1 . You might have noticed that the ringing sound of basketballs was almost like the beat to a song. But did you know that it could be taken seriously as music?
The music group STOMP has taken everyday objects and turned them into instruments. The music it has created is a hit all over the world.
STOMP was formed by British musicians Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas. They met in the early 1980s when they were both working as buskers, the British term for street performers. Cresswell and McNicholas were part of a busking group called Pookiesnackenburger that became very popular throughout Britain.
Cresswell was a drummer (鼓手) for the group. Because they performed on the street, he could not set up a traditional drum set. Instead, he wore one drum that hung around his shoulders. To be able to make different sounds, Cresswell began beating on everyday objects that he could find during performances. This creative drumming led to the idea for STOMP.
STOMP made its first public appearance at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre in 1991. The performers used one-of-a-kind instruments, such as empty water bottles, basketballs, and matchboxes to create music. Wearing overalls and T-shirts, they danced around on a stage made to look like a closed warehouse (仓库). STOMP was a great success, winning many theater awards and drawing huge crowds (人群).
In 1994, STOMP came to the United States and played at the Orpheum Theater in New York City. Years later it is still playing there! To celebrate its ten-year anniversary (周年纪念), the then New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg renamed the street outside the theater STOMP Avenue.
STOMP has now toured all over the United States and most of the world. One reason STOMP is so popular is that anyone can enjoy it. There are no words or story. People from all cultures can understand it, no matter which language they speak.
1. What makes STOMP a special music group?| A．There are few words in its music. |
| B．It usually performs in warehouses. |
| C．The performers wear special clothes. |
| D．It uses everyday objects as instruments. |
| A．It was created in 1980. |
| B．It was formed in Britain. |
| C．It was named after a street. |
| D．It was part of Pookiesnackenburger. |
| A．Luke Cresswell. | B．A busking group. |
| C．Steve McNicholas. | D．Michael Bloomberg. |
a. STOMP began performing at the Orpheum Theater.
b. STOMP began performing at the Bloomsbury Theatre.
c. Michael Bloomberg named a street STOMP Avenue.
d. Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas worked as buskers.
| A．d-b-a-c. | B．d-a-b-c. |
| C．b-a-c-d. | D．b-a-d-c. |
2 . Being a young boy, I began to learn what people said was not always what they really meant or felt. And I knew it was possible to get others to do what I wanted if I read their real feelings and responded suitably to their needs. At the age of eleven, I sold rubber door-to-door after school and quickly worked out how to tell if someone was likely to buy from me. When I knocked on a door, if someone told me to go away but their hands were open and they showed their palms (the inside surfaces of their hands), I knew it was safe to continue because they weren't angry although they may have a dismissive(不屑的) attitude. If someone told me to go away in a soft voice but used a pointed finger or closed hand, I knew it was time to leave.
As a teenager, I became a salesperson, and my ability to read people earned me enough money to buy my first house. Selling gave me the chance to meet people and study them close and to know whether they would buy or not.
I joined the life insurance(保险)business at the age of twenty. And I went on to break several sales records for my company, becoming the youngest person to sell over a million dollars’ worth of business in my first year. This achievement allowed me to become a member of the well-known Million Dollar Round Table(MDRT), which recognizes the world’s top achievers in life insurance. I was lucky that the skills I’d learned as a boy in watching body language while selling could be used in this new area, and were directly related to the success I could have in any business closely connected with people.
1. Which of the following meant the author must give up the rubber sale?| A．A customer’s gentle voice. | B．A customer’s open palms. |
| C．A customer’s finger shape. | D．A customer’s sign of anger. |
| A．To prove the magic of his studying body language |
| B．To show off his unusual insurance-selling achievements |
| C．To attract more people to buy his life insurance |
| D．To simply let readers know about his good luck |
①He bought his first house
②He got the chance to meet people and watch body language
③He became a member of MDRT
④He broke the first sales record for the insurance company
| A．①②④③ | B．②①④③ | C．①④②③ | D．①④③② |
| A．The study of selling products. | B．The life insurance business.. |
| C．The research of body language. | D．The work for the MDRT |
| A．intelligent but overconfident | B．open-minded and determined |
| C．thinking and sharp-eyed | D．grateful and gentle |
3 . 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. |
4 . Eat like a king in the morning, a prince at noon, and a peasant at night. This saying is all about the importance of breakfast. And now scientists can tell us just why it’s so important. According to a study carried out at Imperial College London, UK, skipping the first meal of the day not only means you eat more at lunch, but also that your brain wants to find more unhealthy foods.
The study suggests that there is a special part of our brain called the orbitofrontal cortex, which plays an important part in making choices about what we eat. It is used for identifying the taste of food, especially when skipping breakfast. It is more likely to target high-calorie foods when you’re on an empty stomach.
Scientists did an experiment on this. Dr Tony Goldstone from Imperial College London, scanned the brains of 21 men and women, around the age of 25. On the first day, these people skipped breakfast before the scans. On the second day, they had cereal, bread and jam as breakfast. After the scan on both days, they had their lunch.
When the volunteers had skipped breakfast, they ate around 20 percent more at lunch, compared with days when they had eaten breakfast. Their brain scans also showed the orbitofrontal cortex was especially responsive to high-calorie foods. “We believe that bit identifies the value of foods — how pleasant, how delicious something is,” Goldstone told The Guardian.
1. From Paragraph 1, we learn that ________.| A．scientists found out why eating breakfast is important |
| B．it’s easy to lose weight without breakfast |
| C．there’s no need to have good food for supper |
| D．eating breakfast makes your brain smarter |
①The volunteers skipped breakfast. ②The volunteers had lunch.
③The volunteers had a brain scan.
| A．①②③ | B．③②① | C．①③② | D．③①② |
| A．of the usual breakfast | B．more than the usual breakfast |
| C．of the usual lunch | D．more than the usual lunch |
| A．Breakfast still most important | B．Three meals a day |
| C．Experiments on breakfast | D．Experiments on lunch |
We were both in great anger. “Never set foot in this house again!” stormed father. With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.
The street lights were shining, causing rather sad-feeling. I wandered aimlessly.
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me. I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and carefree.
But now … I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old. We differ in our ways of thinking. He always put his opinions and codes of behavior on me. Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.
I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind. My heart was frozen on this hot summer night. As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on th e streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company. When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived , I saw that the light was still on.
I thought to myself: “Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”
In fact, it was nothing. Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps. Perhaps he thought they were useless. I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps. I can’t stand his outrageous(蛮横的)words: “I can’t throw you away, let alone these old papers?”
All the lights were off except father’s.
Dad was always like this. Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself. After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret. After an argument he has the habit of creeping up in my sleep and then tucking me underneath the covers.
This was how he always was. He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.
The light was still on. “Am I wrong?” I whispered, maybe… With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been. At last, I decided to open the door. As soon as I opened the door tears ran down my cheeks. I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist(存在) at all. Love—it second to none.
1. Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage.
a. I opened the door and entered the house.
b. Sadly I ran out into the street.
c. I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.
d. I thought of my father’s kindness towards me.
e. I walked about in the street without any aim.
| A．b, e, d, c, a | B．b, e, c, d, a |
| C．b, e, a, c, d | D．b, e, c, a, d |
| A．The sight of the street lights. |
| B．The sight of the empty street. |
| C．The sight of a father with a child in his arms. |
| D．The sight of light in his own house. |
| A．perhaps the father is getting older and older. |
| B．perhaps the son has already grown up. |
| C．perhaps they never agree with each other. |
| D．perhaps the father has got used to doing that. |
| A．The father treats his son in an unfair way. |
| B．The father is actually kind to his son. |
| C．The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son. |
| D．The father is always finding fault with his son. |
6 . Stages of Hurricane: Simple Storms Grow Into Giants
A storm progresses through four different stages before it is actually considered a hurricane. First is a tropical disturbance (热带扰动), which has thunderstorms and rotating (旋转) winds. Next is a tropical depression (热带低气压), which is similar to a tropical disturbance, but has winds between 23 and 39 miles per hour. A tropical storm is the next level, which has stronger wind speeds between 40and 73 miles per hour. Once winds reach 74 miles per hour the storm is officially called a hurricane. The wind picks up energy from the warm surface ocean water.
As a hurricane crosses over land, it begins to become weaker or break apart and reduce in strength. This is because it is no longer over the warm ocean water that it needs for energy. At this point, a hurricane can still cause a lot of damage because of high winds, rain, and flooding. But unless it makes its way back over the open ocean, it is downgraded from a hurricane back to a tropical storm.
What’s Your Name, Hurricane?
Hurricanes and tropical storms are given names to help people recognize them. Scientists refer to hurricanes and storms by name as they track them across the ocean.
Before 1953, hurricanes were not given official names. From 1953 through 1978, hurricanes were only given female names, like Isabel, Camille, Claudette, and Wilma. Beginning in 1979, hurricanes were given the names of both women and men. Today, the names alternate male and female, and they are named in order of letters.
For example, in 2010, storms were named as follows: Alex (male), Bonnie (female), Colin (male), Danielle (female), Earl (male) and so on…
There are six different lists of names that change, so the same names are used every six years. The only way that a new name is added is when a hurricane has been particularly deadly or costly and the name is retired, then replaced with a new one.
1. Which of the following is the right order of stages of a hurricane?| A．Tropical depression, tropical disturbance, tropical storm, hurricane |
| B．Tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, hurricane |
| C．Tropical storm, tropical depression, tropical disturbance, hurricane |
| D．Tropical storm, tropical disturbance, tropical depression, hurricane |
| A．It breaks apart and forms tornadoes. | B．It returns to the ocean afterwards. |
| C．It moves more quickly. | D．It becomes less powerful. |
| A．take turns between | B．carry or |
| C．come from | D．cause trouble to |
| A．Six common hurricane names are often used. |
| B．An old name will be replaced every year. |
| C．Most of them are deadly and costly. |
| D．They didn’t have official names until 1953. |
7 . On a trip to India in 2012, Anirudh Sharma took a photo of a diesel generator (柴油发电机) blowing black soot (烟灰) against a white wall. That dark stain made Sharma, who was then a student in the Media Lab of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), think seriously about pollution—and also about coloring matters, like ink.
The black ink we use in our pens or in inkjet printers is essentially from soot. The technical term for the substance is “carbon black”, and it is the powder that remains after burning coal or oil. The powder is mixed with other chemicals to turn it into smooth, flowing black ink.
“So, if you can do it with soot, can we do the same with air pollution?” Sharma explains. “The black ink in the pen you use is made by burning fossil fuels. But you shouldn’t need to burn new fossil fuels just to make ink. Fossil fuels are already being burned.” If he could find a way, he thought, to catch the soot that produced that stain on the wall in his photograph, he could not only reduce the amount of pollution released into the air, but also turn it into something new, or perhaps something beautiful.
In 2014, following the completion of his Master’s degree at MIT, Sharma returned to India to focus fully on developing what would become a product called AIR-INK, the first commercial ink made entirely from air pollution. He and his team built a lab in a small garage in Bangalore to create a device that could catch air pollution at the source, in engines or factory machinery.
They first developed a filtering device called Kaalink that consisted of a steel container that could be attached to an exhaust pipe. Now Kaalink can filter air pollution from almost any source, and turn it into soot, which is then processed to form ink that can be used in AIR-INK pens and markers. Each marker holds about 30 milliliters of AIR-INK, which is equal to approximately 45 minutes of diesel car pollution.
The inventor would like AIR-INK to have practical applications, like in inkjet printers in offices, newsprint, or textbooks. “We’ve set up industries for our comfort, but the environment has to bear the price of it.” Sharma explains, adding that AIR-INK isn’t a complete solution to the world’s pollution problem. “It’s a start, and it can inspire several others to start looking at new forms of waste that are lying outside, unused.”
1. What inspired Sharma to make ink out of air pollution?| A．A photo he took in India. | B．The lack of ink in his studies. |
| C．The serious pollution in the U.S.. | D．His experiments in the laboratory. |
| A．It is a useful kind of fuel. | B．It is the main air pollutant. |
| C．It is the key component of ink. | D．It is usually in the form of a liquid. |
| A．Soot→exhaust pipe→Kaalink→AIR-INK | B．Soot→Kaalink→exhaust pipe→AIR-INK |
| C．Air pollutants→soot→Kaalink→AIR-INK | D．Air pollutants→Kaalink→soot→AIR-INK |
| A．It needs more tests. | B．It is costly but practical. |
| C．It helps raise environmental awareness. | D．It has gained the admiration of other inventors. |
8 . If you ever find yourself trapped in the wilderness without food, you'll have to figure out how to feed yourself. Many plants in the wild are edible, but many are also poisonous. So it is necessary to learn how to determine whether the plants you find can be eaten safely.
Avoid using this method without careful planning. Some plants can be deadly, and even if you follow these guidelines perfectly, there is always a chance that a plant will make you seriously ill. Prepare yourself for wilderness outings by learning about the local plants, and carry a guidebook to help you identify plants. Even if you are unprepared and cannot find food you know to be safe, remember that, depending on your activity level, the human body can go for days without food, and you’re better off being hungry than being poisoned.
Testing the plant in your mouth is dangerous, so go forward very slowly and carefully. First, hold a small portion of the prepared plant part against your lip for 3 minutes. Do not put the plant in your mouth. If you notice any burning, tingling (刺痛), or other reactions, discontinue testing. Second, place another small portion of the plant part on your tongue. Hold the plant on your tongue without chewing for 15 minutes. Discontinue testing if you notice any reaction. Third, chew the plant and hold it in your mouth for 15 minutes. Chew the plant well, and do not swallow. Discontinue testing if you notice any reaction. Fourth, swallow the small portion of the plant. Wait 8 hours. Do not eat or drink anything during this period except purified water. If you feel sick, immediately throw up what you eat and drink plenty of water. If activated charcoal (活性炭) is available, take that with the water.
1. What’s the meaning of the underlined world “edible” in paragraph 1?| A．Suitable for using as food. | B．Widely spread. |
| C．Existing in large quantities. | D．Not widely known. |
| A．Planning is unnecessary when using the method. |
| B．Not all plants in the wild can serve as food generally. |
| C．Suffering hunger can be more dangerous than testing plants. |
| D．Following the method perfectly can ensure safety. |
① wait and see ② chew it in the mouth③ put it on the tongue④ put it against lips ⑤ swallow it
| A．③④②①⑤ | B．④③②①⑤ | C．③④②⑤① | D．④③②⑤① |
| A．A student’s diary. |
| B．A science report. |
| C．A guide book for camping. |
| D．A doctor’ s notebook. |
9 . In Africa, Christmas Day begins with groups of carolers (欢唱颂歌的人) walking to and from through the village, along the roadway, by the houses of the missionaries (传教士), singing the lovely carols known to the world around. Often people may be awakened by a group of carolers beginning to gather at the house of worship(敬神活动). They return home to make final preparations as to the clothes one must wear and also as to their offering for the Christmas service.
The most important part of their Christmas worship service is the love offering. This is the gift in honor of Jesus. At about 8 or 9 o'clock everyone goes to the celebration of the birthday of Jesus. Everyone who attends the service goes forward to lay down their gift upon the raised platform near the Communion table. No one will attend the service without giving a gift.
Christmas in South Africa is a summer holiday. There is no snow, but it has many flowers, many beautiful varieties of wild flowers being in their full pride.
In Ghana, most churches show the coming of Christmas by decorating the church and homes beginning with the first week in Advent, four weeks before Christmas. This season happens to be the time of cocoa harvest, so it is a time of wealth. Everyone returns home from wherever they might be such as farms or mines.
In Africa, it is the traditional dinner of turkey, roast beef, mince pies, or suckling pig, yellow rice with raisins, vegetables, and plum pudding, crackers. In the afternoon, families go out into the country and usually there are games or bathing in the warm sunshine, and then home in the cool of the evening. Boxing Day is also a proclaimed (正式宣布的) public holiday usually spent in the open air. It falls on December 26 and is a day of real relaxation.
1. The purpose of this text is to ________.| A．persuade us to have a holiday in Africa |
| B．describe some important holidays in Africa |
| C．tell us how people celebrate Christmas in Africa |
| D．introduce to us when Christmas came into being |
| A．One must sing a carol on the platform. |
| B．One must appear in fantastic clothes. |
| C．Food is shared among carolers. |
| D．Everyone carries a gift to the scene. |
| A．the church and homes are being decorated |
| B．there are flowers all over the country |
| C．everyone returns home to harvest cocoa |
| D．it is snowing heavily everywhere |
| A．Christmas→ Boxing Day→Advent |
| B．Boxing Day→ Christmas→Advent |
| C．Christmas→ Advent→Boxing Day |
| D．Advent→Christmas→Boxing Day |
Nike
In the Greek myth, Nike is the goddess of victory and the source of inspiration for soldiers. This logo represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek goddess. Nike’s logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971 for $35, and was registered as a trademark in 1995.
McDonald’s
The logo was designed in 1962 by Jim Schindler to resemble the archshaped(拱形的) signs on the side of the company’s then walk-up hamburger stand. Later on, the two golden arches were combined together to form the M. The McDonald’s name was added to the logo in 1968.
Apple
There are different stories behind Apple’s logo. The first logo was a reference to the religious story of Adam and Eve, in which the apple represented the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. One year later, the second logo was designed in 1977 by Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne, and it described Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. This logo didn’t stay long. One year later it was replaced almost immediately by graphic designer Rob Janoff’s “rainbow apple”, a rainbow-colored silhouette(轮廓) of an apple with a bite taken out of it. And then the rainbow-colored apple was replaced by the one-colored logo in 1998. It has not been changed so far.
Mercedes Benz
The Mercedes Benz logo, which was originally created by Gottlieb Daimler in 1909, consists of a simple description of a three-pointed star that represents its rule of the land, the sea and the air. The company was founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. Mercedes is the name of Maybach’s elder daughter, while Benz came as a result of a combination with Benz, Cie and DMG in 1926.
Adidas
The Adidas logo, which was created by the founder of the company Adi Dassler, represents mountains, pointing towards the challenges that are seen ahead and goals that can be achieved. The logo was used for the first time in 1967.
1. What does the author think of the stories of the great logos?
| A．They are boring. | B．They are out of date. |
| C．They are attractive. | D．They are practical. |
| A．The goddess of victory. |
| B．The source of inspiration for soldiers. |
| C．The statue of the Greek goddess. |
| D．The wing of the Greek goddess. |
| A．the religious story of Adam and Eve |
| B．a bitten apple with only one color |
| C．Newton’s sitting under an apple tree |
| D．the rainbow-colored bitten apple |
| A．Nike’s logo | B．Apple’s logo |
| C．The Mercedes logo | D．The Adidas logo |
| A．Mercedes Benz –McDonald’s – Nike – Apple. |
| B．Nike – McDonald’s – Apple – Mercedes Benz. |
| C．McDonald’s – Apple – Nike – Mercedes Benz. |
| D．Nike – Mercedes Benz – McDonald’s – Apple. |
