1 . The United States is a sports-loving nation. Sports in America take various forms: organized competitive struggles, athletic games, hunting and fishing. Most sports are seasonal, so that what is happening in sports depends upon the time of year.
Baseball is the most popular sport in the US. It is played throughout the spring and summer, and professional baseball teams play well into the fall.
Football is the most popular sport in the fall. The game originated as a college sport more than 75 years ago. It’s not the same as European football or soccer. In American football there are 11 players as well on each team, and they are dressed in padded uniforms and helmets because the game is rough and injuries are likely to occur. It is still played by almost every college and university in the country.
Basketball is the winner sport in American schools and colleges. Like football, basketball originated in the US, many Americans prefer it to football because it is played indoors throughout the winter and because it is a faster game. And the famous NBA games are considered the best of this game.
Other sports attracting a great many people include wrestling, boxing and horse racing. Although horse-racing fans call themselves sportsmen, the exactness of the term is questionable, as only the jockeys who ride the horses in the races can be considered athletes. The so-called sportsmen are the spectators, who do not come primarily to see the horses race, but to bet (打赌) upon the outcome of cach race. Gambling is the attraction of horse racing.
1. Baseball is so popular in America that some professional teams play it until __________.| A．spring | B．Summer | C．fall | D．winter |
| A．to avoid unexpected injuries |
| B．to play it like European football |
| C．to make the game difficult enough |
| D．to look like professional players |
| A．NBA games are very popular |
| B．it comes from the US |
| C．it is much faster than football |
| D．it is played indoors all the winter |
| A．mainly stand and watch the races |
| B．don’t ride horse in the races |
| C．are only interested in the results |
| D．don’t care who wins in the races |
| A．the person who bets upon the race |
| B．the person who cares about horse-racing |
| C．the rider who enjoys watching the race |
| D．the rider who competes in horse-racing |
2 . Do you have a talented young artist, photographer, or designer in your life? It’s never too early to start helping them get their work out there! We’ve rounded up the top art contests for kids and teens that can help these young creators share their first masterpieces with the world. Best of all? Most of them are totally free to enter!
Global Canvas Art Competition
Ages: 16 and under
Mediums: Drawing, painting
Global Canvas is all about the environment. Launched by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, this art competition wants to inspire the next generation to be more mindful of how we take care of the earth. The judges are looking for artists to capture the wonderful places that wildlife call home.
Toyota Dream Car Art Contest
Ages: Four to 15
Mediums: Drawing, painting
Time to design a dream car! Toyota wants to get junior artists thinking about what the future of transportation might look like. Prizes include cash and a chance to tour one of the Toyota manufacturing plants.
Advena World’s art Competition
Ages: 15 and under
Mediums: Drawing, painting
Advena World’s art competition aims to promote creativity and self-expression. Instead of a theme, they ask the participating artists to simply express their feelings — anything from sadness or joy to anger or excitement — through their chosen medium,.
Progressive Young Artist Awards
Ages: 13 to 19
Open to: All international applicants
Mediums: Painting, drawing, photography, mixed media, sculpture
Cost to enter: $5 USD
PYAA is all about expressing and celebrating progressive values. So, if there is a creative teen in your life who wants to do good in the world, sign them up for this art contest for teens. The prize is a scholarship which they can put toward their post-secondary schooling.
1. Which focuses on the environment?| A．World Wide Kids Drawings. | B．Global Canvas Art Competition. |
| C．Toyota Dream Car Art Contest. | D．Progressive Young Artist Awards. |
| A．dream car. | B．A scholarship. |
| C．A plant tour. | D．Cash crops. |
| A．It has no fixed theme. | B．It has entrance fee. |
| C．Its entry can be photos. | D．Anyone can join it. |
3 . The following four famous paintings—from Jan van Eyck’s portrait to Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece—have stood the test of time.
The Arnolfini Portrait
The Arnolfini Portrait of Jan van Eyck, an oil painting on wood produced in 1434, in which a man and a woman hold hands with a window behind him and a bed behind her, is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces in the National Gallery, London. This painting is as visually interesting as it is famed. It is also an informative document on fifteenth-century society, through Jan van Eyck’s heavy use of symbolism—while husbands went out to engage in business, wives concerned themselves with domestic duties.
The Starry Night
During his 12—month stay at the mental hospital near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France between 1889 and 1890, Vincent Willem van Gogh painted The Starry Night, an oil on canvas(帆布), a moderately abstract landscape painting of an expressive night sky over a small hillside village. When the Museum of Modern Art in New York City purchased the painting from a private collector in 1941, it was not well known, but it has since become one of Van Gogh’s most famous works.
The Harvesters
The Harvesters is an oil painting on wood completed by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565. It depicted the harvest time which most commonly occurred within the months of August and September. Nicolaes Jonghelinck, a merchant banker and art collector from Antwerp, commissioned this painting. The painting has been at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City since 1919.
Guernica
Guernica, a large black-and-white oil painting, was painted by the Cubist Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso in 1937. The title “Guernica” refers to the city that was bombed by Nazi planes during the Spanish Civil War. The painting depicted the horrors of war and as a result, has come to be an anti-war symbol and a reminder of the tragedies of war. Today, the painting is housed at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid.
1. Which of the following paintings was produced earliest?| A．Guernica. | B．The Harvesters. |
| C．The Starry Night. | D．The Arnolfini Portrait. |
| A．Pieter Bruegel the Elder. | B．Vincent Willem van Gogh. |
| C．Jan van Eyck. | D．Pablo Picasso. |
| A．It was an oil painting on wood. |
| B．It depicted the painter’s life in mental hospital. |
| C．It wasn’t widely recognized before 1941. |
| D．It was given away to the museum by a private collector. |
4 . Gifted students in the Wichita Falls Independent School District in Texas had the opportunity to travel to STEM facilities and learn coding and other technical skills, but the transportation is not convenient. “We just started talking about, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we were able to design a mobile STEM lab? ’ ”says Dr. Peter E. Griffiths, the district’s associate superintendent. Educators soon realized that they could retrofit an old bus into a mobile STEM lab, which would provide increased access to career and technical education (CTE) experiences for students.
Districts sold off buses when the vehicles became too old. Griffiths and his colleagues decided to retrofit one of those old vehicles. “Give me your ‘best worst’ bus,” Griffiths said to the transportation department. Soon the process of transforming began. Griffiths reached out to Reuben Rodriguez, the owner of a local car company, and explained what they wanted to do. Rodriguez agreed to work with the district on the price on condition that they could send CTE students to lend a hand with some of the building work. And bringing the bus from the dream stage to fruition has taken a lot of joint efforts of educators and the community.
Called STEAM Machine, the bus looks like a device from a video game or a real-life Lego truck, and rides as a mobile maker space. “It has two touch screen TVs outside. It comes complete with drones and drone obstacle courses that will help students learn about coding in an enjoyable way,” Griffiths says. “Those are things that a lot of these kids have never experienced before.”
To drive the bus, the district has hired a retiring teacher who will take the bus to various schools and engage in different lessons with students and educators. “We were so concerned about kids losing out on experiences before, and this is a solution. We aren’t going to let this go. The STEAM Machine will be equipped with all the necessary materials and resources, and it may change the way students learn and engage with their education,” Griffiths said.
1. What is the main purpose of the mobile STEM lab?| A．To develop students’ interest in STEM research. |
| B．To replace traditional school buses with electric ones. |
| C．To provide fun activities for students during long trips |
| D．To enable students to get more learning chances. |
| A．Educators needed to pay him in advance. |
| B．Some students could help with the building work. |
| C．The old bus should be equipped with high technology. |
| D．The district must provide him with necessary materials. |
| A．It brings students fun learning experiences. |
| B．It awakens students’ curiosity about bus driving. |
| C．It protects students’ health with its special design. |
| D．It saves students’ time by reducing traffic on the road. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Worried. | C．Hopeful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Safe and long-lasting. | B．Fashionable and comfortable. |
| C．Creative and educational. | D．Cheap and eco-friendly. |
5 . What’s On?
Electric Underground
7.30pm－1.00am Free at the Cyclops Theatre
Do you know who’s playing in your area? We’re bringing you an evening of live rock and pop music from the best local bands. Are you interested in becoming a musician and getting a recording contract? If so, come early to the talk at 7.30 pm by Jules Skye, a successful record producer. He’s going to talk about how you can find the right person to produce your music.
Gee Whizz
8.30pm-10.30pm Comedy (喜剧)at Kaleidoscope
Come and see Gee Whizz perform. He’s the funniest stand-up comedian on the comedy scene. This joyful show will please everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Gee Whizz really knows how to make you laugh! Our bar is open from 7.00pm for drinks and snacks(快餐).
Simon’s Workshop
5.00pm-7.30pm Wednesdays at Victoria Stage
This is a good chance for anyone who wants to learn how to do comedy. The workshop looks at every kind of comedy, and practices many different ways of making people laugh. Simon is a comedian and actor who has 10 years’ experience of teaching comedy. His workshops are exciting and fun. An evening with Simon will give you the confidence to be funny.
Charlotte Stone
8.00pm-11.00pm Pizza World
Fine food with beautiful jazz music; this is a great evening out. Charlotte Stone will perform songs from her new best-selling CD, with James Pickering on the piano. The menu is Italian, with excellent meat and fresh fish, pizzas and pasta(面食). Book early to get a table. Our bar is open all day, and serves cocktails, coffee, beer, and white wine.
1. Who can help you if you want to have your music produced?| A．Jules Skye. | B．Gee Whizz. | C．Charlotte Stone. | D．James Pickering. |
| A．The Cyclops Theatre | B．Kaleidoscope | C．Victoria Stage | D．Pizza World |
| A．It requires membership card. | B．It lasts three hours each time. |
| C．It is run by a comedy club. | D．It is held every Wednesday. |
| A．5.00pm-7.30pm. | B．7.30pm－1.00am. | C．8.00pm-11.00pm. | D．8.30pm-10.30pm. |
6 . Dramas are usually called plays, and their creators are known as “playwrights” or “dramatists”. Some popular types of drama include comedy, tragedy, farce, opera and docudramas. Now, I’d like to tell you some popular types of drama.
Lighter in tone, comedies try to make the audience laugh and usually come to a happy ending. Comedies put unusual characters in special situations, causing them to do and say funny things. Comedies can also be sarcastic (讽刺的) in nature, creating fun serious topics. There are also several different types of comedy, including romantic comedy, a comedy of manners, and tragicomedy — plays in which the characters take on tragedy with humor while bringing serious situations to happy endings.
Tragedy is based on darker themes. Generally, tragedies show serious subjects like death, disaster, and human suffering in a way that makes the audience think. Hardly enjoying happy endings, characters in tragedies, like Shakespeare’s Hamlet, are often troubled by tragic character flaws (缺点) that finally lead to their death.
A farce is a type of drama in which characters overact and present physical humor. Examples of farce include the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett and the hit 1980 movie Airplane! written by David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams.
Opera is a type of drama which combines theater, dialogue, music, and dance to tell stories of tragedy or comedy. Since characters express their feelings through singing rather than dialogue, performers must be both skilled actors and singers. The tragedy La boheme by Giacomo Puccini, and the comedy Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi are classic examples of opera.
A docudrama is a relatively new kind of drama. Docudramas talk about historic events or non-fictional situations. More often presented in movies and television than in live theater, popular examples of docudramas include the movies Apollo 13 and Twelve Years a slave.
1. What do we know about comedies?| A．They don’t talk about serious topics. |
| B．They usually don’t have sad endings. |
| C．There’re always some arguments in them. |
| D．There’re four kinds of comedies mentioned. |
| A．They are often sarcastic in nature. |
| B．They usually have character weaknesses. |
| C．They usually suffer a lot before their death. |
| D．They are remembered by their ways of thinking. |
| A．Upset. | B．Cheerful. | C．Worried. | D．Thoughtful |
| A．say something funny | B．present physical humor |
| C．tell stories through dialogue | D．be good at acting and singing |
| A．Girls loving romantic stories. |
| B．Children loving funny stories. |
| C．People interested in fictional situations. |
| D．People interested in true events in history. |
7 . Utah is the second most wasteful states in the US. Everyone always complains about how much construction there is all the time— on campus you can’t walk ten steps without running into another pit— but no one seems to be doing anything about it. Every year the city has a surplus of money and they spent it on unneeded road construction. Instead, this money should be spent on developing Utah’s solar energy capabilities (能力).
People may think that solar power technology isn’t advanced enough to sustain (维持) an entire state year-round. However, Utah is one of the six states in the country getting more than enough sunlight to run completely on solar power every year according to Solar Nation. For reference, one might look at places similar to the Hotel at Oberlin in Ohio, a hotel remodeled in the summer of 2016 to run completely on solar power. Anywhere west of Ohio has no excuse for not using solar energy.
Many think it would be bad for the economy to switch to solar power because electrical workers would lose their jobs. But this isn’t necessarily true. They could transfer to solar companies. Considering how many panels (电池板，面板) would need to be built and installed (安装) and maintained, there’s plenty of work for electrical workers. Solar panel installation may be expensive at first, but as it stands currently, solar panels are expected to pay for themselves within 11 years of installation, saving solar panel owners up to $700 in electric bills per house in the first year.
Moreover, we, the humans of planet Earth, would never run out of solar energy. The sun will exist long after humanity goes. And while solar panels may be expensive, they cost the Earth much less than using coal and natural gas.
It’s bad enough that Utah is the most wasteful when it comes to the use of water. And the city is killing its citizens with air pollution. But when we have the physical capability of making changes that will ultimately save the environment and deepen our pocketbooks (财力、钱袋子), and we don’t make those changes, we’re actually lazy rather than being cautious.
1. Which of the following statements would the author agree with?| A．Roads in Utah should be repaired. |
| B．Money should be better used in Utah. |
| C．Construction is very important to Utah. |
| D．Schools in Utah are really in poor condition. |
| A．To explain how solar power is used in Ohio. |
| B．To show it is possible to use solar power in summertime. |
| C．To show solar power can be relied on year-round in Utah. |
| D．To prove many hotels are taking advantage of solar power. |
| A．benefit the environment | B．prevent waste in Utah |
| C．improve work efficient | D．lead to many changes in Utah |
| A．To call on people to reduce energy waste. |
| B．To show us the importance of using solar energy. |
| C．To ask government to pay attention to air pollution. |
| D．To appeal to Utah officials to develop solar energy. |
| A．①②-③④-⑤ | B．①-②③-④⑤ |
| C．①-②③④-⑤ | D．①②③-④⑤ |
8 . On one day my grandma died, I went for a walk to clear my mind. The small purse I carried with me was a gift from her. The bag only weighted several pounds but it felt like I was dragging heavy luggage.
As I was walking, I spotted Mary who gave me an excited hug. She asked how I was. “How are you” is a question that can turn meaningless or meaningful, depending on how you answer it. I considered going the meaningless route. Then I remembered that she is a friend from church. We once celebrated an activity together. Maybe I could lean on her for some comfort. I explained that my grandma died and I was feeling in bad shape emotionally.
Mary expressed kind regards. Then she asked the question everyone asks when you tell them someone died, “Were you two close?” It’s the main standard that determines the appropriate size someone’s sadness can take. The answer to this question depends on how someone defines closeness. I tend to feel close to people I can have heart-to-heart with. I nodded to Mary and said, “Yeah, we were.”
She nodded back, playing her role in the cultural script (剧本)we all know. Mary gathered information about the funeral arrangements, and then we parted. Seeing her was a catalyst (催化剂) to my quickly getting in touch with my sorrow. I cried loudly on the street directly.
Later that night I texted my friend Roger to tell him what had happened. I expected a text back with sympathy. Instead, the phone rang. Soon he was asking me what my favorite song was. While I hesitated, he started singing the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul.” He finished it and prayed for me over the phone. It really made me exhilarated. I felt that a heavy burden was removed. But I cried again because of the spiritual synchronization(同步). I didn’t share stories of my grandmother or try to explain my complicated emotions over the phone.
Then I realized that courtesy (客套话) is generally good practice, but it can’t compare to personalized, thoughtful communication. And that kind of pat statement really has no place if you want to make a real connection.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?| A．The author used to offer Mary advice to Mary. |
| B．The author and Mary enjoyed social activities. |
| C．The author and Mary often shared their secrets. |
| D．The author hesitated to turn to Mary for comfort. |
| A．judge how sad the author was |
| B．determine what sadness it was |
| C．prove that they were close friends |
| D．see if the author needed comfort |
| A．Mary decided to attend the funeral |
| B．the author felt touched to see Mary |
| C．the author got no real comfort from Mary |
| D．Mary felt helpless about relieving the author’s pain |
| A．Cheered me up | B．Made me satisfied |
| C．Let me down | D．Kept me down |
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| B．Spiritual communication is better than courtesy. |
| C．Crying is an effective way to ease people’s pain. |
| D．It’s hard to recover from the pain of losing a loved one. |
9 . I do think that a book can inspire ideas and ways of thinking that have the power to transform our lives. Here are some books to serve the purpose.
Thinking, Fast and slow
Daniel Kahneman is a Nobel Prize winner who has written an amazing book that dives into the mysterious world of our conscious and unconscious thinking patterns. By reading this book, you’ll gain a deeper understanding about how to make decisions and react to certain things in your life. Yes, this is a super thick book that seems challenging, but somehow the author makes it accessible and really fun to read.
The Power of Habit
Written by award-winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg, this book is an awesome mix of research, stories, and revelations(启示) about habits: how we form them, how we can change them, and how knowledge about human habits is transforming everything.
The Road Less Traveled
The first words in this classic and powerful book are: Life is difficult. Without hiding the true realities of life which is filled with conflicts, difficulties, and challenging decisions, M. Scott Peck guides us to a deeper level of self-understanding and creates a path we can follow to a fuller, more peaceful life.
The Power of Now
The key message of the book is simple and powerful: The way to true happiness is through learning to live in the now, without reliving the past or racing to the future. Eckhart Tolle helps us understand how our thoughts and emotions get in the way and what to do about it.
1. What do we learn about Thinking, Fast and Slow?| A．It’s too abstract to understand. |
| B．It helps readers to make decisions. |
| C．It divides our thinking patterns into different types. |
| D．It enables readers to understand themselves better. |
| A．Daniel Kahneman’s | B．Charles Duhigg’s |
| C．M. Scott Peck’s | D．Eckhart Tolle’s |
| A．The challenges of life. |
| B．A path to a better life. |
| C．The author’s understanding of humans. |
| D．The best way to settle conflicts. |
| A．Thinking, Fast and Slow | B．The Power of Habit |
| C．The Power of Now | D．The Road Less Traveled |
| A．They are classic and refreshing. |
| B．They are adventurous and challenging. |
| C．They are accessible and full of fun. |
| D．They are inspiring and helpful. |
10 . You can relax if remembering everything is not your strong suit. Recent research makes the case that being forgetful can be a strength — in fact, selective memory can even be a sign of stronger intelligence.
Traditional research on memory has focused on the advantages of remembering everything. But looking through years of recent memory data, researchers Paul Frankland and Blake Richards of the University of Toronto found that forgetting can be just as important to our decision-making as what our minds choose to remember.
Making intelligent decisions does not mean you need to have all the information at hand, it just means you need to hold onto the most valuable information. And that means clearing up space in your memory palace for the most up-to-date information on clients(客户) and situations. Our brains do this by generating new neurons(神经元) in our hippo-campus(海马体), which have the power to overwrite existing memories that are influencing our decision-making.
When we forget the names of certain clients and details about old jobs, our brain is making a choice that these details do not matter. Although too much forgetfulness can be a cause for concern, the occasional lost detail can be a sign of a perfectly healthy memory system. The researchers found that our brains further decision-making by stopping us from focusing too much on minor past details.
If you’re an analyst who meets with a client weekly, your brain will recognize that this is a client whose name and story you need to remember. If this is someone you may never meet again, your brain will weigh that information accordingly.
We can get blamed for being absent-minded when we forget past events in perfect detail. These findings show us that our brains are working smarter when they aim to remember the right stories, not every story.
1. Researchers of the University of Toronto found that forgetting could __________.| A．help make intelligent decisions |
| B．do harm to the brain |
| C．indicate people’s low intelligence |
| D．make people focus on everything |
| A．Make an intelligent decision. |
| B．Influence our decision-making. |
| C．Provide room in your memory. |
| D．Remember clients and situations. |
| A．People needn’t worry about forgetfulness at all. |
| B．Our brain is smart enough to select useful details. |
| C．Forgetting details is a sign of an unhealthy memory. |
| D．Focusing on all details contributes to decision-making. |
| A．the memory | B．the relationship | C．the frequency | D．the detail |
| A．To show how to remember the right stories. |
| B．To introduce the necessity of forgetting. |
| C．To help people make smart decisions. |
| D．To explain how the brain actually works. |
