Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. Though he had little school education, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clements, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.
Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother’s tender care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble to his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn’t like to go to school, and he ran away from home from time to time. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He was nearly drowned(淹死) nine times.
After his father’s death in 1847, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner, during this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full-time writer.
In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him a great fortune（财富）.Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments（投资） and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died and then three of their children passed away.
He died on April 21, 1910 at the age of 70.Mark Twain was ________ in his childhood.
| A．a naughty boy | B．a good student |
| C．a handsome boy | D．a strong boy |
Mark Twain began to write short stories when he _______.
| A．was at school | B．was in the army |
| C．worked for a printer | D．was a miner |
Before he became a full time writer Mark Twain had not been ___
| A．a printer. | B．a miner |
| C．a tailor | D．a soldier |
Mark Twain’s wife died _________
| A．soon after she give birth to three children |
| B．at the same time with her children |
| C．before three of her children died |
| D．after Mark Twain had died |
Wild
I was 16 when my father finally decided he would send me to wilderness camp for several months. He had threatened to do it many times before, but my mother had always managed to prevent him from doing so. This time he insisted on doing it.
The latest incident was the last straw. Impulsively(冲动地), I hade pushed Mr. Ford, my math teacher, down a flight of steps at school. He broke his arm in two places. Anyway, he had agreed not to accuse me as a favour to my dad, who was in the middle of a tight race for sheriff(执法官) in our town. But my reckless behaviour had my dad’s closest advisor talking.
“John, he’s your son and he’s a kid, but he is dragging you down,” I heard Jake Hutch tell my dad through his closed office door the night after I pushed Mr. Ford. “If you can’t make your son obey the rules, how can you make the law obeyed in this town?”
So, off to Pisgah National Forest I went. I imagined hours of untold abuse at the hands of some strong sergeants(警官). I was determined no to be broken. I was who I was.
Nearly every day for six months, a small group of other troubled teens and I carried our 30-pound backpacks on a difficult journey covering about 10 miles. We hiked in a rough wilderness that seemed untouched by civilization.
Our sergeants were firm but kind, not frightening as I had imagined. We learned how to make a fire without matches and create a shelter with branches and grass. We learned which plants were safe to eat out in the wild. I felt myself change. I was calm and often reflective. My old, impulsive self was gone.
One morning, six months later, my dad came to pick me up. I ran to hug him and saw relief and love in his eyes.
“So what’s it like being sheriff?” I asked on the ride home.
“I lost the race, Danny,” he said.
“I’m sorry, Dad.” I knew my behaviour probably had a lot to do with hid defeat.
Dad squeezed my shoulder and brought me close. “As long as I don’t ever lose you, I’m okay.”The author was finally sent to wilderness because _____.
| A．he could learn how to survive in the wild |
| B．his teacher insisted on giving him a lesson |
| C．he pushed his math teacher down the stairs |
| D．his mother feared that he would be accused |
The underlined word “reckless” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.
| A．selfish | B．careless | C．rude | D．reasonable |
What can we learn about the author from the passage?
| A．He changed a lot after the camp. |
| B．He was not satisfied with his life in the camp. |
| C．He was still what he used to be after the camp. |
| D．He made enemies with other troubled teen at the camp. |
How did the author’s father feel at the end of the story?
| A．Grateful. | B．Annoyed. |
| C．Disappointed | D．Relieved |
Applying to Stellinga College
Why Stellinga?
Thank you for your interest in Stellinga International College. As an international student, we are sure you will find our college an exciting place to study, with like-minded and ambitious people.
Preparing and submitting your application
We have tried to make the application process as easy as possible for you, but there are a number of procedures you must follow.
All our courses are taught in English, so first of all you will probably need to submit evidence of your English language ability. We require an IELTS score of 6.5. You will also have to send us your secondary school diploma, so that we can evaluated it.
We will also require a personal statement. This is a text of up to 1,000 words in which you introduce yourself, explain your interest in our college, and why you want to study your chosen course.
If you are from outside the European Union(EU), it is important that you have an entrance visa before you come to study in the Netherlands, but we will apply for this for you.
We now only accept online applications, so please ensure that you have all your documents ready to upload before you begin. Any documents that are not in English originally will also need to be translated and the translation also uploaded.
You will need a passport photograph; a copy of your passport; copies of all your certificates and diplomas; your proof of language ability; and your personal statement in English.
What happens next?
Your application will then be considered. If your initial application is successful, you will be invited for an interview. This will be conducted in English via skype, over the phone or on site. You will talk to two or three members of staff for up to 30 minutes. We aim to inform you of our decision in writing, within 4 weeks. There are several possible outcomes: you may not have been successful; you may be offered a place on the waiting list. You will need to reply to any offers within two weeks, otherwise your place may be offered to somebody else.
Good luck with your application.Which is unnecessary for people inside the EU when submitting applications?
| A．A personal statement. |
| B．An entrance visa. |
| C．Evidence of English ability. |
| D．A secondary school diploma |
If your first application is accepted, what is the next process?
| A．You will have an interview in English. |
| B．You will get the reply over the phone. |
| C．You should make a decision within 4 weeks. |
| D．You should reply to the offer the moment you get it. |
Where can we find the passage?
| A．In an educational magazine. |
| B．On a notice board. |
| C．In an English teaching book. |
| D．On a university’s website. |
Last week，all the teachers and students of our school watched a special performance by some disabled people．The first program was a dance named “The light of life”．To my surprise，all the dancers had lost one of their legs．As they were performing，I could see how they had to face so many difficulties．However，they showed us many wonderful programs．From these programs，I could see how lively their minds were．
The two persons who came out next shocked us all．The first one was a singer．He was very young but unfortunately he had lost both of his hands in a big fire．The song he brought us was “Late Autumn” and he sang it in such a low and sweet voice．Though it was warm spring， I felt a little cold when I heard the song as if it was really late autumn．“How much love and feeling is hidden in my heart? I wish to hold your hands again．” Hearing this，I couldn’t keep back my tears．
The other one was also a young man．He lost both of his arms when he was six．From then on，his feet became his “hands”．However，he could manage a number of things with his feet．What moved us most was his feet writing．The two words “Flying High” expressed his wishes．
“If your wings are gone，your heart can still fly，” said Zhang Haidi，a disabled writer．
In the world，there are many disabled people，yet most of them don't give in．They have strong wishes and beautiful dreams．Just as Zhang Haidi said they could fly．
Disability doesn't mean complete failure．Once you try hard，miracles（奇迹）will happen sooner or later．I believe where there is a will，there is a way．The teachers and studentslast week．
| A．saw a film |
| B．held a party |
| C．watched a football match |
| D．watched a performance |
Why did the writer feel cold when he heard the song “Late Autumn”?
| A．Because it was cold at that moment. |
| B．Because he had a bad cold． |
| C．Because it was late autumn and the weather was cool． |
| D．Because the song was moving． |
The underlined word “shocked” probably means．
A．surprised B．crashed
C．warned D．sounded
36．“Flying High” expressed the wish of．
A．a blind person
B．a person with no arms
C．a person without feet
D．a person with neither hands nor feetWhat do you think is the best title for this passage?
| A．An unforgettable Day |
| B．Some Disabled people |
| C．A Special Performance |
| D．A Strange Writer |
One of the most difficult problems a young person faces is deciding what to do．Some people，however, from the time they are six years old“know”that they want to be doctors or teachers or firefighters．but most of us do not get around to making a decision about a job until someone or something forces us to face the problem．
Choosing a job takes time，and there are a lot of things you have to think about as you try to decide what you would like to do．You may find that you will have to take special courses for a particular kind of work，or you may find out that you will need to get enough knowledge for a particular job．
Fortunately，there are a lot of people you can turn to for advice and help in making your decision．At most schools，there are teachers to give you information about jobs．And you can talk over your ideas with family members and friends who are always ready to listen and to offer suggestions．In the first paragraph“get round to”means ________．
| A．consider | B．go all the way |
| C．arrive at | D．remain he same |
The passage tells you that ________ for a particular job．
| A．you should have ideas when you are a child |
| B．it’s impossible for you to get enough knowledge |
| C．you have to face the problem |
| D．you may enter a class to study |
Making a decision about your job ________．
| A．needs friends | B．needs time |
| C．cost money | D．cost your ability |
Waste can be seen everywhere in the school. Some students ask for more food than they can eat and others often forget to turn off the lights when they leave the classroom. They say they can afford these things. But I don’t agree with them.
Waste can bring a lot of problems. Although China is rich in some resources(资源), we are short of others, for example, fresh water. It is reported that we will have no coal or oil to use in 100 years. So if we go on wasting our resources, what can we use in the future and where can we move? Think about it. I think we should say no to the students who waste things every day. Everybody should stop wasting as soon as possible.
In our everyday life, we can do many things to prevent waste from happening, for example, turn off the water taps when we finish washing, turn off the lights when we leave the classroom, try not to order more food than we need, and so on. Little by little, everything will be changed. Waste can be stopped one day, if we do our best.Which is not mentioned in this passage?
| A．Fresh water. | B．Forest. | C．Oil. | D．Coal. |
What may happen in 100 years?
| A．We may still have enough oil. |
| B．We may still have enough coal. |
| C．We may have a little oil. |
| D．We may have no coal or oil to use. |
Which of the following is right?
| A．Waste brings problems. |
| B．Waste can bring no problem. |
| C．China is rich in fresh water. |
| D．Students never waste things. |
Which is the best title of this passage?
| A．Stop Wasting |
| B．School life |
| C．Waste in the School |
| D．Rich Resources in China |