Practice your speech before the big day. 【1】 If possible, practice the speech in front of a friend or family member to get used to saying it to real people. If you feel you must have note cards, limit the amount to about three cards. This will force you to keep your speech concise and help you keep your eyes focused on your audience.

Remember why you’ve been invited to speak. If you’re battling fear over speaking to a large group of people, keep your mind on the fact that you were selected for this important role. The speech organizers must have seen something valuable in you or your expertise. 【2】

Remember that fear of public speaking is very common. 【3】 Most of the people in the audience would be feeling the same fear and stress that you do in your position. Knowing this may make you feel better.

【4】 What you say should be tailored to why you’re there and who you’re speaking to in order to avoid sounding general. If speaking to a charity group, mention the good work certain specific individuals have done for the cause. If speaking at a business conference, briefly state why you want to help these people.

Keep eye contact with the crowd. 【5】 Pick one person in each section and look at him while you’re speaking. After each important point in your speech, switch your focus to another section. When you focus only on one person at a time, the size of the crowd isn’t as frightening.

A.A good memory is really helpful.

B. Show appreciation to your audience.

C. Mention your audience in your speech.

D. The more you have it memorized, the better.

E. In fact, it’s normal to feel nervous or stressed out before a big speech.

F. Separate the crowd into three sections mentally as you get up to speak.
G. The knowledge of other people’s respect for you should reduce some of the fear.

British sailors created the phrase in the late 1600s. They noted that before certain storms the seas would seem to become static and the winds would drop. But why is it often so calm before a storm?

Science has given us the answer. According to US website How Stuff Works, a calm period occurs because many storms, such as hurricanes and tornadoes (龍卷風(fēng)), draw in all the warm and damp air from the surrounding area. As this air rises into the storm clouds, it cools and acts as “fuel for the storm, like petrol in a car”.

Once the storm has taken all the energy it can from the air, it is pushed out from the top of the storm clouds and falls back down to ground level. As the air goes down, it becomes warm and dry. Warm, dry air is stable, so once it covers an area, it causes a calm period before the storm. This same process also causes “the eye of the storm” in hurricanes and tornadoes. In these conditions, the calm occurs in the center of the storm because of the strong winds moving in a circle.

The Weather Network has a tip for working out how far away a storm is. First, count how many seconds there are between a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder. Roughly 3 seconds equal 1 kilometer. So, for example, if you count 9 seconds, the storm is about 3 kilometers away. A good judgement is that if your count is below 30 seconds, you should seek shelter straight away.

However, due to the complexity of storm system, not all storms break after calm. Given the right conditions, some storms announce themselves with heavy rain and cold winds.

So, your best bet is to keep yourself updated with weather reports for any predictions regarding a coming storm in your area. That’s the most reliable and sensible way to predict the next display of nature’s temper.

【1】The underlined word “static” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”.

A.violent

B.warm

C.still

D.changeable

【2】What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A.To find out how a storm comes into being.

B.To explain why a peaceful period occurs before a storm.

C.To prove whether the research on storm clouds is correct.

D.To show how dangerous a storm can be in certain situations.

【3】If there’re 15 seconds between a flash of lightning and a thunder clap, how far is the storm away?

A.About 3 kilometers.

B.About 5 kilometers.

C.About 9 kilometers.

D.About 15 kilometers.

【4】What can be learned from the passage?

A.Storms don’t always blow up after calm.

B.Storms have a bad influence on our life.

C.Weather reports may fail to predict a storm.

D.Heavy storms don’t usually last a long time.

【1】What does the man like about his hometown?

A.It’s really very big.B.It has colorful nightlife.C.It’s not expensive to live there.

【2】What is the weather like in the fall in the man’s hometown?

A.Sunny.B.Cold.C.Wet.

Macao is an interesting place and it has a long history. It is part of China and most people 【1】 (live) there are Chinese.

The first 【2】 (European) in Macao came from Portugal. More than four hundred years ago the Portuguese 【3】 (go) there to trade with China. Some settled and made their homes there. Strong forts (要塞) 【4】 (build) to guard the city and the harbor. They also built churches, schools, hospitals and other places. 【5】 (gradual) the city grew. People from many other countries came to live and work in Macao.

Today many people live in Macao. Some only go there to watch dog-racing or motor-racing 【6】 even to gamble with their money. But Macao is a quiet and 【7】 (peace) place. It is pleasant just to walk around and look at the old buildings and forts. You feel you are back in the old days. When you are hot and tired, there are small cool gardens to rest 【8】. When you are 【9】 (hunger), there are good restaurants with many kinds of food. Nearby are some islands, 【10】 are also nice to visit and are easy to get in. There are certainly a lot to see and to do in Macao.

In February, China’s government announced plans to cover at least 32,400 square miles with forest. That is about the size of Ireland. Some 60,000 soldiers will take charge of the tree-planting program. Most of the trees will be planted in Hebei Province. That is an area surrounding China’s capital, Beijing.

Huang Wei is an environmentalist who works for Greenpeace East Asia. She is optimistic about the plan. “Trees act as a sink to absorb carbon dioxide and other pollutants,” she said. Carbon dioxide is a gas that traps the Earth’s heat. It contributes to global warming.

Why is China’s air filled with harmful chemicals? It’s because the country relies on coal-fired power plants. When coal is burned, PM2.5 is produced. PM2.5 is a pollutant. It can cause shortness of breath, heart attacks, and even death.

Just two years ago, pollution levels were so high in Beijing that schools and factories had to close. Huang hopes China’s tree-planting plan will reduce the nation’s suffering from air pollution.

The Chinese government is getting help from others in its drive to make the nation greener. Stefano Boeri is an Italian architect and urban planner. He is leading an effort to plant vertical (垂直的) forests in China.

Boeri’s designs have already taken root in the city of Nanjing, China. That’s where the Nan-jing Green Towers are under construction. The building has two towers. Thousands of trees and hanging plants will grow on the balconies and rooftops.

Boeri says his goal is to design buildings that help the environment and improve air quality. He also hopes to encourage a new generation of green architects.

【1】What measure is China taking to improve the air quality according to the passage?

A.Planting more tress.

B.Closing the electricity factories.

C.Forbidding people to burn coal.

D.Designing new buildings.

【2】What does Huang Wei think of the new plan?

A.Doubtful.B.Uncertain.

C.Promising.D.Ineffective.

【3】Which of the following has the closest meaning to “contributes to” in paragraph 3?

A.Adapts to.B.Results in.

C.Refers to.D.Concentrates on.

【4】Why is Stefano Boeri invited to China to design buildings?

A.Because his design can keep the polluted air outside the house.

B.Because his buildings are built in forest.

C.Because his design is special with two towers.

D.Because his design is environmentally friendly.

From London’s Trafalgar Square to major cities across Britain, tens of thousands of British people have joined Chinese communities to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rooster.

In Manchester there was a Dragon Parade (舞龍活動(dòng)), led by a very impressive 54-meter long dragon, ending in Chinatown where there was traditional Chinese entertainment, more than 6,000 lanterns, street food villages and a fireworks show. Celebrations also took place in Liverpool, Birmingham, Lake District, Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Newcastle.

Academic Dr. Wu Kegang said that the Chinese New Year event in Britain “is now bigger than ever and it is growing every year.”

When Wu arrived in Britain 26 years ago from Guangdong, south China, the first thing he noticed was that Chinese New Year was celebrated mainly in towns and cities with big Chinese communities. “You would go to London Chinatown and join your countrymen to celebrate, or to Chinatowns in places like Liverpool and Manchester for events almost only held for Chinese people,” Wu recalled.

“Now it is so different, and we are seeing local communities all over the country taking part alongside their own Chinese populations,” he said. “It is clear to me that the celebrations will continue to grow in Britain. Chinese New Year has earned its place in the calendar of events in Britain, and is here to stay.”

【1】Where did the Dragon Parade take place?

A.London.B.Liverpool.

C.Manchester.D.Birmingham.

【2】When Dr. Wu arrived in Britain 26 years ago, Chinese New Year was_______.

A.celebrated mainly by Chinese communities

B.celebrated by local communities all over the country

C.only celebrated in London, Liverpool and Manchester

D.celebrated by tens of thousands of British people with Chinese people

【3】How does Dr. Wu think the Chinese New Year will develop in Britain?

A.It will lose its attraction.

B.More and more British people will join in the celebrations.

C.It will become a British official holiday.

D.It will become the most important in the calendar of events in Britain.

【4】What does this passage mainly tell us?

A.How Chinese New Year is celebrated in Britain.

B.Where Chinese New Year is celebrated in Britain.

C.Chinese New Year has become more and more popular in Britain.

D.Chinese culture is more attractive than British culture.

【1】Communicating with others by telephone is ______ (方便) than communicating face to face, especially when you have something urgent.

【2】With the thorough development of our national economy, the problems of countryside, peasant, and ______ (農(nóng)業(yè)) have become the key question in economic development of our country.

【3】If you don’t take time to recite the new words in time, you will ________ (確定) forget some of them.

【4】This ________ (表明，暗示) how easily you can hurt the one you love without intending to do so.

【5】In the twentieth century, Orville Wright once ________ (預(yù)言) that no flying machine would ever fly from New York to Paris.

【6】If you look usually at the bright side of things, ________ (自然) you are an optimistic person.

【7】Teachers in the kindergarten help the children form the good habit of keeping tidy by asking them to put their tools back to the ______ (原來的) places.

【8】As modern civilized men, we should show enough respect for all living ______ (生物) on the earth.

【9】Walk into any bookstore, and you will find lots of books _______ (聲稱) to cure any psychological problems with easy solutions.

【10】The rise of digital media means a great challenge for _______ (傳統(tǒng)) newspaper, books and magazines.

I googled the measurements for a keyboard,drew the keys on a piece of paper and stuck it on my desk.I would click notes on an online keyboard and"play"them back on my paper one-keeping the sound they made on the computer in my head.I spent 6 months playing without touching a real piano.Once my mom saw that I was serious,she borrowed money and bought me 10 lessons.

I still remember the first one.I was struck by how real the sound of the piano was.I sat my Grade 1 after 8 lessons.Once I started secondary school,we couldn't afford lessons again.I passed Grade 3,and then Grade 5,practicing only on my piece of paper.One evening,when I was about 13,my mom said she had a surprise for me-it was an electronic keyboard,bought with more borrowed money.It was the first time that I'd played for her and she was in shock.

My school didn't offer music A-level.I found the Purcell School for young musicians,but the tryouts were difficult.Some of the questions even involved an evaluation of the composer.I was at a loss.But to my amazement,I was offered a place.At Purcell,I spent 2 years working as hard as I could.I performed to raise money and saved enough to buy my first piano.When I left Purcell,I was awarded the senior piano prize and academic music prize.I'm now at the Guildhall School in London.I feel proud-it's been 10 years since I drew my paper piano,and I'm at one of the world's leading music schools.

Surprisingly,I continue to do a lot of my practice away from the piano:what we call mental practice.The paper piano helped motivate my curiosity about how music works.

【1】Why did the mother buy the author piano lessons?

A.She believed he had a talent for piano.

B.She found he was eager to learn piano.

C.She was shocked by his first performance.

D.She got out of her family's financial difficulties.

【2】Which of the following words best describes the author?

A.Honest.

B.Cautious.

C.Clever.

D.Determined.

【3】What might be the best title for the passage?

A.Mental practice makes perfect.

B.Paper piano leads me to success.

C.Mother supports my music career.

D.Hard times make my dream come true.

A.The film is terrible.B.The film can be seen online.C.The film is worth the money.

Rebecca Bonner teaches at Mcauliffe Elementary School in Highland Village, Texas. In total, she hosts art classes for about 580 students who are aged from 3 to 11 years old. Bonner always tries to encourage her students to be creative by telling them to 'turn their mess-up into a dress-up'. So as a way of giving an example of her words, she invited all of her students to draw freely on a white dress that she brought to school. For two weeks, the young students used their pens to add their own little designs (設(shè)計(jì)) to the dress. The art teacher then showed their work by proudly wearing the dress for a school art show.

Her students were not the only ones happy to see their art come to life-Bonner's 20-year-old daughter Charlece Lake was so moved by her mother's project. Charlece took some photos of Bonner wearing the dress and posted them to Twitter, saying that her mom was 'the cutest art teacher ever'. Since posting the pictures, they have been shared thousands of times.

Though Bonner was surprised that her project had been widely known, she said that she was happy for the chance to serve as a good role model for art. 'I'm not worried about being famous of anything like that but I do think it's great to promote(推廣) the arts, because art is not common among primary schools, ' Bonner said. 'I think it's really important for kids to have that place to create, and that freedom(自由) to create, ' she added.

【1】What did Rebecca Bonner ask her students to do?

A.Wear beautiful clothes for an art show.

B.Draw whatever they like on a dress.

C.Bring white dresses to school.

D.Design their own clothes.

【2】Why did Charlece Lake post photos of her mother online?

A.She wanted to promote the arts.

B.She wanted her mother to be famous.

C.She was proud of what her mother had done.

D.She wanted to win her mother more support.

【3】What may be Rebecca Bonner's best wish?

A.Allowing students to create their own art works.B.Helping more students go to primary school.

C.Becoming a good role model for art.D.Promoting the arts in primary schools.

【4】What's the main idea of the text?

A.A teacher's photo became famous online.

B.A teacher attended her school's art show.

C.Mcauliffe Elementary School's school project.

D.Students like designing dresses for their teachers.