1 . Must-read Books that Are Hitting the Big Screen This Year
The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman
Starring: Jessica Chastain and Johan Heldenbergh
Release Date: July 31, 2017
This true story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Ackerman artfully retells the story of Jan and Zabinski and how they used their zoo to save over three hundred people from the Nazis. After their zoo was bombed, they managed to hide people in animal cages, giving animal names to their guests and human names to their animals. This is one story we truly hope lives up to the hope on film.
The Lost City of Z by David Grann
Starring: Sienna Miller and Robert Pattinson
Release Date: August 14,2017
Looking for adventure? This story is just what you need. The book(and film) tells the tale of British explorer Percy Fawcett and how he ventured into the Amazon jungle in 1925, never to return. It's an enchanting mystery that we can’t wait to see play out on screen.
The Dinner by Herman Koch
Starring: Richard Gere and Rebecca Hall
Release Date: October 5,2017
We always say we'd do absolutely anything for our kids, right? The story begins with two couples politely, eating dinner together, avoiding a conversation about their children who have committed a horrific act. As the story goes on, you'll see just how far these parents will go to protect the ones they love.
The Circle by Dave Eggers
Starring: Emma Watson and Patton Oswalt
Release Date: November 28,2017
A young woman, Mae, is hired to work for a powerful Internet company and Feels like she's hit the job jackpot. The facility is very advanced, lively, and a bit wild. Mae's story begins as one of ambition but soon turns into a heart-racing story of suspense.
1. Why did Jan and Zabinski put people in animal cages?| A．To offer them living places | B．To treat them as animals |
| C．To avoid being bombed | D．To hide from the Nazis |
| A．Emma Watson | B．Rebecca Hall |
| C．Sienna Miller | D．Jessica Chastain |
| A．In July | B．In August |
| C．In October | D．In November |
| A．The Zookeeper's Wife | B．The Lost City of Z |
| C．The Dinner | D．The Circle |
2 . The Indian government may use 3D paintings as virtual speed breakers（减速带） on major highways and roads, in order to check speeding and careless driving, and finally make its deadly roads a little safer. "We are trying out 3D paintings used as virtual speed breakers to avoid unnecessary requirements of speed breakers," India's transport minister Nitin Gadkari wrote.
The optical illusions(视觉错觉) are supposed to encourage drivers to slow down automatically. Earlier, India had ordered the removal of all speed breakers from highways, which are considered to be a safety hazard for high-speed vehicles. India has the highest number of road accident deaths in the world. According to the World Health Organisation, over 200,000 people are killed by road accidents.
The use of optical illusions as speed breakers was first pioneered in the American city of Philadelphia in 2008, as part of a campaign against speeding motorists. The technique has also been tried out in China to create floating 3D crossings. In India, cities such as Ahmedabad and Chennai have already experimented with 3D zebra crossings in the last one year. In Ahmedabad for instance, a mother and her daughter, both artists, have painted 3D crosswalks in the first few months of 2016. The artists say their motto is "to increase the attention of drivers", and that the concept has been successfully tested in accident-prone zones on a highway.
However, critics argue that once drivers know that these speed breakers are visual illusions, they may ignore them. Others also point out that India's decision does not consider the safety of a large number of pedestrians. In the end, the new policy may be just one step towards improving road safety.
1. Why are 3D paintings used on main highways and roads?| A．To make the surroundings more beautiful. |
| B．To attract the attention of tourists. |
| C．To reduce the rate of traffic accidents. |
| D．To show the advanced technology. |
| A．Reminder | B．Threat | C．Regulation | D．Theory |
| A．The use of optical illusions as speed breakers is controversial in India. |
| B．Philadelphia is the second place to use virtual speed breakers in the US. |
| C．The idea tested in Ahmedabad recently has been a failure. |
| D．The new policy of 3D zebra crossings must be carried out. |
| A．They can immediately lower the death rate. |
| B．They have been widely used in India so far. |
| C．They are designed to increase drivers’ attention. |
| D．They are welcomed by both drivers and pedestrians. |
3 . Pacific Science Center Guide
◆Visit Pacific Science Center’s Store
Don’t forget to stop by Pacific Science Center’s Store while you are here to pick up a wonderful science activity or souvenir to remember your visit. The store is located(位于) upstairs in Building 3 right next to the Laser Dome.
◆Hungry
Our exhibits will feed your mind, but what about your body? Our café offers a complete menu of lunch and snack options, in addition to seasonal specials. The café is located upstairs in Building 1 and is open daily until one hour before Pacific Science Center closes.
◆Rental Information
Lockers are available to store any belongings during your visit. The lockers are located in Building 1 near the Information Desk and in Building 3. Pushchairs and wheelchairs are available to rent at the Information Desk and Denny Way entrance. ID required.
◆Support Pacific Science Center
Since 1962, Pacific Science Center has been inspiring a passion(热情) for discovery and lifelong learning in science, math and technology. Today, Pacific Science Center serves more than 1.3 million people a year and brings inquiry-based science education to classrooms and community events all over Washington State. It’s an amazing accomplishment and one we cannot achieve without generous support from individuals, corporations, and other social organizations. Visit pacificsciencecenter.org to find various ways you can support Pacific Science Center.
1. Where can you buy a souvenir at Pacific Science Center?| A．In Building 1. |
| B．In Building 3. |
| C．At the the Laser Dome. |
| D．At the Denny Way entrance. |
| A．Train Science teachers. |
| B．Distribute science books. |
| C．Inspire scientific research. |
| D．Take science to the classroom. |
| A．To encourage donations. |
| B．To advertise coming events. |
| C．To introduce special exhibits. |
| D．To tell about the Center’s history. |
4 . Visitors to Britain are sometimes surprised to learn that newspapers there have such a large circulation (发行). The “Daily Mirror “ and the “Daily express” both sell about four million copies everyday. British families generally buy a newspaper every morning and two or three on Sundays.
Besides the national papers, there is, however, another branch of the British press which sells almost as many copies. Local newspapers have a weekly circulation of 13 million. Almost every town and county area has one. Nearly all of them hold their own financially (财政) and many of them are very profitable (赚钱的).
These papers are written almost entirely for readers interested in local events — births, weddings, deaths, council (地方会议) meetings and sports. Editors prefer to rely on people who know the district well. A great deal of local news is regularly supplied by clubs and churches in the neighborhood and it does not get out to date as quickly as national news.
The editors must never forget that the success of any newspaper depends on advertising (广告). He is usually anxious to keep the good will of local businessmen for this reason. But if the newspaper is well written and the news items have been carefully chosen to draw local readers, the business men are grateful for the opportunity (机会) to keep their products in the public eyes.
1. Visitors to Britain are surprised to learn that ________.| A．there are so many local newspapers there |
| B．local papers should have a circulation of four million |
| C．the “Daily Mirror “ and “Daily Express” sell as many as 4 million copies every day |
| D．British newspapers are so widely read |
| A．a circulation as large as that of national newspapers |
| B．a daily circulation of 13 million |
| C．a slightly smaller circulation |
| D．an even larger circulation |
| A．advertisements | B．interesting reports |
| C．a great deal of national news | D．an excellent sales manager |
| A．All the local newspapers are very profitable. |
| B．Local newspapers have a weekly circulation of 14 million. |
| C．Local readers are much interested in local news. |
| D．Each British family buys three newspapers on Sundays. |
5 . After spending the first five years of his life in San Diego, Adam Driver's family packet up and moved to a small town in Indiana, where Adam enjoyed a relatively routine adolescence. Then the horrific events of September 11th made Adam's life become anything but routine.
Just a few months following the events, Driver decided to join the United States Marine Corps. He considered 9/11 as being one of the reasons for joining the army, with his desire to leave Indiana providing the rest. He once said,"I'm grateful for having grown up in Indiana, but I needed to go out and the Marine Corps was a nice, stable option." After serving for two and a half years, and just two months before he was sent to Iraq, Driver injured his sternum in a biking accident. After he was healed, he injured it again during military training, which resulted in an honorable medical discharge.
After leaving the military, Driver decided to try his hand at acting. At first he studied close to home at the University of Indianapolis, but after just a year, he transferred to Julliard in New York City. He lived in a tiny apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey apartment while studying drama at a prestigious performing arts conservatory（音乐学院）. Following his graduation in 2009, Driver immediately began appearing in plays, including 2010's Mrs. Warren's Profession.
Adam's first major television experience was a guest spot on Law & Order, and was soon followed by a small role in the award-winning film You Don't Know Jack, which was Driver's first experience working with Home Box Office. Then after landing his star-making role on Girls, Driver was cast in a handful of feature films, including 2011's J. Edgar and 2012's Gayby, Not Waving but Drowning and Frances Ha.
He'll appear next year in the Coen brother's Inside Llewyn Davis and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.
1. According to the passage one important reason why Adam Driver joined the army was that .| A．his father was an army officer |
| B．he wanted to become rich |
| C．he thought Indiana was a good place to live in |
| D．he didn't want to live in Indiana |
| A．he found the life there boring |
| B．his officer disliked him |
| C．his performance in the army was terrible |
| D．his chest was injured |
| A．After leaving the army. | B．After moving to Indiana. |
| C．When he was in the army. | D．After his graduation. |
| A．Discomfort | B．Dismissal |
| C．Retirement | D．Discouragement |
6 . American women who work as computer programmers, chefs and dentists earn 28 percent less than men doing the same jobs. Those are the jobs with the biggest wage differences between men and women, according to a new study.
On the whole, the study found that women earn 5.4 percent less than men for doing the same job, in the same location and for the same employer. The wage differences between women and men were similar in the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and France.
5.4 percent is a big difference in pay between men and women because it cannot be explained by women and men taking the same kinds of jobs. It can only be explained by bias(偏见) against women, or other causes, such as women not being good at asking for pay.
Research suggests that women do not negotiate as well as men when it comes to pay. And women are generally more uncomfortable asking fellow employees how much they make, so they cannot see if they are being paid fairly.
According to the study, women earned at least 15 percent less than men in these job categories: psychologists, pharmacists, physicians, opticians, pilots and game artists.
But in the fields of social work, selling merchandise, research assistants and physician advisors, women earn more than men. In social work, women earned 7.8 percent more than men, the report said. That was the job category with the biggest advantage for women. It was still far less than the 28 percent pay advantage for men in some fields.
Comparing salaries for full-time workers, women earn only 79 percent as much as men. Over a lifetime, that much of a difference in pay can amount to a large amount of money.
Women only earned 57 percent as much as men in 1975. It is now up to 79 percent. That is progress, the report says, but not enough.
1. Which of the following has the biggest pay differences between women and men?| A．A pilot. | B．A game artist. |
| C．A research assistant. | D．A computer programmer. |
| A．They are not good at negotiating for pay. |
| B．They care less about their pay than men. |
| C．Women look down upon themselves. |
| D．They don’t work as effectively as men. |
| A．5.4%. | B．7.8%. |
| C．21%. | D．28%. |
| A．It is growing rather quickly. | B．It is rising but not satisfying. |
| C．It is not fair for women workers. | D．It is reasonable for present situation. |
Students of all ages need to have a reliable backpack and which is your favourite one?
1. Amazon Basics Classic Backpack
The Amazon Basics line of products aims to deliver outstanding value by getting rid of everything that is unnecessary while keeping the most important function that customers desire. The Classic Backpack may not look like much, but that is a big part of its appeal. It’s cheap and cheerful, lightweight yet long-lasting with velcro（尼龙刺粘搭链）side pockets and a large center. With an average rating of 4.5 stars based on over 250 customer reviews, this is a well-made backpack at a terrific price.
Price:From$18. 00
2. The North Face Refractor Duffel Pack
Want to head off to school with a slightly different backpack that isn’t way out there? The definitely boxy Refractor Duffel Pack from The North Face offers handles on both the top and the side, plus the usual shoulder belts, for several ways to carry. The clamshell design also includes a quick-access pocket on the front and an included tablet sleeve. l00% of reviewers on The North Face online store recommend this product, making it the best-selling unisex(男女通用的) backpack on the site
. .Price: $155. 00
3. High Sierra Powerglide Rolling Laptop Backpack
Carrying heavy textbooks and other supplies around all day can get awfully tiring on the shoulders, back and hips. An easier way to get between classes is with a rolling backpack like the High Sierra Powerglide. The multi-compartment design includes a cushioned sleeve for laptops with screens up to 17-inches in size, plus zippered accessory compartments for quick access. The strange and large bag is recommended by over 90% of the over 900 customers who reviewed it on eBags.
Price: $ 60. 00
1. What is the most remarkable feature of the Classic Backpack?
| A．It has many functions. | B．It doesn't have any spare parts. |
| C．It is heavy but long-lasting. | D．It only has a large center. |
| A．It is difficult to open and shut. | B．It has extra pockets on the front. |
| C．It offers different ways to carry. | D．It can be carried from every side. |
| A．It has wheels. | B．It is heavy to carry. |
| C．It can contain textbooks. | D．It has a place to use a computer. |
| A．They are all expensive. | B．They are all sold only online. |
| C．They all have large space inside. | D．They are all given praise by customers. |
8 . Vitamin B could help reduce the effects of the dangerous type of air pollution, according to a new study published on Monday. In the first study of its kind, a team of international researchers looked into the damage caused by one of the pollutants that have the severest impact on health — PM2.5.
They found that Vitamin B supplement could effectively reduce the impact of the tiny particles (颗粒) on the human body, although they stressed that the research was in its early stages. According to the WHO, 92% of the world's people are living in places where the PM2.5 level goes beyond the recommended level. So it’s urgent to find a solution to the problem.
According to this study, published in the PNAS, 10 volunteers were initially exposed to clean air and given a placebo (安慰剂) to check their baseline responses. The group then kept on taking placebos tor tour weeks before being exposed to heavily polluted air from downtown Toronto, where an estimated 1,000 cars passed every hour. The bad air was delivered to the volunteers through an "oxygen type" face mask. The experiment was then repeated, with each volunteer taking a Vitamin B supplement daily, made up of 2.5mg of folic acid, 50mg of Vitamin B6, and l mg of Vitamin B12.
Vitamin B6 can be found in liver, chicken, nuts and other things, and Vitamin B12 in fish, meat, eggs, milk and some cereals. The researchers found that four weeks of Vitamin B supplements — the damage of PM2.5 effects by 28-76%. The results emphasized how prevention at an individual level could be used to fight against the damage of PM2.5, the researchers said.
1. What's the newly discovered effect of Vitamin B in Paragraph 1?| A．It can be used to replace other vitamins in our daily life. |
| B．It can help lower the air pollution level in the open air. |
| C．It can reduce the impact of PM2.5 on human bodies. |
| D．It can get rid of the pollutants remaining in our body. |
| A．Further study about the effect of Vitamin B needs to be done. |
| B．Vitamin B is the most important to human's health. |
| C．The tiny particles in the air are made up of PM2.5. |
| D．92% of the world's people are affected by PM2.5. |
| A．By referring to a journal. | B．By performing experiments. |
| C．By interviewing scientists. | D．By comparing vitamins. |
| A．environment | B．medicine |
| C．education | D．health |
9 . Martha Graham, born in 1894, was one of the most famous dancers and creators of dance, whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on the modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture. She created almost two hundred dance pieces. She is often called the Mother of Modern Dance.
Earlier in her life, however, Martha did not know that she would become a dancer. At that time, the dancers were looked down on. So Martha’s parents didn’t approve of her desire to dance at the beginning. Until 1916, she began her studies at the newly created Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts, founded by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, where Graham worked very hard to improve her ability to dance because she was considered too old to begin dancing.
In 1936, Graham made her defining work, “Chronicle”, which signaled the beginning of a new era in modern dance. The dance brought serious issues to the stage for the general public in a dramatic manner. Influenced by the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the Great Depression that followed, and the Spanish Civil War, it focused on depression and isolation, reflected in the dark nature of both the set and costumes (服装).
Graham continued to dance past the age of seventy. Once again, she was met with criticism from people who came to watch her shows. But she didn’t give up. Her last completed ballet was 1990’s Maple Leaf Rag. ”A Dancer’s World“ is an introduction to Graham and her work. She tells about her dances and her dance group shows some of their methods.
Martha Graham received many awards during her lifetime, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in nineteen seventy-six. She was the first dancer to receive the country’s highest civilian honor. She died in 1991 at the age of ninety-six. In 1998, Time magazine listed her as the ”Dancer of the Century" and as one of the most important people of the twentieth century.
1. Some famous artists mentioned in Paragraph 1 show Martha Graham________ .| A．was influenced greatly by them |
| B．kept in touch with them regularly |
| C．had a great effect on modern dance |
| D．liked to make more friends with them |
| A．She was too old to learn American dance. |
| B．American dance was seen as a lower art form. |
| C．There was no academic school to teach dancing. |
| D．Her family was too poor to afford her tuition. |
| A．was warmly welcomed by the youth |
| B．achieved huge success once again |
| C．received many awards for her age |
| D．was attacked by people |
| A．the background of modern dance in America |
| B．the development of modern dance in America |
| C．Martha Graham and her achievements in dance |
| D．the awards Martha Graham won in her life |
10 . In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity(繁荣). Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which only values the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to disappear can we discover a new meaning in competition.
1. Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?| A．It pushes society forward. | B．It builds up a sense of duty. |
| C．It improves personal abilities. | D．It encourages individual efforts. |
| A．those who try their best to win |
| B．those who value competition most highly |
| C．those who are against competition most strongly |
| D．those who rely on others most for success |
| A．One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others. |
| B．One’s success in competition needs great efforts. |
| C．One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills. |
| D．One’s success is based on how hard he has tried. |
| A．Every effort should be paid back. |
| B．Competition should be encouraged. |
| C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter. |
| D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition. |
