Still seeking a destination for your weekend break？There are some places which are probably a mere walk away from your college.

King's Art Centre

A day at the Centre could mean a visit to an exhibition of the work of one of the most interesting contemporary artists on show anywhere. This weekend sees the opening of an exhibition of four local artists.

You could attend a class teaching you how to ‘learn from the masters’ or get more creative with paint—free of charge.

The Centre also runs two life drawing classes for which there is a small fee.

The Botanic Garden

The Garden has over 8,000 plant species；it holds the research and teaching collection of living plants for Cambridge University.

The multibranched Torch Aloe here is impressive. The African plant produces red flowers above blue green leaves，and is not one to miss.

Get to the display house to see Dionaea muscipula，a plant more commonly known as the Venus Flytrap that feeds on insects and other small animals.

The Garden is also a place for wildlife enthusiasts. Look for grass snakes in the lake. A snake called ‘Hissing Sid’ is regularly seen lying in the heat of the warm sun.

Byron's Pool

Many stories surround Lord Byron's time as a student of Cambridge University. Arriving in 1805，he wrote a letter complaining that it was a place of “mess and drunkenness”．However，it seems as though Byron did manage to pass the time pleasantly enough. I'm not just talking about the pet bear he kept in his rooms. He spent a great deal of time walking in the village.

It is also said that on occasion Byron swam naked by moonlight in the lake，which is now known as Byron's Pool. A couple of miles past Grantchester in the south Cambridge shire countryside，the pool is surrounded by beautiful circular paths around the fields. The cries of invisible birds make the trip a lovely experience and on the way home you can drop into the village for afternoon tea. If you don't trust me，then perhaps you'll take it from Virginia Woolf—over a century after Byron，she reportedly took a trip to swim in the same pool.

1.As mentioned in the passage，there is a small fee for ______.

A. attending the masters' class    B. working with local artists

C. learning life drawing    D. seeing an exhibition

2.“Torch Aloe” and “Venus Flytrap” are ______.

A. common insects    B. impressive plants

C. rarely seen snakes    D. wildlife enthusiasts

3.We can infer from the passage that Byron seemed ______.

A. to fear pet bears    B. to like walking

C. to be a heavy drinker    D. to finish university in 1805

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Some places for weekend break.

B. A way to become creative in art.

C. The colourful life in the countryside.

D. Unknown stories of Cambridge University.

    Shortly after my fourth birthday， my parents and I arrived from China in Sydney， Australia． It was 1991 and my mother had left behind everything she knew--family， friends and career．

Yet within two years， my parents' marriage had broken down． After one particularly unpleasant fight， my mother left my father， taking me with her． With no family or friends， and in a country where she couldn't even communicate， she took me to Chinatown， the only area of Sydney she was familiar with． That night she laid me on a bench in Dixon Street， packing suitcases around us for security（安全）． I will never forget the despair in her face that night．

At around 4 a．m．， a group of four young Chinese men noisily exited a club nearby． I remember them falling silent as they saw us． They approached and asked my mother why she was sleeping on the streets with such a young child． My mum burst into tears as she told them our story． Without hesitating， they warmed me up， took our suitcases， and drove us to their students housing．

In the weeks that followed， the men looked after us with a youthful enthusiasm． Being poor students living on their own for the first time， they simply knew how to cook in a stupid way． However， they insisted that a child should have homemade meals． They quickly adjusted their lives around us， buying fresh food， cooking， teasing me to make me laugh， and advising my mum on how to sort out her life．

Eventually， Mum reconciled （和解） with Dad and we moved back in with him， although they continued to split and make up several times．

Gradually we lost touch with the men as we all moved on． But at every milestone of my life--graduations， entering university， getting a good job--I never forget that all of this was made possible because 22years ago， a group of complete strangers took us in and shared everything they had to save us from life on the street．

1.Why did Mom and I stay in Dixon Street that night？ ______

A. We were waiting for the Chinese men．

B. Mom was unfamiliar with Australia at all．

C. It was safe to stay there for night．

D. We had no other place to go．

2.How did the students feel the moment they saw us in the street？ ______

A. Ashamed．    B. Shocked．

C. Amused．    D. Nervous．

3.What message is conveyed in the passage？ ______

A. There is no perfect husband or wife in marriage．

B. It's the timely help to someone in need that matters．

C. It's a great challenge for the Chinese to study abroad．

D. Childhood memory contributes to guiding present behavior．

Learning any language is hard, but learning English can be especially challenging. Why? Because native speakers use the language in some ways that textbooks could never describe. In particular, words that British people use cause many language students to scratch(抓) their heads.

Here’s an example: You overhear(无意中听到) an Englishman calling someone a “wazzock”. But what exactly is a wazzock? This word, in fact, means a foolish person, although there’s nothing about it that would help you guess that. There are many strange terms like this in British English – the Oxford English Dictionary would be much smaller without these odd (古怪的) usages filling its pages.

How can these odd words be explained? Part of the answer is the British sense of humor. The British don’t like to take things too seriously, and this is obvious through many British words and phrases. For example, to “spend a penny” means to use the bathroom. It refers to the days when people had to pay a penny to use a public toilet.

In an interview for the BBC’s website, British linguist David Crystal suggested there may be historical reasons for the number of odd words and phrases in British English. He thinks that they began in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. This was a great age for the theater, when Shakespeare and other writers worked hard to keep up with the demand for new plays. The theater’s popularity also created an incentive (刺激) to invent new words.

With this in mind, perhaps Shakespeare and his peers are to blame for unusual British words such as “codswallop” and “balderdash” – which both mean “nonsense”.

While these strange words may be confusing to non-native speakers, they certainly make studying English a lot more interesting.

1.According to the text, why may non-native speakers find it hard to learn English?

A. Dictionaries don’t explain odd usages of many words.

B. A great many strange words make no sense to them.

C. The English textbooks they study are usually out of date.

D. They are unable to understand the humor in conversations.

2.With the example of “spend a penny”, the author intends to _________.

A. explain one reason of how some strange phrases were created

B. complain about the meaning and background of the phrase

C. show what typical British sense of humour is

D. show British people’s attitude toward strange words

3.According to David Crystal, _________.

A. many of the words that Shakespeare invented were nonsense

B. Shakespeare’s works are boring because of the odd words involved

C. the theatre’s success in the 17th century inspired the birth of many odd words

D. the odd words in Shakespeare’s plays contributed a lot to the theatre’s popularity

4.What is the text mainly about?

A. The development of the British English.

B. Shakespeare’s influence on British English.

C. The origin and meanings of British humour.

D. Some reasons for the large number of odd words in British English.

假如你是高一学生李华，你们学校最近将改建运动场，你想给校长写一封建议信，内容如下：

1. 增加乒乓球台的数量；

2. 篮球场地最好不要建在体育馆门口，以免篮球砸伤过往的同学；

3. 希望建立室内游泳馆；

4. 建成后，希望周末也开放。

注意：1. 词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 开头和结尾已写好，不计入总词数。

参考词汇：篮球场 basketball court体育馆gym

Dear Headmaster

I am a senior one student. I have known that the playground of our school will be rebuilt recently.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Yours sincerely

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：在错的词下面画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：请在答题卡上作答。

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 a sunny day last month, I was visiting Summer Palace when I came across a little girl standing alone with tear streaming down her face. I walked up to her and offered to help. Thankful, she calmed down and told me what had been happened. She came here to do some sightseeing with her parents and they got separated. Immediately I take her to the broadcasting station. Before hearing the news, her parents rushed here. The girl couldn't wait to run towards him. The couple thanked me warmly, expressing their thanks for my kind help. Seen the family disappear into the distant, I felt very happy.

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的词（1个单词）或括号内单词的适当形式。

Born on June 12, 1929, Anne Frank was a German-Jewish teenager1.was forced to go into hiding during the Holocaust (大屠杀). She and her family, along with four others,2.(spend ) over two years during World War Ⅱ3.( hide) in another part of rooms above her father's office in Amsterdam.

Since it was first published in 1947 , Anne Frank's diary has become one of the4.(powerful) memoirs（回忆录）of the Holocaust.5.( it)  message of courage and hope in the face of difficulty has reached millions. The diary has been translated into more than 60 languages with over 30 million copies6.(sell). Anne Frank's story is especially7.( meaning) to young people today. For many she is their first exposure(接触) to the history of the Holocaust.

After being reported to the Nazis, Anne, her  family, and8.others living with them were arrested (逮捕) and sent to Nazi concentration camps. In March of 1945 , several9.(month) after she was arrested, Anne Frank died. She was fifteen years old.

Her courage and legacy live on, and she is frequently regarded10.a role model for today.

A couple of weeks back, my friend had a yard sale (庭院拍卖会). She ___ to sell some of our stuff for us. I thought it would be a good chance to ___ my 7-year-old son’s room and sell some toys that he no longer ___. We agreed that whatever we sold in toys would be his ___ .

The night before the sale, we loaded up the ___ with toys and a little bike that he was now ___ tall for. He had taken the bike for a final spin (高速旋转) ___ we left home but ___ put it on the truck for the sale. This little bike had had at least two ___ owner that we knew of. It was not in the best ____ and it certainly was not shiny new but it was still a bike, and the tires were still good.

We put a price of $ 10 on it but it didn’t ____. So, after the sale was ____, my friend put it on the sidewalk with a sign that ____ “FREE BIKE”. Within five minutes her doorbell rang. A little boy was standing there. His English was not very good but he asked if the bike was really ____. She said yes and told him that he could have it for nothing. He smiled, jumped on the bike and ____ away.

Later that evening when I told my son how much money he had ____ at the yard sale, he was very excited. The next day we were going to take the money to the bank. He asked about a few of his things, ____ if they had been sold. When he asked about the bike, I told him about the little boy and that he made a big ____ because he got the bike for free. The smiles on my son’s face were truly ____, much more than when I told him how much he had made. He was so excited to hear that someone else would get good ____ out of that little bike.

1.A. helped    B. offered    C. decided    D. happened

2.A. repair    B. paint    C. make    D. clean

3.A. liked    B. used    C. owned    D. designed

4.A. money    B. work    C. success    D. way

5.A. room    B. truck    C. yard    D. sidewalk

6.A. fairly    B. quite    C. too    D. enough

7.A. before    B. unless    C. once    D. after

8.A. sadly    B. happily    C. strangely    D. angrily

9.A. previous    B. similar    C. perfect    D. private

10.A. color    B. shape    C. size    D. age

11.A. buy    B. matter    C. sell    D. like

12.A. on    B. up    C. away    D. over

13.A. read    B. wrote    C. painted    D. described

14.A. cheap    B. expensive    C. old    D. free

15.A. rode    B. drove    C. walked    D. ran

16.A. bought    B. made    C. borrowed    D. lent

17.A. saying    B. wondering    C. worrying    D. trying

18.A. change    B. smile    C. cry    D. face

19.A. worthless    B. useless    C. priceless    D. meaningless

20.A. use    B. luck    C. results    D. chances

How to Be Grateful

Has your mother or best friend told you that you’re an ungrateful person? 1. Do you keep thinking about the things you don’t have, instead of being thankful for what you do have? If so, then you need to work on being a more grateful person.

1. 2. This isn’t a religious (宗教的) thing. You don’t have to hold off on noting everything you’re thankful for until Thanksgiving. Every Sunday, get a notebook and sit outside for fifteen minutes while making a list of all of the things you’re thankful for.

2. Be grateful for your friendships. 3. You may come to think that your friends are kind and they’re just there, like the couch in your living room. If you take your friends for granted for too long, then they will slowly make their way out of your life.

3. Be grateful to your family. Your family is another thing you should be grateful to. Your parents might have even been the people who tell you that you should be more grateful. 4. Don’t let a day go by without telling your family how much you love them.

4. 5. Throughout history, imagine how many people have contributed to where you are now. Realizing that you couldn’t be what you are now if it weren’t for all of these people is an important step in being a grateful person.

A. Make a gratitude list every Sunday.

B. Friendships are very important in our life.

C. Be grateful for all of the good deeds done for your benefit.

D. Many people are guilty of taking their friends for granted.

E. Keep everything that you are grateful for in mind very day.

F. So, take the time to tell your family how much they mean to you.

G. Do you feel unable to appreciate the beauty, nature, and love that are all around you?

A new report says living in a city makes it harder for people to concentrate(集中) on some tasks. The research found that people who live in rural areas can focus better than people in urban areas. The study is from Goldsmiths College, which is part of the University of London.  Head researcher Dr. Karina Linnell and her team made great contributions. They studied how two groups of people did the same "thinking tasks". The team went to a remote(偏远的) part of Namibia, southwest Africa, to study the Himba tribe. Himba people live a very basic life in the desert. They are still doing traditional farming. The team also studied members of the same tribe who had moved to the nearest town. Dr. Linnell said the tribe who lived in the desert did much better on the tests than those in the town. It's really interesting and shocking.

Dr. Linnell said their research may lead to changes in the way companies operate. In the future, workers may move from cities to live and work in the countryside. Linnell said there are too many things around us in the city that stop us from thinking about one thing for a long time.  This means we do not work at our best. She asked, "What if, for example, companies realized certain tasks would be better carried out by employees based outside of the urban environment? There their concentration ability is better. "The past century has seen billions of people move from the countryside to big cities. In the future, the trend may not continue. If Dr. Linnell's research is true, this century might see many of those people return to the great outdoors. Let's wait to see what will happen.

1.What did Dr. Linnell and her team conclude from the study on the Himba tribe?

A. Himba people are cleverer than others.

B. Himba people aren't used to the life in city.

C. Himba people focus better in the desert

D. Himba people give up traditional farming.

2.What happened in the past one hundred years?

A. Many people returned to the countryside.

B. Big cities attracted many people to live and work.

C. Many people couldn't concentrate on one task.

D. The way companies operate changed a great deal.

3.The underlined word "outdoors" in the last paragraph probably refers to "______".

A. villages    B. cities

C. towns    D. countries

4.What is the main purpose of the text ?

A. to remind people to focus better.

B. to advise people to live in countryside.

C. to share a recent study with readers.

D. to show the bright future to readers.

Snoring(打鼾) is noisy breathing during sleep. It is a common problem among all ages and it influences about 90 million American adults. People most at risk are males and those who are overweight, but snoring is a problem of both genders, although it is possible that women do not present this complaint as frequently as men.

Snoring is often the loud or harsh sound that can occur as you sleep. You snore when the flow of air makes the tissue in the back of your throat vibrate(颤动) as you breathe. The sound most often occurs as you breathe in air, and can come through the nose, mouth or both two organs. It can occur during any stage of sleep.

About half of people snore at some point in their lives. Snoring is more common among men, though many women snore. It appears to run in families and becomes more common as you get older. About 40 percent of adult men and 24 percent of adult women are habitual snorers. Men become less likely to snore after the age of 70.

Sleeping on your back may make you more likely to snore. You may snore when your throat or tongue muscles are relaxed. And substances(物质) that can relax these muscles may cause you to snore. These include alcohol, muscle relaxants and other medicine.

Snoring can be a nuisance to your partner and anyone else nearby. You may even snore loudly enough to wake yourself up. Though, in many cases people do not realize that they snore. Snoring can also cause you to have a dry mouth when you wake up.

Light snoring may not disrupt your overall sleep quality. Heavy snoring may be connected with a risk factor in the heart disease, stroke and many other health problems. So never take it lightly.

1.Why do some people snore during their sleep?

A. Because there is something wrong with their throat.

B. Because noises are made when they breathe out.

C. Because the tissue in their throat is vibrating.

D. Because they use their mouth and nose to breathe meanwhile.

2.What can we conclude from the third paragraph?

A. Men suffer much more because of their snoring.

B. Women are easier to become habitual snorers.

C. Snoring may have something to do with genes.

D. The older you turn, the more seriously you snore.

3.In which part of a website can we read the passage?

A. Sports.    B. Education.

C. Culture.    D. Science.