Dear Guys,
I’d like to talk to you about the shame you subjected me to last night. Let me first refresh your memory: You, a group of fit, young men, were playing soccer on the field across from my apartment building. I, a better-than-average looking young woman, was walking along the sidewalk with my groceries. That’s when your ball came flying over the fence and landed in front of me.
One of you approached and asked politely if I would throw the ball back to you. Fighting the urge to drop my bags and run screaming down the street, I reluctantly agreed.
Before I continue, let me explain something that I didn’t have a chance to mention last night: I hate sports. More specifically, I hate sports involving balls. This results from my lack of natural ability when it comes to throwing, catching and hitting. I’m bad at aiming too. So you can understand why I’d be nervous at what I’m sure seemed to you like a laughably simple request. However, wanting to appear agreeable, I put my bags down, picked up the ball and, eyes half-shut, and threw it as hard as I could.
It hit the middle of the fence and bounced back to me.
Trying to act casually, I said something about being out of practice, then picked up the ball again. If you’ll remember, at your command, I agreed to try throwing underhand. While outwardly I was smiling, in my head, I was praying, Oh God, oh please oh please oh please. I threw the ball upward with all my strength, terrified by what happened next.
The ball hit slightly higher up on the fence and bounced back to me.
This is the point where I start to take issue with you. Wouldn’t it have been a better use of your time, and mine, if you had just walked around the fence and took the ball then? I was clearly struggling; my smiles were more and more forced. And yet, you all just stood there, motionless.
Seeing that you weren’t going to let me out of the trouble, I became desperate. Memories of middle school softball came flooding back. I tried hard to throw the ball but it only went about eight feet, then I decided to pick it up and dash with ball in hand towards the baseline, while annoyed thirteen-year-old boys screamed at me that I was ruining their lives. Children are cruel. Being a big girl now, I pushed those memories aside and picked up the soccer ball for the third time. I forced a good-natured laugh while crying inside as you patiently shouted words of support over the fence at me.
“Throw it granny-style!” one of you said.
“Just back up a little and give it all you’ve got!” another offered.
And, most embarrassing of all, “You can do it!”
I know you thought you were being encouraging, but it only served to deepen the shame.
Anyway, I accepted your ball-throwing advice, backed up, rocked back and forth a little, took a deep breath and let it fly.
It hit the edge of the fence and bounced back to me.
I surprised myself --- and I’m sure you as well --- by letting out a cry, “DAMN IT!!!” I then willed myself to have a heart attack and pass out in front of you just so I’d be put out of my misery. Alas, the heart attack didn’t happen, and you continued to look at me expectantly, like you were content to do this all night. I had become a sort of exhibition for you. I could feel your collective thoughts drifting through the chain-link: “Can she really not do it? But I mean, really?”
Unfortunately for you, I wasn’t really game to continue your experiment. Three failed attempts at a simple task in front of a group of people in a two-minute period was just enough blow for me for one night. I picked up the ball one last time, approached the fence and grumbled, “Please just come get the damn ball.”
And you did. And thanks to you, I decided at that very moment to never throw anything ever again, except disrespectful glances at people who play sports.
Sincerely, Jen Cordery
1. The writer agreed to throw the ball because _______.
A. she needed to have a relax carrying the heavy groceries
B. she wanted to refresh her childhood memories
C. she could not refuse the polite request from the young man
D. she had fallen in love with the young man at first sight
2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “game”?
A. anxious B. brave C. afraid D. curious
3.Why did the writer mention her middle school memory?
A. To explain why she failed the attempts to throw the ball back.
B. To complain that she had not mastered the ball throwing skills.
C. To show how cruel those 13-year-old boys were.
D. To express her dislike towards softball.
4.What the boys said before the writer’s third attempt actually made the writer ________.
A. inspired B. encouraged C. embarrassed D. depressed
5.What’s the writer’s purpose in writing this open letter?
A. To express her regret over what she did the day before.
B. To announce that she would never play ball games again.
C. To explain her own inability to throw the ball over the fence.
D. To criticize the young men for their cruelty to her dignity.
根据以下提示，结合事例，用英语写一篇短文。
Encouragement from a friend plays a very important role in motivating you to solve the problems you are facing. It helps you fight the difficulties and get out of an unfavorable situation you are stuck in.
注意：
（1）无须写标题，文章开头已经给出，不得照抄英语提示语；
（2）除诗歌外，文体不限；
（3）词数为120左右。
Encouragements can serve as a ray of hope during difficult times.
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下面短文中有10处语言错误。请在有错误的地方增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一个横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从十一处起）不计分。
It is real a good chance to have met all of you here. We have spent several precious weekend in learning in the English Club. Although we have been members for a short period of times, we have made a great progress. That is because we are all very much active and the activities are not only enjoyable and also helpful. Besides, the foreign teachers here work hard and try his best to make the activities lively and interested. I am very pleased to say that all of us greatly improved our spoken English so far. I am looking forward to see all of you again in the near future!
根据短文内容，请从以下选项中选出符合各段意思的小标题，选项中有一项是多余选项。
A. Learn about the Country
B. Learn about the University
C. Be Prepared for Adjustments
D. Know What to Do in an Emergency
E. Ensure You Have All the Documents（文件）
F. Develop Good Communication Skills
Studying Abroad
Are you planning to pursue a course from a foreign university? Well, then you certainly come to the right place. These tips for studying abroad will surely make you feel at home in a new city. Just have a look!
1._____________________________
Before you leave for your destination country, make sure that you are well aware of its culture, customs and traditions. Every country has its own culture, which may be different from yours. Therefore, if you wish to get adjusted to the local way of living in a short time, you must be aware of what the people eat, how they dress up and also what their sensibilities are. Also, you can catch a few of the commonly used words of the local language there. In this way, not only will you be able to make yourself feel at home in the new city, but also will be spared from experiencing a major culture shock.
2._____________________________
This is perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind before you set off to foreign shores to study. Make note of all the essential papers you would need before and during your stay abroad, especially the passport and the visa. It is recommended that you make copies of both, your passport and visa, in case you might be required to get a new one during the course of your stay there. Also, at least one other member of your family should have a passport made so that you can have somebody by your side if you fall sick or in case of other emergencies. Also, it is a good idea to carry a few copies of your photo, in case you need to use one. Another thing that’s necessary is to get a health insurance to cover the expenses of a medical emergency abroad.
3.__________________________
When you decide to pursue a course abroad, it is extremely important that you should research well. Don’t just follow advertisements and choose one blindly. Instead, talk to people who have completed their studies from that country or who are planning to move to the same country. This way you’ll get some reliable information.
4.____________________________
Not only will it make it easier for you to face personal interviews but also to interact with the local people and follow students. The more you speak to people, the more you’ll end up making friends quickly. What a way to drive the blues away!
5.___________________________
Get the details of the Embassy（大使馆）in the city you’re moving to, including the phone number and register yourself and your family members with the Embassy. This way you’ll know whom to reach out to in case you are in trouble in a foreign location.
For eighty four days old Santiago had not caught a single fish. At first a young boy, Manolin, had shared his bad fortune, but after the fortieth luckless day the boy’s father told his son to go in another boat. From that time on, Santiago worked alone. The boy loved the old fisherman and always helped him with money and food. Usually, they would talk about the fish they had taken in luckier times or about American baseball after supper, while at night, alone in his cottage, Santiago dreamed of lions on the beaches of Africa, where he had gone years before. He no longer dreamed of his dead wife.
On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago set off to fish before dawn. Two of his baits(饵) were fresh tunas(金枪鱼) the boy had given him, as well as sardines(沙丁鱼) to cover his hooks. Then he set his lines which went straight down into deep dark water.
As the sun rose he saw other boats in toward shore. A bird showed him where dolphins were chasing some flying fish. This time Santiago saw tuna jumping in the sunlight. A small one took the hook on his line. Pulling the fish aboard, the old man thought it a good fortune.
Toward noon a marlin, a common fish in the sea, started eating the bait which was one hundred meters down. Gently the old man played the fish, a big one, as he knew from the weight on the line. At last he struck to settle the hook. The fish did not come out of the surface. Instead, it began to pull the boat to the northwest. The old man followed it. Although he was alone and no longer strong, he had his skill and knew many tricks. He waited patiently for the fish to be tired.
It was cold after the sunset. When something took one of his remaining baits, he cut the line with his knife. Once the marlin leaned suddenly, pulling Santiago forward on his face and cutting his cheek. By dawn his left hand was cramped(抽筋的). The fish had headed northward; there was no land in sight. Hungry, he cut pieces from the tuna and chewed them slowly.
That morning the fish jumped. Seeing it, Santiago knew he had hooked the biggest marlin he had ever seen. Then the fish went down and turned toward the east. Santiago drank a little water from the bottle during the hot afternoon.
Close to nightfall a dolphin took the small hook he had rebaited. He lifted it aboard, careful. After he had rested, he cut meat from the dolphin and kept also the two flying fish he found in its stomach. That night he slept. He awoke to feel the line running through his fingers as the fish jumped. Feeding line slowly, he tried to tire the marlin. After the fish slowed its run, he washed his cut hands in sea water and ate one of the flying fish. At sunrise the marlin began to circle. Faint, he worked to bring the big fish nearer with each turn. Almost exhausted, he finally drew his big fish alongside and drove in the harpoon(鱼叉). The fish was two feet longer than the boat. No fish like it had ever been seen in Havana harbor.
An hour later, he sighted the first shark, a fierce Mako, and it came in fast to chase after the dead marlin. The old man struck the shark with his harpoon. The Mako rolled and sank, carrying the harpoon with it and leaving the marlin bloody. He knew the smell would spread. Watching, he saw two sharks closing in. He struck at one with his knife and watched it sliding down into deep water. The other he killed while it tore at the flesh of the marlin. When the third appeared, he thrust(刺) it with the knife. The other sharks came at sunset. At first he tried to beat them with the tiller(舵柄) from the boat, but his hands were bleeding and there were too many in the sea. In the darkness, as he steered toward the harbor of Havana, he heard them hitting the boat again and again. But the old man thought only of his steering and his great tiredness. He had gone out too far and the sharks had beaten him. He knew they would leave him nothing but the stripped skeleton of the big marlin.
All lights were out when he sailed into the little harbor and beached his boat. He could just make out the white backbone and the upstanding tail of the fish. Once he fell under their weight and lay patiently until he could gather his strength to go on. In his cottage he fell on his bed and went to sleep.
1.The above story is adapted from __________.
A. Treasure Island B. The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer
C. The Old Man And The Sea D. The Son Of The Sea
2.Why did the man feel that he could be lucky this time?
A. Because a small tuna took the hook on his line.
B. Because he dreamed about the American lions.
C. Because he saw many flying fish were chased by the dolphins.
D. Because a lot of sharks followed his boat.
3.According to the text, which statement is NOT true about the boy?
A. The boy had mercy on Santiago.
B. The boy often shared his stories with Santiago.
C. The boy showed his great concerns to Santiago.
D. The boy was Santiago’s adopted son.
4.Why does Santiago let the marlin lead his boat instead of pulling the big fish up?
A. He wanted to kill the marlin first before he pulled it up to the boat.
B. He was too tired and hungry to pull the big fish up.
C. His experience told him not to do so before the fish was tired out.
D. He wanted to use the marlin as a bait to catch the sharks.
5.Which sentence below can be used to best describe Santiago’s character?
A. “He no longer dreamed of his dead wife.”(Para 1)
B. “Although he was alone and no longer strong, he had his skill and knew many tricks.”(Para4)
C. “Almost exhausted, he finally drew his big fish alongside and drove in the harpoon.”(Para7)
D. “Once he fell under their weight and lay patiently until he could gather his strength to go on .”(Para 9)
6.According to the text, what will be talked about in the next paragraph?
A. the man’s action to realize his dream about the lions.
B. people’s reflection when they saw the giant marlin outside.
C. people’s discussion about how they ate the giant marlin.
D. a funeral held by the boy and the local people after his death.
Driving to a friend’s house on a recent evening, I was attracted by the sight of the full moon rising just above my friend’s rooftop. I stopped to watch it for a few moments, thinking about what a pity it is that most city people --- myself included --- usually miss sights like this because we spend most of our lives indoors.
My friend had also seen it. He grew up living in a forest in Europe, and the moon meant a lot to him then. It had touched much of his life.
I know the feeling. Last December I took my seven-year-old daughter to the mountainous jungle of northern India with some friends. We stayed in a forest rest house with no electricity or running hot water. Our group had campfires outside every night, and indoors when it was too cold outside. The moon grew to its fullest during our trip. Between me and the high mountains lay three or four valleys. Not a light shone in them and not a sound could be heard. It was one of the quietest places I have ever known, a bottomless well of silence. And above me was the full moon, which struck me deeply.
Today our lives are filled with glass, metal, plastic and fiber-glass. We have television, cell phones, pagers, electricity, heaters and ovens and air-conditioners, cars, computers.
Struggling through traffic that evening at the end of a tiring day, most of it spent indoors, I thought, “Before long, I would like to live in a small cottage. There I will grow vegetables and read books and walk in the mountains. And perhaps write, but not in anger. I may become an old man there, and wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled and measure out my life in coffee spoons. But I will be able to walk outside on a cold silent night and touched the moon.”
1.The best title for the passage would be _________.
A. Touched by the Moon
B. The Pleasures of Modern Life
C. A Bottomless well of Silence
D. Break away from Modern life
2.The writer felt sorry for himself because __________.
A. there was too much pollution.
B. he failed to see the fullest moon.
C. he didn’t adapt to modern inventions
D. there were too many accidents on the road.
3.What impressed the writer most in the mountainous jungle of northern India?
A. No modern equipment.
B. Complete silence.
C. The nice moon.
D. The high mountain.
4.Modern things are mentioned mainly to ___________.
A. show that the writer likes city life very much.
B. tell us that people greatly benefit from modern life.
C. explain that people have less chances to enjoy nature.
D. show that we can also enjoy nature at home through them.
5.The author wrote the passage to __________.
A. express the feeling of returning to nature.
B. show the love for the moonlight.
C. advise modern people to learn to live.
D. want to communicate longing for modern life.
