My wife, daughter, and I moved into our home nine years ago and we spent a lot of time and energy in the yard to get it looking like the way it does today. We live on a corner, higher than street level, and the entire side of the yard is surrounded by a professionally built rock wall. The front of the house though is another story because instead of a wall along the sidewalk, the rocks appear to be just thrown up onto the dirt as if someone were in a hurry to finish.
We did the best we could with what we had to work with and called this area our “rock garden”. Whenever we had leftover flowers or plants, Denise or I would stick them out front, just to bring some color to the area. We would do all of the yard work on our own, even the tiring weed-pulling.
Last summer I had reached the end of the rock garden and found a tiny little plant that I could not immediately identify, I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise claimed that she didn’t either. We decided to let it continue growing until we could figure out what it was.
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the mystery plant, it appeared to be a Sunflower with a tall skinny stalk（茎，杆）and only one head on it. I decided to baby it along and weed around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something unusual. The Sunflower had not started where I saw the stalk begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the sun.
That’s when I realized that if a tiny little Sunflower didn’t let a big rock stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability of doing the same thing. Once our environment begins to see that we believe in ourselves like that little Sunflower, we can attain the same nourishment（营养）and growth as well.
Stand tall like the Sunflower and be proud of who and what you are and the environment will begin to support you. You will find a way to go under or around your big obstacle in order to reach your desires.
1.We can know from the first paragraph that ______.
A. the author finished building his home hurriedly
B. the author’s family have lived in this home for nine years
C. the author’s home is made of rock walls
D. there is a wall along the sidewalk
2.The author found it unusual that ______.
A. the mystery plant turned out to be a Sunflower
B. the Sunflower had a tall stalk and only one head
C. the Sunflower grew under and around a big rock
D. the Sunflower had started where the stalk was seen
3.Which of the following best describes the Sunflower?
A. Brave and stubborn B. Confident and persistent
C. Optimistic and modest D. Mysterious and devoted
4.What can be inferred from this passage?
A. Human beings are able to remove obstacles
B. The universal truth made the sunflower survive
C. A big rock blocked out the sunlight of the sunflower
D. We can achieve success as long as we are self-confident
假定你是李华，你校将开展中学生科技创新（scientific innovation）活动。请给你的英国好友Peter发封电子邮件，告知相关内容并邀请他参加。内容包括：
1. 活动目的；
2. 活动时间、地点；
3. 活动内容。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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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。
Today, when I walked to home after school, I found the sunset was very beautifully. I stopped at the park and sit on a bench to appreciate the scenery. There was so many people at the park, most of whom were old couples, but they went for a walk. There was a special couple walk hand in hand, which caught my attention. The old woman couldn’t walk well because there was something wrong with her right legs. The old man took care of them carefully. They set good example to the young couples, showing that true love is. Against the sunset, they made up a beautiful scene.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Jogging makes you burn fat and lose weight. In addition to increasing metabolism (新陈代谢), jogging is an 1. (effect) way to burn more calories, 2. helps you lose weight. If calories consumed in food are less than calories 3. (spend) during exercise and other daily activities, you will lose weight. It is impossible not to! Many people have learned how to lose weight by4. (start) a running program.
Jogging 5. (help) to reduce stubborn fat. A running program can really help to cut back 6. the last of your stubborn fat. Change can take a long time to come but 7. (eventual) it makes maintaining a healthy weight much easier.
If you suffer from poor appetite, jogging will improve your appetite. Along with all other 8. (form) of exercise – the harder you work, the more you will eat 9. (repair) your muscles and refuel them. When you start to run longer, you will start to eat to fuel your body, and may even find that you need to eat more food every day 10. you did when you were overweight.
In kindergarten, I met my first love – dancing. For the last eleven years, I have spent many hours at the dance studio. The ______ I began as a little girl has shaped my personality, forming __________ that I will have for the rest of my life.
Once while our dance team ______ for the state competition, six senior members quit without notice, leaving our team without a ______. My team’s enthusiasm for the season was cut in half. ______, I was determined to become the new captain and lead my team past this obstacle.
During the first practice after the seniors quit, my team’s emotion was ______. As a leader, I tried to motivate my team through ______. I started to do ______ work outside practice to improve my kicking technique. My team respected me as a coach because I showed ______. On weekends, I spent hours trying to make up a creative competition routine. I wanted my team members to ______ the dance and perform well.
Before the state meet, I drilled the ______ into the girls’ heads and constantly encouraged them to work harder. I would shout out names of people who were ______ well during the dance, and the girls would ______ with even more energy. Through my dance experience, I also found I got better by ______ myself. I mixed new skills into the routine for the state competition to ______ my team’s technique. We wanted to prove to ourselves and our school that we could still be a(n) ______ dance team without the girls who ______.
On the stage, I felt my team’s ______. I was proud that we were able to rebuild our confidence and go beyond our expectations at the state competition. We were ______ for all our hard work by placing in the top five. This experience taught me a lesson: with a passion for something, I could ______ any obstacle with creativity and determination.
1.A. education B. activity C. travel D. research
2.A. qualities B. competitions C. connections D. opinions
3.A. looked B. left C. practiced D. hoped
4.A. target B. captain C. project D. guide
5.A. Otherwise B. Besides C. Instead D. However
6.A. growing B. normal C. low D. appealing
7.A. example B. award C. promise D. experience
8.A. new B. extra C. little D. personal
9.A. production B. expectation C. promotion D. devotion
10.A. love B. check C. believe D. ignore
11.A. result B. failure C. routine D. function
12.A. planning B. judging C. predicting D. performing
13.A. deal B. respond C. defend D. compare
14.A. reminding B. teaching C. protecting D. challenging
15.A. admire B. share C. improve D. prove
16.A. familiar B. similar C. ordinary D. brilliant
17.A. quit B. joined C. appreciated D. approached
18.A. patience B. kindness C. energy D. pride
19.A. rewarded B. thanked C. prepared D. moved
20.A. think of B. get over C. care about D. keep off
Five steps to make a difference to the oceans
The oceans are being seriously polluted now. Plastics are harming the marine (海产的) life. Carbon pollution is warming the oceans and increasing their acidity(酸度). Waters are being overfished. 1. Here are some steps we can take to help make a difference.
1. Bring our own bags. 2. Try carrying a reusable bag at all times, including while traveling, and bringing our own things to work to avoid relying on plastic items.
2. Talk about it now. We should carry that conversation into public places. Talk to our friends and family about why the ocean is important and why we take steps to help it, and challenge them to do the same.
3. 3. A good way to make a difference is to organize a garbage cleanup now. Whether it’s an inland cleanup or one near the coast, plan one in our community.
4. Throw away our cars. 4. When we hang out, we should reduce our carbon footprint, which may help slow global warming and ocean acidification as well as conserve energy
5. Recycle, obviously. Experts say recycling is an obvious action to take. Check on what can be recycled in our community, and make sure you’re separating out your plastic.
In summary, think about it more and act on it more. The more someone thinks about plastics and plastics pollution, the environment and the consequences of our actions, the more likely they are to act on it. 5.
A. Plan a cleanup.
B. Choose public transportation over driving our cars.
C. Driving cars is not a good way to protect the oceans.
D. However, experts say there’s still hope to make a difference.
E. However, marine life plays a very important role in the oceans.
F. If everyone can contribute to the oceans, the oceans will be well preserved.
G. Whenever we put something, we should bring our own bag, but not a plastic one.
