“A good book for children should simply be a good book in its own right” says Mollie Hunter. Born and brought up near Edinburgh，Mollie has devoted her talents to writing primarily for young people. She firmly believes that there is and should always be a wider audience for any good book whatever its main market is. In Mollie’s opinion it is necessary to make full use of language and she enjoys telling a story，which is what every writer should be doing. “If you aren’t telling a story, you’re a very dead writer indeed.” She says. With the chief function of a writer being to entertain，Mollie is indeed an entertainer. “I have this great love of not only the meaning of language but of the music of language,” she says. “This love goes back to early childhood. I had a school teacher who used to ask us what we would like to be when we grew up and，because my family always had dogs，and I was very good at handling them，I said I wanted to work with dogs，and the teacher always said ‘Nonsense，Mollie；dear，you’ll be a writer.’ So finally I thought that this woman must have something，since she was a good teacher and I decided when I was nine that I would be a writer.”
This childhood intention is described in her novel，A Sound of Chariots，which although written in the third person is clearly autobiographical (自传体的) and gives a picture both of Mollie’s ambition and her struggle towards its achievement. Thoughts of her childhood inevitably (不可避免地) brought thoughts of the time when her home was still a village with buttercup meadows and strawberry fields—sadly now covered with modern houses. “I was once taken back to see it and I felt that somebody had lain dirty hands all over my childhood. I’ll never go back，”she said “Never. When I set one of my books in Scotland” she said “I can recall my romantic feelings as a child playing in those fields，or watching the village blacksmith at work. And that’s important because children now know so much so early that romance can’t exist for them, as it did for us.”What does Mollie Hunter feel about the nature of a good book?
| A．It should not aim at a narrow audience. |
| B．It should be attractive to young readers. |
| C．It should be based on original ideas. |
| D．It should not include too much conversation. |
In Mollie Hunter’s opinion，which of the following is one sign of a poor writer?
| A．Being poor in life experience. |
| B．Being short of writing skills. |
| C．The weakness of description. |
| D．The absence of a story. |
What do we learn about Mollie Hunter as a young child?
| A．She didn’t expect to become a writer. |
| B．She didn’t enjoy writing stories. |
| C．She didn’t have any particular ambitions. |
| D．She didn’t respect her teacher’s views. |
What’s the writer’s purpose in this text?
| A．To share her enjoyment of Mollie Hunter’s books. |
| B．To introduce Mollie Hunter’s work to a wider audience. |
| C．To provide information for Mollie Hunter’s existing readers. |
| D．To describe Mollie Hunter’s most successful books. |
The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true.
Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time. _______, our world is becoming much smaller.
| A．Because of the rise in pollution |
| B．Thanks to science development |
| C．Because the earth is being polluted day and night |
| D．Because the earth is blown away by the wind every year |
Hundreds of years ago, life was __________ it is today.
| A．much easier than | B．as easy as |
| C．much harder than | D．as hard as |
Pollution comes in many ways. We can even hear it. Here “it” means _______.
| A．rubbish（垃圾） | B．noise pollution |
| C．air pollution | D．water pollution |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. |
| B．The pollution of the earth grows as fast as the world population does. |
| C．The problem of pollution is not so serious because there are not so many people living on the earth. |
| D．If people could go to work by bus or bike instead of car or motorbike, it would be helpful in fighting against the problem of SO2. |
The expression “Go for it!” is a way of encouraging someone to try something.
“Go for it!” means you should not worry about failure or be too careful. You should take a chance, be brave, and act firmly.
“Go for it!” gets name from football. Not football as it is played in most countries such as England, Egypt or Japan, but the kind of football played in the United States and Canada.
One of the most exciting times in football comes when a team has failed, after three attempts, to move the ball forward ten yards. The team must make a critical decision.
The conservative choice is to kick the ball and accept temporary defeat in order to gain a good position for your team the next time it gets the ball. The more exciting choice, however, is to try a fourth and final time to gain the remaining yards needed.
In the nineteen eighties, people began using this expression in many kinds of situations to encourage someone to act bravely.
There is no guarantee(保证) that the action you “Go for it!” will succeed. But that is the chance you take when you decide to go for it. You put your fears behind. You choose courage over safety. You hold your breath and go for it.The expression “Go for it!” comes from______.
| A．English football | B．Egyptian football |
| C．Japanese football | D．American football |
According to the passage, when we decide to go for it, we only consider______.
| A．safety | B．action |
| C．result | D．situation |
In which of the following situations should we use the expression nowadays?
| A．We decide to avoid trouble or danger for the future. |
| B．We try to improve our English for better education. |
| C．We need to make a quick decision at the last moment. |
| D．We have to make a choice between success and failure. |
Most people think the first pies were made by early Romans. They may have learned about pie making from the Greeks. These pies were sometimes made in"reeds (芦苇叶)", which were used for the purpose of holding the filling (馅 ), and were not eaten.
The Romans spread the word about pies around Europe and the word"pie"became a popular word in the 14th century. The first pie recipe (食谱) was also published by the Romans.
Pies first appeared in England as early as the twelfth century. The early pies were mostly meat pies. There was actually more crust(皮)than filling. Often these pies were made from fowl ( 家禽) and the fowl's legs were left to hang over the side of the dish and used as handles. Fruit pies were probably first made in the 1500s. It is said that Queen Elizabeth I made the first cherry pie.
Pie came to America with the first English settlers. The early settlers cooked their pies in long narrow pans. As in the Roman times, the early American pie crusts were often not eaten, but simply used to hold the filling during baking(烘焙).
Over the years, pie has become what it is today --- "the most traditional American dessert". Pie has become so much a part of American culture that we now often use the phrase "as American as apple pie".Which people might probably first grasp the skill to make pies?
| A．The Romans. | B．The Greeks. |
| C．The Englishmen. | D．The Americans. |
Which of the following is NOT true about pies?
| A．English settlers brought pies to America. |
| B．Early Romans ate not only pies but also the crusts. |
| C．The Romans first published pie recipe. |
| D．The word “pie ” became popular because of the Romans` efforts. |
What can best show pies have become part of American culture?
| A．Americans use long narrow pans to cook pies. |
| B．People use "as American as apple pie" to show something about American characteristics. |
| C．Americans don't eat crusts but use them to hold the filling during baking. |
| D．Pies are the most traditional American dessert. |
The best title of this passage is "______________".
| A．The History of Pies | B．Pies, the Delicious Food |
| C．Pies, American Dessert | D．How to Make Pies |
Scotland is a unique place, loaded with history, where you can find aristocratic（贵族的）palaces and castles, as well as the traditional parades in national costumes.
In order to see and discover the true soul of Scotland today and what formed the character of this splendid region, we have to go towards the northern regions, to the Grampian Mountains（格兰扁山区）, beautiful and plain. The Scots conquered the environment with simple spades and strong arms, for it was difficult to farm.
The history of this ancient struggle, and its people’s ancient love with the hard land, can be felt within the walls of the Angus Folk Museum. You are able to get a feel of the typical rural atmosphere of times past from the everyday artifacts displayed here.
From coastal Aberdeen in towards the Grampian Mountains there runs the Castle Trail, a road that touches on many fortresses（堡垒）, which are witnesses of continual fights against the control of neighboring England in Scottish history.
Perhaps the most exciting moment for Scottish autonomy is the one experienced inside this ancient church of Arbroath, where, in 1320, the Declaration of Independence was celebrated, at the instigation（鼓动）of King Robert the Bruce. He carried out the plan for autonomy drawn up by the great popular hero William Wallace, for whom cinema has designed the wonderful film Brave Heart, the winner of the five Oscars.
This is Glamis Castle, where King Macbeth and Queen Elizabeth used to live. Among the most frequent guests here are the predictable ghosts, if not actually created, by ancient popular beliefs. These have been handed down over the centuries by people tending to live with mystery, with the forces of the supernatural.
Another attraction here is a legendary monster: the Loch Ness Monster. Whether it’s real or imaginary, this monster, which has been nicknamed Nessie, has collected a good 3,000 sightings over the last 50 years.
The true flag of Scotland, tartan, is recognizable from the brightly colored plaid patterns which are used to distinguish the various social groups.
Bagpipes and dancing open the competitions of local sporting events, which are called Highland Gatherings.Take a look at the Angus Folk Museum, and we can learn about _______. .
| A．the love of ancient Scottish to the hard land |
| B．the rural atmosphere in Grampian Mountains |
| C．ancient Scottish people’s fighting against the enemy |
| D．the history of the Scottish famous palaces and castles |
What were the fortresses built for?
| A．Fighting against the invaders of England. |
| B．Developing business with neighbor areas. |
| C．Preventing the people from moving around. |
| D．Providing a shelter from tough weather for travelers. |
In the fifth paragraph, the underlined “the one” refers to the moment of _______.
| A．the film Brave Heart winning the five Oscars |
| B．the plan for Scottish autonomy being carried out |
| C．the instigation of King Robert the Bruce |
| D．the celebration of the Declaration of Independence |
According to the passage, which one is TRUE?
| A．The film Brave Heart is mainly about King Robert Bruce. |
| B．The Scottish film industry is one of the attractions of the land. |
| C．Highland gatherings are often marked with bagpipes and dancing |
| D．The supernatural forces in Glamis Castle may change a person’s belief. |
The purpose of the writer is to _______.
| A．advise readers to pay a visit to Scotland |
| B．teach students about the customs of Scotland |
| C．introduce cultural background about Scotland |
| D．analyze the geographic formation of Scotland |
A few months ago as I wandered through my parents’ house, the same house I grew up in, I had a sudden, scary realization. When my parents bought the house, in 1982, they were only two years older than I am now. I tried to imagine myself in two years, ready to settle down and buy the house I’d still be living in almost 30 years later.
It seemed ridiculous. On a practical level, there’s no way I could afford to buy a house anytime soon. More importantly, I wouldn’t want to. I’m not sure where I’ll be living in two years, or what kind of job I’ll have. And I don’t think I’ll be ready to settle down and stay in one place.
So this is probably the generation gap that divides my friends and me from our parents. When our parents were our age, they’d gotten their education, chosen a career, and were starting to settle into responsible adult lives.
My friends and I – “Generation Y” – still aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives. Whatever we end up doing, we want to make sure we’re happy doing it. We’d rather take risks first, try out different jobs, and move from one city to another until we find our favorite place. We’d rather spend our money on travel than put it in a savings account.
This casual attitude towards responsibility has caused some critics to call my generation “arrogant”, “impatient”, and “overprotected”. Some of these complaints have a point. As children we were encouraged to succeed in school, but also to have fun. We grew up in a world full of technological innovation: cellphones, the Internet, instant messaging, and video games.
Our parents looked to rise vertically（垂直的）– starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly making their way to the top, on the same track, often for the same company. That doesn’t apply to my generation.
Because of that, it may take us longer than our parents to arrive at responsible, stable adulthood. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In our desire to find satisfaction, we will work harder, struggle for ways to keep life interesting, and gain a broader set of experiences and knowledge than our parents’ generation did.What is the main “generation gap” between the author and her friends and their parents according to the article?
| A．Their ways of gaining experience. |
| B．Their attitude towards responsibility. |
| C．Their attitude toward high technology. |
| D．Their ways of making their way to the top. |
Which of the following might the author agree with?
| A．It involves too much effort to rise vertically. |
| B．It’s better to take adult responsibility earlier. |
| C．It’s all right to try more before settling down. |
| D．It’s ridiculous to call her generation “arrogant”. |
What can we conclude from the article?
| A．The author is envious of her parents enjoying a big house at her age. |
| B．“Generation Y” people don’t want to grow up and rush into adulthood. |
| C．Growing up in a hi-tech world makes “Generation Y” feel insecure about relationships. |
| D．The author wrote this article so that others would be able to understand her generation better. |
What is the main theme of the article?
| A．Criticisms of the young generation. |
| B．The sudden realization of growing up. |
| C．A comparison between lifestyles of generations. |
| D．The factors that have changed the young generation. |