Task 1

Birthday card history is said to be over a hundred years old. Though there is no record to tell us who sent or received the first birthday card but it said the tradition of sending birthday cards began in England a century ago. In those times people used to personally greet a person on a birthday， but when a well？鄄wisher was unable to do so he sent a birthday card. Thus birthday cards were more like an apology at that time.

History of greeting cards can be traced back to the ancient Chinese who are said to have started the tradition of sending goodwill messages on a New Year. Early Egyptians too are believed to have made used papyrus （紙莎草紙） scrolls to send greetings to dear ones. During early 1400 the tradition of exchanging handmade paper greeting cards developed in Europe while Germans at that time were known to have printed New Year？蒺s greetings from woodcuts. The advancement in printing technology in the 1850s helped to make greeting cards more affordable. No wonder， they soon became popular means of personal communication. During the 1980s non？鄄event cards or the cards not made for any particular occasion became popular and helped card industry reach a new high.

Greeting cards have taken a new form in this present age of Internet technology. Today， they are being increasingly exchanged as electronic or e？鄄greeting cards. Advancement in the technology that began in the 1990s has led to a further growth in card industry. People find it easier to send e？鄄cards as a means of exchanging greetings.

Birthday cards are an important means of communicating good wishes and love to a person. They carry a personal touch that makes them lovable and very special. Emotionally charged cards help to pass on feelings of love that most people find difficult to express.

1. What was the purpose of sending birthday cards in England a century ago？

A. To send good wishes. B. To greet a person on a birthday.

C. To make an apology.? D. To work as a birthday present.

2. Printed New Year？蒺s greetings were firstly made by ______.

A. British? B. Chinese C. Egyptians D. Germans

3. What plays an important role in the development of greeting cards？

A. The tradition of sending goodwill messages.

B. The invention of handmade paper.

C. The advancement in technology.

D. The means of exchanging greetings.

4. What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 4 refer to？

A. Good wishes. B. Birthday cards.

C. Means of communicating. D. Those celebrating their birthdays.

5. What is the best title for the passage？

A. The history of birthday cards

B. The importance of birthday cards

C. The functions of birthday cards

D. The tradition of sending birthday cards

Task 2

If you don？蒺t have many friends， it？蒺s time that you made some. Friendships can affect your life in many positive ways， including improving your mood， giving you a sense of purpose， encouraging you to make healthy lifestyle choices and giving you a support system for the good and bad times in your life.1 ， but by putting in some effort， you will improve your life greatly.

Accept social invitations.2 ， any social occasion gives you the opportunity to meet people you might enjoy talking to and spending time with.

Introduce yourself to your neighbors.3 ， you could make a friend just steps away. Knock on doors and introduce yourself; invite neighbors over for a glass of tea.

4 . This is a feel？鄄good way to use your talents to benefit others， and an opportunity to meet other people with interests similar to yours. Serve at a local shelter， volunteer to walk dogs for an animal rescue center or read stories to kids at the city library.

Get out by yourself.5 . Go to a museum， a local art gallery or a wine tasting event and be open to the possibility that you might meet someone there.

A. Join a group

B. Offer to volunteer

C. It？蒺s not always easy to find and make friends

D. Even if the event isn？蒺t something you？蒺d enjoy

E. Exploring your city alone can bring some friends into your path

F. You can use social media to find some friends with the same interests

G. If you have recently moved or have never met people living on your street

Task 3

It happened nine years ago. My brother was driving while I was a passenger. We went to the grocery store to1what was needed for Christmas dinner. When we had got all we needed， we placed all bags in the trunk （行李箱）， but it was too2 ， so we used the back seat to transport the groceries.

On our way home we had to stop at a3 . When it turned green， my brother started to

4his speed. At just that moment， a person?5 ? the street in front of our car.6 ， our car hit the man and pushed him too far， so he7 .

My brother stopped the car. We got out and rushed to8the man. He looked as if he were dead on the9 . We were very10 . He was drunk，11he had not seen that the traffic light was red for him.

It happened in front of a12station， so in just a minute a police officer13 . He started to ask what had happened there. The man14he was guilty （有過(guò)失的） and started to say， “I？蒺m sorry， pardon me， please. I？蒺m?15 .” The police officer listened and got to know that my brother was not guilty in this16 .

My brother and I were17because the man could explain to the police officer exactly what happened. Finally， the police officer said to us， “Go home and take care.” We still felt very

18 ， and we went home very scared.

The accident taught me to drive much more?19because in many cases the pedestrians can cause trouble even if you are a good20 .

1. A. cook B. order C. buy D. have

2. A. low? B. small C. heavy? D. high

3. A. light? B. pole? C. turning? D. corner

4. A. test B. reduce? C. measure D. increase

5. A. crossed? B. cleaned? C. watered? D. swept

6. A. Finally? B. Slowly? C. Purposely? D. Suddenly

7. A. jumped up B. fell down? C. turned back? D. ran away

8. A. stop B. catch? C. see D. warn

9. A. ground? B. floor C. field? D. earth

10. A. tired B. discouraged C. disappointed? D. frightened

11. A. or? B. so C. but? D. for

12. A. gas? B. train? C. police? D. power

13. A. arrived? B. reached? C. left? D. reacted

14. A. pretended B. regretted? C. remembered D. realized

15. A. shocked? B. puzzled? C. drunk? D. injured

16. A. conflict? B. accident C. event? D. argument

17. A. lucky B. embarrassed C. satisfied D. shocked

18. A. sad? B. excited C. nervous? D. confused

19. A. politely? B. successfully? C. slowly? D. carefully

20. A. player? B. driver C. passenger? D. officer

Task 4

Ⅰ. 語(yǔ)法填空

British researchers found that people who go to live concerts and museums live longer than those who do not. Experts from 1. university looked at over 6，700 British people for 15 years. They 2.（examine） how often the people went out and where they went. They found that over？鄄50s who 3.（regular） went to concerts were around 30 percent less likely 4.（die） in the next 14 years. The over？鄄50s could 5.（length） their life by looking at “receptive （感官的） arts”. These include art galleries， concerts， museums， musicals， and the opera and theatre. In addition to 6.（live） longer， concert？鄄goers could also have more fun.

The lead researcher said money was important in 7. or not people went to concerts. She wrote： “Over 40 percent of people in the least wealthy group reported that they never accessed

8.（culture） activities.” The UK Health Secretary said arts and culture could improve things

9. mental health， ageing and loneliness. The UK？蒺s National Health Service will use the arts to improve 10.（people） well？鄄being and health.

Ⅱ. 書面表達(dá)

假定你是新華學(xué)校學(xué)生會(huì)主席李華，你聽(tīng)說(shuō)Mary下學(xué)期要來(lái)你校任教，你寫信向她推薦你的同班同學(xué)高一學(xué)生王楠作為她的助理。

內(nèi)容要點(diǎn)：

1. 寫信目的;

2. 推薦理由。

注意：

1. 詞數(shù)100左右;

2. 可以適當(dāng)發(fā)揮，以使行文連貫。

Dear Mary，

Yours sincerely，

Li Hua

周玉娟，2005年就職于蚌埠醫(yī)學(xué)院第二附屬醫(yī)院重癥醫(yī)學(xué)科，2018年安徽省重癥?？谱o(hù)士畢業(yè)，2020年1月27日作為安徽省第一批援鄂隊(duì)員支援武漢金銀潭醫(yī)院，開始在北五病區(qū)工作，兩周后轉(zhuǎn)入ICU工作。援鄂期間，其父母、姐姐、朋友，多次手寫家書、微信傳書，以作勉勵(lì)，以祈平安。

“Our people may get sick， our city may get sick， but we as a brave nation， will never ever get sick.” 讓我們一起重溫家書，感悟最淳樸而又最堅(jiān)實(shí)的家國(guó)情懷，感悟最平凡而又最感人的親情與力量，并致敬所有抗疫中的逆行者。

A letter to my little sister

fighting in Wuhan

安徽太湖中學(xué) 周艷霞

Feb. 26th， 2020

Dear sister，

I？蒺ve been thinking to say something to you， my little sister， since the New Year？蒺s Eve of 2020. Well， here is the opportunity， but with a mixture of emotions.

As I am writing this you have been fighting in the ICU of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital for 30 whole days， as a member of the first rotation of Anhui medical support to Wuhan.

First of all， I just want to tell you how much I admire your courage and devotion to be fighting relentlessly against the novel coronavirus pneumonia on the frontline. You and your fellows， heroes in harm？蒺s way， are deeply admired by all for your selflessness， courage and determination demonstrated during this difficult time. You are battling not only for the confirmed patients， but for all Chinese. Yet， I dare to say it， after all， from the position of a Chinese.

Your motto，“To cure sometimes， to relieve often， to comfort always”， is the famous saying of E.L.Trudeau. I bet you？蒺ve got what he wanted to say. Or， to put it another way， do everything you can to be responsible for your patients， and care for them with heart and soul. Just as our aging father wrote in the letter “You are the pride of our family”. You will never know how proud I am to have a sister like you， such a good？鄄looking and kind？鄄hearted girl. Up to now， I know that you come into the world not merely to be the belief and hope of me.

However， all I want， during this critical period， is your health and safety. Yes， your health and safety.

Whatever you are faced with， even under the severe epidemic situation caused by the novel coronavirus， I believe you do feel the importance and value of health and life， and so do we. Maybe， by this moment， the very sight of insulating clothing， or the very sight of masks， will be so intolerable a sight for you， and so unbearable a memory lasting forever. But they can ensure your safety in this cruel battle. I know that the virus will not disappear in a very short period of time. I know that you miss? the outside world and fresh air， especially your 4？鄄year？鄄old son， in the eyes of whom you are like Ultraman， a superhero fighting bad guys every day.

So don？蒺t give yourself too much pressure. Relax and take a few deep breaths. Have a better control of yourself and do your best to keep everything well： work， eat， sleep， exercise， and make time for happy hours. No matter what happens， it is OK to take a deep breath， take a “me” day， smile and recharge. The battle may make you feel tiresome， but do not let it trap you and do not be afraid to challenge it. If so， you must remind yourself of all the people surrounding you with kind hearts and have faith that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

The last point I want to stress is belief and hope. This is the time for facts， not fear. This is the time for science， not rumors. What you can do is to protect yourself and believe tomorrow is another day！ I believe， with joint efforts， we will win the fierce war. Because we have the spirit and determination to win！ Just as Liu Jie from Shenzhen said： “Our people may get sick， our city may get sick， but we as a brave nation， will never ever get sick.” Perhaps we don？蒺t know how long this will take or what cost we have to pay， but we strongly believe we？蒺ll win this war， for we are all fighters！ And we are always fighting together！

It？蒺s late at night but I can？蒺t sleep. Winter has gone， and spring is coming. The charming blossoms are saying hello to us， my little sister， just like your sweetest smile. And the last word is that no matter how difficult it is， stay healthy， and come back safely！

Love，

Sister， Yanxia