It was a hot, humid day, and my brother Walt and I had decided that the only way to survive it would be to go swimming in a deep swimming hole across Mr. Blickez’s pasture(牧场) and through some woods.
The only problem with our plan was that this pasture was guarded by a huge, mean Hereford bull. Mr. Blickez had told us that Elsie was the meanest bull in the township, maybe even the county, and we believed him. But the hotter it got, the more we thought there was something fishy about his claim. For one thing, we remembered Mr. Blickez liked telling tall tales; for another, Elsie seemed like an odd name for a bull.
Finally, I talked Mom into asking permission for us to walk through the pasture, but then another problem surfaced. Mom said she would talk to Mr. Blickez if we would take our cousin Joanie along with us. Joanie was almost two years older than me and a head taller. If her teasing ever got around my grade school, it would be all over for me. In fact, I still had a headache from a quarrel with her that morning. “I’m not going swimming with that dumb girl cousin.” I told my mom.
“Either Joanie goes with, or you stay home alone,” Mom said in her serious tone. I gave in and we set out. On our way across the pasture, Walt yelled suddenly. Elsie had approached him quietly and was licking(舔) his back.Joanie and I dove under the wire fence, but while I was on the ground I looked up and saw that Elsie wasn’t a big mean bull after all. She was going to keep licking my brother’s back as long as he stood still.
We had many good days growing up and visiting our secret swimming hole guarded by the so-called “big mean bull”. And as it turned out, for a girl cousin, Joanie hasn’t been too bad. She’s been one of my best friends over the years.
1.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “fishy” in paragraph 2?
A. Funny B. Interesting
C. Doubtful D. Believable
2.What’s the second problem the author has to face
A. His mother insisted on his cousin going with him.
B. His cousin made jokes on him in his grade school.
C. He quarreled with his cousin and had a headache.
D. His mother failed to ask permission for him.
3.What does the author think of Elsie in the end
A. Aggressive. B. Unkind.
C. Bad-tempered. D. Friendly.
4.What’s the passage mainly about
A. The bull guarding Mr. Blickez’s farm.
B. The story of visiting the swimming hole.
C. How friendly the so-called mean bull was.
D. How the author changed his attitude to Joanie.
Guided Walking Week April 2016
Dates: April 30th-May 7th 2016
Location: Abdet, Costa Blanca
A week of guided walking in the mountains around Abdet. Highlights include the climbing of Valencia’s highest summit (Sierra de Aitana), traveling completely around the impressive Puig Campana, and several explorations in the Sierra de Aitana. Ancient trails lead through spectacular canyons( 峡谷 ) to abandoned settlements situated high in the mountains. You will discover the snow trader routes which lead from the incredible snow holes high in the mountains down to the villages and towns on the coast. These years, golden eagles have made a return to this area, and you may also see other animals—wild goats, foxes, wild pigs and red squirrels.
As part of the week you are invited to help clear some local walking paths. This involves clearing collapsed walls and rocks, cutting back fallen trees. This is of course optional and is just for half a day, it’s actually great fun!
Price:$499
Includes:
● Accommodation in the beautiful mountain village of Abdet
● All food-good home cooking
● Beer, wine, soft drinks
● Snacks and post walk treats
● Packed lunches & drinks(except café/bar visits)
● Expert guiding
● Photos/Videos of your days in the mountains
● Airport pick-up/return $25 each way(fly to Alicante)
● Single room supplement $75
To book or get further information, please contact info@abdet.com.
1.What will you find during the guided walking?
A. Climbing Sierra de Aitana is the most exciting
B. Ancient trails have changed into highways.
C. The environment in Abdet is getting better.
D. Traders live in incredible snow holes.
2.What may you enjoy if you pay $499?
A. Packed lunches including bar visits.
B. Good home cooking breakfast only.
C. Bus stop pick-up/return each way.
D. Pictures and professional guiding
3.What do the details presented in the ad suggest?
A. Clearing walking paths is a must
B. People can book the walking online.
C. Accommodation conditions are tough.
D. The walking ends on April 30th 2016
书面表达请阅读下列文字和图表，并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
When was the last time you had fun with your parents? Your parents are all busy during working days; during the weekends, you may want to hang out with them but they may have to work extra hours.
This is not uncommon. In China, both of the parents have their jobs. Most of the parents try their best to offer their children comfortable circumstances, but they seldom have time to stay with their children. A recent survey done in the US found that more than half of American parents spend less than three hours having fun with their children each week.
As the Daily Mail noted: Families are spending little quality time creating bonds and precious memories together during the week because of the demands of modern life.
【写作内容】
1. 用约30个单词概述上述信息的主要内容；
2. 简要分析父母陪伴孩子的时间越来越少的原因；
3. 结合自己的经历，谈谈父母多陪伴孩子对其孩子的影响。
【写作要求】
1. 写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
3. 不必写标题。(陪伴: accompany v.)
单词拼写
1.We should _________(分析) what they said and not just agree with everything.
2.As ancient _________（文明）, China and Egypt have long and splendid cultures, and both have made great achievements in modern culture and art.
3.It hurts us deeply to see half of all woodland and forests __________(毁坏).
4.The radio ______ (预报)said that the mist would become a thick fog in the afternoon.
5.The book is available on Amazon in both ______ (简化) and traditional Chinese.
6.I’m f ______because the people I'm working with and learning from are true experts in their fields.
7.The bell for the class rang suddenly, i______ their heated discussion.
8.Teenagers should be encouraged to keep healthy m______ and physically.
9.The office reminded that graduates need to visit o______ sites of the competition – www.qccy.org or newjobs.com.cn for online application.
10.Donors and planters will have their names hung on the new trees in r______ of their efforts.
11.They feared that the mummy would fall to pieces when they cut it open, but fortunately this has not happened. The mummy successfully______the operation.
12.When my old friend Brian ______ me to accept a cigarette, it was more than I could bear.
13.I am used to traveling by air and only on one occasion have I ever felt _________.
14.There were six million visitors in all, and the ______from the exhibition were used to build museums and colleges.
15.Now, dressed in a blue uniform and with a rifle over his shoulder, the prisoner marched ______up and down in front of the camp.
任务型阅读
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填1个单词。
Put a group of strangers in a room together, and they’ll probably start a conversation. “Hot today, isn’t it?” one might say. “You said it,” another replies.
Why do we talk so much about the weather? When we meet new people, we don’t begin by telling them our life story. We start with small talk, a polite conversation about something like traffic or weather.
Research suggests that small talk can build new friendships. When we begin conversations with new people, we want to feel comfortable, and so do they. We use small talk to find common interests. Once we have a common interest, a friendship can begin.
Small talk even helps people get a job. In order to impress at a job interview, you need to bond with the interviewer right away. Proper sma
ll talk can make that first impression get you the job.
So, how can you make small talk lead to a new friendship or job? First off, find common ground. Select something around you that you share with the other person.
Next, keep the conversation going. Compliment (赞美) the other person to make him or her feel comfortable, and ask questions to show interest.
Third, keep eye contact. When you loop people in the eye, they feel you appreciate what they are saying. It makes you appear honest and build trust.
Naturally, shy people might not have enough confidence to start up conversations with strangers. Talking to someone you don’t know is not the easiest thing to do! Some experts say with more practice, small take does get easier.
Some people avoid small talk because they dislike discussing things like traffic or weather. For them, they are just too small. However, when you think about it, small talk is anything but small. In fact, it is actually a very big deal!
Title | Small Talk: A Big1. _________ |
Introduction | We are likely to make small talk when we2.______ meet people. |
3._________ | Small talk can help people form 4.________ friendships. |
Small talk can also help people get 5.__________. | |
Advice | Find some topics6._______ with the other person. |
Keep the talk going by making compliments and 7.__________ questions. | |
Keep eye contact in conversation to build8. ________. | |
9.________ more in order to make small talk easier. | |
Conclusion | Small talk really 10._________ a lot to us. |
On a Saturday morning earlier this September, the world got its first look at the Strati. This electric vehicle is unlike any 
other currently on the road. It rolls on four wheels, but its body and chassis(底盘) weren’t built in a factory. Instead, Strati’s designers used a technology called 3-D printing. It created those parts of the car in one piece, from the ground up.
“Compared to a typical vehicle on the road, the Strati definitely looks different,” says Greg Schroeder, a senior research engineer at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich. He did not work on the new car. His organization studies trends and changes in the auto industry.
It took 44 hours to print the new car at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago. Over the next few days, the car’s designers installed additional parts. These included the car’s engine, brakes and tires. Then, early on September 13, Jay Rogers climbed into the car, started its engine and drove the vehicle onto the street. Rogers helped found Local Motors. It’s the Arizona-based company behind the Strati. Two weeks later, his team printed a second Strati, and just as fast, at a fair in New York City.
Justin Fishkin, a local Motors official, sees the Strati as a window into the future. Today, car buyers are limited in their choice of a vehicle. They can order only what car companies have already designed. But in the future, he says, you may be able to design your own car online and then get it printed to order.
Manufacturing experts say 3-D printing has begun to revolutionize how they make things. The technology has been around for decades. But these machines used to be so expensive that only large companies could afford them. In the last few years, though, that has changed. Many of the machines are now inexpensive enough for small companies—or even individuals —to own. Some local libraries make them available to the public. High Schools are beginning to use them in classrooms. Wide access to these printers means people can now design and print a wide variety of new things.
The car’s printer is a one-of-a-kind device.
The technology behind the 3-D printer used in Chicago is an example of additive manufacturing. This process builds solid objects, slice by slice, from the bottom up. (“Strati” means layers, in Italian.) A mechanical arm moves a nozzle from one side to another, back and forth. As it moves, the nozzle deposits a liquid—often melted plastic or metal (but it could be food, concrete or even cells) —that quickly hardens or bonds to become solid or semi-solid. This creates a single, thin layer. Once a layer is complete, the printer starts depositing the next one.
“There’s a lot of interest in 3-D printing in the auto industry,” says Schroeder. Right now, the technology is particularly useful for building models of cars or car parts.
To compete with current auto manufacturers, the 3-D printer would have to increase in a hurry, Schroeder says. By contrast, he notes, a Ford F-150 pickup truck rolls off an assembly line at a rate of roughly one per minute. To print as many Stratis would require many more printers. Schroeder says he doesn’t see 3-D printing soon taking over for such high-volume manufacturing. But, he adds, “Who knows what will h
appen in the long term?”
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee designed the 3-D printer used in Chicago. Lonnie Love, a research scientist at the lab, led the effort.
Additive manufacturing often is slow and expensive. It also may produce materials that are unreliable, Love says. So for two years, his team searched for ways to make 3-D printing better. They built new machines and tested them over and over.
All of that work paid off: their new machine is fast and uses less expensive material than earlier printers. In addition, it prints a plastic embedded with fibers of carbon to produce a stronger material. This helps ensure the material won’t crack or break under pressure.
1.Which of the following statements about the first Strati is TRUE?
A. It was born in a car factory in Chicago.
B. All parts of it were not made by using a technology called 3-D technology.
C. It is a pity that it has not run on the street so far.
D. Many senior research engineers worked on it, including Greg Schroeder.
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 
5?
A. Large companies are always rich enough to buy expensive things.
B. Now High Schools are beginning to use 3-D printers in classrooms.
C. Wide access to 3-D printers has made it possible for people to order novel things online.
D. High prices of new products can stop them from being used widely in the beginning.
3.What does the word “nozzle” in Paragraph 7 possibly refer to?
A. A single, thin layer.
B. A part of the 3-D printer.
C. A solid or semi-solid object.
D. A person who operates the machine.
4.Why did Lonnie Love make efforts to improve 3-D printing with his team?
A. Because additive manufacturing might produce unreliable materials.
B. Because he just was interested in making new things.
C. Because he just wanted to build new machines and test them
D. Because additive manufacturing is always slow but inexpensive.
5.Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
A. 3-D Printers Are Coming
B. 3-D Printers Are Becoming Well- Known
C. 3-D Printers Are Becoming Cheaper
D. 3-D Printers Are Making Cars
