Mrs. Blake teaches English in a large school in the inner area of a big city on the west of coast. Even since she was a young girl, she has wanted to become a teacher. She has taught eight years now and hasn’t changed her mind. After she graduated from high school， she went on to college. Four years later，she received her bachelor’s degree （B A） in English and her teaching certificate（证书）. Then she went to teach in the secondary schools of her state. In the summers，Mrs. Blake takes more classes； she hopes to get a master’s degree （M A）. With an MA，she will receive a higher salary and if possible， she hopes to get a doctor’s degree as well. The school day at Mrs. Blake’s high school，like that in many high schools in the United States，is divided into one hour each. Mrs. Blake must teach five of these periods. During her free period，which for her is from 2 to 3 P.M. ，Mrs. Blake must meet with parents，make out examinations，check assignments at all，Mrs. Blake works continuously from the time she arrives at school in the morning till the time she leaves for home late in the afternoon.
1.How long is it since Mrs. Blake graduated from middle school?
A. four years B. eight years
C. twelve years D. twenty years
2.According to the article，which is the right order of the degrees a person can receive after going to university?
A. a doctor’s degree – a bachelor’s degree – a master’s degree
B. a bachelor’s degree – a master’s degree – a doctor’s degree
C. a master’s degree—a bachelor’s degree – a doctor’s degree
D. a bachelor’s degree – a doctor’s degree—a master’s degree
3.How many degrees has Mrs. Blake achieved so far ?
A. one B. two C. threeD. none
4.Which of the following sentences is not true?
A. Mrs. Blake teaches in the inner area of big city on the east of the United Sates
B. Mrs. Blake has turned her wish of becoming a teacher into reality.
C. Mrs. Blake is still studying in her holidays in order to get higher degrees.
D. The working hours in the school where Mrs. Blake works are similar to those of many other high schools in the states.
5.According to the third paragraph，Mrs. Blake is ______ during the school day.
A. lonely B. free C. funny D. busy
阅读下面短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
It was 7:30 in the morning. As usual I was on the subway to school. It was so crowded with people that it felt like the air conditioner wasn't working. I was standing there looking around. Then, I saw an old lady get on the train with a 7-year-old child who seemed to be her grandson.
A warm-hearted gentleman generously offered his seat to the old lady. Instead of sitting down herself, however, the old lady called her grandson over and told him to sit.
Sooner or later, children mature and step into the complicated world. Love is necessary in the early development of children, yet, to the disappointment of many, too much love definitely prevents children from learning the rules of the real world. Teaching the child about the rules of society within the family helps the child to achieve success later. By giving up seats to their children, grandparents may destroy kids' best chance for character development.
[写作内容]
1. 以约30个词概括上文的主要内容。
2. 以约120个词谈谈你对长辈溺爱孩子的看法，内容包括：
(1)描述长辈溺爱孩子的表现。(2)溺爱孩子的后果。(3)你对长辈溺爱孩子的看法。
[写作要求]
1. 作文中可以用亲身经历或虚构的故事。2. 不得直接引用原文中的句子。3. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
单词拼写
1.Going round to the bank was part of the r__________ of his work, so he always cares for his duty.
2.He is hard-working. He practices English every day to p__________ his spoken English.
3.They didn’t attend because of r__________ reasons. They don’t believe in God.
4.Over three hundred people have died of s__________ for the lack of food.
5.You are not p__________ to drive if you do not have a driving license.
6.I’m looking for some __________(临时的) work to buy my sister a new bike.
7.Having read the book, she will be able to pass on the __________(获得) knowledge to her students.
8.Without consulting his __________(同事), he flew from Los Angeles to Chicago.
9.Tom had determined to live up to the __________(期望) of his parents.
10.__________ (可替代的) energy sources are renewable, which means they can be used without running out.
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填1个单词。
Some students get so nervous before a test, they do poorly even if they know the material. Sian Beilock has studied these highly anxious test-takers.
Sian Beilock: “They start worrying about the consequences. They might even start worrying about whether this exam is going to prevent them from getting into the college they want. And when we worry, it actually uses up attention and memory resources. I talk about it as your cognitive horsepower that you could otherwise be using to focus on the exam.”
Professor Beilock and another researcher, Gerardo Ramirez, have developed a possible solution. Just before an exam, highly anxious test-takers spend ten minutes writing about their worries about the test.
Sain Beilock: “What we think happens is when students put it down on paper, they think about the worst that could happen and they reappraise the situation. They might realize it’s not as bad as they might think it was before and, in truth, it prevents these thoughts from appearing suddenly when they’re actually taking a test.”
The researchers tested the idea on a group of twenty anxious college students. They gave them two short math tests. After the first one, they asked the students to either sit quietly or write about their feelings about the upcoming second test.
The researchers added to the pressure. They told the students that those who did well on the second test would get money. They also told them that their performance would affect other students as part of a team effort.
Professor Beilock says those who sat quietly scored an average of twelve percent worse on the second test. But the students who had written about their fears improved their performance by an average of five percent.
Next, the researchers used younger students in a biology class. They told them before final exams either to write about their feelings or to think about things unrelated to the test.
Professor Beilock says highly anxious students who did the writing got an average grade of B+, compared to a B- for those who did not.
Sain Beilock: “What we showed is that for students who are highly test-anxious, who’d done our writing intervention, all of a sudden there was no relationship between test anxiety and performance. Those students most prone to worry were performing just as well as their classmates who don’t normally get nervous in these testing situations.”
But what if students do not have a chance to write about their fears immediately before an exam or presentation? Professor Beilock says students can try it themselves at home or in the library and still improve their performance.
Title: Overcoming test 1.______________ | |
Problem | Some students get nervous before a test, so they can’t do 2. __________ even if they know the material. |
Reason | 3.__________ about the consequences 4._________ them their attention and memory resources. |
Solution | Write down their worries to 5.________ the negative thoughts appearing suddenly. |
Results of the researches | College students: 6._______ with those sitting quietly, students writing about their fears improved their performance. |
Younger students: highly anxious students who did the writing instead of 7._______ things unrelated to the test got 8. _______ grades. | |
9.___________ ways to solve the problem | If students have no 10.________ to write about their fears immediately, they can try it themselves at home or in the library. |
Mail lay scattered across the kitchen table. I couldn’t put off sorting through it any longer. I checked the envelopes, putting aside the ones addressed to my husband.
It had been over three years since Bob had died. To friends and family it looked like I had moved past the worst of my sorrow. I took care of my house, socialized and kept up with community. On the outside everything appeared to be normal. But inside I was anything but I worried I would never get better, never be myself again. They say sorrow has no set time limit, but I was so tired of feeling empty and hopeless. My sorrow was sharp and fresh as ever. It was like a wall of pressure in my chest, pressing my heart.
I picked up a piece of Bob’s mail and held it out to tear in half, but stopped myself from cutting up the envelope. The letter was from an organization that funded a Haitian orphanage called My Father’s House. Its founder, Carol Hawthorne, had given a presentation at our church. Bob and I had donated, and Bob ended up on the mailing list to receive the newsletter (通讯) with updates on the children.
I hadn’t read one since Bob died. But just three months before, in January 2012, the country had been hit by a terrible earthquake. In my depressed state, it hadn’t even occurred to me to wonder whether the orphanage had survived. I opened the newsletter and was surprised to find out that My Father’s House was still standing. Of course now it was more crowded than ever. At the bottom of the page was an announcement about an upcoming trip to visit the orphanage in person. “I should go.” The thought wouldn’t leave me. I contacted Carol Hawthorne.“What would I do if I go?” I asked.“Build houses?”
“The Haitian people there are eager to work and they know what they’re doing,” said Carol. “What they need are raw materials, and we provide them. We also visit with the children. We go to clinics and schools, pass out supplies. You’ll be very busy, I promise!” I reserved a seat but didn’t mention it to any of my friends. Just a few weeks later, I was at the airport with seven strangers, waiting to board a plane to Haiti. Even after takeoff I wasn’t really sure of what I was doing.
In Haiti we were met by Pastor Ronald Lefranc, the director of My Father’s House. We piled into an old school bus and drove over uneven roads full of stones and mud. We passed women shaking under the weight of huge water buckets balanced on their heads. Piles of rubbish scattered across the landscape, and the land was covered with broken tents. Finally we pulled up to the orphanage. A crowd of children—52 in all—rushed up to greet us. I couldn’t understand the words of the song they sang in Creole, but with the smiles on their faces I didn’t need to. Each child planted a big kiss on my cheek.
Carol and Pastor Ronald led us into the main building. “What are those over there?” I asked, pointing to a collection of thin tents. “Is there not enough room in the building for all the children?”
“We have the room,” said Pastor Ronald. “But many of these children came here after the earthquake. They still don’t feel safe sleeping under a roof.”
There was no sign of fear in the playroom inside. I played dolls and other games. Children I’d just met presented me with pictures they’d drawn and letters written in Creole. In the evening the children gathered in the dining room. They took turns reading aloud and then they all joined in song. The words were strange, but the tune sounded familiar.
They’d lost so much, yet were so joyful. In the evening the children gathered in the dining room. One of the older children stood up to speak and then they all joined in song. The words were strange, but the tune sounded familiar. The children settled down. In the silence, a quiet noise began.
1.During the three years after her husband’s death, the writer ________.
A. kept in close touch with friends and neighbors
B. just stayed at her home to take care of her house
C. forgot her unhappiness completely with busy work
D. lived in emptiness and hopelessness due to hardships
2.What does the underlined part “My Father’s House” refer to?
A. An association that fund the research into earthquake in Haiti.
B. An institution where children without parents greet foreigners.
C. An organization that collect money for children without parents.
D. A place where children without parents live and are looked after.
3.The writer enjoyed herself at ________.
A. driving over the roads
B. viewing the landscape
C. seeing the expressions on children’s faces
D. observing water buckets on women’s heads
4.Why did the children love to live in the thin tents?
A. Because they had to make preparations for the newcomers.
B. Because the tents are convenient for drawing in the open.
C. Because the rooms in the building are used to house guests.
D. Because they worried there might be another earthquake.
5.What can we conclude from the passage?
A. The writer decided to settle down in Haiti at last.
B. The writer overcame her loss by helping others.
C. The writer taught the children to sing in English.
D. The writer picked up Creole during her stay there.
Have you ever seen a real night sky that looks like Van Gogh’s Starry Night? I hope not! So, why would an artist paint the sky this way? Perhaps I can answer that with another question. When you’re happy, why do you sing instead of speaking? Or when you’re in love, why do you speak of roses and honey? When we do these things, we, too are artists. We’re using something that goes beyond a mere scientific description in order to communicate our feelings more powerfully than straightforward words can. So consider for a moment that Van Gogh might not have been hallucinating on the night he painted this. Maybe he felt something so powerful that he had to go beyond the familiar to express it.
I hope I’m reminding you of something you already know as I describe the experience of being outside at night under a crystal clear sky that makes everything seem clean and refreshing. So you look up. And suddenly you see the sky that you’ve seldom seen before. It’s not just the same old dark night sky tonight. Instead, the blackness is a deep, rich blue that is more bottomless than any ocean. The stars are not spots of light but brilliant, magical diamonds that dance like tiny angels. In just this special moment, the sky is somehow alive, and it seems to speak to you silently about the meaning of infinity.
Now look at the painting again. Can you see something of what makes this such a famous and well-loved image? But there’s more here than that. Van Gogh painted this while he was quite struck down by a mental disease. It is natural to imagine that he frequently battled the fear that he would never escape his prison to true freedom. It is natural for us to imagine this because each of us has faced our own personal prison, whether it be disease, the loss of a loved one, serious financial problems … In such moments it is tempting to give up to despair and collapse in hopelessness.
Looking at this painting, I imagine Van Gogh in just such a moment of despair, when he is struck by the memory of one of those amazing night skies. He recalls the sense that he is not alone, that there is a living, infinite world with rich colorful creatures and scenes all around.
And so the sky flows across the canvas full of vitality and power. The stars don’t just sparkle; they explode. Looking closer, we notice that the earth itself seems to respond to the movement in the sky, forming its own living waves in the mountain and rolling trees. In the sleepy village, the windows of the houses glow with the same light that brightens the universe. The giant trees at the left seem to capture the joy by stretching upwards toward the sky.
What a tremendous message of hope there is in this masterpiece! Even if our troubles persist, the world around us assures us that life is worth living. That’s what the angels sing about. Doesn’t it make you want to sing, too?
1.Looking at the painting Starry Night, we can see all the following except ________.
A. the singing angelsB. the giant trees
C. the sleeping villageD. the sparkling stars
2.Van Gogh does NOT describe a feeling of ________ through the Starry Night.
A. happinessB. vitalityC. powerD. despair
3.What is the main purpose of this passage?
A. To explain how Van Gogh painted the Starry Night.
B. To tell us how to appreciate the Starry Night.
C. To prove Van Gogh was in a hallucinating state of mind while painting the picture.
D. To show us the beauty of the sky on a Starry Night.
