Try reading the following sentences as fast as you can. “She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells.”

Not very easy, was it? What you’ve just read is called a tongue twister (绕口令). It is an exercise made up of sounds that are hard to pronounce in order to help people pronounce words faster and more correctly. Try the next example.

“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers? If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?”

Tongue twisters usually do not have much meaning. They are just designed to improve people’s ability (能力) to pronounce words. Although they may be very difficult, these exercises are very important to people who are trying to speak English correctly. This is because tongue twisters help people to tell the differences between similar sounds.

So if you wish to pronounce words more smoothly, you’d better try picking out some tongue twisters and practising them.

1.Tongue twisters are helpful in improving ______ skills.

A. listening B. writing

C. pronunciation D. communication

2.The first tongue twister is hard because ______.

A. it is very boring to read

B. it teaches us a lot of knowledge

C. we don’t know who “she” is

D. the sounds of “s” and “sh” are similar

3.The passage is probably taken from ______ in a school newspaper.

A. Story Time B. Study Garden

C. Latest News D. Lost and Found

It can’t be truer that when in Rome do as the Romans do. So it’s important for you to know what you can talk with the local people in other countries.

In France

You’ll find that conversations often turn into heated discussions. You’d better give opinions only on subjects that you are knowledgeable about. There is seldom a moment of silence, except when the topic under discussion has been finished, and nothing new has been introduced.

Food, art, music and current events or history are welcome topics. The French believe in freedom, and you can criticize(批评) anyone, but not Napoleon, who is a symbol of French spirit and never use the conversation opener “What do you do?”.

In Australia

Australians are excited about discussions. Many topics may be open to discussion, such as religion and politics. The best way, however, is to wait for Australians to bring up these two subjects; be prepared to listen to what they are talking about.

Australians like to criticize themselves, but they can’t stand being criticized by others. Don’t talk big. Instead, Australians prefer to judge(判断) your abilities through your actions. People who show off their education in conversation may be laughed at.

In Switzerland

The Swiss may seem cold. Once you get close to them, however, you’ll find that they are honest, responsible people, who will respect your interests much.

They are good listeners and will remember almost everything you say to them. Sometimes they will even take notes while you speak. The Swiss are very private people, so you should avoid asking personal questions. They can be rather serious, so it is advisable to avoid making jokes on them.

1.According to the passage, it’s better NOT to criticize ___ ___.

A. the Romans B. the French

C. the Australians D. the Swiss

2.From the passage we know that __ ____.

A. the Swiss are not as cold as they seem to be

B. the French can’t stand the heated discussions

C. the Australians like to talk about their success

D. the French usually have a conversation about jobs

3.The writer wants to tell us ____ __.

A. what to introduce to foreigners

B. how to live in foreign countries

C. how to get along with foreigners

D. what to talk about in foreign countries

Have you ever thought about what kind of job you would like to have when you grow up? Many people think that we can have only one job in our lifetime. We all know that this is not true, but quite a few people actually think this way. For example, when people choose a major (专业) in college, they think that the decisions they make now will decide their jobs for the rest of their lives. However, there are many examples where people became successful after changing their careers (职业) later in life.

J. K. Rowling, writer of the famous novel Harry Potter, was actually a school teacher before she began writing books. In fact, she was out of work before the first Harry Potter book came out.

Former US President Ronald Reagan began as an actor when he was a young man. He later decided that he wanted to do political work. This kind of passion (激情) finally led him to become President of the United States.

The famous 19th century artist Vincent Van Gogh was not a painter from the beginning. He once worked as an art salesman and later became a preacher. It was only 10 years before he died that he decided to become an artist.

Careers are always open to change. The important thing is to find what you are really good at or what you really want to do. Once you find that passion, it’s all a matter of how hard you try.

1.______ was a teacher before he (she) became famous.

A. Vincent Van Gogh B. Ronald Reagan

C. J. K. Rowling D. Harry Potter

2. The underlined word “political” in Paragraph 3 means ______ in Chinese.

A. 政治的 B. 艺术的 C. 文学的 D. 经济的

3. According to the passage, the most important thing to think of when choosing a career is ______.

A. what major you choose in college

B. how much money you can make

C. changing jobs as often as possible

D. finding what you really want to do

4. How is the passage organized? (Par = Paragraph)

A. Par 1→Pars 2~4→Par 5

B. Pars 1~2→Par 3→Pars 4~5

C. Par 1→Pars 2~3→Pars 4~5

D. Pars 1~2→Pars 3~4→Par 5

When Mr. Brown entered the classroom that Friday morning, he stopped at the blackboard. For there, on the blackboard, were words in huge red letters: BROWN IS STUPID!

Mr. Brown thought for a moment. This could only have been the work of one of the four boys who had been kept in after school the day before.

Mr. Brown turned the blackboard around so that the words could not be seen. Half an hour later,Mr. Brown wrote four names on the board: Gerald, Alex, Michael and Laurie. Then he said, “I want these four to stay in the classroom. The rest of you may go to the playground.”

The four boys came to the blackboard. “One of you has written a most impolite remark on the blackboard,” he stared （盯着看）at them and thundered, “which one of you did it?”

The four boys gathered closer together, afraid of what was to come.

“Was it you, Gerald?”

Gerald shook his head. “No, it was not me, Sir,” he gave the teacher a most sincere look in his wide eyes.

“What do you have to say, Alex?”

“I don’t know anything about it, Sir,” said Alex, and his ears turned red.

Michael had a bright idea. “Perhaps someone broke in during the night,” he said. “And when he saw the lovely red chalk lying there, he wrote something on the blackboard.”

“Is that the best you can think so, Michael?” asked the teacher.

“I only thought ...”

“And what about you, Laurie?”

Laurie said in a rather low voice, “I didn’t do it, Sir. I don’t even know what it says on the blackboard.”

“You really don’t know what’s written there?” Mr. Brown asked. “And I don’t think dear Gerald knows either.”

“No, Sir. No idea.”

“Michael, Alex, can either of you tell me what it says on the blackboard?”

“No, Sir!” the two boys answered together. Brown walked forward and his fingers seized(揪住) a schoolboy. He said in his kindest and softest voice to the other three boys, “Very well. I only punish the one who has been telling lies, and you three may go to the playground!”

1. What did Mr. Brown write on the blackboard?

A. BROWN IS STUPID

B. WHICH ONE DID IT

C. The rules of the class

D. The names of the four boys

2. Which of the following can be put into “______” in Paragraph 3?

A. all the students arrived

B. all the children laughed

C. the four students ran away

D. the headmaster came in

3. The underlined word “thundered” in Paragraph 4 most probably means “______”.

A. asked softly B. said slowly

C. spoke happily D. shouted loudly

4.Who has been telling lies?

A. Gerald B. Alex C. Michael D. Laurie

5.The word that can best describe Mr. Brown is “______”.

A. honest B. smart

C. hard-working D. warm-hearted

It was very mysterious(神秘的) that on March 8th, the plane MH370 with 239 passengers had got lost connection with stations on the ground on the high altitude 10,668 meters above and there were no clues at all. Seven 1.(亚洲的) countries, including Malaysia, Vietnam and Philippines, have taken an 2. (积极的) part in the search of the wreckage(残骸) for signs of survivors since it happened. Later, America and Germany are also doing their best for the exploration of any news. But they also 3. (失败) to find the clues.

Then based on the 4.(知识) we learn from the Internet can you imagine where the airplane MH370 is 5.(确切地) gone? Is it a normal air crash? Or E.T. creatures from the outer space are the criminal(罪犯)? If so, why do they choose Mh370? Has it fallen to a no man’s land, a desert or the sea? Are all the passengers and staffs still alive or 6. (死)?

It 7. (像) like a fancy film or a horror film. But its hurt to the poor passengers and staffs and its 8. (影响) on their families and 9.(亲属) are so real. 10. (无论什么) the result will be or there is no result in this century, pray for the passengers and staffs lost. Best wishes.

Praying for them.

One day, Mr. Smith drove his car to meet his friends at the station. When he found there was still quite some time before the train arrived, he 1. to take a short sleep. He was about to fall 2.when a young lady came and asked him the time. Mr. Smith opened his eyes and answered “half past eight”. With a “Thank you”, the woman 3.. After a short while this happened 4., so Mr. Smith wrote “I don’t know the time!” on a piece of paper and put it on the window of his car. But only a few 5. later, an old man came and woke him up, “Hi, young man, I can tell you the time, its nine o’clock now.”

Parents, especially those of teenagers, care about their children's education more than anything 1..They usually do everything for their children. Many of them spend most of their free time helping their children 2. studies. If they have no time or cannot do it 3.(they), they would hire family teachers or send their children to after-class schools. It seems as if a better education is all that parents expect for their children.

How can we explain the present situation? First, many parents have 4.(realize) that future success 5.(depend) more and more on skills and education. 6., in such a competitive society there are both losers and 7.. Those who have better skills and more knowledge will have 8.(chance).

In my 9., it is important to learn to succeed, but the 10.(one) thing to learn is how to survive, how to be a qualified citizen. If these are included in a good education, the children will surely have a bright future and be healthy in body and mind.

In the United States of America, there are many types of restaurants.

1. ______.They are very famous, with KFC and McDonalds in many countries in the world.

You look at a menu above the counter and order the food. After paying, you take your food and sit down or take it away. There’s no need to leave a tip.

2.______.You need a reservation(预订)and you need to arrive on time. The waiter shows you where to sit. If you have wine, he sometimes asks you to taste it. When you get your bill, check it and add fifteen to twenty percent to it as a tip. You pay the waiter.

3.______. The atmosphere is not so formal in a family restaurant, but the waitress shows you where to sit. Often the waitress tells you her name. If you don‘t eat everything, the waitress gives you a doggy bag to take your food home. You add an extra fifteen percent to the bill as a tip.

4. ______.You sit at the counter or at the table. The waitress usually brings you coffee when you sit down. You tell her what you‘d like to eat and she brings it to you. You pay the cashier as you leave.

从A、B、C、D中选择正确的选项作为文章第2-5段的小标题,并填入第1-4四个空格中。

A. A family restaurant

B. Top-class restaurants

C. A coffee shop

D. Fast food restaurants

5. Which is the best title for the passage?

A. Types of restaurants in America

B. Types of houses in America

C. Types of hotels in America

D. Types of shops in America

我国不少城市正在推广公共自行车，提倡人们“绿色出行，低碳生活”。现在某英文网站就此话题征文，请你参考下面的短文内容（不得照搬），再根据短文后面的内容要点，用英语写一篇短文投稿，谈谈推广公共自行车的好处。

Nowadays, it is very important for us to live a low-carbon life．

The first thing we can do is riding bikes instead of driving cars．

Bikes are much cheaper than cars and everyone can afford it．

It’s easier to find the parking places for bikes．

The petrol is not necessary for bikes，so bikes won’t produce the dirty air to make pollution （污染）to our environment．

We can ride bikes to keep fit．

Let’s ride bikes instead of driving cars to protect the environment!

内容要点：

（1）首先，骑自行车出行方便，可以随时租还（rent and return）。

（2）其次，众所周知（as we know），在上学、上班时段交通特别繁忙（a heavy traffic）。

（3）如果有更多的人选择自行车，街道上就会有更少的汽车，也不会那么拥挤。

（4）最重要的是，骑自行车几乎不会带来污染，有助于保护环境。

要求：（1）短文必须包括所有内容要点，可适当发挥，以便行文连贯；

（2）80词左右，开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

After 20 years of marriage, my wife said, “I love you, John, but I know another woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.” The other woman she was referring to was my mother, who had lived alone for 19 years. However, the pressure of my _________and my three children had made it impossible to visit her often.

That night I _________ to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. “What’s wrong, are you well?” she asked. My mother usually thought that a late night call or a surprise invitation might be a sign of _________ news. “I thought that it would be _________to spend some time with you,” I replied. “Just the two of us.” She thought about it for a moment, and then said, “I would like that very much.”

That Friday after work, I drove over to _________ her up. She waited in the door with her coat on. “I told my friends that I was going out with my son,” she said, as she got into the _________,“and they can’t wait to hear about our meeting.”

After we sat down in a nice restaurant, I had to read the _________ . Her eyes could only read large print. I _________my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. “It was I who used to have to order dishes when you were _________ ,” she said. “Then it’s time that you _________ and let me return the favor,” I said. We talked so happily over the dinner that we _________ the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me _________you.” I agreed.

A few days later, my mother died of a heart attack so _________ that I didn’t have a chance to do anything for her. Some time later, I received a letter from the restaurant with a receipt inside and a note saying: “I paid this _________ in advance. I wasn’t sure that I could be there. I ordered two plates for you and your wife. You will never know what that night _________ for me. I love you, son.” With tears in my eyes, only then did I realize the importance of saying in time to our loved ones: “I LOVE YOU”.

1.A. work B. study C. business D. family

2.A. went B. drove C. called D. wrote

3.A. bad B. good C. surprising D. false

4.A. ordinary B. pleasant C. normal D. unusual

5.A. call B. bring C. pick D. take

6.A. house B. bus C. restaurant D. car

7.A. book B. menu C. magazine D. newspaper

8.A. dropped B. held C. opened D. lifted

9.A. small B. ill C. tired D. hungry

10.A. sit B. relax C. wait D. look

11.A. lost B. missed C. enjoyed D. hated

12.A. ask B. kiss C. invite D. visit

13.A. quickly B. early C. immediately D. suddenly

14.A. bill B. letter C. receipt D. attention

15.A. happened B. meant C. brought D. left