– The film Tiny Times 3 is being discussed widely these days.

--____________. It is overwhelmed with bad views.

A. Nothing worse than that. B. Beyond comparison.

C. No comments D. Just so-so.

All of us go through some difficult times as we approach teenage years. It’s the age when we have to deal with the most in our life. This transition (過渡) from childhood to adulthood is for some, but rough for others. The most important thing about being a teenager is . When we are teenagers, we would get blamed or even punished for anything wrong we do. Unlike before when we were small kids, even if we made a big trouble, we didn’t need to pay anything for it.

It’s all not so about being a teenager though. We don’t have to have our take us to somewhere we want to go or we couldn’t go before. We can have with friends or even alone, which we couldn’t have because we were too to know what pleasure is! It’s a very enjoyable time of life. During this age, we are old enough to what is good for us, and make decisions by ourselves without others.

But like the saying goes “All good things must come to an end, but all bad things can continue .” During this period, we are having much for our studies. If we don’t pass, we won’t get jobs, and things will take a turn for the . With the present world economy in , we have to do really, really well in our for a job. Adults say that their is the hardest part of life. But I think the transition from a kid to an adult is much than being already an adult. What we do in our teenage years will what we become and how we lead our life in the future.

In conclusion, it is quite that parents put much pressure on an already stressed out teenager. If they realized that, living condition for teenagers would be much better. for the teens ourselves we should get to know what is best for us. What’s more, we should understand the right of life we choose at this age can make us happy for the rest of our existence.

1.A. chances B. changes C. feelings D. expectations

2.A. smooth B. practical C. demanding D. necessary

3.A. knowledge B. independence C. confidence D. responsibility

4.A. easy B. strange C. bad D. interesting

5.A. guides B. partners C. parents D. friends

6.A. fun B. trouble C. relation D. business

7.A. proud B. young C. smart D. mature

8.A. predict B. remember C. imagine D. understand

9.A. guiding B. helping C. inviting D. consulting

10.A. occasionally B. briefly C. forever D. increasingly

11.A. pressure B. passion C. motivation D. panic

12.A. better B. worse C. fewer D. more

13.A. decline B. hope C. increase D. debt

14.A. contribution B. education C. application D. qualification

15.A. promotion B. work C. experience D. age

16.A. harder B. happier C. easier D. lighter

17.A. reflect B. confirm C. determine D. identify

18.A. vital B. urgent C. common D. unnecessary

19.A. Thus B. Although C. But D. Because

20.A. experience B. way C. condition D. power

People without homes have always been present in America. In the past，they were called hobos，bums，or drifters. It was not until the early 1980s that these people received a new name，when activists named them the homeless.

The types of people who were homeless also changed in the 1980s. No longer were they primarily older men. They were younger，with an average age of 35. Their numbers consisted of women，children，adolescents and entire families. They were of many races and cultures. No longer were they only in the inner city. They lived in rural areas and in large and small cities. No longer were they invisible to the people with homes and jobs. The homeless of the 1980s lived in packing crates (裝貨箱) and doorways. They slept on sidewalks and in public parks. They begged money from passersby.

Counting the numbers of homeless people is difficult. However，in 1984 the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated the homeless population at between 250,000 and 350,000. In 1990 the Census Bureau counted about 459,000 people in shelters，in cheap hotels，and on the streets. In 1995 the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimated that there were 750,000 homeless Americans.

The homeless of the 1980s also began to speak out for themselves. Some spoke to Congress and to government committees controlling funding for social programs. Street newspapers，such as Chicago’s Streetwise and Boston’s Spare Change，had stories，poems，and essays that expressed the homeless viewpoint. The visible and vocal presence of the homeless prompted help from volunteers and government agencies. But what is still needed is a solution to the plight of America’s homeless population.

1.This passage is mainly about________.

A．one homeless person’s story

B．the history of the homeless

C．the changes of the homeless in the late 20th century

D．a(chǎn) way to provide homes for the homeless

2.How did the homeless speak out about their problems?

A．By writing books.

B．By moving to rural areas.

C．By being elected to the government committees.

D．By expressing their viewpoints in street newspapers.

3.Who is responsible to get the number of the homeless population according to the passage?

A．Government agencies.

B．Street newspapers.

C．The homeless themselves.

D．The volunteers.

4. The underlined word “plight” in the last paragraph means “______”.

A. income B. flight

C. difficulty D. employment

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The homeless all lived in urban cities in America.

B．The name “the homeless” was given in the early 1980.

C．Not only the disabled belong to the homeless family.

D．There were about 800,000 homeless people in western countries.

Samuel Osmond is a 19-year-old law student from Cornwall, England. He never studied the piano. However, he can play very difficult musical pieces by musicians such as Chopin and Beethoven just a few minutes after he hears them. He learns a piece of music by listening to it in parts. Then he thinks about the notes in his head. Two years ago, he played his first piece Moonlight Sonata(奏鳴曲)by Beethoven. He surprised everyone around him.

Amazed that he remembered this long and difficult piece of music and played it perfectly, his teachers say Samuel is unbelievable. They say his ability is very rare, but Samuel doesn’t even realize that what he can do is special. Samuel wanted to become a lawyer as it was the wish of his parents, but music teachers told him he should study music instead. Now, he studies law and music.

Samuel can’t understand why everyone is so surprised. “I grew up with music. My mother played the piano and my father played the guitar. About two years ago, I suddenly decided to start playing the piano, without being able to read music and without having any lessons. It comes easily to me ---I hear the notes and can bear them in mind---each and every note,” says Samuel.

Recently, Samuel performed a piece during a special event at his college. The piece had more than a thousand notes. The audience was impressed by his amazing performance. He is now learning a piece that is so difficult that many professional pianists can’t play it. Samuel says confidently,” It’s all about super memory---I guess I have that gift.”

However, Samuel’s ability to remember things doesn’t stop with music. His family says that even when he was a young boy, Samuel heard someone read a story, and then he could retell the story word for word.

Samuel is still only a teenager. He doesn’t know what he wants to do in the future. For now, he is just happy to play beautiful music and continue his studies.

1.What is special about Samuel Osmond?

A. He has a gift for writing music.

B. He can write down the note he hears.

C. He is a top student at the law school.

D. He can play the musical piece he hears.

2.What can we learn from Paragraph 2?

A. Samuel chose law against the wish of his parents.

B. Samuel planned to be a lawyer rather than a musician.

C. Samuel thinks of himself as a man of great musical ability.

D. Samuel studies law and music on the advice of his teachers.

3.Everyone around Samuel was surprised because he _________.

A. received a good early education in music

B. played the guitar and the piano perfectly

C. could play the piano without reading music

D. could play the guitar better than his father

4.What can we infer about Samuel in Paragraph 4?

A. He became famous during a special event at his college.

B. He is proud of his ability to remember things accurately.

C. He plays the piano better than many professional pianists.

D. He impressed the audience by playing all the musical pieces.

5. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A. The Qualities of a Musician

B. The Story of a Musical Talent

C. The Importance of Early Education

D. The Relationship between Memory and Music.

It’s the place where smart people make smart machines work even smarter. It’s also in the heart of sunny California, a great place to start a family and raise kids. What could be better?

But something is happening to their children. Up until the age of two they develop normally. But then everything seems to go backwards. The children become locked into their own small world, unable to communicate at all.

They call it the “curse(詛咒)of Silicon Valley,” but the medical name for the condition is autism(自閉癥). It used to be thought that autism was a kind of mental illness. Now doctors are sure that it is a neurological disease transmitted genetically. It seems that the people leading the communications revolution are having children who cannot communicate at all.

But even the parents have trouble communicating. Asperger’s Syndrome is a mild version of autism. People who have it are highly intelligent and often brilliant with numbers or system but have no social skill. This very combination of symptoms makes Asperger’s sufferers into ideal computer professionals.

The Asperger’s sufferer has always been a well-known figure in popular culture. He or she was the eccentric but dedicated scholar or the strange uncle or auntie who never married. But the high numbers of such people in Silicon Valley mean that they can meet others who understand them and share their interests. And while they might not be personally attractive, they can earn truly attractive amounts of money. They can get married and have kids. Unfortunately, many of the children of two Asperger’s parents seem to be developing serious autism.

There is little anyone can do. It takes hours of work just to make autistic child realize that anyone else exists. And there is no cure in sight. Some argue that no cure should be found. “It may be that autistics are essentially different from normal people, but that these differences make them invaluable for the evolution of the human race,” says Dr. Kirk Whilhelmsen of the University of California. “To eliminate the genes for autism could be disastrous. ”

It seems that the children of Silicon Valley are paying the price of genius.

1.What is the best title of the passage?

A. The Price of Genius

B. Asperger’s Syndrome, a Mild Version of Autism

C. No Cure Should Be Found

D. Ideal Computer Professionals

2.What does Dr Kirk Whilhelmsen think of autism?

A．It is disastrous to society.

B．It is not completely a bad thing.

C．It is a punishment to those working in Silicon Valley.

D．People with autism should never marry.

3.What can we learn about autism according to the passage?

A．It is believed to be a kind of mental illness that can be cured.

B．People with autism can’t find people sharing their interests.

C．They do not care about the presence of others.

D．They are a burden for the society.

4.Why do people call autism “curse of Silicon Valley”？

A．Because autistic people live in Silicon Valley.

B．Because many people working in Silicon Valley have autism children.

C．Because people with autism will be driven out of Silicon Valley.

D．Because people with autism are not personally attractive and not liked by others.

5.What can we know about Asperger’s Syndrome according to the passage?

A．Asperger’s sufferers are ideal computer professionals.

B．Asperger’s sufferers never get married and have children.

C．Asperger’s sufferers are ashamed of themselves and locked into their own world.

D．Asperger’s sufferers can be beneficial to society if they are cured.

Reading is good for you. There is increasing evidence to show that reading isn’t merely a way of improving literacy and knowledge, but that it might actually be good for one’s mental and physical health, too.

In the age of Twitter and short attention spans, reading novels, which requires intense concentration over a long period of time, could be the antidote(矯正方法).

Neuroscientists Baroness Susan Greenfield says that reading helps to lengthen attention spans in children and improve their ability to think clearly. “Stories have a structure that encourages our brain to think in sequence, to link cause, effect and significance,” she says “It is essential to learn this skill as a small child.”

“In a computer game, you might rescue a princess, but you don’t care about her, you just want to win,” she explains, “But a princess in a book has a past, present and future. You can relate to her. You see the world through her eyes”

According to professor John Stein, Oxford university, reading is far from a passive activity. “Reading exercises the whole brain,” he explains. “ When we get lost in a good book, we are doing more than following a story, Imaging what is happening is as good as activating the brain as doing it. In other words, our brains simulate(模仿) real experiences, and it is just as if we were experiencing them ourselves. This doesn’t happen when we are watching a TV or playing computer games.”

Getting stuck in a good novel appears to be good for one’s mental health. Reading helps one not only fights loneliness, but also forget one’s own problems for a while.

Researchers found that just six minutes of reading could reduce stress levels by more than two-thirds, more than listening to music or going out for a walk. The concentration required to read distracts the mind, easing muscle’s tension and slowing the heart rate. Reading may be good for physical health, too, by preventing brain aging and disease.

1.Which of the following statement is true about playing computer games?

A. It encourages our brains to think clearly

B. It makes people feel lonely

C. It makes the player concentrate on the result instead of the role in it

D. It can help lengthen one’s attention span.

2.According to John Stein, reading _______

A. is simply following a story

B. is a passive activity

C. can active the brain

D. has the same results as watching TV

3.What is the main purpose of this passage?

A. To show how to improve children’s attention spans

B. To encourage people to read

C. To show that Twitter has a negative influence

D. To compare the results of reading and watching TV

4.The last two paragraphs are mainly about

A. the mental and physical benefits of reading

B. ways of getting rid of stress

C. the problems we face in daily life

D. the factors that cause people to feel lonely

5.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Reading Books Helps Keep Your Healthy

B. The Structure of a Book

C. The Brain Activities While Reading

D. How to Teach Children to Read

Rome had the Forum, London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.

Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk.

Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says,“Talk to Me,” they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.

They don’t collect money. They don’t push religion(宗教). So what’s the point?

“To see what happens,” said Liz. “We simply enjoy life with open communication.”

Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.

“It started as a crazy idea,” Liz said.“ We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything：their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything.”

Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.

Marcia had lost her husband to a serious disease. “That was very heavy on my mind,” Marcia said, “To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good,” she explained.

To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.

They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they’ll consider.

1.What did Liz and Bill start doing after they graduated from college?(no more than 5 words)

_________________________________________________________________

2.What they have been doing can be described as?( one word)

__________________________________________________

3.Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text? ( no more than twelve words)

___________________________________________________________________

4.According to the text, what will Liz and Bill do in the future?( no more than ten words)

___________________________________________________________________

5.According to the text, do they like the idea of writing a book? (no more than eight words)

___________________________________________________________________

請以“ The Biggest Challenge I’ve Ever Met” 為題寫一篇120詞左右的短文，記述自己遭遇過的最大的挑戰(zhàn)。內(nèi)容包括：

1. 簡要記述事情經(jīng)過；

2. 你的感受或從中獲得的啟示。

注意：1.短文的標題和開頭已給出（不計入總詞數(shù)）；

2. 文中不能出現(xiàn)考生真實姓名及任何透露考生身份信息的內(nèi)容。

The Biggest Challenge I’ve Ever Met

In our daily life, we unavoidably come across various challenges now and then.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

When Armida Armato’s daughter, Alexia, came home from school one day last year keen to go on a school trip to Ecuador, she wasn’t too sure how to feel. She was happy that her daughter could experience something she never did as a teen but was fearful of letting her travel to such a remote part of the world.

Alexia was 16 at the time, a student at Westwood High School. The school sponsored a humanitarian trip for 26 students and two teachers to spend 18 days living in a mountain village to build a one-room school. Even though Armato trusted her daughter, the other students and the teachers, she was worried about the side effects from the travel vaccines, possible accidents, and medical care.

Now that Alexia was home, Armato said she saw her daughter’s new maturity, greater confidence and independence. “This is the best thing I ever did,” Alexia said. “The experience was so eye-opening and life-changing. You’re with people who are not as lucky as you are. They live in very poor conditions but they’re so happy and outgoing. You say, ‘My God. I’m taking everything for granted back home.’”

She said they built a one-room school from scratch with no mechanical cement mixers. They used their hands, shovels and basic tools. She and another student lived with a local family in a small village about eight hours outside the capital, Quito. Despite the initial strangeness and knowing only basic Spanish, she said they grew very close and felt like a family.

Every year, groups of students at Montreal High School like Alexia pack their bags and fly off with classmates and teachers to developing countries where they volunteer for a variety of projects.

“Armato’s worries are very common among parents,” says Bill Nevin, a teacher at St. George’s High School. He organizes a humanitarian rip to India to the Sheela Bal Bhavan orphanage and says the three biggest fears families have are health, security and contact.

1.When hearing the news that her daughter would go on a school trip to Ecuador, Armato was____.

A. proud and happy B. supportive but concerned

C. fearful and nervous D. excited but puzzled

2.The underlined phrase “from scratch” in Paragraph 4 probably means “______”.

A. having great help B. using high technology

C. ending up in failure D. starting from the beginning

3.What would be the best title for the text?

A. Volunteering helps students grow and develop.

B. School trips make parents worried about their children.

C. Ecuador is the most attractive travel destination in the world.

D. Brave Alexia dreams to work in Ecuador one day.

Homestay UK/Great Britain

Here you will find a selection of homestay hosts and host families in the UK. If you want to learn more about the British host family of your choice, please click on information at www. Homestaybooking. Com. You will then see a personal introduction of the UK homestay host. If you don’t want to search yourself, just register for free and receive our matching recommendations.

Chika and Tara from London, the United Kingdom

Information about the homestay host

Chika is 28 years old. She is away from home most of the time. Tara is 18 years old. She is at home every day. They both speak English.

Chika and Tara’s guests can stay for at least 5 nights and up to a maximum of 365 nights. Chika and Tara have no children living at home. It is a non-smoking residence(住宅). No pets live in this household.

Information about the homestay accommodation

The accommodation is in London. The name of the neighborhood is Greenwich. The distance to the city center is 1.6km. The next access point to public transport is at 15 m distance.

Three guests can stay in Tara and Chika’s house at the same time. The following accommodation is generally available:

Single room with shared use of the family bathroom

*Size: 12.0 ㎡

*Facilities: desk, Internet access, mirror, hairdryer and wardrobe(衣櫥)

*Price per night per person: ￡20.00 per night(one single)

Twin room with shared use of the family bathroom

*Size: 15.0 ㎡

*Facilities: TV, desk, Internet access, mirror, hairdryer and wordrobe

*Price per night per person:

￡20.00 per night(one guest)

￡17.00 per night(two guests)

The room charge includes the following services: Internet access, regular room cleaning, breakfast, free use of the washing machine.

Additional available service at an extra charge: Pick-up service(￡60.00 one-way); Lunch(￡6.00 per person per day); Dinner(￡6.00 per person per night)

Vegetarian(素食的) meals are available.

1.Chika and Tara’s house would be a good choice for _______.

A. a pet lover

B. a heavy smoker

C. a person who eats no meat

D. one who needs a one-night stay

2.What do we know about Chika and Tara’s house?

A. It lies in the center of the city.

B. It is not far away from Greenwich.

C. Public transport is convenient there.

D. The distance from the house to London is 1.6 km.

3.If Mary chooses a twin room and pick-up service(two-way), how much should she pay per day?

A. ￡140. B. ￡137. C. ￡80. D. ￡77