—No, but I　　　her over Christmas.

— Of course. With pleasure.

          “Ready. . . set. . . ”The gun popped and we were off. The other girls rushed（4）4me. I felt（5）5as I fell farther and farther behind.

“Hooray! ”shouted the crowd. It was the loudest（6）6I had ever heard at a meet. The first-place runner was two laps(圈)ahead of me when she crossed the finish line. “Maybe I should（7）7, ”I thought as I moved on. （8）8, I decided to keep going. During the last two laps, I ran（9）9and decided not to（10）10in track next year. It wouldn't be（11）11 it, even if my foot did heal.

When I finished, I heard a cheer—（12）12than the one I'd heard earlier. I turned around and（13）13enough, the boys were preparing for their race. “They must be cheering for the boys. ”I was leaving（14）14several girls came up to me. “Wow, you've got courage! ”one of them told me.

          “Courage? I just（15）15a race! ”I thought. “I would have given up on the first lap, ”said another girl. “We were cheering for you. Did you hear us? ”

Suddenly I regained（16）16. I decided to（17）17track next year. I realized strength and courage aren't always（18）18in medals and victories, but in the（19）19we overcome(战胜). The strongest people are not always the people who win, （20）20the people who don't give up when they lose.

          What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red? （1）       Do you prefer grey and blue? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead.  You tend to be a pessimist(悲观者).  At least, this is what psychologists(心理学家)tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings. （2）      If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly. （3）      A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. （4）      A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀者)than any other bridge in the area—until it was repainted green.  The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply.  Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue. （5）      It is an established fact(既成的事实)that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.

    A. On the other hand, black is depressing.

    B. They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favorite color as we grow up—we are born with our preference.

    C. The rooms are painted in different colors as you like.

    D. If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement.

    E. Light and bright colors mak e people not only happier but more active.

    F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors.

    G. Colors do influence our moods—there is no doubt about it.

阅读理解

          George Gershwin, born in 1898, was one of America's greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs.

          Many of Gershwin's songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way—from jazz to country.

          In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world-famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.

          In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition(作曲)with the well-known musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style. While there, Gershwin wrot e An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics(评论家)were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works.

          George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty-nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written.

假设你的朋友Tom写信向你询问你最近的学习生活状况, 请你以Li Hua的身份给Tom回信, 内容应包括以下要点:

    ①  目前的学习生活状况。

    ②  高中的苦与乐, 对未来的打算。

    ③  英语学习方面有困难, 希望得到一些帮助。

    ④  邀请对方来中国游玩, 期盼早日收到回信。

注意： ①词数100个左右;

         ②可适当发挥, 使上下文连贯。

Dear Tom,

……

Yours,

Li Hua