–How much salt did you put in the soup?

--I’m sorry to say, _________. I forgot.

Don’t mention that at the beginning of the story, or it may _________ the shocking ending.

I believe that families are not only blood relatives, but sometimes people who show up and love you when no one else will.

In May 1977, I was living in a Howard Johnson’s motel off Interstate 10 in Houston. My dad and I  1  a room with two double beds and the bathroom was too 2  for a 15-year-old girl and her father. Dad’s second marriage was   3   and my stepmother had   4  us both out of the house the previous week. Dad had no  5_   of what to do with me. And that’s when my other family   6  .

Barbara and Roland Beach took me into their home   7   their only daughter, Su, my best friend, asked them to. I   8  with them for the next seven years.

Barb washed my skirts the same as Su’s. She   9   I had lunch money, doctors’ appointments, help with homework and nightly hugs. Barbara and Roland attended every football game where Su and I were being cheerleaders. As far as I could tell, for the Beaches there was no 10 between Su and me; I was their daughter, too.

When Su and I 11  college they kept my room the same for the entire four years I attended school. Recently, Barb presented me with an insurance they _12_ when I first moved in with them and had continued to pay on for 23 years.

The Beaches knew 13  about me when they took me in – they had heard the whole story from Su.        When I was seven, my mother died and from then on my father relied on other people to _14  his kids. Before I went to live with the Beaches I had believed that life was entirely   15__ and that love was shaky and untrustworthy. I had believed that the only person who would take care of me was me.

   16  the Beaches, I would have become a bitter, cynical (愤世嫉俗的) woman. They gave me a(n) 17  that allowed me to grow and change. They kept me from being paralyzed(麻痹的) by my _18 , and they gave me the confidence to open my heart.

Now I   19 family. For me, it wasn’t the family that was there on the day I was 20  , but the one that was there for me when I was living in a Howard Johnson’s on Interstate

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.

Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and other things including cups-porcelain(瓷杯子), glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some elegant -- telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "I notice that all the nice looking and expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each others cups. Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate we have. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Thank the Lord for your blessings in 2011. And enjoy your hot chocolate in 2012!”

1. When did they decide to go to see their professor?

2.Why did the professor offer them different cups?

3.What caused the professor to say those words?

4.What does the word “cup” in this passage refer to?

5.What is the purpose of the professor’s words?

It’s not uncommon in America for a person to belong to some kind of volunteer group. Donating one’s time and services is very much a part of the American way of life. Most charitable activities are organized by churches and groups around the nation and even encouraged by the government. The helping hand is extended to the poor， the homeless and the disabled. Some people work to teach youngsters how to read. Others open up soup kitchens to feed the homeless. Volunteers also take care of the disabled by making reading tapes for the blind and working in orphanages（孤儿院）to help children without parents.

High school students are often encouraged to become volunteers and many school club activities center around volunteer services. Students may work with disabled children during a summer program， or participate in a club activity which helps to bring meal to senior citizens who are shut-ins. With their sense of idealism（理想主义）students are often eager to donate their spare time. They see such activities as a way of becoming involved in the community and the adult-world. Social action for them becomes as   important as their academic studies.

In a like manner， throughout the year，fund raising drives are also conducted by schools and community groups to raise money for a worthy cause. They may respond to a recent earthquake in a foreign country， a flood somewhere within their own， or another natural disaster which has left people destitute and homeless. They may organize drives to collect food， clothing and medicines to serve an immediate need. Today even the Halloween custom of ‘trick or treat’has become an occasion to collect money for a charitable cause.

The motive to help those less fortunate comes from the poor origins of the American nation. Those immigrants who were poor and downtrodden（受压迫的）became dependent on the kindness of their neighbors to make a new life for themselves.

American volunteers work throughout the world in less developed countries. They volunteer by serving as a champion of goodwill both at home and abroad， which no doubt enriches both his life and those whom he serves.

1. Which of the following charitable activities is NOT mentioned in the passage?

2. Why are American high school students eager to do voluntary work?

3.The underlined word “destitute” in Paragraph 4 probably means           .

4. American charitable activities started because ___________.

5. What’s the best title of the passage?

Australia has passed regulations that will enable more international students to further their education in the country.

The new measures were released by the Australian Department of Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations in September and will take effect in mid-2012.

As a result, the student visa application process for overseas students has been simplified, and the deposit (押金) required to study in Australia has been reduced. Language requirements for overseas students have also been eased.

Also, overseas students receiving a higher education in Australia will be granted a working visa lasting from two to four years after graduation, as long as they meet the basic IELTS requirement.

"This change will definitely make Australia a more attractive destination for Chinese students planning to study overseas," says Wang Lan, a consultant from Education International Cooperation Group (EIC), a Beijing-based company that provides services to students wishing to study overseas.

However, in the past few years, many of Wang's student clients (客户) could not start studies in Australia because they did not meet the language requirements, visa processing took a long time and deposit regulations were tough. The change in policy is good news for the parents of students wishing to study in Australia, Wang says.

A 22-year-old female student surnamed Li, in Beijing, who is planning to do her postgraduate studies in Australia, learned about the policy change several weeks ago.

"According to the previous deposit requirement for my student visa, my family was required to put down 550,000 yuan ($86,850). Now we only need to prepare 410,000 yuan. This is a relief for my parents," Li says.

She also says that the two to four years working visa makes her feel much clearer about her study plans.

"I believe several years of working experience abroad will strengthen my competitiveness when I return to China," she says.

Gaining a competitive advantage is the major reason for Chinese students to study abroad, according to the report by EIC.

1.What's the main idea of the passage? 

2. Which of the following is NOT the content of the new regulations? 

3.After the new regulations are passed, _______ . 

4.How much can Li's parents save according to the new regulations? 

5. Why do many students want to work in Australia after their graduation? 

1. What is the best title of the passage?(no more than 15 words)

_________________________________________________________________________

2. Can you use another English word to explain the underlined word “cultivating”?(no more than 3 words)

__________________________________________________________________________

3.According to the passage, what are the four kinds of sports causing athletic concussions?

_______________________________________________________________________________

4.Why is the number, gathered by researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, not accurate(精确的)?(no more than 20 words)

5.Do you like playing basketball? How can you protect yourself in the game?(no more than 30 words)

_______________________________________________________________________________

6. How many children play basketball each academic year?(no more than 1 word)

假如你叫李华，正在向英国曼彻斯特大学（Manchester University）提出入学申请。在校方需要的相关材料中，你要准备一份个人简历。现在，请你根据下列信息，写一个人简历。

1．在天津一所中学读书，今年六月毕业；

2．父母在本地经营一家小公司，暑假我也会在那儿帮忙；

3．喜欢音乐，也参加了很多志愿者活动；

4．开始思考将来的发展，想成为一个翻译人才；

5．为提高语言水平，想去英国学习。

注意：1．开头部分已写好，只需接着写。

2．可适当增加细节，使所写文字连贯。

3．词数：100—120。

My name is Li Hua．I was born in Tianjin seventeen years ago and I have lived here all of my life．

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The WTO can't be called _____ "world" organization without ____ world’s largest nation-Russia．

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

—I got promoted a few days ago．

    —You did? _____!

    A．Thank you          B．Never mind        C．Congratulations          D．Don't worry