In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University to study law, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No.3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how busy I became, raising four boys under the age of 8. Our home was a complete zoo--a joyous zoo. Not surprisingly, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you're looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you're in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won't arrive in your life on one day. It's a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.
1.When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be______.
A. a writer B. a teacher C. a judge D. a doctor
2.Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?
A. She wanted to study by herself.
B. She fell in love and got married.
C. She suffered from a serious illness.
D. She decided to look after her grandma.
3.What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?
A. She was busy but happy with her family life.
B. She ignored her guilty feeling for her sons.
C. She wanted to remain a full-time housewife.
D. She was too confused to make a correct choice.
4.Which of the following can best describe the author?
A. Caring and determined. B. Honest and responsible.
C. Brave and sensitive. D. Independent and single-minded.
David Beckham was born in 1975 in London, at a place called Leytonstone. When he was a young boy, his greatest passion was in football. He played it whenever he had the chance. Sometimes he would go and watch a game with his friends. When David Beckham was 12 years old, he won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills award (奖金). This was an important step forward for this young boy, and it led him to go for a visit to a football training camp in Spain. As a boy he played for schools of Essex and also for his county team.
In 1991, he became a trainee with Manchester United. This meant that he could practice football as much as he wanted to and play for the highly successful Manchester United Youth Cup team and Under-21 team. In April, 1995 he played his first football league game against Leeds Untied. During 1995 and 1996, David became a regular member of the team and Manchester United won in both football seasons, with David scoring many goals.
His goals made him a household name. In the first game of the 1996-1997 season, he scored an surprising goal from beyond the halfway line; seeing the goalkeeper a little way out of his goal, Beckham became famous overnight. He continued to score astonishing goals, especially from free-kicks. The speed of one of his shots was timed at 157 kph. He also had the ability to make the ball go from left to right, or right to left, whenever he chose. Goalkeepers were never sure where the ball was going, and it regularly ended up in the goal.
1.Which word can take the place of the underlined word “passion” in Paragraph 1?
A. success B. interest
C. prize D. skill
2.The unusually surprising way that he scored goals______.
A. helped him to gain many prizes for Essex
B. kept him playing for Leeds United
C. offered him the chance to join the national team
D. made him popular and famous
3.Which of the following shows the right order of what Beckham experienced?
a. Beckham played his first football league game.
b. Beckham won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills award.
c. Beckham played for Manchester United Youth Cup team.
d. Beckham went to Spain to join a football training camp.
e. Beckham played for the schools of Essex.
A. e, d, a, c, b B. b, e, d, a, c
C. e, b, a, d, c D. b, d, e, c, a
4.The passage mainly talks about______.
A. how Beckham became a successful football player
B. what abilities Beckham had to score so many goals
C. when Beckham became famous all over Britain
D. why Beckham could win in football league games
From the modern London Eye to the historic Tower of London, below are London’s most visited tourist attractions. Many of London’s top attractions are free, making them affordable places to learn about some culture. Whether you prefer history or modern art, you’ll find it at one of these must-visit spots.
British Museum
The world-famous British Museum exhibits the works of man from prehistoric to modern times, from around the world. The most interesting and exciting parts include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures and the mummies in the Ancient Egypt collection. Some exhibitions require tickets.
National Gallery
The greatest and most beautiful building of Trafalgar Square, London’s National Gallery is a vast space filled with Western European paintings from the 13th to the 19th centuries. In this impressive art gallery you can find works by masters such as Van Gogh, da Vinci, Botticelli, Constable, Renoir, Titian and Stubbs. Some exhibitions require tickets.
Tate Modern
Sitting on the banks of the Thames is the Tate Modern, Britain’s national museum of modern and contemporary art. Its unique shape is due to it being a power station before. The gallery’s restaurants offer wonderful views across the city. Some exhibitions require tickets.
Coca-Cola London Eye
The Coca-Cola London Eye is a major feature of London’s skyline. It has some of London’s best views from its 32 capsules, each weighing 10 tonnes and holding up to 25 people. Climb aboard for a breathtaking experience, with an unforgettable view of more than 55 of London’s most famous landmarks -- all in just 30 minutes!
Madame Tussauds
At Madame Tussauds, you’ll come face-to-face with some of the world’s most famous faces. From Shakespeare to Lady Gaga you’ll meet influential figures from show business, sport, politics and even royalty. Strike a pose with Usain Bolt, get close to One Direction or receive a once-in-a-lifetime audience with Her Majesty the Queen.
1.What do the British Museum and the National Gallery have in common?
A. Both have chargeable exhibitions.
B. Both are on the banks of the Thames.
C. Both have vast spaces and special shapes.
D. Both exhibit modern and contemporary art.
2.If visitors want to get a better view of London’s famous landmarks, they should visit ______.
A. the Tate Modern B. the British Museum
C. the National Gallery D. the Coca-Cola London Eye
3.In Madame Tussauds, visitors can ______.
A. enjoy Shakespeare’s works
B. talk to some famous people
C. watch Lady Gaga’s performance
D. see figures of many influential people
书面表达
最近，你们班召开了以“我的中国梦”(My Chinese Dream)为主题的班会活动。请写一篇日记，记述班会情况及自己的感受。
内容要点如下：1.每位同学都畅谈了自己对中国梦的理解；
2.你谈到了自己的梦想；
3.如何实现自己的梦想。
注意：1. 总词数100左右。
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
May 8 Wednesday Sunday
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短文改错
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。作文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏子符号（∧）并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：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。
Dear Jack,
How is everything going recently? I’m writing to tell you something more about my birthday. The other day we hold a party to celebrate my 18th birthday. I received many presents from my friends and parents, including cards, books, CDs or so on. During the party we sang and danced, having good time. I thanked my friends for his help and company. At the meantime, I showed my sincere appreciation to my parents for bringing me up. Now I grow up, that means I should shoulder more responsibilities. I’ll try my best to share more houseworks to reduce their burden. It’s high time that I do something to repay them.
How did you celebrate your 18th birthday? I’m looking forward to hear from you soon.
Yours Sincerely
Li Jin
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。
Long ago, there lived in Greece a 1. (learn) man. He was 2. well-known for his knowledge of almost everything that lots of people from all over the country came to learn from him. The great man taught his students whole-heartedly and answered their questions with great 3. (patient).
One day, a student asked him, “My dear teacher, didn’t you say you yourself have many more questions about things than we do? 4. I think we students have far more than you.”
With a smile on his face, the teacher 5. (draw) two circles, one as large as a big cake, the other smaller. Then he said, “Of course, I have learned much more. But 6. is wrong to think a teacher has fewer questions than his students. Now, look at these two circles. The inside of the bigger one is my knowledge of things, and the inside of the smaller one is 7. (you). Out of the circles is what is still unknown to us. Since mine is larger, I have 8. (use) the longer line to draw the bigger circle. That 9. (mean) I have more opportunities to face what is still unknown. And that’s why I myself have more questions than you do. The 10. (much) you learn, the more questions you have. You will never learn enough, you know.”
