When we talk about superstitious（迷信的）beliefs , the beliefs associated with Friday the 13th , no doubt , deserve a special mention . In fact , such is the fear associated with this date that people just can’t seem to stick to their daily routine on this day . The data from Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute suggests that somewhere around 17 to 21 million Americans are affected by the fear associated with this day , i.e. the combination of Friday and 13 . Even worse , the financial losses caused on this day amounts to as much as US$800 million every year .

As we flipped through the pages of history , we realized that Friday the 13th bears the brunt of bad luck associated with number 13 , the unluckiest number , and Friday , the unluckiest day of the week . Number 13 has always been considered unlucky , mainly as a result of it being associated with various occurrences in mythology . While some associate it with the instance of Norse mythology , in which the god of joy and gladness – Balter , was killed in a dishonest manner by Loki – the god of discord and mischief , who was the 13th guest , others associate it with the Last Supper , in which the 13th guest was Judas , who betrayed Jesus to his enemies for 30 pieces of silver .

Similarly , Friday has also been a sign of bad luck to many people , with incidents like Jesus being crucified（在十字架上釘死）on this unfaithful day , contributing to this belief . It is also widely believed that Cain killed Able on this very day of the week . The fear of Friday the 13th is known as friggatriskaidekaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobia , the former combining the words frigga , meaning Friday , and triskaidekaphobia , meaning the phobia of number 13 . Over the period , the belief that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day has just become one of the most widely accepted superstitions , which consequently causes much blind panic and unreasonable fear in the world .

1.What does Friday the 13th refer to according to passage ?

A. The 13th Friday of a year .

B. The fear of the number 13 on Fridays .

C. A fixed date of a year that can bring bad luck .

D. The 13th day of a month falling on a Friday .

2.We can learn from the passage that __________ .

A. superstition is more popular among the uneducated

B. religion is an important contributing factor to superstition

C. Numbers are believed to bring people bad luck in history

D. The belief of Friday the 13th is based on folk stories

3.What will the author most probably talk about next ?

A.Arguments for and against the belief of Friday the 13th

B.Reasons why Friday the 13th is widely accepted

C.Stories about the bad luck brought by Friday the 13th

D.Appropriate attitude towards Friday the 13th

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A.The psychology of superstition

B.The history of a common superstition

C.The origins of Friday the 13th

D.Influences of Friday the 13th

A troubled young man in Connecticut laid his hands on the kinds of guns that no civilian should ever have and shot 20 children and 6 adults . It was a tragedy that “ broke the hearts of America ” , as President Barack Obama said . The obvious way to prevent the next such massacre is gun control . And , yes , we need it now . Voters need to be loud , politicians need to be brave , and the gun lobby needs to be defeated . Perhaps Barack Obama , no longer up for election , will no longer be chicken .

But American violence doesn’t just come from the weapons we buy and the gun shows we frequent . It’s much deeper than that . This is also the country that supplies three-quarters of the world’s arms trade . These are weapon sales authorized by our government and by a Democratic President . International weapon sales by America between 2010 and 2011 tripled . The same Democratic President continues a policy of targeted ( often poorly ) assassinations in Pakistan .

This country also supplies most of the world’s violent entertainment . America leads the world in massacres in life , and in film too . The most popular movie this week , “ SKyfall , ” is a load of fun ; but every emotional climax involves a shooting , sometimes with small guns sometimes with large ones . Firearms have long been identified with manliness in popular culture . Ever more they are identified with womanliness , too . The most popular culture . Every more they are identified with womanliness , too . The most popular video game this week is “ Halo 4 ; ” the most popular novel is Tom Clancy’s “ Treat Vector ; ” the second and s\third best-selling works of nonfiction are “ Killing Kennedy ” and “ Killing Lincoln , ” respectively . Every author , and every creator , should have the right to make what they want . Still , every civilian has a right to choose what to see and what to buy .

Violence is sometimes essential to art , and often to foreign policy , too . But the cruel killing in Newtown , the worst single event in this country in eleven years and three months , should lead to a moment of deep reflection . It’s time to talk about guns ; but it’s also time to talk about a lot more .

1.What does the underlined word “ massacre ” in paragraph 1 probably mean ?

A. Awful accidentB. Serious condition

C. Mass killingD. Great destruction

2.The author lists some examples of violent entertainment EXCEPT __________ .

A. moviesB. books

C. songsD. games

3.Which of the following would the author probably agree with ?

A. Gun control is the only solution to violence in America .

B. Arms trade can benefit our society if limited to a certain degree .

C. Readers should be given the right to choose what they want .

D. Violence in art should share the blame for the killing in America .

4.The best title for the passage would probably be __________ .

A. The Roots of Violent Movies

B. America’s Culture of Violence

C. Bloody Killing Shocked America

D. Divide on Gun Control in America

請(qǐng)結(jié)合材料，按要求用英文寫作，詞數(shù)少于60字。

A recent online survey shows that with the rapid development of globalization , more and more young people show great interest in foreign festivals while have little knowledge of traditional Chinese festivals .

要求：· 就此材料發(fā)表你的感想；

· 應(yīng)緊扣材料，有明確的觀點(diǎn)；

· 在答題卡上作答。

2013年4月20日，一場(chǎng)突如其來(lái)的嚴(yán)重地震襲擊了四川省雅安市。請(qǐng)寫一封倡議書，號(hào)召同學(xué)們?yōu)闉?zāi)區(qū)捐款，

要點(diǎn)如下：· 據(jù)報(bào)道，雅安市遭受嚴(yán)重地震災(zāi)害

· 號(hào)召同學(xué)們積極捐款捐物

· 聯(lián)系方式

要求：（1）包括所有內(nèi)容

（2）倡議書開頭已寫好（不計(jì)入總詞數(shù)）

（3）詞數(shù)不少于80

（4）在答題卡上作答

A Proposal to My Schoolmates

My dear schoolmates ,

It is reported that

passion, people won't have the motivation or the joy necessary for creative thinking.

A.For . B.Without C.Beneath D.By

Is honesty the best policy? We _ that it is when we are little.

A. will teach B. teach C. are taught D. will be taught

As Jack left his membership card at home, he wasn't allowed into the sports club.

A. going B. to go C. go D. gone

The new law states that people _______drive after drinking alcohol.

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

Only with the greatest of luck _ to escape from the rising flood waters.

A. managed she B. she managed C. did she manage D. she did manage

- I hear that Jason is planning to buy a car.

-I know. By next month, he _ enough for a used one.

A. will have saved B. will be saving C. has saved D. saves