Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure (奇遇)？Riding the train can be a real adventure.That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak.I often take a four?hour trip to visit my children.Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.

Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride，there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation— in another language.It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train.I think it was annoying.

Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two?day trip by train.She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home，although she had no trouble driving.The train ride was the only choice for her.She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.

She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents.That is a very good question.Both of us are old and have children.She asked that same question from time to time.

There are always many people on the train from all walks of life，different countries，and many languages.Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures.If you get hungry，you can buy food in the food car at any time.If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.

It sure beats driving the car，which has to stop for food and restrooms.And it is better than taking the bus.

1．According to the passage，the purpose of the author’s train ride was________.

A．to do business　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．to see her children

C．to visit places of interest 　　　　　　　　　 D．to see her old friends

2．Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3?

A．Disappointed. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．Satisfied.

C．Worried. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Pleased.

3．Which of the following is TRUE about the old lady sitting next to the author?

A．She is too old to drive now.

B．She does not like to take trains.

C．Although she is old，she has a good memory.

D．Her daughters live far away from her home.

4．In the author’s opinion，on the train Amtrak________.

A．the services are quite good

B．the food is terribly expensive

C．all the passengers are polite

D．all the passengers are American

5．What is the best title for this passage?

A．Train ride—a cultural experience

B．A painful experience on the train

C．The history of Amtrak

D．A wonderful lady

Some students, parents and teachers in Shanghai were surveyed last month. According to the result of the survey, the generation gap (代沟) between students and parents as well as teachers is becoming wider. Here is what they said.
Voice of the students:
　 “Our parents hold too high expectations（期望）which put us under lots of pressure. They care too much about our lives and studies,” one student said.
“It’s impolite that some students’ parents read their children’s diaries without permission!” one student said angrily.
“Some of our teachers are so serious that we can’t make friends with them at all,” another student said sadly.
Voice of the parents:
One mother said, “After school, my daughter usually locks herself into her room and spends lots of time talking with others on the phone. And I can’t stand（忍受） her clothes and hairstyle!”
“I thought my son was doing very well in his studies. I didn’t realize I was being cheated by him until I got a call from his teacher,” said a father.
Voice of the teachers:
An English teacher said, “Today, the role of the teacher is to put knowledge into students’ brain. The power (权力) teachers have kept students away from them.”
“Some parents pay too much attention to their children’s grades instead of creating a lively and colorful environment at home,” another teacher said.
“In the past, teachers and students often played games together or talked with each other. Today, only studies and grades are talked about,” said a teacher. “A school should be a place where students can learn not only knowledge, but also how to face failure and frustration（挫折） bravely enough.” 
【小题1】 What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?

When my family moved to America from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect(尊敬) elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.

I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.

In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.

However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire(退休) or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.

After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.

1.Jack brought the couple their food very fast because______.

A. the manager asked him to do so   B. he respected the elderly

C. the couple wanted him to do so    D. he wanted more pay

2.In Jack’s hometown, ______.

A. people dislike being called “old”　　　　　

B. people are proud of being old

C. many people reach the age of seventy or eighty

D. the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants

3. After this experience, Jack ______.

A. lost his job in the restaurant      　

B. made friends with the couple

C. no longer respected the elderly　　　

D. changed his way with older people

4.Which of the following is TRUE?

A . The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got.

B. Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience.

C. The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple.

D. From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture.

5.Which is the best title for this passage?

A.  Different countries, different customs     B.  Old people, old customs

C.  Different restaurants, different services    D.  Differences between old and young

School education is very important and useful. The students both learn knowledge and get educated. Yet, no one can learn everything from school. Scientists, such as Edison, Newton, Galileo and Einstein, didn't learn everything from school. They learnt a lot of knowledge outside school or practiced a lot themselves. A teacher, though he knows a lot, can't teach his students everything.
　　The teacher's job is to teach his students how to learn, how to read and how to think. A good teacher with rich experience in teaching can teach his students the methods (="ways)" of study. Through these methods students are able to learn and get a lot of things by themselves.
Usually it's very easy for students to memorize some knowledge, but it is difficult to use it to solve problems. If a teacher really teaches students the ability(能力) of how to use knowledge, it means the teacher has learned lots of knowledge by himself(or herself). The success in learning shows he or she knows how how how to study.
根据课文内容选择最佳答案（每题两分，共10分）
【小题1】From the passage we know ________.

完形填空 (共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分)
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项
What will you do to make sure you reach your goals? There are 1 main steps .
First, sit down and 　2 your dreams out. By writing them you will get a better idea of where you really want to go. Imagine yourself at the end of the year or maybe 3　 five years. What do you see? 4 do people see you? What are you doing? Are you 　5　?
Well, a dream is just that. It’s a vision (远见) of how you 　6　 yourself in the future. As long as you know the direction in which you want to go, you can begin 　7　 some goals.
8 come the goals. Goals are ‘wants’. So are dreams, but goals are more specific (具体的). If you want to be rich, tell how much 9 you need to be rich. If you want 　10 grades, tell what you mean by ‘good’. In fact, the more specific the goal is, the 　11　 it will be to get it. Give numbers and times. Don’t use words like ‘lots’ or ‘more’. 　12, I want a ‘B’ in each of my subjects.
Third are the objectives (目标). They tell 　13　 what you will do and when you will do it. When you think about what you will do, don’t use words like ‘　14　’ or ‘maybe’. Be sure your objectives can be measured (估量). Every day or every week you can ask, ‘Did I 　15　 this?’ and you can answer with either a yes or a no. Don’t leave room for ‘maybes’.