1 . For the 17 years my life was very happy. Then the first sad thing happened. My mother became very ill, and soon she knew that she was dying. Just before she died, she asked Elizabeth and me to go to her room. She held our hands and said, “Victor and Elizabeth, my children, I’m very happy because you love each other, and because one day you’ll get married. Everyone in the family loves you, Elizabeth. Will you take my place in the family, my dear? I can die happy if you look after them when I have gone.”
My mother died and we were very sad, because we loved her dearly. Elizabeth was brave and helped us; her sweet smile gave us some happiness in the unhappy days after my mother’s death. The time came for me to go to university. I didn’t want to leave my sad family, but we all knew that I should go. It was hard to leave, too, because the parents of my good friend Henry would not let him go to university with me. So I had gone alone.
On my first day at university I met my teacher, Professor Waldman, who was one of the greatest scientists in the world. He gave a wonderful talk to all the students who were starting at the university. He ended his talk by saying, “Some of you will become the greatest scientists of tomorrow. You must study hard and discover everything that you can. This is why God made you intelligent—to help other people.”
After the professor’s talk, I thought very carefully. I remembered the storm when I was 15; I remembered how the lightning had destroyed the tree. From then on, I wanted to use electricity to help people, and I wanted to discover the secrets of life. I decided to work on these two things.
I started to work the next day. I worked very hard and soon Professor Waldman and I realized that I could learn to be a very good scientist.
The professor helped me very much, and other important scientists who were his friends helped me, too. I was interested in my work and I did not take one day’s holiday during the next two years, I did not go home, and my letters to my family were very short.
After two years, I had discovered many things and I built a scientific machine that was the best in the university. My machine would help me answer the most important question of all. How does life begin? Is it possible to put life into dead things? To answer these questions about life I had to learn first about death. I had to watch bodies from the moment when they died and the warm life left them. In the hospital and in the university, I watched the dying and the dead. Day after day, month after month, I followed death, so it was a dark and terrible time.
I built a tall mast about 150 meters high, which is higher than the tallest building in the city, to catch lightning and send the electricity down to my machine in the lab. I believed I could use that electricity to give life to things that were dead.
Then one day, the answer came to me. Suddenly I was sure that I knew the secret of life.
1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Victor did not want to leave his family because his mother died not long before. |
| B．Elizabeth married shortly after Victor’s mother died. |
| C．Elizabeth was a brave girl who loved Victor and gave him much help. |
| D．Victor’s mother was very angry when she knew he loved Elizabeth. |
| A．he discovered many things and built a scientific machine |
| B．he learnt much about death both in the hospitals and in the university |
| C．he built a tall mast to catch lightning and send the electricity down to the lab |
| D．he worked hard and took only one day’s holiday during the next two years |
| A．use electricity to cure diseases |
| B．build the best machine to learn about death |
| C．become the greatest scientist of tomorrow |
| D．give life to things that were dead by using electricity |
① Victor’s mother passed away.
② Victor got help from the professor and other scientists.
③ Victor went to university and attended the professor’s talk.
④ Victor found the answer to giving life to things that were dead.
⑤ Victor experienced a storm, seeing the lightning destroying the tree.
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．⑤①③②④ | C．①③②⑤④ | D．⑤①②④③ |
2 . Kids,whose imaginations have no limit,frequently come up with inventive ideas.However,few see them come to life mainly because adults don't believe in their practicality.That is about to change thanks to Little Inventors,an innovative(创新的）project that connects inventors to producers and artists who can help bring even the most impossible invention ideas to life.
The project is the brainchild of Dominic Wilcox,a British artist and inventor,who is world-famous for his fun creations like GPS shoes that can find their way home.Wilcox,who was encouraged to create things at a very young age by his teacher,believes that"we are all born creators"and thinks children's ideas are just as valuable as those of adults'.
The chain of events leading to the founding of Little Inventors dates back to a series of workshops held by Wilcox around his hometown of Sunderland,England in 2015.The 19 events, organized to encourage children aged 5-12 to describe their ideas,were a huge success,attracting over 300 kids and resulting in more than 450 fun inventions.The designs were presented to a group of twenty-three local artists and producers who selected one idea and then worked alongside its young creator to bring it to life.
The success of the workshops has led to the creation of Little Inventors.The website allows inventors from all over the world to submit their invention ideas.Though not all submissions will be built,inventors will receive valuable feedback on their designs and also suggestions on ways to
improve them.So,upload an idea or two to little inventors.org and see if you can make your crazy,or world-changing invention a reality.
1. What is"Little Inventors"?
| A．It's a company. | B．It's an organization. |
| C．It's a task. | D．It's a school. |
| A．To help bring children's imaginative ideas to life. |
| B．To help avoid children's failure. |
| C．To call on adults to help children invent things. |
| D．To persuade adults into inventing with children. |
| A．He took great interest in his teacher's inventions like GPS shoes. |
| B．He started thinking creatively when he was very young. |
| C．He was well-known to the world as a British artist. |
| D．He was encouraged to make inventions by his parents. |
a. collecting kids' ideas
b.artists and producers helping bringing the ideas to life
c.organizing events
d.encouraging kids to describe their ideas
e.presenting kids' ideas to artists and producers
| A．bcdea | B．acbed |
| C．ecdab | D．cdaeb |
3 . TUVALU,a tiny country in the Pacific Ocean,has asked for help as it fears it will be swallowed up by the sea.Storms and huge waves are a constant threat and none of Tuvalu’s nine little islands is more than five meters above sea level.Salt water is already entering the country’s drinking water supply,as well as damaging plants that produce fruit and vegetables.Without urgent help,the country’s days are numbered.
But Tuvalu is not the first place to face sinking into the sea.Venice,a historic city in Italy best known for its canals,has sunk about 24cm over the past 100 years.Experts say that it will have sunk another 20～50cm by 2050.A century ago,St.Mark’s Square,the lowest point in the city,flooded about nine times a year.Nowadays,it happens more than 100 times.While Venice is slowly sinking into the mud on which it stands,Tuvalu’s rising sea level is caused by global warming.
The average global temperature has increased by almost 0.5 centigrade degree over the past century,scientists expect it to rise by an extra 1～3 degrees over the next 100 years.
Warmer weather makes glaciers(冰川)melt,adding more water to the ocean.The warmer temperatures also make water expand,so it takes up more space,causing the sea level to rise.The sea level has risen about 10～25cm in the last 100 years.
The main cause of global warming is human pollution.Through burning coal,oil and gas,people have been increasing the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,such as CO2.This adds to the power of the greenhouse effect,making the planet even warmer.
Many scientists believe that,if the warming is not stopped,there will be huge climate changes.The sea level could rise by one meter this century.
Should this come true,the sea will swallow up millions of homes and the world will be flooded with“climate refugees”looking for somewhere to live.
1. We can infer from the first paragraph that.| A．Tuvalu is in danger of moving slowly downwards into the sea |
| B．all Tuvalu’s islands are about five meters above the sea level |
| C．drinking water in Tuvalu will be destroyed |
| D．Tuvalu is often flooded by storms and waves |
a.Glaciers begin to melt.
b.People burn coal,oil and gas.
c.The greenhouse effect is growing.
d.The earth is getting warmer and warmer.
e.The sea level is rising.
f.More CO2is produced.
g.Many places are sinking into the sea.
| A．d,f,b,c,a,e,g | B．b,f,c,d,e,a,g |
| C．f,c,b,d,a,e,g | D．b,f,c,d,a,e,g |
| A．People who are forced away from their homeland by climate. |
| B．Climate changes. |
| C．Rare animals. |
| D．Climate effect. |
| A．Tuvalu’s nine little islands are less than five meters above the sea level. |
| B．The average global temperature has risen by 1―3 centigrade degrees over the past 100 years. |
| C．the warmer temperature causes the sea level to rise. |
| D．There will be huge climate changes unless the warming is stopped. |
4 . Airborne dust is normally seen as an environmental problem, but the lack of it is making air pollution over China considerably worse.
A new study suggests less dust means more solar radiation hits the land surface,which reduces wind speed. That lack of wind in turn leads to an accumulation of air pollution over heavily populated parts of China. The researchers found that reduced dust levels cause a 13% increase in human-made pollution in the region.
Hundreds of millions of people across China continue to be impacted by air pollution from factories and coal-fl red power plants. Studies suggest that the dirty、air contributes to 1.6 million deaths a year, about 17% of all mortalities. But this new research says that the human-induced pollution is being made worse or better by naturally occurring dust that blows in from the Gobi desert. Using models to simulate 150 years of wind and dust patterns in the region, the researchers found that the dust deflects significant amounts of sunlight. Without it, more heat from the Sun hits the land. Differences in the temperatures between land and sea cause the winds to blow. Without the dust, the land warms up more and that changes the temperature differential with the sea leading to weaker breezes - and more air pollution.
“There are two dust sources. One is the Gobi and the other is the highlands of north-west China, but we found the Gobi had much more influence," said lead author Yang Yang, from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington State, US. “Less dust in the atmosphere causes more solar radiation to reach the surface. It weakens the temperature difference between the land and the sea and impacts the circulation of the winds and causes a stagnation over eastern- China and that causes an accumulation of air pollution.”
Another study has recently shown a link between declining Arctic sea ice and a major air pollution event in China. The authors of the new study believe that both theories could be true.
“Our study has the same mechanism: the weakening of winds causes more pollution, and what is behind this needs to be studied/ said Yang Yang, “We have two views on this kind of weakening of wind. They found the sea ice, we found the dust-wind interaction can also lead to weakening of the wind. I think both of them are important.”
The researchers believe that the study may inform broader questions about how natural human-created aerosols interact.
Many parts of the world, in addition to China, are now suffering from increased levels of air pollution and understanding how dust, winds and emissions work together may help limit some of the worst impacts of dirty air.
One of the key lessons from this study is that the absence of dusty conditions could mean the air you are breathing is worse for you, not better.
1. According to the new study, the formation of air pollution over heavily populated parts of China is due to_________.| A．the accumulation of dust | B．the shortage of wind |
| C．the high level of living standards | D．the rise of temperature |
①the worse circulation of the winds
②more heat from the sun
③lessening temperature between the land and the sea
④less dust
⑤a worse stagnation
| A．④②③①⑤ | B．①④②⑤③ |
| C．④①③②⑤ | D．①⑤②④③ |
| A．Lack of dust from the highlands of north-west China means we can breathe better air. |
| B．There is little connection between declining Arctic sea ice and air pollution in China. |
| C．Declining Arctic sea ice and dust-wind interaction can cause weakening of the wind. |
| D．The interaction between dust, winds and emissions can worse dusty conditions. |
5 . With the commercialization of so many holidays, we often forget the true meaning of the day we are celebrating. The National Retail Federation estimated that in 2018, the average person spent more than $180 on Mother’s Day with a total forecast at over $23 billion spent on the day. Mother’s Day, the day to honor the special women in our lives, was initially created as something very different.
The origins of Mother’s Day can date back to ancient Greek and Roman times when festivals honored the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. Later, 16th century England celebrated Mothering Sunday with celebrations on the fourth Sunday of Lent. In America, our tradition began in 1908 with a woman named Anna Jarvis. While not a mother herself, she established the day to honor her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, who had passed away three years before.
This commitment to pay honor to and help other women ran in the Jarvis family. Living in West Virginia before the Civil War, Ann had an idea for a community-service based program to help mothers in need of assistance. This concept developed into the Mother’s Day Work Clubs, a program that taught women how to care for their children.
In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day an official holiday. The yearly celebration would take place on the second Sunday in May. Anna’s original idea of Mother’s Day was a day to honor her mother Ann, but once it became a nationally recognized day, things changed dramatically. The idea of celebrating mom on Mother’s Day caught on quickly and became heavily commercialized with cards and flowers.
After seeing a Mother’s Day Salad on the menu in the John Wanamaker tearoom(茶馆) in Philadelphia in the early 1900s, Anna realized the day had become nothing but a marketing scheme. She then began to hold protests, and demand face-to-face meetings with the president.
In the end, she spent decades fighting a no-win battle to claim back the day as her own using every penny of hers. She died at age 84 in 1948, blind and alone in a hospital.
1. Which is the correct order of the following events?① Mother’s Day became an official holiday
② England celebrated Mothering Sunday
③ Mother’s Day became heavily commercialized
④ Anna Jarvis established Mother’s Day
| A．④①②③ | B．④②③① |
| C．②④①③ | D．②④③① |
| A．Because she hoped to meet with the president. |
| B．Because Mother’s Day had been heavily commercialized. |
| C．Because Mother’s Day Salad appeared on the menu without her permission. |
| D．Because she would fight a no-win battle to claim back the day as her own. |
| A．By providing examples. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following the order of time. |
| D．By following the order of space. |
| A．Why the Founder of Mother’s Day Came to Regret Her Invention? |
| B．How Mother’s Day Commercialized? |
| C．How We Deal with the Commercialization of Mother’s Day Correctly? |
| D．Why Mother’s Day Commercialized? |
6 . A new tool of communication called the "drift diary" is doing the rounds among young college graduates.
The "drift diary", like those ancient paper messages put into a bottle left to drift on the high seas to reach hundreds of miles away, connects lonely hearts. It was first started by a Beijing woman, who goes by the screen name Little S, in 2007.It has become the preferred tool of communication among youngsters afraid to reveal their innermost self to peers, but wanting to share their lives with others. The way it works is that the initiator（发起人）of the diary mentions it on popular Internet forums such as Tianya and Douban. Those wanting to react or otherwise add to the diary then send their real names and addresses to the initiator via e-mails or text messages.
The numbers in one group are usually restricted to between 30 and 50. The diary then is passed on to another by the express delivery or personal handover. The diary writers are mostly anonymous（匿名的）but if they wish to reveal their identity they can do so by posting their contact information at the end of their postings.
The diary writers not just add words but also decorate the plain notebooks with cartoons, drawings or even dress it up with a ribbon or a new cover. Interesting experiences, travel journals, the simple joys of everyday living or sweet recollections of childhood, all find a place in these diaries. Most often, though, the writers set down their frustrations and predicaments.
It usually takes one year for a diary to return to the initiator. The last recorder is the luckiest one, with access to all previous entries, while others can request photocopies of them from the diary's initiator.
1. Why is the "drift diary" popular among youngsters?| A．Because they hate using the Internet. |
| B．Because they like to show themselves to peers. |
| C．Because they want to share their lives with strangers. |
| D．Because they find it fashionable to be a diary writer. |
①The diary then is passed on between the recorders.
②The diary returns to the initiator.
③The initiator of the diary makes a mention online.
④Participants request photocopies of the diary from the diary's initiator.
⑤Those who want to participate in the program get in touch with the initiator.
| A．③⑤①④② | B．③⑤①②④ |
| C．④⑤①②③ | D．①③⑤②④. |
| A．Successful experiences. | B．Sense of achievement. |
| C．Difficult situations. | D．Favorable conditions. |
| A．Drift Diary——A New Tool of Communication |
| B．How a Drift Diary Works |
| C．Share Your Lives with Strangers |
| D．The Diary Passed on |
7 . When I was about twelve, I headed to a restaurant for dinner with my family. It was a windy winter night. As my mom and I headed towards the restaurant from our car, a girl about my age and her mother came up to us. They asked if we had any spare change. My mom immediately asked where they kept their things. They pointed to an old car in a parking across the street. The girl said there were six of them living in that car, which was the same size as my own family.
My mom said she had something to do after handing the people a few dollars. She sent me inside the restaurant with my dad and my three siblings(兄弟姊妹).But she didn’t come.
Later, I found out she had gone home and practically emptied our cupboards into a few bags. Then, she brought that food over to the car and handed the bags to the family. I wasn’t there when that part happened, but I can only imagine the joy it brought to their faces.
A few days later, when I actually found out about what she had done, I asked her why she helped those people. She told me that they were not lucky. I remember the face of that girl who had asked us for change; she was the same age as me, yet we looked so different.
Here I stood, dressed in almost new clothes, headed to dine in a restaurant and then back home to the bedroom I shared with my younger sister. I remember thinking that the girl didn’t have any food to eat and that she was heading back to a cold car shared with five other people.
After painting this picture in my mind, I understood why my mom had done what she did. I will never forget what she did that night. And that night I also learned one of the best lessons she taught.
1. We learn from the passage that the girl about the writer’s age .| A．made friends with the writer |
| B．had her own bedroom |
| C．received a good education |
| D．lived a hard life |
a. My mom gave the girl a few dollars.
b. My family was on the way to a restaurant.
c. My mom went home and brought some food.
d. We met with a girl and her mother asking for dollars.
| A．b a c d | B．b d a c |
| C．d a c b | D．d c b a |
| A．Patient. | B．Strict. |
| C．Kind. | D．Proud. |
| A．visit the girl in the near future |
| B．save as much money as possible |
| C．learn from her mother |
| D．deal with the world’s food problem |
8 . It was the homecoming parade in Rockwall,Texas,and cheerleader Tyra Winters,was riding on the top of one of the school's floats(彩车）。As it slowly made its way down the wide road,the 17-year-old enthusiastically waved at the crowd,all the while soaking in the music,laughter,and applause.
All of a sudden.a horrific scream sounded.Looking down,Winters saw a two-year-old on the sidewalk gasping for air.his extremely worried mother begging for help.The boy,Clarke Hornback Lad been sucking on a piece of candy when it slid down the back of his mouth,lodging in his throat and blocking his windpipe.
＂I see a little bright red face and his mom's begging,Someone help me,someone help me.'"
Winters told KTVT."There was no coughing;there was no breathing,Clarke's mother,Nicole Homback,later told news station NBCDFW.He was just gasping for air."No one seemed to know how to help.
Except for Winters.A senior with dreams of becoming a pediatric surgeon,she had learned the Heimlich maneuver and CPR.Knowing that the clock was ticking,she leaped off the moving float and ran to the child.
By the time she got to Clarke,his face had turned purple."I got him!"she yelled to Nicole as she grabbed the boy from her."I tilted him and gave a good three back thrusts,"she told the local CBS station.
Soon,the boy coughed up the piece of candy,gasped,and began breathing again.Without another word,Winters handed Clarke back to his mother and ran back to her float before it could leave her behind.
It all happened so fast,Nicole never had time to thank the teen.Winters' s heroic actions left Nicole speechless."I don't really have any words,"she says."The words that you would say to anyone who does something for you is' thank you.' But that doesn't seem good enough."
1. What does the underlined word"lodging"mean in Paragraph 2?| A．Stuck. | B．Caught. |
| C．Slid. | D．Found. |
a. The boy coughed up the piece of candy, gasped, and began breathing again.
b. Winters leaped off the moving float and ran to the child.
c. Winters was riding on the top of one of the school's floats.
d. Winters tilted the boy and gave a good three back thrusts.
e. The boy, Clarke Hornback, had been sucking on a piece of candy, blocking his windpipe.
| A．c-a-d-b-c |
| B．c-e-b-d-a |
| C．b-d-a-c-e |
| D．a-e-d-c-b |
| A．It happened so fast, Nicole had no time to thank the teen. |
| B．Nicole didn't want to say anything about the incident. |
| C．Nicole was grateful for Winters' s heroic actions. |
| D．It is always good to learn more knowledge. |
| A．Helpful. | B．Mean. |
| C．Organized. | D．Determined. |
9 . This month, when earthquakes rocked Southern California on back-to-back days, it was a shocking reminder that we may one day experience the “Big One,” a quake with the power to kill and destroy. However a few people saw something else: a photo opportunity.
Tourists flocked to a large crack in a highway to see evidence of the damage for themselves and, of course, take a quick selfie(自拍).
It was only the latest example of how our modern love of sharing photos we take of ourselves in notable situations is colliding with nature and the world, often in confusing and even dangerous ways.
In Canada, a sunflower farm barred visitors last year after selfie-seekers destroyed flowers and left the land looking like a “zombie apocalypse.”(僵尸启示录) In Spain, a man was gored in the neck last weekend while trying to take a video selfie at the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona.
The selfie phenomenon entered the mainstream after Apple and other phonemakers added front-facing cameras starting in 2010, the same year Instagram and other photo-sharing apps were becoming popular. From 2011 to 2017, more than 250 people died while taking selfies, according to a study by researchers in India, which had by far the highest number of such deaths, followed by Russia and the United States. Many died after drowning, falling or being attacked by an animal. Most were under the age of 30.
It’s easy to be uncomfortable with selfies and even mock them, especially when they’re risky or in bad taste. But some researchers have explored different questions: Why do we take selfies? Can they ever be a healthy form of expression? Can selfies be used for good?
1. Why does the author mention the earthquake happened in Southern California?| A．To show how severe the earthquake is. |
| B．To warn the readers of the dangers in the earthquake. |
| C．To introduce the risky behavior of the crazy selfie takers. |
| D．To show how scared people are when earthquake happened. |
| A．there are too many visitors. |
| B．the farm used to be devastated by selfie seekers. |
| C．the sunflowers are supposed to be well protected. |
| D．the farm owner did not want others to enjoy the beautiful sunflowers. |
| A．the US, India, Russia. | B．Russia, the US, India. |
| C．India, Russia, the US. | D．India, the US, Russia. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Ambiguous. | D．Uncaring. |
10 . 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. |
