A gust of wind blew a canvas chair across the yard. My eyes followed the circling dirt out to the road and down toward the school bus stop. I was going to miss walking down the road to catch the big school bus that took us into town to school. I enjoyed being with the teachers and the other students. Now that I was finished with school I seemed to have lost some of the excitement from my life.

As I was folding the canvas chair, Chatita Chávez drove into our yard in her father’s old truck. It made short loud sounds and sent out a trail of black smoke out of its tailpipe. She got out smiling as usual and excitedly pointed toward the storm that seemed to be moving toward us.

“I can’t stay long, Nilda. There’s a storm coming and I need to beat it home.” I was glad to see her. “Yes, I think we’re in for some bad weather. Come on in and have a cup of coffee at least,” I said as I took her into our kitchen.

“I’m so excited, Nilda! You’ll never guess what I just did!” I stopped pouring the coffee and turned and looked at her.

“I just went over to Edinburg and registered for junior college,” she said and looked at me and smiled. “Don’t you want to go take classes with me?”

I was astonished. I didn’t know what to say. How could I go to college? I didn’t have any money. I gave Chatita a cup of coffee. “I don’t know. I don’t think I can. Isn’t college expensive?”

Chatita sat down at the table and began adding sugar to her coffee. “Not really, and I’m working part-time at the packing shed(棚)on Canal Road. You could work there, too.”

The wind began to gust causing the house to occasionally make sounds and shake. The lightbulb hanging over the table flashed off and on and I heard a low roll of thunder in the distance.

I hesitantly asked, “Do you think I could get a job at the packing shed?”

“Sure. My cousin is the boss. He’ll give you a job.” Mamá came into the kitchen and exchanged greetings with Chatita. She must have heard our conversation.

“I think it’s nice that you’re going to go to college, Chatita. What will you study?” my

mother asked as she joined us at the table.

“I want to be a teacher.”

“A teacher! How nice!” Mamá said as she patted Chatita’s arm.

“A teacher?” I asked. “Don’t you need a degree?”

“You can start teaching before you get your degree. Clarence Duncan has been teaching in Brownsville since last year and I think Zulema will start this year.”

The lightbulb blinked again and went out. Mamá quickly arose from the table. “I’m going to have to bring in the lanterns. I knew I shouldn’t have packed them away.”

“Well, Nilda, do you want to go? Because, if you do, you can go over to Edinburg with me tomorrow.”

I hesitated, then said, “Yes. I want to go.” My heart was beating fast. I couldn’t believe how happy I was feeling.

“But I have to talk to Mamá and Papá. What if they won’t let me?”

“You can at least go with me tomorrow and find out what it’s all about. I’ll come by for you around eight.”

Chatita left me sitting at the table staring at my cup of coffee. It seemed so unreal, this idea of me going to college. My parents had never had the opportunity for much education. Juana had quit school to get married and Roberto and Zeke had graduated from high school as I had. But college? I would be the first one in my family to go to college. Yes, college was exactly what I wanted.

The day had turned dark and the rain had started. My mother came back into the kitchen with two lanterns.

“Mamá, I need to ask you something.”

She picked up a cloth and began to clean the dust from the lanterns. She looked at me and smiled.

“Mamá, if I could find a way to pay, could I take classes at the junior college?” I asked, trying to control my excitement.

She stopped cleaning and raised her eyebrows. “What would you study, my daughter?”

“I think I want to be a teacher,” I quietly replied.

Mamá sat down at the table across from me. “Then, I would like for you to go to college,” she said in a serious tone.

“What about Papá? Do you think he will allow me to go?”

“Your father wants you to be happy. If going to college and being a teacher makes you happy, then he will probably allow it,” she answered.

I didn’t say anything. I was enjoying the feeling of happiness and sense of wonder that had come over me. The two of us sat in the darkened room without speaking until I saw my mamá rubbing her eyes with the edge of her apron.

“What’s wrong, Mamá.”

“Nothing,” she replied. “I probably got some dust in my eyes. That’s all.”

1.This story is told from the point of view of___________.

A. Chatita B. Mamá C. Nilda D. Papá

2.Chatita responds to Nilda’s hesitancy about going to college with___________.

A. acceptance B. disappointment

C. encouragement D. indifference

3.According to the underlined sentence from the story, what feeling does this realization create for Nilda?

A. Sympathy. B. Frustration.

C. Annoyance. D. Satisfaction.

4.The real reason for Mamá’s tears is most likely because she is___________.

A. proud that Nilda wants to become a teacher

B. concerned about missing Nilda once she leaves

C. worried her husband will stop Nilda from leaving

D. happy that Nilda can work at a job with her friend

5.How does Nilda most show respect for her parents?

A. She picks up a chair from their yard.

B. She seeks their approval to go to college.

C. She sits with her mother without speaking.

D. She tells her mother she plans to become a teacher.

6.Which sentence from the story best supports Nilda’s sense of fulfillment?

A. “Now that I was finished with school I seemed to have lost some of the excitement from my life.”

B. “I haltingly asked, ‘Do you think I could get a job at the packing shed?’ ”

C. “ ‘Mamá, if I could find a way to pay, could I take classes at the junior college?’ ”

D. “I was enjoying the feeling of happiness and sense of wonder that had come over me.”

A lack of self-respect can prevent you from fulfilling your potential and developing healthy relationships. Here are some steps to help you know how to respect yourself.

1.__________ The qualities that we respect vary from person to person, and the way we express it varies from culture to culture. Generally, we respect people who have more experience and are more accomplished than ourselves. But there is also a basic level of respect that most people will agree is a right, and does not need to be earned. So think about what it means to respect others. Here are some widely agreed-upon signals of respect: You don’t steal from, harm, or insult them; you are honest with them; you listen to what they say, consider their opinions, and avoid interrupting them.

2.__________ We often do things for ourselves that we would never dream of doing for someone we care about. Whatever you believe to be respectful, apply it to yourself. Don’t harm yourself. Don’t insult yourself. Don’t steal from yourself. Be honest with yourself. Develop your own opinions and don’t be afraid to stand by them.

3.__________ A person with self-respect doesn’t allow others to treat them badly, and would rather not be around someone who is disrespectful. This might seem obvious, but there are many times when we accept being treated badly. When someone doesn’t give you basic respect, you need to be able to say, in one way or another, “You just disrespected me and that’s not acceptable!

If you don’t respect me, I won’t spend time with you any more.” Can you say that, and mean it?

Can you turn your back on someone who’s clearly shown that they don’t respect you? Once you do, you’ll feel your sense of self-respect go up.

4.__________ When you make an effort to keep your body in good working order, you’ll not only feel better physically, but also feel a sense of pride. Respecting your body also means not insulting it for what it is, naturally. Make an effort to get fit and stay healthy. Focus on the things you can change and improve, and do them because it feels good.

5.__________ The more you know about yourself, the more you’ll see and appreciate how unique you really are. And you’ll respect yourself more. Discover your principles, personality, and talents. Stop waiting for other people’s approval and start developing your own standards. Develop a unique and original way of expressing your opinions while at the same time being a good listener.

A. Get to know yourself.

B. Take care of your body.

C. Practice basic respect towards yourself.

D. Be honest with yourself and with others.

E. Think about what it means to respect someone.

F. Recognize when people disrespect you and take steps to stop it.

短文改錯（共10 小題；每小題 1分，滿分10分）

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（∧） ，并在下面加上該加的詞。

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 Monday, we were having our Chinese lesson while the teacher suddenly slipped and fell. We were both worried about her. One of the boy carried her on his back, with the help of some others, to the hospital immediately. It turned out that her right leg was broken but she had to stay in hospital. The following day, we went to visit him with flowers and fruit. Seeing her lie in bed with her leg wrapped in bandages, we felt sorry for her and hoped that she will recover soon. This Thursday, she had returned to the class in a wheelchair to give us lessons. We were all deep moved and proud of having such responsible teacher.

眾所周知，勤儉節(jié)約是中華民族的優(yōu)良傳統(tǒng)，但根據(jù)調(diào)查，近幾年來中學(xué)生每月的花

銷越來越高，根本沒有節(jié)儉的概念。請就此現(xiàn)象寫一篇 120 字左右的短文，要求如下：

1. 簡單闡述此現(xiàn)象；

2. 分析這一現(xiàn)象的原因；

3. 你的看法。

注意：文章開頭已給出，不計入詞數(shù)；

參考詞匯：thrift (n.) 勤儉

According to a survey, in recent years monthly expenses of a middle school student have been

on the sharp rise.

On Tuesday, Apple’ CEO, Tim Cook, announced the Apple Watch. It is like a normal watch, but it can do all the things a mobile phone does — and more.

At US $349, the Apple Watch is expensive. Some people doubt that they will become as successful as smartphones. However, it seems that it will open another door for the use of computers. The watch taps you whenever a new message comes in. It prepares answers to questions you receive from friends. It checks your health. “It’s the most personal product we’ve ever made,” Cook said.

If the Apple Watch becomes popular, it will change the way the world communicates with computers. “It might not only be a change for Apple, but for the whole industry,” says technology expert, Daniel Ives.

How does it work?

The Apple Watch has a speaker that users can both hear and feel. You can press the side button to communicate with people quickly and easily. The Apple Watch also introduces health and fitness apps(應(yīng)用程序)that can help people lead healthier lives.

You can try it.

According to Matt Vella, a writer for TIME magazine, the watch is “the most thrilling product since the iPad.”

After actually trying the watch, he says: “ There’s a lot we don’t know about the Apple Watch. How long will its battery last? How exactly will it connect with the iPhone? But wearing the watch answers some other questions. It is very comfortable. You can easily forget you are wearing the Apple Watch.”

1.What does the underlined sentence probably mean?

A. The Apple Watch will be successful as the Smartphone.

B. Contrary to popular belief, many people dislike the Apple Watch.

C. Some people don’t think the Apple Watch will be as popular as smartphones.

D. Some people think the Apple Watch will be more popular than smartphones.

2.Who is Tim Cook according to the passage?

A. An officer . B. An editor.

C. A writer. D. A teacher.

3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. The Apple Watch has a speaker.

B. The Apple Watch can check your health.

C. You can send messages with the Apple Watch.

D. The Apple Watch doesn’t need a battery.

4.What does Matt Vella think about the Apple Watch?

A. Beautiful. B. Exciting.

C. normal D. Expensive.

5.This passage is about ________.

A. how to choose the Apple Watch

B. why people buy the Apple Watch

C. a new product

D. a new method

A couple of years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out of the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator (短吻鱷) was swimming toward the shoe. His mother in the house was looking out of the window and saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In great fear, she ran toward the water, shouting to her son as loudly as she could.

Hearing her voice, the little boy became worried and made a return to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.

From the bank. the mother caught her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began a tug-of-war (拔河) between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too determined to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.

After weeks and weeks in hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred (留下傷疤) by the attack of the animal and on his arms were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the injury, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pants legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter. “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn’t let go.

1.The boy’s legs were scarred by_______.

A. his mother B. an alligator

C. a farmer D. a reporter

2.What does the underlined word “snatched” probably mean?

A. Kicked. B. Touched. C. Bit. D. Knocked.

3.Why did the farmer help the mother?

A. He didn’t want to see the alligator killing the boy.

B. She was much too determined to let go of the boy.

C. Her nails dug into the boy’s flesh to hang on to the boy.

D. The boy lifted his pants legs to show his scars.

4.What did the boy think of the scars on his arms?

A. fearful. B. Shy. C. worried. D. Proud.

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A. A Brave Boy B. The scars of Love

C. A Helpful Farmer D. A Mother and An Alligator

A new Australian research indicates that children with a stutter (結(jié)巴) do not suffer disadvantages at school, More than ten percent of children have a stutter by the age of four but they score just as high as other children on tests designed to judge their language, thinking skills and character.

Professor Reilly’s team studied over 1600 children from Melbourne, Australia. Their mothers had been filling out regular questionnaires since their babies were eight months old and the children were judged by a range of language and behaviour tests when they reached the age of four. Reilly and her colleagues asked the parents to call the study group if their children started showing signs of stuttering. Diagnoses were confirmed by a researcher, who then visited the homes of children with a stutter every month to check on their progress.

By the age of four, 181 of the children studied had been diagnosed with a stutter. Follow-up visits to the 181 children who were judged after diagnoses showed just nine no longer had a stutter one year later. Stuttering children scored 5. 5 points higher than that of their non-stuttering children on language tests and 2. 6 points higher on the test of non-verbal intelligence. The researchers said it was possible that stuttering could improve language skills, or that stuttering could result from very fast language development among some children.

The research suggests parents of children who stutter are usually advised to wait a year before looking for treatment —which can be expensive — to see if the stutter goes away by itself, unless the children become very unhappy or stop talking.

1.Children with a stutter at school _______.

A. are poor in their lessons

B. have normal language skills

C. work much harder than others

D. are looked down upon by others

2.According to Reilly, parents should make a telephone to the study members when ______.

A. they wanted to turn in the questionnaires

B. their children were rude to other people

C. they wanted to seek some practical advice

D. their children had a symptom of stuttering

3.The author shows the result of the research by _______.

A. presenting some statistics

B. offering some good examples

C. telling some interesting stories

D. performing some operations

4.Some children may stutter probably because_______.

A. they become angry very easily

B. their intelligence is very poor

C. they don’t have any patience at all

D. their language develops very quickly

5.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _______.

A. it costs quite a lot to treat children with a stutter

B. it is hard for stuttering children to speak normally

C. children with a stutter should be treated in a proper way

D. stuttering children can’t be any worse off than they are already

About five to seven million people who lived in England spoke English at the end of the 16th century. Later in the next century, people from England overcame other parts of the world and because of that, English began to be spoken in many other countries. Today, more people speak English as their first, second or a foreign language than ever before.

Look at this example:

British Betty: Would you like to see my flat?

American Amy: Yes. I’d like to come up to your apartment.

So why has English changed over time? All languages change and develop when cultures meet. At first the English spoken in England between about AD 450 and 1150 was very different from the English spoken today. It was based more on German than the English we speak at present. Then between about AD 800 and 1150, English became less like German because those who ruled England spoke first Danish and later French. These new settlers improved the English language and especially its vocabulary. So by the 1600’s Shakespeare was able to make use of a wider vocabulary than ever before.

Finally by the 19th century the language was settled. At that time two big changes in English spelling happened: first Samuel Johnson wrote his dictionary and later Noah Webster wrote The American Dictionary of the English Language. The latter gave a separate identity to American English spelling.

English now is also spoken as a foreign or second language in South Asia. For example, India has a very large number of fluent English speakers because Britain ruled India from 1765 to 1947. During that time English became the language for government and education. Today the number of people learning English in China is increasing rapidly.

1.When did English begin to be spoken in many other countries?

A. In 16th century.

B. In 17th century.

C. In 18th century.

D. In 19th century.

2.Shakespeare could use a wider vocabulary than ever before because English_______.

A. developed when new settlers came to Britain

B. was based on Germany during the 5th century

C. became the language for government and education

D. was spoken wide all over the world

3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. British settlers moved to America in the 18th.

B. It’s easy for Chinese people speak fluent English.

C. English once became the official language in India.

D. English was influenced by Danish invaders in AD 450 .

4.What showed the differences of American English spelling?

A. Samuel Johnson’s dictionary B. Shakespeare’s books

C. French ruler’s language D. Noah Webster’s dictionary

5.For what purpose does the author write the passage?

A. To settle English in many countries.

B. To understand English-speaking people.

C. To describe the development of English.

D. To tell people changes of American English.

閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從21—40各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項。

Jack and his 11-year-old son, Tony, love basketball very much. On Tony’s birthday, Jack decided to drive him Chicago, more than two hours’ distance, for the first game of the World Championships. They had no but hoped to buy two from other people.

After arriving in Chicago, they in the streets for two hours carrying a which said, “We need two tickets”. the cheapest ticket was $175 and they could not it. They were about to leave when a man them. He pulled out two tickets and them to Jack. “How much do you want?” “ ! No money is needed!” said the man.

When asked, the man , “I am working for Joe, who hasn’t a World Championships for 16 years. But he is ill and can’t make it this time. So he told me to give the two tickets away. The only he set is to give the tickets to people I think will be deserving. A lot of people looked as if they might just take the tickets and them right away. Then I saw you. You seemed very and you made me my Dad and myself when I was a child. I wanted to go to see a World Championships game with my father at that time. But I never got the …”

How important and the game was to Jack and his son! Here is Jack said, “It’s the most worth thing that happened to us. My boy and I must have turned to each other 30 times during the game. I can’t forget that night.”

1.A. in B. to C. through D. for

2.A. tickets B. cards C. passes D. money

3.A. rode B. ran C. walked D. cried

4.A. book B. photo C. magazine D. sign

5.A. But B. And C. Or D. So

6.A. offer B. afford C. keep D. hold

7.A. invited B. asked C. stopped D. beat

8.A. handed B. sent C. left D. threw

9.A. Cheap B. Expensive C. Terrible D. Free

10.A. agreed B. explained C. examined D. appeared

11.A. delayed B. won C. lost D. missed

12.A. record B. time C. rule D. point

13.A. lend B. sell C. tear D. make

14.A. boring B. interesting C. smart D. anxious

15.A. think of B. care for C. give up D. belong to

16.A. really B. very C. well D. nearly

17.A. ability B. right C. chance D. dream

18.A. unpleasant B. funny C. disappointing D. unforgettable

19.A. which B. what C. that D. how

20.A. hating B. discussing C. remembering D. playing

閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入適當(dāng)?shù)膬?nèi)容（不多于3個單詞）或括號內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。

A: Well, what do you think? McDonald’s is going to build 1. new restaurant in our hometown.

B: 2. (certain)not! I hate all that expensive, 3. (taste) food. Where are they going to build it?

A: Over there where that old restaurant is.

B: But where are we going to eat our local dishes? I love to eat 4. there. It’s so friendly. Why are they closing?

A: McDonald’s offered that old restaurant a lot of money, so they wanted to sell. I think we will all benefit. An old part of town 5. (improve) and we shall have 6. (many) jobs.

B: Don’t you believe it ! I 7. (read) read about these kinds of restaurants. They provide a terrible diet for young children. How does McDonald’s know that we want their restaurant here? Nobody has asked our opinions.

A: Well, since you are against it, why not take part in a meeting to vote 8. whether we want McDonald’s 9. not? You may give the reasons why you don’t want it 10. (build) . I will give the reasons for building it.

B: That seems a very good idea. Let’s do that.