Knowing about yourself not only means finding out what you’re good at and what you like, but also means discovering what you’re not good at and what you don’t like. Both help you to see your aim （目标）in life.
Although most students would be unhappy if they failed a very difficult physics examination, they have in fact learned a lot about themselves. They know that they should not become engineers or physical scientists. So failing can help a student to live a happier life if he learns something from it. They may then decide on their aims and choose the work they like and are fit for.
It is impossible to decide whether you like something until you have tried it. If you decide to play the piano, you need to take more than one lesson before knowing whether you are really interested in it or able to do well. It is not enough if you want to be a great pianist. You also have to like the hard practice and long training. If you enjoy being a great pianist but hate the work, forget it.
It’s a good plan to try as many ideas as possible when you are young. Then you will find out what your true interests are. If you say you really know yourself,_______________.
| A．you know what you don’t like |
| B．you know what you are good at |
| C．you have no interest in your work |
| D．you’ve got the whole picture of yourself |
Failing can turn into something good ______________.
| A．if you have aim in life |
| B．if your decision is fight |
| C．if you lead a happier life |
| D．if you learn something from it |
What can we learn from the second paragraph?
| A．Failure is a better mirror |
| B．Success is more helpful |
| C．No one is fit for the job of a physical scientist |
| D．Physics can help students live a better life |
We will be traveling to the Presidio in San Francisco to visit the newly opened Walt Disney Family Museum. There are countless art exhibits and even a model of an early Disneyland Park. 
We will enter the museum at the same time and then each family is free to enjoy the art exhibits in the museum. Lunch will be on you, so bring a lunch or bring money for the Museum Café. For those of you who are interested in exploring the Presidio, there is a free Presidio bus. The Walt Disney Family Museum is a must-see for anyone who likes Disneyland. Here are the details:
| Date: March 22, 2013 Time: 9: 30 am to 4: 00 pm Location: Presidio, San Francisco |
| Cost per person: $35(Adult)/ $25(Aged 6~17)/ $10(Children under 6 years). A registration(登记)fee covers round-trip bus transportation to and from Alameda and admission into the Walt Disney Family Museum. |
| New pick-up location: Bayport Recreation Center, Jack London |
| Avenue. (Parents must be around children on trip. Please check in at least 15 minutes before setting-out time. ) |
| Click here to download the “Walt Disney Family Museum” flyer(PDF, 245Kb). |
| It’s easy to register! You may register: In person or by mail at: Alameda Recreation and Park Department(2226 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501) Phone registrations with Master Card or VISA will be accepted for people 18 years old and over(510)747-7529. Fax form with Master Card or VISA to(510)747-7566. Save time and register online at www. arpdeplay. com. Registration deadline: March 7, 2013 |
Besides a registration fee, visitors may also need to pay for .
| A．the transportation to Alameda |
| B．the admission fee into the museum |
| C．the transportation from Alameda |
| D．their lunch inside the museum |
How much will a couple have to pay if they take part in the activity with their 4-year-old daughter?
| A．$60. | B．$70. | C．$80. | D．$95. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．A single child cannot take part in the activity. |
| B．The Walt Disney Family Museum has a long history. |
| C．The Walt Disney Family Museum is not popular. |
| D．The Walt Disney Family Museum is mainly for adults. |
Which of the following statements is WRONG about the registration?
| A．People can register online. |
| B．People can register by mail. |
| C．People can go to register in person. |
| D．People of all ages can register by phone. |
This passage is most probably taken from a .
| A．newspaper | B．magazine |
| C．website | D．radio program |
Few of us haven’t read Cinderella, the story of a young woman living in poverty who meets the prince of her dreams. Some might not want to admit it, but there is a hidden Cinderella in everyone’s heart—we all wish we could achieve recognition or success after a period of obscurity(默默无闻)or neglect. 
Mary Santiago has that secret dream, too. Her story is featured in Another Cinderella Story, a film set in a US high school.
Mary is shy but loves to dance. Compared with other girls, she is invisible. However, her world changes completely when a famous teenage pop singer, Joey Parker, appears.
Joey is everything the rest of the boys in her class are not—kind, handsome and desirable. Mary and Joey’s paths cross at a ball. They meet and fall in love with each other. But when Mary has to rush back home, she leaves behind her MP3 player, which becomes the only clue Joey has to find the girl of his dreams. Of course, there is a wicked(邪恶的)stepmother, who turns out to be Dominique Blatt and she takes in Mary after her dancer mother dies. Dominique treats Mary like a maid and does everything she can to make sure Mary doesn’t get into the top dance school. Her two daughters are equally determined to stop Joey falling for Mary, even if that means embarrassing her.
The story, though it mostly follows Cinderella, does add a few modern day twists to the classic fairy tale. Refreshingly, the film, unlike many high school films, does not focus on looks, although the actors are all beautiful. There is also a lot less materialism in Another Cinderella Story than in many similar movies.
“The movie takes the fairy tale Cinderella as its jumping off point, ”writes movie critic Amber Wilkinson. “The focus is firmly on following your dream. ”The first paragraph is mainly to .
| A．build interest and lead us to Mary’s secret dream |
| B．remind us why Cinderella is popular all the years |
| C．inform us of the main topic of the whole passage |
| D．tell us how interesting the fairy tale Cinderella is |
In the movie, Mary Santiago is the main character who .
| A．is brave in expressing her love |
| B．is attended to badly by the stepmother |
| C．has a dream of meeting a prince |
| D．is embarrassed by the pop singer |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Joey is just like other boys in Mary’s class. |
| B．Mary’s mother influences her a lot in singing. |
| C．Not many people have a dream to be realized. |
| D．The MP3 player helps Joey in finding Mary. |
The passage is mainly .
| A．an introduction to a film |
| B．a review about a film |
| C．an essay about dreams |
| D．an advertisement of Cinderella |
According to the passage, Another Cinderella Story .
| A．follows Cinderella with nothing new |
| B．pays more attention to the looks of the actors |
| C．encourages young people to follow their dreams |
| D．focuses more on materialism than other films |
Do you suppose Darwin, one of the greatest scientists of all time, really did foolish experiments? Or did he do experiments that were so simple and basic that other people just thought they were foolish? 
Sometimes, people think they already know the answer to a question or the solution to a problem. Sometimes, they really do know an answer or a solution, but without thinking they are important.
Charles Darwin didn’t settle for(满足于)just thinking he knew something. And, he believed all things could be important however simple they seemed to be.
Suppose you drop sheets of paper that are of exactly the same size and shape. If you drop them at the same time in the same place, they will fall in the same way. Now make one of the sheets of paper into a tight little ball and let it drop along with the other sheets. What happens? You have done an experiment that is so simple that you might think it couldn’t be worth anything.
But this simple experiment is important. It explains part of our present-day understandings of physics, ideas that were worked out long ago by Galileo and Newton. And these understandings set aside some of ancient Greek physics.
Scientists sometimes stop to look at very simple things and to think very hard about them. Even the simplest idea, which we might think is foolish, can shake the foundations of science. The passage tells us that Charles Darwin .
| A．was a great English scientist |
| B．always liked doing the experiments that others thought difficult |
| C．thought even the simplest thing was important |
| D．didn’t get well with others |
The underlined phrase “set aside” most probably means .
| A．throw away | B．store up |
| C．put to use | D．realize |
The author of the passage tries to .
| A．convince us that Charles Darwin, Galileo and Newton are the greatest scientists in the world |
| B．draw the conclusion that basic sciences are simple things |
| C．prove that two sheets of paper, with the same size and shape, will fall at the same speed |
| D．draw our attention to everyday happenings around us |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Darwin really did foolish experiments. |
| B．According to some people Darwin did foolish experiments. |
| C．It is believed by all the people that things could be important though they seemed to be simple. |
| D．Galileo and Newton worked out ancient Greek physics. |
Living in a modern society has its advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage is that you often have to live closer to other people than you would like to. Sometimes, your neighbors make noise that you are not comfortable with.
The best way to solve this problem is to talk with your neighbor first. You should be very polite and ask your neighbor if he knows how thin the walls of your homes are. This way doesn’t criticize(批评)his behavior; it simply points out that he may not realize how far his sound travels. Tell him that you know that sometimes you make noise as well, but that you do your best to keep it down. Often this will solve the problem right away, but sometimes the neighbor may become angry.
If your neighbor becomes angry with you, there are some more steps you can take. You might write a letter to the neighborhood committee. Make sure you write down the source of the noise and the time in the letter. They will review the situation and decide whether your neighbor is out of line. Some noise is considered to be reasonable, even if it bothers you. So you may prepare a good pair of earplugs(耳塞).
Even if your neighbor makes too much noise, you don’t have to live your life in discomfort. It’s always a good idea to be friendly with your neighbors. You may clean the rubbish in front of his door. He’s sure to appreciate behavior like this and be more open to your suggestions about noise level. What is the first step to deal with the noisy neighbor?
| A．To buy a good pair of earplugs. |
| B．To offer suggestions to the neighbor. |
| C．To ask the neighborhood committee for help. |
| D．To tell the neighbor how bad his behavior is. |
The underlined word “reasonable” in the third paragraph probably means“ ”.
| A．terrible | B．loud | C．proper | D．unpleasant |
What should be written in the letter to the neighborhood committee?
| A．How to punish your noisy neighbor. |
| B．Where and when the noise appears. |
| C．How to make the noise less in the neighborhood. |
| D．What problems the noise causes to your life. |
What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．You should control your noise as well. |
| B．You can live comfortably even if there is noise. |
| C．Your neighbor may be friendlier than you think. |
| D．You should build good relationship with your neighbor. |
The author wrote this passage to tell us .
| A．why we should get on well with neighbors |
| B．how to relax ourselves in a modern society |
| C．what we should do with our noisy neighbor |
| D．how to become known among neighbors |
At first sight the planet Mars(火星)does not appear very welcoming to any kind of life. It has very little oxygen and water, the temperature at night is below 50 degrees and winds of 100 miles(161 kilometers)per hour cause severe dust storms. However, the surface of the planet seems to show that water flowed across it at some time in the past, and it is believed that there would be enough ice at the poles to cover the planet with water if it melted. Although there is no life on the Mars now, some scientists think there may have been some form of life a long time ago. At that time, the planet had active volcanoes(火山); the atmosphere was thicker and warmer; and there was water. In fact, in some ways the Mars may have been similar to the Earth, where life exists. 
Some people believe that the Mars could support life in the future if the right conditions were produced. The first step would be to warm the planet using certain gases which trap the Sun’s heat in the planet’s atmosphere. With warmth, water and carbon dioxide, simple plants could begin to grow. These plants could slowly make the Mars fit to live on. It is judged that the whole process might take between
100, 000 and 200, 000 years. In the meantime, people could begin to live on the planet in a special closed environment. They would provide a lot of useful information about conditions on the Mars and the problems connected with living there. According to the passage, the planet Mars has no on it.
| A．winds | B．dust |
| C．mountains | D．animals |
It is believed that on the Mars now .
| A．there is a large amount of ice at the poles |
| B．there is a thicker and warmer atmosphere |
| C．there are some kinds of simple plants |
| D．there are many active volcanoes |
What is the topic of Paragraph 2?
| A．Certain gases should be used to warm the Mars. |
| B．Plants should be grown to make the Mars fit to live on. |
| C．The Mars could support life on right conditions in the future. |
| D．People could live on the Mars in a special closed environment. |
The most suitable title for the passage is .
| A．No Life on the Mars |
| B．Study of the Mars |
| C．The Possibility of Life on the Mars |
| D．Future Conditions on the Mars |