There are many kinds of sales. For example, a “back-to-school sale” is held near the beginning of the school year. Parents like the lower prices of the clothes and school supplies for their children.

A “midnight madness” event starts very late at night. An “early bird special” sale starts very early in the morning. This kind of sale is popular the day after Thanksgiving in November.

A favorite sale among many people is the “buy one, get one free” sale. You buy one thing and get a second one without cost. When people see the word “free” in an advertisement they know they are getting a good deal. As a matter of fact, it is not the case.

Another kind of sale is a “going out of business” sale. This is when a storeowner tries to sell all the goods in the store before closing the business permanently(永久地).

Let us say the store sells floor coverings. The owner lowers the prices and puts up a sign that says: “Going out of business sale. All items MUST be sold by tomorrow.”

People who buy the floor coverings think they are getting a special deal because everything must be sold in a short period of time. Then, days later they see the store did not close permanently. And they see the same sign that claims the store is going out of business. Some business owners really do not end the business. They just want to earn more money.

People also hold their own sales. They hold garage sales and yard sales outside their home. They sell things they no longer want. Groups such as religious centers or schools hold bake sales. They sell cakes, cookies and other baked goods to raise money.

In America, you can always find a good sale, no matter the day or time of year. There is the Independence Day sale, Veteran’s Day sale, clearance sale, sidewalk sale, red tag sale, white sale, blue light special, liquidation sale, half-off sale, warehouse sale, tent sale ...

1.What does the passage mainly deal with?

A. How to save money in shopping.

B. Different kinds of sales.

C. Shoppers’ ways to earn money.

D. Reasons for the popularity of sales.

2.What do we call the sale if it starts before the sun rises?

A. A “back-to-school sale”.

B. A “midnight madness” event.

C. An “early bird special” sale.

D. A “buy one, get one free” sale.

3.Why do parents like a “back-to-school sale”?

A. Because it has a variety of school supplies.

B. Because it is held at the beginning of the school year.

C. Because it provides plenty school uniforms.

D. Because they can save money.

4.What’s the purpose of some owners who do “going out of business” sale repeatedly?

A. They want to close the business permanently.

B. They want to give special offers to customers.

C. They want to sell all their goods in a short period of time.

D. They want to cheat the customers into buying their goods.

Sure, we've all heard that we should get more sleep. The realities of life often make it become "we should get more sleep later." 1. The result is that you wake up the next day feeling like a role of The Walking Dead. Here are four ways you can adjust your biology in order to pay less for staying up.

● Move around.

Exercising before bed is a sure way to keep awake. That's why you shouldn't do it when you want to go to sleep, and it is also why hitting the gym, or even some fast push-ups can tell your body that it's not time for bed. Being physically exhausted isn't fun when you are trying to stay up late. 2.

● Eat more protein.

Few people think about the fact that the brain and body use a lot more energy when we're awake. If you are pulling an all-nighter, you're going to need a lot more food than you are used to eating. 3. To stay awake, plan to eat larger meals than normal and to eat them more frequently.

● Drink the right stuff.

It's tempting (诱人) to switch to sugary caffeine drinks like Red Bull, but the sugar will lead to a crash. Instead, if you want to use caffeine, drink early in the evening so it'll wear off by the time you want to sleep.

4. Don't make it worse by drinking sugar.

● 5.

Turn the lights down at night because bright lights keep you awake. For three or four hours after you're exposed to bright white light, your body won't make melatonin, a must for deep sleep. You will sleep better if you turn the lights a little bit down.

A. Turn the lights off.

B. Avoid bright lights.

C. Just do enough to get energetic.

D. And your body can never bear something like that.

E. Your brain can use up to 25 percent of your total calories.

F. When you stay up late, your blood sugar becomes abnormal.

G. There is either more work to be done, or more fun to be had, or both.

My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a yard with a lot of ．Very often when we have flowers, Denise or I would plant some between the rocks, just to add some to the area．

Last summer, I found a tiny little in the yard that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either. We decided to let it growing until we could find out what it was.

Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. I decided to the weeds around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something . The sunflower had not where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big and grown under and around it to reach the ．

That’s when I that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t let a big rock stand in its of developing, we too have the ability of doing the same thing. If we ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we to go and get what we need for growth．

We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the to achieve our goals. Like the , it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had in itself that it would succeed. Stand tall like the sunflower and be who and what we are, then the environment will begin to us. We will find a way to go under or any “rocks”in order to reach our goals．

1.A. flowers B. insects C. rocks D. vegetables

2.A. color B. water C. fertilizer D. shape

3.A. weed B. seed C. rock D. plant

4.A. stop B. continue C. improve D. escape

5.A. weak B. lonely C. strange D. pretty

6.A. remove B. tend C. watch D. collect

7.A. wonderful B. terrible C. valuable D. unusual

8.A. passed B. started C. left D. died

9.A. tree B. table C. rock D. wall

10.A. air B. top C. sun D. house

11.A. realized B. doubted C. regretted D. hoped

12.A. place B. way C. course D. process

13.A. fill in B. put in C. worry about D. believe in

14.A. forget B. hate C. aim D. wait

15.A. ability B. wish C. plan D. idea

16.A. yard B. sunflower C. home D. summer

17.A. energy B. virtue C. courageD. faith

18.A. aware of B. afraid of C. proud of D. tired of

19.A. support B. affect C. upset D. forgive

20.A. into B. around C. through D. from

Travel agency: Good morning. Can I help you?

Daisy: I’m sorry to say that I am 1. (disappoint) about my trip to Norwich. It is the 2. (bad) experience of my life!

Travel agency: What is the problem?

Daisy: Well, first of all, 3. (go) when I got on the bus. I turned 4. the guides for help, but they were impatient. I hate to say this, 5. they behaved impolitely towards us customers. Could you do something about this?

Travel agency: Hmm, I apologize. Did you find 6. wallet?

Daisy: No. And that’s not all. The bus was one hour late. Worse 7. , it picked up passengers 8.

the way to our destination. You really have to do something about it.

Travel agency: I’m so sorry, but sometimes the bus can 9. (delay) by some problems. We can’t always be sure that the bus will set out on time.

Daisy: Why didn’t you tell me the truth? 10. I booked the ticket, you promised to drive non-stop from Aye to Norwich.

Travel agency: I am terribly sorry to hear that. I will look into it immediately and give you a satisfactory reply.

假如你是育才中学的学生李华,最近，你们班召开了以“我的中国梦”为主题的班会活动。请写一篇报道，记述班会情况及自己的感受。内容要点如下：

1. 每位同学都畅谈了自己对中国梦的理解；

2. 你谈到了自己的梦想；

3. 如何实现自己的梦想。

注意：1. 总词数不少于100。

2. 不可逐条翻译。

3. 开头已给出，不计入总词数。

I’m Li Hua, a student of Yucai Middle School.

An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old highly educated son.

Suddenly a crow（乌鸦）perched on the tree near their window.

The father asked his son, “What is this? ”

The son replied, “It is a crow.”

After a few minutes, the father asked his son the 2nd time, “What is this?”

The son said, “Father, I have just now told you It’s a crow’. ”

After a little while, the old father again asked his son the 3rd time, “What is this? ”

“It’s a crow, a crow, a crow.” said the son loudly.

A little after, the father again asked his son the 4th time, “What is this?”

This time the son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? ‘IT IS A CROW’. Are you not able to understand this?”

A little later the father went to his room and came back with an old diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:

“Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa when a crow was sitting on the window. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel annoyed; I rather felt affection for my innocent child. ”

1. In what tone did the son say to his Father “It’s a crow, a crow, a crow. ”?

A. impatientB. excited C. hurried D. surprised

2.Why did the Father ask the same question again and again?

A. Because he wanted to make his son angry.

B. Because he was too old to remember anything.

C. Because he couldn't understand what his son said.

D. Because he wanted to see how patient his son would be.

3.How old was the old man when his son asked him 23 times “What is this”?

A. 35 years old. B. 38 years old. C. 45 years old. D. 80 years old.

4.What is the most suitable title for the passage?

A. A crow.B. Father's love.C. An old dairy. D. An old man.

China’s first moon rover，Yutu，or Jade Rabbit，separated from the lander early on Sunday，December l5，2013，several hours after the Chang’e-3 probe (探测器) soft-landed on the lunar surface．The l 40 kg six-wheeled rover touched the lunar surface at 4：35 a．m．，leaving deep trace on the loose lunar soil. The process was recorded by the camera on the lander and the images were sent to the earth，according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center．

After the separation，the rover and lander will take photos of each other and start their own scientific explorations. Engineers made final checks of the environment of the landing site，the situation of the probe and sent signals of separation to Chang’e-3．

Yutu, on the top of the probe，extended its solar panel and started to drive slowly to the transfer mechanism (机械装置) at 3：10．The transfer mechanism unlocked at 4：06 with one side reaching the moon’s surface，allowing the rover to descend to the surface following a ladder mechanism．

Chang’e-3 landed on the moon’s Sinus Iridum，or the Bay of Rainbows，at 9：11 p．m．Saturday，making China the third country in the world to carry out such a rover mission after the United States and former Soviet Union．

In ancient Chinese mythology，Yutu was the white pet rabbit of the lunar goddess Chang’e．The name for the rover was selected following an online poll that collected several million votes from people around the world．

The rover，1.5 meters long with its two wings folded，1 m in width and l．1 m in height，is a highly efficient robot controlled by the command center from the earth．It will face challenges including temperature differences of more than 300 degrees Celsius on the moon．

Yutu will survey the moon’s geological structure and surface substances and look for natural resources for three months，while the lander will conduct in-situ (现场) exploration right at its landing site for one year．

1.What’s the passage mainly about?

A．China’s first moon rover，Yutu，touched the lunar surface．

B．The rover and the lander took photos of each other successfully．

C．Chang’e-3 landed on the moon’s Sinus Iridum, or the Bay of Rainbows．

D．Yutu will survey the moon’s geological structure to find substances．

2.Which of the following show the correct order of the Yutu’s landing?

a．drive to the transfer mechanism b．extend its solar panel c．follow a ladder mechanism

d．descend to the surface e．unlock the transfer mechanism

A．e→b→a→c→d B．a→b→e→d→c C．b→a→e→c→d D．c→a→b→e→d

3.We can learn from the last two paragraphs that ．

A．Yutu’s two wings are l．5 meters long and l meter wide

B．Yutu will explore the moon right at its site for one year

C．Yutu will get out of the earth command center’s control

D．Yutu can bear great temperature differences on the moon

Regardless of their family background, the children’s reactions to new environments have struck the public.

In one episode of Dad! , the five-year-old daughter of former Olympic diving champion Tian Liang cries and hides behind her father when they arrive at a rural village. In an episode of the other series, a young girl in Tianjin breaks down into a tearful fit after being asked by her father to go out alone to buy eggs and a pancake.

In the eyes of some observers, these kids show no sense of independence, and the reason is put down to parents who are overly sheltering. But television viewers and parents were heartened when the sobbing Tianjin girl finally wiped away her tears as she returned holding the pancake. In the case of Tian’s daughter, she eventually began to take care of her younger companions and learned to seek help from people she didn’t know.

The father of the Tianjin girl felt “delightfully shocked” and said. “She used to have to be accompanied by her mother or grandmother. Now she has the courage to do it all by herself. ”

The shows have led many parents to change how they raise their children. Shanghai mother Liang Jing said she would try to “give some training” to her shy son, asking him to tidy up his toys. Lin Yi, a parenting expert in Beijing, said giving kids a chance to do things for themselves helps to raise their sense of achievement, which carries benefits throughout their lives. ”

1.What attracts the audience’s eyes in the programs?

A. What the kids’ family background is like.

B. Where children’s real comfort zone is.

C. How children react to new environments.

D. Why those children are independent.

2.What is Tian Liang’s daughter expected to do in the show?

A. Go out to buy something alone.

B. Hide in a safe place to avoid a danger.

C. Make friends with strange adults.

D. Live in a rural village with her father.

3.It can be inferred from the underline words “delightfully shocked” that .

A. father is more important than mother in a family

B. children deserve a chance to be independent

C. parents should provide a safe environment

D. the children are as fragile as parents expected

4.The shows are bound to raise a wave of discussion about .

A. protecting good traditions B. the social safety

C. approaches to parenting D. the influence of TV programmes

Why Doesn’t Anybody Copy Apple?

Apple’s products are the envy of the world. They have been spectacularly successful and are widely imitated, if not copied. The minute Apple crystallizes a product, everyone knows how to compete．This idea that the basis of competition is set by Apple and then the race is on to climb the path of improvement is unquestionable．When Apple releases a product that defines a category or dramatically changes the structure of an industry, it becomes obvious what needs to be built. But what I wonder is why everyone wants to copy Apple’s products but nobody wants to copy being Apple?

I can think of two reasons. Firstly, Apple is not worth copying because it's not successful; secondly, Apple’s success cannot be copied because it is a magical process．

There is a great deal of evidence for the first hypothesis. The idea of Apple being successful is not something reflected in its stock price．Being valued lower than the average company in the S&P（标准普尔）500 indicates that to whatever degree Apple was successful in the past, it's not seen by the vast majority of observers as successful in the future．Why should one bother copying Apple if it results in being punished with a low valuation? If one works really hard at innovation and then that innovation becomes commoditized（商品化）very quickly, why should one bother?

When innovation practitioners are asked what makes Apple successful, the answers regarding the cause of this success border on the mythical. The climax of this hypothesis is the “chief-sorcerer” theory of success which places one magician, like Steve Jobs, in charge of casting all the right spells（符咒）．

What about Apple’s own opinion of what makes it tick? Tim Cook refers to a great team and integration of hardware, software and services as unique Apple advantages. It’s a better explanation．Integration is something that can take a long time, but it is possible with great effort．A few companies are starting to make moves in that direction, but efforts are half-hearted．There is no “move the Earth” panic to become an integrated company from Samsung, Google or Microsoft．

My own suspicion is that Apple is more aware of what makes it special than it lets out． However, as Tim points out, it’s not a formula．It’s complex, it’s subtle, but it’s not magic．It’s a process that requires a degree of faith and courage．

1.When a new product of Apple comes out, often it ______．

A．ruins an industry dramatically

B．starts a revolution of an industry

C．puts itself in an unbeatable position

D．is soon overtaken by imitated products

2.According to the passage, other companies don’t “copy being Apple” because ______.

A. Apple is not a successful company

B. they have no access to relevant resources

C. It’s hard to find a magician like Steve Jobs

D．being Apple takes more than time and efforts

3.We can infer from Para. 5 that ______．

A．other companies are dedicated to integration

B．Apple itself is fully aware of its unique advantages

C．Apple will hold the leading position in this industry

D．other companies don't have a great team as Apple does

4.What does the author think of Tim Cook's statement?

A．Acceptable． B．Disappointing． C．Unquestionable． D．Convincing．

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。

Choosing to Study Overseas

Every year, thousands of students choose to study in another country for a semester, the summer, or a year. Studying overseas can be an exciting experience for many people.

1.

Living in another country can help you to learn a language, and about another culture. 2.

Overseas study may also look good on your future resume. Many companies today want employees who speak a second language, or have experienced living or working in another country.

Making the right choice

Once you decide to study overseas, you have to make some choices. To choose the right country or school. Ask yourself: Where do I want to go and why? How much do I want to pay? 3. Do I want to live with a host family, with roommates, or alone?

Getting ready to go

Get your passport and visa early! 4. Learn about the money. Bring some of it, and a credit card, with you.

Once you are there

After the first few weeks overseas, many students will feel a little homesick. They may miss their family, friends, and familiar ways of doing things. 5. When you feel sad or homesick, try to talk to others, or write about your feelings in a notebook.

A. Why do it?

B. You should improve your mother tongue before you go.

C. Large number of students can’t afford to study overseas.

D. How long do I want to study overseas?

E. Remember that it takes time to get used to a new place, school, and culture.

F. You will see the world in a new way, and learn more about yourself.

G. Before you go, learn some of the language, and read about some common customs in your host country.