Everyday on the way to work I drive down a street lined with pine trees. One tree in particular_______my attention. It musthave suffered some _______. Part of its trunk grew nearly parallel to the ground, and then in an effort to _______ its own course of life, the trunk took a 90 degree turn _______ to stand tall and stretch toward the sun.
This tree became a _______ for me. Each day as I drove by, I saw this bent but determined tree and I would be_______ . It was a reminder to me that _______ I may not have had the best start in life, I could change _______ in the parts of my life at any time.
I was planning to stop one day to get a perfect _______ of my kindred-spirit (志趣相同的) tree. But that week I was _______. After that busy week, I still didn’t take any action. Every time I drove by the tree I would _______ myself, “Tomorrow, I’ll stop tomorrow to take one.” Then one day, as I _______by “my” tree, I glanced over, and much to my _______ found a sawed-off stump (树桩) where that symbolic tree had stood. Gone. I had _______ my plan until “tomorrow” and tomorrow proved to be too _______.
A picture of a tree is not of great _______. But my lesson rang through clearly _______ I found out one of my colleagues had been_______with stage-four cancer. He may no longer have many _______.
What have you been putting off? What would you do today if you knew you would _______ have the opportunity to do it again? Why not do those things that you have been putting off until tomorrow?
1.A. paid B. caught C. fixed D. escaped
2.A. damage B. influence C. experience D. defeat
3.A. follow B. design C. change D. imagine
4.A. applying B. attempting C. happening D. learning
5.A. shelter B. signal C. sign D. symbol
6.A. interested B. satisfied C. encouraged D. educated
7.A. even though B. as if C. in case D. if only
8.A. purpose B. plan C. habit D. direction
9.A. glance B. view C. picture D. knowledge
10.A. busy B. free C. worried D. bored
11.A. tell B. help C. call D. see
12.A. wandered B. drove C. rode D. ran
13.A. surprise B. pleasure C. regret D. happiness
14.A. taken off B. cut off C. put off D. called off
15.A. cold B. far C. sunny D. late
16.A. value B. achievement C. fun D. disappointment
17.A. when B. before C. because D. unless
18.A. linked B. combined C. provided D. diagnosed
19.A. lives B. tomorrows C. lessons D. opportunities
20.A. surely B. almost C. ever D. never
“So, what are you doing after graduation?” Many juniors and seniors get bored answering that question over and over. Most students, however, choose to go to college for further study.1.
Talking to Your Parents
2. Talk openly with your parents about your plans---both for the short term and the long term. If your parents want you to go to a college but you don’t feel that college is right for you, explain why.
3.
Your parents probably don’t know everything. For school and career guidance, visit your school consultant and talk with adult friends. Make an effort to talk to people in the fields that interest you. Ask friends in college about their schools and other schools they’re familiar with.
Making a Decision
Some people know from an early age exactly what they want to be and how they plan to get there. However, not all of us are so sure of our plans, though, and that’s OK too. School is also not just about careers and getting a high-paying job after graduation----it’s a place for learning about yourself and the world. 4. You can always go back to school or change a career path----lots of people do.
Selecting a School
If college is in your future, you need to plan. Which schools appeal to you? How do you decide on a school when there are thousands to pick from? Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, you can visit their websites or make arrangements to visit. 5.
A. Whatever you choose to do now does not have to be what you do forever.
B. This is the fact that young people have to take into consideration.
C. Getting advice.
D. Try to do this during school time so you can get a good idea of what life is really like on campus.
E. Talking to friends.
F. What if your post-graduation plans differ from what your parents have in mind？
G. Here are some practical tips to prepare yourself for the journey.
Why do we laugh and get amusement from so many different things, from puns (双关语) to pratfalls? Why are some things funny to some people and not to others? How is that while a successful joke can cause pleasure, a sick one can cause serious harm?
Over the centuries, various scholars have attempted to produce a universally agreed-upon theory of humor. Plato and Aristotle introduced the superiority(优越感) theory, the idea that people laugh at the misfortune of others. Their theory seems to explain teasing, but it doesn’t work well for knock-knock jokes. Sigmund Freud argued for his relief theory, the concept that humor is a way for people to release psychological tension and reveal their inner fears and desires. His theory works well for dirty jokes, less well for most puns.
The majority of humor expels today agree with the incongruity theory, the idea that humor arises when there’s a gap between what people expect to happen and what actually happens. Incongruity has a lot going for it — jokes with unexpected funny lines, for example, fit well. But scientists have found that in comedy, unexpectedness is overvalued.
With the goal of developing a new, more satisfactory explanation, I produced “the gentle violation(违背)theory”, the idea that humor arises when something seems wrong or threatening, but is actually OK or safe. A dirty joke, for example, trades on moral or social violations, but it’s only going to get a laugh if the person listening is open enough to consider the subject OK to talk about. Similarly, puns can be seen as linguistic violations that still make grammatical sense.
And while most humor theories have struggled to account for tickling (挠痒痒), or just avoided the phenomenon altogether, my theory accounts for even this kind of laughter. Tickling involves violating someone’s physical space in a gentle way. People can’t tickle themselves — because it isn’t a violation.
1.What is the author’s attitude towards Plato and Aristotle’s theory?
A. Critical. B. Approving
C. uncaring D. Unclear
2.According to Sigmund Freud’s theory, we can infer that __________ .
A. people will laugh when they see others suffer
B. telling dirty jokes is a relief of one’s nervous feelings’
C. unexpectedness can explain how humor works
D. tickling doesn’t involve psychological tension
3.According to the author, why are some things funny to some people but not to others?
A. Because the sense of humor varies greatly from person to person.
B. Because people have different expectations for the same thing.
C. Because some people lack the sense of safety deep in their heart.
D. Because people’s understanding of violation is different.
4.What is the author’s main purpose of writing this passage?
A. To draw people’s attention to the research of humor.
B. To criticize people’s misconceptions about humor.
C. To explain what exactly causes people to laugh.
D. To prove the sense of humor can be developed.
It is hard to imagine that such a small country, the size of Indiana with the population of Alaska, tucked in the Himalaya Mountains, accessible only by two airplanes, is the “Happiest Country’’ in the world and has one of the fastest growing GDP’S in the world. This country is Bhutan, “Land of the Thunder Dragon”, which is located in South Asia and is encompassed by India, China, and Nepal.
Bhutan is the last standing Buddhist Kingdom in the World and, until recently, has preserved much of their culture since the l7th century by avoiding globalization and staying isolated from the world. Internet, television, and western dress were banned from the country up until ten years ago. Over the past ten years globalization has begun to change in Bhutan, but things remain perfectly balanced.
Bhutan is the only country in the world that has a ‘GNH’, which refers to “Gross National Happiness.’’The process of measuring GNH began when Bhutan opened up to globalization. It measures people’s quality of life, and makes sure that “material and spiritual development happen together.”Bhutan has done an amazing job of finding this balance. Bhutan has continually been ranked as the happiest country in all of Asia, and the eighth Happiest Country in the world according to Business Week. In 2007, Bhutan had the second fastest growing GDP in the world, at the same time as maintaining their environment and cultural identity.
In 2008,in Bhutan’s first democratic election,28-year-old Jigme KhesarNamgyel Wang Chuck was elected president of Bhutan. He promises to “maintain a stance (立场)of protection against the worst aspects of globalization, maintaining the ‘Gross National Happiness’.”But Jigme himself is no stranger to globalization. He attended high school at Phillips Academy and university at Wheaton College and then graduated from Oxford.
1.The underlined word “encompassed’’ in the first paragraph most probably means __________ .
A. covered B. surrounded
C. separated D. guarded
2.Why is Bhutan regarded as “the happiest country”?
A. Because it changes its policy and begins to open up.
B. Because it uses “GNH” to measure its achievement.
C. Because it stresses both material and spiritual development.
D. Because it has the second fastest growing GDP in the world.
3.What Can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. The election in Bhutan is far from satisfactory.
B. Globalization has influenced Bhutan’s religion.
C. Jigme’s educational background will cause distrust.
D. People in Bhutan will continue living a happy life.
4.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
International Airport Sheremetyevo Moscow
If You've Lost Personal Belongings
On Board --Contact the airline’s representatives
At the Airport --Contact:
-- Sheremetyevo Police Department
……………………………………+7(495)578-22-55
--Unclaimed luggage storage room in Terminal C
……………………………………+7(495)578-23-26
--Umclaimed luggage storage room in Terminal D
……………………………………+7(499)500-65-52
(domestic flights)
+7(495)753-86-41
(international flights)
When collecting Lost and Found items, you shall have an identification document, a boarding pass or a ticket,and also to indicate a place where the items were lost and prove they are yours.
If Your Luggage Is Lost or Damaged
Before leaving the arrival area, please turn to the Lost and Found counter to file a report. The written claim shall be submitted to the airline company not later than seven days from the time when the luggage was to be collected.
If your luggage is not found withintwenty-one days of the time when the claim was filed, you have the right to claim damages in the amount of not more than 600 rublesper kilogram. Amount refunded(退款) for a hand luggage lost through the fault of an airline is not more than 11,000 rubles regardless of its weight. Amount refunded for damaged luggage is calculated based on the same tariffs(关税).
Keep your flight documents (a ticket, boarding pass, luggage tag, anddelayed luggage report filed at the airport) untilthe end of the procedure for searching for your luggage.
Current information on luggage-tracing results
……………………………………+7(495)578-76-65
Lost and Found service of Aeroflot Airlines
……………………………………+7(495)544-33-25
(from9:00to20:00)
+7(495)753-86-41
(24 hours)
For further information please contact the airline.
1.What should you do if you find your personal possessions lost on board an airplane?
A. Submit a claim to the company. B. Go to the Lost and Found counter.
C. Contact the airline’s representatives. D. Contact the unclaimed luggage storage room.
2.How much money can you claim if your 20-kilogram hand luggage is lost?
A. 600 rubles. B. 11,000rubles at most.
C. 12,000 rubles at least. D. 12,000 rubles at most.
3.Which number will you probably dial to see whether your lost luggage has been found?
A. 7(495)578-76-65 B. 7(495)544-33-25
C. 7(499)500-65-52 D. 7(495)753-86-41
假如你是高三学生李津，你想选择一所外地的大学，而你的父母想让在本市上大学，你很苦恼，请给你在中国留学的美国朋友Tom写一封求助信，主要内容包括：
1. 你的苦恼
2. 你和父母各持己见的理由
3. 询问Tom的建议
注意：
（1）词数不少于100；
（2）可以适当增加细节，使内容充实、行文连贯；
（3）开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数。
Dear Tom，
Long time no see. As it won’t be long before I graduate from high school, I have to choose an ideal university in advance, which makes me really annoyed.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Jin
