1 . Sports are important in our family. Both of our sons were high-school ______ . So I shouldn’t have been ______ when Lauren announced she was going out for the girls’ basketball team. But I was because she has Down syndrome (唐氏综合征).

My wife and I never told Lauren that she was ______ . We treated her like our other children. We didn’t want her to feel disabled.

I discussed Lauren’s ______ with my wife that evening. She thought Lauren would make the team and she was right. Lauren did make it ______ not all the girls wanted to play.

The season’s first basketball game ______ . It got off to a good start, but soon Verden, Lauren’s team, was behind. Lauren ______ followed the movement on the court and reacted to every ______ . Even though Lauren wasn’t playing, she looked as if she were having the time of her life. I felt ______ for my daughter.

Just less than two minutes were left, and Verden was down by seventeen points when Lauren was called in for the game. Lauren ______ the others fairly well. Then they passed Lauren the ball. She ______ it. She shot. She scored! A few minutes later, Lauren ______   us in the stands. “Did you see? I scored! I made a ______ !”

For sixteen years, I’d tried hard to ______ Lauren from feeling like she was different. But watching Lauren in the game, I saw that she really was different—not physically or emotionally, but ______ .

1.

A．students

B．teachers

C．athletes

D．clerks

2.

A．disappointed

B．surprised

C．depressed

D．embarrassed

3.

A．normal

B．ordinary

C．different

D．typical

4.

A．announcement

B．preference

C．arrangement

D．proposal

5.

A．if

B．though

C．because

D．so

6.

A．appeared

B．remained

C．changed

D．arrived

7.

A．attentively

B．carelessly

C．frequently

D．repeatedly

8.

A．team

B．shot

C．game

D．shout

9.

A．regret

B．anxiety

C．admiration

D．sympathy

10.

A．kept pace with

B．gave way to

C．put up with

D．broke away from

11.

A．threw

B．missed

C．cast

D．caught

12.

A．challenged

B．joined

C．left

D．greeted

13.

A．mistake

B．record

C．mess

D．basket

14.

A．excuse

B．prohibit

C．discourage

D．shelter

15.

A．spiritually

B．consciously

C．literally

D．socially

2 . Have you ever walked through a door and thought to yourself, “What was I going to do?” If you have, you are not alone. Psychologists believe that walking through a door and entering another room creates a “mental block” in the brain. This is generally referred to as the doorway effect.

In the early years of brain research, scientists thought that human memory was like a closet, with many sections in which we could store little boxes of experiences from our lives. Boxes would remain there forever, and whenever we had to look into them, we could just go to that particular section and find that box of memory.

Beautiful as this description of human memory formation sounds, it is not true. Our brain is much more complex than that. Psychological studies suggest that our memories are episodic(情节性的)in general. If you think back on anything, you’ll probably quickly realize our memories don’t function as clear narratives. Instead, they’re more episodic and divided into parts.

A new research led by psychologist Oliver Baumann from Bond University in Australia suggests that it’s not so much the doorways that cause a memory wipe, as moving from one location to a significantly different one—it’s the abrupt change of scene that prepares our minds for something new. “A good example is moving around in a department store,” says Baumann, “Taking the elevator between floors may have no effect on our memory, but moving from the store to the parking lot might cause us to forget something that we need to buy.”

Baumann also points out that a busy and perhaps overloaded brain does seem to play some part in this phenomenon. In other words, walking through open doors is thought to reset memory to make room for a new episode.

The good news is that experiencing such forgettable episodes after entering another room does not tell you anything about your memory and intelligence. So when you enter a room and suddenly forget why you are there, you should not think that Alzheimer’s disease is creeping up on you!

1. Which of the following would most probably be “doorway effect”?

A．You missed a call and forgot to ring back.

B．You read a book and forget what it is about.

C．You entered the office and forgot what to get.

D．You saw a man years ago and forget who he is now.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．All memories are linked in the brain.

B．Memories are clearly separated in the brain.

C．Not all the memories can be found in the brain.

D．Memories are stored in particular sections of the brain.

3. What can we infer from Baumann’s research?

A．Taking an elevator stimulates new memory.

B．Walking through open doors results in memory loss.

C．A sudden change of the scene boosts intelligence development.

D．An overloaded brain increases the possibility of doorway effect.

4. What does the author think of “doorway effect”?

A．Insignificant.	B．Beneficial.
C．Influential.	D．Damaging.

3 . Scientists have solved a puzzle about modern humans, after research showed that a famous skull of a human ancestor found in South Africa is a million years older than experts thought. This discovery has changed what we know of human history.

The skull, which scientists have named “Mrs Ples”, is from an ape-like human relative from a species called Australopithecus africanus (南方古猿). It was found near Johannesburg in 1947 and, based on evidence from its surroundings, was thought to be between 2. 1 and 2. 6 million years old. This puzzled scientists, because although Mrs Ples looks like a possible early ancestor of early humans, the first true humans had already evolved by the time she apparently lived. For this reason, scientists had decided that Australopithecus afarensis, a similar species from East Africa that lived about 3.5 million years ago, was our most likely ancestor instead.

To get a more accurate age for Mrs Ples, a team led by Professor Darryl Granger of Purdue University in Indiana, US, used a new method to date the sandy rocks where the skull lay. They measured the amount of certain chemicals in rocks, which form at a steady rate when they are exposed to cosmic rays (宇宙射线) on Earth’s surface. Once rocks are buried, these chemicals stop forming and slowly disappear;the surviving amount reveals how much time has passed since the rock (or bones) were on the surface.

The new study shows that Mrs Ples and other australopithecine bones nearby are between 3.4 and 3.7 million years old. This means they lived at the same time as their East African relatives, so that either group could have given rise to modern humans. However, team member Dr Laurent Bruxelles pointed out that over millions of years, at only 2,500 miles away, these groups had plenty of time to travel and to breed with each other. In other words, the groups could quite easily have met, had children together and both been part of the history of modern humans.

1. What can we learn about Mrs Ples from the first two paragraphs?

A．It is a skull found in East Africa.

B．It is the most possible ancestor of humans.

C．It is a million years older than scientists expected.

D．It is proved to live between 2.1 and 2.6 million years ago.

2. How did scientists get the accurate age of “Mrs Ples”?

A．By studying the effect of cosmic rays.

B．By calculating the forming rate of chemicals.

C．By locating the sandy rocks where the skull lay.

D．By measuring the surviving amount of chemicals.

3. What can we infer from the new study?

A．Modern humans came into being in East Africa.

B．Mrs Ples travelled and had children with East African relatives.

C．The history of modern humans might begin 3.5 million years ago.

D．Ape-like species from Africa could have interacted with each other.

4. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．Historical Puzzle Unsolved	B．Ancestor Mystery Solved
C．Mrs Ples: The Earliest Human Being	D．Mrs Ples: A Famous Skull

4 . Born on her family’s farm in Ray, North Dakota, Mary Sherman Morgan had been helping her father with farm work before she could attend the small-town schoolhouse. Being a few years behind didn’t hold her back and she graduated from high school with honors. Aware of her intelligence, she ran away from Ray to attend Minot State University as a chemistry major, where her skill was evident.

The outbreak of World War II resulted in a national shortage of chemists and scientists. In spite of the fact that she was still a student and a woman, she was offered a job as a chemical analyst due to her talents, producing explosives(爆炸物)for the wartime effort. She put her degree on hold and moved to Ohio, taking on the dangerous job of analyzing unstable chemicals to produce weapons.

After the war ended there was a fall in demand for explosives, so she made a move to the field of aeronautics, moving to California to work for NAA(North American Aviation). The only woman out of 900 engineers, she was soon promoted to a role which involved calculating the performance of rocket propellants(推进剂)and designing speciality fuels to work with different engines. However, never having returned to complete her degree, she was not afforded the rank or higher pay of an engineer, even though she had all the skills and knowledge of one.

Her experience with propellants meant that when NAA was tasked to find a fuel capable of lifting the redesigned Redstone missiles into space, Mogan was appointed technical lead on the project. National pride was on the line, so Morgan set about investigating fuels. After countless trails, she finally designed her own mixture, which was named Hydyne.

Hydyne tested well with the Redstone missiles and subsequently other aircraft(飞行器), such as Jupiter-C rockets, proving to be a quick solution to getting to space without a total rocket redesign. The fuel made the first successful US satellite launch possible, even if Morgan silently slipped away from her success, retiring to focus on her family and leaving her chemistry career behind.

1. What do we know about Mary?

A．She attended school while helping with farm work.

B．She was offered a job as a chemistry analyst after graduation.

C．She shifted her working focus as the domestic demand changed.

D．She launched the first US satellite before retiring from her career.

2. What does the underlined word “aeronautics” probably mean?

A．Analyzing chemicals.	B．Producing explosives.
C．Mixing and saving fuels.	D．Designing and building aircraft.

3. What made Mary the technical lead on the project of NAA?

A．Her discovery of Hydyne.	B．Her rank as an engineer.
C．Her special knowledge in fuels.	D．Her sense of national pride.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Mary Sherman Morgan?

A．Caring and determined.	B．Courageous and creative.
C．Intelligent but sensitive.	D．Accomplished but proud.

5 . BACK TO SCHOOL BOOK GUIDE

Going back to school can involve lots of new things, including uniforms, topics, teachers, and friends. So why not try some new books as well and maybe find your new favourite author too. Whether you want to learn about protecting wildlife, discover some amazing weather facts, or dive into an action-packed spy mission, this back to school book guide has something for you. Click here to get a discount.

While the Storm Rages
by Phil Earle

A page-turning adventure to make you laugh and cry. Noah and his friends fight to save animals from being put down at the outbreak of WWII. An exciting wartime novel that packs an emotional punch from the bestselling author of When the Sky Falls.

Grimwood: Let the Fur Fly!
Written & illustrated by Nadia Shireen

A funny and silly new Grimwood adventure! Fox cub siblings Ted and Nancy love their new life in Grimwood. But the cruel mayor of Twinklenuts is on a mission to take it over and kick everyone out. Can Grimwood’s treebonking skills save the home they love? A must-read for Dog Man and David Walliams fans.

Alice Eclair, Spy Extraordinaire!
by Sarah Todd Taylor

Baker by day, spy by night—Alice Eclair leads an exciting double life! A mysterious message sends Alice on a mission aboard France’s most fascinating train. She must uncover an enemy agent while baking desserts, armed only with her whisk, wits, and will to succeed.

Weather, Camera, Action
by Liam Dutton

Discover hurricanes, dust storms, volcanic lightening and more, all through the camera lens of TV weather presenter and world-famous meteorologist(气象学家)Liam Dutton. This adventure through the atmosphere shows off the splendor of our skies in their wildest and most dramatic states and uncovers the science behind weather events.

1. Which of the books might interest animal protectors most?

A．While the Storm Rages.	B．Grimwood: Let the Fur Fly!
C．Alice Eclair, Spy Extraordinaire!	D．Weather, Camera, Action.

2. What might be included in the book Weather, Camera, Action?

A．How the atmosphere was formed.	B．What the sky looks like in storms.
C．How to be a famous meteorologist.	D．What to present in a weather forecast.

3. Where is the passage probably taken from?

A．A website.	B．A brochure.
C．A magazine.	D．A guide book.

6 . Martin Strel is a long-distance swimmer, best known for swimming the entire length of various rivers. He was born in Slovenia in 1954. He taught himself to swim when he was 6 and became a professional marathon swimmer in 1978. Martin holds Guinness World Records for swimming the Danube River, the Mississippi River, the Yangtze River and the Amazon River.

Of all his achievements, the greatest is his Amazon River swim. The Amazon is known as the largest, longest and most dangerous river in the world. Several long-distance swimmers had attempted to swim it, but all failed. Martin decided to risk his life and make history. He wanted to show the world that people can achieve their dreams and goals with hard work and persistence (毅力).

On April 7, 2007, Martin Strel completed his Amazon River swim all the way from Atalaya (Peru) to the Atlantic Ocean at Belem (Brazil). He struggled with the river for 66 days and totally swam 3,274 miles. He became a worldwide hero.

Many people still cannot believe what he has done so far, so that's why they sometimes describe him as “Fishman”, “Human Fish” or even “The Craziest Man in the World.”

In 2009, American filmmakers produced a documentary called Big River Man. And the book, The Man Who Swam the Amazon, has been sold in many countries worldwide. It's an inspirational story of perseverance and passion.

Martin Strel does not make much money from swimming. Instead, he swims to teach people about the importance of keeping water clean.

Martin has always been looking for the challenges of the impossible. At present, he is training for a new challenge -— swimming the Grand Canyon.

1. What happened to Martin Strel at age 24?

A．He began learning to swim.	B．He broke a Guinness World Record.
C．He completed his Amazon River swim.	D．He took up long-distance swimming as a career.

2. What made Martin Strel world-famous?

A．Swimming the Amazon River.	B．Swimming the Grand Canyon.
C．Acting in Big River Man.	D．Writing The Man Who Swam the Amazon.

3. According to the text, one purpose of Martin Strel swimming the big rivers is________.

A．to build up his body	B．to raise money
C．to raise awareness of clean water	D．to compete with others

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

A．Swim for the Planet	B．Achieve the Impossible
C．Face the Fear of Failure	D．Train for New Challenges

7 . Born in a comfortable family, Florence Nightingale was educated by family teachers and then by her own father. As a result, she was _________ five foreign languages, and had a good knowledge of history and philosophy.

On February 7, 1837, Florence Nightingale heard, by her _________, the whisper of God telling her that she had a task in life. It took her some years of seeking to _________ that mission. In 1844, _________ her parents’ rejection, rather than marry like the majority of the girls, Nightingale chose a(n) _________ path to work in nursing, which was then not quite a respectable job for women.

Nightingale went to Kaiserwerth in Prussia to experience a German _________ program for girls who would serve as nurses. She worked for a short time for a(n) _________ near Paris. Her idea began to be _________. In 1853, she became the unpaid director of London’s Institution for the Care of Sick Gentlewoman.

When the Crimean War broke out, _________ came back to England about terrible conditions for wounded and sick soldiers. Nightingale __________ to go to Turkey. She took a group of thirty-eight women as nurses to the war front. From 1854 — 1856, Nightingale headed nursing efforts in Turkey, creating more clean conditions and ordering supplies. She __________ won over — at least enough to get cooperation — the military doctors.

Soon, Nightingale __________ more on direction than on actual nursing, but she __________ to visit the wards (病房). Her rule that she be the only woman in the wards at night __________ her the title “The lady with the lamp.” The __________ rate at the army hospital fell from 60% at her arrival to 2% six month later.

1.

A．interested in

B．familiar with

C．puzzled by

D．aware of

2.

A．appearance

B．performance

C．explanation

D．location

3.

A．turn out

B．carry out

C．pick out

D．figure out

4.

A．despite

B．with

C．without

D．except

5.

A．normal

B．different

C．usual

D．common

6.

A．training

B．teaching

C．performing

D．working

7.

A．church

B．school

C．hospital

D．army

8.

A．remembered

B．defended

C．refused

D．respected

9.

A．orders

B．poems

C．evidence

D．reports

10.

A．afforded

B．volunteered

C．hesitated

D．happened

11.

A．rapidly

B．occasionally

C．frequently

D．eventually

12.

A．focused

B．attracted

C．found

D．looked

13.

A．continued

B．appointed

C．headed

D．determined

14.

A．attached

B．took

C．earned

D．suited

15.

A．birth

B．growth

C．death

D．tax

8 . In 2017, Jim McGee was diagnosed with a kidney (肾) illness, and he was told by the doctors that he could only live about four years. Therefore, he was in bad need of a kidney transplant (移植). However, it was said that 13 people would die every day while waiting for a right kidney with the right blood and tissue types. Jim’s wife, Shirley McGee, and some family friends offered but weren’t a match.

In order to seek for help, Shirley and her husband wore T-shirts with a sentence “I’m in need of a kidney transplant.” whenever they went out but still no luck. Jim lost heart.

In early 2018, Jim didn’t feel like attending a reunion of some classmates, saying there was no need to do this. However, Shirley said, “Come on. You really need to see your friends. Go, and enjoy yourself.” Then, Jim reunited with some old classmates, whom he hadn’t seen for nearly 50 years, including Doug Coffman. Jim told them his problem. As life would have it, Doug Coffman, then 70, happened to have the right blood type and immediately decided to help.

After a series of tests, finally, when the doctors gave Doug Coffman the OK to donate, he immediately called Jim, and told him the good news. On September 18, 2018, Doug went into surgery at 7: 30 a. m.; Jim followed at 9: 30 a.m. By noon, they were both in the recovery room. The transplant was a great success.

1. How did Jim feel about his illness after the failed wait for the right kidney?

A．satisfied.

B．nervous.

C．ashamed.

D．discouraged

2. Which of the following words can best describe Shirley McGee?

A．reasonable and energetic.	B．supportive and considerate.
C．outgoing and thankful.	D．knowledgeable and responsible.

3. Why did Jim McGee decide to attend the reunion?

A．To find the right kidney.	B．To share his sad story.
C．To meet his fellow classmates.	D．To have a complete examination there.

4. What can we know about Doug Coffman?

A．He had visited Jim regularly.

B．He was too old to offer his help to Jim.

C．He was Jim’s best friend.

D．He helped Jim without hesitation.

9 . “Why did she spill my beans? Why did she do that to me?” I regretted it myself, and vividly remembered that day when I was _________ about the knowing looks which everyone gave me.

5 years ago, Sally was a new _________ in our class. I didn’t know what but there was something special about her which _________ me towards her. We started as classmates _________ after a few months we were like best friends.

I told her about my family’s _________ situation. She exaggerated the matter, added her own spices to it and made it the most heated topic in school. It was like someone had stabbed a knife in my _________. After she _________ my secret, everyone at school started laughing at me, staring at me and giggling everywhere I went. I left school and _________ to another one because I thought no one had the right to laugh at me. Sally called me many times but I didn’t _________. My heart is broken because the person I trusted the most gave me away.

I tried hard to __________ those scars from my heart and started a new life. One day I met Anna in the market, she was my classmate from 3rd grade. To my __________, she admitted to me that she had overheard our __________ and brought my secret to __________.

I was all at sea, and felt that the ground collapsed __________ my feet. From that I got a lesson in life that we should trust our loved ones, because one mistake can ruin our life. I was so embarrassed that it took years to __________ my mistake.

1.

A．confused

B．particular

C．excited

D．enthusiastic

2.

A．relation

B．addition

C．permission

D．participation

3.

A．introduced

B．attracted

C．reminded

D．turned

4.

A．or

B．so

C．also

D．but

5.

A．artificial

B．terrific

C．reliable

D．terrible

6.

A．head

B．arm

C．back

D．hand

7.

A．knew

B．kept

C．revealed

D．hid

8.

A．admitted

B．shifted

C．attended

D．preferred

9.

A．answer

B．accept

C．make

D．refuse

10.

A．cure

B．dress

C．repair

D．remove

11.

A．anxiety

B．relief

C．amazement

D．delight

12.

A．quarrel

B．conversation

C．argument

D．discussion

13.

A．air

B．reality

C．life

D．light

14.

A．over

B．besides

C．beneath

D．along

15.

A．make

B．correct

C．fix

D．realize

10 . When I was about 4 years old, I was diagnosed with a learning disability known as autism (自闭症). It made my mom really upset and for me, it was very rough growing up with it, considering the fact that I wasn’t able to have an actual conversation until I was about 7 years old.

School was very difficult for me when I was younger. Teachers would always discuss with my parents about ways to improve my learning. I have an Individual Education Plan (IEP), which allows special accommodations for school. But I still face some discrimination from school staff. I asked my mom about how that played out when I was younger.

“It was right when you were going into kindergarten,” she said. “I stopped to talk to your brother’s former kindergarten teacher and I asked her if she was ready to have you in her class the next year. And her response was, ‘I don’t think Zachary is going to be a good fit for my classroom.’” She said she was really shocked by the teacher’s response, but finally managed to find another kindergarten teacher who was willing to take me on.

My mother is a huge advocate for me. She made sure I got every treatment, camp program and accommodations. She even created a parent support group at my elementary school. She wanted to help the parents that were struggling and the ones that didn’t know how to advocate for their children.

By the time I got into middle school, I didn’t struggle at school anymore. I told a few people that I was autistic but they didn’t believe me since I looked quite normal. And that’s all thanks to my mother, whose support and loving care really helped me through those tough years.

1. The author found his growing up difficult because of ________.

A．a learning disability called Autism	B．his mother’s sadness
C．his inability to speak	D．the difficult school work

2. What can we know about the author from the text?

A．He was diagnosed with autism when he was about 7 years old.

B．Everybody treated him nicely and he didn’t receive any discrimination at school.

C．His brother’s former kindergarten teacher refused to have him in her class.

D．His mother created a parent support group to help him overcome the disease.

3. What’s the author’s purpose of writing this article?

A．To arouse people’s awareness of autism.	B．To show his sufferings caused by autism.
C．To cheer up those diagnosed with autism.	D．To express his gratitude to his mother.