As a volunteer, you’re making a meaningful contribution, working side-by-side with local people and sharing in the goals of a community that warmly welcomes you. You’re experiencing another culture like never before and really getting to know its people. You’ll gain a better understanding of the culture and yourself. There are a huge number of volunteering programs that offer different focuses. You may participate in a conservation project to help protect local environment or endangered wildlife, an educational project helping women or the disadvantaged, or a community project helping build essential facilities (基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施) for a village or town.

These experiences will be hugely rewarding and also challenging, and will allow you to show what you really can achieve. Expect a culture shock as this is a grass-roots type of adventure, as you will be placed in remote areas with no phones, no television and sometimes no flushing toilet! What you will learn is the beauty of human nature, the power of team work and the difference you can make to the global community. You will also improve your personal growth. Increasing your social awareness, gaining self-confidence, building a sense of independence, discovering your strengths and talents, developing skills, expanding your social circle and developing a job finding network are just some of the potential benefits that will result from your volunteering experiences. You will get as much out of volunteering as you put into it—and quite often, you will get a whole lot more.

【1】What would you focus on if you participate in an educational project?

A. Spreading a new culture.

B. Protecting endangered wildlife.

C. Helping kids from poor families.

D. Improving basic facilities.

【2】What is needed for volunteer work according to the passage?

A. A wide range of social circles.

B. A good knowledge of local culture.

C. The volunteer experiences in remote areas.

D. The willingness to live a hard life.

【3】What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To encourage volunteer work.

B. To describe the difficulties with volunteer work.

C. To show sympathy for the poor.

D. To introduce the operation of volunteer work.

I am in a small village in the Carpathian Mountains, north of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. I’ve come to see the brown bears, which come to the villages at night to look for food. They walk 20 kilometres a night to get here. A farmer told me that some of his sheep have been killed by bears. But this is unusual. Usually, the bears just take bits of food which people have thrown away. Tonight I hope I’ll see them.

Tuesday 3rd January

Last night I waited with a group of tourists and as it grew dark, we saw the huge black shapes of bears. It seems the bears don’t go for people, unless they are attacked first. They were not afraid of the tourists, who took photos of them. Those clever bears knew where to go for their dinner. They jumped straight into the rubbish, where there was lots of food which people had thrown away.

Wednesday 4th January

Although it’s wonderful to see the bears in the village, it can only mean one thing: their habitat is disappearing. They would prefer to stay hidden in the mountain forests, but the trees have been cut down for firewood. So they cannot find enough food any more.

Thursday 5th January

Today I met the head of the Carpathian Animal Protection Group. He says that there are only about 2,500 bears left, and is worried that they will soon become extinct. Rich people from other countries pay a lot of money to come and shoot the bears for sport. The poor people from these villages need the money. But perhaps they could make more money from the tourists who want to come just watch the bears; and this would continue in the future. Once the bears are all dead, the tourists will stop visiting the village. But if the bears keep visiting the villages, then, perhaps, so will the tourists.

【1】The best title for this passage would be _____________.

A. Hungry Brown Bears B. Brown Bears in the Forest

C. Wandering Brown Bears D. Brown Bears—A Wonder

【2】It is unusual to the writer that ________________.

A. the brown bears like to be taken photos of.

B. the bears come out at night to look for food

C. the bears just take bits of food thrown away

D. the bears have attacked a farmer’s sheep

【3】The villagers could continue to earn money from the bears if _________.

A. they shot the bears for sport

B. people paid more money to kill them

C. more tourists came to see the bears

D. the villagers sold the bears’ skins to tourists

【4】What will happen to the bears in the future?

A. They may be kept in zoos.

B. They may become extinct.

C. They may keep eating rubbish.

D. They may be watched by visitors.

The only problem with our plan was that this pasture was guarded by a huge, mean Hereford bull. Mr.Blickez had told us that Elsie was the meanest bull in the township, maybe even the county, and we believed him. But the hotter it got, the more we thought there was something fishy about his claim. For one thing, we remembered Mr.Blickez liked telling tall tales; for another, Elsie seemed like an odd name for a bull.

Finally, I talked Mom into asking permission for us to walk through the pasture, but then another problem surfaced. Mom said she would talk to Mr.Blickez if we would take our cousin Joanie along with us. Joanie was almost two years older than me and a head taller. If her teasing ever got around my grade school, it would be all over for me. In fact, I still had a headache from a quarrel with her that morning. “I’m not going swimming with that dumb girl cousin.” I told my mom.

“Either Joanie goes with, or you stay home alone,” Mom said in her serious tone. I gave in and we set out. On our way across the pasture, Walt yelled suddenly. Elsie had approached him quietly and was licking(舔) his back. Joanie and I dove under the wire fence, but while I was on the ground I looked up and saw that Elsie wasn’t a big mean bull after all. She was going to keep licking my brother’s back as long as he stood still.

We had many good days growing up and visiting our secret swimming hole guarded by the so-called “big mean bull”. And as it turned out, for a girl cousin, Joanie hasn’t been too bad. She’s been one of my best friends over the years.

【1】What’s the meaning of the underline word “fishy” in Paragraph 2?

A. Funny. B. Interesting.

C. Doubtful. D. Believable.

【2】What’s the second problem the author has to face?

A. His mother insisted on his cousin going with him.

B. His cousin made jokes on him in his grade school.

C. He quarreled with his cousin and had a headache.

D. His mother failed to ask permission for him.

【3】What does the author think of Elsie in the end?

A. Aggressive. B. Unkind.

C. Bad-tempered. D. Friendly.

【4】 What’s the passage mainly about?

A. The bull guarding Mr.Blickez’s farm.

B. The story of visiting the swimming hole.

C. How friendly the so-called mean bull was.

D. How the author changed his attitude to Joanie.

【1】他忽然想到那棟樓的電梯有故障。

It __________ to him that the lift in that building was __________ _______ __________.

【2】總統(tǒng)宣布新的政策后，他們很失望。

They were much __________ __________ after the president announced the new policy.

【3】我是去年在巴黎認識他的。

I ____________ ____________ ______________in Paris last year..

【4】只有在那時我才意識到我們的力氣都白費了。

Only then _________ ________ ____________ our efforts were _________ _________.

【5】被那個奇怪的聲音吸引，他掛斷了電話。

__________ by the strange sound, he __________ ___________.

【6】我們需要大量的援助。

We are ___________ __________ ____________ large amounts of aid.

增加: 在缺詞處加一個漏字符號（∧）, 并在其下寫出該加的詞。

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。

Music plays a important role in my life and listen to music is my favorite activity. Usually I preferred to express my feeling through music, and I like pop music best. I don’t like rock music because of I think it’s too noisily. When I am tired after studying or when I am nervous before exams, music helps me feel relaxing and fresh. I am not good at singing or I can play the piano and the violin. In addition, I am fond of listening to foreign song in order to learn more about the cultures of different countries as well learning about the world better. Music makes your life more colorful.

My mother had some words for me. “Don't be always particular about your 【1】 (presence) work and income.” My mother said to me softly, “As a matter of fact, you have done well and made great achievement 【2】 the entertainment field.” My face turned red on hearing 【3】 my mother said.She is right. Many other actors are worse off 【4】 me at present, 【5】_ they are likely to be content with their life and be happy most of the time. I feel upset with my situation just because I seldom 【6】 (communication) with others and it seems as if I am cut off 【7】_ outside world. I should have known when to hold fast and when to let go, 【8】 can help me avoid 【9】 (feel) great pressure and upset. I must know how to care for others and try not to misunderstand 【10】．In this way, I will get close to leading a happy life.

Many of the biggest, such as New York, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego and Dallas, are outpacing the nation’s 1.7% growth rate since 2010.

“Urban America is recovering faster than more remote places,” said Robert Lang, a professor of urban affairs.

Only two big cities - Detroit and Cleveland - lost population between 2010 and 2012.

The urban recovery is led by mid-sized cities including Austin and Fort Worth and Charlotte. Austin grew 6.6% in two years, becoming the USA’s 11th-largest city. In 2000, it was No. 17.

Other trends:

New York City grew 2%, adding about 161,500 people since 2010. By far it is the USA’s most populous city.

The population of New Orleans continues to grow. In 2005 a terrible natural disaster happened to the city, causing the population to decrease. Now it has a population of three hundred and sixty-nine thousand. The number has grown by 7.4% since 2010.

Government budget crunches (緊縮) have put state capitals in difficulty. Half are behind the growth rate of their regions.

Perhaps the biggest exception to the capital crunch is Austin. It has grown more than 26% since 2000. Population expert William Frey says Austin enjoys a number of qualities that make it attractive. It’s a high-tech city with a state university. And it’s in Texas, an attractive place for newcomers. “In some ways it’s a model of what other cities would like to become,” he says.

Frey notes that Charlotte, which grew 5.4% since 2010 has grown into a high-tech and financial center whose industries do business not just with those in other U.S. cities but with the rest of the world.

【1】The statistics in Paragraph 1 suggest that _____.

A. there were fewer cities in the USA a decade ago

B. remote areas in the USA have more people now

C. the population in the USA has grown since 2010

D. many big cities in the USA face population problems

【2】William Frey thinks Austin’s growth _____.

A. is due to its education

B. is the steadiest in the USA

C. attracts well-educated people

D. deserves the attention of other cities

【3】According to the text, Charlotte _____.

A. is a political center

B. has grown slowly since 2010

C. is the USA’s 11th-largest city

D. does business at home and abroad

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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。

Be abroad, you may find many things are different—the food, the customs, and the language. The last of these are the most important, as you need to be able to communicate in order to make the most of your stay. So I advise you to find the good school, and the school good academic atmosphere will help you improve your language skill. I found things got a lot of better for me once I’d joined a local tennis club. I really enjoyed it, and I made plenty of friends here. I am not homesick any more but I began to find my way around. All to all, I’d say it’s essential to maintain a positive attitude, and you’ll certainly enjoy yourself.

1．情感寂寞；

2．與人交流出現(xiàn)困難；

3．學(xué)習(xí)成績不理想；

4．很多兒童出現(xiàn)心理問題；

5．容易受到傷害。

參考詞匯：農(nóng)村(rural area)；心理的(psychological)

要求：字數(shù)100左右。開頭和結(jié)尾已經(jīng)為你寫好，不計入總詞數(shù)。

Dear editor，

I'm writing to say something about the problems of children left behind in rural areas.

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Only in this way can we ensure that they will have a good future as other kids.

Best wishes.

Yours，

Lin Xiao