阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1～15各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项。 （1） Sometimes current affairs feel as if they are worlds away from our daily lives. In our globalised world current affairs everywhere have a huge 1 on our lives， most of the time without us 2 realising it. To see this effect in action， make sure you pick up the paper now and again and 3 it with events in your local community.
You may have heard that when a butterfly flaps（拍动） its 4 somewhere， a storm is created somewhere else. This idea is a/an 5 of how interconnected the world really is — an action in one part will almost 6 cause a reaction in another.
It is 7 that current affairs anywhere in the world could potentially affect your life. The only way to take back some control is to get 8 . You don’t have to 9 to be the next Prime Minister， but if you are 10 about something， do something about it.
Keeping up with 11 affairs is not something to do if you have time； it is something for which you make time. Every day we have the chance to 12 history in the making， but many of us let television， games， gossip and other frivolity（轻薄的举动或言谈） get in the 13 . Pledge to give at least a half hour of each day towards reading the news， exploring current affairs and 14 ways to make your thoughts and feelings 15 .
（2）
Part time jobs are practically a rite of passage in the UK. Everyone has a sad 1 to tell about their first part time job — the 2 boss， the horrible hours， the terrible pay. If you’ve got questions about finding a part time job， read on for sensible answers and 3 advice.
Part time work in the UK is 4 accepted that anything less than 35 hours per week can be 5 part time.
Part time work 6 you with flexible employment. Working a part time job also provides you with income and gives you work 7 to put on your CV.
The pay you can 8 from a part time job will differ according to the type of work you do. There is no maximum amount you can earn from a part time job， but there is a 9 wage to make sure that you are not exploited（剥削）.
Luckily， part time work is in abundance across the UK right now. In order to 10 for a job， create a CV and cover letters that highlight your skills and experience. A teacher or school counsellor can check this document to make sure you have formatted it 11 and included all of the 12 information. Next， look in your local papers， shop windows and notice boards for 13 ads. Finally， practice answering interview questions with friends and family and get ready to 14 your interviewer that you are the 15 person for the job.
（3）
Before you can become a licensed driver in the UK you must hold a temporary license. This can be 1 from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. When you are in 2 of a valid temporary license you can then book your theory test.
Taking the driving 3 test is the next step toward learning to drive and becoming a 4 licensed driver in the UK. These tests are administered only to people aged 17 or 5 . There are over 800 questions that can come up on the theory test， but there will only be 35 on the test that you take. You will have 40 minutes to complete the test， and must answer 30 questions correctly to pass it. You will receive your 6 before you leave the testing centre.
Once you hold your provisional license and pass your theory test， practice your driving with a fully licensed driver at every chance you get.
The 7 test is your chance to prove to your examiner that you can drive 8 . During this 40 minute test you will be 9 on your general driving， as well as two reversing exercises and possibly an emergency 10 . Don’t worry， your driving performance doesn’t need to be absolutely 11 during a driving test and in fact can make 12 15 mistakes without failing.
During your practical test you will also be
13 one “show me” and one “tell me” question about your car and driving. Answering one or both of these questions 14 will result in one mistake 15 against you.
（以上三篇由梅州市东山中学卓盛老师原创）
（4）
The first day of university our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a 1 ， little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that 2 her entire being.
She said， “Hi， handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug？” I laughed and enthusiastically 3 ， “Of course you may！” and she gave me a giant 4 . “Why are you in college at such a young， innocent age？” I asked.
She 5 replied， “I’m here to meet a rich husband， get married， and have a couple of kids...” “No seriously，” I asked. I was 6 what may have motivated her to be taking on this 7 at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a 8 and now I’m getting one！” she told me.
Over the course of the year， Rose became a campus icon and she 9 made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she enjoyed the attention bestowed upon her from the other 10 . She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. “We do not stop playing because we are old； we grow 11 because we stop playing.
There are only four 12 to staying young， being happy， and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humour every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your 13 ， you die.
Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or 14 . The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in 15 . Have no regrets.
（5）
Parents and educators battle over how much and how often kids should have homework.
This past school year， my eldest daughter’s teacher did not assign homework very much， and she often gave the kids extra time 1 to get it done. There were no extra projects， no weekend assignments， and nothing assigned over holiday breaks. Meanwhile， my daughter’s dear friend — who attends the same school and is in the same grade — 2 nightly with her 3 homework assignments. She had work to do every night， extra projects to complete， and assignments to complete over holiday break.
Some might argue that my child is the 4 one — she has more time to play and spends less time
5 over assignments. Others might feel that my child was 6 a key element of her education by not reinforcing what she was learning during the school day.
To be honest， I"m not really sure which 7 I’m in， but it"s debates like this one that have sparked a homework 8 between parents and schools all over the country. A New York Times article reported that the school district in Galloway， N.J.， is considering a proposal to 9 weeknight homework to 10 minutes for each year of school and 10 assignments on weekends， holidays and school vacations. The school district in Pleasanton， Calif.， is looking at a 11 proposal.
Meanwhile， other schools around the country are introducing 12 holidays， no-homework nights， and goal-work instead of homework？ Most of these changes are in 13 to irritated parents who see lengthy homework assignments competing with what little family time they have each day.
But then there are the parents and educators who
14 on coddling（娇纵的） kids and support proposals to 15 nightly and weekly homework assignments.
What do you think？ Do kids today get too much homework or not enough？
（以上两篇由佛山市顺德区乐从中学晏明霞老师原创）
答案解析
（1）文章主要讲述通过阅读报纸及时了解时事，以及它对我们生活的影响。
1. D 在全球化的世界里，时事对我们的日常生活有着很大的影impact。
2. B 表程度的递进，表示“甚至（even）根本就没有意识到”。
3. B 搭配：connect...with... 与……联系起来。
4. A 因“蝴蝶拍动”的对象应是“翅膀”。
5. A 作者通过“蝴蝶振翅”的例子来说明世界已经紧密地联系在一起，触一发而动全身。
6. B hardly 几乎不，certainly必定，hopefully抱有希望地，exactly恰好。
7. C 进一步阐述时事对我们生活的影响是“显而易见的”。
8. A 短语：get involved 卷入、陷入。
9. A你不必“打算做下任总理”。
10. C 搭配：be concerned about 担心.关心。
11. A 上下文提示，见文章开头。
12. A 短语：witness history 见证历史。
13. B 词组：in the way阻碍、挡路。
14. D 根据上下文的意思，应该是“找到”相关的方法。
15. B 词组：make sth. known让某事为人所了解。
（2）文章主要讲述兼职工作的一些事宜，以及如何在英国找一份合适的兼职工作。
1. C 短语：have a story to tell有话要说。
2. A 根据上文的 a bad story可以判断出要有mean （吝啬的）才符合情景。
3. D 因practical（实用的；可操作的）比perfect更具体。
4. D 因be generally accepted 表示“通常被认为”。
5. C 因be considered to be中的to be 可以省略，如果用regard则不能省略as。
6. D 能与with连用的只有share 与 provide， 根据上下文选provide符合题意。
7. A 搭配：work experience 工作经历。
8. D 你所期盼的兼职薪水，用expect。
9. B 与上文的maximum相对应。
10. B 表示“找工作”用hunt for， 但find不与for 连用。
11. C 检查的目的是为了不犯格式及其他错误。
12. B 短语：relevant information相关信息。
13. D 短语：want ads 招聘广告。
14. D 与家人朋友模拟练习面试，准备说服招聘者，你就是他要找的那个人。
15. B 此处的very 表示“正是、就是”。
（3）文章主要讲述如何在英国通过取得临时驾照、通过理论考试以及实践操作取得驾照。
1. C 这里的this 是指前面的license，表示“获得、取得”用obtain。
2. D 词组：be in possession of 拥有（取得）。只有取得了临时驾照你才能预约理论考试。
3. A 上下文提示。
4. C
5. B 根据上下文及逻辑应该是“17岁或以上”。
6. A 因为只参加了理论考试，不可能取得驾照，只是在离开前能收到考试结果。
7. D 因practical test 指的是“操作性考试”，即“驾驶”。
8. D 考试的目的是想考官证明你能安全驾驶。
9. C 搭配：be examined on ... 在……进行考查。
10. B 搭配：an emergency stop 紧急停车。
11. D 在驾驶操作中容许不会导致失败的操作次数最多达15次，所以不一定要绝对的“完美”。
12. A
13. D 从下文的answering 可知用 asked。
14. C 错误回答一个或两个问题会记录下一个不利于你的错误。
15. A
（4）本文是一篇夹叙夹议的文章，主要通过高龄Rose上大学求学的故事，告诉我们一个道理：要想快乐成功，就必须怀有梦想，并努力去实现它。
1. C 从后文的old ， eighty-seven years old得知应该是脸上布满了皱纹。
2. B light up 意思为“使容光焕发”，对应前面的beaming up“容光焕发”。
3. A 从后文的 “Of course you may”可知作者是回答前面Rose的请求。
4. B 对应前面的give you a hug，squeeze意思是“紧抱”。 5. C 根据常识，87岁生不了小孩了，显然是在“开玩笑地”回答，也对应下文的seriously。
6. A 对Rose这么高龄还来上大学“感到好奇”。
7. D 87岁上大学应该是一种“挑战”。
8. A 结合全文可知，梦想是上大学。
9. C 对应前文的college icon，可知大家都想跟她交朋友。
10. D 大学里肯定是指其他的“学生”。
11. D 对应前一句可知。
12. C 从后文中“you have to ...”可知是“保持年轻的秘诀”。
13. B 是前一句的词语重现。
14. A 该句意思是“变老不需要天赋也不需要能力”。
15. D grow older 和 grow up 就是一种“变化的过程”。
（5）本文主要是关于孩子家庭作业布置的两种观点。
1. C 该句前后都讲到孩子的老师不布置家庭作业，所以当然是“堂上”就给孩子们时间处理了。
2. C 从该句后面一句可知，孩子的朋友每天晚上都有作业要做，与前面我的孩子相比，自然是“很发奋地做繁重的家庭作业了”。
3. A 对应后句，可知意思为“冗长的；延长的”。
4. B 后句讲“孩子玩的时间多于做家庭作业的时间”，相比天天很多家庭作业的孩子来说要“幸运”些。
5. D 有很多作业要做，肯定是“很有压力”。
6. C 另一观点认为，不做家庭作业就“失去”了巩固的环节。
7. A “阵营”，指作者也不知道到底该支持哪方观点。
8. D 后文提到一些学校进行的变革，故填revolution，意为“重大变革”。
9. B 根据后面内容，可知该学校是支持少布置家庭作业的， 故填“limit限制”。
10. D 表示“禁止；不准”。
11. A 属于同一种观点， 所以应该是“相似的”做法。
12. A 后句中no-homework nights可知是“没有家庭作业的”意思， free表示“没有；无”。
13. B 表示“回应；作为……的反应” 。
14. C 从该句中的but可知，这些家长“对……感到不快；生气”；frown on “皱眉， 对……感到不高兴“。
15. D 既然对娇纵的孩子感到不高兴，那么则是支持“增加作业”了。
责任编校 蒋小青
