1 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only(要是……就好了)”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

My father is famous in our family for saying “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.

I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he was 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.

1. Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?

A．Start the car the moment everyone is seated.

B．Leave the room for a minute with the iron working.

C．Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better.

D．Move an object out of the way before it trips someone.

2. The underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to______.

A．take up	B．stay away
C．run out of	D．give up

3. The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to _______.

A．keep her appointment with the eye doctor

B．meet her father who was already an old man

C．join in the holiday celebration of the company

D．finish her work before the deadline approached

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Peace of Mind	B．The Most Useful Rule
C．The Two Saddest Words	D．The Emotional Well-being

2 . Recently coined words such as "selfie" and "hangry" reflect humans' evolving language. The communication patterns of other social animals, including whales also vary over time. The songs adult male humpback whales produce during the breeding season, for example, are constantly changing.

But in a new study, researchers investigated the permanence of non-song whale vocalizations (发声) known as calls and found that the majority have remained stable over multiple decades. This surprising result suggests that calls may function as important tools for conveying information about foraging (觅食), social behaviors and whale identity.

"The running hypothesis is that any time the whales are talking about something other than breeding, they're using calls, " explains Michelle Fournet, a marine ecologist now at Cornell University and lead author of the new study. These vocalizations, which typically last only a few seconds, are extremely diverse. They can be heard by other whales several kilometers away.

Fournet and her collaborators amassed nearly 115 hours of archival recordings collected in southeastern Alaska between 1976 and 2012. By analyzing the duration and frequency of the calls, the researchers grouped them into 16 types. Fournet and her team detected 12 of them in both the earliest and most recent recordings -and each of the 16 call types recurred over at least three decades, the scientists reported last September in Scientific Reports. This finding led Fournet to conclude that these particular vocalizations most likely are essential to the whales' survival ensuring foraging success and social contact. "For calls to stay in the [collective] conversation for so long is an indication that these call types are vital to the life histories of humpback whales, " she says.

Next summer Fournet plans to travel to Southeastern Alaska to play back recordings of calls humpbacks there. The goal is to test theories about the functions of different calls, she says, adding "We're going to go and start the conversation. "

1. The first paragraph is intended to draw readers' attention to ______.

A．whales' good gift in singing songs

B．humans' creative invention of words

C．the wide use of language in the world today

D．social animals' changing way of communication

2. Which of the following are most likely to be TRUE about humpback whales' calls?

A．They often last several minutes.	B．They can still be heard from a distance.
C．They are divided into 12 types.	D．They help whales sleep very well.

3. What does the underlined word "recurred" in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A．Repeated.	B．Changed.
C．Suffered.	D．Disappeared.

4. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that later scientists would try to______.

A．record the real-life calls of humpbacks

B．advance new theories of humpbacks' calls

C．find out the specific meanings of humpbacks' calls

D．travel all over the world to collect more calls of whales

3 . Athletes who can run several marathons in just months might seem unstoppable.The biggest obstacle，it turns out，is their own bodies.A new study find out for the first time a “ceiling” for endurance activities such as long­distance running and biking.

“Physiologists and athletes alike have long been interested in just how far the human body can push itself.When exercising over a few hours，a wealth of evidence suggests most people max out at about five times their basal metabolic(代谢的)rate(BMR)．How humans use energy during longer endurance activities is another question entirely，”says Herman Pontzer，an evolutionary theorist at Duke University，North Carolina.

Pontzer saw an opportunity to answer that question when Bryce Carlson，an endurance athlete and former biochemist at Purdue University，organized the Race Across the USA in 2015.Runners covered 4，957 kilometers over the course of 20 weeks in a series of marathons stretching from Los Angeles，California，to Washington，D.C.

To find out how many calories the athletes in the study burned，Pontzer，Carlson，and colleagues replaced the normal hydrogen and oxygen in their drinking water with harmless，uncommon isotopes(同位素)of those elements.By chemically tracing how these isotopes flush out in urine，sweat，and breath，scientists can calculate how much carbon dioxide an athlete produces — a measure that directly relates to how many calories they burn.

Pontzer's team then collected energy consumption data over the course of the race to see how many calories they burned per day.They found that whatever the event is，energy consumption leveled off after about 20 days，eventually staying at a steady level at about 2.5 times an athlete's BMR.At that point，the body is burning calories more quickly than it can absorb food and turn it into energy，representing a biologically determined ceiling on human performance.

“It was just one of those moments of discovery that as a scientist you just live for，” Pontzer said.“We ended up plotting out the very limits of human endurance，the envelope for what humans can do.”

1. What does the underlined word “ceiling” in the first paragraph refer to?

A．The weakness of human bodies.

B．The effect of lasting exercise.

C．The way humans use energy.

D．The limit of human endurance.

2. Which of the following is a direct measure of an athlete's energy consumption?

A．The hydrogen and oxygen in their drinking water.

B．The carbon dioxide their bodies create.

C．The amount of their urine，sweat and breath.

D．The remaining isotopes in their body.

3. What is the purpose of Pontzer's study?

A．To confirm that an athlete's physical extreme is mainly determined by his BMR.

B．To compare human limits in common exercise with those in endurance activities.

C．To find out where the highest energy consumption of an athlete lies.

D．To set a reasonable standard for researches concerned with human body

4. How did Pontzer feel when their study results came out?

A．Excited.	B．Regretful.
C．Surprised.	D．Hopeful.

4 . If I scratch your back and you scratch mine, then we're both better off as a result — so goes the principle of reciprocity. As humans, we are familiar with the concept. But do animals also help those who help them? The answer may be yes. A paper by Dolivo and Taborsky shows that Norway rats will only give as good as they get.

In their laboratory, Dolivo and Taborsky first trained rats to pull on a stick that drew a food item within reach of a rat in a neighboring cage separated from them by wire mesh (钢丝网).

They then introduced a further treatment in which an experimental rat was placed in a cage with other caged rats on either side. On one side the rat pulled a stick that provided pieces of carrot to the rat in the central cage, while the other pulled a stick that produced banana pieces.

In the following trials the focal rat (the one in the central cage) had the opportunity to repay the other rats using the same stick tool to deliver food items.

Now, the rats had typically turned their noses up at the carrot and showed a strong preference for the more desirable banana. On the basis that the banana-providing rat should therefore be remembered as the superior partner, the authors predicted that in the test phase (阶段) the focal rat would more readily provide help for banana-offering rats than for carrot-offering rats. This proved to be the case: the rats that had provided better help in the past received greater rewards - it seemed that they were behaving reciprocally.

Dolivo and Taborsky's experiments show that rats can recall the quality of help provided and by which rat, and adjust their behavior so as to invest more time and energy in helping those that helped them. It is apparent that we shouldn't undervalue the ability of animals to engage in reciprocity.

1. What does the underlined word ''reciprocit'' in Paragraph 1 probably refer to?

A．The act of being kind to other people.	B．A cooperative exchange of favors.
C．A positive attitude to everything.	D．The quality of being generous.

2. What would happen if a rat pulled the stick according to the text?

A．It would find some food in its own cage.

B．Other rats would be able to enter its cage.

C．Another rat in another cage would get food.

D．It would be able to enter a neighboring cage.

3. Which got more benefit from the focal rat in the experiments?

A．The rats that preferred carrot pieces.

B．The rats that preferred banana pieces.

C．The rats that had provided carrot pieces.

D．The rats that had provided banana pieces.

4. Which of the following might Dolivo and Taborsky agree with?

A．Some animals may return others' help.

B．Norway rats have very poor memories.

C．It is hard to explain the ability of animals.

D．Rats behavior is very uncommon.

5 . How do you spend your time？To get it，Paul T．Rankin asked sixty-eight individuals to keep an accurate，detailed record of what they did every minute of their waking hours．He discovered that 70percent of their waking time was spent on one thing only-communication．Put that evidence alongside the research findings uncovered by the Human Engineering Laboratories，they discovered that，vocabulary，more than any other factor yet known，predicts financial success．New words make us better thinkers as well as communicators．What better reason for beginning right now to extend your vocabulary？But how？

Hybrid （杂交产生的） corn combines the best qualities of several varieties to ensure maximum productivity．A hybrid approach to vocabulary should，in the same way，ensure maximum results．That's why you should use the CPD formula．

Through Context．When students in a college class were asked what should be done when they came across an unknown word in their reading，84percent said，"Look it up in the dictionary．"If you do，however，you short-circuit the very mental processes needed to make your efforts most productive．

But there's another reason．Suppose someone asks you what the word"fast"means．You answer，"speedy or swift"．But does it mean that in such context as"fast color"or"fast friend"？And if a horse is fast，is it securely tied or galloping at top speed？It could be either．It all depends．On the dictionary？No，on the context．After all，there are over twenty different meanings for"fast"in the dictionary．But the dictionary doesn't tell you which meaning is intended．That's why it makes such good sense to begin with context．

Through Word Parts．Now for the next step．Often unfamiliar words contain one or more parts，which，if recognized，provide definite help with meaning．Take the word"monolithic"for example．Try to separate the parts．There is the prefix mono-，meaning"one"，and the root-lith，meaning"stone"．Finally，there's the suffix-ic，meaning"consisting of"．Those three parts add up to this definition："consisting of one stone"．

To speed up your use of word parts，you will be introduced to the fourteen most important words in the English language．The prefix and root elements in those few words are found in over 14，000words．With those amazingly useful shortcuts，you can build up vocabulary，not at a snail's pace，one word at a time，but in giant leaps，up to a thousand words at a time．

Through the Dictionary．Now you can see why you should consult the dictionary last，not first．You've looked carefully at the context．You've looked for familiar word parts．Now you play Sherlock Homes．In light of context or word parts，you try to solve a mystery．What exactly does that strange word mean？Only after you go through the mental gymnastics to come up with a tentative （不确定的） definition should you open the dictionary to see if you're right．

You are now personally involved．Your increased interest will lead to a better memory of both word and meaning．It also encourages your development of the habits needed to accelerate your progress．And when you see in black and white the definition you had expected，what a feeling of accomplishment is yours．In that way，the CPD Formula provides the exact approaches for maximum effectiveness．

Well，there it is，your new formula-Context，Parts，Dictionary．Use it!The results will be like the money in the bank．

1. The research findings of the Human Engineering Laboratories show that ______ ．

A．intelligence and vocabularies are closely related

B．income and vocabularies are closely related

C．people of large vocabularies are bound to succeed in the future

D．vocabulary is of great importance to a student's academic performance

2. What would most college students do while coming across an unfamiliar word？ ______

A．Seek help from others．

B．Infer the meaning through context．

C．Look for familiar word parts．

D．Consult the dictionary．

3. What does"monolingual"mean according to the passage？ ______

A．Involving only one language．

B．Using two languages．

C．Speaking or using many languages．

D．Involving more than one language．

4. This passage is meant to teach readers how to ______ ．

A．use the dictionary

B．build up vocabulary through context

C．extend vocabulary with the help of dictionaries

D．enlarge vocabulary by means of the CPD formula．

6 . Delhi has been the centre of a succession of mighty empires and powerful kingdoms in India. Numerous ruins scattered throughout the territory offer a constant reminder of the area's history, which makes the city always be a fascinating place for tourists.

With the development of the city and more and more people moving, the city has expanded several times in size. That is why it is called New Delhi. New Delhi, a city with a population of over 20 million people, has its newest problem: never before has this city met with the worst air problem.

Air pollution in Indians capital surged to its worst levels in years, covering the city in a thick smog that has become an annual public-health emergency despite government vows to solve the problem.

Hundreds of flights were diverted, delayed and canceled over the weekend due to poor visibility, schools and offices were closed Monday and officials rushed to take emergency measures to try to reverse the eroding air quality. Millions of antipollution masks were distributed at schools, colleges, hospitals and markets.

New Delhi, is engulfed each year as the weather cools and a thick haze builds up from the pollutants emitted from cars and coal-based power plants, swirling dust from construction sites and roads and smoke from crop stubble burning in neighboring states. Fireworks and firecrackers to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali then arrives, leaving Delhi the world's most polluted city.

The city's air quality index, which measures a mix of dangerous pollutants, registered an average score of 494 Sunday. That is the highest 24-hour average since Nov. 6 , 2016 , when it hit 497, according to data measured by the Central Pollution Control Board.

1. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Diwali is one of the most important festivals in India.

B．The government did little to protect its citizens against the serious pollution.

C．Such a serious air pollution in New Delhi appears on a regular basis.

D．The index of the recent air pollution is not the worst in the history.

2. Who may not complain about the serious air pollution?

A．The parents whose children have to stay at home.

B．The pilots whose planes have been diverted or delayed.

C．The manufacturers who produce antipollution masks.

D．The officials who have to work out of their offices.

3. Which of the following phrases can replace the underlined word in paragraph 5?

A．Sent out.	B．Sent up.
C．Sent in.	D．Sent on.

4. The title of the passage should be .

A．Problems Caused by the Development of New Delhi

B．Dangerous Pollution Envelops New Delhi

C．Antipollution Masks Are in Great Need in New Delhi

D．Farmers in the Neighboring States are to Blame for Burning Crop Stubble

7 . In recent years, Boston Dynamics has become known for two things. One, creating robots whose movements mimic (模仿) humans and animals. Many find their accuracy surprising and concerning. The second reason is posting mysterious videos of these robots online without warning. The videos quickly go popular and spread a mixture of excitement and terror over the rapid rise of self-operating machines.

The company has made four-legged robots in recent years, with names like Spot, Wildcat and BigDog. These robots can do tasks such as open doors, carry heavy loads and run nearly 20 miles per hour. The company's most popular product appears to be Atlas, the robotic athlete. It calls Atlas "the world's most dynamic humanlike robot."

The robot is guided by 3-D vision. It also uses LiDAR, short for Light Detection And Ranging, a sensor (传感器) that uses a laser (激光) to measure the distance between objects. With this technology, the small robot can pull nearly 25 pounds. The company says Atlas can also handle objects in its environment, cross rough land, keep its balance when pushed and get back up when knocked down.

Three years ago, Atlas was recorded clumsily walking through the snow at a slow speed. Curiosity about Atlas increased last year when Boston Dynamics posted a video clip on YouTube. In it, the previously awkward robot goes for a jog in a grassy area. The video seemed to surprise many viewers, including the newspaper called the Daily Mail. The newspaper was reporting on Atlas's physical accomplishment at the time.

The paper wrote, "If you thought you'd be able to run away from the terrifying new robots, bad news."

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Robots mimicking humans and animals go popular.

B．Boston Dynamic is likely to create more new robots.

C．Humanlike robots are developing at a surprising speed.

D．A new video of the latest robots make people amused.

2. What does the underlined word “awkward” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Dangerous.	B．Unskillful.
C．Graceful.	D．Convenient.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．It’s bad that we can run away from the new robots.

B．People are happy about the improvements to new robots.

C．Human’s power over machines and robots has come to an end.

D．Improvements to robots raised concern among us human.

4. Where does the text probably come from?

A．A science magazine.	B．An advertisement.
C．Children’s literature.	D．A fantasy novel.

8 . Screens during meals rob kids of opportunities to improve language and communication skills （storytelling, making jokes, etc.）, as well as to develop patience and even imagination as they entertain themselves waiting for food to arrive.

Meals are an opportunity to connect, to learn more about and enjoy each other. They strengthen the bonds that will bring benefits to the rest of our lives. We squander that opportunity when we stick a screen in front of our kids during dinner.

Of course, we all want to have enjoyable family meals, which is why I love Bruce Feiller's book "The Secrets of Happy Families", in which he devotes an entire chapter to ways to make them fun and meaningful for everyone---such as "fill in the blank" sentences you make up. Sharing something good and something challenging makes for pleasant conversations, too. And I've had fun playing Uno with my daughters until the food arrives in a restaurant.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (小儿科）also offers guidelines to help families manage children's screen time. The academy recommends avoiding digital media for children under 2, except for video-chatting, and limiting screen time to just one hour a day of high-quality programming for children ages 2 to 5.

Fundamentally, we all benefit from more human connection, not less — and that's especially true for children. Schools, airplane trips, most jobs, games, even "social" interaction were all once done without screens but now are filled with them. And while we have gained some advantages, including new connections, we have lost something fundamental, as well.

Less is always more when it comes to screens, even if they are effective at keeping kids quiet. But soon after complaining that they are "bored, ” kids have a natural tendency to fill the screenless void （空虚）with creative games, art, exploration and conversation. There are no studies that warn against having too many hours of those activities.

Let's all work harder to keep family meals special by getting rid of the iPads and nourishing our personal connections as we nourish our bodies.

1. What's the author's attitude to the kids' staring at screens during meals?

A．Disapproving.	B．Favorable.
C．Cautious.	D．Unconcerned.

2. What does the underlined word "squander" in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Take.	B．Waste.
C．Expect.	D．Create.

3. What will kids do if they have no access to screens?

A．Keep quiet.

B．Refuse to eat.

C．Feel bored all the time.

D．Find ways to entertain themselves.

4. What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?

A．To introduce the iPads to the children.

B．To stress the importance of family meals.

C．To appeal for family meals without screens.

D．To teach parents how to punish their children.

9 . Name-calling, teasing, pushing and fighting—whether you have experienced it or not, the chances are that these are the things that appear in your mind when you hear the word “bullying”. Yet, many of us know little about the serious, lasting harms bullying could cause.

If you’ve watched 13 Reasons Why, you’ll understand the impacts that bullying can have. The second season of the popular US teenage drama was released on May 18. It tells the story of Hannah Baker, a high school student who takes her own life after she’s picked on by fellow students, while others stand by and do nothing to help her.

One of the important messages audiences could get from the show is to treat people with kindness and respect. “It teaches us that every single thing we say and do has an impact on others,” news platform Odyssey noted.

Some may think 13 Reasons Why exaggerates (夸大) the seriousness of school bullying, but according to the US National Center for Educational Statistics, more than 20 percent of US students were bullied in 2016, and only 36% of this group reported it.

NBA player Gerald Green opened up about being called “alien hands” during his teenage years due to his big hands. “Being bullied was embarrassing,” he said. “I still remember shying away from crowds and walking around with my hands in my pockets to evade the attention from my peers.” To get away with the teasing, he found his motivation by playing basketball and making a career out of it. But not everyone is so lucky to discover a release.

According to statistics released by the US government, if someone prevents a bully, there’s a 57% chance that the bullying will stop within 10 seconds. So if you ever witness bullying, consider stepping up and supporting the victim. As US actor Brandon Flynn, who stars in 13 Reasons Why, said, “Just because you’re not the one getting bullied, it doesn’t mean it’s not your problem.”

1. What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To add some background information.

B．To encourage eyewitnesses to take action.

C．To introduce a new topic of the discussion.

D．To give people advice about dealing with bullying.

2. What does the US National Center for Educational Statistics indicate?

A．Bullying isn’t a problem in many schools.

B．School bullying can’t cause too much pain.

C．Only a few people are concerned about bullying.

D．Many people who’re bullied choose not to seek help.

3. What does the underlined word in Para. 5 mean?

A．Attract.	B．Focus.
C．Avoid.	D．Keep.

4. What does the text tell us about 13 Reasons Why?

A．It overstates school bullying.

B．It was first shown on May 18.

C．It is mainly about school bullying.

D．It shows few people can report bullying.

10 . “Birds” and “airports” are two words that, paired together，don’t normally paint the most harmonious picture. So it really raises some eyebrows when China announces plans to build an airport that is for birds.

Described as the world’s first-ever bird airport, the proposed Lingang Bird Sanctuary(保护区）in the northern coastal city of Tianjin is, of course,not an actual airport. Rather，it's a wetland preserve specifically designed to accommodate hundreds-even thousands-of daily takeoffs and landings by birds traveling along the East Asian-Australian Flyway. Over 50 species of migratory (迁徙的）water birds，some endangered, will stop and feed at the protected sanctuary before continuing their long journey along the flyway.

Located on a former landfill site，the 150-acre airport is also open to human travelers.(Half a million visitors are expected annually.) However，instead of duty-free shopping，the main attraction for non-egg-laying creatures at Tianjin’s newest airport will be a green-roofed education and research center, a series of raised “observation platforms” and a network of scenic walking and cycling paths totaling over 4 miles.

“The proposed Bird Airport will be a globally significant sanctuary for endangered migratory bird species, while providing new green lungs for the city of Tianjin.” Adrian McGregor of an Australian landscape architecture firm explained of the design. Frequently blanketed in smog so thick that it has shut down real airports, Tianjin is a city---China’s fourth most populous----that would certainly benefit from a new pair of healthy green lungs•

1. The underlined phrase “non-egg-laying creatures” in Paragraph 3 refers to?

A．Visitors.	B．Designers.
C．Endangered water birds.	D．Planes.

2. What do we know about the airport according to the passage?

A．People cannot watch birds up close here.

B．It is located on a 150-acre landfill site.

C．It functions as an actual airport and a wetland preserve.

D．It provides migratory birds with food and shelter.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The airport will become a permanent home for birds.

B．Tianjin will win worldwide fame in the future.

C．Tianjin’s air quality will improve thanks to the airport.

D．Tianjin will be able to accommodate more people.

4. What is this passage mainly about?

A．Airports shut down and open up.

B．China is to open the first Bird Airport.

C．Airports turn into green lungs.

D．Birds are no longer enemies to airports.