Though _____ of the danger, he still went skating on the thin ice.

       A．warning        B．to warn         C．warn      D．warned

—Let’s go out for dinner, OK?

   —           . I’ll just get my coat.

A. I couldn’t agree more

B. It couldn’t be worse

C. I have no idea

D. It’s absolutely hopeless

Birds that are half-asleep—with one brain hemisphere (半球) alert and the other sleeping—control which side of the brain remains awake, according to a new study of sleeping ducks.

    Earlier studies have documented half-brain sleep in a wide range of birds. The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves. The eye controlled by the sleeping hemisphere keeps shut, while the wakeful hemisphere’s eye stays open and alert. Birds also can sleep with both hemispheres resting at once.

    Decades of studies of bird groups led researchers to predict extra alertness in the end-of-the-row sleepers which tend to be attacked more easily. Sure enough, the end birds tended to watch carefully on the side away from their companions. Ducks in the inner spots showed no preference for gaze direction.

    Also, birds napping at the end of the line depend on single-hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, more often than inner ducks did. Turning 16 birds through the positions in a four-duck row, the researchers found that compared with 12 percent for birds in internal spots, outer birds half-asleep during some 32 percent of napping time.

    “We believe this is the first evidence for an animal behaviorally controlling sleep and wakefulness at the same time in different regions of the brain,” the researchers say.

    The results provide the best evidence for a long-standing assumption that single-hemisphere sleep evolved as creatures scanned for enemies. The preference for opening an eye on the lookout side could be widespread, he predicts. He’s seen it in a pair of birds napping side-by-side in the zoo and in a single pet bird sleeping by a mirror. The mirror-side eye closed as if the reflection were a companion and the other eye stayed open.

    Useful as half-sleeping might be, it’s only been found in birds and such water animals as dolphins, whales, and seals. Perhaps keeping one side of the brain awake allows a sleeping animal to surface occasionally to avoid drowning.

    Studies of birds may offer unique insights into sleep. Jerome M. Siegel of the UCLA says he wonders if birds’ half-brain sleep “is just the tip of the iceberg.” He supposes that more examples may turn up when we take a closer look at other species.

According to the passage, birds often half sleep because ______.

       A. they have to watch out for possible attacks

       B. their brain hemispheres take turns to rest

       C. the two halves of their brain are differently structured

       D. they have to constantly keep an eye on their companions

What is implied about the example of a bird’s sleeping in front of a mirror?

       A. An imagined companion gives the bird a sense of security.

       B. Birds prefer to sleep in pairs for the sake of their security.

       C. The phenomenon of birds napping in pairs is widespread.

D. A single pet bird enjoys seeing its own reflection in the mirror.

While sleeping, some water animals tend to keep half awake in order to ______.

A. alert themselves to the approaching enemy

       B. emerge from water now and then to breathe

       C. be sensitive to the ever-changing environment

       D. avoid being swept away by rapid currents

By saying “just the tip of the iceberg”, Siegel suggests that ______.

       A. half-brain sleep has something to do with icy weather

       B. the mystery of half-brain sleep is close to being solved

       C. most birds living in cold regions tend to be half sleepers

       D. half-brain sleep may exist among other species

Had she _______ her promise,she would have made it to Yale University.

A.looked up to    B.lived up to          C.kept up with       D.come up with

The old man, _______ abroad for twenty years , is on the way back to his motherland.

   A. to work   B. working   C. to have worked   D. having worked.

—We 'll go camping tomorrow morning, I promise.

    —Maybe by then you      your mind.

      A .changed            B. are changing

      C.will have changed    D. have changed

Nobody can explain the mystery ____ he suddenly disappeared.

       A. why           B. what   C. whether                 D. which

  Kristy,28,a cook in La Gross, often wondered what she’d do in a life threatening situation. On August 29, she got her answer. While she was driving on a road,a big truck hit its head on a pickup car.The pickup burst into flames.Kristy rushed out and ran to the pickup.Two farmers,Dean Bernhard,51, and his brother,Donald,44,were inside.

When she got close,Kristy could see the unconscious driver.The other man was under the passenger seat. “The smells were sicking.I was afraid the truck would blow up and kill us all,” said kristy.

The driver of the big truck was struggling to open the passenger door,so Kristy rushed to the driver’s side.Finally they opened the door.She reached in,seized the driver and, to her horror,felt her hands sink into his chest.She quickly dragged the man to safety on the roadside,then hurried back.As Kristy started down the ditch(水溝) with the passenger,the pickup exploded..She jumped on top of him and they both rolled to safety.

Today,the two farmers,each the farmer of two children,are good friends with Kristy.To show their deep appreciation,they bought her a ring with nine diamonds---one for each member of their immediate families,and the ninth for her.

Which is the correct order according to the passage?

a.carried Dean and Donald to safety

b.rushed to the pickup

c.the pickup exploded

d.saw the truck hit on the pickup

e.got out of her car

f.wondered what she’d do when in danger

A.e,d,b,a,c,f      B.f,e,b,a,d,c      C.f,d,e,b,a,c    D.f,c,e,d,b,a

When coming to save Donald and Dean Bernhard,Kristy never thought that she___.

A.could have any help from others

B.would be successful in saving both of them

C.might be killed

D.would be tested in dangerous situations

This sentence “The pickup burst into flames.”in the first paragragh means “_______”.

A.The pickup was on fire

B.The pickup started smoking badly

C.A terrifying cry came out of the pickup

D.The pickup was broken into pieces

Which of the following best shows Kristy’s true heroism?

A.She did not feel terrified at the accident

B.She protected herself as well as the two brothers from harm.

C.She put her life  “on the line” to save others.

D.She was regarded as a member of Dean’s and Donald’s families.

When I first began to work with international students, I asked someone at a lunch, “What brings you here today?” Looking at me like I was a bit crazy, he answered, “ The bus.” That was my first realization that no matter how good a speaker is, there are phrases that will always tend to cause confusion to non-native speakers. These idiomatic phrases(慣用語(yǔ)) add color and interest to any language and are worth learning if you want to talk fluently with native speakers.

“By no stretch”----The speaker is referring to something that’s very hard to achieve or realize, even with great effort, as in “It was not a good meal, by any stretch of the imagination.” Which means that ______________.

“Half dead”----An expression of extreme tiredness, having nothing to do with actual health. Commonly used at the end of a long and tiring day.

“By the book”----This means that an action should follow the rules exactly. It also describes the nature of someone who won’t deviate(背離) from a set of rules no matter what the situation is.

“More power to you”----This isn’t a wish for you to have better electricity from the power company----it’s a statement, usually slightly ironic(諷刺的), that the speaker thinks that you are unlikely to do a task, but you should try if you think you can complete it. It generally means the speaker has no intention of helping you achieve your goal neither will they discourage you from attempting to reach it. For example, “I don’t think you can meet that deadline, but more power to you.”

“As easy as pie”----A reference that something is as simple or easy as eating a delicious dessert, or that it requires little effort to successfully achieve. In chatting, this phrase does not refer to the process of cooking or eating.

The example given by the author in the first paragraph is used to show__________.

A. the importance of learning idioms           B. the beauty of the English language

C. the foolishness of the student              D. the cause of the misunderstanding

According to the passage, which of the following would be proper to fill in the blank in Paragraph 2?

A. the meal is very delicious           B. it’s very hard to make the meal delicious

C. people make great efforts to make the meal delicious

D. even if people try to believe it, the meal could not be described as good

If someone says he is half dead, he means____________.

A. he is in poor health                       B. he cannot move

C. he has a sound sleep                       D. he is exhausted

If a person daren’t do things in a creative way, you may describe him by using “__________”.

A. by no stretch                            B. by the book

C. as easy as pie                           D. the breaker of rules

假設(shè)你是新華中學(xué)的學(xué)生李明，班里從外地轉(zhuǎn)來一名同學(xué)張華，他一時(shí)無法融入新的班集體，感到很苦惱請(qǐng)根據(jù)下列要點(diǎn)給他寫一封信：

1．幫他分析原因

2. 給他提出建議(至少兩條)

3. 陳述你幫助他的具體打算

注意：1．詞數(shù)：100左右；

2．信的開頭和結(jié)尾已給出(不算入總詞數(shù))；

Dear Zhang Hua,

I’m sorry to hear that you have trouble in getting along well with the new class. So I hope I can give you a hand.

Yours sincerely,

Li Ming