1 . Albert Einstein was the best physics professor in the world in the 20th century. He figured out so many universal principles and equations that he was way ahead of his fellow scientists at any point of time. In 1899, when Einstein studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, his tutor was Minkevsky, a mathematician.
Once Einstein asked Minkevsky, “How can a person, like me, leave his footprints on the road of life and make an outstanding contribution in the scientific field”? It was a sophisticated question. Minkevsky said he had to think about it carefully before giving him an answer.
Three days later, Minkevsky told Einstein the answer was coming! He pulled Einstein to walk towards a building site and there they set foot on the cement ground that the construction workers had just paved, which, of course, led to the workers blaming them. Einstein was confused, so he asked Minkevsky, “Sir, haven’t you led me the wrong way?”
“Right, exactly! Can’t you see?” Minkevsky said, “The old road surface has long solidified (凝固) and on those places which have been passed by countless steps, you cannot leave your footprints.”
Hearing that, Einstein thought long and nodded seriously. From then on, a very strong sense of innovation and pioneering consciousness began dominating Einstein’s thinking and action. He said, “I never memorize and reflect what dictionaries and manuals (手册) contain, for my brain only memorizes those things that are not included in books.” It was in this way that Einstein left his deep sparkling footprints in the history of science.
1. What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “sophisticated”?| A．Interesting. | B．Complex. |
| C．Funny. | D．Easy. |
| A．Construction road surface. | B．A journey. |
| C．A lecture. | D．A book. |
| A．Einstein left a lot of footprints on the construction road. |
| B．Einstein was inspired by his tutor’s words and became creative. |
| C．Einstein’s tutor thought of the question easy to answer. |
| D．Einstein preferred to memorize contents included in books. |
2 . Recently, an article written by China’s first
Entitled “One Day in Space”, Yang’s article was recently included in the seventh-grade textbook in Chinese middle schools, and it was
Yang was 38 when he became the first Chinese person to go into space on the Shenzhou V, on October 15, 2003, making China the third country—after the US and Russia—to
In his article, Yang
The near-deadly moment lasted for 26 seconds. When it was finally over, Yang felt like he had been reborn. When ground control finally saw Yang blink his eyes through the surveillance camera, his colleagues
In the article, Yang also described “
Yang shared another interesting experience in the
Eighteen years after his
| A．engineer | B．astronaut | C．doctor | D．designer |
| A．significant | B．usual | C．small | D．good |
| A．given | B．found | C．posted | D．obtained |
| A．policy | B．plan | C．courage | D．appearance |
| A．learn | B．master | C．run | D．teach |
| A．said | B．knew | C．recalled | D．doubted |
| A．Because | B．If | C．Although | D．When |
| A．painful | B．exciting | C．disappointing | D．pitiful |
| A．let off | B．sent off | C．burst out | D．broke out |
| A．interesting | B．mysterious | C．attractive | D．fantastic |
| A．on | B．at | C．outside | D．from |
| A．video | B．article | C．paper | D．photo |
| A．attempts | B．climbs | C．experiments | D．falls |
| A．first | B．recent | C．next | D．another |
| A．different | B．satisfied | C．important | D．comfortable |
3 . I recently paid a visit to Yunnan Province, in the southwestern part of China, where I had a very precious chance to take so many wonderful photos I’m so proud of. Here I’d like to show off one or two.
The Red Land of the eastern river is a place which one almost cannot find in China’s tourist maps. Even if there is, it has only a few words to introduce it. It is located in the southwestern part of Kunming (capital of Yunnan Province), 2,600 feet above sea level. Because of its lack of infrastructure (基础设施), transportation problem, inadequate lodging (住房) facilities, ordinary travel agencies would not think of going there. Even the people living there are not so aware of or familiar with its existing beauty. But of those who have seen the pictures of the Red Land, none can resist being attracted to its beautiful scenery, like a painting of a great magnificent landscape!
The soil contains such components (成分) as oxidized iron (氧化铁). After a long period of oxidation, they gradually added and mixed in the soil, producing this extraordinary reddish brown soil.
Here each of the families was distributed with different sizes and shapes of land, and each has its preference of crops which causes and produces these beautiful pieces of color. During harvest time, the soil is shoveled up and made this unusually red color. Here whether mountains or hills, every inch of land is cultivated (耕作) and planted to the maximum by the inhabitants, consequently causing unwanted damage to the place: erosion (侵蚀). Just like many other places in the world, how long could this magnificent phenomenon (现象) exist? No one knows.
1. Why is the Red Land unknown to the outside world?| A．Because of the poor transportation. |
| B．Because of the high sea level of the land. |
| C．Because of the local people’s unwillingness. |
| D．Because no travel agency knows of this attraction. |
| A．It was painted by some famous painters. |
| B．Both natural and human work produced it. |
| C．Mixtures of different metals’ oxidation. |
| D．Farmers’ over-cultivation resulted in it. |
| A．Because he has never seen such places before in his life. |
| B．Because varieties of crops on the red land color the land. |
| C．Because he has seen them in many pictures. |
| D．Because he loves to travel and show off his photos. |
| A．Overuse of the land may damage the beauty. |
| B．There’s no way to reach the beautiful land. |
| C．He can not find such places anywhere else. |
| D．No one will come to enjoy his photos. |
| A．An untouched colorful land in Yunnan, China |
| B．Welcome to Kunming, Yunnan, China |
| C．How the Red Land came into being in Yunnan, China |
| D．Secret and mystery in Yunnan, China |
4 . Reggie couldn’t hear a thing. He was a normal boy, but he had been born deaf. He was well known to everyone in the town, and they were all very fond of him. Unfortunately, though, he always seemed to end up being treated differently from everyone else. Children were worried that they would hurt him and adults acted like he couldn’t understand them, as though he was some kind of baby.
Reggie didn’t like this very much. But the person who disliked it the most was his friend Michael, who decided that things had to be changed. Michael’s father was the town’s Mayor, and Michael managed to convince him that this year, in honor of Reggie, they should choose one day of the festival for deaf people. During that whole day everyone in the town would have to wear earplugs (耳塞).
People liked the idea, because everyone loved Reggie. The day became known as The Day of Silence, and when it arrived everyone stuck plugs in their ears. That morning was filled with practical jokes and laughter. But, as the hours passed, people became more and more aware of how difficult life was when you couldn’t hear anything. However, learning about how life was more difficult for the deaf was nothing compared to the greatest discovery of the day — Reggie was amazing!
So The Day of Silence was the day when everyone realized you had to give people a chance to show how valuable they are. People in the town wanted to make sure that others would learn this lesson. So, from that day on, whenever visitors came to the town, they were welcomed joyfully and helmets (头盔) were put on their heads, helmets with great thick earflaps.
1. According to the second paragraph, Michael ________.| A．respected his father very much |
| B．understood Reggie better than others |
| C．needed to wear earplugs like Reggie |
| D．begged his mother to help his friends |
| A．became more friendly to others |
| B．were busy with their work as usual |
| C．enjoyed hearing nothing very much |
| D．experienced Reggie’s difficult life |
| A．Reggie’s life wasn’t easy as imagined |
| B．daily life was rather difficult for everyone |
| C．they should help Reggie as much as possible |
| D．Reggie had achieved a lot by working hard |
| A．Reggie’s bad life | B．a devoted friend |
| C．the origin of The Day of Silence | D．a funny story of a town |
5 . Elephant Transit Home
In both Africa and Asia elephants are being threatened by changes in their natural habitats (栖息地). People are moving into the elephants’ habitats and endangering their survival. In the country of Sri Lanka, there is one place where elephants are not only protected but also respected. It is called the Elephant Transit Home (ETH).
Set up in 1995, the ETH aims to protect and nurture baby elephants that are found injured or living without their mothers in the wild. Every year about 30 baby elephants in Sri Lanka need help. As many as possible are brought to the ETH. There they are given food, shelter, and medical care. Most importantly, they are given the chance to be with other elephants and become part of a herd (象群).
A day at the ETH begins early in the morning when the baby elephants are given their first feeding of milk. During the day, each baby will drink an average of 13 gallons of milk. Older elephants are fed mostly coconut leaves and other native plants. Then the elephants are allowed to walk around, eating the grass and forming a herd. The cost of caring for the baby elephants is high. The ETH spends about $125,000 each year on powdered milk for the baby elephants.
At the ETH, workers try to reduce human connection with the elephants. They also try to increase bonds (联系) between the elephants. It usually takes three years for a baby elephant to be set free into its natural habitat. The elephants are sent back to the wild together with other orphans with whom they have bonded. This program helps them return to the wild as members of a herd that will communicate with each other and take care of each other.
The ETH is considered one of the best animal protection sites in the world. Not only are the elephants cared for, they are treated with respect. Most importantly, they go back to live in the wild, where they belong.
1. What does the underlined word “nurture” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Set free. | B．Relate to. | C．Focus on. | D．Care for. |
| A．It changes elephants’ habitats for the better. |
| B．It receives about $125,000 each year. |
| C．It helps to keep baby elephants safe. |
| D．It protects 30 elephants every year. |
| A．To study them better in a natural environment. |
| B．To help them make it in the wild as a herd. |
| C．To provide them with more living space. |
| D．To train them to stay away from hunters. |
| A．To introduce an animal protection site. |
| B．To show the ways of wildlife protection. |
| C．To explain the threat baby elephants face. |
| D．To persuade the readers to protect elephants. |
6 . Last week, trailers(预告片) dropped online the same day for three upcoming Hollywood blockbusters(票房大片) —Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
Like other good movie trailers, these trailers are sure to make you excited and curious, and get you talking about them with your friends and family. But how do they do that?
There’s nothing that excites blockbuster audiences more than the promise of action. These trailers are full of it! We see car chases, fights and space battles!
While the trailers show plenty of action, the movies’ stories remain a mystery. But there’s plenty to keep us guessing. Will Indiana Jones travel back in time? Who are these new animal-like transformers and whom must they fight? Will our beloved Rocket Raccoon from Guardians die?
These trailers also dig into nostalgia(怀旧). In the new Indiana Jones movie, we hear the old movies’ iconic(标志性的) music, and Indiana Jones’ looks how he did in the first movie. The Guardians trailer plays a classic nostalgic song, too. Transformers brings in the Beast Transformers from the popular 1990’s animation: Transformers: Beast Wars.
All these things make trailers work and hit us right in the feels. I can’t wait to watch these movies coming out next year.
1. Which of the following was popular in the 1990’s?| A．Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. | B．Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. |
| C．Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. | D．Transformers: Beast Wars. |
| A．an example | B．a secret | C．a limitation | D．a problem |
| A．They show the movies’ stories. |
| B．They play a classic nostalgic song |
| C．They bring back audiences’ old memories. |
| D．They show future plans of the movie company. |
| A．The trailers of the three movies. | B．A recall of the three movies. |
| C．The blockbuster audiences. | D．An introduction of the characters. |
7 . “Charlieeeeeeee, do your homework now!” his mother was shouting.
Charlie thought, “Well she doesn’t have to do it.” and he spent hours with his books, hoping that time would pass and it would soon be time for supper. As usual, he was lying on his bed, busy staring at the ceiling, daydreaming. Suddenly some little elves (精灵), no more than a centimetre tall, appeared by the window.
One of the elves asked Charlie politely to give them his homework so they can play with it.
Charlie agreed and watched his guests, and was so surprised to see what they did. In less than a minute, they had formed teams and were busy playing with the pen, the eraser, the book, and the pad of paper. Very strange stuff they were getting up to. Like with the sums, instead of moving the pen across the paper, they would hold the pen still and move the paper instead. Or like how they had races to see who could do the sums fastest. They also used well-known songs to learn the words to them.When they had done that they put on a big concert to sing those songs.
Charlie really enjoyed watching those little students. He even joined in with the singing.
“Aww, this is so much fun...”
“Of course, it’s fun! Why don’t you try it for a few days yourself? We’ll all come back to see you again from time to time.”
“Deal!” agreed Charlie.
So, every evening, Charlie started playing with his homework, inventing new and crazier ways to make it more fun. He would sing loads of songs and do all manner of other things too. Now and again, his elf friends would turn up.
Neither Charlie’s parents, nor his teachers, nor anyone in the whole school could understand the great change in him. From that day on, not only did he spend a lot more time doing homework, he did it perfectly. He was very happy, and was always singing. His mother told him how proud she was at seeing him work so hard.
But Charlie said to himself, “Well, she doesn’t have to do it. It’s fun!”
1. What did Charlie think of his homework at first?| A．It’s difficult. | B．it’s boring. | C．It’s tiring. | D．It’s upsetting. |
| A．They politely asked Charlie to watch their performance. |
| B．They patiently taught Charlie to sing songs together. |
| C．They finished Charlie’s homework in a fun way. |
| D．They tried to stop charlie doing his homework. |
| A．Singing the well-known songs. |
| B．Playing with the homework. |
| C．Moving the paper instead. |
| D．Performing in a big concert. |
| A．He created his own songs to perform with his elves. |
| B．He succeeded in finishing his homework in a shorter time. |
| C．He tried elves’ method and found his homework very easy. |
| D．He made up some funny new methods to finish his homework. |
8 . Raining Fish Weather Conditions
Lajamanu, Australia, is a dry little town, sitting right on the edge of the Tanami desert. Can you imagine how surprised people were when live fish rained down on them from dark gray clouds? It happens that there are similar cases in England and Honduras.
How do clouds make fish? The simple answer is that they don’t. There is a particular weather phenomenon (现象) called a waterspout. A waterspout is just like a tornado. It only forms above oceans, lakes, or rivers. Like a tornado, a waterspout moves in a circle at high speed. When it moves above the water, it tends to carry the fish with it, as well as frogs or other small plants or animals.
Scientists couldn’t work it out at first. To make matters stranger still，the fish in Honduras were very much alive when they rained down on the ground, but they were all blind. In England and Australia, it rained fish and snakes, and none were blind. It was difficult to puzzle out, but the blind fish gave them a place to start.
Scientists knew that some fish that lived in deep, underground caves with no light often lost their sight. So when blind fish rained down on Honduras， scientists began to connect some dots. Clearly, these particular fish were pulled from an underground water source by force.
It has rained fish on every continent，and each time，people have tried in various ways to explain this strange phenomenon. Historically, villagers thought the “fish from the heavens” might be answers to prayers for food. Others suggested that floods overran riverbanks and oceans, leaving the fish on the city streets. No scientist had actually seen the rain as it occurred, only the fish left on the ground. But in 1990, a National Geographic team happened to be in Honduras when the Rain of Fish began. They recorded what was happening and made history by finally proving that the fish did fall from the sky.
This huge breakthrough wasn’t just a spot of good luck. It changed thousands of years of myths and legends into true stories and provided scientific explanations for how fish living in deep caves came to a faraway place. It explained ancient cave paintings and shed new light on how species have spread over time. It turned out to be a lot more than just the raining fish weather.
1. According to the passage, which one is TRUE about the waterspout?| A．It can make animals blind. |
| B．It is difficult to catch on film. |
| C．It can carry items with it. |
| D．It is a dangerous sea creature. |
| A．Raining fish was a warning of natural disasters. |
| B．Animals changed to match their environments. |
| C．The weather system differed from place to place. |
| D．The waterspout theory seemed more possible. |
| A．Waterspouts came to be a center of scientific research. |
| B．The scientists were fortunate to have made their discoveries. |
| C．Hard work went into determining the cause of the raining fish. |
| D．The scientists relied heavily on unusual events to drive their studies. |
| A．describe the magic phenomenon |
| B．explain what caused the raining fish weather |
| C．persuade people to protect the environment |
| D．recommend a tourist spot |
9 . Many of us dream of making all the difference—earning a lot of money. A great scientist has achieved that big success and
The drug Rubraca is the
The fund
What Curtin has done tells us that we can help others in many
| A．made | B．passed | C．donated | D．showed |
| A．exchanged | B．took | C．accepted | D．created |
| A．payoff | B．celebration | C．event | D．benefit |
| A．instruction | B．improvement | C．chance | D．result |
| A．view | B．risk | C．cause | D．fact |
| A．make | B．study | C．remove | D．catch |
| A．sold | B．offered | C．ensured | D．achieved |
| A．raise | B．establish | C．present | D．obtain |
| A．aims | B．affords | C．begins | D．competes |
| A．avoid | B．realise | C．overcome | D．experience |
| A．action | B．admiration | C．shame | D．situation |
| A．Moreover | B．However | C．Meanwhile | D．Therefore |
| A．thankful | B．careful | C．lasting | D．interesting |
| A．afraid | B．proud | C．sick | D．sure |
| A．aspects | B．ways | C．purposes | D．attempts |
10 . Playing toss and catch with small children can be a fun experience, as they enjoy it very much. “again, Mommy, again!” Sarah exclaims as I toss her up in the air and catch her safely. She spreads her arms and legs as if she were flying, her eyes gleaming with
I hope that Sarah will always have complete
| A．fear | B．delight | C．doubt | D．astonishment |
| A．relief | B．satisfaction | C．achievement | D．responsibility |
| A．faith | B．devotion | C．complaint | D．passion |
| A．on my behalf | B．on my part | C．in my honor | D．in my name |
| A．afford | B．choose | C．wait | D．expect |
| A．attach | B．compare | C．adjust | D．introduce |
| A．secure | B．happy | C．proud | D．grateful |
| A．admit | B．believe | C．suggest | D．imagine |
| A．However | B．Therefore | C．Similarly | D．Fortunately |
| A．affection | B．determination | C．friendship | D．leadership |
| A．assess | B．organize | C．develop | D．understand |
| A．repeat | B．follow | C．change | D．forget |
| A．gesture | B．measure | C．bond | D．lack |
| A．telling | B．giving | C．selling | D．sending |
| A．management | B．personality | C．communication | D．education |
