1 . As the parent of two teenagers who have played multiple sports over the years, I’ve seen the good, the bad, the ugly and the absolutely cruel.

However, when I think about the value of sports and why my kids continue to play sports teach kids lessons to become successful adults. Through sports, kids learn how to work in teams, have to take risks, how to challenge themselves to be better, and how to behave when they lose—and when they win.

Whether kids play soccer, baseball, football, or cheer, they learn they are part of a team where one person depends on another. When my son plays baseball, he’s not the only one who needs to play well; he depends on his defense to make the plays in the field. When my daughter plays tennis, she depends on her partner to cut off the ball at the net and win the point, and the tennis team depends on each person in order to win the overall match. Sports also teach children to trust and respect the decisions of someone who understands how the entire team needs to work in order to succeed.

Sadly, though, youth sports have suffered from the “winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” attitude. They have become too much of a refection of professional sports. Winning is a happy result, but the lessons from losing are even more important. When my daughter loses tennis match, her coach reminds her that you learn more from losing than from winning. Losing makes you focus on improving your skills and your strategy. We’re going to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.

I believe that participating in youth sports is much more than building a sound body winning a scholarship to college. Sports are the best way to shape and build more self-motivated and happier children and help them become more self-motivated and happier adults.

1. What is the author’s attitude to youth sports?

A．Critical.	B．Positive.
C．Doubtful.	D．Unclear.

2. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．What sports the author’s kids take.

B．What the author’s kids do in sports.

C．How sports benefit the authors kids.

D．How the author’s kids continue to play sports.

3. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Teenagers don’t have to win every time.

B．Winning is the only goal for teen players.

C．Teenagers should work together to succeed.

D．Winning is not the most important in sports.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Youth Sports Build Better Adults

B．Teenagers Suffer from Youth Sports

C．Losing Brings More than Winning Does

D．Teenagers Perform Better than Adults in Sports

2 . At first sight, Alma Deutscher, a twelve-year-old girl from England appears to be like any other typical pre-teen. She loves to skip rope, read and play with her younger sister. But this modest youngster, who composed her first musical work at age six, first short opera at age seven, and first full-length opera based on Cinderella at age ten, is anything but average. Though her parents downplay her extraordinary talent, young Alma is being described as “little Mozart” by the music world

Alma's operatic take on the classic fairy tale, which she began writing at age eight, has a slight twist. Her Cinderella is a musician who meets her Prince Charming through a song. “In my Cinderella, she sings the beginning of a ballad — but at midnight she flees. Eventually, the prince finds her after asking all the maidens of the land to sing the end of the ballad.”

The opera was first performed in Vienna, Australia on December 29, 2016, where the then eleven-year-old skillfully switched between the piano and the violin and receives enthusiastic reviews. The young genius has since performed two new piano works, once in Australia and the other in China.

While this may appear to be a lot for someone so young, Alma is not worried. She says, “of course I have to work hard. But all children have to work hard for exams, and at least when I work hard, I work hard for something incredibly exciting, like seeing my whole opera put on stage.”

Alma's musical talent first came to light before she could even talk. Her parents recall that as an 18-month-old toddler, she was able to hum a pitch perfect version of the children’s rhyme

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

However, Alma’s abilities only gained international attention in 2012, after a family friend posted a video online comparing her to Mozart. The family was suddenly swamped with media requested and Alma became an overnight star, dubbed “little Mozart”. This nickname makes her parents unhappy because they believe it puts added pressure on the young girl. They would instead prefer her to be called “a composer and musician”.

Alma does not want to be compared to the famous artist either, saying, “There was only one Mozart, and I prefer to be little Alma.” Regardless of what she calls herself, the twelve-year-old is changing the world of music forever!

1. What do we know about Alma Deutscher?

A．She has shown great musical talent from a young age.

B．She comes from a famous musical family.

C．She regularly performs the classical music of Mozart.

D．She has adapted some famous works of classical music.

2. How did Alma get to be widely known?

A．By performing on television

B．Through an online video

C．By putting on an opera

D．Through her parents’ promotion

3. What is Alma’s attitude towards her success?

A．She is still unsatisfied with her performance.

B．She is modest about her musical achievements

C．She is uncomfortable with so much pressure.

D．She is proud to have become a professional musician.

4. What can we infer about Alma’s parents?

A．They are very well-educated people.

B．They have made a good life plan for Alma.

C．They have pushed Alma to take up music.

D．They are protective of their daughter.

3 . Time for an adventure?

Are you a bit bored with your nine-to-five routine? Have a look at our exciting range of holidays and decide what type of adventure you’d like.

Activity holidays

Our activity holidays are for everyone, people who love danger or who just like sports. We have a huge variety of water, snow or desert holidays. We’ll take you SCBA diving in the Red Sea or kayaking and white water rafting in Canada. If you prefer snow, you can try skiing or snowboarding in the Alps or even igloo-building. For those who like warmer weather, we also have sandboarding (the desert version of skateboarding) or camel safaris(游猎).

Polar expeditions(探险)

Take an expedition to Antarctica or the northern Arctic; explore a Land of white natural beauty and wonderful wildlife. Our experts will explain everything about the two poles as you watch the penguins in Antarctica or whales and polar in the Arctic. There’s no greater adventure than travelling to the ends of the earth. A once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Cultural journeys

Our cultural journeys will help you discover ancient civilizations: India, Thailand, Egypt and many more. Visit temples, palaces and ancient ruins –-just remember to bring your camera! Get to know local ways of life by exploring markets, trying exotic foods and meeting local people.

Wildlife holidays

We organize small - group tours to gel closer to nature in Africa, Asia or South America. Go on safari in Africa and watch lions and giraffes. Meet the famous turtles off the Galapagos Islands. Look for tigers in India, or take an elephant safari in Sri Lanka. We use local guides and stay in a range of accommodation, from tents to trees houses.

1. Which would you prefer if you are a sports-lover?

A．Wildlife holidays.	B．Cultural journeys.
C．Polar expeditions.	D．Activity holidays.

2. What can a tourist do during a cultural holiday?

A．Appreciate ancient buildings.	B．Watch lovely animals.
C．Get closer to nature.	D．Have extreme sports.

3. What is the purpose of this text?

A．To introduce ways of relaxation.	B．To recommend different holidays.
C．To share traveling experience.	D．To give advice on traveling.

4 . Sixty-four-year-old Pierre Deom has spent his entire life close to the woods and fields that he loves. Twice a year, his magazine, La Hulotte, focuses on an animal or plant native to the French countryside.

The 100th edition was published in November. The magazine counts more than 150,000 subscribers in many countries, and is doing very well financially. Deom says it all began in January 1972, when he was teaching science in a one-room schoolhouse here. “It upset me how the forests and swamps were beginning to be ruined. The word ‘ecology’ didn’t really exist yet. Some friends and I wanted to call attention to the issue. So we said, let’s educate the kids. They’re ready to hear our message.” So he took a step into the unknown, planning to publish his nature journal.

Deom does all the research and writing and the illustrations of the magazine by hand. He combines science and humor in his writing and drawing to describe the daily life and sufferings of his creatures. Animals you might overlook or consider dull are magically and vividly brought to life in La Hulotte. “I try to write about animals and plants that are easy to find because I want kids to put on boots, take a magnifying glass, go to the woods and fields to observe and be amazed by what they find,” Deom says.

And it seems to work. Biologist Jerome Fournier began subscribing to La Hulotte when he was just eight years old. “For me it was the first contact with nature when I was a child. And maybe it’s the beginning for my life of scientist. I think so.”

What’s amazing is its approach. The magazine has realistic drawings and also a little cast of cartoon creatures who comment on things and give a different views. You can read it as an adult or a child; it can be understood on two different levels. So scientists, regular people and children all get something out of it. “It’s extraordinary.” Fournier says, who works at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, where he says La Hulotte has a crazy following.

1. What does the underlined word “subscribers” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Readers

B．Editors

C．Sellers

D．Collectors

2. What’s the purpose of creating the magazine?

A．To make a lot of money.	B．To finish the task of teaching.
C．To enlarge the areas of forests.	D．To promote people’s awareness of ecology.

3. Which words can best describe the magazine La Hulotte?

A．Scientific and interesting.	B．Magical and dull.
C．Vivid and unreal.	D．Hard to understand.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．The magazine is a cartoon one.	B．Adults find the magazine too easy.
C．Many scientists are the fans of the magazine.	D．The magazine is not fit for regular people to read.

5 . Many Americans think of driverless cars as a futuristic technology that will revolutionize travel in cities and along state highways. But recent experiments are proving that autonomous vehicles also have the potential to improve the quality of life for millions of Americans underserved by traditional ways of transportation, such as the elderly and disabled, so long as lawmakers make smart policies that pave the way for innovation.

A retirement community in San Jose, Calif. , which has been transformed by a small fleet（车队） of driverless taxis, shows the potential of self-driving cars to transform people’s lives. Built by a tech start-up called Voyage, the modified(被改进的) Ford Fusions are currently limited to a two-mile road, but residents are already having the benefits of these autonomous vehicles, which allow them to participate in social activities they would otherwise be unable to enjoy simply because they could not get to them.

When the trial run finally expands to 15 miles of road, these residents—whose average age is 76—will also have a convenient and reliable new way to appointments. As these cars continue to serve residents there, it is easy to understand why California is moving to simplify regulations for the industry.

In Michigan, forward-thinking policies have the potential to unlock other hidden benefits of autonomous vehicles, especially for those with physical disabilities. The Michigan Disability Rights Coalition has strongly advocated for the development of this technology, saying that it could give people with disabilities greater opportunities in the workforce and enable them to lead more fulfilling(满意的), independent lives.

Many recognize that autonomous vehicles will be the future of transportation, but it is too often overlooked that this future cannot arrive fast enough for millions of Americans who are forced to depend on others for day-to-day travel. The policymakers should follow the lead of places like California and Michigan, and pass rules and regulations to unlock these hidden benefits of driverless cars.

1. What’s the attitude of most American people to the future of autonomous vehicles?

A．uncertain	B．doubtful
C．indifferent	D．optimistic

2. What is the modified Ford Fusion?

A．The collection of social activities.	B．The name of a retirement community.
C．A kind of autonomous vehicle.	D．A two-mile road for self-driving cars.

3. Examples are given in the third and fourth paragraphs to prove

A．what are preventing the development of the technology

B．why driverless cars are restricted in many states in America

C．how driverless technology benefits the aged and disabled

D．when driverless cars can enter people’s life eventually

4. What does the author attempt to inform us in the last paragraph?

A．The concept of autonomous vehicles has been widely recognized.

B．The weak groups are often overlooked despite technology advances.

C．The benefits of driverless cars have been fully unlocked.

D．Regulations should go hand in hand with driverless technology.

6 . Mobile phones are one of the most useful inventions of the last 50 years, but not everything that is said about them is good. Mobiles are frequently blamed for a number of things, from thumb injuries and headaches to house fires.     1    

The theory is that the bees navigation (导航) systems are damaged by the radiation that is given off by mobile phones. Bees have a built-in system a bit like GPS and this helps them find their way back to their hive. But recently, thousands of bees have failed to find their way home.     2    

The problem was first noticed by beekeepers in America and is a lot more complicated than it at first seems. The important thing about bees is that most of the crops in many countries of the world are pollinated (授粉) by them.     3     Many beekeepers in America and Europe have reported losing between 50 and 70 percent of their bees. Jim Piper, a London beekeeper, was recently asked how the problem was affecting him. “My business has been ruined by this,” he explained, “twenty-nine of my forty hives are now empty.”

    4     However, the fact that bees are disappearing in very large numbers is real. And we can’t manage without them. Einstein said that if all our bees disappeared, man would only live for four more years!     5     If the mobile phone theory is correct, we need to do something about it immediately—before it’s too late.

A．Bees are losing their way.

B．Nobody has proved the theory is true.

C．More evidence is provided to support the theory.

D．It is believed they are dying far from their hives.

E．Without bees, the crops can’t continue to grow.

F．The situation needs to be evaluated by the world’s best scientists.

G．One theory even blames mobile phones for the disappearance of bees.

7 . A boy shivers in the harsh Oslo winter, wrapping his arms around himself on a bus stop bench. He isn’t wearing a coat and temperatures in the Norwegian capital regularly plunge to -10℃ during winter.

A heartbreaking scene, but the actions of the ordinary people who witnessed the dilemma of 11 year old Johannes Lonnestad Flaaten are both joyous and inspiring.

A young blonde woman who sat next to the boy and noticed him rubbing his arms. She immediately asked him: “Don't you have a jacket?” “No, someone stole it”, he replied. She questioned him and discovered he was on a school trip and was told to meet his teacher at the bus stop. She asked him the name of his school and where he was from as she selflessly draped(挂上) her own coat around his shoulders. Later, another older woman at first gave him her scarf, then wrapped him in her large padded jacket. Throughout the day, more and more people offered Johannes their gloves and even the coats off their backs as they waited for their bus.

Johanne's dilemma was a hidden camera experiment by Norwegian charity SOS Children's Village as part of their winter campaign to gather donations to send much-needed coats and blankets to help Syrian children get through the winter. Many of the refugees (难民）have left their homes without winter clothing.

"People should care as much about children in Syria as they care about this boy," Synne Ronning, the information head of SOS Children`s Villages Norway, told The Local. She also noted that the child was a volunteer who was never in any danger during the filming.

1. According to the text, how can we describe the experiment?

A．Practical.

B．Dangerous.

C．Inspiring.

D．Voluntary.

2. What do we know about the young blonde woman?

A．She thought the boy was lying at first.

B．She was not sure of what the boy said.

C．She gave the boy a hand in the end.

D．She cared very little about others.

3. What can we learn from Synne Ronning's words in Paragragh 5?

A．People have done much to help children in Syria.

B．The boy was only well protected in the filming.

C．There should be more volunteers involved.

D．Children in Syria deserve to be cared for.

8 . Last summer over 12,000 fans were at Wembley Arena in London, shouting and cheering. Thousands more were watching online.     1     It was e-sports, or competitive computer gaming.

Millions of people in the UK play computer games for fun. Some of them have become professional gamers, playing games as their full-time job.     2     They practice for ten or more hours a day, five or six days a week. They do exercises like typing something and trying to type it faster and faster. They also study videos of other players and plan ways to beat them.

    3     Are players athletes? Some say no. E-sports players don’t need to run, jump, throw or do big physical actions. At the moment, the UK government classifies e-sports as kinds of games, not as sports.

But others say yes: e-sports are sports. Players do need some physical skills, especially hand-eye coordination, reflexes, accuracy and timing. If darts, snooker and shooting are classified as sports, then perhaps e-sports should be too.

    4     And they will be an official medal sport in the Asian Games starting from 2022. Next step: the Olympics?

For many e-sports fans and players, though, the most important thing is that e-sports are growing in popularity and importance.     5    

A．But are e-sports really sports?

B．All like playing computer games.

C．It’s not easy being a professional gamer, though.

D．But this wasn’t a football, basketball or tennis match.

E．It is certain that e-sports will come into the 2024 Olympics.

F．In fact, China and South Korea do classify e-sports as sports.

G．If e-sports are not as important as sports now, they definitely will be in the near future.

9 . The Internet has opened up a whole new online world for us to meet, chat and go where we’ve never been before.

But just as in face to face communication，there are some rules of behavior that should be followed when online. The basic rule is simple: treat others in the same way you would want to be treated.     1    . For anything you’re about to send: ask yourself, “Would I say this to the person’s face?” If the answer is no, rewrite and reread.     2    .

If someone in the chat room is rude to you, your instinct (本能) is to fire back in the same manner. But try not to do so.     3    . If it was caused by a disagreement with another member, try to fix the situation by politely discussing it. Remember to respect the beliefs and opinions of others in the chat room.

    4    . Offer advice when asked by newcomers, as they may not be sure what to do or how to communicate. When someone makes a mistake, whether it’s a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer, be kind about it. If it’s a small mistake, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before saying anything. Having good mariners yourself doesn’t give you license to correct everyone else. If you do decide to tell someone about a mistake, point it out politely. At the same time, if you find you are wrong, be sure to correct yourself and apologize to those that you have offended.

It is not polite to ask others personal questions such as their age, sex and marital status.     5    , don’t ask such questions.

A．It’s natural that there some people who speak rudely or make mistakes online

B．Repeat the process till you feel sure that you’d feel comfortable saying the words to the person’s face

C．Everyone was new to the network once

D．Imagine how you’d feel if you were in the other person’s shoes

E．When you send short messages to a person online, you must say something beautiful to hear

F．You should either ignore the person, or use your chat software to block their messages

G．Unless you know the person very well, and you are both comfortable with sharing personal information

10 . The Indian government may use 3D paintings as virtual speed-breakers on major highways and roads, in an attempt to check speeding and careless driving，and eventually make its deadly roads a little safer. “We are trying out 3D paintings used as virtual speed breakers to avoid unnecessary requirements of speed breakers,” India’s transport minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted.

The visual illusions (幻象) are supposed to encourage drivers to slow down automatically. Earlier this month, India had ordered the removal of all speed breakers from highways, which are considered to be a danger to safety for high-speed vehicles.

India has the highest number of road accident deaths in the world. According to the World Health Organisation, over 200,00 people are killed by road accidents due to poor application of road safety laws. This is considerably higher than its official figures of 141,526 for 2014.

The use of visual illusions as speed breakers was first pioneered in the American city of Philadelphia in 2008, as part of a campaign against speeding motorists. The technique has also been tried out in China to create floating 3D crossings.

In India, cities such as Ahmedabad and Chennai have already experimented with 3D zebra crossings in the last one year. In Ahmedabad for instance, two artists, mother and daughter have painted 3D crosswalks in the first few months of this year. The artists say their motto is “to increase the attention of drivers”, and that the concept has been successfully tested in zones where accidents easily occur on a highway.

However, critics argue that once drivers know that these speed breakers are visual illusions, they may ignore them. Others also point out that India’s decision does not consider the safety of a large number of walkers. In the end, the new policy may be just one step towards improving road safety.

1. According to the passage, 3D paintings as virtual speed breakers in India aims to       .

A．Replace all speed breakers from highways.

B．Encourage essential requirements of speed breakers.

C．Check speeding and careless driving on all highways.

D．Remind divers to speed down voluntarily for road safety.

2. What caused the high number of road accident deaths in India?

A．Speeding motorists.	B．Floating 3D crossings.
C．Free use of visual illusions.	D．Bad application of traffic laws.

3. The author explains the experiment of 3D zebra crossings in India by       .

A．giving examples.	B．analysing causes.
C．providing figures.	D．making comparisons.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards 3D zebra crossings?

A．subjective.	B．objective.
C．supportive.	D．critical.