It was a cold day and I had no desire to drive to my daughter Carolyn’s house. But she had insisted I see something on top of the mountain. So here I was, unwillingly making the two-hour journey through fog.
After I parked the car, we walked along a path with thick pine needles and huge evergreens towering over us. Gradually, the peace and silence began to fill my mind. Then we turned a corner and stopped—and I breathed in amazement!
From the top of the mountain, covering several valleys, were rivers of daffodils(水仙花) in bloom. All kinds of colors spread like a carpet before us. It looked as if the sun had spilled gold down the mountainside. At the center hung a waterfall of roses. Here and there were colorful tulips(郁金香). How fantastic the wonder was!
A lot of questions filled my mind. Who created such beauty? Why? How?
Nearing the center of the garden, we saw a sign that read: ''Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking.'' The first answer was: ''One Woman—Two Hands, Two Feet, and Very Little Brain.'' The second was: ''One at a Time.'' The third: ''Started in 1958. ''
As we drove home, I was so moved that I could scarcely speak. ''She changed the world,'' I finally said, ''one bulb at a time. She started almost 40 years ago, probably just the beginning of an idea, but she kept at it.''
1.The author didn't want to make the trip because __________
A.she didn't want to see her daughter.
B.the road condition was not so good.
C.the weather was bad and the trip was long.
D.the forest was so thick as to make one depressed.
2.What was the author amazed at after turning a corner?
A.The silent forest.
B.The grand scenery.
C.The tough journey.
D.The colorful tulips.
3.What can we infer from paragraph 5?
A.The woman created the wonder by herself.
B.The garden was created with others' help.
C.Five people helped make the garden.
D.The garden was soon built.
4.What does the author intend to tell us from the story?
A.Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
B.An eye finds more truth than two ears.
C.Chance often favors the prepared mind.
D.He who walks with wise men should be wise.
Edinburgh is the world’s festival city with twelve festivals throughout the year. Here are some of the events you can enjoy.
The Edinburgh International Festival
This is the original Edinburgh festival which began in 1947. Actors, musicians, dancers and opera singers from all over the world perform to huge audiences. You need tickets for most events which take place in theaters around the city.
The Edinburgh Art Festival
This festival is modern and has been celebrated for around ten years. It is a fantastic opportunity to see some of the city’s best visual art in art galleries and museums. Most events are free and include events such as fashion shows and art exhibitions.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe
This is the largest arts festival in the world with thousands of shows which take place across the city. Anyone can perform in the festival and over 20,000 artists take part, so there is always a huge variety of acts to choose from. Go to the Royal Mile to watch performers such as magicians and comedians for free. However, it can get very busy as thousands of tourists and local people fill the city streets to enjoy the shows.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival
The largest book festival in the world began in 1983 and takes place every year in Charlotte Square Gardens in the centre of Edinburgh. There are over 700 events for children and adults who love books. You can meet many authors, talk to them, ask them to sign a book or listen to them talk about their stories.
1.Which Festival has the longest history?
A.The Edinburgh Art Festival.
B.The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
C.The Edinburgh International Festival.
D.The Edinburgh International Book Festival.
2.What can tourists do in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
A.Ask authors to sign books.
B.Perform with artists together.
C.Go to theaters to watch plays.
D.See the best visual art in galleries.
3.Where does the passage come from?
A.A story book. B.A science fiction.
C.A news report. D.A travel magazine.
假定你是李华，你的美国笔友Tom来信询问你寒假的安排。根据以下要点，请你给他回信：
1.假期的时间：约二十天左右；
2.假期的安排：如旅游、读书、访亲拜友等；
3.邀请他来中国过春节。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头与结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Tom,
How’s it going? I am glad to receive your last letter.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to your early reply!
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。
Neighborhood does help. Six years before, at the hottest day of the year, I saw man working on the grass at the bank next door. I didn’t know him, and I decided to do something kind. I went in the house, take a Cola from my fridge and returned outside. Then I stood at the place that he could see me. I held up the drink and pointed to her. He nodded. When he came to accept the bottle from me, he thanked me immediate. He said that he was thinking about get something to drink.
He has helped me a lot of since then. He gives me advices whenever I need help.
About six years ago, I was sitting on a plane next to a woman. I was _______ and wanted to take a rest, but she tapped (轻拍) me on the shoulder to _______ herself.
“Hi, my name is Helga.”
As we _______, it came up that I had started an organization called Acts of Kindness. As I described what we did, Helga got very _______ and said to me, “There is nothing more important in the world than _______.” She began telling me a _______ about the last time she had _______.
It was three years ago and she was _______ back to her hometown because her father had become very _______. Just as the plane was about to ________, her father’s doctor ________ to tell her that her father had ________ passed away. For the three-hour plane ride, she sat in shocked silence. When she arrived at the airport, She sat down on a sofa and ________. For two hours thousands of people just walked by.
“Not a single person ________ and asked if I was OK that day. On that day I ________ kindness isn’t normal.”
Her story has ________ me for all these years. We spend so much time worrying about our own problems that we ________ and take no notice of other people in need of kindness. So, I’ve made it my ________ to do my part in making kindness “normal”.
Now, I travel to schools to give ________ about our need for kindness. And when I give my talks, I always have my ________ with Helga in the back of my mind.
1.A.excited B.energetic C.tired D.sad
2.A.enjoy B.introduce C.praise D.describe
3.A.rested B.talked C.watched D.read
4.A.serious B.amused C.nervous D.worried
5.A.safety B.trust C.health D.kindness
6.A.joke B.story C.promise D.plan
7.A.cycled B.driven C.flown D.made
8.A.heading B.looking C.running D.riding
9.A.old B.lonely C.poor D.ill
10.A.return B.disappear C.land D.leave
11.A.wrote B.forgot C.called D.expected
12.A.suddenly B.slowly C.secretly D.finally
13.A.shouted B.slept C.cried D.waited
14.A.stopped B.moved C.continued D.escaped
15.A.accepted B.realized C.admitted D.remembered
16.A.cheated B.discouraged C.attracted D.impressed
17.A.walk by B.believe in C.look after D.depend on
18.A.memory B.topic C.duty D.reason
19.A.choices B.speeches C.plans D.decisions
20.A.interview B.trouble C.dream D.conversation
Why I love volunteering?
Over the last few years, I have discovered that one of my favourite things to do in my free time is to volunteer. I have volunteered for different organizations and carried out different roles. These have included simple, everyday activities as well as some more professional roles. 1. Here are my top four reasons why I think volunteering is so meaningful.
● It’s an opportunity to get experience and skills.
By volunteering, you are carrying out a job — even though you’re not being paid — so you can get valuable experience and skills which are likely to be useful in the future. 2.
● You can meet new people.
3. They are likely to be very interesting and inspiring people and might just turn out to be great friends too.
● It’s a way to get confidence.
Many people who do voluntary work say that it has helped them to feel more confident in all sorts of ways. 4. My volunteering experience has helped me to get confidence in talking to strangers and even in front of a crowd!
● 5.
Doing an activity that you wouldn’t normally do, with like-minded people, should mean that you have a really fun time. You will also feel good knowing that you are doing something for a good cause.
A.You can have lots of fun!
B.I have always been quite a shy person.
C.If you like, you can start with something small.
D.Look for volunteering opportunities in your local town or city.
E.However, no matter what kind of volunteering, I have always loved it.
F.One of the best things about volunteering is meeting the other volunteers!
G.For example, volunteering roles will help you get working or social experience.
