1 . Many cars in advertisements and on exhibition in the United States are red, blue or green, but almost 75 percent of new cars sold in the United States are black, white, silver or gray.
Les Jackson is a reporter who writes about cars. He says the colors of cars Americans choose do not show dirt. He says that means the owners wash their cars less in order to save money. And he notes some areas that are suffering from water shortages do not permit people to wash their cars often.
Dan Benton works for a company called Axalta, which makes supplies for international car makers. He says white cars are often sold more expensive than cars of other colors. And he notes that white cars “absorb(吸收)less energy” than cars of other colors. This means temperatures inside them are lower in warmer areas. Benton also says research at Monash University in Australia suggests that there is a lower risk of crashes during the day for white cars compared with darker ones.
Car buyers in other countries also like white. Jane Harrington works for PPG Industries, a company that makes paint for cars. She said in China, buyers say white makes a small car look bigger.
About 11 percent of cars sold in North America are red and 8 percent are blue. Green has become less popular. Benton notes that in the mid-1990s green was the most popular color in North America. Today, green is hard to find.
Sometime in the future, people may not have to choose the color of their cars —— technology may let owners change their cars’ paint color anytime.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?| A．Most Americans don’t like red cars. |
| B．People in America are not allowed to wash their cars. |
| C．Many people prefer to choose white cars in America. |
| D．Americans may consider the cost of cleaning when choosing cars. |
| A．They are much cheaper than cars of other colors.. |
| B．They are much safer while crashing. |
| C．They are bigger than cars of other colors. |
| D．They are more comfortable inside in warmer areas. |
| A．Les Jackson is a member of Axalta. |
| B．Most Americans rarely wash their cars. |
| C．PPG Industries mainly produces cars in China. |
| D．Green cars were once popular in North America. |
| A．Choices of car colors | B．How to buy a good car. |
| C．Differences of car colors. | D．Popular car colors in history. |
2 . Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California’s Santa Ana Freeway. It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles from home. I couldn’t reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus. Not knowing the routes, I figured I’d just head east. A bus pulled up, and I asked the driver how far she was going. “Four more lights,” she said. There was another bus I could take from there. This clearly was going to be a long night. She dropped me off at the end of her route and told me which bus to look for.
After waiting 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home. Then a bus pulled up. There was no lighted number above its windshield (挡风玻璃). It was out of service. But the door opened, and I was surprised to find that it was the same driver. “ I just can’t leave you here,” she said. “ This isn’t the nicest place. I’ll give you a ride home.” “You’ll drive me in the bus?” I asked, perplexed(困惑的). “No, I’ll take you in my car,” she said. “ It’s a long way,” I protested. “Come on,” she said. “I have nothing else to do.” As we drove from the station in her car, she began telling me a story. A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas. A good Samaritan picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car.
“I’m just passing the favor along,” she said. When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn’t hear of it. “That wouldn’t make it a favor,” she said. “Just do something nice for somebody. Pass it along.”
1. Judging from its context, the place where the writer waited for the second bus was ________.| A．very quiet and peaceful | B．dark without street lights |
| C．neither clean nor beautiful | D．a little unsafe |
| A．No bus would come at the time. |
| B．A taxi ride would be more comfortable. |
| C．He became impatient and a bit worried. |
| D．He knew the driver would never return. |
| A．she happened to go in the same direction |
| B．she wanted to do something good for other people |
| C．her brother told her to do so |
| D．she wanted to earn more money |
| A．would do as she did | B．would keep her in memory |
| C．would give the money to others | D．would do her a favor |
3 . I was 17 years old. Along with a dozen other boys I had made a long trip to Iowa in order to see a college that I was thinking of
Here in Iowa everything was
| A．quitting | B．visiting | C．attending | D．exploring |
| A．fun | B．hard | C．plain | D．tiresome |
| A．assuming | B．picturing | C．reminding | D．missing |
| A．if | B．where | C．why | D．how |
| A．shapes | B．shades | C．shadows | D．sheets |
| A．flood | B．cloud | C．sea | D．blanket |
| A．easy | B．flat | C．beautiful | D．tough |
| A．hear | B．touch | C．taste | D．smell |
| A．cared about | B．dreamed of | C．prepared for | D．looked over |
| A．body | B．hand | C．face | D．soul |
| A．fill | B．break | C．separate | D．block |
| A．folded | B．sank | C．flowed | D．escaped |
| A．pain | B．breath | C．wealth | D．eyesight |
| A．splendid | B．pale | C．tiny | D．weak |
| A．creation | B．punishment | C．change | D．reflection |
4 . Legend suggests that, in the late 16th century, Martin Luther (the founder of the Protestant religion) was the first to decorate an indoor tree with candles when he attempted to recreate the stars shining over a forest of evergreens.
The first mention of decorated trees being taken indoors came in 1605 in Germany ---- a country with a long Christmas tree history! The trees were initially decorated with fruit and sweets together with handmade objects such as quilted snowflakes and stars. German Christmas Markets began to sell shaped gingerbreads and wax ornaments which people bought as souvenirs of the fair and took home to hang on their trees.
Tinsel was also invented in Germany in about 1610. Up until fairly recently real silver was used, which was pulled into wafer thin strips by special machines. This was durable but tarnished quickly and many experiments took place to try and find an alternative - including a mix of lead and tin, which was too heavy and kept breaking. It was only in the mid 20th century that a viable alternative was found.
Artificial trees were invented in the 1880's in a bid to try and stop some of the damage being caused to real trees due to people lopping the tip off large trees, thus preventing the trees from growing any further. It got so bad in Germany that laws had to be brought in to prevent people having more than one tree.
1. The best title for the passage may be “_______”.| A．Martin Luther Was The First to Decorate an Indoor Tree |
| B．The Origin of the Christmas Tree |
| C．German Christmas Markets Began to Sell Shaped Gingerbreads |
| D．Artificial Trees Were Invented in the 1880s |
| A．in the late 6th century ,Martin Luther was the second to decorate an indoor tree with candles |
| B．the first mention of decorated trees being taken outdoors came in 1605 in Germany |
| C．German Christmas Markets began to buy shaped gingerbreads and wax ornaments |
| D．artificial trees were invented in the 1880s in a bid to try and stop some of the damage being caused to real trees |
| A．Silver products. | B．Wood products. |
| C．Iron products. | D．Plastic products. |
| A．Germans could buy more and more artificial trees if they want |
| B．we use artificial trees because that will increase the damage caused to real trees |
| C．the writer doesn’t like these artificial trees because he thinks they aren’t beautiful |
| D．artificial trees were invented but German government made the law which limits the number of the trees |
5 . “You’ll get square eyes!” my mother used to say as I sat for hour after hour glued to the TV. I ignored her, of course. Past-forward a few decades and now I’m the parent. My 5-year-old lives in a world where screens aren’t fixed pieces of furniture. You can’t even avoid them by going outside. Screens are not only in our pockets; they’re everywhere.
The concerns have grown with the screens. In the past decade, we have heard that they will damage our mental health. Many of us feel more distracted by them, feeling guiltier and more tired as a result.
The apps and websites we can access on our phones have also sparked widespread concern. Big tech companies are also good at making use of our need for social recognition, hooking us on likes, retweets and follower counts. Social media has created a culture of mass narcissism (自恋), which has led many to worry about the emotional stresses on teenagers. A quick online search brings up dozens of papers linking screen use or social media with harmful effects on mental health, including depression and suicide.
Such statements are alarming. They are also widely believed, thanks to popular books like iGen by Jean Twenge, which claims that digital technology has ruined a generation. Yet, Amy Orben at the University of Oxford, who studies the impact of digital technology and social media in particular on mental health, holds different views. She claims that the underlying data can be used to tell different stories. She also spotted shortcomings in several large studies that claimed to show correlations (相关性) between the use of devices with screens and depression in users.
Twenge stands by her own finding, pointing in turn to what she considers flaws in Orben’s research methods. For David Max, at Royal College of Child Health in London, the effect of screen time and social media use on mental health remains speculative. “We cannot regard social media overall as good or bad,” says Davie. “We don’t know whether in individual cases social media is not responsible,” he says.
The explosion of mobile phone use has revolutionized our lives. I can download movies, write articles, communicate with my family and broadcast to the world all at the push of a button. Rather than impose constraints (限制), we should take a look at our use of screens and ask how they fit with the activities and lifestyle.
Every new technology with widespread impact has given rise to new fears. So the best bet may simply be to ask yourself what level of screen use makes you and those around you happy and try to stick to it. If you find yourself over addictive, don’t panic—and certainly don’t feel guilty. Nobody knows anything worth getting scared about.
1. According to the passage, people give likes, retweet or count followers to __________.| A．share one’s lifestyles | B．show respect for others |
| C．seek social recognition | D．relieve emotional stresses |
| A．doubtful | B．specific |
| C．important | D．abstract |
| A．Teenagers are more affected by screen use both physically and mentally. |
| B．Orben claims it is far too early to blame screen use for ruining a generation. |
| C．Big tech companies help to produce many research papers on mental health. |
| D．Twenge mainly introduces the overall benefits of digital technology in her books. |
| A．encourage readers to reduce the time of screen use |
| B．share different opinions on the effects of screen use |
| C．explain why screen use may have negative effects on people |
| D．relieve people’s concerns and worries about the use of screens |
6 . Many people have long dreamed of being able to fly around as simply as riding a bicycle.
Yet the safety and strength of a flying bike was always a big problem. Over the past 10 years’ developments in technology have moved the dream of personal flying vehicle closer to reality. Now, two groups of inventors say such vehicles may be available very soon .
Grant Stapleton from Malloy Aeronautics says the Hoverbike, which is able to get in and out of small spaces very quickly, will be a truly personal flying vehicle. " It can be moved across continents very quickly because it can be folded and packed, " he adds.
Mr. Stapleton says safety was the company's main concern when developing the Hoverbike, He says the designers solved the safety issue by using overlapping rotors （折叠旋翼）to power the vehicle. The company is testing both a one-third size model and a full-size prototype （原型)）of the Hoverbike.
Inventors say their Hovebike will most likely be used first by the police and emergency rescue teams.
In New Zealand, the Martin Aircraft Company is also testing a full-size prototype of its personal flying bike, called Jetpack. It can fly for more than 30 minutes, up to 1,000 meters high and reach a speed of 74 kilometers per hour.
Peter Coker is the CEO of Martin Aircraft Company. He said Jetpack " is built around safety from the start ” In his words, reliability is the most important part of it. We have safety built into the actual structure itself very similar to a Formula One racing car."
Jetpack uses a gasoline-powered engine that produces two powerful jet streams. Mr. Coker says it also has a parachute （降落伞）that can be used should there be an emergency.
"It opens at a very low altitude and actually saves both the aircraft and the pilot in an emergency," he adds.
1. Which of the following words can best describe the Hoverbike?| A．Powerful. | B．convenient |
| C．graceful | D．available. |
| A．Modern technology. | B．New safety rules. |
| C．Love of cycling. | D．Public concerns. |
| A．People who dream of flying. | B．People who really love cycling. |
| C．people who design the bike. | D．People who serve public purposes. |
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。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：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），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．只改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I was taking a train to London’s Victoria Station. I had noticed that the carriage was noise and filled with people.
Before long, a train inspector comes to check out tickets. A passenger realized he couldn’t find his ticket but became quite upset. Then everyone in the carriage began searching the ticket, which was eventually found under a seat several rows from his owner. The person who found a ticket smiled with pleasure at his success.
No one in the carriage had previous spoken to or even noticed the ticket-owner before. Yet, they had so quickly offered the strangers their help. If we could show concern to others on need, the world would be a better place to live in.
