It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The streams were long gone back into the earth. If we didn't see some rain soon we would lose everything. It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing and witnessed the best miracle I have ever seen in my life.
I was in the kitchen making lunch for the family when I saw my six-year old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. I could only see his back. He wasn't walking with his usual steps. He was obviously walking with great effort... trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house. I went back to make sandwiches, thinking that whatever he had been doing was completed. Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful long step toward the woods. This activity went on for over an hour: walking cautiously to the woods, then running back to the house. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me. I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey.
He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked; being very careful not to spill (溅出) the water he held in them. I stepped close as he went into the woods. Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He might have a much greater purpose, I thought. As I came closer, I saw the most amazing sight. Several large deer stood in front of him. Billy walked right up to them, at the sight of which I almost screamed for him to get away. A huge buck (雄鹿) was dangerously close. But the buck neither threatened him nor even moved as Billy knelt down. And I saw a baby deer lying on the ground, obviously suffering from heavy loss of water and heat exhaustion, lifting its head with great effort to lap (舔) up the water cupped in my boy's hands.
注意：
1．所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答．
Paragraph 1:
When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house. I followed him back to the tap.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
This time I joined him, with a small pot of water from the kitchen.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| 态度 | 所占比例 | 理由 | 结论 |
| 赞成 | 30％ | 1.可以了解外面的世界 2.有助于经济独立 | …… |
| 反对 | 70％ | 1. 学生的主要任务是学习 2. 兼职工作有不安全因素 |
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3 . If you wear glasses, chances are you are smarter. Research published in the famous British journal Nature Communications has found that people who displayed higher levels of intelligence were almost 30 percent more likely to wear glasses.
The scientists studied the genes of thousands of people between the ages of 16 and 102.The study showed intelligence can be connected to physical characteristics. One characteristic was eyesight. In out of 10 people who were more intelligent, there was a higher chance they needed glasses. Scientists also said being smarter has other benefits. It is connected to better health.
It is important to remember these are connections which are not proven causes. Scientists call this correlation. Just because something is connected to something else does not mean one of those things caused the other. And it’s worth noting that what constitutes intelligence is subjective and can be difficult, if not impossible, to measure.
Forget genes though. Plenty of proof shows wearing glasses makes people think you are more intelligent, even if you do not need glasses. A number of studies have found people who wear glasses are seen as smarter, hard-working and honest. Many lawyers use this idea to help win their cases. Lawyer Harvey Solves explained this. Glasses soften their appearance. He said Sometimes there has been a huge amount of proof showing that people he was defending broke the law. He had them wear glasses and they weren’t found guilty.
Glasses are also used to show someone is intelligent in movies and on TV. Ideas about people who wear glasses have begun to shift. People who do not need glasses sometimes wear them for fashion only. They want to look worldly or cool. But not everyone is impressed by this idea, though. GQ magazine said people who wear glasses for fashion are trying too hard to look smart and hip (时髦的). However, that hasn’t stopped many celebrities from happily wearing glasses even if they do not need them. Justin Bieber is just one high-profile fan of fashion glasses.
1. What does the new study show?| A．People wearing glasses are smarter. |
| B．People wearing glasses are healthier. |
| C．Wearing glasses can make people cleverer. |
| D．Wearing glasses is associated with higher IQ. |
| A．Shift. | B．Link. | C．Proof. | D．Consequence. |
| A．Because it can create a moral image. |
| B．Because it can mislead the witnesses. |
| C．Because it can highlight clients’ qualities. |
| D．Because it can prove the clients’ innocence. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Mixed | D．Indifferent. |
4 . We tend to think of our dreams as being uniquely personal—nighttime stories built from our own experiences that help us process our day-to-day lives. While dreams can give us a look into our personal selves, scientists have collected data that suggests dreams make their way into our cultural fabric（结构）, showing themselves in ways that shape beliefs and expose collective anxieties.
Roger Ivar Lohmann of Trent University conducted research with the Asabano people of the rainforest of Papua New Guinea, a unique group who didn’ t have outside contact until 1963. His studies looked at how dreams shape their beliefs and actions.
According to Lohmann’ s research, dreams act as a sort of motivator or determinant of Asabano behavior. For instance, a dream may affect the way a person hunts or goes about treating medical conditions. The way dreams determine behavior is due to what Lohmann calls the “night residue” effect. This means that specific memories of dreams can affect the way a person acts when awake and inform their belief system.
Dreams also seem to have an effect on the way many define themselves within their own cultures, and how sometimes reaching a distinct definition can cause anxiety.
Matt Newsom of Washington State University spoke with college students in Berlin, and found many students had dreams surrounding conflicting views about their own identities（身份） in relation to what they saw as a return of German nationalism, which is a sensitive subject especially when we think of German identity as it’ s defined even many years after World War Ⅱ.
Many students had dreams that centered around anxieties like “Where do I belong?” Many students never talked with one another about identity struggles in their dreams, yet many reported having such dreams. Newsom noted that dreams can be helpful “for identifying （识别） unspoken social and historical anxieties present in a given society.”
All of this research suggests that dreams can do more than help explain the thought of a person; we can learn about entire cultures and collective attitudes as well.
1. What is the purpose of Lohmann’ s research?| A．To prove dreams can show personal selves. |
| B．To explore Asabano people’ s inside anxiety. |
| C．To find out the effect of dreams on beliefs and actions. |
| D．To learn about Asabano people’ s culture and tradition. |
| A．Confusion about their identities. |
| B．Terrible dreams about World War Ⅱ. |
| C．Anxieties of talking about their dreams. |
| D．Conflicting views about German nationalism. |
| A．They can predict a person’s future. | B．They can expose people’ s anxieties. |
| C．They can inspire people’s creativity. | D．They are the products of human society. |
| A．Dreams promote cultural progress. |
| B．Dreams can go into cultural fabric. |
| C．Dreams reflect people’s cultural background. |
| D．People’ s daily dreams are based on culture. |
5 . Brian Tagalog was born without arms. But that didn't
A
Brian's mother admits that
At first, finding a shop that would
Brian hopes his success will
| A．promote | B．preserve | C．protect | D．prevent |
| A．wise | B．ambitious | C．promising | D．Handsome |
| A．visitor | B．foreigner | C．stranger | D．native |
| A．professional | B．normal | C．temporary | D．conservative |
| A．steadily | B．occasionally | C．effectively | D．frequently |
| A．fingers | B．toes | C．mouth | D．jaw |
| A．comforting | B．educating | C．raising | D．accompanying |
| A．failure | B．point | C．adventure | D．destination |
| A．defend | B．blame | C．inspect | D．shelter |
| A．confidence | B．determination | C．freedom | D．enthusiasm |
| A．apart from | B．in | C．due to | D．despite |
| A．turned | B．calmed | C．slowed | D．tracked |
| A．hire | B．support | C．serve | D．fund |
| A．adapted to | B．appealed to | C．attached to | D．applied to |
| A．otherwise | B．instead | C．still | D．however |
| A．unique | B．funny | C．powerful | D．attractive |
| A．before | B．if | C．while | D．unless |
| A．instruction | B．admiration | C．doubt | D．complaint |
| A．inspire | B．urge | C．request | D．advise |
| A．in response | B．in advance | C．in action | D．in turn |
6 . In a recent series of experiments at the University of California, researchers studied toddlers’ thinking about winners and losers, bullies (欺凌) and victims.
In the first experiment, toddlers (学步儿童) watched a scene in which two puppets (木偶) had conflicting goals: One was crossing a stage from right to left, and the other from left to right. The puppets met in the middle and stopped. Eventually one puppet bowed down and moved aside, letting the other one pass by. Then researchers asked the toddlers which puppet they liked. The result: 20 out of 23 toddlers picked the higher-status puppet — the one that did not bow or move aside. It seems that individuals can gain status for being dominant (占优势的) and toddlers like winners better than losers.
But then researchers had another question: Do toddlers like winners no matter how they win? So, researchers did another experiment very similar to the one described above. But this time, the conflict ended because one puppet knocked the other down and out of the way. Now when the toddlers were asked who they liked, the results were different: Only 4 out of 23 children liked the winner.
These data suggest that children already love a winner by the age of 21-31 months. This does not necessarily mean that the preference is inborn: 21 months is enough time to learn a lot of things. But if a preference for winners is something we learn, we appear to learn it quite early.
Even more interesting, the preference for winners is not absolute. Children in our study did not like a winner who knocked a competitor down. This suggests that already by the age of 21-31 months, children’s liking for winners is balanced with other social concerns, including perhaps a general preference for nice or helpful people over aggressive ones.
In a time when the news is full of stories of public figures who celebrate winning at all costs, these results give us much confidence. Humans understand dominance, but we also expect strong individuals to guide, protect and help others. This feels like good news.
1. One of the purposes of the experiments is to ________.| A．teach toddlers how to gain higher status |
| B．offer toddlers a chance to watch a scene |
| C．observe the process of toddlers’ solving a conflict |
| D．find out toddlers’ attitude toward winners and losers |
| A．obeying rules |
| B．gaining status |
| C．giving in to the other |
| D．showing good manners |
| A．They are excellent learners. |
| B．They are always changeable. |
| C．They show mercy to the loser. |
| D．They value kindness over winning. |
| A．Disappointing. | B．Encouraging. |
| C．Unexpected. | D．Controversial. |
7 . Two years ago I was a typical girl with a rather plain life. When
Just like the
This organization’s meetings
At this organization we are friends with each other and are a
With time going by, I have found an abundance of other
I’m sure I’ll have a lot of wonderful
| A．invited | B．transformed | C．promoted | D．introduced |
| A．Besides | B．Accidentally | C．Therefore | D．Luckily |
| A．party | B．meeting | C．competition | D．program |
| A．name | B．poster | C．aim | D．organization |
| A．address | B．assist | C．inform | D．avoid |
| A．simple | B．difficult | C．familiar | D．similar |
| A．accept | B．understand | C．realize | D．reject |
| A．forced | B．requested | C．encouraged | D．reminded |
| A．carry on | B．take place | C．set down | D．turn up |
| A．light | B．rare | C．hot | D．plain |
| A．broaden | B．correct | C．polish | D．support |
| A．powerful | B．cheerful | C．hopeful | D．meaningful |
| A．in short | B．as usual | C．for example | D．in effect |
| A．criticize | B．spread | C．decrease | D．ignore |
| A．famous | B．tight | C．workable | D．good |
| A．original | B．particular | C．potential | D．precious |
| A．voluntary | B．individual | C．professional | D．social |
| A．cost | B．guaranteed | C．owed | D．prepared |
| A．irregular | B．comfortable | C．attractive | D．unbelievable |
| A．memories | B．impressions | C．secrets | D．dreams |
Up to 82 percent of children with healthy mothers are not easy to be obese（肥胖的）, according to research. A mother,
And research suggests it could be more to do with nurture(养育)
The study examined the medical history and lifestyles of more than 24,000 children aged nine
The mother's health was judged on her height-to-weight ratio(比例), her diet, amount of physical
9 . We may think we're a culture that gets rid of our worn technology at the first sight of something shiny and new, but a new study shows that we keep using our old devices(装置) well after they go out of style. That’s bad news for the environment — and our wallets — as these outdated devices consume much more energy than the newer ones that do the same things.
To figure out how much power these devices are using, Callie Babbitt and her colleagues at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York tracked the environmental costs for each product throughout its life — from when its minerals are mined to when we stop using the device. This method provided a readout for how home energy use has evolved since the early 1990s. Devices were grouped by generation — Desktop computers, basic mobile phones, and box-set TVs defined 1992. Digital cameras arrived on the scene in 1997. And MP3 players, smart phones, and LCD TVs entered homes in 2002, before tablets and e-readers showed up in 2007.
As we accumulated more devices, however, we didn't throw out our old ones. "The living-room television is replaced and gets planted in the kids' room, and suddenly one day, you have a TV in every room of the house," said one researcher. The average number of electronic devices rose from four per household in 1992 to 13 in 2007. We're not just keeping these old devices — we continue to use them. According to the analysis of Babbitt's team, old desktop monitors and box TVs with cathode ray tubes are the worst devices with their energy consumption and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions（排放）more than doubling during the 1992 to 2007 window.
So what's the solution（解决方案）? The team's data only went up to 2007, but the researchers also explored what would happen if consumers replaced old products with new electronics that serve more than one function, such as a tablet for word processing and TV viewing. They found that more on-demand entertainment viewing on tablets instead of TVs and desktop computers could cut energy consumption by 44%.
1. What does the author think of new devices?| A．They are environment-friendly. | B．They are no better than the old. |
| C．They cost more to use at home. | D．They go out of style quickly. |
| A．To reduce the cost of minerals. |
| B．To test the life cycle of a product. |
| C．To update consumers on new technology. |
| D．To find out electricity consumption of the devices. |
| A．The box-set TV. | B．The tablet. |
| C．The LCD TV. | D．The desktop computer. |
| A．Stop using them. | B．Take them apart. |
| C．Upgrade them. | D．Recycle them. |
10 . We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.
Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t
even exist if it weren’t for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease(润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. ＂Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,＂ he explains. ＂The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.＂
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction(互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. ＂It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,＂ says Dunn. ＂But interactions with peripheral(边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.＂
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. ＂Small talk is the basis of good manners,＂ he says.
1. What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph?| A．Addiction to smartphones. |
| B．Inappropriate behaviours in public places. |
| C．Absence of communication between strangers. |
| D．Impatience with slow service. |
| A．Showing good manners. | B．Relating to other people. |
| C．Focusing on a topic. | D．Making business deals. |
| A．It improves family relationships. | B．It raises people’s confidence. |
| C．It matters as much as a formal talk. | D．It makes people feel good. |
| A．Conversation Counts | B．Ways of Making Small Talk |
| C．Benefits of Small Talk | D．Uncomfortable Silence |
