2 . A century ago, millions of Quino checkerspot butterflies flew above Southern California. Each about the size of a paperclip, the Quinos hatched in great numbers each spring.

Toward the end of the twentieth century, however, the development of farms and cities dramatically reduced the butterfly’s habitat. By 1997, the population of the Quinos had declined to a tiny amount of its historical numbers.

The Quino’s situation continued to worsen. Wildfires burned much of its habitat, and temperatures were getting warmer and drier, making the environment more difficult to the butterfly’s host plant called the dwarf plantain.

Scientists knew that Quino caterpillars relied on the dwarf plantain as a food source. Each spring, the adult female butterflies laid eggs on dwarf plantains. When the caterpillars hatched, they fed on the plantain leaves. However, in the hot, dry summer, the plantains died off. The caterpillars responded by entering a state called diapause. Then, when normal winter rains came and the plantains’ flowers came out again, the caterpillars came back to life and started eating. Once they’d grown large enough, the caterpillars formed pupae and emerged as adult butterflies. This strategy worked well in most years, but as average temperatures rose and rainfall decreased, the caterpillars weren’t getting sufficient food, and fewer developed into butterflies.

Because the area where they lived was surrounded by developed cities and desert landscapes, the Quinos had limited options. They took off anyway, flying eastward into the hills. They landed in mountainous open spaces east of Los Angeles and San Diego. They found no dwarf plantains there. The females began laying their eggs on the leaves of other plants, primarily the Collinsia concolor. These plants remained green longer into the summer months. When the caterpillars Quinos survived, and their numbers grew in their new home.

Scientists were surprised when they began encounter innumerous Qunios in the eastern hills. They were cheered to learn that these small insects had adapted to changing conditions. The Quinos demonstrated the toughness needed to survive by finding not only a new habitat, but a new food source, too.

Meanwhile, scientists had been raising Quino caterpillars in a lab and released hundreds of caterpillars into protected areas around San Diego. Between the efforts of scientists and the butterflies’ own actions, more of those colorfully checkered wings may soon be seen fluttering above the Southern California skies.

1. From the passage, we know Quino checkerspot butterflies in Southern California ________.

A．were an endangered species	B．couldn’t survive the winter cold
C．were very adaptable to environmental changes	D．couldn’t respond to the food shortage on their own

2. How did Quino checkerspot butterflies adapt to changed conditions?

A．They travelled to a new habitat.	B．They found new dwarf plantains.
C．They laid more eggs on host plants.	D．They learned to fly high up in the mountains

3. What does the underlined word “diapause” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Dying from hunger.	B．Stopping bodily functions.
C．Becoming more active.	D．Surviving the hot summer.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Quino Checkerspot Butterflies: Get Help

B．Quino Checkerspot Butterflies: Endangered

C．Quino Checkerspot Butterflies: Small, but Strong

D．Quino Checkerspot Butterflies: Find a New Habitat

3 . A sleepover (过夜) program, which is designed to make kids believe that their favorite toys enjoy reading, can help encourage children to pick up more books, a new study suggests.

Toys sleepover programs are designed to get children interested in books. Children take their toys to a library for the night. At this point, workers and volunteers take photos of the toys which explore the library and read books. The next day, the children collect their toys and the photos of what the toys did during the night. They are given the books their toys chose to read.

It was found that before the sleepover the children did not spend time looking at the books in their play area at preschool. Immediately after the sleepover, the number of children who read to the toys was higher than the number who did not, but after three days the effect decreased gradually.

The researchers also tested a method for sustaining the effect. They reminded the children of the sleepover a month later, by hiding the toys and showing them the photos again the next day. This simple method brought an increase in the number of children reading to their toys.

The study proves for the first time that children who take part in sleepover programs read picture books to their toys more. “We wanted to know if there really was an effect, and if so, how long it lasts. Surprisingly, not only did the children show interest in the books, but they also began to read to their toys. This means that a new behavior pattern appeared that the children hadn’t had before. We did not expect anything like this,” said one of the researchers.

Reading is important for the development of children’s language skills and imagination. When parents read to their children, it is a passive way of reading for the child. However, when children read to their toys, it is a more active, self-directed way of reading, helping them develop into more active readers, researchers said.

1. What is the purpose of the sleepover program?

A．To develop children’s language skills.

B．To help children to sleep well.

C．To encourage children to read more.

D．To guide children to form a good sleeping habit.

2. What do children do in the sleepover program?

A．Go around the library with their toys.

B．Sleep with their toys.

C．Read together with their toys.

D．Take their toys to the library.

3. The underlined word “sustaining” in paragraph 4 can be replaced by______.

A．keeping

B．testing

C．surveying

D．showing

4. What made the researchers surprised after the study of the sleepover program?

A．Children showed no interest in the books.

B．The effect of the sleepover program could last long.

C．Children began to read to their toys on their own.

D．Whether the sleepover program had an effect remained unknown.

4 . As online learning becomes more common and more and more resources are converted to digital form, some people have suggested that public libraries should be shut down and, in their place, everyone should be given an iPad with an e-reader subscription.

Supporters of this idea state that it will save local cities and towns money because libraries are expensive to maintain. They also believe it will encourage more people to read because they won't have to travel to a library to get a book; they can simply click on what they want to read and read it from wherever they are.

However, it would be a serious mistake to replace libraries with tablets. First, digital books and resources are associated with less learning and more problems than print resources. A study done on tablet vs book reading found people read 20-30% slower on tablets, retain 20% less information, and understand 10% less of what they read compared to people who read the same information in print.

Second, it is incredibly narrow minded to assume that the only service libraries offer is book lending. Libraries have a multitude of benefits, and many are only available if the library has a physical location. Some of these benefits include acting as a quiet study space, giving people a way to converse with their neighbors, holding classes on a variety of topics, providing jobs, answering patron questions, and keeping the community connected. A survey conducted in 2015 found that nearly two-thirds of American adults feel that closing their local library would have a major impact on their community. People see libraries as a way to connect with others and get their questions answered, benefits tablets can’t offer nearly as well or as easily.

While replacing libraries with tablets may seem like a simple solution, it would encourage people to spend even more time looking at digital screens, despite the various issues surrounding them. It would also end access to many of the benefits of libraries that people have come to rely on. In many areas, libraries are such an important part of the community network that they could never be replaced by a simple object.

1. What does the underlined word “converted” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．changed

B．translated

C．conveyed

D．scanned

2. According to the passage, the author probably agrees that ___________.

A．it’s inefficient for readers to read on tablets

B．the only service libraries offer is book lending

C．public libraries should be replaced with digital devices

D．digital books and resources encourage people to spend more time reading

3. The purpose of the passage is mainly to_______.

A．persuade people to use libraries	B．emphasize the benefits of libraries
C．encourage communities to build more libraries	D．compare digital books and resources with real books

4. Which of the following shows the development of ideas in this passage?
I: Introduction       CP: Central point       P: Point
Sp: Sub-point (次要点)       C: Conclusion

A．

B．

C．

D．

5 . The constant rise of global demand for protein poses a threat of meat shortage in the agricultural sector. To address this, a few scientists use artificial meat as an alternative to traditional ones, which from the growing process to its benefits proves it does no harm or even it does good to us.

Currently, one of the most advanced techniques to grow meat in the lab involves taking cells from an animal and changing them to muscle cells. The cells are then cultured with nutrients and essential vitamins and can be developed to any quantity and then shaped into hamburgers, steaks or mince, and so it is also called “cultured” meat. “Cultured meat is not genetically engineered,” Dr. Mark Post of Maastricht University says. “It is meat grown from the same cells that produce the meat in the cow, but this time outside the cow.” He believes that cultured meat shouldn’t be any better or worse for you than old-school animal flesh.

This may sound like science fiction, but it is not such a strange idea and there are reasons to be excited about it. “The environment impacts of cultured meat could be lower than those of meat produced in the conventional way,” said Hanna Tuomisto, a researcher at Oxford University. The process would require between 7% and 45% less energy than the same volume of conventionally produced meat such as pork, beef or lamb, and could be engineered to use only 1% of the land and 4% of the water associated with conventional meat. Tuomisto’s research also shows that cultured meat could be part of the solution to feeding the world’s growing population, at the same time cutting emissions and saving both energy and water.

Aside from the above benefits, cultured meat should also provide cheap nutrition. Animal protein is an increasing part of diets, as millions of people in rapidly emerging economies are drawn out of poverty and become able to afford more meat in their diets. The pressure this creates has been an important factor in rapidly rising grain prices, deforestation in the Amazon basin, increasing water shortage and rising pressure to find new farmland. Growing meat artificially could potentially take huge pressure off farmlands around the world.

Another benefit would be to help animal welfare and protect endangered species. If most of our meat was grown, there would be no need for factory farms. Conditions for animals could be greatly improved. Elsewhere, it could also stop illegal endangered species hunts by providing an alternative way to produce meat form these species.

Exactly how long it takes before the meat is sold in supermarkets depends on the investment in research and development. One thing seems clear: Unless vegetarianism catches on in a very big way, the world’s demand for meat will soon outpace our supply of cows, chickens, pigs and other edible animals. The health and environmental impacts of cultured meat aren’t going to be hypothetical for much longer.

1. What does the underlined word “cultured” probably mean?

A．grown.

B．sorted.

C．connected.

D．shaped.

2. Compared with traditional meat, the artificial meat______.

A．tastes much better	B．contains more nutrients
C．saves more natural resources	D．changes people’s habit of eating meat

3. The author tries to persuade the readers to accept his argument mainly by______.

A．comparing the results from different researches

B．explaining the advantages of the artificial meat

C．presenting the problems caused by meat shortage

D．showing the current situation of food consumption

4. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
I: introduction        P: point        SP: sub-point   C: conclusion

A．	B．
C．	D．

6 . World’s loneliest marathon

Many of us know about Russia’s Lake Baikal from our textbooks, or by listening to Chinese singer Li Jian’s hit song, Lake Baikal. But over the past decade, the world’s deepest freshwater lake has been in the spotlight for an extreme sport.

Each March since 2005, about 150 people from around the world sign up for the     Baikal Ice Marathon. They come to explore the lake’s breathtaking beauty and challenge themselves in unpredictable conditions.

The 26-mile (41.84-kilometers) journey starts on the lake’s eastern shore. In March, the ice is a meter thick and iron-hard. Runners cross this frozen surface, finishing on the western side of the lake.

Known as the “blue eye of Siberia”, Lake Baikal has exceptionally clear waters. This means its ice is almost perfectly transparent. “Seen from above, a runner on the ice looks as if he or she is jogging through space,” The New York Times noted.

The landscape might be beautiful, but it’s also harsh. Strong winds blast across the lake and frostbite can occur within half an hour. Runners say the cold climate is what draws them. They want to test their limits.

“When you are in such an environment, you don’t have cars around you, you don’t have the noise around. I think these extreme races allow you to be alone with nature,” Alicja Barahona, a 64-year-old runner from the US, told ABC News.

The location offers some strange and unique characteristics for this marathon. The finish line is visible from the start, but the endless white offers no progress markers. The race also ends with little fanfare (喧闹). Tourists crowding the ice are mostly addicted to snapping selfies (自拍) and just ignore the runners.

For some runners, the absence of spectators (观众) makes the race more challenging, because it’s lonely. They must fight with themselves. “You are alone on Baikal. It is your race. You are alone with yourself. All you need to do is to defeat yourself,” Veronique Messina, a French runner, told the Telegraph.

1. What can we know about the Baikal Ice Marathon from the article?

A．It takes runners from the northern end to the southern end of the lake.

B．It involves extreme weather and beautiful scenery.

C．It attracts more and more participants each year.

D．It is about 26 kilometers in length.

2. In Paragraph 5, the underlined word “harsh” probably means _______.

A．interesting	B．mysterious
C．severe	D．safe

3. How does the Baikal Ice Marathon differ from other marathons?

A．Only men are allowed to run in this race.

B．The runners can see the finish line from the start.

C．The runners are often distracted by tourists.

D．There are many progress markers on the ice.

4. What is the most challenging part of the race for Messina?

A．Loneliness.	B．The long distance.
C．The cold climate.	D．Noisy surroundings.

7 . You spend a third of your life asleep, a certain part of which involves dreaming. But most often, you don’t remember any of your dreams.

While the exact reason of why we can hardly recall our dreams is not fully known, scientists have gotten some insight into memory processes during sleep, leading to several ideas that may explain our forgetfulness.

You are awake, but is your hippocampus(海马体) awake? When we fall asleep, not all the brain’s regions go offline at the same time. Researchers have found one of the last regions to go to sleep is the hippocampus, a structure in brain that is important for moving information from short-term memory into long-term memory.

“If the hippocampus is the last to go to sleep, it could very well be the last to wake up,” said Thomas Andrillon, a neuroscientist at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. “So, you could have this window where you wake up with a dream in your short-term memory, but since the hippocampus is not fully awake yet, your brain is not able to keep that memory,” Andrillon told Live Science.

While this might explain why dream memories are so fleeting, it doesn’t mean that your hippocampus has been inactive throughout the night. In fact, this region is quite active during sleep, and appears to be storing and caring for existing memories to strengthen them, instead of listening for incoming new experiences.

Sometimes your dreams are just not memorable? Do you remember what you were thinking about this morning when brushing your teeth? Our minds wander(游离) all the time, but we get rid of most of those thoughts as unimportant information. Dreams, especially ordinary ones, may be just like daydreaming thoughts and believed by the brain to be too useless to remember. But dreams that are more vivid, emotional and coherent(连贯的) seem to be better remembered—perhaps because they cause more awakening, and their organized story makes them easier to store.

If you are interested in improving your dream recall, there are a few tricks to try. One is drinking water before bed, because it will make you wake up at night to use the bathroom. These middle-of-the-night awakenings are frequently accompanied by dream recall. Repeatedly reminding yourself that you want to remember your dreams may increase your chances, and so does keeping a dream journal, some studies have suggested. Upon waking up, hang on to that fragile(脆弱的) dream memory: keep your eyes closed, stay still and replay the dream memory, until your hippocampus catches up and properly stores the memory.

1. What can we learn about dreams from the passage?

A．Dreaming means processing memory during sleeping.

B．Dreams come from your hippocampus.

C．Dreams are sometimes useless for us to remember.

D．We need special trainings to recall our dreams.

2. You can remember your dreams when you wake up probably because___________.

A．you are forgetful and poor in remembering things

B．your dreams are vivid, emotional and coherent

C．your hippocampus is active in receiving new information

D．your brain needs to start up to move dreams into long-term memory

3. What does the underlined word “fleeting” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Inactive.	B．Short-lived.
C．Significant.	D．Slight.

4. Which of the following CANNOT help you to recall a dream?

A．Improve the ability of your hippocampus to catch up information.

B．Keep reminding yourself of the need to remember your dreams.

C．Record what you can remember in your dreams upon awakening.

D．Think back on the things in your dreams directly after you wake up.

5. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To tell the importance of dreams.

B．To explain our forgetfulness in dreams.

C．To present some methods to recall dreams.

D．To analyze how our brain deal with information.

8 . Most people have been taught that losing weight is a matter of simple math. Cut calories—specifically 3,500 calories, and you’ll lose a pound. But as it turns out, experts are learning that this decades-old strategy is actually pretty misguided. “This idea of ‘a calorie in and a calorie out’ when it comes to weight loss is not only outdated, it’s just wrong,” says Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity specialist at Harvard Medical School. The truth is that even careful calorie calculations don’t always yield(产生) uniform results.

How your body burns calories depends on a number of factors. Three factors affect how your body processes calories.

Your gut microbiome (肠道微生物). Trillions of organisms live in your gut, and the important types may influence how many calories your body absorbs from food. This may occur because some types of organisms are able to break down and use more calories from certain foods than other types of organisms. Researchers have found that people who are naturally thin have different types of organisms living inside them than those who are overweight.

Your metabolism (新陈代谢). Each body has a “set point” that governs weight, says Dr. Stanford. This set point reflects several factors, including your genes, your environment, and your behaviors. A region at the base of your brain stands guard to keep your body weight from dipping below that set point—which is not really a bonus if you’re trying to lose weight.

The type of food you eat. Your food choices may also influence your calorie intake, and not just because of their specific calorie content. One 2019 study published in Cell Metabolism found that eating processed foods seems to spur people to eat more calories compared with eating unprocessed foods.

If counting calories isn’t a dependable way to manage your weight, what can you do to shed extra pounds? Dr.

Stanford recommends the following.

Focus on diet quality. When planning your meals, focus on choosing unprocessed foods, including lean meats, whole grains, and lots of fruits and vegetables in their natural form.

Exercise regularly. Aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week. Moderate exercise is done at a level where you can talk, but not sing.

Consult a professional. “A lot of people believe it’s a moral failing if they are unable to lose weight,” says Dr. Stanford. But it’s not. As with other medical conditions, many people will need help from a doctor. Successful weight loss may require more than just diet and exercise. “Only 2% of people who meet the criteria for the use of anti-obesity medications actually get them. This means that 98% of people who could be treated aren’t,” she says, “Don’t be afraid to seek help if you need it.”

1. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?

A．Old theories actually mislead us.

B．Losing weight lies in losing calorie.

C．Calorie calculations lead to good results.

D．Losing weight by losing calorie is outdated.

2. The processing of calories is affected by how you ______.

A．choose the types of food you consume

B．focus on the quality of your diet

C．adjust your brain to the “set point”

D．reduce the organisms living in your gut

3. The underlined word “shed” in Paragraph 6 means “______”.

A．weigh	B．produce
C．lose	D．cost

4. It is implied in the passage that ______.

A．cutting calories is essential for weight loss

B．losing weight can be double-edged

C．healthy eating keeps you losing weight

D．a healthy lifestyle is key to weight loss

9 . This may be the 21st century but when it comes to information communication technology (ICT), the gender divide between boys and girls, shows no sign of closing.

This is bad news for the ICT industry where men outnumber women by over five to one. The industry needs at least an extra million recruits(新成员) over the next five years. Obviously, women as well as men are going to have to fill these recruitment gaps. The ICT companies are worried about the shortage of men and women to fill their vacancies(空缺) in the future.

It is believed that women are very well suited to working in ICT. They enjoy working in teams and like looking for creative connections. Many women have the kind of personal skills which are considered essential in developing “new technology”. Professionals who work in Information Technology are constantly creating the world around us, and this can’t be done if you don’t know how people work and how they play. To come up with ideas that will actually make a difference to modern life, you have to understand how people live and work.

In spite of the fact that ICT jobs are well paid and women tend to do well in them, research shows that girls’ opinions of the industry are uniformly negative. Only 5% would consider entering the ICT industry compared to 14% for law and 26% for medicine. Up to the age of 11 girls see ICT as entertaining and interesting but after that age negativity sets in. By the age of 13 this negative view of ICT is confirmed.

After school activities encourage some girls to use Information Technology, and getting ICT staff and other teachers together helps to develop imaginative use of ICT. Imaginative use of ICT especially in music, art, drama, geography and media studies, all helps to open girls’ eyes to the fact that careers in computing can cut across so many different areas.

There is a significant difference in the learning styles between boys and girls. The ICT class in schools is often an exercise where every student completes the same class assignment largely by rote(死记硬背). Although girls follow successfully, they will achieve enjoyment and excellence if allowed to diversify and be creative. For girls, just pressing buttons is not enough.

Another initiative is setting up computer clubs aimed at younger girls aged 8 to 14. This is known to inspire girls to develop their ICT skills and to show them that ICT can be both creative and interesting.

We can’t afford to have girls missing out.

1. Why are girls fit for the job in information communication technology?

A．Because they prefer independent and fresh working style.

B．Because they want to succeed and enjoy working with creative teammates.

C．Because they like cooperating with teammates and exploring new things.

D．Because they are interested in music, art, geography and media studies.

2. What is the attitude of girls to ICT by the time they become teenagers?

A．positive.	B．uninterested.
C．serious.	D．disappointed.

3. What does the underlined word “initiative” in Paragraph 7 probably mean?

A．method	B．skill
C．behavior	D．situation.

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A．We find more men in ICT industry mainly because of their interest.

B．Now people can’t find difference between boys and girls in ICT industry.

C．Girls aren’t willing to choose ICT as a career for they can’t get high salary.

D．It is time for us to take measures to make more girls come into ICT fields.

10 . Social Networking Sites: Are They Changing Human Communication?

It is hardly news that people are using the Internet to communicate with others more and more. Some people fear that someday we will no longer feel the need to talk to one another face to face. However, some recent studies suggest that people communicate, or stay in touch, even more than they used to. Whichever side you fall on, what is clear and without a doubt is that human communication has changed in the 21^st century. But results of recent scientific studies may have us reconsider just how much our new communication forms have changed our world.

In June 2008, a British psychiatrist, Himanshu Tyagi, warned that communicating on social networking sites could have a negative effect on the generation of people born after 1990. This generation has never known a world without the Internet. Tyagi says that these people use the Internet to communicate with others so much that they may have trouble forming real relationships. Tyagi is concerned that people may start and end relationships over the Internet. Describing the Internet he said, “It’s a world where everything moves fast and changes all the time, where relationships are quickly ended at the click of a mouse.”

Another psychologist, Dr. Aric Sigman, warned of the physical effects that come with using social networking sites. He suggests that the reduction in the amount of time we spend interacting (互动交流) with people face to face could have biological effects on the human body. The results of his study suggest that, without real personal interaction, the body does not react the same way it would if people were meeting face to face. As a result, immune responses, even hormone levels, can be changed. These changes may lead to the development of illnesses, such as cancer.

Despite these warnings, studies can be found that show the positive sides of social networking sites. The results of one study show that using social networking sites has increased the self-esteem (自尊心) of young adults. Another suggests that college students using these sites feel more “connected” with people when they use them. In addition to scientific studies, there are many who feel that the benefits of social networking sites outweigh the possible negative sides. Many people, especially those who spend a lot of time at home, for various reasons, find the Internet a lifeline. They are able to communicate with many people using these sites.

Perhaps the key to this new communication style is self-control and common sense. If someone spends all of his time on the Internet, and never actually sees friends face to face, that seems like an unhealthy way to live. But if someone spends time on the Internet, some of which is spent arranging meetings for “real” time together, then it seems almost complementary (互补的). Balance is the key to keeping communication alive and well in the 21^st century.

1. Which of the following ideas may Himanshu Tyagi agree with?

A．Social networking sites harm people of all ages.

B．The Internet weakens young people’s relationships.

C．The use of the Internet improves people’s immune system.

D．The online world pushes people to live a faster and better life.

2. What is Dr. Aric Sigman’s major concern about using social networking sites?

A．It will stop the face-to-face interaction.

B．It reduces the self-esteem of young adults.

C．It may cause some serious health problems.

D．It makes people feel less connected with others.

3. What does the underlined word “outweigh” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Are greater than.	B．Are heavier than.
C．Are more effective than.	D．Are more difficult than.

4. Which of the following shows the development of ideas in this passage?
CP: Central Point   P: Point     Sp: Sub-point(次要点)   C: Conclusion

A．	B．
C．	D．