People believe that climbing can do good to health. Where can you learn the skill of climbing then? If you think that you have to go to the mountains to learn how to climb，you’re wrong. Many Americans are learning to climb in city gyms(体育馆). Here，people are learning on special climbing walls. The climbing wall goes straight up and has small holding places for hands and feet.
How do people climb the wall? To climb，you need special shoes and a harness(保护带)around your chest to hold you. There are ropes(绳索)tied to your harness. The ropes hold you in place so that you don’t fall. A beginner’s wall is usually about 15 feet high，and you climb straight up. There are small pieces of metal that stick out for you to stand on and hold on to. Sometimes it’s easy to see the new piece of metal. Sometimes, it’s not. The most difficult part is to control your fear. It’s normal for humans to be afraid of falling, so it’s difficult not to feel fear. But when you move away from the wall，the harness and the ropes hold you，and you begin to feel safe. You move slowly until you reach the top.
Climbing attracts people because it’s good exercise for almost everyone. You use your whole body，especially your arms and legs. This sport gives your body a complete workout. When you climb，both your mind and your body can become stronger. What can we infer from the passage?
| A．People are fairly interested in climbing nowadays. |
| B．It is impossible to build up one’s body by climbing. |
| C．People can only learn the skill of climbing outdoors. |
| D．It is always easy to see holding places in climbing. |
The most difficult thing to do in wall climbing is .
| A．to tie ropes to your harness | B．to control your fear |
| C．to move away from the wall | D．to climb straight up |
The word “workout” underlined in the last paragraph most probably means .
| A．settlement | B．exercise | C．excitement | D．tiredness |
Why does the author write this passage?
| A．To tell people where to find gyms. |
| B．To prove the basic need for climbing. |
| C．To encourage people to climb mountains. |
| D．To introduce the sport of wall climbing. |
Have you ever used Facebook? Many people are being lured (引诱) onto it with the promise of a fun，free service without realizing they're paying for it by giving up large amounts of personal information．Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages．
Most Facebook users don't realize this is happening．Even if they know what the company is up to，they still have no idea what they're paying for Facebook because people don't really know what their personal data is worth．
The biggest problem，however，is that the company keeps changing the rules．Early on，you keep everything private．That was the great thing about Facebook — you could create your own little private network．Last year，the company changed its privacy rules so that many things — your city，your photo，your friends' names—were set，by default (默认) to be shared with everyone on the Internet．
According to Facebook's vice-president Elliot Schrage，the company is simply making changes to improve its service，and if people don't share information，they have a “less satisfying experience”．
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money．Its original business model，which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page，totally failed．Who wants to look at ads when they're online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington．In April，Senator(议员) Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy．He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites．“I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them，”Schrage admits．
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy is only the beginning，which is why I'm considering deactivating(撤销) my account．Facebook is a handy site，but I'm upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don't know．That's too high a price to pay．What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
| A．It is a website that sends messages to targeted users． |
| B．It makes money by putting on advertisements． |
| C．It profits by selling its users'personal data． |
| D．It provides loads of information to its users． |
What does the author say about most Facebook users?
| A．They are reluctant to give up their personal information． |
| B．They don't know their personal data enriches Facebook． |
| C．They don't identify themselves when using the website． |
| D．They care very little about their personal information． |
Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?
| A．To provide better service to its users． |
| B．To follow the Federal guidelines． |
| C．To improve its users'connectivity． |
| D．To expand its scope of business． |
Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
| A．He is dissatisfied with its current service． |
| B．He finds many of its users untrustworthy． |
| C．He doesn't want his personal data abused． |
| D．He is upset by its frequent rule changes． |
When Kate's paintings were on show in London，a poet described her paintings as “a ribbon (丝带）around a bomb”．Such comments seem to suggest Kate had a big influence on the art world of her time．Sadly，she is actually a much bigger name today than she was during her time．
Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City，Kate suffered from polio（小儿麻痹症）at the age of seven．Her spine (脊柱)became bent as she grew older．Then，in 1925，her back was broken in several places in a school-bus accident．Throughout the rest of her life，the artist had many operations，but nothing was able to cure the terrible pain in her back．However，the accident had an unexpected side effect．While lying in her bed recovering，Kate taught herself to paint．
In 1929，she got married to Diego Rivera，another famous Mexican artist．Rivera's strong influences on Kate's style can be seen in her early works，but her later works from the 1940s，known today as her best works，show less influence from her husband．
Unfortunately，her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and1940s，even in her home country．Her first one-woman show in Mexico was not held until 1953．For more than a decade after her death in 1954，Kate's works remained largely unnoticed by the world，but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last．What does the underlined phrase “a much bigger name” in paragraph 1 most probablymean?
| A．A far better artist． |
| B．A far more gifted artist． |
| C．A much stronger person． |
| D．A much more famous person． |
The terrible pain Kate suffered was caused by．
| A．polio |
| B．her bent spine |
| C．back injuries |
| D．the operations she had |
Kate's style had become increasingly independent since the．
| A．1930s |
| B．1940s |
| C．1950s |
| D．1970s |
What is author's attitude toward Kate?
| A．Devotion． |
| B．Sympathy． |
| C．Worry． |
| D．Encouragement． |
One dark and stormy night，an elderly man and his wife entered the hall of a small hotel in Philadelphia，hoping to get shelter for the night．
The clerk，a friendly man with a beautiful smile，explained that there were three conferences in town．“All of our rooms are taken，”the clerk said，“but I can't send a nice couple like you into the rain at one o'clock in the morning．Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It's not a suite，but it will be good enough to make you comfortable for the night．”The couple agreed．
As the elderly man paid the bill the next morning，he told the clerk，“You are the kind of person who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States．Maybe someday I’ll build one for you．”The clerk looked at them and smiled．The three of them had a good laugh．
Two years passed．The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the elderly man，asking the clerk to pay him a visit．The elderly man met him in New York，and led him to the corner of the Fifth Avenue and 34thStreet．He then pointed to a great new building there，a reddish stone one with watchtowers thrusting (插入) up to the sky，and told the clerk that it was the hotel he had just built for him to manage．
That wonderful building was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel．And this young clerk whose name was George C．Boldt never foresaw the return of events that would lead him into the manager of one of the world's most attractive hotels．Why did the elderly man build a hotel for the clerk?
| A．He was grateful to the clerk． |
| B．They had a bet at first． |
| C．He wanted to please the clerk． |
| D．He wanted to sell the hotel． |
Which of the statements about the story is NOT true?
| A．The story took place at about one a．m． |
| B．The old couple were too poor to afford a luxurious room． |
| C．The clerk was willing to help those in need． |
| D．The clerk received an unexpected invitation from the old man． |
According to the text，the clerk．
| A．helped the couple because he thought they were poor． |
| B．hoped that the old couple could give him a large amount of money． |
| C．didn't expect to receive things in return from the old couple． |
| D．became rich，thanks to his own efforts． |
Which of the following proverbs suits the story the best?
| A．Every little thing helps． |
| B．Make hay(干草)while the sun shines． |
| C．Accidents will happen． |
| D．One good turn deserves another． |
When we hear of dangerous diseases, cancer and heart disease are often what first comes to mind．Recently, a virus (病毒) called Ebola has reappeared in Guinea (a country in West Africa), killing 62 people so far．It leads to viral hemorrhagic fever, which is characterized by high fever and internal bleeding etc, Ebola can kill 90% of those infected, especially in underdeveloped societies like those in Africa.
Ebola is named after the Ebola River, where it was first discovered in 1976．There are five different types of the Ebola virus, each named after where they first happened: Sudan, Ivory Coast, Restoon, Bundibugyo, and Zaire．The deadliest of the five, Zaire, was responsible for the 2012 outbreak, and is believed to be attacking Guinea.
Ebola is naturally found in fruit bats (果蝠), which pass on the virus to other animals by biting or sucking on (吮吸) their blood．Humans who are suffering from the Ebola infection might have touched the bodily fluids (液体) of the infected animals．Once infected, a human becomes a carrier of the deadly virus.
Since we live in an interconnected world, where the situation in one country can affect us all, the influences of Ebola are huge: damaging trade relations, affecting foreign visitors, and weakening entire countries．Already the Guinea virus is spreading fast with a few cases spotted in Conakry — the capital of Guinea, far away from the origin of the virus．It is feared that the disease may have already reached neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone, too.
Unfortunately, there are no disease-specific treatments for Ebola．Healthcare workers only supply the infected people with water to keep them in good condition．Since there have been many cases of nurses catching the disease from patients, they are forced to wear strict protective clothes, and in some cases, not even allowed to get close to the affected．The fact that there is no cure for the Ebola virus is what makes the outbreak a challenging one to control.The news of Ebola in Guinea is mentioned to ________.
| A．make a brief summary |
| B．introduce the topic of the text |
| C．compare Ebola with cancer |
| D．show the latest study of viruses |
What can we learn about Ebola?
| A．It is a newly discovered virus. |
| B．It is the most dangerous virus in the world. |
| C．It was named after where it first happened. |
| D．It could cause immediate death for anyone infected. |
What is mainly described in Paragraph 3?
| A．What the Ebola virus is. |
| B．The influences of Ebola. |
| C．The treatments for Ebola. |
| D．How the Ebola virus spreads. |
Which of the following does the author probably agree with?
| A．Ebola is a highly infectious virus. |
| B．Ebola is now very common in Guinea. |
| C．Those with a fever must be infected by Ebola. |
| D．Females are more easily to be infected by Ebola. |
We need a logo that will be the perfect symbol of our new Wheelsville Skate Park．We would like those of you who are counting the days until the opening of the park to design a proper logo.
LOGO REQUIREMENTS
▪Designs must be original and easy to recognize.
▪They should include no more than two colors in addition to black and white.
▪Artwork should be reproducible at different sizes from business cards to posters.
▪The words “Wheelsville Skate Park” must appear in the logo.
SUBMISSION (提交) DETAILS
▪Competitors are required to be 18 years old or younger.
▪There is no limit to the number of submissions.
▪The name and address of the designer must appear on the back of the logo design.
▪Competitors need to include a one-page written explanation describing the key features of the design.
▪All submissions sent to Wheelsville Skate Park will not be returned.
▪All works must be sent to skateman4x@comlink.com no later than May 15.
▪Files (文件) should be .jpg, .gif, .png, .pict, or Photoshop files.
▪The winning design will be posted on our website at www.wheelsville.skatepark.com on May 20, one week before the opening celebration.
PRIZES
▪First Prize: Digital camera, one-year pass to Wheelsville Skate Park, and two T-shirts with the prize-winning logo.
▪Second Prize: Six-month pass to Wheelsville Skate Park and a T-shirt with the prize-winning logo.
▪Honorable Mention: One free ticket to Wheelsville Skate Park and a T-shirt with the prize-winning logo to two competitors from grades 6–8, and two from grades 9–12.
JUDGES
▪Among the judges are a professional designer, two technology teachers, four local skaters, and three members of Wheelsville Skate Park Board of Directors.
▪The judges’ decisions are final.In Paragraph 1, the underlined part “counting the days” suggests a feeling of ________.
| A．nervousness |
| B．amusement |
| C．excitement |
| D．uncertainty |
Why does the following logo design show a misunderstanding of the rules?
| A．It does not use the full park name. |
| B．It is not as big as it is expected. |
| C．It does not use three colors. |
| D．It just shows a skateboard. |
As the top winner of the activity, you may ________.
| A．win a camera and a free ticket to the park |
| B．get a T-shirt with your own photo on it |
| C．visit the park free of charge for one year |
| D．receive a half-a-year pass to the park |
The text is probably a(n) ________.
| A．news report |
| B．advertisement |
| C．lesson plan |
| D．travel guide |