When many people are worried that there are no more heroes in the modern era two university students who lost their lives to rescue drowning children have shown that heroes still exist (存在).
According to the Inner Mongolia Morning Post, the tragedy (悲剧) occurred on the afternoon of December 14, 2002 when three school students skating on a frozen lake in Qingcheng Park in Hohhot fell through the ice into the freezing water. More than 20 university students who happened to be near the spot immediately went to the rescue of the children. Two children were quickly rescued, but the third died. The child’s body was not found for three hours. Two of the rescuers, Liu Ye and Hao Longbiao, also died of cold and exhaustion (筋疲力尽) . The body of Hao and who took the lead in jumping into the lake was not found until the next day. A student who was unwilling to tell his name said he and his classmates from the local college were taking photos at the lake. When they heard the children’s cries for help, they went to the ice hole hand in hand to rescue the children. But the ice kept breaking, causing most of then to fall into the icy water. Local residents held mourning ceremonies (祭奠仪式) at the lake.
Eight of the students were seriously affected by the freezing water and were being kept in hospital for further observation, but their lives were no longer in danger.The underlined word “occurred” here means“＿＿＿＿”．
| A．employed | B．mixed | C．guided | D．happened |
When the three students fell into water,the university students were ___________．
| A．skating on the ice | B．taking photos at the lake |
| C．having a picnic | D．walking along the lake |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？
| A．Three students died on the same day in all． |
| B．Hao Longbiao’s body was found on December 14,2002. |
| C．The university students didn’t think it dangerous to save the drowning children in the lake. |
| D．Local residents were not brave in face of danger. |
It can be inferred that ＿＿＿＿
| A．people think little of the two university students' death |
| B．the ice on the lake wasn't strong enough to skate on |
| C．some students regretted for what they had done |
| D．heroes don't agree with the steps of modern times |
The author wrote the passage to
| A．warn people of the danger of skating on ice |
| B．call on people to learn from the brave university students |
| C．tell us a tragedy |
| D．advise university students to cherish（珍惜）their lives |
Dear Students,
I am delighted to be your guest.
I would like to tell you about myself. I have been a news reporter for the past fifteen years. I chose this job so I could travel the world, but the job has taught me many unforgettable lessons. The work is sometimes difficult. I have seen famines, wars, earthquakes, poverty and death. But I have also seen courage, hope and happiness.
In India, I visited a city where there were many homeless children. Some were as young as four years old. They lived in the streets and survived by begging or stealing. But then a wonderful lady called Rosa opened a home for them. Within one year, she was looking after two hundred children. She clothed them, fed them, and taught them. She gave them hope.
Another time, I was in Turkey after a terrible earthquake, in one place. I found an old lady whose house was in ruins, her son was missing and rescue workers said there was no chance that he was still alive. But the old lady did not give up hope. For four days, she moved heavy stones one at a time by herself. She did not stop until she found her son. He was alive.
Here in China, I met a young boy with a serious condition. He had undergone twenty operations and spent nearly his whole life in hospital. I thought he would be sad, but when I met him, his smile was so warm and welcoming.
In life, we need role models that we can admire and learn from. When my life is difficult, I try to remember the courage and goodness of these three people.The speaker is giving a speech to students in __________.
| A． India | B．Canada | C．Turkey | D．China |
The underlined word “ famine ” in Paragraph 2 means __________.
| A．extreme lack of food | B．joy | C．luck | D．pleasure |
What can we learn about Rosa?
| A．She’s a rich lady and she likes to help the homeless children. |
| B．She’s a great mother and she looks after the homeless children. |
| C．She’s a kind-hearted woman and she provides houses for the homeless children. |
| D．She’s a good teacher and she teaches the homeless children. |
For what does the speaker admire the Turkish woman and the Chinese boy?
| A．Their bravery. | B．Their luck. | C．Their age. | D．Their strong mind. |
On the first day of my new high school, I almost had a nervous breakdown. Everything about the school seemed so difficult. When I got home, my parents said, “You're nervous and that's okay. Everyone is afraid of high school.” I denied it. I wanted to be strong, so I refused to let anyone know about my fear, even my closest friends.
On the first day I was late for every class and was constantly lost. The school seemed like a puzzle that I couldn't figure out. Was this how the whole year was going to be? I didn't think I could rise to this challenge, especially carrying a huge backpack that I could hardly lift. It was so big that I could knock someone out with it! The schoolmates seemed to regard me as a fool, and they were probably right.
Despite my fears, after the first week I finally had my schedule figured out. With the exception of falling up and down the stairs a couple of times and getting laughed at, high school was turning out to be not so bad. It was actually much better than middle school and much more challenging.
Since then, I've been elected vice monitor of my class, which wasn't much of a victory since only three people ran for the four positions.
It is normal to be scared about a new school. Take a deep breath and relax. High school is something that any student can overcome. Make sure you participate in some outofclass activities because you'll find it easier to make friends. Try to do your best, even if it isn't straight A's.
Most important of all, be who you are, whether you're a “fool”， an athlete, or a lower grader. Don't try to pretend to be someone you're not. Now you know the true secrets of high school.The main reason for the author's fear on his first day is that ________.
| A．he was unable to work out the puzzle |
| B．his schoolmates were unfriendly to him |
| C．he was not familiar with the new surroundings |
| D．his schoolbag was too heavy for him to carry |
From the author's first day experience we can infer that ________.
| A．his home was far from the school |
| B．he got to school before classes began |
| C．he was fond of the school immediately. |
| D．he didn't know the right way to class |
After his first week at school, the author ________.
| A．was still not accustomed to the schedule |
| B．gradually adjusted himself to the new school |
| C．found high school not so challenging as he had imagined |
| D．ran for monitor of his class against three other students |
According to the passage, the secret of the author's success lies mainly in ________.
| A．making more friends |
| B．getting more A's at school |
| C．being who he really is |
| D．joining in outofclass activities |
Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday. The win makes Mo Yan the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel in its 111-year history. Informed of his win today, the author, who was having dinner at home, was “overjoyed and scared”.
Born in 1955 to parents who were farmers, Mo Yan — a pen name for Guan Moye, grew up in Gaomi, Shandong province in eastern China. At the age of 12, he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the army and during this time began to study literature and writing.
He published his first book in 1981, but found literary success in 1987 with Hong Gaoliang Jiazu, which was successfully filmed in the same year, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth and his works show the life of Chinese people as well as the country’s unique culture and folk customs. Mo Yan is known as a productive writer. In addition to his novels, he has published many short stories and essays on various topics. Despite his social criticism, he is seen in his homeland as one of the most famous contemporary authors. Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French, Japanese and many other languages.
The awarding ceremony will be held on December 10. The winner will win a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of about $1 million. How did Mo Yan feel when he was told about the news?
| A．Excited and proud. | B．Worried and cautious. |
| C．Happy and surprised. | D．Uncertain and shocked. |
One of Mo Yan’s characteristics of writing is that he ________.
| A．writes about topics he is familiar with |
| B．focuses on social problems in the country |
| C．describes his characters in a unique way |
| D．explains difficult matters in simple words |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．How Mo Yan Gets Nobel Prize |
| B．An Introduction to Nobel Prize |
| C．Mo Yan Wins Nobel Prize in Literature |
| D．A World Famous Writer, Mo Yan |
My own experiment with culture shock came to a fruitless end when I returned with homesick from a year’s study in Italy. I had never heard of culture shock. All I knew was that I was unhappy and wanted to go home.
That was twenty years ago, and since then culture shock has become a real field of study. It is now understood that any normal person, finding him or herself for an extended time in a new culture, is in for trouble.
The process of “culture shock” is now recognized as so predictable that its four stages have been noticeable. The first is the honeymoon stage, familiar to those of us who love to travel, but never stay in one place long enough to find out what follows. In this stage, the new country and its people seem delightful. Everything is better than home. Everything is so different and charming.
Then the bloom comes off the rose. Now the people start to look shallow, selfish and stupid. The different ways of doing things don’t seem interesting any more. You start to feel tired all the time. Culture shock has set in. You feel at sea.
The emotional response to culture shock in stage two can be extreme. Confusion, depression and anxiety, and resentment can all enter to varying degrees. You may become physically ill. Little things seem terribly annoying.
The happier resolution is to move on to stage three. Adjusting. Rather than itemizing（列举） what’s “wrong” with Americans, you remind yourself that “right” and “wrong” are not meaningful terms in cultural matters.
Instead, you try to understand what motivates Americans, perhaps realizing that many of the things you don’t like are related to the things you do like.
As time goes on, you should be moving into stage four. Acceptance. At this point, you simply don’t think any more about the specialties of Americans. You accept them as individuals. You have started to feel at home; you know how to do things. You have not rejected your old culture; but the American ways have settled upon you. You feel optimistic about your future here. You have truly arrived. Why do people not suffer from culture shock when they first arrive in a foreign country?
| A．They love to travel. |
| B．They don’t stay in one place long enough. |
| C．The new country and its people are delightful. |
| D．Everything is so different and charming. |
What do you understand by the underlined sentence “Then the bloom comes off the rose”?.
| A．The rose comes up. | B．The rose blooms. |
| C．Something good comes about. | D．Something good goes away. |
Which one is the possible psychological effect of culture shock on the second stage?
| A．Anxiety. | B．Excitement. | C．Shock. | D．Delight. |
Which of the following statements will the writer agree with?
| A．Any normal person facing a new culture will be in trouble. |
| B．Culture shock is now recognized as unpredictable. |
| C．There is no “right” and “wrong” in terms of cultural matters. |
| D．When you reject your old culture, you can accept the new one. |
The passage is mainly about __________.
| A．the study of culture shock |
| B．how to get rid of culture shock |
| C．the writer’s own experiment with culture shock |
| D．the four stages of culture shock and their features |
The use of lotteries (彩票) to allocate (分配) school places is to be reviewed by the British government because more than 20 percent of children are failing to get into their first-choice schools in parts of the country.
The struggle for secondary school places has reached record levels this year, increasing anxiety for hundreds of thousands of families. A report from 43 local authorities suggests that in many areas, up to a fifth of children face disappointment. Families in London are the hardest hit.
This week is admissions week, when about 570,000 families will receive notice about their child’s secondary school acceptance. As the recession (不景气) forces more parents to consider a state education rather than a private one for their children, more than a third of local authorities have noted rises in the number of applications for secondary school places.
This year, just 62 percent of children in Richmond-upon-Thames got into their parents’ first-choice school, down from 64 percent last year. The council said this was caused by an increase in applications.
In another London authority, Tower Hamlet, 71.1 percent of children were admitted to their parents’ first choice school. In Leeds and Warwickshire, 85 percent were successful. In Derby the figure was 81 percent, while in Wiltshire, Stockport and Lincolnshire, the figure was 89 percent.
In many authorities, the figures are similar to those of last year. Exceptions include Brighton and Hove, which introduced a lottery system to allocate oversubscribed places last year. This year, it has seen a 3.5 percent increase in the number of children obtaining their first choice, bringing the total to nearly 88 percent. However, more than 5 percent of children in this area have been allocated a place at a school that was not among any of their choices.
Lotteries are being used at the government’s suggestion by a small number of oversubscribed schools in around twenty-five local authorities. They were meant to prevent middle-class parents from abusing the system by buying or renting homes close to the best schools. According to the passage, more and more parents in Britain prefer to send their children to _______.
| A．a state school | B．a private school |
| C．a school in London | D．a school in Brighton |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The lottery system is certainly a good way to allocate school places. |
| B．Over one in five children fail to get into their first-choice schools in parts of Britain. |
| C．The lottery system is welcomed by parents around twenty-five local authorities. |
| D．The number of applications for secondly school places is falling this year. |
In the following places, the highest preferred school admission rate is in _______.
| A．Richmond-upon-Thames | B．Brighton and Hove |
| C．Lincolnshire | D．Derby |
The purpose of using lottery system is to ________.
| A．keep middle-class parents buying or renting homes close to the best schools. |
| B．increase the number of children obtaining their first choice |
| C．decrease the number of applications for some good schools |
| D．create equality between children from different social classes |
The passage is most probably taken from _______.
| A．a survey on education | B．a textbook on science |
| C．a speech on radio | D．an essay on economy |