Japanese students work very hard but many are unhappy. They feel heavy pressures from their parents to do well in school. Most students are always being told by their parents to study harder so that they can have a wonderful life. Though this may be good ideas for those very bright students, it can have very bad results for many students who are not quick enough at learning.

Unfortunately, a number of students killed themselves. Others are after comfort in using drugs. Some do bad things with trouble-makers and turn to crime. Many of them have tried very hard at school but have failed in the exams and have disappointed their parents. Such students feel that they are less important and leave school before they have finished their study.

It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way. Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers’ work to help their children. To make matters worse, a lot of parents send their children to special schools called juku-cram schools. These schools are open during the evening and on weekends, and their only purpose is to prepare students to pass exams. They do not try to educate students in any real sense of the real world. It thus comes as a shock to realize that almost three quarters of the junior or high school population attend these cram schools.

Ordinary Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students’ hair to their clothes and things in their school bag. Child psychologists now think that such strict rules often lead to a feeling of being unsafe and being unable to fit into society. They regard the rules as being harmful to the development of each student. They believe that no sense of moral values is developed and that students are given neither guidance nor training in becoming good citizens.

1.A lot of Japanese students are unhappy at school because_______.

A. they work very hard

B. they find they can't do well at school

C. they feel unimportant

D. they are under too much pressure

2.Because of their failure at school, some students take drugs to .

A. kill themselves B. seek comfort

C. disappoint their parents D. make trouble

3.In juku-cram schools students_________.

A. are taken good care of by the teachers

B. feel no pressure

C. are trained to pass exams

D. can learn a lot of useful things

4.In ordinary Japanese schools,______________ .

A. there are strict rules

B. students feel safe

C. students can do anything

D. learning is not important

完形填空

阅读下面的短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

My father brought home a sailboat when I was ten, and almost each Sunday in summers we would go sailing. Dad was quite skilled in sailing, but not good at ________ . As for me, I ________ both well before twelve because of living close to Lake Ontario.

The last time Dad and I set sail together is really ________ . It was a perfect weekend after I graduated from university. I came home and ________ Dad to go sailing. Out we set soon on the ________ lake. Dad hadn’t sailed for years, but everything ________ well with the tiller（舵柄）in his hands.

When we were in the middle of the lake, a ________ wind came all of a sudden. The boat was ________ violently. Dad was always at his best in any ________, but at this moment he ________ .

“John! ________ !” he shouted in a trembling(颤抖的) voice, with the tiller still in his hands.

In my memory he could fix any ________ . He was the one I always ________ for strength and security. Before I could respond, a ________ of water got into the boat. I rushed to the tiller ________it was too late. Another huge wall of water ________ the boat in a minute. We were thrown into the water, and Dad was struggling aimlessly. At that moment, I felt fiercely ________ of him.

I swam to Dad ________ and assisted him in climbing onto the hull（船壳）of the boat. Upon sitting on the hull, Dad was still a little frightened. “It’s all right, Dad. We are ________ow.” I comforted him.

That was the first time Dad had counted on me in a moment of emergency(紧急情况). More importantly, I found it was my turn to start ________ of my father.

1.A. boating B. running C. swimming D. teaching

2.A.enjoyed B. desired C. hated D. learned

3.A. unforgivable B. unforgettable C. cheerful D. regretful

4.A. sent B. ordered C. invited D. allowed

5.A. calm B. icy C. stormy D. thundery

6.A. finished B. went C. seemed D. sounded

7.A. strong B. gentle C. cold D. hot

8.A. pulled B. broken C. sailed D. hit

9.A. danger B. place C. sport D. job

10.A. suffered B. fell C. froze D. forgot

11.A. Look B. Help C. Run D. Jump

12.A. problem B. relationship C. machine D. boat

13.A. turned to B. lived with C. argued with D. objected to

14.A. well B. stream C. shower D. wave

15.A. before B. or C. after D. but

16.A. turned on B. turned into C. turned over D. turned up

17.A. sorry B. protective C. tired D. afraid

18.A. hopelessly B. quickly C. slowly D. helplessly

19.A. painful B. dangerous C. safe D. tired

20.A. catching sight B. getting fond C. getting tired D. taking care

Fear may be felt in the heart as well as in the head，according to a study that has found a link between the cycles of a beating heart and the chance of someone feeling fear.

Tests on healthy volunteers found that they were more likely to feel a sense of fear at the moment when their hearts are contracting and pumping blood around their bodies, compared with the point when the heartbeat is relaxed. Scientists say the results suggest that the heart is able to influence how the brain responds to a fearful event, depending on which point it is at in its regular cycle of contraction and relaxation.

Sarah Garfinkel at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School said：“Our study shows for the first time that the way in which we deal with fear is different depending on when we see fearful pictures in relation to our heart.”

The study tested 20 healthy volunteers on their reactions to fear as they were shown pictures of fearful faces. Dr Garfinkel said, “The study showed that fearful faces are better noticed when the heart is pumping than when it is relaxed.Thus, our hearts can also affect what we see and what we don't see—and guide whether we see fear.”

To further understand this relationship，the scientists also used a brain scanner(扫描仪)to show how the brain influences the way the heart changes a person's feeling of fear.

“We have found an important mechanism by which the heart and brain ‘speak’ to each other to change our feelings and reduce fear,”Dr Garfinkel said.

“We hope that by increasing our understanding about how fear is dealt with and ways that it could be reduced, we may be able to develop more successful treatments for anxiety disorders，and also for those who may be suffering from serious stress disorder.”

1.What is the finding of the study? ________.

A. Fear is a result of one's relaxed heartbeat.

B. One's heart affects how he feels fear.

C. Fear has something to do with one's health.

D. One's fast heartbeats are likely to cause fear.

2.The study was carried out by analyzing ________.

A. volunteers' heartbeats when they saw terrible pictures

B. the time volunteers saw fearful pictures and their health conditions

C. volunteers' reactions to horrible pictures and data from their brain scans

D. different pictures shown to volunteers and their heart－brain communication

3.Which of the following is closest in meaning to “mechanism” in Paragraph 6?

A. order B. treatment C. machine D. system

4.This study may contribute to ________．

A. treating anxiety and stress better

B. explaining the cycle of fear and anxiety

C. finding the key to the heart－brain communication

D. understanding different fears in our hearts and heads

语法填空

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

One morning, I was waiting at the bus stop, worried about 1. (be) late for school. There were many people waiting at the bus stop, 2. some of them looked very anxious and 3. (disappoint). When the bus finally came, we all hurried on board. I got a place next 4. the window, so I had a good view of the sidewalk. A boy on a bike5. (catch) my attention. He was riding beside the bus and waving his arms. I heard a passenger behind me shouting to the driver, but he refused 6. (stop) until we reached the next stop. Still, the boy kept 7. (ride). He was carrying something over his shoulder and shouting. Finally, when we came to the next stop, the boy ran up to the door of the bus. I heard an excited conversation. Then the driver stood up and asked, “8. anyone lose a suitcase at the last stop?” A woman on the bus shouted, “Oh dear！It is 9. （I）”. She pushed her way to the driver and took the suitcase thankfully. Everyone on the bus began talking about what the boy had done, and the crowd of strangers 10. （sudden）became friendly to one another.

SAVE THE FROGS! Art Contest Time

The 2016 SAVE THE FROGS! Art Contest will run from April 1st through October 1st , 2016. Best of luck!

Introduction

The SAVE THE GROGS! Art Contest invites you to create your coolest frog artwork. The contest will call on people to pay more attention to the amphibian extinction(两栖动物灭绝)problem by getting people interested and to take part in it, and the artworks will be used on T-shirts, coffee cups, hats, cards and books to both publicize(宣传)our cause and raise money for SAVE THE FROGS! amphibian protection efforts. Between 2009 and 2015 we received more than 12 thousand pieces of frog artworks from 70 countries. We look forward to receiving your creation!

Who can enter?

Anybody! It is free to enter the contest, though we suggest all artworks include a few dollars to assist our frog-saving efforts!

Prizes The 1st Prize Winner will:

(1) Receive $100. (2)Receive a one-year SAVE THE FROGS! membership.

The 2nd and 3rd Place Artists will: Each receives a one-year SAVE THE FROGS! Membership.

Contest Rules

(1)The submitted(提交的)artwork must be your original creation!

(2)Your artwork should not be larger than 8.5”x11”（22cmX28cm）in size.

(3)You may submit up to three artworks

(4)All artworks must refer to SAVE THE FROGS! by including either the phrase “SAVE THE FROGS!” or “savethefrogs.com”, or both.

Please note that both “SAVE THE FROGS!” and “savethefrogs.com” are PLURAL, meaning the letter. “S” must appear at the end of the word “FROGS”.

Submissions

If your artwork was digitally(数码地) created, you should email your artwork to art @ savethefrogs.com

If your artwork is on paper or any other non-digital type, then mail your artwork to :

SAVE THE FORGS! Art Contest

P. O. Box 78758 Los Angeles, CA 90016 USA

1. What do you know about the contest?

A. It runs for seven months in 2016.

B. It aims to help protect amphibians.

C. It will publicize the artworks on TV.

D. It has been held as a national event.

2.What should be noticed to take part in the contest?

A. The smaller your artwork is the better.

B. The more artworks you submit, the better.

C. Do not miss the message “SAVE THE FORGS!”.

D. Do not copy others’ ideas or creations.

3.Which of the following statements is true?

A. Submissions of artworks are based on types of creation.

B. Artworks are either digital pictures or drawings on paper.

C. Artworks will be given back after the contest.

D. The organization is in New York.

The word dream is probably heard most frequently from people in show business, where everyone dreams of standing under the spotlight and being somebody. But the truth is that most end up being nobodies. Hong Kong director Derek Yee’s latest film“ I Am Somebody” shows respect for these unknown extras(群众演员)in the film industry.

In the film, Wan Guopeng, son of a woodcutter, comes a long way from the Northeast with only 1,000 yuan to the dream factory of the East to become an actor. In real life, when the young man was chosen by the director to play the leading role, he had only 20 yuan left but still hadn’t considered giving up.

Famous Hong Kong actor Tony Leung remembered that 30 years ago, he was a salesman but knew that it was not the kind of life he wanted to live. “Wan is exactly like me back then…Only when I was in an acting training course did I realize that what I wanted to be was an actor, not a star winning the best actor awards.”

Yee chose real nobodies to play themselves in the movie. Their strength was their deep understanding of the feelings of the characters they played. But the disadvantage was also obvious: They lacked acting skills. When emotional performances were needed, their expressions and moves seemed unnatural.

The entertainment industry might be the field with the most broken hearts and most efforts gone in vain. Here luck, opportunity and physical appearance are probably much more important than hard work.

In the film, Qin Peijun, a survivor from a coal mine collapse(煤矿坍塌), goes all out to take hold of every possibility to appear in the lens of the camera, even if only as an extra. However, it is obviously much harder for him to realize the dream of becoming a professional actor than for Wang Zhao, who is a lazy bone with a pretty face.

Some critical comments are directed at the sudden inversion(反转) in the last part of the film. The two leading actors’ happy endings seem to disagree with the film’s realistic style. But anyway, this movie is not a documentary but a way to reinforce(硬化) that every brave heart deserves to have their dreams realized.

1. Which of the following can best describe Wan Guopeng?

A. Determined. B. Careful.

C. Intelligent. D. Easy-going.

2.Derek Yee chose real nobodies to play in the film because____.

A. he respected these people

B. they knew well about the characters

C. he needed emotional performances

D. they asked for less money

3.What does the underlined phrase “in vain” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A. Wrongly. B. Secretly.

C. Without success. D. Without consideration.

4.What’s the main idea of this passage?

A. It’s OK to be nobody.

B. It’s really hard to become a successful actor.

C. Live the dreams.

D. Be a person of dreams.

短文改错

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处，每处仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（^），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

What is known to all, life is hard. We should not give out hope. By the time we give up, we will have been lost the chance to succeed. Chances are always there. We have to seize every singly opportunity to help, love and serving. To live a happier life, you must set our goals and even dream big. However, if we choose shortest path in life, we will miss much beautiful views. So be patient. The fastest way to gain love was to love others first! Do not hide your talent, your knowledge and your beautiful heart. Go for your dream and live for it.

The sound of a mosquito can mean trouble in many parts of the world. The bite of the mosquito can be deadly. The insects carry serious diseases like malaria (疟疾). It is estimated that almost 630,000 people died from malaria and malaria­related causes in 2012, and most of these cases were in African countries.

In the United States, a group of California scientists are working to develop a more effective and less costly substance (物质) to protect people from mosquitoes. The researchers are investigating the sense of smell in mosquitoes. They found the insects use the same receptor for identifying carbon dioxide in human breath as they do for the smell of our skin. Anandasankar Ray, who is leading the investigation, says scientists tested more than a million chemical compounds (化合物) until they found a substance called Ethyl Pyruvate. He says Ethyl Pyruvate makes the mosquitoes' receptors inactive. “When we apply Ethyl Pyruvate to a human arm and offer it to hungry mosquitoes in a cage, very few of the mosquitoes are attracted to the human arm because only a few of them are able to smell it out,” said Ray.

Genevieve Tauxe, a member of the research team, says it was not easy to find the neurons (神经元) of noble cells that recognize both the smell of human breath and skin. “With the device used to examine the mosquito, we are able to insert a very small electrode (电极) into the part of the mosquito's nose, where its smelling neurons are and where the smell is happening,” said Tauxe.

Anandasankar Ray says a product based on Ethyl Pyruvate may cost less to produce than DEFT, the most effective chemical treatment now in use. He says DEFT is too costly for most people who live in areas affected by malaria.

“Perhaps by finding smells that can attack other target receptors, we will be able to improve upon DEFT and finally have the next generation of insect behaviour control products,” said Ray.

1.The underlined word in the second paragraph probably means ________.

A. a substance that protects people from mosquitoes

B. a piece of equipment that sends signals

C. a device that reacts to light

D. a sense organ that reacts to changes

2.According to the passage, Ethyl Pyruvate can ________.

A. kill the mosquitoes' smelling neurons

B. cause the mosquitoes to lose their senses of smell

C. result in the inactiveness of the mosquitoes' receptors

D. make the mosquitoes uninterested in human breath and skin smell

3.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Ethyl Pyruvate—an Insect Behaviour Control Product

B. Malaria—a Serious Disease Causing 630,000 Deaths

C. Scientists Find a New Substance to Fight Mosquitoes

D. A New Generation of DEET Has Been Developed to Kill Mosquitoes

4.This passage most probably appears in ________.

A. a textbook of medical schools

B. a collection of doctors' essays

C. the column of newspaper ads

D. the health column of a magazine

完形填空

The family had just moved to Rhode Island, and the young woman was feeling a little depressed on that Sunday in May. After all, it was Mother's Day—and 800 miles ________ her from her parents in Ohio.

She had called them that morning, to wish her a happy Mother's Day and her mother had ________ how colorful their backyard was ________ spring had arrived. Later, she told her husband how she ________ those lilacs（丁香） in her parents' yard. “I know where we can find some,” he said. “Get the ________ and come on.” So off they went.

Some time later, they stopped at a hill and there were lilacs all round. The young woman rushed up to the nearest ________and buried her face in the flowers. Carefully, she ________ some．Finally, they returned to their car for the ________ home. The woman sat smiling, surrounded by her ________ .

When they were near home, she shouted “stop,” got off quickly and ________ to a nearby nursing home. She went to the end of the porch (门廊), where a(n) ________patient was sitting in her wheelchair, and put the flowers into her lap. The two ________ , bursting into laughter now and then. Later the young woman turned and ran back to her ________ . As the car pulled away, the woman in the wheelchair________ with a smile, and held the lilacs ________ .

“Mom,” the kids asked, “ ________ did you give her our flowers?” “It is Mother's Day, and she seems so ________ while I have all of you. And anyone would be ________ by flowers.”

This satisfied the kids, but not the husband. The next day he ________some young lilacs around their yard.

I was the husband. Now, every May, our yard is full of lilacs. Every Mother's Day our kids________ purple lilacs. And every year I remember that smile of the lonely old woman.

1.A. separatedB. keptC. movedD. made

2.A. mentionedB. learnedC. imaginedD. realized

3.A. now thatB. so thatC. as ifD. even if

4.A. grewB. missedC. wateredD. showed

5.A. carsB. clothesC. kidsD. lilacs

6.A. yardB. hillC. bushD. door

7.A. boughtB. pickedC. setD. raised

8.A. breakB. holidayC. dinnerD. trip

9.A. flowersB. memoryC. honorD. friends

10.A. respondedB. hurriedC. droveD. pointed

11.A. seriousB. lovingC. elderlyD. sensitive

12.A. hesitatedB. chattedC. waitedD. sat

13.A. familyB. motherC. pathD. home

14.A. noddedB. leftC. wavedD. continued

15.A. sadlyB. politelyC. quicklyD. tightly

16.A. whereB. whenC. howD. why

17.A. lonelyB. confusedC. aloneD. patient

18.A. cheeredB. persuadedC. disappointedD.calmed

19.A. arrangedB. plantedC. driedD. hid

20.A. findB. gatherC. receiveD. sell

One cold morning in winter, I went alone to a hillside to do some hunting. I sat there waiting for about an hour. Suddenly, a big beautiful deer appeared less than 20 feet away from me. There was no cover near him. Surely I could shoot him.

To my surprise, he came toward me! He was curious, I suppose, or maybe he was stupid. For this was not a youngster, but a fully grown-up one. He must have known about men and their guns. But this deer came closer, and I still waited. His big eyes never moved away from my face. His wonderful head with a set of antlers (鹿角) was clear in sight.

I was getting a bit nervous as he walked closer. A big deer can do a lot of damage. Well, he walked right up to where I was sitting. Then he stopped and looked at me.

What happened next was hard to believe. But it all seemed quite natural. I held out my hands and scratched his head right between the antlers. And he liked it. The big, wild, beautiful deer bent his head.

I scratched and touched his head and body. His nose touched my shoulder. I fed him with my last sandwich. Well, he finally went his way, down the hill. Shoot him? Not me. You wouldn’t, either. Not after that. I just watched him go, a strong deer carrying a proud head.

I picked up my gun, and started walking back. Suddenly, I heard two shots, one after another. If you have hunted much, you will know what two shots mean. They mean a kill. I had forgotten that there were other hunters around. You will now understand why I gave up hunting from that day on.

1. How the deer behaved toward the writer shows that______.

A. it pretended to be friendly to the writer

B. it was quite friendly to the writer

C. it was too scared to run away

D. it wanted to attack the writer

2.You can infer from the passage that ______.

A. the writer had waited for more than an hour before the deer appeared

B. the writer was a little nervous at first as he had been attacked by a big deer before

C. the writer felt afraid to kill the deer the moment the deer walked up to him

D. a grown-up deer usually will not get close to men with guns

3.After reading the whole passage, we can know that the passage is written in a(n)_____ tone.

A. sad B. excited C. worried D. happy