Recently, one of my best friends, whom I’d shared just about everything with since the first day of kindergarten, spent the weekend with me. Since I moved to a new town several years ago, we’d both always looked forward to the few times a year when we could see each other.
Over the weekend, we spent hours and hours, staying up late into the night, talking about the people she was hanging around with. She started telling me stories about her new boyfriend, about how she experimented with drugs and was into other bad habits. I was blown away! She told me how she had been lying to her parents because they didn’t want her around him.
I tried to convince her that she was ruining her future and heading for big trouble. But she didn’t believe me. Her self-respect seemed to have disappeared. I just couldn’t believe that she really thought it was acceptable to hang out with such a loser.
By the time she left, I was really worried about her. It had been so discouraging, and I had come close to telling her several times during the weekend that maybe we had just grown too far apart to continue our friendship—but I didn’t. I put the power of friendship to the ultimate(最终的)test. We’d been friends for far too long. I had to hope that she valued me enough to know that I was trying to save her from hurting herself. I wanted to believe that our friendship could conquer (克服)anything.
A few days later, she called to say that she had thought long and hard about our conversation，and then she told me that she had broken up with her boyfriend．I just listened on the other end of the phone with tears of joy running down my face. It was one of the truly rewarding moments in my life.
Never had I been so proud of a friend.From the beginning of the text，we can learn that the author .
| A．lost touch with the girl several years ago. |
| B．used to spend weekends with the girl. |
| C．moved to the same town as the girl. |
| D．kept in touch with the girl. |
It can be inferred that the girl .
| A．knew she was in danger. | B．took the author seriously. |
| C．lost hope of a bright future. | D．used to quarrel with her parents. |
What’s the author’s purpose in telling the story?
| A．To show the power of friendship. |
| B．To describe the troubles of friendship. |
| C．To tell the necessity of trusting friends. |
| D．To tell the importance of keeping up with friends. |
Last night’s meteor(流星)shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers．According to Gabe Rothschild，Emerald Valley’s mayor，people gathered in the suburbs of the city，carrying heavy telescopes，expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky．What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city’s lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overheaD．
“My family was so frustrated，”admitted town resident Duane Cosby．“We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing，but it turned out to be a huge disappointment．”
Astronomers—scientists who study stars and planets—have been complaining about this problem for decades．They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past．They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it．
There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution．This population consists of birds，bats，frogs，snakes，etC． For example，outdoor lighting severely affects migrating birds．According to the International Dark-Sky Association．“100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers．”
Countless more animal casualties(伤亡)result from the use of artificial lighting．Clearly，people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings，but some scientists think it can be harmful for humans，too．They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase a person’s chances of getting cancer．
Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of light pollution．For years，Flagstaff，Arizona，has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to assist astronomers at the Lowell Observatory．Similar efforts have been made worldwide，and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them，so that other creatures can share the night．
It happened last night that ．
| A．the city’s lights affected the meteor watching |
| B．the meteors flew past before being noticed |
| C．the city light show attracted many people |
| D．the meteor watching ended up a social outing |
What do the astronomers complain about?
| A．Meteor showers occur less often than before． |
| B．Their observation equipment is in poor repair． |
| C．Light pollution has remained unsolved for years． |
| D．Their eyesight is falling due to artificial lighting． |
What is the author concerned about according to Paragraph 4?
A． Birds may take other migration paths．
B． Animals’ living habits may change suddenly．
C． Varieties of animals will become sharply reduceD．
D． Animals’ survival is threatened by outdoor lighting．
What message does the author most want to give us?
| A．Saving wildlife is saving ourselves． |
| B．Great efforts should be made to save energy． |
| C．Human activities should be environmentally friendly． |
| D．New equipment should be introduced for space study． |
Guide to Stockholm University Library
Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment．
Zones
The library is divided into different zones．The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading，and places where you can sit and work with your own computer．The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs．The ground floor is the zone where you can talk．Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work．
Computers
You can use your own computer to connect to the wi-fi specially prepared for notebook computers; you can also use library computers，which contain the most commonly used applications，such as Microsoft Office．They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor．
Group-study Places
If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others，you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor．Some study rooms are for 2-3 people and others can hold up to 6-8 people．All rooms are marked on the library maps．
There are 40 group-study rooms that must be booked via the website．To book，you need an active University account and a valid University carD． You can use a room three hours per day，nine hours at most per week．
Storage of Study Material
The library has lockers for students to store course literature．When you have obtained at least 40 credits，you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental perioD．
Rules to be Followed
Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library．Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls．
Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library，but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you．
Library computers on the ground floor ．
| A．help students with their field experiments |
| B．contain software essential for schoolwork |
| C．are for those who want to access the wi-fi |
| D．are mostly used for filling out application forms |
A student can rent a locker in the library if he ．
| A．can afford the rental fee |
| B．attends certain courses |
| C．has nowhere to put his books |
| D．has earned the required credits |
What should NOT be brought into the library?
| A．Mobile phones． |
| B．Orange juice． |
| C．Candy． |
| D．Sandwiches． |
George Gershwin，born in 1898，was one of America’s greatest composers．He published his first song when he was eighteen years olD． During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs．
Many of Gershwin’s songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City．These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s．Many of his songs have remained popular as ever．Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way—from jazz to country．
In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz musiC． Could jazz，some people asked，be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious musiC． Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it．And in that short time，he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue．Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert．The audience were thrilled when they heard his musiC． It made him world-famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular．
In 1928，Gershwin went to Paris．He applied to study composition(作曲)with the well-known musician Nadia Boulanger，but she rejected him．She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style．While there，Gershwin wrote An American in Paris．When it was first performed，critics(评论家)were divided over the musiC． Some called it happy and full of life，to others it was silly and boring． But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States．It still remains one of his most famous works．
George Gershwin died in 1937，just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer．He was only thirty-nine years olD． Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages．People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written．
Many of Gershwin’s musical works were ．
| A．written about New Yorkers |
| B．composed for Paul Whiteman |
| C．played mainly in the countryside |
| D．performed in various ways |
What did Gershwin do during his stay in Paris?
| A．He created one of his best works． |
| B．He studied with Nadia Boulanger． |
| C．He argued with French critics． |
| D．He changed his music style． |
What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A． Many of Gershwin’s works were lost．
B． The death of Gershwin was widely reporteD．
C． A concert was held in memory of Gershwin．
D． Brain cancer research started after Gershwin’s death．
Which of the following best describes Gershwin?
| A．Talented and productive． |
| B．Serious and boring． |
| C．Popular and unhappy． |
| D．Friendly and honest． |
Our oldest daughter is having trouble letting go of an old red sofA．
It’s not the sofa she’s having trouble letting go of as much as the memories．It was their first sofA． It has been loaded and unloaded onto moving trucks seven times．Three kids have eaten on it，dripped on it，and jumped on it．
Yet she’s having a hard time letting go and asked if I thought that was strange．
“Completely，” I saiD． “You get it from me．”
When we were ready to get rid of our baby things，I sold our crib (婴儿床) at the neighborhood garage sale．I had pieces of it in the garage and the other pieces of it still in the house．A young woman said she wanted to buy it．
My throat tightened and the tears began to well．She pulled out cash and I cheered up．
But by the time I returned with the other pieces to the crib，I was all sobbing．“Have you considered that maybe you’re not ready to sell it?” the woman askeD．
“No-o-o-o，” I crieD． “It’s fine，really，” I saiD． “Take it．”
Our attachment to stuff grows in direct relationship to the amount of time it has sat in one place．The longer it sits，the harder it is to get rid of it．You think: “Hey，we’ve hung onto it this long – it must be valuable!” As though yellowing and a layer of dust increase value．
People who find it extremely hard to part with things have been made into entertainment in a television show called Hoarders．If an episode (集) of that isn’t depressing enough for you，producers now offer Extreme Hoarders．Both of which are not to be outdone by Storage Wars，a show about aggressive people who bid on other people’s storage units．
Let the sofa go，I told my daughter．It served its purpose．You can get a new one．Give the kids some crackers (饼干) and juice and it will be like the old one in six weeks．What does the author mean by saying the underlined sentence “You get it from me”?
| A．“You can get another sofa from me．” |
| B．“You can get mental support from me．” |
| C．“You behave just the same way I do．” |
| D．“You are asking the right person to help you．” |
When the writer was selling the crib，_____．
| A．she felt relieved that there was someone willing to buy it |
| B．she showed a strong attachment to the old item |
| C．she couldn’t decide whether or not to sell it in the end |
| D．she changed her mind in hopes of keeping it and increasing its value |
The writer refers to the television shows to _____．
| A．prove that it’s depressing to get attached to old stuff |
| B．explain what contributes to people’s attachment to old stuff |
| C．show that people in TV shows live the same lives as ordinary people do |
| D．prove that it’s actually common for people to find it hard to get rid of old stuff |
Which opinion might the writer agree with according to the article?
| A．If you give away old stuff regularly，you are wasteful． |
| B．If the old stuff has done what it was supposed to，then let it go． |
| C．Nothing is more valuable than your love for your old stuff． |
| D．The older your stuff is，the less trouble you have getting rid of it． |
Nearing the age of 101 has not slowed down one Japanese woman．In fact，in the swimming pool—she is only getting faster．
Recently，a 100-year-old Japanese woman became the world’s first centenarian to complete a 1，500-meter freestyle swimming competition in a 25-meter poo1．
Her name is Mieko Nagaoka．Ms．Nagaoka set a world record for her age group at a recent Japan Masters Swimming Association event in the western city of Matsuyama．She swam the race in 1hour，15 minutes and 54 seconds．
By comparison，the overall female world record holder completed the same distance in just under 15 and a half minutes．But that swimmer，Katie Ledecky，is only 17 years old．And Ms．Nagao．ka was not competing against her．In fact，Ms．Nagaoka was the only competitor in the 100-104 year old category．Her race was not a race of speed but of endurance，or not giving up．
Breaking swimming records is nothing new to Ms．Nagaoka．So far she has broken 25 records．But she began competing when she was much younger—at 88.
Ms．Nagaoka sufferred a knee injury in her 80s，so she began swimming to help her body recover．Since her first international swimming competition，she hasn’t looked back，except maybe to see if her competition is catching up．
In 2002．at a masters swim meet in New Zealand，Ms．Nagaoka took the bronze medal in the 50-meter backstroke．In 2004，she won three silver medals at an Italian swim meet.
Masters swimming is a special class of competitive swimming to promote health and friendship among participants．Swimmers compete within age groups of five years.
Japan has a large number of people who live beyond 100 years old．Until she passed away this month，the oldest person in the world was also from Japan．Misao Okawa was born in 1 898．She said her secrets for longevity，or long life，were good genes，regular sleep，sushi and exercise.The underlined word“centenarian”refers to someone who is____．
| A．from Japan | B．100 or older |
| C．an old competitor | D．a new swimmer |
Which is possibly the age category of the masters swimming competition?
| A．82 to 87 years old． | B．93 to 97 years old. |
| C．95 to 99 years old． | D．106 to 110 years old. |
It can be inferred from the passage that_____．
| A．some people are born with longevity genes |
| B．people who like swimming live longer |
| C．the Japanese are interested in swimming |
| D．woman usually live much longer than men |
Which can best explain the spirit of Ms．Nagaoka?
| A．Not to advance is to go back． |
| B．After a storm comes a calm. |
| C．The early bird catches the worm． |
| D．Keep on going，never give up. |
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