The day for the great balloon competition finally arrived. Every insect in the garden had been hard, and now they were preparing to begin their routines. The balloon competitions were always something really special.
Each time, the flying insects were favourite to win, because they could seize the balloon strings and fly off in all directions, creating all sorts of in the air. , on this occasion there were some rather unusual insects taking part: a group of ants. Of course, expected that they could do anything special. They were so light that no ant had ever to take part, but it was quite impressive to see all the ants all organized and prepared.
So the competition began, and the insects took their turns, performing beautiful movements with the balloons. As always the butterflies left everyone with their twist and turns, and their wonderful colours. When it was time for the ants to perform, it seemed like the competition had already been decided.
For the time in living memory, the ants shared just one balloon between them, and one by one they climbed up the balloon string, a thin black thread of ants. When all the string was covered, the last ant climbed his teammates to reach the balloon. he got there, he climbed onto the top of the balloon.
This strange attracted everyone's curiosity, and they were just about to witness the most important : the ant opened his jaws as wide as he could. . . and then he made a violent movement at the balloon with all his strength!
The result was powerful! The balloon began blowing out its air, flying about, here and there, doing a thousand turns and spins, while the ants made all kinds of beautiful shapes out of the string.
Of course, that acrobatic(杂技般的) flight with quite a hard landing, but it didn't . The creativity and teamwork of the ant performance was so that the crowd didn't even have to vote for there to be a winner.
From then on, in that garden, everyone understood how much could be achieved by working . In the years to come, the balloon competitions were full of displays carried out by teams, and they put on some wonderful routines; something those individual insects could never have achieved on their own.
1.A. fighting B. training C. functioning D. living
2.A. speakers B. organizers C. candidates D. producers
3.A. patterns B. numbers C. drawings D. sounds
4.A. Besides B. Thus C. Instead D. However
5.A. anybody B. somebody C. everybody D. nobody
6.A. bothered B. hesitated C. refused D. promised
7.A. quickly B. terribly C. perfectly D. strangely
8.A. special B. different C. familiar D. similar
9.A. amazed B. disappointed C. bored D. blessed
10.A. first B. second C. last D. next
11.A. cutting B. forming C. using D. passing
12.A. with B. over C. around D. through
13.A. Once B. If C. Though D. Until
14.A. idea B. attitude C. behavior D. experience
15.A. effect B. case C. condition D. moment
16.A. weakly B. madly C. peacefully D. carefully
17.A. ended B. started C. continued D. broke
18.A. help B. work C. matter D. tell
19.A. necessary B. impressive C. natural D. important
20.A. alone B. behind C. out D. together
根据所提供语境，用方框中所给短语的适当形式填空。（每题1.5分，共15分）
call … up make one’s acquaintance with set about by means of in vain hesitate for a moment in terms of get through occur to have a great impact on |
1. It was in New York that I first _________ Professor Smith.
2.Though she _________, she finally went in and asked to try on a dress that was expensive.
3.________weather, here is a good place for the tour.
4.The picture _____ him ______ the time when he was brought up in the village.
5.One afternoon she ____ riding without an umbrella and was caught in a storm at last.
6.She told her husband that she couldn’t _____ the rest of the housework without his help.
7.After the quarrel, I tried my best to fix the misunderstanding between us, but all my efforts seemed_________.
8.What the teachers have done _______ their students in the future.
9.Our teachers are trying to improve our English _______ listening, reading, writing and speaking.
10.It _____ me that I had left my suitcase in the taxi, in which I came home yesterday.
七选五填空（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。（注意：若你选择的答案为E，请在机读卡上填涂AB；答案为F，填涂AC；答案为G，填涂AD，多涂或少涂均不得分
We all face quantities of stresses in day-to-day living, whether at work, in the home, or anywhere in between. 1. Here's how stress can help us on an everyday basis.
◆ Sharpen your memory.
Did you ever notice that sometimes when you are stressed, your memory seems to improve? Remember that test you passed where the answers seemed to come out of nowhere? 2. It's because of stress hormones（荷尔蒙）that increase your alertness(机敏) when it's most needed.
◆ 3.
Successful employees turn stress into motivation. Have you ever noticed that you get the least amount of work done when you have the fewest deadlines? Too little stress can affect how much you actually get done. When you take risks and choose to get over the difficulty, it improves your mental toughness and self-confidence.
◆ Helping you resist the attack of illness.
4. Believe it or not, the right kind of stress can help your body's defenses against illness. When you get sick, stress causes you to make hormones that battle threats to your health. That burst of stress is helpful to your immune system when your body faces a threat.
◆ Making your life more interesting.
Think about some stressful situations that we consciously put ourselves in to make life more interesting and enjoyable, like asking someone out on a first date, conquering a known fear, or learning something new. These may not immediately come to mind when you think of stress because of the positive outcomes. 5.
A. Helping you get an advantage at work.
B. Helping you get through difficult times.
C. This will happen whenever you are stressed.
D. That's one way your brain responds to stress.
E. You need a healthy immune system to help fight off diseases.
F. But they're the types that can help you achieve fulfillment and happiness.
G. But handled properly, stress can have many benefits for the body and mind.
Picking a university is a tense period of asking yourself which institution is most relevant. That's why university rankings play such an important role in students searching for their next academic direction. Rankings are also an inescapable part of the reputation and brand image of universities. "No university website is complete without the claim to be in the top 100 for something or other," reported the BBC. The reason is simple: Rankings help them to attract students, staff and research investment.
Currently there are numbers of university rankings, and each has its own list of criteria. But the main categories are the same: academic reputation, graduates' performance and faculty(全体员工) resources.
However, experts point out the ranking process isn't entirely reliable. Mark Kantrowitz, a US financial aid researcher, said university rankings were mostly just for show. He wrote in The New York Times. "It may give your parents better bragging（吹牛）rights, but that's about it. "
Moreover, it's not difficult to see the limitations of university rankings. Many rankings focus on the number of times research work is cited(引用) by other researchers. It helps British and US universities to dominate(控制) global rankings because English is the favored language of academia, John O'Leary, a member of the QS academic advisory board, told The Gunrdian,. Also, rankings such as QS mainly focus on the qualities of the university rather than its students. "Any university ranking is likely to help students make better decisions about where to study, but the need to balance them with other more human factors is also important," said Phil Moss, an education and admissions consultant. "Advice from graduates or current students can be as valuable in providing a genuine insight into the experience or quality of a particular degree program. It can also add an element that rankings can never convey the actual emotion of a university experience. "
1.Why do universities consider rankings important?
A. Rankings make them more appealing.
B. Rankings are students' only reference.
C. Rankings can increase their academic level.
D. Rankings help them complete their websites.
2. What does the underlined "It" in paragraph 4 refer to?
A. Academic research work.
B. The number of researches.
C. The way of ranking universities.
D. The limitation of university ranking.
3. According to John O'Leary, what helps British and US universities rank well?
A. The wide use of English in academia.
B. Their outstanding qualities.
C. Their graduates' excellent performance.
D. The academia's favor to them.
4. Besides ranking, what does Phil Moss suggest you should refer to if you're picking a university?
A. Investment in education.
B. Guidance from professors.
C. Information on websites.
D. Suggestions from students.
Revenge is one of those things that everyone enjoys. People don’t like to talk about it, though. Just the same, there is nothing more satisfying or more rewarding than revenge. The purpose is not to harm your victims but to let them know that you are upset about something that they are doing to you. Careful planning can provide you with relief from annoying coworkers, gossiping friends or talkative family members.
Coworkers who make comments about the fact that you are always fifteen minutes late for work can be taken care of very simply. All you have to do is get up extra one day. Before the sun comes up, drive to each coworker’s house. Reach under the cover of your coworker’s car and disconnect the center wire that leads to the distributor（配电盘）cap, the car will be unharmed, but it will not start, and your friends at work will all be late for work on the same day. If you’re lucky, your boss might notice that you are the only one there and will give you a raise.
Gossiping friends at school are also perfect targets for a simple act of revenge. A way to trap either male or female friends is to leave false messages on their lockers(柜子). If the friend that you want to get is male, leave a message that a certain girl would like him to stop by her house later that day. With any luck，her boyfriend will be there. The girl won’t know what’s going on, and the victim will be so embarrassed that he probably won’t leave his home for a month.
When Mom and Dad and your sisters and brothers really begin to annoy you, harmless revenge may be just the way it makes them quiet down for a while. The dinner table is a likely place. Just before the meal begins, throw a handful of raisins (葡萄干) into the food. Wait about five minutes and, after everyone has begun to eat, cover your mouth with your hand and begin to make strange noises. When they ask you what the matter is, point to a raisin and yell. “Bugs!” They’ll throw their food in the dustbin, jump into the car, and head for McDonald’s. That night you’ll have your first quiet, peaceful meal in a long time.
A well-planned revenge does not have it hurt anyone. The object is simply to let other people know that they are beginning to bother you.
1. According to the passage, a harmless revenge is ________.
A. to amuse the victim
B. to hurt nobody emotionally
C. to react to those who bother you
D. to prevent one from disturbing others
2.As a harmless revenge, you might come first and get a raise by ________.
A. pleasing your boss
B. destroying your colleagues’ cars
C. making your colleagues come late
D. getting up earlier than your colleagues
3. The family members threw their food in the dustbin because ________.
A. they wanted to eat out
B. they didn’t like the food with raisins
C. they wanted to have a peaceful meal
D. they thought their food had been ruined
4. The topic of the passage is how to ________.
A. make a harmless revenge
B. silence gossiping friends
C. avoid talkative family members
D. deal with annoying coworkers
The 87th Academy Award nominations(提名) were announced on Jan 15, and The Grand Budapest Hotel stood out as a favorite with nine nominations, including Best Picture. Check out some other Best Picture nominees to see if you missed any of last year’s top Hollywood films.
The Imitation Game
This historical thriller is about British computer scientist, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), the father of artificial intelligence. At the start of World War II, Turing was asked to join a select team of mathematical geniuses to decode（解码） the system the Nazis used to send military messages. Besides the actual breaking of the code, Cumberbatch’s portrayal（扮演）of Turing’s personality, a mixture of decency（正派）and shyness, is also a highlight of the movie.
Birdman
This dark comedy film is about how Riggan Thomson, a faded star once famous for his superhero roles, struggles to regain fame. American actor Michael Keaton, 63, who has a similar experience to Thomson’s, plays the leading role.
Selma
A stellar cast(主要演员) including talk show queen Oprah Winfrey may be one reason to see Selma. But that the film focuses on Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggle for civil rights also makes it worth viewing. Based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, the film is a chronicle(编年史) of King’s (David Oyelowo) campaign for political rights for African-American people.
The Theory of Everything
We know English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking for his significant scientific discoveries, especially his black hole theories. This biographical film reveals the scientist’s (played by Eddie Redmayne) secret romantic relationship with Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones), whom he meets and falls in love with at Cambridge and who later becomes his first wife.
Boyhood
American Director Richard Linklater did an experiment in this film, using the same cast for 12 years to record a boy’s growth. In two and a half hours, we see Mason, a Texas boy from a divorced family, grow from 6-year-old boy to a freshman in college.
1. How many Best Picture nominees are mentioned in the text?
A. Five B. Six C. Eight D. Nine
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
A. Michael Keaton became famous overnight after starring in the movie Birdman.
B. Alan Turing is a talented and outgoing man in The Imitation Game.
C. Selma is the story of Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for voting rights for African-Americans.
D. The Theory of Everything is about how Stephen Hawking discovered his black hole theories.
3.What is Boyhood mainly about?
A. How Richard Linklater did his decade-long experiment.
B. The wonderful life of Mason.
C. The growth of a young boy.
D. How Mason spent his college years.
4. What is the main purpose of the text?
A. To analyze why these films were nominated for the 87th Academy Awards.
B. To give a brief introduction to the 87th Academy Award nominees.
C. To list some of the best nominees in the Academy Awards’ history.
D. To prove that the Academy Award nominees cover a broad range of topics.
