1 . Chinese food is considered to be the biggest cultural exchange between China and other countries. The following dishes are each special in their own way.
Peking Duck
This famous dish can be found at restaurants all around Beijing. High class restaurants take this dish so seriously that some even have their own duck farms and use only a special kind of duck for their specific Peking Duck dish. Peking Duck is famous for its, thin skin, and its delicious meat, which is highly popular among all foreigners, including foreign celebrities and leaders.
Won Ton Soup
Won Ton Soup, called "Hun Dun" in Chinese, is a highly welcoming dish in China. Since China is a country of many nationalities and different cultures, each region has their own shapes for won tons. Won tons are usually boiled and served in soup, but they can also be deep- fried.
Dumplings
During the Spring Festival, Chinese families will get together and have dumpling parties. It is said that the dish was invented by Zhang Zhongjing, one of the finest Chinese physicians in history. Dumplings have a 1,800-year-long history, which is why it is one of the most popular traditional foods in China and extremely popular in Western countries. They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying or baking.
Egg-fried Rice
Firstly from China's ancient western regions, egg-fried rice has now become part of Chinese people's daily food. Famous for its pleasant smells, soft taste and handsome appearance, one can easily find this popular dish anywhere in China, from high class hotels to family-run restaurants on the street. While it is fairly easy to make, there are some points that should be kept in mind: use left-over rice rather than newly cooked rice for better taste. Additionally, before frying, the rice should be churned up.
1. Which of the following has its own farm?'| A．Restaurants serving Won Ton Soup. |
| B．Restaurants, serving Peking Duck. |
| C．Restaurants serving dumplings. |
| D．Restaurants serving Egg-fried Rice. |
| A．The long history. | B．The different shapes. |
| C．The special taste. | D．The unique style of cooking, |
| A．It tastes better if cooked with newly made rice. |
| B．It first appeared in the northern part of China. |
| C．It is served in restaurants of different classes. |
| D．It was invented by an ancient Chinese physician. |
2 . Florence, a 17-year-old senior student in High School, was busy ,composing(编曲)a song. She plans to release an album(唱片)with three other music lovers whom she met at the 2016 Campus Singing Competition. Edward, 18, is another one of the four students to make their own album. Actually, he was the one who came up with this fun idea in the first place.
"Everyone loves music. Being a good way to express our feelings and emotions, music can tell something about who we are and our experience of the world. We hope we can use our music to touch our peers(同龄人)." Edward said.
The album includes 15 songs across three themes - love, campus life, and youth, with pop and electronic music styles. The inspiration for the songs came from the students' lives. Take the song Sea of Tranquility for example - it was written by Edward during a flight back to Chengdu after he took part in the China High School Biology Olympiad in summer. "The sky is clear and the ground looks small from the plane. This scene makes me feel calm and peaceful." Edward explained.
The songs were created one by one with the efforts of the four writers. But a challenge soon appeared. The students found that they didn't have enough money to produce the album. So to cut down their budget, they used an iPad and headphones to record the songs in an empty classroom on the weekend.
Apart from reducing their cost, they also tried to raise money through crowd funding on the internet. They raised more than 7,000 dollars before the album was released in October. "Thanks to all the supporters, we'll keep working on our own music." Edward said.
1. Why did they make the album?| A．To earn money. | B．To be famous. |
| C．To influence young people. | D．To make friends. |
| A．Upset. | B．Stubborn. |
| C．Generous. | D．Determined. |
| A．Short of money. | B．Disagreement on the theme. |
| C．Stress from teachers. | D．Poor abilities on making music. |
| A．Album Collections | B．Student Musicians |
| C．Theme Music | D．School Life |
3 . I worked in a small drug store when I was very small. I worked long and hard because that was my father’s store. I treasured my lunch breaks, not for the food or the rest, but for reading comic books about superheroes. And I could read comic books only during my lunch breaks.
Now I close my eyes and think back, I know what I wanted to be when I was a small kid—a superhero! Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and Iron Man were some of my heroes. In all of the comic books that I read, there were two patterns.
First, there was always a battle between good and evil. The battle was always tough. No matter how strong or how many powers the superhero had, evil could almost defeat him. Second, the superhero was never paid for his contribution to society. Superman made money as Clark Kent, a newspaper reporter. Batman made money as Bruce Wayne, a rich businessman. Spider-Man made money as Peter Parker, a photographer. Iron Man made money as Tony Stark, a rich scientist. None of them was paid for keeping peace or helping others.
The real superheroes don’t get paid for what they do for society!
I clean the local park with my friends every weekend. I help cheer up kids in the hospital. I send food to disabled people. I don’t get paid for doing these in my free time. It’s correct to be fairly compensated but I simply choose not to. I feel my dream has come true!
Volunteering and helping people without getting paid is what superheroes do. You can be a superhero, too.
1. Why did the writer value the lunch breaks?| A．He could take delicious food. | B．He could free from the hard work. |
| C．He could do what he liked to do. | D．He could act as a superhero. |
| A．rewarded | B．refused | C．admitted | D．bargained |
| A．By working hard in the store. | B．By performing voluntary work. |
| C．By doing a lot of reading. | D．By choosing the right job. |
| A．Volunteering is fun. | B．Comic books and my childhood. |
| C．Be a superhero. | D．Do superheroes get paid? |
4 . You have everything you think you need for your dream job, but could something else be holding you back? You possess hard skills for the job, but you may lack soft skills.
Hard skills are things that are measurable and technical. A master’s degree in business is a hard skill. The ability to speak Spanish is a hard skill. Many specific qualifications for a job are hard skills, such as years of work experience or proficiency (精通) with particular computer programs.
On the other hand, soft skills are harder to define. And they can’t be defined. And they can’t be measured. Soft skills covers a wide range of characteristics that you can work on for a lifetime but some of the most common — and most necessary for success — include being a good listener and speaker, a wise leader, a problem solver, a strong communicator or a team player. It’s also helpful if you can accept feedback, settle conflicts with others, deal with difficult people or be flexible. These soft skills are what many employers desire.
Soft skills benefit you in many ways. Being a good listener, for example, is very helpful if you’re a doctor. Being flexible, a team player and a problem solver help you succeed when dealing with deadlines.
Soft skills are something extra that help a particular person to success. Being able to show you possess them could make a difference in landing a job you’ll love, or being more successful in the job you already have. They make the difference between someone who is just OK at their Job and someone who is outstanding, the person you always want on your team. In general, soft skills make you more likable and more competent.
Soft skills are what can set people apart from each other on resumes or in job interviews, but soft skills don’t come naturally.
1. What’s the best title for the passage?| A．Hard Skills Differ from Soft Skills |
| B．Soft skills Can Be Learnt at School |
| C．Soft Skills Needed in Workplace |
| D．Soft Skills Matter to Your Success at Work |
| A．Having a good command of English. | B．Communicating with others efficiently. |
| C．Being good at expressing oneself. | D．Being able to solve problems. |
| A．They are measurable and technical. | B．They are taught in many universities. |
| C．They are desired by many employers. | D．They are specific job qualifications. |
| A．Why soft skills are important. | B．How soft skills are developed. |
| C．Where soft skills are applied. | D．What the key soft skills are. |
5 . Dancing with your grandma for 15 minutes a week promotes positive feelings and improves her state of mind, a study claims. Doctors from Israel are encouraging younger family members to have a regular visit to their grandmas and have a dance with their grandmas.
And they found a 15 minute boogie (布吉舞) once a week lifted the spirits of the elder family members and helped strengthen the familial bond. In fact, it is called Dance Movement Therapy (DMT). DMT across the generations, complete with eye contact, was found to promote positive feelings and improve spirits for the elderly.
The grandparents reported a bright state of mind, happy memories and uplifted spirits. Dancing has also previously been linked to improved muscle strength, balance and endurance (耐力). For the grandchildren in the study, the weekly boogie changed how they view aging and allowed them to come to accept the eventual death of their elderly relatives.
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, assessed how dance affected general health of 16 dance movement therapists (治疗师) and their grandmothers. DMT was taken seriously due to the fact that it is easily accessible and does not cost more to practice. The researchers were eager to examine a low-cost method to treat issues commonly faced by an aging population— such as limited mobility and depression(抑郁症). Grandchildren were instructed to make eye contact and encourage playfulness and touch. They were also told to mirror their grandmothers’ movements and give them time and space to rest when needed.
The sessions were recorded and then analysed while diaries and interviews captured the opinions and feelings of the participants. As well as the benefits to the health of the senior, the experiment also changed the idea of the younger family members.
1. What should the young people do when dancing with their grandmas?| A．Follow the grandmas’ steps. |
| B．Look at the grandmas’ eyes. |
| C．Move the bodies as long as possible. |
| D．Talk with their grandmas in gentle voice. |
| A．Dancing brings the young happy memories and uplifted spirits. |
| B．Dancing enables the senior to accept aging and death of their old relatives. |
| C．Dancing benefits both the senior and the young in the new study. |
| D．Dancing is linked to improved muscle strength and balance in the new study. |
| A．Inexpensive. | B．Relaxing. |
| C．Attractive. | D．Pleasant. |
| A．What does DMT Mean? |
| B．Dancing: a Good Way to Stop Being Senior. |
| C．Why Don’t You Dance 15 Minutes Every Week? |
| D．Dancing with Grandparents is Good for Health and Family Ties. |
6 . A British friend told me he couldn’t understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds（嗑瓜子）as a snack so much. “I’ve met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth, I believe that’s from cracking the seeds,” he said.
I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware. I realized that whenever I’m watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn’t like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so much just to get one small seed.
When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door-to-door on Chinese New Year’s Eve to check out what every household was making.
I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. Out in the living room, a large table would already be laid out, complete with fancy tablecloth, ready-made dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds. Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.
I don’t think it’s right to criticize one’s choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem.
It’s not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all sorts of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins your breath. They think it’s。delicacy（美味佳肴）, and it’s connected to their certain culture. I think it’s a wonderful tradition.
1. Why can the British friend not understand when he found Chinese love eating sunflower seeds?| A．Because the seeds are too hard to crack. |
| B．Because he thinks they art harmful to teeth. |
| C．Because he doesn’t think the seeds are good. |
| D．Because he doesn’t thinks the seeds are worth eating. |
| A．The families get together for it. | B．Eating sunflower seeds is related to it. |
| C．The traditions of celebrating it disappear. | D．Children can eat delicious food on that day. |
| A．indifferent | B．critical | C．understandable | D．doubtful |
| A．It is good to form healthy eating habits. |
| B．Eating habits come from a certain culture. |
| C．Changing your eating habits will change your life. |
| D．One kind of food doesn’t necessarily suit everyone. |
7 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and
philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．attract the readers' interest in the subject |
| C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
| A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
| B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
| C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
| D．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
| A．a personal biography | B．a history paper |
| C．a cultural newspaper | D．a philosophy textbook |
8 . Have you ever wondered what wild animals do when no one is watching?
Low cost, dependable and small modern cameras offered a big help. Cameras placed in hard-to-reach places have shot everything from small desert cats to larger snow-lowing cats in the northern Rocky Mountains. Scientists have been able to document the “private” moments of wildlife with leading technology.
Grant Harris is a government biologist with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In his words, “there’s no doubt that these wild cameras are important tools to learn new information on wildlife.” Harris said some images help scientists see the influences of climate (气候) change.
Researchers with the Wyoming Migration Initiative, or WMI, are among those using wild cameras along with global positioning systems, or GPS. But WMI director Matthew Kauffman says as those devices (设备) are limited (有限的), so is the amount of information they can gather. However, cameras can be left in very wild areas for days, weeks or even months. They can provide information on how many animals are moving over a given period of time.
Putting those cameras in place requires careful planning. Wild video can show details about animal behavior. However, wild cameras have their problems too. Animals such as wolverines and bears sometimes attack (袭击) them. Scientists do not know if the attacks are the result of anger or interest. Also, the devices have become popular tools to help hunters look for animals. Some people argue that it is unfair to use the cameras that way.
Even with such problems, wild cameras are clearly an important scientific tool in researching wild animals.
1. What does the underlined word “document” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Remind. | B．Enrich. | C．Produce. | D．Record. |
| A．They cannot be left in the wild over a long period. |
| B．They cannot be placed in hard-to-reach areas. |
| C．They provide limited information. |
| D．They might be stolen by people. |
| A．It is difficult to fix the cameras. |
| B．It helps hunters find animals easily. |
| C．It is hard to achieve careful planning. |
| D．It makes animals interested in the cameras. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supporting. | C．Uncertain. | D．Uninterested. |
9 . Where in the classroom do you prefer to sit,and why? Scientists have discovered that seating preference not only shows students’ personalities,but has a great influence on their school performance.Generally speaking,students show different attitudes depending on where they sit. Based on the research, scientists have developed a funnel-like(像漏斗的) model of “learning zones(区域)” to see the relationship between seating and active learning.
In this model,the mouth of the funnel(A) is the best position for learning. Students in this front area prove to be the most active learners.They show a greater desire(渴求) for learning,which leads them to focus(集中注意力) better and take a more active part than the rest of the class.Those in the neck of the funnel(B) don’t pay the same close attention,but they ask a lot of questions,partly because of the added confidence they feel from being in a safe zone, with others around them. Less desirable is the area “outside the funnel(C,D),” which refers to the side and the back rows,where students take a less active part in classroom activities and find it hard to focus their attention, falling asleep at times.
Studies about learning zones suggest that a change in traditional seating plans can benefit students. In fact, a growing number of teachers have begun less traditional seating plans,such as “U-Type”.There are no side and back areas,so teachers can expect their students to take part in activities more actively and increase student-teacher interaction(互动).
1. According to scientists,students’ learning is greatly influenced by .| A．the number of students | B．the time of class |
| C．seating positions | D．the size of the classroom |
| A．sometimes fall asleep | B．feel safe and confident |
| C．seldom ask their teachers questions | D．try to avoid looking directly at the teacher |
| A．Area A. | B．Area B. | C．Area C. | D．Area D. |
| A．Cause trouble for. | B．Take control of. |
| C．Give a warning to. | D．Do good to. |
10 . On November 7, Lewis Pugh completed a one-kilometer swim in the freezing waters of King Edward Cove, off South Georgia in Antarctica. He was wearing only his swimming glasses, cap and Speedo !
Pugh is an advocate for our oceans and seas, working to protect these ecosystems with their large diversity of marine life. When asked why he doesn't wear a wetsuit(防寒泳衣), Pugh says, "I ask world leaders to do everything they can to protect our oceans. Sometimes the steps they need to take are difficult and unpopular. If I'm asking them to be courageous, I must also be. Swimming in a wetsuit would not send the right message."
It took Pugh about 19 minutes to complete the one-kilometer swim in Antarctica where the water averaged about 1.6 degrees Celsius. He says that his body can only tolerate about 20 minutes in the freezing waters before it starts shutting down. As he swims, his body temperature steadily drops, which in turn causes his muscle control to drop, slowing him down. When he is done with his swim, his support team rushes him to a hot shower and it takes almost an hour for his body temperature to return to normal.
Doctors and Pugh caution that one must receive months of training to swim in such cold waters. Even expert swimmers who are unused to freezing water can drown within minutes because of the physical shock experienced by the body. Pugh says he trained for six months before this swim.
This is not the first time that Pugh has swum in dangerous conditions. In 2007, he swam one kilometer in the North Pole to draw attention to the melting Arctic ice due to climate change. In 2015, he swam in the Bay of Whales in Antarctica's Ross Sea as part of his successful campaign to help set up a marine reserve there.
1. Why did Lewis Pugh swim without a wetsuits ?| A．To show his bravery. |
| B．To swim faster. |
| C．To build up his body. |
| D．To have overnight fame. |
| A．His body temperature. |
| B．His body |
| C．The water. |
| D．The water temperature. |
| A．One should be expert at swimming. |
| B．One must be used to long-distance swimming. |
| C．One should be ready to take on challenges. |
| D．One must be adequately prepared for it. |
| A．Lewis Pugh: achieving the impossible |
| B．How to survive a swim in cold waters |
| C．Lewis Pugh: swimming for a cause |
| D．How to prepare for extreme swimming |
