阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
One of the speaking rules you need to know might sound strange to most ESL(English as a second language) students, but it is one of the most important rules. If you want to pass examinations, then study grammar. However, if you want to become fluent in English, then you should try to learn English without studying the grammar.
Studying grammar will only slow you down and confuse you. You will think about the rules when creating sentences instead of naturally saying a sentence like a native. Remember that only a small fraction(部分) of English speakers know more than 20% of all the grammar rules. Many ESL students know more grammar than native speakers. I can confidently say this with experience. I am a native English speaker, majored in English Literature, and have been teac
hing English for more than 10 years. However, many of my students know more details about English grammar than I do. When they sometimes ask me about grammar, I can easily look up the definition(定义) and apply it, but I can’t tell them the answer off the top of my head.
I often ask my native English friends some grammar questions, and only a few of them know the correct answer. However, they are fluent in English and can read, speak, listen, and communicate effectively.
Do you want to be able to recite the definition of a causative verb(使役动词), or do you want to be able to speak English fluently?According to the author, what opinion do most ESL students hold?
| A．Grammar matters a lot only in speaking. |
| B．Grammar doesn’t matter much in speaking. |
| C．Grammar is not important in English learning. |
| D．Grammar is very important in English learning. |
What is the author?
| A．An ESL student. |
| B．A native English teacher. |
| C．A native English student. |
| D．A teacher teaching English natives. |
The underlined part “off the top of my head” means ________.
| A．without consideration |
| B．on purpose |
| C．after thinking |
| D．with difficulty |
Which of the following titles best suits the text?
| A．Grammar Counts! |
| B．Fluency or Grammar? |
| C．Exams or No Exams? |
| D．No More Grammar! |
The Universal Autograph (名人签名) Collectors Club(UACC) has been serving the collector for over 25 years. Founded in 1965, the UACC began as a small group of Long Island. New York autograph collectors and has grown to be the largest collector’s organization of its kind.
The UACC by its purpose is primarily an educational fellowship(联谊会) where knowledge and resources are shared with not only the membership, but also the public at large. By joining the UACC, you will be introduced to the fastest growing hobby in the world today.
Autographs have been called “frozen moment in time” by some people. Probably the most personal thing that one person can give is his or her signature.
In 1843, former President James Madison sent an autograph for a collection which the Princess Victoria was making. The future British Queen was only 15 years old at the time. Financier J.P. Morgan, Sr. began collecting when he was 16, and his son continued adding to the father’s collection. As the daughter of the Mayor of Boston, Rose Fitzgerald collected autographs, as did her son, John F. Kennedy. Franklin Roosevelt, Malcolm Forbes and Glenn Ford are a few more well-known autograph collectors. By collecting autographs, you become a curator(馆长) of history.
Here are some of the best reasons to join the UACC.
The UACC publishes The Pen and Quill, the highly regarded 64-page bimonthly journal with articles and news in all fields of autograph collecting. UACC members may place free ads in The Pen and Quill to express their wants or just swap with other members.
Writing for autographs to famous living people can also be interesting. The more interesting the letter, the better chance for an interesting reply.
The UACC also offers its members the opportunity to buy uncommon autographic materials at low prices. Meanwhile, it publishes low-cost reference works for its members.
Once you join the UACC, you will be added to our mailing list and will receive catalogs(目录) of autographs for sale by dealer members. The UACC has nearly 200 of the world’s most professional dealers as members. Each member provides contact information on our website, including mailing address, telephone numbers, e-mail-addresses, website address, etc. We always try to promote our dealer program and encourage collectors to always buy from these dealers.Paragraph 4 is presented to inform you that __________.
| A．autographs might be the most personal thing that one can give |
| B．the hobby started as early as the 19th century |
| C．autographs have a long history and was popular even among great people |
| D．autographs reflect history and sometimes change history |
What does the underlined word “ swap” probably mean?
| A．write for autographs | B．exchange autographs |
| C．mail autographs | D．sign autographs |
Which of the following about the service offered by the UACC is NOT right?
| A．It offers member a good way in which they can get what they need much easily. |
| B．A magazine is published every two months to help you know about the world’s hobby. |
| C．It offers collectors great deals on unusual autographs at reasonable prices. |
| D．It offers Internet service to make extra profits. |
This passage is mainly__________
| A．to encourage you to join the UACC |
| B．to tell you how interesting autograph collecting is |
| C．to tell you the fast development of the autograph collecting |
| D．to inform you where you can get an autograph |
There are many dimensions(维) to football's allure（诱惑）and appeal: top-class moves, thrilling goals, majestic star players, thunderous encounters and passionate fans. Football stirs the emotions all over the globe, brings people from contrasting cultures together, and promotes solid virtues such as fairness, team spirit and tolerance. All these facts will emerge in their most intense form at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil next summer.
Millions of people will be transfixed（让…出神）by this unique festival of sport and friendship. We are thoroughly looking forward to football of the highest quality. We're delighted to welcome the biggest names in the sport as well as those nations set to appear at the finals for the first time. And we're looking forward to greeting fans from all over the world as they fill our cities with even more colour and life. A heartfelt welcome to everyone!
Brazil is a cosmopolitan（四海一家的）country with a passion for football. The people will devote themselves to the job of ensuring the 2014 FIFA World Cup is an unforgettable experience, a fact demonstrated by the thousands of ordinary folk who have come forward as volunteers.
Brazil is well prepared to host the FIFA World Cup. We have finished constructing our new, modern stadiums and an outstanding transportation system. The organization is in the enormously capable hands of the Organizing Committee headed by RonaldoLuiz Nazario de Lima. The slogan "A time to make friends" perfectly describes our intention to ensure everyone delighted in a secure and peaceful festival of football.
The FIFA World Cup is a unique opportunity for Brazil to present herself as a hospitable, joyful and modern nation bursting with ideas. I am convinced that the flames of passion and togetherness engendered by the FIFA World Cup in Brazil will spread to the entire world.
I'm personally looking forward to a festival of goals, excitement and fair play. We Brazilians will be right behind our national team, but our aim is to act as welcoming hosts and friends to every team and their fans. Passionate and cosmopolitan Brazil is delighted to welcome visitors to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.The charm of football includes all except .
| A．thrilling goals | B．the players |
| C．violence | D．the fans |
The underlined word “engendered ” (in Para. 5) is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．brought about | B．handed over |
| C．turned into | D．passed down |
In order to host the World Cup ,Brazil ____
| A．has organized groups of passionate fans |
| B．sets up a national team |
| C．has constructed new , modern stadiums |
| D．tries to take a friendly disguise |
This passage can be classified as ____
| A．a news report | B．a feature story |
| C．greeting speech | D．an advertisement |
The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.
“So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name ? ”
“Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.
“Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”
“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.
“Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in . In those days, the area looked quite different ---- it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.
“ ‘You are clearing too much land, ’ warned one old man. ‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’
“ ‘ Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’”
“Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”
“What happened? ” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.
“The land hit back ---- just as the old man warned, ” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”
“What a stupid story, ” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.
| A．courage | B．assistance | C．instruction | D．challenge |
Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?
| A．To frighten them. |
| B．To satisfy their curiosity. |
| C．To warn them of the danger of the place. |
| D．To persuade them to camp in the swamp. |
Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?
| A．The old man envied him. |
| B．The old man was foolish |
| C．He was too busy to listen to others. |
| D．He was greedy for more crops. |
Why did Tom scream and faint?
| A．He saw Dennis’s shadow |
| B．He was scared by a plant |
| C．His friends played a joke on him. |
| D．The weather became extremely cold. |
What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?
| A．Grasp all, lose all. |
| B．No sweat, no sweet. |
| C．It is no use crying over spilt milk. |
| D．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. |
LONDON---A British judge on Thursday sentenced a businessman who sold fake（假冒的）bomb detectors（探测器）to 10 years in prison, saying the man hadn’t cared about potentially deadly consequences.
It is believed that James McCormick got about $ 77.8 million from the sales of his detectors---which were based on a kind of golf ball finder---to countries including Iraq, Belgium and Saudi Arabia.
McCormick, 57, was convicted（判罪）of cheats last month and sentenced Thursday at the Old Bailey court in London.
“Your cheating conduct in selling a great amount of useless equipment simply for huge profit promoted a false sense of security and in all probability materially contributed to causing death and injury to innocent people,” Judge Richard Hone told McCormick. “You have neither regret, nor shame, nor any sense of guilt.”
The detectors, sold for up to $ 42, 000 each, were said to be able to find such dangerous objects as bombs under water and from the air. But in fact they “lacked any grounding in science” and were of no use.
McCormick had told the court that he sold his detectors to the police in Kenya, the prison service in Hong Kong, the army in Egypt and the border control in Thailand.
“I never had any bad results from customers,” he said.Why was McCormick sentenced to prison?
| A．He sold bombs. | B．He caused death of people. |
| C．He made detectors. | D．He cheated in business. |
According to the judge, what McCormick had done .
| A．increased the cost of safeguarding |
| B．lowered people’s guard against danger |
| C．changed people’s idea of social security |
| D．caused innocent people to commit crimes |
Which of the following is true of the detectors?
| A．They have not been sold to Africa |
| B．They have caused many serious problems. |
| C．They can find dangerous objects in water. |
| D．They don’t function on the basis of science. |
It can be inferred from the passage that McCormick .
| A．solo the equipment at a low price |
| B．was well-known in most countries |
| C．did not think he had committed the crime |
| D．had not got such huge profit as mentioned in the text |
Fun day
To celebrate the Year of the Snake
Organized by Lam Tin Youth Centre and Kwun Tong High school
Date：2 February 2013
Time：10 am – 5 pm
Place：Kwn Tong Playground
Fee: $ 20 (buy three get one free)
Programmes：drama, lion dance, magic show and ballet performance
Highlights: 1) enter the lucky draw to win a digital camer
2) learn to make festival food
John us on the Fun day! 
All are welcome!
Note:
★Ticket are available at the General Office of Lam Tin Youth Centre.
★For those who would like to be a volunteer, please contact Miss Olivia Wong one week before
the activity.What you have just read is a .
| A．note | B．report | C．schedule | D．poster |
What is going to take place on 2 February, 2013?
| A．A big event to welcome a Chinese new year. |
| B．A social gathering to raise money for wildlife. |
| C．A party for close friends to meet and have fun. |
| D．A meeting of Kwun Tong High School students. |
How much do you have to pay in total if four of you go together?
| A．$ 20. | B．$ 40 | C．$ 60. | D．$ 80 |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Tickets are sold in Kwun Tong High School. |
| B．It’s unnecessary to take soft drinks with you. |
| C．Free digital cameras are provided for everybody. |
| D．Festival food will be served without extra charge. |