1 . The shark was not an accident. He had come up from deep down in the water as the dark cloud of blood had settled and dispersed in the mile deep sea. He had come up so fast and absolutely without caution that he broke the surface of the blue water and was in the sun. Then he fell back into the sea and picked up the scent and started swimming on the course the skiff and the fish had taken.
Sometimes he lost the scent. But he would pick it up again, or have just a trace of it, and he swam fast and hard on the course. He was a very big Mako shark built to swim as fast as the fastest fish in the sea and everything about him was beautiful except his jaws. His back was as blue as a sword fish’s and his belly was silver and his hide was smooth and handsome. He was built as a sword fish except for his huge jaws which were tight shut now as he swam fast, just under the surface with his high dorsal fin knifing through the water without wavering. Inside the closed double lip of his jaws all of his eight rows of teeth were slanted inwards. They were not the ordinary pyramid-shaped teeth of most sharks. They were shaped like a man’s fingers when they are crisped like claws. They were nearly as long as the fingers of the old man and they had razor-sharp cutting edges on both sides. This was a fish built to feed on all the fishes in the sea, that were so fast and strong and well armed that they had no other enemy. Now he sped up as he smelled the fresher scent and his blue dorsal fin cut the water.
When the old man saw him coming he knew that this was a shark that had no fear at all and would do exactly what he wished. He prepared the harpoon8 and made the rope fast while he watched the shark come on. The rope was short as it lacked what he had cut away to lash the fish.
1. Which of the following books is the excerpt from?| A．Charlotte’s Web | B．The Old Man and the Sea |
| C．Tow Sawyer’s Adventure | D．Robinson Crusoe |
| A．To show what a shark is like | B．To draw readers’ attention |
| C．To demonstrate the coming danger | D．To introduce a sea monster |
2 . When he was two years old, Ben stopped seeing out of his left eye. His mother took him to the doctor and soon discovered he had cancer in both eyes. After possible treatments failed, doctors removed both his eyes. For Ben, vision was gone forever.
But by the time he was seven years old, he had developed a technique for feeling the world around him: he clicked with his mouth and listened for the returning echoes. This method enabled Ben to determine the locations of open doorways, people, parked cars, garbage cans, and so on. He was echolocating: bouncing his sound waves off objects in the environment and catching the reflections to build a mental model of his surroundings.
Echolocation may sound like an improbable feat for a human, but thousands of blind people have perfected this skill, just like Ben did. The event has been written about since at least the 1940s, when the word ''echolocation" was first invented in a science article titled “Echolocation by Blind Men , Bats, and Radar.”
How could blindness give rise to the amazing ability to understand the surroundings with one's ears? The answer lies in a gift on the brain; huge adaptability.
Mother Nature filled our brains with flexibility to adapt to circumstances. Just as sharp teeth and fast legs are useful for survival, so is the brain's ability to reset, which allows for learning, memory, and die ability to develop new skills.
In Ben's case, his brain's flexible wiring repurposed his visual cortex for processing sound. As a result, Ben had more neurons available to deal with listening information, and this increased processing power allowed Ben to interpret soundwaves in shocking detail. Ben's super-hearing proves a more general rule: the more brain area a particular sense has, the better it performs.
1. How did Ben “see” after he had his eyes removed?| A．By using a walking stick. | B．By asking others for help. |
| C．By inventing a new system. | D．By echolocating surroundings. |
| A．Skill. | B．Task. | C．Sense. | D．Invention. |
| A．He laughs best who laughs last. | B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．God shuts one door but he opens another. | D．Man becomes learned by asking questions. |
| A．Culture Shock. | B．Human Biology. |
| C．Scientific Technology. | D．Environmental Protection. |
3 . 
No one can doubt the fact that education plays an important role in a person's life. However，different people prefer different ways of education. Recently，a survey in Canada found that about 40 percent of high school students are not in favor of daily homework，which quickly led to a heated discussion about whether daily homework should be ended or not in schools.
Some people insist that daily homework helps students a lot. Yet others are for the opinion that homework is nothing more than a routine activity that cuts time for leisure or physical exercise. It’s true that outofclass activities should be valued in a student's development，but from my point of view，homework still plays an important role in one's life.
Doing daily homework is a way to build a foundation for a person's selfdevelopment. In the long run，students' study habits will be more developed and their awareness of the importance of learning will be raised by doing homework every day. An experiment carried out by the University of British Columbia found that former students who did homework every day still take part in selfstudy every day even though they have already graduated. Homework also helped give them a deeper understanding of how important education is in a person's life.
Students doing homework every day also have better time management skills，since daily academic exercises can help them plan their free time more effectively. Take me as an example，I spent a lot of time playing video games when I was in primary school when there was little homework to do. After I got to middle school，the time I spent on homework began to increase greatly. But it did not become a burden for me. Instead，it helped me get rid of my gaming habit as well as improve my ability to manage time.
Doing homework not only develops students' good habits and knowledge，but also improves their ability to manage their spare time. Although doing daily homework isn't ideal for everyone，people have to admit that the advantages it brings are more valuable than the harm.
1. What's the author's attitude toward doing homework?| A．Favorable. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Neutral. | D．Critical. |
| A．there is no point in doing homework |
| B．doing homework takes up their spare time |
| C．there is too much homework for them |
| D．their daily homework is too easy |
| A．Science. | B．Health. |
| C．Business. | D．Education. |
a. Doing homework develops students' good habits.
b. Students have to waste their free time doing homework.
c. Doing homework does good to students' health.
d. Students improve time management skills by doing homework.
| A．a，d | B．b，c |
| C．a，c | D．b，d |
4 . Barton Seaver is a chef and conservationist who wants our help to save the oceans. He believes that our eating choices have a direct impact on the ocean’s health. In this interview, Seaver discusses how individuals can make a big difference by making informed choices.
Q: Should people stop eating seafood?
A: There are certain species that have been over fished and that people should definitely avoid. But I don’t think we need to stop eating seafood altogether. I believe that we can save the oceans while continuing to enjoy seafood. For example, some types of seafood, come from well-managed fisheries. And others, such as farmed mussels and oysters, actually help to restore declining wild populations and clean up polluted waters.
Q: What kind of seafood should people eat? What should they not eat?
A: My general advice is to eat fish and shellfish that are lower on the food chain and that can be harvested with little impact on the environment. Some examples include farmed clams and oysters anchovies, sardines, and herring. People should not eat the bigger fish of the sea, like tuna, shark, and swordfish. Otherwise, we will face severe shortages of these species and upset the balance of life in the oceans.
Q: Why did you choose to dedicate your life to the ocean?
A: I believe that the next great advance in human knowledge will come from learning how we relate to our natural world. I have dedicated myself to helping people understand our place on this planet through the foods that we eat.
Q: Why do you believe people should care about the health of the oceans?
A: The health of the oceans is directly linked to the health of people. The ocean provides most of the air that we breathe. It has a big effect on the weather. It also provides a necessary and vital diet for billions of people on the planet. So I am indeed trying to save the vital things that we rely on the ocean for.
1. Which statement might Barton Seaver agree with?| A．Fish farming is bad for the ocean. |
| B．Fish higher on the food chain should be eaten. |
| C．Overfishing has caused great damage to all species. |
| D．It's OK to eat seafood from well-managed fisheries. |
| A．We can understand our planet through the foods we eat. |
| B．We need to protect the ocean because of its supply of food. |
| C．Individuals’ right food choices can impact the ocean positively. |
| D．People should stop eating seafood to restore the ocean ecosystem. |
| A．Science and Technology. | B．Man and Nature. |
| C．Mystery of the Ocean. | D．Codes of Best Cuisines. |
| A．Devoted and farseeing. | B．Flexible and competitive. |
| C．Brave and risk-taking. | D．Ambitious and creative. |
5 . It is in human nature to explore new things. To that end, many countries have been exploring space for many decades, particularly the US, Russia, and countries in Europe.
President Xi Jinping praised the success of the Chang’e 5 mission (使命) in bringing back the country’s first samples (样本) collected from the moon. The whole country is proud of this breakthrough. The Chang’e 5 mission has achieved many significant breakthroughs, including China’s first lunar (月球的) surface sampling, first liftoff from the moon and the first spacecraft with the ability to gather and meet in lunar orbit with samples to re-enter the Earth s atmosphere.
The success of the Chang’e 5 mission marks a conclusion of China’s current lunar exploration project. The successful re-entry and landing of the Chang’e 5 capsule (太空舱) have enabled China to obtain its first lunar samples, marking a new start for lunar and planetary research. With this achievement, China sets a new milestone in space exploration.
No matter how far China goes into space, it always stays true to its original mission-uncovering the secrets of the universe and contributing to human’s peaceful use of space. China is a peace-loving country and will use its achievements for promoting peace around the globe.
China views these efforts as part of the world’s lunar exploration. It chose a different landing site and is promising to share its samples to enrich the planet’s knowledge. Some foreign scientists have shown particular interest. The exploration is not for commercial purposes, but international scientific research. Human beings shall explore the moon together, as it will finally need large projects requiring international cooperation. China will play a leadership role in the international scientific community.
1. What made Chinese people feel proud according to the passage?| A．Landing on the moon successfully. | B．Gaining admission to exploring the moon. |
| C．Strengthening the ability to promote the peace. | D．Bringing back first samples collected from the moon. |
| A．Horrible but romantic. | B．Fearful but successful. |
| C．Challenging but rewarding. | D．Dangerous but peaceful. |
| A．The original mission remains unchanged. | B．Countries join together to explore the moon. |
| C．China takes pride in the achievements in space. | D．China sets a new milestone in space exploration. |
| A．A poster. | B．A leaflet. | C．A newspaper. | D．A guidebook. |
6 . When people see machines that respond like humans, or computers that perform amazing functions, they sometimes joke about a future in which humanity will need to accept robot overlords(霸主). But buried in the joke is a seed of unease. Science-fiction movies have ever shown us about artificial intelligence (AI) that escapes its creators’ control.
Even in the real world, not everyone is ready to welcome AI with open arms. In recent years, as computer scientists have pushed the boundaries(界限) of what AI can accomplish, leading figures in technology and science have warned about the frightening dangers that artificial intelligence may pose to human beings, even suggesting that AI could destroy the human race. But why are people so frightened about the idea of AI?
Elon Musk is one of the famous voices that have raised red flags about AI. In July 2017, Musk told people at a meeting of the National Governors Association, “I have exposure to the very cutting-edge AI, and I think people should be really concerned about it. I keep sounding the alarm bell. But until people see robots going down the street killing people, they don’t know how to react, because it seems so impossible. ”
Earlier, in 2014, Musk had labeled AI “our biggest existential threat”, and in August 2017, he declared that humanity faced a great risk from AI.
Physicist Stephen Hawking, who died on March 14, also expressed concerns about AI, telling the BBC in 2014 that “the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.”
It’s also less than reassuring that some programmers—particularly those with MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts—seem determined to prove that AI can be terrifying.
1. What are top scientists in AI worried about?| A．It has wonderful functions. |
| B．It contributes too much to movies. |
| C．It may end the human race some day. |
| D．It’s ability to bury our seeds in jokes. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Ambiguous. |
| C．Understanding. | D．Supportive. |
| A．Be a great threat to human beings. |
| B．Learn the human emotions like fear. |
| C．Predict the future of the human race. |
| D．Turn horrible tales into scary stories. |
| A．Technology. | B．Health. |
| C．Culture. | D．Nature. |
7 . Many college students turn to ADHD（注意缺陷障碍）medicine during the exam week, which is regarded as “smart drugs” that will help their academic（学术的）performance. The thinking is that if the drugs help students with ADHD improve their focus, they should provide the same benefit for people who don’t have the disorder.
But a new study shows that drugs can actually damage brain function of healthy students who take the drug hoping to boost their intelligence. “It’s not a smart drug which will suddenly improve their ability to understand information they read,” said Lisa Weyandt, a professor at the University of Rhode Island.
To test whether this effect is real or not, researchers organized 13 students to take part in two five-hour study sessions（一段时间）in the lab. The students took the standard 30mg ADHD drugs before one session, and a sugar pill before the other. Students on ADHD drugs did experience an increase in their blood pressure and heart rates. “The medicine was having an effect on their brain,” Weyandt said. The students also showed an improvement in their ability to focus, the researchers found.
However, students on ADHD drugs experienced no improvement in reading comprehension, reading fluency or knowledge reviews, compared to when they’d taken a sugar pill. “We read aloud stories to them and asked them to recall information from the stories, ”she said. “That didn’t improve.”
Worse, the ADHD drug actually harms students’ memory. It’s often misused because people pull all-nighters and they’re tired, and they think it’s going to keep them awake. Maybe it does, but it’s certainly not going to help their academic work. The brain is still developing until the mid to late 20s. It’s important to keep it healthy. There’s also a chance that ADHD drugs could endanger a student’s heart health.
1. Why do some college students take ADHD drugs?| A．To improve their sleeping. | B．To get higher marks. |
| C．To make them feel relaxed. | D．To treat brain disorder. |
| A．Analyze. | B．Affect. |
| C．Improve. | D．Understand. |
| A．They became more focused. |
| B．Their blood pressure was reduced. |
| C．Their reading fluency was greatly raised. |
| D．They could remember better and more quickly. |
| A．In a drug instruction. | B．In a biology textbook. |
| C．In a travel magazine. | D．In a news report. |
8 . Shuikou village, in East China's Zhejiang province, is home to 10,000 residents, and about 30 percent of them are engaged in the homestay business. The village has developed into one of the major rural tourism destinations in the Yangtze River Delta(三角洲)region over the years.
As cross-provincial tourism has resumed nationwide, locals in Shuikou are back in business and looking forward to a full recovery of the local tourism industry.
Homestay owner Zheng Yunfang has been busy answering customers' calls, taking down their information, while checking the booking status of her hostelry(旅馆)since early August. "Our 18 guest rooms were fully booked over the past few weeks, and we've received bookings up to November," says Zheng, who runs Ziming Mountain Villa(别墅)in Shuikou. Most of her guests have been to her place before, and they often bring in new guests during their visits. "By the look of things, business shouldn't be a problem in the second half of the year."
Just walking distance away from Zheng's villa, another local homestay owner, Song Chaofeng, has begun receiving visitors as well. He is starting to harvest the reward of an earlier promotion of his homestay on the short-video app Douyin, also known as TikTok.
As an experiment, Song made a video featuring local food and landscapes earlier this year and uploaded it online after a bit of simple editing. "It was a total surprise that several thousand people watched it the next day."
Tourist Qi Jia, from Shanghai, recently visited Song's place with her family after flipping(翻转)through Song's Douyin account. "My child loves playing table tennis here, and my parents love the distinctive rural-style breakfast; with fresh and nutritious food that is picked right from the field. It feels right to come here.
At the moment, Song says he will focus on maintaining the quality of his homestay operations and updating his fans online on the latest developments. "Hopefully, they can all come. here and experience what we have to offer."
1. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?| A．To show us the homestay tourism recovery. |
| B．To tell guests how to book homestay guest rooms. |
| C．To know about Shuikou village in Zhejiang province. |
| D．To introduce the successful homestay examples. |
| A．a science magazine. | B．a travel website |
| C．a history book | D．a daily newspaper |
| A．Complex. | B．Uneasy. |
| C．Rewarding. | D．Ordinary. |
| A．No place like homestay as rural approach pays off |
| B．Douyin: The basic method of homestay operations |
| C．Two great successes in homestay business |
| D．Shuikou: The major rural tourism destination |
9 . Unsolved Mysteries About the Planet Earth
◆Mystery 1: Where did all the water come from?
Water covers 70 percent of Earth’s surface and earns it the nickname “the blue planet”. And where did it come from? The most popular scientific theory states that the water came from several violent asteroids (小行星) filled with ice. Another suggests that the water actually has been around since Earth’s formation. However it happened, though, it’s certainly worked out well for Earth’s life forms.
◆Mystery 2 :What about all the oxygen?
Another thing is the planet’s oxygen. Tiny creatures released oxygen as a waste product, filling the atmosphere with it. After that, the level of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere went wildly up and down until it finally calmed down around 540 million years ago. Since then, it’s remained at about the breathable level we experience today. But what caused it to be suddenly steady?
◆Mystery 3: What caused the Cambrian (寒武纪) Explosion?
The Cambrian Explosion refers to the explosion of complex life forms that occurred on Earth about 540 million years ago. Before then, life had consisted mostly of bacteria. But at the beginning of the Cambrian period, complex creatures began developing at a rate never seen before. Suddenly, life forms had brains, eyes, and bones. Most living creatures today can trace their blood back to the Cambrian period.
◆Mystery 4: Will we ever be able to predict earthquakes?
We still haven’t been able to come up with a way to accurately predict earthquakes. We can certainly try, but our current technology cannot predict them exactly. We know that earthquakes start when rocks crack underground and send earthquake waves toward the surface, but we haven’t figured out why that happens, or how to predict it.
1. Which of the following is true according to the text?| A．Earth is called the blue star because of water coverage. |
| B．The level of oxygen has been steady all the time. |
| C．Complex creatures had rapid development after the Cambrian period. |
| D．We know nothing about predicting earthquakes. |
| A．It is the oldest mystery of the four. |
| B．It will be solved in the near future. |
| C．It is the most difficult mystery to solve. |
| D．It is a matter that is of practical significance. |
| A．A diary. | B．A geography book. |
| C．A novel. | D．A magazine. |
10 . National Treasure has Chinese audiences fired up. But don't confuse it with the Hollywood action film of the same name, in which the hidden history of the United States going back around 250 years is discovered. In the Chinese show producers are lucky –China has a much longer history, and their plan to introduce relics is welcomed by the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City, and eight key province-level museums.
Yu Lei, director of the show, explained how items are chosen, "Our standard is not to choose the most precious items. We want the ones with most attractive stories. These cultural relics are like aged people. They have so much to tell us. If people are bored, there is something wrong with our methods," she said.
In each 100-minute period, three key exhibits from a museum are introduced by entertainment stars, called the "guardians of the national treasure", through short stage dramas, telling the history of the legends behind the items. Some lesser-known stories on how the items were unearthed are featured in the show. In the periods, people are also invited on stage to share their stories linked to such relics. Knowledge, entertainment, taste and an accessible approach have been put together in one show. When people see cultural relics in this lively way, they feel history.
The aim of the show is not to create a hit program but to attract more people to museums. More seasons of National Treasure are planned, and some treasures from the show are to be featured in a touring exhibition soon after the first season ends. A show like this fuels people's pride in their country.
1. We can learn that National Treasure is a(n) _______.| A．historical program aimed at creating a hot topic |
| B．Hollywood action film telling the whole American history |
| C．Chinese show introducing relics through short dramas |
| D．exhibition welcomed by nine province-level museums |
| A．like cultural relics whose stories can be told by aged people |
| B．choose some valuable items with most attractive stories behind |
| C．think something is wrong with their methods of choosing relics |
| D．don’t like the most precious items because they’re not attractive |
| A．Film experts. | B．Ordinary people. | C．Museum guides. | D．Entertainment stars. |
| A．Science | B．Health | C．Economy | D．Culture |
