Red is the color of China. Among all the colors, red is most   16  seen. The color red is fresh and pure, and in China we call it China Red. Chinese people are attracted by the color red not only because it makes people excited, but also because it has   17   meaning in Chinese culture and history.

No country in the world has ever   18   a color in such a way as China. Here, red is a symbol. It gives color to the soul (灵魂) of the nation. In the past, red represented dignity (尊严) and mystery. Even now, Chinese people   19   the color much more than the rest of the world does. It can be said that China Red is an everlasting theme for China, and an important color for the Chinese people. China Red has   20   a very popular phrase, attracting the world’s attention.

Finding red-colored things in China is very   21  , as you can see the color everywhere. All traditional red things have played special roles in China. Things like the walls of ancient palaces, the   22   flag, Chinese knots, lanterns, traditional paper-cuts, and even tanghulu are all red.

Red is the color of   23  , health, harmony, happiness, peace, wealth and so on. Only real things and events can fully   24   red’s real beauty. The color can be alive and breathing only when it’s connected with people.

In China, red is more than just a color. It carries the ancient history and   25   of the Chinese nation. China Red is filled with mysterious charm beyond description and it is right here in China waiting for you to feel and discover!

1.A. easily         B. quickly          C. carefully    D. closely

2.A. different   B. rich            C. simple       D. correct

3.A. used       B. shared           C. drawn        D. mentioned

4.A. need       B. dislike         C. hate        D. love

5.A. spoken     B. said            C. become       D. got

6.A. difficult   B. easy           C. simple           D. free

7.A. national   B. international    C. local        D. foreign

8.A. rainbow       B. fear        C. worry           D. luck

9.A. believe        B. show             C. talk        D. write

10.A. art       B. business         C. culture          D. ability

1.If a kid aged 14 wants to know different cultures of the world, he or she can ______.

A. call 885-6321                        B. visit www. worldkids.net

C. call 885-7621                    D. visit www. mysportsclub.com

2.Which club is organized by kids?

A. Sports Club.                B. Model Time.

C. Kids Art Club.                   D. Keypals International Club.

3.If your 8-year-old sister is interested in drawing, she may join ________.

A. Model Time                       B. Sports Club

C. Kids Art Club                    D. Keypals International Club

4.At Kids Art Club, each drawing class has ________ children at most.

A. six           B. seven           C. eight            D. fourteen

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the advertisement?

A. Model Time is a good place for us to take a train, plane, boat, etc.

B. We can do different kinds of sports at Sports Club.

C. Keypals International Club is mainly for kids aged 7 to 18.

D. Jim Todd has worked in the art field for less than 23 years.

People fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor in 1944, when she acted in the movie National Velvet — the story of Velvet Brown, a young girl who won first place in a famous horse race. At first, the producers of the movie told Elizabeth Taylor that she was too short to play the part of Velvet. However, they waited for four months until three inches (英寸) added to her height. Elizabeth Taylor’s acting in National Velvet is still considered to be the best and National Velvet became Elizabeth Taylor’s first success.

Elizabeth Taylor was born in London in 1932. Her parents, both Americans, had moved to London for business. When World War II started, the Taylors moved to California, where Elizabeth Taylor started acting in movies. After her success as a child star, Elizabeth Taylor had no trouble moving into adult roles and won the Academy Award twice for Best Actress for her performance in Butterfield 8 (1960) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? (1966).

Elizabeth Taylor is a legend (传奇人物) of our time. Like Velvet Brown in National Velvet, Elizabeth Taylor was very lucky, and she was hard-working, beautiful, famous and rich. When Elizabeth Taylor got older, she seldom acted in movies. Instead, she spent most of time on her business, and she often helped others. Several years ago, she raised more than $40 million for research and education. In March, 2011, Elizabeth Taylor died at the age of 79.

1.The producers didn’t let Taylor play the part of Velvet at first because ______.

    A. she was not tall enough              B. she didn’t show interest

    C. she was not beautiful enough         D. she did not play well enough

2.Where did Elizabeth Taylor start acting in movies?

A. In New York.                         B. In Los Angeles.

C. In California.                           D. In London

3.When did Elizabeth Taylor win her first Academy Award for Best Actress?

    A. At the age of 12.                        B. At the age of 28.

    C. At the age of 31.                        D. At the age of 34.

4.What do you know about Velvet Brown in National Velvet?

A. She was not rich.                B. She was a famous actress.

    C. She was not well-known.      D. She won first place in a famous horse race.

5.The writer wrote this article to _______.

    A. encourage us to help others

B. advise us to watch National Velvet

    C. tell us how to be successful and famous

    D. give us some information about a successful star

Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening. 

One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one's own.

Then, in the country one can really get away from the noise and hurry of busy working lives. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one's free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has got the reward together with those who have shared the secret of nature.

Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional (偶尔的) walk in one of the parks and a fortnight's (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest of the country they are quite prepared to spend with those who are glad to get away from London every night.

1.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

   A. People who love nature prefer to live outside the city.

   B. People who work in London prefer to live in the country.

   C. Some people enjoying city life prefer to work and live inside London.

   D. Many nature lovers, though working in London, prefer to live outside the city.

2.One can use the same money for _______ to buy a little house with a garden in the country.

   A. getting a small flat with a garden

   B. having a small flat with a garden

   C. renting a small flat without a garden

   D. buying a small flat without a garden

3.When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those who_______ have been rewarded.

   A. live in the country

   B. have a garden of their own

   C. are busy digging and planting

   D. have spent time working in the garden

4.People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that _______ if they had to live outside London.

   A. their life was meaningless

   B. their life was invaluable

   C. they didn't need a happy life

   D. they couldn’t sleep late in the morning

5.What does the writer think of the life in London?

   A. He likes living in the city centre.

   B. He prefers to live in the countryside.

   C. It isn’t mentioned in the passage.

   D. He enjoys working in the garden at weekends.

My life suffered a lot in a summer five years ago. My father died in a car accident, leaving my mother, my two younger brothers and I alone. At that time, I was a senior high school student. After my father’s funeral (葬礼), I had no choice but to drop out of school and work in a factory.

I really wanted to return to school and wanted to go to college, but I couldn’t. I only hoped to bring up my two younger brothers. Life was not easy for me, for I can’t afford their tuition (学费) even if I worked from day to night without stopping. Without my father’s protection, I thought I was a slave (奴隶) to the fate.

Later on, something changed my life. I still remember that it was a rainy day. I put myself in the rain and walked slowly in the street.

Suddenly the rain stopped! I raised my head and found “the sky” was in fact a dark blue umbrella. Then I noticed a middle-aged man with one leg on crutch (拐杖) standing behind me. He said to me, “Why not run without an umbrella? If you didn’t run, you would get drenched.”

The man told me that he was promoter (推销员). He once dreamed of being a policeman, but an accident ruined (毁灭) his dream. Though his present job was not suitable for his legs, it was wonderful start to him. He was very happy that he didn’t lose heart and still “ran” on the road of life…

I was encouraged by the man’s words. I went to a big city and I became an assurance representative (保险代理人). After two years’ running, I did well and my family condition turned better little by little. Later I returned to school and succeeded in my entrance to university.

Life is like this. When you are in rainy days in your life, if you couldn’t find a way to prevent you from being wet, you would be overwhelmed (被制服). But if you decide to get rid of it, you’ll discover that the rainy days last not so long as you imagine.

1.What happened to the writer at the beginning of the story? 

    A. His father died in a car accident six years ago.

    B. He didn’t have money to hold the funeral for his father.

    C. He had to drop out of school to look after his sick mother.

    D. He couldn’t afford his two brothers’ tuition even if he worked from day to night.

2.About the middle-aged man with one leg on crutch, which of the following is NOT true?

    A. He lost one leg in an accident.

    B. He had dreamed of being a policeman.

C. He became a promoter after an accident.

    D. He had a good job which was suitable for him very well.

3.What does the underlined word “drenched” mean in Chinese?

    A. 干燥的       B. 湿透的      C. 紧张的      D.舒服的

4.What’s the main idea of the sixth paragraph?

   A. The writer learned from the man and the situation soon got better.

B. The writer didn’t want to listen to the man and left without any word.

   C. The writer had to give up his dream and became a promoter as the man.

   D. The writer made friends with the man and they got on well with each other.

5.Which is the best title for the passage?

   A. Try to Be Independent.

B. Care for the Disabled Person.

   C. Run out of the Rainy Season of Your Life.

D. Get to Know More About Middle-aged People

A）根据括号中所给的汉语写出单词，使句子意思完整正确。

1.One of the secrets of our success is to believe in    ▲   （我们）.

2.Frank loves playing basketball and practises    ▲    (两次) a week.

3.Do you know the difference    ▲    (在…..之间)”beside” and “besides”.

4.We are very    ▲    (自豪) that a pupil from our school has won the prize.

5.Paper making is one of the greatest    ▲   （发明）in world history.

6.The day before yesterday he came back and    ▲    (度过) the weekend with his parents.

B）根据句子意思，用括号中所给单词的适当形式填空。

1.My family live on the    ▲    (five) floor of the tall building.

2.— Why do you say Sandy does her homework    ▲    (careful)?

   — Because she always makes many mistakes in her homework.

3.Yesterday I    ▲    （buy）a new dress at the Macy’s for my mum.

4.Today most students can go to high school for further    ▲    (educate) in our country.

5.You needn’t be frightened because these insects are completely    ▲    (harm).

C）根据句子意思，从下面方框中选择适当的词或词组填空。

A: Can you tell me about your job, please?

B: Yes, of course. I’m a youth worker. What I do is to help some students who write to me solve their problems. I always    1    them my suggestions.

A: What problems do most students have?

B: They just need to learn how to    2    between study and play.

A: I agree. One major cause of stress is homework. I often get lots of homework to do and I really ____3_____ that. Sometimes we can’t find anyone to    4   .

B: First, you can talk to your parents, teachers and close friends. Maybe they can    5   . Second, you can get help from the youth workers at your own school.

A: Thanks for your advice.

B: You’re welcome.

A）根据下面短文内容，在文章后小题的空格里填入适当的词语，

注意：每空一词。

Different cultures make different families. For example, there are differences in the way Chinese and Americans raise children.

First, Chinese and American families have different attitudes towards independence (独立). Each Chinese child has been considered to be the apple of parents’ eyes. It is not surprising to see Chinese parents always helping their children with getting dressed, having meals, bathing, and other things. American parents, on the other hand, teach their children how to do things alone from childhood.

Second, most Chinese parents often make their children have extra classes, such as piano, drawing, or singing lessons. Parents want their children to develop in an all-round way and be better students than other children. The problem is that their children may not be interested in these classes. American parents try to respect (尊重) their children’s interests and usually don’t make them do what they don’t like.

Third, there is a difference in the way parents in China and American treat mistakes that children make. Many Chinese people believe in the saying, “Spare the rod, spoil the child (不打不成器).” When Chinese parents see their children make mistakes, they often get very angry, some even hit them instead of making them realize their mistakes. This affects the children’s growth and the forming of their character, and also makes the generations gap (代沟) wide. American parents think it is common for people to make mistakes because mistakes are a part of life. They often say, “It’s OK to make mistakes. Making mistakes helps you learn.” They help their children deal with mistakes by giving them ideas about how to turn mistakes into learning opportunities (机会).

Families in China and America are quite different, and one way may seem better than the other, but it is better to think about whether the parents fit the family or not instead of talking about which one is wrong or right.

B）根据短文内容及首字母提示，填写所缺单词。

Be a potato, but be the best

A young college student thought that he chose the wrong major (专业) at a common college, so he drank every day and didn’t study at all. He b  1    more and more discouraged.

But he was never a  2    from Professor Yang’s biology (生物) class. He liked the course. Besides, Yang’s class was so i  3    that he always listened carefully, never caring about w  4    the other students were paying attention or not in class.

    Once he put a note in the homework he handed in, saying: “Professor, it is said that today’s college students are c  5    than potatoes. Do you agree?”

That day Professor Yang sent for him after class. When he came, he f  6   the professor at a table with food on it. They drank happily over their meal.

When they became half drunk, the professor took out a small potato that was sprouting (发芽的). “Do you know how much this c  7  ?” he asked the young man. “It’s soft but poisonous. N  8   will take it even if it’s free. ” He then threw the potato away.

The professor then showed him another potato. It was half the s  9   of a football and perfectly round. “This potato is organic (有机的). It is not only large and fresh but also free of pollution. People are in need of such k  10    of potatoes and they’re quite expensive.”

The young man was impressed by what he’d heard. “Be such a potato,” said the professor.