It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced（影响）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
1.Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A. They used it for work and daily life.
B. It was their only possession.
C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed.
D. The man’s job was bike racing.
2.We can infer from the text that ____________.
A. the couple worked 60 hours a week.
B. people were busy before Christmas
C. the stranger brought over the bike
D. life was hard for the young family.
3.What do the couple learn from their experience?
A. Strangers are usually of little help
B. One should take care of their bike.
C. News reports make people famous.
D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.
With the popularity of Harry Potter novels, the number of children applying to boarding schools has risen, many of them hoping to find their own version of Hogwarts. However, others have interpreted this trend as a reaction to longer working hours and the break up of more marriages. The boarding schools of fiction are presented as one long midnight feast with pillow fights making firm friendships. However, some people say the reality is children having more homesickness and a lack of individual attention. Modern boarding schools have done much to get rid of the image of the mass dormitories with 40 or more beds in one room, some going as far as providing private rooms with bathrooms. Similarly, they make great announcements for their academic advantage, particularly in view of the increase in exams, homework and university entrance requirements facing children wishing to succeed in the modern world.
Alongside these more conventional schools, two types of boarding schools have also become more popular recently. Sports academies and stage schools seek to cater for children with particular interests and talents, while so-called troubled-teens have been able to turn to a range of religious or wilderness schools to solve their problematic behavior.
Boarding schools allow children a safe space in which to accomplish greater control and independence over their daily lives. Teachers and staff can look after and support but they are unlikely to be over-protective. This can be a great preparation for university or for working away from home in later life as it provides an intermediate step between childhood and full independence.
However, Parents are a child’s most natural support and best role models to learn from. If they are separated from them for long periods of time, this may damage their relationship and leave the child feeling anxious or alone. Schools are unlikely to be able to copy the detailed knowledge of each individual child that a parent has and therefore cannot be as effective in supporting the child.
To sum up, boarding schools have both their advantages and disadvantages, so it is up to you to decide whether to send your children to boarding schools or not.
1.What do we know from the passage?
A. More and more children go and visit Hogwarts on their own.
B. Pillow fights in boarding schools make firm friendships in reality.
C. More children want to go to boarding schools because of Harry Potter novels.
D. There aren’t special schools for the particularly talented children.
2.What kind of schools may be the most suitable for the so-called troubled-teens?
A. sports academies B. Wilderness schools
C. Conventional schools D. Stage schools
3.We learn from Paragraph 4 that __________.
A. teachers of boarding schools are the best examples for children to learn from
B. children can be more independent if they are separated from their parents
C. parents know their children better than teachers of boarding schools
D. schools are much more effective than parents in supporting children
4.What is the author’s opinion of boarding schools?
A. Neutral B. Negative
C. Positive D. Critical
Some say college is wasted on the young. So many of us look back at our own college years and realize what we could have done differently to make the most of them. While we can’t go back, we certainly can offer our sons and daughters our best advice to help them make the right choices in college. Hopefully, they will have fewer regrets than we do. Following are five guidelines parents can share with their college-bound kids to put the whole experience in perspective.
EDUCATION IS YOUR FIRST PRIORITY
As soon as you arrive on campus, there will be competing interests. Feel free to check them out but always remember that you are there first and foremost for your education. Go to class prepared and on time. Be engaged during class. Make sure your professor knows you and realizes that you care.
BE RESPONSIBLE
There are many layers of responsibility. Do what you say you will do and, if you can’t, confess it early and communicate clearly. But being responsible isn’t just about meeting your commitments; it is also about taking care of you, your body, and your friends. For example, more than 1800 college students die annually from alcohol-related injuries. Look out for yourself and other people. Make moderate, sensible decisions so you aren’t reeling from(受…影响) the consequences later.
TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY
Incredible opportunities will present themselves: studying abroad, interning at a unique place, trying new things. Don’t let fear prevent you from taking advantage of them. There may never be so much time or as many resources devoted to your betterment again in your life. Say yes to opportunities that will help you grow.
FIND AND BE A MENTOR
Some of the best lessons available to us can come outside of the classroom in the form of a mentor(良师益友). One of the most powerful growth opportunities is being a mentor. Early on, find someone on campus who you feel can help you grow and develop a relationship with him or her. Also find someone for you to mentor. You will reinforce and enrich your own learning experience by teaching someone else.
GET THE JOB DONE
It is natural to occasionally feel you want to quit, when it makes more sense to you to go find a full-time job. Resist that urge. As Jocelyn Negron-Rios, a mother of two, who is currently completing her degree, advises, “No matter how difficult it seems, keep at it because however insurmountable（不可克服的） it feels now multiply that by 10,000 and that is how it feels when you are in your thirties with a full-time job and a family and are trying to pursue a degree.”
1.According to the passage, the most important thing for college students is ______.
A. taking part in different activities
B. working hard to get a degree
C. seizing every chance to try new things
D. improving themselves by learning from the others
2.Which of the following about college life is true?
A. Passing on what you’ve learned in college can help you enrich your learning experience.
B. Make sure that you are responsible for yourself rather than others.
C. Professors will not assess your performances in class but the grades you get in exams.
D. You can make full use of the opportunity whenever you want.
3.What can we infer from the words said by Jocelyn in the last paragraph?
A. Persistence is the key to success when you meet with difficulties in your learning process.
B. It is better if you gain more working experience before you finish your education.
C. As long as you work hard, you can gain a degree even when you are in your thirties.
D. Youth is the best time to learn since you have less burden.
4.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To give some rules for the college students.
B. To call on the students to make full use of college years.
C. To summarize some tips for parents to share with their children.
D. To analyze the benefits and difficulties of college life.
By today's standards, my mobile phone is pretty rubbish. It's a Nokia 1616. If that doesn't mean much to you (it's not the kind of phone you see advertised on television), all you need to know is that it's a small, not very heavy device with which you can send and receive telephone calls and text messages. It also has a very handy torch on the top for when you can't find your keys, or when you drop something on the floor in the cinema. Other than that, my phone doesn't do much. Well, it has an alarm, and it probably has a calculator and things like that, but it's nothing compared to a smartphone. Why would I want one of those?
I have often been told that the big advantage of having a smartphone is that "you can do everything with them!" But when was the last time you saw someone doing "everything" with a smartphone? Okay, so they may have an endless list of functions, but generally they are used for checking social networking sites, playing games, and receiving and replying to emails. I'm happy just doing all of those things at home on my laptop.
As far as I can tell, the best thing about having a smartphone is that you can be connected to the Internet all the time. Don't get me wrong, I love the internet, but I just don't see the point of constantly being online. I can't remember the last time I received a Facebook update which was so very urgent that I had to read it as soon as it appeared, and I can't imagine ever having a job which was so important that I would need to read work-related emails immediately. I would think that if someone needed me urgently, they would just ring me rather than send an email. And my trusty Nokia can manage that.
One of the most peculiar（独特的）effects of the smartphone is, in my opinion, the newly-found addiction to maps and navigation (导航) systems. Is there anything more boring than knowing exactly where you are all of the time?! How do you get to know an area if you don't get lost there a few times? And if you are dependent on online maps, what happens to those great places you find just by chance? You can't exactly find out from Google maps the journey from "here" to" that hidden cafe with the tasty-looking cakes" , or to "that pond next to the church which looks really pretty in the evening sun. " It is, of course, true that we all occasionally need to be pointed in the right direction, but I find that there are often real life humans you can ask.
There are many benefits of having a very basic mobile phone, like the fact that it cost me about twenty pounds, and that I don't have to worry too much about it being stolen .But the main benefit has to be the fact that it provides me with the word 'greatest excuse for my bad habits’. Whether it's turning up late to events ,or getting lost on a trip, or missing buses or trains ,or forgetting about an appointment at work ,I'm pretty sure I'm covered with the following explanation: “I’m really sorry, I don't have a smartphone."
1.The writer uses his Nokia 1616 mainly to _______.
A. play online games
B. do calculating work
C. check social network sites
D. make calls and text messages
2.It can be inferred from the above passage that_______.
A. work-related emails should be answered immediately
B. a laptop and a smartphone share many functions
C. smartphones should always be connected to the net
D. a Facebook update is usually very important
3.According to the passage, if you use navigation systems, you may _____
A. miss some really wonderful places
B. find a boring trip actually exciting
C. be persuaded to eat in a certain café
D. be misled to a totally wrong place
4.The writer’s purpose for writing this article is to______
A. explain why he doesn’t want a smartphone
B. warn readers of the risks of using smartphones
C. complain about the troubles caused by smartphones
D. inform readers of the latest development of mobile phones
书面表达
请以“The person I admire most” 为题，用英语写一篇120词左右的短文。要求包括以下三个部分内容：
1. 对人物的简单介绍
2. 喜欢该人物的理由
3. 从该人物身上得到的启示
短文改错
文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。增加： 在缺词处加上一个漏词符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
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。
Time is valuable but limit．There’s a famous saying, “Time is life”, this shows the importance of time．When time has gone, it will never return．It is a pity when many people make poor use of time．They spend their precious time over sleeping, drinking and hanging around．They don’t realize wasting time is equal with wasting part of their life．They always regret having made little achievement as far．Therefore, we should form the habit of value time．Do not put off what can be done today tomorrow．Laziness will not only bring us failure, but lead us on the road to poverty and even deaths.
