It was the golden season. I could see the yellow leaves  1  in the cool wind. In such a season, I liked walking  2  in the leaves, listening to the sound of them.

Autumn is a   3  season and life is uninteresting. The free days always get me   4  . But one day, the sound of a violin  5  into my ears like a stream flowing in the mountains. I was so surprised that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl, standing in the wind, was   6  in playing her violin.

I had   7  seen her before. The music was so attractive that I listened quietly. Lost in the music, I didn’t realize that I had been  8  there for so long but my   9  did not seem to disturb her.

Leaves were still falling. Every day she played the violin in the corner of the building  10  I went downstairs to watch her performance. I was the only audience. The autumn seemed no longer lonely and life became  11  . Though we didn’t know each other, I thought we were already good friends. I believed she also liked me.

Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening devotedly, the sound suddenly stopped. To my   12  , the girl came over to me.

“You must like violin,” she said.

“Yes. And you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.

Suddenly, a  13  expression appeared on her face and I could feel something unusual.

“I came here to see my grandmother, but now I must leave. I once played very badly. It was your listening every day that   14  me, ” she said.

“In fact, it was your playing  15  gave me a meaningful autumn.” I answered.

“Let us be friends.”

The girl smiled and I smiled.

I never heard her play again in my life. I no longer went downstairs to listen like before. Only thick leaves were left behind.  16  I will always remember the fine figure of the girl. She is like a   17  ; so short, so bright, like a shooting star giving off so much light that it makes the autumn beautiful.

There are many kinds of friends. Some are always  18  you, but don’t understand you. Some say only a few words to you, but are close to you. Many people will step in your life, but only   19  friends leave footprints.

I shall always recall the autumn and the girl with the   20  . She will always bring back the friendship between us. I know she will always be my best friend.

1．A．shaking                 B．hanging               C．falling                 D．floating

2．A．alone                    B．confidently          C．sadly                   D．happily

3．A．lively                    B．lovely                  C．harvest                D．lonely

4．A．up                        B．off                      C．down                  D．over

5．A．flowed                  B．grew                   C．entered                D．ran

6．A．lost                       B．active                  C．busy                   D．interested

7．A．ever                      B．never                  C．often                   D．usually

8．A．waiting                 B．stopping              C．standing              D．hearing

9．A．existence               B．thought               C．steps                   D．breath

10．A．where                 B．so                       C．when                  D．but

11．A．  interesting          B．moving                C．encouraging         D．exciting

12．A．astonishment       B．delight                 C．pride                   D．satisfaction

13．A．happy                 B．sad                     C．strange                D．surprised

14．A．surprised             B．excited                C．encouraged          D．interested

15．A．that                     B．which                 C．it                        D．who

16．A．But                     B．However             C．Even                   D．Though

17．A．song                   B．dream                 C．fire                     D．wind

18．A．with                    B．for                      C．against                D．to

19．A．good                   B．true                     C．new                    D．old

20．A．sound                 B．song                   C．play                    D．violin

完形填空:
It was the golden season . I could see the yellow leaves  1  on the cool  2 . In such a season, I liked walking alone in the leaves, listening to the sound of them.
Autumn is a  3  season and life is uninteresting. The free days always get me  4  . But one day, the sound of a violin  5  into my ears like a stream flowing in the mountains. I was so surprised that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl, standing in the wind, was  6  in playing her violin.
I had  7   seen her before. The music was so attractive that I listened quietly. Lost in the music, I didn’t realize that I had been  8  there for so long but my  9   did not seem to disturb her.
Leaves were still falling. Every day she played the violin in the corner of the building  10   I went downstairs to watch her performance. I was the only audience. The autumn seemed no longer lonely and life became  11 .  12  we didn’t know each other, I thought we were already good friends. I believed she also liked me .
Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening devotedly, the sound suddenly stopped. To my  13  ,the girl came over to me.
“You must like violin, ” she said.
“Yes . And you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.
Suddenly, a  14   expression appeared on her face and I could feel something unusual.
“I came here to see my grandmother, but now I must leave. I once played very badly. It was your listening every day that  15   me. ” she said.
“In fact, it was your playing  16  gave me a meaningful autumn. ” I answered. “Let us be friends. ”
The girl smiled and I smiled.
I never heard her play again in my life. I no longer went downstairs to listen like before. Only thick leaves were left behind. But I will always remember the fine figure of the girl. She is like a
17  ; so short, so bright, like a shooting star giving off so much light that it makes the autumn beautiful.
There are many kinds of friends. Some are always  18   you, but don’t understand you. Some say only a few words to you, but are close to you. Many people will step in your life, but only  19  friends leave footprints.
I shall always recall the autumn and the girl with the  20  . She will always bring back the friendship between us. I know she will always be my best friend.
1.        A. shaking                 B. hanging                 C. falling                   D. floating
2.        A. wind                     B. snow                     C. air                        D. rain
3.        A. lively                    B. lovely                   C. harvest                  D. lonely
4.        A. up                         B. off                        C. down                    D. over
5.        A. flowed                  B. grew                     C. entered                  D. ran
6.        A. lost                       B. active                    C. busy                      D. interested
7.        A. ever                      B. never                    C. often                     D. usually
8.        A. waiting                  B. stopping                C. standing                D. hearing
9.        A. existence               B. thought                 C. steps                     D. breath
10.      A. where                    B. so                         C. when                     D. but
11.      A. interesting             B. moving                 C. encouraging           D. exciting
12.      A. But                       B. However               C. Even                     D. Though
13.      A. astonishment          B. delight                  C. pride                     D. satisfaction
14.      A. happy                    B. sad                       C. strange                  D. surprised
15.      A. surprised               B. excited                  C. encouraged            D. interested
16.      A. that                       B. which                   C. it                          D. who
17.      A. song                      B. dream                   C. fire                       D. wind
18.      A. with                      B. for                        C. against                  D. to
19.      A. good                     B. true                      C. new                      D. old
20.      A. sound                    B. song                     C. play                      D. violin

Life on Mars could become a reality and it could happen in your lifetime.

A welcoming planet

Scientists say Earth’s neighbor Mars, a bright red planet about half Earth’s size, is the most likely to support human life. Mars even has frozen water on its surface.

Since the late 1990s, NASA has been exploring Mars using remote-controlled vehicles（装置）. Most recently Curiosity, a car-size vehicle, traveled through space on an unpiloted spacecraft(航天器) and landed on Mars in August 2012. Directed by NASA scientists , the vehicles move on the surface, taking pictures , collecting and analyzing soil, and looking for signs of life.

But what about human explorers? Plans are already in the works to send astronauts to Mars as soon as the mid-2030s.

_____________________________________

But before you start packing your bags, let’s consider the challenges. For starters, Mars is far away. Just getting there could take up to 10 months.

Scientists already know that time away from Earth’s gravity harms the human body. Bones and muscles get weaker. The body produces less blood. What damage would months and months of living in space do?

And then there is the matter of water, oxygen, food and fuel. Scientists will have to find solutions to these problems, or the first humans on Mars won’t survive very long in their new home.

Tiny Dangers

There’s another tinier risk. It’s so tiny that you can’t even see it: germs.

Some scientists believe that our germs could pollute the whole planet of Mars. Potentially killing Martian life before we have the chance to discover it. Worse, there is a small but terrifying chance that any microscopic life already there might be harmful to us .

Worse still, if any of those Martian germs(火星细菌) were brought back to Earth, the result could be disastrous. Animals, plants, and people could be wiped out.

Worth the $$$?

A more practical concern is the cost. The price could approach $ 1 trillion(万亿). How can we justify spending that much when so many problems—poverty, disease—could use the cash here on Earth?

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the “A welcoming planet” part?

A. Mars is a little bigger than Earth.       

B. There are flowing rivers on Mars.

C. People haven’t been to Mars so far.  

D. Scientists have discovered signs of life on Mars.

2.Which of the following can best fill in the blank in the passage?

A. Living in space.                         B. Limited resources.

C. Extreme conditions.                    D. Interesting challenges.

3.By “Tiny dangers” the author means ________________.

A. there is no serious danger                  

B. people won’t be in any danger

C. it’s difficult for people to realize the danger   

D. the danger may be caused by very small things 

4.Which may cause the biggest danger?

A. Martian germs may be different from those on Earth.  

B. Martian germs may be brought back to Earth.

C. People may carry germs to Mars.                  

D. There may be germs on Mars.

5.Which section of a newspaper is the passage most probably taken from?

A. People        B. History        C. Science         D. Business

Once you stand behind a lectern(讲台) you need something to say, and you want it to be very interesting.The excuse people have for avoiding public speaking is, “I don’t have anything to say. My life is boring.’’  1 
How can you express yourself and your message? Here is a list of questions to ask yourself:
What is your philosophy? By what values do you live your life? List the key moments of your life.  2 
For example: learning how to ride a bike, moving to a different city, taking on a new job, and so on.
What subjects and issues are you certain about?  3  To make flowers grow? To create world peace? Then share your story with the world!
  4  Share your favourie jokes.
What makes you angry? Share how you would change teh world for the better if you could.
  5 Speak about what catches your attention at the moment. Don’t have enough time in the day for all your work? Give a speech on that topic! It will perhaps help you solve that problem.
So, what do you have to say? Challenge yourself and discover your voice!

Once you stand behind a lectern(讲台) you need something to say, and you want it to be very interesting.The excuse people have for avoiding public speaking is, “I don’t have anything to say. My life is boring.’’  1 

How can you express yourself and your message? Here is a list of questions to ask yourself:

What is your philosophy? By what values do you live your life? List the key moments of your life.  2 

For example: learning how to ride a bike, moving to a different city, taking on a new job, and so on.

What subjects and issues are you certain about?  3  To make flowers grow? To create world peace? Then share your story with the world!

  4  Share your favourie jokes.

What makes you angry? Share how you would change teh world for the better if you could.

  5 Speak about what catches your attention at the moment. Don’t have enough time in the day for all your work? Give a speech on that topic! It will perhaps help you solve that problem.

So, what do you have to say? Challenge yourself and discover your voice!

E. But in fact you do have a message to share.

F. Have you found the best way to encourage a child to read?

G. Are there any special lessons or experiences that greatly influenced you?