2 . I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labelled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.

The war broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.

The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it.

From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, sobbing.

Obviously, that was something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.

Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I was so buried in my work that I even didn’t noticed Kate had sat up.

She was watching, her tears dried and her expression showed her disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”

Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together, giving in, cleaning up and holding on.

1. How is paragraph 1 mainly developed?

A．By analyzing causes.	B．By showing differences.
C．By describing a process.	D．By following time order.

2. Why did I got tired of my roommate Kate?

A．Kate always hid my belongings.

B．Kate often wore my clothes.

C．Kate wouldn’t share her books with me.

D．Kate didn’t agree with my way of doing things.

3. What made Kate so angry one evening?

A．The author’s shoes were dirty.

B．She heard the author shouting loud.

C．The author’s shoes were in Kate’s place.

D．She got the bad news from her grandma.

4. The author tidied up the room most probably because         .

A．she wanted to show her care

B．she was asked by Kate to do so

C．she was scared by Kate’s anger

D．she had planned to do so

3 . Edwin Hubble made his most important discoveries in the 1920s. Today, other astronomers continue the work he began. Many of them are using the Hubble Space Telescope that is named after him.

Edwin Powell Hubble was born in 1889 in Marshfield, Missouri. He spent his early years in the state of Kentucky. Then he moved with his family to Chicago, in Louisville. He attended the University of Chicago. He studied mathematics and astronomy. Hubble was a good student. He was a good athlete, too. He was a member of the University of Chicago championship basketball team in 1909. He also was an excellent boxer. Several people urged him to train for the world heavyweight boxing championship after college. Instead, he decided to continue his studies. He went to Queen’s College at Oxford, England.

At Oxford, Hubble studied law. He was interested in British Common Law, because his family had come to America from England many years before. He spent three years at Oxford. In 1913, Hubble returned to the United States. He opened a law office in Louisville, Kentucky. After a short time, however, he decided he did not want to be a lawyer. He returned to the University of Chicago. There, once again, he studied astronomy. Edwin Hubble was the first person to use the Hale Telescope.He died in 1953 while preparing to spend four nights looking through the telescope at the sky.

Hubble’s work led to new researches on the birth of the universe. One astronomer said scientists have been filling in the details ever since. And, he said, there is a long way to go.

1. According to this passage, what was Edwin Hubble most interested in?

A．Sports.	B．Law.
C．Astronomy.	D．Mathematics.

2. Why did Edwin Hubble return to the University of Chicago?

A．Because he was interested in British Common Law.

B．Because he was eager to be a famous judge in future.

C．Because his parents had been to Britain a few years before.

D．Because he wanted to go on with the study of astronomy.

3. Which of the following is the RIGHT order according to this passage?
a. He joined the University of Chicago championship basketball team.
b. He studied astronomy at the University of Chicago once again.
c. He moved to Louisville with his family.
d. He used the Hale Telescope to look at the sky.
e, He became a lawyer in Louisville for a short period of time.

A．c, a, b, d, e

B．a, c, b, e, d

C．c, a, e, b, d

D．a, b, d, e, c

4. What can we know from this passage?

A．The Hubble Space Telescope was made by Hubble himself.

B．Edwin Powell Hubble went to Oxford, England in 1910.

C．Edwin Powell Hubble grew up in Marshfield, Missouri.

D．Hubble died while he was looking at the sky.

4 . My son just turned 14 and does not have a smartphone. When he graduated from Grade 8, he was the only kid in his class without one. He asks for a phone now that he’s going to high school. I say no, he asks why, I explain, and he pushes back.

“You can choose to do things differently when you’re a parent,” I told him. But sometimes, I wonder if I’m being too stubborn or unfair.

The more I research, the more confident I feel in my decision. Many studies link the current mental health crisis among adolescents to fundamental changes in how they socialize, namely, the shift from in-person to online interaction.

But other mothers challenge my view. “He must feel so left out!” Then there are the parents who tell me sadly that they wish they had delayed their teenager’s phone ownership longer than they did. They urge me to hold out.

If teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 are truly spending an average of 8 hours 39 minutes per day on their devices, as stated in a survey conducted by Common Sense Media, then what are they not doing? Kids absorbed in their devices are missing out on real life, and that strikes me as really sad.

I want my son to have a childhood he feels satisfied with and proud of. I want it to be full of adventures, imaginative play and physical challenges which he must sort out himself without asking me for help. The easiest and simplest way to achieve these goals is to delay giving him a smartphone.

Some think my son is missing out or falling behind, but he is not. He does well in school and extra-curricular activities, hangs out with his friends in person, and moves independently around our small town. He promises he’ll give his own 14-year-old a phone someday, and I tell him that’s fine. But recently, he admitted that he missed the beautiful scenery on a drive to a nearby mountain because he had been so absorbed in his friend’s iPad. If that is his version of admitting I’m right, I’ll take it.

1. What does the underlined phrase “pushes back” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Agrees.

B．Delays.

C．Opposes.

D．Persuades.

2. What is the author primarily concerned about regarding giving her son a phone?

A．Her son’s online safety.

B．Her son’s mental growth.

C．Her son’s reduced physical activities.

D．Her son’s poor academic performance.

3. What quality does the author want her son to develop in his childhood?

A．Team spirit.	B．Leadership.
C．Independence.	D．Critical thinking.

4. What can be learned about the author’s son?

A．He is falling behind academically.

B．He is easily influenced by his friends.

C．He has given up his desire for a smartphone.

D．He has realized the problems of much screen time.

5 . Wayne Rogerson’s close friend, Ashley Cooper, died when he was seriously injured in a crash in 2008. His family later _________ his donated organs (器官) helped save seven people. This _________ Mr Rogerson to start donating blood.

Mr Rogerson said he _________ to do his bit and had donated blood 21 times, seldom _________ an appointment over eight years. But he could not have known the _________ act of giving blood would _________ save his own life.

At a donation _________ in 2017, a Red Cross Australia Lifeblood nurse discovered Mr Rogerson’s hemoglobin (血红蛋白) count was low and _________ him to seek medical care. “I had no _________, none at all,” he said. After Mr Rogerson went to a hospital and had medical tests, doctors said that he had developed cancer. Mr Rogerson spent about three months in hospital for an operation and treatment. During that time he _________ two blood transfusions (输血). “I was so _________ that they got it in time … I was fully recovered in November that year,” he said. But, to his _________, he can no longer donate blood due to_________ reasons. “After being both a(n) _________ and a recipient (接受者), I urge everyone to donate if you can,” he said.

“The _________ you save might just be your own.”

1.

A．explained

B．agreed

C．revealed

D．promised

2.

A．inspired

B．forced

C．allowed

D．reminded

3.

A．happened

B．wanted

C．continued

D．hesitated

4.

A．keeping

B．missing

C．attending

D．making

5.

A．accidental

B．brave

C．polite

D．selfless

6.

A．finally

B．naturally

C．hopefully

D．certainly

7.

A．appointment

B．meeting

C．bank

D．competition

8.

A．helped

B．encouraged

C．advised

D．drove

9.

A．hopes

B．symptoms

C．troubles

D．tears

10.

A．refused

B．avoided

C．wasted

D．received

11.

A．strong

B．calm

C．nervous

D．lucky

12.

A．disappointment

B．surprise

C．curiosity

D．satisfaction

13.

A．scientific

B．environmental

C．medical

D．historical

14.

A．patient

B．donor

C．joiner

D．onlooker

15.

A．time

B．money

C．life

D．energy

6 . Life will probably be very different in 2050. First of all, it seems that TV channels will have vanished by 2050. Instead, people will choose a programme from a “menu” and a computer will send the programme directly to the television. By 2050, music, films, programmes, newspapers and books will come to us in the similar way.

In many places, agriculture is developing quickly and people are growing fruit and vegetables for export. This uses a lot of water. Therefore, there could be serious shortages of water. Some scientist predict that water could be the cause of wars if we don’t act now.

In the future, cars will run on new, clean fuels (燃料) and they will go very fast. Cars will have computers to control the speed and there won’t be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination. Also, by 2050, space planes will fly people from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just two hours.

Some big companies now prefer to use robots that do not ask for pay rises or go on strike, and work 24 hours a day. They are also easy to control. And they never argue with people. They can be easily used in a variety of places — factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes.

Scientists will have discovered how to control genes (基因). Scientists have already produced clones (克隆) of animals. By 2050, scientists will be able to produce clones of people and decide how they look and how they behave. Scientists will be able to do these things, but should they?

1. Which of the following best explains “vanished” underlined in paragraph 1?

A．Settled.

B．Spread.

C．Disappeared.

D．Decreased.

2. What does paragraph 4 intend to show?

A．Robots can work in different places.

B．Robots have much to be improved.

C．Robots work for humans for free.

D．Robots have many advantages.

3. What does the author want to express in the last paragraph?

A．He probably disagrees with the idea of human cloning.

B．He is looking forward to using of cloning technology.

C．The scientists have already discovered how to control genes.

D．The scientists will face many difficulties of controlling genes.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．High-tech Cars	B．Life in the Future
C．Is Cloning Really Good?	D．Are You Ready for the Future?

8 . I always knew that I depended too much on my phone. But I didn’t know how much, so I decided to do this _________ to find out.

Every morning since I got a smartphone, I’ve used The Weather Channel to find out what to _________. On the first morning I had to dress without guidance, but _________ I was able to guess that the day would be cold and foggy by looking out of my window.

I couldn’t tell what time it was. I hadn’t worn a _________ for more than a year, because my phone showed the time. So I was late for _________ friends who had been on the bus for two hours from Santa Monica to Rancho Palos Verdes. I was also late for my part-time job. And _________, I couldn’t call people to tell them that I was running late. Getting somewhere was hard, too. I got _________ because I couldn’t use the GPS on my phone. My driving, though, got a lot _________ because I no longer had my phone in one hand checking directions while _________ with the other.

But the number one trouble was not having my contact list. I forgot to write down my friends’ and family members’ phone numbers before I __________ the challenge. It was sad to realize that I couldn’t remember my brother’s and my mom’s cell phone numbers. Oh, how I __________ to turn on the phone for just a second to look up phone numbers!

Even with all the problems, however, I found __________ not worrying about missing a text message or an e-mail.

This challenge was a(n) __________ learning experience. It surprised me how I’d taken no notice of even the __________ things like remembering phone numbers. We all should __________ some time to think about how we can depend less on our cell phones.

1.

A．task

B．duty

C．job

D．challenge

2.

A．carry

B．wear

C．take

D．see

3.

A．carefully

B．strangely

C．thankfully

D．surprisingly

4.

A．watch

B．hat

C．suit

D．ring

5.

A．making out

B．bringing up

C．calling out

D．picking up

6.

A．even so

B．after all

C．in all

D．even worse

7.

A．caught

B．changed

C．lost

D．hurt

8.

A．easier

B．safer

C．slower

D．quieter

9.

A．driving

B．chatting

C．agreeing

D．dealing

10.

A．supported

B．forgot

C．started

D．reported

11.

A．regretted

B．wished

C．liked

D．hated

12.

A．peace

B．silence

C．patience

D．confidence

13.

A．curious

B．unbelievable

C．comfortable

D．common

14.

A．happiest

B．nicest

C．simplest

D．clearest

15.

A．require

B．kill

C．enjoy

D．spare

9 . Don’t know how to take care of your plants? A little spider-like robot will go for the sunlight, run to shade, dance when it’s doing well and stomp (跺脚) when it needs to be watered.

It’s called the HEXA Plant, a six-legged machine created by Vincross, a technology company in Beijing, China.

The plant robot will go for sunlight when it needs sun, then will move around in order to absorb the sunlight on all sides. When it needs to cool off, it will look for shade. It also plays with humans and dances when it is happy, moving its legs up and down. But it gets “angry” when it’s thirsty by stomping around.

With six legs, the HEXA Plant can move anywhere. It’s nimble enough to go in any direction and around any objects in its path. It has a variety of “eyes”, including an infrared sensor (红外线传感器), a distance sensor and a 720p camera with night vision, which could be very handy if you want to send it out at night to check on any sudden noises. It has built-in WiFi as well as USB ports to expand its talents.

The inventor of the cute robot, Sun Tianqi, was inspired by a dead sunflower at a flower exhibition that had been sitting in the shade all day. That was when he had the idea for the walking plant robot. He wanted to allow plants to experience movement.

1. What can the HEXA Plant do?

A．Sing and dance.	B．Drink water when it’s thirsty.
C．Find a cool place when it feels hot.	D．Move the things in its path.

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

A．Happy.

B．Smart.

C．Angry.

D．Lucky.

3. What inspired Sun Tianqi to invent the HEXA Plant?

A．A green plant.

B．A dead sunflower.

C．An intelligent robot.

D．A strange animal.

4. Where can we most probably read the passage?

A．In an advertisement.

B．In a novel.

C．In a science magazine.

D．In a storybook.

10 . Every experience that American businesswoman Leigh-Ann Buchanan remembers has come from travel. Her early trips to the countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas were no small things — they assisted her to make connections with community organizations abroad, build leadership skills and find a greater purpose in her voluntary work. All of these experiences played an important part in her becoming a mentor (导师) to high school students.

She saw that many of her students from poor communities had never left the country. This not only shut them out from having life-changing experiences, but made them often miss out on college scholarships (奖学金) because their experiences couldn’t compete with those from higher-income backgrounds.

Then she saw a program founded by her friend in Ghana. It offered US students the opportunity to experience cultural exchanges abroad. Buchanan wondered why the students she mentored in Miami couldn’t have these life-changing experiences. So, she started the Nyah Project in 2014.

Since then, the project has provided money for 57 high-performing high school students throughout poor communities in Miami to have 10-day leadership trips. All 57 have gotten into colleges around the country, and over 90 percent have received full scholarships to college. Nyah fellows, the poor students helped by the Nyah Project, have traveled to countries including Indonesia, Namibia, Costa Rica and South Africa.

The trips bring cultural exchange opportunities, like learning about traditional Balinese dance in Indonesia and teaching younger students in Namibia. Kemoni Alexander, who is studying at Ohio Wesleyan University, was a Nyah fellow in 2017, and traveled to Namibia and South Africa for the first time out of the country.

“The neighborhood that I grew up in wasn’t adequately resourced and my schools were short of money,” Alexander said. “I could hardly believe that I was able to have that opportunity because other people saw that potential in me and believed in me.”

1. What does the underlined word “assisted” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Required.	B．Helped.
C．Trained.	D．Reminded.

2. Why did Buchanan set up the Nyah Project?

A．To offer students scholarships.

B．To share her travel experiences.

C．To support her friend’s program.

D．To provide chances for poor students.

3. How do the students benefit from the Nyah Project?

A．They are sure to be mentors in the future.

B．They can enjoy traveling worldwide for free.

C．They can do cultural exchanges on trips.

D．They can all receive full scholarships to college.

4. What can we infer from Alexander’s words?

A．She was thankful for the opportunity.

B．She was more confident about her ability.

C．She regretted having joined the project.

D．She felt embarrassed about her background.