Have you heard about Leap year? Leap year is a year that has 366 days instead of the usual 365. It normally occurs every four years, always on an even-numbered year. The extra day is added to our shortest month. That is the second month of the year, which in non-leap years has 28 days, two fewer than any other month. 1.

We also call Leap year the bissextile year (閏年). 2. In our calendar system there is a need for a leap year because the solar year (the time it takes the earth to go around the sun once）is actually slightly more than 365 days long. That extra day—Feb 29 every four years—helps correct the difference between our calendar and the solar calendar.

It is said that Leap year was first made part of the calendar by the ancient Roman leader Julius Caesar. His astronomers had calculated the length of the solar year to be 365 days and six hours. So Caesar declared that an extra day be added to the calendar.3.

However, Caesar’s adjustment was not completely accurate because his astronomers’ year exceeded the true solar year by eleven minutes and fourteen seconds. By 1582, a difference of ten days had developed between the calendar year and the true solar year. To correct this error, Pope Gregory XIII ruled that every fourth year would continue to be a leap year except for century years that could not be divided evenly by 400. By this system, century years such as 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, but the year 2000 was a leap year. 4.

People born on Feb 29 celebrate their growing up a little differently from the rest of us.

5. But if they go strictly by the calendar, they have only one-fourth as many birthday celebrations as most people.

A. They acknowledge that they get older each year.

B. When you see Feb 29 on a calendar, you know that year is a leap year.

C. This is its formal, or scientific title.

D. This may seem complicated, but it works.

E. This is done every four years.

F. The leap year was introduced in the Julian calendar in 46 BC.

G. In a leap year, the extra day is added to the second month, giving it 29 instead of the usual 28 days.

As I turned off one of the main roads in my town the other day, I noticed something unusual in the parking lot.

There’s a wide grassy land in front of their parking lot, where people often put up_______announcing their yard on sale. That’s what was happening that day, but the sight_______me was worthy of a double-take. When I saw it, I hesitated for a moment before reacting to it. I made sure finally that I really saw a man in a suit was_______a sign into the ground and a homeless man was_______the sign while he hammered(錘擊).

I was_______by how the two men looked so exactly_______: One was wearing a soldier suit, snowy white shirt and matched tie, but the other was wearing_______, mismatched clothing, with uncombed hair waving _______in the wind. And then the_______humanity of the moment hit me. So many times we ________homeless people and all we see is just homeless people. But on that day, I saw the kindness of a man who walked over to help someone. The moment really ________me, and it was a fresh reminder to look ________ the outward appearance and see the person instead.

A friend and I had the ________a few years ago to write a study guide to a book. It’s an amazing book. That was evident from the first page when I read the dedication (題詞) and it________, “To Titus, who taught me to cheer for humanity.”

Wow, ________more of us did that? Can you imagine a ________it would make in our world? In one of the chapters, Sammy tells about sitting in large crowds at places, like shops and airports, and________for humanity. It does ________things. Just imagine an old lady down the street becomes a wounded soul, who just needs someone to ________and a homeless person on the street becomes a real person, someone who needs ________ and a helping hand.

1.A. trees B. signs C. houses D. decorations

2.A. in front of B. in love with C. in honor of D. in connection with

3.A. fastening B. knocking C. burying D. spinning

4.A. holding B. measuring C. painting D. protecting

5.A. seized B. occupied C. stuck D. struck

6.A. aggressive B. opposite C. frequent D. universal

7.A. comfortable B. ordinary C. suitable D. ragged

8.A. fortunately B. desperately C. wildly D. beautifully

9.A. holy B. fancy C. merciful D. meaningless

10.A. give away B. ask for C. depend on D. look at

11.A. rescued B. bothered C. touched D. upset

12.A. beyond B. around C. with D. against

13.A. demand B. trouble C. tendency D. opportunity

14.A. put B. said C. spoke D. wrote

15.A. what if B. as if C. only if D. but if

16.A. appointment B. discrimination C. difference D. reform

17.A. answering B. scolding C. screaming D. cheering

18.A. resist B. enlarge C. change D. split

19.A. deserve B. care C. admit D. cheat

20.A. growth B. reputation C. authority D. concern

1.Comparing with the two tools, we find this is the h_________(方便的) of them.

2.The basketball player is so skillful that he throws the ball _________(準(zhǔn)確地).

3.He is such a punctual person in our office that he always arrives p_________ at eight o’clock every day.

4.The drunk driving driver accused of v________(違反) traffic regulations will be punished.

5.I think it’s high time we s________(尋找) new ways of expanding our membership.

6.The scientist is dedicated to the _______ (探測) of space to find the new material for the mankind

7.Conditions p________(允許), the family will apply for permanent residence shortly after they enter the country.

8.Perhaps, __________(無意識地), I’ve done something to offend him. I feel sorry about it.

9.To rescue the trapped boy in the car, the firefighters broken into the car by s_______(分離) the car’s windows.

10.To his delight, he was chosen from hundreds of ________ (apply) to attend the opening ceremony.

An umbrella is what we easily forget and leave behind in our daily life. When the weather is fine, we certainly don’t think of it; only when it’s raining, we’ll carry it purposefully. But as soon as the rain stops, most likely we’ll forget 1.we’ve put it. It has to wait patiently and pitifully for 2.owner to claim it, otherwise it’ll remain alone as a deserted umbrella. Once I suddenly found my longtime used umbrella “disappeared”. I really got lost 3.regretted quite some time for my own carelessness. Several days later, out of my 4. (expect), I saw it quietly stand in a corner of the house where I worked. I was extremely glad to regain it. Looking carefully at it, though it was so familiar 5. me, I found for the first time that its wooden handle 6. (wear) out as a result of repeated rain?wash for years. I sought for it only when I needed it. It occurred to me that I should have paid7.much) attention to it.

It sets me8.(think). Around us there is always a person giving us support in silence just like9.old umbrella that protects us from the rain or any wretched weather. Will you think of those individuals10.have helped you get through difficulty when you are leading a comfortable life?

短文改錯(cuò)

假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請你修改你同桌的以下作文。文中共有10處語言錯(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（^）,并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除： 把多余的詞用斜線（\）劃掉。

修改： 在錯(cuò)詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

Patience is of great importance in our daily life. Once I waited a bus to come at a stop. 30 minutes past, but no bus came. Both upset and annoyed, I decided to walk on feet. But no sooner had I left when the bus arrived. I thought if I had waited for one more minute, I would have caught it. If I chose to take a next bus, I would have to wait for other 30 minutes. Only then do I realize my problem. Being impatient will possible waste all the effort that we have put it in. Now whenever I am close to lose my patience, I’ll think of this experience.

1.2.3.4.5.

6.7.8.9.10.

假定你是李華,“南陽市中學(xué)生英語能力競賽”將在你校舉行,請根據(jù)以下要點(diǎn),以學(xué)生會的名義,給全體學(xué)生寫一篇通知。

1. 競賽內(nèi)容：關(guān)于“未來生活”的演講

2. 時(shí)間和地點(diǎn)：下周三上午8：30-12：00；報(bào)告廳

3. 選手：每班一名參賽選手

4. 評委：國際部英語教師

5. 要求：歡迎參與,積極交流

注意：1. 詞數(shù)：100左右；2. 可適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié),以使行文連貫。

Notice

We are glad to inform you that________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

A Guide to the University

Food

The TWU Cafeteria is open 7am to 8pm. It serves snacks, drinks, ice cream bars and meals. You can pay with cash or your ID cards. You can add meal money to your ID cards at the Front Desk. Even if you do not buy your food in the cafeteria, you can use the tables to eat your lunch, to have meetings and to study.

If you are on campus in the evening or late at night, you can buy snacks, fast food, and drinks in the Lower Café located in the bottom level of the Gouglas Centre. This area is often used for entertainment such as concerts, games or TV watching.

Relaxation

The Globe, located in the bottom level of McMillan Hall, is available for relaxing, studying, cooking, and eating. Monthly activities are held here for all international students. Hours are 10 am to 10 pm, closed on Sundays.

Health

Located on the top floor of Douglas Hall, the Wellness Centre is committed to physical, emotional and social health. A doctor and nurse is available if you have health questions or need immediate medical help or personal advice. The cost of this is included in your medical insurance. Hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to noon and 1;00 to 4;30pm.

Academic Support

All students have access to the Writing Centre on the upper floor of Douglas Hall. Here, qualified volunteers will work with you on written work, grammar, vocabulary, and other academic skills. You can sign up for an appointment on the sign-up sheet outside the door two 30 –minute appointments per week maximum. This service is free.

Transportation

The TWU Express is a shuttle service. The shuttle transports students between campus and the shopping centre, leaving from the Mattson Centre. Operation hours are between 8am and 3pm. Saturdays only. Round trip fare is $1.

1.What can you do in the TWU Cafeteria?

A. Do homework and watch TV

B. Buy drinks and enjoy concerts

C. have meals and meet with friends

D. Add money to your ID and play chess

2.Where and when can you cook your own food?

A. The McMillan Hall , Sunday

B. The Lower Café, Sunday

C. The TWU Cafeteria , Friday

D. The Globe, Friday

3.The Guide tells us that the Wellness Centre .

A. is open six days a week B. gives advice on mental health

C. trains students in medical care D. offers services free of charge

Whenever we see a button, we are eager to press it because we know something will happen. This is true in most cases, for example on a doorbell and on the “on/off” button on the TV. But some buttons are actually fake, like the “close” button on a lift.

Many people are in the habit of pressing the “close” button because they don’t have the patience to wait for the lift doors to shut. But lifts’ “close” buttons are a complete scam(騙局), at least in the US-the doors will not close any faster no matter how hard you press.

It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the US, making sure that all lifts stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only US firefighters and repairmen can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys.

But to normal lift riders, the buttons aren’t completely useless. According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control.

“Perceived (能夠感知的)control is very important. It reduces stress and increases well-being,” Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor, said, “having a lack of control is associated with depression.”

Experts have revealed that a lot of buttons that don’t do anything exist in our lives for this same purpose. For example, many offices in the US have fake thermostats(溫度調(diào)節(jié)器) because people tend to feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace.

But psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little “white lies”, they still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort.

“That habit is here to stay,” John Kounios, a psychology professor, said. “Even though I have real doubts about the traffic light buttons, I always press them. After all, I’ve got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not press the button in the hope that this one will work?”

1.What was the author’s main purpose in writing the article?

A. To analyze the functions of fake buttons

B. To describe some different kinds of fake buttons

C. To explain the advantages and disadvantages of fake buttons

D. To explore people’s different habits when it comes to pushing buttons

2.In America, the “close” buttons on lifts .

A. are fake for the convenience of disabled people

B. work only when people press them hard for a while

C. were specially designed to give people a sense of control

D. cannot speed up the process of closing the door in any case

3.The underlined part “for this same purpose” in Paragraph 6 refers to .

A. making people more patient

B. giving people perceived control

C. helping people to build up confidence

D. making people with depression feel better

4.According to John Kounios, people who press fake buttons .

A. should give up this habit

B. probably do so to kill time

C. consider what they do to be meaningless

D. don’t know that what they press is fake

The Diet Zone: A Dangerous Place

Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically.

Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale(秤)instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels.

On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don't have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle.

The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients. Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemicals that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.

Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological and physical harm that comes from using them.

1.From Paragraph 1, we learn that .

A. diet products fail to bring out people's potential

B. people have difficulty in choosing diet products

C. diet products are misleading people

D. people are fed up with diet products

2.One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to .

A. try out a variety of diet foods

B. hesitate before they enjoy diet foods

C. pay attention to their own eating habits

D. watch their weight rather than their diet

3.In Paragraph 3, “gain comes without pain” probably means .

A. losing weight is effortless

B. it costs a lot to lose weight

C. diet products bring no pain

D. diet products are free from calories

4.Diet products indirectly harm people physically because such products .

A. are over-consumed

B. lack basic nutrients

C. are short of chemicals

D. provide too much energy

In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh(法老) treated the poor message runner like a prince when he arrived at the palace, if he brought good news. However, if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring the pharaoh unhappy news, his head was cut off.

Shades of that spirit spread over today’s conversations. Once a friend and I packed up some peanut butter and sandwiches for an outing. As we walked light-heartedly out the door, picnic basket in hand, a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said, ”O(jiān)h boy, bad day for a picnic. The weatherman says it’s going to rain.”I wanted to strike him on the face with the peanut butter and sandwiches. Not for his stupid weather report, for his while!

Several months ago I was racing to catch a bus. As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the Greyhound counter, the sales agent said with a broad smile ,”O(jiān)h that bus left five minutes ago.” Dreams of head-cutting!

It’s not the news that makes someone angry. It’s the unsympathetic attitude with which it’s delivered. Everyone must give bad news from time to time, and winning professionals do it with the proper attitude. A doctor advising a patient that she needs an operation does it in a caring way. A boss informing an employee he didn’t get the job takes on a sympathetic tone. Big winners know, when delivering any bad news, they should share the feeling of the receiver.

Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this. When you’re tired from a long flight, has a hotel clerk cheerfully said that your room isn’t ready yet? When you had your heart set on the toast beef, has your waiter mainly told you that he just served the last piece? It makes you as traveler or diner want to land your fist right on their unsympathetic faces.

Had my neighbor told me of the upcoming rainstorm with sympathy, I would have appreciated his warming .Had the Greyhound salesclerk sympathetically informed me that my bus had already left, I probably would have said, ”O(jiān)h, that’s all right. I’ll catch the next one.” Big winners, when they bear bad news ,deliver bombs with the emotion the bombarded(被轟炸的)person is sure to have.

1.In Paragraph 1, the writer tells the story of the pharaoh to .

A. make a comparison B. introduce a topic

C. describe a scene D. offer an argument

2.In the writer’s opinion, his neighbor was .

A. friendly B. warm-hearted

C. not considerate D. not helpful

3.From “Dreams of head-cutting!” in Paragraph 3, we learn that the writer .

A. was mad at the sales agent

B. was reminded of the cruel pharaoh

C. wished that the sales agent would have had dreams

D. dreamed of cutting the sales agent’s head that night

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A. Delivering bad news properly is important in communication

B. Helping others sincerely is the key to business success

C. Receiving bad news requires great courage

D. Learning ancient traditions can be useful