Imagine picking apples on Christmas or going skating on May Day. What about going for a swim on Thanksgiving? Without Leap Day(闰日）,which takes place every four years, that could happen.
Our calendar is normally 365 days long. It was created to match the cycles of the seasons. But Roman ruler Julius Caesar noticed a problem: The earth doesn't circle the sun in exactly 365 days. It actually cakes 365 and one-quarter days. He figured out that the extra part of a day would cause the calendar to grow apart from the seasons over time. Over 100 years, the seasons would shift (推移）about 24 days. Spring would start on April 13 instead of March 20.
Caesar used math to figure out a way to stop the calendar from shifting. He decided to add an extra day to the month of February every four years. His idea helped keep the seasons and calendar matched up. Even so, it still wasn’t perfect—his calendar was adding too many days.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII worked on Caesar's idea. His calendar, called the Gregorian calendar, declares that every year that is equally divided by 400 is a leap year. Turn-of-the-century years, or years ending in “00”, would not be leap years unless they could be divided equally by 400. These complicated equations(等式）help keep the calendar in balance with the orbit of the earth. Today, we still use the Gregorian calendar. In about 3，000 years, the calendar will be only one day out of step with the seasons, It's still not perfect, but mathematicians decided it was as close as we could get.
1.Why was Julius Caesar's calendar not good enough?
A.Spring would start twenty-four days later than usual
B.It would be only one day out of step with the seasons.
C.There would be too many days on the calendar.
D.Leap Day would take place every other year.
2.It can be inferred from the text that ________.
A.the earth circles the sun in exactly 365 days
B.Gregorian calendar is more scientific than Caesar's
C.Pope's calendar has been used for 3，000 years
D.Caesar added an extra day to every February
3.Which of the following years is a leap year according to Pope?
A.The year 2100.
B. The year 2200.
C. The year 2300.
D. The year 2400.
4.In which section of a website can you probably read this text?
A. Opinion. B. Policy. C. Entertainment. D. Science.
Hunter Bliss, like more and more American students, left the United States to go to college. In the 2011-2012 school year, 46,571 U.S. students registered for degree programs in 14 countries. The top destination countries were the U.K. and Canada, followed by France, Germany, Italy and some other European countries. Germany, in particular, has attracted many more American students in recent years, like Hunter Bliss.
In 2012, there were more than 4,000 American students completing bachelor's, master's and doctor's degrees in Germany. The Institute of International Education (IIE) says that the number of U.S. students completing college degrees in Western Europe increased by about 5 percent from 2010 to 2012. American students choose to study in another country for two main reasons. First, international experience is becoming more important in the modern job market. Second, the cost of higher education has continued to rise in the United States. Rising tuition (学费) costs make education abroad—particularly in countries that charge no tuition-attractive to American students, says the IIE.
Many American students choose Germany because of the low cost of education there. German public universities do not charge tuition fees. And many universities in Germany offer courses in English, too. College education in the US is seen as a privilege and expected to cost money but in Germany it is seen as an extension of a free high school education where one expects it to be provided.
The German government has been eager to encourage students to come to Germany for another reason. Like many countries in Western Europe, German's population is becoming older, and fewer young people are entering college and the job market. The German government hopes to attract skilled foreign students who will stay in Germany.
1.Which country attracted American students most in the 2011-2012 school year?
A. Germany. B. France. C. Britain. D. Italy.
2.The main reason why US students choose to study in Germany is that ________.
A. many universities there offer courses in English
B. the cost of education is relatively low there
C. studying abroad matters in their job hunting
D. it is much easier to find a job than in the USA
3.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Overseas education. B. High school education.
C. College education. D. Public education.
4.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. More and more US students choose colleges overseas.
B. Reasons why more students study in foreign countries.
C. Western Europe manages to attract foreign students.
D. Advantages and disadvantages of German education.
My cell phone rang while I was working on my computer. I looked at the phone and saw it was my 17-year-old son, Tom. I quickly picked it up.“Mom,I got a 71 on the test.I did it.”With those few words,I could feel my heart start to pound.
Living in New York State. Students cannot graduate from high school unless they pass at least five exams: one in English, one in science, two in history and one in math. For most students, who work hard, attend class, and do their homework like my son, it isn't that hard. But for Tom, who is dyslexic(朗读困难）, it is such a real challenge that some teachers have feared he would never be able to even attempt, never mind achieve.
We were honest with him about his trouble, letting him know that there was nothing to be ashamed of. Some people learn differently. If he was willing to work,we would help him find a way to do as much as he could in his academic career. All that was standing in his way was this math test. He had taken it three times and did better each time, but he continued to fail. He was starting to get a bit tired of me saying this was a marathon not a sprint(冲刺). My heart broke each time we would get the failing results.
“Mom,thanks. I love you. Thanks for believing I could do this.”
For one of the few times in my life, I really had nothing left to say. For that one brief moment I knew, really, really, knew that everything we did to help our son achieve what he wanted was worth it.
1.What does the underlined word “pound” in Paragraph l probably mean?
A. Sink suddenly. B. Beat wildly.
C. Ache violently. D. Break totally.
2.According to the text, Tom was weak in _________.
A. English B. science C. history D. math
3.How did the writer feel when she wrote this text?
A. She felt proud and satisfied.
B. She felt surprised and bitter.
C. She felt grateful and relaxed.
D. She felt worried and anxious.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. A Mother's Love That Made the Grade
B. A Student Who Struggled for a Diploma
C. Failure Is the Mother of Success
D. Life Is Not a Sprint but a Marathon
李华是生活在某个社区的孩子，她感到孩子们的社区生活单调，几乎没有朋友，于是打算向社区负责人黄叔叔提出解决该问题的建议。请你就此事以李华的名义写一篇 100 词左右的邮件。
内容包括：
1. 组织社区里的孩子参加清洁本小区的劳动。
2. 提供一个固定场所供孩子们课后学习和交流。
3. 鼓励孩子们加入社区足球俱乐部并安排比赛。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 信的开头与结尾已为你写好。
Dear Mr. Huang,
I am Li Hua, a child living in this community.______________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
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Best wishes!
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
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。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），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：在错的词下面划一横线（____），并在该词下面写出修改的词。
注意：1.每处错误及修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分
As Senior Three approaching, I really hope to have a heart-to-heart talk with my parents. I always feel grateful for his unselfish care and love. Thanks for their constant encouragement, I have made rapid progress in my study.
It will be less than one month since the final exam, so I’m under a pressure now. I would appreciate it if they could have frequently talks with me to provide me with timely help, which contribute to keeping me in a good state of mind.
I made up my mind to study hard, for I believe hard work is the key to succeed. Meanwhile, I will spare some time to participate in various activity to build up my body.
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。
Is there such a thing as being “over-protective”?
I can honestly say that my answer to that question 1. (change) dramatically(戏剧性地) since I became a parent.
Before the birth of my daughter, I taught at 2. private school, often viewing my students as over-protected, worrying 3. would happen when they went on to middle schools. Some did fine, and some did not. Some needed constant pats on the back, words of 4. (inspire) and extra support, which I 5. (happy) gave. Others were content on their own, needing little 6. no interaction(互动) with their teacher. I’d always supposed their parents were over-protective, for they were the ones that still walked their 7. (five) graders into the classroom and met them at the school gate.
Admittedly, I laughed at those parents, 8. (think) their children would never learn to be 9. (independence) if they didn’t let go just a little. Then I had my own daughter. The moment I looked at her little face, I 10. (know) I’d do everything in my power to protect her and make sure she always felt safe!
