1 . While most parks tend to draw families in the summer and fall, there are also ideal spots for adventurous winter trips.
Yellowstone National Park Wyoming.The country’s oldest and best-known national park takes on an almost otherworldly atmosphere in winter: the air filled with rolling steam, the strong colors of hot springs, the surrounding white landscapes, let alone the impressive wildlife during this time, like bison, wolves. and playful red foxes. Just book a guided hiking tour to get a ranger’s perspective on the park and local people.
Joshua Tree National Park California.With its giant red rocks and unique trees, you’ll feel like stepping onto a foreign planet as you spend hours hiking the Panoram a Loop or Maze Loop. The park is recognized as an International Dark Sky Park, featuring virtually zero light pollution and the country’s best views of a starry sky.
Grand Canyon National Park, ArizonaA significantly lower number of visitors in winter means you can take in unblocked views of the South Rim, and get to see the rare beauty of the Grand Canyon dusted with snow. For those adventurous and daring, it is recommended to hike the Bright Angel Trail and take the chance to see the canyon’s wintertime wildlife, including mule deer, elk, and bald eagles.
Virgin Islands National Park, St. JohnSurprise! Not all wintertime national park trips need to involve snow. Virgin Islands National Park is most famous for its white-sand beaches. You can also hike inland to visit old sugar plantations, or venture out to the water to swim along with sea turtles and manta rays. You will definitely enjoy a different winter here.
1. Which park will one choose if he or she is interested in stars?| A．Yellowstone Nation Park. | B．Joshua Tree National Park. |
| C．Grand Canyon National Park. | D．Virgin Islands National Park |
| A．The Bright Angel Trail is challenging in cold weather. |
| B．The four parks are all well-known for the sports on snow. |
| C．There is a slight drop in visitor numbers in winter in these parks. |
| D．Virgin Islands National Park lies in an area with rolling steam and hot springs. |
| A．The Ideal Spots for Adventures | B．The Rules to Follow in the Wild |
| C．The Big Attractions for Families | D．The Best National Parks in Winter |
I always wondered how people would react if I tried to approach a stranger for help in a busy place like a street corner or in a bustling mall. I personally have hurried past a stranger who tried to catch my attention in a busy place.
Yesterday I had a taste of being stuck in such a desperate situation where your only hope of help would have to come from a total stranger.
I was in a busy shopping mall buying a large piece of luggage. After the purchase in one of the large and expensive shops, I picked up my phone from my pocket to call my driver waiting in the parking lot and my phone was dead.
I then requested the shop assistant selling me the luggage, which was not cheap at all, if she could ring the number of my driver for me. She replied, still all smiles, “I’m sorry Sir, but it is the shop policy that we cannot use mobile phones while working in the shop.”
As I was wondering what kind of policy that was, I saw a nice-looking teenage boy coming toward me. Remember my wife’s interesting theory that beautiful people are more likely to give you a hand when you’re in trouble, I thought I might have a chance. But before I could say a word, he walked past me. It turned out he simply didn’t see me.
I waited in the mall but it seemed nobody bothered to look at me. Disappointed and tired, I got out of the shop on to the busy street in front. I stood there with people rushing by, looking at their faces to see if they will show kindness to me. I began wondering how many times I had reacted to strangers like the shop girl and the teenager.
注意：1. 续写的短文词数应为100左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
That was when I saw a young mother with her two kids.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally a man wearing a cheap T-shirt and dirty jeans seemed to notice me.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter density (灰质密度). This is the area of the brain which processes (加工) information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles. The study also found the younger people learn a second language, the greater the effect is.
A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London (UCL), took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference was.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists. It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible.” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learnt English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.
1. Why does the writer mention “exercise” in the second paragraph?| A．To make people believe language learning is helpful for their health. |
| B．To suggest language learning is also a kind of physical labor. |
| C．To prove that one needs more resources when he/she is learning a language. |
| D．To tell us that learning a language can train your brain effectively. |
| A．The ability of learning a second language is changing all the time. |
| B．The earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density is. |
| C．The experience of learning a second language has a bad effect on brain. |
| D．There is no difference between a later second language learner and one without a second language. |
| A．early learning of a second language helps in studying other subjects |
| B．learning a second language is the same as studying maths |
| C．Italian is the best choice for you as a second language |
| D．you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language |
| A．Language learning is closely connected with maths study. |
| B．Man has a great ability of learning a second language. |
| C．Studying a foreign language can improve man’s ability to think. |
| D．The study done by the researchers from UCL is failed finally. |
4 . When Antonio Gwynn Jr. saw the rubbish from a parade (巡游) in his hometown of Buffalo, New York, he picked up a broom, bought some trash bags and started cleaning the streets by himself.
Gwynn is an 18-year-old high school senior. He started at 2 a.m. on Monday and didn’t stop cleaning for the next 10 hours. He told CNN that he “knew people needed to use that street to get to work in the morning.”
When word spread of how Gwynn single-handedly took action, his community responded. Matt Block saw Gwynn’s story on the news and decided to give him his 2004 red Mustang convertible (敞篷汽车). Block, 27, said the car is one he wanted since he was a child, but these days he is only using it occasionally. He saw Gwynn ask for some car buying advice on Facebook, and Matt decided to offer up his sports car.
It turns out that gift has more meaning than Block ever imagined. Gwynn’s mother, who passed away last year, also drove a red Mustang. When he realized the coincidence, Gwynn says that he was so shocked he “didn’t have any words.”
After high school, Gwynn had planned to go to trade school while saving up to go to college. Upon hearing Gwynn’s story, Medaille College in Buffalo offered him a full scholarship where he plans to study business starting this fall. One of his many goals is to open a cleaning business.
This is the first time Gwynn received this type of recognition for his good deeds, but this is not the first time he stepped up to help others. He is a member of Kappa Phi where he enjoys doing community service, and he helps out at churches.
Gwynn is thankful for the community response, saying, “I appreciate everything everyone is doing for me.”
1. Why did Gwynn clean the street?| A．He dropped a lot of rubbish there. | B．He liked to help people. |
| C．He wanted to get paid by cleaning. | D．He had a cleaning business. |
| A．From social media. | B．By asking him directly. |
| C．From his own experience. | D．By reading the news. |
| A．Stubborn. | B．Honest. | C．Generous. | D．Warm-hearted. |
| A．A good beginning is half done. | B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．A good turn deserves another. | D．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
5 . It is generally assumed that one can’t have too many friends. But it seems that there is a natural limit to the number of people we stay in touch with. A study found that when we make new friends, by starting a new job or going to university, we downgrade or even drop old ones. And while the friends may change, the number stays almost the same.
Oxford University researcher Felix Reed-Tsochas asked 24 students in the final months of school to list all their friends and relatives and say how close to them they were. The pupils filled in the questionnaire (问卷) twice more after starting work or going to university. They were also given free mobile phones and agreed that researchers could use their bills to work out who they called, when and for how long.
Putting the two pieces of information together showed, unsurprisingly, that most people have a small circle of close friends, who they spend most of their time talking to. This inner circle is surrounded by group after group of ever more distant friends. As the volunteers’ lives changed, this overall pattern, including the number of best friends, remained almost the same, meaning that some close friends from childhood were dropped or downgraded as new friendships were built.
Dr Reed-Tsochas said, “Maybe my best friend is no longer the same person but the amount of time I allocate (分配) to my best friend is still the same.” He added that this finding suggests that even with the coming of modern technology we are only capable of forming a limited number of true friendships.
Chester University researcher Dr Sam Roberts said, “Our results are likely to reflect limitations in the ability of humans to keep emotionally close relationships both because of limited time and because the emotional capital (情绪资本) that individuals can allocate between family members and friends is limited.”
1. According to Paragraph 1, what is a popular belief about making friends?| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. | B．We should treat friends as our family. |
| C．The more friends we make, the better. | D．A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody. |
| A．Checking the volunteers’ call records. | B．Learning about the volunteers’ hobbies. |
| C．Tracking the volunteers’ job performance. | D．Interviewing the volunteers’ schoolmates. |
| A．One’s attitude to friendship remains the same. |
| B．People attach great importance to friendships. |
| C．People rarely drop their old friends to make new ones. |
| D．The number of one’s best friends doesn’t change much. |
| A．To add background information. | B．To give a possible explanation. |
| C．To offer some suggestions. | D．To introduce a new topic. |
1.写信目的；
2.自身优势；
3.服务承诺。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：第9届亚洲冬季运动会the 9th Asian Winter Games
Dear Sir/Madam,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
7 . National Parks in Utah
Zion National Park
It’s perfect for scenic drives and outdoor adventures. One of the park highlights is the Zion Canyons, which offers different hiking (远足) opportunities. Late spring or early fall is the best time to visit Zion National Park, since most facilities are open during this time. However, if you don’t mind cold weather, visit during the late fall and winter.
Bryce Canyon National Park
It’s home to the greatest number of hoodoos (石林) on earth, which are one of the natural wonders of the world. You can see most of Bryce Canyon’s highlights in one day by taking the scenic drive and making stops at various views. Most people visit the park between May and September since the weather is warmer.
Canyonlands National Park
Although it’s the 23rd largest National Park in the US, Canyonlands is the largest out of the four national parks in Utah. The best time of the year to visit is when the weather is pleasant in the spring and fall. The park has four main parts: The Maze, Island in the Sky, The Needles, and Horseshoe Canyon. If you plan to visit every part, you can go on a boat tour to explore it.
Arches National Park
Known as a red-rock wonderland, Arches National Park is popular for its stone arches (石拱).The park has over 2,000 stone arches, with Landscape Arch the largest. The park is busiest from March through October. However, the spring and fall temperatures are the most comfortable. So, the best time to visit is April, May, September and October.
1. When is the best time to visit Zion National Park?| A．Late spring. | B．Early summer. | C．Late fall. | D．Early winter. |
| A．It features hike programs. | B．It is known for stone arches. |
| C．It is the largest one in Utah. | D．It requires advance bookings. |
| A．Take a journey down a river. | B．Explore the Zion Canyons. |
| C．Tour Island in the Sky. | D．Admire the red rock. |
8 . Some Winter Activities
Winter activities are underestimated (低估). The days may be shorter, but the list of fun activities isn’t. Don’t let the winter blues take over.
Finding your favourite.
Walking on snow.
Skiing. Those that love it really love it. Hitting the ski hills is an old wintertime tradition. It gets you outside, boosts your mood, and serves as a core workout. You don’t need the latest gear (设备) to be able to have fun.
| A．Go to the gym. |
| B．Learning something. |
| C．Most ski fields rent gear too. |
| D．Be active and try these winter activities. |
| E．The following are things you can do at home. |
| F．You needn’t be an athlete to enjoy this seasonal activity. |
| G．The key to keeping healthy is finding what you enjoy doing. |
9 . Many libraries around the world are as amazing in their architecture and organization as they are in the huge amount of knowledge they contain. With shelves and shelves of books, various collections and amazing historical and cultural displays, there are plenty of undiscovered wonders.
Beinecke Rare Book Library (New Haven, Connecticut)
Yale University has one of the most beautiful college campuses in America, and one of its most interesting features is the Beinecke Rare Book Library. It is one of the largest buildings in the world devoted to rare books and manuscripts (手稿) of famous people. From 2015-16 the library building was closed for 18 months for major improvement. Inside there is a statue of its main founder that rises up high.
Vennesla Library (Vennesla, Norway)
Located near the southernmost tip of Norway, Vennesla Library is more than a collection of books—it’s a city cultural center and meeting place. The building hosts a coffee shop, open meeting spaces, classrooms for children and adult education courses, and a cinema. It is mainly built out of wood. The long, thin beams (横梁) on the inside were designed to look like the inside of a whale.
Suzzallo Library (Seattle)
Among the many beautiful features of the campus at the University of Washington, such as its cherry flowers and a light rail station, Suzzallo Library was built in the Collegiate Gothic style. Its buttresses (扶壁) are decorated with 18 statues featuring famous academics and writers such as Plato, Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci, Dante, Galileo, Beethoven, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.
Library of Muyinga (Muyinga, Burundi)
A school for deaf children, the Library of Muyinga in Burundi was built with local techniques and traditions. A rope hammock (吊床) that hangs between the first and second floors of the library serves as part of the children’s reading room, a great place for indoor activities.
More information of them is just a click away.
1. Which one is suitable for people who want to appreciate statues?| A．Beinecke Rare Book Library. | B．Vennesla Library. |
| C．Suzzallo Library. | D．Library of Muyinga. |
| A．It is mainly intended for children. | B．It is built in the shape of a whale. |
| C．It is located within the campus. | D．It is a kind of culture complex. |
| A．A culture magazine | B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A website. | D．A historical book. |
10 . After graduation, I decided to take the gym seriously. Accompanied by a friend, I
One day, he suggested that we
But several weeks later, he managed to
“We’re not getting enough
“Tennis? I can’t play tennis! That
However, weeks later, I started playing tennis. After several months of
I learned a valuable
| A．quit | B．changed | C．started | D．designed |
| A．confident | B．familiar | C．careful | D．satisfied |
| A．take up | B．focus on | C．make up | D．check in |
| A．admired | B．supported | C．revised | D．refused |
| A．remind | B．persuade | C．attract | D．request |
| A．wanted | B．imagined | C．scheduled | D．arranged |
| A．fluent | B．skillful | C．curious | D．impressive |
| A．movement | B．adventure | C．exercise | D．time |
| A．includes | B．requires | C．improves | D．explores |
| A．suggestion | B．strategy | C．behaviour | D．goal |
| A．hopeful | B．careful | C．painful | D．harmful |
| A．obviously | B．formally | C．actually | D．finally |
| A．lecture | B．message | C．lesson | D．responsibility |
| A．flash | B．follow | C．narrow | D．contact |
| A．positive | B．calm | C．confused | D．interested |
