1 . You may not know a lot of people when you start high school. Even if you know some freshmen (新生) , you still feel nervous that you don't know any upperclassmen or teachers. How are you going to make friends among this sea of unknown faces?
Most high schools hold a freshman orientation before school actually starts, which is helpful not only because you can know your way around the building and get to meet some of your teachers, but also because you get to meet fellow freshmen. That way, when you show up on your first day of school, you may already recognise a few familiar faces. When you talk to your new classmates, you'll probably find that a lot of them are feeling just like you are. They're all new to the school and don't know what to expect. Talking about a common concern with them can help you develop friendships.
The work in high school is something that freshmen are probably worried about. The work in high school builds on what you learnt in middle school, giving you a more advanced knowledge of many subjects. So you may find you have more work to do or that it's a bit more challenging. If you ever find your work too difficult, teachers can give you extra help.
High school also has more extracurricular activities than middle school does such as clubs, music and theatre groups and sports teams. This is a good time to explore your interests and try new things.
High school gives you the chance to learn how to manage your time, to develop your social skills and interests, and more importantly to be more independent and responsible.
1. What does the underlined word “orientation” mean in Paragraph 2?| A．Training. | B．Game. |
| C．Discussion. | D．Examination. |
| A．The learning task. | B．The ability to make friends. |
| C．The relationship with teachers. | D．The freshman orientation. |
| A．build up healthy bodies | B．develop friendships |
| C．develop the interests | D．improve their learning ability |
| A．Freshmen at high school. | B．Freshmen's parents. |
| C．Middle school students. | D．Upperclassmen in high school. |
2 . In the past, many people depended on horses for transportation, farming and other kinds of work. A lot of people still like to ride horses for sport. Horse racing and betting on horse racing are also popular. So, it is not surprising that Americans use a lot of expressions about horses.
Long ago, people who were rich or important rode horses that were very tall. Today, if someone acts better than everyone else, you might tell him to "get off your high horse."
And if someone is pushing you to do something, you can say, "Hold your horses!" This is a very informal way to tell someone to calm down and wait. You would not use it with your boss but you could use it with children.
Something else you could say to children if they are playing too rough or hitting each other is to stop horsing around! When kids horse around, they could get hurt. However, kids who live in a one-horse town might have nothing to do but horse around. A one-horse town is a small town with not too much going on.
So, if you live in a one-horse town, you might like to watch a lot of television. Imagine that you are watching your favorite show when your phone rings. You do not answer it. Wild horses could not drag you away from the television. Nothing could stop you from doing what you want to do.
When you get news directly from the best source, you get it straight from the horse's mouth. If your teacher, for example, tells you there is going to be a test tomorrow, you got that information straight from the horse's mouth.
Sometimes a person keeps arguing a question that has already been settled. They are beating a dead horse. A dead horse is quite different from a dark horse. A dark horse is a person who surprises others by doing better than unexpected. In politics, a dark-horse candidate is someone who is not likely to win ... but then does.
1. What is the passage meant to tell us?| A．Reasons why expressions about horses are used |
| B．Some expressions about horses used by Americans. |
| C．The popularity of horse riding in American society. |
| D．Different situations where horses are made use of. |
| A．Get off you high horse. | B．Stop horsing around. |
| C．Hold your horses. | D．Beat a dead horse . |
| A．dark horse | B．dead horse |
| C．wild horse | D．high horse |
3 . “Beauty is only skin deep.” This expression means that beauty is only a temporary(暂时的)surface quality. And some beauty products can cause lasting damage that goes far below the surface of the skin.
But people, especially women, will risk a lot for beauty. In the United States, many people use sunlight and non-natural light to darken their skin. Health experts advise against what is called “tanning” because of its links to skin cancer(癌症). In the African country of Senegal, some women take health risks trying to do the opposite. They use products that lighten skin(美白皮肤).
The World Health Organization says that 25 percent of Senegalese women use skin-lightening products on a usual basis. These products can contain dangerous chemicals, which can cause cancer and possibly other physical damage to the skin. They can actually burn the eyes and skin.
Women in Senegal say they lighten their skin for the same reasons women all over the world make changes to their appearance. They want to look beautiful, to find a husband, to stand out in a crowd or to simply look great for a special event.
An average beauty supply shop in Dakar has many kinds of skin-lightening creams and soaps. But some products are so strong. They must be mixed with others before they are used. One such soap is called “Day Before the Wedding.”
This thinking troubles Senegalese filmmaker Khardiata Pouye Sall. So, she made "This Color That Bothers Me," a film about the subject of skin lightening.
"I used the most shocking images(形象)so that women would see the dangers. It is hard to understand why a woman would tell herself that dark skin is not beautiful. It is in their heads. They want to please a man, to be loved. Or they want to please society, to succeed."
Ms. Sall says the government needs to better control the marketing and sale of skin lighteners. But she adds education is the best way to persuade people against using them.
1. What is the common problem caused by skin darkening and skin lightening?| A．Hair loss. | B．Some cancer. | C．Heart failure. | D．Ugly appearance. |
| A．To make women realize the danger of skin lightening. |
| B．To control the sales of skin lightening products. |
| C．To teach women how to do skin lightening properly. |
| D．To persuade women not to darken their beautiful skin. |
| A．How to make yourself beautiful. | B．Beauty matters a lot in life. |
| C．Skin lightening means success. | D．Beauty is only skin deep. |
4 . I was walking around in a Big Bazar store doing some shopping, when I saw a cashier（收银员） talking to a boy of 5 or 6 years old. The cashier said, “I’m sorry, but you don’t have enough money to buy this doll.” Then the little boy turned to me and asked, “Uncle, are you sure I don’t have enough money?”
I counted his cash and replied, “You know that you don’t have enough money to buy the doll, my dear.” The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand. I asked him whom he wished to give this doll to. “It’s the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much. I wanted to gift her for her birthday. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.” His eyes were so sad while he was saying this.
“My sister has gone to be with God. Daddy said that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I think that she may take the doll with her to give it to my sister.” My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said, “I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.” Then he showed me a very nice photo of him, where he was laughing. He then told me, “I want mommy to take my picture with her so my sister won’t forget me. I love mommy and I wish she didn’t have to leave me, but daddy said that she has to go to be with my little sister.
Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy, “I suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll.” He said, “OK, I hope I do have enough.” I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.
The little boy said, “Thank you, God, for giving me enough money!” Then he looked at me and added, “I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me! I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn’t dare to ask God for too much. But he gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose. My mommy loves white roses.”
1. What difficulty did the little boy run into in the store?| A．He forgot to take any money. | B．He couldn’t afford the doll. |
| C．He failed to find a doll for his sister | D．He couldn’t find his parents. |
| A．It was what he himself loved most. | B．It was the best gift for his mother. |
| C．It was a gift intended for his sister. | D．His sister would forget him without it. |
| A．She would have to leave the boy for a while. |
| B．She didn’t want the boy to buy her a white rose. |
| C．She would be really excited to meet her daughter. |
| D．She must be in a dangerous situation in hospital. |
| A．The boy himself was really fond of the doll. |
| B．The boy’s sister would be upset without the doll. |
| C．They boy thought he couldn’t have the gift for his sister. |
| D．The boy was sad that his mother would leave him. |
| A．He was deeply moved by the boy’s love for his family. |
| B．He was wealthy enough to help those who are in need. |
| C．He wanted to help the little boy out in place of God. |
| D．He believed his help would make the boy’s sister happy. |
5 . Who is smarter? A human being or artificial intelligence (人工智能)?
The question swept the world last week when a Google-developed program called AlphaGo defeated the world top player, South Korean Lee Se-del, 4-1.
So, what comes next?
Some people have been arguing that artificial intelligence, or AI in short, will be a bad thing for humans. In an interview with the BBC in 2014, UK scientist Stephen Hawking warned that “the development of full artificial intelligence could mean the end of the human race.”
So are we really about to live in the world shown in the Terminator movies?
“Not quite,” answered The Economist. After all, it’s not hard to get a computer program to remember and produce facts. What is hard is getting computers to use their knowledge in everyday situations.
“We think that, for the human being, things like sight and balance (视觉平衡), are natural and ordinary in our life.” Thomas Edison, founder of Motion Figures, a company that is bringing AI to boys, told the newspaper. “But for a robot, to walk up and down just like human beings requires various decisions to be made every second, and it’s really difficult to do.”
As The Economist put it, “We have a long way to go before AI can truly begin to be similar to the human brain, even though the technology can be great.”
Meanwhile, John Markoff of The New York Times said that researchers should build artificial intelligence to make people more effective.
“Our fate is in our own hands,” he wrote. “Since technology depends on the values of its creators, we can make human choices that use technology to improve the world.”
1. What was the result of the match?| A．Lee Se-del won AlphaGo 4-1. |
| B．Google program beat AlphaGo. |
| C．Lee Se-del was defeated. |
| D．Neither side won the match. |
| A．AI would take the place of human beings. |
| B．It’s very hard for AI to beat the human brain. |
| C．AI can make various decisions quickly. |
| D．AI does better than humans in sight and balance. |
| A．AI is in the control of human beings. | B．AI will improve the world completely. |
| C．AI may bring disasters to human beings. | D．AI will make our future out of control. |
6 . The other day, my sister and I were sitting in the restaurant, trying to have a conversation, but her children, four-year-old Willow and seven-year-old Luca, would not stop fighting. The arguments——over a fork, or who had more water in a glass--never stopped.
Then my sister reached into her handbag, produced two shiny iPads, and handed one to each child. Suddenly, the two were quiet. They sat playing games and watching videos, and we continued with our conversation.
After our meal, as my sister stuffed the iPads back into her bag, she said, “I don’t want to give them the iPads at the dinner table, but if they keep them occupied for an hour so we can eat in peace, I often just hand them over. I am afraid that it’s bad for them. I do worry that it makes them think it’s OK to use electronics at the dinner table in the future.”
Dr. Gary Small, director of the Longevity Center at the University of California, Los Angeles says that the brain is highly sensitive to stimuli(刺激物), like iPads and smartphone screen, and if people spend too much time on one technology, and less time interacting(互动)with people like parents at the dinner table, that could prevent the development of certain communication skills.
“Conversations with each other are the way children learn to have conversations with themselves, and learn how to be alone,” said Sherry Turkle, a professor of science, technology and society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She fears that children who do not learn real interactions, which often have imperfections, will come to know a world where perfect, shiny screens give them a false sense of intimacy(亲密) without risk. However, they need to be able to gather themselves and know who they are. So someday they can form a relationship with another person without a panic of being alone. “If you don’t teach your children to be alone, they will only know how to be lonely,” she said.
1. What did Willow and Luca fight about?| A．Little things. | B．iPads. |
| C．Delicious food. | D．Interesting things. |
| A．She loved doing it very much | B．She was uncertain about its effects. |
| C．She felt it was worth a try. | D．She felt surprised at its effect. |
| A．Provide their children with various technologies. |
| B．Teach their children communication skills. |
| C．Limit their children’s screen time. |
| D．Talk to their children at the dinner table. |
| A．Children are afraid of taking risks. |
| B．Children try to escape from the real world. |
| C．Children can’t deal with time when they have to be alone. |
| D．Children can’t live without electronic devices. |
7 . Learn more about where your food comes from the next time you dine out… Well, thanks to these food apps, you can find the right food with minimal effort.
Seafood Watch was born out of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Its primary goal is to help people eat seafood with less impact on the environment. It functions by helping you understand which types of fish are considered sustainable. For example, blue point oysters from Florida are considered a “best choice”, whereas Pacific bigeye tuna is rated “avoid”.
HappyCow is one of the most convenient apps I’ve come across. You can be anywhere and with a click of a button, find a restaurant near you that offers vegetarian food for people who don’t eat fish or meat. I’ve used this while traveling in big cities like Toronto or remote areas like St. Moritz. It also has a great recipe section if you’re in the mood for cooking.
GoodGuide is a tool that rates food and other products on safety, health and moral principles. They take a look at the product’s ingredients(成分), its environmental impact and the company’s attention to labor rights and helping its community. Products are then scored from a low of 0 to a high of 10. The higher the rating, the better the product from a health perspective.
EWG’s Food Scores is a database created to let consumers make healthier, greener food choices. It was launched in 2014 and has ratings for more than 80,000 products. Their database rates foods on a scale of 1.0 to 10.0, with 1.0 being the best product, based on nutrition, ingredients and how it is processed. Since 2014, there have been over 32 million searches on the site.
1. Which app is best for someone who avoids meat?| A．Seafood Watch. | B．HappyCow. |
| C．GoodGuide. | D．EWG’s Food Scores. |
| A．It helps people eat environment-friendly food. |
| B．It focuses on social responsibilities. |
| C．The lower the rating, the worse the product. |
| D．The more nutritious the food, the higher the rating. |
| A．To introduce knowledge about food. |
| B．To encourage healthy eating habits. |
| C．To advertise four green phone apps. |
| D．To recommend some food-related apps. |
8 . Hester is an owner of a clothes shop who always does her bit to help the society.
She is more than just an
She says she read of an article "If I were A Millionaire" in which the author said he would
"If my monthly sales go beyond my
"I hope I can
| A．energetic | B．enthusiastic | C．ordinary | D．innocent |
| A．profit | B．salary | C．sales | D．budget |
| A．launches | B．drops | C．earns | D．counts |
| A．charity | B．amusement | C．research | D．education |
| A．take away | B．give up | C．take up | D．give away |
| A．shopkeepers | B．needy | C．explorers | D．greedy |
| A．business | B．wrong | C．good | D．harm |
| A．occupied | B．delighted | C．puzzled | D．touched |
| A．children | B．presenters | C．neighbours | D．friends |
| A．set aside | B．lent | C．picked up | D．wasted |
| A．balance | B．encourage | C．follow | D．analyze |
| A．control | B．understanding | C．balance | D．goal |
| A．money | B．goods | C．savings | D．collection |
| A．useless | B．small | C．various | D．responsible |
| A．signals | B．absorbs | C．exchanges | D．contributes |
| A．light | B．clear | C．hold | D．burn |
| A．support | B．motivate | C．involve | D．promise |
| A．devices | B．congratulations | C．evaluation | D．help |
| A．annoyed | B．cheerful | C．willing | D．content |
| A．terror | B．pain | C．pressure | D．violence |
9 . A man was employed to paint a boat. He brought paint and
The next day, the owner of the boat visited the painter and
“You’ve already paid me for painting the boat, sir!” he said.
“This is not for the paint job. It’s for repairing the
“Ah! But it was such a small service.” the man said. “Certainly it’s not worth paying me such a high amount for something so
“My dear friend，” the owner said, “You don’t understand. Let me tell you
“Then, I examined the boat and found that you had repaired the hole! You now see what you did? You
Each of us has a moral duty to offer help, wipe tears, listen carefully and repair all the “hole” we
| A．ruler | B．knives | C．brushes | D．pens |
| A．noticed | B．heard | C．sensed | D．felt |
| A．paint | B．money | C．brush | D．fish |
| A．gave | B．offered | C．took | D．presented |
| A．surprised | B．disappointed | C．embarrassed | D．happy |
| A．chair | B．hole | C．paddle | D．picture |
| A．huge | B．rude | C．great | D．small |
| A．what | B．why | C．when | D．how |
| A．stopped | B．regretted | C．forgot | D．remembered |
| A．went over | B．went away | C．went on | D．went through |
| A．returned | B．shared | C．rewarded | D．drove |
| A．belief | B．worry | C．sadness | D．relief |
| A．hurt | B．saved | C．broke | D．designed |
| A．come out | B．come in | C．come into | D．come across |
| A．achievement | B．difference | C．process | D．progress |
10 . Age has never been a problem for 16-year-old Thessalonika Arzu-Embry. After all, she’s already got her master’s degree.
The North Chicago-area teen started homeschooling at the age of 4. She began having an influence on others soon after. When she was 6 years old, she was an inspirational speaker at an organization called Tabitha House Community Service, which is for people who were forced to leave their homes because of earthquake, flood and other natural disasters.
At the age of 11, she graduated from high school and then earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2013. She completed those classes online as she was traveling for church events and leadership meetings.
She doesn’t stop there, though. The teen plans to focus on aviation psychology (航空心理学) for her further study, a decision inspired by her father who is a pilot. She grew up around airplanes and took fights all the time. Her goal is to use it to help pilots deal with problems that could have deadly results once the plane takes off — a topic that has been in the news lately. For her, it’s a mix of two of her interests.
In her free time, Thessalonika enjoys playing tennis, swimming and being active in her youth group at church. She also has three self-published books, which are on her site. Jump the Education Barrier is written to help students finish college, and in the future aims to help business owners with trends. Her third book The Genius Race is designed to help people to be talents in various areas of life.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about Thessalonika?| A．When she was 6 years old, she started homeschooling. |
| B．She gained her master’s degree at the age of 11. |
| C．She majored in science and technology. |
| D．In 2013 she got her bachelor’s degree through completing courses online. |
| A．Major in aviation psychology. |
| B．Deliver inspiring speeches for church events and leadership meetings. |
| C．Be active in her youth group at church. |
| D．Write another book to help people to be talents. |
| A．It aims to help people to be geniuses. |
| B．It is intended to give students a hand to complete college. |
| C．It is designed to arouse people’s awareness of psychology. |
| D．The author hope to share her own experience with others. |
| A．The Story of Thessalonika | B．To be a talent |
| C．Three Published Books | D．Homeschooling |
