In modem society there is a great deal of argument about competition．Some value it highly，believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity．Others say that competition is bad, that it sets one person against another and that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people．
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied(依赖)on how well they performed at tennis and other skills．For them，playing well and winning are often life-and-death affair. In their single-minded pursuit(追求)of success，the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten．
However，while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed，others take an opposite attitude．In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players，they strongly blame competition．Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society．Teaching these young people，I often observe in them a desire to fail．They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success .By not trying，they always have an excuse：“I may have lost，but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.’’ What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost，that would mean a lot．Such a loss would be a measure of their worth．
Clearly，this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves．Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others．Both are afraid of not being valued．Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve(缓解)can we discover a new meaning in competition．What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．Competition helps to set up self-respect． |
| B．Opinions about competition are different among people． |
| C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development． |
| D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition． |
Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
| A．It pushes society forward． |
| B．it builds up a sense of duty． |
| C．It improves personal abilities． |
| D．It encourages individual efforts． |
The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means________．
| A．those who try their best to win |
| B．those who value competition most highly |
| C．those who are against competition most strongly |
| D．those who rely on others most for success |
What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a “desire to fail”?
| A．One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others’． |
| B．One’s success in competition needs great efforts． |
| C．One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills． |
| D．One’s success is based on how hard he has tried． |
Which point of view may the author agree to?
| A．Every effort should be paid back． |
| B．Competition should be encouraged． |
| C．Winning should be a life—and—death matter． |
| D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition． |
“Colour” and “color”, “favourite” and “favorite”···Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a “u”? Is it because they are lazy?
Of course not. In fact, the difference in spelling was created by Noah Webster (1758—1843). He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger. Linguists（语言学家） celebrated his 250th birthday on October 16. After the Revolutionary War(1775—1783), Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary, rather than rely on British versions（版本）. He dropped the British “u” in some words. And he changed “centre” into “center” for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded.
Webster wasn’t shy about expressing his opinions. In defining（定义） preposterous, he wrote: “A republican government in the hands of females is preposterous.”
Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary in 1828 with his American-style spellings. He also added local words. His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom.
“He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity,” said Joshua Kendall, who is working on a biography（传记） about Webster. “He at last bonded（联合） us through our language.”According to the passage, when he worked on his dictionary, Noah Webster did all of the following EXCEPT______.
| A．dropping “u” in all the British words |
| B．changing “centre” into “center” |
| C．adding local words |
| D．expressing his opinion. |
When did Noah Webster probably begin his project of the dictionary?
| A．In 1758 | B．In 1783 | C．In 1800 | D．In 1828 |
Why did Noah Webster create these differences in his dictionary?
| A．Because he wanted to make English simple and easy. |
| B．Because he wanted American English to have it own characteristics（特征）. |
| C．Because he wanted to make American English the best in the world. |
| D．Because he wanted to show that the USA is stronger than the UK. |
Which of the following word can best describe Noah Webster’s work?
| A．Interesting | B．Boring | C．Unfinished | D．Meaningful |
Which of the following would probably be the best title for the passage?
| A．Webster |
| B．American identity |
| C．The shaper of American English |
| D．Spelling difference between American and British English. |
Sometimes children do not do what their parents tell them to do. When this happens, a parent tries to help the child to do the right thing. When this does not work, the parent usually punishes the child.
There are many things that a parent can do. One thing that people have done is to spank the child. When a parent spanks a child, they will use their hand or a hard object to strike them on their bottom. This is meant to show the child that they have done something wrong.
One parent remembers being spanked when he was a child. His parents used a wooden spoon. When he spanked his own children with his hand, he saw that he put a red mark on his child’s leg. He never did that again.
One problem with spanking is that it teaches the child to hit someone when they do not like what the other person is doing. Another problem with spanking is that the parent is usually angry and can hit the child too hard. Sometimes parents will use spanking for everything and not try other ways to get the child to do the right thing.
Many parents are not sure of what to do instead of spanking. Some people think that their religion（宗教）tells them that spanking is okay. Some think that the law lets them do it. The courts (法院) say that parents have the right to teach their children how to behave.
Other things should be tried before a parent decides to spank a child. Telling the child exactly what is wanted from them can be one thing. Giving a child more than one choice is another thing that can be tried. Getting down to the child’s level and taking a more child-friendly approach (方法) can help as well.According to the passage, when children do something wrong, one thing that parents usually do to punish them is to _______.
| A．strike them on the bottom |
| B．try to help them do the right thing |
| C．teach them what to do |
| D．take them to court |
What does the word “spank” mean?
| A．打屁股 | B．下跪 | C．罚站 | D．打手心 |
Which of the following is NOT the problem caused by spanking?
| A．It teaches the child to hit others when they offend (冒犯) him or her. |
| B．The parent may get angry and hit the child too hard. |
| C．Sometimes parents may use spanking for everything. |
| D．It makes parents try other ways to make the child do right. |
Which of the following can best describe the writer’s attitude towards spanking?
| A．favorable (赞同的) | B．indifferent (不关心) |
| C．interested | D．unfavorable |
From this passage, we can conclude (作出结论) that ________.
| A．good children always do the right thing |
| B．parents should try their best to avoid (避免) spanking their children |
| C．parents have no choice but to spank their children when they do something wrong |
| D．children can have more than one choice to avoid being spanked |
Many of us don’t like what we see around us but the last thing we do is to change it. I think that is the beginning of failure and that is why what we hate remains around us. If you don’t want to see things around you, don’t just hope it’ll change.
We have such an amazing power of creativity inside us to change the way things work around us. Only lazy people go about and say that is the way things have been working. I’ve come to discover that things around us depend on our actions and inactions. What I mean is that the circumstances that we like depend only on the things we do and the things we don’t do.
Do you want your country to change? Start by changing the small things around you. Before you think too far about any small thing to change, your habit should be the first thing to change. Change what you think about and talk about. Can you remember how difficult it was for you to break a habit that you desired to break some years back? If so, then you must accept that things aren’t just going to change by a magic thought. If it isn’t so easy to change yourself when you want to, it isn’t going to be so easy to change the people around you.
I think the best way I’ve changed people around me is that I changed myself. When you change, they’ll change. Just change yourself and see how many people will tell you later that you are the one who changes them. That’s one simple way young people can change their nations. According to the text, why do we fail to change what we don’t like? _______
| A．Because we lack the power of creativity. |
| B．Because we never plan to change them. |
| C．Because they cannot be changed. |
| D．Because we don’t have the ability. |
The author can change people around him because he has realized that .
| A．things around us decide what we do |
| B．the further you think, the better |
| C．his actions can affect things around him |
| D．he has to change the nation first |
The third paragraph aims at .
| A．telling readers one of the author’s interesting experiences |
| B．giving an example to show how to change things around us |
| C．showing readers how to change a nation |
| D．asking us to remember to change our nation |
What can we learn from the text? ________
| A．Circumstance creates a person. |
| B．It is never too late to change your habits. |
| C．A long journey begins with the first step. |
| D．Changing ourselves means changing others. |
High school graduation is indeed important for the person concerned. It is usually marked by a party where friends and family present the person with gifts as a celebration. Below are some good choices for those who will go to college.
You can buy a folding bike. It is a good choice for a high school graduate going to college who may not have room to store a traditional bike. He or she will love moving around the school. It can be easily folded and carried, which would be great for those who often trip back home on weekends. You can also buy a Walkman. It is not expensive. The person can enjoy music while walking, exercising or studying. It can help improve one’s mood.
College is an important time for a person’s career. Many high school graduates know little about the fields they will enter. So why not buy the person a book on what to expect in college life? That way the person would be fully prepared for college. Also he or she can tell something about it to his or her classmates. It is a reality that knowledge is something that cannot be taken away. Healthy food is a major issue in college. Some students have to put up with the bad-taste food in the college dining hall. A refrigerator which can keep food fresh is an excellent choice.
In short, there are so many you can choose from as high school graduation gifts. So what gift are you planning to give to the bright young person?Why is a folding bike a good gift?_______
| A．Because it is convenient and takes up little space. |
| B．Because it can help students save more time. |
| C．Because it is environmentally friendly and cheap. |
| D．Because it is much lighter than traditional bikes. |
How many great choices are mentioned in the text?________
| A．3. | B．4. | C．5. | D．6. |
Gifts for people who will go to college should be .
| A．useful | B．cheap | C．lovely | D．fashionable |
What’s the text mainly about?_________
| A．How to celebrate high school graduation. |
| B．How to make college life easy. |
| C．What a good gift means to high school graduates. |
| D．What to buy for people who will go to college. |
Vitamin D helps bones and muscles grow strong and healthy. Low levels of vitamin D can lead to diseases such as rickets (佝偻病), mainly found in children. The thinning of bone is a common problem as people, especially women, get older.
But more and more research is suggesting that vitamin D might also help prevent many diseases. The easiest way to get vitamin D is from sunlight. The sun’s ultraviolet (紫外线的) rays react with skin cells to produce vitamin D. But many people worry about getting skin cancer and skin damage from the sun. As a result they stay out of the sun. Also, darker-skinned people produce less vitamin D than lighter-skinned people. The amount also decreases in older people and those living in northern areas that get less sunlight.
Not many foods naturally contain vitamin D. Foods high in this vitamin include oily fish and fish liveroils (鱼肝油). Farmed fish have only about one-fourth as much vitamin D as wild fish. Small amounts of vitamin D are found in beef liver, cheese and egg yolks. But most of the vitamin D in the American diet comes from foods such as milk.
Research in the last several years has shown that low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of heart attacks in men and deaths from some cancers. More doctors are now having their patients tested for their vitamin D levels. But as research continues, some experts worry that if people take too much vitamin D, it might act as a poison. Also, skin doctors warn people to be careful with sun exposure because of the risk of skin cancer.The first paragraph is mainly about .
| A．the muscle diseases | B．the sources of vitamins |
| C．the importance of health | D．the functions of vitamin D |
Which of the following people produce the least amount of vitamin D?______
| A．Elderly darker-skinned people. | B．Young lighter-skinned people. |
| C．Elderly lighter-skinned people. | D．Young darker-skinned people. |
People can get the most vitamin D from .
| A．beef liver | B．cheese | C．wild fish | D．farmed fish |
What can we infer from the text?_________
A. Being exposed to sunlight is the safest way to get vitamin D.
B. Lack of vitamin D can make people age quickly.
C. Proper vitamin D levels people need are still not determined now.
D. The vitamin D level is higher in men than in women.