上海市2015年春季高考英语试卷含答案

上海2012年春季高考英语试卷

第1卷(共105分)

I. Listening Comprehension

Section A

Directions: In Section A, you will hear ten short conversations between two speakers. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. The conversations and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a conversation and the question about it, read the four possible answers on your paper, and decide which one is the best answer to the question you have heard.

1. A. In a restaurant. B. In a library. C. In a hotel. D. In a bookshop.

2. A. Husband and wife. B. Customer and shop assistant.

C. Boss and secretary.

D. Teacher and student.

3. A. On Monday. B. On Tuesday. C. On Wednesday. D. On Thursday.

4. A. The jacket is too big for him. B. It's been too warm to wear the jacket.

C. He doesn't like cold weather.

D. He bought the jacket when it was cool.

5. A. He prefers to work part-time. B. He wants to change his class schedule.

C. He has trouble finding a part-time job.

D. He doesn't want to work on campus.

6. A. They have to change their weekend plans. B. They recently visited Mount Forest.

C. They will join the outdoor club next year.

D. They are going camping this weekend.

7. A. She likes playing tennis. B. She is looking forward to the game.

C. The forecast is accurate.

D. The game depends on the weather.

8. A. He's not feeling well. B. He spends a lot of time in the lab.

C. His absence is surprising.

D. He hasn't checked the lab.

9. A. He'll look for it. B. He'll get someone to have a look.

C. He'll park it somewhere.

D. He'll ask someone to park it.

10. A. They were warmly welcomed there. B. They had something unpleasant on the way.

C. They didn't enjoy their stay there.

D. They had a good time before arrival.

Section B

Directions: In Section B, you will hear two short passages, and you will be asked three questions on each of the passages. The passages will be read twice, but the questions will be spoken only once. When you hear a question, read the four possible answers on your paper and decide which one would be the best answer to the question you have heard.

Questions 11 through 13 are based on the following passage.

11. A. A good income. B. Eighteen days' holiday.

C. Five working hours daily.

D. Regular promotions.

12. A. Whether the train is on time. B. Who drives the Tube train.

C. How the timetable is arranged.

D. What service is offered.

13. A. Both boys and girls hope to drive trains. B. Women can break bad news sympathetically.

C. Traditional career patterns often change.

D. London Tube is hiring more women drivers.

Questions 14 through 16 are based on the following passage.

14. A. Right after higher education. B. Just before entering career life.

C. Right after secondary school.

D. Just before military service.

15. A. Attend commercial courses. B. Train as a salesperson.

C. Help enroll bright students.

D. Work on a new project.

16. A. Enriching their work and life experiences. B. Increasing their physical strength.

C. Expanding their knowledge in marketing.

D. Helping them gain high scores in exams.

Directions:In Section C, you will hear two longer conversations. The conversations will be read twice. After you hear each conversation, you are required to fill in the numbered blanks with the information you have heard. Write your answers on your answer sheet.

Blanks 17 through 20 are based on the following conversation.

Complete the form. Write ONE WORD for each answer.

School Life Survey

Name: 17 Smith

Class: 18

Favourite subjects: Computer 19 and P.E.

Three favourite places: Computer room, school garden and 20

Blanks 21 through 24 are based on the following conversation,

Complete the form. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

What was Bob's request? To increase 21

What were raises in the company based on? They were based on 22

When could Bob earn a raise according to the boss? When he made the office run 23

What did the boss finally say to Bob? Bob would have to 24 for himself.

II. Grammar and Vocabulary

Section A

Directions:Beneath each of the following sentences there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one answer that best completes the sentence.

25. A huge amount of money has been spent _ _ the new bridge.

A. in

B. on

C. with

D. for

26. They don't come to the book club any more, for _ reasons or other.

A. some

B. all

C. either

D. both

27. You _____ bring your identification when you open a bank account.

A. may

B. can

C. must

D. will

28. After the accident, we are _____ concerned with the safety of school buses than we used to be.

A. little

B. less

C. much

D. more

29. Before I began this job, I _____ a baby sitter for two years.

A. have been

B. was

C. would be

D. had been

30. The diamond mine _______ accidentally by a little boy when he was playing hide-and-seek.

A. discovered

B. was discovered

C. has been discovered

D. would discover

31. Tom looked upon the test as an obstacle _____ his classmates regarded it as a challenge.

A. while

B. because

C. unless

D. if

32. People have learnt the importance of keeping a balanced diet _____ their nutritional needs.

A. satisfy

B. satisfied

C. to satisfy

D. having satisfied

33. Once _ _, Joe devoted her life to looking after children and being a full-time homemaker.

A. having married

B. being married

C. marrying

D. married

34. _____ you take a photo, you should always check the position of the sun.

A. Before

B. After

C. Because

D. Though

35. Despite the fact _____ they lacked food, the explorers continued towards the goal.

A. which

B. that

C. what

D. whether

36. Sailing across the ocean alone was an achievement took courage.

A. what

B. who

C. which

D. where

37. a wet football can hurt your foot if you are not careful.

38. It was not until 1920 American women had the chance to vote in national elections.

A. when

B. that

C. where

D. which

39. Portable videophones will show us _____ is happening at the other end of the line.

A. which

B. what

C. how

D. why

40. Big companies usually have a lot of branch offices _____ in different parts of the world.

A. to have operated

B. be operated

C. operating

D. having operated

Section B

Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. accounted

B. average

C. continuous

D. rank

E. link

F. comparison G additional H. associated I. risk J. confirmed

Television watching is an activity which is known to be harmful to health and is distinct from getting too little exercise. But a new study suggests its damaging effects may even 41 alongside those from smoking and obesity. Researchers who studied television viewing habits in Australia calculated that people who watch for a(n) 42 of six hours a day shorten their life expectancy by almost five years.

They based their calculations on data on the 43 between television viewing and death from the Australian obesity and lifestyle study which involved l 1,000 adults aged 25 and over. Applying these findings to the whole population over 25, who are estimated to have watched 9.8 billion hours of TV in 2008, they concluded that it 44 for 286,000 years of life lost --- equivalent to 22 minutes for each hour watched. By 45 , smoking one cigarette is estimated to shorten life expectancy by 11 minutes --- equivalent to half an hour of TV watching.

Writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the authors from the University of Queensland, say the figures suggest "huge loss of life may be 46 with too much TV viewing." The UK and other industrialized countries are likely to be similarly affected "given the typically large amounts of time spent watching TV and the similarities in disease patterns." The researchers add: "If these figures are 47 and shown to reflect a cause and effect relationship, TV viewing is a public health problem comparable in size to established behavioral risk factors."

Researchers from Taiwan University found even those who did as little as 92 minutes' exercise a week--- equivalent to 15 minutes a day for six days a week --- reduced their 48 of death by 14 per cent. Even this small amount of exercise could postpone one in six of all deaths --- similar to the effects of a stop-smoking programme. Each 49 15 minutes a day reduced the death rate by a further 4 per cent.

III. Reading Comprehension

Section A

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

A screen door allows for an open view while at the same time affording a degree of privacy. 50 , communication between parents and their child away at college should have openness in expressing viewpoints but, at the same time, it should demonstrate a respect for privacy. Staying in touch with each other is important because without 51 , there is no connection and worry can take over. All involved should try to be 52 in listening to, understanding and dealing with special concerns or needs that arise whether they be from the student, parents or friends.

For the happy student adjusting well at school, calls to home can be infrequent. This is not necessarily a cause for parents to 53 . While parents are naturally 54 about what their child is up to, the majority of students are busy getting accustomed to their new home, making new friends and 55 to new schedules and activities. The fact is that without any ill intention on purpose, they can spend little time thinking about home and they may not appreciate the degree of their parents' 56 curiosity.

circumstance can bring a 58 period for both parent and child. For the parents at home, it can be terribly 59 to sense their child is unhappy. It is difficult to judge how we should react to this challenge: as 60 , we want to bring our children home to the safety of our nest; in our parent-teacher role, we want to 61 the ties and allow our child the opportunity to make it on his/her own.

For the student away at school, unhappiness can be lonely and frightening and in some cases, it can lead to depression and illness. There is a sense of 62 for some homesick students who fear that Mom and Dad will 63 their inability to cope with the new environment. This is especially true when the homesick one sees classmates adjusting somewhat effortlessly. No matter what the circumstances are that have created 64 , communication between parent and child must remain open, honest and in balance.

50. A. Relatively B. Contrarily C. Typically D. Similarly

51. A. sacrifice B. privacy C. appreciation D. communication

52. A. sensitive B. confident C. casual D. modest

53. A. worry B. regret C. cheer D. wonder

54. A. uninformed B. curious C. happy D. sensible

55. A. adding B. referring C. adjusting D. leading

56. A. strange B. increasing C. awakened D. normal

57. A. formally B. frequently C. sincerely D. patiently

58. A. disappointing B. recovering C. challenging D. training

59. A. damaging B. disturbing C. demanding D. exhausting

60. A. protectors B. reminders C. inspectors D. individuals

61. A. maintain B. establish C. restore D. cut

62. A. relief B. responsibility C. achievement D. embarrassment

63. A. get bored with B. get upset with C. be ignorant of D. be honest with

64. A. opportunity B. uncertainty C. unhappiness D. nervousness

Section B

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.

(A)

For six hours we shot through the landscape of the Karoo desert in South Africa. Just rocks and sand and baking sun. Knowing our journey was ending, Daniel and I just wanted to remember all we had seen and done. He used a camera. I used words. I had already finished three notebooks and was into the fourth, a beautiful leather notebook I'd bought in a market in Mozambique.

Southern Africa was full of stories and visions. We were almost drunk on sensations. The roaring of the water at Victoria Falls, the impossible silence of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. And then the other things: dogs in the streets, whole families in Soweto living in one room, a kilometre from clean water.

As we drove towards the setting sun, a quietness fell over us. The road was empty -- we hadn't seen another car for hours. And as I drove, something caught my eye, something moving next to me. I glanced in the mirror of the car; I glanced sideways to the right, and that was when I saw them. Next to us, by the side of the road, thirty, forty wild horses were racing the car, a cloud of dust rising behind them -- brown, muscular horses almost close enough to touch them, to smell their hot breath. I didn't know how long they had been there next to us.

I shouted to Dan: "Look!", but he was in a deep sleep, his camera lying useless by his feet. They raced the car for a few seconds, then disappeared far behind us, a memory of heroic forms in the red landscape. When Daniel woke up an hour later I told him what had happened.

"Wild horses?" he said. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I tried. But they were gone after a few seconds."

"Are you sure you didn't dream it?"

"You were the one who was sleeping!"

We checked into a dusty hotel and slept the sleep of the dead.

65. During their journey in Africa, the two travelers .

A. made friends with local residents

B. complained about the poor living conditions

C. enjoyed the sunset in the Karoo desert most

D. recorded their experiences in different ways

66. What does the phrase "heroic forms" in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A. Racing cars.

B. Wild horses.

C. Eye-catching locals.

D. Running dogs.

67. What did Daniel think when he woke up and was told what had happened?

A. He always missed out on the best thing.

B. He had already taken beautiful pictures.

C. A sound sleep was more important.

D. The next trip would be better.

68. What is the passage mainly about?

A. How to view wildlife in Africa.

B. Running into wildlife in Africa.

C. Tourist attractions in southern Africa.

D. Possible dangers of travelling in the desert.

(B)

The Age of Unreason

Charles Handy In his book The Age of Unreason Professor Handy describes the dramatic changes that are taking place in our lives today and warns that we must adapt to these changes if we want to survive in the future. Handy believes that in the future less than 50% of the workforce will be employed full-time by an organization. These full-time employees will be the qualified professionals, technicians, and managers who are essential to an organization. Their working lives will be a lot more demanding than today, but in return they will be well-paid and they will retire earlier. The rest of the workforce will be self-employed or will work part-time, providing organizations with the products and services they require on a contract basis. Handy forecasts a big increase in the number of working mothers in future and believes there will be a large number of unemployed.

Handy gives us plenty of figures to worry about. He estimates that by the year 2040, one person in five will retire, and one in ten will be over seventy-five years old. There will be one retiree to every three people of working age, and even more than that in countries such as Germany and Switzerland, where the proportion will be as much as one to two. Retirees will remain healthy and active for longer than they do today and many will live to be a hundred years old, a fact which leads Handy to suggest that the term retirement will no longer be appropriate. He suggests the third age is a more appropriate description, since it will be as important a part of our lives as the first age of learning and the second age of working are for us today.

69. Professor Handy wrote the book most probably to .

A. warn us of potential social problems in the future

B. predict the leading professions in the coming years

C. describe the effect of unemployment on society

D. suggest a better term for future retirement

70. According to Professor Handy, the future workforce will .

A. adapt to the changes in retirement easily

B. be mainly self-employed

C. have fewer full-time workers than today

D. work on a contract basis

71. From the last paragraph, we learn that about 30 years from now, .

A. the number of retirees will double in many countries

B. ageing will be a common and serious problem

C. 10% of the population will live to be 100 years old

D. the third age will be the most important part of our lives

(C)

Frederic Mishkin, who's been a professor at Columbia Business School for almost 30 years, is good at solving problems and expressing ideas. Whether he's standing in front of a lecture hall or engaged in a casual conversation, his hands are always waving and pointing. When he was in graduate school, one of his professors

the professor's office.

It turns out, however, that Mishkin's professor had it exactly wrong. Gesture doesn't prevent but promotes clear thought and speech. Research demonstrates that the movements we make with our hands when we talk form a kind of second language, adding information that's absent from our words. It's learning's secret code: Gesture reveals what we know. It reveals what we don't know. What's more, the agreement (or lack of agreement) between what our voices say and how our hands move offers a clue to our readiness to learn.

Many of the studies establishing the importance of gesture to learning have been conducted by Susan Goldin-Meadow, a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. "We change our minds by moving our hands," writes Goldin-Meadow in a review of this work. Particularly significant are what she calls "mismatches" between oral expression and physical gestures. A student might say that a heavier ball falls faster than a light one, for example, but make a gesture indicating that they fall at the same rate, which is correct. Such differences indicate that we're moving from one level of understanding to another. The thoughts expressed by hand motions are often our newest and most advanced ideas about the problem we're working on; we can't yet absorb these concepts into language, but we can capture them in movement.

Goldin-Meadow's more recent work stresses not only that gesture shows our readiness to learn, but that it actually helps to bring learning about. It does so in two ways. First, it elicits (引出) helpful behavior from others around us. Goldin-Meadow has found that adults respond to children's speech-gesture mismatches by adjusting their way of instruction. Parents and teachers apparently receive the signal that children are ready to learn, and they act on it by offering a greater variety of problem-solving techniques. The act of gesturing itself also seems to quicken learning, bringing new knowledge into consciousness and aiding the understanding of new concepts. A 2007 study by Susan Wagner Cook, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Iowa, reported that third-graders who were asked to gesture while learning algebra(代数) were nearly three times more likely to remember what they'd learned than classmates who did not gesture.

72. According to Paragraph 1, Frederic Mishkin was asked to sit on his hands because _ _.

A. he could little express his ideas that way

B. he always pointed his finger at his professor

C. his professor did not like his gesturing

D. his gestures prevented his professor from thinking

73. How is gesturing important in acquiring knowledge?

A. It draws tasteful responses from others and increases learning speed.

B. It promotes second language learning and quickens thinking.

C. It provides significant clues for solving academic problems.

D. It reduces students' reliance on teachers' instruction.

74. What can be inferred from the passage about gesture-speech mismatches?

A. They can stimulate our creativity.

B. Instructors should make full use of them.

C. Teachers can hardly explain new concepts without them.

D. They serve as a stepping stone to solving real life problems.

75. What could be the best title of the passage?

A. Hand Motions, a Second Language

B. Gesturing: Signal of Understanding

C. New Uses of Gesturing

D. The Secret Code of Learning

Section C

Directions:Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.

A. Kids' watching e-books is far from reading.

B. Reading bedtime stories is a rarely changed routine.

C. What really counts is the words that appear.

D. E-books are cool in a technological sense.

F. E-books for children are not that well-received.

76.

In my house, bedtime stories are holy. Rarely does something change the nightly routine, although feverish kids have been known to be tucked in, without story. But last week, my 4-year-old awoke at 1 a.m. with this complaint: "You forgot to read me my bedtime story." She was right. So I pulled a book from her shelf' and cuddled her close as she turned the pages. Reading forges connections between parents and children (even in the middle of the night, it's also good for little brains.)

77.

But does the form in which the words appear matter? The New York Times reports that parents---even those who are avid digital downloader’s---are avoiding kids' e-books for the real things. It seems that the feel and texture of paper pages along with colorful illustrations beats the static dimensions of a screen.

78.

The article ran in the paper's Monday business section, but it may be more of a cultural tale. More than 25% of some adult literature is sold digitally, but e-books targeted at kids under 8 take up less than 5% of total children's book sales. "Refuting a childhood classic on an e-reader is such a cold thing to do," says Carol Moyer, head of the children's department at Quail Ridge Books. "E-books don't have the warmth and intimacy of the illustration on the page."

79.

Technology fans believe e-books can compete. On CNET, Rick Broida sings the praises of the iPad, which "can do a lot more than just display static pages. It can read stories aloud; it can enrich a classic tale with 'touch-powered extras; and it can even render pages in 3D." he describes Alice in Wonderland---"Alice for the iPad"---as a classic tale that involves animation like no other e-book to date. Readers can tilt the iPad to make Alice grow, shrink and so on.

80.

Sounds cool, but it seems more like a movie than a book. Watching digital dramatizations of stories isn't reading. When my kindergartener spent tech-lab time following instructions to surf an e-books site, her teacher recognized that she wasn't reading; she was learning to use a computer.

Section D'

Directions:Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words.

An African-born British scientist received an environment research prize at the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) meeting for showing how bees can be used to reduce conflict between people and elephants. Lucy Ki ng's work proved that beehive “fences" (蜂箱"栅栏")can keep elephants out of African farmers' fields. The animals are scared of bees, which can bite them inside their long noses, and flee when they hear buzzing (蜂鸣声). Dr King's work offers an intelligent solution to an age-old challenge, while providing further confirmation of the importance of bees to people and a really clever way of preserving the world's largest land animal for current and future generations. Working in Kenya, Dr King and her team showed that more than 90% of elephants will flee when they hear the sounds of buzzing bees. Afterwards, they also found that elephants produce a special sound to warn their fellows of the danger. They used the findings to construct barriers where beehives are woven into a fence, keeping the elephants away from places where people live and grow food.

A two-year project involving 34 farms showed that elephants trying to go through the fences would shake them, disturbing the bees. Later, the fences were adopted by farming communities in three Kenyan districts -- who also made increased amounts of money from selling honey. "Dr Lucy King has designed a constructive solution that considers the needs of animals but also the economic benefits to the local communities linked to species preservation," said CMS executive secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema.

As Africa's population grows, competition for space between people and elephants is becoming more serious, and there are fatalities on both sides. The same is true in parts of Asia. Sri Lanka alone sees the deaths of all

Working with the charity Save the Elephants, Lucy King now wants to see whether the Kenyan technique will work in other parts of Africa --- and perhaps, eventually, in Asia. "With Asia, there are some issues we'd have to look at --- it's a totally different elephant species, the bee species are different, it rains a lot more, we have animals like bears that love honey --- but I'd be very interested in sharing my research with anyone with experience in Asia to see whether it could work there," she said.

(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS.)

81. Lucy King's research shows that by using bees, can be reduced.

82. How do most elephants in Kenya respond to the sounds of buzzing bees?

83. Dr. King's work is regarded as a constructive solution, for it considers .

84. What four issues should be thought about in the application of Lucy King's findings in Asia?

第Ⅱ卷(共45分)

I. Translation

Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.

1．完成这项任务要花好几个月的时间。(take)

2．上周末公园里举行了一场音乐会。(hold)

3．他和他的同学都不喜欢放学后补课。(Neither…nor…)

4．不少独居老人部希望自己的子女常回家看看。(who)

5．从踏上陌生国土的那—刻起，李华就意识到入乡随俗至关重要。(the moment)

Il. Guided Writing

Directions: Write an English composition in 120 - 150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.

描述你在学校的一次午餐，具体要求如下：

●详细描述用餐的情况

●简要表述你对这次午餐的感受

上海市英语春季试卷答案

(春季高考)

第1卷

第一大题第1至第10小题，每题1分；第11至第16小题，每题2分：第17

至第24小题，每题1分。共30分。

1．C 2。C 3．D 4。B 5．A

6．D 7．D 8．B 9．D 10．B

11．A 12．A 13，D 14．C 15．B 16，A

17．Alex 18．S 1B 19．Science 20，canteen

21．(his) salary 22．contribution 23．more efficiently 24．make a／the decision

听力评分标准

1．17-24题，每小题1分。

2．17、18、19、20、21、22题，每拼错一个单词扣1分。

3．23、24题，每拼错／漏写／·误写…·个单词扣0．5分。

4．17题首字母必须大写，18、19题大小写均可。

第二大题每小。题1分。共25分。

25．B 26．A 27，C 28．D 29，D

30。B 31.A 32．C 33．D 34．A

35．B 36．C 37．A 38．B 39．B

40．C 41．D 42．B 43．E 44．A

45．F 46．H 47．J 48．1 49．G

第三大题第50至64小题，每题1分；第65至75小题，每题2分；第76至80

小题，每题1分；第81至84小题，每题2分。共50分。

50，D 51．D 52．A 53，A 54．B

55．C 56．D 57．B 58．C 59．B

60---64. ADDBC

65. D 66. B 67. A 68. B 69. A

70. C 71. B 72. C 73.A 74. B

75. D 76. B 77. E 78. F 79, D

80. A

81. conflict between people and elephants

82. They flee and warn their fellows of the danger.

83. the needs of animals and the local economic benefits

84. Elephant species, bee species, weather and honey-loving animals.

简答题的评分标准．

1、内容正确，语法基本正确，得2分。

2、内容基本正确，语法正确或虽有错误，但不影响理解，得1分。

3、即使语法正确，但是内容错误，得0分。

4、答案超过规定字数过多，得0分。

第Ⅱ卷

l翻译共20分。

参考答案(仅供阅卷老师参考)

1, It will take several months to finish the task.

2. A concert was held in the park last weekend.

3. Neither he nor his classmates like taking extra classes after school.

4. Many old people who live alone hope that their kids will visit them often.

5. The moment he stepped on the foreign land, Li Hua realized that it was important to follow the local customs.

上海市延安中学教师陆佳伟牛津大学应用语言学硕士

2012年上海春季高考英语已经悄然结束，笔者特地原创一篇范文为2012年参加高考的学生提供一个参考。

本次考试的作文题目如下：

描述你在学校的一次午餐，具体要求如下：

详细描述用餐的情况

简要表述你对这次午餐的感受

这是一篇简单却需要挖掘的文章，因为如果只是描述用餐情况，显然缺乏深度，夸夸其谈，流于表面。学生拿到这样的题目需要仔细考虑用餐背后的东西。比较容易想到的话题是食物浪费、用餐卫生、餐桌礼仪等。在创作范文中，笔者另辟蹊径，通过大多数同龄人用餐时的匆忙来村托“我”的悠然自得，凸显出在紧张的高中学生生涯中，作者能够留有一片心灵净土，通过饮食来调节情绪，更好地面对挑战，表现出乐观的人生态度。此文结构简单，文笔清新，语言精准，并运用了高中阶段常见的语法结构，不失为一个很好的作文模板，供学生借鉴。

The instant the bell indicating the end of the last class rang, out of the classroom poured all students but one.

Unlike my peers, I was in no hurry to make a run for the school canteen, to rush through lunch and to return to the classroom for homework. I arrived at the canteen when a massive queue had formed. Waiting for my turn patiently, I smelled the aroma of the appetizing food. Greasy as some dishes might be, the wide range of food prepared by the school was superior in nutritional value to that found elsewhere.

The typical schedule of a high-schooler is extraordinarily hectic and thus lunch break is a rare time when overworked students can wind down and enjoy the pleasure provided by the flavorful food. I make it a point to pamper my taste buds by savoring every little bit of taste in food. What I usually like to do over lunch is have a mindless conversation with a couple of students who have also learnt to smell the roses along the bone-breaking journey through high school. We rounded off our lunch with a dessert, refreshed and satisfied.

Come to think of it, it is not the food but my attitude towards life that affords me pleasure and empowers me in facing up to various challenges.