It was December, and Mary was thinking about the Christmas presents for her family. Her dad was easy to buy for. He loved history books. She could look at the books he had and buy something like that.

She would have to ask her mom what she was going to buy for him, so that they wouldn’t get the same one!

Mary’s problem was what to buy for her mom. Her mom didn’t read many books. She loved gardening, but she already had all the garden tools she needed. Also, she liked to choose her plants and seeds herself. Mary had a lot of ideas about the present. But nothing was perfect.

Mom always said that the best presents were the ones that you put time and hard work into. Suddenly Mary had an idea. Why not knit (编织) a scarf for Mom? That way she could wear it to keep warm when she was in the garden on cold days. She’d love it! So Mary bought some pink and orange wool. They were Mom’s favorite colors because they reminded her of the flowers she liked. Mary spent many hours knitting when her mom was not around. She wanted it to be a surprise. When Mom opened the present on Christmas morning, she was very thankful. She knew that Mary had spent a long time on it. She took Mary in her arms and gave her a big kiss!

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 All students have to face their own problems when they are growing up. You may not think that having a good family is a problem. But for me, it was. I had to face the problem of being the youngest of the Smith girls.

    We live in a small town in Pennsylvania, US. There are three girls in the Smith family, Amanda, Theresa and me. People often say things to me, like "Oh, the three of you, you're such nice girls. Your sisters are so pretty and so thin! You're really nothing like them." That made me sad.

    At school, all of my teachers had taught my sisters. On the first day of school, they said "Oh, the youngest of the three! I hope you're just like your sisters. They're such wonderful students. "

    People always compared me with my sisters. So I couldn't help comparing myself with them, too. Theresa was smarter, Amanda was prettier. I began to work hard to be more like them. What my sisters did, I did, too. At last, l became dram major (主鼓手) of our school's marching band. Both Amanda and Theresa had been drum majors. I became editor of the school's newspaper. Theresa had been the editor two years before.

    But last year, Amanda went to college, and Theresa went to high school. Now I'm by myself at junior high. Everyone knows me, because I'm the drum major and the newspaper's editor.

    Now I don't feel like a Smith girl any more, I feel like myself. I'm proud of doing all of the same things that my sisters did. But the best thing is that I stop comparing myself with them.

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More and more people believe that technologies (技术) are great for learning. Today, such teaching tools as iPads are used in a lot of courses, including language, history and science.

    Many teachers are supporters of using iPads in language learning. They say that students now have much more time for discussion in the classroom. Instead of spending valuable class time listening to texts or watching teaching videos, students can do this on their own and come to class prepared for discussion.

    The teachers also say that iPads allow students to learn at their own pace. Some students might listen to a dialogue only once and understand it, so they can save time for doing other things. Other students, however, might need to listen to the same dialogue again and again to understand it. Using iPads is especially helpful to students who are learning a language at different paces.

    The students who are using the new tool in some courses are also happy. They believe that using iPads is a more enjoyable way to learn (such as listening to stories and watching movies). The class has become much more interesting and creative.

    There are other advantages for students. By using iPads, they can pay more attention to the material and learn more. Teaching notes are stored in their iPads and are easy to find. Some students spend more time studying now. "I can listen to my language material or watch teaching videos on the bus, instead of having to wait until I get home," a student explained.

    Many adults complain that technologies such as iPads are doing harm to students. They worry that students might use iPads to download teaching notes and use them to cheat during exams. Some believe that iPads may separate students from each other. If a student spends more time watching videos on an iPad, he will have fewer opportunities to have face-to-face communication with others.

    However, technologies are already a part of most studentsˈ day-to-day lives. As for cheating, teachers can ask students to hand in their iPads when they take exams. Education needs to make changes with the times as technology is playing an important part. We should look forward to a wonderful future when iPads and other technologies can add a lot to the classroom.

任务一 请根据短文，猜测画线部分“have face-to-face communication with others”的中文意思，并将答案写在答题卡相应的横线上。

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任务二 根据文章内容完成句子，每空不超过两个词。

   In language learning, many teachers think using iPads can help the students 1___ much more time 2___ in the classroom. And the students are 3____ to learn a language according to their own pace.

任务三  请列举任意三个the advantages of iPads for students。

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2_____________________________________________________

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任务四  选择正确的答案。

The writer probably agrees that ________.

A. teachers can take control of studentsˈ learning

B. exam results depend a lot on new technology

C. technology in education has a bright future

D. note taking is as helpful as video watching

A life coach is somebody who helps you reach all kinds of personal and professional goals (目标). Each of us has the ability to be our own life coach. Here are some tips for you:

    Pay attention to your relationships with others

    Ask yourself the following questions: How do you deal with disagreements? When was the last time you showed your family members that you care for them? Your relationships with friends, family members and teachers show a lot about the kind of person you are.

    Face the fears about the future

    Now, imagine that one of your good friends told you that he or she was not strong enough to go back to school. 3. We often give better advice than we are willing to take ourselves. Remember that even the most successful people were probably told that what they wanted to do was impossible, but they followed their dreams and succeed.

    Develop your talents

    If you want to reach your goals, you will have to spend more time developing the talents you already have, and uncovering any hidden talents that you havenˈt discovered yet. So you can take classes in subjects that you are interested in, even if you have no experience.

    Be thankful

    Take some time to be thankful for the things you do have. Remember positive memories. 4. Think of the best day(s) you have had in the past month or year. Remember special parties, vacations and holidays. Appreciate the wonderful people you have in your life.

1Which tip do you think influences you most?

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2Why should you pay attention to your relationships with others?

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任务二 将短文中画线的句子译成汉语。

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任务三 请给短文拟一个恰当的标题。

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Note-taking is a skill that can help you do well in all your schoolwork. It can make you (a)___

when you are studying. But unluckily, most students don’t know how to take notes.

If your teacher writes notes on the blackboard, that’s great. You can copy them or write down the most important facts of all in class. Different teachers do things differently. For example, some teachers may focus on lots of dates and facts in class, but they only write the important ones on the blackboard. Other teachers may not write anything down, but they may repeat them.

Don’t try to write down every word in class, or you might (b)___ some important points. Some students really learn better with the help of these notes.

Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher to repeat what you’re missed. If your teacher speaks too fast and you can’t follow what he is saying, you can ask him after class.

Comparing your notes with your classmates’ can be good for your learning. It can also help you and your classmates correct some mistakes.

Note-taking also needs organization. Keep notes for each subject in one place, so that you can find everything easily when a test comes.

Good note-taking takes time. If you decide to recopy your notes every evening, you’ll surely have less time to watch TV. But you’ll save time in the coming test.

A. confident     B. excited        C. frustrated         D. anxious

Different teachers do things differently. Some of them like to write important points on the blackboard; others may repeat them instead of____.

Venice (威尼斯)is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The world’s sea level rises because of the warmth of the climate. There is also a danger to Venice . People are afraid of that    will sink at the bottom of the Mediterranean .

 St. Mark’s Square is one of the most famous parts of Venice , visited by millions of tourists . 150 years  ago ,① it   used to flood once or twice a year. Now it floods every week . It affects (影响) people’s lives , and the wonderful buildings. One person said, “People don’t sleep on the ground floor,. It’s too wet and sometimes the water comes in.”

   By the time of the 15^th century,  Venice was one of the world’s richest cities , trading with both the East and the West . The city’s leaders always depended on skilled engineers to keep it from sinking under the water . But in the 20^th century, people may forget the fact . By the time the government found out what was happening , Venice had sunk 20 centimeters. Across the world, the height of the sea is going up all the time , ②______ .Unless the government comes up with an answer soon , Venice could be lost forever.

How deep had Venice sunk by the 20^th century?
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A so we should pay more attention to the environment protecting.

B and the whole of the northeast of Italy is moving downwards.

C and there will be more and more fish in Venice.

It’s mainly about______________________________________________

阅读下面短文，根据其内容完成后面各项任务。

The story took place in a small town in winter. One day a man met an old lady standing by an expensive car. It was clear that her car broke down. So he stopped his old truck and got out. Although he was smiling, the old lady was worried. “Is he going to hurt me?”

The man could see that she was frightened, so in his friendliest voice he said, “I’m here to help you, madam. Why don’t you wait in the car to get warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.” It took Bryan about fifty minutes to fix the car. The lady felt quite thankful and she asked how much she should pay him.

But Bryan wanted no money. ① 对他来说，帮助别人很正常。He said, “If you want to repay me, next time you see someone in need, just give out your friendly hand.”

After saying goodbye, the lady continued down the road till she reached a small café. She stopped for something to eat. As the pretty waitress stood next to her, the lady noticed she was nearly eight months pregnant (怀孕). ② Although she looked tired, she still served the customers with a smile on her face. As the old lady was going to pay the $10 bill, she remembered Bryan’s words.

The old lady paid one hundred-dollar bill. But when the waitress returned with the change, the lady was gone. On the table she saw a small note. Her eyes were filled with tears when she read ③it, “Somebody once helped me the way I’m helping you. If you want to pay me back, continue being kind to others. ” Under the note were nine more $100 bills.

Was the old lady an angel? The waitress was so excited that she called her husband to tell the story. “Bryan…Bryan Anderson my dear… you’re not going to believe what has happened… ”

Love needs to be passed on. Everyone can be an angel.

请根据短文内容完成下列任务。

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If you want to repay me, next time you see someone in need, just give out your friendly hand.

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