The real point of human nature lies in the social bonds that we make through family, friendships, professional associations and local communities. These bonds produce a sense of common purpose and values, in which groups of people seek hard and enjoy together the things that are for the common good: a sound education, a pleasant environment to live in, a healthy population. This is what the heart of the gift economy (经济) is.

In the past, American companies operating in Japan found it difficult to attract Japanese people, even though, compared with Japanese employers, they offered more generous wages, shorter work hours and better promotion chances. But these were traditionally not so important to the employees, who did not think of their services as being ‘bought’. Rather, they felt they were entering into a long-term—“gift exchange” —relationship with their employer, which was of mutual (相互) benefit.

This relationship had many aspects. At its most basic it related the simple exchange of physical gifts. For example, if the employee got married, the company sent a gift. Another company gift which is popular among Japanese employees is the yearly company vacation. On these organized weekends co-workers share dormitories, eat together and visit the same attractions, largely at the company’s expense. For their part, the main gift given by the employees to their company is their hard work and this is why each Japanese employee gives such great attention to accuracy, and quality in their work. Even the simplest tasks are carried out with extraordinary care.

Now, neighborhood groups use online networks to share tools and skills. Someone who needs a long ladder to repair their roof does not need to go out and buy one; they simply put a message up on the neighborhood discussion board and soon a neighbor will offer theirs. Via the Internet, knowledge and advice can be shared on almost everything, from how a nuclear reactor works to how to plan your holiday. The gift economy is going through a booming time.

1.What is the key point of the gift economy?

A.People’s working hard. B.People’s similar social status.

C.Sharing social interests. D.Accepting social bonds.

2.Why did the Japanese show little interest in American companies?

A.The companies offered them low salaries.

B.They were difficult to get a better position.

C.The companies provided shorter vacations.

D.They didn’t want to sell their services.

3.What does the yearly company vacation inspire Japanese employees to do?

A.Contribute themselves to the company.

B.Exchange physical gifts with each other.

C.Spend less money while talking vacations.

D.Organize more effective weekend parties.

4.What can we infer about the gift economy from the last paragraph?

A.It is changing the Internet services. B.It benefits greatly from the Internet.

C.It is better accepted on the Internet. D.It booms the Internet development.

    A popular restaurant in Tokyo is employing disabled people to work as waiting staff. But, instead of taking orders or clearing tables themselves, the staff of the Dawn ver. β café, whose name was inspired by a cartoon called Time of Eve, where robots and humans co-exist as equals, command a team of robots from their homes.

The remote-controlled OriHime-D robots (ODRs) were developed by Kentaro Ory Yoshifuji, CEO of the Ory Labs. The robots are 1.2 metres tall and have white faces that look like Japanese Noh masks. They send video and audio (音频) back to their controllers, and they are able to direct them from home by using a smartphone or tablet.

Five ODRs were used in the cafe,and they were controlled by a team of 10 people,with various health problems,such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Even people with very limited mobility are able to communicate with and control ODRs. Ory Labs has created a video showing how a man who is only able to move his eyes can still operate the robot, and another where a man in a hospital bed gets an OriHime-D to hand a cup of coffee to another person.

Yoshifuji has an impressive record as an inventor with an interest in using technology for good deeds. Between the ages of 10 and 14 he did not attend school due to poor health and went on to represent Japan in the 2005 Intel Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), with a project designed to improve the mobility of wheelchairs. It was the years he spent missing out on school that led to the development of OriHime,which he sees as a way to help people overcome misfortune and disability to actively participate in society.

1.What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A.The disabled. B.Video and audio.

C.Japanese Noh masks. D.ODRs.

2.Which of the following can best describe ODRs?

A.They are expensive. B.They are user-friendly.

C.They need improving. D.They can work as nurses.

3.What can we infer about Yoshifuji?

A.He invented ODRs initially to help himself.

B.He didn’t go to school because of ODRs.

C.He developed ODRs at a young age.

D.He attended ISEF to present ODRs.

4.What’s the best title for the text?

A.Café Is Run by the Disabled Remotely

B.Robots Help the Disabled Automatically

C.Café Becomes Known for Robot Servers

D.Robot Waiters Are Operated by the Disabled

    In 1848 gold was found in California. Thousands of people rushed there to get some. Many people liked living there. But there wasn’t a whole lot between California (CA) and Missouri (MO), where the nearest trains ran. The train line to California wasn’t finished until 1869.

In I860 and 1861, the Pony Express was the fastest way to get news to and from the West. The trail that they rode was around 2000 miles long. It took most people weeks or months to ride that far. The Pony Express could make the trip in just ten days. Those speeds were unheard of at the time. So how did they do it? Well, they had a good system.

The Pony Express had 184 stations along the trail. The stations were around ten miles apart. This is about how far a horse could run at a gallop (疾驰) before tiring. The rider would switch to a new horse at each station. He would only take his mail pouch (邮袋) with him. Every 75-100 miles, the rider would get to a home station. At each home station, riders would rest. The mail never stopped moving, even while the horses and riders rested.

It was tough to ride for the Pony Express. Each rider had to weigh less than 125 pounds. Speed was the key. Most of the riders were teenage boys. They rode at a fast pace for up to 100 miles a day. If there were an emergency, one might have to ride 200 miles in a day.

The Pony Express filled an important role for a time, but it did not last. The Civil War started in April of 1861. On October 24th, 1861, the first telegraph line to California was finished. This linked them to the rest of the country. People could send messages in an instant. Two days later the Pony Express closed.

1.Which happened first?

A.The Pony Express was started. B.The American Civil War broke out.

C.The train line to California was finished. D.Settlers rushed to California to find gold.

2.How long did it take the Pony Express to send mail from CA to MO?

A.About 24 hours. B.About ten days.

C.About twenty days. D.About one month.

3.What would a rider do at the home station?

A.Give his mail to a new rider. B.Rest a while and go on riding.

C.Collect new mail for customers. D.Feed the horse and check the mail.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A.To prove communication industry develops rapidly.

B.To explain why horses were used to deliver mail.

C.To describe the I860 - 1861E Fastest Mail Service.

D.To tell the brave stories of the Pony Express.

1.What can we know about K&C?

A.It has three storeys in total. B.It lies near a river with a rear garden.

C.Of the four it’s the 3rd most expensive. D.On its top floor, people can overlook the city.

2.What do B&C and G&C have in common?

A.A double garage on the ground floor. B.A sitting room on the ground floor.

C.A cloakroom beside the bedrooms. D.A garden to the front of the house.

3.Which house has an underground parking garage?

A.K&C B.B&C

C.G&C D.L&C

阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。

Not all education can and should happen within the classroom. Sometimes, traveling is the best form of education, as students can get a number of personal and educational benefits from travel. From learning about other cultures first-hand to seeing where historical events took place with their own eyes, educational travel gives students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of art, science, history, and culture in many ways.

Educational becomes a whole new experience when students can see lots of tools and equipment for themselves by traveling to different places. The tools and equipment could be used by scientists decades or even centuries ago to make discoveries that make our modern world possible. Educational travel brings the materials off the pages and into reality, allowing students to connect themselves with them in a more meaningful way.

No matter where students go, it’s almost guaranteed that they’ll find some kind of food that is unique to that place or done better than anywhere else. If someone gets Chicago-style pizza in Chicago, they’re going to have a different tasting experience than they would if they were getting the same type of thing in, say, Texas. At the same time, getting chili in Texas would be a whole different experience from getting chili in New York or Chicago. Students can learn a lot about a culture by what they eat on a daily basis and what they consider a special meal, so it’s good to take a taste of the local food and learn through all of the senses.

Being away from family, home, and familiar ground is a courageous and independent adventure in its own right. Educational travel provides that opportunity to allow students to open their minds regarding how they choose to live life, which can be extraordinarily helpful in preparing students for college and adulthood. Traveling – with the combined social skills and perspectives(视角) it teaches – really allows students to better understand how they can operate on their own.

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假定你是李华，得知外教Mr. Smith喜欢中国传统文化，想邀请他到你家过端午节。请给他写一封信，内容包括：

1. 时间；

2. 一同过节的家人；

3. 活动。

注意：1. 词数80左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

We touch our faces all the time, and it had never seemed to be a big problem – until COVID-19 arrived. 1. (touch) our faces – the “T-zone” of our eyes, nose and mouth in particular – can mean giving ourselves the 2. (dead) virus. This is why 3. (organization) like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have suggested that we avoid touching our faces. “Just stop this simple behavior,” William Sawyer, founder of Henry the Hand, a nonprofit organization that promotes hand hygiene(卫生), 4.(tell) The Washington Post. “It’s the one behavior 5. would be better than any vaccine ever created.”

Yet, stopping this “simple” behavior might be harder than you think because it’s already hardwired(固有的) into our system. Some face touching is automatic – like when there is 6. itch on your nose, you’ll scratch it without thinking. Moreover, face-touching is subconscious, 7. means it’s very hard to change because you don’t even know you’re doing it. 8.you’re not alone. In a 2015 study, where a group of medical students 9. (film) in class, it was found that they touched their faces an average of 23 times an hour – with 44 percent of the touches being in the “T-zones”. That was particularly surprising since medical students were supposed 10.(know) better. Since it’s so hard to shake the habit, maybe the easiest way is to wash our hands more often. This way, we can be sure that our hands are free from the novel coronavirus.

    Catherine decided to rescue Khan after seeing him at the animal shelter. Khan was a (an) _______ dog with a broken leg from being beaten. _______ her family heard about dogs and babies not getting along, to their _______, Khan walked right over to their 17-month-old daughter Charlotte when they were _______. The two sat on the grass and played _______, forming a bond that the family hoped would continue for the rest of Khan’s life.

One day, _______, Khan seemed to be slightly aggressive towards Charlotte. He even _______to push her away from where she played. The family kept a close eye on Khan and that’s when _______ caught their attention. A _______ was hiding right near Charlotte. Khan tried numerous times to push her out of the way but it didn’t ________ and the snake was determined to ________. Wang The family screamed ________ as their daughter’s life was in danger.

In one last ________, Khan grabbed Charlotte by the back of her shirt and ________ her over his shoulder. She ________ more than 3 feet away and the family ran over to her. As it ________, Khan had been bitten as he tried to get in between Charlotte and the snake.

While Khan was at the ________, a local newspaper was covering the incident. They couldn’t ________ an abused rescue dog who had only been with this family for four days would be so heroic. ________ after a couple of days in the hospital, Khan was ________ to return home and he was doing much better.

1.A.experienced B.abused C.fierce D.trained

2.A.As B.Because C.Since D.Although

3.A.regret B.shame C.disappointment D.surprise

4.A.blamed B.warned C.introduced D.teased

5.A.cheerfully B.sadly C.separately D.skillfully

6.A.however B.instead C.therefore D.otherwise

7.A.remembered B.pretended C.managed D.attempted

8.A.nothing B.everything C.something D.anything

9.A.baby B.snake C.dog D.mouse

10.A.fit B.continue C.work D.matter

11.A.strike B.rush C.dive D.hide

12.A.in relief B.in amazement C.in horror D.in excitement

13.A.test B.try C.pull D.fight

14.A.passed B.held C.put D.threw

15.A.landed B.climbed C.jumped D.waited

16.A.got out B.worked out C.turned out D.came out

17.A.shelter B.hospital C.gate D.backyard

18.A.believe B.know C.notice D.accept

19.A.Surprisingly B.Interestingly C.Naturally D.Thankfully

20.A.forced B.allowed C.invited D.persuaded

Keys to a Good Family Life

In posters and ads we often see pictures of happy families, but family life is not all smiles and laughter. All families are different and have problems, but you can make your family life better with hard work and determination. 1. 

Spend time together as a family. Some people are too busy for family time. You have to set aside time xue to plan and spend special times together. 2. Make the conversation around ke the table pleasant and caring; maybe ask each person how their day was or what is happening wang in their school or work life. Doing household chores together also helps.

3. Allow members of your family to express their own feelings and ideas. Maintain eye contact and don’t interrupt when someone is talking. Listen carefully to what they are saying, before you judge or disagree. Hearing someone else, and being heard by that person, is the foundation of a good relationship. 4. Try not to be angry at someone’s opinions. Even if you think that they are wrong, listen with an open mind to show that you care - and remember that no one is perfect.

Meet each other’s needs. Give time to each and every one of your family members. Know what is going on in their lives and what they need help with. 5. If they need help with something, set aside time to do so. To be aware of your family members’ emotional and physical needs, you need to communicate.

A.Listen to their problems.

B.Try applying the following steps.

C.Allow each person to be an individual.

D.So these steps will help you all get on well.

E.Respect your family members’ feelings and ideas.

F.Every day it should be eating at least one meal together.

G.Each family member has his or her own opinions or suggestions.

    When early humans killed a mammoth, how did they keep the meat before they could eat it all? We don’t know; maybe they didn’t. But perhaps they preserved their mammoth steaks in salt. However, it is hard to know for sure. We do know for certain that by 3,000 years ago, the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Chinese were all experts at salting. They used salt to preserve food.

For thousands of years, salting was a common way to preserve food. But for a long time, no one knew why salt worked. Then, in the 1800s, a Frenchman named Louis Pasteur discovered the secret: bacteria. What does salt have to do with bacteria? First, bacteria need moisture to grow and multiply. Salt pulls moisture out of food, so the bacteria no longer have enough moisture. Besides, salt is poisonous to many bacteria. If you cover food with salt, bacteria outside the food die before they get in, and bacteria already in the food are poisoned by the salt.

So how do you preserve food with salt? For meat or fish, you pour on a layer of salt, then rub it in well. Hams are often made this way. Another way is to alternate layers of food and salt in a big container. The salt will draw the moisture out of the food, creating a brine  that the food sits in. You’ll need to make sure the brine completely covers the food; any food left exposed to the air will spoil. If you preserve cabbage this way, you’ll make sauerkraut.

How well salt preserves food depends on how much is used. The more salt, the longer the food is preserved. Unfortunately, using enough salt to preserve food for a very long time can cause problems. It can make food tough. It can destroy flavor. And, of course, it can make the food too salty to eat, which is harmful to our health.

Today, even though we no longer rely on salt to keep our food fresh, we haven’t lost our taste for salt. We don’t want to give up our bacon, salami, and watermelon pickles!

1.Why are examples of the ancient people mentioned in the first paragraph?

A.To make an introduction to the topic.

B.To explain our ancestors were very clever.

C.To tell us the ancient people had a lot of food to eat.

D.To show the ancient people were good at preserving food.

2.Which of the following will the author probably agree with?

A.If you want to make a ham, you should keep it in a brine.

B.If you want to make sauerkraut, you’d better pour on a layer of salt and rub it.

C.To keep our food longer, you should put as much salt on the food as possible.

D.People needn’t give up salty food completely as long as they control the amount.

3.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A.To explain how the ancient people preserve food.

B.To tell us how salt works in preserving food.

C.To persuade people to give up salty food.

D.To introduce the way of preserving food with salt.

    If you’ve ever taken a handwritten prescription(处方) from a doctor, it seems that you can never make sense of the letters. Bad handwriting almost seems like a requirement for graduating medical school.

However, it’s not like only people with bad handwriting are attracted to the medical field. Ruth Brocato, MD, primary care doctor with Mercy Medical Center says she went from winning a handwriting award in grade school to having totally unreadable handwriting now. So why?

For one thing, doctors have to write more than just about any other job. Long days plus tons of writing equals a very tired hand. Most doctors’ handwriting gets worse over the course of the day as those small hand muscles get overworked, says Asher Goldstein, MD, pain management doctor with Genesis Pain Centers. If doctors could spend an hour with every patient, they might be able to slow down and give their hands a rest. But the fact is, most physicians are rushing around to the next patient. With so many patients to see in a limited time, doctors are more concerned with getting the information down than perfecting their handwriting.

The jargon (术语) that doctors deal with also lends itself to bad handwriting. For instance, QD is shorthand for a Latin phrase meaning “one a day” and TID means “three times a day.” Your pharmacist would know exactly what your doctor meant, but you’d probably just write it off as chicken scratch.

Now, doctors are moving toward electronic medical records to cut down on errors. No studies have looked into whether the yearly death rate from wrong prescriptions has gone down, but doctors agree there’s less chance for errors.

Of course, typing everything isn’t perfect either. There’s still the possibility of entering, say, 30 instead of 300. While we’re all for electronic medical records, we’ll write by hand whenever we can. Now, learn about these secrets hospitals don’t want to tell you—but every patient should know.

1.How many reasons are mentioned in the passage to explain why doctors are likely to have bad handwriting?

A.One. B.Two.

C.Three. D.Four

2.Which of the following statements is true?

A.Only people with bad handwriting are attracted to the medical field.

B.Most doctors’ handwriting gets better over the course of the day.

C.QD is shorthand for a Latin phrase meaning “three times as day”.

D.There is less chance for errors by using electronic medical records.

3.What’s the author’s attitude towards handwritten prescriptions?

A.Supportive. B.Disapproving.

C.Indifferent. D.Concerned.

4.What’s the best title for the passage?

A.No time left for doctors to write well.

B.Secrets that hospitals don’t want to tell you.

C.Reasons why most doctors have bad handwriting.

D.Errors reduced by using electronic medical records.

    Looking at his beautiful green lawns, Ed Adams can’t help smiling – thanks to a bit of bravery and a lot of hard work, he’s now enjoying the life that is just a fantasy for most of us.

Five years ago, Ed and his wife Laura, along with their three children, moved from their narrow house in the city to the a much larger and more peaceful property in the country. Having grown up on a farm, Ed, a video producer, longed for a more rural lifestyle. Then, in 2016, a new job came up for Ed in the US. They were about to set off when the whole deal was canceled. Although disappointed, it inspired them to buy a new home in rural north Buckinghamshire.

Soon, the whole family moved to their new home, Church End Cottage. They also came up with a plan to turn some of their extra space into an attractive home hotel to increase their family income, which meant lots of building work to create two extra guest rooms.

Besides, with all the building work, the garden had become a mess. To get it back into shape, he had to reseed all the lawns. In time the lawns grew back, but Ed admits keeping them clean and tidy is a big job, especially on top of his daily commute to work in London and the responsibilities of running the home hotel.

Now, there comes a cutting-edge robotic mower. Rather than spending hours working up and down, he is delighted to find he can relax himself while the mower does all the hard work. For Ed, who also has a dog and keeps chickens, the biggest attraction is being able to get so much time back. He says: “Instead of spending boring hours pushing the mower, I can take time to plant the flowerbeds or help out with the hotel. It also means I can spend more time with the kids.”

1.What does the word “bravery” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A.The decision to move to a rural area. B.The decision to open a home hotel.

C.The chance to move to the US. D.The dream of living in a rural area.

2.Why did they decide to open a home hotel?

A.They wanted to serve guests.

B.They wanted to add to their income.

C.They wanted to make full use of their space.

D.They wanted to have more people in their house.

3.What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

A.Ed finds it easy to keep the lawns tidy.

B.Ed is completely running the home hotel now.

C.The robotic mower can do the work by itself.

D.With the help of the robotic mower, Ed can do fewer other things.

假定你是李华，你的英国朋友Robert看了BBC纪录片《杜甫》后，发来一封邮件，询问中国人对杜甫的看法。请你回复邮件，内容包括：

1. 最伟大的诗人；

2. 著述颇丰；

3. 心怀百姓。

注意:

1. 词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号 (∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除:把多余的词用斜线 (＼) 划掉。

修改:在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意:

1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

I still remember that cold day when Chris and I go skating on a lake. While enjoying ourselves, I suddenly noticed something unusual. The ice broke and at the moment. I warned Chris to take care, he slipped into the lake. I was too frightening to know what to do. I cried for help anxious. Hearing my cries, a young man rushed over, jump into the lake to save Chris. At last, he was out of the water and we immediately sent him to the near hospital. After short while, Chris’ parents arrived. They expressed their thank to the young man. How a respectable man!

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Dear world, here is why you should care about astronomy. It’s true that its advances benefit millions of people across the world. It has developed technology now to track where your 1. (pack) goes, to determine where you are and so 2..

But all of these are mere second thoughts, 3. (benefit) that have occurred without the primary intention of the maker. And that is 4. makes astronomy beautiful. To study something - not because we’re looking to gain anything in particular, but purely 5. (enjoy) natural wonders - 6. (be) all that makes us human. Doing work for the work itself creates room for mindfulness and joy.

I 7. (firm) believe that astronomy has a spiritual dimension in the sense of how it connects us with something bigger than ourselves. Because 8. astronomy, we now know exactly when the Universe 9. (come) into existence. And we’ve spotted thousands of planets orbiting other stars. It has explained mysteries (神秘的事物) 10. (confuse) us for thousands of years, but even more significant, it has opened up more mysteries than any of us can study in our lifetime.

    Never had I given back to the community. I gave generously to family since my father had drilled into my mind that ______ begins at home, but rarely to any cause outside.

One day, my ______ phoned me. “Aunt Lene,” she said in her sweet voice that never fails to ______ my heart, “the blood bank asked if I would ______ blood. Would you donate with me?” I couldn’t ______ her.

I didn’t know______, that I would be able to donate blood in the name of someone ______. On the wall were photos of people who were ______ severe illnesses. One photo was of a little girl, named Alexis, whose smiling face, although swollen from drugs, ______ me. Then I decided to donate blood in her name.

I braved the _____ and the procedure was relatively painless. ______, that gave me a lot of happiness, so I continued to ______ several other donations.

One morning I happened to ______ a report about Alexis on the radio. I was thrilled, but I wasn’t ______ to learn how she had tried to help others although she was struggling with cancer, because when I first saw her angelic face, her ______ was so full of joy and ______ that I began to like her ______. I was so happy I joined her trying to help.

I am grateful for this experience as it has ______ me to the fact that every little thing we do to help has its ____, not just to the one receiving, but to the one ______.

1.A.gratitude B.donation C.charity D.friendliness

2.A.nephew B.daughter C.son D.niece

3.A.freeze B.melt C.break D.fill

4.A.give B.check C.draw D.lose

5.A.refuse B.accept C.stand D.forgive

6.A.later B.before C.soon D.recently

7.A.injured B.familiar C.vague D.specific

8.A.treating B.preventing C.battling D.reporting

9.A.turned to B.submitted to C.appealed to D.applied to

10.A.needle B.knife C.medicine D.smell

11.A.Later still B.Worse still C.More effectively D.More importantly

12.A.receive B.make C.ask D.increase

13.A.read B.construct C.hear D.prepare

14.A.surprised B.pleased C.embarrassed D.encouraged

15.A.mind B.voice C.silence D.smile

16.A.tension B.courage C.relief D.sympathy

17.A.instantly B.occasionally C.gradually D.eventually

18.A.challenged B.blinded C.resigned D.awoken

19.A.price B.value C.ending D.purpose

20.A.holding B.accepting C.giving D.taking

    It had long been troubling a little boy that his desk mate could rank 1st in the class every time while he failed to: he only ranked 21st.

At home, he asked his Mom, “Mom, am I more stupid than others? I feel I am as hardworking as him, but how come I always fall behind?” 1.

In another test, the son ranked 15th, and his desk mate remained 1st. Back home, he raised the same question. 2. However, was this answer in her son’s best interest? Thank goodness she did not open her mouth.

There were times she wanted to tell him, “Your father and I used to be outstanding. Why aren’t you just as clever?” But she stopped because she felt it was cruel to blame him and that she needed a better answer.

3. To reduce the burden on her son who was suffering from the pains of unsatisfied grades and rankings, Mom decided to take him to the sea. During the trip, she managed to give out an answer.

Now, the son no longer worries about his rankings, because, with the 1st ranking, he is admitted to a top university. 4. In the lecture, he mentioned a valuable experience, “…When my mother and I was lying on the beach, she pointed to the front and said, ‘Do you see the seabirds over there? When the waves come near, little birds can rise quickly while it would take longer for clumsy sea-gulls to complete the process. However, have you noticed birds that finally fly across the endless ocean are none other than clumsy sea-gulls?’ 5.” The moving speech affected many mothers present into tears, including his mother.

A.Feeling sad for her son’s failure, mom scolded him.

B.Mom really wanted to tell her son that intelligence differs.

C.Hearing the words, she went wordless, not knowing how to explain.

D.You might be a bit slower, but you will be the one who will make it!

E.Mom was so proud of her son’s success as to often share her experience.

F.Back to his high school, he was invited to give a speech to the students and parents.

G.Time flying swiftly, despite great efforts, he was still unable to keep up with his desk mate.

    Knowing that you are paid less than your peers (同龄人) has two effects on happiness. The well-known one is negative (消极的): a thinner pay packet harms self-respect. The less-known one is called the “tunnel” (隧道) effect: high incomes for peers are seen as improving your own chances of similar riches.

A study by professor Mr. Fitzroy separates the two effects using data from household surveys in Germany. Previous work showed that the income of others can have a small, or even positive effect on people's satisfaction. But Mr. Fitzroy’s team theorized that older workers, who largely know their lifetime incomes already, will enjoy a much smaller tunnel effect.

The data confirm this view. The negative effect on reported levels of happiness of being paid less than your peers is not obvious for people aged under 45. Seeing peers' incomes rising actually makes young people happier (even more than a rise in their own incomes). It is only those people over 45, when careers have “reached a stable position”, whose happiness is harmed by the success of others.

Those with jobs are no happier after they retire, however, perhaps because their lives already line up with social expectations. Indeed, retiring early from work can have side effects. Men retiring a year early lower their possibility of surviving to age 67 by 13%. Almost a third of this higher death rate, which seemed to be concentrated among those who were forced into retirement by job loss, was caused by drug and alcohol addiction.

So a person's value does not only depend on how much they buy material goods and recreations but is also influenced by how well a person obeys the generally accepted standards of social behaviour of the category he belongs to. Applying identity theory to the relationship between unemployment and life satisfaction implies that unemployed people are not only dissatisfied with their life because they have lower incomes, but also because they don’t follow the standards of their social category under which they are expected to work.

1.How will people usually react to a less income than peers？

A.Their pride will be injured.

B.Their status will be acquired.

C.Their reputation will be harmed.

D.Their happiness will be achieved.

2.Who will enjoy a biggest tunnel effect?

A.Working people. B.Retired people.

C.People aged over 45. D.People aged under 45.

3.Early retirement will probably affect people’s _____.

A.income B.health C.privileges D.expectations

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A.Peers, Pay and Pride.

B.Age, Admiration and Attitude

C.Envy, Employment and Expectation

D.Income, Inspiration and Independence

    GPS has completely transformed how we get around. But other animals have long had their navigation (导航) systems built right in --- like ants and bees.

“We know their eyes are quite sensitive to polarized light (偏振光), and the sky has a particular pattern of polarized light, connected with the position of the sun.” says Barbara Webb, a bioroboticist at the University of Edinburgh. You can see polarized light firsthand if you take a pair of polarized sunglasses and spin them against the sky --- the light passing through the lenses changes. Webb says the insects have polarization like that built into flat sides of their compound eyes. “You can think of it as the equal of having a little polarization directional filter (滤镜) over them or lots of sunglasses pointed in different directions.”

But Webb was curious about whether there's really enough information in the sky to give insects an accurate sense of direction. So her team built a sensor modeled after a desert ant eye and put it under artificial light meant to simulate the sky. They then fed that sensor input into a model meant to copy the brains of desert ants and other insects with a sky compass. And they found that with the insects' natural sensing and processing equipment, they can likely sense compass direction down to just a couple degrees of error.

A system based on that of insects could someday be a cheap, low-energy alternative to GPS. “Insects have very tiny brains, a brain that's using hardly any energy. And yet they're still able to navigate better than we can with GPS, which is a huge system.” Webb is now working on building a robot that can, like the desert ant, use light to get its direction. Although after sundown, it may have to ask for directions.

1.What make(s) it possible for ants and bees to sense the direction?

A.Flat eyes. B.Polarization.

C.A directional filter. D.Polarized sunglasses.

2.Why did Webb and her team build a sensor?

A.To copy the brains of desert ants.

B.To model after the desert ant eye.

C.To satisfy their desire for answers.

D.To test an accurate sense of direction.

3.What is the future navigation system supposed to do?

A.To save energy. B.To be a substitute for GPS.

C.To guide the blind. D.To help GPS work better.

4.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A.To introduce an invention.

B.To praise a scientific achievement.

C.To present new scientific findings.

D.To encourage people to learn science.

    Sometimes when we are in our darkest hour, something completely unexpected happens that can give us a little bit of hope and comfort.

Jessica was a healthy woman. One day, she woke up and something was not right. After she was sent to the hospital, her heart rate slowed by nearly 50 percent. It took nine days for doctors to zero in on what was causing her problem.

After several weeks, Jessica was able to move her lips. Staff noticed this and introduced Jessica to Consuelo Gonzalez, a professional lip reader. Consuelo can understand what people are saying by the shape their lips make. She can also understand how annoying it is to not be able to communicate because she has been completely deaf since the age of 8.

For a few hours each week, Jessica could have long conversations with Consuelo, diving into the ocean of words she dearly missed. Through Consuelo, Jessica asked the doctors and nurses questions she had long wanted answers to. She also talked to Consuelo about the vivid dreams she was mixing up with reality.

In fact, there are other ways for Consuelo to earn a living by reading lips, but she says helping patients separate horrible dreams from reality is the most rewarding way she can use her unique skill. “What is really wonderful is being able to use this skill to create healing and to create communication between human beings. That’s what feels good. That’s what’s the best: Love.”

After four and a half months in the hospital, Jessica finally recovered. Consuelo was there, holding Jessica’s hands. Jessica eventually went back to work as a math professor. After her experience she wrote a new living will. One thing she added is that if she ever becomes incapacitated like this again, she is never to be left alone.

1.What did Consuelo do for Jessica?

A.She cured Jessica’s heart disease.

B.She helped Jessica communicate.

C.She taught Jessica how to read lips.

D.She made Jessica’s dream come true.

2.How does Consuelo feel about her job?

A.Horrible. B.Confident. C.Worried. D.Satisfied.

3.Which of the following best explains “incapacitated” underlined in the last paragraph?

A.Seriously ill. B.Desperately lonely.

C.Less reliable. D.More fortunate.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A.A close friendship. B.A good living will.

C.An unusual skill. D.A new treatment.

    The best way to see the world’s architectural marvels is to visit them in person.

Singapore

The architecture of Singapore is futuristic, to the point that visitors may feel like they have stepped onto a science fiction film. The Gardens by the Bay is one of the most visually striking creations that it has to offer, consisting of large parkland dotted with strange but wonderful structures.

Barcelona

Every year millions of people flood into this colorful Spanish city to see the unique works of famed architect Antoni Gaudi. The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia is the most popular of these and is still being built, in spite of the fact that work began all the way back in 1882. So if you want to avoid the crowds you can take your pick on your trip.

Athens

Ancient architecture is abundant in Athens, with buildings that have stood for thousands of years still managing to tower. From the inspiring remains of the Parthenon to various spirits including Zeus and Hephaestus, Athens is the place to visit if you are eager to see architecture filled with history.

Dubai

If you are looking for breath-taking architecture, Dubai will satisfy your curiosity. From the eye-watering height of the Burj Khalifa to the impressive achievement of the Palm Island, everything seems bigger in Dubai and there is luxury (奢华) in almost every aspect of the city, earning it a serious reputation on the international travel scene.

1.What is special about the architecture of Singapore?

A.Super modern. B.Extremely old.

C.Pretty colorful. D.Rather plain.

2.Which is one of the works of architect Antoni Gaudi?

A.Burj Khalifa. B.The Gardens by the Bay.

C.Parthenon Temple. D. The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia.

3.Where will you travel if you are curious about old tales behind architecture?

A.To Singapore. B.To Barcelona. C.To Athens. D.To Dubai.

假定你是李华,你校今年暑假将要为外国学生举办一场汉语夏令营活动。请给你的美国朋友Jason写封邮件,邀请他参加。内容包括:

1.时间和地点;

2内容:汉语学习、中国传统文化等;

3.报名方式和截止日期。

注意:1.词数100左右;

2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。

Dear Jason,

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours

Li Hua

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。该文中共有十处错误，每句中最多有两处，错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2.只允许修改十处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Life is a long journey, and our problems are like rocks on the road. How do I handle it? Most of the time, I turn to my teachers to help or write about my problems online instead of share my troubles with my parents. They go to work early and come home lately. They look so tiring after a day's work. Although I tell them about my difficulty, they may turn a deaf ear to me. Therefore, I still want to tell them all my troubles someday. I don't expect them to give me any useful advices. I just want them listen to me and comfort me.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Palace Museum, also known1.the Forbidden City（紫禁城），is a much-visited and much-photographed tourist2.（attract）. This Chinese palace with a history of about 600 years receives millions of visits every year and lots of TV programs have showed the place in recent years.

However, it still3.（have）secrets, and a new program designed to explore those unknown are as and the stories within is set to show the palace in a new light. The variety show, Shang Xin Le Gu Gong, broadcast its first episode（一集）on Beijing TV and online streaming media site, iQyi com, on November9. That first episode won wide acceptance from audiences and was thought highly4.on Douban.com. “It brings many elements（元素） together, and everything in the show is5.（perfect）matched and turns out amazing." said6.online user. “It brings me the thrill I felt when I stepped into the Palace Museum for the first time."

In each one - hour - long episode, the actors and actresses switch between playing guides and historical figures 7.（include）emperors and royal family members of the Qing Dynasty（1644 - 1911）. They focus on areas8.are still not accessible to the public and the stories surrounding them. In the show, the actors and actresses are also joined by designers who will create9.（product）based on10.they see. The most popular ones, based on an online vote, are to be turned into souvenirs（纪念品）for sale.

    I went out to breakfast this morning to meet a friend. It was________. But what wasn't so lovely was the lady who took our________.

She spoke in a way that was________, unhappy certainly not friendly and sort of rude. Working in hospitality（服务行业）myself, I ________it.

When it was my turn to________her and order. I thought to myself, "What can I do here to make her day, to appreciate her, to make her________?"

Surely there must be________I could sincerely compliment（称赞）her on. Then there it was, and I________immediately.

It was her________. She had the most incredibly well spoken and clear voice. It was SO good. And that was what I would________her for.

So after she took my order and gave me the same unfriendly attitude, I told her. I said:

"I hope you don' t mind me saying so, but you have the most________voice. It's so clear, well spoken and sounds so________. "

I told her how she honestly had one of those voices that would be________for voice - overs（配音）, announcements or even radio.

Her face________, she smiled（the first time I had seen her do so）, and as I left and walked away, noticed her whole attitude________

The customer behind me received a totally different kind of________, a better one. And it was all because of what I did. Something so________!

There was a time when this sort of thing would have________me, or I'd have been too shy and awkward to say such a thing. Not now. Now I________!

Why?

Because I have the________. The power to completely change someone's day by something as simple as a few kind words.

And you have this power too. We all do.

1.A.exciting B.lovely C.common D.surprising

2.A.seat B.food C.order D.menu

3.A.impatient B.careful C.shy D.proud

4.A.understood B.noticed C.considered D.ignored

5.A.see B.look at C.get close to D.look for

6.A.smile B.listen C.talk D.respond

7.A.nothing B.something C.anything D.everything

8.A.knew B.invented C.proved D.remembered

9.A.face B.figure C.voice D.attitude

10.A.thank B.praise C.blame D.trust

11.A.amazing B.amusing C.funny D.reliable

12.A.difficult B.rough C.relaxing D.professional

13.A.perfect B.clear C.known D.normal

14.A.darkened B.fell C.lit up D.went pale

15.A.worsen B.change C.adjust D.recover

16.A.payment B.service C.understanding D.option

17.A.simple B.same C.uninteresting D.difficult

18.A.excited B.moved C.embarrassed D.touched

19.A.need B.may C.might D.must

20.A.power B.confidence C.ability D.passion

Tips for Confident Decision Making

Are you a good decision maker? Do you sit on the fence?1.If you’d like to be more content and confident with your decision making, then these four tips are just the things you need.

Do your “homework”

Make choices based on what is the most important to you.2.You may even want to speak to someone else who has been through this before. Then when you are ready, just decide.

You are in charge.

3.By blaming others you give your power away. Just believe you have made the right choice and take responsibility for the result. This will be a real encouragement to your self-confidence.

4.

It’s great to stick with your decisions. There are times however when you need to change your mind. Don’t worry about making a wrong choice. The good thing about being wrong is that you will know where to correct yourself and when to take action.

You’re going to make it.

Sometimes it is going to be hard to be persistent(坚持不懈). You know you are doing the right thing and it’s just taking so much time, effort, money and energy. After making bold choice, remember you have a reason why.5.Say to yourself out loud “No matter how hard it is, I’m going to make it.”

Decision making takes courage and there are many things you can do to decide more confidently. So don’t delay, you can start right now by deciding to make this new habit.

A.The more confident, the better decision.

B.This will mean you have to do a research and look at all theavailable options.

C.Whatever result you get, you can’t blame others.

D.Confident decision making is of great significance.

E.Or are you constantly changing your mind?

F.It’s OK to change your mind.

G.Remember you are taking yourself to the next level.

    Reading instruction in the classroom is a key concern for all teachers and there are many ways to go about it. However, is our determination to achieve excellence in reading skills in our children killing their love and enjoyment of a good book?

In my work with parents, I am frequently asked the best ways to encourage reluctant readers to be engaged with books. Parents report that their children return home from school with no inclination to pick up a book and read.

Any eager reader will gladly talk about the joy with a good book to read away the hours on a cold, rainy afternoon. Reading a good book is one of life’s greatest pleasures. We need to share these experiences with our children in order to assist them in developing into strong readers. But the use of boring, mass-produced home reading texts in children’s early years at school can be seen as the beginning of this negative cycle.

As children progress through their schooling life, there are many other instances of learning reading skills that don’t help reading development. Frequently, teachers feel the pressure to give their students “just enough” in terms of reading strategies to be able to achieve the test, which leaves little time to focus on reading for pleasure.

Kelly Gallagher, a high school teacher, outlines the term “Readicide” in his book. He says it’s: the systematic killing of the love of reading, often worsened by foolish, boring practices found in schools.

Recent research shows that many teachers tend to follow the traditional literacy practices that they have experienced in their own education, which can often have negative intentions for their students.

While teaching children key concepts for analyzing and evaluating texts is important, the manner in which it is done and time that is spent on this can lead to unexpected results. Schools aren’t to blame when it comes to not arresting students’ lack of interest in reading, but they have an important role to play in fostering reading enjoyment.

1.What does the underlined word “inclination” mean?

A.Energy B.Task

C.Intention D.Requirement

2.What does the term “Readicide” refer to?

A.To develop reading habits B.To read for pleasure

C.To learn reading skills D.To kill a love for books

3.According to the text, teachers at school ______.

A.focus on teaching reading strategies

B.ignore key concepts for analyzing texts

C.are to blame for students’ poor reading

D.fail to follow the traditional reading practices

4.What might be suitable title for the text?

A.Reading books is to experience pleasure

B.Learning to love books is even more important

C.Teaching reading helps reluctant readers

D.Getting pleasure from books makes capable readers

    Many of us are quick to blame（责备）others for how we feel: "He makes me so mad!" or "he really hurt my feelings. "But did someone really "make me angry" or are we feeling the anger in us getting kicked up in response to the way someone behaved towards us?

The difference between the two is in who the responsible party is for the way we feel. If we blame others for our feelings we will finally feel reasonable at whatever our retaliation（报复）my be, and we will explain that it was their fault, not ours. "They were driving me mad".

When we blame others for the way we feel we have in fact given power to others for the state of our emotional wellbeing（健康）. The truth is , no one controls our feelings but us. If we are finding that people in our lives really know how to "push our buttons（means make us angry）" then we are not doing a good enough job at protecting our "buttons." We are the ones leaving our buttons out in the open so that other people can "push them." Ultimately, the switch for our buttons is inside us - not on the outside.

While there are some things in life that are clearly out of our control , like the weather or a flight that's two hours late, how we act and respond to other people's behavior is not among them. Our responses to others are well within our control.

If someone is "making us" so mad , for example, that we get angry, we are not doing enough to learn about what drives our anger and how to properly cope with it. My suggestion is taking time before you get angry. and putting some work into taking an inventory（清单）of the past. An inventory can show you how much of your past experiences influence your feeling reactions in the current moment.

When we finally realize that so much of our present feelings and reactions are driven from within ourselves and our own past experiences, we will be ready to make the changes in our lives that will better secure our buttons so that they are no longer left out in pubic for everyone to push at will.

1.What result will appear if we blame others for our emotions（情感）?

A.We consider others to be correct.

B.We consider ourselves to be correct.

C.We consider we were driving ourselves mad.

D.We consider they were driving themselves mad.

2.What's the author' attitude towards feelings?

A.We should blame others for the way we feel.

B.We should enable others to control our feelings.

C.We should let others know our daily life clearly

D.We should control personal feelings ourselves.

3.According to the author, which can always be under our control?

A.Our own behavior. B.The delay of a flight

C.Other people' s feelings. D.The weather conditions.

4.Which proverb best suits the author' s advice in Paragraph 5?

A.A burden of one's choice is not felt. B.Think twice before acting.

C.A friend is easier lost than found. D.A good beginning is half done.

One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest(卑微的)to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.

We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide rang of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked,

“My I get you something ?”

“A coffee would be nice.”

Then I bought him a cup of coffee, We talked more , and he accepted another cup of coffee, Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked,

“How did you get to know Mr. Galbreath?”

“Who?”

“The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs.”

I could hardly believe it. I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men!

My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and to meet another human being with kindness and sincerity.

1.What does the underlined word “disheveled” mean?

A.Unfriendly. B.Untidy. C.Gentle. D.Kind.

2.The author bought coffee for the old man because    

A.he thought the old man was poor B.he wanted to start a conversation

C.he intended to show his politeness D.he would like to thank the old man

3.How did the author probably feel after he talked with his friend?

A.Proud. B.Pitiful. C.Surprised. D.Regretful

4.What is the message mainly expressed in the story?

A.We should learn to be generous. B.It is honorable to help those in need.

C.People in high positions are not like what we expect. D.We should avoid judging people by their appearances.

    Technology makes listening to holiday music easier than ever. There are endless sources to help you find your favorite Christmas tunes and many other songs. People have explored how to listen to holiday music with high - tech devices.

Apple Music

This is the first year you can use Apple Music to listen to holiday songs. Apple Music has more than 30 million songs and is available in over 100 countries.

Tell voice assistant Siri to "play holiday music" to open the music program on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV. Apple Music app is available in the Google Play store, but not with voice assistant.

For the first three months, you can use it for free. After that, users have to pay a subscription fee.

Googdle Play Music

Google Play Music is also in the holiday spirit. Go to the Google Play Music Holiday page and search for "holiday music. "

Google Play Music in available for free if you don’t mind the advertisements. If you do, buy a paid subscription（订阅费）to avoid them. Google Play Music offers more than 30 million songs from 58 countries.

Tune In Radio

Listen to radio stations with Tune In Radio. This is an online service and offers stations from all seven continents （七大洲）in the world, including Antarctica（南极洲）. Tune In Radio is available on your computer and is free to online user. In the United States, Britain and Canada, a paid subscription gives you more stations without advertisements.

1.What can we learn about Apple Music?

A.It is popular in over 200 countries. B.It is a new tool to listen to holiday music.

C.It can only be used for three month. D.It can only be used after the subscription

2.According to the passage, Google Play Music           .

A.is favored by young people B.doesn't allow any advertisement（广告）

C.has the smallest number of songs D.can always be used for free

3.We can learn that Tune In Radio           .

A.offers stations from around the world B.is available on our mobile device

C.have over 30 million songs D.in expensive in America and Canada