“How’s it going? ” I ask the barista(服务生). “How’s your day been?”

“Ah, not too busy. What are you up to?”

“Not much. Just readin. ”

This，small talk, is one of the key rituals(规矩）of American life. It has taken me only a decade to master.

I immigrated to the United States in 2001, for college. I brought only my Indian experience in dealing with shopkeepers and tea sellers. In Delhi, where I grew up, when doing business, people don't ask each other how the other's day has been. They might not even smile. The customer doesn't tremble before complaining about how cold his food is. Each side believes the other will cheat him.

“God, Mahajan, you’re so rude to waiters!” Tom, an American friend, said, laughing, after he watched me ordering food at a restaurant, in the West Village, years ago. Considering myself a mild and friendly person, I was surprised. Tom always asked servers how they were doing or praised their shirts or made jokes about the menu. At that time, this seemed dishonest to me. Did he really like what they were wearing?

American life is based on a principle that we like one another but won’t violate one another’s privacies. This makes it a land of small talk. Two people greet each other happily, with friendliness, but might know each other for years before asking basic questions about each other’s backgrounds. The opposite is true of Indians. At least three people I’ve sat next to on planes to and from India have asked me, within minutes, how much I earn as a writer (only to turn away in disappointment when I tell them).

Living in Brooklyn and then in Austin, Texas. I made coffee shops the places of my movements. Meeting the same baristas day after day produced context, and I got practice. I was beginning to fit in. It felt good and didn’t seem fake anymore.

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The author takes pride in everything of his homeland.

B. The author still thinks the American way of treating strangers is not sincere.

C. The author finally got used to small talk after a lot of practice in America.

D. It only took the author a short time to learn the real ritual of American life.

2.What do people in the US tend to do in a restaurant?

A. They have friendly small talk with the servers.

B. They ask if the servers are satisfied with their pay.

C. They complain about the food and service straightforwardly.

D. They make objective comments on the servers’ clothing.

3.What do we know about Indians according to Paragraph 7?

A. Indians don’t like each other.

B. Indians live in a land of small talk.

C. Indians show little respect for others; privacy.

D. Indians know little about their friends’ backgrounds.

4.What might be the best title of this passage?

A. A Rude Indian in America

B. Small Talk and Great Friendship

C. My Struggle with American Small Talk

D. Cultural Differences between Countries

“Birds” and “airports” are two words that, paired together, don’t normally paint the most harmonious picture. So it really raises some eyebrows when China announces plans to build an airport that’s for birds.

Described as the world’s first-ever bird airport, the proposed Lingang Bird Sanctuary(保护区) in the northern coastal city of Tianjin is，of course，not an actual airport. Rather, it’s a wetland preserve specifically designed to accommodate hundreds — even thousands — of daily takeoffs and landings by birds traveling along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Over 50 species of migratory (迁徙的）water birds, some endangered, will stop and feed at the protected sanctuary before continuing their long journey along the flyway.

Located on a former landfill site, the 61-hectare (150-acre) airport is also open to human travelers. (Half a million visitors are expected annually.) However, instead of duty-free shopping, the main attraction for non-egg-laying creatures at Tianjin’s newest airport will be a green-roofed education and research center, a series of raised “observation platforms” and a network of scenic walking and cycling paths and trails totaling over 4 miles.

The proposed Bird Airport will be a globally significant sanctuary for endangered migratory bird species, while providing new green lungs for the city of Tianjin,” Adrian McGregor of Australian landscape architecture firm McGregor Coxall explained of .the design. Frequently blanketed in smog so thick that it has shut down real airports, Tianjin is a city — China’s fourth most populous — that would certainly benefit from a new pair of healthy green lungs.

1.The underlined phrase 4 “non-egg-laying creatures” in Paragraph 3 refers to ________?

A. endangered water birds B. planes

C. visitors D. designers

2.What do we know about the airport according to the passage?

A. It is located on a landfill site.

B. People cannot watch birds up close here.

C. It provides migratory birds with food and shelter.

D. It functions as an actual airport and a wetland preserve at the same time.

3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A. Tianjin will win worldwide fame in the future.

B. Tianjin will be able to accommodate more people.

C. The airport will become a permanent home for birds.

D. Tianjin’ air quality will improve thanks to the airport.

4.What is this passage mainly about?

A. China is to open the first Bird Airport.

B. Airports turn into green lungs.

C. Birds are no longer enemies to airports.

D. Airports shut down and open up.

You may use banknotes every day. But did you know that there is a lot of science behind the money? 1.

Australia was the first country to use polymer(聚合物）banknotes in 1988. 2.

They can stop water from making them wet. They are also cleaner because bacteria don’t grow easily on them.

Now, the Australians have improved their banknotes again by creating a new 5-dollar note. The new one has a clear window in the middle in which there are pictures of an Australian bird and a building. 3.

Tilt (倾斜）the note a little and you will see the bird flapping its wings as if trying to fly away. Turn the note from side to side and you will notice the building come to life and spin. While these features are impressive and entertaining, that was not the reason why the Australian Government spent ten years perfecting them. Their primary purpose was to make it impossible to fake a banknote.

4. The new $ 5 bill now has a raised bump alongside the two long edges, enabling the blind or those with limited vision, to quickly determine its value.

The Australian government will give the new 10-dollar note the same features in a year’s time. 5.

A. Note makers still have a long way to go.

B. Other notes will have them in the future.

C. The magic of the new features lies in them.

D. They have many advantages over paper notes.

E. The new Australian 5-dollar note is a good example.

F. The new note is also the first touchable Australian banknote.

G. Their material and pattern set them apart from ordinary banknotes.

One random act of kindness can make someone’s day, but a man in Florida knows a good ______ isn’t a one-time thing.

After spending three months in and out of the hospital with numerous health issues, Donald Austin had his ______ partially cut off. He was relieved to finally be able to go home after just four days recovering from the ______. When he reached his porch, though, the ______ disappeared.

Donald thought he’d be able to ______ up the steps to the front door on crutches (拐杖), but he found he was too weak to keep his ______. He had to sit in the wheelchair, but the wheelchair was too heavy for his wife, Jennifer Austin, to lift up the steps, even when his mom pitched in. Donald ended up on the ground，the family feeling totally ______.

Just then, a car caught the family’s eye. It had driven past ______ was slowly circling back. The stranger, Steven Smith,______ and asked if he could help.______, the family watched Smith lift Donald inside and lay him ______ on a couch.

But the good man knew there was ______ to do.

Smith ______ this wasn’t the only time Donald would need to climb those ______. So the next day, Smith came back and asked if he could build a ramp (坡道) in front of the house. With his dad and a couple more ______, Smith set up a ramp ______ the steps to make the house ______ to the wheelchair. The act of kindness brought the family to ______.

“This stranger has saved the day for us ______ within 24 hours. He also ______ our spirits that had become increasingly dimmed over the difficult months.” Jennifer wrote on Facebook.

1.A. deed B. manner C. deal D. performance

2.A. leg B. arm C. back D. face

3.A. injury B. depression C. operation D. shock

4.A. regret B. headache C. belief D. joy

5.A. try it B. make it C. put it D. take it

6.A. breath B. balance C. distance D. promise

7.A. at a loss B. in the dark C. for nothing D. out of mind

8.A. though B. while C. but D. when

9.A. broke up B. cut in C. pulled up D. called on

10.A. Horrified B. Embarrassed C. Refreshed D. Relieved

11.A. blindly B. painfully C. carelessly D. safely

12.A. less B. more C. something D. nothing

13.A. figured B. pointed C. commented D. suspected

14.A. roads B. ladders C. rails D. steps

15.A. passers-by B. useful equipment C. honored guests D. helping hands

16.A. around B. over C. under D. into

17.A. accessible B. avoidable C. available D. valuable

18.A. life B. justice C. tears D. normal

19.A. forever B. twice C. once in a while D. at all times

20.A. brightened B. took up C. brought up D. worsened

Memories of my sophomore (高二学生）dance 1. (be) still vivid in my mind.

It was 5 o’clock in the afternoon, and I had put on my red party dress and my host mother was doing up my hair. My schoolmate Chris 2.(show) up at the front door 3. his suit and tie. He handed me a red corsage (小花束）that 4. (perfect) matched my dress. We headed for school, and started our dance? To be honest, I am not sure 5. I should call what we did “dancing”. We jumped, yelled and laughed with people we knew or had just met for the first time. We twirled in circles, threw our arms in the air and, as my English teacher later put it, ran wild around the place. In those few 6. (hour)，nothing seemed to matter 7. than having fun.

With music playing and everybody 8. (have) a good time, Chris asked me a question, "How is the dance different from dances in China?"

“Well, we don’t usually have dances in China.”

“What? How do you express 9. (you) then?”

10. (lose) in thought. I was silent for a while.

Now, I have an idea for everyone: Just dance.

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。

Dear Mommy.

Happy Mother's Day! This is a special holiday because that it is a day for you to feel the appreciation for all you have done for Amy and 1. I am most thankful for all the sacrifices you had made in order for us live the most comfortable lives possible. You put yourself in difficulty situations so that we have food to eat, clean clothes to wear and a warm home to sleep in. Thank you for your endless love and hard works. Your efforts are never taking for granted. I really couldn’t ask for the better mom. Through you, I am able to understand which true love is: loving someone unconditional for what they were, are and will be.

Love,

Anna

假定你是李华，你收到了你的美国朋友Peter寄来的最新英文小说。请给他回信，告诉他礼物己收到，并回赠他一件礼物以及说明礼物的意义，并邀请他来中国旅游。

注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Dear Peter,

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

When it was announced that Patrick Modiano had won the Nobel Prize in Literature on Oct.9, the Swedish Academy had not yet managed to reach the writer himself to tell him the news. as the Telegraph put it, “It was a curious case of missing personhood in an author whose career had been spent in searching others, within the confines (界限) of a single city.”

Though the 69-year-old French author has had a successful writing career, only six of his books have been translated into English. One reason for this might be that “Modiano’s storylines are as slim as the books themselves”, said the BBC.

While most of Modiano’s works don’t run for hundreds of pages, they explore serious subjects. The author’s signature themes are Germany’s occupation during World War II and the evolution of Paris over the past century.

Modiano’s life has been greatly affected by Nazi Germany’s occupation during the war, and his family’s connections to it. According to New York-based newspaper Forward, his father survived the war dishonorably. When Paris’s Jews were rounded up for deportation(驱逐)to concentration camps, the businessman did not join them but spent the time making money from deals with Nazis on the black market.

“The novelist has a duty to record the traces of the people who were made to disappear,” French writer Clemence Boulouque, also an expert in Jewish Studies, told The New York magazine.

In his more than three dozen novels, Modiano has returned again and to the same themes: Jewishness, the Nazi occupation, and loss of identity.

Paris is another recurring(重复的)theme in Modiano’s works .Most of his novels are set in the city , from the rich parts of downtown Paris to more remote suburbs where the characters try to live anonymous protect lives.

Anne Ghisoli, the director of Librairie Gallimard, a bookstore in Paris, concluded, “Modiano is a master of writing on memory and occupation, which haunt(萦绕)and inform his works. He is a chronicler(年代记录者)of Paris ,its streets, and its present.”

1.According to the article, Patrick Modiano ____________.

A. likes to involve his his memories in his writing

B. usually writes stories with disappearing people

C. is so popular that post of his works are on sale

D. didn’t suffer much during World War II thanks to his father

2.The underline word “slim” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ____.

A. thin B. hard

C. simple D. dull

3.Which of the following can be the best title?

A. French Author’s Surprise

B. Modiano’s Life and His Books

C. World War II and the Nazis

D. Memory Author Wins the Nobel

R.U.Darby and his uncle were digging for gold in the West. After weeks of labor, he was rewarded when he discovered shining ore(矿石). He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. So he borrowed money from his relatives and neighbors and went back to work on the mine.

The first car of ore was mined and sent to a smelter. The gold that they got in return proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado! A few more cars of that ore would clear the debts. Then would come the big profits.

Down went the drills! Up went the hopes of Darby and Uncle! Then something happened! The vein of gold ore disappeared! The pot of gold was no longer there! They drilled on, desperately trying to pick up the vein again, but they found nothing.

Finally, they decided to quit. They sold the machinery to a man for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. That man asked a mining engineer to look at the mine and do a little calculating. The engineer said that the project had failed because the owners were not familiar with “fault lines(裂纹线)”. His calculations showed that the vein would be found just three feet from where it was found.

The man took millions of dollars in ore from the mine, because he knew enough to ask for expert advice before giving up.

R.U. Darby was struggling for years to pay back the money from his relatives and neighbors. He went into the business of selling life insurance.

Remembering that he lost a huge fortune because he stopped three feet from gold, Darby profited from the experience in his chosen work, by the simple method of saying to himself , “I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say 'no' when I ask them to buy insurance.”

Darby is part of a small group of fewer than 50 men who sell more than a million dollars in life insurance every year. His “stick-ability” comes from the lesson he learned from his “quit-ability” in the gold mining business.

1.Darby and his uncle stopped digging for gold because___

A. They didn’t have the machinery to dig for the ore

B. They didn’t have enough money to manage the mine

C. They had already had enough gold and made big profits

D. They had tried to find the vein of gold again, but it was in vain.

2.What was a good quality of the man who worked on the mine after Darby and his uncle?

A. He knew the machinery better than the Darbys.

B. He knew the importance of seeking expert advice.

C. He had very strong stick-ability and never gave up.

D. He was good at calculations and familiar with fault lines.

3.What happened to Darby in the end?

A. He became a very successful businessman.

B. He worked as an ordinary salesman selling life insurance.

C. He struggled for the rest of his life to pay back the money he had borrowed.

D. He lived an easy life with all the money he had earned from the gold.

4.What is the main message that the author intends to convey with the story?

A. One is never too late to start a new career.

B. Don’t hesitate to ask for help when you are in need.

C. Never give up and you will succeed eventually.

D. It is important to have knowledge about everything.

Visitor Guide to Birch Aquarium General Information

Thank you for respecting the health of our animals and the experience.

◆ Keep voices low in exhibit areas.

◆ No tapping on marine life displays.

◆ As a courtesy, please silence cell phones.

◆ Please use trash and recycling bins.

◆ Birch Aquarium is smoke-free facility.

Photography

For the safety of our live animals, please do not use flash photography. Visitors may be photographed or videotaped by aquarium staff for professional use, or by the media covering aquarium news. Entry into the aquarium grants permission for use of these images.

Refreshments

Splash Cafe offers a variety of gourmet, sustainable, and organic sandwiches, snacks, and beverages.

Drinks, food, and gum are not permitted inside the aquarium.

Restrooms ＆ Baby Care

Changing tables are located in both the men’s and women’s restrooms.

Re-entry

Please keep your ticket or have hand stamped at the Visitor Service Office if you plan to exit and re-enter the same day , including visits to Splash Coffee Shop.

Visitors with Disabilities

See the Visitor Information Center for assistance. All exhibits are wheelchair accessible. Wheelchairs are available at no charge.

Emergencies /First Aid/ Lost ＆ Found

Go to the Visitor Service Office or alert the nearest staff member.

Don’t Miss!

Watch a diver hand-feed the fishes----including three species of sharks----during our Kelp Tank Dive Show.

Learn about this unique and beautiful undersea world during a live, interactive presentation. After your visit, view the exhibit at home through our live, online Kelp Cam.

1.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

a. Visitors can attract the fish in the tank by knocking on the window of the tank.

b. Visitors can come back to the aquarium with the ticket whenever they need to.

c. Visitors are allowed to refresh themselves with snacks while enjoying the exhibition.

d. You can’t smoke freely during your visit to the Birch Aquarium.

e. You can’t take photos but can be photographed by the staff.

f. Babies can get changed by either mother or father.

g. The disabled have to pay for the wheelchairs provided by the aquarium.

A. a b B. c e

C. d f D. f g

2.What does the underlined phrase “as a courtesy” probably mean?

A. To save electricity. B. For your own safety.

C. When answering the phone. D. As good manners.

3.What information is necessary for visitors but not included in this Visitor Guide?

A. Opening hours B. Animal Feedings

C. Membership Cards D. Volunteer Work

4.In which section of a newspaper can we probably read this passage?

A. Fashion B. Travel

C. Sports D. Science