Many books have been written about “the art of giving”. And we also know that it’s hard to give people a gift,

______a personal one. If we want to make it better, we should understand who you will give the gift to and their likes and _______.

As is often the case, some little kids think they don’t get enough gifts ______ some old people think they get too many gifts. Different people like different kinds of gifts. Some presents are never too _______. For example, when a little child just gives his or her mother a leaf from a tree, it is enough to make her very__________.

Gift giving is different in different _______. Here are some of their likes. In Japan, people sometimes give special gifts. But they are not opened. Later, the same gift may be given away to someone________, because many people have enough things and don’t want ________ gifts themselves. In Canada, a tree can help remember________. In the USA, some people ask their families and friends to give money to charity rather than buying them gifts. In Sweden, doing something for someone is the best gift. People don’t need to ________ too much money. Instead, making a meal for him or her is enough.

To make things ________, some people would rather just give money. In some cultures, however,____________ money can make people uncomfortable. “When someone gives me money, it just makes me think they’re being lazy,” says John Wilson. “In England, we have a saying: It’s the thought that ______. When someone gives me money, I feel they don’t think it about at all. I prefer to receive a gift________ has some thought behind it.”

Different people have very different thoughts _______this subject! So maybe the art of giving is difficult! What do you think?

1.A. usually B. especially C. commonly D. generally

2.A. dislikes B. unlike C. disadvantages D. disagreements

3.A. whether B. when C. if D. while

4.A. same B. similar C. small D. big

5.A. lonely B. happy C. angry D. good

6.A. cities B. towns C. counties D. countries

7.A. else B. other C. else’s D. another

8.A. many too B. much too C. too many D. too much

9.A. a child B. a person C. a guide D. a teacher

10.A. spend B. take C. cost D. have

11.A. more difficult B. easily C. easier D. more easily

12.A. using B. giving C. receiving D. lending

13.A. counts B. invents C. finds D. knows

14.A. who B. what C. it D. that

15.A. in B. on C. before D. after

The yearly Academy Awards ceremony was once a private affair. Now, because of television, it is very much a public affair. Hundreds of people gather in Hollywood to see the Oscars presented to outstanding actors, and others involved in the motion picture industry. Millions more watch on television.

It all began on May 16, 1929, when 270 men and women sat down to dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. There was no secret about the winners. The names of the winners had been known for months．Janet Gaynor, for example, had won as Best Actress．Douglas Fairbanks presented her with the famous gold statue. The little statue was not then called Oscar. Like a new actor, Oscar was unknown. About six years later, it somehow got that renowned name. A number of explanations have been offered for its origin, but nobody knows the true story for certain.

Nowadays the results of the Oscar voting are kept secret. Only two people know the winners before the names are announced at the ceremony. The counting of votes is not done by one group of people but by different groups. Nobody except two members of an accounting company sees the final results.

The information is not kept in open files. Winners' names are placed in closed envelopes．The accountants each carry a complete set of envelopes to the ceremony．One set is simply a spare to be used in case something happens to the other one．

1.As used in Paragraph 2, “renowned” means________.

A. strange B. wonderful C. much-disliked D. famous

2.May 16, 1929 marks ________.

A. Douglas Fairbanks' first winning of an Academy Award

B. The first time Oscar got its name

C. The first time the Awards were kept secret

D. Janet Gaynor's recognition as Best Actress

3.Two sets of envelopes are prepared for the ceremony ________.

A. one for New York, one for Hollywood B. in order to be perfectly safe

C. one for the ceremony, one for the newspapers D. just because that is the custom

This March is a busy month in Shanghai. There’s a lot to do. Here are the interesting activities.

Live Music—Late Night Jazz

Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Davis, the famous drum player. He’s coming with his new 7-piece band, Herbie’s Heroes. Herbie is known to play well in the early hours, so don’t expect to get much sleep. This is Herbie’s third visit to Shanghai. The first two were sold out, so get your tickets quickly.

PLACE：The Jazz Club DATES：15~23 March

PRICE：￥80, ￥120 TIME：10:00p.m. till late!

TEL：6466-8736

PLACE：The Jazz Club DATES：15~23 March

PRICE：￥80, ￥120 TIME：10:00p.m. till late!

TEL：6466-8736

Scottish dancing

Take your partners and get ready to dance till you drop. Scottish dancing is fun and easy to learn. Instructors will explain the dances. The live band, Gordon Stroppie and The Weefrees and also excellent.

PLACE：Jack Stein’s DATES：every Monday

PRICE：￥60, ￥including one drink TIME：7:00~10:00p.m.

TEL：6402-1877

PLACE：Jack Stein’s DATES：every Monday

PRICE：￥60, ￥including one drink TIME：7:00~10:00p.m.

TEL：6402-1877

Exhibitions—Shanghai Museum

There are 120,000 pieces on show here. You can see the whole of Chinese history under one roof, It’s always interesting to visit, but doubly at the moment with the Egyptian Tombs Exhibition. There are lots of mummies and more gold than you’ve ever seen before. Let us know if you see a mummy move!

PLACE：Shanghai Museum

PRICE：￥30,(￥15 for students)

TEL：6888-6888 DATES：daily

TIME：Monday ~ Friday 9:00a.m. ~ 5:00p.m. , Weekends 9:00a.m. ~ 9:00p.m.

PLACE：Shanghai Museum

PRICE：￥30,(￥15 for students)

TEL：6888-6888 DATES：daily

TIME：Monday ~ Friday 9:00a.m. ~ 5:00p.m. , Weekends 9:00a.m. ~ 9:00p.m.

Dining—Sushi chef in town

Sushi is getting really big in Shanghai. In Japan, it’s become an art form. The most famous Sushi“artist”is Yuki Kamura. She’s also one of the few female chefs in Japan. She’ll be at Sushi Scene all of this month.

PLACE：Sushi Scene in the DATES：all month

PRICE：￥200 TIME：lunchtime

TEL：6690-3211

PLACE：Sushi Scene in the DATES：all month

PRICE：￥200 TIME：lunchtime

TEL：6690-3211

For a full list of events, please see our website.

1.Suppose you are going to attend an activity at 8:00p.m.on Saturday, which one can you choose?

A. Live Music—Late Night Jazz

B. Scottish dancing

C. Exhibitions—Shanghai Museum

D. Dining—Sushi chef in town

2.Which of the following is True according to the advertisements?

A. The performance given by the American jazz band won’t last long.

B. Scottish dancing is so interesting and easy that it will never tire you out.

C. Kamura made Sushi popular in Shanghai.

D. It is more interesting to visit Shanghai Museum with the exhibits from Egypt.

3.From the text we may guess that Kamura is .

A. a cook B. a waitress C. an instructor D. an artist

I have a neighbor we call “Happy”. I have never seen her angry at anything and never heard her say a mean word to anyone or about anyone.

Happy and her husband Ben, 70, have a huge garden. They spent many happy hours together working on it. Most of the neighbors watched interestingly as Ben doubled the size of their garden. As the cost of food climbed faster than Ben’s beans, we all wished we also had such a large garden. As the rest of us spent our dollars at the market, Happy could be seen picking beans in her back yard.

Last month, Happy and Ben invited most of the neighborhood over for an “all-day food fest”. We were told to bring gloves and arrive very early in the morning. We didn’t know what was about to take place. 

By 9:00 am, there were nine of us in the garden picking tomatoes, beans, peppers, and cucumbers. By 10:00 am, there was lots of laughter. We shared a lot of stories. By five o’clock, everyone was a little drunk from the wine and beer. After dinner, we played games. As we were leaving, Happy and Ben handed each of us a shopping bag filled with the vegetables of the day, already packaged and frozen. What a delightful gift!

Well, the point wasn’t so much about the food. The true gift was a day of friends enjoying one another’s company. None of it would have happened if it had been for Happy and Ben’s garden. Now they have a blog about gardening in case we decided to plant a garden. And I am so proud of my tomato plants!

1.We can infer that Happy and her husband Ben_______.

A. don’t like spending time with others

B. sometimes quarrel with each other

C. live on the food they grow in their garden

D. are a generous and warm-hearted couple

2.According to paragraph 2, people wish they also had a garden so that_______.

A. they didn’t have to spend so much money on food

B. they could grow vegetables and sell at the market

C. they could invite their neighbors and hold parties in it

D. they could spend happy times together with their family in it

3.For what purpose did Happy and Ben invite the neighbors to their garden?

A. To ask them to attend a birthday party

B. To help them get to know each other.

C. To let them enjoy what they grew in the garden.

D. To ask them to share some interesting stories.

4.What did the writer most probably think of the time he spent in the garden?

A. It was too long B. It was wonderful.

C. It was not as good as he thought. D. It was too terrible.

Complete Sentence B to make it the same as Sentence A in meaning.

1.A: The volunteers took care of the injured who once joined in World War II.

B: The volunteers _______ _______ _______ ______the injured who once joined in World War II.

2.A: Generally a baby can use a knife and fork when he is about three years old.

B: ______ ______ ______ ______, a baby can use a knife and fork when he is about three years old.

3.A: The White House, one of the most beautiful buildings, is situated in the east of America.

B: The White House, one of the most beautiful buildings, ______ ______ in the east of America.

4.A: The only thing we should do is to believe our government even though we don’t know how to deal with the Trade war.

B: The only thing we should do is to believe our government even though we don’t know ____ ____ ____ _____ the Trade war.

Rewrite the sentences according to the requirements.

1.I don’t think he’s got the highest score in the final exam, ____________? (Tag question.)

2.The newest research showed that people who attended the music concert twice a week lived longer than the normal people. (Emphasize the underline part.)

3.The meteorologist used a really exciting way to present the weather forecast last night. (Change it into an exclamatory sentence.)

4.Does Linda notice her roommates practise singing in the classroom every Friday afternoon? (Change it into passive voice.)

5.Mark asked his daughter, “Will you send your application form to the college tomorrow?”

(Change it into indirect speech.)

6.Some parents found it unnecessary to take part in some useless competitions to waste their children’s spare time. (Change it into a complex sentence.)

Find the only mistake in each line and correct it.

English is the widest used language in the history of 21. 1.

our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it.

More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of

international mails write in English. Of all languages, English has 22. 2.

the largest vocabulary — perhaps as much as two million words. 23. 3.

However, let’s face it: English is crazy language. There 24. 4.

is no egg in an eggplant, either pine nor apple in a pineapple 25. 5.

and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, when 26. 6.

sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes, (矛盾)

we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,

public bathrooms have no baths in it. 27. 7.

English shown the creativity of human beings is invented 28. 8.

by creative people. That’s why, when stars are out, they are

visible; but when the light are out, they are invisible. 29. 9.

If you continue to discover more, you find the beauty of 30. 10.

the language.

Choose the right sentences to complete the article.

The Taj Mahal is a love story, a sad and beautiful one.1.. Three hundred years ago, there lived an Indian emperor called Shah Jahan. His wife was a beautiful and bright woman whom he loved greatly. Her title was Mumtazl Mahan: its shortened form Taj Mahan, means “pride of the palace”. In the year 1630 this beloved wife of the emperor died. 2.. He decided out of his love for his wife, to build her the most beautiful tomb that had ever been seen.

3.. It took more than twenty thousand men working over a period of 18 years to build the Taj Mahan, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

The building itself stands on a marble platform 29 meters square and 6-7 meters high. 4.. The Taj itself raises another 61 meters into the air. It is an eight-sided building made of white marble.

The emperor planned to build the same tomb (墳?zāi)?of black marble for himself. 5.. However his son put him into a prison in the palace before he could finish, and for the rest of his life, he could only gaze across river at the tomb of his beloved wife.

A. It sets on the other side of the river connected by a silver bridge.

B. He was so brokenhearted that he thought of giving up his throne.

C. If it didn’t exist, we would easily imagine that the story of its construction was simply a fairy tale.

D. Towers rise from each of the four corners.

E. He organized the best artists and architects(建筑師) from India, Turkey, Persia and Arabia and finally, the design was complete.

A. It sets on the other side of the river connected by a silver bridge.

B. He was so brokenhearted that he thought of giving up his throne.

C. If it didn’t exist, we would easily imagine that the story of its construction was simply a fairy tale.

D. Towers rise from each of the four corners.

E. He organized the best artists and architects(建筑師) from India, Turkey, Persia and Arabia and finally, the design was complete.

Read the passage carefully and complete the table with only one word for each blank.

Mayme Clayton collected books, magazines and letters written by African Americans. Her son, Avery Clayton, thought her collection was important. Unlike most books, these were rare and hard to find. They were written by writers who helped shape African American culture.

One book in the collection was written by Phillis Wheatley. Wheatley was a slave who wrote poetry. She was the first African American to publish a book. Wheatley herself signed (簽名) the book in the Claytons’ collection. No one else owns a copy signed by Phillis Wheatley.

By the time she passed away at age 83, Mrs. Clayton had more than 30,000 books by or about black people. Her collection also includes papers about slaves, photographs, movies, sheet music, and personal letters by black leaders and artists. It is one of the biggest personal collections of African American history and culture in the United States.

Avery Clayton’s dream was to create a museum for his mother’s treasures. Scholars say that Mrs. Clayton’s collection is very important. Without her work, part of African American heritage (遺產(chǎn)) would have been lost. “We didn’t know these things existed,” says Sara Hadron of California’s Huntington Library.

The collections new home is likely to be in Culver City, California. Part of Avery Clayton’s dream is to share the cultural riches his mother collected with others. He especially wants kids to have a chance to see the collection. “At present African American culture is being explained by pop culture,” he says, “It’s important to offer a more complete picture.”

Read the passage carefully and answer the questions according what you’ve read.

In most towns today, you can see teenagers standing over electronic machines with flashing lights, shooting at spaceships from other planets and dropping bombs on strange monsters. The machines have names like Space Warrior, Dark Invader and so on. It used to be believed that damage was done only to those strange visitors from outer space, but now it seems that they are striking back.

Many teenagers like electronic games so much that they can't stop playing. They spend hours tightly holding the joystick controls and constantly pressing buttons marked” fire”. They develop pains on their fingers because of the constant pressure. They play and play so that the pains have no chance to cure properly. The rapid wrist movement required to guide the spaceship across the screen causes another problem: The muscles of the wrist and arm become so inflamed (發(fā)炎的)and swollen that they press against the bones. This condition is what doctors now call "Space Warrior's Wrist". Other strange aches and pains also are likely to affect the elbows and shoulders.

Another even more alarming problem is shown by the case of a 17-year-old girl which was recently in the British Medical Journal. She had been playing various kinds of electronic games for more than two hours a day. Her father repaired games and machines and she could use the cassettes and systems in his workshop as often as she liked. One day, after playing a game called Dark Invader, she lost consciousness (暈倒) and fell to the floor.

Doctors who examined her found she was suffering from an unusual illness caused by lights flashing at a particular frequency.

1.What are the teenagers crazy about today in most towns? (Within 5 words)

_________________________________________________________________________.

2.What will happen to the teenagers if they spend too much time playing electronic games? (Two points within 15 words)

_________________________________________________________________________.

3.How long did the 17-year-old girl play different kinds of electronic games? (Within 10 words)

_________________________________________________________________________.

4.What was the cause of the girl’s unusual illness? (Within 10 words)

_________________________________________________________________________.

5.What does the passage mainly talk about? (Within 10 words)

__________________________________________________________________________.