2020莆田第一联盟体高三上学期期末联考英语试题含答案

这是一份2020莆田第一联盟体高三上学期期末联考英语试题含答案
莆田市第一联盟体2019-2020学年上学期高三联考试卷 英语（试卷满分为150分，考试时间为120分钟）注意事项：1.答卷前，考生务必将自己的姓名、考场号和座位号填写在答题卡上；2.作答选择题时，选出每小题答案后，用2B铅笔在答题卡上对应题目选项的答案信息点涂黑； 如需改动，用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其它答案，答案不能答在试卷上；3.非选择题必须用黑色字迹的钢笔或签字笔作答，答案必须写在答题卡各题目指定区域内相应位置上；如需改动，先划掉原来的答案，然后再写上新答案；不准使用铅笔和涂改液。不按以上要求作答无效；4.考生必须保证答题卡的整洁，考试结束后，将答题卡交回．第Ⅰ卷 （选择题 共100分）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. Who is coming for tea?A. John. B. Mark. C. Tracy.2. What will the man do next? A. Stay for dinner. B. Prepare for the dinner. C. Go to the railway station.3. What does the man come for?A. A meeting. B. A dinner. C. A party.4. What size does the man want?A. 35. B. 9. C. 39.5. What are the speakers talking about?A. A holiday plan. B. Weather conditions. C. Life in Southeast Asia.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. Why doesn’t the man want to book the seats downstairs?A. They are too close to the stage. B. They are uncomfortable.C. They are too expensive.7. When does the man plan to see the performance?A. On October 21st. B. On October 1st. C. On October 25th.听第7段材料，回答第8、9题。8. What’s the complaint of the man’s neighbor?A. An important meeting. B. Bad sleeping room. C. Loud noise.9. What were the man and his friends about to do?A. Change a room. B. End their activity. C. Apologize to their neighbor.听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。10. What is Miss Lan going to work as in Ola city?A. A teacher. B. A nurse. C. A doctor.11. What worries Miss Lan so much?A. The people in Ola are not friendly.B. The work in Ola is hard to do. C. She has no friends in Ola.12. How will Miss Lan keep in touch with Mr. Huang after she arrives in Ola?A. By letter. B. By phone. C. By e-mail.听第9段材料，回答第13至16题。13. Why did the man miss the woman’s phone call yesterday?A. His phone was turned off. B. He didn’t take his phone with him.C. He was taking a shower.14. What did the woman do yesterday?A. She went shopping. B. She played computer games. C. She went to a concert.15. Why did the woman call the man?A. To invite him to her sister’s wedding.B. To ask something about Megan. C. To invite him to her wedding.16. When will the woman pick up the man next Saturday?A. At 14:00. B. At 13:20. C. At 13:00.听第10段材料，回答第17至20 题。17. What does Alexandra Grace work for?A. QS World University Ranking System.B. New Zealand Embassy Beijing.C. The Multi-cultural Environment Organization.18. What stops some students choosing New Zealand for study?A. Its environment. B. Its population. C. Its size.19. What’s the total yearly cost for a Chinese student to study in a New Zealand university?A.20,000 dollars. B. 45,000 dollars. C. 25,000 dollars.20. What message about New Zealand does the speaker mainly convey?A. Its higher education is suitable for Chinese students.B. Its multi-cultural environment is good for tourists.C. Its breath-taking scenery is absolutely worth seeing.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，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。APastime is a bi-monthly magazine for curious young minds. Many of the topics we write about won't be covered in the classroom. All the articles are written in a lively style, and each one is paired with drawings by some of the country's most talented artists.◇ History focuses on archaeological(考古的) sites around the world where archaeologists work to unearth important finds.◇ World includes stories about daily life, folk tales, and culture and traditions of the people and places.◇ Sport includes nutrition tips, information about up and coming young athletes, and sports events.◇ Art stimulates a child's cultural life, from film to theatre through to writing and music.On top of all that, Pastime is packed with items to stimulate a youngster's imagination, including pages of puzzles and a step-by-step guide to creating their own impressive-looking drawings.In every issue, we review the latest books top authors write for this age group. There are short works of fiction written especially for Pastime by some of our best writers.We know that children at this age are dealing with many emotions and sometimes difficult feelings, we have a personal advice page to reply to questions dealing with personal and moral questions.Unlike many of today's throwaway comics, Pastime is written and designed to be kept and treasured. We know children love going online---but we also know how much they enjoy holding a printed magazine in their hands, and the excitement they get when each new issue drops through the letterbox personally addressed to them.Subscription• Pastime is published six times a year. An annual subscription costs just ￡20 and makes a great gift for any child aged eight to twelve.• To order by phone: Dial 1-800-821-0156 and use Offer Code WEBSAVE86 for print-only subscriptions.• You can cancel at any time for magazines that haven't shipped yet.21. Which of the following topics can a reader read if he is interested in festivals?A. World B. History C. Sport D. Art22. What does the magazine provide?A. Photos of talented artists. B. Stories created by children.C. Book reviews written by students. D. Suggestions on readers' problems.23. For subscription, what does one need to know?A. The magazine offers electronic copies.B. The magazine is published every two months.C. The magazine is for kindergarten children.D. The magazine costs ￡20 for each copy.B“Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy – they’re given after all. Choices can be hard." ---Jeff Bezos.I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year. I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I'd been married for a year. I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn't work since most start-ups don't, and I wasn't sure what to expect. MacKenzie told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I’d been a garage inventor. I'd always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people, and I had a brilliant boss that I admired very much. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me, and finally said. “That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn't already have a good job.” That logic made some sense to me, and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a difficult choice, but eventually, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision not to try at all.After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I’m proud of that choice. For all of us, in the end, we are our choices.24. What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?A. His dream of being an inventor. B. Millions of exciting titles.C. The support of his wife. D. The greatly increasing usage of the Internet.25. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?A. He would be always feeling unsafe if he didn't try.B. He would be very excited if he tried it out.C. The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him.D. The decision not to build the online bookstore would terrify him.26. What can we know from the text?A. The author appreciated his boss’s encouragement.B. The author might not regret if he failed the idea.C. The author might go back to his boss if he failed.D. The author wanted someone else to try the idea.27. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?A. We Are What We Choose B. The Starting of AmazonC. Cleverness and Kindness D. Following My PassionC​It’s hard to be a bird in a world which is in the charge of mankind.​You can hardly hear yourself sing, let alone hear the songs of your friends… and worst of all, you can’t hear a predator(捕食者). Noise is almost everywhere, especially noise from traffic.​Researchers have tried to study the influence of road noise on animals by looking at animals living near noisy roads.“We figured out a way to have just the noise without any of the other effects of the road, and to do that we put many speakers in a forest where there was no road,” said Chris McClure, a biologist at Boise State University and The Peregrine Fund. He and his team carried out their experiment at a place popular with birds in Idaho as they fly south for the winter.​While the noise kept lots of birds away, some remained. But they had trouble putting on enough weight to support them in the next part of their migratory journey.​“They have to take food but they also have to avoid getting eaten by a predator. But these two things can’t be done at the same time because to eat, they have to look down, which means they aren’t looking at predators.”​And when it’s too loud, they can’t hear the alarm calls of other birds. So they have to waste time looking for predators instead of searching for food.​By 2050, it’s thought that enough new roads will be built to circle the planet more than 600 times. But there’s an easy solution to the noise problem—“Lowering speed limits does a lot.”​So next time you’re driving through nature, just slow down a little. It’s safer for you and the wildlife. And you can enjoy the view a little longer.28. Who does the word “you” in Para 2 refer to?​A. A bird. B. A predator.​ C. A researcher. ​ D. A driver.29. Why did the researchers do the experiment in a forest without roads?​A. To prevent birds from being hit by cars.​B. To test a larger number of birds.C. To separate noise from other effects of the road.D. To put as many speakers as possible.30. Why can’t birds put on enough weight with much noise around?​A. They feel afraid of the noise.B. They have to fly south for the winter.​C. They can’t hear the alarm calls.D. They can’t concentrate on looking for food.31. What is advised to do to protect birds from the noise problem?​A. To build enough new roads.​B. To drive slowly through nature.C. To enjoy the view a little longer.​D. To carry out more experiments.​DAs a kid, Joanna Buckley wasn’t interested in science — until she had a chance to try it. That happened when she got a chemistry set for Christmas.“Over the course of a few weeks, I’d completed every experiment. But in the process, I polluted my parent’s dining room carpet and burnt the kitchen worktop with the spirit burner,” she says.Now science is Buckley’s job. She works in the chemistry department at the University of Sheffield in England. “I realize, first-hand, how important it is to have something or someone to show you why science is so great,” she says. Now the good news is that citizen science appears. Citizen science takes the fun of experimenting a step further than Buckley’s at-home chemistry kit. That’s because these experiments are real, looking for novel answers. “Compared with a one-off experiment, what’s cool about citizen science is that students get that this has a purpose,” Prunuske says. “Students want to do a good job, because they know scientists are going to use the new data in their own research.” Long agrees. “Kids like that it’s real. And they like that it’s important, that it matters.” Citizen-science projects have made big discoveries. One found a previously unknown galaxy cluster （星系团）. Another project helped assess how much damage a big earthquake had caused in Japan. And one of the first citizen-science projects helped scientists learn where butterflies go every winter.Some adults worry about teens losing interest in science. That’s one reason they hope that fun, exciting citizen-science projects can help them keep in touch, Long says. And she has some evidence that it’s working, “Last year, we did have a couple of students say they wanted to be scientists now.”32. What is the purpose of paragraph 2?A. To prove failure is the mother of success in science.B. To support trials can make teens interested in science.C. To state Buckley has a talent for science.D. To praise Buckley for her strong will.33. Why is citizen science more fun?A. It carries out experiments frequently. B. It must carry out experiments in groups.C. It demands to handle complex problems. D. It needs to seek for new solutions.34. What can we know from what Prunuske said?A. Citizen science is popular with students.B. She took pride in what students took up.C. She participated in the experiment.D. Scientists are willing to employ students.35. What is Long’s attitude towards citizen science?A. Unclear. B. Supportive. C. Doubtful. D. Concerned.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。选项中有两项为多余选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑Music is often targeted at teenagers. Because teenagers go through big changes and start making life-affecting decisions in their teens, people naturally wonder what effects music has on teenagers. Does it lead to violence? Help test scores? Teach them valuable lessons? 36 Music can help students improve academic performance. Studying music involves math and science, so students often improve in these areas. 37 According to a report, students who took part in music performance scored 41 points higher in math than those who did not take part in music performance.Being a teenager can be rough emotionally. Music is an especially emotional art form covering every type of emotion. 38 As music is a way to express emotions, many teenagers might try to make their own music, which can create healthy emotional expression. 39 Thus, listening to music can teach teenagers a lot about their own culture and other cultures. They can learn musical traditions, musical instruments, history lessons and more. Plus, as listening to music is a fun activity, this can often be a more interesting way to learn about a culture, rather than simply reading a textbook.Music tastes and interests can often bring people together, especially teenagers. 40 As well, music is often enjoyed at concerts and dance clubs where teenagers often hang out. Typically, the people attending these concerts and dance clubs already share a common interest, so a connection can be easily made.A. Two teenagers who like the same style of music are easily to start up a friendship.B. Rap music presents a new vocabulary teenagers won’t learn in an English class.C. If they can find a song that matches their mood, they will feel comfortable.D. While there are negative effects, there are many positive effects, too.E. Music greatly improves teenagers’ learning abilities.F. This improvement can benefit them in tests.G. Music is often related with culture.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四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。A Different ViewAt age 14, 15 and 16, the way we looked was the most important thing in the world to us. My friends and I wanted nothing less than perfection.In high school, we joined the gymnastics team, and our 41 became even more important to us. We had no fat, only muscle. On the weekends, we would go to the beach, 42 of our flat stomachs.One summer day, all my friends were at my house 43 . At one point, I was running back to the pool. I 44 on a bee, and while it was dying under my foot, it stung(蛰) me. I instantly started to feel 45 . That night, I began to run a high fever and my leg and foot were red, hot and swollen. I couldn’t walk. I could barely 46 . When my foot started to go numb, everyone became more 47 . My foot was not getting enough blood. I had to go to the 48 , and my leg hurt as if it were badly broken. I couldn’t move. All I could do was think about how soft my waist was becoming. That 49 me more than any concern over my leg.That would all 50 when I heard the doctors mention possibly cutting off my foot. It was still not getting the 51 supply it needed. The doctors would have to speed up their treatment.Never before had I had such great 52 for my foot. And walking seemed like a 53 from the gods. Less and less would I want to hear my friends talk about 54 and who was wearing what. More and more I expected visits from other kids in the hospital, who were quickly becoming my friends.One girl came to visit me 55 . Every time she came, she brought flowers. She was recovering from cancer and felt she should come back and 56 the other patients.She still had no hair, and she was swollen from medications she had been taking. I would not have given this girl a second 57 before. I now loved every inch of her and looked forward to her 58 .Finally, I was improving and soon I went home. My leg was still swollen, 59 I was walking, and I had my foot! When I would go back to the hospital, I often saw my friend. She was still visiting people and 60 good cheer. I thought if even there was an angel on this earth, it had to be her.41. A. brains B. bodies C. grades D. clothes42. A. proud B. sure C. ashamed D. tired43. A. dancing B. chatting C. swimming D. jogging 44. A. focused B. took C. held D. stepped45. A. upset B. anxious C. fearful D. sick46. A. stand B. run C. jump D. rest47. A. interested B. relieved C. concerned D. surprised48. A. beach B. gym C. school D. hospital49. A. troubled B. impressed C. blamed D. shocked50. A. happen B. change C. help D. bother51. A. nutrition B. time C. air D. blood52. A. devotion B. appreciation C. observation D. admiration53. A. treat B. gift C. promise D. hand54. A. gymnastics B. homework C. movies D. appointment55. A. suddenly B. eventually C. regularly D. recently56. A. advise B. serve C. encourage D. instruct57. A. thought B. glance C. choice D. chance58. A. flowers B. ideas C. visits D. words59. A. so B. then C. for D. but60. A. spreading B. gaining C. enjoying D. discovering第 = 2 \* ROMAN II卷注意：用0.5毫米黑色笔迹的签字笔将答案写在答题卡上。写在本试卷上无效。第三部分 英语知识运用（共两节, 满分45分）第二节 （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1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。I’ve lived in three Asian cities, and they all surprised me on the upside. In the case of China, here’s 61 I like it.It’s modern and 62 (continue) to develop all the time. They have modern 63 (city), and excellent transport facilities, including their unmatched high-speed train network. They have excellent hotels, restaurants, and beautiful parks etc.There’s a feeling of safety and 64 (free) in Chinese cities. You can feel it from the behavior of the diverse crowd. People just do what they want. In most places no policemen 65 (see). Do you know that police in China don’t have firearms? They usually do their job silently and behave reasonably, 66 (add) to the security and order.The Chinese people are friendly. You will always get help even if you can’t speak a Chinese word besides “nihao”, 67 they can’t speak English. They’ll spend time and go out of their way 68 (explain) to you how to get somewhere, or how to buy 69 train ticket. They’ll 70 (patient) and enthusiastically explain how to get what you need. They’ll be positive and practical all the time while helping you.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。Dear classmates, It is a pleasure for I to have a chance to make a short speech today. Recently, I had found that some of our classmates study late into the night and do not take some time to take a rest during the day either. They often cannot help fall asleep in class. And some classmates seldom have breakfast, that is also a bad habit and will surely do harm to our health.In my opinion, it is extreme important for us to have enough sleep and a proper diet. We must learn to make a wise use of our time, and only in this way can we keep fit or study well. I wonder if you agree me.Thank you for listening.第二节 书面表达 （满分25分）假定你是李华，作为一名交换生刚结束在英国为期一个月的学习。学习期间，你和房东Mr. Wilson结下了深厚的友谊。请按下列要点给Mr. Wilson发一封邮件表示感谢：1.生活上的照顾；2.学习上的帮助；3.希望保持联系。注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3.开头语已为你写好。Dear Mr. Wilson,Time flies! I've been back home.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,Li Hua答案听力： 1～5 BCABA 6～10 CACBA 11～15 ACBCA 16～20 CBCBA阅读理解：21-23 ADB 24-27 DCBA 28-31 ACDB 32-35BDAB 36-40DFCGA完形填空：41-45 BACDD 46-50 ACDAB 51-55 DBBAC 56-60 CBCDA语法填空： 1. why 2. continues 3. cities 4. freedom 5. are seenadding 7. or 8. to explain 9. a 10. patiently短文改错：Dear classmates, It is a pleasure for I to have a chance to make a short speech today. Recently, I mehad found that some of our classmates study late into the night and do not take somehave anytime to take a rest during the day either. They often cannot help fall asleep in class. fallingAnd some classmates seldom have breakfast, that is also a bad habit and will surely whichdo harm to our health. theirIn my opinion, it is extreme important for us to have enough sleep and a proper extremelydiet. We must learn to make a wise use of our time, and only in this way can we keep fit or study well. I wonder if you agree ∧ me. and withThank you for listening.书面表达评分标准：1、本题总分为25分，按5个档次给分。2、评分时，先根据文章的内容和语言初步确定其所属档次，然后以该档次的要求来衡量，确定或调整档次，最后给分。3、评分时，应该注意的主要内容为：内容要点、应用词汇和语法结构的数量和准确性、上下文的连贯性。4、若缺少要点，分数降一档处理。5、拼写与标点符号是语言准确性的一个方面，评分时，应视其对交际的影响程度予以考虑。英、美拼写及词汇用法均可接受。6、书写较差以至于影响交际，将其分数降低一个档次。第五档(很好):(21~25分)1、完全完成了试题规定的任务。2、覆盖所有内容要点。3、应用了较多的语法结构和词汇。4、语法结构或词汇方面有些许错误，但为尽力使用较复杂结构或较高级词汇所致；具备较强的语言运用能力。5、有效地使用了语句间的连接成分，使全文结构紧凑。6、完全达到了预期的写作目的。第四档(好):(16~20分)1、完全完成了试题规定的任务。2、虽漏掉1、2个次重点，但覆盖所有主要内容。3、应用的语法结构和词汇能满足任务的要求。4、语法结构或词汇方面应用基本准确，些许错误主要是因尝试较复杂语法结构或词汇所致。5、应用简单的语句间的连接成分，使全文结构紧凑。6、达到了预期的写作目的。第三档(适当):(11~15分)1、基本完成了试题规定的任务。2、虽漏掉一些内容，但覆盖所有主要内容。3、应用的语法结构和词汇能满足任务的要求。4、有一些语法结构或词汇方面的错误，但不影响理解。5、应用简单的语句间的连接成分，使全文内容连贯。6、整体而言，基本达到了预期的写作目的。第二档(较差):(6-10分)1、未恰当完成试题规定的任务。2、漏掉或未描述清楚一些主要内容，写了一些无关内容。3、语法结构单调、词汇项目有限。4、有一些语法结构或词汇方面的错误，影响了对写作内容的理解。5、较少使用语句间的连接成分，内容缺少连贯性。6、信息未能清楚地传达给读者。第一档(差):(1~5分)1、未完成试题规定的任务。2、明显遗漏主要内容，写了一些无关内容，原因可能是未理解试题要求。3、语法结构单调、词汇项目有限。4、较多语法结构或词汇方面的错误，影响对写作内容的理解。5、缺乏语句间的连接成分，内容不连贯。6、信息未能传达给读者。不得分:(0分)未能传达给读者任何信息：内容太少，无法评判，写的内容均与所要求内容无关或所写内容无法看清。Dear Mr. Wilson,Time flies! I've been back home. How I miss the days we spent together! All I saw and experienced will be part of my memory. It was your help and kindness that made my study and life in the UK special and enjoyable.Thanks to your help, I got accustomed to the life there soon. I still miss the delicious meals you prepared for me. Besides, I really appreciate your patience while talking with me. It was a wonderful time for me to improve my spoken English. And I also learned a lot about your country and the English culture.I hope we can stay in touch with each other. I am looking forward to your coming to China in the near future.Best wishes.Yours,Li Hua听力部分录音材料(Text 1)W: John, is Mark coming for tea tomorrow?M: Yes, I told you yesterday, Tracy.W: Oh, did you? Sorry, I must have forgotten.(Text 2)W: What’s the hurry? We’d like you to stay for dinner.M: Well, thank you, but Helen and I have to meet my parents at the railway station. (Text 3)W: Hi, Tom, we had to start the meeting without you.M: I know, my flight was delayed because of the heavy rain.W: But you are just in time for the discussion.(Text 4)M: How much are these shoes?W: Oh, they are 35 dollars a pair.M: Do you have size 9?W: I’m afraid they are sold out.(Text 5)M: Hi, I’m thinking of taking a trip during the Christmas holidays.W: Where would you like to go?M: Well, maybe somewhere warm and sunny.W: How about a tour to Southeast Asia?(Text 6)M: I’d like to book a few seats for Hamlet, please. Have you got any seats downstairs?W: Yes, we have.M: How much are they?W: $3.75 each.M: Are there any seats for $2.50?W: Yes, there are—upstairs. How many?M: Four, please.W: For which night?M: What about this Saturday, October 21st?W: I can give you four seats in Row 8.M: How long will the performance last?W: Two and a half hours.M: Thank you.(Text 7)W: Good evening, sir. I’m the Assistant Manager.M: How nice!W: Yes. I’m afraid we’ve had a complaint from your neighbor about the noise. He is trying to get some sleep as he has an early start tomorrow for an important meeting. I’m sure you understand.M: Oh, I see.W: Do you think it might be possible to ask your friends to be a little quieter? We do like to give our guests a chance of getting a good night’s sleep. It’s well after eleven.M: Oh. I’m sorry. I do apologize. I suppose we were talking rather loudly. It’s just that we’ve reached an important agreement. We were having a bit of a celebration.W: I’m pleased to hear it. Shall I ask Room Service to bring you some coffee?M: No, that won’t be necessary. We were just about to pack up anyway.W: Thank you, sir, and good night to you.(Text 8)M: Mr. Huang, I’m going to teach in Ola very soon, perhaps next month.W: Congratulations, Miss Lan! You should be happy. You see, Ola is a big city; there are a lot of interesting things to see.M: Yes, that’s why I’ve come to you. I have mixed feelings, you see. I’m excited but I’m also a bit worried.W: What bothers you?M: You see it’s this: someone told me that people from Ola look down upon people from other places. Is that true?W: Oh, yes. Some people do. I hate this kind of attitude. I’m sure not everyone in Ola is like that. Do you look down upon others in the class?M: Of course not! I often help them. And I’ve learned a lot from the people coming from other places. They are all hard-working. Most of them are talented.W: Anyway, you will start a new life in a beautiful city.M: Yes. I feel excited. I’ll write e-mails to you when I settle down.W: Thank you. Then good-bye and good luck!(Text 9)W: Hi, Jim. Why did it take you so long to answer the phone? Were you playing computer games as usual?M: Not this time. I was taking a shower.W: I called you yesterday, but you didn’t answer the phone.M: Sorry, I was out shopping yesterday and left my phone at home. I saw that you had called when I got back and I tried to call you back, so your phone was off.W: Yeah, I went to a concert, so I turned my phone off.M: So what’s up?W: I wanted to invite you to my sister’s wedding next Saturday. Would you like to be my guest?M: Sure. I bought a present for her yesterday. Can you come and pick me up on Saturday?W: Sure. The wedding begins at 2:00 pm. I’ll come and pick you up forty minutes before that.M: Could you come twenty minutes earlier than that? Megan is going to the wedding, too, and she needs a lift.W: No problem. See you next Saturday.(Text 10)W: I’m Alexandra Grace, Educator at New Zealand Embassy Beijing. Today I will give you a brief introduction of New Zealand’s higher education. Small as it may be, New Zealand offers quality higher education opportunities, with two thirds of its higher education institutes within the top 10 of QS World University Rankings 2014.What makes New Zealand’s universities stand out is their abilities to provide high-end education.Though Chinese students form the largest international student group in New Zealand, the country only ranks the 7th on Chinese students’ most desirable overseas destination list. The size of the country prevents it becoming a hot study destination. But it draws students with its safe and multi-cultural environment.While it attracts mainly wealthy students, higher education in New Zealand is also affordable for many common Chinese families. Chinese students can get a British-based education with the school fee being some of the lowest in the world. On average, the school fee was about 25,000 dollars per year, and the living costs were about 20,000 dollars a year. Besides, students can do some part-time jobs. The money earned in those jobs is enough for them to travel around the country and enjoy its breath-taking scenery.