When I was young, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never shouted at us for playing in his yard. I remembered him as a neighbor who was nicer than anyone else in the neighborhood.
When Dr. Gibbs was happy, he was planting trees. And his life’s goal was to make it a forest.
Dr. Gibbs had some interesting theories about planting. He talked about trees that weren’t watered would grow deep roots in search of water. So he never watered his trees. He planted an oak (橡树) and, instead of watering it every morning, he beat it with the rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Dr. Gibbs died a couple of years. Every now and again, I walk by his house and look at the trees that he planted twenty-five years ago. They’re very strong now.
I planted a couple of trees a few years later. I watered them regularly and took good care of them. Whenever a cold wind blows, they shake their leaves and branches.
The funny thing about those trees of Dr. Gibbs was that difficulty seemed to help them in ways comfort and ease never could

  1. 1.

    What was Dr. Gibbs’ life goal?

    1. A.
      To build a forest
    2. B.
      To save more lives
    3. C.
      To make a lot of money
    4. D.
      To study plants
  2. 2.

    One of Dr. Gibbs’ theories about planting was that ______

    1. A.
      he often talked to the trees
    2. B.
      he kicked the trees heavily
    3. C.
      he never watered the trees
    4. D.
      he buried the leaves around the roots
  3. 3.

    What does the writer mainly want to tell us?

    1. A.
      Trees are not as weak as we think
    2. B.
      We should listen to others’ advice
    3. C.
      Difficulty is necessary for growth
    4. D.
      Planting trees is good for the environment

Why 2012 was the best year ever
It may not feel like it, but 2012 has been the greatest year in the history of the world. Never has there been less hunger, less disease or more prosperity (繁荣). The West remains in the economic depression, but most developing countries are charging ahead, and people are being lifted out of poverty at the fastest rate ever recorded. The number of deaths caused by war and natural disasters is also mercifully low. We are living in a golden age.
Take global poverty as an example. In 1990, the UN announced Millennium Development Goals, the first of which was to halve the number of people in extreme poverty by 2015. It turned out this year that the target was met in 2008.
The doom-mongers (末世论者) will tell you that we cannot maintain worldwide economic growth without ruining our environment. But while the rich world’s economies grew by 6 per cent over the last seven years, fossil fuel (矿物燃料) consumption in those countries fell by 4 per cent. This remarkable achievement has nothing to do with green taxes or wind-farms. It is down to consumer demand for more efficient cars.
Advances in medicine and technology mean that people across the world are living longer. The average life span in Africa reached 55 this year. Ten years ago, it was 50. The number of people dying from Aids has been in decline for the last eight years. Deaths from malaria have fallen by a fifth in half a decade.
War has historically been human’s biggest killer. But in most of the world today, a generation is growing up that knows little of it. The Peace Research Institute in Oslo says there have been fewer war deaths in the last decade than any time in the last century.
Fifty years ago, the world was breathing a sigh of relief after the Cuban missile crisis. Young couples would discuss whether it was responsible to have children when the future seemed so dark. But now, it’s worth remembering that, in spite of all our problems, the forces of peace, progress and prosperity are prevailing (占优势)

  1. 1.

    What has caused the decrease in the fossil fuel consumption?

    1. A.
      People have to pay heavier taxes on fossil fuel
    2. B.
      There are more and more renewable resources now
    3. C.
      There is a sharp decline in the number of cars
    4. D.
      People are purchasing more energy-saving cars
  2. 2.

    Which of the following statements is TRUE?

    1. A.
      People don’t suffer from malaria any more
    2. B.
      There were many more war deaths in the last century
    3. C.
      The young generation shows little interest in war
    4. D.
      The number of Aids-affected people is declining
  3. 3.

    Which one does NOT help prove that 2012 was the best year ever?

    1. A.
      Fewer natural disasters occurred
    2. B.
      Global poverty relieved
    3. C.
      Cuban missile crisis ended
    4. D.
      Technology and medicine advanced
  4. 4.

    The author tries to inform people that _______

    1. A.
      2012 witnessed more advances in developed countries
    2. B.
      2012 brought us less starvation and more prosperity
    3. C.
      2012 saw economic growth as well as environmental destruction
    4. D.
      2012 provided us with a peaceful world free from conflicts

Two American scientists told the people in industrial nations that they would be much healthier if they ate more of the same kind of foods eaten by humans living more than 10,000 years ago. 
The scientists say that the human body has changed very little since human first appeared on earth, but the way we live has changed greatly. Our body has not been able to deal with these changes in life style and this has led to new kinds of sicknesses. These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times. So they are called “diseases of civilization”. Many cancers and diseases of the blood system, including heart attacks and strokes（中风） are examples of such diseases. 
Scientists noted that early stone-age people used very little alcohol or tobacco, probably none. Ancient people also got a great deal of physical exercise, but a change in food is one of the main differences between life in ancient times and life today. 
Stone-age people hunted wild animals for their meat, which had much less fat than farm animals. They also ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables, and fruits. They did not use milk and other dairy products, and they made very little use of grains. But today, we eat a large amount of dairy products and grain foods. We eat six times more salt than stone-age people. We eat more sugar. We eat twice as much fat but only one third as much protein and much less vitamin C. 
People today probably do not want to live as people thousands of years ago did, but scientists say that we would be much healthier if we ate as those ancient people did, cutting the amount of fatty, salty and sweet foods

  1. 1.

    The people in industrial nations would be much healthier if they ate ______

    1. A.
      more foods as humans living 10,000 years ago did
    2. B.
      as humans living 10,000 years ago ate
    3. C.
      more kinds of food eaten by people living over 10,000 years ago
    4. D.
      more of the same kinds of foods eaten by people over 10,000 years ago
  2. 2.

    New kinds of sicknesses have been found because ______

    1. A.
      the human body has changed compared with human first appearing on earth
    2. B.
      the way we live has changed a little
    3. C.
      our body can’t deal with the changes in life style
    4. D.
      the way we live today are improper for the human body
  3. 3.

    What is the main cause mentioned in the article why people suffer from a lot of new sicknesses?

    1. A.
      Ancient people did a great deal of physical exercise
    2. B.
      People today have a lot of alcohol
    3. C.
      People today have more tobacco
    4. D.
      Food is quite different between life today and life in ancient times

For several days I saw little of Mr. Rochester. In the morning he seemed very busy with business，and in the afternoon gentlemen from the neighborhood called and sometimes stayed to dine with him. When his foot was well enough，he rode out a great deal.
During this time，all my knowledge of him was limited to occasional meetings about the house，when he would sometimes pass me coldly， and sometimes bow and smile. His changes of manner did not offend me，because I saw that I had nothing to do with the cause of them.
One evening，several days later，I was invited to talk to Mr. Rochester after dinner. He was sitting in his armchair，and looked not quite so severe，and much less gloomy. There was a smile on his lips， and his eyes were bright，probably with wine. As I was looking at him，he suddenly turned， and asked me，“Do you think I am handsome，Miss Eyre? ”
The answer somehow slipped from my tongue before I realized it: “No，sir.” “Ah，you really are unusual! You are a quiet， serious little person， but you can be almost rude.” “Sir，I'm sorry. I should have said that beauty doesn't matter，or something like that，” “No，you shouldn't! I see，you criticize my appearance，and then you stab (刺) me in the back! You have honesty and feeling. There are not many girls like you. But perhaps I go too fast. Perhaps you have awful faults to counterbalance (抵消) your few good points.”
I thought to myself that he might have too. He seemed to read my mind，and said quickly，“Yes，you're right. I have plenty of faults. I went the wrong way when I was twenty-one，and have never found the right path again. I might have been very different. I might have been as good as you， and perhaps wiser. I am not a bad man，take my word for it，but I have done wrong. It wasn't my character，but circumstances which were to blame. Why do I tell you all this? Because you're the sort of person people tell their problems and secrets to， because you're sympathetic and give them hope.”
It seemed he had quite a lot to talk to me. He didn't seem to like to finish the talk quickly，as was the case for the first time.
“Don't be afraid of me， Miss. Eyre，”he continued. “You don't relax or laugh very much，perhaps because of the effect Lowood school has had on you. But in time you will be more natural with me，and laugh， and speak freely. You're like a bird in a cage. When you get out of the cage， you'll fly very high. Good night.”

  1. 1.

    At the beginning Miss Eyre's impressions of Mr. Rochester were all except_________

    1. A.
      busy
    2. B.
      sociable
    3. C.
      dull
    4. D.
      changeable
  2. 2.

    The underlined sentence means___________

    1. A.
      Only by meeting him around the house sometimes did I know a little about him
    2. B.
      Only by coming to the house could I know about him
    3. C.
      I occasionally met him but my knowledge about him was poor
    4. D.
      What I knew about him was limited in the house
  3. 3.

    From what Mr. Rochester told Miss Eyre，we can conclude that he wanted to ___________

    1. A.
      tell her all his troubles
    2. B.
      tell her his life experience
    3. C.
      blame her for misunderstanding him
    4. D.
      change his circumstances
  4. 4.

    At the end of the passage，Mr. Rochester sounded __________

    1. A.
      rude
    2. B.
      cold
    3. C.
      polite
    4. D.
      encouraging
  5. 5.

    According to the passage，which of the following statements is WRONG?

    1. A.
      Miss Eyre was atLowoodSchoolbefore she came to Mr. Rochester’s house
    2. B.
      Miss Eyre didn’t see Mr. Rochester often
    3. C.
      Miss Eyre was honest，brave and confident
    4. D.
      Miss Eyre was brave，polite and warm-hearted

My love affair with the sea began when I was no more than six years old, walking along the sandy beaches. I always wanted to make the first set of footprints in the wet sand.
Unlike many surfers who sought the perfect wave, my interests always lay beneath the sea’s surface in a world I could only imagine and dream of. Soon, wearing a snorkel and a mask, I made my first solo adventures in the deep.
Perhaps the greatest turning point in my life came when I was in high school and I wrote a letter to the famous Scripps Oceanographic Institution, in San Diego, asking how I might learn more about the sea.
A kind scientist answered my letter and told me how to apply to Scripps for a summer scholarship, which I received. During one of their cruises that summer, I met Dr. Robert Norris, a marine geologist. He loved the sea almost as much as I did. Soon he was asking me what my plans were and where I expected to attend college. I told him I didn’t know, so he suggested I consider his school, the University of California in Santa Barbara.
Now my love affair with the sea became a serious endeavor. If I wanted to be an undersea explorer, I needed to learn as much as I could about the laws of the physical world that controlled the environment I wanted to enter. The undersea world is not our natural world. It is unforgiving to those who make mistakes. At its greatest depths the water temperature is near freezing, the pressure is eight tons per square inch, and it is totally dark. It is easy to get lost in such a world. I needed to learn a lot about geography, navigation, meteorology, geology, biology, and many other things. While I was in school, I took a little of everything.
I decided another important thing for me to do was to join the U.S. Navy. If I was going to be an undersea explorer, I would have to lead men and women on dangerous adventures where they might get hurt, and I didn’t want that to happen. In the Navy I learned discipline, organization, and how to motivate and lead people on expeditions so that we could explore the wonders of the deep.
Finally, the time came to put all that I had learned to use, to go forth with a team of men and women and explore an adventure I am still on and hope to be on for many years to come

  1. 1.

    In Paragraph 5, the writer discusses “the laws of the physical world.”Which of the following is an example of one of the laws?

    1. A.
      Water pressure
    2. B.
      Various ocean animal life
    3. C.
      The appearance of the water
    4. D.
      The different colors of the ocean
  2. 2.

    In college, the writer took many different types of courses because he _____

    1. A.
      was not sure what he wanted to study
    2. B.
      was advised to take them by Dr. Robert Norris
    3. C.
      believed it would help him succeed in the Navy
    4. D.
      thought they were needed to fully understand the ocean
  3. 3.

    The writer joined the Navy to _______

    1. A.
      develop his leadership skills
    2. B.
      get along with people under stress
    3. C.
      learn about the dangers of the ocean
    4. D.
      gather specific information about ocean life
  4. 4.

    What would the writer recommend to students who want to be underwater explorers?

    1. A.
      Spend time examining your talents
    2. B.
      Join groups to learn to get along on a team
    3. C.
      Interview explorers to see if they are happy
    4. D.
      Study as many ocean-related topics as you can

Mexico's neighbours are the United States to the north and Guatemala and Belize to the south. Mexico is about one quarter of the size of the United States. Mexico has more than ninety million people. The language of Mexico is Spanish. This makes Mexico the world's largest Spanish-speaking country.
Mexico City is the capital and largest city of Mexico. The city is also very high. It is 7349 feet high (2240 metres). This makes it one of the highest capital cities in the world. The population, of Mexico City grows bigger every day. About thirty million people live there. It has more people than any other city in the world, even more than Tokyo.
Mexico also has its specialities. Many of the foods we eat started in Mexico. Foods like beans, maize, avocados, tomatoes, peanuts, chili peppers, vanilla, and chocolate come from Mexico. Mexico is also famous for its cactus (仙人掌) plants. Mexico has more kinds of cactus than any other country

  1. 1.

    Mexico is ____the US

    1. A.
      A. on the south of
    2. B.
      on the north of
    3. C.
      a part of
    4. D.
      as large as
  2. 2.

    Mexicans speak______

    1. A.
      English
    2. B.
      Spanish
    3. C.
      French
    4. D.
      Latin(拉丁语)
  3. 3.

    Which of the following is NOT true?

    1. A.
      Mexico City is the capital of Mexico
    2. B.
      The population of Mexico City is 30,000,000
    3. C.
      Tokyo is one of the cities with the largest population
    4. D.
      Mexico City is the highest city in the world
  4. 4.

    Tomatoes were originally (最初) grown in ______

    1. A.
      America
    2. B.
      Spain
    3. C.
      Tokyo
    4. D.
      Mexico
  5. 5.

    The best title (题目) of the passage is ___

    1. A.
      Mexico City
    2. B.
      Mexico's plants
    3. C.
      Mexico
    4. D.
      Mexico's population

The differences between men and women's friendships
Betty and Harold have been married for years. But one thing still puzzles (困扰) old Harold. How is it that he can leave Betty and her friend Joan sitting on the sofa, talking, go out to a ballgame, come back three and a half hours later, and they're still sitting on the sofa and talking?
What old Harold cannot understand or explain is the fact that women have so much to share.
Betty shrugs. Talk? We're friends.
Researching this matter called friendship, psychologist Lillian Rubin spent two years interviewing more than two hundred women and men. the results were completely clear: women have more friendships than men. Rubin's study shows that for emotional support a married woman is more likely to turn to a female friend.
"In general," writes Rubin in her new book, "women's friendships with each other lie on shared emotions and support, but men's relationships are marked by shared activities.”
“ Men keep their innermost(内心深处的) feelings to themselves. " Rubin writes, " Whereas(然而) a woman's closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage. However, a man by society doesn’t complain about his marriage trouble. it wasn't unusual to hear a man say he didn't know his friend's marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared one night asking if he could sleep on the sofa. "

  1. 1.

    What old Harold cannot understand or explain is the fact that ________

    1. A.
      he is treated as an outsider rather than a husband
    2. B.
      women have so much to share
    3. C.
      women show little interest in ballgames
    4. D.
      he find his wife difficult to talk to
  2. 2.

    Rubin's study shows that for emotional support a married woman is more likely to turn to _________

    1. A.
      a male friend
    2. B.
      a female friend
    3. C.
      her parents
    4. D.
      her husband
  3. 3.

    What do women's friendships with each other lie on in general?

    1. A.
      shared emotions
    2. B.
      support
    3. C.
      shared activities
    4. D.
      shared emotions and support
  4. 4.

    According to the last paragraph, which type of behavior is NOT expected of a man by society?

    1. A.
      Ending his marriage without good reason
    2. B.
      Spending too much time with his friends
    3. C.
      complaining about his marriage trouble
    4. D.
      going out to ballgames too often
  5. 5.

    What is the article about? ________

    1. A.
      happy and successful marriages
    2. B.
      friendships of men and women
    3. C.
      emotional problems in marriage
    4. D.
      interactions between men and women

Do you like football? If so, you can read the following passage and find that it is interesting. In almost every big university in the United States, football is a favorite sport. American football is different. Players sometimes kick the ball, but they also throw the ball and run with it. They try to take it to the other end of the field. They have four chances to move the ball ten yards（码）.
They can carry it or they can throw it. If they move the ball ten yards, they can try to move it another ten yards. If they move it to the end of the field, they receive six points.
It is difficult to move the ball. Eleven men on the other team try to stop the man with the ball. If he does not move the ball ten yards, his team kicks the ball the other team.
Each university wants its own team to win. Many thousands of people come to watch. They all shout for their favorite team. Young men and women come on the field to help the people shout more. They dance and jump while they shout.
Each team plays ten or eleven games each season. The season begins in September and ends in November. If a team is very good, it may play another game after the season ends. The best teams play again on January 1, the first day of the New Year. Many people go to see these games and many others watch them on TV

  1. 1.

    The passage talks about ___________

    1. A.
      football
    2. B.
      how to play football
    3. C.
      American sports
    4. D.
      American football
  2. 2.

    Why is it difficult to move the ball? Because ___________

    1. A.
      ten yards is a long way
    2. B.
      many men on the other team try not to let the ball come near
    3. C.
      the playing field is very large
    4. D.
      eleven men have to catch the ball one by one
  3. 3.

    If they _________, the teams will play on January 1

    1. A.
      receive six points
    2. B.
      play eleven games in the season
    3. C.
      are the best teams
    4. D.
      move the ball to the end of the field
  4. 4.

    Many people come to watch football and they want their team to win. Which of the following is not their act?

    1. A.
      Jumping
    2. B.
      Dancing
    3. C.
      Crying
    4. D.
      Shouting

The organization representing British universities has expressed concern about the potential effect of tuition fees（学费）after figures showed a drop of more than 6% in student applications with less than a month to go before the deadline for 2013 applications.
Data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) showed there were 265,784 university applications by UK-based candidates up to 17 December, 6.3% down on the parallel period in the admissions cycle the year before. While this is less than the 8.4% year-on-urea fall seen in earlier Ucas figures, released in mid-November, the coming January deadline makes it ever more likely that the total 2013 applicant figure will see a second sizeable fall following the introduction of annual fees of up to ￡9,000.
Nicola Dandridge, the chairman of Universities UK, said : “However, we must be concerned about any drops in the numbers applying to university and in particular, we must look closely at how the increase in graduate contributions in England may be affecting the decisions of promising students. However ,the December figures show a drop in numbers across the UK, suggesting that it is not only a question of tuition fees in England putting off from applying.”
A report of the Uncas figures to mid-December shows a 6.5% fall for applicants in England and 11.7% for those in Wales, with smaller drops of 3.9% for Scotland and 0.5% for Northern Ireland. Scottish students at home institutions pay on fees, while those from Northern Ireland have fees capped to ￡3,575 for Northern Irish universities.
Dandridge added: “No one should be put off applying to university because of worries about finance.”
“It is important that no one is put off applying to university because they do not have information about the student support available to them. Most new students don’t need to pay directly. There will be more financial support for those from poorer families and everyone will make lower loan repayments than they do now once they are in well paid jobs.”

  1. 1.

    A drop of more than 6% for 2013 applications is probably the effect of        

    1. A.
      the increased tuition fees
    2. B.
      the approaching deadline
    3. C.
      the concern from applicants
    4. D.
      the difficulties with applications
  2. 2.

    Compared with the previous year, the fall in student applications is         

    1. A.
      3.9%
    2. B.
      6%
    3. C.
      6.3%
    4. D.
      8.4%
  3. 3.

    Why is the fall for application the smallest in Scotland and Northern Ireland?

    1. A.
      Because they have more financial support
    2. B.
      Because the tuition is much cheaper for them
    3. C.
      Because the education is better there
    4. D.
      Because the universities are free for them
  4. 4.

    Which of the following is true?

    1. A.
      The application for universities is on a rise continuously
    2. B.
      The fall for applications is due to family problems
    3. C.
      The education in Scotland and Northern Ireland is worse
    4. D.
      The rise of tuition fees has an effect on applications
  5. 5.

    The last paragraph tells us that        

    1. A.
      everyone should apply to university
    2. B.
      students may get financial supports
    3. C.
      lower loan repayments is unavailable
    4. D.
      most new students will not pay fees

On the River Thames there are a number of boat races every year and these have become very popular with the public. Perhaps the best–known of these races is the University Boat Race. This takes place just before Easter every year and is a competition between teams from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. They row from Putney to Mertlake, a distance of about four and a quarter miles. This race has been taking place almost every year since 1829

  1. 1.

    The best – known of these races is ______.

    1. A.
      the Boat Race of the University of Oxford
    2. B.
      the Boat Race of the University of Cambridge
    3. C.
      the Boat Race of the Olympic Games
    4. D.
      the University Boat Race
  2. 2.

    Generally, the Boat Race takes place ______.

    1. A.
      once a year
    2. B.
      twice a year
    3. C.
      every three years
    4. D.
      every other year
  3. 3.

    The words “Putney” and “Mertlake” are ______.

    1. A.
      names of places
    2. B.
      names of teams
    3. C.
      names of boat races
    4. D.
      names of universities
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