(湖北版)2016届高三英语上学期第五次月考试题

第五次月考政治试题【湖北版】

注意事项：

1. 答题前，考生务必将自己的姓名、班级、准考证号填在试题卷和答题卡上。

2. 选择题每小题选出答案后，用2B铅笔将答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑，如需改动，用橡

皮擦干净后，再选涂其他答案标号，答在试题卷上无效。

3. 填空题和解答题用0.5毫米黑色墨水签字笔答在答题卡上每题对应的答题区域内，答在试题

卷上无效。

4．考生必须保持答题卡的整洁，考试结束后，将试卷和答题卡一并交回。

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．Why does the woman look worried?

A. She didn’t get the promotion.

B. She is anxious for her father.

C. She can’t find a good job.

２．What does the woman want to do?

A. Visit her roommate.

B. Live in the school.

C. Find an apartment.

３．What does the woman mean?

A. She’ll play tennis with the man.

B. She’ll take an exam today.

C. She’ll continue to study.

４．What are the speakers talking about?

A. Which club to join.

B. When to do research.

C. How to have a debate.

５．What will the speakers do next?

A. Go to a church.

B. Buy some jackets.

C. Phone a discount store.

第二节

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．Where does the conversation take place?

A. At home.

B. At school.

C. At a restaurant.

７． What did the girl eat for lunch?

A. A sandwich and chips.

B. A burger, salad and water.

C. A piece of bread and some juice.

听第 7 段材料，回答第 8、9 题。

８．What is the purpose of the expert’s visit?

A. To tell about the study programs.

B. To give information on the Internet.

C. To offer the students advice on their study.

９．What does the man think of the lecture?

A. Useless.

B. Worthwhile.

C. Easy.

听第8段材料，回答第 10 至 12 题。

10．What do we know about the man?

A. He doesn’t think Frank Jones funny.

B. He is a very humorous person.

C. He is a fan of the quiz show.

11．What does the man think of the questions of the quiz show?

A. They are quite easy.

B. They are very serious.

C. They are harder and harder.

12．What kind of questions is the woman good at?

A. Ones on math and science.

B. Ones on history and literature.

C. Ones on pop music and movie stars.

听第 9 段材料，回答第 13 至 16 题。

13．Why did Susan get a job before going to college?

A. She didn’t want to go to college.

B. Her parents didn’t give her enough money.

C. She wanted to help her parents support her family.

14．What did Susan like in the shop?

A. The workmates.

B. The clean workplace.

C. The smell of baking.

15．What does Susan say about serving customers?

A. She liked to plan a party or a wedding for them.

B. She enjoyed the busy part of the day.

C. She hated serving them at lunchtime.

16．What do customers think of the cakes?

A. They were common.

B. They were unaffordable.

C. They were worth the money.

听第 10 段材料，回答第 17 至 20 题。

17．When is the close date of the competition?

A. August 31st.

B. October 15th.

C. November 1st.

18．What is the topic of this year?

A. Cities.

B. The Future.

C. The World.

19．What will people whose paintings are accepted get?

A. A certificate.

B. A poster.

C. A photo.

20．What is the prize for the school winner?

A. Lessons from an artist.

B. Pictures of England.

C. Books from a writer.

第二部分：英语语言知识运用（共两节，满分30分）

第一节：选择题（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

21．I think you could lose yourself very easily being someone else all the time and lose your own .

A．diversity B．identity C．flexibility D．responsibility

22．Seemingly meaningless little thoughts or ideas when acted upon have a to burst into great projects .

A．potential B．perspective C．proposal D．procedure

23． white – sand beaches and outdoor barbecues , Fiji, a fantastic tourist attraction, is one of many stops to be made on cruises beginning in Sydney , Australia . A．Distinguishing B．Accumulating C．Featuring D．Inserting

24．On July 6 , 1995 , Bezos https://www.360docs.net/doc/6515307217.html, , named after the South American river with financial and moral support from family and friends .

A．performed B．launched C．operated D．instructed

25．Both an aging population and health care reform are a higher demand for health care services .

A．appealing to B．objecting to C．contributing to D．adapting to

26．No one believes that I wil l achieve my goal, but I’m sure they will to be wrong sooner or later.

A. turn up

B. turn out

C. turn over

D. turn off

27．Nobody believes in him. People often find his statement to the one he’s made earlier.

A. contradictory

B. considerable

C. contemporary

D. conventional

28．Now people agree that it was ______ and foolish to predict that Dec. 21, 2012 was the end of the world.

A. aggressive

B. awesome

C. disgusting

D. ridiculous 29．Downey and Duvall are both screen legends in their own right and it will be great to see them playing off one another as father and son .

A．dynamically B．delicately C．definitely D．deliberately

30．While the problems or challenges might seem too big to be overcome , the person with confidence always finds a way to win the circumstances .

A．far from B．apart from C．instead of D．regardless of

第二节完型填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20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，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上涂黑。

When I stopped by to get a newspaper, a tall, sincere man came over to me asking for help with direction. With a printout of Google maps, he was looking for a 31 on the main street, but just couldn't find it. After checking out his written directions, I mapped it

32 my phone and showed him 33 where he needed to go.

He, in 34 , mentioned that he had tried going there, but there was no such street number and he just couldn't locate his hotel．I 35 it again for him．He thanked me with

a big smile, shook my hand, and 36 ．I got into my car and he got into his, and we

37 ways．As I drove to the next grocery store and went in, I sensed 38 wrong about the directions－so I Googled the address again and 39 that he was looking for the right address but in a city half an hour away!

40 it had been several minutes, the chances of finding him miles away－where he was surely still looking around－were 41 ．But I thought I'd give it a(an) 42 and set off in that direction. I'd 43 noticed what his car looked like, and was just about to give up．I parked my car as I considered what else I could do－ 44 , like magic, he drove right by and pulled over into a nearby parking spot, still 45 about where the hotel was．When I 46 next to him, he couldn't believe it: " 47 did you find me?!" he asked．"I'm not sure, but I 48 that you are in the wrong city!" I showed him the right directions, and after more 49 and a handshake, we 50 . Likely that we'll never meet again, and that

makes it much more sweet.

31．A． museum B． parking spot C． hotel D． grocery store 32．A． on B． in C． at D． with

33．A． constantly B． exactly C． absolutely D． completely

34．A． relief B． panic C． delight D． puzzlement

35．A． confirmed B． evaluated C． analyzed D． adjusted 36．A． took off B． took up C． took down D． took over

37．A． lost B． parted C． fought D． pushed

38．A． nothing B． anything C． something D． everything 39．A． realized B． considered C． determined D． stated

40．A． Hopefully B． Unbelievably C． Consequently D． Unfortunately 41．A． big B． vital C． slim D． obvious 42．A． beginning B． end C． change D． try

43．A． hardly B． merely C． regularly D． occasionally 44．A． while B． before C． when D． since

45．A． at a loss B． at a risk C． at ease D． at peace 46．A． put out B． put up C． pulled down D． pulled in

47．A． Where B． Why C． When D． How

48．A． tried out B． figured out C． burst out D． carried out 49．A． luck B． smiles C． greetings D． praise 50．A． left together B． returned home C． waved goodbye D． rushed away

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40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。

A

I used to think of myself as a person learned in books, but my bookshelves told a different story. Apart from a few Indian novels and an Australian book, my literature collection only consisted of Br itish and American titles. Worse still, I couldn’t ever find anything in translation. My reading was limited to stories by English-speaking authors.

So, at the start of 2012, I set myself the challenge of trying to read a book from every country in a year to find out what I was missing.

With no idea where to get those books, I was unlikely to find publications from nearly 200 nations on the shelves of my local bookshop, so I decided to ask the readers all over the world for help. I created a blog called A Year of Reading the World and put out an appeal for suggestions of titles that I could read in English.

The response was amazing. People all over the world were getting in touch with me, offering ideas and book lists. Some posted me books from their home countries. In addition, several writers, like Turkmenistan’s Ak Welsapar and Panama’s Juan David Morgan, sent me unpublished translations of their novels, giving me a rare opportunity to read works unavailable in Britain. Even with such an extraordinary team of bibliophiles(爱书者) behind me, however, sourcing books was no easy task. With translations making up only around 4.5 per cent of literary works published in the UK, getting English versions of stories was tricky.

One by one, the books from the countries on the list filled my heart with laughter, love, anger, hope and fear. Lands that had once seemed exotic and remote became close and familiar to me. At its best, I learned, reading makes the world real.

51. The author realized she was not a learned person when she found ________.

A. she could do nothing but read books

B. she had never been to Indian and Australian

C. she didn’t have any translated books.

D. she could only read simple English stories

52. What was the challenge the author set for herself?

A. Reading books from nearly 200 countries in a year.

B. Creating a blog to offer help to other readers.

C. Looking for publications to publish her own books.

D. Giving some suggestions on learning English.

53. It was not easy to find the books mainly because ________.

A. there were too few translations in the UK

B. the readers were unwilling to offer help

C. the author had no time and no chance to do it

D. the writers didn’t want to publish their books

54. We can infer that by reading the books from other countries, the author feels ________.

A. bored and regretful

B. thankful and pitiful

C. calm and peaceful

D. satisfied and rewarded

B

The adder（蝰蛇）is the only poisonous snake native to Britain. Adders have the most highly developed poison injecting mechanism of all snakes, but they are not aggressive animals. Adders will only use their poison as a last means of defence, usually if caught or trodden on. No one has died from adder bites in Britain for over 20 years. By far the most common snake in Britain is the adder. In Scotland, in fact, there are no other snakes at all. The adder is also the only British snake with a poisonous bite. It can be found almost anywhere, but it prefers sunny hillsides and rough open country, including high lands. In Ireland there are no snakes at all.

Most people regard snake bites as a fatal misfortune, but not all bites are serious, and very few are fatal . Sometimes attempts at emergency treatment turn out to be more dangerous than the bite itself, with amateurs heroically, but mistakenly, trying do-it-yourself surgery and other unnecessary measures.

All snakes have small teeth, so it follows the tall snakes can bite, but only the bite of the adder presents any danger. British snakes are shy animals and are far more frightened of you than you could possibly be of them. The adder will attack only if it feels threatened, as can happen if you take it by surprise and step on it accidentally, or if you try to catch it or pick it up, which it dislikes intensely. If it hears you coming, it will normally get out of the way as quickly as it can, but adders cannot move very rapidly and may attack before moving if you are very close.

The effect of a bite varies considerably. It depends upon several things, one of which is the body-weight of the person bitten. The heavier the person is, the less harmful the bite is likely to be, which is why children suffer far more seriously from snake bites in Britain , and

people think these bites can make some people very ill, and there are probably just as many cases of bites having little or no effect, as there are of serious illness.

55. What does the underlined phrase “ trodden on” probably mean?

A. Found out

B. Heard from

C. Stepped on.

D. Robbed of.

56. Where are adders to be found?

A. In fertile fields in Scotland.

B. On wild land throughout Britain.

C. In many parts of Britain and Ireland.

D. Everywhere in Britain except Scotland

57. What should you do if you are with someone who is bitten by an adder?

A. Catch the biting adder at once.

B. Don’t worry about the bitten person.

C. Don’t try to treat the bite by yourself.

D. Operate on the person as soon as possible.

58. What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Poisonous Snakes

B. Adders in Britain

C. Take Care of Snake Bites

D. Protect Endangered Adders

C

The largest outbreak of the deadly disease Ebola(埃博拉) was caused by an infected bat biting a toddler, say a group of international researchers.

The 17-strong team of European and African tropical disease researchers, ecologists and anthropologists have spent three weeks investigating the outbreak of the disease in Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

The researchers captured the bats and other creatures near the village of Meliandoua in remote eastern Guinea, where the present epidemic（流行病）began in December 2013.The boy was bitten and passed the infection on to his mother and both were dead within a week. The disease was then spread far and wide by mourners who came to the funeral.

Scientists have long believed that bats are the main carriers for the disease but it is rare for them to pass it on to man. Most of the previous outbreaks have been caused by meat from dead infected animals collected by hunters who then sell it on. Fruit bats, however, are widely eaten in rural west Africa – either smoked, grilled or in a spicy soup.

Initial research believed that a new strain(类型) of Ebola had emerged in west Africa but according to Herr Leendertz, the strain of the disease is one related to as Zaire Ebola virus, identified more than 10 years ago in the Congo.

Herr Leendertz’s team believe that an infected straw-colored fruit bat brought the disease to Guinea. The mammals are known to travel long distances and usually settle in forests near cities.

More than 1,300 people have died in the current epidemic, many in Liberia. Herr Leendertz said: "We spent eight days in Meliandoua. They told us they regularly catch bats, like every other village in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The evidence is not 100 percent and we can only say that it is possible.

‘They can travel far in one night. I don't think an individual bat or colony migra ted all the way from Congo or Gabon to west Africa. These big colonies are connected. There is a possibility for the virus to mix between colonies. The bats share the same fruit. It is likely not to have even been one species of bat. The virus may jump from one species to another."

If the bat theory confirmed, locals would try to destroy the colonies which says Herr Leendertz ‘would be an ecological disaster because bats pollinate plants and devour insects. And bat hunts would also only increase human contact with potentially infected animals" 59．The present epidemic of Ebola began in .

A．Liberia B．Guinea C．Nigeria D．Congo

60．According to the passage, we can learn .

A．The first victim of present Ebola was a toddler from Liberia.

B. The research thought the new strain of Ebola must have emerged in west Africa. C．Zaire Ebola virus ever identified in Congo might be the strain of this outbreak.

D．More than 1300 people in Liberia have died in the current epidemic.

61．The possible reason for the outbreak of Ebola in December of 2013 was that . A．Human beings ate meat from dead infected animals.

B．The birds spread the virus to human beings.

C．A boy bitten by an infected bat transmitted the disease.

D．The species spread the virus from one to another .

62．If the bat theory confirmed, we may find in Africa .

A．The fruit bats can be seen everywhere as usual.

B．There is a chance that the ecosystem will lose its balance .

C．It’s easy to find the smoked and grilled fruit bats.

D．Ebola epidemic will be controlled after bats are wiped out.

D

Many years ago, I went through a tough time. One afternoon, I picked my girls up. It was late when we returned home. I went to unlock the door and found my key wouldn’t go in. I kept trying while my daughter went to get a flashlight. When she returned with it, we found somehow the lock had been “stuffed” with sunflower seed shells. Thinking that one of the neighborhood children had been up to no good, I really didn’t give it much consideration.

I found all windows were locked up tight. So I returned to the back door. Oh my God, I will never forget the shock of that moment. The house was empty! Other than a few things remaining on the back porch, everything was gone! Then I heard a car pull into the driveway and found two policemen walking up. They inquired why I had broken into the house. They then asked me for proof that I lived at that address, so I asked them to wait a minute while I went to get my rent receipt and identification from inside the house. I explained the matter to them and showed them the door lock.

At this point they were not buying any of my story. I could tell from their actions and tone of voice that they thought I was breaking into an empty house for somewhere to sleep.

I asked a neighbor for the phone number of house owner and the officer made a call. The owner was quite shocked to hear my story. She said that my roommate had been going through an eviction(驱逐) process with the court when I moved in with her and had lost the case. She had been ordered to move by 10 am on that date. The court order had been issued the same day I had paid her 1/2 of the rent and a deposit of $300,000.

The owner was very kind and understanding but there was nothing she could do. The house had been rented already and the people were to move in the following weekend.

The officers let me go and I went to gather my girls into the car. They were both exhausted and cold, also very frightened, because they thought their mamma was going to jail. I had to pull over because the tears took control. I couldn’t believe it! Everything we owned was gone, I had used up all our money moving in and paying my “friend” our share of costs.

I knew very few people in town, as we had just moved there recently.

I went to sit back in the car with the girls, I talked to the girls, explaining our situation to them so that they wouldn’t be afraid. During this time there was a “street person”

with a bag, looking in the garbage for cans, bottles, and anything that might bring him some cash. But I didn’t pay much attention to him. I decided to get the girls something to eat for breakfast. We grabbed some bread, and chips and returned for a “picnic”. When we got there, I noticed that the man was not alone. He was with a small group of others like him and they were passing a hat amongst themselves.

I was busy setting up our little “picnic” when I heard a voice saying, “MaAm, please excuse… but…well…I overheard the situation you are in, and well… I and the fellows took up a collection for you and your little girls. It’s not very much, but maybe it’ll help a little.” I looked up at this man---dirty, needing a shave ----and saw the face of an angel.

I started crying. The man tried to hand me $30. I folded his hand back over the money and just hugged him as tight as I could. I told him, “Thank you for your more than generous offer, but we are going to be just fine.” He didn’t believe me at first, but I convinced him that it was okay.

Later that afternoon I went to the market and bought the making for a barbecue and off to that little park. It didn’t take us very long to find those gentlemen and invite them to join us for lunch. I had a wonderful afternoon that day, sitting there with those old guys, singing songs. They had some of the most entertaining stories and they shared the dreams they once had. They shared themselves… from the heart.

63. The writer couldn’t open the door because _______.

A. she didn’t have the right k ey.

B. there was something else in the lock.

C. someone had changed the lock.

D. the owner of the house refused her living there.

64. How did the writer come into the house?

A. She came in with the help of the policemen.

B. She came in by breaking into the house.

C. She came in with the help of a flashlight.

D. She came in from the back door.

65. The writer was not allowed to stay at the house because .

A. she was cheated by her roommate and the house had been rented to others

B. the house owner was angry about her breaking the glass of the house.

C. she hadn’t paid her share of rent.

D. she was ordered to move out by the court.

66. The underlined sentence “At this point they were not buying any of my story.” may mean______.

A. the policemen didn’t have enough money.

B. the policemen didn’t believe the writer’s words.

C. the policemen helped the writer to break the window.

D. the policemen wanted to get the rent receipt.

E

Are you competitive enough to make it in America? There is an undeniable excitement about coming to study in the US, but it’s not all excitement.

Yes, it is America; it is the land of freedom; it's the place where different cultures clash ... and live together in peace. However, you guys might agree with me. it's not easy to leave home and the security of family, friends and people who love and care about us. And doing it raises some questions:

Is it worth it? Are you equal to the challenge? You might be sitting in front of your computer watching a documentary about America, which shows you the breathtaking views of skyscrapers in New York, the beautiful warm weather in San Diego, and the huge parties along the beaches of the Sunshine State, Florida.

Just as you know, it's all true. I remember how my heart was racing the first time I visited Times Square in New York. I can't find any words in the dictionary to describe how I felt at that moment. Some day, when you get lucky and go there, you will know what I mean.

Unfortunately, TV and movies never show the other side of what students must do to survive America.

Education in the States is really different from other places. Yes, there is the traditional A, B, C, and D grading system, and you get to be on the Dean's List if you have all A's on your transcript. However, these grades don't just come from your test performances. The requirements of classes in the US are much more varied and this is the biggest adjustment that overseas students have to manage.

Some have papers that you have to write every week; others have group projects you must do with your classmates, presentations you make in the class, or research you do by yourself to prove your own idea. There comes a night when you have a couple of projects for different classes, a paper, and an exam to study for. And that night you ask yourself, “What did I get myself into？”

I'm not trying to intimidate you, but you should know what it really is like to study in the States. One thing I can promise you is that it is worth all the hard work you put in. And the more time you give to your study, the more open doors you will have by the time you finish your degree.

67．The author wrote this passage to ________.

A．help readers prepare for studying in the US.

B．warn people of the dangers of living in the US.

C．promote the US education system to overseas students.

D．make readers understand the benefits of studying in the US.

68．According to the author, America is ________.

A．a place that he could not get used to.

B．a country where students can learn freely.

C．a dangerous place to live in without family or friends.

D．a place where people from different backgrounds get on well.

69．When the author first visited Times Square, he felt ________.

A．disappointed B．surprised C．excited D．nervous

70．According to the passage, which of the following is most challenging?

A．Attending all the classes. B．Getting all A's in the tests.

C．Writing papers every week. D．Balancing different study requirements.

第四部分：书面表达（满分50分）

第一节：完成句子（共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分）

71. I wonder________________________ upsets my little sister so badly, I think she really

needs my comfort this time. (it)

我想知道究竟是什么使我的小妹妹如此心烦，我认为这次她真的需要我的安慰。

72. ___________________________in China for over thirty years, the one-child birth policy

was adjusted last year. (carry)

“一个孩子”的生育政策在中国执行了30多年以后，在去年终于做了调整。

73. Up to now, thousands of red phone boxes, the old image of Britain,

_________________due to mobile phones. (remove)

至今，作为大不列颠的旧形象，数以千计的红色电话亭由于手机而被移除了。

74. It’s reported that the output of this year is _____________________ in 2013. (what)

据报道，今年的产量是2013年的两倍。

75. The old couple always complained that rarely_________________ their son who lived far away. (hear)

这对老夫妇总是抱怨他们很少收到住在外地的儿子的来信。

76. _________________ customers caused an immediate failure of this restaurant for lack of

commercial conscience. (accuse)

由于这家店缺乏商业良知，在被指控欺骗顾客后,它立刻身败名裂。

77. This morning when I entered the classroom, my colleagues were having a heated discussion

about _________________ the murder. (associate)

今天早上当我走进办公室时，我的同事们正在热烈地讨论他是否与这起谋杀有关。

78.－Did he notice you enter the room?

－I don’t think so. He was listening to the radio with _________________. (shut)－他注意到你进了房间吗？

－我想没有。他闭着眼睛正在听广播。

79. If Richard _____________________________ his job last month, he would go abroad for a

business conference now. (lose)

如果理查德上个月没失业的话，他现在会去国外参加一个商业会议。

80. To tell you the truth, I don’t like such books __________________________in his speech

just now. (refer)

说实话，我不喜欢他在刚才讲话中提到的那些书。

第二节：短文写作（共1小题，满分30分）

请根据以下提示，并结合事例，用英语写一篇短文。

Whatever the situation, the best advice is to obey the Golden Rule： treat others as you would like to be treated.

注意：

① 无须写标题；

② 除诗歌外，文体不限;

③ 内容必须结合你生活中的一个事例；

④ 文中不得透露个人姓名和学校名称;

⑤ 词数不少于120，如引用提示语不计入总词数。

参考答案

听力：

1. B

2. C

3. C

4. A

5. B

6. A 7 . B 8. A 9. A 10. C

11. C 12. B 13. B 14. C 15. B 16. C 17. A 18. B 19. A 20. A

单选：

21—25 ＢACBC 26—30 BADCD

完形填空：

31—35 CABDA 36—40 ABCAD 41—45 CDACA 46—50 DDBBC

阅读理解：

51—54 CAAD 55—58 CBCB 59—62 BCCB 63—66 BBAB 67—70 ADCD

完成句子：

71. What it is that

72. Having been carried out

73. have been removed

74. twice what it was

75. did they hear from

76. Being accused of stealing/having stolen

77. whether he was associated with

78. his eyes shut

79. hadn’t lost

80. as he referred to

参考范文

As the saying goes, “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” If we want to be treated well, we should treat others well too.

Two years ago, I was admitted to high school. Ranking first in my class, I felt proud and superior. Therefore, I dreamed about being admired and treated well everywhere, and I always looked down upon my classmates who turned to me in their studies. One day, Xiao Ming asked me to help him work out a math problem. I glanced at it, and said, “So easy, how foolish you are!” On hearing it, he said angrily, “I won’t ask you again and many classmates have been fed up with your arrogance.” I was shocked. Only then did I realize why I was so unpopular with my classmates. From then on, I tried to treat them equally and helped them with all my heart. Time going by, I got along with them much better.

Keep in mind that we’d better treat others the way we would like to be treated.

听力材料

(Text 1)

M: You look worried, Marcia.

W: Yeah, my fa ther didn’t get the promotion he wanted at work and has been upset all week. M: Oh, that’s too bad. Try to find out something that makes him happy.

(Text 2)

W: Robert, if it’s near my school, I just might take this one.

M: Hold on a minute. Not only should you go to look at it first but you should also see who your roommate will be.

W: Yeah, you’re right.

(Text 3)

M: Hey, look, you can’t study all the time, can you? You have to have some fun, too. Shall we play tennis together?

W: No, I’m going to try to ge t a good grade in my math exam tomorrow.

(Text 4)

W: I always liked arguing and I think I’d enjoy doing it in a debate.

M: Oh, I don’t think the Debate Club is for me.

W: You like to do research in the library, don’t you? You can join the Book Club.

M: Tha t’s a good idea.

(Text 5)

W: I don’t have anything I don’t use to donate. I gave it all to my church last Monday. M: Neither do I. But let’s go to the discount store to get some things.

W: Great idea. We can buy some jackets there and send them out.

M: And it’ll be happy to help someone. Let’s go.

(Text 6)

M: Where’s your sandwich box, Sally? I’ll wash it up.

W: I didn’t have sandwiches for lunch today, Dad. I went with James and Polly to the new café at school instead.

M: Oh yes! Are they offering lots of healthy food? Or it is all burgers, bread, chips and sweet juice drinks?

W: Actually, I had a burger. Although it did come with chips, James ate the chips and I had his salad with water. So that was healthy, Dad!

(Text 7)

M: All that information is on the Internet, Tara. Why should I waste my time seeing this guy?

W: Mr Martins is an expert and he can help by telling us which programs are the best. M: All the latest study programs are described very well and can be found online easy. W: Look, they all say t hey’re the best but which ones really work? I’m going to see him and listen to the lecture.

M: Go ahead, Tara, but I think it’s not worth it.

(Text 8)

M: Sophie! Did you see that quiz show last night? The one presented by Frank Jones? W: No. Was it any good?

M: It was great. Frank Jones always makes me laugh. I’ve been watching it for the past couple of weeks.

W: Do you think so? I don’t understand why so many people think he’s funny.

M: Well, you’re the fifth or sixth person I’ve told to see it. Some of m y friends thought it was going to be too serious so they didn’t bother watching it.

W: So are all the questions really easy and just about pop music or movie stars? I’m not interested in watching it if all the questions are like that.

M: Actually, they start off a bit easy but they get harder and harder as the show goes on. W: Usually I’m not bad at general knowledge questions — especially ones about history or literature.

M: Yeah, but I’m better at math and science.

(Text 9)

M: Susan, what was your first job?

W: Well, I was an assistant in an expensive cake shop. It was my last year at school, before I went to college. I wanted to earn extra money for myself because I come from a family of seven and my parents couldn’t afford to give us much pocket money.

M: Was the shop a nice place to work?

W: In the morning there was this wonderful smell of bread baking. The first week was difficult because I just wanted to eat the cakes, which wasn’t allowed, but then I lost interest in them. We had to keep everything clean, and that was hard work.

M: Did you enjoy serving customers in the shop?

W: The best part of the day was lunchtime, when we were busy. Time just flew. Then it was interesting when people came in to plan a party or a wedding. One of the cooks would come through to discuss the design of the cake. Customers thought the prices were high, but usually ended up buying the cakes anyway. They always wanted a perfect and special wedding or a party and our cakes were perfect and unique.

(Text 10)

M: Thanks for calling our competition hotline. We have all the information you need to enter this exciting painting competition. The most important date for you to remember is the one you have to send in your paintings by —that’s the thirty-first of August. We need them all in by that date because the winning paintings will be in a show held from October 15th to November 1st at the School of Arts.

The next important bit of information is the topic for the competition. Last year’s topic of Cities was very successful. This y ear we’d like to see paintings showing your ideas on the subject of The Future. Think about your world, your family and home —how might it look one hundred years from now?

Unfortunately, we can’t return your paintings but to show that you’ve entered, all of you will receive a certificate. It’ll look great on your bedroom wall next to your posters and photos.

We welcome entries from school groups, so make sure you tell your teacher about the competition. Schools can win a special course with Barry Wells. He’s an artist from Australia, who’s produced pictures for many children’s story books sold here in England. He’ll be doing classes in how to draw cartoons.

Good luck and happy painting!