Our “Mommy and Me” time began two years ago. My next-door neighbor and fellow mother, Christie, and I were out in our front yards, watching seven children of age 6 and under ride their bikes up and down.“I wish I could take one of my children out alone,” said Christie.

Then we worked out a plan: When Christie takes one of her children out, I’ll watch her other three. And when she watches two of mine, I’ll take someone out.

The children were extremely quick to accept the idea of “Mommy and Me” time. Christie’s daughter, McKenzie, went first. When she returned, the other children showered her with tons of questions. McKenzie was smiling broadly. Christie looked refreshed and happy. “She’s like a different child when there’s no one else around，”Christie shared with me quietly. With her mother all to herself, McKenzie didn’t have to make an effort to gain attention.

Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie, I also discovered something different in each of my children during our alone times. For example, I am always surprised when my daughter, who is seldom close to me, holds my hand frequently. My stuttering (口吃) son, Tom, doesn’t stutter once during our activities since he doesn’t have to struggle for a chance to speak. And the other son, Sam, who’s always a follower when around other children shines as a leader during our times together.

The “Mommy and Me” time allows us to be simply alone and away with each child－talking, sharing, and laughing, which has been the biggest gain. Every child deserves (應(yīng)得到) to be an only child at least once in a while.

1.What is the text mainly about?

A. The experience of the only child being with mother.

B. The advantage of spending time with one child at a time.

C. The happy life of two families.

D. The basic needs of children.

2.Right after McKenzie came back, the other children were ______.

A. happy B. curious

C. regretful D. friendly

3.What is one of the changes the author finds in her children?

A. The daughter acts like a leader.

B. Sam holds her hand more often.

C. The boys become better followers.

D. Tom has less difficulty in speaking.

4.The author seems to believe that ______.

A. having brothers and sisters is fun

B. it’s tiring to look after three children

C. every child needs parents’ full attention

D. parents should watch others’ children

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容,從短文后的選項中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項。選項中有兩項為多余選項。

As the old saying goes, laughter is the best medicine. 1. . However, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects is has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health.

2. . People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. 3. .

Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. 4. . The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes both stress and pain.

5. . They try to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.

A. Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body.

B. Until recently, few people took the saying seriously.

C. Therefore, people are taught to laugh.

D. The group that tolerated (忍耐) the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program.

E. As a result, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics.

F. Laughter is closely related to good health.

G. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.

短文改錯

假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文,請你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。作文中共有10處語言錯誤,每句中最多有兩處。每處錯誤僅涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加:在缺詞處加一個漏子符號（∧）并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除:在錯的詞下劃一橫線,并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意:1.每處錯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）不計分。

Dear Thomas,

I feel sorry to know your worries about getting fatter and fatter so that you have failed

the sports test. Nothing can be more disappointment than that.

As far as I am concerned, there are many reasons cause your failure in a test. Firstly, you are very lazy to have regular sports. In fact, sports can help you keep fit and energy. Secondly, you eat too much meat, that makes you gain weight easily. Finally, you sleep more than you need. There was no denying that it is all these things that have caused your problem and your worries.

As I stated above, you should first eat less meat but more fruits and vegetable. And then you should have regular sports so that you can burn the fat that builds up in your body and to become slim.

Hope my advice is some help to you.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

Wisconsin Historical Museum

30 N. Carroll Street on Madison’s Capitol Square

Discover Wisconsin’s history and culture on four floors of exhibits. Open for public programs. Admission is free.

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00—4:00 pm.

(608)264—6555 www. Wisconsinhistory. org/museum

Swiss Historical Village

612 Seventh Ave. New Glarus

The Swiss Historical Village offers a delightful look at pioneer life in America’s heartland. 14 buildings in the village give a full picture of everyday life in the nineteenth-century Midwest.

Tue.—Fri. May 1st— October31st, 10:00 am— 4:00 pm. Admission is $20.

(608)527—2317 www. swisshistoricalvillage. com

Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café

6858 Paoli Rd, WI

One of the largest collections of fine arts and crafts in Wisconsin. Over 5,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space in a historic creamery(干酪制造廠). While visiting enjoy a wonderfully prepared lunch at our café overlooking the Sugar River. Just minutes from Madison!

Gallery open Tue.—Sun. , 10:00am—5：00 pm.

Café open Wed.—Sat. , 11；00 am—3:00 pm

Sun. brunch with wine, 10:00 am—3:00 pm.

(608) 845—6600 www. artisangal. Com

Christopher Columbus Museum

239 Whitney St. , Columbus

World-class exhibit—2,000 quality souvenirs marking Chicago’s 1893 World Columbian Exhibition. Tour buses are always welcome.

Open daily, 8:15 am—4:00 pm

(920)623—1992 www. columbusantiquemall. Com

1.Which of the following is on Capitol Square?

A. Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café

B. Christopher Columbus Museum

C. Wisconsin Historical Museum

D. Swiss Historical Village

2.Where can you go for a visit on Monday?

A. Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café

B. Christopher Columbus Museum

C. Wisconsin Historical Museum

D. Swiss Historical Village

3.Where can visitors have lunch?

A. Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café

B. Christopher Columbus Museum

C. Wisconsin Historical Museum

D. Swiss Historical Village

4.We learn from the text that____________.

A. Swiss Historical Village is open for half a year.

B. Christopher Columbus Museum overlooks a river

C. tickets are needed for Wisconsin Historical Museum

D. Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café are open daily for four hours

閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入適當?shù)膬?nèi)容（一個單詞）或括號內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。

Good evening, everyone,

My name is Helen, a student from No.11 Middle School. 1. topic of my speech is "Let's Ride Bicycles".

As is known to all, _2._ the improvement of people’s living standards, cars have _3._ (become) a popular means of transport, _4._ (bring) great convenience to our life. _5._, they have also caused some problems such as air pollution and traffic jams.

How can we solve the problems then? As far as I6._ (concern), riding bicycles is a good solution. For one thing, bicycles don’t need any petrol and they are energy-saving. For 7._, bicycles are _8. (environment) friendly because they won’t give off waste gas. What’s more, riding bicycles is a good way for us to exercise and it is _9._ (benefit) to our health.

Therefore, let’s take the _10._ (response) to build up a low carbon city by riding bicycles. Come on and join us!

Thank you!

Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. "Football, tennis, Cricket—anything with a round ball, I was useless." he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England's rural Devonshire.

It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.

The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway's school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man's cold-water exploits（成就）. Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.

Journeys to the Pole aren't the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy." John Ridgway was one of the few who didn't say, 'You are completely crazy,' " Saunders says.

In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter（遭遇）with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.

Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he's skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.

This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.

1.The turning point in Saunders’life came when _____

A. he started to play ball games

B. he ran his first marathon at age 18

C. he got a mountain bike at age 15

D. he started to receive Ridgway’s training

2.We can learn from the text that Ridgway _______.

A. won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic

B. built up his body together with Saunders

C. hired Saunders for his cold-water experience

D. dismissed Saunders’ dream as fantasy

3.What do we know about Saunders?

A. He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.

B. He once worked at a school in Scotland.

C. He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.

D. He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.

4.The underlined word “Intrigued” in the third paragraph probably means_____.

A. Excited B. Fascinated

C. Delighted D. Convinced

5.It can be inferred that Saunders’ journey to the North Pole ______.

A. was accompanied by his old playmates

B. made him well-known in the 1960s

C. was supported by other Arctic explorers

D. set a record in the North Pole expedition

完形填空,閱讀下面短文，從各題所給的A、B、C和D項中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。

I first went to hear a live rock concert when I was eight years old. My brother and his friends were all ________ of a heavy metal group called Black Wednesday. When they ________ that Black Wednesday were going to perform at our local theatre, they all bought ________ for the performance. However, at the last minute, one of the friends couldn't go, so my brother ________ me the ticket. I was really ________ !

I remember the buzz (嘈雜聲) of excitement inside the theatre as we all found our ________ .After a few minutes, the lights went down and everybody became ________ .I could barely make out the stage in the ________ .We waited. Then there was a roar from the crowd, like an explosion, as the first members of the band ________ the stage. My brother leaned over and shouted something in my ear, but I couldn't ________ what he was saying. The first song was already starting and the music was as ________ as a jet engine. I could ________ the drum beats and the bass notes(低音符) in my stomach.

I can't recall any of the songs that the band played. I just ________ that I really enjoyed the show and didn't want it to ________.But in the end, after three encores (加演), the show finished. We left the ________and walked unsteadily out onto the pavement. I felt a little dizzy, as if I had just ________ from a long sleep. My ears were still ________ with the beat of the last song.

After the ________, I became a Black Wednesday fan too for a few years before getting into other kinds of music. Once in a while, ________, I listen to one of their songs and ________ I'm back at that first show.

1.A．membersB．fans C．friendsD．volunteers

2.A．guessedB．thoughtC．discoveredD．predicted

3.A．flowersB．drinksC．clothesD．tickets

4.A．offeredB．bookedC．returnedD．found

5.A．relaxedB．excitedC．embarrassedD．encouraged

6.A．seatsB．entranceC．spotsD．space

7.A．comfortableB．seriousC．nervousD．quiet

8.A．silenceB．darknessC．noiseD．smoke

9.A．fell uponB．got throughC．stepped ontoD．broke into

10.A．forgetB．bear C．repeatD．hear

11.A．loud B．hardC．sweetD．fast

12.A．enjoyB．touchC．feelD．digest

13.A．realizeB．understandC．believeD．remember

14.A．continueB．finishC．delayD．change

15.A．theatreB．partyC．operaD．stage

16.A．escapedB．traveledC．wokenD．benefited

17.A．a(chǎn)chingB．burningC．rollingD．ringing

18.A．competitionB．performanceC．interviewD．celebration

19.A．besidesB．otherwiseC．insteadD．though

20.A．decideB．regretC．imagineD．conclude

短文改錯

文中共有10處語言錯誤。每處錯誤僅涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加：在缺詞處加一個漏字符號(∧)，并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線(﹨)劃掉。

修改：在錯的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意：1. 每處錯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)不計分。

Dear Sally，

Now I’d like to tell you something about my part-time job this summer vacation, of which I worked like a guide in a travel agency. The work was interesting but tired. I think it was helpful to work this holiday. It was the first time that I have earned money on my own. I’ve come to understand how hard my parents work to support for the family. I used to keep on ask them for money, but now I’ll never waste money and learn to share worry to my parents. I’ve learnt how to get along well with others. What’s worse, I’ve gained some working and social experience and I have learnt something can’t be learnt from textbooks. All these will be good for my future. In the word, I had a wonderful and valuable summer vacation.

Lie in bed, by an open window, and listen…

“No air conditioning? How can you sleep?” a friend asks, horrified. I tell her my family has decided to shut the air conditioner off and reduce our electric bill.

On this first night of our cost-cutting adventure, it's only 85 degrees. We're not going to suffer, but the three kids complain anyway.

They've grown up in 72-degree comfort, protected from the world outside.

“How do you open these windows?” my husband asks. Shaking the metal ribs(插銷), he finally releases one. Bug bodies decorate the window shelf. As we spring the windows one by one, the night noises howl outside---and in.

“It's too hot to sleep,” my 13-year-old daughter complains. “I’m about to die from this heat,” her brother complains down the hall. “Just try it tonight,” I tell them. In truth I'm too tired to argue for long. My face is sweaty, but I lie quietly listening to the cricket choirs(合唱) outside that remind me of childhood.

The neighbor's dog howls. Probably a passing squirrel. It's been years since I've taken the time to really listen to the night.

I think about Grandma, who lived to 92 and still helped with my Mom's gardening until just a few weeks before she died. And then, I'm back there at her house in the summer heat of my childhood. I move my pillow to the foot of Grandma's bed and angle my face toward the open window. I turn the pillow, hunting for the cooler side.

Grandma sees me turn over and over. “If you'll just watch for the breeze(清風),” she says,“you'll cool off and fall asleep.” She cranks up the Venetian blinds(百葉窗). I stare at the filmy white curtain, willing it to move. Lying still, waiting, I suddenly notice the life outside the window. The bug chorus. Neighbors, porch-sitting late, speak in unclear words that calm me.“Mom, did you hear that?” my seven-year-old son cries. “I think it was an owl family.” “Probably,” I tell him. “Just keep listening…”

Without the working air conditioner, the house is oddly peaceful, and the unfiltered(未過濾的) night noises seem close enough to touch. I hope I'm awake tonight when the first breeze sneaks in.

1.What is the point the writer wants to make in the passage?

A. We should learn to save electricity.

B. A peaceful mind is important in modern life.

C. We should care about the outside world rather than one’s inner world.

D. Modern men live too comfortable a life.

2.The author talks about her grandmother and her childhood to show that _____

A. people used to live a hard life.

B. people at that time were hardworking.

C. she has learned a great deal from her grandma

D. it’s OK for people to live a simple life.

3.In the writer’s eyes, her children are _________________.

A. independent from parents’ protection

B. reliable because of parents’ love

C. lacking in real test of hardships in life

D. full of complaints against life

4.Which of the following title best suits the passage?

A. Waiting for the Breeze

B. An interesting Experience

C. Life at Present and Life in the Past

D. Different Times, Different Children

短文填空,閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入適當?shù)膬?nèi)容（不多于3 個單詞）或括號內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。

Chinese proverbs are rich and they are still widely used in Chinese people’s daily life._____ 1.___these proverbs there are often interesting stories. For example, the proverb, “plucking up a crop ____2.____ (help) it grow”, is based on the following story. It is said that a short-tempered man in the Song Dynasty (960—1279) was very anxious to help ___3._____ rice crop grow up quickly. He was thinking about _____4.____day and night. But the crop was growing much slower than he expected. One day, he came up with an idea _____5.___ he would pluck up all of his crop a few inches. He did so the next day. He was very tired ____6.___ doing this for a whole day, ____7.___ he felt very happy since the crop did “grow”__8.____(high). His son heard about this and went to see the crop. Unfortunately, the leaves of the crop began to wither. This proverb is saying we have to let things go in their ___9.___ (nature) course. Being too anxious to help an event develop often___10.____ (result) in the contrary to our intention.