When I was having a walk through the park today, I met a friend I hadn’t seen for ages. She stared at me curiously. “You have kept this umbrella for years; it's old and out of date. I wonder why you keep it and take it wherever you go.” I smiled, “it means a great deal to me.” I simply gave her my shortest answer. Honestly speaking, I, either, could not understand the reason why I kept it.
Then all of a sudden, fallen leaves darkened my eyes with a strong wind. I grabbed the umbrella instinctively. The rain poured down. Thanks to my umbrella, I didn’t get wet at all.
“Why have I kept it for so long?” I asked myself, staring at my umbrella. I couldn’t remember when and where I bought it, for I’m always tired and lazy to answer questions. It could protect me from the heavy rain, I told myself eventually. Looking at the people rushing through the street, I felt safe. This might be another reason.
It is always so. We know a thunderstorm comes unexpectedly and goes without a warning. The sky cleared up. The sun shone brightly. Just as usual, I seized the umbrella with my left hand. Still there’s water dropping down. I walked among the noisy crowd and listened to what they were murmuring in their heart. “Today I will ask for a rise, or I'll leave this company.” Good luck to you, I smiled to him. “I’ll manage to make you live forever.” A little boy held a pet dog close to him. “She’ll be all right, because she is blessed.” I heard angels singing in this city.
The moment my fingertips touched the umbrella, I felt it’s dry, and it’s warm. Soon it became hot. I held it up to avoid harmful sunshine. Do I need a reason to explain why? Maybe I should think about it. I need my umbrella when it is sunny as well as when it is rainy.Which of the following words best describes the author?
| A．Watchful. | B．Hard-working. |
| C．Clever | D．Strange |
From the author's feelings with people among the noisy crowd, we can see that _____.
| A．he is sensible enough to understand others’ murmur |
| B．he is sorry for people who can’t foresee their difficulties |
| C．he is warm-hearted even to care for unfamiliar people |
| D．he is kind enough to hope everyone will plan their life well |
What’s the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．Try to notice every passer-by. |
| B．Umbrellas are important. |
| C．Always be prepared. |
| D．Weather changes unexpectedly. |
A2 and AS Level Revision at Easter 2012
Course Dates
Courses run from Monday to Friday each week.
◆One Week Courses
Monday 6 April—Friday 10 April
Monday 13 April— Friday 17 April
◆Two Week Courses
Monday 6 April—Friday 17 April
Students may arrive a day earlier （Sunday） and/or depart a day later （Saturday） at extra cost.
Number of Students per Class
The average number of students is usually between 1 and 4 per class. As the numbers increase in a class, the number of “contact hours” is suitably increased to allow extra time. Many students will find themselves in privately tutored（指导） classes giving them ultimate flexibility（灵活性） and attention of the Revision Tutor.
Fees
One Week Boarding Fees: 1,495 GB Sterling （5 days/4 nights）
Two Week Boarding Fees: 2,895 GB Sterling （12 days/11 nights）
One Week Day Fees: 1,095 GB Sterling （5 days）
Two Week Day Fees: 2,165 GB Sterling （10 days）
Optional Extra Elements
Extra Night’s Accommodation（住宿）: 70 GB Sterling （including meals）
Additional Private Tutoring: 60 GB Sterling per hour
How to Apply
We provide you the majority of A2 and AS subjects. Before you apply, please contact us to tell us which subject areas you would like to cover. We will then be able to check whether a space is available. Once a space has been confirmed as available, you will need to apply online or via the PDF, and also compete the Additional Information PDF. After you apply, we will require you to fill in a detailed form explaining your requirements. If you have any question, don’t hesitate to ask us.Before you apply for the course, you must _______.
| A．explain your requirements in a form in detail |
| B．make sure that they have the area you want |
| C．go to the school to get the application form |
| D．complete the Additional Information PDF |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．If you need the tutor’s extra help, you need to pay more money to them |
| B．If you apply for the 2-week courses, you will have classes on the weekend in between |
| C．Tutoring hours are fixed no matter how many students there are in a class. |
| D．You can take the course on weekdays all the year around in 2012. |
This passage most probably is a （an） _______.
| A．arrangement for the Easter 2012 | B．timetable for a new school |
| C．advertisement for vacation courses | D．instruction on how to apply |
Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sister. And day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in Mommy’s tummy(肚子).
Everything was normal for Karen. But she had difficulty giving birth to the baby. Finally, Michael’s little sister was born. But she was in serious condition and was sent to hospital at once. The days went by. The little girl got worse. The doctor told the parents, “There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst.”
Karen and her husband had fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby—now they planned a funeral. Michael, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister, “I want to sing to her,” he said.
Karen knew if he didn’t see his sister now, he would never see her alive. She led Michael to his sister’s bedside. In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang: “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine; you make me happy when skies are gray…”
Immediately the baby girl responded. Her breath became calm. “Keep on singing, Michael!” ‘You never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away…” Tears ran down Karen’s face.
Funeral plans were cancelled(取消). The next day, the little girl was well enough to go home! The doctors just called it a miracle(奇迹). Karen called it a miracle of God’s love!Before his sister’s birth, Michael _____ .
| A．often whisper to her | B．often sang songs to her |
| C．helped with the housework | D．decorated her room beautifully |
The new baby was in serious condition because ______ .
| A．the doctors were not skillful |
| B．she was not taken good care of |
| C．her mother Karen was in poor health |
| D．Karen had trouble in giving birth to the baby |
We can know from the text that ____ .
| A．singing often has magical power |
| B．Michael saved his sister by singing |
| C．doctors often use songs to help treat patients |
| D．the song Michael sang was made by himself |
The passage is mainly written to _____ .
| A．show sometimes songs can cure disease |
| B．introduce a funny way of saving life |
| C．show readers that God’s love is powerful |
| D．tell people a moving and interesting story |
Machu Picchu is considered to be a truly extraordinary archaeological(考古学的) discovery and is one of South America’s largest tourist sites. As many as one thousand visitors visit the ancient Incan（印加文化的） ruins daily. What draws vacationers and adventurers to this remote location high in the Andes Mountains of Peru（秘鲁）? A large part of the attraction is the mysteries that surround Machu Picchu. For example, Machu Picchu is considered “the lost city” of the Incas because it was never found by Spanish invaders and was known to only a few local peasants for almost four hundred years.
The “city in the clouds”, Machu Picchu’s lasting beauty comes from the careful blending of its striking architecture with its mountaintop environment. Its greatest skill shows are in the stone structures, which equals that of the ancient Egyptians. The stone blocks were so appropriately cut that they fit together without the need for mud. The largest stones at Machu Picchu weigh as much as fifteen tons! It has been difficult to explain how the huge blocks were transported. The buildings, including many that have survived lots of earthquakes, contain stones which interlock so perfectly that a knife cannot be forced between them. When compared to other ancient civilizations, it is difficult to understand how Machu Picchu could have been missed by the Spanish and lost from history for four hundred years.
For many of the mysteries of Machu Picchu being unsolved, it is clear why Machu Picchu remains “the most famous ruins in all of South America”. Which of the followings is NOT a mystery of Machu Picchu?
| A．Machu Picchu is called the “city in the clouds”. |
| B．Machu Picchu remains “the most famous ruins of South America”. |
| C．Machu Picchu is “the lost city” of the Incas. |
| D．Machu Picchu is the largest stone city of the world. |
The underlined word “interlock” probably means _________
| A．put | B．fit | C．meet | D．lie |
From the passage we can learn that __________.
| A．Machu Picchu has gone through lots of earthquakes |
| B．all of the mysteries of Machu Picchu have been solved |
| C．the city has never been discovered by people outside |
| D．Machu Picchu is the most valuable ruins in history. |
The purpose of writing the passage is to __________.
| A．ask us to pay a visit to Machu Picchu |
| B．show us the beauty of Machu Picchu |
| C．introduce Machu Picchu’s mysteries |
| D．make the ancient Incan ruins known |
There once lived a rich businessman who had a lazy son. The businessman wanted his son to realize the value of labour and said: “Today, I want you to go out and earn something, failing which you won’t have your meals tonight.”
He went crying straight to his mother. Her heart melted at her son’s eyes. She gave him a gold coin. When the father asked his son what he had earned, the son presented him the gold coin. The father asked him to throw it into a well.
The next day, he asked his son to earn something. This time he went crying to his sister who gave him a coin. When he showed it to his father he again asked him to throw it in a well. Then the father asked him to earn more money.
This time since there was no one to help him, the son was forced to go to the market. One shopkeeper told him he would pay him two coins if he carried his trunk to his house. He did so and sweated plenty. As he returned home he was asked to do the same. The son almost cried out. He could not imagine throwing his hard-earned money like this. He cried, “My entire body is aching. You are asking me to throw the money into the well.”
At this moment, the businessman told him one feels the pain only when the fruits of hard labour are wasted. On the earlier two occasions he was helped and therefore had no pain in throwing the coins into the well. The son had now realized the value of hard work. He promised never to be lazy and to safely keep the father’s wealth. The father handed over the keys of his shop to the son and promised to guide him through the rest of the life.Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．At first the son was hard-working and responsible. |
| B．The father taught his son a lesson in a good way. |
| C．The father didn’t like his son at all. |
| D．The businessman was a little lazy. |
According to the passage, the father wanted his son to realize ______.
| A．the importance of helping others |
| B．the importance of money |
| C．the value of hard labour |
| D．the value of money |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．the mother was very generous |
| B．the sister was very warm-hearted |
| C．the father was very strict |
| D．the shopkeeper was very cruel |
According to the last paragraph, we can guess the boy was likely to ______.
| A．look for a good job |
| B．use up his father’s wealth |
| C．become a successful guide |
| D．follow his father’s career |
Plants are flowering faster than scientists predicted（预测）in reaction to climate change, which could have long damaging effects on food chains and ecosystems.
Global warming is having a great effect on hundreds of plant and animal species around the world, changing some living patterns, scientists say.
Increased carbon dioxide（CO2）in the air from burning coal and oil can have an effect on how plants produce oxygen, while higher temperatures and changeable rainfall patterns can change their patterns of growth.
“Predicting species’ reaction to climate change is a major challenge in ecology,” said the researches of several U.S. universities. They said plants had been the key object of study because their reaction to climate change could have an effect on food chains and ecosystem services.
The study, published on the Nature website, uses the findings from plant life cycle studies and experiments across four continents and 1,634 species. It found that some experiments had underestimated（低估）the speed of flowering by 8.5 times and leafing by 4 times.
“Across all species, the experiments under-predicted the speed of the advance — for both leafing and flowering — that results from temperature increases,” the study said.
The design of future experiments may need to be improved to better predict how plants will react to climate change, it said.
Plants are necessary for life on the Earth. They are the base of the food chain, using photosynthesis（光合作用）to produce sugar from carbon dioxide and water. They let out oxygen which is needed by nearly every organism on the planet.
Scientists believe the world’s average temperature has risen by about 0.8℃ since 1900, and nearly 0.2℃ every ten years since 1979.
So far, efforts to cut emissions（排放）of planet-warming greenhouse gases are not seen as enough to prevent the Earth heating up beyond 2℃ this century — a point scientists say will bring the danger of a changeable climate in which weather extremes are common, leading to drought, floods, crop failures and rising sea levels.What is the key information the author wants to give in Paragraph 1?
| A．Plants’ reaction to weather could have damaging effects on ecosystem. |
| B．The increasing speed of flowering is beyond scientists’ expectation. |
| C．Climate change leads to the change of food production patterns. |
| D．Food chains have been seriously damaged because of weather. |
We can learn from the study published on the Nature website that ______.
| A．plants’ flowering is 8.5 times faster than leafing |
| B．there are 1,634 plant species on the four continents |
| C．scientists should improve the design of the experiments |
| D．the experiments failed to predict how plants react to climate change |
Scientists pay special attention to the study of plants because _______.
| A．they can prove the climate change clearly |
| B．they are very important in the food chains |
| C．they play a leading role in reducing global warming |
| D．they are growing and flowering much faster than before |
What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs about the world’s temperature?
| A．It has risen nearly 0.2℃ since 1979. |
| B．Its change will lead to weather extremes. |
| C．It is 0.8℃ higher in 1979 than that of 1990. |
| D．It needs to be controlled within 2℃ in this century. |