阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
Until I was twelve years old，I thought everyone in the world knew about the grinnies，if I thought about the term at all－which is unlikely. After all，everyone in my family used the word quite naturally，and we understood each other. So far as I knew，it was a word like any other word－like bath，or chocolate，or homework. But it was my homework that led to my discovery that grinnies was a word not known outside my family.
My last report card had said that I was a “C” student in English，but both my parents and teachers decided that no child of theirs would be just an average student of anything. So nightly I spelled words aloud and answered questions about the fine points of grammar. I wrote and rewrote and rewrote every composition until I convinced my mother that I could make no more improvements. And the hard work paid off. One day the teacher returned compositions，and there it was－a big fat，bright red “A” on the top of my paper. Naturally，I was delighted，but I didn't know I was attracting attention until the teacher spoke sharply，“Helen，what are you doing？”
Called suddenly out of my happy thoughts，I said “Oh，I've got the grinnies！” The teacher and my classmates burst into laughter，and then I understood that grinnies was used inside my family. Other people were not so lucky.
And it is really lucky to have the grinnies，an uncontrollable，natural state of great pleasure. Grinnies are shown on the outside by sparkling eyes and a wide，wide smile－not just any smile，but one that shows the teeth and stretches the mouth to its limits. A person experiencing the grinnies appears to be all mouth. On the inside grinnies are characterized by a feeling of joyful anxiety. Grinnies usually last just a few seconds，but they can come and go. Sometimes，when life seems just perfect，I have occasional attacks of the grinnies for a whole day.
The term originated in my mother's family. Her younger sister，Rose，who had deep dimples(酒窝)，often expressed her pleasure with such a grin that the dimples appeared to become permanent. When Rose was about four，she started explaining her funny look by saying，“I have the grinnies.” The term caught on，and it has been an important word in our family now for two generations.
The occasion doesn't matter. Anything can bring on the grinnies－just so long as one feels great delight. When my brother finally rode his bicycle－without training wheels－from our house to the corner and back，he came home with the grinnies. When I was little，my mother's announcement that we would have homemade ice cream for dessert always gave me the grinnies. My father had the grinnies when I was chosen to make a speech at the endofschoolyear ceremony. Grinnies can be brought on by a good meal，a sense of pride，a new friend，a telephone call from someone special，an achievement. Or sometimes one gets the grinnies for no reason at all：just a sudden sense of happiness can bring on a case. Whatever brings them on，an attack of the grinnies is among life's greatest pleasures.
In fact，now when I look back on the experience，I feel sorry for my seventhgrade teacher. I think it's a pity that she didn't know the word grinnies，It's such a useful term for saying，“I'm really，really pleased！”After the writer was twelve years old，she________.
| A．thought everyone knew the meaning of “grinnies” |
| B．equaled “grinnies” to bath or chocolate in meaning |
| C．got to know “grinnies” was used only inside her family |
| D．discovered the word “grinnies” through her mother |
When her English teacher called her name，the writer was________.
| A．looking at the big “A” on the top of her paper |
| B．listening to her English teacher attentively |
| C．too happy to notice what was happening around her |
| D．busy rewriting her composition |
According to the writer，the word “grinnies” originates from________.
| A．her mother |
| B．her aunt |
| C．her brother |
| D．her father |
The writer feels sorry for her seventhgrade teacher because the teacher________.
| A．had no pity on her students |
| B．should not have laughed at her |
| C．didn't have any luck to meet her parents |
| D．had no idea of what “grinnies” was |
What method does the writer use to explain “grinnies”？
| A．Cause and effect. |
| B．Examples. |
| C．Comparison and contrast. |
| D．Process. |
Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.
Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the earth forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.
Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more.
Animals are more than beautiful or interesting or a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems.
For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks(鹰), the farmers’ stores of corn and grain were destroyed by rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the rats and mice multiplied(繁殖) quickly.
Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger.
Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid the killing of any animal or plant on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.Why do people kill animals?
| A．They kill animals for something they need. |
| B．They kill animals to raise some money. |
| C．Animals destroy their natural resources. |
| D．Animals create many problems. |
Animals are important to us mainly because ______.
| A．they give us a source of food |
| B．they are beautiful and lovely |
| C．they keep the balance of nature |
| D．they give us a lot of pleasure |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．People care much about animals because they need them. |
| B．Once a certain kind of animal is gone forever, there will never be any more. |
| C．Killing all rats and mice may cause some new problems. |
| D．People must not kill any animal or plant. |
It's great fun to explore (探索) new places—it feels like an adventure, even when you know you're not the first to have been there. But make sure not to get lost or waste time going round in circles.
● Do the map reading if you're being driven somewhere. It'll be easier if you keep turning the map so it follows the direction you' re traveling in. Keep looking ahead so that you can give the driver lots of warning before having to make a turn, or you'll have to move to the back seat.
● Get a group of friends together and go exploring. You'll need a good map, a compass (指南针), a raincoat, a cell phone to call for help in case you get lost, and a bit of spare cash for emergencies (应急现金). Tell someone where you're going before you set out and let them know what time you expect to be back. The test is in not getting lost, not in seeing how fast you can go, so always stick together, waiting for slower friends to catch up.
● See if your school or a club organizes orienteering activities, in which you need a map and a compass to find your way. This can be done as a sport, with teams trying to find the way from A to B (and B to C, etc. ) in the fastest time, or simply as a spare-time activity. Either way, it's not only good fun, but a great way to keep fit.Sitting beside the driver, you should ________.
| A．direct the driver when necessary |
| B．look ahead to see where there's a turn |
| C．move to the back seat if feeling uncomfortable |
| D．keep looking at the map to find a place to go to |
Why do you need to tell someone your exploration plan before setting out?
| A．To get information when in danger. |
| B．To be saved in case of an accident. |
| C．To share the fun with him/her in exploration. |
| D．To tell him/her what's going on with the group members. |
Orienteering activities can ________.
| A．make people work fast |
| B．help people stay healthy |
| C．help people organize other activities |
| D．make people get prepared for sports |
His first successful fight was for the equal rights of black people in South Africa. Then, as the first black president, he fought to unite the country and organize the government. Now Nelson Mandela has set his sights on a new enemy, AIDS.
On March 19 the 82-year-old, former president, hosted his second AIDS-awareness concert. He warned that 25 million people in Africa were already infected with the fatal disease.
Mandela was born in a small village in South Africa in 1918. He was adopted by the chief of his tribe and could have been a chief himself and lived a happy country life.
But he refused to be a chief when his people lived under racial discrimination(歧视). He decided to fight for equal rights for all the people in South Africa. Before 1990, under the country’s Racial Segregation Law, colored and white people lived separately. Black people were treated unfairly even when taking a bus. Blacks had to stand at the back of the bus to make room for white people even when there were only a few of them on board.
For his opposition to the system, Mandela was arrested and spent 27 years in prison. He was freed in 1990 and became the president of the country after the first election were held in which everyone could vote.
Mandela was not only a political fighter who attacked with speeches. He was also a trained boxer and fought in the ring when he was young.
“Although I did not enjoy the violence of boxing, I was interested in how one moved one’s body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat”, he wrote in his autobiography.
As a skillful fighter, he chose music as his weapon against AIDS. He hopes to win another victory against AIDS.When was Mandela arrested?
| A．In 1963 |
| B．In 1990 |
| C．When he refused to be a chief |
| D．When he became the president |
Nelson Mandela succeeded in doing the following except _______.
| A．winning the equal rights for the black people in South Africa |
| B．Uniting South Africa |
| C．organizing a government in South Africa |
| D．controlling the spread of AIDS |
If Nelson Mandela hadn’t fought against racial discrimination, he_______.
| A．could have been the president of South Africa |
| B．could still have lived a happy life |
| C．could have been in a difficult situation |
| D．would have been an excellent boxer |
Which of the following statements can best describe the life of Nelson Mandela?
| A．struggle is his life |
| B．sports make his fame |
| C．fight for equal rights |
| D．a great fighter against government. |
King's College Summer School
King's College Summer School is an annual( 每年的) training program for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King's College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year's summer school will be from July 25 to August 15.
More information is as follows:
| Application (申请) date lStudents in New York should send their applications before July 18, 2012. lStudents of other cities should send their applications before July 16, 2012 lForeign students should send their applications before July 10, 2012 |
CourseslEnglish Language Spoken English: 22 hours Reading and Writing: 10 hours lAmerican History: 16 hours lAmerican Culture: 16 hours |
| StepslA letter of self-introduction lA letter of recommendation(推荐) ﹡ The letters should be written in English with all the necessary information. |
CostlDaily lessons: $200 lSports and activities: $100 lTravels: $200 lHotel service: $400 ﹡You may choose to live with your friends or relatives in the same city. |
| Please write to: Thompson, Sanders 1026 King' s Street New York, NY 10016, USA E-mail: KC-Summer-School@ yahoo, com |
50. You can most probably read the text in ________.
| A．a newspaper | B．a travel guide |
| C．a textbook | D．a telephone book |
51. Which of the following is true about King' s College Summer School?
| A．Only top students can take part in the program. |
| B．King' s College Summer School is run every other year. |
| C．Visits to museums and culture centers are part of the program. |
| D．Only the teachers of King' s College give courses. |
52. If you are to live with your relatives in New York, you will have to pay the school __
| A．$200 | B．$400 | C．$500 | D．$900 |
53. What information can you get from the text?
| A．The program will last two months. |
| B．You can write to Thompson only in English. |
| C．As a Chinese student, you can send your application on July 14, 2012 |
| D．You can get in touch with the school by e-mail or by telephone. |
I have been a student at Bentley College in Waltham for some time now, so I have a lot of experience and know how things work at Bentley. As a freshman(新生)at Bentley College you will be living in the Tree Dorms, Slade Hall or Miller Hall. I would highly suggest that you choose to live in the Tree Dorms because this is where most fresh-men are going to be living. There will be a lot of activities going on in the building and you will meet lots of people. Slade Hall is next to the parking lot and not far from the Tree Dorms, so that would be your second choice. As Miller Hall is small and far away, it would be my last choice for freshmen housing. If Bentley offers you the chance to live with second or third year students you’d better refuse their offer and live with freshmen. Living with your classmates will make the transition (过渡) into college life a lot easier.
As a freshman your classes should be easy. After freshman year your classes will become a lot more difficult, so I advise that you get down to business early in the first year. There are two very easy things you can do to increase your knowledge as a freshman. The first is to just go to class and the second is to always do your homework. I also highly advise that you do it on your own and try to stay disciplined. It is too easy to put your homework away and then get really behind and not be able to learn everything before a mid-term or final exam. The author advises freshmen to live in the Tree Dorms because ___________.
| A．it is across the parking lot from Slade Hall |
| B．it is small and quite far away from the playground |
| C．there are many second and third year students there |
| D．there are many freshmen and more activities |
Where is Slade Hall?
| A．Near Miller Hall. | B．Far from Tree Dorms. |
| C．Beside the car park. | D．Near the classrooms. |
According to the author, how can freshmen improve knowledge?
| A．Remember to do homework by discussing it with others. |
| B．Finish homework and go to class every day. |
| C．Try to spend more time in the library. |
| D．Be able to learn something before a mid-term or final exam. |
The author writes the passage to ___________.
| A．tell new students how to get used to college life |
| B．tell new students about their teachers and dormitory |
| C．show the differences between college and high school |
| D．tell readers about some funny things at Bentley College |