Last summer, as part of my high school graduation project, I volunteered at Saunders House nursing home .I choose this experience because it was something that I had never done before and I wanted to lend a helping hand．At first it was challenging because I was extremely shy. My goal in volunteering was to bring a smile to the residents（住客） by doing different activities from word games to playing chess. I feel as if I had accomplished that goal.
At the nursing home, I did a lot of different activities with the residents ranging from Jeopardy to Wheel of Fortune. One of my favorites was a word game where I would write a ten -letter word on the board and the residents would try to come up with as many smaller words as possible. I could tell that it was one of their favorite games because they always seemed to be so enthusiastic when they played．I also transported residents to and from their rooms when they needed help; and whenever it was a nice day out, I would take them outside to get some fresh air and relax. On Saturday mornings, I would deliver the newspaper to the residents and on Sundays, I assisted with morning church services.
The most unforgettable part of this experience was when I had one-on-one conversations with the residents. It was incredible how many great stories they had to tell. Their stories were so interesting and the experience was unforgettable for me .
1.Why did the author volunteer at the nursing home ?
A．Because people there helped her .
B．Because she never went there before .
C．Because she wanted to offer help .
D．Because the old people there shared stories with her
2.How did the auther feel at first with the residents ?
A．Disappointed B．Comfortable.
C．Excited D．Nervous.
3.What activity did the author and the residents prefer ?
A．Jeopardy B．Wheel of Fortune
C．Word game D．Playing chess
4.What did the author do for the residents on sunny days ?
A．She played the piano.
B．She read newspapers.
C．She took them to the church.
D．She took them outside the room.
5.What is the best title of the passage ?
A．A High School Project
B．Several Interesting Games
C．An Unforgettable Experience.
D．The Residents in the Nursing Home
As a boy, Charles Robert Darwin(达尔文) collected anything that caught his interest: insects, coins and interesting stones. He was not very clever, but Darwin was good at doing the things that interested him.
His father was a doctor, so Darwin was sent to Edinburgh to study medicine, and was planned to follow a medical career. But Charles found the lectures boring. Then his father sent him to Cambridge University to study to be a priest. While at Cambridge, Darwin’s interest in zoology and geography grew. Later he got a letter from Robert FitzRoy who was planning to make a voyage around the world on a ship, the Beagle. He wanted a naturalist to join the ship, and Darwin was recommended(推荐). That voyage was the start of Darwin’s great life.
As the Beagle sailed around the world, Darwin began to wonder how life had developed on earth. He began to observe everything. After he was home, he set to work, getting his collection in order. His first great work The Zoology of the Beagle was well received, but he was slow to make public his ideas on the origin of life.
Later Darwin and Wallace, another naturalist who had the same opinions as Darwin, produced a paper together. Darwin’s great book “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”(《物种起源》) appeared. It attracted a storm. People thought that Darwin was saying they were descended from monkeys. What a shameful idea! Although most scientists agreed that Darwin was right, the Church was still so strong that Darwin never received any honors for his work.
Afterwards, he published another great work, The Descent of Man. His health grew worse, but he still worked. “When I have to give up observation, I shall die,” he said. He was still working on 17, April, 1882. He was dead two days later.
1.Darwin’s father sent him to Edinburgh to _____.
A. make him like natural history
B. make him become a doctor
C. let him change his hobbies
D. have him give up his collection
2.According to the passage, Charles Darwin’s whole life was changed by _____.
A. his study at Cambridge University
B. his collection of coins
C. the naturalists at Cambridge
D. the voyage of the Beagle
3.The underlined part “they were descended from monkeys” probably means “_____”.
A. they gave monkeys life
B. they were different from monkeys
C. they were developed from monkeys
D. they had to live with monkeys
China is the biggest market in the world, and many countries such as Germany, the USA, the UK and Russia do a lot of business in China. Let’s have a look at some important tips to help you be successful when dealing with these nationalities.
First, you must be punctual (准时的) with Germans. Even 5 minutes late makes a bad impression. Being punctual is also very important in the USA. In the UK, it’s important to be punctual for business meetings, but nobody expects you to be on time for a social event. Half past seven really means a quarter to eight, or even eight o’clock! With Russians, you should always be on time, though it is not unusual for them to be one or even two hours late!
It is best to dress formally and wear dark colours when you meet people from all the four countries. In Russia, designer clothes are very common. Don’t be surpri if you go to an office in the UK on a Friday and find everyone wearing jeans. Many companies have “dress down Friday”, when people wear casual (随便的) clothes.
In Germany, first names are only used by family members and close friends, so be prepared to use titles and last names. In the USA you will usually be invited to use first names almost immediately. The British are quite informal and using first names in business is more and more common, especially among younger people. In Russia, however, nobody uses first names, so use titles and last names.
In conversation, the British and the Americans value humour, and both like to talk about sport. The weather is also a good topic of conversation with the British and the Americans, but avoid talking about politics. In Russia, say positive（肯定的） things about their country, but avoid making complaints. The Germans, however, prefer to get straight down to business!
So, use these tips, and you will be on your way to a successful international business career!
1.Which color should you NOT wear when meeting a person from the USA?
A. Dark blue. B. Gray. C. Black. D. White.
2.All of the following statements are true EXCEPT ______.
A. you can say something funny when you talk to an American
B. you can use his first name when you talk to an Englishman
C. you must be on time when you meet people from each of the four countries
D. people wear whatever they like on Friday in some companies in the UK
3.When you talk to a Russian, you can ______.
A. complain about something
B. say something negative about his country
C. say something good about his country
D. point out some disadvantages in politics
4.The tips in this passage are probably given to people from ______.
A. China B. the USA C. Germany D. the UK
完形填空
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Why do young adult children become independent so much later than they did in 1970，when the average age of independent living was 21? Why have reduced class sizes and increased per-pupil expenditures (花销）not _________ higher academic achievement levels? Why is the mental health of today’s kids so poor when _________ with that of children in the 1960s and before? Why do today’s _________ become defensive when told by teachers that their children have misbehaved in school?
The answer is in two words: parental ___________. Those two words best summarize the ____________ between “old” child raising and new, post-1960s parenting. Then, the general philosophy was that parents were not to be ___________ involved with their kids. They were available ________ emergency, but they stood a (an) __________distance from their kids and allowed them to experience the benefits of the trial-and-error process. It was the child’s __________ , back then, to keep his or her parents from getting involved. That was ___________ children learned to be responsible and determined.
Today’s parents help their kids with almost everything. These are parents who are __________ when it comes to an understanding of their purpose in their kids’lives. Their involvement leads them to personalize everything that happens to their kids; ___________, the defensiveness. But given that schools and mental health professionals have been pushing parent involvement for nearly four decades, the confusion and defensiveness are ____________.
University researchers analyzed three decades of data relating to parent participation in children’s academics. Their conclusions ___________ what I’ve been saying since the 1980s: parental help with homework __________ a child’s academic achievement and is not reflected on standardized tests.
Parents who manage a child’s social life interfere with(干预，阻挠) the _________ of good social skills. Parents who manage a child’s after-school activities grow kids who don’t know how to __________ their own free time. Parents who get involved in their kids’ __________ with peers（伙伴） grow kids who don’t know how to avoid much less trouble.
These kids have anxieties and fears of all sorts and don’t want to leave their _________. And their parents, when the time comes, don’t know how to________ being parents. You can imagine what will become of their future.
1.A. touched on B. counted on C. resulted in D. taken in
2.A. associated B. compared C. linked D. matched
3.A. psychologists B. adolescents C. youths D. parents
4.A. involvement B. protection C. assistance D. preference
5.A. similarities B. differences C. choices D. relations
6.A. slightly B. passively C. fairly D. highly
7.A. in view of B. in spite of C. in case of D. in fear of
8.A. safe B. equal C. long D. short
9.A. fault B. turn C. job D. attitude
10.A. when B. why C. how D. what
11.A. amazed B. disappointed C. confused D. satisfied
12.A. thus B. still C. yet D. however
13.A. unreasonable B. understandable C. changeable D. avoidable
14.A. convinced B. confirmed C. realized D. reflected
15.A. lowers B. decides C. helps D. encourages
16.A. appearance B. performance C. development D. establishment
17.A. value B. fill C. devote D. save
18.A. communication B. cooperation C. conflicts D. competitions
19.A. school B. home C. career D. profession
20.A. stop B. ignore C. consider D. Start
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。
Different cultures
The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish each other a lot. 1._____
The origin of the Eastern cultures is mainly from two countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are developed by rivers—the Yellow River in China and the Indus River in India. 2.________
When the two mother rivers gave birth to the Eastern culture, another famous culture was brought up on the Mesopotamian Plain—the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. 3.________ Like the Chinese culture, the European culture also crossed waters. When the British settled down in America, their culture went with them over the Atlantic Ocean. So the American culture doesn't distinguish from the European culture a lot.
4.________ Take the language system for example. In the East, most languages belong to the pictographic language while the Western languages are mostly based on the Latin system. Other causes like human race difference counts as well. But what's more, due to the far distance and the steep, areas between the East and West, the two cultures seldom communicate until recent centuries. So they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference(干扰) from the other.
These differences are everywhere. 5.________ But different cultures make the world of 21st century more colourful. The cultural gap should not be the obstacle (障碍) to the civilization of human being. It ought to be the motivation of our going farther.
A．Let us work together to keep a variety of culture.
B．One important thing is to learn about other cultures.
C．And these two are well known as the base of the European culture.
D．At the same time, some other differences add to the cultural differences.
E．This is because the culture systems are two separate systems on the whole.
F．They helped the two cultures develop for centuries and form their own styles.
G．They are obvious and affect people's ways of thinking and their views of the world.
When most people think of artists, they usually forget the part about the artist being a surveyor of beauty. This is because most people do not realize that there is actually a sort of process when it comes to making art so much so that lots of individuals(个人) cannot understand why true artists take their time when creating brilliant works.
The reason as to why artists take their time when creating their works is because they will first have to look for something beautiful which will inspire them. This is because an artist is someone who appreciates beauty and captures(捕获) the said beauty in a portrait, a song, a novel, and any other forms of artistic medium available to man. Rather than those commercial artists who simply paint a picture because they are paid to do so, a true artist will only work if he or she is inspired. The true artist shall not compromise his or her work because of earth temptations(诱惑) and as such they run the risk of being ridiculed(嘲弄)in exchange for their happiness. History has however shown that the true artist who correctly appreciates beauty is one whose works will end up being celebrated.
How does a true artist spot beauty? The only possible way to go about doing this is to actually look at the world. This means that the true artist is someone who loves to walk around and look at new things. Whatever it may be, the point here is that the artist does take a bit of time out to survey the world and find something beautiful which would inspire him. At times it even happens that the object that inspires the artist is not a thing but rather a person. At the end of the day, it must be said that each artist has his own views of what is beautiful and what is not. The true artist is someone who appreciates beauty.
1.What do we learn from the first paragraph?
A. Most people know little about how artists work.
B. People understand only how true artists work.
C. Most people appreciate the work of artists.
D. People tend to ignore the works of artists.
2.True artists are ridiculed because they .
A. have a strange lifestyle
B. resist earth temptations
C. refuse to live a happy life
D. search for something beautiful
3.What is the author's attitude towards true artist?
A. Doubtful. B. Concerned.
C. Appreciative. D. Disapproving.
4.The main purpose of the passage is to .
A. tell us the result of a survey B. make a comparison
C. make a suggestion D. argue for a point
