閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入適當的內容（1個單詞）或括號內單詞的正確形式。

Pinyin is a useful tool, which 1. (teach)in China to school kids. It is not merely used by westerners like us. It has proved to be a useful tool for Chinese people 2. (they)to learn standard pronunciation in their early education.

The first step is to learn how 3. (pronounce) each letter in pinyin correctly and the meaning of the tone markers. Then you have to do4. (drill) as many as you can. Turn that into a game. It can be5. (much) fun than you would expect. Start 6.single syllables and to that a lot and then syllable（音節(jié)）pairs. Slowly move on to larger groups. Understand the initial, final and the tones.

But most importantly, what you need is good feedback. You’d better have someone that can correct your mistakes immediately.

Find a native Chinese, 7. pronunciation is quite perfect to correct you. If you take Chinese classes, the teacher will8. (probable) have you do exercises every class. Do this very seriously.

If you are self-studying, try to meet native Chinese people and ask them to give you some feedback.

Otherwise, try to be self-critical and listen very carefully. Good9. (listen) is more than 50% of 10. it takes to pronounce correctly.

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。文中共有10處語言錯誤，每句中最多有兩處。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限一詞。

2.只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計分。

I’m Li Hua, a senior three student in our school. Last Monday I received three America students. We had a wonderful time. And I tasted the pleased feeling of friendship.

In the afternoon, after divided into two groups, we began to work for the coming English speech context. Just as I was wondering what to do next, I saw a familiar figure passed by our classroom. It was my English teacher. I wondered that he would say. He said that it was a competition that everyone would like to take part in it. He added that was pretty fluent with English, but I needed to arrange my time good.

In the evening, at about half past ten, we finished working. I don’t know the result, but I’m sure without our help, winning the championship will be the effort.

假定你是李華，你的英國朋友Alice對中國藝術感興趣，特寫信請你向她介紹中國傳統(tǒng)藝術。請依據下列要點，給其寫封回信。

要點：1.介紹傳統(tǒng)藝術―年畫；

2.歡迎Alice來中國體驗中國年畫的創(chuàng)作。

注意：1.詞數100左右。

2.可適當增加細節(jié)，以使行文連貫。

提示詞：年畫Chinese New Year paintings

Dear Alice,

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Yours truly,

Li Hua

Amazing Facts About Elf Owls

Brief Introduction

The elf owl (a kind of owl) is mostly found in the southwestern parts of the United States and Mexico. During the spring and summer seasons, it moves to Arizona and New Mexico. It returns to Mexico for the winter. The elf owl doesn’t build its nest. It lives in tree holes.

Features

The elf owl is a yellow bird. Its wings are dark and about .48-61 centimeters long. Its eyes are bright yellow. Its feet are large. It is the smallest owl of the species. It is about 12.5-14.5 centimeters long. It is also the world’s lightest owl, weighing not more than 40 grams. In general, female elf owls weigh more than male ones.

The female usually lays three eggs at a time. After the young elf owls are born，their mother will feed them with worms(蠕蟲) for up to 3-4 weeks. After 10 weeks, the young ones are fully grown and ready to take flight.

Living Habits

The elf owls are not aggressive birds. When danger comes, they will fly away in the other direction, rather than stay and fact the danger or the enemies. Besides flying，the elf owl can also walk and climb like a parrot. The elf owl is most active after dusk，during the night, and just before dawn. It can produce many different kinds of sounds. It can live for 3-6 years in the wild. If they are kept in cages, they can live for 10-14 years. The elf owls are now in danger because of the loss of habitat. Cutting down trees will result in lack of places for them to live in.

1.According to the first and second paragraphs, an elf owl may _________ .

A. build its nest in trees B. have yellow wings

C. have big and dark eyes D. live in Mexico in winter

2.What can we learn from the text?

A. The female elf owl takes care of her children for about four weeks.

B. The elf owl sleeps at night and looks for food during the daytime.

C. The female elf owl lays one egg at one time.

D. The elf owl can live no longer than six years.

3.What is the character of the elf owl?

A. Shy. B. Peace-loving.

C. Hard-working. D. Selfish.

Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known to all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.

Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother’s care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn’t like to go to school, and he often ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He was nearly drowned nine times.

After his father’s death, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards, he became a full-time writer.

In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him great fortune.

Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments(投資) and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of his children passed away.

At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.

1.In Mark Twain’s childhood, ____________.

A. he learned a lot at school

B. he often went swimming with other boys

C. his mother often worried about his safety

D. he often played games with other boys

2.Which of the following shows the right order about Mark Twain?

a. He became a miner.

b. He worked as a printer.

c. He got into debts.

d. His father died.

e. He became a full-time writer.

f. He joined the army.

A. a-d-b-c-e-f B. c-b-d-f-e-a

C. d-a-f-e-b-c D. d-b-f-a-e-c

3.In order to make a living, Mark Twain ____________.

A. did many kinds of work

B. first worked as a printer

C. wrote stories in the beginning

D. joined the army after he worked in a mine

4.In the later years of his life, Mark Twain ____________.

A. wrote many stories and earned a lot of money

B. must have been very sad because he lost his family

C. continued writing until his death

D. lent too much money to others

Facing increasing pressure to raise students’ scores on standardized tests,schools are urging kids to work harder by offering them obvious encouragements.Happy Meals are at the low end of the scale.With the help of businesses, schools are also giving away cars,iPods,seats to basketball games,and—in a growing number of cases—cold,hard cash.The appeal of such programs is obvious,but the consequences of tying grades to goods are still uncertain.It’s been a common tradition in middle-class families to reward top grades with cash as a way to teach that success in school leads to success in life.But for many disadvantaged minority children,the long-term benefits of getting an education are not so clear,according to experts.

No one knows for sure how well cash and other big-ticket rewards work in education in the long run.But there are plenty of concerns that this kind of practice could have negative effects on kids.Virginia Shiller,a clinical psychologist,says that it’s worth experimenting with cash encouragements but that tying them to success on a test is not a worthwhile goal.“I’d rather see rewards based on effort and responsibility—things that will lead to success in life,” she says.

Even if rewards don’t lead to individual achievement on a test,they could have a meaningful effect in the school.Charles McVean, a businessman and philanthropist（慈善家）,started a tutoring program，which pays higher-achieving students $10 an hour to tutor struggling classmates and divides them into teams.During the course of the year,students bond and compete.The team posting the highest math scores wins the top cash prize of $100. McVean calls the combination of peer（同齡人）tutoring,competition,and cash encouragements a recipe for “nothing less than magic”.[

For its part,the Seminole County Public Schools system in Florida plans to continue its report card encouragement program through the rest of the school year.The local McDonald’s restaurants help the poor district by paying the $1,600 cost of printing the report card.Regina Klaers,the district spokeswoman,says most parents don’t seem bothered by the Happy Meals rewards.“There are many ways we try to urge students to do well,and sometimes it’s through the stomach,and sometimes it’s the probability of students winning a car,” she says,“One size doesn’t fit all.”

1.According to the text,it is a common practice for schools to________.

A. offer free meals to students with high scores

B. educate students to form a business sense

C. cooperate with business to improve teaching

D. tie students’ grades to material rewards

2.According to the text,the long-term results of giving students cash as rewards in education are_____.

A. negative B. optimistic

C. uncertain D. disappointing

3.The tutoring program run by Charles McVean_______.

A. hires some excellent teachers to teach the struggling students

B. has a meaningful effect in inspiring students’ enthusiasm on study

C. is a program combining tutoring,competition and future job offers

D. rewards the student with the highest scores with cash prize of $100

4.We can learn that in Seminole County_____.

A. there are various ways to inspire students to study hard

B. many parents are not satisfied with the Happy Meals rewards

C. the local McDonald’s restaurants provide the rewards for poor students

D. people are searching for a good-for-all method to urge students to do well

Many Chinese people have awakened their interest in classical Chinese poetry recently thanks to a popular TV show that aims to “appreciate classical Chinese poetry, explore cultural genes and enjoy the beauty of life” by combining traditional literary form with light-hearted TV quizzes.

The ten-episode “Chinese Poetry Competition”，since its broadcast ，has been praised for injecting vitality (活力) into TV programs with fantastic performances of contestants，impressive comments from judges as well as its innovative interactive mode. In the show, poems can be adapted into songs or depicted (描繪) through artistic pictures. Any contestant who can memorize the latest number of poems may not necessarily be the final winner, while fast reaction and usage of poems matter a lot more in the competition.

Wu Yishu, a 16-year-old student from the High School Attached to Fudan University in Shanghai, is the champion of this season. Her rich knowledge of classical poetry impressed everyone and she rose to become famous online. In an earlier episode, Wu wowed the audience when performing in a section. She amazingly recited lines from the Classic of Poetry（《詩經》），the earliest collection of poems in China.

“Learning poems isn't about winning or losing. The power of poetry lies in shaping one’s view of life and developing one’s inner world.” said Li Bo, an expert guest at the Chinese Poetry Competition's second season.

When it comes to teaching people about poetry, Li Dingguang, the show’s academic advisor, suggested that teachers should explain more about the beauty of the poetry from both the aesthetic (審美的) and emotional sides, and guide students to lose themselves in the poems，rhythmic and rhyming (押韻的) lines.

“Although the proportion (比例) of ancient Chinese poems in the textbooks of primary and secondary schools has increased, many students still learn them for exams.” Li Dingguang said, “Therefore, it’s important to help students truly appreciate the artistry and fun of poetry.”

1.The TV show has been produced to ______ .

A. appreciate classical Chinese poetry and cherish our traditional culture.

B. shape people's view of life and develop their inner world

C. help students learn poems for exams

D. explore cultural genes and enjoy classical Chinese poetry and life

2.What do we know about the TV show?

A. Only by memorizing as many poems as possible can a contestant win the quiz.

B. Poems can be adapted into any form of art in the show.

C. The TV show has aroused people's interest in classical Chinese poetry.

D. Fantastic performances of contestants matter most.

3. Which of the following may Li Dingguang agree with?

A. The beauty of the poetry should be explained more from the aesthetic and emotional sides.

B. Students should memorize the poems’ rhythmic and rhyming lines.

C. The main duty of teachers is to help students truly appreciate the artistry and fun of poetry.

D. There will be more and more ancient Chinese poems in the textbooks of primary and secondary schools.

4.The underlined word “wowed” in the third paragraph probably means ______ .

A. excited B. impressed

C. puzzled D. inspired

Stressful situations are sometimes unavoidable. Each of us perceives (理解) challenges in our own way and reaction to them also varies. How stressful our life is depends not only on us. 1. And this is something we cannot change.

What if we do not try to change others, but rather try and change our attitude to stress and tension that we often experience at work?

Stretching and doing a short workout

Stretching releases muscle tension that accumulates in your back, shoulders, and neck during the day. Even when your day is extremely busy, do your best and set aside at least 5-10 minutes to do some exercise. There are plenty of exercises you can practise that do not require any special equipment: .yoga, or simple squats (蹲起) - you can pick any kind of workout to your liking. 2. Working out is beneficial for both your body and mind.

Drink a cup of herbal tea

3. Some of them, such as chamomile (甘菊) and peppermint (薄荷) , are a powerful tool helping to fight stress and anxiety. NASA scientists have recently carried out research into the effect of herbs and found out that peppermint scent decreases tiredness by 20% and reduces frustration by 25%, Make a smarter choice and, while at work，drink herbal tea instead of coffee.

Take a stroll (漫步)

Once you find yourself in a different surroundings you will feel much better. 4. Order your favorite drink and distract yourself by watching people go by. If your office is located in an environmentally clean place, for example, near a city park. You can then refresh yourself and relax a bit before you dive back into your working routine.

5.

Call someone who you know can understand and support you when you feel stressed. A study shows that communication with close people, such as your friends or parents, produces oxytocin in your body—the hormone that is needed to successfully fight tension and stress.

A. Drinking herbal tea can effectively relieve tension.

B. Have a chat

C. Physical activity will boost your energy level and help you calm down.

D. Herbs work miracles.

E. Other people influence it as well.

F. If your office is situated in a busy city center, then you can spend your lunch break in a sidewalk café.

G. Find help

Recently, my friend, who is a physician, told me she wasn’t doing a ＂good enough＂ job being a parent and was missing out on her children’s lives.

I’ve learned that other physicians also believe the ________ of their profession will somehow adversely(不利地)affect their children’s _________.

I tell my colleagues not to ________, and that one day their child will appreciate them for their life as a ________ child.

I can say this ________ my mother was a palliative-care physician. Being the daughter of a palliative care physician wasn’t ________: I came to understand mother’s absence, having to ________ her with others, and being ________ to human suffering and death were just ________ of my life. ________, being the child of a physician had a ________ effect on my life. I learned love was sacrifice and you would get love and appreciation in return. If I could have my ________ over again, I wouldn’t change much.

Sure, there were times when I wanted to ________ my mother’s pager（傳呼機）out of the window, or ________ that she could have attended school events. But even as a child I knew what I was ________, and what she was sacrificing, were ________ worth it for the life that I got to lead. My mother’s work as a palliative-care physician provided me with experiences that enriched my life, teaching me ________ lessons, skills and the knowledge of kindness, sympathy and generosity.

So, to anyone who is concerned about ________ a career with raising children, I offer you my reassurance. While there will be tough times, one day your child will ________ you for the experiences and the life they’ve had as a result of your ________.

1.A. demands B. standards C. challenges D. opportunities

2.A. intelligence B. schooling C. future D. growth

3.A. quit B. mention C. worry D. hurry

4.A. doctor’s B. teacher’s C. mother’s D. colleague’s

5.A. though B. when C. if D. because

6.A. tough B. correct C. easy D. normal

7.A. assist B. share C. compare D. substitute

8.A. familiar B. related C. devoted D. exposed

9.A. motivation B. meaning C. part D. aim

10.A. However B. Besides C. Somehow D. Therefore

11.A. negative B. passive C. side D. positive

12.A. occupation B. childhood C. adult D. education

13.A. keep B. make C. throw D. take

14.A. wished B. hoped C. requested D. demanded

15.A. expecting B. imagining C. doing D. sacrificing

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

17.A. special B. unforgettable C. tough D. valuable

18.A. balancing B. combining C. offering D. swapping

19.A. prepare B. thank C. forgive D. praise

20.A. contribution B. devotion C. career D. care

Google is one of the world’s biggest data storage companies, 1. (store) people’s work, photos, emails and everything else. It has a popular Internet search engine(引擎), which scans the Web pages that are relevant 2. the words you have typed in the search box.

As we know, Google’s headquarters is big, and much of 3. (it) campus is green. There is so much grass 4. it would need a number of lawnmowers (割草機), but Google has a creative way about that. Instead of gas-powered 5. (machine), Google hires a great many goats 6. (clear) the lawns. They visit for about a week at 7. time, and about 200 of them come to work. The goats don’t use gas, pollute the air 8. make as much noise. And they have the advantage of being “a lot 9.　(attractive) to watch than lawnmowers”, as Google’s employees have put it.

And there are a load of dogs at Google, too. Google’s office is very dog-friendly. It says that letting people bring in their dogs 10. (make) everyone much happier.