1 . With the ocean covering more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said scientists and researchers had depended on sonar (声呐) technologies to understand and map the sea floor which had charted only about 10% of the world’s ocean. For the ocean and coastal waters in the US, the number is just around 35%.

We know less about our planet’s ocean than what we know about the far side of the moon or the surface of Mars. Part of the reason for the lack of observation is the challenge of powering an underwater camera. Researchers have used ships to recharge cameras or observed with a camera tied to a ship to solve the issue, which is expensive and unsuitable for long-term observations.

Recently, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have taken a major step to iron out this problem by developing a battery-free, wireless underwater camera that could harvest energy underwater on its own for long periods.

To keep power consumption as low as possible, the researchers used off-the-shelf, ultra-low-power imaging sensors. The device takes color photos, even in dark underwater environments, and sends image data wirelessly through the water.

The camera is powered by sound. It changes mechanical energy from sound waves traveling through water into electrical energy that powers its imaging and communications equipment. After getting and encoding image data, the camera also uses sound waves to send the data to a receiver that reconstructs the image. Those sound waves could come from any source, like a passing ship or marine life. As it doesn’t need a power source, the camera could run for weeks on end before getting it back, enabling scientists to search remote parts of the ocean for new species.

Now that researchers have demonstrated a working prototype (原型), they plan to enhance the device so it is practical in real-world settings. For future application, these cameras may be used to take images of ocean pollution and create more accurate models to monitor climate change to better understand how climate change impacts the underwater world, and advance various undersea scientific fields.

1. What do the data in paragraph 1 mainly show?

A．Undersea exploration is poor in the US.

B．Much of the planet’s ocean remains unexplored.

C．The mapping of the sea floor is time-consuming.

D．Technology development matters a lot to sea observation.

2. What limits the researchers’ undersea exploration according to the text?

A．The complexity of the sea environment.

B．The concern about potential sea pollution.

C．The shortage of investment in ocean exploration.

D．The inability to effectively power underwater cameras.

3. What does the underlined phrase “iron out” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Overcome.	B．Face.
C．Analyze.	D．Illustrate.

4. Which of the following can best describe the MIT underwater camera?

A．Secure and stable.	B．Expensive but effective.
C．Impractical but advanced.	D．Self-sufficient and energy-saving.

2 . STEM Competitions for Students
NSTA ExploraVision

Are you interested in what the future holds? Consider Explora Vision’s STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics) competition. Working in teams of two to four, students will research a particular technology and assess the ways in which it may impact lives moving forward. Participants are required to write a paper and draw web pages communicating their vision.

Grades: 7th-9th and 10th-12th

Competition Type: Regional and national

eCyberMission

You can participate in this competition without leaving the house. eCyberMission is a web-based con test in which participants — working in teams of two to four students — use science, math and technology to solve problems facing their communities. First-place winners receive $1,000.

Grades:9th

Competition Type: Regional, state and national

TEAMS Competition

Held annually, TEAMS invites students to use their engineering talent to contribute to the community. Working in groups of two to four students, participants complete real-life engineering challenges. The competition includes multiple-choice questions, an essay and a design-build component.

Grades: 9th-12th

Competition Type: State and national

The Conrad Challenge

In this challenge, participants work in teams of two to five students to develop products or services in response to key issues facing people around the world. The Conrad Challenge empowers students to take control of their learning and apply it to real-life situations. Winners are eligible (有资格的) for scholarships, patent assistance and aid in creating companies.

Grades: 9th-12th

Competition Type: International

1. What does NSTA Explora Vision’s STEM competition focus on?

A．Engineering innovation.

B．Students’ paper writing skills.

C．New technology shaping the future.

D．Students’ ability in web page design.

2. What do the four STEM competitions have in common?

A．Winners will get a big cash prize.

B．They are all national competitions.

C．Participants are required to work in teams.

D．Participants must solve real-life problems.

3. Which competition involves foreign students?

A．NSTA ExploraVision.	B．eCvberMission.
C．TEAMS Competition.	D．The Conrad Challenge.

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. During which season did the speaker’s journey take place?

A．Winter.

B．Fall.

C．Summer.

2. What is the speaker’s biggest challenge?

A．Traveling alone.

B．Challenging weather conditions.

C．Overcoming physical difficulties.

3. What did the family do for the speaker?

A．They taught him a new language.

B．They invited him to their house.

C．They taught him how to ride a horse.

4. Why did the speaker first begin his trip?

A．To have more materials for his book.

B．To visit the host family.

C．To make new friends.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the main idea of the conversation?

A．The fact that robots will replace humans entirely.

B．The fact that robots will take jobs from humans.

C．The fact that robots will be introduced into people’s homes.

2. How does the man think about robots?

A．They do more with less cost.

B．They are not very friendly.

C．They break down regularly.

3. What percentage of jobs will be at risk during the next decade?

A．3%.

B．15%.

C．33%.

5 . 假定你是李华，最近学校很多同学都以学习为由不参加班级大扫除等劳动，你认为这种行为存在问题，决定在下周的集会活动上发表演讲，请为此写一篇演讲稿，内容包括：
1.说明问题及其影响；
2.提出建议。
注意：
词数100左右；
可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
开头已为你写好，不计入总词数。

Good morning, everyone! Today, I want to talk about something that’s often overlooked by students: labor education.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. When did Britt start to build a website originally?

A．After university.

B．At university.

C．At high school.

2. Why did Britt change the name of her website?

A．The original name wasn’t suitable.

B．She wanted to include other games.

C．The website wasn’t successful at first.

3. What can we learn about the content of the website?

A．It's wide-ranging.

B．It's old-fashioned.

C．It's boys-targeted.

4. What is the main focus of the website?

A．Make-up and fashion.

B．Computer games.

C．Team sports.

7 . The NCPA (国家大剧院) has accepted more than four million visitors with a series of 284 exhibitions covering oil paintings, music instruments, intangible cultural heritage and more. The NCPA provides you with performances and shows every day. Whenever you see a sunrise or sunset the curtain her never falls down.

Shape of Music

Shape of Music — A Cross-Sense Experience is an art exhibition jointly launched by the NCPA and the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Visual artists will create animated (动画的) works based on the feelings brought by different music pieces.

The Nutcracker

The ballet The Nutcracker is produced by the Harbin Ballet. Zhang Dandan, the famous ballet artist the head and artistic director of the Harbin Ballet, and the chief director, together with the international choreographer Peter Quanz and many other top domestic and foreign artists, create a large-scale ballet. The ballet has now had its first public performance at the Harbin Grand Theater and has achieved complete success.

Xu Li’s Impressionistic Oil Paintings

It is the first exhibition of new oil paintings by Xu Li in recent years, which gives shape to natural mountains and rivers throughout the country. He continuously pours out his appreciation and perception of the beautiful China

Pear Garden Culture-Themed ART Exhibition

About 100 traditional Chinese paintings and oil paintings are displayed under three themes — “Ancient Tone &New Tune”, “Cultural Inheritance” and “Review for More Knowledge” at the exhibition to introduce, present and spread the opera culture in the form of paintings, promoting the expression of the opera culture through the re-creation of painting art.

Booking tickets: please click here.
Working hours: 9:30AM-19:30PM (CST) on performance day

9:30AM-18:00PM (CST) for days without performances

1. If you are interested in dancing, which will you probably go for?

A．The Nutcracker.	B．Shape of Music.
C．Xu Li’s Impressionistic Oil Paintings.	D．Pear Garden Culture-Themed ART Exhibition.

2. What do “Shape of Music” and “Pear Garden Culture-Themed ART Exhibition” have in common?

A．They are available for free.	B．They are exhibition of oil paintings.
C．They are re-creation of performing arts.	D．They are related to traditional Chinese culture.

3. Which is the text most likely to be taken from?

A．A website.

B．A brochure

C．A newspaper.

D．A magazine.

8 . How to Appreciate Art

Unlocking the meaning behind a work of art is one of the many joys of viewing and collecting. But how do you appreciate art and actually interpret it?     1    .

Look at the art

    2    , but it’s more than quickly glancing at the art and drawing a conclusion. Before stepping back and taking the artwork in, take a moment to identify the artwork’s basic qualities：

Is it a painting or sculpture?

Is the texture (质感) rough or smooth?

Does it appear chaotic (混乱的) or organized?

All of these are elements the artist chose when designing the artwork, so they need to be considered.

Identify the art and artist

Knowing when or how the artwork was made reveals more information.

Take for example the famous Guernica (1937) by Pablo Picasso, knowing Picasso composed the painting in response to the bombing of the town of Guernica during the Second World War leads to understanding its anti-war ideas. Even if the historical context of an artwork is not apparent, knowing the year of its creation offers an idea as to the broader events taking place at the time.     3    .

    4    

Use what you observed in the first two steps to think about meanings the artwork could have. Many artists have specific meanings behind their art, but also encourage viewers to come up with their own understandings. In this way, there is no “right” answer that must be reached to unlock the painting’s mysteries.

Discover your tastes

Just remember one important fact: You don’t have to look at everything. For instance, if you dislike abstract art, skip the abstract.     5    , so don’t be afraid to stop and observe something outside of your tastes.

The next time you are admiring a work of art, keep these techniques in mind, and its meaning may unfold before your eyes.

A．Think about the meaning

B．Maintain your own opinions

C．Viewing the art seems like an obvious first step

D．However, keeping an open mind is always encouraged

E．Applying these techniques to every work of art you come across may seem confusing

F．Looking at and understanding art is all about taking the time to view, identify and think

G．In all cases, learning something about the artist undeniably adds to the appreciation of art

9 . VAZ Onepwr Blade 5 Dual

Cordless Blade 5 is a great one for sheer suction (吸力) power. It’s easy to use it under furniture and it works well on all surfaces. The dust tank holds 0.7 litres and it comes with two batteries for 90 minutes of charge. If you’re on a budget, the Blade 4 is a good option   (now £250, from £450; vax. co.uk)

MIele Complete C3

At 890 W, this corded vacuum is “exceptionally powerful” and its “Air Clean” filtration traps even tiny particles. It has a 12m radius (半径) and comes with three tools, stored in the body (£219; miele.co.uk)

Shark CZ500UKT Duo Clean

This 880 W corded vacuum has remarkable suction power. It can switch between cleaning carpets or hard floors, and has an anti-hair-wrap brush roll and an LED light to show up dust (£330; sharkclean.co.uk)

Dyson Ball Animal Multi-floor

Unusually easy to move or turn skillfully thanks to its responsive rollerball, this bagless vacuum delivers strong suction and is great for getting up pet hair. A bit heavy at 7.4kg, it has a ten-metre cord and 3.5-litre caddy, which ejects at the touch of a button (£380; dyson.co.uk)

Henry HVR 160-11

A long-standing favourite, the Henry is famously strong and great value. It has a large six-litre dust bag, and packs 620W of power. Its cord is a generous ten metres, and it has a long 2.2m hose, which is useful for cleaning up high and under sofas (£130; myhenry.com).

1. Which of the following features its visibility during cleaning?

A．MIele Complete C3.	B．Henry HVR 160-11.
C．Dyson Ball Animal Multi-floor.	D．Shark CZ500UKT Duo Clean.

2. What is the unique feature of VAZ Onepwr Blade 5 Dual among those cleaners?

A．It is the cheapest.	B．It has no cord.
C．It has the strongest suction power.	D．It can easily get up pet hair.

3. In which column of a newspaper is this passage most likely to appear?

A．Science.	B．News.
C．Advertisement.	D．Entertainment.

10 . A decade ago, the day before Christmas, my mother announced we were no longer celebrating Christmas. “Boys, go to find a big _________ that we can use as a tree”. My mother said, “We are going to _________ the tree with leftovers for the seagulls to eat. Those guys must get _________ in winter when there isn’t much _________.”

“Mom, we don’t want to _________ you, but does anyone else think it kind of crazy?” One of my brothers asked _________. “You’ll do whatever your mother wants.” My father jumped into _________. Then on the -30°beach, my family gathered around a branch stuck into the _________ with boxes of food to _________ what my mom named “Seagull Day.” Our bodies shook, fingers __________.

Ten years later, with the chill of the air and the __________ of kids, my mom declared, “Find little places on the tree to __________ the snacks. Think of them as beautiful decorations.” My daughters, nieces and nephews __________ immediately with wild joy. When the boxes and bags of snacks were __________, we stood back and __________ our creation. We asked a passer-by to take pictures of us with our tree. “What’s this all about?” She asked __________.

“It’s Seagull Day!” The kids said __________. They were surprised when people hadn’t heard of Seagull Day. To them, it was a(an)__________ — maybe as big as a national — holiday.

My social media posts and pictures have __________ long lines of questions and the “I want to do this next year!” promise. I __________ everyone, “Yes, you do!”

1.

A．branch

B．beach

C．skin

D．stick

2.

A．plant

B．decorate

C．water

D．feed

3.

A．lost

B．thin

C．hungry

D．extinct

4.

A．food

B．care

C．rain

D．sunshine

5.

A．follow

B．hurt

C．praise

D．please

6.

A．with confusion

B．in secret

C．with pride

D．in tears

7.

A．opposition

B．fight

C．support

D．preparation

8.

A．snow

B．sea

C．soil

D．sand

9.

A．protect

B．celebrate

C．spoil

D．create

10.

A．broken

B．bleeding

C．spreading

D．frozen

11.

A．excitement

B．disappointment

C．surprise

D．relief

12.

A．hide

B．throw

C．store

D．put

13.

A．got away

B．set out

C．stood still

D．broke up

14.

A．ready

B．full

C．cold

D．empty

15.

A．admired

B．imagined

C．reported

D．publicized

16.

A．unhappily

B．curiously

C．aimlessly

D．slowly

17.

A．expectantly

B．hopefully

C．confidently

D．angrily

18.

A．new

B．imaginary

C．long

D．essential

19.

A．inspired

B．raised

C．answered

D．removed

20.

A．congratulate

B．comfort

C．encourage

D．test