1 . The world has seen many inventions. While most people are proud of those associate with their names, there are things making inventors feel the other way.

The pop-up (弹出) advert, by Ethan Zuckerman

Pop-up ads are convenient for those who are interested, but most people get annoyed when they are on computers. They may contain computer viruses. Just as we would blame the inventor, the man humbly accepted his invention isn’t one of the best. In his essay, Zuckerman wrote about the most hateful thing, “I wrote the code to launch the window and run an ad in it.”

The emoticon, by Scott E. Fahlman

Emoticons began to occupy screens crazily in 2011 and gained great popularity, especially with young men. It had been four years since Fahlman first used a “smiley face” in a computer message. He created the emoticon as a joke marker. But things are different. “It has gone to places I don’t approve of,” he complained to The Wall Street Journal in 2013. “It shouldn’t have been created.”

The office cubicle (隔间), by Bob Propst

In 1968, Bob Propst came up with the idea office cubicles, something that “would build a futuristic and tidy office style with no real walls or doors and provide a more comfortable environment”. But the man has come to hate what he has invented, as Propst recalled to Fortune at age 80, “They’ve changed and just become cubicles”.

The K-Cup, by John Sylvan

It seems everyone has a Keurig coffee maker for K-Cups. John Sylvan invented the K-Cup, aimed at facilitating office life of white-collar workers. Now it’s common in houses and companies. However, the single-serve plastic coffee cups aren’t eco-friendly. “I feel bad sometimes that I ever did it”, Sylvan admits. But! Good news for Mr. Sylvan: Keuring now offers varieties of recyclable K-Cups.

1. When was the emoticon invented?

A．In 2007.

B．In 2009.

C．In 2011.

D．In 2013.

2. Which one was created for office workers’ convenience?

A．The pop-up advert.

B．The emoticon.

C．The office cubicle.

D．The K-Cup.

3. What do the above inventions have in common?

A．They benefit human life greatly.

B．Their creators are blamed by the public.

C．Their inventors feel regretful.

D．They are very popular with young people.

2 . You might have heard about how honey bees are doing poorly these days. It’s different, though, from the situation many of the world’s vulnerable (脆弱的) animals find themselves in. We want them to live their lives and grow stronger, but are we willing to change our lifestyles to make it happen? The decrease in honey bees is a bit different, because if honey bees can’t live well, neither can people and, eventually people won’t eat as a result.

As happened in 2017, U.S. beekeepers lost 40 percent of their bees because of a disease. It’s really about the earnings of beekeepers and the reduced amount of bees. But it doesn’t stop there. Honey bees go around doing pollination (授粉). And do you know what need to be pollinated? That’s our crops. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates bees pollinate about $15 billion worth of apples and peaches each year in the United States alone.

So, we 21st-century humans not only take notice, but also start trying to fix the problem. It’s infeasible that we give every bee the treatment. We can’t imagine how huge the task is and how hard we carry on it! The most promising immediate solution seems to prevent the disease. That’s where the bee vaccine (疫苗) comes.

Scientists have long thought immunizing (使免疫) bees will be unworkable, but a 2015 study discovered that bees transfer immunity to their babies through protein. Vaccinating a bee won’t help that bee, but if you vaccinate the queen of bees, she can pass her immunity on to her later generations through her eggs.

The new vaccine will treat for American foulbrood (AFB), a serious disease that quickly destroys bees. It’s in the testing phases and most likely headed for bee boxes near you. And don’t worry, it doesn’t require a tiny doctor’s chair and needle to deliver the vaccine—the queen bee can drink the medicine in a little sugar water and pass it along to her later generations.

1. What does exactly the author intend to tell us through the 2017 beekeepers’ incident?

A．The beekeepers lead a terrible life.

B．The number of bees continues to decrease.

C．The decline of bees affects the production of grain.

D．The pollination work of bees is huge and complicated.

2. What does the underlined word “infeasible” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Practical

B．Impossible

C．harmful

D．Convenient

3. What does Paragraph 4 suggest?

A．The bee vaccine is hard to develop.

B．Bees will learn skills from the queen.

C．Bees can transfer immunity to each other.

D．The bee vaccine can take effect in the long run.

4. What can be inferred about the vaccine from the last paragraph?

A．It’s applied to all sick bees.

B．It will be delivered to bees by skilled doctors.

C．It works by allowing the queen of bees to take it.

D．It has been put into use and makes many bees survive.

4 . It was a day in late December. The Christmas tree had been taken down. The lights and decorations had been boxed up and put in the closet until next year. And I was feeling a little empty. Surely I wasn't looking forward to the long, cold, dark winter to come. I had always been a light lover on the inside. I tried to take comfort in knowing that a few more minutes of daylight was being added each day, but it hardly worked.

I was both surprised and delighted when I looked, out of my window and saw that a spring-like day had suddenly arrived. I could hear the neighborhood children outside playing in the warm air. I smiled when I saw them and my inner little girl longed to be out there riding bikes and playing games as well.

I tied my dogs for their afternoon walk hoping to enjoy some of the sunshine myself. As I was about to head out the door, however, I decided to do something a little different. I reached down and pulled my shoes and socks off. I hadn't been barefoot outside since the summer. I slowly stepped out on the cool damp grass. It felt so alive under my feet. I laughed as I walked along. I remembered something I once read too, “Walk as if you were kissing the earth with your feet.” And with each step I did so. My walk felt sacred and holy. I felt a oneness with the world and the love of Heaven all around me. With love in my heart, I thanked God for the gift of this day and no longer dreaded the coming of the winter. I thought I had gathered enough energy and courage to welcome it.

AH of us are walking through this life. But it is up to each of us how we do so. Are you going to trip and walk with heavy steps and complain with each step you take? Or are you going to kiss the earth with your feet and Heaven with your heart? The choice is yours.

1. How did the author feel shortly after Christmas at first?

A．Surprised.

B．Delighted.

C．Unhappy.

D．Relaxed.

2. Why did the author want to go out?

A．She was inspired by delighted children.	B．She had to walk her dogs in the afternoon.
C．She intended to give the neighbors warmth.	D．She was touched by her childhood memories.

3. What a different thing did the author do?

A．She kissed the earth lovingly.	B．She walked barefoot outside.
C．She read a book on the grass.	D．She dried her feet in the sun.

4. What does the underlined word “dreaded” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Forgot.

B．Judged.

C．Desired.

D．Feared.

5 . Accompanied by her father, using a combination of aid and free climbing and taking advantage of some special equipment and ropes for protection, 10-year-old Selah made it to the top of El Capitan on June 12 after five days of big wall climbing.

Climbing the challenging and adventurous Nose route of El Capitan was a labor of love for Selah in more than one way. Her parents , Mike and Joy Schneiter, fell in love on this 3,000- plus-foot huge rock and she has always wanted to feel the way that her parents felt when they were up there together. Selah showed great interest in rock climbing at an early age. She wore her first rock-climbing equipment shortly after she learned to walk. She first dreamed of climbing El Capitan when she was 6 or 7.

El Capitan is a famous mountain-sized rock in Yosemite National Park. Getting to its top is no easy task. It's taller, as reported, than the tallest building in the world-Dubai^’s Buri Khalifa. El Capitan and its difficult Nose route, which runs more than 3,000 feet high up the center of the rock's face, is considered one of the world's hardest big wall climbs and has attracted the best climbers over time. But never before had a youngster accomplished it.

Selah's achievement caught national attention. Outside Magazine called her the youngest documented person to climb the Nose. Ken Yager, president of the Yosemite Climbing Association, said he also couldn't think of anyone younger who has done it.

Selah is humble about her El Capitan accomplishment. "I'm not necessarily a special kid or anything like that, she said. "There were a few times when I would be so worn that it would kind of discourage me from holding on. But overall, it was just great to keep plugging away.”

Selah shared this advice for other young climbers dreaming of big walls, "It doesn't take necessarily a super special person to do something like that. You just have to put your mind to it.”

1. What do we learn about Selah climbing El Capitan?

A．She began her climbing on June 5.

B．She got inspired by her family history.

C．She managed without any external help.

D．She was the first female to reach the top.

2. What is the purpose of paragraph 3?

A．To state El Capitan's height.

B．To prove El Capitan's popularity.

C．To introduce El Capitan's location.

D．To stress the challenge of climbing El Capitan.

3. Which of the following best describes Selah?

A．Determined.	B．Generous.
C．Warm-hearted.	D．Fortunate.

4. What may be Selah's advice for other young climbers?

A．Dream big and aim high.

B．Be committed to your ambition.

C．Chance favors the prepared mind.

D．Nothing is impossible for a genius.

6 . The public nowadays has a misunderstanding of forest fires, believing that fires should be kept out of every type of forest. Many of us can recall Smoky the Bear's famous warning: “Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires”. However, that's not always the case. Under the right conditions, and when conducted safely, fire can create many environmental benefits as well as help prevent larger, uncontrollable wildfires.

After a forest fire, many wildlife species will move into recently burned areas to feed on these newly available foods. Some reptiles and amphibians such as the pine (松树） snake prefer forests frequently burned by fire. As Herbert Stoddard put it, “One of the most harmful things modern man has done to birds has been his attempt to exclude fire from fire-type pine forests. Within a few years most forests choke up with bushes, lose their prairie-like vegetation (草原般植被） and can no longer support birds dependent on periodic burning for their food supply and proper cover.”

If you are asked to picture the forest floor, what do you see? Pine needles, cones, leaves, branches might come to mind-all sources of fuel. If these fuel sources build up without any type of removal, the 'fuel load' can lead to fires catastrophic to forests and people alike. In contrast, prescribed fire can be used by forest professionals every couple of years to keep forest fuels at an appropriate and manageable level. They can also minimize the spread of pest insects and disease and remove unwanted tree and plant species. Plus, they can create and maintain important wildlife habitats rich in grasses and promote the growth of trees, wildflowers and other various plants.

Many organizations and agencies work to promote fire on the landscape when and where appropriate. Smokey Bear even has an updated warning: “Only You can Prevent Wildfires,” as the Forest Service has over the last few decades developed policies and procedures to include prescribed fire as a management tool, as well as continuing their work to prevent and fight wildfires.

1. Why did the author mention Smoky the Bear's warning?

A．To introduce the topic of the passage.

B．To clarify a misunderstood concept.

C．To show the significance of fire prevention.

D．To raise people's awareness of forest protection.

2. What can benefit birds according to Herbert Stoddard?

A．Forest bushes.

B．Fuel sources.

C．Pine forests.

D．Periodic burning.

3. What is the purpose of prescribed fire?

A．To put out wildfires.

B．To keep the forest balance.

C．To remove tree and plant species.

D．To keep the fuel rich in the forest.

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．One Match Can Start A Forest Fire

B．Where There Is Smoke There Is A Fire

C．Not All Forest Fires Are Created Equal

D．Why Not Keep The Forest Fire Burning

7 . If there had to be a father of handwashing in history, it would be Ignaz Semmelweis. While working at Vienna General hospital, the Hungarian doctor, faced with a situation in which maternal death (孕产妇死亡) in hospitals were significantly higher than local clinics, tried hard clues as to why.

Germs (细菌) were yet to be discovered, and it was still believed in the 1840s that disease was spread by bad smells in the air. So it didn’t seem a problem that trainee doctors hanging out of labs to dissect (解剖) human bodies would pop up to the maternity ward (产房) to deliver a baby without washing their hands.

Then an accidental finger cut by a knife during a dissection caused a doctor to die, seemingly of the same sign the mothers had been getting. Semmelweis assumed that something from the dead bodies was to blame, which might, through the hands of doctors, make their way into women’ s bodies during childbirth.

To test his theory, he ordered doctors to wash their hands and instruments in some chlorine solution. As a result, the death rate for new mothers dropped to about 1 percent, compared with that of as high as 18 percent before the experiment.

However, he faced great resistance, and met a sad end. People at that time didn’t think of themselves as sort of walking Petri dishes. And the majority of doctors then were from middle- or upper-class families, and thought of themselves as very clean people.

Over the next 40 years, a better understanding of germs developed, and attitudes to hygiene (卫生) gradually shifted. In 1876, the German scientist Robert Koch discovered the anthrax bacillus (炭疽), kicking off the new research field of medical bacteriology. Many more germs were later identified. Surgeons started to take handwashing seriously.

By the 1890s and into the early 1900s, handwashing moved from being something doctors did to something everybody had been told to do.

1. What was the situation like in the 1840s?

A．Germs might have been discovered then.

B．Women suffered from delivering babies then.

C．The air at that time was dirty and full of viruses.

D．People were unaware of how disease was spread.

2. What does the underlined word “Solution” probably mean?

A．Liquid.

B．Option.

C．Tissue.

D．Shell.

3. How did the public feel about handwashing at first?

A．It was effective.	B．It was necessary.
C．It was ridiculous.	D．It was dangerous.

4. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．Steps to Protect Yourself

B．Disease Spreading by Your Hand

C．Hand Washing Critical in Fighting Viruses

D．The First Recorded Discovery of Handwashing

9 . Tears well up in people's eyes for a lot of reasons. A teardrop running down the cheek is the ultimate symbol of sadness, but people may also cry because they just cut an onion, or maybe they're trying to blink out an eyelash.

For the most part, tears help maintain healthy eyes. When you blink, basal (基底的) tears clean and smooth the eyes, which helps you to see clearly, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Moreover, reflex (反射性的) tears, or those that happen unconsciously, help clear the eyes of irritants (刺激物), including dust and the gas that's produced when a knife slices a raw onion, said Andre Silva, a doctoral student of psychology at the University of Minho in Portugal.

Emotions can also bring about tears in humans. These emotional tears can serve as a means of nonverbal communication. Silva said, “Babies cry to signal to their mothers that something's up. It's a pure attention call. Some people think that babies are capable of controlling adults by crying, but that idea is false and misleading, as a baby is not conscious of being tricky: In a way, we can consider these tears as being somewhere between basal tears and emotional tears.”

As people grow older, they begin to use their tears to express emotions, such as happiness or sadness. These tears may promote compassion and empathy in others. But beware of people who may use their tears to control others. “Some sensitive people may be easily controlled through the crying of others, and may easily shed tears that can also be used by others to control them,” he said.

So, emotional tears have both advantages and disadvantages. “They are a powerful communication device and a powerful manipulative (操纵别人的) device,” Silva said. Crying also makes it hard for some people to mask their feelings when they're in the middle of an extreme emotional state.

1. What's the function of reflex tears?

A．Reflecting our feelings.

B．Being used to affect others.

C．Serving as a means of interaction.

D．Clearing away harmful matters in the eyes.

2. What may Silva agree with according to the text?

A．Tears are usually used to pity others.

B．Babies burst into tears without tricks.

C．People mask their feelings when crying.

D．Blinking out an eyelash makes it easy to cry.

3. What can be learned from the text?

A．We ought to identify tears.

B．We should control babies, crying.

C．We need to smooth our eyes by emotional tears.

D．We can hardly fan others' sympathy by tears.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Why do people cry?

B．Why can tears control others?

C．How do people express emotions?

D．How can people make use of tears?