| 1. 难度：困难 | |
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The young man arrived on the Massachusetts beach early carrying a radio, a shovel (铁锹), and a strange set of tools: a brick layer’s trowel, a palette knife, spatulas, spoons, and a spray bottle. He walked down near the water — the tide (潮水) was out — and switched on the radio to listen to soft rock. Then he shoveled wet sand into a pile nearly four feet high and as many feet across. Then he created a square shape. After that, he set to work with palette knife, spatulas, and spoons. He shaped a splendid tower, topped walls, fashioned beautiful bay windows, and carved (雕刻) out a big front gate. The man knew his sand. He smoothly finished some surfaces and carved artistic designs on others. As the shapes began to dry, he gently kept them slightly wet with water from the spray bottle, in case they might break in the wind. All this took hours. People gathered. At last he stood back, obviously satisfied with a castle worthy of the Austrian countryside or Disneyland. Then he gathered his tools and radio and moved them up to drier sand. He had known for a while what many in the crowd still ignored: the tide was coming in. Not only had he practiced his art with confidence and style, he also had done so against a powerful, irresistible (不可抵抗的) deadline. As the crowd looked on, water came at the base of the castle. In minutes it was surrounded. Then the rising flood began to eat into the base, walls fell, the tower fell, and finally the gate fell. More minutes passed, and small waves erased bay windows — soon no more than a small part was left. Many in the crowd looked terribly sad; some voiced fear and discouragement. But the man remained calm. He had, after all, had a wonderful day, making beauty out of nothing, and watching it return to nothing as time and tide moved on. 1.In this passage, why did the young man start early in the day? A. He needed the sun to help dry the sand. B. It gave plenty of time for the crowd to gather. C. He knew the tide was out on this particular morning. D. It was easier to begin his work with only a few people around. 2.In this passage, what does the incoming tide signal? A. It is time to begin working. B. It is the end of a day’s work. C. It is the busiest time of the day. D. It is time for lookerson to leave. 3.How did the lookerson react when the tide began to come in? A. They were disappointed to see the art ruined. B. They tried their best to save the sand castle. C. They were nervous about their own belongings. D. They helped the artist finish the castle. 4.We can tell that the young man’s reward for his work is ________. A. payment for his work B. personal satisfaction C. popularity as an artist D. attention from the crowd
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| 2. 难度：中等 | |
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I think people everywhere dream about having lots of money. I know I do. I would like to earn large amounts of money. You can win a large amount of money in the United States through lotteries. People pay money for tickets with numbers. If your combination of numbers is chosen, you will win a huge amount of money — often in the millions. A few years ago, my friend Al won the lottery. It changed his life. He was not “born with a silver spoon in his mouth”. Instead, my friend was always short of money. And the money he did earn was chicken feed. Sometimes Al even had to accept handouts (施舍物) from his friends. But do not get me wrong. My friend was always very careful with the money he spent. In fact, he was often a cheapskate. He did not like to spend money. The worst times were when he had no single penny left. One day, Al scraped together a few dollars for a lottery ticket. He thought he would never gain lots of money unexpectedly. But his combination of numbers was chosen and he won the lottery. Al was so excited. The first thing he did was buy a costly new car — one thing that he normally would not buy. Then he started spending money on unnecessary things. It was like he had “money to burn”． When we got together for a meal at a restaurant, Al paid every time. He would always tell me the money made him feel like a millionaire. But, Al spent too much money. Soon he was “down and out” again. He had spent his “bottom dollar” — his very last amount. He did not even save any of the money. I admit I do feel sorry for my friend. He had enough money to “live like a king”. Instead, he was back to “living on a shoestring” — a very low budget. Some might say he was wise about small things, but not about important things. 1.What does the author desire to do like others? A. To combine the numbers perfectly. B. To make a huge fortune. C. To be chosen for selling lotteries. D. To get in touch with millionaires. 2.Before Al won the lottery ________. A. he spent too much money buying chicken B. he didn’t value the money he had earned C. he had trouble feeding his family D. he hated to give a hand to his friends 3.What does the fourth paragraph imply? A. Al always had good luck in life. B. Al valued his money above his life. C. Al had loved the expensive car probably. D. Al pretended to have more money. 4.When a person is “down and out”， ________. A. he is as poor as a church mouse B. he lives a life like other people C. he has set aside all his money D. he is looking forward to big success
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| 3. 难度：中等 | |
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Global warming could make humans shorter, warn scientists who claim to have found evidence that it caused the world’s first horses to shrink nearly 50 million years ago. In fact, a team from the universities of Florida and Nebraska says it has found a link between the Earth heating up and the size of mammals — horses, in this case, the last time the world heated up. The scientists used fossils to follow the evolution of horses from their earliest appearance 56 million years ago. As temperatures went up, their size went down, and vice versa (反之亦然); at one point they were as small as a house cat, said Dr Jonathan Bloch, curator (馆长) of the Florida Museum of Natural History, was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying. The scientists say that the current warming could have the same effect on mammals — and could even make humans smaller. “Horses started out small, about the size of a small dog like a miniature schnauzer (雪纳瑞犬). What’s surprising is that after they first appeared, they then became even smaller and then dramatically increased in size, and that exactly corresponds to the global warming event, followed by cooling. It had been known that mammals were small during that time and that it was warm, but we hadn’t understood that temperature specifically was driving the evolution of body size，” Dr Bloch said in the Science journal. 1.How did the scientists find out the evolution of horses? A. By using fossils. B. By following the horses. C. By heating up. D. By studying cats. 2.What does the underlined word “miniature” in the last paragraph probably mean? A. Small. B. Large. C. Natural. D. Gentle. 3.What can we learn from what Dr Jonathan Bloch said? A. As temperatures went down, the size of horses went down. B. Horses first appeared small, then smaller and then became big. C. Horses’ becoming smaller was connected with the global cooling. D. Horses will be as small as a house cat in the end. 4.What would be the best title for the passage? A. Global warming could make humans shorter B. Scientists from Florida and Nebraska C. Horses used to be like cats D. Dr Jonathan Bloch
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| 4. 难度：中等 | |
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“I’ve never met a human worth cloning，” says cloning expert Mark Westhusin from the cramped confines of his lab at Texas A&M University. “It’s a stupid endeavor.” That’s an interesting choice of adjective, coming from a man who has spent millions of dollars trying to clone a 13yearold dog named Missy. So far, he and his team have not succeeded, though they have cloned two calves and expect to clone a cat soon. They just might succeed in cloning Missy later this year — or perhaps not for another five years. It seems the reproductive system of man’s best friend is one of the mysteries of modern science. Westhusin’s experience with cloning animals leaves him vexed by all this talk of human cloning. In three years of work on the Missyplicity project, using hundreds upon hundreds of canine eggs, the A&M team has produced only a dozen or so embryos carrying Missy’s DNA. None have survived the transfer to a surrogate mother. The wastage of eggs and the many spontaneously aborted fetuses may be acceptable when you’re dealing with cats or bulls, he argues, but not with humans. “Cloning is incredibly inefficient, and also dangerous，” he says. Even so, dog cloning is a commercial opportunity, with a nice research payoff. Ever since Dolly the sheep was cloned in 1997, Westhusin’s phone at A&M College of Veterinary Medicine has been ringing busily. Cost is no obstacle for customers like Missy’s mysterious owner, who wishes to remain unknown to protect his privacy. He’s plopped down $3.7 million so far to fund the research because he wants a twin to carry on Missy’s fine qualities after she dies. But he knows her clone may not have her temperament. In a statement of purpose, Missy’s owner and the A&M team say they are “both looking forward to studying the ways that her clone differs from Missy.” The fate of the dog samples will depend on Westhusin’s work. He knows that even if he gets a dog viably pregnant, the offspring, should they survive, will face the problems shown at birth by other cloned animals: abnormalities like immature lungs and heart and weight problems. “Why would you ever want to clone humans，” Westhusin asks, “when we’re not even close to getting it worked out in animals yet？” 1.Which of the following is TRUE about animal cloning? A. Few private cloning companies could afford it. B. Few people have realized its significance. C. An exact copy of a cat or bull can be made. D. It is becoming a prosperous industry. 2.From the passage we can infer that ________. A. Mr. Westhusin is going to clone a dog soon B. scientists are pessimistic about human cloning C. human reproductive system has not been understood D. rich people are only interested in cloning animals 3.Mr. Westhusin seems to believe that cloning ________. A. is stupid and should be abandoned B. has been close to success C. should be taken cautiously D. is now in a dilemma
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| 5. 难度：中等 | |
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Antarctica is the continent which is the most southern area of land on the Earth and is mostly ______ with ice. This is one of the driest and ______ places in the world. But people from all over the world come to ______ there.Near the South Pole, three thousand people live together in a place ______ AmundsenScott Station. The Station ______ libraries, cinemas, shops, sports rooms, canteens and laboratories. There is electricity, and they have telephone — the system ______ they use to have a conversation with someone in ______ place.And they have ______ — electronic machines that store information and use programs to help them find, organize, or change the information. But the people here ______ travel by car, or train or bus, because there aren’t any roads or railways near the Station.They ______ by ship, helicopter, plane, or snow tractor, or ______ dogs. There aren’t ______ trees or flowers there, but there are hundreds of different birds and other ______. Most of the people here are ______.They study plant and animal life and how ice ______.The ice can ______ us about changes in climate. Ray Kingman is an expert at AmundsenScott Station, telling us ______ the phone, “This is my second year here. It’s a very interesting and beautiful place, but life is very ______ in winter. In summer we can go ______ in hot pools of water. We welcome newcomers here for further ______ of the continent！” 1.A. filled B. full C. discovered D. covered 2.A. warm B. coldest C. cool D. hottest 3.A. travel B. settle C. work D. live 4.A. called B. builds C. known D. lived 5.A. exists B. built C. has D. lies 6.A. where B. that C. who D. how 7.A. other B. another C. the another D. the other 8.A. printers B. icons C. mice D. computers 9.A. don’t B. mustn’t C. shouldn’t D. needn’t 10.A. go B. walk C. travel D. run 11.A. with B. instead of C. on D. in front of 12.A. some B. any C. many D. much 13.A. plants B. life C. animals D. things 14.A. teachers B. scientists C. doctors D. workers 15.A. flows B. melts C. freezes D. moves 16.A. show B. tell C. suggest D. say 17.A. in B. with C. by D. on 18.A. pleasant B. easy C. hard D. comfortable 19.A. boating B. swimming C. fishing D. washing 20.A. study B. life C. visit D. climate
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| 6. 难度：中等 | |
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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。 There is much discussion about the necessity of daily homework for students. Some say homework is necessary since only practice 1. (make) perfect, while others disagree. In my opinion, daily homework is necessary for students. However, this might be misleading that one may believe all forms of homework 2.(be) necessary. Actually, only proper amount of homework in proper form is 3. (accept); some homework may not only fail to help the students, but on 4. contrary bore them so much 5. they may lose their interest in studying. “Proper” homework, in my opinion, should vary in its forms, 6. might be some extensive reading, a paper, or even just a game, as well as other ordinary exercise. And it should leave enough 7. (free) to the students so that they could do things they really like to do with selfmotivation, rather than unwillingness. We should always remember that homework is something for us to guide the students, rather than 8. (drive) them. Only if a teacher 9. (keep) this 10. his/her mind, the homework could be of the most help to the students.
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| 7. 难度：中等 | |
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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(\)画掉。 修改：在错的词下画一横线，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。 This morning, when I was walking on the streets, I saw that two travelers were reading a map, looked puzzled. It seemed that they were lost. I went up and asked what I could help them. They told me they are looking for the Temple of Heaven. I led them to nearest bus stop and advised them to take Bus No. 20, who could take them there directly. They were appreciated my help greatly. Short after that, the bus came and we waved goodbye each other. Seeing them on the bus, we felt a kind of satisfaction.
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| 8. 难度：中等 | |
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现在很多学校严禁学生上学带手机，但是仍有许多学生把手机带到学校。请你结合此现象谈谈你的看法，并给校报英语专栏投稿。内容要点如下： 1．简述该现象； 2．谈谈带手机上学的弊端； 3．阐述你的观点。 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
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