1 . A wildlife photographer was waiting, hoping to get a shot of a relatively rare bird, a particular kind of heron(鹭). He’d waited several frustrating hours in the woods, but with no luck at all. Suddenly, to the photographer’s delight, a heron settled on a branch right in front of him. The photographer raised his camera and took the shot. Feeling particularly pleased, the photographer looked at the image. To his astonishment, he saw that behind the heron, his photograph had also captured a very, very rare woodpecker flying past. He hadn’t seen it, but without even trying, he’d photographed an even rarer bird than the one he was aiming for. This is an example of serendipity.
Cases of serendipity can be found in numerous fields, such as science. Back in the 1800s, a man called Wellswas at a demonstration (演示) of laughing gas. After being given the gas, the patient started laughing, as expected. But then he suddenly fell over and cut his le g rather badly. To everyone’s surprise, the man reported that he couldn’t feel any pain. Wells hadn’t been looking for it, but he’d made a medical discovery — certain gases reduce and can even almost eradicate pain. Had Wells not been there that night, anesthesia (麻醉) might have taken longer to be discovered.
Most of us can probably think of at least one example of serendipity in our own lives. Jane, a friend of mine,was trying to come up with an idea for an article but got completely stuck. Frustrated, she decided to go out to a local café. As she was sipping her coffee, she heard two people talking behind her. A man was telling a story that sounded so unbelievable that she knew it had to be true. She asked the people if she could interview them for the article. They agreed and her article turned out to be one of the top trending articles of the week.
1. The word “serendipity” in paragraph 1 means the fact of __________.| A．observing rare birds in person | B．achieving important aims in time |
| C．finding valuable things by chance | D．taking interesting photos by mistake |
| A．The gas’s hidden damage. | B．The gas’s pain-killing effect. |
| C．The patient’s scientific discovery. | D．The patient’s balance-losing moment. |
| A．To take a break. | B．To meet a friend. |
| C．To write an article. | D．To do an interview. |
| A．To explain a concept. | B．To promote a culture. |
| C．To introduce a person. | D．To recommend a method. |
2 . Each day, I woke up with a mental list of the tasks I had to complete. My routine was
As I
The whistle sounded, and the ball was kicked in my direction.
I went through a very difficult operation, followed by a long,
| A．strange | B．boring | C．old | D．simple |
| A．improved | B．began | C．changed | D．continued |
| A．explored | B．approached | C．discovered | D．decorated |
| A．warned | B．begged | C．taught | D．promised |
| A．last | B．professional | C．lucky | D．favorite |
| A．Missing | B．Receiving | C．Throwing | D．Avoiding |
| A．field | B．corner | C．center | D．net |
| A．well | B．safely | C．late | D．normally |
| A．delayed | B．left | C．wasted | D．lost |
| A．extra | B．average | C．final | D．former |
| A．challenged | B．identified | C．threatened | D．injured |
| A．passed by | B．fell behind | C．crashed into | D．guarded against |
| A．painful | B．dangerous | C．lonely | D．special |
| A．losses | B．regrets | C．comments | D．fears |
| A．master | B．leader | C．winner | D．survivor |
3 . Travel with us to the heart of Fiordland National Park and take in the beauty and vastness of remote Doubtful Sound on our Wilderness Cruise (乘船游览). It will take your breath away as you experience its deep wilderness.
There’s no direct road access, so you’ll start with a boat ride across the picturesque Lake Manapouri , followed by a coach (大巴) trip over the epic Wilmot Pass through Fiordland’s rain forest and into the Sound. Along the way, you’ll pause to experience the dense Fiordland rainforest and view Doubtful Sound glistening below. The isolation makes this field a very special place. Only those in the know get to see it. In Doubtful Sound, you’ll board our spacious, purpose-built ship Patea Explorer for a 3-hour cruise.
Things you should know
●Check in 30 minutes prior to your Coach Transfer from Queenstown to Manapouri.
●A highlight is the coach trip through Fiordland’s rainforest and over Wilmot Pass.
●During the cruise, our knowledgeable and friendly nature guides will point out landmarks and provide all the information about the native wildlife you come face to face with, including dolphins, fur seals, and occasionally penguins.
●The trip duration:8 hours.
Extra information
●Picnic lunches available for pre-purchase (预购) up to 7 pm the day before your cruise.
●Snacks and drinks available for purchase on board(cash only).
●Licensed bar on board(cash only).
What to bring
Non-slip shoes/boots, waterproof jackets, warm sweaters, sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellent and cameras.
1. What can tourists do during the cruise on Patea Explorer?| A．Pick personal guides. | B．View local wildlife. |
| C．Admire Lake Manapouri. | D．Enjoy free drinks and lunches. |
| A．30 minutes. | B．3 hours. | C．7 hours. | D．8 hours. |
| A．A park guidebook. | B．A cruise journal. | C．A boarding notice. | D．A travel brochure. |
4 . At six o’clock sharp the curtain rises at Southside Cultural Center, in Reno. Two hundred audience members, including the mayor of Reno, look to the stage. Dozens of actors break out into the first number of The Lion King.
But this is not your typical production. The gifted cast is made up of homeless children living at the Volunteers of America family shelter in Reno. The children have been given a chance to live their dreams onstage, thanks to volunteer acting coach Nasya Mancini. “I see so much of myself in these kids,” says Nasya. “I tell them their current circumstance doesn’t have to be their destiny (命运) . If they are determined, they can do anything they want.”
Determination is something Nasya knows all about. She was born prematurely and was given little chance of survival. But Nasya kept fighting. Her very name means “miracle” in Hebrew. Nasya was small, but quickly proved that her talents were as big as her will to survive. She started dancing at two. By six she’d been spotted by an acting coach, who encouraged her parents to enroll her in drama classes. “There was something about being onstage,” Nasya says. “It made my spirit come alive.” She decided that she was going to be an actor.
However, her enthusiasm didn’t sit well with some of her schoolmates. They teased (嘲) her, “You’re a shrimp. You’re not even pretty.” Nasya came home in tears. Her mother hugged her and told her to ignore it. By high school, Nasya was winning awards in theater competitions. She also provided community service by teaching drama to the children at the shelter. Nasya wanted the kids at the shelter to discover the confidence that acting could give. The best way to do that, she decided, was to put on a big play.
The production was a hit. The kids took several curtain calls. Donations to the shelter rolled in. Nasya reminds the kids of something she knows with every part of her spirit to be true: “Believe in yourself. The world is your stage.”
1. What was special about the play The Lion King?| A．It was staged at the local shelter. | B．It was starred by Nasya Mancini. |
| C．It was performed by homeless kids. | D．It was funded by the mayor of Reno. |
| A．Creative and modest. | B．Talented and caring. |
| C．Determined and humorous. | D．Confident and demanding. |
| A．To collect public donations. | B．To build the kids’ confidence. |
| C．To win a local theater competition. | D．To complete her community service. |
| A．Volunteers Make a Difference. | B．Rising from Shelter to Stage. |
| C．The Lion King Is Roaring Back. | D．Sharing Her Dream with Homeless Teens. |
5 . Everywhere I look, there are new buildings under construction. The neighborhoods that I knew as a boy, filled with beautiful old buildings, have mostly disappeared, and in their place, modern, high-rise buildings have appeared. There is good reason for this. Residents want all the conveniences of modern living. However, how can our children understand and maintain their cultural identity if we erase so much of the physical evidence of it?
The arguments for preserving historic buildings are not simply about an emotional attachment to the past. There are also good economic arguments in favour of preservation. The renovation (修缮) and preservation of historic districts can become an economic engine, drawing tourists and small businesses to the area. For example, in Dubai, the historic Al Bastikiya district draws thousands of tourists every year from all over the world. It also attracts local residents, eager to learn about their city's past.
Some have argued that historic preservation is too expensive, but many recent projects have demonstrated that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, renovation of an existing structure for adaptive reuse can cost about £40 per square metre less than even the most basic new construction, while preserving the beauty of the original building. And, although it is often claimed that old buildings have a more significant environmental footprint than new construction because they aren’t very energy efficient, architects and environmental experts maintain that the greenest building is the one that is already built. New construction almost always has a more serious environmental impact (影响) because it requires the use of all-new materials that must be transported, often over long distances, instead of recycled materials that are already on site. We recycle so many other things. We can and should recycle buildings, too.
Historic preservation is an option that opens many possibilities; demolition (拆毁), in contrast, is irreversible. Once these treasures are lost, they are lost forever, an important link in our heritage that can never be recovered.
1. What drives people to replace old buildings with new ones?| A．Their dislike of old buildings. | B．Their pride in cultural identity. |
| C．Their concern about young generations. | D．Their desire for modern comforts. |
| A．Historic renovation costs much money. |
| B．Local governments support small businesses. |
| C．Historic preservation brings economic benefits. |
| D．International tourism promises economic recovery. |
| A．It uses green materials. | B．It damages architectural beauty. |
| C．It reduces enviromental impact. | D．It worries environmental experts. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Disapproving. | D．Objective. |
6 . Studies show that females usually have better handwriting than males. University of Warwick researchers note that “Girls are generally better handwriters than boys. Girls also usually write faster than boys”. But why do females have better handwriting than males? There are a number of reasons.
Handwriting differences may be because of cultural label. Researchers asked boys and girls aged 7 and 8 to model after each other’s handwriting. When modeling after writing, boys tried to make theirs “smaller and neater” while all the girls said that they had made their handwriting larger, and half of them said they had made it less tidy. Do females work hard to write neater because there is an expectation that they have neat handwriting? Are females encouraged to write better because there is an expectation?
Handwriting may be influenced by the writer’s female hormones (激素). Babies before they are born receive various amounts of female hormones with males receiving less and females more. One sign of female hormone effect is the relative length of a person’s index finger to ring finger (called the “2D: 4D rate”). This study found that the higher the 2D : 4D rate for right-handed female writers,the neater their handwriting is.
Neural development differences between males and females may be the reason for the differences. During the early school years, when kids are learning to shape letters, the neural fibers that control fine motor skills in boys’ brains usually haven’t matured (成熟) as much as girls’ have. Boys’ brains finally catch up and their handwriting gets better than before, but it’s still usually not as neat as that of the girls. That’s because women usually have more neural connections between the two sides of the brain, which also helps with correctness.
1. What’s the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To list some reasons. |
| C．To summarize the text. | D．To provide examples. |
| A．neater | B．larger | C．more correct | D．longer |
| A．Boys’ handwriting is too large to be neat. |
| B．Boys’ 2D: 4D rate becomes higher and higher. |
| C．Boys’ brains don’t get enough exercise like girls do. |
| D．Boys usually have less neural connections inside the brain. |
| A．Who perform better in handwriting? |
| B．Is handwriting well a difficult task? |
| C．Are girls cleverer than boys? |
| D．Why do we need to write well? |
7 . From 1990 to 2000, fishermen trying to get swordfish (剑鱼) off the coast of California accidentally caught and killed over 100 sea turtles (海龟), and injured many more. In 2001, the government set up the Pacific Leatherback Conservation Area (PLCA), an area off the coast of California where fishing boats are not allowed to enter from August to November. Since then, the number of turtles killed by mistake has fallen rapidly, but a small number of animals still die from being caught in fishing nets each year. And at the same time, the once $15 million swordfish industry has become a $ 2 million industry.
Scientists are hoping to find a way to not only protect sea turtles and other endangered creatures but also help fishermen make a living. For this, many scientists are looking at dynamic ocean management to help fishing boats meet fish where they are and avoid catching other creatures by mistake.
The first paper to suggest that the fish living in the open ocean should be guarded with fluid, ever-changing zones of protection, came out in 2000. Larry Crowder, a professor at Hopkins Marine Station, remembers reading it and thinking, “Cool idea, but it will never work.” In 2000, scientists didn’t have the computer power to cheaply test statistical models or deal with satellite data quickly. They didn’t have enough data dealing with fish or satellite data on ocean conditions, either.
Now scientists can download satellite data of oceans in minutes and attach satellite archival tag to sea animals to track their movements. They first collect data by marking the creatures, collecting reports from fishing boats, or other tracking ways. Then they compare that data with weather conditions, the time of year, and any other data that can be sensed. Finally, they can predict where fish probably are.
Crowder and his workmates used the data to develop a tool called EcoCast during the 2012 and 2015 fishing seasons, they could have fished in at least 125,000 square miles, without high risk of hunting turtles.
1. The government hoped that PLCA and its rules could .| A．prevent fishing in the PLCA |
| B．help collect data for future research |
| C．protect the creatures in the area to some degree |
| D．make the public realize the importance of our environment |
| A．unrealistic | B．stupid | C．possible | D．interesting |
| A．A great way to collect data. |
| B．Some technology fruits in this field |
| C．A scientific way to find new ocean animals |
| D．The way dynamic ocean management works |
| A．It protects the ocean from pollution. |
| B．It helps support the fishing industry. |
| C．It prevents fishermen from getting lost while fishing. |
| D．It both protects ocean animals and supports the fishing industry. |
8 . In 1823, a young woman noticed a strange fossil (化石) on a beach near Lyme Regis, England. She dug out the bones and had them carried to her home. She carefully arranged the skeleton on a table. Then she saw something extraordinary. The neck was a meter long — more than half the length of its body. It was unlike any animal living on Earth.
Even at a young age, Mary Anning had a talent for hunting “curies” fossils. In 1811, aged just 12, she made her first major discovery, a crocodile-like skull with a long skeleton. It was the first extinction animal known to science.
Fossil hunting brought in money, but it was dangerous. One day, a rock fall killed her dog and almost buried Mary. However, she still continued to look for new findings. The long-necked fossil she uncovered in 1823 was another long-dead sea reptile.
Mary was not only a skilled fossil hunter, she also carefully examined and recorded her finds. However, she didn’t get approval (认可) of other scientists. Only one of her scientific writings was published in her lifetime, in 1839. She was not allowed to join London’s Geological Society as only men could become members. She didn’t care about these. Instead, she kept moving on.
Mary died in 1847, but her contributions (贡献) have not been forgotten. Her finds are now on show in museums in London and Paris. The beach near her home is a UNESO World Heritage Site (遗址), known as Jurassic Coast. Her life continues to inspire visitors hoping to find their own fossil wonders. According to Britain’s History Museum, Mary Anning was “the greatest fossil hunter the world has ever known”. She was also a scientist who changed the way we think about life on Earth.
1. The word “curies” in Para. 2 means .| A．huge | B．beautiful | C．common | D．unusual |
| A．She won high praise from other scientists. |
| B．She published several scientific articles in her lifetime. |
| C．She had a narrow escape from a rock fall. |
| D．She was later a member of the London’s Geological Society. |
| A．To show how Southern England has the most important fossil finds in the world. |
| B．To show the readers that Jurassic Coast is in need of protection. |
| C．To give an example of how important Mary’s discoveries are to the world. |
| D．To encourage more people to find their own fossil wonders. |
| A．We shouldn’t risk our life doing things at any time. |
| B．We should still continue though others don’t support us. |
| C．We should fight for our own rights bravely when treated unfairly. |
| D．We should listen more to others’ opinions when there is disagreement. |
9 . A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without travelling very far.
There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, parks, beaches and so on.
Others take the term “staycation” word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together, or spending all day at a pool.
Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has both its advantages and risks. Since you are not travelling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably cheap. You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really expensive, so the farther you go, the more expensive it is. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distance or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.
1. What is the purpose of the text?| A．To introduce the general information on staycations. |
| B．To compare staycations with other vacations. |
| C．To provide different ways of staycations. |
| D．To advise people to have staycations. |
| A．usually travel to cities far away |
| B．spend all day eating and sleeping |
| C．visit famous attractions of different cities |
| D．either relax at home or travel near their homes |
| A．How to have a staycation safely. | B．Why people prefer a staycation. |
| C．What risks a staycation has. | D．When to take a staycation. |
10 . In the hospital the lift opened and I saw my dad in a stretcher (担架), his eyes closed and an oxygen mask over his mouth. He was fastened (固定)
My dad had an accident in the building site, which caused
My dad
One day two months later, I heard my dad call my name. I rushed out of the room and was surprised to see him
With three months passing, my dad got better again and my joy was
| A．suddenly | B．tightly | C．slowly | D．differently |
| A．take off | B．put off | C．turn off | D．fall off |
| A．free | B．ask | C．touch | D．move |
| A．charge | B．raise | C．surprise | D．upset |
| A．emotional | B．slight | C．enough | D．great |
| A．reality | B．possibility | C．condition | D．suggestion |
| A．cold-blooded | B．absent-minded | C．heart-broken | D．badly-wounded |
| A．accident | B．mistake | C．situation | D．position |
| A．carried | B．gave | C．gained | D．lost |
| A．led | B．abandoned | C．sent | D．promoted |
| A．lack | B．care | C．use | D．value |
| A．whichever | B．however | C．wherever | D．whenever |
| A．lying | B．sitting | C．standing | D．crying |
| A．hero | B．child | C．friend | D．stranger |
| A．walk | B．study | C．speak | D．read |
| A．forced | B．encouraged | C．urged | D．persuaded |
| A．ambition | B．intelligence | C．confidence | D．difficulty |
| A．necessary | B．important | C．boundless | D．meaningless |
| A．never | B．seldom | C．always | D．sometimes |
| A．creation | B．decision | C．invitation | D．inspiration |
