_________ New Year’s Day around the corner, all the salesmen were trying hard to talk customers_________ buying their goods.

People read newspapers and magazines in order to keep themselves _________ of

what is going on in the world outside.

I dreamed I had an interview with God.

“So you would like to interview me?” God asked. “If you have the time,” I said. “My time is eternity(永恒),” God smiled, “What questions do you have（36）_________for me?” “What surprises you most about humankind?” God answered, “That they (37)__________ bored with childhood, they rush to grow up, and then long to be children（38）_________. That they lost their health to make money… and then lost their money to restore their (39)__________. Then by thinking anxiously （40）__________ the future, they forget the (41)___________, so that they live in neither the present nor future. That they live as if they will never die, and die （42）__________ they had never lived.” God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while.

And then I asked, “(43)__________ a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to(44) ___________?” He answered, “To learn they （45）__________make anyone love them. All they can do is to let themselves love（46）____________. To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness. To learn that it only（47）___________ a few seconds to open profound（深的） wounds in those they love, and it can take many years to heal （48）__________. To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is the one who need the （49）___________. To learn that there are people who love them（50）____________, but simply have not yet learned how to express or show their(51)___________. To learn that two people can look at the same thing and （52）___________ it differently. To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one（53）____________, but they must also forgive themselves.”

“Thank you for your（54）___________,” I said humbly. “Is there anything else you would like（55）_____________ to know?” God smiled and said, “Just to know that I am always here.”

“I’ve changed my mind. I wanted to have a telescope, but now I want my dad back.” Lucien Lawrence’s letter to Father Christmas, written after his father had been knifed to death outside his school gate, must have touched everyone’s heart. Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn’t see the stars in the sky. When those we love depart from us, we cannot see the stars for a while.

But Lucien, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone, you will see them again. And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father there too, either in your mind or heart. I find that my parents, who died years ago, still linger (留连) in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive. I still live to please them and I’m still surprised by their reactions. I remember that when I became a professor, I was so proud, or rather so pleased with myself that I couldn’t wait to cable my parents. The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all my mother said was “I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!” I haven’t forgotten. The values of my parents still live on.

It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care. Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence has been to face the aggressors（入侵者）, and to lay down my life for those in my care? How many people would want me back for Christmas? It’s a serious thought, which gives me pause.

I pray silently, sometimes, in the dead of night, that ancient cry of a poet “Deliver my soul from the sword and my darling from the power of the dog.” Yet I know death comes to us all, and sometimes comes suddenly. We must therefore plan to live together, but live as if we will die tomorrow. We live on, I’m sure, in the lives of those we loved, and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure. If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true, there might be fewer knives on our streets today.

1. According to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph ___________.

2.In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us____________.

3.What feeling did the author’s mother express in her reply?

4.In the author’s opinion, the value of a person’s life is _____________.

5. What does the writer mean by the sentence taken from an old poem?    

How do you feel after you've stayed up late to finish schoolwork? Or the day after a slumber party? Scientists now say that your answers to these questions may depend on your genes.

Genes are stretches of DNA that work like an instruction manual for our cells. Genes tell our bodies and brains what to do. People have about 40,000 genes, and each gene can have different forms. So, for example, certain forms of some genes make your eyes blue. Other versions of those genes make your eyes brown.

In a similar way, new research suggests that a gene called period3 affects how well you function without sleep. The discovery adds to older evidence that period3 helps determine whether you like to stay up late or get up early.

The period3 gene comes in two forms: short and long. Everyone has two copies of the gene. So, you may have two longs, two shorts, or one of each. Your particular combination depends on what your parents passed on to you.

Scientists from the University of Surrey in England studied 24 people who had either two short or two long copies of period3. Study participants had to stay awake for 40 hours straight. Then, they took tests that measured how quickly they pushed a button when numbers flashed on a screen and how well they could remember lists of numbers.

Results showed that the people with the short form of period3 performed much better on these tests than the people with the long form did. In both groups, people performed worst in the early morning. That's the time when truck drivers and other night-shift workers say they have the most trouble concentrating.

After the first round of experiments, participants were finally allowed to sleep. People in the group that performed well on the tests took about 18 minutes to nod off.

People with the long period3 gene, by contrast, fell asleep in just 8 minutes. They also spent more time in deep sleep. That suggests that people with the long form of the gene need more and deeper sleep to keep their brains working at top form.

1.We can know from the passage that genes can not ________.

2.Which of the following statements about the period3 is wrong?

3. People with the short form of period3__________.

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

Gossip moves so quickly that few people have time to cover their ears, even if they want to.

“I hate it when others gossip about me,” said Mandy Miraglia, 16, a high school student from California, “but to be honest, gossip about my friends makes me feel I am trusted and belong to the group.” Miraglia is not the only person feeling like that.

Gossip has long been looked down on as little more than nonsense and bad manners. But recent research has shown that gossip has many positive effects on your social life.

“There has been a trend among people to dislike gossip,” said David Sloan Wilson, Professor from the State University of New York in Binghamton, US, “but gossip appears to be a very important form of behavior in a group of friends, defining their group membership.”

For 18 months, Kevin Kniffin, from the University of Wisconsin, US, researched the behavior of 50 people. He found that gossip levels peaked when a sports team included a slacker, someone who regularly missed practices or showed up late. Other members of the team would soon start to joke about the slacker’s shortcomings behind his back, because they thought they were bad for the whole team.

Gossip about the mistakes of senior members helps newcomers rebuild their confidence after a failure.

It also helps relieve social and professional anxiety. Long-term studies show that people around the world devote from a fifth to two-thirds or more of their daily conversation to gossip, and men appear to be just as eager for gossip as women.

It is hard to judge gossip, but it is more powerful than you think.

1. The author would probably agree that______________.

2. What does the underlined word “slacker” mean according to the context?

3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

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。

Many schools require yearly parent teacher conferences for all students. ___1.__.The list below is to help teachers prepare themselves for these often difficult conferences.

___2.__.When you have students who are struggling in either their academics or their behavior, you should communicate with their parents using notes or phone calls.

Come to the conference well-prepared. If the student is having a hard time with their work, show the parents their grades and samples of their work. ___3.___ .If the student is misbehaving, then you should make detailed notes of their behavior before the conference. Bring these notes to the conference so that parents can understand how their children are behaving.

____4.__. For example, you might say something about their creativity, their handwriting, their sense of humor, or make some other comment. Instead of restating the problems you’ve already discussed, end with a comment that offers hope for the future. You could say something like, “ Thanks for meeting with me today. I know that working together we can help Johnny succeed.”

Some teachers may have to deal with an angry parent at some point. ___5.__. Much anger can be avoided if the parents are informed. Don’t get excited yourself and make sure you avoid shouting.

Communicating with parents before a conference is necessary.

Try to think of something nice to say about the students that have problems.

At the end of the conference, you should make a conclusion.

A parent teacher conference can have a huge impact on a student’s work and behavior.

Remember to thank the parents for coming to the conference and working with you.

Remember that the best way to solve this is to keep parents informed every step of the way.

G. It is easier for parents to understand the problem if they can actually see examples of their children’s work.

单词填空

1. The sun has risen above the ____________(地平线).

2.Recently，we have seen a _____________(逐渐的) trend towards healthier food.

3.This new policy is much _________(强硬的) than the previous one.

4.I really __________(赞赏，喜欢) having time to relax with you on this nice island.

5. They are proud to be ________(公民，市民) of Jilin City.

6.The new highway _______(缠，绕) around the mountain.

7.The passengers were  __________(紧紧地) packed in the train.

8.Sharks can smell blood over a long ___________(距离).

9.The hostess had the _______________(邀请函) delivered a week before the party.

10.We should answer the questions on the ______(基础) of the information from the article.

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。错误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）不记分。

If you understood another culture， it can help you with your language learning. This is because your background knowledge will make easier for you to understand the content of a reading passage. For example, if you have some knowledges about History and geography of Australia, it will make it easier for you to understand passages relating to Australia. In the same way, if you have watched the film The Mutiny on the Bounty you will know the background about the journey of Captain Bligh across the Pacific Ocean. So you will be more better able to appreciate what great Captain Bligh’s achievement was in second unit. But the more you read and the wider your generally knowledge about another culture is, the quicker and easier your learn of that language will be.

---You’re not angry then?

  ---_____. I’ve never laughed so much in my life.

   A. You’re joking   B. You’ve made it.     C. Far from it.     D. That’s all right.