1 . One day when I was 5, my mother scolded (责骂) me for not finishing my breakfast and I got angry. I wanted to play outside and not to be made to finish eating my breakfast. When angrily opening the screen door with my foot, I kicked back about a 12-inch part of the lower left hand corner of the new screen door. But I had no remorse, for I was happy to be playing in the backyard with my toys.

Today, I know if my child had done what I did, I would have scolded my child, and told him about how expensive this new screen door was, and I would have delivered a spanking (打屁股) for it. My parents never said a word. They left the corner of the screen door pushed out, creating an opening, a breach (裂缝) in the defense against unwanted insects.

For years, every time I saw that corner of the screen, it would constantly make me think about my mistake. For years, I knew that everyone in my family would see that hole and remember who did it. For years, every time I saw a fly buzzing (嗡嗡) in the kitchen, I would wonder if it came in through the hole that I had created with my angry foot. I would wonder if my family members were thinking the same thing, silently blaming me every time a flying insect entered our home, making life more terrible for us all. My parents taught me a valuable lesson, one that a spanking or stern (严厉的) words perhaps could not deliver. Their silent punishment for what I had done delivered a hundred stern messages to me. Above all, it has helped me become a more patient person and not burst out so easily.

1. When the author damaged the door, his parents ________.

A．gave him a spanking

B．left the door unrepaired

C．scolded him for what he had done

D．told him how expensive it was

2. The underlined word “remorse” in Paragraph 1 most probably means________.

A．regret

B．joy

C．anger

D．notice

3. The experience may cause the author ________.

A．to hide his anger away from others

B．not to go against his parents’ will

C．to have a better control of himself

D．not to make mistakes in the future

4. What is the main idea of this text?

A．Adults should ignore their children’s bad behavior.

B．Parents are the best teachers of their children.

C．Patience is the key to becoming a better person.

D．One learns most when shown the result of his/her action.

2 . It’s 2035. You have a job, a family and you’re about 40 years old! Welcome to your future life.

Getting ready for work, you pause in front of the   mirror. “Turn red,” you say. Your shirt changes from   sky blue to deep red.Tiny preprogrammed electronics   (智能电子元件) are rearranged in your shirt to change its color. Looking into the mirror, you find it hard to believe you’re 40. You look much younger. With amazing advances in medicine, people in your generation may live   to be 150 years old. You’re not even middle­aged!

As you go into the kitchen and prepare to pour your breakfast cereal into a bowl, you hear, “To lose weight, you shouldn’t eat that!” from your shoes. They read the tiny electronic code(电子源码) on the cereal box to find out the nutrition details. You decide to listen to your shoes. “Kitchen, what can I have for breakfast?”A list of possible foods appears on the counter as the kitchen checks its food supplies.

“Ready for your trip to space?” you ask your son and daughter. In 2015 only specially trained astronauts went into space—and very few of them. Today anyone can go to space for day trips or longer vacations. Your best friend even works in space. Handing your children three strawberries each, you add, “The doctor says you need   these   for   space   travel.” Thanks to medical advances, vaccination shots (防疫针) are a thing of the past. Ordinary foods contain special vaccines. With the strawberries in their mouths, the kids head for the front door.

It’s time for you to go to work. Your car checks your fingerprints and unlocks the doors. “My office. Autopilot,”you command. Your car drives itself down the road and moves smoothly into traffic on the highway. You sit back and unroll your e­newspaper. The latest news downloads and fills the viewer. Looking through the pages, you watch the news as video film rather than read it.

1. What changes the color of your shirt?

A．The mirror.

B．The preprogrammed electronics.

C．The sunlight.

D．The medicine.

2. How do the shoes know that you shouldn’t eat the breakfast cereal?

A．By pouring the breakfast into a bowl.

B．By getting the doctor’s advice.

C．By testing the food supplies in the kitchen.

D．By checking the nutrition details of the food.

3. The strawberries the children eat serve as ________.

A．breakfast	B．lunch
C．vaccines	D．nutrition

4. How is the text organized?

A．In order of time.

B．In order of space.

C．In order of preference.

D．In order of importance.

3 . It is easy to get carried away in an argument.

While having a rational conversation with someone who has a different opinion might seem like a challenge, it is possible. One way is to approach the other person with empathy.

The Empathy Challenge is an exercise created by Zoe Chance, senior lecturer at the Yale School of Management. At Yale, Chance teaches a course called “Mastering Influence and Persuasion” where students learn to communicate more effectively.

In her blog, Chance explains that it’s important to listen to people who disagree with you. “As they explain their position, you listen for their underlying values. Finally, you look for common ground as you reflect those values back. That’s it.”

Chance first took this challenge herself before asking her students to try. As she couldn’t understand why many people chose to vote for Donald Trump, she found three Trump’s voters and spoke with them.

Through asking questions, Chance was able to empathize with them and realize they had similar feelings. One man, an Orthodox Jew, explained that he supported Trump because Trump’s daughter and son-in-law are Jewish. The next man was a Russian immigrant passionate about freedom. The third was a lawyer who believed that authenticity (真诚) was important in political leaders.

Although Chance and Chose people had different political beliefs, they were able to relate to the life values of others. And that’s the point of the exercise-to understand others as fellow human beings.

1. Which of the following does the Empathy Challenge faces on?

A．Leadership skills.	B．Public speaking skills.
C．Communication skills.	D．Problem solving skills.

2. What does Chance suggest people do when handling a disagreement?

A．Defend their position.	B．Find common ground.
C．Reflect on their own values.	D．Meet the needs of others.

3. What drove the three men to vote for Donald Tramp?

A．Their life values.	B．Their career history.
C．Their family background.	D．Their childhood experience.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Respect different perspectives	B．Zoe Chance’s empathy
C．Vote for Trump	D．Chancels challenge

5 . Teenagers who spend more time on after-school activities and less than two hours of screen time after school are more mentally (心理上) healthy, according to a study published in the journal Preventive Medicine. The new study was carried out by researchers from the University of British Columbia.

The study used information collected from more than 28, 000 seventh-grade Canadian students between 2014 and 2018. The students first answered questions about their usage of screen time after school, including how much time they spent watching TV, Netflix or something else. Then, students reported how many days they had taken part in after-school activities such as sports or arts programmes. After that, researchers asked students to describe their state of mind. For example, when given a statement such as “I start most days thinking that I will have a good day”, they could choose to what level they agreed with it on a scale (等级).

Some of the results were expected, researchers said in the study. Students with no after-school activities usually had high levels of screen time, for example. And they expected girls would score higher on negative indicators (消极指标) of mental health, as earlier research had found that they tended to have higher levels of anxiety (焦虑) compared to boys.

What was noteworthy, researchers say, is that even among students who took part in after-school activities, 46% still went beyond the recommended screen time of two hours. At the same time, 67% of students who didn’t take part in after-school activities also had more than two hours of screen time. Together, this suggests high screen time among teenagers generally.

“The findings suggest that after-school activities are valuable for the happy growing of teenagers,” the study said. “While past studies have proved the importance of after-school activities for social and academic (学业的) development, the present study shows their importance for good mental health results.”

1. Which of the following came last when students took part in the new study?

A．Talking about their lifestyles.	B．Introducing their after-school activities.
C．Reporting their mental states on a scale.	D．Answering questions about screen time use.

2. What do the researchers find about teenage girls?

A．They often have higher levels of satisfaction.

B．Few of them take part in after-school activities.

C．Anxiety has become a serious problem among them.

D．Too much screen time may be more harmful to them.

3. What does the author want to show by using the numbers in paragraph 4?

A．Earlier findings about screen time are wrong.

B．High screen time is common among teenagers.

C．No after-school activities mean no screen time.

D．Screens attract teenagers more than after-school activities do.

4. Why are after-school activities so important according to the new study?

A．They are good for teenagers’ physical health.

B．They help to improve teenagers’ mental health.

C．They encourage teenagers’ social development.

D．They allow teenagers to become better learners.

6 . I remember that it was a fall morning when the orchestra (管弦乐队) teachers came into Miss Newell’s third-grade classroom. “You have hands for the viola (中提琴),” Miss Ciano told me. I was excited because my hands were finally good for something. I told my parents I wanted to play, and naturally, they agreed.

Since I first touched the viola, I haven’t been able to put it down. Ignoring the difficulty, I am pulled closer to it each day.

Classical music is truly my best friend. It is the trusted friend of every man, woman and child. Various feelings are expressed in classical music. I discovered that when I was eleven and played a cello concerto (大提琴协奏曲) of Bach in a competition, the first movement was joyful, but the second movement was mysterious and full of pain. From the piece, I learned that music expresses not only feelings, but also sudden mood changes. By listening to classical music, I know that someone else shares these feelings. Since I am lucky enough to be able to play classical music, I am comforted by it when I am upset. It gives me a way to escape from my problems for a short period. Classical music can express my joy, sadness and anger.

Now look back at that fall day in the third grade and think how gullible I was for believing that anyone, even music teachers, could tell whether hands were perfect for a certain instrument. I’m certain they told me I had “ viola hands” not because they were fortune-tellers (算命师), but because there was a lack of violists in our district. Classical music is one of the best things that ever happened to mankind. If you get introduced to it in the right way, it will become your friend for life.

1. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the first and second paragraphs?

A．To introduce an interesting musical class.

B．To offer the evidence of her gift for music.

C．To show the importance of proper guide.

D．To tell the power of support from parents.

2. According to the passage, in what way does classical music help the author?

A．By developing social skills.	B．By improving mental health.
C．By broadening life experience.	D．By building close relationship.

3. What does the underlined word “gullible” mean in the last paragraph?

A．Easily tricked.	B．Firmly loved.
C．Greatly challenged.	D．Secretly hidden.

4. Which could be the best title for the passage?

A．Special event, sweet memory.	B．Classical music, endless friendship
C．Lifetime dream, great effort.	D．Happy childhood, unforgotten experience.

8 . Lego is considering a brick(积木)rental plan in an attempt to cut down on plastic waste.The Danish toymaker has promised to make all its bricks from sustainable(可持续的)materials by 2030 and is investing significant resources in finding alternatives.

Tim Brooks,vice-president responsible for sustainability,said the company was“totally open”to the idea of the product rental plan but admitted that lost pieces could produce a significant problem.“What are the chances of giving them to an eight-year-old child and getting them all back again?”Mr.Brooks added.

“There is a lot of technical thinking that needs to be done. We are right at the beginning.” Mr. Brooks said Lego was exploring several ideas with a view to producing the highest value from products while consuming the fewest resources. He said many would “probably never see the light of day”and that there is no current plan to try out the rental plan.

Lego has come under increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint for growing international alarm about the impact of plastic waste on the environment.It produces 19 billion pieces per year—36,000 a minute—that are made entirely of plastic while much of the inside packaging is also plastic.

So far,the only breakthrough has been the development of a line of bricks made of plant-based plastic sourced from sugarcane.The green trees,plants and flowers were first included in Lego sets late last year but currently make up only 1%— 2% of total plastic elements produced.Henrik Nielson,a production supervisor(主管)in Lego’s factory,said last year:“We need to learn again how to do this.”

Lego reportedly releases around a million tons of carbon dioxide each year, with about 75% coming from raw materials that go into factories. The company has invested more than 100,000,000 euros and hired 100 people to research non-plastic alternatives.It is aiming to keep all of its packaging out of landfill by 2025.

1. What is Lego making great efforts for?

A．promote its brick rental plan	B．explore ways to reduce plastic waste
C．raise its production efficiency	D．develop new products

2. What does Mr.Brooks think about Lego’s brick rental plan?

A．It is well under way.	B．It is totally useless.
C．It has a long way to go.	D．It goes against Lego’s interests.

3. How does the writer tell of Lego’s stress of reducing plastic waste?

A．By means of comparison.	B．By means of examples.
C．By means of figures.	D．By means of classification.

4. What is Lego’s attitude toward developing non-plastic alternatives?

A．Defensive.	B．Doubtful.
C．Disapproving.	D．Determined.

10 . By drawing patterns on the surface of a cup of tea, chabaixi, an ancient Chinese tea trick displayed in a recent TV drama, has gone viral for its apparent similarity with modern latte art (咖啡拉花艺术). However, ten years ago, this distinctive technique was close to disappearing completely. Zhang Zhifeng, a practitioner of chabaixi, found scenes of chabaixi in the drama aroused great interest among ordinary people.

Chabaixi can create endless patterns such as bamboos and mountains or even calligraphy. There are over a dozen steps, from grinding (碾碎) tea for fine powder, to pouring boiled water, stirring the mixture for thick froth, and finally drawing the patterns. It is different from making latte because people use clear water as the object to put into the cup instead of milk. But when the water touches the surface of whipped (搅打起泡沫的) tea, it turns into a white color and disappears in 20 minutes. The process before the drawing is known as the tea-making technique, diancha. The quality of diancha is crucial to whether patterns can be successfully produced later.

“Chabaixi is one of the countless forms of tea-making techniques in China. The importance of chabaixi is not only that this technique is unique in the world, but also it gives us a window into people’s lifestyle in the Song Dynasty, a period of time when leisure activities in some ways resemble what we have now,” Zhang said.

Before chabaixi was discovered by TV audiences, the technique was listed as part of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, after it was recovered by Zhang Zhifeng. He started researching the origins of chabaixi in the 1980s and brought the technique back in 2009 after decades of trials and practice. Zhang spent nearly 30 years studying and researching the origins and making of tea, but for him it was all worthwhile.

“This technique is key to the tea culture of the Song Dynasty, and it would be a shame to let it fade. This technique must be passed on to the next generations so they can understand its history,” Zhang said.

1. What do the underlined words “gone viral” probably mean?

A．Received good protection.	B．Maintained highly competitive.
C．Started declining gradually.	D．Become popular quickly.

2. What do we know about chabaixi?

A．It is painted with whipped milk.

B．It involves complicated tea-making skills.

C．It mainly describes beautiful scenery.

D．It develops based on latte art.

3. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A．The significance of chabaixi.	B．The uniqueness of chabaixi.
C．The origin of chabaixi.	D．The development of chabaixi.

4. What can we infer about Zhang Zhifeng?

A．He teaches people the tea culture of the Song Dynasty.

B．He is leading young generations to innovate chabaixi.

C．He is committed to developing chabaixi through media.

D．He encourages people to pass on the technique of chabaixi.