In the United States, it is not customary（习惯的）to telephone someone very early in the morning. If you telephone him early in the morning, __________ he is shaving or having breakfast, the __________ of the call shows that the matter is very important and __________ immediate attention. The same meaning _________with telephone calls made after 11:00 pm. If someone __________ a call during sleeping hours, he considers it a matter of life and __________.The time chosen for the call communicates its importance.

In __________ life, time plays a very important part. In the U.S., ____________ may feel they are not well _________ if the invitation to a dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date. But it is ______ in all countries. In other areas of the world, it may be considered ____________ to make an appointment too far ahead of ___________ because plans made for a date more than a week away may be_________. The meaning of time differs in different parts of the world. Thus, misunderstandings _________between people from cultures that treat time differently. Promptness（准时）is __________ highly in American life, for example. If not prompt, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully __________. In the U.S. no one would think of keeping a business ____waiting for an hour, it would be too impolite. A person who is five minutes late is __________ to make a short _________. If he is less than five minutes late, he will say a few words of __________, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence.

1.A.and B.but C.while D.until

2.A.reason B.time C.person D.place

3.A.requires B.explains C.pays D.invites

4.A.comes B.goes C.deals D.happens

5.A.sends B.phones C.receives D.replies

6.A.help B.trouble C.death D.attitude

7.A.social B.special C.official D.local

8.A.hosts B.waiters C.guests D.postmen

9.A.thought B.respected C.praised D.served

10.A.true B.same C.common D.different

11.A.foolish B.brave C.polite D.impossible

12.A.future B.schedule C.delivery D.preparation

13.A.recovered B.ignored C.recognized D.forgotten

14.A.cause B.spread C.appear D.transport

15.A.told B.looked C.believed D.valued

16.A.capable B.valuable C.comfortable D.responsible

17.A.merchant B.partner C.owner D.competitor

18.A.expected B.ordered C.suggested D.requested

19.A.apology B.speech C.fine D.performance

20.A.regret B.enjoyment C.introduction D.explanation

How to Plan a Holiday Trip

Each year, millions of people load up the family car and set out on a holiday trip. Whether it's to grandma's house, a family reunion or simply a holiday getaway, these yearly road trips can often be the source of tiredness and stress. The thought of being trapped in the car with restless children or the possibility of car trouble along the way is enough to make anyone consider staying home.1.

Plan out the route for your car trip. If you're planning on driving to your holiday destination, a little planning can help make your trip easy.2. Remember, it's likely that you won't be the only person on the road during the holidays, and traffic is always a factor. Alternate（可供选择的）routes or shortcuts can help reduce time spent in traffic jams and get you to your destination sooner.

3. Although traveling by air can be quick and convenient, it can also be much more expensive. Start planning your trip early to take advantage of advance purchase discounts. Many airlines become extremely busy during the holidays so booking in advance can also help ensure that you get the flights that you want.

Consider your luggage needs. Before you begin packing, think about how many people will be in your car and how much room they will need to travel comfortably. This could affect the number of bags that you can take along.4. Not only is the possibility of lost luggage a problem, but most airlines now charge extra for checked baggage. For a family of four, carrying a few bags each could result in several hundred dollars worth of baggage fees during your trip.5.

A.As an alternative to driving or flying, check into the possibility of traveling by train.

B. Plan your trip to avoid peak travel times.

C. Luckily, with a little planning, these situations can be avoided.

D. Book airline tickets in advance.

E. Try to pack as lightly as possible.

F. For traveling by air, the number of bags that you take is a much bigger concern.

G. Consider your starting point and desired destination, and investigate several possible routes.

    The third-generation hybrid rice（杂交水稻）which was developed by Yuan Longping, the "father of hybrid rice", and his team ran its first public yield（产量）monitoring from Monday to Tuesday and achieved high output. The final yield of the tested variety, G3-1S/P19, came to1046.3 kg per mu（about 667 square meters）, based on two pieces of land in Qingzhu Village under the city of Hengyang in central China's Hunan Province.

"Some previous high-yielding hybrid rice varieties in China took 160 to even 180 days from sowing（播种）to harvesting, while the figure was shortened to around 125 days for the new variety. This is one of the most important features（特征）of the third-generation hybrid rice that can reduce the use of pesticides（杀虫剂）and fertilizers（化肥）, thus reducing cost and improving production efficiency." said Qian Qian, the deputy director of the China National Rice Research Institute.

Unlike the previous two generations that required a large amount of water and fertilizers as well as demanding growing conditions and technological support, the third-generation hybrid rice is easier to be cultivated（种植）by ordinary farmers. So the soil, altitude and climate of the test site were not "ideal conditions" carefully selected beforehand but were close to the paddies（稻田）of ordinary farmers.

Nowadays. China's average yield of rice is about 500 kg per mu. Ordinary farmers can produce 600 kg to 700 kg of rice per mu by growing some excellent second-generation hybrid rice varieties. However, under the same planting conditions and environment, the yield of the third-generation hybrid rice could reach 800 kg per mu. China now feeds around 20 percent of the world's population with less than 9 percent of the world's arable（可耕种的）land.

At present, Yuan's team has nine third-generation hybrid rice combinations under trial, which are expected to achieve commercial seed production in the following three to four years and hope to apply the technology into the research of sea rice. The third-generation hybrid rice has the comprehensive strength to promote a greener and more sustainable development of China's rice production with higher quality and yield.

1.What feature of the new hybrid rice does Qian Qian mainly talk about?

A.It saves a lot more water. B.It achieves a higher yield.

C.It saves much more farmland. D.It has a shorter growing period.

2.Why is the new hybrid rice not tested in ideal areas?

A.The ordinary farmers master planting technology.

B.The researchers want to reduce the experiment cost.

C.The growing conditions the new hybrid rice needs are simple.

D.The previous rice farming provides researchers with experience.

3.What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?

A.The high output of the third-generation hybrid rice.

B.The future of the new hybrid rice variety.

C.The advanced technology of the research on hybrid rice.

D.The differences between the three hybrid rice varieties.

4.Where is this text most likely from?

A.A guide book. B.A news report.

C.An advertisement. D.A fashion magazine.

    Any foreigner who has tried to learn Chinese can tell how hard it is to master the tones required to speak and understand. And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges.

Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese. Writing in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience，researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills draw on the same parts of the brain that help people discover changes in pitch(音调).

One of the study's authors，Nina Kraus，said the findings suggested that studying music “actually tunes our sensory system”.This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs，Dr. Kraus said. She said music training might also help children with language problems.

Mandarin(普通话)speakers have been shown to have a more complex encoding(编码) of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do. This is because in Mandarin and other Asian languages，pitch plays a central role. A single­syllable word can have several meanings depending on how it is intoned.

For this study，the researchers looked at 20 non­Chinese speaking volunteers，half with no musical background and half who have studied an instrument for at least six years.

As they were shown a movie，the volunteers also heard an audio tape of the Mandarin word “mi” in three of its meanings:squint，bewilder and rice. The researchers recorded activities in their brain stems to see how well they were processing the sounds. Those with a music background showed much more brain activities in response to the Chinese sounds.

The lead author of the study，Patrick C.M.Wong，said it might work both ways. It appears that native speakers of tonal languages may do better at learning instruments.

1.When learning Chinese，a foreigner will find ________.

A.he has a difficult time learning music at the same time

B.he has an easier time learning music at the same time

C.it is hard to master the tones required to speak and understand

D.it is easy to use the brain to help him discover changes in pitch

2.Why does Chinese learning have something to do with music training?

A.Because there is the same difficulty in learning Chinese and music.

B.Because skills to learn the two make use of the same parts of the brain.

C.Because music training might help people with language study.

D.Because people who do well in Chinese study do well in music.

3.The underlined word “intoned” in the fourth paragraph can be replaced by the word “____”.

A.created B.spelled C.seemed D.pronounced

4.What would be the best title for this passage?

A.Mandarin Speakers Are Smarter than English Speakers

B.Skilled Ear for Music May Help Language Study

C.Pitch Plays a Central Role in Chinese Learning

D.Schools Need to Develop Music Programs

    I cried the first time I saw the Notre Dame（巴黎圣母院）years ago. I'd waited my entire life to see this great French architecture, and experienced it in its full glory on a bright sunny day. Last night, I again cried for the centuries-old church while watching it burn.

I hadn't expected to spend my evening that way. My friend and I were having dinner at a cafe a block or so away from the Notre Dame, choosing to skip going inside with the intention to go back the next day.

However, we heard that it caught fire, so we left the cafe and ran towards the church, following heavy smoke from it, and soon we joined a nearly silent crowd. Some were praying, some were crying, but most were staring in disbelief at the disaster happening before us. The fire continued to get worse. About 400 firefighters were working to control the fire. We could see their flashlights shining as they inspected the front from a balcony.

The Notre Dame is part of the heartbeat of Paris, I reflected on the experiences I've had there, from attending a bread market out front to admiring the beautiful windows and architecture inside. It is a spot that helps make Paris magical. And here we were, watching it burn down. It was too much to handle, but it was impossible to look away.

About 9：30 pm, the gathered crowd spontaneously（自发地）began to sing Hymns（圣歌）to the church. We sang along with the group, feeling at once less like tourists and more like members of them. I hadn't imagined all that before.

For hundreds of years, the Notre Dame has seen the most joyous and the most terrible moments in the lives of both France and her people. And when everyone was able to become one emotional force, it showed that even in her darkest hour, the Notre Dame was still there to bring us all together.

1.Why did the author cry for the Notre Dame for the first time?

A.She was touched by its greatness. B.She was sorrowful to watch it burn.

C.She was regretful for missing its glory. D.She was excited about French cultures.

2.What was the author doing when the Notre Dame caught fire?

A.Heading for a faraway cafe. B.Visiting a church with a friend.

C.Eating nearby with a friend. D.Wandering along the street alone.

3.What can we know about the fire scene?

A.People expressed their sadness in different ways.

B.People were nervously rushing in different directions.

C.Hundreds of volunteers joined in putting out the fire.

D.Firefighters kept people away with shining flashlights.

4.What impressed the author most?

A.The church allowed visitors to gain great experiences.

B.Many foreign tourists became members of the church.

C.The church survived disasters for hundreds of years.

D.People were brought together to sing to the church.

Guide to Stockholm University Library

Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment.

Zones

The library is divided into different zones. The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading, and places where you can sit and work with your own computer. The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs. The ground floor is the zone where you can talk. Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work.

Computers

You can use your own computer to connect to the wi-fi specially prepared for notebook computers; you can also use library computers, which contain the most commonly used applications, such as Microsoft Office. They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor.

Group-study places

If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others, you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor. Some study rooms are for 2～3 people and others can hold up to 6～8 people. All rooms are marked on the library maps.

There are 40 group-study rooms that must be booked via the website. To book, you need an active University account and a valid University card. You can use a room three hours per day, nine hours at most per week.

Storage of Study Material

The library has lockers for students to store course literature. When you have obtained at least 40 credits, you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental period.

Rules to be Followed

Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library. Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls.

Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library, but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you.

1.What is the library’s upper floor mainly for students to do?

A. Read in a quiet place. B. Have group discussions.

C. Take comfortable seats. D. Get their computers fixed.

2.What condition should be met to book a group-study room?

A. A group must consist of 8 people. B. Three-hour use per day is the minimum.

C. One should first register at the university. D. Applicants must mark the room on the map.

3.A student can rent a locker in the library if he ________.

A. can afford the rental fee B. attends certain courses

C. has nowhere to put his books D. has earned the required credits

假定你是李华，你的英国笔友Betty最近在学习汉语，她给你发来一封邮件，询问如何提高汉语口语水平。请给她回一封邮件，内容包括：

1. 提出建议（至少两点）；

2. 表达祝愿。

注意：1. 词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Last Friday I took the subway home as usually. Since our physics teacher had just teach us in class that the escalator（自动扶梯） worked, I decided to see how fast the escalator went. To my surprise, it went a speed of about 40 m/min. The next day, I went to a department store with her cousin Emily. I times the escalator here too. I found that it was much slower, going about 30 meter every minute. Why? I check on the Internet and found the reason. Stores slow down escalators on a purpose, allowing customers more time to looking at their products.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

A college student who shows great courage in fighting severe kidney (肾脏) disease while following his dreams in scientific1.(invent) has inspired many people.

Zou Yongsong, 27, is a student at Changsha University of Science &Technology in Changsha, Hunan Province. At 2.age of four, Zou caught a high fever, and poor medical treatment in the village left his kidneys3.(serious) damaged. Since then he has suffered kidney problems and has had to take medicine daily4. (fight) the disease.

Though he suffered the pain5.(bring)  by the disease, he didn't give up attending school. After years of hard work, Zou6.(admit) to Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology. In 2017 his condition became7.(bad) and he had to receive dialysis (透析) treatment. However, the physical suffering did not stop him8.(dream) of a career in science. Even during his stay in hospital, he insisted9.working on patent (专利权) applications. Over the last two years, six of his patents and copyrights have been approved.

10.he shows courage and optimism when facing difficulty and misfortune, Zou was awarded the Touching Hunan award in November.

    Nineteen-year-old Beau Jessup is studying Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics. She started her own business ______ she was just 15. She is paying her way through college by helping Chinese ______ find names for their children through her ______ Special Name.

In a TED Talk in 2016, Jessup ______ that during a trip to China about two years ago, one of her father’s colleagues asked her to ______ an English name for her daughter. Based on the ______ from her father of the young girl’s personality, Jessup picked a name that ______ the colleague. This experience ______ her to build the Chinese-language website specialname. cn to ______ Chinese parents pick English names for their kids.

Jessup ______ a database of 4,000 names for the website with five characteristics. Each name ______ what that name means. After parents enter the gender（性别） and characteristics of the child, the website will recommend three ______ and provide examples of famous people ______ to each name.

“The parents involve their family and friends in the final ______, making their chosen name both appropriate and special,” Jessup explained.

Jessup at first provided the service for free, but after naming 162,000 babies, she ______ customers for a fee.

“Most of my customers are parents who ______ that their children will study abroad... The English names used by our Chinese friends are ______ names which is used primarily to help them fit in ______ stand out when they study abroad.”

“The first time a parent sent me a photograph of their baby, a beautiful little girl ‘Ellen’, the mother ______ me for giving her an English name and she said that she hoped this name would help her ______ friends in the future.”

1.A.until B.when C.so D.that

2.A.parents B.friends C.relatives D.colleagues

3.A.website B.phone C.college D.magazine

4.A.learned B.whispered C.explained D.added

5.A.announce B.present C.call D.pick

6.A.imagination B.description C.direction D.income

7.A.annoyed B.defeated C.delighted D.worried

8.A.inspired B.discouraged C.commanded D.advised

9.A.hear B.see C.help D.feel

10.A.sold B.collected C.proved D.built

11.A.likes B.requires C.hopes D.represents

12.A.companies B.names C.destinations D.patterns

13.A.related B.invited C.returned D.compared

14.A.hobby B.point C.decision D.practise

15.A.paid B.charged C.cost D.provided

16.A.hope B.find C.confirm D.complain

17.A.family B.professional C.additional D.exact

18.A.other than B.rather than C.but also D.even if

19.A.thanked B.influenced C.greeted D.changed

20.A.answer B.show C.take D.make

    The world is full of great books, just waiting to be read. How can you pick one you'll really like? Here are some tips：

Depend on your hobby. If you have a favorite hobby, look for books about that activity. 1. You're more likely to enjoy reading a book if you're already interested in its subject.

Choose fiction or nonfiction. 2. Those are called fiction books. These books can transport you to another world or help you imagine something beyond your own experience. Nonfiction books tell stories using facts, but that doesn't mean they're boring. Nonfiction books can bring to life everything from the first trip to the moon to what it's like to explore the deepest oceans.

3. Your local library is a great place to find books that you love. Tell a librarian about your interests, and the librarian can help you find other books that you're sure to love. Your teacher is another good person to ask.

Find a family favorite. What was your mother’s favorite book when she was your age? What's about your father's? Ask them and give it a read. Then you can talk about what they like about it and share your thoughts. 4.

Launch a book exchange. 5. It's always fun to see what your friends arc reading. Even if they're not exactly bookworms, you can all encourage each other to read and share books and authors you like. You also can look for book exchanges in your area. It's a great way to build your personal library for free!

A. Ask someone for help.

B. Learn to be a professional.

C. You should read as many books as possible.

D. Some books are entirely made up and imagined.

E. You can find books about almost anything you like.

F. It’s a fun way to get to know your family a little better.

G. Why not get some friends together and exchange favorite books?

    Smart thermostats (温控器)have become the face of smart home technology for most, but depending on what your home is like, it's possible to say the Ecobee3 is superior.

Most of the smart thermostats carry the same benefits, including the Ecobee3. They can learn your preferences and schedules, and then adjust the temperature accordingly. They're better-looking and more enjoyable to use than the basic pieces of plastic that occupy most households. And once you're able to heat up or cool down your house from your phone, without having to get out of bed, you won't want to go back to the past.

If you live in a larger house, the Ecobee3 can be much more convenient—offering you a couple of more remote sensors (传感器). Yes it gets pretty expensive at that point. But having those gives you effective control over the temperature in different rooms around your house. In comparison, other thermostats' measurements are largely limited to the area in which they're installed (安装).

If you live in a smaller place, that's no big deal；the Ecobee3 still has distinct advantages. It is touch-enabled, making it less annoying when you want to enter a Wi-Fi passwords see weather information, and so on.

Still, all the smart thermostats are pretty great. Which one is best just depends on whether you need a whole-home solution or a simpler one. For now, if it's the former, go with the Ecobee3. Their presence will probably make you more conscious about saving energy. Ecobee3 Smarter Wi-Fi Thermostat with Remote Sensor is available at all shopping websites.

1.How can you control Ecobee3?

A.By installing Wi-Fi. B.By replacing its sensors.

C.By using the relative phone. D.By closing power supply.

2.What advantage does Ecobee3 have compared with other thermostats?

A.Its size is different B.Its price is lower.

C.Its password is simpler. D.Its coverage area is larger.

3.What change will Ecobee3 bring to us?

A.It makes us enjoy travelling and work better.

B.It leads us to hope to open a shop online.

C.It leads us to build our own smart houses.

D.It helps us pay attention to environmental protection.

4.What's the author's purpose in writing the text?

A.To show the future of Ecobee3.

B.To attract people to buy Ecobee3.

C.To introduce how to use Ecobee3.

D.To explain why Ecobee3 was invented.

    It’s a good thing that sloths (树懒) don’t have to go to school. They’d never make it on time. These sleepy tree-inhabitants sleep up to 20 hours a day! And even when they are awake, they barely move at all. In fact, they re very slow, and algae (海藻) actually grows on their fur.

Sloths live in the tropical forests of Central and South America, With their long arms and hairy fur. they look like monkeys, but they are actually related to anteaters (食蚁兽). They can be 2 to 2.5 feet long and weigh from 8 to 17 pounds, depending on species.

There are two main species of sloth, identified by whether they have two or three claws. (爪子) on their front feet. The two species are quite similar in appearance, with roundish heads, sad-looking eyes, tiny ears, and short tails. Two toed sloths are slightly bigger and tend to spend more time hanging upside down than their three toed cousins, who will often sit upright in the fork of a tree branch. Three toed sloths have facial coloring that makes them look like they’ re always smiling. They also have two extra neck vertebrae that allow them to turn their heads almost all the way around!

Some scientists think sloths developed their slow-motion lifestyle so they would be less noticeable to hunters such as hawks and cats, which rely heavily on their eyesight when hunting. The algae that grows on sloths’ fur also helps them avoid hunters by letting them mix in with green leaves. They rarely come down from the trees. About once every week, they go down to go to the bathroom, slowly moving about by digging their front claws into the dirt and dragging their bodies. If they are caught by a hunter, sloths will become aggressive, biting fiercely, striking with their claws, and screaming.

1.Who belongs to the same race as the sloth?

A.The monkey.

B.The anteater.

C.The hawk.

D.The cat.

2.Sloths are classified mainly by________.

A.their arms

B.their heads

C.their claws on their front feet

D.their fur on their bodies

3.According to the text, sloths go down from trees once every week in order to________.

A.clean their bodies.

B.hunt food

C.avoid being hunted

D.search for habitats

4.What can we learn from the text?

A.Sloths always like smiling.

B.Cats dislike hunting sloths.

C.Sloths can sleep for a long time.

D.Sloths keep clam when facing danger.

    Since the very year I was born, South Jersey has been a part of me. Since both of my grandparents have lived in the area for many decades, my family has visited South Jersey yearly since 2014. Its warm and lively feel is very appealing to many families that are looking for an easy and fun getaway.

Every summer we pile into the car and drive four hours away to the Seaview Hotel and Club, a wonderful place which is located in Galloway, 20 minutes from the beach and boardwalk (木板人行道). The Seaview is enticing and quite inexpensive as well, which is perfect for any family. The rooms are neat, and the breakfasts are a real attraction, even to adults. I have always loved going down to their lovely outdoor swimming pool in the mornings and then ordering a lunch from The Coastal Grille, the hotel’s main restaurant. The Seaview is really great，and somewhere else is even more exciting.

At the end of every day in South Jersey, my family always makes it an important goal to drive to the local beach and boardwalk, Ocean City. Ocean City is wonderful with great swimming, lots of pizza places, ice cream stands, and excellent rides and games.

After dinner, we always check out “Gillian’s Pier,” the impressive and exciting, yet small amusement area located on the boardwalk. It is lots of fun to ride on bumper car (碰碰车) and rollercoaster and to taste soft serve ice creams and cotton candy. Next door, there is even a video arcade (游戏厅), so overall South Jersey is your classic family summer vacation. I would definitely recommend visiting, even just for a weekend, someday.

1.Why has the author visited South Jersey every year since 2014?

A.Because it is by the sea.

B.Because he was born there.

C.Because it has beautiful scenery.

D.Because it is his grandparents’ hometown.

2.What does the underlined word “enticing” in paragraph 2 mean?

A.Crowded.

B.Attractive.

C.Remote.

D.Developed.

3.What is the author’s aim to describe his yearly tour to South Jersey?

A.To show the attraction of South Jersey.

B.To show his living conditions.

C.To show it’s convenient to go to South Jersey.

D.To show his preference for tourism.

4.What may be the best title for the text?

A.Fun in South Jersey

B.My traveling life

C.A famous tourism spot

D.My hometown, South Jersey

    Short Story Competition

●The competition begins at June 30 and ends at December 15.

●It is open to all local citizens of Ontario who are at 16 or over, except the employees and judges. and anyone living with any employee of the sponsors or judges.

●The author's name. address, phone number and a 25-50-word self-introduction must be included with each entry on a separate sheet of paper. The name of the author should not appear in the story itself.

●Stories must be original and unpublished up to the time the winners are declared on December 25.

●Stories must be written on a computer, be double-spaced and no more than 2,500 words. Total word count should be printed on the front page of the story,

●No changes to a story are allowed once the Star receives your entry. Typescripts （文稿）will not be returned.

●A $ 5 entry fee must accompany each entry. Cheques or money orders should be made out to the Star Short Story Competition. Please do not send coins,

●Winners will be informed by telephone between 9 am and 5 pm on December 25.

●Professors from the Writing Centre at Ryerson University will complete the first round of judging. Another group of professional writers will select the final three.

More Information：

Send your story to：the Star Short Story Competition, the Star Street, Ontario M5E1E6. Full contest rules are available at www. the star, com/contests

Tel： 416-367-2000

1.Who can join in the competition?

A.A daughter of the judge.

B.A salesman living in The Star Street.

C.A visitor coming from another city.

D.A student in the local primary school.

2.Which of the following stories may be accepted by the competition?

A.A true story written on a piece of paper.

B.A famous story copied from the Internet.

C.A newly created story printed by its author.

D.An original story with its author's name in it.

3.What can you do if you want to join in the competition?

A.Change the story at any time.

B.Take the typescripts back.

C.Pay the fee by credit card.

D.Surf the website for information.

假定你是李华，你的叔叔想找一个喜欢晨跑且英语好的人陪他练习英语口语，请你就此事给在你校就读的英国交换生Jack写一封邮件，内容包括：

1. 写信目的；

2. 时间安排和报酬；

3. 期待回复。

注意：1. 词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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。

On the five floor of my building lives an active elderly lady. She treats others kind and often makes quilts for them. She once makes one for me because my back problems. When she is free, she collects plastic bottle as well as waste paper and metal along the nearby streets, where she sells for money. When she walks, she looks as if she is in a great pain. It hurts me to watch her walk, but I always try to help her. I often send her some food cook by myself in the morning. It is a little thing I do to helping out.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式，并将答案填写在答题卡。

Developing table manners 1. (be) one of the earliest steps parents can take in teaching and showing good behavior to their children. Compared with families that seldom eat together, families that eat together most days of the week tend to be 2. (healthy).

Experts hold the belief 3. teaching table manners can start when the child is eating independently out of the high chair or old enough to sit at the table. Table manners 4. (teach) in the early stages include teaching kids to avoid reaching across the table, eat from their own plate, and say please and thank you.

Family meals provide good chances 5. (show) and teach good manners. Kids can be taught to politely say it when they don’t like something. Also, young kids often can’t sit the whole meal, but can learn to properly dismiss 6. (they), rather than interrupt the meal. Besides, never correct manners in 7. inappropriate way and explain to kids why you practice manners, such as why we chew 8. our mouth closed. In 9. (add), everyone at the table should be allowed to be part of a positive conversation. Keep it lighthearted and 10. (interest) and talk about positive things at the table.

    Since the age of three, Chelsie Hill had dreamed of becoming a dancer. That ________ nearly ended one night in 2010.Hill, then a 17-year-old high school student in California ________ a car accident that put her in the hospital for 51 days and left her paralyzed (瘫痪的) from the waist down. For most people, that would have ________ any hope of a dancing career. For Hill, it was the beginning. Far from being a(n) ________ , her wheelchair encouraged her. “I wanted to ________ to my community-and to myself-that I was still ‘normal’,” she said. “Whatever normal meant.”

Normal for her meant dancing. ________, Hill did it in her wheelchair right alongside her non-disabled high school dance team. “Half of my body was ________ me, and I have to move it with my hands,” Hill said. “It ________ took a lot of learning and patience.” After graduation, Hill wanted to expand her dance network to ________ women like her. She met people online who had suffered various spinal cord (脊髓) injuries but shared her ________, and she invited them to dance with her. ________ to reach more people in a larger city, Hill moved to Los Angeles in 2014 and ________ a team of dancers with disabilities she calls the Rollettes.

Hill has ________ what many of us never will: her childhood dream. And for many of her ________, it was the first time they’d felt a sense of ________. They say that being part of the Rollettes team has made them more ________.

The dancers aren’t the only ones feeling ________. One woman saw a YouTube video of the team competing and commented, “You are so ________! To be in a wheelchair and still be so beautiful ________ that I can be beautiful too! I’m really very ________ to you!”

1.A.choice B.interest C.ambition D.experience

2.A.avoided B.reported C.suffered D.witnessed

3.A.stolen B.started C.changed D.broken

4.A.barrier B.excuse C.failure D.embarrassment

5.A.stick B.mention C.relate D.prove

6.A.However B.Therefore C.Instead D.Meanwhile

7.A.held on to B.taken away from C.given back to D.knocked out of

8.A.certainly B.strangely C.deliberately D.approximately

9.A.satisfy B.include C.comfort D.acknowledge

10.A.determination B.wisdom C.freedom D.value

11.A.Agreeing B.Offering C.Hoping D.Managing

12.A.knew B.joined C.formed D.expected

13.A.sought B.attained C.recognized D.discovered

14.A.fans B.doctors C.teachers D.teammates

15.A.emergency B.duty C.honor D.belonging

16.A.confident B.generous C.famous D.considerate

17.A.inspired B.shocked C.influential D.rewarded

18.A.stubborn B.successful C.grateful D.awesome

19.A.guarantees B.convinces C.relieved D.challenges

20.A.close B.faithful C.grateful D.similar

    The eating habits your children pick up when they’re young will help them keep a healthy lifestyle when they’re adults. Here are some approaches parents can take to develop healthy eating habits in their children.

Guide your family’s choices rather than dictate foods. Make a wide variety of healthful foods available in the house. 1. Leave the unhealthy choices like chips, soda, and juice at the grocery store.

2. A child can feel hunger and fullness better when they eat at a slow pace. Before offering a second serving, ask your child to wait at least 15 minutes to see if they’re truly still hungry. This will give the brain time to register fullness. Also, that second serving should he much smaller than the first.

Eat meals together as a family as often as possible. Try to make mealtimes pleasant with conversation and sharing, not a time for scolding or arguing. If mealtimes are unpleasant, children may try to eat faster to leave the table as soon as possible. 3.

Try not to use food to punish or reward your children. Withholding (不给) food as a punishment may lead children to worry that they won’t get enough food. For example, sending children to bed without any dinner may cause them to worry that they’ll go hungry. 4. Similarly, when foods, such as sweets, are used as a reward, children may assume that these foods are better or more valuable than other foods.

Discourage eating meals while watching TV. Try to eat only in a fixed area of your home, such as the dining room or kitchen. Eating in front of the TV may make it difficult to pay attention to feelings of fullness. 5.

A. Pay attention to serving size.

B. And that may lead to overeating.

C. Encourage your children to eat slowly.

D. They then may learn to associate eating with stress.

E. Children are more willing to eat or try foods they help prepare.

F. As a result，children may try to eat whenever they get a chance.

G. This practice will help your children learn how to make healthy food choices.

    “If you don’t behave，I’ll call the police” is a lie that parents generally use to get their young children to behave. Parents’ lies work in the short terns，but a new study led by NTU Singapore suggests that they’re associated with harmful effects when the child becomes an adult.

The research team asked 379 Singaporean young adults whether their parents lied to them when they were children，how much they lie to their parents now，and how well they adjust to adulthood challenges. Adults who reported being lied to more as children were more likely to report deceiving their parents in their adulthood. They also said they faced greater difficulty in meeting psychological and social challenges.

Lead author Assistant Professor Setoh Peipei from NTU Singapore’s School of Social Sciences said，“Parenting by lying can seem to save time especially when the real reasons behind why parents want children to do something is complicated to explain. When parents tell children that ‘honesty is the best policy’, but display dishonesty by lying, such behaviour can send conflicting messages to their children. Parents’ dishonesty may eventually break trust and promote dishonesty in children. Our research suggests that parenting by lying is a practice that has bad consequences for children when they grow up. Parents should be aware of this and consider alternatives to lying, such as acknowledging children’s feelings, giving information so children know what to expect, offering choices and problem-solving together, to help children develop good behaviour.”

The analysis found that parenting by lying could place children at a greater risk of developing problems that the society disapproves, such as aggression and rule-breaking behaviour. Some limitations of the study include relying on what young adults report about their past experience of parents’ lying. “Future research can explore using more information providers, such as parents, to report on the same topic,” suggested Asst Prof Setoh.

1.Why is a parental lie mentioned in the first paragraph?

A.To introduce the topic for discussion.

B.To tell a popular way to educate children.

C.To prove the great influence of the police.

D.To show the harmful effects of parental lies.

2.The underlined word “deceiving” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “________”.

A.worrying B.abusing

C.disappointing D.cheating

3.According to the research，which of the following can parents do?

A.Give children chances to choose. B.Force good behaviour on children.

C.Let children solve problems alone. D.Stop children knowing what to expect.

4.What does the last paragraph imply about the study?

A.It is quite controversial. B.It is rather meaningless.

C.It needs to be perfected. D.It demands honest responses.

    A team of farmers, university researchers and environmentalists is busy at work in the wetlands of eastern England. They are digging into the area’s wheat fields, looking for wet earth that could hide lost ponds underneath. It takes the group of diggers just a few hours to revive (使复活) one dying pond. It’s near Hindolveston, a thousand-year-old village close to the North Sea.

“As soon as the buried ponds get water and light, they just spring to life,” says Nick Anema, a farmer in nearby Dereham. He’s brought seven ponds on his farm back to life. “Frogs and all the insects like dragonflies can be seen here again,” he said.

But the battle for the wetlands is a struggle. While efforts to stop losses are continuing, wetlands around the world are still being filled in and covered up. Over the past three centuries, almost 90% of the world’s wetlands have disappeared. The loss rate has increased since the 1970s, with wetlands now disappearing three times faster than, the world’s forests.

Some 5,000 wetland-dependent animal species could die out because of such losses. Wetland loss can also affect human beings. Wetlands act as natural storage areas for water. Losing those areas could lead to more severe flooding in many parts of the world. And the act of removing water from wetlands can release huge amounts of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to climate change.

Human-made wetlands, however, aren’t decreasing in number. Rice fields, water reservoirs and agricultural stock ponds have all increased since the 1970s. Yet scientists are concerned about this phenomenon. “People brag (自夸) about the fact that there’s been no net loss (净损失) of wetlands. But what they’ve done is destroy natural wetlands and create artificial ones,” says Stuart Pimm, a Duke University professor. “It makes it look like you’re doing no harm when the reality is very different.”

1.What’s the team’s work in eastern England intended for?

A.Digging wet earth for research. B.Researching into an old village.

C.Bringing dying ponds back to life. D.Finding wetlands created by people.

2.What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A.Various functions of wetlands. B.Serious consequences of wetland loss.

C.Wetlands’ key role in climate change. D.Wetlands’ importance to living things.

3.Which of the following reflects Stuart Purim’s opinion?

A.Artificial wetlands can’t replace natural ones.

B.Creating artificial wetlands upsets the balance of nature.

C.Keeping the total number of various kinds of wetlands is important.

D.It’s important to balance the numbers of natural wetlands and artificial ones.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A.Seeking for More Wetlands B.Saving the World’s Wetlands

C.Causes of Wetlands’ Disappearance D.Natural Wetlands vs. Artificial Wetlands

    Rebecca Munkombwe, an 11-year-old girl from Zimbabwe, is regarded as a hero for saving a 9-year-old friend from the jaws of a crocodile by jumping or、the crocodile and gouging (挖) its eyes out.

According to Zimbabwean media, Rebecca and her friends had just got back from a swim in a stream near their home village when they heard the screams corning from the water. She was shocked to see her 9-year-old friend Latoya Muwani being dragged into the water by a crocodile. While all the other children were running scared, Rebecca ran toward the water, jumped on top of the crocodile and started beating it with her bare fists. However, that didn’t seem to bother the crocodile at all, so she then used her fingers to gouge its eyes out until it loosened its grasp of Latoya. Once she was free, Rebecca swam with her to the bank.

Surprisingly, the 11-year-old heroine managed to save her young friend without suffering any wounds, while Latoya was lucky to escape with just mild wounds that were later treated at a regional hospital. Latoya’s parents praised Rebecca’s courage and thanked her for saving their daughter’s life. “I was at work when I learnt that my daughter had been attacked by a crocodile while swimming. For a moment I thought of the worst before I learnt that she’d survived after being saved by Rebecca,” Latoya’s father, Fortune Muwani, said. “I don’t know how she managed to do that, but I’m grateful to her.”

Local authorities confirmed the crocodile attack, adding that the number of such incidents was increasing. Apparently, the lack of easily accessible water sources (水源) is forcing women and children to use unprotected sources like this crocodile-infested (遍布鳄鱼的) stream.

1.What made Rebecca Munkombwe a hero?

A.Her catching a crocodile hare-handed.

B.Her rescuing a drowning friend in time.

C.Her helping a friend out of deadly danger.

D.Her making friends with a wild crocodile.

2.Which of the following words can best describe Rebecca?

A.Brave and smart. B.Calm and careful.

C.Honest and considerate. D.Courageous and patient.

3.What message do Fortune Muwani’s words convey?

A.He knew every detail about the rescuing process.

B.Latoya’s conditions were far better than expected.

C.Latoya’s being attacked by a crocodile sounded unbelievable.

D.He regretted not accompanying Latoya while she was swimming.

4.Why were crocodile attacks on the rise?

A.Because people have poor awareness of safety.

B.Because people enjoy getting close to animals in the wild.

C.Because people have little knowledge of accessible water sources.

D.Because people have to share limited water sources with wild animals.

    The recent development in technology has led to better learning opportunities for students. Learning is an ongoing process, and students can have fun and learn many things on the go with these apps.

Exam Vocabulary Builder

Learning new English words is not difficult anymore when you have Exam Vocabulary Builder on your smartphone. Apart from learning new words with meaning, you can also find an example of using the word in a sentence. Moreover, you can test yourself in quiz mode comprised of challenging levels.

Quizlet

Quizlet is a simple app that allows you to learn anything, create your own study sets, and improve your class grades by studying with flashcards. It’ll give you a whole new experience on how you learn things in a fun way. Next time you have a problem with learning a new chapter or topic, try Quizlet and see how things work out.

Exam Countdown

If you’re feeling distracted (分心的) when the exams draw near, you might need Exam Countdown app. There might be a possibility that you forgot to submit your last assignment before the finals. The app acts like a scheduler where you can keep track of your assignments, exams, quizzes, and presentations.

MyScript Smart Note

Aren’t you quick enough to write notes in the classroom on your tablet’s QWERTY keyboard? No problem, because MyScript Smart Note is the perfect solution for you to easily take notes on your tablet. It allows you to edit your handwriting with special gestures. Moreover, you can also add pictures to the text, math equations, PDF files, or sound. It also comes with downloadable language packs.

1.What do Exam Vocabulary Builder and MyScript Smart Note have in common?

A.They both can be used for note taking.

B.They both can be used with hand gestures.

C.They both can be used to test language skills.

D.They both can he used for language learning.

2.Which is a good choice for better managing and organizing your routine study?

A.Quizlet. B.Exam Countdown.

C.MyScript Smart Note. D.Exam Vocabulary Builder.

3.What’s the text mainly intended to do?

A.Introduce some wonderful learning methods for students.

B.Provide some good learning opportunities for students.

C.Introduce some useful learning apps for students.

D.Promote some practical teaching apps for teachers.

假设你是李华，你的英国朋友Henry 打算寒假来南宁游玩，有两个公园可以选择：青秀山公园（Qingxiu Mountain Park）或五象湖公园（Wuxiang Lake Park）。他来信希望你推荐其中一个公园。请你回信，内容包括：

1. 你推荐的公园；

2. 你推荐的理由；

3. 你的祝愿。

注意：1. 词数100 左右；

2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

提示词：historical relics 历史遗迹; Wuxiang New District五象新区

Dear Henry,

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改句子，请你修改你同桌写的以下句子。每个句子都有一处错误，错误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(Λ)，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：每处错误及其修改均仅限一词

1.His father is in the possession of this international company.

2.Between two classes are an interval(间隔), when the students can have a short break.

3.This was evident that ideas were changing in the 13th century.

4.She would rather you come tomorrow than today.

5.Frick had a preference to pre-twentieth century western paintings.

6.With the boy led the way, we found the house easily.

7.The basketball team is made of 12 members.

8.One of the reasons that I want to go to a local school is to save money.

9.If the rules of perspective have not been discovered, no one would have been able to paint such realistic pictures.

10.Consequent, this text will describe only a few of the main styles.

新概念英语原文填空（答案可能是一词或多词）

When he had killed the guard, the prisoner of war quickly dragged him into the 1.. Working 2. in the darkness, he soon changed into the dead man's clothes. Now, 3. in a blue uniform and with a rifle over his shoulder, the prisoner marched boldly up and down in front of the camp. He could hear shouting in the camp itself. Lights were blazing and men were running here and there: they had just discovered that a prisoner 4.. At that moment, a large black car with four officers inside 5., stopped at the camp gates. The officers got out and the prisoner stood to attention and saluted 6. they passed. When they had gone, the driver of the car came 7. him. The man obviously wanted to talk. He was rather 8. with grey hair and clear blue eyes. The prisoner felt sorry for him, but there was nothing else he could do. As the man came near, the prisoner knocked him to the ground with 9. sharp blow. Then, 10. into the car, he drove off as quickly as he could.

    When Angela Makey knew her autistic(患自闭症的) son wanted to open a comic shop, she laughed out loud. She knew he’d been _______ to comics since childhood. But how would he _______ customers and suppliers and all the other jobs that are necessary for _______ a business?

At that time, Adam was looking for a job. He had a(n) _______ in philosophy and had learned to live independently, _______ there didn’t seem to be any suitable jobs for him. The family had hoped he and his younger brother Guy, also with autism, could find work that _______ their strengths: reliability, punctuality(守时) and attention to detail. But there were no _______ opportunities.

So the “laughable” comic shop idea began to _______ Angela. _______ she used her savings to buy a shop in Cambridgeshire, and Niche Comics was born.

Like many autistic people, Adam loves comics ________ their world of rich detail and visual expression. He ________ an interest in Marvel comic heroes on TV when he was seven years old. “They are a ________ that it’s OK not to be like everyone else,” Adam said. He’s now 30, and comics and their heroes are ________ part of his life.

In the comic shop, the brothers share their encyclopaedia(百科全书般的) knowledge of comics with customers. The brothers act as ________ in this universe, introducing customers to new comics.

The shop attracts many autistic customers. And being autistic themselves ________ to be a big help for the brothers to cope with customers. They are good at ________ the customers’ needs and feelings. “Maybe it’s the tone of the voice, the motion of a hand — small details that most people won’t pick up on — ________ we might have insight(洞悉) into.”

Of course, the majority of customers who come to the shop are not autistic. Now the brothers get a steady ________ of customers who are, both male and female, from young children to retired people. ________ the shop had itself accepted, the brothers also began reaching out to people with autism ________ the shop.

Seven years on, Angela is glad she took the risk of helping her sons create their dream shop. “This shop has a soul,” the mother says proudly.

1.A.tied B.addicted C.linked D.sensitive

2.A.deal with B.go with C.help with D.fight with

3.A.holding B.catching C.running D.getting

4.A.degree B.interest C.belief D.research

5.A.but B.however C.also D.therefore

6.A.gave B.established C.cultivated D.matched

7.A.valuable B.possible C.capable D.available

8.A.come on B.grow on C.hold on D.go on

9.A.Firstly B.Gradually C.Eventually D.Naturally

10.A.with B.for C.to D.in

11.A.developed B.grew C.realized D.found

12.A.program B.message C.reminder D.hero

13.A.ever B.even C.still D.then

14.A.consumers B.customers C.consultants D.guides

15.A.turns out B.comes out C.tests out D.finds out

16.A.spotting B.meeting C.satisfying D.giving

17.A.when B.which C.where D.that

18.A.line B.stream C.queue D.crowd

19.A.Unless B.Before C.Once D.If

20.A.beyond B.in C.from D.to

    “Hot potato” is a children’s game similar to musical chairs (抢座位游戏), in which participants sit in a circle and pass a potato or any other object to others around the circle as quickly as possible.1. This game is popular for entertaining large groups of kids at parties, school, or other events that include children.

“Hot potato” was originally played. with a real potato.2. No single version is the right way to play. Changes can be made to suit nearly any theme and any situation.

The game of “hot potato” is easy to play with large groups of kids outdoors.

3. It’s common for physical education teachers to play this game with smaller children, using a ball in order to help children improve their catching skills.

4. Variations, also called passing the potato or passing the pumpkin (南瓜), are great school party ideas. You can easily create a themed version of the game for Halloween. Have children sit in a circle indoors and hand one child a small pumpkin. The teacher can play Halloween music, but he or she should not look at the circle of kids.

You can create similar versions for Christmas, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving Day, or a birthday party.5. It is highly suggested that all players receive a small prize for playing, such as a piece of candy, and the winner can be provided with a slightly larger prize.

A. Above all, laughter is the goal.

B. Players can even stand up if space permits.

C. Hot potato isn’t limited to outdoors by any means.

D. In fact, hot potato can be adapted to any children’s party.

E. But today there are many other versions of hot potato.

F. Of course, that person singing or calling should not watch the game.

G. The aim of the game is not to be the one holding the potato when music stops.

    The idea of being able to walk on water has long interested humans greatly. Sadly, biological facts prevent us ever accomplishing such a thing without artificial aid---we simply weigh too much, and all our mass pushes down through our relatively small feet, resulting in a lot of pressure that makes us sink.

However, several types of animals can walk on water. One of the most interesting is the common basilisk Basilicus basilicus, a lizard (蜥蜴)native to Central and South America. It can run across water for a distance of several meters, avoiding getting wet by rapidly hitting the water’s surface with its feet. The lizard will take as many as 20 steps per second to keep moving forward. For humans to do this, we，d need huge feet that we could bring up to our ears in order to create adequate w hitting. ’’

But fortunately there is an alternative : cornflour. By adding enough of this common thickening agent to water (and it does take a lot), you can create a “non-Newtonian” liquid that doesn’t behave like normal water. Now, if the surface of the water is hit hard enough, particles(粒子）in the water group together for a moment to make the surface hard. Move quickly enough and put enough force into each step, and you really can walk across the surface of an adequately thick Liquid of cornflour.

Fun though all this may sound, it’s still rather messy and better read about in theory than carried out in practice. If you must do it, then keep the water wings handy in case you start to sink--and take a shower afterward!

1.Walking on water hasn’t become a reality mainly because humans______.

A.are not interested in it

B.have biological limitations

C.have not invented proper tools

D.are afraid to make an attempt

2.What do we know about Basilicus basilicus from the passage?

A.It is light enough to walk on water.

B.Its huge feet enable it to stay above water.

C.It can run across water at a certain speed.

D.Its unique skin keeps it from getting wet in water.

3.What is the function of the cornflour according to the passage?

A.To create a thick liquid.

B.To turn the water into solid.

C.To help the liquid behave normally.

D.To enable the water to move rapidly.

4.What is the author’s attitude toward the idea of humans’ walking on water?

A.It is risky but beneficial.

B.It is interesting and worth trying.

C.It is crazy and cannot become a reality.

D.It is impractical though theoretically possible.