1 . Over three years ago, my wife, my baby son and I lived at the end of a long winding mountain road. One day, I had got a last-minute _________. The person on the other end of the line told me that I was going to work in a _________ 15 miles away. I had to get on my car _________, drive along that road and get there on time.

My car was coming around the _________ and I was about to turn when I _________ a fat possum (负鼠) up ahead in the corner. He slowly crossed the road towards the woods. I was extremely _________ to see him in the daylight because I knew possums were always _________ at night. I quickly hit the brakes so I wouldn’t turn the little animal into road _________. In that emergency, my car _________ forward. Just as he made it to the __________ of the road, I started to move my __________ from the brake back to the gas.

__________, a tractor zipped around the bend and ran across the center line and halfway into my lane before I __________ it. The driver saw me, turned his steering wheel (方向盘) and just __________ my car. If that possum hadn’t caused me to __________ just a little bit, the tractor would have __________ into the front of my car and probably killed me as well. I was __________ to be alive. I also kept __________ “Thank goodness! Thank you, little one!” over and over all the way.

That day, I drove on a little more slowly but __________ arrived at school safely and punctually. I decided to share the story of goodness __________ with security with my students.

1.

A．application

B．call

C．certificate

D．permission

2.

A．center

B．hall

C．garage

D．school

3.

A．in relief

B．in a hurry

C．on purpose

D．on the contrary

4.

A．apartment

B．agency

C．bend

D．beach

5.

A．spotted

B．seized

C．drove

D．hit

6.

A．frightened

B．ashamed

C．embarrassed

D．shocked

7.

A．active

B．nervous

C．awkward

D．sensitive

8.

A．sights

B．signs

C．kill

D．treasure

9.

A．inched

B．sped

C．fell

D．burst

10.

A．middle

B．side

C．base

D．surface

11.

A．arm

B．hand

C．leg

D．foot

12.

A．Hesitantly

B．Suddenly

C．Deliberately

D．Secretly

13.

A．admitted

B．managed

C．knew

D．left

14.

A．knocked

B．served

C．pushed

D．missed

15.

A．come up

B．slow down

C．fall off

D．carry on

16.

A．crashed

B．broken

C．fixed

D．turned

17.

A．sorry

B．honest

C．grateful

D．guilty

18.

A．warning

B．complaining

C．reminding

D．saying

19.

A．scarcely

B．regrettably

C．still

D．always

20.

A．rewarded

B．prepared

C．compared

D．dealt

2 . Algorithms (计算程序) are able to do a huge number of tasks, and the number of tasks that they are able to do is expanding practically every day. According to a new study, despite increasing concern over the effect of algorithms in daily life, more and more people nowadays are willing to trust a computer program, especially if a task becomes too challenging. From choosing the next song on your playlist to choosing the right size of pants, people are relying more on the advice of algorithms to help make everyday decisions.

During the study, researchers asked volunteers to count the number of people of a crowd in a photograph and supplied suggestions that were offered by a group of other people and suggestions offered by an algorithm. As the number of people in the photograph expanded, counting became more difficult and people were more likely to follow the suggestions offered by an algorithm rather than count themselves or follow the “wisdom of the crowd”.

One of the common problems with AI is when it is used for awarding credit. While that is a subjective decision, there are lots of numbers there, like income and credit scores. Therefore, people feel like this is a good job for an algorithm. But we know that dependence leads to unfair and incomplete practices in many cases because of social factors that aren’t considered.

Facial recognition and hiring algorithms have come under inspection in recent years because their use has shown cultural prejudice in the way they were built, which can cause inaccuracies when matching faces to identities or screening for qualified job candidates. The prejudice may not be present in a simple task like counting, but their presence in other trusted algorithms is a reason why it is important to understand how people rely on algorithms when making decisions.

“The eventual goal is to look at groups of humans and computers making decisions and find how we can get them to trust each other and how that changes their behaviors,” one of the researchers said. “Because there is very little research in that setting, we’re starting with the fundamentals.”

1. What can we learn about the present people from paragraph 1?

A．They become more dependent on algorithms.

B．They show little concern about algorithms in life.

C．They are addicted to numbers of challenging tasks online.

D．They never rely on computers to make everyday decisions.

2. Which is the disadvantage of algorithms according to paragraph 3?

A．They cannot be used to award credit.

B．They can lead to one-sided decisions.

C．They can give away candidates’ identities.

D．They cannot be applied to difficult calculations.

3. Why does facial recognition get inspected?

A．It leads to cultural differences.

B．It may produce some false results.

C．It takes lots of money and manpower.

D．It rules out most qualified job candidates.

4. What message does the author mainly convey in the text?

A．It is really necessary to stay away from AI.

B．It is very easy to make choices with the help of AI.

C．People need to adapt to the development of computers.

D．People tend to trust computer programs more than themselves.

3 . Kellie Gillespie is in her early 40s. She lives in London. And until a few years ago, she was basically an ordinary person. That was before she took a psychology class with Scott Pious of Wesleyan University. “My life changed after taking Professor Plous’s course,” Kellie says. "And now I’m studying to be a psychologist and counselor.”

Plous’s course was offered online, hosted by the educational platform Coursera. Kellie learned several psychological concepts in the class. One is the rule of mutual benefit: If you’re nice to some people, or you open up to them, they will be likely to do the same with you. She also learned about the power of empathy: When you put yourself in someone else’s shoes, it profoundly changes the relationship you have with him or her.

Now, lots of people learn about ideas in psychology, but Kellie did something unusual. She took in what she had learned in the class, and applied it in her own life.

Kellie was spending a lot of time at the British Library, and she often noticed the same young man on the street nearby. She could tell he was homeless, but he was always smiling and always so pleasant. It started simply, with Kellie giving the man whatever spare change she had. But after several months, she wanted to do more. She learned his name was Simon, and invited him for a cup of coffee. To make him feel comfortable, she told him a bit about her life, and slowly, he opened up about his. He kept mentioning how much he missed his mum. This struck a chord for Kellie—her own mother had passed away a decade before. Kellie helped Simon get in touch with his mother, and finally, put him on a bus heading home.

“Taking the course most definitely opened my eyes to the reasons why people don’t do something to help,” Kellie says. “It’s easy to say ‘I can’t make a difference,’ but everyone can make a difference.”

1. What made Kellie’s life change?

A．Becoming a psychologist.

B．Learning psychology online.

C．Gaining admission to university.

D．Cooperating with Professor Pious.

2. What does the underlined word “empathy” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．The benefit from others.

B．The motivation to go ahead.

C．The platform for helping people in need.

D．The ability to understand others’feelings.

3. What does paragraph 4 mainly tell us?

A．How Kellie helped Simon.

B．How much Kellie missed her mum.

C．Why Kellie gave spare change to Simon.

D．Why Kellie invited the homeless for coffee.

4. What can we conclude from Kellie’s story?

A．Every penny counts.

B．Strike while the iron is hot.

C．A little bit of kindness goes a long way.

D．Healthy mind is the source of happiness.

4 . Over the last few weeks, I have been back and forth to the hospital and working with my doctors and medical technicians. I feel very _________ and appreciative of all the great minds and effort involved in _________ my illness. I found I have become _________ grateful to those human beings who invented the many medical _________ that have saved so many lives and _________ so much pain.

With everything I _________, I couldn’t help thinking about many life-changing _________ that we humans have come up with, from the fairly simple stethoscope (听诊器) to more _________ inventions like X-rays, and other great devices. Of course, one of the biggest, most basic inventions was the _________. It changed the world in all kinds of ways. Without wheels, we’d have no __________, such as bikes, cars, trains, or airplanes.

__________many inventions human beings have invented through the ages, I __________ some very popular inventions. It is __________ to imagine what if we live without them. These __________ things like tape, nails, Post-it notes, DNA testing, the Internet, vaccines, and medical imaging.

Some inventions were accidental __________ but many were matter of simply trying to solve a problem. If we pay attention to what we experience and really put our __________ to it, there is no reason why we couldn’t come up with some new inventions ourselves. Maybe make a list of __________ items, systems, and habits we all have, and then go up and down the list and see if we can put two or three items together in a way to come up with a new __________ or better way to handle life and the __________ in it. Give it a try and see what we can come up with, We could __________ ourselves, and others as well!

1.

A．regretful

B．grateful

C．severe

D．pure

2.

A．ignoring

B．concerning

C．curing

D．swapping

3.

A．painfully

B．specially

C．frequently

D．particularly

4.

A．devices

B．antiques

C．curtains

D．manuals

5.

A．gathered

B．threatened

C．relieved

D．detected

6.

A．suffered from

B．set down

C．packed up

D．went through

7.

A．inventions

B．shadows

C．editions

D．proofs

8.

A．pure

B．complex

C．adorable

D．contradictory

9.

A．wheel

B．train

C．airplane

D．car

10.

A．structures

B．labels

C．vehicles

D．assumptions

11.

A．Drafting

B．Reviewing

C．Adapting

D．Seizing

12.

A．switched

B．pirated

C．leaked

D．found

13.

A．hard

B．steady

C．funny

D．safe

14.

A．mean

B．expand

C．include

D．indicate

15.

A．discoveries

B．statistics

C．patents

D．observations

16.

A．principles

B．policies

C．minds

D．effects

17.

A．distinct

B．strange

C．legal

D．common

18.

A．current

B．product

C．powder

D．criterion

19.

A．challenges

B．directions

C．privacies

D．conclusions

20.

A．puzzle

B．frighten

C．annoy

D．surprise

5 . Winter can usually kill most wildfires. But in the far North，some forest fires just don’t die. They are thought of as “zombie (僵尸) fires”.

“Zombie fires” usually sleep underground in winter. Covered by snow, they smoke through the cold. Fueled by carbon-rich peat (泥炭) and soil in the North, most of these hidden fires spread slowly for less than 500 meters during the winter. When spring comes, the flames (火焰) of the fires appear near sites that they burned in winter, and they turn to burning fresh fuels around. This may happen well before the traditional fire season in the far North.

“Zombie fires” had been known mostly from firefighters’ stories. Few scientists studied them until details in some satellite images attracted one research team. Rebecca Scholten, a member of the team, studies earth systems at Vrije University Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Her team noticed an unusual thing. “New fires have been starting very close to the former years’ fires in recent years，and we wonder how often the fires might survive the winter,” Scholten explains.

These “zombie fires” are rarely seen before, according to a new study from Nature. But in recent years, they are becoming more common, the study warns. It is believed that the “zombie fires” are even on the road of being a threat. Forests in the far North are warming faster than the globe’s average (平均数). Scholten says, “We’re seeing more hot summers and more large fires and strong burning. That could set the stage for the fires to become a bigger problem,” she worries. And the region’s soils hold a lot of carbon—maybe twice as much as earth’s atmosphere. More fires here could give off huge amounts of greenhouse gases. That would drive a cycle of more warming and even higher risk of fires.

1. What do we know about the “zombies fires” in the far North?

A．They will completely die out in winter.

B．Carbon-rich peat helps them burn slowly in winter.

C．They often happen after the traditional fire season.

D．Their flames can only appear in spring.

2. What can we infer from Scholten’s words in paragraph 3?

A．“Zombie fires” appear earlier than the years before.

B．“Zombie fires” happen far from former years’ fires.

C．“Zombie fires” happen more frequently than before.

D．“Zombie fires” appear in different shapes every year.

3. What was a cause of being a threat for the “zombie fires”?

A．The global warming is slowing down.

B．The hot summers are less and less seen.

C．The area’s soils are short of carbon.

D．More greenhouse gases are given off.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Where Are “Zombie Fires” From?

B．Are “Zombie Fires” Frightening?

C．Pay Attention To “Zombie Fires”!

D．“Zombie Fires” Are Caused By Humans!

6 . Life Outside London: Five Reasons to Visit the North of England!

Most people when visiting England will go to London. In fact most people don't even know much about England outside of London. It makes sense. It's the capital. There are lots to se there. However, as a northern girl, from a place just between Manchester and Liverpool, and a university student in Sheffield. I'd say the north is well worth a visit, and definitely as good if not better than London! Here are five reasons:

Friendliness

Northerners will chat to you on the bus, say hello in the streets and won't think you're crazy if you smile at them when you walk past. Friendly northerners might also call you "duck" or "love" don't worry, they call everyone that.

Gravy

Now although Southerners have gravy (a delicious meaty sauce that goes well with everything), they don't do it properly. You haven't lived until you've tried chip-shop chips swimming in gravy.

Beautiful Countryside

We have the Peak District, and the Lake District. They're both absolutely beautiful and definitely worth a visit. We also have some pretty amazing beaches too.

Excellent Party Cities

We have Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield You can't go wrong if you want to go on a night out here.

Low Cost

The same night won't cost you anywhere near as much up north! In London you can pay over for a pint, which is outrageous! For some reason, everything up North is cheaper, from food to drink to getting around, you can't go wrong when you're spending less money.

There are lots of lovely things to see in the North, so if you can brave the weather being a bit colder and wetter, it's definitely worth a trip.

1. Who might call you "duck" when you are visiting the north of England?

A．A warm passer-by.	B．A rude salesman.
C．A friendly southerner.	D．A cold teenager.

2. What can you do in the north of England according to the passage?

A．Get free beer.	B．Enjoy an all-night party.
C．Try chips in gravy.	D．Enjoy warm and dry weather.

3. Where can the passage be found?

A．In a recipe book.	B．In a science fiction.
C．In a business report.	D．In a travel magazine.

7 . I looked out of the door of my 100 year-old house and saw my newly built garden. I realized nothing is rubbish. I was full of_________and appreciation.

I_________to look at the things that we usually think of as_________—plastic bags, polluted water, rubber bands, and newspapers, clothes and furniture we_________. I also began to think, act and live according to a belief that all things have the_________of being reused as long as we try to_________it. And I explored the worth of_________. I mean recycling isn't just about_________rubbish like putting glass and paper in_________bins. It also requires creativity, commitment and even love.

My neighbors would put the autumn__________by the roadside to be picked up by the garbage truck. This didn't__________with my newfound concept of recycling trash, so I made a new__________with moving boxes and put up a__________saying, ''Dump（倾倒）leaves here". I watched carefully through the autumn as my neighbors__________the leaves in the new garden and I also watered the leaves__________with rainwater and collected dogs' waste as fertilizer, Then I__________flower seeds. Finally, I had a new__________garden, full of colorful flowers.

Nothing has to be really__________. If you try hard enough, everything can be recycled. I even used my bath water to water my garden, though it might be a little__________for my friends. But I think if we all can turn waste, sometimes a little dirty, into__________, the world will be a much better place.

1.

A．joy

B．sympathy

C．doubt

D．regret

2.

A．refused

B．hesitated

C．liked

D．started

3.

A．wealth

B．garbage

C．investments

D．necessities

4.

A．packed up

B．brought up

C．threw away

D．gave away

5.

A．value

B．request

C．confusion

D．consequence

6.

A．own

B．find

C．forget

D．lose

7.

A．collecting

B．recovering

C．recycling

D．competing

8.

A．sorting

B．picking

C．spotting

D．recording

9.

A．uniform

B．broken

C．limitless

D．separate

10.

A．fruit

B．rice

C．leaves

D．vegetables

11.

A．compare

B．deal

C．communicate

D．fit

12.

A．platform

B．garden

C．picture

D．schedule

13.

A．building

B．tent

C．sign

D．show

14.

A．piled

B．polished

C．decorated

D．cleaned

15.

A．unwillingly

B．hardly

C．seriously

D．casually

16.

A．submitted

B．sowed

C．removed

D．reserved

17.

A．smelly

B．annoying

C．imaginary

D．attractive

18.

A．useless

B．careless

C．priceless

D．defenseless

19.

A．pleasant

B．vivid

C．violent

D．disgusting

20.

A．trouble

B．treasure

C．terror

D．trade

8 . Parents are the closest people to you in the world. They love you just because you are you. And they would do anything for you.

Like a lot of middle school students, Zhuang Shuxia has her problem. She and her parents don’t get on well. “I really want to be my Daddy’s little girl. But he just doesn’t understand. He speaks to me but doesn’t listen to me, ” said Zhuang, a Junior 3 student in Hebei. Of course, lots of kids feel that way. But you and your parents will be much happier if you can be friends. Why don’t you take a walk and have a talk with your parents first? Here are some ways to have a good talk with them:

◆Find a good time to talk, like when you’re having dinner, going out for a walk or watching TV.

◆Tell them something you’re interested in, or ask them about their lives when they were young. They love to talk about it.

◆Listen to them carefully, and look at them in the eyes.

◆Be honest. Your parents will trust(信任)you more. And a trusting family is a happy family.

1. Who are the closest people to us according to the passage?

A．The people who love us.	B．The people who understand us.
C．Our father and mother.	D．All the family members.

2. Zhuang Shuxia’s problem is ________.

A．her father doesn’t think she works hard enough

B．her father doesn’t like to speak to her

C．she really wants to be a big girl

D．she can’t get on well with her parents

3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Your parents love you just because you are such a good child.

B．Children and their parents will be happier if they make friends with each other.

C．It is a good time for children to talk with their parents when having dinner.

D．Children can win their parents’ trust if they are honest.

9 . The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, just six months after the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Summer Olympics, will be held in a strict dosed loop to prevent infections.

Vaccination（接种疫苗）

•It will be required to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before departure for China, in order to be allowed entry.

•Athletes and team officials may be exempted（豁免）for medical reasons only. Anyone not fully vaccinated will need to quarantine（检疫）for 21 days upon arrival in Beijing.

•The “My 2022” app will be needed to monitor and track your health for 14 days before your departure for China.

•A negative COVID-19 test result will be needed before your departure for China.

Closed loop（闭环控制）

•Within the closed loop system, all Games participants will only move between permitted destinations in dedicated Games transport.

•COVID-19 screenings will happen daily during the Games.

•Avoid crowds if possible.

Hygiene（卫生）

•Wear a face mask at all times, except when training, competing, eating, drinking, sleeping or when alone.

•Wash your hands regularly. Support athletes by clapping instead of singing or chanting.

•Get a test if you experience any symptoms.

1. What is required for the Games entry before coming to China?

A．Vaccination received immediately.

B．Quarantine required for 21 days.

C．The “My 2022” app to track health.

D．A positive COVID-19 test result.

2. What can the Games participants do after arriving in Beijing?

A．Move anywhere by bus.	B．Support athletes by clapping.
C．Escape COVID-19 screenings.	D．Take off face masks at any time.

3. Where can the text be found?

A．A science book.	B．An official website.
C．A fashion magazine.	D．An online course.

10 . When I was in kindergarten，I remember my mum holding my hand as we walked to my school. Having my hand within hers made me feel _______.

One autumn day two months later，my mum _______ said I could go to school all by myself. In those days，it was not very _______ the way it is now. I was so _______ that my mum let me go alone. I felt grown-up.

_______， I soon discovered that it was not much fun. There were two girls who would pull the tassels (流苏) of my cap _______ I entered the schoolyard. They _______ me by saying，“You’d better not tell anybody！” I was too _______ to tell my mum.

My mum had a way of knowing when something was _______.She could just look at my face and somehow know. One day she asked，“What’s wrong? You don’t seem ________ about going to school.” I replied ________，“I don’t know.”

The next day I ________ school as usual. However，this day，without my knowing，my mum ________ me to school to see what was going on.

As usual，the two girls were there，ready to ________ me. However，my mum seemed to appear from out of ________ all of a sudden！She ________ the two girls and told them she would be following me to school every day and that she would ________ them if she ever saw them pull my cap again.________ appeared all over their faces as they said，“Sorry，we won’t ________ her again.”

My mum ________ me and told me I should never be afraid to tell her anything. Mum has been my guardian angel. Whether I can see her or not，I know she’s always there!

1.

A．safe

B．strong

C．strange

D．positive

2.

A．quickly

B．finally

C．suddenly

D．naturally

3.

A．special

B．dangerous

C．terrible

D．frightening

4.

A．careful

B．worried

C．proud

D．sad

5.

A．Instead

B．Besides

C．However

D．Therefore

6.

A．as

B．because

C．until

D．while

7.

A．cheated

B．frightened

C．depressed

D．shocked

8.

A．embarrassed

B．disappointed

C．scared

D．ashamed

9.

A．important

B．obvious

C．necessary

D．wrong

10.

A．excited

B．crazy

C．cautious

D．concerned

11.

A．shyly

B．firmly

C．quietly

D．politely

12.

A．got

B．reached

C．arrived

D．set off for

13.

A．watched

B．tracked

C．followed

D．sent

14.

A．welcome

B．surprise

C．beat

D．tease

15.

A．nowhere

B．everywhere

C．anywhere

D．somewhere

16.

A．recognised

B．approached

C．moved

D．warned

17.

A．report

B．punish

C．remember

D．spy

18.

A．Anger

B．Stress

C．Panic

D．Pain

19.

A．accompany

B．touch

C．attack

D．bother

20.

A．scolded

B．greeted

C．criticized

D．hugged