1 . Dwayne sat staring at the peeling(剥落了的) paint on the walls of the small, messy room he shared with his two younger brothers. Through the apartment walls he could hear the crying of the neighbor’s newborn child competing with the music from the cars below. Dwayne sat and stared at the blank paper in front of him, considering how he would write a composition about his life.
Mama wouldn’t be home for another half an hour, so Dwayne went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for his family. With Mama’s low income, there wasn’t much to choose from.
“I’m hungry,” said eight-year-old Raymond. “What do you have cooking?”
Holding his brother around the waist, Dwayne responded, “I’ve got my famous bean and rice casserole(砂锅菜). Want to help?”
“I want to help. too!” cried Jesse.
Shortly after 7: 00 pm, Mama got home. She saw her three sons laughing as they worked together setting the mismatched plates and forks. In the middle of the table she eyed an old baby food jar with a flowering weed that was pulled from the front yard.
“Mmm-mm! Is that your famous bean and rice casserole?” Mama asked..
“Mama, you’re home!” the two younger boys said as they raced to hug her.
After the dinner, Mama stood behind Dwayne as he sat at the kitchen table, adding the last sentence to his composition. “Son, what are you writing?”
“Mama, it’s my composition,” came his reply.
“And what is that composition about?”
“It’s about our life,” said Dwayne.
Dwayne’s mother looked around at the house. She thought about all the things she wished she could provide for her family.
“Dwayne, I’m sorry you don’t have a lot in your life,” his mama said.
“I have you and Raymond and Jesse. I live in a house full of love. I wouldn’t trade what we have for all the money in the world.”
Pulling her son close, she whispered. “Neither would I, Dwayne. Neither would I.”
1. The description of the apartment in the first paragraph is to show________.| A．there were three children in the family |
| B．Dwayne’s neighbours were unfriendly |
| C．Dwayne’s family were living a poor life |
| D．Dwayne had nothing to say in his composition |
| A．Selfish. | B．Caring. | C．Humorous. | D．Confident. |
| A．She had no time to help with his homework. |
| B．She wasn’t in time to prepare dinner for the kids. |
| C．She thought his composition needed improving. |
| D．She felt sorry for not being able to give him a better life. |
| A．It’s no use apologizing. |
| B．It’s never too late to learn. |
| C．Learn to appreciate what we have. |
| D．God helps those who help themselves. |
2 . Here are four activities in October. Go and get yourself out of your house.
1. Hope with Every Step 5K Race
It will be held on Saturday, October 3 at Taglienti Field on the Spruce Mountain High School campus. This event is held in honor of Josh Brochu, 13 and his sister Brook Brochu, 10, both of whom have a rare disease that affects children. All the money collected from the event will go to the A-T Childrens’ Project, a non-profit (非盈利的) organization which raises money for medical research and health centers. Visit www.atcp.org for more information.
2. A Free Movie Supported by Farmington Baptist Church
It will be shown at 7: 00 pm on October on 194 Whittier Road in Farmington. The movie When the Game Stands Tall tells the true story of the De La Salle Spartans High School football team, which set 151-game winning streak (连胜) record. Football coach Bob Ladouceur’s belief was always. “We don’t expect you to play perfectly. but to give a perfect effort.”
3. Wilton Free Public Library’s Birthday Party
The library is turning 100 years old! All are welcome to attend the party celebrating 100 years of the beautiful library building. From 10:00 am to 1: 00 pm on October 3, families are welcome to come to the library for some food and fun! There will be historical displays, fun book-themed food, face painting, and games and presents for kids. Please come and celebrate!
4. The Fourth Annual Pumpkin Festival
It will take place on Saturday, October 10. There will be various family activities, including movies, dog shows and children’s gifts. All events will take place in the Front Street Neighborhood. For more information, please visit the website: farmingtonpumpkinfestival.net.
1. Which is one of the purposes of Activity 1?| A．To raise money. | B．To explore nature. |
| C．To advertise a school. | D．To start an organization. |
| A．Hope with Every Step 5K Race. |
| B．The Fourth Annual Pumpkin Festival. |
| C．Wilton Free Public Library’s Birthday Party. |
| D．A Free Movie Supported by Farmington Baptist Church. |
| A．Activities 1&4 | B．Activities 2&3 |
| C．Activities 2&4 | D．Activities 1&33 |
| A．They are both held every year. |
| B．They can both entertain kids. |
| C．They both need people to sign up online. |
| D．They both provide a chance to taste food. |
| A．At Taglienti Field. | B．On 194 Whittier Road. |
| C．In Wilton Free Public Library. | D．In the Front Street Neighborhood. |
3 . Where to eat and drink at museums
Museums, like department stores and airports, are now counting food among their attractions. The following museum restaurants would be worth a meal even if not surrounded by masterpieces. Most of them can be visited independently of the museums.
Met Breuer
Flora Bar
The food from a brief menu is anything but: refined, excellent and pleasantly served. It begins with breakfast when it pays to arrive before the famous cinnamon buns run out.
Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3: 30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays;
Dinner from 5: 30. p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 5: 30 p. m. to 9 p. m. Sundays (reservations, no museum admission required).
646-558-5383
Asia Society
Garden Court Café
Here Steamed Chinese Dumplings served in bamboo baskets share the menu with Indian samosas, Koran Japchae Glass Noodles and a Japanese bento box assortment. Wine and beer are served.
Open daily from l: 30 a.m. to 3 p.m., except Mondays (reservations, no museum admission required).
212-570-5202
EI Museo del Barrio
Side Park Café
Mexican street food, done with some refinement, is the order of the day.
Open from 8 a. m. Mondays through Fridays, and 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, until 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 6 p.m. Sundays through Tuesdays (no reservations, no museum admission required).
212-831-7272
Museum of Arts and Design
Robert
Crowd-pleasing food includes crab cakes, Wagyu beef sliders and duck breast.
Lunch: 11:30 a. m. to 2: 30 p. m. Mondays through Fridays;
Dinner: 5 p. m. to 11 p. m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Tuesdays (reservations, no museum admission required).
212-299-7730
1. How long does the lunch last at Flora Bar?| A．For 2 hours. | B．For 3 hours. |
| C．For 4 hours. | D．For 5 hours. |
| A．212-570-5202. | B．212-831-7272. |
| C．212-299-7730. | D．646-558-5383 |
| A．It is known for its delicious duck breast. |
| B．It requires advance reservations. |
| C．It offers museum-goers discounts. |
| D．It opens seven days a week. |
| A．Flora Bar. | B．Garden Court Cafe. |
| C．Side Park Cafe. | D．Robert. |
| A．At 10 a.m. Mondays. | B．At 11 a. m. Tuesdays. |
| C．At 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays. | D．At 10:30 p.m. Sundays |
4 . It is sometimes jokingly said that you may skip a meal a day without any adverse effect but skip using your WeChat for an hour and you will feel distinctly unwell. It is an acknowledgement of the fact that the app is no longer only a fun tool but an essential part of life for millions.
Launched in January 2011, this messaging, social media and mobile payment app today has more than 1 billion individual users. People use it for everything, from applying for a business license to booking a hospital appointment to keeping up with family and friends, shopping and paying bills—activities that are part and parcel of our everyday life.
When it was first introduced, WeChat was only an app supporting voice, video, picture and text messages between two persons or among a group. But today it has become ubiquitous.
In the past, people carried their wallet and keys with them wherever they went; today, a smart phone with WeChat installed is all they need in daily life. Its functions like Moments and mini programs and the official WeChat accounts of government agencies and companies have made communication and public services accessible and convenient like never before.
WeChat is also widely used by enterprises. Figures from Tencent show there are around 15 million WeChat official accounts, which enjoy 5 billion followers. Most businesses use their WeChat groups as a standard marketing kit. This has immensely reduced advertising, marketing and communication costs, and in the background of the novel coronavirus disease, made operations faster, contactless and safe.
However, there are concerns about the downsides of WeChat, such as addiction among primary school children. Equally serious is the misuse of WeChat for fraud or instigating crimes. However, it has to be kept in mind that these fallouts are not really the fault of WeChat, but due to the misuse of the app.
If we learn to temper our use of messaging apps with prudence and pragmatism, we could be looking forward to yet new conveniences and experience in this decade with the rapid development of 5G technology and artificial intelligence. Ultimately, the choice is ours, whether to use WeChat or any other new invention, wisely or wantonly.
1. We can conclude from the first paragraph that ___________.| A．we can easily skip a meal a day. |
| B．we will be ill by not using WeChat. |
| C．WeChat used to be meant for fun. |
| D．WeChat has become inseparable in daily life. |
| A．everywhere. | B．somewhere. | C．nowhere. | D．wherever. |
| A．WeChat has a mobile payment function. |
| B．The agencies provide better service through WeChat. |
| C．Mini programs are convenient for the agencies. |
| D．People do not have to carry keys and cash with them. |
| A．It has brought more followers. |
| B．It has become a standard. |
| C．It has helped to cut down the costs. |
| D．It has made the businesses healthier. |
| A．WeChat should be held responsibly. |
| B．WeChat should be banned among primary school children. |
| C．The improper use of the app leads to many problems. |
| D．The 5G technology will bring new conveniences and experience. |
5 . Plane wings are traditionally strong and thick but a team of researchers led by NASA has created a flexible wing that morphs (变形) as it flies. The new wing is constructed from thousands of units that fit together and function in a similar way to a bird’s wing, says NASA research engineer, Nick Cramer.
“Something like an eagle will lock its joints in while it’s cruising, and then it adjusts its wings to a more suitable shape for its cruising, and then when it wants to do a more aggressive move it’ll unlock its shoulder. That’s a similar response to what we’re doing here,” he said.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is constructed from body parts that are so large, so they require outsize molds (模具) to create them. The same applies to the Airbus A380. “The cost of infrastructure (基础设施) that the business needs to invest to build these planes is pretty extraordinary,” said Kenneth Cheung, a NASA research scientist. “So what we’re doing with these projects is trying to reduce all of that, so that you could have the same sort of performance in terms of the materials but be able to manufacture it without setting up all of the infrastructure that’s currently required.”
The new wings are created by putting fiber reinforced polyetherimide into a 3D mold to create each part, which locks together in a process that could eventually be carried out by assembly robots. The new structure can also be easily packed down to allow transport, which also makes it potentially the ideal package for another purpose — to send into space.
While the idea of cheaper, more flexible planes could be appealing to the commercial aviation industry, there are major obstacles to overcome. That demands time, research and money. “If you want to revolutionize the traditional manufacturing process of the aerospace industry, you have to have a really good reason,” Cramer said. “So your performance gain has to be significant enough to justify that. It’s not about whether it’s practicable; it’s about whether it’s financially marketable.”
1. Why does Cramer mention the eagle in Paragraph 2?| A．To praise its great hunting skills. |
| B．To explain why it adjusts itself while flying. |
| C．To give an example of how the new plane wing works. |
| D．To make a comparison between eagles and other birds. |
| A．The cost of making new wings. |
| B．The performance of traditional planes. |
| C．The performance of the new plane wings. |
| D．The cost of building infrastructure for traditional planes. |
| A．It may speed up planes. |
| B．It may be used in space. |
| C．It may reduce planes’ fuel consumption. |
| D．It may be applied in infrastructure construction. |
| A．It is financially marketable. |
| B．It performs badly during the tests. |
| C．It is more expensive than traditional plane wings. |
| D．It has a long way to go before being applied in planes. |
| A．A new flexible plane wing |
| B．How plane wings work |
| C．A great change in planes |
| D．Why planes cost a lot |
6 . What people say is only one aspect of good communication. Good listening skills and body language are also important for us to effectively communicate with others. Effective communication involves more than talking to a person. How things are said, words are chosen and tones are adopted are all aspects of good communication.
Body language, a common form of non-verbal communication, can support what a speaker is saying. Studies have shown that of the information that is received from other people, only 10% is from what they say and 40% is from the tone and speed of their voice. The other 50% is obtained from their body language. Reading body language is part of developing social skills.
Some professionals, such as lawyers, governmental security officers and doctors on mental problems, learn to read every type of body language of others to help in their jobs. They look for specific signs, while the average person reads some body language subconsciously（下意识地）. Body language can involve one aspect such as the eyes, or the use of different body parts. Where the body is positioned in relation to another person or at a table is another piece in communicating what the person is feeling. Troubles may arise（出现） when body language is misunderstood.
Good listening skills clear the way to a clear message while bad listening skills create barriers which can confuse or stop the message. Good listeners can use body language by nodding occasionally to show interest and understanding, make eye contact with the speaker, repeat some of the words and feelings, and summarize what they have heard. All these can avoid communication troubles.
Poor listeners rarely communicate effectively. Barriers they commonly use may include: interruptions, inappropriate humor, judgments, criticisms, and unrelated questions. People who are attempting to communicate with a person who continually throws out barriers will often stop talking and they even get angry as they feel misunderstood and frustrated. Healthy minded people are able to communicate with others effectively by avoiding these barriers. They are able to let their partners know what they want regularly and clearly.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Speakers usually pay little attention to what they said and what words and tones they use. |
| B．Good communication means talking to a person effectively with right tones and speed. |
| C．Body language and listening skills are highly involved in successful communication. |
| D．The manner of communication is determined by the listener rather than the speaker. |
| A．makes up 40% of the information received from communication |
| B．sometimes leads people to misunderstand what others have said |
| C．can remind the listeners of what the speakers are actually expressing |
| D．can only be correctly read by people with excellent social skills |
| A．Making a summary of what he has heard. |
| B．Repeating the speaker’s words and ideas. |
| C．Showing his feeling to the speaker. |
| D．Bringing in an unrelated topic suddenly. |
| A．To emphasize that communication involves more than talking. |
| B．To introduce different types of non-verbal communication. |
| C．To suggest ways to effectively communicate with others. |
| D．To discuss the different effects of good and poor listening skills. |
7 . During a visit to the United Arab Emirates, I was invited to speak to college students to learn more about how the country is preparing the next generation for the future. I met with students who were required to present their final projects in a three-minute presentation to members of the ruling family. Now, that is pressure. But learning the art of public speaking is no longer an option to succeed in the 21st century; it is fundamental.
Educators who I have met across the Middle East, Europe and Asia say that they are elevating the art of public speaking to a core requirement along with math and science. Chris Anderson, the curator (负责人) of TED, encourages schools in the United States to make “presentation literacy” a requirement in elementary schools. There is a wrinkle, however. According to an article in The Atlantic, some American middle-school and high-school students are advocating for the elimination (取消) of mandatory (强制的) in-class, presentations.
Their anxiety is real. Psychology professor Matthew Lieberman writes in book, “Our brains crave the positive evaluation of others almost to an embarrassing degree.” That’s why most of us get anxious about public speaking. Anxiety can turn into full-blown panic attacks or create lifelong fears.
As an author whose books are used in public speaking classes around the world, I will explain why public speaking skills are more important than ever. Persuasion — one person convincing another to change their mind — is now responsible for 25 percent of Americas total income, according to Deirdre McCloskey at the University of Illinois. The percentage will rise to 40 percent soon, she assured me. It is a terrible idea to reduce public speaking opportunities in class at a time when students need the skills it can give them to succeed. Today anyone who is better at presenting their ideas can see a sudden, massive increase in wealth that is unprecedented in human history.
In the age of ideas, public speaking is one of the greatest skills that students need in order to learn, grow, and inspire the rest of us to dream bigger. If students enjoy the process of building the necessary skill set, they will learn to love public speaking.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．Public speaking is essential in preparing for the future. |
| B．Students don’t have to choose the course of public speaking. |
| C．The ruling family plays a key role in judging the presentation. |
| D．College students are under pressure in preparing the introduction. |
| A．Simple case. | B．New idea. |
| C．Small problem. | D．Strong belief. |
| A．we long for the positive judgment terribly |
| B．good public speaking skills can promote our confidence |
| C．we feel embarrassed when expecting positive evaluation |
| D．public speaking can make us feel scared rather than anxious |
| A．It can help persuade others to change their mind. |
| B．Good speakers can see huge rise in their income. |
| C．It will offer students skills to make a great success. |
| D．It encourages students to live a wealthy life in the future. |
| A．It scares students to make a speech publicly. |
| B．Presentations is a steppingstone for student’s future. |
| C．We can improve speaking skills in many effective ways. |
| D．Confidence in presentation increases if one is well prepared. |
8 . There are so many different methods claiming to predict marathon performance. But these are not always very accurate because predicting marathon performance is difficult. However, in our new study, we found it's possible to calculate a critical speed that we can use to predict a runner's marathon time with a good degree of accuracy.
Many things determine how fast you can run a marathon, your physical quality plays a huge role in your performance. For example, excellent marathon runners tend to be slim with long limbs. Fast marathon runners also tend to have a higher maximum rate of oxygen use (vo2 max) and can operate at a high percentage of this maximum for a long time without developing tiredness. The right shoes can make running more economical in terms of how much energy you use. And of course, choosing a flat course with ideal weather conditions can help too.
Endurance (耐久力) running is essentially determined by the fastest speed you can sustain for a given distance. or how long you can run at a given speed. This suggests there is a critical speed which, in theory, we can sustain for quite a long time. It is quite possible that the critical speed is useful for predicting endurance performance.
By analyzing training data from 25,000 athletes, we found we could estimate their critical speeds and predict their marathon performance with 92% accuracy.
We also found that, on average, runners ran the marathon at speeds around 85% of their critical speeds. Faster athletes ran their marathons at close to 93% of their critical speeds, but slower runners did so at 79% of their critical speeds. This means that using training data to estimate your critical speed, certain fitness apps on your smart watch or phone may soon be able to predict your finish time at an even higher degree of accuracy, as well as providing real-time advice about how best to pace your race.
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?| A．Differences between excellent runners and average runners |
| B．Conditions to consider before running a marathon |
| C．Characters of successful marathon runners. |
| D．Factors affecting runners' performance. |
| A．By listing key data | B．By telling personal stories |
| C．By quoting famous runners | D．By explaining causes and effects |
| A．Different marathon runners always run at different speeds. |
| B．Marathon runners will run better with the help of some apps. |
| C．Critical speeds for runners given by fitness apps are useful. |
| D．It'll be easy to predict runners' performance with some app |
| A．A standard critical speed for marathon runners. |
| B．The inspiration gained from a marathon. |
| C．A way to predict marathon runners' performance. |
| D．The value of hard and scientific training. |
9 . These days' experience, like many other things, are becoming increasingly expensive. One has to get to pay a lot to get, even an ordinary one.
Not long ago, I wanted to invite my friends to a lunch. What we really need was a good and a quiet place for a talk, not a big meal. So I chose one and told my friends to go there.
After I ordered, I was asked whether I would eat a 100 yuan or 200 yuan lunch, I said, "200 yuan." I didn't realize until I was asked to pay after lunch, that "200 yuan" means "200 yuan for person each."
There were five people that day, and all of us were surprises by the 200 yuan meal. The bill came at last: it was 1260, 1000 for the five of us, plus the money for drinks, fruits and air conditioning. I paid the bill without a word.
What could I say? It was not their fault. It was my own fault that made me pay the largest bill in my life.
However, it was not so bad: we had a good lunch and at a quiet place. Besides, the experience will help in my later years.
To support my idea, I have developed my own way of thinking about the price: 200 yuan for the lunch and 1260 for the experience. This paid experience has made me ten times wiser.
1. According to the passage , now one has to pay ________ .| A．more for a lunch in a restaurant | B．more to get an ordinary lunch |
| C．more for some experience | D．increasingly high price |
| A．so as to have a big lunch | B．so that we could have a good meal |
| C．in order to introduce my friends to the restaurant | D．to have a talk in a good place |
| A．me 100 yuan | B．me 200 yuan |
| C．us 200 yuan each | D．me 1260 yuan |
| A．the restaurant cheated the customers | B．I was very rich |
| C．I was unknown to the restaurant | D．I knew little about the market prices |
| A．my thanks to the experience | B．my happiness to be 10 times wiser |
| C．my anger at the experience | D．my pleasure to have a good lunch |
10 . Research has shown that 85 percent of communication is nonverbal, so choosing what to wear to an interview is clearly an important part of your overall presentation. It won’t make up for weak answers, but it can communicate some positive things about your personality and what you might be like to work with.
· Blue：You can’t go wrong with darker shades of blue, especially navy. Choosing from this powerful color will project an image of someone who is in control. From the interviewer’s point of view, the color blue suggests calm, stability, trust, truth, confidence and security. These are all great messages to send without saying a word.
· Gray: After blue, gray is the second most popular color to wear for an interview. Like darker blue, it’s not a distracting color to the interviewer, which means they’ll be focused more on what you’re saying and how you’re saying it. Gray means sophistication （老成）, so use it to your advantage.
· Black: This is a commanding color and represents authority. Black also suggests excitement, so use it carefully when putting together your interview outfit. You may want to use it as an accent （着重色） —like in a scarf or tie, for instance—rather than as the primary color.
· Red：This is an extremely powerful color. It’s so strong that you should only use it as an accent color. Reds are associated with energy, passion, desire, power and aggression. People think of intensity （紧张） and passion when they see the color red, so use it carefully or it could send the wrong message to the interviewer.
· White：White shirts and blouses are always appropriate. It sends the message of simplicity, cleanliness, precision and goodness.
1. What is the best title of the passage？| A．How to Prepare for Your Job Interview |
| B．A Research on Colours |
| C．Colorful Clothes Never Fail |
| D．What the Colors of Your Clothes Say about You |
| A．Because it will make up for your weak answers. |
| B．Because it suggests something about your personality. |
| C．Because it will make you feel better. |
| D．Because the interviewer judges a person by his appearance. |
①stability ②energy ③power ④confidence ⑤security
| A．①②④ | B．②③④ | C．①④⑤ | D．②③⑤ |
| A．gray | B．red | C．black | D．white |
| A．job interviewees should think twice before wearing red clothes |
| B．the colors can send all the messages you want to convey |
| C．you can wear white clothes if you want to appear active |
| D．gray is the most popular color to wear for an interview |
