Life is speeding up. Everyone is getting unwell. This may sound like someone would say today. But in fact,        unknown person who lived in Rome in AD(公元) 53 wrote it.
We all love inventions. They are exciting, amazing and can even change our lives. But have all these developments really improved the quality of our lives?
You’re rushing to finish your homework on the computer. Your mobile phone rings, a QQ          from your friend        on the screen, the         from the television is getting louder and louder. Suddenly the computer breaks        and you lose all your homework. Now you have to       up all night to get it done. How happy do you feel?
Inventions have speeded up our lives       much that people often feel stressed and tired. Why do you think people who live far       from noisy cities, who have no telephones, cars, even electricity(电) often       to be happy? Perhaps          they live simpler lives.
One family in the UK “went back in time” to see        life was like without all the inventions we have today. The grandparents,         their daughter and grandsons Tom, 10 and Jim, 7, spent 8 weeks in a 1940s house. They had no       machine, fridge, computer or mobile phones.
The grandmother, Linda said, “The more things you have, the more difficult life becomes.” The boys said they fought less. Probably because there was        to fight for, such as their computer. And they noticed that their grandmother had changed from       fashionable to one who liked cooking things.

小题1:	A．a B．an C．the D．/

小题2:	A．notice B．message C．news D．information

小题3:	A．comes B．appears C．goes D．leaves

小题4:	A．noise B．voice C．sound D．hearing

小题5:	A．up B．into C．down D．out

小题6:	A．wake B．stay C．give D．get

小题7:	A．very B．too C．so D．such

小题8:	A．away B．up C．down D．over

小题9:	A．look B．seem C．watch D．find

小题10:

A．because B．since C．and D．or

小题11:

A．whose B．which C．what D．how

小题12:

A．with B．between C．together D．along

小题13:

A．shopping B．sleeping C．writing D．washing

小题14:

A．more B．less C．fewer D．worse

小题15:

A．liking B．being C．seeing D．running

When I was a child, my parents always told me that I should never talk to strangers. This was part of a whole list of things I should never do: Never accept food or candy from strangers, never get in a car with strangers, and so on.
But if we didn’t start a conversation with strangers, we’d never make new friends. We’d never get a job. We may miss the joy that comes from talking with strangers. And the more people you know, you more chances you can get.
The following passage offers you some advice on how to break the ice.
Don’t just stare at your shoes. Go and say “Hi” to that new guy. It will be easier to break the ice if you know more about different cultures.
British: Beautiful day, isn’t it?
The weather in Britain is changeable. So, it is one of the topics the British care most about. And there’s a simple rule: Say “Yes” whether you agree with the person’s idea on the weather or not. That’s because the British start a conversation using the weather so that they can continue their talk.
French: Where did you go on holiday?
To talk with a French person, the safest way is to ask his or her last holiday. French students enjoy a 10-to-15-day holiday every two months. French employees get more than six weeks of holidays per year.
American: So, where are you from?
The US is so big and people move so often that location is always a source(来源) of talk. You can try to find a connection with the place they’re from. For example, if someone’s from Los Angeles, you could say:“Oh, I have a friend who studied there”
小题1:Why did the writer’s parents tell him not to talk to strangers?

A．It was dangerous.

B．Is wasted time.

C．It was part of the life.

D．Their son didn’t like to talk to strangers.

小题2:The best thing to talk with British is          .

A．the fog	B．the rain
C．the weather	D．the wind

小题3:To talk with a French person, the safest way is           .

A．his or her family	B．his or her parents
C．his or her friends	D．his or her last holiday

小题4:The location is always a source of talk in America because         .

A．They are energetic

B．They love their home

C．Los Angeles is their location

D．The US is so big and people move so often

小题5:According to the passage, the writer thinks               .

A．his parents were right

B．he can talk with strangers freely

C．It is necessary to talk with strangers

D．he can find jobs easily

Ben Lambert thought about      to Greece or Spain, but decided on Canada. I always take
vacations in Europe,” he said. “This time I want to do    I heard that Canada is beautiful，and I know
there are many people there     speak French.” 
Ben is going to Canada’s Great Lakes. He is leaving the first week in June and staying until September. He plans to have a very        vacation. I’m taking walks, going fishing, and going bike riding. I’m planning to spend time in the beautiful countryside. I love nature. I hope I can forget       ! At night, I’m renting videos and sleeping a lot… A great vacation! I can’t wait.
小题1:A. go                  B. going               C. to go
小题2:A. something different    B. different something     C. anything different
小题3:A. who                B. which               C. whom
小题4:A. relax                B. relaxed              C. relaxing
小题5:A. my all problems       B. all my problems       C. my whole problems

Many people from overseas believe that it rains a lot in London, but in fact its rainfall is similar to that in other European cities. Rainfall is evenly (平均地) spread during the year, so  even in summer a visitor is likely to experience some     weather. In spring and autumn there are likely to be some heavy showers, often followed by sunshine. In winter the rain is usually lighter but may    for longer.
In the summer, if there are a few days of particularly hot weather, these are often
   by a thunderstorm. It is because the weather can change very quickly that many British people carry a(an)umbrella with them throughout the year, even when it appears to be a
   day.
The UK’s weather is strongly influenced by the sea which surrounds Britain and Ireland. The sea warms up and       more slowly than land, keeping winters relatively warm but also making the summers cooler.
You may be wise to bring      warm to wear in the evenings even during the summer months. Very hot days (over 30 C) are not common, so air conditioning is not as widespread as in warmer countries.
During the winter people will often wear several different layers (层) of clothing. This allows them to keep warm when walking outside, but to     comfortable when inside a heated building.
小题1:A. dry               B. wet                 C. hot  
小题2:A. last               B. break                  C. have    
小题3:A. received           B. accepted            C. followed  
小题4:A. fine               B. bad                 C. rainy      
小题5:A. takes off          B. rises up            C. cools down` 
小题6:A. something          B. anything            C. nothing    
小题7:A. realize            B. remind              C. remain     

A group of fifteen-year-olds at a middle school in a town are holding a charity (慈善) sale to raise money to       their classmate Li Xia. Li Xia had cerebral palsy (大脑性瘫痪）when she was a baby.       Li Xia has to use a wheelchair (轮椅) to help her get around, she never     . And she is always ready to help others.
Many parents have known it from their children and the news has been spread (传播). Some kind people give her a(n)       and Li Xia’s classmates decided to raise money to show their love for her.
“Li Xia has the       of standing up, but she needs an operation (手术）which will cost lots of money.” Li Xia’s doctor said.
“I       thought that I could stand up one day. Actually the       is surprising for me. However, when I see my parents are worried about the cost of the operation, I am sad. I am used to my life. I don’t       even if I can’t stand up,” Li Xia said, “Now my classmates and some other kind people are helping me. I am really thankful. If I stood up one day, I would try my best to help more people.”
“While helping Li Xia, we can also learn a lot. We have learned       to cook cookies and how to       them,” Ma Fang, one of Li Xia’s classmates said. “Now we know making money is not easy, so we won’t       money anymore.”
Zhang Tong, a boy in Li Xia’s class, told a reporter that they could raise about 100 yuan every day. “We have raised about 2,100 yuan so far. We hope we will raise more money for Li Xia’s operation,” said he.
Li Xia is very thankful. And she is very       because so many people are helping her.

小题1:	A．help B．thank C．encourage D．see

小题2:	A．Since B．Because C．When D．Although

小题3:	A．gets down B．shows off C．gives up D．has fun

小题4:	A．gift B．hand C．smile D．idea

小题5:	A．confidence B．chance C．trouble D．skill

小题6:	A．never B．often C．really D．nearly

小题7:	A．dream B．hope C．help D．news

小题8:	A．forget B．believe C．mind D．doubt

小题9:	A．where B．why C．when D．how

小题10:

A．sell B．share C．keep D．enjoy

小题11:

A．receive B．spend C．waste D．make

小题12:

A．kind B．excited C．brave D．lucky

Some students are talking about who’s a better singer, Andy Lau or Jacky Cheung？
Jim	Some people say Jacky is the best Chinese singer. I don’t think so! Andy is the best. I went to his concert last year. It was so wonderful. I almost cried! OK, I did cry, but that’s because Andy is so handsome！
Li Tao	I don’t agree with Jim. Andy sounds like every other singer. His voice is nothing special. On the other hand, Jacky’s voice is different from others, and his songs are so romantic (浪漫的).
Linda	I think they’re about the same. But Andy is a better actor. I’ve seen almost all of his movies. Remember the one where he was a pilot and his plane crashed (坠毁) near a farm? I love that movie!
Zhang Fang	I also think Jacky is a better singer. I prefer his Cantonese (粤语) songs. Maybe they sound better because Cantonese is his first language.
Liu Ying	I agree. Jacky’s Cantonese songs are better than his Mandarin (普通话) songs, though I still like all his songs!

小题1:How many students are talking about Andy and Jacky?   

A．3.

B．4.

C．5.

D．6.

小题2:____ thinks Andy is the best Chinese singer.

A．Jim

B．Li Tao

C．Linda

D．Zhang Fang

小题3:Linda likes Andy’s ____ very much.

A．movies

B．voice

C．language

D．songs

Rose sat behind Kate in the classroom. They got on well with each other. But one day, Rose didn’t see her school IC card at lunch time. She asked her classmates and looked for it everywhere. But she couldn’t find it. Later, one girl said that she saw Kate take a card from Rose’s desk. Hearing this, Rose got very angry.
When she met Kate in the afternoon, Rose shouted, “You have stolen my card!” Hearing this, Kate began to cry, “No, no, I didn’t steal it! I only took it by mistake.” But Rose didn’t think so and she began to say bad words to Kate.
Just then a teacher came up and asked what had happened. Kate told the whole story. She said a middle school classmate of hers came to see her in the morning. She was so excited that she took the card on the desk and rushed out. Then they went for lunch happily. “I used the card, but I had thought it was mine. I didn’t know it was Rose’s until she looked for it. I was too afraid to explain it to her. So I decided to put the card back with some money secretly. I am sorry, Rose.” Kate said in a low voice.
“It’s just a misunderstanding (误会)!” said the teacher. Tears came into Rose’s eyes. Then she said, “I was very sorry, Kate! I hope we are still good friends.” Kate smiled when she heard the words. Hand in hand, they walked toward the classroom building.
小题1:Rose was very ____ when she heard someone took her IC card away.

A．quiet

B．sorry

C．excited

D．angry

小题2:Kate didn’t find her mistake until ____.

A．she finished lunch	B．Rose looked for the card
C．one girl told her	D．the teacher asked her

小题3:From the end of the story, we can learn that Rose and Kate would ____.

A．be good friends again	B．say sorry to the teacher
C．go on fighting later	D．explain more to each other

The best tool you can use in communicating with parents is to keep talking to them, no matter what. Strong relationship (关系) depend heavily on keeping the lines of communication open. Try to talk about everyday things with your parents. That doesn’t mean telling them everything. In fact, turn the focus onto them for a change: Ask about their day — just as they do with you.

David, 16, is a senior school student. One evening, after he mentioned at dinner that he was thinking of trying out for the school play, his mom kept asking about it for weeks. And later, it also felt like she was getting too involved (参与) in something he wanted to do himself. Instead of telling his mom how he felt, David decided it would be easier not to tell her anything he was doing in the future.
A good way to get a parent to ask fewer questions is to offer some information on your own. This puts the communication in your hands. The more you keep a parent told about everyday things, the less they need to ask. Communicating everyday things has another advantage: It can show your parents that you’re responsible enough to make good decisions.
It won’t always be easy. You may get frustrated (受挫) at times. But try not to give up. It may take a bit for a parent who is used to making all the decisions to adjust (适合) to the independent-thinking person their child is becoming. Parents also don’t want to see their sons and daughters suffer (受苦) if the choices they make on their own aren’t the “right” ones. To many parents, it seems easier to step in and take control simply because they believe their years of experience put them in a better position to make decisions. If you feel that’s the case (情况) with your parents, talk to them about it.
小题1:The underlined part “turn the focus onto them” probably means ____.

A．talk the things about them

B．have a good time with them

C．show your thanks to them

D．do something good for them

小题2:In the third paragraph, you are advised to ____.

A．let your parents know everything about your daily life

B．tell your parents more information before you are asked

C．keep your parents asking you more questions of your things

D．be responsible to help your parents make good decisions

小题3:What causes parents to take control of children?

A．They find their children wrong.

B．They do well in almost everything.

C．They think they can make better decisions.

D．They are used to making choices for children.

小题4:The main idea of the passage is how to ____.

A．make decisions on your own

B．learn from your parents

C．think carefully for yourself

D．communicate with parents

Activities are published in the local magazine:
■  English Corner in the Open Air ( The students from the English department of a Foreign Language Institute hold an English Corner in Chaoyang Square every Saturday evening. )
■  Spring Art ( More than 100 artists get together and see the work of painters, photographers. There are many famous pictures for sale, too. )
■  New Century Center ( It is a clothes shop in the center of the city. It is going to hold an end-of-season sale. The price of many dresses is cheap. )
■  Aoi Co. Ltd. ( It is a company which produces the body warmer. The body warmer is a new kind of machine that can make the body warm. )
■  Dance Together ( A dancing ball will be held in the People’s Square this weekend. )
■  Club Room ( It is a hotel offering services for which you can use a telephone to keep in touch with your family and children for free. )
小题1:How many activities are introduced in the magazine?

A．Four.

B．Six.

C．Seven.

D．Eight.

小题2:Who may go to the English corner on Saturday?

A．Jack.

B．Sandy.

C．Wu Dong.

D．Shirley.

小题3:Sandy may go to ________ to buy some dresses.

A．Club Room.	B．New Century Center.
C．Spring Art.	D．Aoi Co. Ltd.

Dear Mr. King,
Your supermarket chain is excellent in many ways. I enjoy the things you sell, such as the selection of produce (农产品) and fresh bakery items. I have been a long time supermarket shopper and hope to continue for many years. I have found, however, that I must make a separate shopping trip to one of your competitors because there are many items your store does not carry. This becomes inconvenient for me, as my time is valuable, and I do not like to make two trips. Your low prices and excellent customer service keep me coming back to your supermarket, but I would be a more satisfied customer if I could find all the items I need in one place.
To tell the truth, I have never been able to purchase nacho (烤干酪辣味玉米片) cheese soup at your store. I can find other flavors (味道) of soup, but your store does not carry nacho cheese soup, a common ingredient (原料) in many of my recipes. In addition, I can only find large wonton wrappers (馄饨皮), while many other stores carry both large and small and offer a more varied selection for their customers. Another example is Regent Brand Chili Seasoning. Though it is not a leading brand, it is still common on the shelves of other grocery stores in this area and is superior in flavor to its competitors.
I sincerely hope to continue a relationship with your store, and I hope that you will consider the possibility of expanding your goods to be more competitive.
Yours truly,
Bob Watson 
小题1:According to the passage, who often buy things in the supermarket?

A．Mr. King.	B．Bob Watson.
C．Regent Brand.	D．Mrs. Watson.

小题2:From the first paragraph, we know the supermarket chain ________.

A．meets all the writer’s needs	B．is the best in every way
C．offers good customer service	D．is far from the writer’s home

小题3:How does the writer present his point in Paragraph Two?

A．By giving examples.

B．By using some sharp words.

C．By providing scientific findings.

D．By comparing two different stores.