15．假如你叫李华，是某校的高中学生．请你根据目前使用耳机（earphones） 在中学生中流行的现象，用英语给一家英文报社写信反映此事，并发表你的看法．

使用耳机的优点	1．使用起来简单方便； 2．有利于学习，尤其是训练英语听力； 3．可以专注学习，不被别人打扰（disturb）；
使用耳机的缺点	1．频繁使用耳机对听力不好，对身体有害； 2．一些学生沉溺于听音乐，浪费时间，影响学习； 3．走路时使用耳机，不安全；
你的意见	1．合理利用；2．控制时间

注意：词数：100左右（信的开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数） 
Dear Editor，
    I'm a senior student．Now using earphones is popular among us middle school students．___________．
Yours，
Li Hua．

14．Having confidence isn't always an easy thing．Let me give you some tips on how to improve your self-confidence．
Make sure you understand yourself．You must accept who you are．1（36）GEveryone has good qualities and it's important to understand yourself．
Make a list of the positive things about you．Don't focus too much on what you aren't good at．Write down what you enjoy doing and what you are good at doing．（37）A They know you well．
（38）BDon't be afraid to do something you've never done．Try new things．Challenging yourself to experience other things will make you learn more about who you are．
Forget the idea of having to please others．Set your own standards（标准） and realize everyone is dif ferent．They don't know what is best for you or what make s you successful．（39）EMake sure you're honest with yourself and others．I've discovered many people aren't honest with themselves，and others aren't very confident in themselves．（40）C

A．If you aren't sure，ask your family members or friends． B．Try something new to get the chance of success． C．Honesty is the secret to many things． D．Experi ence challenges to know more about yourself． E．Everyone's idea of being successful is different． F．Make sure you have sense of humor． G．You may have realized you have good qualities．

13．How important is homework？According to the Los Angeles Unified School District （LAUSD），it's not that important!The district has made a big change for the 2013-2014 academic school year．Starting July 1，homework will count for only 10% of a student's academic grade．
The district hopes the limit on homework will allow students to spend less time struggling with large am ounts of work and more time on hobbies and with their families．Besides，the policy states，"by limiting the weight of homework toward a student's grade，a truer picture of the student's knowledge will be reflected in the achievement grade．"
The new policy doesn't remove homework．It states that homework is an opportunity for students to practice their skills and a tool for students to prepare for upcoming lessons．Still，L．A．Unified is joining a growing list of school districts that have set limits on the amount of homework that students receive．
Exactly how much time kids should spend on homework is a topic for debate．Harris Cooper，a professor at Duke University，says that the right amount of homework time is ten minutes per day multiplied by the student's grade．This means a third grader should spend 30 minutes per day on homework．And a sixth grader would spend 60 minutes．Five years ago，Cooper wrote about his views in TFK．"Good homework assignments in the proper amount will have positive effects，"he wrote．"Bad homework assignments，or too much homework，will have negative effects．"
Critics of the new L．A．district policy say that homework is an important part of learning．They say many kids just won't put in the effort if homework doesn't count toward their grade．Pro-homeworkteachers argue that students who do their homework perform better on tests and in school than those who do not．They fear that the new policy will enc ourage students to neglect homework assignments．

26．In the 2013-2014 academic school year the students in LAUSD willB．
A．work harder on their lessons
B．have much less homework to do
C．be able to do whatever they like
D．spend more time on homework
27．We can learn from Paragraph 3 thatD．
A．homework is of no use at all
B．studnets should do more homework
C．students all are happy to do homework
D．more school districts limit homework
28．If you are a student of fifth grade，the proper amount of homework isAminutes．
A.50        B.30         C.60          D.10
29．Pro-homework teachers probably refer to thoseB．
A．that suggest reducing the amount of homework
B．that think homework is helpful to the students
C．that insist increasing the students'homework
D．that are good at encouraging the students
30．What does this passage mainly talk about？D
A．Culture．B．Science．C．Politics．D．Education．

12．Two good friends，Sam and Jason，met with a car accident on their way home one night．The next morning，Sam woke up blind．His legs were broken．The doctor，Mr Lee was standing by his bed，looking at him with a thoughtful expressi on．When he saw Sam awake，he asked，"How are you feeling，Sam？"Sam smiled and said，"Not bad，doctor．Thank you for doing the operation（手术）．"Mr Lee was moved by Sam．When he was leaving，Sam said，"Pleas e don't tell Jason about it．""…OK，"Mr Lee replied．
Months later when Jason's wounds（伤口）healed，Sam was still very sick．Neither could he see no r walk．What he could do was just stay in his wheelchair all day long．At first，Jason stayed with him for a few days．But days later，Jason felt very discouraged and embarrassed to spend time staying with a disabled man like Sam．So he went to see Sam less and less．He made new friends．From then on，he didn't go to visit Sam any more．Sam didn't have any family or friends other than Jason．He felt very sad．
Things went from bad to worse．Sam died a year later．When Jason came，Mr Lee gave a letter to him．It was from Sam．In the letter Sam said，"Dear Jason，I am disabled．But I want you to be a healthy man．So I gave my eyes to you so that you can enjoy life as a healthy man．Now you have new friends．I'm glad to see that you are as healthy and happy as usual．I'm glad you live a happy life．You are always my best friend…Sam．"When he finished reading the letter，Mr Lee said，"I have promised that I will keep this secret until Sam is gone．Now you know it．"Jason stood there．Tears ran down his face．

21．The reason why Sam thanked Mr Lee is thatB．
A．Mr Lee was very kind and friendly to him
B．Mr Lee did the operation according to his wish
C．Mr Lee came to see him early in the morning
D．Mr Lee saved both his and Jason's lives
22．Which of the following happened according to the order of time？C
a．Jason made new friends．
b．Sam gave his eyes to Jason．
c．Sam and Jason were caught in a car accident．
d．Sam became disabled and needed friends．
e．Sme died and Jason knew the truth．
A．d-a-c-b-e     B．d-c-b-e-a   C．c-b-d-a-e   D．c-d-b-e-a
23．We can infer from the passage thatD．
A．Sam drove too badly and caused the car accident．
B．the unsuccessful operation led to Sam's blindness．
C．Jason knew how Sam helped him before Sam died．
D．It was Jason that was made blind in the car accident．
24．Sam was a man whoA．
A．thought friendship was very important 
B．was unfriendly to his friends
C．always listened to his friends
D．felt hopelss after the car accident happened
25．The underlined word"healed"in the second paragraph may meanB．
A．was sleepy after working for a long time 
B．became healthy again
C．felt surprised when hearing bad news
D．ran away when something bad happened．

11．After   seemed to be there hours，the manager came out to see us．（　　）

A．

it

B．

that

C．

what

D．

which

10．        ，the racers started running at once．（　　）

	A．	The signal was given		B．	The signal giving
	C．	The signal was giving		D．	The signal given

9．Phrases like"tiger mom"and‘‘helicopter parent"have made their way into everyday language．Many of us find ourselves drawn to the idea that with just a bit more parental hard work and effort，we might turn out children with bright futures．But is there anything wrong with a kind of"overparenting style"？
Parental involvement has a long history of being studied．Many of the studies，conducted by Diana Baumrind，a famous psychologist at the University of California，Berkeley，have found that a good parent is the one who is involved and reacts to her child in a positive way，who sets high expectations but gives her child independence．These"authoritative parents"appear to hit the sweet spot of parental involvement and generally raise children who do better academically，psychologically and socially than children whose parents are not strict and less involved，or controlling and more involved．Why is this parenting style so successful？
Authoritative parents actually help improve motivation in their children．Carol Dweck，a social psychologist at Stanford University，has done research that indicates why authoritative parents raise more motivated children．In a typical experiment，Dr．Dweck takes young children into a room and asks them to solve a simple puzzle．Most do so with little difficulty．But then Dr．Dweck tells some，but not all，of the kids how clever they are．As it turns out，the children who are not told they're smart are more motivated to solve increasingly difficult puzzles．They also show higher levels of confidence and show greater progress in puzzle-solving．
As the experiment suggests，praising children's talents and abilities seems to shake their confidence．Dealing with more difficult puzzles carries the risk of losing one's status as"smart"．Dr．Dweck's work strongly supports that of Dr．Baumrind，who also found that reasonably supporting a child's independence and limiting interference （干涉） causes better academic and emotional results．
The central task of growing up is to develop a sense of self that is independent and confident．If you treat your young child who is just learning to walk as if she can't walk，you reduce her confidence．Allowing children to make mistakes is one of the greatest challenges of parenting．It is easier when they are young．The potential mistakes carry greater risks，and part of being a parent is reducing risk for our children．

12．According to the passage，a"tiger mom"C．
A．helps her children realize their dreams
B．speaks her children's everyday language
C．pays close attention to her children's experiences
D．places reasonable expectations on her children
13．It is implied that controlling style of parenting mayD．
A．foster independence in children    
B．lead to children's academic success
C．face more challenges of children
D．cause more problems in children
14．The example of the children doing the puzzles suggests thatA．
A．overpraising makes children less motivated and confident
B．a good game plays a big role in training young minds
C．puzzle-solving can give children the motivation they need
D．bright children usually show less confidence in difficult games
15．The last paragraph tells us thatB．
A．children should correct mistakes with the help of their parents
B．parents should allow their children to learn from mistakes
C．parents should not increase the risk of challenging
D．children should not be given much freedom．

8．The pickle jar（泡菜坛），as I can remember，sat beside the dresser in my parents'bedroom．When ready for bed，Dad would toss any coins in his pockets into the jar．As they dropped，they landed with a merry jingle．
Whenever the jar was full，Dad would roll up the coins．Every time he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at the bank toward the cashier，he would smile proudly and say，"All for my son's college．"
We would always celebrate each deposit by stopping for an ice cream cone．Dad would show me the coins in his change，saying"When we get home，we'll start filling the jar again．"He always let me drop the first coins into the empty jar．"You might have to get to college on loose change，"he said．"But you'll get there．"
As years passed，I went to college，got married and took a job．
Once，while visiting my parents，I noticed the jar was gone．It had served its purpose．My dad was a man of few words and never lectured me on the values of determination，perseverance or faith．The jar had taught me those far better than the most flowery of words could have done．
Soon，my daughter Jessica was born．We spent Christmas that year with my parents．After dinner，Mom and Dad sat next to each other，taking turns holding their first grandchild．When Jessica began crying，my wife Susan took her from Dad's arms to put her in my parents'room．
Susan came back，tears in her eyes and led me into the room．"Look，"she said softly．To my amazement，there，next to the dresser，stood the old pickle jar，as if never removed，the bottom already covered with coins．I walked over to it，dug down into my pocket，and pulled out several coins．Choked by emotion，I dropped them into the jar．
Dad had slipped quietly into the room when I looked up．Our eyes locked，but neither of us spoke，because we knew nothing had to be said．

8．Which of the following statements is TRUE？A
A．The author and his wife were grateful for what parents had done．
B．The jar again in the bedroom reminded themselves of the hard years．
C．The author felt disappointed when he found the jar gone．
D．The author felt embarrassed whenever his father mentioned the jar．
9．We can learn from the passage thatB．
A．any difficulty can be overcome with the family's support．
B．parents teach much more through their action than their words．
C．saving is always a good habit to pass down to the next generation．
D．you need to reward yourself and celebrate regularly to keep up with your faith．
10．Which words best describe the author's father？B
A．Humorous and patient．
B．Quiet but loving．
C．Generous and talkative．
D．Proud but strict．
11．The pickle jar in the article representsC．
A．advice of parents．
B．one's purpose in life．
C．determination to reach a goal．
D．healthy family relations．

7．Elephants have impressed us for centuries．They are big，clever，and sociable．But what if someone told you that they may also hold the key to fighting cancer？
People have been wondering why elephants do not develop cancer，even though they have life spans（寿命）that are similar to humans，living for around 50to 70years．
Now scientists believe they know why．A team at the University of Chicago，Us has found that elephants carry a large number of genes that stop tumors（肿瘤）from developing．To be precise，they found 20copies of an anti-tumor gene called TP 53in elephants．Most other species，humans included，only carry one copy．
According to the research，which was recently published on the online science network BioRxiv，the extra copies of the gene improved the animal's sensitivity to DNA damage．This lets the cells（细胞）quickly kill themselves when damaged before they can form deadly tumors．
"An increased risk of developing cancer has stood in the way of the evolution of large body sizes in many animals，"study author Dr Vincent Lynch told The Guardian．If every living cell has the same chance of becoming cancerous，large creatures with long life spans like whales and elephants should have a greater risk of developing cancer than humans and mice do．But across species，the risk of cancer does not show a connection with body mass．
This phenomenon was found by Oxford University scientist Richard Peto in the 1970s and later named"Peto's paradox"．Evolutionary biologists believe it results from larger animals using protection that many smaller do not，In the elephant's case，the making of TP53is nature's way of keeping this species alive．
The study also found that when the same genes were brought to life in mice，they had the same cancer resistance as elephants．This means researchers could use the discovery to develop new treatments that can help stop cancers from spreading or even developing in the first place．
"Nature has already figured out how to prevent cancer，"said Joshua Schiffman，an oncologist at the School of Medicine，University of Utah，US．
"It's up to us to learn how different animals tackle（对付）the problem so we can use those strategies to prevent cancer in people．"

4．Why are elephants unlikely to develop cancer？B
A．They have a large body size
B．They carry many genes that keep tumors from developing
C．Certain genes in their body kill existing tumors
D．Their genes suffer no DNA damage
5．According to Dr．Vincent Lynch，what has been a risk in the evolution of large animals？D
A．Extreme weather              
B．Cells killing themselves
C．Human behavior              
D．A risk of deadly tumors
6．What does the underlined expression"this phenomenon"on the sixth paragraph refer to？A
A．The risk of cancer is not related to body size
B．Larger animals have protection from TP53
C．Larger animals suffer the same risk of cancer as smaller ones do
D．The larger animals are，the bigger risk of cancer they have
7．We can conclude from the last three paragraphs thatB．
A．depending on nature is not enough to fight against cancer
B．the TP53genes have proven useful in stopping cancer in mice
C．this new treatment is more effective than the present ones
D．humans are expected to stop cancer in the near future．

6．ARead More &Spend Less
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Giraffes Can't Dance
by Giles Andreae
This book has been pleasing children for over 15years．Gerald the tall giraffe would love to join in with the other animals at the Jungle Dance，but everyone knows that giraffes can't dance…．or can they？
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By Rob Elliott
With over 700，000copies sold，this book will have children rolling on the floor with laughter．A great gift idea for any child．
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by Robert Munsch
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1．The"Tell-a-Friend"program encourages people toC．
A．take pleasure in reading with their friends      
B．help a friend form the habit of reading
C．share the website with others                
D．read more but spend less
2．Who wrote the story about animals？B
A．Rob Elliott     
B．Giles Andreae      
C．Dale Carnegie      
D．Robert Munsch
3．Which book has a different kind of paper cover from the others？D
A．How to Win Friends& Influence People
B．Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids．
C．Giraffes Can't Dance
D．Love You Forever．