Bamboo (竹子) is one of nature’s most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.

Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist reported one bamboo plant which grew 1.5 meters in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1, 000 kinds of bamboo.

Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across. This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green.

Bamboo has been used to make many things such as hats and kitchen tools. Because it is strong, bamboo is also used to build buildings.

Many Asian countries have used bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for buildings and supporting new buildings and bridges while they are being built.

In Africa, poor farmers are taught how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap way to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. Bamboo pipes (管子) help poor farmers bring water to their thirsty fields without spending a lot of money.

1.How is bamboo like grass?

A. It grows quickly.                            B. It’s wood.

C. It is easy to cut.                           D. It is very thin.

2. Though you can see bamboo everywhere, it doesn’t grow __________.

A. in China                              B. in Europe

C. on mountains                          D. in Africa

3.Why is bamboo used by African poor farmers?

A. It is cheap.                              B. It has different colors.

C. It is strong.                             D. It has been used by Asians.

4. In Asia, bamboo has been used for __________.

A. a short time                              B. about 100 years

C. many hundreds of years                       D. many thousands of year

He was 11 years old and often went fishing. On the day before bass (鲈鱼) season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening.

When his pole doubled over, he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully worked the fish. Finally, he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.

Lighting a match, the father looked at his watch. It was 10 pm — two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy, saying, “You’ll have to put it back, Son.”

Looking around, he saw no other fisherman or boats. Even so, the boy could tell from his father’s voice that the decision couldn’t be changed. He threw the huge bass into the water. The boy thought that he would never again see such a big fish.

That was 34 years ago. Today the boy is a successful architect (建筑师) in New York. He often takes his son to fish at the same place.

And he was right. He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he got that night long ago. But he does see that same fish… again and again… every time he has an ethical (道德的) decision to make. As his father had taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.

1.Seeing the boy skillfully pulling a big fish out of the water, the father felt __________.

A. admiring                             B. nervous

C. worried                              D. shocked

2. On seeing that the big fish was a bass, __________.

A. they discussed how to deal with the fish

B. the boy threw the bass back into the water gladly

C. the father made a decision that the fish must be set free

D. they were worried that other fisherman might know what they had done

3.From the passage, we can learn that __________.

A. the father was an architect

B. the son never forgets the lesson

C. the father used to catch a big bass

D. the father made his son feel regretful all his life

4. The passage mainly wants to tell us that __________.

A. an ethical decision is not difficult to make

B. it is hard to tell right from wrong sometimes

C. fishing helps you to make right ethical decisions

D. it’s easier to make an ethical decision than to carry it out

Blogs (博客) are the place where young people go to show their hearts, to express their anger, sorrow or disappointment, and even to gossip (说别人的闲话).

    Many people enjoy the freedom in blogging. Some, however, find that putting one’s life online can have a price. The blogs of some students in America were stopped by the government for some time because they posted threatening words to their teachers on their blogs.

    A recent study finds that nearly a fifth of teens who surf the Internet have their own blogs. And 38 % of teens say they read other people’s blogs. By comparison, about a tenth of adults have their own blogs and a quarter say they read other people’s online magazines.

    With the development of the Internet, more and more people will be attracted by blogging.

    In another study, 79% of teens agree that people at their age aren’t careful enough when giving out information about themselves online. Besides, careless blogging can also influence blog readers. When you are angry or unhappy, your blog is the first place you turn to. The words you post then may not be rational which you may regret later. To minimize (使减到最小) the negative influence, change the safety setting and make such posts “personal” so that only you can read them.

    As long as you are careful with what you post, blogging is a great means of staying in touch with friends and displaying one’s creative works.

1. Blogs are the place where people __________.

    A. go online to have a chat

B. go online to enjoy freedom

    C. exchange their views online

D. go online to express themselves freely

2. The fact that some American students’ blogs were stopped is used to show that __________.

A. people should not put their life online

B. American students are limited in blogging

C. anyone who gets on the Web has his blog

D. people should be careful with what they write

H5N1 avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu (流感), has killed at least 15 people across Asia and was proved in China on January 27. No human cases have been found in the main­land, but 13 of the country’s 31 provinces have reported the disease in poultry.

The Chinese government has taken measures to prevent and control the disease. Poultry within 3 km of infected (受感染的) farms is to be killed and those within 5 km vaccinated (接种疫苗). At the same time, there will be continuous monitoring and daily reports on the disease across the country, and in­creased production of bird flu vaccines.

Among the 11 Asian countries and regions having bird flu in animals, only Vietnam and Thailand have reported human cases. The people infected were reported to have caught the disease from poultry.

While the World Health Organization ( WHO) says there is “no proof (证据) of human-to-human infection (传染)” of bird flu, the big fear is that the disease could combine with a human flu virus (病毒) to produce a deadly new disease that will kill millions of people across the world. Many Asian farmers live closely with their animals and sell live chickens in the market. This greatly increases the chance of humans being infected with bird flu.

A spokesman of the WHO said that Asian countries having bird flu should introduce a more healthy way of raising and selling chickens. The people there have to completely change their way of life and manners towards animals. Here are some safety measures for people to stay healthy;

*   Keep fit through usual exercise;

*   Avoid infected poultry and infected people;

*   Avoid eating uncooked or under-done poultry and eggs;

*   Make sure there is always fresh air in your home;

*   Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing;

*   Wash your hands as often as possible.

1.What does the underlined word “poultry” mean?

A. Wild birds.

B. Wild animals.

C. Home-raised birds.

D. Home-raised animals.

2.From the passage, we learn that __________.

A. infected poultry within 3 km was killed in China

B. the first bird flu case was proved in China on Jan. 27

C. human infected cases were found in 11 Asian countries

D. over two thirds of China have been affected by the bird flu

3. What do people fear most?

A. Poultry will infect many people.

B. There will be human-to-human infection.

C. The disease can spread quickly among people.

D. A new disease combining bird flu and a human flu will break out.

4.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the Piccadilly line?

   A. The Piccadilly line is the most convenient one around the world.

   B. Taking the Piccadilly line can save the passengers more money.

   C. The Piccadilly line is the only public transportation to Heathrow.

   D. The flight from Earls Court to Piccadilly Circus takes 39 minutes.

2. At what time does the first train from Earls Court arrive at Heathrow on Sunday?

   A. 07:49.                B. 06:34.                   C. 07:54.               D. 06:31.

3. If Mr. Smith wants to take the train with his five-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter at 08:00 on Sunday morning, how much should he pay?

   A. £5.00.                B. £6.70    .               C. £5.20.                   D. £4.20.

4. When taking the Piccadilly line, whether to or from Heathrow, one may _________.

   A. expect a train every 5 minutes at the stop            B. get to the first stop no later than 23:30

   C. get a discount once traveling in groups           D. get to the destination within 34 minutes

短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

 An Australian farmer found the kangaroo caught           1.           

in the fence around his farms. He thought the poor          2.         

animal was injured, but the kind farmer took off his        3.           

jacket and put on the animal. Then he started trying        4.           

to cut the fence to free the animal. But as soon as         5.           

the kangaroo were free, it jumped up and ran away           6.           

with the jacket. The farmer was worried because of his      7.           

wallet was in the pocket. But, to my surprise, when         8.         

he gets home, he saw the animal waiting at the door,                    9.           

sill wore his jacket with the wallet in the pocket.        10.         

书面表达（满分25分）

时下，很多学生带手机上学。为此，你班组织了主题为“中学生是否有必要将手机带到学校”的讨论。请根据以下讨论结果，给某英文报社写一封信，介绍讨论情况并发表自己的看法。

注意： 1. 信的开头已为你写好；2. 词数：100左右。

3. 参考词汇：联系—communicate     干扰—disturb       紧急情况—emergency

Dear editor:

I’m writing to tell you about the discussion we’ve had about whether cellphones are allowed in the

school.____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Yours truly,

Li Hua

 By my third day in the hospital, I realized Owen didn’t visit. I couldn’t understand（21）______ my best friend wouldn’t come to see me. Struggling against the pain, I called his house. His Mom（22）______, and when I asked for Owen, she got quiet. “He’s not here right now,” she said. I thought it was（23）______ that she didn’t tell me where he was or offer to have him call me. But I was so weak, I just let it（24）______.I fount out later that Owen’s mom telephoned my parents right（25）______we rang off. My phone call really made her anxious, and she insisted they talked to me. Later that night, my mom （26）______ . Did I remember drinking? Did I remember being in a car? I had no idea what she was talking about, so she finally told me the news: I’d hit a tree. Owen, in the passenger seat, was thrown from the（27）______and killed instantly. The only reason I’d lived was because of my（28）______ .

My first（29）______was of shock. I’d been drink-driving? Hit a tree? Killed Owen? I felt like the worst person in the world. Even after I was able to go home several weeks later, I didn’t want to eat, I didn’t want to talk. I just（30）______at the wall in my bedroom and cried. The only person I wanted to see was Owen. I didn’t feel like hanging out with any of my old friends.

“What is the saddest case you ever knew of ?”I asked the matron （护士长）of a hospital just retired. She thought for a minute1.______two and then replied, “It was a nurse I had, one of the most beautiful girls I ever saw. But she had a car accident and her face was so disfigured（毁容）2.______ she realized she would have to give up3.______（nurse）at least until she had had a long series of operations. She was engaged to be married but broke it4.______.”

 The matron shook her head, remembering, “She was so miserable and5.______（depress）I feared for her sanity（心智健全）,”breaking into a smile. “Then I had6.______ idea. I took her one day to the `Blind Children’s Home`, and that afternoon she played with the children and for the first time I saw her happy. Just as we were leaving, a little blind girl put her arms7.______ her neck and said,` I do like your voice and I know you must have a lovely face, too.’ The nurse cried all the way home in the car, but it was with8.______（happy）, for she had found her life work with the blind children9.______came to call her their `lovely lady’.”

A sad case? Well, in a way, But10.______ a joyful ending!

On November18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the world famous violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Lincoln Centre in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is not easy for him. He got polio（小儿麻痹症）as a child, and has to walk with the aid of two crutches（拐杖）now.

That night Perlman walked slowly to his chair. Then he sat down and began to play. But, suddenly, one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it break---it broke with a loud noise.

People thought to themselves, “He would have to get up to either find another violin or find another string for this one.”

But he didn’t. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra（管弦乐队）began, and he played from where he had stopped. He played with such passion and such power.

Of course, everyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. But that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. You could see him changing and recomposing（重新作曲）the piece in his head.

When he finished, there was a silence in the room. Then people rose and cheered. We were all on our feet, doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done.

He smiled and then he said in a quiet tone, “You know, sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can make with what you have left.”

His words have stayed in my mind ever since I heard them. That is also the way of life. Perhaps our task in this quickly changing world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left.

1.Holding a concert is challenging for Perlman because ______.

A. he is just a world famous violinist 

B. he has never performed on stage before

C. he is physically disabled as a result of a disease 

D. he has difficulty in moving his body

2.When Perlman had just begun playing, ______.

A. there was something wrong with the violin

B. he fell ill suddenly

C. an accident happened and caused a disturbance

D. a very loud noise arose from the audience

3. If one of the strings suddenly broke, what would an ordinary player do?

A. He would cancel the concert.             B. He would play another violin.

C. Another performer would play instead.     D. The concert would be put off.

4.The audience rose and cheered ______.

A. to show they are satisfied with Perlman’s performance

B. to thank the orchestra for their passionate performance

C. to ask Perlman for another performance

D. to express their appreciation of Perlman’s creative mind

5. The lesson we draw from the story is that ______.

A. we should make the best of what we have

B. what we have is more important than what is lost

C. we should not care about what is lost

D. the way of life is to always live with music