1 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Is Counting Calories Good for Weight Loss?

Mark Haub, who teaches nutrition as Kansas State University, wanted to prove to his students that weight loss is simply about calories. Therefore, for ten weeks, the professor started to eat an 1,800-calorie diet     1     (consist) of a Twinkie (奶油蛋糕) every three hours. He also dined on other junk food.

When he started, Haub tipped the scale at 201 pounds,    2     for his weight was considered overweight. By the end of his snack-food test, he       3     (lose) 27 pounds. The story went viral, with the media     4     (call) Haub’s eating plan the Twinkie Diet.

Haub’s message has been standard advice for more than a century. According to many experts, it all comes down to straightforward math:     5     you take in fewer than you burn, you lose weight. Countless millions who struggle with their weight dutifully track their calorie intake, but eventually many discover that all the counting is in vain.

One reason is that calorie counts are not always accurate. The Food and Drug Administration allows numbers on nutrition labels    6     (be) off by as much as 20 percent, and usually the error is undercount. That means, for example, that ice cream claiming to have 180 calories per serving may actually have 215.

Listed calories may also be wrong     7     the way our bodies digest certain foods. Take almonds (杏仁), for instance. Nutrition labels show them to have up to 170 calories per ounce. But this number does not take into account the fact that almonds pass through the intestines (肠) partly undigested. The actual count is 129—a sizable difference.

So, counting calories     8     be effective for weight loss in the short term, but for most people, it eventually fails to help us lose weight and leads to food choices and eating habits that damage our health.     9     (focus) only on calories can result in too little of       10     your body really needs.

2 . As I reflect on my educational journey, it becomes evident that the impact of education extends far beyond the ranges of the classroom. Education has been the guiding force that has shaped not only my academic progress but also my personal development and outlook on the world around me.

From my earliest days in school, education has stimulated my intellectual curiosity and developed a deep-seated passion for learning. I remember the thrill of getting on a voyage of discovery with each new lesson, as my understanding of the world expanded through the acquisition (获得) of knowledge and the development of critical thinking skills. These experiences have not only nurtured (培养) my intellectual growth but have also equipped me with the tools to navigate the complexities of the modern world.

However, the impact of education goes beyond the field of academia. It has played a critical role in shaping my character and values, equipping me with a sense of sympathy, understanding, and respect for others. Through interactions with peers from diverse backgrounds and exposure to various perspectives, education has been beneficial in cultivating my social and emotional intelligence. It has taught me the value of cooperation, the importance of embracing diversity, and the power of empathy (共情) in making meaningful connections with others.

Furthermore, education has opened doors to opportunities that have paved the way for my future hard work. It has provided me with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue my passions, offering a platform for personal and professional growth. The transformative potential of education is evident in the countless stories of individuals whose lives have been improved through access to quality education, breaking the barriers of social and economic inequality.

In conclusion, my journey through the fields of education has been nothing short of transformative. It has expanded my horizons, enriched my understanding of the world, and equipped me with the toots to make meaningful contributions to society. As I continue on this path of lifelong learning, I am deeply grateful for the profound impact of education on my life and remain committed to nurturing its transformative power in the lives of others.

1. According to Para. 2, how did education expand the author’s understanding of the world?

A．By equipping the author with knowledge.

B．By encouraging the author to accept others’ ideas.

C．By informing the author of latest scientific development,

D．By making the author more curious about others’perspectives.

2. What impact did education have on the author’s social and emotional intelligence?

A．It made the author competitive and individualistic.

B．It taught the author to value cooperation and varies.

C．It made it easier for the author to solve the difficulties.

D．It encourages the author to stick to his own opinion.

3. What does the passage suggest about influence of education in society in a broader sense?

A．Education has unlimited potential to make individuals’ lives more colorful.

B．Education is primarily focused on maintaining social development.

C．Education ensures better working opportunities in the future.

D．Education has the power to fight against inequality.

4. What is the topic of the passage?

A．The importance of education technology.	B．The role of author’s family education.
C．The transformative power of education.	D．The improvement of individuals’ education.

3 .

A．At Mary Johnson’s.	B．At a painter’s studio.
C．In an exhibition hall.	D．Outside an art gallery.

4 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

How to Stay on Task

“In many activities, it is difficult to maintain a high level of focus over time. Our research asks why this is the case,” said Matthew K. Robison, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Arlington. Although humans generally perform fine in situations that require sustained attention, they are often distracted, which can lead to inattention. Common distractions can be anything from thinking about a new romantic interest to reacting to a car honking. Most inattention has minor consequences like forgetting to forward an email or pick up an item at the grocery store. However, other inattention can lead to serious consequences, such as a train operator not reacting to an incident, a surgeon forgetting a step in an operation or an individual forgetting to turn off an oven.

“Sustaining attention can be easier said than done, as attention fluctuates(波动) across short and long intervals,” Robison said. One of the most common approaches to studying inattention has been to examine response time to a variety of tasks. For this study, Robison and colleagues employed more than 100 participants to complete reaction time tasks for about 25 minutes. In a standard control condition, participants were simply told to respond as quickly as possible on each trial. “In this condition, reaction times systematically increased across time, consistent with the idea that task focus was decreasing,” Robison said. “However, when we gave them specific goals to pursue and made those goals harder over time, they did not show that effect.”

The drop in concentration goes some way to explaining why we remember or forget the moment and why some people remember better than others. Robison and colleagues at the University of Oregon have also published a new study on maintaining attention. The results provide evidence that a simple and easily implementable change in behavior — setting specific goals for oneself — can significantly improve our ability to maintain task focus over time. “Setting a specific goal will increase sustained attention and reduce inattention,” said Robison based on his studies.

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5 . Preschooler or grade-schooler? Start saving early

It’s never too early to start saving for college. One way to get a jump is to use college savings plans like the 529 or Coverdell to start a pool of money to draw from later. You can open an account while your student is a child. And with an account like a 529, the money can be invested to grow tax-free, as long as it’s used for qualified education expenses.

Early high school? Time to check those expectations

Setting realistic expectations with your high schooler is an important part of the college readiness timeline. In fact, you can start talking about college and the future when your student is in junior high. Even if you have college savings to help pay for college—or most of your savings—speaking with your student about expectations is important.

High school junior? Apply for scholarships and financial aid

The time to start applying for scholarships is during your student’s junior year of high school. Sports, music, performance, and clubs can enhance an application along with grades. It can help create a general essay that can be adjusted for each scholarship. Put together a résumé that includes activities, jobs, and accomplishments. Don’t forget to fill out a CSS profile with the college board. Some schools and other organizations use the CSS profile for outstanding scholarship applications.

Federal financial aid

In order to qualify for federal financial aid, including grants (助学金) and student loans, it’s important to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Your student should fill out their first FAFSA in October of their senior year of high school. The FAFSA should be updated and submitted every subsequent year in October to keep the information up to date and to receive ongoing federal financial aid.

Other opportunities to hold back the costs … or add to them

When planning ahead for college, it’s also important to consider other opportunities and expect the unexpected. Some additional opportunities to consider while your high schooler is a junior or senior include:

Study abroad. If there’s a chance for your student to take a semester or year abroad, that can be a good experience, but it might also require extra paperwork and additional costs.

Additional education. Some schools might offer additional certifications on top of regular degree coursework. A special certification might require a summer semester that might not be included in the traditional financial aid award.

Longer time in school. Not every student will finish in the traditional four-year time frame. Changing majors, double majors, and extracurricular (课外的) activities can extend your student’s time in school.

…

1. What does the underlined part in Para.1 refer to?

A．College savings plan.	B．Scholarship application method.
C．Education savings account.	D．Educational certification agency.

2. What do you need to do first if you want to get federal financial aid?

A．To update your materials.	B．To apply for scholarships.
C．To contact the government.	D．To fill out the free application.

3. What does the author want to tell the readers to do?

A．To plan a brand-new college life.

B．To think ahead about the cost of college.

C．To work to make money as early as possible.

D．To think about the significance of major choices.

6 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

What If You’re Not Good at English?

Researchers whose first language is not English can spend around twice as long reading an English scientific journal article as native speakers. For a PhD student, that can mean     1     (spend) up to 19 additional working days per year just reading papers.

These statistics,     2     (publish) today in PLOS Biology, might not be shocking, researchers say, but it’s important to measure the effects of language barriers on the careers of academics       3     are not fluent in English. “It is the first step for the scientific community       4     (make) more efforts to solve this problem”, says Tatsuya Amano, a biodiversity researcher at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and a co-author of the study.

The team found that among scientists who had published only one paper in English, scientists from countries       5     English is generally poor spent 29.8 percent more time writing papers than native English speakers;     6     from countries with moderate English proficiency (能力) spent 50.6% more time. Similarly, the researchers found that people from countries with low English proficiency spent an average of 90.8 percent more time reading scientific articles       7     native English speakers.

At conferences, even those who overcome obstacles face difficulties in presenting their work in English. Germana Barata, a researcher who     8     (specialize) in science communication at the State University of Campinas in Brazil, says that despite being fluent in English, she still feels uncomfortable at times. “We       9     (give) the same amount of time to present, but all that we can say in 10 minutes is different from       10     a native speaker can say,” she points out.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．Leisure activities.	B．Popular TV stars.
C．Outdoor sports.	D．Family time.

2.

A．Driving.	B．Gardening.
C．Eating out.	D．Surfing.

3.

A．Going to the bars.	B．Playing online games.
C．Watching TV.	D．Reading novels.

8 .

A．A plane ticket.	B．A shopping experience.
C．An imaginary situation.	D．A vacation by the sea.

9 .

A．He has found a very good job.	B．He doesn’t feel at ease in the firm.
C．He has been considered as a fool.	D．He doesn’t get on with the others.

10 .

A．New students are usually unfair.	B．The teacher lacks teaching experience.
C．She doesn’t agree with the man.	D．The man had better talk with the students.