1 . Teacher Recommendation

A great teacher recommendation can be an asset to your college application. But admission officers read hundreds of not-so-great recommendations every year — the ones that, while positive, don’t really tell them much about the students.

    1     Read on for some advice from the experts.

Choose wisely

“Do not select teachers that just gave good grades or seemed to like you,” says Scott White, guidance counselor at Montclair High School. “Choose teachers who wrote extensive remarks on assignments you handed in.”

“Every school has a favorite teacher that the majority of the senior class is going to ask to write for them — if you must ask this person, ask early,” says Avis Hinkson, dean of admission at Mills College. “    2    ”

Ask politely and early

“Give the teacher the chance to say no,” advises Shelley Krause, assistant director, admission, at the College of New Jersey. “The overwhelming majority of the recommendations we receive are positive, but we do occasionally see letters that the teacher clearly wishes he or she had not agreed to write, probably because he or she felt there was no graceful way to decline.”

“Teachers and counselors are busy people; they have families and lives outside of school,” says David Bousquet, assistant vice president, enrollment, at Iowa State University. “    3    ”

Provide lots of help

“Too many kids ask late and provide no resources for the teacher,” says T.K.Cellar, school counselor and department chair at Thomas Worthington High School. “They need to provide the teacher with a resume, and a stamped addressed envelope with the due date clearly marked on the front or on a sticky note.”

“    4     Recommendations are always stronger when they cite specific examples of a student’s work,” says White.

A．So what is the most proper time to ask your teacher?

B．However, you might think about asking another teacher who may be less popular and do a better job on your recommendation.

C．Students should ask as soon as possible — months and weeks ahead of the deadline if possible.

D．To get a unique recommendation, turn to teachers who spoke positively of you.

E．Save papers and assignments you wrote and give copies of them to the teacher when you ask him or her to write a recommendation.

F．So how can you increase your chances that your recommendations will be “unique and specific”?

2 . Going off to university gives students the opportunity to move out of home and into halls – and the chance to make their own decisions free of parental _________. For many, the experience is _________. But it is not suitable for everyone, which is why many students choose to commute(走读).

At Oxford Brookes University, a travel survey for 2012 found that almost a quarter (24.1%) of students travelled more than 10 miles to get to campus, while more than a third (34%) took journeys _________longer than 30 minutes. These figures may seem surprisingly high, but with the increase in tuition fees and the rising costs of living, they are _________ to grow.

Of course _________ pressures are not the only reason students opt to travel significant distances to university. Helen Jenkins, who studies English and Japanese, decided to commute to Oxford Brookes after _________ from depression in her first year.

The question of degree availability is vital. Less _________ subjects aren't taught at all institutions. Students who are tied _________ by family commitments are left with little choice but to travel considerable distances to _________ their studies.

Moreover, first-year students who fail to get a place in halls, or got a last-minute university place through clearing, are often __________ to commute – at least in the beginning.

Having lived in student accommodation in my first year, I opted to commute from London to Oxford in my second. I am fully __________ of the pros and cons(利害之处) of being a teenage coach commuter. While I adore my course, "student life" wasn't for me.

Though I now have all my home comforts, it is important to stress that living at home is not the easy option. I endure a journey that takes several hours out of my day, have less time to socialize, and am an awfully long way away from the university library. I estimate my travel will have __________ me £1,000 by the end of the year. This isn't cheap, but it is considerably less than the cost of __________ a property and having to worry about all the bills that come with it.

Students are finding a variety of __________ to the problem of high rentals: some have decided to study by distance learning, for example, through the Open University, while others are doing degrees at local further education colleges. The more __________ are opting to study in Europe, where education is cheaper, though the cost of travelling back and forth to Britain soon cuts into their savings.

1.

A．violence

B．authority

C．discipline

D．scale

2.

A．thrilling

B．terrifying

C．boring

D．confusing

3.

A．continuing

B．keeping

C．lasting

D．starting

4.

A．possible

B．likely

C．perhaps

D．never

5.

A．emotional

B．financial

C．influential

D．residential

6.

A．benefiting

B．suffering

C．learning

D．resulting

7.

A．traditional

B．original

C．efficient

D．popular

8.

A．geographically

B．academically

C．accidentally

D．unwillingly

9.

A．abandon

B．pursue

C．search

D．research

10.

A．willing

B．forced

C．wise

D．released

11.

A．aware

B．familiar

C．resistant

D．informative

12.

A．spend

B．cost

C．take

D．occupy

13.

A．managing

B．sharing

C．living

D．renting

14.

A．remedies

B．solutions

C．methods

D．origins

15.

A．intelligent

B．economical

C．responsible

D．adventurous

3 . The first daigou, meaning someone who makes purchases on another’s behalf, were Chinese students studying abroad, who carried ____ products home on behalf of family and friends. Adding a commission (佣金) helped them pay their tuition fees. The ____ of social-networking apps such as WeChat, China’s most popular, brought the business online. Daigou could then offer their services to friends of friends, and ____ items they thought might appeal to their network. But while daigou in America and Europe purchase mainly luxury goods for their customers, in Australia they buy mainly vitamins, food and beauty products. And while luxury brands see daigou as a threat, undercutting sale in China, Australian firms have come to ____ them.

There are perhaps 50,000 daigou, ____ the aisles (过道) of Australian shops and periodically stripping them bare. Ordinary daiguo can post 60,000 parcels to China every day. The biggest have grown into ____ export businesses which deliver goods through China’s free0trade zones. Express delivery services to China have ____ and some 1,500 stores in Australia mainly take are of the needs of daigou. One such chain, AuMake, recently listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Its ____ sales staff can arrange for a purchase to be posted to China as soon as it has been rung up (收款记账).

The ____ for the customers is simple: the products daigou post are guaranteed to be genuine. Ever since Chinese firms were found to have been selling contaminated (污染过的) milk power in 2008, many anxious Chinese parents have turned to foreign brands. But websites selling foreign goods are riddled with ____, while Chinese shops charge a fortune for the real thing.

The odd sales channel works for companies, too. Daigou allow young Australian firms to build their brands in China much more cheaply and easily than if they tried to ____ their products directly, argues Keong Chan, the chairman of AuMake. A firm called the a2 Milk Company doubled its profit in the year to June thanks to soaring Chinese ____. Daigou ____ more of those sales than Chinese retailers or e-commerce sites, according to Peter Nathan, who heads its Asia-Pacific unit. ____, many business fall over themselves to win the favour of the most influential daigou. “It’s like having 50,000 ____,” says Andrew Cohen, chief executive of Bellamy’s, a listed manufacturer of infant formula.

1.

A．desirable

B．enjoyable

C．reasonable

D．imaginable

2.

A．impact

B．contact

C．spread

D．exchange

3.

A．discover

B．promote

C．remind

D．contribute

4.

A．reject

B．embrace

C．cooperate

D．employ

5.

A．wandering

B．glancing

C．pasting

D．purchasing

6.

A．amazed

B．modified

C．skilled

D．organized

7.

A．disappeared

B．emerged

C．boomed

D．provided

8.

A．restless

B．gracious

C．persistent

D．efficient

9.

A．appeal

B．caution

C．stress

D．manual

10.

A．errors

B．fakes

C．virtues

D．values

11.

A．market

B．deliver

C．subscribe

D．develop

12.

A．price

B．demand

C．supply

D．trade

13.

A．cut down

B．make out

C．take on

D．account for

14.

A．Moreover

B．Therefore

C．Nevertheless

D．Likewise

15.

A．competitors

B．customers

C．representatives

D．sponsors

4 . As China Puts on Weight, Type-2 Diabetes (糖尿病) Is Rapidly Rising

More than 30 years ago, doctors in the northern city of Daqing began a pioneering long-term study into the prevention of type-2 diabetes, a disease which was then thought to affect about 1% of Chinese. When doctors, academics and officials gathered there this autumn to discuss the conclusions and promote prevention work, they faced a very different reality.    1    Type-2 diabetes is becoming more common globally, but in recent years the rate of the disease has been growing fastest in China.

Diabetes is a disfunction in the body’s regulation of blood-sugar levels. Type 1 is rare and usually shows up early in life, caused by factors that are not yet well understood. It can kill swiftly unless managed with daily injections of insulin (胰岛素).

    2    It tends to develop in adults, especially if they are overweight or do not exercise much. It can usually be controlled with pills and lifestyle changes, and can sometimes be reversed. Both types, if not well-treated, can cause complications such as organ damage, blindness, strokes and heart attacks.

    3    Twenty years ago, it had fewer than 25 million. The dramatic increase, almost entirely involving type 2s, worries the government. The study in Daqing showed how lifestyle changes can prevent type 2 among people with damaged glucose tolerance (糖耐量), which is sometimes a start of the condition. The country’s health-care system is trying to ensure symptoms are detected, and help people with them.

A big reason for the increase is that as people get richer, they often consume more processed foods and sugary drinks. One in seven Chinese adults is overfat, including a quarter of adults in Beijing, China’s fattest city. The urban proportion of the population has grown from less than 20% to about 60% since 1980.    4    

There may be a genetic link, too. Research finds that ethnic-Han Chinese are acquiring type 2 diabetes while younger and thinner than Caucasians. Smoking is another factor. China has one-fifth of the world’s population but consumes one-third of its cigarettes, and most of the daily smokers are men.

A．Type 2 is far more common, accounting for more than 90% of cases worldwide.

B．However, urban residents are becoming more willing to exercise, with gyms and yoga classes on the rise.

C．China has an estimated 116 million diabetics, by far the highest number of any country.

D．About 11% of Chinese adults now have the condition, nearly the proportion in America and twice the level in Britain.

E．The other type, though more commonly diagnosed, is not relatively dangerous.

F．City inhabitants tend to be less physically active than people in rural areas.

5 . HARRY POTTER AND THE FORBIDDEN JOURNEY

Universal Studio Resort

Make your way through the classrooms and corridors of Hogwarts. Then rocket above the castle grounds on a groundbreaking new ride that lets you join Harry Potter and his friends on an unforgettably thrilling adventure.

Our goal is to ensure that everyone is able to make well informed decisions about their ability to safely, comfortably, and conveniently experience each of our attractions.

1. CAUTION:

This ride imitates dramatic aerobatics and includes sudden acceleration, stopping, turning, climbing, and dropping.

Failure to follow posted guidelines may result in serious injury or expulsion (驱逐) from the park.

● Attraction is not allowed for Guests with a history of heart conditions or abnormal blood pressure.

● Attraction is not allowed for Guests with back, neck, or similar physical conditions.

● Expectant mothers are not allowed on this attraction.

● Attraction is not recommended for Guests easily influenced to motion sickness or dizziness.

● Attraction is not recommended for Guests who have fear of enclosed spaces.

● Attraction is not allowed for Guests with recent surgery or other conditions that may be worsened by this ride.

● Prosthetic limbs (义肢) must be secured to prevent hazards or loss due to ride forces. Please see an attendant for assistance.

● Guests under 122cm may not ride.

● Weight not to exceed 136 kg.

● This attraction cannot accommodate guide dogs. A portable pet cage is available upon request.

2. TO AVOID SERIOUS INJURY:

● Remain seated with your head firmly against the headrest.

● Keep hands and feet inside the vehicle.

● Hold onto shoulder restraints at all times.

● No Photography or Video Recording.

● Maximum capacity 4 persons.

● Keep safely all loose articles (phones, hats, glasses, video-recording equipment, cameras, wallets, keys, etc.) in the lockers provided or leave with a non-rider.

● No eating, drinking, or smoking.

1. In the passage, the underlined word aerobatics is closest in meaning to “________”.

A．violent movements	B．plunging activities
C．increasing rides	D．rapid actions

2. What is a proper behavior during rides according to the given information?

A．Guests must keep cameras inside their pockets or bags.

B．Children who are under a certain age are not allowed on this ride.

C．People with prosthetic limbs should remove them before the ride so as not to lose them.

D．People with visual sickness need to keep their guide dogs with them all the way through the ride.

3. Where would this page most probably be found on the Universal Studio homepage?

A．Guest Services

B．About Us

C．Things to Do

D．Plan Your Visit

6 . All Miss Price had been told about the new boy was that he’d spent most of his life in some kind of orphanage, and that the gray-haired “aunt and uncle” with whom he now lived were really foster parents (养父母), paid by the Welfare Department of the City of New York. A less devoted teacher might have pressed for more details, but Miss Price was content with the rough outline. It was enough to fill her with a sense of mission that shone from her eyes, from the first morning he joined the fourth grade.

He arrived early and sat in the back row, his backbone very straight, his ankles crossed precisely under the desk and his hands folded on the center of its top, and while the other children were filling in, he received a long, expressionless stare from each of them.

“We have a new classmate this morning,” Miss Price said, “His name is Vincent Sabella, and he comes from New York City. I know we’ll all do our best to make him feel at home.”

This time they all swung around to stare at once, which caused him to duck his head slightly and shift his weight from one side to the other. Ordinarily, the fact of someone’s coming from New York might have held a certain status, for to most of the children the city was a frightening, adult place that swallowed up their fathers every day. But anyone could see at a glance that Vincent Sabella had nothing to do with it. Even if you could ignore his twisted black hair and gray skin, his clothes would have given him away: ridiculously new pants, ridiculously old sports shoes and a yellow sweatshirt, much too small, with the faded remains of a Mickey Mouse design stamped on its chest.

The girls decided that he wasn’t very nice and turned away, but the boys remained in their inspection, looking him up and down with faint smiles. This was the kind of kid they were accustomed to thinking of as “tough,” the kind whose stare has made all of them uncomfortable at one time or another in unfamiliar neighborhoods; here was a unique chance for revenge.

1. What can you learn about Miss Price and Vincent from the first two paragraphs?

A．Since nobody had ever seen Vincent’s parents, he now lived all by himself.

B．Miss Price knew Vincent so well that she’d like to focus every bit of attention on him.

C．Miss Price didn’t know much about Vincent, but that didn’t stop her wanting to care about him.

D．Vincent sat in the back row so as not to arouse any unnecessary attention caused by his late arrival.

2. Why does the author mention “New York” in the third and the fourth paragraphs?

A．To illustrate Vincent’s distant origin.

B．To demonstrate children’s desire to go to see their fathers.

C．To emphasize Vincent’s low social status from his shabby clothes.

D．To state a certain distinction between Vincent and people’s imagination.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Vincent?

A．Devoted but shy.	B．Nervous and uneasy.
C．Untalkative and tough.	D．Sensitive but unfortunate.

4. What can you infer from the text about Vincent’s new classmates?

A．They were either unconcerned or unfriendly toward him.

B．They used to consider people like Vincent to be very tough.

C．They barely noticed the new boy sitting in the back of the classroom.

D．They were very curious about the newcomer in a kind and considerate manner.

7 . Researchers have found that urban heat island effect made worse by sunbaked roads can be relieved by a simple measure: Paint the streets gray.

A study by Arizona State University found that _________a reflective, gray-colored material to black asphalt（柏油）resulted in a 10.5-to-12-degree Fahrenheit drop in average road surface temperatures. Meanwhile, sunrise temperatures _________an average 2.4-degree drop.

“This is exactly what we were hoping for,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said. “It’s exciting to see a technology that has the potential to meet the demands of a growing desert city in a world where temperatures are_________rising.”

Experts say road temperatures in the Phoenix area can rise to 180 degrees on a hot day. That_________energy remains in paved surfaces for hours, radiating heat back into nighttime air. Higher overnight temperatures result in warmer mornings, creating a_________of urban heat island effect.

Researchers found as well that the greatest temperature_________was near the road surface, with less dramatic results 6 feet above the ground. Even so, the neighborhoods with streets reflecting light experienced air temperatures 0.3-to-0.5 degree cooler compared with neighborhoods with_________roads.

But reflective pavements don’t affect all surfaces the same way. Researchers said that “the most meaningful measurement” was of radiant temperatures, a measure of how the body_________heat. Those measurements showed that the “human experience of heat_________at noon and the afternoon hours was higher due to surface reflectivity.” It’s been noted that the increase in__________ temperatures “may be a necessary trade-off（妥协）to reduce surface temperatures using a reflective surface.”

Heather Murphy, a spokesperson for the Transportation Department, said the response has been __________from drivers and residents in neighborhoods where the material is applied. “We have had some people who don’t like the look of it, but generally the response has been very__________”.

Still, officials cautioned that reflective pavement is not a remedy for the urban heat island effect.

“If you’re standing over these surfaces on a hot day,__________, you’re still going to be hot if you’re not in the shade,” said Jennifer Vanos, an assistant professor at Arizona State University. “So if we really want to __________true solutions, it’s not going to be just painting all the streets gray.”

A second phase of the study will examine questions about how the material performs under different__________, including changes in reflectivity, degradation and subsurface temperature over longer periods.

1.

A．applying

B．sticking

C．approaching

D．contributing

2.

A．occurred

B．proved

C．turned

D．saw

3.

A．efficiently

B．constantly

C．technically

D．specifically

4.

A．generated

B．heated

C．absorbed

D．calculated

5.

A．cycle

B．decline

C．sample

D．variety

6.

A．balance

B．control

C．difference

D．equality

7.

A．gray-painted

B．light-colored

C．black-topped

D．dry-surfaced

8.

A．reflects

B．transmits

C．resists

D．experiences

9.

A．extent

B．exposure

C．absorption

D．endurance

10.

A．felt

B．heated

C．stored

D．needed

11.

A．instant

B．all-sided

C．objective

D．mixed

12.

A．optimistic

B．positive

C．pessimistic

D．obvious

13.

A．in fact

B．as a result

C．on the other hand

D．for one thing

14.

A．put down

B．hold up

C．push toward

D．take back

15.

A．variations

B．conditions

C．circulations

D．investigations

8 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box.   Each word can only be used once.   Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. thread   B. illustrate   C. breaks   D. films   E. engage     F. second G. favored   H. constantly   I. embracing   J. considerably     K. certified

Learning for a Distracted Generation

Today's students have a problem, and it is not the one written on the board. They were born into a world where algorithms (算法) keep them clicking, scrolling and swiping at a rapid pace. Technology, smartphones, social media, and immediate access to the internet are hurting their ability to focus and changing the way they think.

Now teachers have a problem too. They find it particularly exhausting to ask students to read complex or long texts without taking regular     1    . Smartphones have clearly affected the younger generation, but how education should evolve for digital-native students was not something that was covered when they were getting     2     .   

A common     3     among teachers is that short is good. When students can't seem to pay attention to long lectures, many teachers simply hack lessons into smaller chunks (模块). In fact, students need time to     4     with a topic once the teacher introduces it before moving on. Switching between small lessons too quickly could rob them of valuable comprehension.

A 2018 study from educational publisher Pearson found that students aged between 10 and 24 tend to stay away from physical books. They prefer video as a source of information     5     only to teachers. Therefore, some tech-forward teachers choose to “meet kids where they are" on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Asha Choksi, vice president of global research at Pearson, gives the example of a teacher who     6     himself performing a science experiment and posts it to YouTube. When it is time for class, he uses the video to     7     materials in the textbook, which can seem boring to students.

Still, while those educators are     8     technology in the classroom to meet students’ needs, they are also finding value in traditional methods, and so suggest a blended (混合的) learning approach. Diregt instruction from them will never be replaced in their classes. Technology will be     9     only when it improves a lesson in ways that are impossible offline.

Digital natives will continue to eagerly adopt new media. Teachers have no choice but to adapt. They are making an effort not only to ensure that students take advantage of new technologies, but to teach students valuable skills that can help them succeed in a world     10     trying to distract them. Think of the Zuckerbergs, the Gates, the Jobs and all those pioneers in the tech world. They became successful not because they could code; it was because they could think.

9 . You need to change in order to grow. Changing your life is a continuous process. It never ends The moment you stop changing, you stop growing. Here are some tips that may help to change your life.

    1     If you are always busy, you won't have the time to think about your life, let alone taking action to change it. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast-you also miss the sense of where you are going and why

It's your life; nobody can change it but you. If you aren't willing to change, nothing in this worried can make you do so. To build the willingness to change, first you should realize that your life can be better than it is now. No matter how good your life is, it can always be improved.     2     You can always change your life for the better.

Don't blame other people for the bad things that happen in your life. Don't blame your family, friends, boss or the economy.     3     Stephen Covey once said, “We immediately become more effective when we decide to change ourselves rather than asking things to change for us.”

Deep down in your heart, there are some principles that you know are true. Take the time to find them. What do you think is the most valuable thing in life? What principles do you think you must follow to live an enjoyable life? These are the values that you need to align (与......一致) yourself with. Find them and constantly remind yourself about them.

    4     Not only can this person give you advice on what to do in certain situations, he can also warn you about possible pitfalls in your path. Without a mentor (导师), you will most likely have to learn many lessons the hard way. Having a mentor will save you a huge amount of time.

A．Find an advisor.

B．Cherish people around you.

C．To change your life, you need time to think and reflect.

D．Whether your life goes up or down depends on you and you alone.

E．With all these tips mentioned above, you may as well start right now to change.

F．On the other hand, don't feel hopeless if your life doesn't seem good right now.

10 . Directions: Complete the passage with the words given in the table. Each word can be used only once. There is an extra one that you will find no use for.

A. improve B. ignores     C. acceptable     D. crowd     E. desire     F. affect G. excellent   H. assignment     I. reduce   J. achieve     K. up-to-date

Tips to be a successful high school student

Everyone wants to be the best High School student. Unlikely, only few top it. Want to be one of them? Follow these tips, know the secret only the toppers know!

Dream big

You are the product of your thoughts. Dream big and have a higher purpose to live. Dream makes you    1     for something necessary for your life. It ensures a high level of excitement, and thus you stay highly focused. Therefore, you should be serious about dreaming big and    2     the quality of your life. Find the reasons to get good grades. Make your parents happy and your co-mates admire you. Do not be one among the    3    ; try being the one above the crowd. Dreaming big motivates you and makes you    4     more.

Do one task at a time

Avoid multitasking! Like listening to songs while doing your homework or doing a(n)     5     watching your favorite football show. Do you think you are saving your time? But no, you are not. Multitasking can     6     your productivity and effectiveness. Affecting your work is secondary, you know what? Multitasking can     7     your memory and reduce your IQ by 15 points.

Do not procrastinate (拖延）

Time and tide wait for none. It's very easy to procrastinate and it is     8     occasionally. However, making a habit out of it is where things go wrong. Awareness and diligence are the keys to be    9     students in high school. Being on time is the virtue(美德)．It is always advisable to complete tasks well before time, stay    10    , have preparation for exams beforehand, and stay on top of your game.

There is no shortcut to reach your dream. Still getting successful does not demand more of hard work. Little smart work can do everything.