It’s 5:00 in the morning when the alarm rings in my ears. I roll out of bed and walk blindly through the dark into the bathroom. I turn on the light and put on my glasses. The house is still as I walk downstairs while my husband and three kids sleep peacefully. Usually I go for a long run, but today I choose my favorite exercise DVD insanity. Sweat pours down my face and into my eyes. My heart races as I face my body to finish each movement. As I near the end of the exercise, I feel extremely tired, but a smile is of my face. It’s not a smile because the DVD is over, but a smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit.
Some people enjoy shopping, smoking, food, work, or even chocolate. But I need exercise to get through each day. Some shake heads when they see me run through the town. Others get hurt when I refuse to try just one bite of their grandmother’s chocolate cake. They raise their eyebrows, surprised by my “ no thank you,” or by my choice to have a salad. Over the years, I have learned it’s okay to just say “ no”. I shouldn’t feel sorry for refusing food that I don’t want to eat.
So what drives me to roll out of bed at 5:00 a.m.? What gives me the reason to just say to ice cream? Commitment. A commitment to change my life with a way that reduces daily anxiety, increases self –confidence and energy, extends life and above all improve my body shape. This is the point where a smile appears on my face as I look at myself in the mirror or try on my favorite pair of jeans that now fit just right. It’s through commitment and sweat that I can make a difference within myself inside and out.Why is there a smile on the author’s face in the morning?
| A．Because she sees her family sleeping peacefully. |
| B．Because she finishes her favorite exercise |
| C．Because she enjoys the interesting DVD |
| D．Because she feels a sense of achievement |
Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2?
| A．She doesn’t treat others politely |
| B．She likes to make others surprised |
| C．Others don’t understand what she does |
| D．Others try to help her by offering her food |
What does the underlined word “commitment” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Good health | B．Firm belief |
| C．A strong power | D．A regular half |
What can we learn about the author from the text?
| A．She acts in a strange way |
| B．She wants to look different from others |
| C．She aims to develop a good body shape |
| D．She has difficult getting along with others |
Tayka Hotel De sal
Where: Tahua, Bolivia
How much: About $ 95 a night
Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim. Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses(床垫) and blankets). The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried—up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat. Builders use the salt from the 4,633一square—mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries. When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where: Vythiri, India
How much: About $ 240 a night
Why it’s cool: Ridding a Pulley(滑轮)—operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure. As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!一you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy. Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read. You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulley—drawn “elevator”.
Dog Bark Park Inn B & B
Where: Cottonwood, Idaho
How much: $ 92 a night
Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet. Sweet Willy is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly. Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side. Yon can relax in the main bedroom, go up a few steps of the loft in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose. Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant outside.
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where: A yvali, Turkey
How much: Between $ 130 and $ 475 a night
Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash. But your stay will be much more modern. Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65 
in summer. (Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)What is the similarity of the four hotels?
| A．Being expensive. | B．Being unique. |
| C．Being beautiful. | D．Being natural. |
What does the underlined part “Sweet Willy” refer to?
A. The name of a guest.
B. The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.
C. The name of the hotel owner.
D. The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B & B.Which of the hotel makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?
| A．Gamirasu Cave Hotel |
| B．Green Magic Nature Resort |
| C．Dog Bark Park Inn B & B |
| D．Tayka Hotel De Sal |
What may be the purpose of the writer writing the passage?
| A．To show his wide knowledge. |
| B．To attract attention from the readers. |
| C．To develop business in tourism. |
| D．To introduce some interesting hotels. |
As is known, it is a respectful job to be a teacher serving students heart and soul. And most people also compare a teacher to a gardener who takes great care of various plants. Ever since my high school days, my heart has been set on becoming a teacher. I am now studying at a teacher’s college, and I am making great efforts to study, because there are so many things to learn about education. But I thoroughly enjoy my studies, and every day I am amazed at the great influence education has on the human soul.
I think it is only natural that I have always aspired to become a teacher because my father and his father were also teachers. My father is now retired, following a brilliant career, and it has always been his dream to have me, his only son, follow in his footsteps. Although it sounds like my father’s dream that I will become a teacher, it is also my dream and I am quite willing to realize the dream. I still have one more year to go at university, and after I graduate, I will go to the western part of China to become a teacher at a village school.
I understand a teacher’s job will not make me a millionaire, but it is not the prospect of making a lot of money that has propelled my ambition to become a teacher. Rather, it is my sincere desire to assume a responsible role in society, and make as many people well—educated as possible through my hard endeavors. Education plays an essential and important role in our society. If everyone can receive a good education, it will not only do good to our country but also benefit individuals’ lives.
Ten years from now, therefore, I hope to be established as an excellent teacher with hundreds of thousands of students who have benefited from me and carry on the family tradition with efficiency and honour.What’s the author now?
| A．A doctor. | B．An actor. |
| C．A student. | D．A researcher. |
Which is not the reason why the author wants to be a teacher?
| A．To be a teacher is his own dream. |
| B．His father hopes that he can become a teacher. |
| C．He would like to be a responsible man. |
| D．His teacher encourages him to be an excellent teacher. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “aspired”?
| A．Inspired. | B．Desired. |
| C．Required. | D．Complained. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．How can I be an excellent teacher? |
| B．Where do I see myself ten years from now? |
| C．Why do I follow in my father’s footsteps? |
| D．How can I make my dream come true? |
A young man returns to his hometwon of Aractataca, Colombia. He visits the house where he lived as a child. Here, he remembers the most important memories of his childhood. Standing in front of his old house, the young man makes an important decision. He says to himself, “I will start my life over again. I will become a writer.”
This man is the world famous writer. Gabriel Garica Marquez.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born on March 6,1928. During his early life, Garcia Marquez’s grandmother and grandfather told him many stories. His grandmother would tell him legends as if they were real. Garcia Marquez says that his grandmother’s way of storytelling later influenced his own methods.
When Garcia Marquez was about 20 years old, he left Aracataca and attended university in Bogota. He began studying law because this was what his father wanted him to study. However, Garcia Marquez was not happy.
During this time Garcia Marquez returned to Aracataca. It was on this visit that he realized he must stop studying law. And he recognized that he must return to the dream of his childhood-writing. For the next few years, Garcia Marquez wrote for many different newspapers. And in 1955, he published his first book called “Leaf Storm”.
For many years, Garcia Marquez knew he wanted to write about his grandfather’s house in Aracataca. To write this book, Garcia Marquez and his wife had to sell almost all of their possessions to survive. But their act was worth it. The book, “One Hundred Years of Solitude” was immediately successful. And this book created a path for Garcia Marquez’s future success.
In 1982, Gabriel Garcia Marquez was given the Nobel Prize in Literature for his book “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, making him the first Colombian and the fourth Latin American to win a Nobel Prize in Literature.Who influenced Garcia Marquez’s writing style?
| A．His grandfather. | B．His grandmother. |
| C．His father. | D．His wife. |
Garcia decided to take up writing .
| A．when he worked for a newspaper |
| B．under the influence of his family |
| C．when he graduated from college |
| D．after a visit to his hometown |
Garcia’s book “One Hundred Years of Solitude” .
| A．was written in the 1950s |
| B．enjoyed a quick success |
| C．helped Garcia lead a better life |
| D．was about Garcia’s grandfather |
What do we know from the text about Garcia Marquez?
| A．He is the first Latin American to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. |
| B．His book “Leaf Storm” marked his great success in literature. |
| C．He wrote for newspapers before publishing his own books. |
| D．He followed his father’s wish to become a writer. |
On Christmas morning, I went to the Cockhedge Mall. People there were all busy buying their last minute requirements. I needed to buy a birthday card for my son-in-law whose birthday is the 29th of December. Picking up a few more things as well as my card I went to join the line for the express checkout which was for people who only had a few items in a basket and not a trolley （小推车） load. This line was next to the Customer Service desk.
Seemingly waiting quite a long time, I was jogged out of my thoughts by a voice behind me making comments on the things I bought.
It was so funny when I realized that she was describing the contents of my basket. The owner of the voice was a very pretty young lady. I said to her that I was going to buy a box of Christmas cookies but the only ones left were not to my liking. The lady told me that just opposite Cockhedge in Superdrug they had lots of cookies. I said, “I’m not going to do it now . I had enough of shops and I’m going home. ”
The assistant from the Customer Service came across at this time saying “If there is anyone in the line with a few items in their basket, none of which needed to be weighed, I will check out what they buy at the desk.” Because I had the things which needed to be weighed, the young lady accepted the offer and walked away waving goodbye.
At last my turn came at the checkout. I was walking away when I met my new friend once again who handed me a beautiful box of Christmas cookies. With a big hug she said “Hope you have a lovely Christmas.” She had been into Superdrug to buy me the cookies while I was still queuing in Cockhedge.
What a generosity to a stranger! I was so surprised you could have knocked me down with a feather. My Good Samaritan would never know what a joyful Christmas day I had with my family. Telling them this story, as we ate around the table, kept everyone spellbound.The underlined word “spellbound” in the last paragraph probably means _______ .
| A．interested | B．disappointed |
| C．astonished | D．frightened |
Which of the following could be the best title of the story?
| A．A Piece of Lucky Feather |
| B．A Surprise Christmas Gift |
| C．The Boring Shopping Experience |
| D．The Unforgettable Big Hug |
How does the writer feel about the pretty young lady?
| A．Worried. | B．Satisfied. |
| C．Grateful. | D．Proud. |
What can we learn from the story?
| A．Nobody is sure what will happen the next moment. |
| B．A simple action can bring other people happiness. |
| C．Being patient will decrease the waiting time. |
| D．Life without hope and faith is a dull thing. |
Joker found one of the biggest diamonds in the world in his own backyard. He sold the stone to a diamond dealer for over three hundred thousand dollars. In New York, the diamond was resold，this time for almost eight hundred thousand dollars. The true value of a diamond is never known until it has been cut. Once cut successfully, its value can increase a thousand times. It’s easy to understand why the owner of the Joker diamond went to the best diamond cutter he knew, Kaplan. The cutter studied the diamond for twelve whole months.
When he felt he was ready to start work, he discovered a flaw （瑕疵）. He had to begin with his calculations all over again, or he might have made the stone useless. Six more months passed, and Kaplan finally said to the owner, “I am ready to start my work. There will be one excellent diamond that will be comparable to any in the world, plus eleven small diamonds of first-class quality. ” Kaplan waited a few more days until he felt he was in the best physical and mental （精神的） condition possible. He picked up his tools and held his breath as he made the first blow. The diamond split （切开） exactly as he promised.A diamond dealer is a person ______,
| A．in the diamond business | B．who stores diamonds |
| C．who cuts diamonds | D．who sells diamonds |
The owner of the Joker diamond thought that if the diamond was cut successfully, it might be worth ________.
| A．$300, 000 | B．$500, 000 |
| C．$300, 000, 000 | D．$800, 000, 000 |
Kaplan studied the diamond for ________.
| A．one year | B．more than half a year |
| C．over eighteen months | D．more than two years |
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