It was very cold and I had been watching a homeless man make himself comfortable in a “shelter” on the river bank. I never saw him with warm clothing or food. I knew what I wanted to do.
When I told my parents my plan they were alarmed. They said I could be putting myself in danger, taking a box to a homeless person at night! But I knew, in my deep heart, that I would be safe. They watched as I added warm gloves, a heavy blanket … into a box until it was full! Then, I put a Christmas card on top. It said, “Even though we hardly know each other, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!” I put ten one-dollar bills inside it as well.
My father insisted he went there with me as it was 10 pm on Christmas Eve. I said he could drive me but he had to stay in the car. He agreed.
I I took the box and walked towards his “house”. I called, “Sir, I have a Christmas box for you!”
“Go away!” he shouted.
“Sir,” I repeated.
“Go away!” he shouted angrily.
“Why?” I asked him.
He walked over and I saw two of the most beautiful, gentle, blue eyes I have ever seen.
“Merry Christmas!” I said.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked.
“Because you matter to me,” I said. With that I gave him the box.
Tears came to his eyes and he carried the box like it was filled with gold. I didn’t want to embarrass(使…尴尬) him by watching him anymore. So Dad and I left. (272 words)
1.The underlined word “alarmed” can best replaced by __________ .
A. pleased B. worried
C. disappointed D. surprised
2.Why did the author ask his father to stay in the car ?
A. Because he wanted to prove he was brave .
B. Because he believed the homeless man was bad .
C. Because he didn’t want the homeless man to feel bad .
D. Because he wanted to protect his father from being hurt .
3.When the homeless man first heard the author , he was __________ .
A. quite angry B. very excited
C. quite grateful D. very curious
4.The author’s purpose in writing the text is to tell readers that __________ .
A. it is easier said than done
B. poverty is the mother of health
C. where there is a will, there is a way
D. a willing helper does not wait until he is asked
Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education but had to live. He made millions of dollars by writing whose real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.
Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother's tender care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents.
After his father's death in 1847, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot(领航员) and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full-time writer.
In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him a great fortune.
Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments（投资）and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died and then three of their children passed away.
At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.(260 words)
1.Mark Twain left school at 12 to ____________
A. write stories
C. make a living
B. join the army
D. work as a printer
2.What’s the right order of the following events about Mark Twain’s life?
a. working as a printer
b. working as a river-boat pilot
c. working as a miner
d. joining the army
e. working as a full-time writer
A. a,b,c,d,e
B. a,b,d,c,e
C. a,c,b,d,e
D.c,a,b,d,e
3.What brought Mark Twain fame and lots of money?
A. His works.
C. His investments.
B. His printing.
D. His family
4.Which of the following would be the best title?
A. Mark Twain’s life
C. Mark Twain’s works
B. Mark Twain’s death
D. Mark Twain’s success
书面表达
假如你是李华，你的美国朋友Tom来信：由于过多使用手机，学习和生活受到极大影响，现在父母亲禁止使用，非常苦恼。请回信，帮他找些理由说服父母。
要点如下：
1. 表示同情。
2. 手机对学生的好处：联系父母与朋友；查阅资料；娱乐放松。
3. 你的意见。
注意 ： 1.字数120左右；信的开头已为你写好。
2. 可根据要点适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tom,
I’m very sorry to know that you are in trouble now.
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。
Whatever one does, one should do it with confidence. Equipping with confidence, we can deal any challenges and difficulties until we succeed.
When I entered Senior 2, I found I had difficult learning English, and even failed in my English exam. As the result, I began to feel frustrating, losing confidence in myself. My parents were encouraged me, and my teachers gave me some valuable advice on my studies, told me to be confident. With his help, I regained my confidence and began to make steady progress.
As the saying go, “where there is a will, there is a way.” If we are to make a difference, we should build up our confidence, that is important if we want to overcome obstacles and finally achieve our goals.
请在下列空白处内填入适当内容（不多于3个词）或括号内单词的正确形式
To become a journalist, the first step is to receive an education. Most journalists have, at least, a bachelor’s degree in English, communication or journalism. An education is a necessary stepping stone 1. (learn) about journalism and to help you get your first job with a newspaper, magazine, or other forms of media. Also some schools will 2. (assistance) you when you search for journalism jobs.
While you are receiving your education, 3. is a good idea to get as much hands-on experience as you can. This means 4. (work) on your school’s newspaper or radio station and taking at least one internship(实习) during your years at school. Internships can be invaluable experiences and here are some useful suggestions. Leave a good 5. (impress). Learn from 6. (experience) colleagues. Communicate _7.___ (efficiency) with other people. Write clearly and concisely. Be always prepared for the unexpected news and 8. ability to find a good story quickly is important as well.
As you are completing your education and hands-on experience, you should be able to determine 9. becoming a journalist is the career path you want to take ahead __10.__ time.
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。
Learning is a continuous process of life. We all learn from ___________ thing in life. One of the things that ___________ me recently is what I learned from turtles(龟).
Turtles could teach a vast number of people a lot about reaching goals. ___________ , have you ever watched turtles making their way to a stream? Turtles ___________ where they are going. In other words, they have set a goal. Many people ___________ go through life with no specific goals in mind. They seem to weave(穿行) back and forth because their life direction seems to ___________ in relation to whatever influences them at the time.
Turtles, on the other hand, have a set goal in mind ___________observed by taking the time to watch them. Turtles have only one ___________ . No matter how long it takes them, they will do everything they can to ___________ their objective.
Sure, turtles may be ___________ . But they keep going. Each step they take, no matter how small, keeps them ___________ to their destination. They never ___________ a step or break into a run. The reason is that turtles have a better ___________ of the necessity of taking small steps over and over again to reach final victory.
The ___________ thing about turtles is that they have hard shells. The significance of this shell is to help ___________ themselves from anything that may attack them. And, as turtles taught me, we also need to develop a hard shell ___________ those that would want us to fail.
___________ , turtles told me that the greatest characteristic to ___________ in reaching a goal is perseverance(坚持不懈). No matter what the obstacle is, there is a(n) ___________ around it. No matter how many times one is ___________ by negativity, there is strength in belief.
1.A. unusual B. important C. practical D. different
2.A. impressed B. worried C. disturbed D. excited
3.A. As a consequence B. In other words C. For example D. Above all
4.A. accept B. know C. forget D. search
5.A. unfortunately B. unhappily C. surprisingly D. eventually
6.A. grow B. expand C. follow D. change
7.A. luckily B. hardly C. easily D. deeply
8.A. instruction B. direction C. guide D. position
9.A. reach B. match C. receive D. desert
10.A. smart B. sweet C. shy D. slow
11.A. higher B. closer C. farther D. straighter
12.A. reject B. move C. skip D. meet
13.A. sense B. smell C. taste D. trick
14.A. rest B. last C. extra D. other
15.A. remove B. protect C. prevent D. separate
16.A. beyond B. through C. against D. among
17.A. Gradually B. Finally C. Clearly D. Mostly
18.A. possess B. inform C. include D. apply
19.A. end B. tip C. path D. entrance
20.A. praised B. blamed C. inspires D. stopped
