Grandma celebrated her fifty-third birthday just weeks before grandpa died of cancer in 1965. Although his passing was very difficult for her, I think their shared struggle to make his life longer taught grandma that good health was not to be taken for granted, and she made up her mind to live the rest of her own life as fully and as long as she could. One day, when she announced to attend lessons at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Portland, Oregon, where she lived, we rolled our eyes in embarrassment and helplessly wished she would just stay home and bake cookies as normal grandmothers did. Many years filled with countless dance lessons passed before we learned to appreciate the wonder of having a dancing grandma.

I suppose grandma’s primary motivation for wanting to learn to dance was social. She had been a shy girl, always very tall and heavy, and had married into grandpa’s quiet lifestyle before developing any elegance or confidence in her personal appearance. Dancing, on the other hand, filled her life with flash lights, wonderful parties, beautiful dresses, handsome young dance instructors, and the challenge of learning. Although the weekly dance lessons did not change her ample, two- hundred-pound figure, grandma surprised everyone with energetic performances on the dance floor, which soon gave her as much elegance and confidence as any Miss American competitor.

Having taken weekly dance lessons for years, my grandma learned various dances easily and was soon participating in dancing matches all over the Northwest. When I was fourteen, grandma proudly invited me to watch her compete in one of these matches to be held in the grand ballroom of the Red Lion Inn. My attitude was still unenthusiastic at that point, but to make her happy, my mother and I attended the match. As if to prove me wrong, grandma made a wonderful showing in every event she entered. I thought she was truly the queen of the ball during the dance, and my thoughts were shared by the judges a short time later when she was awarded a gold cup for her outstanding performance.

1.What did grandma learn from grandpa’s death?

A. Good health was not there for everyone.

B. She should take dance lessons.

C. She had to struggle to live a better life.

D. She should wear beautiful dresses.

2.Normal grandmas usually _______ in the author’s point of view.

A. took dance lessons

B. did some exercises at home

C. took care of grandchildren at home

D. did some housework at home

3.The author felt _______ when he was invited to watch grandma’s match.

A. happy B. proud C. excited D. uninterested

Roughly half of college students will have some degree of depression at some point during their time in school. Even more startling 6. 2 percent of college students surveyed in 2012 considered suicide and 1.3 percent attempted it, according to an American College Health Association study released this spring. If you’re feeling depressed on campus, you may find the following tips helpful.

Exercise: Physical activity releases endorphins—chemicals that produce an overall positive feeling within the body, which fight depression naturally. Mental health experts claim that exercise is a solution to those feeling mild or moderate depression. However, for those severely depressed, simply doing sports is not enough.

Use school counseling services: Campuses don’t employ mental health experts simply to throw thousands of dollars down the drain. Their job is to help students, so experts recommend you use them. Most students, however, are hesitant to take a trip to their college’s counseling center, fearing being laughed at by peers. As a result, some schools like Texas Christian University, are testing students for mental health problems when they get sick and visit the campus health clinic.

Take advantage of technology: Staying in touch with family members and friends from childhood and high school has become easier than ever with the coming of Facebook and video chat services like Skype. While mental health experts insist that it’s important to make friends in your new environment and be involved in the college community, it’s also significant to keep in touch with the people you knew before college.

Go to sleep: Following a fairly regular sleep pattern can defend you against depression. In college, many students’ sleep patterns are irregular thanks to late-night studying and partying, which is harmful to their mental health. Research strongly suggests that sleep is the key to learning and memory formation.

1.According to the passage, physical activity ______.

A. is regarded as the best way to fight depression

B. contributes to the release of endorphins

C. can’t help the seriously depressed students

D. improve people’s ability to learn and memorize

2.It can be inferred from the 3rd paragraph that ______.

A. employing mental health experts on campus is a waste of money

B. students with mental health problems can’t get on well with others

C. going to college’s counseling center for help requires a lot of courage

D. sick students in Texas Christian University must take psychological tests

3.Taking advantage of technology is encouraged because it _______.

A. enables students to get involved in college life

B. helps students stay in contact with others

C. offers students a way to make new friends

D. provides a way to avoid getting bored

4.Which of the following can NOT help one reduce depression?

A. Taking exercise regularly every week.

B. Chatting with old friends with Skype.

C. Turning to mental health experts for advice.

D. Holding parties deep into the night to relax.

Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and self - conscious; that is, they are concerned with their own appearance and actions too much. Negative thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: What kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?

It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people unfavorably. A person’s self- concept is reflected in the way he or she behaves and the way a person behaves affects other people’s reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a deep effect on all areas of their lives.

Shy people, who have low respect, are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need faith that they are doing “the right thing”. Shy people are very sensitive to criticism. It makes them feel inferior (自卑).They also find it difficult to be pleased by praises because they believe they are unworthy of praise. A shy person may respond to a praise with a statement like this one: “You’re just saying that to make me feel good, I know it’s not true. ” It is clear that, while self- awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful.

Can shyness be completely got rid of, or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determination since shyness goes hand in hand with lack of self respect. It is important for people to accept their weakness as well as their strengths. Each one of us has his or her own characteristics. We are interested in our own personal ways. The better we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to live up to our chances for a rich and successful life.

1.The first paragraph is mainly about ______.

A. the cause of shyness

B. the effect of shyness on people

C. the feelings of shy people

D. the questions in the minds of shy people

2.According to the writer, self-awareness is ______.

A. harmful to people

B. a weak point of shy people

C. the cause of unhappiness

D. a healthy quality

3.What is the shy people’s reaction to praise?

A. They are pleased by it.

B. They feel it is not true.

C. They are very sensitive to it.

D. They feel they are worthy of it.

4.We can learn from the passage that shyness can ______.

A. be overcome with determination

B. help us to live up to our full development

C. enable us to understand ourselves better

D. have nothing to do with lack of self respect

Do you like listening to English songs to learn the language ? Some students don’t believe doing so can help them learn English. I have to say they think wrongly. Listening to English songs can help you learn the language better. You may ask how. Just read on.

Lyrics are not easily forgotten. You listen to them over and over again throughout your life. Once you learn them, they are going to stay with you, and you are going to review them repeatedly because you enjoy them. If you learn just one song per week for a year, those are 52 songs full of new vocabulary and phrases that you will never forget.

Songs give you perfect pronunciation models. As you learn to sing them, you are practicing your pronunciation, you are imitating native speakers, and you are learning how to speak better. The rhythm naturally leads to better pronunciation, better intonation（声调）, and more fluency.

When you start paying attention to the lyrics, your listening skills naturally improve. Once you learn a few songs, you’ll start gathering a lot of songs and vocabulary. A larger vocabulary usually means better listening comprehension. Just the fact that you start caring about the lyrics will activate your listening skills and listening to music in English will become an enjoyable learning exercise.

Another huge merit is that you get to practice your grammar. Some of the most intelligent grammar questions my students bring to me come from songs. You can probably even map the entire language into pop songs and greatly improve your grammar by learning the lyrics to your favorite songs.

Now we can conclude that listening to English songs can really help you learn the language well. So listen to more English songs in your free time. You can put the lyrics on your ipod or iphone and read them as you listen. Believe me, and you’ll benefit a lot.

1.Paragraph 2 mainly shows that by listening to English songs, you can _____.

A. improve your memory

B. have a larger vocabulary

C. gather a lot of English songs

D. go over words you have learned

2.The underlined word “merit” in Paragraph 5 means “_____”.

A. advantage B. consideration C. cause D. surprise

3.What is the text mainly about ?

A. What people can do to improve their English.

B. Why English learners like listening to English songs.

C. What songs people can listen to so as to improve English.

D. Why listening to English songs helps improve our English.

4.Which of the following best describes the relation among the paragraphs ?

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。

Summer is the season of family travel. 1. Here are our top 5 things to teach your children before entering big crowds:

How Far They Can Go — 2. For young children, you should establish a rule of always holding a parent’s hand. For older kids, you may be comfortable with a “I can always see you and you can always see me” rule.

To Call Your Real Name — Teach your children that you will find them, so it’s best if they stay in one place. Furthermore, teach them to call out your full name instead of “Mommy” or “Daddy” to help you more easily locate them.

How to Identify a “Safe Person” — Make sure your children know the best people to approach if they get separated from you. Employees working at the spot you’re visiting are generally always good, “safe people”. But what about places that may not have employees, like the beach? 3. Experts say that moms are often the most willing and best-equipped people to help kids.

What to Say — 4. Remember that if your children do get separated from you, they will likely be panicked, so don’t assume that they will know how to tell strangers that they are lost. Role-play getting lost and using simple sentences like, “I am lost” with your kids to help them know what to do if it actually happens.

Their Personal Information — Make sure your children know as much basic personal information as possible, including their full names, parents’ full names and telephone numbers and the address. 5.

A. Teach your children to look for a mom with kids.

B. Sometimes it’s not hard to find a safe person in such places.

C. But do your kids know what to do if they get separated from you ?

D. If your kids are too young to remember them, write them down !

E. It can be hard for people to help a lost child.

F. Tell your children to behave normally when they get lost.

G. It’s important to talk with your children about how close you expect them to stay to you.

完形填空

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

A big storm took us by surprise. We didn’t _________ to be hit hard so we didn’t leave our home. When we realized our yard was _________ and more water was coming, it was too late to move.

We had to climb on top of the _________ to get away from the water after it started entering the house. The _________went off, it was extremely dark and we were _________ . We had to tie ourselves to each other, because the _________was very strong. I had my laptop with me and kept posting cries for _________. We stayed on the roof for eight hours _________ we were rescued.

It was a _________ night. Some people in our neighborhood lost their lives. Many houses were completely_________ . Our neighbor’s roof was blown away. _________ , although our house was also hit, it remained pretty much intact（完整的）.

At present, we keep going back, taking many photos — a(n) _________ by the insurance company. We expect them to come at some point, make an assessment of the damage, and then hopefully, _________ our losses. It’s the beginning of a long process. And I’m particularly _________ that my university projects were lost. That means more work for me and I am due to graduate in December.

We are now _________at a friend’s house in Brooklyn. We won’t be able to return to our house in months. There’s no information about the support for the_________ of this storm. All we hear is to go to the evacuation（疏散）shelter.

But now I’m _________ because my family and I are alive. And it’s important to _________ that there are still people _________ food, shelter, or gas in the cold weather. It’s a truly horrible time for the city now but I believe everything will _________ .

1.A. decide B. expect C. wait D. prepare

2.A. closed B. measured C. flooded D. cleaned

3.A. trees B. roof C. tower D. tables

4.A. fire B. house C. power D. radio

5.A. excited B. puzzled C. frightened D. embarrassed

6.A. light B. building C. rope D. wind

7.A. help B. forgiveness C. safety D. goodness

8.A. before B. unless C. since D. because

9.A. clear B. fantastic C. surprising D. terrible

10.A. burnt B. destroyed C. stolen D. sold

11.A. Conveniently B. Exactly C. Luckily D. Rarely

12.A. instruction B. requirement C. application D. command

13.A. realize B. choose C. find D. cover

14.A. guilty B. shocked C. bored D. upset

15.A. staying B. pointing C. calling D. working

16.A. results B. victims C. records D. experiences

17.A. hopeful B. proud C. grateful D. brave

18.A. forget B. explain C. warn D. remember

19.A. for B. without C. against D. plus

20.A. disappear B. count C. happen D. change

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

In the jewelry market, the diamond takes a big part.

Chinese women, 1. (particular) the married ones, helped drive global diamond jewelry sales up 2. 3 percent to a record high of $79 billion in the past year. Demand from China grew 14 percent, the 3. (fast) rate globally.

The demand mainly came from married women, who accounted for two 4. (three) of purchases and sales value. Engaged（订婚的）women accounted for around 20 percent of purchases and 5. (contribute) to just under a quarter of sales value in China, while single women accounted for 14 percent of purchases and made up 11 percent of sales value.

6. is wedding-purchase for many women in China that is driving the demand. Many single women are 7. (buy) diamonds for themselves in China too. 8. China remains the largest contributor to demand in the global diamond jewelry market, its increase rate started to slow. China has been the biggest 9. (grow) engine for the diamonds business for the past five to 10 years. The rate is slowing down now, but it’s still a big increase. This year the demand of China 10. (be) just under 10 percent.

短文改错

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意： 1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

I was not good in math in the first year of junior high school. Having been failed so many times in math exams, I was anxious about the subject. Every time I tried hardly to work out a math problem, I was afraid of making mistakes, that really made me feel helpless. Unluckily, I met a math teacher in the second year. She told me that I didn’t need to worry about making mistakes, because I could find out my shortcomings through my mistake. She always encouraged me to try again whenever I make a mistake. Thanks to my teacher’s encouragement, I became interesting in math and made rapid progresses. My experience proves that failure is the mother of success and we can learn a lot from our mistakes.

书面表达

昨天，你们对800名中学生的未来理想职业进行了一次调查，请根据以下表格，写一篇英语短文：

注意：

1. 词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Here are two places that you may want to pay a visit to.

Sark, Channel Islands

This is one of the few places in the world where tradition still stands and the traditional ways are fully respected. The roads here remain not cemented（铺水泥）, and are not even paved, and they are completely dark at night as there are no street lights. The residents of Sark are not allowed to drive cars, and if they do, they have to keep them outside Sark. The transportation you can use in Sark includes your legs, bicycles or a horse-drawn carriage. There are no motor vehicles here.

There are many activities you can enjoy here during the day, but when the night comes, the only thing you can do outside is look at the sky, which is really great. Because of the lack of artificial lights, the stars are very clearly visible.

Hyderabad, India

This southeastern city of India was the city where one of the wealthiest people in the world lived, Mir Osman Ali Khan. Now this city is the place where many global IT brands hold their head offices. But it hasn’t lost its historic looks, as it remains surrounded by ancient boulders（大圆石）, and the modern houses recently built are surrounded by traditional gardens and lakes. From the great hotel Taj Falaknuma Palace you can see the Old City where the old Indian tradition is well preserved.

The best time to travel to Hyderabad depends on whether you are going for the city itself, or you wish to go to some of the festivals that take place here. The Hyderabad Literary Festival takes place from the 23rd to the 26th of January, while a festival celebrating various cultures, the Deccan Festival, happens from February 25 to March I.

1.Sark on Channel Islands would most probably attract those who _____.

A. want to go hiking in a mountain

B. are interested in exciting nightlife

C. want to enjoy a very quiet holiday

D. want to visit a city with a long history

2.If you go to Sark on Channel Islands, you can _____.

A. try driving on unpaved roads

B. go everywhere on a motorbike

C. use a horse-drawn carriage for free

D. enjoy the beautiful starry sky at night

3.Why hasn’t Hyderabad lost its historic looks ?

A. Because many old buildings remain there.

B. Because an ancient place still remains there.

C. Because many buildings that are like old ones are built there.

D. Because traditional boulders, gardens and lakes remain there.