When John Milton,writer of Paradise Lost,entered Cambridge University,in 1625,he was already skilled in Latin after seven years of studying it as his second language at St Paul's School,London. Like all English boys who prepared for col?lege in grammar schools,he had learned not only to read Latin but also to speak and write it smoothly and correctly. His pronunciation of Latin was English,how?ever,and seemed to have sounded strange to his friends when he later visited Italy.

Schoolboys gained their skill in Latin in a bitter way. They kept in mind the rules to make learning by heart easier. They first made a word-for-word translation and then an idiomatic translation into English. As they increased their skill,they translated their English back into Latin without referring to the book and then com?pared their translation with the original. The schoolmaster was always at hand to encourage them. All schoolmasters believed Latin should be beaten in.

After several years of study,the boys began to write compositions in imitation (模仿) of the Latin writers they read. And as they began to read Latin poems,they began to write poems in Latin. Because Milton was already a poet at ten,his poems were much better than those painfully put together by the other boys. Dur?ing the seven years Milton spent at university,he made regular use of his command of Latin. He wrote some excellent Latin poems,which he published among his works in 1645.

1. What does the passage mainly tell about?

   A. How John Milton wrote Paradise Lost.

   B. How John Milton studied Latin.

   C. How John Milton became famous.

   D. How John Milton became a poet.

2. Which of the following is TRUE of John Milton's pronunciation of Latin?

   A. It has a strong Italian accent.

   B. It has an uncommon accent.

   C. It was natural and easy to understand.

   D. It was bad and difficult to understand.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that         .

   A. Milton's training in Latin was similar to that of the other boys

   B. Milton hadn't learned any foreign language except Latin before going to col?lege

   C. Milton's Italian friends helped him v/ith Latin when they were talking

   D. Milton's classmates learned Latin harder but worse than Milton

4. What does the underlined part "Latin should be beaten in" probably mean?

   A. Schoolboys should be punished if they were lazy to learn Latin.

   B. Schoolboys should be encouraged if they had difficulty in learning Latin.

   C. Schoolboys were expected to master Latin in a short time.

   D. Schoolboys had to study Latin in a hard way.

The latest Chinese "god song" (an Internet term to describe pop songs that spread virally (病毒性地) through Internet) is still stirring fierce debate between those who view it as a milestone for Chinese pop music going global and those who regard it as bad for China's im?age.

Last week,Little Apple,written and performed by the Chopsticks Brothers,won the AMA International Song Award andthe duo performed the song at the 2014 American Music Awards in Los Angeles. Another Chinese pop singer,Zhang Jie,won the International Artist Award.

But while fans of these singers are thinking highly of the awards and the perform?ance by the Chopsticks Brothers at the AMA celebration as significant,there are others who are less excited. They have questioned the value of the awards and what effect it will have on Chinese culture's "going abroad", claiming it may leave foreign audiences with a poor impression of Chinese pop music,and even Chinese culture.

The Little Apple phenomenon,both home and abroad,can be more easily un?derstood and judged if we look at it from a business perspective rather than a cultur?al perspective. The professional promoters behind the duo have developed a clear strategy to promote the duo and their work,not just this particular song. Little Apple was originally released to promote the duos film Old Boys：The Way of the Dragon.

From the very beginning a viral marketing strategy was used to promote the song,which immediately went viral on the Internet due to its repetitive rhythm,easy-to-remember lyrics,simple and funny dance and,most importantly,grass roots nature. The video accumulated more than 1 billion hits on China's major video website.

Although the song was generally dismissed by music professionals who criti?cized it as musical "junk food",Little Apple's popularity nationally paved the way for promoting the duo internationally.

1. The writer's attitude to the song of Little Apple is       .

   A. opposed   B. negative

   C. objective   D. critical

2. The underlined words "the duo" refer to "       ”.

   A. Little Apple

   B. the Chopsticks Brothers

   C. Zhang Jie

   D. American singer

3. We can learn from the passage that       .

   A. Little Apple's popularity is also a success of marketing strategy

   B. Little Apple is generally thought worthless by the AMA

   C. Little Apple is really popular with all people in China

   D. Little Apple was originally released as a pop song on the Internet

It's only after three weeks into a new job that I made a serious mistake. My boss called it "extremely embarrassing" in a companywide email—which1       ， he wrote because he felt he needed to explain that what1did was something 2        in the company should ever do.

I wish I 3        give a good excuse for what I did. At the very least,I wish I could explain it somehow― 4       it on youth,inexperience or ignorance. Unfortu?nately,I'm 5      ,experienced and I know better.

6       I work with some very kind and compassionate (富于同情心的) people. For the past couple of days many of them have taken time to 7        by my desk and offer comfort,encouragement and support. Some have shared with me similar 8        they have made. Evidently I'm not the only "    9         " person here.

One of the exchanges I had this week was with Lois,the muchhonoured,muchrespected professional who 10        the desk right next to mine. Lois was completely11about her work,and to be honest I was a little nervous about how she would 12        to such an extremely embarrassing incident.

As I expected,Lois didn't pass over the 13        when she saw me the next day. She mentioned it directly,14 with empathetic consideration. She listened to my 15       . Just as I was ready to express my regrets,she brought my selfpity partly to a(n) 16       .

"It happened", she said. "There's nothing you can do to 17        that. It hap?pened. But it's over now. It's 18       . It's in the past. You need to let it go,and move on."And with that she returned her 19        to her work,as if to say, "We're done here."

I beat myself up for weeks. At such times I need to remember those 20        words：It's over. It's done. Let it go. And mostly,move on.

1. A. by the way   B. in the way   C. on the way   D. to the way

2. A. someone   B. anyone   C. no one   D. the one

3. A. should   B. might   C. will   D. could

4. A. fix   B. blame   C. rely   D. put

5. A. outgoing   B. old

   C. cheerful   D. energetic

6. A. Thankfully   B. Naturally   C. Generally   D. Hopefully

7. A. work   B. stop   C. watch   D. sit

8. A. decisions   B. troubles   C. attempts   D. mistakes

9. A. annoying   B. confusing   C. embarrassing   D. puzzling

10. A. repairs   B. wants   C. works   D. occupies

11. A. mad   B. serious   C. curious   D. hopeful

12. A. react   B. agree   C. turn   D. object

13. A. issue   B. outcome   C. criterion   D. message

14. A. for   B. therefore   C. but   D. otherwise

15. A. challenge   B. imagination   C. conclusion   D. explanation

16. A. order   B. key

   C. end   D. process

17. A. forget   B. ruin

   C. prevent   D. change

18. A. broken   B. done   C. lost   D. kept

19. A. attention   B. skill

   C. patience   D. interest

20. A. sweet   B. pleasant   C. meaningful   D. colourful

a load of,in particular,try out,let out,is made up of

1. The price of the house is reasonable and I love its garden       . We can grow flowers and vegetables there.

2. People who keep an open mind and are willing to       different solutions find success more quickly. ,

3. I had        wet clothes in my arms and no place to put them.

4. The apartment we've recently rented        six rooms in all,the largest of which serves as the sitting room.

5. On seeing the wonderful sculpture,everyone present       a cry of surprise.

5.       you be fired,your health care and other benefits will not be immediately cut off.

4. Eliza remembers everything exactly as        it happened yesterday.

3. What do you think of his suggestion        we should put an ad in Daily Paper".

2. It's illegal for a public official to ask people for gifts or money in exchange       favours to them.

1. ―Don't you think        necessary that he not be sent to Miami but to New York?

―I agree,but the problem is that he has refused to.

10. John received an invitation to dinner,but with his work        (finish) ，he couldn't go.