Watson entered Mr Smith’s office. The boss was a hard man. He fired people who didn’t do well without giving them a second chance.

“Watson,” said Mr Smith, “this past year your department (部门)hasn’t earned money. We’re going to drop that department. It’s finished. I’m sorry but you’ll have to go.” “But sir, if I just had a little more time. For the moment I need the job to keep my son at Riverside School.”

“What’s that?” said the boss. “Riverside! I didn’t know you had a boy there. That’s an expensive school for a man with your salary.”

“I know, sir. But he likes it there so much! He’s a star athlete and the best boxer in the school. The boys call him Champ(冠军) there.”

The boss sat perfectly still for a long time—a faraway(恍惚的)look in his eyes. Then, suddenly, he said,“We’ve got to close your department, Watson. But you’ll take over a new job in another department. It means longer hours may be more pay. Now get out. You’re here for life.”

Watson got out, with surprise on his face. Then the boss took a letter from the top drawer of his desk. It was Herbie’s last letter from Riverside School—written a few days before he died. He had read it over and over again with sick pain. The letter read:

I can’t say the boys here are any nicer to me than the others were. I guess it’s the same everywhere when you’re a cripple（跛脚的人）. But don’t worry about me, Dad. They’ve got a good chemistry department here. And there’s one boy here who is really great. He’s a track star and boxing champ and just tops in chemistry. The boys call him Champ. He made them stop throwing my books around. And he knocked a boy down who hit me. He is the best friend I ever had. Dad, when I grow up, I want to do something for Champ. Something big—that he won’t even know about.

Your son,

Herbie

21．Mr Smith wanted to fire Watson because          .

A．Watson would take over a new job in another department

B．Watson had his son study in Riverside School

C．Watson’s department didn’t earn money that year

D．Watson’s son knocked a boy down who hit Herbie

22．We can learn from the text that          .

A．Mr Smith was told not to fire Watson by Herbie

B．Mr Smith didn’t know that Champ was Watson’s son at first

C．Mr Smith decided to give Watson another chance right away

D．Mr Smith wanted to realize Champ’s dream

23．According to the text, which words can best describe Mr Smith?

A．Selfish and greedy.                              B．Sympathetic and grateful

C．Hard-working and strict.                      D．Easy-going and friendly.

24．The author wrote the text in order to          .

A．share a moving story with us                B．make our children enjoy life

C．provide us with tips on work                D．help us to deal with our boss

The night is clear and the air is crisp.    31    falls gently on the ground. Tonight is Christmas Eve. Off in the    32    I hear the voice of approaching carolers (唱圣歌者). I quickly close the door    33    the sounds of Christmas. Tonight is just too    34    as I think of “Christmas Without Them”.

    Is Christmas ever the same when we are without our    35    ones? The traditions I have loved since childhood have changed into something new and

   36   . As an adult, I find myself with feelings of a child, frightened and

   37   . I have no parent to    38    me. Tears flow and I feel my heart

   39   . Sometimes, I find myself standing in the midst (在…当中) of

   40    with tears running down my cheeks.
    I spot the shoppers who try not to stare, while others, forgetting they are strangers, stop to offer a smile of understanding. I begin to realize I am not alone with these types of feelings. All of a sudden the    41    come flooding in.

    How    42    I am to have such wonderful memories of my wonderful

   43    and the times we shared together. Just as    44    as the memories brought tears the same memories appeared again to spread    45   . Memories have a way of making the    46    bearable (可忍受的). I remember. I smile.

My thoughts are once again returned to the children. Their sounds of singing grow    47   . I open my door to find their half-frozen faces, smiling    48  

at me.

    Christmas without them may never be the same, but, from out of the darkness

   49    memories flood my heart. I can almost hear my parents’ voices telling me the story of this most holy night. Like a message from above, I listen as the

   50    sing, “Sleep in heavenly peace”.

In a time when ivory poaching（偷猎）has gotten so bad that it threatens to wipe out several animal species,a young Dutch designer is creating "egalitarian（平等主义）jewelry" made of our very own ivory—teeth.

Lucie Majerus got the idea for her "human ivory" collection after having her wisdom teeth removed.She kept them and soon realized they would make great material for a jewelry collection."Why wouldn't we value our own material instead of the precious material from other species?And what if we mine our own ivory and turn it into pearls?"she asks.

Her own teeth became a ring,but in order to create a whole collection,she needed more material,and since having more of her teeth removed wasn't a very pleasant choice,she asked her dentist to save his patient's unwanted teeth.Most people choose not to keep their pulled teeth,so they are usually donated to dentistry schools.Majerus also received the lost teeth of two of-her teachers at Design Academy Eindhoven,so she had a nice supply of human ivory to experiment with.

To turn human teeth into attractive pieces of jewelry,Lucie Majerus first bleaches（漂白）them,and then uses a stone polishing machine to shape the teeth into various shapes.

Majerus displayed her human ivory jewelry collection at this year's Dutch Design Week,and claims that people's reaction was mostly positive."Surprisingly,most people aren't frightened at the sight of the jewelry,but really like the idea,"Majerus told Fast Co Design."Some regret that they didn't keep their tooth at the dentist and some,who will have teeth taken out soon,are now looking forward to it."

5. When did Majerus get the idea of collecting human ivory?

A. After she bought a ring.

B. Before her wisdom teeth appeared.学科...

C. Before she was lacking in pearls.

D. After her wisdom teeth were pulled out.

6. Seeing Majerus's human ivory jewelry collection,most people felt     .

A. frightened    B. interested

C. sad    D. curious

7. It can be inferred from the text that     .

A. Majerus is the first woman to create jewelry using human teeth

B. other species' teeth are more precious than human teeth

C. most people don't like keeping their pulled teeth at home

D. Majerus's teachers objected to her experiments with teeth

8. What may be the best title for the text?

A. Elephants and Ivory

B. Human Ivory Jewelry

C. A Designer Removed Her Teeth

D. The Weakenesses of Human Teeth

How Helping Others Benefits You

Everyone wants to lead a happy and fulfilling life, so it’s natural to want to put yourself and your health first! However, helping other people can also directly help you at the same time.

       Here are a few ways that helping others can benefit you:

1. Attract more back to you

       When you give, you’re more likely to receive. You don’t necessarily need to keep the receiving in mind when you decide to give, but nature may just take its course.    66      Maybe you’ll come across some good fortune.

2. Bring you a good feeling

       If you volunteer your time to help others, you’re sharing your blessings with those less fortunate, which is a wonderful gift to give! You’ll likely return home after volunteering with a smile on your face.     67   

3. Heighten self-esteem

When you help others, you may be helping yourself to a heightened self-esteem. A positive result for your good deeds enables you to feel pride in your accomplishments.     68        

4.     69   

       After you’ve done something nice, you may also find that your confidence increases. The fact that your helpful acts have turned out so positive might lead you to the confidence you need in your own life.

5. Be more positive about your own situation

       Sometimes you’ll find that you’re your own worst critic. You might accept the faults of others, but you may be less likely to accept your own. Helping others can help you to accept your own situation and your own faults.     70    

       Seek out opportunities, today, to help others. You’ll be glad you did!

A. Strengthen confidence.

B. Make a difference.

C. It may help you to start seeing everything in a more positive light.

D. Maybe a friend will unexpectedly return a favor.

E. It also builds confidence in bigger and better things.

F. Just by completing a giving act, you receive positive feelings in your life.

G. It makes you feel surprised to know that you’ve made a difference in the world.

 The money he spent within a month _____ more than 1,000 dollars.

A. added          B. added to        C. added up to      D. was added to

   Papa, as a son of a dirt-poor farmer, left school early and went to work in a factory, for education was for the rich then. So, the world became his school. With great interest, he read everything he could lay his hands on, listened to the town elders and learned about the world beyond his tiny hometown. "There's so much to learn," he'd say. "Though we're born stupid, only the stupid remain that way. " He was determined that none of his children would be denied (拒绝) an education.

　　Thus, Papa insisted that we learn at least one new thing each day. Though, as children, we thought this was crazy, it would never have occurred to us to deny Papa a request. And dinner time seemed perfect for sharing what we had learned. We would talk about the news of the day; no matter how insignificant（微不足道的), it was never taken lightly. Papa would listen carefully and was ready with some comment, always to the point.

　　Then came the moment—the time to share the day's new learning.

　　Papa, at the head of the table, would push back his chair and pour a glass of red wine, ready to listen.

　　"Felice," he'd say, "tell me what you learned today. "

　　"I learned that the population of Nepal is .... "

　　Silence.

　　Papa was thinking about what was said, as if the salvation（拯救）of the world would depend upon it. "The population of Nepal. Hmm. Well…" he'd say. "Get the map; let's see where Nepal is. " And the whole family went on a search for Nepal.

　　This same experience was repeated until each family member had a turn. Dinner ended only after we had a clear understanding of at least half a dozen such facts.

　　As children, we thought very little about these educational wonders. Our family, however, was growing together, sharing experiences and participating in one another's education. And by looking at us, listening to us, respecting our input, affirming（肯定) our value, giving us a sense of dignity（体面), Papa was unquestionably our most influential teacher.

　　Later during my training as a future teacher, I studied with some of the most famous educators. They were imparting (传授) what Papa had known all along—the value of continual learning. His technique has served me well all my life. Not a single day has been wasted, though I can never tell when knowing the population of Nepal might prove useful.

21. What do we know from the first paragraph?

　　A. The author's father was born in a worker's family.

　　B. Those born stupid could not change their life.

　　C. The town elders wanted to learn about the world.

　　D. The poor could hardly afford school education.

22. The underlined word "it" in the second paragraph refers to "

　　A. one new thing          B. a request                  C. the news                 D. some comment

23. It can be learned from the passage that the author _______ .

　　A. enjoyed talking about news

　　B. knew very well about Nepal

　　C. felt regret about those wasted days

　　D . appreciated his father's educational technique

24. What is the greatest value of "dinner time" to the author?

　　A. Continual learning.                                       B. Showing talents.

　　C. Family get-together.                                     D. Winning Papa's approval.

What if you arrived home to find a delicious hot meal waiting for you, prepared by your very own kitchen robot? It might sound like science fiction, but professors at the university of Tokyo have taken the first steps toward making that scenario a reality. The team recently introduced a humanoid kitchen robot that can pour tea and other drinks into cups and serve them to guests. When teatime is over, the robot can also wash the dishes and put them away.

In California, another interesting kitchen robot has been developed, called Readybot. It can pick up objects and either store them in cabinets (橱柜) or put them in the trash. It also carries a separate floor-cleaning robot that can operate by itself. Unlike the Japanese robot, Readybot just looks more like a large box with arms and wheels.

Readybot was created by engineers and designers who established a club called the Readybot Challenge. They believe that in the future millions of robots will be needed in homes to perform ordinary household tasks. Readybot is just the first step in their plan to create a robot that can do jobs not only in kitchens but in other rooms of homes and in offices as well.

Clearly there are technological difficulties to solve before robots can cook a complete there are also many safety concerns (忧虑). Not everyone (especially parents) would be comfortable with the idea of robots in their house, manipulating hot pans and sharp knives. The European Commission recently funded (资助) a project to study these concerns. According to lead researcher Professor Chris Melhuish, “Enabling robots to work safely with humans is a key need for the future development of robotics.”

29. Compared with Readybot, which of the following is true about the Japanese robot?

A. It is more popular.                        B. It performs more jobs.

C. It moves more quickly.                 D. It looks more like a person.

30. What can Readybot be used to do?

A. drive you afround   B. clean your kitchen  C. prepare food for you            D. work for office workers

31. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “manipulating” in the last paragraph?

A. Inventing.                B. Avoiding.                 C. Controlling.                    D. Making.

—Mom, I’m going to the graduation dance tonight but I don’t think I look attractive enough.

—Oh, darling, don’ t worry. ________.

A. They don’t know what beauty is    B. Nobody will care about it

C. You look perfect the way you are    D. Impossible is nothing

Everyone has got two personalities—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don't show your secret personality when you're awake because you can control your behavior, but when you're asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.

If you go to sleep on your back, you're a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don't like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You're quite shy and you aren't very confident.  

If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive（不坦率的）person. You worry a lot and you're always easily upset. You're very stubborn（顽固的）, but you aren't very ambitious. You usually live for today not for tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.

If you sleep curled up（卷曲）, you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you're often defensive. You're shy and you don't normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You're easily hurt.  

If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You're usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don't often get depressed. You always say what you think even if it annoys people.

60. According to the writer，you naturally show your secret and real personality _______.

A. only in a normal night

B. only when you go to sleep

C. only when you refuse to show yourself to the world

D. only when you change sleeping position

61. Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used to sleeping on his or her stomach？

A. He or she is careful not to offend(冒犯) others.

B. He or she doesn't want to stick to his or her opinion.

C. He or she can't be successful in any business.

D. He or she likes to bring others happiness.

62. Maybe you don't want to make friends with a person who sleeps curled up. Why？

A. He or she would rather be alone than communicate with you.

B. He or she is rarely ready to help you.

C. He or she prefers staying at home to going out.

D. He or she wouldn't like to get help from you.

63. It appears that the writer tends to think highly of the person who sleeps on one side because __________.

A. he or she always shows pity for people

B. he or she is confident，but not stubborn

C. he or she has more strengths than weaknesses

D. he or she often considers annoying people

 --- Here __________!

--- Here __________ with a young lady.

A.      comes my brother; comes he

B.      my brother comes; he comes

C.     comes my brother; he comes

D.     my brother comes; comes he

61.For three days the water in the village wells _____(上升) and fell.

62.The dead body of a person used to be ______(埋葬) under the earth.

63.It’s not _____(可靠的) to judge a man only by his looks.

64.He has eight _____(律师) to help him and they examines every letter carefully.

65.The lift was out of order and two persons were ______(使陷入困境) in it.

66.A _____(系列) of events happened recently in our city.

67.I have got a very full ______(时间表，日程表) today.

68.Tom prefers reading ______ talking.

69.It is I who _____(be) going to help you.

70.He asked me if I had any trouble _____ my English.

71.The smoke made the room ______(dirt).

72.He has devoted his whole life to _____(write).

73.The boss to ______ Mary turned for help is a kind man.

74.The building ______ stands by the river is our school.

75.The days are gone _____ the working people suffered from cold and hunger.

A common overbooking problem on a United Airlines flight on Sunday ended with a man being bloodied and dragged from his seat and an already troubled airline earning more bad press. How did it all go so wrong?

Overbooking on flights happens all the time. Empty seats cost airlines money, so they offset(抵消) the number of passengers who miss flights by selling too many tickets. In this case, the problem arose because United decided at the last minute to fly four members of staff to a connection point and needed to bump four passengers to make way for them.

When there’s an overbooking issue the first step is to offer an inducement to the passengers to take a later flight. On Sunday passengers were offered $400, a hotel room for the night, and a flight the following afternoon. When no-one took the offer, the amount was upped to $800. Still no-one bit, so a manager boarded the flight and informed passengers that four people would be selected to leave the flight.

That selection is based on several factors, but frequent fliers and higher fare-paying passengers are given priority to stay aboard, a spokeswoman for United confirmed.

A couple who were selected agreed to leave the plane voluntarily. A third passenger, reportedly the wife of the man who was forcibly removed, also agreed. The man, who said he was a doctor and had to see patients in the morning, refused. An airline manager told him that security would be called if he did not obey. their conversation ended with the man being yanked from his seat onto the floor and dragged off, blood visible on his face.

United Airlines CEO said the airline would review the event and reach out to the passenger, but the spokeswoman could not confirm whether United was in touch with him yet.

1.  Why does overbooking on flights always occur?

A. United bumped four passengers to spare seats for its staff.

B. Airlines expect to earn as much money as possible.

C. Airlines want to make up for a loss of empty seats.

D. It happens by accident.

2. What can we inferred about the selection mentioned in the text?

A. People are selected at random by the computer.

B. Frequent fliers will never be asked to leave.

C. The selected doctor may be the low fare-paying passengers or not a frequent flier.

D. The selected passengers will be offered no money.

3.  Which of the following statements about four passengers is true?

A. Four people were directly selected to leave at first.

B. The couple of the doctor agreed to leave voluntarily.

C. The doctor was dragged off without any hurt.

D. The doctor refused to leave because he had to see his patient next morning.

4.  What does the underlined part “reach out to” in Paragraph 6 refers to?

A. Get in contact with       B. Make up for    C. Apologize to        D. Team up with

The football player passed the ball to one of his teammates, __________ kicked the ball into the net.

A. that           B. which               C. whose              D. who

 Unless you change your ______ towards your studies, you won’t make any progress, I believe.

A. point                B. idea             C. sight            D. attitude

 In ancient Egypt，the pharaoh(法老)treated the poor message runner like a prince when he arrived at the palace，if he brought good news. However，if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring the pharaoh unhappy news，his head was cut off.

Shades of that spirit spread over today’s conversations. Once a friend and I packed up some peanut butter and sandwiches for an outing. As we walked light-heartedly out the door，picnic basket in hand，a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said，“Oh boy，bad day for a picnic. The weatherman says it’s going to rain.” I wanted to strike him on the face with the peanut butter and sandwiches. Not for his stupid weather report，for his smile.

Several months ago I was racing to catch a bus. As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the Greyhound counter，the sales agent said with a broad smile，“Oh，that bus left five minutes ago.” Dreams of head cutting!

It’s not the news that makes someone angry. It’s the unsympathetic attitude with which it’s delivered. Everyone must give bad news from time to time，and winning professionals do it with the proper attitude. A doctor advising a patient that she needs an operation does it in a caring way. A boss informing an employee he didn’t get the job takes on a sympathetic tone. Big winners know，when delivering any bad news，they should share the feeling of the receiver.

Unfortunately，many people are not aware of this. When you’re tired from a long flight，has a hotel clerk cheerfully said that your room isn’t ready yet？When you had your heart set on the toast beef，has your waiter merrily told you that he just served the last piece？It makes you as traveler or diner want to land your fist right on their unsympathetic faces.

Had my neighbor told me of the upcoming rainstorm with sympathy，I would have appreciated his warning. Had the Greyhound salesclerk sympathetically informed me that my bus had already left，I probably would have said，“Oh，that’s all right. I’ll catch the next one.” Big winners，when they bear bad news，deliver bombs with the emotion the bombarded(被轰炸的)person is sure to have.

8．In Paragraph 1，the writer tells the story of the pharaoh to________.

A．make a comparison　　　　　　B．introduce a topic

C．describe a scene               D．offer an argument

9．In the writer’s opinion，his neighbor was________.

A．friendly        B．warm-hearted    C．not helpful   D．not considerate

10．What is the main idea of the text?

A．Helping others sincerely is the key to business success.

B．Delivering bad news properly is important in communication.

C．Receiving bad news requires great courage.

D．Learning ancient traditions can be useful.

 _______ a decision is made, all of us should stick to it.

   A. While      B. Once     C. Though     D. Even if

 You can’t imagine the effect _____ computer games _____ on the children.

   A. which; make    B. that; have     C. /; get    D. where; give

  “Did you hear what happened to Adam Last Friday?”Lindsey whispers to Tori.

   With her eyes shining,Tori brags，“You bet I did,Sean told me two days ago.”

   Who are Lindsey and Tori talking about?It just happened to be yours truly,Adam Freedmam,I can tell you that what they are saying is (a) not nice and (b) not even true.Still,Lindsey and Tori aren’t very different from most students here at Linton High School,including me.Many of our conversations are gossip(闲话).I have noticed three effects of gossip:it can hurt people,it can give gossipers a strange kind of satisfaction,and it can cause social pressures in a group.

  An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about.Usually,gossip spreads information about a topic-breakups,trouble at home,even dropping out-that a person would rather keep secret.The more embarrassing or shameful the secret is,the juicier the gossip it makes.Probably the worst type of gossip is the absolute lie.People often think of gossipers as harmless,but cruel lies can cause pain.

  If we know that gossip can be harmful,then why do so many of us do it?The answer lies in another effect of gossip:the satisfaction it gives us.Sharing the latest rumor(传言)can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others don’t.Similarly,hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the “in group.”In other words,gossip is satisfying because it gives people a sense of belonging or even superiority(优越感).

  Gossip also can have a third effect:it strengthens unwritten,unspoken rules about how people should act.Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group.Translated into high school terms, this means that if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said,then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention.The dos and don’ts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook.

  The effects of gossip vary depending on the situation.The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news,thing about why you want to gossip and what effects your “juicy story”might have.

8.The author uses a conversation at the beginning of the passage to      .

A.introduce a topic              B.present an argument

C.describe the characters          D.clarify his writing purpose

9.Professor David Wilson think that gossip can      .

A.provide students with written rules           B.help people watch their own behaviors

C.force school to improve student handbooks    D.attract the police’s attention to group behaviors

10.What advice does the author give in the passage?

A.Never become a gossiper               B.Stay away from gossipers

C.Don’t let gossip turn into lies            D.Think twice before you gossip.

Gold Coast family holidays are always great fun whether you are from Australia or from abroad. There are beautiful beaches, adventure parks, nature parks and so much more.

There are so many sights to see here. It is a pity to drive in a car and you’ll miss a great part of it. Australia is home to many animals and birds that can only be seen when moving slowly and going into the areas that they live.

When you are on a bicycle, you have the advantage of being able to stop whenever you want to see an interesting animal or bird that you have never seen before. It is a quieter mode （方式） of transportation as well, so you might even be able to take a picture. When you are on the beach, you can breathe that clean air and view the beauty of the water and sand. It is a totally different experience from either simply sunbathing or passing it in a car.

There are many choices of hiring a bicycle to experience the Gold Coast attractions. There are stores that will fit a bike perfectly to your size. These bikes for both adults and children are in many styles and colors to please any taste. If you have ever wanted to try a tandem bike (双人单车), now is your chance, because they have those too.

A bicycle hire on Gold Coast is something that everyone should try at least once. This is a wonderful chance for anyone who likes to cycle and it is also a cheap way to travel with your family.

28. Driving in a car on Gold Coast is not suggested because ______.

A. you will break the traffic rules         

B. you can’t enjoy the beautiful scenery well

C. you will cause much noise

D. you can’t drive into some parks

29. The following advantages of hiring bikes are mentioned EXCEPT that ______.

A. it is a good way to do sunbathing

     B. it is a cheap way of traveling

C. you can get a clearer sight of animals 

D. you can take photos of animals

30. What’ s the author’s attitude towards a bike hire on Gold Coast?

   A. He doesn’t like this way of traveling.

B. He thinks it is a personal choice.

C. He supports it very much.

D. He thinks it is only good for adults.

31. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A. How to hire bikes on Gold Coast.

B. What kinds of bikes there are in stores.

C. What bikes are the most popular.

D. Who can hire bikes on Gold Coast.

During the Spring Festival, my parents and some of my relatives gave me some gift money. What should I do1．the money? I had attempted2．(have) a new coat. I3．(imagine) wearing a pair of Nike sports shoes. With the gift money I could afford to buy4．I wanted. 5．, I soon gave up the idea because I knew I was still a student at school.

Besides, my parents always lived6．simple life. Their money was not7．(easy) earned. Thinking of this, I decided to open a savings account at a bank the following day. My parents were very8．(please) with my idea. From now on, I’ll make both9．(end) meet as a student financially supported by my parents. I am looking forward to my dream10．(realize )one day with the money through my hard work.