Buckingham Palace is where the Queen lives. It is the Queen’s official and main royal London home.Buckingham Palace was originally a splendid house built by the Duke(公爵) of Buckingham for his wife. George IV began changing it into a palace in 1826. It has been the official London home of Britain’s royal family since 1837. Buckingham Palace is also an office and used for the administrative work of the royal family.
When the Queen is at home you can see her royal flag (the Royal Standard) flying from the flag pole on top of Buckingham Palace.
The flag is divided into four equal parts. The first and fourth parts represent England and contain three gold lions waking on a red field; the second part represents Scotland and contains a red lion standing on a gold field; the third part represents Ireland and contains the gold coat of arms of Ireland on a blue field.
In flag protocol (礼仪), the Royal Standard which must only be flown from buildings where the Queen is present is supreme (至高无上的). It flies above the British Union Flag (the Union Jack ), and other British flags. It never flies at half mast.
The guards of the Palace wear red jackets and tall, furry hats. When the first guards come on duty, there is a ceremony called the Changing of the Guard. A familiar sight at Buckingham Palace is the Changing of the Guard ceremony that takes place in the open space in front of it each morning.
The Palace has around 750 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, 92 offices, a cinema and a swimming pool. It also has its own post office and police station. About 400 people work at the Palace, including servants, chefs, footmen, cleaners, gardeners, electricians, and so on. More than 50,000 people come to the Palace each year as guests to dinners, receptions and Royal Garden Parties.
1. For whom was the original Buckingham Palace built?
A. The Duke of Buckingham.
B. George IV.
C. The Duke of Buckingham’s wife.
D. George IV’s wife.
2. According to the text, the Royal Standard_________.
A. is flown at Buckingham Palace every morning
B. represents the four countries of the UK
C. flies at half mast only on a few occasions
D. flies higher than the British Union Flag
3.When can a visitor see the Changing of the Guard ceremony?
A. Every morning and evening.
B. Every morning.
C. When the Queen’s flag is flying.
D. When a flag is flying at the Palace.
4.What is the last paragraph about?
A. What you can see inside Buckingham Palace.
B. The royal parties at Buckingham Palace.
C. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
D. People living and working at Buckingham Palace.
I clearly remember the day when my little brother was born: January 1, 1994. One of my favorite family photos shows me lying with my mother in the hospital bed, happy but un-aware of the small, sleeping baby in the background.
I stayed with my grandparents for the weekend of my brother’s birth, excited about my new brother but not yet aware of what having a little brother would mean. I didn’t truly realize what was going on until we were in the hospital room at Duke University----
coincidentally (碰巧地), the same room in which I had been born two years earlier.
When I looked at my brother for the first time, I felt a mixture of fear and interest. Little did know that small, pink creature would grow up to be one of my favorite people in the world.
In reality, though I am two years older than my brother, I am more often than not the real baby in the family. I am very lacking when it comes to common sense. Instructions constantly confuse me and I frequently find myself totally puzzled by things like knowing how to start the washing machine or manage the storage settings on my iPhone.
That’s where Gibson comes in. The poor kid has had to guide me through more tasks than I would care to admit, but he never complains. Though I should probably be told to figure it out myself, he always comes through.
I’m envious of his ability to readily answer the ever-present, “What do you want to do with your life?” question at family gatherings. “Be a doctor,” he says----a solid answer, completely opposite to my shaky one, “Well, I’m an English major, so...”
My brother truly is my best friend. No one understands me better, and there isn’t anyone else I would want to be stuck with in our family. I may not have a clear idea of where I’m headed, but he is stuck with me.
1.How did the author feel when he saw his brother for the first time?
A. Angry and sad.
B. Excited and moved.
C. Curious and scared.
D. Happy and interested.
2.What does the underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph mean?
A. My brother is the real baby in the family.
B. In fact, I seem to be less mature than my little brother.
C. My brother gets more love from the family than I do.
D. I am growing more slowly than my brother.
3.What does the brother often help the author do?
A. Help him deal with many daily tasks.
B. Help him with his studies.
C. Give him advice on how to choose a major.
D. Comfort him when he is in a bad mood.
4.What is the best title for this text?
A. My Strange Family Gatherings
B. The Real Baby in the Family
C. Stuck with Me----My Not-So-Little Little Brother
D. The Feeling of Having a Brother
作为一名高三学生的你，明年即将毕业。现在校报征稿，请根据以下要点写一篇英语短文，谈谈你对高三生活的体会和建议。
1. 对老师与家长的关爱表示感谢；
2. 向与自己发生过矛盾的同学表达歉意；
3. 努力学习，实现人生梦想；
4. 对学弟、学妹的建议。
注意：
1. 可适当加入细节，使行文连贯；
2. 词数：100 左右（开头已给出，不计入总字数）。
High school is always considered as the most cherished period of one’s life. As a Senior 3 student, it won’t be long before I graduate. ___________________________________________________________
短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
I took a trip to a big lake in Indonesia with my family two years before. It was really huge lake with beautiful scenery all around. People were amazed by the endless view in front of our eye. Later on, unlike other girls, I was volunteered to go waterskiing alone. I took on the life jacket, got off the motorboat immediately and started my engine as soon as possibly.
The lake seemed broad and endless. I was so exciting to appreciate the beauty of the mountains and waters that I speed my motorboat. Then, after some time, I found me in the middle of the endless lake. I really enjoyed the unforgettable experience!
Time flies! This is ＿1.＿ third year that I have been in this school. In the past two and a half years, our school _2._(organize) many activities. What impressed me __3.__ (much) was an activity _4.__ (call) “Learning to Farm”. On an autumn afternoon, we _5. (send) to a farm _6.___ we learnt to plant potatoes. ___7.__ (be) in the city for such a long time, we were so happy to go to the countryside. After _8.__ (divide) into three groups, we started to work. Some students cut potatoes _9._ pieces, some dug holes, and the others put the pieces of potatoes into the holes, put the earth back and pushed 10.__down hard.
A few days ago I was sitting in a Thai restaurant enjoying a meal when I got on a phone call from a friend I hadn’t spoken to for a long time. In my enthusiasm and_ __ I talked slightly louder than usual voice and in Spanish, my mother tongue.
A few minutes into the_ ___, the lady sitting at the table beside mine got up, seemingly__ ___, and asked the restaurant staff to relocate her to a table as far away as possible from the man who wouldn’t __ ___his phone.
I sank in my seat out of __ ___. I ended the call soon afterwards and felt the urge to go over and _ ___. Before getting up I looked around to see where she was and she was, _ ___, at the table furthest away from me.
I noticed that the lady was__ ____ and staring out of the window. I __ ___ a tinge(气息) of sadness——perhaps a desire for aloneness and peace. But I had__ ___ destroyed it minutes earlier.
Right then I __ ___ my plans for a conventional apologetic gesture. Seeing the Smile Cards in my wallet I took one out. On signing my restaurant bill I asked my server to __ ____charge the lady’s meal to my credit card and hand her the Smile Card instead of her bill.
Did she take it the wrong way, I __ ___? Did she get confused? Did she refuse the anonymous__ ___? And so on. I just waited and felt nervous to learn the __ ____.To my pleasant surprise, things__ ____ to be the best possible way.
The waiter approached me in a stream of _ ___, telling me, “In many times she had __ ___there before, but we had never seen the old lady smile as she did upon __ ___the Smile Card and the $0check. She thanked me even though I __ ___ that someone else did the job.”
1.A. anger B. sorrow C. nervousness D. excitement
2.A. call B. restaurant C. discussion D. interview
3.A. informed B. cheered C. offended D. separated
4.A. get off B. get on C. get through D. get over
5.A. enthusiasm B. embarrassment C. disappointment D. satisfaction
6.A. donate B. cooperate C. apologize D. exchange
7.A. instead B. indeed C. again D. also
8.A. moved B. thankful C. proud D. alone
9.A. arranged B. ignored C. broke D. detected
10.A. obviously B. naturally C. pleasantly D. purposefully
11.A. prepared B. abandoned C. suggested D. enjoyed
12.A. partly B. eventually C. secretly D. formally
13.A. wondered B. discouraged C. expected D. continued
14.A. service B. point C. advice D. offer
15.A. approach B. outcome C. difference D. reason
16.A. turned out B. put out C. took out D. made out
17.A. pity B. doubt C. joy D. sorrow
18.A. quarreled B. worked C. smiled D. dined
19.A. selling B. receiving C. making D. wrapping
20.A. explained B. suspected C. argued D. complained
