The daughter of a friend of mine recently left university and entered into the world of work, taking on a temporary office job.At the end of her first week at work,she phoned home in tears.
＂It's horrible,"she complained to her mother,"there's no time to do anything else,I'm so tired. when I get home in the evenings that all I can do is watching TV.And then I have to get up early the next morning and do it all again!If this is what work is like,I don't want to spend my whole life doing it!"
We take it for granted that work must be a major part of our lives-in fact,for many people, it's the primary aspect of our lives.We define ourselves,and other people,by our job roles-"So what do you do?"-and measure our happiness in terms of how successful we are in these roles. Forty hours a week,48 weeks a year,for up to 50 years-not including traveling time,and the time we spend resting and recovering from the efforts of our working lives.
Of course,if you're lucky,you might have a job which is satisfying,which suits your interests and skills,and which you find challenging and thrilling.In that case,your job may provide you with what psychologists call"flow"-a state of intense(强烈的）absorption,which makes you feel busy and alive.Perhaps the majority of people aren't so lucky and do jobs which are repetitive and boring.But I would argue that,even if your job does provide you with"flow",work should just be an aspect of our lives.Working 40 hours a week makes our lives become constricted,so that we lose sight of whole vista(前景）of possibility.There's so much to learn in life,so many different ways to develop,so many activities to enjoy (including doing nothing),but while we spend so much time working it's difficult to find time and energy for these.
1.Why does the writer mention the daughter of his friend?
A.To introduce the topic.
B.To show his sympathy.
C.To confirm his opinion.
D.To raise the readers' interest.
2.What did the daughter of the writer's friend complain about?
A.The demanding boss,
B.The tiring work routine.
C.The unfriendly workmates.
D.The challenging goals.
3.Which of the following can best replace the underlined word"constricted"?
A.steady
B.complete
C.careful
D.narrow
4.Which of the following about"flow”will the writer agree with?
A.Most of the people have jobs that provide"flow",
B.People may work nervously even with"flow"in jobs.
C.People are encouraged to work actively because of"flow".
D.People are required to work harder once provided with"flow".
My nephew came for a visit one hot,July weekend. I persuaded him to stay inside by joining him in a Nintendo game. After being mercilessly defeated by a more experienced player,I suggested that we relax for a while. He slipped out of the room and I caught a few moments of peace and quiet.
"Look,Alice," he said enthusiastically as he ran over to the chair where I was recovering." I found a kite. Could we go outside and fly it?"
Glancing out of a nearby window,I noticed there was not a breeze(微风). "T' m sorry, Tripper," I said, sad to see his disappointed eyes, but thankful for the short period of rest from more activities. "The wind is not blowing today.The kite won't fly."
The determined 10-year-old replied. "I think it's windy enough.I can get it to fly," he answered,as he hurried out through the back door.I peeked(规视)through the curtains to watch determination in action.Up and down the yard he ran, pulling the kite attached to a small length of string.The plastic kite, proudly displaying a picture of Batman, remained about shoulder level. He ran back and forth, as hard as his ten-year-old legs would carry him, looking back hopefully at the kite trailing behind. After about ten minutes of unsuccessful determination, he came back in.
I asked, "How did it go?" "Fine, "he said," I got it to fly some." As he walked past me to return the kite to the closet shelf, I heard him say under his breath, "I guess I'll have to wait for the wind.”
At that moment I heard another voice speak to my heart. "Alice, sometimes you are just like that. You want to do it your way instead of waiting for the wind." And the voice was right. We usually want to use our own efforts to accomplish what we want to do. We wait for the wind only after we have done all we can and have exhausted our own strength. We must learn how to rely on Him in the first place!
1.Why did the writer refuse to fly the kite with his nephew that day?
A.Because he preferred to relax himself.
B.Because he was not good at flying kites.
C.Because he wanted to stay peaceful and quiet.
D.Because he found the weather was not suitable.
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 5?
A.Tripper was unwilling to admit defeat.
B.Tripper felt unhappy and hopeless.
C.Tripper was hesitant to try it again.
D.Tripper lost interest in flying the kite.
3.Which words can best describe Tripper?
A.Naughty and active.
B.Determined and insistent.
C.Brave and bright.
D.Weak and sensitive.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Fly a Kite in Life
B.Try Your Best
C.Wait for the Wind
D.Determine to Succeed
Theatres of the past
The Greek theatre
Theatres developed in many parts of Greece.Ancient Greek theatres were built in natural open
air sites on conveniently shaped hills.This allowed a great mass of people to enjoy a show at a time. Due to this, actors placed emphasis on exaggerated(夸张的）action and speech.And,colorful symbolic masks and costumes were used.
The Medieval theatre
The Medieval theatre started in churches.That's why medieval plays were about Bible stories. At first,it became a custm for priests(牧师）to act out brief scenes during Christmas and Easter.These acts attracted large crowds.Finally,the church refused to allow priests to participate in any such events again,so ordinary people began these performances outside.Performances were set in the town square,with several stage settings around it.
The Elizabethan theatre
The England's theatre developed rapidly in the years following the defeat of the Spanish Navy. The distinctive feature of Elizabethan theatre was the stage.It has three parts: the fore stage for outside scenes;the inner stage for scenes inside a building;an upper stage or balcony for various purposes. The reason for this design is that there were no scene changes or breaks during the play. Very little scenery was used,so the actors had to create a scene through their voices and dialogues. This led to a more poetic script(剧本), and poets became the main source of script writing.
The Restoration theatre
Some of the plays told sad stories, but the majority of the plays were really funny.Many specialized machines were used to create the scene. The stage was a very clever idea, in that on the sides of the stage large back shutters(百叶窗)painted with the scene.
1.Why did actors in ancient Greek theatres use exaggerated action and speech?
A.To build the theatres in open-air sites on hills.
B.To develop a brand-new way of performance.
C.To make a big audience easy to enjoy the show.
D.To match colorful symbolic masks and costumes.
2.In which theatre was scenery seldom used during the play?
A.The Greek theatre.
B.The Elizabethan theatre.
C.The Medieval theatre.
D.The Restoration theatre,
3.What is special about the Restoration theatre?
A.The stage was smartly designed.
B.The actors wore colorful costumes.
C.The performers were the ordinary people.
D.Most of the plays were about Bible stories.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
The event that stands out in Tom’s memory happened one morning when Tom was only ten years old. He was at home with his elder sister Jane. Tom was doing his homework when he heard raised voices. At first he thought nothing of it since customers in the motorcycle shop directly below their flat often became loud, but he soon realized this time it was different.
“Quick! Quick! Remove the motorcycles from the shop.” someone yelled.
Then a thick burning smell filled the air. When Tom opened the front door of their flat to investigate, a thick cloud of smoke greeted him. The motorcycle shop had caught fire and people were running and crying.
Jane, who had been playing the violin in her room, hurried to the living room. They rushed out of the door and along the corridor（走廊）through the smoke.
They were heading towards the stairway at the far end of the corridor when Jane stopped in her track. She turned around and headed back the way they came. Tom had no idea what she was doing, but he followed suit.
Jane had suddenly remembered the lady in her 70s who lived next door to them, who they called Makcik, Malay for auntie. Jane began banging on Makcik’s door, but got no answer. As the smoke thickened around them, Tom could see many of their neighbors—some still in their pyjamas—running for safety. The thought of fear crossed his mind.
“She would have run for safety like everyone else!” Tom cried. However, Jane refused to give up. “I know Makcik’s still inside.” She said she was familiar with Makcik’s daily routine and was certain she would still be sleeping. She pounded the door. “Go downstairs. Go now! Go!”
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph1:
Tom noticed the flame was reaching up.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Luckily, some neighbors passing by stopped and offered help.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定你是学校学生会的一位干部，以学生会的名义就全球气候变暖问题给全校学生写一封英文倡议信并刊登在你校英文报上，内容包括:
1.全球气候变暖及其负面影响；
2.提出应对建议。
注意:
1.词数80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear students,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Students” Union
阅读下列材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
One Saturday afternoon，my mother was driving home. On the halfway，after pulling out her credit card to buy something at the store near the gas station，she put her wallet on 1. top of her car just for a moment 2.(answer) my phone call. And then obviously，she forgot and drove off. When arriving home，she realized that and thought the chance 3.getting it again was small.
She was so joyfully surprised when she found a note 4.(stick)on her door from a person who said he and his friend found her wallet a few hours earlier. Patrick and Catherine saw the wallet in the middle of the road a few blocks from the gas station. They stopped their car to pick it up. It was filled with all the things one5.(natural)kept in a wallet，some bills and some cash included. However，no phone number，regardless of this，they6.(manage)to get an address from my mother’s driving licence，and without hesitation，they decided to drive to our home to return it.
When my mother went to get her wallet，she was so 7.(relief) and grateful. She intended to give them some money as an 8.(express) of gratitude，but they refused，saying that they were just glad to offer my mother help.
They were honest，and they had firm faith in the Golden Rule as well. They drove to our home because they realized the unpleasant and upset experience9.the loss of a wallet and all its contents could cause. I think they were really10.(consider) and helpful.
