1 . For years, it has been said that newspapers are at death’s door. Every year brings more news of closing. But why is the situation so terrible for newspapers?
Newspapers have a long history. The first newspaper was printed in the 1600s. Their most successful period is in the early 20th century.
With the appearance of radio and TV, however, newspaper circulation（发行量）began to fall. 3 By the mid-20th century, radio and TV had become so popular that people no longer had to depend on newspapers for news. That was especially true for breaking （突发的） news.
Afternoon newspapers were the first to suffer （受损害）. After work, more and more people turned on TV instead of opening a newspaper. That was because TV could provide news happening a short time ago. It’s true that newspapers couldn’t compete with TV on speed, but they could provide in-depth（深入详尽的）reports that TV news could not.
But newspapers suffered another, heavier blow （打击） in the 1990s. With the appearance of the Internet, tons of information became free. Many newspaper readers realized that they could read news on the Internet. There seemed to be little reason to pay for a newspaper subscription （订阅）.
So what does the future hold? Will newspapers die? Maybe not. Many newspapers are now making changes. Some are going digital （数字的）. Some are going farther and taking the industry to places it has never been to. After all, people still want the news. And many agree that newspapers are still an important source （来源） of in-depth news, analysis （分析） and opinions. 4 If newspapers disappear completely, there will be nothing to take their place.
A. 根据短文内容简要回答问题。
1. What made the newspaper circulation fall?
2. Will newspapers disappear? Why or why not? （选择一种情况作答）
B. 将短文中划线的句子译成汉语。
3.
4.
C．请给短文拟一个适当的英文标题。
5.
We all need a healthy environment, but we produce waste every day and it does harm to our environment. Though we are young, we can still do something to help. In fact, even the simplest everyday activities can make a real difference to the environment. Here are some ideas for you.
Reduce
Reduce means “use less”. Don’t waste things. This saves money and reduces pollution and waste going into the environment. Before we buy something new, think whether it is really necessary—or maybe the old one will be just as good! When we do buy things, choose local products if possible, and try not to buy too many things from abroad.
Reuse
Reuse means “use again”. Use things for as long as possible. When we buy things, make sure that they last a long time. We should look after them so that they will last, and we should repair them if we can instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. Don’t use a paper cup of a paper bag. It’s better to use a china cup and a lunch box because you can use them again.
Recycle
Recycle means “change things into something else”. Though it takes energy to change something into something else, it’s better than throwing things away or burning them. Find out what can be recycled in your neighbourhood and take part in recycling programmes. We should also buy products made from recycled materials, such as recycled paper, to help save trees.
So please remember these three words: reduce, reuse and recycle.
1. What is the passage about?
| A．How to produce things. | B．How to burn things. |
| C．How to help others. | D．How to be green. |
| A．Don’t waste things. | B．Always throw away old things. |
| C．Always buy new things. | D．Buy too many things from abroad. |
| A．You can burn them. |
| B．You can use them again. |
| C．You can throw them away. |
| D．You can change them into something else. |
| A．waste, reuse and recycle | B．repair, burn and recycle |
| C．reduce, reuse and recycle | D．reduce, waste and recycle. |
| A．a menu | B．a dictionary |
| C．a storybook | D．a magazine |
3 . Are fables (寓言故事) and fairy tales (童话故事) different or the same? They are both stories for kids, but fables are stories for adults as well.
A fable is a story, passed_down from grandparents to parents and then to children.People can learn much from it.The characters are mostly animals and nature.They can talk and act like humans.The most famous fables were written by a man called Aesop.There are around 600 fables in Aesop's Fables.The Fox and the Grapes and The Tortoise and the Hare are two examples.
Fairy tales are usually stories for children, often about magic characters such as fairies (仙女) and giants (巨人). Sometimes the characters are animals.We are able to enjoy these fairy tales because about 200 years ago, Brothers Grimm traveled all around Germany and collected these stories before people forgot them.There are many fairy tales in Grimm's Fairy Tales, such as Cinderella and The Frog Prince.
1. What does the passage mainly talk about?| A．Famous fables and fairy tales. | B．The skill at reading fables. |
| C．The reason why adults can read fables. | D．Differences between fables and fairy tales. |
| A．流传 | B．分享 | C．编辑 | D．记录 |
| A．People can learn nothing from fables. | B．There are about 60 fables in Aesop's Fables. |
| C．Children usually love fairy tales. | D．Aesop collected fairy tales before people forgot them. |
①The Lion and the Mouse ②Snow White ③The Tortoise and the Hare
④The Fox and the Grapes ⑤Cinderella
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．①③④ | C．①②④ | D．②③④⑤ |
4 . The Vieira family moved to the United States in 1981. At that time, they decided to stop speaking Spanish at home and only communicate in English. This was because they were then living in an English-speaking country.
Now the Vieira children are adults, and they sometimes travel to Spain to visit their family and friends. But they cannot communicate with them. Unfortunately this is common. When people move to new countries, they often leave their own customs and mother languages behind. This is a mistake because there are many benefits to knowing more than one language.
One advantage of speaking more than one language is that you can communicate directly with more people around the world. You do not have to depend on others to talk for you, so you’re more independent. People who know only one language must ask others to help them communicate.
Furthermore, speaking a second language also allows people to experience other cultures and customs more effectively. Local expressions, vocabulary, and even jokes can have a powerful effect on a person’s understanding of another culture. So, knowing more than one language increases your knowledge of other cultures.
Finally, having more multi-language speakers improves relationships between countries. If people from different countries can communicate well, the world can become closer. Countries will then have more respect for each other and better understand each other’s problems.
The benefits of knowing more than one language are clear. In fact, there are no disadvantages. It is very sad that many people don’t try to learn another language. It is even worse when people let themselves forget their mother language and become silenced.
根据短文内容，选择正确答案。
1. What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The benefits of learning other languages. |
| B．The reasons why people come to America. |
| C．The importance of learning English. |
| D．How to learn another language. |
| A．discuss the need for teaching a new language |
| B．introduce the passage’s main characters to the readers |
| C．describe the advantages of moving to another country |
| D．show the problems of speaking only one language |
| A．their mother language | B．a new language |
| C．more than one language | D．body language |
| A．find a better job | B．make more friends |
| C．better understand history | D．communicate more independently |
| A．Not knowing another language. | B．Forgetting one’s mother language. |
| C．Refusing to learn another language. | D．Failing to communicate with others. |
5 . Songs about growing up
Thousands of songs about growing up are available (可得到的). They can always get a response (反应) from teenagers in some way. While listening to the songs, old or new, teenagers can always feel themselves or understand themselves.
a. Songs about being a teenager
Growing up isn't always easy. Teens always want to be independent, but parents have a hard time letting go. There can be moments of worry, uncertainty and even anger. Some songs speak of (2) those feelings and can help them get through this period.
b. Songs about(3)___________
As teenagers grow. They're likely looking toward the day when they'll be able to work hard to achieve their dreams. The Westlife's song I have a dream is well-known. The key lyrics (歌词) are "I have a dream, a song to sing. To help me cope (处理) with anything... You can take the future even if you fail". This song has encouraged so many teenagers to fight for their dreams.
c. Graduation songs
Graduation songs usually speak of the joy of this season of their life. These songs are perfect for graduation parties and get-togethers with friends. As they graduate, they can sing "Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten...".
When teenagers grow up, they find childhood is a bittersweet (苦乐参半的) time. (5) They've looked forward to the day for so many years and finally it is here. However, they may not be sure about whether they're ready for it. At this time, listening to songs about the sweet days of childhood can always make them relaxed.
1. What is the response from teenagers while they are listening to the songs?2. What does "those feeling" refer to?
3. Complete the subtitle (副标题) for "b".
4. What are graduation songs about according to the passage?
5. Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
6 . Grown-ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since. A man who has not had a chance to go swimming for years can still swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after many years and still ride away. He can play catch and hit a ball as well as his son. A mother who has not thought about the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” or remember the story of Cinderella or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
One explanation is the law of overlearning, which can be stated as follows：Once we have learned something, additional learning trials（尝试）increase the length of time we will remember it.
In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and remind ourselves of words such as “Twinkle, little star” and childhood tales such as Cinderella and Goldilocks. We not only learn but overlearn.
The multiplication tables（乘法口诀表）are an exception to the general rule that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, because they are another of the things we overlearn in childhood.
The law of overlearning explains why cramming（突击学习）for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little overlearning, on the other hand, is really necessary for one’s future development.
1. What is the main idea of paragraph 1?| A．People remember well what they learned in childhood. |
| B．Children have a better memory than grown-ups. |
| C．Poem reading is a good way to learn words. |
| D．Stories for children are easy to remember. |
| A．presenting research findings |
| B．setting down general rules |
| C．making a comparison |
| D．using examples |
| A．a result of overlearning |
| B．a special case of cramming |
| C．a skill to deal with math problems |
| D．a basic step towards advanced studies |
| A．It leads to failure in college exams. |
| B．It’s helpful only in a limited way. |
| C．It’s possible to result in poor memory. |
| D．It increases students’ learning interest. |
7 . According to a new study, good friends are actually the next closest thing to family in genes（基因）.
U. S. researchers have found that we are more genetically similar to our friends than to any stranger. The study suggested that genes may influence how we choose our friends.
The study looked at the gene information of nearly 2,000 people, who were chosen from a small U.S. town as part of a larger heart study. The study showed that friends share about 0.1 percent more DNA than strangers do.
Besides providing DNA information, participants（参与者）in the study were also asked who their closest friends were. Because all of the participants came from such a small community, it made this group suitable for such studies. It has also led to argument. Friendships in small communities are more probably genetically connected, because such communities usually have fewer kinds of genes.
“I wonder whether the ways used in the study can fully explain the known causes which drive friendships,” said Oxford’s Dr. Rory Bowden.
There was one interesting finding from the study. Some of the genes that friends are most likely to have in common are about smell. “You may really love the smell of coffee. And you’re drawn to a place where other people have been drawn because they love the smell of coffee too,” Fowler explained. “And so that might be the possible place for you to make friends.”
1. What do we know about the study?| A．It was difficult to carry out. | B．It was a part of a larger heart study. |
| C．It collected the gene information of the participants' parents. | D．It studied the gene information of the participants. |
| A．They told researchers the names of their closest friends. | B．They made friends from foreign countries. |
| C．They changed the ways of making friends. | D．They provided DNA information of their friends. |
| A．He shows no interest in it. | B．He doesn’t agree with it. |
| C．He isn’t sure about it. | D．He feels worried about it. |
| A．Coffee helps strangers come together. | B．Good friends will love the smell of coffee. |
| C．Genes about smell between friends are different. | D．Smell may influence people in making friends. |
| A．The ways of making different studies. | B．A study on the relationship between making friends and genes. |
| C．A way to choose participants in a study. | D．The similar genes between good friends. |
8 . March 16 is International Sleep Day. Studies have shown that a good night's rest helps us stay healthy, both mentally(精神地) and physically(身体地). Sleep is probably the best tool we have for memory and learning. A good night's sleep helps to learn better.
But what about getting rest during the middle of the day? Short periods of sleep after a mid-day meal, we call it napping(午睡), may help our brains work better.
Past studies have shown that napping can help babies and young children learn better. And napping can help brain performance in older adults. Taking a nap may also help this group of people fight off age-related memory loss. As we all know, the older we are, the more memory we will lose.
The study found that people who took an hour-long nap did much better on mental tests than those who did not nap. The hour-long nappers also did better on the tests than those who napped for shorter and longer periods. In this study, it seems that the most effective(有效地) nap lasted for about an hour, but not much longer. Keep in mind, however, that these are the findings for those over the age of 65.
And there is a little difference between the old and young people. Doctor Michael Twery notes that an hour long nap may be too long for young, healthy adults. And 30 minutes is enough to remove the pressure to sleep and will help them feel more awake(清醒的). If they nap longer, they will get trapped into(受困于) deep sleep, which can be hard to get out of.
If you have trouble falling asleep at night, limit(限制) your daytime nap to under 45 minutes. Also nap before 3 p.m. in the afternoon.
1. When is the International Sleep Day?| A．January16. | B．February16. | C．March 16. | D．May 16. |
| A．babies | B．young children | C．older adults | D．young, healthy adults |
| A．10 minutes | B．30 minutes | C．under 45 minutes | D．about an hour |
| A．Napping | B．Walking | C．Swimming | D．Dancing |
| A．are having trouble seeing | B．have trouble making decisions |
| C．have trouble remembering things | D．have trouble falling asleep at night |
9 . In December or early January, almost everyone wants to plan for a wonderful new year! We plan vacations, and we hope that we can achieve our goals. We make New Year’s resolutions and set big goals! If you carry out(实施) your plan successfully, you can improve your life or break your bad habits. Here are some tips for New Year’s resolutions:
·Think about the resolution you made last year. Have you succeeded? If not, why? Find out the reason and try this year.
·Do not make too many resolutions at a time. You had better go with one at a time.
·Let it be for the whole year not a day.
·Set goals that you need to do for the whole year, instead of a few days. Once you have made up your mind, try your best to achieve them.
1. When do we usually make New Year’s resolutions?| A．Always on January 1st. | B．Only in December. |
| C．At any time of the year. | D．At the end or the beginning of a year. |
| A．Because they’re exciting. | B．Because we have to do that. |
| C．Because they’re relaxing. | D．Because we hope to improve our life. |
| A．We should make new resolutions every day. |
| B．We should make lots of resolutions at the same time. |
| C．We should make a resolution for the whole year. |
| D．We should plan the resolution that we can do in a very short time. |
| A．可是 | B．而不是 | C．只是 | D．但是 |
| A．When to Make New Year’s Resolutions | B．Try Your Best in the Whole Year |
| C．Remember to Make A Plan on New Year’s Day | D．How to Make New Year’s Resolutions |
10 . Someone's always watching you online...
How do they get my information? Did you know that when you surf the Web, many websites put secret software on your computer? The software collects a large amount of information about you and sends it to Internet companies. The Internet companies sell it to other businesses. Your personal information can also be collected from social media（媒体）sites. There are many ways your information can be used.
What information do they collect and why? First, companies collect your information. The companies find out where you live, what websites you visit, and what you do online. With this information, they can guess other things about you. For example, they can guess if you are male or female, how old you are, and your interests. The companies use this information to decide which advertisements（广告）are best for you. Two people can go to the same website, but they will see different advertisements. For example, someone who likes sports could see an advertisement for sneakers, and someone who like films might see an advertisement for movie.
What do they do with my information? Your personal information could also be sold. Some companies collect information just so they can sell it to other businesses. A business that collects and sells personal information is called a data broker. When data brokers sell your information, a lot of different companies will know your online habits. Then these companies will advertise products or other websites to you.
What online habits are tracked（追踪）? Another way your personal information can be collected is through social media. When your information is on social media, a lot of people can see it. Even if you don't use social media, a friend might post a picture or video of you with your name on it. Pictures and videos can be shared for free on social media, which is one of the great benefits（福利）. However, that same act of sharing could be problem for your own security（安全）. If someone knows too much about you, they can steal your identity（身份）. Then they can buy things online and post messages while pretending（假装）to be you.
Conclusion. All of your online habits can be recorded. Studying people's online habits is big business. Your personal information is very valuable to companies. That is how they know who to send their advertisements to. The Internet reaches almost every corner of the world, but the danger is that your personal information might travel that far, too.
正确的，涂A：错误的，涂B。
1. All businesses collect a large amount of information about you online.
2. People who go to the same website may see different advertisements.
3. Data brokers collect your personal information for money.
4. If you don’t get online, your information will be safe.
5. Your personal information can go anywhere with the Internet.
