1、by Shirley Barrett is one of the most touching books Ive read. It follows the Davidsons, a whaling family from Wales. After the death of her mother, Mary Davidson has many worries: her five siblings（兄弟姐妹）and caring for her father. The author Barretts exploration of this world and her characters are
2、bittersweet and humorous.Questions of Travelby Michelle de Kretser Questions of Travel, is a portrait of Ravi, a Sri Lankan refugee（难民）who flees to Australia after his wife and sons death, and Laura, a young woman who moves to London and back again. The writing is beautiful and touching. Never befor
3、e have I read Sydney brought so vividly to life.The Life and Loves of Lena Gauntby Tracy FarrLena Gaunt, in her 80s, looks back on her long and fascinating life. She has eventually traveled widely as a player of an instrument. Lena Gaunt reveals the parts of her life that gave he joyher music, her d
4、aughter, Grace, and her lover-as well as those touched by the sadness of loss.Too Easyby J. M. GreenToo Easy is an irresistible novel starring Stella Hardy, a social worker in Melbourne. When one of Stellas clients is murdered and a neighbor goes missing, Stella begins to investigate. The plot sets
5、a cracking pace through police investigations and journeys to Western Australia.1Which of the following is set in Sydney?ARush Oh! BThe Life and Loves of Lena GauntCToo Easy DQuestions of Travel2What is the book The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt mainly about?ABittersweet teenage experiences. BAttract
6、ive musical instruments.CHeart-shaking investigations. DHappiness and sorrow in life.3What is the main purpose of this text?ATo recommend excellent writers. BTo analyze book qualities.CTo introduce good works. DTo express personal values. There are always stories in the life that can hardly be forgo
7、tten and will restore our hope for holidays every time we recollect.Johnny and I, along with our two young sons, Barry and Doyle, lived in a village in southern Alabama in 1979. We had bought the boys a bicycle for the New Year, and had hidden it in the garage ,where Johnny would assemble （组装）it on
8、New Year5 s Eve after the kids fell asleep. But that day, Johnny had to go to Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile, an hour away, to repair a jet. I had my hands busy with baking, preparing for holiday dinner and caring for two energetic boys.Just as I was making the chocolate cake, a neighbor knocked
9、on the door. It was Beatrice, who was the only person on our road with a telephone. The base had called to say that a heavy tool had come apart suddenly, hitting Johnnys arm and breaking the bone. My brother Otto took me to the base hospital while my mother stayed with the children.We got there to f
10、ind Johnny with a cast （石膏）on his arm, anxious to get home regardless of the doctors orders. It was New Years Eve, Johnny argued, and he had the bike to assemble for his boys. The doctor said hed consider dismissing him the next morning if Johnny could find someone to drive him home. On New Years mo
11、rning, Johnny called the base and was told everyone was off duty； there was no one to drive him home. Johnny kept making calls. At last, a big blue car with the Air Force sign rolled up.I was putting dinner on the table when hearing the car. We were thrilled to see Johnny assisted by a uniformed Air
12、 Force officer. With Ottos help, Johnny assembled the boys gift, and they all had a good time that afternoon. Our hearts were full of gratitude to the people who had gone the extra mile to bring us together.4What had Johnny planned to do on New Years Eve?ARepair a jet. BBuy his sons a bike.CPrepare
13、a surprise gift. DAssemble a bike with his sons.5Why did Beatrice come to the authors house?ATo relay a message. BTo make a phone call.CTo lend out her telephone. DTo take the author to the hospital.6How can we describe Johnny?ADiligent BStubborn CConsiderate DComplicated7What can serve as the title
14、 for the text?AA Hard - won New Year Present BA Treasured New Year MemoryCAn Unexpected New Year Dinner DA Life - changing New Year Experience If you were to throw, say, a banana peel out of your car while driving along the motorway, that would be a completely harmless action, due to the fact that i
15、ts part of a fruit right? Actually, no. A banana peel can take up to two years to be naturally processed, and with a third of motorists admitting to littering while driving, thats a whole lot of discarded banana peels. An orange peel and a cigarette butt has a similar biodegrading （生物降解） term to tha
16、t of a banana peel, but tin cans last up to 100 years; and plastic bottles last forever, as do glass bottles.Despite the fact that longer-lasting materials will serve to damage the environment and its animals for longer, we cant merely measure the severity of a certain type of rubbish by its lifetim
17、e. For example, despite having a fairly short length of biodegrading time, more than 120 tons of cigarette-related litter is discarded in the UK every day.Its not a cheap habit either: to keep our streets clean annually costs UK taxpayers 500 million, and when you include our green spaces, that goes
18、 up to 1 billion. So, its not surprising that if caught fly-tipping you could face a 20,000 fine or even jail time and, if you disposed of something dangerous, the court could give you five years to serve. Regardless of how severe these punishments might seem, however, among the reported cases only
19、2,000 were found guilty out of 825,000, so we still have some way to go in making sure people obey the rules.8What does the underlined word “discarded” in para1 mean?AHarmless. BProcessed. CThrown. DLong-lasting.9Which of the following has the longest biodegrading term?AGlass bottles. BTin cans. CCi
20、garette butts. DBanana peels.10What can be inferred from the passage?AThe severity of rubbish can be measured by its lifetime.BQuite a few people were found guilty of illegally littering.CEvery year UK taxpayers spend 500 million keeping streets free of dirt.DCigarette-related litter and peels can b
21、e ignored for their fairly short lifetime.11What is the purpose of the passage?ATo inform readers of different biodegrading terms.BTo call for people not to litter illegally.CTo encourage people to use fewer plastic bags.DTo stress the importance of good behavior. A 63-year-old Chinese carpenters tr
22、aditional skills have become an unexpected Internet hit as he creates woodwork with a single piece of wood, without glue, screws or nails. Wang De wen, known as “Grandpa Amu” on YouTube, has been praised as the modern day Lu Ban, a well-known Chinese structural engineer during the Zhou Dynasty, than
23、ks to his rich carpentry（木工手艺） knowledge.Grandpa Amus most popular video, which shows him making a delicate wooden arch bridge, has gone viral on YouTube, gaining more than 40 million views. “If you do something, you have to love it, and you have to be interested in it; however, being interested doe
24、snt mean theres only happiness and no pain.” Grandpa Amu shared when talking about his excellent carpentry skills.His most popular works include a folding stool, a model of the China pavilion from the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and an apple-shaped interlocking puzzle, known as a Lu Ban lock. Grandpa Amu fo
25、llows an ancient Chinese mortise and tenon（榫卯） technique, which means no nails or glue are involved in the entire process of building the arch bridge.The master carpenter has also made several wooden toys for his grandson using the same technique. His young grandsons favorites include a walking Pepp
26、a Pig and a bubble blowing machine. Attracting over 1.17 million fans on YouTube, Grandpa Amus videos so far have gained more than 200 million views.His wonderful woodworking skills, using the same mortise and tenon joints found in the Forbidden City, were developed from the age of thirteen as a way
27、 of supporting his family in East Chinas Shandong Province. “The grandson is so happy, as there have been so many fine and unique toys made by grandpa from an early age,” commented one netizen; while another said “Its amazing. I hope these traditional crafts can be passed on!”12Why is Grandpa Amu re
28、garded as the modern day Lu Ban?AFor his simple words. BFor his popular videos.CFor his carpentry skills. DFor his excellent arch bridge.13What do Grandpa Amus remarks mean in Paragraph 2?ATheory is from pracitce. BSuccess depends on love.CExcellent skills lie in hard work. DHappiness comes from int
29、erest.14What is the unique feature of Grandpa Amus craft works?ANo nails or glue. BDelicate design.CThe apple shape. DThe wooden material.15What message does this text mainly convey?ABeing popular means more fans. BPerfect skills earn more money.CSupporting family needs more skills. DTraditional cra
30、fts deserve passing on.二、七选五 Its been a hard year but, while we cant change whats happening in the world, we can focus on creating a positive atmosphere. No more negative energy.16Hard times are rubbish, but they make you what you are. Recognize that and know that if you can come through them and yo
31、u will be more capable and more confident. Its a lucky person indeed who manages to avoid upset as they go through life; whats important is how you deal with it.Count your blessingsFeeling sorry for yourself? It may sound normal, but its important to remind yourself of whats good about your life. Try writing a list of the things youre thankful for, or spend a few minutes every evening putting down three nice things that have happened to you that day.17. Patted a dog in the
