Please excuse me if I’m a little sad today because Mark is leaving．You probably don’t know Mark，but you might be lucky enough to know someone just like him．He’s been the heart and soul of the office for a couple of years combining professional skills with a sweet and gentle nature．He’s never been all that interested in getting credit for the terrific work he does．He just wants to do his job，and to do it extremely well．
And now he’s moving on to an exciting new professional opportunity．It sounds like it could be the chance of a lifetime，and we’re sincerely pleased for him．But that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague．
Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us．Just when we start to get comfortable with a person，a place or a situation，something comes along to change the recipe．A terrific neighbor moves away．Someone in the family graduates．A child finds new love and loyalties through marriage．The family’s bread-winner is laid off．Our ability to cope with change and disruption determines our peace，happiness and contentment in life．
But how do we do that? According to the author of Ecclesiaste，comfort can be found in remembering that “to everything there is a season，and a time to every purpose under heaven．Let today embrace the past with remembrance，and the future with longing．’’
“Change，indeed，is painful，yet ever needful，”said philosopher Thomas Carlyle．“And if memory has its force and worth，so also has hope．”
We’re going to miss Mark．But rather than lose ourselves in the sadness of our parting，we’ll focus on our hopes for a brighter future——for him，and for us．And then we’ll go out and do everything we can to make that future happen．Until our plans change——again．What will happen to Mark soon?
| A．He will pass away． | B．He will leave for a new job． |
| C．He will get married． | D．He will stay with us forever． |
The underlined word “credit” in Para．1 probably means __________ ．
| A．praise | B．criticism |
| C．opportunity | D．job |
From the passage，we can learn that __________ ．
| A．any change will make us upset any time |
| B．it is easy to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague |
| C．our happiness depends on our ability to deal with change |
| D．comfort can be found in remembering the sadness |
The best title of the passage may be __________ ．
| A．My Friend Mark | B．Focusing on Future |
| C．Always Changing | D．A Sad Story |
A famous Renoir had been stolen from a museum. Detective Earl Blackman was to work on the case.
Everyone was in the dark before an art professor came to point out the false picture. So the museum even didn’t know when the picture had been stolen. Thousands of people came to visit the museum every day. After long work, some art students were focused on.
The five students who had made copies of the Renoir during the last six months were asked to bring their copies to the museum. The fifth student said she had sold her copy, which was later proved to be the one in the museum. She, however, could only remember the buyer was a man with the little finger on his left hand missing.
Blackman went back and stayed in his office looking at all the pictures of known thieves. No success.
The next afternoon, at about closing time, Blackman went to the museum to ask if the cleaning men were in the museum after everyone else had left. The director told him they had no cleaning man but six cleaning women.
As the detective left the director’s office, he saw five cleaning women. He stopped one and asked about her work. Then came the sixth cleaning woman. She was dressed just like the other women except the gloves on her hands which made her different. Blackman watched her for some time. When she came near, Blackman caught her. The woman cried out in a man’s voice, “What was that?” Blackman was more sure.Everything came to light ________________.
| A．when an art student was asked |
| B．when the cleaning man came into the office |
| C．when Blackman looked at all the pictures |
| D．when the cleaning woman cried |
Arrange the following sentences in the right order.
a. The museum asked for help.
b. The four students showed their copies.
c. An art professor came.
d. The detective looked at all the pictures.
e. The thief bought a picture.
| A．a-c-e-d-b | B．c-a-d-s-b | C．e-c-a-b-d | D．e-a-b-d-c |
Blackman caught the cleaning woman because of __________.
| A．the glove | B．the clothes | C．her sex | D．her work |
Bamboo flooring（竹地板）is a growing trend in home flooring and is also a great improvement to traditional hardwood floors．It is the most environmentally friendly kind of natural flooring that you can select for your home．It is also a renewable（可再生的）resource,is stronger than steel,and does not suffer from problems as a result of temperature changes．
Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on earth,and only takes five years to grow to adult form．Bamboo is harvested every five years,and starts to re-grow immediately after being harvested．For this reason,bamboo is a kind of grass,not a tree．Bamboo is hollow（空心的）but very hard and can stand up to 50,000 pounds of pressure per square inch．
Bamboo flooring has become very popular with its rich and beautiful golden earth colors．But it is important to shop around for a good-quality bamboo flooring product that contains no formaldehydes（甲醛）,which is said to be the best kind of bamboo flooring．Many brands use cheaper bamboo that may contain formaldehydes,and this can cause indoor air pollution problems as certain chemical materials in the bamboo slowly release their pollutants into the air．
So,why should we turn to bamboo to save the enviroment?In fact,bamboo cannot save the environment directly,but it is an excellent replacement product for much of the hardwood species of trees that are being harvested in rainforests．Once harvested,if these hardwood trees do grow back,it can take up to 200 years!Rainforests are the lungs of our planet and they make a significant contribution to global oxygen production．
By selecting bamoo flooring,you can reduce the demand for hardwood materials and help save the environment for future generations．Of course,everyone wants to buy good-quality bamboo flooring．The brands（品牌）from our shop are very high in quality and have received a lot of public praise．Bamboo is a kind of grass because _______．
| A．it grows quickly |
| B．it isn’t as high as a tree |
| C．it doesn’t grow in forests |
| D．it is hollow |
What kind of bamboo flooring is best?
| A．The strongest kind． |
| B．The most expensive kind． |
| C．The kind that has a beautiful color． |
| D．The kind that contains no formaldehydes． |
How can bamboo make a contribution to the environment?
| A．It can directly improve the environment． |
| B．It does not release formalddehydes at all． |
| C．It can replace hardwood tree products． |
| D．It can produce a lot of oxygen． |
The author wrote this passage in order to _______．
| A．explain the importance of bamboo flooring |
| B．tell us his or her own bamboo flooring brands are good |
| C．tell people to care more about the environment |
| D．discuss the history of hardwood flooring |
You hear a rumor（谣言）from a friend,who heard it from another friend,who read it on a note passed in math class,which was written by somebody who probably just made it up．Chances are rumors are always spreading around your school．Sometimes it can be very hurtful．But why do people still do so?
When people are feeling bad about themselves,they sometimes think they’ll feel better if there were someone worse off than they are．It’s okey being near the bottom,as long as they’re not actually on the bottom．The easiest way for them to make sure someone else is on the bottom is to make up a rumor that puts him or her there．
If everybody else is spreading rumors,you might feel you have to do the same thing in order to fit in．Unfortunately,the person who the gossip or rumor is about is usually let out of the group for the same reason that you’re let into it．
When you know a secret that nobody knows,or are the first person in your group to hear a rumor,it can make you the center of attention．A rumor or piece of gossip is sometimes like money;telling it to people is like buying their attention．Certain people always want to be at the top of the ladder（梯子）．You probably know at least one person who wishes to be the leader,and make all the decisions．One way they do this is by reducing the status（地位）of another person．Spreading rumors and gossip is one way people reduce another person’s status．
Sometimes a period when everyone is happy and getting along just seems kind of dull．Spreading rumors might get two people to start a fight,and that would make life a little more exciting．All those newspapers and TV shows full of gossip about famous people are proving that rumors are a popular form of entertainment．We know from Paragraph 2 that some people spread rumors to _______．
| A．be more confident | B．feel like part of a group |
| C．attract attention | D．be more powerful |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 may mean some people _______．
| A．love looking down from a high position． |
| B．hope to become leaders． |
| C．are not afraid of falling down． |
| D．are fond of spreading rumors． |
What do we know from the last paragraph?
| A．Famous people like spreading rumors． |
| B．Rumors can make people feel bored． |
| C．Some people seek excitement from rumors． |
| D．There are many rumors in newspapers． |
The passage is mainly about ________．
| A．what rumors mean | B．how hurtful a rumor is |
| C．how people spread rumors | D．why people spread rumors |
Long working hours,the fewest holidays and the high cost of living mean the big salaries on offer（可使用的）in the UK do not go as far as those earned in other countries,making Britain and Ireland the worst places to live in Europe．
France and Spain are the two countries topping the European Quality of Life Index（指数）out today,according to the place comparison website Switch．com．
The French enjoy longer lives,better healthcare,more holidays and cheaper prices．In contrast Britons work three years longer and die two years younger after paying above the European average for fuel,food,alcohol and cigarettes．The amount we spend on healthcare and education is below the European average．
Only Ireland and Poland spend less,but Ireland has more doctors and hospital beds and Poland has more beds than the UK．People in Germany,Spain,France,Italy,the Netherlands and Sweden all enjoy longer life expectancy than Britons．And while we may be giving up work earlier,the average age at which we retire is still the fourth highest in Europe——and the UK state retirement age is set to rise．
Ann Robinson,of Switch．com,said:“There’s more to good living than money and this report shows why so many Britons are giving up on （对……不再抱希望）the UK and heading to France and Spain．We earn substantially more than our European neighbors,but this level of income is needed just to keep a roof over our heads,food on the table and our homes warm” ． “It’s giving us a decent standard of living,but it’s not helping us achieve the quality of life that people in other countries enjoy．For too long the focus in the UK had been on standard of living rather than quality of life．”In Europe,to enjoy the best quality of life,you’d better live in _______．
| A．Britian and Ireland | B．Spain and France |
| C．Ireland and Poland | D．Britian and Italy |
Which of the following about the UK is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．People in the UK pay more than the European average for fuel,food,alcohol and cigarettes． |
| B．People in the UK enjoy the highest quality of life． |
| C．People in the UK spend most on the healthcare and education． |
| D．People in the UK die two years older than in France． |
The underlined word“decent”in the last paragraph means “_______”
| A．good enough | B．bad enough | C．ordinary | D．neither bad nor good |
What do you think would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Money is a must to make you live a good life． |
| B．High standard of living means good quality of life． |
| C．High standard of living is one thing and good quality of life is another． |
| D．To live a good life,go to Britian． |
Charlotte’s Web by E．B． White is a children’s book．
As the story opens,eight-year-old farm girl Fern Arable stops her father from killing a baby pig who is weaker than his brothers and sisters．The little pig,Wilbur,becomes one of the main characters in the story．Later he will be treated as a friend by Charlotte,a wise and loving spider living on the same farm．Wilbur slowly realizes that the farmer will kill him for his meat in a few months ,and Charlotte decides to help him out．She tries many things to keep Wilbur alive．She writes words in her web describing how wonderful Wilbur is and this makes the farm famous．
White creates a sort of modern animal fable（寓言）,in which animals can speak both with each other and with Fern．Also there are many great characters in this book．
The society of animals has many lessons to teach children and adults:friendship,sacrifice（牺牲），hope,determination,love,duty,fairness,respect,and many more．
Part of this novel’s success is the fact that the author makes a heroine（女主角）out of a spider,a creature that many people probably dislike．Unlike a lovely little pig or other creatures,a spider is a creature greatly different from humans．White’s Charlotte is a truly wonderful character．He tells the story of Charlotte and her friends in a special way．This is a book that no one could ever dislike．It has much to offer to children as well as to older teens and adult readers．According to the descripion of the book,Charlotte ______．
| A．is a nice and clever spider |
| B．often teaches her friends good lessons |
| C．always sacrifices herself for her friends |
| D．is disliked by many animals around her |
According to the writer,which of the following is a factor in the success of the book?
| A．That there are many animals in the book． |
| B．That the author of the book is very famous． |
| C．That the author knows children very well． |
| D．That the author makes a heroine out of a spider． |
We learn from the passage that Charlitte’s Web ______．
A．is the most interesting book for children
B．is E．B． White’s only book written for children
C．is a good book not only for children but also for adults
D．is mainly about how animals get along with each otherWhat is the purpose of the writer in writing this passage?
| A．To introduce the book Charlitte’s Web |
| B．To discuss what kinds of books are good to read |
| C．To explain why Charlitte’s Web is a good book |
| D．To tell us the importance of friendship in our life |
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