1 . Every so often，someone so young does something so amazing that you can’t help but wonder how he manages it. That’s what happened the first time we heard Matthew Whitaker play the piano. Matthew is a jazz pianist who is blind，and since the age of 11，he’s been performing around the world.

Matthew Whitaker was born at 24th week. He weighed 1 pound and 11 ounces. His parents were told he had less than a 50％chance of survival. One of the many complications(并发症)he faced was a disease which led to blindness.

No one in Matthew’s family was a musician，but his grandfather bought him his first keyboard when he was 3 years old. It didn’t take long for Matthew to show that he had a gift. So the Whitakers decided to get Matthew a teacher，which proved to be difficult. “At the time，we got a lot of answers that he’s too young and they don’t know how to teach a blind child，”Moses Whitaker said. “He was 3 years old at the time. ”

Finally，Dalia Sakas agreed to meet Matthew. Dalia is the director of music studies at a music school in New York City，a school for the visually impaired. To her surprise，Matthew could 1isten to a piece of music once and then play it. “Because it is rare to meet someone of the world and I want to make that possible. ”

She did. Matthew has played in more than 200 clubs and concert halls around the world. His love of music has never been in doubt. Matthew’s latest album is called Now Hear This. One critic noted that it sounded like Matthew was playing with six hands.

1. Which word best describes Matthew as a pianist?

A．Fruitless.	B．Ordinary.
C．Remarkable.	D．Ambitious.

2. What was the root cause of Matthew’s blindness?

A．His premature birth.	B．His low weight.
C．His low chance of survival.	D．A disease running in his family.

3. What increased the difficulty finding Matthew a music teacher?

A．His family background.	B．His lack of talent.
C．His age and disability.	D．His character.

4. Why did Dalia accept Matthew as her student?

A．Because she sympathized Matthew for his experience.

B．Because she was struck by Matthew’s talent for music.

C．Because she gave in to the insistence of Matthew’s grandfather.

D．Because she knew how to teach a blind student well.

2 . Imagine you are floating in space on a huge NASA spacecraft. A satellite is on a collision course with your spaceship. You have just been told by your commanders on Earth to evacuate. You and your teammates have to make rapid decisions for your escape and survival.

Engaging children in a NASA mission (任务) is a lesson that 23 pre-service teachers (职前教师)were taught to carry out at a recent Pre-Service Teacher Institute (PSTI) summer workshop (讲习班)at NASA’s Ames Research Center.

At this two-week workshop, these college students were given hands-on activities designed to increase their skills in teaching STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) . They were shown how to include NASA missions and research into their lesson plans. They met with NASA engineers and were given tours of NASA facilities (设施)by the latter to help them develop and teach a problem-based lesson to children.

“NASA is pleased to support college students who want to teach STEM to young children,” said Lewis Braxton, director of the research center. “It was exciting to see PSII students fully engaged in developing new skills in STEM to meet the challenges of a space-related teaching task,” said Steve Price, the principal investigator of PSTI at California State University, Fresno.

“PSTI has provided me with the necessary tools and techniques to fully develop my skills as a teacher. I’ll use what I’ve learned to help my students succeed in their studies,” said Elijah Carnillo, one of the pre-service teachers.

1. What does the underlined word “evacuate” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Withdraw.

B．Wait.

C．Follow.

D．Resist.

2. What is the purpose of the PSTI workshop?

A．To invite students to engage in NASA missions.

B．To encourage graduates to work at NASA.

C．To introduce the latest space technology.

D．To help with space-related STEM teaching.

3. What did NASA engineers do for the PSTI students?

A．They graded their homework.

B．They adjusted their work schedules.

C．They built them a spacecraft model.

D．They showed them some space equipment.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．PSTI: Getting You Ready for Your Class

B．STEM: The Key to a Successful Career

C．Space: The Final Homework Frontier

D．NASA: The Home of Astronauts

3 . As a children's author and former English teacher, Abi Elphinstone has spent almost all of her life surrounded by the written word. Now an ambassador for the charity Coram Beanstalk, Ms Elphinstone plays a key role in championing the importance of literacy (读写能力）and the role played by its volunteers.

The charity has teamed up with the i (a British newspaper) to increase the number of its helpers, which it sends into schools to give children aged 3 to 13 who have fallen behind with their reading or are at risk of doing so support with their reading.

“I think there is an absolute need to reach kids who don't have access to books,” she said. “Just reading for 10 minutes a day improves a child’s achievement at school. Books show children the world is big and varied and full of wonder.”

And Ms Elphinstone knows first-hand how tricky reading is from her own experience. “In class when the teacher said 'could you read aloud', the words would jump all over the page and I’d stumble （结巴）and lose so much confidence,” she said. “That was difficult. Until way after leaving school, I just assumed I needed to put in a lot more work than other people to finish an essay or process information.”

Nowadays she thinks one of the biggest challenges is the competition books face from screens, which are being used by children for everything from videos and games to social media.

“There's so much demand on their time and it’s such an easy, quick-fix demand,” she said. “It's immediate satisfaction. Screens are loud and books whisper with quieter magic, but I think the effects are transformative and they are longer lasting than a Screen.”

This is where she thinks Coram Beanstalk can help, both with reading and also making children Feel valued.

1. Why did Coram Beanstalk work with the i ?

A．To advertise its ambassador.

B．To find more book donators.

C．To attract more people to volunteer.

D．To help increase the newspaper's subscription.

2. What is the goal of Coram Beanstalk?

A．To teach children English.

B．To encourage reading in children.

C．To inspire children to write books.

D．To improve children's social skills.

3. Which of the following Ms Elphinstone's school experience?

A．She had limited access to books.

B．She could hardly finish reading a book.

C．She was afraid of reading loudly in public.

D．She seldom handed in her class essay on time.

4. What's Ms Elphinstone's opinion on screens?

A．They affect children in a quict way.

B．They have a short-term effect on children.

C．They offer children easy access to books.

D．They bring children transformative change.

4 . Water Skiing

Water skiing is an exciting water sport that can be a ton of fun. It takes a little patience to learn, but once you do, water skiing is a sport you can enjoy whenever you have a boat and enough flat water.

    1    Every water skier needs water skis(划水板) and they differ depending on the size of the skier and the experience level of the skier. Of course, no one can water ski alone, so you will need to find at least two people to go with you on your water skiing adventure. You and everyone you go with will have more fun if the friends you go with also want to water ski.    2    After you have the boat, the people, and the skis, you will also need a water skiing cable(缆绳) and a life jacket.

For your first time water skiing, you may want to either take a lesson from an expert or find a friend that has experience to teach you.     3    The observer rides in the boat，but watches the water skier for any signals and helps the driver know when to start and stop.

The person skiing starts by crouching(蹲伏)in the water, this is called a deep water start. The skis will float ,but you want your body to be in a crouching position in the water. Your skis tips should be pointing out of the water.    4     When you are ready, you give a signal to the driver of the boat ,who starts speeding. Ideally you are pulled into an upright position with your skis underneath you, gliding along the surface of the water.    5    

A．You need a boat. naturally,

B．Most people just enjoy regular water skiing.

C．The idea is to ski on the surface of the water.

D．Having a successful start will most likely take a few tries.

E．Your arms will be overstretched holding onto the cable tightly.

F．Before you start water skiing, there are a few supplies you'll need.

G．Of your two helpers, you need one to drive the boat and one to observe.

5 . Some people say that dogs are human’s best friend-good companions, loyal and lovable. Of course, they can be more than just a pet as some are excellent working dogs. More recently, a new role has been found for the animals-working as therapy dogs in universities.

Research, conducted by Washington State University, has found that spending time with dogs can help stressed-out students. Patricia Pendry from the university said that a study of 300 undergraduates had found weekly hour-long sessions with dogs brought to the university by professional handlers (训狗师) had made stressed students who were at “high risk of academic failure” or dropping out, “feel relaxed and accepted”. The dogs helped them to concentrate, learn and remember information.

Other research has shown that petting animals like dogs can reduce stress hormone levels and anxiety. Around 1,000 campuses in the US already use therapy pets and it’s becoming more common in the UK. For example, The University of Middlesex has employed some dogs to help stop lonely students dropping out. Fiona Suthers, head of clinical skills at the university, says that five Labradors had a “stringent assessment” to ensure they had the right temperament (性情). But she adds, “It’s hard to describe the impact of just having a dog lying down in the corner of a class.”

Using dogs for therapy can also help the dogs themselves. In Wales, Swansea University Students’ Union has used rescued Greyhounds to help students unwind between exams. Sessions allow mistreated and abandoned dogs to interact with humans and begin to trust them again. Student Union education officer Chloe Hutchinson said, “A lot of students have dogs at home and might be a bit homesick, especially around exam time when it is stressful and you just want your home comforts.”

So if you’re a student who’s been working like a dog, but you still feel like you haven’t a dog’s chance in passing your exams, maybe introducing a four-legged friend into your life might be the help you need.

1. What can we learn about therapy dogs in universities?

A．They can reduce students’ anxiety.

B．They can help blind students.

C．They can work with students.

D．They can keep students safe.

2. What does Fiona Suthers imply?

A．Dogs play a part in class in universities.

B．The right temperament is needed for a therapy dog.

C．The impact of therapy dogs is clear.

D．It’s hard to describe how dogs will help with the students.

3. How do the abandoned dogs themselves get help?

A．By finding a new family to live in.

B．By helping students with some exams.

C．By lying down to the ground in a room.

D．By making more chances to meet humans.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Dogs helping stressed-out students

B．College students are stressed out

C．Why dogs are perfect helpers

D．How to keep a therapy dog

6 . My mother always told me, “You should explore your own country before stepping out into the world. ”However, it seems like a tough mission to travel all across its expansive surfaces. But luckily for me, Via Rail Canada offered youths between the ages of 18 and 25 the chance to ride the train across Canada for the month of July. The ticket was a bargain $150. My best friends Trevor, Joel and Jeremy and I immediately jumped at the opportunity and secured four tickets on the great Canadian railroad.

For a group of 20-year-olds, this was like the first flight of young birds from the nest. When we approached the train station in the morning, our 22-day adventure from Sudbury to Vancouver was to begin. Eyes baggy from lack of sleep, we jumped on board as if it was the train to Hogwarts in Harry Potter. Although the thought of three full days on those tracks covering close to 3, 000 kilometres crushed our spirits a little, what happened next caught us by surprise.

The three days on board turned into a summer camp on rails. At night, we would climb up the glass-domed train car, which gave us a scenic view of the starry night sky, untouched by the harmful light pollution. Before we knew it, the warm sun rays beating down on our faces woke us up for another day on the rails. To my surprise, a sea of golden grain fields dominated the landscape we were in the Canadian Prairies.

Another day slipped away and we set up for another night in the dome. And this time we were greeted by night sky painted by a fantastic thunderstorm. Lightning was striking at an incredible rate. The spectacular and memorable light show left everyone in the glass bubble in complete disbelief.

Arriving in the Rocky Mountains was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. Before the train adventure, if I could have skipped the travel and arrived at the destination, I would have. That is no longer true. I’ve learned that the journey can be more enjoyable than the destination.

1. What has made the author’s train adventure across Canada a reality?

A．The encouragement given by his mother.	B．The appeal of the scenic views in the country.
C．The discount ticket offered by Via Rail Canada.	D．His great courage to challenge a tough mission.

2. What can we infer about the young people from Paragraph 2 ?

A．They were excited about the coming train journey.

B．They left their parents for the first time in their life.

C．They never thought of having a train adventure.

D．They were hooked by the magic story of Harry Potter.

3. What does“the glass bubble”in the fourth paragraph refer to?

A．A brain in lack of imagination.	B．The glass-domed train car.
C．A summer camp on the train.	D．The sightseeing bus.

4. What did the author learn from the train adventure across Canada?

A．Opportunities are hard to get.	B．Enjoying a journey counts a lot.
C．Splendid scenery attracts young people.	D．The traveling experience is not real to him.

7 . One major reason Americans don’t get enough exercise is that they feel they don’t have enough time. It can be difficult to squeeze in the 75 minutes of aerobic (有氧的) exercise per week that federal guidelines recommend.    1    .

In a new analysis of 14 studies, researchers tracked deaths among more than 232,000 people from the U.S., Denmark, the U.K. and China over at least five years, and compared the findings with people’s self-reports about how much they ran. People who said they ran any amount were less likely to die than those who didn’t run at all.    2     This was true even for those who didn’t log a great deal of time. The analysis divided people into groups, with 50 minutes or less per week representing the group that ran the least―but still ran. ‘‘Regardless of how much you run, you can expect such benefits,” says Zeljko Pedisic, one of the authors of the new analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The analysis is the latest to illustrate the benefits of running on the human body. It’s what we evolved (进化) to do.     3     But as leisure-time exercise, running keeps us healthy. “One of the best ways to avoid having to see a doctor,” Zeljko says, “is to stay physically active.”

    4     Running is good at guarding against cancer partly because it uses up blood sugar, starving the cancer cells that rely on it for fuel. And it protects you in other ways not necessarily measured in the latest research: by decreasing inflammation (炎症), for example, which is at the root of many diseases, and stimulating the production of a protein that improves brain health.

    5     Neither were how often people ran and the pace they kept. As long as you’re running, more isn’t always better, especially given that the risk of injury increases with repetition.

A．People may no longer hunt wild animals for their next meal.

B．The physical demands of running affect our body in a beneficial way.

C．Some people run to prevent disease, and others run because it makes them feel better.

D．Runners were 27% less likely to die for any reason, compared with nonrunners.

E．But researchers point out, to infer something like that, they need the whole population measured.

F．But new research suggests people may be able to get life-lengthening benefits by running for far less time.

G．The good news is that running more than 50 minutes per week wasn’t linked to additional protections against dying.

8 . I feel ashamed to admit this, but in much of my past life, I pretended I knew what was going on when I didn’t, for fear of being “caught out”. In the school cafeteria, when people talked about TV shows, which I didn’t have the channels for, or on MSN Messenger, when I read unfamiliar song lyrics my friends had shared, I felt upset and I’d pretend to be calm and recognize what they were talking about, like everyone else.

I did this, as I didn’t want to be seen not to understand some things that people, I respected were good at. I thought that if I didn’t know what was going on, it betrayed a moral failing and exposed me as a boy who was deeply uncool and actually, a bit stupid.

And so I nodded along silently. I prayed I wouldn’t be found out what I really was, or I would feel embarrassed. I would follow up each incident with some diligent homework on the subject, trying to disguise myself. Unsurprisingly, it all became far too much and recently I’ve found myself overwhelmed by the number of things I didn’t know about. From politics to pop culture—even Micro Electro Mechanical Systems. I just felt exhausted by it all.

And so I made a decision. I decided to stop nodding frequently at the pub while crazily searching the relative information under the table. Instead, now I’m embracing saying what is really true when I don’t know what the other person is talking about. Instead of hurrying to make up some funny opinion about a show I’ve never seen, I’ll say something like: “I’ve heard of that show but I haven’t watched it yet” Saying “I don’t know” is such a simple thing. I’m sorry that it took me so long to start saying that. I’ve changed my attitude towards something I don’t know in life. I’ll never get caught in an embarrassing lie again.

1. What does the author tell us in paragraph 1?

A．His fear of making mistakes.	B．The ways to make friends in the past.
C．School activities he and his friends loved.	D．His sense of shame about lying in the past.

2. How did the author feel when he didn’t know about the topic m conversation?

A．Confused.	B．Anxious and awkward.
C．Unconcerned.	D．Calm and relaxed

3. What does the underlined word “disguise” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Hide.	B．Beat.
C．Expose.	D．Fool.

4. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To show disadvantages of being ignored.

B．To show some embarrassing learning experiences.

C．To tell us what to do with the case of being “caught out”.

D．To tell us how saying “I don’t know” changed his life attitude.

9 . Are people happier in nature with blue skies overhead and fresh green grass underfoot? Could noisy streets, crowded with cars and people, make us unhappy?

The possible mental health problems of city living affect a lot of people. The World Health Organization estimates(估计)that 56 percent of the world's population lived in urban areas in 2019. The WHO adds that that amount will increase to 66 percent by 2050. People often move to cities for better jobs and more cultural activities. But are they putting themselves at risk? Maybe. Experts at the American Psychiatry Association say that “natural environments or green spaces” do much good to our mental health.

Many studies have shown that nature can calm us and make us feel happy. Nature, experts say, can also help us learn better. And experiencing nature helps people recover from the mental tiredness that comes from day-to-day work. On the other hand, mental health experts say some research suggests that city living might hurt our mental health. But they cannot say exactly why.

What are the specific aspects of the urban environment which causes some people to develop mental illness? Andrea Mechelli, a doctor at Kings College, London, states, “There have been studies where people were literally taken out of an urban environment into a rural (乡村的) environment and their symptoms would improve. And we also see that the greater the city is, the greater the risk is.” Mechelli say that someone who lives in a city is three times more likely to develop psychological problem than someone living in the country.

Kings College researchers, along with city planners, land and building designers and others wanted to learn more about city living and mental illness. So, they created a smartphone app called Urban Mind. They say they wanted to understand how different parts of the urban environment affect mental wellbeing(健康).

The researchers found that being outdoors, seeing trees, hearing birdsong, seeing the sky, and feeling in contact with nature were associated with higher levels of mental well-being. They also found that these seeming effects of nature were especially strong in those individuals at greater risk of mental health problems. The Urban Mind Project team says it hopes “the results will inform future urban planning and social policy aimed at improving design and health.”

1. Why is the question raised in the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the topic of the text.

B．To show the background of the text.

C．To ask the readers to learn the study.

D．To raise the readers' interest in happiness.

2. What does Mechelli find during his study?

A．People are attracted by the blue skies and green grass.

B．People are more content with their city life.

C．More and more people are interested in taking risks in cities,

D．City people are more likely to develop mental problems than country people.

3. What is expected of the Urban Mind research result?

A．More people will choose to live in the countryside.

B．It will bring more concern about people s mental health.

C．It will contribute to future urban planning and social policies.

D．People will be helped to improve their mental illness.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Urban Mind measures the level of mental wellbeing.

B．City living may be harmful to people’s mental health.

C．Living in the countryside is better than in the city.

D．Different scientists hold different opinions on the effects of city living.

10 . Those who are concerned that robots are taking over the world can rest easy—for now. Though the androids have proved useful at performing ordinary tasks, they are not ready for the greatest time. At least that appears to be the case at Japan’s Henn-na Hotel chain where over half of the robot staff are being replaced by humans.

The first location of the unique hotel opened in July 2015 was at Nagasaki’s Huis Ten Bosch Theme Park. The hotel’s owner, Hideo Sawada, promised the hotel to be managed primarily by robots. Guests were greeted and checked-in by a dinosaur robot, while a cute android called Churi, placed inside each room, provided information about attractions. Not surprisingly, the lodging, recognized in 2016 as the world’s first robot-staffed hotel by Guinness World Records, drew in curious visitors from all around the world.

But as the years have passed, the hotel’s main draw is becoming less novel and more unsatisfactory. Also as the robots are “aging”, they are costing more to repair. Among the 283 androids being replaced are the chain’s two dinosaur receptionists. In addition to scaring young guests, they are also unable to photocopy guests’ passports, forcing human employees to step in each time. Also out are the cute Churi robots, which annoyed guests by interrupting their conversations. For example, one guest told The Wall Street Journal that Churi mistook his snoring for a command and kept asking him to repeat his request all night.

Sawada told The Wall Street Journal, “When you actually use robots you realize there are places where they aren’t needed—or just annoy people.” While Sawada may be cutting back on his use of androids, the recently-opened Smart LYZ Hotel and the Fly Zoo Hotel in China, are run entirely by robots, with not a human in sight. Whether the employees have more competence than those “hired” by the Henn-na Hotel chain remains to be seen.

1. What makes Japan’s Henn-na Hotel unique?

A．Its robot employees.	B．Its advanced equipment.
C．Its convenient location.	D．Its successful management.

2. What is the author’s purpose with the example in paragraph 3?

A．To entertain readers.	B．To prove Churi’s drawback.
C．To introduce Churi’s functions.	D．To persuade people not to book the hotel.

3. What does the owner of Japan’s Henn-na Hotel think of his robot staff now?

A．Attractive.	B．Costly.
C．Pioneering.	D．Disappointing.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Robots Are Taking Over the World.

B．The Boom of Robots-staffed Hotel.

C．Robot Staff Are Fired For No Competence.

D．The First Robots-staffed Hotel Won Guinness World Record.