You have probably heard it before, most likely from your English teacher. If you want to become a good writer, read good writing. Unluckily, you may not have understood what did good to you and even what you were supposed to get from that experience.

As you start reading a book, poem, or story, do so with no thought at all and the experience will improve your writing. Just read for pleasure to begin with, or to learn. As you progress through the work, think about whether it is “easy” reading or not. Do you become so interested in the subject and flow of the writing that you completely forget the person who wrote it, or does the composition sometimes call too much attention to itself through words and phrases that seem out of place or unexpected? The second situation is a chance to learn from the writer’s mistakes. In fact, the reader should not have to worry about how a writer does “his thing” ... he should be able to just enjoy and learn. Every time a word strikes you as poorly chosen, stop to consider why it has this effect. Also, do not spend a lot of time analyzing (分析) the passage but put more efforts in enjoying it from the whole.

Another thing I do, particularly with nonfiction (非小说) books, is to select a part to read as if it is a completely separate work. Once again, read as a common reader rather than a critic (批评家). For learning how words and phrases work together on the most basic level, however, nothing is more suitable than devoting yourself to reading poems. A poet is often trying to put a book’s worth of meaning and feelings into lines, and every side of the work shows a very close attention to craft (工艺).

As you can see, there is no simple way of reading to improve your writing. The key is not to make it boring. Select writers you admire or like most, and enjoy their works as anyone else would. As long as you are reading, you are improving yourself as a writer.

短文填空。(每空 2分，共 20分)

根据短文内容，在短文后的空格处填上一个恰当的词，使短文完整、通顺。

Someone says, "Time is money." But I think time is  1.  important than money. Why? Because when money is spent, we can get it back. floweret, when time is  2. it'll never 3.  . That's  4.  we mustn't waste time.

It goes without saying that the  5.  is usually limited (有限的). Even a second is very important. We should make full use of our time to do  6.  useful.

But it is a pity that there are a lot of people who do not know the  7.  of time. They spent their limited time smoking, drinking and  8.  . They do not know that wasting time means wasting part of their own  9. . In a word, we should save time. We shouldn't   10.  today's work for tomorrow. Remember we have no time to waste.

Don’t  you  want to go to school? You could tell your parents you’re ill. But last Monday, students from Shanghai and Zhejiang had an even better excuse: a typhoon(台风)!

        Typhoon Khanun hit East China on September 11. In Shanghai, all the school were closed the next day, Monday.

        It was the first time that Shanghai had to close schools because of  bad weather.

        But some students still came to school that day. “ I didn’t get the notice that the school was closing,” said Shen Sheng, a Junior 2 student from Shanghai Aiguo School. “ But it was nice that we could play in school rather than study.”

       The school kept Shen and other 20 students safe inside and let them play sports like table tennis.

        But the storm wasn’t all fun games. Typhoon Khanun killed 14 people. In Zhejiang, it damaged about 8,000 houses. More than one million people had to be taken to safer places.

        Every year, typhoons hit different places around the world. Most happen in July, August and September. This year 15 typhoons hit China. Khanun was the strongest. Typhoons bring strong winds and rains. The winds can blow away houses and cars. The rains are bad for farmers’ fields.

       Typhoon also kills people. Earlier this month, Typhoon Talim hit East and Central China. It killed at least 124 people.

1.When was the first time that Shanghai had to close all the schools?

       A. In August    B. In July   C. On Sep.11.    D. On Sep.12.

2.Shanghai had to close all the schools that day because of _____.

       A. bad traffic   B. heavy rain   C. Typhoon Khanun   D. Typhoon Talim

3.What did Shanghai Aiguo School do with Shen Sheng and some other students when they still came to school that day?

 A.  They were kept safe inside and played sports like table tennis.

     B.  They were asked to go back home as quickly as possible.

     C.  They were sent back home by their teachers at once.

     D.  They still had classed in the classroom as usual.

4.What does the word “damage” in Paragraph 6 mean?

      A.建造   　　 B.损毁　　    C.伤害　　    D.装饰

5.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A.  If a typhoon hits, many students shouldn’t go to school or go out.

B.  More than one million people were killed in Zhejiang that day.

C.  Every year, 15 typhoons hit different places around the world.

D.  Typhoons do a lot of harm to farmers’ fields and human beings.

词汇运用 用括号内所给词的适当形式填空（每空不限一词）
【小题1】My father made a final __________(decide) after thinking it over.
【小题2】This is _________(sad) ending of the film I have seen
【小题3】You shouldn’t keep your worries to         (you), boys.
【小题4】I hate to be like anyone else and try to do everything            (different)
【小题5】–We’ve missed the last bus! – I’m afraid we have no __________(choose) but to take a taxi.
【小题6】It’s silly of you                 (not forgive) others for their faults.
【小题7】We all think a good      (lead)should be confident and imaginative.
【小题8】You are patient enough to wait without _____________ (get) angry.
【小题9】The Chinese Ping-pong team won all of the four gold medals _____________ (success) in the 30^th Olympic Games in London.
【小题10】You should be confident enough ______________ (take) this job.
【小题11】He is an ____________ (energy) man because he always stays up late but he gets up early.
【小题12】Talk to your friends when________(feel) sad and share your worries with them.
【小题13】My dream is_________(become) a great writer like MoYan.
【小题14】 He __________(prefer) to play computer games at home yesterday evening.
【小题15】I doubt whether it is worth _______(reply) to the letter.

1Choose the best answer (根据短文内容，选择最恰当的答案)

You probably know you should say “please” and “thank you” at restaurants. You probably know the rules of a library. You know you should respect and be nice to your classmates. But do you have music manners?

Keep It Down! You have to notice the volume of your music. You should not play your music so loud that everyone around you can hear it. Some people might even get angry. Usually, when you play the music loud on an MP3 player, other people can’t hear the words of the song. They just hear a loud sound. No one wants to listen to this. Very loud music can also be bad for your ears. So even if you are alone when listening to our MP3 players, you shouldn’t turn it up too high.

Take Them Off! You need to know when to turn your MP3 off and put it away. Libraries, and schools don’t allow MP3 players. There are other places, like museums, that don’t have rules, but it would be rude to have your MP3 player on. Sometimes, it doesn’t make sense to listen on your MP3 player at event. Why would you listen to music at a play, a movie or a sporting event? You would miss what is going on and others would wonder why you even came.

Take One Out! Once in a while it’s okay just to take out one earphone and not other. Imagine you are listening on your MP3 player when someone asks you the way. It would not be rude to take out one earphone, tell him the way, and put back the earphone and continue listening. You can also do this when you order food at a fast-food restaurant or when you answer the telephone and it’s not for you.

It’s Your Choice! There are times when you need to decide what is best. For example, some people can listen to music on their MP3 players when reading books, while others think it is disturbing. In cases like this, you need to do what seems right for you.

1.The underlined word “volume” in Paragraph Two probably means “_______”

A. the type of music                   B. the amount of a sound

C. the length of a song                D. the color of an MP3 player

2.No one wants to listen to _____________ from others’ MP3 players.

A. a loud sound     B. sad stories     C. a long movie      D. the words of a song

3.We should turn down the music when we are alone because loud music ________.

A. is not enjoyable        B. makes us tired

C. is bad for MP3 players  D. hurts our ears

4.If we listen to our MP3 player at a play, ______________________.

A. the theatre won’t allow it

B. the actors will get angry

C. others won’t hear the play well

D. we will miss part of the play

5.We can take one earphone out when we _______________________.

A. show others the way

B. talk to friends on the phone

C. watch a sporting event

D. have dinner with our parents

6.It’s all right to use our MP3 player in _________________.

A. school          B. libraries      C. restaurants     D. museums

7.What can be the best title of this passage? _________________

A. Music lovers    B. Music manners  C.MP3 players      D. MP3 earphones