1 . Wind turbines (涡轮) and solar panels that generate electricity are examples of “green” technology. A new study finds that such renewable energy might be green in another sense. Large collections of those turbines or solar panels appear capable of bringing rains to the desert and would allow more plants to grow.

Building large wind or solar farms just to study their question was not an option. It would be too costly. So experts Kalnay and Safa developed a model of North Africa’s Sahara Desert to find out how wind turbines and solar farms might alter the desert’s climate.

The team ran its model several times. In one run, it assumed that people would set up wind farms only. Another run assumed people would install just solar farms. A third assumed people would build both. They would affect the desert’s weather with temperature and average daily rain increased—but differently. Installing a mix of solar farms and wind turbines brought about a bigger change—not in temperature but in rainfall. In the Sahara, having both wind and solar farms more than doubled the amount of rain that fell, up to 215.4 millimeters per day.

The models predicted that the average rainfall would increase over time, as more plants grew. Plants move water from the ground to the air. Warmer air can carry more water. So as this air rises, it can ferry more water up to become clouds. Those clouds can release rain, relieving the thirst of plants below. Over time, this process repeats itself over and over. This positive feedback can greatly boost rains.

Such rainfall changes could lead to better agriculture, says Safa. “More rain also would help wild plants grow. We believe that the countries in the Sahara should seriously consider investing in wind and solar power”, he added.

1. What is the new finding of the research?

A．Deserts will be suitable for farming.

B．It costs much to get deserts greener.

C．Renewable energy can green a desert.

D．Clean energy helps plants grow better.

2. What discouraged experts from building energy farms?

A．High construction expenses.

B．A lack of suitable test sites.

C．Shortage of manpower.

D．Terrible climate.

3. What was the advantage of the third run?

A．Saving more energy with less cost.

B．Doubling global rainfall per year.

C．Raising daily rainfall in the desert.

D．Decreasing temperature in the desert.

4. What may Safa advise the countries in the Sahara to do?

A．Build more farms to grow crops.

B．Save more water for agriculture.

C．Invest in wind and solar power.

D．Consider moving to other places.

2 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and

philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.

Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.

A．provide some key facts about Confucius

B．attract the readers' interest in the subject

C．show great respect for the ancient thinker

D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations

2. We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students___________.

A．have a great interest in studying Chinese

B．take an active part in Chinese competitions

C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams

D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese

3. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Forgotten Wisdom in America

B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language

C．Chinese Culture for Westerners

D．Old Thinker with a Big Future

4. The passage is likely to appear in__________.

A．a personal biography	B．a history paper
C．a cultural newspaper	D．a philosophy textbook

3 . Baseball was always where my heart lay. However, my father did not care for baseball. Two recreational activities he enjoyed were golfing and fishing, neither of which I considered a real sport. He didn’t talk much and he wasn’t good at expressing himself. Frankly, I wasn’t entirely certain he cared about me. In a way, my father was like a familiar stranger I saw every day.

One day, watching the play on television made me want a glove of my own. To my surprise, my father said he wanted one, too. He was on the portly side, but then again, one of the famous pitchers(投球手) on the Mets was even fatter. So I thought, why not?

We bought two gloves, and that evening, he suggested we go out to the courtyard and toss(掷) the ball around. I’d already practiced catching and throwing at school, but I could tell this was the first time for my father, because every time he caught the ball, it landed directly in his palm. If you’ve ever caught a ball with a baseball glove, you know how much this hurts.

But my father caught ball after ball this way. Slap! Slap! He winced(呲牙咧嘴). After about five minutes, I told him I’d had enough. It wasn’t out of mercy, but for my own self-interest. Neighborhood kids were watching and would no doubt tease me later for having an old man who didn’t know how to properly catch a baseball do that. When my father took the glove off, his palm was red and swollen.

Dad, who passed away 11 years ago, never told me he loved me. But that sound of the baseball landing in the soft flesh of his hand, over and over again—it spoke its own tender language, though at the time, all I felt was shame.

1. Why did the father want a glove?

A．He was interested in baseball.

B．He was impressed by the play on television.

C．He wanted to show his improvement in baseball.

D．He wanted to make the author happy.

2. What does the underlined word “portly” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Experienced.	B．Cool.
C．Famous.	D．Fat.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．The father didn’t feel hurt when catching the ball.

B．The father didn’t understand his child at all

C．The author didn’t realise his father’s love at first.

D．The author criticised his father when playing.

4. What could be the best title for the passage?

A．A Crying Shame for Baseball

B．The Sound of Love

C．A Loving Father and His Son

D．Love That Comes Late

4 . A couple of days ago, my 9­year­old son and I were shopping at a grocery store (食品杂货店). At the checkout, a mother was trying to understand her bill. She didn't have enough _______ for her milk and cheese. The manager _______ the items (商品) from her cart and carried them away to the fridge section.

There had been _______ when I myself didn't have money to buy groceries my family needed, but today was _______. It was payday so there we stood in line with our groceries.

I whispered to my son and told him to run and get the _______ back with the items. He was confused. He didn't understand me. I was trying to do an act of kindness, but it went _______.

The lady left with her son and _______ groceries than she had planned. I told the checkout guy to _______ me for her milk and cheese and that we'd run to the parking lot and _______ her up. He said “You'd do that？” and I said “Yes, I want to make sure they have what they ________.”

He quickly called the manager back. I paid for my items and hers and my son and I ran to the parking lot where we ________ we would find the lady. But the mom and her son were ________ and with them went my opportunity to gift these small but ________ items.

I felt ________ for not speaking up and telling her what I wanted to do for her. If I had told her about it, I wouldn't have ________ the chance of doing a good deed. Perhaps because of this our future acts will be delivered with speed, as it is intended and necessary for love and kindness.

1.

A．space

B．money

C．patience

D．help

2.

A．counted

B．added

C．removed

D．replaced

3.

A．times

B．reasons

C．ways

D．stores

4.

A．free

B．different

C．common

D．familiar

5.

A．fridge

B．mother

C．partner

D．manager

6.

A．wrong

B．bad

C．crazy

D．hungry

7.

A．cheaper

B．heavier

C．fewer

D．larger

8.

A．reward

B．search

C．pay

D．charge

9.

A．pick

B．catch

C．cheer

D．give

10.

A．need

B．buy

C．order

D．lose

11.

A．proved

B．doubted

C．remembered

D．thought

12.

A．grateful

B．unwilling

C．gone

D．tired

13.

A．necessary

B．expensive

C．useless

D．beautiful

14.

A．lucky

B．frightened

C．terrible

D．hopeless

15.

A．had

B．missed

C．welcomed

D．refused

5 . It is often said that Western Europeans speak English. From traveling all through Europe, I know that this is not entirely true. Some regions of Europe have a 90% of English speaking rate, while in other parts, English is generally a tongue which is impossible to understand. The divide, it seems, lies with the Romance languages.

In Scandinavia, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the rest of the Western European non­Romance language speaking regions, English seems to be understood and spoken just like the people's first tongue. In Iceland, I have never experienced English was spoken so well and so widely by a non­native speaking country. And I have almost never met a Dutch person who did not speak English almost as well as my countrymen.

But when you move to the south of Western Europe a little, something happens. English becomes a less useful language for traveling. You just cross over the Romance language barrier (障碍) and into Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy, where English is spoken at a rate that does not seem to be much higher than in China, Latin America, or Southeast Asia.

Traveling through Europe and working in hotels around the world that are popular with Europeans have given me a deeper view of their usage of foreign languages. The northern Europeans can often speak five or six languages, while the Romance speakers hardly know more than their birth tongue. And if you think that Spanish and Italian are so similar that their speakers can understand each other, I tell you that this is completely wrong. Spaniards and Italians don't even understand each other. It is also not a fact that people from both of these countries can communicate in French; only those who put a large amount of effort into learning English or have lived abroad for years can speak English well.

People often say that French people really understand English but refuse to speak it, but from watching hundreds of French travelers over the years struggle with English abroad as well as friends in France trying in vain   to communicate with me, I know that this is not true. English is simply not widely spoken there outside the large cities.

1. What can we learn from the passage?

A．In Iceland, English is not spoken very well.

B．A Dutch person can almost speak English as well as the author himself.

C．Spanish and Italian are so similar that their speakers can understand each other easily.

D．English is as widely spoken as French in France.

2. The author is probably a(n) ________.

A．American

B．Dutchman

C．Frenchman

D．Chinese

3. What does “this” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Western Europeans speak English.

B．French people really understand English but refuse to speak it.

C．Hundreds of French travelers struggle with English abroad.

D．Friends in France try in vain to communicate with me in English.

4. Where is the passage most probably taken from?

A．A geography textbook.	B．A fashion magazine.
C．A travel journal.	D．A news report.

6 . How do young people learn best？This is something I think a lot when I am teaching foreign languages to young people.I often_______that traditional teaching_______are hardly effective for young brains to learn a foreign language.

After moving to southern Italy，I was_______to have had the chance to run a private course teaching English to children under 7.I_______children liked singing and enjoyed games so I wanted to use these tools to help my students_______English conversation skills.I found some fun and_______songs online，which they loved very much.I also found the English version of some nursery rhymes(童谣) they once were familiar with.All of them were very entertaining and helpful but_______could still not have a basic conversation in English.

I wanted these students to be_______in the language I was teaching and I also wished them to speak it.I was eager to deliver 90% of my lessons in English._______，I knew it would be difficult to get them to talk in a foreign language they________speak outside our lessons.So I had to________a simple yet effective plan.

One day I decided to prepare a dialogue in English and rather than simply getting students to repeat the phrases，I got them to chant(反复唱) ________.I discovered that chanting was a practical way to get students to speak in English—it________！

So when teaching English to young people now，I________them to make up their own chants to help them remember________or complex sentences.

1.

A．suggest

B．know

C．find

D．guess

2.

A．materials

B．processes

C．attitudes

D．methods

3.

A．anxious

B．lucky

C．surprised

D．puzzled

4.

A．considered

B．realized

C．proved

D．insisted

5.

A．develop

B．practice

C．support

D．increase

6.

A．global

B．native

C．equal

D．easy

7.

A．students

B．teachers

C．writers

D．readers

8.

A．experienced

B．interested

C．concerned

D．puzzled

9.

A．Besides

B．Therefore

C．However

D．Luckily

10.

A．fairly

B．eagerly

C．nearly

D．seldom

11.

A．come up with

B．put up with

C．keep up with

D．catch up with

12.

A．that

B．it

C．one

D．them

13.

A．mattered

B．valued

C．worked

D．wondered

14.

A．persuade

B．encourage

C．remind

D．command

15.

A．expressions

B．conversations

C．courses

D．measures

7 . When recalling my high school­Gonzaga College High School，I am excited.It was founded in 1821，which was in the center part of D．C.，within the shouting distance(距离) of the Capitol building.

Seeing my older brother experience Gonzaga a few years before me，I had an idea of how special this school was before my entering to school.Through him，I could see the pride and friendship among Gonzaga students.

My true love for Gonzaga，however，began in my freshman year.I remember during my freshman guidance(新生入学指导)，the team spirit organization sat our class down on the playground and taught us all the game cheers.I remember feeling a sense of energy and pride among these students that I had never experienced from a high school before I mean，it was just a high school—much school pride could these kids really have? But it was not just a high school，and it only took a few football games for me to realize that I went to the most prideful school in the D．C.

I spent the rest of my first year meeting some of the coolest and most interesting people I have ever known.Some of the funniest，smartest and kindest guys I have ever met went to this school.No matter how athletic(擅长运动的)you were or how much money your parents had，you were just another Gonzaga kid.You were friends with everyone.If you went to Gonzaga，teacher or student，you were in on the joke.

When my freshman life came to an end，I began to understand what it meant to be part of Gonzaga students.Serving the poor right there on Campus at the McKenna center，I got a view on poor people that I will value for the rest of my life.Through football I learned how to develop better self­control and built some of the greatest friendships.In the classroom，I had many laughs with friends and teachers alike.I also learned how to manage my time and gained a lot of information，but most importantly，I learned   how to put the world and others before myself.

1. Why did the author consider Gonzaga College High School special before getting into it?

A．Because of its long history.

B．Because of its excellent location.

C．Because of his brother's experiences there.

D．Because of its short distance from the Capitol building.

2. According to the text，the freshman guidance       .

A．made students feel energetic and proud.

B．led to the author's love for football games.

C．gave an introduction to the high school.

D．helped the author find the pride and friendship.

3. What is the author's purpose in writing the last paragraph?

A．To introduce the advantages of his high school.

B．To show he really learns a lot in his high school.

C．To state the importance of high school education.

D．To explain how sports activities make students athletic.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．How special my high school was.

B．The memories of my loving high school.

C．How proud I was of my efforts in high school.

D．The challenges during my high school years.

8 . I'm a strong believer that learning different languages makes you look quite good when you're in a foreign country and can understand and speak the language.The list below is 4 apps (计算机应用程序) that will help you learn a foreign language! You can download (下载) them for free.

Babbel－Learn Languages

Babbel is an excellent language tool to help you progress step by step with learning a new language.It helps you learn grammar along the way as you work your way through the tasks and assignments (作业)．You need to pay every month，but this will still be cheaper than taking physical lessons with a teacher!

Duolingo: Learn Languages Free

The app has many languages to choose from and will work through the basics all the way to advanced words and sentences.It's all completely free too! It's well designed，looks great and will help you learn，remember and progress with just a little bit of time every day.

Tandem: Language Exchange

Rather than have you work through tasks and memorize different things，the app lets you match with people who share your interests but speak the language you want to learn.You can then have text，voice and video conversations with people who want to learn your native language，and in return you learn theirs，all by simply communicating with each other.It's a great way to learn with only $1 a day.

Learn English — busuu

This app is perfect if you want to learn English.There are all sorts of audio and visual learning aids.You'll find yourself working through interactive (互动的) tests and learning tools for vocabulary and dialogue.

1. Which app suits best if you want to learn through communication?

A．Babbel — Learn Languages

B．Tandem: Language Exchange

C．Duolingo: Learn Languages Free

D．Learn English — busuu

2. What is Duolingo different from the other three apps?

A．It's completely free to use.

B．It's specially designed for English learning.

C．It's unsuitable for beginners.

D．It's the best app for English learning.

3. What do the 4 apps have in common?

A．They cover all languages.

B．They are expensive.

C．They contain many tests.

D．They are free to download.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To sell apps to language learners.

B．To introduce language learning apps.

C．To teach language learners to use apps.

D．To teach languages through apps.

9 . On November 7, Lewis Pugh completed a one-kilometer swim in the freezing waters of King Edward Cove, off South Georgia in Antarctica. He was wearing only his swimming glasses, cap and Speedo !

Pugh is an advocate for our oceans and seas, working to protect these ecosystems with their large diversity of marine life. When asked why he doesn't wear a wetsuit(防寒泳衣), Pugh says, "I ask world leaders to do everything they can to protect our oceans. Sometimes the steps they need to take are difficult and unpopular. If I'm asking them to be courageous, I must also be. Swimming in a wetsuit would not send the right message."

It took Pugh about 19 minutes to complete the one-kilometer swim in Antarctica where the water averaged about 1.6 degrees Celsius. He says that his body can only tolerate about 20 minutes in the freezing waters before it starts shutting down. As he swims, his body temperature steadily drops, which in turn causes his muscle control to drop, slowing him down. When he is done with his swim, his support team rushes him to a hot shower and it takes almost an hour for his body temperature to return to normal.

Doctors and Pugh caution that one must receive months of training to swim in such cold waters. Even expert swimmers who are unused to freezing water can drown within minutes because of the physical shock experienced by the body. Pugh says he trained for six months before this swim.

This is not the first time that Pugh has swum in dangerous conditions. In 2007, he swam one kilometer in the North Pole to draw attention to the melting Arctic ice due to climate change. In 2015, he swam in the Bay of Whales in Antarctica's Ross Sea as part of his successful campaign to help set up a marine reserve there.

1. Why did Lewis Pugh swim without a wetsuits ?

A．To show his bravery.

B．To swim faster.

C．To build up his body.

D．To have overnight fame.

2. What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refer to'?

A．His body temperature.

B．His body

C．The water.

D．The water temperature.

3. What's Pugh's advice about swimming in freezing waters?

A．One should be expert at swimming.

B．One must be used to long-distance swimming.

C．One should be ready to take on challenges.

D．One must be adequately prepared for it.

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．Lewis Pugh: achieving the impossible

B．How to survive a swim in cold waters

C．Lewis Pugh: swimming for a cause

D．How to prepare for extreme swimming

10 . Recently, my husband and three kids were playing in Mediterranean(地中海)，swimming and floating in the picture­perfect sea.It was ridiculously beautiful in Majorca，Spain.The way the sun danced across the water and how the blue horizon was dotted with storybook sailboats were such beautiful scenes.

My husband and I always dreamed about taking our kids on a trip around the world. It was one of the things we talked at length about. When we imagined our life with the children, we hoped we would have.

Fourteen years later, we had three boys who were growing up faster by the day. It was time to make good on those plans. We renewed our passports, and then packed our bags. We showed our kids the world. It was about experiencing the dozens of flights and trains and taxis together. We showed them how wonderful, how diverse, and how fascinating the world is. We wanted them to learn all that we had learned ourselves, through our own travels.

But there was something more than that：What we really wanted is to slow down time. We wanted the days to last a bit longer, and the weeks to take their time. The years with our children are going too fast. We wanted to put the brakes on our busy lives for a year, and just be with our kids. We wanted a break from the daily morning routine of making lunches, eating breakfast and going out the door in time for school. We needed family time out.

It was the wonderful two months in Europe, full of incredible moments.When we look back at our lives, I know we'll be glad we did it.I know we'll be happy that this is a chapter of the story of our family.

1. What did the couple often dream of fourteen years ago?

A．Going to Mediterranean.

B．Travelling with their children.

C．Some storybook sailboats.

D．Their children's growing fast.

2. What does the underlined part“make good on” probably mean?

A．do good to.	B．carry out.
C．make up.	D．put off.

3. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The travel.	B．The children.
C．The transportation.	D．The diverse world.

4. What was the most important in the writer's eyes?

A．Doing everything slowly.	B．Living a busy life.
C．Sticking to the routine.	D．Slowing down the time.