It’s interesting that the arrival of snow has a different effect on people in different countries. For some countries it is an important happening to celebrate each year, while for others it is a catastrophe (灾难) or even a wonder.
There are countries between these two extremes (极端) that normally expect snow some time over the winter months, but never receive snow regularly or in the same quantities(数量) every year. Britain is one such country, for which the arrival of snow quite simply creates problems. Within hours of the first snowfall, however light, roads are blocked, trains and buses stop in the middle of traffic. Normal communications are affected as well, telephone calls become difficult and the post immediately takes more time than usual. Almost within hours, there are also shortages(不足) -- bread, vegetables and other things -- not because all these things can no longer be produced or sent to shops, but mainly because people are frightened, and go out to store up these commodities (日用品), “just for fear that something bad should happen.”
Why then does snow have this effect? After all, the Swiss, Austrians and Canadians don’t have such problems. It is simply because there is not enough planning and preparation. We need money to buy equipment to deal with snow and ice. To keep the roads clear, for example, requires snow ploughs and machines to spread salt. The reason why a country like Britain does not buy some ploughs is that they are only used for a few days in any one year, and the money could be more useful in other things such as hospitals, education or helping the old.According to the writer, Britain is a country____.
| A．which has regular snow | B．which is not well prepared for snow |
| C．for which snow is not a problem | D．for which snow is a wonder |
The arrival of snow in Britain affects all of the following except____
| A．traffic | B．communication | C．food supplies | D．service quality |
After a few hours’ snowing there are often shortages of food because______
| A．shops have closed down | B．people buy as much as they can |
| C．farmers can’t produce any more | D．people eat more vegetables in winter |
The first reason that the British don’t buy snow ploughs is that______
| A．spreading salt is good enough | B．old people need more money |
| C．snow ploughs are not used often | D．the hospital is more important |
Everyone worries. But how do you deal with your worries? Whether your worries are big or small, you can take these three steps to deal with your worries:
1. Try to find out what you're worried about
Sometimes, you will know what you're worried about. Other times, you might not. Try to find it out first; if you can't, you can ask for help.
2. Think of ways to make it better
There is always something you can do to help you feel less worried. Sitting there worrying is no fun and it won't solve your problem.
Grades at school are often top worries for kids. If you're worried about grades, ask yourself these questions:
★ Why are grades important? What do grades mean to me?
★How do I get ready for class? Do I go over my notes even when there isn't a test?
★ Do I have a good place to do my homework?
★ Have I tried different ways of studying?
If your worry is about a fight you had, you might write down all the things you could do: write a note to him or her, invite him or her to a basketball game, say sorry to him or her, etc. Once you have a list of things you could do, you can choose the one that gets your friend back.
3. Ask for help
When you're worried, it can help to find someone to talk to. You can ask your parents, friends, or teachers for help.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。How should you deal with the worry first if you don't know what we're worried about?
| A．We should try to find it out. | B．We should ask others. |
| C．We should help others first. | D．We should sit there worrying. |
When can you ask “What do grades mean to me”?
| A．When my friends don’t like me. |
| B．When I don’t try different ways of studying. |
| C．When I finish my homework. |
| D．When we're worried about grades. |
Which is the meaning of the underlined phrase “go over” in the passage?
| A．翻滚 | B．复习 |
| C．转向 | D．越过 |
According to the passage, what will you do if you have a fight?
| A．I will make a new friend. |
| B．I don’t want to talk to him or her any more. |
| C．I will have another fight |
| D．I will invite him or her to a basketball game. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．who is often worried | B．when people are worried |
| C．how to deal with our worries | D．what kind of worries people have |
Henry was a carpenter（木匠）of our village. Once I asked him to make a dining table for my wife. He made it just the right size to fill the space between the two windows. When I arrived home that evening, Henry was drinking a cup of tea and writing his bill for his work. .
My wife said to me，quietly，“That’s his ninth cup of tea today.” But she said loudly, "It's a beautiful table, dear, isn't it?"
"I won't decide about that until I see that bill.” I said.
Henry laughed and gave me his bill for the work. It said：
| BILL One dining table June 10，2013 Cost of wood $ 17.00 Paint（油漆） $ 1.50 Work，8 hours（1 an hour) $ 8.00 Total（总计） $ 36.50 |
When I was looking at the bill，Henry said，"it’s been a fine day，hasn’t it? Quite sunny.”
"Yes,” I said. "I’m glad it is only the 10th of June.”
"Me too” , said Henry. "If you wait, it'll be a bit hotter by the end of the month.”
"Yes. Hotter and more expensive. Dining tables will be 20 more expensive on June 30th, won't they，Henry?”
Henry looked hard at me for half a minute. There was a little embarrassed smile in his two blue eyes. It seemed that he had done wrong. I gave his bill back to him.
"If it isn't too much trouble, Henry, ” I said，"Please add it up again. You can forget the date.”
I paid him $26. 50 and he ran away in a hurry.When the writer got home, Henry _______.
| A．was talking with the writer’s wife | B．was waiting for him |
| C．had finished the dinning table | D．had drunk ten cups of tea |
Henry talked about weather when the writer was looking at the bill because _______.
| A．he didn’t know how to say except weather |
| B．he wanted the writer to look at the bill carefully |
| C．he wanted to tell the writer what the weather was like |
| D．he didn't want the writer to go through the bill carefully |
The writer thought Henry would ask for ______dollars if he made a dining table on the last day of June.
| A．26.50 | B．56. 50 |
| C．46.50 | D．20.00 |
When the writer gave him the money, Henry was _______．
| A．embarrassed | B．angry |
| C．surprised | D．sad |
From the story we know that Henry _______．
| A．didn’t make a mistake in the bill |
| B．got $36. 50 for his work in the end |
| C．had written out the bill before the writer got home |
| D．wanted to try to get more money for his work |
Sports, drama, and all kinds of organizations keep students busy during high school. Where do they get the money to do these things? Not everyone gets it from parents. Most have to work for at least some of the money to pay for these activities. Some adults question if high school students should have jobs. I say yes, they undoubtedly should.
Some people worry that teens with after-school jobs will have difficulty finding time for schoolwork. Actually, having a job helps teens make better use of their time. Many jobs take only a couple of hours on weeknights. According to an article, 86 percent of high school students have an after-school, weekend or summer job and students who work between 10 and 20 hours per week during the school year get higher grades than those who do not work at all. Instead of considering working after school a hindrance, it should be looked at as real-world education.
Other people think that work adds too much stress（压力）, which may be somewhat true, but whether having a job or not, there is always stress. Better to learn how to deal with busy schedules（日程表）in a controlled environment like high school than to be out on your own and alone in the future, experiencing stress for the first time. I personally would be worried about the teenager who has to become independent without having any experience of working.
The biggest reason teens should work is that it is a healthy way of making money. There are many things teens need to pay for and they cannot do it if they don’t have a job. Not all parents can pay for these activities. My dad told me, “Having a job is a good way to save up for things you are going to need or want to do. You get a lot more out of things if you pay for them yourself.” The sooner kids make money, the sooner they can learn how to use money wisely. If they are not allowed to work in high school, they may have a hard time in the future. Teens should, without a doubt, be allowed to work on school nights.The word “hindrance” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.
| A．something that encourages teens to study |
| B．something that helps teens improve study |
| C．something that prevents teens from studying |
| D．something that makes teens lose interest in study |
What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
| A．Teens are too busy with study to work at high school. |
| B．Teens experience stress for the first time at high school. |
| C．Teens are worried about being independent in the future. |
| D．Teens who work will deal with stress better in the future. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Working makes teens get lower grades. |
| B．Working teaches teens to spend money more wisely. |
| C．Working helps teens to get on better with their parents. |
| D．Working stops teens from taking part in after-school activities. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．What money means to teens. |
| B．Why teens should work after school. |
| C．Whether parents should help teens find jobs. |
| D．How teens get money for after-school activities. |
At the age of sixteen, I went on my first volunteer program in West Virginia to repair or build homes for poor families. When we arrived, we discovered that the family we were going to help was living in a trailer（拖车式活动房）that was in poor condition, no bigger than two parking spaces. A group of people had been working on it for two weeks, but every time they finished one problem, another appeared.
We soon decided that the only way was to build a new house. It was something unusual because normally our goal was to repair old homes. The family was pleased with their new house that was 20 by 30 feet with three bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen.
On Tuesday of that week, I asked the family’s three boys, Josh, Eric and Ryan, “What do you want for your new room?” Kids in the families we had helped usually wanted toys or posters, so we were surprised when Josh, the oldest boy said, “We just want beds.” The boys had never slept in a bed. That night we had a meeting and decided that beds would be the perfect gift. On Thursday night, a few adults in our group drove to the nearest city and bought beds and new bedding.
On Friday when we saw the truck coming, we told the family about the surprise. They were very excited.
That afternoon, while we were setting up the beds, Eric ran into the house to watch us with wide eyes. As Maggie, a member of our group, put one of the pillows on the bed, Eric asked, “What is that?”
“A pillow,” she replied.
“What do you do with it?” Eric went on asking.
“When you go to sleep, you put your head on it,” Maggie answered softly. Tears came to our eyes as she handed Eric the pillow.
“Oh . . . that’s soft,” he said, holding it tightly.
Now, when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems very urgent（急迫的）, my dad always asks, “Do you have a pillow?” We know exactly what he means.Why did the writer’s group build a new house for the family?
| A．Because it was their normal work. |
| B．Because the family asked them to do it. |
| C．Because the trailer could no longer be repaired. |
| D．Because they thought it was a perfect gift for the family. |
What can we learn from the story?
| A．The family needed two parking spaces. |
| B．The boys of the family wanted toys and posters. |
| C．The family were excited about the beds and bedding. |
| D．The writer’s group made some furniture for the family. |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．The Pillow | B．A New House |
| C．The Family | D．An Interesting Program |
Speaking English is not only about using proper grammar, but also about understanding the culture. Here is some important advice to remember when speaking English in the United States.
◆Americans have difficulties understanding foreign accents. Many Americans are not used to foreign accents. This requires patience from both of you.
◆Talk about places: Americans love to talk about places. When speaking to a stranger, ask them where they come from and then say something about that place. For example: “Oh, I have a friend who worked in Los Angeles. He says it’s a beautiful place to live in.” Most Americans will then willingly talk about their experiences of living in or visiting that city or place.
◆Talk about work: It is common for Americans to ask “What do you do?” It’s not considered impolite as in some countries and is a popular topic of discussion between strangers.
◆Talk about sports: Americans love sports! However, they love American sports. When speaking about football, most Americans understand “American football”, not soccer.
◆Be careful when expressing ideas about race, religion or other sensitive（敏感的）topics:The United States is a society with different cultures. Americans are very sensitive to other cultures and ideas.For Americans, the question “what do you do?” is ________.
| A．common | B．impolite | C．boring | D．surprising |
What can we learn about Americans?
| A．They like to learn foreign accents. |
| B．They are willing to talk about places. |
| C．They prefer soccer to American football. |
| D．They accept other ideas and cultures easily. |
The writer gives some advice mainly on ________.
| A．talking with Americans |
| B．working with Americans |
| C．speaking American English |
| D．understanding American society |