1 . A ship that sank off the coast of California decades ago was recently reconstructed in detail. The 3D digital model even included hundreds of sponges (海绵动物) that have gathered on the ship’s surface since it sank.
Named American Heritage, the supply ship sank in Santa Monica Bay on May 4, 1995, and for decades its exact location was unknown. Researchers with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) spotted a strange shape in that area in 2008. But it wasn’t until May 2018 that MBARI scientists identified its exact location and mapped the site in detail, showing what appeared to be a shipwreck (失事船只).
Even then, the identity of the shipwreck was uncertain. Yet another MBARI team revisited the location to do further exploration. They sent remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and took photos of the damaged ship. Though it was covered with deep-sea sponges and other animals, the scientists were able to spot letters spelling out its name, confirming that the shipwreck was American Heritage.
As one of the MBARI scientists who found American Heritage, chief ROV pilot Knute Brekke had worked on the ship before. And he was on duty with the diving company American Pacific Marine — the owner of American Heritage — the night the ship began taking in water and eventually sank.
MBARI spokesperson Kim Fulton -Bennett said to Live Science about the discovery, “The model is not complete, as floating ropes and poor visibility kept the pilots from getting too close to the wreck. But the 3D reconstruction is detailed enough to show that American Heritage is now home to thousands of sponges. Shipwrecks often turn into the shelter for diverse communities of ocean life.”
1. What is the main idea of the text?| A．A valuable treasure was discovered. |
| B．Special sponges were found under sea. |
| C．3D model reconstructed a sunken ship. |
| D．A sunken ship was gotten out of water. |
① Something strange was found in the area.
② ROVs were sent under sea to take photos.
③ A ship sank in Santa Monica Bay.
④ The identity of the ship was confirmed.
⑤ Scientists tried to locate the shipwreck.
| A．②③⑤④① | B．③①⑤②④ |
| C．⑤③①④② | D．④③①②⑤ |
| A．He was familiar with the sunken ship. |
| B．He was in charge of a diving company. |
| C．He was responsible for the rescue work. |
| D．He was the first one to witness the accident. |
| A．Critical. | B．Doubtful. | C．Amazed. | D．Objective. |
2 . By the mid-1920s, Pablo Picasso, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. had been one of the most celebrated men .In 1957, when Pablo Picasso was in his seventh decade, he joked that x-ray technology might one day reveal a lost work underneath one of his early paintings. Today, that prediction became reality although the technology involved goes far beyond x-rays.
Using hyper-modern tools to peer into one of his Blue Period paintings, researchers have not only shown a hidden piece of art history in astonishing new detail, they have revealed a striking amount of insight into Picasso's creative process and style.
The investigation focused on"La Miséreuse accroupie, "or" Crouching Woman, "painted in 1902 and currently owned by the Art Gallery. The painting, an oil on canvas (画布) piece drawing a crouching (蜷坐的) woman who wears a long coat, shows Picasso’s typical Blue Period colors: grey, green, blue and white. It shows that the innovative modernist was inspired by the lines of an underlying landscape painted by an unknown artist.
The analysis also exposes several changes to the woman described in the painting,many of which Picasso ultimately abandoned. Researchers released their findings on Saturday’s press conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Austin, Texas. “We think now it's a landscape painted by someone enrolled at the fine arts academy in Barcelona, someone in Picasso’s orbit but not in his close circle, ”says Kenneth Brummel, assistant curator of modern art for the Art Gallery of Ontario.
As to why Picasso would have “recycled” another artist’s canvas(油画布), reasons could range from economic necessity, as a young artist still establishing himself, to deep inspiration driven by the lines of the image already laid down there. Picasso often re-used canvases for this reason."
“He didn't shave off the canvas or put a preparatory layer over it,” Brummel says.“ Picasso saw this landscape, found inspiration, and decided he was going to paint it immediately."
1. According to the text ,the most likely process of Picasso's painting?①Picasso reused another artist's canvas.
②Inspired by a landscape painting, Picasso decided to paint one too.
③Picasso painted a woman on the landscape painting.
④Not happy with the landscape, Picasso covered it totally.
⑤Picasso made changes to the woman
| A．②③④ | B．④②③ |
| C．①③⑤ | D．②①④ |
| A．He reused it because he hated wasting anything. |
| B．He hid his own paintings beneath the landscape. |
| C．He took the advantage of it and created a new one. |
| D．He kept it to himself with the permission of its owner. |
| A．People often celebrated Picasso’s success. |
| B．Picasso was not well-off when he started his career. |
| C．Picasso became successful overnight. |
| D．Picasso was good at imitating other artists’ works. |
| A．Picasso's predication turned out to be joke. |
| B．High technology uncovered art mysteries. |
| C．Seeing is not always believing. |
| D．Lost Artwork Found Under Famous Picasso Painting. |
3 . Silvano Lattanzi, the master of made — in — Italy shoemaking, was totally conquered by a painting hung in the entrance hall of the very modem Rich Gate, the luxury district in Shanghai.
The painting, before which he knelt down to show his admiration, is the Rich Gale Rose painted by Liu Linghua. who's known as the “Chinese Van Gogh".
It was in May 2016 that Lattanzi first met Liu Linghua who was working on his 15-square-meter great piece. Lattanzi, from the country where Renaissance began, saw the painting accidentally and was immediately impressed by its beauty. He told others that he never imagined that western oil-painting techniques could be developed so well by a Chinese and that this was the best painting he had ever seen.
In the eyes of westerners, Lattanzi is a great master of shoemaking, fashion and arts. His admiration for the Rich Gate Rose well shows the high level of Liu’s painting. Ever since this, the two art masters of different nationalities, different ages and different cultural backgrounds have forged a profound friendship.
When Lattanzi came back to China six months later with the pair of shoes he made for Liu, he insisted on delivering the shoes to Liu himself. The two friends met again al the Rich Gale and Liu Linghua presented an embroidery （刺绣）of his master work The Drunken Beauty in return.
Liu expressed repeatedly that his works should be explained by painting and not the words of compliments. He does not care about the titles, though he is on par with the greatest painters. A leading light or a grand master of art, Liu pays little attention to it. Liu thinks actions are more important than words.
1. We can know from the passage that ______.| A．Lattanzi specially came to see the painting |
| B．Lattanzi is best at oil painting in Europe |
| C．Liu presented an oil painting to Lattanzi in return |
| D．the Rich Gate Rose is an excellent oil painting |
| A．He thinks his works are worthy of the compliments. |
| B．He cares much about the compliments. |
| C．He thinks the words can encourage him all the time. |
| D．He thinks the words can't well explain his works. |
| A．no better than | B．different from |
| C．as good/important as | D．ahead of |
a. Silvano Lattanzi and Liu Linghua became true friends.
b. Silvano Lattanzi knelt down in front of the Rich Gate Rose.
c. Liu Linghua presented Silvano Lattanzi an embroidery.
d. Liu Linghua met Silvano Lattanzi for the first time.
e. Silvano Lattanzi came back to China and met Liu Linghua again at the Rich Gate with the shoes he made for Liu.
| A．e-d-a-c-b | B．a-c-b-d-e |
| C．b-e-d-a-c | D．b-d-a-e-c |
| A．Chinese Van Gogh. | B．Friendship between Masters. |
| C．Western Oil Painting. | D．A Shoemaking Master. |
4 . We all know that eating junk food can make us fat. However, a new study suggests that it can do more than that—it can also make us lazy.
In the study, researchers at the University of California, divided 32 female rats into two groups. The first group was fed a diet of healthy food such as corn and fish, while the second was given a diet of highly processed food rich in sugar, namely “junk food”.
Within three months, the rats in the second group were already much fatter than those on the healthy diet. And when researchers trained the rats to do simple tasks, they found even more differences between the two groups rather than weight.
During the task—pushing a lever (杠杆) to receive a reward of sugar water—the rats on the junk food diet were found to be less willing to move, and they took longer breaks between each push than the lean (瘦的) rats did.
“It is as if the rat is thinking ‘This is too much work’,” Aaron Blaisdell, leader of the study.
But what about the possibility that the fat rats were less passionate about getting sugar water because they were already eating lots of sugar in their daily diet? That’s why researchers repeated the tests by rewarding fat rats with plain water when they were extremely thirsty. However, the results came out just the same.
The experiment didn’t end there. After six months, the rats’ diets were switched, and the overweight rats were given a healthy diet for nine days. However, this change didn’t help reduce their weight or improve their ability to perform tasks, which means the effects of their junk food diet continued. “There’s no quick fix.” said Blaisdell.
For a long time, we’ve believed that people become fat because they are lazy. But this study has proven the opposite to be true as well, which indicates that laziness and obesity (肥胖) are a “vicious cycle (恶性循环)”.
So, if you constantly feel tired, lacking any urge to get up from your chair, it could be that you’ve been studying too hard. But you should also pay attention to your diet.
1. What is the correct order of the research?a. Researchers changed the rats’ diet.
b. Researchers divided 32 female rats into two groups.
c. Within three months, rats on junk food were much fatter that rats on healthy food.
d. Researchers rewarded fat rats with plain water when they were extremely thirsty.
| A．bcda. | B．badc. |
| C．bacd. | D．bcad. |
| A．Most females are probably finding it hard to say no to junk food. |
| B．Sugar in water as well as in junk food serves the same vicious role in making us fat. |
| C．Your diet means most to you if you feel tired and don’t want to move from your chair. |
| D．There is no short cut for losing weight and overcoming laziness after eating too much junk food. |
| A．relaxed | B．concerned |
| C．optimistic | D．passive |
| A．People | B．Entertainment Weekly. |
| C．Science and Life. | D．Economists. |
5 . I wandered into the small store where I usually buy milk，when the store owner received a call from a customer. The customer and his wife had shopped there several months earlier. He noticed that his wife really liked one thing in the store，so he wanted to buy it as a surprise.
But the customer was in Tennessee，far away from the store which was in Maine. What was more，he had been to the store several months earlier，and it was difficult to believe that the store owner would remember him，or what he was looking for.
The store owner took a few close-up photos with her camera，and e-mailed them to the customer on the computer. The customer looked at the photos，and decided which one he wanted. They talked and discussed a price over the phone. She took care of the credit card transaction (交易) online，and promised the gift would be shipped out that afternoon.
The store owner was really smart. She was willing to push herself to find new ways to make the transaction actually happen. And it did work. However，it was the first time she had ever done it.
I was amazed that the store owner discovered a creative solution that could lead to a new way of doing business. I was impressed by what she did—so easily，but how difficult it is for many of us to make that leap (飞跃). I'm not just talking about technology，but about learning how to adapt to change. Most people hate or fear change unless they get to know exactly what change needs to be made. However，we should realize that challenge and opportunity go hand in hand.
1. According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE？| A．The customer had ever been to the store before. |
| B．The owner often did business by using her camera. |
| C．The owner and the customer discussed the price on the computer. |
| D．The gift was sent out by train that afternoon. |
| A．she was always ready to help others |
| B．she told the writer how to run a store |
| C．she managed to find a new way when facing change |
| D．she was a successful businesswoman |
a. e-mailing the photos to the customer on the computer
b. taking care of the credit card transaction online
c. taking a few close-up photos with her camera
d. talking about the price of the gift with the customer
| A．bcda |
| B．abcd |
| C．cabd |
| D．cadb |
| A．Tumorous |
| B．Creative |
| C．Confident |
| D．Honest |
6 . O. Henry, born in Greensboro, North Carolina, was the pen name of William Sydney Porter. His father, Algernon Sidney Porter, was a physician. When William was three years old, his mother died, and he was raised by his grandmother and aunt. William was a good reader, but at the age of fifteen he left school, and worked in a drug store and later on a Texas farm. After that, he moved to Houston, where he had a number of jobs, including that of bank clerk. After moving to Austin, Texas, in 1882, he married.
In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone. When the weekly failed, he joined The Houston Post as a reporter and columnist (专栏作家)．In 1897 he was put into prison over some financial (财务的) dealings. While in prison, William started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret. His first work, Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking (1899), appeared in McClure’s Magazine. After serving three years of the five years’ sentence, he changed his name to O. Henry, hoping to forget his bitter past.
O. Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World, and also published the stories in other magazines. His first collection, Cabbages and Kings, appeared in 1904. Many other works quickly followed, such as The Gift of the Magi and The Furnished Room. O. Henry’s best known work is The Ransom of Red Chief. His stories always have surprising endings. He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime.
O. Henry’s last years were shadowed by drinking, ill health, and financial problems. In 1907, he experienced a failed marriage. In 1910, O. Henry died after an illness.
1. What’s the passage mainly about?| A．A brief introduction to O.Henry. |
| B．O.Henry’s career and marriage. |
| C．How O.Henry became a wellknown writer. |
| D．O.Henry’s best known works. |
| A．didn’t like to study during his childhood |
| B．had little parental love as a child |
| C．was very interested in medicine and farming |
| D．took up only one job after he moved to Houston |
①He moved to New York City.
②He joined The Houston Post.
③Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking came out.
④The Furnished Room came out.
⑤Cabbages and Kings appeared.
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．②①③⑤④ | C．③②①④⑤ | D．②③①⑤④ |
| A．Cabbages and Kings. | B．The Gift of the Magi. |
| C．The Furnished Room. | D．The Ransom of Red Chief. |
7 . One day in March, seven years ago, during happy hours at a bar in my hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas, I made a surprise announcement to my friends: I was going to shut down my law practice and attempt to travel around the globe in a year. What’s more, I would do it without taking any flights or making a single advance reservation (预定) of any kind. My announcement drew mixed reactions from my friends. Some offered support and encouragement, while others were more doubtful.
Once I had said the words, there was no turning back. I took months to shut down my law practice and get things in order. Once I set off on my adventure in December 2008, I found travelling without using planes was not easy. Trying to circle the globe in 16 months (it took me a bit longer than the initial 12 months I planned) made it even harder. Even so, travelling overland was the most amazing way to truly understand the immensity (浩瀚无际) of our wonderful planet.
I took three consecutive (连续) overnight buses to travel 3,000 km through Argentina, from Ushuaia to the capital Buenos Aires. I would look out of the windows for hours continuously at the completely plains, as if humans had never touched it.
It took seven consecutive days and nights on trains to get from Moscow to Beijing, each day spent staring out of the windows for hours as the Siberian plains swept by. Sometimes, I wouldn’t see a village or a human being for 10 hours. Later in my journey, it took 22 days on a cargo freighter (货船) to get from New Zealand through the Panama Canal and back to Philadelphia, to finish my round-the-world adventure.
It turned out that travelling with no reservations was far less difficult than I had imagined. Pulling into a city on a bus with a backpack, looking in a guidebook for a few suggestions of accommodations (住所), and then finding an empty room was never much of problem anywhere. It also kept me flexible (灵活) and open about all my travel plans, which is advice I give everyone who asks—plan for less than you think you should.
1. The author’s trip was special in that ________.| A．he made it at the expense of giving up his job |
| B．it hardly cost him anything |
| C．he did not make advance booking or travel by air |
| D．It was a global trip |
| A．Jane 2009 | B．December 2009 |
| C．February 2010 | D．April 2010 |
① Moscow
② Philadelphia
③ New Zealand
④ Ushuaia
⑤ Beijing
⑥ Buenos Aires
| A．⑤④①⑥③② | B．④⑥①⑤③② |
| C．④⑤①⑥③② | D．⑤①⑥④③② |
| A．Challenging but pleasant. | B．Dangerous but wonderful. |
| C．Boring and disappointing. | D．Costly and painful. |
8 . Recently, Whitewater Middle School students in the US looked at 200 pounds (90.7 kg) of food. Their classmates threw it away after a meal in the cafeteria. They found the remains of pizzas. They saw untouched green salads and pieces of bread bitten only once. It was，they said, both disgusting and educational.
"You don't realize how much food waste you're making till you see it," said student Cody Gist.
To deal with this problem, Whitewater added environmental science as a school-wide program this year. Teachers are guiding their students through research on the ways food is linked to environment, poverty, and people's health.
The school changed to compostable (可用作堆肥的)paper trays (托盘)as well. Working with Every Tray Counts, a US nonprofit group, the school hopes for a change from disposable trays to compostable paper trays.
This isn't just an exercise at school. Whitewater is joining a network of schools, businesses and neighborhoods. They try to make composting as mainstream as recycling.
"The larger issue is protection of landfill (垃圾填埋场)space," said Laurette Hall, an environmental management official. The area has enough space to last for maybe 25 more years, she said. That isn't as much as it sounds in such a rapidly growing area.
Principal Beth Thompson said students advise each other on new ways to deal with trash.
"Students understand why it matters so not one student refused to do extra work when throwing away their waste," Thompson said.
Whitewater teachers make sure students know how their own eating habits are part of bigger problems. In environmental literature class, students read books such as Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal.
Mollie Lyman works with several language arts classrooms. Their classes discuss such issues as how poor neighborhoods often have less access (使用权)to healthy food.
Lyman says she wants students to ask some basic questions: "What do we eat? What do we waste?”
1. Why did Whitewater Middle School students look at the food?| A．To prepare students for the environmental science course. |
| B．To find out the calories of different kinds of food. |
| C．To see how food was connected with other problems. |
| D．To check what foods were most popular among students. |
① Introducing a new course about the environment.
② Using compostable paper trays in the cafeteria.
③ Setting up a group called Every Tray Counts.
④ Joining others to make composting common.
| A．①②④ | B．①②③ | C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．People don't want to protect landfill space. |
| B．Students don't know how to recycle trash. |
| C．There won't be enough landfill space in the future. |
| D．Students don't understand the waste problem. |
| A．To tell readers how important it is to save food. |
| B．To share how a US school is making an effort for the environment. |
| C．To encourage schools to have environmental protection classes. |
| D．To call on students to care about poor people. |
9 . Like many little school girls, Savannah Hart was given the chance to take home her class “pet” — in this case, a sweetly tattered(破烂的) toy monkey named Harriet.
What happened next could be the subject of a children’s storybook: the 5-year-old from Australia took Harriet on a summer trip to Buckingham Palace when things went wrong.
While visiting Queen Elizabeth’s home, the little girl misplaced the toy, and her family assumed(假定) that Harriet would be forever stuck at the bottom of the palace’s lost property collection. But after a teacher at Savannah’s school, Woodside Preschool in Australia, wrote a letter to the Queen to see if the well-worn Harriet could be located, determined palace employees set to work to find it.
Helped by the letter and photos taken during the monkey’s tour around the U.K. with Savannah’s family, Harriet was found and returned to Savannah. But Harriet didn’t come back alone on the 9,000-mile journey from London to Australia — the monkey was also accompanied by Rex, a stuffed corgi dog sent from the palace.
Before leaving the U.K., Harriet even spent some time helping out with palace tours and was given the royal treatment.
“We aim to give every visitor to Buckingham Palace a memorable experience, and after we had found Harriet the monkey near the Family Pavilion(亭，阁), she spent some time helping out the Visitor Services team before heading home,” said a spokesperson for the Royal Collection, which runs the visitor experience at Buckingham Palace over the summer. “We hope Harriet enjoyed telling Rex the corgi dog about her adventures on the journey back to Australia.”
1. According to the text, what can be learned about Harriet?| A．Harriet is Savannah’s home pet. |
| B．Harriet is a sweetly tattered toy dog. |
| C．Harriet has been to the U.K.. |
| D．Harriet has a teacher named Woodside. |
| A．A teacher and her family | B．A teacher and the palace employees |
| C．Her family and the Queen | D．All of them. |
a. Savannah’s teacher wrote a letter to ask for help.
b. Savannah took Harriet on a summer trip to Buckingham Palace.
c. The palace employees set to work to find Harriet.
d. Harriet was given the royal treatment and came back with Rex.
e. Savannah misplaced Harriet and her family thought it would be never seen.
| A．beacd | B．daecb |
| C．dceba | D．adcbe |
| A．Harriet spent some time helping out the Visitor Services team |
| B．Harriet took Rex back together with him and enjoyed telling him stories. |
| C．Whoever visits Buckingham Palace will have a memorable experience. |
| D．The Buckingham Palace employees aim to provide visitors with good service. |
10 . In the office of the German prime minister Angela Merkel, there is a picture of Catherine the Great, the legendary (传奇的) Russian Empress. When asked why she has the picture, Merkel says, "She was a strong woman". Many say the same of Merkel.
The most powerful woman in the world, according to US Forbes magazine, was in China last week. She came to discuss trade and environmental issues with China's top leaders. Germany's first woman leader is known as a brave and practical statesman (政治家).
Even since her time at school, she had the habit of getting everything in order. Every day before doing her homework she would clean the desk and think about what to do next. "I prefer a long time for full preparations to make my decision. But once I decide, I will stand up for what I believe, "Merkel said. Perhaps it was good habits that helped her do well in her studies. At 32, she got a doctor degree in physics and then she worked as a researcher.
However, the life of a scholar couldn't put off her love of politics. While working in labs, Merkel took time off to read political books and at last joined a political party. "Her calmness helped her stand out in the party. She could always find a way out while others felt hopeless," said one of her old friends.
In her first big political job as Minister for the Environment in 1994, her scientific background proved very useful. In 2005 she became Germany's youngest prime minister since the second World War.
Now half way through her four-year term, the 53-year-old woman has made a name for herself both in Germany and abroad. At the EU summit (欧盟峰会) in 2005 when France quarreled with Britain over the EU budget (预算), some people believed the EU was close to breaking down. But Merkel didn't give up. She shuttled (穿梭) between the heads of the two powers and had them reached an agreement.
"Strength comes from composure (镇定) and courage. Many people say I am a strong woman. But I would rather say I have perseverance, "said Merkel.
1. Why does Merkel put a picture of Catherine the Great on the wall of her office? ______| A．Because Catherine the Great is beautiful. |
| B．Because Merkel wants to be a strong woman too. |
| C．Because Merkel likes the drawing skill of it. |
| D．Because it is very expensive. |
a. became the German Chancellor (总理)
b. got a doctorate (博士学位) in physics and then she worked as a researcher
c. joined a political party
d. took part in the EU summit
e. worked as Minister for the Environment
| A．bcade | B．cbdae | C．bcead | D．cbaed |
| A．Merkel usually hurries to make a decision when facing difficulties. |
| B．At the EU summit in 2005, the relationship between French and Britain was in tension (紧张). |
| C．Merkel is a well-known leader all over the world. |
| D．She is outstanding because of her calmness. |
| A．An excellent lecturer | B．Germany's iron lady |
| C．The change of a scholar | D．The youngest chancellor |
