My destination is the River Walk, one of the most popular places in all of Texas. In the first half of 20th century, to control flooding, the city fathers began redirecting the San Antonio River. They built a network of canals that pass through the downtown area. At nearly every street corner, stairs lead down to walkways on both sides of the canals.

The River Walk is linked with cafes, bars, shops --- and, of course, plenty of bridges. You can easily cross over to the other side without having to return to the street. It’s a constant party along the River Walk, with music and festivals throughout the year. The Mud Festival, for example, takes place each January, when the city empties this section of the river to clean it out. That’s when the Mud King and Mud Queen are crowned.

No visit to Texas would be complete without seeing a rodeo --- another aspect of this part of the country that is completely foreign to someone from New England. The announcer walks on stage and gets the crowd excited with talk about the courageous cowboys who’ll be performing. While he’s talking, a band plays sad songs about love gone wrong.

Suddenly the announcer calls for silence. He takes off his tall hat and asks us to join him in prayer. We pray for the cowboys who are, we are told, risking their lives to entertain us, as well as for the bulls and other animals taking part in the shows. We pray for the tourists who are visiting. The rodeo gets going and the fun begins.

Our prayers for the cowboys and animals are answered, and nobody gets hurt. But as we walk over to the cowboy dance hall after the show to enjoy a Texas-size barbecue, it’s clear that not enough prayers were said for the bulls’ less athletic relatives --- the ones not chosen for rodeo work. They’ll be our meal. It seems that moving too slowly has its disadvantages, too.

What do you know about the River Walk from the article?

A. People hold parties to celebrate festivals here every day.

B. It refers to the sidewalks on either side of this section of the San Antonio River.

C. There are many bridges that connect the River Walk and the Main Street.

D. Stairs link the River Walk to cafes, bars and shops in the street.

Which of the following statements about Mud festival is NOT true?

A. Mud Festival dates back to the first half of 20th century.

B. Mud Festival is held in January every year.

C. Mud King and Mud Queen are chosen in the festival

D. Mud Festival is celebrated to clear the mud of the San Antonio River.

What does the underlined word “rodeo” refer to?

A. One aspect of the American country life. B. The concert given by a band.

C. The cowboys’ performance. D. The grand Texas-size barbecue.

Why do some bulls become the visitors’ meal?

A. Because they do not run as fast as those taking part in the shows.

B. Because the visitors do not pray enough for them before the shows.

C. Because they lose the competition to their relatives in the shows.

D. Because they are only beef cattle intended as people’s food.

Which of the following words can NOT be used to describe the writer’s mood?

A. light-hearted       B. excited          C. anxious        D. humorous

For some minutes, all was quiet in the street. Then from across the street someone came walking.
It looked like a man of middle height, dressed in a big raincoat, a soft hat and rubber-soled boots or shoes, and making little sound while walking. No one was in sight. It was a street with two rows of about fifty small houses and there were three lamps on either side. The lamp nearest to the child’s house could be seen clearly, but the others were almost hidden by the smoky air. A car passed the end of the street and its lights showed faintly,but clearly enough to show the smooth skin of a woman’s face. The car disappeared as the woman, wrapped up in her coat, reached the doorway of the child’s house. She put a key in the lock quickly, pushed the door open and stepped inside, then closed the door without looking round. She began to breathe hard.
She leaned against the door for a moment, then straightened up as if with an effort, and walked towards the door of the front room, the passage leading to the kitchen, and the narrow staircase. She hesitated outside the door, then went up the stairs quickly but with hardly a sound. There was enough light from the narrow hall to show the four doors leading off a small landing(楼梯平台). She pushed each door open in turn and shone a torch inside, and the light fell upon beds, walls, furniture, a bathroom hand-basin, a mirror which flashed brightness back; but this was not what the woman was looking for. She turned away and went downstairs, and hesitated again at the foot of the stairs, then turned towards the kitchen. Clearly there was nothing there, or in the small washroom that she wanted. Two rooms remained; the front room and a smaller one next to it. She opened the front room door. After a moment, she saw the child’s bed and the child.
【小题1】The lights of the car passing the end of the street showed that ______.

A.a woman was driving the car
B.someone was standing by a street lamp.
C.a man and a woman were walking up the street.
D.a woman was walking by herself up the street.
【小题2】After the woman closed the front door, she ___________.
A.looked round quicklyB.started breathing again
C.rested before movingD.walked straight towards the front door
【小题3】 When she was upstairs, the woman _______.
A.saw that there was a wash-basin in each room
B.noticed a mirror which she was looking for
C.found a torch in one of the rooms
D.opened four different doors
【小题4】 Once she was in the house, the woman behaved as if what she was looking for ____
A.might be in the kitchen
B.was more likely to be upstairs
C.would be easily seen by the light from the hall
D.would look frightening to a child

The First Day at My Senior High School
Today is September1,2012.It is the first day of my senior high school.Everything in the school is new to me.
The school is very modern. The gate of the school is artistic(艺术的). When you go through the main gate,you can see a high stadium (体育场)on the left side of the road, which has a 400-meter runaway and a soccer field with green grass. Buildings are tall and beautiful. The library is the most attractive building on the right side of the main road. There are many green trees and colorful flowers on both sides of the roads. The classrooms are amazing. They are big, clean and bright. In each classroom, there is a computer and a big screen,through which our teachers can show us tests,photos, and so on.
In my class, there are 60 students. We don’t know each other, but we are all friendly.Everyone has a smile on his/her face. When we meet, we always say “Hello”to each other.
Most of our teachers are young. Some students think young teachers cannot teach well, but I do not think so. In my opinion,young teachers are very energetic and easy to make friends with. What’s more, they may have a lot of new teaching methods.
I love my new school very much. I hope, in my new school, I can learn more from my teachers and make progress together with my classmates.
【小题1】The writer’s new school is a very _________one.  

A.strangeB.modernC.artisticD.amazing
【小题2】according to the passage,which of the following is NOT true? 
A.Green trees and colorful flowers are planted on either side of the roads.
B.The library is on the right of the main road, while the stadium is on the left. 
C.The soccer field is outside of the school yard.
D.The classrooms are big, clean and bright.
【小题3】The writer thinks differently from other students about _________in the school.
A.teaching methodsB.classesC.young teachersD.buildings
【小题4】From the passage, we can know that _______.
A.The writer’s new school is the best school.
B.All students in this school like old teachers. 
C.Students say Hello to each other to introduce themselves.
D.The writer loves his new school at first sight.


For most of us, our house is our home base, and having a happy and pleasant vibe (氛围) in all of our rooms is important.
1. ... Adding color to any room can help you feel more cheerful, and it can be done pretty quickly! Consider painting just one wall a lively color. A bright red, a peaceful green or even a lively yellow completely changes the feel.
2. ... First of all, think flower power! Fresh flowers are very easy to get at your local grocery market, and they make any room seem more alive. Plants have the same positive effect. Another way to celebrate life is to surround yourself with images of friends and family. Don’t keep your photos in albums or in your computer. Put them up on the walls to remind yourself of your favorite times and your favorite people.
3. ... The more points of light in any room, the better it will be. Especially as the days are getting shorter, having warm lighting will help you feel full of energy and alive through the winter months. In your bedroom, put a lamp on either side of your bed. Installing dimmers (调光器) is also a simple and inexpensive way to make the mood of a room easy to change. At dimmers.net, for example, you can get a dimmer for just $17.75.
4. ... You begin and end almost every day in your bedroom, so make the room comfortable! Have proper bedding and pillows (枕头). Keep your bedroom as tidy as possible, and remove anything that will interfere with your sleep. Get your new pillows and bedding at bedbathandbeyond.com.
5. Take control It’s this simple: Clear space =" A" clear mind. Keep desktops, countertops and tabletops open. Put the papers, files and other things away. Not only will your home feel cleaner, it will feel a whole lot bigger!
1. What’s the purpose of this passage?
A. To tell us what is a good life.  
B. To tell us how to decorate our houses.
C. To give us some tips on how to have a better mood.
D. To tell us how to have a happy and comfortable home.
2. What does the underlined phrase “interfere with” mean?
A. Get in the way of.                    B. Protect from.
C. Deal with.                       D. Keep away from.
3. Match each of the first four tips with one of the following titles.
a. Get comfortable.
b. Celebrate life.
c. Let there be light.
d. Color your way to happiness.
A. 1-d 2-c 3-a 4-b                  B. 1-a 2-b 3-c 4-d
C. 1-d 2-b 3-a 4-c            D. 1-d 2-b 3-c 4-a
4. In which section of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?
A. Teaching.          B. Family.      C. Housing.   D. Life.

“Hey, Jenna, do you think we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty-two?” I asked my friend.It was clear that she was wondering where I had come up with such a question.Losing Jenna would be like losing a very close sister.We hung out together.We gave each other advice.

         “Of course, we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty-two.” Jenna announced loudly.

         The next year, in the fourth grade, we met Jamie.The three of us soon became close friends.We played together almost every day.I thought even time couldn’t pull us apart, but I was sadly mistaken.

         The three of us started fighting a lot.Before Christmas, we had a really big fight, and Jamie and Jenna were against me, both saying I was bossy.I felt helpless and lonely.I thought Christmas would be horrible!

         I was surprised when Jenna came to my house and gave me an awesome Christmas card she had made for me.I was so sure that she was still disappointed with me.

         “Wow, ” I said, breaking the silence as we stood on either side of my front door.“Thanks.”

         “Okay…well…I have to go,” she said softly.

         “Okay.See you later then…” and I closed the door.

         “Who was that at the door?” my mum asked.

         The card started off with “Merry Christmas”, but then it said, “I am so glad we’re friends.I am sorry about what I said when we were fighting.A fight won’t stop us from being friends.Besides, we said we were going to be friends even when we’re eight-two.”

         I stopped reading and started laughing.I couldn’t believe I had forgotten what she said that day in her backyard.I couldn’t believe I had been so selfish in making my friends feel sorry for me that I had forgotten about real friendship.

1.How would the author and Jenna get along with each other after Christmas?

A.They would be close friends again.

B.They would not speak to each other.

C.They would lose touch with each other.

D.They would go on fighting with each other.

2.The underlined sentence “I was bossy” in the fourth paragraph means “_________”.

A.I looked like a boss      B.I acted as a boss

C.I was fond of giving orders  D.I was fond of fighting

3.Which of the following is the right time order according to the passage?

a.Jamie became our friend.

           b.I felt lonely and unhappy.

           c.Jenna, Jamie and I fought a lot.

           d.Jenna brought me a Christmas card.

           e.I was sorry for what I did to her.

           f.Jenna and I promised to be lifelong friends.

A.f a b c e d          B.a c f b d e        C.a b c f e d   D.f a c b d e

4.The author was delighted when she read the card from Jenna because _________.

A.what Jenna wrote was funny

B.Jenna would be her friend again

C.she was happy about the coming Christmas

D.she was happy to receive a Christmas card

 

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