Adults usually do not remember most of the things that are taught by their teachers at school. But this story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I think of this story.
It was a normal Monday morning, and my teacher was teaching us on important things in life and about devoting ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went:
An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get onto the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years.
His house was dirty, and a stench (恶臭) came out of the house and it smelled terrible. The neighbors could not stand the smell any more, so they called for the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years.
The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire (百万富翁). They waited outside his house expecting to share the good news with him. When the old man arrived home that evening, one of the officers told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire.
But the old man said nothing at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, sat at the street corner and continued to beg.
Clearly, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything significant (有意义的) for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing.
【小题1】The neighbor called the police because ______.

A．the old man kept begging money from them every day

B．there was something dangerous in the old man’s house

C．the old man wouldn’t buy tickets for the train

D．they couldn’t bear the smell from the old man’s house

【小题2】When the old man knew he was a millionaire, he ______.

A．remained calm	B．became excited
C．felt worried	D．became nervous

【小题3】What lesson do we learn from the story?

A．Make great plans for your life.

B．Keep on doing what you like.

C．Do something that is good to society.

D．Depend on yourself rather than others.

Beach volleyball is one of those sports that can be an exciting game to play and watch, or, can just be about some friends getting together to have a great time. It’s really easy, and all you need is sand, a net and a group of people, of any age or fitness level, who want to have fun.
Beach volleyball can be played with as few as two people on each team, making a total of four people. However, if you are less skilled and experienced in the game, it will be easier to play with a larger team. The more players you have, the less ground each person will be responsible(负责)for covering and the more time they will have to recover in between shots. If you only have a few players, each of you will get quite a workout running for the ball after each volley. If you are looking for that relaxing, fun, low-key experience, choose larger teams.
Beach volleyball is similar(相似)to regular volleyball in its rules. However, even experienced volleyball players do not realize how much more difficult it is to run and jump on sand. Since it is harder to move quickly on sand than a hard ground, play will be much slower than regular volleyball on a playground. When a player trains for beach volleyball, he will focus(专注)on building lower body strength as well as upper body. While he needs to be able to hit the ball with a great deal of power and accuracy(准确性), strengthening his legs is extremely important.
Whether you are in it for the competition, or just to have a great time with your friends, beach volleyball can be very exciting and fun. You may even start out with friends and fall in love with the sport.
【小题1】When you join a large beach volleyball team, you’ll_________.

A．have as many shots as possible	B．improve your volleyball skills
C．be responsible for more ground	D．feel light-hearted(轻松)while playing

【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．You can hit the ball with much less power when playing beach volleyball.

B．The playground size of beach volleyball is much larger than that of regular volleyball.

C．You can run more quickly when you are playing regular volleyball.

D．The rules of beach volleyball are totally different from those of regular volleyball.

【小题3】What does the writer think of beach volleyball?

A．It is a difficult sport to learn.

B．It is a very exciting and interesting sport.

C．It is a sport which needs less power.

D．It is a sport which needs more skills.

【小题4】Why is it much slower to play beach volley ball than regular volleyball?  Because _________.

A．it is not an easy job to move on sand

B．it is a workout running for the ball

C．it is usually a larger team

D．the beach volleyball is heavier

【小题5】The passage mainly tells us _________.

A．the game of beach volleyball

B．how to become an excellent volleyball player

C．why beach volleyball is one of exciting sports

D．what we should pay attention to when playing beach volleyball

There are labels(标签) inside all new clothes．The labels tell you how to take care of your clothes．The label for a shirt may tell you to wash it in warm water． A sweater label may tell you to wash in cold water． The label on a coat may say “dry clean only”, for washing may ruin this coat． If you do as the directions (说明)on the label, you can keep your clothes looking their best for a long time．
Many clothes today must be dry cleaned．Dry cleaning is expensive．When buying new clothes, check to see if they will need to be dry cleaned．You will save money if you buy clothes that can be washed．
You can save money if you buy clothes that are well made．Well-made clothes last longer．They look good even after they have been washed many times．Clothes that cost more money are not necessarily(一定) better made．They do not always fit better．Sometimes less expensive clothes look and fit better than more expensive clothes．
【小题1】 If you want to save money, you had better buy clothes that __．

A．don’t fit you	B．don’t last long
C．need to be dry cleaned	D．can be washed

【小题2】 The labels inside the clothes tell you______．

A．how to keep them looking their best

B．how to save money

C．whether they fit you or not

D．where to get them dry cleaned

【小题3】 We learn from the passage that cheaper clothes __ ．

A．are always worse made

B．must be dry cleaned

C．can not be washed

D．can sometimes fit you better

【小题4】“Well-made clothes last longer” means ___.

A．Clothes that are well made will be the last for you to choose.

B．Clothes that are well made are mostly longer than cheap ones.

C．You can wear well-made clothes for a longer time.

D．You can wear well-made clothes for a long time if you wear them at last.

Consumer electronics once again topped the list of the most wanted gifts this holiday season.
“Seventy-six percent of consumers who plan to buy holiday gifts say that they will spend money or buy at least one technology product; definitely a solid vote of confidence for technology.”
Steve Koenig is with the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the group’s latest research also shows that Americans this year are spending more on technology products. “Here in 2012, $252 on average——the technology spend for consumers this year.”
From tablet computers to smart phones, American shoppers have been lining up to get the newest and coolest electronic devices on the market. There are more choices today than ever before. "It's kind of hard to make a decision."
Tablet computers are one of the best-selling products this year. Brian Tong is Senior Editor of CNET.com. The website reports on tech news and examines the latest electronic products. He says the Apple iPad Mini is one of the most popular tablets. Its starting price is $329. One of Apple’s biggest competitors is the Google Nexus 7. It starts at $199.
“Its hardware is more powerful than what’s in the iPad Mini, but also it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple’s maps.
But Brian Tong says there is one reason why people may like the iPad Mini more than the Nexus 7. “If you just want to read books and surf the Internet, you don’t really need to get an iPad Mini, but if you want the largest robust group of apps (应用软件) that’s where the iPad and Apple’s ecosystem shines the most.”
Elman Chacon is with the electronics store Best Buy. He says another hot product this season is smart cameras. They connect to the Internet through WiFi. This makes it easy for users to email or upload photographs directly from the camera.
“You can literally take a picture and upload it into your Facebook in a matter of seconds. These things are pretty cool because they do a lot of things.”
Streaming media boxes also connect to the Internet. People are able to watch web content such as movies and YouTube videos on their televisions. Another popular item is wireless speaker systems. The newest ones work with any device that has Bluetooth technology, including smart phones, laptops and tablets.
【小题1】What does the underlined sentence mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Every technology product costs an average of $252.

B．Consumers are spending $252 more on technology products than last year.

C．Consumers should spend $252 on their technology products.

D．It is estimated that $252 on average might be spent on electronics by consumers in 2012.

【小题2】According to Brian Tong, why may people prefer the iPad Mini to the Google Nexus 7?

A．Because it is cheaper.

B．Because it has more functions.

C．Because you can read books and surf the Internet with it.

D．Because it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple’s maps.

【小题3】What does “Its hardware” in Paragraph 6 refer to?

A．The hardware of tablet computers.

B．The hardware of the Apple iPad.

C．The hardware of the Google Nexus 7.

D．The hardware of the iPad Mini.

【小题4】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．People will spend most of their money on electronics.

B．Photos can be uploaded from the camera when connected to a computer.

C．A streaming media box is a box which can contain CDs.

D．Most people would like to buy electronics as gifts.

【小题5】Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Electronics: People’s Most Favorite Gifts this year

B．Which is More Popular, the Apple iPad Mini or the Google Nexus 7?

C．Latest Technology Products

D．More Electronics to Choose from

If you don’t want people to know too much about you, then you had better keep your fridge contents secret, according to a British market research document released last week.
Researchers peered (凝视) into the fridges of 400 people in Britain and compared the contents with the owners’ lifestyles. They claim to be able to classify the nation’s people by fridge contents.
They say those people can be separated into five categories：nutrition nerds (no social sense), food faddiest (whatever’s in style), martyr mums, fast food fanatics and restaurant regulars.
Nutrition nerds care much about what they put into their bodies. Their fridges are stocked with fruit, vegetables and healthy meat.
People in this category tend to be highly organized and usually work in law or accountancy. The vast majority is single, but if they have a partner, that person will be similar.
A fridge full of vitamins — enriched juices implies its owner works in media or fashion. They tend not to eat the foods they buy. Known as the food faddiest, they just want to be seen as purchasing the latest important things.
A fridge filled with everything from steak to frozen fish suggests the martyr mum. Her fridge tends to be stocked with every kind of product, except what she herself would want. This fridge hints at difficulty balancing family and work life.
Fast food fanatics always buy mineral water or soda pop. The nearest they will get to fresh fruit is tomato sauce. Their fridges hint at someone who works hard and plays hard, also, someone who is not into long term planning.
Finally, a fridge filled with nothing more than a bottle of white wine and some sparkling mineral water implies an owner who is single, lives in a big city and enjoys the finer things in life. The fridge is empty because this person regularly eats in restaurants.
【小题1】What can we know from the first two paragraphs?

A．Some researchers are fond of staring at other people’s fridges.

B．People don’t want others to know about their secrets.

C．The food you put in the fridge has something to do with your personality.

D．There are mainly five kinds of lifestyles among British people.

【小题2】According to the passage, people who belong to food faddiest_________.  

A．don’t care much about money when buying things

B．will try their best to stay healthy

C．often stay up late to finish their job

D．prefer to ask others about what to do next

【小题3】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．“Nutrition nerds” are always organized and successful in their jobs.

B．“Food faddists” like to stock their fridges with all kinds of vitamins.

C．“Martyr mums” care themselves more than others.

D．“Fast food fanatics” usually do not stock their fridges with fresh fruit.

【小题4】What will those who often dine out put in the fridge?

A．All kinds of food they like.

B．Only something to drink.

C．Fruit, vegetables and meat.

D．Food rich in vitamins.

【小题5】What is this passage mainly about?

A．What people store in their fridges.

B．Fridge contents and its owner’s secret.

C．What we should store in our fridges.

D．How to keep our fridge contents secret.

It was Monday. Mrs. Smith's dog was hungry, but there was not any meat in the house.
　　Considering that there was no better way. Mrs. Smith took a piece of paper, and wrote the following words on it：“Give my dog half a pound of meat.” Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently：“Take this to the butcher（* person whose job is selling meat）and he's going to give you your lunch today.”
　　Holding the piece of paper in its mouth, the dog ran to the butcher's. It gave the paper to the butcher. The butcher read it carefully, recognized that it was really the lady's handwriting and soon did it as he was asked to. The dog was very happy, and ate the meat up at once.
　　At noon, the dog came to the shop again. It gave the butcher a piece of paper again. After reading it, he gave it half a pound of meat once more.
　　The next day, the dog came again exactly at noon. And as usual, it brought a piece of paper in the mouth. This time, the butcher did not take a look at paper, and gave the dog its meat, for he had regarded the dog as one of his customers.
　　But, the dog came again at four o'clock. And the same thing happened once again. To the butcher's more surprise, it came for the third time at six o'clock, and brought with it a third piece of paper. The butcher felt a bit puzzled. He said to himself, “This is a small dog. Why does Mrs. Smith give it so much meat to eat today?”
Looking at the piece of paper, he found that there were not any words on it！
【小题1】 Mrs. Smith treated her little dog quite______.

A．cruelly

B．fairly

C．kindly

D．friendly

【小题2】 It seemed that the dog knew well that the paper Mrs. Smith gave it ______ .

A．might do it much harm

B．could do it much good

C．would help the butcher

D．was worth many pounds

【小题3】 The butcher did not give any meat to the dog __________ .

A．before he felt sure that the words were really written by Mrs. Smith

B．when he found that the words on the paper were not clear

C．because he had sold out all the meat in his shop

D．until he was paid enough by Mrs. Smith

【小题4】  From its experience, the dog found that ________.

A．only the paper with Mrs. Smith's words in it could bring it meat

B．the butcher would give the meat to it whenever he saw it

C．Mrs. Smith would pay for the meat it got from the butcher

D．a piece of paper could bring it half a pound of meat

Moving to a new city and state was difficult for me, especially in winter. Little did I know that a Colorado snowstorm would greet me after I had been in my new home for only a week.
I just missed home. But more than the old house and the beach, I missed Stacey, my best friend. And I missed our lovely tea. Going to a sweet little tearoom, we had discovered was a special treat for us. The place was a Victorian dream, with delicate teacups and tablecloths with flower prints. The hat shelf near the front door swept us back to childhood. Stacey and I became little girls, trying on different hats until we found the perfect one for our dress-up tea party. We would then choose a lovely table and order our tea. That was a precious time, filled with laughter between scones（煎饼） and sharing our lives between tiny cucumber sandwiches.
Springtime descended upon Denver, and the sun lightened my heart. But I still fought loneliness almost every day. I decided to explore the Denver area. While my husband went to the office, I took time to see what our new area had to offer.
One day, I was walking along the street when suddenly the words "Tea Leaves" caught my eye. A tea room? Here, in the land of loneliness and pain?
I walked through the doors, and tears came to my eyes. It was a beautiful room, not Victorian, but simple and lovely.
I sat down and ordered a pot of tea, a cucumber sandwich, and some scones.It felt silly and wonderful --- and it felt like home. For the first time since moving, I felt as if this new city and state could be, would eventually be, my home. I would come back here and bring new friends. When Stacey visited, we would come here.
I lifted my cup and made a silent toast. I toasted Stacey, whom I missed  ly, and I toasted the sweet little tearoom that lessened my pain.
【小题1】 The author's hometown ______________.

A．never snows

B．is still warm in winter

C．has a long history

D．is in an area by the sea

【小题2】  The underlined word "treat" in Paragraph 2 probable means ____________.

A．delicious food	B．something pleasant
C．service	D．a kind of tea party

【小题3】 We can know from Paragraph 3 that the author ______________.

A．didn't adapt to the new life

B．felt comfortable in the new environment in spring

C．didn't feel lonely any more in spring

D．wanted to actively adapt to the new environment

【小题4】Which of the following about "Tea Leaves" is true?

A．It made the author recall her childhood.

B．It looks silly and wonderful.

C．Cucumber sandwiches and scones are its specialties.

D．It touched the author.

【小题5】We can infer from the text that the author would probably ____________.

A．open her own teahouse

B．ask the owner of the teahouse to decorate it like a home

C．make new friends in Denver

D．go back to her hometown to visit Stacey

There are labels(标签) inside all new clothes．The labels tell you how to take care of your clothes．The label for a shirt may tell you to wash it in warm water． A sweater label may tell you to wash in cold water． The label on a coat may say “dry clean only”, for washing may ruin this coat． If you do as the directions (说明)on the label, you can keep your clothes looking their best for a long time．
Many clothes today must be dry cleaned．Dry cleaning is expensive．When buying new clothes, check to see if they will need to be dry cleaned．You will save money if you buy clothes that can be washed．
You can save money if you buy clothes that are well made．Well-made clothes last longer．They look good even after they have been washed many times．Clothes that cost more money are not necessarily(一定) better made．They do not always fit better．Sometimes less expensive clothes look and fit better than more expensive clothes．
【小题1】If you want to save money, you had better buy clothes that __ ．

A．don’t fit you	B．don’t last long
C．need to be dry cleaned	D．can be washed

【小题2】The labels inside the clothes tell you______．

A．how to keep them looking their best	B．how to save money
C．whether they fit you or not	D．where to get them dry cleaned

【小题3】We learn from the passage that cheaper clothes __ ．

A．are always worse made	B．must be dry cleaned
C．can not be washed	D．can sometimes fit you better

【小题4】“Well-made clothes last longer” means ___.

A．Clothes that are well made will be the last for you to choose.

B．Clothes that are well made are mostly longer than cheap ones.

C．You can wear well-made clothes for a longer time.

D．You can wear well-made clothes for a long time if you wear them at last.

It’s a natural phenomenon. The minute you think you want to buy something new, you go online to read reviews about it. Not only is this done with shopping, it’s also done for movies to see , restaurants to go to and almost everything that is worth having an opinion on. The concept of writing down a review for all to see is something that has caused the birth of reviews sites. These are sites where people post reviews on other people, services, businesses, products and more.
In some cases you have professionals do the review and in some other cases you will have the average person write it up. Review sites have a number of ways in which they can gain revenue for themselves in the form of advertising. In some cases, a business can pay his way through to a better listing spot. This does not mean that a positive review will be promoted where it is not warranted (担保).
Review sites are largely a public forum and it is not necessary for people to reveal their identity. Since people are anonymous (匿名的) and sign up access is open to all, there are chances that reviews will be planted or will be negatively written simply to discredit a particular product or service.
There is a lot of criticism towards these websites since they do nothing to control the kind of entries made or the source of these entries. On the other hand, there are professional review sites. These people are accountable for each of their reviews. Any doubts you have will be addressed personally by the one writing the review. Such sites work on much better principles allowing for a fair opinion.
Considering they have a better reputation, they are aware of some the latest products that are released worldwide. This gives you a better chance of finding reviews of the latest product. While a review site will help you narrow down your choice, it by no means should influence your final decision. That is based entirely on the way you see fit.
【小题1】Nowadays, before buying something, people usually ________.

A．ask the opinion of others	B．surf famous review sites.
C．ignore topics of review sites.	D．read reviews on the Internet.

【小题2】The underlined word “revenue” in Paragraph 2 probably means”______”.

A．the announcement posted by sites

B．the income earned from sales or services

C．the freedom of writing reviews

D．the program made by advertisement companies

【小题3】What do we know about the professional reviews sites?

A．The reviews on the sites are written mainly by professors.

B．Those who write the reviews on the sites are serious sometimes.

C．The reviewer addresses your doubt personally for you.

D．The reviewers on the sites are ready to write to you if you like.

【小题4】This passage was written mainly to tell us________.

A．to make good use of review sites

B．to consult something with reviewers

C．not to make a decision before reading reviews

D．not to believe some review sites

My problems started after I went to a boarding(寄宿) school. I was only 14, and at first I misses my family a lot. I often called them and cried on the phone. But after two weeks, I found I enjoyed being with my classmates at school. I had many friends who were boys. I thought of them as my best friends – but only friends. I never guessed my friendships with boys would become a problem.
Then, three months later, my friends told me that some teachers and girls said I was hanging out with boys all day long in order to get attention from them. Seven months after that, the head teacher Mr. Wang asked the class to choose some students to join the Student Union. I thought I could win for I was doing well in school. I’d already won prizes for the best math and English exams. A week later, the list came out and it didn’t include me. I was sad.
Mr. Wang came to me and said, “Don’t be sad. I know you’re excellent! Maybe you are a little distant from the girls in our class. They don’t know much about you, so some of them didn’t choose you. It doesn’t matter. Do your best to get along well with everyone and I think you’ll make it next time.”
【小题1】What was the writer’s problem when she first entered the boarding school?

A．She didn’t like her new school.

B．She didn’t get along well with her classmates.

C．She missed her family very much.

D．She didn’t like her new teacher.

【小题2】Many of the writer’s friends in her new school were _______.

A．teachers

B．boys

C．girls

D．women

【小题3】Why did the writer fail to join the Student Union?

A．Her teachers didn’t like her.

B．She was a poor student.

C．Some girls didn’t choose her.

D．She likes showing off herself.

【小题4】The underlined word “distant” means “______” in English.

A．estranged(疏远的)	B．aggressive(好斗的)
C．warm-hearted	D．rude

【小题5】Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?

A．The writer won prizes for the best science and English exams.

B．The writer didn’t realize that her friendships with boys would cause problems.

C．The writer was sad because she failed to join the Student Union.

D．The teacher thought she was an excellent student.