2018-2019学年福建省龙岩市非一级达标校高二上学期期末教学质量检查英语试题 Word版 19页

龙岩市非一级达标校2018～2019学年第一学期期末高二教学质量检查 英 语 试 题 ‎（考试时间：120分钟 满分：150分）‎ 注意：请将试题的全部答案填写在答题卡上。‎ 第一部分 听力（共两节，满分30分）‎ 第一节（共5小题；每小题1.5分，满分7.5分）‎ 听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。 ‎ ‎1. Where is the man going? ‎ A. To the classroom. B. To the movie theater. C. To the library. ‎ ‎2. What will the woman do? ‎ A. Return a scarf. B. Exchange her shoes. C. Buy a purse.‎ ‎3. Why did the woman call the man? ‎ A. To report a car accident. ‎ B. To report her car being stolen.‎ C. To get some information about cars.‎ ‎4. Who is the girl talking to? ‎ A. Her boss. B. Her father. C. Her teacher.‎ ‎5. What are the speakers mainly talking about? ‎ A. The man’s haircut. B. The man’s friends. C. The man’s social life.‎ 第二节（共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）‎ 听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。‎ 听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。‎ ‎6. What does the man think of the food? ‎ A. He thinks it’s too simple.‎ B. He is happy because of no peas.‎ C. He thinks it smells really good.‎ ‎7. What did the woman forget to add? ‎ A. Onions. B. Salt. C. Carrots.‎ 听第7段材料，回答第8、9题。‎ ‎8. What does the man need a suit for? ‎ A. A friend’s wedding. B. A conference. C. A job interview.‎ ‎9. Why does the woman recommend a black suit? ‎ A. It is what she likes.‎ B. It can be worn at any occasion.‎ C. It will make the man noticeable. ‎ 听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。‎ ‎10. What might be attractive to the man? ‎ A. Staying in a hotel on the coast.‎ B. Staying at home with the kids.‎ C. Visiting different places by ship.‎ ‎11. Where did the speakers spend their vacation last year? ‎ A. At the seaside. B. On a ship. C. In the mountains.‎ ‎12. What did the woman think of the vacation last year? ‎ A. Expensive. B. Boring. C. Interesting.‎ 听第9段材料，回答第13至16题。‎ ‎13. Who just passed away? ‎ A. The man’s father. ‎ B. The man’s grandmother.‎ C. The man’s grandfather.‎ ‎14. How much money will the man borrow? ‎ A. $700. B. $350. C. $175.‎ ‎15. When will the man leave? ‎ A. On Wednesday. B. On Thursday. C. On Friday.‎ ‎16. What is the probable relationship between the speakers? ‎ A. Roommates. B. Brother and sister. C. Boss and employee.‎ 听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。‎ ‎17. How many people were in John Grisham’s family? ‎ A. Seven. B. Six. C. Five.‎ ‎18. What did John Grisham first study at university? ‎ A. Politics. B. Law. C. Accounting.‎ ‎19. Where did John Grisham get his first degree? ‎ A. In Ohio. B. In Mississippi. C. In Arkansas.‎ ‎20. How did John Grisham become famous? ‎ A. He made a film starring Tom Cruise.‎ B. He released a successful novel in 1991.‎ C. He sold seven million copies of “A Time to Kill”.‎ 第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）‎ 第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）‎ 阅读下列短文， 从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。‎ A Best sellers in children’s activities ＆ crafts books ‎ The Wonderful Things You Will Be ‎ by Winfield Martin $ 14.96 ‎ ‎4.9 out of 5 stars Age Range:1-3 years With beautiful and sometimes humorous pictures, this is a book that parents will love reading over and over to kids, calming them down before sleeping. It has a loving and truthful message that will last for a lifetime. ‎ Peek a WHO ‎ by Nina Laden $ 4.06 ‎ ‎4.8 out of 5 stars Age Range: 3—7 years ‎ With colorful pictures and simple rhyming texts, the guess of who’s hiding on the next page, and the bright and attractive pictures will keep children guessing and laughing all the way to surprising endings.‎ How to Draw People ‎ by Barbara Soloff Levy $3.56‎ ‎4.6 out of 5 star Age Range: 5-10 years By joining circles and other common shapes, even the beginners can easily create 30 different characters, a fireman, a mailman, a cowboy, an astronaut and more. Simple directions, step-by-step illustrations and blank practice pages make it even easier. You can color the pictures when you are done. It’s a fun-filled way to teach art to young children that enjoy drawing.‎ Karina Garcia’s DIY ‎ by Karina Garcia $5.78‎ ‎4.2 out of 5 stars Age Range: 1—14 years Get ready to become a slime (软泥) master with fifteen DIY projects! Full-color and with step-by-step pictures, this book also includes tips on how to store your slime, all the amazing things you can do with slime, and cool facts about Karina. ‎ ‎21. Which book is the best choice for bedtime stories?‎ A. The Wonderful Things You Will Be B. Peek a WHO ‎ C. How to Draw People D. Karina Garcia’s DIY ‎22. How much should you pay for a suitable gift for a hide and seek lover?‎ A. $ 3.56. B. $‎4.06 ‎C. $ 5.78 D. $ 14.96‎ ‎23. What can we learn from Karina Garcia’s DIY? ‎ A. How to buy high-quality slime. B. How to arrange different colors.‎ C. How to create full-color pictures. D. How to keep slime in good condition.‎ B Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is an important ecological screen for the north of China and even the whole country. Building a green great wall to ensure China’s ecological security is one of the most important things of autonomous region.‎ The largest ecological function zone in the north of China, Inner Mongolia has a variety of landscapes, including forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers and lakes. In recent years, the region’s environment has improved, with its forest and grassland area having increased and desert reduced.‎ However, it still faces a number of challenges in ecological preservation. For instance, the region faces severe water shortages with the number of lakes dropping from ‎427 in 1987 to ‎145 in 2010. In addition to a lack of rainfall, huge water consumption in agricultural and industrial production has worsened the water shortage. Too much use of fertilizers has damaged the soil and affected the growth of grass, accelerating the expansion of the desert, which results from a lack of water. ‎ The local government encourages planting trees on grassland as they can get more pay for trees than by growing grass. However, the trees they plant often have a low survival rate as they have a high water consumption rate. Also, to treat wetlands, some areas have planted a large number of a single tree species. This practice may damage biodiversity (生物多样性) and endanger the survival of certain animals.‎ Experts suggest taking the region’s water resources and weather conditions into consideration in future ecological projects. ‎ ‎24. What do we know about the green great wall in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region?‎ A. It adds the beautiful scenery to this area.‎ B. It acts as a guard to protect the north of China.‎ C. It works well in saving the endangered animals.‎ D. It contributes to the decrease of the grassland.‎ ‎25. What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?‎ A. The causes of water shortages. B. The protection of ecological environment. ‎ C. The solutions to water shortages. D. The importance of ecological environment.‎ ‎26. What does the underlined word “accelerating” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?‎ A. weakening B. shortening C. lessening D. quickening ‎27. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the text? ‎ A. To tell the function of the green great wall. ‎ B. To introduce the green great wall to the readers.‎ C. To provide guidance on traveling around Inner Mongolia.‎ D. To offer some advice on building the green great wall.‎ C It was a shock and a painful lesson for many people when the police announced the cause of a bus accident in Chongqing on Oct 28. Video footage (片段) from inside the bus suggested that after a passenger missed her stop and asked the driver to stop, but he refused. She began hitting him over the head with her cell phone. During the conflict, the driver lost control of the bus and it jumped into the Yangtze River, causing 15 deaths. ‎ Zheng Chuankai, a lawyer in Beijing, said the accident showed that it was important that those who cause danger to public safety face severe punishment. Such attacks are inhuman but common. In fact, it is not rare to hear of passengers attacking bus drivers in China. This month, a local court in Shenyang, Liaoning province, sentenced three people to up to three years in prison for endangering public safety by distracting bus drivers, Xinhua reported. “Passengers who interfere (妨碍) with bus drivers are endangering public safety, which is equal to serious crimes like arson (纵火) and poisoning.” Liu Changsong，a Beijing lawyer, told the Global Times.‎ To prevent similar cases from happening, many Chinese cities have taken measures to keep bus drivers safe. Dozens of cities including Beijing, Xi’an, Wuhan, Changsha and Nanning have plans to add safety fences to buses to protect drivers from any interference by passengers.‎ The bus operator in Quanzhou‎, ‎Fujian Province, has invited psychologists to teach drivers ‎ how to manage their emotions when facing an angry passenger. These measures are necessary, but they are not enough. ‎ ‎ “Public security is closely connected with social morality (道德). People should obey the law, be more self-disciplined and sensible.”‎ Many countries have introduced measures to deal with the problem of violence against bus drivers. On every bus in the US state of New Jersey, a sign on the back of the driver’s seat warns passengers that anyone attacking a driver can be fined or put into prison. In London, the local government has launched a program to train drivers to deal with angry passengers and avoid potential conflicts. ‎ ‎28. How did the police find out the cause of the accident?‎ A. From the witnesses to the accident. B. From the recorded video in the bus.‎ C. From the survivals of the accident. D. From the police’s reasoning. ‎ ‎29. What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?‎ A. Interfering public safety is a serious crime. ‎ B. Being a bus driver is a dangerous job.‎ C. Arson and poisoning are very common in the society.‎ D. It’s important to know how to protect a bus driver.‎ ‎30. What’s the author’s attitude towards training drivers to avoid conflicts with passengers?‎ A. Supportive. B. Doubtful. C. Opposed. D. Uncaring. ‎ ‎31. Which of the following can be the best title for the text? ‎ A. A Terrible Traffic Accident.‎ B. A Bus Jumping into the Yangtze River.‎ C. Keeping Away from the Dangerous Bus.‎ D. Attack on Bus Driver Brings Safety Review.‎ D It happens from time to time: you feel terrible when you take your first bite of a certain food, but after eating more, you find yourself enjoying it. This is what is called an acquired taste. But why do our tastes change? The answer, according to a recent study presented at an American Chemical Society meeting ‎ in Boston, lies in proteins in our saliva (唾液). Most of us tend to think saliva, almost entirely made up of water, is “only a mouth lubricant (润滑剂) helping us to swallow food,” the New York Times said. However, it also contains many proteins, which can help break food down, protect our teeth and help in tasting food. To explain how these proteins affect taste, a team of scientists from Purdue University in the US invited 64 volunteers to drink a bitter-tasting chocolate milk three times a day for six weeks and rated their tastes at the same time.‎ According to the research, the participants found a strong bitterness on the first day, but the unpleasant flavor came to decrease as time went on and finally disappeared. ‎ That is not all that was changing. A noticeable increase in the levels of proline-rich (富含脯氨酸的) proteins was found in the saliva samples of the test subjects in the research period. These proteins serve to reduce the bitterness we taste and improve our adaptation to this flavor. “We think the body adapts to reduce the negative feeling of these bitter compounds,” said Cordelia Running, a food scientist at Purdue University. “Saliva changes flavor, which in turn changes eating choices.” This change in taste not only makes the food tastier, but also helps people keep an appetite for healthy food whose flavor might otherwise keep them away. One day, these proteins may even be extracted (提炼) and used as a separate food additive that could help people stick to healthy food whose flavor they continue to dislike, researchers told Science Alert. And according to Running, even it doesn’t happen, the idea that “maybe some little piece of your body is actually trying to help you” could really benefit some people. Let’s wait and see. ‎ ‎32. What does the underlined phrase “an acquired taste” in Paragraph 1 refer to? ‎ A. The appetite for healthy food. ‎ B. A mouth lubricant helping to swallow the food.‎ C. Something that tastes very delicious at first bite.‎ D. A preference that is only formed after great repetitions.‎ ‎33. What contributes to the changes of our taste? ‎ A. Our negative feelings of food. B. Our adaptation to this flavor.‎ C. The proteins in our saliva. D. The flavor of the food. ‎ ‎34. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?‎ A. Saliva consists of many proteins besides water. ‎ B. The unpleasant flavor will increase with time going on.‎ C. A separate food additive has been extracted from the proteins.‎ D. Proteins have nothing to do with the changes of our taste.‎ ‎35. What can we infer from the last paragraph?‎ A. There will be bitter candy in the future.‎ B. You can change the flavor as you like in the future. ‎ C. The researches will go on studying these proteins. ‎ D. It won’t be long before we can make unhealthy food healthy.‎ 第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10 分） ‎ 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。其中有两项为多余选项。‎ For each working person, the rarest resource is your daily time. You may feel like that you do not have enough hours in the day, only endless things to do. Of course, some of these things are not part of your job, such as other colleagues asking for your help or bosses making new demands.‎ How can we reasonably refuse them?‎ ‎ 36 Just by doing the following three steps, you can usually make yourself and the other person comfortable while refusing them.‎ ‎◆ Listen patiently to others’ requests ‎ It’s not simply hearing what the other person is saying. You have to stop what you’re doing and carefully listen to what they say. 37 The point is to let the other person see that you are willing to help, and let them understand that you’ve already known their needs. In this way, even if you eventually refuse them, they’ll understand that you are not available, instead of not willing to help.‎ ‎◆ 38 ‎ When we listen, we all hope that other people will come to a conclusion quickly. But when we speak, we instinctively（本能地）start from the beginning of the story. In fact, this way of speaking is not good for communication. So if you want to refuse somebody, just tell them No, and then explain the reasons why.‎ ‎◆ Provide an alternative solution Maybe you really don’t have the time to listen to the other person’s request. In situations like this, don’t just tell the other person that you don’t have the time. 39 For example, you may say, “Sorry, I really don’t have the time right now. Is it OK if we talk tomorrow morning?” In this way, although you refuse him, he still can feel your support.‎ In conclusion, refusal is unavoidable, but you can choose the way to refuse. An inappropriate refusal may cause great harm to your working life. 40 .‎ A. Begin with conclusion when refusing.‎ B. Start from the beginning when refusing.‎ C. Even if your time is limited, it is best for you to do so.‎ D. Instead, you should give them a time when you would be available. ‎ E. In addition, this willing-to-help attitude also shows leadership skills.‎ F. In fact, there has been a mature methodology (科学方法) for this matter since long ago.‎ G. An artistic refusal, on the other hand, may lead you to some unexpected benefits.‎ 第三部分 英语知识运用（共两节，满分45分）‎ 第一节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）‎ 阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。‎ Dad loves fishing very much. Fishing is as much a part of Dad’s life as 41 . Going fishing with him is a very 42 thing for me and my twin brother. Jumping into a 43 stream on a hot day, sleeping under the bright 44 , fishing with Dad and eating freshly caught fish that has been fried over a 45 seems like the heaven to a couple of 10-year-old boys.‎ One day, Dad drove us to Cottonwood Stream. An hour after we got there, he 46 some ‎ fish. He suggested that we take them back to our camp, 47 we stayed to watch Dad skillfully cast his 48 another time. We sat quietly until Dad’s fishing pole 49 and he began winding the line on. Knowing this could be a very 50 fish, we jumped up and down and 51 for Dad to catch that fish. When he did, Dad’s wide smile lit up his face like the sun. He 52 the hook, but an unexpected thing happened. The huge fish slipped out of Dad’s hands and jumped back into the stream!‎ We thought Dad would 53 , but he didn’t. Although the sun was dropping 54 the mountains, my father sat down again and waited 55 . At last, the big fish took the bait once more. However, it slipped back into the 56 again as Dad tried to remove the hook. This time, Dad jumped into the stream, 57 for that fish again and again and 58 caught it, wrapping it in his shirt and walking back to the 59 . Both my brother and I shouted wildly, cheering for his success. ‎ What Dad did that day taught me a good lesson. I learn that we should never give up if we want to 60 something.‎ ‎41. A. singing B. smoking C. playing D. breathing ‎42. A. skeptical B. private C. pleasant D. unbearable ‎ ‎43. A. deep B. cool C. hot D. dirty ‎44. A. stars B. trees C. ceilings D. rocks ‎45. A. lighter B. match C. campfire D. fence ‎46. A. caught B. cooked C. killed D. bought ‎47. A. and B. so C. or D. but ‎48. A. ball B. line C. bottle D. shadow ‎49. A. bent B. broke C. arose D. appeared ‎50. A. big B. ugly C. delicious D. strange ‎51. A. sent B. ran C. shouted D. looked ‎52. A. discovered B. removed C. improved D. checked ‎53. A. keep up B. take off C. give up D. show off ‎54. A. around B. above C. in D. behind ‎55. A. sadly B. worriedly C. patiently D. angrily ‎56. A. ocean B. stream C. lake D. sea ‎57. A. dived B. rushed C. waited D. prepared ‎58. A. obviously B. gradually C. constantly D. finally ‎59. A. pond B. water C. beach D. camp ‎60. A. exchange B. achieve C. submit D. adopt 第二节：语法填空（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）‎ 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。‎ The world’s longest sea bridge 61 (call) the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge has opened. The bridge 62 (link) Hong Kong and Macau to mainland China. 63 took more than a decade to construct it. Builders had to make artificial islands in the Pearl River Delta 64 (provide) the supports for the bridge. There is also a 6.7-kilometre underwater tunnel in the middle of the bridge, 65 allows ships to sail through the Delta. The new bridge stretches 66 (long) than 14 Golden Gate Bridges lined up end to end. The bridge will 67 (great) cut the time it takes to travel from mainland China to Hong Kong and Macau. ‎ Chinese President Xi attended the opening ceremony of the bridge. He hopes the new crossing will help to connect 68 million people in 11 different 68 (city). China’s government believes that up to 29,000 cars will cross the sea link daily by the year 2030. A trade and tourism expert said, “This makes Hong Kong a lot more accessible for goods, passengers and trade, so this is a benefit 69 ‎ the economic perspective.” The bridge will be open to tourists to drive across it. However, local car owners will not be able to cross the bridge 70 they have a special permit. Most drivers will take a shuttle bus to make the journey.‎ 第四部分 写作（共两节，满分35分）‎ 第一节 短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）‎ 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。‎ 增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。‎ 删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。‎ 修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。‎ 注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词； ‎ ‎2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。‎ As we all know, the skin is a essential part of our body. We have three layers of skin acting as a barrier against disease. So if our skin gets burning, how can we give first aid treatment?‎ First of all, remove clothing using a pair of scissor if necessary. Second, it is best to place burns under gentle running water for about 10 minutes. Third, cover the burned area with a dry bandage won’t stick to the skin. Holding the bandage in place with tape. If burns are on arms or legs, keep it higher than the heart. If burns were on the face, the victim should to sit up. If the injuries are second or third degree burns, it is vital to get the victim to the doctor and hospital immediately.‎ 第二节 书面表达（满分25分）‎ 近年来，我国高铁建设飞速发展，令世人瞩目。 假如你是李华，你的美国笔友Peter对中国的高铁很感兴趣，来信咨询有关信息。请你用英文给他写一封回信，要点包括：‎ ‎1. 高铁的时速：‎300km/h; ‎ ‎2. 高铁的优势：舒适、安全、省钱。‎ ‎3. 购票方式：车站或网上购票 注意: 1. 词数100左右；‎ ‎2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；‎ ‎3. 开头和结尾已给出，但不计入词数。‎ Dear Peter,‎ I’m glad to know that you are interested in the high-speed rail in China. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Yours truly,‎ ‎ Li Hua 龙岩市非一级达标校2018～2019学年第一学期期末高二教学质量检查 英语试题参考答案 ‎ 第一部分：听力 (每小题1.5分，满分30分)‎ ‎1-5 CABCA 6-10 CBABC 11-15 ACCBB 16-20 AACBB 第二部分：阅读理解 (每小题2分，满分40分)‎ ‎21-23 ABD 24-27 BADB 28-31 BAAD 32-35 DCAC 36-40 FCADG 第三部分：(每小题1.5分，满分45分)‎ 第一节：完形填空 (每小题1.5分，满分30分)‎ ‎41-45 DCBAC 46-50 ADBAA 51-55 CBCDC 56-60 BADDB 第二节：语法填词 (每小题1.5分，满分 15分)‎ ‎61. called 62. links 63. It 64. to provide 65. which ‎ ‎66. longer 67. greatly 68. cities 69. from 70. unless/until 第四部分 第一节 短文改错 (每小题1分，满分 10分)‎ As we all know, the skin is a essential part of our body. We have three layers of skin acting as an a barrier against disease. So if our skin gets burning, how can we give first aid treatment?‎ burnt First of all, remove clothing using a pair of scissor if necessary. Second, it is best to place burns ‎ scissors ‎ under gentle running water for about 10 minutes. Third, cover the burned area with a dry bandage ‎ gently ∧‎ that/which won’t stick to the skin. Holding the bandage in place with tape. If burns are on arms or legs, keep it ‎ Hold them higher than the heart. If burns were on the face, the victim should to sit up. If the injuries are second ‎ are ‎ orthird degree burns, it is vital to get the victim to the doctor and hospital immediately.‎ or 第二节 书面表达：（25分）A sample writing: ‎ Dear Peter,‎ I’m glad to know that you are interested in the high-speed rail in China. The development of the high-speed rail has brought great convenience to people’s life. ‎ The high-speed rail runs through almost every big city in China, with its fastest speed reaching 300 kilometers per hour at present. It provides us with comfortable seats and high safety performance. Besides, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery during your travel, at a much lower cost than traveling by plane. What’s more, it’s easy to get tickets. You can either buy them at the rail stations or book them online.‎ I do hope you can come to China to experience a wonderful trip on a high-speed rail in person. Looking forward to meeting you in China. ‎ ‎ Yours,‎ Li Hua 听力录音稿 Text 1 ‎ M: I have to go to the library to prepare for the upcoming test. (1)‎ W: That’s too bad. I wish you could go with me to the movies.‎ Text 2‎ M: Let’s go shopping. I need a new jacket, and you can get that purse you wanted. ‎ W: Oh, I changed my mind. I ended up spending my money on shoes instead. I do need to return a scarf, though. (2)‎ Text 3 ‎ W: Is this the police station? I want to report a case, please. My car has been stolen. (3)‎ M: OK, madam. Could you tell me what sort of car it was and where it was stolen?‎ Text 4 ‎ M: Is this your best effort, Laura? I’ve been teaching you for the past three months, and this isn’t what I expected from you. (4)‎ W: I tried my best. And I have a lot of other things going on in my life right now.‎ Text 5‎ W: Why did you cut your hair so short, Leonard? You look strange.‎ M: I’m trying something new. I’ve had long hair for most of my life. (5)‎ W: So, it has nothing to do with the fact that your friends did the same thing, huh?‎ Text 6 ‎ M: Something smells really good. (6)‎ W: I put a roast in the slow cooker. It’ll be ready in about two hours.‎ M: Oh? What’s in it?‎ W: There is a big piece of beef with potatoes, carrots, and onions. You just put all that in with some soup mix and a little bit of water. It’s really simple but it takes a long time to cook.‎ M: I would have put peas in it. You didn’t add any salt, though? (7)‎ W: Oops, sorry. (7) You can add some when you eat it. And I don’t like peas actually...‎ Text 7 ‎ M: Can you help me pick out some materials for a suit, Maggie? I am going to get one made for a friend’s wedding. (8)‎ W: Sure. What kind of material do you like?‎ M: It depends on the price. As for the color, I like brown.‎ W: Brown? Why don’t you just get black? A black suit can be worn for anything — a conference, a wedding, a job interview... (9)‎ M: That may be true, but black is so boring. I want to get a suit that stands out from the rest.‎ W: How about this one? It’s the color you like and not too expensive.‎ M: I think that will do. Let’s go to talk to the tailor about getting it made.‎ Text 8 ‎ W: Are you thinking about our holiday already?‎ M: Yes, I’ve been looking at some of these travel advertisements.‎ W: Any good ideas?‎ M: Look at this advertisement. It looks very interesting. (10)‎ W: “Use a ship as your hotel.” (10) Hmm. How much does it cost?‎ M: We’d have to call the travel agency to get the price.‎ W: It must be expensive. Why don’t we just go to the seaside like we did last year? (11) I prefer to stay in one place, and the kids love playing with sand and water.‎ M: I don’t want to sit on the same beach, eat the same food, and look at the same sea view every day for two or three weeks.‎ W: Didn’t we have a good time last summer? (12)‎ M: It seemed all we did was eating and sleeping.‎ Text 9 ‎ M: Diana, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.‎ W: Sure, what is it, Ethan? Why are you so red in the face? Has something happened?‎ M: My dad just called, and I need to fly back home to Montreal. There has been a death in the family.‎ W: Oh, no! Is it your grandmother? I thought she was feeling better. ‎ M: Actually, my grandfather passed away today, (13) and I have to go home for the funeral. What I wanted to ask you was if I could borrow some money for this month’s rent. I can only pay half of what I owe. (16)‎ W: No problem. I can pay the other $350 for you. (14) When are you leaving?‎ M: Tomorrow. That’s why I need you to lend me the money. Rent is due on Friday, which is the day after I leave. (15) I’m sorry for telling you so late. ‎ W: Don’t worry about it. Is there anything else I can do for you? ‎ M: No, the money is enough. Thank you for being so understanding.‎ Text 10 ‎ In today’s section of Biography, we will be looking into the life of one of America’s most famous and best-selling authors, John Grisham. Born to a father of the same name and his loving mother Wanda Grisham, John grew up in the state of Arkansas. There were altogether five children in the family. (17) In his early life, his family moved to Mississippi, where he played baseball and worked in construction. After deciding that he had no future in that line of work, he decided to further his education by attending the Delta State University in Cleveland‎, ‎Ohio. He eventually obtained his degree in accounting at Mississippi‎ State ‎University in 1977. (18) (19) Just four years later, he received his Doctor of Law degree. For the next decade, he built a career in law and politics. But his ambitions as an author led him to release his first novel, “A Time to Kill”, in 1989. Two years later, his well-known book “The Firm” went on to sell seven million copies and was made into a movie starring Tom Cruise. (20) By 2012, his books had sold 275 million copies worldwide and had been translated into 42 languages.‎