Going into a supermarket without a clear list, you might picking up what you wouldn't necessarily want．

A．give up B．take up C．make up D．end up

Minister Bill De Blasio in office fewer than 48 hours when he came face to face with his biggest challenge in his life．

A．has been B．had been C．would be D．is

Though brought up in Los Angeles, Steven Davidson spent his whole life in New York．

A．mostly B．constantly

C．roughly D．merely

—Chris, how about going to a seafood restaurant?

— ! I told you I don't like the smell of fish．

A．Whatever B．Not again

C．You bet D．No wonder

How far would you walk to learn about something that interested you? When he was young, Jacob Lawrence often walked more than sixty from his home in the Harlem section of New York City to the Metropolitan Museum of Art．Jacob wanted to be a（n） ，and he believed that studying the famous paintings in that museum would help him．

It was 1930,when many people were out of work, money was and people suffered a lot．Still the streets were with energy and color．As he walked through Harlem, Jacob looked hard at the people, the churches, and barbershops and so on．He those images in his mind, along with the images of paintings he saw in the ．

Jacob came from a poor family．His mother believed there was little chance her son could grow up to be a successful painter．She wanted him to aim for something more ．But Jacob's teacher, Alston, in an art program saw that he was talented．Alston him how to use paints to make stage sets．

As time passed, Alston let Jacob rent work space in his own studio． That was an exciting place for a young black man to become an artist．Many creative people there to talk about art, literature and history．From their ,Jacob learned that history books often the accomplishments of African Americans．He decided to paint a sel1es of pictures describing the story of a black hero．He Toussaint, who had helped free his people French ruling．

Many people admired Jacob's pictures, but he needed admiration．To help his family, he often had to work at jobs that him away from painting．Then something encouraging happened．An artist named Augusta got Jacob a job．For eighteen months, Jacob was given a to paint pictures． For the first time, he felt like a artist．

1.A．steps B． blocks C． buildings D． avenues

2.A．a(chǎn)rtist B． tutor C． scholar D． official

3.A．swinging B． existing C． hanging D． twisting

4.A．blank B． loose C． tough D． tight

5.A．lined B． decorated C． associated D． filled

6.A．stored B． received C． created D． remembered

7.A．museum B． studio C． church D． street

8.A．whether B． which C． that D． when

9.A．precious B． practical C． standard D． flexible

10.A. recommendedB． reminded C． provided D． showed

11.A．hesitating B． struggling C． marching D． participating

12.A．settled B． wandered C． gathered D． rushed

13.A．experiencesB． performances C. accents D． conversations

14.A．a(chǎn)cknowledgedB． accused C． ignored D． witnessed

15.A．chose B． accepted C． counted D． employed

16.A．a(chǎn)gainst B． from C． for D． with

17.A．more than B． rather than C． other than D．less than

18.A．broke B． gave C． permitted D． took

19.A．a(chǎn)ward B． title C． salary D． prize

20.A．permanent B． popular C． positive D． professional

Henry Ford grew up on an un-electrified farm, and as a young man he followed Edison's career as the inventor became a national role model．Ford took a job at the Edison Illuminating Company working his way up to chief engineer．

In 1896 Ford was thirty-three and, though still working for Edison Co．,he had created his first experimental automobile the Ford Quadricycle2 during his off-time． At an Edison company party in New York, Ford had his first chance to meet his hero Edison and was able to explain his new automobile to the great inventor． Edison was impressed． Edison is said to have slammed his fist down and shouted ¨Young man, that's the thing! You have it! Your car is self-contained and carries its own power plant．" Edison himself had been working on the idea, but had only been considering electricity as the power source, so the idea of a gas engine was a somewhat new one．

The words comforted Ford greatly, who immediately set out building a second car which was to become the Model-T．6．The two men became f'ast friends and would go on camping trips together．When Edison later became limited to a wheelchair, Ford brought an extra one to his house so they could race．At the 50th anniversary of the invention of light-bulb, Ford honored Edison．When Edison spoke, he ended his speech directed at Ford:“ As to Henry Ford, words fail to express my feelings．I can only say that he is my friend．" Therefore it is no surprise that Ford wanted something to remember Edison by after he passed away in 1931．

Once, Ford asked Thomas Edison's son Charles to sit by the dying inventor's bedside and hold a test tube next to his father's mouth to catch his final breath． Ford was a man with many strange behaviors（ as was Edison）including some interest in reanimation and spiritualism（夏活通靈術(shù)）and some say that he was attempting to catch Edison's soul as it escaped his body in hopes of later bringing the inventor back to life．

The test tube itself didn't turn up until 1950 when it was listed in the Ford possessions after Clara Ford's passing away, and then lost again until 1978 when it was discovered in an exhibit Entitled “Henry Ford-A Personal History" in the Henry Ford Museum．It would then be discovered that the tube was labeled “Edison's Last Breath"．

There is a further mystery of this “l(fā)ast breath" test tube． It would seem as if Edison had quite a last breath indeed, as the Edison Estate holds a collection of 42 test tubes all supposedly containing Edison's last breath．

Regardless of the excitement over the last breath, the test tube is quite touching in its meaning．Although both men were known for all sorts of poor behavior towards ．their loved ones and mistreatment of employees, between them at least, there was clearly a deep respect and admiration．

1. The passage can be sorted as a ．

A．science research B．short story

C．news report D．self-introduction

2. From the underlined sentence in Paragraph2 we can learn that ．

A．Edison envied what Ford had achieved

B．Edison was annoyed that Ford did better him

C．Edison was angry because Ford stole his idea

D．Edison was extremely amazed at Ford's new idea

3. In Paragraph 3,the writer mentions Ford bought an extra wheelchair ．

A．to remind Edison was Ford's role model

B．to suggest Ford was a man of strange behavior

C．to tell us the importance of a creative idea then

D．to show the close friendship between Henry Ford and Edison

4.The 61ast breath' test tube" can probably be regarded as ．

A．a(chǎn) symbol of a friendship and memory

B．a(chǎn) witness to a scientific breakthrough

C．a(chǎn) failure to bring Edison back to life

D．a(chǎn) sign of the two inventors' poor behavior

5. It can be learned from the last paragraph that“ ” ．

A．Great minds think alike

B．Nobody is perfect

C．Two heads are better than one

D．A friend in need is a friend indeed

Below are pages adapted from, http：//sochi2014．com/en/

Sochi Volunteers

1. Sochi 2014 Volunteer Training Program was launched on ．

A．30 May 2013 B．11 March 2013

C．16 December 2013 D．19 September 2013

2.“ White Stick" Music Festival took place in ．

A．Sochi B．St． Petersburg

C．the United Kingdom D．Moscow

3. Which of the following statements is true?

A．The 25 ,000 volunteers were from Russia．

B．Winners of Cultural Program Competition weren't known until 19 September 2013．

C．From August,25 to September,8,you were able to enjoy Winter Games in Sochi．

D．Few of the cultural activities were intended for creating atmosphere of Sochi Winter Games．

4. From the two boxes, you can learn that the activities were listed according to ．

A．importance B．place C．date D．name

Most parents of kids under age 8 don't worry about how much time they spend watching TV or using other media, from computers to smart phones to tablets PCs, according to a new survey that found a child's use of media often reflects how much time parents spend in the similar way．

¨We generally found that media use is not a source of conflict in the home" for families with young children, Ellen Wartella, a researcher from Northwestem University, told USA Today． She led a survey of 2,326 parents who have children 8 and younger．It found that in 80 percent of families, children's media use was not a problem, with 55 percent “not too" or“ not at all" concerned about it． It also showed parents have more positive than negative feelings about how media consumption affects a child's learning and the development of creativity．The exception is video games, which are viewed more negatively than TV, computers or mobile devices．“Parents rated video games as more likely to have a negative effect on children's school performance, attention time, creativity, social skills, behavior and sleep than any other medium," the researchers said in a news conference about the survey．

¨The findings exposes a generational shift （轉(zhuǎn)移） in parental attitudes about technology's role in young children's lives," said Wartella．“Today's parents grew up with technology as a central pact of their lives, so they think about it differently than earlier generations of parents, instead of a battle with kids on one side and parents on the other, the use of media and technology has become a family affair． "

The researchers identified three media environments created by parents: media-centric （39 percent of families） , media-moderate （45%）and media-light （16%）． Children in media-centric families spend at least three hours more each day watching TV or using computers, video games and tablet PCs don't make parenting easier．And 88 percent of parents say they are most likely to turn to toys or activities to keep their children occupied．Slightly fewer turn to books （79%） and TV（78%）．

The survey didn't look at how media affects children． That's a topic that the American Academy of Pediatrics has handled a number of times． The AAP says studies have found too much media use can lead to attention- problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders and being fat． In addition, the Internet and cell phones can provide platforms for illegal and risky behaviors．¨By limiting screen time and offering educational media and non-electronic formats （格式）such as books, newspapers and board games, and watching television with their children, parents can help guide their children's media experience． Putting questionable content into context and teaching kids a700ut advertising contributes to their media literacy （素養(yǎng)） ," it says．

The pediatricians' group says parents should have “screen-free zones" and TV should be turned off during dinner． At most, it recommends children and teens engage with entertainment media for no more than two hours a day and that should be high-quality content． It is important for kids to spend time on outdoor play, reading, hobbies and using their imaginations in free play．“ Kids under 2 should not use television and other entertainment media because their brains are developing quickly and they learn best from direct human interaction," the group says．

An article on screen time by t．he Mayo Clinic also notes problems linked t．o over screen time, including being fat, irregular sleep , behavioral problems , weak school performance , violence and less time for active and creative play．

1. Parents have more negative than positive feelings about media consumption like ．

A．computers B．smart phones

C．video games D．tablets PCs

2. Most parents don't worry about kid's media use because ．

A．they can limit the screen time

B．they want their children happy

C．they also grew up with technology

D．they can teach their children themselves

3. From the data of the survey, we learn ．

A．children in media-centric families are smarter than others

B．children in media-light families spend one hour watching TV

C．more than half of the parents think children's media use was a problem

D．media-centric children spend more than three hours each day on media use

4. To make parenting easier, most parents probably ．

A．try to persuade their children to read books

B．a(chǎn)sk their children questions while watching TV

C．a(chǎn)llow their children watching TV or using computers

D．turn to toys or activities to keep their children occupied

5. Which of the following is a suggestion by the researchers?

A．Media use time for babies under 2 should be limited．

B．Entertainment media use should be high-quality content．

C．Schools should provide more time for active and creative play．

D．Home media use should provide platforms for illegal and risky behaviors．

For years I fought with the bird's nest that sat on top of my head-my Medusa（神話中的蛇發(fā)女妖） hair．No matter what I did and how hard I tried, in no way could I make my unruly （亂蓬蓬）hair to my satisfaction．

Growing up in a Russian-Jewish home with parents who thought North American styling products were something illegal such as drugs, I was never allowed to put them in :my hair．¨ Why buy hair gel? Your hair is so beautiful naturally," my mother would say．The teens at school did not agree．From boys 'not wanting to kiss me when we played spin the bottle in Grade 7 to being called the mop, I suffered from my hair．

When I got to university, I believed my hair was a wall that stood between me and everything-finding a part-time job, getting a boyfriend, etc．

If only I could find a way to manage the curls and put it behind bars, I told myself, I would feel secure and sexy．I tried everything: rollers, hairspray, gels and, at one point, an iron．Then, in my second year, a miracle happened．I was asked to be a hair model for Japanese hair straightening, a process by which the molecules（分子）of my curls would be broken and reset in a bone-straight position．I was the perfect candidate, the hairdresser told me． Although they said how hair relaxing could damage the :scalp （頭皮）,for the next five years I didn't find them to be true． All of the hairdresser's promises were fulfilled: With my hair straight and smooth, I was no longer the¨ mop"．

However, there was extreme damage done to my wallet． To keep up the straightening cost $ 700 every six months, and that was considered cheap．While some people thought I was crazy, I was willing to do anything to never again feel like that anxious, curly-headed girl in Grade 7．But when I moved out． of my parents" house 'at age 26 and rented an apartment, the upkeep of my new image became too costly．

I couldn't hide from my inner Medusa any longer．It was time to hug her and let her fly．Seeking a choice, I turned to the Internet, Google．After hours of searching, I hit upon a“ curly haired" salon, a place designed for girls like me．I doubted these so-called “Curl Ambassadors" could do anything

without using machine of some sort, and though I bought the service called the “Curly-Doo," I suspected I'd have the same unruly mop at the end of the appointment．

I dragged my feet so hard getting there that I arrived 45 minutes late． I secretly hoped they would turn me away．Instead, my stylist simply said :‘‘You are very late． Let me see your hair" At． that moment, my world and beliefs about myself were turned upside down along with my hair． As my head was in a basin full of freezing-cold water, then covered with a jelly-like jam, I wondered what I had got myself into．

¨ Do you really think this will work?" I asked the stylist, Jones．“ My curls are a disaster．"“No curly hair is hopeless," she replied．“They just haven't found a way to work with it, that's all． "

After the hour was over, Jones had completed her work． She had styled my hair using only her hands, water and a mixture of organic jam． I couldn't believe what I was seeing in the mirror: a naturally curly, Medusa-free me．You could argue that hair is just hair． Yet, it is just such physical features that have such a large influence on how we view ourselves．

According to Jones,75 percent of the population have a wave or curl in their hair and don't know what to do with it． Men cut theirs short． Women flat-iron theirs to death． When I read through a beauty magazine or take the subway to work, it makes me sad to see so many people repressing their natural beauty．

Since then, my world has changed． I have always been outgoing, but these days I seem to be more outspoken and confident than ever． On top of that, friends and co-workers tell me I am looking better than ever, but they don't know the source of the change．

I don't need to tell them* My Medusa hair speaks for herself．

1. What can we learn about the writer's hair in the first place?

A． Her parents considered it was bird's nest．

B． Teens at school laughed at it as Medusa hair．

C． She hated it because it couldn't be straightened．

D． North American styling products harmed her hair．

2. Japanese hair straightening caused a problem for the writer that ．

A． her wish to feel secure and sexy didn't come true

B． her hair was seriously damaged after the straightening

C． the cost to keep her hair straight was too high for her

D． she was called ¨the mop" with her hair straight and smooth

3. The writer was when she went to the “curly haired" salon．

A． hesitated B． excited

C． disappointed D． determined

4. What was the reaction of the stylist in the salon when she saw the writer?

A． She was very angry because the writer was late．

B． She thought totally the writer's hair was a disaster．

C． She was calm and sure of her work．

D． She thought there was no way to fix the writer's hair．

5. The writer's world has changed because she ．

A． has removed her inner Medusa

B． has removed her curls on her head

C． has found a way to straighten her hair in the stylish salon

D． has found the admiration for her from her friends and co-workers

6. The best title of the passage can be ．

A． A Successful Stylist

C． Road to Beauty

B． My Medusa Hair

D． Accept the Way We Are

Humans and dogs have been working together for thousands of years, and some scientists even believe the two species have been living with one another for thousands of years． While having a dog will not improve your health if you never wanted a dog in the first place, dog lovers can benefit from living with them．

1. Most of us know the benefits of exercise, but it can be a struggle to find the motivation to get up and get moving everyday． A dog provides strong motivations, and can make your daily walk or run less lonely and more fun．Moreover, you'll bum extra calories when helping your dog walk and doing brief training exercises with your dog． For some people, going for walks alone is scary, but a dog can make runs and walks feel more secure．l know that with Ranger．I have to walk him every day, and he's always ready each morning．Sometimes we even have an afternoon or early evening walk, which is better for my health．

2. There's no doubt that dog ownership does come with some stresses, from making sure you've applied their weekly bath to worrying if your dog will get along with the other dogs at the dog park． But the benefits of pet ownership more than outweigh these small stresses． Research shows that a few minutes spent petting an animal． lowers blood levels of the stress hormone, which contributes to tiredness, weight gain and aging, and your pet can help kill its negative effects． A few minutes playing with your dog every day also releases powerful ¨feel-good" hormones that continue to function in the bloodstream．

3. Many people living alone worry about thieves, and a dog can help give owners a sense of security． Thieves are less likely to break into a house with a barking dog, and your dog can help you feel less lonely whether you're just spending the night by yourself or living alone long-term．If your dog is older and struggles to move around, you can still rest easy knowing that your dog will get to a robber before you do．

4. People who have regular positive interactions with others tend to live longer and be happier, and pets provide you with a valuable opportunity to meet and interact with other people． Even if you're shy, it's easy to strike up a conversation with another person if you're both talking about your animals． Visits to the dog park and meet--ups with other pet owners also provide pet owners with opportunities for interactions．If you're still anxious about meeting new people, consider joining a message board or online group for people with similar pets to yours． You'll quickly find yourself making new friends in addition to learning a lot about your best friend - your pet!

5. In a fast-paced, high-stress world, depression and anxiety are at an all-time high． But pet owners have fewer mental illnesses, and animals are even used as treatment for people suffering from mental illness． If you struggle with depression, an animal can help you avoid such problems． The exercise and stress release you get from spending time with your pet may even reduce the effects of depression． Dog owners are also less stressed than people who don't own dogs, and reduced stress is strongly related with lower blood pressure, a longer life span, greater happiness and improved health．