1 . In the late 1960s, the anthropologist (人类学家) Edmund Carpenter arrived in New Cuinea armed with mirrors, videos and Polaroid cameras, and a mission: to disrupt (扰乱) the minds of members of the Biami tribe, who had never seen full reflections or images of themselves. "After their first astonished response---covering their mouths and ducking their heads---they stood frozen, staring at their images." Carpenter's devices disturb that inner image, causing discomfort. But not for long. Within days, the villagers groomed (打扮) themselves openly before mirrors and began taking Polaroid shots of each other.

It's unclear if the People of Biami were really as unfamiliar with mirrors as Carpenter thought. But in any case, what's striking isn't how strange their reaction seems, but how related. Do you know how it feels when you make a pleasant remark in a lift, but nobody responds? Or when two people greeting each other misjudge whether to go for a handshake, a hug or a social kiss? That's the same awkwardness: "self-consciousness tinged with uncertainty", as Dahl defines it. Suddenly, I see I'm viewed not as a friendly conversationalist, but as a strange person who talks in the lift.

As awkwardness feels unpleasant, it's natural to want to overcome it. Dahl's initial motivation for writing her book Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness, was to get over her own awkwardness. But after a journey through various awkward experiences, she makes a persuasive case for celebrating it. We live in an era with more opportunities than ever to do so. But awkwardness breaks that false appearance, exposing the imperfect life behind it. It creates a strange kind of social bond---how much in common we have when seeing that behind the disguise (伪装) ---we're all just trying our best to seem perfect.

The awkward you, then, are the real you, the one without the defensive performance. Dahl even indicates that taking a friendlier attitude toward awkwardness might help us make the connections with people holding different ideas.

1. How did the people of Biami feel when they first saw themselves in the mirror?

A．Shocked at their reflections.

B．Satisfied with their images.

C．Curious about their look.

D．Ashamed of their appearance.

2. Which of the following awkwardness is "self-consciousness tinged with uncertainty"?

A．You slip over just to the face of your girl in dream.

B．You are caught cheating but get nothing in an exam.

C．You are found standing in pubic with your trousers zip open.

D．You're refused when offering your seat to a seemingly pregnant woman.

3. What causes you to feel embarrassed from time to time?

A．Not knowing anything novel.

B．Seeking perfection.

C．Avoiding pressure from others.

D．Lacking courage to face some problems.

4. What can be inferred to solve our awkwardness?

A．Treat others in a friendly way.

B．Connect with your friends regularly.

C．Express yourself honestly with no defensive cover.

D．Get ready to guard against any threat from others.

2 . Years ago my three-year-old son, Jeremy, and I walked to our car. He _______ me with excitement. I found he was holding a _______ in his little hand. I hadn’t given it to him, so I asked, “Where did you get that?” He _______ to the store we’d just _______. But we hadn’t paid for it.

I had a lot of things to do that day, but taking _______ of this moment to teach character to my son just moved to the _______ of my to-do list. I sat him in the front seat next to me in the car without _______ it, so the two of us could talk. I _______ to him that we couldn’t just take things from stores without _______ them. When he realized he’d done wrong, tears ________ up in his eyes. I looked at my ________ boy and said, “Here’s what we have to do. We have to go back to the ________. I want you to tell the manager that you took it, and you’re sorry.” We walked back to the store, and I asked for the ________. “My son has something to tell you,” I told her. Jeremy ________ the toy and said, “I took this, and I’m sorry.” The manager ________ it beautifully, and a little boy learned an important ________.

My son is now 40, with children of his own, but he still clearly ________ that day. And, now, I’m so ________ that those character traits I tried to teach him took ________ in his heart and life. He’s now teaching them to my beloved ________.

We can impact our world by teaching our children character-by being examples of them.

1.

A．looked up at

B．looked down on

C．took care of

D．paid attention to

2.

A．sweet

B．book

C．toy

D．coin

3.

A．contributed

B．turned

C．led

D．pointed

4.

A．seen

B．passed

C．exited

D．approached

5.

A．advantage

B．care

C．control

D．charge

6.

A．top

B．tip

C．back

D．bottom

7.

A．parking

B．starting

C．selling

D．using

8.

A．announced

B．reported

C．declared

D．explained

9.

A．handing over

B．paying for

C．packing up

D．taking away

10.

A．welled

B．held

C．dried

D．dropped

11.

A．naughty

B．bad

C．precious

D．handsome

12.

A．office

B．hospital

C．car

D．store

13.

A．assistant

B．manager

C．salesgirl

D．shopkeeper

14.

A．worked out

B．figured out

C．gave out

D．held out

15.

A．exposed

B．handled

C．admitted

D．complained

16.

A．course

B．program

C．lesson

D．example

17.

A．remembers

B．realizes

C．recognizes

D．respects

18.

A．hopeful

B．grateful

C．cautious

D．certain

19.

A．place

B．action

C．root

D．effect

20.

A．students

B．friends

C．neighbors

D．grandchildren

3 . As is often the case, childhood was the happiest time of our lives. But, that was not _________ for me, at least between the ages of 10 to 12. I was practically _______ by my parents, who seemed only interested in their never­ending money making. I was _________, a loner at school too, disliked by my classmates for getting good grades.

Longing for _________, I fell into despair and started thinking about death. While on the school field trip, I lost my footing and slipped into a marsh (沼泽) and got my _________ muddy. As luck would have it, out of nowhere, an angel, in the _______ of a native woman, lent me a helping hand. She _________ me to her small cottage and helped me change my wet trousers. She made me eat from _________ little food she had, and told me funny stories, _________ to cheer me up.

That lady saved me. She saved my belief in the __________ of people. I came to realize that whatever happens, there are good things in the world, which you can __________ for existence. Another thing I noticed was that the lady, though she lived in __________ surroundings, seemed delighted. I realized that life is beautiful if we love it. Only those who are __________ their life can really understand what happiness really is.

I dropped the idea of ending my __________.

I must thank that kind lady for what I had never experienced till then. __________ someone’s life with kindness is worth all the treasure in the world.

1.

A．rational

B．acceptable

C．true

D．abnormal

2.

A．discriminated

B．ignored

C．abused

D．missed

3.

A．helpless

B．friendless

C．invisible

D．transparent

4.

A．freedom

B．schooling

C．company

D．money

5.

A．backpack

B．coat

C．glasses

D．trousers

6.

A．form

B．absence

C．direction

D．face

7.

A．fetched

B．followed

C．pointed

D．took

8.

A．what

B．so

C．how

D．such

9.

A．demanding

B．offering

C．attempting

D．pursuing

10.

A．honesty

B．kindness

C．ability

D．wisdom

11.

A．rely on

B．contribute to

C．devote to

D．weigh up

12.

A．luxurious

B．unpleasant

C．unfamiliar

D．natural

13.

A．serious about

B．proud of

C．content with

D．accustomed to

14.

A．trip

B．ambition

C．exploration

D．life

15.

A．Changing

B．Rekindling

C．Creating

D．Valuing

4 . Time Travel

If you could travel in time, where would you go? Perhaps you would watch an original performance of a Shakespeare’s play in Elizabethan England? What about hanging out with Laozi in the Spring and Autumn Period? Or maybe you’d voyage far ahead of the present day to see what the future holds.

The possibility of time travel is indeed appealing. Stories exploring the subject have been around for hundreds of years. Perhaps the best known example is science fiction novel The Time Machine, which was written by H.G. Wells and published in 1895 for the first time. It was adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that allows an operator to travel purposefully and selectively. The term “time machine”, coined by Wells, is now universally used to refer to a vehicle transporting people into the far future.

But could time travel actually be possible? Some scientists say yes, in theory. They propose

using cracks in time and space called “wormholes”, which could be used as shortcuts to other periods. Einstein's theory of relativity allows time travel in extreme circumstances. And British

physicist Stephen Hawking says you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship — going at nearly the speed of light. Though building such a spaceship would of course be no simple task.

Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the “grandfather paradox”. It asks what would happen if a time traveler were to go back in time and have his own grandfather killed for some reason, and therefore prevent himself from being born.If the time traveler wasn't born, how would he travel back in time？

And would you really like to visit the future？In H.G.Wells' book, the main character travels into distant time where he arrives at a beach and is attacked by giant crabs. He then voyages 30 million years into the future where the only living thing is a black object with tentacles(触角).If that's what's in store, maybe we are better just living in the present day after all.

1. The novel The Time Machine mentioned in Paragraph 2 aims to show___________.

A．the special feature of the book

B．People's interest in time travel

C．the long history of time travel

D．the contribution of H.G.Wells

2. Einstein's and Hawking's theories_________.

A．suggest the possibility to invent the time machine

B．have similarities in many ways

C．have proved wrong by some time travelers

D．push the invention of the first spaceship

3. In Paragraph 4,“grandfather paradox” probably refers to the idea that__________.

A．the traveler is prevented from meeting his grandfather

B．the traveler goes back in time to seek for his grandfather

C．the grandfather's death makes the traveler's birth impossible

D．The reunion of the traveler and his grandfather brings happiness

4. According to the passage, what is probably the author's attitude towards time travel？

A．Supportive.	B．Unconcerned.
C．Unclear.	D．Skeptical.

5 . The Internet has become part of modern life, bringing convenient services to everyone who can connect. While it seems hard to live without the Internet, it also brings new problems. For example, individuals, organizations and even governments can become targets of cyber attacks.

The past week marked China's sixth annual Cybersecurity Week, held from Sept 16 to 22 nationwide. The opening ceremony and major activities were held in Tianjin. First launched in 2014, the event was designed to raise public awareness of the importance of fighting online threats and cyber attacks. The theme of this year's event is "cybersecurity for the people and by the people".

The leaking (泄露）of personal information now stands out. " Efforts should be made to raise people's sense of fulfillment, happiness and security in cyberspace," said President Xi Jinping in an instruction for the event. "The country will safeguard the security of personal information and citizens' legal rights and interests in cyberspace. According to a report from the 2017 China Internet Security Conference, more than 90 percent of Android smartphones for sale in China contained serious safety bugs. Such flaws (缺陷)allow hackers to control entire phones and obtain the users' passwords, bank information and more.

To protect personal information, China issued its first cybersecurity law in June 2017. One key part of this law is meant to protect personal information. It rules that network operators are not allowed to leak, change or damage the personal information they gather. They are also not allowed to give personal information to others freely.

Apart from China, issuing laws to protect personal information and prevent junk electronic information is a common practice in other countries.

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the new Internet-based problems.

B．To show readers a new Internet-based trend.

C．To make a list of new cybercrimes online.

D．To call for protection of personal security.

2. What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?

A．Android smartphones sales are on the decrease.

B．Personal data protection comes into focus.

C．Netizens are sensitive to online information.

D．Nearly all smartphones contain security flaws.

3. Who does China's first cybersecurity law mainly intend to regulate?

A．Website designers.	B．Illegal hackers.
C．Network operators.	D．Internet-based companies.

4. What will be probably mentioned after the last paragraph?

A．Foreign practices to safeguard cybersecurity.

B．Countries producing laws of national security.

C．Effective ways to deal with personal security.

D．Advice on how to avoid leaking personal data.

6 . The best example of universally understood body language may be the smile. A smile can open doors and tear down walls between _________.

I had made an appointment with the dentist for months. I also _________ it twice and called the day before to _________ all the paperwork would be ready for the X-rays.

Then I arrived. It wasn’t ready at all. The lady there even had no _________ about what I was talking about. It made my blood boil. I was getting so _________. I didn’t yell at her but the _________ I was talking to her was not nice. I spoke to her like she was a child and incapable. It was not a good moment. The whole time she smiled and was _________ to me.

Only when everything was finally _________ was I nice. I sat down in the waiting area and _________ it all. How could I make it better? How could I make up for my impolite behavior a moment ago? I couldn’t. I could __________ her a chocolate bar I had on me, but it needed more than that. It needed an honest __________. And that was exactly what I gave.

I apologized for the way I had spoken to her and told her it was wrong of me to do that. She __________, again with a smile. It’s fortunate for me to meet that woman who smiles and forgives so __________. I can be rude and when I am, I __________ myself for it. I am not that person, not anymore, yet I continue to grow and continue to __________. It’s true that the smile made my anger disappear and opened a door to understanding.

1.

A．friends

B．strangers

C．patients

D．relatives

2.

A．confirmed

B．arranged

C．discussed

D．admitted

3.

A．conclude

B．convince

C．ensure

D．announce

4.

A．plan

B．thought

C．idea

D．mind

5.

A．mad

B．excited

C．humorous

D．curious

6.

A．habit

B．way

C．accent

D．tune

7.

A．rude

B．attached

C．friendly

D．devoted

8.

A．reported

B．added

C．found

D．sorted

9.

A．reflected on

B．worked at

C．called up

D．went through

10.

A．post

B．lend

C．throw

D．gift

11.

A．comment

B．promise

C．apology

D．suggestion

12.

A．refused

B．agreed

C．ignored

D．accepted

13.

A．slowly

B．easily

C．frequently

D．casually

14.

A．teach

B．forgive

C．hate

D．praise

15.

A．complain

B．roar

C．whisper

D．learn

8 . A new device works like a solar panel, except it doesn't harvest energy from the sun. It captures energy from the cold night sky.

A prototype （雏形）of the device produced enough electricity at night to power a small light bulb. A bigger version might one day light rooms or charge phones. It could also power electronics in remote or low-resource areas that lack electricity.

The device makes use of the temperature difference between the earth and outer space to create electricity. As long as one side of it is cooler than the other, the generator can produce electricity. The cooler side faces the sky and is attached to an aluminum plate. That plate is sealed beneath a transparent cover and surrounded with insulation （隔热材料）to keep out heat. The bottom of the generator is attached to an exposed aluminum （铝）plate. That plate is warmed by the local air. At night, the top plate can get a couple of degrees Celsius cooler than the bottom of the generator.

Researchers tested a 20-centimeter prototype one clear December night in Stanford University, California. The generator produced up to 25 milliwatts of power per square meter of the device. That was enough power to light a small light emitting diode （发光二极管），or a LED bulb. Further improvements might increase its production to at least 500 milliwatts per square meter. The system might need more insulation around the cool, top plate to do that.

“The device could also help power remote weather stations or other environmental devices, " says Aaswath Raman. He is a material scientist who works on the device at the University of California, Los Angeles. " This may be useful in polar regions where people can't see sunlight for months, “ Raman says. "If you have some low-power devices and you need to power them through three months of darkness, this might be a way. ”

1. What does the author mainly talk about in Paragraph 3 ?

A．Application fields of the device.

B．The developing process of the device.

C．The working principle of the device.

D．Significant effects of the device.

2. How can researchers make the device produce more electricity?

A．By putting more insulation around the top plate.

B．By using it in extremely cold and clear nights.

C．By attaching the bottom plate to a warm plate.

D．By covering the top plate with a transparent lid.

3. What's Raman's attitude to the new device?

A．Doubtful.

B．Hopeful.

C．Negative.

D．Ambiguous.

4. What could be a suitable title for the text?

A．A Device Using the Cold Night Sky to Produce Electricity

B．A Device Bringing New Hope for Those in the Cold Night

C．The Differences Between a Solar Panel and a New Device

D．The Temperature Difference between the Earth and Outer Space

9 . Stories are shared in many ways. They are described in books and magazines. They are read around the campfire at night. They are randomly distributed from stand-alone booths. But what else?

To revive literature in the era of fast news and smartphone addiction, Short Edition, a French publisher of short-form literature, has set up more than 30 story dispensers (分发机) in the USA in the past years to deliver fiction at the push of a button at restaurants, universities and government offices.

Francis Ford Coppola, the film director and winemaker, liked the idea so much that he invested in the company and placed a dispenser at his Cafe Zoetrope in San Francisco. Last month, public libraries in some other cities announced they would be setting them up, too. There is one on the campus at Penn State. A few can be found in downtown West Palm Beach, Fla. And Short Edition plans to announce more, including at the Los Angeles International Airport.

“Everything old is new again,” said Andrew Nurkin, director of the Free Library of Philadelphia, which is one of the libraries that set up the dispensers. “We want people to be easily exposed to literature. We want to advance literacy among children and inspire their creativity.”

Here’s how a dispenser works. It has three buttons on top indicating choices for stories that can be read in one minute, three minutes or five minutes. When a button is pushed, a short story is printed.

The stories are free. They are chosen from a computer category of more than 100,000 original submissions by writers whose works have been evaluated by Short Edition’s judges, and transmitted over a mobile network. Offerings can be tailored to specific interests, like children’s fiction or romance. Short Edition gets stories for its category by holding writing contests.

Short Edition set up its first booth in 2016 and has 150 machines worldwide. “The idea is to make people happy,” said Kristan Leroy, director of Short Edition. “There is too much unhappiness today.”

1. What do we know about the stories sent by dispensers?

A．They are easily read.

B．They are short in form.

C．They can be bought from booths.

D．They can be found in magazines.

2. Which paragraph shows the popularity of story dispensers in America?

A．Paragraph 3.	B．Paragraph 5.
C．Paragraph 6.	D．Paragraph 7.

3. Why were the story dispensers set up according to Andrew Nurkin?

A．To introduce French literature.

B．To get rid of smartphone addiction.

C．To make people have access to literature.

D．To reduce the financial stress of libraries.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Everything Old Is New

B．Online Reading: a Virtual Tour

C．Short Edition Is Getting Popular

D．Taste of Literature, at the Push of a Button

10 . After getting married, I moved to an absolutely new town. _________ as I was to be in a new city, with various new things to explore, I was still lonely. I was desperate to make friends and establish_________.

This could explain my enthusiastic “Count me in!” when_________ to participate in a half marathon. Reflecting on my usual 3 miles, I must have been_________ — a half marathon, 13 miles seemed a(n) _________ task.

After the initial shock wore off, I found comfort in burying myself in_________. I took it slow, one mile, and then two, three, four and five miles. Seven straight miles felt like to climb Everest in my eyes, and soon I became used to that_________.

Mile after mile, I managed to step beside my running partners. We talked about our favorite music and_________ funny stories about our children. At about mile 10, the conversations_________. We shared our past and hopes for our future, our fears and disappointments. By the time we were running 12-mile legs, I know that I’d made__________ friends.

__________, the day of the race arrived. At the start line, armed with my friends, I already felt like a champion. My time training had__________. I managed to hold a steady pace and kept up with my__________. Legs shaking and knees buckling, we crossed the finish line together.

I have participated in multiple races since. Although running started as a__________ of building social ties, it not only provided me with friendships, but with a skill that would benefit me the rest of my life. Though the first pair of shoes is long forgotten, running will never be__________.

1.

A．Relaxed

B．Excited

C．Embarrassed

D．Confused

2.

A．reputation

B．identity

C．connections

D．routines

3.

A．allowed

B．asked

C．reminded

D．required

4.

A．grateful

B．confident

C．awkward

D．crazy

5.

A．impossible

B．urgent

C．rewarding

D．pleasant

6.

A．socializing

B．studying

C．training

D．sharing

7.

A．high

B．climate

C．view

D．race

8.

A．listened to

B．made up

C．spread

D．exchanged

9.

A．stopped

B．deepened

C．returned

D．concluded

10.

A．new

B．more

C．lifelong

D．demanding

11.

A．Unfortunately

B．Obviously

C．Naturally

D．Finally

12.

A．failed

B．continued

C．paid off

D．caught on

13.

A．companions

B．opponents

C．coaches

D．judges

14.

A．series

B．means

C．habit

D．tradition

15.

A．chosen

B．forbidden

C．spread

D．replaced