1 . I realized I would not see a real person named Sophie at Sophie’s Eatery because, like most new restaurants these days, Sophie’s is a robo-restaurant.
When I walked in, a cute little manager robot appeared, looking rather like a toaster with blinking (眨) blue eyes. It escorted me to a nice table in the back. The menu monitor popped out of my table and showed me pictures of my dining choices. I tapped my choices and clicked OK, and the screen slid back down.
I watched as full plates rode the conveyer belts that moved along each aisle (过道) of tables. In just a few minutes, my dish stopped at my table, and I took it from the belt. Later, I placed my empty plate back on the conveyer belt, and it was taken away into kitchen to be cleaned.
I watched the little toaster showing customers to tables while I ate my main dish. The food was delicious, but I was starting to feel extremely angry because dealing with robots always makes me feel inhuman. Pretty soon, I wanted to talk to someone real, even if it was just a few sentences.
So when my dessert arrived, I took action. I dropped my plate on the floor with a satisfying crash. I was so happy when I saw the manager toaster’s blinking red eyes—at last, a real live person would arrive!
But instead, a crew of two robots quickly appeared. A robot broom rushed over and started to sweep the piece of the broken plate into a robot garbage can. They finished and moved back into the kitchen.
My plan to get a little reality into Sophie’s Eatery failed. I hope the robo-restaurant trend ends soon. I want to deal with people again!
1. What does the underlined word “escorted” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Registered. | B．Guided. |
| C．Conducted. | D．Rushed |
| A．To deal with a real human. | B．To catch attention from the robots. |
| C．To play jokes on the robots. | D．To complain about the bad service. |
| A．Satisfied. | B．Shocked. |
| C．Annoyed. | D．Curious. |
| A．The trend of dining with robots. |
| B．The advantage of robo-restaurants. |
| C．The food variety of a robo-restaurant. |
| D．The dining experience at a robo-restaurant. |
2 . For some years，my mother worked for a charity as President and Secretary.Selling raffle tickets(兑奖券) was her main means of bringing in the charity’s muchneeded funds.We girls would accompany her，selling tickets with great success.My father made and donated beautiful wooden toys，jewellery boxes and other lovely items as prizes.
Now my sister was always coming up with “good ideas”，most of which didn’t work out to plan.But that didn’t deter her.She had many just waiting to be tested.When she was eight and I was just five，we had a wonderful idea for a business adventure.We decided we would sell raffle tickets for charity，and that charity was us!
So one afternoon，we told our mother we were going to play in the park with our cousins as we did most days after school.But instead，we walked around the streets armed with a raffle book，a pen and a large cloth bag to carry the money.
We’d accompanied our mother many times when she sold tickets，so people were familiar with us when we appeared at their doors.Despite the blank looks they received when asking about the prizes on offer，they were very generous.Although there were no actual prizes，our mother’s previous track record enabled us to sell nearly the whole book of raffle tickets.
Like a little pair of lottery(彩票) winners，we walked home and proudly showed off our takings.But our enjoyment of this sudden wealth was shortlived，and our plans for spending it quickly failed.Our angry mother took us back to every ticket buyer，making us apologise and give the money back.Thankfully，our sweet neighbours didn’t make a big deal of our “clever” misbehavior and thus my mother’s
fundraising career could continue safely.We were taught a good lesson by our mother that day.Also I remember my sister’s entrepreneurial(企业家的) spirit dried up a bit after that.
1. What did the author’s father do?
| A．He got prizes ready. | B．He sold handmade items. |
| C．He was in charge of a charity. | D．He helped design raffle tickets. |
| A．Embarrass. | B．Shock. |
| C．Discourage. | D．Mislead. |
| A．They ran into their mother. |
| B．They met some generous strangers. |
| C．They got lost while walking around the streets. |
| D．They took advantage of people’s trust in their mother. |
| A．Honesty is the best policy. | B．What’s done can’t be undone. |
| C．Misfortune never comes alone. | D．Good advice is beyond all price. |
3 . Music
Opera at Music Hall: 1243 Elm Street. The season runs June through August, with additional performances in March and September. The Opera honors Enjoy the Arts membership discounts. Phone: 241-2742. http://www.cityopera.com.
Chamber Orchestra: The Orchestra plays at Memorial Hall at 1406 Elm Street, which offers several concerts from March through June. Call 723-1182 for more information. http: //www.chamberorch.com.
Symphony Orchestra: At Music Hall and Riverbend. For ticket sales, call 381-3300. Regular season runs September through May at Music Hall in summer at Riverbend. http://www.symphony.org/home.asp.
College Conservatory of Music (CCM): Performances are on the main campus(校园) of the university, usually at Patricia Cobbett Theater. CCM organizes a variety of events, including performances by the well-known LaSalle Quartet, CCM’s Philharmonic Orchestra, and various groups of musicians presenting Baroque through modern music. Students with I.D. cards can attend the events for free. A free schedule of events for each term is available by calling the box office at 556-4183. http://www.ccm.uc.edu/events/calendar.
Riverbend Music Theater: 6295 Kellogg Ave. Large outdoor theater with the closest seats under cover (price difference). Big name shows all summer long! Phone: 232-6220. http://www.riverbendmusic.com.
1. Which number should you call if you want to see an opera?| A．241-2742. | B．723-1182. |
| C．381-3300. | D．232-6220. |
| A．February. | B．May. |
| C．August. | D．November. |
| A．Music Hall. | B．Memorial Hall. |
| C．Patricia Cobbett Theater. | D．Riverbend Music Theater. |
4 . Students perform less well in final exams if smartphones are allowed in class, for non-academic (非学业的) purposes in lectures, a new study in Educational Psychology finds. Students who don’t use smartphones themselves but attend lectures where their use is acceptable also do worse, suggesting that smartphone use damages the group learning environment.
Researchers from Rutgers University in the US performed an in-class experiment to test whether dividing attention between smartphones and the lecturer during the class affected students’ performance in within-lecture tests and a final exam. 118 students at Rutgers University took part in the experiment during one term of their course. Smartphones were not allowed in half of the lectures and allowed in the other half. When smartphones were allowed, students were asked to record whether they had used them for non-academic purposes during the lecture.
The study found that having a smartphone didn’t lower students’ scores in comprehension tests within lectures, but it did lower scores in the final exam by at least 5%, or half a grade. This finding shows for the first time that the main effect of divided attention in the classroom is on the length of time in keeping memory, with fewer things of a study task later remembered. In addition, when the use of smartphones was allowed in class, performance was also poorer for students who did not use them as well as for those who did.
The study’s lead author, Professor Arnold Glass, added: “These findings should alarm students and teachers that dividing attention is having a not obvious but harmful effect that is damaging their exam performance and final grade. To help manage the use of smartphones in the classroom, teachers should explain to students the alarming effect—not only for themselves, but for the whole class.”
This is the first-ever study in an actual classroom showing a relationship between losing attention from smartphones and exam performance. However, more researches are required to see how students are affected by using smartphones after school.
1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To present the main findings of the experiment. |
| B．To explain how the experiment was carried out. |
| C．To give details about the result of the experiment. |
| D．To suggest what should be done for teachers and students. |
| A．had no bad effect if students do not use them |
| B．caused an average 5% drop in students’ scores |
| C．made it harder for students to keep things in mind |
| D．had a bad effect on students’ performance in all tests |
| A．He was against it. |
| B．He was in favor of it. |
| C．He cared little about it. |
| D．He doubted the findings. |
| A．To find out ways to improve students’ memory. |
| B．To call on schools to ban smartphones completely. |
| C．To study the influence of using smartphones after class. |
| D．To do researches on focusing attention in actual classrooms. |
5 . Katherine Johnson, a brilliant mathematician at NASA (美国宇航局), began working on the space program in the 1950s. Many of NASA’s first missions were made possible by her amazing calculations (计算).
As a child, she loved to count. Her father placed great importance on education and insisted all four of his children go to college, working overtime to pay for it. Johnson said this atmosphere was important to her success. “I was always around people who were learning something. I liked to learn.” She said.
Johnson graduated from high school at 14 and college at 18. In 1953, Johnson started to work for NASA, doing the math that powered engineers’ work. Then, because of her outstanding talent, she was moved to work on rockets with an all-male flight research team. As for Johnson, her calculations contributed to many of NASA’s most important projects. In 1961, with the help of Johnson’s work, Alan Shepherd became the first American to go into space. Johnson also lent her unbelievable talent to the success of the Apollo 13, which had trouble getting back to earth. She worked hard to calculate a safe path back to Earth for the astronauts.
Johnson retired in 1986, but her huge contribution to the space program has only been reaching the public attention for the past few years. Part of that is because, as she is the first to admit, science is based on collaboration. “I never took any credit because we always worked as a team, it was never just one person,” she said in a 2010 interview.
Earlier this year, NASA named a new data center after her. She was also given a Silver Snoopy award, which recognizes “outstanding performance, contributing to flight safety and mission success.”
1. The author explains Johnson 's help to NASA by ________.| A．comparing differences | B．providing examples |
| C．showing numbers | D．giving reasons |
| A．Experience. | B．Research. |
| C．Teamwork. | D．Talent. |
| A．She travelled to space with the Apollo 13. |
| B．She lived a rich life when she was young. |
| C．She has been widely-known since her retirement. |
| D．She used to be the only lady in the research team. |
| A．Johnson’s great contribution to NASA. |
| B．Respectable awards honored to Johnson. |
| C．The importance of education for Johnson. |
| D．NASA’s achievements in exploring space. |
6 . What’s your opinion on spicy food? Some people cannot handle even the smallest amount of chili peppers in their dinner while others can’t get enough of them.
Scientists have long been puzzled by why some people love the chili while others loathe it. Plenty of research has been done on the subject, dating as far back as the 1970s. Previous results showed that a love of chilies is related to childhood experiences, and that cultural influences affect our taste too. But the latest study has found that a person’s love of spicy food may be linked to his or her personality (性格) more than anything else, CBC News reported.
“We have always assumed that liking drives intake — we eat what we like and we like what we eat. But no one has actually directly bothered to connect personality with intake of chili peppers,” said Professor John E. Hayes from Pennsylvania State University, who led the study.
But before you look at the study, you should first know that “spicy” is not a taste, unlike sour, sweet, bitter and salty taste. It is, in fact, a burning feeling that you feel on the surface of your tongue. This got scientists thinking that maybe a love of spicy food is brought about by people’s longing for thrill, something they usually get from watching action movies or riding a roller coaster.
In the study, 97 participants, both male and female, were asked to fill out questionnaires about their personality, for example, whether they like new experiences or tend to avoid risks. They were then given a glass of water with capsaicin (辣椒素), the plant chemical that makes a chili burn, mixed into it.
By comparing the answers to the questionnaire and what participants said they felt about the spicy water, researchers found that those who tended to enjoy action movies or take risks were about six times more likely to enjoy the spicy water.
Interestingly, we used to believe that the reason why some people can withstand (耐受) spicy food is that their tongues have become less sensitive to it. However, this latest study has found otherwise. “It’s not that it doesn’t burn as badly, but that you actually learn to like the burning feeling,” Hayes explained.
1. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “loathe” in the second paragraph?| A．Dislike. | B．Fear. |
| C．Put up with. | D．Adapt to. |
| A．What we eat actually helps to develop our personality. |
| B．Males are more likely to enjoy spicy food than females. |
| C．Those trying to avoid risks tend to be less interested in spicy food. |
| D．People are wrong to treat " spicy" as a kind of taste rather than a feeling. |
| A．Because their taste has become less sensitive. |
| B．Because they love the burning feeling. |
| C．Because they want to challenge themselves. |
| D．Because the more they try spicy food, the less it burns. |
| A．What one likes to eat mainly depends on one’s personality. |
| B．Whether one enjoys spicy food depends largely on one’s personality. |
| C．One’s personal experiences have nothing to do with their taste. |
| D．Different people have different taste. |
7 . I love travelling, but it hasn’t always been my passion. In my first year of university, I started to travel during the holiday. During the Christmas holiday I went to Paris, and during the spring vacation, I visited Athens and various cities in Italy. I was very excited because this was the first time I had travelled abroad with just my friends. This desire to travel started off simply as a way to have something to look forward to after exams, but I soon discovered how important it is to travel.
On my travels I have had the opportunity to not only experience new and exciting cultures through the art, history, language and food, but also communicate with people who have different views on life. Travelling is a learning experience for both yourself and the people you meet. Some people I met during my travels had never heard of Gambia and it was very delightful to share my African roots with them. When you travel you will meet people who have different cultural backgrounds and as a result, sometimes your own ideas and opinions might be challenged. Ifs important to learn to see things from other people’s perspectives (观点) and to challenge your own.
This is how I realized that travelling is the realization of home. When you I ravel you are exposed to a different setting, a different language and a different way of living. All these factors, mixed with a new and exciting adventure，make you realize your own home. Not just the physical location of home, but also your way of life and your outlook.
Travelling is truly an enriching experience and I am always excited about the discoveries that wait for me in my next adventure!
1. Why was the author excited when he was in Italy?| A．Because it was the first time for him to go abroad with friends. |
| B．Because luckily he met his old friends there. |
| C．Because he was attracted by the beauty of the country. |
| D．Because he had never gone abroad before. |
| A．He has chances to know people with rich knowledge. |
| B．He is curious to know why there are so many languages. |
| C．He learns a lot in many ways from the people he meets. |
| D．He shares his travelling experiences with foreign friends. |
| A．The author is a student from an American country. |
| B．The author’s roots probably are in Gambia. |
| C．The author often has different opinions from others. |
| D．The author knows nothing about African history. |
| A．To find out the exact location of his home. |
| B．To get familiar with a different way of living. |
| C．To make a summary of his exciting adventures. |
| D．To make preparations for his next wonderful trip. |
8 . Being a volunteer
What can you do to help people? The answer is-to be a volunteer!
● Help yourself by helping others
When you volunteer to help others, you can helping yourself.
● Things to do with family members
Volunteering is a great way to have fun with your family. Talk to your parents, brothers, or sisters and see what they might be interested in. Find something you all agree on. You can do the things as a family like cleaning up a park and planting trees or flowers in your local community（社区）
● Invent your own opportunity
| A．Why not come? |
| B．School is a good place to start if you are looking for volunteer ideas |
| C．Volunteering means to spend time helping others |
| D．If you’re upset, doing something can be a great way to calm yourself down |
| E．Kids can come up with their own ways to raise money or provide needed services |
| F．So what are you waiting for? |
| G．Clean up a school or other public buildings |
9 . Make Money This Summer with Sunny Libraries!
Do you have too much free time this summer vacation? Do you need a summer job to earn extra money? Do you want to be involved in your community? Sunny Area Library System (SALS) has job opportunities for high school students. These are good chances to get work experience.
Book Theater brings children’s book stories to life. It has shows at all Sunny Libraries. Applicants should enjoy performing in front of an audience and working with young children. Work Hours: Practice: Fridays 4:00 pm — 6:00 pm Performance: Tuesdays 10:00 am Rate of Pay: $16/performance | Computer Tutor helps guests to deal with technology problems, involving Internet searches and using the SALS Website to find materials. Applicants should have computer skills. Work Hours: Monday—Friday 9:00 am—5:00 pm Rate of Pay: $ 8/hour |
Bookmobile helps the driver find the routes to libraries. The truck you work in is air-conditioned, and the driver is friendly. Applicants must be able to lift heavy boxes. Work Hours: Sunday and Friday 9:00 am — 4:00 pm Rate of Pay: $10/hour | Reader Desk provides service with a smile while checking materials in and out to guests. Friendly attitude and ability to work on library data system required. Work Hours: Monday—Tuesday 8:00 am—4:00 pm Rate of Pay: $ 7.50/hour |
| A．$64. | B．$120. |
| C．$320. | D．$140. |
| A．To repair computers. | B．To lift heavy boxes. |
| C．To work with young children. | D．To check materials for guests. |
| A．To attract students to libraries. | B．To raise money for libraries. |
| C．To introduce new books. | D．To provide job opportunities. |
10 . Welcome to Holker Hall & Gardens
Visitor InformationHow to Get to Holker
By Car: Follow brown signs an A590 from JB6, M6. Approximate travel times: Windermere-20 minutes, Kendal-25 minutes, Lancaster-45 minutes, Manchester-1 hour 30 minutes.
By Rail: The nearest station is Cark-in-Cartmel with trains to Carnforth, Lancaster Preston for connections to major cities & airports.
Opening TimesSunday-Friday (closed on Saturday)11:00 am-4:00pm,30 March-2nd November.
Admission Charges| Hall & Gardens | Gardens | |
| Adults: | £12.00 | £8.00 |
| Groups | £9 | £5.5 |
Producers: Market 13th April
Join us to taste a variety of fresh local food and drinks. Meet the producers and get some excellent recipe ideas.
Holker Garden Festival 30th May
The event celebrate its 22nd anniversary with a great show of the very best of gardening, making it one of the most popular events in gardening.
National Garden Day 28th August
Holker once again opens is gardens in aid of the disadvantaged. For just a small donation you can take a tour with our garden guide.
Winter Market 8th November
This is an event for all the family. Wander among a variety of shops selling gifs while enjoying a live music show and nice street entertainment.
1. How long does it probably take a tourist to drive to Holker from Manchester?| A．20 minutes. | B．25 minutes. |
| C．45 minutes. | D．90 minutes. |
| A．£12.00. | B．£9.00. |
| C．£8.0 | D．£5.50 |
| A．Producers’ Market. | B．Holker Garden Festival. |
| C．National Garden Day. | D．Winter Market. |
