Singles' Day ---- the Chinese opposite of Valentine’s Day has turned into a massive online shopping event. It is a day when single people are supposed to buy themselves presents. But there are sociological reasons behind China's “celebration” of single life. And the imbalance could have big consequences for the country.

There were 34 million more men than women in China in 2011. Part of that is natural – usually there are 105 boys born for every 100 girls. But the Chinese gender ratio (性别比例) at birth is much more obvious. It was 116 boys to 100 girls in 2012. The one child policy is largely to blame. Brought in to limit population expansion, the policy allows only one child per family. But because male children are seen as more valuable, as well as more likely to support their parents in old age, some parents choose to have a son over a daughter. The result is that large numbers of men will likely never get married. In fact, one study has predicted that by 2030, 1 in 5 Chinese men in their 30s will never have married, while another states that 94% of unmarried people in China are men.

Traditionally, China has seen high levels of marriage, usually among the young. Besides, the increased education and career opportunities for women have meant that marriages are happening later. It is also traditional that women often marry men of a higher socioeconomic status than themselves. So women at the top and men at the bottom find themselves alone. One study has even suggested a link between an imbalanced gender ratio and growth in violent crime in the country.

Singles’ Day can’t solve all the problems China’s singles face. Indeed, it is possible that it is causing even more problems, as men resort to(诉诸于) increasingly risky lines of work to increase their chances of gaining money and thus a wife. I am worried that as money starts to overcome romance, there is evidence that China’s marriage market is increasingly materialistic.

1.In 2012, if 50 girls were born, how many boys were probably born?

A. 50. B. 52. C. 58. D. 60.

2.What made women in China get married late?

A. Their support of the government’s late marriage policy.

B. Their higher education level and more work chances.

C. That they expect to enjoy their single time when young.

D. That there are too many excellent young men to choose from.

3.What’s the writer’s attitude to the imbalance gender ratio in China?

A. Optimistic B. Indifferent

C. Concerned D. Unknown

4.We can learn from the passage that .

A. Singles' Day is celebrated all over the world.

B.an imbalanced gender ratio is related to the growth in violent crime.

C. by 2030, 1 in 5 Chinese women in their 30s will be out of marriage.

D. Singles' Day will solve all the problems China’s singles face.

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

There is an old Spanish Proverb which states, “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week”. 1.___ I’d say, too many. Our dreams should not, and cannot wait. We have to go for them now! Here’s why.

1. 2.____

Nobody likes to talk about death, but the reality is – everybody is going to die at one point. None of us know the day, or the hour. Therefore, today is all we have. Don’t go to your grave with unfulfilled dreams. Make the decision to go after every dream, big or small right now.

2. The world is waiting on your gift

I know this may be hard to believe, but the world is waiting on YOU! Yes, YOU! ___ 3. Sure, other people may be able to sing. But they’ll never be able to sing exactly like you. Sure other people can write, but they’ll never be able to write from the same perspective in which you write. Don’t deprive（使丧失） the world of your gift. It’s the oxygen that we need to survive. Thus, it is your responsibility to figure out exactly what your gift is, and use to better your life and the lives of those around you.

3. 4._____

You can dream about writing the great American play that you want, but it’s never going to happen unless you actually put pen to paper. You can dream about finding a cure for cancer, but it will never happen unless you actually go to school to become equipped with the necessary tools to find that cure. 5.___ They require you to get your head out of the clouds, and actually do the work to make them happen. Get to it!

A. You can’t let fear win.

B. Tomorrow is not promised.

C. In other words, dreams don’t work unless you do.

D. Possibilities you never knew existed are waiting on you

E. How many times have we put off our dreams until tomorrow?

F. Unless you take the first step, your dreams will never come true.

G. You were born into the world with a unique gift, which nobody on this earth can copy.

短文改错

文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。

修改：在错的词下一画横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

A discussion about hiking had been held in our class. Some students think that hiking during vacations can make people feel healthier, fresher or more harmonious with the nature. They find themselves deep attracted by the beauty of nature. They can also be relaxing by walking in deep mountains. But nowadays some hikers even begin to explore the places people have ever been to, and accidents have happened now and then because a poor knowledge of hiking. Some hikers even lost their life. The other students in our class think it not safe to organize so dangerous activities. They make suggestions what laws should be passed and hikers should be trained before they attend the activities.

书面表达

假设你是李华，你的英国笔友Chris刚刚转学，感到一切都很陌生。他在邮件中向你询问如何尽快融入新环境，请你根据以下信息回信。

1．多跟同学交流沟通；

2．积极参加学校活动；．

3．向老师寻求帮助。

注意：1．词数100左右；2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3．开头已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear Chris，

I am sorry to hear that you are having trouble fitting in at your new school．

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

Selena Gomez and I are scheduled to meet at a low­key coffee shop in Encino. Not wanting to keep the superstar waiting, I arrived at nine, 20 minutes early. As I was catching up on e­mails, Selena quietly scooted into the seat next to me. No bodyguard. Not even a drop of makeup. She was ten minutes early and no one else in the restaurant looked up so much. Selena was wearing Bebe shorts. She had a baby face and ordered a hot chocolate.

After making small talk about what she wore for the shoot, she dived into the subject of her career. Selena declared 2012 the year of movies. She filmed three: Spring Breakers, a drama; The Getaway, an action flick; and Hotel Transylvania, a comedy. Each is a marked move away from the teen style that made her a household name.

Now that her Disney days are behind her, Selena is at that unstable point in a child star's career where she is trying to grow up—both as a person(she turned 20 in July)and as an artist. “Being part of the Disney Channel was such a blessing, and I'm super happy with what my show accomplished, but acting is something I would like to take on more seriously.” She continued, “I don't necessarily feel accomplished. I want to create a whole different person when it comes to acting.”

Selena has been working fulltime since she was seven years old and scored a role on Barney&Friends. In 2007, when she was offered the lead in Wizards of Waverly Place, Selena, her mother, and her stepfather uprooted from Texas to LA , where they are settling now.

1.When was it that Selena arrived at the low­key coffee shop?

A．At ten. B．At ten to nine.

C．At ten past nine. D．At thirty past nine.

2.Which of the following statements is true according to the second paragraph?

A．Selena went into her film career as soon as we met in the coffee shop.

B．Three famous films filmed in 2012 have shown her teen style.

C．The film Hotel Transylvania is an action flick filmed in 2012.

D．Each of the three films marks Selena's move away from her teen style.

3.What did Selena think of Disney days which were behind her?

A．She thought of playing in Disney a blessing.

B．She didn't feel very satisfied with her show in Disney.

C．She found her not accomplished in her performance in Disney.

D．She believed her being part in Disney Channel a blessing.

4.The underlined word in the last paragraph probably means “________”．

A．moved B．Picked C．Changed D．informed

Would it surprise you to learn that, like animals, trees communicate with each other and pass on their wealth to the next generation?

UBC Professor Simard explains how trees are much more complex than most of us ever imagined .Although Charles Darwin thought that trees are competing for survival of the fittest, Simard shows just how wrong he was. In fact, the opposite is true: trees survive through their co-operation and support, passing around necessary nutrition “depending on who needs it”.

Nitrogen（氮） and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi（真菌） networks, making sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive just the right amount to keep them all healthy. This hidden system works in a very similar way to the networks of neurons（神经元）in our brains, and when one tree is destroyed, it affects all.

Simard talks about “mother trees”, usually the largest and oldest plants on which all other trees depend .She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the next generation, transporting important minerals to young trees so they may continue to grow .When humans cut down “mother trees” with no awareness of these highly complex “tree societies” or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances of survival for the entire forest.

“We didn't take any notice of it .” Simard says sadly .“Dying trees move nutrition into the young trees before dying, but we never give them chance.” If we could put across the message to the forestry industry, we could make a huge difference towards our environmental protection efforts for the future.

1.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Old Trees Communicate Like Humans

B. Young Trees Are In Need Of Protection

C. Trees Contribute To Our Society

D. Trees Are More Complex Than You Think

2. In Simard's opinion, trees _______

A. compete for survival

B. protect their own wealth

C. depend on each other

D. provide support for dying trees

3.We can learn from the passage that .

A. “mother trees” are usually of no use to other trees.

B. Charles Darwin had the same thought as Simard.

C. if “mother trees” are cut down, the survival for the entire forest will be affected.

D. people know much about the complex “tree societies”.

4.The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to .

A. how “tree societies” work

B. how trees grow old

C. how forestry industry develops

D. how young trees survive

完形填空

I love a good murder mystery(小说，作品). It is so________ to watch or read an exciting and interesting detective story and try to solve the ________ yourself. Agatha Christie is undoubtedly queen of the detective story considering she________over eighty books. Many people have fallen in love with her ________ -----Hercule Poirot, a famous Belgian detective and Miss Marple, an old lady who is also an amateur ________ .

As I am a big ________ of Agatha Christie, I was excited to ________her house in Devon called Greenway. I travelled to her ________ by steam train. We went through a dark tunnel and there was lots of smoke. It was a ________setting for a murder like in her famous novel Murder on the Orient Express. ________ , all the passengers arrived safely!

After a pleasant walk through the woods, I ________ the splendid house. I did a tour and I loved seeing where she wrote her ________ . Many first editions were on display in a revolving(旋转的)bookcase. However, my ________part of the estate(房产) was the boathouse. There was a lovely view of the river ________ the boathouse also served a more special purpose---inspiration for a crime ________. In the Poirot novel, Dead Man’s Folly, a girl’s body is________in the boathouse. They even ________the TV adaptation of the book at Greenway.

I really ________ my visit to Greenway. It was such a ________ place and I was interested in seeing where Agatha Christie was________ to write so many exciting stories.

1.A. attention B. heat C. success D. fun

2.A. doubt B. problem C. murder D. method

3.A. read B. wrote C. saw D. contributed

4.A. creations B. inventions C. discussions D. reasons

5.A. guard B. detective C. creator D. spy

6.A. guide B. fellow C. fan D. gift

7.A. watch B. rebuild C. explode D. visit

8.A. farm B. family C. hometown D. site

9.A. perfect B. central C. colorful D. direct

10.A. Sadly B. Fortunately C. Hopefully D. Surprisingly

11.A. fetched B. got C. reached D. mentioned

12.A. posts B. articles C. letters D. books

13.A. personal B. useful C. rewarding D. favourite

14.A. or B. and C. but D. for

15.A. scenery B. sight C. view D. scene

16.A. dissolved B. tended C. found D. buried

17.A. developed B. filmed C. adapted D. affected

18.A. enjoyed B. treasured C. exploited D. focused

19.A. shocking B. beautiful C. skillful D. helpful

20.A. inspired B. disappointed C. marked D. honored

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Nowadays, millions 1. lonely singles are now going online instead. The World Wide Web is quickly becoming the world’s most popular matchmaker(媒人).

Singles are flocking(涌向)to the Internet 2. (main) because their busy lifestyles leave them little time 3. (look) for a significant other. Using dating sites(约会网址) is quick and convenient. Many singles say the regular dating scene 4. (lead) them from one bad experience to 5. and are ready to try something else. Dating sites also make 6. easy to avoid someone 7. you are not interested in. In the real world, 8. , ignoring someone you don’t like can be difficult.

Despite all the advantages, online dating also presents its own set of problems. People aren’t always those who they declare to be in their online 9. (describe). Safety is another concern. You are just 10. (like) to find a criminal online as you are Mr. Or Miss Right

Many teenagers(青少年) feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends．They believe that their family members don’t know them as well as their friends do．In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas．

It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends．Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone．This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something．These things are difficult to tell their family members．

However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them．Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends．Have you ever thought of the following questions?

Who chooses your friends?

Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?

Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?

Your answers are welcome．

1.Many teenagers think that ____ can understand them better．

A．friends B．brothers C．sisters D．parents

2.When teenagers have something difficult to tell their parents, they usually____．

A．stay alone at home

B．fight with their parents

C．discuss it with their friends

D. go to their brothers and sisters for help

3.The sentence (句子) “Your answers are welcome．” means _______．

A．You are welcome to discuss the questions with us

B．We’ve got no idea, so your answers are welcome

C．Your answers are always right

D．You can give us all the right answers

4.Part of the purpose of this passage is to ___.

A. give information for the parents to make their own judgment (判断)

B. give advice to children who want to choose their friends

C. help parents to find better friends for their children

D. get some information from many readers

If there is one person who has left a deep impression on me, it’s my teacher Mrs. Pathak who was my class teacher for three years. In my childhood, how I wished I had a mother or a sister like her. One moment she could be tough (严厉的) and strict, another moment caring and compassionate (富有同情心的).

She always encouraged us to tell the truth. For instance, if one had not done the homework, he need not lie. She allowed us to make mistakes, saying we couldn’t be perfect all the time, but we should try.

Another thing she taught me early on was punctuality. She set a good example with her own behaviour. She was always on time, so we students tried our best to be on time.

She surprised us with her sense of humour. Her classroom teaching was always humorous. After class, she talked to us and told us jokes.

We really felt free to ask questions and Mrs. Pathak would give the answers. If she did not know — there had been some occasions (场合) — she would say so. We all then tried to find out the answers. Whoever came up with the answer was appreciated and given the due credit (应有的称赞). Now I sometimes wonder whether Mrs. Pathak was pretending just to encourage us to explore and find answers by ourselves.

1.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT suitable for describing Mrs. Pathak?

A. Tough. B. Humorous.

C. Compassionate. D. Careful.

2. The underlined word “so” in the last paragraph means that _____.

A. the answers were not right

B. she didn’t know the answers

C. the answers were correct

D. she would give the answers

3. In the author’s opinion, why didn’t Mrs. Pathak give the answers to the questions sometimes?

A. Because she didn’t like answering the questions.

B. Because she didn’t know the answers to the questions.

C. Because she wanted the students to find them out by themselves.

D. Because she thought the students knew the answers already.