1 . British International Schools in China Harrow International School Beijing
The mission statement of the school is “Leadership for a better world”， which draws on the great tradition of famous leaders studying in Harrow School such as Winston Churchill and Pundit Nehru. Established in 2005, the Harrow International School Beijing is known for its reputation for having the highest academic standards and close personal tutoring. All students have a personal tutor to take care of their personal concerns. The tuition fee per year ranges from 80,100 to 258,400 yuan ($12,600-40,600) for half day, prenursery to year 13. Read more via www. harrowbeijing. cn.
Dulwich College Shanghai
Dulwich College Shanghai is made up of about 1,500 students from age 2 to age 18, with over 40 different nationalities. Dulwich College Shanghai opened in 2003 and has been recognized as one of the best international schools in Shanghai. About 70 percent of the school's teachers are British. The school's annual payment ranges from 225,500 to 269,500 yuan ($35,500-42,000) for year 1 to year 13. Click here to know more.
Wellington College International Shanghai
Wellington College, UK, is one of the world's top coeducational day and boarding schools founded by royal sponsor on behalf of Queen Victoria in 1859. Wellington College International Shanghai opened its doors in 2014 and now has over 600 students, aged 2 to 18 years old. Annual tuition ranges from 234,000 to 285,000 yuan ($36,800-44,800) for year 1 to year 13. Wellington College also has a campus in Tianjin. Click here to learn more about both locations.
The British School of Guangzhou
Established in 2005 for students aged 2 to 18, the British School of Guangzhou has gained a reputation for academic excellence. The school's two campuses are located about 25 minutes north of Guangzhou's city center, overlooking scenic South Lake. The annual tuition ranges from 157, 840 to 197,690 yuan ($24,800-31,000) for year 1 to year 13. Click here to know more.
1. If you want to make friends with students from different countries, you may choose| A．Dulwich College Shanghai |
| B．Harrow International School Beijing |
| C．Wellington College International Shanghai |
| D．The British School of Guangzhou |
| A．They are both the world's best boarding schools. |
| B．Their annual tuition fees are the same. |
| C．They are both sponsored by the royal family. |
| D．They both have two campuses. |
| A．Lifestyle. |
| B．Opinion. |
| C．Culture Exchange. |
| D．International News. |
2 . When it comes to the greatest inventions of the world, China’s name is sure to be mentioned several times. There are hundreds of things which were invented by the Chinese.
Alcohol
Shocked? I was because when they said alcohol I thought about either the US or the UK. China had never crossed my mind. In China, alcohol was made by two legendary persons named Yi Di and Du Kang who belonged to the Xia Dynasty. This period was about 2000 BC - 1600 BC. Research says that in ancient China, beer with 4% alcoholic content was widely consumed by people.
Tea
China is the proud inventor of tea which was first drunk by Shen Nong, a Chinese emperor around 2737 BC. Tea production was rapidly developed, making tea a popular drink during the Tang and Song Dynasties.
The Mechanical Clock
Have you ever wondered what on earth we would be doing without any idea of time? A clock really is an invention without which things were incomplete. The credit of making the first mechanical clock goes to ancient China. The first mechanical clock was invented by Yi Xing in the Tang Dynasty. This was during 618 and 907.
Silk Fabric
Silk, the favorite fabric of many girls out there, is also a Chinese invention. Although we all know that silk is made by silkworms, it was Chinese people who first invented a way to harvest the silk and then use it to make clothes. The oldest silk which has been found so far is in Henan Province and dates back to 3630 BC.
1. We can learn from Paragraph 2 that ________.| A．people in the US like alcohol |
| B．beer was popular in the Xia Dynasty |
| C．Yi Di and Du Kang invented alcohol by accident |
| D．the author didn’t know alcohol is a Chinese invention |
| A．ancient Chinese inventors were wiser |
| B．many things in our lives are incomplete |
| C．ancient Chinese people never wasted time |
| D．the invention of the mechanical clock is important |
| A．Tea. | B．Alcohol. |
| C．Silk fabric. | D．The mechanical clock. |
3 . Any foreigner who has tried to learn Chinese can tell how hard it is to master the tones required to speak and understand. And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges.
Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese. Writing in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience，researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills draw on the same parts of the brain that help people discover changes in pitch(音调).
One of the study's authors，Nina Kraus，said the findings suggested that studying music “actually tunes our sensory system”.This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs，Dr. Kraus said. She said music training might also help children with language problems.
Mandarin(普通话)speakers have been shown to have a more complex encoding(编码) of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do. This is because in Mandarin and other Asian languages，pitch plays a central role. A singlesyllable word can have several meanings depending on how it is intoned.
For this study，the researchers looked at 20 nonChinese speaking volunteers，half with no musical background and half who have studied an instrument for at least six years.
As they were shown a movie，the volunteers also heard an audio tape of the Mandarin word “mi” in three of its meanings:squint，bewilder and rice. The researchers recorded activities in their brain stems to see how well they were processing the sounds. Those with a music background showed much more brain activities in response to the Chinese sounds.
The lead author of the study，Patrick C.M.Wong，said it might work both ways. It appears that native speakers of tonal languages may do better at learning instruments.
1. When learning Chinese，a foreigner will find ________.| A．he has a difficult time learning music at the same time |
| B．he has an easier time learning music at the same time |
| C．it is hard to master the tones required to speak and understand |
| D．it is easy to use the brain to help him discover changes in pitch |
| A．Because there is the same difficulty in learning Chinese and music. |
| B．Because skills to learn the two make use of the same parts of the brain. |
| C．Because music training might help people with language study. |
| D．Because people who do well in Chinese study do well in music. |
| A．created | B．spelled | C．seemed | D．pronounced |
| A．Mandarin Speakers Are Smarter than English Speakers |
| B．Skilled Ear for Music May Help Language Study |
| C．Pitch Plays a Central Role in Chinese Learning |
| D．Schools Need to Develop Music Programs |
4 . Here's a list of books I'm looking forward to this fall season. Not all of them will rise to the level of the advertisement, but it's an abundant crop.
"Home After Dark" by David Small (Liveright, Sept. 11 )
In 2009, Small published a celebrated graphic memoir (回忆录) called"Stitches". Now the Caldecott Medal winner is back with a graphic novel about a motherless 13-year-old boy brought up in an unhappy home in California. This is a tale told in few words and many striking images. On Sept. 11 at 3p.m., Small will be at Amazonbooks at Union Market. More information at www. amazon.com/graph-tale.
"Waiting for Eden" by Elliot Ackerman (Knopf, Sept. 25)
This brief novel is related by a dead soldier who is watching over a horribly burned partner in a Texas hospital. That sounds embarrassingly emotional, but Ackerman, who served in a Navy in Iraq and Afghanistan, is one of the best soldier-writers of his generation. More information at www. amazon. com/military-essay.
"All You Can Ever Know" by Nicole Chung (Catapult, Oct. 2)
Chung, the editor of the literary magazine Catapult, was adopted as a baby by a white family in Oregon. In this memoir, she writes about her childhood, her Asian American identity and her search for the Korean parents who gave her up. More information at www. amazon. com/politics-prose.
"Unsheltered" by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper, Oct. 16)
Alternating between past and present, this novel tells the story of a woman investigating a late-19th-century science teacher who was caught up in the controversy over Darwinism. Like her other novels, this one promises to explore social and scientific problems. Visit www. amazon. com/tech-science for more information.
1. If you hope for a signature of the author, you will probably buy a copy of ________.| A．All You Can Ever Know |
| B．Waiting for Eden |
| C．Home After Dark |
| D．Unsheltered |
| A．Elliot Ackerman. |
| B．David Small. |
| C．Barbara Kingsolver. |
| D．Nicole Chung. |
| A．www. amazon. com/graph-tale |
| B．www. amazon. com/politics-prose |
| C．www. amazon. com/military-essay |
| D．www. amazon. com/tech-science |
5 . What’s On?
Electric Underground
7.30pm－1.00am Free at the Cyclops Theatre
Do you know who’s playing in your area? We’re bringing you an exciting evening of live rock and pop music from the best local bands. Are you interested in becoming a musician and getting a recording contract(合同)? If so, come early to the talk at 7.30pm by Jules Skye, a successful record producer. He’s going to talk about how you can find the right person to produce your music.
Gee Whizz
8.30pm-10.30pm Comedy at Kaleidoscope
Come and see Gee Whizz perform. He’s the funniest stand-up comedian on the comedy scene. This joyful show will please everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Gee Whizz really knows how to make you laugh! Our bar is open from 7.00pm for drinks and snacks(快餐).
Simon’s Workshop
5.00pm-7.30pm Wednesdays at Victoria Stage
This is a good chance for anyone who wants to learn how to do comedy. The workshop looks at every kind of comedy, and practices many different ways of making people laugh. Simon is a comedian and actor who has 10 years’ experience of teaching comedy. His workshops are exciting and fun. An evening with Simon will give you the confidence to be funny.
Charlotte Stone
8.00pm-11.00pm Pizza World
Fine food with beautiful jazz music; this is a great evening out. Charlotte Stone will perform songs from her new best-selling CD, with James Pickering on the piano. The menu is Italian, with excellent meat and fresh fish, pizzas and pasta(面食). Book early to get a table. Our bar is open all day, and serves cocktails, coffee, beer, and white wine.
1. Who can help you if you want to have your music produced?| A．Jules Skye. | B．Gee Whizz. |
| C．Charlotte Stone. | D．James Pickering. |
| A．The Cyclops Theatre | B．Kaleidoscope |
| C．Victoria Stage | D．Pizza World |
| A．5.00pm-7.30pm. | B．7.30pm－1.00am. |
| C．8.00pm-11.00pm. | D．8.30pm-10.30pm. |
6 . Some educators told us that more years of school could help students get higher scores on intelligence tests.That was a finding of a study of teenage males in some countries.Now，another research shows that physical activity may help students do better in their classes.
The research comes as educators in some countries are reducing time for activities like physical education.They are using the time instead for academic(学术的) subjects like math and reading.The studies appeared between 2008 and 2014.They included more than 55,000 children，aged 6 to 18.
Amika Singh：“According to the results of our study，we can conclude that being physically active is beneficial for academic performance.There are，first，Physiological explanations，like more blood flow，and so more oxygen to the brain.Being physically active means there are more hormones(荷尔蒙) produced like endorphins(内啡肽)．And endorphins make your stress level lower and your mood improved，which means you also perform better.”
Also，students taking part in organized sports learn rules and how to follow them.This could improve their classroom behavior and help them keep their mind on their work.
The study leaves some questions unanswered，however.Ms Stash says it is not possible to say whether the amount or kind of activity affected the level of academic improvement.This is because of differences among the studies.
The researchers said they found only two highquality studies.They needed more highquality studies to confirm(证实) their findings.They also pointed out that “results for other parts of the world may be quite different”．
Still，the general finding was that physically active kids are more likely to do better in school.Ms Singh says schools should consider that finding before they cut physical education programs.Her paper on “Physical Activity and Performance at School” is published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
1. The passage mainly tells us that .| A．a research on physical education has been done by the researchers |
| B．there is a possibility that physical activity leads to higher grades |
| C．the amount or kind of activity directly affects academic level |
| D．the research shows that the children aged 6 to 18 don’t do sports |
| A．Being mentally active is good for academic subjects. |
| B．The more hormones you have，the more stressed you will get. |
| C．The researchers have found many highquality studies to prove the research. |
| D．The educators in some countries think studies,not exercise,mean much to students. |
| A．good marks result from highquality study |
| B．findings are probably different in different areas |
| C．physical activity will spread all over the world |
| D．academic performance depends on the surroundings |
| A．To call our attention to the sports at school. |
| B．To introduce all types of physical activities. |
| C．To represent the academic performance. |
| D．To improve students’ health. |
7 . From July to October every year, about a quarter of the world’s blue whales feed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. But the whales currently face a major threat in their favorite feeding area. Ships carrying cargo (货物）sail in the same area at the same time. All too often, the whales’ paths and the ships’ travel lines overlap (重叠), and a ship will hit a whale.
According to a new study, these ship strikes have become a serious threat to the overall population of the world’s blue whales. Only about 10,000 of the creatures still exist worldwide. Blue whales are the largest known animals ever to live on Earth. Even so, if hit by a container ship, a blue whale will likely die from its injuries.
In 2007 alone, large ships killed five blue whales in the waters off San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that because there are so few whales already, losing three to five from the California whale population every year is a significant loss. “The estimated population of blue whales in this part of the Pacific is 2,500”, says Sean Hastings, a NOAA analyst. “So every whale counts toward this species moving off the endangered-species list.”
Now, marine scientists must figure out how to protect the whales from the giant container ships. One very simple program is already under way in the Santa Barbara Channel, a waterway that separates mainland California from the nearby Channel Islands.
The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary has asked large container ships passing through the area to voluntarily slow down. Sailing slower will allow the ships‟ crew (船员）more time to change course before hitting a whale.
Several of the world’s largest shipping lines are set to participate in the new program. For every ship that passes through the Santa Barbara Channel at or below the reduced speed of 12 knots (海里/小时）, the company that owns the ship will be paid $2,500.
1. From Paragraph 1, we can know that_____.| A．people intend to illegally hunt blue whales for money |
| B．large ships often carrying goods may pollute the sea |
| C．the container ships may hit the blue whales frequently |
| D．there is fewer fish in blue whales‟ favorite feeding area |
| A．Because the number of the blue whales is so small. |
| B．Because other blue whales will be scared away. |
| C．Because blue whales are the largest animals in the world. |
| D．Because many blue whales get killed throughout the year. |
| A．the number of the blue whales is decreasing sharply. |
| B．the blue whales are still on the endangered-species list. |
| C．most of the world’s blue whales live in the Pacific Ocean. |
| D．blue whales are often disturbed by other endangered creatures. |
| A．The basic responsibility of a sailor. |
| B．Measures to protect the blue whales. |
| C．The world’s largest shipping lines. |
| D．Ways to slow down the speed of the ships. |
8 . My husband and I used to think we had all we had ever wanted.A beautiful house,three healthy children and one more on the way,two cars,a couple of four-wheelers for entertainment—We really had it all and we loved it. Then,the market turned and my husband's job at a construction company was gone.The company was closing down forever.
We both started looking for jobs right away,but there weren't any to be found.With each passing day we were getting increasingly worried and we continued to work together in order to pull our family through.The more we pulled together,the closer we got.I felt feelings of admiration for my husband that I hadn't felt for years.
That's why it was so hard for me to watch him blame himself for ou present situation.I continually asked him to stop but he seemed to want to punish himself for not having a job.
Finally,one afternoon I pulled him aside and said,"We have four healthy children and each other.That's what's important.That makes you a rich man."
"But what if we lose the house?They will hate me—you'll hate me,"he replied.
I smiled at him and put my hands on both sides of his face to make him look me in the eye."No matter where we live I will be happy—as long as I have you,"I smiled again as I realized that I wasn't just saying that.In all the struggling together I had found that deep love for him that I had on the day we said "I do".
I could see his shoulders and neck relaxed.He held me close and we were able to talk and plan and dream together in a way that we hadn't for quite some time.It was a turning point for us as a couple and a family.
We are still struggling for our better life,but I consider us well-off because we have something that money can't buy and no one can take away from us.
1. We know from the story that .| A．they both found good jobs at last |
| B．her husband was out of work for his not working hard |
| C．both of them felt anxious about their unemployment |
| D．they didn't love each other any longer after they got married |
| A．her husband worked harder for being closer |
| B．they had closer affection as they struggled together |
| C．their house was closer to the company than before |
| D．they were closer to another employment as time went by |
| A．Hard but warm. | B．Wealthy but annoying. |
| C．Hard and disturbing. | D．Comfortable and admiring. |
| A．Better Life Comes | B．Hard Time Goes |
| C．We Have It All | D．We Lose It All |
9 . A warm drink of milk before bed has long been the best choice for those wanting a good night’s sleep. But now a study has found it really does help people nod off（打瞌睡）—if it is milked from a cow at night.
Researchers have discovered that “night milk” contains more melatonin(褪黑激素), which has been proven to help people feel sleepy and reduce anxiety（焦虑）.The study, by researchers from Seoul, South Korea, involved mice being fed with dried milk powder（奶粉） made from cows milked both during the day and at night. Those given night milk, which contained 10 times the amount of melatonin, were less active and less anxious than those fed with the milk collected during daytime, according to the study published in The Journal of Medicinal Food.
Night milk quickened the start of sleep and caused the mice to sleep longer.
While the effect of cow milk harvested at different time has not been tested on humans up to now, taking melatonin drugs has been suggested to those who have trouble falling asleep at night.
Previous （以前的）studies have also showed that milk can be excellent for helping sleep because of the calcium content, which helps people to relax.
1. According to the text, the mice fed with daytime milk_______.| A．started sleep more easily | B．were more anxious |
| C．were less active | D．woke up later |
| A．It’s been tested on mice for ten years. |
| B．It can make people more energetic. |
| C．It exists in milk in great amount. |
| D．It’s used in sleeping drugs. |
| A．Night Milk and Sleep | B．Fat Sugar and Health |
| C．An Experiment on Mice | D．Milk Drinking and Health |
| A．By giving examples. |
| B．By stating arguments. |
| C．By explaining statistical data. |
| D．By providing research results. |
10 . As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remember less? If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory, your brain? Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.
In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood that the computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.
In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the Internet. The information was in a specific computer folder (文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remember the folder location (位置) better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called “transactive memory (交互记忆)”
According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organize huge quantities of information so that they are able to access it at a later date. This doesn’t mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing.
1. The passage begins with two questions to ________.| A．introduce the main topic | B．show the author’s attitude |
| C．describe how to use the Internet | D．explain how to store information |
| A．Sparrow’s team typed the information into a computer. |
| B．The two groups remembered the information equally well. |
| C．The first group did not try to remember the formation. |
| D．The second group did not understand the information. |
| A．keep the information in mind |
| B．change the quantity of information |
| C．organize information like a computer |
| D．remember how to find the information |
| A．We are using memory differently. |
| B．We are becoming more intelligent. |
| C．We have poorer memories than before. |
| D．We need a better way to access information. |
