The driver was at ___ loss when ____word came that he was forbidden to drive for speeding.

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

I needn’t have been in such a hurry. The flight to Hong Kong _____ due to the typhoon.

  A. has cancelled      B. was cancelled         C. will be canceling  D. had cancelled

The machine has been used for man years. It’s no wonder that it doesn’t work well __________.

  A. regularly            B. constantly          C. frequently       D. occasionally

In South-East Asia, many farmers cannot afford _____ farm equipment such as tractors, so most of the work is done with human labour.

A. considerate        B. conventional       C. confidential         D. correctional

When he realized the police had spotted him, the man ____ the exit as quickly as possible.

A. made off      B. made for     C. made out     D. made up

—I'd like Johnson to take the job.

—He is____ . Better not add to his workload.

  A. out of place    B. out of order       C. out of shape       D. out of question

— Are you in favor of Tom’s suggestion ____we work around the clock to meet the deadline?

— No. But ______ Jimmy suggested to me sounds practical.

              A. which; what     B. that; that     C. which; that     D. that; what

Not far from the club, there is a garden, its owner _____ in it _______bridge with his children every afternoon.

A. seated; plays    B. seats; plays    C. seated; playing    D. seats; playing

— Could you bring me that novel you _________ me about when I dropped in on you?

— Sorry, I can’t. I have given it to a friend.

A. told        B. would tell     C. had told      D. had been telling

—My computer ____start, no matter how hard I try.

—It might have crashed.

A. won't   B. shouldn't   C. mustn't        D. wouldn't

Do you still remember how many years ago_________ we first met on campus?

   A. was it that       B. it was that         C. was it when        D. it was when

—What do you think about that new librarian?

—She is ______ of a good clerk, for she even doesn’t know how to classify the books.

A. somebody          B. nothing            C. something             D. nobody

Even in winter the roadsides were places of beauty, _______ countless birds came to feed on the berries and on the seed heads of the dried weeds rising above the snow.

A. which             B. when             C. where               D. what

The first thing you must remember is that in order to succeed, it is almost compulsory that you ______ optimistic.

   A. be               B. are               C. must be            D. have been

-----Tom, I’m sorry to say that I can’t go to watch tonight’s match with you, for I have to prepare for the coming exam.

----- _______ . Have some fun!

A. Don’t have too many irons in the fire.     B. Don’t be a wet blanket.

C. Don’t put the cart before the horse.      D. Don’t pull my leg.

You may have heard of Osceola McCarty, an 88-year-old woman in Mississippi who had worked for over 75 years as a 36    woman.

One day after she retired, she went to the bank and discovered that her small monthly   37     had grown to over＄150,000. Then to everyone’s surprise, she turned around and   38     almost all of the money to the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) for a   39 fund for students with financial needs. Immediately, she made national   40 .

What you have not heard is how Osceola’s gift had   41  my life. I am 19 years old and the first   42  of an Osceola McCarty Scholarship.

I was a   43  student, and I was determined to go to USM. But I   44  being qualified for a regular scholarship by one point on the entrance exams, and a scholarship was the   45  way I could attend.

One Sunday, I came across the story in the paper about Osceola McCarty and her generous    46  . The next day I went to the financial aid office, and they told me there was still no money    47  for me, but if anything came up they’d call.

A few days later, I was going out with my mother   48  the phone rang. I was told I had been chosen to be given the first Osceola McCarty Scholarship. I was   49  !

McCarty worked hard her whole life, washing clothes by hand. Now that she is   50  , she sits most of the day and reads the Bible, that is, when she is not getting rewards. Every time I go to visit her, she has a new    51  . She’s even gone to the White House. She is so happy and proud. We have tried to talk her into getting a VCR (录像机) so she can tape the programs and see   52  on TV—she just smiles.

McCarty gave me much more than a scholarship. She taught me about the gift of   53  . Now I know there are good people in the world who do good things. She worked hard and helped others, and in turn she has inspired me to   54  when I can some day. So   55  I plan to add to her scholarship fund.

36. A. café                                B. buffet                                          C. laboratory                            D. laundry

37. A. expenses                  B. profits                                C. savings                                D. wages

38. A. returned                            B. donated                            C. delivered                             D. removed

39. A. welfare                      B. project                                          C. scholarship                            D. research

40. A. headlines                  B. customs                            C. sympathies                            D. doubts

41. A. affected                                B. formed                                C. disturbed                            D. ruined

42. A. designer                    B. receiver                              C. contributor                D. reporter

43. A. considerate      B. dedicated                            C. casual                             D. sensitive

44. A. advocated                  B. regretted                            C. missed                                D. avoided

45. A. normal                      B. wrong                                C. legal                                          D. only

46. A. gift                                    B. idea                                          C. decision                            D. plan

47. A. left                                 B. raised                                            C. available                            D. enough

48. A. since                                  B. before                                          C. though                                          D. when

49. A. shocked                                B. excited                                C. puzzled                            D. encouraged

50. A. retired                      B. dismissed                            C. promoted                            D. transferred

51. A. job                                              B. hobby                                          C. life                                          D. award

52. A. everybody                   B. everything                            C. herself                                          D. us

53. A. giving                                B. understanding  C. receiving                            D. loving

54. A. give up                                B. give back                  C. give off                                D. give in

55. A. suddenly                    B. originally                            C. gradually                            D. eventually

The right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights of any democracy. Yet, for too long, too many of our fellow citizens were denied that right simply because of the color1 of their skin.

     Fifty years ago this week, President Lyndon Johnson signed a law to change that. The Voting Rights Act broke down legal barriers that stood between millions of African Americans and their constitutional right to cast ballot(投票). It was, and still is, one of the greatest victories in our country’ s struggle for civil rights. But it didn’t happen overnight. Countless men and women marched and organized, sat in and stood up, for our most basic rights. For this, they were called agitators(挑拨者) and un-American; they were jailed and beaten. Some were even killed. But in the end, they reaffirmed (重申)the idea at the very heart of America: that people who love this country can change it.

     Our country is a better place because of all those heroes did for us. But as one of those heroes, Congressman John Lewis, reminded us in Selma this past March, “There’s still work to be done.” Fifty years after the Voting Rights Act, there are still too many barriers to vote, and too many people trying to erect（建立）new ones. We’ve seen laws that roll back early voting, force people to jump through hoops to cast a ballot or lead to legitimate (合法的) voters being improperly purged from the rolls. Over the years, we have seen provisions (规定) specifically designed to make it harder for some of our fellow citizens to vote. In a democracy like ours, with a history like ours, that’s a disgrace. That’s why, as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, I’m calling on Congress to pass new legislation to make sure every American has equal access to the polls.

     It’s why I support the organizers getting folks registered in their communities. And it’s why, no matter what party you support, my message to every American is simple: get out there and vote—not just every four years, but every chance you get, because your elected officials will only heed(留心) your voice if you make your voice heard. The promise that all of us are created equal is written into our founding documents but it’s up to us to make that promise real. Together, let’s do what Americans have always done: Let’s keep marching forward, keep perfecting our union, and keep building a better country for our kids.

[From Obama Weekly Address Aug 8th , 2015]

56. Many Americans were denied the right to vote simply because _____.

A. they were unwilling to go out and vote

B. they were agitators and un-American

C. too many people tried to erect new barriers

D. the color1 of their skin was different

57. What message does President Barack Obama want to convey in this speech

A. The President underlined that all people are created equal.

B. The President celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.

C. The President reaffirmed the commitment to protecting the right to vote.

D. The President called on everyone to seize every chance to elect officials.

Sleep deprivation(缺失)is an important hidden factor in lowering the achievement of school pupils, according to researchers carrying out international education tests.

It is a particular problem in richer countries with sleep experts linking it to the use of mobile phones and computers in bedroom late at night. Sleep deprivation is such a serious problem that lessons have to be dragged down to a lower level to suit sleep-deprived learners, the study found. The international comparison, carried out by Boston College, found the United States to have the highest number of sleep-deprived students, with 73% of 9- and 10-year-olds and 80% of 13- and 14-year-olds identified by their teachers as being negatively affected.

In literacy(读写能力) tests there were 76% of 9- and 10-year-olds lacking sleep. This was much higher than the international average of 47% of primary pupils needing more sleep and 57% among the secondary age group.

Other countries with the most sleep-deprived youngsters were New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Australia, England, Ireland and France. High-performing Finland is also among the most lacking in sleep. Countries with the best records for getting enough sleep include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Japan and Malta.

The analysis was part of the huge date-gathering process for global education rankings, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study(PIRLS)

“I think we underestimate the impact of sleep. Our data show that across countries internationally, on average, children who have more sleep achieve higher in maths, science and reading. That is exactly what our data show,” says Chad Minnich of the TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Center.

“It’s the same link for children who are lacking basic nutrition,” says Mr Minnich, based at the Lynch School of Education, Boston College. “If you are unable to concentrate, to attend mentally, you are unable to achieve at your best level, because your mind and body are in need of something more basic. Sleep is a fundamental need for all children. If teachers report such large proportions of children suffering from lack of sleep, it’s having a significant impact. But worse than that, teachers are having to adjust their instruction based on those children who are suffering from a lack of sleep. The children who are suffering from a lack of sleep are driving down instruction.”

That means that even the children who are getting enough sleep are still suffering from this sleep-related lowering.

58.What did the researchers of Boston College try to find?

A. Why children don’t get enough sleep        

B. How many hours children sleep every night

C. The relationship between sleep and test results 

D. The relationship between sleep and health

59. Many children suffer from sleep deprivation because _________.

A. they sit in front of the TV for too long         

B. they can hardly sleep soundly and deeply

C. their homework occupies too much of their time 

D. modern technological devices consume a lot of their time

60. Which of the following countries has the most sleep-deprived students?

A. Japan              B. Malta         C. Finland         D. Portugal

61. Why are children who get enough sleep also victims?

A. Because they are disturbed by sleep-deprived students

B. Because teaching is driven down by sleep-deprived students

C. Because they have to spend time helping sleep-deprived students

D. Because the teachers waste time disciplining sleep-deprived students

Today, many species of animals and plants are endangered. This means they are in danger of becoming extinct and living on only in the pages of history books. The famous dodo is a classic example of a creature that became extinct. A flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius, it was discovered by sailors in 1598 but was hunted to extinction by 1681.

Hunting has caused the Bengal tiger and the African elephant to be endangered today but habitat destruction can also lead to extinction. This is equally true for plants. Animals and plants disappear for other reasons too, but the main cause is often a disruption（打乱，破坏） in the natural food chain, whether due to hunting, habitat destruction, or even the introduction of alien species.

The natural food chain is the cycle that governs the existence of all life on this planet. It is a carefully balanced cycle and any imbalance that occurs can cause knock-on effects that have serious consequences. At the beginning of the natural food chain are plants which turn sunlight into energy and draw nutrients from the earth. Plants are called producers.

After the producers come the consumers. There are three tiers of consumers. First are creatures such as plant-eating animals, fish and insects which feed off the producers. These animals that only eat plants are called herbivores. The second tier of consumers is carnivores - animals that live off other animals. The third tier of consumers eats both other animals and plants. These consumers, including most humans, are called omnivores.

After animals and plants die, they become food for other smaller creatures, such as bacteria and some plants, such as fungi. As they feed, these creatures turn the dead bodies back into gases and minerals which are again food for the producers at the beginning of the food chain. And so the cycle continues.

All of nature is connected and governed by hundreds of these delicate food chains and if a single plant in the chain cannot survive, then the insects that live off the plant start to die and the animals that eat the insects also start to die.

When a food chain is disrupted, the consequences can be extremely serious. One estimate suggests that for each plant species that is lost, up to 30 animals and insects may also die out. One wonders how many species were affected by the extinction of the dodo?

Humans can have disastrous effects on food chains. We've already mentioned hunting but now let's look at travel. When people first started to explore the world they took plant and animal species from their home countries and introduced them wherever they went. They didn't realize that by introducing alien species they were disrupting the natural food chains of the areas they discovered. Although there are strict rules in place today controlling the import and export of alien species, some places are still fighting the effects of aliens introduced hundreds of years ago.

For example, Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean is a breeding ground for albatrosses that have been nesting there for centuries. But in the 19th century, mice from passing ships were brought to the island. Being a species alien to the island, they had no natural predators and have now grown to such a size that they are attacking and killing albatross chicks. If they are allowed to continue, they will wipe out the albatross population.

With import laws and people's rising awareness of how humans affect the natural environment, hopefully we can learn to fit better into the natural food chains that govern our world. Otherwise we need to accept that the loss of any more plants and animals could eventually mean our own extinction.

62. What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

A. Hunting and habitat destruction lead to extinction.

B. Many species of animals and plants are endangered.

C. Plants and animals become extinct for the same reasons.

D. The main cause of extinction is often a disruption in the natural food chain.

63. Which of the following sentence is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Strict rules alone can remove the bad effects of alien species.

B. Plants, herbivores and carnivores are the three tiers of consumers.

C. If a bird becomes extinct, the relevant food chain will be disrupted.

D. Animals and plants become extinct because alien species are imported.

64. By mentioning the mice in Gough Island, the author intends to highlight ______.

A. mice worldwide are growing all the time

B. being aliens, they had no natural predators

C. some places are still fighting the effects of aliens

D. traveling can have disastrous effects on food chains

65. What is the best title of the passage?

A. Survival of the fittest.                     B. Endangered animals and plants.

C. How to protect the natural environment.    D. The link between food chains and extinction.

What will higher education look like in 2050? That was the question addressed Tuesday night by Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University.

“We’re at the end of the fourth wave of change in higher education,” Crow began, arguing that research universities followed the initial establishment of higher education, public colleges, and land-grant schools in the timeline of America.

In less than a half-century, he said, global market competition will be at its fastest rates of change ever, with several multitrillion-dollar economies worldwide. According to a recent projection, the nation’s population could reach 435 million, with a large percentage of those residents economically disadvantaged. In addition, climate change will be “meaningfully uncontrollable” in many parts of the world.

The everyday trends seen today, such as declining performance of students at all levels, particularly in math and science, and declining wages and employment among the less educated, will only continue, Crow maintained, and are, to say the least, not contributing to fulfilling the dream of climbing the social ladder mobility, quality of life, sustainable environment, and longer life spans that most Americans share.

“How is it that we can have these great research universities and have negative-trending outcomes?” Crow said in a talk “I hold the universities accountable. … We are part of the problem.”

Among the “things that we do that make the things that we teach less learnable,” Crow said, are the strict separation of disciplines, academic rigidity, and conservatism, the desire of universities to imitate schools at the top of the social ranks, and the lack of the computer system ability that would allow a large number of students to be educated for a small amount of money.

Since 2002, when Crow started being in charge at Arizona State — which he calls the “new American university” — he has led more than three dozen initiatives that aim to make the school “inclusive, scalable, fast, adaptive, challenge-focused, and willing to take risks.”

Among those initiatives were a restructuring of the engineering and life sciences schools to create more linkages between disciplines; the launch of the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the School of Sustainability; the start of a Teachers College to address K-12 performance and increase the status of the Education Department at the university; and broadened access, increasing the freshman class size by 42 percent and the enrollment of students living below the poverty line by 500 percent.

Universities must start, Crow noted, “by becoming self-reflective architects, figuring out what we have and what we actually need instead of what legend tells us we have to be.” Research universities today have “run their course,” he added. “Now is the time for variety.”

During a discussion afterward, Crow clarified and expanded on some of his points. He discussed, for example, the school’s distance-learning program. “Nearly 40 percent of undergraduates are taking at least one course online,” he said, which helps the school to keep costs down while advancing interactive learning technologies.

He said that Arizona State is working to increase the transfer and completion rates of community-college students, of whom only about 15 percent, historically, complete their later degrees. “We’ve built a system that will allow them to track into universities,” particularly where “culturally complex barriers” beyond finances limit even the most gifted students.

66. The fourth wave of change in America’s higher education refers to _______.

A. public colleges                                   B. land-grant schools

C. research universities                             D. initial higher education

67. Which is NOT part of the American dream most people share?

A. People enjoy a quality life.                    B. People live longer and longer.

C. The freedom to move around.                D. An environment that is sustainable.

68. Which is an initiative adopted by Crow at Arizona State University?

A. Restructuring the teachers College.

B. Launching the School of Life Sciences.

C. Ignoring the linkages between disciplines.

D. Enrolling more students from poor families.

69. Which one is similar to the underlined word “architect” in meaning?

A. The author of the guidebook is an architect by profession.

B. If you want to refurnish the house, consult the architect.

C. Deng Xiaoping is one of the architects of the PRC.

D. Tom is considered one of the best landscape architect here.

70. With the distance-learning program, Arizona State University is able to ______.

A. enroll 40% of its students online

B. keep costs down without a loss of quality

C. provide an even greater number of courses

D. attract the most gifted students all over the world

What is eco-­fashion？Eco-fashion is about making clothes that take into account the environment, the health of consumers and the working conditions of people in the fashion industry.  It is a complex phenomenon and the common use of the term covers two aspects of fashion —‘ecological’ and ‘ethical’．Ecological fashion usually refers to textile （织物） and clothing production processes and the environmental issues surrounding them；ethical fashion generally relates to the working conditions involved in the producing processes.

What are the problems with fashion？A closer look at the fashion industry points out many problems that are common practices in the creation of our fashions from the field to the factory. Firstly，the production of textiles pollutes the environment heavily. Cotton-­planting uses pesticides；sheep-­farming and wool-­cleaning contribute to global warming；synthetics­-making （人造纤维生产） brings about waste which does harm to our environment. Secondly，every stage of clothing production has a significant effect on the environment. They all use a great deal of energy，and some also involve harmful chemicals. In addition to this，there is a lot of waste produced in the process，especially in the form of polluted water. Thirdly，growing consumption levels and our shopping habits further worsen the bad effects. We are now buying clothes in increasing quantities without realizing the scale on which it affects natural environment，and we are also quick to throw away clothes that have been worn only a couple of times.

Then，how to solve the problems? Other industries that design products are ahead of the fashion industry when it comes to choosing sustainable materials, designing for minimum waste, choosing energy efficient manufacturing and creating products for longevity. The fashion industry has been slow to adopt these changes and part of the problem is the very nature of fashion. To a large degree，it is the fashion producers that really have the power and the responsibility to shape our future. There are numerous ways in which these producers can reduce their ecological footprint，from switching to green energy and reducing energy use，through selecting sustainable materials and choosing local suppliers，to recycle and minimize waste. On the other hand，as consumers we can all make contributions by selecting environmentally friendly clothing and reducing clothing consumption.

There is some concern that eco friendly fashions are just a trend that we will eventually grow tired of but we can make sure that doesn''''t happen. Now many people are beginning to shop for organic food products because the benefits of eating food free of chemicals are straightforward and immediate. They relate directly to our personal health. In fact, choosing eco­fashion can also contribute to our personal health, though it is mostly done by way of keeping the health of the planet.

Why choose eco-fashion?

71 of fashion

Ecological

Textile & clothing production processes;

Issues related to 72

Ethical

Working 73 involved

Problems with fashion

Textile 74

Cotton-planting: use of pesticides;

Sheep-­farming & wool­-cleaning: global warming;

Synthetics-making: 75 waste

Clothing production

Producing a lot of waste;

Using harmful chemicals;

76 a great deal of energy

Consumption levels & shopping habits

New clothes: bought in increasing quantities

Old clothes: 77 away quickly

78 to problems

Fashion producers

Ways to recycle and 79 waste:

Switching to green energy;

Reducing energy use;

Selecting sustainable materials;

Choosing local suppliers

___80__

Selecting environmentally friendly clothing

Reducing clothing consumption

Choosing eco-­fashion can contribute to our personal health.

Once upon a time some tiny frogs held a competition. The first to reach the top of a very high tower would be the winner.

A big crowd gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer them on.

The race began. No one in the crowd really believed that any of the tiny frogs would reach the top of tower. “They will never get to the top! They will never succeed!” someone said.

One by one, the tiny frogs began to collapse (退下).

The crowd kept shouting, “It is too difficult! No frog will make it!”

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up, but one continued climbing, higher and higher. This one wouldn’t give up.

In the end, he was the only one left—the only one to get to the top. The other frogs naturally wanted to know: How did the frog make it？

One frog stepped forward to ask the winner. It turned out that the winner was deaf.

He had won because he was able to keep his own mind. He was able to keep trying. He couldn’t hear criticism; neither could he hear praise.

We learn a lesson from this story: don’t let others’ praise or criticism to hold you back on your way to succeed.

[写作内容]

(1) 以约30个词概括寓言故事的大意。

(2) 然后以120个词就“如何对待别人的批评和表扬”这个主题发表你的看法, 并包括如下要点：

1) 叙述着个寓言给你的启示以及你对他人的批评和表扬的态度；

2 以事例说明他人的批评或表扬给你的感受和对你的影响；

3) 谈谈中学生应该如何对待老师的批评和表扬。

[写作要求]

(1)    可以使用自己或他人的故事, 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；

(2)    评分标准   概括准确、语言规范、内容合适、篇章连贯。