On my first day of high school, I asked an eleventh-grader where my class was. And he told me it was “on the fourth floor, next to the pool.” I found out five minutes later that we don’t even have a fourth floor and there’s no pool either! Besides that, I didn’t have any trouble with the older kid.
I think the biggest difference between middle and high school is the homework load (工作量) and size of the school. I went from maybe fifteen minutes of homework a night to several hours, so I had to learn how to make full use of time! Our class size is around 550, but joining in clubs, sports, music, and other activities at school makes it easier to get to know people in every grade.
The best advice I can give about the years you spend in high school is to learn things for yourself, not just to get a good grade. There have been so many tests that I’ve prepared for the night before, gotten an A, and not remembered anything later. I’ve changed that this year, and I enjoy school so much more. Don’t take easy classes just to have a simple year. If you have a choice between chemistry and sports, the first will prove to be a lot more useful!
While drinking and smoking might be present in some middle schools, they’re also around in high school. I have a lot of friends who promised they’d never drink or smoke, but are now partying every weekend. If you have “fun”and spend your nights wasted instead of studying, you will regret it when you’re applying for (申请) college. The “friends” who say you’re a loser for not partying are really not your friends at all. It’s hard to see your closest friends grow apart and go in different directions, but don’t follow their footsteps. Create your own path in life and make your own decisions.
1. What happened to the author on his first day of high school?
A. He had a fight with an eleventh-grader.
B. He fell into a pool on the fourth floor.
C. He was five minutes late for class.
D. He was fooled by a schoolboy.
2.The author advises high school students to _____.
A. choose useful classes
B.give up sports
C. try their best to get good grades
D. get ready for tests the night before
3. The last paragraph mainly tells us _____.
A. not to lose ourselves in high school
B. about the importance of making friends
C. not to go to any party in high school
D.about the trouble caused by drinking and smoking
D. Different views on the topic are presented.
Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cats are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new recipe of success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. Two-thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.
However, it wasn't all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same signals submission.
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behavior. They are learning how to talk each other's language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk ‘dog’ and dogs can learn how to talk ‘Cat’.
What's interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn how to read each other's body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than we previously suspected. Once familiar with each other's presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom (梳理) each other.
The significance of the research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets ─ to people who don't get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.
1.Some cats and dogs may fight when ________.
A. they misunderstood each other's signals
B. they look away from each other
C. they are cold to each other
D. they are introduced at an early age
2.What is found surprising about cats and dogs?
A. They eat and sleep each other.
B. They learn to speak each other's language.
C. They observe each other's behaviors.
D. They know something from each other's voices.
3.It is suggested in Paragraph 4 that cats and dogs ________.
A. have common interests
B. have a common body language
C. are less different than was thought
D. are less intelligent than was expected
4.What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs?
A. We should live in peace with animals.
B. We should know more about animals.
C. We should learn to live in harmony.
D. We should learn more body languages.
July 21st. 2007 was a typical English summer’s day — it rained for 24 hours ! As usual, I rushed home from work at midday to check on the house. Nothing was amiss. By the time I left work at 5pm. However, the road into our village was flooded. Our house had never been flooded but, as I opened the front door. a wave of waters greeted me. Thank God the kids weren’t with me, because the house was 5 feet deep in water. We lost everything downstairs. And the plaster had to be torn off the wall’s ceilings pulled down.
At first we tried to push on through. We didn’t want to move the children out of home. so we camped upstairs. We put a sheet of plastic across the floor to protect us from the damp. But after three months, we felt very sick, so we move to a wooden house in a park. The house was small. but at first we were all just delighted to be in a new place. Unfortunately, things took longer than expected and we were there for 10 months. The life there was inconvenient. What surprised me most was how much I missed being part of a community（社区）. We had lived in a friendly village with good neighbors, and I’d never thought how much I，I’d miss that.
Although our situation was very bad, it’s difficult to feel too sorry for yourself when you look at what’s happening elsewhere. I watched a news report about floods in Northern India and thought. “We didn’t have a straw hut（茅草房）that was for Christmas. But I can’t wait — I’m going to throw a party for our friends in the village to say thanks for their support. This year, I won’t need any gifts — living away from home for months has made me realize how little we actually need or miss all our possessions. Although we are replacing things, there’s really no rush — we have our home back. and that’s the main thing.
1.What does the underlined word “amiss” in the first paragraph mean ？
A. Wrong. B. Missing. C. Right. D. Found
2.It can be inferred from the text that the author .
A. was sick of staying upstairs
B. cared much about her children
C. could not stand living in a wooden house
D．did not deal well with her family affairs during the flood
3.Why does the author say that they were lucky in the third paragraph ?
A. Because her situation was not serious.
B. Because many other paces were flooded.
C. Because she had been to Northern India.
D. Because some others suffered even more.
4.What does the author mainly want to express by telling her story?
A. She valued human feelings more than before.
B. She realized she almost didn’t need possession.
C. She found Christmas gifts no longer badly needed.
D. She thought her own home was the most important.
The meaning of the word “volunteer” may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means “one who offers his or her services.” There are many different ways in which people can volunteer, such as taking care of sick people, working on homes for homeless children, and picking up garbage (垃圾) from beaches and parks. Volunteers may work within their countries or in other countries. They are often people with a strong wish to help those who are less fortunate than themselves. Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay.
At the root of volunteering is the idea that one person may have the ability to offer services that can help other people. Tracy, a good friend of mine, however, recently came back from India with a new idea of what being a volunteer means. She worked for two and a half weeks in one of Mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta. The following is her story.
“I first heard about Mother Teresa in my high school, we watched a video(录像) about her work in India and all over the world. I was so moved by her spirit to help others and her endless love for every human being that after I graduated from high school, I too wanted to try her kind of work. So with two friends I flew to Calcutta for a few weeks.”
“I was asked to work in a home for sick people. I helped wash clothes and sheets, and pass out lunch. I also fed the people who were too weak to feed themselves and tried to cheer the up. I felt it was better to share with them than to think that I have helped them. To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much. It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture(文化) that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world.”
1.According to the text, a volunteer refers to a person who ______.
A. is willing to help those in need without pay
B. can afford to travel to different places
C. has a strong wish to be successful
D. has made a big fortune in life
2.Tracy started her work as a volunteer _______.
A. after she met Mother Teresa
B. after she finished high school
C. when she was touring Calcutta
D. when she was working in a hospital
3.Why did Tracy choose to be a volunteer?
A. She liked to work with Mother Teresa.
B. She had already had some experience.
C. She was asked by Mother Teresa’s example.
D. She wanted to follow Mother Teresa’s example.
4.What is Tracy’s “new idea” (Paragraph 2) of being a volunteer?
A. Going abroad to help the sick.
B. Working in Mother Teresa’s home.
C. Doing simple things to help the poor.
D. Improving oneself through helping others.
书面表达
假设你是李华。你打算利用假期出国旅游。请你就此给你的美国笔友Michael写一封信,谈论一下你出国旅游的原因。
要点如下:
1. 出国旅游很有意义；
2. 开阔眼界,了解国外的风俗和历史；
3. 和来自不同文化背景的人交朋友,学习外语；
4. 放松身心,欣赏美景；
5. 邀请Michael有时间来中国。
注意： 1.词数100左右；2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Dear Michael,
How are you?
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Yours truly,
Li Hua
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：把缺词处加一个漏符号（∧），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。
Hi Susan,
I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to return to your bike on time yesterday. I mean to give it back to you before four in the afternoon, and I was held up on my way back. Just before I turned corner of Park Street, I happened to seeing an accident. A little girl was hurt and his mother needed help. So I helped them going to the nearest hospital. I stayed here for one and a half hour and made sure that the girl was safely. When I got back, it was already 6 p.m. I hope you understand.
Thank you! Yours,
Li ling
