People aren’t walking any more---if they can figure out a way to avoid it.
I felt superior(不为……所动) about this matter until the other day I took my car to mail a small parcel. The journey is a matter of 281 steps. But I used the car. And I wasn’t in any hurry, either. I had merely become one more victim of a national sickness: motorosis.
It is an illness to which I had thought myself immune(免疫的), for I was brought up in the tradition of going to places on my own two legs. At that time, we regarded 25 miles as good day’s walk and the ability to cover such a distance in ten hours as sign of strength and skill. It did not occur to us that walking was a hardship. And the effect was lasting. When I was 45 years old I raced -–and beat-—a teenage football player the 168 steps up the Stature of Liberty.
Such enterprises today are regarded by many middle-aged persons as bad for the heart. But a well-known British physician, Sir Adolphe Abrahams, pointed out recently that hearts and bodies need proper exercise. A person who avoids exercise is more likely to have illnesses than one who exercises regularly. And walking is an ideal form of exercise--- the most familiar and natural of all.
It was Henry Thoreau who showed mankind the richness of going on foot. The man walking can learn the trees, flower, insects, birds and animals, the significance of seasons, the very feel of himself as a living creature in a living world. He cannot learn in a car.
The car is a convenient means of transport, but we have made it our way of life. Many people don’t dare to approach nature any more; to them the world they were born to enjoy is all threat. To them security is a steel river thundering on a concrete road. And much of their thinking takes place while waiting for the traffic light to turn green.
I say that the green of forests is the mind’s best light. And none but the man on foot can evaluate what is basic and everlasting.
1. What is the national sickness?
A. Walking too much B. Traveling too much
C. Driving cars too much D. Climbing stairs too much.
2.What was life like when the author was young?
A. People usually went around on foot.
B. people often walked 25 miles a day
C. People used to climb the Statue of Liberty.
D. people considered a ten-hour walk as a hardship.
3. The author mentions Henry Thoreau to prove that______.
A. middle-aged people like getting back to nature
B. walking in nature helps enrich one’s mind
C. people need regular exercise to keep fit
D. going on foot prevents heart disease
4.What is the author’s intention of writing this passage?
A. To tell people to reflect(思考) more on life.
B. To recommend people to give up driving
C. To advise people to do outdoor activities
D. To encourage people to return to walking
After a terrible electrical accident, which caused him to become both blind and deaf, the whole world became completely dark and quiet for Robert Edwards for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow(悲伤) that he tried a few times to put an end to his life. His family, especially his wife, did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live.
One hot summer afternoon, he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once. He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet, but he was struck by the lightning. Witnesses thought he was dead but he woke up some 20 minutes later lying face down in muddy water at the base of the tree. He was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw —— a plough and a wall. When Mrs. Edwards came running up to him, shouting to their neighbors to call for help, he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.
The news of Robert regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread, and many doctors came to examine him. Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from the lightning. However, none of them could give a convincing answer as to why this should have happened. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since Robert lost his sight and hearing as a result of sudden shock, perhaps, the only way for him to regain them was by another sudden shock.
1.The reason for Robert’s attempts to kill himself was that________.
A. a terrible traffic accident happened to him
B. he had to live in a dark and silent world
C. he was struck by the lightning once more
D. nobody in the world cared about him
2.What was Robert doing when he was struck by the lightning?
A. Sheltering for the rain under a tree.
B. Driving a car.
C. Taking a walk with a stick.
D. Lying on the ground.
3.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Robert had been deaf and blind for nearly ten years.
B. Robert hid himself under the tree for 20 minutes.
C. Robert could hear his wife’s shouting for help when he woke up.
D. The family’s love helped Robert regain confidence to live.
4.We can infer from the text that________.
A. there was no accurate explanation for Robert's recovery
B. many doctors came because Robert was badly injured
C. Robert’s wife sent for doctors immediately after the shock
D. a sudden injury in the head led to Robert's recovery
假定你是学生会主席李华。你校将举办一场英语才艺表演(talent show)，想邀请你校外籍教师Black先生前来观看并做评论。请你按照下面内容用英语给他写一封电子邮件。
主题:English — Bridge to the World
时间:3月31日上午8:30—ll:30
地点:体育馆
内容:每班一个节目，歌曲、舞蹈、课本剧、故事、演讲等形式不限
联系人:李华(电话13613856789)
注意：
1. 词数:100左右(开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数);
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇:评论comment;体育馆gymnasium;课本剧textbook drama
Dear Mr. Black，
With best wishes,
Li Hua
短文改错
1. No matter what hard the project is, I will finish it on time.
2. They were extreme sad at the thought of their missing dog.
3. I was about to lock the door while the telephone rang.
4. Burying in his study, he didn’t know that all the others had left.
5. It’s so nice weather that I’d like to take a walk.
6. Mr. Smith insisted that the thief put into prison.
7. The number of teenagers injured in the earthquake is frightened.
8.. Smoking can do damage for your health.
9. I find the man is very difficult to get along.
10. My father bought a new bike for me which price added up to more than 1000 Yuan.
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。
Swedish businessman Nile Bergqvist is delighted with his new hotel, the world’s first igloo(冰屋) hotel.
1. (build) in a small town, it has been attracting lots of visitors but soon the fun will be over. In two weeks’ time Bergqvist’s ice creation 2. (be) nothing more than a pool of water. “ We don’t see it as a big problem,” he says. “ We just look forward to replacing it.”
Bergqvist built his first igloo in 1991 for an art exhibition. It was 3. successful that he designed the present one, 4. measures roughly 200 square meters. Six workmen spent more than eight weeks 5. (put)1, 000 tons of snow onto a wooden base；when the snow froze, the base 6. (remove).
After their stay, all visitors receive 7. (congratulate) and a survival certificate recording their success. 8. no windows, nowhere to hang clothes and temperatures below 0°C, it may seem more like a survival test 9. a relaxing hotel break. “It’s great fun,” Bergqvist explains, “As well as a good start in survival training.”
The popularity of the igloo is beyond doubt：it is now attracting tourists from all over the world. At least 800 people have stayed at the igloo this season even 10. there are only 10 rooms.
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The books in David’s schoolbag felt like bricks as he ran. What he wanted to do was to play basketball with Eric, his mother told him he would have to return his sister’s books to the library first.
He had set foot in a library and he didn’t like reading. He would just the books in the outside return box. But there was a ; it was locked.
He went into the building, only a few minutes closing time. He put the books into the return box. And after a brief in the WC, he would be on his way to the playground to Eric.
David stepped out of the WC and stopped in — the library lights were off. The place was . The doors had been shut. They be opened from the inside, he was trapped in a library!
He tried to a telephone call, but was unable to . What’s more, the pay phones were on the outside of the building. the sun began to set, he searched for a light and found it.
he could see. David wrote on a piece of paper: “ ! I’m TRAPPED inside!” and stuck it to the glass door. , someone passing by would see it.
He was surprised to discover that this place was not so unpleasant, . Rows and rows of shelves held books. He saw a book about Michael Jordan and took it. He settled into a chair and started to .
He knew he had to , but now, that didn’t seem to be such a thing.
1. A. but B. because C. or D. since
2. A. ever B. nearly C. never D. often
3. A. pass B. drop C. carry D. take
4. A. problem B. mistake C. case D. question
5. A. during B. after C. over D. before
6. A. rest B. break C. walk D. stop
7. A. visit B. meet C. catch D. greet
8. A. delight B. anger C. surprise D. eagerness
9. A. lonely B. empty C. noisy D. crowded
10. A. wouldn’t B. shouldn’t C. couldn’t D. needn’t
11. A. make B. fix C. use D. pick
12. A. get on B. go through C. get through D. get in
13. A. If B. As C. Though D. Until
14. A. As usual B. Now and then C. By the way D. At last
15. A. Come B. Help C. Hello D. Sorry
16. A. Surely B. Thankfully C. Truly D. Gradually
17.A. at most B. after all C. in short D. on time
18. A. watch B. play C. read D. write
19. A. wait B. stand C. sleep D. work
20. A. bad B. cool C. strange D. nice
