More and more people take part in marathons these days – over 30,000 people will run the London Marathon this weekend, for instance. But it’s not just the 26 miles and 385 yards that could be a daunting prospect. “I have to admit to being completely frustrated by the blocking and for 18-19 miles was just keeping away from people and being held up,” one participant grumbled after the 2012 London Marathon. “I had to overtake a lot of people and ended up with bruised（淤腫的）forearms from all the elbows,” said another.

How do such crowding problems arise, and could they be reduced? Some researchers believe that we can find the answers through a more familiar system in which jams appear – road traffic flow. Martin Treiber, of the Technical University of Dresden in Germany, has previously developed models for traffic flow. One of the first attempts to model traffic flow was made in the 1950s by James Lighthill and his collaborator Gerard Whitham of Manchester University. They considered the traffic as a kind of liquid flowing down a pipe, and looked at how the flow changes as the fluid gets denser(濃稠). At first the flow rate increases as the density increases, since you simply get more stuff through in the same period of time. But if the density becomes too high, there’s a risk of jams, and the flow rate drops sharply.

Treiber’s model of a marathon uses this same principle that the flow rate first increases and then decreases as the density of runners increases, thanks to an sudden switch from free to crowded flow. He assumes that there is a range of different preferred speeds for different runners, which each maintains throughout the race. With just these factors, Treiber can calculate the flow rate of runners, knowing the “carrying capacity”(承載能力)at each point on the route.

This allows Treiber to figure out how blocking might depend on the race conditions – for example, for different starting procedures. Some marathons start by letting all the runners set off at once (which means those at the back have to wait until those in front have moved forward). Others assign runners to various groups according to ability, and let them start in a series of waves.

Treiber has applied the model to the annual Rennsteig half-marathon in central Germany, which attracts around 6,000 participants. The traditional route had to be changed in 2013, because the police were no longer willing to close a road to ensure that runners could cross safely. It could pass either over a 60m wooden bridge or through a tunnel. Treiber used his model to predict the likely blocking caused in the various options. The model predicted that a mass start would risk an overload of runners if the bridge were to be used. Only by moving the starting point further back from the bridge could the danger be avoided – and even then, if some of the numbers assumed in the model were only slightly inaccurate, there was still a risk of jams at the bridge. On the other hand, no dangerous blocking seemed likely for the tunnel route. The run organizers consulted Treiber’s team, and eventually chose this option.

1.What is the worst thing while running a marathon?

A. The long distance. B. Too many participants.

C. The dangerous blocking. D. Serious injuries in forearms.

2.Which of the following statements is true?

A. James Lighthill is the first expert trying to model traffic flow.

B. The denser the flow is, the faster the flow rate becomes.

C. The flow rate increases in the beginning because fewer people passed together.

D. The flow rate increases first and then decreases later when the flow is too denser.

3.What is NOT true about the Rennsteig?

A. It has much less participants than the London Marathon in 2014.

B. It has a shorter distance than the London Marathon.

C. The route was changed because the traditional one is not safe any longer.

D. The participants running this marathon will pass a tunnel because this choice is safer.

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Make a comparison between marathon and road traffic.

B. Running a marathon is somewhat dangerous if it is not well organized.

C. Introduce a new technology to solve the blocking problem in marathon.

D. Some advice for people who are to run a marathon.

Topic: "Enjoy Worldwide privileges with BOC cards" 5% cash rebate(折扣) from UnionPay credit card issued by Bank of China

Time: April 1, 2014 to February 28, 2015

Customer: Personal credit cards with card number starting with “62” and with the UnionPay logo on the card

Details：

The promotion period is from April 1, 2014 to February 28, 2015.

Payments with business cards, corporate cards or transactions（交易）through third-party platform (PAYPAL, Alipay and the internet banking payment and Kuai payment supported by Alipay) are not eligible（合格的）for the promotion.

The promotion is applicable to online shopping payments to appointed business partners only, and all the transactions need to be completed via UnionPay online.

Amazon (U.S.) personal credit cards with card number starting with “62” and with the UnionPay logo on the card are eligible for the promotion.

As the promotion has no pre-defined upper limit on the number of transactions, all transactions meeting the criteria above will enjoy the cash rebate.

The value of eligible transactions will be the settlement amount in RMB according to the UnionPay system.

All single transactions of RMB 500 or more with payment made by UnionPay credit card issued by Bank of China (card number starting with ’62’) via UnionPay online platform will enjoy a 5% cash rebate, capped at RMB 100 per card per month.

Cardholders will receive the cash rebate within 90 calendar days after every promotion period. If the cardholder has any questions on the amount of rebate, please contact Bank of China Credit Card Customer Care Hotline（4006695566）within 30 calendar days since receiving the rebate; if no question is raised within 30 calendar days, the bank with deem the client agreeable to the amount of rebate. The date of cash rebate arriving in client’s account could be later than the date described above due to force majeure that is not unforeseeable.

Transaction value for the main credit card and supplementary cards will be calculated separately, and transaction value for credit cards of different card numbers will be calculated separately. Only transactions made with specified credit cards to appointed business partners will be eligible for the cash rebate promotion; in case of refund, no cash rebate will be made. At the same time, Bank of China reserve the right to recall any unqualified cash rebate already made.

Cardholders will need to ensure no late payment, card freeze or other abnormal occasions during the promotion period, otherwise the cardholder will not be eligible for the promotion.

Income tax associated with the cash rebate will be taken care of by the cardholder. Cardholders hold the responsibility to declare the income and settle the tax payment.

1. Which of the following cards can get the cash rebate?

2.How much rebate can I get from a 500 dollars payment?

A. About 5RMB B. About 25 RMB

C. About 100 RMBD. About 125 RMB

3. According to this passage, the third-party platform doesn’t include_______.

A. Business cards B. PAYPAL C. Alipay D. Kuai payment

4. In which of the following payment can we get the cash rebate?

A. $60 for a sweater on Amazon.

B. $80 for a bottle of wine from a shop in Paris.

C. $100 for a souvenir bought in the duty-free shop of LAX.

D. $200 for a child safety seat on Amazon.

5.We can learn from the passage that ___________.

A. The cash rebate will arrive in our account within 30 calendar days.

B. We can’t get the cash rebate unless we pay the income tax associated.

C. Both the customers and Amazon(U.S.) will benefit from this promotion.

D. Any transactions of RMB 500 or more can get the cash rebate.

Most teens can't wait to learn to drive. Not so with me. Driving made me nervous. I didn't get a license until I turned 24 years old. As a result, when I first married, we only had one car and car pooled to work. My husband's hours were different from mine by one hour. I worked earlier. So he dropped me off and went to the diner to drink coffee until work time.

Then, in the afternoons, I leisurely walked the three miles to his work place where I waited in his car, reading a book.

One day while waiting for him, I noticed the most beautiful Cadillac pull in the lot. It was powder blue and sleek looking. The kind of car you dream about. I was busily admiring the car, when I noticed the driver. Honestly, she was probably the prettiest woman I had ever seen off the movie screen.

She pulled into the spot beside our car and it was all I could do not to stare. There was a striking resemblance to Liz Taylor. Jet black hair and alabaster skin. Our eyes made contact and she smiled at me. Her eyes were as blue as the sea, and teeth like an even row of pearls. She was wearing a light blue shirt that just matched her car. Peeking through her long, softly curled hair I could see gold hoop earrings. They had to be gold to shine like that. A couple of minutes later, a nice looking man came out of the building, entered her car, leaned over and kissed her and she drove away.

Sitting there in my jeans, shirt and hair in a pony tail, I wanted to cry. How could some people have it all?

Maybe I would have forgotten about her, but the following week, I saw her again. Then it became almost routine to see her about once a week. She seemed friendly and always waved, flashing a big smile. My envy lingered long after she drove away.

Many nights when sleep evaded me, I would think about the beautiful lady. I wondered if she and her husband ate out, and where they dined, and what she was wearing. I wanted her to get out of the car and let me see her full length. Did she wear really high heeled shoes and pants, or a skirt.

I would get my answers in a couple of weeks.

Sitting in our usual parking lot, I was holding my book, watching her over the top of it. She was waiting and when her husband came to the car, she called to him. They spoke a few words and he opened the car door for her to step out. He took her arm and helped her out of the car. I could see very well as she moved to get out. She was wearing a skirt.

She haltingly walked around to the passenger side very slowly, leaning on a walking cane. Sitting sideways in the car, she lifted one leg with her hands and then the other one. The beautiful lady had a prosthesis on the left leg and a brace on the right leg. I couldn't watch them drive away as the tears were blinding me. For weeks I had envied this woman and her way of life, while I had been able to walk three miles to our car!

When my husband arrived and found me crying, he immediately asked what was wrong. Through my tears, I told him about the beautiful lady. He said he knew her husband and also knew the story. The beautiful lady and her parents were in a car that either stalled or got caught on the railroad tracks and was hit by a train. Both parents were killed and she was severely injured. She was only 12 years old. The railroad made a large settlement with her because the crossing had no signals. He explained her car was specially built for her needs as well as the home.

I prayed for forgiveness all the way home. The lady I thought had everything I didn't. I realized how lucky I was to have my parents, the ability to walk, run or dance through life and many wonderful things money can't buy. I would not have traded places with the beautiful lady for anything

When you meet a person who seems to be much better off than you, don't be fooled.

1.In the afternoons the woman walked three miles to her husband’s work place to___.

A. take exercise on the way B. meet the beautiful lady.

C. enjoy the scenery and reading D. wait for her husband

2.After seeing the beautiful lady, the woman concluded_______.

A. the beautiful lady led a rich and happy life.

B. the beautiful lady liked to show off herself.

C. she and her husband must make more money.

D. she shouldn’t have married her husband.

3. The woman prayed for forgiveness all the way home because_______.

A. She should have known the whole story earlier.

B. She shouldn’t have compared herself with the woman.

C. She shouldn’t have told her husband what she had seen.

D. She shouldn’t have seen the woman getting out of the car.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The woman learned that health and family are more important.

B. The woman was poor and couldn’t afford another car and fancy clothes.

C. The woman envied the beautiful lady of her capable husband.

D. The woman regretted marrying her husband.

5.The underlined word “haltingly” probably means________.

A. proudly B. excitedly

C. difficultly D. steadily

6.Which of the following do you think can be the best title of the passage?

A. Seeing is believing B. Trust her heart instead of her look

C. Looks can be deceiving D. Fooled by her look

下面文章中有5處（第61-65題）需要添加小標題。請從以下選項（A、B、C、D、E和F）中選出符合各段意思的小標題。選項中有一項是多余選項。

The single most important factor that contributes to success is what you do every single day. It is as simple as that. Your habits will determine whether you are successful or not. If you have strong and healthy positive habits, it does not matter whether or not you fail today because you are guaranteed to succeed in the long run.

1.________

    Because you repeat the same actions and the same behaviors every single day, a single positive action will not change your life, but the same action repeated 1,000 times will have a significant impact on your life. For example, if you go to the gym one time, you won't see a big difference in your life. However, if you go to the gym 1,000 times over a five year period, you will see a big difference in your body. The same principle applies to finance, health, relationships, work, career, and school. Simple positive actions repeated every single day will have a great impact on your life in the long run.

2.________

    There's nothing easier than developing positive habits. You simply have to do every single day the action you want to make a habit. If you want to develop the habit of running, run almost every day. If you want to develop the habit of eating healthy, eat healthy every day. If you want to develop the habit of reading, read every day. Habits are created by repetition. The more you do an action, the easier it becomes in the long run.

3. ________           

    If you want to be successful in changing your habits, you should think about changing your inner beliefs about your habits. For example, your old belief was: "I love cigarette because it makes me feel good and relaxed. I need cigarette to be happy and relaxed." If you keep this belief, you won't be able to keep your resolution to stop smoking for very long. Instead, you should adopt this new belief: "I love yoga because it makes me feel good and relaxed. Cigarette is poisonous and destroys my body. Yoga makes me happy." You should analyze your beliefs and make sure they won't stop you from changing your habits. The same is true when you try to form positive habits. If you want to start eating healthy food, here are some positive beliefs you should start thinking about: "Healthy food is very good for my health. It gives me a lot of energy and I feel very good."

4. ________          

    It's now time for you to develop positive habits in your life and avoid your negative habits. Write down 3 positive habits that you would like to develop and 3 negative habits that you would like to get rid of. For each positive habit, write down exactly what actions you're going to take every single day in order to develop the new habit. For each negative habit, write down exactly what actions you're not going to take in the next weeks. Here are some positive habits that will lead to success: exercise, healthy food, reading, saving, studying, healthy relationships, hard work, etc... Here are some negative habits to get rid of: gambling, drug and alcohol abuse, overeating, shyness, etc..

5. ________            

    Everybody can change. All it takes is courage and commitment. Decide right now to improve your life by changing your habits. Take action right now! Don't be afraid. Yes, you will probably make mistakes along the way. But never forget that success is guaranteed for you if you have positive habits in your life. If you refuse to quit, success will be yours

下面短文中有10處語言錯誤。請在有錯誤的地方增加、刪除或修改某個單詞。

增加：在缺詞處加一個漏字符號（∧），并在其下面寫上該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線（\）劃掉。

修改：在錯的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫上修改后的詞。

注意：1.每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

2.只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計分。

Last night, I have a strange but interesting dream. On the way back home. I came across child from another planet. His clothes seemed to be shining and looked beautifully. As I got close to him, he looked frightening and turned his back to me. Though I couldn’t speak his language, I used hand gestures to talk about him. A while later, he told me lots of amazing thing on his planet, which made me laughing, but suddenly, he began to cry, and then he explained he had lost his way but couldn’t find his home. Seeing that, I was offered to help him. His home had a telephone number like ours, so I asked him to call his parents using my phone. Soon before making the call he disappeared.

請仔細觀察下面的圖片, 按要求用英語寫一篇100-120字的小短文.

要求: 1. 簡述圖片中的故事。

2. 圖片中的故事傳達了什么道理？

3. 談談你的看法.

詞匯：煙斗tobacco pipe

One day Jack decided to_______________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________

---Please inform Jack of the exact time of the arrival of the airplane.

---____? He will come here tonight.

A. Why bother B. Why not

C. So what D. What for

What ____ great fun we are having! I’ll never forget ____ Christmas like it.

A. a; a B. a; the C. a; / D. /; a

He was no longer a (an)____ who failed in big events, like the 2008 Beijing

Olympics, where he finished an unimpressive 11th.

A. anything B. nothing C. anybody D. nobody

____ for its well-preserved ancient Tibetan houses, Dukezong was one of the most popular resorts in Shangri-la.

A.Knowing B. To know

C. To be known D. Known