Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity（逆境）. But it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography（传记）, she remembers with great fondness when her good friend-Sean became the first person to encourage her and help her build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.
“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition（志向） to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to（注定）be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”
Though there were many difficulties, Rowling continued her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn’t until l990 that she first came up with the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls（回忆）, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. To my great disappointment, I didn’t have a pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details came up in my brain, and this thin, black-haired, bespectacled（戴眼镜的）boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”
That same year, her mother died after a ten-year fight with serious diseases, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with depression（诊断患有抑郁症）. Unemployed, she finished her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being refused by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her friend’s encouragement as well as her ambition to write.Who believed J. K. Rowling was to be a good writer?
| A．Her friend Sean. | B．Her mother. |
| C．Her daughter. | D．Her husband. |
Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter________.
| A．at the age of 6 | B．on a train journey |
| C．after her mother’s death | D．in her secondary school |
She felt disappointed on the train because_________.
| A．her train was delayed for four hours |
| B．she didn’t have a pen with her |
| C．her mind suddenly went blank |
| D．no one would offer her help |
It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is_________.
| A．open-minded | B．warm-hearted |
| C．good-natured | D．strong-willed |
The text mainly tells us_________.
| A．adversity makes a good novelist |
| B．the courage to try is a special ability |
| C．you can have a wonderful idea everywhere |
| D．encouragement helps one succeed |
When I was in junior high school, I was really a bad boy．My history teacher—Mr．Oven criticized me a lot because I was naughty（淘气的）in his class．By the end of the first semester, I’d had enough of his words and had decided that I would get my revenge（报复）on him.
The opportunity arose one morning when Mr．Oven was called to the office for a certain reason．While Mr．Oven left, my company Billy and I took Mr．Oven’s lunch bag from under his desk．I opened his sandwich and placed a worm（虫子） in between the two slices of breaD． We put it back and closed it．To keep it in memory, Billy took photos of the whole process．We laughed for weeks over this.
Well, it all went south during Thanksgiving break．Billy’s mother found the pictures in his room, and demanded that he should tell her where these pictures were from．Billy told his mother the whole story, and Mr．Oven was informeD． Not only was I punished from school for two weeks, but also I was kicked off the football and basketball team．Before I could return to school, I had to turn in a 1000-word essay on what I did and why I did that．I really felt embarrassed every time I saw Mr．Oven in the hallway for the rest of the school year．I felt a little regret that Mr．Oven left our school the next year．Mr．Oven criticized me a lot because________.
| A．I didn’t go to his class |
| B．I was naughty in my homework |
| C．I didn’t answer his questions |
| D．I disobeyed his rules in class |
How can you imagine Mr．Oven would act when he had his lunch?
| A．He would cry out, shocked that the worm lay in his sandwich． |
| B．He would eat it as usual when he had his sandwich. |
| C．He would be glad to eat his delicious sandwich with the worm. |
| D．He would be very hungry when he found the worm in his sandwich. |
The underlined sentence “Well, it all went south during Thanksgiving break.” in Paragraph 3 probably means________．
| A．Billy and I went south during Thanksgiving break. |
| B．All the students left on Thanksgiving break. |
| C．All the students went south on Thanksgiving break. |
| D．It was not until Thanksgiving break ended that the secret was let out. |
Which one was NOT true according to the article?
| A．He had to eat the sandwich he had made for Mr．Oven. |
| B．He was kicked off the football and basketball team. |
| C．He had to be punished to leave school for two weeks. |
| D．He had to write a 1000-word essay to admit his mistake. |
It is easy for some people to learn a second language．However, others have difficulty in learning a new language．What can you do to help yourself learn a second language, such as English？
1.Feel positive about learning English．_Be patient．You do not have to understand everything all at once．It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new．We can learn from our mistakes．In other words, do not worry about making mistakes.
2.Practice your English．For example, write a diary every day．You will form a habit of writing it in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English．In addition, you must speak English every day．You can practice with your classmates outside class.
3.You can write this in your journal．After each class, think about what you did．Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it.
You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it．It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements．
| A．Go over the points you have learned. |
| B．Keep a record of your language learning. |
| C．Don’t give up when you meet some difficulty. |
| D．If you believe that you can learn, you will learn. |
E．Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving.
F．In these ways, you will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident in yourself.
G．There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.
The most important day Helen Keller remembered in all her life was the one on which her teacher, Anne Sullivan, came to her．It was three months before she was seven years old．
On the afternoon of that day, Helen knew that something was happening．She went outside and waited at the door of the house．She could feel the sun on her face and she could touch the leaves of the plants．Then she felt someone walking towards her．She thought it was her mother and she went to her and held her close．This was the teacher who had come to teach all things to her and, above all, to love her．
The next morning, the teacher took her into her room and gave her a doll．When Helen was playing with it, Miss．Sullivan slowly spelled the word “d－o－l－l” onto her hand．Helen learnt a lot of words like this．After the teacher had been with her for several weeks, Helen understood that everything had a name．
One day Helen didn’t understand the difference between “mug” and “water”．She became angry and threw the doll on the floor．In her quiet, dark world she didn’t feel sorry for doing it．Then her teacher took her out into the warm sunshine．They walked down to the well where someone was drawing water．Her teacher put her hand under the water and spelled the word “w－a－t－e－r” at the same time in her other hand．Suddenly, Helen felt an understanding．She knew then that “w－a－t－e－r” was the wonderful cool something flowing over her hand．That living word awakened her spirit, gave it light, hope, fun and set it free!How was the girl different from other children？
| A．She didn’t know how to play games． |
| B．She was angry all the time． |
| C．She couldn’t speak． |
| D．She was deaf and blind． |
Helen learnt new words when ______．
| A．she went to the well |
| B．Miss．Sullivan spelled them on her hand |
| C．the teacher gave her a doll |
| D．she knew the difference between two words |
What can the reader learn from the passage？
| A．How to spell different words and understand their meanings． |
| B．The way to feel sorry for doing something wrong． |
| C．The idea of how to describe things and make them feel real． |
| D．When someone is drawing water, we should go to feel it． |
The first visit to a foreign country that I can remember was when I was about seven years old．We lived about 5 miles away from the Canadian border(边界)．My family and I went to Parc Safari, Quebec, a wonderful place that has animals and rides．We drove down a nice long road．My sister and I sat in the back of the car, and it was a hatchback(有仓门式后背的汽车) so we opened it up．I remember feeding the animals snacks we had bought for ourselves.
When we arrived, there were not monkeys because they had escaped and had not been found．I remember thinking to myself, how cool it would be to see a monkey in our backyard.
Even though the monkeys were not there it was still so much fun．When we reached the area that had camels, giraffes and other animals, I remember one of the camels reached into the car to get our snacks．However, we were a little gross out because the camels seemed to froth(吐白沫) at the mouth and we had camel slobber(口水) all over the car and us.
It was one of the best family vacations that I can remember．It was not too far from home, it was in a different country and it was with my family．I cannot remember if we went on the rides or not but seeing many animals was a great time．Now I am grown up and have a son, and I am planning to go there again．He is 7 years old and I think he is at a great age to enjoy a trip like this．I am sure it has changed a lot over the years but it will still be a great family trip.Where did the author live when he was 7 years old?
| A．In Canada |
| B．In the central US |
| C．Near the Canadian border |
| D．In Parc Safari |
During the trip, the author ________.
| A．saw a monkey |
| B．fed some monkeys |
| C．was angry with the giraffes |
| D．had been in close contact with the camels |
What does the underlined part “gross out” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．uncomfortable |
| B．excited |
| C．tired |
| D．surprised |
What does the author intend to do?
| A．To have a holiday abroad with his parents. |
| B．To take his 7-year-old son to a zoo. |
| C．To revisit the place he went to at seven. |
| D．To have a family trip in his own country. |
In America, when the eighth graders leave the middle school, they are often worried about moving to the high school．It is a hard time for them, but it can be an exciting one as well．To make it easier, students need to get familiar with their school.
Even though they’ve done this already in the middle school, it’s still important to find where their classrooms are．Most schools take students to the high school for a visit at the end of their eighth grade year．And, most schools also have a freshman (新生) speech for parents and students before the first year begins．Sometimes the main office will give away a map of the school．This can help students and parents to find different places in the school.
One way to know your high school more and make new friends is to join a club or play a sport．Schools often offer chances to join different clubs and sports．Fall activities begin in August before the first day of school．If you are not interested in sports, there are clubs for any interest, such as drama, dance, chess, photography, community service, etc．These clubs allow students from different grades．By joining an activity, students can find new friendships, not to mention improving their chances in future college applications(申请)．The school office will have a list of activities offered at the school and information on how to join them.
What’s more, to have a great start to a high school year, students can write down some of their worries, and ask for help from teachers and school workers.According to the text, most students feel ________ when entering the high school.
| A．unhappy |
| B．nervous |
| C．lonely |
| D．disappointed |
Which of the following is TRUE about the school clubs?
| A．There are fewer students from higher grades in the school clubs. |
| B．The school clubs in high school mainly welcome sports fans. |
| C．The school office can help new students join school clubs. |
| D．Summer activities begin before school starts. |
When do many schools take students to visit their new high school?
| A．Before the eighth grade year starts. |
| B．Right after the high school year starts. |
| C．At the beginning of the new term in the high school. |
| D．By the end of the last year in the middle school. |
What is the purpose of this text?
| A．To describe high school life． |
| B．To give advice to new high school students． |
| C．To teach useful experience． |
| D．To introduce new schools. |