Donald was shaken by thunder on the bed before he could count “one thousand one”. Then he heard the smoke alarm go off. He went downstairs quickly to investigate. When he opened the door to the basement (地下室), flames exploded out.
Donald fled (逃) back upstairs to call 911 but the phone didn’t work. When he tried to go downstairs, he was stopped by a wall of flames. He had to use a towel to cover his mouth. His house was three miles off the main road and so well hidden by trees that Donald knew calling for help would be useless. Actually, he didn’t even try to do that.
About one mile away lived Donald’s closest neighbor, Jeremie. When he heard some sounds, Jeremie jumped out of bed, holding a phone and a flashlight, and went towards the noise. He dialed 911 the instant he saw the flames. When he came close to the house, Jeremie knew he’d better wait until rescuers came. But he didn’t want Donald to die in the fire.
Without hesitation (犹豫), he rushed into the house. He shouted, “Donald, where are you?” Then he had to run outside to catch his breath. After one more attempt (尝试), he gave up and circled around back. He saw Donald on the second-floor balcony, but there was no way to get to him. Suddenly, he noticed a ladder. He dragged it over to the balcony and pulled Donald down just when the second floor fell down.
Within the year, Donald built a new two-story wood house at the site of the fire. Jeremie and Donald don’t run into each other regularly, but Donald knows that if he ever needs help, Jeremie will be there.What was Donald doing when he heard thunder?
| A．He was going to sleep on the bed. |
| B．He was ready to count numbers. |
| C．He was going downstairs. |
| D．He was in the basement. |
Donald didn’t call for help mainly because .
| A．his mobile didn’t work. |
| B．he could put out the fire himself. |
| C．his house was far from the main road. |
| D．the flames made him too weak to shout. |
From the text, we can infer that .
| A．it was the firemen who saved Donald that night |
| B．Jeremie helped Donald build a new wood house |
| C．Donald had fallen off the second floor before Jeremie found him |
| D．whatever difficulties Donald meets, Jeremie will help him |
When I was sixteen years old, I made my first visit to the United States. It wasn't the first time I had been abroad. Like most English children, I learned French at school. And I had often been to France, so I was used to speaking a foreign language to people who didn't understand French. But when I went to America I was really looking forward to having a nice easy holiday without any language problem.
How wrong I was! The misunderstanding began at the airport. I was looking for a public telephone to give my American friend Danny a call and tell her that I had arrived. A friendly old man saw me looking lost and asked if he could help me.
"Yes"，I said，"I want to give my friend a ring. " "Well, that's nice，" he said，"Are you getting married? But aren't you a bit young?"
"Who is talking about marriage?" I replied. " I only want to give my friend a ring to tell her Five arrived. Can you tell me where there is a phone box?"
"Oh，" he said，"There is a phone downstairs. "
When at last we met, Danny explained the misunderstanding to me.
"Don't worry，" she said to me. "I had so many difficulties at first. There are lots of words which American use differently in meaning from British. You'll soon get used to all the funny things they say. Most of the time, British and American people understand each other ！" Where was the writer from? He was from __________.
| A．America | B．France |
| C．England | D．another country |
The writer thought __________ in America.
| A．he wouldn't have any language difficulties |
| B．he would not understand the Americans |
| C．the Americans might not understand him |
| D．he would have difficulty at the airport |
The writer wanted to __________.
| A．buy a ring for his friend |
| B．make a call to his friend |
| C．go to the telephone company |
| D．see his friend off |
From the passage we can see that " give somebody a ring"__________
| A．means the same in America as in England |
| B．means " call somebody" to the old man |
| C．has two different meanings |
| D．means " be going to get married" in England |
In the last paragraph the word" they" refers to __________.
| A．the old man and the boy |
| B．the Americans |
| C．the British |
| D．the French |
My English Learning Tricks
When I found my English was not enough to use, I nearly tried no stone unturned. I love English, and was once a student of English major. Here are some tips based on my personal experience.
1 ) Read as much as you can. We learn Basic English from readings. It helps roundly ！ You can read English books and English-learning books both. Don't use Crazy English. They say Mr. Li Yang is a merchant more than a teacher. I never recommend him or his books.
English is increasingly seen in our daily life. When I was a middle school student, I already began to notice the words I saw. Slogans, banners, product instructions, and many more in English.
2) Dictionary is the best dumb teacher ！ Buy a BIG dictionary. When I was a university student, I had more than one dictionary, an easy one, and a comprehensive one. And of course, they were in both English and Chinese. I often read dictionaries for 1 to 3hours just after I look up a strange word, and it greatly helps to enlarge my vocabulary. When I graduated, I bought a third one, which was a total English one, without any Chinese characters all through. And I think this kind of dictionary should agree with those with higher English level.
As for oral English, there are many regular oral example sentences in dictionaries. And a good dictionary may tell you which word is formally written, as well as which is orally spoken.
3 ) Listen to English songs and videos, and watch English movies. This is the funniest way!
4) Get a western English teacher, if you find a Chinese English teacher is not that professional. It is wise to make friends with him/her, other than try to make the most out of them by endlessly speaking or practicing. A good teacher is a good friend, not a free-of-charge cookie. Remember this, because many Chinese have ignored it, which makes me feel ashamed instead. People WONT love offering something for nothing.
5 ) Love English, NOT for money or benefit. Never ！ Language is of art and culture, and they say interest is the best teacher of all ！The last not the least, practice makes perfect. Every learner knows this simple idiom. Make progress day by day, and one day you will surprisingly find you speak fluent English！ You make it! Congratulations then!
I hope my suggestion helps a little. Which do you think are good for a learner of English except __________
| A．English books |
| B．English-learning books |
| C．talking with native-speaking people |
| D．reading Crazy English |
As a student of English at first, you can use a dictionary better which is __________.
| A．English-English | B．English-Chinese |
| C．Chinese-English | D．Chinese-Chinese |
A good dictionary should be __________
| A．an easy one |
| B．a comprehensive one |
| C．a one with regular oral example sentences |
| D．a one with formally written and orally spoken rules |
If you want to learn oral English better, you had better __________.
| A．listen to reading materials |
| B．listen to others speaking more |
| C．get a western English teacher |
| D．endlessly speak or practice |
What do you think is very important to learn English?
| A．An English teacher | B．A good English book | C．One's interest | D．Some good chances |
Visiting the Arctic
Zhou Mingfeng，17，has only stepped out of his birthplace, Qingdao, once to visit the top of the world, the Arctic！
The Senior 2 student from the High School Attached to Ocean University of China joined a two-week journey to the Arctic at the beginning of this month, after he was recommended for the trip. Including his teacher, Wu Jianying, the adventure group consisted of12 students and teachers from China, Spain, Canada, Britain and the US.
" The trip brought the whole subject of geography and climate change to life，" Zhou said.
Before they landed by air on Canada's research icebreaker(破冰船）in the Arctic, Amundsen, the group visited an Inuit(英纽特人的）community. Zhou also got the chance to experience dog-sled-ding for the first time!
He was surprised to find that Inuit people don't live in snow igloos(圆顶建筑）any longer. "They live in modem, warm wooden houses and travel mostly by snowmobile，" he said.
During the time on board Amundsen, everyday was science orientated ( 以……为主）. Zhou and other teenagers were guided by scientists, who work there, to take part in laboratory and field work. Sometimes they went outside to collect ice and snow samples for experiments despite the windy, freezing climate.
As the only Chinese student, Zhou didn't feel very confident due to his English inefficiency.
“Those students soon got close to the on-board scientists and became involved (参与）in their research，“ he recalled in admiration.
However, it didn't prevent Zhou from enjoying the unique and remote life there.
When the wind died and the sun shone on the frozen desert, Zhou and his new friends recorded their days with photo shoots out on the ice beside the Amundsen ！
"The views were breathtaking! Everything around us seemed lifeless, which is shocking，" he said.
But there proved to be something alive, under the ice caps. A seal popped out of the water below the ship and greeted them on the last day of their stay.
“ It was the only animal I saw in the Arctic ！ ” he said，“ But it's a pity that I didn't see a single polar bear in the ‘ capital ’ of the creature. ” According to the passage, the students and teachers visiting Arctic are most likely to __________.
| A．go sightseeing |
| B．take part in some science research |
| C．learn English |
| D．learn about Inuit community |
In the passage, Amundsen is __________.
A. an icebreaker B. an Inuit igloo
C. a place in Arctic D, a dog-drawn sled Which of the followings is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Zhou was surprised to find the Inuit lived in modem, warm wooden houses. |
| B．Zhou visited an Inuit community first. |
| C．Zhou's inefficient English made him unable to enjoy the life in Arctic. |
| D．Zhou took many photos with his new friends. |
The underlined sentence " The trip brought the whole subject of geography and climate change to life，" in Paragraph 3 probably means __________.
| A．the trip made what had been learned in geography lessons more vivid or interesting |
| B．the trip suddenly started working |
| C．the trip completely changed his life |
| D．the trip made animals in Arctic live |
Going green seems to be a fad （时尚）for a lot of people these days. Whether that is good or bad, we can't really say, but for the two of us, going green is not a fad but a lifestyle.
On April 22，2011，we decided to go green every single day for an entire year. This meant doing 365 different green things, and it also meant challenging ourselves to go green beyond the easy things. Rather than recycle and reduce our energy, we had to think of 365different green things to do and this was no easy task.
With the idea of going green every single day for a year, Our Green Year started. My wife and I decided to educate people about how they could go green in their lives and hoped we could show people all the green things that could be done to help the environment. We wanted to push the message that every little bit helps.
Over the course of Our Green Year, we completely changed our lifestyles. We now shop at organic （有机的）stores. We consume less meat, choosing green food. We have greatly reduced our buying we don't need. We have given away half of what we owned through websites. Our home is kept clean by vinegar and lemon juice, with no chemical cleaners. We make our own butter, enjoying the smell of home-made fresh bread. In our home office anyone caught doing something ungreen might be punished.
Our minds have been changed by Our Green Year. We are grateful for the chance to have been able to go green and educate others. We believe that we do have the power to change things and help our planet. What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Going Green |
| B．Protecting the Planet |
| C．Keeping Open-Minded |
| D．Celebrating Our Green Year |
It was difficult for the couple to live a green life for the whole year because __________.
| A．they were expected to follow the green fad |
| B．they didn't know how to educate other people |
| C．they were unwilling to reduce their energy |
| D．they needed to perform unusual green tasks |
What did the couple do over the course of Our Green Year?
| A．They tried to get out of their ungreen habits. |
| B．They ignored others' ungreen behavior. |
| C．They chose better chemical cleaners. |
| D．They sold their home-made food. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．The government will give support to the green project. |
| B．The couple may continue their project in the future. |
| C．Some people disagree with the couple's green ideas. |
| D．Our Green Year is becoming a national campaign. |
Low-Cost Gifts for Mother's Day
Gift No. 1
Offer to be your mother's health friend. Promise to be there for any and all doctor's visits whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say " no need "，but another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor's visit. The best part? This one is free.
Gift No. 2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. " Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother's life，" Dr. Marie Savard said.
Gift No. 3
Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. " Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep，" Savard said. " We know that good sleep is very important to our health. "
Gift No. 4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother's Day by picking gifts in which 10percent of the price you pay goes to a charity （慈善机构）. Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things-many of which are" green"-and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity. What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor's visits?
| A．Take notes. |
| B．Be with her. |
| C．Buy medicine. |
| D．Give her gifts. |
What can be a gift of organization for your mother?
| A．Keeping her medical information together. |
| B．Buying all gifts for her from one company. |
| C．Making a list of her medical check-ups. |
| D．Storing her medicines in a safe place. |
Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother's sleep?
| A．In Gift No. 1. |
| B．in Gift No. 2. |
| C．In Gift No. 3. |
| D．in Gift No. 4. |
Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to __________.
| A．enjoy good sleep |
| B．be well-organized |
| C．get extra support |
| D．give others help |