A “Gap Year” is a period of time that students take a break before going to university. The students often spend this time traveling or working. 1. Gap years are popular with European and Australian students, but remain less popular in America. However, in recent years, more and more American students are preparing for college by taking a gap year. The advantages of taking a gap year are as follows:

Learn about the World and Yourself

Although you don’t have to go abroad to experience gap years, most gap year students catch the chance to travel abroad. You are able to work out who you are and what you are for. 2.

You can learn more about the world and get to know yourself better.

Face Challenges and Have Fun

A gap year is not only a time to take a vacation, but also a time to face challenges. Gap year students usually work, volunteer or take service projects. You have to learn how to get along in the real world. This process isn’t always easy, but it is an important part of growing up. 3.

Save Money and Improve Your College Admission(准入) Chances

There’s a common thought that gap years are only for rich students, but it’s not true. Actually, taking a gap year can save your money. Gap year students often take a part-time job. Besides, at the end of a gap year, students are much more likely to know what to study in college. 4.

Imagine an office trying to admit (录取) only one between two students. Both of them are excellent and have high grades. However, one student has much practical experience or has volunteered in his vacation. Who do you think the officer will choose?

根据短文内容， 选四个句子填入空缺处，使内容完整正确，有一项多余。

A.Only in this way can enjoy life and have fun.

B.It can give young people useful learning experiences and new skills.

C.It’s important for the students to open their eyes to the world.

D.Clear learning goals can keep the students working hard instead of wasting time and money playing.

E.The experiences of different cultures offer you interesting lessons.

    Rita was in a shopping mall, looking for a gift for her little daughter. Suddenly, she stopped before a store, there were all kinds of dolls (布娃娃) inside.

“Why not a lovely doll? Girls like dolls,” she thought as she stepped into the store. Looking around, she saw a grandma doll— one with green and a pair of glasses. As she stared at it, Linda, her mother, appeared in her mind.

When Rita was a little girl, she got her first doll from Linda for her birthday. She was very happy. Then the second, the third…Rita began to feel bored. When she asked her mum the reason, the answer was always “A girl can never have enough dolls.” Year after year, Rita grew up and Linda aged, but a doll a year from Linda never arrived late.

“But why always a doll?” This question had been in Rita’s mind until one day her father gave the answer.

Little Linda dreamed to have a doll. Her parents promised one for her fifth birthday. Sadly, they both died in a traffic accident before it arrived. The never—received gift was the most pity in her eyes. That’s why she thought dolls were the best birthday gifts for Rita.

Her mother’s story being recalled, Rita got an idea…

It was Linda’s sixtieth birthday. The whole family got together around the sixty-year-old lady when the doorbell rang, to Linda’s surprise, a package(包裹) was brought to her, with a card read:

Dear Linda,

I forget to send you the package that you should have received on May 20,1956, your fifth birthday. The gift inside has aged, but I felt that you might still wish to have it. Sorry for the lateness!                                                                                                                  Love,    

Angel of Joy

Linda opened the package and saw a lovely grandma doll. She clasped the doll that she had waited so many years to receive, tears coming down her face. The doll, given by “Angel of Joy”, made her the happiest “child” alive.

根据短文内容，选择与短文内容相符的正确答案。

1.Who is Linda in the story?

A.Rita’s daughter B.Rita’s mother C.The grandma doll

2.Why did Linda think that dolls were the best birthday gifts for Rita?

A.Rita dreamed to have all kinds of lovely dolls.

B.Rita looked liked a doll when she was a little girl.

C.Linda had never got the dream doll from her parents

3.What does the underlined word clasped probably mean in the passage?

A.held B.threw C.made

4.Which can be the best title of the passage?

A.The Story of an Angel B.A Late Birthday Gift C.Linda, the Happiest Child

    Dolphins are my favorite animals. They live on fish, shrimps (虾) and so on. They are mammals (哺乳动物). Their babies are born in the water. They can grow up to three meters and a half as their parents. Dolphins live in groups and speak to each other in their own language. But they are quite different from almost all land animals. Their brain is as big as humans’, so they are very clever. People often train them so that they can give dolphin shows which can bring people lots of happiness and joy.  Dolphins can live a long life—at least 20 or 30 years.   Like some other animals, dolphins use sounds to help them find their way around. They also use these sounds to talk to each other and to help them find food. So sound is like their eyes and mouths. They do not use their ears to receive sounds, but use the jaws (下颚)- the lower part of the mouth.

Dolphins are friendly and peaceful. They never hurt people. Instead, they have saved many people in danger. For thousands of years, there are many stories about dolphins and humans. In the 19th century, in a dangerous part of the sea near New Zealand, there was a dolphin. The seamen liked him very much and gave him a very good name, Jack. From 1871 to 1903, Jack met every boat in the area and showed it the way. In1903, a passenger on a boat with the name of “The Penguin” shot and hurt Jack. Luckily, the dolphin didn’t die, and after a long time, he was well again. He guides the boats through the area for nine more years, but he refused to help the boat “The Penguin”.

Unluckily, the number of the dolphins is getting smaller and smaller today. Some people still kill dolphins for money. If we don’t protect them, maybe we will lose our good friends one day. As a student, I hope more and more people should take action to protect dolphins.

根据短文内容，判断下列句子正误。正确的用“A”表示，不正确的用“B” 表示。

1.Dolphins are not only fish but also mammals.

2.Dolphins use their jaws to receive sounds.

3.Jack is a name of a seaman.

4.At last, Jack didn’t help the ship “The Penguin” any more.

—Do you know_________?  — Yes. It’s about 7,300,000.

A.what the population of Jinan is B.what is the population of Jinan

C.how many the population of Jinan is

She always enjoys any progress her son has made and will feel               him.

A.pride in B.interested in C.proud of

—Where is your son? —He_______ Beijing. He_______ there three times before.

A.has been to, has gone B.has gone to, has been C.has gone to, has been to

________ Mary________ Jack is listening to the report carefully, because they are both interested in it very much.

A.Not only, but also B.Either, or C.Both, and

My parents ________since 15 years ago. They are having a sweet life now.

A.have got married B.got married C.have been married

________he takes the medicine, ________ he can become healthy.

A.The earlier, the faster B.Earlier, faster C.The early, the fast

— Are these books_________? — No, they are not mine. They belong to_________.

A.your, her B.yours, her C.you, she