Thinking about taking a year out before going to university?Check out your gap year choices here and decide if it’s the right decision for you…
What is it?
It’s a year out between finishing senior high school and starting university in which you can travel, work and generally do mind-broadening stuff you will never forget.
I don’t want to travel, but I don’t know what I want to do at university.
You will have a good three months between finishing your A Levels and university Clearing (when last-minute vacancies (空缺) on courses for the coming academic year are advertised): surely enough time to decide what to do. You don’t need to take a year for that.
I need to take some money before starting university.
Fair enough. But don’t get comfortable and decide not to get a full-time job. Spending a year on income support (收入补贴) will be depressing; you’ll have nothing to say when future employers ask what you did in your gap year, and you’ll have to put up with smug (得意的) post-gap year students comparing notes when you start university.
I’d love to travel, but I can’t afford it.
Most gap year students work for the first six months and then travel, using the money they’ve earned in the second six months.
I’m scared.
Try not to let fear of the unknown put you off seeing the world. Earth is a big planet, but when you travel it seems much smaller (even the remotest countries have email access).
The potential readers of the text are _________.
| A．parents | B．high school students |
| C．university students | D．teachers |
Most students get money for their gap year trip_____.
| A．from their parents |
| B．by borrowing from their friends |
| C．from the government |
| D．by working themselves |
The last paragraph can be regarded as a(n) ___________.
| A．encouragement | B．warning |
| C．suggestion | D．invitation |
Now we can see a man and his wife at the breakfast table. They are not speaking to each other. They haven’t spoken to each other at the breakfast table for years. The husband is reading his newspaper. We can’t see his face. The wife looks very worried as she gets a cup of tea ready for him. Today she is using a new kind of tea for the first time. The husband picks up his cup. He isn’t interested. He tastes his tea. Suddenly he puts down his newspaper. Something is different! Can it be the tea? He takes another taste. It’s wonderful. He smiles. He looks at his wife and says in surprise, “Doris, when did you cut your hair?” Doris is pleased. She answers, “Two months ago.” Doris asks, “ Herbie , when did your hair begin to become white?” He answers, “A long time ago.” Doris says, “We have been together for many years, but we never cared about each other.” Now they aren’t worried any longer. Breakfast is different. Has a new kind of tea changed their lives?This story happens______________________.
| A．before breakfast | B．after breakfast |
| C．at home | D．in a teahouse |
In the passage, we can see ________________________.
| A．Doris is drinking tea | B．Herbie likes the new kind of tea |
| C．Doris is reading a newspaper | D．Herbie is very young and good-looking |
Herbie and Doris lived ______________ before this day.
| A．a wonderful | B．an unhappy |
| C．an enjoyable | D．a friendly |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．They are good friends. | B．They have just got married. |
| C．They like to talk about their hair. | D．They are no longer young. |
Guangzhou （Xinhua news agency）——12 people were killed and 20 injured early yesterday morning when they jumped from a burning train car into the path of an oncoming (即将到来的) goods train in Southern China. When No.247 Wuchang —— Guangzhou passenger train was passing the Dayaoshan Tunnel in Guangdong Province, South China at 00 :17 hours yesterday, a fire caused by passengers' smoking broke out on No.17 car. They wanted to extinguish fire. However, while the train was stopping, some frightened passengers jumped from windows. As a result, 12 passengers were crushed to death and 20 others were injured by an opposite northward passing goods train-No.1766.What was the cause of the fire？
| A．A heavy rain. | B．High temperature. | C．Carelessness. | D．Fear. |
When did the accident happen？
| A．At 00:17 am. | B．At 00:17 pm. |
| C．At seventeen past one | D．At seventeen to one |
Where did the accident happen？
| A．In Wuchang. | B．In Guangzhou. | C．In Hubei. | D．In Guangdong. |
The underlined word “extinguish” in the passage most probably means .
| A．put out | B．put up | C．come up | D．come out |
In which direction did the passenger train travel？
| A．Northward. | B．Southward. | C．Eastward. | D．Westward. |
Can you understand the beginning of this article?
“My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we usd 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & 3 kds FTF.”
The Scottish teacher who received it in class had no idea what the girl who wrote it meant. The essay was written in a form of English used in cell phone text messages. Text messages (also called SMS2) through cell phones became very popular in the late 1990s. At first, mobile phone companies thought that text messaging would be a good way to send messages to customers, but customers quickly began to use the text messaging service to send messages to each other. Teenagers in particular enjoyed using text messaging, and they began to create a new language for messages called texting.
A text message is limited to 160 characters, including letters, spaces, and numbers, so messages must be kept short. In addition, typing on the small keypad of a cell phone is difficult, so it’s common to make words shorter. In texting, a single letter or number can represent a word, like “r” for “are,” “u” for “you,” and “2” for “to.” Several letters can also represent a phrase, like “lol” for “laughing out loud.” Another characteristic of texting is the leaving out of letters in a word, like spelling “please” as “pls.”
Some parents and teachers worry that texting will make children bad spellers and bad writers. The student who wrote the essay at the top of this page said writing that way was more comfortable for her. (The essay said, “My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three kids face to face.”)
Not everyone agrees that texting is a bad thing. Some experts say languages always evolve, and this is just another way for English to change. Other people believe texting will disappear soon. New technology for voice messages may soon make text messages a thing of the past.What is the writer’s opinion of text messaging?
| A．It is fun and easy to do. |
| B．It is not bad for children. |
| C．It will make children bad writers. |
| D．The writer does not give an opinion. |
Which way of texting is NOT described in the passage?
| A．Using phrases to represent essays |
| B．Using numbers to represent words |
| C．Using letters to represent phrases |
| D．Using letters to represent words |
Which of the following was most probably the title of the student’s essay?
| A．My Gr8 Tchr | B．CU in LA | C．My GF | D．My Smmr Hols |
Why do some people think that texting is bad?
| A．It has been replaced by voice message |
| B．It’s too difficult to type. |
| C．Teenagers won’t learn to write correctly. |
| D．It’s not comfortable. |
Why aren’t some people worried about the effect of texting?
| A．Not many people use texting. |
| B．Spelling in English is too difficult. |
| C．Teenagers quickly become bored with texting. |
| D．Texting will disappear because of new technology. |
Some people argue that the pressures on international sportsmen and sportswomen kill the essence(本质) of sport-seeking for personal excellence. Children kick a football around for fun. When they get older and play for local school teams, they become competitive but they still enjoy playing. A single person’s representing his country cannot afford to think about enjoying himself; he has to think only about winning. He is responsible for an entire nation’s hopes, dreams and fame.
A good example is the football World Cup. Football is the world’s most important sport. It is even more important now that the United States is seriously taking it up. Winning the World Cup is perhaps the greatest of international sporting success. Mention “Argentina” to someone and the chances are that he’ll think of football. In a sense, winning the World Cup “put Argentina on the map”.
Sports fans and supporters get quite irrational(失去理性的) about the World Cup. People in England felt that their country was somehow important after they won in 1996. Last year thousands of Scots sold their cars, and even their houses and spent all their money traveling to Argentina where the finals were played.
So am I arguing that international competition kills the idea of sports? Certainly not! Do the Argentineans really believe that because eleven of their men proved that most skillful at football, their nation is in every way better than all others? Not really. But it’s known that you won, and that in one way at least your country is best.What is the writer’s main purpose in the passage?
| A．To explain the role of sport |
| B．To compare Scotland with Argentina |
| C．To show that Argentina is better than all others. |
| D．To prove that football is the world’s most important sport. |
According to the passage, Argentina is world famous because of its ____.
| A． clear position on the map |
| B． successes in the football World Cup |
| C． excellence at all important sports |
| D．large number of sports fans and supporters |
According to the passage, if a sportsman thinks about winning, he will ____.
| A．be irrational | B．be successful |
| C．fail to succeed | D．lose enjoyment |
What is the writer’s attitude towards international games?
| A．Nations that meet on football are unlikely to meet on a battle field. |
| B．Nations that win in international games prove best on the sports field at least. |
| C．Nations that win the football World Cup are considered as best in all ways. |
| D．Nations that give much attention to international competitions are world-famous in many ways. |
From this passage, we can infer that ____.
| A．We should learn from England |
| B．We should play football only for fun, not for fame |
| C．We should learn from Argentina |
| D．We should give chances for other countries to win the World Cup |
It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War 3. She’ll talk about my lack of bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.
“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her coworker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I am the type of the person who loved to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of a fame or salary.
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6:30 am and usually comes home around 5 pm or even 6pm. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future. Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?
| A．the writer’s studies | B．wars around the world |
| C．dinner plans | D．the writer’s future job |
We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer’s mother _____.
| A．doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor |
| B．doesn’t want the writer to major in English |
| C．gets along very well with the writer |
| D．doesn’t think working in the scientific field is a good idea |
The underlined word “bemoans” in Paragraph 2 most probably means “________”.
| A．disagrees | B．shouts | C．smiles | D．complains |
Which of the following statements is probably TRUE about the writer?
| A．He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son. |
| B．He wants to find a job in his community in the future. |
| C．He wants to do something he really likes in the future. |
| D．He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect. |
We can know from the last paragraph that ____.
| A．the writer’s mother works very hard for the family |
| B．the writer doesn’t know what his future will be like |
| C．the writer doesn’t think being a doctor is a good job |
| D．the writer sometimes thinks his mother’s advice is very good |