In the fall of 1985. I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later , I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt(收养) and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8. Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, But I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember；little steps add up to big dreams.
1. When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be_____________
A. a writer B. a teacher
C. a judge D. a doctor
2.Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?
A. She wanted to study by herself.
B. She fell in love and got married.
C. She suffered from a serious illness.
D. She decided to look after her grandma.
3.What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?
A. She was busy yet happy with her family life.
B. She ignored her guilty feeling for her sons.
C. She wanted to remain a full-time housewife.
D. She was too confused to make a correct choice.
4.What doses the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?
A. Failure is the mother of success.
B. Little by little, one goes far.
C. Every coin has two sides.
D. Well begun, half done.
5.Which of the following can best describe the author?
A. Caring and determine.
B. Honest and responsible.
C. Ambitious and sensitive.
Innocent and single-minded.
There were smiling children all the way. Charily they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.
I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.
It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight, Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave hack.
From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.
The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug (拥抱). I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.
I looked forward to the return journey.
1.The author expected the train trip to be
A. adventurous B. pleasant
C. exciting D. dull
2.What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?
A. The friendly country people.
B. The mountains along the way.
C. The crowds of people in the streets.
D. The simple lunch served on the train.
3.Which of the following words can best take the place of the word “relish” in the second paragraph?
A. choose B. enjoy
C. prepare for D. carry on
4.Where was the writer going?
A. Johore Baru. B. The Causeway.
C. Butterworth. D. Singapore.
5.What can we learn from the story?
A. Comfort in traveling by train.
B. Pleasure of living in the country.
C. Reading gives people delight.
D. Smiles brighten people up.
“I Went Skydiving at 84!”
As a young girl growing up in the 1930s, I always wanted to fly a plane, but back then it was almost unheard of for a woman to do that. I got a taste of that dream in 2001,when my husband arranged for me to ride in a hot air balloon for my birthday. But the experience turned out to be very dull. Around that time, I told my husband that I wanted to skydive. So when our retirement community（社区）announced that they were having an essay competition and the topic was an experience of a lifetime that you wanted to have, I decided to write about my dream.
In the essay, I wrote about my desire to skydive, stating George Brush Sr. did it at age 80. Why not me? I was just 84 and in pretty good health. A year went by and I heard nothing. But then at a community party in late April 2009, they announced that I was one of the winners. I just couldn’t believe it. Inspired by this， I decided to realize my dream, even though some of my family members and my doctor were against it.
On June 11, 2009, nearly 40 of my family and friends gathered in the area close to where I would land while I headed up in the airplane. My instructor, Jay, guided me through the experience. The plane was the noisiest one I had ever been in, but I wasn’t frightened—I was really just looking forward to the experience. When we reached 13,000 feet, Jay instructed me to throw myself out of the plane. When we first hit the air, the wind was so strong that I could hardly breathe. For a second I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?” But then everything got calmer. We were in a free fall for about a minute before Jay opened the parachute（降落伞）, then we just floated downward for about five minutes. Being up in the clouds and looking at the view below was unlike anything I have ever felt—much better than the hot air balloon. I was just enjoying it.
Skydiving was really one of the greatest experiences of my life. I hope other people will look at me and realize that you don’t stop living just because you are 84 years old. If there’s something you want to experience, look into it. If it’s something that is possible, make it happen.
1.What happened to the author in 2001?
A. She flew an airplane B. She entered a competition
C. She went on a hot air balloon ride D. She moved into a retirement community
2.The author mentioned George Bush Sr. in her essay to .
A. build up her own reputation B. show her admiration for him
C. compare their health condition D. make her argument persuasive
3.How did the author feel immediately after she jumped out of the plane?
A. Excited B. Scared C. Nervous D. Regretful
4.What did the author enjoy most when she was skydiving?
A. The beautiful clouds B. The wonderful view
C. The company of Jay D. The one-minute free fall
5.Which word could be used to replace the word “instructor,” in Paragraph 3?
A. doctor B. conductor C. pilot D. trainer
Some people live in the world for body while others for dignity(尊严).
I once took a walk along the street 1. a Saturday dusk, with a Pepsi can in my hand. An old woman in ragged clothes, 2. was living on collecting used cans, jars and tins, moved slowly towards me, with a bag on the back! 3. (walk) nearer, she looked up at me and then fixed her eyes on my can. At that time, I hadn’t finished my cola, so I gave 4. several coins instead.
She stared at me for a few seconds 5. handed back the money. Quite confused, I asked: “Why not? Isn’t that 6. you want?”
“I am not a beggar,” she said 7. (serious), word by word.
Instantly, I felt so sorry. I had intended 8. (help) her, completely misunderstanding her. Thus I hurt her. What I could do at that moment was only to drink up the cola and handed her 9. emptied can. This time, she gave me a smile with 10. (satisfy) and gratitude in her eyes. The woman is poor in material life but is so respectable as a man. I am not only moved but also have learned a good lesson.
A boy was walking home from school when he saw a large, tempting （诱人的）apple on one of the branches of an apple tree hanging out over a tall fence. The boy wasn’t much of a fruit-eater, 1 a bar of chocolate if given the choice, but, as they say, the forbidden fruit can be tempting. Seeing the apple, the boy wanted it. The more he looked at it, the 2 he felt and the more he wanted that apple.
3 as high as he could, but even at his tallest 4 , he was unable to touch it. He began to 5 up and down , as high as he could, at the 6 of each jump stretching his arms to get the apple . Still it remained out of 7 . Not giving up , he thought , if only he had something to 8 on . His school bag wouldn’t give enough height and he didn’t want to 9 the things inside , like his lunch box , pencil case , and Game boy. Looking around, he hoped he might find an old box , a rock , or , with luck , even a ladder , but it was a tidy neighborhood and there was nothing he could use. He had tried everything he could think to do. Without seeing any other choices , he gave up and started to walk 10 . At first he felt angry and disappointed thinking about how hungry he had become from his 11 , and how he really wanted that apple .The more he 12 like this , the more unhappy he became.
However ,the boy of our story was a pretty smart guy, even if he couldn’t always get what he wanted .He started to say to himself . This isn’t 13 ,I don’t have the apple and I’m feeling miserable as well. There’s 14 more I can do to get the apple-that is unchangeable-but we are supposed to be able to 15 our feelings. If that’s the case, what can I do to feel better?
1.A. preferring B. offering C. receiving D. allowing
2.A.sadder B. angrier C. hungrier D. tastier
3.A. Expanding B. Stretching C. Swinging D. Pulling
4.A. strength B. length C. range D. height
5.A.jump B. look C. walk D. glance
6.A.tip B. stage C. top D. level
7.A hope B. hand C. sight D. reach
8.A. put B. stand C. get D. hold
9.A. break B. shake C. take D. strike
10.A. back B. away C. up D. down
11.A. wishes B. beliefs C. efforts D. goals
12.A. thought B. imagined C. tried D. claimed
13.A. skilful B. cheerful C. harmful D. helpful
14.A. something B. anything C. everything D. nothing
15.A.change B. express C. forget D. describe
阅读下面的短文，然后按要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
Middle and high school days are both fun and busy. Students spend their days in class, listening to the interesting and sometimes boring words of the teacher. They spend the short breaks running, playing, and shouting happily before going back to the classroom again. But how should students spend their free time outside school?
In Western countries, it is common for students to have a part-time job after school and at weekends. Students can earn their own money and learn more about the “real world”. They enjoy the extra independence and money, and parents enjoy the quiet house. However, it seems that, in China, parents worry so much about their children’ studies that they would prefer to see their children spending most of their free time studying and preparing for all those exams.
It is natural for parents to feel that way, but I believe the answer lies in balance. Sometimes, Western school children work long hours after school to make money, and so they become too tired to listen in class or have no time for homework. But Chinese students spend so much time on their studies that all else becomes less important until they want that new MP4 player.
So, find a good and healthy balance! If you have a part-time job, you’ll be happy, and your parents will also be happy because you’re spending your hard-earned money and not theirs!
[写作内容]
1） 概括短文的内容要点，该部分的字数大约30词左右；
2） 就“如何利用课余时间”这个主题发表你的看法，至少包含以下的内容要点，该部分的字数大约120词左右:
a. 以自身为例，简述你平时是怎样打发课余时间的；
b. 你如何看待自己利用课余时间的方式；
c. 你的父母对你利用课余时间的态度及你的看法。
[写作要求]
你可以使用实例或其它论述方法支持你的论点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不要抄袭阅读材料中的句子。
[评分标准]
概括的准确性、语言的规范性、内容的合适性以及篇章的连贯性。
