1 . I never knew anyone who’d grown up in Jackson without being afraid of Mrs. Calloway our librarian. She ran Jackson’s Carnegie Library absolutely by herself. SILENCE in big black letters was on signs hung everywhere. If she thought you were dressed improperly, she sent you straight back home to change your clothes. I was willing；I would do anything to read.

My mother was not afraid of Mrs. Calloway. She wished me to have my own library card to check out books for myself, She took me in to introduce me. “Eudora is nine years old and has my permission to read any book she wants from the shelves, children or adults,” Mother said.

Mrs. Calloway made her own rules about books. You could not take back a book to the library on the same day you`d taken it out；it made no difference to her that you’d read every word in it and needed another to start. You could take out two books at a time and two only. So two by two, I read library books as fast as I could go, rushing them home in the basket of my bicycle. From the minute I reached our house, I started to read. I knew this was extreme happiness, knew it at the time.

My mother shared this feeling of mine. Now, I think of her as reading so much of the time while doing something else. I remember her reading a magazine while taking the part of the Wolf in a game of "Little Red Riding Hood" with my brother's two daughters. She'd just look up at the right time, long enough to answer– in character –"The better to eat you with, my dear," and go back to her place in the magazine article.

1. Which of the following best described Mrs. Calloway?

A．diet.

B．Strict.

C．Humorous.

D．Considerate.

2. What do the underlined words "this feeling" refer to in the last paragraph?

A．Desire to read.	B．Love for Mrs. Calloway.
C．Interest in games.	D．Fear of the library rules.

3. Where is the text probably from?

A．guidebook.

B．an autobiography.

C．a news report.

D．book review.

2 . Food experts say washing could spread the germs on your turkey in the kitchen sink or nearby food. But it's been a challenge trying to convince cooks to stop rinsing （冲洗）off raw poultry. Germs that can make people sick are common in the guts of healthy poultry and are legally allowed to be on raw turkey and chicken. The assumption is that nobody eats their poultry raw, and that thorough cooking will kill the bacteria.

The do — not — wash raw poultry advice from the USDA is relatively new and perhaps hasn't caught on because it goes against the common belief that washing makes things clean, said Chapman. Benjamin Chapman, a study author and food safety expert at North Carolina State University, said the instinct to wash raw poultry goes back at least decades when people relied more on visual clues to spot problems with poultry. Meanwhile, washing hands and surfaces are also important.

But food preparation is a complicated act, and germs from poultry can be spread even if it's not washed, especially when birds are removed from packaging.

The USDA-funded study stresses that point. Researchers sprayed raw chicken with a harmless strain of E. coli （大肠杆菌）and watched volunteer cooks at test kitchens. Among those who washed their raw chicken, about a quarter ended up spreading the bacteria to their lettuce. But even some of those who did not rinse the chicken got germs on the lettuce. And there are other opportunities for germs to survive on turkeys: melting and cooking.

To ensure a bird is thoroughly cooked, they say to use a thermometer to check that the deepest and thickest parts of it have reached 165 degrees. Even after the meal is cooked, you aren't out of the danger zone. To keep turkeys and other leftovers safe, experts say they should be refrigerated after two hours.

1. People don't accept USDA's advice because____.

A．the advice is relatively new

B．cleaning seems more trustworthy

C．cooks clean the turkey before cooking it

D．heat can kill most germs and no one eats raw food

2. What can be concluded from Paragraph 4?

A．Food packages carry germs.

B．Hands and surfaces are easy to get E. coli.

C．Germs from a turkey can be spread whether it is washed or not.

D．Multiple methods should be applied to food to get rid of germs.

3. Which way may help to cook a turkey safely?

A．Rinse off the turkey before it is heated.

B．Keep the turkey away from the lettuce and refrigerator.

C．Wash hands and packages before taking out the turkey.

D．Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the turkey.

4. From which section of a magazine is the text probably taken?

A．Culture.	B．Science.
C．Education.	D．Medicine.

3 . Every week in China, millions of people will sit in front of their TVs watching teenagers compete for the title Character Hero, which is a Chinese-style spelling bee. In this challenge, young competitors must write Chinese characters by hand. To prepare for the competition, the competitors usually spend months studying dictionaries.

Perhaps the show’s popularity should not be a surprise. Along with gunpowder and paper, many Chinese people consider the creation of Chinese calligraphy(书法) to be one of their primary contributions to civilization. Unfortunately, all over the country, Chinese people are forgetting how to write their own language without computerized help. Software on smart phones and computers allows users to type in the basic sound of the word using the Latin alphabet. The correct character is chosen from a list. The result? It’s possible to recognize characters without remembering how to write them.

But there’s still hope for the paint brush. China’s Education Ministry wants children to spend more time learning how to write.

In one Beijing primary school we visited, students practice calligraphy every day inside a specially decorated classroom with traditional Chinese paintings hanging on the walls. Soft music plays as a group of six-year-olds dip brush pens into black ink. They look up at the blackboard often to study their teacher’s examples before carefully attempting to reproduce those characters on thin rice paper. “If adults can survive without using handwriting, why bother to teach it now?” we ask the calligraphy teacher, Shen Bin. “The ability to write characters is part of Chinese tradition and culture,” she reasons. “Students must learn now so they don’t forget when they grow up.” says the teacher.

1. What can we learn about the Character Hero?

A．It’s open to people of all ages and all walks.

B．It’s the most-viewed TV programs in China.

C．It aims to spread Chinese culture to the world.

D．It draws great public attention across the country.

2. Why are Chinese people forgetting how to write the characters?

A．Chinese people don’t refer to dictionaries very often.

B．Chinese people no longer use brush pens or practice calligraphy.

C．Chinese people are using the Latin alphabet instead of the characters.

D．Chinese people needn’t write by hand as often with the help of technology.

3. .According to Shen Bin, being able to write characters by hand is_________.

A．necessary for adults to survive in China

B．a requirement made by the Education Ministry

C．helpful to keep Chinese tradition and culture alive

D．an ability to be developed only when you are students

4. Where does this text probably come from?

A．A news report.	B．A science report.
C．An advertisement.	D．Children’s literature.

4 . The way Jason Momoa describes Hawaii’s beloved inactive volcano, Mauna Kea, makes you understand why it’s considered sacred(神圣的).

"It’s kind of the umbilical cord(脐带) to earth," the actor tells CNN. "You know, if you think about the Hawaiian islands, that’s the biggest mountain in the world, right? All the way up. So Mauna Kea is the most sacred. We call it the belly button, too. That’s like our birthplace. That’s how our islands were formed. So how can that not be sacred?"

He would know. Jason, a native of Hawaii, has had a near-constant presence there when he’s not working, fighting with local protestors to stop the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope, or TMT, which would drill directly into the mountain and invade its precious water supply. So far, protestors have successfully blocked the only road crews seeking to go up the mountain in order to build the billion-dollar observatory.

"It started in 2015. What’s happening over there was just not right," Jason says. "And I went over there to meet with everyone to bring the point to the world." Jason joins the protests when he can. He cared so deeply about the preservation of the land that when he had spare time to lend his support, he was there. "You also have to remember, that’s our water source. So having an 18-story building built on top of the tallest mountain from the sea level on our water level is terrible."

The Game of Thrones star says he feels the movement is working and describing his part in it as a calling to do what he feels right in his soul. "There’s massive progress that’s bringing our people together," he says, adding, "I think there are a lot of problems in Hawaii. There are a lot of things that have happened in our history, a lot of injustice, and so we’re shining a light on it. People like myself or Dwayne Johnson, Bruno Mars are trying to spread the concern all around the world. For my soul I need to be there."

1. Why is Mauna Kea sacred according to Jason?

A．It’s still growing upwards.	B．It looks like the belly button.
C．It’s the birthplace of Humans.	D．It brings the islands into being.

2. What does “It” refer to in Paragraph 4?

A．The project of building TMT.	B．The event of blocking the road crews.
C．The shooting of Game of Thrones.	D．The movement of preserving the land.

3. According to Jason,what’s the significance of their movement?

A．Bringing Hawaiian people together.	B．Witnessing the history of Hawaii.
C．Bringing Hawaii problems into focus.	D．Making Mauna Kea better-known.

4. In which section might the text be read?

A．Travel.	B．Celebrity.
C．Culture.	D．Technology.

6 . The Apollo Missions

“That's one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind.”

— Neil Armstrong

Apollo’s Goals

The national effort that enabled Astronaut Neil Armstrong to speak those words as he stepped onto the lunar surface fulfilled a dream as old as humanity. Project Apollo’s goals went beyond landing Americans on the moon and returning them safely to Earth.

Apollo 13

Apollo 13 has been called a “successful failure,” because the crew never landed on the Moon, but they made it home safely after an explosion crippled their ship. When the associated heater was turned on during flight, the tank exploded depleting almost all of the power from the command module and forcing the crew to use the lunar module as a lifeboat. Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert came home safely thanks to the mission control team’s improvised procedures and their own ability to implement them.(Launch: April 11, 1970; splashdown: April 17)

Apollo 14

Notable for the return of America’s first astronaut, Alan Shepard, to space, Apollo 14 also was probably the smoothest lunar landing to that point. The crew spent more than nine hours outside the lunar module and set up a number of experiments. Shepard set a new distance record by walking more than 9,000 feet on the lunar surface, pulling a hand cart to carry their tools and samples.(Launch: Jan. 31, 1971: lunar landing: Feb. 5: splashdown, Feb. 9)

Apollo 15

For the first time, humans drove a car on the Moon. The first of the Apollo “J” Missions-designed for longer stays on the Moon - the mission carried a lunar rover, which Commander David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin used while they were on the surface for more than I8 hours. They traveled more than 17 miles in the rover, setting up experiments and collecting 170 pounds of samples. Before leaving the lunar surface, Scott conducted an experiment to test Galileo’s theory that objects in vacuum, without air resistance, would fall at the same rate. He dropped a geological hammer and a feather, which hit the ground at the same time, proving Galileo right.(Launch: July 26, 1971, lunar landing: July 30: splashdown: Aug. 7)

1. Why has Apollo 13 been called a “successful failure”?

A．Apollo 13 finally exploded as planned in space.

B．All the crew succeeded in landing on the Moon.

C．The crew managed to escape from a severe accident and returned to Earth.

D．The crew finished the experiment although they failed to land on the Moon.

2. Which of the following is True according to the passage?

A．It took five days for Apollo 14 to reach the Moon.

B．The lunar rover was used as a lifeboat for space travel.

C．Shepard tested Galileo’s theory successfully on the Moon.

D．Apollo 15 remained in space for the shortest period of time.

3. Which of the following column is this article most likely to be found?

A．Booming Science	B．Exploring the Unknown
C．Mechanical World	D．Transforming Moon

7 . Do you remember the last time you received a postcard? The UK’s family-owned oldest postcard firm, which has been publishing postcards and calendars since 1880, will close this December. The reason? It says instead of penning a card, people are putting photos up on Facebook or Instagram or using WhatsApp to show friends and family at home just how much fun they’re having.

If you get a postcard from someone who’s away somewhere, it’s as much the thought that they’ve gone through the hassle (麻烦) of choosing a postcard, working out where to get a stamp from, finding a postbox and then the postcard making that journey through to you. That’s the value of the postcard. But that time has gone.

Brothers Charles and Harry Salmon, the fifth generation of the family to run the firm, said the popularity of social media had had a huge impact on the business. People are also tending to take shorter holidays, meaning they are likely to have arrived home long before their postcards. As a result the business was no longer viable.

“Increasingly challenging trading conditions and changes to the nature and size of the market for its publications have resulted in uncertainty over the future of its trade,’’ the brothers wrote in a letter to suppliers and newsagents.

As a result they were announcing a proposal to withdraw from publishing. The number of postcards sold each year is reported to have seen a sharp decline to about five million from 20 million just 25 years ago. But the firm said that as well as the drop in the number of postcards sent, “we have also had to consider that there are no more members of the family who wish to join the business.”

1. What’s the value of sending a postcard?

A．It’s a symbol of sympathy.	B．It’s a journey of love.
C．It’s an act of patience.	D．It’s a way of passing time.

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

A．likely to exist.	B．worthy of praise.
C．short of money.	D．possible to change.

3. What is the best title of the text?

A．UK’s oldest postcard firm set to close.

B．Postcard industry booming in the future.

C．UK’s postcard firm through a tough time.

D．Postcard industry needing support to survive.

4. Where does this text probably come from?

A．A book review.	B．A business column.
C．A hi-tech advertisement.	D．A finance report.

8 . Applying to Stellinga College

Why Stellinga?

Thank you for your interest in Stellinga International College. As an international student, we are sure you will find our college an exciting place to study, with like-minded and ambitious people.

Preparing and submitting your application

We have tried to make the application process as easy as possible for you, but there are a number of procedures you must follow.

All our courses are taught in English, so first of all you will probably need to submit evidence of your English language ability. We require an IELTS score of 6.5. You will also have to send us your secondary school diploma, so that we can evaluate it.

We will also require a personal statement. This is a text of up to 1,000 words in which you introduce yourself, explain your interest in our college, and why you want to study your chosen course.

If you are from outside the European Union (EU), it is important that you have an entrance visa before you come to study in the Netherlands, but we will apply for this for you.

We now only accept online applications, so please ensure that you have all your documents ready to upload before you begin. Any documents that are not in English originally will also need to be translated and the translation also uploaded.

You will need a passport photograph; a copy of your passport; copies of all your certificates and diplomas; your proof of language ability; and your personal statement in English.

What happens next?

Your application will then be considered. If your initial application is successful, you will be invited for an interview. This will be conducted in English via skype, over the phone or on site. You will talk to two or three members of staff for up to 30 minutes. We aim to inform you of our decision in writing, within 4 weeks. There are several possible outcomes: you may not have been successful; you may be offered a place on the waiting list. You will need to reply to any offers within two weeks, otherwise your place may be offered to somebody else.

Good luck with your application.

1. Which is unnecessary for people inside the EU when submitting applications?

A．A personal statement.	B．An entrance visa.
C．Evidence of English ability.	D．A secondary school diploma.

2. If your first application is accepted, what is the next process?

A．You will have an interview in English.	B．You will get the reply over the phone.
C．You should make a decision within 4 weeks.	D．You should reply to the offer the moment you get it.

3. Where can we find the passage?

A．In a science magazine.	B．In a tourist brochure.
C．In an English teaching book.	D．On a university’s website.

9 . As digital devices （设备）have taken over society, “keyboard activity is now often recommended as a substitute for early handwriting," a new study notes. The idea is that typing may be easier for young children.

“Some schools in Norway have become completely digital," notes Audrey Vander Meer, the new study's leader, who measures brain activity to better understand learning and behaviors. She works at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. The human brain has developed to interact with the world in as many ways as possible, she notes. She believes that young children should learn to write by hand successfully, and, at the same time learn to manage a keyboard.

Using a pen involves more of the brain than using a keyboard, her new findings show. This is because writing and printing involve complex movements that activate more areas of the brain. The increased brain activity, "gives the brain more 'hooks' to hang your memories on," she explains.

Think about it. The same movement is required to type each letter on a keyboard. By comparison, when we write, our brain needs to think about and recover memories of the shape of each letter. We also need to use our eyes to watch what shapes we're writing. And we need to control our hands to press a pen or pencil to shape the different letters. All of this uses and connects more areas of the brain.

Along the way, these processes appear to “open the brain up for learning", says Vander Meer. So learning through only one format — digital — could be harmful, she worries.

Vander Meer also points out that taking notes by hand stimulates （激发）"visual notetaking". Rather than typing blindly, the visual note-taker has to think about what is important to write down. Then, key words can be "interlinked by boxes, and arrows, and supplemented by small drawings".

1. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Digital devices are popular with students.

B．Handwriting beats typing in taking notes.

C．The process of taking notes changes thinking.

D．The new study makes contributions to science.

2. What should young kids do according to Vander Meer?

A．Communicate with the world.	B．Rely on keyboard activity.
C．Learn to write by hand.	D．Master basic drawing skills.

3. How does the author draw the conclusion?

A．By studying how the brain develops.	B．By observing social phenomena.
C．By assessing functions of senses.	D．By comparing ways of taking notes.

4. In which section of a newspaper may the text appear?

A．Relationship.	B．Fashion.
C．Culture.	D．Science.

10 . Learning a second language is difficult at any age and it only gets harder the longer you wait to open that dusty French book. Now, in a new study, scientists have pointed the exact age at which your chances of reaching fluency（流利）in a second language seem to rise： 10.

The study, published in the journal Cognition, found that it's "nearly impossible” for language learners to reach native-level fluency if they start learning a second language after 10. But that doesn't seem to be because language skills go downhill “It turns out you're still learning fast. It's just that you run out of time, because your ability to learn starts dropping at around 17 or 18 years old,“ says study co-author Joshua Hartshorne, an assistant professor of psychology at Boston College.

Kids may be better than adults at learning new languages for many reasons. Children's brains are more plastic than those of adults, meaning they're better able to adapt and respond to new information. "All learning involves the brain changing,“ Hartshorne says, “and children's brains seem to be a lot more skilled at changing. "

These findings may seem discouraging, but it was heartening for scientists to learn that the critical （关键的）period for fluent language acquisition might be longer than they previously thought. Some scientists believed that the brief window closes shortly after birth, while others stretched it only to early adolescence. Compared to those estimates, 17 or 18 when language learning ability starts to drop off——seems old.

“People progress better when they learn by immersion （沉 浸）rather than simply in a classroom. And moving to a place where your desired language is spoken is the best way to learn as an adult. If that's not an option, you can create an immersive environment by finding ways to have conversations with native speakers in their own communities," Hartshorne says. By doing so, it's possible to become conversationally fluent——even without the advantage of a child's brain.

1. What is the most important finding of the new study?

A．The best age to learn a second language.

B．The possibility of speaking fluent language.

C．The change of language skills over the time.

D．The great approaches to learning a language.

2. Why do kids seem better than adults at learning new languages?

A．Their focus is language learning only.

B．They are more interested in languages.

C．They are more adaptable to new things.

D．Their brain always ignores big changes.

3. What is Hartshorne's advice on becoming fluent in a second language?

A．Joining friends in their learning.	B．Turning to immersive learning.
C．Studying in a quiet classroom.	D．Training the brain to a kid's brain.

4. From which part of a newspaper is the text most probably taken?

A．Science.	B．Travel
C．Health.	D．Education.