John H. Johnson was born in a black family in Arkansas city in 1918. His father died in an accident when John was six. He was reaching the high school age, but his hometown offered no high school for blacks.

Fortunately he had a strong-willed (意志坚强的) caring mother. John remembered that his mother told him many times, “Son, you can be anything you want really to be if you just believe.”She told him not to depend on others, including his mother. “You have to earn success, ”she said. “All the people who work hard don’t succeed, but the only people who do succeed are those who work hard.”

These words came from a woman with less than a third grade education. She also knew that believing and hard work don’t mean everything. So she worked hard as a cook for two years to save enough to take her son, who was then 15, to Chicago.

Chicago in 1933 was not the promised land that black southerners were looking for. John’s mother and stepfather could not find work. But here John could go to school, and here he learned the power of words—as an editor of the newspaper and yearbook at Du Sable High School His wish was to publish a magazine for blacks.

While others discouraged him, John’s mother offered him more words to live by.“Nothing beats a failure but a try. ”She also let him pawn(典当)her furniture to get the $ 500 he needed to start the Negro magazine.

It is natural that difficulties and failures followed John closely until he became very successful. He always keeps his mother’s words in mind.“Son, failure is not in your vocabulary!”

Now John H. Johnson is one of the 400 richest people in America—worth $ 150 million.

1.John’s mother decided to move to Chicago because _____.

A．his father died when John was very young

B．life was too hard for them to stay on in their hometown

C．John needed more education badly

D．there were no schools for Negroes in their hometown

2.John’s mother_____________________

A．didn’t believe in or depend on others

B．thought one could be whatever one wanted to be

C．believed one would succeed without working hard

D．thought no one could succeed without working hard

3.The underlined sentence“Nothing beats a failure but a try. ”means _____.

A．if you try, you would succeed

B．a failure is difficult to beat, even if you try

C．a try is always followed by a failure

D．no failure can be beaten unless you try

4.The story mainly tells us _____.

A．how John H. Johnson became successful

B．about the mental (心理的) support John’s mother gave him

C．about the importance of a good education

D．about the key to success for blacks

Tales From Animal Hospital

David Grant

David Grant has become a familiar face to millions of fans of Animal Hospital . Here Dr Grant tells us the very best of his personal stories about the animals he has treated ,including familiar patients such as the dogs Snowy and Duchess , the delightful cat Marigold Serendipity Diamond . He also takes the reader behind the scenes at Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital as he describes his day , from ordinary medical check-ups to surgery （外科手术）. Tales From Animal Hospital will delight all fans of the program and anyone who has a lively interest in their pet ,whether it be cat , dog or snake I ! $ 14.99 Hardback 272 pp Simon Schuster

ISBN 0751304417

Isaac Newton : The Last Sorcerer

Michael White

Form the author of Stephen Hawking : A Life in Science , comes this colorful description of the life of the world’s first modern scientist . Interesting yet based on fact , Michael White’s learned yet readable new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him . Newton is shown as a gifted scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic (魔术)ended and science began.

£8.99 Hardback 320 pp Fourth Estate

ISBN 1857024168

Fermat’s Last Theorem

Simon Singh

In 1963 a schoolboy called Andrew Wiles reading in his school library came across the world’s greatest mathematical problem : Fermat’s Last Theorem (定理). First put forward by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century, the theorem had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds , including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem , and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole  Polytechnique . Through unbelievable determination Andrew Wiles finally worked out the problem in 1995 . An unusual story of human effort over three centuries , Fermat’s Last Theorem will delight specialists and general readers alike .

£12.99 Hardback 384 pp Fourth Estate

ISBN 1857025210

1.What is Animal Hospital ?

A．A news story .                          B．A popular book .

C．A research report .                      D．A TV program .

2.In Michael White’s book , Newton is described as        .

A．a person who did not look the same as in many pictures

B．a person who lived a colorful and meaningful life

C．a great but not perfect man

D．an old-time magician

3.Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word “baffle” as it is used in the text ?

A．To encourage people to raise questions .

B．To cause difficulty in understanding .

C．to provide a person with an explanation .

D．To limit people’s imagination .

4.What is the purpose of writing these three texts ?

A．To make the books easier to read           B．To show the importance of science

C．To introduce new authors                 D．To sell the books .

There is an English saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health.

Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.

Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programmes. The group that tolerated (忍耐) the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny programme. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes both stress and pain.

As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.

1.According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?  

A．Laughter is good for health.

B．Laughter can make you become old quickly.

C．Laughter helps to reduce pain.

D．Laughter, just like physical exercise, is good for our body.

2.The underlined word “diminishes” in the third paragraph means “         ”.  

A．delays            B．prevents          C．increases          D．reduces

3.Why do doctors hold laughter clinics? 

A．Because they want to earn more money.

B．Because they think they will help the patients recover from illnesses.

C．Because they want to improve their patients’ health.

D．Because they want their patients to laugh more.

4.According to the author, we should __________ in our life. 

A．laugh as much as possible

B．watch more funny films

C．smile all the time

D．spend time in the laughter clinics

5.What would be the best title for this passage?  

A．Both laughter and physical exercise are good for health.

B．Laughter clinics can help patients improve their condition.

C．Laughter can reduce the effect of pain.

D．Laughter is the best medicine.

Most Americans believe that someone isn’t grown-up until the age of 26 and they should complete their education, have a full-time job, have a family to support and be financially independent. They also believe that becoming a real grown-up is a process which begins at about the age of 20 and takes about five years, according to the report from the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center.

The findings are based on a representative sample of 1,398 people over the age of 18 who were surveyed in person. The survey found that people expect the transitions to grown-up status to be completed at the following ages: age 20.9 self-supporting; age 21.1 no longer living with parents; age 21.2 having a full-time job; age 22.3 education completed; age 24.5 being able to support a family financially; age 25.7 getting married; and age 26.2 having a child.

“There is a large degree of agreement across social groups on the relative importance of the seven transitions,” said Tom Smith, director of the survey. The only obvious pattern of differences is on views about supporting a family, having children and getting married. Older adults consider these more important than younger adults do. This probably shows in large part a change in values across generations away from traditional family values. The most valued step toward reaching adulthood, the survey found, is completing education, followed by full-time employment, supporting a family, financial independence, living independently, and marriage.

1.According to the first paragraph, someone is a grown-up when he _______.  

A．has found a full-time job

B．has finished his study in university

C．can make money and support himself after completing his education

D．can support a family and be financially independent after graduation

2.A young man of 24 may be busy ________.  

A．finding a job                           B．finding a girl friend

C．making money                          D．preparing for his wedding

3.From the passage, we learn that _________.  

A．being grown-up is just a matter of age

B．being grown-up is a process which takes some time

C．all people think completing education means being grown-up

D．the survey found everyone had a different view about being grown-up

4.The best title for the passage should be “________”   

A．It takes a long time to grown up.

B．Are we grown-up yet?

C．Getting married means being grown-up.

D．Completing education means being grown-up

根据句意填词（每小题0.5分，满分5分）

1.I _____________(祝贺)him on his election just now.

2.Every citizen should o__________ the law.

3.She is busy ,because she is o______ with collecting stamps.

4.I can’t _______to (适应) living on my own, but I had to

5.The project had to be ________(放弃)for lack of money.

6.I__________（宣布）at the meeting that I did not support him.

7.It was too late when he was a__________of the fire, so he was badly burned.

8.He told the police about the accident as he _______(目击)it on his way home.

9.Follow the doctor’s advice, o_________ you’ll not get better soon.

10.Sunshine is ____________ (有益的）to plants.)

短文填词（每小题1分，满分10分）

Christmas is a very magical time for children. My four-year-old

1.son  r_____ down the stairs and was as cheerful as most children are

2.on Christmas morning and went straight for the gifts under the t_____.

3.But, to my _____, the first gift he lifted was a gift he made for his

4.father and me.  He stood there _____ anticipation (期盼), joy and

5._____ (耐心) as we opened our gifts, waiting to see the expressions on

6.our faces. As I saw the gift, _____ was a hand-made wreath made by

7.himself, I was so m_____ that I couldn’t help crying.

8.As a parent, I felt so _____ (骄傲的) of the child I am raising,

9.knowing that he values (珍视) other people and how they _____ (感受).

10.That is actually the best gift I have r_____ for Christmas.

目前我们国家在建设节约型社会，请你根据自己的实际生活情况，向全校同学发出倡议。内容从下面几个方面着手，开头已给出，不计入总词数。词数100左右。

1. 吃零食方面；

2. 服装打扮方面；

3. 节约用水、电方面；

4. 文具方面。

Dear classmates,

Chairman Xi called on the whole society to build China into a saving country this year. As a student, I think __________________________________________________________________

--Professor Johnson, I'm afraid I can't finish the report within this week.

--_______ How about next week?

A．Good for you       B．It won’t bother me C．Not at all          D．That’s OK

-- May I speak to your manager Mr. Williams at five o’clock tonight?

--I’m sorry. Mr. Williams _______ to a conference long before then.”

A．will have gone      B．had gone          C．would have gone    D．has gone

It is immediately obvious that water is to be _______ to the development of life.

A．compulsory        B．controversial       C．fundamental       D．supreme