As a student, you must be excited to know something about American school students. In fact, just like in China, in the United States, high school is usually divided into two periods, the first two or three years are called “junior high school” and the other is “senior high school”.
In China, children enjoy free education of nine years, but in the United States, the students enjoy free education(which will be started when they are about 6 years old) until they are 18 years old. As a result of the free education system, American children have little difficulty in going to senior high school.
American high school students can take part in a lot of activities outside of the classroom. The activities are organized by the school, such as joining a music group or a sports team. Certainly, just like us students in China, American students have to work hard in order to get good marks if they want to go to a good university. They take classes in all kinds of subjects all through the high school period. And students with low marks at the end of a school year are still allowed to go on to the next grade.
In American high schools, there is fighting or hurting or other kinds of bad behaviors. So children who want to go to university are often sent to suburban (郊区的) high schools, where most students want to go to university and the atmosphere (氛围) is quite different.This passage mainly tells us about ________.
| A．education of Chinese middle school |
| B．education of American high school |
| C．American free education |
| D．how to get into universities in America |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The time of free education in China is longer than that in America. |
| B．Those who get good marks can go to a good university. |
| C．American students can take all kinds of subjects during the high school period. |
| D．They can be allowed to join the next grade even if they fail the school-year exam. |
The writer of the passage tells us the truth that ________.
| A．the atmosphere in high schools is not good |
| B．none of the schools in cities are good for learning |
| C．suburban high schools are good places for learning |
| D．all the American students want to go to university |
I’m lying on my back in my grandfather’s orchard(果园)，looking up at the branches above me.It is one of the last days of summer.Already the days are shorter and the nights are cooler.Some kinds of apples are already ripe(成熟的).Others will be ready to pick soon.I think of my grandmother’s apple pie，and how I used to make it with her.She died last year，before the apple harvest，and I have not had her pie since.I really miss her.I hear bees busily humming about，visiting the late summer flowers.The gentle hum of their wings nearly sends me to sleep.
The sky is as blue as my grandfather’s eyes.Above me，big white clouds race across the sky like pieces of cotton blowing in the w ind.School starts in another week，and time seems to have slowed down.
“Sophie！”calls my grandfather.“Is that you？”I stand up，take his hand，and tell him all about my day as we walk through the orchard.We talk about apples，and bees，and Grandma.He tells me that he misses her too.
He puts his rough，brown farmer’s hand around my shoulder and pulls me close.“You know，Sophie，”he says，“I spent the morning in the attic(阁楼)，and you’ll never guess what I found.It’s the recipe(烹饪法) for Grandma’s apple pie.I used to help her make it sometimes.I can’t do it all alone，but you used to help her too.Maybe between the two of us，we ca n work it out.Want to try？”
“But it won’t be the same without Grandma，” I tell him.
“That’s true，”he says，“but nothing_is_the_same_without_Grandma.Still，I don’t think that she would want us never to have another apple pie.What do you say？” I nod yes，and we walk towards home...towards an afternoon in the farmhouse kitchen，making Grandma’s famous apple pie.We learn from the passage that Sophie .
| A．likes to watch clouds in the attic |
| B．comes to the orchard after school |
| C．enjoys Grandma’s apple pie very much |
| D．picks many apples in the orchard |
Sophie’s grandfather spent the morning in the attic______ .
| A．looking for Grandma’s recipe for apple pie |
| B．helping Sophie’s grandmother make apple pie |
| C．trying to make apple pie all alone for Sophie |
| D．talking about apples，and bees，and Grandma with Sophie |
The underlined part in the last paragraph shows
| A．how much Sophie’s grandmother loved Sophie |
| B．how much Sophie’s grandfather likes apple pies |
| C．how much Sophie loves her grandfather’s orchard |
| D．how much Sophie’s grandfather misses Grandma |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．My grandfather’s orchard | B．My grandmother’s apple pie |
| C．A morning in the attic | D．The last days of summer |
Is there anything more important than health？I don’t think so.You can’t be good at your studies or work when you are ill.
If you have a headache，or a bad cough，if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold，I think you should go to the doctor.
The doctor will examine your throat，feel your pulse，take your temperature，sound your heart and lungs.After that he will advise some treatment，or some medicine.The only thing you have to do is to follow his advice.
Speaking of doctor’s advice，I can’t help telling you a funny story.
An old man came to see the doctor.The man was very ill.He told the doctor about his weakness，memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs.The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease.
He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest.He also advised him to eat a lot of meat，drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks.In other words，the doctor advised him to follow the rule：“Eat at pleasure，drink with measure and enjoy life as it is.”The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again，he shouldn’t smoke more than one cigarette a day.
A month later the gentleman came into the doctor’s office.He looked cheerful and happy.
He thanked the doctor and said that he_had_never_felt_a_healthier_man.
“But you know，doctor，”he said，“it’s not easy to begin smoking at my age.”The writer thinks that ________.
| A．health is more important than wealth |
| B．work is as important as studies |
| C．medicine is more important than pleasure |
| D．nothing is more important than money |
The doctor usually tells his patient what to do ________.
| A．without examining the patient |
| B．after he has examined the patient |
| C．if the patient doesn’t take medicine |
| D．unless the patient feels pain |
The underlined part means“________”.
| A． he was feeling better than ever |
| B．he wasn’t a healthy man |
| C．he was feeling worse than before |
| D．he will be well again |
From the last sentence of the passage，we learn the man ________ before the doctor told him not to smoke more than one cigarette a day.
| A．was a heavy smoker | B．didn’t smoke so much |
| C．didn’t smoke | D．began to learn to smoke |
There are many differences between British English and American English.I used to teach a course about the differences between the two.We speak English on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean but we have many differences in our common language.We have examples of the same words having very d ifferent meanings，differing spellings of the same words as well as completely different words for the same things.Here are some examples.
A cookie in the US is called a biscuit in the UK.A biscuit in the US is a small cake in the UK.Crisps in the UK，are known as chips，but we British people eat a plate of chips that you call fries in the US.In the UK，a pie can be made from either meat or fruit，while in the US pies are normally made from fruit；pot pies are made from meat.Most things are measured in grams and kilograms in the US，not pounds and ounces.
One very obvious(明显的)difference is the side of the road we each choose to drive on.Petrol in the UK is gas in the US.The place where we fill up our cars，in the UK，is a garage；while in the US，it’s a gas station.The term garage is also used as a place to store your car next to or close by your house.In the UK we call a lorry what is known as a truck in the US.
An elevator in the US is called a lift here，and the first floor in the US，is calle d the ground floor here，so many visitors get off on the wrong floor in British hotels.
I could continue with this. There are countless examples of differences within our one shared language.With so many differences，no wonder it’s hard to understand each other well.The passage is mainly about the differences between British English and American English in________.
| A．vocabulary | B．grammar | C．sound | D．spelling |
It’s implied in the passage that the author may be________.
| A．a driver from the US |
| B．a cook from the US |
| C．a teacher from the UK |
| D．a gas station worker from the UK |
In the author’s opinion，________.
| A．language differences don’t affect understanding |
| B．the same words in the two different types of English may have different spellings |
| C．there will be fewer differences between American and British English in the future |
| D．it is impossible that some Americans get off on the wrong floor in British hotels |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．“Elevator”is commonly used in the UK. |
| B．Pies mean the same thing in the UK and the US. |
| C．In the UK，things are measured in pounds and ounces. |
| D．British and American people drive on the same side of the road. |
Farah was sitting in the kitchen going over the party list with her mother.The exams were over and Farah wanted to invite her friends for a party.
“Farah，aren’t you going to invite Hafsa？”her mother asked.Hafsa had been her best friend since childhood.
“Mother，you know I am now a part of Purple Girls Club and we have some rules about people we can be friends with，”Farah answered.
“Really？And what are the rules？”her mother asked.
“Well，only very pretty girls can be part of our group.And Hafsa is so...you know...dark.”
“I cannot believe it，”her mother said angrily.
As Farah left the kitchen，her father called her from the living room.
Farah went to her father and paled when she saw the exam report in his hands.“Farah，what has happened to your grades？You have failed in Mathematics，”her father said.
Farah had no answer.The truth was that the activities of Purple Girls Club left her with very little time for studies.
“Farah，it says that you can take part in supplementary exams(补考).If your grades don’t improve then，I’ll cancel(取消) your trip to Spain.”
Farah went to her room and called Gina，the leader of Purple Girls Club， “Gina，can you help me to complete my notes before the exams？”
Gina laughed.“Exams？Who cares about exams？”
One by one，she called her friends in the club but no one seemed to care or wanted to help.
Farah knew Hafsa would help her.Farah also knew Hafsa had been hurt by her，but Hafsa said，“If you need any help，just let me know.We can study together till your exams.”
Next Monday，as two friends entered the school together，Gina called out.
“Farah，you know our rules.You cannot be friends with those who do not belong to our club.”
“Gina，I have a new rule about friendship，”Farah replied.After Farah became a member of Purple Girls Club，she chose a friend according to a person’s________.
| A．looks | B．usual activities | C．grades | D．favorite colors |
Farah became pale after going to her father because________.
| A．he didn’t allow her to go to Spain |
| B．she didn’t do well in her exams |
| C．she had to leave Purple Girls Club |
| D．he asked her to improve her grades |
Which word can best describe Hafsa?
| A．Silly. | B．Beautiful. | C．Rude. | D．Kind. |
What lesson can we learn from the passage?
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| B．A perfect friend will never be found. |
| C．Be slow in choosing a friend. |
| D．Friendship can be developed easily. |
Looking back on China’s road to outer space, people can easily find it has not been very smooth. In the past years, Chinese people have made hard and determined efforts to realize the dream their ancestors had for thousands of years.
After China’s first satellite into the Earth’s orbit in 1970 came four flights of unmanned Shenzhou missions(飞行) from 1999 to 2002. The country carried out its first one-piloted space flight in October, 2003, making China the third country in the world to have independent human spaceflight ability after the Soviet Union and the United States. Then came another breakthrough on October 12, 2005, when Shenzhou 6, China’s second human spaceflight, was launched, with a crew of two astronauts. What’s more, the landmark spacewalk done by Zhai Zhigang, one of the three boarding Shenzhou 7, launched on Sept. 25, 2008, leads the country further in its space exploration.
Meanwhile, China’s moon exploration project, started in 2004, has also been progressing satisfactorily. Fifty years after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first man-made satellite, China’s first circumlunar(绕月的)satellite Chang’e 1 took off on Oct.24, 2007, which became another milestone(里程碑) in China’s space achievements after the above-mentioned manned flights. Chang’e 1 was expected to fulfill four scientific goals, one of which was to probe（勘探）mineral elements on the moon, especially those not existent on Earth. It’s said that the lunar regolith(月壤) is abundant in helium-3, a clean fuel that may support the Earth’s energy demands for more than a century. Nearly 3 years later, Oct. 1, 2010 witnessed the blasting off of Chang’e 2, China’s 2nd unmanned lunar probe, marking another step forward in moon exploration. This time the aim is to test the key techniques of Chang’e 3 and Chang’e 4, as a preparation for a soft lunar landing in the future.
With great expectations, people all over the world are looking forward to China’s greater space achievements. Altogether how many astronauts have made successful spaceflight by Shenzhou spaceship by now?
| A．4 | B．5 | C．6 | D．7 |
According to the text, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．China sent its first satellite into the Moon’s orbit in 1970. |
| B．China is the third country in Asia to make human spaceflight. |
| C．China has blasted off 4 unmanned lunar probes. |
| D．The launching of Chang’e 1 became the third milestone in China’s space achievements. |
We can infer from the text that __________.
| A．China’s road to outer space has not been very smooth for a long time |
| B．the lunar regolith is believed to be rich in a clean fuel called helium-3 |
| C．China’s lunar exploration project was started in 2004 and completed in 2007 |
| D．China’s scientists are researching into techniques for soft lunar landing |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Ancient Chinese’s Dream | B．China’s Major Space Achievements |
| C．China’s Moon Exploration | D．The World’s Great Expectations |