A
The choice to adopt and hold gratefulness is the one that is different from those who suffer misfortune and those who enjoy a full life.
My mother died when I was 24. It was a very difficult time in my life — everything seemed to fall apart. I lost my job, and then my utilities were turned off. I had to take cold showers for six months. A neighbor who knew about my situation came to my house and made me an offer. I took care of her children as a job, and I no longer went hungry. I was surprised that someone would trust me — a young woman with her children. And it was with the very confidence that before long I began taking care of other people’s children, too. I have since moved 300 miles from Boise, Idaho. For more than 23 years I have made every effort to reach out to all the kind-hearted people who helped me when I was down and out. Without their trust, I don’t know what I would have done. I am very involved in my community and volunteer at the local food bank, and I help out whenever I can. I’d like to owe what I am to whoever has offered me generosity.
If you are grateful for what you already have, the world will work together to give you more to be grateful for. Otherwise, the world will give you more to complain about.
Moreover, the true master learns to be grateful, in advance, for the things that are desired, because, being grateful in advance for some attainment or accomplishment does two very important things: one…it tricks your subconscious into believing that the goal is certain and two…it convinces other people, with whom you must interact to achieve your desires, that you know what you are about, that you are a winner, not a whiner (哀诉者).The underlined word “utilities” refers to __________ in the passage.
| A．water and gas supplies | B．gas and electricity supplies |
| C．shower equipment and water supply | D．heating and TV signals |
The writer was grateful mainly for ___________.
| A．his neighbor’s donation | B．his community |
| C．having got the job | D．others’ trust |
The writer’s personal story in the second paragraph tells us that __________.
| A．to be grateful will get you nowhere but away from home |
| B．a grateful person is most likely to be successful |
| C．we need to be grateful to be helpful and useful |
| D．the fragrance (芳香) stays in the hand that gives the rose |
The best title for the passage would be ____________.
| A．A Thank-You Note to Trusting Neighbor |
| B．You Are a Winner, Not a Whiner |
| C．Be Grateful to Life in Advance |
| D．Gratefulness Brings a Great Fullness to Life |
We couldn’t forget the historic moment on Oct.11, 2012, when the first Chinese Nobel laureate, Mo Yan, won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature. Minutes after the award was announced, millions of Chinese expressed pleasure and pride for Mo Yan on the Internet. So a Chinese getting the Nobel Prize for literature did really increase the national pride.
On Dec.11 (Monday) in Sweden Mo was given the Nobel diploma, medal and a document confirming the prize amount. In his speech at the ceremony, Mo said receiving the prize felt like a fairy tale, but of course it was true and that literature was useless compared with science. Mo's award filled the blank left by Chinese literature in the world literary history. Meanwhile, Monday's Nobel awards ceremony set off another buying rush on Mo's works among Chinese readers. Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for _________.
| A．history | B．Literature | C．peace | D．physics |
Which of the following words can best describe our Chinese feeling when hearing the news?
| A．Calm | B．Relaxed | C．Proud | D．indifferent |
The underlined word “laureate” in Paragraph 1 most probably means _________.
| A．loser | B．winner | C．fan | D．superstar |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．It was hard for Mo Yan to believe he was awarded the prize. |
| B．Mo Yan thinks Literature is useless. |
| C．Mo Yan was given the Nobel Prize, medal and a document. |
| D．Mo Yan’s works were more popular after his receiving the prize. |
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Once you join the club today, you will be offered all except _________.
| A．one month free membership | B．2 free T-shirts |
| C．2 free personal training hours | D．2400 Yuan |
According to this text, the gym _________.
| A．is at the centre of the downtown area |
| B．is far away from the downtown area |
| C．takes in anyone |
| D．provides one month free membership always |
If you apply for half a year’s membership, you should pay_________.
| A．2400 Yuan | B．more than 2400 Yuan |
| C．less than 2400 Yuan | D．nothing |
The writer seems to hope that _________.
| A．More people will be interested in the Better Body Gym |
| B．More people will join the Better Body Gym |
| C．More people will be fond of losing weight |
| D．More people will contact with the Better Body Gym |
阅读下面微博上的短文，然后按要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
I have know Li Yong, my friend, since my childhood and we have been studying in the same class of the same middle school, so we have been together almost every day and have built up very close friendship.
Li Yong actually used to be a good example for me to follow because be was a top student in study and got along very well with us fellow classmates. He was once responsible, active, positive and s army guy street with himself, so both teachers and classmates thought well of him. However, 3 months ago, everything changed. He often came late for class. When at class, be often did something that had mouthing to do with study. Last week, he even fought with a student of another class over a very small thing, which had a very bad influence on our class. He let us all a little bit down!
But this afternoon, when school was over, he was alone in the classroom, writing something with a knife on his desk. Coming closer to him I found carved on the desk were the words: “For my class, I must change! Action speaks louder than words.” From these words I could read his determined mind, which make me moved, while at the same time, it seemed as if the desk were crying and wanted to say something to him because of the carving.
[写作内容]
1．以约30个词概括以上博文的主要内容。
2．然后以约120个词就李勇的做法发表你的看法，内容包括：
（1）李华为何因李勇的行为而感动，并说明其理由；
（2）假如你是“课桌”，你想对李勇说什么，为什么？
（3）作为学生，你是如何为班级做出自己的贡献的？
[写作要求]
1．作文中可以使用亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子。
2．作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
[评分标准]
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。
All parents know that one of their most important tasks is to prepare their children for an independent life, but any parent can tell you that it’s hard to let go of your children. That balance between keeping your children safe and allowing them to learn from their own mistakes can be heartbreaking. Years of experience means that parents often do know best, but on the other hand, the young, being less bound by tradition, are often more creative, more able to find new solutions to old problems. Revolutions are led by the young.
Good teachers make the growth of critical (批判性的) thinking easier in their students, only to find that this can lead to a questioning of the teachers’ basic beliefs. Schools encourage parents to become involved, but are often embarrassed when parents have reservations about some of the educational methods being used. Governments encourage unimportant groups to empower themselves in order to participate fully in the development process. And they are often surprised when the new leaders of these groups turn around and attack the policies of that same government. The rebellions (叛逆的)young and the newly unimportant groups are important in social development. They are not necessarily representatives of those they want to represent or not realistic in their demands, but their voices must be heard.
Good parents know that just forbidding particular behaviors does not prevent their children from finding ways to engage in these forbidden activities. Indeed, sometimes the forbidden fruit is more inviting, just because it is not accepted by authority. Parents must work with their children to educate them on the facts, know as much as possible about he lives of their children, provide a good example, encourage more wholesome activities but also support their children when they don’t follow what is expected of them. But the most important point is that they also need to learn how to let go.By saying “Revolutions are led by the young”, the author indicates that young people are more .
| A．conventional | B．realistic | C．creative | D．heartbreaking |
From the second paragraph we know .
| A．teachers’ basic beliefs should be questioned by students |
| B．schools encourage parents to question their education methods |
| C．movement is satisfied with the new leaders’ attack on the policies |
| D．the voice of the rebellious young should be heard by the government |
In order to educate children well, parents should .
| A．forbid particular behaviors in their daily life |
| B．know them well and set a good example to them |
| C．educate them with facts and expect much of them |
| D．know as much as possible as their children |
From the passage we can learn that the author prefers .
| A．free parenting | B．traditional parenting |
| C．critical parenting | D．smart parenting |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Letting Go – for Children’s Independent Life |
| B．Parents’ Tasks – in Children’s Development |
| C．Way of Growth – for the Young Groups |
| D．Teaching Methods – for Teachers and Schools |
The organization representing British universities has expressed concern about the potential effect of tuition fees（学费）after figures showed a drop of more than 6% in student applications with less than a month to go before the deadline for 2013 applications.
Data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) showed there were 265,784 university applications by UK-based candiates up to 17 Decemeber, 6.3% down on the parallel period in the admissions cycle the year before. While this is less than the 8.4% year-on-uear fall seen in earlier Ucas figures, released in mid-November, the coming January deadline makes it ever more likely that the total 2013 applicant figure will see a second sizeable fall following the introduction of annual fees of up to ￡9,000.
Nicola Dandridge, the chairman of Universities UK, said : “However, we must be concerned about any drops in the numbers applying to university and in particular, we must look closely at how the increase in graduate contributions in England may be affecting the decisions of promising students. However ,the December figures show a drop in numbers across the UK, suggesting that it is not only a question of tuition fees in England putting off from applying.”
A report of the Uncas figures to mid-December shows a 6.5% fall for applicants in England and 11.7% for those in Wales, with smaller drops of 3.9% for Scotland and 0.5% for Nortern Ireland. Scotiish students at home insitiutions pay on fees, while those from Nothern Ireland have fees capped to ￡3,575 for Northern Irish universities.
Dandridge added: “No one should be put off applying to university because of worries about finance.”
“It is important that no one is put off applying to university because they do not have information about the student support available to them. Most new students don’t need to pay directly. There will be more financial support for those from poorer families and everyone will make lower loan repayments thatn they do now once they are in well paid jobs.”A drop of more than 6% for 2013 applications is probably the effect of.
| A．the increased tuition fees |
| B．the approaching deadline |
| C．the concern from applicants |
| D．the difficulties with applications |
Compared with the previous year, the fall in student applications is .
| A．3.9% | B．6% | C．6.3% | D．8.4% |
Why is the fall for application the smallest in Soctoland and Northem lreland?
| A．Because they have more financial support. |
| B．Because the tuition is much cheaper for them. |
| C．Because the education is better there. |
| D．Because the universities are free for them. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The application for universities is on a rise continuously. |
| B．The fall for applications is due to family problems. |
| C．The education in Scotland and Northern Ireland is worse. |
| D．The rise of tuition fees has an effect on applications. |
The last paragraph tells us that .
| A．everyone should apply to university |
| B．students may get financial supports |
| C．lower loan repayments is unavailable |
| D．most new students will not pay fees |