1. 要不要加入社团？(担心占用时间和精力，从而影响学习。)

50. Which of the following best describes the author?

　　 A. Shy.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Self-confident. 　　　　　

　　 C. Weak.　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Strong-willed. 　　

Section E (10 marks)

Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the numbered blanks by using the information from the passage. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Like many other teenagers, you may feel stressed at school. Of course, school stress is not only caused by classes, homework, papers to write, and problems to solve. It is also caused by the heavy work of keeping up with friends, keeping up with life, keeping the parents happy, and the hard task of simply being young and trying to find out what you are going to do in the future. So it may be the best time in your life, but it is also one of the worst.

Luckily, there are some things you can do in order to deal with your stress at school. For example, you can prioritize (确定……的优先顺序) your tasks. Firstly, you need to make a list of everything you need to do, and then find out what needs to be done first, what needs to be done second, then third and so on. Once you put everything in order in this way, it is time to get things done. While you are doing your work, don’t think about your other tasks. Just pay attention to what you are doing at the time until the work is completed. Then, cross it off your list and move on to the next task.

While you are trying to complete your work, remember to take a break so often. Stretch (伸展) your shoulders and neck every 15 minutes or so. About every hour, stand up and take a quick walk around the room. Just take your mind off your work for a few minutes, and then go back to it. This will give your brain a rest, allowing you to get things done quickly.

When studying, remember to study where you study best. Don’t read in bed if you are only going to fall asleep. Don’t sit at a desk where you don’t have space to spread out all the books you need. Don’t sit in a chair that isn’t comfortable. Find a place where you can concentrate (全神贯注). In this way, your work will get done and you’ll feel less stressed.

Even though classes are getting you down, you don’t have to let school stress control your life. If you learn to manage your school stress now, you’ll be able to manage stress much better throughout your life. Even if you get nothing else out of school, one of the most important lessons you can learn from school is how to deal with stress. After all, school stress is still stress.

Section F (25 marks)　

假如你是高一新生肖军。面对名目繁多的社团招新，你感到不知所措。请你根据下面的提示，给学校辅导员Eric写一封信，谈谈你的困惑。

信的内容须包含：

49. Why did the boys still make fun of the author when things got easier?

　　 A. The author looked stupid.　　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. They felt the threat from her.

　　 C. The author always fell behind. 　　　　　　　　　　 D. They didn’t want to ride with her.

48. Brett let the author try his bike because 　　.

　　 A. he was sorry for laughing at her

　　 B. he felt her strong determination 　　　　　　　　　

　　 C. he was the kindest boy in the group

　　 D. he wanted to show other guys were wrong

47. Why does the author write the passage?

　　 A. To show the difficulty in riding a dirt bike.

　　 B. To prove that girls can do whatever boys can.

　　 C. To thank her father for his trust and support.

　　 D. To share her experience in riding a dirt bike.

46. Ms. Lampard adopted the dog because 　　.

　 　 A. she liked raising dogs very much　　　　　　　　　　　

　　 B. she cared for and protected animals

　　 C. she gave her daughter the dog as a gift　

　　 D. her husband wanted to have a white dog　

D

My friend Brett had just gotten a dirt bike (泥土路摩托车) and a lot of other kids in my neighborhood knew how to ride. I also wanted to, but I didn’t even know the difference between the clutch (离合器) and the front brake. All the guys told me I couldn’t do it because I was a girl. I was determined to prove them wrong, so Brett let me try his bike. I wasn’t on for one minute before I fell off. He came over to see if I was okay, but then started laughing. I felt like running somewhere I wouldn’t be laughed at.

That night I told my dad the whole story about how I wanted to be as good as the guys and how I had embarrassed myself. He asked how much I really wanted to learn, then I told him I had wanted to ride for a year and it was everything I dreamed about.

A few days later my dad told me he’d found a nice bike for a reasonable price. He brought it home and that was when I became the laughing stock of the neighborhood. All the guys thought it was a joke that I actually wanted to learn how to ride and I became known as a wannabe (模仿偶像者).

We took it one step at a time. My dad spent four long weeks teaching me everything I needed to know about the bike and the basics of riding. No one truly believed I could learn to ride except my dad. Day after day and night after night he worked with me, and I began to progress. I was so thankful. It meant so much that he would take time from his busy schedule to help me fulfill this dream.

Each ride on my dirt bike, I got a little better, and finally I was ready for my first time on the trails. At first I couldn’t keep up and the boys had to wait for me. My bike constantly stalled and got stuck in the muddy creeks.

Things eventually got easier, as if I could ride with my eyes closed. Every time I rode on the trails I got a little better and the guys didn’t have to wait for me. I was still made fun of, not because I was an amateur or not good, but instead because they felt threatened that a girl could do what they did.

I cannot even remember how many nights I spent crying when I had lost my confidence because of those boys. Every time I needed a shoulder to cry on, my dad was there. He never let me give up and always had faith in me, even if I couldn’t do something right.

45. What surprises people most is 　　.　

　　 A. that the dog has returned to its home after nine years

　　 B. how the dog survived and came to Melbourne

　　 C. how the dog has run across Australia in 8 years

　　 D. that the dog remains very strong after nine years

44. What does the underlined phrase “out of the blue” in Paragraph 3 mean?　

　　 A. Amusing.　　　 B. Unexpected.　 C. Funny.　 　　　 D. Strange.　

43. We can learn from the first paragraph that the RSPCA is 　　.　

　　 A. a place where many animals are kept　

　　 B. the police station that catches thieves

　　 C. the government that serves the citizens　

　　 D. an organization that protects animals

42. The passage is a report about 　　.

　　 A. education　　　 B. science　　　　　 C. agriculture　　　 D. health

C

A dog which disappeared nine years ago has been found. Muffy is to be returned to her owners when she is fit to travel. The dirty white Muffy was discovered sleeping on a box of cardboard in Melbourne by officials from the RSPCA who were looking into a possible animal cruelty (虐待) case.

A microchip in her neck helped find her original (原来的) owners and after a few days of searching for the phone number, officials found Natalie Lampard, who had given up hope of seeing Muffy again since she went missing years ago.

“When the RSPCA described her, I told them her name; I knew immediately it was our Muffy,” Ms Lampard said. “It was totally out of the blue — after nine years, I thought she was long gone.”

The owners of the Melbourne house where Muffy was discovered said they found the dog about a year ago wandering along a street. But where Muffy spent the eight years and how she ended up in Melbourne is a mystery. RSPCA spokesman Tim Pilgrim said, “Nobody knows; the mystery continues for old Muffy.” The dog was suffering from a serious illness and had been having treatment since she was discovered.

The dog, which Lampard adopted (收养) from an RSPCA shelter near Brisbane, is recovering well and will fly back home next week. Ms Lampard got Muffy as a gift for her now 17-year-old daughter Chloe, and the two had been inseparable (不能分开的).

“After the RSPCA called, I rang my daughter and asked her if she was sitting down, then told her they’d found Muffy,” she said. “She is over the moon and there’ll be a few tears shed when they see each other again.”