When I was learning calligraphy my teacher told me a story.
A calligrapher taught handwriting. One of his students who often practised handwriting with old sheets of newspapers complained that he made very little progress though he had learned it with the calligrapher for a long time. His teacher said to him, “Try to use the best paper. Maybe you’ll write better. ”
 The student did as he was told. It really worked. He made headway not long afterwards and felt curious. He asked his teacher about the reason. The calligrapher answered, “When you used old newspapers to practice handwriting,you would think you were writing a draft(草稿).  It didn’t matter if you wrote badly as old newspapers were plenty in supply. In that case you wouldn’t pay much attention to it. Now you use the best paper you’ll treasure it. Each time you write you feel strongly about the rarity (稀少) of chances and you’ll devote to it with all your heart and soul; you’ll do the handwriting much more attentively than otherwise practising it. Of course you’ve made rapid progress.”
Indeed,we spend our ordinary days just as they are worthless “old newspapers”. We don’t care if we scrawl and waste them, thinking that they will come endlessly --- those “old newspapers” are inexhaustible. In such a mood we may each day pass by opportunities but fail to catch any of them.
Life is not a military exercise but an actual war in which real weapons are used. In everyday life there’s no chance for us to draw a draft. That’s because what we call “draft” actually is the answer sheet we write that cannot be changed. Every day of our life is something new. Let us take every day as a sheet of best paper.
【小题1】The calligrapher in the story told the student to write on the best paper because he thought _______.

A.the student would practice more carefully on the best paper
B.it was comfortable to write on the bet paper
C.the student had enough money to buy the best paper.
D.the student could write more on the best paper.
【小题2】The student didn’t make much progress at first because _________.
A.he regarded his writing on old newspaper just as a draft
B.he was too poor to buy better paper to write
C.he didn’t follow his teacher’s advice
D.he was not used to the calligrapher’s teaching manner
【小题3】We learn from the passage that _________.
A.the student finally gave up
B.the student made rapid progress by persisting more carefully
C.the calligrapher was strict with his students
D.old newspaper is not useful
【小题4】Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.What teachers say is always true.
B.Success calls for attentiveness.
C.Handwriting is easy to practice.
D.New things are always better than old ones.
【小题5】The writer wants to tell us that _________.
A.there are some good ways to practice handwriting
B.life is like old newspaper
C.we should learn from the student in the story
D.life will not give us a chance to draw a draft

I’m trying to be a writer, but I can’t even start. What should I do?
Abraham, Nebraska
There are many ways to come up with ideas, one of which is to write down a list of your experiences, as well as things from your imagination. When you want to write, look in the notebook for ideas.
Books for writers often have good suggestions, too. One we like is Spilling Ink: A Yong Writer’s Handbook by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. Perhaps your library has it.
My classmates keep asking about a new movie I’ve seen. But I don’t want to spoil it for them. What should I do?
Corinne (by e-mail)
You could ask your classmates whether they are sure they want to know and if they insist, go ahead and tell them. You may be able to give them a general idea of the movie without revealing details of the ending.
I’m going to a soccer camp for youth, but I’m not sure if I’m good at soccer or if I’ll make friends.
Louise, New Hampshire
Soccer camp is for people who share an interest in the sport. No matter what a person’s ability is at the beginning, it’s likely that everyone will leave camp with improved skills.
Sharing a common interest may make conversations easier. Smile, be friendly, and have a sense of humor. Before long, you may find that you’ve made some good friends.
Someone invited me to a birthday party. When I got there, kids were doing stuff I’m not interested in, like watching scary movies. I told them my mom would pick me up, so I just left. Was I rude for doing that?
Sam (by e-mail)
You just did the right thing and that isn’t being rude.
We hope you’ll talk with your parents about this. They’re probably proud of what you did. They may have other suggestions for you, too. Talk about different situations that might come up and what would be the best way to handle (处理) them.
【小题1】Who is interested in Spilling Ink: A Yong Writer’s Handbook?

A.Corinne. B.Louise.C.Abraham. D.Sam.
【小题2】What can we learn about the soccer camp?
A.The practice is hard but interesting.
B.It is difficult to make friends in the camp.
C.The camp only wants people who are new to soccer.
D.One’s skills can be improved when leaving the camp.
【小题3】The answer to Sam’s question shows what Sam did is _____.
A.funny B.strangeC.foolishD.smart
【小题4】According to the passage, you can make friends by the following means EXCEPT _________.
A.keeping smilingB.Being humorous
C.Changing your habitsD.Being friendly to others
【小题5】This purpose of the text is to _____.
A.give adviceB.tell storiesC.find friends D.share interests


D
For John and Amy Cervantes, birthdays have always been a big deal — a welcome excuse to celebrate life. When their eldest son, Alex, turned three, in 2005, they invited 20 friends to a nearby park and hired a clown to paint faces and make balloon animals.
Not long after that, the couple were brainstorming ways to teach Alex about giving to others. “That’ s when a spark went off,” says Amy. “We wanted to do something that would have a strong effect on our community, that wasn’t already being  done, and that our young children could participate in. I started wondering what less fortunate kids do on their birthdays. The next day, we called a local shelter.” What they learned is that homeless children typically don’t do anything to celebrate. No cake. No gifts. No party.
Several weeks later, the family threw a party at the shelter for the children who had birthdays that month. They decorated, served cake, and led 50 kids in the uncertain situation. Alex helped fill and pass out goody bags and presents. Since that first party, the couple have turned their simple idea into Birthday Blessings, a nonprofit that hosts monthly parties at ten shelters in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. The group also delivers baby supplies to new moms in the shelters. And it considerately sends treats to elementary schools so homeless kids can celebrate their birthdays with friends.
To date, Birthday Blessings has thrown more than 500 parties and handed out over 22,000 favors to nearly 4,000 homeless children. The idea is spreading fast, with additional chapters set to start in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and northeast Indiana. Birthday Blessings is operated entirely by volunteers with Amy, a stay-at-home mom, in charge. John attempts his career as an investment adviser while setting up the group’s similar network and running its capital campaign. The charity will take almost anything — toys, baby items — as long as it’s not used. “These kids never get anything new,” John says. “It makes a big difference to them psychologically.”
Being part of this“labor of love,” as Amy puts it, is already making an impression on the boys. When Alex turned seven, his grandparents sent a birthday check. “The first thing he said when he opened it,” Amy recalls, “was that he wanted to give half to the birthday kids.”
63. “a spark went off,” in Para 2 is closest in meaning to_______ .
A. Something was burning        B. there was a little hope
C. they were excited.            D. some good idea flashed into their mind.
64. The couple held a party at the shelter because_____ .
A. The children had birthdays that month
B. They felt sympathy for the homeless children
C. They wanted to make good impression on the children
D. They wanted to show that they were generous and kind
65. From the passage we can learn_______ .
A. The homeless children typically receive gifts and eat cakes on their birthdays
B. The group carefully sends treats to all the children in elementary schools
C. Birthday Blessings has performed different activities to aid the homeless children.
D. The couple are responsible for their own community in North Carolina
66. Which would be the best title for the passage?
A. Labor of Love                B. Nonprofit Organization 
C. Warm-hearted Volunteers.      D. Fortunate Children


第二节:书面表达(25分)
请先阅读下面的电子邮件
Dear Li Hua,
I feel very happy to read your e-mail and I really appreciate your English.Congratulations to you.Your English has really improved a lot.
Oh, I have some good news to tell you.I’ve got a good chance to practice my Chinese as an exchange student to China.So, here I’d like to ask you for help—which school is the best one for me to attend in China.Tell me, and then I can tell my school to make contact with it.
Looking forward to your early reply and hope to meet you in China soon.
Yours friendly,
Mary
假设你是李华,请你根据下列要点,用英文给玛丽回一封电子邮件,建议她来你所在的学校。理由是:
你校每年都接纳交换生;
学校条件好,各种设施好,有图书馆,电子阅览室……;
课外活动丰富多彩;
你校学生英语水平好,易于交流;
特别是老师好,教法生动有趣。
注意:可根据要求加以必要发挥,但不要逐字翻译;词数为120左右;开头和结尾已为你写好(不计入你所写词数),但不得抄入答题卡。
参考词汇:设施:facility 电子阅览室: electro-reading-room
Hi Mary,
Nice_to_read_your_e-mail_today.It’s_very_kind_of_you_to_give_me_encouragement,_I_owe_a_lot_to_you_for_your_help.
As_to_which_school_is_the_best_one_for_you_to_stay_in,_I_should_recommend____________
____________________________________________________________________________      
____________________________________________________________________________      
____________________________________________________________________________      
____________________________________________________________________________      
____________________________________________________________________________      
____________________________________________________________________________      
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Isn’t_the_information_above_enough_for_you_to_make_a_decision?_If_you_come_to_myschool,I_think_I_can_serve_as_a_good_link_between_you_and_other_students_as_well_as_the_teachers. Hope_you’ll_like_my_school.                    
Li Hua

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