On a stormy day last August, Tim heard some shouting．Looking out to the sea carefully, he saw a couple of kids in a rowboat were being pulled out to sea.
Two 12-year-old boys, Christian and Jack, rowed out a boat to search a football．Once they’d rowed beyond the calm waters, a beach umbrella tied to the boat caught the wind and pulled the boat into open water．The pair panicked and tried to row back to shore．But they were no match for it and the boat was out of control.
Tim knew it would soon be swallowed by the waves.
“Everything went quiet in my head,” Tim recalls（回忆）．“I’m trying to figure out how to swim to the boys in a straight line.”
Tim took off his clothes and jumped into the water．Every 500 yards or so, he raised his head to judge his progress．“At one point, I considered turning back,” he says．“I wondered if I was putting my life at risk.” After 30 minutes of struggling, he was close enough to yell to the boys, “Take down the umbrella! Let’s aim for the pier（码头）,” Jack said．Tim turned the boat toward it．Soon afterward, waves crashed over the boat, and it began to sink．“Can you guys swim?” he cried．“A little bit,” the boys said.
Once they were in the water, Tim decided it would be safer and faster for him to pull the boys toward the pier．Christian and Jack were wearing life jackets and floated on their backs．Tim swam toward land as water washed over the boys’ faces.
“Are we almost there?” they asked again and again．“Yes,” Tim told them each time.
After 30 minutes, they reached the pier.
Why was the boat far into open water?
A．The boys rowed too fast．
B．The big current carried it.
C．The wind blew it．
C．The boys tried to get attention..
Why did the two boys go to the sea?
| A．To go boat rowing |
| B．To get back their football. |
| C．To swim in the open water |
| D．To test the umbrella as a sail. |
What does “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．The beach |
| B．The water |
| C．The boat |
| D．The wind |
Why did Tim raise his head regularly?
| A．To take in enough fresh air |
| B．To consider turning back or not. |
| C．To check his distance from the boys． |
| D．To ask the boys to take down the umbrella. |
How can the two boys finally reach the pier?
| A．They were dragged to the pier by Tim. |
| B．They swam to the pier all by themselves. |
| C．They were washed to the pier by the waves. |
| D．They were carried to the pier by Tim on his back. |
Everyday, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning it and it is said that by 2050, half of the world’s population will be using it. What are we talking about? That global language—English.
The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a common language for communication.
Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean . Many other countries and regions use it for politics and business, for example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong.
But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English. Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about "burgers". "fries" and "milkshakes". Songs by Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what we are singing!
English is a messy (杂乱的) language. Every year, dictionaries include new words that talk about popular culture, for example, computer-related words such as "blogging", "download" and "chatroom". Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know "cool", "OK" and “hello” ?
Other languages also influence English. Many English words come from French. Words like "cafe" and expressions like "c'est la vie" (that is life) are all part of the English language. On the other hand, the French language includes English words like "le weekend" and "le camping". German words are also part of English. Words like "kindergarten" come from the German language.
Recently, British people have become interested in "yoga". But the word comes from an ancient Hindu language in India.The English language has a history of ______.
| A．over 2000 years | B．over 500 years | C．over 1500 years | D．over 1000 years |
The underlined expression “thanks to ” can be replaced by ______.
| A．because of | B．thankful to | C．not until | D．as if. |
Which of the following statements is true about the language of English ?
| A．It has been changing all the time. |
| B．It has borrowed words from all the other languages. |
| C．French words are used by the English because dictionaries have French words. |
| D．Singers and film stars have the greatest influence on language. |
Many countries and regions use it for politics and business except______.
| A．the USA | B．Nigeria | C．the Philippines | D．Norway |
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult (成年人)I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor café. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions.（面部表情） Gone was my father’s critical（挑剔的）air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend.
My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was. Why did the author feel bitter about her father when she was a young adult?
| A．He was silent most of the time. |
| B．He was too proud of himself. |
| C．He did not love his children. |
| D．He expected too much of her. |
When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel_______.
| A．nervous | B．sorry | C．tired | D．safe |
What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
| A．More critical | B．More talkative （健谈的） |
| C．Gentle and friendly | D．Strict and hard-working |
Soaring divorce rates around the globe are taking a toll on the environment, American researchers suggested in a study released on a Monday.
Michigan State University researcher Jianguo “Jack” Liu and his assistant Eunice Yu said the increasing number of divorces leads to more households with fewer people and greater consumption of water and energy. They said housing units require space, construction materials and fuel to heat and cool, regardless of the number of inhabitants.
For example, in the United States in 2005, divorced households consumed an extra 73 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and 627 billion gallons of water. An additional 38 million extra rooms required heating and lighting that same year due to divorced households.
That costs $6.9 billion in extra utility costs per year, Liu said, plus an added $ 3.6 billion for water, in addition to other costs such as land use.
“A married household actually uses resources more efficiently than a divorced household,” Liu said. He said that in cohabitating(同居) household, people will watch the same television, share the air conditioning and heat and use the same refrigerator. All things use energy at a regularly stable rate, regardless of the number of users.
Liu said he was not condemning divorce, “Some people really need to get divorced.” He said cohabitation—whether by a family or friends—was simply a more environmentally friendly option. Additonally, the researchers noted that trends other than divorce are also changing family living structures, such as the end of multiple generations of a family sharing a home and people remaining single longer.
“People’s first reaction to this research is surprise, and then it seems simple.” Liu said in a press release. “But a lot of things become simple after research is done. Our challenges were to connect the dots and quantify(量化) their relationships. People have been talking about how to protect the environment and fight against climate change, but divorce is a factor that people don’t notice and it needs to be considered”.
He said the increasing energy demands caused by divorce should be considered by governments when they are creating environmental policies.
The research was published in this week’s online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.This passage is mainly meant to _______ .
| A．inform the readers of the increasing rates of divorce in America |
| B．emphasize the importance of protecting the environment |
| C．appeal to married people to maintain their marriage longer |
| D．tell people the impact divorce has on the environment |
According to the passage, what’s the attitude of Mr. Liu towards divorce?
| A．Critical . | B．Indifferent. | C．Objective. | D．Negative. |
We are told that ______ .
| A．divorced households will use fewer resources than married households |
| B．married households are more willing to protect the environment |
| C．divorced households contribute more to rapid economic development |
| D．divorce is rarely considered when people think about protecting the environment. |
The underlined phrase “taking a toll on” in Paragraph 1 probably means _____ .
| A．taking efforts to improve | B．having a bad effect on |
| C．preventing the pollution of | D．benefiting from |
How is the passage organized?
| A．Main idea →Comparison → Supporting details |
| B．Comparison→Argument→Explanation |
| C．Main idea→Supporting details→Conclusion |
| D．Example → Explanation → Conclusion |
A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the sad eyes of a little boy.
“Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."
"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat of the back of his neck, “these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."
The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty- nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?” 
"Sure," said the farmer.
And with that he let out a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he called.
Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.
As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared; this one noticeably smaller.
Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up....
"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.
The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."
With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands."
With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup. Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.
"How much?" asked the little boy.
"No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for love."
The world is full of people who need someone who understands. It's National Friendship Week. How many baby pups did the farmer have for sale?
| A．3 | B．4 | C．5 | D．6 |
Why did the farmer agree to sell the boy one of the puppies?
| A．The boy had the money to buy one. |
| B．There were few people wanting to buy a dog. |
| C．The farmer felt sorry for the boy. |
| D．The farmer wanted to get rid of the dogs quickly. |
Which of the following words is closest in meaning to the underlined word “ hobbling”?
| A．strolling. | B．crawling. | C．limping. | D．running. |
Why did the boy finally choose the “ hobbling” pup?
| A．He feared the farmer would kill it. |
| B．He thought no one else would buy that pup. |
| C．He believed it was the cutest of the pups. |
| D．He could identify with this pup. |
What would be the most suitable title for this passage?
| A．Man’s Best Friend | B．Puppy For Sale. |
| C．Perfect Match. | D．Love at First Sight. |
Everyone has got two personalities-the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don't show your secret personality when you're awake because you can control your behavior, but when you're asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you're a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don't like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You're quite shy and you aren't very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive（不外露） person. You worry a lot and you're always easily upset. You're very stubborn（顽固）, but you aren't very ambitious. You usually live for today not tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up， you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you're often defensive. You're shy and you don't normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You're easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You're usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don't often get depressed. You always say what you think even if it annoys people.According to the writer, you naturally show your secret and real personality _______.
| A．only in a normal night |
| B．only when you go to sleep |
| C．only when you refuse to show yourself to the world. |
| D．only when you change sleeping position |
Which is NOT mentioned in the second paragraph about a person’s personality?
| A．He or she is always open with others. |
| B．He or she always likes new ideas earlier than others. |
| C．He or she is always easily upset. |
| D．He or she tends to believe in others. |
Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used to sleeping on his or her stomach.
| A．He or she is careful not to offend others. |
| B．He or she doesn’t want to stick to his or her opinion. |
| C．He or she always wants to get ahead. |
| D．He or she likes to have a good time. |
Maybe you don’t want to make friends with a person who sleeps curled up. Why?
| A．He or she would rather be alone than communicate with you. |
| B．He or she is rarely ready to help you. |
| C．He or she prefers staying at home to going out. |
| D．He or she wouldn’t like to get help from you. |
It appears that the writer tends to think highly of the person who sleeps on one side because ________.
| A．He or she always shows sympathy for people. |
| B．He or she is confident, but not stubborn. |
| C．He or she has more strengths than weaknesses. |
| D．He or she often considers annoying people. |