1 . When Rachel Ratelle saw a news video of a burned koala trying to climb a tree to safety in fire-ravaged（火灾肆虐的）Australia, she decided to do something about it.
She looked up wildlife rescue and relief agencies in Australia to find out what they needed most. Besides donations, many organizations asked for hand-sewn and knitted pouches（袋子）and wraps for koalas and other animals that were burned or had lost their homes and parents in the fires.
This idea attracted Ratelle, but there was just one problem.
"I'd never sewn in my life," said Ratelle, 17, a senior at Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, US. "Giving money seemed like something too simple. But I wanted to directly help these animals by doing something myself, so I decided to learn how to sew."
Over the next few months, Ratelle bought her own sewing machine and taught herself how to sew via videos online. Then she bought 18 yards of fabric and sewed 25 pouches of different sizes and shipped them off to Fir Australian Wildlife Needing Aid (FAWNA), one of several relief organizations that have rushed to rescue koalas, kangaroos and other species suffering from bums. A week later, she received a photo from FAWNA with a baby kangaroo in one of her larger pouches. "It made me feel like I contributed to the world and it showed how a simple act of kindness can go a long way," said Ratelle, who hopes to study biology for a future career as a nurse practitioner.
"I plan to use my new sewing skills to help animals and people devastated by natural disaster," she said.
Several craft union websites around the world have called for Australian relief by making the animal pouches. Karen Newberry and her two daughters Madison, 12 and Rochelle, 8, from San Diego also offered their help in such a way. For Newberry, "It was a big push that made us crafters, sewers realize there's something more we can do than just make things for ourselves," she said.
1. What do the first two paragraphs mainly talk about?| A．What inspired Ratelle to learn to sew. |
| B．What is needed to save koalas and other species. |
| C．The poor living conditions of wild animals in Australia. |
| D．Different ways to help koalas and other animals in Australia. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Calm. | C．Proud. | D．Moved. |
| A．Ruined | B．Challenged | C．Reduced | D．Abandoned |
| A．People should stay united through difficult times. |
| B．Life is not easy for crafters and sewers in Australia. |
| C．It is challenging for crafters and sewers to do relief work. |
| D．Crafters and sewers can do more to help animals. |
2 . Hanukkah (光明节) is a Jewish festival. It is celebrated on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev (犹太教历), which is usually sometime in December. It is often called the festival of lights. The festival celebrates the time, over 2，000 years ago, when the Jewish people fought against an emperor who would not let them follow their own traditions and religion. When the Jewish people won back their temple in Jerusalem, they found there was only little holy oil to keep the sacred light burning for one day. However, to their surprise, this small amount of oil kept the light burning for eight days and nights until the people had time to make more oil.
At the center of the Hanukkah celebrations is a candlestick (called a Menorah) that holds nine candles. On the first night of Hanukkah the first candle is lit, and each day this candle is used to light another candle, until on the eighth day, the last day, all the candles are lit. During Hanukkah, people go to the synagogue (犹太教堂) to pray and to remember the miracle (奇迹) of the holy oil. Hanukkah is a time for family and friends to come together. People exchange gifts and greeting cards, and children go to parties. Parents often give their children money at Hanukkah. Potato cakes, called latkes, are a traditional Hanukkah food.
1. From the first paragraph we know that Hanukkah is a festival about ________.| A．Jewish month of Kislev | B．Jewish traditions and religion |
| C．how to make more holy oil | D．traditional Hanukkah food |
| A．Oil. | B．Money. | C．Cards. | D．Candles. |
| A．The war that they fought 2，000 years ago. |
| B．The God that they honored best. |
| C．The miracle of the holy oil that happened 2，000 years ago. |
| D．The church they built 2，000 years ago. |
| A．the history of Hanukkah and how it is celebrated |
| B．why Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah |
| C．why Jewish people protect their traditions |
| D．the miracle of the holy oil in the Jewish temple |
3 . Train Information
All customers travelling on TransLink services must be in possession of a valid ticket before boarding. For ticket information，please ask at your local station or call 13 12 30.
While Queensland Rail makes every effort to ensure trains run as scheduled，there can be no guarantee of connections between trains or between train services and bus services.
Lost property(失物招领)
Call Lost Property on 13 16 17 during business hours for items lost on Queensland Rail services.
The lost property office is open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 5:00pm and is located(位于)at Roma Street station.
Public holidays
On public holidays, generally a Sunday timetable operates. On certain major event days，i.e.
Australia Day, Anzac Day, sporting and cultural days, special additional services may operate.
Christmas Day services operate to a Christmas Day timetable，Before travel please visit translink. com. au or call TransLink on 13 12 30 anytime.
Customers using mobility devices
Many stations have wheelchair access from the car park or entrance to the station platforms.
For assistance, please Queensland Rail on 13 16 17.
Guardian trains (outbound)
Depart | Origin | Destination | Arrive |
6:42pm | Altandi | Varsity Lakes | 7:37pm |
7:29pm | Central | Varsity Lakes | 8:52pm |
8:57pm | Fortitude Valley | Varsity Lakes | 9:52pm |
11:02pm | Roma Street | Varsity Lakes | 12:22am |
| A．Call 13 16 17. | B．Visit translink .com.au. |
| C．Ask at the local station. | D．Check the train schedule. |
| A．Altandi. | B．Roma Street. | C．Varsity Lakes. | D．Fortitude Valley. |
| A．6:42 pm. | B．7:29 pm. | C．8:57 pm. | D．11:02 pm. |
4 . Natural disasters have hit Asia hard in recent years, taking hundreds of thousands of lives. But while these tragedies (灾难) have destroyed homes and lives, they have also created heroes.
The hero: Muelmar Magallanes
The story: As the heavy rain was destroying homes and villagers in Manila, the 18-year-old worker jumped into action. Muelmar swam through the floods (洪水) and pulled 30 of his neighbors to safety. After pushing a mother and baby to shore on a small boat, the tired hero was lost in the water, and his body was discovered the next day. "He gave his life for my baby, "said Menchie Penalosa, the child's mother "I will never forget him.
The hero: Tilly Smith
The story: You never know when those lessons learned in geography class will be put to good use. For Smith, just 10 years old at the time, being able to recognize the warning signs of a tsunami, saved about 100 lives at a holiday center in Thailand. The English schoolgirl was walking on a beach in Phuket when she noticed the water was coming in, but it wasn't going out again. A tsunami, she realized, was just minutes away. Her father told everyone to leave the beach. That beach was one of the few in Phuket where no one was killed or seriously injured.
The heroes: Aisah, Neneh, Azmi, Nuraida and Sulastri
The story: For these five women from the village of Lampasch, the tsunami took everything. That day, Aisah lost her 17-day-old granddaughter, Neneh lost seven of her nine children, Azmi lost her parents, Nuraida lost three of her sisters and brothers, and Sulastri lost her husband, daughter and youngest son. All lost their homes. Everything was gone except for their strong belief. Soon after the tsunami, the five women went back to clean up the village. These women lost nearly everything, except their determination to rebuild their lives.
1. What happened to Muelmar?| A．He lost his family in a flood. |
| B．He was found dead on a boat. |
| C．He took part in a swimming race. |
| D．He saved others at the cost of his own life. |
| A．was having a geography class. |
| B．got seriously injured. |
| C．was at the seaside. |
| D．lost her father. |
| A．clever | B．honest |
| C．strong-minded | D．kind-hearted |
| A．Meet the heroes created by disasters |
| B．Create a better world together |
| C．The worst disasters in Asia |
| D．Brave acts of the good |
5 . When photographer Simon Czapp took pictures of a curious five-month-old fox, he soon realized this little fox was attracted by his subject. The clever fox was so curious about the camera equipment that she climbed on top of it. And while she was supposed to be the subject of the shoot, the fox stood on the shutter release button (快门按钮) and took her own frames.
Mr. Czapp visited the New Forest Wildlife Park to capture images of new arrival Jessie. Jessie is a lovely little fox. She has been at the animal park in Ashurst, Hampshire—home to wolves, deer and others in 25 acres of ancient woodland after being abandoned by her mother.
Mr. Czapp said, “Jessie was very playful and curious and not shy at all in front of the camera. Soon after I arrived she was chewing my shoes and everything seemed to be a game to her. Then she started exploring the camera I had set up on a tripod (三脚架). She stood on her back legs to look at the back of the camera. She balanced her front paws on it and at one point knocked it over. ”
He put the camera back on the tripod and Jessie soon jumped back up. At one point she had all four paws on the camera and was keeping her balance. Mr. Czapp added, “She jumped up there several times and I realized it could make a good picture. As I was leaving away with the public’s viewing window (取景窗) behind me, I thought I heard the camera go off but didn’t think much of it. However, when I checked the memory card afterwards, I was amazed to see Jessie had actually taken two frames of me photographing her. I couldn’t believe I had been outfoxed (智取) by a fox! There were some lovely photos of her but she obviously thought the photographer was worthy of a picture too! ”
1. The underlined word “frames” in Para. 1 refers to _______.| A．photographers | B．pictures |
| C．equipments | D．subjects |
a. Jessie pressed the shutter release button, taking her own pictures.
b. Jessie balanced her paws on the camera.
c. Mr. Czapp set up his camera on a tripod.
d. Jessie stood up to look at the back of the camera.
| A．c, d, b, a | B．a, c, d, b |
| C．d, c, b, a | D．b, a, c, d |
| A．Naughty but lovely. | B．Clever but annoying. |
| C．Careful and grateful. | D．Quick but rude. |
| A．Wildlife photographers took photos of wild animals. |
| B．Clever fox took pictures of professional photographer. |
| C．Mr. Czapp showed the fox how to take photos. |
| D．Wild animals enjoy equal rights with humans. |
6 . The Internet has become part of modern life, bringing convenient services to everyone who can connect. While it seems hard to live without the Internet, it also brings new problems. For example, individuals, organizations and even governments can become targets of cyber attacks.
The past week marked China's sixth annual Cybersecurity Week, held from Sept 16 to 22 nationwide. The opening ceremony and major activities were held in Tianjin. First launched in 2014, the event was designed to raise public awareness of the importance of fighting online threats and cyber attacks. The theme of this year's event is "cybersecurity for the people and by the people".
The leaking (泄露）of personal information now stands out. " Efforts should be made to raise people's sense of fulfillment, happiness and security in cyberspace," said President Xi Jinping in an instruction for the event. "The country will safeguard the security of personal information and citizens' legal rights and interests in cyberspace. According to a report from the 2017 China Internet Security Conference, more than 90 percent of Android smartphones for sale in China contained serious safety bugs. Such flaws (缺陷)allow hackers to control entire phones and obtain the users' passwords, bank information and more.
To protect personal information, China issued its first cybersecurity law in June 2017. One key part of this law is meant to protect personal information. It rules that network operators are not allowed to leak, change or damage the personal information they gather. They are also not allowed to give personal information to others freely.
Apart from China, issuing laws to protect personal information and prevent junk electronic information is a common practice in other countries.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the new Internet-based problems. |
| B．To show readers a new Internet-based trend. |
| C．To make a list of new cybercrimes online. |
| D．To call for protection of personal security. |
| A．Android smartphones sales are on the decrease. |
| B．Personal data protection comes into focus. |
| C．Netizens are sensitive to online information. |
| D．Nearly all smartphones contain security flaws. |
| A．Website designers. | B．Illegal hackers. |
| C．Network operators. | D．Internet-based companies. |
| A．Foreign practices to safeguard cybersecurity. |
| B．Countries producing laws of national security. |
| C．Effective ways to deal with personal security. |
| D．Advice on how to avoid leaking personal data. |
7 . You cannot judge a book by looking at its cover! That's what a group of parents and students in Hangzhou has found out this term.
When they came to school in September, the students were shocked to learn that their class teacher was to be a P.E. teacher. How could someone who teaches table tennis and basketball know anything about academics? Their parents were equally worried and pressured the school to replace ''Miss Muscle'' with a ''Miss Brain. '' However, the principal(校长) did not give in to the pressure and now the parents and students are happy that the school firmly insisted.
After three months, the P.E. teacher, whose name is actually Miss Su, has turned out to be a wonderful class teacher. She is intelligent, kind and helpful. She is a good leader who keeps her students active in their studies and participate in school activities. And she has won the parents over with her real caring for their children. In other words, Miss Su, the P. E. teacher, is ''pretty extraordinary. ''
The early negative reaction against Miss Su is an example of bias(偏见). A ''bias'' is wrong in thinking that has an influence on a person's opinions and decisions. For example, in business, tall men are more likely to be bosses. In the United States, anyone who is above 190 centimeters tall can expect to have a higher salary and to get more promotions than his shorter co-workers. Similarly, women have a difficult time climbing the career ladder because their bosses(mostly men!) think that women lack leadership skills and the necessary toughness to make difficult decisions. Neither of these opinions is based on facts or the talents of the individual. They're just bias.
1. What seemed to be the parents' early reaction to Miss Su?| A．They were excited. | B．They were amazed. |
| C．They were worried. | D．They were interested. |
| A．She is an excellent P. E. teacher. |
| B．She was finally removed. |
| C．She really cared about her students. |
| D．The headmaster was proved to be wrong. |
| A．tall men are usually excellent | B．people are often judged with bias |
| C．opinions should be based on facts | D．women lack leadership skills |
| A．Disagreeable. | B．Acceptable. |
| C．Careless. | D．Curious. |
8 . What do Tom Sawyer and jumping frogs have in common? Stories about both of them were created by one man: Mark Twain. Twain was four years old when his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, located on the west bank of the Mississippi. Twain grew up there and was fascinated with life along the river—the steamboats, the giant lumber（木头）rafts, and the people who worked on them.
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is one of Twain's best loved short stories, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of his most famous novels. Both these works are celebrated by events held during National Tom Sawyer Days, which originated in the late 1950s and became national in the 1960s. Children enter their frogs in the jumping contest during National Tom Sawyer Days. There's also a fence painting contest to see who can paint the fastest. The idea for this contest comes from a scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, in which Tom has been told to paint the fence in front of the house he lives in. It's a beautiful day, and he would rather be doing anything else. As his friends walk by, he makes them believe that it's fun to paint, and they join in the “fun”. By the end of the day, the fence has three coats of paint!
Although the story of Tom Sawyer is fiction, it's based on facts. If you go to Hannibal, you'll see the white fence, which still stands at Twain's boyhood home.
1. Which of the following statements about Mark Twain is TRUE?| A．He was born in Hannibal. |
| B．He enjoyed his life in Hannibal. |
| C．He spent most of his childhood on the Mississippi. |
| D．He often went rafting（坐船漂流）on the Mississippi with his parents. |
| A．about forty years ago |
| B．in memory of a great writer |
| C．shortly after Twain's death |
| D．to improve kids' interest in reading |
| A．Bob, painting the longest. |
| B．Julia, painting most carefully. |
| C．Jim, painting in the newest way. |
| D．John, painting in the shortest time. |
| A．the story of Tom Sawyer is based partly on Twain's experiences |
| B．the story of Tom Sawyer is based totally on Twain's imagination |
| C．Twain's old house is painted by the fence painting competitors |
| D．Twain's old house is visited by people from all over the country |
9 . Artificial intelligence (Al) is practically everywhere today. There are so many products out there which use Al. Some are being developed, some are already in use, and some failed and are being improved, so it’s very difficult to name a few of them and regard them as the best.
Vi
It is an Al personal trainer which is mainly concerned with fitness and coaching. It, however, requires the use of bio-sensing earphones and other fitness tracking equipment! It can play your favourite music while you work out and all you have to worry about is the exercise you're doing.
Deep Text
Do you ever wonder how an ad appears suddenly just when you are looking for something similar? This is because of Deep Text. It uses real-time consumer information to produce data which in turn is used to target consumers. Thus, if you search online for flight tickets from Bangalore to Delhi, it is very likely that an ad relating to hotels in Delhi will soon follow.
Hello Egg
If you live alone and miss your mother because you always miss your breakfast or don’t know what to eat for dinner, then Hello Egg is exactly what you are looking for. A very healthy choice of the 2-minute noodles and oats, Hello Egg provides you with a detailed weekly meal plan about the needs of your body. It is truly a modern AI-powered home cooking tool for the young.
Wordsmith
You can put Mr. Smith into your Microsoft Excel using their free API, and let it write up detailed analysis of the stories behind your numbers. It can produce detailed reports on thousands of pages of spreadsheets in seconds.
1. What can we learn about Vi from the text?| A．It is an AI music player. |
| B．It is a bio-sensing earphone. |
| C．It doesn't work without bio-sensing earphones. |
| D．It can make you more energetic while you work out. |
| A．Deep Text. | B．Vi. |
| C．Wordsmith. | D．Hello Egg. |
| A．Produce a detailed report. | B．Provide us with a detailed meal plan. |
| C．Book a ticket ahead of time. | D．Offer us information on hotels for traveling. |
10 . When Zhangzijun was a little kid. He was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything: tutors, cards, special learning….. everything they could think of. Finally they took him to a catholic（天主教的）school.
After the first day, Zhangzijun came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn’t kiss his mother hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and papers were spread out all over the room and Zhangzijun was hard at work. His mother was surprised. She called him down to dinner and as soon as he finished eating, he went back to his room, without a word. In no time he was back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day while the mother tried to understand what was happening.
Finally, Zhangzijun brought home his report card. He quietly put it on the table and went up to his room and hit the books. His mom looked at it and to her surprise, Zhangzijun got an A in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity.
She went to his room and asked, ”Son, what was it? Was it the nuns (修女)?”
Zhangzijun looked at her and shook his head, “No. ”
“Well then,” she asked again. “What was it?”
Zhangzijun looked at her and said, “Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that man nailed (钉)to the plus sign, I knew they weren’t joking. ”
1. Why did Zhangzijun’s parents send him to a catholic school?| A．Because he could eat well there. |
| B．Because he could learn more about nuns. |
| C．Because his parents wanted him to do better in his math. |
| D．Because his parents didn’t want him to learn math any more. |
| A．was still the same as usual | B．ate so much at dinner |
| C．didn’t kiss her hello after school | D．worked hard but said little |
| A．Zhangzijun felt sorry for the mail |
| B．Zhangzijun was afraid of being nailed |
| C．Zhangzijun didn’t like the plus sign |
| D．Zhangzijun liked playing jokes on others |
| A．mistaking might do good sometimes |
| B．teachers should be strict with their students |
| C．a catholic school is much better than other ones |
| D．nuns are good at helping children with their math |
