| 1. 难度：中等 | |
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In ancient Greece, Socrates was a widely-recognized wise man. One day one fellow met the great philosopher and said, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?” “Hold on a minute,” Socrates replied. “Before telling me anything I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the Triple Filter Test.”. “Triple filter?”. “That’s right,” Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?” “No,” the man said, “actually I just heard about it and…”. “All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?” . “No, on the contrary…”. “So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about him, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?” “No, not really.” “Well,” concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?” Well we can always participate in loose talks to curb our boredom. But when it comes to your friends its not worth it. Always avoid talking behind the back about your near and dear friends. 1.Why did Socrates stop the fellow when he wanted to tell him about his friend? A.Because he didn’t know the fellow. B.Because he wanted to tell the fellow something first. C.Because he knew the fellow wouldn’t tell him something useful. D.Because he wanted the fellow to think twice before speaking. 2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? A.Socrates was a great philosopher in Ancient Greece. B.The fellow wanted to tell Socrates something bad about his friend. C.Socrates was curious to hear what the fellow wanted to tell him. D.It’s not a good idea to gossip about our friends behind the back. 3.What does the underlined “curb” mean in the last paragraph? A.increase B.describe C.reduce D.hide
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| 2. 难度：简单 | |
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The words “England” and “English” are perhaps the two most misused words in the English language. The British themselves often say England and English when they really mean Britain and British. What’s the difference, you may ask. To understand the question we have to know something about the history of the country and its people. We all know that Britain is an island country separated from the European continent by the English Channel. Actually there are two main islands. The larger one is called Britain, or Great Britain, and the smaller one is called Ireland, and these two, together with many small islands make up what is called the British Isles. The British Isles is a geographical term. It is not the name of any country. At present it is made up of two countries, the larger of which is the one we very often inaccurately call England. The full official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but people call it Britain or Great Britain for that. It consists of England, Scotland, Wales and a small part of Ireland－the northeastern part. People still tend to call Britain England not only because England is the largest in area and the most populous but mostly because England is the strongest and also the most influential country in every respect before it absorbed the other three countries(The whole of Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom at one time). Call it national chauvinism（沙文主义） if you like, but people in England call Britain England out of habit rather than conscious sense of superiority, though it annoys the Welsh and especially the Scots who are proud of their separate national tradition. 1.The British Isles is made up of_______. A.one country B.two countries C.two and a half countries D.three countries 2.The full official name of Britain is_______. A.Great Britain B.England C.United Kingdom D.the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 3.People call Britain England because of all of the following EXCEPT_______. A.England is the largest in area and has the largest population. B.people in England do so out of habit. C.England is the nearest to the European continent. D.England is the strongest and also the most influential in every respect. 4.What’s the main idea of the passage? A.The formation of the UK. B.The chauvinism of the English. C.The location of the British Isles. D.The difference between “English” and “British”.
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| 3. 难度：中等 | |
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Christmas Island, which is barely a tiny spot on the world map, sits about 250 miles south off the coast of Central Java, and 1,650 miles from Perth, the nearest western Australian city. Technically, it’s part of Australia, but you’d never know from its location. Christmas Island got its name from Captain William Mynors, an English sailor who accidentally landed on this unknown land on Christmas Day in 1643, though it wasn’t until the late 1800s that the island was properly surveyed. With its warm temperatures and high rainfall, Christmas Island is home to all sorts of wildlife. Nearly two-thirds of the island is national park land, which is highly popular with bird-watchers. No matter where you end up in the forest, you won’t be short on sightseeing spots. Hugh’s Dale Waterfall is eye-catching, and can only be reached by hiking through the rainforest. Once you arrive at the falls, go ahead and take a shower under the crashing water — not only is it clean enough to drink, it’s held sacred(神圣的) by local Buddhists, who believe it’s the center of the island’s "water universe." Most people come for the beaches. Since the island is so small and has remained in its natural state for so long, all kinds of colorful fish can be found swimming around the island’s tropical reef. You might find yourself swimming with the world’s largest fish, the whale shark, which visits Christmas Island from November to April. To get to Christmas Island, you’ll need to fly in from Perth or Fiji. Click here for more information. 1.Which of the following can NOT be done on Christmas Island? A.Watch wild birds. B.Drink fresh water. C.Cycle to Hugh’s Dale Waterfall. D.Swim with a whale shark. 2.What can we infer from the passage? A.Central Java is a city in Australia. B.Christmas Island is cold and wet all year round. C.It is very dangerous to travel on Christmas Island. D.There are many wonderful sights in the forest on the island. 3.Where is the passage most probably taken from? A.A sport magazine. B.A website. C.A TV show. D.A movie review.
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| 4. 难度：中等 | |
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The first World Friendship Day was proposed for July 30, 1958 by the World Friendship Crusade, an international civil organization to foster a culture of peace through friendship. 1. Just as in the US and several other countries, the festival has been greatly commercialized（商业化）. Days before the festival, card and gift companies launch a large campaign(活动) to attract people into buying cards and gifts for their friends. Streets and stores are filled with advertising programs aimed at young people. 2. This marketing strategy(策略) has been severely criticized(批判) by many people. Many feel that such crazy commercialization has damaged the meaning of Friendship Day. 3. especially the pink and yellow ones. The day is observed with great pleasure and merry. A highly popular thing connected with the day is the well-known friendship band—the modern day symbol of friendship that friends give to one another to form an everlasting bond. Friendship bands are the favorite items for youngsters and available in stores all over the country. Friendship poems and Friendship Day gifts are exchanged between best friends to renew the bond of friendship and express gratitude and love for each other. 4. Since its beginning in 1935, Friendship Day celebrations have come a long way. 5. Friendship Day remains the time when you acknowledge your friends’ contribution in your life, express love for them, cherish their presence in your life and pay them a salute. Today, Friendship Day is being celebrated around the globe, across diverse cultures and social periods. A. The popular customs of Friendship Day include handing over roses, B. The idea of honoring friendship was adopted by a few countries in Asia. C. Restaurants offer special discounts to make the most of the time as well. D. These days, however, it is celebrated with a lot of showing off and expenses. E. These are new ways of celebration of this day that have grown in popularity. F. The original idea for a day of friendship came from Hallmark cards in the 1930s. G. But however much the ways of celebration have changed, the basic idea behind the occasion remains the same.
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| 5. 难度：中等 | |
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It's amazing how one dollar can change the culture of a school. We have a ______ school of about 30 students. It is really full of ______ and pressure as most of the kids get good ______ and try to be the best ones. It's good except that a lot of us middle kids felt really ______. We got the feeling that we were so selfish—it's every man for ______． ____, my friend and I set out to find a way to ______ the culture. We thought doing things for others was the only way to ______ our depression(沮丧) about school. On the first day of school we put a ______ folded into a heart into one of the leaders' lockers with a piece of paper that ______，“Buy yourself a snack.” We hoped to ______ small gifts every day. We didn't know the ______ it would have. People went ______ over it and everyone was talking about who it might be doing the acts of kindness and ______ that they should do something too. It is so much fun to see the ______ on everyone's faces now! Lots of other people have started sharing ______ now too: chocolate bars, cookies and money left ______ in the vending machine(自动售货机)．And lots of notes are on the thanks board saying: “Thanks to whoever started.” Now I actually expect to go to school to have the chance to ______ people up. I hope kindness will ______ to other schools. If anybody is struggling with being ______ at school and work, I totally suggested doing acts of kindness. 1.A.small B.large C.lovely D.terrible 2.A.confidence B.determination C.competition D.difficulty 3.A.grades B.books C.results D.teachers 4.A.interested B.satisfied C.pressured D.embarrassed 5.A.others B.yourself C.nothing D.himself 6.A.In return B.In charge C.In response D.In anger 7.A.realize B.enrich C.swap D.change 8.A.deal with B.live with C.come up with D.keep up with 9.A.paper B.gift C.dollar D.ticket 10.A.wrote B.said C.told D.printed 11.A.give up B.give away C.give in D.give off 12.A.problem B.opinion C.effect D.attitude 13.A.wild B.sad C.angry D.peaceful 14.A.regretting B.disagreeing C.doubting D.deciding 15.A.tears B.pain C.smiles D.terror 16.A.happiness B.selfishness C.kindness D.sadness 17.A.by accident B.as usual C.in surprise D.on purpose 18.A.bring B.cheer C.speed D.hold 19.A.spread B.refer C.react D.take 20.A.ignored B.concerned C.confused D.depressed
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| 6. 难度：困难 | |
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假如你是李华，你的英国网友Sam来信询问你上周末的活动。请你给他回信，描述你和朋友的一次远足，要点如下： 1. 地点：东白山； 2. 描述天气和沿途所见所闻； 3. 你的感想。 注意：1. 100词左右；2.不要逐字翻译。 参考词汇：远足 v. hike ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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