（一）

A

If you analyze people’s actions， you will come to the conclusion that they all seek happiness. Every act is in fact a search for it， even if on the surface it doesn’t look so. Happiness is always the main target.

Going to a movie， eating in a restaurant or going to a party， is motivated by the desire to be happy. Who does not dream of a vacation in some fascinating location， a new car， a new house， or the ideal match？ All people daydream， and some even try to make their dreams realities. And why is that？ In order to be happy.

Many people endanger themselves by climbing high mountains， entering unexplored caves， or diving into the deep of the ocean in order to enjoy the few moments of happiness. A thief may steal because he loves the thrill of danger， or because he desires to have quick money to spend. He is actually looking for happiness， though in a criminal way.

Of course not all actions end in happiness. The motive is happiness， but the results not always bring the desire. According to some spiritual traditions， we are spiritual beings in physical bodies. The spiritual part is always happy， or rather is happiness itself. The body covers this happiness essence， but it is there all the time. There is a constant （不斷的） desire to be aware of this happiness. This is the reason it is constantly sought.

However， there is no need to search for happiness or to create it， or to have all kinds of outer experiences and actions in order to feel it. On the contrary， everything has to be dropped in order to experience it. Every technique， which helps relax the mind and quieten the rush of thoughts will lead to happiness.

1. According to Paragraph 1， we can learn that ___ .

A. many acts in our life have something to do with happiness

B. whatever we do in daily life， happiness is always the first

C. in fact it’s so hard to analyze people’s actions in society

D. we should do everything carefully so as not to show our purpose

2. In the author’s opinion， a thief steals mainly because he ___ .

A. has to take a risk raising his parents， children and wife

B. lacks the necessary ability to earn enough money to support himself

C. wants the good feeling when he is stealing something

D. gets used to a criminal life

3. We can know that the author’s attitude to seeking happiness is ___ .

A. positiveB. objectiveC. negativeD. indifferent

4. What’s the main idea of this passage？

A. Happiness needs hard work and determination. B. Some factors cause people to seek happiness.

C. No pains， no gains. D. There’s no smoke without fire.

B

Pride， amusement or embarrassment， what we’re called has a big influence on how other people see us and how we see ourselves. So， what’s in a name？

Ilona Cheshire， 34， London

My parents took a lucky dip in a name book and found my name. They chose it the last day before they had to register it， so they weren’t debating much by then. Because of the spelling and pronunciation， people often can’t quite understand it. A couple of old friends call me Ils， which I don’t like because it sounds like I am sickening for something.

Ashley Wright， 24， London

My mum saw Gone With the Wind and decided her child was going to be called Ashley whether the child is a boy or a girl. My dad is Jamaican and my mum is part English， part Irish. People think because I look foreign I should have a foreign name. I was desperate to change my name to Angel or Percy. Now I am very glad my mum said no.

James Dearlove， 37， London

There are lots of Dearloves in Liverpool， and some people think it is a version of the French name De Lyon. My dad is not from Liverpool or France， though he’s Cornish. People never believe it’s my real name. I was slightly annoyed about that actually.

Mimi Joung， 35， originally from Korea

My name is actually Mi， which means beauty. In Korea， it’s traditional to have two syllables （音節(jié)） in your name， but my father said， “Beauty is all I can give her”， so I just got one. When I came to England 10 years ago， people thought it was too short and started to call me Mimi. When I am at home， everyone still calls me Mi. But I feel I more like Mimi now.

5. Who are quite satisfied with their names now？

A. Ilona Cheshire and Ashley Wright.B. James Dearlove and Mimi Joung.

C. Ashley Wright and Mimi Joung.D. Ilona Cheshire and James Dearlove.

6. The reason why Ilona doesn’t like the calling “Ils” is that ___ .

A. people always can’t understand itB. it’s difficult to spell and pronounce

C. it took too little time to get itD. it may sound like the word “illness”

7. It can be inferred from the text that ___ .

A. Ashley’s name is from her family

B. Jojo is a traditional Korean name

C. Ilona’s parents had planned a good name

D. Dearlove is a popular name in France

8. What’s the best title for the text？

A. English Names.B. Interesting Names.

C. How to Get a Name？D. What’s in a Name？

C

Dream House by Valerie Laken

336 pages. Harper. $24.99.

Kate Kinzler and her husband， Stuart， have been living in a rental apartment with a water-stained ceiling. They are 29， full grown， seven years out of college， and still living like this. Then their parents give them the money to buy their own house. The one Kate chooses is a “project” with an overgrown lawn， fake wood paneling （嵌板） and years of grime （塵垢） . Unknown to them， it also comes with a history： a man was killed within its walls almost 20 years earlier.

Fool by Christopher Moore

311 pages. William Morrow. $26.99.

In Fool Christopher Moore takes on Shakespeare， with a retelling of “King Lear” through the eyes of Lear’s fool named Pocket. The plot and cast of characters are borrowed （more or less） from the original， with several Mooreian additions — a second fool， named Drool， and a refrain （疊句） that could come in handy for any adapter of Shakespeare， “There’s always a bloody ghost”.

Corner Shop by Roopa Farooki

355 pages. St. Martin’s Press. $24.95.

When we meet them， the characters in Corner Shop are living in London， pursuing their dreams. Fourteen-year-old Luhith Khalil， known as Lucky， who cares more for soccer than for school， wants to win the World Cup for England. His mother， Delphine， a former marketing executive， now feels trapped as a stay-at-home mother. She’d only wanted to get away from her village in rural France.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

541 pages. Knopf. $26.95.

Like his main character， Marion Stone， Abraham Verghese is a doctor born in Ethiopia who emigrated to the United States. Marion and his twin brother， Shiva， were left alone at birth when their mother died， and their father， a doctor， disappeared. Fleeing an act of political violence， Marion lands in New York， at a charity hospital called Our Lady of Perpetual Succour， where the events that happen force him to face his past.

9. Which book can you buy if you only have $25？

A. Corner Shop or Fool.B. Cutting for Stone or Dream House.

C. Fool or Cutting for Stone.D. Dream House or Corner Shop.

10. We may know from the passage Shiva is ___ .

A. Verghese’s twin brotherB. Delphine’s son

C. Kate’s husbandD. Marion’s twin brother

11. If you want to learn more about “King Lear”， which book is the best choice？

A. Dream House.B. Fool.

C. Corner Shop.D. Cutting for Stone.

12. It can be inferred from the passage that ___ .

A. Harper and William Morrow are most probably presses

B. Luhith Khalil’s mother doesn’t want to stay in France

C. Marion’s mother dies after his father runs away from home

D. the book Fool is the thinnest and also costs the least

D

“Babies who use many gestures to communicate when they are 14 months old have much larger vocabularies （詞匯） when they start school than those who don’t，” US researchers said on Thursday.

They said babies with wealthier， better-educated parents tend to gesture more and this may help explain why some children from low-income families fare less well in school.

“When children enter school， there is a large socioeconomic gap （社會經(jīng)濟學(xué)的差距） in their vocabularies，” said the University of Chicago’s Meredith Rowe， whose study appears in the journal Science. “Gestures could help explain the difference，” Rowe told the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Chicago. Vocabulary is a key predictor （預(yù)示物） of school success. Earlier research showed that well-off， educated parents tended to talk to their children more than their poorer， less-educated peers. “What we are doing here is going one step earlier and asking， does this socioeconomic status relate to gesture， and can that explain some of the gaps we see at school entry？” Rowe said.

The researchers filmed 50 Chicago-area children and parents from different economic backgrounds and counted the number of gestures， such as pointing at a picture. The team found that 14-month-olds from high-income， well-educated families used gestures to convey an average of 24 different meanings during each 90-minute session， compared with 13 meanings conveyed by children from lower-income families. When the same children entered school at the age of four and a half， those from higher-income families had better vocabulary scores on standard tests.

“At 14 months， an age when there aren’t even socioeconomic differences in their talks yet， we see there are differences in their gestures，” Rowe said. The videos showed that parents from wealthier families gestured more with their children than the other parents. Rowe said the findings suggested that gestures could at least partly explain vocabulary differences between the groups. “Can we control how much parents and children gesture， and if so， will it increase their vocabularies？” Rowe said.

13. What plays an important role in students’ results in school？

A. Gesture.B. Vocabulary.C. Teacher.D. Money.

14. What does the underlined word “fare” in Paragraph 2 mean？

A. Charge.B. Earn.C. Behave.D. Perform.

15. What can we infer from the passage？

A. Babies with wealthier， better-educated parents tend to gesture less.

B. It is the gestures that cause the socioeconomic gap.

C. Family’s income and parents’ education have an effect on the gestures of children.

D. Children at 14 months have socioeconomic differences in their talks.

16. We can most probably see the passage in the ___ .

A. science magazineB. news report

C. education remarksD. entertainment

E

In the past four months， a girl， who called herself “Lonelygirl15”， caught the attention of millions. Lonelygirl15 presented herself as a 16-year-old home-schooled American named Bree. Her blog on popular video-sharing website YouTube.com recorded her disagreements with her parents and her boyfriend， and it attracted loads of fans to offer advice on dealing with her problems.

But last month， the lonely girl turned out to be a not so lonely young woman， who got two filmmakers， a lawyer， and a Hollywood talent agency behind her. “Bree” is really Jessica Rose， a 19-year-old actress from New Zealand. The whole thing was a hoax！

Several weeks ago some viewers started to become suspicious （懷疑的） of Lonelygirl15 and her blog. They found Lonelygirl15’s videos seemed a little too perfect， she looked a little too old， and her room seemed a little too neat for a teenager. The mystery was later shown.

So what’s the story？ The filmmakers said it was just a creative project. They took the Internet as a new way for independent filmmakers to distribute their work and find new audience. Lonelygirl15 got people talking about what’s real and what’s unreal， and it drew even more people after the truth was revealed.

On the web it’s often hard to tell what you’re really seeing and reading. People can pretend to be just about anything they want to be. Some fans were angry at the lonely girl who had deceived （欺騙） them. One of the disappointed fans said， “The creators （of Lonelygirl15） did this without any thought of how it was going to affect the community， and I think that’s really sad.” Some other fans， however， didn’t seem to care. They posted words like “Unreal or not， you guys are brilliant！”

The blog has been moved to Bree’s own website： Lonelygirl15.com， where the story will continue.

17. Before people knew the truth， ___ .

A. they liked the girlB. all of them believed the girl

C. some of them wanted to help the girlD. no one knew the girl

18. The underlined word “hoax” in Paragraph 2 probably means “___”.

A. trickB. jokeC. factD. truth

19. Why do some viewers doubt the girl？

A. The videos seem a little too perfect. B. The girl looks a little too young.

C. They know the truth. D. The girl is an actress.

20. We can know from the passage that ___ .

A. the girl’s name isn’t Bree B. the video is made by the girl

C. we should pretend ourselves on the Internet D. all of the fans do not forgive the girl

（二）

A

Diet Coke， diet Pepsi， diet pills， no-fat diet， or vegetable diet. We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically （心理上） and physically.

Diet products weaken us psychologically. On one level， we are not allowing our brains to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight， but in controlling the consumption （消耗） of fatty， high-calorie and unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels （標(biāo)簽） .

On another level， diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink， we are telling ourselves without awareness that we don’t have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain， and that life can be without resistance and struggle.

The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us， but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients. Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonderful products. Diet products may not be nutritional， and the chemicals that go into diet products are possibly dangerous.

Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us， it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds， not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this， we will be much better able to resist diet products， and therefore prevent the physical harm that comes from using them.

1. From Paragraph 1， we learn that ___ .

A. diet products fail to bring out people’s potential B. people have difficulty in choosing diet products

C. diet products are misleading people D. people are fed up with diet products

2. One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to ___ .

A. try out a variety of diet foods B. hesitate before they enjoy diet foods

C. pay attention to their own eating habits D. watch their weight rather than their diet

3. In Paragraph 3， “gain comes without pain” probably means ___ .

A. losing weight is effortlessB. it costs a lot to lose weight

C. diet products bring no painD. diet products are free from calories

4. Diet products indirectly harm people physically because such products ___ .

A. are over-consumed B. lack basic nutrients

C. are short of chemicals D. provide too much energy

B

Probably you have seen photos of the Grand Canyon （大峽谷） ， the great valley in the desert country of Arizona. But you must go there yourself to feel its true size and beauty. The Grand Canyon is one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.

The Colorado River formed the Grand Canyon over millions of years. Slowly， the river cut down through hard rock. At the same time， the land was rising. Today the canyon is 1.5 kilometers and 445 kilometers long. The oldest rocks at the bottom of the canyon are more than 1 billion years old. The width varies from about 200 meters to 29 kilometers across. The edge or top of the canyon is about 2，300 meters above sea level on the South Rim （大峽谷南緣） ， and about 3，000 meters on the other side. As a result， there are different kinds of plants and animals on opposite sides of the canyon. On the South Rim is dry desert country. The North Rim has tall forests.

The canyon looks different at different times of the day， and in different seasons and weather. At sunrise and sunset the red， gold， brown and orange colors of the rocks are especially clear and bright. In winter， the canyon is partly covered with snow.

The view from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is the best. Most visitors come here and stay in campgrounds or hotels. Every point along the canyon’s edge offers a different view.

The North Rim of the Canyon is quieter. It takes all day to drive there from the South Rim because there is only one bridge across the Colorado River. On the way， you go through Navado Indian Lands， and a colorful pink desert called “The Painted Desert”.

5. The scene of the canyon is ___ .

A. various depending on different time and places B. always the same

C. various depending on different time D. various depending on different places

6. If you want to visit the North Rim from the South Rim， you ___ .

A. can go there in many directions B. won’t spend much time on the way

C. can visit The Painted Desert on the way D. needn’t go across any bridges

7. According to Paragraph 2， we know that ___ .

A. the Grand Canyon has a short history

B. its size never changed in the history

C. the Grand Canyon was formed by the earthquake

D. people can enjoy different scenery on different sides of the canyon

8. If you want to have a visit to the Grand Canyon， you’d better go to ___ .

A. the North RimB. the South Rim

C. the bottomD. Navado Indian Lands

C

Taking charge of your energy use not only saves your money， but also helps protect our environment by lowering emissions （排放） and conserving resources. There are many things you can do to save energy without affecting your comfort or convenience.

The household is a great place to start and a place each one of us can make a big difference. So if you’re looking for ways to lower your energy bill， start taking charge right here. It’s easier than you think！

Decrease energy use

◆Turn off your water heater when you go on a vacation for a week or longer.

◆Take a short shower instead of a bath.

◆Keep your refrigerator and freezer full.

◆Shut down computers at night and when not in use.

◆When your family is replacing appliances （家電） ， choose ones with an ENERGY STAR label.

Cooling

◆On hot summer days， close all of your blinds， curtains， windows and doors to keep out of the heat.

◆Turn off the air conditioner overnight and when you are out during the day.

◆Use fans to create nice cool wind.

Lighting

◆Turn off lights when you leave a room.

◆Try to open curtains and use natural light when possible.

◆Replace regular light bulbs （燈泡） with energy efficient ones.

Laundry （洗衣）

◆Make sure your washing machine and dryer are full when you use them.

◆Wash your clothes in cold water when you can.

◆Dry your clothes on a clothesline whenever possible—this uses no electricity at all.

________

◆Cook as many dishes as possible at a time.

◆Only boil the water you need.

◆If possible， use smaller appliances instead of larger ones when cook small portions （份額） —it also helps keep your

house cool.

◆Remember to use the thermometer （溫度計） or timer on your oven to avoid over-cooking.

9. If you choose appliances with an ENERGY STAR label， you will probably choose ones ___ .

A. that are shiny like a starB. with a star-shaped mark on

C. that help to save energyD. that are cheaper and easier to run

10. What can be learned from the passage？

A. A blind may be a kind of curtain.

B. Light bulbs can be replaced by natural light.

C. Washing machines must be full of water when used.

D. People must have both small and large appliances to cook.

11. Which of the following can be the best title for the last part？

A. Cooking.B. Heating.

C. Appliances using.D. Water saving.

12. The passage is written mainly to ___ .

A. show how to save money in the kitchen

B. give tips on how to save energy in your house

C. help to improve your cooking skills

D. introduce some ways to do housework

D

“Good evening， everybody！” said the teacher， Donna. “Where is everybody？” That was sort of a daily joke by Donna. Usually the class started with only two or three students present， and then filled up as the minutes went by. It was summertime. Summer school was only eight weeks long. Class attendance was always smaller than during fall and spring semesters.

“I don’t know， teacher. Maybe they are late or don’t come，” said one student. “Maybe watching TV football tonight.”

“Is there a soccer game tonight？ It seems like there’s a soccer game every night. Oh， well. Let’s get started， okay？ We’re on page 36 in the workbook. Tonight we’re studying participles （分詞） as adjectives. Students are always confused when they learn about the present and past participles， so we will practice this a lot. Tonight， we’re just going to practice the present participle.”

“The present participle tells us what emotion or feeling the subject is causing. For example， ‘Grammar is boring’ means that the subject ‘Grammar’ causes an emotion of boredom. If we say ‘The movie is interesting’， we are saying that the movie causes a feeling of interest. If we say ‘The roller coaster is exciting’， we are saying that the roller coaster causes a feeling of excitement. Any questions so far？ Am I confusing you？ Is everyone confused？”

The classroom was quiet. Donna looked at blank faces. They were confused. She knew this would take a while. But eventually， the faster students would grasp （掌握） it， and then they would help the slower students. By the end of the evening， most of the class would feel comfortable using the present participle.

Donna erased the board and put some new examples on it. She loved guiding her students through difficult topics like this one. She always felt a little bit thrilled when the look of understanding came to their faces.

13. What was the subject they were mainly talking about？

A. The usage of the present participle.

B. The usage of the past participle.

C. The differences between the present and past participles.

D. The usages of the present participle and the past participle.

14. How did Donna present the grammar point first？

A. By providing some examples.B. By explaining the grammar concept to students.

C. By drilling students on it.D. By talking about some topics.

15. Which of the following can be used to take the place of the underlined word “blank”？

A. expressionlessB. confusedC. confusingD. empty

16. According to the passage， the present participle is used to ___ .

A. indicate an action that is incompleteB. be an adjective

C. express the state of an objectD. refer to an action in process

E

Lights went out at tourism landmarks and homes across the globe on Saturday for “Earth Hour 2012”， a global event designed to highlight the threat from climate change.

From the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge to the Eiffel Tower in Paris and London’s Houses of Parliament， lights became less bright as part of a campaign to encourage people to cut energy use and control greenhouse gas emissions （排放） from fossil fuels.

Organizers said the action showed millions of people wanted governments to work out a strong new UN deal to fight the global warming， even though the global economic problem has raised worries about the costs. “We have been dreaming of a new climate deal for a long time，” Kim Carstensen， head of a global climate plan at the conservation group WWF， said in a candle-lit bar in the German city of Bonn， which hosted UN climate talks between March 29 and April 8. “Now we’re no longer so alone with our dream. We’re sharing it with all these people switching off their lights，” he said.

The UN Climate Team says greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet and will lead to more floods， lack of water， heatwaves， rising sea levels and animal and plant extinctions. World emissions have risen by about 70 percent since the 1970s.

“Australia first held ‘Earth Hour’ in 2007 and since then it became an annual global event， attracting 50 million people，” organizers said. “WWF， which started the event， is hoping that billions people from nearly 135 countries will take part.”

17. Which of the following statements about “Earth Hour” is true？

A. It was started by WWF.B. It attracted 50 million people in 2007.

C. It was first held in Germany.D. One billion people took part in it in 2009.

18. Where were UN climate talks held in 2012 according to the passage？

A. Sydney.B. Paris.C. London. D. Bonn.

19. From Paragraph 3 we know “our dream” is to ___ .

A. carry out the event every yearB. have a new climate deal

C. solve the global economic problemD. encourage people to cut energy use

20. What’s the best title for the passage？

A. Climate ChangeB. Earth HourC. A Global EventD. Global Warming