1 . If you have ever had a cat, or have watched one of the many funny cat videos online, you’ll know that cats have a mind of their own. A lot of the things they do are hard to understand—they like to climb up tall furniture, fit themselves in small spaces and attack small objects for no reason at all.
Now scientists have managed to figure out what exactly is going on in the brains of our little friends. According to Tony Buffington, a professor at Ohio State University in the US, cats’ strange behavior largely comes from their way of life back in the wild. “Cats today still have many of the same instincts that allowed them to live in the wild for millions of years.” he said in a TED Talk. “To them, our homes are their jungles.”
In the wild, cats are hunters. Their bodies and great balancing abilities allow them to climb to high spots to better look at the environment. Even though they don’t have to hunt any more in human houses, they still keep the old habit of viewing the living room from, for example, the top of the refrigerator.
Cats’ hunting instinct is also what makes them attack small things like keys and USB drives. In the wild, they hunt whatever they can get, and most of the animals they kill are small.
However, cats can also be prey. This explains why they like to stay in small spaces like drawers or washing machines— they are hiding, or they think they are hiding, from more dangerous animals. This is also why cats prefer a clean box: a smelly one could easily show enemies where they are.
Knowing how cats’ minds work is not only useful for better understanding them. It may also help cats’ owners to better meet cats’ needs. For example, owners could try to make climbing easier for cats by moving their furniture around. They could also use “food puzzles” to make eating feel more like hunting instead of just giving food to the cats.
1. According to Tony Buffington, ________.| A．cats’ strange behavior is difficult for humans to understand |
| B．cats are more used to living in the wild than in humans’ homes |
| C．cats’ instincts are as helpful to them today as they were millions of year ago |
| D．cats behave strangely mainly because they still have some instincts in the wild |
| A．Cats like to climb up high because they want to hide from dangerous animals. |
| B．Cats attack keys and USB drives because they have a habit of hunting small animals. |
| C．Cats enjoy staying in small spaces because they usually live in small caves in the wild. |
| D．Cats’ preference for a clean litter box has something to do with their hunting habits. |
| A．an animal that is hunted |
| B．an animal that is too shy |
| C．an animal that keeps itself clean |
| D．an animal that likes hiding games |
| A．describe cats’ past wild experience to readers |
| B．explore the reasons for cats’ strange behavior |
| C．tell cat owners how to make life easier for cats |
| D．compare cats’ behavior in human homes with that in the wild |
2 . Sharing a Sense of Style
When I woke up on Aug 4, 2016, there was only one thing on my mind: what to wear. A billion thoughts raced through my brain in the closet. I didn’t want to come off as trying too hard, but I also didn’t want to be seen as a slob (懒汉). Not only was it my first day of high school, but it was my first day of school in a new state; first impressions are everything, and it was important for me to impress the people who I would spend the next four years with.
This was my third time being the new kid. But this time was different because my dad promised that I would start and finish high school in the same place. This time mattered, and that made me nervous.
After meticulously raiding my closet, I proudly came out in a dress from Target. The soft cotton was comfortable, and the ruffled (有褶饰边的) shoulders added a hint of fun. Yes, this outfit was the one. An hour later, I felt powerful as I headed toward room 1136. But as I entered class, my jaw dropped to the floor.
Sitting at her desk was Mrs Hutfilz, my English teacher, sporting exactly the same dress as me. I kept my head down and tiptoed to my seat. I made it through my minute (简短的) introduction speech until Mrs. Hutfilz stood up, jokingly adding that she liked my style. Although this was the moment I had been afraid of from the moment I walked in, all my anxiety surprisingly melted away, and the students paid attention as I shared my story. My smile grew as I laughed with the students. After class, I stayed behind and talked to Mrs. Hutfilz, relieved to make a humorous and real connection.
Looking back four years later, the ten minutes I spent afraid of giving my speech were really not worth it. My first period of high school certainly made the day unforgettable in the best way and taught me that Mrs. Hutfilz has an awesome sense of style!
1. Why did the author attach great importance to her clothes on the first day of high school?| A．She followed her father’s advice. |
| B．She was unconfident about herself. |
| C．She cared too much about her appearance. |
| D．She wanted to make a good impression. |
| A．Excitedly. | B．Carefully. |
| C．Casually. | D．Suddenly. |
| A．Annoyed. | B．Confused. |
| C．Proud. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．To share a memorable experience. |
| B．To explore the troubles with dressing. |
| C．To introduce her stylish English teacher. |
| D．To stress the importance of first impressions. |
3 . We all need inspiration. Dealing with neck to neck competition in the modern era, sometimes we get tired of trying and want to give up. But movies make us look inside ourselves and, often, can be used as inspiration themselves. So, without further ado(废话), here are our Top 3 Motivational Movies for students:
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Robin Williams is on top form as the iconoclastic(打破旧习的) John Keating, the unconventional English teacher who uses his love of poetry and classic literature to break down barriers at the oppressive Welton Academy. Keating inspires his students to “seize the day” rather than just wasting hours, challenge the school’s strict rules, and truly be themselves.
The film is packed with emotionally-charged, touching scenes; but the one that won’t fail to make the hairs on your arm stand up is this one where Keating’s students demonstrate what he means to them – “Oh Captain, My Captain…”
Forrest Gump (1994)
This classic movie starring Tom Hanks is very motivating. It’s about a man who has low IQ but manages to be part of many important moments in modern history, able to achieve a lot, and even given a Medal of Honor for his bravery. Gump inspires a popular dance for Elvis Presley and even plays ping pong in China. No student should miss out on this movie. Nothing is impossible if you have the will to do it…and a box of chocolates.
The Pursuit of Happiness (2006)
The Pursuit of Happiness is the amazing real-life tale of Chris Gardner who, with the power of hard work and perseverance, takes himself from sleeping on the subway all the way to the millionaire founder of his own brokerage house.
Never missing an opportunity and studying hard, after a few years, Chris works his way up the career ladder from medical equipment salesman to financial hotshot. If there’s one story that demonstrates that you should never give up, no matter how bad things get, it’s Chris’.
1. Which of the following best explains “seize” underlined in paragraph 2?| A．make sure of | B．make up for |
| C．make the most of | D．make a mess of |
| A．It tells a story about a man who plays ping pong in China and becomes famous. |
| B．It tells a story in which the main character with a low intelligence achieves a lot unexpectedly. |
| C．It is a classic motivational movie teaching how to gain a Medal of Honor. |
| D．It shows the evidence and arguments for the importance of high IQ. |
| A．Tom Hanks | B．John Keating |
| C．Robin Williams | D．Chris Gardner |
4 . “How much money am I getting this year? That’s the question I ask my mom every February. And every year she replies，”You will see” in her Chinese accent.
February usually marks the month of the New Year according to the Chinese calendar. But for me, Chinese New Year is a payday. Usually I receive red envelopes (“hongbao”) which are the equivalent ( 同等物) of Christmas presents. Instead of wondering what the present will be, it is the amount of money inside that is the mystery. I always have to wait weeks to find out how much money my parents have in store for me.
I never knew how the traditions of Chinese New Year derived,_and I never gave it much thought, until my mom forced me to attend a special Chinese school where I learned about the origins of the traditions behind the famous celebration and had a knowledge of how the hanging of red lanterns or fireworks developed. But before that, the only part of the holiday that had ever concerned me was the “hongbao” and as selfish as it may sound.
But now Chinese New Year is a wonderful holiday for me not because of the “hongbao”， but the profound Chinese culture I have learned from the special school.
The excitement that comes with expecting Chinese New Year is one I will never get tired of. While the real celebrations are taking place in China, my family holds its own traditions. I can always count on my mom to make delicious Chinese food every year, and there is consolation (安慰) in knowing that as my sisters and I open our “hongbaos”， our cousins so many miles away are doing the same.
1. What did the author care about most on Chinese New Year at first?| A．The amount of money she received. |
| B．The traditions behind the celebration. |
| C．Various activities during Chinese New Year. |
| D．The presents that her parents would give her. |
| A．Worked. | B．Continued. |
| C．Began. | D．Changed. |
| A．She has a strong feeling towards China. |
| B．She knows little about Chinese traditions. |
| C．She always gives her children a lot of money. |
| D．She tends to surprise her children on western festivals. |
| A．New Year Hongbao |
| B．My Mom and China |
| C．Closer Attachment to China |
| D．Unforgettable Moments |
5 . How often do you exercise? A new study finds that most kids aged 12 to 15 aren't getting enough physical activity. The results are based on about 800 kids. As part of the study, the young teens tracked and reported on their own activity levels, and took physical exams.
The US fitness guidelines recommend an hour or more of physical activity every day. According to the study, only 1in 4 kids in the US get enough physical activity.
“It's certainly very worrying to see that our kids are engaging in such a limited amount of physical activity each day,” said Dr. Stephen Pont. He is an expert on children's health.
Few kids in the survey met the guidelines for physical activity that raises the heart rate and makes them breathe harder. Overall, about 25% said they got an hour of that kind of violent exercise every day. Kids also reported on which activities they did most often outside of the school gym class--basketball for boys and running for girls.
The study found that obese（肥胖的） teens were less active than normal-weight girls and boys. Overweight girls were slightly less active than normal-weight girls, but levels were similar among overweight and normal-weight boys. The study also said that the overall obesity rate for children aged 2 to 19 is 17%, or about 12.5 million kids.
“There's always room for improvement,” said health expert Tala Fakhouri, who was the lead author of the study. She also said the results provide useful information to help with fitness campaigns such as Lets Move, which was launched by Michelle Obama in 2010. To inspire kids to eat right and get in shape, Michelle visited schools and held exercise events. She also called on schools to offer regular gym classes.
The study also suggests kids who get physical education at school may get better grades.
1. What is the result of the new study?| A．It is important to take physical exams |
| B．Most US kids don’t get enough exercise |
| C．Kids should get physical activity every day |
| D．800 kids don’t get enough physical activity. |
| A．To help kids to keep fit. |
| B．To hold exercise events. |
| C．To offer regular gym classes. |
| D．To provide useful information. |
| A．do better in their studies |
| B．try their best to get in shape |
| C．be more willing to help others |
| D．be less active than fat children |
| A．visited | B．stopped |
| C．started | D．improved |
6 . What do you think of your Chinese? If you think your Chinese is good enough, you can take part in the competition named Chinese Characters Dictation Competition（中国汉字听写大会）.
Today teenagers are using more and more smart phones. They spend too much time in shopping, chatting, playing games and so on. Many of them cannot stop using smart phones to help with their study. Overuse of smart phones will make students too lazy to think and write. Some of them even forget how to write Chinese characters by hand. Teachers and parents are very worried about it.
In order to draw people’s attention to the problems above, in 2013 CCTV held the first Chinese Characters Dictation Competition. About 200 students from 32 teams took part in it. They stood on the stage to write down Chinese characters by dictation. Lu Jialei, a 14-year-old girl from Zhejiang, got first place.
Since then, the competition has been popular among teenagers. Many people are interested in this kind of competition, too. They like to write down the characters while the competitors（参赛者）are writing them.
Can you be the next winner?
1. From Paragraph 2, we know that teenagers are using more and more _____．| A． cars | B．money | C．books | D．smart phones |
| A．eating too much | B．walking too much |
| C．using too much | D．singing too much |
| A．About 400. | B．About 300. | C．About 200. | D．About 100. |
| A．Lu Jialei, a girl from Zhejiang. | B．Lu Jialei, a girl from Guangxi. |
| C．Liao Yilin, a girl from Zhejiang. | D．Liao Yilin, a girl from Guangxi. |
7 . Once the temperatures rise to full-on summer highs, life becomes difficult for pet parents. Long walks, the lunchtime run and road trips, things you enjoy together quite safely for the rest of the year, can become dangerous because too much exercise in hot sun or leaving animals in a car, even in the shade, can cause heatstroke (中暑) which can be deadly.
“Heatstroke is a condition where a dog’s temperature rises to the point where damage to internal organs (器官) can occur,” warns Dr. Cindy Bressler. “This is usually seen during the summer months or in warm climates, and is caused primarily because the dog cannot cool itself quickly enough.”
Because of their fur coats, dogs can’t cool via sweating through the skin like humans and they cool themselves by breathing heavily, quickly pulling cool air into the lungs and pushing hot air out. Overweight dogs are more likely to suffer heatstroke. Signs of heatstroke include breathing difficulty, vomiting (呕吐), high body temperatures and a bright red tongue.
“Dogs do not sweat like humans, and without this natural body cool-off response, they are more vulnerable than humans in high temperatures,” says Bressler. “To help prevent heatstroke, you should always have cool water available for your dog and never leave your dog alone in a car, especially in hot weather. Pets who are outdoors should always have access to a shaded area.”
If heatstroke occurs, Bressler advises cooling your pet with cool water, wet towels, fans and cold air.
“Do not cool them too quickly because that can be dangerous,” she adds. “Bring them to the doctor immediately.”
Cats also run the risk of overheating: “With cats,” says Bressler, “it’s important to include water in their diet as they do not seek out water like dogs do. Cats should always have access to fresh and clean water.”
1. Heatstroke is caused to dogs mainly because ___________.| A．dogs are not able to cool off via sweating |
| B．the temperatures are too high for dogs to bear |
| C．dogs can’t pull cool air into the lungs quickly |
| D．dogs can’t cool themselves by breathing heavily |
| A．It can be harmful to internal organs. |
| B．It can pull cool air into the lungs. |
| C．It only occurs during the summer months. |
| D．It happens to dogs more often than to cats. |
| A．Leave it alone in a car. | B．Have cool water available for it. |
| C．Bring it to the doctor frequently. | D．Cool it with cold air quickly. |
| A．changeable | B．comfortable | C．likely to survive | D．easily hurt |
8 . A holiday is any day when people lay aside their ordinary duties and cares. The word came from Old English. At first, holidays honored some holy events or persons. People in Great Britain and other countries speak of holidays as Americans speak of vacations.
Every nation has its special holidays. China observes New Year’s Day (January 1), May Day and National Day as legal holidays, as it was on Oct.1,1949 that the People’s Republic of China was founded. The Chinese have long celebrated the Chinese lunar year. In the United States, congress has declared several days as legal holidays such as New Year’s Day (January 1), Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Washington’s birthday, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and so on. Some holidays celebrate special events in the development of a country, such as Greece’s Independence Day, Italy’s Liberation Day and India’s Independence Day.
In the United States, banks and schools usually close on a legal holiday. When such a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is usually observed. Schools and organizations often observe days known as traditional holidays, although schools and business do not close then. Those holidays include Valentine’s Day and Halloween.
1. From the passage we know that China’s National Day is ___________.| A．January 1 | B．May 1 | C．October 1 | D．December 25 |
| A．praises | B．spends | C．celebrates | D．cares |
| A．Chinese will no longer observe the Spring Festival |
| B．students don’t have to go to school on any holiday |
| C．Chinese and Americans share at least one holiday |
| D．Americans can easily draw money from banks on legal days. |
| A．China’s National Day | B．Valentine’s Day |
| C．Italy’s liberation Day | D．Independence Day |
9 . July 27th, 2010 was a typical English summer’s day — it rained for 24 hours! As usual, I rushed home from work at midday to check on the house. Nothing was amiss. By the time I left work at 5pm, however, the road into our village was flooded. Our house had never been flooded but, as I opened the front door, a wave of water greeted me. Thank God the kids weren’t with me, because the house was 5 feet deep in water. We lost everything downstairs.
At first we tried to push on through. We didn’t want to move the children out of home, so we camped upstairs. We put a sheet of plastic across the floor to protect us from the damp. But after three months, we felt very sick, so we moved to a wooden house in a park. The house was small, but at first we were all just delighted to be in a new place. Unfortunately, things took longer than expected and we were there for 10 months. The life there was inconvenient. What surprised me most was how much I missed being part of a community (社区). We had lived in a friendly village with good neighbours, and I’d never thought how much I’d miss that.
Although our situation was very hard, it’s difficult to feel too sorry for yourself when you look at what’s happening elsewhere. I watched a news report about floods in Northern India and thought, “We didn’t have a straw hut (茅草房) that was swept away, and our house is still standing. We’re lucky.”
We moved back home in August. With December coming, there’s still reconstruction work to be done, so it’s difficult to prepare for Christmas. But I can’t wait — I’m going to throw a party for our friends in the village to say thanks for their support. This year, I won’t need any gifts — living away from home for months has made me realize how little we actually need or miss all our possessions. Although we are replacing things, there’s really no rush — we have our home back, and that’s the main thing.
1. The underlined word “amiss” in the first paragraph means| A．Wrong. | B．Missing. | C．Right. | D．Difficult. |
| A．Because they were able to move to a new place. |
| B．Because many other places were flooded. |
| C．Because their straw hut was not swept away. |
| D．Because some others suffered even more. |
| A．She valued human feelings more than before. |
| B．She realized she almost didn’t need possessions. |
| C．She found Christmas gifts no longer badly needed. |
| D．She thought her own home was the most important. |
10 . A car needs gas to run and your body also needs food to work for you. Eating the right kind of food is very important. It can help your body grow strong, so take care of what you eat.
There are four main food groups altogether. The dairy group has food like milk, cheese and sour milk. The other three groups are the meat and fish group, the fruit and vegetable group, and the bread and rice group. Each meal should have at least one food from all four main groups. With all these food together, you will be given enough energy during the day.
It is easy to get into bad eating habits. You may eat your breakfast in a hurry to get to school on time. Or you may not have time for a good lunch. It may seem easy to finish your supper with fish and chips all the time. But you will find yourself tired these days and you can not think quickly.
Watching what you eat will help your body remain healthy and strong. It is also good to take some exercise. It will help you eat more if you take a walk or play games in the open air. Having a good eating habit with some exercise is the key to your health.
1. Which of the following diets do you think is the best one?| A．Corn, fish, cream and pork | B．Milk, bread, cabbages and beef |
| C．Eggs, tomatoes and chicken | D．Rice, bean curd(豆腐), apples, fish and chicken |
| A．Going to school without any breakfast. |
| B．Eating your lunch in a very short time. |
| C．Eating fish and chips for supper all the time. |
| D．Having at least one food from all four groups in each meal. |
| A．a farm where cows are kept | B．the shop that sells milk and butter |
| C．the food made out of cows such as milk and butter | D．a place where milk products are made |
| A．enough energy helps people think more quickly |
| B．taking exercise can keep your body strong |
| C．every person needs food to grow well |
| D．right kind of food with exercise will keep you healthy |
