Anthony Horowitz was miserable as child. He was, as he put it, “not very bright” and couldn’t win the attention of his very wealthy parents, who preferred his “clever” older brother. At age 8, Horowitz was sent away to an abusive boarding school in his native England, even though he screamed and pleaded(恳求) with his parents year after year not to send him. “The thought was, It’ll be good for him,” he recalled.
It was not. Horowitz did badly in his studies, had few friends and was bullied (欺负) for five years. “My teachers couldn't have had a lower opinion of me,” he said. “I wasn't even smart enough to rebel . The one thing I remember from the very earliest age was this desire to write. When I was 10 years old, I remember asking my parents to get me a typewriter for my birthday because I wanted to be a writer.”
Now, at age of 55, Horowitz is one of the world's most successful children's book authors. His Alex Rider series has sold more than 5 million copies, and the eighth book featuring the young spy, Crocodile Tears, came out this month.
The Alex Rider books tell the adventures of 14-year-old Alex Rider, an agent for the British intelligence agency M16.
Horowitz said he doesn't try to write for kids; it just comes out that way. “I have a feeling it's to do with purity and simplicity. I give as little information as is necessary to describe the room, the character in the room, and get on with the action,” he said.
The style has also made Horowitz a successful writer of television shows for adults in Britain because, he says, writing books for kids is a lot like writing television for grown-ups: In both cases, it's all about entertaining people with a good story.
Now, Horowitz couldn't be happier with his life. He sums up his success: “…you can be anything you want to be if you just believe in yourself. I do believe it completely.”
1.In the boarding school, Horowitz’s teachers .
A．often criticized him B．showed great concern for him
C．taught him how to write stories D．thought little about his ability
2.Which of the following is true of Anthony Horowitz?
A．He was the beloved child of his family.
B．He benefited a lot from boarding school.
C．He emphasizes the plot rather than character in stories.
D．Although he is successful, he isn’t very happy.
3.What advice does Horowitz have for readers?
A．Confidence is the key to success. B．Hardship teaches valuable lessons.
C．Interest is the best teacher. D．Industry is the parent of success.
4.In which section can you most probably read the passage?
A．Campus Trends B．Culture & Leisure
C．Our World D．Science Life
“If you run for more than five minutes at any time, you might need a pair of running shoes,” advises Stephen Pribut, a US sports medicine expert. Running shoes are highly technical footwear. They provide stability（牢固）while bearing up to three times the wearer’s body weight. But it’s not easy to find the right pair. Finding the right running shoes is something of an art, or a science and a feel.
The science part begins with the shape of the arch（弓）of your foot, which anyone can find out at home with this quick experiment: Put your foot in water and place it on a piece of brown paper. If you see a “C” shape on the paper when you remove your foot, you have a rare high arch. If the shape looks more like a rectangle, that means you have flat feet. See something in between? That’s a normal arch.
Conveniently for shoppers, shoe companies nowadays divide their shoes in three categories: neutral(for high arches), stability(for normal or low arches) and motion control(for flat arches). So you will know which type suits you.
At this point, most people would just grab an appealing shoe and try it on. But professionals would do a few quality-control tests. First, you bend the shoe toe to heel to see where it bends. If it’s not at the forefoot---where the foot actually bends, be afraid. Then you grip both ends and twist in opposite directions. If you can twist it like a towel, it means there’s zero support. Finally, you squeeze(挤)the heel in both directions. A stable heel won’t cave in.
Now you need to check the mold(模子)that shapes the inside of the shoe: whether it’s wide or narrow in the mid-foot, how it sits on the heel and how roomy the toe box is.
It’s wise to hold off until the afternoon to make the shoe purchase, to allow for any swelling(肿胀) that your feet do throughout the day. Toes also decide sizing choice. The rule is you need a finger’s width from your longest toe (whether that’s your big one or not) to the end of the shoe.
1.What is the main idea of this passage?
A．Advantages of wearing running shoes fitting you.
B．Ways to get to know about the shape of the arch of your foot.
C．Advice on how to choose the right pair of running shoes.
D．Best time to buy a pair of running shoes.
2.If the arch of your foot looks like a “C” shape, you have _________.
A．a normal arch B．a high arch C．a flat arch D．a low arch
3.．The underlined phrase “cave in” most probably means ______.
A．bend B．stretch C．shake D．crash
4.．Why is the late afternoon the ideal time to go shopping for shoes?
A．We are likely to be more patient in the afternoon.
B．Feet usually become large late in the day.
C．The toes become longer late in the day.
D．The arch of our feet will be in best shape in the afternoon.
Americans this year will swallow 15,000 tons of aspirin, one of the safest and most effective drugs invented by man. The most popular medicine in the world today, it is an effective pain reliever. Its bad effects are relatively mild and it is cheap.
For millions of people suffering from arthritis(关节炎), it is the only thing that works. Aspirin, in short, is truly the 20th-century wonder drug. It is also the second largest suicide drug and is the leading cause of poisoning among children. It has side effects that, although relatively mild, are largely unrecognized among users.
Although aspirin was first sold by a German company in 1899, it has been around much longer than that. Hippocrates, in ancient Greece, understood the medical value of the leaves and tree bark which today are known to contain salicylates(水杨酸碱), the chemical in aspirin. During the 19th century, there was a great deal of experimentation in Europe with this chemical, and it led to the introduction of aspirin. By 1915, aspirin tablets were available in the United States.
A small quantity of aspirin (two five-grain tablets) relieves pain and inflammation(炎症). It also reduces fever by interfering with some of the body’s reactions.
1.The passage is written to .
A．suggests us using more aspirin B．reminds us of the side effects of aspirin
C．gives us a whole view of aspirin D．discusses the good effects of aspirin
2.According to the author, aspirin .
A．is very safe B．first appeared in 1899
C．can be harmful to children D．can hardly be dangerous
3.Generally speaking, the author seems to be .
A．in favor of aspirin B．against the use of sapirin
C．not interested in aspirin D．careful in using aspirin
4.What is the best title for this passage?
A．How to Use Aspirin B．Why I Take Aspirin
C．The Most Popular Medicine D．The Side Effects of Aspirin
完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer students begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. 21 Robby said that it had always been his mother’s 22 to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student.
Hard as Robby tried, he lacked the 23 of music. However, he persisted and at the end of each weekly 24 he’d always say, “My mom’s going to hear me play someday.” But it seemed 25 . I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to 26 him up. She always 27 and smiled but never visited my class. Then one day Robby 28 coming to our lessons. He telephoned me and said his mother was 29 .
A few weeks after that, I was 30 my students for the upcoming recital when Robby came and asked me 31 he could be in the recital. “Miss Hondorf… I’ll just go to play!” he insisted.
The night for the recital came. The high school gym was 32 with parents, friends and relatives. The recital 33 well. Then Robby came up on stage. I was 34 when he announced that he had chosen Mozart’s Concerto No. 21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I had heard 35 his fingers were light on the keys. They even 36 on the keys… He played so well that everyone was on their 37 in wild applause (鼓掌). In tears I ran up on stage. “Oh Robby! How 38 you do it?”
“Well Miss Hondorf… I 39 on practicing at home. Remember I told you my mom was sick? Well, 40 she had cancer and passed away this morning. She was born deaf so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play…”
1.．A．Although B．Because C．But D．Thus
2.．A．idea B．dream C．desire D．imagination
3.．A．feeling B．knowledge C．education D．sense
4.．A．trial B．attempt C．performance D．lesson
5.．A．helpless B．hopeless C．senseless D．worthless
6.A．put B．take C．make D．pick
7.A．waved B．listened C．stared D．watched
8.A．escaped B．avoided C．stopped D．refused
9.A．deaf B．lonely C．away D．sick
10.A．preparing B．arranging C．persuading D．taking
11.A．that B．whether C．when D．how
12.A．filled B．covered C．crowded D．connected
13.A．went on B．turned on C．carried on D．kept on
14.A．delighted B．proud C．confused D．surprised
15.A．until B．while C．before D．since
16.A．danced B．tapped C．hit D．flew
17.A．heads B．feet C．ears D．eyes
18.A．should B．would C．could D．might
19.．A．went B．kept C．continued D．stuck
20.．A．unfortunately B．suddenly C．strangely D．actually
--- We give dogs time, space and love we can spare.
--- . Dogs are always our loyal friends.
A．Neither dogs do B．Neither do dogs
C．So dogs do D．So do dogs
Jim, as well as his sisters, to talk to his parents at present because of misunderstanding.
A．is prepared B．was prepared C．are prepared D．were prepared
