1 . I'm an early user of social media. For the most part, I've enjoyed the time I've spent on the site. But like many friends I know, I was also starting to feel like my visits to Facebook were just a waste of time.
Of course, the obvious move would just be to steer clear of Facebook and other social media sites. But as a writer, I have to use social media several times a day. And once I'm in the site, it's almost impossible to take no notice of those notices reminding me of posts in my personal feed（信息推送）. I felt like I had to find the one or two meaningful posts that made my social media feed worth the time.
Then I came across a post by Melissa Hartwig, the founder of the Whole30 program. In the post she said "Don't act like social media just happens to you; make it work FOR YOU."
It hit home with me. I immediately set out to change the way I was using social media. I hid and unfollowed groups and accounts（账户）that were not adding something active to my life. I didn't stop to think. I just clicked my way through the feed.
I'm not burying my head in the sand. I continue to follow people whose opinions on different topics differ from my own, but their words are interesting and open-minded.
Then I limited my interaction（互动）on social media. Unless I had something to say, I no longer interacted. A study found that inactive use of social media has a bad effect on our mood, while active use—sharing thoughts and commenting on others' posts—improved mood.
The result? I can say without doubt that I no longer worry about getting into a time-wasting vacuum（真空）. That's because my feed is nowhere near as bottomless as it once was.
1. Which word can best replace the underlined part "steer clear of" in Paragraph 2?| A．Share. | B．Explore. |
| C．Quit. | D．Improve. |
| A．His friends' influence. | B．A sentence in a post. |
| C．The Whole30 program. | D．A talk with Melissa Hartwig. |
| A．He set a time limit. |
| B．He hid his own accounts. |
| C．He interacted less with others. |
| D．He no longer read different opinions. |
| A．It met great difficulties. | B．It was a waste of time. |
| C．It attracted more friends. | D．It got a satisfying result. |
2 . My least favorite part was participating in sport meets, for I loved running by myself. When faced with running against fellow athletes, I was
The 800-meter event was approaching, meaning that I would
I stepped up to the line for the event. The starter raised his cap gun and
It was the last lap before the final straightaway. I supposed I had the possibility to win. So I widened my steps, speeding up my
My coach gave me a
| A．shocked | B．nervous | C．comfortable | D．brave |
| A．stadium | B．hospital | C．bathroom | D．station |
| A．delay | B．fail | C．escape | D．compete |
| A．ignore | B．increase | C．form | D．imagine |
| A．reporters | B．judges | C．runners | D．coaches |
| A．watch out | B．turn back | C．get away | D．warm up |
| A．smoothly | B．rapidly | C．calmly | D．patiently |
| A．returned | B．withdrew | C．screamed | D．fired |
| A．challenged | B．recalled | C．forgot | D．adapted |
| A．exact | B．great | C．practical | D．suitable |
| A．offered | B．pretended | C．regretted | D．managed |
| A．speech | B．mind | C．fight | D．pace |
| A．beat | B．pushed | C．dragged | D．followed |
| A．soft | B．cautious | C．firm | D．slight |
| A．excited | B．disappointed | C．relaxed | D．depressed |
3 . Why play sports? You might say “to get exercise” and you would be right. To have fun? That's true, too. But there's more.
Girls who play sports do better in school. You might think that athletics will take up all your study time.
Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goal-setting skills.
Sports are good for a girl's health. In addition to being fit and keeping a healthy weight, girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke. And later in life, girls who exercise are less likely to get breast cancer or osteoporosis(骨质疏松症).
Playing sports improves self-confidence.
| A．Exercise cuts the pressure. |
| B．Sports teach valuable life skills. |
| C．Regular exercise increases quality of life. |
| D．In fact, there are at least five more reasons. |
| E．Girls who play sports feel better about themselves. |
| F．Playing sports offers children more than just physical benefits. |
| G．But research shows that girls who play sports do better in school than those who don't. |
4 . The Polish take great pride in their culture.Our culture has many different customs and traditions.I will discuss three of these traditions and customs.
The Polish will say “Dziekuje” (“thank you”) only after receiving their change.What I mean by this is that when you are in Poland，you should wait to say “thank you” until after you have been given your change back.If you do not，you are telling cashiers (收银员) that they can “keep the change”.Often，people visiting Poland will feel that things are very expensive，until they learn that they are giving the store clerk permission to keep the money that would have been given back.
Polish people break “bread” with their families during their Christmas Eve meal.The Christmas Eve celebration starts with the breaking of the Oplatek，which is a thin piece of “bread”．In my family，the eldest in the family (my grandfather) takes the big Oplatek and breaks it into large pieces that he then hands down to each of his four children (my aunt，uncles，and father)．Then，these family members break their pieces into smaller sizes and pass them out to their own children.Once the last piece is passed down to the youngest，we say a prayer (祷告) and eat the piece of thin bread.
Polish people celebrate “Imieniny”,or Name’s Day.This day is more important than one’s birthday.They often name their children after a saint (圣徒) whose day is closest to the date that they were born on.Then their saint’s day that they were named after becomes their “new” birthday.On Name’s Day，families and friends gather together and enjoy a variety of food，drinking，and dancing.
As you can see，Poland has a few very unique (独特的) traditions and customs.I honor my Polish culture and will pass it on to my own children because it is important to know one’s own culture.
1. In Poland，if you say “Dziekuje” before getting your change，___________ .| A．the store clerk will keep it |
| B．the product will be changed |
| C．the store clerk will check the money |
| D．the product will be returned to the store |
| A．his grandfather | B．his uncle |
| C．his aunt | D．his father |
| A．a day to visit families and friends |
| B．more important than Name’s Day |
| C．near to his or her birthday |
| D．a day to honor a saint |
| A．He feels proud of them. |
| B．He shows no interest in them. |
| C．He is worried about them. |
| D．He considers them very funny. |
5 . It hurts to see someone you care about struggling in a relationship that seems to take away their joy and happiness. If you realize that your close friends have this issue, then it's possible to help them.
• Listen
• Say what you think honestly
One of the most important ways of helping your friends who are in a harmful relationship is by being direct and honest with the person.
•
If you've ever been in a harmful experience before, then you have a very powerful weapon to help your friends. Talk about your own sad story so as to share similar experience with the person who is currently suffering. However, do not share in a way to blame your friends. Be as gentle as possible.
Relationships can be difficult.
| A．Share your own story |
| B．Share your friends' experience |
| C．Listen to your friends' sufferings and argue with them |
| D．Friends can go far if they love listening to one another |
| E．Tell them just what they need, not what they are eager to hear |
| F．Here are some tips you need to help someone who is in trouble |
| G．It's always wise to be careful when helping a friend who is in trouble |
6 . The fitness center offers a variety of activities for members of all ages throughout the week.
Activities for Monday 12 July, 2017:
Learn to swim. Classes for preschool children aged five and under start at 10 am. Classes last 30 minutes and parents must attend with their children. Don't forget to book in advance, as places are limited, and to pack some warm clothes for after the lesson.
Woman's aerobics（有氧运动）. Sessions are for one hour and begin at 10:45 am, led by Melissa. Come along and join us every Monday for an exhilarating hour of exercise and fun. Leave your kids at the nursery and take time out for yourself. Wear a tracksuit or something similar.
Lunch time yoga. Take a break at lunchtime （1:00-2:00 pm） for an hour of meditation and yoga. Enjoy the peace and quiet of our meditation room, and relaxing sessions designed for active people with busy lives. Use your own mat（垫子）for floor work or huy one from us with some money.
Family Shootaround. 10:00-5:30 pm. Family Shootaround is open for members and guests to bring the family out for basketball. Half court games are only during this time. There are no full court games during Family Shootaround hours. All participants must sign in at the front desk and wear a wistband during the play.
1. When will Melissa be working?| A．From 10:00 am to 10:30 am |
| B．From 10:45 am to 11:45 am. |
| C．From 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. |
| D．From 10:00 am to 5:30 pm. |
| A．Lunchtime yoga. | B．Women's aerobics. |
| C．Learn to swim | D．Family Shootaround. |
| A．The need to sign in |
| B．The need to book in advance. |
| C．The need to bring something. |
| D．The need to become a member. |
7 . On Monday, I stopped my car in front of my daughter Juliet’s middle school. She jumped in the front seat, feeling down. She asked me to help her study for her science test.
“Dad, I need to memorise a unit about the Reproductive Cycle of Plants. And I can hardly make it.”
“You know memorising seems like the best way to study, but in fact you can do better in tests if you work on trying to understand the material.”
Juliet was open to my advice. It was Monday afternoon and we had two nights to study before the test on Wednesday. I suggested a plan. “Tomorrow night, you are going to teach the material to me. Tonight, read the unit. Prepare to teach.”
Asking her to teach me was an unusual idea but I was determined to do it. Studies show teaching somebody else is a very useful way to learn. Even if you don’t do the teaching, the act of preparing to teach leads to more learning than just trying your best to memorise the material.
On Tuesday afternoon, Juliet sat down with her science book facing me and said, “Okay Dad, let’s study.” I wanted her to teach me. But false starts happened. I couldn’t be too hard on her. So instead we started with me asking her some simple questions. She knew some but not others. When she didn’t know the answers, I encouraged her to check the book.
She started checking things that didn’t make sense. And she was actively seeking to test her understanding. I was happy to see it. She wasn’t memorising; she was trying to make sense of things, which was exactly what I had hoped she would do.
1. Why did Juliet feel down?| A．Because she failed her science test. |
| B．Because she had trouble memorising a unit. |
| C．Because she knew nothing about planting. |
| D．Because she couldn’t follow her teacher. |
| A．Memorising. | B．Testing. |
| C．Questioning. | D．Understanding. |
| A．Making her check the book. |
| B．Using simple questions to test her. |
| C．Encouraging her to read the unit. |
| D．Asking her to teach me the unit. |
| A．A Creative Father |
| B．An Unexpected Test |
| C．Learning from Teaching |
| D．Preparing for Teaching |
8 . What will the future school look like is difficult to make clear, but most experts agree that the school will be electronic in the future .
" Present-day schools will no longer exist in the next century," says a report in The Age. "At that time, future schools will become community-style centers, which run seven days a week,24 hours a day. ” At the same time, computers will surely become a central part of the school in the future.
According to The Age, the distant learning will be popular and students will listen to teachers on computers. Going into classrooms on their computers, students will study at any time, which is very easy for them. However, it is necessary for students to go to the actual school in order to develop some social skills.
The Seashore Primary School is an imaginary school in the future created by the Education Department of Australia. At this school, all the teachers and students have laptop computers . Teachers check messages and call students back on a special telephone system and students use telephones to search for information or speak to their experts who teach their lessons. Besides, all the lessons are related to all sorts of subjects and all the students have their own learning plans created by teachers .
As one headmaster says, a laptop computer is students5 library, data storage （数据存储）as well as the bridge to a wider world. Technology has changed the emphasis of future learning. Thus, well pay more attention to the learning of kids rather than the teaching.
1. According to the report in The Age, students in future schools will _______.| A．have no teachers | B．study at a set time |
| C．mainly study online | D．never go to actual school |
| A．telephones are important in Australia |
| B．how future schools will work |
| C．every student needs a learning plan |
| D．students enjoy getting in touch with teachers |
| A．The Schools in the Future |
| B．Great Changes in Technology |
| C．The Seashore Primary School |
| D．Actual Schools to Be Replaced |
9 . When the leaves begin to change colors,it means one thing for many travelers：Fall festival season is here.If you’re interested in visiting a fall festival in America,here are some of the country’s best fall festivals for you to choose from.
Wellfleet Oysterfest
Wellileet Oysterfest is a two-day event held in Wellfleet,Mass.The meeting on Cape Cod is one that the locals look forward to all year long.Feed on oysters(牡蛎）and other seafood，while you watch the fastest oyster-eaters in the world compete in the famous Oyster Shuck-Off,a competition for taking the outer covering of oysters.The competition is taken very seriously.
Harvest on the Harbor
It takes place in Portland,Maine.The festival celebrates all that is best about Maine’s food and wine.This celebration is held every October,and includes the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year Competition and Savory Samplings at the Marketplace.The latter allows travelers to taste the best local food that Maine has to offer at Casco Bay.
Killington Hay Festival
If you’re looking for a fall festival that includes hay sculptures(干草雕塑)，take part in the yearly Killington Hay Festival.When you begin to see the giant hay sculptures,you’ll know you’ve arrived.Past sculptures have changed from a 20-foot-tall kangaroo to a family of penguins.
1. What can we learn about the meeting on Cape Cod?| A．It takes place twice a year. | B．It lasts three days in all. |
| C．It’s loved by the locals. | D．It’s not open to tourists. |
| A．People who want to go to a festival in November. |
| B．People who want to try Maine’s local food. |
| C．The fastest oyster-eaters worldwide, |
| D．The best cooks around the world. |
| A．They all serve seafood. | B．They are all liked by eaters. |
| C．They all last for two days. | D．They all take place in fall. |
10 . Nowadays, more and more employers and employees work online either full-time or part-time, and that number is continuing growing. It’s believed that flying around the world for face-to-face company meetings is a waste of time and money. An effective choice to get rid of it is to use Web meetings.
A large of group presentations, training classes and meetings are done online without losing the face-to-face experience. Web meetings are online meetings where an organizer invites attendees to listen to or watch an online presentation by presenters. Besides, Web meetings can be recorded for later us.
Presenters can take real-time surveys to study how to hold a successful meeting. Some Web meeting software programs can monitor the users’ desktop behavior to see if they become distracted from the presentation and begin working on other documents. If so the program can tell presenters when the listeners lose their attention, and how long the distraction lasts. In this way, the presenters will know which parts of their meetings need improving.
Web meetings can work well because they’re hosted on a server (服务器). Images from the presenter’s desktop are taken, uploaded to a server and then downloaded by people who have access to the server. Web meetings require a powerful server to deal with several images a second and “serve” them back to thousands of users at the same time.
Companies have two choices when it comes to these servers. They can either buy a special Web meeting server to host their meetings on-site, or they can pay for a Web meeting service every time and let the off-site provider worry about hosting the meetings. The choice depends on how frequently the company holds Web meetings, the average number of people attending the meetings, and the quality of engineering and information technology.
Web meetings are an excellent example of how technology is changing the way we do business. With all the technologies today, the traditional office might soon be a thing of the past.
1. In what way do some Web meeting software programs help improve the meetings?| A．By tracking the users’ state. |
| B．By giving useful suggestions. |
| C．By sharing detailed technical data. |
| D．By providing other presenters’ videos. |
| A．relies little on the quality of IT |
| B．holds Web meetings twice a week |
| C．doesn’t have so many employees |
| D．has branches in the same city or province |
| A．Web meetings help presenters stay focused. |
| B．Web meetings work without the help of a server. |
| C．Web meetings determine the quality of engineering. |
| D．Web meetings are likely to be widely used. |
| A．to advertise servers used in Web meetings |
| B．to persuade companies to hold web meetings |
| C．to introduce the benefits of using Web meetings. |
| D．to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Web meetings |
