第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）

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。

Bus rides are a necessary part of almost any long-term trip. 　　16　 　Unless flight prices suddenly rapidly drop, buses are going to continue to be the preferred method of transportation for any budget traveler and we’re all just going to have to learn to deal with it.

First, you have to mentally (精神上) prepare yourself. You cannot get on a bus thinking it will be over in a minute when in fact you will be stuck in that seat for the next 20 hours.　 　　17　 　Will you sleep? Listen to music? Read? Watch a movie? Perhaps you can do a combination of all of those things, but any way, make sure you have some ideas.

　 18　 　Do you really want to suffer with 2 dead legs and a stiff back just to save a little money? Make a decision based more on your sanity (理智) than your pocket. If you are going to be on the bus for an extended period of time, look into the different types of buses available.

Never forget food. Even if the bus company claims you will be served a meal or snacks, you should really pack your own. 　　19　 　You also run the risk of unexpected delays. Sometimes, that meal is supposed to hold you over for 10 hours instead of 5. Nothing makes a bus ride seem longer like a growling stomach.

Prepare yourself for noise. 　20　 　You might hear a conversation you wish you didn’t have to overhear. You could also get seated next to someone with a screaming baby. Bring along earplugs, an iPod and patience.

A. Don’t forget your camera.

B. The meals on buses might not always satisfy you.

C. You must make sure you choose the bus wisely.

D. However, in my experience, buses tend to be very cold.

E. Buses are going to have noises that you wish they didn’t.

F. They are cheap and convenient but not always comfortable or fast.

G. Try to plan how you will occupy your mind during those hours.

D

American psychologists have found that knowing an experience is about to come to an end makes people enjoy it even more.

“Endings affect us in lots of ways, and one is this kind of positive effect,” said researcher Ed O’Brien. “It’ll give you motivation (激励). You think, ‘I’d better gain the benefits of this experience even though it’s going to end,’ or ‘I want to get something good out of this while I still can.’ When you simply tell people something is the last, they may like that thing more.”

In the study, fifty-two students were asked to pick five chocolates of different flavours in random (任意的) order from a hidden pocket inside a bag, and rank how much they enjoyed it on a scale (等级) of one to five. Some of the students were told when they were about to eat the last chocolate, while others were not given any warning. The last chocolate was found to be the favourite among the students 64% of the time, regardless of the flavour. Among the students who didn’t realize they were on their last chocolate, the last one was ranked favourite just 22% of the time.

“Many experiences have happy endings — from the movies we watch to dessert at the end of a meal — and so people may have a general expectation that things end well,” Mr. O’Brien said.

But he added that the findings of the “little chocolate test” could have wider implications (暗示). For example, the professor marking the last exam paper may give it a higher grade even if it’s not as good as the ones previously marked. And employers may be more likely to give a job to the applicant (求职者) who was interviewed last.

12. The second paragraph tells us that knowing something is ending, 　　　.

　 　 A. people will feel disappointed　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. people will become proud

　 　 C. people will become inspired　　 　　　　　　　　　　　 D. people will become nervous

13. We can learn from the text that 　　　.

　 　 A. those students were divided into three groups

　 　 B. about forty-two students took part in the study

　 　 C. those who weren’t warned didn’t like the last chocolate

　 　 D. those who were warned liked the last chocolate better

14. Who may be most likely to cause the positive effect?

　 　 A. The student who is latest for school.

　 　 B. The last passenger who gets on the bus.

　 　 C. The last employee who finishes the project.

　 　 D. The last person who gives a performance.

15. Which of the following might be the best title for the text?

　 　 A. The last chocolate tastes best

　 　 B. The best chocolate is in the box

　 　 C. The ending of an experience makes people happier

　 　 D. The latest study helps solve a puzzling problem

C

Hello,

I can give you a first-hand experience since my wife and I visited Havelock Island last year.　

Arriving at Havelock, you will be so attracted by the beauty of Radhanagar Beach that you try to forget the crocodile (鳄鱼) incident. We were led off the beach at sunset by a local policeman who patrolled (巡逻) along the beach. We also found that almost nobody was in the water along the long beach. The few that were in the water were up to their waist or so. I don’t want to discourage you from going but it’s just worth knowing this is a very wild place where it would be possible to see many types of wild animals, including crocodiles.

During our week on the island, I went diving at several sites, all of which were a long distance from Havelock. We spent about 45 minutes crossing the mangroves (红树林) in waist-deep water at times in order to get to the beach. If there are crocodiles on Havelock, I would say they would be there since the conditions are ideal for them — lots of mud and hot pools of still water. Returning from Elephant Beach we got lost in the mangroves for over 2 hours and my wife started to get quite nervous. So if you go through the mangroves to get to Elephant Beach, be sure to mark the route you take to get back, since the path is almost impossible to find unless you know exactly where it is.

In summary, I would say that if you don’t mind taking your holiday with some caution in not being as free to swim in the water as you want, then I would say you’ll have a good time on and around Havelock Island.

Hope this helps.　　　

　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Jack

8. What’s the author’s main purpose in writing the letter?

　　 A. To attract more visitors to Radhanagar Beach.

　　 B. To introduce wild animals on Havelock Island.

　　 C. To warn about the danger on Havelock Island.

　　 D. To share some knowledge about crocodiles.

9. We can infer from the text that 　　　.

　　 A. Radhanagar Beach is not open to visitors

　　 B. Havelock Island is the best place for divers

　　 C. a crocodile incident probably once happened on Havelock

　　 D. the author feels regret for his visit to Havelock Island

10. Why does the author believe crocodiles exist in the mangroves?

　　 A. Because he saw much mud and hot water pools there.

　　 B. Because there was almost nobody swimming there.

　　 C. Because he saw many types of wild animals there.

　　 D. Because his wife saw signs of crocodiles in the water.

11. During his visit to Havelock Island, the author once 　　　.

　　 A. got fined by a policeman on Radhanagar Beach

　　 B. got lost on the way back from Elephant Beach

　　 C. was attacked by wild animals in the mangroves

　　 D. was warned by swimmers to stay away from the water

B

It took me 16 years to realize that my black is beautiful. I have believed the fact that indeed my black is beautiful now. This skin I was in for so many years determined my self worth.

I had so many factors “against” me in my mind. I was a tall, thin, dark-skinned girl with a gap-toothed smile and a head full of curly (卷曲的) hair. Growing up, the only role model that I had was my mother, a beautiful brown and deep complexion (肤色). It’s amazing how I could find beauty in my mother’s complexion but not my own. One of the most outstanding memories of my childhood is that terrible word “Oh, she is so cute for a dark-skinned little girl”. People spoke as if I wasn’t in the room.

From a young age, I felt shame that my black wasn’t good enough; so I buried myself in books to stay away from the mirror. I knew that my education would and could take me further than my looks. I stopped watching TV, absorbed in my studies and I was happy with my decision. Now I have been admitted to my ideal Coppin State University, which is all for the black students and has a long history.

I came to a breaking point where I had, for 16 years, been brainwashed to agree to the European standard of beauty. I no longer accept this standard, because I set my own. My black is beautiful including my full lips, the wideness of nose, and the intensity (明亮) of my eyes. I refuse to follow their standard of beauty and they can set their sights elsewhere. I believe that there are plenty of beautiful dark-skinned women in the world.

4. When she was young, the author 　　　.

　　 A. thought that her skin was beautiful

　　 B. wasn’t satisfied with her own appearance　

　　 C. thought that her mother was not beautiful

　　 D. didn’t mind others’ opinions about her looks

5. We can learn from the text that 　　　.

　　 A. the author was a tall and thin girl with perfect teeth

　　 B. people praised the author for her attractive appearance　

　　 C. others always spoke ill of the author behind her back

　　 D. the author worked hard at her lessons and succeeded

6. How did the author break away from her unhappiness?　

　　 A. She focused her minds on her study.

　　 B. She watched TV and read a lot of books.

　　 C. She decided to take the college examination.

　　 D. She hid her mirrors where she couldn’t find them.

7. The text mainly tells us 　　　.

　　 A. dark-skinned women are often looked down upon

　　 B. black women are the most beautiful in the world

　　 C. the change of the author’s standard of beauty

　　 D. how the author’s skin helped her succeed

A

Teachers have so much to do with not enough time, and many of the things they need help with can be done right in your own home. This is a good way to have some fun with your children and show them your dedication to their education. Even if you’re not helping their teacher, your children will still see that you care.　

Some of the things I’ve done for my daughter’s elementary school are sharpening pencils for her classmates, gluing student portraits to construction paper, and cutting out flash cards. My daughter was eager to help with all of these projects, and they took us not more than an hour to complete each. Usually the teachers give you a few days to a week or sometimes more to complete them — so you can do this on your schedule. These are things your child can help with and can help the little ones with their math skills at the same time.

There are some more complicated (复杂的) projects that take a bit more time, but you’re not required to do those if you can’t spare the time. I am always on the computer, so I offered my time to update the PTA section of my daughter’s school website. It took a matter of minutes to get the training from our school librarian, who maintains (维护) the rest of the school website, and I could keep it updated in my sleeping dress at home. I’ve probably spent at most a half hour over the last year working on the website, and I still feel like I’m doing something for the school.

1. The underlined word “dedication” in Paragraph 1 probably means “　　　 ”.

　　 A. impression　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. determination　

　　 C. organization　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. contribution

2. According to the author, those take-home projects 　　　.

　　 A. never included sharpening pencils for a classmate

　　 B. usually took them at most an hour to complete each

　　 C. helped her gain much team work experience

　　 D. helped her develop a good relation with teachers

3. What can we learn from the text about the website project?

　　 A. It may take a week or so to complete.

　　 B. It is offered along with a computer.

　　 C. It requires some technical training.

　　 D. It can be completed in several minutes.

第二节 书面表达 (满分25分)

某中学生英语学习网站正在举行以“友谊”为主题的征文活动，请你根据以下要点提示写一篇征文稿。

要点：

1. 简要介绍自己的一个朋友；

2. 描述他/她对自己的帮助；

3. 谈谈自己的感受。

注意：

1. 120词左右；

E

Yesterday I’ve seen a lot of people on my Twitter and Facebook wishing everybody a happy friend’s day, or friendship day. I did not know it was such a day, and this morning I went on to Google about it (as I do with everything...).

The International Friendship Day usually falls on the first Sunday of August, in many places in the world. Of course, there are other places in the world that celebrate a Friendship Day on another date. On the 27th of April 2011, though, the United Nations declared the 30th of July as International Friendship Day.

There are times when we find it hard to discuss matters with our family members, and now friends come to our support. They guide us and encourage us. And the best part is we don’t really need to put things in words when communicating with our best friends. Most often friends understand us, just by looking at us or hearing our voice. This heart-to-heart connection makes friendship so special.

Friendship needs to be nurtured (培养) with love and care. Therefore express our feelings and warmth to our friends. We may do this by sending flowers, cards or wrist bands. We may also do this by being together with a friend in times of joy or sorrow.

At times we get so busy in our daily lives that we start taking our friends for granted. It is the celebration of Friendship Day that reminds us that we must cherish (珍惜) our friends and the important role they play in our lives. We must therefore celebrate Friendship Day and let our friendship soar to a newer height.　　

51. According to the passage, the writer usually 　　　　when he doesn’t understand something.

　　 A. turns to his friends for help

　　 B. watches TV for information

　　 C. goes to the library for information

　　 D. searches for information on the Internet

52. Which of the following is NOT mentioned to express our love for our friends?

　　 A. Emails. 　　　 B. Flowers.　　　　 C. Cards. 　　　　　　 D. Wrist bands.

53. The writer thinks that celebrating Friendship Day is to make people 　　　.

　　 A. have fun　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. make more friends

　　 C. value friendship　 　　　　　　　　　 D. forget sorrow　

54. Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?

　　 A. The world celebrates Friendship Day on the same day.

　　 B. We need to take care of friendship to keep it going.

　　 C. You needn’t say so many words to make friends understand you.

　　 D. It shows your concern to be together with friends when they are happy or sad.

55. The main purpose of the last paragraph is to show 　　　.

　　 A. the importance of friends　　　　 B. the importance of Friendship Day

　　 C. how to take care of friendship　 D. how to cherish friendship

D

What happens when we want to do something impossible? It may seem unlikely, but it is our true nature. It may seem silly, but it is our heart’s purpose.

Once there was a strong camel. She liked dancing very much. She wanted to be a ballet (芭蕾舞) dancer. “To make every movement a thing of beauty,” said the camel, “is my dream.”

Again and again she practiced. She repeated the five basic positions a hundred times each day. She worked for long months under the hot sun, but not once did she think of stopping.

At last the camel said, “Now, I am a dancer.” She gave a performance and danced before an invited group of friends. She did very well. When her dance was over, she made a deep bow.

There was no applause (鼓掌). Instead, everyone laughed at her.

“I must tell you frankly,” said one of her friends, “you are lumpy and humpy. You don’t have any talent in dancing. You are, like the rest of us, simply a camel. You are just an animal. You are not and never will be a ballet dancer!” With these words, they moved away across the sand, laughing and joking.

“How wrong they are!” said the camel. “I have worked hard. I will be a good dancer. I will dance and dance just for myself.” That is what she did. It gave her many years of pleasure.

She practiced hard and made much progress in her dancing skills. Occasionally, the camel was chosen to perform at an animal party before her old friends. The camel was lucky because she knew exactly what she wanted and she never gave up.

47. Why did the camel want to become a ballet dancer?

　　 A. To show her great ability.　　　 B. To win applause from others.

　　 C. To prepare for a party.　　　　　　 D. To walk in a beautiful way.

48. What did the other camels think of the camel’s dancing at first?

　　 A. They thought poorly of it.　　　 B. They seemed calm about it.

　　 C. They enjoyed it excitedly.　　　 D. They were surprised at it.

49. Which of the following words can best describe the camel?

　　 A. Crazy.　　　　　 B. Confident.　 　 C. Proud.　　　　　　 D. Unlucky.

50. What can we learn from the story?

　　 A. Choose a job you are good at.　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Dance for the pleasure of others.

　　 C. Success results from hard work. 　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Dancing needs more practice.