As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week.

Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long?hours work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of l

iving and downshifting is one of them.

Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year. One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs(郊区), leaving their two children with a nanny(保姆). Most evenings Daniel wouldn't get home until eight or nine o'clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.

Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have a farm here,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It's taken some getting used to, but it's been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it's made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.”

Liz, however, is not quite sure. “I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I'm not really a country girl, but I suppose I'm gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.”

1.What do the first two paragraphs tell us?

A.People seldom work long hours to make money.

B.People hardly buy more things than necessary.

C.People are sure everything they own is in the right place.

D.People realise there is more to life than just making money. 

2.When Daniel was a reporter he  ________ .

A.lived in central London      B.disliked his job        

C.missed his children         D.was well paid 

3.Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm  ________.

A.was easy to organize         B.has improved family life        

C.was extremely expensive      D.has been a total success 

4.What does the underlined “it” in the last paragraph refer to?

A.Child?caring.    B.Liz's advice.       C.Downshifting.     D.Liz's job.

5.The underlined word “_________downshifting” in the second paragraph means  ________ .

A.repairing your car by yourself        

B.spending money carefully        

C.moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life        

D.living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week 

阅读下面一则网络帖子，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文，作为跟帖。

Hello there,

I’m writing to ask you for help. It’s really urgent because I’m considering running away from home. I feel like there's no way to fix the problem with my mother.

Yesterday evening, we had a heated argument at home after I got home a bit late again.

I had been at my friend’s birthday party. I explained it to her but she just didn’t believe me.

I do know my mother loves me very much and she wants me around every day, or even every minute.

But the fact is that I am 17 years and have my own life style. I am my parents’ only child and my mother says she wants me to have the best possible chance of happiness in the future. She is always telling me to behave well when I leave home or go out. What’s worse, whenever there is a cold war between my mother and me, my father often keeps silent. I am not only confused but also hurt. I don't know what to say or what to do to make things right. I think they are out of fashion and too old to know my inner part.

To tell the truth, I have packed up my backpack but am still at a loss.

Kate

[写作内容]

1. 以约30个词概括短文的要点;

2. 然后以约120个词就Kate遇到的困惑发表看法，并包括如下要点:

(1) 你认为Kate是否应该离家出走，为什么？

(2) 给Kate提出至少2－3点建议。

[写作要求]

可以使用实例或其它论述方法支持你的论点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

[评分标准]

概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。

If we are asked exactly what we were doing a year ago, we might have to say that we could not remember. But if we had kept a book and written in it an account (陈述) of what we did each day, we should be able to give an answer to the question.

It is the same in history. Many things have been forgotten because we do not have any written account of them. Sometimes men did keep a record of the important happenings in their country, but often it was destroyed by fire or in a war. Sometimes there was never any written record at all because the people of that time and place did not know how to write. For example, we know a great deal about the people who lived in china 4,000 years ago, because they could write and leave written records for whose who lived after them. But we know almost nothing about the people who lived even 200 years ago in central Africa, because they had not learned go write.

Sometimes, of course, even if the people cannot write, they may know something of the past. They have heard about it from older people, and often songs and dances and stories have been made about the most important happenings, and those have been sung and acted and told for many generations, for most people are proud to tell what their fathers did in the past. This we may call ‘remembered history’. Some of it has now been written history, because words are much more easily changed when used again and again in speech than when copied in writing. But where there are no written records, such spoken stories are often very helpful.  

Which of the following ideas is NOT talked about in the passage above?

A. “Remembered history” is less reliable than written history.

B. Written records of the past played a most important in our learning of the human history.

C.A written account of our daily activities helps us to remember what we have done

D. Where there are no written records, there is no history.

Remembered history”refers to          .

A. history based on a person’s imagination

B. stories of important happenings passed down from mouth to mouth

C. history written down in books

D. what we have learned and remembered in history lessons

“Remembered history”is regarded as valuable only when       .

A. it is written down                            B. there is no written account

C .is proves down                     D. people are interested in it

It can be inferred from the passage that we could have learned much more about our past than we do now if our ancestors had       .

A. kept a written record of every past event

B. not fought against one another in wars

C. told exact stories of the most important happenings

D. produced and taught more songs and dances

For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

Most people believe they don’t have much imagination. They are    50   .Everyone has imagination, but most of us, once we become adults, forget how to    51   it. Creativity isn’t always   52   with great works of art or ideas. People at work and in their free time   53   think of creative ways to solve problems. Maybe you have a goal to achieve, a tricky question to answer or you just want to expand your mind! Here are three techniques to help you.

Making connections This technique involves taking   54   ideas and trying to find links between them. First, think about the problem you have to solve or the job you need to do. Then find an image, word, idea or object, for example, a candle. Write down all the idea/words   55   with candles: light, fire, matches, wax, night, silence, etc. Think of as many as you can. The next stage is to relate the   56   to the job you have to do. So imagine you want to buy a friend an original   57   ; you could buy him tickets to match or take him out for the night.

NO limits! Imagine that normal limitations don’t   58   . You have as much time/space/money, etc. as you want. Think about your goal and the new   59   .If your goal is to learn to ski,   60   , you can now practise skiing every day of your life （because you have the time and the money）. Now    61    this to reality.  Maybe you can practise skiing ever day in December, or every Monday in January.

Be someone else! Look at the situation from a    62   point of view. Good businessmen use this technique in trade, and so do writes. Fiction writers often imagine they are the   63   in their books. They ask question: What does this character want? Why can’t she get it? What changes must she make to get what she wants? If your goal involves other people, put yourself in their    64   . The best fishermen think like fish!

50. A. wrong        B. unbelievable C. reasonable      D. realistic

51. A. put up with  B. catch up with    C. make use of     D. keep track of

52. A. equipped B. compared     C. covered     D. connected

53. A. skillfully   B. routinely        C. vividly     D. deeply

54. A. familiar    B. unrelated     C. creative    D. imaginary

55. A. presented    B. marked       C. lit         D. associated

56. A. ideas      B. ambitions     C. achievement   D. technique

57. A. experience   B. service          C. present      D. object

58. A. work     B. last         C. exist           D. change

59. A. possibilities    B. limitations      C. tendency    D. practice

60. A. in fact     B. in particular     C. as a whole      D. for example

61. A. devote      B. adapt          C. lead           D. keep

62. A. private     B. global           C. different    D. practical

63. A. features    B. themes           C. creatures    D. characters

64. A. positions    B. dreams      C. images           D. directions

It is reasonable to say that every teenager can be affected by peer pressure (从众心理) at some point. Every day, in any high school, peer pressure has a major influence over the behavior of teenagers. It can be as subtle (微妙的) as being persuaded to be late for class or as extreme as a dangerous drug. Whether subtle or extreme, peer pressure can have damaging, sometimes life changing, and even serious results.

“Teens don’t often consider the long-term results that some behavior can cause,” said Terri Price, a researcher. “Peer pressure can be very difficult to handle for many teens because of their fears of not fitting in”. Peer pressure has always been part of teen life, but teens experience it differently than their former generations did in the past. Sources of peer pressure have increased because of the Internet and other electronic communications.

Recognizing peer pressure can be as simple as noticing that you have been asked to do something that you are not comfortable with. “Listen to your instinct （直觉） , which is a sign for whether something is right or wrong. If it feels wrong, then most likely it is. ”says Price.

Teens are in a time of life when they are still discovering who they are. Many teens are influenced by peer pressure because of their insecurities (不安全感). This can make them helpless especially when their self-control is weak or they lack healthy support, causing them to take risky behavior or turn to unhealthy support.

Dealing with peer pressure is a topic of concern for teens. People can say, “Just say no,” but the truth is that the statement is easier said than done.

The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refers to                .

A. the Internet                               B. teen life

C. peer pressure                        D. the fear of not fitting in

You can know whether a teen suffers peer pressure by watching             .

A. whether he often surfs the Internet    B. whether he can get security

C. whether it is subtle or extreme       D. whether he feels comfortable with it

Why are teens easily influenced by peer pressure?

A. Because they don’t have the feeling of safety.

B. Because they are afraid of fitting in or being accepted.

C. Because they need support for their health.

D. Because they have nobody to turn to when in trouble.

According to the passage, we can know that dealing with peer pressure is           

A. easy                 B. hard                 C. a new topic               D. an impossible task