1 . Some of my earliest memories involve sitting with my dad in his study every night when he came home from the office. I’d watch as he put his personal items away: his watch, wallet, comb and car keys. They would always occupy the same spot on the table every time.

Dad’s comb was jade green. I heard he bought it when he married Mum. Every night, he would smile, hand me the comb and say, “Be a good girl and help Daddy clean it, OK?”

I was more than happy to do it. At age five, this kind of task brought me such joy. I would excitedly turn the tap on, and then brush the comb with a used toothbrush as hard as I could. Satisfied that I’d done a good job, I would proudly return the comb to Dad. He would smile at me, and place the comb on top of his wallet.

About two years later, Dad left his sales job and started his own wholesale business. I started primary school. That was when things started to change. Dad’s business wasn’t doing so well, and our stable life started getting shaky. He didn’t come home as much as he used to. And when he did come home, it was always late and I’d already be in bed. I started to get mad. Why didn’t he listen to Mum and just stick to his old job? Why take the risk and place the whole family in trouble? Over the years, I stopped waiting for him to come home, and stopped going downstairs to check on him.

Now 28, I’ve graduated from college and got a job. Dad’s business has also started to get back on track. Yet the uncomfortable silence between Dad and me went on.

Two days before my birthday last year, Dad came home early. On that evening, I helped him carry his bags into his study as usual. When I turned to leave, he asked me to clean his comb. I looked at him for a while, then took the comb and headed to the sink.

It was a new comb. This one was brown. I hadn’t noticed that he’d changed it. After cleaning it, I passed it back to Dad. He looked at it and smiled. But this time, I noticed something different. My dad had aged. He had wrinkles next to his eyes when he smiled, yet his smile was still as heartwarming as before.

1. From the first three paragraphs, we can learn .

A．the earliest memories with Dad were full of joy

B．the precious green comb of Dad was made of jade

C．the author was unwilling to clean the comb for Dad

D．the author would study together with Dad every evening

2. What probably made Dad decide to resign from his original job to start his own business?

A．That he was eager to get everything on track.	B．That he wanted to keep his family life stable.
C．That he was laid off and had to make a living.	D．That he hoped to earn a better life for the family.

3. What emotional changes did the author experience when staying with Dad these years?

A．cheerful→ mad→ warm.	B．mad → satisfied → warm.
C．satisfied → worried → angry.	D．warm → concerned → uncomfortable.

4. What could be the best title for the text?

A．A Comb of Jade Green	B．Dad’s Wholesale Business
C．Evenings with My Dad	D．My Earliest Memories with Dad

2 . Have you ever been really hungry, but there wasn’t much to eat in your kitchen? Did you throw together a bunch of stuff you had on hand and were pleasantly surprised when it tasted good? You aren’t alone. Some of our favorite foods were created by accident. Here’s a sample menu of some familiar foods that would never have happened if someone hadn’t created them by mistake.

POTATO CHIPS

One of the world’s favorite snacks is the result of a complaint. In 1853, a man was eating dinner at Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York. He ordered fried potatoes, a popular side dish. But when they came out of the kitchen, he didn’t think they were crispy enough. He sent them back to the kitchen, where Chef George Crum was so angry at having his cooking criticized that he sliced the potatoes really thin, put lots of salt on them, and fried them. Not only did the diner love them, but everyone else did, too. They soon became a specialty of the restaurant.

TOFU

Tofu, or bean curd, is made by curdling (使凝结) fresh soya milk, pressing it into a solid block, and then cooling it. Tofu was accidentally invented in China 2,000 years ago, when a cook added seaweed to soya milk, which made it curdle. This is the same process that is used for making cheese. Like cheese, tofu is a great example of how really messing up a recipe can create something unexpectedly good.

CHEESE PUFFS

Did you ever wonder who thought up cheese puffs? The company that invented them wasn’t even trying to make food for people. It was trying to make animal feed. In the 1930s, the Flakall Company of Wisconsin made animal food from small, flaked pieces of grain. One day, an employee, Edward Wilson, watched workers pouring cornmeal (谷粉) into the flaking machine, wetting it to keep it from clogging (堵塞). Because the machine was very hot, the wet cornmeal came out of it in puffy ribbons that hardened when they hit the air. Wilson took some of the ribbons home, added oil and flavoring to them, and voila! Cheese puffs!

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Seaweed is also used for making cheese.

B．Chef George Crum didn’t like to criticize others’ cooking.

C．Cold wet cornmeal hardened when they hit the air.

D．Bean curd dates back 2000 years in China .

2. What do the three foods have in common?

A．They are the results of complaints.

B．They were not created on purpose.

C．They weren’t originally made for people.

D．They are all popular throughout the world.

3. What’s the purpose of the text?

A．To compare the features of some foods.

B．To inform readers of some foods.

C．To recommend some foods .

D．To introduce the origins of some foods.

3 . Common phrases like “no pains, no gains” give the impression that we ought to be suffering while we study. It’s almost as though the only way to know if we’re putting in enough work is the sense of hardship we bear.

When we haven’t taken the time to come up with another strategy, all we know how to do is shut ourselves in a room with a book. It’s no surprise that we find revision boring and difficult. Just as children learn from playing, we can learn from doing, or at least from study techniques that engage us, rather than make us switch off.

Shutting yourself away can make you learn to hate studying. This leads to a situation where instead of being able to concentrate on your work, you obsess about (唠叨)how unfair it is that you must study. When you feel bitter about your work it’s very difficult to make yourself start, or approach it with enthusiasm. This can be part of a vicious cycle (恶性循环) that traps you into ineffective revision, your poor progress fuelling further bitterness. Just being around other people really helps fight against feelings of loneliness and, thankfully, it’s perfectly possible to work in the company of other people. We just need to learn how to deal with distractions.

It’s not necessary to avoid all company, just idle (懒散的) company. Studying in the same room with someone who is ironing or working out is perfectly possible. People who are bored and looking to be distracted, however, are terrible to work around. They constantly try to keep others in conversation. It’s also a good idea to avoid the company of people engaged in activities that you would rather be doing than studying. Working while sitting next to someone playing video games is much more likely to end with a new high score than a productive few hours of revision. If being around others means working in a noisy environment, a pair of headphones and some background music can block out noises. They also act as a psychological barrier, so that people think twice before interrupting you.

When you’re studying for a big exam, it seems like your whole life is taken up with study. Being in the same room with friends and family can lessen feelings of isolation (孤立). Also connecting with other people makes us happy, so it’s important not to give that up and to make sure that we take the time to socialize.

1. What is the author’s attitude to the saying “no pains, no gains”?

A．Serious.

B．Positive

C．Negative

D．Uncaring.

2. What should you do if you are studying in a noisy environment?

A．Give indication of not wanting to be interrupted.

B．Give up others’ company at once.

C．Think twice before taking any action.

D．Force yourself to be accustomed to the environment.

3. What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A．Ways to deal with distractions.

B．How to choose a perfect place to study.

C．Learning problems students are faced with.

D．How to focus mind on study.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To encourage students to work hard.

B．To introduce effective learning strategies

C．To remind students to balance study and play.

D．To advise students study in the company of others.

4 . “You should get a cat, ”my therapist(治疗专家)said. “A cat?” I couldn’t even look after myself. . I took a deep breath and carefully considered the idea of welcoming a feline (猫科的)friend into my life. This seemed like too easy a fix for the fact that I couldn’t leave the house without bursting into tears.

When my partner and I found Cinnamon, her adoption profile made her out as the perfect kitten. We filled out the paperwork and prepared for her arrival.

When she came home, it became increasingly obvious that Cinnamon didn’t understand “no”, “stop it” or “don’t do that”. She was the worst cat I’ve ever owned. I was beginning to doubt my therapist’s advice.

After visiting our vet, she concluded that Cinnamon just wanted our attention. She fought tooth and nail to get a bite of our meals. She’d fearlessly lick sharp knives when left unattended for a split second. Cinnamon stole my heart with her bravery and kept me busier than I’d ever expected.

We decided to start taking her for walks. I could barely leave the house before, but my heart couldn’t say no to Cinnamon. Cinnamon showed me what bravery looked like. She didn’t stop to consider every possible outcome of a situation; she simply went for it. If there was a dog at a park, she would run toward it. She jumped without knowing where she would land. She loved adventure. I found myself mirroring her behavior after a while, jumping out of bed without a second thought. I began to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning.

Cinnamon unfortunately passed away after a medical accident. I’m no stranger to sadness or grief, but losing my pet so suddenly was the most confusing emotional experience I’ve had to date. She no longer wakes me up at 5 am begging for breakfast, but she’s still the reason I get up every morning.

Our time is often cut unpredictably, unmistakably short. It would be a shame to live life being anything less than brave and adventurous.

1. Why did the author’s therapist recommend that she get a cat?

A．To learn how to interact with animals.	B．To help the author fill up her spare time;
C．To solve the author’s fear of going out.	D．To distract the author’s attention from her pain.

2. How did the author feel at first after Cinnamon came home?

A．Thrilled.

B．Amazed.

C．Pleased.

D．Disappointed.

3. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Walking Cinnamon outdoors became an adventure for the author.

B．The author was positively affected by Cinnamon’s courageous behavior.

C．Cinnamon loved going outside and took consequences into consideration.

D．The author decided to take Cinnamon outside as she was too troublesome to stay in.

4. What did the author want to convey in this text?

A．Life is short and unpredictable.	B．The loss of a pet can be painful.
C．We should have the courage to take risks.	D．Animal-assisted therapy is the best cure for mental illness.

5 . Robots are slowly entering the field of real-time multitasking, but before they can make it, their computing system must be updated.

“To truly cross that bridge, the robot needs high computing power, high-making speed, low power consumption, high flexibility of resource scheduling, and user-friendly computing parts, so as to run algorithms (算法) locally in real time,” Shi Luping, a professor at Tsinghua University and Ma Songchen, a Tsinghua Ph.D. candidate wrote in an email.

Right now, processing units cannot efficiently meet AI’s needs for economical and adaptable processing. But neuromorphic (神经形态的) systems could be a solution. To invent a new neuromorphic computing system that can completely support the networks, Ma and his colleagues first created a framework called Rivulet. “It’s challenging to design robot-friendly equipment, and there are few multitasking professors specifically designed for intelligent robots,” wrote Shi and Ma. “We think of how we process information to make decisions reflexively — it’s the quality of brain regions. Then we came up with a Rivulet model, which enables multiple network tasks to schedule resources on the chip efficiently and flexibly.”

Employing the Rivulet model, the scientists built an electronic chip labeled TianjicX, as well as additional software. They put both into a mobile robot named Tianjiecat and ran it through a cat-and-mouse game. During the game, Tianjiecat had to carry out a variety of AI instructions to catch the robot mouse, which moved randomly (任意地) within a space with barriers using visual recognition and sound detection. Analysis showed TianjicX decreased the amount of power Tianjiecat used by half while processing information and significantly cut down on delays between making decisions and acting on them.

“We provide an exploration platform for AI researchers and promote the study of brain inspired intelligence,” wrote Shi. “Our platform also has great potential to be applied in edge computing scenes due to its ability of multitask processing, such as autonomous driving and the Internet Things.”

1. Which is mainly talked about in Paragraph 2?

A．Basics of computing systems.	B．Challenges in developing AI.
C．The secret to robots’ multitasking.	D．The tendency toward multitasking.

2. Where did the scientists get the idea of Rivulet?

A．From their life experiences.	B．From the cat-and-mouse game.
C．From the feature of human brains.	D．From the invention of neuromorphic systems.

3. How does the chip function in the game?

A．By controlling movements of the robot mouse.	B．By sending out comprehensive AI instructions.
C．By enabling Tianjiecat to avoid barriers accurately.	D．By lowering energy and time Tianjiecat consumes.

4. What do Shi’s words imply in the last paragraph?

A．Multitasking is essential in many fields.	B．Current AI research is far from satisfactory.
C．AI has appeared in many real-life situations.	D．The new system will have wide applications.

9 . It was late on a Thursday evening in Austin, Texas, and I had just finished my shift downtown waiting tables. I hopped into my truck and headed away from the chaos to my own personal oasis, Dan’s Depot. It was on a four-lane road that went straight from the heart of Austin to West Texas. Once, Dan’s Depot had been outside of the city. But with Austin’s population growing and the city’s expansion, it was swallowed up by high-rise buildings and skyscrapers.

I’ve been familiar with Dan’s Depot since I played my first show there. Like most waiters in Austin, I’m actually a musician. The woman who welcomes customers is Dan’s wife Maude.

I slid my truck into the last free spot and headed to the door. “How’s it going, Maude?” I asked. “David, I just don’t know what we’re going to do,” she said. “Our contract with the landlord is up for renewal at the end of the month, and he has doubled the rent. Even if we charged twice as much for the snacks and shows, we could never make ends meet.”

My heart dropped. On some level, I’d been expecting to hear this news for as long as I’d been coming to Dan’s Depot. After all, Dan’s Depot was now sandwiched between a shop selling yoga pants to people who could afford personal trainers and a luxury furniture store where even a simple dining chair cost more than S1, 000. How could this little live music bar survive with those kinds of neighbors?

“What are you going to do with this place? Are you moving?” I asked. She shook her head slowly. “I just don’t know. Dan and I are not as young as we used to be.”

I patted her on the shoulder and made my way to the tables near the stage. Memories sprung up in my mind. Most of my musical ideas came to me while I was watching live shows here at Dan’s Depot. When the song ended, I got up and went back to Maude.

“What if I run the new Dan’s Depot?” I asked her. She stared at me, surprised.

“Hear me out,” I said. “I’ve got enough money to go in with you and Dan as a third partner. I know the Texas music scene in and out, and I can get the best new bands in here every week. We’ll move it way down South Congress Avenue, where it’s still close enough to be accessible from downtown but the rent is more affordable. And most importantly, this place means a lot to me.”

Maude was still staring at me silently. I began to grow uneasy. Had I offended her? I started apologizing. She cut me off with a huge embrace. “Honey, I think that’s a fantastic idea.”

1. The underlined word “oasis” in Paragraph 1 refers to a place where the author ________.

A．parks his truck	B．finds joy and relaxation
C．works full-time	D．grabs a meal at night

2. Why did the author say he had long expected to hear the news Maude told him?

A．He pointed out Dan’s Depot was in poor management

B．He felt the sandwiches in Dan’s Depot were too expensive.

C．He thought Dan’s Depot was out of tune with its surroundings.

D．He suggested Dan and Maude retire early and enjoy their lives.

3. What does the author advise Maude to do?

A．Sell Dan’s Depot to him.	B．Hire him as a lead singer.
C．Find another way to run the business.	D．Advertise for a third partner.

4. Which statement is probably true according to the passage?

A．The author’s words offended Maude.

B．The author gave his advice immediately.

C．The author worked as a waiter in Dan’s Depot.

D．The author drew musical inspiration from Dan’s Depot.