I was feeling a little blue because my mother had been laid off from her job and she had lots of bills to pay. It left me wondering what was going to happen to us now.

I got off the college shuttle bus and started walking. That’s  36  I heard piano music and singing rising above the noise of the people and the traffic. I walked a little slower so that I could 37   where it was coming from.   38   the crowd I saw a young lady sitting at a piano with a carriage next to her. She was singing songs about love, keeping on trying, and not underestimating (低估) the power within yourself. The way she was singing    39   me a bit. I stood there watching her play for about fifteen minutes, thinking that it must      40   to perform alone in the middle of a crowded place.

She must have felt my   41   because she would  42 look in my direction. Then I walked over and put some  43     in her carriage and she said, “Thank you”. Instead of continuing my way home, I said to her, “I have been  44     a rough time lately, but you’ve made me  45 again.”

“I’m happy that I could help,” she replied. “Why are you so sad?”

“Well, my mum told me she had got    46   from her job, and that made me sad. I’m not so sure what to do …”

“You see, here’s the problem,” she explained. “While you were        47   , your head was down. Don’t look  48 , because  49   comes in different ways and if your head were down, you might lose it.”

She also explained to me that she saw a lot of  50 people in the world and she tried to bring more  51 by sharing motivational (鼓舞人心的) music. She told me that when she wasn’t making music she studied  52  . So, that was how she knew some of the things she was telling me.

I  53     a little wider because I knew that she was doing a good thing. So, after we  54, my heart was  55      and lightened by a musical soul!

1.                A．where         B．why            C．which    D．when

2.                A．turn out        B．take in          C．find out   D．get in

3.                A．Across         B．Through        C．Between  D．Above

4.                A．comforted      B．annoyed        C．scared   D．reminded

5.                A．take time       B．take turns       C．take action    D．take courage

6.                A．absence        B．performance     C．presence D．regret

7.                A．angrily         B．occasionally     C．generally D．faithfully

8.                A．cards          B．food           C．books    D．money

9.                A．going through    B．getting up       C．taking over    D．running towards

10.               A．curious         B．eager          C．sad   D．hopeful

11.               A．hired          B．promoted       C．paid  D．fired

12.               A．running        B．driving         C．walking    D．riding

13.               A．proud          B．defeated       C．absorbed  D．puzzled

14.               A．opportunity     B．trouble         C．difficulty   D．dream

15.               A．positive        B．active          C．energetic  D．negative

16.               A．records        B．poverty        C．positivity  D．indifference

17.               A．politics         B．psychology      C．biology    D．art

18.               A．smiled         B．changed        C．influenced D．sighed

19.               A．responded      B．parted         C．agreed    D．understood

20.               A．hit            B．sunk           C．tied  D．touched

On August 5 at 10:31 p.m. PST, a rover（探测器）named Curiosity touched down safely on the surface of Mars, and I was lucky enough to have a front-row seat.
My name is Clara, and when I was in Grade 6, I won the essay contest NASA held to name its next Mars rover. The essay I wrote was not even 250 words long, but somehow it was enough to change my life.
I still remember that cold December day, sitting in a science class. I’d finished a worksheet early and decided to get a Time for Kids magazine off Mrs. Estevez’s bookshelf. It was the 2008 Invention Issue, but that wasn’t the only thing that caught my eye. In the magazine, there was an article about a girl who named the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The article also talked about the essay contest NASA was holding to name its next Mars rover. Before I even knew anything else about it, a single word flooded my 11-year-old mind: Curiosity.
I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so I could get started on my essay. That afternoon, I raced home from the bus stop, sat down at the computer and typed until my fingers ached. It turned out that I was just in time. A few days later, and the contest would have closed.
Five months later, shortly after I had turned 12, I was watching a National Geographic special on mammoths when the phone rang. My mom answered, and immediately, a wide smile spread across her face. When she told me that I had won, I was happier than I could ever remember being, I screamed and ran up and down the stairs and all around the house. I completely forgot about the mammoths and did not even remember to turn off the TV until it was really late.
Curiosity is such an important part of who I am. I have always been fascinated by the stars, the planets, the sky and the universe. I remember as a little girl, my grandfather and I would sit together in the backyard for hours. He’d tell me stories and point out the stars.
My grandfather lived in China, thousands of miles away from my home in Kansas. I loved the stars because they kept us together even when we were apart. They were always there, yet there was so much I didn’t know about them. That’s what I love so much about space. No matter how much we learn, it will always possess some mystery.
In the past, space exploration may have been a competition to see who got somewhere first or the fastest. But now, it is one of the few things that bring people together. Science is a language that needs no translation. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you look like – you just have to have a thirst for knowledge and a passion for learning in order to succeed.
People often ask me why we go to faraway places like Mars. Why do we explore? My answer to that is simple: because we can; because we’re curious; because we as human beings do not just stay holed up in one place. We are constantly wondering and trying to find out what’s over the hill and beyond the horizon.
The curiosity rover is more than just a robot. It is more than just a titanium body and aluminum wheels. Curiosity represents the hard work, passion, love and commitment of thousands of people from all over the world who were brought together by science. Science is so awesome. It is breathtaking and mind-blowing; and sometimes, it’s just a little bit crazy. The discoveries we make about our world are incredibly humbling. They move us forward and have the potential to benefit all of mankind.
This December it will be four years of my life that have been tied to Curiosity in some way. I’ve met so many amazing people through this experience, from scientists to engineers to administrators to volunteers. Their devotion and enthusiasm inspire me greatly. My journey with Curiosity and the MSL mission team has shaped the person that I am today, as well as the person I would one day like to become.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to have this amazing adventure.
And to you, I hope your curiosity takes you far.
【小题1】 The method the writer uses to begin the passage is _____.

A Leap(跳跃)to Honor

Leaping on a narrow balance beam(平衡木) is not easy.But Lola Walter, a 13－year－old gymnast, is an expert at it.

To perfect her skills, Lola ____ for four hours a day, five days a week.At the state championships in March, she finished seventh out of 16 girls.

That's especially impressive，____she is legally blind, born with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift(移动)constantly.She often sees double and can't ____ how far away things are.

When she was little, her mom ___ that even though she couldn't see ____ , she was fearless.So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three.She loved the ____ right away and gymnastics became her favorite.

Though learning gymnastics has been more ____ for her than for some of her teammates, she has never quit.She doesn't let her ____ stop her from doing anything that she wants to.

She likes the determination it takes to do the sport.Her biggest ____ is the balance beam.Because she has double vision, she often sees two beams.She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine.Sometimes she even closes her eyes.“You have to ____ your mind that it'll take you where you want to go，” says Lola.

To be a top－level gymnast, one must be brave.The beam is probably the most ____ for anyone because it's four inches wide.At the state competition, Lola didn't fall ____ the beam.In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10——her highest score yet.

Lola doesn't want to be ____ differently from the other girls on her team.At competitions, the judges don't know about her vision ____.She doesn't tell them, because she doesn't think they need to know.Her mom is amazed by her ____ attitude.

Lola never thinks about ____.She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics.Her ____ is to reach level 9.She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach to pass down what she's learned to other kids ____ she grows up.

Lola is____of all her hard work and success.She says it's helped her overcome problems in her life outside gymnastics too.Her ____ for others is “just believe in yourself”．

1.A.runs? B．teaches? C．trains? D．dances

2.A.since? B．unless? C．after? D．though

3.A.tell? B．guess? C．assume? D．predict

4.A.suspected? ????????????? B．remembered? C．imagined? ????????????? D．noticed

5.A.deeply? B．well? C．ahead? D．closely

6.A.task? B．sport? C．event? D．show

7.A.boring? ????????????? B．enjoyable?? C．difficult? ????????????? D．satisfactory

8.A.talent? B．quality? C．nature? D．condition

9.A.doubt? B．advantage? C．challenge? D．progress

10.A.examine? B．express? C．open? D．trust

11.A.fearful? ????????????? B．harmful? C． unfair? ????????????? D．inconvenient

12.A.to? B．on? C．off? D．against

13.A.greeted? B．treated? C．served? D．paid

14.A.pains? B．stresses? C．injuries? D．problems

15.A.positive? B．friendly? C．flexible? D．cautious

16.A.defending? ????????????? B．quitting? C．winning? ????????????? D．bargaining

17.A.standard? B．range? C．view? D．goal

18.A.until? B．as? C．when? D．before

19.A.proud? B．tired? C．ashamed? D．confident

20.A.plan? ????????????? B．advice C．reward? ????????????? D．responsibility

You have a nice salary, but you still feel short of money. At the end of each month, you often ask yourself, “Where has all my money gone”? To help you better run your salary, here come some money-saving tips.

First, you need to set goals to encourage yourself to save money. For example, you plan to have a good dress in one year, to have a car in two years’ time or to buy a house in five years.

Second, form money-saving habits and stay away from the ones that waste money. Learn to keep a diary of how much you spend and what it’s for. Think twice before using money on expensive skin care products(护肤品). The best way to keep your skin in good condition is enough sleep.

Third, pay attention to your daily things. Leave no more than one light on when you leave home. Buy vegetables from a market where vegetables are less expensive and fresher, not a supermarket. When going to a supermarket, take a notebook with you. Write down what you want to buy.

Fourth, save your social life. Take the dishes that haven’t been eaten up away for next day when you have dinner in a restaurant. When it’s your turn to offer a meal, invite your friends to your home, and cook the dinner yourself. If you are to attend a party and an expensive present is needed, ask several friends to go together to share a present.

1.The passage is mainly about          .

A. four ways to save money

B. how to set goals to save money

C. where to keep money  

D. how to live well with little money

2.Which of the following does the author favor?

A. Have some good skin care products.    

B. Enough sleep does good to skin.

C. All things in supermarkets are expensive.

D. Vegetables in a market taste good.

3.If you want to save money, you should           .

A. have dinner in a restaurant                    

B. buy dishes in a restaurant and eat at home

C. invite friends home and cook yourself 

D. attend a party alone

4.Which of the following is NOT suggested by the author?

A. Making a plan saving money.         

B. Forming habits of saving money.

C. Cutting down the prices when buying things.

D. Leaving few lights on when you leave home.

双向翻译（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）

请根据上下文内容，将文中划线部分译成汉语或者英语。

You may feel curious about students in other countries: Do they also have so much homework? 61.他们在课余时间做些什么事儿呢？

On April 8, a report came out on the lives of high school students in China, Japan, South Korea and the US. It surveyed around 6,200 students from the four countries last year. You will find the answers to many of your questions in this report.

Who studies hardest?

62. 中国学生把他们的绝大部分时间花在学习上。Nearly half of Chinese students spend more than two hours on their homework every day. That’s much more than students of the US (26.4%), Japan (8.2%) and South Korea (5.2%).

Who sleeps most often in class?

63. Japanese students fall asleep in class most often. About 45% of them said they sometimes doze off (打瞌睡) in class. In South Korea, it’s 32%; in the US, 21%; and 5% in China.

South Korean students don’t like taking notes. About 70% said they write down what the teacher says in class, many fewer than in Japan (93%), China (90%) and the US (89%).

Who is the most distracted (分心的)?

64. American students are the most active in class, but also the most distracted: 64.2% said they chat with friends in class; 46.9% said they eat snacks in class; and 38.9% said they send e-mails or read unrelated books in class.

What do they do after school?

65. In their spare time, most Chinese students study or surf the Internet. Most American students hang out with their friends. Most Japanese students do physical exercises. Most Korean students watch TV.

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