English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words.

However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweetmeats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.    

We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,  public bathrooms have no baths in them.    

And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.

25. According to the passage __________.

A. pineapples are the apples on the pine tree

B. there should be an egg in an eggplant

C. sweetmeats and sweetbreads are different things

D. boxing rings should be round

26. The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph maybe means “__________”.

  A. blow    B. finish   C. get hurt    D. roll up

27. Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ____________.

A. lazy        B. crazy      C. clever      D. dull

      假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

      增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

      删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。

      修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

      注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；  2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

  When I first learned to wrote in English , I ran into much difficulties. The main problem was that I always thought in Chinese and tried to translate anything into English. My teacher advised me to keep my diary. I followed her advice and should put down 100 words or so each day.

   Soon I began to enjoy talk to myself as I was learning to express me in simple English. One day I wrote a story and showed to my teacher. He liked it very much and reads it to the class. All said that the story was a good one. Their word were a great encouragement to me. 

Alice: Frank, have you got a hobby?

Frank: Well I don’t think I have one. How about you?

Alice: I have several 61    (hobby) , reading, gardening… but 62  (collect) stamps is the one I like  63 .

Frank : How Interesting ! How 64   have you been collecting stamps?

Alice: 12 years so far , since I was 9.

Frank: You must have a lot of stamps then.

Alice: Sure , I have thousands of stamps from more  65  20 countries.

Frank: Wom , unbelievable ! I also want to have a hobby , 66  I just don’t have the time.

Alice: What   67  (keep) you so busy?

Frank: I travel a lot on business.

Alice: Then how do  68   kill time on your trips?

Frank: Sometimes I read 69  book.

Alice: I have one idea. You can join a reading club.

Frank: Reading club? What do you do there?

Alice: We read books and organize discussions.

Frank: 70    (sound) great!

       China is a land of bicycles. At least it was back in 1992 when I traveled the country. Back then everyone seemed to be riding a bicycle. Millions of them, all black. Cars were rare. Yet since my arrival in Beijing last year, I’ve found the opposite is true. There are millions of cars. However, people still use their bicycles to get around. For many, it’s the easiest and cheapest way to travel today. Bicycles also come in different colors—silver, green, red, blue, yellow, whatever you want.

       It’s fun watching people biking. They rush quickly through crossroads, move skillfully through traffic, and ride even on sidewalks(人行道). Bicycles allow people the freedom to move about that cars just can’t provide.

       Eager to be part of this aspect of Chinese culture, I decided to buy a bicycle. Great weather accompanied my great buy. I immediately jumped up on my bicycle seat and started home.

       My first ride home was orderly (守秩序的). To be safe, I stayed with a “pack” of bikers while cars on the streets came running swiftly out of nowhere at times. I didn’t want to get hit. So I took the ride carefully.

       Crossing the streets was the biggest problem. It was a lot like crossing a major highway back in the United States. The streets here were wide, so crossing took time, skill and a little bit of luck.

       I finally made it home. The feeling on the bicycle was amazing. The air hitting my face and going through my hair was wonderful. I was sitting on top of the world as I passed by places and people. Biking made me feel alive.

56. According to the author, why are bicycles still popular in China today?

A. Because they are traditional and safe.        

B. Because they are convenient and inexpensive.

C. Because they are colorful and available.                   

D. Because they are fast and environment friendly.

57. The author decided to buy a bicycle because he intended ______________.

A. to ride it for fun                                      B. to use it for transport

C. to experience local skills                        D. to improve his riding skills

58. How did the author feel about his street crossing?

A. It was boring.              B. It was difficult   C. It was lively.            D. It was wonderful.

59. Which of the following best describes the author’s biking experience?

A. The author enjoyed showing off his biking skills.

B. The author was annoyed by the air while riding.

C. The author was praised by the other bikers.             

D. The author took great pleasure in biking.

There is no doubt that for a long time college education has been accepted. All high school graduates ought to go, says conventional wisdom and statistical evidence, because college will help them earn more money, become “better” people, and learn to be more responsible citizens than those who don’t go.

  But college has never been able to work its magic for everyone. And now that close to half our high school graduates are attending, those who don’t fit the pattern are becoming more numerous, and more obvious. College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students interfere(妨碍；干扰) with each other’s experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the fierce competition so as to get admitted into graduate schools. Others find no stimulation (激励) in their studies, and consequently have to drop out, which is often encouraged by college administrators.
  Some observers say the fault is with the young people themselves--they are spoiled and they are expecting too much. But that’s a condemnation(指责) of the students as a whole, and doesn’t explain all campus unhappiness. Others blame the state of the world, and they are partly right. We have been told that young people have to go to college because our economy can’t absorb an army of untrained eighteen-year-olds. But disappointed graduates are learning that it can no longer absorb an army of trained twenty-two-year-olds,either.

9. What’s the main idea of the first paragraph, ___________________.

10.The reason why more young people drop out of college is that _________.

11.Who contributes to campus unhappiness?

 He arrived in New Orleans without a penny in his pocket only _________ that there were no boats for South America.

A. find         B. finding       C. found      D. to find

1.He wants to improve his study, but＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿he does not want to spend time on it.（另一方面）

2.I often see the film star on TV, but never see her ＿＿＿＿＿＿（本人).

3.It seemed that the activity extremely　＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿students.（吸引）

4.The car broke down because the petrol ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿.（用完）

5.Those pictures are very beautiful; I like the first one ＿＿＿＿＿.（尤其）

When Russell Lyons volunteered for the first time, he read “Goodnight Moon” to a class of San Diego preschoolers. And it wasn’t reading — he’d memorized the book and was reciting it out loud. He was 4. Still, he said it felt good there, in front of the other kids, lending a hand. He wanted more of that feeling.   

    Thirteen years later, he’s getting a lot of it. He’s on a five-month road trip across America — not sightseeing, but volunteering.

    The University City resident has spent time at an animal reserve in Utah, a women’s shelter in St. Louis, a soup kitchen in New York, a retirement home in Tucson. This week he’s in Los Angeles, at a program that supports disabled youth.

     “I just like helping people and feeling that something I do is making a difference,” he said. He resists the idea that his “Do Good Adventure” is all that unusual. It bothers him that the media often describe young people as lazy, self-centered. So he sees his trip as a chance to make a statement, too. “About 55 percent of teens do volunteer work, higher than the rate for adults” he said, according to a 2002 study. “Not everybody knows that. ”

    Of course, some teens do volunteer work because it looks impressive on their college    applications. Lyons said he mentioned his trip on his applications. But charity work is a habit with him. Even before the cross country trip, he was volunteering about 200 hours a year at various places. He’s made sandwiches for homeless families in Washington D.C. He’s taught math to fifth-graders in Cuernavaca, Mexico.   

He gets some of that drive from his mother, Lesley Lyons, who has been involved in nonprofits for much of her life. She was there when her son “read” to the preschoolers — a memory of hers “that will never go away.”

36. What did Russell Lyons think of his first volunteering?

A. Creative.         B. Impressive.     C. Persuasive.       D. Imaginative.

37. The third paragraph is meant to________.

A. show Russell Lyons is working as a volunteer

B. introduce some tourist attractions across America

C. call on volunteers to offer help to those in need

D. show volunteers are needed in all parts of America

38. According to Paragraph 4，Russell Lyons is against the idea that____.

A. what he has done is common   　

B. most teens do volunteer work

C. young people don’t work hard 　 

D. adults prefer to be volunteers   

39. Russell Lyons has been doing volunteer work because_______.

A. it is necessary for college applications   

B. he ought to keep his promise to Mom

C. he likes the feeling of being praised     

D. it has become a natural part of his life   

40. What does the last paragraph suggest?

A. Lesley Lyons is too busy to look after her son. 

B. Russell Lyons is greatly influenced by his mother.

C. Lesley Lyons almost earns no money all her life.

D. Children are always important to their parents.

71. In North China, the weather in __________ (十一月) could be very cold. 

72. The group is made up of local __________ (音乐家) who have been performing for several years.

73. When he __________ (进入) the classroom, the students began to study carefully.

74. ____________ (幸运地), I passed my driving test yesterday.

75. Without money to buy food, he was forced to beg for a meal, driven by _________ (饥饿).

76. The ___________ (总统) is paying a private visit to his neighboring country.

77. He left a ____________ (留言) on the table before he went to explore the cave.

78. Old Joe kicked the bucket just two days before his ___________ (九十) birthday.

79. Europe is a continent full of attractions, among which __________ (德国的) capital is a must to visit.

80. Livelihood has been greatly ___________ (改善) since reform and opening.

Could Organizing Your Home Change Your Life?

Marie Kondo is an expert on organizing and cleaning. She is considered an expert on clearing away unused or unnecessary things, better known as clutter. Actually, she did write a book on the issue, which is called “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”. 　16　It has sold more than 2 million copies.

Marie Kondo says people can improve their lives by changing the way they think about all their stuff-- everything from books, documents and photographs to clothing and personal mementoes. “ 　17　” And “this is pretty good,” Ms. Kondo writes.

This is not the first time an organizing expert has written a book on clutter. Other books suggest wonderful things will happen when you organize your home. One book says that if you throw out 50 things from your home, you will actually find your life. 　18　 And still others promise a better job, more money and a perfect family if you simply organize the things that fill your life. 　19　 She told the Business Insider website that some of her clients have lost weight. “Your self-perception is improved by living in a clean and neat room,” she said. “This can change lifestyles and, in turn, appearances.”

Marie Kondo teaches a method of organizing she calls KonMari. It is more of an event or ceremony. This is the part that followers say makes it more lasting. Ms. Kondo says KonMari creates a different relationship between you and your possessions. If the object meant something to you or served you well, you thank it for its service before throwing or giving it away. In her book, Ms. Kondo suggests that you touch the item and ask one simple question: "Does it bring me joy?" 　20　

A. Her book is a best-seller around the world.

B. Marie Kondo makes some of the same claims.

C. When you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order too.

D. Unnecessary things just take up too much space in your home.

E. If it doesn’t, you give it away so that it may give joy to someone else.

F. Another book says that if you make clutter disappear, you will also lose weight.

G. On the contrary, Marie Kondo disagrees with it.

  People __61__ (live) in different countries made different kinds of words. Today there are about fifteen hundred __62__ in the world. Each language contains many thousands of words. A very large dictionary, for example, contains four __63_ five hundred thousand words. But we do not need _64_ these. To read short stories you need to know only about two thousand words. _65_ you leave school, you will learn only one thousand or more. The words you know are called your vocabulary. You should try to make your vocabulary __66_ (big). Read as many books as we can. There are a lot of books __67_ (write) in easy English. You will enjoy them. When you meet _68_ new word, look it _69__ in your dictionary. Your dictionary is your __70__ (much) useful book.

 As is known to us all, success usually ______ hard work while laziness can ______ failure.

   A. results from; lie in                                        B. results in; result from

   C. leads to; lie in                                              D. results from; lead to

    One day, Nick invited his friends to supper. He was cooking some delicious food in the kitchen. Suddenly, he   41   (find) that he had run out of salt. So Nick called to his son, “Go to the village and buy some salt, but pay a fair price for it: neither too much    42    too little.”Z-X-X-K]

    His son looked surprised. “I can understand why I shouldn’t pay too much, Father, but if I can pay less,    43    not save a bit of money?”

    “That would be a very    44    (reason) thing to do in a big city, but it could destroy a small village like ours,” Nick said.

    Nick’s guests,    45    had heard their conversation, asked why they should not buy salt more cheaply if they could. Nick replied, “The only reason a man would sell salt   46   a lower price would be because he was desperate for money. And anyone who took advantage of that situation would be showing a lack of respect   47   the sweat and struggle of the man who worked very hard to produce it.”

    “But such a small thing couldn’t     48    (possible) destroy a village.”

    “In the beginning, there was only   49    very small amount of unfairness in the

world, but everyone added a little, always   50   (think) that it was only small and

not very important, and look where we have ended up today.”

Tips for Cooking on a Tight Schedule

From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don't cook more often: ability, money, and time.  16 . Money is a topic I'll save for another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen. Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule：

1. Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I'm already hungry and there's nothing ready to eat. So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook? Do you have the right materials already？ 17 .

   2. Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread?  18.It takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for a future meal.

3.  19  . This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking worth your time is experimentation. It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.

Hopefully that gives you a good start.  20  . And don't let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!

A. Understand your food better.

B. Make three or four instead

C. Ability is easily improved.

D. Try new things

E. A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.

F. Cooking is a burden for many people

G. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.

人们完成工作的方式通常有两种：独立完成与合作完成。两种方式各有特点。请你以“Working Individually or Working in a Team”为题，按照以下要点写一篇英语短文：

1.       独立完成：自行安排、自己解决问题

2.       合作完成：一起讨论、相互学习

3.       我喜欢的方式及理由

注意：词数100左右，不要逐句翻译，可以适当拓展，文章的题目和开头已给出（不计词数）。

Working Individually or Working in a Team

There are basically two ways to get work done._________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________    

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Many of us were raised with the saying “Waste not, want not.” None of us, however, can    41   (complete) avoid waste in our lives.

Any kind of waste is thoughtless. Whether we waste our potential talents, our own time, our limited   42   (nature) resource, our money,   43   other people’s time, each of us can become more aware and careful. The smallest good habits can make a big   44    (differ). It’s a good feeling to know in our hearts we are doing our best in a world    45    is in serious trouble. By being devoted to    46     (save) oil, water, paper, food, and clothing, we are playing     47     part in cutting down on waste.

We must keep reminding       48     (we)that it is easier to get into something than it is to get out of it. Actually, severe damage     49    (do) to our land is fairly recent in the history of our evolution. It’s time for us to say no to waste so that our grandchildren’s children     50    (be)able to develop well. We can’t solve all the problems of waste, but we can encourage mindfulness.

 —Paul has gone abroad to try his luck.     —In my________ , his decision is not wise.

A. word           B. view              C. sight           D. way

File Created                                            Page 1 of 1

DELAYED BAGGAGE REPORT

PRINTED AT ALBANY N.Y. AIRPORT ON JULY 10, 2016 11:15 A.M.

____________________________________________________________

Dear Valued Customer,

We regret that your baggage was not available to claim after your recent flight. Everything possible will be done to locate your belongings and return it to you on time.

For information on your delayed baggage, contact the United Airlines Baggage Resolution Center at its 24 hour, seven days a week.

Number:

1-800-335-BAGS (2247) (US – Toll Free)

281-821-3536 (Local Houston Number)

Or visit site: http://www.united.com/for/bagtracing

As soon as you send your Delayed Baggage Report, United Airlines will begin to look carefully for your baggage system. Our Baggage Resolution staff will make every effort to call you once a day to keep you updated on our progress. Please refer to the File Reference Number on this receipt (凭证) when corresponding or calling so that we can quickly access your records.

Keep this receipt with your claim check (提取证）and E-Ticket receipt until your baggage is returned to you.

In most circumstances, United Airlines will deliver your baggage when it is located. Delivery times vary depending on location.

If your baggage has not been returned to you within the first five-day tracing period, please download a claim form from our website and return it to us with the required information included.

    DELAYED BAGGAGE REPORT

_______________________________________________________________________________

DELAYED BAGGAGE REPORT                     FILE REFERENCE: ALBUA25876

_______________________________________________________________________________

Name: JOHN JACKSON                                 Contact Number: 802-247-9999

Delivery Address: 66 MOONBROOK DR

     BRANDON                      Email: minminvt@yahoo.com

     VERMONT USA 05745               

_______________________________________________________________________________

Bag Tag: 0037387643; 0037387657

_______________________________________________________________________________

Description: Soft-Side Upright suitcase; Non-Zippered, hard side horizontal suitcase

_______________________________________________________________________________

21. Where does the report most probably come from?

   A. Suitcase Tracing Center                             B. Information Center of the Airport

   C. Delivery Center of United Airline          D. Baggage Resolution Center

22. What can we learn about John Jackson from the report?

   A. He must have filed his Delayed Baggage already.

   B. He will get back his delayed baggage in less than five days.

   C. He should call 802-247-9999 for the information about his delayed baggage.

   D. He may not know anything about his delayed baggage during the first five days.

23. The purpose of the passage is __________.

   A. to provide information about the location of the delayed baggage

   B. to inform the customers of the time when the delayed baggage can be found

   C. to instruct the customers how to get back their delayed baggage

   D. to tell the customers the news that their delayed baggage was delayed

My mother was a responsible teacher and she retired. So I decided to give her one of my old computers to help her pass the time. She had a little bit of computer  16 , so I just set it up for her and let her  17  with it on her own.

As time went on, I 18  the computer was hardly touched. She said she didn’t know 19 to use it. I decided to teach her. I sat and 20  everything and she seemed OK with what I said. Unfortunately, my sister called me at that moment 21 we talked on the phone for an hour. Then when I saw her again, she was sitting in front of the computer, looking quite  22  . The screen saver (屏幕保护) had appeared and she didn’t know how to  23   it off. She had tried

 24  every key and it didn’t work. I told her, “Just  25   the mouse a little.” What I meant was that she just needed to move the mouse around to  26  the computer up. What she did was to  27 the mouse and start shaking it around in mid-air until the  28  went completely black. I couldn’t help laughing because of her funny  29  . The more I laughed the 30  she got.

She thought that I was a (n) 31 teacher and she decided to figure the thing out herself. Well, at least I helped her overcome her  32  of breaking something and encouraged her to   33  a little.

About a week later, I found a home-made  34  card with a mouse on the front making a funny face  35  to my door. It said, “Thanks for the computer lessons. Love, Mom.”

16.     A. knowledge       B. theory           C. technology      D. history

17.     A. watch           B. train                    C. play           D. see

18.     A. thought          B. heard            C. found          D. ignored

19.     A. why            B. when           C. how          D. where

20.     A. learned           B. described                C. explained        D. discussed

21.     A. and             B. but                     C. because        D. since

22.     A. amusing         B. relaxed           C. interesting        D. discouraged

23.     A. get              B. break            C. cut            D. turn

24.     A. hitting            B. feeling            C. changing       D. removing

25.     A. hang             B. shake            C. rub            D. push

26.     A. clean             B. wake           C. bring           D. take

27.     A. put up            B. cut off                  C. pick up         D. put away

28.     A. screen            B. curtain                  C. cover          D. window

29.     A. gesture           B. movement       C. action          D. expression

30.     A. happier           B. ruder            C. better           D. angrier

31.     A. impatient          B. humorous        C. careful          D. helpful

32.     A. pressure          B. sadness          C. depression       D. fear

33.     A. observe           B. reply             C. experiment      D. answer

34.     A. shopping          B. birthday                 C. inviting          D. greeting

35.     A. stuck                   B. appeared         C. printed          D. combined

_{Though America is the strongest country, but ________ countries look on it as the leader of the world now.}

_{A. not every                        B. each     C. all                      D. not all}