1 . Dick lived in England. One day in January he said to his wife, "I'm going to fly to New York next week because I've got some work there." "Where are you going to stay there?" his wife asked. "I don't know yet." Dick answered. "Please send me your address from there in a telegram," his wife said. "All right," Dick answered. He flew to New York on January 31st and found a nice hotel in the center of the city. He put his things in his room and then he sent his wife a telegram. He put the address of his hotel in it. In the evening he didn't have any work, so he went to a cinema. He came out at nine o'clock and said, "Now I should return to my hotel and have a nice dinner." He found a taxi and the driver said, "Where do you want to go?" But Dick didn't remember the name and address of his hotel. "Which hotel are my things in?" he said, "And what am I going to do tonight?" But the driver of the taxi did not know. So Dick got out and went into a post office. There he sent his wife another telegram, and in it he wrote, "
| A．go back | B．give back | C．come back | D．pay back |
| A．he went there for a holiday | B．he had work there |
| C．his home was there | D．he went to school |
| A．Because she didn’t know his address. |
| B．Because she wanted to go to New York, too. |
| C．Because she couldn’t leave her husband by himself in New York. |
| D．Because she wanted to know when he came back. |
| A．Dick stayed at a nice hotel in the center of the city. |
| B．Dick didn’t work on the first night of his arrival. |
| C．Dick forgot to send his wife a telegram. |
| D．Dick flew to New York on January 31st |
| A．I will have a nice dinner with you, dear. |
| B．Please send me my address at this post office. |
| C．Look after yourself well at home |
| D．I will be back soon. |
2 . Everybody says that youth is the best time for our lives. Being young means romance, love and new discoveries, but it is also the most difficult time, because you have to make some very important decisions, which will influence your future life.
Things are not easy nowadays even for adults, but for teenagers, Who have to find their own place in society, it’s even difficult. It is necessary not only to adapt to society, but also to be confident of your position in five, ten or even twenty year’s time.
For the future it is important to have a good job. In order to get a really good job, you have to be well educated.
Emotional problems for young people can be very important, too. The first teenager problem is that “nobody understands me”. Some parents often continue to treat their children as little children when they are starting to consider themselves to be adults.
There are also some global problems. Young people in all countries are facing these problems. Let’s start with smoking. According to studies, at the age of 16, almost 72% of all boys and 37% of all girls in Russia have already tried smoking. Smoking is not a natural need.It’s just that teens try it when they want to appear to be more like adults.
Drugs are also a serious problem. Students know the names of drugs well enough. 32% say they have tried drugs at least once, mainly because they were having fun, their friends influenced them to, they wanted to relax or they wanted to seem “cool”. That’s too bad.
So, you see, problems do happen and they can’ t be ignored. We should pay much attention to them.
1. The author doesn’t think that youth is ________.| A．the best time of our lives | B．the most difficult time of our lives |
| C．the time to make some important decisions | D．the time to get a job |
| A．they are seldom understood by others |
| B．they become confident of their position |
| C．they still seem little in some parents’ eyes |
| D．They still consider themselves to be children |
| A．理解 | B．理睬 | C．忽视 | D．发现 |
| A．They consider it to be a natural need. |
| B．Their friends advise them to do so. |
| C．They wish to be “cool”. |
| D．They want to relax themselves. |
3 . Our fascination with Mars has never stopped. However, in the early days of space exploration, visits were restricted to “fly-bys”, such as those by Mariner Space Probes, by means of which craft would simply pass the planet, taking pictures and collecting data as they went. The Viking “orbiters” were next, and later craft in the Viking series, known as “Landers”, began to study the surface, equipped with instruments which continued to collect data about the environment until they stopped working.
The more recent “Rovers” move around the planet’s surface as they gather information. Current proposals include missions to study geographic features, climate, and soil components, in order to determine, among other things, whether the planet can ever have supported carbon-based life forms. Scientists now believe that at some stage the planet cooled dramatically, resulting in the near-loss of its atmosphere and, thanks to the wearing away of some surface features mineral deposits and other factors, it is also believed that liquid water once flowed here.
One of the most famous craft is “Phoenix”, which landed in November 2008. Its mission was to obtain samples from beneath the surface by digging into the arctic ice while its camera provided geological data and other equipment scanned the atmosphere, measuring temperature and pressure in an attempt to discover whether the chemicals necessary for life might exist beneath the surface. The craft was expected to send back data for three months, but managed to hold out for further two. An especially important part of the project was the need to keep absolute cleanliness of the equipment in order to ensure that any organic material collected was not contaminated by microbes(微生物).
In the future manned landings may probably come true-and though it may seem an extremely difficult undertaking, plans have already been discussed for the “terraforming(行星地球化)”of the planet, giving it an atmosphere, oceans and other elements similar to earth, with, the possibility of human settlement.
1. According to the text, what is “fly-by”?| A．A type of UFO. | B．A photograph of a planet. |
| C．A planet of the solar system. | D．A way of collecting information. |
| A．There is ice on it. |
| B．It once had some mineral deposits. |
| C．It once had carbon-based life forms. |
| D．There are some damaged areas on its surface. |
| A．Polluted. | B．Protected. | C．Controlled. | D．Reduced. |
| A．It will happen very soon. |
| B．It may be hard, but it’s possible. |
| C．It will be full of uncertainties, but it’s worth the efforts. |
| D．It relies on different countries working together. |
4 . Award winning film Ballad from Tibet by Chinese director Zhang Wei was screened in New York City in March.
The film tells the story of four visually impaired kids from China’s Tibet going on a journey for their dreams.
Based on a true story, Ballad from Tibet is about the four Tibetan kids — Thupten, Sonam, Kelsang and Droma — achieving their dreams against all odds.
Thupten is a 10-year-old boy partially sighted in one eye and blind in the other. His doctor says that there is a chance that he could completely lose his sight, but there is an operation that could offer a 50 percent of saving his vision.
His teacher firmly suggests that he should have the operation right away, but Thupten is afraid and wants to see the world before his life is plunged into total darkness.
Along with his three friends who also suffer from blindness, Thupten goes on an exciting adventure. Together they decide to go to Shenzhen in South China’s Guangdong Province, a city more than 37,000km away from Tibetan capital Lhasa.
The reason for the children’s decision to go to Shenzhen is their love of music. They are all talented and want to sing their hearts out in front of the national audience by participating in a Shenzhen - based reality show.
The foursome’s trip is indeed fun, but also turns out to be dangerous. Luckily, help is on hand along the way in the form of a wandering family, a shepherd, a motorcycle club, and a TV producer’s assistant.
Ballad from Tibet has won the award for Best Children’s Feature at the 13th China International Children’s Film Festival in November 2017, and earned nominations at 17 different international children’s film festivals in Germany, Canada, Japan, Greece, Australia and India.
1. What does the underlined word “impaired” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Amazed. | B．Strengthened. | C．Shortsighted. | D．Damaged. |
| A．They want to take part in a Shenzhen - based reality show. |
| B．They long to earn money there to support themselves. |
| C．The teacher advises them to go there to pursue their dreams. |
| D．They want to look for their parents there. |
| A．The operation can completely save Thupten’s vision. |
| B．Thupten’s teacher goes on the trip with them. |
| C．Thupten wants to realize his dream before he totally loses his vision. |
| D．The four kids get much help from Thupten’s teacher on the way to Shenzhen. |
| A．Successful. | B．Negative. | C．Awful. | D．Surprising. |
5 . Did you know roughly one third of food for human consumption goes to waste? Most of it is fresh fruit and vegetables that go bad. The produce dries out or goes bad, which has led scientists to develop ways of coating or sealing the food to keep it fresher for longer. Now research at Rice University reveals there might be a better way.
Scientists discovered that dipping produce like strawberries and bananas into an egg-based wash is remarkably good for preserving it. The coating is extremely thick, and made from a mixture of powdered egg whites and yolks(70%), and some wood-sourced cellulose to act as a barrier preventing water loss.
What the scientists found was that the egg wash made a significant difference in helping produce stay fresh over a two-week observation period. The appearance of the coated fruits and vegetables didn’t change much, while the uncoated produce ripened and. even rotted within the same time frame. The egg-based coating, as it turned out, reduced each fruit’s chance to get exposed to oxygen.
The non-poisonous coating was found to be flexible and tests showed that it was just as tough as other products, including synthetic films, used in produce packaging. For anyone with an egg allergy, the coating can be removed by thorough washing in water and is tasteless.
The scientists hope this could be a breakthrough in the fight against food waste. "Reducing food shortages in ways that are not related to genetic modification, uneatable coatings or chemical additives is important for better sustainable living ,”said materials scientist and study author Pulickel Ajayan.
What’s great about this discovery is that it fights food waste in more than one way: even the coating was made from eggs that would otherwise have been discarded because they weren’t fit for consumption. The researchers said roughly 200 million of US produced eggs go to waste annually. So if this were scaled up, it could be a win-win situation all around.
1. How does the egg-based wash help keep food fresh?| A．By limiting its oxygen exposure | B．By making its coating less thick. |
| C．By removing its cellulose slowly. | D．By improving its absorbent ability |
| A．To stress the seriousness of food shortage. | B．To offer the method of cutting food waste. |
| C．To show the significance of the discovery. | D．To give brief description of the research. |
| A．Eaten up. | B．Taken in. | C．Picked out. | D．Thrown away. |
| A．How to use eggs creatively. | B．A new way to preserve food. |
| C．How to recycle food waste. | D．A breakthrough in technology. |
6 . What do you usually do to comfort your friends when they are feeling sad or depressed? You probably pat them on the back or shoulder, or maybe you give them a big, warm hug.
We used to think that knowing when and how to comfort others was an ability that only humans have. But scientists have discovered that apes have this ability, too, according to a study published in the Journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
Two researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, US, went to an Ape Protection Centre in Congo to study bonobos, which are closely related to humans .
The researchers analyzed the bonobos’ reactions after more than 370 cases of stressful situations, such as fights and losing temper, and found that some bonobos rushed to hug those that were screaming after being attacked, just like humans would have done.
However, researchers noted that not all bonobos were capable of comforting others. In the protection centre, many bonobos are orphans whose mothers were killed by hunters. They were found to be more anxious in times of tension and to have greater difficulty controlling their own emotions, making them worse at reaching out to help friends in need .
“Orphans, who have not had the benefit of a mother helping them handling their emotions, are much worse at comforting others,” Professor Frans de Waal, one of the researchers, told The Telegraph. “Bonobos with moms were able to curb their negative emotional reactions more quickly. Therefore, they pay more attention to others. ”
This pattern mirrors the way that human children have been found to react. Those who seem more capable of handling their own emotions – for example, the ones who can calm themselves down more quickly after upsetting experiences – are usually better at expressing their concerns for others.
1. The 5th paragraph is mainly developed by __________ .| A．giving examples | B．following time order |
| C．making comparisons | D．presenting causes and effects |
| A．express | B．observe | C．handle | D．hide |
| A．Orphan bonobos never give a hand to friend. |
| B．There were 370 bonobos involved in the research. |
| C．The ability to comfort others is unique to human beings. |
| D．Moms play a significant role in handling kids’ emotions. |
| A．To inform readers of a new study. | B．To uncover the mystery of Apes. |
| C．To provide better protection for Apes. | D．To compare human behaviors with Apes’ . |
7 . Protected areas around the world are protected from invasive species（入侵物种）. However，most of them are still vulnerable（易受伤害的）to invasion，according to a research conducted by scientists from China and the UK.
The study, led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was published in the journal Nature Communications. It showed how the majority of protected areas are no more than 10 kilometers away from an area with the presence of invasive species. Tim Blackburn, a co-author of the study and a professor from University College London, said that introducing invasive species is among the worst damage that humans can inflict to the natural environment.
Invasive alien species or IAS can harm an ecosystem by competing with or killing native species and destroying habitats, among many impacts. Aliens are species that are not naturally occurring in a particular area and are introduced through humans. Invasion by such species is considered as among the five worst direct drivers of biodiversity loss worldwide. Aliens establish populations at more new areas at an ever-increasing pace.
The researchers discovered that lower than ten percent of protected areas have the 894 surveyed invasive species within them, which suggests that, in general, protected areas are effectively shielded against invasion. However, all of them are still at risk from IAS, because at least one alien species was found within 100 kilometers of 99% of the surveyed protected areas’ boundaries.
The research team also discovered that protected regions that contain more invasive animal species experience a more significant influence or presence of humans, otherwise known as the human footprint index. This is caused by factors like large human populations and transport links.
In addition, protected areas that have been established more recently and are more extensive（广泛的）have a more significant number of IAS. The older protected areas are usually in more remote locations, which provide them with better protection from human impacts.
Dr. Li who is a famous biologist said that for now, the majority of protected areas are free from IAS. Still, it may not be true for long. He adds that those areas which are easily accessible to many people count as the most highly vulnerable.
1. Which word is closest to the underlined word "inflict" in meaning in paragraph 2?| A．Imagine. | B．Cause | C．Practise. | D．Challenge. |
| A．Alien species are dangerous to native species and their habitats. |
| B．Native species are not strong enough to compete with aliens. |
| C．Alien species have a much stronger appetite than native species. |
| D．The number of native species increases more slowly than that of alien species. |
| A．The local weather. | B．Human activity. |
| C．Regional locations. | D．Practical measures, |
| A．Positive. | B．Subjective. | C．Uncaring. | D．Worried. |
8 . Adults perform better when they have a lot to gain or lose. But scientists did not know whether teens did too. To find out, Insel asked 88 people between the ages of 13 and 20. She had them try a game. The participants looked at pictures of planets on a computer screen. They had to click as fast as they could when they saw a planet with designs. They were not supposed to click if a planet had no designs.
The participants could earn 20 cents for right answers but lose 10 cents for wrong ones. In other sessions, they’d get a dollar for right answers, and lose a half dollar for wrong ones. Players of all ages wanted to win the money, and cared more about bigger rewards than smaller ones.
As Insel expected, adults performed better when the stakes were high. But teens 13 to 18 played just as well whether they stood to win 20 cents or a dollar. Only 19- or 20-year olds stepped up their game for the higher stakes.
Insel’s team published this work November 28, 2017, in Nature Communications.
Brains change and mature during adolescence. And not all parts grow at the same rate. Insel was interested in two areas in particular. One is deep inside the brain and just above the ears. Called the ventral striatum (腹侧纹状体), it helps the brain calculate rewards. The ventral striatum becomes mature during the teen years.
The brain’s prefrontal cortex (前额叶) takes longer to mature. This area is important for planning and setting goals. It may not mature until early adulthood.
Nerve pathways - think of them as the brain’s “wiring” - connect the ventral striatum and prefrontal cortex. This lets the two regions communicate to make decisions. But because the prefrontal cortex matures later, the wiring between the two may not be complete until adulthood.
1. Which of the following can explain Insel’s research?| A．Teens ignore key points in many aspects. |
| B．Adults behave better with higher rewards. |
| C．Teens give more attention to exams than usual work. |
| D．Adults behave more maturely than children in every way. |
| A．The final results of games or experiments. |
| B．The things that can be gained or lost in races. |
| C．The ambitions or energies that one experiences in games. |
| D．The powers that make one feel less pressure or pain. |
| A．the experiment aims to find out adults’ behaviour facing high stakes |
| B．teens have better performances in the first rounds |
| C．adults care less about the experiment at first |
| D．adults and teens show differently with high stakes |
| A．Unlike adults, teens don’t perform better with high stakes |
| B．Who perform better, adults or children? |
| C．Stakes are the key points in promoting one’s passion |
| D．Whether low stakes or high stakes, one behaves similarly |
9 . A sad mother whale continued to carry her dead baby for a fifth day on Saturday, which is a rare occurrence in nature and is believed to be grieving (痛心的).
The whale, known as J35, is a member of the endangered (濒临灭绝的）family of killer whales, gave birth to her baby on Tuesday only to watch that it die within half an hour. "The baby was so newborn that it didn't have blubber(鲸脂）. It kept sinking, and the mother would raise it to the surface," said Ken Balcomb, a scientist with the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island, Washington State. Since then, she's been carrying the baby's body around on her nose, diving to pick it up again when it falls off. She was last sighted in the early evening on Saturday in Canadian waters.
Scientists have documented grieving behavior in other animals with close social bonds in small groups observed carrying newborns that did not survive. The baby whale was the first baby born in three years to the endangered species (物种), the Center for Whale Research said.
"More than 24 hours of grieving is a rare occurrence," says Ken Balcomb. "It is horrible. This is an animal that is a sentient being. It understands the social bonds that it has with the rest of its family members. She carried the baby in her womb (子宫）from 17 to 18 months, she is bonded to it and she doesn't want to let it go. It is that simple. She is grieving."
Researchers have been growing more concerned about the fortune of killer whales, who face three major challenges to their survival as a species: toxins(毒素）, traffic and lack of adequate food. The most recent survey has found that they number just 75 in the area. For the last three years there have been no new babies born to the killer whales in the Pacific Northwest.
1. Why has the mother whale dived repeatedly in the past five days?| A．To avoid possible danger. |
| B．To feed her baby underwater. |
| C．To prevent her dead baby from sinking. |
| D．To play with her newborn baby sometimes. |
| A．She swam a long distance to save her baby. |
| B．She showed unusual grief over her dead baby. |
| C．She formed social bonds with her baby. |
| D．She proved herself highly intelligent. |
| A．Sensitive. | B．Powerful. | C．Dangerous. | D．Stubborn. |
| A．What Problems Killer Whales Are Facing | B．The Killer Whales Died From Lack of Food |
| C．Rare Whales Were Found in Canadian Waters | D．Grieving Whale Carried Dead Baby for Days |
10 . There are two kinds of memory: short-term and long-term. Information in long-term memory can be remembered at a later time when it is needed. The information may be kept for days or weeks. However, information in short-term memory is kept for only a few seconds, usually by repeating the information over and over. The following experiment shows how short-term memory has been studied.
Henning studied how students who are learning English as a second language remember vocabulary. The subjects in his experiment were 75 college students. They represented all levels of ability in English: beginning, intermediate (中等), and native speaking students.
To begin, the subjects listened to a recording of a native speaker reading a paragraph in English. Following the recording, the subjects took a 15-question test to see which words they remembered. Each question had four choices. The subjects had to circle the word they had heard in the recording, some of the questions had four choices that sound alike. For example, weather, whether, wither, and wetter are four words that sound alike. Some of the questions had four choices that have the same meaning. Method, way, manner, and system would be four words with the same meaning. Finally the subjects took a language proficiency test.
Henning found that students with a lower proficiency in English made more of their mistakes on words that sound alike; students with a higher proficiency made more of their mistakes on words that have the same meaning. Henning's results suggest that beginning students hold the sound of words in their short-term memory, and advanced students hold the meaning of words in their short-term memory.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Henning gave a separate test on vocabulary to his students. |
| B．Long-term memory can be achieved only by training. |
| C．It is easier to test short-term memory than long-term memory. |
| D．Information in short-term memory is different from that in long-term memory. |
| A．the theme of listening material | B．the student experimented on |
| C．a branch of knowledge studied | D．a native speaker |
| A．advanced students always remember words by their meaning |
| B．beginners have difficulty distinguishing the pronunciation of words |
| C．it is difficult to remember words that sound alike |
| D．it is difficult to remember words that have the same meaning |
| A．an experiment on students | B．two kinds of memory |
| C．short-term memory | D．memory |
