Dear Michelle,
Why can't my daughter manage her life better? She is 17 and an honor student, but she seems to be wasting her life away with a boyfriend who is holding her back.
He consumes every waking minute of her precious time and smooth-talks her as well.
His goal is to get her to agree to go to the college of his choice, not her choice, and because his grades are lower, his choice will be limited.
I feel like I want to rescue her, but she pushes me away and shuts me out. She has only brought us pride and joy; and now this! Help!
A worried mother
Dear Mother of a 17-year-old Girl,
Hmmmmm. What's the matter with kids today? Remember that song from "Bye Bye Birdie"?
Well if you do not, let me fill you in about teenagers and their life-management skills. Do not expect too much too soon because at the ripe age of 17, life-management is not within their reach, nor should it be.
Life experience creates both the conditions and the skills for management, and if management went before experience, there would be little of it.
Your daughter is an honor student for good reasons. She is smart, studies with intelligence and you have given her good values.
When the time comes for her to apply for college, and she visits the ones that are specifically designed for students at the top of their grade, she will most likely break away from her boyfriend's influence.
It is rare for an honor student to change the path of their academic career for puppy love. That being said, there might be some adolescent wisdom in her behavior after all.
Perhaps she is choosing to worry you, her parents, for unconscious reasons. Being such a good girl and being a steady source of joy might have become a bit too much for her.
Let your daughter have her own private moment of 11th grade rebellion. She deserves a break from perfection.
MichelleFrom the mother's letter we can learn that her daughter .
A.is being fooled by the boy |
B.has fallen behind in her studies |
C.doesn't talk much with her mother |
D.has chosen which college to attend |
According to Michelle, 17-year-old teenagers .
A.are too young to manage their life |
B.are old enough to live their own life |
C.should have management before experience |
D.have reached the age of an adult |
The underlined word "puppy-love" refer to .
A.false love | B.foolish love |
C.pure love | D.adolescent love |
Michelle seems to believe that the daughter will finally .
A.come up with the right decision |
B.follow her boyfriend's advice |
C.worry her parents for unconscious reasons |
D.influence her boyfriend's behavior |
The best title for the passage would be .
A.College of kids' own choice |
B.How can I help my girl? |
C.How to manage teenagers' life? |
D.A 17-year-old girl and her mother |
C
I chose to study in Madrid because I had a desire to learn Spanish. My first impressions of Madrid were incredible. It was before the New Year that I arrived in Madrid for the first time. While traveling to my Spanish friend’s house in a taxi, I appreciated the buildings along the road which were different from those of my own country.
There are an incredible number of restaurants and bars from all over the world. If you are really into sightseeing, I hope you have rechargeable batteries for your digital camera, because one week really isn’t enough time to see everything here including a number of art, science, and historical museums as well as parks, buildings, and amazing landscapes.
What I liked best about life in Madrid was the fact that if you were frustrated with schoolwork and wanted to have some fun, you can easily go out. The nightlife never seems to stop and the people are all very friendly. You can meet people and practice Spanish while having fun at the same time.
What I liked least was the fact that many people smoked in the streets. Also, coming from the US, I was used to having a big breakfast every morning, but while living with an actual Spanish family, I wasn’t really satisfied with the food in the morning.
I think I have definitely become more independent since I came back from Spain. Living in a big city like Madrid I found that it is necessary to plan ahead and to make a schedule (时间表) for future. There is so much to see, not just in the Spanish World, but in the European World as well.
49. What’s the purpose of the text?
A. To attract people to tour around Madrid.
B. To show how to enjoy Spanish culture.
C. To give advice on how to study Spanish.
D. To describe the author’s life in Madrid.
50. The author went to Madrid to _________________.
A. visit his friend B. go on a sightseeing tour
C. study Spanish D. complete his trip around Europe
51. Why did the author suggest taking rechargeable batteries?
A. It’s difficult to deal with the used batteries.
B. It’s not convenient to recharge batteries.
C. There are few stores that sell ordinary batteries.
D. You will find lots of places worth taking pictures of.
52. Which of the following in Madrid didn’t please the author?
A. Parks and buildings. B. Restaurants and bars.
C. Nightlife. D. Breakfast.
B
Weather is the subject matter of Westerners whenever they met. Housewives, businessmen, factory workers as well as farmers all talk about the weather. It’s everyday news, whether or not conditions change. Many newspapers carry a regular front page news story in addition to the full reports on as inside-page provided by the weather service. Here are several different types of weather reports taken from the western papers:
No. 1 Regional Forecast
New Jersey Today: Considerably cloudy with showers likely. High: 75-79. Southwesterly winds at 15-20m.p.h.. Precipitation(降水) probability 70 percent. Tonight: Warm and cloudy, rain likely. Low: 55-63. Southwesterly winds at 15 to 20m.p.h.. Tomorrow: Showers and thunderstorms likely. High: 75-79. Wind S to SW at 15 to 20m.p.h. |
No. 2 Three-day Forecast
Westchester, Rockland Friday: Mostly fine to partly cloudy. Saturday: Cloudy with some showers. Sunday: Mostly fine. Temperature: Daytime highs will average in the upper 60’s to 70’s while overnight lows will average in the low to 50’s throughout the period. |
No. 3 Weather Stories
Bitter cold, intensified(加剧) by high winds, gripped(控制) the Upper Midwest today, sheets of ice and snow left by the winter’s first major storm on highways throughout the area. At least six deaths were blamed on the storm. Hundreds of schools closed throughout the Upper Midwest yesterday and thousands of travelers waited out the weather at roadside shelters(避难处). Temperatures dropped well below zero early today from the Northern Plains through the Western Great Lakes under clearing skies. A 25-below-zero reading was forecast. Nearly a foot of snow fell on northern sections of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. And hardest hit were Duluth, Minn. and Superior, Wis., where 12 inches were recorded. Winds went up to 50 miles an hour. |
45. In a street corner of London, two strangers may begin their talk with “_____”.
A. Hi, how are you? B. What are you doing here? Waiting for someone?
C. A nice day, isn’t it? D. Didn’t you listen to the weather report last night?
46. The noon temperature of _____ is nearly 70’s at the weekend.
A. Western Great Lakes B. Duluth, Minn
C. Westchester, Rockland D. New Jersey
47. It seems that _____ has plenty of rain at the present season.
A. Western Great Lakes B. Wisconsin C. Westchester Rockland D. New Jersey
48. Which of the following is most probable according to No.3?
A. The traffic was terribly affected.
B. The Five Great Lakes were covered by heavy snow.
C. The temperatures might drop to 50℃.
D. Many schools were damaged in the snowstorm.
第四节:阅读理解(共20小题,每小题2分,满分40分)
A
It was the perfect weather for leaf watching, and my housemate Julie and I meant to spend the weekend with our friends in the north Georgia mountains. "Don’t you want to come along? "Julie asked her 15-year-old son, Mark. "Enjoy the leaves by yourselves,” he told her. "I’ll be fine staying home by myself. "Julie and I drove there in my car after work on Friday. On Saturday morning we hiked along the mountainside and enjoyed the beautiful colors. All of a sudden, I had a terrible feeling. "Go home," a voice seemed to urge me. I couldn’t explain it, but I didn’t want to be here any more. I just wanted to go home. "Carol, calm down. You’re being silly, "Julie said. But the urge just got stronger. "I’ve got to leave," I said. "If you want to stay, you can get a ride back with everyone else tomorrow. "Julie stood up. "No, I’ll go with you, "she said. We almost didn’t talk during the two-hour trip back. I felt very guilty. Finally, we pulled in. The lights were on in the house, but something was strange. The windows seemed to be fogged up. Julie opened the door and smoke poured out. "Mark!" she shouted. "Mark!" We rushed inside and found him asleep on the sofa. Shaking him awake, Julie grabbed him. I grabbed the source of the smoke —a pillow too close to the fireplace. I then took it outside and threw water on it. Mark had built a fire to keep warm, and some embers (灰烬) had flown out. The whole house could have gone up if we hadn’t gotten there just then!
41. What do we know from the text?
A. Leaf watching was Mark’s hobby. B. Mark stayed home with his friends.
C. Carol went to work on Friday. D. Mark was Carol’s cousin.
42. The underlined phrase "pulled in" in the last paragraph probably means "_______".
A. started the car B. arrived home and stopped the car
C. moved away from the station D. came home late
43. While driving home Carol ________.
A. was very terrified B. drove at a great speed
C. knew she had made a mistake D. hardly said anything
44. Why did Carol want to go home?
A. She didn’t enjoy the leaves. B. She received her son’s telephone call.
C. She felt something urged her to go home. D. She followed Julie’s advice.
D
ENTRY-EXIT INSPECTION AND QUARANTINE THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA HEALTH AND QUARANTINE DECLARATION FORM ON ENTRY Name: Shirley_Booth Sex: Male √ Female Birth Date: 1959_yy_02_mm Nationality(Region): American Time of Arrival: 17:20_hh_ Place of arrival: Shenzhen From(Country/Region): USA Passport No.: CA5728019 Vehicle/ Ship/Flight No.: Flight_UA_3625 Seat No.: 16E Destination: Changsha,_Hunan 1.Please list the countries and cities(towns) that you have visited in the past 4 weeks: New_York,_Paris,_Tokyo_and_Hong_Kong 2.The contact address and telephone number in the next 14 days: Changsha_Friendship_Hotel 3.Please mark “√” before the items of following symptoms or illness if you have any now. Fever Cough Other disease Shortness of breath Difficulty breathing 4.Have you had close contact with any probable or suspected H1N1 case in the past 14 days? Yes √ No 5.Please mark “√”before the items of following articles if you bring any of them. Animal Animal products Plant Plant products √ Biological products Waste and used clothing Soil I hereby declare that all the information given above is true and correct. Date: April_16,_2009 Signature: Shirley_Booth Note: 1. For the health of all, please give true and correct information; 2. You will be sued according to related laws if you give the false information; 3. No entry shall be allowed without the declaration; 4. Body temperature: 37°C |
68.When does one need to fill in this form?
A.Permissions for a foreigner to take the Chinese nationality.
B.Entry to China from other countries or regions.
C.Exit to other countries or regions from China.
D.Anyone planning to take animals to China from other countries or regions.
69.The underlined word “sued” can be taken the place of by _____.
A.charged B.sentenced C.prevented D.analyzed
70.Which of the following statements is false according to the form?
A.It was not by ship that Shirley Booth came to China.
B.Shirley Booth went to at least three continents during March16-April 16, 2009.
C.Shirley Booth brought some biological products with her.
D.From the form we know Shirley Booth was not in good health.
C
A technique that controls immediate gas explosions by spraying them with large droplets of water is being tested by scientists at the University of Wales, United Kingdom.Instead of using the traditional fine water sprays when a gas leak is detected, the researchers have discovered that large droplets help to draw in some of the force of any explosion and provide a better way of controlling fire.
The research is based on studies made of the Piper Alpha oil rig (油井) explosion that occurred in the North Sea nine years ago killing 167 workers.The Welsh team found that by covering the gas-leak area with water droplets, the explosion and its effect can be greatly reduced.
Dr Gerand Thomas, a good lecturer in physics at the university’s Center for Explosion Studies, said that it was impossible to deal with gas explosions in the same way as fires because the whole event may only last a quarter of a second and normal water sprays do not have time to be effective.
Using the droplets of water to hold explosions resulted in the water being turned into a mist that allows some force of the explosion to be reduced.The mist slows down the combustion (燃烧) process and can stop a large amount of the gas igniting (点火,燃烧), thus greatly reducing damage by limiting pressure development.With such a system, the operator has to decide at what point after a gas leak to activate the sprays.
The Center for Explosion Studies is the first of its kind in the UK and has been purposely-built for the study and implication of industrial explosions on land and sea.Research is developed to the causes of accidental explosions and they might be prevented.Full-sized imitative buildings can be built at the center where explosions and fires are created to test preventative equipment using sensors to monitor their efficiency.
Another area that the Welsh researchers have been looking at is how materials respond to explosions.The center also carries out research requested by individual customers.
64.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Piper Alpha Oil Rig Explosion
B.Large Droplets of Water
C.A New Way of Controlling Gas Explosions
D.The center for Explosion Studies
65.The research finds that _____ in holding immediate explosion.
A.small water sprays are better than large droplets of water
B.small water sprays are not as good as large droplets of water
C.both small water sprays and large droplets of water are good
D.neither small water sprays nor large droplets of water is good
66.Dr Geraint Thomas implies that ______.
A.normal water sprays can put out fire effectively
B.gas explosions break out more quickly than fires
C.fires are easier to be held than explosions
D.gas explosions break out so quickly that there is no way to control it
67.Which of the following is not included in the research area of the Center for Explosion Studies?
A.To test the result of gas explosion.
B.To get some implications of industrial explosions on land and sea.
C.To find out how materials respond to explosions.
D.To find out when material respond to explosions.