1 . Over the last few centuries, there have been many changes in our lives.
To start with, people were not able to travel such a long distance in such a short time in the past. Planes were not very popular at that time because they used to be a very expensive way to travel. Nowadays, more and more people can travel by plane and we can take many other fast and comfortable vehicles, such as cars and high-speed trains.
Secondly, in the past, people had to work much harder because they did not have the tools we have today. Today, most of the difficult and dangerous work is done by computers and machines.
Thirdly, in the past, the living conditions were not as good as they are now. There were no bathrooms or running water in many houses, and many people could not buy things like refrigerators, TV sets or washing machines. Now, most families have several of these things.
Lastly, communications have become much easier than before. In the past, we kept in touch with others by writing letters or sending faxes, but now we have many other ways to choose from, such as making a phone call, sending e-mails or messages and chatting online. Moreover, we can even see the people whom we are making a phone call with through mobile phones, and we can see each other while chatting online. The most surprising thing is that we can make a phone call with the astronauts and see them when they are in space. What a magical thing!
Thanks to the technology, especially the Internet, our lives have become much easier and happier than before. I'm sure they will become more wonderful in the future. Don't you think so?
1. Why were planes not so popular many years ago?| A．Because they were not big enough. | B．Because they were not able to fly long. |
| C．Because they were very expensive. | D．Because they were not fast enough. |
| A．for fewer hours | B．much harder | C．more easily | D．more quickly |
| A．Many families have TV sets and washing machines nowadays. |
| B．There were no bathrooms or running water before. |
| C．Living conditions have been improved. |
| D．Many people can take baths at home now. |
| A．traveling | B．living conditions | C．working tools | D．communication |
| A．Great changes in our lives. | B．Good education will change our lives. |
| C．Fast development of science. | D．We live a happy life now. |
2 . "I will think of it." It is easy to say this, but do you know what great things have come from thinking? Though we can not see, or hear, or feel our thoughts, they have great power!
Isaac Newton was seated in his garden on a summer evening when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He began to think, and tried to find out why the apple fell. Then he discovered how the earth, sun, moon, and stars are kept in their places.
A boy named James Watt sat quietly by the fireside, watching the lid of the tea kettle as it moved up and down. He began to think. He wanted to find out why the steam in the kettle moved the heavy lid. From that time he went on thinking and thinking, and when he became a man, he improved the steam engine so much that it could, with the greatest ease, do the work of many horses.
James Ferguson was a poor Scotch shepherd boy. Once seeing the inside of his father's watch and he wondered, "Why should I not make a watch? But how was he to get the materials out of which to make the wheels and the mainspring(钟表等的主发条)? He soon found how to get them. He made the mainspring out of a piece whalebone. He then made a wooden clock which kept good time. He began, also, to copy pictures with a pen, and portraits(肖像)with oil colors. In a few years, while still a small boy, he earned money enough to support his father. When he became a man, he went to London to live. Some of the wisest men in England, and the king himself, used to attend his lecture. His motto was," I will think of it. "And he made his thoughts useful to himself and the world.
When you meet with any difficulty, don't lose heart. Try to think of it before asking someone to help you. Think, and by thinking you will learn how to think creatively.
1. Newton wanted to find out_________.| A．when the apple hit him | B．why the apple fell | C．who made the apple fall | D．where the apple fell |
| A．He was born in a rich family. | B．His wooden clock seldom worked well. |
| C．He was a painter from England. | D．His mind greatly influenced the world. |
①=Paragraph 1 ②= Paragraph 2 ③=Paragraph 3 ④=Paragraph 4 ⑤= Paragraph 5
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Why Should Not I Have a try? | B．Nothing is Impossible to a Willing Heart. |
| C．Thinking Helps to Get New Ideas. | D．Great Scientists Make a Great World. |
3 . After years of observing human nature, I have decided the two qualities that make the difference between men of great achievement and men of average performance are curiosity and discontent（不满足）. I have never known an outstanding man who lacked either. And I have never known an average man who had both. The two belong together.
Together, these deep human urges（驱策力）count for much more than ambition. Galileo was not merely ambitious when he dropped objects of varying weights from the Leaning Tower at Pisa and timed their fall to the ground. Like Galileo, all the great names in history were curious and asked in discontent, “Why? Why? Why?”
Fortunately, curiosity and discontent don't have to be learned. We are born with them and need only recapture them.
“The great man,” said Mencius（孟子）“is he who does not lose his child's heart. ” Yet most of us do lose it.We stop asking questions. We stop challenging custom. We just follow the crowd. And the crowd desires restful average. It encourages us to occupy our own little corner, to avoid foolish leaps into the dark, to be satisfied.
Most of us meet new people, and new ideas, with hesitation. But once having met and liked them, we think terrible it would have been, had we missed the chance. We will probably have to force ourselves to waken our curiosity and discontent and keep them awake.
How should you start? Modestly, so as not to become discouraged. I think of one friend who couldn't arrange flowers to satisfy herself. She was curious about how the experts did it. Now she is one of the experts, writing books on flower arrangement.
One way to begin is to answer your own excuses. You haven't any special ability? Most people don't; there are only a few geniuses. You haven't any time? That's good, because it's always the people with no time who get things done. Harriet Stowe, mother of six, wrote parts of Uncle Tom's Cabin while cooking. You're too old? Remember that Thomas Costain was 57 when he published his first novel, and that Grandma Moses showed her first pictures when she was 78.
However you start, remember there is no better time to start than right now, for you’ll never be more alive than you are at this moment.
1. In writing Paragraph 1, the author aims to .| A．propose a definition | B．make a comparison | C．reach a conclusion | D．present an argument |
| A．Trial and error leads to the finding of truth. |
| B．Scientists tend to be curious and ambitious. |
| C．Creativity results from challenging authority. |
| D．Greatness comes from a lasting desire to explore. |
| A．Explore the unknown around you. |
| B．Embrace new ideas with hesitation. |
| C．Lead a life full of challenges. |
| D．Develop a questioning mind. |
| A．Gaining success helps you become an expert. |
| B．The genius tends to get things done creatively. |
| C．Lack of talent and time is no reason for taking no action. |
| D．You should remain modest when approaching perfection. |
| A．Curious Minds Feel Contented | B．Reflections on Human Nature |
| C．The Keys to Achievement | D．Never Too Late to Learn |
4 . ①As a kid, I walked to the library several times a week and stayed up late reading. I checked out so many books and returned them so quickly the librarian once snapped, “Don't take home so many books if you're not going to read them all.”
②“But I did read them all,” I said.
③In college, when I created my online dating (约会) profile, in the “favorite books” section I put One Hundred Years of Solitude, A Moveable Feast, White Fang and so on. But I realized I hadn't read most of those titles for two years.
④David was my first online date. David read about a book or two a week. When we searched for libraries, we had only four titles in common.
⑤On our seventh date, David and I visited the library.
⑥“I have a game.” he said, taking out two pens and Post-its (便利贴) . "Let's find books we've read and leave reviews in them for the next person."
⑦We stayed there for an hour.
⑧Before leaving, I said, “I will tell you something. I've only read one book this year.”
⑨“But you like books,” he said. “You like bookstores. You like libraries, Read a book!”
⑩Back home, David's charge to “read a book” echoed in my head. I bought books whenever I got the chance, but I hardly read them. They sat on every surface until my house appeared to wear books the way one wears clothes.
⑪I picked up one. Whenever I wanted to give up on it, I thought of David. ________.
⑫“How's your day?” David texted.
⑬“Good. A little tired,” I replied. “I stayed up late and finished my book.” The last time I'd pulled an all-nighter to read, I was 12 and the book was Little Women.
⑭David suggested we visit the library again. He pulled a book from the shelf, dropped to one knee, and opened it. Inside, his Post-it read: “Karla, it has always been you. Will you marry me?”
⑮His proposal had rested in the book for over a year.
1. How do the first two paragraphs help develop the story?| A．To show how rude the líbrarian was. |
| B．To show Karla was always a reader. |
| C．To prove Karla just liked borrowing books. |
| D．To prove it's better to buy books than borrow books. |
a. She had a game with David.
b. She created her online dating profile.
c. She was shown the Post-it written to her.
d. She told David she only read one book that year.
e. She found they had only four titles in common.
| A．dbeac | B．baecd | C．beadc | D．abcde |
| A．I just loved the idea of reading. |
| B．I tried to appear to be a book lover. |
| C．I painfully realized most of my books went unread. |
| D．I felt him pushing me to be more of the person I used to be. |
| A．Falling in love by the book |
| B．Buying books for yourself not for your shelf |
| C．A true lover of books knows no time |
| D．Love books enough and books love you back |
5 . There's a new frontier in 3D printing that's beginning to come into focus: food. Recent development has made possible machines that print, cook, and serve foods on a mass scale. And the industry isn’t stopping there Food production
With a 3D printer, a cook can print complicated chocolate sculptures and beautiful pieces for decoration on a wedding cake. Not everybody can do that-it takes years of experience, but a printer makes it easy. A restaurant in Spain uses a Foodini to "re-create forms and pieces" of food that are "exactly the same," freeing cooks to complete other tasks. In another restaurant, all of the dishes and desserts it serves are 3D-printed, rather than farm to table.
Sustainability（可持续性）
The global population is expected to grow to 9.6 billion by 2050,and some analysts estimate that food production will need to be raised by 50 percent to maintain current levels. Sustainability is becoming a necessity. 3D food printing could probably contribute to the solution. Some experts believe printers could use hydrocolloids（水解胶体） from plentiful renewables like algae（藻类）and grass to replace the familiar ingredients（烹饪原料）. 3D printing can reduce fuel use and emissions. Grocery stores of the future might stock "food" that lasts years in a row, reducing transportation and storage requirements.
Nutrition
Future 3D food printers could make processed food healthier. Hod Lipson, a professor at Columbia University, said, "Food printing could allow consumers to print food with customized nutritional content, like vitamins. So instead of eating a piece of yesterday’s bread from the supermarket, you'd eat something baked just for you on demand.”
Challenges
Despite recent advancements in 3D food printing, the industry has many challenges to overcome. Currently most ingredients must be changed to a paste（糊状物）before a printer can use them, and the printing process quite time-consuming, because ingredients interact with each other in very complex ways. On top of that, most the 3D food printers now are restricted to dry ingredients, because meat and milk products may easily go bad. Some experts are skeptical about 3D food printers, believing they are better suited for fast food restaurants than homes and high-end restaurants.
1. What benefit does 3D printing bring to food production?| A．It helps cooks to create new dishes |
| B．It saves cooks' effort in cooking. |
| C．It improves cooking conditions. |
| D．It contributes to restaurant decorations. |
| A．It solves food shortages easily. |
| B．It saves fuel and produces no pollution. |
| C．It needs no space for the storage of food. |
| D．It uses renewable materials as sources of food. |
| A．is more popular among consumers |
| B．can meet individual nutritional needs |
| C．is more tasty than food in supermarkets |
| D．can keep all the nutrition in raw materials |
| A．The printing process is complicate. |
| B．3D food printers are too expensive. |
| C．Food materials have to be dry. |
| D．Some experts doubt 3D food printing. |
| A．3D Food Printing: Delicious New Technology |
| B．A New Way to Improve 3D Food Printing |
| C．The Challenges for 3D Food Production D3 |
| D．Food Printing: From Farm to Table |
6 . What subject do you worry about the most at school? Many students worry about math. Some students can't sleep well the day before a math exam. Others may feel very nervous during the exam itself. But there might be a way to make the subject less stressful（压力大的）.
"For people who are worried about math, posture （姿势） makes a big difference," Erik Paper from San Francisco State University told the Daily Mail. That's right – sitting up straight can help you do better on math exams.
Scientists tested 125 college students. They asked them to do a simple math exam while sitting in a slumped-over （趴倒的） posture, or sitting up straight. After the test, 56 percent of students said the exam was easier to do if they were sitting up straight.
Slumping over is a defensive（戒备的） posture. It can bring about bad memories in the body and brain. This can stop you from thinking clearly, Paper said.
Students who were not nervous about taking the math exam did not necessarily benefit（受益） from better posture. But they did find that doing math while slumped over was more difficult, Science Daily reported.
Good posture isn't just helpful for taking math exams. Sportspeople, musicians and public speakers can all benefit from better posture. When you feel stressed out, you can also try to sit up straight or stand tall. It can help you feel more certain and focus better.
1. What posture can make people feel less stressed during math exams?| A．Sitting up straight. | B．Hanging your head. |
| C．Lying on your back. | D．Raising one hand. |
| A．All the 125 students. | B．Less than half of them. |
| C．56 percent of them. | D．None of the students. |
| A．why slumping over makes exams harder to do |
| B．why slumping over is bad for one's health |
| C．why some people slump over during exams |
| D．why people are nervous during math exams |
| A．Slump over to Take Exams | B．Sit up to Do Math |
| C．Better Posture for Nervous Students | D．Good Advice for Better Exams |
7 . My grandfather is an eighty-year-old man. He changed, and he often says that life used to be better.
Families aren’t families the way they used to be. A lot of families have broken down. If husband and wife have problems with their marriage, they no longer stay together. And mothers used to stay at home and take care of their children, but now everyone’s working. No one has time to look after children at home.
And the cars! No one walks any more: everyone drives. We used to walk five miles to school every day, even in winter. But now they don’t. And in school, the children don’t have to think any more. In math class, for example, we used to add, subtract, multiply and divide in our heads. Kids don’t use their heads any more, instead, they use calculators(计算器).
Most families have computers now. In the past we didn’t have computers. We didn’t even have lights. My mother used to spend all day cooking in the kitchen. But now nobody eats home cooked food any more.
And people don’t talk to each other any more. They are too busy to talk, too busy to eat, too busy to think…
Life used to be simple, but it isn’t any more.
1. My grandfather thinks the 1ife ________ .| A．is better than it used to be | B．is worse than it used to be |
| C．is as good as it used to be | D．is as bad as it used to be |
①There are lights at home.
②People like to eat home cooked food.
③Lots of families have computers.
④Lots of couples live apart because of some prob1ems.
| A．①②④ | B．②③④ | C．①②③ | D．①③④ |
| A．People have too much time to talk with each other. |
| B．Life now is very simple. |
| C．Many families have broken down because of problems between husbands and wives. |
| D．Mothers stay at home and look after their children. |
| A．How life used to be | B．The better life |
| C．The changes in our life | D．Hard-working students |
8 . We often reach a point in our life when we should be ready for change that will help us unlock our self-improvement power. However, there’s always something staring at us right under our nose but we don’t see it. The only time we think of unlocking our self-improvement power is when everything gets worst.
When do we realize that we need to change diets? When none of our shirts and jeans would fit us. When do we stop eating candies and chocolates? When all of our teeth have fallen off. When do we realize that we need to stop smoking? When our lungs have gone bad, we see the warning signs and signals when things get rough and difficult. It is not easy to change, but change becomes more painful when we ignore(忽视)it.
Change will happen, like it or hate it. Happy people don’t just accept change; they embrace (拥抱) it. Unlocking our self-improvement power means unlocking ourselves out of the box of thought that is just the way we are. It is such a poor excuse for people who fear change.
Jane always tells everyone that she doesn’t have the courage to be around groups of people. She heard her family tell the same things about her to other people. Over the years, that is what Jane has believed. Every time a great crowd comes, she steps back and locks herself up in a room. Jane not only believes in her story, but lives it!
Self-improvement may not be even the body’s favorite word, but if we look at things in a different way, we might have greater chances of enjoying the whole process instead of counting the days until we are fully improved. And only when we are enjoying the whole process of unlocking our self-improvement power will we realize that we’re beginning to take things light and become happy.
1. The writer mentions the three questions in Paragraph 2 to show that ________.| A．we learn our lessons when we experience pain. |
| B．we are responsible for the problems we meet |
| C．life fails us when we get into the wrong way |
| D．life is a long journey full of ups and downs |
| A．She needs to remember why she started. |
| B．She has to know how to get on with people. |
| C．She has to realize she is not what she is in her story. |
| D．She needs to understand the importance of confidence. |
| A．the world tells us how to improve ourselves |
| B．people change when they find it easy to do that |
| C．welcoming change in life is a drive to become better |
| D．the process of self-improvement makes life unhappy |
| A．Is it important to take things light? |
| B．Is it necessary to embrace challenges? |
| C．To hold on to the last moment or to give up? |
| D．To free ourselves out of the box or to stay up in it? |
9 . Now, short videos are popular among students. They have millions of views online. Many people share short videos on video apps like Douyin and Kuaishou. You can even add music and special effects(特效) to your videos. The videos are 15 seconds to a few minutes long. They show people doing activities like cooking, exercising and singing.
High school students enjoy these videos very much, more than 50% of first and second-year junior high school students said they enjoy watching these short-videos. About 47% posted their own videos, according to a survey by the China National Youth Palace Association.
The videos let high school students see funny and exciting things. Many students like to share the fun things with others, too. For example, a 12-year-old girl named Xiaoqianyu posted videos showing her learning jazz dance. This helps her win many fans.
However, some students spend too much time watching them and not enough time studying. Some videos have vulgar content (低俗内容）and it is not good for students. To solve this problem, Douyin added a function (功能) in April. The app will be closed if someone uses it for over two hours a day.
1. According to the passage, what can kids add to their short videos with these apps?| A．Special effects. | B．Vulgar content. |
| C．Homework. | D．Unhealthy videos. |
| A．More than 50% of first-and second-year junior high school students posted their own videos. |
| B．Short videos also have some disadvantages(缺点). |
| C．Parents don't want their children to post their own videos on the Internet. |
| D．The teenagers can use Douyin as much as they like. |
| A．They will become funny. | B．They will learn to dance jazz. |
| C．They will win many fans. | D．They will have less time to study. |
| A．Making Short Videos. | B．Sharing Your Short Videos. |
| C．Crazy for Short Videos. | D．New Functions of Short Videos. |
10 . Studies show that walking several times a week can lower the risk of a lot of diseases. They include heart disease, diabetes(糖尿病), stroke(中风)and bone loss(骨质疏松). Walking can also help you lose weight.
Studies have also shown that walking for thirty minutes a day can slow down and even prevent the development of type two diabetes. Walking several times a week is a good way to control weight and lose body fat. Studies show it also helps reduce feelings of sadness.
Experts say walking is one of the safest ways to exercise. There is a low risk of injuries. S
o it is good for people who are starting an exercise programme for the first time and for older people.
A walking programme is easy to start. You should wear loose clothes and good shoes. There are shoes that are designed on purpose for lots of walking. Doctors say you should walk fast enough to have you breathe hard. Yet you should still be able to talk. Let your arms move freely while you are walking.
There are no rules for starting a walking programme. You might walk short distances. Or you might walk up hills to strengthen your leg muscles(肌肉). Health experts say you can get the most from a walking programme if you walk at about 6 kilometres an hour for thirty minutes a day. You should do this about several times a week.
1. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?| A．If you are over 70, you’d better not exercise by walking. |
| B．If you want to prevent yourself from heart disease and stroke, you can keep walking. |
| C．If you want to lose weight, walking several times a week is a good choice. |
| D．Whether you walk short distances or walk up hills, it’s good for your health. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
3. Which do you think is the best title?
| A．A Good Walking Programme |
| B．Walking to Better Health |
| C．Walking Studies and Experts |
| D．Some Rules for Walking |
