1 . My brother belongs to a strange group known as birders. Together with his three friends who are likewise into the hobby of birding, they march on landfills, and hike through the wooded lands, each of them armed with a pair of binoculars (双筒望远镜), a digital camera, biscuits, and water. One of them carries a telescope which comes in handy in case they want to take a look at a bird up close.
Understandably, their clothing is light; their shoes are designed for comfort, and they never fail to bring with them hats. Moving at a slow pace, they go in search of birds. And, yes, they carry a field guide --- a manual for identifying birds.
It is interesting to note how my brother and his co-birders go through their hobby: first, they look for a bird (either with the naked eyes or with the help of their binoculars); when they find one, they identify it; they then write it down. In case they are unable to determine the bird’s identity, they search for it in the field guide. If the bird is not in the handbook, they take down notes, make a rough drawing representing the chief features of the bird, or even take a picture of it to be used as a future reference.
A device, called the National Geographic’s Handheld Birds Personal Digital Assistant, is available for those who plan to take up birding in North America. This handy device is a digital field guide containing more than one thousand five hundred visual representations of birds. It has a searchable database of over eight hundred North American bird species.
For those seriously considering birding as a hobby but having second thoughts for fear of catching the terrible bird flu, it is important to know that you can take up the hobby and be safe from the fatal disease if you strictly observe the slogan of birders worldwide: just watch, don’t catch.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about birders?| A．Their clothing is light and they never bring hats with them. |
| B．They carry a telescope to have a close look at the birds. |
| C．After they find a bird, they usually put it into the cage. |
| D．They go to search for birds moving at a rapid pace. |
| A．To take down notes. |
| B．To take pictures of birds. |
| C．To find the correct route. |
| D．To refer to information of birds. |
| A．look for birds |
| B．look at birds closely |
| C．make a drawing of birds |
| D．recognize different birds |
| A．Avoid catching birds. |
| B．Keep away from birds. |
| C．Give up keeping birds. |
| D．Wear protective clothing. |
2 . Google’s self-driving car is designed to work without a gas pedal (踏板) or steering wheel (方向盘). Now, the company has decided that the car doesn’t have any windscreen wipers either, because there’s no need for passengers to see where they are being driven.
The car requires no input from a driver, except telling it the destination. There is no driving in the way we know it and all people inside the cars will be passengers who can spend their time paying no attention to the road. While the car may not need windscreen wipers, the absence of them may make passengers feel helpless if they are unable to see where they are going clearly.
Google’s two-seater “bubble” cars have buttons to begin and end the drive, but no other controls. An on-board computer uses data from sensors, including radar (雷达) and cameras, to make turns and keep away from people walking in the street and other vehicles. Under the vision made public by Google, passengers might set their destination by typing it into a map or using voice commands. The new car can’t go faster than 25 miles per hour (40 km/h). It is electric and has to be recharged after 80 miles (129 km). They can only be used in areas that have been thoroughly mapped by Google.
Google has been testing its self-driving cars since 2009 and its new model without a steering wheel since early this summer. It intends on making its driverless cars available to consumers in the next five years. The final goal of the project is computer-controlled cars that can get rid of human error, which results in about 90 percent of the 1.2 million road deaths worldwide each year and it was also inspiring to start with a blank sheet of paper.
1. Why may people feel helpless riding in Google’s self-driving car?| A．There are no other controls. | B．They have no idea of the destination. |
| C．They are unable to see the road clearly. | D．The car is traveling too fast. |
| A．The tests the car needs to pass. |
| B．How Google’s self-driving car works. |
| C．The development of the new car. |
| D．What the drivers need to drive the car. |
| A．Filled with electricity. |
| B．Repaired from time to time. |
| C．Asked for some money again. |
| D．Designed into a new style. |
| A．Google began to test self-driving cars this summer. |
| B．Driverless cars will be available to consumers next year. |
| C．Google’s computer controlled cars fire the drivers’ inspiration. |
| D．Most of the road deaths are caused by drivers. |
3 . Chinese consumers’ crazy appetite for luxury goods and services appears unstoppable，with just 2 percent of the Chinese population responsible for onethird of the world’s luxury items.
As China’s economic miracle develops，the market opportunities for all sorts of luxury goods and services are increasing.Luxury consumption(奢侈品消费) in China now extends ways beyond wellknown car，clothing and jewelry brands.For example，the luxury jet market in China is the fastestgrowing in the world，even outstripping that of the United States，with a market share of 25 percent.This trend appears to continue，with 20 to 30 percent growth expected in China，compared with only 2 to 3 percent in the US.But more importantly，China’s luxury jet market growth represents a major development in the private consumption of luxury items.
China’s highquality red wine market also provides evidence of the growth in private consumption of luxury goods.In 2013，China became the largest market for red wine in the world，even overtaking France，with 1.86 billion bottles consumed in China last year.Over the past five years，China’s red wine consumption has grown 136 percent.
According to my ongoing consumer research in this area while working at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing，public consumption of such expensive global luxury brands such as Prada and Armani is easily explained by the desire to “gain face” and publicly display social climbing through material possessions.On the other hand，it is “selfreward” that lies behind consumer motivation in this area.Chinese consumers who have experienced rapid financial and economic gains appear to be particularly prone to the need to reward themselves for their success.But this has little to do with “gaining face” and impressing others and much more to do with the need for personal contentment.
Finally，the growth in private luxury consumption in China is set to continue in part due to the maturity of the Chinese consumer and advancement of Chinese consumer culture generally.
1. What do you think the author would most probably be?| A．A news reporter. | B．An accountant. |
| C．A professor. | D．A conductor. |
| A．falling far behind of |
| B．going out of |
| C．going far ahead of |
| D．keeping pace with |
| A．Future Private Luxury Consumption in China |
| B．Chinese Appetite for Luxury Goods and Services |
| C．The Potential Luxury Jet Market in China |
| D．The Maturity of the Chinese Consumers |
4 . I live on the West Coast of British Columbia with my husband and three children. Our day started like any other day. My husband left for work in the north of the town，which is an hour and a half’s drive. The younger children caught their bus to school ten minutes away. Our oldest attends high school and is a 40minute drive away. I work at home in the office，working on the computer.
It was November 2006 and the news had reported gusty winds. When the winds started to get strong I shut the computer down and tried to phone my husband. I left a message telling him the winds were blowing at 80 to 90 km/hr. As I hung up the phone，I heard a tree crack. I went outside and stood in the driveway. Another tree exploded and my heart was racing.
When the school bus carrying the youngsters arrived，I ran to get them. No sooner had we made it to the house than another tree exploded. The children were clearly scared，so I loaded them up into the car and we parked in the middle of the yard，where no trees could land on us. It was starting to get dark.
My oldest son didn’t come home on the bus and my husband was stranded at work. I called the high school and reached my son. He said he was stranded and didn’t know what to do. I called a friend in town for help. He managed to get my son home to me. Finally，my husband managed to get home.
We had been prepared for such events，as we had a generator，candles，a wood stove，fresh water，batteries and two freezers full of food. We were without power for five days. But we didn’t panic-we had all the emergency equipment we needed. Thankfully，none of our neighbours were injured，but the damage was extensive. We are witnessing climate change. We need to be prepared.
1. When did the mother hear a tree crack for the third time?| A．When she was on the phone. |
| B．After she hung up the phone. |
| C．Right before she and her kids went into the house. |
| D．Right after she and her kids got into the house. |
| A．It was dark inside the house. |
| B．It was safer there than in the house. |
| C．She wanted to wait for her family there. |
| D．She wanted to receive help from others. |
| A．Busy completing his work. |
| B．Under the pressure of work. |
| C．Stuck at the workplace. |
| D．Worried while working. |
5 . According to a new study, putting preschooler(学龄前儿童) in bed by 8 p.m. could reduce their chances of becoming overweight or obese later in life by half. Preschoolers are children around the age of 4 or 5.
The World Health Organization says obesity can lead to serious long-term health problems like diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Researchers from the Ohio State University’s College of Public Health have found that young children who go to bed after 9 p.m. are twice as likely to be obese later in life. The researchers wrote their findings in The Journal of Pediatrics.
The lead author of the study is Sarah Anderson. She is a professor of epidemiology(流行病学). Anderson says that, for parents, the results of the study support the importance of creating a bedtime routine.
She says that having a usual bedtime routine is something “families can do to lower their children’s risk” of becoming overweight.
Researchers used data from 977 children for the study. These children are part of a larger project called the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. The project follows healthy babies born in 1991 in 10 cities in US.
When these children turned 15 years old, the researchers looked at their rates of obesity. Of those with the earliest bedtimes, only one out of 10 was obese. Of those who went to bed between 8 and 9 p.m., 16 percent became obese. And out of those with the latest bedtimes, 23 percent became obese.
The World Health Organization reported in 2014 that the number of overweight babies and young children worldwide had increased from 31 million in 1990 to 44 million in 2012. If that trend continues, the WHO warns, there will be 70 million obese children in the world by 2025.
1. According to the passage, the risk of obesity ______.| A．can be cut by half if children go to bed by 9 p.m. |
| B．can lead to low blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease |
| C．is the highest at the age of 4 or 5 |
| D．is higher for those children who sleep late at night |
| A．heavy | B．light | C．fat | D．slim |
| A．The research is organized by the World Health Organization. |
| B．The result shows that children sleeping before 8 p.m. have the lowest rate of obesity. |
| C．The findings are based on the data provided by The Journal of Pediatrics. |
| D．The research is funded(提供资金) by the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. |
| A．Objective(客观) | B．Disappointed | C．Positive | D．Satisfied |
6 . I personally think trains are exciting and romantic. I must admit that trains are not important means of transportation in the US, but I do have some experiences with them.
When I was a child, growing up in a small town with very little entertainment, we used to go to the station to watch the passenger trains coming in. There was something exciting about the steaming, roaring string of trains coming into view around the mountains, slowly growing larger and louder and finally after their stop crowds of strangers spilling （漏出）onto the platform.
I took my first train trip when I was ten years old. I went with my elder sister to visit our cousins six hundred miles away. The train — so loud and violent on the outside — was gentle and rocking inside. We were very excited, and as that was also our first time away from our parents, we felt somewhat frightened too. However, because I had expected so much, I was a little disappointed when I was finally one of the passengers I had watched for so long.
As a college student, I used to ride an overnight train to my roommate's hometown. We could never afford a sleeper, so we played cards, sang, ate, read and talked until we finally fell uncomfortably asleep in the straight-backed seats.
My idea that trains are romantic may come from the fact that my husband and I took the train on our honeymoon, spending extra money to eat in the dining car, and looking out of the window as the desert scenery slid past.
Now, when I make a trip, I always fly or drive, and trains are not a very important part of my life. Still, every time I hear the train whistle far away on a quiet night, I can always feel the impulse in my heart to pack my bags and jump on board, entering a unique world of motions, sounds, sights and experiences which just aren't matched in the dull environment of an airplane.
1. Why did the author feel a little disappointed during the first train trip?| A．Because the train was loud and violent. | B．Because she finally became a passenger. |
| C．Because she had a high expectation. | D．Because she missed his parents. |
| A．the author's childhood memory of trains was frightening and disappointing |
| B．the author no longer makes a trip by train now as a result of its dull environment |
| C．the author didn't fall asleep until she found straight-backed seats with her roommate |
| D．the author thought trains romantic mainly because of the pleasant moment with her husband |
| A．Eager. | B．Embarrassed. | C．Romantic. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．My Love of Trains | B．Watching Trains Coming |
| C．My Memory of Trips | D．Trains: My Best Choice |
7 . Gems (珍宝) of Grand Central Terminal (GCT)
The Transportation Sculpture
This impressive sculpture — all 1,500 tons of it — really rocks. Three figures from Roman mythology (神话) rest above the terminal’s main entrance on 42nd Street. Hercules (on the left) represents strength; Mercury (in the middle) is linked to speed, commerce, and transportation; and Minerva (on the right) represents wisdom.
Designed by French sculptor Jules-Félix Coutan, Transportation is 66 feet wide and stands 48 feet tall at its highest point. Coutan made a small-scale model of the sculptural group, and craftsmen in Long Island City carved it from Indiana limestone.
The Tiffany Clock
A Jewel-like clock made by world-renowned Tiffany Studios sits in the middle of The Transportation Sculpture. With a diameter of 14 feet, this colorful timepiece is said to be the largest Tiffany glass clock in the world.
The Clock on the Information Booth
Another famous GCT timepiece is the four-sided, brass-and-opal (黄铜和猫眼石) clock on top of the information booth in the main concourse (大厅). It’s a popular meeting point in this busy transportation center. The clock is capped by an acorn. Beneath the clock, a hidden staircase goes down to another booth on a lower level of the terminal.
The Main Concourse’s Ceiling Mural (壁画)
In a 1913 edition of The New York Times, a railway official joked that people might spend so much time stargazing at the mural on the main concourse’s ceiling that they’d miss their trains. It’s easy to see why. Groups of stars — a mix of gold leaf (thin sheets of gold) and artfully placed light bulbs — twinkle across the ceiling sky. The starry scene, which was designed by a French artist named Paul César Helleu, brings to mind travelers of the past who navigated by the stars.
1. What do The Transportation Sculpture and The Tiffany Clock have in common?| A．They are both located above the GCT’s main entrance. | B．They were both designed by Jules-Félix Coutan. |
| C．They are both linked to Roman mythology. | D．They were both made of glass. |
| A．It is forty-eight feet high. | B．It is on top of a huge statue. |
| C．It is connected to a lower level booth. | D．It is the largest opal clock in the world. |
| A．Some stories from mythology. | B．Thousands of stars in the sky. |
| C．Various clocks from history. | D．Craftsmen in ancient times. |
8 . I have a neighbor who is a capable and fashionable seventy-year-old single woman. Her name is Grace. Grace was laid off from her job a little over two years ago and has been living off her savings ever since. She has not technically “retired”. Grace called me up one day about this time last year and asked if I had a ladder. She needed to clean out her gutters (雨水槽) and wanted me to hold the ladder.
She didn’t want me to climb up and clean the gutters: she just wanted me to hold the ladder. As it happened, did have ladder. However, being typical procrastinator (拖延者), I said, “The leaves are going to fall off the trees in a month. Why don’t we wait and do it then?” She agreed and naturally we didn’t talk about it again until spring. Spring in Tennessee is wild and we talked about it over the course of three weeks, during which time it rained nearly every day. Then got busy and Grace went into seclusion (隐居).
A couple weeks ago, she told me she’d been spending too much money and decided to apply for a tending job at a local hotel. Though I didn’t know much about today’s people, I’d never considered what it would be like to apply for and begin a new job at the age of seventy. I’m fifty-three and the closer get to that age, the more I think about how great it’ll be if I can just get out of bed when I’m seventy. Anyway she got the job, serving and tending guests at the hotel. She actually lived out her life motto.
The day she left for her training at 6:00 a.m., I walked across the street with my ladder and went to clean out her gutters.
1. What did Grace want to do this time last year?| A．Make a ladder. | B．Retire completely. |
| C．Do some cleaning work. | D．Ask the author to clear up her gutters. |
| A．Don’t compare yourself to others. | B．Just live the way you like. |
| C．Acknowledge you’re not alone. | D．It’s never too late to learn. |
| A．The author is a warm-hearted neighbor. |
| B．The author lives far away from Grace. |
| C．Grace likes her new job very much. |
| D．Grace’s new job is quite difficult. |
9 . The huge T-rex (霸王龙) bends over a large triceratops (三角龙) lying on his side below. With its mouth open wide, the T-rex looks ready to kill the triceratops with a final bite to the triceratops’s neck. The display will be found at the National Museum of Natural History.
The museum has sought a huge T-rex skeleton (骨架) for many years. Before, it used a model of one. But museum director Kirk Johnson says that was never good enough. “It’s been kind of deeply embarrassing to be the national museum and NOT have a T-rex,” he said. The T-rex display is now the centerpiece of the museum’s newest show, which will be available to the public on July 15.
That T-rex, named Sue, was found in South Dakota. Officials at the museum built a special area for the skeleton. It includes a gift store of all things related to Sue. Sue even has her own Twitter account and a media presentation of her life story.
In modern times, movies like “Jurassic Park (侏罗纪公园)” have helped grow dinosaur interest for a new generation of young fans. But such movies describe the T-rexes as mostly huge, stupid and dangerous animals, which are true threat in the fighting: quick, intelligent and aggressive hunters in groups.
1. What is described in Paragraph 1?| A．How a T-rex hunts in the wild. |
| B．How a T-rex will be displayed in a museum. |
| C．How a T-rex is painted in a picture. |
| D．How a T-rex is filmed in a movie. |
| A．It was found in Australia. |
| B．It has been open to the public. |
| C．It is valued by the museum. |
| D．It is still a model one. |
| A．Movies about dinosaurs should be reduced. |
| B．The young generation dislikes dinosaurs. |
| C．The T-rex is a kind of huge, stupid dinosaur. |
| D．Some movies are misleading in a way. |
10 . “Snakes in the Gutter”can make an interesting game that can be played in school.For this, you need to make some of the children snakes.They have to stand in a line widely distanced from each other.To begin the game, you need to say, “Snakes in the Gutter.”After your announcement, the children try to get through the line of the snakes without getting caught.The kids who are caught by the snakes have to join the snakes' team.The one who keeps free till all the others are caught is the winner.
If your school has a big enough playground, you can organize basketball, football and other such outdoor team games.
Online games that help kids get skills in using the mouse and the keyboard are excellent games in modern times.To do well in image tracking games, kids need to decide quickly and correctly when clicking a moving thing.
Vocabulary games are those of the best games to play in school.One of the exciting word games is building words from the disordered letters.Another game could be that of finding the spelling mistake in a given word.A game known as “Hangman”is played by giving a piece of information about the meaning of a word to the kids and telling them the number of letters in the words.
There can be many such games to play in school.Remember to design games that are interesting as well as educative.Games in school serve as the best way to develop certain skills in children, and they are also full of fun and excitement.So, get going!
1. In order to win the game “Snakes in the Gutter”， one should________．| A．be caught as soon as possible |
| B．stand in a line to act snakes |
| C．keep himself/herself free till the end |
| D．say “Snakes in the Gutter” before the others |
| A．finding out different pictures |
| B．describing a moving thing correctly |
| C．communicating with each other |
| D．making a quick and right decision |
| A．They are usually played at home. |
| B．They are used to improve kids' translation skill. |
| C．They can help kids learn more words. |
| D．They can help kids make sentences. |
| A．unknown | B．positive |
| C．uncertain | D．negative |
