1 . I sat in my old room, looking at the football on the shelve, feeling it laughing at me.
In college at Baylor, I’d been a star wide receiver, dreaming of making it big in the NFL, But I wasn’t picked in the NFL draft. Then I started as an undrafted free agent with the Indianapolis Colts. However, Colts called me back to practice. A second chance! Then something went wrong with my knee and I had to give it up. The next season, the Seattle Seahawks invited me to minicamp. They cut me at the end of the preseason.
Was that my fate? How would I move forward? I wept bitter tears. Then I got a call unexpectedly. A guy asked me to speak in his school. I wrote down all I should say. But the minute I stepped on stage, my mind went blank. I had no idea how to help these teens. All I could talk about was what I’d been through.
Those kids asked me questions afterward, hungry for more. I got a huge welcome, bigger than I ever got on the football field. That’s when it hit me: You needn’t be perfect to help people. All you have to be is real.
My life was coming. Without planning it, I had a whole new calling. I began posting to YouTube every day. The videos took off, getting thousands of views. It was inspiring. The comments and questions came pouring in. People came to ask for advice and help I’d never be able to offer if I were playing on Sunday.
Today I do many speaking engagements. Every day I post a video and respond to all those questions from people, always speaking from the heart, I’m still in progress. We all are, having so many ways to grow, and so much to learn and pass along.
1. Which can best describe the author’s dream of playing in the NFL?| A．Unreal. | B．Funny. | C．Failed. | D．Strange. |
| A．Confident. | B．Pleased. | C．Bored. | D．Nervous. |
| A．He is warm-hearted. |
| B．He is good-looking. |
| C．He wants to be a player. |
| D．He wants to ask for advice. |
| A．Find a way to get success |
| B．Be yourself to help others |
| C．Make progress little by little |
| D．Stick to your dream to the end |
2 . If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles. The study also found the effects are greater, the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language.” said the scientists. It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and math skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible” he said, “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of 2 and 34. Reading, writing and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.
1. The main subject of this passage is ________.| A．the strategy for learning a second language |
| B．men’s ability to learn a second language |
| C．how language leaning helps brainpower |
| D．the relationship between language learning and math study |
| A．suggest that language learning involves physical labor. |
| B．prove that one needs more practice when he(she) is learning a language |
| C．show that language learning is a process of accumulation |
| D．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
| A．the earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density is. |
| B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one knowing no second language. |
| C．the experience of learning a second language has an unknown effect on people’s brain |
| D．the ability to learn a second language is changing all the time |
| A．learning a second language is the same as studying maths |
| B．early learning of a second language helps in studying other subjects |
| C．Italian is the best choice for you as a second language |
| D．you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language |
3 . Time spent in a bookshop can be most enjoyable, whether you are a book-lover or merely go there to buy a book as a present. You may even have entered the shop just to find shelter from a sudden shower. Whatever the reason, you can soon become totally unaware of your surroundings.
The desire to pick up a book with an attractive dust jacket is irresistible, although this method of selection ought not to be followed, as you might end up with a rather dull book.
You soon become interested in some book or other, and usually it is only much later that you realize you have spent far too much time there and must dash off to keep some forgotten appointment—without buying a book, of course.
This opportunity to escape the realities of everyday life is, I think, the main attraction of a bookshop. There are not many places where it is possible to do this. A music shop is very much like a bookshop. You can wander round such places to your heart’s content. If it is a good shop, no assistant will approach you with the inevitable greeting: “Can I help you, sir?” You needn’t buy anything you don’t want. In a bookshop an assistant should remain in the background until you have finished browsing. Then and only then, are his services necessary. Of course, you may want to find out where a particular section is, but when he has led you there, the assistant should retire discreetly and look as if he is not interested in selling a single book.
You have to be careful not to be attracted by the variety of books in a bookshop. It is very easy to enter the shop looking for a book on, say ancient coins and come out carrying a copy of the latest best-selling novel and perhaps a book about brass-rubbing-something which had only slightly interested you up till then. This volume of the subject, however, happened to be so well illustrated and the part of the text you read proved so interesting that you just had to buy it. This sort of thing can be very dangerous. Apart from running up a huge account, you can waste a great deal of time wandering from section to section.
1. The underlined phrase “dust jacket” means_______.| A．a kind of clothes | B．a paper cover of book |
| C．a dusty book | D．a title of a book |
| A．the dust jackets are very attractive |
| B．you start reading one of the books |
| C．it is raining outside |
| D．you have to make sure you won’t buy a dull book as a present |
| A．all the books there are interesting | B．the assistant greets you in a warm way |
| C．your heart is satisfied | D．you feel that you are in a music shop |
| A．The Attraction of Bookshops | B．How to Spend Your Time |
| C．Bookshops and Their Assistants | D．How to select Books? |
4 . I always had the preference to take on more than I should when I was young. At times, I wanted to prove to myself that I could handle it. At other times, my purpose was to please someone and gain recognition for my efforts. Sometimes this led to stress or frustration.
When I was an IT manager after college graduation I was assigned to work with a wealthy customer and be a go-between (中间人)for my company. I took on the assignment happily, thinking that this might be my time to shine. However, the customer’s demands proved to be more than I could do with. And the company chose to stand by the customer and try to meet his unreasonable requirements rather than stick to what we had originally offered in the contract. As you can imagine, this led to a lot of unexpected problems and arguing with some of the staff who refused to do anything outside their scope (范围) of work. I remember walking into my office one morning, opening my laptop and staring at the blank screen for long, thinking to myself: What should I do? That was a difficult time in my life and then I finally had to give up my first job and left that company sadly.
Perhaps, I thought then, I could find the job that didn’t involve dealing with difficult people and difficult situations. But later I realized: Is this possible in our modern world? No, it is impossible. Now, I know, I shouldn’t run away from the challenges I faced in life: I had to learn how to deal with them. I regret not persevering ( 坚 持 ) in my job. We should train ourselves to look at things from a positive point of view, because that is far better than being trapped in the bad circle depression. I’ve come to see that when faced with difficulties, I should not give up, but persevere.
1. Why did the author take the work assigned to him happily?| A．He wanted to please the boss. |
| B．The work was very easy for him to do. |
| C．He failed to find a job many times before. |
| D．He thought it was time to prove his ability. |
| A．Arguing with some of the staff. |
| B．Meeting the customer’s unreasonable requirements. |
| C．Accepting the assignment without hesitation. |
| D．Sticking to what had been originally offered in the contract. |
| A．The depressing job situation. | B．The low payment. |
| C．His lack of ability. | D．A better job waiting for him. |
| A．Running away from challenges. | B．Persevering instead of giving up. |
| C．Refusing to argue with customers. | D．Leaning to take on more than one can. |
5 . It is reported in the national press that a letter written by Charles Darwin in 1875 has been returned to the Smithsonian Institution Archives (档案馆) by the FBI after being stolen twice.
“We realized in the mid-1970s that it was missing,” says Effie Kapsalis, head of the Smithsonian Institution Archives. “It was noted as missing and likely taken by an intern (实习生), from what the FBI is telling us. Word got out that it was missing when someone asked to see the letter for research purposes,” and the intern put the letter back. “The intern likely took the letter again once nobody was watching it.”
Decades passed. Finally, the FBI received a tip that the stolen document was located very close to Washington, D.C. Their art crime team recovered the letter but were unable to press charges because the time of limitations had ended. The FBI worked closely with the Archives to determine that the letter was both authentic and definitely Smithsonian’s property.
The letter is in fairly good condition, in spite of being out of the care of trained museum staff for so long. “It was luckily in good shape,” says Kapsalis, “and we just have to do some minor things in order to be able to unfold it. It has some glue on it that has colored it slightly, but nothing that will prevent us from using it. After it is repaired, we will take digital photos of it and that will be available online. One of our goals is to get items of high research value or interest to the public online.”
It would now be difficult for an intern, visitor or a thief to steal a document like this. “Archiving practices have changed greatly since the 1970s,” says Kapsalis, “and we keep our high value documents in a safe that I don’t even have access to.”
1. What happened to Darwin’s letter in the 1970s?| A．It was recovered by the FBI. |
| B．It was put in the archives for research purposes. |
| C．It was stolen more than once. |
| D．It was purchased by the Smithsonian Archives. |
| A．They pressed criminal charges in vain. | B．They kept it in a special safe. |
| C．They arrested the suspect immediately. | D．They proved its authenticity. |
| A．Reserve it for research purposes only. | B．Make it available online. |
| C．Keep it a permanent secret. | D．Turn it into an object of high interest. |
| A．A Letter by Charles Darwin Returns to the Smithsonian |
| B．The Smithsonian Tightens Security Measures |
| C．The Smithsonian Charges an Intern with Theft |
| D．The FBI Cracks a Criminal Case |
6 . Recently I rolled into a local restaurant to try an Impossible Burger, an all-plant patty(人造肉饼) invented by Impossible Foods. It's well known for having an strangely chewy(有咀嚼感), even bloody, meat-like quality, a surprising verisimilitude(逼真) that has made it ''perhaps the country's most famous burger, '' as New York magazine wrote. One bite into its wonderful, smoky taste and, damn, I was convinced.
This is good news, because the time has come to consume fake meat. In the fight against climate change, meat replacement is something we can try. A University of Oxford study recently found that, to keep global warming below 2 degrees this century, we need to be eating 75 percent less beef and 90 percent less pork.
However, diets are culturally enshrined, so changing them will be hard. It isn't easy to replace 75 to 90 percent of beef and pork with fake meat. The first taste of an Impossible Burger—a moment when low expectations work a powerful magic in the product's favor—is one thing. But how do you keep meat-eaters asking for more after their sixth, and their 26th？
To get to true mass adoption, fake meat will need to compete favorably with the real thing on multiple fronts. Impossible Foods' goal is to drive the price of its product below that of Safeway's 80/20 hamburger meat, at which point people will simply vote with their wallets. The new industry also wants to improve on animal flesh in various ways. Fake meat has an advantage over traditional meat because ''you won't need to refrigerate it'' cofounder Niko Koffeman says. Plus, custom(定制的) production could improve choice. ''You could have very soft and tender meat for elderly people,'' Koffeman adds. ''You could have a tailored meat for whatever you need.''
You can tell the world is shifting this way, because the ranchers(牧场主) are nervous. Last year, the US Cattlemen's Association asked the government to define ''meat'' as a product ''coming directly from animals.'' That anxiety—and the power of the science driving it—goes to show that this grand shift isn't impossible.
1. According to passage, the author was convinced by the Impossible Burger because__.| A．it has a special taste that is different from normal ones. |
| B．it contains all non-meat materials that taste like meat. |
| C．more vegetables are used as main materials for the burger. |
| D．one bite of this burger can provide people with the energy needed for a whole day. |
| A．That people think their diet is the best in the world. |
| B．That people are unwilling to go against their culture by changing their diets. |
| C．That people's preference for food is linked to the food choice available to them. |
| D．That people's eating habits are consistently observed and closely connected with their culture. |
| A．Fake meat will not be necessarily stored in a refrigerator. |
| B．The price of fake meat will be just one-fourth of traditional meat's. |
| C．Fake meat will win over older people thanks to its tender and soft taste. |
| D．Fake meat will own a taste that is not found in traditional meat. |
| A．Meat must come from animals. |
| B．The world will probably embrace the idea of fake meat. |
| C．The ranchers are suffering economic loss due to fake meat. |
| D．The definition of meat has been changed because of fake meat. |
7 . Clothing rental is a hot new industry and retailers (零售商) are demanding to get on board in hopes of attracting green shopper.
But is renting fashion actually more environmentally-friendly than buying it, and if so, how much more? Journalist and author Elizabeth Cline investigated (调查) this question and concluded that it's not as sustainable as it seems.
Take shipping, for example, which has to go two ways if an item is rented — receiving and returning. Cline writes that consumer transportation has the second largest carbon footprint of our collective fashion habit after manufacturing.
She writes, ''An item ordered online and then returned can send out 20 kilograms of carbon each way, and increases up to 50 kilograms for rush shipping. By comparison, the carbon impact of a pair of jeans purchased from a physical store and washed and worn at home is 33.4 kilograms, according to a 2015 study by Levi's.''
Then there's the burden of washing, which has to happen for every item when it's returned, regardless of whether or not it was worn. For most rental services, this usually means dry cleaning, a high impact and polluting process. All the rental services that Cline looked into have replaced perchloroethylene (氯乙烯), a carcinogenic (致癌的) air pollutant, still used by 70 percent of US dry cleaners, with alternatives, although these aren't great either.
Lastly, Cline fears that rental services will increase our appetite for fast fashion, simply because it's so easily accessible. There's something called ''share washing'' that makes people waste more precisely because a product or service is shared and thus is regarded as more eco-friendly. Uber is one example of this, advertised as ''a way to share rides and limit ear ownership.'' and yet ''it has been proven to discourage walking,bicycling, and public transportation use.''
Renting clothes is still preferable to buying them cheap and throwing them in the dustbin after a few wears, but we shouldn't let the availability of these services make us too satisfied. There's an even better step — that's wearing what is already in the closet.
1. What is Elizabeth Cline's attitude toward clothing rental?| A．Approving. | B．Unfavorable. |
| C．Objective. | D．Enthusiastic. |
| A．rental services are on the rise |
| B．clothing rental will be as successful as Uber |
| C．renting clothes might waste more than expected |
| D．renting clothes might make people lose interest in fast fashion |
| A．give up renting any clothing |
| B．purchase inexpensive clothes |
| C．rent clothes rather than buy them |
| D．make full use of clothes we've possessed |
| A．Clothing rental is a new fashion. |
| B．Clothing rental is retailers' preference. |
| C．Renting clothes is not that eco-friendly. |
| D．Renting-clothes business is in a dilemma. |
