2 . It was the final part of the 2016 World Triathlon (铁人三项) Series in Mexico. With just 700 metres to go, Alistair Brownlee was in third place and his younger brother Jonny, was in the lead. Alistair pushed himself towards the finish line in the burning heat, but as he came round the corner, he saw his brother about to fall onto the track. Alistair had to choose brotherly love, or a chance to win the race.

For Alistair, the choice was clear. His brother was in trouble. He had to help. Alistair ran towards Jonny, caught him and started pulling him towards the finish line. Alistair then pushed his brother over the line. The move put Jonny in second place and Alistair himself in third. It was an unexpected end to the race, but Alistair did not want to discuss it with the media. He just wanted to see his younger brother, who had been rushed to the medical area.

The Brownlee brothers have been doing triathlons since they were children. “Obviously, when your older brother is doing it, you think it’s a cool thing to do,” says Jonny. Alistair says that they encourage each other as much as they can when they train. Though there are arguments over “stupid things” now and then, Alistair agrees that having a brother is an advantage. “Throughout my entire life, I’ve had my brother trying to beat me at everything I do. It has been a fantastic driving force.”

Watched by millions, the ending to the race has different opinions: should the brothers have been disqualified (取消资格) or highly praised for their actions? But for Alistair, his decision was easy to explain:“Mun wouldn’t have been happy if I’d left Jonny behind.” At that moment, he was no longer an athlete aiming for a medal——he was just a brother.

1. Why did Alistair get third place only?

A．He fell onto the track accidentally.	B．He was overtaken by another athlete.
C．He stopped to give his brother a hand.	D．He struggled with the burning heat.

2. What does Jonny regard his brother as?

A．An inspiration.

B．An authority.

C．A competitor.

D．A follower.

3. What are people’s opinions about Alistair’s behavior?

A．Unfavorable.

B．Supportive.

C．Uninterested.

D．Varied.

4. Which is the best title for the text?

A．The Finish Line

B．Just a Brother

C．To Win or Not

D．Life Is a Race

5. In which section of a magazine would you probably read the text?

A．Life.

B．Health.

C．Sports.

D．Community.

4 . In the summer of 2016, I gave a talk at a small conference in northern Virginia. I began by admitting that I’d never had a social-media account; I then outlined arguments for why other people should consider removing social media from their lives. The event organizers uploaded the video of my talk to YouTube. Then it was shared repeatedly on Facebook and Instagram and, eventually, viewed more than five million times. I was both pleased and annoyed by the fact that my anti-social-media talk had found such a large audience on social media.

I think of this event as typical of the love-hate relationships many of us have with Facebook, Instagram, and other social-media platforms. On the one hand, we’ve grown cautious about the so-called attention economy, which, in the name of corporate(公司的)profits, destroys social life gradually and offends privacy. But we also benefit from social media and hesitate to break away from it completely. Not long ago, I met a partner at a large law firm in Washington, D.C., who told me that she keeps Instagram on her phone because she misses her kids when she travels; looking through pictures of them makes her feel better.

In recent months, some of the biggest social-media companies, Facebook and Twitter, in particular, have promised various reforms. In March, Mark Zuckerberg announced a plan to move his platform toward private communication protected by end-to-end encryption(端对端加密); later that month, he put forward the establishment of a third-party group to set standards for acceptable content.

All of these approaches assume that the reformation of social media will be a complex, lengthy, and gradual process. But not everyone sees it that way. Alongside these official responses, a loose collective of developers that calls itself the Indie Web has been creating another alternative. They are developing their own social-media platforms, which they say will preserve what’s good about social media while getting rid of what’s bad. They hope to rebuild social media according to principles that are less corporate and more humane(人道的).

1. Why did the author feel annoyed when his video was spread online?

A．His video caused many arguments.

B．His video’s popularity on social media is against his talk.

C．His talk was opposed by a large amount of people.

D．His video was shared without his permission.

2. Why does the author mention the story of his partner in paragraph 2?

A．To prove that social media has some benefits.

B．To advise people to break away from social media.

C．To tell the negative effects social media may produce.

D．To describe people’s complicated relationships with social media.

3. What is the purpose of the reform made by some social-media companies?

A．To improve network environment.	B．To set network standards.
C．To make more profits.	D．To provide more convenient service.

4. What does the Indie Web intend to do?

A．Improve the existing social-media principles.

B．Remove social media from people’s lives.

C．Develop new social-media platforms.

D．Help social-media companies to make reformation.

5. What does the underlined word “outlined”(in paragraph 1)mean?

A．expected

B．criticized

C．summarized

D．rejected

7 . My brother and I were driving home together on the highway and focused on a conversation. Because of this distraction (分心), my brother ________ a wrong turn. ________, the wrong turn took us towards a ________ and we had no way to turn back. Unwillingly, my brother paid the bridge toll (过桥费) and drove on. He was clearly ________ by the mistake and the needless ________ of $4.

We eventually reached an ________ and, as we took it, my brother ________ an old black Ford pulled over to the side of the road. A young ________ was standing nearby trying to phone someone. I was busy trying to ________ which way we went next but my brother pulled over and asked the guy if he needed any help. And he did. He had a flat ________ and needed a wrench (扳手) to get it off. My brother gave him a wrench, then proceeded to help him ________ the flat with a backup tire. We started getting to know the young man. He said that this has been a bad week for him; earlier he had gotten into a minor car ________, and now this flat on his way home from work. He kept thanking us because he really would have been ________ if we hadn't come along. After we had ________ the job he thanked us again and pulled out $ 20 and tried to give it to us. “No,” I said. “We were never ________ to even get on that bridge. We took a wrong turn. But now we know why we did it. It was to help you. Thank you for turning our mistake into an opportunity to ________.”

What I loved most was watching my brother throughout this ________. He was able to turn his upset for the mistake into positive ________. He was able to see a chance to help even in an otherwise ________ situation, which can only come from a calm ________ and an open heart.

1.

A．gave

B．brought

C．took

D．got

2.

A．Unfortunately

B．Gradually

C．Finally

D．Absolutely

3.

A．street

B．bridge

C．block

D．road

4.

A．frightened

B．shocked

C．annoyed

D．pleased

5.

A．price

B．investment

C．wage

D．waste

6.

A．avenue

B．agreement

C．entrance

D．exit

7.

A．stared

B．heard

C．noticed

D．glanced

8.

A．boy

B．guy

C．teenager

D．girl

9.

A．figure out

B．care about

C．search for

D．take apart

10.

A．ball

B．tire

C．car

D．house

11.

A．mend

B．wash

C．change

D．fix

12.

A．loan

B．decoration

C．race

D．accident

13.

A．stuck

B．killed

C．caught

D．missed

14.

A．started

B．finished

C．landed

D．checked

15.

A．educated

B．honored

C．engaged

D．supposed

16.

A．serve

B．come

C．observe

D．exist

17.

A．section

B．edition

C．process

D．dilemma

18.

A．life

B．energy

C．strength

D．style

19.

A．special

B．appreciative

C．active

D．negative

20.

A．mind

B．setting

C．chest

D．state

8 . My elder brother Steve, in the absence of my father who died when I was six, gave me important lessons in values that helped me grow into an adult. For instance, Steve taught me to face the results of my behavior. Once when I returned in tears from a Saturday baseball game, it was Steve who took the time to ask me what happened. When I explained that my baseball had soared through Mrs. Holt’s basement window, breaking the glass with a crash, Steve encouraged me to confess (认罪) to her. After all, I should have been playing in the park down Fifth Street and not in the path between buildings. Although my knees knocked as I explained to Mrs. Holt, I offered to pay for the window from my pocket money if she would return my ball. I also learned from Steve that personal property is a sacred (神圣的) thing. After I found a shiny silver pen in my fifth-grade classroom, I wanted to keep it, but Steve explained that it might be important to someone else in spite of the fact that it had little value. He reminded me of how much I’d hate to lose to someone else the small dog my father carved from a piece of cheap wood. I returned the pen to my teacher, Mrs. Davids, and still remembered the smell of her perfume as she patted me on my shoulder. Yet of all the instructions Steve gave me, his respect for life is the most vivid in my mind. When I was twelve I killed an old brown sparrow in the yard with a BB gun. Excited with my accuracy, I screamed to Steve to come from the house to take a look. I shall never forget the way he stood for a long moment and stared at the bird on the ground. Then in a dead, quiet voice, he asked, “Did it hurt you first, Mark?” I didn’t know what to answer. He continued with his eyes firm, “The only time you should even think of hurting a living thing is if it hurts you first. And then you think a long, long time.” I really felt terrible then, but that moment stands out as the most important lesson my brother taught me.

1. What is the main subject of the passage?

A．The relationship between Mark and Steve.

B．The important lesson Mark learned in school

C．Steve’s important role in Mark’s growing process.

D．Mark and Steve’s respect for living things.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that when Mark confessed to Mrs. Holt, ________.

A．he felt surprised	B．he was light-hearted
C．he felt frightened	D．he knelt before her

3. In the story about the pen, which of the following lessons did Steve teach his brother?

A．Respect for personal property.

B．Respect for life.

C．Sympathy for people with problems.

D．The value of honesty.

4. According to the writer, which was the most important lesson Steve taught his young brother?

A．Respect for living things.

B．Responsibility for one’s actions.

C．The value of the honesty.

D．Care for the property of others.

5. Which of the follow is true according to the passage?

A．Mark was still a boy when he wrote this passage.

B．Mark lost the small dog his father gave him.

C．When a living thing hurts you, you should kill it.

D．Even if a living thing hurts you, you should not kill it without hesitation (犹豫).

9 . When I was two years old, I was diagnosed with a hearing loss. My mother cried when she found out—she wanted her son to be happy and able to experience everything life had to offer. I went to a special playgroup twice a week where a nurse discovered I had taught myself to read. At the age of five I attended a school for the deaf from age three to six.

I remember looking around the room there. People talked and signed to each other. I had a best friend and I did very well in class. But I told my mother that I wanted to go to the regular school with hearing people, because I felt more like a hearing person than a hearing-impaired (听力受损) one. I didn’t even use sign language! I lip-read and listened with my hearing aids. After visiting a public school for a day, my mother agreed to let me go. Without doubt, I have functioned very well.

Many people don’t even know I am hearing-impaired until they see my hearing aids. My girlfriend often forgets that I have any problem, and I feel fortunate that she does not look down upon people like me. The only problem I have with this hearing loss is that some people discriminate against me. The fact is that I am just as normal as anyone else. The only differences are that others need to speak up, and I have some help from my hearing aids.

The next time you see hearing-impaired people, don’t feel sorry for them that just gives them an excuse to mistreat themselves and hurt their own advantages. Instead, encourage them and tell them that a disability only hurts a person if he or she lets it.

1. Which is TRUE about the author when he was 5?

A．He was diagnosed with hearing loss.

B．He stayed at home with his mother.

C．He attended a school for the deaf.

D．He went to a special playgroup.

2. Why did the author want to attend the regular school?

A．He even didn’t know sign language.

B．He had few friends at the deaf school.

C．He didn’t believe his handicap was a big problem.

D．He found it very hard to get along with his classmates.

3. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “functioned” in Para.2?

A．performed.

B．translated.

C．challenged.

D．remembered.

4. What was the author’s problem at the regular school?

A．He couldn’t catch up with others.

B．Some people looked down upon him.

C．His girlfriend discriminated against him.

D．He performed poorly with hearing aids.

5. What can we infer from the last sentence?

A．A disabled person should be well treated.

B．If a person is disabled, he will hurt himself.

C．A normal person is disabled, he will hurt himself.

D．The disabled should regard themselves as normal.

10 . Mildred Webinga Freeman was an English teacher at the new middle school I attended in the ninth grade. She wasn’t my teacher, she was the adviser to the safety patrol (巡逻队) on which I served. I loved being around her and enjoyed her sense of humor and kind personality. She was also a good listener.

At the end of the year, she announced that she was moving to Florida, and I was very shocked and sad. We exchanged addresses and became pen pals. I could tell her anything, and she treated me with respect even though I was a teenager.

In Florida, Mrs. Freeman became a businesswoman, but she managed to find time to write letters and amusing stories and always took my concerns seriously. She had given me an open invitation to visit, and I missed her so much. When I wrote to take her up on the offer, she answered, “Get your shoes on and your bags packed! You are welcome anytime!”

I spent three weeks with her in Miami, thrilled to do anything from washing dishes to touring houses with her. Her love of poetry, music, and creative writing encouraged me. One day while hanging sheets on the clothesline, she looked up and said, “You know, the sky is fuel for the soul.” I have never looked at the clouds since without hearing those words. Two years later when I visited her house I had hoped to talk to her about school, but instead she was in a hospital bed in the guest room. She had cancer on the liver, and her family members were caring for her. I was in shock.

To this day, more than 50 years later, I still see her smile and think about the advice she gave me. Now and then I reread her letters, and I remember the importance of her smile and her friendship.

1. Which of the following can best describe Mrs. Freeman.

A．Humorous and kind-hearted.

B．Respectful and amusing.

C．Serious but patient.

D．Creative but fun.

2. Mrs. Freeman was the author’s ________.

A．English teacher.

B．class adviser.

C．safety guard.

D．pen pal.

3. How long did the author spend with Mrs. Freeman in Miami?

A．One day.

B．Three weeks.

C．One year.

D．Nine years.

4. Why did the author feel shocked when she visited Mrs. Freeman two years later?

A．She had a liver cancer.

B．She was doing housework.

C．She showed little interest in school.

D．She was not looked after by her family members.

5. What can we know about the author?

A．She wrote stories for Mrs. Freeman.

B．She often visited Mrs. Freeman in Florida.

C．She once went mountain-climbing with Mrs. Freeman.

D．She kept Mrs. Freeman’s letters for more than 50 years.