1 . Beijing is no stranger to Western food. American restaurants like McDonald’s and KFC have brought more Western dishes to the local food scene in recent years. Now, two new restaurants have joined them.
In August, Taco Bell and Shake Shack opened their doors to eager customers in Beijing. Taco Bell is a popular American fast food restaurant that features Mexican food. Hard and soft-shell tacos are a staple(招牌) of the menu; they are generally served with beef, lettuce and tomato. And of course there are burritos-chicken, beef or beans wrapped in a tortilla(墨西哥薄馅饼). However, there are new menu items that are special to the Beijing location, such as the Yang Berry Freeze and Avocado Oolong Tea.
Shake Shack, known for its traditional American-style hamburgers and milkshakes, is also serving up dishes that won’t be found in branches outside of the capital. Harry Wang, who studied in the US, visited the restaurant soon after it opened. “The last time I had Shake Shack was more than a year ago when I was in the United States.” Wang said, “The food is pretty similar to what we had in the United States, but there is a milkshake exclusive to Beijing.”
The milkshake Wang referred to is the Hutong Hawthorn. The shake mixes hawthorn, a traditional Chinese snack, into a milkshake, a common ice cream drink in Western fast food. The Beijing Shake Shack also offers roasted chestnut ice cream.
Both restaurants also reflect elements of Chinese culture in their decorations. Shake Shack’s windows feature cartoons showing hutong life, and Taco Bell has a picture of a palace from the Temple of Heaven on one of its walls.
From the design to the menus, the two restaurants are “adding a touch of local flavor”, noted China News.
1. Why are McDonald’s and KFC mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To show the popularity of Western food in Beijing. |
| B．To lead up to the topic of new Western restaurants in Beijing. |
| C．To compare the differences between McDonald’s and KFC. |
| D．To express the author’s personal love for Western food. |
| A．It is a traditional Mexican restaurant. |
| B．It has the same menu around the world. |
| C．It is a popular Mexican food restaurant in China. |
| D．It is a fast food restaurant serving Mexican food. |
| A．Special. | B．Ordinary. | C．Important. | D．Acceptable. |
| A．They try to keep the original characteristics in all locations. |
| B．They will probably have more customers than KFC. |
| C．They make changes to the menu for Chinese people’s tastes. |
| D．They like to work together with Chinese restaurants. |
2 . Thanks to the progress of artificial intelligence(AI), robots have won against human players in a number of games, such as chess, Go game and even mahjong. And now, AI-powered robots are showing their talent in professional curling(冰壶).
Recently, a robot team named Curly has drawn much attention as it successfully beat two South Korean national curling teams. Researchers from Korea University in South Korea, and the Berlin Institute of Technology in Germany developed the robot.
Curling is a challenging sport that requires a mix of precision and strategy. In the game, a player called the “thrower” gently slides the stone and releases it before a boundary called the “hogline”. The stone slides down to the target, known as the “house”. An opposing team does the same, so both teams accumulate stones in the same house. At the end of the round, the team with a stone closest to the center of the target gets a point.
This requires the players to figure out the force and angle needed to slide a heavy stone in order to land it in the house or make it into another position. Players also have to form a strategy to prevent the opponent from getting their stones closest to the center of the house. And apparently, Curly has made progress in mastering these skills.
Curly is a team of two robots: One is responsible for observing the position of the stones at the scoring end, while the other does the throwing. But how was this robot programmed to achieve this?
Researchers built a simulation(模拟) of a curling game for the robots to play around. In the simulation, the researchers approximated the physics of the real world as best as they could, considering various conditions, such as the ice surface and the positions of stones. Then, there is curling strategy. The robots were trained in different situations to deal with various throws. The researchers found that Curly adapted to many variables(变量) of the game the same way a person would.
This shows that a robot can observe the real world and act accordingly in a precise and strategic manner, which is a sign of a promising future for the ever-expanding use of AI.
1. What do we know about the team of robots named Curly?| A．It can play different kinds of sports. |
| B．It defeated human players in sports games. |
| C．It is more advanced in sports than other robots. |
| D．It was developed by researchers from South Korea. |
| A．The way to play curling. | B．The use of AI in sports competitions. |
| C．The ways Curly can be improved. | D．The reasons why Curly was invented. |
| A．It could consider different conditions. | B．It could develop new game strategies. |
| C．It could build a simulation of a game. | D．It could copy what human players do. |
| A．Worried. | B．Unconcerned. | C．Annoyed. | D．Hopeful. |
3 . I dropped off a bag of my children’s worn-out jeans to a local tailor and when she returned them with brightly colored, patterned patches(补丁) on all the knees, their lives unexpectedly became longer by several more years. Both my kids and I loved those pants, so unique and impossible to buy. This was my first experience with “visible mending”.
Visible mending(VM) is different from traditional mending in that it makes the repair a central point, rather than combining it into the original clothes. There are many reasons for this, from drawing attention to the fact that clothes’ lifetimes have become long and challenging the idea that secondhand clothes are only worn by the poor, to simply adding a personalized touch.
Kate Sekules is a well-known advocate for visible mending. The British-born, Brooklyn-based writer, clothes historian and mending instructor has a new book coming out in September. It is a call to action for clothes lovers of all skill levels to take needles and threads to their beloved clothes. She reassures readers that anyone can do it.
“The skills are easy to pick up: visible mending is for everyone. The only way to go wrong is to say, ‘I can’t. ’It is a skill, but of a modern way. There are many ways to create VM, and there will never be another one like yours. Though you will never sew two mends the same, you will develop a style of your own.”
Sekules spends the first several chapters explaining why practicing visible mending matters so much. She writes about the current fashion industry, and how destructive it is, from the vast quantities of textiles(纺织品) and plastic waste and poisonous runoff poisoning rivers around the world, to the terrible conditions in which clothes workers work. So, rather than waiting around for the companies to clean up their acts, we individuals can effect tiny yet meaningful changes by picking up our needles and threads and wearing our clothes for longer.
1. How did the author feel about visible mending?| A．A little puzzled. | B．Very satisfied. |
| C．Pretty shocked. | D．Rather disappointed. |
| A．Focusing on the repair. | B．Adding a personalized touch. |
| C．Combining it into the original one. | D．Looking for the original materials. |
| A．When we need to do visual mending. |
| B．How we can master the unusual skill. |
| C．What we should do when sewing. |
| D．Why visual mending is special and easy to learn. |
| A．It is difficult to keep up with the newest fashion. |
| B．Fashion connects with social development closely. |
| C．It is surprising how fashion changes over the years. |
| D．The fashion industry can be harmful to the environment. |
4 . This past Columbus Day, my husband and I went fishing with some friends on their boat while our 10 and 8-year-olds were in school. We left the house all at the same time, about 7 am. My children walked to and from school every day and we knew they were OK for a couple hours by themselves anyway so we told them to go inside after school and we would be home around 4 pm.
The adults decided to go fishing offshore: we live on the Gulf Coast, since it was a beautiful day in the normally still very humid Texas fall. At around 2 pm we started back to shore and wouldn't you know, we ran out of gas. We were out of cell phone service, even 911 wasn't working, and we didn't have a radio so we were stuck waiting for someone to come by. We were out there until 10 pm. All-the-while, my children were at home, expecting us to return shortly after they got home. At about 7 pm, when it was getting dark, my 10-year-old thought something might he wrong so she walked to each house on the street until someone answered the door and asked them what they should do. This was how we were found by the game warden and “rescued”.
Talking with that neighbor the next day, I never took such pride in my children. This neighbor explained to me how calm both my children were when explaining the situation and how impressed they were with my children seeking help, even though they didn't know these particular neighbors. I never doubled them for a minute, though next time we go fishing, we'll monitor the gas more carefully.
1. How did the children go to school?| A．Bu bus. | B．By car. |
| C．By boat. | D．On foot. |
| A．They used up their gas. | B．They lost their cell phones. |
| C．They found a radio on shore. | D．They fell into the water. |
| A．Worried. | B．Proud. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Confident |
| A．It is wonderful to raise free-range kids. |
| B．One should keep calm in face of danger. |
| C．A good neighbour is better than a brother far off. |
| D．Parents should pay more attention to their children. |
5 . Master classes
Introduction to Linocut (油毡浮雕艺术)
Sunday 10 a.m.—5 p.m.
Learn the basics of linocut-from tool advice to gaining confidence and control. You’ll go home with a selection of greeting cards, postcards and prints. All tools and materials are provided and all levels are welcome.
Creative Learning Space £70
Keeping up with Kids
Sunday 10 a.m.—1 p.m. & 2 p.m.—5 p.m.
Explore the digital literacy of today and how you can support young people’s development, while increasing your own knowledge and understanding of each key stage in the computing classes.
Woods-Scawen Room £40
Watercolor Landscapes (风景)
Sunday 10 a.m.—5 p.m.
In this workshop you will learn to paint a beautiful watercolor landscape with a sky, mountains and trees. Working from a picture and with guidance and step-by-step demonstration from Purnima Panchal, you will learn skills such as graded wash, transparent layers and stippling.
Helen Martin Studio £70
Life Drawing
Sunday 10 a.m.—4 p.m.
This life drawing class is open to improvers and experienced artists and is an opportunity to develop and explore drawing skills with a model. Working on lines, shading and general drawing skills, you’ll see demonstrations and be given individual teaching to help develop your skill base. Not all materials are provided.
Helen Martin Studio £75
Stained Glass (彩色玻璃)
Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m.—5 p.m.
It is a two-day introduction to the traditional art of stained glass using the Tiffany-style skill. Over the two days you will be taught how to make your own decorative suncatchers and will produce at least two pieces to take home.
Ensemble Room £195 for both days.
1. What can students do in Introduction to Linocut?
| A．Make beautiful cards. | B．Learn about the Tiffany-style skill. |
| C．Practice drawing skills with a model. | D．Follow the guidance of Purnima Panchal. |
| A．It is offered on both Saturdays and Sundays. | B．It demonstrates traditional art skills. |
| C．It is the most expensive class. | D．It is probably intended for parents. |
| A．Life Drawing. | B．Stained Glass. |
| C．Introduction to Linocut. | D．Watercolor Landscapes. |
6 . It’s summertime. That means long hot days, no school--- and summer camps. Lots of kids spend at least some of the summer at camps. Some kids spend the whole year playing one sport. And what do they do during the summer? They go to a camp and keep playing that sport. So what’s wrong with that?
A study published in the journal Sports Health found that “for most sports, there is no evidence that intense (集中的) training and playing one sport before 13 or 14 are necessary to achieve elite (精英的)status.” How big is the risk of injury if you specialize in one sport? A Loyola University Chicago study of 1, 200 youth athletes found that kids who specialized in one sport were 70 percent to 93 percent more likely to be injured than multi-sport athletes. That’s a lot. Kids who specialize in one sport also get burned out. An Ohio State University study found that kids who played a single sport were more likely to quit their sport and be physically inactive as adults.
But don’t you have to specialize in one sport when you’re a kid to have a chance to play in college or be a professional? No! Sorry, but I have to talk about another study. This one was a survey of college athletes by the American Society of Sports Medicine. The study found that 88 percent of college athletes played more than one sport when they were kids.
Look at this year’s National Football League (NFL) draft, 26 of the 31 first- round picks, including Jared Goff, the player drafted ahead of all the others, had been multi-sport athletes in high school, according to Tracking Football. It wasn’t just the first round: 224 of the 256 draft picks had played more than one sport in high school. More than a third of the drafted players were three-sport athletes.
So if you are a year-round baseball kid, try soccer this summer. It will get you into great shape and help you move your feet in the field. Or if you’re a soccer kid, try tennis or rock climbing. Have some fun, and try something new. It’s summertime.
1. What’s the purpose of the author writing the text?| A．To invite more kids to play sports. |
| B．To inspire kids to play sports for fun. |
| C．To encourage kids to try more types of sports. |
| D．To give kids advice on becoming professional athletes. |
| A．Playing one sport is suitable for adults. |
| B．Too much training doesn’t lift sport spirits. |
| C．70%-93% kids get injuries from playing sports. |
| D．Kids’ sport specialization doesn’t promise future success. |
| A．Most of them were multi-sport players. |
| B．They are college students. |
| C．They are professional athletes. |
| D．Most of them were summer-camping lovers. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
7 . Ride-sharing services are thought to help to reduce pollution since fewer people use private vehicles and cause carbon dioxide．However, a new study has found that these services result in much more pollution than other kinds of private and public transportation．Ride-sharing trips also draw passengers away from more environmentally-friendly methods of travel, like public transportation, walking or biking, the study found．
Several studies in recent years have suggested that ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft can worsen traffic problems in cities, which continue to have high rates of private vehicle ownership．
The new study, carried out by the nonprofit group Union of Concerned Scientists, represents an attempt to center on how ride-sharing services affect pollution．The research examined the effects of ride-sharing services on seven of America's largest cities．Overall, the researchers reported that ride-sharing trips now “result in about 69 percent more climate pollution on average than the trips they replace”．The study notes that the same passengers could have chosen to travel by bus, train, bike, scooter(小型摩托车)or on foot．
One of the big reasons they give for this result is that ride-sharing vehicles are often driven with no passengers in the car．This happens when drivers are either waiting for rider requests, are on the way to pick up passengers or are driving between pickups．
This situation, known as“deadheading” takes up about 42 percent of the ride-sharing driving activity, the study found．The researchers said that “deadheading” results in about 50 percent more carbon dioxide than one person driving in a private vehicle．
The study urges services like Uber and Lyft to increase the number of electric vehicles on the road and to improve connections to public transportation centers．The two companies already operate businesses that offer electric scooters and bikes and have begun to include public transportation information in their systems．In some cities, they have also promoted vehicle electrification．
1. According to the text, it is generally thought that car-sharing services _____________．| A．lower the price of private cars | B．guarantee a healthier lifestyle |
| C．greatly cut down travel expenses | D．are environmentally-friendly |
| A．The so-called “deadheading”． | B．The old way vehicles travel． |
| C．The huge number of passengers． | D．The unfamiliar ride-sharing trips． |
| A．It is opposed by ride-sharing services． | B．It is actually of practical significance． |
| C．It requires improving in the long term． | D．It earns much money for Uber and Lyft． |
| A．Travel． | B．Technology． | C．Economy． | D．Environment． |
8 . The reality TV wildlife edition has just come to a dramatic end. The world watched as the bears packed on pounds before they went into their den (兽穴) for the winter. Over the next few months, Fat Bear Week winner, 435 Holly, will go into hibernation (冬眠). Why do bears do this?
The mysteries around hibernating bears have attracted curious researchers for ages. What is hibernation, and what causes it? And probably most interestingly — could humans do this someday?
Dr. Kelly Drew, who studies hibernation, is one of the scientists consulting on a project funded by NASA, looking to put humans into hibernation for spaceflight. “For sending people to space, I think our first step is to perfect short-term hibernation-like periods in humans,” she says. “If we can figure this out, we can then try for longer periods.” We still have a long way to go before this science fiction dream becomes a reality, but several scientists around the country have been studying hibernation.
Cory Williams, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, says, “A huge variety of mammals (哺乳动物) hibernate. However, hibernation in bears is different from that in small mammals…their body temperature only drops a few degrees and they don’t experience periodic rewarming.” In general, mammals with lower body temperatures during hibernation awaken every few days to raise their body temperature, or eat a bit. Bears do not emerge for any of these activities. Instead, they live off the fat they have collected during the summer and autumn months and even recycle their metabolic (新陈代谢的) waste.
At the moment, the study of hibernation has and continues to contribute greatly to applications in the human world. For example, bears are able to maintain their bone mass during hibernation, and understanding this could help advance the study of treating people with weak bones. Perhaps one day, it will be the key to sending humans far off into space too.
1. Why is 435 Holly mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To show the popularity of Fat Bear Week. | B．To introduce the topic of hibernation. |
| C．To call for the protection of bears. | D．To advertise reality TV. |
| A．They produce new body fat. |
| B．They lower their body temperature greatly. |
| C．They sleep through the whole winter. |
| D．They rewarm themselves regularly. |
| A．The new findings about hibernation. | B．The significance of studying hibernation. |
| C．The ways bears maintain their bone mass. | D．The barriers to sending humans into space. |
| A．What could bears and astronauts have in common? |
| B．What effects does hibernation have on bears? |
| C．Why do bears need to go into hibernation? |
| D．How do humans and bears get along? |
9 . The other day on a cold night, I left my wife and drove from Harrisburg to Lewisburg, a distance of about 100 miles. It was rather late. Several times I got stuck behind a slow-moving truck on a narrow road with a solid white line on my left, and I became increasingly impatient.
At one point along an open road, I came to a crossing with a traffic light. I was alone on the road by now, but as I drove near the light, it turned red and I made a stop. I looked left, right and behind me. Nothing. Not a car, no suggestion of car lamps, but there I sat, waiting for the light to change, the only human being for at least a mile in any direction.
I started wondering why I refused to run the light. I was not afraid of being caught, because there was clearly no policeman around, and there certainly would have been no danger in going through it.
Much later that night, the question of why I’d stopped for that light came back to me. I think I stopped because it’s part of a contract we all have with each other. It’s not only the law, but it’s an agreement we have, and we trust each other to honor it: we don’t go through red lights.
Trust is our first inclination. Doubting others does not seem to be natural to us. The whole construction of our society depends on mutual trust, not distrust. We do what we say we’ll do; we show up when we say we’ll show up; and we pay when we say we’ll pay. We trust each other in these matters, and we’re angry or disappointed with the person or organization that breaks the trust we have in them.
I am so proud of myself for stopping for the red light that night.
1. How does the author feel about the truck driver?| A．Pleased. | B．Satisfied. | C．Sorry. | D．Annoyed. |
| A．He hates driving at night. | B．He desired to cross the red light that night. |
| C．He approves of obeying traffic rules by himself. | D．He is easy when suffering the traffic jam. |
| A．Tendency. | B．Faith. |
| C．Adjustment. | D．Guidance. |
| A．Politeness matters. | B．Hold belief in human nature. |
| C．People should be patient and helpful. | D．There’s a need to improve traffic rules. |
10 . A few years after Mom died, Dad showed up for lunch wearing the soft smile that took over his face whenever he was thinking about her. “I’ve found these,” he said, handing me a bag. “She would have wanted you to have them.”
I opened the bag to find dozens of shells, each one bearing Mom’s handwritten words: Stone Harbor, N. J. — 8-98. They were pretty common, but to Mom, they were evidence of her endlessly magical life.
She was 61 when she collected these shells, already showing signs of the lung disease that would kill her the next year. Mom needed an adventure. She loved seashore. So we decided to take her to Jersey Shore.
As soon as I said “Jersey Shore”, she started to shout over and over again— “I can’t believe I’m going to New Jersey!”
Once we got to Stone Harbor, Mom acted like the town mayor, greeting everyone as if they were loyal constituents. And she spent hours collecting shells on the beach. The morning we left, I found her photographing every corner of her bedroom. “I don’t even want to forget this,” she said.
For a long time, Mom’s shells stayed buried in a drawer. Last month, I rediscovered them. I put them where I can easily to see them. One by one, the shells are finding a new place in my home. They remind me to live a life like my mother — who never lost her sense of passion.
1. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refers to .| A．the bag the author’s dad found | B．the photos the author’s mom took |
| C．the shells the author’s mom collected | D．the words the author’s mom wrote |
| A．She knew them very well. | B．She was very excited. |
| C．She wanted to make friends with them. | D．She was popular among the people there. |
| A．She had a sense of adventure. | B．She passed away at the age of 61. |
| C．She was brought up in New Jersey. | D．She showed great enthusiasm for life. |
| A．remind the author of her mom’s attitude towards life |
| B．make the author think of her mom’s death |
| C．were taken out of the drawer for the purpose of decorating the house |
| D．were hidden in a drawer because they are very precious |
