1． （2016•日照一模）Billboard Music Awards of the Year 2015goes to Taylor Swift，a singer-songwriter，who has shaped and inspired the American music industry with her success．
When Taylor Swift first came to public notice，she was a 17-year-old newcomer who loved singing to her own guitar．She was far more enthusiastic than skilled，but apparently threw spark of superb talent．
Four year’s later，Swift has become a multi-awards winner，with the biggest selling albulns．For her  consummate performance，Taylor Swift was named Billboard magazine’s womall in 2011．She is the youngest artist to receive honors and several Billboard Music Awards，among them Top Country Album for the five-time platinum（白金） selling Speak Now，her third album that was released that year．
“Taylol has shown the power of good songwriting with music of styles．”said Bill Werde，Billboard’s editorial director，“And at such a young age，Taylor has already made a major impact on music and has been an unbelievable role model for promising artists and young woman everywhere．”
Swift is used to breaking chart records and winning honors since her career started．She followed that up in 2008with Fearless，which established her as a skilled songwriter with several hits，including Love Story，You Belong With Me and White Horse．
Not surprisingly，the 6-time platinum Fearless is the most awarded album in country music history in the US and her overall worldwide sales now reach 20million albums and 40million songs downloads．Swift has spent the past year on the Speak NOW World Tour in support of her third album，and now she’s getting ready to go further．
According to a recent interview with The New Yorker magazine，Swift has so far written about 10songs for a 2016album．She said the new albuna is about feelings of growing up and becoming an adult．
“They’re sad if I'm being honest．”Swift told The New Yorker．“They’re about my heartbreaks and my moving on．But more importantly，they are about achieving contentment．You’re not always going to be ridiculously happy as you grow up．”

28．As a newcomer in the show business，Taylor Swift was considered to be    ．
A．a skilled songwriter    B．an outstanding artist
C．an energetic director   D．a promising talent
29．The underlined word“consummate”in Paragraph 3can best be replaced by    ．
A．confident    B．professional    C．excellent   D．different
30．What can we learn from the passage？    
A．Speak Now is Taylor Swift’s third album．
B．Fearless marked the beginning of Swift’s career．
C．Swift’s new album is about feelings of grown-ups．
D．Swift has gained Billboard magazine’s woman twice．
31．Which of the following can be the best title of the passage？    
A．A Rising Music Genius    B．Taylor’s Heartbreaks in Growth
C．An Interview with Taylor Swift D．Billboard Music Awards in America．

2． Not so long ago，most people didn’t know who Shelly Ann Francis Pryce was going to become．She was just an average high school athlete．There was every indication that she was just another American teenager without much of a future．However，one person wants to change this．Stephen Francis observed then eighteen-year-old Shelly Ann as a track meet and was convinced that he had seen the beginning of true greatness．Her time were not exactly impressive，but even so，he seemed there was something trying to get out，something the other coaches had overlooked when they had assessed her and found her lacking．He decided to offer Shelly Ann a place in his very strict training seasons．Their cooperation quickly produced results，and a few year later at Jamaica’s Olympic games in early 2008，Shelly Ann，who at that time only ranked number 70 in the world，beat Jamaica’s unchallenged queen of the sprint（短跑）．
“Where did she come from？”asked an astonished sprinting world，before concluding that she must be one of those one-hit wonders that spring up from time to time，only to disappear again without signs．But Shelly Ann was to prove that she was anything but a one-hit wonder．At the Beijing Olympic she swept away any doubts about her ability to perform consistently by becoming the first Jamaican woman ever to win the 100 meters Olympic gold．She did it again one year on at the World Championship in Briton，becoming world champion with a time of 10.73---the fourth record ever．
Shelly-Ann is a little woman with a big smile．She has a mental toughness that did not come about by chance．Her journey to becoming the fastest woman on earth has been anything but smooth and effortless．She grew up in one of Jamaica’s toughest inner-city communities known as Waterhouse，where she lived in a one-room apartment，sleeping four in a bed with her mother and two brothers．Waterhouse，one  of the poorest communities in Jamaica，is a really violent and overpopulated place．Several of Shelly-Ann's friends and family were caught up in the killings； one of her cousins was shot dead only a few streets away from where she lived．Sometimes her family didn’t have enough to eat．She ran at the school championships barefooted because she couldn’t afford shoes．Her mother Maxime，one of a family of fourteen，had been an athlete herself as a young girl but，like so many other girls in Waterhouse，had to stop after she had her first baby．Maxime’s early entry in to the adult world with its responsibilities gave her the determination to ensure that her kids would not end up in Waterhouse's roundabout of poverty．One of the first things Maxime used to do with Shelly-Ann was taking her to the track，and she was ready to sacrifice everything．
It didn't take long for Shelly-Ann to realize that sports could be her way out of Waterhouse．On a summer evening in Beijing in 2008，all those long，hard hours of work and commitment finally bore fruit．The barefoot kid who just a few years previously had been living in poverty，surrounded by criminals and violence，had written a new chapter in the history of sports．
But Shelly-Ann’s victory was far greater than that．The night she won Olympic gold in Beijing，the routine murders in Waterhouse and the drug wars in the neighbouring streets stopped．The dark cloud above one of the world’s toughest criminal neighbourhoods simply disappeared for a few days．“I have so much fire burning for my country，”Shelly said．She plans to start a foundation for homeless children and wants to build a community centre in Waterhouse．She hopes to inspire the Jamaicans to lay down their weapons．She intends to fight to make it a woman’s as well as a man’s world．
As Muhammad Al i puts it，“Champions aren't made in gyms．Champions are made from something they have deep inside them．A desire，a dream，a vision．”One of the things Shelly-Ann can be proud of is her understanding of this truth．

65．Why did Stephen Francis decide to coach Shelly-Ann？    
A．He had a strong desire to free her family from trouble．
B．He sensed a great potential in her despite her weaknesses．
C．She had big problems maintaining her performance．
D．She suffered a lot of defeats at the previous track meets．
66．What did the sprinting world think of Shelly-Ann before the 2008 Olympic Games？    
A．She would become a promising star．
B．She badly needed to set higher goals．
C．Her sprinting career would not last long．
D．Her talent for sprinting was known to all．
67．What made Maxime decide to train her daughter on the track？    
A．Her success and lessons in her career．
B．Her interest in Shelly-Ann’s quick profit．
C．Her wish to get Shelly-Ann out of poverty．
D．Her early entrance into the sprinting world．
68．What can we infer from Shelly-Ann's statement underlined in Paragraph 5？    
A．She was highly rewarded for her efforts．
B．She was eager to do more for her country．
C．She became an athletic star in her country．
D．She was the envy of the whole community．
69．By mentioning Muhammad Ali’s words，the author intends to tell us that．    
A．players should be highly inspired by coaches
B．great athletes need to concentrate on patience
C．hard work is necessary in one’s achievements
D．motivation allows great athletes to be on the top
70．What is the best title for the passage？    
A．The Making of a Great Athlete
B．The Dream for Championship
C．The Key to High Performance
D．The Power of Full Responsibility．

3． After 10years in the spotlight，country-music star Carrie Underwood is still enjoying herself，still growing and still staying true to who she is．But these personal accomplishments are not easy，even when you're living a dream come true．
Growing up in small-town Oklahoma，Underwood currently lives a life that is many miles removed from her childhood，literally and figuratively （象征性地）．She grew up comfortably on a cattle farm，but her interest in performing was clear from the beginning as she sang in church and talent shows．Proving to be a more than competent singer，she was offered a record deal at 14，though it fell through．
Underwood's proper music career began with her audition on the TV singing competition American Idol at age 21in 2005．After impressing the judges，Underwood competed in Hollywood．Show producer Simon Cowell made a prediction：“Not only will you win this show，you will sell more records than any other previous Idol winner．“Indeed，Underwood did win that year's competition and has managed to outsell even Idol winner Kelly Clarkson．
After winning American Idol，Underwood debuted （首发） the album Some Hearts，which was a great success，now seven times platinum （白金）．She has released four other albums，most recently Greatest Hits：Decade#1，implying she's far from finished，though she's not interested in stepping on familiar ground．“I don’t want to make the same album over and over again…Then I've gotta decide which version am I gonna be tonight-country Carrie or Pop Carrie？I'd rather just make country music that anybody can get into no matter what they listen to．”
As Underwood continues to grow her fan base （Australia and the U．K．have become significant followers），she knows her situation is rare．“…If I hadn't made my place in country music via American Idol，I probably could have tried to make it for the rest of my life and never made any progress，“she says．Country singer Brad Paisley has also heard her express that she feels she is a star for no reason，that others are annoyed about her smooth success．“I told her she was one of the greatest gifts we have been given in Nashville，”says Paisley．
78．According to the passage，Underwood's present life and her childhood are    ．
79．How do you find Underwood's first record deal？    
80．What does Simon Cowell's prediction mean？    
81．Underwood named her latest album Decade#1because    ．
（Note：Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS）

4． Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong．This is what happened to Harry．
He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock（闹钟）．He tried to shave（刮脸）quickly and cut himself．When he got dresse he got blood all overhis clean shirt，so he had to find another one．The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing（熨），so he ironed it．While he was ironing it，there was a knock at the door．It was the man to read the electricity meter（表）．He showed him where the meter was，said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt．So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all．By this time it was very late，so he decided he couldn't go to work by bus．He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work．The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper．
In another part of the town，a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi．When Harry's taxi stopped outside his office，a policeman happened to be standing there．He saw the blood on Harry's shirt，and took him to the police station．He was kept till 3o'clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted．When he finally arrived at the office at about four，his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job．
11．Harry had    ．
A．a lucky day        
B．an unlucky day
C．a busy day         
D．a good day
12．Put the following sentences into correct order according to the passage．    
a．The man who read the electricity meter came．
b．Harry ironed his shirt．
c．Harry got blood all over his clean shirt．
d．There was a knock at the door．
e．Harry wore the shirt with blood on it．
A．a，b，c，d，e                
B．b，a，d，c，e
C．b，a，c，d，e                
D．c，b，d，a，e
13．Why did Harry wear the shirt with blood on it？    
A．He had only one shirt．
B．The only other needed ironing．
C．The iron had burnt a hole in his clean shirt．
D．He cut himself and got blood all over his shirt．
14．Harry was taken to the police station because    ．
A．his taxi stopped outside his office and a policeman happened to be there
B．there was blood on his shirt and he was in a taxi
C．a man killed a woman with a knife
D．the murderer（杀人犯） was seen to run a away in a taxi
15．His boss told him to go away and find another job because    ．
A．he had been kept by the police  
B．there was blood on his shirt
C．he was late for work          
D．he had killed a woman．

5． This month，my 7-year-old daughter invited her friend to sleep over．Her mom，who had told me before she did not allow sleepovers，explained that she did not think the kids were ready for a sleepover until the age of 10．I then started to wonder whether there actually was a"right"age for a sleepover．
   I remember the first real sleepover I ever had．It happened when I was about 13 and a friend of mine invited me to sleep at her house．Luckily for me，her parents were not strangers．
   I think I cried for 2 months straight before being allowed my first sleepover．My parents were not completely heartless，though．I was actually sick at the time and had to take medication and they were very concerned about that，but I still did not like them saying"no"．
   I remember my excitement the day before I finally got my sleepover．I could not sleep that night from the excitement．When I got there，my friend's house looked so beautiful and her parents were so nice and welcoming．
   Unfortunately though，the number of sleepovers I had throughout my childhood can be counted on two hands．And after every one of them，I realized exactly how much I was missing．It was only as an adult，when I was studying education，that I actually learned about the importance of sleepovers in kids'development no matter how old they are．
   A sleepover is one of those things every child needs experience on their own．It can do them a lot of good．
25．The friend of the author's daughter    ．
A．is too sick to sleep over     
B．is less than ten years old
C．never listens to her mother  
D．has grown tired of sleepover
26．How was the author's first sleepover？    
A．It was really boring．
B．She can't remember it．
C．It was a painful experience     
D．She thinks it was enjoyable．
27．The author writes the text mainly to    ．
A．explain what kids'development is  
B．discuss how strict parents should be
C．encourage children to have sleepovers
D．ask parents to keep an eye on their children．

6． （2015•日照二模）So far，this year’s global music market has definitely been dominated （支配）by women：Beyonce Knowles，Taylor Swirl，and Iggy Azalea are all making waves．And one hot name that adds more conviction to the list is US singer Ariana Grande．
Almost exactly a year ago，Grande released her first album，Yours Truly． And over the past 12months，the 21-year-old former Nickelodeon（an American TV channel for kids and adolescents）star has transformed from a pop artist you might recognize to an outstanding superstar．She now possesses three top 10singles in the current Billboard Hot 100chart，an impressive opening performance at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards，and millions of followers on social networking sites．
Her second album，My Everything，which was released on Aug 25，is the latest sign of her    coming dominance．It hit No．1on the Billboard 200album chart this week，making her the only other female singer after Scotland’s Susan Boyle to have two continuous No．1albums in a single year．
Grande’s strength lies in her powerful voice and wide voiced range．Unlike her companions Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato，Grande’s star power is rooted in the fact that she can really sing．More importantly，Grande knows how to control her voice，which is at once strong and sensitive，and use it to expand her musical territory．
My Everything is the best example．In this album，Grande literally tries her hand at everything：dance music，R&B jams，hip-hop tunes，power ballads and even’60s-inflected pop．
While you can clearly sense her ambition as a singer，you will be impressed by how effortlessly she handles these different styles of music，especially if you have listened to Yours Truly，a more refreshing．’90s R&B-influenced project．
Of course，one suggestion for Grande’s future music would be for her to display more personality instead of simply showing her voiced talent．But not to worry，based on what we’ve heard thus far，it's safe to say Grande is well on her way to growing into her own．
21．Which of the following contributes to Grande’s great success？    
A．The impressive opening performance．
B．Her followers on social networking sites．
C．The influence of’60s pop and’90s R&B．
D．Her powerful voice and wide voiced range．
22．We can conclude from the last paragraph that Grande    ．
A．1ikes to show off her voice    
B．is a promising superstar
C．1acks her own personality 
D．has difficulty going further
23．What can we learn about Ariana Grande？    
A．She prefers hip-hop tunes in particular．
B．She used to be a pop star in a TV channel．
C．She has two top 10singles of Billboard’s Hot 100．
D．She is the only singer to have two No．1albums in a year．
24．Which of the following can be the best title of the passage？    
A．A Rising Music Genius    
B．The Music Market of Women
C．Susan Boyle and Her Companions 
D．Different Styles of Grande’s Music．

7． This is a true story about a boy who，the world might say，was a terrible underachiever．While in the eighth grade，he failed subjects repeatedly．High school wasn’t much better； he flunked Latin，algebra，English，and received a grade of zero in physics．The boy managed to make the school golf team，but he lost the most important golf match of the season．
It’s not that his peers（同龄人） disliked this boy； it’s just that they never really seemed to notice him much．Even“Hellos”in the hall were a rarity．Out of all the failures in his life，there was something that did hold great importance to this boy，his love of drawing．Although in high school，the cartoons he submitted to the yearbook were rejected，once out of school，the boy was so sure of his artistic talent that he approached Walt Disney Studios with drawing works．I wish I could say the studios loved his work and immediately hired him，but such was not the case； another huge rejection．
Despite his lack of successes，this boy did not give up．He then decided to write his own autobiography in cartoons，about a little boy who was regarded as a loser and a nobody．
The name of this boy was Charles Schulz，the creator of the famous Charlie Brown and comic dog Snoopy．
In life，it is sometimes easy to feel like a nobody．We pass hundreds of people on the street on our way to work，or walk through a faceless crowd in a mall，and no one seems to notice or care．Deep inside，we may know we are special and unique and have lots to offer，but unless someone takes the time to look our way and give us a chance，we may feel worthless，just like Charlie Brown who couldn’t even manage to fly a kite or kick a football properly．
Just as Charles Schulz had faith in his artistic talent，so too，we must realize that nobody is a nobody．We all have special gifts and talents，and every human being is deserving and capable of being loved and appreciated．

31．The underlined word“flunked”in Paragraph 1is closest in meaning to    ．
A．failed     B．learned    C．achieved     D．misunderstood
32．What can we infer about the boy in Paragraph 2？    
A．He was hated by his peers．
B．He achieved great success in drawing in high school．
C．His work was refused by Walt Disney Studios．
D．He earned the praise from Walt Disney Studios．
33．When the boy suffered many defeats，he    ．
A．gave up his dream finally           B．wrote some articles in magazines
C．he turned to others for help        D．he wrote himself as a loser in cartoons
34．In the last two paragraphs，we are advised    ．
A．to open up our eyes
B．to believe we can make some difference
C．to learn more skills for development
D．to ask for more appreciation and love
35．Which of the following is the best title of the passage？    
A．Nobody Is a Nobody．
B．A Hard-working Boy Is Successful．
C．We Should Turn Failure into Success．
D．One Cannot Succeed without Talents．

8． Film director James Cameron first became interested in sea exploration when he was a little boy．His love for the ocean grew after he made the 1989undersea adventure film The Abyss and the 1997blockbuster Titanic，one of the most successful movies of all time．Following that big success，James Cameron decided to put his film career on hold to become an explorer．
In 2012，James Cameron made a journey to the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench，known as Challenger Deep．And now the great journey has been made into a documentary film，named James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D．
In James Cameron’s fantasy films，such as Avatar and The Abyss，the unexplored areas are decorated in colors and full of danger．But on his dive into Challenger Deep，the reality proved far different：white，deserted and dull．
“I felt like I had gone to another planet，”Cameron said after returning from the cold and dark place in the Western Pacific Ocean，nearly 7miles below the surface．“I really have a sense of being separated and realize how tiny I am down in this big，black and unexplored place．”
Cameron captured（获取）the moon-like landscape of the deep sea and documented the sea creatures he observed in the ocean．
James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D tells the story of Cameron’s journey．It is a film about deternlination，danger and the ocean’S greatest depths．The movie shows a unique insight into Cameron’s world when he makes his dream reality and makes history by becoming the first person to travel alone to the deepest point on the planet．
It’s an exciting film and inspiring reminder that our beautilhl planet still has a lot to explore．

28．When did James Cameron become interested in the ocean？    
A．When he was in his childhood．
B．After his films The Abyss and Titanic．
C．After he achieved great Success in movies．
D．When he began to explore the deep sea alone．
29．What is the unexplored ocean like？    
A．Colorful and dangerous．    
B．Boring and deserted．
C．White and attractive．
D．Smail and dull．
30．What can we know about James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D？    
A．It is a film about the exploration of ocean creatures．
B．It is a story about Cameron’s film-making dream．
C．It aims to attract more people to explore the deep sea．
D．It tells us about James’journey into Challenger Deep．
31．What is the best title for this passage？    
A．The greatdream of a film director
B．A film director exploring deep sea
C．James Cameron and his documentary film
D．The first person to make fims about the deep sea．

9． My dad loved pennies，especially those with the elegant stalk（茎） of wheat curving around each side of the ONE CENT on the back．Those were the pennies he grew up with during the Depression．
As a kid，I would go for walks with Dad，spying coins along the way-a penny here，a dime（一角硬币） there．Whenever I picked up a penny，he'd ask，“Is it a wheat？“It always thrilled him when we found one of those special coins produced between 1909and 1958，the year of my birth．
One gray Sunday morning in winter，not long after my father's death in 2002，I was walking down Fifth Avenue，feeling bereft．I found myself in front of the church where Dad once worked．I was warmly shown in and led to a seat．Hearing Dad's favorite“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God“，I burst into tears．We'd sung that at his funeral．
After the service，I shook the pastor's（牧师） hand and stepped onto the sidewalk-and there was a penny．I bent to pick it up，turned it over，and sure enough，it was a wheat．A 1944，a year my father was serving on a ship in the South Pacific．
That started it．Suddenly wheat pennies began turning up on the sidewalks of New York everywhere．I got most of the important years：his birth year，my mom's birth year，the year he graduated from college，the year he met my mom，the year they got married，the year my sister was born．But alas，no 1958wheat penny-my year，the last year they were made．
The next Sunday，after the service，I was walking up Fifth Avenue and spotted a penny in the middle of a crossing．Oh，no，it was a busy street；cabs were speeding by-should I risk it？I just had to get it．
A wheat!But the penny was worn，and I couldn't read the date．On arriving home，I took out my glasses and took it to the light．There was my birthday!
I found 21wheat pennies on the streets of Manhattan in the year after my father died，and I don't think that's a coincidence．

66．The writer's father loved pennies with wheat because    ．
A．when he first saw it，he began to love it
B．when he saw the wheat，he thought of his time during the Depression
C．when he was young，he had a lot of pennies with wheat
D．when he was a child，he never got a coin with wheat
67．The underlined word“bereft“（in Para.3）means    ．
A．protested   B．disappointed   C．grieved   D．offended
68．Which of the following statements about the author is NOT true？    
A．He was born in 1958．
B．He went to church because of his father．
C．He once worked in a church．
D．He knew the church well．
69．The best title for the passage would probably be    ．
A．Pennies from Heaven  
B．My father's life story
C．My father's hobby  
D．Living in New York．

10． When asked to list typical English gentlemen，for many，Colin Firth immediately comes to mind．
In his recent film，Kingsman：The Secret Service，the 54-year-old actor appears as elegant and violent super spy Harry Hart．One minute he’s calm and polite，and then in the next he’s skillfully violent and aggressive．For example，in one scene he says，“Manners maketh a man”，before severely beating up a group of villains（坏人）．Firth brings out the perfect mix of typical British style and humor through this performance．
Firth began appearing on English TV in the early 1990s，but it wasn’t until he played Mr Darcy，a charming upper class character from Jane Austen’s famous novel“Pride and Prejudice”，that Firth’s career really took off．His portrayal（形象）of the perfect fictional gentleman conquered millions of hearts，especially females’．
In many fans and critics’eyes，Firth has British good looks，British charm，and a gift for characters with a British sense of being reserved（矜持）．Movie reviewer Jason O’Bryan described Firth as“always befitting the calm and stiff-upper-lip British gentlemen character”．
However Firth doesn’t consider himself the authority on gentlemen．“I don’t necessarily approach every challenge like a perfect English gentleman spy．There are many aspects in my personality that are not consistent with someone like Harry Hart，”he said to Dialogue，an English-language show on CCTV News．
But let’s just take his words as another gentlemanly quality-modesty．After all，who might expect an Oscar-winning actor over 50years old to learn to fight for his first action movie？
To prepare for Kingsman，Firth trained for three hours every day over six months．He broke a tooth and got bruised everywhere，but took the damage as a symbol of his accomplishments．
In Dialogue，Firth said he had many other sides-he’s passionate about literature and literary research．However，to many of his movie fans，he is indeed a gentleman and excellent actor above a11else．

24．The example given in Paragraph 2is    ．
A．to describe the character of Harry Hart
B．to introduce one scene of Kingsman
C．to prove Colin Firth a gentleman
D．to compare Colin Firth with Harry Hart
25．When did Firth come to be famous？    
A．In the early 1990s．    
B．After he played Mr Darcy．
C．When he was 54years old．
D．During his childhood．
26．From the text we can infer    ．
A．Colin Firth is violent and aggressive
B．Colin Firth has many sides in personality
C．Colin Firth has similar character to Harry Hart
D．Colin Firth has more male fans than females
27．Which of the following might be the best title for the text？    
A．An authority on English gentlemen    
B．A famous actor
C．A charming upper class character 
D．A super spy．