The game of basketball was created by Dr. Naismith,
The New England winters were very cold, and the students were unwilling to do outdoor
Five years later, a championship (锦标赛)
2 . Studies show that females usually have better handwriting than males. University of Warwick researchers note that “Girls are generally better handwriters than boys. Girls also usually write faster than boys”. But why do females have better handwriting than males? There are a number of reasons.
Handwriting differences may be because of cultural label. Researchers asked boys and girls aged 7 and 8 to model after each other’s handwriting. When modeling after writing, boys tried to make theirs “smaller and neater” while all the girls said that they had made their handwriting larger, and half of them said they had made it less tidy. Do females work hard to write neater because there is an expectation that they have neat handwriting? Are females encouraged to write better because there is an expectation?
Handwriting may be influenced by the writer’s female hormones (激素). Babies before they are born receive various amounts of female hormones with males receiving less and females more. One sign of female hormone effect is the relative length of a person’s index finger to ring finger (called the “2D: 4D rate”). This study found that the higher the 2D : 4D rate for right-handed female writers,the neater their handwriting is.
Neural development differences between males and females may be the reason for the differences. During the early school years, when kids are learning to shape letters, the neural fibers that control fine motor skills in boys’ brains usually haven’t matured (成熟) as much as girls’ have. Boys’ brains finally catch up and their handwriting gets better than before, but it’s still usually not as neat as that of the girls. That’s because women usually have more neural connections between the two sides of the brain, which also helps with correctness.
1. What’s the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To list some reasons. |
| C．To summarize the text. | D．To provide examples. |
| A．neater | B．larger | C．more correct | D．longer |
| A．Boys’ handwriting is too large to be neat. |
| B．Boys’ 2D: 4D rate becomes higher and higher. |
| C．Boys’ brains don’t get enough exercise like girls do. |
| D．Boys usually have less neural connections inside the brain. |
| A．Who perform better in handwriting? |
| B．Is handwriting well a difficult task? |
| C．Are girls cleverer than boys? |
| D．Why do we need to write well? |
3 . In 1823, a young woman noticed a strange fossil (化石) on a beach near Lyme Regis, England. She dug out the bones and had them carried to her home. She carefully arranged the skeleton on a table. Then she saw something extraordinary. The neck was a meter long — more than half the length of its body. It was unlike any animal living on Earth.
Even at a young age, Mary Anning had a talent for hunting “curies” fossils. In 1811, aged just 12, she made her first major discovery, a crocodile-like skull with a long skeleton. It was the first extinction animal known to science.
Fossil hunting brought in money, but it was dangerous. One day, a rock fall killed her dog and almost buried Mary. However, she still continued to look for new findings. The long-necked fossil she uncovered in 1823 was another long-dead sea reptile.
Mary was not only a skilled fossil hunter, she also carefully examined and recorded her finds. However, she didn’t get approval (认可) of other scientists. Only one of her scientific writings was published in her lifetime, in 1839. She was not allowed to join London’s Geological Society as only men could become members. She didn’t care about these. Instead, she kept moving on.
Mary died in 1847, but her contributions (贡献) have not been forgotten. Her finds are now on show in museums in London and Paris. The beach near her home is a UNESO World Heritage Site (遗址), known as Jurassic Coast. Her life continues to inspire visitors hoping to find their own fossil wonders. According to Britain’s History Museum, Mary Anning was “the greatest fossil hunter the world has ever known”. She was also a scientist who changed the way we think about life on Earth.
1. The word “curies” in Para. 2 means .| A．huge | B．beautiful | C．common | D．unusual |
| A．She won high praise from other scientists. |
| B．She published several scientific articles in her lifetime. |
| C．She had a narrow escape from a rock fall. |
| D．She was later a member of the London’s Geological Society. |
| A．To show how Southern England has the most important fossil finds in the world. |
| B．To show the readers that Jurassic Coast is in need of protection. |
| C．To give an example of how important Mary’s discoveries are to the world. |
| D．To encourage more people to find their own fossil wonders. |
| A．We shouldn’t risk our life doing things at any time. |
| B．We should still continue though others don’t support us. |
| C．We should fight for our own rights bravely when treated unfairly. |
| D．We should listen more to others’ opinions when there is disagreement. |
4 . A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without travelling very far.
There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, parks, beaches and so on.
Others take the term “staycation” word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together, or spending all day at a pool.
Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has both its advantages and risks. Since you are not travelling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably cheap. You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really expensive, so the farther you go, the more expensive it is. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distance or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.
1. What is the purpose of the text?| A．To introduce the general information on staycations. |
| B．To compare staycations with other vacations. |
| C．To provide different ways of staycations. |
| D．To advise people to have staycations. |
| A．usually travel to cities far away |
| B．spend all day eating and sleeping |
| C．visit famous attractions of different cities |
| D．either relax at home or travel near their homes |
| A．How to have a staycation safely. | B．Why people prefer a staycation. |
| C．What risks a staycation has. | D．When to take a staycation. |
5 . Aron Ralston was a pretty normal guy, but he always had an extremely adventurous desire to travel and see the world. During his childhood, his family moved to Denver, Colorado, a place offering many opportunities to climb mountains, explore, and eventually become the adventurer he’d always wanted to be. Back in 2003, Ralston was climbing in the remote, mountainous area of Southwestern Utah, when the unthinkable happened: Aron got stuck in a crevice (裂缝) in the rocks and pinned by a big stone that weighed over 360 kilograms. The weight of the rock crushed his arm, and he was pinned by it. Aron took photos of his bad situation (which was going to get a lot worse), hoping rescue teams (救援队) would know where he was and came to remove the rock so that he could get out and home safe.
But rescuers never came. Aron waited for them for days till he lost his hope. He knew he had to do something. He was 18 meters above the floor of the valley where he was pinned in, and he had a pocketknife. He made what must have been one of the most difficult decisions of his life: to cut his own arm in order to survive. Aron cut the lower part of his arm off, having to wrench (扭动) his forearm against the big stone to break the bones, and then got himself down to the bottom of the valley, where he would begin to walk and search for help. Luckily, help arrived in the form of a helicopter (直升机) that spotted him, covered in blood. Aron had tied off the wound to keep himself from bleeding to death pretty successfully and would eventually make it out alive.
Ralston went on to become an inspiring speaker and continued to travel and climb mountains—he didn’t let an incident that forced him to cut his own arm off, stop him from doing what he really loved.
1. What can be inferred about Aron’s getting stuck?| A．It was unavoidable. | B．It resulted from his being lost. |
| C．It was unexpected. | D．It was caused by a moving stone. |
| A．To send them to rescuers for help. | B．To keep a record of his adventure. |
| C．To remind his friends of the danger. | D．To tell the doctors about his wound. |
| A．He waited for the rescue to come. |
| B．He cut the stone using his pocketknife. |
| C．He moved off the stone using all his might. |
| D．He cut his lower part of his arm and broke the bones. |
| A．His cruelty and anger. | B．His effort and bravery. |
| C．His talent and creativity. | D．His calmness and determination. |
When the fire alarm woke her up at 6:50 a.m., Cloe Woods immediately took action.
Cloe told her grandmother to hold her shoulder as they walked out of their home. Once outside, started looking for water,
The fire was eventually put out. A firefighter praised Cloe for her
“Cloe is ahead of my time,” Shone Arceneaux, Cloe’s mom, said
The family is now at a hotel while the house
1. 告知已平安回国；
2. 回顾帮助与收获；
3. 邀请来中国游玩。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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8 . What could be perfect for the partner, who embarrasses you on the dance floor? Smart socks, which can teach people to dance, may be the answer for anyone with two left feet.
At first, the socks have been developed as a running tool to help runners improve their skills. Thanks to the socks, users can accurately record not only how far and fast they run but also how well. It means the user maximizes their performance, and reduces damage to body and prevents hurt. The hi-tech socks are made of special fibers (纤维) that watch the movements of your feet. They look, feel and can be washed like normal clothes.
Sensors record each movement and send it by an ankle transmitter (脚踝发射器) to a smart phone. Then a “virtual coach” application shows the information and can tell the user what they are doing wrong, and help to improve skill in any task with feet.
The socks should be useful to athletes and weekend joggers. “People think running is so easy and of course everybody can do it but not necessarily safely and well,” Dr Davide Vigano said. A recent study showed that between 60 and 80 percent of runners got hurt per year. This is petty much more than any other human activity. Researchers say the technology can also be developed to teach people how to dance, play sports such as golf, or even to help to teach women to walk better in high heels.
Mr. Vigano said, “People could all benefit from the idea. We have had interest from all sorts of sports, like skiing, football, cycling and golf. Anything where you have to use your feet can use it. It could even be put in high heels to help women walk in them safely.”
Socks are just the start, and the technology could be used in gloves, hats and bots. The socks, anklet and software package, are expected to be sold for around £120, which will go on sale in March.
1. What does the underlined part “anyone with two left feet” refer to in paragraph 1?| A．People who are disabled. | B．People who do not like dancing. |
| C．People who are good at dancing. | D．People who are poor at dancing. |
| A．To help women walk safely. | B．To teach people to dance. |
| C．To improve runners’ performance | D．To record dance movement. |
| A．They are expensive to produce. |
| B．They can monitor the movement of feet. |
| C．They feel much softer than normal clothes. |
| D．They should be washed in a special washing machine |
| A．The technology could bring a potential market. |
| B．All people can run safely and well thanks to the socks. |
| C．The technology has been widely used in all sorts of sports. |
| D．Only professional athletes can benefit from the technology. |
The Gansu Jiandu (简牍) Museum in northwest China’s Gansu Province on Sunday launched four online exhibitions related to the ancient Jiandu culture.
“Jiandu” refers to the bamboo and wooden slips on which ancient Chinese people wrote
Additionally, the exhibitions feature high-resolution
Distinguished as China’s only provincial-level museum focusing on bamboo and wooden slips, the Gansu Jiandu Museum boasts
10 . In the summer of 2015, Brian Peterson and his wife, Vanessa, had just moved to Santa Ana, California. Outside the couple’s fourth-floor apartment, a homeless man was often
One day, Peterson was relaxing in his living room, reading the book Love Does, about the power of love in
In that first conversation, Peterson learned that the man’s name was Matt Faris. He’d moved to Southern California from Kentucky to
“I saw beauty on the face of a man who,
Peterson’s
| A．yelling | B．dancing | C．wandering | D．waiting |
| A．frequently | B．seldom | C．sometimes | D．never |
| A．behavior | B．words | C．action | D．wisdom |
| A．controlled | B．influenced | C．disturbed | D．disconnected |
| A．news | B．passage | C．information | D．message |
| A．informed | B．unexpected | C．urgent | D．ordinary |
| A．restart | B．change | C．pursue | D．break |
| A．set up | B．fell on | C．brought about | D．settled down |
| A．weathered | B．torn | C．shaken | D．wounded |
| A．astonished | B．overwhelmed | C．inspired | D．touched |
| A．designer | B．student | C．professor | D．graduate |
| A．interview | B．connection | C．appointment | D．company |
| A．devoted to | B．immersed in | C．tailored to | D．composed of |
| A．uneducated | B．unpaid | C．unemployed | D．unhoused |
| A．conducting | B．fulfilling | C．imagining | D．interpreting |
