When I walked into the house after school, I found my dad at home.
"What are you doing home already?" I asked casually.
"Andrew, I was laid off today," he answered quietly.
I was sure he was joking. "No, you weren't. Why are you really home?"
Then I noticed his expression and realized he was telling the truth. My father has always been a hard worker and prided himself on his career. My father's unemployment created many changes in our lives. He was home all day, which meant my bed had to be made, my room cleaned up, and my homework done right after school. I would come home every day to find him at the computer searching for jobs. I began to notice how down he seemed, and how losing his job had affected his self-esteem, though he tried to be optimistic. He asked my brother and me to spend less money. I gave up my allowance, which even though it wasn't much, felt like the right thing to do. I also found a part-time job.
After several difficult months of searching, my dad decided to go in a totally different direction. He explained that he never wanted to be laid off again, so he was going to start his own business. Day by day, I watched him build it, and I admired how much time and energy he devoted to it.
One evening I asked if he needed help. "Only if it doesn't interfere（打扰，妨碍） with school," he said, which sounded like a yes.
I showed up at his office the next afternoon, and most afternoons after that for two months. I always knew he was a hard worker, but watching him in action really influenced me. Although this was one of the worst experiences for our family, it taught me a lot about dealing with adversity. Now I know that through creative problem-solving, I can always find Plans, ask for help, and take risks.
1.When the father was laid off, he ________.
A. was angry with his boss
B. didn't care about it at all
C. couldn't accept the fact easily
D. was as happy as usual
2.We can know from the passage that ________.
A. it was not easy for the father to find a new job
B. the father asked his sons to give up their allowance
C. the father found a good job when he changed his direction
D. Andrew and his brother helped his father set up his business
3.The underlined word "adversity" in the last paragraph probably means .
A. poor feelings
B. bad situations
C. low spirits
D. old ideas
4.What has Andrew learned from his father?
A. The spirit of creative problem-solving.
B. The skills of surfing the Internet.
C. The experience of saving money.
D. The rich business skills.
You're riding in the car on this family vacation. Suddenly your dad slows down. And you may see the following：
1. Bubblegum Alley
San Luis Obispo, California
Some call it art; others call it just plain gross. Bubblegum Alley is covered from top to bottom with wads of chewed gum, a tradition that was started mysteriously by locals in the 1950s. Some artists even created images of funny faces and the American flag.
2. Blue Whale
Catoosa, Oklahoma
Not ready to dive the depths of the ocean to see a blue whale? No problem. Just visit this 80-foot-long cement beast, which even has a slide and diving board so visitors can take a dip in the pond. When the artist died, the whale fell into disrepair. Neighbors couldn't stand to see the grinning whale fall apart, so they fixed it and now keep it bright with gallons of blue paint.
3. Lonesome Legs
Amarillo, Texas
Just what are these large legs doing in a cow pasture? According to artist Lightnin' McDuff, they represent a poem about a traveler who finds a bodiless statue of an Egyptian pharaoh (法老) called Ozymandias. Using concrete over a steel frame, McDuff constructed the legs to appear as if they were made of weathered sandstone. And the socks? A prankster (恶作剧的人) keeps adding them—even though McDuff always removes the unwanted addition.
4. Giant Penguin
Cut Bank, Montana
Bundle up (使……穿暖)when you visit this statue, because temperatures here can get as low as 47 degrees below zero. As a nod to the frosty conditions, a local businessman built the 27-foot-tall penguin out of 10,000 pounds of concrete. The creator left for warmer weather, but the statue—7 times the height of a real emperor penguin—still stands, welcoming visitors to its chilly home.
1.What led to the formation of the Bubblegum Alley?
A. Artists made it by creating images of funny faces and the American flag.
B. It’s covered with pieces of chewed gum.
C. It spread for some unknown reason.
D. Artists guided this trend.
2.The following are descriptions about these sites, which is TRUE?
①The Blue Whale has been ruined.
②Visitors can entertain in the whale.
③The socks were added by the designer.
④The legs were made of weathered sandstone.
⑤The penguin is located in a very cold area.
⑥The statue of penguin is 6 times higher than a real emperor penguin.
A. ①②③
B. ④⑤⑥
C. ①④⑤
D. ②⑤⑥
3.What impression of these sites does the author give you?
A. Funny.
B. Strange.
C. Amazing.
D. Usual.
随着智能手机的普及，“低头族”也越来越多。假定你是李华，请根据以下要点提示，用英语给某编辑部写一封读者来信，以引起社会各界对此的广泛关注
1. 描述这一现象；2. 分析其原因及弊端；3. 你认为该如何改变现状。
注意：1. 词数100左右；2. 但可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3. 开头和结尾已给出，不记入总词数。
参考词汇：低头族phubbing 现象：phenomenon
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
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。错误仅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(＼)划掉。修改：在错的词下画一横线，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仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
American talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey is the “Queen of Talk Show”, which open and warm-hearted style put her way ahead of her competitors. Winfrey interviewed many people including politicians, entertainers or criminals. In her show, she also made it know that she had been struggling with her weight.
What made Oprah so popular is her passion for inspiring her audience live their “best life”. He encourages people to believe in themselves and help the others. This earned her much attention and countless award. Her success has not just been on the screen, which led her to start her own company and her shows started being international televised, she also gave out millions to various charities.
Oprah’s influence go far beyond her show.
When we 1. (treat) unfairly, we will get angry. Anger tends to become a problem, 2. can make us have a lot of negative 3. (thought). When we fail to control it, it may hurt others and also affect our health. 4., we should control anger so that it does not cause harm 5. us or those around us we love.
One of the best ways to control anger is to get help from 6. (other). If you feel you are 7. (able) to manage your anger, please tell someone who is close to you, like a friend or a family member, about your problem. When you discuss a matter with others, there is a better chance of 8. (find) a solution to your problem.
Besides, there 9. no better stress relievers than humor. Humor can help you look at difficult things in a lighter way and help develop 10.ability to avoid causing anger. Thus you will feel better about the things around you.
Get on well with anger and try to enjoy life.
Everyone has his idol, so do I. I admire my father. He was a highly educated, intelligent gentleman. He could debate or discuss for hours on almost any topic and hold your _____ in the process. I thought there was nothing he wasn’t _____ to do.
A few days before my younger brother’s 7th birthday, Dad planned to assemble（装配）a new _____ as a special birthday surprise. After nearly an hour of _____ the instructions, Dad was still unable to ______ the new bike together. Later he _____ the paper of instructions, ____ up his tool box, and decided to take the bike back to the local toy store and pay extra ____ to have it correctly assembled there. ____ an idea came to him, as he called out to Lovett, the quiet little man who cut our grassland.
“Lovett, have you ever assembled a boy’s bicycle?”
As Lovett walked towards the bike, Dad handed him the _____. Lovett handed it back to him, saying, “No, thanks. I can’t read. When you can’t read, you have to _____.” Less than 15 minutes later, the new bicycle was _____ assembled, with no _____ parts remaining. Dad shook Lovett’s hand, patted him on the back, thanked him, and hid the bike.
On the night after my brother received his shiny new gift, Dad announced at the family dinner table what had happened several days earlier. He took great _____ in telling it over and over again — he used it as an example of thinking.
He did not refer to illiteracy（文盲）, but strongly taught us to use our _____ . The joke was on my father, ____ he was able to turn it into a learning tool, and I liked him even more after that incident. I also gained a new ____ for Lovett. To me he had_____been the old yard man who didn’t ______much, but after that day, he seemed to smile _____, even walk taller. It’s amazing what a real nod of approval can do to lift people up.
1.A. belief B. breath C. view D. attention
2.A. willing B. lucky C. able D. capable
3.A. toy B. bicycle C. computer D. boat
4.A. reviewing B. searching C. examining D. reading
5.A. bring B. get C. put D. work
6.A. went through B. turned to C. devoted to D. folded up
7.A. picked B. brought C. added D. set
8.A. effort B. money C. tax D. service
9.A. Since B. Then C. Thus D. Though
10.A. instructions B. routines C. tools D. orders
11.A. exchange B. learn C. think D. admit
12.A. partly B. largely C. hardly D. fully
13.A. major B. spare C. separate D. different
14.A. care B. action C. risk D. delight
15.A. heads B. resources C. knowledge D. hands
16.A. but B. or C. and D. so
17.A. relief B. regard C. respect D. reward
18.A. never B. ever C. always D. often
19.A. care B. say C. earn D. show
20.A. grayer B. colder C. weaker D. broader
