In Europe people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right throughout the meal, a system that is generally agreed to be more efficient than the American zigzag（曲折的）method．Americans hold both the fork and the knife in their right hands throughout the meal, so they continually change their forks to the left hand when they have to cut their meat．It seems to be funny for the Europeans to see Americans busy changing their dinner sets, making a lot of noises．A few explanations for this American style are as follows:

       （1）Americans are practical and efficient．Since most of us are right-handed, it is reasonable to keep our working tools at all times in the right hand that can use them most efficiently.?

       （2）Americans, the master of the New World are rebels（叛逆者）.They use the zigzag method to break the rules in the Old World and in this way they are thumbing their nose at Mother England．Americans are a restless kind．They do not like to sit in one spot for very long when dining.

（3）Forced to do so, they respond by “playing” with the silver.

Whatever the reason for the practice, it is now certainly as American as apple pie．Europeans recognize this and are quick to attack it as evidence of American innocence（无知）of form．Arguments against the zigzag method rest not only on grounds of efficiency but also on those of tradition．In Old World dining, the knife is held in the right hand continually because it can serve as an instant defense against the uninvited intruders（入侵者）However, such alertness（警觉）is out of place in the New World, as every American believes that this is the home of the brave．Americans juggle their silverware, perhaps, to show that they are not afraid and that one of them holding a fork is worth any number of them holding blades（刀）.

1．Americans use _______ to hold their fork to pick up the salad.

       A．the right hand                                      B．the left hand

       C．both hands                                          D．either of the two hands

2．As the masters of the New World, Americans use a different cutting method from that in the Old World to _______.

       A．show their independence of Mother England

       B．show their disrespect to Mother England

       C．add a new tradition to those in Mother England

       D．show off their creativeness to Mother England

3．In the sentence, the word “juggle” probably means _______.

       A．hold                B．play with              C．pick up               D．lay down

4．Which of the following statements is NOT true? 

       A．European people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand.

       B．The zigzag eating method is related to American characteristics.

       C．The zigzag eating method has become an American feature.

       D．European people will use the American method because of its efficiency.

In the 1960s, medical researchers Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a checklist of stressful events．They found out that any major change can be stressful．Negative events like “serious illness of a family member” were high on the list, but so were some positive life-changing events, like marriage．When you take the Holmes-Rahe test you must remember that the score does not show how you deal with stress—it only shows how much you have to deal with．And we now know that the way you deal with these events has a great effect on your chances of staying healthy.

By the early 1970s, hundreds of similar studies had followed Holmes and Rahe．And millions of Americans who work and live under stress worried over the reports．Somehow, the research got boiled down to a memorable message．Women’s magazines ran headlines like “Stress causes illnesses”. If you want to stay physically and mentally healthy, the articles said, avoid stressful events．But such simplistic advice is impossible to follow．even if stressful events are dangerous, many—like the death of a loved one—are impossible to avoid．Moreover, any warning to avoid all stressful events is a prescription（处方）for staying away from opportunities as well as trouble．Since any change can be stressful, a person who wanted to be completely free of stress would never marry, have a child, take a new job or move.?

The idea that all stress makes you sick also takes no notice of what we know about people．It is supposed that we’re all weak and passive in the face of difficulty．But many come through periods of stress with more physical and mental strength than they had before．We also know that a long time without change or challenge can lead to boredom, and physical and mental damage.

1．The result of Holmes-Rahe’s medical research tells us _______.

       A．what should be done to avoid stress

       B．the way of dealing with major events may cause stress

       C．what kind of event would cause stress

       D．how to deal with sudden changes in life

2．The studies on stress in the early 1970’s led to_______.

       A．great fear about the mental problems it could cause

       B．widespread worry over its harmful effects

       C．a deep research into illnesses connected with stress

       D．popular avoidance of stressful jobs

3．According to the passage people who have experienced ups and downs may become___.

       A．discouraged when faced with difficulty                                

       B．physically and mentally weak

       C．more experienced in the face of difficulty

       D．uninterested in what happens to them

4．What’s the purpose of writing the text? 

       A．To tell people the discoveries about stress.

       B．To tell people how to keep healthy.

       C．To help people avoid stressful events.

       D．To help people view stress properly.

Abby Subark is a mother of two from Boston．“For my kids, I’m nervous．I don’t know if they’ll be able to achieve their American dream.” She may be right．More than hard work or education, the best way to get rich in America is to be born rich.

It is the case that somebody who is in the upper third of income, poor scores, in the bottom on tests when they are in eighth grade, is more likely to go to college and finish college than a poor kid with the top scores．That’s what the working persons’ children are up against.

The Economic Policy Institute finds it would take a poor couple with 2 children 9 or 10 generations to achieve middle class status．That’s about 200 years．The hallmark （特征） of American opportunity has always been the ability to do better than your parents．But compared with similar developed countries, the United States ranks fifth out of six for so-called intergenerational mobility （变动）.

If you look at the mechanisms（机制） for upward mobility that were so readily available 50 years ago, they are becoming out of reach, like plentiful factory jobs with good wages and affordable education and health care．

White families are twice as likely as blacks to be upwardly mobile．For most people in America today, where you end up depends on where you start.

If you started in the middle-income class, about 40 to 45 percent of what you are making right now is due to the fact that your parents were in the middle-income class．The rest is up to you.

But for the millions of people who find themselves below the poverty line and the millions more who are the working poor, their starting point for the American dream leaves them painfully far away from the middle class．

1．The main idea of the passage is _______.

       A．How the middle class comes about in the U.S.

       B．It’s hard to realize the American dream for the poor.

       C．Wealth and social status depend on family background.

       D．Upward mobility in America is never easy.

2．Which of the statements is NOT true according to the passage?

       A．People used to have job opportunities and welfare for upward mobility.

       B．A great many poor people can hardly realize their American dream.

       C．You can make all your dreams come true in America if born rich.

       D．Rich kids are more likely to go to college than poor kids.

3．The underlined sentence “where you end up depends on where you start”most probably means _______.

       A．Your starting point cannot determine your destination.

       B．Only a high goal can ensure success.

       C．One’s birth has nothing to do with his fate.

       D．One’s family lays solid foundation for his future achievements.

4．Why is Abby Subark nervous?

       A．Her kids don’t want to compare with other rich kids in achievements.

       B．Her kids don’t want to achieve success at all.

       C．Her kids can achieve success through hard work and education.

       D．Her kids can’t reach their goal without a rich family.

5．What can we infer after reading the passage?　

       A．Poverty causes people much pain.

       B．People below the poverty line can never be in the middle class.

       C．Lower starting point makes it hard for people to realize their dream.

       D．Poor people’s starting point is too low.

此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行做出判断：每行只有一个错误，请按下列情况改正：

该行多一个词：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉，在该行右边横线上写出该词，并也用斜线划掉。

该行缺一个词：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（ ），在该行右边横线上写出该加的词。

该行错一个词：在错的词下划一横线，在该行右边横线上写出改正后的词。

Everyone can do anything for our environment．For me,             1．            

I should tried to save electricity in our daily life．For example,            2．            

if I am the last person leave the classroom in the evening,                    3．            

I would always remember to turn off the lights．In order to                4．            

protect our forests, I will use paper wise．I should try                        5．            

to use both side of paper whenever it is possible．I will                       6．            

ride a bike to school instead of went in a private car,                            7．            

because bikes do not pollute the air．I believe that by doing all             8．            

these small things will improve our environment but help                      10．            

假如你是李华，请你根据下表内容的提示，为中学生英语报写一篇有关“Earth Hour”的短文，谈谈你对此活动的认识及你在节能活动中所能做的事。

注意：

1．短文的开头已经给出，不计入总词数；

    2．可根据内容要点适当发挥，但不要逐条翻泽；

    3．词数，100词左右。

参考词汇：企业enterprise；意识awareness

Earth Hour is an annual international event created by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for sending us_______ fresh vegetables of many kinds. You have done us _______ great service.

A．/；a        B．the；a         C．/；/          D．the；/

—They don’t say a single word to each other.

— ________

A．What if?       B．No way.         C．How come?            D．How about?

It was ________ the 2009 National Games that cost the boy so much time.

A．to have watched          B．watching         C．watched         D．having watched

A chance conversation with a foreigner _______ lead a person to discover his weakness.

A．should           B．shall            C．must             D．may

Employees’ payments can barely cover their household ________ due to the serious economic crisis,

A．bills       B．expenses            C．prices         D．charges