Many students have already chosen whether or not to apply for Early Decision （ED）． The official deadline for most colleges and universities with an ED application is Nov 1st at 11：59 p．m．
Early Decision has risks． 1.However， ED comes with some nice perks （好处）．The two biggest advantages are：
1．Early notification （通知）． Students apply early and are notified early - usually by December 15．
2．A boost （提高）in acceptance． With just a little bit of research， you can find out the acceptance rate for students who apply normally and those who apply through ED． You might be surprised．2.
What questions do you need to ask before you make the ED choice？
First， consider academic fit． Are you satisfied with the amount of research you've done to make a four-year commitment （承诺）to this school？ Have you spent enough time on die college's website to understand the academic offerings？3.Do you think you'd struggle to keep up with the other students in class？
4.Are you sure you'll like the climate？ Is it the right size （not too big， not too small）？ Is the emphasis on sports， arts， culture， etc． right for you？ Do you like the surrounding area？ Is it enough to keep you entertained， or is it too overwhelming （难应付的）？
5.If you apply for Early Decision and are accepted， will you be able to attend if you are not offered any financial aid？ If the answer is "no" then you probably should reconsider applying through ED， because you will need to withdraw （撤回）your other applications if you are accepted．
A．Look at the social fit， too．
B．Also look at your finances．
C．Turn to your teachers for advice， too．
D．Do you think you're competitive academically？
E．Are you sure you can adapt to the new surroundings？
F．ED acceptance rates at some schools can be twice as high as the regular acceptance rates．
G．It means the student has agreed that if he or she is accepted to a school， he or she must attend it．
Robyn Rihanna Fenty has rocked the entertainment world with her contributions to pop music． She was born on February 20， 1988， in Saint Michael， Barbados． In her early teens， Rihanna was greatly inspired by reggae （雷盖音乐）singer Bob Marley and pop singer Madonna． She was lucky enough to get her first opportunity at the age of 15， when her friend introduced her to an experienced music composer Evan Rogers from New York．
Rihanna moved to US to start a career in music， and recorded under the guidance of Rogers and his partner Carl Sturken． Later， Shane Carter recognized her talent and had her sign a contract with Def Jam Recordings．
Rihanna has been musically influenced by famous artists， such as Beyonce Knowles， Madonna， Mariah Carey， Alicia Keys， and Bob Marley． In 2005，Rihanna released her debut album （首张专辑） "Music of the Sun''，which included the single hit "Pon de Replay"． This single broke all records and peaked at No． 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts， as well as the UK charts． Her second single "If It's Lovin' That You Want" was at No． 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts， and No． 11 on the UK charts．
Rihanna released her second album， "A Girl Like Me" in 2006， which included the hit song and lead single "S．O．S" （Rescue Me）． This single peaked at the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100．
In 2006， Rihanna also tried her luck in films， and made her acting debut playing a role in "Bring It On： All or Nothing"． The next year， she released her third album "Good Girl Gone Bad''，which had hit tracks like "Umbrella"，"Hate That I Love You"，and "Don't Stop the Music''，among others． In the same year，at the MTV Video Music Awards， Rihanna won two awards for the hit single "Umbrella"． In 2008， Rihanna won her first Grammy Award for her hit single "Umbrella"． So far，Rihanna has won 45awards in various categories．
1.What plays an important role in Rihanna's success？ ______
A. The support of her friends．
B. The encouragement of her family．
C. The education she received at school．
D. The help and influence of successful musicians．
2.What happened to Rihanna when she was eighteen years old？ ______
A. She started a career in music．
B. She began to act in films．
C. She began to release albums．
D. She won her first Grammy Award．
3.What do we know about Rihanna's second single "If It's Lovin' That You Want"？ ______
A. It was released in 2006．
B. It was included in her third album．
C. It was not as successful as her first single．
D. It was more successful than her third single．
4.Which song earned rewards for Rihanna for two years in a row？ ______
A. Umbrella． B. Pon de Replay．
C. Hate That I Love You． D. Don't Stop the Music．
November 11th， also known as the "bare sticks holiday"， and a day originally meant for young people to celebrate being single，has become the world's largest 24-hour online shopping carnival． Forum （论坛） readers share their opinions．
Blonde Amber （Ireland）
There is nothing to be proud of to be in a country that spends so much online on a particular day． It does nothing more than show the superficiality （肤浅）of the temporary pleasure of shopping，and produces nothing more than a mountain of environmental waste． I bet there is plenty of "buyers' remorse" after this day．
Vivian （US）
Since it is Singles' Day， I guess only the single population of China should buy something to relieve social pressure． The married might be excluded （排除）from the festival．
Alex （US）
Singles' Day was initiated （创始）by a group of college students to celebrate being single， or not having a girlfriend or boyfriend． They think poor guys should buy something on the day to entertain themselves． But Jack Ma got hold of the opportunity， hit the jackpot and successfully made it a yearly shopping spree （狂欢）．
George （Canada）
I work in Shanghai． Many of my young female colleagues are still single． They simply haven't time to date， as they tend to work long hours and travel two hours by subway to get to and from work． Singles' Day is a day when they spoil themselves with online shopping．
Patrick （Australia）
I don't care if it is Singles' Day or a shopping spree． It sounds fair enough to me． Just a click and I can get the best deals I have ever seen delivered to my door， and save money and time．
1.What does the underlined word "remorse" in Paragraph 2 mean？ ______
A. Surprise． B. Joy．
C. Regret． D. Excitement．
2.What's the best title for the passage？ ______
A. To Buy or Not to Buy？ B. A Global Shopping Spree
C. Jack Ma and the Double Eleven D. Singles' Day or Shopping Spree？
3.Where can we most probably find this passage？ ______
A. From a taxtbook． B. From a poster．
C. From a website． D. From an advertisement．
I was used to carrying a penknife in my pocket， and over the years I moved up in size from a small single knife to a Swiss Army knife and then eventually to a Leatherman multi-tool （多刃刀具）．
This wasn't a problem for many years． However， after the 9/11， the world changed． I was traveling from JFK to LAX， so I took the knife out of my pocket and put it in my bag． But when I got to the airport， I had completely forgotten about it， so I just quickly went through safety check． This was not long after 9/11， so safety check was extremely strict． But somehow， the X-ray screener missed the knife in the bag， and I walked on through．
I was sitting in the gate area waiting for boarding， when I noticed a second security screening process right next to the gate， with another X-ray machine and what looked like anti-terrorist soldiers． I suddenly remembered that I had this knife in my bag! I really didn't know what I should do． If I did nothing and they caught the knife during the second security screening， I'd be dead； if I told them I accidentally got the knife through the first screening， they would certainly re-screen every passenger on the plane； if I dropped it in a garbage can， it would be found by a cleaner in a secure area （警戒区），and probably result in something scary! I was anxious and like a cat on hot bricks． Suddenly， I noticed a skycap， someone whose job is to carry passengers' bags at an airport． I had an idea． I then began to ask every skycap I saw， "Hey， how would you like a ﹩60 multi-tool as a present？"
Finally， a guy looking happy but confused took it off my hands． I then went through the second safety check with no knife．
1.The author carried a knife in his pocket ______ ．
A. out of habit B. B． as a present
C. out of self-protection D. as a souvenir （纪念品）
2.In the end， how did the author deal with the knife？ ______
A. He put it in the bag． B. He gave it to others．
C. He threw it away secretly． D. He handed it to a policeman．
3.The passage is mainly about ______ ．
A. the history of penknives
B. the strict safety check in JFK
C. a meaningful gift from the airport
D. an embarrassing experience in the airport
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
There were two men who occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain (排除)the liquids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours every day. They spoke about their wives and families and their jobs. And every afternoon when the man by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened by all the activity and color of the outside world.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm, and a fine view of the city could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in detail, the man on the other side of the room closed his eyes and imagined the beautiful scene.
One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window described it. Unexpectedly, a strange thought entered his head: Why could he look out of the window? Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn’t seem fair.
As the thought developed, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy turned into hate and soon turned him sour. He began to find himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window and that thought now controlled his life.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
paragraph 1:
Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, another man began to cough. __________________________
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paragraph 2:
As soon as it seemed reasonable, the man asked the nurse if he could move next to the window. ___________
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假定你是李华。上周你阅读了一篇关于机器人的文章，收获颇丰。请你用英语给美国朋友Mendez写封邮件，和他谈谈此事。内容包括：
1. 机器人的作用；
2. 你对机器人的看法。
注意：1. 总词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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