Every Wednesday，I go to Cantata Adult Life Services，a local retirement community in Brookfield，Illinois，US，with my classmates to do community service．

Our visits last about an hour，and we bring 25—30 students every time．We play board games and cards with the elderly while we’re there．

You can watch all the movies and TV shows you want about“life back then”，but nothing compares to talking to the people who were actually there．Just hearing their stories has touched me in a way I never thought possible．

Whether it was talking to 98-year-old“Hurricane Hilda”about her glory days as a roller skater or chatting with Lou about the times she danced with a famous actor，I was completely mesmerized by every single memory the elderly wanted to share with me．Even those who don’t have amazing memories make the experience fulfilling(充实的)．I remember visiting Mrs Robinson．She couldn’t recall much about her past，but she told me she’d never forget how kind I was just to listen to her．It made me realize that it’s the little things that make life worth living．

If there’s one thing I’ve realized in my three years of visiting Cantata，it’s that presence——just being there—means more than anything to many of them．And despite how busy our lives are，there’s always time to make someone’s day．

1.Why does the author go to Cantata Adult Life Services regularly?

A．To play board games．

B．To visit the elderly．

C．To watch movies．

D．To share stories．

2.The underlined word“mesmerized”in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to“_______”．

A．confused B．annoyed

C．encouraged D．attracted

3.What may be the most important to the elderly according to the author?

A．Staying with them．

B．The special old days．

C．Showing patience．

D．Amazing experiences．

It is good to get in touch with your inner child from time to time，and obviously some people are willing to pay big money for the chance to do so in a proper environment．A Brooklyn-based adult preschool is charging customers between $333 and $999 for the chance to act like a kid again．

At Preschool Mastermind in New York adults get to participate in show—and—tell，arts—and—crafts such as finger paint，games like musical chairs and even take naps．The month-long course also has class picture day where the adults are expected to have a field trip and a parent day．

30-year-old Michelle Joni Lapidos，the brain behind the adult preschool，studied childhood education and has always wanted to be a preschool teacher．She’s always on the lookout for new ways to get people in touch with the freedom of childhood．A friend encouraged her to start the mastermind course instead．

According to Candice，her blogger friend，Preschool Mastermind gives adults a chance to relearn and master the things that they failed to understand as children．“I realized all the significances of what we learn in preschool，”said founder Michelle Joni，“People come here and get in touch with their inner child．It’s magical．We are bringing ourselves back to another place，another time with ourselves when we are more believing in ourselves，more confident and ready to take on the world．”

“One person’s here because they want to learn not to be so serious．”Michelle said．“Another's here to learn to be more confident．”She explained that most of the classes were planned．However，Joni added that while the planned activities were fun，it was often the spontaneous(自发的)moments that attracted students．“It’s the things you don’t plan for，the sharing between friends and learning from each other．’’

1.What is the purpose of Preschool Mastermind?

A．To give adults a chance to return to childhood．

B．To help parents understand their children better．

C．To provide practical training courses for teachers．

D．To introduce some ways of playing with children．

2.What is mainly discussed about Preschool Mastermind in Paragraph 2 ?

A．Its customers． B．Its activities．

C．Its environment． D．Its schedule·

3.According to Candice，people come to this program to________·

A．enjoy freedom of thinking

B．realize their childhood dreams

C．discover their inner abilities

D．figure out childhood puzzles

4.What do we know about Michelle Joni?

A．She used to be a preschool teacher．

B．She likes to make plans in advance．

C．She founded Preschool Mastermind．

D．She gained confidence by sharing．

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

What’s top of your list of new year resolutions for 2016? Do more exercise? Eat better? Spend more time with your children? Find a fulfilling career? How about ticking all your boxes and simply be happy?

1. Happiness is often an indirect consequence of our actions and the way we think．However，the good news is that making even the smallest adjustments can help us attain that kind of state we all want to achieve．Rachel Kelly，author of Walking on Sunshine，offers some simple changes we can all make to our lives to improve our state of mind．

◆Be mindful

2. It can be any routine activity you perform during the rush of the day，like hand washing．Slow down and give the task your full attention．You’11 soon start appreciating these small moments of stillness．

◆Follow the 60% rule

Perfectionism is an illusion，but the pursuit of it is real and can have damaging consequences． 3. If a friendship，relationship，work project is 60％right，then you’re doing well．

◆Breathe

When things get too much，try the one-finger-on-the-nose breathing trick． 4. Then just breathe through the other nostril．By halving the rate at which you breathe，you lower your blood pressure and trigger(引发)the body’s relaxation response．

◆Exercise

Breaking a sweat，ideally the first thing in the morning，releases a chemical in the brain to reduce pain，and which in large amounts can make you feel relaxed and energetic and sets you up for the day．5.

A．So readjust your thinking．

B．So，if you can，start your day right．

C．Build a“mindful”activity into your day．

D．Sadly，you can’t simply“become”happy．

E．Press a finger against one side of your nose．

F．With so many external pressures can any of us be truly happy?

G．It’s all about creating the right conditions for your body to feel relaxed．

完形填空,阅读下面短文，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。

Can birds understand people’s love and even express their appreciation?

Gabi Mann，an 8-year-old teenager，has some very ________ “friends”who shower her with gifts almost every day．Ever since she started feeding her neighborhood crows(乌鸦)，they began returning the ________ and bringing back all kinds of ________．

Gabi’s________ relationship with the neighborhood crows ________ in 2011 when she was four and she was ________o drop food to them．Soon，the crows were always watching for her，________ to get a bite of the food she dropped．________ she got older，she began to ________ them consciously—she would share her________ with them on the way to the bus stop．It wasn’t long before crows were lining up in the afternoon to ________ her at the stop．

In2013，Gabi started feeding the birds ________ ，instead of sharing her lunch with them．Along with her family，she ________ fill the bowl in the backyard with water every day，cover the bird feeder platforms with peanuts and throw handfuls of dog food on to the grass．Soon，the crows ________ line up on the telephone lines in the backyard， ________ for their treats．

________，once Gabi adopted this routine，she ________ something wonderful—the crows started ________ her with gifts! Gabi has ________every small gift that the crows have given her，including a tiny silver ball，a blue plastic brick，a small piece of colored glass，and other such things．Each item is individually wrapped and，they’re obviously of great________ to Gabi．

1.A．patient B．unusual C．common D．impolite

2.A．favor B．duty C．service D．profit

3.A．food B．gifts C．birds D．fruit

4.A．unique B．difficult C．serious D．formal

5.A．continued B．existed C．began D．failed

6.A．afraid B．nervous C．careful D．willing

7.A．deciding B．hoping C．promising D．pretending

8.A．Although B．Because C．As D．Since

9.A．feed B．observe C．catch D．choose

10.A．time B．supper C．experience D．1unch

11.A．attract B．greet C．disturb D．inform

12.A．properly B．regularly C．casually D．easily

13.A．must B．should C．would D．might

14.A．deliberately B．particularly C．firmly D．automatically

15.A．preparing B．1earing C．waiting D．heading

16.A．Believe it or not B．For example C．Sooner or later D．As usual

17.A．understood B．remembered C．created D．witnessed

18.A．honoring B．thanking C．awarding D．reminding

19.A．bought B．exchanged C．collected D．offered

20.A．help B．value C．care D．grief

书面表达

假如你是李华，你的笔友Harry正在学习中文，来信向你了解中国的传统节日，请根据以下提示内容，向他介绍你最喜欢的节日：春节。

1. 春节的时间（lunar January 1st）以及意义；

2. 介绍春节的主要活动（至少2个）

3. 你喜欢春节的理由。

注意：

1．词数100左右；

2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3．开头语已为你写好。

Dear Harry,

How are you?______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours sincerely,

Li hua

My first impression of Miss Vicki was a highly authoritative(权威的) person towering over me. She spoke in a loud voice and the earth shook whenever she marched. That was in the first year of high school. She was a knowledgeable literature teacher then. However, during my first year in school, she struck terror into my heart. And everyone else’s of course. Just the mention of her name made the most annoying classes silent.

However, the two years of junior high passed by rather quickly. Soon I went to senior high class. I had worked hard and got the subject combination that I wished for. Together with a group of old friends, I soon settled down in class comfortably.

To everyone’s surprise, she was fortunate enough to be my teacher that year. I was shocked when I heard the news. This time round, however, I decided not to hide in terror whenever she was near. I decided to face the fact. Instead of trying too hard to lick her boots , I tried my best to be my natural myself in front of her.

Still, I could not shake off the ice-cold impression that she put in my heart. True, her jokes sometimes sent me into fits of laughter, yet at other times these jokes simply fell flat the moment she told them . My lovely class, however, was always ready to laugh at the right time of her amusing stories. After all, we would not want to run the risk of making her angry.

Unluckily, life was not to remain boring. One day we received news that Miss Vicki was to leave Singapore for the Philippines where she would take part in a voluntary teaching program for the poor. We did not know what to say actually. All of us cried at the airport.

1. During the first year in school, the author thought Miss Vicki was __________.

A. proud but patient

B. beautiful but strict

C. scholarly but serious

D. humorous but single-minded

2. What does the underlined phrase “lick her boots” in paragraph 3 mean?

A. Win her favor B. Upset her

C. Shock her D. Follow her closely

3.What can we learn from paragraph 4?

A. Miss Vicki was a good joke teller.

B. Miss Vicki’s jokes were always boring.

C. Students liked Miss Vicki’s class very much.

D. Students pretended to laugh to please Vicki.

4.What can we infer about Miss Vicki from the last paragraph?

A. She was dismissed from the school.

B. She was not accepted by the students.

C. She was unwilling to leave her students.

D. She had a strong sense of social responsibility.

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Aquarium (养鱼缸)

An aquarium can be a small container for a few goldfish. 1. Aquariums give people the chance to observe an ecosystem (生态系统) very different from their own.

People who like fish often keep aquariums as a hobby. Popular fish for home aquariums include goldfish, guppies and bettas. Home aquariums can be as small as a bowl or as large as an entire wall. For their fish to survive, owners must make sure that their aquariums stay clean and that the water is the right temperature. They must not put too many fish or natural enemies together. 2.

Found in many large cities, public aquariums are buildings with large tanks of fish and other water animals. Different tanks contain fish, and salty waters. People come to see and learn about fish and their habitats. 3. . Marine biologists (海洋生物学家) help the animals to get well and then return them to the wild.

People have kept fish in man-made habitats for at least 4,500 years. The ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, and Romans kept fish in aquariums. 4. Man-made ponds filled with fish later became popular in European gardens. The trend spread to North America in 1800s. In 1853 the zoological Society of London, England, opened the first public aquarium. 5. More people also began keeping fish in small aquariums at home.

A. The Chinese kept goldfish in ponds and bowls.

B. Public aquariums soon opened in many other major cities.

C. They also must provide the right type and amount of food.

D. Public aquariums often care for sick or injured water animals, too.

E. There are some open-air aquariums in places where the climate(气候) permits.

F. It can also be a building that displays a large collection of water animals.

G. Fish have been raised as food in pools and ponds for thousands of years.

One day, I was studying at home . Suddenly, there was a loud noise. I went out of my house to see what had happened .

What I saw made me scared. A building in my neighborhood was on fire. Some people were using water to put out the fire; others were rushing towards the building to help put out the fire. The building had three floors. The fire started on the first floor. Soon, it spread (扩散) to the second floor. There were some people on the second floor at that time. Their lives were in danger. A few people jumped out of the window. Luckily, they only got small injuries. Those who were still on the second floor were just crying for help. The people outside didn’t know how to help the people inside to get out.

Firefighters (消防人员) arrived at last. They fought the fire bravely. Water pipes (管子) were used and a ladder was put near the second-floor window. Then the people inside were taken out by the firefighters. They were seriously injured and were taken to the hospital at once.

Thanks to the firefighters, the people inside were saved and the fire was put out in the end, but many things, such as desk, pictures and clothes, were damaged.

1.___________was on fire.

A. The author’s room

B. A ladder

C. A building in the author’s neighborhood

D. Only the second floor of the building

2._____________put out the fire in the end.

A. The firefighters and the people inside the building

B. The people on the second floor

C. The people in the street

D. The firefighters

3.The people who jumped out of the window_____________.

A. were seriously injured

B. died

C. were taken to the hospital

D. got small injuries

4.How did the people who didn’t jump out of the window get out of the building?

A. They were taken out by the firefighters.

B. They climbed down a ladder by themselves.

C. They walked out of the building after the fire was put out.

D. They were taken out by doctors

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处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误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。

修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

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。

Boys and girls, attention, please! I have anything to say. It's a good news that our school is going to hold a party on Saturday evening, when is to welcome our Canadian friends. The party will be interested. You can dance, listen to music, sing songs and playing games. Would you like to bring a small gift with you? Then you can send to your new foreign friend. Please write a few word that can express your best wishes. Anyone who want to attend the party can go to the great hall in the second floor. Everyone is welcome.

I hope everyone will have a wonderfully time. That's all. Thank you!

Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.

Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses (球场) in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.

There are many environment-friendly sport. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.

Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.

1. Which of the following is the author most probably in favor of?

A. Cycling around a lake.

B. Motor racing in the desert.

C. Playing basketball in a gym.

D. Swimming in a sports center.

2.What do we know about golf from the passage?

A. It is popular in Portugal and Spain.

B. It causes water shortages around the world.

C. It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes.

D. It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green.

3.The author uses power walking as an example mainly because ___________.

A. it is an outdoor sport

B. it improves our health

C. it uses fewer resources

D. it is recommended by experts

4.The author writes the passage to ____________.

A. show us the function of major sports

B. encourage us to go in for green sports

C. discuss the major influence of popular sports

D. introduce different types of environment-friendly sports