They say that cats have nine lives but our lazy old cat,PJ,had concurrent(并存的)lives and identities. He became well-known for sleeping around the neighbourhood and used to nap in the spare bedroom of elderly couple who lived three doors up from us.While I wasn’t always aware of all his liaisons, it didn’t matter as long as he always came home at mealtimes.
One day we noticed he had gained weight. We guessed he was enjoying snacks at the local takeaway shop bins and so we began to reduce the amount of his food. He didn’t seem to notice.
Some months later. we invited some new neighbours in for drinks. Not long into the evening, our new neighbor saw PJ sitting proudly on the window ledge. “You’ve got my cat!” She exclaimed, laughing.
We let her down gently, and learnt that at their house, PJ was known as Tiger. Thanks to them, he’d been receiving the royal treatment, including removing small insects from his body by spraying medicine. PJ continued living with us until a new cat and a new dog finally tested his patience. He walked out and was missing for ten days before my husband spotted him near his work. He brought our wandering cat home, but it was clear that PJ wasn’t happy. After shouting at him angrily, I let him out and he never returned.
A few months later, our new neighbour told us she’d seen PJ. It seems that an elderly neighbour had welcomed him into her home, and since taking up residence he’d doubled in size and been given his own sitting – room chair to lie. The two had become very fond of each other, ever since he’d followed her home. What a smart cat

1. 1.

   By exclaiming “You’ve got my cat,” the neighbour implied that           

   1. A.
      she admitted the eat belonged to that author
   2. B.
      the author had stolen the lovely eat PJ
   3. C.
      she was surprised at seeing the cat there
   4. D.
      she was very angry with the author
2. 2.

   What does the underlined word “He” in Paragraph 4 probably refer to?

   1. A.
      The cat PJ
   2. B.
      the author’s husband
   3. C.
      a new neighbour
   4. D.
      a neighbour’s husband
3. 3.

   It can be inferred from the passage that           

   1. A.
      the cat had visited all the neighbours before leaving
   2. B.
      the author found the cat had gained some weight
   3. C.
      The author couldn’t provide the cat with medical care
   4. D.
      the neighbours loved the cat PJ very much

I am a strong believer that if a child is raised with approval, he will learn to love himself and will be successful in his own way.
Several weeks ago, I was doing homework with my son in the third grade and he kept standing up from his chair to go over the math lines. I kept asking him to sit down, telling him that he would concentrate better. He sat but seconds later, as if he didn’t even notice he was doing it, he got up again. I was getting frustrated, but then it hit me. I started noticing his answers were much quicker and accurate (准确的) when he stood up. Could he be more intent (专心的) while standing up?
This made me start questioning myself and what I had been raised to believe. I was raised to believe that a quiet, calm child was a sure way to success. This child would have the discipline (纪律) to study hard, get good grades and become someone important in life.www.zxxk.com
Now those same people perhaps come to realize that their kids are born with their own sets of DNA and personality traits (特点) and all you can do is loving and accepting them. As parents, throughout their growing years and beyond that, we need to be our kids’ best cheer leaders, guiding them and helping them find their way.
I have stopped asking my son to sit down and concentrate. Obviously, he is concentrating just in his own way and not mine. We need to learn to accept our kids’ ways of doing things. Some way may have worked for me but doesn’t mean we need to carry it through generations. There is nothing sweeter than being individual (个人的) and unique (独一无二的). It makes us free and happy and that’s just the way I want my kids to live their own life

1. 1.

   At the beginning, the author tried to keep his son seated in order to make him ______.

   1. A.
      pay more attention to his study
   2. B.
      keep silent in the room
   3. C.
      finish his homework on time
   4. D.
      get right answers
2. 2.

   Inspired by the case of his son, the author began to doubt ______.

   1. A.
      the importance of parents
   2. B.
      the old form of education
   3. C.
      the relationship between kids and their parents
   4. D.
      the good grades of some kids
3. 3.

   According to the passage, which of the following statements is right?

   1. A.
      We should help kids correct their wrong ways
   2. B.
      Parents should study their kids’ DNA
   3. C.
      Kids should be taught to behave themselves
   4. D.
      Parents should love and accept their kids
4. 4.

   Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

   1. A.
      Study hard and you’ll be successful
   2. B.
      Be friendly to your children
   3. C.
      Children’s success in their own style
   4. D.
      Parents’ help with their children’s study

According to a study by SallieMae, 84 percent of undergraduate students have credit cards, and by the time they are seniors, they have accumulated US＄4,100 in debt, on top of whatever student loans they may have taken out.
Credit cards are the most convenient form of payment, and they are aggressively marketed to college students. Reportedly, a typical college student carries 4.6 credit cards and US＄3,173 in credit card debt.
Credit cards seem to be a fact of life, not just student life. In the long term, using a credit card properly and paying off the balance can help establish a card history and increase your credit score, which will come in handy when you need an important loan, for a house or car, for example. Your credit score can affect even unrelated things like insurance rates. Credit cards also offer more protection for users than debit cards （借记卡）.Under federal law, the credit card holder is only responsible for the first US＄50 in fraudulent(欺诈的)purchases in cases of theft or loss. However, debit card users are responsible for the first US＄500.
SallieMae found some good news in the fact that two thirds of students had discussed credit issues with their parents, but 84 percent said they needed more information. Those who didn’t get any guidance were more likely to be surprised when they found out how much they owed.
While credit cards offer the easiest access to money, they make it easy to live outside your means. Less than a fifth of students surveyed paid off their balance every month, and carrying a balance brings finance charges, sometimes at a very high interest rates.
SallieMae found that almost 40 percent of students chose their first credit card based on direct mail, which is probably why students get credit card offers in the mail. But when the credit card offers flow in, be sure that you read the fine print. Offers of low or no interest rates can disappear, leaving you a debt that climbs beyond your ability to pay it off

1. 1.

   What does the first paragraph imply?

   1. A.
      Most of the senior students are shocked to see how much they owed
   2. B.
      Students can only take out loans from credit cards
   3. C.
      Most of students’ loans come from credit cards
   4. D.
      Credit cards have a bad effect on college students
2. 2.

   The underlined part “come in handy” in the third paragraph probably means “_______”

   1. A.
      bring trouble
   2. B.
      make mistakes
   3. C.
      be important
   4. D.
      be useful
3. 3.

   According to SallieMae, what is the possible reason why students get so many credit card offers in the mail?

   1. A.
      Many students’ first credit card is based on direct mail
   2. B.
      It costs the banks little to mail out credit cards
   3. C.
      Students don’t like to go to the bank to open a credit card account
   4. D.
      Banks have no other way to let students use their credit cards
4. 4.

   What is the theme of the third paragraph?

   1. A.
      The advantages of using debit cards
   2. B.
      The similarities between credit cards and debit cards
   3. C.
      The advantages of using credit cards
   4. D.
      Credit cards are the most convenient form of payment

In most developed countries the government provides free education for children because it realizes that educated citizens are useful to the country in their later life. Most countries also have private (私立的)education. This means that parents can pay to send their children to certain schools. People who agree with this system say that it gives parents a larger choice of schools. Other people think that private schools give the children who go to them an unfair advantage over other children.
At the age of three, many children go to nursery school. Two or three years later, they enter a primary school. At the age of 11 they go to a secondary school. Then they may have a chance .of continuing their studies at a university or college.
Universities and colleges are places where some young people go to continue their education after leaving school. Most university students study one main subject, though they may also study a number of others. Teaching is usually by lectures, or by discussions between a lecturer and students.
Most students stay at university for three or four years. At the end of that, they take an examination. If they pass, they receive their Bachelor’s degree, usually a BA, which is short for Bachelor of Arts, or a BS for Bachelor of Science. Some students study for several more years in order to get higher degree, such as a MA or a PhD
Most university courses don’t train students to do a certain job. Colleges, on the other hand, usually teach skills which enable students to follow a career（职业）, such as clothing design, or business studies

1. 1.

   The passage mainly tells us_______

   1. A.
      Something about the private schools in developed countries
   2. B.
      How developed countries pay attention to education
   3. C.
      Some general information about education in developed countries
      Why education is important
2. 2.

   Why do most developed countries provide free education to children?

   1. A.
      Because the children don’t have money to go to school
   2. B.
      Because the government want their citizens to be useful to the country
   3. C.
      Because education doesn’t cost the country too much money
   4. D.
      Because there are not enough private schools
3. 3.

   In the first paragraph the underlined word “citizen” refer to________

   1. A.
      the cities
   2. B.
      members of a country
   3. C.
      the children
   4. D.
      people who lives in cities
4. 4.

   Which of the following statement is true according to the passage?

   1. A.
      ll the university students study one subject.
      After studying at the university for three or four years, all the students can get a
   2. B.
      achelor’s degree
   3. C.
      Students usually receive a master’s degree before receiving a Bachelor’s degree
   4. D.
      Unlike university, colleges usually teach students some useful skills for a career

Billie Holiday was one of the greatest jazz(爵士音乐) singers in America. Her life was just a mixture of success and tragedy. Her singing expressed her experiences and feelings.
Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan in 1915 in Baltimore, Maryland. Her parents were Sadie Fagan and Clarence Holiday. They were young when their daughter was born. Their marriage failed because Clarence Holiday was often out. He traveled as a musician with some of the earliest jazz bands and inspired his daughter.
Sadie Fagan cleaned people’s houses to make a living. But she could not support her family with the money she earned. So she moved to New York City where the pay was higher. She left her daughter in Baltimore with one of her distant relatives.
The young girl Eleanora Fagan changed her name to Billie, because she liked a movie star, Billie Dove. The talented Billie Holiday loved singing. She sang and listened  to music whenever she could. In one place near her home there was a machine that played records. The building was a theater where many famous singers also performed their newly-made songs for free.
Billie cleaned floors and did other jobs for the theater so that she could listen to the records. It was there that young Billie first heard the records of some famous black American blues artists of the 1920s. she heard Bessie Smith sing the blues. And she heard Louis Armstrong play the horn. Both musicians had a great influence on her.
Billie Holiday once said, “I do not think I’m singing. I feel like I am playing a horn. What comes out is what I feel. I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That is all I know.”

1. 1.

   Billie Holiday’s parents divorced because _______

   1. A.
      Sadie Fagan wanted to move to New York City
   2. B.
      the family couldn’t support itself
   3. C.
      Clarence Holiday spent too much time in working
   4. D.
      Clerence Holiday was a strange person
2. 2.

   Who might originally have had an influence on Billie Holiday’s career in music?

   1. A.
      Sadie Fagan
   2. B.
      Clerence Holiday
   3. C.
      Bessie Smith
   4. D.
      Louis Armstrong
3. 3.

   From the passage, we can learn that ______

   1. A.
      Sadie Fagan was fond of living in New York
   2. B.
      Clerence Holiday didn’t love his wife at all
   3. C.
      Billie lived a happy childhood
   4. D.
      Billie had a gift for music
4. 4.

   The underlined sentence “ What comes out is what I feel” means _____

   1. A.
      Billie Holiday doesn’t like to sing for others
   2. B.
      Billie Holiday’s songs reflect her unhappy childhood
   3. C.
      Billie Holiday is fond of the songs written for herself
   4. D.
      Billie Holiday’s music is greatly determined by her emotions
5. 5.

   In order to listen to the records in the theater, Billie Holiday_______

   1. A.
      cleaned floors for the theater
   2. B.
      changed her name
   3. C.
      moved to New York
   4. D.
      separated from her parents

Two good friends, Sam and Jason, met with a car accident on their way home one night. The next morning, Sam woke up blind. His legs were broken. The doctor, Mr Lee was standing by his bed, looking at him with a thoughtful expression. When he saw Sam awake, he asked, “How are you feeling, Sam?” Sam smiled and said, “Not bad, Doctor. Thank you for doing the operation.” Mr Lee was moved by Sam. When he was leaving, Sam said, “Please don’t tell Jason about it.” “... OK.” Mr Lee replied.
Months later when Jason’s wounds (伤) healed, Sam was still very weak. Neither could he see or walk. What he could do was just stay in his wheelchair all day long. At first, Jason stayed with him for a few days. But days later, Jason felt very discouraged and embarrassed to spend time staying with a disabled man like Sam. So he went to see Sam less and less. He made new friends. From then on, he didn’t go to visit Sam any more. Sam didn’t have any family or friends other than Jason. He felt very sad.
Things went from bad to worse. Sam died a year later. When Jason came, Mr Lee gave a letter to him. It was from Sam. In the letter Sam said, “Dear Jason, I am disabled. But I want you to be a healthy man. So I gave my eyes to you so that you can enjoy life as a healthy man. Now you have new friends. I’m glad to see that you are as healthy and happy as usual. I’m glad you live a happy life. You are always my best friend ... ... Sam”. When he finished reading the letter , Mr Lee said, “I have promised that I will keep this a secret until Sam is gone. Now you know it.” Jason stood there. Tears ran down his face

1. 1.

   Why did Sam thanked the doctor?

   1. A.
      Because the doctor was very friendly to him
   2. B.
      Because the doctor took good care of him
   3. C.
      Because the doctor saved his eyes
   4. D.
      Because the doctor kept the secret for him
2. 2.

   Which of the following happened according to the order of time?
   a. Jason felt very discouraged to stay with Sam.                                        
   b. Jason lost his eyes in an accident.
   c. Sam donated his eyes to Jason.       
   d. Jason didn’t go to visit Sam any more.
   e. Sam died and Jason knew the truth

   1. A.
      dacbe
   2. B.
      dcbea
   3. C.
      bcade
   4. D.
      bcdae
3. 3.

   The underlined word “healed” in the second paragraph is closest in the meaning to “__________”

   1. A.
      recovered
   2. B.
      hurt
   3. C.
      failed
   4. D.
      disappeared
4. 4.

   It can be inferred from the passage that Sam was__________

   1. A.
      kind-hearted and helpful
   2. B.
      discouraged and outgoing
   3. C.
      optimistic and humorous
   4. D.
      enthusiastic and curious

1. 1.

   Probably most injuries happen to skaters’ wrists because ________

   1. A.
      few skaters wear wrist guards
   2. B.
      The wrist is the most fragile body part
   3. C.
      skaters often push out their hands when falling
   4. D.
      skaters don’t know how to protect their wrists
2. 2.

   ________ are the majority in the study

   1. A.
      Those who wore helmets
   2. B.
      Those who wore wrist guards
   3. C.
      Those who wore knee pads
   4. D.
      Those who wore no protective gear
3. 3.

   To reduce injuries greatly, a skater should at least wear __________

   1. A.
      a helmet and elbow pads
   2. B.
      wrist guards and knee pads
   3. C.
      elbow pads and wrist guards
   4. D.
      the whole set of protective gear
4. 4.

   This passage is most probably be found in __________

   1. A.
      a poster
   2. B.
      science fiction
   3. C.
      collection of choice stories
   4. D.
      newspaper
5. 5.

   What was the main point of the study?

   1. A.
      To encourage people to learn skating
   2. B.
      To advise skaters to wear safety pads
   3. C.
      To advertise for skating protective gear
   4. D.
      To introduce ways of protecting skaters

Elephants have four distinct personalities that help their herd survive in the African bush, scientists have found. 
With their grey skin, mournful eyes and slow heavy pace, you could be forgiven for thinking elephants are uniformly melancholy(忧郁的) creatures. But scientists have now discovered the largest living land animals have personalities to match their size.
In a new study of African elephants, researchers have identified four distinct characters that are common in a herd – the leaders, the gentle giants, the playful rogues(小淘气) and the reliable plodders (辛勤工作的人).
Each of the types has developed to help the giant mammals survive in their harsh environment and is almost unique in the animal kingdom, according to the scientists.
Professor Phyllis Lee and her colleague Cynthia Moss studied a herd of elephants in the Amboseli National Park in Kenya known as the EB family — famous for their matriarch Echo before she died in 2009.
Using data collected over 38 years of watching this group, the researchers analyzed them for 26 types of behavior and found four personality features tended to emerge.
The strongest personality to emerge was that of the leader. Unlike other animals, where leadership tends to be won by the most dominant and aggressive individual, the elephants instead respected intelligence and problem solving in their leader. Echo, the matriarch and oldest in the group, her daughter Enid, and Ella, the second oldest female, all emerged as leaders.
The playful elephants tended to be younger but were more curious and active. Eudora, a 40-year-old female in the herd, seemed to be the most playful, consistently showing this feature throughout her life while playfulness in some of the other elephants declined with age.
Gentle elephants, which included two 27-year-old females Eleanor and Eliot, touched and rubbed against others more than the others.
Those that were reliable tended to be those that were most consistent at making good decisions, helped to care for infants in the herd and were calm when faced with threats. Echo and her youngest daughter Ebony seemed to be the most reliable.
Professor Lee said that elephants with these features tended to be the most socially integrated in the group while those who tended to be less reliable and pushy were more likely to split from the herd

1. 1.

   From the passage we get to know that ________

   1. A.
      the researchers reached their conclusion by analyzing the data
   2. B.
      the research centered on the 26 types of behavior of the matriarch
   3. C.
      the scientists conducted the research by comparing elephants with other animals
   4. D.
      professor Phyllis Lee and her colleague spent nearly 38 years tracking the herd
2. 2.

   According to the new findings of the scientists, ________

   1. A.
      playfulness of an elephant will always decline with age
   2. B.
      those elephants which are caring and wise are most reliable
   3. C.
      each elephant can be matched with only one of the four personalities
   4. D.
      once becoming a member of a herd, an elephant will never split from it
3. 3.

   In the EB family Echo and Eudora are ________

   1. A.
      mother and daughter
   2. B.
      two oldest females
   3. C.
      the gentlest ones
   4. D.
      leader and member

To master a language one must be able to speak and understand the spoken language as well as to read and write．Lenin and his wife translated a long English book into Russian but when they went to England in 1902, English people couldn't understand a word Lenin and his wife said, and Lenin and his wife couldn't understand what was said to them．This shows the importance of spoken language．
Speaking, of course can't go without listening．If you want to pronounce a word correctly, first you must hear it correctly．The sounds of Chinese and English languages are not exactly the same．If you don't listen carefully, you'll find it difficult or even impossible to understand the native speakers．
Well, what about writing﹖ Like speaking, it's to exchange ideas．People usually use shorter words and shorter sentences in their writing．
The important thing is to make your idea clear in your mind and then to write it in a clear lively language．
Chinese students read too slowly．If you read fast, you understand better．If you read too slowly by the time you have reached to the end of a page you have forgotten what the beginning is about．When you meet with new words don't look them up in the dictionary．Guess the meaning to form the context. You may not guess quite correctly the first time but as new words appear again and again in different context their meaning will become clearer and clearer. If you look up every word you'll never finish a book．
Students of a foreign language need a particular knowledge, the knowledge of the life, history and geography of the people whose language they're studying. They should study those subjects in the foreign language not only in translation．In this way one can kill two birds with one stone: learn a foreign language and get some knowledge of the foreign country at the same time．

1. 1.

   In England Lenin        ．

   1. A.
      could be understood by Englishmen
   2. B.
      could understand Englishmen
   3. C.
      and Englishmen couldn't understand each other
   4. D.
      and Englishmen could understand each other
2. 2.

   In the first paragraph the writer told us        ．

   1. A.
      how to speak English
   2. B.
      how to read and write
   3. C.
      why English people couldn't understand the Lenins
   4. D.
      spoken English is important
3. 3.

   In the fifth paragraph the writer advised us on        ．

   1. A.
      how to guess the meaning of the words
   2. B.
      how to read fast
   3. C.
      how to look up new words in the dictionary
   4. D.
      how to read carefully
4. 4.

   “Kill two birds with one stone” means        ．

   1. A.
      to get some particular knowledge
   2. B.
      to get more than what one pays
   3. C.
      the stone is very useful
   4. D.
      the birds are blind enough
5. 5.

   In the last paragraph the writer advised us        ．

   1. A.
      to kill two birds with one stone
   2. B.
      to learn two languages at the same time
   3. C.
      to study all the subjects in a foreign language
   4. D.
      to get some knowledge of the foreign country whose language we are studying

Nowadays more and more people are trapped in too busy work to relax themselves. We have no time to tell a bed-time story to our children, or enjoy a nice dinner with our family, or take a break to think about how we live the precious life, or even meet friends. All we notice is that the distinctions that used to guide and steady us ------ between Sunday and Monday, public and private, here and there ------ are gone. We have more ways to communicate, but less and less to say. Partly because we’re so busy communicating.
Maybe that’s why more and more people I know, even if they have no religious commitment, seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation, or tai chi. Some friends of mine try to go on long walks every Sunday, or to “forget” their cellphones at home. A series of tests in recent years has shown that after spending time in quiet rural settings, subjects “exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory and generally improved cognition. Their brains become both calmer and sharper.” More than that, empathy, as well as deep thought, depends on neural processes that are “inherently slow. ” The very ones our high-speed lives have little time for.
In my own case, I turn to eccentric and often extreme measures to try to keep my sanity and ensure that I have time to do nothing at all. I’ve not yet used a cellphone and I’ve never Tweeted or entered Facebook. I try not to go online till my day’s writing is finished, and I moved from Manhattan to rural Japan.
None of this is a matter of principle or asceticism (苦行主义): it’s just pure selfishness. Nothing makes me feel better-----calmer, clearer and happier----than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, a piece of music. It’s actually something deeper than mere happiness: it’s joy, which the monk David Steindl-Rast describes as “that kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.” That is the highest of the highest we have been longing for----The Joy of Quiet

1. 1.

   The writer sometimes doesn’t do anything because ______．

   1. A.
      he is out of work
   2. B.
      whatever he does make no sense
   3. C.
      he is worried about his writing
   4. D.
      he can enjoy himself in his leisure time
2. 2.

   When the writer uses the word “forget” , his real meaning is ______．

   1. A.
      Somebody really forgets his cellphone at home
   2. B.
      Somebody thinks cellphone is not a suitable means of communication
   3. C.
      Somebody hates modern techniques such as the cellphone
   4. D.
      Somebody leaves his cellphone at home on purpose
3. 3.

   Which of the following is right?

   1. A.
      It is better to go back to the ancient times since we are so busy now
   2. B.
      The writer is unwilling to help others since he is selfish
   3. C.
      Slowing down to find time and space to think and enjoy oneself is urgent
   4. D.
      We have more to say because we have more ways to communicate
4. 4.

   What does the underlined word mean?

   1. A.
      difference
   2. B.
      sameness
   3. C.
      simplicity
   4. D.
      complication
5. 5.

   What is the main idea of the article?

   1. A.
      The importance of spending time in quiet
   2. B.
      We can do some sports such as yoga to relax
   3. C.
      Principle or asceticism is important in one’s life
   4. D.
      The more we communicate, the more we will be closer