The judge(法官) thought Geoffrey Payne killed his wife. Now for the first time Payne wrote to a magazine from the prison about what happened on the night of 13 October 1999.
I had to stay late at the hospital that night to do an operation. I finally left at about 11p.m.. I drove home slowly because the wind was blowing and it was raining heavily. I was running into our road when a man suddenly ran in front of my car. I almost hit him but I stopped just in time. I was scared and the man looked scared, too. I got out of the car but he ran away before I could ask if he was all right. It was very strange.
When I got home, the lights were on but it was very quiet. I called to my wife but there was no answer. Then I remembered that she was out at a concert.
I was still very unhappy about what happened on the road, so I made myself a drink. Then I went upstairs to have a bath. I saw that the window in the bedroom was open. This was strange because my wife always locked the doors and windows before she went out. She was afraid of burglars. When I went to close it, I found Ellen. She was lying on the floor. There was blood everywhere. I rushed over for her pulse but she was dead. I was so scared. I sat on the floor beside her body without knowing what to do.
The next thing I knew was that the sky was getting light. I can’t remember a thing about that night. In the morning I phoned the police. They arrived half an hour after I phoned them. But it seemed like hours. During that time I tried hard to remember anything I could about the night before. I couldn’t stop thinking about the man in the road. What was he doing at that time of night in our quiet neighborhood?
When Payne got home, he found ______________.
| A．a burglar in his house |
| B．the bedroom window closed |
| C．Ellen lying on the floor, blood all over |
| D．Ellen waiting for him in the concert hall |
After he found Ellen dead, Payne .
| A．called out for help |
| B．called the police at once |
| C．was too scared to do anything |
| D．tried to find out the murderer |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Payne called the police the next morning. |
| B．Payne ran away after his car bumped into the man that night. |
| C．Payne couldn’t remember clearly what had happened that night. |
| D．Payne wondered what the man was doing in his neighborhood that night. |
In this passage Payne tried to .
| A．show he was sorry for his wife’s death |
| B．show he was guilty for murdering his wife |
| C．tell why his wife was killed that night |
| D．say the man in the road was probably the murderer |
Some of the greatest problems we face today are the destruction (破坏) of our environ
-ment. Brown clouds, polluted water, endangered wild animals…, these problems seem so huge.
So my family does what we can. We take cloth bags to stores instead of using plastic bags. We walk where we don’t have to drive.
But does it do any good? When I am the only one in line at the market with cloth bags, am I doing any good? Does my walking to stores make any real difference to the world?
I recently learned something about flamingos (火烈鸟) which like to get together in groups of a thousand or more. Every year, when the time comes for migration (迁徙), a few of them first take off from the lake. But none of the others seem to notice, so the small group returns. However, the next day they try again. This time few more fly along with them, but most of them still pay no attention, so they return again. They try for several times. Every time a few more birds join in but, since the thousands of others still take no notice, the great migration plan once more stopped.
Then one day something changes. The same small group of birds once again starts flying and a small number more join in just as before, then more. Finally, they all take flight and the migration really begins. What a spectacular sight it must be—thousands of flamingos taking off into the sky at once!
A few can make a difference. Even if you’re the one to take the first step, and continue trying, others will someday take notice and together we will solve even our greatest problems.
Where would you most probably read this passage?
| A．A guidebook. | B．A movie poster. |
| C．A personal blog(博客). | D．A geology(地质) magazine. |
Why does the writer use cloth bags in stores?
| A．Because he wants to do some good to the environment. |
| B．Because he thinks plastic bags are more expensive. |
| C．Because there are only cloth bags in stores. |
| D．Because all the people use cloth bags in stores. |
What does the underlined word “spectacular” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
| A．Curious. | B．Surprising. |
| C．Terrible. | D．Fantastic. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Even if we can walk there, we still drive over. |
| B．Flamingos like to get together in groups of a thousand or more. |
| C．Brown clouds and polluted water are the only problems we face today. |
| D．When a few of the flamingos first take off from the lake, all the others follow at once. |
What’s the writer’s purpose of writing this article?
| A．To show that the writer loves to see the migration of flamingos. |
| B．To tell readers to continue trying and it can make a difference. |
| C．To introduce a special kind of flamingo to readers. |
| D．To show that there’re many problems in the world. |
Youth, friendship and love are the main themes of this year’s Chinese movies, such as So Young(《致青春》) and American Dreams in China(《中国合伙人》). Tiny Times(《小时代》), one of the most popular movies this summer, also has the same features.
The movie was based on author and director Guo Jingming’s novel of the same name. It tells a story about four girls who come from different backgrounds and of different personalities. Since it was shown on June 27, Tiny Times has made 483 million yuan at the box office. The sequel(续集) of it was shown on Aug 8 and it has also been a big box office hit.
Cao Yuhan, 13, a high school student at Beijing Jianhua Experimental School, is a big fan of the movie. “I’m deeply touched by their friendship,” Cao said. “When Nan Xiwang is in trouble, the other three girls try their best to help her, even running barefoot in the snow. However, not everyone has had good things to say. The people’s Daily said that the film went too far in encouraging youths to become materialistic(物质至上主义的). Film commentator Raymond Zhou wrote on his online blog that “Buying luxury goods seems as a way to express love or friendship, and the word ‘money’ is repeated over and over again. Song Kexin, 14, a high school student at Zhida Middle School in Taiyuan, Shanxi, shows a typical example of a fan’s attitude(态度). And that’s to look for the positive value. “That movie is a little far from our daily life. My friends and I are not having parties every day,” Song said, “But I admire Tang Wanru’s optimistic attitude. She’s always looking at the bright side of life. I should learn from her.” Which is NOT one of the main themes of this year’s Chinese movies?
| A．Youth | B．Love |
| C．War | D．Friendship |
According to the article, the movie Tiny Times ________.
| A．is more popular than the other two movies |
| B．was made from Guo Jingming’s novel |
| C．tells about four girls with similar personalities |
| D．opened in Chinese cinemas on August 8 |
What does film commentator Zhou Liming think of the movie?
| A．The four girls’ friendship is touching. |
| B．It encourages the young to work hard. |
| C．It has many advertisements for luxury goods. |
| D．It shows money expresses love or friendship. |
Song Kexin admires Tang Wanru because of Tang’s ________.
| A．optimistic attitude | B．rich family background |
| C．good looks | D．excellent grades at school |
The passage mainly talks about _______.
| A．youth, friendship and love |
| B．this year’s Chinese movies |
| C．student’s attitude toward movies |
| D．Tiny Times and audience’s comments |
Have you ever been sad because you failed in something? If so, please remember, for often, achieving what you expect is not the most important thing. Here is a story to tell you why.
One day a little boy decided to dig a hole behind his house after watching a science program. As he was working, a couple of boys stopped by to watch.“What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors.“I want to dig a deep hole all the way through the earth!”the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that it was impossible to do it. Then they left.
The little boy kept on digging and digging. Suddenly, a few small colorful stones caught his eyes. He collected them and put them into a glass jar patiently. Humming a song, he went on digging. The jar was full soon. Then he talked to himself calmly and proudly,“Maybe I can’t finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I have found in the process of digging !”
The boy’s goal was too difficult, but it did cause him to go on, in other words, to cause us to keep working!
Not every goal will be achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true.But when you can’t achieve your goal, maybe you can say,“yes, but look what I’ve found along the way! There are so many wonderful things that have come into my life because I tried to do something!”It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really has a meaning.
What did the boy do after watching a program?
| A．He bought a glass jar. |
| B．He started to dig a hole. |
| C．He played with some visitors. |
| D．He went on watching the program. |
What did the older boys think of the little boy?
| A．He was silly. | B．He was strict. |
| C．he was strong-minded. | D．He was energetic. |
When did the boy find the stones?
| A．Before he met the older boys. |
| B．When he wanted to give up digging. |
| C．After the older boys laughed at him. |
| D．As soon as he began to dig the hole. |
What does the underlined sentence“It is in the digging that life is lived.”mean
according to the article?
| A．Life is to make a big success. |
| B．Life is to find the colorful stones. |
| C．Life is difficult but colorful. |
| D．Life is on the way to achieve the goal. |
Which is the best title for this article?
| A．Enjoying the process. |
| B．How to achieve goals. |
| C．A journey through the earth. |
| D．Dig a deep hole all the way through the earth. |
 |
News 1 Huang Heshan, a boy from Xinghua, has moved many people all over the country. Thanks to Huang Heshan, Yang Kangshao can go to school every day. Yang is disabled, but Huang Heshan carries him to school on his back. It’s eight years since he started to do that. They help each other. At school, Yang helps Huang with his study, too. Huang says that he feels happy when he can do something to help disabled people. |
 |
News 2 In Taizhou, Xiaoqing River is a good place for families to have fun. There are many green trees and the air is fresh. People can have different activities along the river. However, we can also find the waste bags and other rubbish everywhere. How can we enjoy ourselves in such bad environment? Now we are supposed to keep the park clean if we want to have a nice field trip. |
 |
News 3 On November 25, more than four thousand people started to run along Taishan Park. All the runners ran about 4.7 kilometers. They took part in the activity to lead a healthy life and show the spirit of the people in our city. After running, many runners signed their names on the flags. They called on all the people, old and young, to exercise more. |
In News 1, we know Huang Heshan has helped Yang Kangshao for _______.
| A．eighteen years | B．eighty years |
| C．eight months | D．eight years |
We should _______ if we want to have a nice field trip along Xiaoqing River.
| A．throw the rubbish | B．find some waste bags |
| C．plant more trees | D．help keep the environment clean |
To lead a healthy life, over four thousand people ____ on November 25.
| A．cleaned the park | B．signed their names on the flags |
| C．ran about 4.7 kilometers | D．started to help disabled people |
We may know the news above from _______.
| A．a newspaper | B．a novel |
| C．a TV play | D．a poster |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Yang Kangshao has trouble with his eyes. |
| B．Yang Kangshao is better at study than Huang Heshan. |
| C．Xiaoqing River is very clean and beautiful. |
| D．Only young people took part in the running activity. |
Everyone needs friends. There is an old saying, "Friends are God's way of taking care of us." But how do you find real friendship（友谊）and keep it.
The American writer Sally Seamans tells young students some smart ways to find friends. Sally says finding friendship is just like planting a tree. You plant the seed（种子）and take care of it to make it grow.
First you should choose a friend. What makes a good friend? It is not because a person has money or good looks. A good friend should be kind and patient(耐心).For example, if you have a bad day, a good friend should listen to your complaints(抱怨)and do his or her best to help. To make a friend, you cannot be too shy. You should make each other happy and share your lives.
But things cannot always be happy. Even the best friends have fights. What should you do when you have a fight with your friend? You have to talk to him or her. When there is no one around, have an honest（诚实的）talk. If he or she doesn't want to talk, you could write a letter.
There are three steps to be friends again:
Tell him or her how you are feeling; say what your friend has done wrong, and explain（解释）why you did this or that. Remember that friendship is the most important thing in your life.
| A．find friends | B．keep fit |
| C．get happy | D．plants trees |
| A．be lovely and cool | B．have good looks |
| C．have lots of money | D．be kind and patient |
| A．打架 | B．游戏 |
| C．飞行 | D．比赛 |
| A．buy a present for | B．never say a word to |
| C．write a letter to | D．have dinner with |