江苏省海门中学2015年高三英语考前适应性练习

江苏省海门中学高三英语适应性练习

第I卷（共85分）

第一部分听力（共两节，满分20分）

第一节

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. What would the man like to drink?

A. Iced coffee.

B. Regular tea.

C. Hot coffee.

2. Who will the woman go to the baseball game with?

A. Her father.

B. The man.

C. Her mother.

3. What do we know about the man?

A. He’s a college student.

B. He won’t live at home next year.

C. He bought too many clothes.

4. What does the woman mean?

A. The man can get his hair cut anywhere.

B. The man should go to a different neighborhood.

C. The man doesn’t need a haircut.

5. Why did the woman ask the man for the time?

A. Her watch just broke.

B. She has a dinner appointment.

C. She has to meet someone to go running.

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 did the man get the jacket?

A. It was a gift from his brother-in-law.

B. His sister bought it for him.

C. He bought it himself at Barney’s.

7. What does the man say about the jacket?

A. It cost less than four hundred dollars.

B. It is very high-quality.

C. It was probably quite expensive.

听第7段材料，回答第8、9题。

8. Where are the speakers?

A. At a museum.

B. At the man’s house.

C. At an art show.

9. What does the woman offer to do for the man?

A. Give him one of the paintings for free.

B. Give him a discount if he buys two pieces.

C. Paint something cheaper just for him.

听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。

10. Along with grapes, what is the most dangerous food for dogs?

A. Cheese.

B. Chocolate.

C. Biscuits.

11. How many grapes did the woman give Buster?

A. Nine or ten.

B. Three or four.

C. Ten or twenty.

12. What does the man imply about the woman?

A. She usually drives too slowly.

B. She’ll have to pump Buster’s stomach herself.

C. She’ll have to pay Buster’s medical bills.

听第9段材料，回答第13至16题。

13. What is the special price of the plane tickets?

A. $250 each.

B. $500 each.

C. $100 each.

14. What is true about the hotel?

A. It is in the mountains.

B. Saturdays are always full price.

C. It doesn’t offer special deals on F ridays.

15. According to the woman, when would the speakers return from Mexico?

A. On Sunday.

B. On Saturday.

C. On Monday.

16. What does the man suggest in the end?

A. Finding a different time to go on vacation.

B. Going somewhere else for this weekend.

C. Finding another excuse to tell his boss.

听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。

17. What is the speaker’s personality like?

A. Quiet and shy.

B. Outgoing and loud.

C. Silly and loud.

18. Where did the speaker grow up?

A. On the West Coast.

B. On the East Coast.

C. Near Chicago.

19. What made the speaker’s parents unhappy?

A. The twins had their own special words.

B. The twins wanted the same clothes.

C. The twins’ behavior was so different.

20. What’s the speaker’s attitud e toward her sister?

A. Indifferent.

B. Envious.

C. Friendly.

第二部分英语知识运用（共两节，满分35分）

第一节单项填空（共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）

21. A woman uses a hat to block out the sun while walking along a street ________ the

temperature hit a record high.

A. that

B. whose

C. which

D. where

22. ---Why are you so familiar with my close friend Nipple?

---Yeah, I happen, believe it or not, ________ him in a packed trip.

A. to meet

B. to be meeting

C. to have met

D. to be met

23. ---Why do you choose to work in an international travel agency?

---Well, you know, English is my ________. so it is my best choice.

A. talent

B. strength

C. ability

D. skill

24. We usually go to Italy for our summer holiday, but we thought we would go to France this year,

________ a change.

A. in case of

B. by way of

C. in terms of

D. by reason of

25. If you get into a discussion and you don’t know what the others are talking about, it’s best to

hold your ________.

A. silence

B. word

C. peace

D. ground

26. ---Haven’t seen you for ages! Where have you been?

---I ________ in Xinjiang for one year, volunteering services as a doctor.

A. have stayed

B. stay

C. stayed

D. am staying

27. Nowadays mobile Internet devices are pushing up demands for online education, which makes

people see it as one of the most ________ new market.

A. demanding

B. confidential

C. promising

D. controversial

28. ---They are said to have been familiar with each other.

---But they ________. They were introduced only hours ago.

A. may not have been

B. couldn’t have been

C. mustn’t have been

D. needn’t have been

29. I used to like black sausage but when I found out how it is made it ________ me right

________.

A. put; through

B. put; up

C. put; off

D. put; down

30. She is ________ is known as a nosy person --- she is always dying to know what’s going on in

others’ lives.

A. what

B. who

C. whom

D. that

31. The measure of a man’s real character is what he ________ if he ________ he would never be

found out.

A. would do; knew

B. may do; knew

C. might do; knows

D. should do; had known

32. What attracts the audience’s attention is today’s topic --- what idea a man who’s deaf from

birth can have ________ music.

A. with

B. in

C. of

D. at

33. We don’t need magic to change the world ________ we carry all the power we need inside

ourselves already: the power to imagine better, said J K Rowling.

A. though

B. unless

C. before

D. when

34. That’s all for today’s program. Please stay ________ to CCTV International Chinese Channel

this time next week.

A. turned

B. tuned

C. toned

D. tended

35. Many of the male applicants she interviews never ________ the shock of seeing a woman in a

position of authority over them.

A. get off

B. get through

C. get over

D. get by

第二节完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。William Wordsworth wrote that “the human mind is capable of excitement without the application of violent stimulants”. And it appears that simply reading those words proves his

36 .

Researchers at the university of Liverpool found the works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth and 37 had a beneficial effect on the mind. It can 38 the reader’s attention and trigger moments of self-reflection.

Using scanners, they 39 the brain activity of volunteers as they read pieces of classical English literature both in their 40 form and in a modern translation.

And, according to the Sunday Telegraph, the experiment showed the more 41 prose and poetry 42 far more electrical activity in the brain than the easier versions.

The research also found poetry, 43 , increased activity in the right part of the brain, an area 44 with “autobiographical（自传式的）memory”, which helped the reader to 45 on their own experiences. The academics said this meant the 46 were more useful than self-help books.

The brain 47 of 30 volunteers were watched in the first part of the research as they read Shakespeare in different 48 .

In one example, volunteers read a line from King Lear, “A father and a gracious aged man: him have you madded”, before reading the 49 :“A father and a gracious aged man: him you have enraged”. Shakespeare’s use of “mad” as a(n) 50 caused a higher level of brain activity than

the straightforward prose.

The next stage of the research was looking at the 51 to which poetry could affect 52 and provide therapeutic（治疗的）benefit. V olunteers’ brains were scanned while reading four lines by Wordsworth, and four “translated” lines were also provided.

The first version caused more brain activity, 53 not only the left part of the brain connected with language, but also the right part that relates to autobiographical memory and emotion.

“Poetry is not just a 54 of style. It is also about deep versions of experience that 55 the emotional to the cognitive（认知的）.” said Prof Davis, who will present the findings at the North of England education conference in Sheffield this week.

36. A. attitude B. point C. mind D. advice

37. A. the like B. the way C. the likely D. the kind

38. A. break B. focus C. catch D. fix

39. A. examined B. monitored C. interrupted D. controlled

40. A. original B. traditional C. conventional D. ancient

41. A. attractive B. beneficial C. challenging D. emotional

42. A. set off B. put off C. take off D. call off

43. A. for example B. on occasion C. in particular D. in contrast

44. A. concerned B. mixed C. fixed D. conflicted

45. A. reflect B. agree C. depend D. take

46. A. average B. modern C. academic D. classic

47. A. records B. recalls C. responses D. receptions

48. A. moods B. manners C. forms D. types

49. A. shorter B. simpler C. better D. deeper

50. A. adjective B. noun C. adverb D. verb

51. A. amount B. degree C. extension D. scale

52. A. philosophy B. biology C. psychology D. sociology

53. A. waking up B. raising up C. taking up D. making up

54. A. matter B. mark C. manner D. mass

55. A. cater B. add C. prefer D. refer

第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）

第一节：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，并在答题纸上将该项选项的标号涂黑。

A. runs only once on Monday afternoon

B. lasts about two or three hours a time

C. is hosted by two experts in different fields

D. is held in a separate ballroom

57. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the workshop in Ballroom B?

A. April Wright and Janice Tsai will host the workshop.

B. This workshop will expose the myth of a social change maker.

C. The hosts will share some real examples of young people over the world.

D. You’ll learn about some big and small differences made in some communities.

B

It’s 5pm on a Friday and I'm standing in a coffee shop above Shibuya crossing - one of the most busiest place in Japan where more than a thousand of Tokyo’s smartly dressed people gather at eight points, ready to cross - then rush straight for each other. It looks like they must bump into each other, but It’s amazing that they all manag e to reach the other side safely.

But the real reason I'm here is that I want to see people crash. I want businessmen to knock into each other, their umbrellas flying off their arms, and uniformed schoolchildren hitting grannies. Why may I see this now, bu t wouldn't have had the chance even a year ago? It’s very simple - smartphones.

Smartphone use is booming in Japan. In 2012, only about a quarter of Japanese used them, most being perfectly happy with their everyday mobiles. But now more than half of all Japanese now own a smartphone and the number is rising fast. But with that rise has grown another phenomenon - the smartphone walk. Those people who're staring at a phone screen adopt this kind

of pace- their head down, arms outreached, looking like zombies（僵尸）trying to find human prey(猎食).

Surprisingly, an American named Michael Cucek who has lived here for more than 20 years told me smartphone walk probably wouldn’t be a long-term problem. Japanese phone manner is in fact better than anywhere else in the world - hardly anyone speaks on their phones on trains, and teenagers wouldn't dare broadcast music out of one. If things got truly bad at Shibuya, the police would just start shouting at people to look up.

But really, is the smartphone walk such an annoying problem? There's only one way to find out. So I leave the coffee shop, head down to the crossing and start typing an email, promising myself I won't look up until I get to the other side. When they start walking past me, it's my time to cross. As I step forward, the experience quickly becomes nervous - legs jump in and out of my vision without warning, while shopping bags fly towards my face before being pulled away at the last moment. I'm sure I'm going to get hit, but after a few seconds I relax. It’s O K. Everyone's reacting for me.

I expect to see two smartphone walkers just like me. But instead I find a young couple, very much in love and very much refusing to let each other’s hands go just to give way to a fool on his smartphone. The girl gives me such a look of dislike that I quickly apologize and rush round them. That look was enough to ensure I'll never be smartphone walking again.

58. From Paragraph 1, we can know _____________.

A. people at Shibuya crossing always bump into each other.

B. more than a thousand of people gather at Shibuya crossing every day.

C. more than a thousand of people are ready to rush in a competition every day.

D. more than a thousand of people at Shibuya crossing make it a busy one in Japan.

59. Why does the author stand in a coffee shop above Shibuya crossing?

A. Because he is waiting for somebody.

B. Because he can have a good view from there.

C. Because he wants to see what would happen because of smartphones.

D. Because it’s interesting to see businessmen’s umbrellas fl ying off their arms

60. After smartphone walking himself, the author thinks___________.

A. it’s exciting to walk while sending emails

B. it’s really dangerous to walk while sending emails

C. there are some others smartphone walking like him

D. other passers-by give way to him although they dislike.

C

A few years ago, in one experiment in behavioral psychology, Stanley Mailgram of Yale Universitytested 40 subjects for their willingness to obey instructions given by a "leader" in a situation in which the subjects might feel a personal dislike of the actions they were called upon to perform. Specifically,Mailgram told each volunteer "teacher-subject" that the experiment was in the noble cause of education, and was designed to test whether or not punishing pupils for their mistakes would have a positive effect onthe pupils' ability to learn.

The teacher-subjects were placed before a panel of thirty switches with labels ranging from "15 volts of electricity ( slight shock) " to "450 volts ( danger - severe shock) " in steps of 15 volts each. Theteacher-subject was told that whenever the pupil gave the wrong answer to a question, a shock was to beadministered. The supposed "pupil" was in reality an actor hired by Mailgram to pretend to receive theshocks by giving out cries and screams. Mailgram told the teacher-subject to ignore the reactions of the pupil, and to administer whatever level of shock was called for.

As the experiment unfolded, the "pupil" would deliberately give the wrong answers to questions,thereby bringing on various electrical punishments, even up to the danger level of 300

volts and beyond. Many of the teacher-subjects balked atadministering the higher levels of punishment, and turned to Milgram.In these situations,Milgram calmly explained that the teacher-subject was to carry on with the experiment and that it was important for the sake of the experiment that the procedure be followed through to the end. what Mailgram was trying to discover was the number of teacher-subjects who would be willing to administer the highest levels of shock, even in the face of strong personal and moral revulsion(反感) against the rules and conditions of the experiment.

Before carrying out the experiment, Milgram explained his idea to a group of 39 psychiatrists andasked them to predict the average percentage of people who would be willing to administer the highestshock level of 450 volts. The overwhelming consensus was that basically all the teacher-subjects would refuse to obey the experimenter. The psychiatrists felt that "most subjects would not go beyond 150 volts"and only a small percentage of about one in l,000 would give the highest shock of 450 volts.

What were the actual results? Well, over 60 per cent of the teacher-subjects continued to obeyMilgram upto the 450-volt limit! In repetitions of the experiment in other countries, the percentage waseven higher, reaching 85 per cent in one country: How can we possibly account for this result?

One might firstly argue that there must be some sort of built-in animal aggression instinct(本能) that was activated by the experiment. A modern socio-biologist might even go so far as to claim that thisaggressive instinct was of survival value to our ancestors in their struggle against the hardships of life onthe plains and in the caves, finally finding its way into our genetic make-up. Another explanation is to see the teacher-subjects' actions as a result of the social context in whichthe experiment was carried out. As Mailgram himself pointed out, "Most subjects in the experiment seetheir behaviour in a larger context that is good and useful to society-- the pursuit of scientific truth. The psychological laboratory has a strong claim to legitimacy(合法性) and gains trust and confidence in those who perform there. An action such as shocking a victim, which in isolation (单独看来) appears evil, acquires a completely different meaning when placed in this setting. "

Here we have two different explanations. The problem for us is to sort out which of these two polarexplanations is more reasonable. This is the problem of modernsociobiology -- to discover how hardwired genetic programming decides the interaction of animals and humans with their environment, that is, their behavior. Put another way, sociobiology is concerned with explaining the biological basis of allbehavior.

61. Why did Mailgram do the experiment?

A. To discover people's willingness for orders from leaders.

B. To display the power of punishment on ability to lean.

C. To test people's willingness to sacrifice for science.

D. To explore the biological basis of social behavior.

62. What does the underlined phrase "balked at" most probably mean?

A. commented on

B. hesitated in

C. got rid of

D. looked down upon

63. Before the experiment took place the psychiatrists_________.

A. believed that a shock of 150 volts was unbearable

B. failed to agree on how the teacher-subjects would respond to instructions

C. under-predicted the teacher-subjects' willingness to follow experimental procedure

D. thought that many of the teacher-subjects would administer a shock of 450 volts

64.Which of the following is mentioned as one possible factor that explains the teacher-subjects' behavior?

A. Economic factor.

B. Biological factor.

C. Cultural factor.

D. Historical factor.

65. What's the author's purpose with this article?

A. To introduce a problem sociobiology deals with.

B. To explain a scientific phenomenon.

C. To report an experiment that focuses on education.

D. To argue against a scientific view.

D

It was a weeknight.We were a half dozen guys in our late teens, hanging around “the flat” —as usual. The flat was poorly furnished, which, after some time, grew tiresome. We wanted action.We got in a car, big enough for all of us to crowd into — and off we went, in search of adventure. We soon found ourselves at Blue Gum Corner, a place named after the huge old blue gum tree that stood by there, a well-known local landmark. It stands at a minor crossroad leading to our town. The trunk is tall and smooth with no handholds for climbing. About six metres from the ground the first branch sticks out over the road.We parked beneath the huge old tree and discussed what we might do. All of a suddenwe hit upon an idea—a hanging! I was chosen as “hangee”.

The plan was quite simple. As I stood upon the roof of the car, the rope(绳子) was threaded down my jacket through my collar and down one leg of my jeans. I put my foot through the loop at the bottom. There I hung, still. The boys rolled about laughing until, a car, I hear a car! Before they ran to hide in the nearby field, they gave me a good push so that “the body”would swing as the car drove by.

To our disappointment, the car simply turned off for town without even slowing. The boys came out of their hiding places and we discussed the situation. Surely they had seen me, hadn’t they? Then we heard another car.The act was repeated, but still without any obvious reaction. We played the game about five or six times, but as no one seemed to notice, we abandoned the trick.

What we did not know was that every car that had passed had un questionably seen “the body” and each one, too scared to stop, had driven directly to the local Police Station. Now at that time of the night, the local policeman was sound asleep in his bed, so the first person sent to the scene was the traffic officer that happened to be on duty that particular night.He had been informed that some person had been killed, by hanging, at Blue Gum Corner. When he arrived, the body was gone! And he was hearing “unnatural sounds” from the surrounding area. As far as he knew, some fierceanimal was hiding in the field before him, possibly dragging a body behind him — and we thought we were scared!

He went to his radio and made a call that really began to worry us. I lay so close that I could hear every word.He called for the “armed police” and a “dog team, better make it two” and he had a “serious situation” at Blue Gum Corner. Then the police officer arrived. After a briefing from the traffic officer he decided not to go into the field until armed police and dog teams arrived. Now two spotlights were on the field and none of us could move.

As luck would have it, police cars cannot leave their spotlights on all night without charging their batteries. So, after a time, the two officers began lightening the field by turns, allowing us the opportunity to move on our fours for freedom. One by one, we all managed to steal away and make our way home. Behind us we left what must have looked like a small city of lights, police cars, roadblocks, barking dogs, armed officers and an old rope hanging from a tree.

When I think back to that night, to that tree, to what the drivers of the cars think happened, to what police believe happened, and to what I know happened, I am reminded of a simple truth —our eyes see darkness and light, color and movement, our ears hear only vibrations(振动) in the air. It is how we explainthese vivid pictures that shapes our “reality”.

66. Seeing that no car passing by stopped, the boys must have felt ______.

A. discouraged

B. proud

C. annoyed

D. confident

67. Why was the traffic officer sent to the scene of “hanging”?

A. Because a fierce animal kept the traffic in disorder.

B. Because the local policeman was not available at that time.

C. Because some naughty kids were playing a terrifying game.

D. Because many scared drivers turned directly to him for help.

68. The boys managed to escape from the field when ______.

A. the two police cars were being charged

B. the police officer was taking over the duty

C. the traffic officer was making a call for help

D. the two spotlights were not working together

69. What is conveyed in the passage?

A. Actions speak louder than words.

B. The truth lies beneath the surface.

C. Experience is the best teacher.

D. To see is to believe.

70. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Blue Gum Tree

B. A Body Found Hanging

C. Escape to Freedom

D. A Disappointing Experience

第四部分任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下列短文，根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。

To most people, climate change means melting snowcaps and helpless polar bears suffering hotness under increasingly serious temperatures. But most of the world’s populations aren’t likely to see an iceberg in their lifetimes, much less a stranded polar bear in the wild. That explains why the dangers of these environmental changes haven’t exactly earned high priority on most people’s list of attention-worthy crises. The politicization of climate change --- the never-ending debate over whether it exists, for example, its implications and potential solutions --- further discourages the public from action.

But what if climate change is instead about an increase in childhood asthma（哮喘）, or a surge in infectious diseases? That’s what some climate change experts are considering, as they steer the conversation about global warming toward the public health issues it raises.

According to a recent study, framing global warming as a public health issue produces the most emotionally compelling（强制性的）response among people. Matthew Nisbet, co-author of the study, says such positive actions are critical for communicating the importance of climate change to a broader and more diverse proportion of Americans who may not care about environmental issues. “You have to give them a sense of hope that they can become part of something that addresses the problem,” he says.

The Obama administration seems to be getting the message. Earlier this month, the White House chose to honor medical and environmental professionals in its Champions of Change program, for their efforts in “protecting public health in a changing climate”.

Even Champion of Change recipient Gary Cohen says that the re-branding will require the backing of medical professionals, who serve as the hubs（中心）of education for raising community awareness about the health consequences of climate change.

Sociologist Sabrina McCormick agrees that doctors potentially have a unique role that can top poli tical differences. “The public really care about what they say,” McCormick says. That’s why anti-smoking advocates focused on educating medical professionals to quit smoking first before addressing the greater public.

The timing may also be right for such conversations as well. With unemployment now below 7%, coupled with the frequency in extreme weather, people may be more likely to accept public health efforts aimed at reducing their exposure to potentially costly health problems that might be

第五部分：书面表达(满分25分)

请阅读下面短文，并按照要求用英语一篇150词左右的文章。

In order to lessen pollution for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, Beijing and its neighboring regions set tight limits on car use, ordered factories and construction sites to close and declared a holiday for public-sector employees.

The tough pollution-reduction measures greatly improved air quality and the phrase "APEC Blue" was created on social media to describe the clear sky that came with a heavy price tag.

Following the APEC air pollution control plan, between Nov. 1 and Nov. 12, 2014, the city's-daily PM 2.5 density (浓度) fell greatly, a 55% reduction compared with the same period last year, according to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

Daily average levels of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and PM 10 decreased by 57%,31% and 44% from the same period in 2013, it said.

According to the bureau, the control of vehicle and factory emissions(排放物），the 'two biggest sources of smog, is the most effective measure.

【写作内容】

1．用约30个单词写出上文概要；

2．用约120个单词发表你的观点，内容包括：

(1)你如何看待北京的“APEC蓝”现象？

(2)你认为应该如何让“APEC蓝”变为“常态蓝”？

【写作要求】

1．可以发表个人观点，但必须提供理由或论据；

2．阐述观点或提供论据时，不能直接引用原文语句；

3．作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；

4．不必写标题.

【评分标准】

内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。

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答案：

第一节

听力：1—5 CABBA 6—10 BCCBB 11—15 ACACC 16—20 ABCAC

单项填空（共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）

21-25 DCBBC 26-30 CCBCA 31-35 ACDBC

第二节完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

36-40 BACBA 41-45 CACAA 46-50 DCCBD 51-55 BCAAB

第三部分阅读理解DBDCDDBCBAABDBA

第四部分任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

71. deserves 72. political 73. related 74. involve 75. adopted/accepted 76. honored

77. backing/support/help 78. aware 79. potential 80. proper

第五部分：One possible version:

During the APEC meetings some measures concerning pollution control were adopted, including limiting the number of cars, closing factories and offering a holiday, improving the air quality of Beijing greatly.

I think we can learn a valuable lesson after "APEC Blue" appeared in Beijing. For one thing, the government is capable of fighting air pollution. For another, it is the consumption of fossil fuels that leads to serious smog in north China.

It is everyone's duty to try to keep the sky blue every day. There are many things we can do to fight air pollution. First, we should use public transportation as often as possible instead of driving cars, which will reduce air pollution. Second, it is a good habit to recycle used objects, which can help us save energy. Third, the government should take measures to encourage companies to stick to energy saving and pollution reduction.

录音原文

Text 1

W: Do you want some iced coffee?

M: No way! I never drink super cold stuff. They make my stomach hurt. But regular coffee would be fine.(1)

Text 2

M: I’d love to go to the art exhibit downtown tomorrow night. What do you say?

W: I wish I could, but I told my dad I would take him to a baseball game.(2) My mother put it on the calendar months ago.

Text 3

W: I wish you wouldn’t put your clothes everywhere, Gino! I’ve told you a thousand times! Next time I see your stuff lying all over the place, I’m going to burn it!

M: Whoa! Jeez, I’m sorry! I’ll pick my stuff up. Oh, it’s like living in a prison here! I can’t wait to go to college next year!(3)

Text 4

M: Excuse me. Can you tell me where I can get my hair cut around here?

W: Uh, take a look around you. This is an industrial neighborhood. There aren’t exactly hairdressers on every block.(4)

Text 5

W: Do you know what time it is? My watch just stopped working for some reason.(5)

M: Let’s see…oh, it’s 7:30! I’m late for my dinner appointment. Thanks for asking me what time it was. I’ve gotta run!

Text 6

W: Sir, I’m sorry to bother you, but can I ask you a question?

M: Uh…sure. No problem.

W: Can you tell me where you bought that jacket you’re wearing?

M: It was a gift, but I think my sister got it at Barney’s.(6)

W: It’s really elegant. And I love the color.

M: Thanks! Yeah, it’s proba bly my favorite jacket.

W: I think my brother-in-law would love a jacket like that. You don’t happen to know how much it cost, do you?

M: No, I’m sorry, I don’t.But I’d be surprised if it was less than $400. Barney’s tends to be pretty expensive.(7)

W: Y eah. But it’s worth it for the high-quality clothes there.

Text 7

M: This is a great party, Vanessa!(8)

W: Well, thanks for coming, Thomas! It’s great to see you. So, do you see anything you like?(8)

M:I think your paintings are really interesting. (8)But I thought you mostly worked with colored glass.

W: I do. And as you can see, I have a lot of pieces of glass on display. But I’ve been getting back into painting. It was my first love; you know…that and sculpture.

M: Why don’t you have any sculptures for s ale?

W: Oh, maybe I’ll have some for my next show!

M: So…I have one thing to ask you, but it’s a little embarrassing.

W: What is it?

M: Well, there are a couple of paintings I like, one for my boss and one for my wife. But I’m not sure I can afford them both.

W: Since you’re a friend, I’ll give you 50% off for the two. That way, you can buy both pieces.(9) Text 8

M: What are you doing, Carla?

W: Oh, just having a little snack — grapes, cheese, and biscuits.

M: Those grapes look good. I hope you’re not giving them to my dog, though (10)

W: Uh, why not?

M: Because they are really bad for dogs. Along with chocolate, they are the most dangerous thing you could give to a dog. Buster could die if he ate too many.(10)

W: Uh-oh…

M: Did you give him some?

W: Yeah…he really seemed to like them.

M: He’s a dog! He likes everything! I can’t believe this! How many did you give him?

W: I don’t know…a few, maybe.

M: What does that mean? More than four?

W: Probably more like nine or ten.(11)

M: Oh, no! Get your keys and let’s go.

W: Where are we going?

M: To the animal doctor! Buster needs to get his stomach pumped. It’s the only way to get rid of the grapes. He might need some medication, too.

W: Oh, no! I’m so sorry, Randall!

M: Just get in the car and drive fast, OK? And bring your wallet…this is going to come out of your pocket!(12)

Text 9

W: Mickey, I just saw the most amazing deal online! We can go to Mexico for a weekend for $700!

M: Wow, that is a good deal. But is that per person or for both of us?

W: Total! We can get half off the plane tickets, which are normally $500 each.(13)And there’s

a special deal on a hotel right on the beach for $100 per night.

M: Great! When can we go?

W: Well, that’s the thing. We can’t just go anytime.

M: What do you mean?

W: These spe cial deals have some restrictions. For example, you can’t fly on a Friday or a Sunday with the discount fares. And the hotel is not available on Fridays.(14)But we can just fly down to Mexico on Saturday morning, stay two nights, and then come back on Monday afternoon.(15)

M: What am I supposed to do about work?

W: Well, you’d have to get the day off…

M: That’s impossible. I already took my month of vacation so we could go to China. My boss will definitely say no.

W: Well, you could lie to him and tell him you’re sick…

M: Uh, not a chance…I’m trying to get a promotion, and if my boss found out that I lied to him, he’d fire me for sure. It sounds wonderful, honey. But I think we should just go for a regular weekend some other time.(16)

Text 10

I was born before my sister Stacy — two minutes and fifty-eight seconds before her, to be exact! I’ve always been really proud to be the older one, and I remind Stacy about it every chance I get. We are twins, but we don’t look the same. There are some twins who look ali ke and others who don’t. And our personalities couldn’t be more different. I’m outgoing and loud, (17)and I play sports whenever I can. My sister is quiet and shy, and she prefers to read books. Personally, I feel lucky that our parents were down to earth, and didn’t try to do silly things like dress us up in the same clothes when we were little. We grew up in the Midwest — our parents were both professors at the University of Chicago.(18)As kids, my sister and I developed our own language that only we could understand. It made our parents so angry, and that only made us use it more!(19)I don’t remember very much of it now, but there are one or two sentences that we can still use to talk about our parents! I can still remember the day my sister and I left for colleges on opposite sides of the country —her to Harvard and me to Stanford. Both places seemed really far away. I felt like our lives would change forever, but they didn’t. We’re now in our mid-thirties, and we’ve never been closer!(20)