【题目】 It was time to break free．

I needed to run away and the Bloomsburg Fair was the best place to go．

I don’t know if you can call it running away when it was only an hour away from my home．But once I entered the fair grounds, I crossed over into another world．The loudspeaker offered background music over the sounds of people talking, bargaining and food sellers yelling for your attention．

I belonged here．I didn’t know if I had it in my blood or not, but I always wanted to have a small food stand and travel in my off season from fair to fair selling goodies．Perhaps one day．It certainly wasn’t a priority(优先考虑的事)in my life , Perhaps it should be．

After I was there a while, I needed to get away to a quiet spot．Most of the time, I could find that anywhere the farm animals were kept． They needed the quiet．So I went there to find peace with the cows, goats, horses, pigs and yes, the turkeys．You'd think being this close to "Thanksgiving", they'd be a little scared, but they were not．

It was in the dairy barn（仓库）where I found peace this time．I so admired the young folks who tended to farm animals．I thought they had a greater appreciation for life．They participated in it firsthand．I once watched a young farmer help bring a baby cow into the world．

My favorite scene was to come across a young cowboy lying in the hay asleep among the cows that had settled down for a rest．There, with his heads in a small soft spot alongside his favorite cow, I had seen him in a much deserved sleep．Perhaps better at rest there than in his own bed．

I had the pleasure of speaking with a young teenage farm girl that day．

"You look so comfortable," I said to her．

"Oh I am," she said．"Life makes it comfortable for me．"

“You mean being a farm girl?"

"No, Life! That's the name of my cow," she said, smiling as she gently patted the cow's side．

"I thought they called cows Betsy and Elsie．Why did you call her Life?"

“I discovered life again here．It was the only meaningful name that came to mind．I had been raised in the big city and really hated it．Then we moved to the country, running away from it．I think my parents called it a mid-life crisis," she said, laughing．

"Oh, I can understand that．I've been in one since birth," I said．

"It was on the farm that I learned to love life again．I was there when Life was born．It was so exciting．My whole outlook on the world changed．So I named her Life．Now, I can say I really love 'Life'," she said．

"How amazing! I write stories and J am always trying to get people to enjoy life, to wake up each day expecting the best from it．But they all too often go to bed with so much bad stuff in their soul, and on their mind, that they wake up feeling bad and expect it to only get worse from there． All too often it does, just because that's all they choose to see in that otherwise perfectly beautiful day," I told her．

"That's too bad．They need to see a cow born, a chicken hatch．I guess they need to wake up early and hug Life!" she said, laughing．

"When was the last time you hugged Life" she asked me．

"I am sorry to say even I have had trouble doing that lately," I said．

"Come here!" she said．

Then standing up and stepping aside, she said, "Go ahead…hug Life!"

I paused for a moment and dropping all thoughts of looking silly, I did．I hugged a cow．

【1】The writer went to the Bloomsburg Fair probably in order to ．

A．have fun B．get ideas for writing

C．do shopping D．escape something he disliked

【2】The following things happened in the Bloomsbury Fair except ．

A．food sellers' shouting

B．the writer's selling goodies

C．people's bargaining and talking

D．the loudspeaker's broadcasting music

【3】What can we learn from Paragraphs 5, 6 and 7?

A．The writer tended to farm animals firsthand．

B．The cowboy was lazy and fell asleep among the cows．

C．The writer found peace where farm animals were kept．

D．The turkeys got into panic with "Thanksgiving" approaching

【4】The underlined word "it" refers to ．

A．the city B．the country

C．the barn D．the fair

【5】The writer was surprised at the farm girl's words and he thought people often______

A．expected to get the best things

B．enjoyed perfectly beautiful days

C．ignored the bright side of each day

D．felt really bad due to poor sleep at night

【6】What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Farm Life and Happiness B．Hugging Life

C．A Farm Girl nd Her Cow D．Enjoying Freedom

【题目】With more forests being destroyed, huge quantities of good earth ______ each year.

A. is washing away B. is being washed away

C. are washing away D. are being washed away

【题目】One suicide and three attempted ones that left two seriously injured, all by middle school students in Shanghai last week, cast a gloom (忧郁) over an otherwise happy beginning of a new term there. The terrible things took place even as the Ministry of Education and China Central Television organized the first lesson on TV about personal safety for students last Monday, the first day of the new semester. Such things suggest that this first lesson is more than necessary. Not only should kids be taught how to protect themselves in times of emergency, they should also be made aware of the value of life. One student was prevented from killing himself from his school building. He said he just could not accept the fact of not being able to go tip to a higher grade with his classmates, and thus considered life meaningless. Another 12-year-old boy who jumped off a building to his death was said to have been a good student, and no one could say why he chose to end his life. Obviously, their inner worlds were seriously affected. But when they chose to take their own lives, their irresponsible choice was clearly the result of a lack of adequate understanding of the value of life.

Undoubtedly, those kids who chose to take their own lives were faced only with their own sadness that they could not overcome. If they had a little concern for their parents, for their parents' expectations of them or for their own potential contributions to this world in the future, they would not have gone that far. Difficulties or sufferings are supposed to help kids develop their sense of responsibility and thus help them better understand the value of life.

Too much attention and care from their parents and grandparents have made most of the only children self-centered. Many think it is natural that they deserve to be taken care of by others in whatever way they want. They expect to have their problems solved by their parents or someone else. With such a false sense, they fail to grasp the tough reality of life. They suffer from the illusion (幻觉) that their life should be nothing but plain sailing, Whenever the illusion is broken, they can hardly gather enough courage to face life as it is. So a hotline is indeed necessary to help those kids who find it hard to accept the tough reality of life. But parents and teachers also need to take lessons from the things. They need to know that life should not always be sugar-coated for kids; they should be made to taste the bitter side too as early as possible.

【1】Why is the first lesson on TV necessary according to passage?

A. It will make students prepared for the new term.

B. It is published by the Ministry of Education and China Central Television.

C. It will increase the students’ awareness of the value of life.

D. It will keep the students away from danger.

【2】From the passage we know that _________.

A. four students took their lives in Shanghai last week

B. being unable to catch up with other classmates led to the 12-year-old boy killing himself

C. the importance of life lies in the sense of responsibility for parents

D. parents are supposed to tell the kids the bitter side of life as well as the sweet side

【3】The main reason why those kids took their own lives is that _________.

A. they are worried that they may fall behind others in studies

B. they lack the respect for their parents

C. they may be physically healthy, but mentally unhealthy

D. their parents expect too much from them

【4】What may be the best title of the passage?

A. An irresponsible choice. B. The value of life.

C. Weak-minded generation. D. The reality of life.

【题目】Students perform better and achieve more in 3D classes, research suggests. They are quicker to learn and absorb new concepts, and display higher levels of concentration.

Professor Anne Bamford, of the University of the Arts, London, studied the effectiveness of 3D content in 15 schools across seven countries, including the UK. Pupils in 3D classes could remember more than those in the 2D classes after four weeks, improving test scores by an average 17 percent compared with eight percent for 2D lessons. They gave more detailed answers to the tasks and were more likely to think in 3D, using hand gestures and mime (模仿动作) to answer the test questions successfully.

The teachers commented that the pupils in the 3D groups had deeper understanding, increased attention span, more motivation and higher engagement in the lessons.

Children are used to 3D with the rise of computer games that use the technology—90 percent of those in the study had seen a 3D film. Schools would need 3D-enabled projectors（投影仪）, laptops with good picture capabilities, 3D software and glasses for children to introduce animations (动作) into classrooms.

But Danny Nicholson, an educationist, said the technology would be impractical to use in schools and could be costly. He said, “While I think the idea of 3D technology is very interesting, I worry that 3D is a bit of an expensive gimmick (小玩意儿). There are a few cases where a true 3D image might help, but most of the time, good 2D models that can be moved , would be just so effective.”

In Colorado, the US, one school district is already in the process of having 1,000 3D projectors fixed in classrooms. And the University of Caledonia, which carries out scientific research into the Lake Tabon Basin, has used 3D presentations with Grade Six pupils. Those who watched the 3D presentations were more engaged and reported a general increase in their interest in science compared with students who watched the 2D version.

【1】What will Danny agree with?

A. Many pupils prefer 2D models.

B. 3D is a bit expensive for some schools

C. True 3D images would not help in classes

D. 3D technology has a bright future in classes

【2】What is TRUE in the passage?

A. Danny Nicholson thinks the pupils in the 3D groups pay more attention to the lessons.

B. Pupils in 3D classes could improve test scores by an average 8 percent.

C. The teachers think highly of the 3D classes.

D. Compared to 3D images, 2D models are not effective in the classes.

【3】What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. 3D classes will soon be given in one school district in Colorado.

B. Teachers will use the 3D technology through specific training.

C. Many pupils are now more interested in science than before.

D. 3D technology will replace 2D models in the future.

【4】What is the main idea of the passage?

A. 2D models are always more effective than 3D images.

B. The differences between 3D and 2D images.

C. How schools can make full use of 3D technology.

D. Pupils behave better when 3D images are used in classes.

【题目】We observed some young men __________into the building at 11：00 last night.

A．to slip B．slipped

C．slipping D．being slipped

【题目】She was about to cry out she heard her father urgently telling her to keep quiet.

A. while B. when C. before D. after

【题目】The general at last got a chance to visit the village, ___ he used to fight, ___ he had been dreaming of for year.

A. that; which B. where; that

C. in which; what D. where; which

【题目】A few minutes later she got up and went to the phone. She knew the number of the police station, and when the man at the other end answered, she cried to him. “Quick! Come quick! Patrick’s dead!”

“Who’s speaking?”

“Mrs Maloney. Mrs Patrick Maloney.”

“You mean Patrick Maloney’s dead?”

“I think so,” she sobbed. “He’s lying on the floor and I think he’s dead.”

“Be right over,” the man said.

The car came very quickly, and when she opened the front door, two policemen walked in. She knew them both—she knew nearly all the men at that precinct. Briefly, she told her story about going out to the grocer and coming back to find him on the floor. While she was talking, crying and talking, Noonan discovered a small patch of congealed blood on the dead man’s head. He showed it to O’Malley who got up at once and hurried to the phone.

Later, one of the detectives came up and sat beside her. Did she know, he asked, of anything in the house that could’ve been used as the weapon? Would she mind having a look around to see if anything was missing—a very big spanner, for example, or a heavy metal vase.

They didn’t have any heavy metal vases, she said.

“Or a big spanner (扳手)?”

She didn’t think they had a big spanner. But there might be some things like that in the garage.

The search went on. She knew that there were other policemen in the garden all around the house. She could hear their footsteps on the gravel outside, and sometimes she saw the flash of a torchlight through a chink in the curtains.

Then one by one they came in and were persuaded to take a little nip of whisky. They stood around rather awkwardly with the drinks in their hands, uncomfortable in her presence, trying to say consoling things to her. Sergeant Noonan wandered into the kitchen, came out quickly and said. “Look, Mrs Maloney. You know that oven of yours is still on, and the meat still inside…I better turn it off for you, hadn’t I?”

“Will you do that, Jack. Thank you so much.”

When the sergeant returned the second time, she looked at him with her large, dark, tearful eyes.

“Would you do me a small favour—you and these others?” She said.

“We can try, Mrs Maloney.”

“Well,” she said. “You must be terribly hungry by now because it’s long past your supper time. Why don’t you eat up that lamb that’s in the oven? It’ll be cooked just right by now.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Sergeant Noonan said.

“Please,” she begged. “Please eat it.”

The four policemen vacillated, but they were clearly hungry, and in the end they were persuaded to go into the kitchen and help themselves. The woman stayed where she was, listening to them through the open door, and she could hear them speaking among themselves, their voices thick and sloppy because their mouths were full of meat.

“The guy must’ve used a big thing to hit Patrick,” one of them was saying. “The doctor says his skull was smashed all to pieces.”

“That’s why it ought to be easy to find.”

“Exactly what I say.”

“The murderer’s not going to carrying a thing like that around with him longer than he needs.”

One of them belched.

“Personally, I think it’s right here on the premises.”

“Probably right under our very noses. What you think, Jack?”

And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle.

【1】Which of the following is incorrect according to the passage?

A. The policemen searched around the house until night.

B. The policemen were dealing with the murder of Mary’s brother.

C. The Maloney’s didn’t have a big spanner.

D. Patrick died because of a critical damage to his head.

【2】What is the meaning of the underlined word “vacillate”?

A. discuss B. refuse C. hesitate D. agree

【3】What could you learn about Mrs Maloney from the passage?

A. She is a careless person who may not notice subtle sound.

B. She was in the kitchen when the officers enjoyed the lamb.

C. She was very familiar with the policemen and the officers.

D. She put the lamb into the oven before her husband died.

【4】Why do you think Mary giggled at the end?

A. She was happy that they finished the real weapon without noticing.

B. She was glad that the policemen had a supper after working hard.

C. She was amused by the way they spoke with meat filled in their mouths.

D. She was pleased that they ate the lamb which she coud not finish alone.

【题目】The journey around the world took the old sailor nine months, ____ the sailing time was 226 days.

A. of which B. during which

C. from which D. for which

【题目】—Did you remember to give Jenny the money?

—Yes. _______ I saw her, I gave it to her.

A. As far as B. The first time

C. The moment D. Any time