1 . John, 69, wanted to retire from running his small-town grocery store: However, he didn’t want to leave his local community without a grocery store to shop at. He was facing a(n) _______ .

John’s parents opened the store in 1940，and John _______ it over in 1985. When the store first opened, it was one of four grocery stores in town. Now, it’s the last one _______. Since there was no one in his family who could continue running it, John _______ selling it and put the store on the _______ three years ago. Although he got some attention, no _______ came in. _______ he pulled the store off the market, as he worried that whoever bought the building might not continue the grocery store, which would make life harder for people in the community — especially those without _______ to a vehicle.

Then last summer, Elizabeth, who grew up in a nearby town, _______ John with an idea. She offered to raise money to buy the store, with the goal of ________ it into a sustainable social enterprise. Thus, Elizabeth turned to local residents and they ________ . Local residents, as well as people with ________ to the town，donated.

In a matter-of months, the community ________ half a million dollars, which was enough for them to purchase the property and ________ the store.

Johnm for his part is ________ that his family’s legacy (遗产) will live on, and the residents will still have a local place to shop for fresh food.

1.

A．welfare

B．opportunity

C．warning

D．dilemma

2.

A．handed

B．took

C．turned

D．looked

3.

A．changing

B．standing

C．selecting

D．developing

4.

A．considered

B．opposed

C．missed

D．avoided

5.

A．list

B．spot

C．line

D．market

6.

A．calls

B．comprehensions

C．offers

D．observations

7.

A．Impatiently

B．Eventually

C．Annually

D．Constantly

8.

A．addiction

B．absence

C．adaptation

D．access

9.

A．defended

B．blessed

C．approached

D．equipped

10.

A．dividing

B．downgrading

C．transforming

D．restoring

11.

A．stepped up

B．tore up

C．sped up

D．spoke up

12.

A．disrespect

B．commitment

C．ties

D．contributions

13.

A．earned

B．borrowed

C．saved

D．collected

14.

A．remove

B．recruit

C．renew

D．resist

15.

A．excited

B．frightened

C．annoyed

D．disappointed

2 . Each year, the world loses about 10 million hectares of forest—at area about the size of Iceland — because of cutting down trees. At that rate, some scientists predict the world’s forests could disappear in 100 to 200 years. To handle it, now researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have pioneered a technique to generate wood-like plant materials sin a lab. This makes it possible to “grow” a wooden product without cutting down trees.

In the lab, the researchers first take cells from the leaves of a young plant. These cells are cultured in liquid medium for two days, then moved to another medium which contains nutrients and two different hormones (激素). By adjusting the bormone levels, the researchers can tune the physical and mechanical qualities of the cells: New the researchers use a 3D printer to shape the cell-based material, and let the shaped material grow in the dark for three months. Finally, the researchers dehydrate (使脱水) the material, and then evaluate its qualities.

They found that lower bormone levels lead to plant materials with more rounded, open cells of lower density (密度), while higher hormone levels contribute to the growth of plant materials with smaller but denser cell structures. Lower or higher density of cell structures makes the plant materials softer or more rigid, helping the materials grow with different wood-like characteristics. What’s more, it’s to be noted that the research process is about 100 times faster than the time it takes for a tree to grow to maturity!

Research of this kind is ground-breaking. “This work demonstrates the great power of a technology,” says lead researcher, Jeffrey Berenstab. “The real opportunity here is to be at its best with what you use and how you use it. This technology can be tuned to meet the requirements you give about shapes, sizes, rigidity, and forms. It enables us to grow’ any wooden product in a way that traditional agricultural methods can’t achieve.”

1. Why do researchers at MIT perform the research?

A．To grow more trees.	B．To reduce tree losses.
C．To protect plant diversity.	D．To predict forest disappearance.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about the lab research?

A．Its scientific origins.	B．Its theoretical basis
C．Its usual difficulties.	D．Its main processes

3. What does the finding suggest about the plant materials?

A．They are better than naturally grown plants.

B．Their growth speed determines their characteristics.

C．The hormone levels affect their rigidity.

D．Their cells’ shapes mainly rely on their density.

4. Why is the research path-breaking according to Berenstain?

A．It uses new biological materials in lab experiments.

B．It has a significant impact on worldwide plant growth.

C．It revolutionizes the way to make wooden products.

D．It challenges traditional scientific theories in forestry.

3 . Technology is forever changing the way we get our news. Many people now get a lot of their news on electronic devices, instead of traditional media, such as newspapers, television or radio. Now, there is a new way we get the news: computer-created news readers.

Recently, China’s Xinhua launched(推出)the world’s first AI news presenters with the Chinese search engine Sogou. The news readers created by machine learning technology are based on two real-life newsmen. One is able to present newscasts in English; the other, in Mandarin Chinese.

Machine learning is used to examine video images and sounds of the two newsmen, which look and sound like real people. Some machine learning experts said the system showed off China’s latest progress in voice recognition, text-to-speech technology and data analysis. But several experts suggested that the term Al does not correctly describe abilities of the robotic news readers.

On social media, many Chinese noted that the AI presenters did not seem real. People blamed them for not being more lifelike. Others wondered about the effects robots might have on employment and workers. Some people argued that only low-level jobs requiring heavy labor will be easily replaced by robots. Others praised the technology as a way for companies to make money from low-cost labor machines.

Some businesses have experimented with similar technology for possible use in news operations. Britain’s BBC recently released a video that used machine learning to make it look like one of its news readers speaking different languages. The London-based company that developed the system says its goal is to “remove the language barrier” for many different kinds of video across the Internet.

1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 1?

A．Introduce the topic of the text.	B．Summarize the different opinions.
C．Add some data about the AI presenters.	D．Compare different ways of getting news.

2. What is the machine learning technology used to do?

A．To bring newscasts up to date every hour.

B．To help AI presenters speak more fluently.

C．To keep AI presenters from making any mistakes.

D．To ensure images and sounds are like those of real persons.

3. What are some people worried about when AI presenters were launched?

A．Robots will rule over the world in the end.

B．Robots will eventually replace human all over.

C．Robots may endanger most people’s health.

D．Robots may threaten some people’s employment.

4. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A．BBC has done similar experiments as Xinhua does.

B．BBC has removed the language barrier in newscasts.

C．BBC shows interest in Xinhua’s AI news presenters.

D．BBC’s news readers can explore different technologies.

6 . There are many things to do in Macao. Macao is small, but that just means you can do and see a lot in a short amount of time.

Try the Macao Tower Bungee Jump

The Macao Tower, 338 meters tall, is the world’s 10th highest tower, with a variety of entertainment activities.

One of the activities is the bungee jump, which is popular with extreme sports lovers. The bungee-jumping height is 233 meters, making it a Guinness World Record as the highest commercial bungee jump in the world.

Enjoy the Egg Tart of Macao

One of the must-try local foods in Macao is the egg tart. This dessert is different from the Cantonese egg tart. One of the visible differences is the slightly burned caramel (焦糖) top. The creamy filling, tasty crust (酥皮) and the burned caramel top create an incredible mixture of flavor.

Gradually, the bakery has become a fixed tourist spot in Macao, where the queue outside will never be empty.

Grab a Selfie at the Ruins of St. Paul

The Ruins of St. Paul is one of the signature landmarks of Macao. The ruins consist of the St. Paul’s College and the Church of St. Paul, built in 1580. However, after three intense fires in 1595, 1601 and 1835, the church was seriously damaged.

Watch the Macao Grand Prix

Racing through the small streets and roads of this tiny city, the Macao Grand Prix circuit (巡回赛) is the only street circuit racing in the world for car and motorcycle races. The Macao Grand Prix is a major worldwide car-racing event held every year, featuring over 300 top drivers a year.

1. Where should you go if you are an extreme sports lover?

A．The Macao Tower.	B．The small streets in Macao.
C．The Ruins of St. Paul.	D．The St. Paul’s College.

2. What’s the visible difference between the egg tart of Macao and the Cantonese one?

A．The creamy filling.	B．The tasty crust.
C．The slightly burned caramel top.	D．The mixture of flavor.

3. What do we know about the Church of St. Paul?

A．It is the most famous site in Macao.	B．It was built in 1595.
C．It was rebuilt only once.	D．It was damaged badly.

7 . 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。

The art of paper-cutting (剪纸) in China may date back to the second century, since paper     1     (invent) by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty in China. As paper became more affordable, paper-cutting became one of the most important types of Chinese folk art. Later, with different regions     2     (adopt) their own cultural styles, this art form spread to other parts of the world.     3     (usual), the artworks are made of red paper. as red is associated with     4     (happy) in Chinese culture, but other colors are also used.

With     5     (it) long history, paper-cutting,     6     originated in China, has been very popular among the ordinary Chinese people. People put up paper cuts on walls, windows and doors at wedding ceremonies or festivals     7     (make) the cheerful atmosphere (氛围).

Chinese paper cuts are rich     8     content. The auspicious (吉祥的) designs symbolize (象征) good luck and the avoidance of evil. The child, lotus and bat designs suggest a family with     9     large number of children and grandchildren. Birds, livestock, fruit, fish and worms are also familiar objects     10     (accept) by Chinese farmers. In a word, paper cuts used in different occasions have different meanings.

8 . Much meaning can be conveyed clearly with our eyes, so it is often said that eyes can speak.

    1     In a bus you may look at a stranger but not far too long. And if he sensed that you are staring at him, he may feel uncomfortable.

The same is true in our daily life. If you are stared at for more than necessary, you will look at yourself up and down to see if there is anything wrong with you.     2     Eyes do speak, right?

Looking too long at someone may seem to be side and aggressive     3     If a man stares at a woman for more than 10 seconds and refuses to look away from her, his intentions are obvious. He wishes to attract her attention, and let her know that he is admiring her.

However, when two persons are engaged in a conversation, the speaker will only look into the listener’s eyes from time to time to make sure that the listener does pay attention to what the former is speaking.     4     If a speaker looks at you continuously when speaking as if trying to control you, you will feel awkward. A poor liar usually exposes himself by looking too long at the victim. He wrongly believes that looking straight in the eye is a sign of honest communication.     5     Actually, eye contact should be made based on specific relationship and situation.

A．On the contrary, it will give him away.

B．Do you have such a kind of experience?

C．That’s what normal eye contact is all about.

D．Actually, continuous eye contact is limited to lovers only.

E．After all, everybody likes to be stared at for quite a long time.

F．But things are different when it comes to staring at the opposite sex.

G．If nothing goes wrong, you will feel annoyed at being stared at that way.

10 . 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。

Beijing Opera, is    1     (know) as China’s national opera, also called Peking Opera. which originated in the late 18th century, is a combination of music, dance, art and acrobatics (杂技). It is the most influential and representative of all operas in China. It is called Beijing Opera because it is formed in Beijing. Beijing Opera has a history of 200 years and its origin can date back     2     old local operas, especially Anhui Opera,     3     was very popular in northern China in the 18th century. In 1790, the first Anhui Opera performance     4     (hold) in Beijing to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday.

Later, some other Anhui Opera troupes (班子)     5     (continue) performing in Beijing. Anhui Opera was easy     6     (move) and good at absorbing the acting styles of other types of operas. Beijing accumulated many local operas,     7     (make) Anhui Opera improve quickly.

    8     the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, after the marriage for 10 years, Beijing Opera finally formed, and became the     9     (big) of all Operas in China. We can     10     (honest) say that Beijing Opera is the most import ant opera in China.