When I was a child, I often dreamed of the time when I could leave home and escape to the city. We lived on a farm and in the winter especially, we were quite cut off from the outside world. As soon as I left school, I packed my bags and moved to the capital. However, I soon discovered that city life has its problems too.
One big disadvantage is money—It costs so much to go out, not to mention basics like food and housing. Another disadvantage is pollution. I suffer from asthma(哮喘), and at times the air is so bad that I am afraid to go outside. Then there is the problem of traveling round. Although I have a car, I seldom use it because of the traffic jams. One choice is to go by bicycle, but that can be quite dangerous.
Of course there are advantages. First, there is so much to do in the city, whatever your tastes in culture or entertainment. Besides, there are wonderful jobs and greater chances of moving to a more important job or position. Finally, if you like shopping, the variety of goods is very surprising—and , what is more, shops are often only a short walk away.
Is life better then, in the city? Perhaps it is , when you are in your teens(十几岁)or twenties. However, as you get older, and especially if you have small children, the peace of the countryside may seem preferable. I certainly hope to move back there soon.
1.What was the writer always thinking about when he was a child?
A.Staying on the farm. B.Moving to the countryside.
C.Leaving home for the city. D.Running away from the school.
2.Which of the following is true about the writer?
A.He is very old now. B.He is in good health.
C.He prefers driving a car. D.He lives in the city now.
3.In the passage, the writer tries to __________.
A.express his opinions about way of life B.describe his life in the countryside
C.show an interest in the outside world D.persuade the reader to live in the city
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。
Mother's Gift
I grew up in a small town when the primary school was a ten-minute walk from my house. When the noon bell rang, I would race breathlessly home. My mother would be standing at the top of the stairs, smiling down at me.
One lunch-time when I was in the third grade will stay with me always. I had been picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had rehearsed my lines so hard with me. But no matter how easily I acted at home, as soon as I stepped onstage, every word disappeared from my head. Finally, my teacher took me aside. She explained that she had written a narrator's (旁白的) part to the play, and asked me to change roles. Her words, kindly expressed, still hurt, especially when I saw my part go to another girl.
I didn't tell my mother what had happened when I went home for lunch that day. But she sensed my pain. Instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to walk in the yard.
It was a lovely spring day and the rose vine (藤蔓) was turning green. Under the huge trees, we could see yellow dandelions (蒲公英) in the grass in bunch, as if a painter had touched our landscape with gold. I watched my mother casually bend down by one dandelion. ''I think I'm going to dig up all these weeds,'' she said, ''pulling it up by its roots. From now on, we'll have only roses in this garden.''
''But I like dandelions,'' I protested. ''All flowers are beautiful---even dandelions.''
My mother looked at me seriously. ''Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn't it? '' She asked thoughtfully. I nodded, pleased that I had won her over. ''And that is true of people too,'' she added. ''Not everyone can be a princess, but there is no shame in that.'' Relieved that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry as I told her what had happened. She listened and smiled.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150词左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
Paragraph 1:
''But you will be a good narrator, '' she said,
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Paragraph 2:
After the play, I took home the dandelion.
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为配合学校开展的课外体育活动，学生会向全校学生发出“锻炼身体，从我做起”的倡议。请你代表学生会，用英语写一封倡议书。内容包括：
1. 锻炼身体的好处；
2. 锻炼身体的方式；
3. 呼吁全体学生一起参加。
注意：1. 词数在80左右；
2. 开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear fellow students,
Our school has started a program of extra-curricular sports activities. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
When people 1. (face) with health or nutrition questions, it is 2. (increasing) common to go online and diagnose themselves. But the Internet is full of conflicting health warnings with no regulation to get rid of the wrong advice, some of 3. is extremely dangerous! Also, search engines rank results by 4. (popular) rather than accuracy, so solid facts can be tricky to find. It is worth 5. (check) if the writer of an online piece is properly qualified as an expert. Anyone can call 6. (they) a “diet expert”, “nutritionist” and even a “doctor” — given it could refer to qualifications like a PhD. But remember, only officially 7. (recognize) practicing doctors as well as dietitians have degrees 8. giving medical 9. (suggest). So if you are unsure and still wondering whether the chocolate diet really does work or not, then it pays to make 10. appointment with your dietician or doctor. The truth is out there, and you just need to look in the right place!
My first lesson is at a meeting. As we settle around the table I hear Meg, who is ____ a recent operation, talking to Judith, the manager of our project. “Thank you so much for ____ my daughters to their dance lessons last week.” “Don’t mention it,” Judith says, “It was nothing.”
Knowing how ____ Judith’s schedule is, with her work, kids and aging parents, I find her driving Meg’s children to lessons unbelievably ____. I am about to say more about this when Donna, another colleague, enters the room ____. She apologizes for being late, saying she just hosted a lunch for her friends who are over seventy. “That is so nice of you,” I say, ____ how busy she is, how she doesn’t like to cook and clean. “Oh,” she says, waving her hand, “It was nothing.” ____, I can still tell the ____ in her voice. She did gain a sense of satisfaction from the entertainment offered to her friends.
Seeing their ____ to help others selflessly, I start thinking about the concept of “nothing”, this peaceful and generous way of living--- had it really been nothing or are they simply saying that? It ____ to me that once I spent a whole afternoon after work helping a friend ____ a speech she was going to deliver. I ____ her to rearrange the sequence of the stories in the lecture to make it sound more ____. After the fifth try, she finally ____ it. She hugged me with ____, saying thanks to me. I smiled and said it was nothing.
Suddenly, I realized that helping someone was really something to me. I learned that giving from the heart doesn’t ____ mean sacrifice and hard work. The ____ is finding something we love to do and finding someone who ____ that something. Our generosity can benefit others ____ ourselves. Once you have a good ____ of it, it’s nothing. And it’s really something.
1.A.going through B.adapting to C.recovering from D.rejoicing in
2.A.guiding B.fetching C.dragging D.driving
3.A.tight B.common C.strange D.practical
4.A.ridiculous B.eccentric C.tiresome D.generous
5.A.hurriedly B.angrily C.disappointedly D.unexpectedly
6.A.ignoring B.forgetting C.knowing D.predicting
7.A.Moreover B.Therefore C.Otherwise D.Somehow
8.A.pleasure B.sadness C.surprise D.regret
9.A.progress B.willingness C.promise D.ambition
10.A.refers B.appears C.occurs D.seems
11.A.prepare for B.put up C.give away D.deal with
12.A.begged B.recommended C.invited D.sponsored
13.A.confusing B.sensible C.sensitive D.typical
14.A.made B.meant C.caught D.got
15.A.concern B.worry C.gratitude D.apology
16.A.normally B.accidentally C.necessarily D.possibly
17.A.treat B.trick C.plot D.plan
18.A.needs B.admires C.loves D.defends
19.A.on account of B.as well as C.except for D.regardless of
20.A.order B.glimpse C.impression D.command
E-waste is fast becoming a serious global problem. 1.
The source of e-waste
We live in a society that constantly produces and consumes electronic products. It is often cheaper to buy new pieces of equipment than to repair old ones. Also, through clever advertising, companies persuade consumers to replace their old TVs, mobile phones and computers for the latest models. E-waste is created when we throw away electronic equipment like this. In the EU alone, about 8.7 million tonnes of e-waste is produced each year. 2.
The problem with e-waste
Burying e-waste in landfills or burning it causes serious problems for the environment. 3. These substances can then leak into the ground in landfills or pollute the air when they are burnt.
Global recycling schemes (计划)
4. However, their schemes are not always managed properly and sometimes electronics are just sent to poor countries such as Ghana. Here they are often burnt in public areas, which is very bad for people’s health. Setting up recycling programs in the countries that create e-waste could solve this problem. E-cycling centres could recycle the parts that we can reuse and properly dispose of the rest.
Take-back policy
Another solution to e-waste is to make manufacturers responsible for their used products. This could mean forcing them to take back old products which are no longer wanted. 5.
Consuming less
We can all reduce the amount of waste we produce by buying electrical products only when we have to.
A.In recent years, many countries have started recycling e-waste.
B.They should then make sure they are properly recycled or reused.
C.Sadly, just over one million tonnes is recycled.
D.This report will examine this problem and provide some possible solutions.
E.By resisting the temptation to buy a product just to have the latest version, we cut down on e-waste.
F.Electronics contain dangerous chemicals and metals.
G.Both manufacturers and consumers must accept their responsibilities and make efforts to keep it to a minimum.
