That cold January night, it seemed I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theater. With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.

As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away any possible robbers(搶劫犯). Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.

About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.

Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.

Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck(垃圾車) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eyes. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.

It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.

1.How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?

A. Cold and sick

B. Lucky and hopeful

C. Satisfied and cheerful

D. Disappointed and helpless

2.From the first paragraph (段落), we learn that the writer was busy_____.

A. solving her problem at the bank

B. taking part in various city jobs

C. learning acting in an evening school

D.preparing for the first night show

3.On her way home the writer_____

A. lost her wallet unknowingly

B.was stopped by a garbage truck driver

C.was robbed of her wallet by a man with a knife

D.found some homeless people following her

4.In the fifth paragraph, why did the writer say she was dreaming?

A.Someone offered to take her back home

B. A red-haired man came to see her.

C. She heard someone call her name

D. Her wallet was found in a garbage truck

5.From the text, we can infer that the writer_____

A.would stop working at night

B. would stay on in San Francisco

C. would make friends with cleaners.

D. would give up her job at the bank

Confidence is very important in daily life. It can help you to develop a healthy attitude （態(tài)度）.A study shows that the people who are more confident are much happier. They can have more chance to make themselves successful. But how to be more confident? Here are some suggestions:

·Speak loud When you are not confident, you can't do well what you want to do. You speak in a voice so low that other people can hardly hear you. Try to speak loud enough so that people can hear you clearly. The high voice can help you become more confident.

·Play sports Physical exercise makes you tired but completely relaxed. (83) A strong body helps you be full of confidence.

·Encourage yourself Write down a list of things you did during the day to see how many things you have done well. Did you finish your homework? Did you tell a joke that made everybody laugh? Give yourself praise for the good things you've done.

·Get rid of （消除） fear Fear comes along with failure （失�。�. But it's easy to overcome （克服） if you know that failure is part of your life. Don't hide your head just because you said something stupid last time. Try to start again and believe you can do better.

·Pick up a hobby If you like singing, sing as much as you can. (84) In some ways, a hobby can make you outstanding. And it will make you happy and confident.

（一）根據(jù)短文內容簡要回答問題。

1.How many suggestions can help you to be more confident?

______________________________________________________________

2.How can you encourage yourself?

______________________________________________________________

（二）將短文中劃線的句子譯成漢

3.___________________________________________________________

4.___________________________________________________________

（三）請給短文擬一個適當?shù)臉祟}。

5.___________________________________________________________

Fish have ears. Really. They're quite small and have no opening to the outside world carrying sound through the body. For the past seven years, Simon Thorrold, a university professor, has been examining fish ears, small round ear bones called otoliths.

As fish grow, so do their otoliths. Each day, their otoliths gain a ring of calcium carbonate(碳酸鈣).By looking through a microscope and counting these rings, Thorrold can determine the exact age of a young fish. As a fish gets older, its otoliths no longer get daily rings. Instead, they get yearly rings, which can also be counted, giving information about the fish's age, just like the growth rings of a tree.

Ring counting is nothing new to fish scientists. But Thorrold has turned to a new direction. They're examining the chemical elements of each otolith ring.

The daily ring gives us the time, but chemistry tells us about the environment in which the fish swam on any given day. These elements tell us about the chemistry of the water that the fish was in. It also says something about water temperature, which determines how much of these elements will gather within each otolith ring.

Thorrold can tell, for example, if a fish spent time in the open ocean before entering the less salty water of coastal areas. He can basically tell where fish are spending their time at any given stage of history.

In the case of the Atlantic croaker, a popular saltwater food fish, Thorrold and his assistant have successfully followed the travelling of young fish from mid-ocean to the coast, a journey of many hundreds of miles.

This is important to managers in the fish industry, who know nearly nothing about the whereabouts of the young fish for most food fish in the ocean. Eager to learn about his technology, fish scientists are now lending Thorrold their ears.

1.What can we learn about fish ears from the text?

A. They are small soft rings.

B. They are openings only on food fish.

C. They are not seen from the outside.

D. They are not used to receive sound.

2.Why does the writer compare the fish to trees?

A. Trees gain a growth ring each day.

B. Trees also have otoliths.

C. Their growth rings are very small.

D. They both have growth rings.

3.The Atlantic croaker is ___________.

A. a fish research B. a fishing company

C. an ocean area D. a fish

4.Why is it important to study the chemistry of otolith rings?

A. The elements of the otoliths can tell the history of the sea.

B. Chemical contents of otoliths can tell how fast fish can swim.

C. We can know more about fish and their living environment.

D. Scientists can know exactly how old a fish is.

5.How would you understand “fish scientists are now lending Thorrold their ears”?

A. They are very interested in Thorrold's research findings.

B. They want to know where they can find fish.

C. They lend their fish for chemical studies.

D. They wonder if Thorrold can find growth rings from their ears.

Thank you very much for reminding me _______ my English test next week. I have to prepare for it right now.

A. to B. for C. of D. at

---I think Mountain Emei is more beautiful than ___________ mountain in China.

---Really? I want to go there then.

A. the other B. other C. any other D. any

---Look at the box ____________ apples. Who does it ____________?

---I think it is Vivian’s.

A. is full of, belong B. full of, belong

C. is full of, belong to D. full of, belong to

Tom didn’t have the meeting. ___________, he went camping in the mountain by himself.

A. Instead of B. Although C. Instead D. Unless

Mom, I am taking a shower. Could you help me __________ the telephone?

A. put up B. check out

C. give away D. pick up

根據(jù)短文內容，從A、B、C、D四個選項中選出一個能填入相應空格內的最佳答案，并把答題卡上對應題目的答案標號涂黑。

Have you heard of palm(手相) reading? It is to study the ________ on the hand and tell a person’s future life.

To study a person’s personalities and future, a palm reader looks _________ at the three main lines on the active hand (the one a person writes with). The reader usually looks first at a person’s Life Line. This lines begins under the index finger (食指), and goes down ____________ the wrist (手腕). This line tells ________ a person lives his or her life. A person ________ a deep Life Line is brave and full of energy. If a person has a faint (模糊的) line, he or she is a thinker.

The _______ line is the Heart Line. It runs across the hand, just below the fingers. This line tells one’s feelings. A person with a deep Heart Line is peaceful. Family is important to this person. Those with a faint line do not like to be alone. They need friends all the time. They usually like to ____________ others.

The Head Line, the third one, is below the Heart Line, it tells how a person thinks. A person with a long Head Line __________ things very carefully. Those with short Head Line are good at ________ decisions rapidly. A person with a deep Head Line is clever and talkative. Those with a faint Head Line are often very creative.

Palm readers believe that these lines and marks on the hand can tell us something about our personalities. Do you agree? Try the test on ___________.

1.A. heart B. fingers C. lines D. life

2.A. quickly B. carefully C. actually D. fast

3.A. over B. along C. towards D. around

4.A. how B. where C. when D. what

5.A. about B. has C. with D. have

6.A. last B. same C. second D. final

7.A. fight over B. take after C. make friends with D. argue with

8.A. talks about B. comes up with C. thinks about D. considers about

9.A. doing B. taking C. bringing D. making

10.A. itself B. ourselves C. yourself D. myself

Get a Life is a website that helps middle school students answer the question —What do you want to be when you grow up?

"It encourages teenagers to have a big dream; it tries to find out what is possible; it makes a plan for children to get where they want to go," said Combs, one of the persons who set up the website.

Get a Life suggests teenagers let their hobbies and interests decide what to do in the future. It encourages them to look for activities that help them try to do some jobs and get important knowledge and skills. It also offers information about fast-growing and well-paid jobs, and provides job training for teenagers.

"Middle school is the perfect time for students to find out their interests, to have many different experiences and do something for their future jobs," a middle school teacher said. "Our world will become a better place if we make our horizons wide and try new things. Our students can’t wait until high school or university to begin building their dreams. Right now is the right time to get a life."

"This website is exactly what these children need for a better future. If our children can make better plans for their future, it is more possible for them to succeed," Combs said.

1. The underlined word "horizons" most probably means _________.

A. 視野 B. 地平線 C. 國界 D. 時間

2.According to the passage, the website is _______________ for children.

A. boring B. helpful

C. colorful D. serious

3.Which of the following about Get a Life is NOT true?

A. It helps teenagers to have a big dream.

B. It helps teenagers to prepare for their classes.

C. It provides information about jobs for teenagers.

D. It tells teenagers how to choose future jobs.

4.We can’t learn that ___________ from the passage.

A. Combs set up the website with other people

B. Get a Life is a website that helps teenagers to have a better future

C. middle school students don’t need to have big dreams

D. teenagers who have plans for their future are easier to be successful