For Chinese students the end of their senior year is filled with studying and stress as they prepare for the college entrance exams in June. But for American high school seniors the experience couldn't be more different. The end of senior year is a celebration of their time in high school and involves parties, games and fun.
Senioritis(高年级倦怠症) is a commonly used expression. It means seniors have a disease which makes them unable to do work. This starts in April when seniors find out whether they have been accepted to university.
Unwilling to do school work, seniors have plenty of other activities to focus on.Many schools have a "Senior Show", in which only seniors are allowed to perform. Some seniors sing or dance but many of them perform skits (滑稽短剧), where they make fun of their favorite teachers or their friends. For example, a group of boys may dress up and imitate（模仿） a group of their girl friends. It is all very light-hearted.The "Senior Show" is usually a part of Senior Week, which is a week specifically dedicated (专用的) to seniors. During this week, seniors usually get academic or athletic awards they have won over their high school careers. The seniors also vote for one of their male and female classmates who they believe is the best-looking or funniest or most involved, etc. These are then published in the yearbook.
The yearbook is an important part of high school for seniors. It is usually dedicated to them and has all their pictures and some words from them in it. Then seniors go around and get it signed by their friends so they can always remember their time together.
Of course during all of this time, seniors are preparing for the Senior Prom（正式舞会）, which is an important moment in American culture. It is the most important dance in a young American's life.
The end of senior year is a truly special and wonderful time for American students. It's something they will remember for the rest of their lives.Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined sentence in paragraph 1?
| A．For American high school seniors, things are quite different. |
| B．It doesn't make difference at the end of the senior year. |
| C．For American high school seniors, it is the best time of the year. |
| D．It is the period filled with stress and workload. |
Why are seniorities unable to do work?
| A．Because they have a "disease". |
| B．Because they are busy for the university. |
| C．Because it is illegal for them to work. |
| D．There's too much for them to learn in high school. |
What activities that seniors would like to do according to the passage?
| A．School work. | B．Voting for the film star. |
| C．Singing or dance contests. | D．Senior Show and Senior Prom. |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．All students are allowed to perform in the Senior Show. |
| B．The yearbook is a reminder for the seniors. |
| C．Seniors elect the Prom Queen at the end of the Senior Prom. |
| D．Senior Prom is the most important dance for the seniors . |
What will most probably be talked about in the next paragraph of the passage?
| A．Activities on the sports field. |
| B．The graduation ceremony where they receive their high school diploma. |
| C．Their favorite film stars. |
| D．The health of seniors. |
Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there are a whole lot of antique（古董）shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception. I was quite wrong. The man wouldn’t even look at my chair.
The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth—so I decided that my approach must be wrong.
I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair?” “Twenty pounds,” I said. “OK,” he said. “I’ll give you twenty pounds.” “It’s got a slightly broken leg,” I said. “Yes, I saw that. It’s nothing.”
Everything was going according to the plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done.” “I’ll buy it,” I said. “What do you mean? You’ve just sold it to me,” he said. “Yes, I know but I’ve changed my mind. I am sorry. I’ll give you twenty-seven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy,” he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair.” “You’re right,” I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, ‘Would you mend this chair for me?’” “I wouldn’t have agreed to do it,” he said. “We don’t do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I’ll mend this for you. Shall we say for a fiver?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.
1. We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer .
A. was rather impolite
B. was warmly received
C. asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair
D. asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair
2. The underlined word “approach” in the second paragraph means .
A. plan for dealing with things B. decision to sell tings
C. idea of repairing things D. way of doing things
3. The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper .
A. changed his mind B. accepted the offer
C. saw the writer’s purpose D. decided to help the write
4. How much did the writer want to pay for the repair at first?
A. ￡ 5. B. ￡ 7. C. ￡ 20. D. ￡ 27.
Rising above the names
I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice. “Mom, come here! There’s this lady here of my size!” The mother rushed to her son; then she turned to me to apologize. I smiled and told her, “It’s okay.” Then talked to the boy, “Hi, I’m Darry Kramer. How are you?” He studied me from head to toe, and asked, “Are you a little mommy?” “Yes, I have a son,” I answered. “Why are you so little?” he asked. “It’s the way I was born,” I said. “Some people are little. Some are tall. I’m just not going to grow any bigger.” After I answered his other questions, I shook the boy’s hand and left.
My life as a little person is filled with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents.
It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet nine inches tall. I was born an achondroplasia dwarf (侏儒). Despite this, I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.
I didn’t realize how short I was until I started school. Some kids picked on me, calling me names. Then I knew. I began to hate the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs.
But I learned to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height, I made up for in personality.
I’m 47 now, and the stares have not diminished as I’ve grown older. People are amazed when they see me driving. I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude, I remind myself, “Look what else I have – a great family, nice friends.”
It’s the children’s questions that make my life special. I enjoy answering their questions. My hope is that I will encourage them to accept their peers (a person of the same age, class, position, etc.), whatever size and shape they come in, and treat them with respect.
1. Why did the mother apologize to the author?
A. Because the boy ran into the author.
B. Because the boy laughed at the author.
C. Because they boy said the author was fatter than him.
D. Because the mother thought the boy’s words had hurt the author.
2. When did the author realize that she was too short?
A. When she grew up.
B. When she was 47 years old.
C. When she began to go to school.
D. When she met the boy in the supermarket.
3. Which of the following word can best replace the underlined word “diminished”?
A. gained B. increased C. decreased D. accepted
4. How does the author feel about people’s stares?
A. Angry. B. Calm. C. Painful. D. Discouraged.
第二部分阅读理解(共20小题。每小题2分，满分40分)
“ Fire! Fire!” What terrible words to hear when one wakes up in a strange house in the middle of the night! It was a large, old, wooden house and my room was on the top floor. I jumped out of bed, opened the door and stepped outside the house. There was full of thick smoke.
I began to run, but as I was still only half-awake, instead of going towards the stairs I went in the opposite direction. The smoke grew thicker and I could see fire all around. The floor became hot under my bare feet. I found an open door and ran into a room to get to the window. But before I could reach it, one of my feet caught in something soft and I fell down. The thing I had fallen over felt like a bundle of clothes, and I picked it up to protect my face from the smoke and heat. Just then the floor gave way under me and I crashed to the floor below with pieces of burning wood all around me.
I saw a doorway in fire, then I put the bundle over my face and ran. My feet burned me terrible, but I got through. As I reached the cold air outside, my bundle of clothes gave a thin cry, I nearly dropped it in my surprise. Then I was in a crowd gathered in the street. A woman in a night-dress and a borrowed man’s coat screamed as she saw me and came running madly.
She was the Mayor’s wife, and I had saved her baby.
1. The author saved the baby _____.
A. because he was very brave.
B. because he liked the baby very much.
C. but he just happened to save it.
D. because it was the Mayor’s baby.
2. He ran in the wrong direction because he _______.
A. was a stranger there B. could see nothing
C. was not completely awake D. Both A and C
3. He put the bundle over his face and ran in order to ______.
A. save the baby B. call for help C. protect his face D. run quickly
4. From which group of words can we learn the fire took place out of people’s surprise?
A. old and wooden house, a bundle B. crashed to, fell down
C. terrible, half-awake D. bare feet, a borrowed man’s coat
At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents because they could be stored electronically. But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.
It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. “I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down,” says Ted Smith of the Earth Village Organization.
Perhaps the best sign of how computer and internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets. Several internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line e-mail, even if they are nowhere near a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the internet the greater demand for printer.
Does all this mean environmental concerns have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away. “I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling,” said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful the high-tech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste.
1.The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to _______.
A.the rapid development of small businesses B. the opening up of new markets
C.the printing of high quality copies D. the increased use of the internet
2. Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is______.
A. to encourage printing more quality documents
B. to develop new printers using recycling paper
C. to find new materials for making paper
D. to plant more fast-growing trees
3.Hewlett-Packard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because ________.
A. people are concerned about the environment
B. printers in many offices are working overtime
C. small companies need more hard copies
D. they see growing market for printers
4. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Computers and Printers B. E-mail and the Business World
C. Internet Revolution and Environment D. Modern Technology and New Markets
The meal you eat after exercising matters! No matter what time of day you exercise, the key is to follow the exercise up with meals that supply enough nutrition. For the best results, eat within thirty to sixty minutes after exercising, when the muscles are at the best time to take in nutrients.
Here are some ideas for meals after exercising:
Home-made sports—recovery drink
Mix banana, milk, and yogurt to make a fresh and satisfying sports—recovery drink. Dairy products like milk and yogurt work double duty, providing both protein and carbohydrates. A cup of coffee, on the other hand, is a poor choice.
Protein—packed sandwich
You can’t go wrong with a sandwich after exercising—it’s got everything in a hand—held package. Sandwiches provide the salt you need to replace what you have lost by sweating, while the tomatoes in them supply plenty of Vitamin C. Try using whole—wheat bread to give yourself more fiber. The cheese and fresh vegetables in sandwiches are also great for helping tired muscles recover.
Power breakfast
An egg sandwich is a perfect post—exercise breakfast. There’s protein in both the yolk(蛋黄) and the white of the egg. This recipe increases your protein intake while keeping calories and fat under control. Eggs also contain zinc(锌), which helps protect against disease.
Plant—based protein
Beans are an amazing source of plant—based protein and carbohydrates. Make a large bowl of bean salad in the beginning of a week, and you’ll have a great post—exercise meal that is ready whenever you need it.
1.Why does the author advise eating a protein—packed sandwich after exercising?
A.It helps increase the protein in your body. B.It has plenty of fat and calories.
C.The things in it help you recover. D.It is an amazing source of carbohydrates.
2.What should you do when your muscles feel tired?
A.Eat cheese and fresh vegetables.
B.Drink as much milk and yogurt as possible.
C.Eat whole—wheat bread instead of a sandwich.
D.Eat and drink as soon as possible.
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.It’s the best time for muscles to take in nutrients within 30 to 60 minutes after exercising.
B.It’s best for you to have an egg sandwich after exercising.
C.A cup of coffee will help you recover after exercising.
D.Bean salad is another great meal for post—exercising.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.The healthy eating habits of athletes. B.The best time for exercising.
C.How to warm up before exercising. D.What to eat after exercising.