We’re trying to decide where to go on our vacation this summer. We usually go to the Lake Arrowhead for a few weeks, but we’d like to go somewhere else this year. We’re tired of doing the same thing summer after summer. Some friends of ours suggested that we go to Hawaii. That would be wonderful! I’m sure we’d enjoy a trip like that, but of course it’s out of the question. In the first place, it would be rather expensive, and in the second place, there wouldn’t be enough time. If we’re lucky enough to save some money between now and next summer, and if I’m lucky enough to get four weeks of vacation instead of two weeks, maybe we can go to Hawaii next year. As a matter of fact, if we wanted to plan a trip like that, it might be advisable to stay home this summer and not go any place. That’s one way we could begin to save some money for next year’s trip. Also, if we were to stay here, I could offer to work instead of taking two weeks off; then maybe my boss would suggest that I be given four weeks’ vacation next summer instead of two weeks.The author to spend their vacation this year.
| A．is going to Hawaii |
| B．will go to Lake Arrowhead |
| C．has decided to go nowhere |
| D．hasn’t decided where to go |
The sentence “it’s out of the question” means “ ”.
| A．it is possible | B．it is a question |
| C．it is impossible | D．it is not a question |
If the author wanted to make a trip to Hawaii, he might this year.
| A．save some money |
| B．stay at home |
| C．work rather than take two weeks off |
| D．all the above |
A trip to Hawaii that to Lake Arrowhead.
| A．costs much more than | B．costs as much as |
| C．takes less time than | D．takes as much time as |
When you are little, it’s not hard to believe you can change the world. I remember my enthusiasm when, at the age of 12, I addressed delegates at the Rio Earth Summit. “I am only a child,” I told them .“Yet I know that if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty and finding environment answers, what a wonderful place this would be. In school you teach us not to fight with others, to work things out, to respect others, to clean up our mess, not to hurt other creatures, to share, not to be greedy. Then why do you go out and do the thing you tell us not to do ? You grown-ups say you love us, but I challenge you, please, to make your actions reflect your words.”
I spoke for six minutes and received a standing ovation. Some of the delegates even cried. I thought that maybe I had reached some of them, that my speech might actually spur(激励) action. Now, a decade from Rio, after I’ve sat through many more conferences, I’m not sure what has been accomplished. My confidence in the people in power and in the power of an individual’s voice to reach them has been deeply shaken.
When I was little, the world was simple. But as a young adult, I’m learning that as we have to make choices — education, career, lifestyle — life gets more and more complicated. We are beginning to feel pressure to produce and be successful. We are taught that economic growth is in progress, but aren’t taught how to pursue a happy, healthy or sustainable(可持续的) way of living. And we are learning that what we wanted for the future when we were 12 was ideal and innocent.
Today I’m no longer a child, but I’m worried about what kind of environment my children will grow up in. I know change is possible, because I am changing, still figuring out what I think. I am still deciding how to live my life. The challenges are great, but if we accept individual responsibility and make sustainable choices, we will rise to the challenges, and we will become part of the positive tide of change.The purpose of what the writer said at the age of 12 was to _____.
| A．end poverty and make school beautiful |
| B．find environmental answers and keep the words that they always told themselves |
| C．end poverty and solve the problems about environment |
| D．find a wonderful place and clean it up |
What does the underlined word “ovation” in the second paragraph refer to _____.
| A．a long period of laughing |
| B．a warm welcome |
| C．an expression used for greeting |
| D．a long period of clapping and applause |
It becomes clear that the writer is possibly _____ now.
| A．in his teens |
| B．in his twenties |
| C．in his thirties |
| D．in his forties |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．the writer thinks what he thought at the age of 12 is mature. |
| B．the writer’s children will certainly live in an ideal environment. |
| C．the writer’s confidence in the people in power has deeply shaken their voice. |
| D．the writer’s belief does not change when he grows up. |
Most parents and teachers would get angry when they hear that teenagers listen to their iPods while preparing for exams. But pupils who listen to music when doing their homework may be, in fact, working hard.
Thirty three schools have downloaded specially written pop and rock songs for their 10,000 pupils who are studying for GCSE (初级毕业证书). The professionally recorded music, based on texts in English literature, teaches teenagers about themes in the GCSE curriculum (课程). Two young men set up “Revise”, the company that produced the songs, and worked with teachers to make sure the lyrics (歌词) reflected the curriculum. Some of the songs were written by Geraint Brown, a director, and they are performed by professional singers and musicians.
Songs for the GCSE science and maths lessons are also being developed in 36 schools. They have also started using the program, called, “LearnThruMusic”.
Dave Matthews, the head of Hawthorn High School in the South Wales valleys, said the program aimed at helping teenagers who are unwilling to study. He said, “There are lots of pupils who don’t have a high level of home support. It’s almost cool to say you have no need to find a support and we have got to change that. With this, they don’t have to be sitting at their desk at home. They can be outside, walking around or even listening to it on the bus, which is very convenient for them.” Everyone has a phone, MP3 or CD player, and they’re more likely to listen to these than pick up a book. “I think everyone would agree that music had an important influence on us when growing up. Both boys and girls are very good at remembering the words and dancing to the music in the charts. There’s no one thing that will successfully engage (使…产生兴趣) every child, and some of them will make little or no use of this. But the fact that they don’t have to do any extra work makes this a very good deal for a kid,” Dave Matthews added.The pop and rock songs used in 36 schools ________.
| A．were written for the students to relax themselves |
| B．made most parents and teachers angry |
| C．were specially written for hardworking students |
| D．were closely related to the curriculum |
Which benefit of the program is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．It saves students much extra work. |
| B．It offers different ways of learning. |
| C．It makes remembering easier. |
| D．It improves family support to kids. |
Which of the following can be inferred in the passage?
| A．The program is not expected to have equal effect on every student. |
| B．Some students used the song as an excuse for not reading textbooks. |
| C．It’s more difficult to create songs for science and maths lessons. |
| D．Students involved in the program needn’t go to school every day. |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Special-written Songs — A Reason Why Students Should Listen to IPods. |
| B．Special-written Songs — A New Way to Learn the Curriculum. |
| C．Special-written Songs — A Substitution for Textbooks. |
| D．Special-written Songs — Mothers’ New Concern. |
I got up and dressed, stuck my violin under my jacket, and went out into the street. I wandered about for an hour, looking for a likely place, feeling as if I were about to commit a crime. Then I stopped at last under a bridge near the station and decided to have a go.
I felt tense and shaking. I drew my violin from under my coat like a gun. It was here, in Southampton, with trains passing overhead, that I was about to prove myself.
The first notes I played were loud and raw, and then they settled down and began to run more smoothly and to stay more or less in tune. To my surprise I was neither arrested nor told to shut up. Indeed, nobody took any notice at all.
I walked the streets of Southampton for several days, gradually knowing how to try and get money by being a street artist. It was not a good thing, for instance, to let the hat fill up with money — the sight could discourage the people; nor was it wise to empty it completely, which could also confuse them, giving them no hint as to where to drop his money. Placing a couple of pennies in the hat to start the thing going soon became a good idea. Before I played another tune, I took off the big money, but always left two pennies behind.
Old ladies were most generous, and so were women with children, shop girls, and typists. As for the men: Heavy drinkers were always generous too and so were big young with muscles. But never a man with a hat, briefcase or dog; respectable types were the meanest of all, except retired army officers, who would bark “Why aren’t you working, young man?” and then threw much money into the hat to hide their confusion.The underlined phrase “have a go” in Paragraph 1 probably means ________.
| A．have a try | B．run away |
| C．change a place | D．commit a crime |
When the writer began to play the violin, he thought that ________.
| A．he could make a lot of money | B．he had chosen the wrong place |
| C．he would get into trouble | D．people would stop and listen to him |
According to the passage, the writer thought the best way of encouraging people to give a street-violinist money was to ________.
| A．let the hat fill up with money first |
| B．leave a small amount of money in the hat |
| C．make sure that the hat was always empty |
| D．choose the best place to play more smooth tunes |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Most of the ladies were willing to give him money. |
| B．Retired army officers seldom gave him money. |
| C．Drinkers were generous with their money. |
| D．Not all the people would feel pity for street-violinists. |
If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing(短暂的) thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy（哲学）. Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ________
| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
| C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D．attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students______
| A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
The passage is likely to appear in ___________.
| A．a biography | B．a history paper | C．a newspaper | D．a philosophy textbook |
Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy．After all，you probably sing or whistle when you are happy．
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy．However，they sing most of the time for a very different reason．Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory
Do you know what a“territory”is? A territory is an area that an animal，usually the male，claims(声称)as its own．Only he and his family are welcome there．No other families of the same species(物种)are welcome．Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome．If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you，you might shout．Probably this would be enough to frighten him away．
If so，you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him．A bird does the same thing．But he expects an outsider almost any time，especially at nesting(筑巢) season．So he is screaming all the time，whether he can see an outsider or not . This screaming is what we call a bird’s song，and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away．
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs．
You can see that birds have a language all their own．Most of it has something to do with attracting mates and setting up territories．Some scientists believe that most of the time birds’singing is actually ．
| A．a way of warning | B．an expression of happiness |
| C．an expression of anger | D．a way of greeting |
What is a bird’s“territory”?
| A．A place where families of other species are not accepted． |
| B．An area which a bird considers to be its own． |
| C．An area for which birds fight against each other． |
| D．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its Voice． |
Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?
| A．Because they want to invite more friends |
| B．Because they want to find outsiders around． |
| C．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away． |
| D．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears． |
How does the writer explain birds’ singing?
| A．By comparing birds with human beings． |
| B．By reporting experiment results． |
| C．By describing birds’ daily fife． |
| D．By telling a bird's story． |
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