Every one of us gets so used to punctuation marks that not many of us give them a second thought． Actually, the ancient Greeks wrote this way． The lack of punctuation marks probably didn’t bother good readers, though． As they read, they just put pauses where they fit best． Also at this time, sentences switched directions． A sentence read from left to right． The next one read right to left, and then left to right again, etc． The ancient Romans sometimes punctuated like this: They put something that can separate words in a sentence． The word punctuation actually comes from this idea and the Latin word punctum, which means a dot.
When the 5th century arrived, there were just two punctuation marks: spaces and points． The spaces separated words while the points showed pauses in reading． Then in the 13th century, a printer named Aldus Manutius tried to standardize punctuation． He always used a period for a complete stop at the end of a sentence． He used a slash (/) to indicate a short pause． Over time, that slash was shortened and curled, and it became the modern comma (逗号).
Since that time, other marks have enlarged the punctuation family． The exclamation mark (感叹号) comes from the Latin word io． It means “exclamation of joy.” The question mark originally started out as the Latin word questio, meaning question． Eventually, scholars put it at the end of a sentence to show a question.
Punctuation even keeps changing nowadays． New marks are coming into existence, and old punctuation marks are used in new ways． Take for example the “interrobang”． This 1962 invention combines the question mark and exclamation mark for times when writers want both． For example, “She did what?” or “How much did you pay for that dress?” Obviously, the interrobang is not widely used or recognized yet, but its invention shows that English is not yet finished with its punctuation.
1.From the first paragraph, we can know that _______.
A． good readers had trouble reading without punctuation marks
B． a sentence always read from left to right in ancient Greece
C． ancient Greeks switched the direction of punctuation marks
D． the use of punctuation marks can date back to ancient times
2.The passage is developed _______.
A． by time B． by space
C． by comparison D． by importance
3.We can learn from the passage that _______.
A． ancient Romans didn’t use any punctuation marks
B． exclamation and question marks came from Latin
C． spaces and slashes were already used before the 5th century
D． Aldus Manutius first started to use commas
4.What can be concluded from the last paragraph?
A． The combination of two marks will not work.
B． It takes time for people to accept new punctuation marks.
C． Old punctuation marks need to be standardized.
D． Punctuation marks are still changing today.
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
To most people, noise pollution is a jet flying over their head． For one Spanish woman, it is a neighbor playing the piano． The woman has taken her neighbor to court． Now she wants to send her neighbor to prison for over seven years on the charges of psychological damage and noise pollution.
In a country known for its noisiness, the case has raised eyebrows Neighbors often complain about street noise in Spain, but people seeking prison time for someone practicing the piano is unheard of． At the trial, Sonia Bosom says she has been suffering noise pollution up to now due to the practice sessions of Laia Martin, who lives below her． Martin, 27, didn’t admit that she played at home that often, saying she took regular classes in other towns and mostly practiced at home on the weekends.
On the first day of the trial, the newspaper reported that Bosom told the court she now hated pianos so much that she couldn’t even stand seeing them in a film.
Bosom says years of hearing constant playing has caused her “psychological injury”． Medical reports show she has suffered from a variety of problems, including insomnia (失眠), anxiety, and panic attacks.
She says tests by local authorities have found that the sound levels made by the piano are up to 10 decibels (分贝) higher than the limit． City authorities have asked the family several times to either stop the piano playing or soundproof (隔音) the room． The family told the court they carried out soundproofing work twice but the complaints continued.
The court hasn’t made a final decision． A spokeswoman says the trial will end before May.
1.Bosom wants to send Martin to prison because _______.
A． Martin’s playing the piano damaged her health
B． Bosom suffered from heart attack
C． Martin refused to take regular classes in other towns
D． Martin flew a jet over her head
2.How did Laia Martin respond to the complaints?
A． She stopped playing the piano.
B． She soundproofed the room.
C． She didn’t admit she played at home.
D． She took her neighbor to court.
3.Which of the following may probably be the best title for the passage?
A． A 7-year Sentence Caused by the Piano
B． Pianist Charged with Noise Pollution
C． Health Problems of a Spanish Woman
D． Actions Against Noise by Local Authority
阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按要求匹配信息。
以下是几本新书的简要介绍：
A． Strong Is Your Hold
This book was written by Galway Kinnell, who spent many years in finishing the book．Kinnell’s first collection of new poems in more than a decade revisits themes of marriage, friendship and death, with long, loose lines reminiscent of Whitman．It is popular with the people who are interested in literature．
B． The Letter
The murder of a television star appears to be the work of thieves who are quickly caught．But they escape from prison and a young lawyer says she knows who the real criminals are．Written with intelligence, this story is so fast-moving that it demands the reader’s complete attention．
C． London Alive
This author of many famous novels has now turned to writing short stories with great success．The stories tell of Londoners’ daily lives and happen in eighteen different places——for example, one story takes place at a table in a cafe, another in the back of a taxi and another in a hospital．
D． Gone West
A serious look at one of the least-known regions of the United States．The author describes the empty villages which thousands left when they were persuaded by the railway companies to go west in search of new lives．The author manages to provide many interesting details about their history．
E．Cutting for Stone
This book was written by Abraham Verghese．It is a powerful story about twin brothers born in a Catholic hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia． Their mother, an Indian nurse at the hospital, dies in childbirth．The brothers are raised by two Indian doctors who live at the hospital．One brother later moves to the United States．This is a story about the extremes of love, family, and medicine．
F．Jane Eyre
There is great kindness and warmth in this love story．Poor and plain as Jane Eyre is, she has a strong will, sharp wisdom and great courage．She is forced to battle against a harsh employer and a rigid social order．Yet she is never defeated． Standing on her feet, she gains her own happiness in the end．
请阅读以下读者的相关信息，然后匹配他/她感兴趣的书籍：
1.Takumi doesn’t have much free time so he reads short stories which he can finish quickly．He likes reading stories about ordinary people and the things that happen to them in today’s worlD．
2.Terresha Houghs has read widely since she was in university．She can recite most of essays and poems she has read, especially poems from Leaves of Grass．She is fond of traditional themes in poetry and still keeps her habits of reciting poems．
3.Ali enjoys reading crime stories which are carefully written so that they hold his interest right to the enD． He enjoys trying to guess who the criminal really is while he’s reading．
4.Lucy is a quiet girl who likes to read in a quiet corner in the library．Her favorite stories are those with characters brave enough to face and overcome difficulties in life．
5.Charlie, who attends college in the Midwest, majors in medicine．He is fond of reading stories about family and love, especially those related to his future career．
阅读下面材料，然后按要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
Time to give thanks
When it comes to Thanksgiving, turkey may be the first thing that comes to mind． It’s the right picture, but it’s not complete．
Celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year, Thanksgiving Day is a time for thanksgiving and feasts．It’s about expressing your gratitude to the important people and all the good things in your life．
Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with much warmth and keep many traditional customs．Here we introduce two of the rules Americans typically follow on this day．
1.Time for prayers and paying back
Thanksgiving Day has been associated with prayers in church and in homes for centuries．Attending church prayer services in the morning is the first step of many celebrators on Thanksgiving Day．The churches provide worship (礼拜) services and organize special events for the occasion．
Before Thanksgiving meals, some families gather together and read prayers to thank God for his kindness and the gifts he has bestowed upon (给予) them in the form of friends and family．
Some people also do voluntary community work on this day, as a way of paying back．
2.Family reunions and showing gratitude
Like China’s Spring Festival, preparing a big meal and bringing the family together at home is a long-standing tradition of Thanksgiving．Distances don’t really matter as relatives return home to be with their family, no matter how far away．
写作内容:
1.以约30个词概括上文的主要内容。
2.以约120个词谈谈你对是时候感恩了的想法，内容包括：
(1) 你认为我们中国人有没有必要过“感恩节”？为什么？
(2) 以你自己的经历或者身边的人为例，阐述重视感恩的必要性；
(3) 总结你的观点。
写作要求:
1.作文中可以使用实例来支持你的论点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容论述，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
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假如你们学校要举行一场名为“诵读经典，热爱我校”的朗诵比赛，请你以学生会的名义，写一份通知。
参考词汇：朗诵比赛recital contest； 校园campus； 散文 prose
写作要求：只能用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，篇章连贯。
Notice
Student Union
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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
I am a vegetarian（素食主义者）．Many people are quick to think of vegetarianism as strange behavior．I treasure our Earth, and since we only have one, we should protect it and the wildlife that lives on it．But that’s only one of the reasons to be a vegetarian．
Vegetarians may live longer, healthier lives．There is a connection between red meat consumption and various diseases．From an economic standpoint, it requires less land, money and energy to produce foods for a vegetarian diet．While there are many benefits to being a vegetarian, only a handful of those who attempt to adopt this lifestyle succeed．
The most important quality required to be a vegetarian is firmness since surrounded by the temptation of meat, we tend to give up vegetarianism easily．Creativity is almost as important as commitment．It’s easy to tire of eating nothing but salad． But with a little creativity and some soy products, almost any meal can become vegetarian-friendly．
Not everyone wants to be vegetarian．Accepting this is part of being a vegetarian with style．Forcing your beliefs on others is disrespectful．Stylish vegetarians should also be able to turn down a meaty dish politely without annoying their hosts．
Being a successful vegetarian has been easy for me, but it may not be so for others．a common mistake is quitting before your body has adjusted to the change．It can be difficult to keep the lifestyle in the beginning because of temptation．However, it fades over time．Another common mistake is quitting because you’ve been misinformed about the nutritional wisdom of being a vegetarian．That’s why it is vital to be educateD． Countless people will tell you that it’s impossible to obtain the nutrients and protein（蛋白质）your body requires without meat, but they are incorrect．People actually need only 44-55 grams of protein a day, and that is easily found in a vegetarian diet．Many meat eaters are consuming three times that amount, which is not beneficial．It leads to diseases．Vegetables can also supply all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body needs．However, if you’re still not convinced, you can take a multi-vitamin．
1.According to the passage, being a vegetarian helps ______．
A． protect the wildlife
B． free people from diseases
C． rid people from strange behaviors
D． develop a better economy
2.What’s the underlined word temptation in Paragraph 3 closest in meaning to?
A． Unpleasant taste B． Extreme attraction
C． Great consumption D． Significant importance
3.Stylish vegetarians do not ______．
A． force others to be vegetarians
B． respect other people’s beliefs
C． turn down hosts gracefully
D． refuse an offer of meat
4.Which of the following is NOT true?
A． Many people give up before their bodies can adjust to the transition．
B． Many people quit because they’re poorly educated about nutrition．
C． Consuming 150 grams protein a day can be harmful．
D． Vegetarians need multi-vitamins to keep healthy．
5.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A． Reasons why the author became a vegetarian．
B． Important qualities required to be a vegetarian．
C． Advantages and disadvantages of being a vegetarian．
D． Common mistakes on the way to being a vegetarian．
