People who put a smiley face at the end of a message, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air.
I had some bad news this week. My manager informed me of this news via email. It was like hearing about the death of a loved one via pigeon. Bad news should only ever be delivered face to face or voice to voice.
We seem to celebrate our numerous methods of communication, but really there is no communication at all. I talk to my plants more than I talk to my neighbors, I get text messages that take me three hours to read because they’re written like this: “Hi, I ope you av a gr8 day. Call me La8tr.” I had an email from someone this week that read, “Da ut ov 2day are really annoying me!” Ut? I had to say this 20 times before I understood it. Youth has now become ut. Haven’t we taken enough from them—now we have to take their letters?
I had an email recently from a girl who used to live over the road from me as a child. She wrote, “Hi Shazia, howz u? Im sure u used 2 live across the road from me. We sumtimes played tennis 2 gever at the park and you was in your eliment. I am married now wif 3 daughters.” Then, to my horror, she ended the email with: “Im now teachin in Leeds. Luv Clare.”
Teaching? With English like this. It’s like saying you’re a train driver when you’ve never seen a train. It was like reading modern Morse code.
Getting bad news via email makes it seem so much worse than it actually is. Just a few lines, no emotion, no comfort, not really an explanation. Just a few cold hard words. It’s an excuse. Just write a few words and the problem of delivering it is no longer yours. A close friend recently told me she was very happy to announce she was getting married—and made the announcement by email. I don’t know how she didn’t fall off her chair with excitement while writing it. If you are really happy or really sad to announce something important, wouldn’t you like a human reaction? Some euphoria, elation, tears, a punch in the face?
I receive long text messages every day with information and explanations that I don’t bother reading. They’re boring, and annoy me. In the time it took someone to write me three laborious texts, they could have called, spoken to me, made some tea. People who put a smiley face at the end of a sentence, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air, because that’s the one I’d send back.
The telegram has been responsible for reporting world-shattering events when there were very few other options(選擇權(quán)). Now we have options, and people opt for the least humane one. My mum, in an attempt to get down with the ut of today, asked me to teach her to text. Now she constantly texts me in block capitals, so it looks as if she is still angry and annoyed with me after all these years.
People don’t even write by hand any more. My doctor prints out prescriptions from his computer; even my mechanic prints out a receipt. I get typed Christmas cards and my friends send me emails. I get very excited when hand-written letters come through my door, only because they rarely do.
When I was at school, the girls used to write letters to each other, even though we sat side by side and spoke to one another all day. I think it was a way of expressing private things we were afraid to say when we were 14 and too shy. We used to write things like, “You are my best friend, can’t wait to sit next to you in math.”
I miss the personal method of communication. Once the pen was mightier than the sword, now it seems the keyboard is mightier than the pen.
【小題1】We can learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 that the writer wants to say ________.

       The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼澤地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.

       “So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name ? ”

       “Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.

       “Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”

       “Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.

       “Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in . In those days, the area looked quite different ---- it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.

       “  ‘You are clearing too much land, ’ warned one old man. ‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’

       “ ‘ Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’”

       “Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”

       “What happened ? ” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.

       “The land hit back ---- just as the old man warned, ” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”

       “What a stupid story, ” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted(暈倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.

56.  The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.

       A. courage                B. assistance                   C. instruction                    D. challenge

57.  Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story ?

       A. To frighten them.

       B. To satisfy their curiosity.

       C. To warn them of the danger of the place.

       D. To persuade them to camp in the swamp.

58.  Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man ?

       A. The old man envied him.                              B. The old man was foolish

       C. He was too busy to listen to others.                   D. He was greedy for more crops.

59.  Why did Tom scream and faint ?

       A. He saw Dennis’s shadow                             B. He was scared by a plant

       C. His friends played a joke on him.                D. The weather became extremely cold.

60.        What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis ?

       A. Grasp all, lose all.                                          B. No sweat, no sweet.

       C. It is no use crying over spilt milk.                 D. He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

閱讀下面短文，并根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容完成下列各題。

Should the color be white or black? Or perhaps navy blue! Well, choosing the right graduation dress for middle school students can be a little difficult at times. Here are some ideas for graduation dress for middle school students.

  For many students, middle school graduation marks a big change in their lives. This is a step that takes students away from junior high school but towards the elementary level before senior high school. Compared to elementary (初級(jí)的) school, middle school means more lessons and more classes, but of course, students can also see it as an opportunity to make new friends.

  Well, it is no wonder that the graduation day of a middle school is often planned formally. Although this occasion is not considered to be really formal like a high school graduation, it is still celebrated in many ways. Besides, it is also considered to be a very important part of someone's life.

  Many schools often have middle school graduation parties. Well, the question that often arises in the minds of young students is about the right graduation dress for themselves. Long flowing dress with caps are commonly seen. Students should always stick to a common graduation dress that creates uniformity (統(tǒng)一) among all. The dress can be royal blue, black or even golden. If they seem too formal for the party, you can even plan for a common color for all the students. For example, white shirts with black pants or skirts can serve the needs of such a special occasion.

  Whether the graduation party is simple or great, the graduation dress for middle school students should be planned accordingly. The main idea would be to accept the success of the students and celebrate with family and friends.

1.What does the text mainly talk about? (no more than 10 words)

_____________________________________________________________

2.What does middle school mean to students compared to elementary school? (no more than l2 words)

_____________________________________________________________

3.Please explain the underlined word “arises’’ in Paragraph 4 in English. (no more than 3 words)

_____________________________________________________________

4.What is the common graduation dress like? (no more than 9 words)

_____________________________________________________________

5.What is the purpose of a graduation party? (no more than l5 words)

_____________________________________________________________

三、完形填空（共15小題；每小題1分，滿分15分）
閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從34－48各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)A、B、C和D中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并標(biāo)在試卷的相應(yīng)位置。
If we really want to be happy, why do we complain all the time in our daily life? We can be active in our life by setting goals and going   34   what we want. But if we’re always expressing complaints, we can not really live   35  .
If you don’t believe me,   36   how many times you complain about something or other in one day. Whether it is being stuck in traffic, being bothered by the weather, or whatever it is, there are endless   37   where you can find a reason to complain. But it’s not just outside circumstances   38   we complain about. We also complain about   39  . We complain constantly that we don’t have enough time, that we don’t have enough money and that we’re not   40   enough, cool enough, or just enough.
Most of us have experienced plenty of unpleasantness   41   complaining about things we can’t control, so do I. And I   42   really thought about it much until I found the website about “l(fā)iving in a complaint-free world”, which   43   my attitude towards life.
Imagine how   44   you would be if you simply stopped being a complainer.   45   of what you complain of is outside of your control anyway.   46  , it is no use thinking about something you have no power to change. When you   47   that you’re complaining, stop and ask yourself if you would rather complain, or be happy.
In our daily life, we have many choices. As Dale Carnegie puts it, any fool can criticize and complain but it takes character and   48   for the wise persons to live a complaint-free and happy life.
34.   A. without                B. against              C. after             D. over
35.   A. effectively                B. normally           C. casually             D. honestly
36.   A. scan                         B. evaluate            C. witness              D. count
37.   A. effects                            B. cases                 C. consequences     D. anecdotes
38.   A. that                         B. which               C. where               D. what
39.   A. yourselves                B. themselves         C. oneself              D. ourselves
40.   A. clumsy                     B. attractive           C. neat                  D. awesome
41.   A. due to                      B. in addition to     C. by means of       D. in spite of
42.   A. ever                         B. even                 C. never                D. once
43.   A. reflected                  B. strengthened      C. abandoned         D. changed
44.   A. awkward                  B. confident           C. awful                D. cheerful
45.   A. Few                         B. Little                C. Much                D. Many
46.   A. Therefore                 B. However           C. Otherwise          D. Anyway
47.   A. guarantee                 B. determine      C. realize               D. recommend
48.   A. dignity                     B. self-control        C. judgement         D. affection

Personally, it is no good ________ online all day long. It is really a waste of time.