8、

The Price of a Dream

      I grew up poor—living with my wonderful mother. We had little money, but plenty of love and attention. I was  1  and energetic. I understood that  2   poor a person was, he could still afford a dream.

       My dream was  3  . By the time I was sixteen, I started playing baseball. I could throw a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball and  4  anything that moved on the football field. I was also

  5  : My high school coach was John, who not only believed in me, but also taught me  6  

to believe in myself. He  7  me the difference between having a dream and remaining true to that dream. One particular  8  with Coach John changed my life forever.

       A friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket money for a new bike, new clothes and the  9  of saving for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to  10  summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell John I wouldn’t be playing.

When I told John, he was  11  as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” he said. “Your  12  days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them.” I stood before him with my head  13  , trying to think of the  14  that would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his  15  in me.

       “How much are you going to make at this job, son?” he asked. “3.5 dollars an hour,” I replied.

“Well,” he asked, “is $3.5 an hour the price of a dream?”

       That simple question made me   16  the difference between  17  something right now and having a  18  . I decided myself to play sports that summer and within the year I was  19  by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and was  20  a $20,000 contact agreement. In the same year, I bought my mother the house of my dream!

1．A．happy                   B．popular                C．famous               D．honest

2．A．no matter what      B．no matter how     C．whatever             D．whichever

3．A．a(chǎn)thletics               B．music                  C．business              D．money

4．A．kick                     B．play                    C．pass                    D．hit

5．A．right                     B．shy                     C．lucky                  D．confident

6．A．how                     B．why                    C．when                  D．whether

7．A．gave                     B．taught                 C．brought               D．a(chǎn)sked

8．A．a(chǎn)ccident                B．interview             C．problem              D．experience

9．A．view                     B．idea                     C．start                    D．purpose

10．A．keep up               B．take out               C．give up                D．pick out

11．A．mad                    B．helpful                 C．frightened            D．shameful

12．A．living                  B．playing                C．working              D．studying

13．A．moving               B．nodding               C．shaking               D．hanging

14．A．questions             B．choices               C．words                 D．ways

15．A．sadness               B．regret                  C．hopelessness        D．disappointment

16．A．confuse               B．understand           C．doubt                  D．puzzle

17．A．wanting               B．changing             C．dreaming             D．enjoying

18．A．baseball               B．goal                    C．score                  D．house

19．A．fired                   B．helped                 C．watched              D．hired

20．A．paid                    B．got                      C．offered                D．presented

7、Everyone’s at it, even my neighbors. I thought I might be the only person left in the world who hadn’t done an eBay deal. So I decided to try my hand at online auction （網(wǎng)上拍賣）.

       Buying for beginners: Sign up on www.eBay.co.uk. Most items （e.g. tables, computers, and books） ready for auction will come with a picture and a short description; others may be marked with “Buy It Now” and have a fixed price. You can buy these right away.

       If the item is being auctioned, you offer the highest price you are prepared to pay and eBay bids（出價）for you .The bid will be increased little by little until it goes beyond your highest bid, then you are emailed and asked if you would like to bid again. Auctions last up to 10 days, and when they finish you get an e-mail telling you whether you have won the item.

       How to pay: Sellers decide how they would like to be paid and you need to check this before placing a bid as you might not want to post a cheque or postal orders. The easiest way is through PayPal, an online payment system that takes the money away from your credit card（信用卡）.

       Selling made simple: If you plan to sell on eBay, it helps to include a picture of the item. I followed my friends’ advice and put up the items I wanted to sell for a 10-day auction, starting on a Thursday. This way buyers had two weekends to bid.

       The big things in life: It’s easy to post a small item, but furniture is a big part of eBay and this has to be collected or sent by deliverymen. Check the ways of delivery before you bid.

1．What is the passage mainly about?

       A．How to make payment online.

       B．Ways of making delivery online.

       C．Advantages of an online auction system.

       D．How to use an online-auction system.

2．After bidding for an item, a buyer________________.

       A．can’t buy other items any more

       B．should make payment immediately

       C．has chances to make higher bids

       D．must give your credit card to the seller

3．You should           if the item is being auctioned.

       A．make loud noises

       B．get the others not to bid

       C．a(chǎn)sk the other people’s price

       D．offer the highest price you are ready to pay

4．The easiest way of making payment mentioned in the passage is___________.

       A．through an online payment system

       B．through a local bank system

       C．by sending the money to the seller

       D．by paying the delivery man directly

6、Japanese students work very hard but many are very unhappy. They feel great pressure from their parents to do well in school and in college. Most students are always being told by their parents to study harder so that they can have successful future. Although this may be good advice for those who are very bright, it can have very bad results for many students who are not quick enough at learning.

       Unfortunately, a number of students actually kill themselves. Others are after comfort in using drugs. Some students, however, do bad things with groups of bad people and turn to crime. Many of them have tried very hard at school but, in spite of all their tries, have failed in certain examinations and have disappointed their parents. Such students feel that they are less important than everyone else they meet and leave school before they finish their study.

       It is surprising that although most Japanese parents are anxious for their children to do well at school, they do not help them in any way. Many parents feel that they are unable to help their children with their lessons and that it is the teachers’ job to help their children.

       To make matter worse, a lot of parents send their children to special schools called juku-cram schools. These schools are open during the evenings and on weekends, and their only purpose is to prepare students to pass exams; they do not try to educate students in any real sense of the world.  Thus comes a shock to realize that almost three quarters of the junior high school students attend these cram schools.

Ordinary Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the length of students’ hair to their clothes and things in their school bags. Child psychologists now think that such strict rules often lead to a feeling of being unsafe and being unable to fit into society. They believe that no sense of moral values is developed and that students are given neither guidance nor training in becoming good citizens.

1．Many Japanese students are unhappy at school because          .

       A．the school work is too much

       B．their teachers are too strict with them

       C．their parents put much pressure on them

       D．they can’t get on well with their friends

2．How many unexpected things will some of Japanese students do when they are not doing well

       in their studies?

       A．Two                   B．Four                   C．Six                     D．Eight

3．What’s some experts’ opinion about Japanese school rules?

       A．They are a set of effective rules.

       B．They can help the students to be useful persons.

       C．They are bad for the development of each student.

       D．They stress the importance of sense of moral values.

4．According to the third paragraph, who have not tried their best?

       A．The schools.    B．The students.   C．The teachers.   D．The parents.

5、Many everyday American expressions are based on colors. Red is a hot color; Americans often use it to express heat. They may say they are red hot about something unfair, when they are red hot, they are very angry about something.

       People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the 20th century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.

       Blue is a cool color. The traditional blues music in the United States is the opposite of red hot music. Blues is slow and sad. Someone who is blue is very sad.

       The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling stomach may say she feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green. Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the backside of the paper money.

       People describe a day in which everything goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day. Blackouts were coming during World WarⅡ. Officials would order all lights in a city turned off to make it difficult for enemy planes to find a target in the dark of night.

1．The underlined expression “red hot” in the third paragraph is used to           .

       A．describe fast happy music                    B．express happiness or anger

       C．describe something unfair                     D．express pride and confidence

2．Which of the following expressions is correctly used?

       A．Sandy feels very blue today because he won the first prize.

       B．Sandy feels very blue today because he failed in the exam.

       C．Sandy is in the pink because he seldom takes exercise.

       D．Sandy feels in the pink because he has a headache today.

3．The color green is often used in the following situations EXCEPT            .

       A．to describe plants in the spring              B．to describe a very sick feeling

       C．to describe an expensive new car          D．to describe an upset feeling

4．What is the main idea of the passage?

       A．Meaning of different colours

       B．Differences between different colours

       C．Origins of some American expressions

       D．Stories of some American expressions

4、Lions are opportunists. They prefer to eat without having to do too much work. When resting in the shade, they are also watching the sky to see what is flying by, and even in the heat of the day they will suddenly start up and run a mile across the plains to find out what is going on. If another animal has made a kill，they will drive it off and take the kill for themselves. A grown lion can easily eat 60 pounds of meat at a single feeding. Often they eat until it seems painful for them to lie down.

       The lionesses， being thinner and faster, are better hunters than the males. But the males don't mind. After the kill they move in and take the best share.

       Most kills are made at night or just before daybreak. We have seen many， many daylight attempts but only ten kills. Roughly， it's about twenty daytime attempts for one kill.

       When lions are hiding for an attack by a water hole， they wait patiently and can charge at any second. The kill is the exciting moment in the day-to-day life of the lion， since these great animals spend most of their time， about 20 hours a day， sleeping and resting.

       Lions are social cats， and when they are having a rest， they love to touch each other. After drinking at a water hole， a lioness rests her head on another's back. When walking， young lions often touch faces with older ones， an act of close ties among members of the group.

1．By describing lions as “opportunists” in the first paragraph, the author means to say that lions

                 .

       A．a(chǎn)re cruel animals                                  B．a(chǎn)re clever animals

       C．like to take advantage of other animals   D．like to take every chance to eat

2．According to the text，which of the following is true？

       A．Lions make most kills in the daytime.

       B．Males care more about eating than active killing.

       C．Lions are curious about other animals and people.

       D．It doesn't take lions too much time to make a kill.

3．How can we know that lions are social animals？

       A．They often depend on lionesses.

       B．They look after each other well.

       C．They readily share what they have.

       D．They enjoy each other’s company.

4．What would be the best title for the text？

       A．Powerful Lions                                    B．Lions at Work and Play

       C．Lions，Social Cats                  D．Lions，Skilled Hunters

3、Australia has very strict laws relating to the importation and possession of certain goods. Food, plant material and animal products from overseas--including many common souvenirs -could introduce some of the world’s most serious pests and diseases into Australia. Failing to declare quarantine items （需要檢疫的物品） on arrival could destroy our agriculture, tourism industries and special environment. 

       Every piece of luggage will be screened or x-rayed on arrival in Australia. So you must declare for inspection of all food, plant material and animal products to check that they are free of pests and diseases.

       You must tick YES on the Incoming Passenger Card（IPC） to declare if you are carrying any food, plant material or animal products. In signing the IPC, passengers are making a legal declaration and failure to answer all questions truthfully can have serious consequences. 

       If you fail to declare or dispose of any quarantine items, or make a false declaration:

       * you will get caught;

       * you could be fined over a $ 200 on-the-spot; or

       * you could be prosecuted and fined more than a $ 60,000 fine and risk up to 10 years

imprisonment;

       If you are not sure about the items you are carrying, ask a quarantine officer who will determine whether they are allowed into Australia.

1．The reason why you are asked to declare quarantine items on arrival is that _________.

       A．too many overseas products could destroy Australia’s tourism industry.

       B．a(chǎn)nimal products are often the cause of various diseases.

       C．a(chǎn)s is known to us all, bad food can spread diseases easily.

       D．these items may carry dangerous pests or diseases into Australia.

2．You need to declare the following things EXCEPT _______ if you have them in your luggage.

       A．some dear watches                              B．dried flowers

       C．some moon-cakes                                                               D．a(chǎn) bottle of honey

3．For what purpose is the passage written?

       A．To inform the passengers of the law on the exportation of goods.

       B．To warn the passengers not to take unsafe goods.

       C．To tell the passengers to Australia to have their quarantine items declared.

       D．To urge the passengers to protect the agriculture in their countries.

4．If you don’t declare quarantine items, ________.

       A．you can probably get away with it

       B．you are sure to be discovered and punished

       C．you can turn to the customs officers for help

       D．you can give them away to a quarantine officer

2、此題要求改正所給短文中的錯誤。對標有題號的每一行作出判斷：如無錯誤，在該行右

邊橫線上畫一個（√）；如有錯誤（每行只有一個錯誤）則按下列情況改正：

       此行多一詞：把多余的詞用斜線（\）劃掉；在該行右邊的橫線上寫上該詞，并也用斜線劃掉。

       此行缺一詞：在缺詞處加一個漏字符（∧），在該行右邊的橫線上寫上該加的詞。

       此行錯一詞：在錯的詞下劃一橫線，在該行右邊橫線上寫出改正后的詞。

       注意：原行沒有錯的不要改。

       When Joe left university, he got a good job a bike factory.             1．         

But after he had been worked there for some years, he decided             2．         

to have a change, so he put a notice in several newspapers,                  3．         

saying what experience he had but the kind of job he would                 4．         

like to have One of the answer he received was from a man                 5．         

looked for a job, too. This man wrote to him. “Dear Sir,                      6．         

when you get a new job, be kind enough to give your name and           7．         

address to your present boss as I have been trying to find the               8．         

position like yours for a long time. ” After he reads the letter,                9．         

he suddenly realized that what he had done was real foolish.            10．         

1、假設你是學生會主席，請根據(jù)下面表格內容，用英語寫一則春游的通知。

       注意：

       1．標題和落款已給出。                          2．詞數(shù)：100左右

Notice

The Students’ Union

March 14

28、

1．If you happen to be the 200th customer to buy Cholesterolblock, you will          .

       A．be able to buy it at a low price               B．be the luckiest one online

       C．try it free of charge                              D．change your diet

2．Liptor?, Zocor?, Crestor? are         .

       A．diseases              B．side effects          C．medicines            D．cholesterol

3．Cholestrolblock^TM  has the following advantages EXCEPT that _____________________.

       A．it helps take cholesterol out of whatever food you eat.

       B．it has been proved useful in hospital testing.

       C．it helps people absorb at least 42% cholesterol.

       D．it sells best on Internet every month.

4．Where can you most probably read this passage?

    A．In a travel guide book.                          B．On a university bulletin board.

       C．In a health magazine.                            D．In a doctor's prescription.