1 . Food festivals are a common occurrence in the UK and take place in all sorts of places and at all sorts of times. Whatever your taste, there’s a food festival to match — no matter how specialized.

1. Meatopia

This three-day, London-based festival takes place at the end of August and is a meat lover’s paradise. In addition to a range of legally sourced meat products, from juicy burgers to tender steaks, attendees can listen to live music, watch butchery demonstrations, and attend informal meat-based workshops.

2. The National Honey Show

If you have a sweet tooth, then it could be that the National Honey Show, which started in 1921 and is the largest event of its kind, is the place for you to be. This three-day event attracts many local entries who showcase their sweet golden honey, some of which is sold globally.

3. The Orange Sauce Festival

Have you heard about a festival that is devoted only to orange sauce? Held in Cumbria, this sweet, fragrant festival has been running for 3 years. What attracts people most is a competition to find the best homemade orange sauce. There are thousands of participants from over 30 different countries across the globe, bringing their local snacks to share here.

4. The Ginger and Spice Festival

If you’d prefer something with a little more kick to it, then you could attend The Ginger (姜) and Spice Festival held in Market Drayton. Unlike other food festivals, it celebrates its town’s historic connection to Robert Clive, who returned from India with ginger. Because of this, they specialize in baking gingerbread, but also sell a range of traditional spices from mild to hot.

1. What do Meatopia and the National Honey Show have in common?

A．Both of them last for three days.	B．Both of them hold workshops.
C．Both of them originated from London.	D．Both of them have a long history.

2. If you are interested in foreign food, which festival do you like best?

A．The Meatopia.	B．The Ginger and Spice Festival.
C．The National Honey Show.	D．The Orange Sauce Festival.

3. What is special about the Ginger and Spice Festival ?

A．It has something to do with a historic figure.

B．The ginger used in the festival is from India.

C．It sells spicy food.

D．The food is cooked by Robert Clive.

2 . Friends always ask why I, a middle-aged woman with no athletic (运动) talent (天赋), travel to perilous places — the jungles (丛林) of Thailand or Borneo, for example, where the water is often unsafe and the food risky; places with infectious diseases, poisonous snakes and the wildest animals.

I never know how to answer. Nine years ago I suffered a stroke (中风). To prevent another stroke, my doctors told me, I’d have to take dangerously high levels of blood thinner (血液稀释剂) for the rest of my life and any travel would be risky (冒险的).

I had to think about what was important to me: family, of course, and friends. But then what? No matter how many times I thought about it, I could not be happy without travel. Then I had to decide how I might manage the risk.

The first real test of my travel courage came nine months after my stroke when I joined my husband, Jack, on a business trip to China. After we’d toured the remains of a Tang dynasty temple on a high mountain, Jack wanted to ride down on a toboggan (长雪橇).

Before the stroke it would’ve seemed like fun. But now? I hesitated. My mental klaxon (高音喇叭) screamed warnings about the consequences of a cut, a fall, and a crash. Then, gaining confidence from who knew where, I lowered myself carefully into the toboggan, which marked my adventure (冒险) travel come back.

In the years since then, I’ve traveled about twenty-five percent of the time. Through it all, my lucks held out — no deadly falls, no car accidents or serious infections. For me, adventure travel is a risk worth taking. Travel broadens my world and keeps me connected to nature. What’s more, saying “yes” to travel keeps me connected to myself.

1. What does the underlined word “perilous” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Energetic.

B．Dangerous.

C．Romantic

D．Famous.

2. What did the doctors advise the author to do?

A．Do proper exercise.	B．Enjoy the rest of her life.
C．Spend more time with her family	D．Keep away (远离) from traveling

3. Why did the author mention her travel to China?

A．It was her last adventure.	B．She recovered (恢复) her courage (勇气) through it.
C．She liked the beautiful scenery in China.	D．It was the most dangerous experience in her life.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．A business trip to China	B．Stroke, a dangerous disease
C．How I overcame the fear of disease	D．Why I still travel to the wild

4 . Surfing the Internet for fun will make you a better employee, according to an Australian study.

The University of Melbourne study shows that people who use the Internet for their own reasons at work are about 9 percent more productive than those who do not. Study author Brent Coker said, “Surfing the Internet at times helps increase an employee’s attention.”

“People need to relax for a bit to get back their attention,” Coker said on the university’s website. “Having a short break, such as a quick surfing of the Internet, helps the mind to rest itself, and as a result, increases productivity ,” he said.

According to the study of 300 workers,70 percent of people who use the Internet at work surf the Internet for their own reasons during office hours. Among the most popular surfing activities are searching for information about products, reading online news, playing online games and watching videos. “Firms spend a lot of money on software to block their employees from watching videos, using social networking sites or shopping online,” said Coker. “That’s not always a good idea.”

However, Coker said the study looked at people who surfed the Internet in moderation (适度),or were on the Internet for less than 20 percent of their total time in the office. “Those who spend too much time surfing the Internet will have a lower productivity than those without,” he said.

1. What does the University of Melbourne study mainly show?

A．People who surf the Internet are good employees.

B．Not everyone surfs the Internet for fun during office hours.

C．Surfing the Internet for fun during office hours increases productivity.

D．The Internet is becoming more and more important in people’s life.

2. What would Brent Coker most probably agree according to paragraph 3?

A．The longer a person’s mind rests,the better attention he will have.

B．Surfing the Internet is the best way to increase productivity.

C．Workers should have a long break during office hours.

D．Workers should let their minds rest now and then.

3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as one of the most popular surfing activities?

A．Watching videos.	B．Reading online news.
C．Reading online novels.	D．Playing online games.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Spending too much time surfing the Internet reduces productivity.

B．Those who never surf the Internet have the lowest productivity.

C．Most people don’t surf the Internet in moderation during office hours.

D．People should spend as little time as possible surfing the Internet.

6 . “Tell me the story of me, Momma,” my daughter Sophie always asks when we sit on my grandmother’s rocking chair at the end of the day. “The first time I saw your beautiful face, it was nearly covered by a blue-and-white hat. You were surrounded by a soft blue blanket (毛毯). All I could see was a rosy face.” “And I looked like a tiny fairy baby?” she asks. “You did, and you weren’t older than a minute,” I always answer. “The nurse handed a tiny little girl to me, and I was so surprised because you felt so light. I thought if I threw off the blanket, I’d find no baby there at all, only air.”

From that moment, I became a mother. But that moment was just special and magical as if she’d come from my body directly into my arms. From that day on, she was my daughter in every way that mattered.

It’s easy sometimes to forget there was another mother out there with whom I share my title. Sophie’s birth mother, who was also my friend, lost her life to cancer not long after giving birth to Sophie. And I’ll never forget that it was her difficult decision — her tears and her pain — that made me a mom.

As my daughter grows, she will understand that sometimes life is a relay race (接力赛), and you never know who in this world will hand you your baton (接力棒). It could be someone you know for years, or it could be someone who you even never meet, someone you will never be able to repay for giving you the life you always wanted.

1. How does the author start the text?

A．By remembering her grandmother.	B．By asking her daughter questions.
C．By describing her past life.	D．By showing a conversation.

2. How does the author feel towards Sophie’s birth mother?

A．Disappointed.

B．Worried.

C．Thankful.

D．Surprised.

3. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．Taking up the baton	B．Being thankful for life
C．Two mothers’ love	D．The mystery of Sophie’s birth

7 . Foreign visitors to the UK might be disappointed when they learn that not everyone there speaks like Harry Potter and his friends. Usually, there’s an assumption by many non-Brits that everyone in Britain speaks with what’s known as a Received Pronunciation (RP，标准发音) accent, also called “the Queen’s English”. However, while many people do talk this way, most Britons speak in their own regional accents (口音).

Scouse, Glaswegian and Black Country — from Liverpool, Glasgow and the West Midlands — are just three of the countless non-RP accents that British people speak with. There are even differences in accents between towns or cities just 30 kilometers apart. What is even more disappointing is that not speaking in a RP accent may mean a British person is judged and even treated differently in their everyday life.

In a 2015 study by The University of South Wales, videos of people reading a passage in three different UK accents were shown to a second group of people. The group then rated how intelligent they thought the readers sounded. The lowestrated accent was Brummie, native to people from Birmingham, a city whose accent is considered working class.

However, there is no need to be disappointed though you are not speaking in a RP accent. In fact, doing the opposite may even give you strength.

Kong Seongjae, 25, is an Internet celebrity from Seoul. After studying in the UK, he picked up several regional accents. He’s now famous for his online videos, where he shows off the various accents he’s learned. “British people usually get really excited when I use some of their local dialect words, and they become much friendlier. I think it makes a bit of bond between local people and foreigners to speak in their local accent,” he said.

So if you’re working on perfecting your British accent, try to speak like someone from Liverpool, Glasgow or Birmingham. You may not sound like Harry Potter, but you are likely to make more friends.

1. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?

A．Non-Brits usually hold that all Britons speak in a RP accent.

B．Only “the Queen’s English” is accepted in the UK.

C．Foreign visitors are disappointed at their on spoken English.

D．Any Received Pronunciation around the world is also called “the Queen’s English”.

2. What do people think of the Brummie accent?

A．Favored by foreign visitors to the UK.	B．Closest to the RP accent.
C．Smart and easy to understand.	D．Spoken by people of lower class.

3. What does the underlined phrase “doing the opposite” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Speaking in a RP accent.	B．Speaking in regional accents.
C．Speaking the Brummie accent.	D．Speaking like Harry Potter.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A study about the most intelligent accent in Britain.

B．A comparison between different British accents.

C．How much British people value the RP accent.

D．The influence of regional accents on people’s lives.

8 . What a day! I started my new school this morning and had the best time. I made lots of new friends and really liked my teachers. I was nervous the night before, but I had no reason to be. Everyone was so friendly and polite. They made me feel at ease. It was like I’d been at the school for a hundred years!

The day started very early at 7:00 am. I had my breakfast downstairs with my mom. She could tell that I was very nervous. Mom kept asking me what was wrong. She told me I had nothing to worry about and that everyone was going to love me. If they didn’t love me, mom said to have a good talk with them. I couldn’t stop laughing.

My mom dropped me off at the school gate about five minutes before the bell rang. A little blonde girl got dropped off at the same time and started waving (招手) at me. She ran over and told me her name was Abigail. She was very nice and we became close straight away. We spent all morning together and began to talk to another girl called Stacey. The three of us sat together in class all day and we even made our way home together! It went so quickly. Our teacher told us that tomorrow we would really start learning and developing new skills.

I cannot wait until tomorrow and feel as though I am really going to enjoy my time at my new school. I only hope that my new friends feel the same way, too.

1. How did the author feel the night before her new school?

A．Tired.

B．Excited.

C．Happy.

D．Worried.

2. What did the author think of her mother’s advice?

A．Clear.

B．Funny.

C．Reasonable.

D．Excellent.

3. What happened on the author’s first day of school?

A．She met many nice people.	B．She had a hurried breakfast.
C．She learned some new skills.	D．She arrived at school very early.

4. What can we infer about Abigail?

A．She disliked Stacey.	B．She was shy and quiet.
C．She got on well with the author.	D．She was an old friend of the author.

9 . 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

2. Why did many people refuse to buy the electric cars in the past?

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.

3. What is the function of Paragraph 4?

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.

4. Which is the best title for this passage?

A．Driving into a Cleaner Future	B．History of Electric Cars
C．Problems with Petrol and Diesel Cars	D．Best Means of Transportation

10 . Thirteen-year-old Kaylee has a lot of friends — 532, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

But is it possible that Kaylee’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not Words With Friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platforms (平台).

In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger, “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.

Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual words, we will have little time for our real-world friendships.” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need someone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To summarize the text.	B．To tell about true friends.
C．To bring up a discussion.	D．To encourage online friendship.

2. What does the underlined part “in the flesh” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．In person.

B．In advance.

C．In any case.

D．In full measure.

3. What is Katie’s attitude towards online communication?

A．Worried.

B．Positive.

C．Confused.

D．Unconcerned.

4. What view does Rosen hold?

A．It’s wise to turn to friends online.

B．It’s easier to develop friendships in reality.

C．Social media help people stay closely connected.

D．Teenagers need focus on real-world friendships.