One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds dashing and dancing in the exciting atmosphere above the earth. As the strong winds gusted against the kites, a string kept them in check.
Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the controlling string and the clumsy tail kept them in tow(牵引), facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say, “Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!” They flew beautifully even as they fought the forced restriction of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose. “Free at last,” it seemed to say, “Free to fly with the wind.”
Yet freedom from control simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic gentle wind. It flew ungracefully to the ground and landed in a twisted mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. “Free at last”. Free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to settle down lifeless against the first roadblock.
How much like kites we sometimes are. There always exist misfortunes and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Prohibition is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. Some of us pulled at the rules so hard that we never fly fast to reach the heights we might have obtained. If we keep all the commandment(戒律), we will never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground.
Let us each rise to the great heights, recognizing that some of the prohibitions are actually the steady force that helps us climb and achieve.In the passage the writer watched _______.
| A．many young people flying multicolored kites |
| B．many birds dashing and dancing in the sky |
| C．many young people enjoying the sunny day |
| D．the strong winds blowing against the sky |
What didn’t happen to the freed kite?
| A．It was blown helplessly around. |
| B．It lay powerless in the dirt. |
| C．It was trapped in a dead bush. |
| D．It kept flying freely in the air. |
What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
| A．To give up tips on how to fly kites effectively. |
| B．To warn us that freedom is actually powerless. |
| C．To teach us a lesson that rules are important in life. |
| D．To explain that restrictions are really unnecessary. |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Where to Fly | B．Fly with Restrictions |
| C．Why to Fly Kites | D．Fly to Freedom |
On 23rd December, 2013, Michael Schumacher — the famous Formula-One race car driver — received serious brain injuries after hitting his head on a rock while downhill skiing with his son. The accident happened during a family holiday in the French Alps. Although he was wearing a helmet, which broke apart on impact, the F1 celebrity was moving at speeds of up to 62 mph and skiing outside the off-piste safety demarcations (滑雪场地外的安全区). Doctors reported that he would have died on impact if he hadn’t been wearing a helmet. He has been in a coma (昏迷) since arriving at a nearby hospital where he was airlifted to from the site of the accident.
Michael Schumacher grew up in frugal (简朴的) conditions and started what would become his remarkable professional career when his working class father — a bricklayer — built him a go-kart from where he started participating in competitions. He started his adult career racing for Formula Ford in 1988 and later raced for Formula One Ford, Ferrari, and Mercedes AMG. He holds numerous F1 world records including most race victories, fastest laps, and most races won in a single season. According to the Formula One website, he is “statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen”. Also notable are his contributions to charity, during the peak of his career he has given away more than 50 million Euros to a variety of charity organizations, most to help children around the world.
Millions of Europeans and other fans around the world are holding their breath and waiting for information about his hopeful recovery. We wish him and his family the best.Michael Schumacher is in a coma after ________.
| A．crashing in an airlift accident |
| B．a Formula One Ford car crash |
| C．a skiing accident during his holiday |
| D．a bump onto a rock in a skiing race |
What is a go-kart most likely to be?
| A．A medical instrument. |
| B．A small car-racing field. |
| C．A racing-car driver’s safety helmet. |
| D．A small motor vehicle used for racing. |
From the passage we can learn that Michael Schumacher ________.
| A．is recovering quickly at the Alpine Hospital in France |
| B．gave all his money to charity during the height of his career |
| C．raced for Ferrari and Mercedes before becoming a celebrity |
| D．came from humble origins to become the greatest F1 driver ever |
Americans plan parties for many reasons. As in other cultures, many Americans attend parties for weddings and religious or national holidays. But some parties are especially American. For example, a group of neighbors may gather on their street to eat food, play music and visit with one another. This is called a block party. A woman might invite a group of women to a party called a baby shower for a friend who is about to give birth. Guests bring presents for the new baby.
Americans also attend tailgate parties. A tailgate is the back end of a truck or other vehicle that opens down. The tailgate parties are a big part of sports culture in the United States. Friends bring food and drink to a sports event. They eat together in the parking area of the sports stadium.
Birthday parties are also very popular. Many parents organize a party for their child around a theme. Birthday parties usually include gifts and a birthday cake with candles. In many parts of the United States, cupcakes have become a popular replacement for cakes.
Birthday parties can be low cost or very costly. Some parents take their children’s birthday parties very seriously, even when the child is too young to fully understand the celebration.
One group of parents started a website called Birthdays Without Pressure. They decided that some parents were under too much social pressure to plan costly parties for their children. The group sees this movement as an example of America’s culture of “too much stuff”. The group’s website gives suggestions on how to keep birthday celebrations simple, meaningful and fun without spending a lot of money. Their advice may be very helpful during this period of economic recession（萧条）.What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Reasons for parties |
| B．Birthdays without pressure |
| C．American parties |
| D．Different parties in the world |
How many kinds of parties does the passage mention?
| A．5. | B．6. | C．7. | D．8. |
Eating together in the parking area of the sports stadium belongs to _________parties.
| A．block | B．baby shower | C．sports | D．tailgate |
The purpose of Birthdays Without Pressure is to advise people to _________.
| A．relieve people’s pressure |
| B．have meaningful birthday parties with low cost |
| C．make birthday parties meaningful and costly |
| D．spread America’s culture |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Block party is especially American. |
| B．Some parties in America are the same as in other countries. |
| C．There’s a party for the mother before her new baby is born. |
| D．Birthday parties are the most popular in America. |
Cheating can happen in a lot of different ways. When people cheat, it’s not fair to other people, like the kids who studiedfor the test or who were the true winners of a game.
Many people like the action of cheating. It makes difficult things seem easy, like getting all the right answers on the test. But it doesn’t solve the problem of not knowing the material and it won’t help on the next test --- unless the person cheats again.
Some people lose respect for cheaters and think less of them. The cheaters themselves may feel bad because they know they are not really earning that good grade. And, if they get caught cheating, they will be in trouble at school, and maybe at home, too.
Some kids cheat because they’re busy or lazy and they want to get good grades without spending the time studying. Other kids might feel like they can’t pass the test without cheating. Even when there seems to be a “good reason” for cheating, cheating isn’t a good idea.
If you were sick or upset about something the night before and couldn’t study, it would be better to talk with the teacher about this. And if you don’t have enough time to study for a test because of swim practice, you need to talk with your parents about how to balance swimming and school.
A kid who thinks cheating is the only way to pass a test needs to talk with the teacher and his or her parents so they can find some solutions(解决办法) together. Talking about these problems and working them out will be better than cheating.The author thinks that when kids cheat in class,________.
| A．it does harm to their heath |
| B．it is unfair to other people |
| C．teachers should punish them |
| D．teachers shouldn’t stop them at once |
Some students like cheating mainly because_________.
| A．the material in the test is very difficult |
| B．they want to do better than the others |
| C．they have little time to study their lessons |
| D．cheating can make hard things seem very easy |
The fourth paragraph mainly tells us______.
| A．cheating isn’t a good idea |
| B．why kids cheat in the test |
| C．some kids can’t pass the test without cheating |
| D．some kids don’t spend the time studying |
In the passage those cheaters are advised to_______.
| A．spend more time on school than on sports |
| B．try hard to be intelligent rather than lazy |
| C．find good solutions instead of cheating |
| D．ask their classmates for good methods of study |
Cold weather can be hard on pets, just like it can be hard on people. Sometimes owners forget that their cats are just as used to the warm shelter as they are. Some owners will leave their animals outside for a long period of time, thinking that all animals are used to living outdoors. This can put their pet in danger of serious illness. There are things you can do to keep your animal warm and safe.
Keep your pets inside as much as you can when the weather is bad. If you have to take them out, stay outside with them. When you’re cold enough to go inside, they probably are too. If you must leave them outside for a long time, make sure they have a warm, solid shelter against the wind, thick bedding, and plenty of non-frozen water.
If left alone outside, dogs and cats can be very smart in their search for warm shelter. They can dig into snow banks or hide somewhere. Watch them closely when they are left outdoors, and provide them with shelter of good quality. Keep an eye on your pet’s water. Sometimes owners don’t realize that a water bowl has frozen and their pet can’t get anything to drink. Animals that don’t have clean and unfrozen water may drink dirty water outside, which may contain something unhealthy for them.The word shelter in paragraph one means:
| A．warm clothes | B．a hiding place | C．proper temperature | D．diet food |
What do we learn about pets from Paragraph one?
| A．They are often forgotten by their owners. |
| B．They like to stay in warm places. |
| C．They build their own shelters. |
| D．They are used to living outdoors. |
Why are pet owners asked to stay with their pets when they are in cold weather?
| A．To keep company. |
| B．To keep them from eating bad food |
| C．To help them find shelters. |
| D．To know when to bring them inside |
If pets are left on their own outdoors in cold weather, they may ______.
| A．run short of clean water | B．dig deep holes for fun |
| C．dirty the snow nearby | D．get lost in the wild |
What is the purpose of the text?
| A．To solve a problem |
| B．To give practical advice |
| C．To tell an interesting story |
| D．To present a research result. |
Mark Thompson, the BBC’s director general, is expected to announce on Thursday that the BBC will quit its entire west London home -- possibly selling the land to Chelsea football club -- as part of main plans that will see more staff moved out of the capital to Salford and elsewhere．
The move is at the heart of the BBC’s long-awaiting cost-cutting strategy（策略）which will see nearly 2,000 more jobs going at the public broadcaster, and some original programming，such as daytime shows on BBC2, eliminated to save money．
Several thousand people are employed at the west London sites，including Thompson himself and the bosses of all the BBC’s television channels．The employees are expected to be relocated（重新安排）to Broadcasting House in central London, Salford, or elsewhere．
The BBC has been broadcasting at various locations in the Shepherd’s Bush area since moving into Lime Grove in 1949．It then switched to the Television Centre in 1960，and more modern offices at nearby White City．But it is now open to selling the site, and the broadcaster has had talks about attracting Premier League clubs Chelsea or Queen’s Park Rangers as buyers．Both clubs are looking for new homes．
Earlier leaks（透露）suggest that the BBC will seek to cut spending on sports where the corporation has already decided to share coverage of Formula 1 with Sky TV -- and imports，such as Mad Men and The Killing．BBC4 is expected to focus on “arts and archive（档案）”, but Thompson has long ruled out closing any channels or radio stations．BBC1 and Radio 4 will be protected，but there are expected to be some cuts to local radio programs, which will see stations share shows outside breakfast and drive-time hours．
The corporation is already committed to remove TV Centre by 2015, but because parts of the building are listed, the football clubs have expressed an interest in the BBC’s White City offices instead，which could be knocked down. The White City building is where Thompson and the broadcaster's commercial division, BBC Worldwide, are based．
BBC sources say the 2,500 job losses being proposed（提议）include the 650 cuts to the World Service already announced, with up to l,000 coming from BBC News．It is understood that some staff who have only just made the move to Salford could see their jobs at risk. Salford is now home to Radio5 Live, children’s programs such as Blue Peter, and sports output including Match of the Day．Why is the BBC planning to quit its west London home?
| A．The BBC wants to earn more money． |
| B．The BBC would like to support British football sport． |
| C．The BBC is planning to save money for new programs． |
| D．The BBC has to cut down its cost． |
The underlined word “eliminated” in the second paragraph means“_________”．
| A．set aside | B．cut out | C．sold out | D．put on |
What will happen if the BBC moves its home ?
| A．Some original programmes will be adjusted． |
| B．All the BBC staff will have to work outside London． |
| C．More people will be employed for new programs． |
| D．Some TV channels or radio stations will be closed． |
From the passage，we can learn that ________．
| A．the BBC will cover Formula 1 on its own as usual |
| B．the football clubs are likely to buy some of the BBC’s offices |
| C．the BBC’s commercial division will be open to selling the sites |
| D．the BBC’s offices are all in the White City of London |