This year 2,300 teenagers (young people aged from 13-19 ) from all over the world will spend about ten months in U.S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions (印象) of the real American teenagers. American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and have a new understanding of the rest of the world.

Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In return, George’s son, Mike, spent a year in Fred’s home in America.

Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study, the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected — much harder. Students rose respectfully (尊敬地) when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.

Family life, too, was different. The family’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual (个人). Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.

“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”

At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize (批评) American schools.” he says. “It is far too easy by our level (水准). But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens (市民). There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”                                               

The whole exchange program is mainly to ____.

A. help teenagers in other countries know the real America

B. send students in America to travel in Germany

C. let students learn something about other countries

D. have teenagers learn new languages

What did Fred and Mike agree on?

A. American food tasted better than German food.

B. German schools were harder than American schools.

C. Americans and Germans were both friendly.

D. There were more cars on the streets in America.

What is particular (特别的) in American schools?

    A. There is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings..

    B. There are a lot of after-school activities.

    C. Students usually take 14 subjects in all.

D. Students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car.

What did Mike think after experiencing the American school life?

A. A better education should include something good from both America and Germany.

B. German schools trained students to be better citizens.

C. American schools were not as good as German schools.

D. The easy life in the American school was more helpful to students.

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

A Little Hero

A group of Italian soldiers led by a captain were advancing slowly toward the position of the enemy. They arrived at a farmhouse, in front of which sat a small boy, cutting a branch of a tree with his knife.

"What are you doing here?" asked the captain. "Why didn't you leave with your family?"

　　"I don't have any family," said the boy. "I'm an orphan. I used to work for the family that lived here. They've gone, but I stayed in order to see the fighting."

　　"Have you seen any Austrians pass by here?"

　　"Not within the last three days."

　　"Do you think you could climb that tree and tell me whether you see anything of the Austrians in the distance?"

　　"Sure!"

　　In a few minutes the boy was at the top of the tree.

　　"Look straight ahead," cried the captain, "and tell me what you see."

　　"Two men on horseback - nothing else."

　　"How far away?"

　　"About a mile and a half. They're standing still." ….

　　"They're shooting at me," said the boy. "but don't worry. Let me tell you what's to the left. Well, there's a church and I think I see..."

　　 A third bullet passed, and the boy was seen to fall suddenly from the tree, dead.

　　"Poor boy!" said the captain, covering the boy's body with a national flag and saying, "He died like a soldier and we must bury him like a soldier."

Soon it was covered with flowers. He gave his life to his country.

【写作内容】

学校最近组织了一次中美学生交流活动，你参加其中的“童年生活”讨论。听完Joe讲的故事“A Little Hero” 之后，你准备写一份发言稿，题目是“After Listening to ‘A Little Hero’ ”，内容要点包括：

1. 以约30个词概括你听完A Little Hero的故事；

2. 然后以约120个词谈谈你的童年生活，内容包括：

(1) 对自己童年生活的感受；

(2) 你的童年以及现在的生活和故事中那位小英雄的童年生活有什么不同？

(3) 作为一位高中学生，你未来的理想是什么？

【写作要求】

1. 在作文中可以使用自己亲身的经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

【评分标准】

概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。

When Lew Alcindor was 13, and obviously still growing, a group of schools began offering him scholarships（奖学金）. The Alcindors decided to send their only child to Power Memorial Academy, a small school on Manhattan’s West Side.

At Power. Alcindor came under the control of Coach Jack Donohue, a strict young man who already gained his fame as one of the best coaches in the city. Donohue brought Alcindor along slowly. As a first-year student, the boy was not able to do much but wave his long skinny arms and shoot a basket now and then. But by the second year, when he was 15 years old and nearly 7 feet tall, Alcindor was quick and skillful enough to make the high school All American team and to lead Power to an undefeated season.

From then on be simply got better. Some rival coaches（对方教练）used to take their teams quickly away from the floor before Power warmed up so that their players would not see him any sooner than they had to. Wearing size 16D shoes and sucking a lollipop（棒棒糖）, Alcindor would loosen up by starting his leaping lay-ups（擦板球）. Then he would casually shoot the ball with either hand, to the delight of the fans.

When reporters and photographers began to follow Alcindor closely, Donohue protected his boy firmly. He simply ordered Lew to talk to no member of the press, and this suited Lew fine. He was not comfortable talking to grownups, perhaps because he towered over them. Discouraged photographers began following him in secret as though he were an easily-frightened giraffe. “People want you not for yourself,” Donohue warned him, “but because you’re a basketball player. Don’t forget that.”

1.Many schools offered Alcindor scholarships because_______.

A. he was young                                    B. he was hardworking

C. he was tall for his age                             D. he was skillful at playing basketball

2.Which of the following best describes Donohue as a young coach?

A. serious, popular and slow       B. tall, skillful and successful

C. kind, powerful and undefeated            D. well-known, strict and experienced

3.Why did some rival coaches take their teams away from the floor before Power warmed up?

A. Their teams refused to play Power.       B. Their teams feared to see Alcindor.

C. Their teams would lose courage.   D. Their teams would lose interest.

4.What does the last paragraph mainly discuss?

A. How Donohue protected Alcindor from the press.

B. How Alcindor disliked meeting reporters.

C. Why the press followed Alcindor closely.      

D. Why the public wanted Alcindor badly.

 

The boy was so tired that he fell asleep _______ his mother could take off his clothes.

A. before                 B. after                       C. while                  D. when

 

Mini Book Excerpts（节选）
Biography
When Salinger learned that a car park was to be built on the land, the middle-aged writer was shocked and quickly bought the neighboring area to protect it… The townspeople never forgot the rescue and came to help their most famous neighbor.
J. D. Salinger：A Life by Kenneth Slawenski（Random House,$27）Mystery（疑案小说）
“You’re a smart boy. Benny’s death was no accident, and you’re the only who saw it happen. Do you think the murderer should get away with it?”The boy was starting stubbornly at his lap again.
A thought suddenly occurred to Annika,“Did you …You recognized the man in the car, didn’t you?”
The boy hesitated, twisting his fingers,“Maybe,”he said quietly.
Red Wolf by Liza Marklund（Atria Books, $25. 99）
Short Stories
She wants to say to him what she has learned, none of it in class. Some women are born stupid, and some women are too smart for their own good. Some women are born to give, and some women only know how to take. Some women learn who they want to be from their mothers, some who they don’t want to be. Some mothers suffer so their daughters won’t. Some mothers love so their daughters won’t.
You Are Free by Danzy Senna （Riverhead Books,$15）
Humor
Do your kids like to have fun? Come to Fun Times! Do you like to watch your kids having fun? Bring them to Fun Times! Fun Times! “amusement cycling”is the most fun you can have, legally, in the United States right now. Why spend thousands of dollars flying to Disney World when you can spend less than half to that within a day’s drive lf most cities?
Happy And Other Bad Thoughts by Larry Doyle（Ecco,$14. 99）
【小题1】If the readers want to know about the title of Salinger, they should buy the book published by
                  .

A．Ecco	B．Atria Books
C．Riverhead Books	D．Random House

【小题2】The book Happy And Other Bad Thoughts is intended for                .

A．young children	B．Disney World workers
C．middle school teachers	D．parents with young children

【小题3】Which book describes women with characters of their own?
A. Happy And Other Bad Thoughts
B. J. D. Salinger: A Life
C. You Are Free
D. Red Wolf
【小题4】After finishing the book Red Wolf, the readers would learn that               .

A．the boy helped arrest the murderer

B．Benny died of an accident

C．the murderer got away with the crime

D．Annika carried out the crime