1 . Patrick, Scheels store’s fishing manager, always helps customers with their angling (垂钓) needs, but one
One day, a young boy named Xander entered the store with his mother, Brynn. Patrick noticed his eye were filled with
Brynn shared the
However, Patrick’s generosity didn’t
Patrick’s kindness was
| A．argument | B．journey | C．adventure | D．encounter |
| A．curiosity | B．nervousness | C．concern | D．regret |
| A．debated over | B．bonded over | C．stuck to | D．turned to |
| A．wisdom | B．evidence | C．significance | D．definition |
| A．missing | B．blaming | C．admiring | D．persuading |
| A．Annoyed | B．Touched | C．Amused | D．Surprised |
| A．gifted | B．lent | C．showed | D．made |
| A．ambitious | B．strange | C．genuine | D．urgent |
| A．practical | B．avoidable | C．secure | D．common |
| A．root | B．stop | C．appear | D．reach |
| A．recording | B．postponing | C．organizing | D．canceling |
| A．reveal | B．stress | C．prove | D．ensure |
| A．accompanied | B．monitored | C．assessed | D．sponsored |
| A．possibly | B．initially | C．truly | D．mainly |
| A．deal | B．experience | C．task | D．performance |
2 . Public Health England (PHE) is targeting pizzas, ready meals, ready meat and takeaways. The government has also required the food industry to start using healthier foods and encourage the public to choose lower-calorie foods.
It is all part of an effort to decrease calorie intake by 20% by 2024. The aim will point to 13 different food groups. If action is not taken, PHE said, it would be prepared to ask the government to pass laws.
PHE would be strictly monitoring progress by looking at which products people were buying and would be prepared to punish companies which do not take their duties. The government is also organizing a program encouraging adults to consume (消耗) 400 calories at breakfast and 600 calories each at lunch and dinner. At present, adults consume between 200 and 300 calories more than they should each day. PHE chief nutritionist Dr. Alison Tedstone said the 400－600－600 tip would make it easier for people to make healthier choices.
How many calories should we eat? It is suggested that women eat no more than 2,000 calories a day, while men should limit their intake to 2,500 calories. For children, it depends on age. A four-year-old should consume no more than 1,300 calories, while for teens aged 17 and 18, it is about 3,000 calories, but overweight children are eating up to 500 calories more than that.
Prof Russell Viner, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said it was a necessary move. He said, “Over the past 40 years, there has been a slow growth in food sizes, with pizzas and hamburgers simply much bigger than they were in our parents’ time.” The convenience of fast food at pocket money prices and the advertisement of unhealthy foods and drinks to children add to the problem.
1. What does the underlined word “decrease” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Encourage | B．Cut | C．Contain | D．Balance |
| A．It will be punished by PHE. |
| B．It will have to pay extra money. |
| C．It will be forced to stop producing foods. |
| D．It will be asked to throw away all the foods. |
| A．Adult men | B．Adult women | C．Children aged 4 | D．Teens aged 18 |
| A．The calorie intake needs to be controlled. |
| B．The growth of food sizes meets people’s need. |
| C．The fast food should be chosen for its convenience. |
| D．The problem about higher-calorie foods will be solved. |
3 . When I tried out for the football team during the summer before 9th grade, I never imagined how important this sport would become in my life. Football is a
In the first year, I played on the defensive line. This was an amazing
In September, during my junior year, my name was mentioned in the local newspaper as the key defensive lineman on the team. After playing a fantastic season, I was given the
In this sense, the world of football has taught me an important life lesson:
| A．tough | B．popular | C．typical | D．dynamic |
| A．set | B．control | C．test | D．require |
| A．mistakes | B．adventures | C．accidents | D．injuries |
| A．performance | B．position | C．moment | D．advantage |
| A．with | B．over | C．through | D．into |
| A．valuable | B．lost | C．extra | D．regular |
| A．pride | B．choice | C．name | D．honor |
| A．Unfortunately | B．Similarly | C．Happily | D．Gradually |
| A．practices | B．tryouts | C．seasons | D．operations |
| A．But | B．Or | C．So | D．And |
| A．examined | B．changed | C．provided | D．completed |
| A．shoulder | B．hand | C．leg | D．foot |
| A．explore | B．avoid | C．love | D．support |
| A．Knowledge | B．Belief | C．Experience | D．Opinion |
| A．enjoyable | B．possible | C．sensible | D．responsible |
4 . I was 6 years old when my father told me we were leaving the Big Apple Circus (马戏团). Until that point, I had spent most of my life on the circus lot, playing with the other circus kids. The circus, by its nature, is one that has a loose structure. So the early years after my leaving the circus to sit in a classroom all day felt more like a prison.
But years later, I found areas that interested me. I took the skills I had learned from being onstage and applied them to broadcasting. And so when Boston’s news station WBUR offered me a job out of college, I jumped at the chance. Along the way, I found I really enjoyed the work. I became WBUR’s news reporter. The flexibility and adaptability I’d learned in the circus as a child helped me do my job naturally and easily in a stressful situation — whether it was a destructive tornado outside Boston, or the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013.
But then a serious infectious disease appeared. Suddenly, for the first time in my adult life, I went for a year without doing any shows. But it became clear to me that performing was what I truly wanted. For me, the circus symbolizes who I am. And stages have always been where I’ve felt the most free. Some people get nervous before they go onstage, but by assuming (扮演) the character of Jacques ze Whipper and drawing a stupid moustache on my face, all my social anxiety disappears.
Circus performances go beyond age, socioeconomic status (地位), and even language. It’s the type of performance where you can go anywhere in the world to entertain anyone — help anyone forget their troubles for 5, 10, and even 30 minutes. And most importantly, for me, it means coming home.
1. How did the author feel in the early years of school?| A．Curious. | B．Unfree. | C．Loose. | D．Impatient. |
| A．He did it for his father. | B．He did it against his will. |
| C．He risked his neck doing it. | D．He took to it like a duck to water. |
| A．A means of living. | B．A chance to go anywhere. |
| C．A part of his identity. | D．A way to forget his troubles. |
| A．To express his love for circus performances. |
| B．To stress the value of performing. |
| C．To share his personal experiences in a circus. |
| D．To discuss the problem of choosing a job. |
5 . It was a typical summer day in my small town, with the sun shining and the sky clear. I was sitting on my porch, enjoying the peaceful view of the rolling hills and the calm lake, when suddenly a strong wind blew in from the west. The peaceful sky turned dark as a storm approached.
I went inside, grabbing my raincoat and heading to the barn to secure the animals. The cows were nervous, sensing the approaching storm. I quickly tied them up and ran back to the house, just as the rain started to pour down. The wind was howling and the rain was pounding against the windows. Lightning and thunder followed, making the atmosphere even more electric. I sat by the window, watching the raging storm and praying that everything would be okay.
After what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes, the storm passed. The clouds moved away, revealing a bright and sunny sky. I walked outside, taking in the fresh air and surveying the damage. The trees were bent over and some branches had been blown off. Our vegetable garden was flooded, but other than that, everything seemed to be fine. I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized that no serious damage had been done.
That evening, as I sat by the fireplace with a cup of hot coffee, I reflected on the experience. It reminded me that nature can be both powerful and unpredictable, but that we must persevere and adapt to whatever it throws at us. The next morning, as I watched the sun rise over the now-calm landscape, I felt a sense of pride knowing that my family and I had weathered the storm together.
1. What does the word “weathered” mean in the last paragraph?| A．enjoyed | B．survived | C．forecasted | D．changed |
| A．Angry | B．Relieved | C．Scared | D．Sad |
| A．Problem and solution | B．Cause and effect |
| C．in order time | D．by Comparison |
| A．The author explains how to prepare for and cope with a storm. |
| B．The author describes how a storm ruined his day and his garden. |
| C．The author compares and contrasts the different weather conditions in his town. |
| D．The author recounts how he and his family withstood a sudden storm and learned a lesson from it. |
6 . Since September I’ve been living in a hall, just a stone’s throw from the Thames. Campus is a 25-minute walk from my hall, which is across the river and down Fleet Street. There, in The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), I take courses in social policy, philosophy and public policy, public management and behavioural economics.
In the first few weeks we covered how to measure well-being, how to distribute health care resources, and the origins of the welfare state, to name only a few. I’ve had great support from my academic adviser, who I was told is really somebody and highly respected in the field of social policy.
I learn loads of things each day and more importantly, what I learn feels relevant. Looking back, I can better understand the work I did in the government, and how the approaches I’ve learned work in some situations or fail in other situations. After one term, I can feel my viewpoint change from 50 feet to 50,000 feet.
Probably the most difficult part of attending graduate school overseas isn’t the education itself but rather the act of “putting the previous life on hold”. I think this is especially true for students who have already started their professional life or are a couple of years senior.
But there are plenty of benefits, and I feel that time at LSE passes faster than I realize. Already, I’ve made friends with students from dozens of other countries, which brings great advantages and fun. Perhaps what unites us is the great British tradition of meeting each other at the end of the week for entertainment at the cafe. In fact, I’m about to make my way there now.
1. What do we know about the author?| A．He majors in political science. |
| B．He walks to campus every day. |
| C．He has a tight study schedule. |
| D．His adviser enjoys a good reputation. |
| A．He stands higher and sees farther. |
| B．He can handle various situations. |
| C．His life attitude has varied with time. |
| D．His mind has been greatly broadened. |
| A．Dealing with the heavy study load. |
| B．Adapting to the local educational system. |
| C．Leaving one’s former life behind for now. |
| D．Gaining a deep understanding of British traditions. |
| A．He isn’t aware he’ll graduate soon. |
| B．He will attend a get-together at the cafe. |
| C．He intends to make friends with more students. |
| D．He has a strong preference for British traditions. |
7 . During my university years in the early 2000s, I worked part-time with kids at a neighborhood YMCA, which mainly focused on child care. Each year, we hosted a Christmas party for the community.
Most of the people working there were women, so we had to search for a male volunteer to play Santa Claus. We didn’t have many choices. John was a tall, twentyish man who was much too thin to be Santa Claus. No amount of stuffing (填充物) could possibly make him look like a common Santa Claus. He was, however, available.
On the day of the party, John put on his costume (戏装) and waited for the children. Many of the children who knew John said, “It’s just you, John.” If they didn’t know him, they said, “You’re too thin to be Santa.” We thought it might be a bad decision, but then everyone seemed to enjoy their time there, so it didn’t really matter.
Then, a lovely little girl entered the room. She was dressed beautifully to see Santa and seemed a little shy. Her mother brought her up to our Santa. “She’s deaf,” the mother explained. “If she could just sit on your lap (大腿) and have her picture taken, she would be happy.” John, the skinny Santa, smiled at the little girl, and she sat on his lap.
Then, the skinny Santa began using hand gestures to communicate with the girl fluently, and the little girl smiled happily and answered him quickly with her hands. Their conversation lasted quite a while. When I looked at the mother, I saw that she was crying. In fact, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room. Santa Claus really was there.
There was so much we didn’t know about what was happening. This girl had never met John before, and few of us were aware that he knew how to sign — it all added up to a magical surprise.
1. Why was John chosen to play Santa Claus?| A．He was tall. | B．He was male. | C．He was young. | D．He was popular. |
| A．Disappointing. | B．Interesting. | C．Surprising. | D．Inspiring. |
| A．She was talkative and lively. | B．She often came to the child care. |
| C．She was friendly to other children. | D．She expected to take pictures with Santa. |
| A．The little girl has a nice character. | B．John’s knowledge of sign language. |
| C．The warm and friendly environment. | D．The participation of the little girl’s mother. |
8 . The sun was shining brightly over our heads and sweat (汗水) was pouring off our backs and faces. We stood still without
It was
After this journey, we were more
Military training taught us perseverance (不懈) and determination. On the last day of our training, the confidence could be
| A．crying | B．making | C．sending | D．telling |
| A．nothing | B．anything | C．something | D．everything |
| A．wasted | B．spent | C．kept | D．took |
| A．strict | B．curious | C．interesting | D．normal |
| A．success | B．pleasure | C．worry | D．wonder |
| A．referred to | B．devoted to | C．turned to | D．listened to |
| A．sunlight | B．wealth | C．desire | D．health |
| A．received | B．helped | C．offered | D．happened |
| A．concerned | B．determined | C．interested | D．surprised |
| A．expected | B．expressed | C．disliked | D．rescued |
| A．escaped | B．moved | C．rode | D．rushed |
| A．larger | B．stronger | C．louder | D．lower |
| A．seen | B．heard | C．smelt | D．touched |
| A．thoughts | B．feelings | C．opinions | D．voices |
| A．travelling | B．falling | C．setting | D．smiling |
9 . It is difficult for a teacher to decide whether to allow students to listen to music in the classroom. Every time students need to write an essay or work on a problem, they say, “Can I put my headphones on? I think better that way.” But is that really true? Does music help concentrate?
Research offers little to back up the idea that listening to music improves concentration. In one small study, 133 students performed reading tasks while listening to either light music, hip hop, or no music at all. Students who performed the reading tasks in silence scored the highest. Music with a higher intensity (强度) like hip hop was more distracting and had a bad effect on task performance.
Volume (音量) plays a more important role than the type of music. The study found that the louder the music, the worse the performance in concentration. The type of music didn’t matter. Data from the study showed once again that silence was the best environment to improve concentration.
However, music has a positive effect on work performance. Studies have showed that listening to music leads to positive changes in mood, as well as creativity. In fact, in music-listening cultures, which students are certainly part of, there’s actually a change in mood when the music is taken away.
It’s hard to convince my students that music doesn’t help with their concentration. Taj, a senior told me, “I wouldn’t be able to concentrate if I were listening to music and trying to read. However, when I write, I feel like music helps me concentrate deeply. I don’t have writer’s block. It’s easy for me to put my words on paper.”
“Maybe not with reading, but when it comes to math, listening to music certainly helps,” Danela told me. “You could actually be singing along with what you’re listening to and doing well in math.”
1. What does the underlined word “distracting” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Making it difficult for someone to concentrate. |
| B．Causing great excitement. |
| C．Making someone want to do something. |
| D．Making someone feel frightened. |
| A．Students do well in reading tasks while listening to music. |
| B．Music can’t improve people’s mood and creativity. |
| C．Different types of music lead to different performances. |
| D．The volume of music affects concentration. |
| A．They believe music doesn’t help concentrate. |
| B．They use music to help with their paper-writing. |
| C．They can’t focus on reading while listening to music. |
| D．They don’t listen to music while doing math problems. |
| A．Should Students Listen to Music? | B．Does Music Help Concentration? |
| C．Is Music Related to Reading? | D．Can Music Change Mood? |
10 . When other teenagers hang out with friends in the summer vacations. Erica doesn’t join. Instead, the 16-year-old senior high student is
Erica started baking out of
Always considered a
| A．applied | B．occupied | C．accommodated | D．adapted |
| A．assists | B．shelters | C．charges | D．runs |
| A．sympathy | B．gratitude | C．passion | D．politeness |
| A．failure | B．success | C．pressure | D．astonishment |
| A．employed | B．perfected | C．shared | D．presented |
| A．reminded | B．permitted | C．instructed | D．inspired |
| A．confirmation | B．debate | C．consideration | D．contrast |
| A．annoyed | B．elegant | C．cautious | D．serious |
| A．distinguished | B．approved | C．neglected | D．hesitated |
| A．regular | B．potential | C．favoured | D．demanding |
| A．Unobviously | B．Unconsciously | C．Unfortunately | D．Unavoidably |
| A．down | B．off | C．through | D．up |
| A．model | B．sculptor | C．psychologist | D．captain |
| A．keep to | B．go beyond | C．jump at | D．work on |
| A．mean | B．modest | C．assured | D．sensitive |
