| 1. 难度：中等 | |
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There are so many expressions in American English that sound good but are not. “Face the music” is a good example. When someone says they have to face the music, it does not mean they are going to a musical show or concert. To face the music means to accept the bad results of an action. Imagine a friend asks you to take care of her beautiful red sports car. She gives you the keys and says, “Thanks so much for watching my car while I’m away. But please do not drive it. It is a very fast car and you are not on the insurance (保险).” But you do not listen. You want to show it to some friends and pretend (假装) the car is yours. So, you drive it around town one night. As bad luck would have it you lose control of the car and drive it into a stop sign. The damage is serious. When your friend returns you must tell her what you have done and “face the music”. The “music” here is the result of your actions. It could be losing her friendship or paying for repairs to her sports car or both. Whatever the music is, you must face it. There are other American expressions that mean the same as “face the music”. To “take your medicine” means to accept the results from something bad you have done. And if someone says, “You made your bed. Now lie in it.” He means you created a bad situation and now you will experience the results, or as we say in American spoken English, you must deal with it! “Pay the piper” also means the same as “face the music”. But, that expression has its own very interesting beginning. We will talk about that in the next Words and Their Stories. 1.What’s the main idea of this text? A.To invite a friend to go to a musical performance. B.To tell people how to deal with a bad situation. C.To give people a lesson on an action. D.To introduce some expressions. 2.Which action belongs to “take your medicine”? A.You broke the traffic rules and caused an accident. B.You worked hard but failed in the exam. C.You caught a cold and took some medicine. D.You moved to a new city and lost touch with your old friends. 3.What may the next programme talk about? A.Other words and their stories. B.The beginning of “pay the piper”. C.The wider use of “face the music”. D.An example of “take your medicine”.
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| 2. 难度：中等 | |
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Josh Morrison，17，dreamed of raising $ 100,000 to build a home for a low-income family. After years of hard work，his dream has come true. The house is now in the early stages of building. Six years ago. Josh and his dad went into a Habitat for Humanity Restore，a home improvement store and donation center run by the nonprofit organization. They were there to buy a sink. Josh.then 11.also noticed a collection of pennies. “I instantly felt the urge to help out with that.” he said. Josh set a fundraising deadline of four years. Many people doubted whether he could reach his goal of S 100,000.but it didn’t shake his faith. He raised money at his school and other nearby schools. He collected money from neighbours，got publicity from local newspapers，and placed cans in stores so that people could donate extra change. Josh’s fundraising efforts began to produce results. Still，there were challenges. Four months before his deadline，he was $30,000 short. He decided to hold Family Fun Fair and Spaghetti Dinner in Uxbridge，which is in the province of Ontario. The event raised $19,000. “I didn’t care how long it took me.”Josh said.“I would raise $100,000.” With three weeks left，a company called Josh’s house，offering to donate $18,000. Eventually. Josh reached a total of $134,000 before the deadline.“The momentum just kept going，and we decided to do more.”he said.“Josh’s Penny House”is being built by Hahitat for Humanity in the city of Oshawa，along with 24 new townhouses. Josh has helped with some of the construction，as have other volunteers. He will choose the family that moves into the unit. Next year，the 17-year-old will head to college in British Columbia. Canada’s westernmost province. As a 11-year-old kid when starting fundraising .Josh was able to send a powerful message across the world. No matter how old you are，if you have a dream and are willing to do anything to achieve it，it can come true. 1.Which word can best describe Josh Morrison in Paragraph 2? A.Cautious. B.Straightforward. C.Open-minded. D.Determined. 2.Why was the Family Fun Fair and Spaghetti Dinner event held in Uxbridge? A.To attain his goal. B.To call for more attention. C.To win approval from the locals. D.To find sponsors for a family. 3.What does the underlined sentence in Para. 4 mean? A.He received continuous donations. B.His project became more popular. C.He got more support from his family. D.The result was beyond expectations. 4.What can be the best title for the text? A.Kindness from a Company B.The Penny House Dream C.An Astonishing Fundraiser D.A Boy with a Warm Heart
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| 3. 难度：中等 | |
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It’s not often sunny in Paris, but people still love to walk along the bank of the Seine. They love the view of the city’s old buildings, especially Notre Dame Cathedral, with its iconic spire (标志性塔尖). Unfortunately, that view has been forever changed. On April 16 a fire destroyed the spire of the 850-year-old wooden Notre Dame Cathedral built in 1163, and two-thirds of the roof. The fire shocked and saddened Parisians. Citizens gathered around the giant church, singing hymns (赞美诗) and praying for the hundreds of firefighters who fought the flames. “The importance of Notre Dame, not only to Catholics (天主教) but to all Parisians, cannot be underestimated (低估),” wrote French author Bernard-Henri Levy. “For many in France, it’s more than a house of worship. It’s a symbol of French culture, architecture and history.” The church is also home to many religious artworks, paintings and sculptures. Luckily, its world-famous colored glass windows survived the fire. These windows are made of many small pieces of glass and feature various Christian images. Despite its long history and many treasures, the Cathedral needed the help of a writer to become truly famous. Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, presented the building to a wide audience of readers. The book’s ugly lead character, Quasimodo, serves as a symbol for Paris’ forgotten Gothic (哥特式的) architecture. Hugo wrote the book to remind people of it, with the hope that they would work to protect the beautiful old buildings of Paris French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to reconstruct the historic building. “Note Dame is our history, our literature and it’s our imagery,” he said in a public speech following the fire. 1.Which of the following is true about Notre Dame Cathedral? A.It is a representative architecture of France. B.It is made of wood and metal. C.It is a place for entertainment. D.It will be rebuilt in a different style. 2.What makes the Cathedral known to the world? A.Its famous spire. B.Its colored glass windows. C.Victor Hugo’s novel. D.Religious treasures inside. 3.What’s the writer’s attitude towards the damage to the church? A.Uncaring. B.Regretful. C.Negative. D.Optimistic.
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| 4. 难度：中等 | |
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It is an old expression about some people who are highly motivated about work in itself with the opposite view of someone who works to live. 1. But answering it honestly and accurately is critical to making intelligent career choices, and to your ultimate happiness in life. Unfortunately, many people lack the self-knowledge and realistic expectations necessary to address this vital issue properly. Certain people, it is said, live to work. Their lives center on their work or careers and that achievement in their professions is a major source of satisfaction and meaning in their lives 2. In some cases, achieving huge levels of pay is considered more as a means of proving your worth than it is for the money itself. By contrast, other people work to live. These people view their work or careers largely as toil whose purpose is to earn the money necessary to support themselves and their dependents. Their real interests lie elsewhere. 3. Some of these people try to cut comers, to gain the maximum pay for the minimum amount of effort. Others do indeed take great pride in their work and put great effort into doing their jobs well, but their jobs simply are not the centers of their lives. 4. Examples abound of individuals who lose their native passion for work because they cannot find an adequate position or pay in their preferred fields of endeavor. When they settle for jobs in other fields, they often do so strictly for benefits, such as compensation (补偿). 5. A. It’s critical to understand it. B. Money may not be a motivation. C. They may develop-a same attitude. D. And their work or careers are only means to an end, not an end in itself. E. There is no right or wrong answer to the question of which attitude is better. F. The answer for a given individual may differ based on his or her circumstances. G. Many individuals used to work to live but after a change of career start living to work.
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| 5. 难度：简单 | |
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It was a mid April－a time when the planet Earth turns under the hot rays of the Sun. There was a large desert in Africa with no trace of _______ except a little rose. There was not a bird or a tree in _______ . The sand dunes(沙丘) became piles of burning coal as the days _______ . But the little rose _______ the cruelty of the Sun. The Sun was very _______ to have seen the rose’s ability to _________ such unfavorable conditions. One afternoon, the Sun said to the little _______ , “Dear Rose! I am the supreme power in this universe. I have the _______ to give and take life. Thousands of living things _______ every day, as they are not able to bear with my heat. But, you have been weathering even my hottest rays ________ any complaint. May I know the source that gave you this great ________ ?” “Oh, mighty Sun,” the little rose said ________ , “I don’t know much about this desert. But it appears ________ and there seems to be no one else in the whole world my eye could stretch. I began to feel ________ for the loneliness of this desert and ________ to help it as possible as I could. And in this process, I never ________ anything that causes pain to me. My whole ________ has been to be a good friend to this desert and ________ its loneliness.” ________ by the little rose’s care for the large desert, the Sun offered a(n)________－millions of other roses filled the desert with their sweet smells and thus turned the entire stretch into a great oasis of life. 1.A.history B.human C.life D.death 2.A.silence B.sight C.turn D.trouble 3.A.passed by B.set down C.came up D.got through 4.A.stood B.avoided C.conquered D.disliked 5.A.pleased B.surprised C.disappointed D.frightened 6.A.change B.follow C.improve D.survive 7.A.child B.friend C.flower D.animal 8.A.power B.chance C.duty D.right 9.A.grow B.die C.stop D.live 10.A.with B.over C.through D.without 11.A.failure B.force C.strength D.success 12.A.gently B.proudly C.fluently D.rudely 13.A.small B.far C.thick D.large 14.A.sorry B.lucky C.happy D.angry 15.A.refused B.decided C.agreed D.accepted 16.A.experienced B.collected C.solved D.forgot 17.A.courage B.bravery C.kindness D.concern 18.A.play jokes on B.think highly of C.get rid of D.pay attention to 19.A.Attracted B.Touched C.Injured D.Educated 20.A.expense B.salary C.praise D.reward
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| 6. 难度：中等 | |
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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。 A small town in New Zealand has announced a (n) 1.(usual) plan to ban domestic cats in order to protect native wildlife. Those 2. currently own cats will not be forced to give them away, according to the plan. However, after their cats pass away, they will not be allowed 3.(get) another one. The cats will need to have microchips (芯片) 4.(put) just below the surface of 5. skins so that they can be found at any time. Village officials say the plan 6.(need) because domestic cats 7. (attack) wild animals in the area. Because of this, the area’s native wildlife is 8. (rapid) disappearing. New Zealand has listed 150 animal species as being seriously endangered and in need of 9.(protect). These animals include a kind of ant that only lives under one kind of rock, and a kind of lizard (蜥蜴) that only lives 10. a certain area.
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| 7. 难度：中等 | |
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假定你是李华，一名高中生，你校校园网需要招收英文网络编辑（the Web editor），请根据以下提示，用英语向外教主编Chris申请这一职位。 1.关心时事(current affairs)，对新闻工作(journalism)感兴趣； 2.有做校刊记者的工作经历； 3.擅长英语，曾获英语写作大赛一等奖； 注意：1.词数100左右； 2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯； Dear Chris, _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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| 8. 难度：中等 | |
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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。 The bell rang, announcing the end of the vivid art class Karson loved most. He was delighted that he had created a very satisfying work. So he walked to the back of the classroom to put his work away carefully. There, lying on the carpet in front of the classroom bookcase, was a golden ticket! Karson picked it up. His heart beat faster when he saw that the name line was blank. He couldn’t believe his luck! The boys and girls in Karson’s class could earn golden tickets by doing well in their study or by being extra helpful or kind. Once a week their teacher drew a ticket out of a box on her desk and let the winner choose a prize. Today was the golden ticket drawing, and here was another ticket, just for him! Karson looked around. No one else was near the ticket. All his classmates were at their desks, laughing and talking with each other. Miss Evans was engaged in grading the papers collected earlier in the morning. Karson decided to write his name on the blank line. Then he could put it into the prize box with the six tickets he’d already earned. With so many chances, one of his tickets would most probably be picked! Then he could choose the pink toy pig for his sister’s birthday, just like he had been hoping. He smiled and reached for the pencil in his pocket. Suddenly his fingers stopped. There was a strange feeling in his chest, and it wasn’t his heartbeat. It’s finders keepers, right? He wondered. He looked out of the window and tried to figure it out. On the one hand, he did find the ticket, but he hadn’t earned it. Somebody must have lost it. But on the other hand, he did need this extra ticket for his great plan! 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，每段开头语己为你写好: 4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。 Paragraph 1: Karson stared at the blank name line for a moment. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Paragraph 2: “Karson, I’d like you to have another ticket!” Miss Evans said. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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