1 . The Day My Father Almost Drowned Me
Dad used to be a devoted fisherman. He tried to get me interested as well, but it never seemed much fun to me. The line always seemed to tangle（缠结），the worms（虫）would not hold still, the hooks （挂钩）were sharp, and Dad always seemed to want to go someplace far away, so that you had to get up in the middle of the night.
One time when I was about ten years old, my dad took me fishing to the American Falls reservoir （I think that's where it was. Our neighbor Wayne Booth had built a kayak （皮船），which was painted bright blue, and Dad thought we could row out onto the reservoir（划到水库）and catch some fish. I don’t remember whether we caught any fish or not. I think I was having more fun rowing the kayak, which is rowed facing forward with a double-ended oar（船桨）,unlike an ordinary row-boat, which I never liked because you couldn't see where you were going. But mid-afternoon the wind came up a little. We were maybe a hundred feet from shore, when the wind caught my hat and blew it into the water just a few feet away. Dad said, “Don't worry. I'll get it!" and reached out for the hat.
Now, a kayak is a very skillfully balanced thing, and Dad's reaching for the hat was just enough to upset the balance and tip us over. I didn't know how to swim yet, and thought I was a goner. Dad did, too, I think, because he was grabbing for me madly until we realized that the water was only about four feet deep.
Mother was not too pleased when we got home, soaking wet, and I think she thought Dad was creating the story a little so that it wouldn't sound like he had really almost drowned（溺死）me.
1. How many people are mentioned in the passage?| A．Two. | B．Three. |
| C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．He was good at swimming. |
| B．He was hard on the writer. |
| C．He was into making up a story. |
| D．He was a man fond of fishing. |
a. Dad grabbed for me madly. b. Our neighbor built a kayak.
c. Dad and I fell into water. d. My hat was blown into the water.
| A．a, b, c, d | B．b, d, c, a | C．c, d, a, b | D．b, a, d, c |
| A．He was going to be saved. | B．He was going to be drowned. |
| C．He was going to be beaten. | D．He was lucky to leave. |
2 . As e-cigarettes become more popular, fewer people are taking up smoking traditional cigarettes. But can e-cigarettes, an electronic nicotine delivery system, help people quit smoking altogether? The answer is probably yes. A study led by Matthew Carpenter, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina found that e-smokers tend to smoke less and have increased quit attempts.
In the pilot study, Carpenter evaluated e-cigarettes in terms of usage, product preference, changes in smoking behaviors and nicotine exposure. Ninety subjects were evaluated：45 were randomized to use e-cigarettes, and 45 were randomized to a control group. Everyone was followed over a period of four months. The study was published in Cancer Epidemiology in November and is one of the few randomized studies in the U. S. to examine the effects of e-cigarettes.
Results showed that when smokers were given e-cigarettes, uptake was strong. Many participants rated the e-cigarettes similar to their usual product, suggesting that e-cigarettes might give smokers a suitable alternative to combustible（燃烧的）cigarettes. E-cigarettes offer significantly less exposure to harmful toxicants and therefore are safer. People using e-cigarettes throughout the study smoked an average of 37 percent fewer cigarettes, as compared to those in the control group, showing a positive effect when making the switch and potentially serving as a tool to help smokers quit.
That's good news for Carpenter and his colleagues. Smoking is the leading cause of cancer and has a negative impact on the effectiveness of cancer treatments. People who quit smoking, regardless of their ages, have substantial gains in life expectancy（预期寿命）compared with those who continue to smoke.
Carpenter cautions that while e-cigarettes may help people smoke less or even quit, they are not for everyone. "It is important to protect non-smokers, particularly adolescents, from starting any nicotine-containing product. "
More than 1,500 varieties of e-cigarettes are now available, including different looks, high-tech power settings and many flavors. All these make them more appealing to kids. In fact, e-cigarettes are more popular than conventional cigarettes among youth. "All these should raise our alarm bells," he said.
E-cigarettes were only recently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Largely manufactured overseas, the quality control process varies, he says. Without enough information to answer the long-term public health issues of e-cigarettes, researchers like Carpenter are aware of the importance of further studies on the latest tobacco trends. Combustible cigarettes have been around for many decades. E-cigarettes have not, and the science has a lot of questions left to answer, he said.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about Professor Carpenter's experiment on e-cigarettes?| A．The test groups include conventional smokers, e-smokers and non-smokers. |
| B．E-cigarettes expose smokers to fewer poisonous substances. |
| C．Many participants don't think e-cigarettes as good as traditional ones. |
| D．It is one of the few studies to test the effects of smoking. |
| A．most e-cigarette smokers will finally give up smoking |
| B．there are more e-smokers than traditional smokes in the USA |
| C．many adolescents are attracted to e-cigarettes due to their low prices |
| D．carpenter is worried about the e-cigarettes' popularity among children |
| A．E-cigarettes are faced with many problems and need more study. |
| B．The U. S. government should strengthen its regulation over e-cigarettes. |
| C．Smokers should be cautious because of e-cigarettes' low quality. |
| D．Researchers are concerned about e-cigarettes' harm to people's health. |
（①to ⑦represent Paragraphs 1 to 7）
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
3 . Zoos have been around for centuries — and they’ve changed a lot over the years. In the Middle Ages, wealthy people kept animals in their gardens. Public animal parks appeared in European cities in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The Philadelphia Zoo, the first in the United States, opened in 1874.
Until a few decades (十年) ago, most zoos were organized by creatures — monkeys in one area, cats in another, birds somewhere else, just like museum collections. In recent years, zoos have instead begun grouping animals that would normally interact (互相作用) in the wild. Moreover, instead of closing animals behind bars, designers are creating landscapes like the environments in which these creatures would naturally be found. Nearby signs provide information about the animals and their habitats in parts of the world where they normally live.
The Denver Zoo’s new Predator Ridge exhibit, for example, aims to teach visitors about Africa. Eight acres of land provide homes for 14 animal species, including lions, porcupines, cranes, and wild dogs. Plants from the region grow alongside African-like landform. Ten-foot-tall mounds (土墩) give lions a place from which to survey their surroundings, just as they would do in the wild.
Landscape design makes visitors to the Denver Zoo’s Predator Ridge exhibit feel like they’re really in Africa.
Animals in Predator Ridge can’t actually be mixed with one another, for safety reasons. But hidden deep channels and other smart features allow visitors to see all the animals at once. Different species can see each other too.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．The safety problem of zoos. |
| B．The living habits of zoo animals. |
| C．Changes of zoos over the time. |
| D．Protection of zoo animals. |
a. Different species were kept in a group.
b. Zoos were organized by species.
c. Natural environments were created in zoos.
d. Animals were kept in people’s gardens.
| A．b; d; c; a | B．d; a; c; b | C．b; d; a; c | D．d; b; a; c |
| A．protect the safety of visitors |
| B．create a natural environment for lions |
| C．separate lions from other animals |
| D．offer visitors a better view of lions |
| A．the Denver Zoo | B．the Predator Ridge exhibit |
| C．Africa | D．the ten-foot-tall mounds |
| A．the earliest zoos were probably rich people’s gardens |
| B．the Philadelphia Zoo is the first zoo in the world |
| C．the new Predator Ridge exhibit is held in Africa |
| D．more animals will be kept in zoos in the future |
Dr. Robert White, a famous professor and doctor, thinks he knows a way to help. He thinks doctors should make the brain very cold. If it is very cold, the brain can live without blood for 30 minutes. This gives the doctor a longer time to do something for the brain.
Dr. White tried his idea on 13 monkeys. First he taught them to do different jobs, then he operated on them. He made the monkeys' blood go through a machine. The machine cooled the blood. Then the machine sent the blood back to the monkeys' brains. When the brain' s temperature was 10°C, Dr. White stopped the blood to the brain. After 30 minutes he turned the blood back on. He warmed the blood again. After their operations the monkeys were like they had been before. They were healthy and busy. Each one could still do the jobs the doctor had taught them.
1. The biggest difficulty in operating on the damaged brain is that _______.
| A．the time is too short for doctors |
| B．the patients are often too nervous |
| C．the damage is extremely hard to fix |
| D．the blood-cooling machine might break down |
| A．taking the blood out of the brain |
| B．trying the operation on monkeys first |
| C．lowering the brain' s temperature |
| D．having the blood go through a machine |
a. send the cooled blood back to the brain
b. stop the blood to the brain
c. have the blood cooled down
d. operate on the brain
| A．a,b,c,d | B．c,a,b,d |
| C．c, b, d, a | D．b, c, d, a |
| A．can last as long as 30 minutes |
| B．can keep the brain's blood warm |
| C．can keep the patient's brain healthy |
| D．can help monkeys do different jobs |
5 . An upset little boy wanted to meet God. He thought it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman sitting on a park bench alone. The boy sat next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to drink his root beer when he thought that the old lady might be hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling.
As dusk fell, the boy got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God”
Meanwhile, the old woman, also returned to her home with joy. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, “Mom, what did you do today that made you so happy?” She replied, “I ate potato chips with God.”
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
1. What is the right order of the story?a. The boy shared food with the old woman
b. The boy came across an old woman
c. The boy set out to meet God
d. The boy arrived home and surprised his mother.
e. The boy hugged the old woman.
| A．c-b-a-d-e | B．c-b-a-e-d |
| C．b-a-c-e-d | D．b-d-e-c-a |
| A．Forget. | B．Praise |
| C．Ignore | D．Support |
| A．To introduce a kind boy who helped an old woman. |
| B．To describe a moving story between a boy and an old woman. |
| C．To inform us that the boy and the woman are God. |
| D．To remind us that little act of kindness can make a difference. |
6 . The story is little known, but the anthologist Allie Esiri stumbled across it while researching her new book.“It's extraordinary that it may have been Shakespeare's words that jolted he guard's humanity," she said.
After the Holocaust(大屠杀) Eva was reunited with her boyfriend, Jan. They married, moved to the US and both taught chemistry at Illinois University, Yet none of that might have happened had she not been cast in A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1944. Eva never got to appear in the show as she was driven to the Theresienstadt ghetto Czechoslovakia, where 33,000 died. But it was there that she met the love of her life.
Now 95, Jan still remembers falling in love with the girl he saw helping elderly people with their luggage as they arrived. He read poetry with her and Eva would recite the lines she never got to perform. “Shakespeare was a very important part of her life. I loved hearing her recite it,”he said.
Months later Eva was saying those lines again in the Polish winter. By then, she had lost her father at Auschwitz. She and her mother were assessed by Dr. Josef Mengele and had been sent to the Kurzbach labor camp. It was there that a guard she knew as Suchy heard her lines as Titania.“He seemed to be listening to my recitations,” Eva wrote in her memoir.
The mere act of him talking to her was forbidden but Eva also noted that he spoke to her with the polite form of“you” in German. Mr. Rocek said that Suchy had no ulterior motive.“He never tried in the slightest to touch her or anything,” he said. The guard kept a watchful eye over Eva and her mother, particularly when the inmates were marched toward the Gross-Rosen concentration camp. Knowing this was a path to death, Suchy approached Eva's mother Anna early one morning and told them to escape. Eva, Anna and three others fled into the woods.
Esiri, who includes the story in her book Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year, says:“You wouldn't think those conversations in concentration camps had any human moments.”Michael Dobson, professor of Shakespeare studies at Birmingham University, said: “It's what culture's for. To provide channels of communication between people even in the hardest circumstances.”Eva and Jan were married from 1947 until her death in 2015, aged 87. He said:“We saw A Midsummer Night's Dream whenever we had a chance.”
1. Put the following events in the correct order.a. Eva and Jan moved to the US and taught in a university,
b. Eva met Jan and lost her heart to him.
c. Eva's father passed away at Auschwitz.
d. Eva was forced to leave for Czechoslovakia.
e. Eva and her mother were sent to the Kurzbach labor camp.
| A．b d e c a | B．d b c e a |
| C．d b e c a | D．b d c e a |
| A．Eva served hard labor in Kurzbach labor camp. |
| B．Eva performed in A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1944. |
| C．Only Eva and her mother successfully escaped. |
| D．Suchy loved Eva because of their common interest. |
| A．hidden | B．strong |
| C．profit | D．prime |
| A．To arouse readers' sympathy for the victims in concentration camps. |
| B．To highlight the precious humanity that shone even in total darkness. |
| C．To condemn the Nazis who had no mercy on people in concentration camps. |
| D．To describe concentration camps as places where people showed no humanity. |
| A．Helpful and proud | B．Romantic and sensitive |
| C．Optimistic and brave | D．Sociable and knowledgeable |
| A．A romantic story starting with Shakespeare |
| B．Literature: a channel of communication |
| C．Shakespeare: a reminder of humanity |
| D．The Jewish girl saved by Shakespeare |
7 . Scientists estimate that over 500 million species have died out throughout evolution. Here is a list of 4 incredible extinct animals.
Pinta Island Tortoise
| The giant tortoise of Pinta lived on the island Pinta of the Galapagos Islands,Ecuador. By the end of the nineteenth century,most of the Pinta Island tortoises had been wiped out due to hunting. The last known individual was a male named Lonesome George who died on 24 June 2012. In his later years,he was considered the rarest animal in the world. |
Falkland Islands Wolf
| The Falkland Islands wolf was the only native land mammal of the Falkland Islands. The animal was hunted for his beautiful fur,and the shepherds(牧羊人），considering it a threat to the sheep,poisoned him. On the islands,there were no forests in which the species could take shelter,and its lack of fear towards man made it easy prey to kill. The last known individual died in the late 19th century on the western island. |
Caucasian Wisent
| The Caucasian wisent which went extinct in 1926 inhabited(栖息）the Caucasus mountains. In 1910 their numbers were estimated in the hundreds. When state authority collapsed after the First World War,the remaining population fell victim to hunters. The decline can also be contributed to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that was introduced with cattle. |
Javan Tiger
| The Javan tiger is an extinct subspecies of the tiger that was native to the Indonesian island of Java. Very little data was gathered about their behavior before they were driven to extinction. The reduction of its two main prey species,and the modification of its habitat led to the extinction of the subspecies in the 1980s. |
1. According to the passage,which shows the correct order of the animals' extinction?
① Pinta Island tortoise ② Falkland Islands wolf
③ Caucasian wisent ④Javan tiger
| A．②③①④ | B．②③④① |
| C．③②④① | D．③④②① |
| A．Pollution. | B．Disease. |
| C．Hunting. | D．Habitat loss. |
| A．A travel brochure. | B．A news report. |
| C．A nature magazine. | D．A biology textbook. |
8 . Shoppers in the United States have many different retail stores(零售店)to choose from. You can shop at large department stores, furniture stores，jewelry stores, electronic equipment stores and many others. Another type of retail store—the catalog(目录) store, has become popular in the U.S.
Catalog stores offer much of the same goods as traditional retail stores. However, in these stores, shoppers select the items they wish to buy from large catalogs that are filled with photos and descriptions of all the different goods. The variety of products listed in the catalogs includes everything from baby clothing to video equipment and watches. The prices of these items are very low. In fact, the same items often cost more in other retail stores. And that’s the reason many people prefer to shop in catalog stores.
Catalog stores usually don't have many salespeople, so customers can’t expect to receive much help from them. Customers need to know about the features and the quality of the items they wish to buy before they shop, since there isn’t much opportunity to ask questions or examine the product in the store.However, catalog stores offer quality items at lower prices, and consumers seem to like this.
When shoppers go to a catalog store, if they are interested in purchasing an item, they need to follow this simple procedure.
●First, they go to a counter to find the store’s catalog.
●They look in the catalog to find the exact item they wish to buy.
●Then, they fill out an order form with the name of the item, the item number from the catalog, the price, and their name and address.
●After completing the form, the customer gives it to a salesperson, who checks to see if the item is in stock.
If the item is available, the stockroom sends it on a conveyor belt(输送带)to the pick-up counter. When the item arrives at the pick-up counter, the customer’s name is called, and the customer pays for the item.
The whole procedure usually takes ten to twenty minutes. If the item isn’t available, the salesperson can usually check the store’s computer and find out when it will be in stock again.
1. What is the difference between the traditional retail stores and the catalog stores?| A．The prices of products in catalog stores are higher. |
| B．Shoppers select the items they need from large catalogs. |
| C．Catalog Stores offer more products than the traditional stores. |
| D．Catalog stores usually offer all the services that regular retail stores do. |
| A．become salespeople now |
| B．do the same as in retail stores |
| C．have more chances to examine the goods |
| D．should know the information of the goods ahead |
| A．offer quality goods at lower prices |
| B．have many salespersons for service |
| C．can help save much time when doing shopping |
| D．offer the exact items the customer wishes to purchase |
①Check the catalog to select the items.
②Fill out the order form.
③Wait at the pick-up counter.
④Find a catalog at a counter.
⑤Find a salesperson to cheek the form.
| A．④—①—③—⑤—② | B．①—④—②—③—⑤ |
| C．④—①—②—⑤—③ | D．④—②—⑤—③—① |
9 . What I am writing is in English.You can read and understand because you are English language learners. But when you say people in England or the English people speak English, you would be wrong, or at least inaccurate in your remark. Ah yes, you might correct yourself, the Americans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders speak English too. That is true, but apart from that, what you really have in mind, or should say is people in Britain or the British speak English.
The words England and English are perhaps the two most misused words in the English language. The English themselves一I beg your pardon, I am making the same mistake! The British themselves often say England and English when they really mean Britain and British. The Chinese words“英国”is even more misused than not because the term “不列颠” is hardly ever used. What's the difference, you may ask. To understand the question we have to know something about the history of the country and its people.
Before there was a country there were the people. And before there were people, there was land. So let us start off from here and take the land first.
We all know that Britain(though we often say England by force of habit) is an island country separated from the European continent by the English Channel.
Actually there are two main islands. The larger one is called Britain, or Great Britain, and the smaller one is called Ireland, and these two, together with many small islands make up what is called the British Isles.
The British is a geographical term. It is not the name of any country. At present it is made up of two countries, the larger of which is the one we very often inaccurately call England. The full official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but people call it Britain or Great Britain for that. It consists of England, Scotland, Wales and a small part(about one-sixth) of Ireland, then or the astern part.
People still tend to call Britain England not only because England is the largest in area and the most populous but mostly because England is the strongest and also the most influential country in every respect before it absorbed the other three countries(The whole of Ireland was apart of the United Kingdom at one time) . Call it national chauvinism if you like, but people in England call Britain England out of habit rather than conscious sense of superiority, though it annoys the Welsh and especially the Scots who are proud of their separate national tradition.
1. According to the passage the correct order of the following terms is______.| A．land, people, country | B．land, country, people |
| C．people, land, country | D．country, people, land |
| A．one country | B．two countries |
| C．two and a half countries | D．three countries |
| A．people in England do so out of habit. |
| B．England is the nearest to the European continent. |
| C．England is the largest in area and has the largest population. |
| D．England is the strongest and also the most influential in every respect. |
| A．explain the geographical state of Britain |
| B．express his heartfelt affection for English |
| C．explain a common misunderstanding many may share |
| D．show the advantages of England over the other three countries |
10 . Seventy years ago, in the city of Boston, there lived a small girl who had the naughty habit of running away. On a certain April morning, almost as soon as her mother finished buttoning her dress, Louisa May Alcott slid out of the house and up the street as fast as her feet could carry her.
It was a beautiful day, and she did not care so very much just where she went so long as she was having an adventure, all by herself. Suddenly she came upon some children who said they were going to a nice, tall ash heap to play. They asked her to join them. Louisa thought they were fine playmates, for when she grew hungry they shared some cold potatoes and bread crusts with her.
When she was tired of the ash heap she said goodbye to the children, thanked them for their kindness, and hop-skipped to the Common, where she must have wandered about for hours. All of a sudden, it began to grow dark. Then she wanted to get home. It frightened her when she could not find any street that looked natural. She was hungry and tired, too. She threw herself down on some door-steps to rest and to watch the lamplighter, for you must remember this was long before there was any gas or electricity in Boston. At this moment a big dog came along. He kissed her face and hands and then sat down beside her with a sober look in his eyes. Poor tired Louisa leaned against his neck and was fast asleep in no time. The dog kept very still. He did not want to wake her.
Pretty soon the town crier went by. He was ringing a bell and reading in a loud voice, from a paper in his hand, the description of a lost child. You see, Louisa's father and mother had missed her early in the forenoon and had looked for her in every place they could think of. Each hour they grew more worried, and at dusk they decided to hire this man to search the city.
When the runaway woke up and heard what the man was shouting— "Lost— Lost— A little girl, six years old, in a pink skirt, white hat, and new, green shoes" —she called out in the darkness, "Why— that's ME!" The town crier took Louisa by the hand and led her home, where you may be sure she was welcomed with joy.
1. The reason why Louisa thought the children were very nice playmates was that .| A．they had been good friends | B．they asked her to play with them |
| C．they shared with her some food | D．they all liked taking adventures |
| A．A street performer. | B．A milkman. | C．A news reader. | D．A policeman. |
① Louisa couldn't find the way back home.
②Louisa returned home safe and sound.
③Louisa ran away and slid into the street one morning.
④Louisa came across some children in the street.
⑤The town crier searched the street for Louisa.
| A．③④①⑤② | B．③①⑤④② | C．⑤②①④③ | D．⑤②④①③ |
