| 1. 难度：困难 | |
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Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank. Mako sharks get new protections At the global wildlife trade meeting in Geneva, countries have decided to protect the endangered mako shark from trade. GENEVA made the proposal 1. more protections should be taken for both shortfin and longfin mako sharks and was adopted today after a 102-40 vote at the global wildlife trade summit. The vote still needs to be finalized at the full meeting at the end, when all appendix (附录) change proposals passed in committee are officially adopted. The proposal, debated at this year’s CITES Conference, lists mako sharks under Appendix II, meaning that they can’t be traded 2. it can be shown that fishing wouldn’t threaten their chances for survival. Conservationists say this was the world’s last chance to prevent mako shark populations from collapsing. 3. (list) mako sharks on CITES Appendix II is great news for shark conservation. More than 50 of the 183 CITES members signed on as supporters of the proposal brought forth by Mexico. Nonetheless, conservationists feared that opposition from a few countries with fairly large mako fishing industries—primarily the United States, Canada, and Japan—4. tip the scale. Japan opposed the measure during the debates, and the United States announced afterward it 5. (vote) no. In the past, the U.S. and others have supported listing other shark species under CITES, but not so in this case, 6. commercial interests. For a lot of these countries, they were happy to list shark species when it was ones they weren’t so heavily involved in fishing. Suddenly, when they’re being asked to be responsible, rather than asking other people to be responsible, they’re 7. (little) keen to take it on board. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which determines the conservation status of species claims that both species of mako sharks to be endangered, saying an 8. (estimate) 50 to 79 percent population decline over three generations, or about 75 years. They 9. (target) for their fins (鳍), used in shark fin soup—a dish in Asian countries, that’s often served at weddings as a sign of respect for guests. Their meat is more edible compared to 10. of other sharks, which is often acidic and is usually sold as a byproduct of the fin trade for “pennies on the dollar”.
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| 2. 难度：困难 | |
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Stories about the problems of tourism have been numerous in the last few years. Yet it does not have to be a problem. Although tourism inevitably affects the region in which it takes place, the costs to these fragile (脆弱的) environments and their local cultures can be ______. Indeed, as has happened with some Alpine villages，it can even be a(n) ______ for refreshing local cultures. And a growing number of adventure tourism ______ are trying to ensure that their activities benefit the local population and environment over the long term. In the Swiss Alps, communities have decided that their future depends on combining tourism more effectively with the local ______. Local concern about the rising number of second home developments in the Swiss Pays-d’Enhaut resulted in ______ being imposed on their growth. There has also been a new interest in cheese production in the area, providing the locals with a ______ source of income that does not depend on outside visitors. Many of the Arctic tourist destinations have been exploited by ______ companies, who employ temporary workers and send most of the profits back to their home base. But some Arctic communities are now operating tour businesses themselves, thereby ensuring that the benefits increase ______. For instance, a native corporation in Alaska, employing local people, is running an air tour from Anchorage to Kotzebue, where tourists eat Arctic food, walk on the lands and watch local musicians and dancers. Native people in the desert regions of the American Southwest have followed ______ strategies, encouraging tourists to visit their towns and reservations to ______ high-quality handicrafts and artwork. Some have established highly profitable stoneware businesses, while the Navajo and Hopi groups have been similarly ______ with jewelry. Too many people living in fragile environments have lost control over their economies, their culture and their environment when tourism has spread through their homelands. Merely restricting tourism cannot be the ______ to the imbalance because people’s desire to see new places will not just disappear. ______, communities in fragile environments must achieve greater control over tourism ventures in their regions, in order to ______ their needs and desires with the demands of tourism. A growing number of communities are ______ that, with firm combined decision-making, this is possible. The critical question now is whether this can become the normal status, rather than the exception. 1.A.promoted B.minimized C.inherited D.deleted 2.A.vehicle B.responsibility C.example D.entrance 3.A.operators B.professors C.mayors D.journalists 4.A.committee B.culture C.scenery D.economy 5.A.views B.burdens C.limits D.qualifications 6.A.costly B.critical C.reliable D.sensible 7.A.responsible B.native C.thoughtful D.outside 8.A.locally B.extensively C.virtually D.typically 9.A.positive B.personalized C.similar D.primary 10.A.estimate B.collect C.appreciate D.purchase 11.A.relevant B.successful C.combined D.impressed 12.A.desire B.solution C.appeal D.priority 13.A.Instead B.Moreover C.However D.Besides 14.A.balance B.meet C.require D.recognize 15.A.complaining B.mentioning C.demonstrating D.protesting
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| 3. 难度：困难 | |
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McCoy was looking for a safe place to do drugs when something clearly out of place caught his eye: a luxurious brown leather handbag. McCoy, 36, could relate all too well. One of his few possessions, the sleeping bag he used in an abandoned house, had recently been stolen. Remembering how angered he’d been by his own loss, he resolved to return the purse to its owner. He began right away, starting with the address on the bill found in the handbag. After traveling much of the day and finally approaching the address on the bill, he was stopped by a woman, who asked whether she could buy the purse. McCoy refused, saying he was searching for its owner. “But I am the owner,” the woman said. “That’s my purse.” A month earlier, Kaitlyn Smith, 29, a sales representative for a medical device company, had woken up to find her apartment broken into and her purse stolen. Now she came across a tall, messy-looking man holding it tightly. She could instantly tell he wasn’t in good shape. At Smith’s urging, McCoy told her his story. He’d been in charge of a landscaping business until 2012, when a car accident left him addicted to drugs. Smith, amazed this stranger had gone to such great lengths to return her bag, asked whether there was anything she could do to help. “I’m a drug addict,” McCoy warned. “I don’t want to intrude on your life; I’m probably gonna let you down.” Unafraid, Smith gave him her phone number, saying, “If you want to go to rehab (戒毒所), call me.” She then drove him back to his neighborhood and left, thinking that would be the end of it. Two days later, she got a call. Smith realized that McCoy was serious about getting better, so she dug into her savings account and bought McCoy a plane ticket to Florida. While there, he would call her to let her know how he was doing. “We were getting to know each other,” Smith says. “His scared, desperate voice turned into a healthy, lively one.” After 28 days at a rehab program at Johns Hopkins Hospital, McCoy is drug-free. He lives at a residential recovery center in Baltimore, and a GoFundMe page set up by Smith has covered his rent, groceries, and incidentals. His life is back on track, all because one crime victim could understand another’s loss. 1.What drove McCoy to look for the owner of the handbag? A.The urge to find a business partner. B.The resolution to recover his sleeping bag. C.His own unfortunate experience. D.His anger over the poor living condition. 2.What was McCoy’s initial reaction towards Smith’s intention to help? A.Enthusiasm. B.Resistance. C.Hostility. D.Gratitude. 3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A.McCoy was a victim of an identity theft. B.Smith offered McCoy a ride home at his request. C.McCoy looked unhealthy when he bumped into Smith. D.Smith covered McCoy’s living expense in the recovery centre. 4.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage? A.Drug-abuse Can Heal. B.Lost and Found. C.Mutual Communication Matters. D.Good Deeds Repaid.
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| 4. 难度：中等 | |
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Growing Green Thumbs Callie’s Kids by Calloway Nursery Denton, 940/591-8865; Flower Mound, 972/691-2650; Lewisville, 972/315-3133. www.mytexasgarden.com LEARN: Kids ages 5-12 can explore and plant in the Calloway gardens with a parent/caregiver’s supervision at 9:30 am on the first or third Wednesdays from June to August. A garden expert will share tips and advice for the best gardening practices during the 45-minute session (beginning on June 2). Preregistration online is required. COST: Free Denton Children’s Community Garden 2200 Bowling Green Ave., Denton, 940/349-2883. www.dcmga.com LEARN: Join the weekend work at the community garden, where caregivers, parents and master gardeners help children of all ages plant new vegetables, water the plants, harvest from the gardens and more. The instructors also lead games about nutrition, good and bad insects and more. 10 am-5 pm on Saturdays. COST: Free Coppell Community Gardens 255 Parkway Blvd., Coppell. www.copp11communitygarden.org LEARN: Kids of all ages (with a parent/caregiver) can volunteer at either the Helping Hands Garden (255 Parkway Blvd.) or Ground Delivery Garden (450 S. Denton Tap Road). Children will have the opportunity to till (耕) the ground, plant vegetables, harvest from the garden and more. Master gardeners are available on site; all harvested foods are either sold at the community's farmers’ market or donated to the area food bank. Work begins every Saturday at about 9 am. COST: Free 1.If a child wants to plant in the Calloway gardens, he / she ______. A.needs to register online before hand B.should be present every Wednesday morning C.must be under supervision throughout the year D.can visit www.dcmga.com for more information 2.Which of the following can be learned from the passage? A.All the three gardens are based in Denton. B.Experts in Calloway Gardens are tipped for their instructions. C.Kids in Coppell Community Gardens may take harvests home. D.Activities in Denton Children’s Community Gardens are entertaining. 3.This piece of writing is most probably issued by ______. A.a food industry in bad need of funding B.a website promoting gardening facilities C.an institution offering learning programs D.an association publicizing botanical gardens
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| 5. 难度：困难 | |
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Though the spread of good reproduction (复制品) of works of art can be culturally valuable, museums continue to promote the special status of original work and highlight the authenticity (真实) of its exhibits. Unfortunately, this seems to place severe limitations on the kind of experience offered to visitors. One limitation is related to the way the museum presents its exhibits. Art museums are often called “treasure houses”. We are reminded of this even before we view a collection by the presence of security guards who keep us away from the exhibits. In addition, a major collection like that of London’s National Gallery is housed in numerous rooms, where a single piece of work is likely to be worth more than all the average visitor possesses. In a society that judges the personal status of the individual so much by their material worth, it is therefore difficult not to be impressed by one’s own relative “worthlessness” in such an environment. Furthermore, consideration of the “value” of the original work in its treasure house setting impresses upon the viewer that since these works were originally produced, they have been assigned a huge value in terms of money by some person or institution more powerful than themselves. Evidently, nothing the viewer thinks about the work is going to alter that value, and so today’s viewer is discouraged from trying to extend that spontaneous, immediate, self-reliant kind of interpretation which would originally have met the work. The visitor may then be struck by the strangeness of seeing such a variety of paintings, drawings and sculptures brought together in an environment for which they were not originally created. This “displacement effect” is further heightened by the huge volume of exhibits. In the case of a major collection, there are probably more works on display than we could realistically view in weeks or even months. This is particularly distressing because time seems to be a vital factor in the appreciation of all art forms. A fundamental difference between paintings and other art forms is that there is no prescribed time over which a painting is viewed. Operas, novels and poems are read in a prescribed time sequence, whereas a picture has no clear place at which to start viewing, or at which to finish. Thus art works themselves encourage us to view them superficially, without appreciating the richness of detail and labor that is involved. Consequently, the dominant critical approach becomes that of the art historian, a specialized academic approach devoted to “discovering the meaning” of art within the cultural context of its time. This is in harmony with the museum’s function, since the approach is dedicated to seeking out and conserving “authentic”, “original” readings of the exhibits. 1.The writer mentions London’s National Gallery to illustrate ______. A.the undesirable cost to a nation of maintaining a huge collection of art B.the conflict that may arise in society between financial and artistic values C.the negative effect a museum can have on visitors’ opinion of themselves D.the need to put individual well-being above large-scale artistic schemes 2.The writer says that today viewers may be unwilling to criticize a work because they ______. A.lack the knowledge needed B.fear it may have financial implications C.have no real concept of the work’s value D.feel their personal reaction is of no significance 3.The writer says that unlike other forms of art, the appreciation of a painting does not ______. A.involve direct contact with an audience B.require a specific location for performance C.need the involvement of other professionals D.call for a specific beginning or ending 4.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage? A.Original work: killer of artistic appreciation B.Original work: reduction to value of art works C.Original work: substitute for reproduction D.Original work: art historians’ bread and butter
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| 6. 难度：困难 | |
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Directions: Complete the following passage by using the sentences given below. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need. Vitamin D3 Improve Heart Function A daily dose of vitamin D3 improves heart function in people with heart failure, a five-year University of Leeds research project has found. Dr. Klaus Witte, from the School of Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, led the study. He said: “This is a significant breakthrough for patients. It is the first evidence that vitamin D3 can improve heart function of people with heart muscle weakness –known as heart failure.” 1. Vitamin D3 can be boosted by exposure to sunlight, but heart failure patients are often deficient in it even during the summer because older people make less vitamin D3 in response to sunlight than younger people. Vitamin D3 production in the skin is also reduced by sunscreen. The study, which was funded by the Medical Research Council, involved more than 160 patients from Leeds who were already being treated for their heart failure using proven treatments including beta — blockers, ACE-inhibitors and pacemakers. 2. Those patients who took vitamin D3 experienced an improvement in heart function which was not seen in those who took a placebo. 3. Heart specialists measure heart function by taking an ultrasound scan of the heart and measuring how much blood pumps from the heart with each heartbeat, known as ejection fraction. The ejection fraction of a healthy person is usually between 60% and 70%. In heart failure patients, the ejection fraction is often significantly impaired — in the patients enrolled into the study the average ejection fraction was 26%. In the 80 patients who took Vitamin D3, the heart’s pumping function improved from 26% to 34%. 4. This means that for some heart disease patients, taking vitamin D3 regularly may lessen the need for them to be fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a device which detects dangerous irregular heart rhythms and can shock the heart to restore a normal rhythm. A. Heart failure can by all means be cured by Vitamin D3. B. Changes in heart function were measured by ultrasound. C. In the others, who took placebo, there was no change in cardiac function. D. Participants were asked to take vitamin D3 or a placebo tablet for one year. E. Sunscreen will prevent people from absorbing more Vitamin D3 to a great extent. F. The finding could make a significant difference to the care of heart failure patients.
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| 7. 难度：困难 | |
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Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible. Social media and teens’ anxiety From cyber-bullying to cruel comments, social media can be a land mine for kids. Issues parents never worried about are now a risk for many teens. With kids’ digital well-being a concern, researchers are exploring potential links between social media and the rise in teen suicide rates, tech addiction, and loss of real-life social skills. Many parents are wondering: Is social media causing my kid to have anxiety? It’s a question that worried parents. Some research has observed a relationship between social media use and anxiety in kids, but it’s difficult to know if and when social media causes anxiety or whether kids who are anxious turn to social media as a way to seek support. How kids use social media matters, too. Social comparison and feedback-seeking behaviors have been associated with depressive symptoms, which often co-occur with anxiety. How can parents keep social media a positive for kids? 1. Seeing photos of a trip to the beach your friends didn’t invite you to can really be upsetting. If your kid is tired of digital drama, suggest they take a break from social media for a while. In fact, if they post a status update that they’re taking a break, their friends might be very accepting because they’ve had similar feelings. 2. People post stuff that makes their lives look perfect — not the homework struggles, or the fight they had with their dad. Remind kids that social media leaves the messy stuff out — and that everyone has ups and downs. 3. In a world where kids could spend their days lying around looking at Wechat, it’s doubly important for them to feel as though they’re cultivating their inner lives. Prompt them to balance social media with soul-nourishing activities such as hobbies, exercise, reading, and helping others. Otherwise, what are they going to show off about on social media?
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| 8. 难度：困难 | |
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Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets. 1.艺术节开幕式上学生的演出真是太棒了！（performance） 2.图书管理员提醒新生，杂志阅毕要放回原处。（where） 3.只有耐得住寂寞，并不断挑战自我，才能更好地为未来做准备。（Only） 4.做自我介绍时，不必面面俱到，而要突出你的与众不同之处。（distinguish）
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| 9. 难度：困难 | |
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Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese. 假设你是明启中学高三学生李青，将在主题为“我的家乡变美了”的班会上发言。请撰写一篇演讲稿，内容必须包括： ▪ 家乡变美了的具体表现； ▪ 你对家乡未来的畅想。 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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