1 . The United States is a sports-loving nation. Sports in America take various forms: organized competitive struggles, athletic games, hunting and fishing. Most sports are seasonal, so that what is happening in sports depends upon the time of year.
Baseball is the most popular sport in the US. It is played throughout the spring and summer, and professional baseball teams play well into the fall.
Football is the most popular sport in the fall. The game originated as a college sport more than 75 years ago. It’s not the same as European football or soccer. In American football there are 11 players as well on each team, and they are dressed in padded uniforms and helmets because the game is rough and injuries are likely to occur. It is still played by almost every college and university in the country.
Basketball is the winner sport in American schools and colleges. Like football, basketball originated in the US, many Americans prefer it to football because it is played indoors throughout the winter and because it is a faster game. And the famous NBA games are considered the best of this game.
Other sports attracting a great many people include wrestling, boxing and horse racing. Although horse-racing fans call themselves sportsmen, the exactness of the term is questionable, as only the jockeys who ride the horses in the races can be considered athletes. The so-called sportsmen are the spectators, who do not come primarily to see the horses race, but to bet (打赌) upon the outcome of cach race. Gambling is the attraction of horse racing.
1. Baseball is so popular in America that some professional teams play it until __________.| A．spring | B．Summer | C．fall | D．winter |
| A．to avoid unexpected injuries |
| B．to play it like European football |
| C．to make the game difficult enough |
| D．to look like professional players |
| A．NBA games are very popular |
| B．it comes from the US |
| C．it is much faster than football |
| D．it is played indoors all the winter |
| A．mainly stand and watch the races |
| B．don’t ride horse in the races |
| C．are only interested in the results |
| D．don’t care who wins in the races |
| A．the person who bets upon the race |
| B．the person who cares about horse-racing |
| C．the rider who enjoys watching the race |
| D．the rider who competes in horse-racing |
2 . Do you have a talented young artist, photographer, or designer in your life? It’s never too early to start helping them get their work out there! We’ve rounded up the top art contests for kids and teens that can help these young creators share their first masterpieces with the world. Best of all? Most of them are totally free to enter!
Global Canvas Art Competition
Ages: 16 and under
Mediums: Drawing, painting
Global Canvas is all about the environment. Launched by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, this art competition wants to inspire the next generation to be more mindful of how we take care of the earth. The judges are looking for artists to capture the wonderful places that wildlife call home.
Toyota Dream Car Art Contest
Ages: Four to 15
Mediums: Drawing, painting
Time to design a dream car! Toyota wants to get junior artists thinking about what the future of transportation might look like. Prizes include cash and a chance to tour one of the Toyota manufacturing plants.
Advena World’s art Competition
Ages: 15 and under
Mediums: Drawing, painting
Advena World’s art competition aims to promote creativity and self-expression. Instead of a theme, they ask the participating artists to simply express their feelings — anything from sadness or joy to anger or excitement — through their chosen medium,.
Progressive Young Artist Awards
Ages: 13 to 19
Open to: All international applicants
Mediums: Painting, drawing, photography, mixed media, sculpture
Cost to enter: $5 USD
PYAA is all about expressing and celebrating progressive values. So, if there is a creative teen in your life who wants to do good in the world, sign them up for this art contest for teens. The prize is a scholarship which they can put toward their post-secondary schooling.
1. Which focuses on the environment?| A．World Wide Kids Drawings. | B．Global Canvas Art Competition. |
| C．Toyota Dream Car Art Contest. | D．Progressive Young Artist Awards. |
| A．dream car. | B．A scholarship. |
| C．A plant tour. | D．Cash crops. |
| A．It has no fixed theme. | B．It has entrance fee. |
| C．Its entry can be photos. | D．Anyone can join it. |
3 . It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80s came to the hospital. I heard him saying to the nurse that he was in a hurry for all appointment(约会)at 9:30. The nurse had him take a
Now I
| A．breath | B．test | C．seat | D．break |
| A．persuading | B．promising | C．understanding | D．telling |
| A．if | B．before | C．since | D．after |
| A．taking off | B．fixing | C．looking at | D．winding |
| A．very | B．also | C．seldom | D．not |
| A．turn up | B．show off | C．come on | D．go away |
| A．needed | B．forgot | C．agreed | D．happened |
| A．daughter | B．wife | C．mother | D．sister |
| A．late | B．well | C．around | D．there |
| A．lonely | B．worried | C．doubtful | D．hungry |
| A．so far | B．neither | C．no longer | D．already |
| A．recognize | B．answer | C．believe | D．expect |
| A．moved | B．disappointed | C．surprised | D．satisfied |
| A．only | B．then | C．thus | D．still |
| A．curiosity | B．tears | C．words | D．judgment |
| A．realize | B．suggest | C．hope | D．prove |
| A．agreement | B．expression | C．acceptance | D．exhibition |
| A．necessarily | B．completely | C．naturally | D．frequently |
| A．learn | B．make | C．favor | D．try |
| A．Adventure | B．Beauty | C．Trust | D．Life |
4 . The following four famous paintings—from Jan van Eyck’s portrait to Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece—have stood the test of time.
The Arnolfini Portrait
The Arnolfini Portrait of Jan van Eyck, an oil painting on wood produced in 1434, in which a man and a woman hold hands with a window behind him and a bed behind her, is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces in the National Gallery, London. This painting is as visually interesting as it is famed. It is also an informative document on fifteenth-century society, through Jan van Eyck’s heavy use of symbolism—while husbands went out to engage in business, wives concerned themselves with domestic duties.
The Starry Night
During his 12—month stay at the mental hospital near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France between 1889 and 1890, Vincent Willem van Gogh painted The Starry Night, an oil on canvas(帆布), a moderately abstract landscape painting of an expressive night sky over a small hillside village. When the Museum of Modern Art in New York City purchased the painting from a private collector in 1941, it was not well known, but it has since become one of Van Gogh’s most famous works.
The Harvesters
The Harvesters is an oil painting on wood completed by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565. It depicted the harvest time which most commonly occurred within the months of August and September. Nicolaes Jonghelinck, a merchant banker and art collector from Antwerp, commissioned this painting. The painting has been at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City since 1919.
Guernica
Guernica, a large black-and-white oil painting, was painted by the Cubist Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso in 1937. The title “Guernica” refers to the city that was bombed by Nazi planes during the Spanish Civil War. The painting depicted the horrors of war and as a result, has come to be an anti-war symbol and a reminder of the tragedies of war. Today, the painting is housed at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid.
1. Which of the following paintings was produced earliest?| A．Guernica. | B．The Harvesters. |
| C．The Starry Night. | D．The Arnolfini Portrait. |
| A．Pieter Bruegel the Elder. | B．Vincent Willem van Gogh. |
| C．Jan van Eyck. | D．Pablo Picasso. |
| A．It was an oil painting on wood. |
| B．It depicted the painter’s life in mental hospital. |
| C．It wasn’t widely recognized before 1941. |
| D．It was given away to the museum by a private collector. |
5 . Gifted students in the Wichita Falls Independent School District in Texas had the opportunity to travel to STEM facilities and learn coding and other technical skills, but the transportation is not convenient. “We just started talking about, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we were able to design a mobile STEM lab? ’ ”says Dr. Peter E. Griffiths, the district’s associate superintendent. Educators soon realized that they could retrofit an old bus into a mobile STEM lab, which would provide increased access to career and technical education (CTE) experiences for students.
Districts sold off buses when the vehicles became too old. Griffiths and his colleagues decided to retrofit one of those old vehicles. “Give me your ‘best worst’ bus,” Griffiths said to the transportation department. Soon the process of transforming began. Griffiths reached out to Reuben Rodriguez, the owner of a local car company, and explained what they wanted to do. Rodriguez agreed to work with the district on the price on condition that they could send CTE students to lend a hand with some of the building work. And bringing the bus from the dream stage to fruition has taken a lot of joint efforts of educators and the community.
Called STEAM Machine, the bus looks like a device from a video game or a real-life Lego truck, and rides as a mobile maker space. “It has two touch screen TVs outside. It comes complete with drones and drone obstacle courses that will help students learn about coding in an enjoyable way,” Griffiths says. “Those are things that a lot of these kids have never experienced before.”
To drive the bus, the district has hired a retiring teacher who will take the bus to various schools and engage in different lessons with students and educators. “We were so concerned about kids losing out on experiences before, and this is a solution. We aren’t going to let this go. The STEAM Machine will be equipped with all the necessary materials and resources, and it may change the way students learn and engage with their education,” Griffiths said.
1. What is the main purpose of the mobile STEM lab?| A．To develop students’ interest in STEM research. |
| B．To replace traditional school buses with electric ones. |
| C．To provide fun activities for students during long trips |
| D．To enable students to get more learning chances. |
| A．Educators needed to pay him in advance. |
| B．Some students could help with the building work. |
| C．The old bus should be equipped with high technology. |
| D．The district must provide him with necessary materials. |
| A．It brings students fun learning experiences. |
| B．It awakens students’ curiosity about bus driving. |
| C．It protects students’ health with its special design. |
| D．It saves students’ time by reducing traffic on the road. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Worried. | C．Hopeful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Safe and long-lasting. | B．Fashionable and comfortable. |
| C．Creative and educational. | D．Cheap and eco-friendly. |
6 . What’s On?
Electric Underground
7.30pm－1.00am Free at the Cyclops Theatre
Do you know who’s playing in your area? We’re bringing you an evening of live rock and pop music from the best local bands. Are you interested in becoming a musician and getting a recording contract? If so, come early to the talk at 7.30 pm by Jules Skye, a successful record producer. He’s going to talk about how you can find the right person to produce your music.
Gee Whizz
8.30pm-10.30pm Comedy (喜剧)at Kaleidoscope
Come and see Gee Whizz perform. He’s the funniest stand-up comedian on the comedy scene. This joyful show will please everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Gee Whizz really knows how to make you laugh! Our bar is open from 7.00pm for drinks and snacks(快餐).
Simon’s Workshop
5.00pm-7.30pm Wednesdays at Victoria Stage
This is a good chance for anyone who wants to learn how to do comedy. The workshop looks at every kind of comedy, and practices many different ways of making people laugh. Simon is a comedian and actor who has 10 years’ experience of teaching comedy. His workshops are exciting and fun. An evening with Simon will give you the confidence to be funny.
Charlotte Stone
8.00pm-11.00pm Pizza World
Fine food with beautiful jazz music; this is a great evening out. Charlotte Stone will perform songs from her new best-selling CD, with James Pickering on the piano. The menu is Italian, with excellent meat and fresh fish, pizzas and pasta(面食). Book early to get a table. Our bar is open all day, and serves cocktails, coffee, beer, and white wine.
1. Who can help you if you want to have your music produced?| A．Jules Skye. | B．Gee Whizz. | C．Charlotte Stone. | D．James Pickering. |
| A．The Cyclops Theatre | B．Kaleidoscope | C．Victoria Stage | D．Pizza World |
| A．It requires membership card. | B．It lasts three hours each time. |
| C．It is run by a comedy club. | D．It is held every Wednesday. |
| A．5.00pm-7.30pm. | B．7.30pm－1.00am. | C．8.00pm-11.00pm. | D．8.30pm-10.30pm. |
7 . From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome (令人惊叹的) machine ever created: the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem (自尊). Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are leaves tossed(摇摆)by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.
If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing (养育) the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks (挫折).
In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success.
1. People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they ______.| A．are ready to change their minds |
| B．don’t have the ability to control themselves |
| C．can’t be successful with self-control |
| D．are easily affected by windy weather |
| A．their failure is accidental |
| B．working hard will lead to success |
| C．they are responsible for success |
| D．they should make efforts to succeed |
| A．our success results from our attitudes |
| B．one can rise to the level that one expects |
| C．we should be responsible for our thoughts and beliefs |
| D．setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
| A．the proof of the author’s points |
| B．an introduction to another topic |
| C．the conclusion of the argument |
| D．a comparison between two views |
| A．The secrets of success. |
| B．How to achieve success. |
| C．Develop our confidence. |
| D．Success depends on you. |
8 . My mother left the field of education formally after I was born. However, she did not leave it
On my first day of kindergarten, I was excited, but
There have been many napkin notes since the
This year, my mother
So I gave her a
As she opened up her “You can do it!” napkin note from me, tears began to run down her face. When her eyes met mine, I saw she
| A．finally | B．completely | C．clearly | D．naturally |
| A．lucky | B．crazy | C．helpful | D．fun |
| A．admitted | B．allowed | C．advised | D．invited |
| A．tired | B．shocked | C．nervous | D．bored |
| A．lunch box | B．school bag | C．pencil box | D．toy bag |
| A．thanked | B．loved | C．missed | D．accepted |
| A．spent | B．began | C．ended | D．won |
| A．same | B．recent | C．best | D．first |
| A．read | B．returned | C．sent | D．introduced |
| A．Because | B．Although | C．If | D．Unless |
| A．continued | B．escaped | C．changed | D．reduced |
| A．teachings | B．warnings | C．choices | D．dreams |
| A．suggest | B．offered | C．promised | D．decided |
| A．charge | B．memory | C．favor | D．control |
| A．show | B．know | C．imagine | D．hope |
| A．book | B．degree | C．award | D．answer |
| A．gift | B．chance | C．guide | D．speech |
| A．washed | B．filled | C．packed | D．opened |
| A．pictures | B．replies | C．suggestion | D．writing |
| A．remembered | B．trusted | C．understood | D．believed |
9 . Dramas are usually called plays, and their creators are known as “playwrights” or “dramatists”. Some popular types of drama include comedy, tragedy, farce, opera and docudramas. Now, I’d like to tell you some popular types of drama.
Lighter in tone, comedies try to make the audience laugh and usually come to a happy ending. Comedies put unusual characters in special situations, causing them to do and say funny things. Comedies can also be sarcastic (讽刺的) in nature, creating fun serious topics. There are also several different types of comedy, including romantic comedy, a comedy of manners, and tragicomedy — plays in which the characters take on tragedy with humor while bringing serious situations to happy endings.
Tragedy is based on darker themes. Generally, tragedies show serious subjects like death, disaster, and human suffering in a way that makes the audience think. Hardly enjoying happy endings, characters in tragedies, like Shakespeare’s Hamlet, are often troubled by tragic character flaws (缺点) that finally lead to their death.
A farce is a type of drama in which characters overact and present physical humor. Examples of farce include the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett and the hit 1980 movie Airplane! written by David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams.
Opera is a type of drama which combines theater, dialogue, music, and dance to tell stories of tragedy or comedy. Since characters express their feelings through singing rather than dialogue, performers must be both skilled actors and singers. The tragedy La boheme by Giacomo Puccini, and the comedy Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi are classic examples of opera.
A docudrama is a relatively new kind of drama. Docudramas talk about historic events or non-fictional situations. More often presented in movies and television than in live theater, popular examples of docudramas include the movies Apollo 13 and Twelve Years a slave.
1. What do we know about comedies?| A．They don’t talk about serious topics. |
| B．They usually don’t have sad endings. |
| C．There’re always some arguments in them. |
| D．There’re four kinds of comedies mentioned. |
| A．They are often sarcastic in nature. |
| B．They usually have character weaknesses. |
| C．They usually suffer a lot before their death. |
| D．They are remembered by their ways of thinking. |
| A．Upset. | B．Cheerful. | C．Worried. | D．Thoughtful |
| A．say something funny | B．present physical humor |
| C．tell stories through dialogue | D．be good at acting and singing |
| A．Girls loving romantic stories. |
| B．Children loving funny stories. |
| C．People interested in fictional situations. |
| D．People interested in true events in history. |
10 . Utah is the second most wasteful states in the US. Everyone always complains about how much construction there is all the time— on campus you can’t walk ten steps without running into another pit— but no one seems to be doing anything about it. Every year the city has a surplus of money and they spent it on unneeded road construction. Instead, this money should be spent on developing Utah’s solar energy capabilities (能力).
People may think that solar power technology isn’t advanced enough to sustain (维持) an entire state year-round. However, Utah is one of the six states in the country getting more than enough sunlight to run completely on solar power every year according to Solar Nation. For reference, one might look at places similar to the Hotel at Oberlin in Ohio, a hotel remodeled in the summer of 2016 to run completely on solar power. Anywhere west of Ohio has no excuse for not using solar energy.
Many think it would be bad for the economy to switch to solar power because electrical workers would lose their jobs. But this isn’t necessarily true. They could transfer to solar companies. Considering how many panels (电池板，面板) would need to be built and installed (安装) and maintained, there’s plenty of work for electrical workers. Solar panel installation may be expensive at first, but as it stands currently, solar panels are expected to pay for themselves within 11 years of installation, saving solar panel owners up to $700 in electric bills per house in the first year.
Moreover, we, the humans of planet Earth, would never run out of solar energy. The sun will exist long after humanity goes. And while solar panels may be expensive, they cost the Earth much less than using coal and natural gas.
It’s bad enough that Utah is the most wasteful when it comes to the use of water. And the city is killing its citizens with air pollution. But when we have the physical capability of making changes that will ultimately save the environment and deepen our pocketbooks (财力、钱袋子), and we don’t make those changes, we’re actually lazy rather than being cautious.
1. Which of the following statements would the author agree with?| A．Roads in Utah should be repaired. |
| B．Money should be better used in Utah. |
| C．Construction is very important to Utah. |
| D．Schools in Utah are really in poor condition. |
| A．To explain how solar power is used in Ohio. |
| B．To show it is possible to use solar power in summertime. |
| C．To show solar power can be relied on year-round in Utah. |
| D．To prove many hotels are taking advantage of solar power. |
| A．benefit the environment | B．prevent waste in Utah |
| C．improve work efficient | D．lead to many changes in Utah |
| A．To call on people to reduce energy waste. |
| B．To show us the importance of using solar energy. |
| C．To ask government to pay attention to air pollution. |
| D．To appeal to Utah officials to develop solar energy. |
| A．①②-③④-⑤ | B．①-②③-④⑤ |
| C．①-②③④-⑤ | D．①②③-④⑤ |
