1 . Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England on 8th January,1942.He went to school in St. Albans-a small city near London. Although he did well, he was never top of his class. After leaving school, Hawking went first to Oxford University where he studied physics, and then he went to Cambridge University where he studied cosmology(宇宙学). As he himself admitted he wasn’t very serious about studying. He was a very lazy student, and did very little work. However, he still achieved extremely good marks.

Hawking first noticed something was wrong with him at the age of 20. He started to bump into things, and often fell over for no reason. When he visited his family at Christmas time, his father was so worried that he was sent to hospital for a test. Finally, the result came back. Hawking had motor neurone disease(运动神经元病), an incurable illness which causes the muscles of the body to waste away. Doctors said he would die before he was 23.

At first, Hawking became extremely depressed. After a while, though, he began to see his life in a different way. As he later wrote, “Before my illness had been diagnosed(诊断),there had not seemed to be anything worth doing. But shortly after I came out of hospital, I suddenly realized that there were a lot of worthwhile things I could do.” Hawking married, found a job at Cambridge University, where he worked all his life, and had three children. He also went to do some of the most important scientific research ever carried out.

His story shows that nobody, however bad their situation is, should lose hope. “Life is not fair,” he once said.“You just have to do the best you can in your own situation.”

1. As a university student, Stephen Hawking _________.

A．worked extremely hard	B．studied maths and chemistry
C．was lazy and did very little work	D．only achieved average marks

2. Hawking first noticed something was wrong with him when _________.

A．he visited his family at Christmas time one year

B．he was 20

C．his father made him see a doctor

D．he was sent to hospital for a test

3. What does Hawking’s story tell us arcording to the passage?

A．Never lose hope even if it is a bad situation.

B．No pain, no gain.

C．You never know what will happen in life.

D．Life is full of challenges.

4. What might be the best title of this passage?

A．A Lazy Boy	B．Life Is Fair
C．Motor Neurone Disease	D．Professor Stephen Hawking

3 . With the development of our society, cellphones have become a common part in our lives. Have you ever run into a careless cellphone user in the street? Maybe they were busy talking, texting or checking updates on WeChat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new "species" of human has kept rising, they have been given a new name—phubbers (低头族).

Recently a cartoon created by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film, phubbers with various social identities bury themselves in their phones. A doctor plays with his cellphone while letting his patient die. A pretty woman takes a selfie (自拍) in front of a car accident site. And a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone. A chain of similar events will finally lead to the destruction(毁灭) of the world.

Although the ending of the film sounds unrealistic, the damage phubbing can bring is real. Your health is the first to bear the effect and the result of it. "Always bending your head to check your cellphone could damage your neck," Guangming Daily quoted doctors' words. "The neck is like a rope that breaks after long-term stretching." Also, staring at cellphones for a long time will damage your eyesight gradually, according to the report.

But that's not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. When getting together with family or friends, many people prefer to play their cellphones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere, Qilu Evening News reported.

It can also cost your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death, suffered accidents, and were robbed of their cellphones in broad daylight.

1. Why does the author give the example of a cartoon in Paragraph 2?

A．To suggest phubbers will destroy the world.

B．To call for people to go walking without phones.

C．To tell people the bad effects of phubbing.

D．To advise students to create more cartoons like this.

2. According to the passage, what risks may a phubber have?
① Destructing the world.
② Affecting his social skills.
③ Damaging his neck and eyesight.
④ Getting separated from his friends and family.

A．①②④

B．②③④

C．①③④

D．①②③④

3. What's the author's attitude towards phubbing?

A．Supportive.

B．Confident.

C．Disapproving.

D．Unconcerned.

4. What will be talked about in the following paragraph?

A．Ways to avoid the risks of phubbing.	B．Bad effects of phubbing.
C．Daily life of phubbers.	D．Behaviours of phubbers.

4 . Barbara McClintock was one of the most important scientists of the 20th century. She made important discoveries about genes and chromosomes(染色体).

Barbara McClintock was born in 1902 in Hartford, Connecticut. Her family moved to the Brooklyn area of New York City in 1908. Barbara was an active child with interests in sports and music. She also developed an interest in science.

She studied science at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Barbara was among a small number of undergraduate students to receive training in genetics in 1921. Years later, she noted that few college students wanted to study genetics.

Barbara McClintock decided to study botany, the scientific study of plants, at Cornell University. She completed her undergraduate studies in 1923. McClintock decided to continue her education at Cornell. She completed the master’s degree in 1925. Two years later, she finished all her requirements for the doctorate degree.

McClintock stayed at Cornell after she completed her education. She taught students botany. The 1930s was not a good time to be a young scientist in the United States. The country was in the middle of the great economic depression. Millions of Americans were unemployed. Male scientists were offered jobs. But female geneticists were not much in demand.

An old friend from Cornell, Marcus Rhoades, invited McClintock to spend the summer of 1941 working at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. It is a research center on Long Island, near New York City. McClintock started a temporary job with the genetics department. A short time later, she accepted a perpetual position in the laboratory and got continual incomes. This gave her the freedom to continue her research without repeatedly asking for financial aid.

By the 1970s, her discoveries had had an effect on everything from genetic engineering to cancer research. McClintock won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1983 for her discovery of the ability of genes to change positions on chromosomes. She was the first American woman to win an unshared Nobel Prize.

1. When did McClintock get a doctorate degree?

A．In 1921.

B．In 1923.

C．In 1925.

D．In 1927

2. In the middle of the great economic depression in the US, ________.

A．male scientists were in great demand

B．male scientists were out of work

C．female geneticists were not in demand at all

D．young female scientists might have trouble finding a job

3. Which of the following jobs was beneficial to McClintock’s research?

A．A permanent position in the laboratory.

B．A temporary job in the genetics department.

C．A job as a botany teacher.

D．A job to research cancer.

4. Why was McClintock awarded a Nobel Prize?

A．Because she received a degree in genes and chromosomes.

B．Because she contributed to genetic engineering and cancer research.

C．Because she made important discoveries about genes and chromosomes.

D．Because she was the first American woman who studied genes and chromosomes.

5 . Many everyday American expressions are based on colors.

Red is a hot color. Americans may say they are red hot about something unfair. They are red hot when they are very angry about something. The small hot-tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hot for their color and their fiery(辣的) taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland jazz.

Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It comes from the fact that many babies are born with nice pink skin that shows that they are in good health.

The color black is often used in expressions. People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day. A blacklist(黑名单) is illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations.

The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling in his stomach may say he feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green.

Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or green-backs. Dollars are called greenbacks because green is the color of the black side of the paper money.

1. Americans use “red hot” to describe the following EXCEPT_______.

A．something unfair

B．small hot-tasting peppers

C．the person who is very angry

D．popular music like Dixieland jazz

2. People use “in the pink” to express they are in good health because_______.

A．the expression has a very long history

B．the color pink makes people feel happy

C．people think the color pink is gentler than red

D．healthy babies are born with nice pink skin

3. When we say someone feels a little green, it means he/she_________.

A．enjoys himself/herself in boating	B．is hit by a high wave
C．has a stomach ache	D．likes trees and grass

4. In the writer’s eyes, what is related to a black day?

A．Being sent a beautiful gift	B．Passing a very difficult test.
C．Being refused during and important interview	D．Being invited to an exciting party

6 . Tired of your summer break? Here comes a list of best sellers on Amazon.com

Born a Crime

By Noah Trevor

Born a Crime is the story of a naughty young boy in South Africa, who grows into a restless young man, the author of the book, as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless and religious mother. “Don't cry, Trevor. Trevor, listen. Listen to me. Listen.” “My child, you must look on the bright side.” It was Mother's faith and positive attitude that shaped the young man.

How It Feels to Float

By Helaia Fox

If you're looking for a moving story that explores themes of mental illness, grief (悲痛), and love, pick up a copy of How It Feels to Float and follow Biz as she comes of age. This moving novel will stay with you long after you finish reading it.

Two Can Keep a Secret

By Karen M. MeManus

Put on your crime-solving cap and get swept away in this thriller about a girl, a boy, and a string of unsolved murders. As threats and clues pile up, you’ll be burning the midnight oil trying to finish the book before dawn.

Dune

By Frank Herbert

If the Star Wars movies have made you fall in love with the space opera, eventually you're going to read Frank Herbert's most famous creation. The story of centuries-old political plotting — about warring factions (派系) battling over control of the extremely valuable planet Arrakis — is a classic and remains a wonderful introduction to the larger, more complex world of science fiction just beyond the Star Wars trilogies.

1. Which books are about growth?

A．How It Feels to Float and Two Can Keep a Secret.

B．Born a Crime and How It Feels to Float.

C．Two Can Keep a Secret and Dune.

D．How It Feels to Float and Dune.

2. What is Two Can Keep a Secret mainly about?

A．Challenges of growing up.

B．A girl's space adventures.

C．battling for control of another planet.

D．The murders remaining to be settled.

3. What kind of book is Dune?

A．A love story.

B．A science-fiction story.

C．An autobiography.

D．A fairy tale.

7 . Don’t let the heat keep you away from New Orleans. For one thing, the hotel rates are the lowest they’ll be all year. For another, with wonderful events, you’ll barely notice the heat. Come and see what we’re all about in summer.

FESTIGALS

Festigals is an annual festival that celebrates, and supports women of all backgrounds and causes related to women’s well-being. It features a variety of New Orleans-themed activities, designed for women and by women. It usually includes famous female speakers.

DATES: June 5-7, 2020

RED DRESS RUN

The run usually begins in French Quarter, although the exact location is only announced to those who registered. The runners, with drinks in hand, continue their route through the French Quarter and spend the rest of the day celebrating. Participants can sign up online on the official website. Registration usually includes donations to local charities, and beers for the run. You must be 21 or older to participate.

DATE: August 8, 2020

PRICE $65

RUNNING OF THE BULLS

Instead of running from real bulls, New Orleanians gather in the traditional colors of Spain’s bull run and chase runners with plastic bats on their rollerblades (旱冰鞋). Thousands of runners gather early in the morning in Downtown to participate in the run, wearing all white with a bit of red.

DATES: July 10-12, 2020

NOLA CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL

This year’s festival has expanded to two weekends, taking place June 19-21 and June 24-28. Guests can enjoy live music performances, local chefs, kids activities, salsa dancing and more. While the official fest takes place June 26-28, there’s plenty to do leading up to and following Caribbean Fest. To learn more about this year’s fest, visit here.

1. What is special about Festigals?

A．It shows great concern for females.

B．It features New Orleans’ local food.

C．It is celebrated in hot summer.

D．It is open to women only.

2. What can be learned about RED DRESS RUN?

A．Runners have to run all day long.

B．Runners can sign up on the spot.

C．There is an age limit for runners.

D．It provides free food and drinks.

3. Which of the following festivals may interest music lovers?

A．FESTIGALS.

B．RED DRESS RUN.

C．RUNNING OF THE BULLS.

D．NOLA CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL.

8 . Wearable sensors (传感器) could one day interpret the gestures in sign language and translate them into English，providing a high­tech solution to communication problems between deaf people and those who don't understand sign language.

Engineers at Texas A & M University are developing a wearable device that can sense movement and muscle activity in a person's arms. The device works by figuring out the gestures a person is making by using two sets of sensors：one that responds to the motion of the wrist and the other to the muscular movements in the arm. A program then wirelessly receives this information and changes the data into the English translation. “Most of the technology was based on vision­based or camera­based solutions,” said study lead researcher Roozbeh Jafari，an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Texas A & M University.

These existing designs, Jafari said，are not enough，because often when someone is talking with sign language，he or she is using hand gestures combined with specific finger movements.“I thought maybe we should look into combining motion sensors and muscle activation，”Jafari told Live Science. “And the idea here was to build a wearable device.”

The researchers have built a system that can recognize words that people use most commonly in their daily conversations. Jafari said that once the team starts expanding the program，the engineers will include more words that are less frequently used，in order to build up a more substantial vocabulary.

One drawback of it is that the system has to be “trained ” to respond to each individual that wears the device，Jafari said. This training process involves asking the user to repeat or do each hand gesture a couple of times，which can take up to 30 minutes to complete.

1. How does the new device work?

A．By figuring out gestures from fingers.

B．By connecting the wrist and the fingers.

C．By linking the arm and the fingers.

D．By collecting information from the wrist and the arm.

2. The researchers eventually decided on a wearable device to ________.

A．make it easier to monitor the gestures when people are talking

B．make the translation process faster

C．compete with existing designs

D．make it user­friendly

3. We can replace the underlined word in Paragraph 4 by “ ________ ”.

A．necessary	B．influential
C．extensive	D．essential

4. What can we infer from the text?

A．The device has greatly increased in sales.

B．The device still requires much improvement.

C．We should work out of 30 minutes.

D．We should be trained to respond quickly.

9 . Where can you go to listen to a cook, a senator (参议员) or a scientist talk about important subjects? BigThink.com is a new website created to provide discussions between world experts and Internet users. Victoria Brown and Peter Hopkins created Big-Think.com. They said that people need an international stage on which to exchange, discuss, and debate the important ideas of our time. Subjects discussed on BigThink include the environment, music and questions about happiness and personal identity.

The the BigThink website has been called a YouTube for thinkers. At the BigThink website , when you click on a subject, you find a video (视频) of a person talking about his or her ideas. For example, you can listen to United States Senator Ted Kennedy talking about education and civil rights. Under their videos, you can read the comments and questions written by other visitors to the website. More than one hundred experts express their ideas on the website.

BigThink also has an important list of financial (财政的) supporters. These include Peter Thiel who helped create the PayPal company; Larry Summers, a former United States secretary of the Treasury, and David Frankel, a businessman from South Africa.

BigThink’s creators started the website by first getting famous people to agree to be videotaped（录像）. They began by interviewing several well-known professors from Harvard University, which they had attended. Then they used the names of these professors to gain the trust of others and get them to take part in the project.

The website helps everyone whose motto is: “We are what you think.” So, go online and start thinking big.

1. BigThink.com was created to ______.

A．introduce the latest IT knowledge	B．share funny videos with Internet users
C．teach ordinary people some useful skills	D．offer chances to communicate with experts

2. We can infer from the passage that YouTube is ______.

A．a famous library	B．a online chat-room
C．a video website	D．a radio station

3. The first people interviewed by BigThink.com were some ______.

A．scientists

B．professors

C．politicians

D．cooks

4. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．How to set up one’s own website.	B．The importance of sharing ideas with others.
C．How to become experts in some fields.	D．A brief introduction to a new website.

10 . A mother of a cheerful five-year-old just returned from a meeting of the National Organization for Women. Inspired by exciting dreams for the possibilities of womanhood, she asked her daughter what she wanted to be when she grew up. Little Lisa quickly answered, “A nurse.”

There was a time when nursing was thought of as a woman’s job and the answer somehow seemed not to be satisfied. She had, after all, just returned from a new meeting.

“You can be anything you want to be,” she reminded her daughter. “You can be a lawyer, a doctor, a banker, president of the country — you can be anything.”

“Anything?” Lisa asked.

“Anything!” her mother smiled.

“I know,” Lisa said. “I want to be a horse!”

Lisa’s dream may need some improvement, but there is plenty of time for that. When do we give up dreaming about the future? When do we resign (听任) ourselves to simply replaying dreams from the past?

Maybe her dream needs to mature (成熟) a bit, but would you rather have the optimism (乐观) of a five-year-old girl who wants to be a horse, or the pessimism (悲观) of an adult who says in despair, “I can’t be anything at all”?

Teddy Roosevelt said, “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” I believe that is the way to make those dreams come true. So everyone need look up and dream of something beautiful while working hard to the dream.

1. What did the girl really want to be when she grew up?

A．A nurse.

B．A horse.

C．A banker.

D．A lawyer.

2. How did the mother feel when hearing her daughter’s first answer?

A．Satisfied.

B．Puzzled.

C．Disappointed.

D．Excited.

3. The lesson we can learn from the passage is that we should ______.

A．stop children dreaming of something strange

B．advise parents how to educate children

C．encourage adults to learn from children

D．help children to set up a big goal

4. The true meaning of the underlined sentence in the last paragraph is ______.

A．Stand on the ground and watch the stars

B．Have a big dream and work hard

C．Protect your eyesight while working

D．Find a good way to watch the stars