安徽省安庆市五校联盟2015届高三英语下学期3月联考试题.doc

安徽省安庆市五校联盟2015届高三英语下学期3月联考试题 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，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. How much did the food and drinks cost?‎ A. $30. B. $20. C. $10.‎ ‎2. What does the man probably think of the woman?‎ A. She is careless. B. She is a good student. C. She is old-fashioned.‎ ‎3. Where does the conversation probably take place?‎ A. In a supermarket. B. In a restaurant. C. In a cafeteria.‎ ‎4. Who is the man talking to?‎ A. His sister. B. Maria. C. Sofia.‎ ‎5. What does the man need a suit for?‎ A. A dance party. B. A job interview. C. A business trip.‎ 第二节（共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）‎ 听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题。从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。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至7题。‎ ‎6. What do we know about the writer?‎ A. He was an assistant years ago. B. He was born disabled. C. He is a child.‎ ‎7. How does the man feel about the writer?‎ A. Impressed. B. Suspected. C. Delighted.‎ 听第7段材料，回答第8至9题。‎ ‎8. What is the problem for the woman?‎ A. She failed an important test.‎ B. She needs to learn more English.‎ C. She can’t understand her subjects at all.‎ ‎9. What does the man say at the end of the conversation?‎ A. The woman should quit trying.‎ B. The woman is doing a good job.‎ C. The woman is paying too much for her lessons.‎ 听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。‎ ‎10. How did the man get the car probably?‎ A. He bought it from another person. B. He made it by himself. C. He bought it from a car store.‎ ‎11. What does the price of the car include?‎ A. A one-month service agreement. B. Free service for one year. C. All fees but no taxes.‎ ‎12. What will the man probably do next?‎ A. Test out the car by himself. B. Get the car keys for the woman. C. Get the money ready to pay.‎ 听第9段材料，回答第13至16题。‎ ‎13. Where does the conversation probably take place?‎ A. In a small classroom. B. In a large lecture hall. C. In a professor’s office.‎ ‎14. What is no longer part of the course?‎ A. Weekly tests. B. Monthly reports. C. The midterm exam.‎ 12‎ ‎15. What should be discussed with the woman in advance?‎ A. Where to do the research. B. Certain paper topics. C. Films used as sources.‎ ‎16. What is true about the term papers?‎ A. They are due in four months. B. They must be at least ten pages. C. They can focus on any period in history.‎ 听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。‎ ‎17. What does Jabbar look like?‎ A. He is tall. B. He is thin. C. He is heavy.‎ ‎18. How fast can Jabbar run?‎ A. About 35 miles per hour. B. About 40 miles per hour. C. About 50 miles per hour.‎ ‎19. What can we infer about Jabbar?‎ A. He is usually outgoing. B. He can eat too much. C. He comes from New York.‎ ‎20. Who might the speaker be?‎ A. An animal keeper. B. A tourist. C. A host. ‎ 第二部分：词汇知识运用（共两节，满分45分）‎ 第一节：单项选择（共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）‎ 从所给各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。‎ ‎21. — My daughter is a volunteer and often helps the disabled. ‎ ‎ — ______ . They’re really something. ‎ A. So are they B. So is my son C. So do they D. So it is with my son ‎22. — ______ it snow tomorrow, what would we do?‎ ‎ — In that case, we’ll have to stay at home. ‎ ‎ A. Will B. Should C. Might D. Can ‎23. I believe the world is ______ you think it is. So smile at the world and it will smile back. ‎ ‎ A. what B. how C. that D. which ‎24. — What do you do as a volunteer in Africa?‎ ‎ — ______ ! There are many poor people there, who need a lot of help.‎ ‎ A. Little B. Everything C. None D. Something ‎ ‎25. There are 12 fantastic lamps hanging ______ the ceiling in the restaurant.‎ A. on B. around C. in D. from ‎26. People would like to listen to officials talk ______ , for no one likes an endless and empty talk. ‎ ‎ A. seriously B. fluently C. plainly D. frequently ‎27. — I was very angry with Kelvin yesterday. ‎ ‎— I know your feelings, but if you forgive him, you ______ a bigger man.‎ ‎ A. will be B. have been C. would be D. were ‎28. Sorry to have kept you waiting so long, but it’ll still be some time ______ Mr. Smith is available. ‎ ‎ A. when B. before C. after D. since ‎29. Ning Zetao, who won four golds at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, ______ himself as a new swim star. ‎ A. considered B. developed C. distinguished D. represented ‎30. There are more than 740 million Chinese ______ to second-hand smoking in public places now. ‎ A. are being exposed B. to expose C. having been exposed D. exposed ‎31. Making a speech in front of a crowd of people is not his strength but he ______ it with his heart and efforts．‎ A. takes advantage of B. makes up for D. 1ives up to C. gets hold of ‎32. China marked its first Constitution Day on December 4, 2014 ______ making the Constitution part of 12‎ ‎ Chinese people’s daily life. ‎ A. in the hope of B. in the form of C. in honor of D. in terms of ‎33. So touching ______ that I couldn’t hold my tears back when I heard it for the first time.‎ A. the song had sounded B. had the song sounded C. the song sounded D. did the song sound ‎34. ______ around the clock for two days，David managed to finish the report for the manager on schedule. ‎ A. Working B. Worked C. Having worked D. To work ‎35. — Wow，you won first in the stow-telling competition. Fantastic!‎ ‎— ______ !‎ A. Give me five B. Congratulations C. That’s all right D. Forget it 第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）‎ 阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。‎ People in the US thought Ebola was only a disease, accompanied with fever and found in Africa at the beginning. 36 then a man from west Africa died from Ebola at a hospital in Dallas‎, ‎Texas. And two nurses 37 for him became infected(感染) with the virus, which made the US government publish new guidelines to 38 health workers．‎ Top American 39 have repeatedly said that most people have little chance of being infected．Experts have 40 that Ebola can only be spread through infected person’s body fluids — like blood．But it 41 many Americans are 42 what they have heard．‎ A recent survey found more than 80 percent of Americans believe that Ebola can be spread in many 43 , including air forced through the nose or mouth. The Harvard School of Public Health 44 the findings. The study also showed that most adults fear there will be a(n) 45 of Ebola in the United States soon.‎ ‎ 46 survey found that more than 70 percent of Americans would support calls to 47 travel to and from Ebola-affected parts of Africa.‎ Thomas Frieden heads the U.S．Centers for Disease Control and Prevention．When asked whether 48 officials had considered a travel ban, Mr．Frieden had 49 to say：“We won’t be able to check travelers for 50 when they leave or when they arrive. We won’t be able, as we do 51 , to take a detailed history to see if they were 52 when they arrive. When they 53 , we wouldn’t be able to impose quarantine（强加隔离）as we now can if they have high-risk touch.”‎ ‎ Last week, President Barack Obama urged Americans not to 55 what he called “ panic or fear ”.‎ This week，the administration announced that all travelers reaching the United States from some African nations are 55 to pass through one of five airports.‎ ‎36. A. Just B. Yet C. So D. Even ‎37. A. arranging B. caring C. searching D. standing ‎38. A. treat B. attend C. inspect D. protect ‎39. A. officials B. officers C. physicists D. doctors ‎40. A. stated B. suggested C. considered D. regretted ‎41. A. proves B. happens C. says D. appears ‎42. A. studying B. discussing C. questioning D. determining ‎43. A. means B. areas C. organs D. countries ‎44. A. announced B. received C. admitted D. rejected ‎45. A. increase B. income C. decrease D. outbreak ‎46. A. The other B. Another C. The same D. One ‎47. A. forbid B. expect C. require D. allow ‎48. A. foreign B. royal C. African D. federal 12‎ ‎49. A. that B. this C. nothing D. those ‎50. A. change B. money C. fever D. crime ‎51. A. immediately B. previously C. presently D. regularly ‎52. A. examined B. searched C. explored D. exposed ‎53. A. leave B. arrive C. live D. stay ‎54. A. look forward to B. pay attention to C. give in to D. add up to ‎55. A．persuaded B．required C. advised D. guided 第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）‎ 阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。‎ A ‎56. Why is the sitcom Friends typical among young people in the 1990s?‎ ‎ A. Because it is a breakthrough in the producing style. ‎ ‎ B. Because it is the most influential sitcom of all time. ‎ ‎ C. Because it predicts the future of the young at that time. ‎ D. Because it addresses the subjects faced by the youth. ‎ ‎57. What can we learn about The Big Bang Theory?‎ ‎ A. It improves the conditions of the people in IT. ‎ ‎ B. It arouses people’s enthusiasm for computers. ‎ ‎ C. It is about four talents who are good at everything. ‎ ‎ D. It is set in the time before the Internet came into being. ‎ ‎58. According to the passage, Gossip Girl .‎ A. describes the hardships of upper-class people B. attracts people of all ages C. shows eye-catching style and adult subject D. describes the life of ordinary girls ‎ ‎59. What will the author most probably talk about next?‎ A. The introduction to other hit sitcoms. B. The further information about the plot.‎ C. The analysis of the reasons for the appeal. D. The emotional response among audience.‎ B Three Japanese tourists taking a holiday in Australia got stuck when their GPS told them they could drive from the mainland to an island, failing to mention the 15 kilometres of water and mud in between.‎ As they drove their hired car from Moreton Bay to nearby North‎ Stradbroke ‎Island, they started to notice the firm ‎ 12‎ surface they were driving on giving way to the well-known bay mud. However, being confident that their GPS would direct them to a road soon, they decided to drive on, managing to travel around 500 metres before their car was up to its tires in mud. To make matters worse, the tide(潮汐) started to come in and soon forced them to seek help and abandon the vehicle. Just four hours later the car was trapped in two metres of water — to the great amusement of onlookers on the shore and passengers on passing boats and ferries.‎ Yuzu Noda, 21, said she was listening to the GPS and “it told us we could drive down there. It kept saying it would navigate(导航) us to a road. But we got stuck…there’s lots of mud.” She and her travel companions Tomonari Saeki, 22, and Keita Osada, 21, instead had to give up their plans for a day trip to the island and headed back to the Gold Coast of a lift from the RACQ tow truck(吊车) driver who was called to the trapped car. No such luck for the hired car though – after assessing the situation, no attempt was made to recover it. The students from Tokyo, who are due to return home tomorrow, said the experience would not put them off returning to Australia for another visit. Mr. Tomonari said, “It has rained every day on our six day holiday. Hopefully next time we come back it will be sunny.” ‎ The car was covered by insurance, but the tourists will have to pay up to about $‎1500 in extra charges.‎ ‎60. The three Japanese tourists got stuck because .‎ A. there was no way to the island B. their GPS was broken during their journey C. their GPS had given the wrong information D. their car was not made in ‎Japan ‎61. They didn’t abandon their car until .‎ A. some onlookers went to save them B. they got stuck in the mud C. there came the tide D. they managed to travel around 500 metres ‎62. How did these Japanese students get back?‎ A. They had to walk back to their living place. B. They had to take a lift from the tow truck driver.‎ C. They had to repair their GPS and drove back. D. They had to turn to passengers on boats and ferries.‎ ‎63. According to the passage, which of the following is true?‎ A. The passengers saved these students in the end. B. Mr. Tomonari got very down after the journey.‎ C. No money has to be paid thanks to insurance. D. The car was left where it was trapped.‎ C Music died here last spring, or rather, it was killed by members of the school committee who ignored the importance of music as part of the high-school curriculum.‎ The committee decided that teaching students how to take a test is more important than a curriculum in which students can explore their interests in the arts as well as academics. Because the school system is running out of funding(资金), it needs to make sure that students pass the test or even more money will be lost. If students fail the state test，it is not the fault of music classes — they are failing because the “academic” classes are not adequate.‎ It is painful to think of how many students will be discouraged from singing, acting, and playing instruments because school programs are no longer offered. Many families cannot afford private music lessons, and many potential musicians may not find their calling if they are not exposed to it in school. The fact that the school committee thinks the arts are not worth the investment(投资) will certainly make some students believe the arts are not worth their time or support and the cycle will continue.‎ Teaching for a test does not shape students into complete, well-rounded people. It blocks the natural sense to create and express feelings through art — there is more to life than the analytical(善于分析的) thinking that math and English provide. What happens after a test? Sure, a student might graduate, but they will have limited knowledge — certainly not a good preparation for the real world.‎ ‎64. Music is not included in the high school curriculum mainly because .‎ A. the school committee pays no attention to it B. the students are not interested in it C. the school is afraid of losing financial support D. the state test is more important 12‎ ‎65. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?‎ A. The number of the classes determines students’ performance in the test.‎ B. The school committee completely influences students’ attitude towards art.‎ C. Students can be musicians only if they can afford private music lessons.‎ D. Quite a few students are discouraged from learning music at school.‎ ‎66. We can learn that music and art can .‎ A. make students round-shaped people in future B. motivate students in creativity and expression C. provide students with analytical thinking D. prevent students graduation from high school ‎67. The best title of the passage can be .‎ A. Who on earth killed music? B. Can curriculum go without music?‎ C. Can we ignore the importance of music? D. How to prepare for the real world?‎ D Stop wasting your time thinking of reasons for your failures.  Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow. ‎ The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome machine ever created: the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice. ‎ You cannot be successful without first developing your self-confidence. Your level of self-confidence is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-confidence are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are always victims. They are leaves tossed (摇摆) by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather. ‎ You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe you are responsible for everything that happens in your life.  Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.‎ Everything happens as a result of something.  If we can identify(确定) the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence. ‎ In all areas of your life, whether they are financial, physical, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it. You are on the road to success.  ‎ ‎68. People with low self-confidence are compared to leaves because they .‎ A. don’t have the power to face their lives B. are ready to change their minds ‎ C. can’t exercise control over themselves D. are easily affected by windy weather ‎69. Losers would think that .‎ A. they fail only because of bad luck B. they don’t make efforts to succeed C. success is the result of hard work D. working hard will lead to success ‎70. It can be inferred from the fifth paragraph that .‎ A. what we believe in is the result of creative mind B. whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes ‎ C. setting our expectations is vital before taking action D. knowing cause and effect is the key to future success ‎71. The last paragraph serves as .‎ A. an introduction to another topic B. a comparison between two views C. the proof of the author’s points D. the conclusion of the argument E 12‎ Alibaba started taking the lead in China by connecting big Chinese manufacturers(制造商) with big buyers across the world. Its business-to-business site, Alibaba.com allowed business to buy almost everything. Alibaba’s advantage wasn’t hard to judge: size. Alibaba is just big, even by Chinese standards. Its market attracts 231 million active buyers, 8 million sellers, 11.3 billion orders a year — and Alibaba is just the middleman. It encourages people to use its markets — not charging small sellers a percentage of the sale.‎ ‎ If you want a quick look into the influence of Alibaba on daily Chinese life, take my experience. I moved to Beijing a year ago and quickly got tired of visiting small stores across the crowded, polluted city of 20 million people in search of new electronics, bathroom furnishings, and anything else my wife wanted. “You’re looking for what exactly? Why not try it? ” my Chinese teacher asked me one day. With that, my wonderful new relationship with Alibaba began.‎ ‎ Alibaba’s original business-to-business model now is second to consumer buying. Chinese retail(零售) buying makes up 80% of Alibaba’s profit, and leading that group is Taobao, with 800 million items(物品) for sale and the most unbelievable selection of things you’ll ever find. TMall.com is Alibaba’s other big site, where you can find brand name goods from Nike and Unilever near the lowest prices.‎ ‎ What I have a hard time explaining to friends and family back in the U.S.‎ is how China has gone beyond traditional shopping — big-box retailers especially —in favor of online purchases on Taobao and a few other sites. In smaller towns than Beijing, where big retailers have not yet traveled, shopping online is shopping, and shopping is Taobao.‎ ‎ I have a list of some of my recent purchases on Taobao for a sense of how wide the marketplace is. Almost everything arrived a day or two after ordering with free shipping. I’m not even a big buyer, because I need friends to help me search the Chinese-language site. When I was searching my purchase history on my Chinese teacher’s iPad, which helps me buy goods, I looked through with great difficulty about 10 of her purchases for every one of mine.‎ ‎72. Alibaba’s advantage mainly lies in .‎ A. its business-to-business service B. its big size ‎ C. its not charging small sellers D. its low price ‎73. What can we learn from the underlined sentence in the passage?‎ ‎ A. Alibaba is of middle size among all the online sites.‎ ‎ B. Alibaba will continue to develop.‎ C. Alibaba acts as a bridge between the buyers and sellers.‎ D. Alibaba stands out as the best online site.‎ ‎74. What can be inferred from the passage?‎ A. Alibaba’s business-to-business service earns more money than retail. ‎ B. Taobao has no obvious advantage over other similar online sites.‎ C. TMall.com provides more profit than Taobao.‎ D. The author’s Chinese teacher is also an online purchase lover.‎ 第四部分 写作（共两节，满分35分）‎ 第一节：任务型读写（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）‎ 阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填一个单词。‎ New discoveries suggest that trade between Europe and Asia along the Silk Road probably began many centuries 12‎ ‎ earlier than once thought. The findings add a fascinating new page to the epic(史诗) of the Silk Road, which spread far and wide in no time.‎ The latest and most surprising discovery is pieces of silk found in the hair of an Egyptian mummy(木乃伊) from about l,000 BC, long before regular traffic on the Silk Road and at least one thousand years before silk was previously thought to be used in Egypt. Other researches may extend human activity along this road back even further, perhaps a million years to the moving of human ancestors into eastern Asia.‎ The official origin of East-West trade along the road is usually placed in the late 2nd century BC when an agent of the Chinese Emperor Wu-di returned from a dangerous secret task across the desert into the remote high country of Central Asia. The agent, Zhang Qian, traveled as far as Afghanistan and brought back knowledge of even more distant lands such as Persia, Syria and a place known as Lijien, perhaps Rome. Historians(历史学家) have called this one of the most important journeys in ancient times. His journey opened the way for what have been thought to be the first indirect touches between the ancient world’s two super-powers, China and Rome. Chinese silk, first traded to Central Asia for war horses, was soon finding its way to the markets of Rome through a network of businessmen.‎ But the new discoveries show that Chinese silk apparently existed in the West long before the Han emperor started to organize trade over the Silk Road. The research could change thinking about the early history of world trade and provide comprehension into the mystery(谜) of just how and when Europe first realized the glorious culture at the other end of Eurasia.‎ Title: New Discovery of the ‎Silk Road Introduction New findings about the 76. ________ of trade along the Silk Road are spread far and wide in no time.‎ Discovery ‎☆ The silk thread found in the hair of an Egyptian mummy from about 1,000 BC makes all feel greatly 77. ________ .‎ ‎☆ The discovery suggests the trade along the Silk Road may 78. ________ back to an earlier time than once thought.‎ Zhang Qian’s 79. ________‎ ‎☆ Being accepted as official 80. ________ of East-West commerce along the Silk Road.‎ ‎☆ Opening the way for the first 81. ________ touches between the ancient China and Rome.‎ ‎☆ 82. ________ Chinese silk to Central Asia and Persia.‎ ‎☆ Making Chinese silk 83. ________ the markets of Rome.‎ Summary ‎☆ Show the 84. ________ of Chinese silk in the West long before the Han Dynasty.‎ ‎☆ Change thinking about the early history of word trade.‎ ‎☆ Help to solve the puzzle of Europeans’ first realizing 85. ________ culture.‎ 第二节：书面表达（满分25分）‎ 感恩，是我们生活中永恒的话题。假设你校正在举行一场有关“感恩”的演讲比赛，请你在“父母、老师、朋友” 中选择一个感恩对象，写一篇英语演讲稿参加比赛。‎ 内容要点如下：‎ ‎1. 为何感恩；‎ ‎2. 如何感恩。‎ 12‎ 注意：‎ ‎1．词数120左右；‎ ‎2．演讲稿中不能出现与本人相关的信息；‎ ‎3．演讲稿的开头与结尾已为你拟好，不计入总词数。‎ Good afternoon, everyone! it’s a great honor to have the opportunity to be with you today. The topic of my speech is “Thank you, …” ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Thank you for listening.‎ 12‎ 请在各题目的答题区域内作答，超出矩形边框的答案无效 ‎1-5 BCACB 6-10 BABBA 11-15 ABBAC 16-20 ACABC ‎21-25DBABD 26-30CABCD 31-35BADCA ‎36-40BBDDA 41-45DCAAD 46-50BADBC 51-55CDBCB ‎56-60DACCC 61-65CBDCD 66-70BBCAB 71-75DBCDB ‎76.start/beginning 77.surprised 78.date/go 79.task/mission 80.origin 81.indirect 82.Trading 83.enter/reach 84.existence 85.Chinese 录音材料 Text 1‎ M: Hey, Can you give me the thirty Dollars you owe me form the game last week？‎ W: Thirty? I thought it was twenty.‎ M: No. Your share of the food and drinks was twenty, but the ticket was ten.‎ Text 2‎ M: Aw, man! My pencil broke again! And I forgot to bring another one.‎ W: You’re the only person I know who still uses pencils to take notes in class. Everyone else uses either a pen or a computer.‎ Text 3 ‎ M: Excuse me. I think you made a mistake there. These tomatoes are 79 cents a pound, not $‎1.79 a pound.‎ W: Oh, you’re right. I’m so sorry about that! Let me take that off and put in the correct amount for you… All right, your total is $8.95.‎ M: Here’s a ten.‎ Text 4‎ W: Hello?‎ M: Hi, is this Maria?‎ W: No, this is her sister Sofia. Maria isn’t here right now. Can I take a message?‎ M: Sure. Can you tell her to call Jeff when she gets back? I have a question for her about the homework.‎ Text 5 ‎ M: Which suit do you like best?‎ W: Well, to be honest, the brown one is not really appropriate, in my opinion. You are going to a job interview, not a 70s dance party. You should go with something classic, like black or grey.‎ Text 6‎ 12‎ W: What are you reading?‎ M: It is a book written by a guy who was born without arms or legs.‎ W: What? So, how does he get around?‎ M: He can actually walk pretty well, but he can’t move that fast. He also had an assistant who helps him. He actually quite successful.‎ W: He must have worked pretty hard.‎ M: Yeah. He travels around the world and gives speeches to young people. He’s changed many people’s lives. Even when nothing seemed possible, he stayed positive and put in even more effort.‎ W: That’s such an important lesson, especially for young people. We should take Jesse to listen to his speech.‎ Text 7‎ M: Hey, Maria!‎ W: Hi, Mark.‎ M: I heard you’re taking private English lessons. Why would you decide to do that? I thought you already learned enough English in school.‎ W: Well, ever since I moved here from Mexico a year ago, I just haven’t been able to catch up in classes as much as I wanted. I can understand the subjects, but many of the words are too hard. Sometimes, I’m completely lost in class when the teacher explains something new. I talked to my parents about it, and they offered to pay for an after-school English course.‎ M: I’ve noticed that you can speak English much better now. Congratulations!‎ W: Thanks! I’m glad you can tell. I’ve been working really hard. There’s a lot of similarity between English and Spanish, but all the rules in English are much more complicated to me. So, I just study a lot.‎ M: Well, all that studying is paying off—That’s for sure!‎ Text 8 ‎ M: So, as you can see, she’s a beauty. One previous owner kept it in the garage the whole time, and only drove it on the weekends…‎ W: That’s why it only has about 25,000 miles on it, even though it’s ten years old.‎ M: Exactly. The owner also kept all the service records. So you can tell it’s been taken care of.‎ W: Does this car come with a service contract?‎ M: All our cars come with a 30-day agreement, so you won’t pay for anything within the first month. But since this car is used, we can’t offer anything beyond that.‎ W: I see. The price of almost $15,000 seems a little high. Is there any way we can bring that down? M: This car is in very good condition, madam. And based on our research of similar cars being ‎ sold in the area, we believe it’s a fair price. All taxes and fees are included as well.‎ W: Ok. Can I take it for a test drive?‎ M: Absolutely! Let me just get the keys…‎ Text 9‎ W: All right, everyone. Please pay attention. Can everyone hear me in the back?‎ M: Yes!‎ W: Good. Today, we’re going to talk about your term papers. ‎ M: I thought we only had some weekly tests, a midterm, and a final for this class.‎ W: I have decided to take out the weekly tests and add a term paper instead. I think this will give you all a better opportunity to show what you have learned.‎ M: How long should the paper be?‎ W: All papers should be at least five pages long, but no more than ten pages long. ‎ M: How should we decide what to write about?‎ W: You can focus on any period form the 18th to the 19th century. You can basically write about anything you 12‎ ‎ want, but you must choose an idea, present an argument, and support it with research. That means you will need to find at least eight sources from the library or online.‎ M: What kinds of sources are acceptable?‎ W: Books and articles in newspapers, journalists, or magazines are going to be your best sources of information. Films and interviews might also be okay, but you should discuss these with me in advance.‎ M: When are the papers due?‎ W: All papers will be due on January 22. That gives you four months to finish them. However, we will have meetings every month where you will need to have completed certain parts of the paper. ‎ Text 10 ‎ Tonight, we have a special guest. Now, you’ve heard me say that a lot on this show, but our next guest really is special. He’s come here in Los Angeles from India, and he’ll be heading out to New York in the morning, so we’re lucky to have him in the studio tonight.‎ ‎ Jabbar is pretty short—only about three and a half feet tall—but he’s really heavy for his height. How much does he weigh? Only about 600 pounds! But don’t call him fat. Otherwise, you might find yourself running for cover! Not a good idea, by the way… Jabbar can run about 35 miles per hour. And what would happen if you and Jabbar sat down to dinner? Let’s just say it would be better if Jabbar were paying the bill. This guy sure can eat! People who are professional eaters can eat around 8 pounds of food in one sitting, but Jabbar can manage about 50 pounds in one meal! Now, you must be thinking he is some kind of monster, but Jabbar actually prefers to stay by himself and not to bother anyone else. He is usually quite shy, but hopefully, he’ll be a little more outgoing tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for our friend in the orange suit with black stripes, Jabbar!‎ 12‎