1、第一部分 完形填空For most people, graduation is an exciting day, but my graduation day was not.I remember that weekend two years ago. Family and friends had flown in from across the country to 1 the celebration. But just like everyone else in my class, I had watched the 2 turn from bad to worse in my senior
2、 year. Almost all of us graduates had degrees, but very uncertain 3 .The weeks ahead werent 4 . I knew my small university town couldnt offer me any opportunities, 5 I packed up my car and drove to Southern California to find work. But what I thought would take a 6 dragged into two, and then four, a
3、nd 100 job applications later, I found myself in the exact same 7 as I was before.You know that feeling when you wake up in 8 ? That feeling became a constant in my life. Days felt like weeks, weeks like months, and those many months felt like everlasting 9 . And the most annoying part was no matter
4、 how much I tried, I just couldnt seem to make any 10 .So what did I do to keep my good sense? I decided to 11 . Something about putting words on a page made everything seem a little clearer a little brighter. Something about writing gave me 12 . And if you want something badly enough, sometimes a l
5、ittle hope is all you 13 !I put my 14 into a childrens book. Beyond the River was the story of an unlikely hero, a little fish, who 15 to give up his dream.And then one day, without any sort of writing degree or contacts in the writing world just a lot of hard work and determination I was offered a
6、16 contract (合同) for my first book! After that, things slowly began to fall into 17 . I was offered a second book deal. Then, a few months later, I got an interview with the Walt Disney Company and was 18 shortly after.Dont give up. Even if things look 19 now, dont give up. If you work hard, things
7、will always get better. Often times our dreams lie in wait just a little further upstream . all we need is the 20 to push beyond the river.1. A. attend B. holdC. prepareD. enjoy2. A. environmentB. economy C. opportunityD. climate3. A. choice B. dangerC. desireD. future4. A. quietB. busyC. easyD. lon
8、g5. A. soB. butC. forD. or6. A. dayB. weekC. monthD. year7. A. townB. direction C. situation D. habit8. A. surprise B. fearC. delightD. peace9. A. gloryB. complaint C. love D. pain10. A. appointmentB. progress C. commitment D. decision11. A. readB. thinkC. write D. paint12. A. hopeB. wisdomC. pleasu
9、re D. inspiration13. A. lackB. findC. bury D. need14. A. disapprovalB. disagreementC. dissatisfaction D. disadvantage15. A. refusedB. managedC. failedD. decided16. A. writing B. translatingC. publishingD. reviewing17. A. ruinB. placeC. piecesD. despair18. A. rewardedB. paidC. firedD. hired19. A. dif
10、ferentB. unimportantC. strangeD. tough20. A. courageB. chanceC. timeD. dream第二部分 阅读理解AMillions of British people have ditched the traditional thank you and replaced it with the less formal cheers, according to a survey.Although the average person will say thank you nearly 5,000 times a year, one in
11、three are more likely to throw in a cheers or ta where its needed, rather than risk sounding old fashioned.One in 20 now say nice one instead, while younger generations are more likely to offer a cool than a thank you.Merci, fab and even gracias were also listed as common phrases to use, as was much
12、 appreciated.One in twenty who took part in the survey of 2,000 people by the Food Network UK for Thank You Day, which is marked on November 24, 2011, said a formal thank you was now not often needed in everyday conversation. More than one in ten adults said they regularly wont say thank you if they
13、 are in a bad mood.Most people declared that saying thank you was something drilled into them by their parents. A huge 70 percent of those questioned will say thank you to a persons face without even meaning it, while a fifth avoid saying it when they know they should on at least two occasions every
14、 day.It seems our friends and family get the brunt (压力) of our bad manners with half admitting theyre not good at thanking those closest to them many justifying (为辩解) the lack of thanks because their family already know Im grateful.When spoken words wont do, it falls to a nice text to do the job for
15、 most people.A third will still send a handwritten thank-you note but 45 percent admit its been more than six months since they bothered to send one.A quarter of British people say thank you with food, with 23 percent cooking a meal to show their appreciation to someone. Another 15 percent bake a ca
16、ke.It follows that 85 percent of people will be annoyed at not getting the gratitude (感激) they feel they should receive.24. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?A. Most people express their gratitude to others by buying food for them.B. About fifty percent of people try not to say
17、 thank you when they should.C. Most people may feel natural when they fail to receive others gratitude.D. Many people think it unnecessary to say thanks to their family members.BTwo talented Sheffield High School pupils have just found out theyve been shortlisted in the top five of their categories
18、in the new national Ambition AXA Awards.Natalie Chan-Lam (Year 12) and Clare Rees-Zimmerman (Year 11) are both in the running to win a prize that will help them to achieve their ambition. The new national Ambition AXA Awards have been created to recognize excellence in 1118 year olds. The national a
19、wards programme covers five categories: The Arts, Sport, Science, Enterprise and Community. Natalie is up for the Ambition AXA Award for Sport while Clare has earned her top five place in the Ambition Award for the Arts.The Ambition AXA Award for Sport aims to find the young person who thinks they m
20、ay one day win an Olympic medal. Natalie is a Badminton International who has a long string of singles and double National titles behind her from U11 National Singles Champion (冠军) right through the ages to the latest U17 UK Schools Games, as well as a run of titles won with the England Badminton te
21、am over the last few years. Through her achievements in badminton and through her promotion of the sport in school and at club level, Natalie has inspired many other students to take up the sport and badminton is now a major sport at Sheffield High School. Amazingly, she still makes time to play for
22、 and coach school teams, encouraging and assisting others to have the opportunity to reach their own level of personal excellence. Natalies ambition is to be selected for the Olympics in 2016.The Ambition Award for the Arts is awarded to a young person who dreams of reaching the top in their field.
23、Clare is a remarkable musician who has already, at the age of fifteen, achieved the highest marks ever seen at SHS for grade 8 violin and viola. Clares music teacher Val Linnemann says of Clare, “To me, one of the most outstanding things about Clare is her total willingness to listen and ask intelli
24、gent questions. She is patient and good-natured and willing to help with other players.” If she were to receive an Ambition Award, Clare has plans to use this money to enhance (增加) opportunities for others through workshops.If they get enough votes, theyll make the top three in the country and be on
25、e step further towards the top awards. To vote for them, click on this link.25. The Ambition AXA Awards are meant for _.A. anyone who is the best in one of the five categoriesB. those who are likely to be future stars in certain fieldsC. some pupils who have won great success in certain fieldsD. chi
26、ldren who have ambitions in all the five categories26. We can conclude from the passage that Natalie and Clare are both girls with _.A. belief, patience and confidence B. courage, curiosity and enthusiasmC. caution, sympathy and experience D. ability, kindness and achievements27. The main purpose of
27、 the passage is _.A. to introduce the Ambition AXA Awards B. to tell us what the two girls have doneC. to persuade us to vote for the two girls D. to inspire more people to win the awardsCThe Importance of Setting Speech GoalsA speech is a wonderful opportunity to inform, persuade or entertain. The
28、best speeches often take on a combination of all three of these components. However, before you can go about the writing of a great speech, it is important to set goals. Goals keep you, your speech and your audience focused.What a goal isIn the context of a speech, a goal is the purpose of the speec
29、h, and what it hopes to accomplish. For example, the goal of a eulogy (颂歌) might be to celebrate the life of a loved one. The goal of a speech at a political gathering would be to inform the crowd about the political position of a candidate and persuade them to vote and campaign for the candidate in
30、 question.Why a goal is importantWithout a goal, a speech is without direction. The goal informs the structure and content of the speech. For example, if a speechs goal is to convince people that smoking is bad for them, the speech will be structured with persuasive arguments to back up the goal. A
31、speech with a goal of informing the audience will keep the information fair and factual.A goal is incredibly important to the speechs ability to connect with an audience. If the speaker is unaware of the goal of the speech, the audience will likely be unaware as well. This severely reduces the effec
32、tiveness of the message.Aside from informing the audience of the content and structure, a speechs goal drives the speaker to greater heights. If a speaker is asked to speak on a specific subject, but never establishes the goal, they wont know where to start in the research, organizing and writing of
33、 the speech._If you have been charged with (被委以) delivering a speech, establishing a goal can seem difficult at first. There are several things to take into consideration. First, think about who you will be speaking to. The demographic (人口统计) of your audience will likely determine whether you will b
34、e able to persuade them, or whether they will be able to sit through. Second, think about the topic itself. If the topic is something controversial, it may worth your while to consider an informative approach to present both sides of the issue. Finally, consider your resources. A speech with an info
35、rmative or persuasive goal usually requires a great deal of research, and sometimes takes more time to write.28. According to the passage, what three components does the best speech combine?A. Informing, delivering and entertaining. B. Informing, persuading and entertaining.C. Informing, writing and
36、 delivering. D. Informing, writing and persuading.DKepler 22b, a planet more like Earth than any yet discovered, has been identified as a potential future home for mankind.Kepler 22b contains both land and water and has temperatures which average around 22. It also contains the right atmosphere to p
37、otentially support life.It is, however, 600 light years from Earth. The planet, where a year lasts 290 days, was first spotted two years ago.However, NASA scientists using the agencys Kepler space telescope have now concluded that it offers the best hope yet for future human habitation outside the S
38、olar System.One of the key standards for a planet to be habitable is that it remains roughly the right distance from its main star to be neither too cold nor too hot.This range of ideal temperatures is known to scientists as the “Goldilocks” zone, as the temperature is “just right” for life.Bill Bor
39、ucki, Kepler principal investigator at NASA Ames Research Centre, said: “We have now got good planet confirmation with Kepler 22b. We are certain that it is in the habitable zone and if it has a surface it ought to have a nice temperature.”There are now three planets outside the system, known as exo
40、planets, which experts believe could potentially be colonised (建殖民地) by future generations.In May, French astronomers identified Gliese 581d, which is far closer at around 20 light years away. It is about six times the mass (质量) of Earth and is one of a family of at least six planets.In August, a te
41、am from Switzerland reported that another planet called HD 85512b and 36 light years away seemed to be habitable.The planet is in the constellation of Vela, measuring around 3.6 times the Earths mass.According to an online catalogue that indexes bodies outside our solar system, a total of 47 exoplan
42、ets and exomoons are potential habitable candidates but not enough research has been done to be sure.32. Whether a planet is suitable for mankind to live on doesnt depend on _.A. whether there are proper temperatures B. whether it is close enough to EarthC. whether there is atmosphere around it D. w
43、hether there is land and water on it33. In what way is Kepler 22b like Earth?A. Its mass. B. Its size. C. Its conditions. D. Its shape.34. It can be learnt from the passage that _.A. Kepler 22b is closer to Earth than Gliese 581dB. Kepler 22b is most likely to be habitable of allC. Kepler 22bs year
44、lasts longer than the earthsD. Kepler 22bs mass is greater than HD 85512bs35. We can infer from the passage that _. A. the farther a planet is away from the earth, the more likely it is to be habitable B. the longer a year of a planet lasts, the farther it is away from the Solar System C. the smalle
45、r mass a planet has than the earth, the less possibly there is water on it D. the more potential habitable exoplanets are found, the more research we should do第三部分 任务型阅读请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。There are many destructive (破坏性的) forces when it comes to n
46、ature, which have destroyed whole cities and killed many people. Theyre really terrible, but they occur somewhat often, and this is why you see so many charities these days which focus their efforts on helping people who have been affected by natural disasters.While the world is a very beautiful pla
47、ce to live in, there will always be parts of the world where natural disasters happen more often than in other places, where properties and lives are destroyed. Only the people who live in the country where tsunamis and earthquakes as well as other disasters occur experience these, and we can only i
48、magine the suffering that they go through.For some people out there, the world is cruel, but they have no choice but to stay where they are. A lot of the time people simply cannot afford to move away, as they might not be able to get a job when they leave.In 2004, there was a tsunami in the Indian O
49、cean. A tsunami is a large wave that towers hundreds of feet into the air, and covers whole areas when it comes crashing down on to dry land. This particular tsunami was caused by an earthquake that happened in the middle of the sea, shooting the water away from the ground and towards dry land. This
50、 tsunami actually reached thirty meters in height, and was one of the worst tidal waves the world has ever seen. Over 200,000 people were hurt in the disaster.In 2005, we also saw a hurricane happened in the United States. This hurricane was known as hurricane Katrina, and is perhaps the worst in th
51、e history of the world. It happened in 2005 and destroyed millions of properties in the area. It also took the lives of nearly 2,000 American people. It was known that for ten days, the wind swept through the area, meaning the most powerful country in the world became helpless in their attempts to s
52、ave the people who were affected by the hurricane.Finally, in 2008 we saw yet another natural disaster. This time it was a cyclone (旋风), which is similar to a hurricane but happens in a circular motion (圆周运动). This cyclone Nargis had been one of the strongest to have ever occurred, reaching a death
53、toll of nearly 150,000 people.All of these were terrible disasters that were unavoidable.Title: Forces of NatureIntroductionDestructive forces of nature refer to natural disasters (36) _ tsunamis and earthquakes.Consequences When these terrible disasters occur in some parts of the world, they(37) _
54、properties and lives. People in these parts go through the (38) _ that only exists in our imagination. Some people out there have to (39) _ where they are. They cant afford to move away, as jobs in other places might not be (40) _.Examples The 2004 tsunami reached a (41) _ of thirty meters and it wa
55、s one of the worst tidal waves in the world. The 2005 (42) _ known as Katrina swept through parts ofthe US, causing great loss. Even the most powerful country could do(43) _ to save its people. The 2008 cyclone called Nargis had been one of the strongest, leaving nearly 150,000 people (44) _.SummaryThese terrible disasters couldnt be (45) _.
