七、短文填空（10分）
Each autumn, the ginkgo (银杏) trees stand out. Their fan-shaped leaves are bright golden yellow. 1. (like) other trees that fall off leaves little by little, ginkgo trees drop their leaves all at once, sometimes within a few hours! The ginkgo is among the oldest trees. Therefore, it is also 2. (consider) a living fossil (化石). Do you know that ginkgoes are either male (雄) 3. female (雌)? We can usually tell by 4. (check) if the tree produces seeds. If the tree grows yellow seeds in autumn, it is female; if it never grows any seeds, it is most likely male.
People have 5. (admire) the ginkgo's special value for thousands of years. For example, people discovered the 6. (hide) medical value of ginkgo leaves over 1,000 years ago. In some areas, parts of the fruits are eaten. In China, people are used to 7. (use) the leaves as bookmarks. Some artists choose ginkgo wood to create artworks.
In our country, ginkgoes are also a symbol of long life. In Guizhou, there is a 5,000-year-old male ginkgo. It was once hit by lightning. 8. , it still grows well. Each autumn, people travel from all over the country to watch its 9. (attract) golden leaves rain down. It tells us that life can stay powerful and get 10. fresh start after hard times.

八、完成句子（10分）
1. 虽然他辍学了，但他从未放弃学习。
Although he , he never gave up studying.
2. 我的父母对我的进步非常满意，并时常鼓励我。
My parents my progress and they encourage me a lot.
3. 无论你想说什么，我心意已决。
No matter what you want to say, I .
4. 渐渐地，她的勇气占了上风，她决定再试一下。
Slowly, her courage and she decided to have another try.
5. 真是遗憾，只有少数学生报名我们协会。
that only a few students signed up for our club.

九、书面表达（20分）
假设你校英文报正举办主题为“A Lesson from Nature”的征文比赛。请选取一种动植物或一处自然景色进行描写并抒发自身感悟，依据下面的提示完成一篇 100 词左右的英语短文。
A Lesson from Nature