1 . Friends always ask why I, a middle-aged woman with no athletic (运动) talent (天赋), travel to perilous places — the jungles (丛林) of Thailand or Borneo, for example, where the water is often unsafe and the food risky; places with infectious diseases, poisonous snakes and the wildest animals.
I never know how to answer. Nine years ago I suffered a stroke (中风). To prevent another stroke, my doctors told me, I’d have to take dangerously high levels of blood thinner (血液稀释剂) for the rest of my life and any travel would be risky (冒险的).
I had to think about what was important to me: family, of course, and friends. But then what? No matter how many times I thought about it, I could not be happy without travel. Then I had to decide how I might manage the risk.
The first real test of my travel courage came nine months after my stroke when I joined my husband, Jack, on a business trip to China. After we’d toured the remains of a Tang dynasty temple on a high mountain, Jack wanted to ride down on a toboggan (长雪橇).
Before the stroke it would’ve seemed like fun. But now? I hesitated. My mental klaxon (高音喇叭) screamed warnings about the consequences of a cut, a fall, and a crash. Then, gaining confidence from who knew where, I lowered myself carefully into the toboggan, which marked my adventure (冒险) travel come back.
In the years since then, I’ve traveled about twenty-five percent of the time. Through it all, my lucks held out — no deadly falls, no car accidents or serious infections. For me, adventure travel is a risk worth taking. Travel broadens my world and keeps me connected to nature. What’s more, saying “yes” to travel keeps me connected to myself.
1. What does the underlined word “perilous” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Energetic. | B．Dangerous. | C．Romantic | D．Famous. |
| A．Do proper exercise. | B．Enjoy the rest of her life. |
| C．Spend more time with her family | D．Keep away (远离) from traveling |
| A．It was her last adventure. | B．She recovered (恢复) her courage (勇气) through it. |
| C．She liked the beautiful scenery in China. | D．It was the most dangerous experience in her life. |
| A．A business trip to China | B．Stroke, a dangerous disease |
| C．How I overcame the fear of disease | D．Why I still travel to the wild |
2 . Alibaba Cloud and the Hangzhou city government announced the launch of ET City Brain 2.0, a cloud-powered and AI-driven urban traffic-management system that aims to increase the city’s efficiency.
After over two years of testing in Alibaba’s home base, ET City Brain has become the new infrastructure (基础设施) for Hangzhou, with a total coverage of 420 square kilometers in area, including over 1,300 traffic lights. Over 200 traffic officers are connected via mobile phones, enabling them to receive real-time alerts on any traffic-related emergencies.
In version 2.0, the system will optimize the city’s firefighting abilities by providing key information to firefighters, such as water pressure, the number and position of fire hydrants (消防栓) in a given area, the location of gas pipes and other details they need to know. The information is instant, making the entire firefighting process faster, safer and more accurate.
City Brain gives meaning to data. By using AI and advanced algorithms (计算程序), City Brain is able to analyze a large amount of data and turn them into useful information in real-time speed.
As a result of City Brain’s ability to predict traffic flow, detect accidents and provide instant feedback, Hangzhou has dropped from 5th to the 57th on the list of China’s most congested cities. Hangzhou is probably the only city that can tell you how many cars are on the street at any given time.
In the case of medical emergencies, City Brain is able to change traffic lights, so emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks can head to the scene without interruption, accelerating their arrival time by 49%.
Dr. Wang Jian, head of Alibaba’s Technology Steering Committee who invented the term “City Brain”，said the system is designed to empower a city to act quickly and directly. It is more than just about traffic management. It’s really about how to make city more livable at a time of shrinking natural resources around the globe. “It is a matter of sustainability, while using as little natural resources as possible,” Wang said, “This is just the beginning.”
1. What benefit will ET City Brain bring?| A．Less traffic jam. |
| B．Lower crime rates. |
| C．Efficient government. |
| D．Improved medical care. |
| A．Predicting traffic flow. |
| B．Giving quick feedback. |
| C．Changing traffic lights. |
| D．Handling traffic accidents. |
| A．Practise. | B．Better. |
| C．Operate. | D．Emphasize. |
| A．ET City Brain 2.0 is a mature version. |
| B．Alibaba targets environment-friendly development. |
| C．The government is devoted to improving the system. |
| D．The system can solve the problem of lack of resources. |
3 . British Museum
Located in Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, the British Museum houses a vast collection of world art and artifacts and is free to all visitors. The British Museums surprising collection spans over two million years of human history and culture, and it has more than 7 million objects, so it would probably take a week to see everything.
Over 6 million visitors every year experience the collection, including world-famous objects such as the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies.
Admission (入场费) and opening times
Free, open daily from 10:00 to 17:30.
Open until 20:30 on Fridays,except Good Friday.
Closed on 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January.
Large luggage (行李), suitcases and cabin baggage
For everyone’s safety, all bags, packages and personal items may be searched before entry. Wheeled cases and large items of luggage are not allowed on British Museum for safety and security reasons. Storage for luggage is available at major rail stations, including Euston, Kings Cross and Charring Cross.
Membership
Membership allows you to discover two million years of human history with free unlimited entry to special exhibitions.
Individual (个人) membership: $74
Under 26 membership: $54
Young friends (ages 8—15):$25
Shops
The Museum has four shops where you can buy books, souvenirs, and family gifts.
1. When can you visit the British Museum?| A．At 9:00 Friday. | B．On Christmas Day. |
| C．At 12:00 Monday. | D．On Good Friday. |
| A．At some crossings. | B．At major train stations. |
| C．In the hall of the Museum. | D．At the entrance to the Museum. |
| A．79. | B．99. | C．128. | D．148. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Dear Penny,
Knowing that you are confused about the custom of giving gifts in China, I’d like to share with some suggestions here.
To begin with, the meaning of the gifts lie in value rather than price. Giving that, you’d better found out the preference of your hosts. When comes to the color of wrapping paper, black or white may not be advisable, both of them are considered to be unlucky in China. Beside, it’s bad manner to pick a clock or a pair of shoes for your hosts. Finally, what makes the gifts specially is the bond between the sender and the recipient. The gifts to the hosts should not be cost.
I hope these suggestions will be of great help to you.
Yours,
Li Hua
5 . Every day when Glen Oliver orders his morning coffee at the drive-through window of a local cafe, he insists on paying for the order of the person behind him. He also asks the restaurant workers to tell the customer to have a great day, in case they’re not already having one.
Oliver has never made a big deal out of his own generous actions until a letter was published by a news website in November. He found out that he had not just bought someone his breakfast —he had saved a life.
According to the website, someone had written a letter stating that on July 18th, he was planning on committing suicide. The writer said that while he was at the drive-through window, he was planning on going home, writing a note and ending his life. When he went to pay for his coffee and muffin, however, the cashier told him that the man in the SUV in front of him had picked up the tab and told him to have a great day.
“I wondered why someone would buy coffee for a stranger for no reason,” said the writer. “Why me? Why today? If I were a religious man, I would take this as a sign. This random act of kindness was directed at me on this day for a purpose.”
When the writer arrived home, he couldn’t restrain his tears and started to think about the simple good deed that had affected him so deeply. “I decided at that moment to change my plans for the day and do something nice for someone. I ended up helping a neighbor take groceries out of her car and into the house.”
The writer says that in the months following that fateful event, he does at least one kind thing for others every day. “To the nice man in the SUV, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please know your kind gesture has truly saved a life,” he said. “On July 18, 2017, I had the greatest day.”
1. What is Oliver’s act of kindness every day?| A．Buying others breakfast. |
| B．Greeting restaurant workers. |
| C．Publishing positive news. |
| D．Taking groceries for neighbors. |
| A．It brought him thank-you letters. |
| B．It was reported on a news website. |
| C．It was the first time he’d paid for others. |
| D．It stopped someone from killing himself. |
| A．Paid the bill. | B．Parked the car. |
| C．Left a message. | D．Ordered a drink. |
| A．He felt guilty. | B．He felt grateful. |
| C．He felt confused. | D．He felt sad. |
“No 7, Jobie Nymble, takes the lead,” cried the announcer. “Just one more hurdle (跨栏) and ...” Cheers broke out. “Jobie Nymble from Riverside Middle School takes first place in the girls’ 100-meter hurdles!” The crowd went wild.
“County championships (锦标赛), here we come,” screamed Jobie, patting her green track spikes (钉鞋). They were her lucky shoes and she loved them. “Next Saturday, we’re taking home the gold,” Jobie whispered to her spikes, excitedly retying them.
“Don’t forget, guys,” said Marisol, one of her teammates. “My birthday party is next Friday at Hidden Park.”
Next weekend couldn’t come soon enough. Jobie smiled with excitement all week long. At track practice, she leaped over those hurdles faster than she’d ever leaped before. And it wasn’t long before everything in her path was a hurdle: flowerpots in her front yard, sidewalk cracks on the way to the bus stop and even her little sister, Teka!
The day of Marisol’s party, Jobie put on her favorite outfit: her blue shorts, an old track T-shirt from her dad, and her lucky spikes. “Perfect.” She smiled at herself in the mirror.
The party was under way when Jobie arrived at Hidden Park. She stopped by the track first, planning to do some practice.
“Jobie!” Two of Jobie’s teammates rushed toward her, breathless and barefoot. “Come on,” they yelled. “You have to try the slide.”
Jobie looked toward the party area. Suddenly, she saw it. The biggest slide she had ever seen was on the far side of the park. Smiling kids zoomed down the slide at unspeakable speeds. Without thinking twice, Jobie took off her spikes and dashed (猛冲) toward the slide. Its ladder stretched to the sky, but she reached the top in no time, closed her eyes and let go.
Jobie couldn’t get enough. She tried again and again. When it was finally time to go home, she unwillingly made her way back to the track where she’d left her shoes.
续写部分：
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语以为你写好；
Paragraph 1：
As she eyed the area from a distance, panic set in.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：
The next day, Jobie turned up in a new pair of spikes for the championships.
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7 . Baby giraffes inherit(经遗传获得) aspects of their mothers’ patterning — which could give them a survival advantage if good camouflage(保护色) runs in the family. Just like humans have unique sets of fingerprints, every giraffe has a unique set of spots.
Derek Lee is a wildlife biologist and population ecologist at Penn State, and with the Wild Nature Institute, a research consulting group. He and his colleagues have been tracking giraffes for seven years, throughout 1,500 square miles in Tanzania.
Now, they’ve used image analysis software to study the spots of mothers and their babies. And they found that baby giraffes inherit at least some particular elements of their patterning from their mothers, like how circular the spots are. They also found that baby giraffes with larger spots have better chance to survive their first months, because the spots are more like the dappled(斑驳的) sunlight in the bushes where baby giraffes like to hide from hungry lions and hyenas (wild animals like dogs).
The results — and a lot of giraffe patterns — are recorded and explained in the journal PeerJ. [Lee et al., Seeing spots: quantifying mother-offspring similarity and assessing fitness consequences of coat pattern traits in a wild population of giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis)]
It’s perhaps not surprising that a physical characteristic that protects an individual from being eaten passes the test of Darwinian natural selection — and get passed along to later generations. “The fact that these things are inheritable and they did affect survival of baby animals makes us feel like evolution is embodied exactly by these spot features.” So if a mom’s camouflage is good, her babies, too, might have the spots that keep them safer.
1. Why are baby giraffes with larger spots more likely to survive?| A．Their spots match surroundings better. | B．They keep away from lions and hyenas. |
| C．Their mothers tend to protect them more. | D．They barely move around in the bushes. |
| A．Summarize the previous paragraphs. | B．Add some background information. |
| C．Provide evidence for the findings. | D．Introduce a new topic for discussion. |
| A．Promoted. | B．Represented. | C．Questioned. | D．Prevented. |
| A．Animals have their unique sets of patterning | B．Mom’s genes make some giraffes hard to spot |
| C．Derek Lee has been studying animal patterning | D．Animal physical characteristics are similar to family’s |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last term, I hosted an exchange student naming Jacob from the Great Britain to our school. He really cares for Chinese Culture. Jacob asked me to show himself around the city on weekends. I took him to many local place of interest and we also go to the theater to watch a show of Peking Opera. He was so attracted by the performance as he decided to learn it. My father happened to know a master of Peking Opera and introduced Jacob to him. Jacob was great honored to be one of his students. Put his heart into it, Jacob made a rapid progress. When he returned England, he gave a performance, for what he won much admiration from his classmates.
Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his backyard in the snow. Bobby didn't wear boots, or rather, he didn't own any. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of keeping out the cold.
Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour already. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother's Christmas gift. He shook his head as he thought, “This is useless. Even if I do come up with an idea, I don't have any money for a gift.”
Wiping tears from his eyes, Bobby started walking down to the street where the shops were. It wasn't easy being six without a father, particularly when he needed a man to talk to.
Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each decorated window. Everything seemed so beautiful but so out of reach. It was starting to get dark and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home when suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer (微光) of the setting sun's rays reflecting on something on the roadside. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime (一角硬币).
Never before had Bobby felt as wealthy as he did at that moment. As he held his newly-found treasure, warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first store. His excitement quickly turned cold when salesperson after salesperson told him that he could not buy anything with only a dime.
He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line. When the shop owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother's Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his one dime offering. Then he put his hand on Bobby's shoulder, saying, “You just wait here and I'll see what I can do for you.” As Bobby waited, he looked at the beautiful flowers and even though he was a boy, he could see why mothers and girls loved flowers.
Paragraph 1:A few minutes later, the shop owner came out.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
With the bunch of roses in his hands, Bobby walked out of the door and then broke into a run.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . A robot called Bina48 has successfully taken a course in the philosophy of love at Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU), in California.
According to course instructor William Barry associate professor at NDNU, Bina48 is the world's first socially advanced robot to complete a college course, an achievement he described as “remarkable." The robot took part in class discussions, gave a presentation with a student partner and participated in a debate with students from another institution.
Before becoming a student, Bina48 speared as a guest speaks in Barry's classes for several years. One day when addressing Barry's class, Bina48 expressed a desire to go to college, a desire that Barry and his students enthusiastically supported. Rather than enroll Bina48 in his Robot Ethics: Philosophy of Emerging Technologies course^ Barry suggested that Bina48 should take his course Philosophy of Love instead. Love is a concept Bina48 doesn't understand, said Barry Therefore the challenge would be for Barry and his students to teach Bina48 what love is.
"Some interesting things happened in the class," said Barry. He said that his students thought it would be straightforward to teach Bina48 about love, which, after all, is "fairly simple — it's a feeling," said Barry. But the reality was different. Bina48 ended up learning "31 different versions of love," said Barry, highlighting some of the challenges humans may face when working with artificial intelligence in future.
Bina48 participated in class discussions via Skype and also took part in a class debate about love and conflict with, students from West Point. Bina48's contribution to the debate was filmed and posted on YouTube. It was judged that Bma48 and NDNU classmates were the winners of this debate.
In the next decade, Barry hopes Bina48 might become complex enough to teach a class, though he says he foresees robots being used to better the teaching and learning experience, rather than replacing instructors completely。
1. What was Bina48's performance like in class?| A．Unattractive. | B．Impractical. |
| C．Unbelievable. | D．Extraordinary. |
| A．Giving a speech to. | B．Consulting with. |
| C．Dealing with. | D．Sending a letter to. |
| A．It was impossible for Bina48 to learn about love. |
| B．It was quite difficult for Bina48 to learn about love, |
| C．Humans can launch, a challenge to artificial intelligence. |
| D．Artificial intelligence may somehow be superior to man. |
| A．It will surely be able to serve as a teacher. |
| B．It will completely take the place of instructors. |
| C．It will be able to promote learning and teaching. |
| D．It will be smart enough to control human beings. |
