2 . As we all know, any countries have their own languages. Even people speaking the same language have distinet dialects that are rooted in their history and culture, so whether you say "soda" or "pop" may reveal what country and what region you are from. What you call the night before Halloween may tie to your religious beliefs. What kind of slang (俚语) you use may come from the customs of the community you grew up in.

Languages also show connections between us and our natural environments. Plants and animals that are given names in any language are generally those that are relevant to people speaking the language. The relevance comes from the way that the people have interacted (交互) with the animals and plants, in some cases over centuries.

While we might think of languages as having a stereotyped set of words and rules that we learn in school, in fact languages are always developing. New words appear while others fall out of use and pronunciation changes over time as does the meaning of words. People also borrow words from other languages to complement(补充) their own vocabulary.

Our ability to learn languages develops when we are young. Sounds heard as babies, or even in the womb(子宫), set the stage for language learning later. Baby cooing(喔啊声) is the result of babies analysis of the languages spoken to them. Babies are practicing the pronunciation and recognition of sounds that they need for communication. Children exposed to different languages early in life and growing up with various kinds of languages around them always develop better cognitive (认知的)functions, such as the ability to focus and ignore distractions(使人分心的事).

Languages are as diverse as the communities that speak them and each of the about 7,000 world languages is a piece of evidence of a community's unique human experience. Yet, many languages around the world are endangered and as many as half of the world's languages could go silent by the end of this century. The reasons are that the speakers always receive social inequalities and disrespect from others and thus so do their language.

1. What is the main idea of Paragraph 1?

A．Languages are influenced by our habits.

B．Religion plays a key role in languages.

C．Languages reveal who we are as humans.

D．Languages vary from country to country.

2. What does the underlined word "stereotyped" probably mean?

A．New.

B．Fixed.

C．Changing.

D．Complete.

3. What can we know from the passage?

A．Babies enjoy themselves by cooing.

B．We begin to learn languages before we were born.

C．Babies learn the pronunciation and sounds quickly.

D．Children benefit a lot from early exposure to languages.

4. Why will many languages in the world go silent?

A．They are not worth speaking from now on.

B．The official languages are always respected.

C．The speakers choose to speak popular languages.

D．The speakers' social positions change for the worse.

3 . Will Hodson, a primary school teacher in London, was reading a superhero book to his students one day when a thought struck him. “We were talking about how we can all do something heroic every day—open a door for someone, say something nice to someone,” he recalled. “I decided not to use the day’s lesson plans and asked the five-year-olds to think about, ‘What are we all good at?’ ”

Hodson, 39 , was good at cycling, and he ended up taking his lesson to an extreme. After saving up for two years, he left his job and set off on a five-year ride across seven continents(洲) to raise money for charity, including for Parkinson’s disease, which his father has. Calling himself Super Cycling Man, he tries to visit at least one school per country, to spread the message that “We can all be heroes.”

Starting last May, Hodson has hit 14 countries in Europe. On the road, strangers have acted heroically—Turkish gas station attendants sheltered him from the snow, and people in Serbia made a huge pizza for him.

So far, he has raised about $19,000 of the $140,000 he hopes to raise. Antarctica, the most expensive continent to visit, is last on his list, after Asia, Australia, the Americas and Africa.

The hardest part of the trip has been “just keeping my parents at manageable stress(压力) levels”. “You see so much bad news in the world, but I see a very different picture—people inviting me to their houses, people pouring me drinks on the street at night.”

Along with the superhero message, Hodson hopes to show people that “life’s pretty good on two wheels”—particularly in places where cycling is less popular. “Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, with its shortage of bike lanes(自行车道) and its crazy drivers, is the toughest(最艰难的) city I’ve seen for cyclists, but even there, young people have been receptive.”

“The youth don’t want to necessarily have a big pot belly(大肚子) and drive around in a car.”

1. What does Hodson's “thought”(in Para.1) refer to?

A．Giving up his teaching job.	B．Being a hero himself.
C．Doing something heroic every day.	D．Reading more superhero books to his students.

2. Hodson’s cycling around the world ________.

A．will be finished in two years	B．is intended for his father
C．is a charity ride	D．began without any preparation

3. What’s the most difficult thing for Hodson on his trip?

A．Facing the terrible weather.	B．Finding cheap places to sleep in.
C．Winning his parents’ full support.	D．Keeping his parents from worrying about him.

4. What does Hodson say about the young in Tbilisi?

A．They are open to his idea.	B．They are crazy drivers.
C．They hate cyclists.	D．They eat and drink too much.

4 . The practice of drinking tea has a long history in China. According to a popular story. tea was discovered by Shennong in 2737 BC when a leaf from a nearby shrub（灌木）fell into the water Shennong was boiling. Tea is deeply woven into the history and culture of China.

The Chinese have a saying: “Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day.” Though tea is the last on the list, we still can see its importance in daily life. A simple meal in Chinese is Cu Cha Dan Fan, which shows even a simple meal is finished with tea.

For the Chinese, tea drinking and tasting are not parallel. Tea drinking can help keep up one’s spirit while tea tasting has cultural meaning. Tea and tea sets should match the breeze, the bright moon, bamboo and so on. All these show the goal of Chinese culture: the harmonious（和谐的）unity of human beings with nature.

Similarly, tea-drinking habits differ in different parts of China. Generally. flowering tea is popular in northern China; green tea is preferred in eastern China, and black tea is fit for people in Fujian and Guangdong. Green tea is the most popular type of tea drunk in China. Green tea usually loses its flavor（味道）within a year while the flavor of black tea can remain for several years. As a result, black tea has long been traded worldwide. It still accounts for over ninety percent of all tea sold in the West. At present, tea is commonly seen in Chinese restaurants and grocery shops worldwide.

1. Why does the author use the Chinese saying in Paragraph 2?

A．To show the tea’s role in Chinese culture.

B．To express the author’s love for tea.

C．To show the history of tea.

D．To explain the Chinese saying.

2. What does the underlined word “parallel” probably mean?

A．Different.

B．Strange.

C．Ordinary.

D．Equal.

3. Why has black tea been long traded as goods?

A．It suits people in Fujian and Guangdong.

B．It tastes better than green tea.

C．Its flavor can be kept for a long time.

D．Its flavor is preferred by the West.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．The development of tea drinking in China.	B．The culture of tea in China.
C．The popularity of tea drinking in China.	D．The history of tea in China.

5 . How much do consumers care about the carbon footprint of the products they buy? Would they care more if the goods were labeled with emissions（排放物） data? Does it matter at which stage in the lifecycle of a product the carbon is emitted? Research published in the International Journal of Environmental Policy and Decision Making offers a way to find out．

Study participants view a carbon footprint label as similar to labels that have appeared on some existing products．The label shows the carbon dioxide emissions connected with their production, transportation, usage and disposal（清理）, thus showing the buyer the likely effect on climate change of buying a particular product．

In the first group of studies, the research team proved that carbon emissions and a carbon emissions label would indeed play a role in consumer product decisions, although not as great a role as price．In a second set of studies, the team found that emissions connected with usage were most important to consumers followed by the transportation and disposal stages．The carbon footprint of the producing process was considered less important to consumers than the other stages in the product's lifecycle because it is outside the consumer's control．That is, the participants felt they were less responsible for carbon emitted during producing process．Consumers value recycling a product, but the researchers found that, overall, the consumers would prefer producers to offset（补偿） carbon emissions rather than having to address the problem directly themselves．

Consumers are increasingly concerned with climate change problems, and already carbon labeling is appearing on some products．"We find that participants not only take the carbon label into account when making product decisions, but they want detailed information on the label," the researchers explain．They suggest that companies should prepare for how carbon emissions labels might affect future consumer choice．

1. Which of the following most affects consumer's choice?

A．Labels．	B．Price．
C．Packaging．	D．Carbon footprint．

2. About the carbon dioxide emissions in the product's lifecycle, which stage do consumers care most?

A．Usage stage．	B．Transportation stage．
C．Disposal stage．	D．Producing stage．

3. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word "address"?

A．Look into．	B．Point out．
C．Deal with．	D．Run into．

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Companies should take carbon emissions more seriously．

B．All products have been labeled with carbon emissions data．

C．Producers will attach less importance to carbon emissions labels．

D．Products labeled with carbon emissions data will have poor sales．

6 . Johnny Cash was born in 1932 in the southern state of Arkansas. His parents were poor cotton farmers. As a school boy, he began writing songs and he performed on radio programs. After high school, he joined the United States Air Force and served as a radio operator in Germany.

He returned to the United States in 1954 and formed a band with two friends and performed at local events. They began recording for Sun Records in Memphis. One of the songs Cash wrote became the first country music hit record for the company. It was “Cry, Cry, Cry.”

Johnny Cash performed all across the United States and Canada. By 1958, Johnny Cash was a successful recording artist, songwriter and singer. He was invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

Johnny Cash won many awards, including eleven Grammy Awards and the Kennedy Center Honors. He was elected to both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

He died on September 12, 2003, in Nashville at the age of seventy-one.

Fans say that Johnny Cash's music was important because it told simple stories about life and death. They say he cared about social issues and continued to express support for those who are poor and without political power. One of the last songs he recorded was one made popular by the rock and roll group Nine Inch Nails. It is called “Hurt.”

1. Johnny Cash returned to the United States after ________.

A．he finished high school	B．he formed a band
C．he served in US Air Force in Germany	D．his song Cry, Cry, Cry became famous

2. From the passage we can infer that ________.

A．Johnny Cash performed his famous song Cry, Cry, Cry at the Grand Ole Opry

B．Johnny Cash didn't care about social problems

C．Johnny Cash's music was only loved by his fans

D．the Grand Ole Opry is a place where famous singers hold their concerts.

3. What does the underlined word “hit” mean in the second paragraph?

A．Beat

B．Failure

C．Strike

D．Success

4. Johnny Cash's songs were loved by his fans because ________.

A．he won many awards in his lifetime

B．he often performed in the Grand Ole Opry

C．his songs expressed support for the poor people with no political power

D．his songs were sung by the rock and roll group Nine Inch Nails

7 . Trash and garbage are other words for waste. In San Francisco, they are also words for art. A local recycling (回收) company, called Recology, created a program to give artists the opportunity to reuse unwanted objects. Artists are paid to work for four months on changing things like old tires and toys.

Ma Li, one of the artists at the center, is working on a project that includes plastic bottles and cloth. She is turning them into sculptures (雕塑). She says she learned recycling from her parents while growing up in China in the 1980s.

San Francisco artist Michael Arcega works with recycled wood and old leather belts (皮带). His artwork shows what he says is the wasteful culture of the American people. He says looking through the trash is not easy. It is hard to separate what is useful and what is really garbage.

A gallery (美术陈列室) in Los Angeles is exhibiting some of the art from the San Francisco project. The show includes sculptures from old metal and saws (锯子) cut to look like trees. Los Angeles gallery owner Liz Gordon says artists have a history of recycling. “People who don’t have resources find supplies from garbage and have been using them for many years.”

Artist Ma Li says these art works have a message. “So everyone can come together to actually make a change in their daily life to save the environment and resources.”

Mike Sangiacomo heads the recycling company. He says he hopes to see as much waste as possible reused. “Along the way, if some of it is made into some fun pieces of art and draws people’s attention to the problem, we think it’s a great way to do something that’s good for our business, good for our community, and good for society.” The project shows how a little imagination can change one person’s trash into another’s art work.

1. What do we know about Ma Li?

A．She grew up in a rich family.

B．She learned art from her parents.

C．She spent her childhood in the U.S.

D．She learned recycling at a young age.

2. What does the underlined word “exhibiting” mean in Paragraph 4?

A．Changing.

B．Showing.

C．Supplying.

D．Owning.

3. The recycling program is intended to     .

A．make a large amount of money

B．help people to find beauty in daily life

C．help poor artists who can’t afford supplies

D．encourage the protection of environment

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Living in San Francisco

B．A Promising Career

C．The Choice of Artists

D．Turning Trash to Treasure

8 . Having an older brother comes with plenty of benefits. Big brothers tend to look out for their younger siblings(兄弟姐妹）,and despite the occasional rocky moment here and there, many siblings enjoy life-long close relationships. However, a new study finds an interesting downside: children with older brothers take longer when it comes to developing language skills.

The study, conducted by a group of researchers in Paris, France, builds upon earlier research that had already established that having older siblings is associated with poor linguistic(语言的）development. Now, researchers say they have come to a more specific conclusion: only children with an older brother exhibit these linguistic difficulties.

One would assume that children with older brothers would grow up around more conversation on a daily basis, thus speeding up their language development. Yet researchers say such children actually take longer than their older brothers to begin developing these skills.

Researchers studied more than 1,000 children from birth to the age of five-and-a-half years old. Each child’s language skills were tested at ages 2,3,and 5.5,using tests specially designed to measure numerous aspects of language development such as vocabulary, syntax, and verbal reasoning.

What the research team discovered was significant: children with an older brother had, on average, a two-month delay in their language development compared to those with an older sister.

As far as explaining this phenomenon, researchers have proposed two hypotheses(假设).The first is that older sisters tend to talk more often than older brothers, which would compensate for parents potentially being less present than they were for their first child. The second hypothesis is that older sisters usually compete with their siblings less than older brothers for their parents’ attention.

As of now, the study’s authors say they can’t say for certain why children with older brothers have a harder time developing language skills. In the future they would like to investigate if culture or location affects the results of these studies.

1. What does the underlined word“downside”in paragraph 1 mean?

A．difficulty

B．drawback

C．mistake

D．burden

2. What does the previous research suggest about older siblings?

A．Having older siblings will affect the younger one’s language development.

B．Many children prefer having brothers and sisters.

C．Older brothers may have something to do with the linguistic difficulties.

D．Children with older siblings would grow up around more conversation.

3. Why do children with older brothers experience the delay in language development?

A．Parents tend to focus more on the first child.

B．Older sisters are more caring than older brothers.

C．Older brothers always seek to get more attention from their parents.

D．Younger children are always ignored by their older brothers.

4. What will further research of the study focus on?

A．The reasons for children’s delay in language development.

B．Other aspects that may influence the outcomes of the study.

C．More assumptions to explain the phenomenon.

D．The effect of culture on children’s language learning.

9 . I just had a snowstorm that piled up eight inches of snow. It truly was a winter wonderland, and there was white beauty everywhere. Since I didn't have anything to do that day, I really enjoyed it.

But then the second snowstorm arrived that night, piling additional inches of snow on top of the snow banks that were already there. And then on the evening news, the weather cast gave us a notice that still another snowstorm was headed our way. Then I felt despondent. I had things to do and places to go. After days of being snowbound, I felt like I was under house arrest. I was stuck.

A place stuck isn't a fun place to be, whether it's from a snowstorm or from life circumstances such as a bad relationship, bills that seem to tower over our heads, or situations where we see no way out. All of us will feel stuck at one time or another, but it's how we respond that makes the difference.

I had a friend named Hannah. She was stuck in the heartbreaking world of infertility (不孕). She longed for a child more than anything. Instead of accepting defeat, she acted sincerely. Think about Nelson Mandela in a dark prison. It was a seemingly hopeless place, but instead of becoming depressed or bitter, he kept fighting for freedom. Yes, he kept fighting to get the success.

Circumstances cannot define us, but our reactions do. Each of those men and women learned important lessons in their "stuck" situations, and we can as well.

1. What does the underlined word" despondent" in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Unhappy.

B．Unusual.

C．Ambitious.

D．Energetic.

2. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 3?

A．Summarize the previous paragraphs.

B．Provide some advice for the readers.

C．Introduce some background information.

D．Form a connecting link of the context.

3. Why does the author mention Hannah and Nelson Mandela?

A．To introduce two great celebrities.

B．To introduce the way to be famous.

C．To show their different circumstances.

D．To show how to respond to difficult situations.

4. What's the best title for the text?

A．Don't be defeated by failure

B．Don't be trapped by snow

C．Enjoy the white beauty

D．Keep calm in the winter

10 . Mirroring body language is a way to bond and to build understanding. It is a powerful tool that we use without even knowing it.

The most obvious forms of mirroring are yawning and smiling. When you see someone yawn, you are likely to yawn immediately. Smiling is also pretty contagious-seeing a smiling person makes you want to smile too.

Mirroring body language is a nonverbal way to say “I am like you, I feel the same”. Research shows that people who experience the same feelings are likely to trust, understand and accept each other.

Women have the natural ability to pick up and understand body signals. Therefore, it is not surprising that a woman is more likely to mirror another woman than a man is to mirror another man. That's why women are regarded as better talkers, even if they might not really have more close friends.

It is interesting that when a man tries to mirror a woman's body language while she is talking, he may seem to her as caring, intelligent and attractive.

Mirroring body language is an excellent way to build trust and understanding quickly. If you want to set up a connection with a new person, mirror his or her gestures, sitting position, tone of voice and talking pace. This will make them feel that there is something about you that they like.

While mirroring body language gains you acceptance, you still need to take into consideration your relationship with the person you are mirroring. If you are in a lower social position and are mirroring the body language of your boss, he will view you as arrogant. However, if you want to defeat those who are trying to prove superior to you, mirroring their body language will help defeat them and change their position.

1. What does the underlined word “contagious” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Affecting each other.	B．Powerful to show one's feelings.
C．Attractive to the others.	D．Being gentle to people around.

2. When copying others' body language, one usually can ______.

A．send wrong messages	B．hide true feelings
C．win others' acceptance	D．avoid misunderstanding

3. What might happen if you try to mirror your boss's body language?

A．You will appear very attractive.	B．It will help to soften his position.
C．You will seem unacceptably proud.	D．It will be a good way to build trust.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．It is important to copy the others' gestures.

B．Why women are regarded as better talkers.

C．Men is not good at nonverbal communication.

D．Mirroring body language can be a useful tool.