It's time to remind myself what I love about life here in California,USA, to remember what I desperately miss when I go home.

Real radio

In the USA there are so many radio stations that those iPod tuner things don’t work at all. There is, simply, no dead air. It took me a while to discover the USA's many pub­lic radio stations, which don't broadcast any advertisements. KCRW is my favorites station, for its blend of indie music and current affairs. But I also listen to KJAZZ and KPCC. But before you feel jealous — it’s all online. My favorites: American life Snap Judgement and Henry Rollins live every Saturday night. Take listen online for free News? Well, there's not a lot of news from South Africa, and when it is, it's bad and full of fear, so I ignore it. But I care about any place I live in, and that includes the USA. And on public radio, the USA is covered in depth, from the perspective of individual stories rather than statistics.

The festivals

I’m jealously watching tweets and Facebook boasts and reviews from SXSW — seems like half the people I used to work with in South Africa are there,meeting Grumpy Cat and watching bands they’ve always wanted to see live. It’s great to know that these 1000s of festivals are so close, and that one day,if film school schedule ever allows me to leave campus for more than a few days, I can go to one or two of them. I have already ex­changed my much loved Ford Mustang for a bigger, less sexy car — a car spacious enough to sleep in — so that next year I can be there, not just dream of it.

The famous people

When I go back to SA, I'm often asked if I’ve spotted any famous people. It's awkward for me. I feel the the same way about it as I feel when an American asks me if there are lions in the streets. Except yes, I have. No,not lions. I have met some famous people. I chatted to RJ Mitte from Breaking Bad outside a dub in West Hollywood. Many of my professors are famous directors. The problem is, once you meet these famous people, they're just people, FFS. This feels disappointing at first, like you're missing a Jesus mo­ment of some sort. But if you think about it, it's inspiring. What it means, is that I, litlle me (right now, also "just a person") could be a famous just-a-person person one day, and get to make all the films I just dream of now.

1.The underlined sentence "There is,simply, no dead air." probably means____.

A. there is no useless radio programmes in the USA

B. there is no useful radio programmes in the USA

C. there is no polluted air in the USA

D. there is no advertisements from the radio programmes in the USA

2.There are so many festivals that_____.

A. I often leave campus for more than few days

B. I often attend some of them in person

C. I bought a bigger Ford? Mustang

D. I can share many reviews and performances online with my friends in South Africa

3.The author thinks the famous people in the USA _____.

A. are just Like lions????????????? ???????????? B. are well-known but ordinary

C. are disappointing????????????? D. are inspiring

4.The author is most likely to be _____.

A. a director in America????????????? ?????????? B. a professor in South Africa

C. a student in America????????????? ???????? D. an actor in South Africa

One morning in Philadelphia, the sun shone bright through all the thick jungles and the tall churches. John, 6, wearing the worn-out clothes, walked from a far place, his dark small hands holding a piece of stolen bread.

John stopped for a moment at the entrance to the church and then left tightly holding the bread,      

He was an orphan(孤儿), whose parents were killed in World War II leaving him alone in the orphanage for five years, Like many children in the house, he had a lot of free time. Mostly no one took care of them, so they had to learn how to steal those they wanted.             

John believed God to be real, so every Sunday morning in any case he would go to the church to have a look and listen to those people singing inside or reading the Bible. He felt only at this moment he was the child of God and so close to God. But he couldn’t enter because his clothes were so dirty. John himself knew it.

John was quietly calculating the times. This was his 45th Sunday at the entrance to the church. He stood on tiptoe（踮着脚尖） for a while and walked away.

As time passed, the pastor(牧师) noticed John and learned from others that he was the small boy who liked stealing things in the orphanages.

On the 46th Sunday, the sun was shining and John came still holding a piece of bread with his dark small hands. When he just stood there, the pastor came out. He felt like running away, but he was carried by the pastor's friendly smile.

The pastor walked up to his side, clearly seeing John's small hands shaking.

"Are you John?"

John didn't answer, but looked at the pastor and nodded.

"Do you believe in God?" the pastor patted John on his head with dust.

"Yes, I do!" This time John told him loudly.

"So you believe in yourself?"

John looked at the pastor, without a word.

The pastor went on saying, "At the first sight of you, I find you're different from other kids because you have a good heart."

His face turning red, John said nervously, "In fact, I'm a thief." With that, he lowered his head.

The pastor didn't speak, but held John's dark small hands, slowly opened them and put them against his wrinkled face.

"Ah" Just at the same time, John shouted and was about to take out his dark small hands. Yet the pastor tightly held his small hands and spread them out in the sun.

"Do you see, John?"

"What?"

"You're cupping the sunshine in your hands."

John blankly looked at his hands: when did they become so beautiful?

"In God's eyes, all children are the same. When they are willing to spread out their hands to greet the sun, the sun will naturally shine on them. And you have two things more than they do. First is courage and the second is kindness." With that, the pastor led him into the church. It was the first time that John went into this sacred place, and at this moment he didn't feel inferior, but the unspeakable warmth.

On that morning greeting the sunshine, John found himself again, along with the confidence, satisfaction, happiness, dreams he had never had.

Twenty years have passed. Now the boy who ever tightly held the bread with his dirt hands has been the most famous cook in Philadelphia and made many popular dishes.

Every Sunday morning, he would personally send the bread he baked to the orphanage. Those children who greeted him with cheers were used to consciously spreading their palms before they got the bread.

Because they all knew when we are willing to spread out our hands to greet the sunshine, the sun will naturally shine on us.

1.The method the writer uses to develop Paragraph is ______________

A．presenting contrasts (对比)                B．showing causes （原因）

C．offering analyses                        D．providing explanations

2.Why didn't John go inside whenever he went to the church?

A．He was frightened to be recognized by the pastor

B．He was not welcomed by those singing in the church.

C．He was sorry for his dirty clothes and identity as a thief.

D．He was left alone in the orphanage and nobody cared for him.

3.Which of the following questions did John reply certainly?

A．“Are you John?"                        B．"Do you see, John?"

C．"So you believe in yourself?"               D．"Do you believe in God?"

4.Which of the following can best describe the pastor's great effect on John?

A．John became a famous cook.

B．John admitted his bad behavior. (行为)

C．John believed God to be real

D．John spread warmth to other orphans.

5.According to the passage, the sunshine cupped in hands can bring _______________

A．cheers and confidence                   B．dreams and imagination

C．courage and kindness                    D．forgiveness and satisfaction

根据下列句子所给首字母在横线上写出空缺处各单词的正确形式。（每空只写一词）
【小题1】He drew a ____________（结论）after a lot of experiments.
【小题2】Word came that our football team was _____________ （打败）again.      
【小题3】Who do you think is to ____________（该受指责）for the accident?
【小题4】What he did was not ________ （与……一致）with what he said.
【小题5】England is divided __________ (粗略地) into three zones.
【小题6】At first my new __________ (环境) were difficult to tolerate.
【小题7】If it is _____________（方便的）to you I’ll be with you next Tuesday.
【小题8】 Please ________（安排） for a taxi to pick me up at six o’clock.
【小题9】To their __________（高兴）, their son was admitted into a famous university.
【小题10】Wang Ping ________(系好) my safety belt and showed me how to use the hovering carriage.
【小题11】 Being ______（暴露）to sunlight for too much time will do harm to one’s skin.
【小题12】With extra evidence John Snow was able to______(宣布) with certainty that polluted water carried the virus.
【小题13】For historical__________ (建筑) ,you have to go to older but smaller towns built by the Romans.
【小题14】Just as I tried to make the necessary ________(调整)to this new situation, Wang Ping appeared.
【小题15】Westminster Abbey contains ________(雕塑) in memory of dead poets and writers.

Different people may bid for different things．As for me, I want dream, friendship and ? 1.?? admission notice to a famous university most．

??? Dreams would be on the top of my list．Only by pursuing our dreams?? 2.?? we enjoy a meaningful and fulfilled life．Money can buy a cozy life, ?? 3.?? without dreams, even a millionaire would find his life boring．

??? A person without friends can? 4.? be happy．Our life is full of joys and sorrows．? 5.? we need people to share with．Faced with difficulties, we need friends to give ? 6.?? comfort and help．Just as a saying goes．"A friend in need is a friend indeed．"Friendship can help us? 7.? ups and downs of life, so friendship would be in my list as well．

After working hard for so many years．I deserve to go to a good university, ? 8.?? being admitted to a famous university can help me live up to my parents' expectations and bring me a bright future．

One of the best-known American writers of children’s books is Alfred Strong, or Doctor Strong, as he is better known to readers everywhere. Now, an art show called “Doctor Strong From Then to Now” is travelling around the United States. The pictures and drawings show the history of Doctor Strong.

Doctor Strong first became famous almost fifty years ago when his first children’s book was published. Since then, he has written forty-five books that have sold more than one hundred million copies around the world.

Doctor Strong’s books are known for their easy use of words and colorful, hand-drawn pictures. These drawings bring life to his imaginary creatures. The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and hundreds of others.

The San Diego Museum, in California, organized the art show. It included about three hundred Doctor Strong’s original(最早的) drawings and some of his writings.

Most of Doctor Strong’s books, although written in a funny way, have serious messages. For example, in Mc Elligot’s Pool, he describes the danger of pollution. He discusses the arms race in The Butter Battle Book, written in 1984.

Doctor Strong is almost eighty-four years old now. He says he never planned to write stories just for children. He says he writes stories that interest people of all ages. He says he uses easy words so that everyone, even a child, can understand.

1.Alfred Strong is a famous _______ in the United States.

A．doctor            B．artist             C．writer            D．reader

2.Doctor Strong first became famous in __________.

A．his eighties when an art show was travelling around the United States

B．his fifties when his drawings and writings were published

C．1984 when his book Mc Elligot’s Pool was published

D．his thirties when his first book was published

3.Doctor Strong’s books are very popular in America because __________.

A．they are stories about animals such as cats, elephants and so on

B．they are written in easy words with colorful pictures

C．he organized the art show in California　　　　

D．they are written in a funny way

4.His purpose in writing many such books is __________.

A．to show his original pictures and drawings　　

B．to organize a special art show of his own

C．to make his readers laugh or smile when they read his books

D．not only to interest people but also to uncover some serious social problems