If you had a strange sound in your ear, what would you do? One man in Wales who thought he had a fly in his ear called 999, the emergency services number in Britain. And so did a woman who was worried about her green potatoes. Could she make chips with them? Were they poisonous? She didn’t hesitate about calling the local ambulance service to ask. According to a recent report, more than 31,000 non-urgent calls were made to the Welsh Ambulance Service in the last year.
Inappropriate calls are a headache for health professionals everywhere. In the US, prank calls to 911 happen on a daily basis. Many callers use apps which hide their identity. But those who try to be funny shouldn’t be surprised if the police have the last laugh. One man from Colorado was arrested for making more than 1,200 prank calls, according to a report on the US television station KOAA—TV.
People who take these calls are trained to stay calm and keep a straight face, no matter how strange the call sounds. “There’s no way for us to know whether the call is real, accidental or a prank call,” said a public safety worker interviewed by the American TV channel.
The Head of Clinical Services at the Welsh Ambulance Service, Richard Lee, has a warning for prank callers. He says:“ When people misuse the service it means our precious time is being taken away from someone who really does need our help.” Indeed, these hotlines are supposed to help the seriously ill or those with a life-threatening injury. You never know, one day, the person who needs assistance could be you or someone in your family.
1.How does the author introduce the topic of the text?
A. By giving examples. B. By telling a story.
C. By listing figures. D. By making a comparison.
2.According to the text, prank calls are usually________.
A. meant to be helpful B. dealt with in time
C. thought highly of D. made to play tricks
3.What does the underlined phrase “have the last laugh” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A. win at last. B. never find them.
C. laugh at them. D. know nothing.
4.What does the author intend to suggest in the text?
A. Prank calls are usually easy to identify.
B. Operators feel annoyed by strange callers.
C. Prank calls may cause serious results.
D. Prank callers should be punished by law.
Britons may like to complain a lot, but they rarely do so right now, explains BBC writer Ruth Margolis. They would rather grumble (发牢骚) afterward. This is because Britons hate to put someone out and cause any embarrassment. Margolis writes, “For instance, I’m much more comfortable just leaving that piece of raw chicken on my plate instead of complaining to restaurant staff. But beware: if this kind of thing happens when you’re dining with an American, they will most likely speak up on your behalf and not understand why you find this ashamed.”
In a BBC blog post comparing cultural differences between the UK and the US, Margolis mentions a few other things that Americans like to do that are offensive to Britons.
● Not making introductions
Margolis says most Britons dislike this approach because “talking to strangers without being introduced gives them a stomachache”. Americans rarely introduce a new friend to their friends at parties. Strangers are supposed to introduce themselves.
● “Quite” good
Using “quite” to mean “very” happens a lot in the US. But if you are invited to a dinner party in Britain, don't describe the meal as “quite good” if you want to express high praise. To Britons’ ears, “quite” detracts from the “good”: the meal was OK but could have been better.
● Money Talk
Americans can talk about money subjects for hours without feeling uncomfortable. For Britons, says Margolis, “Talking about how much we make is unthinkable — even 1ess so than discussing our feelings.”
● Over-politeness
“It’s not that I want shop assistants to be actively rude. But neither do I want to expend energy responding to someone who's been paid to ask: ‘How are you today?’” says Margolis. In the US, it is not unusual to be greeted by a perfect stranger as “honey” or “sweetie”. But Margolis says Britons find put-on friendliness, especially in stores, deeply irritating.
1.Margolis’ dining experience in Paragraph 1 shows that_______.
A. Britons are particular about foods
B. Britons are not good at complaining
C. Americans usually complain directly
D. Americans complain more than Britons
2.Which of the following might Margolis agree with?
A. Britons enjoy talking about their feelings.
B. Americans introduce themselves at parties.
C. Americans dislike talking to strangers at parties.
D. Britons feel happy if treated like close friends.
3.The underlined phrase “detracts from” in the text probably means ____.
A. differs greatly from B. increases the quality of
C. reduces the strength of D. draws attention away from
4.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. How to get on well with westerners.
B. How to start conversations with Britons.
C. Ruth Margolis’ tips on public behavior.
D. Some American habits that annoy Britons.
China is a land of bicycles．At least it was back in 1992 when I traveled the country．Back then everyone seemed to be riding a bicycle．Millions of them，all black．Cars were rare．Yet since my arrival in Beijing last year, I’ve found the opposite is true．There are millions of cars．However, people still use their bicycles to get around．For many, it's the easiest and cheapest way to travel today．Bicycles also come in different colors—silver, green, red, blue，yellow, whatever you want．
It’s fun people biking．They rush quickly through crossroads, move skillfully through traffic，and ride even on sidewalks．Bicycles allow people the freedom to move about that cars just can’t provide．
Eager to be part of this aspect of Chinese culture，I decided to buy a bicycle．Great weather accompanied my great buy．I immediately jumped up on my bicycle seat and started home．
My first ride home was orderly．To be safe, I stayed with a“pack”of bikers while cars on the streets came running swiftly out of nowhere at times．I didn't want to get hit．So I took the ride carefully．
Crossing the streets was the biggest problem. It was a lot like crossing a major highway back in the United States．The streets here were wide，so crossing took time，skill and a little bit of luck．
I finally made it home．The feeling on the bicycle was amazing. The air hitting my face and going through my hair was wonderful．I was sitting on top of the world as I passed by places and people．Biking made me feel alive．
1.According to the author, why are bicycles still popular in China today?
A. Because they are traditional and safe．
B. Because they are convenient and inexpensive．
C. Because they are colorful and available．
D. Because they are fast and environment friendly．
2.How did the author feel about his street crossing?
A. It was boring． B. It was difficult．
C. It was lively． D. It was wonderful．
3.Which of the following best describes the author’s biking experience?
A. The author enjoyed showing off his biking skills．
B. The author was annoyed by the air while riding．
C. The author was praised by the other bikers．
D. The author took great pleasure in biking．
假设你是李华。为了促进学生多读书，读好书，打造校园书香氛围，你校发起读书运动。请你按照以下要点写一篇倡议书，倡导同学们读书。
表达要点：1. 为什么读书 2. 读什么书, 怎样读书 3. 发起倡议
注意：可适当增加细节使行文连贯。字数110左右。开头已经为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear schoolmates,
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
短文改错
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：在错的词下划一横线，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（从第十一处起）不计分。
You may have returned the book late to the library before. It is normal to pay a small fine, but how many would you have to pay if the book was returned 65 years late ?
This is a problem what John R. Rogers High School in Washington, US had to deal with recently. A copy of Gone With the Wind that was 65 years overdue was finally returned back to its library. However, the school said on December 2nd that it would not charge late fees of the book, which would have added up about $475 (2941 yuan).
The long-overdue book is checked out of the library of the high school in 1949, and seemed to disappearing until it was found in Maine, US, by Wayne Hachey. He found the book in his father’s basement and then offered to send it back to the school. “We are delightful to have the book back, but we wonder how it has been,” Lori Wyborney, principal of the school, said.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Waiting for a bus can be very 1. (annoy). Often you 2. (be) at the bus stop for half an hour, and the bus still hasn’t come. 3. , people in Zhongshan, Guangdong don’t have to suffer this. It’s all because of a mobile APP, Zhongshan Real-time Buses. With the APP, people can find out the exact time a bus arrives and set an alarm to remind 4. to go to the bus stop in time.
Five Senior 1 students make the APP possible. At first, they just wanted to add or change bus lines to help make it 5. (easy) for students at their school to take buses. But later, they wanted to make something that is 6. (benefit) to all the people of Zhongshan. 7. (get) technical support, the team turned to the local public transportation group company. They carried out three surveys by collecting questionnaires 8. are completed by about 600 people in shopping malls and bus stops. “The work took___9.___almost all of our spare time for four months,” said Su Yinan, 16.
On Feb 25, Zhongshan Real-time Buses was born. It now covers over 100 bus lines in the city and has been downloaded more than 60,000 times. The project won the first place on the Fifth National High School Students Leadership Convention this summer.
“We are very happy that Zhongshan people are using the results of our efforts,”said Chen, “Students can also make a big difference 10. society.”
