The secret to eating less and being happy about it may have been found years ago — by McDonald’s. According to a new study from Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab, small non-food rewards — like the toys in McDonald’s Happy Meals — stimulate the same reward centers in the brain as food does.

The researchers, led by Martin Reimann, carried out a series of experiments to see if people would choose a smaller meal if it was paired with a non-food item.

They found that the majority of both kids and adults chose a half-sized portion when combined with a prize. Both options were priced the same.

Even more interesting is that the promise of a future reward was enough to make adults choose the smaller portion. One of the prizes used was a lottery ticket (彩票), with a $10, $ 50 or $100 payout, and this was as effective as a tangible gift in persuading people to eat less.

“The fact that participants were willing to substitute part of a food item for the mere prospect of a relatively small monetary award is interesting,” says Reimann. “One explanation for this finding is that possible awards may be more emotionally inspiring than certainty awards. The uncertainty of winning provides added attraction and desirability through emotional ‘thrills’. The possibility of receiving an award also produces a state of hope — a state that is in itself psychologically rewarding.” In other words, there’s a reason why people like to gamble.

How might this knowledge be used to help people eat more healthily?

One possibility is a healthy option that offers the chance to win a spa weekend. Or maybe the reward of a half-sized portion could be a half-sized dessert to be claimed only on a future date. That would get you back in the restaurant — and make you eat a little less.

1.What do we learn about McDonald’s inclusion of toys in its Happy Meals?

A.It may throw light on people’s desire to find a secret.

B.It has proved to be key to McDonald’s business success.

C.It appeals to kid’s curiosity to find out what is hidden inside.

D.It may be a pleasant way for kids to reduce their food intake.

2.What is the finding of the researchers led by Martin Reimann?

A.Reducing food intake is not that difficult if people go to McDonald’s more.

B.Most kids and adults don’t actually feel hungry when they eat half of their meal.

C.Eating a smaller portion of food does good to the health of kids and adults alike.

D.Most kids and adults would choose a smaller meal that came with a non-food item.

3.What is most interesting in Martin Reimann’s finding?

A.Kids preferred an award in the form of money to one in the form of a toy.

B.Adults chose the smaller portion on the mere promise of a future award.

C.Both kids and adults felt satisfied with only half of their meal portions.

D.Neither children nor adults could resist the temptation of a free toy.

4.What can we infer from Martin Reimann’s finding?

A.People should eat much less if they wish to stay healthy and happy.

B.More fast food restaurants are likely to follow McDonald’s example.

C.We can lead people to eat less while helping the restaurant business.

D.More studies are needed to find out the influence of emotion on behavior.

    Two musicians from Germany are using robotic equipment to add sounds to their performances. The two-man band performs with a robot that can play several musical instruments at the same time. The robot can sound like a guitar, keyboard, drum or other percussion instrument. When performing, members of the band provide many of the sounds, but others are controlled by a computer. Once connected to wires and set up, instruments can play on their own.

One of the instruments was created from a long, self-turning wooden stick that sits on top of a microphone stand. The stick contains long strings. They are tied on each end. The strings are connected to a small wooden ball. As the stick turns, the ball hits a block on the floor, creating a sound.

The two-man band, called Joasihno, recently performed at the South by Southwest Conference and Music Festival in Austin, Texas. They describe their electronic sound as “psychedelic (迷幻的) machine” music. “Actually, we call it a psychedelic robot orchestra,” said Cico Beck, one of the creators of the group.

The group’s other member, Nico Siereg, says playing in an experimental band with robots is not the same as playing in a traditional one. “It’s a little bit different because you also have in mind that there are machines playing around you, so there’s no reaction from them,” he said. But Siereg said that in some ways, the robots actually help him improve his performance. Since the self-playing instruments are programmed, he sometimes feels freer to center on what he is playing, and at times to even play without preparation.

The musician says he can imagine similar technology having a greater influence on many different kinds of music in the future. “Technology is like a very important tool that even, very often, it’s also a very important part of inspiration,” he said. But he also expressed hope that “real music won’t die.”

In addition to performing recently in Texas, Joashihno has been busy putting on shows in Europe and in Canada. The band hopes its high-tech music “experiment” will keep reaching new people and pleasing the ears of its fans.

1.According to the first paragraph, the robotic equipment __________.

A.is operated by a wooden stick

B.serves as a whole band

C.fuctions as musical instruments

D.is battery-powered

2.What does Nico Siereg think of playing music with robots?

A.It is better than playing with human being.

B.It is just a pity that the robots cannot respond to him.

C.It has a negative effect on his performance because robots distract him.

D.It is strange for him to have some machines playing around him.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Robots will replace musical instruments.

B.This new style of performance has become popular around the world.

C.One member of the band doesn’t think playing with robots is real music.

D.The machines are programmed to create many sounds.

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A.Real Music Won’t Die

B.Adding New Blood to Traditional Music

C.High Technology Is Applied to Music

D.Robots Will Wipe Out Human Beings

    The tough challenge of a six-month, 3,200-kilometer walk across the South Pole, in the long darkness of the Antarctic winter when temperatures can fall to -90℃, proved irresistible to the experienced British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

Fiennes’s hero, Captain Robert Falcon Scott, wrote “great God, this is an awful place” when he reached the South Pole a century ago, before freezing and starving to death with his team on the return journey.

That journey was made in summer. Nobody before has attempted to cross the pole in winter. In a statement, Fiennes said, “This will be my greatest challenge to date. We will stretch the limits of human endurance.”

However, Fiennes could not explain why anyone should consider such a venture, still less a man aged 68 who has survived cancer, heart surgery and the loss of most of the frozen fingertips on one hand. “It’s what I do,” he said, looking slightly puzzled at the question.

Fiennes, the world’s greatest living explorer, according to the Guinness Book of Records — was the first to cross the Antarctic continent unsupported; the first to cross both polar ice caps; and the first to travel across the globe from pole to pole.

Fiennes admitted his wife, Louise, and their six-year-old daughter were not thrilled. “But I’ve never done anything else; it’s how I earn my living. And you’re much more likely, statistically, to die on the roads than on the polar ice,” he said.

After training in the Swedish Arctic in a relatively balmy -40℃, Fiennes’ team will set sail from London on Dec. 6 on a South African research ship. The ice trek will begin on Mar. 21, the spring equinox (春分) that marks the official start of the polar winter, from the Russian base of Novolazareskaya. Fiennes and his five team members must then climb more than 3,000 meters on to the inland plateau, walk for several hundred kilometers using an ice tractor to pull all the supplies and equipment they need, descend another 3,000 meters and finally reach the Ross Sea. If they reach Captain Scott’s old base at McMurdo Sound by the spring equinox six months later, they will still have to wait for months until the sea ice backs off enough for their ship to collect them.

1.Fiennes is going on this expedition because__________.

A.it is something he always does as a career

B.he wishes to inspire his family

C.he wants to travel with his wife and daughter

D.he hopes to improve his health

2.The underlined word in Paragraph 7 probably means “__________.”

A.warm and pleasant B.cold and harsh

C.tough and unbearable D.agreeable and relaxing

3.According to the article, Fiennes’ expedition will__________.

A.begin at an Antarctic base of Sweden

B.involve climbing and going down a high plateau

C.start and finish exactly at the two spring equinoxes

D.finish in a few weeks after the ship arrives

4.Fiennes is attempting to cross the South Pole__________.

A.on the same route as Captain Scott’s

B.by himself during the winter months

C.by ice tractor for most of the trip

D.on foot during the worst trip

    ◆ Welwitschia mirabilis

Title: the world’s most resistant plant

It’s not pretty to look at, but welwitschia mirabilis is unique. It consists of only two leaves and a strong stem with roots. Two leaves continue to grow and the stem thickens and can grow to be almost 2 meters high and 8 meters wide. Its lifespan is 400 to 1,500 years. It can survive up to five years with no rain. The plant is said to be very tasty either raw or baked in hot ashes.

◆ Dionaea muscipula

Title: the Venus Fly Trap

Dionaea muscipula is the most famous carnivorous(肉食性的) plant due to the active and efficient nature of its unique trap. It may be famous, but it’s also threatened. It produces a short leaf that forms two sides of a trap. Each side contains some sensitive hairs. When it is touched two to three times, the trap will shut in less than a second, fast enough to catch flies and other insects. The leaf, once closed, produces some enzymes(酶) that slowly dissolve the insects and supply the plant with food.

◆ Rafflesia arnoldii

Title: the world’s largest flower

Rafflesia arnoldii, the largest flower in the world, is an exotic and rare plant. The flower is 3 feet across and weighs 15-24 pounds. However, you wouldn’t want to grow it in your garden. In a rainforest-type environment, it gives off a most unpleasant smell, which is somewhat like rotten meat. This is why it is often called the Corpse Plant by some natives of Indonesia where it comes. Its flowers only last for three days to a week.

◆ Euphorbia obese

Title: the Baseball Plant

Euphorbia obese is known as the Baseball Plant. Over-harvesting by plant collectors for its interesting and curious appearance has severely reduced the wild population. However, it has become very common now. By growing euphorbia obese in large numbers, many gardens have been working to ensure that the plants being traded and sold among plant collectors are not wild plants.

1.From the passage, we know that __________.

A.welwitschia mirabilis is very beautiful

B.dionaea muscipula is famous for its trap

C.rafflesia arnoldii feels like rotten meat

D.euphorbia obese can be used as baseball

2.According to the passage, rafflesia arnoldii __________.

A.shuts its trap two or three times in one second.

B.gives off a special smell to attract flies and insects

C.smells bad in a hot and wet environment

D.has a big flower, a strong stem and two leaves

3.Plant collectors like euphorbia obese because __________.

A.it looks strange

B.it tastes delicious

C.it can be planted in the garden

D.it is worth a big fortune

假定你是李华。你的留学生朋友Tom以前成绩很优秀。但由于骄傲和懒惰，最近他的成绩一落千丈。就此请你用英语给他写一封电子邮件，内容包括：

1. 进行安慰；

2. 给出劝告（不要骄傲，不忘初心）；

3. 具体建议（努力复习，制定学习计划）

注意：1. 总词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

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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10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

I am very luckily to have the opportunity to see so many place, but sometimes I experience culture shock when I see or do something new. Dad and I now are travelled through Denmark, Norway and Sweden. I used to thinking that these countries are the same, but not any more. People in Denmark are a bit of friendlier, while Norwegians and Swedes prefer not to talk to strangers. I’m surprised to learn that many people there speak English in addition their national languages. In Sweden, it seems that anyone has golden hair and blue eyes. I feel a little strange with my black hair and dark eyes. I imagine this is that foreigners feel when they visit China!

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。

In his book, Intentional Living, author John Maxwell shares that back in 1976, he received a gift from one of his 1. (assist). As he unwrapped the gift, he saw that it was a book 2. (name) The Greatest Story Ever Told. He couldn’t wait 3. (read) it.

But when he opened the book, he was 4. (astonish) to see that the pages were blank. Inside the book was 5. note that said, “John, your life is before you. Fill these pages with kind acts and good thoughts of your heart. Write a great story about your life.” The intention of writing the story of his life excited him. Then, he 6. (begin) to write his book.

Every day we live out our story through our words, actions and decisions. But we must remember to live with intention to focus on what 7. (matter) most in life and to regain that focus when we get changed. Without intention, we can become unfocused in things 8. needn’t add to a life of significance and difference in our world.

Life isn’t perfect and it’s always hard, 9. we need reminders in our life from a friend, author, blogger, pastor or our inner spirit to re-focus us on the things that matter and make us live 10. (positive).

    The stage lights dimmed, and I took a quick look from behind the heavy black curtains into the audience. Blinded by the lights, I quickly______. It seems that a great number of eyes were looking at me. I took a deep ______as the music of my dance began to play. I entered the stage and began my______, the graduation test of the classical Indian dance.

After a decade of learning this art form, I had______been considered ready to take on the most difficult act. The test is the most important event in a dancer's life, as it pays______to all the factors in one's life that______the dance form: one's culture and family.

The performance is undertaken only by the most______and determined students. It is a difficult process that requires much______. For more than six months, I spent two to three hours every day______these dances. Many times, I______myself to my physical and mental breaking point, but still I would not stop. I could not give up. There was always so much more to do and so much more to______.

I______a lot about myself in those tiring hours. I learned that I was far too______to give up, and I was too proud to prove myself______after I had set an unrealistic goal. Even with physical pain and mental______,  I forced myself to meet my______. Even when I was at the end of my______,   there was always something driving me on, forcing me not to give up.

Fortunately, I made it. What I had done______the success. It was in those hours that I learned what a dancer______is. Those time was evidence that I could______something I set out to do.

1.A.reached out B.set off C.pulled back D.broke away

2.A.sleep B.breath C.thought D.sorrow

3.A.career B.attempt C.response D.performance

4.A.eventually B.easily C.absolutely D.desperately

5.A.debt B.respect C.interest D.visit

6.A.develop B.rescue C.introduce D.promote

7.A.beautiful B.focused C.intelligent D.considerate

8.A.talent B.strength C.comprehension D.commitment

9.A.recording B.discussing C.practicing D.designing

10.A.pushed B.addicted C.treated D.applied

11.A.forget B.design C.learn D.research

12.A.discovered B.abandoned C.controlled D.undertook

13.A.brilliant B.brave C.stubborn D.discouraged

14.A.careless B.nervous C.frightened D.wrong

15.A.function B.stress C.level D.action

16.A.budget B.deadline C.expense D.expectation

17.A.limit B.purpose C.preparation D.destination

18.A.increased B.deserved C.expanded D.exposed

19.A.completely B.chiefly C.originally D.truly

20.A.change B.supply C.accomplish D.explain

    Children who have developed leadership skills are sure to have a bright future. 1. Not only will they gain more self-esteem and interact more easily with their peers, they can also make an impact on their community. These qualities will continue to develop as children grow up. Here are simple techniques to develop children’s leadership qualities.

Discuss peer pressure. Children are often exposed to peer pressure and worry about how others view them. 2. Leadership requires being socially involved, but still honoring personal morals and standards. Discuss hypothetical (假设的) peer pressure situations and ask kids to consider how they’d behave in different situations.

3. When they’re able to clearly show their thoughts, they feel more self-confident and are able to deal with complex problems. You can help by encouraging children to speak out and by listening seriously to their thoughts. Although many children go through rebellious stages, don’t enforce silence. Instead, suggest self-expression.

Teach by example. 4. Even if they don t express it aloud, children may see you as a role model. Model leadership behavior by helping others, volunteering in leadership positions and taking action in everyday life.

Develop children’s individual talents and encourage participation. Every child has potential for leadership skills, but not every child develops skills in the same way. 5. A child might be a talented athlete or skilled at painting and drawing. Find ways for kids to develop these skills in a group setting, which promotes teamwork and social skills.

A.Encourage children to express themselves.

B.Pay attention to specific interests and abilities.

C.Find volunteer and community service opportunities.

D.Children start benefiting from leadership skills at any age.

E.Children with self-awareness have a greater ability to lead.

F.Children observe the adults in their lives, and value what they see.

G.Talk with your children about the importance of avoiding peer pressure.

    Britain faces social problems as lots of people are set to lose their jobs in technological revolution, Bank of England’s chief economist warned.

Andy Haldane said the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution will make the machine replace humans to do thinking things. The dark side of the change could be a much bigger breakdown of employment than in Victorian times, with professions such as accountancy (会计) among those at risk.

A report by the accountancy firm PwC last month warned that more than 7 million jobs in Britain had been lost over the next 20 years as technological change sweeps though workplaces.

The majority of these are in jobs in the retail, transport and manufacturing industries. However, other traditional professional sectors could also be at serious risk.

Economists treat the arrival of increasingly intelligent computers and robots as the fourth industrial revolution. The first was the shift from agricultural to urban societies, the second saw the widespread use of electricity and steel, and the third was the digital revolution when computers, the Internet and mobile phones were developed.

Mr Haldane said the hollowing-out (空洞化) experienced in the past years could be on a greater scale in the future so it is important to learn the lessons of history and ensure that people are given training to take advantage of new opportunities.

“Jobs were effectively taken by machines of various types, there was a hollowing-out of the jobs market, which left many people for a long period out of work and struggling to make a living,” Haldane added, “That heightened social and financial tensions, and led to a rise in inequality. This is the dark side of technological revolution.”

“That hollowing-out is going to be potentially on a much greater scale in the future, when we have machines thinking and doing the cognitive and technical skills of humans.” Mr Haldane said professions like accountancy could be among those hardest hit by the rise of AI. But he suggested economists could escape.

1.What is the dark side mentioned in the text?

A. The hollowing-out has become a major social problem.

B. Less and less people have the desire to learn accountancy

C. Intelligent computers and robots decrease good workers.

D. The technological revolution causes people to lose jobs.

2.Why are economists the lucky dog in the new technological revolution?

A. The study about economy is at a low level.

B. Economists work on a traditional professional job.

C. There is no machine that can work as an economist.

D. Economists have the chance to avoid technological revolution.

3.What should be done to deal with the serious situation?

A. To call for people to devote more to studying history.

B. To teach people to grasp the chances technological revolution brings about.

C. To warn people not to work on transport and manufacturing industries.

D. To ask workers to develop and think as the intelligent computers and robots do.

4.What attitude did Haldane have towards the future employment?

A. Positive. B. Aggressive.

C. Critical. D. Worried.

    It’s common knowledge that some countries have higher life expectancies than others, but the city you live in can also affect your health.

Some cities are hard on their residents. In places with poor city planning, for example Lagos, which was called out recently by the Economist Intelligence Unit, public spaces are few, making outdoor activities hard. Lack of infrastructure (基础建设) blocks the streets with cars and the air with pollutants, and residents work long hours for little money.

These are just some of the factors added up by Spotahome, a rental agency. They’ve analyzed data from a range of sources, including the World Health Organization, TripAdvisor and the CIA World Factbook to score each city on health, gym availability and quality, life expectancy, obesity, green space and other elements to make a list to work out which are the world’s healthiest cities.

The list is certainly Euro-centric and sunshine is seen as a positive factor. It does go some way towards suggesting which cities are getting it right in providing a good life for their residents. It may not be surprising to learn that most of the healthiest cities are in northern Europe, known for its people-first approach to city planning. The cities of Australia and Canada also do well. However, the first American city is only in 34th place. The UK doesn’t fare too well either-its only city in the top 50 list is London, in 40th.

Whether you’re planning a wholesome holiday, or simply wondering what your city can do better in its quest for happy citizens, the list of the 50 healthiest cities will give you pause for thought about the future of city planning. Here are the slender, healthy-eating, clean-aired cities that are getting it right.

1.What plays the key role in building a healthy city according to the text?

A. Local culture. B. City planning.

C. Economic condition. D. Geographical position.

2.What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A. How the list of healthiest cities came into being.

B. What Spotahome discovered in the recent study.

C. The reasons why Spotahome carried out the study.

D. The places where the data of the study came from.

3.What can we learn from the text?

A. Cities in America lack enough sunshine.

B. The UK ranked higher than America in the list.

C. Australia and Canada have the best city planning.

D. Some people in Lagos may live a poor life.

4.What may be the best title for the text?

A. The best places to have a rich life

B. The happiest lifestyle in the world

C. The city factors affecting your health

D. The nice countries to keep healthy

    When Kevin Durant gave his tearful MVP speech in 2014, the NBA star made sure to thank one person who had been there with him from the very beginning: his mother. His heartfelt words about the sacrifices she made for Durant and his brother led to a lifetime movie about her journey as a single parent, The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story.

Today, the NBA superstar’s mom travels the country as a motivational speaker and philanthropist (慈善家). On Monday, she spoke at Thomson Reuters’ in New York about her personal struggles to achieve financial stability and shared the financial advice she gave her son when he entered the league with CNBC.

“I wanted him to realize he has worked hard,” she says, “And it is OK for him to enjoy himself because of his hard work. But it is also imperative that he prepares for his future.” While she advised him to enjoy the rewards of his labor, she also wanted to make sure that her son knew the importance of financial planning.

She told the audience that when she found herself a single parent to two children at 21, she couldn’t follow the financial principles. Rather than planning for the future, she focused only on how her money could make ends meet for that moment.

Recently, Durant has teamed up with Laurene Powell Jobs for a new philanthropic program called College Track which is aimed at helping disadvantaged kids attend college. As part of the program, Durant has committed to donating $10 million to his hometown’s public school system.

Durant’s mom says that in addition to his financial decisions, she is proud of his philanthropic work and his desire to help the community. “I thought giving back was always very important, and so we talked about that and he had seen that from us as a family and it’s one of the things that I taught him,” she says.

1.What is The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story mainly about?

A. Durant’s career path.

B. Durant’s hard childhood.

C. Durant’s mother’s devotion to the family.

D. Durant’s mother’s struggling to be independent.

2.What does the underlined word “imperative” in paragraph 3 mean?

A. Enjoyable. B. Important.

C. Unusual. D. Hopeful.

3.What are the financial principles of Durant’s mom?

A. Enjoying now and planning for the future.

B. Sharing rewards and creating a charity program.

C. Spending less money and saving for the emergencies.

D. Donating money to the charity and helping more schools.

4.What made Durant pay attention to the charity program?

A. His kind heart. B. His poor hometown.

C. His mother’s teaching. D. His difficult life experiences.

    Let’s look at the movies we can’t wait to watch in 2019

Dumbo (March 29)

Dumbo is a 1941 American film produced by Walt Disney Productions. The main character is an elephant who is nicknamed “Dumbo”. Dumbo is always laughed at for his big ears, and he is rejected by the other elephants. With no parent to care for him, he is alone. But in fact, he is capable of flying by using his ears as wings. A live-action adaptation of the film directed by Tim Burton is scheduled to be released on March 29, 2019.

Shazam! (April 5)

Shazam is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Directed by David F. Sandberg, the film is set to star Asher Angel as Billy Batson, a teenage boy who can transform via the magic word “Shazam” into an adult superhero, played by Zachary Levi. It will be the first film version of the character since the 1941 series Adventures of Captain Marvel (the character’s original name).

Aladdin (May 24)

Aladdin is a fictional character and the role of the film Aladdin (1992) based on Aladdin, a folk tale of Middle Eastern origin He is voiced by Scott Weinger, while his singing voice is provided by Brad Kane. Aladdin never received a formal education, and has only learned by living on the streets of Agrabah. He has to steal food in the local market in order to survive. Mena Massoud is set to play a live-action version of the character in a live action adaptation of the 1992 film.

Godzilla, King of the Monsters (May 31)

Godzilla, King of the Monsters is a 1956 Japanese-American science fiction film, co-directed by Terry O. Morse and Ishiro Honda. It is a heavily re-edited American adaptation. For this new version of Godzilla, some of the original Japanese dialogue was translated into English, and some of the political, social and anti-nuclear themes were removed completely.

1.Which one will be shown to the audience as a form of film for the first time?

A. Dumbo. B. Shazam!

C. Aladdin. D. Godzilla, King of the Monsters.

2.Who is the actor of the newest version of Aladdin?

A. Scott Weinger. B. Brad Kane.

C. Terry O. Morse. D. Mena Massoud.

3.On which day can you watch a film about a pitiful animal according to the text?

A. March 29. B. April 5.

C. May 24. D. May 31.

阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。

Emotional eating is when people use food as a way to deal with feelings instead of satisfying hunger. Believe it or not, we’ve all been there. Have you ever finished a whole bag of chips out of boredom or downed cookie after cookie while preparing for a big test? But when done a lot — especially without realizing it — emotional eating can affect weight, health and overall well-being.

Not many of us make the connection between eating and our feelings. Understanding what drives emotional eating can help people take steps to change it. One of the biggest myths about emotional eating is that ifs caused by negative feelings. Yes, people often turn to food when they’re stressed out, lonely, sad, anxious or bored. But emotional eating can be linked to positive feelings too, like the romance of sharing dessert on Valentine’s Day or the celebration of a holiday feast. Sometimes, emotional eating is tied to major life events, like a death or a divorce. More often, though, it’s the countless little daily stresses that cause someone to seek comfort in food.

Emotional eating patterns can be learned. A child who is given candy after a big achievement may grow up using candy as a reward for a job well done. If a crying boy gets some cookies, he may link cookies with comfort. It’s not easy to “unlearn” patterns of emotional eating. But it is possible. And it starts with an awareness of what’s going on.

We’re all emotional eaters to a degree. But for some people, emotional eating can be a real problem, causing serious weight gain or other problems. The trouble with emotional eating is that once the pleasure of eating is gone, the feelings that cause it remain. And you often may feel worse about eating the amount or type of food you like. That’s why it helps to know the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger. Next time you reach for a snack, wait and think about which type of hunger is driving it.

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随着手机及其他电子设备的普及，“低头族”随处可见。大街上，公交车上……，以年轻人为主。针对这一问题，请写一篇倡议书，提醒人们低头看手机的危害，并呼吁人们尽量抬起头来。

要求：

1.观点鲜明：

2.行文连贯流畅；

3.字数100左右。文章开头已经给出，不计入总词数。

参考词汇：低头族phubber

The mobile phone and other electric devices have been part of our life, bringing us convenience. However, more and more phubbers, especially young people, bury themselves in their phones without looking at what was going on around them.

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请认真阅读下列各小题，并根据上下文语境和所给首字母或中文的提示，写出下列各句空格中的单词，注意保持语义和形式的一致。请将答案的完整形式写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。

1.Successfully applied, new technologies can a________ a country’s development and help transform many aspects of people’s daily life.

2.With sit-down exams now impossible, Ms Huang believes that students should be e________ in terms of their performance in classroom discussions during live streams.

3.The house, which was once the birthplace of the general, was found a ________ after a severe fire.

4.Coronaviruses can cause a range of s________ varying from common cold to more serious respiratory illnesses.

5.The President’s tour was characterized by a t________ schedule and rich contents. During the 8-day tour, he visited 5 countries, attended 2 meetings and participated in more than 70 activities.

6.Video games can be fun and exciting, but we need to look out when this pastime becomes a(n) _______ (上瘾).

7.Drivers who are too ________ (争强好胜的) are the major cause of traffic jams, because of their habits of driving too fast and frequently slamming on the brakes.

8.Fluency and ________ (准确) are two factors which determine the success of the students’ learning a second language in the future.

9.On April 4th, 2020, China held a national mourning for martyrs (烈士) who ________ (牺牲) their lives in the fight against the epidemic.

10.Many coffee drinkers in China have been in a panic that coffee causes cancer after a post was ______ (传播) on social media on the weekend.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入适当的词，如有括号提示，请以提示词的正确形式填空。请将答案的完整形式写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。

The Chinese Garden of Friendship was built as a beautiful symbol of friendship 1. Sydney in the State of New South Wales and Guangzhou in the province of Guangdong, China (sister cities of sister states), to mark Australia’s bicentenary (二百周年纪念) in 1988.

The garden 2. (design) and built by Chinese landscape architects and gardeners,3. (follow) the Taoist principles of “Yin-Yang” and the five opposite elements — earth, fire, water, metal and wood. These principles also stress the 4. (important) of Qi, the central force of life and energy.

Yin-Yang 5. (play) such a vital role that just one missing element would disrupt the garden’s harmony and balance. However, when 6. (combine) perfectly, the five elements form a fluid and nurturing environment. Everything you encounter in the garden has been hand-picked and very carefully placed to capture the five elements and the energy of Qi.

Unlike western-style gardens, there are no planted flowerbeds 7. neatly-cut lawns, wild 8. (aspect) of nature are recreated in landscapes 9. feature waterfalls, mountains, lakes and forests.

The art of Chinese Garden design began in imperial parks during the Shang Dynasty 3,000 years ago. Darling Harbor’s Chinese Garden of Friendship is a small-scale version of 10. (type) private garden from this time.

    Ten years ago, I set out to examine luck. I wanted to know why some people are _________ in the right place at the right time, while others consistently experienced ill fortune. I placed _________ in national newspapers asking for people who felt consistently lucky or unlucky to _________ me.

Hundreds of extraordinary men and women volunteered for my research. Over the years I interviewed them, watched their lives and had them _________ various experiments.

I carried out a simple experiment to discover whether their differences in _________ was due to differences in their ability to _________ opportunities. I gave both lucky and unlucky people a newspaper, and asked them to _________ it and tell me how many photographs were inside. I had _________ placed a large message halfway through the newspaper saying … “Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win $50.”

This message took up half of the page and was written in type that was more than two inches high. It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to _________ it and the lucky people tended to spot it.

Unlucky people are generally more ____________ than lucky people, and this anxiety affects their ability to notice the ____________. As a result, they miss opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to gatherings focused on finding their perfect partner and miss opportunities to make good friends. They read newspapers ____________ to find certain types of job advertisements and miss other types of jobs.

Lucky people are more ____________ and open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for. My research eventually showed that lucky people create good fortune via four ____________ . They are skilled at creating and ____________ opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition (直觉), create self-fulfilling prophesies (预言) via positive expectations, and adopt a “never say die,” attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

1.A.never B.always C.sometimes D.seldom

2.A.messages B.activities C.reports D.notices

3.A.contact B.trust C.show D.follow

4.A.participate in B.learn about C.look into D.carry out

5.A.attitude B.manner C.lifestyle D.luck

6.A.share B.spot C.create D.predict

7.A.look through B.put through C.get through D.see through

8.A.hesitantly B.carelessly C.secretly D.excitedly

9.A.pass B.miss C.notice D.misunderstand

10.A.nervous B.violent C.awkward D.pitiful

11.A.difficult B.dangerous C.important D.unexpected

12.A.confident B.disappointed C.determined D.surprised

13.A.reliable B.hardworking C.smart D.relaxed

14.A.goals B.preferences C.principles D.steps

15.A.inventing B.noticing C.taking D.adopting

Things only people who have worked overseas can understand

If you have ever worked or lived overseas, I’m pretty sure you can understand the following things!

We do not automatically become fluent (流利的) in another language. A lot of people believe that changing your geographic location can improve your language learning skills quickly.1. Language application takes time and has a number of factors that play into a person’s level of fluency.

We feel extremely lonely at times. Yes, living abroad can be wonderful.2. Sometimes, we think that no one back at home understands our true feelings and life challenges, but a lot of other people travel long term and work abroad. Maybe they are not facing the same problems as you, but they know exactly how you feel.

We don’t really like our birthdays. Usually, your special day ends with the last phone call you get from home and then you can look through all your greetings on social media.3.  You may throw a small party with some of your new friends, but it’s going to be nothing compared with the good­old feasts you used to have with your loved ones back at home.

4. Too often we simply can’t tell you if we will be coming home for holidays this season. Sometimes, our working/living permits require us to stay in the country for at least a year. Adding up the flight costs and additional travel expenses, traveling home becomes quite a challenge for us.

We will change.5. You become more mature, independent and open­minded. Usually, you return home as a better person than the one you left as.

A.The truth is: it isn’t like that.

B.We may not plan to move back home.

C.We don’t know when we’ll come home next.

D.However, it can get extremely lonely on some days too.

E.Living abroad makes us value the little things a lot.

F.Living and working abroad shape your personality a lot.

G.After that, you just act as if it’s another ordinary day in your life yet.

It was Saturday. As always, it was a busy one, for "Six days shall you labor and do all your work" was taken seriously back then. Outside, Father and Mr. Patrick next door were busy chopping firewood. Inside their own houses, Mother and Mrs. Patrick were engaged in spring cleaning. Somehow the boys had slipped away to the back lot with their kites. Now, even at the risk of having Brother caught to beat carpets, they had sent him to the kitchen for more string(线). It seemed there was no limit to the heights to which kites would fly today.

My mother looked at the sitting room, its furniture disordered for a thorough sweeping. Again she cast a look toward the window. "Come on, girls! Let's take string to the boys and watch them fly the kites a minute."

On the way we met Mrs. Patrick, laughing guiltily as if she were doing something wrong, together with her girls.

There never was such a day for flying kites! We played all our fresh string into the boys' kites and they went up higher and higher. We could hardly distinguish the orange-colored spots of the kites. Now and then we slowly pulled one kite back, watching it dancing up and down in the wind, and finally bringing it down to earth, just for the joy of sending it up again.

Even our fathers dropped their tools and joined us. Our mothers took their turn, laughing like schoolgirls. I think we were all beside ourselves. Parents forgot their duty and their dignity; children forgot their everyday fights and little jealousies. "Perhaps it's like this in the kingdom of heaven," I thought confusedly.

It was growing dark before we all walked sleepily back to the house. I suppose we had some sort of supper. I suppose there must have been surface tidying-up, for the house on Sunday looked clean and orderly enough. The strange thing was, we didn't mention that day afterward. I felt a little embarrassed. Surely none of the others had been as excited as I. I locked the memory up in that deepest part of me where we keep "the things that cannot be and yet they are."

The years went on, then one day I was hurrying about my kitchen in a city apartment, trying to get some work out of the way while my three-year-old insistently cried her desire to "go park, see duck."

"I can't go!" I said. "I have this and this to do, and when I'm through I'll be too tired to walk that far."

My mother, who was visiting us, looked up from the peas she was shelling（去皮）. "It's a wonderful day," she offered, "really warm, yet there's a fine breeze. Do you remember that day we flew kites?"

I stopped in my dash between stove and sink. The locked door flew open and with it a rush of memories. "Come on," I told my little girl. "You're right, it's too good a day to miss."

Another decade passed. We were in the aftermath (余波) of a great war. All evening we had been asking our returned soldier, the youngest Patrick Boy, about his experiences as a prisoner of war. He had talked freely, but now for a long time he had been silent. What was he thinking of — what dark and horrible things?

"Say!" A smile sipped out from his lips. "Do you remember — no, of course you wouldn't. It probably didn't make the impression on you as it did on me."

I hardly dared speak. "Remember what?"

"I used to think of that day a lot in POW camp (战俘营), when things weren't too good. Do you remember the day we flew the kites?"

1.Mrs. Patrick was laughing guiltily because she thought_________.

A.she was too old to fly kites

B.she should have been doing her housework then

C.her husband would make fun of her

D.her girls weren’t supposed to play the boy’s game

2.By "we were all beside ourselves," the writer means that they all _________.

A.felt confused B.looked on

C.went wild with joy D.forgot their fights

3.What did the writer think after the kite-flying?

A.The boys must have had more fun than the girls.

B.All the others must have forgotten that day.

C.Her parents should spend more time with them.

D.They should have finished their work before playing.

4.Why did the writer finally agree to take her little girl for an outing?

A.She suddenly remembered her duty as a mother.

B.She thought it was a great day to play outside.

C.She had finished her work in the kitchen.

D.She was reminded of the day they flew kites.

5.The youngest Patrick boy is mentioned to show that _________.

A.the writer was not alone in treasuring her fond memories

B.his experience in POW camp threw a shadow over his life

C.childhood friendship means so much to the writer

D.people like him really changed a lot after the war

    Light and bright, cheap and cheerful: IKEA’s 400-plus outlets (专营店) in 49 countries all run on the same central principle. Customers do as much of the work as possible, in the belief they are having fun and saving money. You drive to a distant warehouse built on cheap out-of-town land. Inside, you enter a maze (迷宫) — no shortcuts allowed — where every twist reveals new furniture.

Compared with the prices of other outlets, IKEA’s are much lower. You load up your trolley (手推车) with impulse buys-a clock, storage boxes, tools and more chairs than you will ever use. You drag cardboard boxes, cupboards and tables into your car and reward yourself for your economy and good taste. Then you drive home and put your prizes together. You are satisfied with the bargains. IKEA is satisfied with your money.

The company’s name was a do-it-yourself job, too. IKEA stands for Ingvar Kamprad, from Elmtaryd ― his family’s farm — in Agunnaryd. That village is in the Smaland region of southern Sweden. Mr Kamprad founded IKEA aged 17. Well before that, he spotted a principle which would make him one of the richest men in the world that customers like buying goods at wholesale prices (批发价). First he bought matches in large quantities and sold them by the box. Aged ten, he sold pens in the similar way.

Setbacks inspired him. Facing a price war against his low-cost mail-order furniture business, he defeated competitors by opening a showroom. Dealers tried to crush Mr Kamprad and banned him from their trade fairs. He slipped in, hiding in a friend’s car. When they tried to threaten his suppliers, he relied on his own workers, and secretly sold his production to communist Poland. Decades later, east Europeans freed from the planned economy drove hundreds of miles to newly opened outlets in Moscow and Warsaw.

His self-discipline was world-famous. As a child, he removed the “off” button from his alarm clock to stop himself oversleeping. He rarely took a first-class seat. The wine didn’t get you there any earlier, he sniffed; having lots of money was no reason to waste it. He bought his clothes in second-hand markets, and for years drove an elderly Volvo until he had to sell it on safety grounds. He had his hair cut in poor countries to save money. Visitors admired the views, but were surprised that his house was so shabby. He worked well into his eighties.

His diligence and simple way of life set a good example to his 194,000 “co-workers”. But he was not mean. The point of cutting costs was to make goods affordable, not to compromise quality. He urged his staff to reflect constantly on ways of saving money, time and space. An improved design that allows easier piling means shipping less air and more profit.

Culture was more important than strategy. He disliked “exaggerated (夸张的) planning”, along with financial markets and banks. Better to make mistakes and learn from them. And use time wisely: “You can do so much in ten minutes. But ten minutes once gone are gone for good.” This did not apply to customers. The longer they stayed, the better.

Mr Kamprad’s impact on modern life can be compared with that of Henry Ford and the mass-produced motor car. Furniture used to be expensive, dark and heavy. For many people, decorating a home could cost many months’ salary. IKEA made furniture not just affordable and functional, but fun. The mission was civilizational, he felt, changing how people lived and thought.

His approach drew some fire. The company values struck some as unpleasant. At IKEA’s Corporate Culture Centre, lots of pictures of Mr Kamprad with his mottos can be seen everywhere. What’s worse, some parts of the supply chain seemed to have serious problems to overcome.

1.What can we learn about IKEA in Paragraph 1?

A.IKEA prefers rural areas for its location.

B.IKEA has 400 outlets throughout the world.

C.IKEA likes to store new furniture in a maze.

D.IKEA provides a lot of work for its customers.

2.The underlined two sentences in Paragraph 2 imply that ________.

A.IKEA tricks you into spending more money

B.you may buy bargains with impulse in IKEA

C.both you and IKEA are pleased with the deal

D.both you and IKEA are happy with the bargain

3.By mentioning Mr. Kamprad’s experiences before he founded IKEA, the author intends to tell us that Mr Kamprad ________.

A.was likely to become a successful businessman

B.preferred selling matches and pens by low prices

C.had been a well-off merchant due to his principle

D.enjoyed doing something promising with discipline

4.What can be inferred from paragraph 5 and 6 about Mr. Kamprad?

A.He never overslept due to his alarm clock being set.

B.He was against drinking but for sniffing at the wine.

C.He sold the old Volvo with the purpose of saving money. -

D.He didn’t give up the quality of furniture for more profit.

5.Which of the following has nothing to do with Mr. Kamprad’s success in business?

A.The pictures and mottos of Mr. Kamprad.

B.The setbacks Mr. Kamprad experienced.

C.Mr. Kamprad’s principles of management.

D.Mr. Kamprad’s self-discipline and diligence.

    During the outbreak of novel coronavirus, cities are locked down and borders are closed. Science, on the contrary, is becoming more open. And this “open science” is already making a difference.

Soon after the epidemic started in China, a research team from Fudan University in Shanghai successfully sequenced (测定序列)the DNA of the virus. But they didn’t keep the information to themselves. Instead, they placed the sequences on GenBank, an open-access data platform, so researchers around the world could download them for free and start studying the virus.

Due to this openness, pharmaceutical (制药的) companies across the globe are now able to work simultaneously (同时地)to develop a vaccine. “There may be room for multiple different vaccines for different purposes and different age groups,” Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security in the US, told Al Jazeera. “The            bigger menu we have of vaccines, the more resilient (有适应力的) we’ll be against coronavirus outbreaks in the future.”

Major drug companies around the world are also sharing their study results. Remdesivir, a drug originally developed by US company Gilead Sciences to treat Ebola, is found to be promising in fighting against the novel coronavirus. Currently, two trials of the drug are already underway in China, and the results might be available as soon as April, according to The Verge.

This openness in science is going to be even more critical in the future. “With climate change, increasing globalization, and population shifts, epidemics will not go away, and might even become more frequent,” Dan Barouch, a Harvard Medical School professor, told Harvard Magazine.

He said, “No one group can do everything. It has to be a coordinated (合作的) approach. But I do think that the world has a greater sense of readiness this time to develop knowledge, drugs, and therapeutics (疗法) very rapidly.”

Every epidemic is indeed a crisis, but it can also be a learning opportunity. One redeeming (补偿的) factor of the COVID-19 outbreak is that it is helping science adapt for the better.

1.What does the article mainly talk about?

A.Coordinated efforts to fight the epidemic.

B.Something positive we’ve learned from the epidemic.

C.The significance of openness and sharing of scientific knowledge.

D.What needs to be done to prevent future epidemics.

2.What is the positive effect of the research team from Fudan University placing the genetic sequence of the virus onto GenBank?

A.They alerted the world to the danger of the virus.

B.They helped remove people’s fear of the virus.

C.They showed the world how to produce a vaccine.

D.They invited collective efforts worldwide to develop a vaccine.

3.What is the author’s purpose of mentioning remdesivir in the text?

A.To introduce a possible cure for the epidemic.

B.To compare the treatment of Ebola and the novel coronavirus.

C.To prove that many drug companies readily share their discoveries.

D.To show that the novel coronavirus will soon be contained.

4.What does the underlined word “critical” in paragraph 5 probably mean?

A.expressing disapproval.

B.extremely important.

C.serious, uncertain and possibly dangerous.

D.making fair, careful judgments.

5.Which of the following would Dan Barouch probably disagree with?

A.Epidemics will be less frequent thanks to scientific development.

B.The world is becoming better prepared to deal with epidemics.

C.No single group can fight against the epidemics independently.

D.The increase in globalization may worsen future epidemics.

假定你是李华，你的美国朋友Jamie来信说他对中国传统文学非常感兴趣，但在阅读时遇到了困难，比如很多汉字不认识，读不懂文章的意思等，希望得到你的帮助。请给他回信，内容包括：

1. 表示理解并给予安慰；

2. 提出建议。

注意：1. 词数80左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

参考词汇：中国传统文学traditional Chinese literature；汉字Chinese characters

Dear Jamie,

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Best wishes!

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。文中共有10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(Λ)，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10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

Last summer, to my delighted, I got a chance to go to the United Kingdom. I was eager to see what England was like. Although my parents objected to my decision at first, but finally they were persuaded. It was the first time that I have travelled abroad alone. Felt excited, I boarded the plane. Suddenly, however, I found my luggages gone and felt helplessly. It was on that moment that an airhostess came to my assistance. After helping me find it back, she suggested that I attached a label to my suitcase on my next journey. I was thankful to the kind lady for his help! What unforgettable trip!

    Xinyang Mao Jian is a famous and ancient green tea produce in Xinyang, Henan Province. The name can be divided into two parts that are associated with two aspects: “Xinyang”, 1. first part, is the Xinyang city in Henan that produces this type of tea; “Mao Jian” are the words to describe the shape of the tea, 2. is small and needle like.

Xinyang has a tea history 3. (date) back to 2,300 years ago—in 1987, at Gushi County of Xinyang, tea 4. (discover) in an ancient tomb. In the past century, Xinyang Mao Jian has been considered one of the 5. (good) teas in China.

Located in southern Henan Province, Xinyang is a place 6. a mild climate and good conditions for growing trees that produce the tea’s unique quality: Xinyang tea trees are planted at high altitudes where the weather is 7. (clear) divided by four distinct seasons. Moreover, the location is abundant（丰富的）with forests, clouds, rainfall, and with large temperature 8. (different) between day and night. These geographical 9. (advantage) help keep Xinyang’s soil healthy and rich, while trees more efficiently（高效地）absorb chemicals 10. (produce) quality green tea.

    My family is still recovering from the terrible times when my teenaged stepson became ill. His disease led to kidney failure and an ongoing need for _________.

As anyone with a sick child knows, the stress doesn’t _________. And there was so much stress. My husband and I were _________ and it was as if we forgot how to communicate ---we couldn’t have a simple conversation without _________. Our once-happy home had become tense and unhappy.

In a _________ event of communication, my stepson and I were discussing Valentine’s gifts. I _________ that his dad gave me a kazoo(卡祖笛)for our first Valentine’s Day. My reaction to this gift was _________ when I, a professional saxophone player, couldn’t get it to make a _________.The kazoo finally got packed away and_________.

But he was interested and asked to see it. After some trouble, I found it_________. “What’s so hard about getting a sound?” He asked, amazed, turning it around in his hands. “I don’t know. It just never_________.” I answered. My husband _________ the kazoo---“It’s easy! Look, you just do this ...” and he blew. Nothing happened. He tried again, but still there was no sound. _________, he tried again, only to produce a sound like a bee. My stepson burst into laughter. Our excitement at seeing his face_________ like that was obvious. Soon, we were all laughing to the point of tears.

It was as if the dark had _________and a ray of sunshine was let in. Eyes_________ and souls reconnected. My stepson took a turn on the kazoo. He did no better than us. More _________. The mood stayed_________ for the rest of the evening. Months later, my stepson _________a successful kidney transplant, which turned out to be a turning point. It showed us that we can still bond as a _________. Thanks to a simple kazoo, we remembered that we are one.

1.A.confidence B.treatment C.appearance D.recovery

2.A.pass down B.set out C.go away D.move around

3.A.relaxed B.surprised C.relieved D.exhausted

4.A.quarrelling B.mentioning C.changing D.developing

5.A.useful B.rare C.fair D.frequent

6.A.reminded B.recalled C.discovered D.predicted

7.A.forgiveness B.curiosity C.excitement D.embarrassment

8.A.song B.sign C.sound D.noise

9.A.repaired B.forgotten C.sold D.lent

10.A.eventually B.gradually C.generally D.naturally

11.A.agreed B.refused C.worked D.disturbed

12.A.caught B.returned C.selected D.dropped

13.A.Frustrated B.Disappointed C.Pleased D.Interested

14.A.take up B.light up C.hold up D.pick up

15.A.jumped B.fallen C.struggled D.disappeared

16.A.met B.shut C.changed D.opened

17.A.crying B.shouting C.calling D.laughing

18.A.thick B.deep C.pleasant D.shallow

19.A.damaged B.chose C.expected D.underwent

20.A.stranger B.hospital C.family D.relationship

How to Form a Positive Reading Habit

Books are a source of joy, learning, insight and imagination. How we choose what to read says a lot about our preferences and passions. 1.

Give old favorites a re-read

There is a particular kind of pleasure that comes with easing open a well-worn book, flipping through pages you have thumbed before, maybe multiple times. 2. It can bring you back to the time in your life when you last met those characters. You’re left with a rich reflection on who you were, who you are  and where you turn for meaning and inspiration.

Learn something new

If you are a lover of novels, think about what your favorites have in common.3. That can send you down a glorious rabbit hole of non-fiction books that will brighten your understanding of times, places and people who already live in your imagination.

4.

Book clubs are positive on so many levels, not least of which is that they open your mind to books you might not otherwise have considered. If you don’t belong to one — and even if you do — try to think about your reading choices in a public way. Ask friends what they are reading and go with any recommendations that interest you.

Give yourself permission to move on

Sometimes you just can’t get through a book — and that’s okay. Just like living positively means acknowledging when it’s time to let go of something that isn’t serving you well, reading positively means giving yourself permission to close a book that isn’t keeping you interested or inspired. 5.. The positive pleasure of reading is indeed unending.

A.Get social

B.Set up a book club

C.There are unlimited choices to turn to instead, after all

D.Here are some tips for making reading a positive habit in your life

E.Reading books that you enjoy helps maintain your habit and become a life-long reader

F.Re-reading favorite books can do more than bring you back into beloved worlds and stories

G.A particular time in history, region of the world or type of character may become a new theme

    Seattle on Sunday became the first major US city to ban drinking straws(吸管), an environmentally friendly move that leaders hope will spark a nationwide conversation about small, everyday changes that people can make to protect the planet.

A decade ago, the city adopted a law requiring that all one-time-use food-service items be compostable(可分解的) or recyclable. But straws were exempted from that law because there were not many good alternatives. So the straws stayed, along with the environmental problems they cause.

Most plastic straws aren’t heavy enough to make it through industrial recycling sorters, and can ruin an otherwise good load of recycling. Or they end up getting blown out of trash cans and car windows and eventually wind up in the oceans, where they can hurt wildlife.

Strawless Ocean estimates that 71 percent of seabirds and 30 percent of turtles have some kind of plastic in their stomachs. The organization says plastic can increase the death rate of marine life by 50 percent.

Now customers at grocery stores, restaurants, food trucks, even institutional cafeterias have to find another way to get liquid into their mouths. Compostable paper straws are allowed under the ban. People who have a medical need to use a straw are not included. 

Failure to obey may result in a US$250 fine, although city leaders said that the purpose of the law is more about raising awareness. In September, 150 businesses participated in Strawless in Seattle, an attempt to reduce the use of plastic straws. In that month alone, Strawless Ocean estimates, 2.3 million plastic straws were removed from the city.

“When you get your iced drink, you’re going to get a straw. When you get your wine, you’re probably going to get a straw,” said Dune Ives, executive director of the Lonely Whale Foundation, which led the campaign. “Imagine a world where we could stop consuming 500 million straws a day, just in America!” the campaign says. “Imagine a world that is less dependent on plastic. That’s change we can start today!”

1.What does the underlined word “exempted” mean in the second paragraph？

A.To make something out of the list. B.To make something better than before.

C.To include something in a special list. D.To forgive someone who makes mistakes.

2.What the problem may the drinking straws cause according to the passage?

A.They may make the trash cans dirty. B.They may destroy American recycling system.

C.They may cause much ocean wildlife in danger. D.They may cause many companies get fined.

3.What is the attitude of the public towards the ban?

A.Many people are in favor of it. B.Many people pay no attention to it.

C.Some people are strongly against it. D.Only the government workers agree with it.

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A.Seattle becomes first major US city to ban straws.

B.Seattle successfully bans people from using straws.

C.Seattle has been working hard to protect the environment.

D.Imagine a world that is less dependent on plastic.

    Young children are significantly more likely than adults to have their opinions influenced by robots, according to a new research. The study, conducted at the University of Plymouth, compared how adults and children respond to an identical task when in the presence of both their peers（同龄人）and robots.

It showed that while adults regularly have their opinions influenced by peers, something also showed in previous studies, they are largely able to resist being persuaded by robots. However, children aged between seven and nine were more likely to give the same responses as the robots, even if they were obviously incorrect.

The study asks people to look at a screen showing four lines and say which two match in length. When alone, people almost never make a mistake but when doing the experiment with others, they tend to follow what others are saying.

When children were alone in the room in this research, they scored 87% on the test, but when the robots join in their score drops to 75%. And of the wrong answers, 74% matched those of the robot.

The research was led by former Plymouth researcher Anna Vollmer and Professor in Robotics Tony Belpaeme, from the University of Plymouth and Ghent University.

Professor Belpaeme said: “People often follow the opinions of others and we’ve known for a long time that it is hard to resist taking over views and opinions of people around us. But as robots will soon be found in the home and the workplace, we were wondering if people would follow robots. What our results show is that adults do not follow what the robots are saying. But when we did the experiment with children, they did. It shows children can perhaps have more of an affinity（亲和力）with robots than adults, which does give the question: what if robots were to suggest, for example, what products to buy or what to think?”

1.What did the adults do when staying with robots？

A.They totally accept the robots’ suggestions.

B.They generally refused the robots’ effects.

C.They tried to persuade robots to resist them.

D.They usually compared robots with their children.

2.Why did some children made more mistakes in the experiment?

A.Because children were not as clever as adults.

B.Because robots in the presence made such mistakes.

C.Because robots reflected better than human beings.

D.Because children wanted to affect the robots on purpose.

3.What is Professor Belpaeme’s attitude towards the result of the experiment?

A.He is optimistic about the result. B.He doubts the result of the research.

C.He doesn’t care about the result. D.He is so worried about the future.

4.What should be followed after the last paragraph?

A.What will we do to teach our children?

B.What will adults do to avoid the problem?

C.What will people do to solve such problems?

D.Why are children influenced by such robots?

    I work at a company where there are lots of employees. I can’t say that I know them all by name, but I know my fair share of them. I think that almost all of them know me. It is all based on one simple principle: I believe that every single person deserves to be acknowledged, even though it is only a smile or a nod of the head.

When I was about ten years old, I was walking down the street with my mother. She stopped to speak to Mr. Lee. I was busy throwing stones at the stop sign. I knew I could see Mr. Lee any old time around the neighborhood, so I didn’t pay any attention to him. After we passed Mr. Lee, my mother stopped me and said something that has stuck with me from that day until now. She said, “You let that be the last time you ever walk by somebody and not open up your mouth to speak, because even a dog can wave its tail when it passes you on the street.” That phrase sounds simple, but it’s been a guidepost for me and the foundation of who I am.

At work, I always used to say hello to the founder of the company and ask him how our business was doing. But I also spoke to the people who cleaned the buildings and asked how their children were doing. I’ve become vice president, but that hasn’t changed the way I approach people. I still follow my mother’s advice. I speak to everyone I see, no matter where I am. You will realize how powerful it is just to open your mouth and say, “Hello.” I’ve learned that speaking to people creates a pathway into their world, and it lets them come into mine, too.

1.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “acknowledged” in Paragraph 1?

A.Accepted. B.Thanked.

C.Greeted. D.Respected.

2.Why did the author ignore Mr. Lee?

A.The author often met him. B.The author was too busy.

C.The author didn’t like him. D.The author didn’t know him.

3.What did the author learn from his mother?

A.Everyone should be treated fairly. B.Speak to everyone you see.

C.Polite behavior is important in your life. D.Friends may disappear from your life any time.

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

A.To show respect for his mother. B.To share how to succeed in work.

C.To show how to approach others. D.To share an important principle.