假如你叫李平，你的笔友Scot不久将来到你的家乡访问。他希望你能提前告知一些你家乡现在的情况。请根据下面的提示写一封英文信。简要描述你的家乡现况。
位置：赣江边；面积：40万平方公里；人口：30万；
交通建设：修建多座立交桥，拓宽了主要街道；
环境保护：迁移改造产生污染的工厂，净化了水源；
人才引进：广纳各类专家，技术人员；
相关词汇：交通transportation, 立交桥 traffic bridge,改造transform;
信的开头已经给出。
Dear Scot,
I’m very glad to know form your letter that you’ll pay a visit to my hometown. And I’m too glad to tell you that my hometown has taken a new look!
Look forward to seeing you soon!
Yours Li Ping
（根据课文内容填写恰当的单词。）
1.John Snow was a famous doctor in London and he attended Queen Victoria as her personal p .
2.So many t___ of terrified people died every time there was a break.
3.The cholera outbreak was so s____ that more than 500 people died in ten days.
4.John Snow suggested that the source of all the water supplies be e____.
5.With this extra evidence John Snow was able to a____with certainty that polluted water carried the virus.
6.Now when people refer to England you find Wales i____ as well.
7.However, the s______ part of Ireland was unwilling and break away to form its own government.
8.England is the largest of the four countries, and for c____ it is divided roughly into three zones.
9.The first i_____, the Romans, left their towns and roads.
10.You must keep your eyes open if you are going to make your trip to the United Kingdom enjoyable and w_____.
Thomson中学学生Mike, Joseph, Anna, Ian 和Susan 正在计划各自下学期的选修课程。 阅读第61至第65题中的个人情况说明和A到F六门课程介绍，选出符合个人个性特长的最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。
1.Mike spent his childhood mostly in his father’s study, where he read novels by British and American writers. Next term he will become a senior student. He thinks it’s time that he read more of their works and learned to write about them.
2.Joseph is good at the language arts, and in his spare time he likes to write short stories. It is his wish that his stories would be printed in local newspapers. So he is thinking of taking a course to develop his writing skills such as wording and paragraph organization.
3.A lively and caring girl, Anna takes an active part in social activities. She is trying to write reports for newspapers about what she sees and hears. But few of them are accepted because of poor organization of information. She feels the need to improve her writing and communication skills next term.
4.Jan traveled worldwide with his parents when he was very young. Under their influence, he becomes greatly interested in stories of travel and adventure. He hopes to write his own stories in the future. So next term, he will choose a course to study the best writing of this type.
5.Susan comes from China. As a junior back home, she wrote quite a lot of short stories, some of which were published in newspapers. Her parents hoped she read some classics by Asian and Western writers. She thinks it helpful in her writing. So she is going to take a course of this kind next term.
A.Creative Writing
- by Mrs A. McClellan
Creative writing is a course in which we study and apply the methods used in various forms of fiction writing. Writing is a skill of art in itself. We are guided by Ezra Pound’s opinion: “Make it new. ” Creative writing does not only provide us with an opportunity to express ourselves, but also holds our attention to word choice, paragraph development, and other skills useful in writing.
B.Journalism
--- by Dr. E. Brandt
Journalism is a course for serious, in which we will cover how to gather, write, and report the news. We will discuss how information is, or can be, organized. This course also aims to develop communication skills required of journalists.
C.American & British Classics
--- by Dr. E. Walter
A classic is a literary work that has stood the test of time. Generations of readers have learned to classics to discover that which is over-lasting. Through both the works themselves and the people they mirror, we may better be able to see ourselves. In this course, we will read works in both British and American literature (文学). We will write reviews of what we read.
D.Technical Writing
- by Mr. J. Allen
What is technical writing? It is the course devoted to improving your communication skills in, for, and through technology. Activities for this course will help you develop communication skills that are necessary for writers and speakers working with technology or in business.
E. Non-fiction
--- by Dr. M. Yimm
The course is a study of non-fiction through reading many different topics of non-fiction. The course will also be about the possible changes in journalistic reporting and the sharing of personal stories of various people on various topics such as travel and adventure. We will examine some of the best writing in the world and deal with the techniques used in this text type
F. World Literature
--- by Mrs. A. McClellan
World Literature examines the common people found in quality literature worldwide, from Europe to America, from Asia to Africa, and introduces a variety of cultural background at different points in history. In these worlds, we find not only what is unique to each culture, but what is universal. We are also able to tell what makes for a good story, no matter from where or whom the story springs.
To err is human. To blame the other guy is even more human.
Common sense is not all that common.
Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?
These three popular misquotes(戏谑的引语)are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature .To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for having made a mistake. They naturally look for someone else who could be responsible for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do .The original quote about human nature went like this:” To err is human, to forgive, divine(神圣的).”This saying mirrors an ideal: people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite –find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity(成熟).
Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine．Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company,”the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”
And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary(直接推论)to that: if good excuse is “good”even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?
1.According to tile passage, which of following seems the most human?
A. To search for truth． B. To achieve one’s ideal
C. To make fun of others’mistakes．D. To criticize others for one’s own error.
2.Which of the following is NOT based on common sense?
A．A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company.
B．A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather.
C．A company’s next move follows a good plan．
D．A lawyer acts on fine judgments．
3.What is the author’s opinion about a good excuse?
A. Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy.
B. Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas.
C. A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty.
D. Bitter truth is better than a good excuse.
4.What would be the best title for his passage?
A. A Mirror of Human Nature B. To Blame or to Forgive
C. A Mark of Maturity D. Truth or Excuse
When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously ,did not give her good service ,pretended not to understand her ,or even acted as if they did not hear her .
My mother has realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she . I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人).I said in an adolescent(（青春期的) voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs.Tan..”
And my mother was standing beside me ,whispering loudly, “Why he don’t send me check already two week late.”
And then , in perfect English I said : “I’m getting rather concerned .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”
Then she talked more loudly. “What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately , I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs.Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.
1.Why was the author’s mother poorly served?
A.She was unable to speak good English. B.She was often misunderstood.
C.She was not clearly heard. D.She was not very polite.
2.From Paragraph 2, we know that the author was .
A. good at pretending B. rude to the stockbroker
C. ready to help her mother D. unwilling to phone for her mother
3.After the author made the phone call, .
A. they forgave the stockbroker
B. they failed to get the check
C. they went to New York immediately
D. they spoke to their boss at once
4.What does the author think of her mother’s English now?
A. It confuses her.
B. It embarrasses her.
C. It helps her understand the world.
D. It helps her tolerate rude people.
EDGEWOOD - Every morning at Dixie Heights High School, customers pour into a special experiment: the district’s first coffee shop run mostly by students with special learning needs.
Well before classes start, students and teachers order Lattes, Cappuccinos and Hot Chocolates. Then, during the first period, teachers call in orders on their room phones, and students make deliveries.
By closing time at 9.20 a.m., the shop usually sells 90 drinks.
"Whoever made the chi tea, Ms. Schatzman says it was good," Christy McKinley, a second year student, announced recently, after hanging up with the teacher.
The shop is called the Dixie PIT, which stands for Power in Transition. Although some of the students are not disabled, many are, and the PIT helps them prepare for life after high school.
They learn not only how to run a coffee shop but also how to deal with their affairs. They keep a timecard and receive paychecks, which they keep in check registers.
Special-education teachers Kim Chevalier and Sue Casey introduced the Dixie PIT from a similar program at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia.
Not that it was easy. Chevalier's first problem to overcome was product-related. Should schools be selling coffee? What about sugar content?
Kenton County Food Service Director Ginger Gray helped. She made sure all the drinks, which use non-fat milk, fell within nutrition (营养) guidelines.
The whole school has joined in to help.
Teachers agreed to give up their lounge (休息室) in the mornings. Art students painted the name of the shop on the wall. Business students designed the paychecks. The basketball team helped pay for cups.
1.What is the text mainly about?
A．A best-selling coffee. B．A special educational program.
C．Government support for schools. D．A new type of teacher-student relationship.
2.The Dixie PIT program was introduced in order to_ _．
A．raise money for school affairs B．do some research on nutrition
C．develop students' practical skills D．supply teachers with drinks
3.How did Christy McKinley know Ms. Schatzman's opinion of the chi tea?
A．She met her in the shop. B．She heard her telling others.
C．She talked to her on the phone. D．She went to her office to deliver the tea.
4.We know from the text that Ginger Gray ．
A．manages the Dixie P1T program in Kenton County
B．sees that the drinks meet health standards
C．teaches at Dixie Heights High School
D．owns the school’s coffee shop
