Friends play an important part in our lives, and although we may take the fact of friendship for granted, we often don’t clearly understand how we make friends. While we get on well with a number of people, we are usually friends with only a very few. For example, the average among students is about 6 per person.
In the beginning, it much depends on how people meet, and on good first impressions. As we get to know people, we consider things like age, race, looks, economic and social status, and intelligence. Although these factors are not of the greatest importance, it is more difficult to have a good relationship with people when there is a big difference in age and background.
We pay attention to actual behavior, facial expression, and the way a person speaks. Friends will stand closer together and soft voices also express friendliness, and it is because they may give the wrong signals that shy people often have difficulty in making friends. A friendly look with the wrong facial expression can turn into an unfriendly stare, and nervousness may be wrongly understood as unfriendliness.
Some relationships are a result of argument and discussion, but it is usual for close friends to have the same ideas and beliefs, the same opinions and interests — they often talk about “being on the same wavelength”. The more closely involved people become, the more they depend on one another. People want to do friends favors and hate to let them down. Equally, friends have to learn to make allowances for each other, to put up with annoying habits, and to accept differences in opinion.
In contrast with marriage, there are no friendship ceremonies to strengthen the relationship between two people. But the mutual support and understanding that results from shared experiences and emotions does seem to create a close and lasting relationship, which can overcome differences in background, and break down barriers of age, class or race.
1.Why should we consider such things as age and background when making friends?
A. Because people of different age can’t have the same interest.
B. Because people who enjoy different social status have nothing in common.
C. Because when making friends people need know these.
D. Because differences in age and background make it difficult to make friends.
2.From the passage we know that ______.
A. we should hold ceremonies to celebrate our friendship
B. we can’t make friends with the people of different races
C. friends should understand each other
D. argument and discussion may break down the friendship.
3.According to the author, unfriendliness may be caused by ______.
A. worried expressions B. nervousness
C. different opinions D. wrong words
People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. “Today we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality-the driverless car.”The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U. S. government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.
Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are making Hondas safer, said Angie Nucci of Honda America. “A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes.” Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars. The systems help drivers, but don't replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer.
“By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident,” Kendall said. He said consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. “It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first.”
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.
1.What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A. Driverless vehicles are now legal in the whole USA.
B. Volvo will be the first to sell driverless cars.
C. Google’s self-driving cars have covered a long distance.
D. Driverless cars are pointing us a faraway future.
2.We learn that Governor of California Jerry Brown_________.
A. helped design self-driving cars.
B. supports self-driving cars on roads.
C. considers self-driving cars science fiction.
D. improved the self-driving car systems.
3.According to Richard Mason, what is the biggest challenge for driverless cars?
A. They are now too expensive for consumers.
B. Their technical problems remain to be solved.
C. They are not allowed to run on the road.
D. They are more dangerous for people on the street.
4.What's the best title of the passage?
A. The benefits of the self-driving cars.
B. The biggest challenge of the self-driving cars.
C. Self-driving cars-science fiction future is near.
D. Safer or more dangerous-self-driving cars.
Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida and has a large number of shopping malls to suit different tastes for tourists and guests to shop. Here are some great places where you can shop in Jacksonville.
Gateway Town Center
The venerable Gateway Town Center is one of Jacksonville’s oldest shopping malls, providing an eclectic mix of exciting stores and fun amusements! Gateway Town Center is located at 5184 Norwood Avenue and owns a mixture of retail boutiques (时装店), like Footlocker and Ashley Stewart. You can visit Gateway Town Center Mondays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 6:00.
St. Johns Town Center
The newest and trendiest shopping destination in the city is St. Johns Town Center. This center has all your national favorites like Dillard’s, Barnes & Noble and Target as well as a great restaurant selection. St. Johns Towns Center is open from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Regency Square Shopping Center
On 9501 Arlington Expressway stands the Regency Square Mall. Children like riding on the mall’s mini train while adults like to shop and socialize. Movie fans will like knowing that the Regency Square Mall has a 24 screen AMC theater. You can visit this mall from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and Sundays from noon to 6:00 p.m.
River City Marketplace
River City Marketplace located in Jacksonville is the largest shopping mall in the city with 70 shops including such stores as Lowes, Wal-Mart Super Center, Pet Smart and Old Navy. All these shops can be found at the open-air plaza. The mall’s 14 screen Hollywood theaters are a great attraction for movie buffs. River City Marketplace’s hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sundays.
1. If you want to enjoy a good dining during shopping you can go to __________.
A. St. Johns Town Center B. River City Marketplace
C. Gateway Town Center D. Regency Square Shopping Center
2. Children would like to visit Regency Square Shopping Center probably because __________.
A. they can buy a lot of wonderful toys
B. they can take the mini train there
C. they can play their favorite computer games
D. they can make many friends
3.On Sundays you should visit River City Marketplace at __________.
A. 10:00 a.m. B. 8:30 a.m.
C. 9:00 a.m.D. 6:30 p.m.
4.This passage is probably taken from __________.
A. a textbookB. a science magazine
C. an advertisementD. an announcement
For many years, I was convinced that my suffering was due to my size. I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds, hurts and rejections with it.
Many weight-conscious people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved, being special, and being cherished. We fantasize (幻想) about what it will be like when we reach the long-awaited goal .We work very hard to realize this dream. Then, at last, we find ourselves there.
But we often gain back what we have lost. Even so, we continue to believe that next time it will be different. Next time, we will keep it off. Next time, being thin will finally fulfill its promise of everlasting happiness, self-worth, and, of course, love.
It took me a long time to realize that there was something more for me to learn about beauty. Beauty standards vary with culture. In Samoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds. More importantly, if it’s happiness that we want, why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body? Why not look inside? Many of us strive hard to change our body, but in vain. We have to find a way to live comfortably inside our body and make friends with and cherish ourselves. When we change our attitudes towards ourselves, the whole world changes.
1.The passage tries to stress the importance of ____________.
A. body size B. different beauty standards
C. culture difference D. attitudes towards life
2.What does the word “everything” in paragraph 2 mean?
A. The whole world B. All the problems.
C. All the properties.D. The absolute truth.
3.What can be inferred about the author?
A. The author is a Samoan.
B. The author succeeded in losing weight.
C. The author probably got wounded in wars or accidents.
D. The author has been troubled by her/his weight.
4.According to the author , what is the common view of those who have lost some weight first and gained it back later ?
A. They feel optimistic about future plans on weight control.
B. They are indifferent to the regained weight.
C. The feel angry about the regained weight.
D. They think they should give up their future plans on weight control.
书面表达（满分25分）
现在越来越多的人在周末或假期到社区做义工。上周你班同学到当地一家福利院看望老人。请根据下列要点给China Daily写一篇短文，介绍活动情况。
给老人们读报、打扫卫生等；
与老人们交流；
你的感想。
注意：
词数：100词左右,文章开头已写出（不计入总次数）；
可以适当增加细节，使行文连贯；
生词：福利院 welfare house。
Nowadays, more and more people choose to be volunteers in the community in their spare time.
短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），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限一词。
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last summer, I was working at home a sunny day. For some reasons I went around to the front of the house to get anything. As I did so, I feel drops of rain on my face, that soon developed into a heavy shower. A few minute later, I went to the back of the house but realized that it was not raining at all there. It was raining only at the front and not at the back. I stood in the hallway, look one way––heavy rain and the another way––sunny and dry. Soon, the rain stopped complete. Up until then, I’d never seen such a strange weather.
