The main reason people come to America is said to be that they can chase the American Dream. Everyone has heard of it, and many have died fighting for it. The only thing is that there is no clear definition of the American Dream. It is not defined by one dream, but by all the opportunities that the United States offers. Since the founding of the United States, people have been striving to define the American Dream.
In the play Death of a Salesman, every character is trying to realize his own version of the American Dream. Willy feels that he has done so. He has spent his whole life as a not very successful salesman. As he gets older, he starts having conflicts with everyone in his life, and feels that only by killing himself will the people around him be able to finally be happy.
Bernard, on the other hand, feels that the American Dream can only be achieved through career success. He shows that through hard work and dedication he will be crowned with success.
The dialogue of the characters reveals the different attitudes they have toward the American Dream, and the reaction of Willy to the fact that Bernard is very successful while he is not.
Many people try to achieve the American Dream, but few actually do so. As with any goal, it takes hard work and dedication to achieve the American Dream. In Death of a Salesman, all aspects of this goal are examined. For the goal to be achieved, the dream must be an attainable one which is worth working toward. It also must be a dream that the professional world accepts and finds useful.
1.The underlined word “striving” probably has the same meaning as “_________”.
A. trying hardB. giving up
C. bending downD. standing still
2.According to the text, Death of a Salesman tries to tell us _________.
A. what the American Dream is like
B. why Willy decides to kill himself
C. about Bernard’s dedication to his work
D. the life stories of Willy and Bernard
3.According to the author, Bernard is successful because _________.
A. he understands the real world
B. he knows how to take advantage of his knowledge
C. he works hard to achieve his goals
D. he is popular around the world
4.What would be the correct structure of the text?
It’s the ending of 2016，but as USA Today says，“it’s never too late to plan your 2016 travels”．With so many hot destinations around the globe，“where should I go?” can be difficult to answer. According to Lonely Planet，though，Brazil is a fine choice－on Aug.29，the travel guide named that country the top one to visit in 2016.
“As if endless strands of coast and mountains，splashed with rainforest didn’t already add up to an unfair share of heaven (天堂)，Brazil will hold two of the greatest sporting events in the world，beginning with the 2014 FIFA World Cup and followed by the 2016 Summer Olympics，”explained Lonely Planet.
Brazil is the largest and most populous country in South America. It boasts(自豪拥有) the Amazon，the world’s largest jungle，which is home to a variety of plants and animals. But the great landscape is not the only thing Brazilians take pride in.
The colors green and yellow might make most people think of Brazil’s soccer team even more than its national flag. Soccer is more than a sport in Brazil；it’s a way of life. In fact，the World Cup brings Brazilians together. It is interesting to note，that the general elections(大选) in Brazil are usually held during the same year as the World Cup. Political parties try to take advantage of the patriotic enthusiasm created by soccer to inspire political energy.
Alongside soccer，samba is another symbol of Brazil. The country’s most traditional dance is highlighted every February at the Rio Carnival，which is one of the world’s biggest.
“Brazil has left its second-class nation status，” said former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2009 after Rio de Janeiro was awarded the 2016 Olympics.
Brazil’s growing economy，fueled (刺激) by oil and aircraft factories，has made it more than just a nation of samba，soccer and beaches. These days，it might just be the best tourist destination in the world.
1.Which is true about Brazil?
A. It will hold the FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics in 2016.
B. Soccer and samba are two symbols of the country.
C. It is the largest country with the longest history in South America.
D. Its Amazon is the world’s largest jungle, Brazilians take pride in only.
2.We can tell from the words of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that ________.
A. his country will be the first class nation status after the 2016 Olympics
B. his country has been left behind by other second-class nations
C. he is confident that his country has developed very fast
D. the 2016 Olympics, not samba or soccer, has made his country the first class
3.The author’s purpose in writing the article is to ________.
A. prove that Lonely Planet’s recommendation is right
B. give an introduction of Brazil as a tourist destination
C. give an objective review of Brazil as a nation
D. explain why Brazil will be holding the two sporting events
One day a mime(哑剧演员) is visiting the zoo and tries to earn some money as a street performer. As soon as he starts to draw a crowd, a zookeeper pulls him into his office. The zookeeper explains that the zoo’s most popular attraction, a gorilla(大猩猩), has died suddenly and the keeper fears that attendance(出席人数) at the zoo will fall off. He offers the mime a job to dress up as the gorilla. The mime accepts.
The next morning the mime puts on the gorilla suit and enters the cage before the crowd comes. He soon discovers he can sleep, play and make fun of people and he draws bigger crowds than he ever did as a mime — the job he likes but loses.
However, with days going by, he begins to notice that the people are paying more attention to the lion in the cage next to his. Not wanting to lose the attention of his audience, he climbs to the top of his cage, crawls across a partition(隔墙), and dangles(悬挂) from the top to the lion’s cage. The lion gets angry at this. The scene is a fuel to the crowd.
At the end of the day he is given a raise for being such a good attraction — well, this continues for some time. The crowds grow larger, and the mime’s pay keeps going up.
Then one day when he is dangling over the lion he slides and falls. The mime is terrified. He starts screaming “Help me!”, but the lion is quick. The mime soon finds himself flat on his back looking up at the angry lion and the lion says, “Shut up you fool! Do you want to get us both fired?”
1.The mime accepts the zookeeper’s offer because __________.
A. he doesn’t like being a mime
B. he has been out of work
C. he likes performing at the zoo
D. he is offered a higher pay there
2.How does the mime find the job dressing up as the gorilla?
A. Hard and tiring. B. Dangerous but exciting.
C. Easy and funny. D. Boring but well-paid.
3.The mime’s first contact with the lion is to __________.
A. find pleasure for himself
B. win back his audience
C. get his pay raised
D. get the lion’s attention
4.The underlined words “a fuel” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by __________.
A. frighteningB. disappointingC. familiarD. exciting
假定你是李华，正在新西兰学习，你计划寒假期间在当地旅行，请写一封e-mail向旅行社询问相关的旅行信息。
内容应包括：
1．旅行信息（如景点、费用等）；
2．当地特色（如食品、风俗等）；
3．注意事项。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．开头语已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Sir or Madam,
I’m Li Hua, a Chinese student studying in New Zealand. I’m writing to ______
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Sincerely yours,
Li Hua
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。
In our daily life, music plays a important part. It can give us energy and making us happy. There is many kinds of music, such as country music, R&B, rock music and so on. Different people have different ideas about music. My friend Betty enjoys listen to the music she can dance. John likes rock music and Jazz music so he thinks that they are interesting. Jane is fond of listening to some relaxed music. She likes country music a lot of, because it is easy to learn, and this kind of music can easy make people calm. What about you? What kind of music did you prefer?
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
A castle is a type of fortified（加固的）structure 1. (build) in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages. This is different from a palace 2. is not fortified, though there are a large number of 3. (similarity) among these types of construction. Since then usage of the term 4. (apply) to diverse structures.
The European castles 5. (origin) in the 9th and 10th centuries, resulting in its land divided among nobles, who built castles to control the area 6. (surround) them. The castles were also 7. (defense) structures. Although army uses are often emphasized in castle studies, the structures also served 8. centers of administration and symbols of power. Urban castles were 9. (usual) used to control the local people and important travel routes, 10. rural castles were often built near farmland.
