Giving a gift can mean a lot. It can be a way to deepen (加深) a friendship. Before you get a gift for someone, spend time really thinking about what makes him or her special. Think about their interests, hobbies, needs and happiest moments. For example, friends and families with children might love a special calendar that contains everyone’s birthday and other special dates and events.
For music fans, a CD filled (填充) with their favourite music always makes a special gift.
Spending time with loved ones is also a way to give them a gift. You might take that special person out for a birthday dinner at your favourite restaurant.
Making a gift for someone using your own skills is very special. It is much more meaningful than a store-bought gift and shows how much you care!
Writing your feelings in a greeting card can be a simple way to make a keepsake (纪念品) that will be remembered for years. 
小题1:The writer thinks that we should think about someone’s ____ before we get him or her a gift.
①interests ②hobbies ③needs ④height

A．①②④

B．①②③

C．②③④

D．①③④

小题2:According to the passage, _____ gifts are the best.

A．special

B．popular

C．expensive

D．store-bought

小题3:For music fans, _____ is a special gift.

A．a calendar

B．nice food

C．a music CD

D．a greeting card

小题4:Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

A．Never go to a shop to buy a gift.

B．We make a gift by ourselves to show our skills.

C．A greeting card is too simple and cheap to be a gift.

D．Having dinner with a loved one can be a special kind of gift.

小题5:What is the best title for this passage?

A．How to Give Special Gifts	B．How to Remember Friends’ Birthdays
C．How to make Yourself Special	D．How to Be a Good Gift Receiver

Jean is a bright young woman who comes from a rich and famous family. She goes to a good university and has everything that money can buy, well, almost everything. The problem is that the people in Jean’s family are so busy that they can hardly find time to be with her. In fact, Jean is quite lonely.
So Jean spends a lot of time on her QQ. She likes being anonymous(匿名), talking to people who do not know about her famous family and her rich life. She uses the name Linda on QQ and has made a lot of friends who she keeps in touch with quite often.
Last year Jean made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Jean had a common(共同的)interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot their time. Of course, they wanted to know more about each other. David sent a picture of himself. He was a tall, good-looking young man with a big happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other.
When Jean’s father told her that he was going on a business trip to San Francisco, she asked him to let her go with him so that she could give David a surprise for his birthday. She would take him the latest DVD of their own rock singer. But when she knocked on David’s door in San Francisco, she found that her special friend was a twelve-year-old boy named Jim.
小题1:Jean spends a lot of time on QQ because she is ____________.

A．rich

B．famous

C．young

D．lonely

小题2:Jean thought “David” was special because he __________.

A．made her quite happy on QQ

B．was from San Francisco

C．sent her a picture of himself

D．was tall and good-looking

小题3:When Jean and “David” met and introduces themselves to each other, who felt surprised?

A．“David”

B．Both “David” and Jean

C．Jean

D．Neither “David ”nor Jean

小题4:What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Don’t believe those you get to know on QQ so easily.

B．People don’t use their real names on QQ so often.

C．Don’t go to meet those you get to know on QQ.

D．People should tell their real names to others on QQ.

A man came home from work late, tired, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door.
“Daddy, how much money do you make each hour?”
“If you must know, I make＄20 each hour.”
“Oh,” the little boy answered, with his head down. He thought for a moment, looked up and said, “Daddy, could you lend me ＄10?”
The father was furious, “If you asked for the money to buy a toy or some other rubbish, the go straight to your room and think about why are you so selfish (自私)！”
The little boy went to his room no words and shut the door. After a short while, the father calmed (平静) down, and started to think, “Maybe he really needs to buy something and he didn’t really ask for money very often.” So he went to the little boy’s room.
“Sorry！Maybe I was too hard on your just now.” said the man, “Here’s ＄10.”
“Oh, thank you Daddy！” he said happily. Then the boy took out some coins. When the father found that the boy already had money, he got angry again.
“Why do you want more money since you already have some?” the father shouted angrily.
“Because I didn't have enough, but now I do.” The little boy replied, “Daddy, I have ＄20 now. Can I buy one hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you. ”
小题1:How much does the boy’s father make one hour?

A．＄10

B．＄20

C．＄30

D．＄40

小题2:In this passage, the underlined word “furious” means     .

A．very angry

B．quite happy

C．too excited

D．a little nerous

小题3:At first, the father refused to lend the money because     .

A．he thought the boy wanted to keep the money for himself.

B．he did not have enough money at that moment

C．the thought the boy would buy something of no use

D．the boy always borrowed the money from him

小题4:The boy wanted to buy      with twenty dollars.

A．a new novel for himself	B．a nice present for his father
C．a toy for his own birthday	D．one hour of his father’s time

小题5:From the passage, we can infer that the boy’s father     .

A．often played with his son	B．spent little time with his son
C．didn’t love his son at all	D．often came home early

I felt very sad not to be able to get the ticket for the film Titantic last Friday. I learned in the newspaper that ticket could be bought at the cinema box office (售票处) in Richland Hill every day between 10:00 and 4:00. Because I work from 9:00 to 5:30, the only time I could go to the cinema was during my 45-minute lunch time. It is a pity that the cinema is on the other side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland Hills is not very good. But if you are lucky, you can make the round(往返) trip in 45 minute.
Last Monday I stood at the bus stop for fifteen minutes, waiting for a bus. By the time I saw one come around the corner, there was not enough time left to make the trip---- so I had to go back to the office. The same thing happened on Wednesday. On Thursday my luck changed, I got on a bus right away and arrived at the cinema in twenty minutes. But when I got there, I found a long line of people at the box office. I heard one man say he had been waiting in line for fifty-five minutes. I found that I would not have enough time to wait in line, I caught the next bus and went back across the town.
By Friday I understood my only hope was to make the trip by car.it was not cheap,but I felt it would be worth ot to see the film. The trip by car only took 10 minutes, but it felt like one hour to me. When I reached the cinema, I was delighted to see that nobody was waiting in line. But quickly found out that it was because they had already sold all the tickets.
小题1: It seems that the writer of the story works     .

A．in a small town	B．in Richland Hills
C．on a farm near the town	D．at a bus service Center

小题2: He tried to go to the cinema bo buy a ticket but really got there     .

A．five times

B．four times

C．three times

D．twice

小题3:The underlined word “delighted” means     .

A．sure

B．sorry

C．surprised

D．pleased

小题4: Which of the following is true according to the story?

A．The writer was too busy to have time for a rest during the day.

B．The buses running between his office and Richland Hills were always on time on Thursday.

C．He could buy the tickets neither before nor after work hours.

D．It always took him about twenty minutes to get to the cinema by bus.

小题5:What’s the title of the story?

A．How to Get a Ticket	B．Tickets Sold out
C．A Wonderful Film	D．The Way to the Cinema

Shopping is not as simple as you may think! Much has to be done for the producers before putting the products on the shelf.
Color, for example, changes a lot according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packed in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colors.
When some kind of medicine was brought out recently, researchers found that the color of the package(包装) caused the shoppers to lose interest because they made the product look ineffective(无效的). At last, it came on the market in dark blue and white—blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm.
The size of a package can also attract(吸引) a shopper, although quite often a bottle doesn’t hold as much as it appears to.
It is said that the better-known companies spend about 40 percent of the cost of the product itself on packaging!
The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product. The head of Pears Soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to sell their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a talent to sell it.”
小题1: Health foods are usually packed in colors Except ________.

A．green

B．black

C．yellow

D．brown

小题2:Why did the shoppers lose interest in the medicine?

A．Because of the size of the product.	B．Because of the color of the product.
C．Because of the color of the package.	D．Because of the cost of the product.

小题3:If a new product costs $ 60, how much money may be spent on packaging?

A．$ 24

B．$ 36

C．$ 40

D．$ 60

小题4:Which of the following is the key to the success in product sales?

A．The way to sell goods.	B．A good product.
C．The one who makes a product.	D．A nice color.

小题5:The passage is mainly about ___________on shopping.

A．advantages of products	B．the importance of packaging
C．choices of products	D．the cost of packaging

When I __1___ a young girl, all I ever wanted to do was travel; and decided that the best way _____2__ this was to become a ___3____ . I’ve been a flight attendant for two years now. It’s a really ___4___ job because I travel all over the world. I ___5____ that the most important requirement was to speak English well, so I studied English at the Hilltop Language School __6___ five years before I become a flight attendant. It was because I could speak English that Igot the job. Thank you, Hilltop Language School!
I want to be a tour guide. In fact, it’s all I have ever wanted to be. I want to travel, __7____ to English- speaking countries____8____ the United States and Australia. However, I know that I have to improve my English, so I’ve started taking lessons at the Hilltop Language School. The Hilltop language School has really helped me __9____ English. I’ve been a student here for a year now, and I really love it. Maybe when I leave I’ll ___10____ becoming an English teacher rather than a tour guide.
小题1:  A. am          B. was         C. is
小题2:  A. to do        B. doing        C. did
小题3:  A. teacher       B. shop assistant  C. flight attendant
小题4:  A. interested     B. interesting    C. interest
小题5:  A. discovered    B. found out     C. found
小题6:  A. for          B. in           C. since
小题7:   A. special       B. specially     C especially
小题8:   A. for example   B. like         C. such as
小题9:  A. learning      B. learn        C. teaching
小题10: A. think over    B. think about   C. thank for

You may have heard of the famous saying, "East or West, home is the best. "
What does the word "home" mean to you? How do you say the word in French? In Chinese? In your language? Although people usually know what the word means, it sometimes has no exact translation. It’s not surprising, because the idea of home is "different from country to country, and from person to person. A home is more than a roof and four walls. It’s the cooking, eating, talking, playing and sleeping that go on inside. And at home you usually feel safe and relaxed.
Homes look different in different countries. They also have different things inside. For example, in cold northern Europe, there’s a fire in the living room or kitchen and all the chairs face it. In the south, where the sun shines a lot and it’s more important to keep the heat out, there are small windows and cool stone floors.
We asked some people about their homes.
How often do people move house in your country?
"In my country many people don’t stay in one place for a very long time. They often move every ten years or so. "
--Chery, Boston, USA.                                                                                                         
 What a e features (特征) of homes in your country ?
"In Britain, even in town, there’s always a garden. We have separate bedrooms and living rooms. But we don’t often have balconies(阳台). The weather isn’t warm enough !"                                                                                      
--Pat, Exeter, England
小题1:The word "home" sometimes has no exact translation because________.

A．people can’t find this word in the dictionary

B．no one knows what it is

C．it has different meanings in different countries

D．people can’t understand each other very well

小题2:According to the passage, at home, you can do everything except______.

A．making friends	B．cooking and eating
C．playing and talking	D．sleeping and relaxing

小题3:Why is it important to keep the heat out of the houses in southern Europe?

A．Because they want to breathe fresh air outside.

B．Because there’s a fire in the living room.

C．Because they wear heavy clothes all day long.

D．Because the sun there shines a lot.

小题4: From the second paragraph, what kind of homes people have depends on _____.

A．whether they are rich or not

B．the climate(气候) they have

C．how old they are

D．whether they live in the city or countryside

小题5:Which one of the sentences below is true?                                                                                                 

A．People in Britain seldom have balconies because it’s so hot outside.

B．Some Americans move house several times during their lifetime.

C．Homes look the same in different countries.

D．Houses in northern Europe have big windows and cool stone floors.

Dear Sigmund Friend
I am a Grade 9 student. I have   21  problem, and I do not know how to deal   22  it.
I have a lot of homework every day, and I have no choice   23   to do it. I often stay up late to complete  24  , and then feel tired the next day.
Sometimes, I want to   25  to do so much work, but usually I just accept it. I understand that it is important to do my homework and   26   on time. However, I hardly have any spare time for my hobbies   27  playing volleyball and ping-pong. I really feel bad about that. I often doubt whether it is worth   28   so hard.
I am   29  a holiday without homework so that I can relax and have some time for my hobbies. What should I do? Can you offer me some suggestions? They will be of great value to me. I hope to    30   you soon.
Best wishes
Millie

小题1:	A．an B．a C．the D．(不填)

小题2:	A．with B．for C．to D．on

小题3:	A．and B．so C．but D．then

小题4:	A．the housework B．the exercise C．exercises D．the exercises

小题5:	A．accept B．refuse C．take D．agree

小题6:	A．hand it on B．hand it in C．hand in D．put it in

小题7:	A．as B．such so C．such as D．as much as

小题8:	A．reading B．playing C．walking D．working

小题9:	A．looking for B．looking forward to C．looking after D．looking up

小题10:

A．hear of B．hear about C．hear from D．hear

Dear Sigmund Friend
My name is Simon and I am a Grade 9 student. I am crazy   31   football! I love   32   football, reading about football, and of course, playing football. My dream   33  a great football player. However, my love of football has become a big problem, and I would like your   34  .
I have   35  friends, and we always play football together at school or in the park after school. We like staying out late to play football. We often play for three hours or more and forget when to stop. Then I   36   trouble at home because my parents do not allow me to play outside after 6 p.m. I really do not understand why they are so strict. I feel stressed and angry     37  . I believe it is important for us to spend some time on our hobbies. They can help us relax and make our lives    38  .I wish I could have my parents’  39  .
Is it bad to stay out late to play football? Should I spend less time on it? I really do not know   40  . Can you please advise me how to achieve a balance between my schoolwork and my hobbies? Thanks a lot.
Best wishes
Simon

小题1:	A．for B．with C．of D．about

小题2:	A．watching B．seeing C．looking at D．looking

小题3:	A．am to be B．is to be C．is to being D．are to be

小题4:	A．book B．work C．advice D．school

小题5:	A．much B．not any C．few D．plenty of

小题6:	A．get in B．get into C．get on D．get off

小题7:	A．from time to time B．from times to times C．between time and time D．between times and times

小题8:	A．much interesting B．more interested C．more interesting D．the most interesting

小题9:	A．support B．supported C．supporting D．supports

小题10:A. why to do       D. when to do        C. what to do         D. where to do