Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity. But, it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series，began writing at the age of 6. In her biography, she remembers with great fondness when her good friend Sean, whom she met in secondary school, became the first person to encourage her and help build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.
“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”
Despite many setbacks, Rowling persevered in her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn't until 1990 that she first conceived the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls，it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into her head.“To my immense frustration (沮丧), I didn't have a functioning pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, blackhaired, bespectacled(戴眼镜的) boy who didn’t know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”
That same year, her mother passed away after a tenyear battle with multiple sclerosis, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression. Unemployed, she completed her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being rejected by 12 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her commitment to writing that was fostered by the confidence of a friend !
1.Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter________.
A. at the age of 6
B. on a train journey
C. after her mother’s death
D. in her secondary school
2.It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is________.
A. openminded B. warmhearted
C. goodnatured D. strongwilled
3.The text mainly tells us________.
A. hardship makes a good novelist
B. the courage to try is a special ability
C. you can have a wonderful idea everywhere
D. encouragement contributes to one’s success
WHAT’S the most important thing of life?
People’s answers vary greatly. For British scientist Robert Edwards，the answer is having a child.“Nothing is more special than a child，”he told the BBC.
Edwards，the inventor of the In Vitro Fertilization(IVF)technology—more commonly known as“testtube(试管)baby”technology—passed away on April 10 ,2013 at the age of 87.
Edwards changed the lives of millions of ordinary people who now rejoice(充满喜悦)in the gift of their own child，”said Peter Braude，professor at King’s College London.“He leaves the world a much better place.”
Edwards started his experiments as early as the 1950s，when he had just finished his PhD in genetics. At that time，much of the public viewed test-tube babies as“scary”，according to Mark Sauer，professor at Columbia University，US.
Edwards and his colleague Patrick Steptoe faced opposition from churches，governments and media，not to mention attacks from many of their fellow scientists.“People said that we should not play God and we should not interfere with nature，”Edwards once told Times. He said that he felt “quite alone” at the time.
“But Edwards was a fighter，and he believed in what he was doing，”said Sauer. Without support from the government，the two struggled to raise funds to carry on. And in 1968 they finally developed a method to successfully fertilize human eggs outside the body.
The first test-tube baby was born on July 25，1978.Her name was Louise Brown. Despite people’s safety concerns，Brown was just as healthy as other children.
“IVF had moved from vision to reality and a new era in medicine had begun，”BBC commented.
Ever since then，public opinion has evolved considerably. Couples who were unable to have babies began thronging(蜂拥)to Edwards’ clinic. Nowadays，Reuters reports，some 4.3 million other“test-tube” children exist. Edwards received a Nobel Prize in 2010 and was knighted(封为爵士)by Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ the following year.
Before his death，Edwards was still in touch with Louise.“He is like a granddad to me，”she said in an interview with the Daily Mail.
He is a granddad to millions, in fact.
1.What is the article mainly about?
A．The first test-tube baby.
B．A new era in medicine.
C．The inventor of IVF technology.
D．The changes IVF technology has brought.
2.The writer quoted Peter Braude to ________．
A．show how difficult it was for Edwards to do his work
B．describe what kind of person Edwards was
C．explain why he is loved by all children
D．comment on his achievement
3.The underlined word“opposition”in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to ________．
A．attack B．support
C．test D．influence
4.What is the CORRECT order of events in Edwards’ life?
a．He received a Nobel Prize.
b．He struggled to raise funds.
c．The first test-tube baby was born.
d．He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ.
e．He succeeded in fertilizing human eggs outside the body.
f．He started his experiments on IVF technology.
A．f—e—b—c—a—d B．f—b—e—c—d—a
C．f—b—e—c—a—d D．f—e—d—a—c—b
Stilton Cheese Rolling
May Day is a traditional day for celebrations, but the 2,000 English villagers of Stilton must be the only people in the world who include cheese rolling in their annual plans. Teams of four, dressed in a variety of strange and funny clothes , roll a complete cheese along a 50-metre course. On the way, they must not kick or throw their cheese, or go into their competitors' lane. Competition is fierce and the chief prize is a complete Stilton cheese weighing about four kilos (disappointingly, but understandably the cheeses used in the race are wooden ones). All the competitors arc served with beer or port wine, the traditional accompaniment for Stilton cheese.
Fiery Foods Festival—The Hottest Festival on Earth
Every year more than 10,000 people head for the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They come from as far away as Australia, the Caribbean and China, but they all share a common addiction—food that is not just spicy ,but hot enough to make your mouth burn, your head spin and your eyes water. Their destination is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival which is held over a period of three clays every March. You might like to try a chocolate-covered habanero pepper—officially the hottest pepper in the world—or any one of the thousands of products that are on show. But one thing's for sure—if you don't like the feeling of a burning tongue, this festival isn't for you!
La Tomatina—The World's Biggest Food Fight
On the last Wednesday of every August, the Spanish town of Bunol hosts Ea Tomatina—the world's largest food fight. A week-long celebration leads up to an exciting tomato battle as the highlight of the week's events. The early morning sees the arrival of large trucks with tomatoes—official fight-starters get things going by casting tomatoes at the crowd.
The battle lasts little more than half an hour, in which time around 50,000 kilograms of tomatoes have been thrown at anyone or anything that moves, runs, or fights back. Then everyone heads down to the river to make friends again—and for a much-needed wash!
1.In the Stilton cheese rolling competition, competitors on each team must .
A. wear various formal clothes
B. roll a wooden cheese in their own lane
C. kick or throw their cheese
D. use a real cheese weighing about four kilos
2.Where is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival held?
A. In New Mexico. B. In the Caribbean.
C. In Australia. D. In China.
3.The celebration of La Tomatina lasts .
A. three days B. seven days 0
C. less than three days D. more than seven days
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The chief prize for the Stilton cheese rolling competition is beer or port wine.
B. More than 10,000 Chinese take pail in the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival.
C. Thousands of spicy foods are on show in the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival.
D. An exciting tomato battle takes place at the beginning of La Tomatina.
假定你是李华，暑假期间去某个岛上游玩，看见有很多可爱的动物。听岛上的一位老人说，现在动物的数量日渐减少，如果不采取措施，有些动物会有绝迹的危险。回来后你给野生动物保护协会写信，就保护动物提出以下建议：
1. 制定保护动物的法律
2. 建立动物保护区
3. 提高公众保护动物的意识
提示：提高---意识：raise one’s awareness 保护区：set up natural reserve
日渐减少 decrease year by year 处于灭绝的危险be in danger of extinction
注意：1. 词数：100词左右；开头和结尾已给出，该部分不计入总词数。
2. 涵盖所有要点，不要逐词翻译，可适当增加细节。
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to express my opinion on how to protect animals on the island I visited last weekend.
______ _ ________
______ _ ________
______ _ ________
Please help the poor animals. I am sure that they will survive with your help.
Yours,
Li Hua
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。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仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
As is well-known that birds are our friends. But the large number of birds have been killed for food. The other day I was walking in the woods while a shot was heard. Hearing the shot, the bird in the trees flew to all directions. A bird was injured badly and looked sadly. Finding the bird injured , so I decided to take it home . At home I take good care of it .When it recovered, I returned itself to the woods .I hope something should be done to prevent birds from killed .
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Swedish businessman Nile is ___1._ (delight) with his new hotel, the world’s first igloo (冰屋) hotel.
2. (build) in a small town, it has been attracting lots of visitors, but soon the fun will be over. In two week’s time Nile’s ice creation will be nothing more than a pool of water. “We don’t see it as a big problem,” he says. “We just look forward to 3. (replace) it.”
Nile built his first igloo in 1991 for an art exhibition. It was 4. successful that he designed the present one, 5. measures roughly 200 square meters. Six workmen spent more than eight weeks 6. (pile) 1,000 tons of snow onto a wooden base; when the snow froze, the base was 7. (remove).
After their stay, all 8. （visit）receive a survival certificate(合格证) recording their success. With no windows, nowhere to hang clothes and temperatures below 0℃, it may seem more like a survival test 9. a relaxing hotel break. “It’s great fun,” Nile explains, “As well as a good start in survival training.”
The popularity of the igloo is beyond doubt: it is now attracting tourists 【小题10 all over the world. At least 800 people have stayed at the igloo this season even though there are only 10 rooms.
