1 . Yao Ming was born on September 12, 1980, in Shanghai, China. His mother, Fang Fengdi, was once the captain of China's national women's team. His father Yao Zhiyuan, played for a club in Shanghai. At the age of nine he grew faster than most kids. His health was a problem, too. His friends often made fun of his skinny (皮包骨的) arms because they looked like chopsticks. He played his first basketball game after his tenth birthday.
Yao Ming's seriousness about the game grew when he was 12 years old. He was sent to Shanghai's Provincial Sports School. At the school, his skills improved because of the coaches. Yao Ming's basketball hero was Arvydas Sabonis. He always tried to copy the way Arvydas played. His first chance came with a youth team, the Shanghai Oriental Sharks. In 1997 and 1998, Yao Ming played for the Shanghai Oriental Sharks. He played well in the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics. In October 2002, 22-year-old Yao Ming left for the United States and began his new career with the Houston Rockets. He was even chosen by the Western Conference to play in the 2003 All-Star Game in Atlanta.
1. Yao Ming played his first basketball game in ________.| A．1980 | B．1990 | C．1992 | D．2002 |
| A．Shanghai's Provincial Sports School | B．the Shanghai Oriental Sharks |
| C．the Western Conference | D．the Houston Rockets |
| A．Yao Ming's health wasn't good when he was a child. |
| B．Yao Ming didn't take part in the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics. |
| C．Yao Ming's father was once the captain of China's national men's team. |
| D．Yao Ming depended on himself to improve his skills. |
| A．航程 | B．目标 | C．事业巅峰 | D．职业生涯 |
| A．Yao Ming's team. | B．Yao Ming's family. |
| C．Yao Ming's introduction. | D．Yao Ming's basketball skills. |
2 . Once a young man hoped to study law and he wrote to Lincoln for advice, who lived most of his adult life as a practicing lawyer. Lincoln replied, " If you make up your mind to make a lawyer of yourself, the thing is more than half done already. Always keep in mind that your own decision to succeed is more important than any other thing. "
Lincoln knew this because he had gone through it all. He had never, in his life, had more than a total of one year's schooling. And books? Lincoln once said he had walked to borrow every book fifty miles away from his home. A fire was usually kept going all night in the small house and he read by the light of it.
He walked twenty or thirty miles to hear a speaker and , returning home, he practiced his talks everywhere-in the fields, in the woods, before the crowds. He joined several societies and practiced speaking on the topics of the day.
Being short of confidence always troubled him. He was shy before women. Even when he was in love with Mary Todd, he used to sit there, nervous and silent, unable to find words, listening while she did the talking. Yet that was the man who, by practice and home study, made himself into a famous speaker with great eloquence (雄辩).
When he spoke of his own great painful experiences, he wrote, "If you make up your mind to make a lawyer of yourself, the thing is more than half done already."
1. What does the underlined word "it" refer to ?| A．Having a luck. | B．Making a living. |
| C．Becoming a lawyer. | D．Asking for advice. |
| A．Lincoln's eloquence. | B．Lincoln's position. |
| C．Lincoln's courage. | D．Lincoln's progress. |
| A．Believing in oneself. | B．Hold on to one's decision. |
| C．Solving problems. | D．Keeping on practicing hard. |
3 . WeRun is a mini-app within WeChat. And there is aleaderboardamong friends that allows users to see how many steps their friends walk. We can learn about a person just by knowing his step count.
Anyone who has fewer than 50 steps in one day is probably ill, or could be sad. Maybe they just want to stay in their bedrooms. Or perhaps he or she is just too lazy to get out of bed! It's easy to walk up to a few hundred steps. So someone who takes fewer than 500 steps a day may relax with favorite video games. Or, if it's the last day of summer vacation, they could be students who are busy finishing their homework. Another possibility is that the user is a woman who stays home instead of going out because she can't decide what to wear!
It's common to see WeRun users take between 500 and 8,000 steps. Most students and commuters have a step count like this. Workers and salespersons are likely to take 8,000—30,000 steps per day. They need to be on the move all the time. If it’s a weekend, however, then these WeRun step counts might belong to couples who go shopping.
More than 30,000 steps: anyone with a step count on the top of the leaderboard is worth praise. Mostly they're couriers, cleaners and so on. They're the people who help us and keep our environment nice and clean.
The number of WeRun users has increased a lot. To some degree, a person's WeRun step can reflect his character. And sometimes we can infer one's job or how he or she is feeling that day from his or her step count. But if you want to know more about a person, maybe you can take a closer look next.
Word Bank
commuter通勤者courier快递员
1. How do we learn about a person from WeRun?
| A．By chatting with him. | B．By going through his moments. |
| C．By calling him through WeChat. | D．By seeing how many steps he walks. |
| A．小程序 | B．排行榜 | C．朋友圈 | D．宣传栏 |
| A．courier | B．commuter | C．salesperson | D．worker |
| A．His character. | B．His job. | C．His height. | D．His feeling. |
| A．WeRun is a mini-app within WeChat. |
| B．The number of WeRun users has increased a lot. |
| C．We can learn about a person from his step count on WeRun. |
| D．Anyone with a step count on the top of the leaderboard is worth praise. |
Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are, like a nearby port or river. People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade. New York City, for example, is near a large harbour* at the mouth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million. But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight. In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness*. But gold was discovered there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of 30,000.
Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris. People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers. The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warming. An avalanche* once closed the path, killing 63 people. For many who made it to Dawson, however, the rewards were worth the difficult trip. Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives.
But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities* like food and wood were very expensive. But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found. The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come. Today, people still come and go — to see where the Canadian gold rush happened. Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City — its present population is 762.
1. People settle in New York City because ________.| A．its position is convenient | B．its weather is comfortable |
| C．it has the business culture | D．it has a small population |
| A．Two thirds of them stayed there. | B．Half of the people died. |
| C．Almost everyone gave up. | D．One fifth people got rich. |
| A．They were unable to stand the winter there. |
| B．They didn’t have enough food and clothing. |
| C．They found the city too crowded everywhere. |
| D．They wanted to try their luck in other places. |
| A．Tourism in Dawson. | B．The rise and fall of a city. |
| C．Journeys into the wilderness. | D．The gold rush in Canada. |
From Asia to America and everywhere in between, Swing---an energetic form of dance that includes six-step and eight-step rhythms(节奏)---has taken the world by storm. Making a recent comeback, swing dance floors have popped up all over the world. Many clubs make fans of Swing happy by holding nights when swing music is played, and sometimes even offering classes to attract customers.
Though Swing is now popular worldwide, it first appeared alongside the jazz movements of the 1920s and 1930s in New York City. While listening to jazz, the young black people of that time developed the movements of the Lindy Hop---a style of dance that is best known for a break away or “swing out” move and sudden improvisation(即兴表演).
It was reportedly given this name when a reporter was interviewing a person at the dance hall who was watching other couples dance. When asked what that dance was called, the watcher looked at a newspaper next to him that had an article about Lindbergh---the first person to fly alone across the Atlantic(大西洋)---which was titled, “Lindy Hops the Atlantic”. Then the watcher announced that the “Lindy Hop” was the name of the dance, and it has stuck since then.
In 1926, the Savoy Ballroom was the first large business to offer a place for people to listen to swing music and dance. With its huge dance floor, the Savoy became a big success overnight, attracting some of the best dancers and musicians in the New York area.
Within ten years, the Lindy Hops was sweeping through the United States and became a symbol of unity, as young people of all racial(种族的) backgrounds crowded into dance halls to swing the night away. Traditional dance teachers did not welcome it because they thought it was not even a real dance and were quite sure about its demise but Swing has proved them wrong; it continues to be one of the world’s most fun dances.
1. The writing purpose of this passage is ________.| A．to describe the special moves of a dance | B．to discover the fun secrets of a dance |
| C．to tell stories about an energetic dance | D．to introduce a popular form of dance |
| A．Challenge. | B．Change. | C．Development. | D．Death. |
| A．It’s a lively dance with strict rules. | B．It has a close connection to a pilot. |
| C．It has a history of around 90 years. | D．It attracts mostly young black people. |
| A．The dance style will soon be accepted by traditional dance teachers. |
| B．The name was changed from “Lindy Hop” to “Swing” in the 1940s. |
| C．The movements of different Swing dancers always look the same. |
| D．The dance might have become unpopular sometime in its history. |
6 . We wake up very early to go to school, maybe even earlier to meet with a teacher, complete our extracurricular(课程以外的) activities, come home to have a quick dinner, talk for eight minutes with our parents and do homework until we fall asleep. But then we remember we have to look at the American College Test(ACT) exercises one more time. Half asleep, we run downstairs to get the ACT books, and start studying. After this we finally get to turn off the lights and drift away to sleep. And then six hours later, we do it all over again.
In my health class, my teacher told us that teenagers need at least eight to nine hours of sleep each night. The sad truth is, with so much to do every day, high school students cannot keep to this sleep schedule(安排).
Let me ask you all a question: Doesn’t it seem more humane(人道的) to give a teenager perhaps two hours of homework each night? This would allow us to have the eight to nine hours of much needed sleep. Or does it seem better to pile students with five hours of work a night? It leaves us very little time to relax, therefore reducing the time that we can sleep.
In my opinion, the present structure(结构) of the junior year of high school doesn’t work well. Junior year of high school is a time for growth. By this time many students have the ability to think creatively, and solve challenging problems. Homework is important for a student’s growth. But do we really need to spend countless hours a night doing it? Too much homework can only lead to too little sleep and too low an ability. I do think it is time to change the structure, so that we sleep at home and learn at school.
1. In the first paragraph the writer gives________.| A．a picture of the present daily life of high school students |
| B．an example of an ideal daily life of high school students |
| C．a reason for high school students to live a busy daily school life |
| D．a suggestion of what high school students should do to pass ACT |
| A．junior year of high school is the most important growth period |
| B．challenging problems are needed for a teenager’s growth |
| C．the ability to think has nothing to do with homework |
| D．the present structure leads to students often sleeping in class |
| A．To prove the role of enough sleep in teenagers’ growth. |
| B．To complain about the problems in the system of the ACT. |
| C．To ask for a change for less homework and more sleep. |
| D．To discuss the relationship between sleep and homework. |
7 . When you think of a museum, I bet you don't think of a place where children run around. But the Science Museum is different. It's noisy!
You can get to the Science Museum by going on the London Underground from Waterloo on the Jubilee line to South Kensington. When you walk out, take a look around you, and you could see it.
What to bring: at least two bottles of drink for the kids and 10 pounds to spend in the cafes. Entrance is free!
The most interesting part of coming here is to go to the kids' area, the Launch Pad on the 3rd floor. At busy times, you may have to wait in line, but staff will provide science. It should indulge(满足) you as you will learn about science in a funny way. There are also simulators(模拟装置) in the 3rd floor, so think of Floor 3 as a "fun floor".
If you want to learn about the museum, then go to the ground floor. They have some things which will interest you.
Overall, it's a fun experience for the kids and you may enjoy it too. It's also free to get in!
1. How is the Science Museum different from other museums?| A．It's big. | B．It’s free | C．It’s busy | D．It’s noisy |
| A．how to get to the Science Museum |
| B．when to visit the Science Museum |
| C．what to bring to the Science Museum |
| D．how to plan a trip to the Science Museum |
| A．buy your favourite drink | B．get some science toys for free |
| C．learn about science in a funny way | D．learn the underlined word "Overall" |
| A．另外 | B．总之 | C．因为 | D．相反 |
| A．a report | B．a piece of news | C．a review | D．an advertisement |
8 . Modern graffiti (涂鸦) began in big cities in the United States in the 1970s. In New York, young people wrote their names, or "tags"（标签）, in pen on walls around the city.
One of the first "taggers" was a teenager called Demetrius. His tag was TAKI 183. He wrote his tag on walls and in stations in New York. He did it just for fun and he had never considered his behavior would have launched an amazing art campaign. Other teenagers saw Demetrius's tag and started writing their tags too. Soon, there were tags on walls, buses and trains all over New York.
Then, some teenagers started writing their tags with paint. Their tags were bigger and more colourful. Paint graffiti became very popular in the 1970s and 1980s.
In the 1990s and 2000s, a lot of graffiti artists started painting pictures. Some artists' pictures were about politics(政治). Other artists wanted to make cities beautiful and painted big, colorful pictures on city walls.
In some countries, writing or painting on walls is a crime. Sometimes, graffiti artists have problems with the police. In other countries, artists can draw and paint in certain places. For example, in Taiwan, there are 'graffiti zones' where artists can paint on walls. In Sao Paulo in Brazil, street artists can paint pictures on walls and houses. Their pictures are colorful and beautiful. Some tourists visit Sao Paulo just to see the street art!
In Bristol in the UK, there is a street art festival in August every year. Artists paint all the buildings in a street. Lots of people come to watch the artists and take photos. You can see exhibitions of street art in some galleries too. There have been exhibitions of street art in galleries in Paris, London and Los Angeles.
1. How did graffiti probably begin in New York?| A．An artist drew a picture on the wall. |
| B．An art campaign about graffiti was held. |
| C．A teenager wrote his tag on walls and in stations. |
| D．Many teenagers gave out tags on buses and trains. |
| A．The tags-writing has grown into a form of art. |
| B．Paint graffiti is the most popular type. |
| C．Street art is sure to attract more people in the future. |
| D．Street artists prefer to communicate with others online. |
| A．Indicate(表明) they were tired of the political life | B．help beautify the city they are living in |
| C．change people’s outdated art values | D．encourage the teenagers to love arts |
| A．A young man with artistic ideas. | B．The development of street art. |
| C．Why people like street art. | D．How to become a street artist. |
9 . Many people complain about their bad memory, especially when they are older. How can we improve our memory?
Many people think that repeating things is the best way to remember them. While this undoubtedly helps short-term memory（remembering a telephone number for a few seconds, for example), psychologists（心理学家）doubt whether it can help you remember things for very long. The British psychologist E. C. Stanford seemed to prove this point when he tested himself on five prayers（祈祷文）that he had read aloud every morning for over 25 years. He found that he could remember no more than three words of some of them! More helpful, especially for remembering numbers, is grouping the information. The following numbers would be impossible for most of us to remember: 1492178919931848. But look at them in chunks, and it becomes much easier: 1492 1789 1993 1848.
According to experts, there are many ways of training your memory. Many of them involve forming a mental picture of the things to be memorized. One method, which may be useful in learning foreign languages, is to create a picture in your mind connected to a word you want to remember.
Another method is to invent a story that includes all the things you want to remember. In experiments, people were asked to remember up to 120 words using this skill; when tested afterwards, on average, they were able to recall 90% of them!
However, not all of us are interested in learning long lists of names and numbers just for fun. For those studying a large amount of information, psychologists suggest that the best way to form meaningful connections is to ask yourself lots of questions as you go along. So, for example, if you were reading about a particular disease, you would ask yourself questions like: "Do people get it from water?", "What parts of the body does it influence?" and so on. This is said to be far more effective than time spent "passively" reading and re-reading notes.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about repeating things according to the passage?| A．It helps short-term memory for sure. |
| B．It makes remembering things interesting. |
| C．It helps to remember things for long. |
| D．It makes remembering prayers effortless. |
| A．details | B．turns | C．groups | D．lines |
| A．Creating a picture is useful in learning Maths. |
| B．Inventing a prayer trains our memory quickly. |
| C．Remembering long numbers is easy for people. |
| D．Asking yourself questions activates the memory. |
| A．To complain that his memory is bad. |
| B．To recognize some memory problems. |
| C．To explain some memory experiments. |
| D．To share some ways of improving memory. |
10 . This year the US will honour(纪念) one of the country's most famous writers—Mark Twain(18351910). Most readers know that his real name was Samuel Longhorne Clemens, but how many know where the pen name“Mark Twain”came from?
The answer shows Clemens' colourful early life before he became a writer.“Mark Twain”was the cry shouted on a ship when the ship entered a part of a river that was two fathoms(6 feet)deep. “Twain” is an oldfashioned way of saying“two”. Twain trained as a ship pilot on the Mississippi river for two years, a time that he wrote about in the humorousLifeontheMississippi(1883)．
The famous river would become an important theme in many of his works—who could forget the journey of Huck and Jim along it in his most famous book,TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn(1884)?
With little education, he had to teach himself how to write stories. Whenever possible, he would go to public libraries. There he spent much time reading and thinking, which greatly helped him with his writing.
On the other hand, his life experiences gave him wonderful material to write about and attract readers. Twain wrote in a style that has been called “local colour” because it shows great knowledge of local people and their customs.
Thisgiftis very clear in the two books for which Twain is still celebrated today：TheAdventuresofTomSawyer(1876) and its followupTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn,which many people call“The Great American Novel”．
The most amazing invention in the book is the voice of Huck himself. Huck did not enjoy schooling. It shows in the way he uses language, in a spoken style. Only a master like Twain could copy the way a young southern boy talked so well.
1. What does the underlined word “gift” mean in the passage?| A．Twain's talent for selfteaching. |
| B．Twain's“local colour”writing style. |
| C．Twain's good sense of humour. |
| D．Twain's experiences as a ship pilot. |
| A．The deep social meaning. |
| B．The exciting life experiences. |
| C．The special way that Huck talks. |
| D．The nice view of the Mississippi. |
| A．At the beginning of Paragraph 2. |
| B．At the beginning of Paragraph 3. |
| C．At the beginning of Paragraph 4. |
| D．At the beginning of Paragraph 5. |
| A．Mark Twain's career as a great writer. |
| B．Mark Twain's interest in describing local life. |
| C．Mark Twain's achievements in American literature field. |
| D．Mark Twain's life experiences which influenced his writing. |
