High school seems bigger. There are  36 kids and it’s a totally new environment. It could be a  37 time for new students,  38 ,in fact, it isn’t really that bad.
The first day of course is always terrifying, but, then again, the first day of middle school was probably the  39 .Of course you might get lost during the first few days  40 your classes, but after a while what seems like a large school really isn’t.
One thing that’s really cool about high school is that there are so many more classes that you can  41 .For example, if you like  42 ,there are many art classes. At the same time, there are  43 classes, which you can’t take in middle school  44 photography and psychology(心理学).There are many new things in high school that make it much more  45 .
In high school, you’re able to join more clubs, play more sports, and take part in more  46 ,and at the same time make new friends with kids with the same  47 as you. Also, these activities can give you a  48 to learn something that you might not have had the opportunity to learn in  49 .
High school is different  50 everyone, but there’s one thing that’s  51 .You’re going to have just as much fun here as you  52 before. But having fun isn’t enough though! You’re  53 so you have to be more responsible. Everything changes when you get  54 ,but the changes aren’t that bad. You  55 worry too much about growing up.

Linda Evans was my best friend—like the sister I never had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding.

When I was 13, my fami1y moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special times—like my wedding and Linda’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped“Address Unknown”. I had no idea about how to find Linda.

Over the years, I missed Linda very much. I wanted to share happiness of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.

One day, I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagman—Linda’s married name.“There must be thousands of Wagmans.”I thought, but I still wrote to her.

She called as soon as she got my letter.“Mrs. Tobin!”she said excitedly,“Linda Evans Wagman is my mother.”

Minutes later I heard a voice that I recognized at once, even after 40 years. We laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives. Now the empty place in my heart is fil1ed. And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won’t lose each other again!

1.The writer went to piano lessons with Linda Evans      .

A. at the age of 13

B. before she got married

C. before the writer’s family moved away

D. after they moved to new homes

2.They didn’t often write to each other because they      .

A. got married

B. had little time to do so

C. didn’t like writing letters

D. could see each other on special times

3.There was an empty place in the writer’s heart because she      .

A. was in trouble

B. didn’t know Linda’s address

C. received the card that she sent

D. didn’t have a friend like Linda

4.The writer was happy when she      .

A. read the newspaper

B. heard Linda’s voice on the phone

C. met a young woman who looked a lot like Linda

D. wrote to the woman whose 1ast name was Wagman

5.They haven’t kept in touch      .

A. for about 40 years

B. for about 27 years

C. since they got married

D. since the writer’s family moved away

Decisions, decisions! Our lives are full of them, from the small ones to the life-changing. The right to choose is central to everyone. Yet sometimes we make bad decisions that leave us unhappy or full of regret. Can science help?

Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists（心理学家）are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind.

Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision making, but in fact they're a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional center is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasio, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasio thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to help the present decision making.

However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger, for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.

All emotions affect our thinking and motivation（动机）, so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there’s one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.

1.According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?

A．To think about happy times.

B．To make many decisions at a time.

C．To stop feeling regretful about the past.

D．To learn about the process of decision-making.

2.Damasio’s study suggests that _________.

A．emotions are the enemy of decision making

B．our brain has nothing to do with decision making

C．people with physical damage find it hard to make up their minds

D．our emotional memories of past choices can affect present decisions

3.Why are angry shoppers more likely to choose the first thing they are offered?

A．They often forget their past choices.

B．They make decisions without much thinking.

C．They tend to save time when shopping.

D．They are too angry to bargain.

4.What do we learn from the text?

A．Emotions are a part of decision making.

B．Sad people always make worst choices.

C．No emotion seems to help us make good choices.

D．Only sad feelings affect our thinking and motivation.

阅读下面两篇短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(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。

I remember the exact moment I learned the principle of preparing for luck.

I was on the wrestling team. Now, if there’s one thing I can tell you about any sport, it is that wrestling is probably the sport that has the least   31   .There are only two people out on the mat, so you cannot   32   it on your teammates or your coach. And guess what? There is no   33     because we do the whole thing indoors, so you can’t say, “It was raining” or “It was snowing.” It makes   34  to say wrestling is the sport with the least luck.

On our team were two world champions; one of them had been a world champion five times. We   35   had five people who were national champions. One of them was a guy   36   the name of John.

John had never been   37   in any high school wrestling competition that I could remember, 38   he was a national champion. There was nobody locally who could touch him.

One day, we   39   a match with our biggest opponent (对手). John went out on the mat, and about a minute and 30 seconds into the match he tried to make a particular   40   He rolled over, and his opponent  41   him halfway through his roll. He was pinned (压住) 42  !

The match was over.

I remember on the way home, one of our teammates tried to  43   John by saying, “Oh, he just got lucky.” John said, “That’s so stupid. The 44   presented itself, and he just took advantage of it.”

We used to have this big   45   in our wrestling room that the coach had put there: “Luck is what happens when opportunity meets   46  .”

John’s opponent was prepared to make use of this opportunity. The possibility of beating John was not   47   and he knew it. But he waited for the  48   opportunity to present itself, and he defeated and pinned a five-time national champion.

In other words, the real  49   is “Be prepared!” It’s not just finding the opportunity; you have to be prepared to   50   it.

1..  A. luck                B. risk             C. difficulty           D. opportunity

2..   A. accuse             B. blame            C. doubt                D. keep

3..   A. stress                 B. injury           C. change           D. weather

4..   A. reason             B. sure                 C. safe                 D. sense

5..  . A. also              B. even                 C. too              D. once

6..  A. under               B. for              C. in               D. by

7..   A. hurt                   B. met              C. trained          D. defeated

8..   A. although           B. as               C. yet              D. until

9..   A. went for           B. waited for           C. fought for           D. played for

10..   A. act                   B. step                 C. task             D. move

11..  A. fixed              B. threw                C. caught               D. carried

12..   A. accidentally      B. fortunately          C. unfairly         D. immediately

13..   A. control           B. comfort          C. convince         D. forgive     

14..   A. success           B. moment           C. opportunity      D. situation

15..  A. warning            B. sign                 C. sentence         D. note

16..   A. occasion          B. challenge            C. time             D. preparation

17..   A. obvious           B. strong           C. little               D. slight

18..   A. equal                 B. exact            C. rest                 D. right

19..  A. message            B. theme                C. key              D. suggestion

20..  . A. receive          B. follow           C. seize                D. save

四、阅读理解（共40分）
A
Linda Evans was my best friend －like the sister I never had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming, and horseback riding.
When I was 13, my family moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special time －like my wedding and Linda’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped “Address Unknown”. I had no idea how to find Linda.
Over the years, I missed Linda very much, I wanted to share stories of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.
One day I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked a lot like Linda and whose last name was Wagman－ Linda’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagmans,” I thought, but I still wrote to her.
She called as soon as she got my letter. “Mrs. Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Linda Evans Wagman is my mother.”
Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives. Now the empty place in my heart is filled, and there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: we won’t lose each other again!
56. The writer went to piano lessons with Linda Evans_______.
A. at the age of 13                 B. before she got married
C. after they moved to new homes     D. before the writer’s family moved away
57. They didn’t often write to each other because they_______.
A. got married                   B. had little time to do so
C. didn’t like writing letters        D. could see each other on special time
58. There was an empty place in the writer’s heart because she______.
A. was in trouble                
B. didn’t know Linda’s address
C. received the card that she sent    
D. didn’t have a friend like Linda to share her happiness or sadness
59. The writer was happy when she_________.
A. read the newspaper       
B. heard Linda’s voice on the phone 
C. met a young woman who looked a lot like Linda
D. wrote to the woman whose last name was Wagman