【题目】It has long been thought that first-born children are more successful than their younger brothers and sisters and often have qualities of being more organised and responsible as well as being eager to be in charge.

But a new study has shown that the elder child's achievements can help improve their younger siblings(兄弟姐妹) exam results by helping them to raise their game. For the first time ever, researchers from the University of Essex examined how the success of first born children in school affected their younger brothers and sisters by studying primary school test results.

And the data showed that having an older brother or sister improved a child’s learning with the equal effect of spending an extra 670 on the younger sibling's schooling. One of the study’s authors Birgitta Rabe explained, the older sibling’s achievement may have a direct effect on the younger sibling’s school grades if the older sibling teaches the younger sibling or helps with homework; the younger sibling imitates(模仿) the older sibling, for example in their work style, or tries to be different, for example to avoid competition; the older sibling passes on important information about educational choices or school and teachers to the younger sibling.

The effect is even more noticeable in less well-off families showing poorer children benefit more from a successful older sibling. “We find that the effect is larger for siblings in families relying on free school meals, living in poverty and speaking a language other than English at home. This means that children who live in poverty benefit more from a successful older sibling than children who live in well-off families.”

【1】The study is mainly based on the children’s ________.

A. exam results B. work style

C. family background D. educational choices

【2】According to the study, ________ tend to benefit more from a successful older sibling.

A. the children who live in rich families

B. the children who live in poor families

C. the children whose parents are successful

D. the children whose mother language is English

【3】What can we conclude from the study?

A. Younger siblings are more successful than first borns.

B. First-born children are as successful as their younger siblings.

C. First-born children are more successful than their younger siblings.

D. The success of first borns has positive effects on their younger siblings.

【4】The passage is likely to appear in ________.

A. a newspaper advertisement

B. a high school textbook

C. a science magazine

D. a news report

【题目】The last school bell rings and your kids are off for the summer. For most kids, those thoughts of schoolwork and lessons are a distant memory that they won’t be thinking about again until fall. __【1】____

Have your kids hit the library.

___【2】___If they don’t have a library card, get them one. Many local libraries sponsor summer reading clubs that keep your kids wanting to read. Be sure to let your kids pick their own books out; summer is for fun reading.

Have your kids read every day.

Ask your kids to read outside in the sun. Join in with them, and read aloud their favorite books, no matter how may times you have read them. _【3】____Nothing will stimulate a child to read more than to have adults reading with them.

____【4】_____

If you are planning a family trip, have them check out the map. Let your kids go online and research where you are going. Have your kids check the weather report in the newspaper or what big event is happening and then have them report back on them at dinnertime. Have your kids check out magazines or websites for recipes that can be prepared.

Improve your kids’ writing skills.

Learning to express your thoughts in writing in a logical manner is a skill that is often lost. To help your kids, have them write about things during the summer. If your kids love something such as animals, have them write reports about them to share with the family. ___【5】_____

A.Find other ways to encourage the kids.

B.However, it’s important for them to continue some learning.

C.Reading in the sun is bad for their eyes.

D.If you are going on a trip, have your kids keep a travel journal.

E.Improve your kid’s planning skills.

F.Encourage your kids to read by taking them to the library during the summer.

G.Pick a time every day when you all stop and read as a family together.

【题目】For lots of people in Britain, the 31st of December, or New Year’s Eve as we call it, is the biggest party of the year. It’s a time to get together with friends or family and welcome in the coming year. New Year’s Eve parties can take place at a number of different places. Some people hold a house party; others attend street parties, while some just go to their local for a few drinks with their mates. Big cities, like London, have large and wonderful fireworks shows.

There’s one thing that all New Year’s Eve parties have in common: the countdown(倒计时) to midnight. When the clock strikes(敲)twelve, people give a loud cheer, and give each other a kiss. They then link arms and sing a song called Auld Lang Syne, by a Scottish poet called Robert Burns. Not many people can remember all the words of the song, but the tune(旋律) is well known, so lots of people just hum along. The parties then continue into the early hours of the morning with lots of dancing and drinking. Other people might spend the day visiting relatives or friends they haven’t managed to catch up with for a while. Whatever happens, New Year’s Day tends to be very relaxed.

In Britain, it’s popular to make a promise to yourself about something you are going to do, or want to stop doing, in the New Year. This is called a New Year’s resolution. Typical resolutions include giving up smoking and joining a gym to get fit. However, the promise is often broken quite quickly and people are back into their bad habits within weeks or days.

New Year’s Day is the last bank holiday of the festive season, which means most people have to go to work the next day: bright and fresh and ready for the new year ahead!

【1】New Year’s Eve parties in Britain ________.

A. end at midnight

B. can only be held indoors

C. only take place in big cities

D. include countdown to midnight

【2】The underlined word “hum” in Paragraph 2 probably means________.

A. dancing to the music

B. singing with your mouth closed

C. learning to sin

D. keeping silent

【3】What does the author think of the New Year’s resolution?

A. It can help people keep fit.

B. It’s a promise to your family.

C. It’s often hard to keep.

D. It’s a joke played on New Year’s Day.

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

A. New Year parties in Britain.

B. New Year countdown in Britain.

C. New Year’s resolution in Britain.

D. New Year celebration in Britain.

【题目】The power of humor and laughter is numerous. They entertain us and make us feel good. But, above all, we have discovered that humor and laughter are the best medicine. They relieve pain, reduce stress and anxiety, and are anti-aging and longevity facilitators.

They are extremely necessary for helping us to find and maintain a balance between life and work. However, they are slipping away from us. We have become far too serious. The only ones who still enjoy humor, laughter, fun and play to the fullest are young children. Children tend to laugh an average of 200 times a day. For adults, however, it is a totally different story.

In the 1950s people laughed on average 18 times a day. Today, we are lucky if we average between 4-6 times a day.

As a matter of fact, a recent study found that people laugh 6 more times in the presence of one person but 30 more times in a group of people. You can get a chuckle(咯咯笑) from jokes you get on the Internet, but it is not the same as belly jiggling laughter (a deep laugh) you get when you interact with others.

Socializing with friends and relatives was much looked forward to. However, this is no longer the case. In fact, the majority of people can hardly find time, nor do they have the inclination towards socializing outside home. They turn to electronic media such as television, computers, the Internet, videos, CDs, and audio equipment, which can provide them with instant self-entertainment at the push of a button.

The workplace does not fare(进展) much better. Due to the pressures to produce more in the same or fewer hours available and to compete, for example, in a manufacturing field with cheaper labor elsewhere in the world, humor and laughter in the workplace have gradually eroded（逐渐毁坏） away.

I have developed a real appreciation, perhaps closer to a strong desire for the power of humor and laughter. This encouraged me to write my first book titled “The Power of Humor” and subsequently my second book titled “Kids Say the Goggonest Things” based on the natural humor, laughter, play and fun that kids experience and they freely share with parents, grandparents and teachers.

From writing about humor and laughter, people start to ask me to speak up for them. To date, I have developed a number of humor-laughter topics that I use in my keynote presentations. You are invited to subscribe to my free monthly e-magazine “The Humormeister’s Forum” by clicking on the Free Humor E-zine navigation button on the website.

【1】According to the author, laughter is leaving us partly because ________.

A. we treat everything in a serious way

B. it relieves pain, reduces stress and anxiety

C. we fail to maintain balance between life and work

D. the pace of change in our lives is becoming faster

【2】The fourth paragraph mainly tells us that ________.

A. getting a deep laugh nowadays is difficult

B. we can entertain ourselves with the help of the Internet

C. people laugh more heartily when spending time with others

D. researchers have made a new discovery about the effect of laughter

【3】The underlined word inclination in Paragraph 5 most probably means ________.

A. destination B. tendency

C. attitude D. approach

【4】Which of the following articles can we most probably find in The Humormeisters Forum?

A. The power of honesty.

B. Dont be your own worst enemy.

C. Live life purposefully: The relationship within.

D. Funny Christmas stories to share with your loved ones.

【题目】Dining in a completely dark room, unaware what ’s on your plate while sitting next to a complete stranger may not sound like an ideal restaurant experience but it’s certainly an intriguing way to spend a rainy night in London.

Dans le Noir, close to London’s financial district, is a restaurant full of blind waiters and waitresses who become your eyes around the restaurant, whose original Paris branch opened in 2004.

In the bar with the light, you choose whether you want the fish, meat or vegetable, but the dishes themselves remain a secret, as do the ingredients of the “surprise” cocktails. Bags, coats and devices(设备)that light up, including watches and mobile phones, are kept in the bar. Placing your hand on the shoulder of your guide, you are led to a table in a black dining room that sets up to 60 people. And it is dark.

The waiters tell you when the food is being placed down in front of you, then the fun begins, trying to get food into your mouth, then identifying just what it is that’s on your plate, and finally whether you have missed any of it.

It’s also a great chance to break social convention and eat using your fingers. Those same fingers are also the only way you can tell how much wine you’re pouring into your glass.

The happy atmosphere in the dining room also made the night memorable. You can’t really avoid talking to the person next to you at the long tables and guessing what the dishes are certainly provides adequate fuel for the conversations.

All will be revealed at the end of the meal when you are led back out into the lit bar. Not only do you finally get to see what you’ve just been eating but also who you’ ve been talking to for the last 90 minutes.

【1】What does the underlined word “intriguing.” in the first paragraph mean?

A terrible B. interesting C. expensive D. new

【2】According to the text, “ Dans le Noir”__________.

A is far from London’s financial district

B has its first branch opened in Britain

C is very popular among blind customers

D has a dining room which can seat up to 60 people

【3】We know from the text that the customers in “Dans le Noir”_________.

A. are forbidden to eat with their fingers

B. can talk to the strangers at table

C. will book the menu in a dark bar

D. can take their mobile phones into the dining room

【4】What’s the main purpose of the text?

A. To help blind people find a job in restaurants.

B. To show how to open a restaurant with a new idea.

C. To show how to enjoy the time in a dark restaurant.

D. To introduce and attract customers to “Dans le Noir ”.

【题目】假如你是李华，在一个英文网络论坛上，你看到一个名叫Grown-up的中学生发帖寻求帮助，请根据帖子内容和要求回帖。

问题:我今年14岁了，今年秋天就要去上高中了，但是我的妈妈还把我当做7岁小孩对待，我应该怎么办呢？

参考词汇：理解：understand 建议：suggestion

写作要点：

(1)告诉Grown-up要理解母亲；

(2)给Grown-up解决问题的具体建议；

(3)可适当发挥，词数100词左右。

Hi, Grown-up,

Yours friendly,

Li hua.

【题目】The 21st Beijing College Student Film Festival closed

On May 10th, the 21st Beijing College Student Film Festival was closed. The festival attracted thousands of students from over 20 universities in China and over 200 people from the film circle. Zhang Jiahui and Tang Wei won the Best Actor and the Best Actress Awards respectively with their Unbeatable and Finding Mr. Right. During this festival, 34 films were nominated(提名) and film scholars and college students formed the judges to select various awards.

The 7th National Chinese Language Conference held in Los Angeles

The 7th National Chinese Language Conference was opened in Los Angeles on May 8th. Over 1200 representatives from the educational government departments in the US states, presidents of universities, and secondary schools and experts of Chinese Language education were present. The US has already established about 100 Confucius Institutes and opened 300 classes, becoming the country with the largest number of Confucius Institute and classes.

Lhasa: the world’s first yak（牦牛）museum

On May 18th, the 38th International Museum Day, the world’s first yak museum was officially opened in Lhasa. For thousands of years, yak has been closely related to Tibetan people, influencing their spirits and personalities deeply; this museum will take the “spirit of yak” as the belief on which it was founded and take the yak as the carrier to show the Tibetan history and culture.

About 2.8 billion loans support the protection of ancient towns of Suzhou

Suzhou branch of China Development Bank successfully supported the protection and treatment of eight historical and cultural ancient towns through bringing in the financial supporting model and allocating(拨出) 2.81 billion yuan of loans in total. The bank actively explored the way of establishing a new model of financing small towns which features being guided by plan, promoted by financing and developed fully, thus solving the issues of collateral(担保) and source of payment effectively.

【1】According to the passage, people will learn that______.

A. Suzhou has applied for about 2.8 billion loans from China Bank.

B. the first yak museum will be opened in Lhasa on May 18th

C. nearly 300 Confucius classes have been opened in the world

D. Tang Wei won the Best Actress Award in the 21st Beijing College Student Film Festival

【2】When is International Museum Day?

A. On May 7th. B. On May 8th.

C. On May 10th. D. On May 18th.

【3】Which of the following events happens the most times?

A. International Museum Day.

B. The National Chinese Language Conference.

C. Beijing College Student Film Festival

D. China Development Bank.

【题目】Conventional wisdom says that hardship can make us old before our time. In fact, a new study suggests that violence not only leaves long-term scars on childrens bodies, but also changes their DNA, causing changes that are equal to seven to ten years of premature aging.

Scientists measured this by studying the ends of childrens chromosomes(染色体), called telomeres, says Idan Shalev, lead author of a study published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Telomeres are special DNA sequences which prevent the DNA in chromosomes from separating. They get shorter each time a cell divides, until a cell cannot divide any more and dies.

Several factors have been found to shorten telomeres, including smoking, radiation and psychological stresses such as being treated badly when young and taking care of a chronically ill person.

In this study, researchers examined whether exposure to violence could make children’s telomeres shorten faster than normal. They interviewed the mothers of 236 children at ages 5, 7 and 10, asking whether the youngsters had been exposed to domestic violence between the mother and her partner; physical maltreatment by an adult; or bullying. Researchers measured the children’s telomeres—in cells obtained by swabbing the insides of their cheeks—at ages 5 and 10.

Telomeres shortened faster in kids exposed to two or more types of violence, says Shalev. Unless that pattern changes, the study suggests, these kids could be expected to develop diseases of aging, such as heart attacks or memory loss, seven to 10 years earlier than their peers.

Shalev says there is hope for these kids. His study found that, in rare cases, telomeres can lengthen. Better nutrition, exercise and stress reduction are three things that may be able to lengthen telomeres, he says.

The study confirms a small but growing number of studies suggesting that early childhood adversity imprints itself in our chromosomes, says Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Harvard Medical School.

【1】The new study found that ________.

A. hardship can change a childs aging

B. violence leaves scars on a childs mind

C. violence can speed up a childs aging

D. hardship has a long term effect on a childs mind

【2】According to the text, telomeres ________.

A. are at the ends of peoples chromosomes

B. can help prevent DNA from separating

C. can make a cell die quickly

D. become shorter before they die

【3】Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A. Violence can cause quick cell division in childrens body.

B. Researchers measured the childrens telomeres from their legs in the study.

C. Being treated badly will make a childs telomeres shorten faster.

D. Children who have shorter telomeres may have a heart attack earlier.

【4】What is the best title for the text?

A. Violence Aging Childrens DNA

B. Childrens Changing DNA Patterns

C. Violence and Telomeres

D. The Function of Telomeres

【题目】As we know, there are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let’s look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese about the dog, for example, “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”, “a running dog” and “a dog catching a mouse”, have negative meanings. But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans. In English, people use the dog to describe positive actions. For example, “you are a lucky dog” means you are a lucky person. And “every dog has its day” means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person’s serious illness, they say “sick as a dog”. The word “dog-tired” means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in western culture, “cat” is often used to describe a woman who is cruel. There are many other examples of how “cat” is used differently as well.

The rose is regarded as a symbol of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose stands for love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.

The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.

【1】“Every dog has its day” means “__________”.

A. Everybody in the world is lucky.

B. Each person lives his own way of life.

C. If one works hard, he’s sure to succeed.

D. Everybody has a time in life to be lucky.

【2】Western people usually use “cat” to refer to “_____________”.

A. a tired person B. a brave man

C. a homeless person D. an unkind woman

【3】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Words show differences in culture.

B. Chinese people prefer dogs to cats.

C. Western people think cats to be good friends.

D. Rose is the national flower of all western countries.

【4】What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Negative and Positive Words.

B. Different Countries Have Different Culture.

C. Rose Means the Same in Chinese and English.

D. What Dog and Cat Mean in English and Chinese.

【题目】This is an excerpt from Emma Watsons speech at the United Nations headquarters.

Today we are launching a campaign（called "He For She"）. I am reaching out to you because we need your help. We want to end gender inequality, and to do this, we need everyone involved. This is the first campaign of this kind in the UN. We want to try to involve as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for change.

I started questioning gender-based assumption a long time ago. When I was 8, I was confused being called bossy because I wanted to direct a play that we put on for our parents, but the boys were not. When I was 14, I started to be sexualized by certain elements of the media. At 15, my girlfriends started dropping out of a lot of sports teams because they didn’t want to appear masculine. At 18, my male friends were unable to express their feelings.

I decided that I was a feminist. This seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word. Women are choosing not to identify as feminists. Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one? I’m from Britain and I think it is right that I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decisions that will affect my life. I think it is right that socially, I am afforded the same respect as men.

But sadly, I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive these rights. No country in the world can yet say that they have achieved gender equality. These rights, I considered to be human rights, but I am one of the lucky ones.