4 . Lawmakers in Massachusetts have introduced a law that would ban children in the seventh grade or younger from playing tackle football (冲撞式橄榄球). The Act for No Organized Head Impacts to Schoolchildren, or the NO HITS Act, was introduced last month in an effort to protect children’s heads from blows (重击) while at a particularly fragile age.

The bill would cause fines of up to $ 2,000 for each time the law is broken. People who frequently break the law, or those whose actions cause physical harm, would face bigger fines.

“It’s all about kids’ health and we have a number of studies that say that repeated contacts to the head are very bad for you and the younger that starts, the worse it is,” said Paul, who introduced the bill with House Minority Leader Bradley Jones .

According to a 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers examining 111 brains belonging to former NFL (National Football League) players found the brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, in 110 of them. The disease is associated with repeated head injuries, not just concussions (脑震荡), and is generally found in athletes, retired soldiers and others with a history of repetitive brain injuries, according to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to study, treat and prevent future cases of brain injuries among athletes and other at-risk groups.

Similar laws have been considered elsewhere in the country, including California and Illinois last year, though they didn’t secure enough votes to become law. Those against previously proposed (提议的) bans have argued that adequate progress has been achieved to make the sport safer and that the sport offers too many benefits for children to totally avoid it.

Several former NFL players, who have been directly or indirectly affected by CTE, have argued differently, however. “I made the mistake of starting tackle football at 9 years old. Now, CTE has taken my life away.Youth tackle football is all risk with no reward,” Nick Buoniconti, a former NFL player, told CNN last year.

1. Why was the law introduced by lawmakers in Massachusetts?

A．To ban children from doing sports too young.

B．To make tackle football safer for players.

C．To keep young children from suffering brain injuries.

D．To encourage the popularity of some safe sports.

2. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The fines of playing tackle football incorrectly.

B．The causes of the new law in Massachusetts.

C．The consequences of breaking the new law.

D．The reason why the sport is forbidden.

3. What does the author want to show by mentioning the 2017 study?

A．Brain injuries can really be prevented with action.

B．Repeated head blows can result in brain diseases.

C．NFL players used to pay much attention to CTE.

D．Future cases of brain injuries can be reduced.

5 . A new study published this week in the journal Nature Communications has concluded that a 100 percent change to organic food production in England and Wales would actually lead to a great increase in greenhouse gas emissions (排放). In turn, this would contribute to further climate change.

Although organic farming directly pours out fewer emissions than conventional farming — around 20 percent lower for crops and 4 percent for farm animals — it produces especially less food. As to this study’s findings, total organic agriculture in England and Wales would produce 40 percent less food. With less food in the market, the countries would need to increase food imports, which would produce more global greenhouse gas emissions.

Organic farming also increases the amount of absorbing carbon, a process where carbon dioxide (CO2) is “absorbed” out of the atmosphere and captured by plants and stored in the soil. However, even a total change to organic farming would only be equal to a tiny part of the higher emissions from overseas land use.

“We predict a drop in total food production of 40 percent under a fully organic farming process, compared to conventional farming, if we keep to the same national diet,” Dr Adrian Williams, lead author and reader in Agri-Environmental Systems at Cranfield University, said in a statement. “This results from lower crop quantity, because output is limited by a lower supply of nitrogen, which is mainly from other crops or solid waste from cattle on the grassland.”

Nevertheless, it is important to note that organic farming still holds some useful benefits for the environment, such as reducing exposure to chemicals and improving the varieties of creatures. In conclusion, the study suggests that organic farming will continue to play a key role in solving the world’s environmental problems. However, it’s just one part of a much wider solution.

1. What will total organic agriculture bring to England?

A．More food imports.	B．More species crop.
C．More main food.	D．More fresh oxygen.

2. How does organic farming increase the amount of absorbing carbon?

A．By changing CO2.	B．By giving off CO2.
C．By producing CO2.	D．By taking in CO2.

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The advantages of organic farming.

B．The results caused by organic farming.

C．The solution to the environment problems.

D．The ways to reduce organic farming.

6 . A few months ago someone gifted us a robot cleaner. We already had a regular cleaner and I didn’t really see the need to use this new one, so it just satin its box.

One of our neighbors is moving away to a new house next week and I thought of asking her whether this might be something she could use. It turned out that she replied yes! Her new place had hardwood floors and her daughter was asking if they could get a robot cleaner but she said they would have to wait and see....and now she didn’t have to buy one!

I couldn’t tell you how overjoyed I was to see her daughter’s response when she came over. She was also as excited about the flower seeds I gave her from our backyard to plant in their new home.

The nice thing was that the daughter would still be working in our town, and I told her that if she ever needed to stay over instead of driving 45 minutes to the new house, our home was always here for her.

She also told me that she was so touched that I drew a big pink heart on the front of our house for their going-away party. I told her maybe after they moved I would clean it up. Or maybe not—I like being reminded of how our hearts are connected to everyone.

1. Why did the author give away the robot cleaner?

A．She liked to giveaway gifts.

B．She already had one at home.

C．She showed off before her neighbor.

D．She met the need of her neighbor’s daughter.

2. What do we know about the neighbor’s new home?

A．It is surrounded by some flowers.

B．It has a door with a “heart” on it.

C．It saw a goodbye party for the author.

D．It is far from her daughter’s workplace.

3. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Love never fails	B．Hearts connect us
C．Little acts add up	D．Family warms hearts

7 . When searching for something fun and educational to do in Maryland, why not visit the Maryland Science Center? It is located at 601 Light Street, Baltimore. The ticket prices vary depending on ages, groups and the exhibits you choose. Click here for more information.

Introduction

The Maryland Science Center is basically a museum, but it gives everyone a chance to learn through experience and play, rather than just glance at an exhibit.

Activities

You can learn about various topics, including outer space, the human body, dinosaurs, electricity, marine (海洋的) biology, energy, and much more. You can also take part in the interactive activities, such as racing bubbles, digging for dinosaur fossils, using puzzle pieces to construct cars, and so much more.

The Davis Planetarium (天文馆)

At the Davis Planetarium, you can be back in a chair and look at the stars while still inside the Science Center. The stars will appear on the ceiling of the theatre as you watch them.

There are different shows to catch at the Davis Planetarium. You can learn about the galaxy and astronomy during the Dark Matters show. Learn about the stars and planets during the Sky Live show. The One World One Sky show allows children to explore the stars. The Live from the Sun show will teach you all about the hot sun.

The Kids Room

For children, they can’t miss the Kids Room. They will be able to play in a water area, construct dams and water towers, push buttons, ring doorbells, build with blocks, and more, and definitely they will learn a lot. In addition, there is also an area for kids of two years old and under, where they can crawl, walk and explore safely with soft toys.

1. If you want to know why the sun shines, which show should you choose?

A．The Dark Matters show.	B．The Sky Live show.
C．The Live from the Sun show.	D．The One World One Sky show.

2. What do we know about the Maryland Science Center?

A．It charges different prices for adults and kids.

B．It is regarded as the most popular museum in Maryland.

C．It is a museum where there are many famous exhibitions.

D．It is mainly designed for children and their families to play together.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A travel plan.	B．An academic column.
C．An educational magazine.	D．An online advertisement.

10 . Last week, 84-year-old Janet Fein received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. Fein has had a full life. She has raised five children and then had a career as a secretary until she retired at age 77. But even then, she was not ready to take it easy and rest. She said she decided to major in sociology because she felt it was very important.

Fein grew up in the Bronx area of New York City. She just wanted to get a job in high school. After graduating at the age of 16, she went to work as a secretary. After getting married, she spent 18 years staying home with her children. She held several jobs throughout her life,including 20 years as a secretary at a hospital. She also worked for 20 years on earning an associate degree. But Fein also wanted to earn a bachelor’s degree “with all of my heart”. Even with all of her life experiences, she still enjoyed reading,writing papers and learning new things.

Health experts say continuing with education later in life is one way to keep fit. Carmel Dyer, director of the UTHealth Consortium on Aging at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston,says keeping active and giving yourself something to look forward to “is just a really positive move”.

Fein kept going to class even as her health conditions worsened. During her studies,it became necessary for her to use a walker to get around and she required oxygen. She also developed knee problems. Therefore, Fein took online classes to finish the last part of her degree requirements. Her college advisor Sheila Rollerson said Fein never showed signs of giving up even with all of her difficulties. “She just kept plugging along,“ Rollerson said.

1. What was Janet Fein’s last work before she retired?

A．A teacher.

B．A secretary.

C．A nurse.

D．A doctor

2. What did Janet Fein want to do most after earning an associate degree?

A．Get a bachelor’s degree.

B．Keep fit by exercises.

C．Read all kinds of books.

D．Find a job at the hospital.

3. What can be inferred from paragraph 3?

A．Life should be full of adventures.

B．People should have their own views.

C．Further study benefits the old’s health.

D．Healthy lifestyle is just to keep active.