1 . A new survey by Harvard University finds more than two-thirds of young Americans disapprove of President Trump’s use of Twitter. The implication is that Millennials prefer news from the White House to be filtered through other source, not a president’s social media platform.
Most Americans rely on social media to check daily headlines. Yet as distrust has risen toward all media, people may be starting to beef up their media literacy. Such a trend is badly needed. During the 2016 presidential campaign, nearly a quarter of web content shared by Twitter users in the politically critical state of Michigan was fake news, according to the University of Oxford. And a survey conducted for BuzzFeed News found 44 percent of Facebook users rarely or never trust news from the media giant.
Young people who are digital natives are indeed becoming more skillful at separating fact from fiction in cyberspace. A Knight Foundation focus-group survey of young people between ages 14 and 24 found they use “distributed trust” to verify stories. They cross-check sources and prefer news from different perspectives---especially those that are open about any bias(偏向). “Many young people assume a great deal of personal responsibility for educating themselves and actively seeking out opposing viewpoints,” the survey concluded.
Such active research can have another effect. A 2014 survey conducted in Australia, Britain, and the United States by the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that young people’s reliance on social media led to greater political engagement.
Social media allows users to experience news events more intimately(密切地) and immediately while also permitting them to re-share news as a projection of their values and interests. This forces users to be more conscious of their role in passing along information. A survey by Barna research group found the top reason given by Americans for the fake news phenomenon is “reader error,” more so than made-up stories or factual mistakes in reporting. About a third say the problem of fake news lies in “misinterpretation or exaggeration of actual news” via social media. In other words, the choice to share news on social media may be the heart of the issue. “This indicates there is a real personal responsibility in counteracting(抵制) this problem,” says Roxanne Stone, editor in chief at Barna Group.
So when young people are critical of an over-tweeting president, they reveal a mental discipline in thinking skills---and in their choices on when to share on social media.
1. According to the Paragraphs 1 and 2, many young Americans cast doubts on ________.| A．the justification of the news-filtering practice |
| B．peoples preference for social media platforms |
| C．the administration’s ability to handle information |
| D．the reliability of social media as a source of news |
| A．prefer biased perspectives on news |
| B．tend to voice their opinions in cyberspace |
| C．check out news by referring to diverse resources |
| D．like to exchange views through “distributed trust” |
| A．readers’ lack of knowledge | B．journalists’ mistaken reporting |
| C．readers’ misinterpretation | D．journalists’ made-up stories |
| A．A Rise in Critical Skills for Sharing News Online |
| B．A Counteraction Against the Over-tweeting Trend |
| C．The Accumulation of Mutual Trust on Social Media |
| D．The Platforms for Projection of Personal Values and Interests |
2 . In May 1987 the Golden Gate Bridge had a 50th birthday party. The bridge was closed to motor traffic so people could enjoy a walk across it. Organizers expected perhaps 50,000 people to show up. Instead, as many as 800, 000 crowded the roads to the bridge. By the time 250,000 were on the bridge, engineers noticed something terrible：the roadway was flattening under what turned out to be the heaviest load it had ever been asked to carry. Worse, it was beginning to sway（晃动）. The authorities closed access to the bridge and tens of thousands of people made their way back to land. A disaster was avoided.
The story is one of scores in To Forgive Design：Understanding Failure, a book that is at once a love letter to engineering and a paean（赞歌）to its breakdowns. Its author, Dr. Henry Petroski, has long been writing about disasters. In this book, he includes the loss of the space shuttles（航天飞机）Challenger and Columbia, and the sinking of the Titanic.
Though he acknowledges that engineering works can fail because the person who thought them up or engineered them simply got things wrong, in this book Dr. Petroski widens his view to consider the larger context in which such failures occur. Sometimes devices fail because a good design is constructed with low quality materials incompetently applied. Or perhaps a design works so well it is adopted elsewhere again and again, with seemingly harmless improvements, until, suddenly, it does not work at all anymore.
Readers will encounter not only stories they have heard before, but some new stories and a moving discussion of the responsibility of the engineer to the public and the ways young engineers can be helped to grasp them.
"Success is success but that is all that it is," Dr. Petroski writes. It is failure that brings improvement.
1. What happened to the Golden Gate Bridge on its 50th birthday?| A．It carried more weight than it could. |
| B．It swayed violently in a strong wind |
| C．Its roadway was damaged by vehicles |
| D．Its access was blocked by many people. |
| A．No design is well received everywhere |
| B．Construction is more important than design. |
| C．Not all disasters are caused by engineering design |
| D．Improvements on engineering works are necessary. |
| A．Failure can lead to progress. | B．Success results in overconfidence |
| C．Failure should be avoided. | D．Success comes from joint efforts. |
| A．A news report | B．A short story. |
| C．A book review | D．A research article. |
3 . The end of the school year was in sight and spirits were high. I was back teaching after an absence of 15 years, dealing with the various kinds of "forbidden fruit" that come out of book bags. Now was the spring of the water pistol.
I decided to think up a method of dealing with forbidden fruit.
"Please bring that pistol to me," I said. "I'm going to put it in my Grandma's Box."
"What's that?" they asked.
"It's a large wooden chest full of toys for my grandchildren," I replied,
"You don't have grandchildren," someone said.
"I don't now." I replied. "But someday I will. When I do, my box will be full of wonderful things for them."
My imaginary Grandma's Box worked like magic that spring, and later. Sometimes. students would ask me to describe all the things I had in it. Then I would try to remember the different possessions I supposedly had taken away—since I seldom actually kept them. Usually the offender would appear at the end of the day, and I would return the belonging.
The-years went by, and my first grandchild Gordon was born. I shared my joy with that year's class. Then someone said, "Now you can use your Grandma's Box." From then on instead of coming to ask their possessions back, the students would say, "That's okay. Put it in your Grandma's Box for Gordon."
I loved talking about the imaginary box, not only with my students but also with my own children. They enjoyed hearing about all the forbidden fruit I had collected. Then one Christmas I received a surprise gift—a large, beautifully made wooden chest. My son Bruce had made my Grandma's Box a reality.
1. What was the author's purpose in having the conversation with the students?| A．To collect the water pistol. | B．To talk about her grandchildren. |
| C．To recommend some toys. | D．To explain her teaching method. |
| A．The student's parent. | B．The maker of the Grandma's Box. |
| C．The author's grandchild. | D．The owner of the forbidden fruit. |
| A．They went to play with the baby. | B．They asked to see the Grandma's Box. |
| C．They made a present for Gordon. | D．They stopped asking their toys back. |
| A．She enjoys telling jokes. | B．She is a strict and smart teacher. |
| C．She loves doing woodwork. | D．She is a responsible grandmother |
4 . Pali Overnight Adventures offers children and teens exciting experiences this summer. From broadcasting to street art, these are just 4 of the 17 highly unique camps being offered.
Broadcasting Camp
Become the next star reporter, news writer, director or producer. While running every aspect of our own news station, kids and their fellow campers will create and host a broadcast airing each night at dinner for the entire camp. Every night it goes on the web, keeping parents and the world informed of the happenings at Pali.
Secret Agent Camp
In the movie Mission Impossible, Tom Cruise made being a secret agent seem like the coolest job ever. Campers who sign up for the 2-week secret agent camp can get to know about the life of real secret agents by learning strategies and military skills on the paintball field.
Culinary Camp
If your child enjoys being in the kitchen, then the culinary camp is definitely the right fit. Campers learn technical skills of roasting, frying and cutting, as well as some recipes that they can take home and share with their families.
Street Art Camp
This camp takes creative license to an entirely new level. Campers will share their colorful ideas and imagination with each other and work together to visualize, sketch and paint with non-traditional techniques to create the coolest mural which will be displayed in public for all to see.
1. How many camps does Pali Overnight Adventures offer this summer?| A．2. | B．4. | C．17. | D．21. |
| A．Create a website. | B．Run a news station. |
| C．Meet a star reporter. | D．Hold a dinner party. |
| A．Broadcasting Camp. | B．Secret Agent Camp. |
| C．Culinary Camp | D．Street Art Camp. |
5 . A new study published this week in the journal Nature Communications has concluded that a 100 percent change to organic (有机的) food production in England and Wales would actually lead to a great increase in greenhouse gas emissions (排放). In turn, this would contribute to further climate change.
Although organic farming directly pours out fewer emissions than conventional farming—around 20 percent lower for crops and 4 percent for farm animals—it produces notably less food. As to this study’s findings, total organic agriculture in England and Wales would produce 40 percent less food. With less food in the market, the countries would need to increase food imports, which would produce more global greenhouse gas emissions.
Organic farming also increases the amount of absorbing carbon, a process where carbon dioxide (CO2) is “absorbed” out of the atmosphere and captured by plants and stored in the soil. However, even a total change to organic farming would only be equal to a tiny part of the higher emissions from overseas land use.
“We predict a drop in total food production of 40 percent under a fully organic farming process, compared to conventional farming, if we keep to the same national diet,” Dr Adrian Williams, lead author and reader in Agri-Environmental Systems at Cranfield University, said in a statement. “This results from lower crop quantity, because output is limited by a lower supply of nitrogen, which is mainly from other crops or solid waste from cattle on the grassland.”
Nevertheless, it is important to note that organic farming still holds some useful benefits for the environment, such as reducing exposure to chemicals and improving the varieties of creatures. In conclusion, the study suggests that organic farming will continue to play a key role in resolving the world’s environmental problems. However, it’s just one part of a much wider solution.
1. What will total organic agriculture bring to England?| A．More main food. | B．More species crop. |
| C．More food imports. | D．More fresh oxygen. |
| A．By taking in CO2. | B．By changing CO2. |
| C．By giving off CO2. | D．By producing CO2. |
| A．The ways to reduce organic farming. | B．The results caused by organic farming. |
| C．The solution to the environment problems. | D．The advantages of organic farming. |
| A．Organic farming, green food | B．Organic farming, our hope in future |
| C．Organic farming, a mistake we made | D．Organic farming, a double-edged sword |
6 . Deep in the middle of Sri Lanka, a massive column of rock reaches out from the green tropical forest. It is 660 feet tall and features frescoes (壁画), graffiti, and landscaped gardens.
The rock is known as Sigiriya and holds a special place in the island's cultural history.
It was established as the stronghold of a king over 1,500 years ago, and today the Sigiriya complex stands as one of the earliest preserved examples of ancient urban planning.
Located in the Central Province, the column of rock is somewhat central to the country. The rock is known as Sihagiri, meaning "Lion Rock", a nod to the giant animal carved from stone which greeted visitors at the entrance.
In 476 BC. King Dhatusena ruled over Sri Lanka. One of his illegal sons, Kashyapa, wanted the throne (王位). Kashyapa overthrew Dhatusena and drove his brother Moggallana to Southern India. Kashyapa crowned himself king in 477 BC.
King Kashyapa chose Sigiriya as his palace because its position was an advantage to the defensive stronghold, offering fantastic 360-degree views. Plans to build a city quickly unfolded and after several years, the Sigiriya complex had become a business center for the new King.
Sigiriya was both a palace and a fortress (堡垒); the overall complex featured five gates and measured just under 3 km by just over 1 km. The site plan consisted of a fort，an upper palace on the top of the rock,and lower palaces at ground level. The king also constructed gardens throughout，and for protection a river with walls surrounded the complex.
Frescoes decorate the western side of the rock, along with the mirror wall, a brick face covered in a highly-polished white plaster. When new, the wall was said to be able to produce Reflections.
Over time the Mirror Wall became a graffiti board, covered in verses written by visitors. Known as "Sigiri Graffiti", some of the messages date to the 8th century CE.
1. It is implied in the passage that Sigiriya was built to ______________.| A．preserve the culture of Sri Lanka | B．prove the ancient urban planning |
| C．keep the King from being attacked | D．protect the green tropical forest |
| A．have a reflection before the Mirror Wall |
| B．leave comments on the Mirror Wall |
| C．draw beautiful paintings of girls on the wall |
| D．be lost in thought before the Mirror Wall |
| A．Its entrance is carved like a lion. | B．Its gardens are at ground level. |
| C．Its western side is a mirror. | D．Its palaces are on the top of the rock. |
| A．The giant lions in Sri Lanka. | B．The pearl of the Indian Ocean. |
| C．The Lion Rock of Sri Lanka. | D．The mirror wall in a rock. |
7 . Reading instruction in the classroom is a key concern for all teachers and there are many ways to go about it. However, is our determination to achieve excellence in reading skills in our children killing their love and enjoyment of a good book?
In my work with parents, I am frequently asked the best ways to encourage reluctant readers to be engaged with books. Parents report that their children return home from school with no inclination to pick up a book and read.
Any eager reader will gladly talk about the joy with a good book to read away the hours on a cold, rainy afternoon. Reading a good book is one of life’s greatest pleasures. We need to share these experiences with our children in order to assist them in developing into strong readers. But the use of boring, mass-produced home reading texts in children’s early years at school can be seen as the beginning of this negative cycle.
As children progress through their schooling life, there are many other instances of learning reading skills that don’t help reading development. Frequently, teachers feel the pressure to give their students “just enough” in terms of reading strategies to be able to achieve the test, which leaves little time to focus on reading for pleasure.
Kelly Gallagher, a high school teacher, outlines the term “Readicide” in his book. He says it’s: the systematic killing of the love of reading, often worsened by foolish, boring practices found in schools.
Recent research shows that many teachers tend to follow the traditional literacy practices that they have experienced in their own education, which can often have negative intentions for their students.
While teaching children key concepts for analyzing and evaluating texts is important, the manner in which it is done and time that is spent on this can lead to unexpected results. Schools aren’t to blame when it comes to not arresting students’ lack of interest in reading, but they have an important role to play in fostering reading enjoyment.
1. What does the underlined word “inclination” mean?| A．Energy | B．Task |
| C．Intention | D．Requirement |
| A．To develop reading habits | B．To read for pleasure |
| C．To learn reading skills | D．To kill a love for books |
| A．focus on teaching reading strategies |
| B．ignore key concepts for analyzing texts |
| C．are to blame for students’ poor reading |
| D．fail to follow the traditional reading practices |
| A．Reading books is to experience pleasure |
| B．Learning to love books is even more important |
| C．Teaching reading helps reluctant readers |
| D．Getting pleasure from books makes capable readers |
8 . Far out in the lake was a large wooden platform on which stood an improbably high diving board—a kind of wooden Eiffel Tower. It was, I’m sure, the county’s tallest wooden structure and no one had ever been known to jump from it.
So it was quite a shock when our teacher, Mr Milton, announced that he would dive off the high board that very afternoon.
Word of his questionable plan was already spreading through town as Mr Milton swam out to the platform.He was just a tiny, stick figure when he got there but even from such a distance the high board seemed almost to touch the clouds. Once at the top, he paced the enormously long board, then took some deep breaths and finally stood at edge. He was going to do it.
Several hundred people had gathered at the shore to watch. Mr Milton stood for quite a long time, then he raised his arms, took one massive bounce and launched himself into a perfect dive. It was beautiful. He fell with perfect style for what seemed minutes.The crowd fell silent.The only sound to be heard was the faint whistle of his body tearing through the air toward the water far，far below.
But about three quarters of the way down he seemed to have second thoughts and began suddenly to panic, waving his arms and legs like someone having a bad dream.When he was perhaps thirty feet above the water, he gave up on waving and spread his arms and legs wide，apparently hoping that it would somehow slow his fall.
It didn’t.
He hit the water at over six hundred miles an hour.The impact was so loud that it made birds fly out of their trees three miles away.I don’t think he entered the water at all.He just bounced off it, about fifteen feet back into the air. After that, he lay still on the surface, spinning like an autumn leaf.
He was brought to shore by two passing fishermen in a rowboat and placed on an old blanket where he spent the rest of the afternoon.Occasionally he accepted small sips of water, but otherwise was too shocked to speak. From head to toe, he was covered with deep red bruises.
...It was the best day of my life.
1. What did the writer think of Mr Milton’s plan to jump from the diving board?| A．Crazy. | B．Disappointing. |
| C．Heroic. | D．Confused. |
| A．tired after swimming |
| B．very small and thin |
| C．very far away |
| D．sure to be broken |
| A．He thought it was the best way to slow his fall. |
| B．He lost his confidence and started to panic. |
| C．He was signalling the crowd for help. |
| D．He wanted to show his courage. |
| A．He hit the water at over six hundred miles an hour. |
| B．The impact was so loud that it made birds fly out of their trees three miles away. |
| C．He just bounced off it，about fifteen feet back into the air. |
| D．He was brought to shore by two passing fishermen in a rowboat. |
