Around the world more and more people are taking part in dangerous sports and activities. Of course, there have always been people who have looked for adventures—those who have climbed the highest mountains, travelled into unknown parts of the world or sailed in small boats across the greatest oceans(海洋). Now, however, there are more people who look for an excitement from a risky activity which may only last a few minutes or even seconds.
I would think bungee jumping to be a good example of such an activity. You jump from a high place (perhaps a bridge or a hot-air balloon) 200 metres above the ground with an elastic (有弹性的) rope tied to your ankles(脚踝). You fall at up to 150 kilometres an hour until the rope stops you from hitting the ground. It is said that about 2 million people around the world have now tried bungee jumping. Other risky activities include jumping from tall buildings and diving(跳水) into the water from the top of high places.
Why do people take part in such activities as these? Some psychologists suggest that it is because life in modern world has become safe and boring. Not very long ago, people’s lives were often in danger. They had to go out and hunt for food, diseases could not easily be cured, and life was harder than that of the present days.
Nowadays, to many people, life offers little excitement. They live and work in safe conditions; they buy food in shops; and there are doctors and hospitals to look after them if they become ill. The answer for some of these people is to look for danger in activities such as bungee jumping.
1.More and more people today __________.
A. are trying activities such as bungee jumping
B. are climbing the highest mountains
C. are coming close to death in sports
D. are looking for adventures such as travelling into exciting parts of the world
2. In bungee jumping, you __________.
A. jump as high as you can
B. slide down(下滑) a rope to the ground
C. tie yourself to a rope and fall to the ground
D. fall towards the ground without a rope
3. People probably take part in dangerous sports nowadays because __________.
A. they have a lot of free time
B. they can go to hospital if they are injured
C. there isn’t so much excitement in life
D. they no longer need to hunt for food
4.What is the best title of this passage?
A. Modern Life is Boring
B. Dangerous Sports: What and Why
C. Bungee Jumping: Is It Really Dangerous?
D. Need for Excitement
If parents’ aim(目标) is only to make a child be a genius(天才), they will cause a disaster. Several leading educational psychologists(心理学家) say this is one of the biggest mistakes that can cause great problems to children.
However, if parents are a little gentler, the child may act successfully—especially if the parents can support him. Michael Li is very lucky. He is very fond of music, and his parents help him a lot by taking him to concerts and inviting a teacher to give him personal piano lessons. They even drive him 59 kilometers twice a week for violin lessons. Although Michael’s mother knows very little about music, Michael’s father plays the piano very well. However, he never makes Michael enter music competitions if he is unwilling.
Michael’s friend, Winston Chen, however, is not so lucky. Although both his parents are successful musicians(音乐家), they set too high a standard for Winston. They want their son to be as successful as they are, so they enter him in every piano competition held. They are very unhappy when he does not win. “When I was your age, I used to win every competition I entered,” Winston’s father tells him. Winston is always afraid that he will disappoint(使…失望) his parents and now he always seems quiet and unhappy.
1. One of the worst mistakes any parent can make is to __________.
A. pay much attention to their child’s education
B. push the child into trying to achieve too much
C. make their child become a musician
D. help their child to succeed in the future
2. Michael Li is lucky because __________.
A. his father knows music and teaches him much
B. his parents are rich enough to support him
C. his mother doesn’t know much about music
D. his parents help him in a wise way
3.The two examples show that __________.
A. it is important to let children develop in their own way
B. it is successful to let children develop without others’ help
C. successful parents often have unsuccessful children
D. the more you help your children, the less they can achieve
Unlike Chinese people, the ones in the West believe in star signs. Western world has a complete system(系统) of star signs, and they explain them and use them to tell a person’s characteristics and the things they like or dislike. There are a cycle of 12 of them in all. All of them are decided by the date instead of the year of your birth and each of them has its own characteristics.
Sagittarius (射手座) is one of them. Now, let’s take it as an example:
Sagittarius (November 23—December 21)
Sagittarius in short
Sagittarius are fun, loving, generous and very friendly. They seldom tell lies; in fact they’re so open about everything, They have surprising intuitions(直觉) that they should pay attention to. They are pretty clever because they are so interested in everything. They can be a bit rude, that’s only because they’re very honest and will say exactly what they think. They love travelling, fast cars and horse riding. They also love spending money.
More about Sagittarius
Sagittarius are great friends because they are interested in everything and everyone. They are attracted by even the strangest people. With their humour, they are often in a good mood. They can be hurtful to others because they cannot stop speaking what they see as the truth, but they don’t mean to. Money is not their God. Their values are spiritual(精神的) rather than material.
They are hard-working. They are very open-minded about new ideas and love to try ideas out. Usually it does end up working because they have an excellent intuition and can usually tell straight away if an idea is a good one or a bad one. One of their weaknesses is not asking enough money for all the hard work they do, because they love doing it.
1.Whose star sign is Sagittarius?
A. Miss Yao who was born on Mar 18, 1978.
B. Peter, a boy who was born on Nov 22, 1998.
C. Mr Zhou who was born on Dec 23, 1976.
D. Lucy, a girl who was born on Nov 30, 1991.
2.Which is WRONG about Sagittariaus?
A. Sagittarians often tell lies.
B. Sagittarians can be rude.
C. Sagittarians show great interest in strange things and people.
D. Sagittarians can end up working by using their good intuition.
3.What can we know from the underlined sentence “Money is not their God”?
A. Sagittarians care too much about money.
B. Sagittarians believe that money is from the God.
C. Sagittarians hate God.
D. Sagittarians pay no attention to money.
Here is a sign in front of the ticket office of the Snoopy World.
Snoopy World Adults:$200 Children:$100 (0ver 10 persons — 20% off) Parking: Car $50 Motorcycle: $20 Opening Hours: 9:00 a.m.— 6:00 p.m. (Closed on Tuesday) | Rules: 1. Watch your children during your visit. 2. Don’t touch anything in the Snoopy World. 3. No photos! 4. Don’t throw your rubbish anywhere. |
1. How long are the business hours for the Snoopy World?
A. Six hours. B. Seven hours.
C. Nine hours. D. Ten hours.
2.Mr Wang is a teacher in a primary school. He will take 10 of his students to the Snoopy World.
How much should he pay?
A. $ 1,200. B. $ 960.
C. $ 800. D. $ 240.
3.What can you do in the Snoopy World?
A. Park cars in the Snoopy World.
B. Touch the sculptures in the Snoopy World.
C. Take some pictures during the visit.
D. Take a child under six into the park for free.
完形填空 (本大题共10分，每小题1分)
Driving a car at a high speed along a highway seems to be fun. You only need to the bright traffic signs beside the highway and it will take you where you wish to go.
But to a London taxi driver, driving is not an easy job. A taxi driver needs to have not only good driving skills but also a good of the city of London, from the street to the most popular restaurant around. He has to be at the service(服务) of all kinds of passengers(乘客) at all times.
A London taxi driver said the following about his job.
During the night it is for him to stop two or three times for some food. He said, “I never
when I’m working, otherwise, I’d lose my license (驾驶执照).”
He usually goes home between two and three o’clock in the morning. There are times he has to stay
and try to make more runs. He said, “That’s the worst thing about working for yourself. If you don’t make money, no one is going to it to you. ”
London taxi drivers not only “take” but also “give”. Every summer hundreds of poor from London go for a day at the sea ― by taxi! Their rides are by the taxi drivers. At the sea, they are met by the mayor (市长) , and a lunch party is also held for the taxi drivers and the children. After a happy day’s running around the and visiting the market there, the children go home again by taxi, free of charge of course!
1.A. catch B. meet C. follow D. throw
2.A. taste B. knowledge C. dream D. teacher
3.A. noisiest B. coldest C. dirtiest D. loneliest
4.A. usual B. strange C. dangerous D. impossible
5.A. speak B. sing C. run D. drink
6.A. shorter B. longer C. earlier D. higher
7.A. give B. lend C. send D. return
8.A. elderly B. farmers C. patients D. children
9.A. paid B. borrowed C. sent D. spent
10.A. buildings B. mountains C. beaches D. roads
— It’s really kind of you to care for my pet dog while I was away for the whole year.
— _______. The dog is loyal. We’ve been close friends.
A. With pleasure B. Never mind
C. Don’t mention it D. It doesn’t matter
