越来越多的中国中学生出国学习，对此人们有不同的看法。请根据提示，以Studying Abroad 为题给二十一世纪英文报中学生版写一篇短文。

注意：1．短文须包括所有要点，内容连贯； 2．词数；120左右；开头已给出（不计入总词数）。

Studying   Abroad

It’ll be a year and a half ______ the next Olympic Games are held in London in 2012.

A. since                  B. when                  C. before                 D. until

Samuel Clemens，______ Mark Twain, wrote many popular stories.

   A. was known as          B. known as

   C. was known for         D. known for

- Have you moved into the new flat?

- Not yet, the rooms __________.

A. are being painted      C. are painted

B. are painting                     D. are being painting

I’m sorry        written you a letter at the tine.

—I’m feeling terrible and lonely all the time, what should I do?

—______! Try to talk to your friends, and take good care of your health.

A. Go ahead              B. Take it easy     C. That’s right             D. Don’t mention it

When I was in primary school, sometimes I would meet a girl of the same age as me. Lisa was never active, but she was always very sweet and nice. In the 5th grade she came to my class.

She was absent(缺席) a lot , and one day I had the courage to ask why. She told me she was sick, and she explained she wore a wig(假发) because her medicine made her lose her hair. We left it at that. Anytime Lisa came to class—seldom—I would hang around with her on the playground.

I received much ridicule (嘲笑) from my friends for this because they thought I was ignoring them for Lisa. My family education taught me to be nice, and I felt Lisa’s needs were much more important than others I knew.

It had been months since Lisa was in our class, and one day our teacher was crying. She explained Lisa died the day before and would no longer be our classmate. She told us Lisa had fought a battle (斗争)with cancer for years.

I was shocked. Lisa never spoke of her illness as if it could kill her. Well, all these years I have kept Lisa in my mind and heart. When I go through the important events in my life, I think of Lisa.

I’ve had a strong wish recently to find her mother and father. I’d like to tell them that though they never met me, their daughter had a sweet effect on my life. I have no idea what her parents’ first names are. I write to your column (栏目)and hope you can point me in the right direction.

Lisa was such a lovely girl. Maybe her parents would be comforted by the fact that after all these years they are not the only ones who remember her.

The underlined sentence in Para 2 probably means ________________.

A. we kept on talking about her illness later

B. we discussed the topic and then left together

C. we just stopped talking about her illness

D. we went away after talking about her illness

Why was the author being laughed at?

A. Because she wore a wig to school.            B. Because she always played with Lisa.

C. Because she cried in the classroom.       D. Because she lost her friends because of Lisa.

What did the author learn from Lisa?

A. To keep your illness a secret.                    B. To be nice to everyone everywhere.

C. To face challenges in life bravely.             D. To put others’ needs above yours.

The author wrote this passage mainly to __________.

A. remember a true friend                B. ask for help to find a friend’s parents

C. show her concern for a friend           D. tell her experience of fighting cancer

To son, Cecil,

       Just a quick note before I start in earnest. When I wrote this, you were 8, still a little boy. In 2002, I was called to active duty in the Marine Corps in the war on Terrorism (恐怖主义). On the 11th of September 2001 when America was attacked, I knew that I would eventually have to go and I was filled with a deep sense of sadness. That night as you and Keiko were asleep, I looked at your little faces and couldn’t help but fight the tears. I knew it would be hard for you because I had a similar experience. When I was a little boy aged 6, my dad, your Grandpa Cawley, was sent to Vietnam during the war there. I remember how much I missed him, too. But now unfortunately I have come to realize just how rough it must have been for Grandpa to be away from his children for a year. Thinking about this, I wanted to put my thoughts and feelings down for you and your sister. I am so sorry that I had to leave for such a long time. There is no place I would rather be than with you and Keiko. You two are the lights of my life. I have known no greater joy than in the few years since you two were born. I hope to have many more years with you. If this doesn’t happen, then know that I love you more than words can express. If for some reason I don’t make it home, I will need you to take care of your little sister and your Mom. You will be the man of the Cawley family. Be good my son and God will watch over you as he has me. I will be waiting impatiently for the time when we can all be together again.

The writer of the letter may be ______.

A. an American soldier in the battle field           

B. an American policeman

C. a soldier in the Vietnam War                        

D. a postman working far away from home

Keiko is the ______ of the writer.

     A. wife                        B. son                          C. daughter                          D. sister

One of the experiences the writer and his son had in common is that ______.

A. they both experienced the Vietnam War 

B. their fathers had to leave them and fight abroad.

C. they used to study in the same school

D. they were both eight when the fathers had to leave them

We can infer(推断) that ______.

A. the writer was a devoted son        

B. the writer was a brave soldier

C. the writer realized he might die in the battle field

D. the writer’s wife was suffering from a terrible illness.

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。

The Nigerian postal service has witnessed a reduction in the number of letters sent, especially by individuals, due to the alternatives of email and text.

“People prefer these over letters, because of the speed, although letters serve many purposes, other than conveying of messages", said Barry Varley Tipton, principal of Cherry Field College.

But some people think that the vanishing(逐渐消失的) art of letter writing has grave (严重的) consequences for students, teachers, the economy, society and the beauty of reading from loved ones, because letters in those days usually had a variety of styles .

A lover of letters writing, Hajiya Aisha refers to the occasions she has seen people enraged, because their connections at a cyber cafe took 56 seconds rather than the usual 36 hours. She says, “Although letters are slow, waiting for something good is not wholly a bad thing. Nothing beats a hand written letter.”

"When I was a graduate studying overseas twenty five years ago, my mother wrote to me daily. It was wonderful to receive those letters. They often said nothing more than everyone was thinking of me. I continue this tradition with several friends who are scattered worldwide. Hand written letters show the love that we have for family and friends. Email cannot replace the smile of actually getting the letter. The warm, sincere thank- you note, or the sweetly scented love letter we usually received and sent in those days is irreplaceable" she said.

Will electronic age stamps replace letters? Hopefully not, since it takes with it a culture rich in colour, history, and communication. Letters, like bits of ourselves, deserve to be stored away for future readers, giving them insight into details as small as the price and pattern of stamps, and as great as personal insights exchanged long ago.

【写作内容】

       1. 以约30词概括以上短文的主要内容：

       2. 然后以约120个词以“Will written letters die out ?”为主题写一篇短文，并包括如下要点：

       (1)有些人认为用手机收发短信和用因特网收发邮件更加方便快捷，写信很费时间

       (2)有些人喜欢和朋友或家人写信

       (3)你的观点

【写作要求】

       1. 你可以使用实例或其他论述方法支持你的论点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用阅读材料中的句子

2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称

【评分标准】

       概括准确、语言规范、内容合适，篇章连贯。  (请在答题纸上作答)

—Why didn’t you come to Mike’s birthday party yesterday?

—Well, I _____, but I forgot it.

A. should     B. must     C. should have     D. must have