When I was six, my mother placed me in a boarding home. For the next nine years, I never slept in a room that contained less than 30 other kids in it. So, when I was promoted to senior at the high school for my final year there, I had the greatest pleasure of rooming with just one other classmate, and the added feature of a semi-private bathroom.
We seniors also had the feature of walking around the campus in special hats, we called senior bonnets. So all the other kids would know we were the highest in the high school. As seniors, we frequently went on field trips outside the campus, including city museums, city hall, colleges and theatres. The highlight was a senior class trip to Washington, D.C., where we sat in on a session of Congress, visited the monument and many other government sites around the city.
Another benefit of being seniors was that many of us on athletic and other extra-curricular teams were elected to high ranking for the year. I had the honor and pleasure of being chosen captain of our state championship swim team, while my roommate was voted president of the drama club.
Graduation services were on a sunny day in June. Each of us had looked forward to this moment for ten years. Now we were going out on our own to complete freedom, and we should have been flooded with joy. However, to my surprise, I found myself crying, something I hadn’t done for years. I noticed many of my classmates usually proud of their macho guy(大男子气概) attitudes, were also wiping away tears. We knew we would never be together again as we were on that graduation day. Our senior year ended with deep feelings of sadness for our loss, as well as joy for our emerging into a new world beyond the school campus.
What made the author feel most pleasant after becoming a senior for his last year?
| A．He needn’t study in a boarding home from then on. |
| B．There would be at least 30 classmates in his class. |
| C．His best friend would share a room with him. |
| D．He would share a room with only one classmate. |
Why did the author and his classmates wear senior bonnets at campus?
| A．He could prove that they were from rich families. |
| B．They would be respected by the girls in his class. |
| C．Students of the lower grades would know their grades. |
| D．They would look fashionable and attractive. |
According to the author, what was the best activity for the seniors?
A. Walking around the campus in special hats
B. Making a senior class trip to Washington, D.C.
C. Going on field trips outside the campus
D. Joining athletic and other extra-curricular teams
The author and his classmates can’t help crying at graduation services as .
| A．their parents had marriage problems and were faced with divorce then |
| B．they were not admitted to their dreaming universities |
| C．he would say goodbye to his school and he would face new challenges |
| D．the headmaster gave a moving speech at the meeting |
Gift Idea
The other day I was shopping for Grandma when I realized I had no gift ideas at all．It was not a birthday gift or anything like that．It was simply sort of a hello gift．That is how we do things in my family．We don't really give gifts for special occasions．Instead, we occasionally just give presents to each other to tell other people that we are thinking about them．
That was why I wanted a gift for Grandma．But it was like my imagination had dried up． I have gone through all of the gift ideas in previous years, fruits, wines, cheeses, little handmade crafts, and anything else that you can give to a grandmother．I had even given her gift watches, and CDs．What else was there?
I have always found gift ideas for men a little bit easier than for women, because for men, you can always get the usual things, such as video games, power tools and things like that．With a woman's gift idea, however, you have to know more about her．You cannot just get someone a book or a CD．You have to know all about her taste in movies, music, and literature．
My grandmother likes to read a lot, but what she likes is always pretty popular．I didn't want to get her a book that she might not like, but I was running out of time．I needed a gift idea for this weekend and went to visit her．After all, I hadn't seen her for a long time．I wanted to give her a gift so she would not feel ignored．
Finally, I came up with the perfect gift idea．I made a collection of all the stories I had written in the past year．It wasn't a typical gift idea like a bunch of flowers, but it really worked in the situation．You see, I am a writer and my grandma has always been my fan．
Anyway, I had been learning about bookbinding recently, and had pretty much mastered the art．I figured that I would add a little bit of handmade artwork to the stories, bind it altogether, and give it to her．It took hours to complete, but it was well worth the effort．She absolutely loved it．The writer chose a gift for Grandma to _____．
| A．celebrate a special family occasion |
| B．please her during a weekend visit |
| C．congratulate her on her birthday |
| D．beg her pardon for ignoring her |
What gift did the writer finally decide to give his grandma?
| A．Gift watches． |
| B．A bunch of flowers． |
| C．Artwork made by hand． |
| D．Stories written by himself． |
How does the writer feel about giving gifts to women?
| A．Interesting． | B．Challenging． |
| C．Time-wasting． | D．Popular． |
We can learn from the passage that ______．
| A．the writer is a successful novelist |
| B．most people are particular about gifts |
| C．the writer's grandma has a good taste in art |
| D．the writer's family will give gifts on regular days |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
What does the underlined part "Congenital Heart Defect” refer to?
| A．An activity． | B．A disease． |
| C．A program． | D．A disability． |
Children aged 5 can take part in ______．
| A．Camp Bon Coeur |
| B．Girls' Summer Camp |
| C．Kidcam Summer Camp |
| D．Tulane University Ripples Camp |
Children taking part in Ripples Camp will ______．
| A．have the chance to try cooking |
| B．stay in the camp for two weeks |
| C．meet kids from across the world |
| D．have different camp places to choose from |
Discover the beautiful, silent, white world or Antarctica on the holidays of a life-time．Head South to Buenos Aires and then transfer to the world's most southern city, Ushuaia．From there, it's about 1,000 kilometers on a special icebreaker ship to the freezing temperature of Antarctica．
Getting off the ship and taking your first step onto the ice, you will imagine what it is like to be an explorer．Meet penguins（企鹅） sitting on their eggs, or see an Antarctic seal that lives all the year round on the ice．But do not get closer than five meters to any animal, in case you frighten it or make it angry．
The friendly crew of the ship will look after you as you explore the ice continent. We promise you fantastic meals and a comfortable bed — you sleep in a four-person cabin — as well as many special treats．If you don't think it is cold enough, try the ''polar plunge" — jump into a special hole dug in the ice and dip your head under the water．You can then jump into a hot bath and if you succeed we will give you a certificate．
After you wake up for the first time in the Antarctica you will understand why everybody who goes there falls in love with the place．The scenery is different every day because the sea ice is always moving．
Our ships travel to Antarctica from November to March — phone today and book your dream holiday!How should you behave when you see animals on Antarctica?
| A．Don't take photos with them． |
| B．Sit on the legs of the penguin． |
| C．Don't watch them too near． |
| D．Never make them angry． |
If you want to get a certificate, you have to ．
| A．try the "polar plunge" |
| B．sleep in a four-person cabin |
| C．have a bath in hot water |
| D．dive in the sea |
The author writes this text mainly to ．
| A．describe what Antarctica is like |
| B．tell about the scenery in Antarctica |
| C．call for people to discover Antarctica |
| D．attract more tourists to Antarctica |
Diana Jacobs thought her family had a workable plan to pay for college for her 21-year-old twin sons: a combination of savings, income, scholarships, and a modest amount of borrowing. Then her husband lost his job, and the plan fell apart.
“I have two kids in college, and I want to say ‘come home’, but at the same time I want to provide them with a good education.” says Jacobs.
The Jacobs family did work out a solution. They asked and received more aid from the schools, and each son increased his borrowing to the maximum amount through the federal loan (贷款) program. They will each graduate with $20,000 of debt, but at least they will be able to finish school.
With unemployment rising, financial aid administrators expect to hear more families like the Jacobs. More students are applying for aid, and more families expect to need student loans. College administrators are concerned that they will not have enough aid money to go around.
At the same time, tuition（学费）continues to rise. A report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that college tuition and fees increased 439% from 1982 to 2007, while average family income rose just 147%. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade.
“If we go on this way for another 25 years, we won’t have an affordable system of higher education,” says Patrick M. Callan, president of the center. “The middle class families have been financing it through debt. They will send kids to college whatever it takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt.”
Financial aid administrators have been having a hard time as many companies decide that student loans are not profitable enough and have stopped making them. The good news, however, is that federal loans account for about three quarters of student borrowing, and the government says that money will flow uninterrupted.How did the Jacobs manage to solve their problem?
| A．They asked their kids to come home. |
| B．They borrowed $20,000 from the school. |
| C．They encouraged their twin sons to do part-time jobs. |
| D．They got help from the school and the federal government. |
Financial aid administrators believe that .
| A．more families will face the same problem as the Jacobs |
| B．the government will receive more letters of complaint |
| C．college tuition fees will double soon |
| D．America’s unemployment will fall |
What can we learn about the middle class families from the text?
| A．They blamed the government for the tuition increase. |
| B．Their income remained steady in the last decade. |
| C．They will try their best to send kids to college. |
| D．Their debts will be paid off within 25 years. |
According to the last paragraph, the government will .
| A．provide most students scholarships |
| B．dismiss some financial aid administrators |
| C．stop the companies from making student loans |
| D．go on providing financial support for college students |
Homestay provides English language students with the opportunity to speak English outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a British home．
What to Expect
The host will provide accommodation and meals．Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week．You will be given the house key and the host is there to offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health．
Accommodation Zones
Homestays are located in London mainly in Zones 2, 3 and 4 of the transport system. Most hosts do not live in the town center as much of central London is commercial and not residential(居住的). Zones 3 and 4 often offer larger accommodation in a less crowed area. It is very convenient to travel in London by Underground．
Meal Plans Available
◇Continental Breakfast
◇Breakfast and Dinner
◇Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner
It’s important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast．Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice, cereal（谷物类食品），bread and tea or coffee．Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not normally part of a Continental Breakfast in England．Dinners usually consist of meat or fish with vegetables followed by dessert, fruit and coffee．
Friends
If you wish to invite a friend over to visit, you must first ask your host’s permission．You have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of their privacy．
Self-Catering Accommodation in Private Homes
Accommodation on a room-only basis includes shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and often a main living room．This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestyle and is more suitable for the long-stay student．However, it does not provide the same family atmosphere as an ordinary homestay and may not benefit those who need to practise English at home quite as much．The passage is probably written for .
| A．hosts willing to receive foreign students |
| B．foreigners hoping to build British culture |
| C．travelers planning to visit families in London |
| D．English learners applying to live in English homes |
Which of the following will the host provide?
| A．Room cleaning． |
| B．Medical care． |
| C．Free transport． |
| D．Physical training． |
What can be inferred from Paragraph3?
| A．Zone 4 is more crowded than Zone 2． |
| B．The business centre of London is in Zone1． |
| C．Hosts dislike travelling to the city centre． |
| D．Accommodation in the city center is not provided. |
Why do some people choose self-catering accommodation?
| A．To experience a warmer family atmosphere． |
| B．To enrich their knowledge of English. |
| C．To entertain friends as they like． |
| D．To enjoy much more freedom． |
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