From the window of my room, I could see a tall cotton-rose hibiscus. In spring the tree looked very   1   dotted with red blossom. This inspiring neighbor often set my mind   2  . I gradually regarded it as my best friend.

3  , when I opened the window one morning, to my   4  , the tree was almost bare beyond 5   as a result of the storm the night before. Struck by this scene, I was   6   with a sudden sadness at the thought "all the blossom is doomed to fall". I could not help   7   with emotion: the   8   of life never runs smooth, for there are so many ups and downs, twists and turns. The vicissitudes （變遷） of my life saw my beloved friends   9   one after another. Isn’t it similar to the tree shedding its flowers in the   10  ?

This event  11   from my memory as time went by. One day after I came home from the countryside, I found the room airless and   12   opened the window. Something outside  13  my eye. It was a plum tree all red with blossom set off beautifully by the sunset. The surprise discovery overwhelmed me with   14 

When the last petal （花瓣） dropped all the joyful admiration for the hibiscus was gone as if nothing was left,  15   the landscape was again charming with the red blossom to  16  people of life’s alternation and continuance. Can’t it be said that life is actually a symphony, a 17  composition of gain loss?

Standing by the window lost in thought for a long time, I realized that no scenery in the world remains   18  . As long as you keep your heart   19   in the sun, every dawn will present a fine prospect and the world will always be about new  20.

1. A. stout             B. attractive      C. thick         D. fruitless

2. A. working          B. pausing       C. changing      D. sinking

3. A. Therefore         B. Besides       C. However      D. Consequently

4. A. annoyance      B. delight           C. relief         D. amazement

5. A. praise            B. description      C. recognition    D. compare

6. A. associated        B. decorated       C. faced                D. seized

7. A. laughing          B. sighing         C. crying          D. praying

8. A. course           B. quality          C. standard      D. aim

9. A. gathering           B. greeting        C. parting         D. fleeing

10. A. wind          B. sun            C. shade          D. light

11. A. turned         B. faded         C. appeared      D. recalled

12. A. casually        B. excitedly      C. worriedly       D. angrily

13. A. struck         B. caught        C. attracted        D. drew

14. A. sadness        B. regret          C. disappointment D. pleasure

15. A. while          B. when         C. until           D. as

16. A. warn          B. remind         C. inform               D. rid

17. A. unpleasant      B. lengthy         C. harmonious    D. dull

18. A. untouched      B. unnoticed       C. unknown       D. unchanged

19. A. bathed         B. lost            C. absorbed      D. trapped

20. A. barriers        B. concepts      C. troubles              D. hopes

It was Friedrich Nietzsche who wrote "Against boredom the gods themselves fight in vain". Although the words of the German philosopher will certainly have no effect on the millions of schoolchildren over the Easter holiday, their parents can find comfort in his words as they struggle to keep their kids entertained for a fortnight.

An academic has set out to prove that boredom-far from being a bad things-is a naturally occurring emotion that should not be suppressed （壓抑）. Dr Richard Ralley, a psychology lecturer at Edge Hill College in Ormskirk, Lancashire, has conducted a study of boredom.

He said, "Boredom can be a good thing. In psychology we think of emotions as being functional. Fear, anger and jealousy all serve a purpose but they’re painted in a bad light even though they exist for a reason. It’s the same with boredom, which also has a bad name. We get bored because we get fed up when we have nothing to do and feel the need to be productive. We ,feel bad when we’re not productive and that’s what boredom is associated with. Boredom is something, it’s not just switching off. It can be useful. When there’s nothing rewarding going on we keep energy, so that when we want to do it again we can. It may be better to leave children to their own devices and let them recover from their last term at school."

Dr Ralley, 35, thought of the study, titled Boredom, in 1999 but has only recently started collecting ease studies. To date, he has received information from more than 300 young adults who have written about boredom. He hopes to present his findings in the summer.

"Come the holidays, parents needn’t sacrifice kids’ free time on activities. Instead get them involved with something you’re doing. You can handle boredom in a way that can get them to do something challenging. Boredom is natural, so let’s deal with it."

1. The text is probably taken from ______

A. a newspaper report              B. a research essay

C. an advertisement                D. a philosophy textbook

2. In Dr Richard Ralley’s opinion, boredom is ______

A. harmful       B. useful         C. reliable       D. changeable

3. Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. Boredom as well as fear, anger and jealousy ever has a good name.

B. We get excited when we have nothing to do and we are not productive.

C. Dr Ralley’s findings about boredom have been presented to the public.

D. Kids should be encouraged to spend free time doing something challenging.

4. The underlined phrase "leave children to their own devices" in Paragraph 3 most probably means______

A. let them design a tool            B. let them repair a machine

C. leave them as they are           D. leave them playing with a toy

5. What’s the main idea of the text?

A. Boredom could be good for children.

B. Keep the kids entertained over holiday.

C. Dr Ralley conducted a study of boredom.

D. Don’t sacrifice kids’ free time.

Herta Muller was born in August 1953 in the traditionally German—speaking Nabat region of Romania．

After studying literature between l 973 and l 976，Muller was fired from her first job after refusing to work for Ceausescu’s（齊奧塞斯庫(kù)）secret police．It was at this time that she decided to devote her life to literature，but she refused to publish her first book Niederungen（Nadirs）in Romania because of attempts by the authorities to censor（審查）it．The manuscript，describing vividly the boring life under Ceausescu’s rule，was taken secretly into West Germany，where it was published in 1984，with Germany’s Spiegel magazine pronouncing her a “discovery”．After being refused permission to move to West Germany in l 985，she was finally allowed to leave in 1987after her sharp criticism of her native country’s rule earned her death threats from the secret police．

The Berlin International Literature Festival described her work as being focused on the non-conformist（不墨守成規(guī)者）life in the smallest unit of the dictatorial（獨(dú)裁的）state，as well as observations from her childhood and village life anti family．

The novel Reisende auf einem Bein （Travelling On One Leg） describes the difficulties of settling anew in foreign surroundings. Alongside other novels about the Ceausescu rule like Herztier （Land of Green Plums） and Heute waer ich mir lidbernicht begegnet （The Appointment）, she has also written a series of political essays.

Besides the prize for her first book, she has received the European Literary Prize "Aristeion",

the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Kieist Prize, and the Kafka Prize. Now she has added the 2009 Nobel Literature Prize to her glories.

1. When did Herta Muller decide to focus on writing?

A. Between 1973 and 1976. ~            B. When she was fired from her first job.

C. When she published her first book.     D. After she moved to west Germany.

2. Which of the following statements is not true?

A. Her first book was not published in Romania.

B. Her first application for moving to west Germany was refused.

C. Her novel Herztier describes the difficulties of beginning a new life abroad.

D. She wrote many novels and political essays.

3. How many awards has she got so far according to the text?

A. 4             B. 6              C. 5               D. 7

4. What do you think of Herta Muller according to Paragraph 2?

A. Critical        B. Flexible         C. Fearful          D. Optimistic

5. The best title of the text is

A. Herta Muller’s fleeing life.

B. Herta Muller’s literature works.

C. Herta Muiler’s honours.

D. Nobel Literature Prize winner-Herta Muller.

They’re faithful, friendly and furry-but under their harmless appearance, dogs and cats, the world’s most popular house pets, use up more energy resources in a year than driving a car, according to a new book

In their book Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable（可持續(xù)的） Living, New Zealand-based architects Robert and Brenda Vale say keeping a medium-sized dog has the same ecological impact as driving 10,000 km a year in a 4.6 liter Land Cruiser. "There are no recipes in the book," Robert Vale said, laughingly, in a telephone interview. "We’re not actually saying it is time to eat the dog. We’re just saying that we need to think about and know the ecological impact of some of the things we do and that we take for granted."

Constructing and driving the jeep for a year requires 0.41 hectares of land, while growing and manufacturing a dog’s food takes about 0.84 hectares. Meat-eating swells the eco-footprint of dogs, and cats are not that much better, the Vales found. Thus, they recommend keeping "greener", smaller, and more sustainable pets, such as goldfish, chickens or rabbits.

The book’s playful title, and serious suggestion that pet animals should be usefully "recycled", by being eaten by their owners or turned into pet food when they die, may not appeal to animal fans.

Offputting as the idea may be, the question is valid, considering the planet’s growing population and limited resources, Robert Vale said.

"Issues about sustainability are increasingly becoming things that are going to require us to make choices which are as difficult as eating your dog. It’s not just about changing your light bulbs or taking a cloth bag to the supermarket," he said. "It’s about much more challenging and difficult issues," he added. "Once you see where cats and dogs fit in your overall balance of things, you might decide to have the cat but not to have the two cars and the three bathrooms and be a meat eater yourself."

1. In the book architects Robert and Brenda Vale mainly intend to ______

A. show their interest in driving a car

B. clarify their disapproval of house pets

C. persuade readers to live an energy-saving life

D. remind people to make the most of energy resources

2. From the text, we know______

A. cats aren’t so environmentally friendly as dogs

B. pets occupy more room than a car at home

C. most people in the world keep dogs as house pets

D. pet owners should take their ecological impact into account

3. According to the Vales, ______

A. people are encouraged to keep a medium-sized dog

B. people are supposed to eat dogs at once

C. animal fans are willing to turn their pets into food

D. people are advised to keep more sustainable pets

4. The underlined word "offputting" in Paragraph 5 roughly means ______

A. unpleasant    B. acceptable     C. reasonable     D. satisfactory

5. The last paragraph shows that______

A. the writer shows little interest in changing the light bulbs

B. it’s challenging for people to live a sustainable life

C. people shouldn’t keep pets as well as a car meanwhile

D. it’s necessary for pet owners to eat their lovely dogs

LAYTON-Some Utah high school students have a science project that is generating more than praises and good grades．

They’re generating enough electricity through wind power to sustain（維持）a portable classroom，and that commitment to alternative energy has earned them an international honor．

The students at the Northern Utah Academy of Math，Engineering and Science installed a 400 watt turbine（渦輪機(jī)）they bought from Target on top of a portable classroom．Their goal：create an action plan to make classrooms energy—efficient．

“If it keeps spinning at l5 miles an hour wind，if we connected to the grid（輸電網(wǎng)）and sold it to California at 12 cents per kilowatt，it would pay us about$50 an hour, ”said student Jace Shuldberg．

They met their goal，and say they gained a new vision for the impact they could have on alternative energy．

“As science and engineering students，we are on the forefront of alternative energy solutions for how to deal with climate change," said student Delaney Burks.

Their plan and ability to communicate it has won them, an all expense-paid trip to the United Nations in New York for a summit on youth leadership. They’ll represent, not only Utah, but the nation, and share ideas.

"Maybe a school in India is near a coast and is looking toward tidal power. Here in Utah, we’re looking toward wind turbine and solar and possibly nuclear power," Shuldberg said.

"I’m so excited for them to meet students from Bulgaria and South Korea and Mongolia," said teacher Gayle Stucki. "I think it’s going to change their lives."

"We really go into it, and I think every person here has been affected by the research that we’ve done," Burks said. "We are talking about an idea that will happen, and that this is the further," Stucki said.

The students leave Wednesday for the Big Apple.

1. The students mentioned in the text are from______

A. Bulgaria      B. South Korea      C. Mongolia      D. America

2. What did these Utah high school students do?

A. They built a portable classroom which is energy-efficient.

B. They made use of wind power to produce electricity.

C. They went to New York for a meeting on energy-saving.

D. They invented a 400 watt turbine.

3. The following words can be used to describe the students except ________

A. confident        B. proud         C. creative        D. conservative

4. A school in India is mentioned to show that______

A. their researches are quite different from each other

B. location of a country matters little to their research

C. local resources should be taken advantage of

D. Utah was superior to India in using wind power

5. From the text, we know that Utah high school students ________

A. have won worldwide praise

B. have found solutions to climate change

C. aim to make a big profit from their research

D. haven’t benefited from their project

閱讀下面的短文，并根據(jù)文章后的要求答題。（請(qǐng)注意問(wèn)題后的詞數(shù)要求）

[1]For most of us, the purpose of the holidays is to bring peace, love, and goodwill towards all. Yet, for many, the holiday season often means stress, tiredness, pressure, disappointment and loneliness.

[2]These feelings, often known as the "holiday blues," may be even more common, due to the emotional turmoil （波折）of the past few months, not to mention the unsteady economy.

[3]Experts say even the more routine tasks of shopping, decorating, late-night parties, cooking, planning and family reunions can be holiday stressors. In addition, the psychological phenomenon known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, may bring a specific type of depression related to winter’s shorter days and longer nights.

[4]And with family reunions becoming less frequent events over the years, there is now the added pressure of getting just one chance to get it all right. "Families are much more different now. The disappointment and sense of alienation （疏遠(yuǎn)）that often results from family gatherings, is actually a realization that the fantasy is not met." says John Stutesman, a clinical psychologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

[5]Still, say experts, the blues should be addressed. The most essential step, says Stutesman, is for the individual to acknowledge their feelings and the reason for their withdrawal. "Denial will only strengthen the stress they’re feeling." Stutesman recommends people do things that are normally comforting in order to get a handle on the holiday stress. "If______ , they should try to do things personally satisfying for them. Maybe this is exercise, cooking, or reading a book."

[6]Stutesman also advises that sometimes "avoidance is actually not such a bad idea." In some situations, fulfilling social responsibilities may be annoying when the best thing may be to just stay home.

1. What is the best title of the text? （within 5 words）

2. Which sentence in the text is the closest in meaning to the following one?

If they deny such feelings, they will feel more and more depressed

3. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 5 with proper words. （within 8 words）

4. List three holiday stressors based on the text. （within 8 words）

5. Translate the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 into Chinese.

最近四川成都市教育局出臺(tái)五項(xiàng)禁令，嚴(yán)厲封殺"瘋狂奧數(shù)"，此舉措在全國(guó)掀起巨浪，叫好聲、質(zhì)疑聲、擔(dān)憂聲此起彼伏。

請(qǐng)據(jù)此寫一篇120-150詞的英語(yǔ)短文，談一下你的看法。

內(nèi)容包括：簡(jiǎn)述此現(xiàn)象，發(fā)表個(gè)人看法并闡述理由。觀點(diǎn)無(wú)正誤。

參考詞匯：奧數(shù)Olympic Math

課文填空。

1．For a period of about 300 years (from 650 to 323 BC), the Greek civilization made        in various fields that have        the world for more than 2,500 years already, and will continue to do so.

2．The Temple of Nike is the smallest among the three．It used to       a 13 – metre – high – gold – covered        of the goddess of Victory.

3．Many people died of      . Ten years later, the      of the French Revolution led to   fundamental changes throughout the country．

4．       by the Revolution，F(xiàn)rance became a different country afterwards，and today, it is still  guided by those          .

5．The French Revolution was successful in ridding society of         which had a great effect on many other countries，       those in Europe．

1．It’s illegal to read other people’s letters without p        .

2．Last month Liu Xiang defeated all his c      and finally won the gold medal after one year of training．

3．With the increase of the population，we may suffer from a short age of n     resources.

4．Having lived in Hainan for many years，he could not t     the cold weather in the north.

5．Some damage has been caused to this cultural site unintentionally by people，while some has been caused d       ．

6．Blood is the        (媒介)in which oxygen is carried to all parts of the body．

7．That job is a good test of your competence because it is very           (具有挑戰(zhàn)性的)．

8．The brave deeds of those three students have received public       (認(rèn)可) and praise.

9．The newly built entertainment park      (占用)much space in the suburb．

10．The two brothers       (與……相像)each other, so it’s difficult to tell one from the other.

1．Many tourists think Wuxi is a beautiful city worth        (visit)a second time．

2．It was reported that more than one million people       (ignore)light showers on May 2,   2008 to cheer the Olympic torch relay in Hong Kong．

3．I promise this project        (carry)out next year whatever difficulty we may meet．

4．—Did you meet Professor Wang yesterday?

   一Yes, We        (not meet)each other for three years．

5．This is the fifth time that Peter        (tell)lies to his teacher for being late．

6．The doctor insisted that the patient was seriously ill and        (operate)on at once．

7．The little girl was the third person in her family——(survive)the earthquake.

8．I asked my colleagues to get me       (inform)what’s going on with the project while I was away on holiday．

9．The storm swept the country,      (cause) a lot of damage.

10．It’s high time we         (make) good preparations for the Shanghai World Expo.