At first glance, there is little in Horton to attract people. The other nearby towns have much more to offer: Bradfield has its river and historic buildings, while Newtown has shops and entertainment. The buildings of Horton look dirty and unloved. For shops, there is a small supermarket, a few bargain shops, a bakery which, strangely, does not sell bread and a florist which has one stand of sad-looking flowers. Even so, Horton has several advantages over its neighbouring towns.
Firstly, it has a country park. Four thousand years ago, this was an important fort. There are no historic remains here now, but there are wonderful views over the countryside. On sunny weekends you can often see kids out with their parents, kicking balls or flying kites.
There aren’t many job opportunities in Horton, and the roads to nearby cities aren’t really fast, but there are excellent rail links. You can be in London in an hour and a half, and other cities are less than an hour away. That means that parents can earn a good salary and still get home in time to spend the evenings with their families. Houses in Horton aren’t pretty, but they’re functional and cheap. The streets are quiet and safe, and there are plenty of parks and playgrounds. It has a library, three primary schools and a secondary school, St. Mark’s. It is friendly and offers a wide range of subjects and activities to children of all abilities and backgrounds. The town also has a swimming and a sports centre, and the community halls hold regular clubs and events for people of all ages.
1.What is the writer’s main purpose?
A. To explain what tourists can do in Horton.
B. To explain why Horton is a good place to live in.
C. To explain why Horton is not as pleasant as other towns.
D. To describe the history of Horton.
2.Which part of Horton does the writer find disappointing?
A. the shops B. country park
C. transport links D. the schools
3.Which of the following is NOT the advantage of Horton?
A. plenty of parks and playgrounds
B. historical buildings
C. the quiet and safe streets
D. functional and cheap houses
4.What advantages does Horton bring to workers?
A. There are plenty of jobs available in the town.
B. You can drive to nearby cities in a short time.
C. You can get to several cities quickly by train.
D. Working conditions are better here than in other towns.
After having worked in the University of Maryland for three years, I got a job offer from another university---Lynn University. I left my letter of offer on my present boss's desk, turned around, and closed the door quietly. I was expecting a call from my boss saying congratulations, which would show her approval of my leaving.
In the afternoon, my boss called me, saying, "Can we meet tomorrow? "That was a good signal. The next day, I met with my boss. She said, 'Nicholas, we want you. What do you want?" I said, "Boss, I deserve a significant pay raise this year due to my outstanding performance. I think I need a 10% pay raise next year as a condition for me to stay here." My boss said, "No problem.''
When I left her office, I called Lynn University and told them that I was going to get a 10% pay raise. They had to give me 10% more than their original pay offer in order for me to accept the job. The new boss told me that he was willing to give me more, but I would feel very bad working at this university with such a high pay. I would win a battle, but I would lose a war. He said, "The problem is that your colleague will earn less than you, so you will feel guilty(内疚)and uncomfortable. But, I can still give you 5% more than the original offer."
I delivered this massage to my present boss, and she told me that she would give me another 5% pay raise if I promised to refuse this new job offer. On top of that, she would strongly support my early promotion（晋升)from assistant professor to associate professor. According to the university policy, you must take at least 6 years to get promoted. That was my third year of employment at this university. After refusing the new job offer, I finally enjoyed both a pay raise and early promotion.
1.In paragraph 2, what does Nicholas mean by "That was a good signal"?
A. His boss would approve his leaving the University of Maryland.
B. He would leave his present job and work for Lynn University.
C. His boss would talk with him about a possible pay offer.
D. His friends would congratulate him on getting a new job offer.
2.Why did the new boss agree to another 5% raise when Nicholas asked for 10% the next day?
A .He did not have the right to make such a big pay offer.
B. he did not want Nicholas to earn more than he did.
C. Nicholas was not experienced enough to get such a raise.
D. Nicholas would not feel good for earning too much more than others.
3.How much pay raise did the author finally get as a result of refusing the new job offer?
A. 5% B. 10% C. 15% D. 20%
4.In the text, the author mainly tells his experience of________.
A. earning a pay raise
B. refusing a job offer
C. applying for a new position
D. making decisions in the workplace
Have you ever heard the saying “All roads lead to Rome”? At one time, this was pretty much true. During the Roman Empire, lots of roads were built in order to move armies, send messages by courier (信使), and make trade easier.
The network of Roman roads was begun in 312 BC. It was demanded that the roads be built strong so that they would not fall down. Roman soldiers, supervised (监督) by engineers, laid down the roads in a special pattern of layers. There were all together 4 layers, which was made of different materials, such as sand, rocks, stones and so on.
Also, Roman roads were cambered(拱形). This means that they were built higher in the middle than on the edges, allowing rainwater to run off, which prevented flooding. We use the same technique in building roads today. The Romans also laid out roads over hills when necessary, setting them down in a zigzag (之字形的)pattern to make the road rise gradually.
All Roman roads had milestones (里程碑), placed every thousand paces (a Roman mile). The milestones told when the road was built, who was emperor at the time, the road’s destination, how far the traveler was from the destination, and how many miles had been traveled since the beginning of the road. This information was a great help to travelers.
Because of their excellence in construction, it really is no surprise that many parts of Roman road still exist today. These roadways are one of the most impressive achievements of the Roman Empire.
1.The following description about Roman roads is true EXCEPT _____.
A. Roman roads were built by the Roman soldiers directed by the engineers
B. Roman roads could prevent flooding using the technique we don’t use today
C. Roman roads had milestones that were placed every Roman mile
D .Roman roads still exist today as an impressive achievement of Roman Empire
2.What information can you find on the milestones?
A. The builders of the road.
B. The materials used in building roads.
C. The distance from one city.
D. The time spent in building roads.
3.The passage mainly ______.
A. explains the saying “All roads lead to Rome”
B. praises ancient Romans for their great achievements
C. shows how great the Roman Empire was
D. introduces the construction of the Roman roads
阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
How early must a student begin preparing for an international education? Lisa Jain, the representative of The College Board in India showed her idea here clearly.
Many students who want to study abroad believe they need to start planning for it only in Grade12. What they don’t realize is the amount of time, thought, and effort it requires. That is why a student should begin the ground work in Grade 10 in order to gain a clear understanding of what the college application process requires and to be prepared to deal with the pressures that will follow.
Focus on school grades and marks. It is important to try your best to perform well in academics throughout high school and not just in Grade 12.
Start gaining experience. Get involved in a small number of activities over a long period of time, such as a sport, the arts, writing, research, community work, etc, through which you create impact in the activity, climb to a leadership position, grow as a person and develop skills. Picking something in Grade 12 and claiming it’s your passion won’t work.
Begin research. Which country do you want to apply to colleges in? What do you want to study at college? Researching early and start reflecting on what you’d enjoy learning will make the college and major selection process less overwhelming in Grade 12.
All your efforts in Grade 10-11 will help ease your burden in Grade 12. If you do everything at the right time, you will find the process enjoyable and realize there is hardly a reason to stress. Just remember: The early birds catch the worms!
【写作内容】
1. 用约30个词概括上文的主要内容。
2. 用约120个词就“The early birds catch the worms.”谈谈你的想法，内容包括：
（1）你如何理解“The early birds catch the worms.”这一谚语？
（2）以你或他人的经历说明一切成功源于凡事早做规划，充足准备。
（3）如何才能成为“the early birds”？
【写作要求】
1. 作文中可以使用亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文的句子。
2. 作文中不得出现真实姓名和学校名称。
【评分标准】
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。
《出彩中国人》 “The Brilliant Chinese”是中国非常火的一档大型励志真人秀节目，请根据以下内容写一篇英语短文介绍该节目。
【写作内容】
制作与播放情况 | 制作方：CCTV 2014年2月9日首播 第二季正在播出（每周日晚20:05分，CCTV-1，全国各地均可收看） |
宗旨 | 向各行各业的人开放，给普通人提供展示才能的机会，寻找各行各业的能手 向世界展示中国的精彩 |
口号 | “出彩中国人，精彩中国梦” |
内容 | 选手们逐一展示才艺和故事，评选出“出彩之星”(The Brilliant Star) |
反响和评价 | 受到广大观众好评，认为该节目体现中国人通过个人奋斗证明自己的尊严和价值，让人感到快乐，也传递了能量，给所有中国人以信心。 |
【写作要求】
只能使用5个句子表达全部内容。
【评分标准】
句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯。
阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息，请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。
以下为几则招聘广告：
A. The candidates will be expected to drive new business through telephone sales. However, the role does include meeting clients face to face, attending industry events, managing one or two members of staff, finding new advertisers and gaining repeat business from existing clients. Therefore, we are looking for sales professionals with media sales backgrounds, and experience in managing a team.
B. Bright Social Care Agency is calling for experienced support workers who can take care of adults with autism to register for work as soon as possible. The duties of this post include interacting with the service user, promoting independent living, and assisting with personal care. Therefore, the applicants should have experience as a support worker and good interpersonal skills. If you’re interested, please send your CV to beca@hotmail.com.
C. Balfor Education is looking for teachers who are dedicated to children’s learning and able to manage a classroom efficiency. We offer flexible teaching assignments that meet your own requirements and have a number of strong relationships with many schools. The ideal candidate should have the qualifications for a teacher and have knowledge of the National Curriculum. A flexible and friendly attitude is also an essential quality.
D. Tutor Doctor is looking for experienced and capable English tutors. If you have relevant experience of tutoring or teaching and know how to get the very best out of your students in a 1 to 1 situation, then we would love you to join the Tutor Doctor team. Also, you must have the passion and capability to help others learn and fulfill their potential. Most tuition happens between 4:30 pm and 8 pm of weekdays, and at weekends.
E. The client is looking for experienced, reliable caring individuals to look after physically sick adults in their own home. You are required to follow all rules and regulations in relation to care, and perform such other duties as may reasonably be required. You must be self-motivated, flexible, caring and sensitive to the needs of others and to the sick.
F. I run a small local family magazine which relies on adverting revenue, and I need someone to help sell advertising space for the magazine. This job would ideally suit someone who used to work in sales and now needs to work hours that fit around school hours and sports days. The job won’t make you rich but it will give you the opportunity to work your own hours, from home, in an enjoyable role for a well respected magazine.
请阅读以下几位求职者的相关信息，然后匹配适合他（她）的工作。
1. Henry is a high school student in America. He used to do many kinds of jobs when he was a young boy, such as selling newspapers and magazine. He does not want to depend on his parents for his pocket money or waste his time hanging round at weekends. He is fond of communicating with strangers and has developed some selling skills.
2. Miss Harrison has worked in a newspaper agency for five years. She was responsible for the advertisements in the newspaper and for a work team consisting of five members. She gave up her previous job because she had to move with her husband to a new city. She is good at dealing with strangers.
3.Anna is a college student whose major is English. Since she came to college, she has begun to work as a tutor. This term, she still would like to work as a tutor after classes and at weekends. Without the experience of being a real teacher, she doesn’t have the confidence to manage a big class, and she just wants to teach one or two students each time.
4. Julie had been teaching in an elementary school for many years. Immediately after she graduated from a normal college, she got a Qualified Teacher Certificate. She likes teaching young children and has no problem managing a big class. She gave up her work two years ago because she had to take care of her children. But now she hopes to take it up again.
5.Having worked as a nurse in a big hospital for years, Susan knows how to take care of patients. She does not like to stay home alone in her retirement, as her husband died of cancer years ago and all her children work in other states. She is fully aware of the needs of the patients who are suffering from physical illness.
