I used to work in an office, which had a Locust tree growing outside the window．It had grown into a tall tree and must have been there for a long time．_1._. Unfortunately, this happened to be the room assigned to me, and I was depressed by it for quite some time．

When the first spring came, everything was green except the locust tree．_2.__. One morning, when I opened the window for some fresh air, I unexpectedly smelt a familiar sweet scent(香味) floating into my office which I could not name．_3.__. The tree that I thought dead was in full bloom!

From then on, I usually came to the office very early to see dew(露水) forming on the locust tree blossoms, and was eager to see spring again every year．

During summer, the green leaves provided shade protecting me from the strong sunlight, but allowed enough light in to make it pleasant．_4._. Their beauty touched my soul. Many times, I wanted to take photos but never did．Then, I had to leave in a hurry．Later in life, it became a great regret that I had not done so．

Actually, many times in our lives we think we own something and thus do not value it. __5._. Moreover, sometimes, we have to accept the things we don't want and need to discover the hidden beauty to find unexpected joy!

A. Do value what you own!

B. Suddenly, I realized it was the locust tree!

C. We don't feel regretful until we lose it one day!

D. In autumn, the leaves turned many different colors．

E. I felt very happy because I thought it had died!

F. The tree blocked the view and made the office seem dull.

G. The tree provides much shade and cools the room in summer.

阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。

I was at the post office early that morning, hoping to be in and out in a short while. Yet, I __ myself standing in a queue that went all the way into the hallway. I had never seen so many people there on a weekday. It seemed someone might have made an announcement, welcoming customers to carry as many as they could and bring them in when I needed to have my own package __. The queue moved very slowly. My patience ran out and I got __ .The longer it took, the angrier I became. When I got to the counter finally, I finished my __ quickly and briefly, and then walked past the queue that was now extending past the front door.

“Excuse me,” I said, trying not to be too pushy. Several people had to move __ to make room for me to get to the .

I stepped out, complaining about the conditions. Thinking I was going to be late for my dentist appointment, I headed into the parking lot．

A woman was coming across the lot in my . She was walking with determination, and each step sounded very heavy. I that she looked as if she could breathe fire. It stopped me in my tracks. I myself and it wasn't pretty．Had I looked like that? Her body language said that she was having a day. My anger melted away．I wished I could wrap her in a hug but I was a . So I did what I could in a minute she hurried past me---I smiled. In a second everything changed. She was astonished, then somewhat . Then her face softened and her shoulders . I saw her take a deep breath．Her pace slowed and she smiled back at me as we passed each other．

I continued to smile all the way to my . Wow, it's amazing what a simple smile can do.

From then on, I became aware of people’s and my own, the way we show our feelings. Now I use that every day to let it me that when facing the world, I can try a smile.

1.A．found B．helped C．troubled D．enjoyed

2.A．things B．packages C．chances D．dollars

3.A．lifted B．cashed C．weighed D．carried

4.A．pleased B．disappointed C．delighted D．annoyed

5.A．business B．choice C．situation D．attitude

6.A．away B．about C．along D．aside

7.A．counter B．cashier C．exit D．entrance

8.A．weather B．service C．work D．shopping

9.A．satisfaction B．decision C．direction D．imagination

10.A．announced B．discovered C．proved D．noticed

11.A．trusted B．recognized C．hid D．persuaded

12.A．rough B．bright C．big D．nice

13.A．gentleman B．stranger C．customer D．passenger

14.A．until B．though C．before D．since

15.A．attracted B．frightened C．cheered D．confused

16.A．trembled B．raised C．relaxed D．tightened

17.A．car B．office C．home D．doctor

18.A．appearances B．reactions C．judgments D．expressions

19.A．treatment B．awareness C．conclusion D．achievement

20.A．remind B．show C．give D．tell

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。

The dark chocolate is one of the favorite food choices by many people because it has a lot of benefits. When it comes to your health, here are the effects of dark chocolates 1. health.

First of all, it contains different kinds of antioxidants(抗氧化剂) which 【小题2 (be) good for heart. Besides, the dark chocolate can also lower blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol (胆固醇), lowering the risks of stroke and taking away the risk of blood vessels which may 【小题3 (hard) for too much cholesterol in them.

Lastly, do you know the feeling of being overjoyed after 【小题4 (jog)? This feeling is like extreme happiness. The dark chocolate will give you the feeling of 【小题5 (please) and happiness. If you are feeling that the world has turned against you, then a dark chocolate can be 2. mood lifter.

It can benefit you especially if 【小题7 (take) with the right amount. 3. (approximate), 100 grams of chocolate 4. less a day is enough according to studies. If you have taken too much, try to lessen your other meals for the day. It is all about nutrition and taking the right amount of food in order to get the health benefit that it can provide 5. you.

基础知识测试

注意：1-5题为单词拼写（每空一词）

1.Advertising is often the most effective method of____________(促销).

2.Premier Zhou is a w_____(高尚的) man，one we all admire a lot.

3. His visit is intended to ___________(增强) ties between the two countries.

4.All the ________（接线员）are engaged in answering the phones from the whole country on Christmas.

5.Ambulance drivers are _____________(紧急，急迫) needed.

完成句子 (不限词数)。

1.There was a heavy curtain _____________ the light (遮住，挡住).

2.无论广告多么好，如果产品不合适，人们也不可能被说服去买的。

_______________ an advertisement is, people are unlikely to be persuaded if the product is unsuitable.

3. 长时间接触广告能改变人们的看法。

On the other hand, ________________advertisements can help to change our opinions over time. (用expose表达)

4.看你浑身湿透了。你一定赶上大雨了吧！

You are wet all over. You ________________ (be) caught in the rain.

5. 我们决不能向他们的不合理要求让步.

We must not________________ their unreasonable demands.

短文中共有10处语言错误，每行中最多两处错误。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在此处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出增加的词;

删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉;

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在其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（从十一处起）不计分。

Dear editor,

I am Evan from Canada. Being the oldest child in the family has its disadvantages. First of all, I have to share all my toys with my young sisters. Of course, they don't need to return to the favor because I'm total uninterested in their things. Besides, they are always hanging around me. I just can't get moment's peace. At meals, I have to eat whichever is on the plate regardless of the taste. My sisters only try one bite if it's not our favorite food. In addition, when it comes to practice our musical instruments, I have to practice more than double the time. Worst of all, I got a larger quantity of housework. Comparing to them, I'm feeling rather annoyed. Can you please give me some advices?

Yours truly,

Evan Smith

假定你是李华，目前正处于高三阶段。与你同为高三的好友李杰写信向你征求如何为高考做准备。你给他写一封回信谈谈高考备考的注意事项并陈述你的理由：

注意： 1. 词数100左右 ， 开头已为你写好（不计入总词数）；

2. 可适当增加细节， 以使行文连贯。

3. 参考词汇： 明确的 (definite) 评价(estimation)

Dear Li Jie ,

I have received your letter. No doubt every Senior 3 student wishes to be successful in the National College Entrance Examination. _____________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

Mark Twain was a great writer. He was from the USA. He was born in 1835. He was also a famous speaker. He was famous for his sense of humour. Many people liked to listen to him, because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.

One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes (蚊子) in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”

After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.

Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.

But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.

1.That day Mark Twain went to the town ________.

A. to see one of his friends

B. because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there

C. because he wanted to do something there for his writing

D. to see one of his relatives

2.The waiters felt sorry because ________.

A. they did something wrong to Mark Twain

B. their hotel was too small

C. the room was not very clean

D. there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room

3.All the people present laughed heartily because ________.

A. the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room

B. the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number

C. Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents

D. Mark Twain made a joke

4.From the story we know ________.

A. there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer

B. no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain that night

C. Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night

D. the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night

Bottled water is a drain on the environment: The US public goes through about 50 billion water bottles a year, and most of those plastic containers are not recycled, according to Elizabeth Royte’s book Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It.

Transporting the bottles and keeping them cold also burns fuels, which give off greenhouse gases. And groundwater pumping by bottled water companies draws heavily on underground aquifers(含水层) and harms watersheds(分水岭), according to the Sierra Club. And some studies suggest it takes up to three liters of water to produce one liter of bottled water.

Yet more than $100 billion is spent every year on bottled water globally. In many cities in developing countries where there is not a safe source of tap water, bottled water becomes a trusted choice.

In the US, tap water is controlled by the government and often examined for dangerous polluted substances. Each American drinks 79 liters of bottled water per year on average, according to the Columbia Water Center at Columbia University’s Earth Institute in New York. The bottled water industry is so successful that it has outpaced(超过) milk, coffee, and juice in the number of gallons of drinks sold — putting it behind only beer and soda.

Though the sale and consumption (消费) of bottled water is still on the rise, certain policymakers have taken steps to reduce it and encourage people to drink tap water. In September 2009, the Australian town of Bundanoon became the first town in the world to completely ban bottled water from its stores’ shelves, building water fountains（喷泉） around the town instead.

Among US cities that have taken action are San Francisco and Seattle, which no longer buy water for city use, and Chicago, which added a five-cent tax on each bottle. Several restaurants in those cities have also given up bottled water for tap water. Other cities are also considering taking action.

1.What does the underlined word "drain" in the first paragraph probably mean?

A. Value.B. Consumption.C. Solution.D. Relief (缓解).

2.What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A. Why bottled water is so popular.

B. What Elizabeth Royte’s book is about.

C. How much it takes to produce bottled water.

D. What effects bottled water has on the environment.

3.According to the passage, what drink sells best in the USA?

A. BeerB. Bottled waterC. CoffeeD. Milk

4.Which of the following statements about the US is TRUE?

A. More than $100 billion is spent every year on bottled water in the US.

B. About 79 billion water bottles a year are gone through by the US public.

C. In Chicago, you have to pay 5 cents as tax if you buy a bottle of water.

D. An American drinks 50 liters of bottled water every year on average.

Want to improve your writing skills? New Writing South is directing the way!

Towner Writer Squad (班组）for kids aged 13-17

Led by comedy and TV writer, Marian Kilpatrick, Towner Writer Squad will meet once a month at the contemporary (当代的) art museum for 11 months, starting 12 October, 2014.

The FREE squad sessions will include introductions to a wide range of writing styles, from poetry to play writing and lyrics (抒情诗）to flash fiction, to support the development of young writers.

Application & Selection

If you would like to apply to be part of the Towner Writer Squad, please send a sample（样本） piece of your writing (about 500 words), responding to the title ‘LUNCH,’ with your name, age, address and e-mail address to: debo@newwritingsouth.com.

Once all applications are in, you will be invited to an open selection event on 17 September，4-5pm, at the gallery of Towner. This will be an informal opportunity to meet the Squad Leader, Squad Associate and other young people.

You will also have a chance to get to know the fantastic gallery space and get a taste of what’s to come.

Deadline for applications: 8 September, 2014

For further information go to: facebook.com/towner or towner.org.uk or newwritingsouth.com

Any questions—feel free to send your e-mail to Towner Writer Squad Associate: whame@towner.gov.uk

Beginner Writing Project for kids aged 10-13

Due to popular demand, a writing project will be started for eager beginners.

Start time: 6 September, 2014

Meet every other Saturday，2-4pm, at the Towner Study Centre.

Study and write at your own pace ― you do not have to rush ― as you have a year to go through the project. Practise under the guidance of some experienced writers and teachers who can help you with basic writing skills. Most importantly, build confidence and have fun while writing!

No previous experience or special background is required. Many others have been successful this way. If they can do it, why can’t you?

Fee: £179

For more information go to: newtowner.org.uk or generate.org.uk

1.Towner Writer Squad will be started ________.

A. to train comedy and TV writers

B. to encourage the development of young writers

C. to introduce a contemporary art museum

D. to explore the fantastic gallery space

2.To join the Writer Squad，each applicant should first ________.

A. complete an application form

B. meet the Writer Squad Leader

C. offer their family information

D. provide a piece of their writing

3.What is most important for the beginners?

A. Practising as much as possible.

B. Studying and writing at their own pace.

C. Gaining confidence and having fun.

D. Learning skills from writers and teachers.

4.More information about Beginner Writing Project can be found at ________.

A. facebook.com/towner B. newwritingsouth.com

C. towner.org.uk D. newtowner.org.uk