Outside，the wind to pick up，and the rain started coming down even harder.

A. has begun B. had begun

C. would begin D. is beginning

—It really annoys me when a person’s cell phone goes off during a movie!

—Yeah，me too.It really .

A. costs me an arm and a leg B. gets on my nerves

C. beats my brains out D. pulls my legs

Teaching is challenging and teaching college is often a mixed bag.Sometimes my class feels more like a cafeteria，where students come and go，______ in the middle of my lectures.Mostly these students have entered college right out of high school.College seems to them like ______ a continuation of high school，______ the sense of newness that often drives curiosity and achievement.

But there is a category of students that gives everyone reasons for ______.They are the so called “nontraditional students”：those who，for one reason or ______，didn’t go to college when they were 18，but many years later.Some years back in my teaching，while calling out names from the name list on the first day，I noticed a gray haired woman of about 70.She was wandering in the doorway，______ her new books like a schoolgirl.

“I’m not on the name list，” she volunteered.“But I was ______ if I could sit in for the first class，to see what marine(海洋) biology is about.” This woman’s eagerness ______ me，so I invited her to have a seat.I began the class with questions to get a(n) ______ of how much knowledge they were bringing to the course.As I questioned them about the difference between fishes and seagoing mammals，most of my new students remained ______.But Natalie，the older woman，was on the edge of her seat，______ answers.At the end of the class，she came up to me and apologized for being the “extra” student.She said，“Will you ______ me another chance？” ______ at losing her，I acted quickly to remove her ______.“I’ll see you next class，”I said.Natalie turned out to be a vital and ______ student.She commuted 50 miles each day to get to school，often in the severe winter，and never missed a class.______ this，she was enthusiastic about helping my younger students.Apparently these older students have the ______ over them.It lies in the breadth and depth of their path of life.After having ______ numerous personal and professional barriers，they have an expansive world view.______ a return to school may，at first，be frightening for them，they tend to make it because they are ______ great trouble to put their studies into an already full life.

1.A. often B. seldom C. never D. hardly

2.A. more than B. other than C. rather than D. no more than

3.A. creating B. lacking C. involving D. inspiring

4.A. anger B. desperation C. hope D. pity

5.A. another B. others C. the other D. none

6.A. bringing B. buying C. holding D. fetching

7.A. hoping B. wondering C. thinking D. expecting

8.A. impressed B. embarrassed C. puzzled D. amused

9.A. plan B. sense C. concept D. idea

10.A. enthusiastic B. silent C. interested D. calm

11.A. asking B. repeating C. rejecting D. volunteering

12.A. offer B. make C. learn D. introduce

13.A. Relieved B. Relaxed C. Alarmed D. Annoyed

14.A. concern B. curiosity C. attention D. concentration

15.A. diligent B. humorous C. intelligent D. open?minded

16.A. Regardless of B. But for C. Except D. Apart from

17.A. ability B. experience C. advantage D. belief

18.A. got over B. got across C. got away from D. got through

19.A. Unless B. Until C. When D. While

20.A. demanding B. taking C. sparing D. escaping

The Best Time to Visit Sydney

If you prefer the cold to heat，especially if seeking to escape the northern summer，the best time to visit Sydney could be in the Australian winter from June 1 to August 31.

The Sydney winter isn’t really harsh and the weather’s generally pleasant.It’s great for touring the city on foot and for bushwalking.And the ski slopes are not too far away.

Holiday time

You get the Queen’s Birthday holiday weekend in June and the school holidays in July.Aside from within those periods，accommodation costs in the city will generally be lower.

Winter weather

Expect generally cool conditions.The average temperature should range from around 8℃(46?) at night to 16℃(61?) in the daytime in mid?winter.Expect from 80mm to 131mm of rain in a month，with the most rain in June tapering into August.

Winter accommodation

Outside of the holiday periods，Sydney accommodation will usually be available and should be relatively cheaper.

Winter activities

·The weather’s fine for a walking tour of Sydney.Visit the Rocks，the Sydney Opera House，the Royal Botanic Gardens，Art Gallery of New South Wales，Australian Museum，Hyde Park，Chinatown，Darling Harbour.

·Go on a harbor cruise.At the very least，take a Sydney ferry and cross the harbor to Manly.

·Take a day trip north，south and west of Sydney.

·Spot the whales as they travel north in the whale migration season.

·Go bushwalking at the Royal National Park.

1.Considering weather and accommodation，the best time to visit Sydney is in .

A. June B. July

C. August D. December

2.Which of the following activities is NOT recommended in the passage?

A. Going skiing near Sydney.

B. Hunting whales in the Royal Botanic Gardens.

C. Touring Sydney on foot.

D. Bushwalking at the Royal National Park.

There are two types of people in the world.Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life，one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy.This arises from the different ways in which they consider things，persons，events and the resulting effects upon their minds.

People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things：the pleasant parts of conversation，the well prepared dishes，the goodness of the wine and the fine weather.They enjoy all the cheerful things.Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things.Therefore，they are continually dissatisfied.By their remarks，they sour the pleasure of society，hurt many people，and make themselves disagreeable everywhere.If this turn of mind was founded in nature，such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied.The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation.It grows into a habit，unknown to its possessors.The habit may be strong，but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes.I hope this little warning may be of service to them，and help them change this habit.

Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination，it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck.Those people hurt many others; nobody loves them，and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect.This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments.If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune，nobody wishes them success.Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes.If they bring on themselves public objections，no one will defend or excuse them，and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings.They should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing，without worrying needlessly about themselves and others.If they do not，it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them.Otherwise，it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient，especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.

1.People who are unhappy .

A. always consider things differently from others

B. always discover the unpleasant side of certain things

C. usually misunderstand what others think or say

D. usually are affected by the results of certain things

2.The underlined phrase “sour the pleasure of society” most nearly means “ ”．

A. make others unhappy

B. have a good taste with social life

C. tend to scold others openly

D. enjoy the pleasure of life

3.We can conclude from the passage that .

A. we should pity all such unhappy people

B. such unhappy people are dangerous to social life

C. people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness

D. unhappy people can not understand happy persons

It is like a scene from a horror film：a spider web is several meters wide，which is home to thousands of spiders.And that was what Jason G．Goldman，an animal behavior researcher，found along a muddy path in the Peruvian Amazon jungle—the web arched from tree to tree，a structure containing too many spiders to count.They appeared to function as a society，just like ants or bees.

Anelosimus eximius，the species Goldman met in the rainforest，is not the only kind of social spiders in the world，but it does construct the biggest webs.Some can reach more than 7.6m long and 1.5m wide.A web of that size could contain as many as 50,000 individual spiders.

Anelosimus eximius was first discovered more than a century ago by a French scientist named Eugene Simon.More social spiders have been discovered since.One was found as recently as 2006.

An Anelosimus eximius colony(群體) contains adult males and females as well as youngsters，but the majority of spiders on the web are females. Males account for only between 5% and 22% of any colony’s population.Social spiders work together to build，maintain and clean their webs.They work together to catch prey(獵物)，and dine together when they trap a large feast.The females work together to care for the young in the colony.They feed their youngsters by vomiting(吐出) up food for them，just like mother birds.

Why did these spiders become social？Researchers have discovered three ecological(生態(tài)的) elements that often lead to cooperative(合作的) living among spiders.

Social spiders tend to feed on bigger prey，for one thing.Spiders living in places where it is difficult to hunt large or more profitable prey alone may eventually figure out that it is in their interest to work together.

1.What can we know about Anelosimus eximius from the text?

A. Its latest branch was found in 2006.

B. It was discovered by Jason G．Goldman.

C. It has been in existence for less than a century.

D. It builds bigger webs than other kinds of spiders.

2.Which of the following correctly shows the parts of an Anelosimus eximius colony?

A. B.

C. D.

3.What’s the main feature of social spiders?

A. They live on big prey.

B. They care for the young.

C. They live and work together.

D. They mainly exist in the rainforest.

4.The following paragraph would discuss .

A. new threats to spiders’ colonies

B. new research on spiders’ colonies

C. more reasons for spiders’ cooperative living

D. more species of social spiders in the world

I was 20 years old when my mother passed away.It was the first real blow that life had dealt me，and I thought I would never recover.Then，by the time the following spring came，the pain was almost bearable and again I could find pleasure in the miraculous reward of nature.

At first，I went to the cemetery with trepidation.But then，amazingly，by tending her grave and decorating it with flowers，I was ridding myself of the painful memories.

The years passed.I moved from Kaposvar，Hungary，the town where I had been born and had spent my youth.So did my siblings.We only came together on feast days，especially on All Souls’ Day in the cemetery.

Father lived with me for many years，to a ripe old age.Now that he，too，rests beneath the white marble stone，I go even more eagerly to the cemetery.While I tend my parents’ grave site，again I am with them in thought.

One day I noticed a modest grave site behind my parents’ plot.It lay among the magnificent granite and marble markers of the other graves，its very simplicity calling attention to itself.Ivy(常春藤) had covered the site and its only decoration was a simple wooden cross on which was written in copper letters a name，and that she lived 22 years.Whenever I went by，the plot and its surroundings looked cared for and neat，and each time I felt curious about this mysterious woman who had lived all of 22 years.

Once I saw an elderly man leaving from there.I concluded that perhaps he had come to visit his wife.In 1996 I was preparing for All Souls’ Day in the cemetery when again I caught sight of him，tending the grave.Tall，somewhat bent，he was well passed middle age.We nodded to each other and continued our work.Occasionally I stole a glance at my neighbor.When I noticed that he hadn’t got the tools for a proper cleanup，I offered him mine，which he gratefully accepted.After this，it seemed only natural to engage him in conversation.I asked him whose grave it was.This was his answer：

“My mother’s.She died young，in 1912 when I was only a year?and?a half old.I really never knew her.I made her that cross and the copper letters.”

Then he went on：“No one comes to visit this grave but me because I was her only child.She died of pneumonia.My father remarried and my stepmother only cared for her own children.So then I always came here to my mother，whether in sadness or in joy.Later，life took me far afield，but I never forgot this grave.For me it was the same as the family home is for others.I always came home here.”

“With the years passing，it is getting more difficult for me to come，but as long as my legs will carry me，at least twice a year I visit my mother.I’m in my 80s，so who knows how long I can still make it.”

In stunned silence I listened.Tears clouded my eyes as I realized that I had never seen such boundless love.How much easier is my lot，I thought，for at any moment I can reach into my storehouse of memories and draw out the joyful or sad vignettes(小插圖) that bind me to my parents with a thousand threads.What memories might this kindly old gentleman harbor？Perhaps a face from an ancient faded photograph of his mother.

What a great attachment throughout his long life must have led him back again and again to the resting place of that young woman whose motherly love he could never truly savor(嘗到)，only forever feels its enormous lack.

We said good?bye.I was deeply moved because I knew that I had been given a great gift.I had been allowed a glimpse of the royal and long?lasting affection that bound a simple and noble?hearted man to his mother.I decided I would tend the grave together with that of my parents，where，finally，the aged child will have met his youthful mother.

1.All Souls’ Day is a feast day .

A. to visit the cemetery and memorize the dead

B. for families to get together in the cemetery

C. to give gifts to family members

D. for daughters and sons to memorize their parents

2.From the passage，we know .

A. the author’s mother died young and her father，too

B. the author’s mother was dead while her father enjoyed a long life

C. the man’s mother died very young before he was born

D. the author’s father lived long while the man’s mother died very young

3.The underlined words “calling attention to itself” in the 5th paragraph mean .

A. desiring to be paid attention to

B. making it easily noticed

C. too modest to be noticed

D. calling itself to draw others’ attention

4.The author stole a glance at her neighbor because .

A. they were living in the same neighborhood

B. the man was tall and straight，well passed middle age

C. she was wondering about the dead young lady’s story

D. she knew the dead in the grave was the man’s mother

5.From Paragraph 10 we can conclude that .

A. the author lived near the cemetery and can visit her parents at any time

B. the poor gentleman had hardly any memory of his dear mother’s love

C. the author is bound to her parents with threads

D. the gentleman comes back “home” whenever he wants to

6.What message is conveyed in the passage?

A. Love is a length of thread to bind mother and children together.

B. Mother needs love from her children even if she is dead.

C. Parents’ love is always royal and long?lasting to children.

D. Mother’s love can be a boundless gift to their children.

The ability to deal with anxiety is an important part of sports training.People who are able to overcome their anxiety perform much better than some of the strongest competitors of the game.Unfortunately，at times sportspersons fail because they feel nervous when they are on the playing field，which makes them lose confidence in themselves.As a matter of fact，performance anxiety is quite common among stage artists and athletes，who are required to present themselves and their skills to a large crowd.

Various psychologists have found that expert athletes may behave like amateurs under great pressure.So what causes performance anxiety？First of all，during training and preparing for any competition，an athlete focuses on improving his or her skills in a familiar environment.All the efforts taken and practice done are，thus，stored in the procedural memory.However，in a real competitive situation，the conscious awareness of new grounds corrupts the memory of the practiced game，thus causing anxiety.It is also found that with more cheering crowds，the pressure for the athlete to achieve the best builds up rapidly.

Secondly，our body releases certain hormones(荷爾蒙) to welcome the upcoming exciting situation，which causes quickening of the heartbeat and sweaty hands.These signs are often misinterpreted(曲解) by an athlete as fear and lack of ability to perform.The negative thoughts often result in a terrible panic attack.

Thirdly，while training，some athletes set unrealistic targets for themselves.Failure to achieve those targets is regarded as lack of skills and puts the athletes in self?denial(自我否定) of their own improvement.Even if they are fully prepared for an event，they tend to think poorly of their capabilities.Such reaction can turn any professional player into a green hand，thus ruining their performance.

Fortunately，something can be done to solve the problem.One of the best ways to overcome such a situation is distraction(分心)．As soon as you have the awareness of anxiety，pay your attention to something else—maybe singing or asking a fellow sportsperson about something that is not related to the game.Besides，you can take some small but effective measures.For instance，cut down on caffeine and sugar and have a carbohydrate?rich meal before the game to preserve energy.Anyway，performance anxiety is not a disease that athletes can get rid of once and for all.They should handle it properly to improve their performance so as to achieve sporting glory.

The 18?year?old girl from Linyi，Shandong Province scored 568 points on her college entrance exam this year and was admitted to Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

On Aug.19，Xu received a phone call from an unknown person telling her that she was due to receive student funding.Following the call，Xu transferred a 9,900?yuan “activation fee” into the man’s bank account，hoping the money would appear in her student account，but it never did.

After discovering they had been cheated，the family immediately reported the incident to the police，but Xu was said to be frustrated.On their way home，she suddenly fainted and despite doctors’ best efforts to rescue her，she passed away.

The death of Xu Yuyu immediately caused an outcry over the society，and once again，it fired a public anger towards those who commit heartless fraud(欺詐)．

So how was Xu’s private information leaked out?

Reporters have discovered that there are many people who openly sell the examinee’s information online.The information includes the examinee’s name，school，phone number，and address.The personal information of examinee has become the target of the online fraud industry.

寫作內(nèi)容

1．用約30個單詞寫出上文概要；

2．用約120個詞就“Personal information leakage”談?wù)勀愕目捶ê透惺�，�?nèi)容包括：

(1)簡述個人信息泄露的危害及保護個人信息的重要性；

(2)就如何保護個人信息提幾點建議(至少兩點)。

寫作要求

1．寫作過程中不能直接引用原文語句；

2．作文中不能出現(xiàn)真實姓名和學(xué)校名稱；

3．不必寫標(biāo)題。

評分標(biāo)準(zhǔn)

內(nèi)容完整，語言規(guī)范，語篇連貫，詞數(shù)適當(dāng)。

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How old are the apps on your smartphone? Is it time for an update? Here are three apps for you. Try them out and have fun.

DuoLingo

Learning a foreign language doesn't always mean you have to sit in a class and take endless exams. An app called Duolingo has been designed to help you memorize(記住) new words and grammar in creative ways, such as online lessons, games and interesting exercises. For example, one exercise asks you to put words in the right order to make the correct sentence. You can also try translation practice.

Douban FM

A music app is necessity for almost every smartphone now. Douban FM might be the right thing for you.

There is no playlist on Douban FM—songs just keep streaming(播放) one by me, You can use the “heart”, “trash” and “skip” buttons (按鈕) to mark the songs you like, don’t like and want to cut short, respectively(分別地). Those marked with a heart will be stored in another list as your favorites for you to listen to anytime you want. Douban FM also has different channels(道頻). There are many types of music, such as blues, jazz, and pop. You can choose the music for outdoor activities work or studying depending on your mood (心情).

Flipboard

It is one of the hottest news apps right now. With Flipboard, you can make everything personal to you. All you have to do is open up the app, “flip through” to select whatever interests you, and click the button. At the end you’ll have your own magazine, complete with a front page, new articles, and information.

1.What’s the purpose of the passage?

A. To show a new way to learn English.

B. To offer a hottest news website.

C. To introduce three apps.

D. To give advice to music lovers.

2.What does Duolingo help you do?

A. Get away from endless exams.

B. Keep words and grammar in mind.

C. Have easy access to online lessons.

D. Practice speaking English correctly.

3.Which statement is true about Douban FM？

A. There is no playlist on it, making a smartphone easier to operate.

B. It has special channels where concerts are regularly broadcast live.

C. It knows about your mood based on what you are doing.

D. You can choose with it your favorite songs and music as you like.

4.According to the text, what can you do wish Flipboard?

A. Make a personalized news magazine.

B. Go through everything that interests you.

C. Safely store some personal information.

D. Contribute your articles to popular magazines.