My legs and arms were shaking. Sweat was tripping down my face. Every step felt like thousands of needles were sinking into my legs. I couldn’t take it. By that time I had got three blisters (水泡) on each foot. It felt like I was in Sahara!
It was discovery week. Grade eight was visiting Altai for a week. We lived in camps near the river. Now we were going up the mountain called The Devil’s Finger. But the mountain was only getting steeper (陡的). Most of the people were already on the top, screaming, laughing and taking selfies. Then I realized I had left my hat on the bus and I felt even worse. I touched my head. It was warm, but I couldn’t do anything about it.
Most of my friends were up the hill cheering me on. “Pointless!” I told them. “I can’t go any faster!” They looked at me and laughed. “They have got to be kidding me! Are they doing it on purpose?”
I was making my way slowly up the mountain. My feet stepped on something. I thought it was a rock, but whatever. The rock slipped from under my boot and went tumbling down the mountain. I lost my balance and fell on the ground. “Are you OK?” I heard a voice behind me. “Just tired. I’m taking a break.” I didn’t want to say that I fell.
There were only eight people behind me by that time. I decided to speed up because I didn’t want to be the last one up. I looked up. Yana was already on the top, waving to me. “It’s like she isn’t tired at all,” I thought to myself. The sun was behind her so I could barely see her face. Actually, no. I could see a huge smile on her face. She was shouting something, but I couldn’t hear it. I decided that the rest of the way up I would not stop to take any breaks.
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
However, my body wasn’t listening and I sunk to the ground again.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, I reached the top of the mountain.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . While some allergies (过敏症) disappear over time or with treatment, others last a lifetime. For decades, scientists have been searching for the source of these lifetime allergies.
Recently, researchers found that memory B cells may be involved. These cells produce a different class of antibodies known as IgG, which ward off viral infections. But no one had identified exactly which of those cells were recalling allergens or how they switched to making the IgE antibodies responsible for allergies. To uncover the mysterious cells, two research teams took a deep dive into the immune (免疫的) cells of people with allergies and some without.
Immunologist Joshua Koenig and colleagues examined more than 90, 000 memory B cells from six people with birch allergies, four people allergic to dust mites and five people with no allergies. Using a technique called RNA sequencing, the team identified specific memory B cells, which they named MBC2s that make antibodies and proteins associated with the immune response that causes allergies.
In another experiment, Koenig and colleagues used a peanut protein to go fishing for memory B cells from people with peanut allergies. The team pulled out the same type of cells found in people with birch and dust mite allergies. In people with peanut allergies, those cells increased in number and produced IgE antibodies as the people started treatment to desensitize them to peanut allergens.
Another group led by Maria Curotto de Lafaille, an immunologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, also found that similar cells were more plentiful in 58 children allergic to peanuts than in 13 kids without allergies. The team found that the cells are ready to switch from making protective IgG antibodies to allergy-causing IgE antibodies. Even before the switch, the cells were making RNA for IgE but didn’t produce the protein. Making that RNA enables the cells to switch the type of antibodies they make when they encounter allergens. The signal to switch partially depends on a protein called JAK, the group discovered. “Stopping JAK from sending the signal could help prevent the memory cells from switching to IgE production,” Lafaille says. She also predicts that allergists may be able to examine aspects of these memory cells to forecast whether a patient's allergy is likely to last or disappear with time or treatment.
“Knowing which population of cells store allergies in long-term memory may eventually help scientists identify other ways to kill the allergy cells,” says Cecilia Berin, an immunologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “You could potentially get rid of not only your peanut allergy but also all of your allergies.”
1. Why did scientists investigate the immune cells of individuals with and without allergies?| A．To explore the distinctions between IgG and IgE. |
| B．To uncover new antibodies known as IgG and IgE. |
| C．To identify cells responsible for defending against allergies. |
| D．To reveal cells associated with the development of allergies. |
| A．Make. . . less destructive. | B．Make. . . less responsive. |
| C．Make. . . less protective. | D．Make. . . less effective. |
| A．MBC2s make antibodies and proteins that prevent allergies. |
| B．Memory B cells generate both RNA for IgE and the corresponding protein. |
| C．JAK plays a role in controlling antibody production when exposed to allergens. |
| D．Allergists are capable of predicting whether an allergy will last or disappear. |
| A．RNA Sequencing Is Applied in Immunology Research |
| B．Specific Cells Related to Peanut Allergies Are Identified |
| C．Unmasking Cells’ Identities Helps Diagnose and Treat Allergies |
| D．Newfound Immune Cells Are Responsible for Long-lasting Allergies |
A Little Boy
A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people rarely visited. The house was very old and shabby and the owner hardly ever came out. When he did come out, he would not say hello to his neighbors or passers-by but simply just glared at them.
The boy knocked on the door and waited, sweating from fear of the old man. The boy’s parents told him to stay away from the house, and a lot of other neighborhood children were told the same thing from their parents.
Dusk found the boy lingering on and hesitating what to do. As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said impatiently. The little boy was very afraid but he had a quota (定额) to meet for school with selling the magazines. So he got up the courage and said, “Uh, Sir, I am selling these magazines and, uh, I was wondering if you would like to buy one from me.”
The old man just stared at the boy without a word. The boy could see inside the old man’s house and saw that he had dog figurines (小雕像) on the fireplace mantle. “Do you collect dogs?” The little boy asked. “Yes, I have many collections in my house. They are my family here and they are all I have.” The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul.
“Well, I do have a magazine here for collectors. It is perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.” The old man was ready to close the door on the boy and said, “No, boy. I don’t need any magazines of any kind, now goodbye.”
The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota with the sale. He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the house that he owned. The boy went home and then had an idea. He had a little dog figurine that he got some years ago from an aunt. The figurine did not mean nearly as much to him since he had a real live dog and a large family.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
The little boy headed back down to the old man’s house.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From that day on something changed inside the old man.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It wasn’t fair.
Aminah always studied hard, so there was nothing unusual about her receiving top marks at the end of the year. But Farhan was often playing with the village boys. To help motivate him this year, their father had promised to buy him a bicycle if his grades improved. It really touched Farhan.
At the end of the school year, Aminah received top marks as she always did. And; as usual, her parents gave her100 rupees as a reward.
For the first time, Farhan got top marks too. True to his word, their father came home with a bicycle. It was well used. But to Farhan, it was the most beautiful bicycle in Pakistan. Farhan’s friends cheered when they saw it. It was understood that something as precious as a bicycle would be shared with everyone.
Well, almost everyone.
After a few days of watching Farhan and the village boys learning to ride, Aminah and her friends grew resentful (愤恨不满的). They spent afternoons on the hill just north of the village, watching the lazy brook flow at the hill’s foot. They could hear the boys cheering on the other side of the hill. “Why doesn’t he let us ride, Aminah?” asked Fatima. Aminah shrugged.
“He and the other boys just want the bicycle all for themselves!” replied Shehnaz.
Sarah shook her head. “But Aminah is his baji (姐姐)! He should share with her.” As they talked, the boys’ noise grew closer. Aminah looked up and saw her brother on his bicycle at the top of the hill. “Look! I can do it!” he yelled. The boys cheered. Suddenly he and the bike were rushing in the direction of the girls, toward the brook.
“Stop the bike!” the kids yelled.
“I can’t!” Farhan grabbed the handlebars. His body was locked.
Aminah jumped up. “Quick! I need your scarf!” Fatima and Shehnaz slipped their scarves off their shoulders and tossed them to Aminah, who removed her own scarf and quickly tied thick knots, connecting the scarves together.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Farhan was second away.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The bicycle seemed ruined, but their father took it to the city to see if it could be fixed.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Modern day robots may not be as entertaining as R2D2 or the robot from “Lost in Space”，but robots are very important to space exploration and are being used in a variety of different ways for several important reasons.
Robots make great explorers on planets, moons, and other landing areas. Apart from the Earth, just about every surface in the solar system is unsafe for humans to explore. The air on most other planets is insufficient for humans to breathe, making it necessary to wear a space suit and oxygen equipment. The temperatures on these surfaces are much too hot or much too cold for any humans to withstand. Besides, there would be complications with radiation, weather, and a lack of gravity. Robots have much less limitation in these areas and can survive much longer under these conditions.
Robots are designed for collecting scientific data. Robots are also able to perform many tasks at one time and can process information much quicker and more efficiently. Important scientific projects from detecting minerals, analyzing ground samples (样本), to finding water are all performed much quicker and accurately by robots.
The use of robots has made the cost of space exploration much less expensive than it would cost for humans to do the work. In order to successfully send humans into space we would need to build a vehicle that can not only carry humans, but also enough food and water to keep them alive for the duration of the trip. Moreover, robots have no problems working for hours on end. Robots never complain, they don’t require food or water, and they never need a bathroom break.
Over the past 30 years or so there have been many different types of robots used successfully in the exploration of space. Perhaps the most famous and successful robots are Spirit and Opportunity who have both been exploring the surface of Mars. They have both been very successful with experiments on soil and rocks and have even found evidence of water in Mars’ history.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Little boy, will you help an old man up the hill with his load?” These words were spoken by an old gray-headed man, who was drawing a hand-cart with a bag of corn in it.
“I can’t. I am in a hurry,” said Hanson, the boy addressed, who was hurrying to get to the schoolyard, so that he might play with the boys before school began.
The old man sat down on a stone at the foot of the hill, to rest himself and gather strength for the ascent (上坡). He stared after Hanson, and sighed as he thought of the days of his youth, now far back in the past. A tear was beginning to gather in his eye, when another little boy, John Wilson, came up to him and said, “Shall I help you up the hill with your load?”
The old man brushed his eyes with the sleeve of his coat, and replied, “I shall be very glad to have your help.” He then stood up, took the handle of his cart, and pulled with all his strength, while John pushed behind.
When they reached the top of the hill, John discovered a hole in the bag on the under side, from which the corn was dropping out. Putting forth all his strength, he turned the bag, so that there might be no further loss of corn.
“Thank you very much,” said the old man, as John set out upon a run for his school-house; “and may God reward you.” But John was out of hearing before the last words were spoken.
When John reached the school-house, he was about ten minutes late, for which he received a mark (违纪记录). This was a very unusual thing for him, as he was remarkable for never being late. If he had told the headmaster what had delayed him, he would have been excused; but he thought it would look a little like boasting to do so. So he took the mark without saying a word.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
Paragraph 1:
When the school was over, Hanson approached John.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
The next morning, John set out early for the school-house as usual.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 . Are you pessimistic by nature? Well, it’s not good for your brain. A new study has found that repeated negative thinking in later life is linked to cognitive(认知) decline and greater deposits(沉积) of two harmful proteins responsible for Alzheimer’s disease(阿尔茨海默病).
Negative thinking behaviors, such as reflection about the past and worry about the future, were measured in more than 350 people over the age of 55 over a two-year period. About a third of the participants also had a brain scan to measure deposits of proteins, which cause Alzheimer’s disease. The scans showed that people who spent more time thinking negatively had more harmful proteins, worse memory and greater cognitive decline than people who were not pessimists.
The study also tested for levels of anxiety and depression and found greater cognitive decline in depressed and anxious people, which agrees with previous research. But proteins did not increase in people who were already depressed and anxious, leading researchers to suspect that repeated negative thinking might be the main reason why depression and anxiety lead to Alzheimer’s disease.
“This is the first study showing a biological relationship between repeated negative thinking and Alzheimer’s disease, and gives physicians a more precise way to assess risk and offer treatment,” said neurologist Dr. Richard Isaacson. “This study will change the way I care for my patients at risk.”
Fiona Carragher, who is chief policy and research officer at the Alzheimer’s Society in London, pointed out that this isn’t saying that a short-term period of negative thinking will cause Alzheimer’s disease. “Most of the people in the study were already identified as being at higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” she added. “so we need more research to see if these results exist within the general population.”
1. What does the study show?| A．Negative thinking removes harmful proteins in brain. |
| B．Optimistic people have better cognitive ability. |
| C．Alzheimer’s disease leads to worse memory. |
| D．Continuous pessimism may result in Alzheimer’s disease. |
| A．Constant negative thinking may cause depressed people to get Alzheimer’s disease. |
| B．Long-term negative thinking is the reason for cognitive decline. |
| C．Alzheimer’s disease probably results in the increase in harmful proteins. |
| D．Anxiety and depression are the main causes of Alzheimer’s disease. |
| A．Neutral. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Negative. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．The research needs to be further improved. |
| B．The study will provide a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. |
| C．The following research will focus on short-term negative thinking. |
| D．The general population has a lower risk of having Alzheimer’s disease. |
8 . If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? Would you want to fly or be invisible? Or, perhaps, you’d rather have the power to read minds? Wouldn’t that be cool?
Reading minds is not as far-fetched as you might think. In fact, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a wearable device that can actually express a person’s thoughts and allow them to talk to a computer-without anyone else hearing.
The device, called AlterEgo, allows a person to control a computer and ask it questions without ever saying one word. When the individual wearing the device thinks of a word or a phrase but does not speak it, AlterEgo picks up the neuromuscular (神经肌肉) signals in that person’s jaw and face. AlterEgo sends those signals to a computer, which is programmed to associate them with specific words.
The device is fairly accurate. Inal0-person trial, AlterEgo had a92percent transcription (转录) accuracy. Researchers say that number will increase over time. “Our idea was: Could we have a computing platform that’s more internal, that combines human and machine in some ways and that feels like an internal extension of our own thoughts?” Arnav Kapur, a graduate student at the MIT Media Lab said.
So what effect could this have on communication? AlterEgo can change the way humans interact with computers, allowing us to silently connect with AI assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant or Apple’s Siri without anyone knowing. If a person is having a conversation and wants to look up a bit of information, they don’t have to take out their digital device; instead they can just think of the question. AlterEgo will answer without interrupting the conversation. The device can also help people communicate in noisy situations, such as on a factory floor in the airport.
1. Why are the questions raised in paragraph 1?| A．To ask readers for their opinions. | B．To introduce the topic of the passage. |
| C．To inspire readers’ imagination. | D．To show the author’s curiosity. |
| A．The questions. | B．The computers. | C．The signals. | D．The words. |
| A．People can apply AI assistants skillfully. |
| B．People will make good mind-readers. |
| C．People no longer need mobile phones. |
| D．People can communicate more smoothly. |
| A．AlterEgo Frees People of Thinking. | B．Wearable Device Controls Computer. |
| C．Silent Reader of Your Mind Comes True. | D．Communication Is Easy with AI Assistants. |
It was a freezing January night. Lydia Chen was struggling home from school. How she hated the heavy snow and everything else about Vancouver, Canada. How she missed China!" I hate it here! I want to fly back to my homeland! “Lydia thought.
Arriving home, Lydia opened her Email-box. There was an invitation to Maggie’s birthday party this coming weekend. However, Lydia didn’t want to go. She felt embarrassed at the thought of being at a party with a bunch of boys and girls she barely knew. She closed her eyes and pictured her hometown at this time of the year, the red Spring Festival couplets, the red lanterns, window decorations and paper-cuttings every here and there. In the stands along the streets, various Spring Festival goods were on display. What happy days!
Lydia Chen sighed deeply and entered the kitchen to find her mother. She was busy cooking. “Maybe I should go just once for Mum. She is so worried that it’s difficult for me to make friends in my new school.” Lydia went over and tied an apron around her waist. As she was washing dishes, she told her mother that she had been invited to a birthday party on weekend. Mum smiled, saying that she would be happier in their new home here. Lydia nodded, thinking Vancouver could never be her home Mum drove Lydia to the birthday party on Saturday evening. Maggie welcomed her at the door and led her into the dining room. To her surprise, over twenty students from her class were seated around the table waiting for her. They were drinking, laughing and chatting loudly after a simple greeting to Lydia. Wow, she loved being ignored since she could be herself. She decided to silently give the birthday gift to Maggie without being noticed. As she was taking out the Chinese paper-cutting she prepared with the help of her Mum, Maggie yelled out “Amazing! How did you make it?” The others joined, staring at Lydia with admiration. Lydia’s face was shining with excitement. “Maybe I could fit in here-a little.” she thought.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
With the party going on, the talk turned to the coming holidays.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Noticing their admiring eyes, Lydia was filled with a feeling of belongingness.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . My local supermarket is always busy. The first parking space I found was convenient, but I’d noticed a woman in a blue car
Pretty soon, I’d made my way through the supermarket and was back in the fresh air. Feeling good, I
Just as I
After a pause, I opened the box.
| A．watching | B．circling | C．running | D．crossing |
| A．in a hurry | B．in a dilemma | C．in a good mood | D．in panic |
| A．edge | B．barrier | C．stage | D．point |
| A．turned | B．broke | C．divided | D．emptied |
| A．struggling | B．trembling | C．wandering | D．whistling |
| A．started | B．approached | C．parked | D．entered |
| A．former | B．later | C．ago | D．earlier |
| A．explanation | B．look | C．answer | D．coincidence |
| A．located | B．caught | C．spotted | D．sought |
| A．sell | B．wipe | C．drop | D．send |
| A．back seat | B．car | C．items | D．window |
| A．automatically | B．accidentally | C．eventually | D．unwillingly |
| A．Inside | B．Around | C．Beneath | D．Nearby |
| A．friend | B．companion | C．relative | D．stranger |
| A．award | B．expectation | C．reminder | D．view |
