In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.
As a writer I know about winning contest, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.
A revelation（启示）came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously（自发地）told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first trade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her fist music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting（借用）my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.What do we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Many children find lots of fun in mindless activities. |
| B．Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her leisure time. |
| C．Rebecca collects online materials for her writing. |
| D．Rebecca is different from any other child of her age. |
What was the author's writing experience?
| A．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer. |
| B．Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations. |
| C．She was constantly under pressure of writing more. |
| D．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers. |
Why did Rebecca want to enter this year's writing contest?
| A．She possessed real talent for writing. | B．She wanted to win. |
| C．She wanted to share her stories with readers. | D．She had won a prize already. |
Long long ago, there was a man who was good at shooting arrows．He asked the king to declare him as the greatest archer（射手） of the country．The king was about to do so when an old servant of the king said，“Wait，sir．I know an old man who lives in the forest．He is a much greater archer．Let this young man go to him and learn from him for at least three years．”
The man could not believe what the servant said，but he went and found the old man and he was! For three years he learned from him．Then one day，when he thought he had learned everything，the thought arose in him：“If I kill this old man，then I will be the greatest archer．”
The old man had gone to cut wood and he was coming back carrying wood on his shoulder．The young man hid behind a tree，waiting to kill him．He shot an arrow．The old man took a small piece of wood and threw it．It struck the arrow and the arrow turned back and wounded the young man very deeply．The old man came，took out the arrow and said。“I knew that some day or other you were going to do this．That’s why I have not taught you this secret．There is no need to kill me．My Master is still alive，and I’m nothing before him．You must be with him for at least thirty years．And he is very old，so go fast! Find the old man!”The young archer wanted to kill the old man because_______.
| A．he could then become the greatest archer |
| B．he had nothing more to learn from him |
| C．the old man refused to teach him everything |
| D．the king’s old servant ordered him to do SO |
What do you think would most probably happen next?
| A．The young archer died from the wound soon after． |
| B．The king declared the young man the greatest archer． |
| C．The young archer found the old man’s master and killed him． |
| D．The young archer set off to look for the old man’s master． |
What lesson can you learn from the story?
| A．Always use a piece of wood to protect yourself from an arrow． |
| B．You must never try to become better than your teacher． |
| C．The older a man is，the better archer he usually becomes． |
| D．There’s always someone better than you in this world． |
GU Zhaodi, 60, had taken water for granted for years. In fact, no one in the beautiful lake city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province had bothered to spare a thought on water.
But all that changed dramatically overnight last month when taps in the city ran dry. Due to a blue-green algae(藻类) outbreak in Taihu Lake, China’s third largest freshwater lake and the source of drinking water for 4 million Wuxi residents(居民), water from the city’s taps became dark and smelly.
“I can’t believe there is no water for drinking, let alone cooking and washing,”said Ｇu.
The lake was blanketed with the algae, giving off a strong smell of rotting meat. A stone thrown into it took a long time to sink. Experts said that algae usually boom because of hot water and rich chemicals like phosphor(磷)in the water.
“High temperature and a lack of rain in the past few months helped the growth of algae,”said Zhang Lijun, an official from the State Environment Protection Administration. “However, pollution from human activity should be most blamed for the disaster.”
Taihu Lake is surrounded by many small factories, whichsprang up in the 1980s.Inthe 1990s,many foreign-funded(外资的) companies joined in. The industries prospered(繁荣)，Wuxi has grown into one of the wealthiest cities in East China.
But that came at the price of pollution. The lake was treated like a waste dump(垃圾堆)，with factories emptying industrial waste and untreated sewage(污水)into it.
Although, after the government's effort, life in the city has gone back to normal, the one-week crisis（危机）rang a bell for the government and local people.“It's time to rebuild the beauty of nature, or our lives will be at risk,”said Gu.
“A safe environment comes first. Economic growth will be nothing without fresh water to drink and clean air to breathe.” said China Daily.The following can help the blue green algae grow______
| A．high water temperature |
| B．rich chemicals in the water |
| C．a lack of rain |
| D．plentiful water and sunshine |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The one-week disaster has made the local people realize the importance of building a beautiful city. |
| B．It is human activity rather than the algae that is to blame for the water pollution. |
| C．Only when the environment is safe and friendly can man live a better and healthier life. |
| D．Environment should be taken into consideration first if a city plans to develop its economic. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Who is to blame, man or algae? |
| B．Water turned off |
| C．Water pollution troubled Wuxi |
| D．Algae threatened Taihu Lake |
According to the passage ,Taihu Lake________
| A．is the third largest lake in China. |
| B．is surrounded by many foreign-funded factories and companies. |
| C．used to be a waste dump. |
| D．suffered from industrial waste，untreated sewage and algae. |
The underlined phrase “sprang up” in the sixth paragraph means______
| A．develop quickly | B．produce goods quickly |
| C．come to life | D．grow up |
A traveller was staying in an Egyptian village. One day, she held up her camera to take pictures of the children. Suddenly the young ones began to shout at her. The traveller's face turned red and she apologized to the head for what she was doing, and told him she had forgotten that people in some places believed a person would lose his soul(灵魂) if his picture was taken. She explained to him the operation of a camera for a long time. Several times the head tried to say something, but he couldn't. When she believed that the head didn't fear any longer, the traveller then let him speak. With a smile, he said, "The children were trying to tell you that you forgot to take off the lens(镜头) cap!" The children shouted when the traveller was taking pictures of them because ______.
| A．they didn't want to stop playing |
| B．the traveller forgot to take off the cap on her head |
| C．they didn't want to have their pictures taken |
| D．the traveller was not doing well with her camera |
The traveller made an apology to (向……道歉) the head because _______.
| A．she thought it was not right to take people's pictures without telling them beforehand(事先) |
| B．the children would lose their souls |
| C．she had stayed in the village too long |
| D．she didn't take a picture of the head first |
The traveller explained how to use a camera to the head because _______.
| A．the head was very interested in her camera |
| B．the head wanted to learn to take pictures |
| C．she was afraid of the head |
| D．she wanted the head not to worry about what she was doing |
When the head smiled, it's clear that _______ .
| A．the children wanted to play with her |
| B．the traveller didn't know what the children meant |
| C．he wanted the traveller to tell him something else |
| D．the traveller didn't let him speak |
Which of the following is NOT right?
| A．The traveller knew something about people in some countries. |
| B．The children wouldn't mind if the traveller took pictures of them. |
| C．The head was afraid that the traveller's camera would hurt the children. |
| D．The traveller didn't understand why the children shouted. |
City buses are white and blue. Please board at the front door and pay the fare as you get on. The fare per ride is $1.50 for adults and $1.00 for senior citizens. The fare may be paid by cash, bus pass or multiple passes. Please pay the exact amount directly into the slot at the top of the fare box. Remember that bills are not accepted and drivers cannot make change for riders.
When you wish to get off the bus, please notify the driver in advance by pressing one of the buttons provided throughout the bus for this purpose. The bus may pass bus stops without stopping if no one is getting off or waiting to get on.
There are five subway lines in the city. The fare is set at five rates from $2.00 to $3.50 according to the number of predetermined “price zones” traveled. To purchase the appropriate ticket, please check the fare on the boards installed above the ticket-selling machines in each subway station.
Pass through the automated ticket gates by inserting the ticket into the slot. When getting off the subway at a station beyond the validity of the ticket, pay the additional fare at a fare-adjustment machine. What is the lowest cost of a subway ride for an adult?
| A．$1.00. | B．$1.50 . | C．$2.00. | D．$3.50. |
How can a rider determine the fare of a subway ride?
| A．It is automatically determined. |
| B．It is always $2.00 |
| C．Fare-adjustment machines determine the fare. |
| D．All fares are posted. |
Bus riders can NOT use _________.
| A．change | B．bills | C．a bus pass | D．a multiple pass |
According to the information, all bus riders should _________.
| A．exit from the back door |
| B．let the driver know in advance if they want to get off |
| C．ask the driver for chang. |
| D．pay according to a “price zone” |
This text mainly tells us _________.
| A．how to use city buses and subways |
| B．how convenient city buses and subways are |
| C．how to pay the fare for city buses and subways |
| D．how well city buses and subways are equipped |
The first newspapers were written by hand and put up on walls in public place. The earliest daily newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC. In the 700’s the world’s first printed newspaper was published. Europe didn’t have a regularly published newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.
The first regularly published newspaper in the English language was printed in Amsterdam in 1620. In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published once a week. The first daily English newspaper was the Daily Courant (每日新闻). It came out in March 1702.
In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston. But not long after it was first published, the government stopped the paper. In 1704, John Campbell started The Boston Newsletter (波士顿新闻通讯), the first newspaper published in the American colonies. By 1760, the colonies had more than thirty daily newspapers. There are now about 1,800 daily papers in the United States.
Today, as a group, English language newspapers have the largest circulation (发行量) in the world. But the largest circulation for a newspaper is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Dhimbun (朝日新闻).It sells more than 11 million copies every day.The first daily newspaper came out in _____.
| A．59 BC | B．700’s | C．1609 | D．1620 |
The first regular published newspaper in Europe was printed in _____.
| A．England | B．Germany | C．France | D．Sweden |
The first printed newspaper in America came out in _____.
| A．Washington | B．New York | C．Boston | D．New Orleans |
Today there are about _____ daily newspaper printed in the United States.
| A．1621 | B．1704 | C．1760 | D．1800 |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The first regularly published newspaper in the English language was printed in Amsterdam. |
| B．English language newspaper sells more than 11 million copies every day. |
| C．Europe didn’t have a regularly published newspaper in 1608. |
| D．The first daily English newspaper came out in March 1702. |