1 . To become the Olympic champion in the individual (个人) all-around event, Gabby Douglas had to leave everything she
As it turned out, Douglas did
Not so long ago, Martha Karolyl the coordinator (联络人) of the women’s national team, did not think Douglas had what it
“I’m going to inspire so many people,” she said. “I’m ready to
| A．tried | B．thought | C．judged | D．knew |
| A．take up | B．pack up | C．clean up | D．do up |
| A．goodbye | B．hello | C．thanks | D．no |
| A．cause | B．observe | C．ride | D．strike |
| A．common | B．time | C．fun | D．tough |
| A．breathtaking | B．heartbreaking | C．eye-catching | D．head-spinning |
| A．dropped out | B．moved on | C．pulled over | D．went off |
| A．reason | B．talk | C．compete | D．train |
| A．met | B．helped | C．understood | D．needed |
| A．approximately | B．gradually | C．exactly | D．possibly |
| A．defeated | B．pleased | C．respected | D．assisted |
| A．forced | B．transformed | C．persuaded | D．put |
| A．world | B．city | C．team | D．state |
| A．amateur | B．elected | C．average | D．enthusiastic |
| A．clarifying | B．defending | C．winning | D．demanding |
| A．followed | B．organized | C．watched | D．led |
| A．confident | B．nervous | C．excited | D．uneasy |
| A．viewed | B．appeared | C．mattered | D．took |
| A．now and then | B．more and more | C．far and wide | D．on and on |
| A．shine | B．fly | C．dance | D．score |
2 . Theatres and Entertainment
St David’s HallSt David’s Hall is the award winning National Concert Hall of Wales standing at the very heart of Cardiff’s entertainment centre. With an impressive 2,000-seat concert hall, St David’s Hall is home to the annual Welsh Proms Cardiff. It presents live entertainment, including pop, rock, folk, jazz, musicals, dance, world music, films and classical music.
The Hayes, Cardiff CF10 1AHwww.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk
The Glee Club
Every weekend this is “Wales” premier comedy club where having a great time is the order for both audiences and comedy stars alike. It is hard to name a comedy star who hasn’t been on the stage here. If you are looking for the best comedies on tour and brilliant live music, you should start here.
Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF10 5BZwww.glee.co.uk/cardiff
Sherman Cymru
Sherman Cymru’s theatre in the Cathays area of Cardiff reopened in February 2012. This special building is a place in which theatre is made and where children, artists, writers and anyone else have the opportunity (机会) to do creative things. Sherman Cymru is excited to present a packed programme of the very best theatre, dance, family shows and music from Wales and the rest of the world.
Senghennydd Road, Cardiff CF24 4YEwww.shermancymru.co.uk
New Theatre
The New Theatre has been the home of quality drama, musicals, dance and children’s shows for more than 100 years. Presenting the best of the West End along with the pick of the UK’s touring shows, the New Theatre is Cardiff’s oldest surviving traditional theatre. Be sure to pay a visit as part of your stay in the city.
Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3LNwww.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk
1. Where is the Welsh Proms Cardiff hosted?
| A．At the New Theatre. | B．At the Glee Club. |
| C．At Sherman Cymru. | D．At St David’s Hall. |
| A．Watch musicals. | B．Enjoy comedies. |
| C．See family shows. | D．Do creative things. |
| A．www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk | B．www.shermancymru.co.uk |
| C．www.glee.co.uk/cardiff | D．www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk |
3 . A Take a view, the Landscape(风景)Photographer of the Year Award, was the idea of Charlie Waite, one of today’s most respected landscape photographers.Each year, the high standard of entries has shown that the Awards are the perfect platform to showcase the very best photography of the British landscape.Take a view is a desirable annual competition for photographers from all comers of the UK and beyond.
| Mike Shepherd(2011) Skiddaw in Winter Cumbria, England | It was an extremely cold winter’s evening and freezing fog hung in the air. I climbed to the top of a small rise and realised that the mist was little more than a few feet deep, and though it was only a short climb, I found myself completely above it and looking at a wonderfully clear view of Skiddaw with the sun setting in the west. I used classical techniques, translated from my college days spent in the darkroom into Photoshop, to achieve the black—and—white image(图像). |
| Timothy Smith(2014) Macclesfield Forest Cheshire, England | I was back in my home town of Macclesfield to take some winter images. Walking up a path through the forest towards Shutlingsloe. a local high point, I came across a small clearing and immediately noticed the dead yellow grasses set against the fresh snow. The small pine added to the interest and I placed it centrally to take the view from the foreground right through into the forest. |
| A．Writers. | B．Photographers. | C．Painters. | D．Tourists. |
| A．They are winter images. |
| B．They are in black and white. |
| C．They show mountainous scenes. |
| D．They focus on snow—covered forests. |
| A．In a history book. | B．In a novel. | C．In an art magazine. | D．In a biography. |
4 . How do you spend your spare time? There will be different answers to it. Most people in Poland(波兰) have their own ways of spending free time. Sometimes they just want to have a rest, but they try to do something more pleasant most of the time. They have many different hobbies, which help them to get away from their everyday problems and spend their free time happily.
Many Polish(波兰的) people like travelling. They look for new places that they have never been to and add new and exciting experiences to their journey. Some of them like to climb mountains, others like to go to the sea or a lake to swim, because these can make them get exercise and are good for their health.
Many Polish people also like to watch sports in their free time. They are usually crazy about football, and football is regarded as the Polish national sport. Many football fans may support a certain team, so they go to watch every match of the team they support, and they buy many things that have any relation with the team. Watching a sport and doing it are both good ways to relax.
In addition, doctors say that doing sports is very good for the health. Many people in town, especially young men, often go to the gym to attend the exercise classes to keep fit.
Besides these ways, Polish people have many other ways to spend their free time. And they really enjoy their free time.
1. Polish people have many different hobbies in order to ________.| A．solve their daily problems | B．finish all their work |
| C．make some friends | D．relax themselves in their spare time |
| A．Because they hate travelling. | B．Because they can get exercise from it. |
| C．Because they can find a new place. | D．Because it is comfortable and funny. |
| A．Playing football. | B．Climbing mountains. |
| C．Skating. | D．Swimming. |
5 . Sharon, Aged 22
The most important thing to keep in mind when going into high school is to be yourself. Besides, I don’t know what your middle school was like, but high school teachers will not care about things such as how much homework you already have in one night. It’s best to just learn to deal with things and manage your time wisely so you can achieve everything you need.
Frank, Aged 21
I think almost every kid feels both nervous and excited before their first day. You will probably love it. I know I did. You should join in some sports or activities that will make your high school experience more enjoyable. Good luck！
Eddie, Aged 20
When I started high school I was really nervous too, especially since I had been home-schooled all through middle school and didn’t really know anyone, I suppose the best advice would be to just relax. The first couple of days can be a little bit hard, but things will become easier after you know it.
David, Aged 19
I’m not going to lie. The first day is kind of frightening. But you’ll get used to it. Don’t be afraid of anyone; upperclassmen will pick on you more if you let them know you’re afraid. Just take it easy. Making some friends and staying with them will greatly help you get used to high school quickly. After the first week it’s really not bad at all. Don’t worry.
1. What can we infer from Sharon about high school?| A．Teachers are quite strict. |
| B．Students often stay up at night. |
| C．Teachers provide little care for students. |
| D．Students should make good use of their time. |
| A．Excited | B．Bored. | C．Worried. | D．Relaxed. |
| A．Frank. | B．David. | C．Sharon. | D．Eddie. |
6 . When I was growing up, I had an old neighbour named Dr Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard. I remember him as someone who was a lot nicer than most of the adults in our community.
When Dr Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. His house sat on ten acres, and his life’s goal was to make it a forest.
The good doctor had some interesting theories concerning plant care and growth. He never watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. Once I asked why. He said that watering plants spoiled them so that each successive tree generation would grow weaker and weaker. So you have to make things rough for them and weed out (淘汰) the weaker trees early on.
He talked about how watering trees made for shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in search of moisture. I took him to mean that deep roots were to be treasured.
So he never watered his trees. He planted an oak and, instead of watering it every morning, he’d beat it with a rolledup newspaper. Smack! Slap! Pow! I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Dr Gibbs passed away a couple of years after I left home. Every now and again, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I’d watched him plant some twentyfive years ago. They’re extremely tall, big and robust since they have deep roots now. However, the trees in my garden trembled in a cold wind although I had watered them for several years.
It seems that adversity (逆境) and suffering benefit these trees in ways comfort and ease never could. I stood there deep in thought.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I stand over them and watch their little bodies, the rising and falling of life within. I often pray for them. Mostly I pray that their lives will be easy. But I think it’s time to change my prayer (祷词) because now I know my children are going to encounter hardship.
1. According to Dr Gibbs’ theories, trees will become weaker if they .| A．are lack of care | B．are watered |
| C．are weeded out | D．are beaten |
| A．strong | B．strange | C．deep | D．old |
| A．I wish them strong wings, with which they can fly higher and touch the sky. |
| B．I wish them nice fortune so that they can meet people like Dr Gibbs in the future. |
| C．I wish them deep roots into the earth since the rains fall and the winds blow often. |
| D．I wish them great shades under the tree since the sunlight is always sharp and bitter. |
| A．A nice doctor | B．The deep roots |
| C．Adversity and suffering | D．My childhood memory |
7 . When Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s paintings were put on display in a gallery in London, it attracted much attention. A poet and essayist described her paintings as “a ribbon around a bomb”-a quote that went on to provide the title for a documentary about her life. Such a/an
Kahlo, born in 1907 in a suburb of Mexico City, was greatly affected by two terrible events early in her life. At the age of 7, she
Despite the tragic events in her life, Kahlo had a
Kahlo died in 1954 in her parents’ home. The final words in Kahlo’s diary were, “I hope the
| A．ordinary | B．plain | C．reasonable | D．extraordinary |
| A．approve | B．prove | C．suggest | D．impress |
| A．point | B．case | C．time | D．issue |
| A．suffered from | B．escaped from | C．prevented from | D．recovered from |
| A．bent | B．twisted | C．ruined | D．destroyed |
| A．Above all | B．In addition | C．In conclusion | D．As a result |
| A．introduced | B．informed | C．involved | D．reported |
| A．consultations | B．operations | C．scans | D．emergencies |
| A．symptom | B．depression | C．pain | D．syndrome |
| A．unprepared | B．unsolved | C．unexpected | D．unhurt |
| A．dignity | B．honor | C．prestige | D．reputation |
| A．sensible | B．visible | C．audible | D．edible |
| A．casually | B．unintentionally | C．typically | D．absolutely |
| A．crafted | B．exhibited | C．structured | D．inspired |
| A．exit | B．entrance | C．benchmark | D．milestone |
8 . Traveling to a foreign country can make you frightened if you don't know the local language.Mr.Thibault has a number of tips to help travelers manage in a destination when they don't speak the native tongue, based on his own experience.Here are a few of them.
Download a Language Translation App
Mr.Thibault tends to rely on Google Translate and suggests that travelers find an app that works for them.Ideally, find one that specializes in the language you need to translate especially if the language uses a character set you’re not familiar with, or have difficulty pronouncing.
Speak with Your Hands and Head
Pointing with your hands and nodding or shaking your head, Mr.Thibault said, are easy ways to communicate with locals in the country you’re in.“Gestures are all universally understood，” he said.
Learn a Few Key Words
Knowing basic words and phrases like "hello""thank you” and “I’m sorry，I don’t speak your language.Do you speak English?” is a must, Mr.Thibault said.Showing that you care enough to learn some of the language before you go, and at least enough to acknowledge that you don’t know more, is a form of respect and will make you go a long way to be liked by locals.
Work with a Local Travel Agent
If you feel particularly uncomfortable in the country you’re heading to, and you have to go anyway, relying on a local travel agent who knows both your and your destination's languages can be incredibly useful.
Hire a Local Tour Guide
A tour guide can help you get a better grasp of the local language and is a good person to practice words and phrases with.Whenever Mr.Thibault visits a new country, he books a sightseeing tour with a guide on the first day of his trip.“I use this day to learn about my destination and get familiar with the language,”he said.
1. In what situation should a language translation app be applied while traveling abroad?| A．When you have trouble pronouncing the words. |
| B．When you want to acknowledge your ignorance. |
| C．When you want to practice the local language. |
| D．When you feel uncomfortable in the country. |
| A．Downloading a language translation app. |
| B．Learning a few key words. |
| C．Using body language. |
| D．Working with a guide. |
| A．By speaking with your hands and head. |
| B．By learning a few key words. |
| C．By downloading a language translation app. |
| D．By hiring a local tour guide. |
9 . The African penguin is expected to go extinct in the wild in just over a decade, given its current population decline. The main reason is a lack of food caused by disturbance to ocean conditions from global heating and competition from the commercial fishing industry. According to a study, scientists have identified a possible additional cause, one that is an entirely new threat and that further prevents the penguins from finding food: noise pollution from marine (海洋的) ships in a bay.
Since 2016, a new shipping practice has started at Algoa Bay. The bay offers ship-to-ship refueling for ships anchored offshore. Since the start of this practice, marine traffic in the bay has doubled. The number of bulk carriers (散货船) pulling into the bay has increased by ten times as much. Thus the noise levels in the area had doubled and the population of penguins has dropped sharply. High noise levels affect the ability of marine animals to find food, communicate or navigate properly.
Researchers used data from ship identification tools to estimate underwater noise from passing ships. They also attached underwater microphones and accelerometers (感应器) to some of the penguins. Recording the noise will tell researchers what the penguins are hearing, if they’re talking while hunting, if they’re changing their movements in response to noise, and if the noise is drowning out their hunting conversations. This will allow researchers to determine whether the sound disturbance is a direct cause of the penguins’ ongoing difficulties in finding sufficient food.
The study is the first to explore the effects of ocean traffic noise pollution on seabirds and the consequences of offshore shipping activities on underwater noise levels. Experts are considering proposing various global best-practice approaches to reduce some of the impacts of noise pollution, such as policies that limit the number and size of ships allowed into a bay of this kind. “We also need more scientific monitoring of noise, before these measures are put in place and afterward, so that we have a proper understanding of what works.” a researcher said.
1. What is caused by the noise pollution?| A．The penguins’ lack of food. |
| B．The penguins’ proper navigation. |
| C．People’s communication disability. |
| D．The commercial competition. |
| A．Because they wanted to study the way of relieving marine traffic pressure. |
| B．Because they could determine and analyze the source of ocean noise pollution |
| C．Because it helped to calculate underwater noise levels caused by different ships. |
| D．Because the impact of ocean on penguins’ hunting behavior could be found. |
| A．By exploring the real effects of ocean traffic. |
| B．By restricting the ships to go into the bay. |
| C．By banning all the offshore shipping activities. |
| D．By increasing ship-to-ship refueling activities. |
| A．Evaluate the risk of the noise. |
| B．Establish a monitoring system. |
| C．Put the measures in place. |
| D．Try to understand what happens. |
10 . “Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. “If you don’t
Mother was
I returned to Dixon, where I had finished my high school education and had
My disappointment had
| A．insist on | B．wait for | C．focus on | D．give up |
| A．false | B．right | C．great | D．strong |
| A．devoted | B．wanted | C．found | D．enjoyed |
| A．called | B．received | C．refused | D．accepted |
| A．large | B．tall | C．kind | D．rude |
| A．experience | B．examination | C．agreement | D．permission |
| A．money | B．chance | C．time | D．patience |
| A．played | B．joined | C．taken | D．fought |
| A．own | B．manage | C．report | D．enter |
| A．funny | B．annoying | C．right | D．important |
| A．shown | B．disappeared | C．resulted | D．turned |
| A．asked | B．advised | C．ordered | D．reminded |
| A．hired | B．fired | C．dismissed | D．bought |
| A．What | B．How | C．Whenever | D．Wherever |
| A．player | B．announcer | C．fan | D．coach |
| A．Suddenly | B．However | C．Besides | D．Though |
| A．chat | B．music | C．football | D．broadcast |
| A．make | B．act | C．broadcast | D．play |
| A．moved | B．sorry | C．thankful | D．satisfied |
| A．past | B．coming | C．last | D．rainy |
