1 . In our youth-obsessed culture, one would assume that your self-esteem peaks in your 20s—but that’s not the case. Researchers from the University of Bern set out to determine when the average person’s self-esteem is the highest, and the good news is that your peak comes decades later.

Researchers found that self-esteem increases throughout one’s lifetime, with a slight plateau during those awkward teen years. Our self-esteem levels then start rising again and don’t peak until well into midlife. The highest point for self-esteem level happen at age 60 when they can retire and stay there until a slight decline in one’s 70s and 80s.

This news that our self-esteem will continue to rise or stay steady during the majority of our lives is exciting. We often hear of increased stress in the decades of midlife, but there are upsides too. “Midlife is, for many adults, a time of high stability in relationships and work. Moreover, most people further invest in their roles, which might promote their self-esteem,” researcher Dr. Orth told the journalist. “For example, people take on managerial roles at work, maintain a satisfying relationship with their spouse or partner, and help their children become responsible and independent.”

As we age and our roles tend to change, it’s natural for self-esteem to take a small hit. “Old age frequently involves loss of social roles as a result of retirement, the empty nest, and, possibly, widowhood. In addition, aging often leads to negative changes in other possible sources of self-esteem, such as socioeconomic status and health.” Dr. Orth said. However, it’s important to remember that it’s only a slight decrease. Dr. Orth believes that most people maintain a high self-esteem level even into their 90s and beyond.

1. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to “peak”?

A．Minimum.	B．Maximum.
C．Average.	D．Height.

2. Who is more likely to have the highest self-esteem level?

A．A newly-retired person.	B．A teenage boy.
C．A person in his/her 80s.	D．A middle-aged person.

3. What does Dr. Orth think of the decrease in self-esteem for the old people?

A．It is destructive.	B．It is unnatural.
C．It is important.	D．It is acceptable.

4. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A guide.	B．A fiction.
C．A textbook.	D．A magazine.

2 . What were you doing when you were nine years old? Making crafts from a Klutz book? Kicking around a soccer ball? Designing a business plan to deal with plastic pollution and relieve childhood poverty? Zymal Umar showed us the latter. The Pakistan’s youngest businesswoman has started a project entitled Zee Bags, which aims to reduce plastic pollution by providing an environmentally-friendly alternative to plastic grocery bags.

When Zymal was on a shopping trip with her parents three years ago, she was shocked by the number of plastic bags on the streets. Depressed by the plastic pollution, she was reminded of the severe consequences our habits have on the environment. Then, she noticed a shopkeeper handing out newspaper bags. And at that moment, Zymal knew she had to act. Since then she has created beautiful, unique reusable newspaper bags for hundreds of customers.

It’s amazing to see this youngster using her brains and business skills for good. And she should certainly feel proud of the work she is doing. After all, plastic grocery bags are killing thousands of marine animals every year through their contribution to plastic waste. According to The Earth Institute, over one trillion plastic bags are used worldwide annually—that’s about two million bags used per minute around the world.

And those bags certainly don’t disappear into thin air. Instead, they end up in our oceans, putting approximately 700 marine species in danger of extinction due to the threat from pollution. And plastic bags are just one of the many forms of plastic trash that ends up in the oceans—in fact, an astonishing 8. 8 million tons of this material make their way from land to the oceans every single year.

But with Zee Bags, we’re all empowered to make more thoughtful choices about our trash production. And Zymal’s amazingness doesn’t stop there—the profits from her sales go towards helping poor children.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．How Zymal felt about her shopping trip.

B．How Zymal learned about plastic pollution.

C．How Zymal was received by the shopkeeper.

D．How Zymal was inspired to create her bags.

2. Why are figures mentioned in the third and fourth paragraphs?

A．To praise Zymal for her great efforts.

B．To urge readers to stop using plastics.

C．To stress the seriousness of plastic pollution.

D．To show the rich knowledge of the author.

3. What can we infer about Zymal from the last paragraph?

A．She is amazing in every aspect of her life.

B．She has concern for the disadvantaged.

C．She urges everyone to be eco-friendly.

D．She earns a lot of money from her business.

4. Which of the following best describes Zymal?

A．Caring.	B．Determined.
C．Confident.	D．Optimistic.

3 . 假定你是李华。你的美国笔友Henry计划利用暑假到中国旅行，为此发来邮件请你推荐一个旅游目的地。请你写一封邮件回复，内容包括：
1.推荐一个目的地；
2.推荐理由；
3.表达祝愿。
注意：
1、词数100左右；
2、结束语已为你写好。
Dear Henry,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

4 . 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。

You may think you cannot live through summer without air conditioners. But in ancient China, hand fans were almost the only help for people       1     (drive) the heat away.

Chinese people started to use hand fans over 2,000 years ago. The fans came       2     different shapes, such as round and square and they were made from various materials. Palm leaf fans were cheap and easy to make. Feather fans showed the owner’s high status. Sandalwood fans     3     (send) out a fragrant smell.

    4     (late), hand fans became more than something     5     could cool you down. They developed into art works, in which tuanshan and zheshan were the most common.

Shaped like     6     full moon, tuanshan was usually made of silk. They had beautiful embroidery(刺绣) featuring birds and flowers on them. Females, especially     7    (woman) in the royal palace,liked to use them. Poets in ancient China often compared a woman’s abandoned fate to tuanshan. A poet wrote during the Qing Dynasty, “If only life were as     8     (beauty) as when we first met, why should the autumn wind bother to pity deserted painted fans?”

Meanwhile, men, especially the literati (文人), used zheshan. The literati liked them because they could paint and write poems on them.     9     was a way for them to show off their talent in literature, painting and calligraphy. Almost anything could     10       (paint) on zheshan, but the most popular ones usually featured landscapes.

5 . The rapid growth in skyscrapers worldwide has led to a high demand for window washers since most of these buildings feature large glass panes (窗格) to highlight their breathtaking views.

Though the job offers a handsome salary, dangling alongside multi-story structures is dangerous, and accidents are not uncommon. However, if Israel-based company Skyline Technologieshas its way, the dangerous chore may soon be taken care of by Ozmo, an intelligent window cleaning robot.

"As a society, we've become too comfortable watching people hanging off the sides of 30-story buildings," says Yaron Schwarez, co-founder and CEO of Skyline Robotics. "No salary could justify allowing people to put their lives in the hands of a system of ropes."

Much like humans, Ozmo is placed on platforms suspended from the buildings and uses its arms and brushes to clean the dirt on the glass panes. A 3D map of the building's surface programmed into its system allows the robot to skillfully handle obstacles as it moves up and down the structure. Computer vision and touch sensors enable it to move out of the way in case of unexpected events, such as the sudden opening of a window.

Unlike current window washers, the robot cleaner does not require soap to clean the glass. Instead, it uses distilled water (蒸馏水) and a process called dirt absorption to do the job. Schwarez explains, "We use pure water to absorb and remove the salts, the minerals, the oils, and the dirt from the building. We are environmentally-friendly."

Ozmo is also expected to be much more efficient than humans. While it currently takes three cleaners 480 hours each to clean the windows of a 40-story glass building, the robot will single-handedly complete the task in just 80 hours. However, unlike other robots, Ozmo will not replace human workers. It will only make their jobs safer by lifting them to the role of supervisors, who will be remotely controlling the operation from below.

Whether Ozmo, which is still undergoing testing, does as good a job as human remains to be seen.

1. Which of the following can best replace the phrase "has its way" in paragraph 2?

A．Succeeds.	B．Hesitates.
C．Struggles.	D．Exists.

2. What can we learn about Ozmo from the passage?

A．It requires chemicals to clean.

B．It has trouble crossing obstacles.

C．It operates with great efficiency.

D．It works without human helpers.

3. What is the author's attitude towards the future application of Ozmo?

A．Optimistic.

B．Doubtful

C．Unconceded.

D．Objective.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Ozmo: a Double-edged Sword.

B．Ozmo: a Smart Window Cleaner.

C．Window Washing: a Dangerous Job.

D．Window Washing: a Blessing in Disguise.

6 . Some of the best cycling routes in the world pass through its most beautiful scenery. Here are some of world’s best bike routes for cyclists who either are up for breaking a good sweat or simply seeing the world without leaving an ugly carbon footprint behind.

The Great Windy Road, Victoria, Australia

If you like a challenge, take on this 243-kilometer windy road along Australia’s south-eastern coast. If a day is all you’ve got, take the 60-kilometer route from Torquay to Bells Beach. There you’ll cycle through rural farmland, enjoy the sweeping ocean views from cliff tops, and snake past the wetlands around Lake Connewarre.

Udaipur City Tour, Rajasthan, India

Biking is arguably the best way to explore Udaipur, Venice of the East.

Cyclists often need to cycle past herdsmen and their goats and camels, sharing narrow, old pavements in this romantic place. But surrounded by ancient castles, temples and grand palaces, Udaipur brings about one of the best biking experiences, allowing cyclists to truly discover rural India.

The Karakoram Highway, China-Pakistan

The Karakoram Highway is the highest international road in the world, reaching an altitude of 4,700 meters at the Khunjerab Pass. Starting in Kashgar, China, cyclists can travel up to 1,200 kilometers on mostly unpaved roads, but the views are as breathtaking as the riding.

Route of the Hiawatha, Idaho-Montana, United States

Take your family out to Montana this summer and cycle along the most scenic disused railroad in the country. The railroad turned bike trail turns into 24 kilometers of leisure biking that takes you over seven trestles(高架桥) and through 10 tunnels, with the longest one, the Taft Tunnel, stretching for 2.7 kilometers.

1. In which tour can you enjoy the seaside scenery?

A．The Great Windy Road.	B．Udaipr City Tour.
C．The Karakoram Highway.	D．Route of the Hiawatha.

2. What can you do on the Udaipur city tour?

A．Go to Venice.	B．Feed wild animals.
C．Visit cultural relics.	D．Enjoy modern architectures.

3. What’s special about the Karakoram Highway?

A．It is a totally undeveloped route.	B．It goes along an abandoned railway.
C．It owns the longest tunnel in the world.	D．It lies higher than other international roads.