C

How I Turned to Be Optimistic

I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.

I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see-—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.

The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather (继父)and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to "the hard times."

My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.

From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.

51.How did the author get to know America?

A.  From her relatives.                  B.  From her mother.

C.  From books and pictures.             D.  From radio programs.

52.Upon leaving for America the author felt_______.

A. confused          B. excited        C. worried          D. amazed

53.For the first two years in New York, the author _________.

A. often lost her way                      B. did not think about her future

C. studied in three different schools          D. got on well with her stepfather

54.What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?

A. She worked as a translator.                 B. She attended a lot of job interviews.

C. She paid telephone bills for her family.       D. She helped her family with her English.

55.The author believes that______.

A. her future will be free from troubles

B. it is difficult to learn to become patient

C. there are more good things than bad things

D. good things will happen if one keeps trying

D

The Americans have been voted the world’s “funniest nationality” ---the one “best at making people laugh” ---in a global poll (民意调查), which also names the Germans the “least funny” nationality and the British “not as funny as they think”.

30,000 people across 15 countries were asked to name both the “funniest” and “least funny” nationality in a poll conducted by Badoo.com, the world’s largest social network for meeting new people, with 119 million users worldwide.

The Americans were voted the funniest nationality, ahead of the Spanish --- the funniest Europeans --- in second, Italians in third and British in seventh.

The voting for the “least funny” nationality confirmed(证实，证明) the view of America’s Mark Twain that “a German joke is no laughing matter”. The Germans won, ahead of the Russians and Turks. The stereotype of German humourlessness is believed to derive from their reputation(名声)for efficiency, punctuality(守时)and rationality(理性). Examples of German jokes include: “Yesterday, I met my friend Horst at the hospital. He’d swallowed a sponge. He says it doesn’t hurt but he’s always thirsty.”

“When we meet someone new, one of the first things we notice is whether they make us laugh”, says Lloyd Price, Badoo’s Marketing Director. “America is a worthy poll winner”, says Price. “It’s the world’s only comedy superpower.”

The British pride themselves on their humour but learn from the poll that they’re not as funny as they think. They placed just seventh of 15 --- behind the Brazilians, French and Mexicans.

56. According to the poll, which is the right order from the funniest nationality to the least funny one?

A. Spanish, Americans, French, Mexicans, British

B. Americans, Spanish, Italians, Brazilians, French

C. British, Mexicans, Brazilians, Spanish, Americans

D. Italians, French, British, Mexicans, Brazilians

57. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. The poll was conducted among 119 million people by Badoo. com.

B. Spanish are the funniest nationality in Europe.

C. That Germans are named the “least funny” nationality is because of Mark Twain.

D. Some people think that British are funny while others think the opposite in the poll.

58. Which can be the substitute of the word “derive” in the fourth paragraph?

A. acquire     B. suffer     C. translate     D. accomplish

59. What is the author’s purpose of telling us a German joke?

A. The author wants to show that Germans are good at telling jokes.

B. The author wants to confirm what Mark Twain said.

C. The author wants to prove that Germans are not funny at all.

D. The author just wants to say that swallowing a sponge is no harm.

60. It seems that the best title for this passage is ______.

A. The Funniest Nationality

B. A Global Poll Conducted by Badoo.Com

C. Americans Won the Funniest Nationality

D. Americans Voted “Funniest Nation”, Germans “Least Funny”

第二节 信息匹配(共5小题;每小题2分，满分10分)

请阅读下面相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。然后在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。

首先，请阅读下列新闻：

A. Scientists ask: where are all the bees?

Dave Hackenberg, a Dade City beekeeper, is the first in the state to sound the alarm about the collapse of the national honeybee population; it has spread to 24 states in every part of the country.

B. Spain’s burnt-out babysitter grandparents urged to strike

Union tells Spanish grandparents to down tools if they are tired of caring for their grandchildren for days on end. A call has gone out for grandparents around Spain to down tools and go on strike, because they’re sick to the teeth of all that childcare.

C. Breast cancer partners’ mood risk

Men whose partners have breast cancer should be checked for signs that their mental health has been affected, say researchers. A Danish study found that men watching their partners fight cancer were 39% more likely to need hospital care for mood problems.

D. Flooding farms on purpose—for the birds

In response to the Prudho e Bay oil spill, US farmers are flooding fields to create unpolluted wetland for migrating birds.

E. India Hindu festival carries environmental cost

As a part of the activities of this festival, men carry a Ganesh statue to the beach and put it into the sea. Paints and plaster from the thousands of statues pollute the ocean and harm sea life.

F. Google turns 12, gets virtual cake

Google celebrated its 12th birthday on Monday with a birthday cake figure created by Wayne Thiebaud, an American artist famous for his paintings of cakes and pastries. It’s not clear why Google chooses to celebrate its birthday on September 27 instead of other noteworthy days in its history.

请阅读下列读者的评论，然后匹配相应的新闻：

61. Happy birthday! Thanks for always having what I was searching for. I’ve probably learned more from you than school. So, thank you. What can we expect next year when it becomes a teenager?

62. Illness has a bad impact on whole families, not just the patients. Men particularly often feel they need to be the strong one and often keep quiet about how they are really feeling. Men should get support for themselves too.

63. I really think this is a terrible problem! We can all work together as a team to stop these bees from dying off. My classroom is doing a whole project on this. Don’t worry. We will save bees’ lives! Just plant more flowers in the garden.

64. People have the right to celebrate their traditional festivals. However, if it causes serious environmental problems, we should take some measures. At least environmentally-friendly statues should be made.

65. The grandparents look after their grandchildren all the week, only sending them back for the weekend. They are too tired. It’s not just Spain’s parents who depend on their relatives. Although doctors say being involved with grandchildren keeps most grandparents healthy and active, I don’t agree.

Ⅳ. 写作(共两节。满分40分)

第一节 基础写作(共1题，满分15分)

你校开展了 “敬重父母”的活动,请你根据以下表格内容为你校的英语报刊写一则报道。

【写作内容】

宗旨 尊敬父母是中华民族的传统美德(moral value)之一

现状 大多数同学都是独生子女 (the only child)，以自我为中心，不关心父母

决定 开展“敬重父母”的活动

措施 制定(work out)了十条规定，提出要求。如：要记住父母的生日;父母进门要和他们打招呼(greet) 等。

【写作要求】

1. 只能使用5个句子表达全部的内容。

2. 标题与结尾已给出，不计入总句数。

【评分标准】

句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯。

Respecting Parents Program

__________________________________________

The program has been winning praises from parents and society. People say that is what we should have done earlier.

第二节 读写任务(共1小题，满分25分)

A Little at a Time

Carl Walter was my piano teacher. During one of my lessons he asked how much practice I was do ing. I said three or four hours a day.

"Do you practice in long stretches, an hour at a time?"

"'I try to."

"Well, do not," he exclaimed." When you grow up, time won't come in long stretches. Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them five or ten before school, after lunch, between chores. Spread the practice through the day, and piano-playing will become a part of your life."

Years later when I was teaching at Columbia, I wanted to write, but recitations, theme-reading, and meetings filled my days and evenings. For two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time. Then I recalled what my piano teacher said to me.

During the next week I conducted an experiment. Whenever I had five minutes unoccupied(空闲的), I sat down and wrote a hundred words or so. To my astonishment, at the end of the week I had written quite a lot. Later on I wrote novels by the same piecemeal(零碎的) method. Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, every day there were idle (空闲的)moments which could be caught and put to use. I even took up piano-playing again, finding that the small interval of the day provided enough time for both writing and piano practice.

有一些事情你很想做，可一直没时间。今天，你在杂志上读了上面这篇文章，你很有感触，于是打算把它写在日记里。(开头已给出，不计入词数)

【写作内容】

1.以约30个词概括你所读的这个故事;

2.以约120个词谈谈这个故事给你的启发;

(1)看完这个故事的感受;

(2)你打算如何运用你今天所领会到的去解决你的问题。

【写作要求】

1.作文中可使用自己的亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文的句子。

2.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

【评分标准】

概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语句连贯。

January 12         Friday          Sunny

Today I read a very good essay. It is about_ _______________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________