Some problems are difficult to solve. But there are a lot of number expressions that can help. For example, if we put two and two together, we might come up with the right answer. We know that two heads are better than one. It is always better to work with another person to solve a problem. Some problems have only one solution. You cannot be of two minds over this. But with any luck，we can solve the problem in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. In other words，we could have our answers quickly and easily.

Sometimes we can kill two birds with one stone. That is, we can complete two goals with only one effort or action. But we must remember that two wrongs don’t make a right. If someone does something bad to you, you should not do the same to him.

If you are going out with your girlfriend，or boyfriend，but you don’t want another friend to go along on your date，you can just say to your friend: two’s company, three’s a crowd.

When I was a young child in school, I had to learn the three R’ s. These important skills are reading, writing and arithmetic. These three words do not all start with the letter “R”. But they have the sound of “R”. My teacher used to give three cheers when I did well in maths. They gave praise and approval for a job well done.

Some of my friends were confused and did not understand their school work. They were at sixes and sevens. In fact, they did not care if they finished high school. But they were happy when they completed their studies and graduated from high school. They were in seventh heaven. They were on cloud nine. Nine times out of ten students who do well in school find good jobs. Some work in an office doing the same things every day at nine-to-five jobs. You do not have to dress to the nines, or wear your best clothes, for this kind of work.

1.If you solve a problem without any difficulty, you can also say that you can do it .

A. in seventh heaven B. on cloud nine

C. at sixes and sevens D. in two shakes of a lamb’s tail

2.When Tom wins first place in the game，we can congratulate him by using “ ” according to the passage.

A. dress up to the nines

B. give three cheers

C. kill two birds with one stone

D. put two and two together

3.Which of the following has the similar meaning to “in all probability” ？

A. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

B. Two’s company, three’s a crowd.

C. Nine times out of ten.

D. Two heads are better than one.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. Interesting Number Expressions

B. The Importance of Numbers

C. Number Stories

D. Use Numbers

Music notes fly through my ears.

Soft sounds float in the air，

as if they are floating on water.

Music is like a paintbrush，

painting sounds in the sky.

A warm sun shining bright，

clouds drifting far away in the night，

to the sounds of music.

Music is nature’s friend，

as one paints our earth，

and the other fills our hearts.

1.The writer associates music with the following EXCEPT ______.

A. sounds floating on water

B. a paintbrush painting sounds in the sky

C. one friend of nature

D. a person who plays music

2.The poem expresses the idea that the author______.

A. likes to fly in the air with the sound of music

B. likes painting clouds while listening to music very much

C. enjoys music because music can comfort his heart

D. would like to compose music with his paintbrush by himself

3.What may be the best title for this poem?

A. Painting B. Music C. Sunshine D. Warmhearted

One day, around Christmas time, fishermen off the west coast of Peru started on their traditional fishing trip. Much to their surprise, there were no fish! They knew immediately what had happened. Tales from years gone by had told them this was the result of El Nino which sometimes stop fishing for many months!

El Nino is a warm current that comes and goes along the west coast of South America. It got its name from fishermen in Peru more than a century ago. Every few years, they noticed a sudden warming in the normally cool Pacific water where they fished. Because this warming often came about around Christmas, they called it El Nino, which is Spanish for the “Christ Child”. Generally, El Nino occurs every three to seven years and lasts only a few weeks to a month or more.

El Nino warms the water it flows through. Because the fish and sea birds need cold water to live, many of them die when El Nino comes through. El Nino also causes both floods and droughts. It is believed that El Nino may have caused the 1993 Mississippi and 1995 California floods. And at the same time, it may have caused droughts in South America, Africa and Australia.

El Nino has occurred thirteen times within the last fifty years, bringing natural disasters to many countries such as Indonesia and Peru. However, El Nino does not often trouble China. During this period China was badly hit by El Nino only once. In 1998, North China had a terrible drought, while South China was troubled by floods.

1.The underlined word "current" （in Paragraph 2）most probably refers to “______”.

A. water B. wind C. atmosphere D. climate

2.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about El Nino?

A. It happens in November and December.

B. It was named by some Spanish fishermen.

C. It only happens in South America.

D. It lasts a few weeks or more.

3.If El Nino happens, the following will take place EXCEPT ______.

A. rises in temperature of the sea water

B. diseases spreading around the world

C. floods and droughts

D. death of fish and sea birds

4.The purpose of this passage is ______.

A. to discuss the prevention of El Nino

B. to explain how El Nino trouble farmers

C. to let us know about El Nino

D. to tell us how to prepare for El Nino

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。

1. If you are growing tomatoes in your backyard for sale，you are producing for the market. You might sell some to your neighbor and some to the local manager of the supermarket. But in either case, you are producing for the market. 2. If people stop buying tomatoes, you will stop producing them. If you take care of a sick person to earn money, you are producing for the market. If your father is a steel worker or a truck driver or a doctor or a grocer, he is producing goods or service for the market.

3. You may spend money in stores, supermarkets, gas stations and restaurants. Still you are buying from the market. When the local grocer hires you to drive the delivery truck, he is buying your labor in the labor market.

4. But for each person or business that is making and selling something, it is very concrete(具体的). If nobody buys your tomatoes, it won’t be long before you get the message. 5. It is telling you that you are using energies and resources in doing something the market doesn’t want you to do.

A. The market may be something abstract(抽象的).

B. The sellers are always smarter than buyers.

C. When you spend your income, you are buying things from the market.

D. The market is a concept.

E. One has to make his ends meet when shopping.

F. The market is telling you something.

G. Your efforts are being directed by the market.

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。

America’s Beauty Is in Its Diversity

America is built on the idea of freedom, and there is no exception for Muslim women. I _________ the freedom of religion and speech. But mostly, I believe it's OK to be _________, and to stand up for who and what you are. So I believe in wearing the hijab.

The hijab is a religious head covering, like a scarf. I am Muslim, and keeping my head covered is a _________ of maturity（成熟） and respect toward my _________ and to Allah's will. _________, I also like to wear it to be different. I don't usually like to do what everyone else is doing. I want to be a(n) _________ , not just part of the crowd. But when I first wore it, I was also afraid of the _________that I'd get at school.

I_________ on my own that sixth grade was the _________ I should start wearing the hijab. I was _________ about what the kids would say or even do to me. I thought they might make fun of me, or _________ be scared of me and_________ my headscarf. Kids at that age usually like to be all the same, and there's little or no _________ of differences.

On the first day of school, I put all those _________ thoughts behind my back and walked in with my head held high. I was holding my breath a little, but _________ I was also proud to be a Muslim, proud to be wearing the hijab, proud to be different.

I was _________ about everything I thought the kids would say or even do to me. I actually met a lot of people because of wearing my head covering. Most of the kids would come and ask me questions _________ about the hijab and why I wore it.

I did hear some kids was making fun of me, _________ there was one girl; she wasn't even in my class, and we never really talked much and she spoke_________ me, and I wasn't even there! I made a lot of new friends that year, friends that I still have until this very day, five years later.

Yes, I'm different, but everyone is different here, in one way or another. This is the beauty of America, which lies in its _________ .

1.A. believe in B. stick to C. carry out D. push for

2.A. independent B. free C. sensitive D. different

3.A. signal B. sign C. reminder D. cause

4.A. religion B. country C. parents D. status

5.A. In a word B. In general C. To be exact D. To be honest

6.A. princess B. heroine C. individual D. adult

7.A. praise B. punishment C. reaction D. reflection

8.A. hoped B. expected C. realized D. decided

9.A. time B. chance C. case D. occasion

10.A. disappointed B. scared C. enthusiastic D. angry

11.A. still B. already C. even D. ever

12.A. show off B. pull off C. pick up D. put up

13.A. rejection B. ignorance C. awareness D. acceptance

14.A. negative B. optimistic C. serious D. strange

15.A. often B. inside C. only D. outside

16.A. concerned B. particular C. wrong D. convinced

17.A. respectfully B. friendly C. suspiciously D. critically

18.A. and B. so C. but D. or

19.A. in terms of B. in front of C. in charge of D. in favor of

20.A. significance B. diversity C. value D. power

语法填空 在下面短文的空白处填上适当的词或用所给词的适当形式填空One day, Pierre, 1.___ worked in a government office, received 2.___ invitation to a palace ball. His wife, Mathilde, had no money 3.___jewellery, so she borrowed a beautiful necklace 4.____ her friend, Jeanne. She looked very beautiful 5.___ they had a wonderful time that evening. But after the ball, she found the necklace 6.__(miss). They had to borrow a lot of money to buy a new7.___ for Jeanne. In order to pay8.___ the money, they worked day and night for 10 years. Mathilde became very old, so Jeanne didn’t recognize her 9.____ they met in a park 10 years later. From this story, we know a person shouldn’t be affected 10._____ vanity (虚荣心), otherwise it will cost him or her a lot.

短文改错

假定英语课上,老师要求同桌同学相互修改作文。假设以下小作文为你同桌所写，请你对其进行修改。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（^），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，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。

3. 必须按答题要求做题，否则不给分。

English is my weak subject. I almost failed in all the English tests in last term, that made me worried and discouraged. Know that I was in low spirits, Mr. Li, who is in the charge of my class, advised me to read an article. I finished reading it immediate. It was a true story about a girl student who lost all her arms and a leg at the age of five. But she didn’t lose her heart. Instead, she smoothed away various discomforts and learn to write with her only foot. I was deeply moved by his story. Now I have made up my minds to learn English well.

书面表达

假如你是张华， 近日写信给某英文报的编辑，反映目前人们养宠物带来的问题，希望得到媒体的关注和支持。信的内容应包括以下要点：

1.宠物过多，噪音扰民； 2. 污染环境； 3. 不少人尤其孩子曾被惊吓或咬伤；4. 传播疾病。

注意：1.词数100左右;

2.信的开头和署名已为你写好，不计入总词数。

Dear editor,

Nowadays some people in our city are keeping too many pets, but they don’t care about it enough. So I want to tell you something about the problems caused by it.

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours faithfully,

Zhang Hua

Hundreds of years ago, news was carried from place to place by people on foot or by horse. It took days, weeks and sometimes months for people to receive news. Now it is possible to send words and pictures around the world in seconds. Billions of people learn about news stories of their own country and all over the world every day, either by watching TV or reading newspapers.

Newspapers have been an important part of everyday life since the 18th century. Many countries have hundreds of different newspapers. How do newspaper editors decide which news stories to print? Why do they print some stories and not others? What makes a good newspaper story?

Firstly, it is important to report news stories. TV stations can report news much faster than newspapers. Yet, newspapers give more about the same story. They may also look at the story in another way, or they may print completely different stories to those on TV.

Secondly, a news story has to be interesting and unusual. People don’t want to read stories about everyday life. As a result, many stories are about some kind of danger and seem to be “bad” news. For example, newspapers never print stories about planes landing safely; instead they print stories about plane accidents.

Another factor (因素) is also very important in many news stories. Many people are interested in news in foreign countries, but more prefer to read stories about people, places and events in their own country. So the stories on the front page in Chinese newspapers are usually very different from the ones in British, French and American newspapers.

1.According to the passage, how do people learn about news stories in the world now?

A. They carry news stories and tell others from place to place on foot or by horse.

B. They tell each other what they have seen with their eyes.

C. They watch TV or read newspapers.

D. They listen to the radio every day.

2.The difference between newspaper stories and TV news reports is that _______ .

A. people can learn more about the same news story from a newspaper

B. people can read the news story more quickly in a newspaper

C. people can read news stories in other countries

D. people can read news stories about their own country

3.To make a good newspaper story, how many factors does the passage talk about?

A. Two. B. Three. C. Five. D. Six.

4.According to the passage, which of the following can you most possibly watch on TV?

A. You often play football with your friends after school.

B. Your teacher has got a cold.

C. A tiger in the city zoo has run out and hasn’t been caught.

D. The bike in front of your house is lost.

When I walk through the streets, I pass strange rooms where people are doing strange things. Some are biking madly. Others are holding metal bars to keep them from dropping down. Still others are jumping around while someone is shouting at them. It looks like something out of Dante’s Inferno (但丁《神曲》中的《地狱篇》). But what is the most amazing is that people pay for these sufferings!

The strange rooms are gyms. It is reported that some 41 million Americans are gym members. 12% of the memberships are born in January, as they are determined to knock off (使减少) the holiday fat. Maybe it is good to exercise in the gym. However, should they know they can keep in good shape, spending little money, would they still agree with its necessity?

At the age of 23, I joined a gym. I lifted weights twice a week in Muscle’s Gym. I paid as little as $200 per year. You can’t find such gyms in every city any more. Too often, the gym is fancy (花哨的) with lots of equipment. If you ask how much it costs to join it, the person at the front desk often won’t tell you straight. Instead, he’ll let you meet with a fitness consultant (健身顾问), who will provide you with a great number of reasons and suggestions, such as losing weight and getting healthier, just in order to put pressure on you to spend much money joining the gym and becoming a member there.

Working out with the help of equipment at home has problems, too. In the early 2000’s, I bought a spinning bike at a cost of $700 for home use. I tried a few times only to find that it brought me a neck problem.

Now I’m back to my old way. I do Yoga（瑜伽）every morning and evening. Total cost: $60 for an exercise mat (垫子) . I’m enjoying fitness.

1.The strange rooms are places where people _________.

A. do strange things B. suffer from great pains

C. play Dante’s Inferno D. take physical exercise

2.In the author’s opinion, joining a gym nowadays is __________.

A. exciting B. inexpensive C. unnecessary D. helpful

3.The author wrote something about Muscle’s Gym to __________.

A. tell us he was fat when he was young

B. suggest a new way of losing weight

C. provide us with an example of gyms

D. compare it with the gyms of today

4.From the text we can infer that _________.

A. many Americans put on weight after Christmas and New Year’s Day

B. the author and his family had spent a lot of money exercising in gyms

C. 12% of the American people are members of gyms

D. spinning bikes are good equipment for exercise