Failing in something isn’t a really nice feeling, but Scotland’s Fettes College in Edinburgh wants to show its students that failure isn’t something to fear and is actually something to accept willingly!
The boarding school held “failure week” to celebrate taking risks and learning from them. Whether in sports or school, children often face lots of pressure to succeed and do well, and the school was becoming concerned.
“Young people from all walks of life live in a high-pressure environment where they are trying very hard to achieve a level of perfection,” said Sue Bruce, head of personal and social education in the school.
“This week at Fettes we have been focusing on one of the most misunderstood parts of success: failure. While we are often scared of failure, it is important to learn that it is only through failing, often many times, that we learn how to succeed. All through the week, we have looked at the experiences of some of the most successful inventors, artists and businessmen, who failed hundreds, if not thousands of times on their journey to success,” read a letter on Fettes College’s website.
To celebrate failure, students were encouraged to try something they’ve never done before, like playing an instrument or dancing in front of audiences. A number of students stepped up and tried things that they finally failed in, but they had fun and enjoyed the experience. “The concert was extremely enjoyable, proving that we should always try not to worry about failure and have a go!” read another note on the website. Students were also taught about famous people like J.K. Rowling and Richard Branson who failed many times before they finished what they set out to do.
“If they let the fear of failure stop them from doing something, they are actually stopping themselves from learning, developing, and potentially succeeding,” said Bruce.What is the purpose of the boarding school to hold “failure week”?
| A．To get the students involved in social activities. |
| B．To help the students accept and learn from failure. |
| C．To make the students study even harder. |
| D．To teach the students how to get relaxed. |
During the “failure week” the students could do the following things EXCEPT ___________.
| A．taking risks |
| B．learning from others’ experiences |
| C．trying something new |
| D．trying to entertain themselves |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Many successful people are lucky and achieve success easily. |
| B．Because we are often scared of failure ,we never succeed. |
| C．The fear of failure can stop the students from learning and succeeding. |
| D．The students who failed in trying new things felt depressed. |
On August 27, 1783, the people of the village of Gomesse, in France, looked up into the sky and saw a strange and terrible animal. It was huge and round, flying down from the sky. It landed in the field just outside the village. It was clear to the people of Gomesse that they had to defend themselves. The animal was clearly some kind of terrible “spirit”. They were afraid of the spirit but they were also very brave. They rushed out into the field and fought the animal with knives and sticks and farming tools. The “spirit” made terrible noises, like an animal that can breathe only with great difficulty.
But that was not the worst thing. When the villagers cut into the spirit's skin, it gave off a horrible smell, and even after the villagers had cut the thing open, it still moved. Finally the villagers tied it to a horse. The horse ran through the fields and the “Spirit” was torn to pieces. What was the terrible spirit? The answer is that it was one of the first “hot air balloons气球”. Its skin was made of silk and a kind of rubber. The terrible smell was the hot air inside the balloon. When the air got out through the cuts in the skin, it also caused the horrible noises.
1. The terrible noises were made because .
A. the spirit could hardly breathe
B. the spirit wanted to frighten the villagers
C. the spirit was afraid of the villagers
D. hot air got out through the skin
2. The terrible smell was .
A. the smell of silk and rubber
B. the hot air inside the balloon
C. the smell of burnt house
D. the smell of burnt crops
3. The spirit didn't stop moving until .
A. the hot air in it ran out completely
B. the villagers cut into its skin
C. the villagers cut it open
D. it gave off a horrible smell
4. The villagers tied the spirit to a horse .
A. shortly after they caught sight of the spirit
B. because it didn't stop moving though it was cut open
C. after it was torn to pieces
D. because the villagers wanted to take it away
第三部分阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
New York, September 15. During a heavy rainfall last night a bus carrying 42 passengers slipped off the road on Highway 28, killing 36 of the passengers and the driver.
A spokesman for the Highway Patrol (巡逻队) which arrived at the scene shortly after 11:30 p. m. estimated (估计) that the accident had happened about half an hour before. The injured and the dead were sent to the nearest town of Valley View.
At the point where the accident happened the road has a three-lane (三条行车线) highway with many curves (弯道). Cause of the accident has not been fully found out.
1．Which may be the cause of the accident ?
A．The careful driver
B．The nearest town of Valley View
C．Highway 28
D．That road with many curves
2．It was possible that the accident happened ________.
A． in the town of Valley View
B．September 15.
C．at or about 11: 00 p. m.
D．after 11: 30 p. m.
3．How many people died in the accident?
A．37 B．36 C．43 D．42
第二节阅读下面71-75题中几个人的相关信息，再根据A-F中对6种自行车的描述，为每个人选出符合他们要求的自行车。选项中有一项是多余选项。(共5分)
71. ______ Ruth will enter a key high school which is a few miles away from her home and she needs a bike. Since it’s not long before she has learned to ride a bike, she expects the bike to offer enough safety and to be easy to control. And being a pretty girl, she hopes the color of the bike is pleasant.
72. ______Gary has just got a job but he lives a bit far from his office. So he needs to get a portable bike to meet his situation. The bike must be easy to fold and carry.
73. ______ Felix is a young gentleman who is falling in love with a pretty girl recently. They plan to buy a fashionable bike which is fit for 2 persons to ride. On the bike both of them can enjoy wonderful feelings along the West Lake.
74. ______ Teddy’s growing up day by day. The grandparents want to give the young kid a special birthday gift—a child’s bike which is safe enough and light to carry.
75. ______Hugh lives in a mountain village but attends school in town. It’s necessary for him to buy a bike which is strong enough. Because his parents are not very well-off, what he really cares about is the price, not the look of the bike.
| A．This bike is convenient to fold in different sizes. It’s fun and comfortable while you are riding. You can go to a park on a sunny weekend and rush to work on the bike. |
| B．You’ll burn up the streets on this boys’ bike. With a low price $69.99, it is a yellowy and fashionable bike with strong system. Even if you are a greenhand, it can ensure your safety. |
| C．The Angel（天使）is 12 inches. Many girls will love the colorful fairy girls(仙女). It has added safety and a specially-made seat. This bike is strong and safe for beginners because it offers extra training wheels to keep balance. |
| D．Being fit for lovers to ride at the same time, this kind of twin bike is |
enjoying great popularity. It’s a new way to relax and a fashion to follow. Not only lovers, father and son, mother and daughter, brothers, sisters, classmates all can have a new experience.
E. This first-class kid bike has colorful cartoon pictures on it. Parents will like the bike’s low center of gravity. Three wheels can prevent the bike from tipping(翻到).
Security deposit (保证金): $3,000
Call (650) 892-9823 for an appointment.
F. The second-hand 26-inch, 21-speed bike is specially made to ride on the bad roads in the mountains, across the desert, and through the urban jungles (丛林). Though the bike is a little old and ugly, the quality is good enough.
Perhaps everyone has heard warnings about the “freshman 15”, but is it true that many college students weigh 15 pounds more during their first year at school?
Recent studies find that some first-year students are indeed likely to gain weight, but it might not be the full freshman 15, and it may not all happen during the freshman year. That might sound like good news, but it’s not. Doctors are concerned that students who gradually put on pounds could have healthy problems.
Studies show that students on average gain 3-10 pounds during their first 2 years of college. Most of this weight gain occurs during the first year. A college offers many temptations (诱惑). You’re on your own and free to eat what you want. In addition, you may not get as much exercise as you did in high school. A college is also a time of change, and people sometimes eat in response to (对……做出反应) homesickness, sadness, or stress, and all of these can be part of starting a new life in college.
Some weight gain is normal as a young body grows, but rapid weight gain may become a problem. Weight gain that pushes you above the body’s normal range carries health risks. People who are overweight are more likely to have high blood pressure, heart disease and develop certain cancers.
The best way to beat “freshman 15” is to prevent it altogether. Good habits like a balanced diet, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep can do more than keeping the pounds off. They can also help you stay healthy.
1. The “freshman 15” refers to the fact that the first-year college students ________.
A. are likely to gain much weight B. can’t get used to living in college
C. may have 15 health problems D. gradually put on weight in 15 weeks
2. According to the writer, the causes of “freshman 15” don’t include ________.
A. getting less exercise B. being free to eat food
C. feeling homesick D. having more subjects.
3. What is the best way to beat “freshman 15”?
A. To ask doctors for advice. B. To pay attention to your lessons.
C. To stop it from happening. D. To do a lot exercise every day.
4. What can we learn from the text?
A. Getting less sleep can help people lose weight gradually.
B. Overweight people usually have more health risks.
C. Weight gain is becoming serious among college students.
D. Students gain more weight in the second year than in the first.
I always felt sorry for the people in wheelchairs. Some people, old and weak, can not get around by themselves. Others seem perfectly healthy, dressed in business suits. But whenever I saw someone in a wheelchair, I only saw a disability, not a person.
Then I fainted (晕倒) at Euro Disney due to low blood pressure. This was the first time I had ever fainted, and my parents said that I must rest for a while after First Aid, I agreed to take it easy but, as I stepped towards the door, I saw my dad pushing a wheelchair in my direction. Feeling color burn my cheeks, I asked him to wheel that thing right back to where he found it.
I could not believe this was happening to me. Wheelchairs were fine for other people but not for me, as my father wheeled me out into the main street, people immediately began to treat me differently.
Little kids ran in front of me, forcing my father to stop the wheelchair suddenly. Bitterness set in as I was thrown back and forth. "Stupid kids… they have perfectly good legs. Why can't they watch where they are going?" I thought. People stared down at me, with pity in their eyes. Then they would look away, maybe because they thought the sooner they forgot me the better.
"I'm just like you!" I wanted to scream. "The only difference is you've got legs. and I have wheels. "
People in wheelchairs are not stupid. They see every look and hear each word. Looking out at the faces, I finally understood; I was once just like them. I treated people in wheelchairs exactly the way they did not want to be treated. I realized it is some of us with two healthy legs who are truly disabled.
1. The author once ________ when she was healthy.
A. showed respect to disabled people
B. looked down upon disabled people
C. imagined herself sitting in a wheelchair
D. saw some healthy people moving around in wheelchair
2. Facing the wheelchair for the first time, the author_________ .
A. felt curious about it
B. got ready to move around in it right away
C. refused to accept it right away
D. thought it was ready for her father
3.The experience of the author tells us that "_________".
A. life is the best teacher
B. people often eat their bitter fruit
C. life is so changeable that nobody can foretell
D. one never does to others what he would not like others do to him
4.Which is the best title for this passage?
A. How to Get Used to Wheelchairs
B. Wheelchairs Are as Good as Two Legs
C. People with Two Legs Are Truly Health
D. The Difference between Healthy People and the Disabled
5.How did the author feel when the little kids forced her father to stop the wheelchair suddenly?
A. Stupid. B. Calm. C. Excited. D. Bitter.