1 . The 90-minute documentary, Amazing China, which is co-produced by China Central Television and China Film Corp, opened in theatres nationwide.
The film focuses on the major achievements the country has made since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012 under Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Speaking about the documentary, Wei Tie, the director, says," The film arouses Chinese pride from deep inside."
The documentary focuses on key Chinese infrastructure（基础设施）projects in aerospace，high-speed rail，the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the world's largest single-dish telescope FAST. The documentary also informs viewers that seven of the world's 10 biggest sea ports are now in China and that the country now has the longest high-speed rail network in the world.
In the film, Lin Ming, the chief engineer of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge project, says," In the past, what kind of projects we took up was decided by what kind of facilities we had. But, nowadays, no matter what kind of projects we are assigned, we develop the technology to complete it." His voice is calm but his words show the country’s self-confidence. Speaking of the importance of the new documentary for the Chinese, La Peikang, the head of China Film Corp, says," It's not only about showing the achievements, but presenting the present situation of China. The film will help people to know our country better."
Amazing China also focuses on common people. In the film, you see a young Tibetan woman volunteering in rural areas to help people get rid of poverty. And, you also see a successful entrepreneur from the coastal Fujian Province who settles in the Gobi Desert, in northwest China, who has taken up a new career growing grapes.
1. The underlined word" assigned" in Paragraph 5 means________.| A．given | B．allowed | C．required | D．connected |
| A．The high-speed rail. | B．The ancient Silk Road. |
| C．The single-dish telescope FAST | D．The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. |
| A．The documentary also covers common people. |
| B．The film calls on people to convert the Gobi Desert. |
| C．The film encourages more people to volunteer in rural areas. |
| D．A young Tibetan woman is the main character of the documentary. |
| A．An Introduction to China |
| B．An Introduction to Xi Jinping Thought |
| C．The Effect of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics |
| D．An Introduction to a Documentary Named Amazing China |
2 . Beijing is a rather strange city to many western people. One of my foreign friends told me that when he came to Beijing, at first he couldn't understand why most people wear masks when spring comes to Beijing. He thought people wanted to keep their appearance a secret. Well, one of the symbols of spring coming to Beijing is that more and more people start wearing masks. The reason for it is the arrival of so called “sandstorms”.
It is said that each year sandstorms hit Beijing 4 to 5 times. The sand is brought to Beijing by wind from the western part of China. Tons of soil and dust travel hundreds of miles and blanket Beijing's streets, parked cars and apartment buildings. You would be amazed to see the ground has turned yellow overnight. The storm is so violent that you do not want to have a conversation with your friend on the road. If you open your mouth and then you close it, you may have the raw taste of sand in your mouth.
People in Beijing hate those storms. Sandstorms make the traffic jam in rush hours even more unpredictable, because the drivers have to drive slowly in order to have a clear view of the road conditions. Young students also hate sandstorms because whenever there is a sandstorm, they are not allowed to have any activities outside the classroom. It is so boring to sit in the classroom all day and the youngsters are so eager to go out and do some sports.
It is said that the closest desert is only 80 kilometers away from the city center.There is definitely much more to do for the local government to deal with the environmental problem.
1. Why do people in Beijing wear masks in the spring?| A．Because they are rather strange. |
| B．Because there are serious sandstorms. |
| C．Because their appearance are not beautiful. |
| D．Because they want to keep their face a secret. |
| A．Dry. | B．Cross. | C．Destroy. | D．Cover. |
| A．Drivers clean the road. | B．They hold some activities. |
| C．Youngsters go out to do sports. | D．Students stay in the classroom. |
| A．People in Sandstorms | B．How to Prevent Sandstorms |
| C．Sandstorms in Beijing | D．What to Do in a Sandstorm |
3 . A strong coffee after a poor night's sleep is the kick-start many people need in the morning but new research suggests that it might be best to have a bite to eat first.
A study has found that drinking coffee first can have a negative effect on blood sugar control - a risk factor for diabetes （糖尿病）and heart disease.
“We know that nearly half of us will wake in the morning and, before doing anything else, drink coffee --- subjectively the more tired we feel, the stronger the coffee,“ said Professor James Betts, at the University of Bath in the UK.
For their study, researchers at the University of Bath got 29 healthy men and women to take part in three different overnight experiments, with at least a week between them.
In one, the participants had a normal night's sleep, roughly from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., and were asked to consume a sugary drink on waking in the morning. They then experienced an interrupted night's sleep, where the researchers woke them every hour for five minutes by sending them text messages to which they had to respond — and upon waking were given the same sugary drink.
On another night, participants experienced the same sleep interruption, but this time were first given a strong black coffee 30 minutes before consuming the sugary drink.
They found that one night of interrupted sleep did not worsen the participants' blood sugar and insulin （胰 岛素）responses when compared to the normal night's sleep-- although previous research suggested that losing many hours of sleep or many nights of poor sleep could have a negative effect. However, strong black coffee consumed before breakfast actually increased the blood sugar response by around 50% — suggesting that relying on coffee after a bad night to stop feeling sleepy could limit your body's ability to tolerate the sugar in your breakfast.
1. What does the underlined word “kick-start" in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．A kind of sport. | B．A kind of power. |
| C．A kind of medicine. | D．A kind of belief. |
| A．The duration of sleep. | B．The blood sugar response. |
| C．The sugary drink. | D．The intake of coffee. |
| A．A normal sugary drink. |
| B．A normal night's sleep. |
| C．An interrupted night's sleep. |
| D．A cup of strong black coffee. |
| A．By comparing the results. |
| B．By listing some examples. |
| C．By surveying the participants. |
| D．By referring to some documents. |
4 . An electric flying vehicle called Skai was on display yesterday near Los Angeles， California． Skai is made by Alaka'i Technologies． The vehicle has six rotors（旋翼） on top． Inside， there are seats for five passengers． To many people， Skai looks like a cross between a giant drone（无人机） and a car． Alaka'i Technologies hopes the vehicle will one day serve as a flying taxi， a cargo carrier， and an ambulance．
Other companies， such as Boeing and Airbus， are also designing electric aircraft． They are using batteries to power them． But batteries can weigh the vehicles down．
Skai uses hydrogen fuel cells to power its rotors． Hydrogen fuel cells are a lighter alternative to batteries． They allow the vehicle to transport 1，000 pounds． They might also be less damaging to the environment． "It's the cleanest form of energy on the planet，" Bruce Holmes told Digital Trends， a technology news website． Holmes is on the board of Alaka'i Technologies．
A test flight will take place near the company's Massachusetts headquarters． But it may be years before the autonomous aircraft is cleared to carry passengers． Skai must first meet regulations． These regulations are set by the Federal Aviation Administration （FAA）．
"The technology is interesting， but the regulatory （监管的） road will be very long，" Thaddeus Lightfoot said． Lightfoot is a lawyer． He helps companies deal with FAA rules．
Alaka'i Technologies is hopeful that Skai will get FAA approval to fly passengers soon． In the meantime， the company's CEO， Stephen Hanvey， says the craft could be used to transport food and water． It could also serve as a mobile cell tower in places struck by natural disasters．
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word "cross" in paragraph 1？| A．mixture． |
| B．container． |
| C．equipment． |
| D．instrument． |
| A．It costs a lot． |
| B．It saves energy． |
| C．It is not readily available now． |
| D．It will soon get approved by FAA． |
| A．It is quite light． |
| B．It uses batteries． |
| C．It transports food and water． |
| D．It lands autonomously． |
| A．Car with wings． |
| B．Car of less weight． |
| C．Car with hydrogen fuel． |
| D．Car in the sky． |
5 . It’s important for children to take part in social activities during their summer holidays. “Kids should have a break during the summer. They’ve worked hard during the school year and this is their time to relax, but they should continue communicating with their friends and meeting new people,” said Dr. Jin Han. He’s a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Spending time with friends and meeting new people by doing fun and educational activities such as music, arts and sports programs in summer help with their development. “If children spend a lot of time alone on their electronic equipment, then they will fail to communicate with others,” Han said. “In today’s world, it’s very easy for kids to stay indoors all day and keep in touch with others, but that is not a good way to connect with others. Face-to-face communication is necessary and important. Parents should restrict the time their children spend on electronic equipment. For example, the time they spend on their phones cannot be more than one hour a day.”
It’s also important for children to spend quality time with their parents and sisters or brothers. “It’s not the length of time, but the quality of time that families spend together that is really valuable,” Han said. “This type of communication is not something that you can get from anywhere else. It doesn’t matter how old the child is, because family bonding (人与人之间的关系) experiences can happen at any time.”
Having children spend time with friends and families doesn’t have to spend money in the wallet, either. For example, going to the neighborhood swimming pool or having a picnic is a great way to spend quality time together.
1. What does Dr. Jin Han think about the summer holidays according to the first paragraph?| A．It is necessary for children to have a rest during summer holidays. |
| B．Children should relax as much as possible during summer holidays. |
| C．Making new friends in summer holidays is difficult for children. |
| D．Children should prepare for schoolwork in summer holidays. |
| A．Increase. | B．Control. | C．Spend. | D．Employ. |
| A．How long children spend with families matters. |
| B．What to do with families depends on the parents. |
| C．When to spend time with families makes a difference. |
| D．How to enjoy the time with families is of great importance. |
| A．The importance of friends and families. | B．The introduction of some social activities. |
| C．The suitable ways to spend summer holidays. | D．The necessity of face-to-face communication. |
6 . Cars could be able to "talk" to each other to warn about dangers on the roads using 5G technology in future, according to researchers.
Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) believe 5G may enable driverless cars to send each other messages about dangers such as ice or deep holes.
And they believe the high-speed, low -delay (低延迟的) nature of 5G will improve driverless cars to the point where they will be safer than the cars being driven today. They predict the number of road traffic accidents which cause more than 1. 3 million deaths and up to 50 million people injured worldwide every year will drop greatly as a result.
Dr Dimitrios, a member of the research group, said, “To have a better idea of what the future will look like, think of having cars that not only use sensors (感应器) to find what's around them, but also can talk to each other about safety information nearby.”
“I'm sure anyone who has had a bad experience on frozen roads would have benefited from knowing about the dangerous conditions ahead of time so they could have changed their speed or, if possible, even avoided that route (路线) altogether.”
With the help of 5G, an early warning system in vehicles will come into use within the next few years. Cars that are close enough to the danger area will pass warning messages to other cars around them using communication technologies, but also to cars further away using 5G, fast and reliably. Then those cars will send the same information to cars near them and 80 on, forming a joined-up.
5G is an exciting mobile technology, which will give a great boost to smart cities and autonomous (全自动的) vehicles among many other things.
1. Which of the following will Dr Dimitrios agree?| A．Cars can talk with drivers using 5G. |
| B．5G will improve the safety of car driving. |
| C．Massages sent by 5G will never be delayed. |
| D．Over 1.3 million deaths are caused by driverless cars. |
| A．changing their speed | B．turning to another route |
| C．getting closer to the danger area | D．sending warnings to nearby cars |
| A．Recovery. | B．Push. | C．Danger. | D．Fame. |
| A．Science and Technology. | B．Entertainment. | C．Life. | D．Transport. |
7 . Mexico and the USA share a common border on the northern side of Mexico. However, despite the close physical proximity(临近), there are a lot of differences between their social conduct.
Americans belong to diverse ethnic (种族) as well as national origins, despite which, all of them have mixed perfectly with the mainstream of American culture. Officially, six different races of people have been recognized by the government of the United States, which include White or European Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, Black or African-Americans, Asians, and the people of two or more races. White Americans form the majority, constituting about 75% of the total population of America.
Mexicans are a group of multi-ethnic people. Mexico shelters people of different races, religions and tribes. When the country achieved independence from the Spanish colonizers (殖民者), the population included people of native pre-Columbian ancestry as well as Europeans, who came there through the process of colonization. The fusion of these two, particularly diverse ethnicities, led to the formation of the special multi-ethnic character of the Mexican people.
Americans tend to give a lot of importance to their profession, sometimes more than their family. Children are brought up in a more independent manner. Parents expect their children to set up their independence households once they start earning. Americans feel that the practical application of knowledge is very important. So, their way of acquiring knowledge is based more on reasoning, analysis, and in-depth specialization of a subject.
However, family comes first for Mexicans. In most Mexican families, men work to earn money, while women take care of the housework. Children are brought up with a lot of parental care and attention. Mexicans love to settle down in one place, and prefer to stay with their families. They consider titles and positions as their status symbols. They believe in education based on repeated learning and so, their academic system emphasizes learning through memorization.
Despite so many differences in their cultures, some sort of integration (结合) binds the Mexicans and the Americans, in a way, promotes their co-existence.
1. Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2?| A．American Indians and Alaska Natives are the largest ethnic group in the USA. |
| B．There are more Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders than Asians in the USA. |
| C．American Indians have not been recognized by the US government. |
| D．European Americans make up about three fourths of the USA’s population. |
| A．competition | B．mix |
| C．comparison | D．balance |
| A．Truth comes from practice. | B．Blood was thicker than water. |
| C．Rome was not built in a day. | D．Every dog has its day. |
| A．look at money as a status symbol | B．usually receive an all-round education |
| C．enjoy the company of family | D．husband and wife share the housework |
8 . NASA said its Kepler spacecraft has spotted ''Earth's bigger, older cousin'': the first nearly Earth-size planet to be found in the habitable zone of a star similar to our own.
Though NASA can’t say for sure whether the planet is rocky like ours or has water and air, it's the closest match yet found.
The planet, Kepler-452b, is about 60% bigger than Earth, NASA says, and is located in its star's habitable zone, where life-sustaining liquid water is possible on the surface of a planet.
A visitor there would experience gravity about twice that of Earth's, and scientists say the possibility of it having a rocky surface are ''better than ever''. While it's a bit farther from its star than Earth is from the sun, its star is brighter, so the planet receives about the same amount of energy from its star as Earth does from the sun.
Kepler researcher Jeff Jenkins said, ''The planet almost certainly has an atmosphere, although scientists can't say what it's made of. But if the assumptions are correct, kepler-452b's atmosphere may be thicker than Earth's. ''
It takes 385 days for the planet to orbit its star. ''Because it has spent so long orbiting in this zone—6 billion years—it's had plenty of time to brew life,'' Jenkins said.
''That's an opportunity for life to arise, if all the necessary ingredients and conditions for life exist on this planet, '' he said in a statement.
Kepler-452b is too far away for humans to visit. But the discovery of this new Earth-like planet can tell us a lot about what’s possible for the future of space travel. ''The next step in the process is to do follow-up missions to find planets similar to kepler-452b, but much closer to Earth, '' said Peter Coughlin, a Kepler research scientist. ''We could do a lot more research into those planets, and even start to think about visiting one day. ''
1. The researchers are sure that Kepler-452b ________．| A．is larger than Earth | B．has an atmosphere |
| C．has air and water | D．has many rocks |
| A．They are both located in the sun's habitable zone． |
| B．Their distances from the sun are almost the same． |
| C．Their atmospheres are made of the same compositions． |
| D．They get almost the same amount of energy from their stars.． |
| A．improve | B．endanger |
| C．produce | D．protect |
| A．Kepler-452b Is Compared to the Earth. |
| B．NASA Discovers a New Earth-Like Planet. |
| C．A Spacecraft Was Launched to Find Super-Earth. |
| D．A New Planet With Life Is Discovered. |
9 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost chances, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take another minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “another 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 small like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a table, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (粘贴衬垫) 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 a chance to say “I love you” or “I forgive (原谅) 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’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up a chance 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 times when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is certainly better because of my rule of doing everything possible to avoid that possibility. And even though it takes another minute to do something right, or it sometimes takes an hour or two in my busy timetable 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 avoiding saying “if only”.
1. Why does the writer regard “if only” as two of the saddest words in the English language?| A．Because people use them when they feel sad. |
| B．Because they mean sadness in the English language. |
| C．Because they mean regrets and disappointment in life. |
| D．Because they make the writer think of some sad experiences. |
| A．given up. | B．looked for. |
| C．waited for. | D．made use of. |
| A．see a doctor | B．finish her work |
| C．join a celebration | D．create a chance to see her father |
| A．Advice from My Father | B．The “Another Minute” Rule |
| C．Avoidance of saying “If Only” | D．The Saddest Words in English |
10 . It’s always nice to have a little help around the house. But what if you could employ the assistance of one of the greatest minds of the 20th century？
That’s the idea behind a new robot modeled after Albert Einstein. Called Professor Einstein and standing at just over a foot tall, this personal assistant can tell you the weather and keep track of your schedule like any other robots. With built-in Wi-Fi, Einstein robot has access to brain ceasing games, and can answer math problems and science questions. With natural language speech processing, you can actually interact with Professor Einstein. And because the robot is connected to the Internet, it is constantly updated with new information.
To help get the perfect replica（复制品）of Einstein, the Hong Kong-based tech company Hanson Robotics turned to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the home of the Albert Einstein archives（档案）. “We worked very closely with them to bring the product co marker,” the company’s Dr. Jeanne Lim said.
Einstein robot was introduced to the public at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and was quickly hailed by those who saw it. “He became one of the breakout stars of the convention,” wrote Melia Robinson on Business Insider. “Crowds flooded into the company to have a look at the little guy.”
“Technology is often now very cold and socially isolating（孤立的）,” explained David Hanson, the co-founder of the company behind the new robot, “By bringing an lively character into our physical world, we’re humanizing（使人性化）the technology instead of dehumanizing the humans.”
As for Hanson Robotics, the company has been building human-size robots for over a decade. But this marks the company’s first commercially available product. “Professor Einstein is just the start,” said Hanson. “We’re witnessing the arrival of conversational robots that can walk in our world. It’s a golden age of invention.”
1. What can Einstein robot do？| A．Teach you to learn any new language. |
| B．Have a regular conversation with you. |
| C．Design a number of science questions. |
| D．Keep track of other robots constantly. |
| A．Broken. | B．Improved. |
| C．ignored. | D．Praised. |
| A．He expects humans to be less isolated from robots. |
| B．He dreams of humanizing humans through invention. |
| C．He worries about a golden age for conversational robots. |
| D．He stays hopeful about the future of robot invention. |
| A．A New Robot Makes Humans Much Happier |
| B．The Golden Age of Invention Is Approaching |
| C．Albert Einstein Changes into an Assistant |
| D．Albert Einstein Helps to Humanize Robots |
