1 . It’s late in the evening, time to close the book and turn off the computer. You’re done for the day. What you may not realize, however, is that the learning process actually continues in your dreams.

It might sound like science fiction, but researchers are increasingly focusing on the relationship between the knowledge and skills our brains absorb during the day and the often strange imaginings they generate at night. Scientists have found that dreaming about a task we’ve learned improves performance in that activity (suggesting that there’s some truth to the popular idea that we’re “getting” a foreign language once we begin dreaming in it). What’s more, dreaming may be an essential part of understanding, organizing and retaining what we learn.

While we sleep, research indicates, the brain replays the patterns of activity it experienced during waking hours, allowing us to enter what one psychologist calls a neural (神经的) virtual reality. A vivid example of such replay can be seen in a video researchers made recently about sleep disorders. They taught a series of dance moves to patients suffering from sleepwalking and related conditions. They then videotaped the subjects as they slept. Lying in bed, eyes closed, one female patient on the tape performs the dance moves she learned earlier.

This shows that while our bodies are at rest, our brains are drawing what’s important from the information and events we’ve recently encountered, then integrating that material into the vast store of what we already know. In a 2010 study, researchers reported that college students who dreamed about a computer maze (迷宫) task they had learned showed a 10-fold improvement in their ability to find their way through the maze compared with participants who did not dream about the task.

That study’s chief researcher Herbert Smith suggested that studying right before bedtime or taking a nap following a study session in the afternoon might increase the probability of dreaming about the material. Think about that as you go to sleep tonight.

1. What happens when one enters a dream state?

A．The body continues to act as if the sleeper were awake.

B．The neural activity of the brain will become intensified.

C．The brain once again experiences the learning activities of the day.

D．The brain behaves as if it were playing a virtual reality video game.

2. What does the brain do while we are sleeping?

A．It replaces old information with new material.

B．It processes and absorbs newly acquired information.

C．It regroups information and places it in different files.

D．It systematizes all the information collected during the day.

3. How can learning be enhanced according to Herbert Smith?

A．Staying up late before finally going to bed.

B．Having a period of sleep right after studying.

C．Having a dream about anything you are interested in.

D．Thinking about the chances of dreaming about the material.

4. What is the research discussed in the passage mainly about?

A．How study affects people’s dreams.

B．Why people learn more after sleeping.

C．What time students should study and sleep.

D．How dreaming may lead to improved learning outcomes.

2 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The fourth Thursday in November is called Thanksgiving Day, which has been one of the most important festivals in the United States. The theme is thankfulness for peace and happiness of family life during the past year. People usually eat roast turkey and pumpkin pie to celebrate the holiday.

There are always moving stories about Thanksgiving Day. Though the stories have different leading roles, the topics of them are the same: showing the sincere appreciation to their loved people, such as parents, siblings（兄弟姊妹），friends, teachers and so on.

I also have a moving story that happened on Thanksgiving Day. At first it sounded like a thanksgiving story, but the more I reflected on it, the more appropriate it seemed for any time of the year. The story went like this: when Thanksgiving Day was coming, a teacher gave her class an interesting task-to draw a picture of something for which they were thankful.

Most of the class might be considered economically disadvantaged, but still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey, corn, pumpkins and other traditional things of the season, like all of those symbols drawn on the holiday decorations and greeting cards. These, the teacher thought, would be the subjects of most of her students art.

All students drew their pictures as the teacher thought, except one boy-Peterson. He made a different kind of picture. Peterson seemed to be a strange student in the class. As other children played during break, he usually chose to quietly stand close by the teacher's side. They didn't know what had ever happened to him and nobody could guess how Peterson felt behind his sad eyes. He didn't like to play with the other students nor talk with them.

When the little boy was asked to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful, he drew a hand. There was nothing else but an empty hand on the picture. It was different from other pictures.

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。

His abstract picture caught the imagination of his classmates.

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When the children went on to discuss other pictures,the teacher paused at the boy's desk.

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3 . 你校准备在新建的“名人长廊”中为每一位名人画像配上英语介绍, 以便让同学们有更多的机会学习英语。请你根据以下信息写一篇80词左右介绍郎平的短文。
1. 郎平, 1960年12月10日出生于天津市。1973年, 13岁的郎平开始练习打排球;
2. 1978年, 因在全国排球比赛中表现突出, 进入国家队;
3. 从1980年起, 郎平获得很多荣誉;
4. 退役后, 郎平成为排球教练。2016年, 郎平带领中国女排, 时隔12年, 在里约奥运会(the Rio Olympic Games)上获得金牌;
5. 郎平是中国第一个作为球员和教练员均夺取过奥运会冠军的排球运动员。
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4 . A block chain is a data structure that stores time-ordered data in an ever-growing list, like an accounting ledger (分类账簿). The block chain data structure is maintained using a distributed, peer-to-peer network of computers with no central “master”. As with many new concepts, block chain technology generates much optimism and also a huge amount of interest and excitement. Just what is it good for?

In short, block chains may improve any process where people need to access, confirm, send or store information securely. This information could be a person’s identity, a product’s shipment history or digital property like money.

Typical databases, spreadsheets (电子数据表), and ledgers store information about objects, people, and the interactions between them. Much of the world’s information, from credit card transactions to medical and financial records, is stored in these types of systems.

These types of systems have considerable, well-documented weaknesses that arise from their being centralized. A centralized record is hard to understand and is exposed to unauthorized access or distribution. It is also, because it is a ‘master’ copy, exposed to permanent changing or deletion.

Block chains are also used to store information. Crucially, however, they differ in two ways.

First, information is parceled up into blocks and sealed. Bitcoin, for example, which is the most famous practical example of a production block chain, stores all transactions across the network every ten minutes or so in a single, newly formed block. Each block is then added to the previous one to form a chain.

Second, this “chain of blocks” is not stored centrally. Instead, each block is copied and distributed around an entire network of peers - be they individuals, public institutions, or businesses - using distributed ledger technology. (The terms “block chain” and “distributed ledger” are often used interchangeably; for the sake of clarity, block chain technologies tend to employ distributed ledger technology.)

Each time someone adds a new block to the chain, meanwhile it is added to everyone’s copy.

1. What is the biggest strength of a block chain?

A．It promotes people’s enthusiasm about new technology.

B．It strengthens the security of processing information.

C．It enables people to store more data in time order.

D．It stores a large part of world’s information.

2. The typical systems used to store information are weak in that ________.

A．they are difficult to operate	B．they can be accessed easily
C．they have a central “master”	D．they store considerable documents

3. The passage is developed mainly by ________.

A．making comparisons	B．giving examples
C．making a list	D．showing the effect and causes

4. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To analyze the weaknesses of typical systems.

B．To encourage the popularity of the block chain.

C．To introduce the new concept of the block chain.

D．To compare the two different data structures.

5 . A robot created by Washington State University (WSU) scientists could help elderly people with dementia (痴呆) and other limitations live independently in their own homes.

The Robot Activity Support System, or RAS, uses sensors installed in a WSU smart home to determine where its residents are, what they are doing and when they need assistance with daily activities. It navigates (定位) through rooms and around obstacles to find people on its own, provides video instructions on how to do simple tasks and can even lead its owner to objects like their medication or a snack in the kitchen.

“RAS combines the convenience of a mobile robot with the activity detection technology of a WSU smart home to provide assistance in the moment, as the need for help is detected,” said Bryan Minor, a postdoctoral researcher in the WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Currently, an estimated 50 percent of adults over the age of 85 need assistance with every day activities such as preparing meals and taking medication and the annual cost for this assistance in the US is nearly $2 trillion. With the number of adults over 85 expected to triple by 2050, researchers hope that technologies like RAS and the WSU smart home will relieve some of the financial strain on the healthcare system by making it easier for older adults to live alone.

RAS is the first robot researchers have tried to incorporate into their smart home environment. They recently published a study in the journal Cognitive Systems Research that demonstrates how RAS could make life easier for older adults struggling to live independently.

“While we are still in an early stage of development, our initial results with RAS have been promising,” Minor said. “The next step in the research will be to test RAS’ performance with a group of older adults to get a better idea of what prompts, video reminders and other preferences they have regarding the robot.”

1. How does RAS serve elderly people?

A．Through sensors.	B．Through objects.
C．Through a mobile robot.	D．Through their daily activities.

2. What can we know about RAS?

A．It is the first robot used in daily life.	B．Its function remains to be tested.
C．It can locate people and do any task.	D．It can cook for owners on its own.

3. What’s Minor’s attitude toward the future of RAS?

A．Doubtful.	B．Negative.
C．Optimistic.	D．Uncertain.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Elderly people leave the nursing home.

B．Smart Home Tests first elder-Care robot.

C．RAS, the first robot to make home smart.

D．Older adults have benefited from RAS.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Up to 82 percent of children with healthy mothers are not easy to be obese（肥胖的）, according to research. A mother,     1     has a healthy weight, exercises regularly, eats a healthy diet, doesn’t smoke and only     2    (drink) wine in moderation, is significantly less likely     3    (have)a fat child, scientists say.

And research suggests it could be more to do with nurture(养育)    4     nature, as a mother's lifestyle appears     5    (direct) linked to the health of her child. When both mother and child follow a healthy lifestyle, the risk of obesity     6    (reduce)even more, the study of more than 24,000 children found.

The study examined the medical history and lifestyles of more than 24,000 children aged nine     7     fourteen, born to almost 17,000 women in the US. Researchers looked at the link between overall mother health and likelihood of a child     8    (be) obese.

The mother's health was judged on her height-to-weight ratio(比例), her diet, amount of physical     9    (active), smoking status and how much alcohol she drank. A healthy weight and diet, regular exercise, no smoking and moderate drinking all reduce the chance of a woman having     10     obese child.

7 . 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.

2. Why did Babbitt's team conduct the research?

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.

3. Which of the following uses the least energy?

A．The box-set TV.	B．The tablet.
C．The LCD TV.	D．The desktop computer.

4. What does the text suggest people do about old electronic devices?

A．Stop using them.	B．Take them apart.
C．Upgrade them.	D．Recycle them.

8 . 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.

2. What is important for successful small talk according to Carducci?

A．Showing good manners.	B．Relating to other people.
C．Focusing on a topic.	D．Making business deals.

3. What does the coffee-shop study suggest about small talk?

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.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Conversation Counts	B．Ways of Making Small Talk
C．Benefits of Small Talk	D．Uncomfortable Silence