Talking behind someone’s back is considered to be rude and mean. Such a conversation can cover all kinds of criticism, from their looks to their work and personality.
The other day at lunch I was with a group of colleagues, and we were talking about our boss. She is the new headmaster of our middle school.
We talked about how kind she is to us. She handwrites notes to wish us happy holidays or to thank us for jobs well done. She checks on us when she knows we’re facing difficulties outside school with our health or with our families. We talked about the good role model that she is for the young women in our school and the fair but firm way she treats students and parents.
I thought about this after lunch. Sometimes we have the good fortune to be part of another kind of “talking behind someone’s back”. And too often when we say something good about someone behind their backs, they never know about it! That night, I sent her an email to report the conversation. She replied by saying how much she appreciated hearing about this, and how it made a bright spot in a tough week of testing.
Watch for your next opportunity to be the reporter! Make sure you tell them about the nice things said behind their backs! Because how will they know unless we tell them?

1. 1.

   What do you conclude from the text the writer might be?

   1. A.
      A student
   2. B.
      A teacher
   3. C.
      A parent
   4. D.
      A boss
2. 2.

   What is the text mainly about?

   1. A.
      Conversations about others
   2. B.
      Rude and mean talking
   3. C.
      Kinds of conversations
   4. D.
      Talking behind someone’s back
3. 3.

   The author strongly agrees on ______.

   1. A.
      Don’t talk behind others’ back
   2. B.
      Talking behind others’ back is rude
   3. C.
      Do tell the person about the nice things said behind his back
   4. D.
      There is no one who never talks behind someone’s back

Many years ago my student asked me the question, “Mrs. Kindred, why do you teach?” Without taking time to reflect, I answered ,“Because someday I might say something that might make a difference in someone’s life.” Even though I was sincere, that wasn’t a very good answer and my student didn’t let it slide.
“Let me get this straight,” he said, “You went to college for four years so you could come here every day because you have the hope that someday you might say something that will influence someone?” He shook his head as if I were crazy and walked away looking confused. I’m one of those people who look back and wish they had said something smart or witty, or swift.
Even though that particular student might no longer wonder why I teach, there are days when I wonder. On those days, I remind myself of the real reasons I teach:
It’s in my blood. My mother was my most influential teacher, and she was a 6^th grade reading teacher until her death in 1990. She instilled(逐漸灌輸)in me a love of reading and the knowledge that education opens doors.
Teaching is a way to make a difference. If you throw a stone in a pond the ripples(波紋) go on and on until they reach the shore. You can’t have ripples without a “stone.” Good teachers throw stones that make a positive difference, and that’s what I strive to do.
I genuinely love teenagers. I want to share with others what I know and what I have learned through the years. Life is full of ups and downs, and if I can help students avoid some potholes on the road of life, I want to do so. If they’ll allow me to celebrate their victories with them, I want to do too. Teaching isn’t for everyone, but I know I made the right career choice

1.Why did the student continue to ask the question about the writer’s being a teacher?

1. A.
   Because he thought her answer was unbelievable
2. B.
   Because the writer was insincere
3. C.
   Because the student was naughty
4. D.
   Because the answer was difficult to understand

2.According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?

1. A.
   The writer’s mother has the greatest influence on her
2. B.
   The writer’s answer made the student confused
3. C.
   In the writer’s opinion, some people in the world are unfit to teach
4. D.
   The writer annoyed the student who asked the question

3.We can infer from the text that      

1. A.
   the writer was also a good teacher in school
2. B.
   the writer often plays with her students beside a pond
3. C.
   the writer devotes herself to teaching and her students
4. D.
   the writer often accompanies the students on their way home

Country life gives him peace and quiet, which is ______ he can’t enjoy while living in big cities

1. A.
   that
2. B.
   why
3. C.
   where
4. D.
   what

---I’d like you to do the work with me.
---But I can _____ a lot more work when I'm on my own

1. A.
   get into
2. B.
   get through
3. C.
   get down
4. D.
   get off

He went out to play football, leaving his homework _________

1. A.
   to unfinish
2. B.
   to be unfinished
3. C.
   unfinishing
4. D.
   unfinished

Glaucoma（青光眼）is a major cause of blindness around the world, especially in developing countries. The World Health Organization says glaucoma is a greater public health challenge than cataracts（白內(nèi)障）, because the blindness caused by the latter can be cured after operations.
Glaucoma is a disease that makes people around the world lose their sight, and they usually don’t even know they have the disease until it has permanently destroyed at least 40 percent of their sight. The process is usually so painless and subtle（不明顯的）, so people don't notice it. Actually, the simplest medical test can discover it.
“It is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. In Hispanics and in African-Americans, it’s the second leading cause of blindness and so is the case in the Chinese and Indians.” said Dr. Alan Robin, a specialist in treating glaucoma. “The glaucoma we see in sub-Saharan Africa is a much more aggressive blinding disease than the glaucoma we see in Americans or even African- Americans in-the United States.” he said．     ．
Dr. Eric Fleischer also sees these differences at Medstar Washington Hospital Center. “Pretty much anybody who has ancestors in Africa has an increased chance of developing glaucoma.” Age is another thing that may lead to glaucoma, although people of all ages can get it.
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that commonly produce pressure in the eye. An eye is sort of like a watch. And behind the face of the watch, liquid is made. It goes through your pupil（瞳孔）and into the front of the watch between the face and the crystal．There's an area around the edge of the watch that drains（使排出）the liquid. When that drain is blocked, the liquid can't leave the eye as fast as it is produced. The rising pressure within the eye damages and eventually kills the optic（視覺的） nerve. The result is blindness.
Fortunately, if caught early, glaucoma can be controlled. Glaucoma is not curable. But as  researchers worldwide lean more about it, they grow more hopeful that glaucoma can one day be cured or even prevented

1. 1.

   In which country is glaucoma the biggest danger to people’s sight?

   1. A.
      In China
   2. B.
      In India
   3. C.
      In the USA
   4. D.
      In Japan
2. 2.

   What do the underlined words “these differences”（in Para 4 ）refer to?

   1. A.
      The differences in regions（地區(qū)）
   2. B.
      The cultural differences
   3. C.
      The differences in age
   4. D.
      The physical differences
3. 3.

   From the passage, we can learn that,            

   1. A.
      It is hard for medical tests to discover glaucoma
   2. B.
      People in developed countries hardly develop glaucoma
   3. C.
      Glaucoma only causes blindness among old people
   4. D.
      The research on glaucoma is still going on worldwide

Books which give instructions on how to do things are very popular in the United States today. Thousands of these "How to" books are available; in fact, there are about four thousand books with titles that begin with the words "How to" One book may tell you how to earn more money, another may tell you how to save or spend it, and another may explain how to give your money away.  Many "How to" books give advice on careers (職業(yè)). They tell you how to choose a career and how to succeed at it. If you fail, however, you can buy a book called “How to Turn Failure into Success”. If you would like to become very rich, you can buy the book “How to Make a Million”. If you never make any money at all, you may need a book called "How to" Live on Nothing? One of the most popular types of books is one that helps you with personal problems. If you want to have a better love of life, you can read "How to" Succeed at Love Every Minute of Your Life.? If you are tired of books on happiness, you may prefer a book called "How to". Make Yourself miserable?
Many of these books help people use their time better. Some people want books which will give them useful information about sports, hobbies, and travel. Other people use their free time to make repairs and improvements on their homes. They prefer books which give step by step instruction on how to repair things like plumbing (衛(wèi)生管道工程) and electrical wiring, or on how to redecorate (重新裝飾) or enlarge a house.
Why have "How to" books become so popular? Probably because life has become so complex. Today people have far more free time to use, more choices to make, and more problems to solve. "How to" books help people deal with modern life

1. 1.

   These "How to" books are written to______

   1. A.
      tell people to love their life
   2. B.
      earn money
   3. C.
      give people some good advice on how to do something they want to do
   4. D.
      say something about America
2. 2.

   Before someone wants to find a good job. He had better______

   1. A.
      buy a book on "How to" Make a Million?
   2. B.
      read a book on how to choose a career and how to succeed at it
   3. C.
      beg bosses or managers for it
   4. D.
      use his free time to look for it
3. 3.

   If people will not succeed in what he is doing a book called________ can give help

   1. A.
      ＂How to" Turn Failure into Success？
   2. B.
      "How to" Make a Million?
   3. C.
      "How to" Succeed at Love Every Minute of Your Life?
   4. D.
      "How to" Make Yourself Miserable?
4. 4.

   Which headline of the following is the best for this passage?

   1. A.
      “How to" Books in America
   2. B.
      "How to" Books Are Ordinary in America
   3. C.
      Thousands of "How to" Books
   4. D.
      Books with Title That Begin with the Words "How to"

It’s become part of the restaurant table setting: knife, fork, napkin and cell phone.
　  Distracted (思想不集中的) dining is the new concern with customers constantly texting friends, uploading a Weibo photo of the meal they’re about to chew down or emailing the boss. For many smart-phone users, it’s hard just to focus on the meal and company at hand.
　  Now, one restaurant in Los Angeles is giving diners a reason to turn off the digital world, by offering customers willing to check (寄存) their phones at the door a 5-percent discount on their bill. Owner and chef Mark Gold of Eva Restaurant, located on Beverly Boulevard near N. Gardner Street, hopes this gives customers a way to truly sit back and relax, enjoy their meal and actually talk with friends and family in person.
　  “For us, it’s really not about people disturbing other guests. Eva is home, and we want to create that environment of home, and we want people to connect again,” he explained. “It’s about two people sitting together and just connecting, without the distraction of a phone, and we’re trying to create an atmosphere where you come in and really enjoy the experience and the food and the company.”
　  Gold said applying the suggestion reminds him to avoid cell phone usage, too. “I’m guilty of it as well. When my wife and I go to dinner it seems like the cell phone is part of the table setting now. Every table you look at, it’s a wine glass, the silverware and the cell phone,” he joked.
　  The husband and wife team runs Eva, a 40-person space with European flair. Gold said a little less than half take advantage of the deal, and no one has gotten upset about it.
　  “I think once the server approaches the table and they’re presented with the offer, they like the idea of actually talking to each other again,” he said

1. 1.

   When having meal in Eva Restaurant, we are not offered             on the table.

   1. A.
      forks
   2. B.
      cellphones
   3. C.
      napkins
   4. D.
      knives
2. 2.

   Why does Gold think people should not use cellphones at table?

   1. A.
      Because it can cause health problems
   2. B.
      Because it will disturb other customers
   3. C.
      Because it can get a 5-percent discount on the customers’ bills
   4. D.
      Because it may prevent people communicating with their companions
3. 3.

   What can we learn from the passage?

   1. A.
      Many people would like to upload a photo of their food before they eat nowadays
   2. B.
      People are forbidden to use cellphones in Eva Restaurant
   3. C.
      More than half of the customers in Eva Restaurant have enjoyed the discount
   4. D.
      People can easily connect with each other anytime without using cellphones
4. 4.

   What can be the best title of the passage?

   1. A.
      No Cellphone at Table!
   2. B.
      Focus on Your Cellphone!
   3. C.
      Eva Restaurant – Home to Customers
   4. D.
      Talk Face to Face

A recent study, which was published in last week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, offers a picture of how dangerous it is to get a lift from a teenage driver. Indeed, a 16-year-old driver with three or more passengers has three times the possibility of a serious accident, compared with a teenager driving alone.
The authors also found that the death rates for teenage drivers increased greatly after 10 p.m., and especially after midnight. With passengers in the car, the driver was even more likely to die in a late-night accident.
Robert Foss, a scientist at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, says the higher death rates for teenage drivers have less to do with “really stupid behavior” than with just a lack of driving experience. “The basic issue is that adults who are responsible for giving out licenses fail to recognize how complex and skilled driving is.” he says.
Both he and the author of the study believe that the way to mitigate (使緩解) the problem is to have states set up so-called graduated licensing systems, in which getting a license is a process with several stages. A graduated license requires that a teenager first prove himself able to drive in the presence(在場)of an adult, followed by a period of driving with night of passenger restrictions (限制) before graduating to full driving rights.
Graduated licensing systems have reduced teenage driver crashes, according to recent studies

1. 1.

   Which of the following situations is most dangerous according to the passage?

   1. A.
      Adults giving a lift to teenagers on the highway after 10 p.m
   2. B.
      Adults driving with three or more teenage passengers late at night
   3. C.
      A teenager driving after midnight with passengers in the car
   4. D.
      A teenager getting a lift from a stranger on the highway at midnight
2. 2.

   According to Robert Foss, the high death rate of teenage drivers is mainly due to _______

   1. A.
      their frequent driving at night
   2. B.
      their lack of driving experience
   3. C.
      their wrong way of driving
   4. D.
      their driving with passengers
3. 3.

   According to Paragraph 3, which of the following statements is TRUE?

   1. A.
      Teenagers should spend more time learning to drive
   2. B.
      Driving is a skill too complex for teenagers to learn
   3. C.
      Restrictions should be forced on teenagers demanding to take driving licenses
   4. D.
      The licensing department is partly responsible for teenagers’ driving accidents
4. 4.

   A suggested measure to be taken to reduce teenagers’ driving accidents is that ______

   1. A.
      driving in the presence of an adult should be made a rule
   2. B.
      they should be forbidden to take on passengers
   3. C.
      they should not be allowed to drive after 10 pm
   4. D.
      the licensing system should be improved

Imagine a mass of floating waste is two times the size of the state of Texas. Texas has a land area of more than 678 000 square kilometers. So it might be difficult to imagine anything twice as big.
All together, this mass of waste flowing in the North Pacific Ocean is known as the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. It weighs about 3 500 000 tons. The waste includes bags，bottles and containers—plastic products of all kinds.
The eastern part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is about l 600 kilometers west of California. The western part is west of the Hawaiian Islands and east of Japan. The area has been described as a kind of oceanic desert，with light winds and slow moving water currents. The water moves so slow that garbage from all over the world collects there.
In recent years，there have been growing concerns about the floating garbage and its effect on sea creatures and human health. Scientists say thousands of animals get trapped in the floating waste，resulting in death or injury. Even more die from a lack of food or water after swallowing pieces of plastic. The trash can also make animals feel full，lessening their desire to eat or drink.
The floating garbage also can have harmful effects on people. There is an increased threat of infection of disease from polluted waste，and from eating fish that swallowed waste. Divers can also get trapped in the plastic.
Its existence first gained public attention in l997. That was when racing boat captain and oceanographer Charles Moore and his crew sailed into the garbage while returning from a racing event. Five years earlier，another oceanographer learned of the trash after a shipment of rubber duckies got lost at sea. Many of those toys are now part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.
In August，2009，a team from the University of California，San Diego became the latest group to travel to it. They were shocked by the amount of waste they saw. They gathered hundreds of sea creatures and water samples to measure the garbage patch’s effect on ocean environment

1. 1.

   How did the writer introduce the topic of the passage?

   1. A.
      By giving an example
   2. B.
      By listing the facts
   3. C.
      By telling a story
   4. D.
      By giving a comparison
2. 2.

   What do we know about the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

   1. A.
      It is made up of various kinds of plastic products
   2. B.
      It is a solid mass of floating waste materials
   3. C.
      It lies l60 000 kilometers east of California
   4. D.
      It is described as a kind of oceanic desert
3. 3.

   Why do people pay attention to the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

   1. A.
      Because it may prevent the flow of ocean water
   2. B.
      Because the polluted plastic articles will move up the food chain
   3. C.
      Because it may be from an island in the pacific
   4. D.
      Because ships may be trapped in the floating waste
4. 4.

   The purpose of writing this passage is to____________

   1. A.
      warn people of the danger to travel in the pacific
   2. B.
      analyze what caused the waste patch in the pacific
   3. C.
      give advice on how to recycle waste in the ocean
   4. D.
      introduce the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch