Dear Alice,

    I just received your letter. And I was very surprised to know that you decided to drop out of school and wanted to be a model （模特）.

    Being a model for a living is not easy. In fact, a famous person like me has a lot of problems that you couldn't see. I can't eat what I like, even though I'm very hungry. Keeping thin makes me look more beautiful on the stage because no one would like to see a heavy model.

    Besides, I have to wear a heavy coat in the hot sun, in a swimming suit in the cold air. And practicing walking nicely every day is tiring for me.

    You might say I made much money from modeling. Bus my dear niece （侄女）, you have to know that money is, nothing, knowledge is everything. School is important and everyone should go to school for a certain period of time. The longer they stay at school, the better they will be. Very often, I hope I can give up my job and continue my studies at school. But it is very difficult for me to go back to school again. I am too old to go back to school now.

    You are a pretty young girl with a bright future. You only have one year to finish your studies in high school. A year is really short. Please do consider my words carefully before you decide. Of course, there is only one thing I care about, and that is your happiness.

    Love,

    Emma

1.What was Emma surprised about?

    A．Alice wanted to keep thin.

    B．Alice decided not to do modeling.

    C．Alice ate too much and became a heavy girl.

    D．Alice decided not to finish her studies at school.

2.Emma can't go back to school again, because ________

    A．she is tired of being a student

    B．she wants to make more money from modeling

    C．she is so old that she has missed the best time in school

    D．she has done a good job and makes a lot of money as a model

3.How long does Alice still have to study in high school?

    A．One year.                                            B．Two years.

    C．Three years.                                         D．The longer, the better.

4.Emma only cares about________

    A．Alice's beauty                                           B．Alice's happiness

C．Alice's age                                       D．Alice's swimming suit

5.From the letter we know that __________

    A．Emma is a famous model

    B．Emma likes being a model for a living

    C．Alice will go on her studies in high school

D．Emma can eat what she likes when she is very hungry

 

Have successful people ever felt sad? Do they have any “secrets” to success? The answers to these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama’s “back to school” speech. Here is an excerpt(摘录) from his speech.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense that you can be rich and successful without any hard work—that your ticket to success is through pop music or basketball or being a TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. Not all the homework will seem rather important to your life right this minute. And you may not succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures (the opposite of success). JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was turned down 12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots (投篮) during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures beat you—you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.

No one’s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to tell when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.

And even when you’re struggling(奋斗), even when you’re discouraged (泄气), and you feel other people have given up on you—don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

1.Why does Barack Obama mention (提到) JK Rowling and Michael Jordan in the third paragraph?

A. To compare these two famous persons.

B. To explain that the more failures he has, the more successful he is.

C. If you want to be successful, you should fail first.

D. To show that failure is the mother of success.

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. No one can be successful without working hard.

B. Failure can be good if you treat it in a right way.

C. Those who believe in themselves shouldn’t ask others for help.

D. One should try his best to make his dream come true.

3.Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined sentence?

A. One shouldn’t ask questions because it is a sign of strength.

B. One should believe in himself though he will face much difficulty.

C. One doesn’t have to work hard when he has failed several times.

D. One doesn’t have to ask for help because it is a sign of weakness.

 

请认真阅读下面短文，并根据各题所给首字母的提示，写出一个合适的英语单词完整、正确的形式，使短文通顺。

It can be a lot of work to adopt (收养) an animal, but it is also a lot of fun. Mollie Lesser, 18, of Chicago, US, recently adopted a little dog named Bart. Bart is not Lesser’s first dog. The family had 1.a________ dog that passed away last summer. They adopted 6-month-old Bart in January. “We forgot how much energy a young2.d________ has,” Lesser said. “It can be very time-consuming (耗时的). My parents compare it to having a baby.”

Bart needs to be walked or let into the backyard several times a day. His trainer, Lisa Collins, says a young dog actually needs to be let outdoors every two 3.h________.

Having a dog is not just about 4.p________ with it. Owners also expect their dogs to do 5.s________ helpful. Collins says that, through proper training, animals can 6.l________ to obey commands (命令) from both adults and kids. Having a dog also means providing fresh 7.f________, water and attention every day. Patience and training is also 8.n________. Lesser said her dog has already chewed up a pair of her shoes. Her parents have been working with Collins to stop its bad behavior like chewing or jumping on people. Being a pet owner 9.t________ a lot of time, but Lesser doesn’t mind.

“Falling in love with a pet is easy, but adopting a pet is a big decision,” said Lesser. “Think it over 10.b________ you adopt a pet.”

 

Different colours can affect us in many different ways; that’s according to Verity Allen. In a new programme “Colour me Healthy”, Verity looks at the ways that colours can influence how hard we work and the choices we make. They can even change our emotions and even influence how healthy we are. 
“Have you ever noticed how people always use the same colours for the same things?” says Verity. “Our toothpaste is always white or blue or maybe red. It’s never green. Why not? For some reason we think that blue and white is clean, while we think of green products(产品)as being a bit unpleasant. It’s the same for businesses. We respect a company which writes its name in blue or black, but we don’t respect one that uses pink or orange. People who design（设计）new products can use these ideas to influence what we buy.”
During the programme, Verity studies eight different colours, two colours in each part. She meets people who work in the colour industry, from people who design food packages, to people who name the colours of lipsticks. Some of the people she meets clearly have very little scientific knowledge to prove their ideas, such as the American “Colour Doctor” who believes that serious diseases can be treated successfully by the use of coloured lights. However, she also interviews real scientists who are studying the effects of green and red lights on mice, with some surprising results. 
Overall, it’s an interesting show, and anyone who watches it will probably find out something new. But because Verity goes out of her way to be polite to everyone she meets on the programme, it’s up to you to make your own decisions about how much you should believe.
【小题1】What’s Verity’s opinion about colours?

A．Colours help people choose products.

B．Different people prefer different colours.

C．Colours have influences on people in many ways.

D．People working in colour industry know little about colours.

【小题2】What can you infer from Paragraph 2?

A．Colours influence people’s feelings and opinions.

B．People get ideas for new products from colours.

C．New products are popular because of colours.

D．Most companies prefer bright colours.

【小题3】The underlined part “goes out of her way” probably means ______.

A．feels very pleased

B．makes a special effort

C．goes on in her own way

D．carries on very slowly

【小题4】 What’s the passage mainly about?

A．How people use colours.

B．How colours influence people.

C．What happens in a programme.

D．What makes a programme believable.

A couple of years ago, I went to a lady’s house to buy some medicine. Upon entering the house, I  36 that there was a piano in the living room beside the wall.Being a piano music lover and player, I asked if the woman played. She said “Yes” and   37 that she had been taking lessons—at the age of 54!
“I have been  38 for 8 years now.” I said, after hearing her words.
“Then you must play a song for me before you leave,” she requested(请求).
I thought she was kidding and I  39 smiled. When I had bought the medicine, she asked me to play some music. I thought for a moment and 40  to play David Lanz’s Return to the Heart,   41 she had so much passion(热情)for and interest in music, and it’s one of my favourite songs.
I played the song to the best of my ability(能力), putting as much emotion into it as possible. She  42 it. As I was about to step out of the door, I heard a weak voice calling, “Young man!”
I  43 , and saw an old lady taking one little step at a time with the help of another woman. “I wanted to come out to thank you for the  44 song that you played. I have been very sick, and it’s very hard for me to get out of bed, but I really wanted to thank you for the song. It made me feel good.” she said. With that, she turned around and walked slowly back to her room.
I was deeply touched by her  45  and felt a deeper understanding for the song. It was  46 to its name, returning to one’s heart to  47 and joy. 

【小题1】

A．noticed B．heard C．learned D．knew

【小题2】

A．explained B．added C．dreamed D．wished

【小题3】

A．waiting B．writing C．practising D．playing

【小题4】

A．simply B．proudly C．shyly D．happily

【小题5】

A．promised B．agreed C．decided D．hoped

【小题6】

A．since B．until C．because D．if

【小题7】

A．hated B．remembered C．heard D．loved

【小题8】

A．turned around B．looked up C．ran away D．went on

【小题9】

A．valuable B．pretty C．beautiful D．popular

【小题10】

A．kindness B．experience C．appreciation D．condition

【小题11】

A．correct B．true C．right D．real

【小题12】

A．sadness B．happiness C．peace D．honesty