阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Are you facing a situation that looks impossible to fix?
In 1969, the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland, Ohio. It 1. (be) unimaginable that it could ever be cleaned up. The river was so polluted that it 2. (actual) caught fire and burned. Now, years later, this river is one of 3. most outstanding examples of environmental cleanup.
But the river wasn’t changed in a few days 4. even a few months. It took years of work 5. (reduce) the industrial pollution and clean the water. Finally, that hard work paid off and now the water in the river is 6. (clean) than ever.
Maybe you are facing an impossible situation. Maybe you have a habit 7. is driving your family crazy. Possibly you drink too much or don’t know how to control your credit card use. When you face such an impossible situation, don’t you want a quick fix and something to change immediately?
While there are 8. (amaze) stories of instant transformation, for most of us the 9. (change) are gradual and require a lot of effort and work, like cleaning up a polluted river. Just be 10. (patience).
完形填空
阅读下面短文， 从短文后各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出适合填入对应空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
I often read of incidents of misunderstanding or conflict. I'm left_________ . Why do these people create mistrust and problems, especially with those from other _________ ?
I was growing up in Kuala Lumpur in the early 1960s, _________ children from different races and religions played and studied_________ in harmony. At that time my family lived a stone's 35 from Ismail's. And no one was bothered that Ismail was a Malay Muslim and I was an Indian Hindu—we just_________ our differences. Perhaps，our elders had not filled our heads with unnecessary advice, well_________ or otherwise.
We were nine when we became friends. During the school holidays, we 'd _________ the countryside on our bicycles，hoping to _________ the unexpected. At times Ismail would accompany my family as we made a rare shopping trip to town. We would be glad of his _________ .
When I was twelve, my family moved to Johor. Ismail's family later returned to their village, and I _________ touch with him.
One spring afternoon in 1983, I stopped a taxi in Kuala Lumpur. I _________ my destination. The driver acknowledged my _________ but did not move off. Instead, he looked _________ at me. “Raddar?" he said, using my childhood nickname (绰号).I was astonished at being so _________ addressed (称呼).Unexpectedly! It was Ismail! Even after two _________ we still recognized each other. Grasping his shoulder, I felt a true affection, something _________ to describe.
If we can allow our children to be _________ without prejudice, they'll build friendships with people，regardless of race or religion, who will be _________ their side through thick and thin. On such friendships are societies built and _________ we can truly be, as William Shakespeare once wrote, “We happy few. We band of brothers".
1.A.interested B. pleased C. puzzled D. excited
2.A.parties B. cities C. villages D. races
3.A.why B. which C. how D. when
4.A. together B. around C. alone D. apart
5.A. drop B. throw C. move D. roll
6.A. refused B. made C. sought D. accepted
7.A. paid B. meant C. preserved D. treated
8.A. explore B. search C. discover D. desert
9.A. get through B. deal with C. come across D. take away
10.A. arrival B. choice C. effort D. company
11.A. lost B. gained C. developed D. missed
12.A. stated B. ordered C. decided D. chose
13.A. attempts B. instructions C. opinions D. arrangements
14.A. anxiously B. carelessly C. disappointedly D. fixedly
15.A. familiarly B. strangely C. fully D. coldly
16.A. departures B. months C. years D. decades
17.A. possible B. funny C. hard D. clear
18.A. them B. themselves C. us D. ourselves
19.A. from B.by C. with D. against
20.A. still B. otherwise C. then D. instead
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。
The jobs of the future have not yet been invented. 1. By helping them develop classic skills that will serve them well no matter what the future holds.
1. Curiosity
Your children need to be deeply curious. 2. Ask kids, “What ingredients (配料)can we add to make these pancakes even better next time?” and then try them out. Did those ingredients make the pancakes better? What could we try next time?
2. Creativity
True creativity is the ability to take something existing and create something new from it. 3.
There are a dozen different things you can do with them. Experimenting with materials to create something new can go a long way in helping them develop their creativity.
3. Personal skills
Understanding how others feel can be a challenge for kids. We know what’s going on inside our own head, but what about others? Being able to read people helps kid from misreading a situation and jumping to false conclusions. 4. “Why do you think she’s crying?” “Can you tell how that man is feeling by looking at his face?” “If someone were to do that to you, how would you feel?”
4. Self Expression
5. There are many ways to express thoughts and ideas ---- music, acting, drawing, building, photography. You may find that your child is attracted by one more than another.
A. Encourage kids to cook with you.
B. And we can’t forget science education.
C. We can give kids chances to think about materials in new ways.
D. We can do this in real life or ask questions about characters in stories.
E. Gardening is another great activity for helping kids develop this skill.
F. So how can we help our kids prepare for jobs that don’t yet exist?
G. Being able to communicate ideas in a meaningful way is a valuable skill.
Holidays are really important. Many of us will have childhood memories of summer holidays where we were taken away from home to experience new environments and learn in different ways.
But holidays are expensive and, for those on low wages or living on benefits，they are often unobtainable. Even the cheapest holidays require travel and other additional costs that are difficult for many families to meet.
For working parents，the long summer break can be a very difficult problem for childcare. When an annual leave allowance amounts to only five weeks，there is a need to spread this across the year. Couples can find themselves taking leave in turn in order to care for children who are on holiday. For some，this makes even an affordable family holiday difficult.
The schools that I visit in Nottingham are full of experienced staff committed to giving our children a caring and inspiring learning environment. The number of children receiving free school meals is quite large in Nottingham and many schools have breakfast clubs to make sure that children get a healthy start to the day. Most schools undertake programs of group or individual educational support. Schools also have an important role in safeguarding children’s welfare through the ongoing touch and support with their pupils. During the long summer holidays，much of this is missed.
While teachers are holidaying in the UK, many of their pupils spend the whole six weeks on the street where they live. The lack of free school meals for six weeks can result in pressure on a family budget and an inability to afford the inspiring experiences that help children to continue their learning.
In setting out its plans for a five-term year, Nottingham City Council (委员会）is seeking to reduce the summer holiday down to four and a half weeks, with a. more balanced five terms of roughly eight weeks, each followed by a two-week break. We believe this will give real “down time" for school staff and pupils alike but will be short enough not to cause a real break in learning.
We acknowledge that this change may be difficult for some school staff, particularly whose own children are educated in other authorities. However, this must be weighed against the benefits for city children for whom we all have the greatest duty of care.
1.The passage is probably written by _____.
A. an experienced teacher B. a working parent
C. an inspired student D. a city council member
2.The underlined word “they" in the second paragraph refers to “____”.
A. environments B. holidays C. wages D. benefits
3.It is suggested in the passage that the summer break be reduced to _____.
A. 2 weeks B. 4.5 weeks C. 5 weeks D. 6 weeks
4.The plans for a shorter summer holiday will help students _____.
A. obtain the cheapest holidays without additional costs
B. get a chance to spend, six weeks a term with teachers in school
C. benefit more from the caring and inspiring learning environment
D. have more school days to receive free school meals
5.It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
A. working parents can enjoy a five-week break to care for their children
B. the suggested plans for a five-term school year can hardly be carried out
C. the long summer holiday gives teachers and students real “ down time"
D. some school staff will say “ No" to the plans for a shorter summer holiday
Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.
AVOID BIG EVENTS Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost £169.15 at Booking.com. A week later, the same room cost £118.15.
If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid—or you’re looking for a big event to pass your time—check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.
STAYAWAY FROM THE STATION If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.
Don’t be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge’s Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was £95.95. A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was £75.75. And at Farringdon, a double room cost just £62.95.
LOOK AFTER YOURSELF Really central hotels in cities such as London, Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune, especially at weekends and during big events. As an alternative consider checking into a self-catering flat with its own kitchen. Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city centre buildings. A great example is the historic O’Neill Flat on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, available for £420 for five days in late September, with room for four adults.
GET ON A BIKE London’s ‘Boris bikes’ have attracted the most attention, but other cities also have similar programmes that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs.
Among the smaller cities with their own programmes are Newcastle (casual members pay around £1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or £5 per day).
1.The Brighton Comedy Festival is mentioned mainly to show big events may __________.
A. help travelers pass time
B. attract lots of travelers to the UK
C. allow travelers to make flexible plans
D.cause travelers to pay more for accommodation
2.“Farringdon” in Paragraph 5 is most probably __________.
A. a hotel away from the train station
B. the tube line to Covent Garden
C. an ideal holiday destination
D. the name of a travel agency
3.The passage shows that the O’Neill Flat __________.
A. lies on the ground floor
B. is located in central London
C. provides cooking facilities for tourists
D.costs over £100 on average per day in late September
4.Cardiff’s program allows a free bike for a maximum period of __________.
A. half an hour B. one hour
C. one hour and a half D. two hours
5.The main purpose of the passage is __________.
A. to tell visitors how to book in advance
B. to supply visitors with hotel information
C. to show visitors the importance of self-help
D. to offer visitors some money-saving tips
What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming. and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood. I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.
1.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was______.
A. doing shopping B. having a debate
C. reading a message D. leaving for Wyoming
2. The author's inspiration for the gift came from_____.
A. a photo of a flower B. a story about a kid
C. a call from the mother D. a text about Christmas
3.The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by_____.
A. the father B. the author
C. William Blake D. Edgar Allan Poe
4.The author made the gift by_____.
A. searching for the poems online
B. drawing the background by hand
C. painting the letters in three colors
D. matching the words with pictures
5.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To show how to design images for gifts.
B. To suggest making gifts from one's heart.
C. To explain how computers help create gifts.
D. To describe the gifts the author has received
