1 . We often hear friends ask why they should read fiction. There is so much to learn from history, from what is going on at the frontiers of science, and from contemporary studies of human behavior. Why should they spend their scarce "free time" reading fiction, the purpose of which, at best, is only entertainment?
We are disappointed about such comments. Yes, we respond, we do find pleasure in reading fiction. But we also learn much about how to best live our lives in ways that can only be captured by fiction. We recognize that some novels are entertaining, but leave no lasting impression. What makes a novel more than entertainment?
Our answer is that we don't just read great books - they read us as well. The human condition is complex and contradictory, layered like an ice-cream dessert, with flavors mixed among the layers. A great novel reflects that complexity. We may read it several times, as we do with our favorites, and each time it is like finding an old friend and gaining new insights from that friend. We put it down with new understandings of the world around us and, most important, of ourselves.
Let's look at the novel Frankenstein, written in 1818 by Mary Shelley. Frankenstein is not the monster, but a young man seeking out the secrets of the universe. He collects body parts and charges it with life. When the dull yellow eyes open, however, Frankenstein, shocked by what he has done, abandons the creature, which ultimately kills Frankenstein's brother, his bride, and his best friend.
On one level, Frankenstein is entertaining - a good horror story, though a little dated. But Shelley writes more than just that. On a deeper level, her book forces us to ask whether humans reach too far to gain knowledge that is as forbidden as the fruit of the Garden of Eden. This theme, as old as the legend of Prometheus （普罗米修斯），dominates Frankenstein. Shelley, of course, knew nothing of genetic （遗传的）engineering that happens today. She was deeply troubled by what human beings might discover about themselves, and the effects of those discoveries on society. Our reading of great literature can also be enriched by understanding the author's personal interests and anxieties.
1. How does the author feel about fiction reading?| A．It is a window to a whole new world. |
| B．It helps us discover the frontiers of science. |
| C．It offers insight into how to live best lives. |
| D．It holds some clues to understanding our memory. |
| A．Because they deserve reading several times. |
| B．Because they lead us to a rich and colorful life. |
| C．Because they explore humans' complex reality. |
| D．Because they improve the writer-reader relationship. |
| A．It is based on a grand theme. |
| B．It is a record of a historic event. |
| C．It is merely a great horror story. |
| D．It is about the legend of Prometheus. |
| A．Why should we read fiction? |
| B．Can novel reading last long? |
| C．Read for fun or read for none? |
| D．Is Frankenstein really entertaining? |
2 . Windows are a key component in a building's design, but they are also the least energy- efficient part. According to a 2009 report by the United Nations, buildings account for 40 percent of global energy usage, and windows are responsible for half of that energy consumption. If conventional windows are used to better block sunlight passing into a building, they need expensive coatings. Even so, they can not adjust the indoor temperature effectively.
Scientists at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) have developed a smart liquid window panel that can help. By creating a mixture of micro-hydrogel (水凝胶), water, and a stabilizer, they found that it can effectively reduce energy consumption in a variety of climates. Thanks to the hydrogel, the mixture becomes hard-to-see- through when exposed to heat, thus blocking sunlight, and, when cool, it returns to its original clear state. The high heat capacity of water allows a large amount of heat energy to be stored instead of getting transferred through the glass and into the building during the hot daytime when office buildings mainly operate. The heat will then be gradually cooled and released at night when the staff are off duty.
As a proof of concept, the scientists conducted outdoor tests in hot (Singapore, Guangzhou) and cold (Beijing) environments. The Singapore test revealed that the smart liquid window had a lower temperature (50°C) during the hottest time of the day (noon) compared to a normal glass window (84°C), The Beijing tests showed that the room using the smart liquid window consumed 11 percent less energy to maintain the same temperature compared to the room with a normal glass window. They also measured when the highest value of stored heat energy of the day occurred. This "temperature peak" in the normal glass window was 2 pm, and in the smart liquid window was shifted to 3 pm. If this temperature peak shift leads to a shift in the time when a building needs to draw on electrical power to cool or warm the building, it should result in lower energy charges for users. The research team is seeking ways to cut down the cost of producing the smart window and so far, they have found several industry partners to commercialize it.
1. What is the disadvantage of conventional windows?| A．They are expensive. |
| B．They are not heatproof. |
| C．They contribute less to energy saving. |
| D．They can't block light into the building. |
| A．By taking in much of heat energy. |
| B．By returning to its original clear state. |
| C．By getting most of sunlight transferred. |
| D．By spreading sunlight in different directions. |
| A．It will make the windows long-lasting. |
| B．It could help the building users reduce costs. |
| C．It makes the buildings rely on no electrical power. |
| D．It helps the windows maintain a constant temperature. |
| A．It will be unaffordable. |
| B．It needs to be further improved. |
| C．It will be widely used in the city. |
| D．It will come onto the market soon. |
3 . Maryland has plenty of attractive history, with many of its sites kept in good condition. Here are four of the best.
Fort MacHenry (Baltimore)
When the British attacked Baltimore in 1812, the buildings became important to the city’s self-protection. Francis Scott Key, a Washington lawyer, watched the battle through the night. He was so moved by the sight of the American flag still flying by dawn’s early light that he penned a poem, which would become the US national anthem (国歌). Visitors can learn about the history by films and introductions offered here.
Casselman River Bridge (Grantsville)
This beautiful stone bridge was built in the early 19th century, serving as an important link on the National Road in the past. It was the nation’s first major highway, connecting the Potomac and the Ohio River. It is a popular area for fly fishermen, photographers, and history lovers. The nearby Spruce Forest Artisan Village has historic houses, small hotels,and recreated buildings.
Washington Monument (纪念碑) State Park (Boonsboro)
The largest stone monument on the top of South Mountain, built in 1827, is the nation’s first-ever monument honoring George Washington. During the Civil War, the Union Army used this high point as its signal station. Today, you can climb up inside and enjoy attractive views of the surrounding Maryland countryside. There are many historical things related to the monument and the Civil War battle of South Mountain.
B&O Railroad Museum (Ellicott City)
This small building is the nation’s oldest surviving railroad station. Dating from 1830, it was the B&O Main Linens first stop out of Baltimore, 13 miles distant. According to a local story, it also was the finishing line for machines replacing all horses within the year. Today, the station is a museum showing the early first years of America.
1. What can we know about Francis Scott Key?| A．His poem was used as the US national anthem. |
| B．He liked recording wars by poems. |
| C．He fought in the war of 1812. |
| D．His protection of the American flag moved people. |
| A．has convenient transportation | B．was designed to honor a soldier |
| C．played an important role in wartime | D．is the earliest monument in the country |
| A．Fort MacHenry. | B．Casselman River Bridge. |
| C．Washington Monument State Park. | D．B&O Railroad Museum. |
4 . 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. |
| A．Liquid. | B．Option. | C．Tissue. | D．Shell. |
| A．It was effective. | B．It was necessary. |
| C．It was ridiculous. | D．It was dangerous. |
| 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 |
5 . In middle school, math was my least favorite subject. I understood history. I loved English. However, math never made sense to me, no matter how many times I worked through a problem. I wanted to be good at math, but I didn’t think it possible.
I started taking classes offered by Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) during the summer after my eighth-grade year. I had to admit that in my first class I felt like I was completely unqualified (不合格的) to be in the class, surrounded by so many smart kids. There were times when I felt lost in a sea of materials that I could never hope to understand. But slowly and surely, a few weeks later, AoPS taught me how to love the process of learning math. I went from being a kid who hated math classes to begging my parents to let me take an extra math class on Friday nights.
The most common wrong idea I hear is that people who are skilled at math come by their skills naturally. Many of my high school friends laughed at me for being a math nerd (书呆子). People thought that math came easy to me, when, in fact, the exact opposite was true. Math was not easy for me to learn. It was something I worked hard at.
Math is often viewed as a subject you either “get” or you don’t. But most of math is not about natural talent. If people approach math thinking they can’t be good at it, then they have set themselves up to fail. Just like any other skills, success comes with practice. There are many great mathematicians in this world, but we should remember they all had to start at the beginning just like we do.
The skills we learn from problem-solving in math can be useful in our lives. So don’t give up math. Just remember that you can learn math well if you have a right attitude towards it and work hard enough.
1. What can we learn about the author when he was in eighth grade?| A．He considered math a challenging subject. |
| B．He missed math classes on purpose. |
| C．He failed to study hard in math. |
| D．He showed little interest in any school subject. |
| A．Math was not interesting at all. | B．He should turn to others for help. |
| C．He wasn’t qualified for math classes. | D．Math learning could actually be attractive. |
| A．He was really good at math. | B．He made few friends at school. |
| C．He brought music joy to his classmates. | D．He should find a new way to learn math. |
| A．Using it in real life. | B．Attending after-school classes. |
| C．Learning from great mathematicians. | D．Practicing with a positive attitude. |
6 . Everyone has unique personalities, which makes life more interesting.
Over the last 25 years, doctors have classified personalities into five basic traits(特性), called the Big Five. Everyone can be described as having varying levels of agreeableness(随和), conscientiousness(认真)，emotional stability(情绪稳定)，extroversion(外向)and openness to experience.
Contrary to common knowledge, people aren't confined to certain personality types. Usually, no one is entirely an extrovert or an introvert. While a minority may be at the extreme ends of a trait, most people are somewhere in the middle. “Every personality trait is a continuous dimension. You can be very high or very low, and most people fall somewhere in between,” said Christopher Soto, a doctor at Colby College.
Personality isn’t limited to humans, either. Research finds that all animals have personalities. Both the personality of animals and humans has an evolutionary origin. Evolution can a so explain why personalities vary so much. Depending on the situation, each of the Big Five can be advantageous. For example, agreeableness is great for relationships. But if a lion were charging at you, you'd be better off with a less agreeable and more aggressive personality leaning. Because the world is so unpredictable, every aspect of each personality trait could be useful at different times, so instead of evolving a single type of personality that s first-rank for every situation, we're left with a wide variety.
An evolutionary root of personality means traits must be inherited(继承). So whether you’d like to admit it or not, much of your personality comes from your parents. In fact, for humans, about half of the differences in personality are genetic. The rest of the variability in personality comes from your environment.
Not only does your environment shape who you are, but you can, to an extent, adjust your personality to the circumstance. You can be more outgoing at a party and more agreeable at home with your family. But you can also be introverted if you need to focus on work, or aggressive when playing a competitive sport. Humans, after all, have evolved to learn from our environments.
1. Which of the following best explains the underlined word “confined” in Paragraph 3?| A．Forced. | B．Composed. | C．Devoted. | D．Limited. |
| A．A personality difference. |
| B．An environmental condition. |
| C．An evolutionary origin. |
| D．Human's relationship with animals. |
| A．Friendly. | B．Stubborn. | C．Considerate. | D．Aggressive. |
| A．Personalities can change over time. |
| B．Your environment shapes your personality. |
| C．Your genetic starting point stays you forever. |
| D．Humans have born abilities to learn from environments. |
7 . In times of stress, particularly when the water gets too warm, the coral(珊瑚)erupts the algae(海藻), and the coral turns white, causing a state called coral bleaching(漂白). Just a few degrees of heat can lead to coral bleaching, putting the coral on a path to starvation and death.
Driven by climate change, marine heat waves are becoming one of the greatest threats to the existence of coral, which is important to the ocean ecology. But in some rare good news researchers have discovered coral can recover from bleaching even before a heat wave ends, suggesting it has the potential to survive long heat waves. Coral was thought to survive only if a heat wave lasted just a few weeks.
But no one had studied this process during a longer heat wave. Then in 2015, Julia Baum, a marine ecologist at the University of Victoria, began a survey of two common species: brain and star coral around Kiritimati in the central Pacific Ocean. They checked the condition of the coral as the heat wave struck and disappeared.
Starting in May 2015, the temperature rose about 1 ℃ within 2 months. As expected, coral that housed heat-sensitive algae bleached sooner than those housing the heat-tolerant kind of algae. As the water continued to warm, even heat-tolerant algae erupted.
Many brain and star coral on Kiritimati recovered from bleaching while the water was still unusually warm. Baum said, "The unexpected recovery provides new hope, because it means that even under lasting heat waves, there's a path forward for some of them."
An unusual feature of the recovery is that brain coral that started out with heat-sensitive algae had a higher survival rate(82%)than coral that began with heat-tolerant algae(25%). "That finding is surprising," said Baum, expecting that heat-tolerant algae would be better suited for helping coral survive a heat wave. But during a longer heat wave, it might be more advantageous to start with a heat-sensitive algae.
1. What results in coral bleaching?| A．The white algae. | B．The coral's death. |
| C．An attack of waves. | D．A rise in ocean temperature. |
| A．To prove that coral can stop climate change. |
| B．To study how coral bleaching comes about. |
| C．To figure out whether coral survives long heat waves |
| D．To explain why coral bleaching is a big threat to coral |
| A．Ashamed. | B．Confused |
| C．Worried. | D．Astonished. |
| A．Protect the ocean environment. | B．Reduce coral bleaching. |
| C．Grow more different algae. | D．Regulate the heat wave. |
8 . Easy reading is hard writing
In an interview with The Daily Beast Last year, Maya Angelou, an American author and poet, discussed her writing career and her daily work habits.
I keep a hotel room in my hometown and pay for it by the month. I go around 6:30 in the morning. I have a bedroom, with a bed, a table, and a bath. I have Roget's Thesaurus =, which is a dictionary, and the Bible. Usually, a deck of cards and some crossword puzzles. Something to occupy my “little mind”. I think my grandmother taught me that. She didn't mean to, but she used to talk about her “little mind” . So when I was young, from the time I was about 3 until 13, I decided that there was a “big mind”and a “little mind”. And the “big mind”would allow you to consider deep thoughts, but the “little mind” would occupy you, so you could not be distracted. It would work at crossword puzzles or play cards, while the “big mind” would delve（探究） deep into the subjects I wanted to write about.
I have all the paintings and any decoration taken out of the room. I ask the management and housekeeping not to enter the room, just in case I've thrown a piece of paper on the floor. I don’t want it discarded（丢弃）. About every two months I get a note slipped under the door. “Dear Ms. Angelou, please let us change the bed sheet. We think it may be moldy（发霉的）!”
But I've never slept there. I am usually out of there by 2. And then I go home and I read what I've written that morning, and I tried to edit them.
Easy reading is hard writing. But if it's right, it's easy. It's the other way round, too. If it's carelessly written, then it's hard to read. It doesn't give the reader what the careful writer can give the reader.
1. What usually occupies Maya Angelou's “little mind”?| A．The Bible. | B．Her dictionary. | C．Her hotel room. | D．Crossword puzzles. |
| A．She thinks that they will ask for something from her. |
| B．She fears that they may clear up her writing. |
| C．Her grandmother can help her with the cleaning. |
| D．She doesn't sleep there and no cleaning is needed. |
| A．It is fun to read. | B．It is easy to read. | C．It is hard to read. | D．It is no use reading. |
| A．At home. | B．In the hotel. | C．At a library. | D．In her grandmother's house. |
9 . Facebook appears to be extending its controversial (有争议的) colored posts to comments. The company is testing a feature that would allow users to comment in a variety of different colors. Much like the colored-post feature, this is allowing users to choose from a variety of background colors to overlay (覆盖) their comments on.
Facebook confirmed the test, telling The Next Web, “We’re always exploring new ways for people to connect and have conversations, so we are testing new features on comments.”
Facebook users, however, don’t seem to be interested in the new color choices. Comments regarding the new feature on Twitter were negative overall.
Last December, Facebook first started introducing colored posts with a feature that allows users to choose colors for their text. While it appears to be an image, it’s actually still in text form and the text can be highlighted and copied.
“We’re making people’s text posts more visual,” a Facebook spokesman said.
Starting today, people can update the background color of their text-only posts on Android. The feature’s latest update lets users choose a background color.
“Whether you’re looking for vacation recommendations or informing a group of the address for a party, the text-based feature allows you to update your contacts in a fun and personal way,” the spokesperson said.
Giving users a more customized (定制的) way to share updates is likely part of Facebook’s strategy to get users back to posting more updates personal to themselves.
As videos and news articles have begun taking up more of people’s needs, people have become less comfortable posting their own, raw content among the professional videos, photos and writing.
1. What does Facebook want to do?| A．To make its posts meaningful. |
| B．To make comments colorful. |
| C．To allow its users to comment. |
| D．To forbid users’ comments about posts. |
| A．Strange. | B．Enthusiastic. | C．Supportive. | D．Critical. |
| A．It will have unexpected effects. |
| B．It costs the company a lot of money. |
| C．It will be fun and personal for the users. |
| D．It provides the only customized way to chat. |
| A．To make the comments easier to understand. |
| B．To let people make more friends through it. |
| C．To make it the most popular chatting website. |
| D．To attract its users to make more personal posts. |
10 . Sunflowers are something most of us usually think about in August, but with the arrival of the seed catalogs(分类), winter is a good time to start thinking about which ones you might want to grow this coming year. Most gardeners are familiar with the tall giant sunflowers. But there are three or four dozen other varieties.
First, you need to understand that sunflowers don’t all bloom at the same time. In my trials I grouped. them according to bloom time. Early means they bloom in late July or early August. The mid-season ones bloom in mid-August. The late season sunflowers usually flower from late August to early September.
For the early sunflowers, in my trials Pacino was one of the best one year, but was not as striking this past year. It has yellow flowers, about four inches across, and is about two fee high. Other low-growing, early choices are the yellow Sunspot, Del Sol, or Dwarf Yellow Spray. The latter has a lot of branches as its name indicates. Double Dandy is an early, low, red and yellow combination.
For the mid-season choices, this past year my best performers included three varieties that attain heights of five feet—the red-orange Claret, the strikingly dark red Moulin Rouge, and the gold Sunny. Two four-foot sunflowers that I’d recommend for home gardens are the red-yellow combination Ring of Fire, an All-America Selections Award winner, Lemonade, with its interesting mix of light and yellow petals(花瓣).
If you are looking for a late season variety, my favorite is Titanic, a double gold, four-foot tall variety that bloomed much of September and into October in my trials this past year. Other good choices include the light yellow Valentine, the gold Soraya, and the double gold Giant Sungold. This winter, as you leaf through(翻阅) the seed catalogs as the the snow gently falls outside your window, think about summer sunflowers. Thoughts of these flowers are sure to warm the coldest of winter days.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．There are many different varieties of sunflowers. |
| B．The writer likes the tall giant sunflowers best. |
| C．You can try to grow sunflowers in winter. |
| D．Sunflowers only bloom in August. |
| A．Sunny. | B．Claret. |
| C．Moulin Rouge. | D．Dwarf Yellow Spray. |
| A．It is two feet high and about four inches across. |
| B．The color of it is a combination of red and yellow. |
| C．It can only be planted in the southern areas of America. |
| D．It usually blooms much of September and into October. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
