get you to lose focus on the things that need to be done．Your breaks should be as quiet as possible．Read a book．take a walk．or visit a daycare．Go and do anything that will give your brain a rest．
The reason why we lose focus so easily is because we have too much on our minds．Of course, it could also be because you are bored with nothing to do all day．A good balance between a too relaxed brain and an overly active brain is a desirable situation to be in．Find your capacity to work, and try not to veer away too far from it on a daily basis．Improving your focus also means knowing what you can do and being confident about doing it well．
Focus is important but difficult to improve
1． to improve your focus
I ．Staring at picture．
◆Staring at a wall picture to learn to block out surroundings
Ⅱ．．
◆Concentrating on imagining a potentially stressful work place to block out
Ⅲ．．
◆Dividing a day into for chores and errands to be done．as well as arranging time for relaxation
IV．Taking breaks．
◆Wisely using time to have a drink, watch TV quietly instead of ; just resting your brain
2． for easily losing focus
◆Having too much on minds
◆all day
Conclusion Keepingbetween extremely relaxed brain and too active brain．