A Christina from Spain
On the last day of the year, the 31st of December, people wait till 12 pm. Everybody must have 12 grapes(葡萄) to eat at midnight. At each sound of the clock, we must eat a group. But we can’t ever finish eating the grapes on time! Usually when people still have some grapes in their mouths, they look at each other and start to laugh. This tradition started in Spain long ago. One year, when there were a lot of grapes, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year’s Eve.
B Cordon from Britain
On New Year’s Day in Britain, people have parties. At 12 o’clock, the music stops, and we listen to the radio. On the radio we hear Big Ben, the famous clock in London. Then everybody sings a song about friendship and kisses their friends. We say “Happy New Year” to each other. It’s lucky if a tall man with dark hair is the first person to come to the house in the new year. So I go and visit as many friends as I can. They all give me a drink.
C Angela from Brazil
In all cities in Brazil, we have a big party on New Year’s Eve, especially in Rio de Janeiro. People in this city go to the beaches to watch fireworks(焰火)。We put flowers in the sea and think about things we want for ourselves or others. We usually wear white clothes for good luck during the New Year.Picture___________ is about paragraph 1.
Who have parties on New Year’s Day?
A. People in Spain. B. People in Britain.
C. People in Brazil. D. Both B and C.From the 2nd paragraph, we can infer (推断)that___________.
| A．People listen to the radio at home. |
| B．Cordon can’t drink much. |
| C．Cordon is a tall man with dark hair. |
| D．there are no people near Big Ben. |
On New Year’s Day, Brazilians usually wear white clothes because_________.
| A．that reminds them of their happy life |
| B．they hope that can bring them good luck |
| C．they think that they look beautiful in white |
| D．that’s what they have to do during the New Year |
This article mainly tells us ________________.
| A．what people in Britain do on New Year’s Day |
| B．when and where people have New Year parties |
| C．why people in different countries like the New Year |
| D．what people around the world do on New Year’s Day |
Thinking is something you choose to do as a fish chooses to live in water. To be human is to think. But thinking may come naturally without your knowing how you do it. Thinking about thinking is the key to critical(批判性的) thinking. When you think critically, you take control of your thinking processes（过程）. Otherwise, you might be controlled by the ideas of others. Indeed, critical thinking is at the heart of education.
The word “critical” here has a special meaning. It does not mean taking one view against another view, as when someone criticizes another person for doing something wrong. The nature of critical thinking is thinking beyond the easily seen--beyond the pictures on TV, the untrue reports in the newspapers, and the faulty reasoning.
Critical thinking is an attitude as much as an activity. If you are interested in life and want to dig deeper into it, you are a critical thinker. If you find pleasure in deep thinking about different ideas, characters, and facts, you are a critical thinker.
Activities of the mind and higher-order reasoning（推理）are processes of deep and careful consideration. They take time, and do not go hand in hand with the fast speed in today’s world: fast foods, instant coffee, and self-developing film. If you are among the people who believe that speed is a measure（尺度）of intelligence（智慧）, you may learn something new from a story about Albert Einstein. The first time Banesh Hoffman, a scientist, was to discuss his work with Albert Einstein. Hoffman was too nervous to speak. But Einstein immediately made Hoffman feel comfortable by saying, “Please go slowly. I don’t understand things quickly.” Critical thinking is important to us because if we do not think critically, _______.
| A．it will be hard for us to think naturally and fast |
| B．we might be controlled by other people’s ideas |
| C．we will follow the ideas of others naturally |
| D．we might be fooled by other people’s ideas |
If you are a critical thinker, you will ________.
| A．take one view against another view |
| B．trust the reports in the newspapers |
| C．think deeply about different ideas |
| D．criticize other people for their mistakes |
In the last paragraph, “something new” suggests that ________.
| A．speed can improve intelligence |
| B．intelligence is not decided by speed |
| C．the smarter you are, the faster you do things |
| D．the faster you do things, the smarter you become |
Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for Paris bus. The bus for Paris would not leave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in line, others were walking around. There was a group of schoolgirls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in line. Tom looked around but there was no place for him to sit.
He walked into the station cafe. He looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down before a large mirror on the wall. Just then, Mike, one of Tom’s workmates, came in and sat with Tom.
“What time is your bus?” asked Mike.
“There’s plenty of time yet,” answered Tom.
“Well, I’ll get you some more tea then,” said Mike.
They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again. “Oh! It’s going backward(倒行)!” he cried. “A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it’s half past eleven.”
“You’re looking at the clock in the mirror.” said Mike. Tom was so sad. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. Since then Tom has never liked mirrors.The bus for Paris would leave at____________.
| A．12: 05 | B．11: 55 | C．11: 30 | D．11: 40 |
Tom went into the station cafe because ______.
| A．Mike asked him to have a cup of tea |
| B．he didn’t like to stay with the schoolgirls |
| C．it was quite early and he could find a seat there |
| D．he wanted to have a drink with his workmate there |
____________, so he was sad.
| A．There was something wrong with the clock |
| B．Tom couldn’t arrive in Paris on time |
| C．Tom couldn’t have coffee with Mike |
| D．The train arrived late that day |
Tom is a very popular young man. He has many friends. He has got four invitations. Here are his replies.
From the replies, we learn that Jim likes _______.
| A．going to parties | B．listening to pop music |
| C．dancing with Tom | D．playing tennis |
Tom will go to the dance with_______.
| A．Kate | B．Susan | C．Jim | D．Cary |
Tom will go to Susan’s birthday party _______.
| A．on Saturday evening | B．this evening |
| C．on Thursday evening | D．on Sunday evening |
Have successful people ever felt sad? Do they have any "secrets" to success? The answers to these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama's "back to school" speech. Here is a small part of his speech.
I know that sometimes, after watching TV, you may feel that you can be rich and successful without any hard work--that your ticket to success is through rapping (饶舌音乐) or basketball or being a TV star. But when chances come, you may not succeed.
The truth is, being successful is hard. And yo
u may not succeed at everything the first time you try. That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world have had the most failures. JK Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected(退稿)12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career (职业生涯). But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures beat you--you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.
No one's born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
And even when you're struggling(挣扎), even when you're discouraged(泄气), and you feel like other people have 
given up on you--don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country. Why does Barack Obama talk abo
ut JK Rowling and Michael Jordan in the second paragraph?
| A．To show that these two famous persons are different. |
| B．To show that writing and sports are difficult skills. |
| C．To show that the two persons were treated unfairly. |
| D．To show that being successful is hard. |
Barack Obama believes ____________ in his speech.
| A．you can be rich and successful without any hard work |
| B．you may succeed at everything the first time you try |
| C．you can't let your failures beat you |
| D．you shouldn't ask other people for help |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．If you're discouraged, you should give up on yourself. |
| B．You should believe in yourself no matter how difficult it is. |
| C．When you're struggling, you'll feel like other people have given up on you. |
| D．If you are not struggling or discouraged, you can give up on yourself. |
What's the best title of this small part of Mr. Obama's speech?
| A．The way to succeed | B．Failures can help you |
| C．Don't give up on yourself | D．Barack Obama's success |
In less than two months, Junior 3 students around the country will take the senior high school entrance (入学) exam. They are studying hard for this big challenge. Do they have time to do something in memory of their middle school years? Many do.
Leng Jingze, 15, from Tianjin said that in her class students are already writing goodbye messages for each other. "Even the head teacher has a plan," said Leng. "She plans to put all our class photos and the Chinese compositions we have written onto a CD and give each student one," said Leng. "She will also write something for each student."
Wang Zeyu, 16, in Changchun, Jilin said his classmates are making "lucky stars" as graduation gifts. They are making the cheerful stars from colored paper. "Before making a lucky star, you write some words for the person on the paper," said Wang. "He or she can read the words later." Who does Wang want to make a lucky star for? He said he wanted to make one for his head teacher. "I’ll write: Dear teacher, you always look so serious," said Wang. "But we know you have a warm heart. Smile more!"
In Xiao Xia’s school in Beijing, each Junior 3 student will get a yearbook (毕业年鉴) , in which the graduating classes will put their photos and self-introductions. "Most classes have written an article as the self-introduction," said Xiao, 15. "We have written a poem in the ancient style!" The poem records the big events of the class’s history and is in the shape of the number 9. "Nine is our class number," said Xiao, who felt very proud of the idea. "Our class may be not the one with the best school grade but it must be the most creative one," said Xiao. "I feel lucky to study in such a class!" Leng Jingze’s head teacher plans to ____________.
| A．put all the class photos onto a CD |
| B．put the student’s Chinese compositions onto a CD |
| C．give each student a CD |
| D．all above |
Wang Zeyu wanted to make a "lucky star" for his teacher because ____________.
| A．his head teacher wasn’t serious enough |
| B．he doesn’t like his head teacher |
| C．his head teacher sent him a gift |
| D．he wanted his head teacher to smile more |
From the last paragraph, we know that ____________.
| A．most classes in Xiao Xia’s school have written a poem as the self-introduction |
| B．9 is the lucky number for Xiao Xia’s Class |
| C．Xiao Xia’s class has very creative ideas |
| D．each graduating class will get a yearbook to put their photos and self-introductions |
The passage is probably from ____________.
| A．a newspaper | B．a novel | C．a letter | D．a diary |
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