1 . Living in a green area can make you live longer, according to research published today. The research also shows that the difference in life expectancy(预期寿命) between rich and poor becomes smaller among those who live in an environment with parks and trees.

Richard Mitchell, from Glasgow University and his colleagues, found that the gap between the number of deaths of people on high incomes and the number of deaths of those on low incomes in green areas was half that compared with figures relating to built-up areas.

Green spaces, classified by the researchers as “open, undeveloped land with natural vegetation”, encouraged people to walk and be more active Exercise in these settings could have greater benefits than exercise elsewhere, the researchers said.

The benefits potentially go beyond exercise. Studies have shown that being around green spaces can reduce blood pressure and stress levels, and possibly help patients recover faster.

A number of researchers have looked at the effects of greenery on our well-being. But few studies had looked at whether living in green areas reduced health inequalities, the Glasgowteam said.

Using information from a land-use database of 2001, the researchers divided the pre-retirement population of England into four groups according to income level, and five groups according to access to green space. They then looked at death rate for 2001-2005.

They found that the inequality in death rate from all causes relating to lack of money was less in those populations in the greenest areas compared with the figures for people living in more built-up places. They found an even stronger relationship when it came to deaths from certain diseases such as heart conditions and stroke(中风). There was no difference, however death cancer.

The researchers said that changing the physical environment was an easier way to fight against poor health than using media campaigns or giving out information on health. “The result of the study is clear: Environments that promote good health might be very important in the fight to reduce health inequalities.”

1. The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to______.

A．the gap	B．the number of deaths
C．the income	D．the living area

2. What was the special point of the Glasgow team’s research?

A．They offered a scientific definition of green spaces.

B．They encouraged people to exercise in green areas.

C．They studied the effects of greenery on people’s health.

D．They focused on the influence of greenery on health inequalities.

3. What advice would the researchers probably give according to the last paragraph?

A．More health information should be given to the public.

B．People should take more exercise every day.

C．More trees and grass should be planted in cities.

D．People should help to fight against health problems.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．People should live in green areas.

B．Green spaces promote good health.

C．Income influences health less than environment.

D．Exercise in green areas benefits people a lot.

2 . The scientists who re-engineered the plastic-eating enzyme(酶) PETase have now created a new enzyme called “cocktail” , which can digest plastic up to six times faster.

PETase breaks down PET back into its building blocks, creating an opportunity to recycle plastic and reduce plastic pollution. PET is the most common thermoplastic(热塑性塑料) used to make single-use drinks bottles, which takes hundreds of years to break down in the environment, but PETase can shorten this time to days. The initial discovery set up the prospect of a revolution in plastic recycling, creating a potential low-energy solution to tackle plastic waste.

Now, the same trans-Atlantic team have combined PETase and its “partner”, a second enzyme called MHETase, to generate much bigger improvements: simply mixing PETase with MHETase doubled the speed of PET breakdown, and engineering a connection between the two enzymes to create a “super-enzyme”, increased this activity by a further three times.

The team was co-led by the scientists who engineered PETase, Professor John McGeehan and Dr Gregg Beckham. Professor McGeehan said: “Gregg and I were chatting about how PETase attacks the surface of the plastics and MHETase chops things up further, so it seemed natural to see if we could use them together. Our first experiments showed that they did work better together, so we decided to physically link them. It took a great deal of work, but it was worth the effort — we were delighted to see that our new enzyme is up to three times faster than the separate enzymes.”

The original PETase enzyme discovery indicated the first hope that a solution to the global plastic pollution problem might be within grasp, though PETase alone is not yet fast enough to handle the tons of PET bottles. Combining it with a second enzyme, and finding together they work even faster, means another leap forward has been taken towards finding a solution to plastic waste. PETase and the new combined MHETase-PETase both work by digesting PET plastic. This allows for plastics to be made and reused endlessly, reducing our reliance on fossil(化石) resources.

1. What can we learn about “cocktail” from the text?

A．It doubles the breakdown of plastics.

B．It takes hundreds of years to break down.

C．It contributes to breaking down plastic quickly.

D．It deals with the plastic waste three times faster.

2. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．A new study of PET.	B．The breakdown of PET.
C．The discovery of PETase.	D．The functions of PETase.

3. What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Co-leading the trans-Atlantic team.	B．Combining PETase and MHETase.
C．Attacking the surface of the plastics.	D．Talking about conducting experiments.

4. What can we infer from the text?

A．PET pollution is no longer a difficult problem to deal with.

B．New enzyme is speeding up our reliance on fossil resources.

C．MHETase-PETase makes the world free from plastic pollution.

D．Plastic-eating enzyme “cocktail” promises new hope for plastic waste.

3 . The Japanese government, citizens and groups are debating what to do with radioactive water from the disabled nuclear power plant near Fukushinma. An earthquake on March 11, 2011 caused severe damage to three of the six nuclear reactors at the Fukushinma Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Since then, Japanese officials have been trying to contain and clear up the damage.

The Associated Press recently observed the decontamination (净化) process taking place there. Officials are trying to decide what to do with 1.2 million tons of radioactive water being stored at Fukushinma. The nuclear center is operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Co. _, or TEPCO. The company says it needs to free up space as work on the damaged reactors reaches an important point. Many people expect TEPCO to slowly release the water into the ocean near the nuclear center. The government has already approved the plan.

However, it is not clear when the company will carry out the plan. Local people oppose it because that could hurt the fishing industry. Sales of fish caught off the coast near Fukushinma are half what they were before the nuclear disaster. Fish caught in the area have been approved for sale after radioactivity testing by health officials.

TEPCO Chief Decommissioning Officer Akira Ono said the water must be removed. He says crews need the space currently occupied by the water tanks. In their place, workers will set up structures to hold melted reactor wreckage(反应堆残骸).

People wear protective clothing and head coverings to work in the most radioactive areas around the nuclear center. But underground conditions remain dangerous and radioactive water is leaking from the melted reactors and mixing with groundwater. This water is being pumped into containers to keep it from flowing into the sea. The polluted water from underground is processed and filtered to remove dangerous radioactive elements. Tritium(氚) is the only radioactive material that remains. Japan's industry ministry and nuclear officials say tritium is not harmful in small amounts. However, although officials try to ease public fear, there are worries that fish might be affected if the water is released into the sea.

1. What do we know from the text?

A．The Fukushinma disaster was caused by humans.

B．Tons of radioactive water has been leaked into the ocean.

C．Melted reactor wreckage will take up most of the region.

D．Japan is struggling with the clean-up of radioactive pollution.

2. What does the underlined word "it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Making room for the damaged reactors.

B．Releasing the water into the nearby ocean.

C．Filtering the water near the nuclear center.

D．Storing the radioactive water in the nuclear center.

3. What does the text say about the material tritium from the fifth paragraph?

A．It can be found in the polluted water.

B．It has aroused great panic among residents.

C．It does no harm to fish.

D．It exists in a solid form.

4. What does the text imply?

A．The groundwater has been severely polluted in Fukushinma.

B．People in Fukushinma used to earn their living by fishing.

C．It is hard for the authorities to earn the public's trust.

D．It is unclear when TEPCO will remove the radioactive water.

4 . My Favorite Books

Jeffrey Archer, a well-known novelist and playwright in the UK , has spent a very famous and much admired 45-year-long writing career creating bestsellers such as Not A Penny More , Not A Penny Less, Kane and Abel and Paths of Glory. Here he lists his all-time favorite reads.

Sredni Vashtar

BY SAKI （H. H. MUNRO） ,Dover Publications ,150

I put Munro's short stories equal with R. K. Narayan's. They are my favorite short-story writers. Both write beautifully， but they are also pretty good stories. It’s that rare combination of both. This book is a gem（佳作），as is Narayan's Malgudi Days.

The Count of Monte Cristo

BY ALEXANDRE DUMAS, Rupa Publications , ₹ 295

This is a masterpiece. It’s too long by modern standards? of course. If Dumas was around today， he'd write books of 400 pages. With no television, no other distraction, he wrote books of 1，500 pages. And the surprising thing is that he wrote The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers in the same year! You couldn't do that today!

Reunion

BY FRED UHLMAN，Farrar ，Strausand Giroux ，₹ 864

A wonderful insight into two young Germans---one Jewish, one aristocratic — in 1939, when they're both at school. This is a very fine book, which would help anyone understand the problems the Jews were facing in the late 1930s.

A Tale of Two Cities

BY CHARLES DICKENS, Penguin Classics , ₹ 250

I think this is probably a book I have reread the most number of times. I love the idea of him (Dr Manette)sacrificing his life for something bigger and more glorious than himself. Quaintly old-fashioned in the modern world—I love it. This was Dickens' most successful book, possibly because it was story, story, story, and impossible to put clown!

1. Who does "I" refer to in the text?

A．Alexandre Dumas.	B．Fred Uhlman.
C．Charles Dickens.	D．Jeffrey Archer.

2. Which of the following is concerned with the Jews?

A．Reunion.	B．A Tale of Two Cities.
C．Sredni Vashtar.	D．The Count of Monte Cristo.

3. How much will you pay if you buy Charles Dickens' most successful book?

A．₹ 150.

B．₹ 295.

C．₹ 864.

D．₹ 250.

5 . Knock knock. Starting from Nov. 1, people will be knocking on doors across the country to collect personal information. But don't panic. This is for the seventh national population(人口普查).

The Chinese population census takes place every 10 years. It gathers data including name, age, ID number, gender, education, job, marital status and housing situation.

Tracking down more than 1 billion Chinese citizens is by no means easy. This year, about 7 million staff will be needed to visit homes for registration work, according to Xinhua. New methods will also be used during this census, including online information registration, application of electronic devices and big data.

Compared with previous surveys, new methods will be convenient for people who are not living where they are officially registered, as well as those who do not want to be bothered by census takers' door-to-door surveys. The new methods also reduce census takers' workload.

The data is expected to give a full picture of the population, including its size, structure and distribution and recent changes. It provides support for making national development policies.

The census has a large impact on our lives. For instance, areas with a high number of children may receive more funding for public schools. Researchers can use the results to investigate population trends in different cities. The census will help to find out the number of foreigners living in China. It can also tell how many Chinese people have moved to other countries.

However, citizens' privacy concerns could be one of the biggest challenges. Some may not be willing to give their personal information to census takers because they are worried about what the data would be used for.

There are also worries about privacy leakage among the public.

In response to such concerns, Jiangsu's pilot work zone allowed residents to upload personal data on their own through WeChat, which avoids information leakage. The data will be delivered directly to the National Bureau of Statistics through a WeChat program, the Global Times reported.

1. Who can benefit from new methods during this census?

A．People whose work as census takers.

B．People who are living where they are officially registered.

C．People who prefer to be bothered by census takers' door-to-door surveys.

D．People who are worried about personal data.

2. What does the underlined word "it” refer to in paragraph 6?

A．The number.	B．The census.
C．A large impact.	D．China.

3. According to the passage, how did Jiangsu avoid information leakage ?

A．The National Bureau of Statistics requires residents to make their information secure.

B．Residents' personal information will be protected safely by census takers.

C．Residents can use WeChat to deliver their personal data to the National Bureau of Statistics .

D．Residents can refuse to provide their information as they like.

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To tell us people will be knocking on doors across the country.

B．To clarify the importance of privacy.

C．To report the results of the census.

D．To inform us national survey trials new methods.

6 . For the longest time, I thought successful parenting in general would look something like this:

At least two healthy and happy children involved in a variety of out-of-school activities. No McDonalds. Screen time? Minimal. Languages? They would speak three, just like my husband and me.

As for me, I would be a stay-at-home mother with a sense of professional fulfillment. I would prepare organic home-cooked meals for my children. My husband and I would make time for regular date nights.

Once I became a parent and experienced life with a kid for a couple of years, I realized I had to change my expectations.

I understood this when my son, who was not yet at school, told us he would only be wearing superhero T-shirts from now on.

Another clue came after a date with my husband. Nowadays, my vision of a perfect date night is watching movies with my husband. We do try to get out of the house from time to time, but not to eat out in fancy restaurants. Working parents know how much it takes to run a household with young children. So I felt like I needed to slow things down and find a better life balance.

As it turns out, being a stay-at-home parent has done wonders for the family’s wellbeing. But it wasn’t easy. We had to sell our car. We rented our apartment to increase our income.

So my vision of success has evolved. I realize that “successful parenting” has nothing to do with how many languages your child speaks. It doesn’t matter if your kid likes the Hulk. As a society, we are so focused on performance. We put so many expectations not only on ourselves as parents, but also on our children. All my husband and I can do is try our best to raise a healthy, confident and kind child.

I’ve finally realized that being a “successful mother” means doing my best, not what family, friends and society in general expect of me. I just need to love hard and provide a safe and healthy space for my family to flourish (茁壮成长). Revising my view of successful parenting has taken a couple of years. Actually, I don’t think I even want to use the term “successful mother” anymore. I just want to be a mother. I am a mother.

And I am enough.

1. What can we learn about the author from the first three paragraphs?

A．She liked cooking very much.	B．She hoped to be an ideal mother.
C．She was unhappy with her job.	D．She comes from a rich family.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 7 refer to?

A．Being a stay-at-home parent.	B．Increasing the family’s income.
C．Taking care of the whole family.	D．Finding a better life balance.

3. Which of the following would the author agree with?

A．You can eventually achieve your goals if you try hard.

B．It does good to society if parents try to meet its expectations.

C．A successful child works hard to do better than others.

D．It matters most that parents try their best to make a good family.

4. What is the main purpose of this article?

A．To share the author’s thoughts about parenting.

B．To stress the importance of being a good parent.

C．To give advice on how to be a successful mother.

D．To tell readers what a happy family is like.

7 . One morning, the teacher started the class with a special introduction.

“Good morning, class. I have something very important to talk to you today. You already know what food allergies (过敏) are, right? If we have a food allergy, we can become seriously ill when eating a certain kind of food. Next week we will have a new student called James joining our class. He is allergic to tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, egg and garlic. Just a tiny amount of any of those things would make him very ill—possibly so ill that he would need to go to hospital. James carries EpiPens, which can help him if he has an allergic reaction, but we hope he will never need to use them.

So please keep in mind that firstly, try not to bring in too many of the following things in your lunchboxes: loose nuts, peanut butter, sesame oil, egg mayonnaise, and any other foods that contain the things James is allergic to. Secondly, I’d like everyone to avoid sharing food at lunchtime. And thirdly, I need you all to be very careful to wash your hands after eating. If you bring special food to share for celebrations or birthdays, please make sure that it does not contain any of the things that are a problem for James to eat.

I’m sure you’ll all do a wonderful job of welcoming James to our class. Does anyone have any questions? No? Well, let’s get on with our maths then.

1. What is James’ problem?

A．He is badly sick.	B．He dislikes the new class.
C．He can’t eat certain foods.	D．He has to stay in hospital.

2. What could the underlined word “EpiPens” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Medicine.

B．Food.

C．Alarm.

D．Reaction.

3. Which of the following can best describe the teacher?

A．Careful and kind.	B．Calm and brave.
C．Open and honest.	D．Serious and strict.

8 . Dubai is the commercial capital of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf. But officials want to turn it into the world’s “smartest” city. Earlier this year, Dubai announced plans to be the world’s first city to use self-driving taxis. In June, it placed the first robot police officer at shopping centers and places popular with visitors. Dubai police officials now say they plan to use self-driving vehicles to patrol (巡逻) city streets by the end of the year.

Dubai will be the first in the world to use the O-R3 vehicle, according to the Singapore company that builds it. The company, OTSAW Digital, recently signed an agreement with the Dubai Police force to supply the driverless robots.

The vehicles look a lot like most other automobiles, but are much smaller. They are equipped with cameras, machine learning tools and 3D technology to help them operate independently. The robots automatically charge themselves when power gets low.

The vehicle’s cameras can scan faces and record registration information to check for criminals and possible illegal activities. A police official said the robot can recognize people in any area. It will be used to “identify suspicious objects and follow suspects.” “We seek to increase operations with the help of technology such as robots,” said Dubai’s police chief. “We always search for the best technology to serve our police work for a safer and smarter city.”

The O-R3 can communicate with computers at police centers in different locations. The patrolling robot is able to send data and video to the centers, where operators can control the vehicle remotely. The vehicles can also work together with drones (无人机) that can be launched from the back of the robot. The drones can then follow the vehicles and provide more support from the air.

The CEO of OTSAW Digital, Ting Ming Ling, says the use of such vehicles is designed to help humans with their jobs, not replace them. “Eventually, robots exist to improve the quality of human lives, where men take on high value jobs while robots perform the low skilled ones,” he said.

1. What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Learning tools.	B．O-R3 vehicles.
C．Common automobiles.	D．3D cameras.

2. What’s the main purpose of using the OR3 vehicles for patrolling?

A．To take the place of the work of human beings.

B．To gather information of faces in the streets.

C．To help investigate criminal activities more effectively.

D．To keep an eye on people’s behaviors in the city.

3. What does the drone do?

A．Gather more information for O-R3 vehicle.

B．Protect the vehicle from the sky.

C．Show directions for the vehicle.

D．Control the vehicle remotely.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Police in Dubai Have the Most Advantaged Equipment

B．Dubai Will Put Self-Driving Police Vehicles on Streets

C．You Will Not See Police Officers in the Streets of Dubai

D．Robot Police Officers Are Much Smarter than Human Ones