As a child, I started learning to play the piano, my favorite musical ________, but I was forced to give up when I started my middle school ________ I could concentrate more on my studies.
It’s one of my biggest ________ to stop practicing the piano when I recall sadly today. During the following years, I kept telling my piano teacher that I would ________. However, I didn’t keep my promise because I was ________ with my study. ________ I lost touch with my teacher. Some years later, my teacher died. I was very sad because I lost such a good teacher. She was a very warm and gentle person. It hurts me to think she may have been ________ that I never returned. I haven’t taken lessons since then but to be honest, I ________ to. Sitting at the piano, I couldn’t help recalling many ________ — times of my practising at home and playing before my teacher and one time my teacher ________ me after I played entire pieces of music wrong in front of her colleagues. I was so ________ that I could hardly say anything. But her ________ helped me ease my shame. These memories, ________, good or bad, never caused my ________ for playing the piano again.
This thought then led me to think that ________ is like music, and that we all try to play different ________ in the instrument of our life. Sometimes the pitch(音高) is ________ when we play it well, but sometimes we are out of tone. However, we all continue to create our own ________ style of music. No matter what style our music is, it is ________ that we sing the songs of joy, quietness and love. Though I may never make it back to piano lessons, it doesn’t ________ that I’ve stopped making music.
1.A. instrumentB. performanceC. roomD. stage
2.A. in thatB. so thatC. now thatD. except that
3.A. successesB. regretsC. decisionsD. hobbies
4.A. playB. graduateC. leaveD. return
5.A. occupiedB. angryC. satisfiedD. patient
6.A. ActuallyB. ConstantlyC. SuddenlyD. Gradually
7.A. astonishedB. gladC. disappointedD. amazed
8.A. likedB. neededC. wantedD. decided
9.A. dreamsB. expressionsC. wordsD. memories
10.A. instructedB. hurtC. punishedD. respected
11.A. frightenedB. movedC. embarrassedD. excited
12.A. happinessB. satisfactionC. comfortD. sigh
13.A. insteadB. meanwhileC. thereforeD. however
14.A. hopeB. courageC. feelingD. effect
15.A. lifeB. learningC. attitudeD. enjoyment
16.A. cardsB. sportsC. rolesD. games
17.A. hardB. wonderfulC. surprisingD. complex
18.A. uniqueB. boringC. commonD. similar
19.A. necessaryB. strangeC. possibleD. important
20.A. matterB. meanC. reportD. appear
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。选项中有多余选项。(注意：请将选项涂在答题卡上，如果选E涂AB，选F涂AC，选G涂AD)
Do you want to take time to get in touch with yourself, your feelings, your dreams, and a good, healthy life? Here are some tips:
1.__________ Sometimes it seems as if our culture has begun to view the need for sleep as a sign of weakness. But your body was genetically(基因地) programmed to spend a third of its life on sleep, and this affects thinking, memory, growth, your immune(免疫的) system and even your weight.
Begin the day in thankfulness. 2.__________ Name each person and hold them in your thoughts. The sense of thankfulness you experience will set a peaceful tone for the entire day, and reduce a day's stress that can lead to sleeplessness that night.
Strike a balance. 3.__________ Think about tai chi, prayer, yoga(瑜伽)—any daily activity that allows you to develop a peaceful center and a sense of balance.
Play with friends. The "tend and be friend studies", as they are called, conducted by UCLA researcher, Shelly Taylor, Ph.D. indicate that when women are stressed, they tend to their children and play with other women. 4.__________
Use guided imagination. 5.__________ The tone of your voice, pacing, music, and pictures will persuade your nervous system that it's time to calm down.
A. Admit the importance of sleep.
B. The images of things make the brain see and think about other things.
C. Emotions are the basis of good communications and healthy relationships.
D. Calming down a stressed nervous system will encourage a balanced life.
E. Take 10 minutes every morning to give thanks to everyone in your life.
F. Recent research has also linked the importance of sleep to behavior.
G. Studies reveal(揭示) that women who have healthy relationships with their children and friends actually sleep better.
Research shows that childhood friendships are important indicators of future success and social adjustment. Children’s relationships with peers (同龄人) strongly influence their success in school, and children with fewer friends are more at risk of dropping out of school, becoming depressed and other problems.
Making and Keeping Friends Is More than Child’s Play
When 6yearold Rachel returned to school on a recent Monday morning, her eyes immediately scanned the playground for her friend Abbie. “Though they were only separated by a weekend, the girls ran right into each other’s arms and hugged,” recalls Rachel’s mother Kathryn Willis of Gilbert. “It was like a scene from a movie.”
Most parents instinctively (本能地) know that having friends is good for their child. Experts agree that friendship is not simply child’s play, but a powerful predictor of social adjustment throughout life.
A Skill for Life
“Childhood friendships serve as a very important training ground for adulthood,” says Dr.Robbie AdlerTapia, psychologist with the Center for Children’s Health & Life Development at the East Valley Family Resource Center.
Researcher William Hartup states, “Peer relations contribute significantly to both social and cognitive (认知的) development.” Hartup concludes that the single best childhood predictor of adult social adaptation is not school grades or classroom behavior, but rather, how well a child gets along with other children.
The work of Arizona State University professor of Developmental Psychology Gary Ladd proves that being able to make and keep friends is beneficial to kids while the lack of friends is detrimental.
Good Friendships Don’t Just Happen
Experts agree that it is essential for children to establish highquality friendships. But, researchers warn, these friendships don’t necessarily just happen. Often, a good friendship begins with involved parents.
Psychologist Dr.Lynne Kenney Markan believes kids should be taught social skills in much the same way they are taught math and reading.
Bad Company
Many parents worry about the quality as well as the quantity of their child’s friendships. “When she was in 1st grade, her supposed ‘best friend’ began calling her names and threatening to hurt her,” says Mindy Miller. “My daughter wasn’t allowed to talk to or even look at other girls in her class. It really crushed her spirit. I told my daughter she didn’t need a ‘friend’ like that.”
“I’ll bend over backwards(拼命) to help my son get together with a friend I think is good for him,” AdlerTapia says. “I don’t look at it as manipulation (操纵)，just positive parental involvement.”
1.The example of Rachel and Abbie is used to indicate that ________.
A. childhood friendship is of great significance to their growth
B. a positive friendship helps children solve emotional and physical problems
C. it is a proven fact that peer friendship is the most rewarding experience throughout life
D. Rachel missed her friend Abbie very much because of their separation of one weekend
2.The underlined word “detrimental” could be replaced by ________.
A. aggressiveB. disappointingC. ridiculousD. harmful
3.We can learn from the passage that highquality friendship most probably results from ________.
A. social skills and good study habits
B. school grades and classroom behaviors
C. academic success and social adaptation
D. positive parental involvement and social skills
4.From the last paragraph we can conclude that Dr.Robbie AdlerTapia agrees that ________.
A. parents should regard making friends as something that just happens
B. it’s wise for parents to support and encourage healthy peer relationships
C. parents only need to help their children to cope with difficult social situations
D. parents are supposed to encourage their children to make as many friends as they can
Tuvalu, a tiny country in the Pacific Ocean, has asked for help as it fears it will be swallowed up by the sea.
Storms and huge waves are a constant threat and none of Tuvalu's nine little islands is more than five metres above sea level. Salt water is already entering the country's drinking water supply, as well as damaging plants that produce fruit and vegetable. Without urgent help, the country's days are numbered.
But Tuvalu is not the first place to face sinking into the sea. Venice, a historic city in Italy best known for its canals, has sunk about 24 cm over the past 100 years. Experts say that it will have sunk another 24 cm by 2050. A century ago, St. Mark's Square, the lowest point in the city, flooded about nine times a year. Nowadays, it happens more than 100 times. While Venice is slowly sinking into the mud on which it stands, Tuvalu's rising sea level is caused by global warming.
The average global temperature has increased by almost 0. 5 centigrade degrees over the past century, scientists expect it to rise by extra 1.3 degrees over the next 100 years.
Warmer weather makes glaciers(冰川) melt, adding more water to the ocean. The warmer temperatures also make water expand, so it takes up more space, causing the sea level to rise. The sea level has risen 10.25 cm in the last 100 years.
The main cause of global warming is human pollution. Through burning coal, oil and gas, people have been increasing the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as CO2. This adds to the power of the greenhouse effect, making the planet even warmer.
Many scientists believe that, if the warming is not stopped, there will be huge climate changes. The sea level could rise by one meter this century.
Should this come true, the sea will swallow up millions of homes and the world will be flooded with "climate refugees" looking for somewhere to live.
1. We can infer from the second paragraph that .
A. Tuvalu is in danger of being swallowed up by the sea
B. all Tuvalu's islands are about five metres above the sea level
C. drinking water in Tuvalu has been destroyed
D. Tuvalu is often flooded by storms and waves
2.The author uses Tuvalu and Venice as examples in order to explain .
A. they are the first places sinking into the sea
B. they are both sinking into the mud where they stand
C. they will disappear in the future
D. their trouble is caused by global warming
3.What does "climate refugees" mean?
A. People who are forced away from their homeland by climate.
B. Climate changes.
C. Rare animals.
D. Climate effect.
4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Tuvalu's nine little islands are less than five meters above the sea level.
B. The average global temperature has risen by 13 centigrade degrees over the past 100 years.
C. The warmer temperature causes the sea level to rise.
D. There will be huge climate changes unless the warming is stopped.
Long-time exposure to air pollution can lead to physical changes in the brain and cause trouble in learning and memory, and even anxiety. This is suggested by the results of new research on mice.
While other studies have shown the harmful effects of polluted air in the lungs and heart, this is the first to show the negative effect on the brain.
The team of Laura Fonken, Randy Nelson, from the Ohio State University, USA, has spread to the brain a previous line of research which found that fine particulate (微粒) matter floating in the air mainly because of air pollution caused by humans, causes swelling in much of the body, and may be related to high blood pressure problems, and some other diseases.
In the research Fonken and his colleagues exposed mice to polluted air for six hours each day, five days a week, over a period of 10 months, almost half the average life length of mice.
Polluted air contains fine particles created by cars, factories and natural dust. Fine particles of this kind are tiny, about 2.5 micrometers in diameter, or about one-thirtieth the width of a human hair. These particles can go deep into lungs and other organs.
The concentration of this particulate material to which they exposed mice is equal to the concentration at which people can be exposed in some polluted urban areas.
After a period of 10 months, the researchers got the animals to have a series of behavioral tests. Both the behavior of mice and the results of neurological(神经的) tests done to them show that those within the polluted air had more problems in learning and memory, and higher levels of anxiety.
The results suggest that long-time exposure to polluted air can have measurable negative effects on the human brain and can cause a variety of mental health problems. This could have important consequences for those living and working in polluted urban areas.
1.The results of new research on mice first suggest that polluted air mainly does harm to ________.
A. normal organsB. lungs and heart
C. mental healthD. blood pressure
2.The bad effects of tiny particles in polluted air are those except ________.
A. high blood pressure problems
B. making human hair thinner
C. different kinds of diseases
D. swelling in much of the body
3.From the last sentence we can infer that people living in polluted urban areas ________.
A. are likely to suffer from mental problems
B. can measure the negative effect on them
C. show little concern for air pollution
D. can be exposed to polluted air longer
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. Long-time Exposure to Air Pollution
B. Evidence and Concern of Air Pollution
C. Measurable Effect on Human Brain
D. Mental Problems Caused by Air Pollution
最近，你校不吃早餐的人越来越多，请你以“Do not skip our breakfast”为题给校报英语专栏写一篇短文，呼吁大家改动这一不良习惯。
Do not skip our breakfast
Recently, the number of the students in our school who skip breakfast has increased greatly.
