1 . Song Lam, or Waiata to some of her New Zealand Maori friends, argues that Mandarin and Maori have much in common, particularly the five vowels(元音) which sound the same in both languages. And the mythological(神话) figure Maui of Maori legend has a Chinese “twin brother”, the Monkey King. Both could turn themselves into any shape or figure at any time.
Some academics claim that one of the native tribes in Taiwan, China speaks a language similar to Maori, notably in the naming of numbers. Evidence gleaned by archaeologists(考古学家) shows an ancient link between the peoples of Australasia and Taiwan, with the native language of Taiwan having similarities to the prehistoric Australasian language.
Confused by Maori place names and customs when she first moved to New Zealand, Song Lam spent eight years researching and three years writing her book, The Maori of New Zealand, which is believed to be the first Chinese-language publication to include Maori words, values and customs. The 120-page book, including 10 pages of photos and maps, descbribes Maori legends, traditions, history and folk tales.
Song Lam was inspired to write the book in 1990 when she tried to sign up for an education course in New Zealand and was asked for her comments on a local historical event, which she knew nothing about. She involved her two sons in her project and research after explaining to them the stories behind Maori place names. The younger boy, aged 10, used his skill at drawing to contribute an historic map of Maori tribes in New Zealand.
“Both Chinese and Maori like to present a gift when visiting others or receiving warm reception,” Lam says. “My book will be a good gift when I visit a Maori community.”
1. According to Song Lam, what do Mandarin and Maori have in common?| A．Fairy tales of the same character. | B．Confusing place names and customs. |
| C．Similar pronunciation of vowels. | D．The magic power of the Monkey King. |
| A．Controlled. | B．Gathered. |
| C．Grown. | D．Switched. |
| A．To tell his curiosity about Maori. |
| B．To prove his unique talent in painting. |
| C．To stress the importance of education. |
| D．To show his help with the publication. |
| A．Cultures Share Language Bond |
| B．The First Book about Maori |
| C．Adaptation to Life in New Zealand |
| D．Languages Bridge Misunderstanding |
2 . Many people think daydreaming is bad for their emotions and has negative effects on their life and those around them. It makes adapting to life very hard and brains work less effectively.
Contrary to common ideas, the brains of people who are daydreaming might not stop working, but may be working harder, new research has shown. Scientists scanned the brains of people lying inside magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, as they pushed buttons or rested in turn. The scans showed that the “default (默认的) network” deep inside a human brain becomes more active during daydreaming.
In a surprise finding, the scans also showed strong activity in the executive network, the outlying region of the brain associated with complex problem-solving, says Professor Kalina Christoff, who is a co-author of the study. “People assume that when the mind wanders away, it just gets turned off—but we show the opposite. When it wanders, it is turned on.” says Christoff.
The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest, “People who let themselves daydream might not think in the same focused way as when performing a goal-oriented task, but they bring in more mental and brain resources,” says Christoff.
F. Diane Barth said at Psychology Today that the more we daydream, the more our brain is able to hold onto the task when we are being bombarded (轰炸) from all sides by all kinds of noises, information input, and conflicting demands. You're not trying to escape the task at hand; rather, you're trying to get rid of all of the information and stimuli (刺激物) that could pose as bothers.
According to Christoff, people typically spend one third of their waking time daydreaming. “It is a big part of our lives, but it has been largely ignored by science,” she says. “The study is the first to use MRIs to study brain activity during spontaneous thoughts and subjective experiences. Until now the only way is to use self-reports that are not always reliable.”
1. What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Scientists. | B．Scans. | C．MRI machines. | D．Study subjects. |
| A．may help us get relaxed | B．may be beneficial to our health |
| C．may use less energy than focusing | D．may help us arrive at solutions faster |
| A．Daydreaming provides us with many stimuli. |
| B．Daydreaming is actually an act of concentration. |
| C．Daydreaming can make us forget unhappy things. |
| D．Daydreaming reminds us of more useful information. |
| A．MRIs are reliable to study brain activity. |
| B．People should spend more time daydreaming. |
| C．More studies about daydreaming need to be done. |
| D．People should make full use of daydreaming time. |
3 . The key to a successful garage sale is to get the word out. The best way of advertising your sale is to place an ad in the local newspaper. If you have a city and neighborhood paper, make sure you advertise in both. The ad should be large enough to stand out. It should also include information on where the sale is located with directions, the “hot" items you're selling and the time when the sale will start and end. An ad should be placed at least two days before the sale and run until the day of your event. That way people can plan their route to the sale in advance.
Signs must be another great way to inform your community. Post them where people gather, such as stores and community centers. Some businesses have a central bulletin board, which is the best place to advertise. Other places to post are at the local college or university campus. This is especially helpful if your sale is happening in August or early September when students have returned to school and are looking for cheap finds.
Post signs round your neighborhood. You should also place both ads and direction signs, especially if you're located on a side street without a major presence. Signs will attract and direct people. Just make sure your print is in bold letters and use large direction signs so that people can read the information from the front seat of their car.
1. You should place an ad at least two days before the sale so that people can ________.| A．get enough cash for the sale | B．compare prices of the items |
| C．select the items they will buy | D．decide on their route beforehand |
| A．Schools are nearby. | B．There are many stores. |
| C．Students often meet there. | D．More people gather there. |
| A．Colored signs are preferred. | B．Bold letters should be used. |
| C．Large pictures should be included. | D．Phone numbers should be provided. |
| A．Advertising Garage Sales | B．Advantages of Garage Sales |
| C．Importance of Garage Sales | D．Printing Ads for Garage Sales |
4 . When American Matt Stopera’s iPhone went missing, he thought, “Well, bad luck. These things happen.” One year later, Matt’s misfortune has turned to good fortune as he found a new friend and became an Internet celebrity in China.
You may already be familiar with this story since it spread on Weibo for weeks during the Spring Festival, but it started when Matt began seeing photos of a Chinese man in front of an orange tree on his photo stream (照片流). He wrote about it and some Chinese readers decided to see if they could find the mysterious man. They did. It turns out that “Brother Orange,” as he became known, owned a restaurant in Guangdong and the iPhone he was using, a gift from a nephew, was Matt’s old phone.
Matt and Brother Orange began messaging each other and a friendship blossomed with Matt invited to China to feast at Brother Orange’s restaurant on his delicious Hakkacuisine (客家菜). Matt was also overwhelmed by the warmth of the millions of Chinese who were following the story. When he opened a Weibo account he had 22 million followers almost overnight, many of them inviting him to their hometowns and offering to be his tour guide.
Matt’s story is another example of how powerful the Internet and social networking has become in bringing people together. But there is a darker side to this story and that involves how Matt’s missing iPhone turned up in China. Over three million smart-phones were stolen in America last year. Because of identification numbers, these phones can’t be used in America, so they are sent to other countries and many of them end up in China, where they can be re-activated. This is why Matt and Brother Orange could share the same iCloud account.
You should keep this in mind when buying a second-hand phone and check the serial number to see that it has not been stolen. Finding a friend through social networking is wonderful, but using a stolen phone isn’t really the best way to make the connection.
1. What happened to Matt one year after he lost his phone?| A．He was fortunate enough to get his phone back. | B．He became a famous figure on American website. |
| C．He gained friendship and became popular in China. | D．He lost another phone because of his iCloud account. |
| A．Brother Orange’s photo was found on the Internet. |
| B．Chinese readers tried their best to find Brother Orange. |
| C．Brother Orange received an iPhone from his nephew. |
| D．Brother Orange contacted Matt and invited him to China. |
| A．cautiously | B．enthusiastically | C．anxiously | D．humorously |
| A．It’s wonderful to find a friend through social net-working. |
| B．A stolen phone is the best way to make connections. |
| C．People should be careful when buying a second-hand phone. |
| D．Matt and Brother Orange set a good example to us. |
5 . Childhood is particularly important for learning. We obviously can't do all the work as every child is different. However, we're hoping that these learning apps for kids can help!
ClassDojo
Price: $2.99
Download on Amazon App Store
ClassDojo is one of a few virtual classroom style learning apps. Using this app, parents, students, and teachers can all interact with one another. Unlike many, it doesn't replace the classroom experience but acts more as a positive reinforcement (强化) and communication tool to help keep everyone on the same page. The most important thing is that you'll need to find teachers who would want to use this kind of tool.
Cram.com Flashcards
Price: $ 169. 4 per year/$29. 95 per month
Download on Ubuntu Software
Cram.com Flashcards is a study app. It allows you to create flashcards about any subject. This is a great study aid for almost anybody. The app features cross-platform syncing (同步), and provides access to over 75 million flashcards that others have made, and it works both offline and online.
Duolingo
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Download on George Play
Duolingo is one of the best learning apps for kids when it comes to learning a new language. It has a variety of language supports, including Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Irish, Danish, and even English. What makes the app so great is that it's completely free to download and use.
DragonBox series
Price: $24. 99 or $27. 99
Download on App Store
The DragonBox series are a set of education games that help kids learn basic math. There are five learning apps for kids in total. All five of them deal with numbers to some extent. Math is hard to understand sometimes so it might be good to teach these concepts via the app. All five games require an up-front payment, but none of them have in-app purchases.
1. When using ClassDojo, you should ________.| A．keep up with others | B．get support from teachers |
| C．use it in your classroom | D．be able to make flashcards |
| A．$149. 75. | B．$75. | C．$29. 95. | D．$169. 4. |
| A．Learn high-level math in a fun way. | B．Figure out difficult math problems. |
| C．Design educational games about math. | D．Master math concepts through games. |
6 . Analysis of the trial of the four-day working week has revealed great efficiency, reduced stress and increased staff engagement, fueling hopes that a better work-life balance for employees could be in sight.
Perpetual Guardian, a New Zealand financial services company, switched its 240 staff from a five-day to a four-day week and maintained their pay. Productivity increased in the four days when they worked, so there was no drop in the total amount of work done, a study of the trial released on Tuesday revealed. The trial was monitored by academics at the University of Auckland and the Auckland University of Technology. The eight-week experiment was closely watched by employers and policymakers around the world. “This is an idea whose time has come,” said Andrew Barnes, Perpetual Guardian’s founder. “We need to get more companies to give it a go.”
The government has conducted a study of the possibility of four-day weeks. However, research points to the complexity of achieving productivity gains in major industries such as retail(零售), where being present is a key part of the job. Smaller companies experimenting with four-day working weeks have found performance was better in the first few weeks as excitement about the project took hold, before falling slightly. “The biggest concern is ensuring that the full-time introduction of the policy doesn’t lead to self-satisfaction, as there is a risk that peopled productivity will slip back,” said Tammy Barker, a branch manager who was part of the trial. “Therefore, we’ve spent a lot of time making sure every person in every team has their own plan as to how they’re going to maintain and even improve productivity.”
According to Jarrod Haar, a professor of human resource management at the Auckland University of Technology, significantly lower job stress was reported with four-day working weeks. “Beyond wellbeing, employees reported their teams were stronger and functioned better together, more satisfied with their jobs, more engaged, and that they felt their work had greater meaning,” he said. “It is really a great way to make employees be more committed to the organization and less likely to look elsewhere for a job.”
1. What changes took place in Perpetual Guardian during the experiment?| A．The length of daily working hours | B．The amount of pay per week |
| C．The efficiency of the employees | D．The work done per month |
| A．Some workers may become lazy. | B．The policy doesn’t suit all industries. |
| C．The four-day working week won’t work. | D．Many employers don’t approve of the trial. |
| A．By making plans for each of the employees. |
| B．By dividing all the employees into different teams. |
| C．By helping every employee get satisfaction from the work. |
| D．By encouraging every employee to be responsible for their plan. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Concerned. | C．Approving. | D．Negative. |
7 . The technology research company International Data Corporation, or IDC, has predicted a huge surge in total worldwide data in the coming years. It predicted world data demand will grow from 33 zettabytes（泽字节）in 2018 to 175 zettabytes by 2025. The world is about to have a serious data-storage problem that will only become more severe over time.
Several companies say they are exploring a possible solution. They suggest using genetic material, DNA, to store data. Experts have estimated data stored by DNA systems could be one billion times as many as those held in traditional electronic devices of comparable size.
Information about living things is stored in DNA using four different kinds of molecules（分子）. They can be represented by the letter codes A, T, C and G. Researchers have discovered that data can also be stored within DNA in the sequences of these letters. Electronic devices, however, store information in a two-letter code that produces combinations of ones and zeroes.
In order to make DNA storage succeed, digital information has to be changed to DNA storage and then back to digital data. One company working on DNA storage development is Microsoft. The company announced earlier last year that it had shown the first “fully-automated” DNA storage system. The research team from Microsoft and the University of Washington reported it had successfully encoded the word “hello” in pieces of DNA and changed it back to digital data. A chemical process is used to get the DNA into a storage device.
Microsoft said DNA storage systems can not only store more data, but also hold data for much longer periods of time. For example, DNA samples from the ancient bones of animals and humans have proven that the material can last thousands of years in tough conditions.
Experts from the World Economic Forum have praised recent developments in DNA storage technologies. But the organization says much more work needs to be completed before DNA storage systems can effectively compete with electronic ones. Currently, the systems are costly and the processing time can be very long.
1. What does the underlined word “surge” in Paragraph I mean?| A．Loss. | B．Exchange. | C．Increase. | D．Share. |
| A．Its bigger size compared with electronic devices. |
| B．Its way of storing information in a four-letter code. |
| C．Its function of combining letters freely. |
| D．Its self-reproduction characteristics. |
| A．Developing DNA storage needs support from big companies. |
| B．The DNA storage system has drawn worldwide attention. |
| C．The DNA storage system faces great challenges. |
| D．Using DNA to store data can possibly be a reality. |
| A．Researchers need to perfect the systems greatly. |
| B．Experts are supportive of the electronic devices. |
| C．Experts are dissatisfied with the recent advance in the systems. |
| D．Researchers need financial support to develop the systems. |
8 . Simon Groot, a seed expert of the Netherlands, is credited with introducing high-quality, disease-resistant vegetable seeds to more than 60 countries including the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. He was awarded the World Food Prize on Monday.
Developing seeds has been the Groot family business for a long time. He is the sixth generation of, what is called, a seedsman. He began his search for better vegetable seeds to help farmers in Southeast Asia in 1981. When he was 47, his family’s company had just been taken over by a larger corporation.
Sixteen years earlier, he had made his first trip to Indonesia. There, Groot learned that vegetable seeds which were developed for the moderate climate of Europe, did poorly when planted in the hot tropics（热带地区）. He thought there was a great possibility of introducing hybrid（杂交的）vegetables to the area. The area lacked vegetable seed developers who were trying to create hybrids for the local climate.
“It was neither charity nor business. It was a passion for providing farmers all over the world with good seeds,” said Groot. Now 85, he said developing seeds has always concerned him, “I noticed the seed quality in that part of world was so much below our standards and below achievable standards.” He added that he “could not stand” that the farmers there did not have better seeds.
At the time, farmers in Southeast Asia usually saved seeds from season to season. That was because the seeds available for sale were often old. Those seeds were usually from Europe or North America and did not grow well in their tropical climate. This meant that the farmers ended up with smaller crops, and lower quality that changed greatly from season to season. The plants also could easily become infected with diseases.
Groot received the $250, 000 World Food Prize during an award ceremony at the Iowa Capitol.
1. What do we learn about Groot from Paragraph 2?| A．He learned vegetable feeds did poorly in Europe. |
| B．He carried on a business of several generations. |
| C．He has introduced seeds to countries worldwide. |
| D．He turned his family’s company into a larger one. |
| A．Doing charity. | B．Making money. |
| C．Support from farmers. | D．Sense of responsibility. |
| A．Having no access to high-quality seeds. |
| B．Having no financial support for better seeds. |
| C．Lacking advanced technology for growing crops. |
| D．Failing to export their produce to western countries. |
| A．Business Has Been Passed from Generation to Generation |
| B．Vegetable Seeds for Hot Areas Have Been Created |
| C．Family Business Serves Farmers in Southeast Asia |
| D．World Food Prize Goes to Dutch Seed Developer |
9 . National Parks Recreational Vehicle Trips
Trip 1: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands&Capitol Reef
Visit the five Utah’s national parks. Activities include going boating on the Colorado River, and hiking Angels Landing for an impressive view of Zion Canyon. One thing is guaranteed：you’ll see the Milky Way, the pale white band of stars across the sky at night, like never before in this beautiful area of the country.
Available: Apr. 1 to Oct. 23; Duration: 8 to 13 nights
Price（for up to 4 guests): $4, 990-9, 840
Trip 2: Banff&Jasper
Travel along the Icefields Parkway which connects the parks and towns of Banff in Alberta, Canada, Lake Louise and Jasper Lake. Book a ride in a big snowcoach（雪车）onto the Athabasca
Glacier, and take a flight-seeing tour over the huge icefields that cover the area of the Rocky Mountains.
Available: Jun. 15 to Sept. 15; Duration: 8 to 13 nights
Price (for up to 4 guests): S5, 260-6, 080
Trip 3: Mount Rushmore & Colorado
This trip is perfect for anyone interested in America’s history, from forts to huge rock carvings of historical figures. Starting in Denver, your journey will take you through Colorado and into Wyoming.
Available: Start as early as Feb. 1 to Oct. 10; Duration: 8 to 13 nights
Price（for up to 4 guests): $5, 124-7, 880
Trip 4: Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon
Start your journey in the Bay Area and then head cast to Yosemite with its impressive waterfalls, and towering cliffs（悬崖）. Combine your visit to Yosemite with stops at Sequoia National Park to see the five largest sequoia trees in the world, and Kings Canyon.
Available: May 19 to Oct 8; Duration: 8 to 13 nights
Price（for up to 4 guests): $5, 224-9, 540
1. What’s special about the five Utah’s national parks?| A．The beautiful starry sky. | B．The impressive waterfalls. |
| C．The rich history of America. | D．The adventurous activities. |
| A．Banff & Jasper. |
| B．Mount Rushmore & Colorado. |
| C．Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon. |
| D．Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands & Capitol Reef. |
| A．The location. | B．The tourist activities. |
| C．The nights included in the trip. | D．The target groups of tourists. |
10 . When Ludwig von Beethoven died in 1827, he was three years removed from the completion of his Ninth Symphony(交响乐). He had started work on his Tenth Symphony but, due to declining health, wasn’t able to make much headway: All he left behind were some musical sketches.
Ever since then, Beethoven fans and musicologists have puzzled over what could have been. Now, thanks to the work of a team of scientists, Beethoven’s vision will come to life.
The scientists were divided into two parts-the human side and the machine side. The human side deciphered (破译)and transcribed the sketches from the Tenth Symphony, trying to understand Beethoven’s intentions. Meanwhile, the A. I. side faced more challenges.
First, and most fundamentally, they needed to figure out how to take a short phrase and use it to develop a longer, more complicated musical structure, just as Beethoven would have done. Next, because the continuation of a phrase also needs to follow a certain musical form, the A. I. needed to learn Beethoven’s process for developing these forms. The A. I. also needed to learn how to take a melodic line and harmonize it and how to bridge two sections of music together. Finally, once they had a full composition, the A. I. was going to have to figure out how to orchestrate it, which involves assigning different instruments for different parts. And it had to pull off these tasks in the way Beethoven might do so.
The success of the attempt proves they were on the right track. But these were just a couple of minutes of music. There was still much more work to do. At one point, one of the music experts on the team said that the A. I. reminded him of an eager music student who practices every day, learns, and becomes better and better. Now that student, having taken the baton from Beethoven, is ready to present the Tenth Symphony to the world.
1. What can we know about Beethoven’s Tenth Symphony?| A．Beethoven lost his health in an attempt to finish it. | B．It was highly thought of by fans and musicologists. |
| C．It aroused great interests among Beethoven fans. | D．Beethoven didn't start to create it until 1824. |
| A．the difficulties the AI side solved | B．the contributions of the human side |
| C．Beethoven’s music composition process | D．how a symphony was usually created |
| A．It’s a great challenge for the AI technology. |
| B．The human side should imitate Beethoven’s music creating process. |
| C．It is a combined effort of human and AI technology. |
| D．It's more demanding for the machine side than human side. |
| A．skeptical |
| B．positive |
| C．negative |
| D．indifferent |
