Self-confidence is an attitude which allows individuals to have positive yet realistic views of themselves and their situations. Self-confident people trust their own abilities, have a general sense of control in their lives, and believe that，within reason, they will be able to do what they wish., plan., and expect. Having self-confidence does not mean that individuals will be able to do everything. Self-confident people have expectations that are realistic. Even when some of their expectations are not met，they continue to be positive and to accept themselves.

    People who are not self-confident depend too much on the approval of others in order to feel good about themselves. They tend to avoid taking risks because they fear failure. They generally do not expect to be successful. They often put themselves down and tend to ignore compliments（赞美）paid to them By contrast，self-confident people are willing to risk the disapproval of others because they generally trust their own abilities. They tend to accept themselves；they don't feel they have to conform in order to be accepted.

    Many factors affect the development of self-confidence. Parents' attitudes are crucial to children's feelings about themselves，particularly in children's early years. When parents pro- vide acceptance, children receive a solid foundation for good feelings about themselves. If one or both parents are much to critical or demanding, or if they are overprotective and discourage children's moves toward independence, children may come to believe they are unqualified or inadequate.

    Surprisingly, lack of self-confidence is not necessarily related to lack of ability. Instead it is often the result of focusing too much on the unrealistic expectations or standards of others， especially parents and society. Friends' influences can be as powerful or more powerful than those of parents and society in shaping feelings of one's self. Students in their college years reexamine values and develop their own identities and thus are particularly sensitive to the influence of friends.

1.Paragraph 1 mainly talks about____．

A. the sources of self-confidence

B. the benefits of self-confidence

C. the development of self-confidence

D. the lack of self-confidence

2.In Paragraph 2，the underlined word "conform" probably means“_______”．

A. refuse  B. separate  C. permit  D. obey

3.According to the passage, self-confident people tend to____．

A. be practical  B. control others

C. avoid risks  D. depend on others

4.Which of the following can we learn about self-confidence according to the passage?

A. Self-confidence is usually the symbol of special abilities.

B. Parents' protection prevents children's self-confidence development.

C. Parents and friends matter in building one's self-confidence.

D. College students are the least self-confident group in society.

5.What might the author most probably continue to talk about in the following passage?

A. How we can become more acceptable.

B. Lack of self-confident has many side effects.

C. What self-confident children usually get from parents.

D. What one should avoid in building self-confidence.

第二部分 阅读理解（共25小题。第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45分）

第一节 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

         When you think of snowy winter festivals, Sapporo in Japan probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind．In Japan, there are winter festivals every year that draw great crowds and offer lots of attractions to everybody．

         The biggest one is the Sapporo Snow Festival which is held every year in February on Japan's snow covered northern island, Hokkaido（北海道）．The Sapporo Snow Festival was the first of its kind held in Japan, and it is still the biggest．Every year, 2 million snow lovers rush to Sapporo, the biggest city in Hokkaido, to enjoy the Snow Festival in the first two weeks of February．At the Festival, you can see hundreds of snow sculptures made by artists from all over the world．Some are a couple of building stories high and weigh tons．There are ice sculptures too, and ice bars where you can go inside and have a beer．

         The Sapporo Snow Festival was started in the 1950's by a group of high school kids．Feeling very bored in winter, they started a snow sculptures competition．Every year, more kids took part in the competition and now the festival draws snow artists from 15 different countries．There are also musical performances, light shows, and snowball fights．

         Every major area has its own snow festival．One of the most popular is the Iwate Snow Festival．It's held in the small town of Shizukuishi in early or mid-February．Iwate is also famous for its yearly fireworks displays, where festival-goers can watch the colors reflected off the snow．In Iwate, you can see traditional Japanese musicians and dancers perform on floats．

         If you want a truly unique winter festival experience, northern Japan is a great place to go．Just make sure you dress warmly．

1．Why is the Sapporo Snow Festival famous in Japan?

         A．The snow in Hokkaido is very thick．

         B．it is the first and the biggest in Japan

         C．There are lots of snow sculptures there．

         D．its snow sculptures are the highest．

2．When is the Sapporo Snow Festival held in Japan?

         A．In late February．

         B．From January to February．

         C．In the first two weeks of February．

         D．Two weeks before February．

3．Who started the Sapporo Snow Festival at first?

         A．The government of Sapporo．

         B．Artists from all over the world．

         C．Kids who liked outside activities．．

         D．A group of high school students．

4．The author wrote the passage to _______．

         A．introduce Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival

         B．attract people to take part in northern Japan’s winter festival

         C．introduce Japan’s winter festival activities

         D．tell us the history of Japan’s winter festivals

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.

                             Good news

Free museums: No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities(古董).

Pop music: Britain is the only country to rival(与……比敌)the US on this score.

Black cabs: London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.

Choice of food: Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.

Fashion: Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.

                              Bad news

Poor service: “It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.

Poor public transport: Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the over-crowded London tube is inexplicably(不可解的) popular.

Lack of language: Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps.

Rain: Still in the number one complaint.

No air-conditioning: So that even splendidly hot summer become as unbearable as the downpours.

Overpriced hotels: The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.

Licensing hours: Alcohol is in short supply after 11 p.m. even in 24-hour cities.

1.What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?

A. Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US.

B. Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US.

C. Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US.

D. Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US.

2. When is alcohol not able to get?

A. At 9:00p.m.      B. At 10:00p.m     C. At 11:00p.m.     D. At 12:00p.m.

3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. You have to pay to visit the museums. B. It’s very cheap to travel by taxi there.

C. You cannot find Chinese food there.  D. The public transport is poor there.

Below is a page adapted from an English dictionary.
Important words to learn:E Essential I improver A Advanced
Pump
noun [C] DEVICE 1 A a piece of equipment which is
used to cause liquid, air or gas to move from one place
gas pump SHOE2[USUALLY PLURAL]US (UK COURT SHOE)
8 type of plain shoe with a raised HEEL and no way of
fastening it to the foot which is worn by women
3 [USUALLY PLURAL]  type of flat shoe, like a BALIET dancer’s shoe when is worn by women 4 [USUALLY PLURAL]UK a flat·shoe made of heavy cloth, which is worn by children for doing sports.
verb LIQUID/GAS1 [T USUALLY·ADV/PREP] to force
liquid or gas to move somewhere:our latest machine can
pump a hundred gallors a minute , o The new wine is
pumped into stirage tanks.o The heart pumos blood
through the arteries/round the body. INFORMATION2[T]
INFORMAL to keep asking someone for information,
especially in a way that is not direce:She was pumping me
for details of the new projece.
Idioms pump sb’s hand to SHAKE someone’s hand
(="hold" their hand and move it up and down, espacially
In order to greet them)·pump lron INFORMAL to lift
Heavy weights for exercise: These days both men and
Women pump iron far fitnets.
Pharsal verbs pump sth into sth to spend    
Money trying to make something operate succesfully:
They had been pumpinh money into the business for some
Years without seeing any results.
Pump sth out(M)REMOVE1 to remove water or other
liquid from something using a pump:We took turns
pumping out the boat.PRODUCE2 INFORMAL DISAPPROVING
to produce words or loud music in a way that is repeated,
forceful and continuous: The government keeps pumping
out the same old propaganda.O The car radio was
pumping out music with a heacy beat.
Pump out sth someone’s stomach is pumped out, a
Poisonous substance is removed from it by being-sucked
Through a tube. She had to go to hospital    
Stomach pumped out.
Pump sth up [M] INFORMAL to make someone feel more
contident or excited: He was offering them advince and
trying to pump them up.O[R]The players were pumping
themselves up by singing the national anthem, before the
game.
Pump sth up[M]1 to fill something with air using a
pump: Have you pumped up the balloons yet?O I must
pump the tyres up on my bike.2 INFORMAL to increase
something by a large amount:The US was able to pump
up exports.O Let’s pump up the tolume a bit!
Pump-action /pamp ek/ n/adjective describes a device which operates by forcing song     especially air ,in or out of a closed space or container, a pump-action shotgun , a pump   action   
Pump priming noun specialized the activity of helping a business ,programm ,economy    etc   to  develop by  giving it money.  The government is carding small,pump-priming grants to single moter who are starting their own businesses.
Pun
noun a humorous use of a word or phrase which has several meanings or which sound like another word:she made a couple of dreadful puns.  This is a well-known joke based on a pun “What’s  black and white and red   all  over   A newspaper
Verb  to make a pun
Punch
Noun      (c)a forceful hit with a fist (="closed" hand) she gave him a punch lik on us in the nose effect
2 U the power to be interesting and have a strong effect on people ,I felt the performance speech presntation lacked punch DRnk  3  a cold or hot drink made by mixing fruit juices pieces of frut and often wine or other alcoholic drinks tool  4  a piece of equoce  which cuts boles in a maena by pushing a piece of met through it a ticket punch have you seen the hole puneh anywhere?
Verb(t) hit 1  to hit someone or something with your FIST (="closed" hand);He punched him in the stomach.2 MALY US to hit with your fingers the bugins on a telephone or the kdys on a keys on a keyboard USE TOCL make a hole in something with a special piece of equipment:I was just punching holes in some sheets of paper  .This belt’s too big .I’ll have to punch an extra hole in it.
Idioms punch sb’s lights out informal to hit someone repeatedly very hard punch the clock us to put a card into a special machine to record the times you amive at and leave work:After 17 years of punching the clock,he just disappeared one morning and was mever heard from again.
【小题1】
What does the word“pump”mean in “He ran in every five minutes to pump me about the case”?

The computer keyboard helped kill shorthand---a system of rapid handwriting, and now it's threatening to finish off handwriting as a whole. When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2011, just 15% of the most 1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive (草写字母）.The rest? Block letters.

And those college hopefuls are just the first edge of a wave of US students who no longer get much handwriting instructions in the primary grades, frequently 10 minutes a day or less. As a result, more and more students struggle to read and write cursive.

At Keene Mill Elementary School in Springfield, all their poems and stories are typed. Children in Fairfax County schools are taught keyboarding beginning in kindergarten. Older students who never mastered handwriting say it doesn't affect their grades.

There are those who say the culture is at a crossing, turning from the written word to the typed one. If handwriting becomes a lost form of communication, does it matter?

It was at University of Virginia that researchers recently discovered a previously unknown poem by Robert, written in his unique script. Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers, historians say, because their authenticity (真实性）can be confirmed. Students also find them more fascinating.

The loss of handwriting also may be a cognitive (认知的）opportunity missed. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better-a lifelong benefit.

It doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills. At some schools in Prince George's County, elementary school students use a program called Handwriting Without Tears for 15 minutes a day. They learn the correct formation of manuscript letters through second grade, and cursive letters in third grade.

There are always going to be some kids who struggle with handwriting because of their particular neurological (神经系统的)wiring, learning issues or poor motor skills. Educators often point to this factor in support of keyboarding.

1.What is the author concerned about after 2011 SAT exams?

A. Keyboarding.      B. Shorthand

C. Handwriting.    D. Block letters.

2.A poem by Robert mentioned in the passage is used to _________.

A. prove how valuable handwriting is

B. explain what a famous poet he is

C. show how unique his poem is

D. stress how fascinating the documents are

3.The example of Handwriting Without Tears helps to argue that_________.

A. the schools are responsible for the loss of handwriting

B. the loss of handwriting is a cognitive opportunity missed xKb 1.Com 

C. it doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills

D. the culture is turning from the written word to the typed one

4. According to the author, when is a perfect time to learn handwriting?

A. Kindergarten.           B. Primary school.           C. High school.            D. College.

5.What is the author’s attitude towards this debate?

   A. Devotion.        B. Encouragement.         C. critical.          D. Objective.