I went online to check if my pay was in my bank account. To my amazement I discovered that not only had I been paid, a company I’d never worked for had also paid me! I knew I’d have been beside myself if my own salary was not in my account, so I tried to get the money back to the right person. Easier said than done.
The bank couldn’t help as it wasn’t a bank problem. The human resources department at the company that paid me was unable to help as I didn’t have enough details. I rang the bank again. Thankfully, I had a sympathetic(同情的) call operator who gave me a name, so I again rang the company Daniel worked for.
I expected the bank would contact me to arrange to take the money from my account and repay Daniel. I heard nothing for a month and the money remained in my account when Daniel called, explaining he’d tried to get back his money but had been unsuccessful as neither the bank nor his company felt it was their error. He had rung to ask if I could speak to the bank, but after chatting for a few minutes we realized we could probably fix this problem ourselves.
We decided I would take the money from my account and he would pick it up from me. Due to my busy job I was unable to meet Daniel personally but he left me a lovely bottle of wine in exchange for what was rightfully(正当地) his. I never had any intention of keeping Daniel’s pay but red tape(繁琐手续) made it difficult to do the right thing. It all came down to two people being able to do what a huge bank and a large company couldn’t do--admit a mistake has occurred and fix it.
1.The underlined phrase “beside myself”(in Paragraph1) probably means___________.
A. very fortunate B. very angry
C. really thankful D. at ease
2.What was the attitude of the author towards the extra money in his bank account?
A. He didn’t know what to do with it.
B. He felt lucky to get it.
C. He thought of keeping it for himself.
D. He wanted to return it to the right person.
3.From the passage we can infer that___________.
A. the bank could solve the problem soon and easily with the red tape
B. some large organizations usually have troublesome official rules
C. Daniel didn’t know the error before he contacted the author
D. the company gave the wrong account to the bank
4.How was the problem solved in the end?
A. The author and Daniel solved the problem themselves.
B. It cost Daniel a lovely bottle of wine to get back his money.
C. The author gave the money back to the company.
D. The call operator offered to solve their problem
Have you ever been to the world’s smallest bookstore?
The World’s Smallest Bookstore，whose official name is just these three words，sits quietly about 100 miles northeast of Toronto．
The bookstore is about 10 feet by 10 feet，so it is easy to imagine how tiny it really is．The bookstore is open 24 hours a day．Inside the bookstore are various books，especially literary books and classic authors’ works．So if you are looking for something less popular，you may get a bit disappointed there．
Another special feature of this bookstore is that each book only costs three dollars．All the expenses are paid on the honor system，which means buyers should make a note of what they’ve bought and leave their money by themselves．So the tools of the trade in this bookstore are quite simple: pens，papers，light bulbs and a label-maker．
In order to catch passers-by’s attention，the billboards(广告牌）of the bookstore are several times bigger than the store itself．With these large eye-catchers，many people are willing to stop by and have a visit．
1.What’s the passage mainly about?
A．The world’s smallest bookstore．
B．A strange way of selling books．
C．The popular books nowadays．
D．The popular bookstores in the world．
2.Which of the following books might you most probably get in the store?
A．Books on popular science．
B．Literary books．
C．The year book of a university．
D．Books on economic control．
3.How could you buy a book from the store?
A．The salesman will help you find the book．
B．The salesman will get the money for the book．
C．Choose the book(s）and leave the money there．
D．Pay on the net and then get the book(s）in the store．
书面表达 (满分25分)
请你根据对右面这幅漫画的理解，以Come Back to Reality为题，用英语写一篇作文。
你的作文应包括以下内容：
1. 简要描述漫画的内容。
2. 概述你对这幅图的理解。
3. 举例说明你会怎样做。
注意：
1. 可参照漫画适当发挥。
2. 作文词数150左右。
3. 作文中不得提及有关考生个人身份的任何信息，如校名、人名等。
Come Back to Reality
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任务型阅读 (共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分)
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。
How to Release Creativity
According to most dictionaries, creativity is the ability to create. However, creativity is more than what is defined by the dictionary. It is an idea, a process, a thought, or a state of mind. One cannot learn to be creative because creativity is natural and unique to each individual. People should know that creativity doesn't equal success. It equals the act of expressing. So, if at first the goal that is aimed for is not achieved, there is no need for worry or frustration.
Creativity can, however, be released by discovery. Some people need encouragement to help release their creativity. There are quite a few ways to release it.
One way to release creativity would be to look for what can inspire you. Looking at the world and admiring the differences in people and places help. Creativity can be drawn from their beauty. A person can touch, taste, smell, hear, and see hundreds of different objects. Aromas from foods, textures of blankets, and sight of unusual objects can all give inspiration.
Many people are too concerned with how things should look. The focus should be on how it actually looks in the raw, to the human eye. Colors and shapes can be distorted(扭曲) by the mere fact that people want others to see it for what it is. It's more difficult for someone to let go of all that and just let their creativity flow, unblocked.
Another way to get creativity flowing is to research what other artists have done or are currently doing. Their cultures and biographies alone can be an inspiration. Examining their works can help some appreciate artistic expression. New techniques can even be drawn from their works.
Some people are even inspired by everyday events, like reading the newspaper or watching the news. Some can take other people's situations and describe how it makes them feel. That is a way to release creativity. Controversial issues, such as war or abortion, can inspire writings like poems. They can be used to express death, loss, or tragedy. General topics such as religion or politics can branch off into many directions, sending creativity into overdrive.
Creativity is not about reaching a goal or being a perfectionist. It's about being, feeling, and taking all that is inside and letting it out in one way or another. Creativity is not always expressed by paintings, drawings, or writings. One's action is the main form to express creativity. Romance, for example, is a form of creativity. Love and emotion are inspired by one person for another. Taking something inside and then putting it back out into the world as another thing is the key of creativity. Knowing and loving someone so much that there is a need to express it is a very natural form of creativity.
Another form of expressing creativity is talking. Some people are more blessed in this area than in more obvious ones, such as painting or drawing. They paint a “word picture”. Speeches can be centered around new ideas and thoughts. It can contain all of one's being and transform it into either simple or complicated words.
Inspiration is vital to creativity. Even if it's only a slight feeling or thought that inspires. Creativity can be released each time attempts are made to use the body as an outlet. Remember that creativity is not an art form, but that it forms art.
Outline | Details |
Writer's understanding of creativity | Creativity is more than just a 1._______ given in the dictionary It is an idea, a process, a thought, or a state of mind It is natural and unique to each individual It equals 2._______ rather than success |
Ways to 3._____ creativity | We can look for what can inspire us through five 4.________ We shouldn't be too concerned with the 5.______ of things We can get creativity flowing by6._______ what other artists have done or are doing and examining their works We can draw inspiration from both everyday events and7.________ issues |
Forms of expressing creativity | Creativity can be expressed by paintings, drawings or8.________actions used 9._______ to show one's knowing and loving someonespeeches containing new ideas and thoughts |
Conclusion | Inspiration is of great10.______ to creativity Art is an expressive form of creativity |
China has recently been faced with serious issues of product safety. In Panama，it is said that medicine made with a poisonous chemical sickened some people.A Chinese company had identified it as diethylamide glycol(乙二醇)，a lowcost substitute commonly used in automobile antifreeze(防冻剂)．
Some countries have banned Chinesemade toothpaste containing diethylamide glycol. China has now told companies to discontinue its use，even though it says the toothpaste is safe. Another industrial chemical，melamine，was found in wheat flour used to make pet food in North America.
Thousands of dogs and cats became sick.
The United States has restricted some imports of Chinese seafood because they contained banned substance. And questions have been raised about other products，including children's toys covered with lead paint.
Chinese officials promised to provide the European Union，the biggest trading partner，with detailed reports on enforcement efforts against unsafe goods.
Meglena Kuneva，commissioner(理事) for consumer protection of the European Union said China should have kept its promise.
China recently closed three companies linked to the Panama and the pet food scare. And it dismissed the former head of its food and drug administration. He was found guilty of corruption(腐败)for approving unsafe drugs. This week，a conference of the State Council approved a proposed special measure on the supervision of food safety. The Xinhua News Agency said it calls for stronger controls over producers，greater responsibilities for government and more serious punishment for illegal activities.
But Chinese officials have accused some foreign media of overstating problems with goods made in China. They say food imports from the United States also fail inspection sometimes. Next week，American and Chinese food safety officials are planning to hold 5 days of meetings in Beijing to discuss cooperation.
1.How many cases with safety problems are mentioned in the passage?
A．Six. B．Five. C．Four. D．Three.
2.How was Panama case dealt with afterwards?
A．Three companies linked to it were closed down.
B．The former head of food and drug administration was removed from his position.
C．More serious punishment was conducted for leaders linked to it.
D．Both A and B.
3.It can be implied but not clearly stated that________.
A．Chinesemade toothpaste is safe
B．the safety of “Made in China” is doubted
C．there are safety problems with one more Chinese products
D．stronger control over Chinese products is in need
4.The passage is mainly about________.
A．China is facing product safety problems
B．more controls are taken of Chinese goods
C．overstated problems with Chinese goods
D．China is losing its trade partners
Jane Austen was born in the English countryside more than 200 years ago. She lived a simple life. She seldom travelled. She never married and she died from illness when she was only 41.
However, people all over the world remember her. Why? It is because Jane Austen is the author of some of the best-loved novels in the English language. These novels include Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion.
Jane completed her last novel Persuasion in 1816, but it was not published until after her death. Persuasion is partly based on Jane’s naval brother.
Anne, the daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, falls in love with Captain Wentworth, a person of a lower social position. But she breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. Eight years later, Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain. He finds Anne’s family on the edge of financial ruin. Anne and the captain rediscover their love and get married.
Jane Austen once compared her writing to painting on a little bit of ivory（象牙）, two inches square. Readers of Persuasion will see that neither her skill of delicate, ironic(讽刺的) observations on social custom, love, and marriage nor her ability to apply a sharp focus to English manners and morals has abandoned her in her final finished work.
Persuasion has produced three film adaptations: a 1995 version starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds, a 2007 TV miniseries with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones, and a 1971 miniseries with Ann Firbank and Bryan Marshall.
People who are interested in Jane Austen can still visit many of the places she visited and lived. These places include the village of Steventon, although her family house is now gone. Many of the places Jane visited in Bath are still there. You can visit Jane Austen’s home in Chawton, where she did her best writing, and Winchester, where she died.
1.What is the theme of Persuasion?
A. Never regret what you’ve chosen.
B. True love lasts forever.
C. Be matched for marriage.
D. Love waits for no man.
2.Which of the following CANNOT describe Jane’s writing style?
A. Her application of symbolism.
B. Her delicate observations.
C. Her focus on manners and morals.
D. Her use of irony.
3.Which of the following about Jane Austen is TRUE?
A. Her family house is now in the village of Steventon.
B. Many of the places she visited in Bath are still available.
C. The latest film adaptation of Persuasion was produced in 1995.
D. Her last novel Persuasion is considered her most successful one.
4.The article mainly talks about _______.
A. Jane Austen’s unique writing style
B. the original residence of Jane Austen
C. Jane Austen’s last novel: Persuasion
D. the popularity of Jane Austen’s novels
