1 . I have a special place in my heart for libraries. I have for as long as I can remember. I was always an enthusiastic reader, sometimes reading up to three books a day as a child. Stories were like air to me and while other kids played ball or went to parties, I lived out adventures through the books I checked out from the library.
My first job was working at the Ukiah Library when I was 16 years old .It was a dream job and I did everything from shelving books to reading to the children for story time.
As I grew older and became a mother, the library took on a new place and an added meaning in my life. I had several children and books were our main source(来源) of entertainment. It was a big deal for us to load up and go to the local library, where my kids could pick out books to read or books they wanted me to read to them.
I always read ,using different voices ,as though I were acting out the stories with my voice and they loved it !It was a special time to bond with my children and it filled them with the wonderment of books .
Now, I see my children taking their children to the library and I love that the excitement of going to the library lives on form generation to generation.
As a novelist, I’ve found a new relationship with libraries. I encourage readers to go to their local library when they can’t afford to purchase a book. I see libraries as a safe haven(避风港) for readers and writers, a bridge that helps put together a reader with a book. Libraries, in their own way, help fight book piracy(盗版行为) and 1 think all writers should support libraries in a significant way when they can. Encourage readers to use the library. Share library announcements on your social media. Frequent them and talk about them when you can.
1. Which word best describes the author’s relationship with books as a child?| A．Cooperative. | B．Uneasy. | C．Inseparable. | D．Casual. |
| A．Pleasure from working in the library. |
| B．Joy of reading passed on in the family. |
| C．Wonderment from acting out the stories. |
| D．A closer bond developed with the readers. |
| A．Sponsor book fairs. | B．Write for social media. |
| C．Support libraries. | D．Purchase her novels. |
| A．Reading: A Source of Knowledge |
| B．My Idea about writing |
| C．Library: A Haven for the Young |
| D．My Love of the Library |
2 . Brown bears have stopped eating salmon（鲑鱼）in favor of elderberries after being forced to make a choice due to climate change. Warming temperatures mean that the berries are ripening earlier than usual, at exactly the same time as the freshwater streams on Alaska’s Kodiak Island are over flowing with salmon.
The island’s brown bears typically feed first on salmon in early summer, followed by elderberries later in the season, in late August and September.
“What you have is a scrambling of the schedule,” said William Deacy, a biologist at Oregon State University that studied the phenomenon.
“It’s essentially like if breakfast and lunch were served at the same time and then there is nothing to eat until dinner. You have to choose between breakfast and lunch because you can only eat so much at a time.”
The study found that during the unusually warm summer of 2014, the bears, which would traditionally kill up to 75 percent of the salmon, were nowhere to be seen near the streams. Instead, they were in the hills busy munching on berries, which contain less protein and therefore take less energy to break down, causing them to gain weight more quickly.
Biologists warned that changes caused by a warming planet were behind the bears’ unusual behavior and could affect the entire ecosystem.
The researchers found that the forests around the streams suffered because the bears’ fish carcasses（残骸）were no longer there to enrich the soil.
“Bears switched from eating salmon to elderberries, disturbing an ecological link that typically fertilizes the ecosystems and generates high death rates for salmon,” the study said. On average, red elderberries are said to be ripening two and a half days earlier every decade. If the pattern continues, they will regularly overlap（重叠）with the salmon by 2070.
1. Brown bears have begun to favor ________ because of the climate change.| A．salmon |
| B．elderberries |
| C．warm temperatures |
| D．fresh water |
| A．Brown bears eat their breakfast and lunch at the same time. |
| B．We’re facing a hard problem with choosing the meals. |
| C．Climate change is disturbing the bears’ eating habits. |
| D．People’s biological clocks are changing regularly. |
| A．Natural. | B．Unusual. |
| C．Amazing. | D．Typical. |
| A．brown bears may become bigger and bigger |
| B．there will be a higher death rate for the salmon |
| C．red elderberries will probably be ripening in summer |
| D．the changes of bears’ behavior could affect the entire ecosystem |
3 . Why is it that you can remember the name of your childhood best friend that you haven't seen in years yet easily forget the name of a person you just met a moment ago？In other words, why are some memories stable over decades, while others disappear within minutes？
Caltech researchers carried out their work about memories in the laboratory. The research team developed a test to examine mice's neural（神经的）activity as they learn about and remember a new place. In the test, a mouse was placed in a straight enclosure( 围 场 ), about 5 feet long with white walls. Unique symbols marked different locations along the walls. Sugar water（a treat for mice）was placed at either end of the track.
When a mouse was placed in the track, it was unsure of what to do at first and wandered left and right until it came across the sugar water. In these cases, single neurons were activated when the mouse took notice of a symbol on the wall. Over numerous experiences with the track, the mouse became familiar with it and remembered the locations of the sugar water. As the mouse became more familiar, more and more neurons were activated when seeing each symbol on the wall. Essentially, the mouse was recognizing where it was with respect to each unique symbol.
To study how memories disappear over time, the researchers then kept back the mice from the track for up to 20 days. Upon returning to the track after this break, mice that had formed strong memories encoded（编码）by higher numbers of neurons remembered the task quickly. Even though some neurons showed different activity, the mouse's memory of the track was clearly identifiable when researchers analyzed the activity of large groups of neurons.
This work shows that memories might disappear more rapidly as we age because a memory is encoded by fewer neurons, and if any of these neurons fail, the memory will be lost. The study suggests that one day, designing treatments that could encourage a higher number of neurons to encode a memory could help prevent memory loss.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic of the text. |
| B．To show the examples of bad memory. |
| C．To compare different people's memories. |
| D．To prove the importance of childhood memories. |
| A．lost interest in the symbols soon |
| B．had to climb over the long white wall |
| C．would get sugar water as their rewards |
| D．wandered left and right nervously all the time |
| A．They had their neurons show different activity. |
| B．They love sugar water better than other mice. |
| C．They stayed in the track for over 20 days. |
| D．They possessed more activated neurons. |
| A．Mice's memory seems better than humans |
| B．The aging process of humans is unavoidable. |
| C．Memory loss is expected to be cured in the future. |
| D．The study has found the way to prevent neurons from failing. |
4 . About six years ago, I was sitting on a plane next to a woman who was extremely energetic. I was tired and wanted to take a nap, but she tapped me on the shoulder to introduce herself.
"Hi, my name is Helga."
As we talked, it came up that I had started an organization in high school called R.A.K.E. (Random Acts of Kindness, Etc.). As I described what we did, Helga got very serious and said to me, "There is nothing more important in the world than kindness."
I was curious about what she had said, and as the plane took off. she began telling me a story about the last time she had flown.
It was three years ago and she was heading back to her hometown because her father had become very ill.
Just as the plane was about to leave, her father's doctor called to inform her that her father had suddenly passed away. For the three hour plane ride, she sat in stunned(受惊的) silence,.
When she arrived at the airport in her hometown, she walked to the nearest bench(长椅),sat down and cried.
For two hours, she sat and wept while thousands of people just walked on by.
"Not a single person stopped and asked if I was OK that day. It was on that day that I realized kindness isn't normal. "
Helga's words have stuck with me for all these years. I'm reminded all the time that for many of us, kindness is not usually our "default setting (默认设置)".
We spend so much time worrying about our own problems that we walk by or ignore other people in need of a bit of kindness.
So, I've made it my mission to do my part in making kindness "normal".
Now, I travel to schools all across the US to speak about compassion(同情),empathy(同感),and love.
I' m proud to share my stories with students, teachers, and parents about our need for character, compassion, and kindness.
Providing young people with practical ways to exercise kindness makes my job more satisfying than any other I can think of.
And when I give my talks, I always have my conversation with Helga in the back of my mind.
1. We can know from the first four paragraphs that the author___________.| A．was always eager to make friends | B．was angry to be disturbed by Helga |
| C．found Helga a very serious person | D．was interested in Helga's story |
| A．couldn't help but cry on the flight | B．blamed the doctor for not calling her earlier |
| C．came to realize the value of kindness | D．received help from passengers beside her |
| A．He found a better way to exercise kindness. |
| B．He realized that most people were nice and kind. |
| C．He realized the importance of using stories in speech. |
| D．He began teaching others about kindness and found it rewarding. |
| A．show why kindness isn't normal. | B．explain how he developed his kindness career |
| C．give advice on how to practice kindness | D．share a touching story about kindness |
5 . Scientists say they have created a new device that can turn brain signals into electronic speech.The invention could one day give people who have lost the ability to speak a better way of communicating than current ones.
The device was developed by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco.Their results were recently published in a study in the journal Nature.Scientists created a"brain machine connection"that was set in the brain.The device was built to read and record brain signals that helped control the muscles to produce speech.These include the lips, tongue and jaw .
The study involved five volunteer patients who were being treated for epilepsy(癫痫).The individuals had the ability to speak and already had electrodes(电极)set in their brains.The volunteers were asked to read several hundred sentences aloud while the researchers recorded their brain activity.
The researchers used audio recordings to reproduce the vocal(发声的) muscle movement which is the key to producing human speech.Future studies will test the technology on people who are unable to speak.
The study reports the reproduced sentences were understandable to hundreds of human listeners asked to write out what they heard.The listeners were able to write out 43 percent of sentences with perfect accuracy.
Edward Chang is a professor of the university's Weill Institute.He was a lead researcher on the project.Chang admitted that much more research of the system would be needed to reach the goal of perfectly reproducing spoken language.
1. Who will probably benefit most from this device?| A．Those unable to hear. | B．Those unable to see. |
| C．Those unable to speak. | D．Those unable to write. |
| A．It could control the muscles. | B．It could produce human speech. |
| C．It could transform brain signals. | D．It could read and record brain signals. |
| A．Brain activity. | B．Muscle control. |
| C．Audio recording. | D．Vocal muscle movement. |
| A．Science. | B．Fashion. |
| C．Education. | D．Entertainment. |
6 . If you are a fruit grower — or would like to become one — take advantage of Apple Day to see what’s around. It’s called Apple Day but in practice it’s more like Apple Month. The day itself is on October 21, but since it has caught on, events now spread out over most of October around Britain.
Visiting an apple event is a good chance to see, and often taste, a wide variety of apples. To people who are used to the limited choice of apples such as Golden Delicious and Royal Gala in supermarkets, it can be quite an eye opener to see the range of classical apples still in existence, such as Decio which was grown by the Romans. Although it doesn’t taste of anything special, it’s still worth a try, as is the knobbly(多疙瘩的) Cat’s Head which is more of a curiosity than anything else.
There are also varieties developed to suit specific local conditions. One of the very best varieties for eating quality is Orleans Reinette, but you’ll need a warm, sheltered place with perfect soil to grow it, so it’s a pipe dream for most apple lovers who fall for it.
At the events, you can meet expert growers and discuss which ones will best suit your conditions, and because these are family affairs, children are well catered for with apple-themed fun and games.
Apple Days are being held at all sorts of places with an interest in fruit, including stately gardens and commercial orchards(果园). If you want to have a real orchard experience, try visiting the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, near Faversham in Kent.
1. What can people do at the apple events?| A．Attend experts’ lectures. |
| B．Visit fruit-loving families. |
| C．Plant fruit trees in an orchard. |
| D．Taste many kinds of apples. |
| A．It is a new variety. |
| B．It has a strange look. |
| C．It is rarely seen now. |
| D．It has a special taste. |
| A．A practical idea. |
| B．A vain hope. |
| C．A brilliant plan. |
| D．A selfish desire. |
| A．To show how to grow apples. |
| B．To introduce an apple festival. |
| C．To help people select apples. |
| D．To promote apple research. |
7 . Plastic surgery (整形手术) is not only popular in the US, but is also spreading across Asia. It is reported that South Korea is now the world’s largest market for plastic surgery.
In order to change their looks, 20 percent of women aged between 19 and 49 in Seoul said they had gone under the knife. The growth of South Korea’s pop music industry increases the popularity. Many patients visit clinics with photos of singers, asking doctors to copy their noses or eyes.
Joo Kwon, who founded one of the largest clinics in Seoul, recently opened a hotel to better serve customers. People will spend about $ 17,675 in a single visit. An increasing number of customers are non-Koreans, from China, Japan, the Middle East and even Africa. Leaders in South Korea say that this will help the Korean economy.
However, Mr. Kwon warned that young people should be careful when taking such operations. “I think South Korea doesn’t understand the word ‘beauty’, because everyone looks pretty much the same. It is also related to low self-confidence. I think the situation will somewhat become better in the future as the society becomes more different. But it will take quite a bit of time until we get there,” he told reporters.
Last year, a booklet (小册子) was given out to Korean high school students by the government. There was a story that a local woman who was crazy about plastic surgery ended up with an ugly face.
1. What is the main cause of the increase in plastic surgery in South Korea?| A．The increasing understanding of beauty. | B．The increasing number of clinics. |
| C．The rise of the pop music industry. | D．The rise of the Korean economy. |
| A．He feels it is worth a try. | B．He is strongly against it. |
| C．He is not interested in it. | D．He is objective about it. |
| A．plastic surgery is supported by the government |
| B．high school students are encouraged to have plastic surgery |
| C．high school students in South Korea are fond of plastic surgery |
| D．plastic surgery is bad for people’s health |
| A．How to have plastic surgery. |
| B．Why women have plastic surgery. |
| C．The famous singers in South Korea. |
| D．Rapid growth of plastic surgery in South Korea. |
