When my wife left this world, I chose to travel in Antigua looking for a peaceful place to rest my old body. Not quite old and weak, I felt I wanted something more than the usual hotel room with 24-hour room service.
I decided this year to try something completely new and booked myself a private holiday home in Antigua. This was the best decision I had ever made, as there was plenty to do, plenty to see and lots of lovely restaurants to visit. There was a private swimming pool, and a cool, wide yard where I ate my breakfast most mornings.
Antigua has to be one of the loveliest places on earth to spend a holiday. The bright blue sea and the endless blue around the beach areas proved to be an excellent place for me to spend the long afternoons.
I had to hurry to do what I wanted to do before the holiday came to an end. I managed to visit the Sugar Mill and Shirley Heights on my last two days and yet found myself wondering whether I could 
extend for a few more days.
I rented a boat and came home after a day’s sailing, refreshed, looking forward to dinner. Everything is so pleasant on these beautiful islands, swept by the trade winds and warmed by the sun for so many summer months. The food just tasted better to me, perhaps because I was having such a great holiday. There was always someone to have a drink with---- that’s what I liked most.
1. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned about the private holiday home the writer stayed in?
A. It had a private swimming pool.
B. There were lots of restaurants near it.
C. The writer often had breakfast in its yard.
D. It supplied delicious seafood to the writer.
2.The word “extend” in Paragraph 4 probably means “______”.
A. make something last longer
B. make you feel happy
C. prevent from entering
D. sell goods to foreign countries
3.The most important reason for the writer to travel in Antigua was ______.
A. there was bright blue sea
B. there was endless blue sky
C. there were lots of lovely restaurants
D. there were many people to drink with
4.The passage is most likely to be taken from a part of ______.
A. a tour guide B. a travel diary
C. a student’s report D. a health report
THIS is a story about a boy called Sparky. For Sparky, school was all but impossible. He failed every subject in the eighth grade. He got a zero in physics. It made him the worst physics student in the school’s history. He didn’t do much better in sports. He made the school golf team, but lost the only important match of the season.
He didn’t have friends, either. Other kids didn’t care about him. If a classmate said “hello” to Sparky outside of school, he would feel very surprised. There’s no way to tell how he might have done at dating(约会). Sparky never once asked a girl to go out in high school. He was too afraid of being turned down.
He was a loser(失败者), and he and his classmates knew it. But, somehow, he decided to keep trying. The only thing important in his life was drawing. He was proud of his ability even though no one else appreciated it. He submitted(递交) some cartoons for his high school yearbook, but they were rejected.(拒绝)
After completing high school he wrote a letter to the Walt Disney Studios. He was told to submit some samples. He spent a great deal of time on the drawings. They were rejected. Another loss for the loser.
So Sparky decided to write his own auto biography(自传) in cartoons. He created his childhood self – a little-boy loser: Charlie. He never succeeded in kicking a football and never got a dat
e with the little red-haired girl. Sparky, the boy who had such a lack of success in school and whose work was rejected again and again, was Charles Schulz. He created the Peanuts comic strip and the world-famous cartoon characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
1.From the first paragraph we can see that Sparky was in high school.
A. a loser B. a talented boy C. a good player D. a bad boy
2.Sparky never asked a girl for dating because he was afraid of .
A. making mistakes B. making friends
C. being refused D. talking to girls
3.What does the underlined word “He” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. His cartoon character Charlie B. Snoopy
C. Charles Schulz D. Walt Disney
4.His only success mentioned in this passage is .
A. his autobiography in cartoons
B. his artwork submitted to the Yearbook
C. his cartoons submitted to Walt Disney Studios
D. his golf match in high school
1.The people in needn’t go to work on Fridays.
A. Canada B. Scotland C. Japan D. Egypt
2.If it is 8:00 a.m. in western Canada, the time is _______ in eastern Canada.
A. 11:00a.m B. 2:00 p.m. C. 12:30 p.m. D. 4:00 a.m.
3.While Canadian children are waking up, children in Scotland are ________.
A. having lessons B. sleeping C. watching TV D. playing games
When I was yo
ung, I always helped my grandfather in the fields. As I worked beside him, he to tell a story about a man named Joe, and his wife, who moved to a new farm with their three sons. They were setting into the new place a nearby farmer told Joe that there was gold in the earth. Joe was very , and told his sons about it.
They began to dig in one corner, and they got to the end of the field. At the same time, Joe thought he would some crops where the earth had been . The plants included corn, tomatoes, potatoes, etc. His sons continued to dig through the soil, made up their mind to find the gold. Since soil was being turned, Joe could plant more crops. Joe had never farmed before, but it had always been his 
.
As different crops came ready to be harvested, Joe started to that there were more vegetables than he and his family could ever . One of Joe’s neighbors suggested that he a vegetable shop. Joe and his wife did that very thing. They called it Joe and Family Vegetable. Joe even had to leave some crops in the fields, he had more than enough to supply the vegetable shop.
This went on for years, and Joe and his wife became quite from their little vegetable shop. They were even able to their sons to college.
Remember the beginning of the story, when Joe was told by his new neighbor that there was gold in the land? Well, the truth is, Joe’s of the English language was less than perfect. His new neighbor friend actually meant that his land had rich . So you can see where the concept（概念）of gold comes from.
1.A. fearedB. agreedC. usedD. failed
2.A. whileB. asC. whenD. after
3.A. happyB. disappointedC. angryD. calm
4.A. harvestB. plantC. waterD. feed
5.A. controlledB. burnedC. destroyedD. turned
6.A. moreB. mostC. muchD. few
7.A. jobB. problemC. pityD. dream
8.A. realizeB. promiseC. reviewD. reply
9.A. feedB. sellC. plantD. eat
10.A. take upB. set upC. turn upD. make up
11.A. nowB. thoughC. soD. because
12.A. carefulB. richC. aloneD. cheerful
13.A. bringB. takeC. sendD. make
14.A. understandinB. knowledgeC. thinkingD. skills
15.A. mudB. goldC. soilD. material
--- I really want to give up my dream of being an actress.
--- ______. You are so young that you still have more chances.
A. Don’t do it like that B. It’s a good idea.
C. Why not start again? D. How lovely you are.
---It is selfless ______ the doctor to devote all the time he had ________ for the patients.
---I think so, they are so great.
A. for; to care B. of; to care C. for; to caring D. of; to caring
