We always want to prepare ourselves to the changes we may face when we go to a different country. Well, I have to say that for me, even after living in the US for one year and a half, I am still not used to the changes of weather, or how to manage my money well. There are many things that can give us culture shocks, but it is up to us whether to make it a big shock or a small one.

I know that changing schools was a big thing for me. It helped me to be stronger and open towards meeting new people.  Sometimes it feels like everybody is already in a group. This makes it harder for someone else to go in. But, it is not that hard. Actually many people know that you are from another country. They feel curious about your “history”, and would often think you are a different man.

Another thing that can produce a shock to me is the sudden change of weather. During the last couple of days, there was an ice-snow storm. It was the biggest in 15 years in the state of Missouri. It was raining ice, really, and you could hear sounds outside the window like little pieces of rocks hitting it, of course it was the ice. It started accumulating so heavily that the University had to close down for two days, and it got worse when it started snowing after the ice storm.

As international students, you may at times find something very difficult, but hey, anyone can beat and overcome it to make studying aboard an unforgettable experience.

1.The author has been in the US for          .

A．one year

B．one and a half years

C．two years

D．two and a half years

2.Changing schools        .

A．was just a small thing for the author

B．made it harder for the author to go into new people’s group

C．helped the author to be stronger and open towards meeting new people

D．made all people think the author was a different man

3.The underlined word “accumulating” means       in Chinese.

A．堆积

B．融化

C．结冰

D．移动

4.Which of the following is NOT mentioned to be a shock for the author when he studied in the US?

A. The big changes of weather.  

B. B.Managing money.

C.Changing schools.           

D.Difference in language.

5.What is the main idea of this article?

A．We may often change school to get used to living in a different country.

B．The author exercised a lot during the ice-snow storm and became stronger.

C．Students form other countries are curious about American history.

D．Studying abroad is cool though there are difficulties.

 

Sugar—free beets（甜菜）that still taste sweet, tastier tomatoes and brighter-colored fruits and vegetables that stay ripe（熟的）longer are all foods that are being grown now. How can they
carry traits, such as being tastier, brighter, and riper? They are genetically engineered.
Genetic engineering（基因工程）is like making a change in a recipe. For example, when you make cakes, you mix together all of the usual ingredients. If you add an extra ingredient, like salt, the cakes will taste differently.
Genes are ingredients in the recipe for life. They carry the traits of living things. Your genes dictate what color hair and eyes you’ll have, how tall you’ll be, as well as many other traits. Genes carry traits for plants, too. By adding genes to a plant, you can sometimes create new traits. For example, adding a certain gene to a potato plant can make the potato plant distasteful to bugs（虫子）. This makes some farmers happy because they don’t have to use chemicals to keep bugs away from their plants.
It sounds great, but some people are opposed to the idea of food that is genetically engineered. Ronnie Cummins, from the Campaign for Food Safety, is against it. He says that one of the major concerns is allergies（过敏）. Supermarkets don’t always label foods that are genetically engineered. A customer could unknowingly buy food that has an added gene from another plant that he or she is allergic to. It could be dangerous.
Gary Burton from Monsanto, a seed（种子）company that engineers food, disagrees. He says his company tests for allergies. Burton believes that genetic engineering is a valuable tool for making better food. The technology can help farmers use less insecticide（杀虫剂）and grow healthier crops. Burton thinks there are many advantages.
But Cummins says that we just don’t know what will happen in the future if we keep adding genes to foods. We could mistakenly create a monster.
People have different opinions about genetic engineering. One side supports it and thinks it will only help us. The other side is opposed to playing with nature and fears health risks. Which side do you think is right?
【小题1】What could be a good thing about food that is genetically engineered?

A．It’s more expensive.

B．It could taste different.

C．It requires less insecticide.

D．It’s not labeled in the supermarket.

【小题2】In general, who does not support the idea of genetic food?

A．People from seed companies.

B．Farmers who use engineered seeds.

C．People from the Campaign for Food Safety.

D．Scientists who create genetically engineered food.

【小题3】It can be inferred that          .

A．growing genetic foods will make farmers richer

B．people will eat more genetic foods in the future

C．using fewer chemicals could make the food tastier

D．there could be unknown dangers about genetic foods

【小题4】What is the best title of this passage?

A．Future Farming

B．Genetic Engineering

C．Foods with a Difference

D．Genetically Engineered Fruits

April 20th is an ordinary day in 2013, it is in this day that shocking earthquake happened again in Sichuan province, China. The earthquake was terrible. We can’t describe the scene what we saw with any words. Thousands of people were injured even died. And thousands of children became such unlucky ones who lost fathers or mothers. They longed to have families to continue their lives. I am sympathetic to their fate! But I believed that we can fight against the fate and change it. For example, there are many people keeping living without food or water for about 100 hours during the earthquake!

What an unbelievable thing it is! Their great spirits showed the powerful life vitality of humans! However, they must keep fighting against the death. Many schools were destroyed and there were many students and teachers who left us forever. Sadness, hopelessness and different kinds of danger spread out here and there!

But, fortunately, love is around us: the Communist Party helps us, the army helps us, the people all over the world help us. They offer us money, goods, love and so on ! With the help of such a large love, we will overcome the damage of the earthquake and face our beautiful future!

1.Many people keeping living without food or water because ____________.

A . they were very strong.         B. they could fight against the fate and longed to live on.

C. they were not hurt.            D. they lost fathers and mothers.

2.The meaning of fortunately in third paragraph is ___________.

A .good             B. unbelievable        C. luckily      D. wonderful.

3.The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to___________.

A. the children who survived

B. the parents who survived

C. the children who survived but lost parents

D. the parents who survived but lost children

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

A. An Earthquake.   B. Unbelievable thing.  C. Beautiful future.    D. Love in disaster.

 

Children arc children after all, and most of them speak their mind. When they are just toddlers(幼儿), they are all lovely and lively. And it's so interesting to watch them speak like a grown-up. But as they grow, these same kids seem annoying and ill-mannered if they try to be a grown-up.
Conflicts(矛盾）go between parents and children. It's hard to tell who are right and who are wrong. A child of 7-8 always finds some reasons to have a conflict with it's parents. Whether it is about some toy, studies, a party or a company, there is always a difference between them. And it becomes worse when they answer you back. Scientists tell us that children should be treated with care. Yes, sure they should respect their elders.
We are partly responsible(有责任的）for this. At an early age we encourage children to behave like adults, just because we find it funny. The kids on the other hand consider this same behavior as normal and get used to it. And when it is not funny for us any more, we expect them to stop it, but by then it is already too late. Only when they reach a certain maturity will the children realize that answering back and being rude are not acceptable(可接受的).Until then, most of the time their behavior is difficult to change, unless by force(暴力）.And use of force is against the every good idea, as it weakens the child's confidence.
So it is one thing to bring a child into this world but quite another to make them into well mannered citizens. The best way is to be a good example ourselves, as our children are the mirrors of us adults.
【小题1】_______are all lovely and lively.

A．Children

B．Toddlers

C．Kids

D．Grown-ups

【小题2】There are many conflicts between   ______.

A．fathers and mothers	B．parents and children
C．parents and toddlers	D．parents and parents

【小题3】The underlined word "maturity" means________.

A．学期

B．阶梯

C．知识

D．成熟

【小题4】Which is acceptable according to the passage?

A．Answering back .	B．Being rude.
C．Using force.	D．Respecting elders.

【小题5】Which of the following is true?

A．Children often copy what their parents do.

B．Children can not change their behavior.

C．Children's behavior develops in their own way.

D．Children's behavior is not acceptable.

【小题6】The writer wrote the passage__________.

A．to show the importance of good examples

B．to give examples on educating children

C．to show the growth of children

D．to show the behavior of children

任务型阅读（共6小题；每小题1分，满分6分）

    请认真阅读下面短文，在短文后表格中的空白处填上适当的单词。（每空不止一个单词）

Have you ever studied abroad? Maybe it is an amazing experience, especially when you come to Australia as an foreign high school student. You can have a lot of fun there, especially on holidays.

There are many festivals in Australia. The most important one is Christmas. Each year, the summer holidays at every high school last about two months from the beginning of December to February, which covers the Christmas time. Since it is a long holiday, most foreign students in Australia students still stay in Australia during the holiday to get part-time jobs. It is quite easy to find a part-time job at Christmas. Students often take part in another major social activity. They go to the beach to have fun in the sunshine. The summer in Australia is from December to February, so going to the beach in December is very popular among Australians.

Easter in March is another important holiday in the year. It actually combines “Good Friday” and “Easter Monday”. Almost every shop closes on Good Friday. And people usually go to see Easter Show.

The Chinese New Year is not a public holiday in Australia, so every Chinese student still has to go to school to study and do his or her normal duties.

Information about Australia

1. _______________ holidays	From the 2.__________ of December to February
The most popular activity in December	3.______________
Two important holidays	Christmas and 4. ________________
The thing people usually do on Good Friday	Go to 5. _____________ Easter show
What to do for a few foreign students in summer	6. ____________ to the beach to enjoy the sunshine