By far the most common difficulty in study is simple failure to get down to regular concentrated work. This difficulty is much greater for those who do not work to a plan and have no regular routine of study. Many students muddle along, doing a bit of this subject or that, as the mood takes them, or letting their set work pile up until the last possible moment.
Few students work to a set timetable. They say that if they did work out a timetable for themselves they would not keep to it, or would have to change it frequently, since they can never predict from one day to the next what their activities will be.
No doubt some students take much more kindly to a regular routine than others. There are many who shy away from a self-controlled weekly timetable, and dislike being tied down to a fixed program of work. Many able students state that they work in cycles. When they become interested in a topic they work on it attentively for three or four days at a time. On other days they avoid work completely. It has to be admitted that we do not fully understand the motivation to work. Most people over 25 years of age have become used to a work routine, and the majority of really productive workers set aside regular hours for the more important areas of their work. The “tough-minded” school of workers doesn’t fully accept the idea that good work can only be done naturally, under the influence of inspiration.
Those who believe that they need only work and study as the fit takes them have a mistaken belief either in their own talent or in the value of “freedom”. Freedom from control and discipline leads to unhappiness rather than to “self-expression” or “personality development”. Our society insists on regular habits, timekeeping and punctuality (being on time), and whether we like it or not, if we mean to make our way in society, we have to meet its demands.The most widespread problem in applying oneself to study is __________ .
| A．changing from one subject to another |
| B．the failure to keep to a set timetable of work |
| C．the unwillingness to work out a systematic plan |
| D．working on a subject only when one feels like it |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Many students are not interested in using a self-controlled timetable. |
| B．Many students don’t like being told to study to a fixed timetable. |
| C．Most people over 25 years of age don’t work to a set timetable. |
| D．Tough-minded people agree that good work is done naturally. |
The underlined part “as the fit takes them” means __________.
| A．when they have the energy |
| B．when they are in the mood |
| C．when they feel fit |
| D．when they find conditions suitable |
A suitable title for the passage might be __________.
| A．Attitudes to Study |
| B．A Study Plan |
| C．The Difficulties of Studying |
| D．Study and Self-discipline |
In Singapore，most of us love window-shopping while some others enjoy having a picnic at East Coast Park or Changi Beach on sunny days．Singaporeans are never bothered by the occasional thunderstorm．However，we know that if it rains for long continuous periods，there will be more serious effects．Just recently the main shopping street of Orchard Road was flooded and some part of Bukit Timah was impassable(不能通行的)to traffic．People reacted by writing in to the newspaper to complain about this! We forget that other countries suffer much worse effects.
Elsewhere，heavy tropical(热带的)storms often result in floods that ruin crops especially in Thailand and Malaysia．This in turn usually means that the price of rice and vegetables here in Singapore will rise because we import these products from them．If there is a typhoon or tsunami，thousands of lives are lost too．This happened in Indonesia and Phuket in Thailand in 2004 and It serves to remind us of how Mother Nature can cause great damage．
Weather patterns in general have changed dramatically in recent years．Scientists believe that global warming and the resulting melting of the polar ice-cap has caused the level of the ocean to rise．This in turn causes flooding of low-lying areas in countries where the land is rather flat and some parts of which is below water level．It is believed that human activities have caused Mother Nature to show her extreme anger，so it is now important that we really work together to cut down on harmful activities，for example，illegal logging(伐木)or irresponsible forest-burning to clear land for farming．From Paragraph 1，we can see that most Singaporeans love ．
| A．making complaints |
| B．going out for picnics |
| C．doing window-shopping |
| D．traveling along the coast |
What will happen in Singapore if there are floods in its neighboring countries?
| A．Heavy tropical storms will follow shortly． |
| B．The price of rice and vegetables will go up． |
| C．Many people will write in to the newspaper． |
| D．More rice and vegetables will be imported． |
The underlined word“it”in Paragraph 2 refers to ．
| A．the arrival of heavy tropical storms |
| B．the import of rice and vegetables |
| C．the rising price of rice and vegetables |
| D．the loss of lives in natural disasters |
What’s the right order of the following events?
a．global warming b．the rise in ocean level
c．harmful human activities d．the flooding of low-lying areas
e．the melting of the polar ice-cap
| A．c→a→e→b→d | B．a→c→e→b→d |
| C．c→a→b→e→d | D．d→a→c→b→e |
What should we do in order not to make Mother Nature angry?
| A．Clear more land for farming． |
| B．Reduce harmful human activities． |
| C．Bring down the price of food． |
| D．Improve the quality of weather． |
On March 15．Dunes View Middle School held a contest for school bands．
Student bands tried out for the opportunity to perform at the school picnic，which will be held at the end of June．The winner of the contest was the band called Four Square.
“We’re very proud that we won the contest and are excited to perform at the picnic，” says Peter Zandt，who plays guitar in the band．“And since we hope to perform someday at other local places，like restaurants and parks，this will be a great first step.”
The contest was the creation of music teacher Mr．Lopez and drama teacher Ms．Cho. The two thought of the idea while discussing recent years' school picnics．“The picnic is one of the biggest events of the year，but it has become a bit formulaic，"said Ms．Cho．“The activities are the same every year .We thought that a performance by a student band would make the school picnic more interesting and fun．”
Mr．Lopez，Ms．Cho，and three other teachers judged the contest，which took place in the gym. To see if the bands could present a wide range of musical skills，the teachers asked them each to prepare two songs：one song with original words，and another in which students played instrumental music only．The judges finally chose the band Four Square as the winner of the contest．Four Square is a rock band with an unusual twist：it includes a violin player! The members of Four Square write their own songs and practice three times a week after schoo1．
Students and teachers agreed that the band competition was：a big success．All are looking forward to the school picnic in June．What can be the best title for the article?
| A．Famous Band Visits Schoo1． |
| B．Teachers Give Music Lessons． |
| C．Students Have Fun at School Picnic． |
| D．School Holds Student Band Contest． |
The underlined word“formulaic”in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ____________．
| A．expensive | B．dull | C．1ong | D．uncertain |
Why did the teachers ask each band to play two songs?
| A．To decide which songs to play at the picnic． |
| B．To see if the bands could play a variety of songs． |
| C．To make sure the contest did not go on too long． |
| D．To make the concert more enjoyable for students． |
According to the article，what is unusual about the band Four Square?
| A．It is named after a popular children’s game． |
| B．Its members practice several times a week． |
| C．It is a rock band with a violinist． |
| D．Its members all play guitar． |
According to the article，what does the band Four Square hope to do in the future?
| A．Perform at the school picnic every year． |
| B．Perform in many different places． |
| C．Buy new instruments． |
| D．Record an album． |
Most city parks are places where you can escape from big，ugly structures of metal and stone．The Manhattan High Line is different．Raised 25 feet above the ground，this massive metal structure once supported a rail line．The line opened in 1934 but it was hardly used after the 1960s，and much of it was torn down．However，one stretch remained in a region of Manhattan．The railway structure was ugly and everyone knew that at some time，it would have to be removed．
But the High Line was not destroyed．In fact．now the old rail line serves as one of the most peaceful places in the city．The idea to change the rail line into a park came from Joshua David and Robert Hammond．In 1999，they attended a community meeting to decide the fate of the High Line．David and Hammond were the only people at the meeting interested in saving the historical structure. Later on，when they asked railway officials to take them up to look at the High Line，they saw a mile and a half of wild flowers growing in the middle of the city，and they realized that the High Line had potential to become a park．There was growing interest in improving urban centers，and so the project quickly gathered funds for construction．
The first section of the High Line opened in 2009 and immediately became popular with tourists and locals alike．Each part of the park has a different atmosphere．Some areas are like balconies with wonderful city views．Other sections have wide lawns and walkways planted with wild flowers．Only the final section remains the way it has been for the last fifty years—a railway line overgrown with weeds．What is the text mainly about?
| A．A park． | B．A train line． |
| C．City transport． | D．A historical monument． |
Which of the following is NOT true about the High Line?
| A．It is above ground level． | B．Only part of the line remains. |
| C．It is now a popular park． | D．Trains still use the line. |
Why did David and Hammond want to save the High Line at first?
| A．They thought it would make a good park． |
| B．They wanted to reopen the train line． |
| C．They thought it had historical value． |
| D．They were interested in improving the city. |
Why were people easily persuaded by David and Hammond’s idea?
| A．They wanted to make cities nicer places． |
| B．They wanted to see the wild flowers too. |
| C．They realized the High Line was important. |
| D．They knew that funds were available． |
We can infer from the last paragraph that the park is ______________.
| A．popular with tourists | B．similar to what it used to be |
| C．various in its design | D．1ike natural countryside |
When another old cave is discovered in the south of France，it is not usual news．Rather，it is art ordinary event．Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them．However，when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940，the world was amazed．Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago．The scenes show people hunting animals，such as bison or wild cats．Other images show birds and，most noticeably，horses，which appear in more than 300 wall images，by far outnumbering all other animals．
Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task．They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex．
Unfortunately，the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and temperature changes，which easily wear the images away．Because the Lascaux caves have many entrances，air movement has also damaged the images inside．
Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago，many of the images have been destroyed and are barely recognizable．To prevent further damage，the site was closed to tourists in 1963，23 years after it was discovered．What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Wild Animals in Art | B．Hidden Prehistoric Paintings |
| C．Exploring Caves Respectfully | D．Determining the Age of French Caves |
The underlined phrase“pays heed to”in Paragraph 1 probably means _____________．
| A．discovers | B．watches | C．notices | D．buys |
According to the text，which animals appear most often on the cave walls?
| A．Birds | B．Bison | C．Horses | D．Wild cats |
Why was painting inside the Lascaux complex a difficult task?
| A．It was completely dark inside． |
| B．The caves were full of wild animals． |
| C．Painting materials were hard to find． |
| D．Many painting spaces were difficult to reach． |
According to the text，all of the following have caused damage to the paintings except________________.
| A．temperature changes | B．air movement |
| C．water | D．tourists |
Jenny found her old bicycle at the back of the garage．It was a lot smaller than she remembered．When she sat on it and put her feet on the pedals，her knees nearly touched her chin. She then asked her dad for a new bicycle．
“Well，I’m sorry，but I can’t afford a bicycle now，“said Dad．“Why don’t you work and earn some money? You can save up for a bicycle yourself．”
Jenny began to work．That day she earned five dollars for cutting the grass and ten dollars for mowing the lawn for her dad．
That night Jenny went on the computer．She wrote“Gardening and Housework—Ten dollars an hour．Call Jenny at 23 Roseville Lane．“She decorated the page with pictures of cleaning and gardening equipment．She printed it fifty times．Then she posted the pages through all the doors on her street．
That week，Jenny was very busy! Lots of people had jobs to do，but they didn’t have time to do them．So they called Jenny．Every day，Jenny rushed home from schoo1．She did her homework quickly，and then she went out to work．
At the end of the week．she had$65! She told her father．
“That’s enough for a second hand bicycle.”he said．
“Yes，but if I work for one more week，I might have enough money for a new bike，“said Jenny．“In two more weeks，I could buy a really good bicycle! I think that's what I'll do. I want to have the best bicycle in the class，because I earn it myself!”
Jenny’s dad hugged her．“I think you learned something important．We appreciate things a lot more when we earn them．When we get something without earning it，we do not realize its true value．”What was the problem with Jenny’s old bicycle?
| A．It was broken． | B．It was too dirty． |
| C．Jenny didn't like it． | D．It was too small． |
Why didn’t Jenny’s dad buy her a bicycle?
| A．He wanted to teach her a lesson． |
| B．He was too busy． |
| C．He had just bought Jenny a birthday present. |
| D．He didn’t think it was a good idea． |
How much money did Jenny earn on the first day?
| A．＄10． | B．＄5． | C．＄65． | D．＄15． |
How did Jenny tell her neighbors about her new business?
| A．She mailed letters to them． |
| B．She delivered messages by hand． |
| C．she sent them an email． |
| D．She talked to all her neighbors． |
We can infer from Jenny’s words at the end of the story that she was ___________．
| A．pleased because she had learnt a useful lesson |
| B．grateful to her father for his advice |
| C．optimistic about making more money |
| D．disappointed because she couldn’t afford a new bicycle |