2 . 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.

2. Why did Aron take photos of his bad situation?

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.

3. What did he do to survive when no rescue was expected come?

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.

4. What helped Aron Ralston survive?

A．His cruelty and anger.	B．His effort and bravery.
C．His talent and creativity.	D．His calmness and determination.

3 . How to Organize a Music Festival

You love music and you always have. You want to carry out a music festival designed to attract music fans of all ages. Follow the steps and you’ll organize a successful one.

◆Start by making a list of the local bands and artists that you like. You’ve taken this job because you love music, so put your taste to work for you. If you like these musicians, many of the local people will also like them.     1    . You need to have many kinds of music for all age groups.

◆Find a great location that has much open space for outdoor festivals. You need to build a stage so the musicians can be seen from distances.     2    . Not all towns need such license but it is a good idea to check before you start building. For an indoor location, you need to find a theater that is willing to give you enough space.     3    .

◆Hire sound engineers to give the musicians all the help they need.     4    . You can’t expect the musicians to handle these problems because they are playing. Your sound and engineering experts will allow your stars to keep the music playing.

◆    5    . If you are planning your festival for families, the last thing you want is a beer-swilling crowd starting a huge fight. Security people need to be present to make sure that nobody gets the idea that they want to start any kind of ruckus (骚乱).

A．You need to find security people.

B．We can find enough songs to get a lot of money.

C．Bigger sports stadiums will be perfect as well.

D．But remember, you are trying to attract fans of all ages.

E．People should have practiced many different songs.

F．You can find a location by going to the local government and asking for permission.

G．The last thing you want is that a group is on the stage but the speakers don’t work.

4 . In 1880, fourteen-year-old Matthew Henson loved to hear sailors tell tales of their exciting lives at sea. The travel, the adventure, the danger, and the steady pay were all attractive to young Henson. One day he made up his mind. Baltimore was the nearest large seaport. The next morning he set out on the forty-mile journey to seek work on a sailing ship.

In Baltimore, Henson found a job as a cabin boy on a beautiful ship called the Katie Hinds. For the next five years, Henson sailed around the world. By the time he left the Katie Hinds in 1885, Henson was well educated and had become an excellent seaman.

Unable to find work anywhere else, Henson took a job in a hat shop in Washington, D.C. One day in 1887, a man came in to buy a hat. The man, Lieutenant Robert Peary, asked the owner if he knew anyone with experience at sea. Peary would soon travel to South America for the U.S. government. He needed experienced men to accompany him.

The shop owner knew about his young employee’s skills and experience on ocean voyages, so he introduced Peary to Henson. Henson and Peary soon found they had a great deal in common, including their love of the sea.

Using his map-reading and sailing skills, Henson proved himself to be a worthy and intelligent seaman. One day Peary told Henson about his real dream: to be the first man to stand on “the top of the world” at the North Pole. He asked Henson to help him make his dream come true.

Over the next five years, the two explorers made two trips together to the Arctic. However, they were not able to reach the pole either time.

In 1908, Peary and Henson were ready to make their final attempt at reaching the North Pole. Both men were over forty years old. The years of hardship and suffering in the arctic cold had taken their toll on both men. This would be their last chance.

In April 1909, Henson’s instruments showed they were standing at the North Pole. Together Henson and Peary planted the American flag in the snow.

In later years, Robert Peary and Henson were greatly honored for their achievement. Today, the two friends and fellow explorers lie in heroes’ graves not far apart in the Arlington National Cemetery.

1. What can we know about Henson from Paragraph 1?

A．He was highly educated.	B．He was skilled in sailing.
C．He used to travel at sea.	D．He was interested in sea exploring.

2. What does Paragraph 3 mainly state?

A．Why Matthew Henson went to the hat shop.

B．How Matthew Henson met Robert Peary.

C．Why Matthew Henson stopped working on the Katie Hinds.

D．How the shop owner knew that Matthew Henson had sea experience.

3. What does the underlined part mean in Paragraph 7?

A．Helped them both.	B．Satisfied them both.
C．Weakened them both.	D．Enlightened them both.

4. The story between Henson and Peary could best be compared to ______.

A．sailors seeking power over others	B．fighters exploring an unknown land
C．treasure hunters looking for fortunes	D．soldiers fighting for their freedom

5 . One night, as I was driving down the road, I found something was sitting in the middle of the road. A few seconds later, I realized I was looking at a large turtle (海龟). Afraid of it being crashed by cars, so I pulled over, ran across the road and dragged the turtle to safety. But I’d made one big mistake.

I had heard that the best way to pick up a turtle without hurting it was picking it by the tail in order not to get bitten. So I’d made that big mistake. While the turtle turned out OK generally, I was determined to figure out how to move a turtle properly. I needed to find someone who dealt with turtles. I found the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre. I talked to Dr. Sue, its Executive and Medical Director.

Dr. Sue told me that the organization dealt with a number of aspects of turtle conservation, including rescue, settlement, birth programs, research, and education. Sue explained that southern Ontario is home to a vast majority of turtles in Canada, but is also one of the vastest road networks of the country.

“Ninety percent of injured turtles brought in are caused by cars. These turtles spend a lot of time on land. And they do travel many kilometers on land for a variety of reasons, to find a nesting spot, or to hang out for the summer or winter. Turtles know where they want to go. So, just keep them going in the direction they want to go and you may have saved a turtle’s life,” Dr. Sue said.

Once an injured turtle arrives at the center, there are medical facilities (设备) ready to go, including an X-ray machine. That’s when the team gets to work with healing injuries, and help their patient.

1. Why did the author stop the car?

A．To help the turtle.	B．To see the thing clearly.
C．To prevent a car accident.	D．To find something good.

2. What happened to the turtle?

A．It got hurt by people before.	B．It was injured a little bit.
C．It was run over by a car.	D．It lost its direction.

3. What did Dr. Sue suggest at last?

A．Leaving the turtles alone.

B．Making Ontario home to turtles.

C．Changing the road conditions.

D．Helping turtles find nesting spots.

4. What does the underlined word “patient” refer to in the last paragraph?

A．The director.	B．The driver.
C．The author.	D．The turtle.

6 . Two weeks ago, a 5-year-old girl named Sunshine Oelfke emptied out her piggy bank (存钱罐) onto the living room floor and immediately started counting. Her grandmother, Jackie Oelfke, thought she was playing as she carefully lined up the coins, but then she saw the girl put the coins into a plastic bag and place it in her backpack.

“What are you doing with that money?” Jackie asked her granddaughter.

“I’m taking it to school,” Sunshine replied. “I’m going to take it for milk money. My friend Layla doesn’t get milk— her mom doesn’t have milk money and I do.”

Jackie’s heart melted at Sunshine’s words. Choked with strong feelings, Jackie held her sweet granddaughter tightly in her arms.

Last week, Jackie and Sunshine met with her teacher, Rita Hausher, and handed her the $30 the kindergartner had saved. There are 20 kids in Sunshine’s class and about half don’t get milk. It costs $ 0.45 a carton (纸盒). The total adds up to about $180 a month for every child in the class to have milk every day.

After dropping Sunshine off at school, Jackie posted a tearful video on Facebook to explain her granddaughter’s plan. To her surprise, many people offered to donate toward the cause. Within a week, Jackie raised more than $1,000. Now every student in Sunshine’s class can get free milk for the rest of the year.

Jackie said Sunshine doesn’t see her kind act as a big deal. She was just trying to look out for her friends. “She doesn’t understand the effect she’s brought about,” Jackie said. “But now she knows she can do whatever she puts her mind to.”

1. Why did Sunshine empty her piggy bank?

A．She hoped to show off her savings in class.	B．She needed to train her counting skills.
C．She wanted to play with the coins.	D．She intended to pay for her friend’s milk.

2. How did Jackie feel upon hearing Sunshine’s words?

A．Relieved.

B．Touched.

C．Curious.

D．Proud.

3. In Jackie’s eyes, what did Sunshine learn from the experience?

A．Two heads are better than one.	B．A friend in need is a friend indeed.
C．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.	D．There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

4. What is the best title for this passage?

A．Small Coins, Big Changes.	B．Jackie’s Piggy Bank.
C．Piggy Bank and Carton Milk.	D．A Moved Grandmother.

7 . Rome, Paris and New York are the world’s top fashion cities, all of which have produced some of the top trends (趋势), from high low skirts to the hottest new shoes. But have you ever wondered about the negative ideas that they’ve produced?

Last year, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in Britain banned (禁止) an advertisement from Gucci that featured models dancing around and having fun because they were all extremely thin. Banning ads due to unhealthy weight isn’t new. The ASA banned an ad the year before last for the same reason. In France, it has been a rule that models are to provide a doctor’s note proving that they are at healthy weight.

So what is healthy weight for models? Twenty years ago, the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average weight. Today, the average fashion model weighs 23% less. When is it okay for anyone including models to weigh less than average?

The images of these models promote the idea that being at unhealthy weight will help one gain the richness and the benefits that the models do. This provides a standard of beauty and richness. Therefore, people who want to achieve those things may attempt to gain them through unhealthy ways. People may think that they are overweight, due to the images of models’ thin figures. They see something wrong with their bodies, whether they are overweight or not. This is a key factor to a lowered body image, low self-esteem, depression and possibly even eating disorders.

I’m not blaming the fashion industry by any means. It’s not their mistake that many people look up to the models and expect to live a life like theirs. I’m glad that the ASA is raising its voices when discussing the growing issue of body images in the fashion industry. By banning the photos and videos, speaking out against them and requesting models to provide doctors’ notes, it’s pushing for the idea that the traditional fashion industry’s body image demands should be questioned and changed.

1. Why was one of Gucci’s advertisements banned?

A．Its models had unhealthy weight.

B．None of its models had a doctor’s note.

C．Its models didn’t act according to the rules.

D．Its models were dancing in an unhealthy way.

2. What do the figures mentioned in Paragraph 3 show?

A．People don’t know when models weigh less.

B．Many women are on a diet to become models.

C．Healthy weight for models hasn’t been decided.

D．Models are becoming thinner as time goes by.

3. What is the possible purpose of the ASA’s measures?

A．To stress the importance of healthy weight.

B．To voice people’s opinions of models’ body images.

C．To introduce new standards of models’ body images.

D．To challenge traditional standards in the fashion industry.

4. Where is the passage probably taken from?

A．A science fiction.

B．A textbook.

C．A book review.

D．A magazine.

8 . How would you feel if a colleague suggested you take a comedy class to improve your sense of humor. I felt stressed.    1    Yet according to Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas, humor is not something you are born with or without.    2    What’s more, finding our funny sides strengthens relationships, unlocks creativity, and makes us more likable. It helps in any life situation.    3    

I turned to Aaker and Bagdonas and they agreed to teach me how to find my funny bones. In our first call, we discuss the common misunderstandings that stop many of us in our comedy tracks. The first, Aaker says, is the belief that humor has no place in certain situations, especially at work.    4     But 98% of the bosses say they prefer employees with a sense of humor and believe they do better work.

They believe the power of humor that they also improve the ability to help people avoid difficult situations.    5    Research shows that people who watch a funny video before trying to solve a puzzle are twice as likely to be successful.

A．Rather, it can be developed gradually.

B．We worry that humor is not welcomed in the office.

C．Humor has been proved to increase creativity.

D．Some people just aren’t funny and I’m one of them.

E．Therefore, people eagerly sign up for the humor course.

F．Every joke follows the fundamental structure of setup and punch line.

G．If you feel uncomfortable making the jokes, leave them to someone else.

9 . When you set a foot outside of your door to drop trash, go to a social event or go for a walk, thoughts like “I hope I don’t see anyone I know” or “please don’t talk to me” may run through your mind. I’ve also said such things to myself. Sometimes the last thing you want to do is to talk with someone, especially someone new.

Why do we go out of our ways to avoid people? Do we think meeting new people is a waste of time? Or are we just lazy, thinking that meeting someone new really is a trouble?

Communication is the key to life. We have been told that many times. Take the past generations, like our parents, for example. They seem to take full advantage of that whole “communication” idea because they grew up talking face to face while Generation-Y grew up staring at screens. We spend hours of our days sitting on Facebook. We send messages to our friends and think about all of the things we want to say to certain people that we don’t have the courage to do in reality.

Nowadays, we are so caught up in our little circle of friends—our comfort zone. We love it that they laugh at our jokes, understand our feelings and can read our minds. Most importantly, they know when we want to be alone. They just get us.

Holding a conversation with someone new means agreeing with things that you don’t really believe and being someone you think they want you to be—it is, as I said before, a trouble. It takes up so much energy, and at some point or another, it is too tiring.

But meeting new people is important. Life is too short, so meet all the people you can meet, make the effort to go out and laugh. Remember, every “hello” leads to a smile—and a smile is worth a lot.

1. What do we learn about the author?

A．He likes to meet someone new.	B．He feels stressed out lately.
C．He’s active in attending social events.	D．He used to be afraid of talking to others.

2. What’s the problem of Generation-Y in the author’s eyes?

A．They rely on the Internet to socialize.	B．They are less confident in themselves.
C．They have difficulty in communicating.	D．They are unwilling to make new friends.

3. Why do many young people avoid meeting new people?

A．They think it troublesome.	B．They are busy with their study.
C．They fear to disappoint their friends.	D．They want to do meaningful work.

4. Why does the author write the text?

A．To stress the importance of friends.

B．To give tips on how to meet new people.

C．To encourage people to meet new people.

D．To display the disadvantages of Generation-Y.

10 . Building with 3D printing technology is sparking widespread interest in the construction industry. Besides reducing waste and our impact on the environment, it can speed up construction from weeks, or months, to days. To see how the technology can change the world around us, here are some projects that highlight bold ideas in 3D print building.

Instant Neighborhood

Community building takes on new meaning with the creation of a neighborhood of 3D printed homes in Tabasco, Mexico, aimed at tackling global homelessness. American non-profit New Story and tech company ICON built each concrete house from start to completion in 24 hours. New Story says its aim is to provide shelter for people without homes around the world.

Nested Housing

Shamballa is the idea of Italian 3D print construction company WASP. This project uses soil and straw to build a home in days that cost only 48 Euros in materials and energy. Its round designs are based on the wasp (黄蜂) nest. Each home features a laboratory with a desktop 3D printer for making furniture, artistic objects and more.

Think Schools

African island state Madagascar is hosting one of the world’s most forward-thinking school building projects. Non-profit Thinking Huts is using 3D print technology to provide schools where children have little or no access to education. Schools are built using local materials and low carbon concrete in under a week.

Concrete Steps

Researchers at the Swiss University ETH Zurich used concrete 3D printing to build the 16 metre long curved Striatus footbridge in a couple of days. The project used 500 layers of concrete and 53 hollow blocks, held in place by compression (压缩). This reduces materials by up to 70 per cent, and the entire bridge can be pulled down and recycled.

1. What could be the inspiration behind the design of Nested Housing?

A．A featured laboratory.	B．A forward-thinking school.
C．A round wasp nest.	D．A long stone bridge.

2. Which 3D construction project can be torn down and reused?

A．Instant Neighborhood.	B．Concrete Steps.
C．Think School.	D．Nested Housing.

3. What do these four 3D building projects have in common?

A．They use local materials.	B．They make construction faster.
C．They are affordable to the homeless.	D．They are high in cost.