Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean, an S-shaped body of water covering 33 million square miles. The Atlantic has, in a sense, replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civilization. Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic is rich in oceanic liveliness. It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.
“Storm at Sea”, a short poem written around 700, is generally regarded as one of mankind’s earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic.
When the wind is from the west
All the waves that cannot rest
To the east must thunder on
Where the bright tree of the sun
Is rooted in the ocean’s breast.
As the poem suggests, the Atlantic is never dead and dull. It is an ocean that moves, impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise—it is forever thundering, boiling, crashing, and whistling.
It is easy to imagine the Atlantic trying to draw breath—perhaps not so noticeably out in mid–ocean, but where it meets land, its waters bathing up and down a sandy beach. It mimics(模仿) nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living creature. It is filled with symbiotic existences, too; unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony, giving to the waters a feeling of heartbeat, a kind of sub-ocean vitality. And it has a psychology. It has personalities: sometimes peaceful and pleasant, on rare occasions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.
1.Unlike real inland seas, the Atlantic Ocean is ________.
A. always energetic
B. lacking in liveliness
C. shaped like a square
D. favored by ancient poets
2.What is the purpose of using the poem “Storm at Sea” in the passage?
A. To describe the movement of the waves.
B. To show the strength of the storm.
C. To represent the power of the ocean.
D. To prove the vastness of the sea.
3.What does the underlined word “symbiotic” mean?
A. Living together.B. Growing fast.
C. Moving harmoniously.D. Breathing peacefully.
4.In the last paragraph, the Atlantic is compared to ________.
A. a beautiful and poetic place
B. a flesh and blood person
C. a wonderful world
D. a lovely animal
The Process of Ageing
At the age of twelve years, the human body is at its most vigorous. It has yet to reach its full size and strength, and its owner his or her full intelligence; but at this age the possibility of death is least. Earlier, we were infants and young children, and consequently more vulnerable (易受伤的); later, we shall undergo a progressive loss of our vigorous and resistance which, though vague at first, will finally become so steep that we can live no longer, however well we look after ourselves, and however well society, and our doctors, look after us.
This decline in vigorous with the passing of time is called ageing. It is one of the most unpleasant discoveries which we all make that we must decline in this way, that if we escape wars, accidents and disease we shall eventually “die of old age”, and that this happens at a rate which differs little from person to person, so that there are heavy odds in favor of our dying between the ages of sixty-five and eighty. Some of us will die sooner, a few will live longer — on into a ninth or tenth decade. But the chances are against it, and there is a virtual limit on how long we can hope to remain alive, however lucky and physically strong we are.
Normal people tend to forget this process unless and until they are reminded of it. We are so familiar with the fact that man ages, that people have for years assumed that the process of losing vigorous with time, of becoming more likely to die the older we get, was something self-evident, like the cooling of a hot kettle or the wearing-out of a pair of shoes. They have also assumed that all animals, and probably other organisms such as trees, or even the universe itself, must in the nature of things “wear out”.
Most animals we commonly observe do in fact age as we do, if given the chance to live long enough; and mechanical systems like a wound (上发条的) watch, or the sun, do in fact ran out of energy in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics (热力学). But these are not similar or equivalent to what happens when man ages. A run-down watch is still a watch and can be rewound. An old watch, by contrast, becomes so worn and unreliable that it eventually is not worth mending. But a watch could never repair itself — it does not consist of living parts, only of metal, which wears away by friction (摩擦). We could, at one time, repair ourselves — well enough, at least, to overcome all but the most instantly fatal illnesses and accidents. Between twelve and eighty years we gradually lose this power, an illness which at twelve would knock us over, at eighty can knock us out, and into our grave. If we could stay as vigorous as we are at twelve, it would take about 700 years for half of us to die, and another 700 for the survivors to be reduced by half again.
1.What can be learned from this passage is that ______.
A. people usually are unhappy when they are reminded of ageing
B. children reach their full intelligence at the age of twelve years
C. people are usually more likely to die at the age of twelve years
D. our first twelve years represent the peak of human development
2.The underlined word “it” in the last sentence of Paragraph Two refers to ______.
A. remaining alive until 65
B. dying before 65 or after 80
C. remaining alive after 80
D. dying between 65 and 80
3.What does “ageing” mean according to the passage?
A. It is a fact that people cannot live any longer.
B. It refers to a gradual loss of vigor and resistance.
C. It is usually a phenomenon of dying at an old age.
D. It is a period when people are easily attacked by illness.
4.What do the examples of the watch refer to in the last paragraph?
A. Normally people are quite familiar with the ageing process.
B. The law of thermodynamics functions in the ageing process.
C. All animals and other organisms undergo the ageing process.
D. Human's ageing process is different from that of mechanisms.
Dear Alfred,
I want to tell you how important your help is to my life.
Growing up, I had people telling me I was too slow, though, with an IQ of 150+ at 17, I’m anything but stupid. The fact was that I was found to have ADHD. Anxious all the time, I was unable to keep focused for more than an hour at a time.
However, when something did interest me, I could become absorbed. In high school, I became curious about the computer, and built my first website. Moreover, I completed the senior course of Computer Basics, plus five relevant pre-college courses.
While I was exploring my curiosity, my disease got worse. I wanted to go to college after high school, but couldn’t. So, I was killing my time at home until June 2012 when I discovered the online computer courses of your training center.
Since then, I have taken courses like Data Science and Advanced Mathematics. Currently, I’m learning your Probability course. I have hundreds of printer paper, covered in self-written notes from your videos. This has given me a purpose.
Last year, I spent all my time looking for a job where, without dealing with the public, I could work alone, but still have a team to talk to. Luckily, I discovered the job—Data Analyst—this month and have been going full steam ahead. I want to prove that I can teach myself a respectful profession, without going to college, and be just as good as, if not better than, my competitors.
Thank you. You’ve given me hope that I can follow my heart. For the first time, I feel good about myself because I’m doing something, not because someone told me I was doing good. I feel whole.
This is why you’re saving my life.
Yours,
Tanis
1.Why didn’t Tanis go to college after high school?
A. She had learned enough about computer science.
B. She had more difficulty keeping focused.
C. She preferred taking online courses.
D. She was too slow to learn.
2.As for the working environment, Tanis prefers ________.
A. working by herselfB. dealing with the public
C. competing against othersD. staying with ADHD students
3.Tanis wrote this letter in order to ________.
A. explain why she was interested in the computer
B. share the ideas she had for her profession
C. show how grateful she was to the center
D. describe the courses she had taken so far
假定你是李华, 正在一所英国学校学习暑期课程, 遇到一些困难, 希望得到学校辅导中心(Learning Center) 的帮助。根据学校规定, 你需书面预约, 请按下列要点写一封信:
1. 本人简介;
2. 求助内容;
3. 约定时间;
4. 你的联系方式 (Email: lihua@1236. com; Phone: 12345678) 。
注意: 1. 词数100左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir/Madam,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Look forward to your reply.
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上，老师要求同桌之间相互修改作文，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，并在改词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I was taking a train to London’s Victoria Station. I had noticed that the carriage was noise and filled with people.
Before long, a train inspector comes to check out tickets. A passenger realized he couldn’t find his ticket but became quite upset. Then everyone in the carriage began searching the ticket, which was eventually found under a seat several rows from his owner. The person who found a ticket smiled with pleasure at his success.
No one in the carriage had previous spoken to or even noticed the ticket-owner before. Yet, they had so quickly offered the strangers their help. If we could show concern to others in need, the world would be a better place to live.
阅读下列各小题，根据括号内的汉语提示，完成句子，并把答案填写在答题卷相应的位置上。
1.Unluckily, the man _______________ （抢走） his car and cellphone. (rob)
2.Fruit juices can _______________ （对……有害） your teeth, so don’t drink them frequently. (to)
3.This illegal trade will continue unless he _______________ （采取行动）to stop it. (action)
4._______________ （此外）, there is one further point to make. (in)
5.As time went on, people came to _______________ （意识） the seriousness of China’s pollution. (of)
6.Her father doesn’t _______________ （赞成） her getting married so young, but if she’s determined to do so, it’s on her own. (of)
7.His humorous story made me _______________ （突然大笑起来） sometimes. (out)
8._______________ （万一） emergency, break the glass and press the button. (of)
9.He _______________ （照管） the farm after his father’s death. (of)
10.He _______________（厌倦） the work which was not equal to his ability. (with)
