JOHANNESBURG—They say cats have nine lives. Now a Chinese toad(蟾蜍) has joined that club of clever survivors.

South Africans are shocked at the endurance of a toad that got trapped in a cargo shipment from China to Cape Town, after jumping into a porcelain(瓷器) candlestick（燭臺） that was made there. South African officials reportedly planned to put down the creature, fearing it would cause harm as an invasive species if it were let go in the wild.

But the toad got a last-minute pardon. Mango Airlines, a South African airline, transported the toad on Friday to Johannesburg for delivery to an animal shelter, after officials decided to find a way to let the toad live. The two-hour fight was a breeze compared to the trip from China, a long way of many weeks and thousands of kilometers across the Indian Ocean.

Airline spokesman Hein Kaiser said the toad got “first-class treatment”, sitting in a transparent plastic container with escort Brett Glasby, an animal welfare inspector. There was even a ceremony, in which the toad’s boarding pass was handed to Glasby.

“He was the star of the show on the flight,” Kaiser said of the amphibious(兩棲的) passenger. “I think every passenger stopped to have a look.”

On landing in Johannesburg, the toad was brought out of its container for a celebrity-style photo shoot. Observers said the brown toad seemed like a cool customer. It belongs to the Asian Toad species, which breeds during the monsoon(季風(fēng)) season. It is believed to have survived the trip from China by hardening its skin to prevent it from drying out, and also by slowing its breathing and heart rate—methods that help the species survive in times of drought.

“We’ve had snakes in imported timber and scorpions(蝎子) in fruit. We were called because the toad was right inside the candlestick, and we had to break it to get it out” Glasby, the inspector, told The Star, a South African newspaper.

1.What is the passage mainly about

A. An Asian toad gets a new home in South Africa.

B. Asian toads can’t get used to the life in South Africa.

C. Workers shipped a toad to South Africa on purpose.

D. South Africa ignores the protection of animals.

2.What would/might happen if the toad were released into the wild?

A. It would make the locals feel shocked

B. It might harm the native species

C. It would lose its life in the wild

D. It might flee into another country

3.Why was the toad able to arrive in South Africa alive?

A. Because it escaped all attacks and hunts

B. Because it used to stop its breath in winter

C. Because it formed hard skin to protect itself

D. Because it was lucky to be given a chance

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Sometimes animal are transported accidentally

B. No one has seen such a big toad in Africa

C. A candlestick is the best place for a toad

D. Droughts make toads live longer.

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1.The best title of the 3rd advertisement would be             .

A. Training at Home

B. Learning at Home

C. Recording Work

D. Working at Home

2.According to the information above, if your child has hearing problems, you can turn to________.

A. At-Home Profession Corp.

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C. Bradford Publications

D. American Inventors Corp.

3.What can we learn from the advertisements about?

A. Globe Insurance Company has a history of 51 years

B. As a medical transcriptionist, you may earn$25,000 a month

C. Bradford Publications offers a treatment to hearing impaired parents

D. you can visit www.aic.com when you invent a new model of hearing aid

If your preschoolers turn up their noses at carrots or celery, a small reward like a sticker(貼畫) for taking even a taste may help get them to eat previously disliked foods, a UK study said.

Though it might seem obvious that a reward could encourage young children to eat their vegetables, the idea is actually controversial, researchers wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. That’s because some studies have shown that rewards can backfire and cause children to lose interest in foods they already liked, said Jane Wardle, a researcher at University College London who worked on the study. Verbal praise, such as “Brilliant! You’re a great vegetable taster”, did not work as well.

The study found that when parents gave their small children a sticker each time they took a “tiny taste” of a disliked vegetable, it gradually changed their attitudes. The children were also willing to eat more of the vegetables—either carrots, celery, cucumber, red pepper, cabbage or sugar snap peas—in laboratory taste tests, the study said.

Researchers randomly assigned (分派) 173 families to one of these groups. In one, parents used stickers to reward their children each time they took a tiny sample of a disliked vegetable. A second group of parents used verbal praise. The third group, where Parents used no special vegetable-promoting methods, served as a “control”.

Parents in the reward groups offered their children a taste of the “target” vegetable every day for 12 days. Soon after, children in the sticker group were giving higher ratings to the vegetables—and were willing to eat more in the research lab, going from an average of 5 grams at the start to about 10 grams after the 12-day experience. The turnaround(轉(zhuǎn)機) also seemed to last, with preschoolers in the sticker group still willing to eat more of the once-disliked vegetable three months later.

Why didn’t the verbal praise work? Wardle said the parents’ words may have seemed “insincere” to their children.

1.What is the purpose of writing the passage?

A. To show the procedure of an experiment on children’s diet

B. To introduce a practical method of making children eat vegetables

C. To explain why children hate to eat vegetables

D. To present a proper way of verbal praise to parents

2.What does the underlined word “backfire” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. Shoot from behind the back

B. Make a fire in the backyard

C. Produce an unexpected result

D. Achieve what was planned

3.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. Most children are born to dislike carrots or celery.

B. Children in the sticker group will never lose interest in eating vegetables.

C. Oral praise works quite well in encouraging children to eat vegetables.

D. It remains a question whether rewarding is a good way to get children to eat vegetables.

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Children like rewards, not verbal praise.

B. Parents should give up verbal praise.

C. Children are difficult to inspire.

D. Parents should praise their children in a sincere tone.

Many of us know what it feels like to be an outside in high school. Some give in to the pressure to fit in; others remain “on the bottom of the social food chain”. However, Alexandra Robbins, the author of the book The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth believes what makes people unpopular in high school, mainly an unwillingness to obey, tends to translate into success as an adult.

Robbins has spent the past decade analyzing the behavior of high school students. She found the things that make a student different make them a target. But in adulthood and outside of the school setting, the things “that make you different make you interesting, fun, and often successful,” she told the UK’s Daily Mail.

She researched the qualities that people found most valuable in adults. The top qualities are: creativity, free-thinking, vision, authenticity, self-awareness, honesty, curiosity, love of learning, and courage. “Those are qualities that are far more likely to be found in school outsiders than in the popular kids,” she said.

According to Robbins, when people are in with a popular crowd, they are more likely to hide aspects of their identity in order to fit into the group. As she put it to Yahoo.com, “You are more likely to have goals of social dominance(強勢)rather than forming actual true friendships. You are more likely to let other people pressure you into doing things. None of those things is admirable or useful as adults.”

Meanwhile, in the eyes of Robbins, the outsiders are much more self-aware and much braver than the popular students. They are brave because they are sticking to being themselves in a challenging environment.

There are many celebrity examples of progress from unpopularity to later fame. Hollywood director Steven Spielberg was laughed at for being Jewish in high school. JK Rowling, author of hugely popular Harry Potter, was teased in school as a glasses-wearing child who lived mostly in books and daydreams.

Robbins encourages students to participate in out-of-class activities. “They will automatically meet people with similar tastes,” she told Daily Mail.

1.According to Robbins, what can make a student a target in high school?

A. Difference to others

B. Pressure to fit in

C. Unwillingness to obey

D. Behavior of high school students

2.Which quality is NOT considered to be valuable in adults?

A. Being creative

B. Being authentic

C. Being different

D. Being curious

3.Why do popular kids tend to be not as successful as outsiders?

A. They may have goals of forming actual true friendships

B. They may hide aspects of their identity to fit in

C. They may force others into doing things

D. They may stick to being themselves in the society

4.Which of the following statements is true?

A. Young people who are outside are successful as adults

B. JK Rowling is one of celebrities of unpopularity

C. Unpopular students develop skills while the popular don’t

D. Robbins encourages young people to be themselves

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的七個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。

The Importance of Accessibility Awareness

At a recent Teen Leadership of Jewish Family Services meeting, people with disabilities talked about their lives. 1. However, what amazed me most was the great importance of education about handicap accommodations (殘疾人便利設(shè)施).

One school-teacher who is blind, and a woman who has used a wheelchair all her life are two important members of the National Group for Disabled Persons, devoted to raising awareness about disabilities. 2. These include handicap parking spots, handrails, and wheelchair ramps. One big concern is the people who take advantage of aids, such as handicap parking spaces. 3. And the meeting focused on educating the public.

Some handicap spots have extra room next to them, marked with the “No Parking” signs. “As long as I'm not in the spot, I can take the no-parking area next to it,” some people say. However, the woman who uses a wheelchair disagrees to this. The space exists to allow someone in a wheelchair to have room to get in or out of their car. 4.

Some walkways have handrails next to them to help those who require extra assistance. Whether it is a blind person seeking guidance or an elderly person seeking support, the rail is there for walking. Sometimes the rail is blocked, by a parked bicycle for instance, and consequently made useless. 5. People who are informed of the rail’s use would be less likely to mistake it for a bike rack.

Meeting some of the people who are affected by the lack of education about accommodations made me see that there is work to be done. If more people were educated about the proper uses of accommodations, there would be fewer challenges for people with physical disabilities.

A. Accommodations will vary according to the needs of the disabled.

B. As with the parking spot, this is more likely a case of lack of education.

C. They educate about all the accommodations for people with disabilities.

D. Improvement must be made so that disabled people can fully participate.

E. If there is a car in that space, the handicap parking spot is no longer useful.

F. So people without disabilities need to be educated about these accommodations.

G. I was amazed to hear about the challenges faced by people with physical disabilities.

A gray sweater hung limply on Tommy’s empty desk, a reminder of the sad boy who had just followed his classmates out of our third-grade room. Soon Tommy’s parents, who had recently_______, would arrive for a conference on his _______schoolwork and bad behavior. _______parent knew that I had sent for the other.

Tommy, an (a) ______ child, had always been a happy, cooperative and excellent student. How could I ______ his father and mother that his recent failing grades represented a ______ child’s reaction to his loved parents’ separation and coming divorce?

Tommy’s mother entered and took one of the chairs I had placed near my desk.. Soon the father arrived. Good! At least they were ______ enough to be present at the meeting. A look of surprise and anger passed between them, and then they pointedly(purposely) ______ each other.

As I gave a detailed account of Tommy’s behavior and schoolwork, I prayed for the ______ words to bring these two together, to help them see what they were doing to their son. ______ somehow the words wouldn’t come. Perhaps if they saw one of his unclear ______ done papers.

I found a crumpled (褶皺的)tear-stained sheet stuffed in the back of his desk, an English paper. ______ covered both sides-not the assignment, but a single sentence scribbled(潦草的寫) over and over.

______ I smoothed it out and gave it to Tommy’s mother. She read it and then without a word handed it to her husband. He frowned. Then his face ______. He studied the scrawled words for ______ seemed so long a time.

At last he folded the paper carefully, placed it in his pocket, and ______ his wife’s outstretched hand. She wiped the tears from her eyes and ______ at him. My own eyes were filled with tears, but neither seemed to notice. He helped her with her coat and they left together.

In his own way God had given me the words to ______ that family. He had guided me to the sheet of yellow copy paper covered with the ______showing(流露)of a small boy’s ______ heart.

The words, “Dear Mom ... Dear Daddy ... I love you ... I love you ... I love you.”

1.A. remarried B. separated C. left D. divided

2.A. puzzling B. encouraging C. failing D. disappointed

3.A. Neither B. Each C. Every D. Either

4.A. alone B. stupid C. fearful D. only

5.A. convince B. allow C. suggest D. promise

6.A. cold-hearted B. broken-hearted C. warm-hearted D. exited-hearted

7.A. liked B. sad C. inspired D. concerned

8.A. missed B. looked C. ignored D. fought

9.A. necessary B. grateful C. right D. helpless

10.A. Or B. But C. And D. So

11.A. carefully B. seriously C. patiently D. carelessly

12.A. Writing B. Phrases C. Tears D. Notes

13.A. Eagerly B. Secretly C. Silently D. Quickly

14.A. puzzled B. softened C. discouraged D. surprised

15.A. it B. that C. which D. what

16.A. took up B. got to C. held up D. reached for

17.A. smiled B. glanced C. laughed D. glared

18.A. help B. reunite C. support D. change

19.A. upset B. happy C. sad D. regretful

20.A. troubled B. beating C. disappointing D. moved

In the toys section, I noticed a small boy of about five years old, 1.(press) a doll against his chest. He kept on touching the hair of the doll and looked very sad. I wondered who he wanted to give the doll 2.. So I walked towards him and asked him all about it.

"It is the doll3. my sister loved most and wanted so much for this Christmas. She was so sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her."

I told him not to worry. However, he 4.(reply) sadly, "No, Santa Claus cannot bring it to 5.she is now. I'll have to give the doll to my mother so that she can give it to her when she goes there."

His eyes were filled with 6.(sad) while saying this.

"My sister7.(go) to be with God. Daddy said that Mommy will also join God very soon, so I think that she can bring the doll with  8.to give it to my sister."

My heart almost stopped beating 9. (whole). The little boy looked up at me and said, "I told Daddy to tell Mommy not to go yet. I asked her to wait 10.I come back from the store."

1.Cycling is highly ____________(有益的)to health and the environment.

2.___________(祝賀)on your exam results!

3.____________(陪伴)by his husband, she got through all the tough challenges.

4.Some hospital patients experience high levels of __________________(焦慮，擔心).

5.The eruption was an _______________(絕對，完全)fantastic sight.

1.By the end of October 1886, the statue had been put together again and it was _____________ __________ ___________ the American people by Bartholdi.

2.Ever since then, the great monument has been __________ ___________ ___________ liberty for the millions of people who have passed through New York Harbor to make their homes in America.

3._____________ lanterns are hung outside each house to help the dead to find their way.

4.The land ____________ __________ ____________ from 700 meters above sea level to over 2,000 meters and is home to a great diversity of rare plants and animals.

5.So don’t _________ __________ ____________ the disabled or make fun of them, and don’t ignore them either.

假定英語課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。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：在錯的詞下畫一橫線，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限一詞。

2.只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計分。

We all have a strong desire to succeed. For some the desire is great than that of the average people. In a fact, everyone wants to successful but every few are willing to pay the price of hard work. Success is an attitude and has no real secrets. It all start with your belief system. Your belief system starts with what you feel about yourself. You must first believe in yourself. On your journey to succeed, you will find that there are no shortcuts. You will never be able to completely master every detail of your life. Attempt to do so will only lead to disappointment. Beside, it’s necessary for you to have clear goals. You’d better put down your goals on paper which they are visible so that they can help to monitor your progresses.