1 . A man paralyzed (瘫痪的) in 2011 has regained the ability to stand and walk with the help of implants (植入物) placed in his brain and spinal cord (脊髓).

The patient, 40-year-old Gert-Jan Oskam of the Netherlands, was told he would never walk again after a biking accident. Now, using the implants, “we’ve read the thoughts of Oskam and translated these thoughts into stimulation of the spinal cord to reestablish voluntary movement,” said Gregoire Courtine, a neuroscientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

The technology “enables natural control over the movements of his legs to stand, walk, and climb stairs,” the study authors write. Oskam can walk more than 330 feet at once and stand for several minutes without using his hands for support. “A few months ago, I was able, for the first time after over ten years, to stand up and have a beer with my friends,” Oskam says. “That was pretty cool.”

The new technique involved placing two implants in Oskam’s brain. When he wants to move, the implants read his brain signals and send that information to sensors on a device on his head. A computer uses these signals to predict how Oskam intends to move, then turns his intentions into commands and sends these commands to another implant in the spinal cord. Finally, the spinal implant stimulates Oskam’s muscles according to his intended movement. Through this “digital bridge,” the researchers re-opened a line of communication between Oskam’s brain and spinal cord.

For now, the device is still at the experimental stage. Next, the researchers would like to be able to make the device’s hardware, which Oskam carries in a backpack, more compact (小巧的). They hope the technology can one day be used to help people regain the capacity for other movements and bodily functions. Harvey Sihota, CEO of the U.K. charity Spinal Research, says the technology still has a long way to go before becoming available to the public, but the results are “very encouraging.”

1. How might Oskam feel after the implants were put in?

A．Cheerful.

B．Secure.

C．Disappointed.

D．Uncomfortable.

2. What provides direct stimulation to Oskam’s muscles in the new technique?

A．The brain implants.	B．Sensors on his head.
C．A computer.	D．The spinal implant.

3. What are the researchers most likely to do next concerning the device?

A．Mass-produce it.	B．Test it on a larger sample size.
C．Explore its other functions.	D．Improve its hardware.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Brain implants cure paralyzed man completely

B．Paralyzed man walks again using his thoughts

C．Digital bridge connects paralyzed men closely

D．New technology offers hope for biking accident victims

2 . Phil White has just returned from an 18000-mile, around-the-world bicycle trip. White had two reasons for making this epic journey. First of all, he wanted to use the trip to raise money for charity, which he did. He raised £70,000 for the British charity, Oxfam. White's second reason for making the trip was to break the world record and become the fastest person to cycle around the world. He is still waiting to find out if he has broken the record or not.

White set off from Trafalgar Square, in London, on 19th June 2004 and was back 299 days later. He spent more than 1,300 hours in the saddle (车座) and destroyed four sets of tyres and three bike chains. He had the adventure of his life crossing Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Americas. Amazingly, he did all of this with absolutely no support team. No jeep carrying food, water and medicine. No doctor. Nothing! Just a bike and a very, very long road.

The journey was lonely and desperate at times. He also had to fight his way across deserts, through jungles and over mountains. He cycled through heavy rains and temperatures of up to 45 degrees, all to help people in need. There were other dangers along the road. In Iran, he was chased by armed robbers and was lucky to escape with his life and the little money he had. The worst thing that happened to him was having to cycle into a headwind on a road that crosses the south of Australia. For 1,000 kilometres he battled against the wind that was constantly pushing him. This part of the trip was slow, hard work and depressing, but he made it in the end.

Now Mr. White is back and intends to write a book about his adventures.

1. What does the word “epic” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?

A．Very lonely and depressing.	B．Very slow but exciting.
C．Very smooth but tiring.	D．Very long and difficult.

2. When Phil White returned from his trip, he _________.

A．broke the world record	B．collected money for Oxfam
C．destroyed several bikes	D．travelled about 1,300 hours

3. During his journey around the world, Phil White _________.

A．fought heroically against robbers in Iran

B．experienced the extremes of heat and cold

C．managed to ride against the wind in Australia

D．had a team of people who travelled with him

4. Which of the following words can best describe Phil White?

A．Determined.

B．Honest.

C．Modest.

D．Imaginative.

3 . “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.” But now scientists have given us another warning: too much play with smartphones or computers makes you dull too.

“Many focus on the benefits of digital devices (设备) in education but ignore the costs,” said Patricia Greenfield from the University of California, “losing the ability to understand the emotions of other people is one of the costs.” Greenfield and her research team did an experiment. They worked with 105 children who spend about 4.5 hours in front of screens on a school day. The students were asked to describe the emotions towards the pictures of people who were happy, sad, angry or scared. Then, half of them attended a five-day nature and science camp. There they had no smartphones, TV, or computers. The other half stayed in school and spent the five days as usual. Five days later, all the children took the test again.

Students who had been to the camp got about 5 percent more answers correct than they had done before the camp. But the other group of students didn’t show much improvement. The study is not perfect in some ways, said the researchers. But scientists say that the study is still a warning for us.

“Emotional skills develop in practice and the brain develops through real interaction,” said Professor Taylor, a professor at the University of San Francisco.

Researchers talked to 2,000 parents of children aged 2 — 16 in the UK about what activities their children could do confidently. The results were surprising: their children could use a tablet (平板电脑) (59%) and work a mobile phone (57%) more confidently than they could tie their shoe laces (鞋带) (53%)! So, spend more time away from mobile phones and computers if you want to be an understanding friend, and not a member of what the Daily Mail called “Generation Helpless”.

1. According to Professor Greenfield, what’s the possible result of using digital media in education?

A．Being on bad terms with family members.	B．Making more mistakes when taking exams.
C．Falling far behind others in all schoolwork.	D．Failing to relate to other people’s emotions.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．The background of the experiment	B．The process of the experiment
C．The results of the experiment	D．The purpose of the experiment

3. What do scientists think of the results of Greenfield’s experiment?

A．They are alarming for people.	B．They are far from perfect.
C．They are quite surprising.	D．They don’t need to be improved.

4. What’s the purpose of writing the text?

A．To warn us to stay away from the Internet.

B．To explain how people become the Internet addicts.

C．To advise children to spend less time on screens.

D．To show digital devices are essential for modern education.

4 . 假定你是李华，担任校学生会主席。端午节将至，你校将开展包粽子活动。请你给外教Mr.Smith写封邮件，邀请他参加。内容包括：
1．活动的时间和地点；2．活动的意义。
注意：1．词数不少于100字；2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . What does the man suggest the woman do?

A．Be patient.

B．Sit at the front.

C．Get off the plane.

8 . Songs that make our hearts happy can make them stronger too, US researchers reported on Tuesday.

They found that when people listened to their favorite music, their blood vessels (血管) dilated in much the same way as when they are laughing, or taking blood medications (药物治疗).

“We have a pretty impressive effect,” said Dr Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology (心脏病学) at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

“Blood vessel diameter (直径) improved,” he said. “The vessel opened up pretty significantly. You can see the vessels opening up with other activities such as exercise.” A similar effect is seen with drugs such as statins (抑制素).

When blood vessels open up more, blood flows more smoothly and is less likely to form the clots (凝块) that cause heart attacks and strokes. “We are not saying to stop your statins or not to exercise but rather to add this to an overall program of heart health,” said Miller.

Miller’s team tested 10 healthy, non-smoking men and women, who were told to bring their favorite music. They spent half an hour listening to the recordings and half an hour listening to music they said made them feel anxious while the researchers did ultrasound (超声波) tests designed to show blood vessel function.

Compared to their normal baseline measurements, blood vessel diameter increased 26% on average when the volunteers heard their joyful music. Listening to music they disliked — in most cases in this group heavy metal-blood vessels narrowed by 6%, Miller said.

Miller said he came up with the idea after discovering that laughter caused blood to flow more smoothly. “I asked myself what other things make us feel good, besides calories from dark chocolate of course. Music came to mind. It makes me feel really good.” he said.

Most of the volunteers chose country music but Miller said the style is not so important as what pleases each individual.

1. The underlined word “dilate” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “________”.

A．widen

B．move

C．change

D．increase

2. According to the passage, which of the following will NOT cause blood vessels to open up?

A．Taking exercise.	B．Listening to unpleasant music.
C．Bursting into laughter.	D．Taking drugs like statins.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．blood clots are caused by heart attacks and strokes

B．music is better than chocolate for your health

C．different music has different effects on different people

D．a person’s overall health is more influenced by how much exercise he gets

4. What is the passage possibly taken from?

A．A travel journal.	B．A school textbook.
C．A medical brochure.	D．A local newspaper.

9 . The elderly residents in care homes in London are being given hens to look after to stop them feeling lonely.

The project was dreamed up by a local charity to reduce loneliness and improve elderly people's wellbeing. It is also being used to help patients suffering dementia, a serious illness of the mind. Staff in care homes have reported are duction in the use of medicine where hens are in use.

Among those taking part in the project is 80-year-old-Ruth Xavier. She said: "I used to keep hens when I was younger and had to prepare their breakfast each morning before I went to school.

“I like the project a lot. I am down there in my wheelchair in the morning letting the hens out and down there again at night to see they've gone to bed.

“It's good to have a different focus. People have been bringing their children in to se the hens and residents come and sit outside to watch them. I'm enjoying the creative activities, and it feels great to have done something useful.”

There are now 700 elderly people looking after hens in 20 care homes in the North East, and the charity has been given financial support to roll it out countrywide.

Wendy Wilson, extra care manager at 60 Penfold Street, one of the first to embark on the project, said: “Residents really welcome the idea of the project and the creative sessions. We are looking forward to the benefits and fun the project can bring to people here.”

Lynn Lewis, director of Noting Hill Pathways, said: “We are happy to be taking part in the project. It will really help connect our residents through a shared interest and creative activities.”

1. What is the purpose of the project?

A．To ensure harmony in care homes.	B．To raise money for medical research.
C．To provide part-time jobs for the aged.	D．To promote the elderly people's welfare.

2. How has the project affected Ruth Xavier?

A．She has developed a strong personality.	B．She has gained a sense of achievement.
C．She has recovered her memory.	D．She has learned new life skills.

3. Who was one of the first founders of the project?

A．Lynn Lewis.

B．Wendy Wilson.

C．Ruth Xavier.

D．The elder.

4. What can we learn about the project from the last two paragraphs?

A．It is well received.	B．It is highly profitable.
C．It needs to be more creative.	D．It takes ages to see the results.