Passage 4 (2015江蘇泰州興化，C) 

    Do you know star anise? It has a Chinese name “ bajiao” ( 八角) .You can find this spice (調(diào)味料) in almost all Chinese kitchens.Suddenly people around the world need the small fruit from which the spice is made,because of bird flu (禽流感) .

    Bird flu has made tens of millions of birds die and killed at least 60 people in Asia. Scientists say if the flu changes to spread from per?son to person,it could kill millions!

    A medicine called Tamiflu (達(dá)菲) is supposed to fight bird flu in humans. Roche,a Swiss company,developed it. But Roche says it hasnH enough raw material (原料) to make lots of Tamiflu.The mate?rial is the Chinese spice star anise.

    About 90% of the world's star anise is produced in South China. The fruit is harvested between March and May.Besides spice,people also use it as medicine.

    People afraid of bird flu have begun to buy star anise and cook chicken and other meat with it more.But so far,no scientists say the spice could give protection (保護(hù)) .Some scientists say that eating the fruit itself wonH help against bird flu.

1.Most world's star anise is produced in    .

   A. Swiss   B. Africa

   C. Asia   D. South China According to the 2.passage,the underlined word “supposed” probably means  .

   A. thought   B. should

   C. felt   D. ought

3. Star anise is harvested    .

  A. for one month

  B.for half a year

  C. for almost three months

  D. all year round 

4. What's the main idea of this passage?

  A. The introduction of star anise.

  B.The influence of bird flu.

  C. The introduction of Tamiflu.

  D. Star anise is used to make medicine to help fight bird flu.

5. Which one is NOT right according to the passage?

  A. Star anise is a kind of spice.

  B. Most star anise is produced inChina.

  C. Bird flu is dangerous for people.

  D. Scientists say eating the spice can help against bird flu.

Passage 3 (2015江蘇揚(yáng)州廣陵區(qū)，C) 

    When my brother Joe was 6 months old,my mother brought him home from the hospital and told me to watch him while she fixed sup?per. We started playing a game I calleddogs" , rolling on the floor like pups (小狗) .Then I looked up and saw. my mother watching us.She was crying.

    He’ s  blind,she said.“The doctor told me today."

    I looked at Joe. He was laughing. “He can^Jt be blind, ^” I said. “He smiles at my face."

    He smiles at your voice,she said. “ He’ll never see your face.”

    That was that.Joe was blind.Mama went back to cooking. I went back to playing the game.From the age of 8 ,Joe boarded at a school for the blind’learning to read Braille (盲文). When he was 16 ,the school said heM learned enough and sent him home with a Braille typewriter.At 21,Joe moved out to live on his own,he said,“like a man”，in an apartmenl 48 kilometers away. He learned to cook,clean,and do almost anything else he needed.

    Then he met the love of his life. She was blind,too. When Joe called to tell me,he said/'Even a blind man can fall in love at first sight."

    They shared 10 good years before he lost her to cancer. Painfully soon after,he also lost our mother,who was his supporter,and our stepfather,who was Joe's best friend.

    What is left when you lose the loves of your life? My brother held close to himself three gifts ： Faith,hope and love. His faith grew stronger. He always had hope. And his love for his family has never gotten weaker,despite (盡管)death。Loved ones leave，but love remains。

    His legs are growing weaker.My sister and  I often wonder what will happen if Joe canl live on his own. It's not up to us. You don ’t find strength to do something until it^’s time to do it Joe has found it whenever he has needed it.I believe he will again.

1. When the writers mother brought Joe back from the hospital,the writer

  A. was sad because Joe couldn't see things clearly       B. introduced Joe to the family dog at once 

  C. worried that Mother might love Joe more 

  D. had great fun playing a game with Joe 

2. Which of the following order of events is CORRECT according to the article?

  a. Joe started learning Braille for the blind.

  b. Joe moved out and managed to live on his own.

  c. Joe was sent back home with his Braille typewriter,d   d. Joe had a hard time when he lost three beloved. e.Joe   e. fell in love with a blind girl the first time they met.

   A. abedc   B. ached   C. acebd   D. aecbd 

3. What does the writer mainly tell us through the article?

  A. People have to spend more time with their loved ones.

  B. The disabled need others’ respect and support to live on.

  C. Love,hope and faith can keep one going in face of difficulties.

  D. People should learn to get over the loss of their loved ones.

4. What does it  refer to in the sentence^“ Joe has found it whenever he has needed it.^” ?

  A. The belief in finding love again.

  B. The strength to deal with difficulties.

  C. The love for his family.

  D. The hope to have stronger legs.

Passage 2 (2015江蘇南京玄武區(qū)一模,c) 

    April will bring a new product — the Apple Watch—into the market.     Last week,the watch was firstly introduced ^WATCH by Tim Cook,Apple's CEO.The price of the watch will differ from $ 349 to$ 1,099,depending on its size,strap and whether it is a sports or regular version.

    Apple engineers and designers have put in a lot of thoughts and hard work into creating this“small screen”on your wrist (手腕) .The “sensor”on the screen not only detects your finger,but knows the difference between when you are tapping,and when you are pressing harder.

    The watch also has “ haptic feedback (觸覺反饋) ”.You can send personal messages to your friend—such as drawing a star or a special sign with your fingers,or tapping the watch,say 3 times,and your friend will receive those taps on their wrist.

    Besides telling the time,the watch will use “bluetooth” to connect to your iPhone and show calls or text messages that come in.

    According to Tim Cook,the watch may open up a whole new area of applications that we had never thought of. Some car factories like BMW have developed an app that allows its car owners to open their cars with the watch. A “Hotels ”app may allow you to open the door to your hotel room without worrying about losing the smart card.And finally,even airlines are jumping in—passengers may be able to simply wave their wrist to check into their flight.

    The biggest use of the watch,however,is as your personal fitness coach.The watch can measure your pulse ( heartbeat) using a sensor at the bottom of the watch.lt also has the same^” accelerometer  as your iPhone,so it knows when you are moving,and also how much you are walking or running.lt will remind you if you have been sitting for too long without much activity. Many stores are planning to stop selling the Nike,Jawbone and FitBit devices ( 設(shè)備) to welcome ihe Apple Watch.Will the Apple Watch really replace these devices and make fitness much more fun?

1. We can learn from the passage that the Apple Watch .

  A. is designed by Tim Cook

  B. was brought into the market last week

  C. sells at different prices for different colours

  D. will come into the market this coming April 

2. With the Apple Watch,you can .

 A. develop your own personal app

 B. connect your iPhone with your iPad

 C. receive personal messages from your friend's iPhone

 D. send personal messages to your friend's Apple Watch 

3. Many businesses help push for the use of the Apple Watch EXCEPT .

   A. hospitals   B. hotels   C. airlines D .car factories 

4. Many stores are planning to stop selling FitBit devices because  .

  A. all of the devices are sold out

  B. they cannot make fitness fun

  C. they want to welcome the Apple Watch

  D. the Apple Watch can replace Filbit devices completely

Passage 1 (2015江蘇無錫崇安區(qū)4月期中，B)

l.In which order did the story happen?

   A. a-b-c-d   B. d-b-a-c

   C. c-d - d -a   D. d-b-c-a

2. What does ^“She has a very good eye^” mean?

  A. She doesn't need glasses.

  B. She can only see with one eye.

  C. She needs people to help her see things.

  D. She does well in designing things.

3. What does the woman think about opening a company?

  A. She doesn't think it is possible.

  B. She' s very interested in the idea.

  C. She wants the man to be her partner.

  D.She thinks there's a good chance that it will happen.

Passage 12(2011黑龍江哈爾濱，A) 

    Venice is an attractive city in Italy.Tourists throughoul ihe world love traveling to Venice. But sometimes you’ll have such strange expe- riences.One moment you walk across tlie Rialto Bridge ,and there ’s  nothing speoial.Unfortunately,when you come back to the bridge an hour later,it^’s underwater and everyone's wearing rain hoots.

    That^?s just the way it has always been,which may be considered seriously by Italian government. Before the sea comes to Venice,the government has decided to build the MOSE gates. Actually (實(shí)際上) , there were many kinds of gates that were built to stop the floods,hut all the gates were just built on the ground. Besides,the flooding was becoming worse. Industrial (工業(yè)的) factories buill nearby on the mainland also made the condition get worse,causing the city to sink about 0. 75 feet in the 20th century.

    So the Italian government asked some of Italy's biggest construction and engineering companies to build the MOSE project,which was planned to be built under the sea water to stop floods. Now the government are using 3 000 people and expect to spend nearly five billion euros (歐元) on it.The MOSE gates are being built at the inlets (海灣) .Each MOSE gate is 197 feet long,28. 5 to 37 feet tall,and weighs up to 22 tons. It's nearly the size of a 20-story building. Before the gates are in use,they are under the sea and full of water. When the flood comes,the water in the gates will be poured out,and then the gates will be filled with air. So the gates can go up with the sea water. Once they’re in the right place,they will stop the sea water pouring into Venice.These gates will be able to deal with floods up to 10 feet,and as long as the sea level (平面) rises no more than two feet in the next 100 years,the MOSE will work as expected.

    The MOSE project is now two-thirds done.The head engineer,Giovanni Cecconi,said, ^uThis is a war.During the war,it's not impor?tant that you win. Ifs important that youVe alive. We're alive. 'Anyway,this project is saving Venice from falling.

1. The underlined word⁴' construction' in the passage means “ ”in Chinese.

   A. 建筑   B. 農(nóng)業(yè)   C. 交通

2. Before building the MOSE gates,the Italian government   stop the floods.

  A. never built gates on the ground

  B. built many kinds of gates on the ground

  C. built some gates which were under the ground 

3. When the flood comes,  can describe the working steps of the MOSE gates.

   A. a—?b—>c   B. b——>^c   C. b—>c—?a 

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

  A. The Italian government are using 3 000 people and expect to spend nearly five billion dollars on the MOSE.

  B. The MOSE project is half done now.

  C. Each MOSE gate is 197 feet long,28. 5 to 37  feet tall,and weighs up to 22  tons.

5. The best title for this passage should be.

  A. The Journey to Venice

  B. The MOSE Project in Venice

  C. Several Kinds of Floods in Venice

Passage 11 (2013 安徽，B)

      ① “I will ihirik of it." It is easy to say this,but do you know what great things have come from thinking? Though we cannot see,or hear,or feel our thoughts,they have great power (力量) ！

     ②Isaac Newton was seated in his garden on a summer evening when he saw an apple fall from a tree.He began to think,and tried to find out why the apple fell. Then he discovered how the earth,sun,moon,and stars are kept in their places.

     ③James Ferguson once saw the inside of his fathers watch,and he wondered,Why should 1  not make a watch?^”rrhis set him think?ing and it led to a wooden clock which kept good time.

     ④Walt Disney,the famous American film-maker,was often thinking of new ideas. One day,when he was in a meeting,he suddenly stopped talking,deep in thought.He looked and looked at a place high up in the room.This c:ontinued for a long time,and then he got an idea for a new cartoon.

    ⑤Ideas come at any time,and the important thing is to think.When you meet with any difficulty’don't lose heart.Tiy to think of it before asking someone to help you. Think and by thinking you will learn how to think creatively.

1. Newton wanted to find out .

   A. when the apple hit him   

    B. why the apple fell   

   C. who made the apple fall   

    D. where the apple fell

2.  made a wooden clock.

   A. Isaac Newton   B. Walt Disney

    C James Ferguson   D. Janies’ father 

3. Walt Disney was   when he got an idea for a new cartoon.

   A. making a film   B. telling a story

   C. having a meeting   D. sitting in a garden From 4. the passage we can learn that    .

  A. we should always ask others for help 

  B. every one of us likes thinking 

  C. it is easy to see and hear our thoughts 

  D. thinking helps to get new ideas 

5. Which of the following shows the structure (結(jié)構(gòu)) of the passage? (①=Paragraph1,②=Paragraph 2,...)

   A. B. C. D.

Passage 10(2013 北京，D) 

       The willful blindness in hockey        toward concussions (頭部撞擊) has dropped.        Hockey Canada has followed the lead of USA         Hockey in preventing bodychecking (身體攔截)         below age 13. A bad head injury of Sidney Crosby,the hockey’s greatest slar,opened the eyes of hockey people everywhere. This country’s children have been facing similar danger at early ages,and HockeyCanadahad to deal with a deep worry in the minds of Canadians to make the rule change. The liking for bodychecking from an early age is part of what makes Canadian hockey what it is.

        The change in rules should be taken as a chance to draw special attention to skill development in an environment free of danger. It may also control the loss of thousands of young players who don’t! en?joy that environment.

      For years,many Canadian hockey parents and coaches have in- sisted that bodychecking at early ages is necessary to ensure that players can do it safely at older ages.True or not,there may be a safer way to teach hitting than to make younger players pay a price for it in head injuries. When USA Hockey changed its rules for the 2011-2012 season,it also created bodychecking-education programs that will be mandatory (強(qiáng)制的) for all coaches,including those teaching players in the pre-checking ages. And it began to encourage more “touch”一without real bodychecking—from 9 to 12. It also made the rules for 13 and up stricter. The USA is trying to show that it's possible to teach hockey protective skills without putting 11 and 12- year-olds in greater danger. worth the try.

     HockeyCanadahas taken serious steps to do away with hits on the head.However,it's hard to change a sports culture so connected with who we are as a country.Too often,bodychecking has been used to try to separate a player from his head rather than from the ball. Children were paying a price for this country love of the game.

      There are always changes inCanada's game,and the change in the bodychecking age sends the clearest message yet to coaches and parents that player safety is paramount (至上的) in the game.

1. We can tell that the problem of bodychecking inCanada    .

  A. is controlled strictly 

  B. is taken more seriously now

  C. is caused by players ’carelessness

  D. is connected with players ’interest

2.  What does the writer want to tell us in Paragraph 2 ?

  A. The safe ways of controlling the loss.

  B. The steps of drawing special attention.

  C. The possible results of changing the rules.

  D .The methods of improving the environment.

3.  What can we learn from the passage?

 A. The USA found a safer way to teach bodychecking.

 B. Bodychecking-education programs in theUSAare successful.

 C. Bodychecking is a good way to value players’ skills in theUSA. 

 D .TheUSAhas tried to create an environment of less bodycheck-

ing.

4. What is probably the best title for this passage?

  A. Which is more important?

  B. How do we change the rules?

  C. Why is hockey a dangerous game?

  D. When should hodychecking be prevented?

Passage 8 (2014 浙江杭州，B) 

      How quickly can you count from one to ten? Do you use ten dif?ferent words to do it? Can you do it in English,or do you have to use your first language? Do you count on your fingers? Many people think that numbers and math are the same all over the world.But sci?entists have discovered that it is not true.

    People in different parts of the world use different ways to count on their fingers.In the United States,people begin counting with their first finger,which they extend or stick out.They then extend the rest of their fingers and finally the thumb (梅指) to count to five.Then they repeat this with the other hand to get to ten. InChina,people count by using different finger positions. In this way,a Chinese person can easily count to ten on only one hand.

    Besides ways of finger counting,scientists have found that cultures and languages are also different when it comes to numbers.Some langua?ges have only a few words for numbers,and others have no words for numbers.A group of scientists studied aboriginal (土著白勺) people in Australia.These people don't have haml movements to stand for numbers. They don’t even have words for numbers.However,they are still able to understand different ideas about numbers.

    In a similar study,researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered that people of the Pirahfi tribe (部落) in northwestern Brazil don't have words for numbers such as “ one ” or “three”.They are not able to say “five trees” or “ten trees” but can say“ some trees”，‘‘ more trees”，or“ many trees” . Professor Edward Gibson said that most people believe that everyone knows how to count but here is a group that does not count.They could learn,but it's not useful in their culture,so they’ve never picked it up."

1. The writer begins with the four questions in order to .

   A. make a survey   B. interest readers

   C. tell a story   D. solve math problems 

2. What do we learn from the difference in finger counting between theU.S.andChina?

  A. People fromChinacount much faster than people from theU.S.

  B. People fromChinaneed two hands to count from one to ten.

  C. People of different cultures may use different ways of finger counting.

  D. People of different cultures use the same way of finger counting.

3. Which of the following is true about aboriginal Australians?

  A. They have only a few words for numbers.

  B. They have hand movements to stand for numbers.

  C. They can only count to five on their fingers.

  D. They can understand different ideas about numbers.

4. The study of the Piraha tribe shows that .

  A. people all over the world know how to count 

  B. people of the tribe have words for numbers 

  C. some groups of people are not smart enough to count     D. counting is not useful in the culture of the tribe 

5. What is the main idea of the passage?

  A. People from different cultures have different ideas about numbers and math.

  B. Chinese people can count more easily on their fingers than Americans.

  C. In some aboriginal cultures,people don't even know how to count.

  D. Some languages don't have number words because people don't need numbers.

Passage 7 (2015 浙江紹興，1) ) 

       Have you ever tried to understand something new on your own hut found it in books or on the Internet a bit too difficult? Don^ be worried—you can get help at Khan Academy (可汗學(xué)院) .

     Khan Academy is an online learning website created in 2007 by Salman Khan,an American teacher. In order to provide “a free world- class education to anyone anywhere”，Khan offers more than 4 ,200 free micro lectures (講座) at khanacademy.org.

    The classes cover fields like mathematics,biology,chemistry and finance.They usually last for just 10 to 15 minutes. Unlike tradi?tional classes,Khan mainly provides courses for students below college level.The classes can also help those who are planning to take the SAT,an exam often required for students who wish to enter a col?lege or university in theUS.

     So how can you start your learning journey at Khan Academy?

    First of all,enter the learning page with a personal e-mail account (賬戶) .It's your personal homepage at Khan Academy,which is coolly designed to help you learn math.You can take a pre-test first to see your level. The academy then suggests exercises at the right level for you.It also allows you to watch videos and improve yourself until you reach level 5—the highest level.

    If you are interested in other subjects,click^“ LEARN ^” to see all topics on offer. Try “Art History”，for example. This will take you to all the things in that area like text articles,videos and questions. You can also put key words into the search box to see related topics.

    Don’t worry if you find it difficult to follow the courses in Eng?lish.The courses have been translated into other languages,such as Chinese. Hundreds of Khan's courses in Chinese can be found on Netease,which offers translations of courses from Harvard,Yale,Ox?ford,Cambridge and other top universities.

1. Khan Academy is a learning website that  .

  A. was started by an American teacher 

  B. has a history of over 10 years 

  C. doesn’t provide free lectures 

  D. is fit only for college students 

2. The fifth paragraph is mainly about how to  .

  A. pass a math test 

  B. learn math at Khan Academy 

  C. design your website

  D .write an e-mail to Khan 

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

  A. The classes at Khan Academy usually last 40 minutes.

  B. Nothing but videos can be found at Khan Academy.

  C. You can get courses from top universities on Netease.

  D. Khan Academy only offers courses in English.

4. Which is the best title for this passage?

   A. Online Learning   B. Salman Khan

   C. College Education   D. Language Courses

Passage 6 (2015 浙江溫州，C)

       The village of Hengly was going to have the Bean Olympics, It was a competition to see which kind of bran would grow the fastest and the tallesl.Everybody was excited. They couldn’t wait to show their best plants.

      Cassie knew clearly which bean she would choose for the competition,for herfamily had planted a special  family bean' .It was a flat bean that her great-grandparents had brought from Sicily. Her grandmother planted the beans every year and served them at many meals. Cassie was sure they would be unbeatable beans.

      However,the plan did not work out that way.Although Cassie bean plants looked healthy with beautiful purple flowers,they did not grow as fast or climb as high as any of her neighbors'. These people chose beans from seed (種子) stores. Their beans had wonderful names like “ Rocket ” or “Top Crop^，?. One type was even named “King's Bean That was the bean Ivan planled,and his plants climbed almost to the top of the fence. Cassie^ plants were just near the middle of the fence.

     On the day of the competition,Cassie was disappointed that her beans were in last place,han laughed at her beans and said she could win a prize for the slowest,shortest bean.

     The organizer,Mr. Williams,handed out medals for the fastest- growing and the tallest bean plants.  Now there remains only one final test,and it is jusl as important：the taste test."

     Mr. Williams cooked the beans from each competitor and chose five experienced villagers as judges (裁判) .

     Cassie was nervous. Would her family beans lose another time? 

     After the judges tasted the beans,Mr.Williams counted the re?sults. “We have a winner”’ Mr. Williamg announced. “The judges all agree that Cassie's beans are the winner."

     Cassie grinned at this unexpected result. Many of her neighbors,even Ivan asked for her seeds.They were all in favor of the good-tasting beans even though they didn't grow fast or very tall.

1. Cassie’s beans were from   .

   A. the organizer   B. seed stores

   C. her neighbors   D. her family 

2. Cassie won the prize for  .

  A. the tallest beans 

  B. the most delicious beans 

  C. the most beautiful beans 

  D. the fastest-growing beans 

3. What does the underlined word grinned probably mean in the pas?sage?

   A. smiled widely   B. left silently

   C. nodded quickly   D. sang sadly 

4. What is the topic of the passage?

 A. The experience of growing beans.

 B. The tallest bean in the competition.

 C. The history of a special family bean.

 D .The bean competition in Hengly Village.