One of my neighbors used to have a beautiful tree in her front yard. Her dad had planted it for her when it was nothing more than a twig and several years later it started to shoot towards the sky with amazing speed. Soon it blessed her with cooling shade in the summer and glorious, golden leaves in the fall.
When the two-day snowstorm struck our town, heavy snow fell on the tree’s branches that were still full of leaves. The weight split that lovely tree down the middle. It was so sad seeing half of it laying on the ground after the storm. When I talked to my neighbor later, she said that the damage had been too much and that the entire tree would have to be cut down. Thankfully she had saved a few saplings(树苗) from it that she hoped to replant in the future.
Still, it was a shock to drive by her house the other day and see nothing but a stump in her front yard. I missed that tree. I missed its beauty, its leaves shinning in the afternoon sun. I missed seeing its limbs reach towards the heavens. I thought that the stump would be a sad reminder of its loss for a long time to come. My wonderful neighbor, though, had another plan. When I drove by her home today I saw a tiny bird feeder sitting on that stump and a colorful songbird having its dinner. It was such an affirmation of life. It was such a joy to see. I could feel my heart smile.
Life by its very nature is a mixed bag. It hands us both beauty and tragedy, love and loss, pleasure and pain. What we do with it, however, is up to us. We can let it split us in two, or we can use even its hardest times to make our souls stronger and our hearts more loving. We can spend it complaining or we can use it to help others.
1.We know from the first paragraph that _____．
A. the tree grew very slowly.
B. the tree showed its beauty and benefits.
C. the author’s neighbor was good at planting trees.
D. the tree was so strong that it could bear any weight.
2.The author’s neighbor left a stump in her front yard to use it as_____.
A. a good reminder.
B. a seat after dinner.
C. a place to feed birds.
D. a beautiful sculpture.
3.What does the author mainly want to show in the passage?
A. Life has beauty and tragedy.
B. Life consists of pain and suffering.
C. Life should be pleasant rather than painful.
D. Life is determined by our attitude towards it.
假定你是李华，现就读于光明中学高二年级。目前你的学习出现了问题。面对即将到来的重要考试，你很紧张，出现一些焦虑症状（头晕、睡眠不好等）。请你用英语向某英文报编辑写一封信，希望得到帮助。
注意：1. 词数：100字左右。开头和结尾已给出，不计入词数；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 参考词汇：头晕—dizzy(adj.)
Dear editor,
I am Li Hua of Senior Two, Guangming Middle School. ____________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.
_______________________________________________________________________.
_______________________________________________________________________.
Yours,
Li Hua
短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
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。每次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。
I almost didn’t wake up in time for school this morning. I stayed up late last night, prepare my lessons. The alarm clock does go off, but I didn’t hear them because I was too tired.
It was already 7 o’clock when I opened my eye. The first thing I was aware was that I would be late. Terrified, I ran to school and without having breakfast. I didn’t want to be criticized by the teacher, nor I want to be laughed at by my classmates. Lucky, I rushed into the classroom in the last minute. We had a test today, for that I was well-prepared and it was so easy a exam that I got high marks. What an exciting experience!
Americans are proud of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of 1. elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular there?
Among the arguments for uniforms is that most uniforms look more 2. (profession) than civilian (百姓的) clothes. People expect superior quality from a man 3. wears a uniform. The television repairman wearing a uniform tends 4. (inspire) more trust. Faith 5. the skill of a garage worker is increased by a uniform. Uniforms also have many practical 6. (benefit). They save on other clothes and laundry bills. They are often 7. (comfortable) than civilian clothes.
Among the arguments against uniforms 8. (be) their lack of variety and the loss of individuality. 9. there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change. When people look alike, they will think, speak, and act 10. (similar).
It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification. It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas. He didn’t hate the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects. Knowing this, one year I to reach for something special just for Mike. The came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, attended a wrestling match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church shortly Christmas. These youngsters’ sneakers were in and the shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them , compared to our boys’ gold uniforms and shoes. I was even shocked to find they had no helmets.
Mike, seated beside me, his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing could take their dreams away.” That’s when the idea for his came.
That afternoon, I went to a local sports store and bought some wrestling helmets and and sent them anonymously（匿名地） to the inner-city . On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year.
For each Christmas, I the tradition. The envelope became the most exciting part of our Christmas. It was always the thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their unwrapped (打开的) new toys, would stand with wide-eyed as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to exhibit its .
As the children grew, the toys more practical presents, but the envelope lost its temptation. The story doesn’t end there.
We lost Mike due to cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was in . But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, three more it. Each of our , had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand further with our grandchildren standing around the tree as their fathers take down the envelope with expectation. Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.
1.A. decidedB. urgedC. struggledD. declared
2.A. storyB. ChristmasC. inspirationD. affection
3.A. afterB. beforeC. duringD. on
4.A. ruinsB. stylesC. chainsD. rags
5.A. apartB. foreverC. togetherD. around
6.A. noddedB. shookC. wavedD. turned
7.A. wordB. noteC. envelopD. present
8.A. shoesB. shoestringsC. giftsD. sports
9.A. houseB. schoolC. churchD. store
10.A. insideB. outsideC. betweenD. nearby
11.A. refusedB. imaginedC. followedD. missed
12.A. bestB. firstC. worstD. last
13.A. comfortB. patienceC. satisfactionD. expectation
14.A. conceptsB. contentsC. shadowsD. shapes
15.A. gave way toB. keep up withC. get away withD. fit in with
16.A. onceB. neverC. everD. seldom
17.A. angerB. shockC. sadnessD. annoyance
18.A. attendedB. enteredC. placedD. joined
19.A. grandchildrenB. childrenC. friendsD. relatives
20.A. watchingB. singingC. smilingD. crying
The word addiction usually makes you think of alcohol or drugs. 1. Some people are compulsive (难以自制的) shoppers. Others find it impossible to pull themselves away from their work. Still others spend countless hours watching TV or playing computer games.
2. Many people enjoy going to markets or stores more and more every day, but it’s more than a common hobby for some of them. They have turned into shopaholics. They are people who simply enjoy shopping and walking around spending money without being able to stop doing it. They are so interested in shopping that they usually buy things they don’t need. Even though they don’t have enough money, they buy everything they want.
The question is why they have this addiction. There isn’t a specific answer. Some people go shopping when they are sad, worried, upset or lonely. 3. Shopaholics say that they feel more important and better after they buy something. They also tend to have this addiction when they feel guilty.
4. Some of them can be psychological. If this is the case, people addicted to shopping should go to a support group to help them break this habit. However, the process, like for most addictions, is long, and they suffer a lot. It can also cause financial problems. They just think about satisfying their feelings, so they spend money they don’ t have. 5.
A. Once you are addicted to alcohol or drugs, it is difficult to get rid of.
B. Over the years, shopping has become a very common activity.
C. They use this activity as a way to forget their problems.
D. However, in modern-day society we are seeing some new kinds of addictions.
E. People addicted to computer games consider the games as great ways to amuse themselves.
F. They get deep in debt, and can even go bankrupt (破产) and get sent to prison.
G. Shopaholism seems to be a harmless addiction, but it can bring out problems.
