The U.S. high school rate (輟學(xué)率) has fallen in recent years,with the number of dropouts decreased from 1 million in 2008 to about 750,000 in 2012,according to a study. The number of dropout factories”，high schools in which fewer than 60% of freshmen graduate in four years,decreased greatly during the same period.

   “Clear progress is being made,” said Bob Wise,a former West Virginia governor. “it's not a total success yet. So we shou?dn’ t,take a victory iap. But we can at least st?rt warming up."

    Education Secretary Ame Duncan has said the improving graduation rate serves as evidence that the nation's public schools are making progress. But there* re many reasons that graduation rates can rise. And not all of the reasons have to do with stronger schools preparing more students for life after high school.

    Alabama,for example,made great progress in 2014. Its graduation rate jumped more than six percentage points,the second-biggest increase in the nation. But the increase agreed with a policy change that took in the same year: Alabama students no longer had to pass ? high school exit exam to earn a diploma  (畢業(yè)文憑) .

   It also isn’ t  clear how many students are graduating with the skills they need for the workplace or for college. Graduation requirements vary widely across states,and many states offer different levels of diplomas with different requirements.

    Arizona students can earn a standard diploma that requires four courses in math,four in English and three in science. But they also can earn a “Grand Canyon” diploma,which requires just two courses each in math,science and English — less than many colleges’ requ?ement for admission.

9. The good news about a newly released study is that

A.there’ re few dropouts in u.s. high schools   

B. the U.S. high school dropout rate has fallen 

C. the number of “dropout factories” has increased   

D. the number of high school students is increasing

10. The underlined phrase “take a victory lap” in Paragraph 2 means .

A. lose confidence

B. stop working

C. become too excited  

D. get embarrassed

11. Why does the author mention Alabama?

A. fo prove Alabama's education develops very fast.

B. To show graduation rate doesn't mean everything.

C. To advise students to try to get different diplomas.

D. To warn the U.S. education is not successful.

12. What do we know about the “Grand Canyon”

diploma in Arizona? 一

A. Students need to put more efforts into it.

B. It's much required for colleges in Arizona.

C. Students who get it won’t necessarily be admitted by colleges.

D. It's more difficult to get than a standard diploma.

    Julia McWilliams,who would later be known as the French Chef(大廚) Julia Child,was bom in California in 1912. She was an athletic young woman who played tennis,golf,and basketball,but cooking was not yet on her mind. She hoped to be a writer. Therefore,when she graduated from Smith College in 1934 with a degree in English,Julia headed to New York and began ? career in advertising as ? copywriter.

    Julia got married with Paul Child in 1946. Two years later,they moved to Paris. After eating at France's oldest * restaurant,La Couronne,Julia realized that cooking was her passion and she attended the world-famous Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. She also joined a women's cooking club.

    Through the club,Julia met two French women who were writing a French cookbook for Americans. They hoped that Julia would be able to work with them to make the book attractive to Americans. They worked together on the book for 10 years. Several times it was rejected for being too big or too much like an (百科全書(shū)) . But finally,in 1961,when the 726-page Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published in the United States,it became a best-seller.

    Based on the popularity of her book,Julia was invited to cook live on air as a guest on a public television show in Boston. Her segme咐(視頻片段) was so popular that the station decided to invite her back to host her own cooking show — The French Chef.

    When Julia died in 2004,she was arguably the most famous French chef.

5. When Julia graduated from Smith College,her dream was to be .

   A. an advertiser   B. a writer

    C. a chef         D. an athlete

6. What inspired Julia to become a chef?

   A. A cooking show.

   B. A cooking book.

    C. A meal in La C?uronne.

   D. A women's cooking club. .

7. What do we know about Mastering the Art of French Cooking?

   A. It was very expensive.

   B. It was written for the French,

    C. It took two years to complete.

   D. It was very popular in America.

8. The text is mainly written .

   A. to introduce Julia Child

    B. to advertise French food 

    C. to introduce a cooking book   

    D. to popularize a cooking show 

    I was seated in a comer of the classroom,feeling lost. My parents had removed me from my old village school to this boarding school. I missed my old friends. There was now no warm home to rush back to after class and no one to share tales with.

    Just then there was a loud cheer from my classmates — a tall,slim teacher in a shirt and a skirt came by and said that the maths teacher was absent (不在的) .She then suggested we do some activities on our own without making any noise. I soon learnt that this was Miss Thomas,better known as the Sports Miss.

    The girls soon crowded in small groups. Some chatted while others read books or wrote something. With nothing better to do,I pulled out a sheet of paper and drew hills aimlessly,covered with pa/ms (掠櫚 樹(shù)) ，the path that led to my old school and my teacher with her long hair. As I was devotedly drawing,I found Miss Thomas standing by my side. She quickly took the paper to the teacher s desk.

   “Girls,do you see this picture?” she asked. “We have a little artist among us!” I nearly died of shyness. She then made me describe my drawing. After waiting for a while,I managed that. “Now,everybody congratulates Suchitra ,” Miss Thomas told the class.

    Many of them then came forward,shook my hand and smiled at me. Immediately,I found the world was a much better place!Actually,my art was nothing special. But Miss Thomas’ s action broke the ice and gave me confidence that never left.

    To?ay,forty years later,my schoolmates from that school remain my closest friends. If I have achieved something in life,I owe it to my school,its loving teachers,especially Miss Thomas,a sports teacher who came to me by chance one morning.

1. When Suchitra studied in his village school,he

   A. had few friends

   B. liked telling stories

    C. didn't like his teachers

   D. went home after school

2. In the maths class,Suchitra

   A. read a book

   B. drew a picture

    C. wrote a short article   

    D. chatted with his classmates

3. Why did Suchitra feel shy when Miss Thomas ： showed his work?

   A. He wasn't confident. 

   B. He was against school rules. 

    C. Miss Thomas laughed at him.

   D. His pictures were about Miss Thomas.

4. What probably happened after the maths class?

   A. Many students envied Suchitra.

   B. Suchitra decided to give up drawing.

    C. Suchitra made more and more friends.

   D. Miss Thomas began teaching Suchitra maths.

    You may have heard the story about the world's most dedicated(專(zhuān)心致志的) fisherman. He 2l more fish than his companion all morning long. They used the same 22 and fished together in the same river. But he had almost caught his limit of fish 23 his friend hadn't caught even one. ^

   “What's yoilr 24 ?” asked the friend. “I haven’t even gotten ? bite!” The 25 fisherman replied, “That's (投入) ”.

    Do you know there are at least three types of 26 ? First,there are those who fish only for 27 . They usually “catch and 28 ”, quickly throwing their catch back into the water. Then there are those who fish because they like the 29 of fish. They only keep those fish they will someday eat. 30,there are those who fish in order to survive. If they don't succeed in catching fish,they skip a 31 . It is this group of people who are most likely to 32 .

    Whether we fish or eat fish,the 33 is the same. We are most likely to succeed if we 34 it with dedication,especially if the task before US is 35 or there seems little chance of success. Whether we want to 36 a new business or go back to school,we must decide if our task is 37 enough to commit to it. We should 38 bear in mind that our own determination to succeed is more important than any other things. For often,we will succeed only after we have firmly determined to 39. something.

   Please 40,when we are fully committed,the impossible can happen.

21. A. caught          B. discovered

   C. ate            D. drew

22. A. house              B. manner

   C. language            D. equipment

23. A. since             B. because

   C. while            D. until

24. A. number             B. secret

   C. job               D. goal

25. A. brave   B. shy    C. successful   D. honest

26. A. fishermen          B. friends

   C. workers           D. students

27. A. food         B. money

   C. art         D. sport

28. A. sell   B. raise     C. release    D. kill 

29. A. growth        B. behavior

   C. color        D. taste

30. A. Fortunately       B. Obviously

   C. Finally         D. Similarly

31. A. meal   B. beat    C. business   D. part

32. A. escape         B. succeed

    C. die          D. regret

33. A. exercise        B. lesson

   C. form          D. result

34. A. complete        B. watch

    C. keep          D. describe

35. A. interesting       B. difficult

   C. useless         D. new

36. A. build        B. imagine

  C. give up        D. set aside

37. A. strange        B. challenging

   C. amusing        D. important

38. A. never        B. sometimes

    C. always       D. still

39. A. find   B. carry   C. admit   D. do

40. A. promise      B. remember

   C. study       D. explain

Cycling,Austrian Tyrol 、

   This self-guided cycling holiday starting in Fiigen is along quiet cycle paths with beautiful mountains all around. It can either be a relaxing introduction to family cycling or faster-paced,depending on the routes chosen each day. Kids will love the Black Hole water slide.

. Seven days from 525pp half-board (半食宿) including route guidance,bike hire £70 a week

zipwiriwg (高空滑索) and (繞繩下降) ，

Scotland 

  It was once the summer home of Beatrix Potter,an English author best known for her children's books featuring animals. Now its 50 acres of gardens and woodland by the Tay River are the setting for family adventures ranging from zipwiring and tree climbing to mountain climbing and abseiling. There,s  also an indoor sports stadium for rainy days,and family and kids,entertainment in the evenings.

 . Seven nights from £409 adult, £349 child,full-board,including activities 

Rock climbing,Spain

  If your kids love climbing walls back home,try it on the real thing on the sunny Costa Blanca,where the sea cliffs (MM.) provide a perfect learning setting. The beaches at Calp,a coastal town,are great for kids to relax on when not climbing. Remember to take enough food with you.

From £699pp a week. Discounts for non-climbing family members and children under 7

Canoeing and damping,Sweden 

  This is a slow travel experience for the family,walking down the Klar?lven river in Sweden just about 2 km per hour. The river is wide and mellow (p 音柔和的) ， so this trip is suitable for children of all ages,as long as they love wild camping on the river,s  banks. An adventure yes,but a peaceful one.

 .Seven-day tour for £135 adult, £55 child and food package free 

13. In the summer home of Beatrix Potter,visitors can

   A. go camping by the Tay river

   B. leam to write children's stories 

    C. do various adventurous activities   

    D. learn why Potter loved animals

14. What can be known about Rock climbing in Spain?

   A. It has cycle paths.

   B. It is held in a sunny area.

    C. It offers free food to visitors.

   D. It is intended for children under 7.

15. If a couple and their twin daughters go canoeing and camping,they should pay.

   A. 190   B. 245

    C. 325   D. 380

16. What do the four activities have in common?

   A. They are easy to get to.

   B. They are provided all year round,

    C. They are for family visitors.

   D. They are suitable for lovers of cycling.

   In cities across the US,police dogs have usually been those trained in Europe,at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars for police departments. But now police can get the same work done for next to nothing by simply turning to the countless future K9s in US shelters. “All they need is a chance to prove themselves and these dogs will work as hard as dogs that we bring in from overseas ,” said Croft,the founder of Universal K9.

   Croft has rescued 60 dogs so far from shelters across the South. The organization has trained the dogs in drug and explosive detection,scent tracking (跟蹤氣味) and other work. Once they’re fully trained,the dogs are then delivered to local police departments for free. “Right now,we’re on track to save almost 100 dogs this year,” Croft said.

   Universal K9 currently has 15 dogs in its eight-week class. Sadie,a 5-month-old dog,is the class’ —star student. She was picked up off the street by animal control workers. uI found Sadie on the side of the road one day/' said Centeno;an animal control worker in Texas. /'She was just so playful. She had a lot of energy."

   And the dogs aren‘t just joining police departments; they re also becoming members of police families. Cpl. Wesley Keeling,an officer,said he was unwilling to take on K9 partner Remi,a graduate of Universal K9,at the beginning,but quickly he began to love her. They’ve now been together for 2. 5 months. Keeling said Remi was responsible for searching cars and buildings for (麻醉劑) as well as tracking people who may escape or who may go missing. “Remi is a saved dog ,” Keeling said. “She's proud of herself,I'm proud of her. I can't say enough about her. I really can't.”

9. Compared with dogs from Universal K9,traditionally trained police dogs .

   A. are cleverer

   B. can do more tasks 

    C. cost more money

   D. are trained in the US

10. Universal K9 is founded to .

   A. reduce social crimes

   B. make money by training dogs 

    C. save and train homeless dogs   

    D. call on people to care for dogs

11. What do we know about Sadie?

   A. She is a quiet dog.

   B. She is popular in the class.

    C. She was found two months ago.

   D. She is good at smelling danger.

12. The best title for the text would be .

   A. Dogs,human's close friends

   B. The importance of police dogs 

    C. The roles dogs play nowadays

   D. Dogs get a second chance and duty

   Maybe it's Katie,the North Carolina native who started a community(社區(qū)) garden at her elementary scRool as a means to support her local food bank,forming an organization that has since spread to nearly 30 states.

  Perhaps itJ s Ashley,the Colorado student who,while on a field trip to Africa,saw the bad situation of young girls there and decided to find a way to help them. She went on to found an organization that has since provided education for more than 40 ,000 African girls through 13 new schools in East Africa.

  Or maybe it's Shawn,the young man growing up in Queens who decided to work together with his classmates to take back empty land near his school that was plagued with drugs and criminal activities,establishing a garden taken care of by the students.

  It is hard for T. A. Barron to pick the young hero. In fact,they all inspire the writer,who was honored for his contributions (^" life.) to literature for diildren and young adults.

  In 2001,Barron founded the Gloria Ba?on Prize for Young Heroes,a program that aims to,as Barron describes it, spread the word about the examples young heroes make,so that other young people from all backgrounds will be inspired to do something themselves to make the world better."

  In the 15 years since its founding,the Gloria Barron Prize has awarded more than $540,000 to 364 young leaders. The honorees come from 46 states,the District of Columbia,and Canada,and have raised more than $ 15 million for their causes.

 “Every single year we have kids that just knock me out with the things they have done to help others,or help the environment,or help the? cortimunity,” says Barron. “I hope their examples will empower other kids to do the same thing,in whatever way they choose."

5. The three young people mentioned at the beginning of the text .

   A. improved their communities

   B. helped students in Africa 

    C. are friends of Barron

   D. inspire Barron a lot

6. The underlined words “wa& plagued with” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean “”

   A. was free from   B. was fighting for

    C. was suffering from   D. was suitable for

7. What's the purpose of the Gloria Barron Prize?

   A. To recognize,the best youth for colleges.

   B. To raise money for young heroes’ causes,

    C. To help young heroes with their education.

   D. To encourage the heroic efforts of young people.

8. The last paragraph mainly talks about .

   A. Barron's hopes for kids

   B. kids that set good examples

    C. kids’ ways of doing good deeds   

    D. Barron's advice on helping others 

   “It was a horrible situation,” said Theresa Benz. uPrincipal (校長(zhǎng).) Susan Jordan pushed two students out of the path of a school bus just before it struck and killed her. She's most certainly a hero."

   To Benz,whose sons attended Amy Beverland Elementary School,and many others,it came as no surprise that the Indiana principal acted selflessly to protect the lives of her students.

   Jordan died around 2:45 p.m. after a school bus suddenly sped up from a stopped position in the school parking lot,hitting and running her over. Two students,both aged 10,were also hit. But they were safe in the hospital.

   “We’ re thinking it's nothing more than an unfortunate accident,” said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Sgt. Kendale Adams. “The bus driver said that she didn t  know why the bus sped up. But just before the crash she saw Jordan push two students out of the way. Up until the very end of her life,she was doing what she did,which was protecting the kids. She was so heroic."

   Jordan, *69,was principal of the school for 22 years and was referred to as a “l(fā)egend” because of her great leadership and devotion.

   Wendy Osborne,whose kids attended the school several years ago,said Jordan wasn't one to stay in her office. Instead,she walked through the halls greeting students and spent many hours tending to the kids.

   One of Benz’s  sons,Adam,9, said that Jordan called him to the office recently,not because of a problem,but because she just wanted to celebrate his birthday and give him a card and a pencil.

  “She’ 11 always be my friend ,” he said, “even though she lives far away in heaven now."

1. Why was Jordan regarded as a hero?

   A. She used to help others in her life.

   B. She took injured students to hospital.

    C. She managed to avoid a traffic accident.

   D. She saved two children at the cost of her life.

2. What can we say about Kendale Adams?

   A. He felt Ditv for those children.

   B. He showed great respect for Jordan,

    C. He expressed deep anger at the driver.

   D.He disagreed with the bus driver's opinion.

3. By saying “Jordan wasn’ t  one to stay in her office ,”O(jiān)sborne meant .

A. Jordan disliked her office   

B. Jordan worked in the halls 

C.Jordan often did sports outdoors   

D. Jordan tried to be close to children

4. Adam was called to Jordan's office because.

A. Adam was often late for school

B. Adam quarreled with his friend

C. Jordan wanted to give him a birthday gift   

D. Jordan wanted to answer his questions

   To make the earth the better place to live,we must do how we can to protect our environment. In my opinions,we' d better not buy bottles or boxes can only be used once. We should turn on lights when we are not using them. When we go shopping,we ought to take a cloth bag rather than to use plastic bags. Measures should be taking to prevent factories from pouring waste water into rivers,or lakes. I s?ong believe that though everyone does that,our world will become more and more beautiful. We only have one planet and we must act now to save them from further pollution.

   Henry Bond was about ten years old when his father died. He lived 21 poor life with his mother. When in fourth grade,Henry wanted a grammar book in order to join a class in the school. 22 his mother didn't have money to buy one for him. Henry was very much troubled by it,and started thinking about 23 could be done.

   One morning,it snowed 24 (heavy) and the cold wind blew hard. 25 (look) at the deep snow,Henry said to 26 (he) ，“It is an ill wind that blows nobody good."

   He ran to the house of a neighbor,and offered his 27 (serve) to clear a path in front of his house. The offer was accepted. After 28 (complete) this work,he received a tip. Then he went to another place for the same purpose,and then to another,29 he earned enough to buy the book.

   When school started,Henry was in his seat,the happiest boy in the class,ready to begin the lesson in his new book.

Henry was always one of the top students in his class. He knew no suòh word 30 “fail”. Having the will,he always found the way.