“Hey, Jenna, do you think we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty-two?” I asked my friend. It was clear that she was wondering where I had come up with such a question. Losing Jenna would be like losing a very close sister. We hung out together. We gave each other advice.

“Of course, we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty-two.” Jenna announced loudly.

The next year, in the fourth grade, we met Jamie. The three of us soon became close friends. We played together almost every day. I thought even time couldn’t pull us apart, but I was sadly mistaken.

The three of us started fighting a lot. Before Christmas, we had a really big fight, and Jamie and Jenna were against me, both saying I was bossy. I felt helpless and lonely. I thought Christmas would be horrible!

I was surprised when Jenna came to my house and gave me an awesome Christmas card she had made for me. I was so sure that she was still disappointed with me.

“Wow, ” I said, breaking the silence as we stood on either side of my front door. “Thanks.”

 “Okay…well…I have to go,” she said softly.

“Okay. See you later then…” and I closed the door.

“Who was that at the door?” my mum asked.

The card started off with “Merry Christmas”, but then it said, “I am so glad we’re friends. I am sorry about what I said when we were fighting. A fight won’t stop us from being friends. Besides, we said we were going to be friends even when we’re eight-two.”

I stopped reading and started laughing. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten what she said that day in her back yard. I couldn’t believe I had been so selfish in trying to get even and making my friends feel sorry for me that I had forgotten about real friendship.

1.How would the author and Jenna get along with each other after Christmas?

A. They would be close friends again.

B. They would not speak to each other.

C. They would lose touch with each other.

D. They would go on fighting with each other.

2.The underlined sentence “I was bossy” in the fourth paragraph means “_________”.

A. I looked like a boss                               B. I acted as a boss

C. I was fond of giving orders                    D. I was fond of fighting

3.Which of the following is the right time order according to the passage?

a. Jamie became our friend.

b. I felt lonely and unhappy.

c. Jenna, Jamie and I fought a lot.

d. Jenna brought me a Christmas card.

e. I was sorry for what I did to her.

f. Jenna and I promised to be lifelong friends.

A. f a b c e d       B. a c f b d e         C. a b c f e d         D. f a c b d e

4.The author was delighted when she read the card from Jenna because _________.

A. what Jenna wrote was funny                  

B. Jenna would be her friend again

C. she was happy about the coming Christmas

D. she was happy to receive a Christmas card     

1. The Video Camera Pen

Item 78431; $129.95

Available for Immediate Shipment

Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484

                                    This is the pen that has a built-in video camera, capturing videos or still images with a click of its button. Ideal for use while secured in a pocket, it can capture up to five hours of video and up to 20,000 images. Its battery provides up to two hours of power before requiring a recharge.

2. The Wristwatch Camcorder

Item 78098; $149.95                          

Available for 3-day shipment

Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484

                                  This is the men’s watch with an unnoticeable camcorder, so you’ll always have a camera ready to capture a chance famous person or a pet’s ridiculous actions. The camera is located at the two-o’clock position,

                      yet the watch’s hands never make it covered. The camera’s rechargeable battery provides up to two hours of use from a four-hour charge.

3. The only 55 Inch Widescreen Personal Movie Theater

Item 77918; $249.95

Available for Immediate Shipment

Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484

                                  This is the only personal media viewer that provides a

private viewing experience just like watching a widescreen 55 inch television from 10 meters away. It connects to a video iPod, iPhone, portable DVD player. Includes two AA batteries that provide up to six hours of continuous operation and iPod cable.

4. The Digital Phone Album Watch

Item 77281; $99.95

Available for Immediate Shipment

Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484

                                  This is the watch that vividly displays 120 of your favorite digital photographs. You can download digital photographs to the watch. The watch can be viewed in the Photo Album mode(time and photo view) or digital mode (time and date view). A six-hour charge provides up to 10 days of use.

1.What’s the purpose of this passage?

   A. To compare some creative inventions.    B. To advertise some unique goods.

   C. To teach how to operate the items.       D. To show how fashionable the items are.

2.What do Item 78431 and Item 78098 have in common according to this passage?

   A. They both sell well.                                B. They are both cheap.

   C. They both have unusual appearances.     D. They both can take photos.

3.If you’re a movie fan, you probably show strong interest in ________.

   A. The Video Camera Pen             

B. The Wristwatch Camcorder

   C. The only 55 Inch Widescreen Personal Movie Theater

   D. The Digital Phone Album Watch[来源:]

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

   A. In fact, Item 78098 cannot tell time.

   B. Item 77918 works as a DVD player.

   C. In a way, Item 77281 is user-friendly.

   D. All the items include rechargeable batteries.

Jack lay, quiet and unmoving, for thirty minutes while a stranger repeatedly stabbed(刺) him with sharp needles, causing blood to pour steadily out of his leg. Jack was getting a tattoo. His friend Tony had recently gotten a tattoo, and Jack was so impressed by it that he decided to get one too. Peer pressure, media influence, and personal expression are some of the common reasons for wearing tattoos today.

     The desire to be accepted by one’s friends or peers can have a great influence on what a person does. Sometimes, wearing a tattoo can be a sign that you belong to a certain group. Gangs often use special clothes and tattoos to identify their particular group. Some of these groups wear only brand-name clothes. Others wear tattoos. When a person’s friends are all doing something, that person is more likely to do the same thing.

     The media is another big influence behind the popularity of tattoos in North America. A wide variety of media images show tattoos—people appearing in commercials selling expensive cars, famous sports heroes with tattoos in magazines, fashion models wearing designer clothes that show their bodies tattooed with detailed and colorful patterns. These media images link tattoos to ideas of wealth, success, and status. As a result, many people decide to get a tattoo for its fashion and status value.

     Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings－in other words, to show their individuality(个性). A musician in a rock band may get a tattoo of a guitar on the arm. Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders. A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person’s life.

     As you can see, there are many reasons why young North Americans get tattoos. A tattoo can be part of a group’s uniform, a sign of fashion, or an expression of individuality. The decision to get a tattoo is most often a result of the influence of friends or media or the desire to express oneself. For Jack, it was a mixture of all three.

1.Jack has got tattoos in order to ________.

     A. show his great bravery                            B. gain a special experience

     C. make himself more healthy                      D. be different from others

2.According to the passage, media images are linked to ________.

     A. traditional lifestyle                                  B. social position

C. cultural background                             D. public interest

3.We can infer from the passage that ________.

     A. some people get tattoos out of pressure B. tattoo is related to religious belief

     C. getting tattoos costs a lot of money               D. most people with tattoos are artists

Do you know what really troubles me? For some reason, words with silent letters have always bothered me. For example, consider these words: know, design, island, school, wrist, naughty, and salmon. All of these words have at least one letter that is not typically pronounced, and these words are just a very small part of words with silent letters in them.

   Some words are even worse, consider this word: colonel. Not only are some letters not pronounced, but letters that are not even there are pronounced.

   Even foreign languages, especially French, are guilty of this needless complexity and confusion. I know there must be some main historical reasons why the words are spelled and pronounced the way they are, but that does not mean bad traditions must continue to survive. Especially if they are no longer logical.[来源:Z_xx_k.Com]

   Unfortunately, there is very little that anyone can do for it, because there’s no group of people who can change or have the right to change the English language for everyone. However, the only thing we can do is make changes in the way we talk and write in hopes that it catches on. For example, I pronounce the letter “l” in salmon on purpose to make people annoyed and to sound more different or complicated. I even pronounce colonel the correct or French way.

   I can only hope these two minor changes to the English language make sense to you, and you will help to keep up these minor changes forever in your everyday life.

1.We can learn from the passage ________.

   A. colonel is pronounced   

B. salmon is pronounced

   C. all the words with silent letters come from French

   D. linguists will solve the problem of dumb letters

2.Which of the following is the main reason for silent letters?

   A. French language.   B. Historical reasons.  C. Some linguists  D. Bad traditions.

3.The underlined phrase “catches on” probably means “________”.

   A. becomes popular   B. gets across   C. follows the fashion  D. doesn’t fall behind

4.Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

   A. Troubles in everyday life            B. Traps in English words

   C. Words with silent letters            D. Necessary changes of languages

May the first is an important date in the college admission process in the United States．This is the last day for high school seniors to accept or reject offers of admission in the fall．But according to a recent report, there is a great change. Acceptance rates at the top colleges this year were lower than ever.   1.

These days, college applicants are applying to more colleges because online and common applications make the process easier.   2.  On the other hand, deciding students for top colleges to accept can be difficult because it takes much time. Students may not like being put on waiting lists. Also, common colleges work more to get the students they accept to accept them. Some colleges hold visiting days that offer a chance to attend classes and stay overnight. Some universities send gifts.  3.  

For many families, the most important thing colleges can do is show them the money, especially this year; the weak economy makes parents nervous.  4.   The recent problems that spread from the housing market to credit markets have even affected student’s loans. So lately, top schools have to spare lots of money to increase their financial aid for students.

  5.  The Education Department expects the number of high school graduates to start to go down. This will happen as the last of the children of the baby boom generation finishes high school. The number is not expected to start rising again until 2015.

A. Besides, top colleges are facing changes in the population.

B. What contributes to it?

C. But a mistake can be costly if it happens.

D. But top colleges ignore them.

E. They have international students who know English.

F. It can mean several acceptances to choose from.

G. They cannot afford college as planned.

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10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误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10处，多者（从第11处起）不记分。

Dear Sir,

How are you? As a exchange student, I am writing to tell you I would prefer to move into a single room in next term, as I find it inconvenient to share a room with others. My roommate often held parties at night, made much noise. Besides, his friends are always visiting him, that disturbs me a lot. So I hope to draw your attentions to this problem. If you think in my position, I am sure he will agree that the only solution for me is get a room of my own, one not in the same building and as near to the school campus as possible. I would be gratefully if you could do me the favor.

Best wishes.

　　                                                         Yours sincerely, 　                                                   　        Li Ming

假如你叫李明，学习成绩优异，家境贫困，无力承担你进入大学学习的费用。但你却有幸成为某慈善机构的资助对象。现在，你已被一所重点大学录取，请你给该慈善机构的负责人王女士写一封感谢信。信的内容包括：

1．目前的生活和学习情况；[来源:ZXXK]

2．大学毕业后的人生方向；

3．表达感激之情。

注意：1．信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数；

      2．应包括以上要点，可适当发挥；

3．词数：100词左右。

Dear Ms Wang,

I’m Li Ming. Two years ago, I received your letter and schooling fees.              

                                                        Yours sincerely,

                                                              Li Ming

Let's go to ______ cinema—that will take your mind off the problem for        while.

The young man has got great ______ and will surely become successful in the near future．

Max could smell the rain coming．And it did．Suddenly the lightning flashed through the

clouds, nearly ______ him.