When introducing American universities, some of the first institutions to mention are the Ivy League schools. Originally, the Ivy League was an athletic conference made up of 8 private institutes of higher learning in northeastern United States. However, as time went on, these schools also became known for their excellence in academics besides athletics. Until now, these 8 schools have been recognized as some of the best colleges and universities in the United States.

Harvard University is a private institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The university includes a number of graduate and professional schools, as well as a college for undergraduates. In 2012, Harvard ranked number one in US News’ ranking of national universities again. Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institute of higher education in the United States. It can be said that first there was Harvard, then the United States of America. Also, Harvard’s library contains the oldest collection of books in the United States as well as the largest private collection in the world. Harvard has also been described by Forbes Magazine as one of the “billionaire universities” as of their recent list of 469 billionaires, 50 received a degree from Harvard.

Harvard College (the institute for undergraduate students) is one of the most famous schools in the United States. It offers over 40 undergraduate fields of study, including astrophysics, mathematics, neurobiology(神经生物学), etc. And the financial aid program there is amazing. Even though the tuition is about 37,576, and there are other expenses throughout the year, about 70% of undergraduate students received financial aid. Out of those students, over 90% of them had their full need met. And the policies for international students are the same for U.S. citizens.

Harvard College is very selective, as it only admits about 6% of their applicants. For admission into Harvard College, it is required that students take the SAT or the ACT, as well as 2 SAT Subject Tests. Harvard will also look at other factors during admission such as your application essay, high school transcript, recommendations, and most importantly, your character and personal qualities.

1. What are the Ivy League schools famous for?

A. Athletics and location. B. Academics and history.

C. Financial aid and training. D. Athletics and academics.

2.Harvard University includes .

A. only one college

B. a number of colleges for undergraduates

C. a kindergarten, a middle school and a college

D. many graduate and professional schools and a college for undergraduates

3.Why is Harvard called one of the “billionaire universities”?

A. Because people can get a lot of money from Harvard.

B. Because there are 50 billionaires in Harvard.

C. Because nearly one ninth of the billionaires once studied in Harvard.

D. Because 469 billionaires sponsor Harvard.

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A. 90% students in Harvard have their full need met.

B. About 70% of undergraduate students received financial aid.

C. Harvard College is the institute for graduate students.

D. The policies for international students are different for U.S. Citizens.

They will be here in a minute, surely. I’ll just stare at my shoes a little while longer to pass the time. Wish I’d brought a book. Hang on, though, what if I’ve got the wrong day? The wrong place? Have the clocks gone back? No, damn it, I’m off home. Whoever I’m waiting for clearly lives in a different time zone from me.

I am always 10 minutes early, so if you’re 10 minutes late, I’ve been foot-tapping for 20 minutes. I know it’s not fair to hold the first 10 against you, but I just can’t help myself. I never wait more than 20 minutes beyond the meeting time we decided upon, not for anyone, ever.

OK, that’s not strictly true. I have, on occasion, hung around anxiously and heart-brokenly for up to an hour, but the bitter anger that follows is never a pretty sight. If you’ve made me wait that long, you will wish you hadn’t bothered turning up at all.

How come some people are always late and some are always on time? If I can manage to be punctual, why can’t you? Because I left a hot cup of coffee at home while you sat down to roll another cigarette. Because I spilled jam on my pants and quickly wiped it off whereas you took time to change your whole outfit. Because I switched off midway through a TV series, but you had to ride out the end, didn’t you? And don’t even think about blaming the traffic. How do you think I got here? By flying carpet? Only carelessness or arrogance (傲慢) can explain a habit of lateness.

Some people are always late because they can’t make realistic calculations about how long it takes to do things. There are 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour. Just deal with it. Painful as it may be, you have to accept that, as you’ve agreed to meet at eight and it’s now a quarter to, you don’t have time to phone your girlfriend.

Much worse, though, are those with big egos (自我). Being late is just rude. Being late on purpose really means that you hate the person you are meeting.

Of course, there are some perfectly lovely latecomers out there. I just never wait long enough to find out.

1.Which of the following words best describes how the author feels in the first paragraph?

A. Anxious. B. Curious.

C. Thankful. D. Joyful.

2.What does the author think contributes to people always being late?

a. Their big egos.

b. Traffic jams.

c. Their carelessness.

d. Being picky when choosing clothes.

e. Their realistic calculations of how long it takes to do things.

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

3.We can learn from the article that the author ___________.

A. is tolerant of people being late

B. has missed lots of meetings

C. has trouble getting along with others

D. has a strong preference for good timekeeping

4.According to the author, people should ____________.

A. be patient when waiting for a latecomer

B. keep in mind that being late is rude and selfish

C. always arrive 10 minutes early for an appointment

D. ask people around them to remind them about an appointment

You put a great deal of effort into reaching the college of your choice. It’s time to get started. But what’s next? Beginning college can be an exciting but awkward time. Follow these tips to adjust to your new life rapidly and make the most of your college experience.

● To save time and money, use the college’s bus system. Taking the bus to school is quick, easy and free in most college towns. You won’t have to locate or afford a place to park either. It’s also a good way to be environmentally aware.

● Save pennies on books by waiting until class starts. You might not even need all of the recommended books. New textbooks cost an arm and a leg. Try buying used textbooks — it’s a surefire way to save money and serves the purpose as well.

● Do never look at college life as an endless series of parties and social activities. But there is a whole lot more to college if you’re serious about graduating. Having a good college experience is all about balancing work and fun.

● Be aware that your living environment can largely affect your academic success. If the dorm doesn’t suit you, consider living at home with your family or renting your own apartment. The best location for your studies isn’t always your dorm. Find a quiet area, like the library, to do your work. Alternatively, buy some headphones that block out noise.

● Be mindful of your diet. Make healthy food choices and watch what you eat. Avoid foods that are processed or high in sugar. The “freshman 15” is real. Many college students gain at least 15 pounds during their freshmen year.

● While electives (选修课) can be helpful when figuring out your major, you shouldn’t entirely rely on them. Clubs and other organizations exist around. Get involved. Make sure, though, that you still have time to study. Having too much on your plate can hurt your grades.

1. Which of the following ideas can be financially wise?

A. Driving your own car. B. Buying used books.

C. Renting an apartment. D. Attending activities.

2.In the text, freshmen are repeatedly warned against ______.

A. academic failures B. physical problems

C. traffic accidents D. social activities

3.The “freshman 15” tells the fact that some freshmen ______.

A. attend limited activities on campus

B. have little regular physical exercise

C. focus less on their academic work

D. take relaxed attitudes to their diets

4.The underlined phrase “having too much on your plate” in the last paragraph probably refers to ______.

A. using too much money for meals

B. eating too many unhealthy foods

C. taking part in too many after-class activities

D. taking an elective that has too many students

“I will never marry, ” the future Elizabeth I declared at the age of eight, and, to the terror of her people, the Great Queen kept her word.

For four centuries, historians have guessed why Elizabeth never married. In her own day, her decision to remain single was considered absurd and dangerous. A queen needed a husband to make political decisions for her and to organize and lead her military campaigns. More important, she needed male heirs (继承人) to avoid a civil war after her death.

There was no shortage of suitors for the Queen, both English courtiers (朝臣) and foreign princes, and it was confidently expected for the best part of 30 years that Elizabeth would eventually marry one of them. Indeed, although she insisted that she preferred the single state, she kept these suitors in a state of permanent expectation. This was a deliberate policy on the Queen's part, since by keeping foreign princes in hope, sometimes for a decade, she kept them friendly when they might otherwise have made war on her kingdom.

There were, indeed, good political reasons for her avoiding marriage. The disastrous union of her sister Mary I to Philip II of Spain had had an unwelcome foreign influence upon English politics. The English were generally prejudiced against the Queen taking a foreign husband, particularly a Catholic one. Yet if she married an English, jealousy might lead to the separation of the court.

There were other deeper reasons for Elizabeth's unwillingness to marry, chief of which, I believe, was her fear of losing her autonomy as Queen. In the 16th century, a queen was regarded as holding supreme dominion(统治权)over the state, while a husband was thought to hold supreme dominion over his wife. Elizabeth knew that marriage and motherhood would bring some harm to her power.

She once pointed out that marriage seemed too uncertain a state for her. She had seen several unions in her immediate family break down, including that of her own parents. Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, had had her mother, Anne Boleyn, killed; her stepmother Catherine Howard later suffered the same fate. When Elizabeth was 14 she was all but attracted by Admiral Thomas Seymour, who also went to the prison within a year. Witnessing these terrible events at an early age, it has been argued, may have put Elizabeth off marriage.

Elizabeth had to decide her priorities. Marriage or being single? Elizabeth was far too intelligent. The choice she made was courageous and revolutionary, and, in the long run, the right one for England.

1.To the suitors including English courtiers and foreign princes, Elizabeth ________.

A. held back the truth

B. gave a definite answer “no”

C. kept them expecting on purpose

D. said she preferred the single state

2.If Elizabeth had married a foreign prince, there might have been ________.

A. prejudice against her

B. separation of the court

C. jealousy among English courtiers

D. a negative impact on English politics

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

A. Queen Elizabeth was not a Catholic.

B. Some foreign princes made war on Britain.

C. Catherine Howard was killed by Anne Boleyn.

D. Admiral Thomas Seymour was killed by Henry VIII.

4.What is the attitude of the author towards Queen Elizabeth never marrying in her life?

A. Pitiful. B. Approving. C. Negative. D. Neutral.

If you are sending a text message, watching TV or listening to the radio, you may stop and give this your full attention. Multi-tasking shrinks(使……萎缩) the brain, research suggests.

A study found that men and women who frequently used several types of technology at the same time had less grey matter in a key part of the brain. University of Sussex researchers said, “Using mobile phones, laptops and other media devices simultaneously could be changing the structure of our brains.”

Worryingly, the part of the brain that shrinks is involved in processing emotion. The finding follows research which has linked multi-tasking with a shortened attention span, depression, anxiety and lower grades at school.

The researchers began by asking 75 healthy men and women how often they divided their attention between different types of technology. This could mean sending a text message while listening to music and checking email, or speaking on the phone while watching TV and surfing the internet. The volunteers were then given brain scans which showed they had less grey matter in a region called the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC) (前扣带皮质). Scientists have proved that brain structure can be changed on exposure to fresh environments and experience.

Other studies have shown that training – such as learning to play magic tricks or taxi drivers’ learning the map of London – can increase grey-matter densities(密度) in certain parts.

Experts have also warned of the harmful impact technology can have on our memory and attention span. The University of California team conducted a survey of more than 18,000 people aged between 18 and 99, and found 20% had problems with memory. Researchers were shocked greatly by the 14% of 18 to 39-year-old people who also worried about their memories.

Multi-tasking may shorten attention span, making it harder to focus and form memories, the researchers said, adding that youngsters may be particularly affected by stress.

1.The underlined word "simultaneously" in Para.2 means _________.

A. on one’s own B. at no time

C. at the same time D. by accident

2. All of the following are possible effects of multi-tasking except _________.

A. saving time

B. a shortened attention span

C. lower grades at school

D. depression and anxiety

3.What can increase grey-matter densities?

A. Sending a text message while listening to music .

B. Students’ doing their homework.

C. Taxi drivers’ learning the map of London.

D. Speaking on the phone while watching TV.

4.Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A. Media multi-tasking is becoming more popular.

B. Multi-tasking shrinks the brain.

C. Multi-tasking may shorten attention span.

D. People are worried about their memories.

Breakfast has long been regarded as the most important meal of the day, vital for getting the body going and preventing overeating later on. 1.C to popular belief, the study found the first meal of the day had little impact 2. snacking or portion sizes later in the day.

The researcher added:“The 3. (信念) that breakfast is the ‘most important meal of the day’ is so widespread 4. many people are surprised to learn that there is a lack of scientific evidence5.

(表明）whether or how breakfast may directly cause changes in our health.6. is certainly true that people who regularly eat breakfast tend to be slimmer and healthier but these 7. (个人）also typically follow most other recommendations for a healthy lifestyle, so have more 8. b diets and take more physical exercise.”

In another study9.p this month, researchers at Birmingham 10.d volunteers into three groups. One skipped breakfast, others always ate it and a third continued with current diet. Four months later, no one in any group lost much weight.

高三学子要经历各种各样的考试，在考试中难免会遇到失利，这给同学们造成了很大的困扰。针对考试失利问题的利与弊及应对考试失利的做法，请用英语写一篇短文。

注意：

1. 词数120左右,开头语已为你写好，不计入总词数；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 文中不得透露个人姓名和学校名称。

Failure in Exams

As we all know, Senior Three students will experience various exams and it is hard to avoid failure sometimes, which greatly upsets them. Recently,

In most languages, a greeting is usually followed by “small talk”. Small talk means the little things we talk about at the start of a conversation. In English-speaking countries people often make small talk about the weather. “Nice day, isn’t it?” “Terrible weather, isn’t it?” But there is something special about small talk. It must be about something that both people have the same opinion about. The purpose of small talk is to let both people agree on something. This makes meeting people easier and more comfortable. In the UK people usually agree about the weather, so it is a safe topic for small talk. But people often disagree about religion or politics so these are not suitable topics for small talk. The topics for small talk also depend on where the conversation is taking place. At football matches, people make small talk about the game they are watching. “Great game, isn’t it?” At bus-stops, people may comment on the transport system. “The bus service is terrible, isn’t it?”

1.Small talk is ________.

A. a kind of conversation with short words

B. a greeting used when people meet each other

C. to let people disagree about something

D. something we talk about to start a conversation

2.The favorite topic of small talk for English people is _________.

A. the weather B. politics

C. games D. languages

3.The passage suggests that when we learn a language _________.

A. we should learn about the transport system of the country

B. we should only master the grammar and the vocabulary

C. we should learn the culture of the country

D. we should understand the importance of the language

4.When we say “Great game, isn’t it?”, we are in fact __________.

A. asking a question B. having a conversation

C. make a comment D. making small talk

Did you know that the position you choose to sleep in says something about what kind of person you are?

A study of 1,000 British people has been done by Chris, a British professor and director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service in the UK. It looked at the six most common sleeping positions and which personalities tend to match them. Have a look.

1. Fetus (胎儿) position – This is the most common sleeping position. About 41 percent of the participants said they sleep in this position. These sleepers may appear to be strong but they are usually sensitive (敏感的) and shy. The more they curl (蜷缩) up, the more worried they are.

2. Log position (树干睡姿) – This is the second most common position. People who sleep like a log are usually stubborn.

3. Yearner position (向往型睡姿) – This position says that you are open-minded and eager (急切的) to face challenges.

4. Soldier position – These sleepers lie on their backs with their arms down and close to the body. They are usually reserved and quiet.

5. Freefall position – People who sleep in this position are outgoing (外向的) but feel a lack of control in their lives. This is the least comfortable position.

6. Starfish position – People who sleep like this are good listeners, helpful, and uncomfortable being the center of attention.

1.What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Sleeping position decides personality.

B. Sleeping position reflects personality.

C. What the six different sleeping positions are like.

D. Different people have different sleeping positions.

2.According to the passage, which of the following statements is correct?

A. Those sleeping in fetus position are always strong.

B. Those sleeping in log position changes their ideas easily.

C. Those sleeping in freefall position usually feel uncomfortable in their lives.

D. Those sleeping in starfish position may feel uneasy when focused on.

3.What does the underlined word “participants” in paragraph 3 most probably mean?

A. Fetus B. British people

C. People surveyed D. Sleepers

Many countries follow special customs when a child’s baby teeth fall out. Many of these customs tell stories about animals taking the teeth.

For example, Koreans have the custom of throwing the fallen tooth onto the roof of a house so that a magpie (喜鹊) can take the tooth away and bring a new tooth for the child. This custom is also followed by some other Asian countries, such as Japan and Vietnam.

Other countries, though, have tooth customs about other animals. In Mexico and Spain, for example, it is thought that a mouse takes a fallen tooth away and leaves some money. But in Mongolia, it is dogs that take children’s teeth away. Dogs are highly respected in Mongolian culture. It is believed that the new tooth will grow strong if the baby tooth is fed to a dog, so parents in Mongolia will put their children’s fallen teeth in a piece of meat and feed it to a dog.

In France and the USA, a child will put a fallen tooth under his or her pillow before going to bed. It is thought that in the early morning, when the child is still sleeping, the Tooth Fairy will take the tooth away and leave something else under the pillow. What she will leave is hard to know. It is said that in France the Tooth Fairy may leave some candies; however, in the United States, she may leave money.

1.Koreans throw a tooth onto the roof of a house in order to __________.

A. get money B. feed magpies

C. get candies D. get a new tooth

2.In Vietnam, if a child’s tooth falls out, he or she will __________.

A. throw it onto the roof of a house

B. feed it to a mouse

C. put it in a piece of meat and feed the meat to a dog

D. leave it to the Tooth Fairy

3.From the last paragraph, we can know that in France and the USA _________.

A. a child will put his or her fallen tooth beside the pillow

B. the Tooth Fairy takes the fallen teeth away at midnight

C. the Tooth Fairy will leave some candies to the children after taking the fallen teeth away

D. no one knows for sure what the Tooth Fairy will leave to the children after taking the fallen teeth away

4.The passage is mainly about ___________.

A. customs about fallen teeth in western countries

B. customs about fallen teeth in different countries

C. stories about human teeth

D. stories about some animals