1 . As a kid, Joanna Buckley wasn’t interested in science—until she had a chance to try it. That happened when she got a chemistry set as a gift.
“Over the course of a few weeks, I’d completed every experiment. But in the process, I polluted my parent’s dining room carpet and burnt the kitchen worktop with the spirit burner,” she says.
Now science is Buckley’s job. She works in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Sheffield in England. “I realize, firsthand, how important it is to have something or someone to show you why science is so great, ” she says. Now the good news is that citizen science appears.
Citizen science takes the fun of experimenting a step further than Buckley’s at-home experiments. That’s because these experiments are real, looking for novel answers.
“Compared with a oneoff experiment, what’s cool about citizen science is that students get that this has a purpose,” says Amy Prunuske, who teaches microbiology and immunology at a medical college. “Students want to do a good job, because they know scientists are going to use the new data in their own research.”
Jennifer Long’s job is to coordinate (协调) education and outreach. She agrees with Prunuske. “Kids like that it’s real. And they like that it’s important, and that it matters.” Citizen science projects have made big discoveries. One found a previously unknown galaxy cluster (星系团). Another project helped assess how much damage a big earthquake had caused in Japan. And one of the first citizen science projects helped scientists learn where monarch butterflies go every winter.
Some adults worry about teens losing interest in science. They hope that fun, exciting citizen science projects can help them keep engaged, Long says. And she has some evidence that it’s working. “Last year, we did have a couple of students say, ‘I really think I want to be a scientist now’. ”
1. What is the purpose of Paragraph 2?| A．To show experiments can make teens interested in science. |
| B．To prove failure is the mother of success in science. |
| C．To state that Buckley has a talent for science. |
| D．To praise Buckley for her strong will. |
| A．It needs to seek for new solutions. | B．It carries out experiments frequently. |
| C．It must carry out experiments in groups. | D．It is supposed to handle complex problems. |
| A．She participated in the experiment. | B．She took pride in what students took up. |
| C．Citizen science is popular with students. | D．Scientists are willing to employ students. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Supportive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
2 . A little girl created a perfect gift for her mother’s birthday. It was a drawing of a
For most people, that would be the
“I was sitting at my friend’s house and saw a man’s
The comments included one from Robert Alvarado. He wrote, “I can’t
“Eventually the letter made it home,” said Alvarado. “We are
| A．bird | B．card | C．cake | D．flower |
| A．received | B．destroyed | C．lost | D．posted |
| A．end | B．part | C．influence | D．cause |
| A．promised | B．invited | C．seen | D．called |
| A．paper | B．cash | C．bag | D．tool |
| A．proved | B．explained | C．realised | D．admitted |
| A．satisfied | B．frightened | C．shocked | D．touched |
| A．start | B．continue | C．brighten | D．ruin |
| A．obviously | B．extremely | C．especially | D．probably |
| A．photograph | B．arrival | C．conclusion | D．reply |
| A．forget | B．believe | C．understand | D．pretend |
| A．read | B．present | C．return | D．publish |
| A．ready | B．grateful | C．responsible | D．anxious |
| A．little | B．certain | C．useless | D．extra |
| A．general | B．beneficial | C．lasting | D．reasonable |
3 . I woke up by my dog barking in the early morning. I went outside to find a koala(考拉) at the yard gate wanting to enter. It was the first time that I had
I was wondering why he was here, as koala
He just sat there, apparently
I rushed into my room and came out with some iodophor(碘伏药水). It was not a
After the treatment, I watched the koala finally
| A．caught | B．met | C．bought | D．killed |
| A．chance | B．relief | C．surprise | D．message |
| A．frequently | B．slightly | C．mostly | D．rarely |
| A．some | B．many | C．two | D．no |
| A．pursued | B．drove | C．followed | D．cast |
| A．in pain | B．in order | C．in comfort | D．in relief |
| A．quick | B．close | C．eager | D．anxious |
| A．features | B．symbols | C．signs | D．series |
| A．crucial | B．small | C．distinct | D．tricky |
| A．ignore | B．answer | C．understand | D．anticipate |
| A．touched | B．felt | C．tapped | D．treated |
| A．appealed to | B．referred to | C．occurred to | D．applied to |
| A．help | B．advice | C．approval | D．fortune |
| A．exploring | B．rushing | C．jogging | D．disappearing |
| A．experience | B．survive | C．escape | D．have |
4 . “Birds” and “airports” are two words that, paired together，don’t normally paint the most harmonious picture. So it really raises some eyebrows when China announces plans to build an airport that is for birds.
Described as the world’s first-ever bird airport, the proposed Lingang Bird Sanctuary(保护区）in the northern coastal city of Tianjin is, of course,not an actual airport. Rather，it's a wetland preserve specifically designed to accommodate hundreds-even thousands-of daily takeoffs and landings by birds traveling along the East Asian-Australian Flyway. Over 50 species of migratory (迁徙的）water birds，some endangered, will stop and feed at the protected sanctuary before continuing their long journey along the flyway.
Located on a former landfill site，the 150-acre airport is also open to human travelers.(Half a million visitors are expected annually.) However，instead of duty-free shopping，the main attraction for non-egg-laying creatures at Tianjin’s newest airport will be a green-roofed education and research center, a series of raised “observation platforms” and a network of scenic walking and cycling paths totaling over 4 miles.
“The proposed Bird Airport will be a globally significant sanctuary for endangered migratory bird species, while providing new green lungs for the city of Tianjin.” Adrian McGregor of an Australian landscape architecture firm explained of the design. Frequently blanketed in smog so thick that it has shut down real airports, Tianjin is a city---China’s fourth most populous----that would certainly benefit from a new pair of healthy green lungs•
1. The underlined phrase “non-egg-laying creatures” in Paragraph 3 refers to?| A．Visitors. | B．Designers. |
| C．Endangered water birds. | D．Planes. |
| A．People cannot watch birds up close here. |
| B．It is located on a 150-acre landfill site. |
| C．It functions as an actual airport and a wetland preserve. |
| D．It provides migratory birds with food and shelter. |
| A．The airport will become a permanent home for birds. |
| B．Tianjin will win worldwide fame in the future. |
| C．Tianjin’s air quality will improve thanks to the airport. |
| D．Tianjin will be able to accommodate more people. |
| A．Airports shut down and open up. |
| B．China is to open the first Bird Airport. |
| C．Airports turn into green lungs. |
| D．Birds are no longer enemies to airports. |
5 . Over the next 50 years, we are going to send more and better robots to Mars.
Before people can visit Mars, we need to invent a spaceship that can take us there.
The moon is much closer, and we were there many years ago. Over the next 10 years, we are going to work on building a new spacecraft.
Once we return to the moon, we are going to build a station so that people can live and work on the moon for months at a time. This is important so that we have a place to start from when we want to visit Mars.
By the time you are old enough to be an astronaut, we will have people spending months on the moon. By the time you are old enough to be a commander of a space mission, we will be taking trips to Mars. By the time your kids are old enough to be astronauts, we may have people living on Mars. Wouldn’t it be cool to get a postcard from someone who was building a house on Mars?
| A．Mars is very faraway. |
| B．People will go to live on Mars one day. |
| C．Wouldn’t it be cooler if it was you who sent the postcard? |
| D．Using this craft, we will practice the skills we need to go to Mars. |
| E．Those robots will send back better pictures, maps, and weather reports. |
| F．It would be possible for us to go to Mars in a spacecraft in the near future. |
| G．This is also important because it gives us practice with living away from Earth. |
6 . BEST BODY FITNESS
About us
You don’t want just gym membership. You want membership that means something. And that means you need support, expert help and a community.
Best Body Fitness isn’t just a gym: it’s full-service fitness membership made for you.
Here’s how it works:
STEP ONE: Your assessment
We begin with an assessment session. This is a chance for you to see what we do at Best Body. Our assessment plans are no-cost and no-risk. We’ll also make a training plan specifically for you.
STEP TWO: Your training
When you decide to become a Best Body member, we show you what to do, how to do it and why you are doing it. After a few sessions with an expert private trainer you will feel comfortable working out on your own. But don’t worry, we’ll always be nearby if you have questions.
STEP THREE: Your membership
Membership works on a month-to-month basis. There are no sign-up fees and no cancellation fees. Start and stop whenever you want. And the best part? Our fees are the most competitive in the whole downtown area.
STEP FOUR: Your community
At Best Body Fitness, we see everyone as part of a big team. And when you work with a team, you can do great things. Join any of our specialized classes, led by expert instructors. Come to our nutrition classes. Participate in our regular social events. Everything is included in your fee.
Finally, share some reasons why our members have chosen us over any other fitness centre in the city.
It’s so EASY
Easy to start, stop, cancel or refund membership
Easy to access — we’re open 24/7, we never close
Easy to do exercise — we have lots of equipment, no long wait
Easy to find — in the centre of town, near public transport and with parking
1. Which statement about Best Body Fitness is correct?| A．It provides you with a fitness assessment after training. |
| B．It offers you a customized training plan. |
| C．It allows you to work out without any fees. |
| D．It asks you to work out on your own. |
| A．Its price is quite good. | B．Its time is enough. |
| C．Its classes are no-risk. | D．Its trainers are experienced. |
| A．News report. | B．Speech. |
| C．Announcement. | D．Advertisement. |
7 . It was my first day at school in London and I was half-excited and half-frightened. On my way to school I wondered, what questions the other boys would ask me and practiced all the answers: “I am nine years old. I was born here but I haven’t lived here since I was two. I was living in Farley. It’s about thirty miles away. I came back to London two months ago.” I also wondered if it was the rule for boys to fight strangers like me, but I was tall for my age. I hoped they would decide not to risk it.
No one took any notice of me before school. I stood in the center of the playground, expecting someone to say “hello”, but no one spoke to me.
My teacher was called Mr. Jones. There were 42 boys in the class, so I didn’t stand out there either, until the first lesson of the afternoon. Mr. Jones was very fond of Charles Dickens, so he asked several boys if they knew Dickens’ birthplace, but no one guessed right. A boy called Brian, the biggest in the class, said: “Timbuktu” and Mr. Jones went red in the face. Then he asked me. I said: “Portsmouth” and everyone stared at me because Mr. Jones said I was right. This didn’t make me very popular, of course. “He thinks he’s clever,” I heard Brian say.
After that, we went out to the playground to play football. I was in Brian’s team, and he obviously had Dickens in mind because he told me to go in goal. No one ever wanted to be the goalkeeper.
“He’s big enough and useless enough,” Brian said when someone asked him why he had chosen me.
As the boy kicked the ball hard along the ground to my right, I threw myself down quickly and saved it. All my team crowded round me. My bare knees were grazed and bleeding. Brian took out a handkerchief and offered it to me.
“Do you want to join my team?” he said.
At the end of the day, I was no longer a stranger.
1. The writer prepared to answer all of the following questions EXCEPT “________”.| A．How old are you? | B．Where are you from? |
| C．Do you want to join my team? | D．When did you come back to London? |
| A．boys were usually unfriendly to new students | B．the writer was not greeted as he expected |
| C．Brian praised the writer for his cleverness | D．the writer was glad to be a goalkeeper |
| A．eye-catching | B．nervous | C．important | D．surprised |
| A．he was in Brian’s team | B．he was no longer a new comer |
| C．he was beginning to be accepted | D．he pushed a player on the other team |
8 . A fresh and gentle wind on your face, soft sand under your feet and blue waters as far as the eye can see. Is there any other Olympic sport that is played in such pleasant conditions as beach volleyball？
“I’ve gone to a lot of beautiful places, and met a lot of beautiful people. That wouldn’t have happened if I had been playing another sport.” said Randy Stoklos, America’s most famous beach volleyball player.
The sport began as a four-a-side game on beaches in Southern California in the 1920s. The first recorded two-man game took place there in 1930, and the first tournament (锦标赛) was held in Los Angeles 18 years later. The winners were awarded a case of Pepsi. In the 1950s, women started playing and the sport soon spread to Europe and South America. Yet at that time, beach volleyball was more an entertainment show than a sport, with beauty contests included. The Association of Volleyball Professionals was founded in 1983 and beach volleyball developed into a fast, athletic sport. Its world-wide popularity won beach volleyball a place at the 1996 Olympics in Atalanta, where 24 male teams and 16 female teams took part. At present, the US and Brazil are the best in the world at beach volleyball.
The game came to China in the early 1990s and there have been national tournaments since 1994. It became an official event at the Eighth National Games in 1997. China’s You Wenhui and Wang Lu finished ninth in the women’s beach volleyball world championships in Brazil.
1. The passage is mainly about ______.| A．the history of beach volleyball |
| B．how to play beach volleyball |
| C．the importance of beach volleyball |
| D．women’s beach volleyball in China |
| A．Beach volleyball was first played like other Olympic: sports. |
| B．Beach volleyball has always been an entertainment show rather than a sport. |
| C．Beach volleyball began on beaches in Souther California. |
| D．Women started playing beach volleyball in South America in 1945. |
| A．In 1948, | B．In 1996. | C．In 1950. | D．In 1997. |
| A．in 1996, beach volleyball became an official event in China |
| B．China’s beach volleyball team is the best in the world |
| C．China’s beach volleyball players won the first place in Brazil |
| D．beach volleyball came to China in the early 1990s |
9 . My mother always said, “You young men should explore your own country before stepping out into the world.” It seemed like a tough task. But luckily for me, Via Rail Canada offered youths between the ages of 18 and 25 the chance to ride the train across Canada for the month of July in 2017.I jumped at the opportunity and secured an inexpensive ticket.
Excitement was at its peak as I approached the train station on the morning when my 22-day adventure was to begin. I jumped on board the passenger vessel （车厢）like it was the train to Hogwarts in Harry Potter. The train headed west in search of our first destination — the scenic town of Banff, Alberta. After just an hour on the train, desperation already came on me. The thought of three full days on those tracks broke my spirits. As I gazed out towards Lake Superior’s glistening （闪闪发亮）waves, I decided if I was to be stuck in here, I would need to enjoy my time.
Those three days turned into a summer camp on rails. Real friendships with the crew were born within that train. Stops were made in small, remote railroad villages. A large group of strangers turned travelling companions would rush towards the villages to reward our endless patience with local cuisine. At night, we would walk to the glass-domed （玻璃穹顶）train car, which gave a scenic view of the night sky, untouched by light pollution.
After three days, we arrived in Banff. Before my adventure of taking the train across Canada, if I could have skipped the travel and arrived at the destination, I would have. But that is no longer true. I’ve learned that the journey can be more enjoyable than the destination.
1. What made the author’s train trip possible?| A．The encouragement from his mother. |
| B．The attraction of the splendid scenery. |
| C．A time-limited ticket offer for youths. |
| D．His determination to face the tough tasks. |
| A．Great joy. |
| B．A dream-like trip. |
| C．Unrealistic hopes. |
| D．Faded enthusiasm. |
| A．Considerate. | B．Adaptable. |
| C．Smart. | D．Determined. |
| A．To enjoy travelling on his own. |
| B．To be content with train service. |
| C．To skip to the final destination. |
| D．To explore more in the process. |
10 . Recently, a woman who lives in a small apartment in San Francisco asked me a question. She wanted to know how to prepare for a big earthquake. In fact, it’s quite necessary for people in San Francisco to do that. Since she lives in an apartment, she cannot store water in a backyard or place a rain collection system. Here is my answer to her.
Firstly, you should store water and food. Storing water is actually very easy. A gallon per day is enough for you to drink. You can buy one of those 5-gallon spring water containers and put it in the kitchen. Check the expiration date (截止日期), and get some new water when needed. Food isn’t that hard, either. Get a few cans of soup, some canned fruit, and canned chickpeas or beans. Make sure they all can be eaten without heating. This will cost less than DS|20 and take up very little space in your kitchen. Throw a cheap canopener in there while you’re at it, tape (用胶带粘贴) it to the can, and forget about that one, too.
Secondly, first aid is going to let you stay out of limited medical facilities (装备), allowing you to avoid getting truly injured. In a big disaster, you’ll probably get hurt. Being able to clean and protect a skin wound is important. The Red Cross first-aid kit is cheap (DS|16) and small, and contains what you need.
Finally, information is almost as important as the other two. You really want a small radio to know what is going on around you. There are going to be shelters, first-aid facilities, and safe and unsafe areas. You need a radio to know where they are. The National Guard will be somewhere helping out, and you need to learn where. The network will probably be down, so you can’t count on that.
Therefore, you just need DS|60 and about 30 minutes of shopping, and then you can survive for 3 days without any help.
1. What was the woman’s problem?| A．She was afraid of big earthquakes. |
| B．She didn’t have a backyard to store her things. |
| C．She didn’t know how to prepare for a big earthquake. |
| D．She didn’t know how to set up a rain collection system. |
| A．buy another can-opener |
| B．just leave the can-opener there |
| C．forget everything she has done |
| D．tape the can-opener to the can |
| A．It’s not an easy thing to do. |
| B．It can’t be used to save a life |
| C．It’s important in an earthquake. |
| D．It’s too limited for people in a disaster. |
