Getting into university is hard enough at the best of times—but when your chosen institution is a work of fiction you’re really up against. And that’s why this young joker’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) application to Hogwarts University was unsuccessful.
But the admissions services’ response to the young man is still funny.
The unnamed A-Level student wrote a handwritten note to UCAS asking for a place studying ‘Wandology’ at the Harry Potter school.
In the application, he was proud of his skills in “wearing a pointy hat” and “Watching Paul Daniels TV Specials”.
UCAS replied, “We regret to inform you that your application to the stated university cannot be processed at this time for the fact that it does not exist.
“After consultation with our mystic (神秘学的) advisors we have also determined that even if it did exist, the course ‘Wandology’ would be highly in demand and thus require at least two As and a B in any of the following subjects:
Advanced Spellcrafting
Mystimatics
Defence Against the Dark Arts
History of the Mysticism
Shaft Design
“Your handwritten grade sheet claiming top marks in ‘Waving a stick about’, ‘Wearing a pointy hat’ and ‘Watching Paul Daniels TV Specials’ sadly is not suitable for admission, however, by applying through clearing you may be suitable for a selection of Liberal Arts courses.”
“Or, you may wish to resubmit next year by tying your letter to an owl (猫头鹰) and hoping for the best.
“On behalf of UCAS I wish you every success.”What do we know about the underlined word “Wandology” according to the passage?
| A．It is a course that is highly in demand in universities. |
| B．It is a course that does not exist now in real life. |
| C．It is a course that can be applied by anyone. |
| D．It is a course that is forbidden by UCAS. |
What can be inferred in the UCAS’s reply?
| A．Applying for a university is the hardest thing even in the best times. |
| B．The young student will probably start to raise an owl for the next year. |
| C．UCAS may approve the young student’s application for Liberal Arts courses. |
| D．In the end the young student succeeded in applying for Hogwarts University. |
Where may this passage be found?
| A．In a magic magazine. | B．In a history book. |
| C．In a science fiction. | D．In a newspaper. |
Donald was not very good at maths. He could not understand the teacher’s explanations. Even when the teacher explained something a second time, Donald still could not understand it. “Never mind,” Donald told himself. “I’m quite good at other subjects. I’ll cheat in the maths exam, then I won’t be in trouble.”
“I will sit next to the boy who’s best at maths,” he thought, “and copy down his answers.” The day of the exam came, and Donald sat next to Brian Smith, who always was at the top of the class in maths. Donald carefully copied Brian’s answers onto his own exam paper. At the end of the exam, the teacher collected the papers and graded them. Then she said, “Well, boys and girls. I’ve decided to give a prize to the student who got the highest grade. However, it’s difficult for me to decide who to give the prize to, because two students, Doanld and Brian, got the same grade.”
“Let them share it,” one of the other students said.
“I have thought about that,” the teacher said, “but I have decided to give the prize to Brian.” Donald was angry when he heard this. He stood up and said. “That is not fair. I got the same grade as Brian.” “That is true,” the teacher said. “However, Brian’s answer to Question 18 was ‘I don’t know,’ while yours was ‘Neither do I.’”Donald decided to cheat in the maths exam because_________.
| A．he was always at the top of the class in maths |
| B．he understood the questions |
| C．he was not very good at maths |
| D．the maths teacher did not explain the questions carefully |
Donald got a high grade in maths because __________
| A．maths was his best subject |
| B．the questions were easy |
| C．he copied from another boy |
| D．the teacher explained the questions carefully |
Donald got the same grade as Brian because _________.
| A．both boys were good at maths |
| B．Donald cheated |
| C．Brian copied Donald’s answers |
| D．the question were very easy |
The teacher knew it was Donald who cheated because _______.
| A．his answers were the same as Brian’s |
| B．he wrote “I don’t know” as an answer |
| C．he got the same wrong answers as Brian |
| D．he wrote the words “Neither do I” |
Why was he angry when Donald heard that the teacher would give a prize to Brian?
| A．Because he got the same grade as Brian. |
| B．Because Brian copied him. |
| C．Because the teacher didn’t know Donald’s answers. |
| D．Because he cheated in the maths exam. |
My mother loves flowers. As soon as warm weather comes around, you will find her planting, watering and weeding over everything .For many years we lived next door to each other, and she spent as much time in my garden as she did her own. After the flowers became plentiful each summer, she would cut colorful bouquets(花束)to enjoy inside the house—both hers and mine . I would often come home from work and find a beautiful arrangement(布置)of fresh flowers on my coffee table.
Shortly before Christmas one year, a local flower shop offered a bouquet-a-month special. It seemed to be a great way to thank her for all of the flowers she had given me through the years.
After the holidays, in early January, I drove her to the flower shop to pick up her first month’s bouquet. the small fresh colorful bouquet would hardly fill a small vase(花瓶).
I was so embarrassed(尴尬的).However, after we returned home, she began to arrange the flowers she had received.“Mom, I’m sorry, ”I told her.“I can’t believe how skimpy that bouquet is.”She looked at me and smiled.“It’s okay,”she said“It allows me to better enjoy the beauty of each one.”
Mom’s words helped me to realize something bigger and more important—when we have too many good things, we often fail to enjoy the beauty of each one.
Thanks, Mom ,for helping me understand that less is sometimes more.According to paragraph 1 ,which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The author’s mother put fresh flowers on the author’s coffee table. |
| B．The author used to buy some fresh flowers on her way home. |
| C．The author’s mother usually bought flowers for her daughter. |
| D．The author and her mother shared a beautiful garden. |
The author bought her mother flowers to_______.
| A．celebrate the coming Christmas |
| B．express thanks for all her mother’s done |
| C．bring more flowers to her mother’s garden |
| D．arrange her mother’s new house |
The underlined word“skimpy”in Paragraph 4 means_______.
| A．beautiful | B．colorful |
| C．cheap | D．small |
What did the author learn from her mother?
| A．How to grow flowers. |
| B．How to arrange flowers |
| C．Enjoying life if possible |
| D．Considering things in other ways. |
I was sleeping in my room when my bed started shaking and a loud noise was heard. I woke up and my mom was screaming my name. Next moment I was running along with my younger sister, mom and dad. Before I ran out of the door, I realized my elder sister hadn’t come out yet. So I screamed her name at the top of my voice. My mom said she had gone to her class. Then the four of us, along with many others, were running on the staircase. We lived on the seventh floor, so I thought we would not be able to make it and the building would fall before we managed to reach even the fourth floor. My dad’s head was injured by something falling down. I did try to put my hand over his head. When we reached the sixth floor, the building split into two. We had no way to get down.
The next thing I remember is silence. There were around 30 people on the staircase and none could react. Five minutes later, someone opened the door of the sixth-floor flat. We all went in. we were wondering how we would get down. From the balcony of the sixth-floor flat, I saw people standing on the ground floor. All eyes were stuck on us. I could see my elder sister crying.
Our first hope of surviving came when a worker climbed a rope to where we were. That was ,the first time we thought maybe we could get down. Half an hour passed and we were still trapped. Finally RSS people arrived with ropes. They got people down one by one. My biggest worry was how my dad would get down. Finally after two and a half hours, we all got down.
That day we saw the power of nature. It has taken more than two years to build the flats and it took just one and a half minutes to destroy the structure.What is this passage mainly about?
| A．Ways to survive an earthquake. |
| B．Reasons why earthquakes happen. |
| C．The love of parents in an earthquake. |
| D．The writer’s experience in an earthquake |
When the building split into two, the writer and his/her family_______.
| A．were still sleeping |
| B．were trapped on the sixth floor |
| C．were looking for a family member |
| D．were running from the seventh floor to the sixth floor |
The first time the writer thought they would probably survive was when_______.
| A．the writer was encouraged by people on the ground floor |
| B．someone opened the door of the sixth-floor flat |
| C．a worker climbed up on a rope |
| D．RSS people arrived with ropes |
The earthquake made the writer realize that_______.
| A．there is always hope for people |
| B．the power of nature is really great |
| C．natural disasters can happen any time |
| D．human beings are strong in natural disasters |
Would you like to discover all the corners of the UK, or travel abroad? Maybe you have never tried the motorhome (旅宿车) lifestyle before. Well, read this article and you will know why a motorhome is a good choice.
Nothing is better than a motorhome. It has so many uses that it is considered the most versatile vehicle(交通工具)and it is also very comfortable. If you are thinking about hiring a motorhome this summer, then the best advice is to book it early, especially if you are considering the school holidays. The motorhome hire service is very seasonal and motorhome hire companies will never have extra vehicles available in the summer months.
There are a lot of companies throughout the UK, and some of the big ones have motorhomes spread all over the country. At present, the largest network for motorhome hire is provided by Motorhome which is based in Cambridge. If you are in the UK , you may phone 0800-612-8719 for details of its motorhome hire information. Motorhome has a network of over 500 vehicles all over England, Scotland and Wales.
Most people wishing to hire a motorhome are families that are looking for an alternative(替代品)to a European package holiday, especially as flying now has become more expensive, and is considered to be environmentally unfriendly. There is no doubt that the idea of no-fly holidays is going to become more popular as fewer people think it is safe to fly. This explains why more and more people are choosing to hire a motorhome for their holidays.This passage is written to explain why it is a good idea to_______
| A．take an adventure | B．travel to England |
| C．try a new lifestyle | D．hire a motorhome |
What does the underlined word“versatile”in paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．Large and comfortable. | B．Fast and exciting |
| C．Having a lot of uses. | D．Having a lot of fun. |
Why should you book a motohome early if you want to book one for this summer?
| A．Because booking early is much cheaper. |
| B．Because summer is usually a very busy season. |
| C．Because you can arrange your time better. |
| D．Because students usually book them to earn money. |
The last paragraph tells us the advantages of hiring a motorhome by_______.
| A．telling us a story |
| B．giving detailed data |
| C．comparing it with flying |
| D．showing the results of a study |
What is language for? Some people seem to think it’s for practicing grammar rules and learning lists of words---the longer the lists, the better. That’s wrong. Language is for the exchange(交流)of ideas and information. It’s meaningless knowing all about a language if you can’t use it freely. Many students I have met know hundreds of grammar rules, but they can’t speak correctly or fluently(流利地).They are afraid of making mistakes. One shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language. Native speakers make mistakes and break rules, too. Bernard Shaw once wrote,“Foreigners often speak English too correctly.” But the mistakes that native speakers make are different from those that Chinese students make. They’re English mistakes in the English language. And if enough native speakers break a rule, it is no longer a rule. What used to be wrong becomes right. People not only make history, they also make language. But a people can only make its own language. It can’t make another people’s language. So Chinese students should pay attention to grammar, but they shouldn’t overdo(做过头)it. They should put communication(交际)first.Language is used to_______.
| A．express oneself |
| B．practice grammar rules |
| C．talk with foreigners only |
| D．learn lists of words |
Generally , when an American or an Englishman speaks English, he or she_______.
| A．never makes mistakes |
| B．often makes mistakes |
| C．can’t avoid making mistakes |
| D．always makes mistakes |
The underlined sentence“Foreigners often speak English too correctly.”means that“_______”.
| A．Foreigners speak correct English |
| B．Foreigners speak incorrect English |
| C．Foreigners speak English according to the grammar rules |
| D．Foreigners never make mistakes when they speak English |
When we speak a foreign language, we should_______.
| A．speak in a Chinese way |
| B．speak by the rules |
| C．speak to native speakers |
| D．not be afraid of making mistakes |
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