I am an English dictionary. I can still remember the day my ex-owner bought me. He had stood in front of the shelf for around half an hour before finally picking me. Originally, he chose my neighbor. But because she had some ink on the cover, he put her down and chose me instead.
I may sound arrogant (傲慢的) . But please forgive me. I am so proud of my vocabulary. With 100,000 entries and 300,000 examples, I think no scholar can be more knowledgeable than me. My only weakness is that I can’t speak. But that is not my fault. I was not designed to speak in the first place. My ex-owner was supposed to read the phonetic symbols (音标) clearly printed beside each word, which were also my selling point. I should have been respected but have ended up lying next to a piece of used toilet paper inside the rubbish bin.
It is all because of the electronic dictionary. He is the bad guy because he takes advantage of my one weakness. And I just don’t understand why he can be so slim. He also has about 100,000entries but 450,000 examples! But I know this was not the reason why my ex-owner was attracted, for he was not a very diligent (勤奋的) student and seldom read the examples listed. The main reason was that the bad guy had so many games in him. My ex-owner always pretended to be working hard while actually he was playing games.
My ex-owner put me on his bookshelf because of my awesome English name “Advanced English Dictionary”. He wanted people to think that he was an advanced learner. I wanted to tell him that it would be better if he hid the comic books standing next to me. But, you know, I can’t speak. I stood there for years. I was so bored. So I talked to the comic book next to me. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have talked to him because I was educated and he was not. But who else could I choose? He told me that my ex-owner had read him once only and then put him there. I was upset because he had never read me from page one to page 1,000. Was I not a better book than the comic book? I wanted to challenge his honesty but before I did so, he was thrown away.
I give up. My pages are absorbing waste water. There is no way people will use me again. Suddenly, I want to talk to the comic book. Would he talk to me if we met?
1.Why does the dictionary think that the electronic dictionary is the “bad guy”?
A. I t contains more words and examples.
B. It can actually pronounce the words.
C. It has a smaller size.
D. It has many games.
2.The dictionary thinks that its ex-owner put it on the bookshelf because he ______.
A. thought that it could match the comic books
B. wanted his friends to study English
C. just wanted to show off
D. had to use it sometimes
3.What was the dictionary’s attitude toward the comic book standing next to it?
A. It wanted to make friends with him.
B. It respected him.
C. It envied him.
D. It hated him.
4.Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A. A Dictionary Is Replaced with an Electronic One
B. Students Seldom Use Dictionaries
C. A Dictionary and a Comic Book
D. The Experience of a Dictionary
Taj Mahal, Agra, India
As many as 28 different varieties of precious stones were used to decorate the outside of the Taj Mahal. Construction took around 20 years. The building, which was made from white marble from the quarries(采石场) of Rajasthan, appears pink in the morning, white in the day and golden in the moonlight.
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Akashi Strait, Japan
It took 10 years to construct the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. It connects the city of Kobe, on Japan’s mainland, with Iwaya on Awaji Island. Before it opened, the only way to get between the two cities was by ferry. However, the waterway was at the mercy of severe storms and when two ferries overturned in 1955, killing 168 people, public anger convinced the government of the need for a bridge. It's the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a length of 1,991 meters.
Panama Canal, Panama
More than 4. 5 million cubic yards of concrete were used in the construction of this canal’s locks and dams. The Panama Canal is a 47-mile long waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The earth and rubble dug to make way for it was enough to bury Manhattan to a depth of four meters. A series of locks allows ships to pass through the water. Each lock door weighs 750 tons and each lock fills with 52 million gallons of water to accommodate the 15,000 ships that use the canal every year.
Grand Canyon Skywalk, Arizona
The Skywalk’s foundation is strong enough to support 71 million pounds , Located 1,219 meters above the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon's Sky Walk consists of one million pounds of steel and 83,000 pounds of glass. It was the creation of Las Vegas businessman David Jin, who approached the Hualapai Tribe with the idea of a glass walkway over the Grand Canyon in 1996. The Sky walk was assembled on site.
1.The Japanese government decided to build the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge ___________
A. in the year of 1955
B. following public opinion
C. to show its national power
D. to develop Japan’s economy
2.The Grand Canyon Skywalk is probably a real challenge for those who __________
A. are airsick
B. hate rock climbing
C. have a fear of height
D. feel ill traveling in boat
3.In which section of a book can the text probably be seen?
A. Science B. Agriculture C. Technology D. Geography
书面表达
假如你是学生会主席李华，代表学生会向你校积极参加第十四届广东省运动会（the 14th Games of Guangdong Province）的志愿者同学写一封公开的感谢信，要点包括：
1. 表达感谢；
2. 简述志愿者的付出（时间、精力等）；
3. 赞扬志愿者精神。
注意： 1.词数在100左右。 2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear boys and girls,
Students’ Union
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11处起）不计分。
Today, my foreign teacher Tim and I went to the People’s park together. We take a taxi and it wasn’t long before we arrived at the park. On seeing the green trees and beautiful flower, Tim couldn’t wait for to take pictures. It was at that moment when we found his camera was missing. He was very worried but searched all over his backpack. Sadly, he just couldn’t find it. Suddenly it struck me that he might have left it in the taxi. So I immediately got touch with the taxi company. About half an hour later, the driver returned a camera. Both of us were gratefully to the driver, and Tim, in particular, insisted on have a photo taken with him. Tim and I enjoyed themselves during the rest of the day.
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。
When I was in elementary school, I always argued with a boy in my class. I have forgotten what the ___1.___ (argue) was about, but I have never forgotten the lesson I learnt that day.
I was convinced that “I” was right and “he” was wrong but he argued that “I” was wrong and “he” was right. The teacher decided to teach us ___2._ very important lesson. She__3.__ (bring) us up to the front of the class and placed the boy on the side of her desk and me on the other. In the middle of her desk, there was a large ___4.___ round object. She asked the boy what color the object was. “White”, he answered. I couldn’t believe ___5.___he said, because it was ___6.__ (obvious) black! Another conflict started __7.__ him and me, but this time it was about color of the object. The teacher told me to stand in the place ___8.__the boy had been standing. We changed the place and now she asked me what the color of the object was. I had to answer, “White”. It was an object with two differently colored sides. From __9.__viewpoint it was white, but from my side it was black. Sometimes__10.__ (look) at a problem from the other person’s view, we will come to a totally different conclusion.
完形填空
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A, B, C, D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
“Paul must have been trying to carry his waste paper to garbage can and dropped a few pieces.” I , picking them up. later I found more pieces. No quiet sighing this time. I ,“Who is throwing garbage?” No answer. Instead, I saw more bits of paper floating down from upstairs. Looking up, I saw my seven-year-old son, Paul.
“Stop making a mess.” “It’s not a mess. They’re .” “Sorry, what did you say?” I hadn’t heard him clearly.
He didn’t answer me. Paul has autism (自闭症) and answers a question, especially when he’s ________ attentively on something else. He ran down the stairs. “Where are my other butterflies?” he asked, ________ around. Every time Paul five or more words together, my heart says a ________ of thanks. But lately he seems to ________ that the benefits of forming complete sentences when communicating are ________ of the effort.
Butterflies. Of course. I rushed to ________ them from the garbage, ________ them off and handed them to my young artist. “Want to see them ________ again?” he asked with a shy smile. “Oh yes! They’re beautiful.” I whispered. He ran back upstairs to float his ________ down again. They really did look like beautiful butterflies.
That day Paul ________ me to look up at ________ instead of down at garbage. How many other masterpieces (杰作) do I miss because I’m too caught up in my ________ to take time to appreciate what’s right in front of me? ________ is not what happens to us. It’s how we look at it. Now, I look up.
1.A. laughed B. sighed C. amazed D. shouted
2.A. Days B. Years C. Moments D. Weeks
3.A. called out B. turned up C. got in D. added to
4.A. angrily B. silently C. loudly D. peacefully
5.A. planes B. papers C. leaves D. butterflies
6.A. rarely B. frequently C. willingly D. eagerly
7.A. devoted B. depended C. focused D. addicted
8.A. showing B. looking C. playing D. drawing
9.A. spells B. puts C. pushes D. accumulates
10.A. sound B. remark C. report D. prayer
11.A. refuse B. hear C. mind D. realize
12.A. worthy B. aware C. fond D. typical
13.A. hide B. destroy C. rescue D. remove
14.A. tore B. dusted C. cut D. seized
15.A. throw B. flow C. land D. fly
16.A. masterpieces B. schoolwork C. inventions D. imagination
17.A. reminded B. forced C. intended D. permitted
18.A. mistakes B. weaknesses C. beauty D. scenery
19.A. amusement B. housework C. communication D. homework
20.A. Happiness B. Failure C. Success D. Life
