1 . At a young age, Darrius Simmons fell in love with the piano. As he watched others play, he was _________ by the joy the piano gave them. He wanted to experience that, too, but knew for him it would be a/an _________.

“I decided at age 10 that I wanted to learn how to play the piano, _________ it was going to take a little bit _________ work for me to learn,” Simmons says. “I knew most people had 10 fingers while I had four, yet I was pretty _________ I could make it work.”

The Warren, Ohio teenager was born with a genetic _________ called ectrodactyly (先天性缺指畸形). He has three fingers on his right hand and _________ finger on his left. But it didn’t _________ Simmons from following his _________. With no formal training, Simmons taught himself by ear how to play the piano. He practiced and practiced, finding a way to __________ the keys with four fingers while mastering the pedals with his prostheses(假肢).

Simmons knew he would have to __________ his own style of playing. “I couldn’t base it __________ the technique of somebody who has 10 fingers. It just wouldn’t __________.” He says. “That’s __________ it was hard for me to take piano lessons. It’s very __________ for somebody who has learned how to play with 10 fingers to adjust and teach me with only four.”

The now 18-year-old not only learned how to play and read music but also began composing.

His mother, Tamara Simmons, isn’t surprised by Darrius’ __________. She knows how focused and __________ he can be.

From mastering music to beating __________ challenges, Darrius Simmons sets out to __________ the world. “I like to be somebody’s __________,” he says. “If I play in front of a whole crowd and I see one person smile, that’s a job well done.”

1.

A．frightened

B．amazed

C．interested

D．disturbed

2.

A．challenge

B．opportunity

C．fortune

D．trouble

3.

A．while

B．but

C．and

D．therefore

4.

A．more

B．much

C．fewer

D．less

5.

A．surprised

B．worried

C．sure

D．glad

6.

A．condition

B．environment

C．situation

D．tendency

7.

A．one

B．two

C．three

D．five

8.

A．encourage

B．prevent

C．remove

D．change

9.

A．actions

B．roads

C．instructions

D．passions

10.

A．reach

B．repair

C．remove

D．clean

11.

A．adopt

B．abandon

C．develop

D．change

12.

A．by

B．in

C．through

D．on

13.

A．support

B．run

C．operate

D．work

14.

A．why

B．because

C．when

D．whether

15.

A．easy

B．tough

C．funny

D．stupid

16.

A．ideas

B．creations

C．difficulties

D．achievements

17.

A．kind

B．determined

C．talented

D．generous

18.

A．spiritual

B．mental

C．physical

D．emotional

19.

A．please

B．persuade

C．inspire

D．cheer

20.

A．partner

B．symbol

C．aim

D．motivation

2 . 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.

3 . Making beers on the moon might seem like a pipe dream to many, but for a group of students from the University of California at San Diego, there is a chance to take their research beyond Earth’s surface.

The Lab2Moon competition, held by TeamIndus, is offering students the chance to secure a spot on the TeamIndus rocket this year.

Taking craft beer to the next level, the students want to test whether it’s possible for yeast(酵母) to work and create beer on the moon. However, they believe the experiment is not just a creative concept for astronauts, it’s also important for the development of drugs and yeast-containing food, like bread.

“The idea started out with a few laughs among a group of friends,” said Neeki Ashari, a fifth-year bioengineering students at UC San Diego. “We all appreciate the craft beer. When we heard that there was an opportunity to design an experiment that would go up on India’s moonlander, w e thought we could combine our hobby with the competition by focusing on the practicality of yeast in outer space.”

The preparation work for the beer — up to the stage of adding yeast — will all be done on Earth, and rather than separating the fermentation ( 发酵) and carbonation stage of making beer, the team plans to combine them.

This removes the need to release CO2 accumulated in the process, which may result in cleanliness and safety issues out in space.

If selected, Team Original Gravity will be the first to make beer in outer space, and the fermentation will take place in a container no bigger than a soda can.

All teams competing for the place will showcase their ideas in Bangalore, India, in March.

Sadly, you won’t be enjoying moon beer in your local craft beer bar anytime soon, as no samples will be brought back. However, this small experiment could provide important data on just how practical it is for us to make and create our own resources on other planets and moons by learning how consumables (消耗品) behave in different environments.

1. How did the students feel when they got the chance to design the experiment ?

A．Excited.	B．Nervous.
C．Confident.	D．Casual.

2. What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 6 refer to?

A．The mixing of two stages.	B．Adding yeast on Earth.
C．The preparation work on Earth.	D．Fermentation and carbonation.

3. What can we learn about the experiment from the passage?

A．It has been designed based on similar experiments.

B．It’s quite competitive compared with other designs.

C．It’s design has already been approved by TeamIndus.

D．Its process was adapted to make it safer and greener.

4. What does the author think of the students ’ idea?

A．It seems like a pipe dream.	B．It’s extremely complicated.
C．It’s meaningful and hopeful.	D．It’s creative but impractical.

4 . Taking at least twenty minutes out of your day to walk or sit in a place that makes you feel in contact with nature will significantly lower your stress hormone levels. That's the finding of a study that has established for the first time the most effective amount of an urban nature experience. Healthcare professionals can use this discovery to prescribe (开药) “nature-pills" in the knowledge that they have a real measurable effect

"We know that spending time in nature reduces stress, but until now it was unclear how much is enough, how often to do it, or even what kind of nature experience will benefit us,” says Dr. Hunter, a lead author of this research. “Our study shows that for the greatest payoff, in terms of efficiently lowering levels of the stress hormone, you should spend 20 to 30 minutes sitting or walking in a place that provides you with a sense of nature.

To assist healthcare professionals looking for evidence-based guidelines on what exactly to distribute, Hunter and her colleagues designed an experiment that would give a realistic estimate of an effective amount.

Over an 8-week period, participants were asked to take a nature pill with a duration of 10 minutes or more, at least 3 times a week. Levels of stress hormone, were measured from saliva (唾液)samples taken before and after a nature pill, once every two weeks. The data revealed that just a twenty-minute nature experience was enough to significantly reduce stress levels.

Healthcare professionals can use our results as an evidence-based rule of thumb on what to put in a nature-pill prescription," said Hunter. "It provides the first estimates of how na- ture experiences impact stress levels in the context of normal daily life. It breaks new ground by addressing some of the complexities of measuring an effective nature amount."

1. What's the great significance of the study?

A．It finds out a new way to release stress.

B．It can help doctors prescribe various pills

C．It makes it clear that exercise can help release stress.

D．It finds out the accurate amount of nature experience.

2. How did Hunter get the finding?

A．By working with some doctors.	B．By asking participants questions.
C．By carrying out an experiment.	D．By comparing the previous data.

3. What did Hunter think of the result of the study?

A．It has drawbacks.	B．It's meaningful.
C．It's worth researching further.	D．It needs more discussions.

4. What's the main idea of the text?

A．Nature has close relationship with stress.

B．We should stay in nature to keep healthy.

C．We cannot get close to nature frequently.

D．Staying in nature for proper time will lower stress level.

5 . After she left the town, Jane stopped the car at the landing near the entrance of the bay ( 海 湾 ).She stepped into the _____ and rowed out silently. The tide was rushing to the entrance and _____ to the wild   open sea. She had to row across the bay to reach _____ side. The waves struck against the side of the boat, _____ and uneven; it became _____ difficult to row.   If she _____ for a moment, the tide would push the boat     back towards the _____.

She wasn' t even halfway, _____ she was already tired and her hands _____ from pulling on the rough wooden oars (船桨). “I'm never going to _____ it”, she thought. She rested the oars on her knees and _____ her head helplessly, then looked up as she _____ the boat shift(晃动) against the tide.

The east wind , which had swung( 旋 转 ) around from the south-west, _____ her help and pushed the boat towards the mountains. It was going to be _____. Her hands weren't so painful. Her chest didn’t feel as if it was about to burst _____.

The lights of the town became _____. one of the oars banged against the side of the boat and she _____ it with a start. Had she been asleep, or just _____? She looked over her shoulder.   She was almost on the beach. The girl gave   one last _____ on the oars to ground the boat, and then lay back against the seat. She listened to the waves _____ and knew she had come home. Far across the moonlit bay the lights were no more than a sparkling chain.

1.

A．car

B．boat

C．ship

D．mail

2.

A．beside

B．before

C．behind

D．beyond

3.

A．another

B．other

C．either

D．the other

4.

A．deep

B．calm

C．gentle

D．rough

5.

A．more

B．less

C．as

D．least

6.

A．slept

B．continued

C．rested

D．rowed

7.

A．home

B．mountains

C．south-west

D．entrance

8.

A．if

B．so

C．but

D．since

9.

A．hurt

B．ruined

C．troubled

D．broke

10.

A．get

B．make

C．keep

D．take

11.

A．mined

B．dropped

C．cocked

D．raised

12.

A．saw

B．made

C．heard

D．felt

13.

A．got to

B．came to

C．sent for

D．reached for

14.

A．difficult

B．serious

C．fine

D．certain

15.

A．any more

B．still more

C．no more

D．once more

16.

A．brighter

B．bigger

C．closer

D．smaller

17.

A．destroyed

B．threw

C．repaired

D．seized

18.

A．dreaming

B．guessing

C．inventing

D．expecting

19.

A．blow

B．hit

C．pull

D．strike

20.

A．anxiously

B．happily

C．sadly

D．carefully

6 . Let me tell you, Johnson, this is going to be the biggest development in animal-imitative cybernetics     (动物模仿控制学) since Hayes pioneered the field way back in 2014. Everybody’s going to want a piece of my discovery! Everyone! Even United States of Earth Defense! I’m going to be the richest man alive!

I can see you don’t share my excitement yet. Just wait, old friend. Accompany me to my lab, and we will see who has the last laugh. You’ll be begging me to take you on as a lab assistant after I...Oh, here we are. You first, my good man. You see, I had already come up with the perfect cybernetic engine, able to copy any life form. The question was, which creature would be the best show of my discovery? I’ve used a life form nobody’s considered for cybernetics. It is powerful, graceful, intelligent, and best of all people love it. I chose the tiger!

Go on, have a glance! Ha! Don’t look so shocked, Johnson. I leave it powered down when I’m not testing it. It is rather great, though. Yes, all the latest technology, including claws ( 爪 ) I had made from vanadium alloy(合金). It cuts through steel like its wet cardboard. The process that I used to get its mind in the computer will be enough to ensure me fame and fortune.

Huh? It did move, didn’t it? I guess I left it on yesterday. No, don’t look so nervous; I can shut off its main power with this remote(遥控器)right here. Nothing to worry about. I really don’t think it’s regarding you as a meal. Be reasonable, old...Oh, God! Johnson! The remote, where is it? Where?!

Ah, there we go! Too late to save Johnson, though. What a pity. Better safe than sorry. There! God, what a mess. Even worse, I can’t call the police now; the bad publicity would overshadow my breakthrough, and certainly frighten the investors. I’ve got to get rid of the body secretly, somehow. I could bury it, but I might be seen. I could burn it, but the smoke would be very doubtful. What to do?

What to...

I wonder...How fast can this cat eat?

1. What’s the author’s attitude towards his invention?

A．Proud.	B．Disappointed.
C．Cheerful.	D．Astonished.

2. It can be inferred that the invention in the passage is a____.

A．surprise	B．success
C．failure	D．wonder

3. According to the passage, what was the worst result of this invention?

A．He couldn’t get rid of his friend’s body.	B．The robot tiger killed his friend.
C．He couldn’t control the robot tiger.	D．The robot tiger had to be improved.

4. What does the last sentence “I wonder...How fast can this cat eat” suggest?

A．The writer wanted to know if he could find a cat to eat John’s body.

B．The writer wondered how fast this cat could eat a person.

C．The writer wanted to test whether this machine tiger is powerful enough.

D．The writer wanted to cover up the facts that his experiment is a failure.

7 . It’s not just adults who have a thing or two to discuss with other people, babies too have their own social lives and enjoy group interaction, according to a world-first study.

The breakthrough study conducted by psychologist Professor Ben Bradley, at Charles Sturt University, could completely transform the way child-care centres are set up. In their study, the researchers examined groups of nine-month-old babies in New South Wales and Britain.

And they came across astounding(令人吃惊的) results. It was found that infants had “social brains” and focused not just on their mothers but on social life in groups as well.

“They communicate with more than one baby at once, and show jealousy and generousness,” said Professor Bradley.

He added, “They develop their own meanings through group interaction, they notice if a group member is behaving differently and they take on roles, such as leaders and followers.”

“A baby who has a depressed mother tends to be withdrawn ( 内 向 的 ), but put that same baby in a group of its peers (同龄人) and they behave and interact like any other baby.”

It was the first all-baby group study ever to be conducted. “Most studies of babies concentrate on the infant-mother relationship, assuming that is the single foundation for mental health, but babies are constantly involved with groups of people other than their mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents and those taking care. Therefore, the mother-baby approach needs to be combined with a group approach,” said Bradley.

Phoebe Christison, a child-care worker at Camperdown Sunshine Bubs in Sydney’s inner west, said she often noticed what appeared to be emotional attachments developed between toddlers.

She said, “Joel （     1     ） months ) and Isabella （     2     ） months ) always like to hold hands when they sit in their high chairs and eat. And babies definitely show jealousy. They push and touch each other, and copy what the other is doing.”

1. Which of the following statements about the study is TRUE?

A．It’s the first study to look at all-baby groups.

B．It divides babies according to their personalities.

C．Its aim is to change the way of child care.

D．Its results are hard to believe.

2. A baby who has a depressed mother   _____.

A．tends to be a follower	B．also enjoys group interaction
C．has poor social ability	D．pays more attention to its mother

3. What can be inferred from the result of this study?

A．There’s no need of child-care centers at all.

B．Babies are affected by groups more than by their mothers.

C．Adults should include babies when having social activities.

D．The normal infant-mother bond alone isn’t enough for the good mental health for babies.

4. The underlined word “toddlers” in Paragraph 8 can be replaced by “____”.

A．adults	B．infants
C．peers	D．groups

8 . From a young age, I was taught to be kind to people around. My parents _________ explained to me the importance of giving help generously to the less _________. So out of habit, whenever there is something I can _________, I give it to someone on the streets.

Last week, as I left the house for work, I carried with me some _________ clothes, a handbag and some food to hand over to someone _________.

As the car _________ at a traffic red light, I saw a girl of five or six asking for money. I _________ her to come to me and quickly _________ all the stuff I had and put them into the handbag. As I started handing it over, she seemed _________. She looked up at me with a sweet smile on her face and asked what was in the __________. I told her there were some clothes and food for her.

Once again she __________ me, “Can you give me some water?” It was then that I __________ her dry lips. It seemed that she had not had a __________ of water all day. I __________ the water bottle that I always carry with me and helped her to drink from it. She finished it quickly and gave me a heartwarming smile of __________.

I was thankful that I could __________ what she really wished and realized once again that day that you don’t necessarily have to make big __________ to help someone. And this incident, as well as a lot that followed, ________ my belief in the simple acts of kindness and how they can make someone’s day.

Next time you want to do something nice for someone, don’t __________, seizing the right __________, or it would be late. Go ahead and do it!

1.

A．cheerfully

B．confidently

C．particularly

D．smoothly

2.

A．difficult

B．rich

C．comfortable

D．fortunate

3.

A．find

B．exchange

C．spare

D．abandon

4.

A．casual

B．worn

C．old

D．fashionable

5.

A．needy

B．clumsy

C．lucky

D．lonely

6.

A．pulled

B．stopped

C．approached

D．drew

7.

A．wanted

B．ordered

C．touched

D．signaled

8.

A．threw

B．collected

C．dragged

D．dropped

9.

A．surprised

B．embarrassed

C．panicked

D．worried

10.

A．bag

B．pocket

C．car

D．hand

11.

A．waved at

B．looked up at

C．shook hands with

D．nodded at

12.

A．realized

B．watched

C．recognized

D．noticed

13.

A．bottle

B．drop

C．lot

D．cup

14.

A．pointed out

B．gave out

C．picked out

D．took out

15.

A．satisfaction

B．communication

C．appreciation

D．expectation

16.

A．afford

B．offer

C．understand

D．remember

17.

A．donations

B．differences

C．senses

D．kindness

18.

A．strengthened

B．changed

C．shook

D．destroyed

19.

A．hold out

B．hold on

C．hold back

D．hold down

20.

A．idea

B．power

C．position

D．opportunity

9 . Up and down the economic ladder, many Americans who work—and especially those raising kids—are pressed for time, wishing they had more of it to devote to leisure activities (or even just sleeping). At the same time, research has indicated that people who are busy tend to be happier than those who are idle, whether their busyness is purposeful or not.

A research paper released late last year investigated this trade-off, attempting to pinpoint (精确指出) how much leisure time is best. Its authors examined the relationship between the amount of “discretionary time” people had—basically, how much time people spend awake and doing what they want—and how pleased they were with their lives.

The paper, which analyzed data covering about 35,000 Americans, found that employed people’s ratings of their satisfaction with life peaked when they had in the neighborhood of two and a half hours of free time a day. For people who didn’t work, the optimal (最佳) amount was four hours and 45 minutes.

The research traced a correlation (关联) between free time and life satisfaction, but didn’t provide any definitive (最后的) insight into what underlies that correlation—“which is exciting, because this is a work in progress,” says Cassie Mogilner Holmes, a professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and a co-author of the paper, which hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed or published in an academic journal.

An experiment that the researchers arranged hinted at (暗示) a possible explanation of the correlation they found. They asked participants to picture and describe what it would be like to have a certain amount of daily free time, and then report how they’d feel about that allotment (分配). “What we find is that having too little time makes people feel stressed, and maybe that’s obvious,” says Holmes. “But interestingly, that effect goes away—the role of stress goes away—once you approach the optimal point.” After that point, Holmes says, the subjects started to say they felt less productive overall, which could explain why having a lot of free time can feel like having too much free time.

It’s not clear what an individual is to do with these findings, since the amount of free time people have usually has something to do with a variety of factors, such as having children or a degree of control over work schedules. Holmes shared her research with the MBA students in her class on happiness, and some of the most time-crunched among them were comforted by the findings: “I think that two and a half hours creates a nice goal that even if you increase a little bit more of your discretionary time use, you can expect that it will translate into greater life satisfaction.”

1. According to the passage, what happens to Americans occupied with their work?

A．They allow themselves more leisure time.

B．They keep themselves busy on purpose.

C．They know how much leisure time is best.

D．They experience higher level of satisfaction.

2. What can be learned about the correlation between free time and life satisfaction?

A．Researchers have cast light on the cause of the correlation.

B．Unemployed people need more leisure time to feel content.

C．The paper on the correlation has achieved peer recognition.

D．Employed people enjoy more leisure time in the neighborhood.

3. Which of the following charts illustrates the change of stress and productivity?

A．	B．
C．	D．

4. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _______.

A．Holmes is optimistic about the influence of her findings

B．individuals are encouraged to control their work schedules

C．people with tight schedules can’t benefit from the findings

D．the MBA students find no free time to obtain life satisfaction

10 . 英语课上，老师要求同桌之间相互修改作文。假设以下短文为你同桌所写，请你对其进行修改。短文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(A)，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。
You must have heard about Dolly and have been amazed by the first cloned animal. But here came a problem; should we clone humans? When being asked about this question, a large number of people which are interested in the topic hold the view that it’s beneficial to clone humans. Therefore, some other people, me including, are against this idea. Cloning humans can bring negative effects and wrong informations. In the first place, they may not be treated equal as normal people, which I believe will make him suffer a lot. In second place, human cloning may lead in some social disorder, and it is quite dangerous.