The house was quiet at 5 a.m. and Tim’s mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the 
quiet. He dreamt of the cav
e last night. The purring (轻微颤动声) of the freezer had been the sea.
Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He’d eat after he’d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.
He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches—but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she’d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck to the table:
Gone to Michael’s. Back tonight. Tim.
The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn’t up. Even the highway up the hill wa
s quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.
The sand hills still breathed heat from yes
terday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves. The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched across the sea. The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world.
Over the first rocks, along to the point, Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.
He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn’t go in all the way.... What did Tim do at the beginning of the story?
| A．He left the house quietly. | B．He had breakfast at home |
| C．He left a note on the freezer. | D．He put a sweater in his schoolbag. |
. “He settled for some biscuits” in paragraph 3 means that Tim ___.
| A．had to leave the biscuits on the table | B．liked biscuits better than sandwiches |
| C．had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches | D．could only find some biscuits in the kitchen |
. What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave?
| A．The height of the first rocks | B．The ups and downs of the waves |
| C．The change in the position of the sun. | D．The vast stretch of the sunlit beach |
. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?
| A．The sea looked like a piece of gold. | B．Seabirds flew away when Tim arrived. |
| C．Tim was the only person on the beach. | D．The sky got dark as Tim reached the cave. |
.. In the story, Tim’s mood changed from ___.
| A．loneliness to craziness | B．anxiousness to excitement |
| C．helplessness to happiness | D．eagerness to nervousness |
The word I'm going to introduce to you today is — phubbing. Let's see the definition of this term：
phubbing n. the act of snubbing(冷落)someone in a social setting by looking at your cell phone instead of paying attention
As you can probably guess，phubbing is a blend of phone and snubbing. The term was coined by a 23—year—old Melbourne resident Alex Haigh. Obviously，he got fed up with how people are always checking Facebook or Twitter on their phones when they are supposed to be interacting with someone face to face. He wanted to put an end to this social phenomenon，therefore he came up with this catchy term.
And it did catch on. The word's earliest media mention dates back to June 2012，and in a little over a year's time，phubbing has already been picked up by almost all the mainstream media outlets one can think of.
Here is a typical example from the British newspaper The Independent. In the article titled The Rise of Phubbing，which was published on August 5，2013，Tom Chatfield writes，there's an uncomfortable truth at the heart of phubbing：other people are easier to handle when seen on screen. They're less likely to demand unreasonable efforts such as undivided attention or clean shirts.
While the term phubbing has undoubtedly taken off，some people question why it is called phubbing instead of phnubbing. Alex Haigh has not personally addressed the issue，but word has it that phubbing sounds more crispy and thus easier to remember.
Phubbing is indeed a universal problem that can no longer be ignored. So why do people keep phubbing each other if they know it's rude? Is there anything we can do to stop it? Or maybe we should just be more kind，because sometimes there are good excuses to phub.
I think there is plenty we can do to try and stop phubbing. For starters，we can join Alex Haigh in his Stop Phubbing campaign. Remind our friends and family that phubbing is not appreciated. We can also make or download some anti—phubbing posters to spread the word in public places. And don't forget that some phubbers simply do not realize the harmful effect their behavior has on others，so be brave enough to stop them，even if you are a total stranger. This passage is mainly talking about _______.
| A．the rise of phubbing in all the mainstream media outlets |
| B．a new term “phubbing”and its problem |
| C．the campaign of keeping phubbing |
| D．different opinions on phubbing |
The author’s attitude towards the act of phubbing can be described as ___________.
| A．bearable |
| B．unacceptable |
| C．reasonable |
| D．understandable |
What can we infer from this passage?
| A．People are easier to handle when seen on screen. |
| B．Alex Haigh doesn’t like the term “phnubbing” |
| C．More and more people have become phubbers. |
| D．We can phub if we have proper excuses. |
The write suggests we should _________.
| A．stop phubbing in public places |
| B．not be afraid of the harmful effect |
| C．be brave to support a stranger phubbing |
| D．remind our friends of Stop Phubbing campaign |
Hawking's Five Easy Steps for Making Yourself a Genius
As we all know，Stephen Hawking writes the book A Brief History of Time that explains the origin of the universe. The book spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and has sold 10 million copies. He is，most agree，very smart.
In his recently published autobiography My Brief History，Hawking offers five life lessons on how to become a genius.
1)Don’t miss opportunities by being too cool
“We showed an air of complete boredom and the feeling that nothing was worth making an effort for. One result of my illness has been to change all that. When you are faced with the possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are lots of things you want to do. ”Seize the moment，as Oxford types would say.
2)Keep it simple
When writing A Brief History of Time，he tried to make science understandable for the rest of us. “I was sure that nearly everyone is interested in how the universe operates，but most people cannot follow mathematical equations(数学公式). ”He has trouble with them，too. “This is partly because it is difficult for me to write them down，but mainly because I don't have an inborn feeling for equations. My aim in the book was to describe these mental images in words. It is such an easy book that everybody can understand it.” The moral：You don't have to be a genius to know everything.
3）Have fun
Hawking has a long history of being a joker，and he has placed lots of bets with other scientists on the nature of black holes. One was with Cal-Tech scientist John Preskill. After paying off his bet by giving Preskill a baseball encyclopedia，Hawking wrote，“but maybe I should have just given him the ashes. ”So lighten up! Geniuses like bad jokes too.
4) Always look for a silver lining (even if you are seriously ill)
Hawking's disease has slowly robbed him of the ability to walk，move his arms，even speak. But，Hawking says，“in some ways I guess my disability has been an assist：I haven't had to lecture or teach students, and I haven't had to sit in meetings. So I have been able to devote myself completely to research.”In other words，Hawking was given lemons，and he made Champagne.
5)Don’t work too hard at school
……The passage tells us the facts about A Brief History of Time EXCEPT that ________.
| A．it explained the origin of the universe |
| B．it has sold 10 million copies up to now |
| C．it spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List |
| D．it included Hawking's five life lessons on how to become a genius |
According to the passage，which of the following statements is guiding you to be a genius?
| A．Place lots of bets with your friends. |
| B．Seize the moment to learn everything. |
| C．Find something good even in bad situations. |
| D．Get to know everything including math equations. |
Hawking shows his viewpoint by ____________.
| A．making comparisons | B．quoting a famous saying |
| C．listing the numbers and equations | D．talking about his own experience |
Four million children are caught up in the war in Syria. Thirteen-year-old Rabia is one of them. Tall and thin, she sits shaking in a yellow T-shirt at the Al Marj settlement, close to the Lebanese-Syrian border. 
Home for Rabia was once a two-story house near Damascus. Now it is a tent shared with her nine family members.
Rabia’s face is covered with dirt, and she is tired and cold. She has just finished work, picking up potatoes that fell from a truck. Her typical day starts at 4 a.m., and she works a double shift that lasts about 16 hours, putting potatoes into bags. The only choice for her is that she can choose the first eight hours or the second eight hours. For this, she gets paid about $8 a day.
Working means Rabia misses school. Back in her village, she was the best in her class and good at everything. Her favorite subjects were Arabic literature and math. But, like many children now living in the settlements—there are no official refugee （难民）camps in Lebanon —that was Rabia’s old life. Life before war, before her family moved five times to escape the bombs, before leaving behind her bedroom, her toys and her friends without packing a bag, before “half the people I know”were dead.
The old life was full of laughter with her sister, Wala. But Wala, 14, got married two days ago to an 18-year-old Lebanese. Rabia is happy for her sister. Life in the settlement is tough— the children have nowhere to play, the bathing is poor and sexual abuse is out of control. You can’t blame parents —often confused, illiterate （不识字的）and poor—who want to marry off their daughters. They fear for their safety.
Increasing numbers of Rabia’s girlfriends are getting married. Once in rural Syria, a girl got married at 16. According to UNICEF, the age is now dropping to 12 or 13. It is no secret that Lebanese men want to marry Syrian refugee girls, who work hard and don’t ask for anything. Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?
| A．A news report. | B．A book review. |
| C．A history book. | D．A travel magazine. |
The underlined word “shift”in Para. 3 probably refers to _____.
| A．the extra task | B．the low pay |
| C．the potato factory. | D．the working period |
The writer's purpose for writing Para. 4 is to ________.
| A．present the dream of Rabia | B．show the damage of the war |
| C．predict the future of Syrian girls | D．compare the life before war and now |
Why are so many young Syrian girls getting married?
| A．They have no good friends to play with. |
| B．They want money from the husband family. |
| C．Their parents are worried about their safety. |
| D．Their parents are confused，illiterate and poor. |
In today's fast paced, high stress world people are working longer hours than ever, and often exhaust themselves at day's end in front of the television to relax enough to begin again in the morning．However, television watching, for most people, does not really lower stress．Studies show that TV viewing more than an hour or so actually creates stress and, especially in women, may lead to the blues．Most individuals are unaware that doing some exercise after work makes them more energetic since it increases energy levels．
Wise use of free time does not mean getting an advanced degree, although the mental encouragement gained through education is unbeatable in keeping your mind active．Learning new things nearly always adds a spark to your daily life, especially if it is a favorite topic, such as sport, fashion, or art．Also, look through your bookstore or library to find books on your interests．Try to replace a half hour TV watching with reading．
It is reported that in the United States recently, many individuals have as few as two good friends．Long work hours and car commute act to separate people from each other．This separation is deadly．Find ways to meet people at the end of the day and on weekends．Often this can be best done by combining activities, such as by joining a walking group to get both exercise and companionship．Taking a class will lift your spirits and allow you to meet others with similar interests．Hobbies are great for reducing stress and provide another opportunity for social interaction．
Using your free time to aid your health may include these elements and many more, such as going to concerts and spending time with family．Overall, the key is to spend less free time being passive．The best ways to use free time are to be mentally and physically active, spend some time outdoors, and interact with other people on a regular basis．What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Watching television may cause women to feel depressed． |
| B．Finding interests and hobbies in common means taking a class． |
| C．Going to concerts is the best way to make you mentally active． |
| D．Getting an advanced degree in education always lights up your life． |
What does the underlined word "commute" in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．The arrangement to work every day． | B．The journey to work every day． |
| C．The communication between people． | D．The separation between people． |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Live a Happy and Healthy Life | B．Relax Yourself in Various Ways |
| C．Spend Your Free Time Wisely | D．Interact With Others Outdoors |
The computer keyboard helped kill shorthand---a system of rapid handwriting, and now it's threatening to finish off handwriting as a whole. When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2011, just 15% of the most 1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive (草写字母）.The rest? Block letters.
And those college hopefuls are just the first edge of a wave of US students who no longer get much handwriting instructions in the primary grades, frequently 10 minutes a day or less. As a result, more and more students struggle to read and write cursive.
At Keene Mill Elementary School in Springfield, all their poems and stories are typed. Children in Fairfax County schools are taught keyboarding beginning in kindergarten. Older students who never mastered handwriting say it doesn't affect their grades.
There are those who say the culture is at a crossing, turning from the written word to the typed one. If handwriting becomes a lost form of communication, does it matter?
It was at University of Virginia that researchers recently discovered a previously unknown poem by Robert, written in his unique script. Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers, historians say, because their authenticity (真实性）can be confirmed. Students also find them more fascinating.
The loss of handwriting also may be a cognitive (认知的）opportunity missed. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better-a lifelong benefit.
It doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills. At some schools in Prince George's County, elementary school students use a program called Handwriting Without Tears for 15 minutes a day. They learn the correct formation of manuscript letters through second grade, and cursive letters in third grade.
There are always going to be some kids who struggle with handwriting because of their particular neurological (神经系统的) wiring, learning issues or poor motor skills. Educators often point to this factor in support of keyboarding.What is the author concerned about after 2011 SAT exams?
| A．Keyboarding. | B．Shorthand. | C．Handwriting. | D．Block letters. |
A poem by Robert mentioned in the passage is used to _________.
| A．prove how valuable handwriting is |
| B．explain what a famous poet he is |
| C．show how unique his poem is |
| D．stress how fascinating the documents are |
The example of Handwriting Without Tears helps to argue that_________.
| A．the schools are responsible for the loss of handwriting |
| B．the loss of handwriting is a cognitive opportunity missed |
| C．it doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills |
| D．the culture is turning from the written word to the typed one |
According to the author, when is a perfect time to learn handwriting?
| A．Kindergarten. | B．Primary school. | C．High school. | D．College. |