1 . Many great basketball players had clever nicknames, usually describing the player’s overall style on the court. Below are some of the colorful nicknames among popular NBA players.
“Tiny”
Nate Archibald, at six feet one inch tall, was small for a basketball player. Still, Archibald used speed and his brains to control the court in the 14 seasons that he played in the NBA. Interestingly, his nickname originated off the court: he was named after his father, “Big Tiny”.
“Magic”
Earvin Johnson was called “Magic” by a sportswriter who saw him playing basketball in one high school game. Johnson was a skillful player, often doing the unexpected, to the chagrin of his competitors and the delight of the audience. He also won a gold medal as part of the U.S. “Dream Team”in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
“The Mailman”
Karl Malone earned his nickname because on the court he delivered consistently. Malone spent most of his career with the Utah Jazz, gaining a reputation as one of the best power forwards of all time. He also won two Olympic gold medals, as part of the U.S.“Dream Team” in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain and in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
“The Iceman”
George Gervin made the most difficult shots look easy. He was also famous for keeping cool in every game, playing in a relaxed way under pressure. Gervin, who played most of his 14 years in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, was unequalled in many ways as a shooting guard.
1. Whose nickname has nothing to do with basketball?| A．Nate Archibald’s | B．Earvin Johnson’s. |
| C．Karl Malone’s. | D．George Gervin’s. |
| A．He was always as cold as ice. |
| B．He was always able to keep calm on the court. |
| C．He had a glass of iced beer every day. |
| D．He didn’t get along well with his teammates. |
| A．uncover the secrets of NBA players’ success |
| B．talk about how to give others a lovely nickname |
| C．show how to become an excellent basketball player |
| D．introduce some NBA players and their nicknames |
2 . Facial recognition software has found an unlikely new application: scanning the faces of thousands of British children in school canteens.
Nine schools in North Ayrshire will today start taking lunch payments by scanning the faces of pupils, claiming that the new system speeds up queues and is more secure than the card payments and fingerprint scanners they used previously. “It’s the fastest way of recognising someone at the till,” said David Swanston, the managing director of CRB Cunninghams, the company that installed the systems. “In a secondary school you have around a 25-minute period to serve potentially 1,000 pupils. So we need fast productivity at the point of sale.” He said the average transaction time was cut to five seconds per pupil.
However, privacy campaigners say there is little need to spread out facial recognition technology, which has been criticized for often operating without gaining approvals from the owners. Swanston argued that CRB Cunningham’s system, which uses cameras to check against coded face-print modes stored on servers at the schools, was different from live facial recognition systems that scan through crowds to identify faces. Live facial recognition has previously caused debate after being used by schools for security or to monitor attendance.
North Ayrshire committee said that 97 percent of children or their parents had given agreement for the new system. “Pupils often forget their PINs and unfortunately some have also been the victim of PIN cheating, so they are supportive of the planned developments and appreciate the benefits to them,” the council said.
But some parents said they were unsure whether their children had been given enough information to make their decision, and suggested that peer pressure had also played a role.
1. What can we infer from Swanston’s word?| A．He speaks highly of the system. |
| B．The software is intended to promote the sales. |
| C．The technology has previously caused debate. |
| D．The system will be helpful when the students forget their PINs. |
| A．It speeds up the queues. |
| B．It is safer than the previous payments. |
| C．It operates without being approved of. |
| D．It benefits the pupils who often forget their PINs. |
| A．Supportive | B．Disapproved |
| C．Objective | D．Critical |
| A．Facial recognition has been the best way adopted so far. |
| B．Parents disagree with the application of facial recognition system. |
| C．The facial recognition system can benefit the pupils who are forgetful. |
| D．Schools speed up canteen queues with facial recognition technology. |
3 . A few months ago, I left my job as a program director. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been
One night, I sat at my computer
As I
Back at my desk, I opened Craigslist, a website which provides jobs, found a listing for cleaners and
On the first day of the work, I was
A month later, I
That same week I got a call from the
It was one of the best years of my life. I was reminded that
| A．concerned | B．curious | C．anxious | D．particular |
| A．similar | B．voluntary | C．fundamental | D．paying |
| A．chance | B．gift | C．ride | D．call |
| A．pointing | B．laughing | C．looking | D．glaring |
| A．beat | B．hurt | C．sank | D．broke |
| A．busy | B．bored | C．satisfied | D．familiar |
| A．got | B．showed | C．cheered | D．sped |
| A．repaired | B．checked | C．wiped | D．bought |
| A．complaint | B．living | C．choice | D．deal |
| A．consulted | B．advertised | C．surveyed | D．answered |
| A．computer | B．food | C．clothes | D．cleaning |
| A．physically | B．generally | C．gradually | D．mentally |
| A．careful | B．beautiful | C．intelligent | D．alive |
| A．visited | B．left | C．contacted | D．entered |
| A．attaching | B．offering | C．giving | D．contributing |
| A．make sense | B．make out | C．make up | D．make sure |
| A．telephone | B．picture | C．advertisement | D．name |
| A．colleague | B．cleaner | C．relative | D．reporter |
| A．happiness | B．respect | C．praise | D．honor |
| A．or | B．but | C．and | D．so |
4 . You accidentally step into quicksand(流沙）. You begin to sink. Can you drown? Quicksand is sand with so much water between its particles (颗粒) that is soupy. Quicksand can no longer support weight. So does this mean one can drown in quicksand?
The truth is that it is very rare to drown in quicksand. This is because of two things. The first reason is that most quicksand pools are not deep. Usually, a person will sink only a few inches before hitting solid ground. If it is a deep pool, an adult will usually hit solid ground after sinking only to his or her waist. Deeper pools are rare, but even then, there is a reason why people are not swallowed（吞没）up after accidentally stepping into quicksand.
The reason is that quicksand is dense（稠密）. When something is dense, its particles are crowded close together. Quicksand is denser than the human body. This means that humans will naturally float in quicksand! The upward push of quicksand is greater than the downward push of the human body.
Usually you will sink to your chest before you begin to float. Your lungs, acting like giant balloons, help you float. You will only sink further if you are loaded down, perhaps with a heavy pack. Take off your pack, and you cannot drown. You cannot be swallowed.
One man escaped from quicksand after he sank up to his chest. How did he do it? He swam. People can swim in quicksand if they move slowly enough. The man slowly made swimming motions with his arms and legs. He swam slowly and carefully for an hour. He did not stop making the swimming motions once. Finally, he reached the edge of the quicksand pool. He did not drown. He climbed out unharmed.
1. According to the text, quicksand is sand_________.| A．with high temperature | B．mixed with a lot of water |
| C．that we see on the beach | D．that can pull everything into it |
| A．People often drown in quicksand. |
| B．Most quicksand pools are very deep. |
| C．Only fat people can be trapped in quicksand. |
| D．People won’t be swallowed up even in deep quicksand pools. |
| A．Quicksand pools are usually not deep. |
| B．Quicksand can support heavy weight. |
| C．Quicksand is denser than the human body. |
| D．The downward push of quicksand is greater. |
| A．quicksand pools. |
| B．the safety of quicksand. |
| C．the dangers of quicksand. |
| D．ways to escape from quicksand. |
5 . Nowadays, the Internet is usually one of the first places a lonely heart turns to as the following story shows.
A 63-year-old retired woman in Zhengzhou, Henan province made headlines two days after she posted an advertisement on her Wechat page, in which she said she wanted to find a young female companion for a trip to Sanya, China’s Southern Hainan island.
In the advertisement, the Chinese dama (Chinese term for middle-aged and elderly women) surnamed Li said she is in good health, and she is particularly looking forward to a sea trip this winter.
“I have a daughter who works outside, and I don’t want to disturb her. But I’m afraid of traveling alone, so I am looking for a sweet, happy young woman, preferably aged between 19 and 25 to travel with me.”
At the end of the advertisment, dama Li extended her sincerity by saying she would cover all the expenses of the trip, including accommodation（食宿）and air tickets, plus an iPhone 7 as a bonus gift. Li said all she wants is just to find a sweet “daughter” who could help her take a lot of photos. But Li’s recruitment (招募) has also received many online arguments.
1. Why did the retired woman post the advertisement on her Wechat page?| A．To show she was very rich. |
| B．To tell her daughter she was lonely. |
| C．To receive as many likes as possible. |
| D．To hire a young female companion for a trip. |
| A．Some people don’t agree with what the woman has done. |
| B．Many young girls want to be the woman’s companion. |
| C．The woman’s daughter is unwilling to travel with her. |
| D．What the woman did is just for fun. |
| A．The Internet is a good place for people to turn to |
| B．Lonely mother hires “daughter” for a trip |
| C．Traveling alone is not encouraged |
| D．Daughter should care for mother |
The honors program is for students who have enjoyed their experience in research with a guide teacher and are looking for a highlight experience during their final year. The program has specific requirements for our majors described below.
Application
Students participate in the honors program during their final year. Students who expect to have a 3.5 accumulative GPA by the fall of senior year should have identified a guide teacher and applied for NBB honors by May 1st of their third year. Applications are brief and include basic information such as guide teacher name, project title, and current GPA.
Coursework
During senior year, honors students take two research-experience courses. Participation in these courses includes at least 12 hours of work on the research project each week as well as weekly meetings with other researchers to develop professional skills.
Essay
The majority of our major work with guide teachers in research experiences, and many students co-author manuscripts(手稿) published in leading journals. However, only honors students are guided and helped through the process of writing an essay. All students’ essays are published online through the university library and, after the data being forbidden to be included in other articles, the essays are available to search.
1. Which of the following is the requirement of the honors program?| A．Students should take two relevant courses. |
| B．Students should spend 12 hours researching. |
| C．Students should finish their essays on their own. |
| D．Students should apply by May 1st in the fourth year. |
| A．Access to leading journals. | B．Guidance in writing an essay. |
| C．Including the data in other articles. | D．Publishing essays through the library. |
| A．Guide teachers. | B．College Students |
| C．Researchers. | D．Professors. |
7 . Most of us need to heal(治愈）once in a while. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Spiritually. Sometimes it’s all the above. For some of us, the hardest part of
Years ago, I was watching my oldest son practice free throws. The boy was good. He made a dozen shots through the
“How do you do that?” I said.
“Before I release (放开) the
I loved those
My late husband, the coach who taught the boy to shoot free
Healing begins when we
A few years ago, I had surgery for a
I started going to physical therapy (治疗). I believed it could help, so I
When hope grows dim(暗淡）, believing
| A．belief | B．appreciation | C．healing | D．understanding |
| A．hole | B．net | C．goal | D．track |
| A．impression | B．anxiety | C．pain | D．ball |
| A．going after | B．going up | C．going through | D．going away |
| A．mind | B．view | C．eyes | D．head |
| A．words | B．throws | C．directions | D．behaviour |
| A．reduce | B．believe | C．direct | D．observe |
| A．put | B．imitate | C．picture | D．record |
| A．throws | B．dreams | C．guns | D．jokes |
| A．days | B．minutes | C．weeks | D．months |
| A．respect | B．accept | C．relax | D．survey |
| A．let go of | B．look forward to | C．get away from | D．concentrate on |
| A．right | B．fantastic | C．balanced | D．possible |
| A．slim | B．broken | C．joint | D．painful |
| A．room | B．period | C．wheelchair | D．suburb |
| A．started | B．kept | C．abandoned | D．tired |
| A．as | B．that | C．with | D．what |
| A．presents | B．approaches | C．lights | D．creates |
| A．hands | B．heads | C．spirits | D．hearts |
| A．fortune | B．fact | C．disappointment | D．present |
8 . Some people, regardless of what they lack—money, looks, or social connections—always show with energy and confidence. Even the most doubting individuals find themselves attracted with these lovely personalities. These people are the ones you turn to for help, advice, and companionship. You just can’t get enough of them, and they leave you asking yourself, “What do they have that I don’t? What makes them so attractive?”
The difference? Their sense of self-worth comes from within. Attractive people aren’t constantly searching for value, because they’re confident enough to find it in themselves. There are certain habits they pursue every day to keep this healthy view. Since being attractive isn’t the result of dumb luck, it’s time to study the habits of attractive people so that you can use them to your benefit.
Get ready to say “hello” to a new, more attractive you. Attractive people treat everyone with respect. Whether interacting with their biggest shoppers or a server taking their drink order, attractive people are unfailingly polite and respectful. They treat every one with respect because they believe they’re no belief than anyone else.
They follow the golden rule. One person loves public recognition, while another hates being the center of attention. The golden rule is to treat others as they want to be treated. Attractive people are great at reading other people, and they adjust their behaviors and styles to make others fell comfortable.
Bringing it all together, attractive people have simply perfected certain appealing qualities and habits that anyone can adopt as their own. They think about other people more than they think about themselves, and they make other people feel liked, respected, understood and seen. Just remember: the more you focus on others, the more attractive you’ll be.
1. Why are the people with lovely personalities different from you?| A．Because they show confidence and energy. |
| B．Because they maintain their healthy view. |
| C．Because they get along well with doubting individuals. |
| D．Bemuse they don’t lack money, looks, or social connections. |
| A．Bad luck. | B．Study habit. |
| C．Valuable belief. | D．Good fortune. |
| A．He will comfort his leader and the waitress during the dinner lime. |
| B．He will treat his leader properly and help the waitress when necessary. |
| C．He will make the leader focused when the leader prefers to stay alone. |
| D．He will just care about his leader rather than the waitress when ordering. |
| A．The Intelligent People | B．The Golden Rule |
| C．The Attractive Personalities | D．The Different Qualities |
9 . Want to support animals in need? Here are three ways to show them some love.
Grounds & Hounds
When you buy any item from Jordan Karcher’s coffee company, Grounds & Hounds, part of the proceeds (收入) go to animal shelters near you. In 2015, Grounds & Hounds’ donations helped partners provide blankets, food and services for about 2,000 rescue animals.
Tel: 888-228-8914
E-mail: info @ groundsand hounds coffee.com
Fetch Eyewear and the Pixie Project
In 2004, Ann Sacks founded Fetch Eyewear, a company that sells stylish frames at affordable prices. Three years later, she launched the Pixie Project—a nonprofit project that offers free and low-cost treatment of animal diseases and injuries and rescues pets from overloaded shelters across the country—and 100 percent of Fetch’s profits now benefit the charity. To date, the two organizations have helped with more than 5,000 pet adoptions and about 1,000 surgeries (外科手术).
Adoption: 503-542-3433
Fax: 503-542-3437
Fur for the Animals
Fur for the Animals, run by the animal advocacy group Born Free USA, is a campaign (open through December 31) that collects unwanted furs and donates them to wildlife rehabilitation (康复) centers. The furs are used by injured creatures that need to feel cozy and comforted. More than 1,000 pounds of furs have already made their way to animals in need throughout the U.S.
Tel: 011-5952- 5440
1. Through Grounds & Hounds, how can you help animals?| A．By buying coffee from it. | B．By donating money to it. |
| C．By getting a pet. | D．By volunteering your services. |
| A．503-542-3433. | B．011-5952-5440. |
| C．888-288-8914. | D．503-542-3437. |
| A．The success they have got |
| B．How to profit from animals |
| C．The three ways to show love to animals |
| D．How kind they are to animals |
10 . “Katy, please come to the front desk. You have a
As I
“You called me?” I said, somewhat
Sabrina looked up. “Oh yeah, the doorman brought this up and told me to give it to you.” As she
“What is it?” Sabrina asked.
Once glance inside, my doubt was confirmed.
“Someone has tagged me.” I
I had to
As I sat eating this amazingly delicious food, a
| A．call | B．visitor | C．bill | D．package |
| A．telephoned | B．approached | C．left | D．checked |
| A．important | B．ordinary | C．unusual | D．impossible |
| A．focused on | B．tired of | C．satisfied with | D．used to |
| A．excitedly | B．curiously | C．hurriedly | D．doubtfully |
| A．stressed | B．addicted | C．confused | D．thrilled |
| A．emptied | B．filled | C．pushed | D．pulled |
| A．opening | B．passing | C．throwing | D．dropping |
| A．Lying | B．Laying | C．Hiding | D．Loading |
| A．styles | B．shapes | C．contents | D．patterns |
| A．replied | B．requested | C．sighed | D．shouted |
| A．reached | B．put | C．took | D．got |
| A．photo | B．envelope | C．card | D．drawing |
| A．big | B．flat | C．wide | D．round |
| A．swallow | B．count | C．try | D．pray |
| A．hurting | B．beating | C．moving | D．breaking |
| A．sweat | B．rain | C．warmth | D．pain |
| A．strange | B．painful | C．strong | D．different |
| A．confusion | B．peace | C．magic | D．gratitude |
| A．went through | B．looked through | C．lived with | D．dealt with |
