1 . Watson entered Mr. Smith’s office. The Boss was a hard man. He fired people who didn’t do well without giving them a second chance.
“Watson,” said Mr. Smith, “this past year your department hasn’t earned money. We’re going to drop that department. It’s finished. I’ m sorry, —but you’ll have to go.” “But, sir—if I just had a little more time. For the moment I need the job to keep my son at Riverside School.”
“What’s that!” said the Boss. “Riverside! I didn’t know you had a boy there. That’s an expensive school for a man with your salary.”
“I know, sir. But he likes it there so much! He’s a star trackman(田径运动员) and the best boxer in the school. The boys call him Champ(冠军) there.”
The Boss sat perfectly still for a long time—a faraway(恍惚的) look in his eyes. Then, suddenly, he said, “We’ve got to close your department, Watson. But you’ll take over a new job in another department. It means longer hours—maybe more pay. Now get out. You’re here for life.”
Watson got out, with surprise in his face. Then the Boss took a letter from the top drawer of his desk. It was Herbie’s last letter from Riverside School —written a few days before he died. He had read it over and over again with sick pain. The letter read:
I can’t say the boys here are any nicer to me than the others were. I guess it’s the same everywhere when you’re a cripple (跛脚的人). But don’t worry about me, Dad. They’ve got a good chemistry department here. And there’s one boy here who is really great. He’s a track star and boxing champ and just tops in chemistry. The boys call him Champ. He made them stop throwing my books around. And he knocked a boy down who hit me. He is the best friend I ever had. Dad, when I grow up, I want to do something for Champ. Something big—that he won’t even know about.
Your son,
Herbie
1. The underlined word “drop” in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by ________.
| A．close | B．fall | C．punish | D．sell |
| A．Mr Smith’ s son | B．Watson’ s son |
| C．a classmate of Watson’ s son | D．the son of Mr Smith’s friend |
| A．was a college student | B．didn’t live to grow up |
| C．made friends with many boys | D．died from an incurable disease |
| A．Mr Smith wanted to help Watson’s son |
| B．a man was needed in another department |
| C．Herbie told Mr Smith to do so in his letter |
| D．Mr Smith wanted to realize his son’s dream |
| A．loved their sons deeply | B．were hard men |
| C．knew Champ | D．were interested in chemistry |
2 . With Disney parks recently raising their ticket prices to $89, now is the perfect time to start thinking about smaller theme parks. Here are four theme parks where the price of adult admission（门票）is under $50.
Luna Park, Coney Island
How much you spend in enjoying Luna Park really depends on which rides you choose to go on. For anyone as indecisive as I am, stick with the $29 four-hour Unlimited Luna Park Ride Wristband or the $39 Ride and Play package.
Dorney Park, Allentown
Dorney Park lies about an hour outside of Philadelphia. The admission price is $39.99. And the Starlight Admission is $27.99, which is good for visits between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. during the summer months when the park is open late, or from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in winter when the park closes earlier.
Knotts Berry Farm, Buena Park
Home to some of the country’s craziest rides, Knotts Berry Farm also has calmer, more family-friendly rides. People ages 12-61 get in for $39.99 when tickets are bought online, while children ages 3-11 and adults over 62 pay $26.99.
Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Santa Cruz
Sitting on the warm beaches of Santa Cruz—about 90 minutes south of San Francisco—the Boardwalk is home to big roller coasters（过山车）, mini-golf, enough food and games to keep people of all ages busy. The best part? An all-day unlimited ride wristband is only $31.95.
1. What can we learn about the four theme parks?| A．They all have calm rides. |
| B．All of them are family-friendly. |
| C．They all require online bookings. |
| D．Their admission price is lower than that of Disney parks. |
| A．$20 | B．$39 | C．$29 | D．$59 |
| A．is aimed for kids | B．can be used twice |
| C．is designed for summer use | D．is for visits in the later part of a day |
| A．Luna Park. | B．Dorney Park. |
| C．Knotts Berry Farm. | D．Santa Cruz Boardwalk. |
| A．In a travel magazine. | B．In a research paper. |
| C．In a story book. | D．On a poster. |
3 . Michael is always in a good mood. He was a natural motivator (乐天派). One day I asked him, “You can’t be
Later, I heard Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling off 60 feet from a tower. After 18 hours of
“As I
Michael
| A．negative | B．passive | C．positive | D．native |
| A．wake | B．pick | C．stay | D．turn |
| A．ways | B．jobs | C．lives | D．choices |
| A．and | B．or | C．besides | D．nor |
| A．bad | B．good | C．lucky | D．urgent |
| A．work | B．rest | C．surgery | D．flight |
| A．incident | B．event | C．item | D．accident |
| A．lay | B．sat | C．slept | D．stood |
| A．excited | B．thrilled | C．afraid | D．encouraged |
| A．So | B．But | C．Otherwise | D．Therefore |
| A．impressions | B．expressions | C．attractions | D．tears |
| A．really | B．slowly | C．even | D．slightly |
| A．nothing | B．anything | C．something | D．anybody |
| A．called for | B．ran for | C．waited for | D．rushed for |
| A．disappeared | B．endangered | C．died | D．survived |
I couldn’t sleep at all last night. My sister says it was because I ate a bowl of really spicy chili (辣的辣椒) right before bedtime, but I think that’s impossible. Can spicy foods at bedtime really have an influence on one’s sleep?
－Sleepless
Dear Sleepless,
I know your feeling because I often eat spicy chili before lights out. I’ve also experienced sleep problems after eating a lot of spicy foods. What does science say?
Researchers in Australia did an experiment to find out the effects of spicy foods on how we sleep. They wanted to try to know the influence of spicy foods on the length or quality (质量) of sleep. They gave a group of people delicious late-night meals. Some nights, they got spicy meals. Other nights, their meals were mild (清淡的). It turns out that your sister is on to something. When the people taking part in the experiment ate spicy foods, their sleep patterns (模式) were changed. They took longer to fall asleep and they slept less, too. This was the kind of information the researchers were looking for to build a link (关联) between eating spicy foods and possible sleep problems.
Researchers aren’t sure exactly how spicy foods change sleep patterns, but they have some ideas on the subject. People’s sleep could be influenced because of stomachache caused by eating spicy foods. Also, they could be taking too long to fall asleep because of taking too long to digest (消化) the spicy foods. But they also guess that body temperature plays a role. Spicy foods include something that can raise the body’s temperature. Other studies have connected increased body temperature with poor sleep. So before you go to bed, leave the chilies alone and sleep well.
－Science
1. The questioner couldn’t sleep last night because ________.| A．he ate spicy foods |
| B．he went to bed too late |
| C．he was angry with his sister |
| D．he talked with Dr. Science for a long time |
| A．eating at bedtime is unhealthy |
| B．many Australians enjoy eating spicy foods |
| C．eating spicy foods can influence one’s sleep |
| D．spicy foods are more healthful than mild foods |
| A．true | B．stupid | C．terrible | D．funny |
| A．sleep badly | B．go to bed early |
| C．like mild foods | D．eat lots of foods |
| A．By sharing his personal experience. |
| B．By telling him about some research. |
| C．By interviewing him face to face. |
| D．By making experiments with him. |
5 . In the United States, most of our electricity comes from power plants (发电厂) that burn coal and oil.
There are two big problems with using these things for electricity. First, their supply is limited (有限的). Second, burning them causes pollution. So to make sure we always have power and to keep our planet clean, we must find other ways to make electricity.
Some people think that wind power is our best choice. First, there will always be more wind. Also, wind power does not pollute the environment. Best of all, we don’t have to search for wind.
Today, less than 1 percent of our electricity comes from wind. But scientists have been developing better wind machines. As a result, wind power is getting more popular in this country.
Yet wind power may not keep growing so quickly in years to come. Why not? Many wind turbines (风力涡轮机) are needed to make much electricity. So wind-power companies try to build wind farms but are competing (竞争) with other uses for the land. A wind farm is a group of turbines placed close together in an area with frequent winds.
In places where companies try to build wind farms, people think that lines of turbines are ugly. Noise from turbines often troubles people. Also, turbines kill birds that fly into them.
Wind-power supporters disagree. They think the sight of wind turbines is lovely. They point out that people have gotten used to living near noisy highways. They say ways can be found to keep birds away from turbines.
In today’s world, we need clean and unlimited power sources more than ever. Unless a better power source comes along, people may just have to accept wind power as a part of their lives.
1. The underlined part “these things” in the second paragraph refers to ________.| A．frequent winds. | B．wind turbines. |
| C．power plants. | D．coal and oil. |
| A．How wind power works. |
| B．How wind power was found. |
| C．The advantages of wind power. |
| D．The development of wind power. |
| A．It is very expensive to build lots of wind turbines. |
| B．It is difficult to improve the wind power technology. |
| C．There are few people who accept it as a new power source. |
| D．Many wind turbines are needed and there is less space for them. |
| A．make a loud noise. |
| B．look very beautiful. |
| C．are built near highways. |
| D．provide places for birds to stay. |
| A．The Role of Wind. |
| B．The Power of Wind. |
| C．The Cost of Wind Power. |
| D．The History of Wind Power. |
6 . My daughter graduated from college this year. I couldn’t be more proud of her. Through countless hours of study, books read, papers written, and tests taken, her hard work has paid off. She is no longer a little girl. She has become a wise, giving, caring, and loving adult. She has learned so much and is ready to start the rest of her life.
I think the things I take most pride in her learning, though, aren’t the ones she learned in the classroom. They are the ones she learned through living her life. My daughter already knows things that it took me much longer to learn. She knows that money can’t buy happiness. She knows that laughter exercises the lungs and love opens up the heart. She knows that doing what you love and loving what you do turns work into play. She knows that children are life’s most precious (珍贵的) gift and that every child should be treated with kindness and love.
My daughter knows that life often isn’t fair, that society often isn’t wise, and that everyone of us will face our share of problems. She also knows, however, that with love in our hearts we can bring learning, laughter, and joy to even the toughest days. She knows that life is a journey taken on a rocky road and that sometimes we stumble. She knows that we can pick ourselves up each time and even help someone else up as well. Most of all she knows that she is still learning, just as we all are. May she always know too just how much I love her.
1. How did the author feel when her daughter graduated from college?| A．Grateful. | B．Satisfied. | C．Calm. | D．Concerned. |
| A．Her daughter is ready to start a new life. |
| B．Her daughter knows a lot about society. |
| C．Her daughter’s knowledge learnt through living her life. |
| D．Her daughter’s achievements in the classroom. |
| A．you should love work as well as play |
| B．it’s important for one to turn work into play |
| C．your work will become interesting if you love it |
| D．what you love and what you do are totally different |
| A．her mother is well educated |
| B．her mother loves her very much |
| C．she is cleverer than her mother |
| D．she has to keep learning all her life |
| A．Fall. | B．Climb. | C．Control. | D．Shock. |
7 . “Daddy, can I have a piece of cake?” my oldest son asked me.
We had just been to the gym and stopped to
“No,” I replied, “you don’t need a piece of cake.”
My son
He had a full plate of
He was silent as he looked at the
I looked at my plate. There sitting on the edge was a piece of
A few days later my oldest son was
He ordered a sandwich. I then
Your kids are very likely to put on their plates, exactly what you have on yours, and I think this applies to (适用于) more than food. Keep your life plate with only what you want your kids to have.
1.| A．eat | B．relax | C．play | D．rest |
| A．gets | B．becomes | C．turns | D．grows |
| A．in order | B．in time | C．in use | D．in shape |
| A．trouble | B．success | C．matter | D．failure |
| A．vegetables | B．meat | C．desserts | D．cream |
| A．Therefore | B．Besides | C．However | D．Instead |
| A．different | B．good | C．healthy | D．expensive |
| A．took | B．paid | C．cost | D．spent |
| A．delicious | B．smelly | C．big | D．chocolate |
| A．buying | B．choosing | C．making | D．cooking |
| A．glass | B．cake | C．paper | D．wood |
| A．with | B．against | C．behind | D．over |
| A．restaurant | B．gym | C．shop | D．hotel |
| A．sent | B．tasted | C．ordered | D．brought |
| A．actually | B．exactly | C．entirely | D．finally |
8 . For many years people in Estonia have been leaving their rubbish in the forests. Rainer Nolvak, a businessman and his friends wanted to clean up all the rubbish in Estonia. The rubbish was not just an environmental problem. It was a problem of people’s attitudes. Rainer Nolvak got together with a team of 20 friends and they began to make a plan about how to clean up the rubbish. Soon, over 600 people joined in the group.
They named the project Let’s Do It! Estonia. The Ministry of the environment gave them some support. Many other companies joined in the group. Famous actors and singers also took part. Even the President of Estonia joined in. They sent information about Let’s Do It! Estonia throughout the country.
Technology experts developed a special computer program. Team members went into the forests to find where the rubbish was. They used their mobile phones to mark every place where they found rubbish and send the information to the computer program. Then, the marked rubbish places appeared on the map. Anyone could go on the Internet and see the map.
The team found a surprising result. There were over 10,000 tons of waste in the forests of Estonia. When people saw how much waste was around their own homes, they were shocked. Thousands of people began to help. The team chose May 3, 2008 as the day to clean up the rubbish. On May 3, more than 50,000 people helped to get rid of the rubbish.They moved over 10,000 tons of rubbish in only one day!
This was amazing for the environment in Estonia. But it was also an important step for Estonian society. Rainer Nolvak gave a speech at a conference in the Balkans. He said, “The most important thing we did was to build a team. It changed every one of us. We had to connect to people. We had to see that the rubbish was our problem. At times we are afraid of sharing. When we are together and there are many of us, we are not afraid.”
1. The Project Let’s Do It! Estonia（爱沙尼亚） is to ________.| A．prevent people leaving their rubbish anywhere |
| B．make Estonia a clean place |
| C．change people’ s attitudes towards the environment |
| D．make plans for businessmen |
| A．the special computer program |
| B．how the team found the rubbish |
| C．phones’ important part in marking |
| D．how the rubbish was shown on the Internet |
| A．find out | B．make use of | C．clean up | D．throw away |
| A．It was less successful than expected. |
| B．It got great support from all over the country. |
| C．It got money from famous actors and singers. |
| D．It was set up by the Ministry of the Environment. |
| A．all difficulties are paper tigers |
| B．people should help each other |
| C．there is strength in numbers |
| D．well begun is half done |
9 . I did have a really amazing time in Rio! I worked as a volunteer there to promote (提高) the local people’s awareness (意识；认知) of their own health. Therefore, I stayed there for a period of time. During this period of time, I learnt how to take blood pressure and how to give advice in Portuguese to people with high or low blood pressure. I also gave some English lessons at the building or clinic (诊所) I was in when I was not very busy.
When I think of those days in Rio, I would say that really a volunteer should stay at least for four weeks in order to have time to settle in and see progress in their work, especially since volunteering is only four days a week. Also, on the health program, I found that there wasn’t work to do unless you made work. For example, the volunteer I was working with had set up a blood pressure awareness program. So some days we went around the poor areas in the city where only the poorest local people live. I went there to measure people’s blood and give them advice about their life. We felt quite full while other days could be very quiet if we sat in the clinic waiting for people to come to us to get measured. Volunteers should also be aware that things don’t always happen that fast and it can be hard to see progress in only four weeks, so try to stay longer if you can.
Also, people in the poor areas can be very friendly! A local woman that another volunteer and I worked with for a few weeks invited us to her family’s picnic. She and her husband cooked and a lot of her family came — it was really lovely. I found my volunteering in Rio a rich and unforgettable experience.
1. Why did the author go to Rio?| A．To pay a visit to this city. |
| B．To be a medical volunteer. |
| C．To give some advice to the locals. |
| D．To measure his blood pressure. |
| A．raise local people’s awareness of health |
| B．teach the local students English |
| C．learn to measure blood pressure |
| D．work together with the locals |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Stressed. | C．Free. | D．Excited. |
| A．learn something more |
| B．make money from the locals |
| C．make more friends in the program |
| D．see the progress in the work |
| A．To call on more people to take voluntary work. |
| B．To share his/her voluntary experiences in Rio. |
| C．To invite more people to work in Rio. |
| D．To show us his/ her interesting stories. |
10 . Here’s a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly.
Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for long periods --- even if you also exercise regularly --- could be bad for your health. And it doesn’t matter where the sitting takes place. Several studies suggest people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die.
In an article published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define physical activity to stress the dangers of sitting.
While health officials have recommended minimum amounts of physical activity, they haven’t suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated position.
“After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals,” said Ekblom-Bak. She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucose (葡萄糖) and fat in the body start to shut down.
Even for people who exercise, spending long periods of time sitting at a desk is still harmful. Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization, said people who exercise every day --- but still spend a lot of time sitting --- might get more benefit if that exercise was spread across the day, rather than in a single bout (一回).
Still, in a study published in 2015 that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, researchers found people who sat more had a higher death risk, whether or not they exercised.
“We don’t have enough evidence yet to say how much sitting is bad,” said Peter Katzmarzyk of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, who led the Canadian study. “But it seems the more you can get up and interrupt this sedentary (久坐的) behavior, the better.”
Experts said more research is needed to figure out just how much sitting is dangerous, and what might be possible to offset those effects.
“People should keep exercising because that has a lot of benefits,” Ekblom-Bak said. “But when they’re in the office, they should try to interrupt sitting as often as possible,” she said.
1. What is the best title for the text?| A．Not Sitting Too Much While Working. |
| B．How to Avoid Sitting Too Much. |
| C．Sitting Too Much Could Be Deadly. |
| D．More and More People Sit Too Much. |
| A．the more time you spend in exercising in a single bout, the healthier you will be |
| B．those who often sit too much are sure to grow fat or suffer from a heart attack |
| C．regular exercise is effective in getting rid of the side effects of sitting too much |
| D．you had better not sit for more than four hours in a single bout |
| A．It results in a higher death risk. |
| B．It increases glucose and fat in the body. |
| C．It makes a person unable to exercise long enough in a day. |
| D．It causes the genes to fail to balance the glucose and fat in the body. |
| A．improve | B．balance | C．ignore | D．achieve |
| A．having a walk around your office |
| B．sending your friends e-mails |
| C．chatting online or playing computer games |
| D．listening to music with your head on the desk |
