AN ice ball shoots across the night sky, lighting up its path along the way, like a flying sun.

Ancient humans were afraid of the sight of comets(彗星). Many cultures believed that comets were messages sent by gods, and people thought these messages were warning signs for bad behavior. But today science and technology give us a better understanding of comets.

Last week, comet Ison ended its million-year-long journey as it flew straight toward the sun, melting most of the comet. It was hoped that comet Ison would survive this trip around the sun. Because once it got near Earth, it would have produced a great show of lights for us.

In ancient times, the coming of comet Ison might have scared people. However, now we can track a comet’s journey in our solar system. We can also study what they’re made of. There is even a project to launch a spacecraft onto a comet to study them further.

Although from the sky they look like great giant fireballs, comets are a collection of gas, ice, dust and small rocks. As a comet goes into our solar system, the sun’s solar winds blow some of the dust and gas away, giving the comet a tail. The average size of comets is about 10 kilometers in diameter(直径). But amazingly, their tails can be 150 kilometers long! Comet Ison’s diameter was about 5 kilometers.

Today, people don’t fear comets as much as they did before. Western countries have even developed and old tradition. When people see a comet or meteoroid(流星) shooting across the sky, they call it a shooting star, People who get the chance to see one get to make a wish. It is a tradition that lives on today.

1.In ancient times, people thought comets were _____.

A.warning signs sent by gods

B. lucky signs for good behavior

C. great shows of lights

D. flying suns

2.We can tell from the third paragraph that comet Ison ___.

A.finished its long journey to Mars

B. survived its trip around the sun

C.has reached the Earth

D. was melted by the sun

3.When a comet travels near the sun, some of the __ will be blown away by the solar winds.

A.gas and dust B. ice and rocks

C. dust and rocks D. rocks and tail

4.According to the last paragraph, what tradition lives on today?

A.Being scared by comets and meteoroids.

B.Making a wish when seeing a shooting star

C.Launching spacecrafts onto comets to study them further.

D.Having a better understanding of comets

I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. I was only 10 years old when my dad gave me the responsibility of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace, I washed dishes and cooked from 4:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected(拒绝) so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged. One night, a woman executive(董事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call—Waner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I release(发行) my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feel that way today, even though I have become a well-known singer.

1.Why was the writer once known as the singing cook?

A. Because he was a cook at a country –music club.

B. Because he sang for guests while he worked as a cook.

C. Because he often sang while cooking.

D. Because he liked singing better than cooking.

2.Who first recognized his talents and helped make his career successful?

A. Warner Brothers B. His manager

C. His father D. A business woman

3.What made the writer proud of himself?

A. His ability to live independently.

B. His sense of responsibility in whatever he did.

C. His courage in the face of rejections.

D. His hard work in his early days.

Yesterday the police were joined by more than 20 volunteers in the continuing search for the two missing teenagers, Vicky Gray and Tom Hunter, and their guide, Gavin Jones. The police said that they had disappeared during an adventure tour of Cape York Peninsula.

This was the second day of the search and the police were now very worried about the safety of the three missing people.

The police said that the search had covered a wide area, but the rain forest was thick and their work was made harder by the recent rain. Later on Chief Inspector(警官) Roger Fleet said, “The travelers had a radio with them. If they had been in trouble, they would have called us.”

The three travelers left Cooktown very early on Saturday morning in a Toyota car. They took a small dirt road that runs down to the Daintree River, a dangerous river full of crocodiles. Chief Inspector Roger Fleet said the tourists wouldn’t have got into trouble if they had stayed on the main road.

A photo of Vicky and Tom was found by a policeman under the “Be careful about Crocodiles” sign near the river. Why was the photo left behind? This is just one of the unanswered questions. Other questions are: Why was the Toyota parked and locked at the edge of the rain forest? The police said that the travelers had left a map of the area behind. Why? Why had someone drawn a cross on the point where the car is? Is this a sign? What does it mean? If anyone can give information or has seen these three young people, contact the local police in Cooktown.

1.This article is probably taken from _____.

A. a newspaper B. a magazine

C. a story book D. a guide book

2.Which word best describes the search of the three missing people?

A. Helpless B. Hard

C. Delightful D. Successful

3.Which of the following things wasn’t found by the police?

A.A touring map B. A photo of the travelers

C. The traveler’s radio D. The traveler’s car

4.All the following are unanswered questions except __

A. Why they left a photo behind

B. Why they came to this area

C. Why their Toyota was parked in the place

D. Why a cross was drawn on the map

5.The article asks people to ____

A. join the police in searching for the missing people

B. tell the police about the travelers’ ages and their appearance

C. learn the lesson and stop taking adventure tours

D. provide information about the missing people

1.The _______ (二十) World Cup will be held in Brazil from June 12 to July 13, 2014.

2.The low-carbon lifestyle makes us look _____ (健康) than before

3. Could you help me write down the _________ (科学家)names on the list

4. He had a_________(令人愉快的) trip to the Great Wall because of the heavy traffic.

5.The car is (专门) designed for the president.

6.______ ( 点头 ) your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty.

7. Something must be done to stop the virus ______(扩散).

8.Thomas Edison _______ a lot of useful things all his life .

9.Tell me what your ______ number is and I will see you off then at the airport.

10. He didn’t pass the exams, _______ he worked hard.

1.你的裤子每天都需要洗吗？

_______________________________________________________________________________

2. 除非他尽力，否则他将不能对桂林进行环城的自行车旅行。

_______________________________________________________________________________

3.他别无选择只能离开日本去了非洲其他的国家。

_______________________________________________________________________________

4.中国的人口比加拿大的要多得多。

_______________________________________________________________________________

5.为了实现他的梦想，那位年轻的工程师已把他的全部精力投入到了工作中。

_______________________________________________________________________________

假设父亲节即将来临，请你借此机会给你父亲写封信，和他谈谈心里话。

要点： 1.父亲辛勤工作，让我受到更好的教育，过上好的生活。

2.父亲对我学习严格要求，但在我考试失利时，又经常鼓励我不要放弃。

3.表达对父亲的感谢和祝福。

要求：短文内容应包括所含提示要点，不要逐字逐句翻译，可适当发挥，语言流畅。

短文字数90字左右，短文中不得出现与考生本人相关的真实人名、校名、地址等。

—What do you want to be in the future, Lucy?

—I want to be _____ pilot. It is _____exciting job.

A. a; a B. a; an

C. a; the D. the; an

Boys, don’t lose____ in playing Angry Birds. It is bad for your eyes to play computer games for a long time.xkb1.com

A. himself B. yourself

C. themselves D. yourselves

Today’s young people can’t live without smart phones. They keep their hands on the phones whenever they go, even while they _______ meals.

A. had B. will have

C. are having D. were having

— Have you finished your project?

— Not yet. I’ll finish it if I ____________ ten more minutes.

A. give B. am given

C. will give D. will be given