An artist in Oakland, California is using his skills to help the homeless. Greg Kloehn builds very small shelters that make life on the streets a little more comfortable. The structures offer the homeless some safety and protection from bad weather. Each little house also has wheels on the bottom so it can go wherever its owner goes.
Greg Kloehn has given away at least 20 tiny houses. Several are on the roadside near an active railroad. On a recent day, Mr. Kloehn stops at one to visit Oscar Young. The two men hug. Inside his little shelter Mr. Young gets relief from cold nights on the streets. Mr. Kloehn also visits Sweet-Pea, another friend who also lives in one of the little homes the artist built. She says it keeps her safe and protects her belongings.
In the mornings, Mr. Kloehn searches the streets for building materials. He gathers what he can and takes it to his studio. There, he puts the houses together. Empty coffee bags become roof material. A washing machine door and refrigerator part become windows. Nails, screws and the sticky glue hold all the pieces together. The artist also attaches a small electrical device to the house. The device is powered by the sun.
Some of the people living on the streets once had normal houses of their own. But some of the people say they have learned to live with less and they are thankful to that man.
Mr. Kloehn says his work is not a social project. He says he is just someone using his skills to help his homeless neighbors.
1. The following are the advantages of the small shelters EXCEPT ________.

A．saving power and energy

B．decorating the streets where they are

C．protecting possessions of the homeless

D．keeping the homeless safe and comfortable

2. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．an act of kindness has made people simple and grateful

B．Greg Kloehn has sold at least 20 tiny houses

C．the shelters are immovable

D．the government has got involved in the action

3. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．A more comfortable shelter on the streets.

B．An artist creates homes for the homeless.

C．A successful social project in Oakland.

D．An artist makes a living by designing small shelters.

Most of us have quite good memories, but our memories are limited. For example, we cannot remember everyone we have ever met or what we did on every single day of our lives. However, there are some people who do have prodigious memories. These people have a rare condition known as savant syndrome（学者症候群）. Savants suffer

from a developmental disorder, but they also exhibit great talents that contrast（显出差异）sharply with their physical and mental disabilities.

Kim Peek (1951-2009) was a savant who lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. He was born with damage to parts of his brain, but it seemed that other parts of his brain, particularly those relating to memory, became over-developed.

Peek’s unique abilities appeared at a very early age. When he was just 20 months old, he could already remember every book that was read to him. Peek could read two pages of a book at the same time-one page with the right eye and one with the left-in less than 10 seconds and remember everything he read. By the time he died, Peek had memorized more than 9,000 books. He could remember all the names and numbers in a variety of telephone books. He could remember thousands of facts about history, literature, geography and sports.

Dr. David Treffert, an expert on savant syndrome, once described Peek as “a living Google” because of his astonishing ability to memorize and connect facts. However, at the same time, Peek was unable to carry out simple tasks, such as brushing his hair or getting dressed, and he needed others to help him. In 1989, the movie Rain Man won the Oscar for best Picture. The main character in the movie, played by Dustin Hoffman, was based on Kim Peek's life. He started to appear on television, where he would amaze audiences by correctly answering difficult questions on different topics. Peek-became world famous, and he and his father began touring widely to talk about overcoming disabilities. He inspired a great many people with his words. “Recognizing and respecting differences in others, and treating everyone in the way you want them to treat you, will make our world a better place for everyone.

Everyone is different.”

4. The underlined word “prodigious” in Paragraph 1 probably means ______.

A．happy	B．clear.
C．amazing	D．short

5. According to the text, Peek ______.

A．could take care of himself

B．was born with a good memory

C．was the student of Dr. David Treffert

D．became brain-damaged at 20 months old

6. How is Paragraph 3 mainly developed?

A．By giving facts.	B．By following time order.
C．By explaining causes.	D．By making comparisons.

7. Peek’s words suggest that we should ______.

A．respect different cultures	B．listen to different opinions
C．treat different people differently	D．respect others’ differences

Wild weather, unexpected coral reefs and dangerous sea creatures… these are the nightmares (噩梦) you can imagine a teenager on a solo voyage (独自旅行) around the world might suffer from. But for Laura Dekker, sailing around the globe seems less a price to be paid than a prize to be treasured.
As the 19-year-old Dutch sailor said in Maidentrip, a documentary（纪录影片） released last year about her experience of becoming the youngest person to sail around the world alone in 2012, “I was born on a boat. I lived my first five years at sea. And ever since, all I have wanted is to return to that life.”
With her yacht(游艇) Guppy, Dekker began her journey at 14 and sailed 50,004 kilometers in 519 days.
The flying fish keeping her company, the dolphins following in her wake and the warm days spent on deck playing the flute (长笛) as she watched another unforgettable sunset were enough to make others jealous.
But these didn’t always go well. There were terrible moments in which Dekker feared death. On one occasion, a whale almost turned Guppy over. Another time, she battled extreme winds and Guppy surfed down 8-meter-high waves.
Out on the open sea alone, she also got used to living without a fridge, a flushing（用水冲洗） toilet, and a hot shower.
“As a human being you don’t need much,” she told Stuff.co.nz. “ They might make life more comfortable, but you really don’t need them to be happy.”
In fact, her outlook on life was shaped by the trip. “I wanted the storms. I wanted the calms. I wanted to feel loneliness,” she told The New York Times. “And now I know all these things. It’s the end of the dream I had as a child, and it’s the beginning of my life as a sailor.”
8. According to the text, in which year did Dekker begin her journey of 50,004 kilometers at sea?

A．In 2012

B．In 2010

C．In 2009

D．In 2011

9. The method the author uses to develop Paragraph 5 is ________.

A．offering analyses	B．providing explanations
C．giving examples	D．making comparisons

10. Which of the following can best describe the girl Laura Dekker? _________.

A．Modest and optimistic

B．Patient and hospitable

C．Brave and generous

D．Brave and determined

11. How did Laura Dekker think of her life on the sea?

A．It was so dangerous and almost ruined her.

B．It brought her great happiness and much comfort.

C．It is the sailing on the sea that made her well known.

D．Full of danger and challenge, it made her experience happiness and better understand life as well.

Modern smart phones are fast becoming the must-have item. But what’s in store for the next generation of smart phones?
Tired of carrying around that heavy wallet? Soon you won’t need to! The next generation of smart phones will have NFC technology, which lets you pay for things with your smart phones. All you do is enter your credit card information into your phone. Then, when you are in a shop that allows NFC payments, you just wave your phone over a special instrument at the checkout. The purchase is instantly charged to your credit card.
Ever seen someone wearing something and wished you knew where to get it? Soon it will be easy with PicCommerce, new technology that uses image-recognition software. Here’s how it works. If you see something you like, simply take a photo of it with your smart phone. Then, your phone will send the image to a special server, which will respond with information about where you can buy it and how much it will cost.
Sick of your smart phone battery going flat? With so many applications draining (消耗) the battery, the latest phones need to be charged every day. But next generation smart phones will come with built-in chips that can connect to an antenna (天线) in your home. And as long as your phone is within range of the antenna, you will be able to charge your smartphone wirelessly, even if it is in your pocket.
Worried about getting your smart phones wet in the rain? A company called Hz0 has invented WaterBlock, new technology that makes your phone completely waterproof. And it’s so effective that your phone will even work underwater.
Fed up with carrying a heavy phone around? Soon, you will be able to get a PaperPhone! “Flexible phones are the future,” said scientist Roel Vertegaal. So, what are the benefits of flexible phones? Well, it means that instead of carrying your phone in your pocket, you could wear it wrapped around your wrist, for example.
Of course, there is just the problem: with so much new smart phone technology around, you will soon need to buy a new phone!
12. To pay with your smart phone, you need to ________.

A．go to a bank	B．store money in the phone
C．have a credit card	D．buy a special instrument

13. We can learn from the 4th paragraph that the next generation of smart phones ________.

A．will have chips instead of batteries

B．may consume less power

C．needn’t be charged frequently

D．will be charged easily

14. Which feature of future smart phones does Paragraph 6 show?

A．They will be easier to carry.

B．They will be cheaper.

C．They will be smaller.

D．They will be easier to operate.

15. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Basic Functions of Smart phones

B．The Future of Smart phones

C．Advantages of Modern Smart phones

D．The Development of Phone Technology