It seems that every week someone becomes “the first” or “the youngest” or even “the first married couple” to do something that doesn’t seem to be very useful to the rest of us.
Why do they do it? Don’t they have better things to do with their time and money? And why should I be interested anyway? Human beings have already climbed the highest mountains, sailed across the oceans and flown around the world. Many of these things were done a long, long time ago. There just isn’t anything left to explore nowadays. I suppose there’s still a lot of the universe left, and the bottom of the ocean is still a bit of a mystery, but you need a lot of technology to explore areas like that. So, those people who feel the need for adventure can only do things that have been done before.
In May of this year a British man became the first person to walk alone from Canada to the North Pole. Personally, if I wanted to visit the Arctic, I’d rather go as a tourist on a cruise ship, with a helicopter trip to the North Pole included in the price. But OK, this man decided that he wanted to walk. The problem was that he went in the spring when the ice begins to melt and break up. So he got stuck on a longely piece of ice and a plane had to be sent in to rescue him.
These sorts of rescues are making many Australians angry with these record breakers. People trying to break sailing or rowing records get into trouble in the seas. So the Australian navy has to send ships to save them and this costs the government millions of dollars. I suppose we can’t just leave them to drown but we should give the bill to the people who are rescued.
According to the author, the so-called record breakers .
A．do not benefit other people at all
B．inspire people to continue exploring
C．are boring and should be stopped
D．are usually not wealthy enough
We can infer from the second paragraph that .
A．there are no high mountains for people to climb
B．nothing is left for people to explore in the universe
C．it’s beyond ordinary people to explore the unknown
D．human beings could fly around the world long ago
Many Australians are angry because the record breakers .
A．often get into trouble
B．never use a cruise ship or a helicopter
C．never pay their own costs
D．satisfy their needs at the cost of others’ interest
What is the writer’s attitude towards the record breakers?
A．Positive. B．Negative.
C．Uninterested. D．Neutral（中立的）.
读写任务 (共1小题，满分25分)
阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
[阅读材料]
If you like to break things when you are unhappy, the Nanjing Zhonghua Middle School is the school for you. This term, Nanjing Honghua Midlde School will build a "stress wall" to help students who feel unhappy because of schoolwork or for other reasons.
Tao Dehua, a leader at the school said the idea of a stress wall started when
footprints were found on some newly painted walls and some school windows were
broken.
"These things happen because some students feel lots of pressure from their
studies or because they don't get along well with other students. When under stress,
the body get ready to either run or fight and becomes very nervous. Hitting the wall
can help relax the body and take away stress," Tao said.
"Tests and homework make me Sad," said Lu Yan, a junior girl. "I can't wait to
hit the wall. It will help me a lot with my problems."
Another girl student who wouldn't give her name said that the wall won't help. "Mainly because it can't talk," she said. "I need to talk to someone when I'm sad."
写作内容
1、以约30个词概括这段短文内容；
2、然后以约120个词就“Should the stress wall be built"这个主题发表你的看法，并包括以下要点：
(1)学生的压力来源；
(2)是否该建此墙；
(3)提供一些其他有效的减压方法。
写作要求
l、可以参照阅读材料但不得直接引用原文的句子；
2、作文中不得出现真实的姓名和学校名称。
评分标准
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。
His humorous closing speech was a welcome addition to the ______dull meeting．
A．therefore B．meanwhile C．otherwise D．nevertheless
----Could I ask you a private question?
----Sure,
A. pardon me B. go ahead C. good idea D. forget it
Studies show that walking several times a week can lower, or reduce, the danger of many diseases. Walking also can help you lose weight.
Fast walking is good for the heart. It lowers the blood pressure. Researchers say walking can reduce the danger of suffering a heart attack by as much as fifty percent.
Studies have shown that walking for thirty minutes a day can delay and possibly prevent the development of Type Two Diabetes. It can prevent diabetes among people who are overweight and at danger for the disease.
Studies show that women who walk and take calcium reduce their danger of thinning of the bones. Walking also helps lower the pain of arthritis in areas where bones are joined by strengthening the muscles around the bones.
Walking several times a week is a good way to control your weight and even lose body fat. Studies show it also helps lower feelings of sadness.
Experts say walking is one of the safest ways to exercise. There is a low danger of injuries. So it is good for people who are starting an exercise program for the first time and for older people.
A walking program is easy to start. You should wear loose clothes and good shoes. Shoes designed for walking are best.
How fast should you walk? You should be breathing hard while you are walking. Yet, you should be able to
talk.
Let your arms move back and forward at your sides while you walk.
The title of the passage probably is ______.
A. Walking B. Feelings of Sadness C. Weight D. Diseases
“Walking is one of the safest ways to exercise” means ______.
A. walking is easy to start B. there’s a low danger of injuries
C. walking is good for heart D. walking can prevent the development of diseases
Walking helps reduce the following EXCEPT_________.
A. the danger of many diseases B. weight C. sad feelings D. money for shoes
According to the passage, walking ________.
A. is the safest way to all of the people B. is a good way to reduce the danger of many diseases
C. can cure the disease of heart attack D. can help put on weight
It looks like a mobile phone, but the service is much cheaper. It acts like a mobile phone, but only in your own city. Beyond the city walls, it’s useless.
“Little Smart”, also called “xiaolingtong”, has always been compared to mobile phones. But actually, it is more like one of those cordless phones(无绳电话) used around the home. The only difference is that this one reaches much further than from the bathroom to the living room. It can travel across an entire city.
Cheap costs are the main reason for the success of Little Smart. It costs 25 yuan a month for the line and about 0.1 yuan per minute to use. A mobile phone, on the other hand, can cost four or five times as much. What’s more, unlike mobile phones, there’s no fee(费) for incoming calls. So these low charges have attracted many users.
But, Little Smart is not really that smart. Users often complain about its bad voice quality. And there are not as many stations to pick up its signals as there are for mobiles. “I couldn’t receive a phone call if I was on a bus,” said Li Ping, a user in Hangzhou. “It worked fine when I stood still, but there were breaks in signal when I was moving.”
Scientists are trying to make Little Smart more user-friendly. Messaging and Internet access(接入) have been added to the service. And the latest Little Smart handset even has color screen.
Why is Little Smart popular in China?
A. It looks like a mobile phone. B. The service is much cheaper.
C. There is no fee for incoming calls. D. All of the above.
How is the charge of Little Smart?
A. About 10 fen per minute to use.
B. It costs four or five times more than a mobile phone.
C. It only costs 25 yuan each month.
D. There’s no fee for calls.
Why are users not satisfied with Little Smart?
A. They can’t hear each other clearly out of the city.
B. There are so few stations for Little Smart to pick up its signals.
C. When you use it, you must stand up.
D. The charges are low.
The underlined word “handset” in the last paragraph means “______”.
A. the hand bag B. telephone C. service D. mobile phone
What can we infer from the passage?
A. It’s wrong to say that Little Smart is smart.
B. Scientist are trying to make Little Smart smaller.
C. Little Smart will be better than today.
D. People will change Little Smart into a mobile phone.
书面表达 (满分15分）
假如你是新华中学的学生张华，班里从外地转来一名学生李明，他一时无法融入班集体中，感到很苦恼。请根据下列要点用英语给他写一封信：
※ 帮他分析原因: 害羞、不善交际;
※ 给他提出建议：主动交谈、参与班级活动、承担班级工作;
※ 表示愿意帮助他。
注意：
1、书信格式；
2、词数80左右；
3、包括全部要点内容。
He is an honest man; he always _____ .
A. breaks his word B. keeps his word
C. eats his words D. keeps his words
Turn on the TV or open a magazine ______ you will often see advertisements showing happy, balanced families.
A. but B. till C. and D. or
Many of us assume that with such a last name, Peter Buffett, 52, must enjoy a life of endless privilege. But the son of billionaire investor (投资人) Warren Buffett definitely doesn’t think so.
“People who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth can fall victim (受害者) to what my father has called a silver dagger (匕首) in your back,” Buffett told Reuters in an interview. “It leads to a sense of entitlement (特权) and a lack of personal achievement.”
Entitlement, he believes, is the worst thing ever. “Anybody who acts like they deserve (应得) something ‘just because’ is a disaster,” he said.
In his new book, Life Is What You Make It: Finding Your Own Path to Fulfillment, Buffett says that the only real inheritance (遗产) handed down from his parents was a philosophy (价值观): Forge your own path in life. It is a belief that has allowed him to follow his own passions, establish his own identity, and reap (收获) his own successes.
Did his father ever want him to go into finance? “It was encouraged for a moment when I was open to the idea,” he told Reuters. But as he grew older, it became clear the financial world “was not speaking to my heart.”
His father accepted his choice to become a musician. He began his musical career by writing music for TV commercials (广告). He then released his own albums.
“I am my own person and I know what I have accomplished in my life,” he told Reuters. “This isn’t about wealth or fame or money or any of that stuff, it is actually about values and what you enjoy and finding something you love doing.”
Along with the book, Buffett has begun a “Concert & Conversation” tour in which he plays the piano, talks about his life and warns against consumerist (消费主义) culture and damaging the environment.
“Economic prosperity (繁荣) may come and go; that’s just how it is,” he writes in the book. “But values are the steady currency (硬通货) that earn us the all-important rewards.”
What does “It” in the second paragraph refer to?
A. A life of a top investor. B. A silver spoon in the mouth.
C. Being born to a wealthy family. D. The victim of a silver dagger in the back.
What does the article tell us?
A. Peter Buffett is a born musician.
B. Peter Buffett enjoys a hugely privileged life.
C. A wealthy family can benefit a child but also spoil him or her.
D. Peter Buffett was forced by his parents to take over their business.
The article claims that Peter Buffett owes his achievements largely to ______.
A. his passion for music B. the good education he received
C. his great determination D. the values he learned from his parents
Which of the following statements would Peter Buffett probably agree to?
A. Wealth is there to enjoy to the fullest.
B. A person’s value lies within.
C. Many people are fooled by economic prosperity.
D. Young people should choose their own philosophy, whatever their parents believe in.