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 . 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. |
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. |
5 . 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 |
6 . You can either travel or read, but either your body or your soul must be on the way. The popular saying has inspired many people to read or go sightseeing. Here are four books that you can take on your trip.
1. On the Road, 1957, by Jack Kerouac
The book is a popular spiritual guidebook about youth. The main character in the book drives across the US continent with several young people and finally reaches Mexico. After the exhausting and exciting trip, the characters in the book begin to realize the meaning of life.
2. Life Is Elsewhere, 1975, by Milan Kundera
Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." The book describes a young artist's romantic but miserable life, about how he reads, dreams and has a relationship during his trip to Central Europe. The book invites you to deeply reflects on your current life and to honor the Czech-born writer Kundera.
3. My Name Is Red, 1998, by Orhan Pamuk
The book, a masterpiece of the Nobel Prize winner for Literature Orhan Pamuk, has been translated into more than 50 languages and published around the world. It tells a story of a young man, who was away from home for 12 years, coming back to his hometown in Istanbul. What embraces him is not only love, but a series of murder cases as well.
4. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, 2013, by Rachel Joyce
The novel tells a story of a 60-year-old man who lived a boring and unhappy life, until one day, he received his old friend's letter who got cancer. In deep shock and sorrow, he went out to send his reply letter. 627 miles in 87 days, he walked depending on one belief that “his friend can survive as long as he walks”.
1. Whose book can make you rethink your own life?| A．Jack Kerouac. | B．Milan Kundera. | C．Orhan Pamuk. | D．Rachel Joyce. |
| A．On the Road. | B．Life Is Elsewhere. |
| C．My Name Is Red. | D．The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. |
| A．He walked to keep healthy. | B．He was in deep shock and sorrow. |
| C．He expected his friend to live longer. | D．He lived a very boring and unhappy life. |
7 . There are always some persons in your life who touch your soft heart with kindness.
As a little girl, my favorite thing was
At that time, the town library limited the number of books a person borrowed
Gradually, I developed an interest in writing,
Later, at the University of Iowa,
Whenever I think of the help from them, how
| A．reading | B．painting | C．exploring | D．creating |
| A．how | B．why | C．where | D．what |
| A．of | B．to | C．from | D．between |
| A．published | B．edited | C．presented | D．finished |
| A．under the weather | B．in the air | C．at a loss | D．on the rocks |
| A．shouting | B．smiling | C．crying | D．dancing |
| A．exchanged | B．recommend | C．designed | D．adapted |
| A．reflected | B．devoted | C．expected | D．benefited |
| A．extremely | B．fortunately | C．especially | D．slightly |
| A．inspired | B．challenged | C．contented | D．tricked |
| A．admit | B．send | C．revise | D．settle |
| A．although | B．because | C．when | D．since |
| A．relaxed | B．satisfied | C．impressed | D．upset |
| A．hesitation | B．tension | C．exception | D．argument |
| A．concerned | B．relieved | C．grateful | D．regretful |
8 . In my mind, the effect that experience had on me lasted forever. I was determined to learn swimming at the age of ten. There was a pool, at the K. P.L.B., offering the opportunity. My mother constantly warned against it, and bore fresh in my mind the details of each drowning in the river. But the K. P.L.B. pool was safe.
My fear of water started from childhood. It began when I was four years old and father took me to the beach. There the huge waves knocked me down and swept over me.
The K. P.L.B. pool was quiet. I was afraid of going in all alone, so I sat on the side of the pool to wait for others. Then came a big boy. He yelled, "Hi, Skinny! How'd you like to be ducked?" With that he picked me up and threw me into the deep end. I landed in a sitting position, and swallowed water. But I was not frightened out of my wits-when my feet hit the bottom, I would make a big jump, come out of the surface. It seemed a long way down. I gathered all my strength when I landed and made what I thought was a great spring upwards. Then I opened my eyes and saw nothing bur water. I tried to yell but no sound came out. I went down, down, endlessly.
When I came to consciousness, I found myself on the bed in the hospital.
I never went back to the pool. I avoided water whenever I could. This misadventure stayed with me as the years rolled by. It deprived me of the joy of boating and swimming. Finally, I decided to get an instructor. Piece by piece, I practiced hard and finally he built a swimmer. Several months later, the instructor was finished, but I was not. Sometimes the terror would return.
This went on till July. I swam across the Lake Wentworth. Only once did the terror return. When I was in the middle of the lake, I put my face under and saw nothing but bottomless water. I laughed and said, "Well, Mr. Terror, what do you think you can do to me?"
I had conquered my fear of water.
1. Why was the author frightened of water originally?| A．His skill in swimming was very poor. |
| B．An experience of an outing to the beach affected him. |
| C．He had an unpleasant memory of the pool at the age of four |
| D．His mother warmed him about the danger of being drowned |
| A．The experience made him aware that the pool was safe |
| B．While he had no skill in swimming, he struggled to go upwards. |
| C．When he was thrown into water, he knew someone would save him. |
| D．The big boy eagerly wanted to help him to conquer the fear of water. |
| A．Diligent and cautious. | B．Determined and far-sighted. |
| C．Dependable and adaptable. | D．Demanding and courageous. |
| A．A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. | B．Do one thing at a time, and do well. |
| C．Deed divides beings into lower and higher ones. | D．Success always comes from daring to challenge. |
9 . The Most Breathtaking Theaters in the World
Shakespeare's Globe Theater（London, UK）
The original Globe Theater was built by Shakespeare's company in 1599, but was destroyed by fire in 1613. A replica was built in 1997 just meters from the original site. The new 857-seat structure has several modern features. It has the first and only straw roof permitted in London since the great fire of 1666.
Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London; +44 20 7902 1400
Margravial Opera House（Bayreuth, Germany）
Built in 1745, the UNESCO-listed Mareravial Opera House is regarded as the finest baroque theater in Europe. The stage has a depth of 27 meters and was the largest in Europe until 1871. Much of the original materials remain, along with original structures, such as the twin staircases.
Margravial Opera House, Opernstrasse 14. Bayreuth, Germany; +49 9 21 7 59 69 22
Teatro Amazonas（Manaus, Brazil）
There can't be many theaters located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, and the Teatro Amazonas is certainly the most breathtaking. The theater was built in 1895 and was designed by Italian architect Celestial Sacardim. Work took 15 years. largely thanks to the decision to source supplies from all over the world
Amazon Theater, Centro, Manaus, Brazil; +55 92 3622 1880
National Centre for the Performing Arts（Beijing, China）
The National Centre for the Performing Arts（NCPA）, built in 2007, is an arts centre in Beijing. Designed by French architect Paul Andreu, the NCPA is the largest theatre complex（建筑群）in Asia. The NCPA includes value in both ancient traditional Chinese architecture and modern architecture. It was specially designed to improve the red walls of ancient buildings and the Great Hall of the People in order to fit in with the surroundings.
NCPA, No. 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing; +86 010 6655 0989
1. Where does the theatre with its longest survival time lie?| A．In London. | B．In Bayreuth | C．In Manaus. | D．In Beijing |
| A．Shakespeare's Globe. | B．Margravial Opera House. |
| C．Teatro Amazonas. | D．National Centre for the Performing Arts. |
| A．It features modern architecture. | B．It receives worldwide supplies. |
| C．It is a multifunctional theatre | D．It matches its surroundings. |
10 . The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.
Lead researcher Dr. Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said : "These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular （心血管的）fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia. "
For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak （最大值的） cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.
A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher. A total of 92 women were in the medium fitness category; and 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.
These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.
"However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association. More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important. " She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were form Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.
1. What is on the ever-growing list mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．Positive effects of doing exercises. |
| B．Exercises suitable for the middle-aged. |
| C．Experimental studies on diseases. |
| D．Advantages of sporty woman over man |
| A．To predict their maximum heart rate. |
| B．To assess their cardiovascular capacity |
| C．To change their habits of working out |
| D．To detect their potential health problems |
| A．It aimed to find a cure for dementia. |
| B．Data collection was a lengthy process. |
| C．Some participants withdrew from it. |
| D．The results were far from satisfactory. |
| A．More Women Are Exercising to Prevent Dementia |
| B．Middle-Aged Women Need to Do More Exercise |
| C．Fit Women Are Less Likely to Develop Dementia |
| D．Biking Improves Women's Cardiovascular Fitness |
