I have two kids, a boy and a girl. I don’t worry about my girl; I’m sure she’ll be well trained in mixed martial arts. I worry about my son. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be feminine (女性化的). Sorry to say that, but let’s face it. No dad wants his son to go feminine.
At the rate we’re moving in a couple of years you won’t be able to tell the difference between boys and girls. Sound extreme? Think about this. In every movie where advanced time-traveling beings come to our planet, there’s one constant: You can’t tell the male aliens from the female aliens!
But that’s the future. Kids today are soft and fat. People ask why. Is it junk food? No. Junk food has been around for fifty years. Is it video games? No. Video games have been around for thirty years. None of the kids playing them back in the day were terribly obese. We’re all scratching our heads trying to figure out what we’ve introduced to society to ruin our kids. But it’s not anything we’ve added that has ruined our kids. It’s stuff we’ve gotten rid of.
Take the gym rope for example. Remember that thing that stretched from the floor to the ceiling in your gym class that you could never climb? Most of the kids couldn’t make it to the top. But that wasn’t the point; the point was you had to try while some middle-aged guy who couldn’t make it up a flight of stairs shouted at you. We should have put our son on that rope, and given him a head start. But we didn’t want to shame the boy, so we took it down.
Taking down the rope would be a good idea if there were no ropes in life. But they’re everywhere. You just can’t see them. They’re in every goal unrealized and expectation not met. The point everyone missed about the rope is you weren’t supposed to make it to the top. It was there to create a fire that burned in the oversize belly of every kid.
1.What is the example of aliens used to show?
A．Girls are growing like boys.
B．Boys are going feminine.
C．There are really time-traveling beings.
D．Alien movies are popular with children.
2.What causes kids today to be soft and fat?
A．Junk food.
B．Video games.
C．Stuff introduced to society.
D．Things removed from society.
3.How does the author find teenagers today?
A．They have too much dignity.
B．They are overprotected.
C．They are less independent.
D．They are thought too highly of.
4.What does the rope probably symbolize?
A．Goals.B．Expectations.C．Competition.D．Assistance.
Just saw the superhero movie, Kick-Ass, and it raised an interesting question: just because we are not superhuman, can we lead a super-heroic life? I believe we can do it in some easy steps!
Activate(刺激) our super powers.
Superheroes are all good at different things. Some are really fast, some can see things others can’t, and some can move things with their mind. Also we all have special talents and passions. We just have to know what they are and develop them.
Try this. List several things you’re especially good at— we’ll say these are your core super powers. Next, write down what makes each of your core super powers and look for chances to use them and improve them.
Get a sidekick or two.
Superheroes are out there all day, fighting the good fight. And who’s there to help? Every superhero has teamed up with someone else to defeat some enemies they couldn’t deal with alone.
We need a support team: one or more who can be trusted and will help us when necessary. Our team members should bring different, constructive perspectives(观点) and all kinds of super powers. But we must choose wisely.
Be brave and bold.
Does it take more courage to venture(冒险) down a dark road or to face a life of no ventures at all? Both can be pretty scary. But we should be brave and bold just as some successful person said: “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition(直觉).”
Live the code.
Superheroes die to protect others. They don’t cheat or lie or steal. They’re good role models, and they do the right things even when nobody is watching.
Though nobody’s perfect, yet we should learn from superheroes and struggle not to disobey the superhero code. Turn a friend down who trusts me? Of course I won’t.
1.One of the similarities between superheroes and human beings is that both of them ________.
A. are very clever and passionate
B. have their strong points
C. try to remove their own weak points
D. know how to be clever and bold
2.The underlined word “sidekick” in the passage refers to a person who ________.
A．tries to watch you all the time
B．is much cleverer than you
C．has super powers to support you
D．is ready to help you anytime
3.What is the superhero code?
A．Don’t be a bad person.
B．Be willing to lose everything for others.
C．Try to be a perfect person.
D．Satisfy the needs of the friend you trust.
4.What is the passage mostly about?
A．How we can become a superhero.
B．What a superhero should be like.
C．How we can live like a superhero.
D．Why we should learn from a superhero.
Coral reefs(珊瑚礁) are not just beautiful to look at，but also very useful．They shelter nearly 25％ of ocean life and provide food for billions of people．However, like many other species，this amazing ecosystem(生态系统) is in danger of dying out!
There are two main reasons for the destruction—the rising carbon dioxide levels caused by global warming as well as human influences like bottom operation．While not much can be done about the former，the loss caused by the latter can be reduced.
Bottom operation involves dropping nets to the ocean bed and then dragging them up when filled with fish．This action damaged the ocean floor，causing the coral branches to separate from the reefs．While that is very discouraging，the good news is that if these branches are found quickly，they can be saved．At present，that work is being performed by volunteer divers. But the method has only limited success because they cannot stay long underwater, nor reach depths of over 200 meters where some of the deep-sea coral grows.
However，this is not the case for Coralbots—the robots that can constantly seek out broken branches．A team of ‘coral bots’，each individually working to simple rules will piece together damaged bits of coral, allowing them to regrow. They are programmed to be able to distinguish between other things and the coral．The robots work together in groups，similar to bees．If one coralbot is damaged, then the others will still be able to complete the task.
Dr Lea-Anne Henry said：“The project of using coralbots offers us the possibility to restore(修复) the function of reefs．It is in the final stage of testing．Once ready, the researchers hope to build hundreds of them and use them effectively in the waters off Scotland and then hopefully in the oceans across the world．”
1.Which of the following is a cause of the danger that coral reefs are facing?
A．The appearance of new creatures.
B．The seriously polluted sea water.
C．The activities of volunteer divers.
D．Human activities like bottom operation.
2.Compared with volunteer divers，coralbots ________．
A．can stay longer underwater
B．must work as bees do
C．can distinguish what is coral
D．can never be damaged
3.What does the underlined word“them”in the last paragraph refer to?
A．Coralbots．B．Broken branches．
C．working bees．D．Bits of coral．
4.We can infer from the passage that ________．
A．bottom operation has affected most underwater creatures
B．broken branches of coral can regrow if saved in time
C．hundreds of the coralbots have worked well in the oceans
D．with the coralbots all damaged coral reefs can be restored
The International Voluntary Service runs a number of Youth Exchanges throughout the year. Youth Exchanges give small groups of 4-5 young people the opportunity to take part in volunteering trips abroad for an average of two weeks．These young people are joined by 4-5 young people from 3-4 other nationalities and are a wonderful intercultural experience in a safe environment.
Example Youth Exchanges：
Youth Exchange 1
Location：Ireland
Other nationalities：Ireland，Spain，Italy，Hungary
Theme：Focuses on the topic of community reconstruction and community activities—exploring how local issues facing our communities are connected to global issues．The group will also learn about the eco-village as an example of a community and take part in team-building activities.
Youth Exchange 2
Location：France
Other nationalities：Bulgaria，Italy，France
Theme：Organic gardening & continual living．This project will take place in a natural park，where the group will take part in gardening activities and games／workshops about continuous development．
Youth Exchange 3
Location：Macedonia
Other nationalities：Serbia，Turkey，Ireland
Theme：Foster social inclusion and motivate personal development of young people through sports and outdoor activities．Promote outdoor activities as a tool to help inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities．
Youth Exchange 4
Location：Italy
Other nationalities：Italy，Bulgaria，Greece
Theme：A sociaI-environmental project that intends to promote social inclusion and continuable development，regarded as a process of civil rights and active citizenship. Over 10 days, the group will participate in activities to raise awareness about the effect of our behavior on the environment．
1.What do you focus on when travelling in France?
A．Gardening work.
B．Civil rights.
C．Developing social inclusion.
D．Rebuilding communities.
2.If you are interested in protecting the environment，you can take part in ________.
A．Youth Exchange 1B．Youth Exchange 2
C．Youth Exchange 3D．Youth Exchange 4
3.Which nationality are Youth Exchanges most popular with?
A．Spain．B．Italy.C．Ireland.D．France.
近年来全球极端气候和重大自然灾害越来越频繁，其中很大一部分原因是由于人类活动所造成的。China Daily举行征文活动，警示人们要保护环境。请你写一篇短文，参加征文活动。
注意：
1. 要列举极端气候或自然灾害及其造成的影响；
2. 分析原因；
3. 呼吁人们关爱地球，保护环境。
词数：100---120个左右。
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。每处错误只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限一词。
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从11处起）不计分。
Dear Mary,
Our city had changed a lot in the past 5 years. Firstly, more high buildings have appeared, that are modern and beautiful. Many overpasses have set up, so it has become very convenient for people to travel. However, many families have got car of their own. The people’s life here has become rich or colorful. People can enjoy themselves travelling on the holiday. To my delighted, I can taste delicious food of different countries. And now it is easy for me to keep touch with you than before, for I can email you in my office.
Yours,
Christine
