1 . Babies made from three people approved in UK

Babies made from two women and one man have been approved by the UK’s fertility regulator. The historic and controversial move is to prevent children from being born with deadly genetic diseases.

Doctors in Newcastle — who developed the advanced form of In Vitro Fertilization or IVF (人工授精) — are expected to be the first to offer the procedure and have already appealed for donor eggs. The first such child could be born, at the earliest, by the end of 2017.

Some families have lost multiple children to incurable mitochondrial (线粒体的) diseases, which can leave people with insufficient energy to keep their heart beating.

The diseases are passed down from only the mother, so a technique using a donor egg as well as the mother’s egg and father’s sperm has been developed.

The resulting child has a tiny amount of their DNA from the donor, but the procedure is legal and reviews say it is ethical (伦理的) and scientifically ready.

“It is a decision of historic importance,” said Sally Cheshire, chairwoman of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). “I’m sure patients will be really pleased by what we’ve decided today.”

But some scientists have questioned the ethics of the technique, saying it could open the door to genetically-modified(转基因) ‘designer’ babies.

The HFEA must approve every clinic and every patient before the procedure can take place. Three-person babies have been allowed only in cases where the risk of a child developing mitochondrial disease is very high.

Prof Mary Herbert, from the Newcastle Fertility Centre, said, “It is enormously pleasing that our many years of research in this area can finally be applied to help families affected by these devastating diseases”.

“Now that we are moving forward towards clinical treatments, we will also need donors to donate eggs for use in treatment to prevent affected women transmitting disease to their children.”

Prof Sir Doug Turnbull, the director of the Welcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University, said, “We are delighted by today’s decision. We will also provide long-term follow up of any children born.”

NHS England has agreed to fund the treatment costs of the first trial of three-person IVF for those women who meet the HFEA criteria, as long as they agree to long-term follow up of their children after they are born.

1. Why is it historically important to approve babies made from three people?

A．It helps couples who lose the ability to give birth to a baby.

B．It marks a foundation stone to change babies’ appearances before birth.

C．It stops deadly genetic diseases passing down to newly-born babies.

D．It turns out to be an advanced form of In Vitro Fertilization.

2. Which of the following is TRUE about mitochondrial diseases?

A．They pass down on to babies from their parents.

B．They prevent people’s heart from functioning normally.

C．Some children infected can be cured with proper treatment.

D．Babies can be infected with them through a donor’s egg.

3. How can a clinic or a patient be approved of applying the three-person baby technique?

A．Only when the baby to be born needs it to survive.

B．Only when the patient gets financially prepared.

C．Only when the clinic gets scientifically ready.

D．Only when the technique is ethnically accepted.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the approval of babies made from three people?

A．Supportive

B．Indifferent

C．Worried

D．Objective

2 . That holiday morning I didn’t have to attend school. Usually, on holidays, Mother_______me to sleep in. And I would certainly take full advantage of it. On this particular morning,  _________,I felt like getting up early.

I stood by my window overlooking the _________, having nothing better to do. But as it turned out, I was soon to learn about something _________ in life.

As I watched several people go by, get into their cars and go off, I _________ an old man on a bicycle with a bucket on its _________ and a basket rags and bottles on its back-carriage. He _________ from one car to another, washing and cleaning them. From the water on the ground, it seemed that he had already _________ washing and cleaning about a dozen or more cars. He must have begun to work quite early in the morning.

Several thoughts _________my mind as I watched him work. He wasn’t well-dressed. He had on a pair of shorts and a(n) __________ T-shirt. The bicycle he rode was not by any means the kind modern __________would want to be seen riding on. But he seemed__________ with life. There he was, working hard at his small business, __________ at passers-by and stopping to chat now and then __________ elderly men and women on their way to the market nearby.

There was a noticeable touch of__________ in the way he seemed to be doing things— __________the windscreen, then standing back to admire it; scrubbing the wheels and __________, standing back to see what they look like after the scrub.

It was a __________ to learn, I felt. At no age need one have to beg for a __________if one has good health and is willing to work hard. For a while I felt ________ of myself. Young as I am—just sixteen, and there was this old man who must have been usefully engaged perhaps before the sun appeared above the horizon.

1.

A．forces

B．allows

C．causes

D．forbids

2.

A．otherwise

B．therefore

C．however

D．besides

3.

A．parking lot

B．bus stop

C．school

D．market

4.

A．interesting

B．surprising

C．awful

D．useful

5.

A．noticed

B．recognized

C．called

D．assisted

6.

A．back

B．handle

C．wheel

D．seat

7.

A．searched

B．left

C．moved

D．wandered

8.

A．stopped

B．started

C．intended

D．finished

9.

A．crossed

B．slipped

C．disturbed

D．inspired

10.

A．attractive

B．shiny

C．simple

D．expensive

11.

A．repairmen

B．businessmen

C．drivers

D．cyclists

12.

A．busy

B．content

C．careful

D．bored

13.

A．waving

B．looking

C．laughing

D．pointing

14.

A．about

B．for

C．with

D．like

15.

A．worry

B．respect

C．sympathy

D．pride

16.

A．cleaning

B．fixing

C．replacing

D．covering

17.

A．still

B．yet

C．again

D．soon

18.

A．lesson

B．subject

C．skill

D．fact

19.

A．business

B．living

C．success

D．right

20.

A．tired

B．doubtful

C．fearful

D．ashamed

3 . Attitude isn’t quite everything when it comes to being successful, but attitude plays a part in every stage of your life. A poor attitude gets more people _______ than any other single factor, and a good attitude gets people jobs and helps them _______ those jobs more than any other factor.

Your attitude _______ many people, from your family to the stranger on the street corner. Your attitude is particularly important when you _______ seemingly hopeless situations. Losing a job or a friend because of a poor attitude is _______.

You can find at least two _______ to look at everything. A pessimist looks for difficulty in the opportunity, while an optimist looks for opportunity in the difficulty. A poet of long ago put the _______ between optimism and pessimism this way: Two men _______ out from prison bars—one saw mud; the other saw stars.

Unfortunately, many people look only at the _______ and not at the opportunity that lies within the problem. Many ________ complain about the difficulty of their jobs, for example, not realizing that if the job were ________, the employer would hire someone with less ability at a lower wage. A small coin can hide even the sun if you hold the coin close enough to your ________. So when you get too close to your problems, to ________ objectively about them, try to ________ how your vision can be ________. Take a step back, and look at the situation from a new angle.

You can’t do anything to change the fact that a problem ________, but you can do a great deal to find the opportunity within that problem. You’re ________ a better tomorrow by doing your best today and ________ a plan of action for the tomorrows that lie ahead. ________, just remember to ________ a positive mental attitude.

1.

A．hired

B．fired

C．employed

D．engaged

2.

A．offer

B．supply

C．keep

D．create

3.

A．affects

B．costs

C．makes

D．trains

4.

A．lose

B．predict

C．judge

D．face

5.

A．unfortunate

B．unnecessary

C．inconvenient

D．impossible

6.

A．desires

B．ways

C．spirits

D．solutions

7.

A．importance

B．necessity

C．similarity

D．difference

8.

A．looked

B．glared

C．celebrated

D．concluded

9.

A．everything

B．situation

C．problem

D．possibility

10.

A．employers

B．employees

C．bosses

D．secretaries

11.

A．simple

B．tough

C．difficult

D．interesting

12.

A．ear

B．nose

C．eye

D．mouth

13.

A．worry

B．ignore

C．admit

D．think

14.

A．keep in mind

B．keep in touch

C．get rid of

D．do away with

15.

A．observed

B．blocked

C．imagined

D．doubted

16.

A．appears

B．works

C．exists

D．contains

17.

A．guaranteed

B．persuaded

C．satisfied

D．convinced

18.

A．struggling

B．developing

C．dreaming

D．balancing

19.

A．In this respect

B．In contrast

C．In other words

D．In a word

20.

A．consider

B．amuse

C．occupy

D．maintain

4 . There was a very wealthy man who was bothered by severe eye pain. He consulted many physicians and was being ________ by several of them. He did not stop consulting a large number of_________ experts; he consumed heavy loads of_________ and underwent hundreds of injections(注射). But the _________ was more unbearable than before.

At last, a monk who was _________ to be an expert in treating such patients was _________ by the suffering man. The monk _________ his problem and said that he should concentrate _________ on green colors and not let his eyes _________ any other colors for some time. It was a(n)_________ prescription(处方),but he was desperate and made up his mind to try it.

The wealthy man gathered a group of _________ and purchased barrels of green paint and directed that every object his eyes were _________ to see should be painted green just as the monk had directed. When the monk came to visit him after a few days, the wealthy man's _________ ran with buckets of green paint and poured it on him since he was in red, _________ their master saw any other color and his ache would _________.

Hearing this, the monk _________ and said, "If only you had bought a pair of green glasses, which are worth just a few dollars, you could have saved these walls and trees and pots and all the other articles and also could have saved a large share of his _________. You cannot paint the_________ green. "

Let us change our_________ and the world will change too. It is _________ to shape the world. Let us shape ourselves first.

1.

A．cheated

B．robbed

C．treated

D．hurt

2.

A．medical

B．chemical

C．technical

D．physical

3.

A．money

B．food

C．drugs

D．paints

4.

A．result

B．ache

C．stress

D．anxiety

5.

A．supposed

B．required

C．invited

D．forced

6.

A．taken care of

B．thought highly of

C．called for

D．asked for

7.

A．examined

B．solved

C．shared

D．covered

8.

A．mainly

B．only

C．simply

D．mostly

9.

A．land on

B．drop on

C．turn to

D．fall on

10.

A．difficult

B．strange

C．ordinary

D．final

11.

A．physicians

B．experts

C．painters

D．artists

12.

A．impossible

B．unusual

C．willing

D．likely

13.

A．friends

B．children

C．family

D．servants

14.

A．in case that

B．so that

C．in order that

D．now that

15.

A．break out

B．come back

C．get worse

D．go up

16.

A．nodded

B．screamed

C．laughed

D．stared

17.

A．fortune

B．trouble

C．time

D．energy

18.

A．room

B．house

C．garden

D．world

19.

A．mind

B．vision

C．plan

D．way

20.

A．unnecessary

B．brave

C．illegal

D．foolish

5 . In August 2017, Southeast Texas was underwater. Hurricane Harvey dumped five feet of rain in some areas, and nearly six feet of storm surge(风暴潮) made sure that the water had nowhere to go but into the houses, businesses, and lives of thousands of residents. More than 100 people died and $125 billion in damage was recorded before the waters went down weeks later.

About 30 miles due west of Houston, Katy, Texas, a former farm town of 18,000 residents, took a hard hit. Nearly 700 of its homes and 80 businesses were damaged or destroyed. But locals didn't wait for the rain to stop before opening their doors, refrigerators, and wallets to first responders, neighbors, strangers, and even pets.

Beaver Aplin, owner of the popular Buc-ee's chain of convenience stores, was preparing for the grand opening of his newest location just outside Katy. The 50,000-square-foot store was fully stocked with everything from food, water, and toiletries to batteries and Band-Aids. When the storm hit, Aplin opened the store early without thinking twice. He put the word out to first responders, telling them to take what they needed, free of charge.

Meanwhile, locals ran, drove, and paddled to rescue their neighbors stuck in the water. When the water was too deep, rescue came by boat. Pat Lester drove his air-boat into town from his home on the outskirts(郊外). He had seven life jackets, so he scooped up seven people at a time, starting with pregnant women, the elderly, and anyone who was ill.

These are just a small part of the stories of heroism that came out of Katy and all over Texas during one of the worst natural disasters the country has ever seen.

Even first responders coming from outside Katy could instantly feel the town's selfless spirit. ''We helped people in lots of other areas too, but Katy was amazing. Neighbors were going from house to house checking on people and helping everyone they could, '' David Scherff told Katy Magazine.

1. What was the result of Hurricane Harvey?

A．It killed almost 700 people.	B．It cost $125 billion in damage.
C．It totally destroyed Katy.	D．It forced all businesses to close.

2. What can best describe the people in Katy after reading the story?

A．Brave and selfless	B．Driven and focused
C．Optimistic and open-minded	D．Calm and intelligent

3. Why did Katy Magazine quote David Scheff’s words in the last paragraph?

A．To show respect to the first responders in Katy.

B．To point out the importance of natural disaster relief.

C．To praise Katy people for their heroic behavior in the floods.

D．To emphasize the need to help each other through hard times.

6 . To help self-driving cars drive safely, scientists are looking to an unlikely place: the sea. A new type of camera inspired by the eyes of mantis shrimps(螳螂虾) could help autonomous vehicles better assess their surroundings, researchers report October 11 in Optica. The camera has roughly half a million sensors that each capture a wide range of light and dark spots within a single frame, somewhat similar to how mantis shrimps see the world.

The researchers wanted to ''imitate the animals' ability to detect a wide range of light intensities(强度), ''says co-author Viktor Gruev, a bio-engineer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The shrimps’ visual system allows them to see both light and dark areas while moving in and out of dark cracks in shallow waters, he says.

The newly devised camera can take in a wider range of light intensities, measured in decibels (分贝), than other digital or polarization cameras. Previously, the best polarization cameras operated with a dynamic range of about 60 decibels; the new one works within a 140 decibel range, resulting in a clearer mapping of objects in the same frame.

Depending on the maker, autonomous vehicles currently use a mixture of methods to map the world around them, including lidar (light detection and ranging equipment), cameras and GPS. But the cameras currently guiding autonomous vehicles aren't good at handling sharp lighting transitions and have trouble detecting features in foggy weather. Because the new cameras are small and use many of the same parts as common digital cameras, Gruev says they could cost as little as $10, which means they are car-makers' best choice for their autonomous vehicles.

1. What do we know about the new cameras after reading the article?

A．They enable cars to go through cracks without trouble.

B．They use totally different parts from common cameras.

C．They have already been widely used on self-driving cars.

D．They see the surroundings by detecting the light intensities.

2. How does Viktor Gruev feel about the cameras' practical use on self-driving cars?

A．Hopeful.	B．Uncertain.
C．Worried.	D．Modest.

3. What is the best title for the article?

A．Self-driving cars are already on their way.

B．Bioengineering paves the way for our future.

C．Mantis shrimps bring inspiration for new cameras.

D．The popularity of self-driving cars depends on cameras.

7 . Artificial intelligence, or AI, has slowly begun to influence higher education around the world. Now, one new AI tool could change the way university students evaluate their professor. The tool is called Hubert, a teacher evaluation tool that appears as an AI-powered chatbot. Instead of filling out a form, students use a chat window to give feedback (反馈) on the course and their professor. Afterwards, Hubert categorizes the students’ comments for the professor to review.

Hubert is free for educators to use. More than 600 teachers have used it already. The goal of the new Hubert program is to improve education by giving teachers detailed, organized feedback from students.

Viktor Nordmark, from Sweden, started the company in 2015, with several friends. Before creating Hubert, the founders asked teachers what would improve their teaching skills. The answer, Nordmark said, was qualitative (定性的) feedback from their students. In other words, teachers wanted students to write detailed answers to open-ended questions about their experiences in class.

Qualitative feedback is different from the survey responses, which students are often asked to provide at the end of a class. “This kind of data takes a lot of time for professors to collect and analyze,” Nordmark said. And for the students, it can also be “really boring to fill out.” So Nordmark and his friends designed Hubert as a compromise between a traditional survey and a personal interview. “You can reach a really large crowd, but you can also get really qualitative data back,” Nordmark said.

Now, when Hubert receives comments from students, it compares them with the information already in its system to organize the data. Nordmark says that Hubert will continue to get smarter as it receives more comments in the future. Nordmark says he and his co-founders have plans to make Hubert more flexible and accurate. They hope to give teachers the possibility of selecting their own evaluation questions.

1. What can be learned about Hubert from the passage?

A．It enables professors to evaluate their students by giving feedback.

B．It helps its inventor make money from professors pay fees.

C．It is to help teachers improve their teaching skills more effectively.

D．It collects data from students who fill out forms after class.

2. According to Viktor Nordmark, Hubert           .

A．still needs improving	B．is already perfect
C．is really boring to use	D．offers survey responses

3. What is the text mainly about?

A．The characteristics of qualitative feedback.

B．A new AI-powered tool of teacher evaluation.

C．The changes in the way teachers are evaluated.

D．A potential revolution in the educational system.

8 . A few weeks ago, I called an Uber to take me to the Boston airport for a flight home for the holidays. As I slid into the back seat of the car, the warm intonations (语调) of the driver’s accent washed over me in a familiar way.

I learned that he was a recent West African immigrant with a few young children, working hard to provide for his family. I could relate: I am the daughter of two Ethiopian immigrants who made their share of sacrifices to ensure my success. I told him I was on a college break and headed home to visit my parents. That’s how he found out I go to Harvard. An approving eye glinted at me in the rearview window, and quickly, we crossed the boundaries of rider and driver. I became his daughter, all grown up — the product of his sacrifice.

And then came the fateful question: “What do you study?” I answered “history and literature” and the pride in his voice faded, as I knew it might. I didn’t even get to add “and African-American studies” before he cut in, his voice thick with disappointment, “All that work to get into Harvard, and you study history?”

Here I was, his daughter, squandering the biggest opportunity of her life. He went on to deliver the age-old lecture that all immigrant kids know. We are to become doctors (or lawyers, if our parents are being generous) — to make money and send money back home. The unspoken demand, made across generations, which my Uber driver laid out plainly, is simple: Fulfill your role in the narrative (故事) of upward mobility so your children can do the same.

I used to feel anxious and backed into a corner by the questioning, but now as a junior in college, I’m grateful for their support more than anything. This holiday season, I’ve promised myself I won’t get annoyed at their inquiries. I won’t defensively respond with “but I plan to go to law school!” when I get unrequested advice. I’ll just smile and nod, and enjoy the warmth of the occasion.

1. What disappointed the driver?

A．The author’s attitude towards him.

B．The school that the author is attending.

C．The author’s majors in history and literature.

D．The author’s interests in African American studies.

2. Which of the following can replace the underlined word squandering in Paragraph 4?

A．wasting	B．creating
C．valuing	D．seizing

3. Why are immigrant kids expected to be doctors or lawyers?

A．They have more opportunities.

B．They are very smart in general.

C．Their parents are high achieving as well.

D．Their parents want them to move upward in society.

4. How did the author react to the driver’s questioning?

A．Getting upset.	B．Feeling satisfied.
C．Defending herself.	D．Appreciating his concern.

9 . We made a quick stop at a grocery store to pick up cupcakes for my daughter Norah’s fourth birthday. As an older gentleman walked by, Norah ______ and waved, “Hi, old person! It’s my birthday today!” I apologized to him embarrassedly for her ______.

“Hello, little lady! And how old are you today?” He asked. They ______ for a couple of minutes, with Norah   ______ him on the details of her birthday, and we went our ______ ways. But a few minutes later, Norah ______ she really wanted a ______ with him. Uh. My cutest baby!

We back found him at the ______. “Excuse me, sir? She’d like to know if you’d take a photo with her,” I asked, ______ the man to be annoyed at my daughter’s strange request. ______. I got the completely opposite response!

He looked ______. “A photo? With me?” So they posed together and then they ______ each other like they were long lost friends. The precious scene ______ other shoppers, but no one cared.

We ______ Mr. Dan（I knew his name later on）for his ______. His eyes filled with tears and he said, “No, thank YOU. It is YOU who made me ______.’’

Now, Norah and Mr. Dan are more than just friends. We make ______ visits to see him because she worries about his being ______. Mr. Dan says that his friendship with Norah helped to ______ his broken heart for his wife’s sudden death.

Sometimes talking to ______ turns into the most beautiful thing in the world.

1.

A．communicated

B．asked

C．smiled

D．escaped

2.

A．noise

B．rudeness

C．interruption

D．impoliteness

3.

A．chatted

B．stood

C．waited

D．discussed

4.

A．dropping

B．filling

C．calling

D．putting

5.

A．separate

B．narrow

C．long

D．crowded

6.

A．reminded

B．predicted

C．decided

D．remembered

7.

A．talk

B．reunion

C．moment

D．photo

8.

A．street

B．store

C．shopping mall

D．supermarket

9.

A．expecting

B．thinking

C．reminding

D．causing

10.

A．Lastly

B．However

C．Instead

D．Suddenly

11.

A．annoyed

B．delighted

C．disappointed

D．astonished

12.

A．greeted

B．hugged

C．supported

D．encouraged

13.

A．educated

B．attracted

C．appealed

D．blocked

14.

A．memorized

B．paid

C．thanked

D．excited

15.

A．time

B．permission

C．friendship

D．experience

16.

A．cheer up

B．get along

C．take off

D．hold on

17.

A．special

B．rare

C．quick

D．often

18.

A．tired

B．busy

C．lonely

D．ill

19.

A．attend

B．sew

C．open

D．touch

20.

A．shoppers

B．friends

C．passengers

D．strangers

10 . In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, two plants were brought to England, for the first time, by Sir Walter Raleigh, both of which are now very much used—the tobacco-plant and the potato. Sir Walter had sailed across the seas to America, in search of new lands; and he brought back both these plants with him.

When he was in America, he had seen the Indians smoke, and before long he acquired the habit himself. He became extremely fond of smoking, and frequently indulged in the practice.

When he returned to England, he was sitting by the fire one day, and began to smoke. In the middle of his smoking, the door opened, and in came his man-servant. Now this man had never in his life seen any one smoke, and did not know that where was such a plant as tobacco. So, when he saw the smoke coming from his master’s mouth, he thought that he was on fire!

But very soon the old servant got used to seeing people with smoke coming out of their mouths; and all the young nobles of the court began to smoke because Sir Walter did so.

At first, people did not like the potato at all: nobody would eat it. Yet Sir Walter told them how useful it would be. The potato, he said, could be made to grow in England. He told them that, when the corn-harvest failed—which it often used to do—people need not starve if they had plenty of potatoes.

Queen Elizabeth, who was a very clever woman, listened to what Sir Walter said, and had potatoes served up at her own table. There the grand people who dined with her majesty were obliged to eat them. But they spread a report that the potato was poisonous, because it belongs to the same order as the deadly nightshade(龙葵属植物) and many other poisonous plants. So, in spite of all that the Queen could do, no one would eat potatoes, and they were left for the pigs.

The people did not find out their mistake till many years afterwards when the French king Louis XVI asked his people to eat them. And people began to find out how good and wholesome they were. The potato was more and more liked; and now there is hardly any vegetable that is more highly esteemed.

1. What do we know about Sir Walter?

A．He introduced the tobacco-plant and the potato to England.

B．He went to America in order to do research on plants and animals.

C．He was forced to smoke by the Indians in America during his stay there.

D．He taught Queen Elizabeth how to smoke in court with the young nobles.

2. People were afraid of the potatoes at first because ___________.

A．the Queen refused to eat them herself

B．they were used as poison by the Indians

C．they were long used as food for the pigs

D．they belong to the poisonous nightshade

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．Both the tobacco plant and the potato were native to France.

B．Young nobles in England refused to smoke for the terrible smell.

C．It was not easy to grow corn back in the age of Queen Elizabeth.

D．The English people were the first to accept potatoes as tasty food.

4. What conclusion can we draw from the two stories?

A．Only those who are willing to take risks can succeed in the end.

B．They are lots of new plants on the earth that can be used as food.

C．All people are afraid to try things that are new and strange to them.

D．The upper class had huge influence on the way people lived in the past.