I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs and toast. Others had cokes and candy for lunch, while we had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different than the other kids’. But at least I was not alone in my suffering. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.

My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing. We had to wear clean clothes every day. Other kids always wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of disgrace because she made our clothes herself, just to save money.

The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by 9:00 each night and up at 7:45 the next morning. So while my friends slept, my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law. She made us work. I believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us. Through the years, our friends’ report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother, however, would merely be content with black marks. None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout.

She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. Using this as a background, I’m now trying to bring up my three children. I’m filled with pride when my children think I am mean because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world.

1.Which of the following things did the writer hate to do most?

A．Eating differently from other kids.           B．Wearing clean clothes made by mother

C．Going to bed early and getting up early       D．Letting mother know where they were

2.It can be inferred from the passage that____________.

A．the writer worked hard and usually got good grades in studies

B．mother was punished for breaking the Labor Law

C．all the other kids studied better than the writer

D．the writer’s family lived a miserable life

3.Which of the following statements is Not true according to the passage ?

A．Mother practiced economy in running her home

B．The writer is very thankful for her mother

C．The writer is severe with her children when bringing them up

D．The wrier has a deep hatred for her mother

4.The passage was written in a way of _________ tone.

A．humorous         B．hateful            C．ridiculous         D．critical

Saying “thank you” is probably the first thing most of us learn to do in a foreign language. After all, we’re brought up to be polite, and it is important to make a good impression upon other people — especially across national divides.

So, what exactly are you supposed to say when “thank you” is only the 20th most popular way to express gratitude? According to a recent survey, 19 other ways of expressing appreciation finished ahead of “thank you” in a poll of 3,000 people.

Pollsters(民测调查员) found almost half of those asked preferred the more informal “cheers”, while others liked to use such expressions as “ta”, “great” and “nice one”.

So, just what is the appropriate form of words to express your thanks?

Fortunately, the clue is in the language itself. “Cheers”, despite its popularity, is considered an informal way to say thank you — and this is a definite clue as to when you can best use it.

For instance, when going for a drink with friends, a smile and a “cheers” by way of thanks is not only appropriate to the situation, it is also culturally accurate.

“Ta”, originated from the Danish word “tak”, was the second-most popular expression of thanks, and is also commonly used in informal situations, along with phrases such as “nice one”, and “brilliant”. Interestingly, one word that didn’t make it into the top 20 was “thanks”, Thank you is shorter, more informal cousin.

“Thanks” can be useful, as it is able to bridge the divide between the formality of “thank you” and the downright relaxed “cheers”.

Certain words can double as an expression of thanks as well as delight. Again, the words themselves offer the clue as to when best to use them.

For example, words like “awesome”, “brilliant” and “you star” featured highly in the new poll and they can hint at both your pleasure at someone’s action, as well as serving to express your thanks. If you are on the receiving end of a “new” thank you, you can respond with a simple “no problem”, or “sure”.

Of course, in certain circumstances, a simple wave, nod or smile may be appropriate. For instance, if a car driver slows down to let you cross the road, simply raising your hand in acknowledgement is enough to show that you appreciate the driver’s consideration.

Sometimes, formality is necessary, and “thank you” is still the best choice in such situations. But students should not worry about when exactly to use certain expressions.

Many people in Western countries are worried that good manners are in decline. People are tired of seeing their acts of kindness and service pass without comment. So don’t think your “thank you” is clumsy or awkwardly formal. The chances are, if you said “thank you”, you made someone’s day. You star.

1.We can tell from the results of the poll that __________.

A．people are unconcerned about politeness nowadays.

B．“thank you” remains the best expression of gratitude.

C．there is a variety of expressions of appreciation.

D．there are more formal expressions than informal ones.

2.According to the passage, which is an appropriate response to “awesome” or “brilliant”?

A．Thanks.           B．Sure.             C．Nice one.          D．Cheers. .

3.In the last paragraph the author encourages people to          .

A．show their gratitude to others.             B．behave themselves well.

C．continue their acts of kindness.             D．stop worrying about bad manners.

4.Which of the following can serve as the best title of this passage?

A．How to Appear More Polite .               B．Ways to Show Gratitude.

C．Never hesitate to Say “Thank You”.        D．Good Manners in Decline!

Tattoos and body piercings（穿孔）have moved up on the trend list in recent years. Around Western schools lots of teens are sporting new holes and “flesh ink”（纹身）. As with all other subjects, the Chinese will surely have to deal with this situation with respect to their children. To get a better view of what has happened in the West, 1et’s sit down and hear what they say.

Tiara from Indiana： 

I personally think body piercing is sickening. If there were supposed to be holes in your body，you would have been born with them. I do，however，think that ear piercing is not wrong. There is a difference between ear piercing and belly button piercing. Ear piercing is not nearly as dangerous. I would be sick if someone stuck a needle in my belly button.

Lee from Illinois:

Hi! I live in Illinois. I am 23. I have 12 tattoos and three piercings. I love my tattoos and consider myself an art collector. You would be surprised at who has given me the thumbs up on my art work. People on the street stop me to look at the tattoo on my leg. Most of them don’t know what it is. They just think the work itself is great.

Subotai from California:

I’m not forbidden of self-expression，but when I see high school students getting these piercings, I really wonder. In some cases, the drive is deeper and darker than mere fashion. A friend of mine tried piercing her own tongue with a safety pin. It got infected and she had a tongue the size of a cow’s.

Jackson from Ohio:

I don’t think it is wrong, but when people do it all over the place like their face and everything—I think that’s ridiculous. People who get the big “dragons that cover the whole body—I don’t think that’s necessary.” When I see naked chicks on guys, I think, “You have no respect for women.”

1.Who doesn’t think tattoos and piercings except ear piercing are beautiful？

A．Jackson           B．Lee              C．Tiara             D．Subotai

2.We can conclude that        .

A．tattoos and piercings are a new kind of elegant art

B．all the teachers in the West are in favour of tattoos and piercings

C．everything is changeable as time goes on

D．it is necessary to live with different views of beauty

3.The best title for this passage is probably        .

A．Body Art or Causing Damage

B．Doing Damage to the Young People’s Bodies

C．Young People’s Different Curiosities

D．The Latest Fashion

We all know that everyone becomes a little more forgetful as they get older, but men’s minds decline more than women’s, according to the results of a worldwide survey.

General differences seem to be natural in male and female brains: Men are better at maintaining and dealing with mental images (useful in mathematical reasoning and spatial skills), while women tend to excel be good at recalling information from their brain’s files. Many studies have looked for a connection between sex and the amount of mental decline people experience as they age, but the results have been mixed.

Some studies found more age-related decline in men than in women, while others saw the opposite or even no relationship at all between sex and mental decline.

Those results could be improper because the studies involved older people, and women live longer than men: The men tested are the survivors, “so they’re the ones that may not have shown such cognitive(认知的) decline,” said study team leader Elizabeth of the University of Warwick in England.

Scientists surveyed completed four tasks that tested sex-related cognitive skills: matching an object to its rotated form, matching lines shown from the same angle, typing as many words in a particular category as possible in the given time, e.g. “object usually colored gray”, and recalling the location of objects in a line drawing. The first two were tasks at which men are usually good; the latter are typically dominated by women. Within each age group studied, men and women performed better in their separate categories on average. And though performance declined with age for both genders, women showed obviously less decline than men overall.

1.According to the passage, which of the following can NOT be typed into the same category?

A．cloud            B．sheep            C．trees             D．goose

2.Which of the following statements is true according the article? _______

A．Men do better than women when it comes to learning English.

B．Women stand out at remembering people’s names.

C．Women do well in dealing mathematic problems.

D．Men excel at typing as many words as possible in the given time.

3.One important factor that affects the correctness of the results is that ________.

A．women live longer than men

B．people surveyed are all old

C．the old men tested may not have shown such cognitive decline

D．people taking part in this test came from all over the world

4.The author aims to tell us that _________.

A．women’s minds perform better than men’s

B．men’s minds decline more with age

C．everyone becomes a little more forgetful as they get older

D．a survey on human’s mind decline was done recently

How to Teach a Child Respect

As a child grows out of being an infant（婴儿）and begins to notice and react to the world around them, you may find yourself wondering how you possibly pass all of the things that they need to become a responsible, respectful adult.   1  A child who learns to respect all he meets not only receives respect from others in kind, but learns to respect himself as well.

Instructions

★1 Show your child respect. This is perhaps the best way to teach your child how to respect others. Listen to your child by giving her your full attention and she will learn to listen to you, understanding how important this is in relationships.

★2   2  The more you say "please" and "thank you" to your child, the more likely he will learn to use them with you and others. Politeness then becomes a normal part of any conversation.

★3 Agree to disagree.  3 Explain your decision so that she will understand your reasoning and expect respectful responses. Disagreeing with you aren’t equal to disobedience.

★4 Control your impulse to overreact. When a situation arises between you and your child that requires calmness, keep in mind that you are supposed to be modeling correct behavior.  4 

★5 Praise, praise, praise! So much is focused on what a child does wrong and how to correct it that the accomplishments are not celebrated enough.   5 

A．Teach manners by using polite requests and responses.

B．Try to remember that a child won’t always agree with you.

C．Respect is necessary for a meaningful and successful life.

D．If he sees you lose your temper, he is more likely to respond that way in future.

E．A child may act like he pleases, but will respect being given limits.

F．When you see you child exhibit respectful behavior, make sure he knows just how proud you are of him.

G．Signs such as sudden poor performance in school, behaviors like fears and threats accompany behavior problems in children.

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文,文中共有l0处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；   

2．只允许修改l0处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

As a boy grown up in India，I had longed to traveling abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father told me about her stay in Canada and trips to Europe in1970s. My big moment finally come in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe, where my father was to attend for a meeting. The service during the flight to Frankfurt was such nice that even today I can still remember them. The flight was really smooth and thorough enjoyable，even someone as me, who is otherwise scared of flying.

假如你是李华， 是某中学学生。最近你校在为一批来自英国的学生征寻住宿家庭，你有意申请。请根据下面提供的信息用英语给校长写封信，说明你申请的理由。

注意：1．词数100—120 词。     2．可适当拓展内容以使行文连贯。

Dear sir,

I’m writing to request a valuable chance to be one of the host families for the British students       

I can't remember when exactly the Robinsons left _____city, I only remember it was ______ Monday.

A．the , a            B．a , the            C．a, a              D．the, the

     sales of cars up by 30% last year, the traffic in Beijing has become increasingly terrible.

A．With             B．Since             C．For              D．As

—The frequent terrible coal mine accidents killed more than 1000 people in China last year.

—_______.

A．Quite OK          B．That’s the case    C．Certainly          D．I agree