What kind of life do you seek for? One that is frustrating and full of complaints every day? Or one that is filled with thankfulness, gratefulness and a positive mind?
The moment we open our eyes each day, we should be grateful that we are still alive．We are given a brand-new day．We are given another day to love．We are given another day of hope．We are given another chance to do whatever we have failed to accomplish．Those who have chosen to leave this place do not have any second chance．
We should be grateful every day．By being grateful, we will treasure the things around us．We will learn to
appreciate life in a better way．Treat others better and f
ind ourselves in a better mood every day．When we are thankful and grateful for the things we have, the universe tends to give us more．
By being thankful and grateful for our personal health, we will focus our attention on it and we would want to have a better well-being for our health．We will want to eat healthier food to nourish our body．After all, the body is the temple of our soul．We have to treat it well so that it can carry us a longer journey in life．
When we face problems in life, be thankful and grateful too．They are designed specifically for us so that we will be stronger and wiser．We are like a strong oak tree, facing the harsh weathers time to time．After each storm, we will grow stronger and strengthen our foundations for the next harsh weather．
The year 2010 has come to an end．Have you achieved what you aimed for in the past year? Be grateful for those you have achieved and especially for those you have not—both successes and failures．Failures and mistakes will give you valuable lessons．So, pick yourself up and try again this year．Good luck！ According to the text, how many kinds of life are mentioned?
| A．One． | B．Two． | C．Three． | D．Four． |
What does the word "harsh" underlined in the text refer to?
| A．severe | B．pleasant | C．fine |
D．mild |
According to the text, the life filled with thankfulness should be the following except that we .
| A．learn to enjoy our life in a better way |
| B．face problems in life and choose to leave |
| C．focus our attention on our health |
| D．treat others better and find ourselves in a better mood |
The sentence "We are like a strong oak tree…" in the fifth paragraph, we can see that the author used the writing technique of ____．
| A．telling a fairy story | B．stating facts |
| C．discussing matters | D．imitating things |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Kinds of Life | B．Be Positive |
| C．Be Grateful Every Day | D．Pick Yourself Up |
Alexander Richard Pettyfer (born on April 10, 1990) is an English actor. The son of an actor and a former fashion model, he began his career as a child fashion model at the age of seven, modeling for labels such as GAP, after meeting Ralph Lauren in a toy store in New York City. He attended Twickenham Preparatory School in Hampton and later the Mall, a small private school in Twickenham and as a schoolboy, performed in plays, including Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. 
“When you go through such a long process of auditioning you kind of forget about getting it. It’s more like you keep going up and having a little bit of fun,” Pettyfer said.
The film became a hot topic for film critics. One review of Pettyfer’s performance described him as playing the role with an “earnest seriousness”, although another noted that he “isn’t quite at ease as an actor”. Media reports have specified that the film is expected to make Pettyfer a “teen idol”.
After Pettyfer completed filming on Stormbreaker, he did not discuss the film with anyone at his school, and decided to leave school and concentrate on his film career, as well as study drama full time at college. Now he is studying at Shiplake College boarding school. Pettyfer likes skiing, dancing, and hockey when not working.What’s the CORRECT time order of these events in Pettyfer’s career?
① He made his first appearance in a film.
② He made his first appearance in a play.
③ He made his first appearance on television.
④ He made his first appearance as a model.
| A．①②③④ | B．①②④③ | C．④③①② | D．④②③① |
Anthony Horowitz chose Pettyfer as the main character in Stormbreaker because ____.
| A．Pettyfer was born in a family of actors and models |
| B．Pettyfer made his first public appearance at an early age |
| C．Pettyfer performed well in Tom Brown’s Schooldays |
| D．Pettyfer performed best among the 500 boys who auditioned |
What can be inferred about the film version of Stormbreaker?
| A．It was a hit film. |
| B．All the reviews of this film are positive. |
C．Petty fer didn’t want to play in the film. |
| D．Pettyfer wasn’t satisfied with his performance in it. |
Which of the following statements best describes Pettyfer?
| A．He’s always ready to help others. |
| B．He’s too confident of his ability. |
| C．He prefers drama to films. |
| D．He likes doing sports in spare time. |
By the year 1869 when the first transcontinental railroad was finished, over 350,000 pioneers had taken the Oregon Trail to head west and start a new life, which is known as the Gold Rush Period in American history. Many of these were women and most were accompanied by children.
Before heading west, many women often spent their day doing nothing more than visiting, needlework, and the occasional gardening of flowers. Others were not from as wealthy families and had to work alongside their men as laborers. Neither type was in most cases prepared for the hardships that lay ahead. 
Once they did reach their destination, the work was far from over. A house would need to be built. Women quickly learned to use all kinds of tools right alongside their husbands. At the first sign of spring, a garden would need to be planted. Pioneer women also had to deal with dangerous wild animals, including bears and lions. Indians were also a concern, and some did fall to their deaths by the Indians’ hand. Where were the men when all this was being done? Working the fields and mining were the two most usual occupations. Their remaining work, which there was plenty of, fell to the women and the oldest children if there were any.
Women who headed west learned quickly that there was much more to life than teas and visiting. They had no choice but to struggle for survival. This was their life.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Changes in the Gold Rush Period. |
| B．New life in the West. |
| C．Great people in American history. |
| D．Pioneer women to the West. |
By mentioning women’s life before heading west in paragraph 2, the author implies (暗示) that .
| A．it was a real struggle for women to adapt to the hard life in the West |
| B．it was not reasonable for women to give up their comfortable life |
| C．it was a better choice for women to experience a new and hard life |
| D．it was necessary for women to change their lifestyle completely |
According to the passage, which was NOT the problem women faced when heading west?
| A．They had no choice but to throw away many of their beloved things. |
| B．They could not take their children along because of the hard journey. |
| C．It was common that they lost their husbands in some accidents. |
| D．They suffered from diseases or even lost their lives. |
Women were kept busy with all the following work EXCEPT _________.
| A．building a house |
| B．planting a garden |
| C．driving wild animals away |
| D．caring for the Indians |
In the car, I secretly had a look at him through the rearview mirror (后视镜). He looked sad. “What’s the matter, honey?”“I’m nervous. I don’t know if I’ll be able to learn everything in the first grade. What if I can’t pay attention in clas
s?”
My heart melted. I remembered being nervous on the first day of school and I thought I was the only student who felt that way. I was a nervous kid full of self-doubt. Seth behaved much better than I did.
We walked into his school together. He remembered where his new classroom was and recognized his teacher from the ice cream social party they had the day before. He sat down at his desk and chatted with a few of his classmates. He took a few photos of them (with a camera phone because I didn’t allow him to bring the real camera) and then he said in a very serious manner, “Mom, you can go home now. I’ll be OK.” And so he was.Seth asked his mother to take him to school probably because _______.
| A．he was afraid to be late for class |
| B．he wanted to share his joy with his mother |
| C．he felt worried about his school life |
| D．he was frightened of his new teacher |
What did the writer mean by saying “My heart melted” in Paragraph 4?
| A．She was very angry with her son. |
| B．She felt sad because of her son’s words. |
| C．She was too weak in the mind to face it. |
| D．She became more understanding of her son. |
From the last paragraph we learn that ________.
| A．Seth had never seen his new classroom |
| B．the ice cream social party was to be held soon |
| C．Seth got along well with his classmates |
| D．Seth took some photos using a real camera |
It can be inferred that in the end Seth felt ______.
| A．relaxed | B．frightened | C．serious | D．worried |
If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life，one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have.
Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment．Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal（叙旧，更新）with the friends，relatives and acquaintances we already have．
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there
any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
If you haven’t seen much of them lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is because you have gotten too busy, take a good look at how you spend your time．Compare it with your real values and priorities（优先考虑的事）in life．Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
If you have become too busy for friends，why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other hum
an beings? Have you allowed your time to be over-committed because you never say “No” to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be delegated to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities．Make sure that you schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to you．
If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them. The author mainly discusses _______________in this passage.
| A．how to spend our spare time |
| B．how to balance friendship and work |
| C．whether we should keep friendship |
| D．whether we should invite friends to dinner |
Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?
| A．You feel depressed with others in life. |
| B．You have someone to have close talks with. |
| C．You have someone to count on when you are in trouble. |
| D．You have fun when you are with someone. |
What does the underlined word “delegated” (Para.7) probably mean?
| A．declined | B．answered | C．appointed | D．handled |
The reason why you have become too busy for friends may be the following EXCEPT that________.
| A．you spend too much time seeking material toys in your life |
| B．you stick to doing everything all by yourself |
| C．you feel it difficult to keep friendship |
| D．you never refuse whatever other people ask you to do |
Which would be the best title for the text?
| A．How to Make New Friends | B．Too busy for Friendship? |
| C．How to Spend Your Time | D．Too busy with work? |
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
Th
e study also found the younger people learn a second language, the greater the effect is.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density(密度)in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people with
out a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists
.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible(灵活
的),”he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.The main subject talked about in this passage is_____________.
| A．science on learning a second language |
| B．language can help brain power |
| C．man's ability of learning a second language |
| D．language learning and maths study |
In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to_____________.
| A．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
| B．prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language |
| C．to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language |
| D．say language is also a kind of physical labor |
The underlined word “bilingual” probably means_____________.
| A．a researcher on language learning |
| B．an English native speaker |
| C．an active language learner |
| D．a person who can speak two languages |
We may know from the scientific findings that_____________.
| A．the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time |
| B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn't know a second language |
| C．the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people's brain |
| D．the earlier you start to learn a second language the higher the grey matter density is |
In the last two paragraphs, the author wants to tell us that_____________.
A．early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in stu dy other subjects |
| B．learning a second language is the same as studying maths |
| C．Italian is the best choice for you as a second language |
| D．you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language |