One day, a woman from The Express News called. She said she wanted to work on a(n) on me. When she had finished me for the article, she asked, “What are you planning to do next?”
Well, at that , there was actually nothing I was planning on doing next, and what _ out for us was, “I’m thinking about the Guinness Book of World Records for Fastest-Talking Female.”
The newspaper article came out the next day, and the writer had my final remarks(评论)about trying to break the World’s Fastest-Talking Female record. At about 5:00 that afternoon, I got a from Larry King, asking me to go on the . They would me up at 8:00 — because they wanted me to do it that night!
I the phone for a while, and then I called Guinness to find out to break a fast-talking record. They told me I would have to recite something. I began . I was both and excited at the same time.
At 8:00, the car came. I practised the whole way there, and by the time I reached the ___ . I was tongue-tied. I asked the woman in charge, “What I don’t break the record?”
“Larry doesn’t if you break it or not,” she said. ” “He just cares that you try it on his show.” So I asked myself, “What’s the that can happen? I’ll look like a fool on television!” A thing, I told myself, I could live through that. And what if I break the record?
So I decided just to give it my best shot, and I did. I broke the record, becoming the World’s Fastest-Talking Female speaking 585 words in one minute!
1.A. articleB.experimentC. research
2.A. studyingB.interviewingC. calling
3.A. dayB. universityC. time
4.A. providedB. gaveC. took
5.A. settingB. breakingC. playing
6.A. setB. madeC. spoke
7.A. timeB. chanceC. call
8.A. showB. stageC. movie
9.A. bringB. pickC. call
10.A. thought ofB. stared atC.went through
11.A. whatB. whetherC. when
12.A. practicingB. singingC. learning
13.A. horribleB. tiredC. nervous
14.A. studio(演播室)B. theatreC. lab
15.A. unlessB. ifC. though
16.A. wonderB. considerC. care
17.A. bestB. mostC. least
18.A. smallB. niceC. terrible
19.A. readingB. carryingC. thinking
20.A. inB. onC. with
根据汉语意思完成句子。 (每小题1分, 满分15分)
1.有天晚上天气很暖和，我熬到11点半故意不睡觉，为的是独自好好看看月亮。
One evening when it was so warm, I on until half past eleven in order to have a good look at the moon by myself.
2. 后来，在下个世纪英国人开始航海征服了世界其它地区。
Later in the next , people from England made to other parts of the world.
3. 从高中起，我姐姐王薇和我就一直梦想作一次伟大的自行车旅行。
middle school, my sister Wang Wei and I have about taking a great bike trip.
4. 裁判把奖金颁给赢得比赛的自行车选手，并向他祝贺。
The judge gave a and his congratulations to the who won the
5. 我们被置于这样一个境地:要么我们被迫接受低人一等的现实，要么跟政府作斗争。
We were put into a in which we had either to we were less important, or fight the .
Many people turn to doctors or self-help books, but they ignore a powerful thing that could help them fight illness: their friends.
Researchers are only now starting to pay attention to the importance of friendship in health. A 10-year Australian study found that old People with a large circle of friends. A large 2007 study showed an increase of nearly 60 percent in the risk （危险） for obesity （肥胖） among people whose friends gained weight. And last year, Harvard researchers reported that strong social ties could improve brain health as we age.
“In general, the role of friendship in our lives isn’t well realized,” said Rebecca, a professor at the University of North Carolina. “Friendship has a bigger effect on our psychological （心理的） health than family relationships. ”
While many friendship studies are about the close relationships of women, some research shows that it can do good to men too. In a six-year study of 736 middle-aged men, having friendships reduces the risk of heart attack. Only smoking was as important a risk factor （因素） as having little social support.
Exactly why friendship has such a big effect isn’t entirely clear. While friends can send a sick person to the hospital or pick up medicine, the advantages go well beyond physical help. Friendship clearly has a big psychological effect. “People with stronger friendships feel like there is someone they can turn to,” said Karen, a doctor. “The message of these studies is that friends make your life better. ”
1. The three studies in paragraph2 show that .
A. old people need friends the most.
B. friends can help us lose weight.
C. social ties （关系） are connected to health
D. more friends make us healthier.
2.What do underlined sentences in paragraph3 mean?
A. Friendship is more important to women than to men.
B. What people need most is a friend’s care.
C. Friendship is more important than family relationship
D. The value of friendship hasn’t been fully understood.
3.The author mentioned smoking in the text to discuss .
A. the cause of heart attack.
B. the risk of having no friends.
C. smoking is bad for men.
D. friends’ influence on habits.
There are many international organizations which work to save and protect endangered species(物种)and natural environment. If you would like more information about any of the organizations listed below, you can write to the addresses given.
Friends of the Earth(FOE) campaigns on a range of problems including rainforests，the countryside，water and air pollution and energy.
Friends of the Earth International Secretariat P. O. Box 19199 1000 G. D. Amsterdam The Netherlands | Greenpeace uses peaceful but direct action to defend the environment. It campaigns to protect rainforests and sea animals，stop global
warming and end pollution of air，land and seas. It also opposes nuclear(核)power. Greenpeace International Keizergracht 176 1016 DW Amsterdam The Netherlands |
BirdLife International is an organization which works to save endangered birds all over the world. BirdLife International Wellbrook Court Girton Road
Cambridge CB3 ONA England |
WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature is the world's largest private international organization for the protection of nature and endangered species. Information Officer WWF International Avenue du Mont-Blanc 1196 Gland Switzerland |
1. If you want to learn more about the organizations，you can .
A. call them B. write them a letter
C. visit them D. send them an e-mail
2.BirdLife International is an organization trying to .
A. reduce pollution
B. defend rainforests
C. protect ocean animals
D. save endangered birds
3.If you oppose(反对) nuclear power，you can join .
A. Friends of the Earth
B. World Wide Fund For Nature
C. Greenpeace
D. BirdLife International
4.What can we learn about WWF?
A. It helps to protect nature and save endangered animals.
B. It is the world’s largest international organization.
C. It works for private companies and rich people.
D. It is a private organization in the United States.
5.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Environmental Protection Organizations
B. Global Environmental Problems
C. Endangered Animals
D. Friends of the Earth
When the seventeenth-century settlers brought the English language to America, they immediately and necessarily began to adapt (使适应) it to their new environment. These changes were early and criticized by some people on both sides of the Atlantic. However, after the Revolution, Americans began to be proud of their own form of English. Noah Webster was the major early supporter of American meanings and spellings over British ones and published the earliest American dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language. During the years since Webster, language differences have continued to develop, proving (证明) the truth of George Bernard Shaw’s often-repeated words that the two nations are “divided by a common language”.
Like the American language, the earliest American literature (文学) copied English models. However, after the Revolution and the War of 1812, writers began to create a clear American literature. However, in 1820, Sydney Smith asked the famous question “Who reads an American book?”
Answering to this and similar taunts (讽刺) with creative anger, American writers soon produced works that plenty of British people read. Works by Washing-ton Irving, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain had been acclaimed greatly in Britain by the end of the nineteenth century.
Even as American writers got respect in Britain, British writers continued to have great influence in America. Charles Dickens went to America twice, in 1842 and 1867-68. Other major British writers who traveled and lived in the United States include D.H. Lawrence and Aldous Huxley. British best works continue to be widely read. The works of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen became popular films.
At the turn of the twenty-first century, many books and writers continue to cross the Atlantic in both directions — made possible by the proud heritage (继承) of the shared language.
1.The author of this passage seems to think ______.
A. British English is better than American English
B. American English is better than British English
C. the same language has divided the two nations
D. the same language has connected the two nations
2.From the question asked by Sydney Smith, we can infer ______.
A. the British looked down upon American books at first
B. the British found American books difficult to understand
C. the British thought highly of books written by Americans
D. the British had to translate American books into English ones
3.The underlined word “acclaimed” in Paragraph 3 probably means “______”.
A. sold B. discussed
C. welcomed D. refused
4.What made it possible for books and writers to cross the Atlantic in both directions?
A. The War of 1812.
B. The American Revolution.
C. The language differences.
D. The common language.
In America, when the eighth graders leave the middle school, they are often worried about moving to the high school. It is a hard time for them, but it can be an exciting one as well. To make it easier, students need to get familiar with their school.
Even though they’ve done this already in the middle school, it’s still important to find where their classrooms are. Most schools take students to the high school for a visit at the end of their eighth grade year. And, most schools also have a freshman （新生）speech for parents and students before the first year begins. Sometimes the main office will give away a map of the school. This can help students and parents to find different places in the school.
One way to know your high school more and make new friends is to join a club or play a sport. Schools often offer chances to join different clubs and sports. Fall activities begin in August before the first day of school. If you are not interested in sports, there are clubs for any interest, such as drama, dance, chess, photography, community service, etc. These clubs allow students from different grades. By joining an activity, students can find new friendships, not to mention improving their chances in future college applications （申请）. The school office will have a list of activities offered at the school and information on how to join them.
What’s more, to have a great start to a high school year, students can write down some of their worries, and ask for help from teachers and school workers.
1.According to the text, most students feel _______ when entering the high school.
A. excited B. nervous
C. lonely D. disappointed
2.Which of the following is TRUE about the school clubs?
A. There are fewer students from higher grades in the school clubs.
B. The school clubs in high school only welcome sports fans.
C. Summer activities begin before school starts.
D. School officers can help new students join school clubs.
3.When do many schools take students to visit their new high school?
A. Before the eighth grade year starts.
B. Right after the high school year starts.
C. At the beginning of the new term in the high school.
D. At the end of their eighth grade year
4.What is the purpose of this text?
A. To tell the new students how to learn in high school
B. To introduce new schools.
C. To give the teachers some advice.
D. To give advice to new high school students.
