I have two sons. They are as different as night and day. My youngest is sweet, loveable, easy-going, and finds joy in everything. My oldest we’ve nicknamed the “Evil Genius” is ambitious, self-confident, and suffers no fools.

Whenever we mentioned Santa my husband and I were rewarded with major eye rolling and deep sighs from my oldest. At first we both tried to ignore it.

We both knew that our eldest had figured out the big secret. But I’d be damned(指責(zé)) if he was going to ruin it for his six-year-old brother who had plenty of Santa-loving years ahead of him. I looked at my husband in the eye and said, “I’ll handle this.” to which he responded “Okay just be careful because I’m not sure he knows - he might just be acting like it.” But I knew. And I had it in my mind that he was about to break his younger brothers spirit and break the news to him. I was afraid he was going to take the Christmas spirit away from my sweet innocent youngest and stamp all over it. I had to protect him. I needed to control this now before it got out of control. I rushed into the play room where my oldest was playing alone. I looked him dead in the eyes and said: “Well you know Santa isn’t real, right?” And as I stared at my eight-year-old son for what seemed like a long time of silence, his eyes started to fill with tears. And a tear dropped down his cheek when he screamed out, “He’s not?”

“Um well it’s not that he’s not real (shut up you idiot(白癡) - stop saying he’s not real), but he doesn’t really make and deliver all the toys. Dad and I get some of them for you. So he’s real. He’s just got a little help from us.”

The Evil Genius wasn’t buying it. He just sat there looking at me with an expression of doubt.

You know when you make a terrible mistake but you can’t stop yourself from making it worse? That was me because I just had to know. I had to know why he had seemed to be over Santa. So I asked him why he rolled his eyes and sighed every time his father and I mentioned Santa. To which he replied that kids at school had been saying Santa wasn't real but that he still thought he was.

1.What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Two different sons

B. Santa secret given away

C. Protecting one, ruining the other

D. Making a mistake worse

2.What did the writer conclude when “Evil Genius” rolled his eyes and sighed?

A. “Evil Genius” had discovered Santa was not real.

B. “Evil Genius” had broken the secret to his younger brother.

C. Evil Genius” had passed his Santa-loving years.

D. Evil Genius” had been influenced by his classmates.

3.What does the underlined sentence mean in the passage?

A. “Evil Genius” refused to buy toys.

B. Evil Genius” didn’t believe his mother’s words.

C. Evil Genius” wanted to keep silent.

D. “Evil Genius” would not give away the secret.

4.What lesson can we learn from the story?

A. Lies can never change facts.

B. Honesty is the best policy.

C. No one is perfect.

D. We should think twice before we act.

For many people shopping is considered to be one of the favorite activities. For most of them it is just buying some new clothes or presents for close people. But there is another way for whom shopping is much more than just enjoyable activity, it is a real addiction that in many cases leads to a financial disaster, as well as it brings troubles to person’s life and family.

So why can shopping be so addictive? What are the possible signs to be aware of? And how is it possible to stop the need of spending?

“Some of the new evidence suggests that some people, maybe 10%-15%, may have a genetic preference to an addictive behavior, coupled with an environment in which the particular behavior is caused, but no one really knows why.” However, it is much better understood as to why “shopaholics” continue with their unhealthy and destructive behaviors. Individuals get pleasure from their addiction the same way as if they were under drugs.

And when is it really possible to determine whether simple shopping has crossed the border and has already turned into addiction?

Shopaholics go out and buy things much more often than other people do. They often buy things they do not need. Many shopping addicts go on shopping binges(放縱) all year long and may be forced to buy certain items, such as shoes, clothing or kitchen items. Some just will buy anything. Many times they will spend over their budget limits and get into deep financial trouble, spending well above their income. While someone else will think many times if they can afford this or that thing, shop addicts will not recognize the boundaries of a budget.

1.We can learn from the 3rd paragraph that .

A. shopping addiction is mainly caused by genetic factors

B. shopping addicts are also addicted to drugs

C. the real cause of shopping addiction is known already

D. shopaholics can’t control their unhealthy and destructive behaviors

2.The last paragraph is mainly about .

A. the destructive behaviors of shopaholics

B. the early signs of shopping addiction

C. the problems of shopaholics

D. the binge of shopaholics

3.What could be most probably discussed in the paragraph to follow the passage?

A. How to treat shopping addiction.

B. What really causes shopping addiction.

C. When shopping addiction takes place.

D. What kind of people can become shopping addicts.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that .

A. shopping addiction can’t cause serious problems

B. shopping addicts only want enjoyable activities through buying

C. it’s not a good idea to let a shopping addict pay by credit cards

D. shopping addiction can spread among different people

Researchers are now using 3D printing to create models of the human heart to help heart specialists. The heart doctors can use the models to better help patients before an operation.

Dr. Bramlet, a children’s heart expert at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, says the 3-D models show information he cannot get any other way.

“And so what we’ve done with the printed models? We’ve pulled it out of the screen so that you can actually hold it in your hand and evaluate the anatomy（解剖）.”

A 3-D printer uses images from a digital display to create a physical model of a human heart. Matthew Bramlet says doctors can use the model to understand the anatomy.

Pictures from medical tests like CAT scan or MRI are sent to a 3-D printer to create a heart in a plaster（石膏）form. The printer then constructs the heart, thin layer by thin layer. Dr. Bramlet says the model matches the real heart in every detail. “When we’re done with the model and made our decision, we want to be able to go back to the source image and confirm those findings, he says.

Dr. Bramlet has built model hearts for different kinds of heart operations. All of the operations were successful. In his first case, digital images showed only one tiny hole in a baby’s heart. But, the 3-D printed model showed several defects or problems that the baby was born with. Dr. Bramlet says those defects could not be seen easily in the images. The heart surgeon was able to change the type of surgery for the patient based on the 3-D model. He added that 3-D heart models saves time during heart operations.

Kathy Magliato is a heart surgeon at Saint John’s Health Center in Los Angeles. She welcomes the new technology. She says it could help her make better decisions before she operates on the hearts of her patients.

“I can then take this very complicated structure before the operation and I can hold it in my hand and plan an operation around what I’m seeing, touching and feeling. That to me is what can potentially change the game in an operation and save lives.

Dr Bramlet continues to research the technology. He is working with the National Institutes of Health to build a 3-D library that includes heart models and images that others can use.

1.Whats the main idea of the passage?

A. The application of 3-D printing in heart operations

B. The development of 3-D technology.

C. The difficulties of heart operations.

D. Heart operations with the help 3-D models.

2.What is the biggest advantage of 3-D models in the diagnose of heart problems?

A. Surgeons can see, touch and feel the 3-D models.

B. They can help surgeons save time.

C. They can be made exactly like the hearts.

D. They can help discover the otherwise hidden heart problems.

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. The 3-D model can be taken out of a screen.

B. CAT scan and MRI are no longer needed.

C. The 3-D model is an exact copy of the heart.

D. Digital images are not reliable in heart operations.

4.What can we infer from the passage?

A. Digital images will mislead heart surgeons.

B. More patients will benefit from the 3-D technology.

C. Heart operations will never fail with 3-D models.

D. Surgeons cannot operate on hearts without 3-D models.

New research shows that the healthy brain may hold memories which we don’t even remember. In The Journal of Neuroscience, experts report that the brain might hold more memories than people realize, but that restoring those memories can be tricky.

Memory Check

First, participants saw a list of 120 real words mixed with 80 nonsense words. Next, they saw another word list and tried to remember which words had been on the first list. Meanwhile, their brains were scanned with functional magnetic resonance(核磁共振) imaging.

While participants reviewed the second word list, their brain scans showed more activity in a certain brain area -- the posterior（后部的） median temporal lobe(腦葉) -- when they saw words that had been on the first word list.

But participants didn’t always remember that they’d seen those words before. Sometimes, they goofed and said they hadn’t seen those words before. In other words, the posterior median temporal lobe was more sensitive to memory than participants’ consciousness, the researchers note.

“Album”of Memories

Another part of the median temporal lobe also attracted the scientists’ attention. The anterior（前面的）median temporal lobe showed more activity when participants thought they were seeing a new word, the study shows.

So, why did participants sometimes mess up their memory recall? It might be that two parts of their brain -- the posterior and anterior median temporal lobes -- might be dueling(決斗) for the upper hand in deciding what actually happened in the past, the study notes.

In other words, memories might have a photo album in the brain, but sometimes we forget what’s on all of the photo album’s pages.

1.A person sometimes has difficulty recalling because .

A. he is unconscious when he gets his memories

B. he forgets what is on the pages of the photo album

C. there are two parts in his brain dueling for the upper advantage

D. the anterior median temporal lobe is more active than the posterior

2.According to the passage the researchers are .

A. studying how a person remembers things

B. studying a magazine The Journal of Neuroscience

C. examining posterior and anterior median temporal lobes

D. doing experiments to find out what disturbs a person’s memory

3.What did the experts discover when the participants saw the words on the first word list appear on the second word list?

A. The instrument worked faster.

B. The participants were more conscious.

C. The posterior median temporal lobe was more active.

D. The anterior median temporal lobe was more active.

4. The underlined wordgoofedin the fourth paragraph means .

A. made a mess of B. made an answer for

C. made out of D. made the best of

W: Hello, Sunshine B&B Hotel. 1.

M: Yes, 2.

W: We have rooms with bathtub, TV, air conditioning and fridge. 3.

M: Thats nice. And 4.

W: A standard room with double beds costs 60 dollars and a room with a single bed costs 50 dollars.

M: I want to book 3 rooms with double beds and one room with single bed.

W: 5. . And your name, please?

M: Im Kevin. Thank you.

A middle school student from Milton, Wash., stopped a potentially disastrous situation on Monday morning when he guided his school bus safely off the road after the driver had a medical emergency, KOMO News reports.

Thirteen-year-old Jeremy Wuitschick was on the bus to Surprise Lake Middle School when he noticed that something was wrong.

“I knew something was wrong,” the seventh grader said. “The bus driver…looked funny. His eyes were bulging(凸出), he was sitting back and his hands were waving around.”

Immediately, Wuitschick and another seventh grade student -- Johnny Wood -- leapt out of their seats and rushed to the front of the bus. Grabbing the wheel, Wuitschick steered（控制）the vehicle, preventing it from crashing off the road; while Wood, who knows CPR, tried chest compressions on the driver who had become unconscious.

It was pretty scary, said Wuitschick, who then took the key out of the bus, making the bus -- with 15 other middle school students in it -- stop.

Ill tell you, Ill give the kid credit for fast thinking. He did the right thing and we’re going to do something for him. The kid definitely deserves credit,” Milton Police Chief Bill Rhodes said

When asked what made him to come forward to help, Wuitschick said he had acted “on instinct(本能),” adding that a “book about superheroes” had inspired him to turn the vehicle's engine off.

He also said that he knows how to drive because his mother lets him back the car out of the driveway when he washes it -- but that, until now, it had been his little secret.

The 43-year-old bus driver, whose name has not been released, was taken to the hospital. According to ABC News, his condition has been described as grave. No one else was hurt.

1. What happened to the bus driver? (No more than 5 words)

2.How did Wuitschick manage to turn the vehicle’s engine off ?(No more than 8 words)

3.How many students did the bus carry? (No more than 2 words)

4.When did the story happen? (No more than 4 words)

5. What do you think of Wuitschick? (No more than 2 word)

下面短文中有10處語言錯(cuò)誤，請?jiān)谟绣e(cuò)誤的地方增加、刪除或修改某個(gè)單詞。

增加：在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏詞符號（∧），并在其下面寫上該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線（﹨）劃掉。

修改：在錯(cuò)的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫上修改后的詞。

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。

It is two month since we entered our junior middle school. This afternoon, we had class meeting in our classroom. All the students, together with our teachers, take part in it.

At the meeting, we held on a heated discussion about our future study. Each of them spoke at the meeting active. Besides, we also showed our sincere thanks to our teachers, which helped us a lot in study and life. The teachers hoped what we could still study hard in the future. After the discussion, we all decided to study hard as usual but hoped that we all could do well in the approached middle-term exam.

假如你是李華，你的美國筆友Bob在離高考近三個(gè)月時(shí)間發(fā)來郵件詢問你的備考情況。請給他回一封郵件，要點(diǎn)如下：

1．取得的進(jìn)步；

2．存在的問題；

3．目前的狀態(tài)；

4．后階段的打算（兩點(diǎn)）。

注意：

1. 詞數(shù)120詞左右。

2. 開頭語和結(jié)尾語已為你寫好；不計(jì)入總詞數(shù)。

3. 可適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。

4. 文中不得出現(xiàn)考生真實(shí)姓名和學(xué)校名稱。

Dear Bob,

I’m glad to have received your E-mail and thank you for your concern about my preparations for the coming College Entrance Examination.

Sincerely

Lihua.

— How soon can I get my camera purchased on the Internet?

— ______, but you can consult the express delivery company.

A. It’s up to you B. I have no idea

C. Don’t bother D. Take your time

Beijing’s bid for ______2022 Winter Olympics has driven public enthusiasm for winter sports to ______ new heights.

A. a; the B. /; / C. the; / D. /; the