Letter to the Editor
A heated debate is currently going on in our town. Should we allow the cinema to be constructed in the Havenswood Shopping Center? There is just one large area left to build on, and the theater would use up all of that space. Some people are excited at the idea of finally having our own movie theater. Others would rather travel ten miles to the nearest theater to keep our quiet town the way it is. They say it is enough to have Marvin’s Movie Video Rentals. After all, Marvin’s store keeps thousands of the latest videos.
There are certainly benefits to renting videos. For one thing, you can plan your own schedule when it is convenient for you. You can relax on your sofa, and take a break whenever you need one. You can also talk to others without bothering any strangers seated nearby. In addition, it is a less expensive way to view a movie, especially if more than one person is watching the video.
On the other hand, seeing a movie in a theater is an experience all its own. First, you can see the movie on a wide screen as the filmmaker intended. To be viewed on a television screen, a film must be changed in some way to make it smaller. One is the “pan-and-scan method, which involves removing some of the details in the picture. The other way, called “letterboxing, keeps the image the way it is on the big screen, with one annoying exception; because the big-screen style is wide, the same picture on a television screen must be long and narrow.
Another problem is sound. The sound from a television cannot compare with the sound system in a theater. Your experience of a movie improves when you can clearly hear all of the sounds. Furthermore, at home, viewing companions often talk during a movie, which makes you miss out on what’s happening in the film.
Besides, having a movie theater will not mean that you can’t still go to Marvin’s! You will just have a choice that you didn’t have before. Isn’t it time for Havenswood residents like me to enjoy a little progress?
1.Who is the author probably?
A. An editor of a newspaper.
B. The manager of the nearest theatre.
C. The owner of Marvin’s Movie Video Rentals.
D. A concerned citizen in Havenswood.
2.What is the advantage of renting videos?
A. It won’t take up the large area in the town.
B. People can enjoy better sound system.
C. There’s no strict limit to the viewing time.
D. People can fully concentrate on their movies.
3.In the author’s opinion, the construction of a theatre will _________.
A. save movie-goers’ money and time
B. offer people another experience
C. reduce the profit of the Movie Video Rentals
D. disturb the peace in the town
4.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
(①-⑤stand for the paragraphs in the article)
(CNN) — An ultra-marathoner trying to “run” from Florida to Bermuda in a human-powered inflatable (充气的) bubble was rescued Saturday morning, after he signaled for help, the Coast Guard said.
Reza Baluchi, according to his website, has set a goal of running across more than 190 recognized nations to encourage world peace.
The Coast Guard first came across Baluchi on Wednesday after receiving a report about a man in a bubble off the coast of Miami, disoriented and asking for directions to Bermuda, a Coast Guard press release said. It was not clear when he started his adventure.
A Coast Guard ship found Baluchi. Officials described the craft as a “hydro pod bubble” and a man in a 2013 YouTube video called a Baluchi bubble “a big hamster wheel.” It moved along the ground as Baluchi ran inside.
In the press release, the Coast Guard said Baluchi had protein bars, bottled water, a GPS and a satellite phone. The Coast Guard warned him of the voyage’s dangers and asked Baluchi to quit his journey because he didn’t have enough supplies. But he wouldn’t leave his bubble, officials said.
The Coast Guard monitored his progress and on Saturday morning exhausted Baluchi activated(激活) his personal locating beacon(灯塔), the Coast Guard said.
A Coast Guard airplane and a helicopter, along with the boat Maersk Montana, were sent to rescue Baluchi 70 miles east of St. Augustine, the Coast Guard said.
He was exhausted and taken to the Coast Guard air station, where his medical condition was evaluated. There were no reported injuries, the Coast Guard said.
“Part of his effort was to make world peace but he got caught up in the Gulf Stream,” said Coast Guard public affairs specialist Mark Barney. “The chances of muscling out of the Gulf Stream were pretty low.”
Baluchi could not be reached for comment, but a video posted on Baluchi’s Facebook page described his plans to travel in the bubble across the Caribbean, as well as his other athletic exploits.
The CNN.com story quoted Baluchi saying he’d run across the United States twice and around its border once. He said he fled Iran to escape persecution (迫害). Now he is an American citizen.
1.What happened to Baluchi when he first came across the Coast Guard?
A. He was confused about which direction he should go.
B. His bubble was broken.
C. He was exhausted by the adventure.
D. He activated his locating beacon.
2.From the passage, we can know that __________.
A. The Coast Guard advised Baluchi to quit the journey because the weather was terrible.
B. Baluchi ended his journey since he hadn’t enough supplies.
C. In the press release, Baluchi described his plan to cross the Caribbean in the bubble.
D. Although Baluchi was exhausted, there were no reported injuries after his being rescued.
3.Which of the following words can best describe Reza Baluchi’s personality?
A. Optimistic B. Adventurous
C. Hardworking D. Careless
书面表达
某英文报社准备刊发一篇题为”Living in a City”有关城市生活利和弊的文章。根据下面提示写一篇英语短文。
优点：找工作容易；交通便利；有公园、饭店等休闲场所。
缺点：生活消费高；人口多，拥挤；空气污染，居住环境差。
要求：1. 覆盖以上全部内容，可适当发挥。
2. 词数100左右，标题已给出。
Living in a City
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写得以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误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）不记分。
Last month while I was walking in the street, the foreigner came towards me. She seemed to be losing. She asked me if I could help him. I said yes, but when she started talking, I couldn’t understand that she said. I could only say “I don’t know”, and then slowly walk away. Though I have studied English for six years, but I still can’t understand English good enough. I know I’m not interested in English and I’ve also been very lazy to study it. Now I know the importances of learning English. I’ve decided change my attitude towards English and work hard on it.
语法填空，阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡的相应位置上。
W：People say this kind of fish tastes good, but I don’t know whether I cooked it ___1.___ (proper).
M: Very delicious. I like it very much. That’s why I have eaten a lot of fish today.
W: Let me help you with some _2.___ (much) fish if you like it.
M: No, thanks. I can eat no more.
W: What about other dishes? It took me several hours __3.___ (prepare) all these dishes.
M: Well, in _4.___ opinion, they are wonderful. You are really __5._ excellent cook.
W: Thank you. I’m glad you like the dishes.
M: When did you begin to learn to cook?
W: I began to learn to cook for my family __6.___ I was ten years old.
M: Er, that’s why you cook so well.
W: __7.__ not try some other dishes?
M: But I really _8.___(have) enough. Now I’d like to have some soup. It must be quite ___9.___ (taste)，too.
W: The soup has been cooked for several hours, so I think it should be delicious. Help ___10.__ to the soup.
M: Thank you.
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。
A few years ago when my daughter was about two years old, I went through a difficult time. My marriage was in trouble, and I didn’t have much ______. Looking back I think I was also a bit depressed (沮丧的) ______ I had to get on with taking care of my daughter as well as I could.
One day I thought I would ______ my daughter out for a nice day at a store and it was a nice, positive thing to do. I ______ to walk because the bus was ______, so it took us a long time to get there. When we ______ got there, immediately my daughter began to ______. She was cold, she was thirsty, and she wanted to go home. To be ______, I hadn’t been thinking straight (清楚地) as I had not ______ well. I didn’t ______ have any money to buy a drink or to take the bus back home. I was ______ sad and angry with myself that my dream of a nice time had ______.
I started ______ back home (it was nearly two miles), and my daughter would not ______ crying. I felt so bad and ______ with myself and my life that I started crying too.
At that point a car ______ and a gentleman gave us a lift. He took us home, and seemed really concerned --- he even ______ me all his change! The ______ of this stranger to a stranger like me really made me feel a lot ______. I never saw him again and I don’t know who he is but he really helped me out that day, so I just want to say “______”.
1.A. money B. time C. hope D. energy
2.A. so B. and C. but D. or
3.A. call B. send C. take D. bring
4.A. wanted B. tried C. liked D. decided
5.A. fast B. slow C. expensive D. cheap
6.A. first B. finally C. carefully D. soon
7.A. laugh B. cry C. smile D. run
8.A. friendly B. easy C. honest D. happy
9.A. prepared B. worked C. taught D. learned
10.A. yet B. even C. ever D. still
11.A. much B. too C. very D. so
12.A. passed B. lost C. come D. failed
13.A. walking B. riding C. driving D. phoning
14.A. enjoy B. stop C. forget D. keep
15.A. happy B. surprised C. eager D. angry
16.A. used up B. took up C. pulled up D. brought up
17.A. dropped B. offered C. showed D. threw
18.A. politeness B. friendship C. honesty D. kindness
19.A. better B. worse C. longer D. faster
20.A. My pleasure B. Excuse me C. Thank you D. I’m sorry
