The world’s population continues to grow. There are about five billion of us on earth now. It could reach six billion in 10 years’ time, and eleven billion in another 75 years. Experts have long been concerned about such growth. Where will we find the food, water, jobs, houses, schools and health care for all these people?

A major new study shows that situation may be changing. A large and rapid drop in the world’s birth rate has taken place during the past 10 years. Families generally are smaller now than they were a few years ago. This is happening in both developing and industrial nations. Scientists said they found a number of reasons for this. More men and women are waiting longer to get married. More women are going to school or working at jobs away from their home instead of having children. And more governments, especially in developing nations, now support family planning programs to reduce population growth.

China is one of the nations that have made great progress in reducing its population growth by about one half since 1970. China now urges each family to have no more than one child. And it hopes to reach zero population growth before long, that is, the number of birth equaling the number of death.

Several nations in Europe already have fewer births than deaths. Experts said that these nations could face a serious shortage of workers in the future.

1. In the sentence “Experts have long been concerned about such growth”, the phrase “concerned about” is similar in meaning to_____.

A. worried about      B. related to       C. busy working on     D. made a study of

2. “Family planning programs” means______.

A. economic policy in a country         B. economic policy in a family

C. TV programs for a family            D. birth control in a country

3. The world’s birth rate has dropped because_____.

A. people marry at a much later time

B. women would rather go to study or work than have children

C. some countries are carrying out the family planning programs

D. all the above

4. We hope that soon the number of birth and the number of death in China will_____.

A. be greatly different          B. be equal to each other

C. drop in great deal            D. become much larger

Singing had always been an important part of Gloria Estefan’s life. “Since I was three years old, I sang. I sang everything,” Gloria said. “Cubans,” she added, “are a musical people”.

Gloria was born in Cuba in 1957. Her family left the country just before Fidel Castro came to power. In Miami, where the family settled, many people did not accept Cuban immigrants. In first grade, she spoke little English, but she worked hard to learn the language. Six months after she entered school, she won an award for reading in English!

When Gloria was ten, her father returned from the Vietnam War. Soon, the family realized he wasn’t well. They soon found out that he was badly ill. Her mother went back to teaching at school to support the family. Gloria cared for her father and her younger sister.

She still made the honor roll, and she still had her music, but Gloria was lonely. However, when the band leader Emilio Estefan came to speak at her high school, Gloria sang for him. He asked her to join his band. It was the beginning of the Miami Sound Machine.

Within a few months, the Miami Sound Machine was the top band in Miami. In 1978 Gloria and Emilio married.

At first, the Miami Sound Machine was known only in Miami. Then the band signed with CBS Records. Estefan and his band became stars.

Since then, the Miami Sound Machine has sold millions of records. Gloria has done more than just singing when Hurricane Andrew hit central Florida in 1992. She used only two weeks to organize an all-star concert that raised $2 million for the people who suffered in the hurricane. “We needed a party after that disaster,” she said.

Gloria said, “You have to stay true to the music you really love to do. There will always be people who will tell you, ‘that won’t work.’ You’ve got to be firm in spite of difficulties. Stick to it—that’s the main thing.”

1.Gloria’s father was ill        .

       A. when they settled down in Miami.

       B. before they left their home country

       C. after he returned from Vietnam War

       D. as soon as she finished high school

2.According to the passage, probably Gloria did the following except        .

       A. organizing an all-star concert for Hurricane victims

       B. winning an award for reading in English

       C. teaching at school to support the family

       D. taking care of her father and sister

3.The underlined word “disaster” in this passage refers to        .

       A. the concert          B. the celebration     C. the victims        D. the hurricane

4.This passage mainly tells about Gloria Estefan’s        .

      A. life story   B. happy marriage   C. music style    D. Cuban background

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

    增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。

    删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。

    修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

    注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

On a snowy winter night，a bus with 45 passenger had an accident because of the wet road．And all of them were trapping in the bus and what was worse，the bus ran out of gas and it is very cold in it．They could do nothing but to wait for help．A man who lived nearby saw what happened．He and some villagers managed to open the door and helped all of them out of bus．He took them to his home but offered food and water and even some warm clothes to the children．They spent two days in their home and finally helps came．All of them were thankful with his help．

Eight-year-old Bethany and seven-year-old Eliza are having a great time jumping around in the orchard of their home in a village near Penrith. They can play any time they like because they don't go to school. Instead, they are educated at home by their parents, Paul and Veronika Robinson. But they don't have lessons, have never used a timetable and learn only what and when they want to learn.

"I want my kids to have freedom in their childhood, not spend it in an institution," says 37-year-old Veronika, "School is all about control and following the rules." Veronika and her 56-year-old husband Paul have never experienced the daily rush to get dressed and out of the door that is common in most households with school-aged children. "We get up at our leisure - usually around 8.30-ish," says Veronika. "We might visit a friend, or go to the library, and on Tuesdays we shop at the market. In summer, we spend most of our time outside and the girls entertain themselves a lot."

New research due to be published this spring reveals a very different picture of Britain's home educators. "Out of 297 families, 184 said that they never use a timetable," says Mike Fortune-Wood of Home Education UK. "Ninety per cent never or rarely use textbooks, and nearly all said that happiness, contentment and self-fulfillment were more important than academic achievement. Only 15% felt that planning what to learn was crucial."

So far, so good. But what, you might ask, are the children actually learning?

"It wasn't important to me that the girls could read by a certain age, but they both picked it up for themselves at around seven," says Robinson. "Weighing cooking ingredients uses maths, and making a shopping list teaches them to write. Observing five hens has taught the girls about survival of the fittest. "

But what about when the children grow up? Can they go to university? The home educators' answer is they can if they want to. There are a variety of routes into higher education, but probably the most common is to join a local college. This is what Gus Harris-Reid has done. "I was educated at home all my life. I'd never had a lesson or been inside a classroom until I started GCSEs," says the 18-year-old. "I'm now studying for 4 A-levels at Exeter College. I've had no problem with the work or with fitting in." When asked to reflect on his experience of home education, his considered response is, "Like a permanent holiday, really!" Not a bad start for someone who plans to take a mechanical engineering degree next year.

1. What is the topic of this article?

 A. New ways of learning to read and write   B. Problems with UK schools

C. Home education in the UK             D. Wild, undisciplined children

2. Why do the Robinsons not send their children to school?

A. They think schools control children too much.    B. They do not like the courses taught in schools.

 C. They want to teach their children farming skills.   D. They live in a remote area where there are no schools.

3. According to the article, in homes with school-going children, ______.

A. mornings are rushed and stressful.      B. the children hardly ever go outside.

 C. the family wakes up around 8.30am.    D. the children must ask permission to go to the toilet.

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

 A. Most home educators believe that happiness is more important than good grades.

B. Most home educators believe that planning is important.

 C. Most home educators do not follow a timetable or use textbooks.

 D. Most home educators are not worried about when their children learn to read and write.

5. What does the article say about home-educated children getting into university?

 A. They learn so many useful skills at home that universities are happy to accept them.

 B. They can get into university if they have 4 A-levels.

C. They can go to school later and get the qualifications they need in order to enter university.

 D. Home education is so relaxed that they are likely to experience problems when faced with the pressures of a degree course.

When I spent Christmas away from home in Europe for the first time, I was only 14 and it was absolutely horrific. I am now married and live in the US. So there is little possibility for me to go home for Christmas. Now I am able to get through Christmas with some moments of joy:

    First, you are advised to search you area for stores that carry items from your home country or town. Buy food, candles and some other things that mean something to you.

    Hold on to the traditions from your home that you think are important even if other people think they are stupid. But keep in mind to be open for new traditions from wherever you might be, because those traditions are as important to those people around you as yours are to you. For me that includes celebrating Christmas on the 24^th.

    Call, write Christmas cards, buy gifts and mail them to loved ones, just as if you were there. If you try to pretend as if the holiday doesn’t exist, you are just going to make it worse.

    Introduce your traditions to your loved ones, especially your kids. It will only enrich their celebration of the holiday to have some unique traditions in their home. Little by little it will become their tradition and it’s fun for them to try something new.

    Find clubs, churches or organizations that are from your home country. Chances are that they will have some celebration with some of your traditions which you can join in.

    Food is one of the most important factors in any kind of tradition. Find the recipe of that cake your grandmother used and make it your tradition to bake that particular cake.

    Call up your parents and get them to send you some of your favorite childhood ornaments (装饰品) for your tree.

    Embrace new traditions, talk to your family about which ones you want to make your own and stick with them.

    If you are far away from home, Christmas can never be the same as you experienced it before, but it is important to remember these traditions while appreciating the new ones. Keep an open mind and find a compromise between old and new traditons.

1.The author spent his 14^th Christmas ___________.

   A. unpleasantly in the US                        B. joyfully in the US

   C. unpleasantly in Europe                       D. joyfully in Europe

2.Why does the author advise people to hunt in some special stores?

   A. Because people can buy some discounted goods there.

   B. Because people can feel less homesick there.

   C. Because it’s an old Christmas tradition.

   D. Because they offer goods from the hometown of the people.

3.Which of the following statements does the author agree with?

   A. It’s great for children to have some unique traditions.

   B. People should join in all kinds of clubs to celebrate Christmas.

   C. People should give up traditions which are stupid in other people’s eyes.

   D. It is popular to celebrate Christmas on the 24^th around the world.

4.The author suggests giving a call to parents on Christmas mainly to __________.

   A. express love to them                      B. follow the tradition

   C. ask for some ornaments                        D. set an example for children