3 . Computer programmer David Jones earns $35,000 a year designing new computer games. Yet he cannot find a bank ready to let him have a credit card (信用卡). Instead he has been told to wait another two years until he is 18. The 16-year-old works for a small firm in Liverpool while the problem of most young people of his age is finding a job. David’s firm releases (推出) two new games for the fast growing computer market each month.

But David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money. Even though he earns a lot, he cannot drive a car, take out a mortgage (抵押贷款), or get credit cards. David got his job with the Liverpool-based company four months ago, a year after leaving school with six O-levels and working for a time in a computer shop. “I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs”, he said. David spends some of his money on records and clothes and gives his mother 50 pounds a week. But most of his spare time is spent working.

“Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school”, he said, “But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway”. David added, “I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.”

1. In what way is David different from people of his age?

A．He often goes out with friends.	B．He lives with his mother.
C．He has a handsome income.	D．He graduated with six O-levels.

2. What is one of the problems that David is facing now?

A．He is too young to get a credit card.	B．He has no time to learn driving.
C．He has very little spare time.	D．He will soon lose his job.

3. David was able to get the job in the company because ________.

A．he had done well in all his exams	B．he had written some computer programs
C．he was good at playing computer games	D．he had learned to use computers at school

4 . The art of storytelling has long been an honored skill and an important tradition in many cultures. Over the course of history, the elder in a community and their stories have been considered as a treasure of society's knowledge and history. Older members of a community were encouraged to share their stories with the young, keeping the tradition alive. But today, medical and social science researchers are interested in more than just the importance of storytelling as a way of teaching and having fun, but also cognitive health.

There have been studies that have looked at the ability to tell attractive stories as something that may have provided some survival advantages in human development. Some researchers made a study on the old people with dementia, and they found the old are getting advantages from taking part in group-based community storytelling, or reminiscence therapy.

Studies of the use of reminiscence therapy with people suffering from other similar diseases looked at the influence the therapy had on cognitive health. And that appeared to be positively influenced by the use of directed personal storytelling. They felt more confident in their ability to express themselves, which in turn made them feel relaxed and less worried.

While there is still research required to fully understand how reminiscence therapy may be used to help all aging populations, the studies so far have suggested there are several advantages of storytelling from improved memory to better interpersonal relationships.

Unluckily today too often we just pick up the phone to talk with someone without thinking of what we have to say. Try giving your brain a workout and building up your relationships by telling stories.

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To tell us the importance of storytelling.	B．To add some background information.
C．To show the influence of storytelling.	D．To honour the art of storytelling.

2. What happened to those who experienced the reminiscence therapy?

A．They felt shocked at the results.	B．They felt better about themselves.
C．They had a better attitude to their suffering.	D．They were good at getting on well with others.

3. What does the author advise us to do in the last paragraph?

A．Ignore what others say.	B．Avoid talking on the phone.
C．Share our stories with others.	D．Find ways to exercise our brain.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The development of storytelling.	B．The methods of improving brain health.
C．The ways to keep the tradition of storytelling.	D．The influences of storytelling on cognitive health.

5 . In India, the country with the world’s second-highest number of Covid-19 cases, some hospitals have started to use robots to connect patients with their loved ones, and assist healthcare workers.

Bangalore-based Invento Robotics has designed three robots to carry out tasks including cleaning surfaces, answering patients questions and enabling video consultations (咨询) with doctors.

Of the eight the company has so far used? the most popular model is Mitra. Using facial-recognition (面部识别) technology, the robot can remember the names and faces of patients it has contacted. Mitra can travel around a hospital independently, helping patients connect with family and doctors via its cameras and a video screen.

“Mitra can be the nurse’s or doctor’s assistant, take readings and vitals, remind them of medicines,” says Balaji Viswanathan, CEO of Invento Robotics.

He says the human-like robot interacts with patients and gains their trust. “It may sound funny but we are using robots to bring humanity (Aft) to hospitals,” he tells CNN Business.

Yatharth Hospital in the city of Noida, northern India? has deployed two Mitra robots --one at its entrance to screen patients and the other in the ICU (intensive care unit).

“Inside our ICU, Mitra helps patients connect with their families through video and gives the patient’s family a look inside,” hospital director Kapil Tyagi tells CNN Business.

“Patients get happy and positive whenever the robot visits them. They are often taking photos with Mitra,” he says.

Viswanathan says Invento uses “best in class security“ for video feeds between doctors, patients and their families. For in-depth telemedicine consultations? a booth is built around the robot to give patients privacy.

1. What does the underlined phrase “carry out” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Change.

B．Judge.

C．Perform.

D．Design.

2. What can we learn from Balaji   Viswanathan’s words?

A．Mitra is very funny.

B．Mitra is quite helpful.

C．Mitra can act like humans.

D．Mitra has the latest technology.

3. How do patients feel about the human-like robots?

A．Satisfied.

B．Lost.

C．Proud.

D．Worried.

4. Which can be the best title of the text?

A．How Can Robots Help Patients in India

B．Robots Are Welcomed by Hospitals in India

C．Robots Have Brought About Changes in India

D．Robots Join in the Fight Against Covid-19 in India

6 . The United States celebrates Valentine's Day each year on February 14. Many other countries celebrate Valentine's Day, too, each in their own way. Here is a look at the Valentine's Day traditions in three countries.

Wales：land of love spoons

In Wales, it is called St. Dwynwen's Day, which takes place on January 25. The traditional romantic gift on this day is a love spoon.

Beginning in the 17th century, Welsh men made beautiful wooden spoons as a show of their love for that special person in their lives. Each shape of the spoons has a different meaning. For example, horseshoes mean good luck；keys represent the key to a lover's heart；and wheels are a sign of support.

Argentina：a week of sweets

Argentina celebrates Valentine's Day in February, but also gives a whole other week to love in July. They call it Sweetness Week. If you kiss someone, they have to give you a sugary treat.

Sweetness Week started in 1989 with a candy company called Arcor. They made an advertisement called “Candy for a Kiss". The idea was to give the company's chocolates and other candies in exchange for a sweet kiss on the cheek. The campaign had a stronger effect than the company expected—it led to a new holiday!

Every July, couples who take part give each other candies and kisses all week long.

South Korea: three is a charm

For South Koreans, Valentine's Day happens in three parts：February 14, March 14 and April 14.

On February 14, women traditionally give men gifts of chocolate to show their love. One month later, on a holiday known as White Day, men show their thanks by giving women a sweet gift. The name “White Day" comes from the custom of giving white-colored gifts.

Let's not forget Black Day on April 14. Single people who did not get gifts on February 14 or March 14 often gather on Black Day to eat noodles with black bean soup.

1. What does a key-shaped spoon mean?

A．Deep love.

B．Good luck.

C．Strong support.

D．Real thanks.

2. When is Sweetness Week celebrated?

A．In February.

B．In March.

C．In April.

D．In July.

3. What would be a good gift on White Day?

A．Brown chocolates.

B．Black beans.

C．White milk candies.

D．Silver spoons.

7 . When building houses, people used to think about not only the climate of the areas but also the building materials and the fashions for their houses. However, since electricity became more and more expensive, people began to pay much more attention to the energy they could get for their houses and the new ways they could find to protect their houses from both cold and heat.

Now, houses of an old yet new type have been widely built. In some parts of the world, people share their houses with their livestock(家禽). During cold weather, they gather their cows, goats, or other animals and keep them on the first floor of their houses. The reasons are that the animals can be protected from the cold and that they can help to heat the houses as well. The body heat given off by the animals rises to the second floor of the houses, where people live in. By sharing their houses with their livestock, people gain a source of heat.

People who live in or near cities do not usually keep livestock. However, home builders use the fact that heat rises. This natural law can be used in building houses in these areas. Instead of keeping livestock on the first floor, builders fill it with large rocks. As they are open to the sun’s rays during cold weather, these rocks take in heat. They also give off the heat, and, of course, the warm air rises into the living areas of the houses. So these houses are energy-saving.

House-building becomes a great challenge to building designers and energy engineers. They try to meet this challenge by learning from old traditions and by using modern technology. And someday in the future, people will be able to live in more energy-saving houses.

1. What did people begin to consider as electricity was no longer cheap?

A．The climate of their areas.

B．The fashions for their houses.

C．The energy for their houses.

D．The building materials for their houses.

2. The underlined words “natural law” in the third paragraph refer to the fact that      .

A．heat goes in the upward direction

B．heat raises the temperature in the houses

C．heat goes up if temperature is raised

D．heat increases the temperature of rocks

3. From the passage, we can conclude that     .

A．people will no longer consider building materials in the future

B．energy- saving buildings will become more popular in the future

C．almost all people will move into the houses heated by large rocks

D．energy engineers will devote themselves only to modern technology

8 . How often do you get uncomfortable? A couple of years ago I bought a shirt as part of an adoption fundraiser. The front of the shirt said, "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” That phrase has really resonated (产生共鸣) with me and has increasingly pushed me in many areas of my life so much that I really want 2018 to be a year when I challenge my comfort zone like never before.

I believe the best things in life come from stretching(延伸，伸展) ourselves and getting uncomfortable.

Take health and fitness, for example. It is so deliciously tempting (诱人的) to sit on the sofa and watch a favorite Netflix series with a favorite sweet or salty snack in hand. That is comfortable, and physically unhealthy when done repeatedly. A good heart-pounding, sweaty workout is uncomfortable in the moment, and physically and emotional strengthening when done repeatedly.

Here’s another example. My wife and I adopted a boy with Down syndrome in April 2016 to add to our family of three sons. It was a decision that we cautiously made and with some level of fear and wonder as to what would happen. While we are still very early in this lifetime journey with him and while the past nearly two years have been more challenging and harder than we certainly imagined, I have personally never felt so much peace, joy and energy. In the many sacrifices (牺牲) required to raise our wonderful son, I believe I have found so much more that would have otherwise been possible.

My goal is to stretch my comfort zone in all that I do as a husband, father, family member, and employee. We only live once and it will be done before we know it. I want to make as much difference as I can in the time that I have here before it all ends. And I really believe that begins with pushing past my comfort zone.

Perhaps you should challenge yourself to get uncomfortable and see where the adventure takes you.

1. What inspired the author to challenge his comfort zone?

A．Being an adoption fundraiser.	B．Some words on a shirt.
C．Being physically unhealthy.	D．The coming of 2018.

2. The author holds the view that his adopted son ______.

A．makes him happy and energetic	B．seldom brings trouble to his family
C．sets a good example for his other sons	D．hardly affects his lifetime journey

3. What does the author probably advise readers to do?

A．Treasure your comfortable zone.	B．Relax yourself by watching TV.
C．Solve problems by yourself.	D．Risk living an uncomfortable life.

4. How does the author mainly develop the text?

A．By setting down general rules.	B．By making comparisons.
C．By giving examples.	D．By presenting research findings.

9 . With around 100 students scheduled to be in that 9:00 am Monday morning lecture, it is no surprise that almost 20 people actually make it to the class and only 10 of them are still awake after the first 15 minutes; it is not even a surprise that most of them are still in their pajama’s(睡衣). Obviously, students are terrible at adjusting their sleep cycles to their daily schedule.

All human beings possess a body clock. Along with other alerting systems, this governs the sleep/wake cycle and is therefore one of the main processes which govern sleep behaviour. Typically, the preferred sleep/wake cycle is delayed in adolescents, which leads to many students not feeling sleepy until much later in the evenings. This typical sleep pattern is usually referred to as the “night owl” schedule of sleep.

This is opposed to the “early bird” schedule, and is a kind of disorder where the individual tends to stay up much past midnight. Such a person has great difficulty in waking up in the mornings. Research suggests that night owls feel most alert and function best in the evenings and at night. Research findings have shown that about 20 percent of people can be classified as “night owls” and only 10 percent can be classified as “early birds” ------ the other 70 percent are in the middle. Although this is clearly not true for all students, for the ones who are true night owls, this gives them an excellent excuse for missing their lectures which unfortunately fall before midday.

1. What does the author stress in Paragraph 1?

A．Many students are absent from class.

B．Students are very tired on Monday mornings.

C．Students do not adjust their sleep patterns well.

D．Students are not well prepared for class on Mondays.

2. Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2?

A．Most students prefer to get up late in the morning.

B．Students don’t sleep well because of alerting systems.

C．One’s body clock governs the sleep/wake cycle independently.

D．Adolescents’ delayed sleep/wake cycle isn’t the preferred pattern.

3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “classified”?

A．Criticized

B．Grouped

C．Organized

D．Named

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Functions of the body clock.

B．The “night owl” phenomenon.

C．Human beings’ sleep behaviour.

D．The school schedule of “early birds”.

10 . It was Molly’s job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag each morning before he headed off to work．
One morning, in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a second paper bag．This one was worn and held together with staples （订书钉） .
“Why two bags?” her father asked．“The other is something else,” Molly answered．“What’s in it?” “Just some stuff．Take it with you．”Not wanting to discuss the matter, he put both bags into his briefcase, kissed Molly and rushed off．At midday he opened             Molly’s bag and took out the contents: two hair ribbons（丝带）, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a tiny sea shell, a small doll, and 13 pennies… The busy father smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean into the wastebasket, Molly’s             stuff included．
That evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the paper．“Where’s my bag?” “What bag?” “The one I gave you this morning．” “I left it at the office．Why?” “I forgot to put this note in it,” she said．“And, besides, Daddy, the things in the sack are             the things I really like — I thought you might like to play with them．You didn’t lose the bag, did you, Daddy?” “Oh, no,” he said, lying．“I just forgot to bring it home．I’ll bring it tomorrow．” While Molly hugged her father’s neck, he unfolded             the note that read: “I love you, Daddy．” Molly had given him her treasures — all that a 7-year-old held dear．
Love in a paper bag, and he missed it — not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket．So back he went to the office．Just ahead of the night janitor（看门人）, he picked up the wastebasket．He put the treasures inside and carried it home carefully．The             bag didn’t look so good, but the stuff was all there and that’s what counted．
After dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in the sack．It took a long time to tell．Everything had a story or a memory．
“Sometimes I think of all the great times in this sweet life,” he thought．
We should all remember that it’s not the destination that counts in life, but the journey．That journey with the people we love is all that really matters．It is such a simple truth but it is so easily forgotten．
1. Why did Molly give her father a second bag?

A．She didn’t want to keep the things in the bag．

B．She hoped those things would bring happiness to her father．

C．She wanted to remind her father of the stories behind the things．

D．She enjoyed playing with her father．

2. How did father deal with the bag after he opened it?

A．He kept it in the drawer．

B．He took it back home．

C．He threw it into the wastebasket．

D．He put it on his table．

3. After father heard what his daughter said, he felt_____．

A．regretful	B．surprised
C．sad	D．satisfied

4. Which of the following is the most suitable title of the passage?

A．An important journey	B．Two bags
C．Father and daughter	D．Love in a paper bag