On a sunny day last August, Tim heard some shouting. Looking out to the sea carefully, he saw a couple of kids in a rowboat were being pulled out to sea.

Two 12-year-old boys, Christian and Jack, rowed out a boat to search for a football. Once they'd rowed beyond the calm waters, a beach umbrella tied to the boat caught the wind and pulled the boat into open water. The pair panicked and tried to row back to shore. But they were no match for  it  and the boat was out of control.

Tim knew it would soon be swallowed by the waves.

"Everything went quiet in my head," Tim recalls (回忆). "I was trying to figure out how to swim to the boys in a straight line."

Tim took off his clothes and jumped into the water. Every 500 yards or so, he raised his head to judge his progress. "At one point, I considered turning back," he says. "I wondered if I was putting my life at risk." After 30 minutes of struggling, he was close enough to yell to the boys, "Take down the umbrella!"

Christian made much effort to take down the umbrella. Then Tim was able to catch up and climb aboard the boat. He took over rowing, but the waves were almost too strong for him.

"Let's aim for the pier (码头)," Jack said. Tim turned the boat toward it. Soon afterward, waves crashed over the boat, and it began to sink. "Can you guys swim?" he cried. "A little bit," the boys said.

Once they were in the water, Tim decided it would be safer and faster for him to pull the boys toward the pier. Christian and Jack were wearing life jackets and floated on their backs. Tim swam toward land as water washed over the boys' faces.

“Are we almost there?" they asked again and again. "Yes," Tim told them each time.

After 30minutes, they reached the pier.

1. Why did the two boys go to the sea?

A. To go boat rowing.                               B. To swim in the open water.

C. To get back their football.              D. To test the umbrella as a sail.

2. What does "it" in Paragraph 2 refer to?

      A. The beach.                         B. The wind.           

C. The boat.                        D. The water.

3. Why did Tim raise his head regularly?

      A. To check his distance from the boys.  

      B. To consider turning back or not.

      C. To take in enough fresh air.  

      D. To ask the boys to take down the umbrella.

4. How did the two boys finally reach the pier?

      A. They were carried to the pier by Tim on his back.

      B. They swam to the pier all by themselves.

      C. They were washed to the pier by the waves.

      D. They were dragged to the pier by Tim. 

What will power your house in the future？Nuclear，wind，or solar power？According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US，it might be leaves — but artificial (人造的) ones.

Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis (光合作用)．Now researchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process.

The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip with catalysts (催化剂)．Similar to natural leaves，it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell，which uses those two materials to produce electricity，located either on top of a house or beside the house.

Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card，scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries. “One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology,” said Nocera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.

The artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf，by contrast，is made of cheap materials，easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies，Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prototype (原型) could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.

The wonderful improvements come from Nocera's recent discovery of several powerful，new and inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now，the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides，the device can run in whatever water is available；that is，it doesn't need pure water. This is important for some countries that don't have access to pure water.

With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “give energy to the poor”，scientists believe that the new technology could be widely used in developing countries，especially in India and rural China.

5．Which of the following orders correctly shows how the artificial leaf is used to produce electricity?

a．artificial leaves split water into hydrogen and oxygen

b．the hydrogen and oxygen gases are stored in a fuel cell

c．the artificial leaves are put in water

d．the fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity

A．c，a，b，d               B．c，b，a，d  

    C．b，c，a，d                               D．c，a，d，b

6．The purpose of the scientists at MIT in developing the new artificial

       leaf is to________.

       A．build up more power stations in the world

B．provide cheaper energy for developing countries

C．offer people in developing countries access to pure water

D．gain a deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process

7．The main idea of this passage is ________.

A．an introduction to the history of artificial leaves

B．a mixture of water power and solar energy

C．giving energy to the poor

D．an invention copying photosynthesis

In December, 2010, many American newspapers publish a list of the best books of the year. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen is one of the most repeatedly praised books on this year's list of favorites. It tells about the ups and downs of the Berglund family over many years. Mr. Franzen fills the book with sharp observations about American politics, culture and society.

Jennifer Egan's book A Visit from the Goon Squad takes place in 13 chapters over 40 years. The story moves back and forth in time, from different viewpoints. One main character is former rock musician Bennie Salazar who works for a record company. The other main character is a troubled young woman named Sasha who works for Bennie. The reader learns about their pasts and those of their friends.

The main character in The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman is a failing English Language newspaper published in Rome, Italy. Each chapter of the book tells about a reporter or editor working for this paper. Their stories are filled with intelligence and great personality.

Two of the most popular non­fiction books of 2010 were about rock and roll stars. Just Kids is by rock singer Patti Smith. It tells about her friendship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe in the 1960s and 1970s before they became famous. Life is the autobiography of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. It is an honest and exciting look at the development of rock and roll and the wild times this famous band has experienced.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand tells about a man named Louis Zamperini. She tells about his extraordinary survival story after his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean during Would War Two.

Stacy Schiff has received great praise for her book Cleopatra: A Life. It tells about one of the most misrepresented and famous women in his story, Cleopatra. She ruled ancient Egypt about 2,000 years ago. One critic said Ms. Schiff has brought Cleopatra to life again by unearthing her story from centuries of lies.

8.The following books are related to music EXCEPT________.

      A. The Imperfectionists          B. A Visit from the Goon Squad   

      C. Just Kids                             D. Life

9.If your major is the history of ancient Africa, you may pay attention to ________.

      A. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen           

      B. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

      C. The Imperfections by Tom Rachman

      D. Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff 

10．Which book will give you a practical understanding of the USA?

   A．Life                  B．Cleopatra: A Life

      C．Freedom                                 D．A Visit from the Goon Squad

11.The last sentence of the passage implies that ________.

      A．Stacy Schiff is an archaeologist

      B．the critic finds the character in the book very real

      C．the critic speaks highly of Cleopatra in history

       D．Stacy Schiff tells a story about an imaginary Egyptian queen

I want to talk about the economy．Not "the economy" we hear about endlessly in the news each day and in politicians' speeches．I want to talk about the real economy, the one we live in day by day．

Most  people aren't particularly interested in "the economy"．"Share prices are flying high; interest rates are soaring(令人伤心的）; the Dow Jones Index closed sixty-three points down on 8472．35．" We hear this and subconsciously switch off．

        Notice that "the economy" is not the same as the economy, "The economy" is what men in suits play with to make vast personal wealth．The economy is where the rest of us live on a daily basis, earning our living, paying our taxes, and purchasing the necessities of life．

        We are supposed to be benefiting from all the advantages of a well-off society．So why do we feel tired and stressed? We have no time for anything other than work, which is ridiculous given the number of labor-saving devices in our lives．Our towns become more and more crowded．We poison our air and seas, and our food is full of chemicals．There's something wrong here．If times were truly good, then you may think we'd all feel optimistic about the future．Yet the majority of us are deeply worried．More than 90 percent of us think we are too concerned about ourselves and not concerned enough about future generations．

        The term "economic expansion" suggests something desirable, but expansion simply means spending more money．More spending doesn't mean that life is getting better. We all know it often means the opposite - greed, crime, poverty, pollution. More spending merely feeds our whole economic system, which is based on production and consumption. Unless money keeps circulating, the economy breaks down. If we don't keep consuming, the whole system goes into stalemate（僵局）．

How do we break the cycle and make some changes? We need to become far more aware of the results of our actions. We buy clothes that are made in sweat shops by virtual slaves in poor parts of the world. We create mountains of waste. We demand cheap food, mindless of the fact that it totally lacks taste and is produced using chemicals that poison the land．

          The consumption（消费） culture makes us unaware of the effect of our own behavior. Our main problem is not that we don't know what to do about it. It is gathering the desire to do it．

12．According to the author, which one belongs to the real economy?

        A．The Dow Jones Index．    B．Increases in interest rates．

        C．Shopping in a supermarket．  D．Skyrocketing share prices．

13．It can be concluded from Paragraph 4 that         ．

        A．people are benefiting from a well-off society

        B．the future generation is a big concern for most people

        C．the majority of people are optimistic about the future

        D．people still feel much pressure despite labor-saving devices

14．What is true about economic expansion?

        A．It may lead to some social problems．   

        B．It guarantees a better life for us．

        C．It will stop the circulation of money． 

    D．It has only brought desirable effects．

15.The author writes the passage mainly to        ．

   A．suggest a solution for over-consumption

   B．call on us to change our behavior

       C．make a distinction between two economies 

        D．inform us of the effects of economic expansion

If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they become weak; when you start using again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows this, and nobody would think of questioning the fact. ____16____ When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by exercising it regularly, either consciously or unconsciously. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough opportunity to become strong. ____17____ One of them exercises his arms and legs by playing tennis, while the other sits in a chair or a motor car all day.

If a friend complains that his arms are weak, we know that it is his own fault. ____18____, many of us think that his parents are to blame, or that he is just unlucky, and few of us realize that it is just as much his own fault as if it was his arms or legs that were weak. Not all of us can become extremely strong or extremely clever; but all of us can, if we have ordinary bodies and brains, improve our strength and our memory by the same means––practice.

Have you ever noticed that people who cannot read or write usually have better memories than those who can? ____19____ Of course, because those who cannot read or write have to remember things:they cannot write them down in a little notebook. They have to remember dates, time and prices, names, songs and stories; so their memory is the whole time being exercised.

____20____, learn from the poor: practice remembering.

A. What do you think of it?

B. Yet many people do not seem to know that the memory works in the same way.

C. But if he tells us that he has a poor memory

D. So if you want a good memory

E. When someone else says that he is poor in the health

F. Why is this?

G. The position is exactly the same as that of two people.