Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.

Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe（成熟） or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns(角) had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.

Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.

Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and she does not.

1.Greenhorn now refers to ____.

A．a person who is new in a job               B．a new solider       C．a young horse   D．a thumb

2.A person who has a green thumb is a person ____.

A．whose garden is greener than others’

B．whose thumbs are in green color

C．who is good at growing plants

D．who is younger than his neighbors

3.The author is actually talking about ____.

A．colors            B．language          C．politics           D．agriculture

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The green-eyed monster can be used to describe a person who is jealous

B．The Green Revolution may have some connection with green thumbs

C．The green-eyed monster was probably created by William Shakespeare

D．In about the 16th century, a greenhorn meant an experienced soldier

Throughout seafaring history, ships and sailors have been lost to storms, accidents and war. Until recently, most of these ships were weak wooden sailing vessel (船只), their skeletons(骨架) quickly eaten away by sea creatures. Now, large vessels made of steel float on the seas. Thousands of these huge ships have been lost in times of war and in times of peace.

The bones of great metal ships, unlike the wooden vessels of old, survive the destruction of the sea long enough to become home and harbor for underwater life of all kinds. Shipwrecks(残骸) often provide the only hard surface and structure at the sandy bottom of the sea, something many sea creatures need.

The ship has been underwater for only five days. Its surface is still clean. Six weeks later, the wreck is covered with a slimy layer of algae(海藻), but it is still recognizable as a ship. Soon, animals that need to attach themselves to a hard surface, like the feather duster worms, make the wreck their home.

In warm waters, coral polyps(珊瑚虫) settle on the wreck and begin the process of building a rock-like crust on the ship. Small fish are attracted on all of these creatures. Larger fish come to feed on these small fish that hide in the wreckage. Eventually, the largest animals are attracted to the rich life on the shipwreck.

Shipwrecks give us valuable information about how sea plants and animals develop. We know exactly how long this wreck has been under water and how long sea life has been growing on it. Yet even the strongest steel shipwreck will finally be destroyed by the flows of water. But long after this wreck has been broken apart, it will still act as a reef (礁石). Layer upon layer of sea life has formed a structure that is now more natural than artificial, and will remain an island of life under the sea.

1.Which of the following is NOT TRUE about shipwrecks?

A．Most ships in ancient times sank easily and become shipwrecks.

B．Shipwrecks, for scientists, are worth researching to get valuable information.

C．The skeletons of old wooden shipwrecks will exist for quite a long time.

D．Some sea animals tend to seek food on the shipwrecks.

2.The writer’s purpose in writing the article is to tell us_____.

A．the differences between the ancient vessels and the modern ones

B．how the ships become shipwrecks at sea

C．how coral polyps live on the wreck in warm waters

D．the value of studying shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea

3.Which of the following is closer to the underlined “crust”?

A．a hard outer covering                    B．the skin of a rock

C．a hole in a ship                         D．a small house

4.What will happen to shipwrecks in the end?

A．They will be pulled out of the sea for research.

B．They are likely to disappear and form reefs.

C．They will become an island under the sea.

D．They will be like works of art.

British Summer Time runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. In the depths of winter the nights in the UK are anything from 15-19 hours long. Longer nights mean frost and fog are more likely to form.

Twice a year the clocks change, forward in the spring and then back again in the autumn. But why? It happens twice a year. We all change our clocks and watches by one hour. In the spring, we add an hour, and go onto what is called British Summer Time, while in the autumn, we do the reverse, and return to Greenwich Mean Time.

Why bother?

It’s all to do with saving the hours of daylight, and was started by a guy called William Willett, a London builder, who lived in Petts Wood in Kent. Basically, he figured that you could improve the population’s health and happiness by putting forward the clocks by twenty minutes every Sunday in April and do the opposite in September.

Economics

His idea was not taken up, even though a “Daylight Saving Bill” was introduced some five years before the outbreak of World War One. But once the war started, it was considered wise to economics, to promote greater efficiency in using daylight hours, and in the use of artificial lighting. And so in 1916, “Daylight Saving Time” was introduced. Even though most countries abandoned this after that war, some eventually decided that it was a good idea, and most of these nations began to keep it throughout the year.

Experiment

Since 1972, Britain has decided to go with Greenwich Mean Time in winter, and British Summer Time in Summer.

But back in 1968, Britain tried a four-year experiment by advancing time one hour ahead of GMT throughout the year.

But those living further north, particularly in Scotland, found it most unsatisfactory, with dark mornings for much of the year, and the experiment was dropped.

But the arguments go on …and on.

1.Why some countries decide to change the clocks after World War One?

A．To improve the people’s health and happiness.

B．To do a certain experiment

C．To save energy to develop economies.

D．All of the above.

2.What can you infer from the passage?

A．The idea of changing the clocks suffered disagreement.

B．The people in Scotland don’t change the clocks.

C．The idea was first thought of by an educator.

D．It’s unnecessary to change the clocks.

3.What is the real meaning of the last sentence of the passage?

A．Nobody in the UK likes the idea.

B．All things need arguments.

C．The British are fond of arguments.

D．Different views of the idea still exist.

It was unusually quiet in the emergency room on December 25.

I was nurse on duty that day. I didn’t think there would be any patients, sighing about having to work on Christmas. Just then five bodies showed up at my desk, a pale woman and four small children.

“Are you all sick?” I asked suspiciously.

“Yes,” she said weakly and lowered her head.

But when it came to descriptions of their presenting problems, things got a little vague. Two of the children had headaches, but the headaches weren’t accompanied by the normal body language of holding the head or trying to keep it still. Two children had earaches, but only one could tell me which ear was affected. The mother complained of a cough but seemed to work to produce it.

Something was wrong, but I didn’t say anything but explained that it might be a little while before a doctor saw her. She responded, “Take your time; it’s warm here.”

On a hunch (出于直觉), I checked the chart after the admitting clerk had finished registering the family. No address---they were homeless. The waiting room was warm.

I looked out at the family huddled by the Christmas tree. The little one was pointing at the television and exclaiming something to her mother. The oldest one was looking at an ornament on the Christmas tree.

I went back to the nurses’ station and mentioned we had a homeless family in the waiting room. The nurses, grumbling about working Christmas, turned to compassion for a family just trying to get warm on Christmas. The team went into action, much as we do when there’s a medical emergency. But this one was a Christmas emergency.

We were all offered a free meal in the hospital cafeteria on Christmas Day, so we claimed that meal and prepared a banquet for our Christmas guests. We needed presents. We put together oranges and apples in a basket. We collected from different departments candies, crayons and other things available that could be presents. As seriously as we met the physical needs of the patients that came to us that day, our team worked to meet the needs, and exceed the expectations, of a family who just wanted to be warm on Christmas Day.

Later, as the family walked to the door to leave, the four year old came running back, gave me a hug and whispered, “Thanks for being our angels today.”

1.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Working Christmas Day                   B．Christmas Day is Coming

C．A Happy Family                         D．A Pale Woman and Four Small Children

2.What kind of person do you think the author is?

A．Hardworking and outgoing                B．Serious and careful

C．Hardworking and warmhearted             D．Serious and stubborn

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Something was wrong with one of the children’s heads.

B．The pale woman forgot to write the address.

C．The author did not understand the truth.

D．The children’s mother told a lie.

4.It can be inferred from the text that______.

A．The author didn’t think there would be any patients on Christmas Day

B．The woman was uncomfortable when she lowered her head

C．The family appeared in the emergency room on Christmas Eve

D．The woman and four small children were satisfied and grateful

A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.

First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.

Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.

In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be funded through government taxes to increase the lever of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly practical answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.

One further solution is that the government or social organizations set up some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.

To sum up, all these measures have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these measures may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.

Title :More Concern Should be Given to the __1__

单词拼写：(共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分)

1.Though I like Wang Fei, she didn’t p________(表现，表演) very well at the 2012 Spring Festival Gala.

2.F______ (原谅) my interrupting but I really don’t agree with that.

3.He has decided to go abroad to study with the i______ (目的) of improving his English and finding a better job when he returns.

4.We need to stop thinking of companies and businessmen as the enemy, and give them more c______ (赞扬，称赞).

5.He continued to speak, r_______(不顾) of my feelings on the matter.

根据课文内容完成句子：(共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分)

1.他说的那些话伤害了我，但他并未向我道歉。

The things he said hurt me too, but he has not ________ ________ me.

2.我问过周围人，发现许多人都愿意支付稍高一些的价钱来购买环保产品。

Asking around, I find many people _____ ______ pay a little higher price for things that are friendly to the environment.

3.男孩之间的友谊则以共同的活动或兴趣为基础。

Friendships between boys are _____ _____ shared activities or interests.

4.要解决有关长江的所有问题，我们还有很长的一段路要走。

We still have a long way to go to solve all the problems _____ ____ ____ the Yangtze River.

5.单口喜剧有很多不同的类型。

There are ____ _____ _____ different styles of stand-up comedy.

在一次课堂讨论中，大家对朋友和友谊进行了讨论。请根据下表内容，用英语写一篇短文，并谈谈你对友谊的看法。

 注意：1、短文必须包括所有要点；

2、词数150左右；

3、短文开头已写好，不计入总词数。

In life we can hardly do without friends.__________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

We can never expect ______ bluer sky unless we stop ______ industrial waste going into _____ atmosphere.

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

Because of the bad management, this restaurant was not _______ it was 10 years ago.

A．half as good as what                     B．as half good as that

C．as good as half what                     D．half as good as that