1 . For most people, graduation is an exciting day the celebration of years of hard work. My graduation day... was not.
I remember that weekend two years ago. Family and friends had flown in from across the country to watch our class walk across that stage. But like everyone else in my graduating class, I had watched the economy turn from bad to worse. What I thought would take a week dragged into two. and then four, and 100 job applications later, I found myself in the exact same spot as 1 was before. And the due date to begin paying back my student loans was creeping ever closer.
You know that feeling when you wake up and you are just consumed with fear? Fear about something you can't control—that sense of approaching failure that remains over you as you hope that everything that happened to you thus far was just a bad dream? That feeling became a constant in my life. And the most frustrating part was no matter how much 1 tried, 1 just couldn't seem to make any progress.
So what did I do to maintain my sanity（理智）？ I wrote. Something about putting words on a page made everything seem a little clearer—a little brighter. Something about writing gave me hope. And if you want something badly enough... sometimes a little hope is all you need! So I channeled my frustration into a children's book. And then one day, without any sort of writing degree or contacts in the writing world — just a lol of hard work and perseverance—I was offered a publishing contract for my first book! After that, things slowly began to fall into place. 1 was offered a second book deal. Then, a few months later, I got an interview with The Walt Disney Company and was hired shortly after.
The moral of this story is... don't give up. Even if things look bleak now, don't give up. Things change If you work hard, give it time, and don't give up, things will always get better Oftentimes all we need is the courage to push beyond the river.
1. From Paragraph 2, we can learn that the author probably.| A．was having an exciting graduation |
| B．was getting into financial difficulties |
| C．missed the life in the university |
| D．had just applied for the student loans |
| A．By sending applications. | B．By offering contracts. |
| C．By keeping writing. | D．By publishing books. |
| A．unattractive | B．hopeless |
| C．thrilling | D．promising |
| A．Success belongs to the persevering. |
| B．A contented mind is a perpetual（长久的）feast. |
| C．A smooth sea never makes a skillful mariner. |
| D．Misfortunes tell us what fortune is. |
2 . Social distancing is not a new concept in the natural world, where infectious diseases are commonplace. Through specialized senses animals can detect certain diseases and change their behavior to avoid getting ill.
In 1966, while studying chimps (猩猩) in a Tanzanian national park, zoologist Jane Goodall observed a chimp named McGregor who had caught a highly infectious virus. His fellow chimps attacked him and threw him out of the troop. In one instance, McGregor approached chimps in a tree. He reached out a hand in greeting, but the others moved away without a backward glance.
“For a full two minutes, old McGregor sat motionless, staring after them,” Goodall notes in her 1971 book In the Shadow of Man. “It’s really not that different to how some societies react today to such a tragedy.”
Not all animals are so aggressive toward their ailing neighbors. Sometimes it’s as simple as avoiding those who may infect you.
When Kiesecker, a lead scientist in America, studied American bullfrog in the late 1990s, he found that bullfrogs could not only detect a deadly smell of infection in other bullfrogs, but healthy members actively avoided those that were sick. Bullfrogs rely on chemicals signals to determine who is sick or not.
Caribbean lobsters also shun diseased members of their community, well before they become infectious. It takes about eight weeks for lobsters infected with the deadly virus Panulirus argus mininuceovirus to become dangerous to others. Normally social animals, lobsters begin keeping away from the diseased as early as four weeks after infection – once the lobsters can smell certain chemicals released by sick individuals.
Overall, it’s important to note that, unlike us, animals don’t realize if they stay home, they might actually reduce the infection rate,” Kiesecker explains. “As humans, we have that ability. It’s a big difference.”
1. What can we learn about the chimps from Goodall’s observation?| A．They kept a distance from one another. |
| B．They became aggressive when infected. |
| C．The infected avoided contact with others. |
| D．The infected were forced to leave the group. |
| A．Avoid. | B．Cure. | C．Get rid of. | D．Get along with. |
| A．Humans are more sensitive to virus. |
| B．Humans are less likely to get infected. |
| C．Humans treat infectious diseases in a wiser way. |
| D．Humans can detect chemical signals more quickly. |
| A．Help Me Out |
| B．Leave Me Alone |
| C．Stay Away From Us |
| D．Stay Home Stay Healthy |
3 . Whenever we see a button, we are eager to press it because we know something will happen. This is true in most cases, for example on a doorbell and on the “on/off” button on the TV. But some buttons are actually fake (假的), like the “close” button on a lift.
Many people are in the habit of pressing the “close” button because they don’t have the patience to wait for the lift doors to shut. But lifts “close” buttons are a complete scam, at least in the US—the doors will not close any faster no matter how hard you press.
It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the US, making sure that all lifts stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only US firefighters and repairmen can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys.
But to normal lift riders, the buttons aren’t completely useless. According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control. “Perceived (能够感知的) control is very important. It reduces stress and increases well-being,” Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor, said, “Having a lack of control is connected with depression (抑郁).”
Experts have expressed that a lot of buttons that don’t do anything exist in our lives for this same purpose. For example, many offices in the US have fake thermostats (温度调节器) because people tend to feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace.
But Psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little “white lies”, they still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort.
“That habit is here to stay,” John Kounios, a psychology professor, said, “Even though I have real doubts (怀疑) about the traffic light buttons, I always press them. After all, I’ve got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not press the button in the hope that this one will work?”
1. What was the author’s main purpose in writing the article?| A．To describe some different kinds of fake buttons. |
| B．To tell the uses of fake buttons. |
| C．To explore people’s different habits when it comes to pushing buttons. |
| D．To explain the advantages and disadvantages of fake buttons. |
| A．Trick. | B．Tool. | C．Button. | D．Mistake. |
| A．don’t know that what they press is fake | B．should give up this habit |
| C．consider what they do to be meaningless | D．probably do so to kill time |
4 . My guide Farah, a tall, slim woman in her late 30s, wears jeans and a simple manteau. In public, wearing this robe(长袍）,covering neck to knee is a must for women in Iran. Her long, straight black hair is hidden beneath her headscarf.
We're heading to Tajrish Bazaar in north Tehran, to explore ten different kinds of dried plums and other goodies. We choose the Metro- Farah for its convenience, and I, for a chance to go underground in the capital of Iran, because it provides a picture of the city most tourists never see.
Women and men sit separately on the train, but the rule is relaxed during busy times, like now. We, along with a few other women, clasp(握紧）our hands around a pole, standing next to men, young and old. Two stops later, and about 20 commuters（通勤者）fewer, segregation happens naturally-women at one and,men at the other, still within view,but separate.
A handful of fashionable girls admire their own reflections in the window. They wear tight leggings under their brightly colored robes, pushing back headscarves and boundaries. We find seats next to a group of conservative women dressed in black cloaks（斗篷）called chador. They are nothing like the other women I have met, most of them liberal.
＂We're a nation with one language," Farah says, “divided in two-traditional and modern."She tells me that it' all began, not with imports from the West, but with the 1979 revolution. A combination of education and a bad economy created a society where women now have independence, careers, and husbands feel obliged to help with household chores.
1. Why did the author choose to take the Metro?| A．Because it was accessible and convenient. |
| B．Because she would see a more realistic city. |
| C．Because she could sit separately on the train. |
| D．Because she would travel markets for goodies. |
| A．In rush hours. | B．At dawn. | C．At midday. | D．At midnight. |
| A．Conflict. | B．Isolation. | C．Combination. | D．Discrimination. |
| A．Iranian girls can dress as freely as they like. |
| B．Iran has strict rules for seating arrangements. |
| C．Iranian men never offer help with housework. |
| D．Wearing a robe is a daily routine of Iranian women. |
5 . I've handled chopsticks skillfully for decades. While it used to amuse me, it mildly annoys me now that Chinese react with astonishment to see a foreigner handle them — as if someone from a country that put a man on the moon would somehow be incapable of handling two simple sticks. As you can see, China's influence stretched far and wide long before opening-up in the late 1970s or today's Belt and Road Initiative. So the idea that most foreigners cannot use chopsticks is, simply put, fiddlesticks.
My first exposure to chopsticks came way back in the 1960s via the elementary piano tune known as Chopsticks, which aroused my curiosity as to what the word meant. Not long afterward, my parents introduced me to Chinese food at King Fong Cafe in Omaha, Nebraska, which, I only learned recently, was among the landmarks of the heartland city's once-thriving Chinatown in the early 1900s.
In fact, I have undergone special kuaizi training (improving skills, for example, by constantly picking up peanuts when I lived with my Chinese tai chi master) and experimentation (exploring the use of chopsticks to snap up popcorn and donuts；I'm working on ice cream).
But there's one western food for which chopsticks are truly a godsend： salads. After moving to China in 2014, I bought a salad at a convenience store, and the clerk handed me kuaizi. I refused at first, but then thought, “All right” and gave it a try.
Amazingly useful! I could pick and choose each small piece much more carefully, without having to move awkwardly trying to spear the crispy carrot or cherry tomato and then move it mouth ward.
Another clear advantage of these simplest of tools is that they regulate the pace and volume of eating. It's much harder to “pig out” by shoveling food with chopsticks than with a fork and spoon.
However, in the spirit of globalization, let's not overlook the finer points of knife and fork. In fact, a handy thing about the fork is that everyone can basically use it with each hand. I dare to say that, for Chinese and foreigners alike, switching hands while using chopsticks is not so readily done with confidence.
1. What makes the writer feel unhappy about using chopsticks?| A．People's finding it amusing. |
| B．Not being able to handle them easily. |
| C．Feeling as if he/she was on the moon. |
| D．Chinese strange look on seeing him/her using them. |
| A．A norm. | B．A nonsense. | C．A joke. | D．A shame. |
| A．He/She first learnt to use them when listening to a piano tune. |
| B．He/She can use chopsticks to eat ice cream skillfully. |
| C．Chopsticks prove useful in eating any western food. |
| D．Using chopsticks limits one's intake of food. |
| A．How to Use Chopsticks |
| B．Chopsticks VS Knife and Fork |
| C．My Experience with Chopsticks |
| D．The Globalization of Chopsticks |
6 . The world’s first fully electric plane has flown successfully for almost 15 minutes. The world’s first fully electric commercial aircraft took its first test flight on Tuesday, taking off from the Canadian city of Vancouver and offering hope that airlines may one day end their polluting emissions.
“This proves that commercial airmail in all-electric form can work,” said Roei Ganzarski, CEO of Seattle-based engineering firm MagniX. The company designed the plane’s motor and worked in partnership with Harbour Air, which carries half a million passengers a year between Vancouver, Whistler ski resort and nearby islands and coastal communities. Ganzarski said the technology would mean significant cost savings for airlines—not to mention zero emissions. “This signifies the start of the electric airmail age,” he told reporters.
Civil airmail is one of the fastest growing sources of carbon emissions as people increasingly take to the skies and new technologies have been slow to make remarkable progress. At 285 grammes of CO2 emitted per kilometre (mile) travelled by each passenger, airline industry emissions far exceed those from all other transport, according to the European Environment Agency.
The e-plane—a 62-year-old, six-passenger DHC –2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane improved on with an electric motor—was piloted by Greg McDougall, founder and CEO of Harbour Air. “For me that flight was just like flying a Beaver, but it was a Beaver on electric steroids (电动兴奋剂). I actually had to turn off the power button,” he said. McDougall took the plane in a short circle along the Fraser River near Vancouver International Airport in front of around 100 onlookers soon after sunrise.
1. What can we know from the first fully electric plane’s success?| A．The flying time of e-plane is 15 minutes at most. |
| B．The fully electric commercial airmail has functioned. |
| C．Airlines may realize the goal of zero emissions. |
| D．The fully electric plane never does damage to the environment. |
| A．Means. | B．Proves. | C．Changes. | D．Follows. |
| A．The pollution caused by passengers. | B．The backward airmail technology. |
| C．The current situation of civil airmail. | D．The growing sources of carbon emissions. |
| A．Shocked. | B．Positive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Objective. |
7 . It is every climber’s dream to reach the summit of Mt Qomolangma. At 29,017 ft, the peak is undoubtedly the highest spot on earth. But the trek to the summit is anything but a walk in the park.
Ever since the summit was climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953, eager climbers try to make the pilgrimage(朝圣之旅) to the top of the mountain every year. The last few weeks of May is the perfect time when the severe weather conditions usually open up for a brief period of time.
On one such day in May, there was a strange traffic jam of mountaineers as they navigated the “death zone” —the deadliest trail to the summit. The severe overcrowding resulted in mishaps and loss of lives.
Mountain climbing, which was once a sport for the fittest, has been crowded out by a wave of adventure tourism. Now, numerous climbers make a beeline for the top of Mt Qomolangma, led by commercial companies. Better equipment and clothing has made it appear all very easy.
However, Qomolangma is a tough mountain. With just a single icy path to the summit and only a few days of clear weather to climb, the dangers of not moving quickly can be fatal. Today, many buy a spot to the top if they have the means to pay for it, but they are ill-prepared or unfit. These tourists push themselves beyond their capacity in the thrill of achievement, risking not just their own lives but that of others following behind.
More than 200 lives have been taken by the slopes so far. Eleven climbers have died this year alone. The last stretch to the peak is a narrow path used by both people sending and descending the summit. With oxygen level at just 30% of what it is at sea level, the human body can shut down from exhaustion very quickly. Climbers have said that the mad rush to the summit makes people uncaring to the troubles of others who are struggling.
1. What does the underlined word ‘mishaps’ mean?| A．Accidents. | B．Crashes. | C．Arguments. | D．Attacks. |
| A．Mountain climbing is a game for rich people. |
| B．Mountain climbing is becoming a business. |
| C．Brave climbers risk their life to conquer Qomolangma. |
| D．Advanced equipment ensures tourists’ safety. |
| A．A craze for mountain climbing | B．A deadly zone to Mt Qomolangma |
| C．An accident on Mt Qomolangma | D．A traffic jam on Mt Qomolangma |
8 . Fathers have a strong influence on their children.And one of the areas in which researchers look for the influence is in the development of language.What begins with gestures and sounds develops into competence with language by around age 3.Fathers are proving to be an important part of this process,as Lynne Vernon-Feagans of the University of North Carolina and her colleagues are finding out.
They have done some of the most interesting work looking at children's language development in both middle-class and poor,rural families.They've found,to their surprise,that not only are fathers important for children’s language development,but that fathers matter more than mothers.For example,they found that fathers'use of vocabulary when reading picture books to their children at 6 months of age was significantly related to the children's expressiveness at 15 months and use of advanced language at age 3.This held true no matter what the mother's educational level was or how she spoke to the children.
Vernon-Feagans was surprised by the difference between mothers and fathers.She had thought they would be equally involved in encouraging their children’s language development.Why would fathers be more important in this regard than mothers?Maybe it's because mothers are more familiar with their kids,typically spending more time with them than fathers do.That makes mothers more likely to choose words the kids know.Fathers aren't as familiar with their kids,so they use a broader vocabulary,and the kids learn new words and concepts as a result.
Vernon-Feagans thought there might be another factor at play as well.Because fathers usually spend less time with their kids,they are more of a novelty.That makes them more interesting playmates.“I do think our children see it as very special when they do book reading with their fathers,”she said.“They may listen more and acquire language in a special way.”
The researchers found that wealthier fathers produced a greater rise in their children’s IQs than did similarly active low-income fathers.It might sound discouraging,but it suggests that improving men's educational or financial status would bring benefits not only to them but to their children as well.
1. What did Vernon-Feagans and her colleagues find unexpectedly in their research?| A．Mothers'improper ways to talk to children. |
| B．Fathers'important role in children's language. |
| C．Children’s use of advanced language at age 3. |
| D．Different vocabulary in different families. |
| A．Use of new words. |
| B．Familiarity with words. |
| C．Use of limited vocabulary. |
| D．Too much time with children. |
| A．Fathers cannot afford the time with their kids. |
| B．Kids often complain about their fathers'absence. |
| C．It is quite common that fathers stay with their kids. |
| D．It feels new and different for kids to stay with their fathers. |
| A．Fathers'social status benefits children's language. |
| B．Parents have different influences on children's language. |
| C．Children’s language abilities depend on good fathering. |
| D．Fathers contribute more than mothers to children's language. |
9 . There is a country-I read about it once-where the local custom is that if you go to a house and praise some small possession,the owners feel obliged to offer it to you as a gift.I don’t remember the name of the country;the only other place I know of with such a custom is my mother’s apartment.
Knowing Mama,I have always been careful with my compliments,but that doesn’t stop her. Mama senses admiration far more subtle(敏感的)than what’s spoken.If she catches me staring at anything small enough to put in a grocery sack,she hands it to me as I leave.It would do no good to protest.
Sometimes,while visiting Mama,I try not to say anything complimentary.
I have been worrying for weeks now about what to give my mother for Mother’s Day.For most people,this is a modest problem,solved by the purchase of a bathrobe or a box of candy. For me,however,Mother’s Day represents an annual challenge to do the impossible-find a gift that will make neither Mama nor me feel terrible.Expensive gifts-Mama defines as costing over$1.98-are out,because they make Mama feel terrible.There is always the danger that a gift given to Mama will bounce swiftly back to the giver.
Papa,a sensible man,long ago stopped trying to shop for Mama.Instead,on Mother’s Day, her birthday,and other appropriate occasions,he composes a short epic poem in which he tells of their meeting,courtship(求婚)，and subsequent(随后的)marriage.After nearly 30 years of poems,Papa sometimes worries that the edge of his poetic inspiration has dulled,but Mama doesn’t complain.She comes into the room while he is struggling over a gift poem and says,”It doesn’t have to rhyme as long as it’s from the heart.”
This year,finally,I think I,too,have found a painless gift for Mama.I am going to give her a magazine article,unrhymed but from the heart,in which I wish her”Happy Mother’s Day”and tell her there’s nothing Papa or I could ever buy,find,or make her that would be half good enough anyway.
1. The underlined word”compliments”in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to| A．behavior | B．purchase | C．words | D．praise |
| A．It’s difficult to choose a proper but cheap gift. |
| B．His Mama wishes him to follow his father’s way. |
| C．Gifts will make his mother feel terrible. |
| D．The writer has a very tight budget. |
| A．the writer will be given whatever he wants |
| B．his mother will give him the things he praises |
| C．his father will have to compose rhymed poems |
| D．his mother will return anything to the giver |
| A．An Economical Mother |
| B．A Challenging Choice |
| C．A Gift for Mama |
| D．An Old Custom |
10 . Mom noticed that something was wrong when I started getting so thirsty. I’d have a lot to drink before bed, which was unusual for me. One time, I opened a big container of apple juice and kept refilling my glass. Before I knew it, I’d drunk the entire container! My mom called my doctor. I then had a few blood tests, and the results were certain — I had diabetes (糖尿病), which meant that the amount of sugar in my blood was very high. That can be dangerous, so I had to learn how to control my blood-sugar level.
My eating habits had to change in a big way. With diabetes, I can’t eat a lot of sugar or carbohydrates (碳水化合物). I have to figure out exactly how much sugar I plan to eat, and then I get an injection of insulin (注射胰岛素) before the meal to help my body process the food. Also, I test my blood-sugar level often. I’m always trying to keep my blood-sugar at a healthy level. The level can drop when I exercise, but that doesn’t keep me out of gym class or off the basketball court — I just keep some juice boxes around to boost my blood-sugar if I need to.
It’s a lot of work and not a lot of fun — to keep track of everything, but I’ve gotten used to my new habits. I was a little scared at first because I wasn’t sure how my life would change. Once I knew what I needed to do, though, it wasn’t a big deal. My life is different now from what it was before, but it has become completely regular to me.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．How the author was found to have diabetes. |
| B．The author’s life before having diabetes. |
| C．Who found the author had diabetes. |
| D．The author’s eating habits before having diabetes. |
| A．She stopped playing basketball in the gym. |
| B．She controlled her blood-sugar level strictly. |
| C．She stopped eating food with natural sugar. |
| D．She tested her blood-sugar level before every meal. |
| A．Absorb. | B．Control. | C．Increase. | D．Test. |
| A．Worried. | B．Frightened. | C．Pessimistic. | D．Positive. |
