With the popularity of Harry Potter novels, the number of children applying to boarding schools has risen, many of them hoping to find their own version of Hogwarts. However, others have interpreted this trend as a reaction to longer working hours and the break up of more marriages. The boarding schools of fiction are presented as one long midnight feast with pillow fights making firm friendships. However, some people say the reality is children having more homesickness and a lack of individual attention. Modern boarding schools have done much to get rid of the image of the mass dormitories with 40 or more beds in one room, some going as far as providing private rooms with bathrooms. Similarly, they make great announcements for their academic advantage, particularly in light of the increase in exams, homework and university entrance requirements facing children wishing to succeed in the modern world.
Alongside these more conventional schools, two types of boarding schools have also become more popular recently. Sports academies and stage schools seek to cater for children with particular interests and talents, while so-called troubled-teens have been able to turn to a range of religious or wilderness schools to solve their problematic behavior.
Boarding schools allow children a safe space in which to accomplish greater control and independence over their daily lives. Teachers and staff can look after and 
support but they are unlikely to be over-protective. This can be a great preparation for university or for working away from home in later life as it provides an intermediate step between childhood and full independence.
However, Parents are a child’s most natural support and best role models to learn from. If they are separated from them for long periods of time, this may damage their relationship and leave the child feeling anxious or alone. Schools are unlikely to be able to copy the detailed knowledge of each individual child that a parent has and therefore cannot be as effective in supporting the child.
To sum up, boarding schools have both their advantages and disadvantages, so it is up to you to decide whether to send your children to boarding schools or not.What do we know from the passage?
| A．More and more children go and visit Hogwarts on their own. |
| B．Pillow fights in boarding schools make firm friendships in reality. |
| C．More children want to go to boarding schools because of Harry Potter novels. |
| D．There aren’t special schools for the particularly talented children. |
What kind of schools may be the most suitable for the so-called troubled-teens?
| A．sports academies | B．Wilderness schools |
| C．Conventional schools | D．Stage schools |
We learn from Paragraph 4 that __________.
| A．teachers of boarding schools are the best examples for children to learn from |
| B．children can be more independent if they are separated from their parents |
| C．parents know their children better than teachers of boarding schools |
| D．schools are much more effective than parents in supporting children |
What is the author’s opinion of boarding schools?
| A．Neutral | B．Negative | C．Positive | D．Critical |
There has been an outpouring of love for, a 23-year-old disabled woman whose dog was killed in front of her while a groomer(美容师) tried to trim(修剪) its claws.
Calls and e-mails came from as far away as the Upper Peninsula and Arizona as well as Oakland and Macomb counties, offering Laurie Crouch, who uses a wheelchair because of multiple sclerosis(硬化症), everything from dogs to money, such as that from Jason Daly of Roseville who said, “ I would like to buy her a new dog.”
A story about the death of Crouch’s pet, Gooch, was printed on the front page of Macomb Daily. Crouch said a man sat on the dog to trim its nails. Gooch died after one claw was trimmed.
Crouch yelled at the groomer to stop when she saw Gooch was struggling to breathe, but she said she was ignored. “If I could have walked, I would have put my hands on her and pulled her off my dog and physically stopped her, but I can’t do that.” Gooch was not a trained service animal, but naturally helped Crouch by picking up things for her.
“This case is absolute animal abuse(虐待),” Larry Obrecht, division manager of the Oakland County Animal Shelter in Auburn Hills, said.
People who read the story contacted Oakland Press to offer help. A message, from Rebecca Amett of Giggles N Wiggles Puppy Rescue, in Roseville, said, “We have puppies to donate … and want to help the young woman who lost her service dog.”
“When Gooch was with me, I was happy,” Crouch said, “I think I can be happy again but no animal can replace Gooch. There’s never going to be another Gooch out there but I think I will find a dog that can bring me joy again.”What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．A disabled woman’s service dog. |
| B．A cruel groomer killed a disabled woman’s dog. |
| C．People’s love for a disabled woman who lost her dog. |
| D．Disabled woman loves to have the dog as company. |
People called and emailed to .
| A．offer help and care to Laurie Crouch. |
| B．give their angry voice to the groomer. |
| C．offer a cure for Crouch’s disease. |
| D．tell Crouch how to punish the groomer. |
Gooch died mainly because .
| A．the groomer was careless. |
| B．the groomer sat on the dog with another man. |
| C．the dog was wearing a collar. |
| D．the groomer didn’t know how to trim the dog’s nails |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．Crouch refused to take another dog. |
| B．Crouch must be sad after losing her dog. |
| C．Crouch has accepted another dog from a stranger. |
| D．Crouch can live well without a dog’s company. |
Can feeling of nostalgia (怀旧) be good for you? or is it unhealthy to have a strong love for the past?
For years, medical experts have studied nostalgia and the reasons for it. Many experts warn that too much nostalgia is harmful. They say linger (徘徊) in the past shows that a person is unhappy with his present life. These feelings keep the person from living his life to its fullest.
Dr. Louise Kaplan has written several books about nostalgia. She says these feelings often begin when a young person is between 13 and 19 years old.
"This is the time when you must face the loss of your childhood, " Kaplan says. "You see your new life is easily destroyed. But you think romantically about a golden
past. You remember your childhood as a time when life was perfect."
These feelings continue as a person gets older, Kaplan adds. She says many grown persons have a hard time keeping up with changes in the modem world, so they think back to their younger years. At that time the world seemed simple and more harmless.
Kaplan says these feelings are not always actually existing. The good old days weren't always good. However, she says nostalgia can be helpful, if used properly.
"Feelings of nostalgia can cause you to remember a time when you had high hopes and dreams, " Kaplan says. "It might give you the strong wish to catch those dreams today, in your present life." She adds that nostalgia can prevent you from "cutting yourself off from your aim."
"At its best, " Kaplan says, "nostalgia has the ideas for the future."According to the passage, feelings of nostalgia _____.
| A．can cause you to think of your past which was full of hopes and dreams |
| B．can make you succeed in life |
| C．fill one with hopes for the future |
| D．bring about a love for the past and a hope for the future |
The reason for grown persons to think back to their past is that _____.
| A．they can hardly keep up with changes in today's world |
| B．times are hard, so they can not keep up with changes |
| C．many grown persons have little time keeping up with changes in the modem world |
| D．they lived in the past, of which they are always proud |
Which of the following is not talked about in the passage?
| A．Too much nostalgia is harmful. |
| B．Nostalgia shows that a person is not satisfied with his present life. |
| C．Only women have feelings of nostalgia. |
| D．A little nostalgia can make a person's life more colorful. |
According to Kaplan's idea, _____.
| A．nostalgia is sure to be harmful |
| B．nostalgia can be helpful |
| C．nostalgia is always very good |
| D．nostalgia is bad indeed |
We may also use _____ as the topic of the article.
| A．Thoughts on Nostalgia |
| B．The reasons for Nostalgia |
| C．Why Do They Think Back to the Past |
| D．Nostalgia, Good or Bad |
For many years, Hawaii has been a magic name to people who like to travel. People on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, in Japan and in America, dream of seeing these beautiful islands in the middle of the ocean. Their dreams always include at least one scene of a sunset over the ocean. In the tropical(热带的) lands, the sun drops, like a ball of golden fire, into the sea, and it droops so quickly that you can almost see it move. The sun leaves behind a glow that lights the skies and shines in the quiet water.
People often have a quiet, peaceful time ---perfect for a leisurely(悠闲的) walk along the water. This scene is not too different from the dramatic(令人神往的) beauty that greeted the first strangers to these islands centuries ago. They were Polynesian people who came from Tahiti in canoes not much bigger than small boats.
They found the beautiful white sand beaches and the waving palm trees, but there were no giant hotels like the ones we see nowadays. The first people came to Hawaii nearly two thousand years ago, but skyscraper hotels were only built in the last 25 years. Now jet planes make it possible to fly to for a weekend from Tokyo. Wherever the people come from, they really want to see the original beauty of Hawaii. They want to see the lovely beaches and the mountain called Diamond Head which is almost hidden by the tall hotels.Hawaii is a name _____.
| A．given by people who like to travel |
| B．attracting a lot of travelers |
| C．with a magic story behind it |
| D．liked by both the Japanese and Americans |
On these beautiful islands, one thing that every traveler won't miss is_____.
| A．to swim in the quiet water |
| B．to see the tropical plants |
| C．to see the sunset |
| D．a leisurely walk along the beach |
Which of the following does not belong to "the original beauty of Hawaii"?
| A．White sand beaches. |
| B．Waving palm trees. |
| C．Tall hotels. |
| D．The Diamond Head Mountain. |
The last paragraph suggests_______
| A．the scenery nowadays is not too different from the original beauty. |
| B．it's not quite easy to see the original beauty, because some of the scenery is almost hidden by tall hotels. |
| C．it is easy to see the original beauty, but only by taking jet airplanes. |
| D．it is not easy to see the original beauty because things have completely changed in the last 25 years. |
The best title of the passage is _______
| A．Islands Scenery. |
| B．Hawaii A Magic Name. |
| C．Traveling In Hawaii. |
| D．The Dramatic Beauty. |
Amy and Mark Blaubach were very excited about adopting a child from an orphanage (孤儿院). They thought they would adopt a baby girl. After waiting one and a half years, the social worker asked them to consider adopting a six-year-old boy named Jerry.
After the adoption papers were signed, Amy asked if Jerry had a good friend at the orphanage. Jerry said his best friend was Zack. That was the first time that Amy heard about Zack.
Then Jerry went to his new home with Amy and Mark, where he lived happily and adjusted very well. However, Jerry kept talking about his best friend that he had left behind at the orphanage. So Amy became determined to try and find out more about Zack.
She came across a database specifically for families who had adopted children from the orphanage where she met Jerry. The database allowed parents to enter their child’s name and his or her adoption information. As Amy looked through the database, she found what appeared to be a possible match of her son’s best friend. After sending a new e-mails back and forth, Amy was sure to have the right Zack. He had adopted by Rae and Bruce Hostetler two weeks before. To her surprise, the two families were living in the same city. Then she decided to give these two friends a special reunion (重逢)
On a sunny Sunday, the two boys finally met each other again. When Jerry asked Zack, “Do you remember me?” Zack quickly answered, “Yes! Let’s go and play!” That led to hours of laughter and play. Rae and Amy were excited to see how well their sons got along, and what an amazing bond(联系) they had. Thanks to both families, that special bond between Zack and Jerry can continue for the rest of their lives.What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?
| A．Amy and Mark thought they would adopt a baby boy. |
| B．Amy and Mark were unwilling to adopt Jerry. |
| C．Amy had met Zack before he left the orphanage |
| D．Amy knew that Zack and Jerry were good friends. |
After Jerry left the orphanage ________.
| A．he wasn’t happy in his new home |
| B．he couldn’t adapt to his new environment |
| C．he missed his friend very much |
| D．he left guilty about leaving his friend behind |
What can we learn about Zack from the fourth paragraph?
| A．He was found at the orphanage by Amy. |
| B．He was living in the same city as Jerry. |
| C．He would be adopted by Amy and Mark. |
| D．The boy named Zack in the database wasn’t Jerry’s friend. |
Which of the following is TURE according to the last paragraph?
| A．The boys met again at Amy’s home. |
| B．The boys couldn’t get along with each other any longer. |
| C．When they met again, the boys didn’t recognize each other at first. |
| D．The boys can keep in touch with each other for the rest of their lives. |
What is the best title for this text?
| A．How to Adopt a Child |
| B．Amy and Her Adopted Child |
| C．A Story in an Orphanage |
| D．A Very Special Reunion |
Most people agree that it’s important to have a sense of humour. Having the ability to laugh can help one overcome anxiety, and make better decisions in difficult situations. People with a well-developed sense of humour appear to be happier, and some are healthier as well. This suggests that having a sense of humour is good for you. Humourless people may find themselves being treated as a fool, and become anxious and upset.
A sense of humour also plays an important role in human relationships. However, not everyone has a sense of humour. People with developmental disabilities (发展性能力丧失) can sometimes have no sense of humour, or have a very strange one.
A number of factors affect a person’s sense of humour, with the age probably being the main one. Young children are often highly amused by simple jokes or shows, while teenagers prefer to enjoy the ironic (讽刺的) events. Educational level, culture, and religious faith also affect one’s sense of humour. While Christians, for example, may have a deep appreciation of jokes about the Bible, others may find them disrespectful.
Many people believe that a sense of humour is something that develops on its own, and that you cannot teach someone to understand why jokes, certain comments, situations or events are funny. However, things can be done to enhance one’s sense of humour. Children, for example, benefit from being told jokes and encouraged to laugh, although some children’s jokes might seem rather strange to adults. If you have children, try to encourage them to tell jokes and think about what makes things funny. And it will help them develop a sense of humour.The purpose of the passage is to _______.
| A．explain what influences a person’s sense of humour |
| B．tell readers the importance of being healthy |
| C．explain how to make better decisions |
| D．tell readers how to understand jokes |
What does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 "enhance" probably mean?
| A．Enjoy. | B．Reduce. | C．Improve. | D．Prevent. |
According to the passage, which of the following doesn’t influence one’s sense of humour?
| A．Culture. | B．Age. |
| C．Educational level. | D．Family backgrounds. |