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 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—maybe 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
29. 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 son knocked a boy down who hit Herbie
D. Watson's department didn't earn money that year
30. We can learn from the text that _____.
A. Mr. Smith didn't know that Champ was Watson's son at first
B. Mr. Smith was told not to fire Watson by Herbie
C. Mr. Smith decided to give Watson another chance in no time
D. Mr. Smith wanted to realize Champ's dream
31. According to the text, which words can best describe Mr. Smith?
A. Sympathetic and grateful. B. Selfish and greedy.
C. Hardworking and strict. D. Easy-going and optimistic.
32. The author wrote the text in order to _____.
A. make our children enjoy life B. share a moving story with us
C. provide us with tips on work D. help us to deal with our boss
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。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（/\），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；不按要求方式改的不给分！
2、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Xie Lei told me that she feels much more at home in England now, and that had seemed very strange ago now appears quite normal. “I’ve just got one more thing achieve. I have been very occupied to work that I haven’t had time for social activities. I think it’s important to have a balance in study and a social life, so I’m going to join in a few clubs. Hopeful, I’ll make some new friends.”
We will follow Xie Lei’s progresses in later editions of this newspaper but for
now, we wish Xie Lei all the best in his new enterprise. She deserves to succeed.
China will stay firmly _______ to strengthening its own nuclear security capability, ________ the government’s regulatory capacity and ______ investments in relevant technological development and human resources.
A. committed; enhance; increase B. committing; enhanced; increasing
C. committing; enhance; increase D. committed; enhancing; increasing
Despite the anxiety that Jones’ Host—said by some to be the first digital novel—caused in 1993, publishers weren’t too concerned that e-books would one day replace printed books. However, that attitude was changed suddenly in 2007 when Amazon’s Kindle came onto the market, which led to e-book sales jumping up to 1,260%. Since then, e-books’ popularity has continued to steadily rise. The publishing industry seemed to have lost all possible ability to regain its position. Will printed books eventually become a thing of the past?
According to Mike Shatzkin, founder and CEO of the Idea Logical Company, printed books just for plain old reading will, in 10 years from now, be unusual. “Not so unusual that a kid will say, ‘Mommy, what’s that?’ but unusual enough that on the train you’ll see one or two people reading something printed, while everyone else is reading off of a tablet.” And Shatzkin believes that the demise of print is sure to happen, though such a day won’t arrive for perhaps 50 to 100 or more years.
Robert Stein, founder of the Institute for the Future of the Book, however, believes that books won’t disappear entirely, at least not anytime soon. “Print will exist, but it will be in a different field and will appeal to a very limited audience, as poetry does today. Like woodblock printing, hand-processed film and folk weaving (编织), printed pages may assume an artistic value,” he says. He imagines that future forms of books might be developed not by conventional publishers but by the gaming industry. He also predicts that the distinction between writer and reader will be made less obvious by a social reading experience in which authors and consumers can digitally interact with each other to discuss any passage, sentence or line.
Is there anything we risk sacrificing, should print really disappear entirely? According to Maryanne Wolf, director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University, electronic reading can negatively affect the way the brain responds to text, including reading comprehension, focus and the ability to maintain attention to details like plot and order of events. “My worry is that we’ll have a short-circuited reading brain, excellent for gathering information but not necessarily for forming critical, analytical deep reading skills,” Wolf says.
The field, however, is in an early stage, and findings about the negative effects of e-reading are far from certain. In light of this, Wolf hopes that we continue to maintain a “bi-literate” society—one that values both the digital and printed word. “A full reading brain circuit is a huge contribution to the intellectual development of our species. Anything that threatens that deserves our attention.”
67.How did publishers feel about the rising e-book sales inspired by the Kindle?
A. Worried. B. Excited. C. Curious. D. Skeptical.
68.The underlined word “demise” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.
A. rise B. death C. growth D. decline
69.According to Robert Stein, paper books will exist because of ______.
A. the artistic value B. the digital interaction
C. the growing popularity D.the conventional design
70.It can be concluded from the last two paragraphs that Wolf holds that _______.
A. e-reading will weaken the power of our brain
B. digital books and paper books should not co-exist
C. e-reading will make us more critical and thoughtful
D. we should not risk losing a full reading brain circuit
It was an afternoon in the winter, some friends and I were talking at a restaurant. We talked and talked and soon swimming became the __26___. Suddenly I hit upon an idea. “ Wouldn’t it be ___27_ if we went swimming? Others went swimming in winter, and __28__ couldn’t we? Besides, we could be ___29__ if we did. ” I told them about this and they all said it was a good idea indeed.
Early in the morning, three days _30____, we four were standing at the bus stop, with bags in our hands, ___31__ for a bus to take us to the __32__. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, but all the same, it was very cold, __33__ our heavy overcoats were not enough to keep us ___34__. We all felt that we should go back, but no one wanted to __35__.
We soon reached the sands. There was nobody there, but we were not to be discouraged. _36__ we were proud that we were the __37___ ones that dared to challenge the weather. Besides, the sun could keep us warm. So we __38__ ourselves quickly.
But things were not going to be so nice as we thought. The sea wind was blowing, we felt _39___ cold and we shook from head to feet. At last we decided to ___40__ the sea water. We put our feet in first, only to take them back___41___. The water was unbelievably cold. __42___ I suggested that we should all jump in at the same time. We all went back ten steps. I gave the order and we all rushed forward. We jumped. That feeling I had when I was in the water I shall never __43 . I was up and rushed again to the seaside. So _44___ my friends. We put on our clothes as quickly as possible and went home.
We four did not go to school the next three days, for we all _45_ a bad cold. We missed the lessons, but we had this unforgettable experience.
26. A. topic B. object C. center D. opinion
27. A. lucky B. interesting C. surprising D. happy
28. A. how B. what C. why D. that
29. A. ill B. worse C. better D. stronger
30. A. past B. later C. before D. since
31. A. meeting B. asking C. looking D. waiting
32. A. sands B. swimming pool C. river D. lake
33.A. though B. only C. since D. even
34. A. warm B. cold C. cool D. hot
35. A. talk about B. speak out C. think over D. shout at
36. A. Instead B. For C. Unless D. Sometimes
37. A. lucky B. only C. happy D. younger
38. A. enjoyed B. helped C. changed D. dressed
39. A. a little B. such C. a bit D. very
40. A. go into B. go down C. take off D. jump into
41. A. quickly B. carefully C. finally D. bravely
42. A. Next B. Last C. Then D. When
43. A. forget B. remember C. tell D. believe
44. A. do B. did C. had D. were
45. A. felt B. became C. caught D. turned
Later in this chapter cases will be introduced to readers ______ consumer complaints have resulted in changes in the law.
A. where B. when C. who D. which
I was desperately nervous about becoming car-free. But eight months ago our car was hit by a passing vehicle and it was destroyed. No problem, I thought: we’ll buy another. But the insurance payout didn’t even begin to cover the costs of buying a new car—I worked out that, with the loan (贷款) we’d need plus petrol, insurance, parking permits and tax, we would make a payment as much as £600 a month.
And that’s when I had my fancy idea. Why not just give up having a car at all? I live in London. We have a railway station behind our house, a tube station 10 minutes’ walk away, and a bus stop at the end of the street. A new car club had just opened in our area, and one of its shiny little red Peugeots was parked nearby. If any family in Britain could live without a car, I reasoned, then surely we were that family.
But my new car-free idea, sadly, wasn’t shared by my family. My teenage daughters were horrified. What would their friends think about our family being “too poor to afford a car”? (I wasn’t that bothered what they thought, and I suggested the girls should take the same approach.)
My friends, too, were astonished at our plan. What would happen if someone got seriously ill overnight and needed to go to hospital? (an ambulance) How would the children get to and from their many events? (buses and trains) People smiled as though this was another of my mad ideas, before saying they were sure I’d soon realize that a car was a necessity.
Eight months on, I wonder whether we’ll ever own a car again. The idea that you “have to” own a car, especially if you live in a city, is all in the mind. I live—and many other citizens do too—in a place that has never been better served by public transport, and yet car ownership has never been higher. We worry about rising car costs, but we’d be better off asking something much more basic: do I really need a car? Certainly the answer is no, and I’m a lot richer because I dared to ask the question.
59.The author decided to live a car-free life partly because ______.
A. most families chose to go car-free B. he was hurt in a terrible car accident
C. the cost of a new car was too much D. the traffic jam was unbearable for him
60.What is the attitude of the author’s family toward his plan?
A. Supportive. B. Disapproving.
C.Optimistic. D. Unconcerned.
61.What did the author suggest his daughters do about their friends’ opinion?
A.Argue against it. B. Take their advice.
C. Think it over. D. Leave it alone.
62.What conclusion did the author draw after the eight-month car-free life?
A. Life cannot go without a car. B. Life without a car is a little bit hard.
C. His life gets improved without a car. D. A car-free life does not suit everyone.
假如你是李明：你的班里来了一位英国交换生Paul。他在和你的交谈中表示在中国学习压力很大。请你给他写封信，给他提一些建议。主要包括以下内容：
1．请求老师和同学的帮助
2．不要总想着考试成绩．要多想自己的进步
3．多做运动
4．．．．．．．．
注意：1．词数：100字左右； 2．可适当加入细节，以使行文连贯；
3．信的开头已为你写好（不计入总词数）。
Dear Paul，
I quite sympathize with you and understand the great trouble you are suffering from.
Best wishes!
Yours sincerely,
Li Ming
—I’d like to send this parcel to Australia.
—Certainly. __51__
—Sure. It's not very heavy.
—That's 850 grams. __52__
—I see. What are the options? __53__
—That's right. Sending it by airmail will cost twelve dollars and sending it by surface mail
will cost eight dollars.
— __54__
―Airmail should take four or five days and surface mail should take about two weeks.
―In that case, I'll send it by airmail. I'd like to send it a registered parcel.
—__55__
―No problem. There's thirteen dollars.
―Here's your receipt. Goodbye.
| A. | How long will it take to get there? |
| B. | OK. That's one dollar. |
| C. | Could you tell me how heavy it is? |
| D. | Could you put it on the scales, so I can check the weight? |
| E. | OK. That's one dollar extra. |
| F. | The cost depends on how you would like to send it. |
| G. | I suppose airmail is faster and more expensive than surface mail. |
1．courage A． would B．enough C．though D．brought
2．stamps A．songs B．prepares C．sticks D．problems
3．wood A．fool B．took C．noon D．shoot
4．pair A．idea B．everywhere C．pioneer D．report
5．clothes A．something B．northeast C．southern D．truth
If ________ in the elevator, please press the emergency button immediately.
A. trapped B. trapping C. having trapped D. to be trapped
---Kate, look after your younger brother this afternoon.
---________? Isn’t he old enough to look after himself? He’s twelve years old now.
A. May I B. Can I C. Must I D. Should I
I appreciated the opportunity to study abroad two years ago.
A. to have given B. to have been given
C. having given D. having been given
The most unforgettable moment for me was _____ I graduated from high school.
A when B where C how D why
In a sense, no country, big or small, should object to the trend of peace and development, ________ creating trouble to others.
A. constantly B. eventually C. finally D. immediately
The influence of America is increasing in my country. Spanish people drink Coca Cola, wear blue jeans, watch Hollywood movies, listen to American music, and eat fast food, and they do these things every day.
I think that American movies are a good way to spread American culture because people are often influenced by what they see in the movies. Most of the programs and documentaries (纪录片) we watch on TV are from America, and most of the movies we go to see are made in Hollywood.
In the last few years, the government has tried to protect the Spanish movies. Now, in our cinemas, at least twenty percent of the movies which are shown must be from Spain or from other countries in Europe.
American culture is a part of Spanish life now. It’s certain that many things from America are as much a part of people’s lives as Spanish things. For example, Coca Cola is as familiar to everybody as any typical Spanish product. I’ve known about Coca Cola for my whole life.
However, it’s different with Western fast food. For example, I don’t think McDonald’s is as successful in Spain as it is in other countries. In my opinion, one of the reasons may be the lifestyle of the Spanish people. The Spanish people normally eat at home.
On the other hand, maybe McDonald’s hamburgers will eventually replace the famous Spanish tapas. It’s true that in every city in Spain you can find a McDonald’s, and it is more popular among the Spanish children than among the adults. In any case, it’s obvious that American culture is becoming more and more a part of our lives every day.
25. From the first paragraph we can know that ____.
A. the influence of America on Spain can be found everywhere
B. most Spanish people don’t like to listen to their own music
C. fast food spreads from Spain to the United States
D. some Spanish actors go to America to improve their acting skills
26. What plays an important part in the spreading of American culture in Spain?
A. American novels. B. Hollywood movies. C. McDonald’s. D. American music.
27. Why did the government set some rules for the films shown in Spain?
A. To protect foreign culture in Spain. B. To earn more money from Spanish films.
C. To limit the number of foreign movies. D. To unite the European Community.
28. What do you think Spanish tapas might be?
A. The name of a drink. B. The name of a restaurant.
C. A clothing brand. D. A certain kind of food.
His suggestion made me angry, but .
A.making others happy B.to make others happy
C.with others happy D.others happy
假定你是李华。你的美国外教David回国时，请你帮他找人制作一枚中文名章（name stamp）以作纪念。你已找好制作人。给他写封邮件，告知此事，并请他从所附图片中挑选字体、图案及材料。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
Dear David,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li hua
— Dear，Can you do me a favor?
— ，I’m busy at the moment. Can I phone you back?
A．Gradually B．Roughly C．Probably D．Actually
Lisa，I guess we'd better fix a navigational aid（导航仪）to the car＿we can find our way easily.
A. which B. that C. from which D. with which
