1 . I experienced years of loneliness as a child.     1     His friends teased him about babysitting his sister and his interests were far different from mine. With no other kids of my age in the neighborhood, I had to spend hours by myself.

A bright spot for me turned out to be reading. My love of the written word began early as my mother read to me every evening.     2     I started reading books on my own before age 5 and my mother took me to the public library once a week to borrow several books. I quickly graduated from typical children’s books to ones with fewer pictures and longer chapters. Reading opened new worlds to me.     3    

My mother also encouraged me to make what I wanted. I tried making toy cars with cardboard boxes and constructing buildings from leftover cardboard and bits of wood my father gave me. When my mother saw my creations, she told me how creative my designs were.     4     I learned a lot about how to extend the life of objects and transform them into something new and useful. It was a trait(特点) others found helpful, and I soon had friends who wanted to make things with me.

    5    My parents made it a point for their two kids to spend time outside, no matter the weather or season. My brother, of course, raced off to be with his friends, while I had plenty to do myself. There was making leaf houses in autumn, ice skating in winter, and so much more. They’re all memories I treasure today.

A．I wasn't alone any longer.

B．I enjoyed reading stories aloud.

C．I was invited to play with another kid.

D．I loved the colorful photographs in the books.

E．Another habit I formed early was being outdoors.

F．Thus, I began my lifelong interest in making things.

G．My older brother couldn’t be bothered to play with me.

2 . With the young unable to afford to leave home and the old at risk of isolation(孤独), more families are choosing to live together.

The doorway to peace and quiet, for Nick Bright at least, leads straight to his mother-in-law, she lives on the ground floor, while he lives upstairs with his wife and their two daughters.

Four years ago they all moved into a three-storey Victorian house in Bristol - one of a growing number of multigenerational families in the UK living together under the same roof. They share a front door and a washing machine, but Rita Whitehead has her own kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room on the ground floor.

“We floated the idea to my mum of sharing at a house,” says Kathryn Whitehead. Rita cuts in: “We spoke more with Nick because I think it’s a big thing for Nick to live with his mother-in-law.”

And what does Nick think? “From my standpoint, it all seems to work very well. Would I recommend it? Yes, I think I would.”

It’s hard to tell exactly how many people agree with him, but research indicates that the numbers have been rising for some time. Official reports suggest that the number of households with three generations living together had risen from 325,000 in 2001to 419,000 in 2013.

Other varieties of multigenerational family are more common. Some people live with their elderly parents; many more adult children are returning to the family home, if they ever left. It is said that about 20% of 25-34-year-olds live with their parents, compared with 16% in 1991.The total number of all multigenerational households in Britain is thought to be about 1.8 million.

Stories like that are more common in parts of the world where multigenerational living is more firmly rooted. In India, particularly outside cities, young women are expected to move in with their husband’s family when they get married.

1. Who mainly uses the ground floor in the Victorian house in Bristol?

A．Nick.

B．Rita.

C．Kathryn

D．The daughters.

2. What is Nick’s attitude towards sharing the house with his mother-in -law?

A．Positive.

B．Carefree.

C．Tolerant.

D．Unwilling.

3. What is the author’s statement about multigenerational family based on?

A．Family traditions.

B．Financial reports.

C．Published statistics.

D．Public opinions.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Lifestyles in different countries.	B．Conflicts between generations.
C．A housing problem in Britain.	D．A rising trend of living in the UK.

3 . When “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was first shown to the public last month, a group of excited animal activists gathered on Hollywood Boulevard. But they weren’t there to throw red paint on fur-coat-wearing film stars. Instead, one activist, dressed in a full-body monkey suit, had arrived with a sign praising the filmmakers: “Thanks for not using real apes (猿)!”

The creative team behind “Apes” used motion-capture (动作捕捉) technology to create digitalized animals, spending tens of millions of dollars on technology that records an actor’s performance and later processes it with computer graphics to create a final image (图像). In this case, one of a realistic-looking ape.

Yet “Apes” is more exception than the rule. In fact, Hollywood has been hot on live animals lately. One nonprofit organization, which monitors the treatment of animals in filmed entertainment, is keeping tabs on more than 2,000 productions this year. Already, a number of films, including “Water for Elephants,” “The Hangover Part Ⅱ” and “Zookeeper,” have drawn the anger of activists who say the creatures acting in them haven’t been treated properly.

In some cases, it’s not so much the treatment of the animals on set in the studio that has activists worried; it’s the off-set training and living conditions that are raising concerns. And there are questions about the films made outside the States, which sometimes are not monitored as closely as productions filmed in the States.

1. Why did the animal activists gather on Hollywood Boulevard?

A．To see famous film stars.

B．To oppose wearing fur coats.

C．To raise money for animal protection.

D．To express thanks to some filmmakers.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．The cost of making “Apes.”

B．The creation of digitalized apes.

C．The publicity about “Apes.”

D．The performance of real apes.

3. What does the underlined phrase “keeping tabs on” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Listing completely.

B．Directing professionally.

C．Promoting successfully.

D．Watching carefully.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph about animal actors?

A．They may be badly treated.

B．They should take further training.

C．They could be traded illegally

D．They would lose popularity.

4 . Journey Back in Time with Scholars

Classical Provence(13days)
Journey through the beautiful countryside of Provence，France，with Prof. Ori Z. Soltes. We will visit some of the best-preserved Roman monuments in the world. Our tour also includes a chance to walk in the footsteps of Van Gogh and Gauguin. Fields of flowers, tile-roofed(瓦屋顶)villages and tasty meals enrich this wonderful experience.
Southern Spain(15days)
Spain has lovely white towns and the scent(芳香)of oranges，but it is also a treasury of ancient remains including the cities left by the Greeks，Romans and Arabs. As we travel south from Madrid with Prof. Ronald Messier to historic Toledo，Roman Merida and into Andalucia, we explore historical monuments and architecture.
China’s Sacred Landscapes(21days)
Discover the China of “past ages,” its walled cities，temples and mountain scenery with Prof.   Robert Thorp. Highlights(精彩之处)include China’s most sacred peaks at Mount Tai and Hangzbou’s rolling hills，waterways and peaceful temples. We will wander in traditional small towns and end our tour with an exceptional museum in Shanghai.
Tunisia(17days)
Join Prof. Pedar Foss on our in-depth Tunisian tour. Tour highlights include the Roman city of Dougga，the underground Numidian capital at Bulla Regia, Roman Sbeitla and the remote areas around Tataouine and Matmata，uique for underground cities. Our journey takes us to picturesque Berber villages and lovely beaches.
1. What can visitors see in both Classical Provence and Southern Spain？

A．Historical monuments.	B．Fields of flowers.
C．Van Gogh’s paintings.	D．Greek buildings.

2. Which country is Prof. Thorp most knowledgeable about？

A．France.

B．Spain.

C．China.

D．Tunisia.

3. Which of the following highlight the Tunisian tour？

A．White towns.

B．Underground cities.

C．Tile-roofed villages.

D．Rolling hills.

5 . Since our twins began learning to walk, my wife and I have kept telling them that our sliding glass door is just a window. The _______ is obvious. If we _______ it is a door, they’ll want to go outside _______. It will drive us crazy. The kids apparently know the _______. But our insisting it’s _______ a window has kept them from _______ millions of requests to open the door.

I hate lying to the kids. One day they’ll _______ and discover that everything they’ve always known about windows is a _______.

I wonder if _______ should always tell the truth no matter the ____________. I have a very strong     ____________ that the lie we’re telling is doing ____________ damage to our children. Windows and doors have ____________ metaphorical(比喻) meanings. I’m telling them they can’t open what they absolutely know is a door. What if later in ____________ they come to a metaphorical door, like an opportunity(机会) of some sort, and ____________ opening the door and taking the opportunity, they just ____________ it and wonder, ＂What if it isn’t a door?＂ That is, ＂What if it isn’t a ____________ opportunity?＂

Maybe it’s an unreasonable fear. But the ____________ is that I shouldn’t lie to my kids. I should just ____________ repeatedly having to say, ＂No. We can’t go outside now.＂ Then when they come to other doors in life, whether they are real or metopherical, they won’t ____________ to open them and walk through.

1.

A．relief

B．target

C．reason

D．case

2.

A．admit

B．believe

C．mean

D．realize

3.

A．gradually

B．constantly

C．temporarily

D．casually

4.

A．result

B．danger

C．method

D．truth

5.

A．merely

B．slightly

C．hardly

D．partly

6.

A．reviewing

B．approving

C．receiving

D．attempting

7.

A．win out

B．give up

C．wake up

D．stand out

8.

A．dream

B．lie

C．fantasy

D．fact

9.

A．parents

B．twins

C．colleagues

D．teachers

10.

A．restrictions

B．explanations

C．differences

D．consequences

11.

A．demand

B．fear

C．desire

D．doubt

12.

A．physical

B．biological

C．spiritual

D．behavioral

13.

A．traditional

B．important

C．double

D．original

14.

A．life

B．time

C．reply

D．history

15.

A．by comparison with

B．in addition to

C．regardless of

D．instead of

16.

A．get hold of

B．stare at

C．knock on

D．make use of

17.

A．real

B．typical

C．similar

D．limited

18.

A．safety rule

B．comfort zone

C．bottom line

D．top secret

19.

A．delay

B．regret

C．enjoy

D．accept

20.

A．hurry

B．decide

C．hesitate

D．intend

6 . The connection between people and plants has long been the subject of scientific research. Recent studies have found positive effects. A study conducted in Youngstown，Ohio，for example, discovered that greener areas of the city experienced less crime. In another，employees were shown to be 15% more productive when their workplaces were decorated with houseplants.

The engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT)have taken it a step further changing the actual composition of plants in order to get them to perform diverse，even unusual functions. These include plants that have sensors printed onto their leaves to show when they’re short of water and a plant that can detect harmful chemicals in groundwater. ＂We’re thinking about how we can engineer plants to replace functions of the things that we use every day,＂explained Michael Strano, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT.

One of his latest projects has been to make plants glow(发光)in experiments using some common vegetables. Strano’s team found that they could create a faint light for three-and-a-half hours. The light，about one-thousandth of the amount needed to read by，is just a start. The technology, Strano said, could one day be used to light the rooms or even to turn trees into self-powered street lamps.

In the future，the team hopes to develop a version of the technology that can be sprayed onto plant leaves in a one-off treatment that would last the plant’s lifetime. The engineers are also trying to develop an on and off＂switch＂where the glow would fade when exposed to daylight.

Lighting accounts for about 7% of the total electricity consumed in the US. Since lighting is often far removed from the power source(电源)-such as the distance from a power plant to street lamps on a remote highway-a lot of energy is lost during transmission(传输).Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy.

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．A new study of different plants.

B．A big fall in crime rates.

C．Employees from various workplaces.

D．Benefits from green plants.

2. What is the function of the sensors printed on plant leaves by MIT engineer?

A．To detect plants’ lack of water

B．To change compositions of plants

C．To make the life of plants longer.

D．To test chemicals in plants.

3. What can we expect of the glowing plants in the future?

A．They will speed up energy production.

B．They may transmit electricity to the home.

C．They might help reduce energy consumption.

D．They could take the place of power plants.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Can we grow more glowing plants?

B．How do we live with glowing plants?

C．Could glowing plants replace lamps?

D．How are glowing plants made pollution-free?

7 . Train Information

All customers travelling on TransLink services must be in possession of a valid ticket before boarding. For ticket information，please ask at your local station or call 13 12 30.

While Queensland Rail makes every effort to ensure trains run as scheduled，there can be no guarantee of connections between trains or between train services and bus services.

Lost property(失物招领)

Call Lost Property on 13 16 17 during business hours for items lost on Queensland Rail services.

The lost property office is open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 5:00pm and is located(位于)at Roma Street station.

Public holidays

On public holidays, generally a Sunday timetable operates. On certain major event days，i.e.

Australia Day, Anzac Day, sporting and cultural days, special additional services may operate.

Christmas Day services operate to a Christmas Day timetable，Before travel please visit translink. com. au or call TransLink on 13 12 30 anytime.

Customers using mobility devices

Many stations have wheelchair access from the car park or entrance to the station platforms.

For assistance, please Queensland Rail on 13 16 17.

Guardian trains (outbound)

Depart	Origin	Destination	Arrive
6:42pm	Altandi	Varsity Lakes	7:37pm
7:29pm	Central	Varsity Lakes	8:52pm
8:57pm	Fortitude Valley	Varsity Lakes	9:52pm
11:02pm	Roma Street	Varsity Lakes	12:22am

1. What would you do to get ticket information?

A．Call 13 16 17.	B．Visit translink .com.au.
C．Ask at the local station.	D．Check the train schedule.

2. At which station can you find the lost property office?

A．Altandi.

B．Roma Street.

C．Varsity Lakes.

D．Fortitude Valley.

3. Which train would you take if you go from Central to Varsity Lakes?

A．6:42 pm.

B．7:29 pm.

C．8:57 pm.

D．11:02 pm.

8 . Returning to a book you’ve read many times can feel like drinks with an old friend. There’s a welcome familiarity - but also sometimes a slight suspicion that time has changed you both, and thus the relationship. But books don’t change, people do. And that’s what makes the act of rereading so rich and transformative.

The beauty of rereading lies in the idea that our bond with the work is based on our present mental register. It’s true, the older I get, the more I feel time has wings. But with reading, it’s all about the present. It’s about the now and what one contributes to the now, because reading is a give and take between author and reader. Each has to pull their own weight.

There are three books I reread annually .The first, which I take to reading every spring is Emest Hemningway’s A Moveable Feast. Published in 1964, it’s his classic memoir of 1920s Paris. The language is almost intoxicating (令人陶醉的)，an aging writer looking back on an ambitious yet simpler time. Another is Annie Dillard’s Holy the Firm, her poetic 1975 ramble (随笔) about everything and nothing. The third book is Julio Cortazar’s Save Twilight: Selected Poems, because poetry. And because Cortazar.

While I tend to buy a lot of books, these three were given to me as gifs, which might add to the meaning I attach to them. But I imagine that, while money is indeed wonderful and necessary, rereading an author’s work is the highest currency a reader can pay them. The best books are the ones that open further as time passes. But remember, it’s you that has to grow and read and reread in order to better understand your friends.

1. Why does the author like rereading?

A．It evaluates the writer-reader relationship.

B．It’s a window to a whole new world.

C．It’s a substitute for drinking with a friend.

D．It extends the understanding of oneself.

2. What do we know about the book A Moveable Feast?

A．It’s a brief account of a trip.

B．It’s about Hemingway’s life as a young man.

C．It’s a record of a historic event.

D．It’s about Hemingway’s friends in Paris.

3. What does the underlined word ＂currency＂ in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Debt

B．Reward.

C．Allowance.

D．Face value.

4. What can we infer about the author from the text?

A．He loves poetry.

B．He’s an editor.

C．He’s very ambitious.

D．He teaches reading.

9 . When you were trying to figure out what to buy for the environmentalist on your holiday list, fur probably didn’t cross your mind. But some ecologists and fashion (时装)enthusiasts are trying to bring back the market for fur made from nutria(海狸鼠).

Unusual fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn have showcased nutria fur made into clothes in different styles. “It sounds crazy to talk about guilt-free fur-unless you understand that the nutria are destroying vast wetlands every year”, says Cree McCree, project director of Righteous Fur.

Scientists in Louisiana were so concerned that they decided to pay hunters $5 a tail. Some of the fur ends up in the fashion shows like the one in Brooklyn last month.

Nutria were brought there from Argentina by fur farmers and let go into the wild. “The ecosystem down there can’t handle this non-native species(物种).It’s destroying the environment. It’s them or us.” says Michael Massimi, an expert in this field.

The fur trade kept nutria in check for decades，but when the market for nutria collapsed in the late 1980s，the cat-sized animals multiplied like crazy.

Biologist Edmond Mouton runs the nutria control program for Louisiana. He says it’s not easy to convince people that nutria fur is green, but he has no doubt about it. Hunters bring in more than 300,000 nutria tails a year, so part of Mouton’s job these days is trying to promote fur.

Then there’s Righteous Fur and its unusual fashion. Model Paige Morgan says，”To give people a guilt-free option that they can wear without someone throwing paint on them-I think that’s going to be a massive thing, at least here in New York.” Designer Jennifer Anderson admits it took her a while to come around to the opinion that using nutria fur for her creations is morally acceptable. She is trying to come up with a label to attach to nutria fashions to show it is eco-friendly.

1. What is the purpose of the fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn?

A．To promote guilt-free fur.

B．To expand the fashion market.

C．To introduce a new brand.

D．To celebrate a winter holiday.

2. Why are scientists concerned about nutria?

A．Nutria damage the ecosystem seriously.

B．Nutria are an endangered species.

C．Nutria hurt local cat-sized animals.

D．Nutria are illegally hunted.

3. What does the underlined word “collapsed” in paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Boomed.

B．Became mature.

C．Remained stable.

D．Crashed.

4. What can we infer about wearing fur in New York according to Morgan?

A．It’s formal.

B．It’s risky.

C．It’s harmful.

D．It’s traditional.

10 . It was just after sunrise on a June morning. “Nicolo,” whose real name cannot be _______ to the public because of Italy’s privacy laws, _______ working the whole night at a factory in Turin. As he often did, he stopped by the “after work auction(拍卖)” _______ by the Italian police where things _______ on the trains were sold to the highest bidder. There, among many other things, Nicolo spotted two paintings he thought would look _______above his dining room table. Nicolo and another bidder _______ until Nicolo finally won the paintings for $32.

When Nicolo retired and went to live in Sicily, he _______ the paintings with him. He hung them above the same table he had _______ from Turin. His son, age 15, who had _______ an art appreciation class, thought that there was something ________ about the one with a young girl sitting on a garden chair. It was signed(签名) “Bonnato” or so he thought, but when he ________ it, he only found “Bonnard,” a French ________ he had never heard of. He bought a book and was ________ to find a picture of the artist Pierre Bonnard sitting on the same chair in the same ________ as his father’s painting.

“That’s the garden in our picture,”Nicolo’s son told his father. They ________ learned that the painting they ________was called “The Girl with Two Chairs.” They ________ the other painting and learned that it was ________ Paul Gauguin’s “Still Life of Fruit on a Table with a Small Dog.” The ________ called the Italian Culture Ministry; the official confirmed that the paintings were ________ and worth as much as $50 million.

1.

A．attached

B．allocated

C．exposed

D．submitted

2.

A．finished

B．delayed

C．considered

D．tried

3.

A．attended

B．reserved

C．cancelled

D．run

4.

A．shown

B．found

C．kept

D．hidden

5.

A．nice

B．familiar

C．useful

D．real

6.

A．battled

B．debated

C．discussed

D．bargain

7.

A．held

B．left

C．registered

D．brought

8.

A．chosen

B．received

C．ordered

D．moved

9.

A．missed

B．failed

C．taken

D．led

10.

A．concrete

B．unusual

C．unappealing

D．natural

11.

A．appreciated

B．touched

C．researched

D．witnessed

12.

A．painter

B．designer

C．author

D．actor

13.

A．expected

B．surprised

C．anxious

D．ready

14.

A．room

B．kitchen

C．hall

D．garden

15.

A．apparently

B．confidently

C．eventually

D．temporarily

16.

A．owned

B．borrowed

C．sold

D．stole

17.

A．collected

B．cleaned

C．framed

D．studied

18.

A．suitably

B．actually

C．rightly

D．specifically

19.

A．girl

B．artist

C．family

D．police

20.

A．copies

B．originals

C．models

D．presents