Have you heard of a woman writer? She wrote a lot of detective（侦探）novels. Her name is Agatha Christie. She is one of the most popular writers of all time. About four billion copies of her books have been sold, and they have been translated into 103 languages. She is often called the queen of the “whodunit”. A whodunit is a story that starts with a crime, usually murder. Then the main character of the story tries to discover who did it（or who-done-it）.
When Agatha Christie was five, she had read a lot of books and tried to write novels. At the age of 30, she had finished her first detective novel. Readers love her stories because there are always lots of clues（线索）and special information for them to think about as they read. Her two most famous characters are the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and the elderly amateur detective Miss Marple.
Christie always wrote about places that she knew, like Torquay, the English town where she was born in 1890 and lived for a long time. But her readers are lucky that she was also a great traveler. She was married to an archaeologist（考古学家）and traveled with him to Syria and Iraq, where they worked at archaeological “digs”. In the book Murder in Mesopotamia, Poirot found a murder at one of these digs. Christie also traveled to Egypt, the setting for Death on the Nile, and took the train ride between Istanbul and Paris（Murder on the Orient Express）.
Agatha Christie died in 1976, but her books continue to be popular today. For one week every year, lovers of her stories can go to the Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay. People dress up in clothes from the 1920s and 1930s, like characters in her stories. Jazz bands play at tea parties and there are dinners on old trains and at old country houses. Visitors have a lot of fun trying to discover who the “killer” is—or whodunit.
1. From Paragraph 1, what does the underlined word “whodunit” most probably mean?| A．Detective novel. | B．Fairy tale. | C．News report. | D．Talent show. |
| A．is usually the murderer | B．is always Hercule Poirot |
| C．tries to find out the murderer | D．is often the queen of Egypt |
| A．Syria and Iraq | B．Agatha Christie and her husband |
| C．archaeologists | D．Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot |
| A．Christie’s stories are always set in places that she had lived or visited. |
| B．The novels Death on the Nile and Whodunit are set on an old train. |
| C．Christie’s novels have been keeping popular since she died in 1976. |
| D．Fans dress up like characters in her stories for one week every year. |
| A．To introduce world’s famous detectives. | B．To introduce a kind of books-Whodunit. |
| C．To describe places Christie traveled to. | D．To describe Agatha Christie and her books. |
Many animals migrate—they move over long distances, often at the same time and to the same place each year. They move to places where conditions are better—where the weather is warmer, where there is more food and water, or where their young will be safer. Here are three amazing examples of migration:
One of the largest animal migrations happens on the Serengeti plains in Africa. More than one million wildebeest（牛羚）migrate in a big group. As the seasons change they follow the rain, looking for better grass to eat and water to drink. They stay in one place while the grass and water are good, and then they move on. They return to the same places each year. Thousands of zebras and other animals travel with the wildebeest.
Out of all migrating animals, Arctic terns（北极燕鸥）travel the longest distance. These seabirds lay their eggs and raise their chicks in summer in the north of Europe, Asia and North America. Each year around August, they fly south over the oceans. They spend about five months near Antarctica, while it is warmer there. Then after the southern summer ends, they fly north again. Arctic terns travel more than 70, 000 kilometers in a year!
Salmon（鲑鱼）live most of their lives in the ocean. But when it is time for them to lay their eggs, they return to the rivers where they were born. They move up rivers and streams to find the right place. Scientists think that the fish remember the unique smell of their river, and this is how they find their way. Salmon can swim strongly up hills, and will jump high to get over waterfalls.
1. From Paragraph 1, one of the reasons why animals migrate is that ________.| A．they like living in the same place each year | B．they really need much colder weather |
| C．they need good places to raise their young | D．they don’t need food and water anymore |
| A．离开 | B．迁徙 | C．冬眠 | D．冒险 |
| A．Wildebeest migrate in a small group with the changeable seasons. |
| B．Thousands of zebras and other animals travel with Arctic terns. |
| C．Arctic terns are able to travel over 60,000 kilometers each year. |
| D．Salmon will go back to the rivers from the ocean to lay their eggs. |
| A．The unique smell of the river. | B．The sound of the river. |
| C．The temperature of the river. | D．The color of the river. |
| A．Animals. | B．Business. | C．Movies. | D．Music. |
Do you know what a MOOC is? MOOC is short for Massive Open Online Course. Thousands of people can take a MOOC at the same time. You can be anywhere in the world to take it. All you need is a computer and the Internet. MOOCs became very popular in the autumn of 2011, when professor Sebastian Thrun from Stanford University opened his course up to any student anywhere and 160,000 students in more than 190 countries signed up. This new kind of online classes is shaking up the higher education world.
For years, many colleges have offered classes online. MOOCs are always used in subjects like computer science or engineering. However, can MOOCs be used in other subjects like arts or philosophy(哲学)?
Scott Anderson teaches philosophy at the University of British Columbia in Canada. He sees both good and bad sides of MOOCs. Scott says, " When students take some lessons, they needn't bepresentto hear and get them. "He says more and more students in MOOCs can mean less communication between them and teachers. He also gives two ways to solve this problem—more teachers and more online discussion groups.
Lisa Jadwin teaches English and American literature and writing at St John Fisher College in New York. She says online education has some weakness for her subjects. Lisa says, “What's lost in online education is face-to-face communication. But the teaching of literature needs that.” She says some students can learn very well from talks, blogs, and discussion groups. But she believes that mixed courses work best.
Although MOOCs are becoming more and more popular in the world, the traditional teaching ways are not going to be removed very quickly by the Internet instruction.
1. If you want to take a MOOC, you should________.| A．do well in your English stud | B．go to the classroom in college |
| C．have a computer and use the Internet | D．be a student of computer science or engineering |
| A．MOOCs shouldn't be used in philosophy | B．mixed courses are not available |
| C．MOOCs have some weakness | D．there's no need to take MOOCs |
| A．在场的 | B．挑剔的 | C．听话的 | D．移动的 |
| A．why more and more teachers like MOOCs | B．how MOOC develops and some opinions on MOOC |
| C．which college has MOOC | D．how students take MOOCs |
| A．The number of students to take a MOOC is limited(有限的) |
| B．Students in different countries can take MOOCs. |
| C．MOOCs can't be used in arts or philosophy. |
| D．The traditional courses will be removed very quickly. |
At the beginning of November, the 35th Chinese Antarctic set off for the polar region. This time, one of their main tasks is to build China's first permanent Antarctic airport, Science and Technology Daily reported.
There are more than 20 airports in Antarctic(南极洲), according to Global Times. But none of them belong to China. China's polar plane Xueying 601 has to take off and land at Russian airports.
The new airport will help Chinese aircraft take off and land in the South Pole. This will make it easier to transport scientific equipment and do research, Zhang Xia from the Polar Research Institute of China told Global Times.
In order to be environmentally friendly, the airport will be small, said Sun Bo, leader of the research team. It is much smaller than the usual airports in our cities.
However, this doesn't make it easy to build the airport.
The site of the airport is an ice cap 28 kilometers away from Zhongshan Antarctic Station, Xinhua noted. An ice cap is a thick layer of ice. It covers the land like a quilt. But this “quilt” is always moving. Scientists have to find the slowest-moving part of the cap. You can hardly notice the movement of the ice in this area.
The next problem is the snow. The snow on the ice cap can be very thick. Also, it is as soft as cotton, which makes it hard to build a runway for airplanes. Scientists have to use a snow blower to get rid of the snow on top of the cap. Then, they compact (压缩)the rest of the snow with a road roller-like machine. This way, the snow will be strong and hard enough to build a runaway on top of the cap.
1. What is the main task of the 35th Chinese Antarctic expedition?| A．Transport scientific equipment. | B．Do research. |
| C．Set up a research station. | D．Build an airport. |
| A．Why we need to explore Antarctica. | B．Where China's polar planes take off and land. |
| C．What the new airport in Antarctica can do. | D．How other countries build their own airports. |
| A．the weather changes very often | B．the snow on the ice cap is thick |
| C．the snow on the ice cap is soft | D．the ice cap is always moving |
| A．To make the ice cap stop moving. | B．To clear the snow on the ice. |
| C．To compact the snow on the ice cap. | D．To wash the runway for airplanes. |
| A．China's polar plane Xueying 601 has to take off and land at American airports. |
| B．The airport built in Antarctic is the same size as the natural airports in our cities. |
| C．To build the airport, scientists have to find the slowest-moving part of the cap. |
| D．The snow on the ice cap is so thick that it makes building a runway much easier. |
5 . At some point in life, many people experience a mental(精神)problem. While most people get over it，for others it doesn't go away easily.
The WHO says that about 20 percent teenagers around the world experience mental illness. It's thought that the number of teenagers with mental illness around the world will increase by half by 2020.It will become one of the main causes of diseases, and even death.
In China, the picture isn't bright, cither. About one tenth of teenagers under the age of 17 have a mental health challenge.
The world is changing fast. Study and relationships have always caused stress, but today the stress is much higher than before, the WHO said.
A research center in Oxford University says that young people today have big stresses at school. For example, they experience bullying（欺凌）. In a 2017 report, the centre noted that the Internet was a special source（渠道）of stress. Online, young people often see "messages about perfection" and this causes the young "great uncertainty about their futures"，says the centre.
Also, according to China Daily, Chinese people don't ask for help with their mental problems. They fear that others will think less of them if they say that they are in mental trouble. Elaine Peng, a US mental health educator, makes a similar point. And in the UK, over three quarters of young people believe their mental problems have a social stigma. It is reported in 2017 that a quarter of young UK people wouldn't ask for help if they developed a mental problem.
Young people who don't ask for help for their condition may be creating problems for themselves in the future. Elaine Peng warned that. "If we hide our mental health, it may remain a problem forever."
"My message for young people is if you feel something is wrong within you———ask for help" he told China Daily.
1. Which of the following is NOT the cause of stress according to the passage?| A．Heavy schoolwork. | B．Being bullied at school. |
| C．Some information from the Internet. | D．Certainty about the future. |
| A．They can deal with their mental problems by themselves. |
| B．They don't take their mental problems seriously. |
| C．They can keep their mental health secret |
| D．They are afraid of getting little attention. |
| A．Shame. | B．Ability. | C．Chance. | D．Expression |
| A．think less of themselves | B．avoid being bullied |
| C．ask for help as soon as possible | D．stay away from the Internet |
| A．Ask research centers for help. |
| B．Describe the major reasons of young people's mental illness. |
| C．Call public attention on teenagers with mental illness. |
| D．Show some different opinions from different countries. |
6 . Good advice can help people make better decisions(决定). When someone asks you for advice, you should take it seriously and try your best to give good advice. Sometimes you should remember what your mother taught you: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all, because bad advice may have terrible results. There are some ways for you to give advice.
☆Listen to the person asking you for advice. Every situation(情况) is special, so never think you know all about a problem. Listen to the person who wants advice, and learn as much as possible about the situation.
☆Put yourself in others' shoes. Think about what you will do if you are in the same situation. Don't just depend on(依赖) your experiences to give advice.
☆Think about the results of taking and not taking your advice. When possible, think twice about all the possible results. This is more important for really difficult problems.
☆Understand that the person may not take your advice. Someone asks for your advice, but he or she may not take it. When you give advice, the idea is to give someone the tools( 方法) to make their own decision, not make the decision for them. The person knows more about the situation than you do, so your advice may not be the best. Don't be surprised when a person doesn't take your advice. Live with it, and let the person live with his or her decision.
☆Don't be afraid to let the person know that you don't have anything to say if you are not able to give any advice. Take some time to think about it. You may share your thoughts later.
1. When a person asks you for advice, you should ________.| A．try to give good advice | B．say nothing at all |
| C．ask your mom for advice | D．tell the bad results |
| A．Because we should learn from other people. |
| B．Because the person has something nice to tell us. |
| C．Because we need to know about the special situation. |
| D．Because the person will feel much more comfortable. |
| A．削足适履 | B．设身处地 | C．助人为乐 | D．以身作则 |
| A．you will have to try harder | B．you shouldn't be surprised |
| C．you can make better decisions | D．you can shout at them angrily |
| A．How to give advice. | B．How to take others’ advice. |
| C．How to ask for advice. | D．How to solve difficult problems. |
7 . Do you know the whales in the sea? There are many relatives（亲属）in the whale family and they always live together with whales.
Few people know dolphins（海豚）are part of the whale family. Dolphins are not fish. They are mammals (哺乳动物）. They breathe air, and they have babies and feed them with milk. Dolphins are famous for their wonderful shows. They can jump high out of the water and show turns in the air. These jumps give the dolphins time to breathe.
Porpoises（鼠海豚)are also in the whale family and are quite like dolphins. But they are different in the size and shape of the mouth. The dolphin's mouth is long and thin, but the porpoise's is short and thick. Dolphins are also more talkative than porpoises. Dolphins make sounds to talk with each other under water. But porpoises do not do this. Both of them are smart and friendly to humans.
Not all the members of the whale family are friendly. Big whales are much easier to be angry than smaller dolphins or porpoises. An angry whale can be dangerous. Perhaps this helped to create the story of Moby Dick that sank（使下沉） a ship and made all the people on it die in the sea.
1. Which of the following is NOT true according to paragraph 2?| A．Most people think dolphins have nothing to do with the whale family. |
| B．Dolphins feed their babies with milk. |
| C．When dolphins jump high out of the water, they can breathe air. |
| D．Dolphins can't show for us. |
| A．has the same mouth as the dolphin's |
| B．is friendly to humans |
| C．is much bigger than the dolphin |
| D．has a longer nose than the dolphin |
| A．Dolphins and porpoises have great differences in their habits. |
| B．Whale families often like swimming and living in groups. |
| C．Porpoises make sounds to communicate with one another under water. |
| D．Dolphins jump high out of the water to have fun. |
| A．a ship | B．a dolphin | C．a porpoise | D．a whale |
| A．Whales' birth place. | B．Whales' eating habits. |
| C．Members of the whale family. | D．Differences between dolphins and porpoises. |
Sonia: My birthday is on February twenty-fifth.
Ms Lee: February twenty-fifth. Alright, and when is Bills birthday?
Sonia: Bill’s birthday is on June second.
Ms Lee: And what about Tom? When is his birthday?
Somia: His birthday is on January tenth.
Ms Lee: OK. And how about Robert and Nick? When is their birthday?
Sonia: They’re twins, so they have the same birthday. Their birthday is on October thirtieth.
Ms Lee: Right, October thirtieth. Is that all?
Sonia: Ms Lee, when is your birthday?
MsLee: Ah, my birthday is on April first.
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9 . Helen and Linda are good friends. They are in the same class. They go to school five days a week. And they have seven classes a day. They take eight subjects. After school, they play volleyball.
The two girls’ mother are friends, too. They like sports. So they can play sports with the two girls on the weekend(在周末). Linda’s mother likes tennis and Helen’s mother likes tennis, too. Can the two girls play tennis? Sure, they play it well. The four friends always play tennis in the morning, and watch TV in the afternoon. It is relaxing! The two girls like eating fruit. They like apples, strawberries and oranges. But they don’t like pears. After playing tennis, their mothers always make some fruit salad for them.
What good friends they are!
1. Helen and Linda are ________.(1) cousins (2) classmates (3)sisters (4)friends
| A．(1) (3) | B．(2) (3) | C．(2) (4) | D．(1) (2) |
| A．Four | B．Five | C．Seven | D．Eight |
| A．Apples | B．Pears | C．Strawberries | D．Oranges |
| A．The two girls’ mothers always go to school with their daughters. |
| B．The two girls’ mothers only watch sports on TV on weekends. |
| C．The two girls’ mothers always play tennis on weekends. |
| D．Helen and Linda don’t like to play tennis with their mothers. |
| A．Four Good Friends | B．Helen and Linda |
| C．Fruit Salad | D．Our Mothers |
Americans usually eat three meals (餐) a day. Breakfast usually comes before eight o’clock in the morning. They usually have eggs, some meat, bread, fruit juice and coffee. Lunch is between twelve and one o’clock. It is like a light meal and working people must take lunch with them or buy it near their workplace. Children take sandwiches, fruit, and cookies (饼干) with them or eat at school. Dinner, the main (主要的) meal, is between six and eight in the evening. People usually have dinner at home. They cook (烹饪) it carefully. They may have meat or chicken, turkey and duck. They may also have potatoes or rice, vegetables or salad. The drink is coffee, tea, or milk. Then comes the dessert (甜点).
1. Americans have breakfast ________.| A．after eight o’clock |
| B．at eight o’clock |
| C．before eight o’clock in the morning |
| D．Between eight and nine in the morning |
| A．重的 | B．重要的 | C．明亮的 | D．不太重要的 |
| A．Dinner | B．Lunch | C．Meals | D．Breakfast |
| A．near their workplace | B．in the office |
| C．at the restaurant | D．At home |
| A．drink | B．meat | C．dessert | D．vegetables |
