1 . How to Use a Modern Public Library
Has it been a while since your last visit to a public library? If so, you may be surprised to learn that libraries have changed for the better. It’s been years since they were dusty little rooms with books. They have transformed themselves into places where you can develop your love of knowledge meet interesting people, or find out how to start a business.
Check out a book. While libraries still loan out(出借)books, you’ll find it easier to get a copy of whatever you’re looking for, thanks to a cooperative network of area libraries. Via such networks, libraries share their books with each other through the use of delivery vehicles. Once the book you’ve requested is delivered to the nearest branch, they will inform you by e-mail, so you can pick it up.
Check out other items. The library is now a multimedia zone, loaded with information in many formats(载体形式). You can borrow movies on DVDs, music on CDs, and popular magazines. Some libraries even loan out toys and games. If a popular magazine you want isn’t offered and the library keeps a list of such requests, they may bring it in when enough interest is shown.
Join targeted reading groups. Libraries will often hold reading-group sessions targeted to various age groups. Perhaps you’d like to learn a language or improve your English. The library may sponsor a language group you could join. If you have difficulties reading, ask about special reading opportunities. Your library might be able to accommodate you. And you might find it relaxing to bring your small kid to a half-hour Story Time while you sit quietly in a corner with a good book.
Start a business using the help of your local library. If you want to have a business of your own, your local library can become a launch space for it. In library books and computers, you can find information on starting a business. Many libraries will help you with locally supplied information about business management shared through chambers of commerce(商会)and government agencies, and they will offer printing, faxing and database services you need.
1. Public libraries connected by a cooperative network benefit readers by______.| A．sharing their books on the Internet |
| B．giving access to online reading at a library branch |
| C．sending a needed book to a library branch nearby |
| D．making the checkout procedures diverse |
| A．A magazine and an e-book. |
| B．A game and an oil painting. |
| C．A music CD and a kid’s toy. |
| D．A DVD and a video player |
| A．the kid to learn a new language |
| B．the parent to enjoy quiet reading |
| C．the kid to overcome reading difficulties |
| D．the parent to meet their program sponsor |
| A．providing relevant information and supporting services |
| B．offering professional advice on business management |
| C．supplying useful information of your potential buyers |
| D．arranging meetings with government officials |
| A．To point out the importance of public libraries. |
| B．To encourage people to work in public libraries. |
| C．To introduce the improved services of public libraries. |
| D．To call for the modernization of public library systems. |
2 . Like many other students beginning graduate school, I was quickly charged with responsibilities and had to find time for studying by letting go of many other things I valued. Letting go of football and the violin was, however, self-defeating: it might have brought me more time in the short term, but spending that extra time on work only’ made me more stressed and less productive.
Towards the end of the MSC (Master of Science program) started to lose my motivation and curiosity for science and research, as well as my creativity. Spending so much time and energy in the laboratory, and focusing all my attention on my thesis and courses, made me feel down and almost totally uninterested in my field - not to mention short-tempered and oversensitive in my personal communications.
Over time, I learnt from these experiences. When I started my PhD, I focused on balancing academic success with personal time-off, and made personal happiness a priority (首要事情) in my weekly schedule. My mentor (导师) and I discussed my work-life balance early in my program, and we arrange our lab responsibilities accordingly.
I set boundaries for myself in new ways: ‘rather than doing lab work all weekend, I’d play football or the violin, or visit loved ones, before allowing myself to work fora few hours.
This was hard at first: I worried that it would affect my standing with my peers, and superiors, but I had learnt from experiences that an overloaded schedule can drain (使疲劳) you so much that you become unfocused and start making mistakes or forgetting important details.
Since establishing a better work-life balance, I’ve been doing well in graduate school. Outside the lab, I’ve been able to take up a few leadership positions at my university because I’m not as stressed with my work. I serve as our department’s student councilor and I am also vice-president academic in the Health Sciences Graduate Students’ Association. My advice is this: a healthy work-life balance isn’t a luxury; it’s a key part of success in graduate programs.
1. What is the author’s problem?| A．He must study hard to graduate. |
| B．He must give up his hobby for study, |
| C．He didn’t know how to study more effectively. |
| D．He didn’t know how to deal with pressure. |
| A．the challenges of an MSC program |
| B．the consequences of giving up hobbies |
| C．the benefits of focusing on schoolwork |
| D．the importance of balancing study and hobbies |
| A．asks his peers for help |
| B．seeks to reduce his lab duties |
| C．puts his hobbies first more often |
| D．avoids schoolwork at weekends at all |
| A．tends to put things on hold |
| B．tends to lose the attention to details |
| C．will lose his patience with his academic work |
| D．will make a new schedule accordingly |
| A．It’s never too late to make a change in the university. |
| B．It’s easy to be work-life balanced in our lives. |
| C．Multi-tasking has many advantages in the university. |
| D．Work-life balance is necessary in the university. |
3 . From talking robots and video phones to rovers （探测器）on Mars, technology has become so advanced that the previously impossible seems to occur on a daily basis. And yet—we still have no cure for the common cold.
Why can't we stop the common cold? According to Peter Barlow, a scientist at Edinburgh Napier University in the UK, the main challenge lies in the many different types of cold viruses that are produced by the rhinoviruses （鼻病毒），Scientific American reported. There are at least 160 types. They mutate so easily that they quickly become resistant to drugs, or learn to hide from our immune systems. In other words, a single cure isn't likely to work on every type of cold.
However, researchers from Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco, have found a possible answer. They discovered a protein that the viruses need. Without it, they can't spread inside your body.
To identify the gene which produces the specific protein needed by the viruses, researchers used a gene-editing technique to test all genes in the human genome（基因组）one by one for thousands of cell.
These modified （改变的）cells were then exposed to a range of enteroviruses （肠道病毒）， including the rhinoviruses which cause the common cold.
All the viruses were unable to replicate（复制）inside cells without a gene that produces a specific protein, called methyltransferase（甲基转移酶）SETD3.
Then, they tested genetically（从基因方面）modified mice, which were completely unable to produce the protein. The mice were able to live healthy, normal lives without the protein.
"Lacking that gene protected the mice completely from viral （病毒的）infection,” associate professor Jan Carette, from Stanford, told the BBC.
"These mice would always die, but they survived and we saw a very strong reduction in viral replication and very strong protection."
Carette said the plan is to find a drug which can temporarily suppress（抑制） the protein, instead of producing genetically modified humans.
“We have identified a fantastic target that all enteroviruses and rhinoviruses require and depend on. Take that away and the virus really has no chance," said Carette.
"This is a really good first step—the second step is to have a chemical that mimics（模拟） this genetic deletion,” he added.
1. What does the underlined word "mutate” mean in English?| A．To change a new form. |
| B．To identify a new gene. |
| C．To check a modified cell. |
| D．To cure a viral infection. |
| A．Why it is so hard to cure the common cold. |
| B．The possible link between rhinoviruses and the common cold. |
| C．A possible way to stop viral infections that cause the common cold. |
| D．The functions of a protein needed by viruses. |
| A．The slow mutation of some genes. |
| B．The fast speed at which rhinoviruses spread. |
| C．The harm rhinoviruses do to the immune system. |
| D．The wide variety of cold viruses created by rhinoviruses. |
| A．It helps the viruses replicate inside our bodies. |
| B．It allows the viruses to change easily. |
| C．It helps the viruses become resistant to drugs. |
| D．It increases the spread of the viruses. |
| A．Genetically modified mice died because they lacked the protein. |
| B．The modified cells seemed to protect the mice against viral infections. |
| C．More methyltransferase SETD3 was produced after the cells were modified. |
| D．The gene-editing technique was more effective against enteroviruses than rhinoviruses. |
| A．Conduct experiments on genetically modified humans. |
| B．Identify a drug that can help reduce the protein. |
| C．Apply this gene-editing technique to control other viruses. |
| D．Find a chemical that can cure all enteroviruses and rhinoviruses. |
4 . A decade ago, colored lights danced around the living room on New Year's Eve and happy music was played. Upstairs, the children were asleep. But I wasn't feeling happy. In mid-December, my husband and I had been informed that he had cancer and that he was going to die. He had less than a year left, the doctors said.
In the years since that painful season, I have come to look back upon New Year's Eve as an ending and a beginning. New Year's Eve brings a halt to the endless commitments that fill our daily lives and a chance to reflect.
New Year's Eve is full of possibility, and anticipation. What will be the surprising experiences and delightful successes in the coming year? But also, what disappointments are waiting for us in the next twelve months?
In many ways, New Year's Eve and the days that surround it are a line between past and future. That line is made up of a series of moments of transition that take us out of the old and into the new. Transition can be challenging for many of us. It's about letting go of the familiar and diving headlong （迅猛地）into the unfamiliar.
Just as, back then, I had to face letting go of the life I had led with my beloved husband and stepping into a new world as a widowed（丧偶的）mom. I find that each year I have to step out of the version of me that suited the year that is ending and ease into the version of me who will rise to the goals I am holding for myself for the year ahead.
Last year at this time, I sat in a chair in southern France and drank in the stillness and beauty of the countryside around me. The three children and I had brought into this world talked and laughed around the table beside me as we enjoyed a lunch of bread and cheese.
I was filled with a sense of joy and I had a glowing （热情洋溢的）heart that was full of hope. It was another ending and another beginning. May we all transition into the best of what lies ahead. May we all find happiness in this holiday season.
1. What made the author unhappy on New Year's Eve a decade before?| A．The pressure she faced in her work. |
| B．The health problem her husband faced. |
| C．The information received from her family. |
| D．The relationship between her and husband. |
| A．Stop. | B．Beginning. | C．Meaning. | D．Tradition. |
| A．Set challenging goals for the next year. |
| B．Break with daily routines and form a new habit. |
| C．Spend more time with family members. |
| D．Think about the past and get ready for the future. |
| A．Calm. | B．Indifferent. | C．Doubtful. | D．Expectant. |
| A．To memorialize her husband. |
| B．To show how she got through a hard time. |
| C．To share her view of New Year's Eve. |
| D．To remind us that uncertainty is part of life. |
5 . When I was in school, the class I dreaded most was my eighth grade art class. The teacher put down my every attempt at completing an assignment. I simply couldn’t produce art the way she wanted it. Luckily, I’d already proven myself in other creative areas. Yet, that art teacher was successful in convincing me that I had no talent for painting, drawing, or anything related to them. Imagine my surprise when I published my nature photography and became a volunteer art teacher!
Unfortunately, my story is all too familiar to many people who come through my workshops and practice. Even more unfortunately, the vast majority of people were so discouraged in childhood that they cut off the creative impulse (冲动) in most areas of their lives. Their teachers, parents, or classmates convinced them they had no talent, so they gave up. The pain of failure was simply too great.
Why have we forgotten creativity is an experience, not a result? Let’s consider why we express creativity in first place. To be creative is to be human. Everything we’ve at our disposal (处理) is the result of someone’s creative expression and willingness to take a risk. Even so, for creativity to flower and feel free of encumbrance (累赘), it needs to be about the joyful moments spent creating, not just about what we’ve to show for those moments. Whatever pattern you need to break, try to make it about the pleasure and not about the outcome.
Therefore, I’d urge you to curb your perfectionism not enthusiasm! Perfectionism is the leading killer of artistic expression. Relax a little and bring back your childlike nature when you create. Children instinctively (本能地) know how to give over to the joy --- until someone teaches them otherwise! Let your creation be whatever it wants to be. See if it can lead you rather than the other way around. Let your unconsciousness come through, and let the expression of yourself be beautiful regardless of how it compares to anything else. After all, it’s yours, and no one but you could create it!
1. What made the author give up his dream of art? (no more than 15 words)2. What does the third paragraph mainly tell us? (no more than 10 words)
3. Please explain the underlined word “curb” in English. (no more than 5 words)
4. According to the passage, what is necessary for a creative person? (no more than 10 words)
5. Do you think you are more creative as a student? Please give an example. (no more than 25 words)
6 . The US Postal Service(USPS) is losing billions of dollars a year. The government company that delivers "small mail" is losing out to email and other types of electronic communication. First-class mail amount fell from a high point of 104 million pieces in 2000 to just 64 million pieces by 2014.
Congress permits the 600,000-employee USPS to hold a monopoly over first-class and standard mail. The company pays no federal, state or local taxes；pays no vehicle fees； and is free from many regulations on other businesses. Despite these advantages, the USPS has lost 52 billion since 2007, and will continue losing money without major reforms.
The problem is that Congress is preventing the USPS from reducing costs as its sales decline, and is blocking efforts to end Saturday service and close unneeded post office locations. USPS also has a costly union-dominated workforce that slows the introduction of new ideas or methods down. USPS workers earn significantly higher payment than comparable private-sector workers. The answer is to privatize the USPS and open postal markets to competition. With the rise of the Internet, the argument that mail is a natural monopoly that needs government protection is weaker than ever.
Other countries facing declining letter amounts have made reforms. Germany and the Netherlands privatized their national postal companies over a decade ago, and other European countries have followed suit. Britain floated shares of the Royal Mail on its stock exchange in 2013. Some countries, such as Sweden and New Zealand, have not privatized their national postal companies, but they have opened them up to competition.
These reforms have driven efficiency improvements in all of these countries. Additional number of workers have been reduced, productivity has risen and consumers have benefited. Also, note that cost-cutting measures — such as closing some post offices — are good for both the economy and the environment.
Privatization and competition also encourage new changes. When the USPS monopoly over "extremely urgent" mail was stopped in 1979, we saw an explosion in efficient overnight private delivery by firms such as FedEx.
The government needs to wake up to changing technology, study postal reforms abroad and let businessmen reinvent（彻底改造）our out-of-date postal system.
1. What does the underlined word "monopoly" in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．The act of solving a problem. |
| B．A duty to deal with something. |
| C．Complete control of a public service/goods. |
| D．The plan of investing money in something. |
| A．Its great competitor is the delivery firm FedEx. |
| B．It is an old public service open to competitions. |
| C．Its employees don't pay federal, state or local taxes. |
| D．It has complete control of first-class and standard mail. |
| A．explain the procedures of reform to the USPS |
| B．show the advantages of private postal services |
| C．set some examples for the government to learn from |
| D．prove the situation is very common around the world |
| A．needs government's protection as ever |
| B．can work together with other businesses |
| C．must be replaced by international companies |
| D．should be sold out and become a private service |
I： Introduction CP： Central point P： Point Sp： Sub-point C： Conclusion
A． | B． | C． | D． |
7 . With a combined total of 211 years between them, Charlotte and John Henderson, from Austin, Texas, are celebrating their 80th wedding anniversary. The two are
The pair met in 1934 as
Henderson’s nephew Jason Free said the two were his
Free noted that when his uncle is at a UT game or out
As for the
| A．naturally | B．officially | C．individually | D．normally |
| A．so | B．but | C．as | D．and |
| A．participants | B．professors | C．students | D．players |
| A．fond | B．sure | C．afraid | D．tired |
| A．qualification | B．confidence | C．truth | D．distinction |
| A．organizes | B．attends | C．sponsors | D．appreciates |
| A．aimed | B．researched | C．lived | D．arrived |
| A．reported | B．assumed | C．suggested | D．confirmed |
| A．deliver | B．find | C．show | D．throw |
| A．announced | B．recommended | C．explained | D．complained |
| A．seriously | B．easy | C．off | D．away |
| A．relationship | B．behavior | C．career | D． concept |
| A．overlook | B．recall | C．believe | D．see |
| A．something | B．anything | C．everything | D．nothing |
| A．choices | B．children | C．retirement | D．future |
| A．cheating | B．inviting | C．meeting | D．making |
| A．pick up | B．care about | C．wait for | D．check on |
| A．introduction | B．tendency | C．secret | D．guide |
| A．attitude | B．method | C．theory | D．comment |
| A．laugh | B．sigh | C．nod | D．gesture |
Headington Oxford Summer School is located in the beautiful city of Oxford, just a short walk from the centre. The summer school takes place at Headington School, one of the UK's top boarding schools.
Ages: 13-16
Dates: Wednesday 15 July — Wednesday 19 August
Location: Headington School in Oxford Certification: Academic Progress Report & Certificate
Academic Program
Headington Oxford Summer School offers students 15 hours of English teaching per week. Students can choose between our General English, Summer Study and Global Young Leaders courses. All classes at Headington Oxford Summer School are multi-national with a maximum of 15 students per class.
Social Program
At Headington Oxford Summer School, students enjoy a varied and fun multi-activity program, with a range of activities in the afternoon and evenings. Students can also choose English Plus+ options, to replace the multi-activity program, oil two afternoons per week for an additional cost. Social program is a supplementary(补充)to the Academic Program.
Excellent Education
At Summer Boarding Courses, our English Summer School programs help students to develop and use their English language skills in a real world setting. With students from over 95 different countries, we limit the number of students that speak the same language so that students are able to communicate with each other in English throughout their stay. Trips, project work and presentations throughout our British Summer School courses, help to develop the students' confidence and use of language in real life situations.
A Key Part of the Educational Journey
Joining a British Summer School is part of a student's educational journey. Whether they're attending one of our summer schools to learn English for the first time, develop their English language skills to study in the UK, or intending to prepare for further study at university, we have courses suitable to meet their needs.
CONTACT US MAKE A BOOKING
+44 (0)1943 878518infb@suinmerboardingcourscs.co.uk
1. What do you know about Headington Oxford Summer School?| A．It is far away from the city centre. |
| B．It offers programs to elementary school students. |
| C．Its programs are open to students from all over the world. |
| D．Its programs last no more than 4 weeks. |
| A．doesn't include English courses |
| B．is conducted during the day |
| C．is an addition to the Academic Program |
| D．allows students to participate voluntarily |
| A．To encourage students to make friends. |
| B．To make students practice English more. |
| C．To build up students' confidence. |
| D．To attract more students to the courses. |
| A．further promotes the summer school |
| B．explains the benefit of joining the summer school |
| C．explains the development of the summer school |
| D．predicts the future of the educational area in the UK |
9 . People who have got rhythm might have an advantage when it comes to language and reading skills. A new study shows the brains of people who can move to a musical beat react to speech on a more consistent basis than those who can't. Researchers also find that musical training can sharpen the brain’s response to language.
The researchers say their discovery provides the first biological link between the ability to keep a beat and how the brain responds to speech, something that can have important value for reading skills. To gather materials for their research, the team got more than 100 teenagers who lived in Chicago, Illinois. The teens were given two tests. First, they were instructed to listen to and tap their fingers along to the beat. The researchers calculated low accurately their young volunteers were able to tap along to the musical timekeeper. Second, the teen subjects were linked to an EEG device, which measures electrical activity in the brain. The EEG device was focused on an area of the brain that not only processes sound, but is also connected to parts of the brain responsible for motor-movement. The researchers recorded the brainwaves as their teen subjects listened to the synthesized speech sound, which was repeated irregularly for half an hour. The researchers were able to find out how the nerve cells in that particular region of the brain responded every time the synthesized sound was played.“Across this population of adolescents, the more accurate they were at tapping along to the beat, the more consistent their brains' response to the letter unit was,” said Nina Kraus.
While past studies have showed the links between reading skills and a person’s ability to keep a beat, the researchers said their new findings show the hearing system is what provides a common basis for those links. “Rhythm is naturally a part of music and language.” Nina said.
1. According to the first paragraph, what can get the brain’s reaction to language more effectively?| A．Rhythm. | B．Reading skills. |
| C．Language. | D．Musical training. |
| A．It shows how the brain works. |
| B．It is very important for reading ability. |
| C．It shows how the brain reacts to speech. |
| D．It is helpful to researchers' findings. |
| A．persons or animals that are studied in an experiment or a research |
| B．areas of knowledge studied in a school, college, and so on |
| C．things that are being discussed in a conversation or a book |
| D．persons or things that are the main features of works of art |
| A．reading skills may make language learners keep a beat |
| B．the hearing system may be useless while a person is learning to read |
| C．the hearing system may separate sound from meaning while a person is reading |
| D．the hearing system may be used while a person is reading or taking musical training |
| A．Moving to a musical beat is more popular. |
| B．Experts are expanding their studies on rhythm. |
| C．Rhythm might help us improve our reading skills. |
| D．Experts find the links between the hearing system and reading. |
10 . For years, the U.S. has experienced a shortage of registered nurses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that while the number of nurses will increase by 19 percent by 2022, demand will grow faster than supply, and that there will be over one million unfilled nursing jobs by then.
So what's the solution? Robots,
Japan is ahead of the curve when it comes to this trend. Toyohashi University of Technology has developed Terapio, a robotic medical cart that can make hospital rounds, deliver medications and oilier items, and retrieve（检索）records. It follows a specific individual, such as a doctor or nurse, who can use it to record and access patient data. This type of robot will likely be one of the first to be put into use in hospitals because it has fairly minimal patient contact.
Robots capable of social engagement help with loneliness as well as cognitive（认知的） functioning, but the robot itself doesn't have to engage directly——it can serve as an intermediary for human communication. Telepresence robots such as MantaroBot, Vgo, and Giraff can be controlled through a computer, smartphone, or tablet, allowing family members or doctors to remotely monitor patients or Skype them, often via a screen where the robot's "face" would be. If you can't get to the nursing home to visit grandma, you can use a telepresence robot to hang out with her. A 2016 study found that users had a ''consistently positive attitude" about the Giraff robot's ability to enhance communication and decrease feelings of loneliness.
A robot’s appearance affects its ability to successfully interact with humans, which is why the RIKEN-TRI Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research decided to develop a robotic nurse that looks a huge teddy bear. RIBA （Robot for Interactive Body Assistance）, also known as "Robear" can help patients into and out of wheelchairs and beds with its strong arms. On the less cute and more scary side there is Actroid F, which is so human-like that some patients may not know the difference. This conversational robot companion has cameras in its eyes, which allow it to track patients and use appropriate facial expressions and body language in its interactions. During a month-long hospital trial, researchers asked 70 patients how they felt being around the robot and "only three or four said they didn't like having it around."
Il's important to note that robotic nurses don't decide courses of treatment or make diagnoses （ though robot doctors and surgeons may not be far off）. Instead, they perform routine and laborious tusks, freeing nurses up to attend to patients with immediate needs. This is one industry where it seems the interaction of robots will lend to collaboration, not replacement
1. What does the author say about Japan?| A．It delivers the best medication for the elderly. |
| B．It takes the lead in providing robotic care. |
| C．It provides retraining for registered nurses. |
| D．It sets the trend in future robotics technology, |
| A．Directly interact with patients to prevent them from feeling lonely. |
| B．Cater to the needs of patients for recovering their cognitive capacity. |
| C．Closely monitor the patients' movements and conditions around the clock. |
| D．Facilitate communication between patients and doctors or family members. |
| A．It interacts with patients just like a human companion. |
| B．It operates quietly without patients realizing its presence. |
| C．It likes to engage in everyday conversations with patients. |
| D．It uses body language even more effectively than words. |
| A．They don't like having it around. |
| B．They are indifferent to it. |
| C．They feel bored around them. |
| D．Almost all of them are in favor of it. |
| A．Doctors and surgeons will soon be laid off. |
| B．The robotics industry will soon take off. |
| C．Robots will not make nurses unnecessary. |
| D．Cooperation will not replace completion. |
