“Dad, I am coming back.” These five words changed my world.

My daughter, Amy, had left home seven years before to live in San Francisco shortly after her brother Matthew's suicide. Over the years, we had talked on the phone, written letters, and spent time together during her infrequent trips back East. Whenever she came home, however, there was always a tension between us. Because of my work, I had been under a great deal of pressure when she was growing up, and I would occasionally "pop my cork（拔瓶塞）." Amy was a little afraid of me.

It was late October when Amy arrived after driving across the United States. Almost immediately, we got into a conflict over some minor problem. I became worried that I might not be able to handle living with her. I had accepted an early retirement incentive and would be home a great deal. Amy would also be there working as a freelance writer for a publishing company in California.

Before Amy arrived, I had begun writing a book about my job experience. I knew the manuscript （手稿） needed much editing. Amy agreed to help me, and we set up a weekly meeting in which we went over her suggested changes. It was rough for me in the beginning because it was hard to accept that my work was far from perfect. Week after week, she skillfully helped me to improve my work.

Through my writing, she began to understand why I was under so much strain （压力） when she was little. Also, I was told she suffered from the pain of dealing with depression.

Amy said to me one morning, “Your book has saved my life. I was beginning to wonder if anything was worthwhile. Using my skills to help you with your manuscript has been my anchor （精神支柱） over the last six months.”

“Amy, you have inspired me with a great love of writing, and an even greater love of a fantastic editor, who just happens to be my daughter,” I answered.

1．As a little girl, Amy probably thought of her father as         .

      A．kind                    B．hard – working    C．irresponsible        D．bad – tempered

2．After Amy arrived, at first the writer         .

       A．quarreled a lot with her about his book

       B．decided to retire as quickly as possible

       C．thought he couldn’t get on well with her

       D．tried hard to stop her from staying at home

3．From what Amy said, we know that       .

       A．her father cared little for her

       B．her father’s book is of no value

       C．it took her father three years to finish his book

       D．she was pessimistic （悲观的） before helping her father

4．Which of the following words can best describe the ending of the story?

       A．Sad.         B．Happy.             C．Unpredictable.         D．Uncertain.

Is there anything duller than being stuck in a long line of traffic when you still have miles to go? Wouldn’t it be great if you could relax and let somebody else do all the hard work? Well, if all goes well with a European research project, that possibility might just become a reality. The safe Road Trains for the Environment （SARTRE）

So how does it work? The lead vehicle will be driven by an experienced driver who knows the route. The lead driver will have full control over the vehicles within the road train. Vehicles will be fitted with a navigation （导航） system and a transmitter – receiver; thus, as a driver approaches the road train, they can signal to the lead vehicle that they wish to join in. once accepted, they will edge in behind the last vehicle. To leave the convoy （车队）, a driver simply signals the lead driver, takes back control of the car and exits off to one side. The vehicles within the convoy （空缺位置） close the gap and continue traveling.

There are a number of advantages a road train like this has. Firstly, it allows drivers to relax, read the paper or work on a laptop. Secondly, there will be fuel savings because the cars in the train are close together so the air drag （空气阻力） is lower than normal. Lastly, it should help to ease traffic jams.

However, this type of autonomous driving actually doesn’t require any complicated technology. Instead, the stress is on taking advantage of the technology already in existence. Also, testing should be carried out to prove its safety.

The project began in September this year and is expected to run for three years with the first test cars equipped with this technology on test tracks as early as 2011.

1．The transmitter – receiver is used to         .

      A．communicate with the lead driver

       B．show the condition of road traffic

       C．remind the drivers of the route

       D．communicate with the train

2．For the drivers who joined in a road train, they are likely to         .

       A．spend more time on their travel

       B．reduce the use of fuel

       C．control the lead car

       D．chat with other drivers

3．In the SARTRE project, researchers mainly focus on         .

       A．the choice of the lead driver

       B．how long the project can run

       C．using the existing technology

       D．the time the project will begin

4．What would be the best title for the passage?

       A．Hand free driving? Join in a road train!

       B．EU（欧盟） succeeds in making advanced vehicles

       C．Save drivers from long and tiring trips

       D．New findings in modem transportation

An apple that stays fresh for moths has been developed by Australian scientists and could be on shop shelves by next year. Researchers have spent the last 20 years developing the fruit, which they have now claimed （声称） to be "the world's best apple."

The apple – at this stage known as RS103-130 – stays "crispy" for 14 days in a fruit bowl, but if kept in a fridge will remain fresh for as long as months. Its longevity （持久） is also obtained without GM （真菌） – its disease – resistant qualities come from a gene found in the Asian apple called mauls floribunda.

Tim Mulherin, Primary Industries （第一产业） Minister, said the state government was looking for a commercial supply partner to put the new apple on the market as early as next year.

"The beauty of this fruit is that you can buy it and stick it in a fruit bowl and it will maintain its firmness, texture and crispness for up to 14 days," he said.

"Another advantage is that if it goes into longer term storage, it will retain its freshness for months on end.

“This new variety is sweet and since it is disease－resistant, it requires few or no fungicides.” “Taste tests carried out so far have been outstanding. Out of the five apple types tasted, the new variety scored the highest – even better than the Pink Lady which is very popular in Britain."

Scientist Dr Simon Middleton has been working with apples at the Mapplethorpe Research Station since 1980 and said he was impressed by RS103-130. He said that this variety is unique in that it is naturally resistant to black spot （黑斑病）, a disease that costs the apple industry 6 million （more that $ 10 million） a year in Australia alone.

1．In what way is RS103 – 30 different from common apples?

       A．It is more expensive.                            B．It is more beautiful.

       C．It can be kept fresh longer.                   D．It can help resist diseases.

2．The underlined word “fungicides” （in Paragraph 6） probably means “kinds of      ”.

       A．technologies        B．advertisements     C．packages             D．chemicals

3．What do we know about RS 103 – 130?

       A．Tests have been carried out on its taste.

       B．It sells well in Britain as well as in Australia.

       C．Its disease – resistant qualities come from GM.

       D．It was developed by scientists 20 years ago.

4．What is the main purpose of the passage?

       A．To persuade us to buy RS 103 – 130.

       B．To introduce a new type of apple.

       C．To show us scientists’ contribution.

       D．To tell us how RS103 – 130 was developed.

In Western society, three out of five people think once we’ve got our college degree, the learning phase is over – it’s time to work. In fact, we carry on learning after we’ve left school approached the right way, learning can be process of exploration, growth and enrichment.

For me, the primary reason to keep learning new things is not that it can give me the same enjoyment that I get from watching a movie. There are always frustrating （受挫） moments in the process, but I’m happier in the long run. Instead of chasing （追求） quick entertainment that fails to satisfy, you’ll have the pure pleasure of those moments when something finally clicks （成功）. The more you learn, the more you can make connections between pieces of knowledge, the more creative you’ll be.

I left my day job （如意的工作） last year because I was bored. The first month was fairly novel: it was my first experience of real work and I was learning a lot of new thins, some of them stretching me beyond my comfort zone （适温范围）. But after that, the routine （例行公事） was the same day after day. Now, I am working for myself, which enables me to learn all sorts of new things: both hard skills （including some higher degrees） and soft skills （like knowing how to interact well with clients 客户）. This keeps me interested and motivated. Learning has another benefit. Studies have shown older people who stay mentally active are much less likely to suffer from illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease （阿尔茨海默氏病）. Besides, in your personal life, you’ll want to learn how to bring up your kids well.

Learning about personal finance and money management – something that we’re rarely taught in school – can turn your life around. The final reason is because that’s what successful people do. If you decide that you’ve learnt everything you need to know about running a business or about competitors who have a passion for learning.

1．Over half Westerners think that learning         .

       A．should last a whole life                         B．happens only at school

       C．is a process of exploration                    D．stops once there are no exams

2．The greatest benefit the writer gets from learning is that        .

       A．he has read a great many interesting books

       B．he has got the desired quick entertainment

       C．he can escape frustrating moments in life

       D．he can enjoy himself in the learning process

3．What does the underlined word “novel” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

       A．Interesting.          B．Frightening.         C．Demanding.         D．Difficult.

4．We can conclude from the passage that        .

       A．degrees will be of no importance if you keep learning

       B．learning should be based on proper learning methods

       C．the writer gave up his own business to keep learning

       D．the writer is satisfied with school education

5．What is the purpose of the passage?

       A．To tell us how to succeed in school

       B．To explain the right attitude towards learning

       C．To prove the importance of lifelong learning

       D．To introduce some good ways of learning

此题要求改正所给短文中的错误.对标题号的每一行做出判断：如无错误，在该行右边的横线上划（√）；如有错误（每行只有一个错误），则按下列情况改正：

此行多一个词：把多余的词用斜线划掉，在该行右边横线上写出该词，并也用斜线划掉。

此行缺一个词：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（^），在该行右边横线上写出该加的词。

此行错一个词：在错的词下划一横线，在该行右边横线上写出改正后的词。

注意：原行没有错的不要改。

A French writer was invited to give talk at a university                 1．       

to a large group of students while he visits Japan. Because                  2．       

none of them could understand the French language, so he had             3．       

to have a man translate what he said in to Japanese. He spoke              4．       

a funny story went on for quite a long time during his talk.                   5．       

At last he stopped to let the man translate them into Japanese.               6．       

Much to his surprising, the man did this in a few seconds,                   7．       

and after that all the students laughed loudly. Before the talk,                8．       

when asked how he could manage to change that long story                 9．       

into such short a Japanese one, they young man said, “I just                10．       

said, ‘The writer has just told a funny story. Please laugh.’”

假定你是李华，你班最近就“北京大学授权少数中学校长推荐学生上北大”一事进行了讨论。请根据以下信息用英语写一篇短文，投给某英文报社的“学生习作”专栏。

注意：

1．词数：100左右；

2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3．短文的开头已给出，但不计入总词数。

Recently we have had a heated discussion in our class about the news that Peking University allows a very small number of headmasters to recommend suitable students for it.

从A、B、C、D四个选项中， 找出其划线部分与所给单词的划线部分读音相同的选项。

1．result

       A．moment              B．double                 C．super                  D．musician

2．pleasure

       A．noisy                  B．usually              C．sugar                  D．sailor

3．headache

       A．league                 B．queue                  C．technique            D．choke

4．follow

       A．crowd                 B．shower                C．town                   D．show

5．polite

       A．police                  B．exit                     C．island                  D．promise

A subway is an effective way to solve traffic problems in        big city．It has evident advantages, such as        speed and convenience.

A．the; the          B．a; the           C．a; /          D．the; a

--- Why were you absent yesterday?

--- I caught a cold,      I had been walking around in the rain.

A．but           B．so            C．and          D．for

--- Is there any possible way to help them get rid of such a bad habit?

--- To tell the truth, it’s very hard．But we teachers        on this problem.

A．are working                                               B．had worked

C．worked                                                      D．had been working