1 . Children born in the past four decades had the luxury of being the center of their parents’ attention. The entire family’s resources were poured into their education and well-being.
However，when the same resources are split between two children，the amount distributed to each one is going to shrink.
According to the Hangzhou Daily，when there are two children in the family，parents tend to choose public schools instead of private schools，which are usually more expensive. Each child is enrolled in fewer after-school training classes.
But having a second child may cure some deep-rooted problems in China’s traditional family education.
Having two children in the family can help to prevent one child being spoiled by too much attention，according to People’s Daily. It also spares the only child from the pressure of shouldering parental expectations all alone. Taking care of a sibling also enables children to gain a sense of responsibility，cooperation，obedience and caring.
China’s public education system is also expected to shift. Currently，there are not enough vacancies in kindergarten and schools to accommodate the potential increase in children.
“It’s not only the enrollment capacity of educational institutions that will feel the pressure. People are also placing more emphasis on the quality of education，”Peng Xizhe， director of the Population and Development Research Policy Center at Fudan University，told China Education Daily.
He predicts the government may have to invest more to support the educational system as a result of the new family planning measure.
1. What can children benefit from a two-child family?| A．They can have less pressure. |
| B．They can study in private schools. |
| C．They can get much more attention. |
| D．They can take more after-school training classes. |
| A．hold | B．adapt | C．solve | D．consider |
| A．People are placing more emphasis on the quality of education. |
| B．The government may have to invest more to support the educational system. |
| C．The new family planning measure will challenge the current educational system. |
| D．The educational institutions will feel the pressure that their capacity is not enough. |
| A．To show benefits of owning two children. |
| B．To persuade people to bear more children. |
| C．To encourage people to have only one child. |
| D．To introduce the impact of two-child policy. |
2 . If you were to throw, say, a banana peel out of your car while driving along the motorway, that would be a completely harmless action, due to the fact that it’s part of a fruit — right? Actually, no. A banana peel can take up to two years to be naturally processed, and with a third of motorists admitting to littering while driving, that’s a whole lot of discarded banana peels. An orange peel and a cigarette butt has a similar biodegrading (生物降解) term to that of a banana peel, but tin cans last up to 100 years; and plastic bottles last forever, as do glass bottles.
Despite the fact that longer-lasting materials will serve to damage the environment and its animals for longer, we can’t merely measure the severity of a certain type of rubbish by its lifetime. For example, despite having a fairly short length of biodegrading time, more than 120 tons of cigarette-related litter is discarded in the UK every day.
It’s not a cheap habit either: to keep our streets clean annually costs UK taxpayers £500 million, and when you include our green spaces, that goes up to £1 billion. So, it’s not surprising that if caught fly-tipping you could face a £20,000 fine or even jail time and, if you disposed of something dangerous, the court could give you five years to serve. Regardless of how severe these punishments might seem, however, among the reported cases only 2,000 were found guilty out of 825,000, so we still have some way to go in making sure people obey the rules.
1. What does the underlined word “discarded” in para1 mean?| A．Harmless. | B．Processed. | C．Thrown. | D．Long-lasting. |
| A．Glass bottles. | B．Tin cans. | C．Cigarette butts. | D．Banana peels. |
| A．The severity of rubbish can be measured by its lifetime. |
| B．Quite a few people were found guilty of illegally littering. |
| C．Every year UK taxpayers spend £500 million keeping streets free of dirt. |
| D．Cigarette-related litter and peels can be ignored for their fairly short lifetime. |
| A．To inform readers of different biodegrading terms. |
| B．To call for people not to litter illegally. |
| C．To encourage people to use fewer plastic bags. |
| D．To stress the importance of good behavior. |
3 . Proudly reading my words, I looked around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes and Miss Lancelot stone-faced. I slowly raised the report, hoping to hide myself and burning to find out “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice: flip (掷) a coin. Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.
When another classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution.” How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was awful. Heartbroken but fearless, I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: no re-dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not justified, and I believed I deserved a second chance. Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather and the headmaster informed me of his approval that I could skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet!
1. What did the author’s classmates think about his report?| A．Amusing. | B．Moving. | C．Controversial. | D．Puzzling. |
| A．Ready. | B．Annoyed. | C．Eager. | D．Ashamed. |
| A．The teacher’s instruction was unclear. |
| B．He knew little about American history. |
| C．He was a new comer to the school. |
| D．He followed the advice to flip a coin. |
| A．He was allowed to redo the test. | B．He was devoted to his studies. |
| C．His efforts were recognized by school. | D．The punishment was reasonable. |
4 . Hot Science
The Benefits Experts have found that there are clear health benefits of drinking tea. Research has led to the discovery that chemicals found in tea can help prevent cell damage. And there is clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day will reduce the chances of heart attacks and certain cancers. Other health benefits include bone strengthening and protection against bad teeth."Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water," said one doctor. Re-hydration There was also some interesting information on the qualities of tea. The research dispels the fear that tea is dehydrating(脱水）。＂Everyone assumes that caffeine-containing drinks such as tea dehydrate," a leading expert explained."But even if you had a really strong cup of tea,you would still have a gain of fluid（液体）。In terms of fluid intake,we recommend 1.5 to 2 litres per day,and that can include tea. Tea is not dehydrating. It's a healthy drink." The Negative Side There was only one bit of bad news about tea.Research suggests that tea can affect the body's ability to absorb iron from food. This means that people at risk of anaemia(贫血）should avoid drinking tea around mealtimes. |  Tea Jokes Why was the teacher angry with the Teapot? Because he was "naughtea". What did the teapot wear to bed? A"nightea". Tea Facts Here are some truly amazing tea facts. Tea·comes from the.leaves of a·tree called camellia sinensis.The tree can grow over 10 metres tall. However, it is cut short so that the leaves can be taken easily. Tea is grown in India, Sri Lanka, China, Indonesia, Argentina, 'Kenya; Japan, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Uganda, Malawi, Turkey, Iran, Brazil and Tanzania. India is the world's largest tea producer. Eighty percent of the caffeine in tea can be removed by pouring hot water over the leaves. |
1. Tea is unable to help prevent
| A．heart attacks | B．bad teeth | C．weak bones | D．iron shortage |
| A．confirm | B．convey | C．remove | D．raise |
| A．Tea is used to cure different diseases. |
| B．Strong tea cannot relieve human thirst. |
| C．Tea jokes only work for the tea lovers. |
| D．Tea bushes are cut short for easy harvest. |
5 . It’s at this time of the year that marathon recovery, not marathon training, starts to take center stage.
Research indicates that the muscle damage from running a marathon can last up to two weeks. The research also indicates that muscle soreness(肌肉酸痛)is not a good indicator of muscular healing. In other words, just because you aren’t sore anymore doesn’t mean that you are fully healed. This is the danger for marathon runners: post-marathon muscular soreness fades after a few days but minor damage within the muscle cells remains. If you return to full training too soon — running more and faster than the tissues are ready for — you risk delaying full recovery and the chance to get ready for your next goal.
The solution, it appears, is to recognize(and accept)that the muscles will take a while to heal and to be prepared to take it easy for the first couple of weeks (even longer if you’re particularly sore after your marathon). While the research isn’t very promising when it comes to things to do to reduce soreness and aid healing, a couple of concepts appear to help. First, providing gentle blood flow to the area helps bring healing nutrients into the muscles and also helps to remove waste products and damaged tissue. Walking and gentle massage(按摩)can help, particularly in the first few days after a marathon. Once muscle soreness has significantly reduced (usually two to four days after the race), light jogging can commence. Just be mindful to run very slowly.
No runner wants to get super fit and then lose that during the recovery process. But since you must reduce your training load following your marathon, it can be difficult as to how much and how soon to insert running into your post-marathon training.
1. When should marathon runners return to full training?| A．About half a month after the competition. |
| B．A few days after soreness disappears. |
| C．Before the tissues recover completely. |
| D．Before the next game draws closer. |
| A．Through family care. | B．By doing gentle exercise. |
| C．Through medical treatment. | D．By removing damaged tissue. |
| A．Fit. | B．Heal. | C．Start. | D．Mend. |
| A．Recovery after Marathon. | B．Soreness with Sports. |
| C．Healing Muscle Soreness. | D．Reducing Training Load. |
6 . Many people feel that dream is unique to humans. However, many dog owners will likely disagree on that. They have noticed that their dogs at various times during the sleep may shake legs, snort (哼) and sometimes growl (低声吼叫) which gives the impression that they are dreaming. These things may wonder us about whether dogs dream.
Scientists confirm that dogs probably do dream. It turns out that dog brains and human brains have many similarities during sleep cycles. Researchers used special machines to measure electrical activity in a dog’s brain and human’s brain. Scientists already knew that when humans dream, a certain part of the brain is active during sleep. Researchers discovered that the same part of the brain is active in sleeping dogs. Scientists have other data that back up these findings.
Many people dream that they are trying to move but cannot. Interestingly, part of that experience is not a dream. When people sleep, the brain produces a chemical that causes the dreamer to become temporarily paralyzed (使麻痹). Researchers think this happens so that people cannot physically act out dreams while they are sleeping. Dog brains make the same chemical. In one study during which this chemical was blocked, sleeping test dogs performed physical activities, such as standing up, sniffing around the room for imaginary rabbits, or chasing imaginary balls.
Because of these similarities, researchers believe that the content of a dog’s dream might come from the same source as a human’s dream. “People’s dreams are usually based on things they did that day,” says Dr. Samantha Hudspith. “So there is reason to believe that dogs dream about the things they’ve done that day. Of course, there will never be a way to prove this. Dogs cannot describe their dreams the way that humans can.”
1. What does the underlined phrase “back up” mean in the second paragraph?| A．Disagree. | B．Support. |
| C．Record. | D．Show. |
| A．It woke up. | B．It stopped dreaming. |
| C．It acted out its dream. | D．It couldn't move its body. |
| A．By telling stories | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By comparing details | D．By listing differences. |
| A．Do Dogs Dream? | B．Why Do Dogs Dream? |
| C．Signs of Dog Dreams | D．Similarities Between Humans and Dogs |
7 . Maple syrup (枫糖浆) is a sweetener from maple tree sap (树汁). Many people use it in baking in place of sugar or other sweeteners, some use it in tea instead of honey and it is frequently used as a topping for pancakes, waffles, and other breakfast foods. Since true maple syrup is rather expensive, a wide range of false maple syrup exist.
This sweetener originated in the northeast region of North America, and it is in this region that most of the world’s maple syrup is still produced. Vermont, New Hampshire Maine, and the eastern portion of Canada are all known for their fine syrup, each with slightly different flavor qualities.
This sweetener is produced by tapping maple trees to release and collect their sap. A tree's sap is the liquid that, much like blood in animals, carries water and food to different parts of the tree to keep it nourished. A mature maple produces about ten gallons of sap in a given season, after which the tree will wall off the channel that has been tapped, so that a new tap has to be drilled the next season. Maples are not tapped for syrup until they are at least 40 years old and have reached a certain size, to ensure that no harm comes to the tree through the tapping process .
An immense amount of sap is required to produce maple syrup because the watery sap must be reduced to achieve the proper thickness and taste. Although the exact amount depends on the sweetness of the sap, in general it takes about 40 times as much maple sap to produce a portion of syrup. This may be further reduced to create thicker delicacies, such as maple butter, maple cream , and maple sugar.
In the Us, there are grade A and Grade B syrups, with three sub-divisions of Grade A: light amber, medium amber, and dark amber. Grade B is even darker than Grade A dark amber. Many people assume that the grading system is also indicative of quality, but in reality, it only helps to differentiate the color and taste of the syrup, which is a matter of personal preference. The tastes are different, but to say one is objectively “better” than another would be incorrect.
1. What do we know about the maple syrup from the first two paragraphs?| A．It can be a substitute of sugar and honey. |
| B．It varies greatly in flavor qualities. |
| C．It is produced in the northeast of the US. |
| D．It is too expensive to gain popularity. |
| A．warm. | B．healthy. |
| C．complete. | D．mature. |
| A．Because it is widely used in most delicacies. |
| B．Because it helps to protect old trees from harm. |
| C．Because it needs to be concentrated to make maple syrup. |
| D．Because the more sap is used, the better maple syrup tastes. |
| A．To teach people how to make maple syrup. |
| B．To attract more people to buy maple syrup. |
| C．To introduce basic knowledge of maple syrup. |
| D．To help people choose maple syrup of good quality. |
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. |
| A．Take. | B．Waste. |
| C．Expect. | D．Create. |
| A．Keep quiet. |
| B．Refuse to eat. |
| C．Feel bored all the time. |
| D．Find ways to entertain themselves. |
| 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 . My wife and I were at a crowded grocery store not long ago. It was a weekday evening, cold and wet-and tense. People were carelessly blocking aisles, complaining and cutting one another off with their carts.
Things got worse at the checkout line. The cashier scanned a man’s discount card, but he misread the savings on her screen as an additional charge. He decided she was acting deliberately and began to argue.
“She is being spiteful (恶意的) !” he yelled. “This is unbelievable.”
Other customers looked away as the cashier tried to reason with him. She called a manager, who accompanied him to customer service. Shaken, she moved to the next customer in line.
We’ve all witnessed uncomfortable scenes like this in public places. The grocery scene was another example of how our trust in others has eroded. But it was also a teachable moment on how we can rebuild our faith-starting with just one person.
Back at the grocery store, my wife and I reached our uneasy cashier. I grabbed a bottle of water from a nearby cooler and handed it to her. “We felt bad about how that man treated you and wanted to buy this for you.” I said. Her face lit up, and we talked as she scanned our items. She told us she had been working that evening through severe foot pain and would be having surgery later that week. We wished her well in her recovery, and she thanked us as we left.
Those are the balancing acts, the moments of responding social and emotional pain with healing, which will add up to restore trust among people. You can start that pattern in someone else’s life, even in a place as ordinary as the neighborhood grocery store.
1. Why did the man at the checkout line argue with the cashier?| A．The cashier called a manager to help her. |
| B．Someone jumped the queue waiting to check out. |
| C．There was something wrong with his discount card. |
| D．He believed the cashier charged him more on purpose. |
| A．changed | B．increased |
| C．faded | D．formed |
| A．he thought the cashier might feel a little bit thirsty |
| B．he knew she had gone through much trouble recently |
| C．he wanted to restore the trust between her and the man |
| D．he wanted to comfort her after the terrible experience just now |
| A．add a warning | B．make a suggestion |
| C．introduce a topic | D．present an argument |
People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that “addicted” was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the allure of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol.
The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern.
I see people trapped in a pathological (病态的) relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude. I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money.
What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for the wisdom that “too much of a good thing is wonderful.” But it’s time to discover that it does not work for technology.
Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that “we can be swept away by our technologies.” To break the grand digital connection people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without today’s overused technology.
1. The underlined word “allure” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.
| A．advantage | B．attraction |
| C．adaption | D．attempt |
| A．attract people to buy their products |
| B．provide the latest information |
| C．improve people’s quality of life |
| D．deal with cultural diseases |
| A．consider too much technology wonderful |
| B．have realized the harm of high-tech devices |
| C．can regain freedom without high-tech devices |
| D．may enjoy life better without overused technology |
| A．Neutral. | B．Skeptical. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
