In Britain and other countries，young people sometimes take a“gap year”，a year off between high school and college．This idea never gained a big following in America．Recent news reports have suggested that interest may be growing，though there are no official numbers．
Charles Deacon,．Dean of Admissions at Georgetown University in Washington，D．C．，estimates that in the current first-year class of 1,600 students，only about 25 decided to take a year off．He says this number hasn’t changed much over the years．
Mr．Deacon says the most common reason for taking a“gap year”is to have a chance to travel，but he says international students may take a“gap year”to meet requirements at home for military duty．
Some high school graduates see a year off as a chance to recover after twelve years of required education，but it can also give students a chance to explore their interests．Students hoping to be doctors，for example，could learn about the profession by volunteering in a hospital．
Many colleges and universities support gap-year projects by permitting students to delay their admission．Expels say students can grow emotionally and intellectually as they work at something they enjoy．
The Harvard admissions office has an essay on its Web site called“Time Out or Bum Out for the Next Generation．’’It praises the idea of taking time off to step back，think and enjoy gaining life experiences outside the pressure of studies．It also notes that students are sometimes admitted to Harvard or other colleges partly because they did something unusual with that time．
Of course，a gap year is not for everyone．Students might miss their friends who go on directly to college，and parents might worry that their children will decide not to go to college once they take time off．Another concern is money．A year off，away from home，can be costly．
Holly Bull’s job is to specialize in helping students plan their gap year．She notes that several books have been written about this subject．She says these books along with media attention and the availability of information on the Internet have increased interest in the idea of a year off, and she points out that many gap-year programs cost far less than a year of college．
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A．It is likely that taking a“gap year”is becoming popular in America．
B．More and more American students are choosing to take a year off．
C．If you want to go to an American university, take a gap year first．
D．Americans hold different opinions towards students’taking a“gap year”．
2.How many reasons for students’ taking a“gap year”are mentioned in the passage?
A．2． B．3． C．4． D．5．
3.The essay“Time Out or Bum Out for the Next Generation．”suggests that______．
A．every student must take a“gap year”before applying for a famous university
B．some famous universities encourage students to gain more life experiences
C．taking a‘gap year’Can make students free from life learning
D．the stress of studies does harm to the students’ health
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A．Charles Deacon doesn’t support the idea of the students’taking a“gap year”
B．Parents might disagree with the program，concerned about their children’s future.
C．Books and media have contributed to the students’interest in school learning.
D．Experts agree taking a year off will benefit the students emotionally and physically.
Earlier this year，my oldest daughter got braces(矫正器)on her teeth，and let’s just say she did not go quietly into that dentist’s chair．Fear and hate pretty much describe the days leading up to her first appointment．
So when she finally walked out with shiny teeth，a sore(疼痛的)mouth and a broken spirit，I told her I was proud of her and took her to Ben &Jerry’s for an ice cream reward．Two weeks later，we returned to the scene of the crime．The dentist spent about 45 seconds checking her teeth before sending her on her merry way．Before I could start the car, she was placing her ice cream order．She was shocked when I told her that she wasn't going to get a reward every time we get her teeth checked．
Clearly，she’s not alone．According to some parenting experts，kids are easily addicted to a benefit—producing system of parental rewards and bribes—it’s not all ice creams，candies and cool toys．Some parents are offering their children prizes to just let them sit down and behave in a restaurant—or sleep in their own beds—or score a goal in the next soccer game．
While the experts agree that occasional awards are okay, the danger lies in the system’s overuse．Kids quickly gain a sense of entitlement(应得的权利)，where they come to expect a big reward for every good thing that they do，no matter how small．To keep things in check，experts say parents should reduce the number of rewards they offer，make sure rewards match the behavior and explain the real benefits of behaving for the sake of behaving．
Have you used bribery or a reward system with your kids? Was it successful? Do your kids expect more because of that system?
1.The intended readers of the passage are_____．
A．children B．teachers C．doctors D．parents
2.What does the author mean by saying“the scene of the crime”?
A．He／she doubted whether the dentist was skilled．
B．He／she felt very sorry for his／her daughter’s illness．
C．His／her daughter suffered a lot from her illness．
D．His／her daughter had a bad feeling for the dentist’s．
3.Similar to the author's daughter，children__________．
A．are often troubled by bad teeth.
B．expect more reward from their parents．
C．are afraid to visit a dentist．
D．receive certain rewards when becoming i11．
4.Misguided by the parental reward system，children easily think_______．
A．their parents must be far richer than others’
B．they can be successful as long as they work hard．
C．they should benefit from their every desired behavior．
D．their parents will feel happy when they behave well．
Trapped on the 37th Floor
Melinda Skaar wasn't expecting any phone calls．Skaar was working late in her office at the First Interstate bank of California．By 10:45 that night she was almost ready to go home when the phone rang．
Picking it up，she heard a guard shouting．“There is a fire! Get out of there!”
Skaar didn’t panic．She figured that it was just a small fire．Her office building was huge．There were 62 floors and her desk was on the 37th floor.
Skaar called out to office mate Stephen Oksas．who also stayed late to work．But when they got to the hallway, they were met by a cloud of black smoke．Rushing back，Skaar shut the door and filled the space at the bottom of the door with her jacket to keep the smoke out．
Then they called 911．Before they could call their families，however, the line went dead．That meant that they were completely cut off from the outside world．All they could do was wait and hope someone would come to rescue them．
Minutes ticked by．Smoke began to float into the office．Soon it became hard for them to breathe．
Looking around，Skaar noticed a small workroom．It seemed to have cleaner air．So they crowded there．That helped for a while，but in time even the workroom was filled with deadly smoke．
Hopeless，they tried to break the windows，but the glass was not breakable．Everything they threw at just bounced back．
Defeated，they struggled back to the workroom．They felt weak and dizzy．Soon Skaar found Oksas had passed out．
As Skaar and Oksas lay near death，rescuers were rushing to find them．At last，at about 4 a．m．，firefighters found them．
Skaar and Oksas knew they were lucky to be alive．“Sunday is my birthday，”Skaar told a reporter. She would be turning 29．But she knew she had already got the best present possible—the gift of life．
1.What did Skaar and Oksas do when they were stopped by the fire?
A．They called their families．
B．They waited where they were．
C．They rushed back and shut the door．
D．They tried to run down the stairs．
2.The first sentence of the passage is to_________．
A．get the reader’s attention
B．introduce Skaar and Oksas
C．explain the cause of the event
D．tell the background information.
3.The following helped Skaar and Oksas survive the fire EXCEPT_______．
A．calling 911 for help
B．breaking the windows to get some fresh air
C．crowding in a small workroom for clean air
D．shutting the door and keeping the smoke out with a jacket
4.What can we conc1ude from Skaar’s action in the fire?
A．She is cleverer than Oksas．
B．She was trained as a firefighter．
C．She remained calm in the face of danger．
D．She had had the experience of being caught in fire．
Environment Awareness Week
Regal Convention Centre，Halls 1-4
24-30 March 2015 10：00 am—9：00 pm
Free admission for all!
Save the environment，Save our future
Our environment needs help with the participation of more than 50 organizations．Environment Awareness Week is the biggest public education event dedicated to environmental protection and conservation．Don’t miss it! Come and know more about：
The Threats to Earth(Hall 1)—What is global warming? How serious is pollution? Learn about different environmental problems from our university students．Protect our environment!
The Search for Renewable Energy(Hall 2)—can we get electricity from wind，solar energy waves，rivers and underground heat? Get the answers from Solar Ace，Teflon，Touch Wind Resources and other participants．
The Quest for Freshwater(Hall 3)—Is the shortage of freshwater worsening? What are Singapore’s solutions for treating waste water? Hear from．Flow Technologies，Hydro Max Solutians and other participants．
The 3 Rs to Save Earth(Hall 4)—How can we REDUCE，REUSE and RECYCLE to cut down household wastes? Find out from the Global Gaia Network，Green Earth Foundation and other participants．
1.The organizer of the event is_____________．
A．Global Gaia Network
B．Clean Energy Agency
C．Green Earth Foundation
D．International Environment Fund
2.What’s the purpose of“Environment Awareness Week”?
A．To support environment protection．
B．To advertise for environmental friendly products．
C．To make money by attracting visitors．
D．To educate people about environment protection．
3.The“3 RS”stand for_____________．
A．Read，Realize and Remember
B．Global Gala Network
C．Reduce，Reuse and Recycle
D．Green Earth Foundation
书面表达
请以Is it Happy to Be the Only Child in the Family?为题，根据中文提示以第一人称写一篇作文。
提示：
1. 家庭里的独生子女很幸福，因为可以得到父母全部的爱；
2. 对于父母来说，生儿育女不容易；
3. 父母培养一个孩子用于教育的费用的负担会轻的多；
4. 但独生子女容易被宠坏；
5. 独生子女也很孤独；
6. 他们也会在与其他孩子的交往时产生麻烦；
将来的大家庭也会随之消失。
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。
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。
With computers widely use in many fields, more and more people now type everything on the computer instead of write on paper, that has caused the level of students’ handwriting skills to drop sharp.
Some think handwriting contests are not necessary because we are in the computer age and we type more on the computer than writing by the hand. Beside, writing on the computer is quicker than writing on paper, and the printing words are more standard and beautiful.
Other think it’s necessary to hold such contests. For one thing, it can improve students’ handwriting skills and developed their interest the art of calligraphy. For another, it can make students love Chinese characters.
