1 . Vehicles on our roads are now mostly petrol and diesel (柴油) cars, but their days cannot continue for much longer. A recent university study found that current electric cars could be used for 87 percent of daily car journeys in the US. That figure could rise to 98 percent by 2020.
One hurdle to the widespread adoption of electric cars has been “range anxiety” — drivers concerns about running out of electricity on a journey. While petrol stations are conveniently located across national road systems, the necessary network of electric charging stations is still being developed. That said, charging points are becoming increasingly common throughout the USA.
Attitudes towards electric vehicles have changed greatly over the last few years. Not that long ago, electric cars were met with distrust, and their high prices drove customers away. Thanks to improvements in battery capacity, recharging times, performance and price, the current generation of electric cars are starting to persuade picky consumers. Plug-in cars will soon give internal combustion engine (内燃机) models a run for their money.
As well as development on the road, electric vehicles are taking to the seas and skies. Electric boats are among the oldest methods of electric travel, having enjoyed several decades of popularity from the late 19th to the early 20th century before petrol-powered outboard motors took over. Now, the global drive for renewable energy sources is bringing electric boats back. Steps towards electric air travel are also being made, with Airbus and NASA among the organizations developing and testing battery-powered planes. The experiments could soon make commercial electric flight a reality.
Electric vehicles do not produce any emissions (排放). If the US could replace 87 percent of its cars with electric vehicles, it would reduce the national demand for petrol by 61 percent. However, because of the production processes and the generation of electricity required to charge these vehicles, they cannot claim (声称) to be completely emission-free. That said, as many countries continue to increase their use of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles will become even cleaner.
1. The underlined word “hurdle” in Paragraph 2 probably means________.| A．aim | B．difficulty | C．result | D．step |
| A．They were very poorly made. | B．They were not widely promoted. |
| C．They were expensive. | D．They couldn’t travel at a high speed. |
| A．To introduce the history of electric travel. |
| B．To explain why the world needs more electric cars. |
| C．To show why more people have interest in electric cars. |
| D．To describe different ways electric vehicles can be used. |
| A．Driving into a Cleaner Future | B．History of Electric Cars |
| C．Problems with Petrol and Diesel Cars | D．Best Means of Transportation |
2 . Owura Kwadwo Hottish teaches computer science in a school. It is a normal school except for the fact that it didn’t have
Owura became famous after he posted photos of him on the Internet. In the picture. people could see he was teaching his students by
| A．classrooms | B．computers | C．playgrounds | D．tools |
| A．operating | B．repairing | C．describing | D．drawing |
| A．poor | B．unique | C．average | D．avanced |
| A．annoyed | B．pleased | C．frightened | D．surprised |
| A．line | B．culture | C．schedule | D．school |
| A．rubbed | B．called | C．cut | D．shown |
| A．exchange | B．improve | C．revise | D．repeat |
| A．broke out | B．paid off | C．came back | D．held back |
| A．care | B．control | C．place | D．notice |
| A．suggestion | B．speech | C．decision | D．arrangement |
| A．made | B．waited | C．received | D．carried |
| A．Suddenly | B．Importantly | C．Exactly | D．Naturally |
| A．lent | B．sold | C．donated | D．applied |
| A．efforts | B．pains | C．legend | D．experiment |
| A．glory | B．wisdom | C．kindness | D．pride |
3 . We know music is very important in our daily life. Do you notice music playing at any of those places when you go somewhere? Today most stores, stations, restaurants and other places play music. You might even hear music in an office or on a farm?
Scientists believe that music influences the way people behave. They think that the sound of western classical (古典的) music makes people feel richer. When a restaurant plays classical music, people spend more money on food and drinks. When the restaurant plays modern music, people spend less money. Without music, people spend ever less.
Scientists also believe that loud, fast music makes peoples eat faster. Some restaurants play fast music during their busy hours. This makes people eat faster and leave quickly. Restaurants can make more money in this way.
Some scientists think that music makes you think and learn better. They say that music helps students to be more active. It is true that people learn better when they are relaxed. And listening to music can help you relax.
Next time you hear music somewhere, be careful. It might influence the way you do things.
1. According to the text, scientists believe that music can_________.| A．affect people’s behavior | B．help us to form good habits |
| C．develop our interest in food | D．influence natural environments |
| A．Light music. | B．Rock music. |
| C．Sweet music. | D．Soft music. |
| A．slow in action | B．care about manners |
| C．active in study | D．worry about studies |
| A．Music and Behavior | B．Good and Bad music |
| C．Types of Music | D．Music in Restaurants |
4 . My new teacher is cool. Her name is Paula so we call her Miss Paula.
The first time we met her she said we are going to be good friends and that good friends are always nice to each other.
Miss Paula has been teaching us a lot of things. Some of us used to get in trouble for talking in the hallway (过道). Miss Paula says she can’t change the rule that we can’t make noise in the hallway but we can still talk to each other. She is teaching us sign language. I already know how to say “hello” and “how are you” with my hands. Now we love it when we have to walk somewhere and we are always quiet except for a laugh or two.
Miss Paula likes everybody even Sam and nobody likes Sam. He never does what he’s told but now he is doing better. Miss Paula says every single one of us is perfect and beautiful just the way we are. I guess that includes Sam.
This week at school was really the best ever. I didn’t even get in trouble when I thought I would because I spilled (洒) milk on my homework and had to hand it in when it was still wet. Miss Paula just smiled and asked “What’s this?” So I told her what happened. Miss Paula put it near the window to make it dry. She said the sun had been waiting for such an important job as this and would be happy to help us.
Well I have to go and get ready for bed now. I have school in the morning and I want to wake up early so I will have time to pick Miss Paula some flowers.
1. From the passage we know that Miss Paula ________.| A．is strict with the writer | B．changed the school rules |
| C．is very kind to her students | D．uses sign language in class |
| A．Sam dislikes his new teacher. | B．Sam has made some progress. |
| C．Sam is often praised by Miss Paula. | D．Sam is one of the writer’s best friends. |
| A．Bored. | B．Excited. | C．Relaxed. | D．Worried. |
| A．loves and respects her new teacher | B．is a bit afraid of her new teacher |
| C．always picks her teacher some flowers | D．wrote this article in the morning |
5 . Physical education, or PE, isn’t required for all high school students. In some schools, it isn’t offered for some different reasons. But should high school students have physical education? The answer is certainly “yes”.
Today many people don’t do sports. But as is known to all. doing sports is very important for an adult. Teaching teens the importance of a healthy lifestyle and making fitness plans now can help teens put exercise in the first place as an adult.
High school isn’t that easy. Many students are under a lot of stress. Stress can be harmful to a student’s studies and life. Doing sports can help them deal with stress better, helping them live a happier life at school.
The American Heart Association says that 10 million kids and teens suffer from obesity (肥胖). Teens should get 60 minutes of physical activity per day to control their weight and to help their bones get stronger. The increase in activities that don’t get teens to move around, such as computer games, means many teens don’t get their required exercise. PE classes act as a public health measure (措施) to encourage physical activities and help teens have healthy weights.
Not doing sports increases teens’ hazard of developing many diseases. An active lifestyle offers a good way of protection from these health problems. As much as 75 percent of health-care spending goes toward treating medical conditions that can be prevented by lifestyle changes, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
According to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN), students who performed five hours of physical activities each week improved their academic (学业的) performance. Students from programs with no physical activity, who used the extra time for classroom study, did not perform better on tests than those who gave up some study time in support of physical education.
1. According to Paragraph 2, what does physical education in high school mean?| A．Making teens attach importance to ęxercise later. |
| B．Removing the stress faced by teens at school. |
| C．Getting teens to encourage adults to exercise. |
| D．Helping teens learn to make good plans |
| A．Happiness. | B．Risk. | C．Safety. | D．Sadness. |
| A．means making students choose between sports and studies |
| B．helps students make good use of all their time |
| C．means students adjust to their studies better |
| D．helps students do better in their studies |
| A．Why high school students should receive physical education. |
| B．Why some schools consider physical education important. |
| C．How schools can help students love doing sports. |
| D．How high school students can live a better life. |
6 . In a digital age, we almost never write things by hand. However, multiple studies have shown that this act has many benefits.
New brain research, led by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, confirms the same choosing handwriting over using a keyboard results in better learning and memory.
“When you write your shopping list or lecture notes by hand, you simply remember the content better afterwards,” said Audrey Van der Meer, author of the study.
The study was conducted using equipment to track and record brain wave activity. The participants included 12 young adults and 12 children. This is the first time that children have participated in such a study. Each subject was asked to write by hand and type on a keyboard while wearing a hood(风帽) with over 250 electrodes(电极). The sensors(传感器)in the electrodes are very sensitive and pick up the electrical activity that takes place in the brain. Each examination took 45 minutes per person.
The results showed that the brain in both young adults and children is much more active when writing by hand than when typing on a keyboard. According to Van der Meer, plenty of senses are activated (激活) by pressing a pen on paper, seeing the letters written and hearing the sound made while writing. These sense experiences build contact between different parts of the brain, opening the brain up for learning.
Van der Meer believes that the outcomes stress the importance of children being challenged to draw and write at an early age, especially at school. “Learning to write by hand is a bit slower process, but it’s important for children to go through the tiring phase of learning to write by hand”, she said.
The hand movements used to form the shapes of letters are beneficial in several ways. “If you use a keyboard, you use the same movement for each letter. Writing by hand requires control of your fine motor(精细动作)skills and senses. It’s important to put the brain in a learning state as often as possible,” Van der Meer added. For example, you might use a keyboard to write an essay, but you should take notes by hand during a lecture.
1. What’s the main purpose of the text?| A．To encourage the use of handwriting |
| B．To advise children to start to write early |
| C．To report on new research on handwriting |
| D．To explain how handwriting affects adults and children differently |
| A．The study involved 45 participants altogether. |
| B．The participants were divided into two groups to conduct. |
| C．All the participants were gathered together for examinations. |
| D．The sensors in the electrodes were used to track brain wave activity. |
| A．More senses are made active when writing by hand. |
| B．Writing by hand is easier on the brain. |
| C．Noise made by typing doesn’t distract the brain when writing by hand. |
| D．The brain is more used to the skills required to write by. |
| A．It allows children to become more patient. | B．It increases people’s interest in learning. |
| C．It helps people develop fine motor skills. | D．It allows people to write better essays. |
7 . A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington D. C.. I saw many of our nation’s treasures, and I also saw a lot of unfortunate people like beggars and homeless folks in the streets.
Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, "Can you help me?" When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended. In a natural reaction, I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it in her hand. I didn’t even look at her. I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar.
But the blind woman smiled and said, "I don’t want your money. I just need help finding the post office."
Immediately, I realized what I had done. I acted with prejudice—I judged a person simply for what I thought she was.
The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant. I left Honduras and arrived in America at the age of 15. Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, cashier, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other jobs, and finally I became a network engineer.
In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice. I remember a time, at age 17—I was a busboy, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well at school, he would end up like me.
But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going. That blind woman on the street of Washington D. C. cured me of my blindness. She reminded me to always keep my eyes and heart open.
1. When the author came to America at first________.| A．he usually did some work with a little payment. | B．he used to beg for some money on the street. |
| C．he lived a comfortable life as a network engineer. | D．he was respected by others all the time. |
| A．That he gave all his change to the blind woman. |
| B．That he came to Washington D. |
| C．That he didn’t tell the woman the way to the post office. |
| D．The way he treated the blind woman. |
| A．to encourage his son to make a living by himself | B．his son to become a busboy in the future |
| C．his son to work harder at school | D．to remind his son to depend on himself at school |
| A．He disliked being bothered by beggars. |
| B．He once suffered a lot. |
| C．The blind woman didn’t beg for money at that time. |
| D．He was happy to give away his money to beggars. |
8 . A Guide to Freshman
Food Service
The URS Cafeteria opens from 7: 00 a. m. to 8: 00 p. m. It serves all kinds of snacks, drinks, ice cream and meals. You can pay with your cash or ID cards. You can put your cash into your ID cards at the Front Desk. Even if you do not buy your food in the Cafeteria, you can still use the tables to enjoy meals, to have your meetings with your friends and even to study.
Transportation
The URS Express is a shuttle service. The shuttle transports students between campus and the shopping centre, leaving from the Mattson Centre. Operation hours are between 9: 00 a. m. and 3: 00 p. m., Saturdays only. Round trip fare is $ 2.
Academic Support
All students have access to the Writing Centre on the upper floor of Douglas Hall. Qualified volunteers will work with you on written work, grammar, vocabulary, and other academic skills. You can sign up for an appointment on the sign-up sheet outside the door, two 30-minute appointments per week maximum. The service is free of charge.
Relaxation and Health
The Globe, located in the bottom level of McMillan Hall, is available for relaxing, studying, cooking and eating. Monthly activities are held here for all international students. Hours are 10: 00 a. m. to 10: 00 p. m., closed on Sundays.
The Fitness Centre is on the top floor of Douglas Hall. It is committed to physical, emotional and social health. A doctor and nurse is available if you have health questions or need immediate medical help or personal advice. The cost is included in your medical insurance. Hours are Monday to Friday, 9: 00 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m.
1. What can you do in the URS Cafeteria?| A．Add money to your ID card and play chess. |
| B．Do your homework and watch TV. |
| C．Buy drinks and enjoy concerts. |
| D．Have meals with your friends. |
| A．Provide students with campus tours. |
| B．Transport the students to and from the stores. |
| C．Take students to the Mattson Centre. |
| D．Carry the students to the lecture halls. |
| A．The professors. | B．Trainers. |
| C．Volunteers. | D．Classmates. |
9 . It's school time again! You're probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad for the vacation is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and maybe even a new school. Luckily, these “new” worries only stick around for a little while. Let's find out more about going back to school.
Most teachers start the school year by introducing themselves and talking about what you'll be doing that year. Some teachers give students a chance to tell something about themselves to the rest of the class.
When teachers do the talking on the first day, they often go over classroom rules so you'll know what's allowed and what's not. Pay close attention so you'll know if you need to raise your hand to ask a question and what the rules are about visiting the restroom.
You might have already known a lot of people in your class on the first day. But it's a great day to make new friends, so try to say “hello” to the kids you know and new ones that you don't. Make the first move and you'll be glad about what you did and so will your new friends!
Most teachers let you pick your own seat on the first day, but by the second or third morning, they'll have mapped out a seating plan. It's a good idea to write down where your seat is in your notebook so you don't forget.
Here are a few final tips for a fantastic (奇异的) first day: Get enough sleep. Have a healthy breakfast. Try your best. Develop good work habits, like writing down your assignments (作业) and handing in your homework on time. Take your time with schoolwork. If you don't understand something, ask the teacher.
1. What can we conclude from the first paragraph?| A．All students feel excited about a new term. |
| B．All teachers let students pick their seats. |
| C．New school worries do not last very long. |
| D．Being hard－working helps make new friends. |
| A．turn to their teachers | B．write them down |
| C．ask their parents | D．help with each other |
| A．To offer students some advice on starting a new school term. |
| B．To encourage students to work harder in a new school term. |
| C．To remind children of the importance of starting school. |
| D．To introduce a way to improve students' learning ability. |
10 . San Francisco Fire Engine Tours
San Francisco Winery Tour
Running: February 1st through April 30th
This delicious tour goes through the city on its way to Treasure Island where we will stop at the famous Winery SF. Here you can enjoy 4 pours of some of the best wine San Francisco has to offer. (Included in tickets price)
Departing from the Cannery: Tour times upon request.
Duration(时长): 2 hours
Price: $90
Back to the Fifties Tour
Running: August 16th through August 31st
This tour transports you back in time to one of San Francisco’s most fantastic periods, the 1950s! Enjoy fun history as we take you through San Francisco for a free taste of ice cream.
Departing from the Cannery: 5:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $90
Spooky Halloween Tour
Running: October 10th through October 31st
Join us for a ride through the historical Presidio district. Authentic fire gear(服装) is provided for your warmth as our entertainers take you to some of the most thrilling parts of San Francisco.
Departing from the Cannery: 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Price: Available upon request
Holiday Lights Tour
Running: December 6th through December 23rd
This attractive tour takes you to some of San Francisco’s most cheerful holiday scenes. Authentic fire gear is provided for your warmth as you get into the holiday spirit.
Departing from the Cannery: 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Advance reservations required.
1. Which of the tours is available in March?| A．San Francisco Winery Tour. |
| B．Back to the Fifties Tour. |
| C．Spooky Hallowen Tour. |
| D．Holiday Lights Tour. |
| A．Go to Treasure Island. |
| B．Enjoy the holiday scenes. |
| C．Have free ice cream. |
| D．Visit the Presidio district. |
| A．Take some drinks. |
| B．Set off early in the morning. |
| C．Wear warm clothes. |
| D．Make reservations in advance. |
| A．Travel | B．Fashion | C．Society | D．Economy |
