One afternoon, after finishing shopping in a supermarket, my family and I went to the checkout. I suddenly thought we didn’t need any of the junk, and we abandoned all of those, saving $300.

That got me thinking about all our pointless expenses in life. With a promise that we’d stop if it was killing us, I convinced the family to take the leap into frugality(節(jié)儉). The rules were that we would buy nothing for 30 days except absolutely essentials.

Our adventure began with a great start. By 9 a.m., my wife, Ruth, had already made cakes from old strawberries and picked flowers I didn’t even know we had in the garden. I cleared the car by hand for the first time for years. I read and returned the neighbor’s newspaper before he woke up. Total spending on the first day: $0.

As days turned into weeks, we became so proficient(熟練的) at living frugally. We started riding our bikes to save gas. My child’s finger painting was recycled as gift wrap for the homemade presents. We started to use an Internet application like Skype for free phone calls and ask neighbors with gardens for extra vegetables and herbs.

In the end, we saved more than $2000 by not spending for a month. When we began, I imagined we would rush out the moment we were done and buy a lot of things in the supermarket, then maybe hit the mall or go to the movies.

1.We can infer from the passage that before that very afternoon, the family _________.

A. had had higher income

B. had had a good habit of saving money

C. had often spent money without thinking much

D. hadn’t realized they would have met financial problems

2.How many things were mentioned about the things the family did to save on the first day of the “30 days”?

A. Two.B. Three.C. Four.D. Five.

3.The end of the story tells the readers that the family _________.

A. stopped halfway

B. couldn’t stand the life of frugality

C. would make up for missing the junk after the “30 days”

D. succeeded in saving in the end

4.This passage is mainly about _________.

A. how a family managed their daily life

B. a family’s no-buying try

C. a family’s way of solving life problems

D. how a new idea came up

Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean, an S-shaped body of water covering

33 million square miles. The Atlantic has, in a sense, replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civilization. Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic is rich in oceanic liveliness. It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.

“Storm at Sea”, a short poem written around 700, is generally regarded as one of mankind’s earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic.

When the wind is from the west

All the waves that cannot rest

To the east must thunder on

Where the bright tree of the sun

Is rooted in the ocean’s breast.

As the poem suggests, the Atlantic is never dead and dull. It is an ocean that moves, impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise-it is forever thundering, boiling, crashing, and whistling.

It is easy to imagine the Atlantic trying to draw breath-perhaps not so noticeably out in mid-ocean, but where it meets land, its waters bathing up and down a sandy beach. It mimics(模仿)nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living creature. It is filled with symbiotic existences, too: unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony, giving to the waters a feeling of heartbeat, a kind of sub-ocean vitality. And it has a psychology. It has personalities: sometimes peaceful and pleasant, on rare occasions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.

1. Unlike real inland seas, the Atlantic Ocean is __________.

A. always energetic B. lacking in liveliness

C. shaped like a square D. favored by ancient poets

2. What is the purpose of using the poem “Storm at Sea” in the passage?

A. To describe the movement of the waves.

B. To show the strength of the storm.

C. To represent the power of the ocean.

D. To prove the vastness of the sea.

3.What does the underlined word “symbiotic” mean?

A. Living together. B. Growing fast.

C. Moving harmoniously. D. Breathing peacefully.

4.In the last paragraph, the Atlantic is compared to __________.

A. a beautiful and poetic place

B. a flesh and blood person

C. a wonderful world

D. a lovely animal

Do you have any problem with time? Start doing these and you will see the difference.

●Write it down

Don’t rely on your memory to keep track of every little detail. 1. Write down the things you need to do in a small notebook, or use online tool to create and update your “to-do” list.

● 2.

Working for long periods without a break can waste your time. It is more efficient to work or study for a shorter period of time, take a break, and then go back to work. You may get more done in tow focused 45-minute sessions.

● One thing at a time

3. Do one thing at a time, and do it well. As the Chinese proverb says, “One cannot manage too many affairs. Like pumpkins in the water, one pops up while you try to hold down the other.”

● Schedule email time

On your cell phone you get a notification every time someone sends you an email. If so, you have to check your email many, many times a day. 4. Schedule time to check your email. It doesn’t matter when.

● Choose to say “No”.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed if we say “yes” to everything. Think about the task before you commit to it. Do you need to do it? Can someone else do it? Avoid saying “yes” to every request. 5.

● Keep a goal journal

Write down your goals in a journal and evaluate them regularly. Mark your progress for each goal. Be sure you take the necessary step to achieve your goals.

A. Make a list first

B. Don’t skip the breaks

C. Turn that notification off

D. Memory is not always accurate

E. Don’t forget to focus on your task

F. This takes time away from more important tasks

G. Every time we switch from one task to another, we lose focus

I wrote my first poem at seven and showed it to my mother．She read and cried, “Buddy, you really wrote a beautiful poem!” Shyly but ________, I said yes．She poured out her ________. “It was nothing short of talent!” “What time will Father be home?” I asked．I could hardly wait to ________ my work to him．I spent quite some time ________ for his arrival. I wrote the poem out in my finest handwriting and ________ I placed it right on my father’s plate on the dining table. I was sure he would ________ my poem.

At almost 7 o’clock my father burst in. He seemed ________. He circled the dining-room table, complaining about his employees. Suddenly he glared at his plate. “What is this?” “Ben, Buddy has written a poem!” my mother began. “And it’s beautiful, absolutely amaze…”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to decide for myself.” Father said. I ________ my head as he read that poem. It was only ten lines. But it seemed to take hours. Then I heard him dropping the poem back on the table. Now came the moment of ________.“I think it’s terrible,” he said. I couldn’t look up. My eyes were getting ________.

“Ben, these are the first lines of poetry he’s ever written,” my mother was saying. “He needs ________.”

I couldn’t ________ it another second. I ran from the dining room crying. Up in my room I ________ myself on the bed and cried the worst of the ________ out of me.

That may have been the end of the story, but not of its ________ for me. I realized how fortunate I had been. I had a mother who said, “I think it’s wonderful!” and a father who drove me to hear with “I think it’s ________.”

Every one of us needs that mother force, from which all ________ flows; and yet the mother force alone is incomplete. It needs the balance of the force that cautions, “Watch. Listen. Review. Improve.”

Those ________ voices of my childhood ________ in my ears through the years, like two opposing winds blowing me. Between the two poles of ________ and doubt, both in the name of love, I try to follow my true course．

1.A. typicallyB. proudlyC. anxiouslyD. honestly

2.A. motivationB. shockC. criticismD. praise

3.A. reciteB. describeC. showD. introduce

4.A. waitingB. preparingC. prayingD. planning

5.A. graduallyB. desperatelyC. confidentlyD. casually

6.A. appreciateB. reviseC. readD. polish

7.A. relaxedB. calmC. nobleD. upset

8.A. shookB. loweredC. raisedD. turned

9.A. decisionB. excitementC. determinationD. devotion

10.A. darkB. wideC. wetD. bright

11.A. arrangementB. judgmentC. encouragementD. adjustment

12.A. holdB. attainC. controlD. stand

13.A. threwB. seatedC. leftD. kept

14.A. confusionB. pressureC. disappointmentD. tiredness

15.A. challengeB. developmentC. difficultyD. significance

16.A. elegantB. awful

C. fluentD. controversial

17.A. failureB. creationC. limitD. improvement

18.A. inspiringB. warningC. disturbingD. conflicting

19.A. callB. soundC. ringD. hear

20.A. praiseB. restrictionC. distrustD. disapproval

閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入適當(dāng)?shù)膬?nèi)容（1個(gè)單詞）或括號(hào)內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。

The British have many traditions but there is nothing more typical than taking afternoon tea. We know the Brits have a love affair with drinking tea, with more than 160 million cups 1. (drink) every day, but it was the invention of afternoon tea that turned tea-drink into 2. popular pastime.

This sociable feast involves drinking good quality tea 3. (comfort) while nibbling (小口吃) on nice sandwiches, scones with jam and cream and a selection of small cakes. And, of course, it can only happen in the afternoon! Afternoon tea, which 4. (design) as a light snack to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner, dates back to the 1840s. It went on to become a 5. (fashion) social occasion for the upper classes.

Now there is a resurgence (復(fù)蘇) in its 6. (popular) in the UK and it is available to anyone who can afford it. 7. it can be enjoyed at home, the best way to experience it is at a smart hotel or café. But if you’re thinking of visiting such a place 8. (enjoy) afternoon tea, remember the rules you must follow to avoid 9. (ask) to leave.

Writer Henry James once noted that “there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony 10. (know) as afternoon tea.” I’m sure once you have tried it, you will agree.

短文改錯(cuò)

假定英語(yǔ)課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請(qǐng)你修改你同桌寫(xiě)的以下作文。文中共有10處語(yǔ)言錯(cuò)誤，每句中最多有兩處。每處錯(cuò)誤僅涉及一個(gè)單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加：在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏字符號(hào)(∧)，并在其下面寫(xiě)出該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線( \ )劃掉。

修改：在錯(cuò)的詞下畫(huà)一橫線，并在該詞下面寫(xiě)出修改后的詞。

注意： 1.每處錯(cuò)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(jì)分。

Stress is state of being upset that happen when we are under pressure. We students have all experienced stress over problems in our daily life, test results, or too many homework. Since stress can make us sick, we have to learn what to deal with it. When you are stressful, don’t forget your hobbies. If you are fond music, just turn on the radio. Generally, people think TV may interfere with their children’s studies. However, if you worry about your English and don’t know what to do, you can get help from English TV programs. It is also help to share your worries to your friends. They will surely give you some advices and help you out of trouble. As long as we treat stress proper, we can relax ourselves and keep away from its bad effects.

假定你是李華。你的美國(guó)筆友Jack給你發(fā)來(lái)郵件，告訴你他參加美國(guó)中西部“漢語(yǔ)橋”比賽（U. S. Midwest Chinese Bridge Speech Contest） 獲得了一等獎(jiǎng)，希望你繼續(xù)幫他學(xué)習(xí)中文。請(qǐng)你給他回復(fù)一封電子郵件。要點(diǎn)如下：

1．祝賀他獲獎(jiǎng)；

2．你會(huì)幫他學(xué)中文，同時(shí)希望繼續(xù)向他學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ)；

3．祝愿他能來(lái)中國(guó)參加決賽。

注意：

1．詞數(shù)100左右；

2．可以適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。

Dear Jack,

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

The salesman spent two hours trying to persuade my mother ________ their products.

A. buyingB. buyC. to buyD. bought

I’m ________ of country music. I often listen to its CDs.

A. fondB. tiredC. afraidD. interested

Because of my poor health, I have to ________ this long expected trip.

A. give upB. give awayC. give offD. give in