A

Some authors were asked to give their opinions on Shakespeare. Here is what they said.

Gregory Maguire

My favorite play is A Mid-summer Nights Dream because of all the magic in it. Not long ago， I saw a high school textbook edition of it， and I picked it up because it was so beautifully designed. Shakespeare works very well because whatever you can think， he can think it faster than you or I can. He teaches me again and again how to think of new ideas for my writing.

Jack Gantos

For me， the greatest pleasure in reading Shakespeare is that each character contributes to the formation of the whole idea. When the play is finished， it is as if nothing more could have been added or taken away. You have to take every character and every thought into account， which means it all has purpose.

When I read Shakespeare， I know Im going to have to be sharp. I read a lot of Shakespeare when I was a teenager. And from the plays I learned a lot about human behavior. Shakespeares deep insights （洞察力） into human behavior exist forever. Shakespeare is surely on my all-time reading list.

Nicole Rubel

I like Romeo and Juliet because of the way Shakespeare tells the story of the many misunderstandings which led to the couples sad endings. Each time I revisit the story， I hope somehow the messenger sends the letter or Juliet will wake up in time so they can live happily forever because I love happy endings. Well， it never happens. But I am hopeful.

1. What does Gregory Maguire think of Shakespeare？

A. He is the greatest author.

B. He is a quick-minded writer.

C. His plays are all full of magic.

D. His plays are popular among high school students.

2. It can be inferred from the text that Nicole Rubel ___ .

A. wants to rewrite Romeo and Juliet

B. shows no interest in Shakespeares works

C. hopes Romeo and Juliet has a happy ending

D. read Romeo and Juliet when she was a teenager

3. What does the text mainly talk about？

A. Shakespeares early life and his works.

B. How Shakespeare influences other authors.

C. How Shakespeare became a famous writer.

D. Some popular plays written by Shakespeare.

B

When humans and nature go head to head， nature often ends up losing. Rivers get polluted. Trees are knocked down. Natural resources are used up. Thats what makes the Galapagos Islands so special—its one of the few places on the Earth that nature can truly call its own.

A visit to the Galapagos is a real eye-opening experience. Over 1，600 km west of Ecuador， the islands are home to a unique variety of animals that have absolutely no fear of people. Visitors can play on the beach with sea lions and giant sea turtles， swim with dolphins and whales， and get close enough to the penguins to count the eggs in their nests.

The islands were declared a national park over 40 years ago， and the number of human visitors is tightly limited to avoid damaging the environment or putting stress on the animals. Tourists have to pay $100 for the daily fee， and cant step off the boat unless accompanied （陪同） by an official guide. Once on the islands， you have to stay on the special car. The animals are so curious about people that theyll usually come up to say hello.

“Its a little like being in a zoo，” said one traveler. “But instead of us looking at the animals， the animals are looking at us.”

Besides the wildlife， one of the islands more unusual features is its post office. You can send postcards for free， but the problem is that theres no postman to collect them. Instead， travelers pick up mail addressed to people who live near them back home and then hand-deliver the postcards when their trip is finished.

4. The Galapagos Islands are ___ .

A. west of Ecuador B. terribly polluted

C. in the Atlantic Ocean D. independent of Ecuador

5. Which animal is mentioned in the passage？

A. Tigers. B. Goats.

C. Sharks. D. Sea lions.

6. What is one of the islands more unusual features？

A. You need to buy stamps to send letters.

B. There are some postmen to collect letters.

C. Travelers deliver the letters by themselves.

D. There are only wild animals on the islands.

7. What can be the best title for the passage？

A. A Special Zoo

B. Go Head to Head

C. Human and Nature

D. Ecuador—an Island Country

C

When families gather for Christmas dinner， some will stick to formal traditions dating back to Grandmas generation. Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver， and the dress code will be Sunday-best.

But in many other homes， this china-and-silver custom has given way to a stoneware-and-stainless informality， with dresses appearing an equally casual-Friday look. For hosts and guests， the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain， it means economic hard times.

Last week Royal Doulton， the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent， announced that it is cutting down 1，000 jobs—one-fifth of its total workforce. That brought to the number of more than 4，000 positions lost in 18 months in the pottery （陶瓷） region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier.

Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing， the layoffs （臨时解雇） in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social changes. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company “has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend” toward casual dining. Families eat together less often， he explained， and more people eat alone， either because they are single or they eat in front of television.

Even dinner parties， if they happen at all， have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules， busy hosts insist， rightly， that its better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a “real” dinner party. Too often， the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-designed tablecloth？ Forget it. Shine the silver？ Who has time？

Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of table manners that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grand-parents （“Chew with your mouth closed” “Keep your elbows off the table”） must be picked up elsewhere.

8. In Britain， the formal traditions at family dinner ___ .

A. show peoples respect for the older generations

B. are mainly preferred in families of the upper class

C. have a long history and are valued by some people

D. will be abandoned with the development of economy

9. Royal Doulton in Paragraph 3 is probably ___ .

A. the manager of a fine china factory

B. a company that produces fine china

C. a large region in Britain famous for producing china

D. an organization that determines the use of workforce

10. What is the main reason for less formality at dinner party？

A. Busy schedules dont allow for formality.

B. Hosts care less about their social behavior.

C. Being formal has been out of date at present.

D. Hosts are getting tired of frequent family dinner.

11. What can we learn about informality from the last paragraph？

A. It should be picked up elsewhere.

B. It has resulted in the great loss in British economy.

C. It has reduced parents influence on childrens behavior.

D. It helps table manners become more important than before.

D

What if you arrived home to find a delicious hot meal waiting for you， prepared by your own kitchen robot？ It might sound like science fiction， but professors at the University of Tokyo have taken the first steps toward making that a reality. The team recently introduced a human-shaped kitchen robot that can pour tea and other drinks into cups and serve them to guests. When teatime is over， the robot can also wash the dishes and put them away. In California， another interesting kitchen robot has been developed， called Readybot. It can pick up objects and either store them in cabinets （櫥柜） or put them in the trash. It also carries a separate floor-cleaning robot that can operate by itself. Unlike the Japanese robot， Readybot just looks more like a large box with arms and wheels.

Readybot was created by engineers and designers who established a club called the Readybot Challenge. They believe that in the future millions of robots will be needed in homes to perform ordinary household tasks. Readybot is just the first step in their plan to create a robot that can do jobs not only in kitchens but in other rooms of homes and in offices as well. Clearly there are technological difficulties to solve before robots can cook a complete dinner， and there are also many safety concerns. Not everyone （especially parents） would be comfortable with the idea of robots in their house， manipulating hot pans and sharp knives. The European Commission recently funded （资助） a project to study these concerns. According to lead researcher Professor Chris Melhuish， “Enabling robots to work safely with humans is a key need for the future development of robotics.”

12. Compared with Readybot， the Japanese robot ___ .

A. is more popular

B. performs more jobs

C. moves more quickly

D. looks more like a person

13. Readybot can now be used to ___ .

A. clean your kitchen

B. drive you around

C. prepare food for you

D. work for office workers

14. The underlined word “manipulating” can best be replaced by “___”.

A. inventing B. controlling

C. avoiding D. making

15. In the last paragraph the author says that parents ___ .

A. might think that kitchen robots could be dangerous

B. cant wait to use kitchen robots in their homes

C. have shown great interest in kitchen robots

D. found out how to operate robots safely

Although nobody can guarantee that by adopting an exact lifestyle you will be able to live a longer life， there are some things you can do to increase your chances of living longer.

In other words you have to do it without realizing it. Here are 5 most important habits for a better life.

●

It has been proven by many studies that people who are happy live a better life. To find happiness in your life you have to ask for it and run after it.

● Healthy diet habits.

A diet based on healthy principles can not only improve your mood， but it also can help you keep to a healthy weight.

● Physical exercise and activity.

This is the most well-known guideline. Exercise is good for your health and can help you live longer. By exercising you help your body function better.

● Relaxation.

Relax as much as possible. Our life is full of tasks.  Relaxation means everything that makes you feel good and happy. This may be watching a nice movie or going to a basketball match.

● Sleep.

It has been proven by many researchers that people who sleep 7 hours per day enjoy a happier and healthier life. Try to keep a sleeping pattern.

A. Dont worry， and be happy.

B. Any form of exercise is good for you.

C. Many people dont realize the power of sleep.

D. People who want to live longer should learn how to relax.

E. Anything you do in order to live longer has to turn into a habit.

F. Following a healthy diet is among the best ways to enjoy a life.

G. People who have hopeless thoughts end up with low confidence.

1.                2.                3.                4.                5.

Tracy Wong is a well-known Chinese-American writer. But her writing  was something she picked up by herself. After her first ， teaching disabled children， she became a part-time writer for IBM. ， writing stories was simply a  interest. Tracy sent three of her stories to a publisher.

， they immediately suggested that she put them together to make a single long  and paid Tracy $15，000 in advance. “A pretty money，” said the publisher， “for a（n） writer at that time.”

Even though Tracys  are interesting， her stories sometimes  readers uneasy： those about the supernatural.  “My mother believed I could  with the afterlife world，” she told a close friend. “She used to have me speak with my grandmother， who died many years ago.”

“Can I？ I dont think I can，” Tracy said with a laugh. “But I do have  when things come to me for no reason.” Once， she was  how to complete a  set in ancient China.  the doorbell rang. It was a FedEx deliveryman （送货人）， with a copy of a book on Chinese . It came without her having  it.

Though she has  45 books， Tracy has remained

by her fame. She lives in the same  she lived 27 years ago—although in a more comfortable home. Theres more room for  in her life—and it wasnt just writing.

1. A. skill B. experience C. practice D. idea

2. A. duty B. effort C. job D. task

3. A. Instead B. Normally C. Certainly D. Then

4. A. general B. deep C. personal D. great

5. A. Interested B. Anxious C. Serious D. Encouraged

6. A. account B. story C. program D. article

7. A. foreign B. popular C. unusual D. unknown

8. A. imaginations B. characters

C. spirits D. backgrounds

9. A. find B. turn C. leave D. hold

10. A. compare B. connect C. deal D. meet

11. A. events B. chances C. feelings D. moments

12. A. wondering B. figuring C. telling D. wanting

13. A. description B. point C. scene D. talk

14. A. Surprisingly B. Suddenly

C. Expectedly D. Fortunately

15. A. cooking B. history C. play D. medicine

16. A. written B. sent C. realized D. ordered

17. A. published B. sold C. read D. remembered

18. A. unchanged B. excited C. determined D. unmoved

19. A. life B. city C. house D. way

20. A. joy B. success C. variety D. work

When I was the boy， the most exciting thing was when to celebrate the Spring Festival. My grandma was the best cook in the world but could make the most delicious dishes. One time， I just couldnt wait to the Spring Festival dinner. As I was about take a piece from a cooked duck， I see Grandma in the kitchen looking at me. Shake her head， she said， “It isnt a good time to do that， dear.” At once I apologized and controlled me at my best till the dinner started. You know， the dinner was that we had waited for several month.

假如你是李華，你校学生会文学部（Literature Department）拟招聘一名编辑。请你用英语给文学部的Mr Wu写一封自荐信，内容包括：

1.写信目的;

2.个人基本信息;

3.自荐理由。

注意：

1.词数100左右;

2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。