1 . Art and science may seem like opposite things. One means the creative flow of ideas, and the other means cold, hard data-some people believe. In fact, the two have much in common. Now, a study finds art can help students remember better what they have learned in the science class.

Mariale Hardiman, an education specialist at Johns Hopkins University, noticed that students who used art in the classroom listened more carefully. They might ask more questions. They might volunteer more ideas. What’s more, students seemed to remember more of what they had been taught when their science lessons had involved(涉及) art. To prove that, Hardiman teamed up with some researchers and six local schools.

In the experiment, the researchers worked with teachers in 16 fifth-grade classrooms. They provided traditional science lessons and art-focused ones. In a traditional science class, for example, students might read aloud from a book. In the art-focused one, they might sing the information instead.

The team randomly assigned(随机分配) each of the 350 students to either a traditional science classroom or an art-focused one. Students then learned science using that way for the whole unit-about three weeks. When they changed to a new topic, they also changed to the other type of class. This way, each student had both an art-focused class and a traditional one. Every unit was taught in both ways, to different groups of students. This enabled the researchers to see how students did in both types of classes.

The team found that students who started off in a traditional class performed better after they moved into an art-focused class. But those who started off in an art-focused class did well even when they went back to a traditional science class. These students appeared to use some of the art techniques(技巧) after going back to a traditional class. Classroom teachers reported that many students continued to sing the songs that they learned after finishing the unit. “The more we hear something, the more we retain it,” Hardiman says. “It suggests that the arts may help students apply creative ways of learning on their own.”

1. Why did Mariale Hardiman do the study?

A．To prove the importance of art at school.

B．To see if art might improve science learning

C．To find a way to help her students learn better.

D．To know how to encourage students to ask questions.

2. What were the students required to do in the experiment?

A．Take two types of classes.	B．Learn three units in total.
C．Learn two topics for three weeks.	D．Choose what they’d like to learn.

3. What does the underlined word “retain” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Finish.

B．Express.

C．Improve.

D．Memorize.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Art helps students develop creativity.

B．Art-focused classes interest students a lot.

C．Art can make science easier to remember.

D．Art has something in common with science.

2 . The Price of a Dream

I grew up poor. We had little money, but plenty of love and attention. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, they could still afford a dream. My dream was athletics.

By the time I was sixteen, I was good at baseball and football. My high school coach was Ollie Jarvis. He not only believed in me, but taught me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction (信念).

One summer a friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket — cash for dates with girls, certainly, money for a new bike and new clothes, and the start of savings for a house for my mother.

Then I realized I would have to give up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing. I was afraid of this, but my mother said, “If you make your bed, you have to lie in it.” 

When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as mad as I expected him to be. “Your playing days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them,” he said.

I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the words that would explain to him why I dream of buying my mom a house.

“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” he demanded.

“Three point twenty-five an hour,” I replied.

“Well,” he asked, “is $3. 25 an hour the price of a dream?”

That question exposed the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I devoted myself to sports that summer, and within the year I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play rookie-league ball, and offered a $20, 000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $1.7 million, and bought my mother my dream house.

1. Why was the writer grateful to Coach Jarvis?

A．Because Coach Jarvis made him set a goal.

B．Because Coach Jarvis supplied him with new clothes.

C．Because Coach Jarvis gave him financial support.

D．Because Coach Jarvis helped him show conviction.

2. What did the writer want to do when he was offered a job?

A．Balance summer baseball and the work schedule.

B．Refuse the job offer for summer baseball.

C．Give up summer baseball for the job.

D．Ask his coach Jarvis for advice.

3. Which of the following can replace the underlined part “If you make your bed, you have to lie in it.” in paragraph 4?

A．You must eat the bitter fruit of your own making.

B．Believe in yourself, but above all be patient.

C．You must rely on yourself first, then others.

D．A good beginning makes a good ending.

4. What did the writer do at the end of the story?

A．He failed to buy his mother a house.

B．He succeeded as a sportsman.

C．He became a successful businessman.

D．He made some money in the summer job.

3 . It’s been nearly two decades since the traditional clothing style Hanfu first started to reemerge in China. Since then it has gone from a small cultural movement celebrating an ancient fashion to a trend that is booming on social media, having been adopted by China’s Generation Z as a means of connecting with their past. Instead of following other cultures blindly, Generation Z now have different opinions about what trend is by promoting local culture while having an objective view of exotic cultural products.

The new tastes of Generation Z—young people born after 1995—are well represented on Bilibili. In the recent New Year’s Eve gala presented by Bilibili, it attracted more than 100 million views within 48 hours with a colourful set of programmes ranging from Peking Opera to classical Chinese cartoons. The same is also true of movie industry. Last year, for the first time, the top 10 most viewed films in China were all domestic films, while the ticket sales for imported films have dropped to only 16.28 percent.

”Generation Z grew up with the rapid development of China and under good economic conditions. With the development of the Chinese Internet industry, they have more access to diverse international information and culture, which bring them a much broader vision and makes them more open and confident in analyzing foreign culture. Apart from taking pride in China’s rapid development, this generation also pursues individuality and values devotion to the country,“ Professor Zhang Yiwu said.

He also noted that the popular rock and punk culture pursued by the 70s and 80s generation is more of a challenge against real life and local culture. Some people who were born in the 1970s and 1980s did not grow up in the Internet age—they experienced the transformation of China going from poor to rich first-hand. This kind of longing and admiration of the West came from a lack of confidence.

However, Generation Z now have the confidence to look at Western culture with equal status. This kind of cultural confidence will result in China being more active and creative in its development on the international stage in the future.

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

A．Foreign.

B．Fashionable.

C．Traditional.

D．Elegant.

2. Why is Bilibili mentioned in Paragraph 2?

A．To confirm the rise of new media.

B．To promote Chinese Internet industry.

C．To highlight the popularity of domestic art.

D．To show the popularity of New Year’s Eve gala.

3. What do we know about Generation Z from the passage?

A．They have a stronger cultural identity.

B．They are longing for cultural diversity.

C．They have made China develop rapidly.

D．They are more fond of foreign culture.

4. What can be a suitable title for the passage?

A．Confident China, Better Future

B．China’s Progress Results in Cultural Confidence

C．China’s New Generation Redefine Local Culture as Trendy

D．Hanfu Style, Connector of Ancient Fashion and Modern Trend

4 . Shark attacks in the screen are amazing. That’s because your actual chances of ever being attacked by a shark are mere one in 11.5 million. That’s roughly the same as your chances of winning an Oscar, which makes shark attack survivor, Mike Coots both incredibly unlucky and lucky: When Mike was 18, he lost his leg to a shark bite.

“I was attacked by a tiger shark in late October 1997. It was near my home on the island of Kauai — a typical fall morning with friends. The waves were really good, so nothing was stopping us.” That is until a large shark came right up under Mike and sank his teeth into Mike’s lower leg. As he tried to free himself, the shark bit down harder, shaking its head back and forth and tossing Mike around like a rag doll. Mike followed his instinct (本能): He struck the shark in the face, again and again until the shark released him. As Mike swam back into shore, he realized his lower right leg was gone. Mike’s friends rushed to his aid, and sent him to the hospital.

As soon as Mike was well, he did what many of us might consider unthinkable: he started riding the waves again, in fact, his first time back was near the site of his attack. But Mike was unshaken. Instead, he was curious — why was he attacked? His curiosity led him to research sharks, and Mike did learn something that would change his life: Humans are far more dangerous to sharks than the other way around.

His situation as a shark survivor empowered him to give sharks a voice, Mike says. He began working with the Hawaii state authorities (当局) to help pass a ban (禁令) on shark-derived products. “I partnered with other like-minded shark attack survivors and marine biologists, and we headed to Washington to urge (敦促) senators to create a nationwide bit! protecting sharks.”

1. Why does the author show the chances of being attacked by sharks?

A．To inform readers of some related knowledge.

B．To attract people to watch shark attacks in the screen.

C．To stress Mike’s unusual experience of the shark attack.

D．To show everyone has the chance of winning an Oscar.

2. How did Mike survive the shark attack?

A．By hitting the shark hard continually.

B．By swimming desperately to the shore,

C．By screaming loudly for his friends’ help.

D．By shaking its head up and down to get away.

3. What came to mind when Mike rode the waves again?

A．To overcome his fear of sharks.

B．To research on how sharks attack humans.

C．To find out the reason for his being attacked.

D．To prove humans are more dangerous than sharks.

4. What did Mike do to protect sharks?

A．He passed a ban on shark-derived products.

B．He created a nationwide bill in Washington.

C．He worked with the authorities to protect sharks.

D．He urged shark attack survivors to protect sharks.

5 . Tired of standing in line? Wait a bit longer, and you may never have to again.

Amazon has opened 24 of its Amazon Go stores, which use cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) to see what you’ve taken off shelves and charge you as you walk out. Some companies are closely copying Amazon’s approach to using AI-powered cameras fixed in ceilings. But others are trying an entirely different way to skip the checkout: smart shopping carts. These companies have added cameras and sensors (传感器) to the carts, and are using AI to tell what you’ve put in them. Customers pay by entering a credit card, or through an online payment system. When a customer exits the store a green light on the shopping cart shows that their order is complete, and they’re charged.

The companies behind the smart carts, including Caper and Veeve, say it’s much easier to add technology to the shopping cart than to an entire store. Amazon’s Go stores rely on hundreds of cameras in the ceiling. The shelves also include sensors to tell when an item is removed. Ahmed Beshry, co-founder of Caper, believes the technology to run Go is too expensive to use in a large-format grocery store. Neither Caper nor Veeve has said how much their smart shopping carts will cost, making it difficult to compare the different formats. Shariq Siddiqui, CEO of Veeve, said, “We’re always happy when Amazon is doing something. They force retailers (零售店) to get out of their old school thinking.”   

Each time a business uses AI and cameras, it raises questions about customers’ privacy and the effect on jobs. Beshry notes that the cameras in his shopping cart point down into the cart, so only a customer’s hand and part of their arm will be captured (拍摄) on camera.

1. What do we know about the smart shopping carts?

A．They are able to recognize goods put in them.

B．They are linked to the cameras fixed in the ceilings.

C．They flash the green light when the order is canceled.

D．They can tell customers where to find what they want.

2. What does Beshry think of the technology used in Amazon’s Go stores?

A．It is likely to help retailers to think differently.

B．It has attracted many more retailers than before.

C．It is far more expensive than their shopping carts.

D．It may reduce the cost of running a store greatly.

3. When it comes to AI and cameras, what makes the public worried most?

A．That they can only buy goods online.

B．That goods in the stores may be more expensive.

C．That they have to wait in a line for a longer time.

D．That somebody may know their privacy.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．The new technology improves retail sale.

B．AI-powered cameras are used in retail stores.

C．Artificial intelligence affects the future of job market.

D．Smart shopping carts will let you skip the line.

6 . About six years ago I was going through a tough time, having two jobs to afford my rent. On a cold Sunday morning, I went to GameStop—a video game retailer(零售商), to cancel the game I’d booked. A woman in a car parked outside called me when I exited the store. Though it was in broad daylight, I was shy about it and kept some distance when I walked over. She said she couldn’t walk and requested me to purchase a Kinect, a popular game device, for her as her son’s Christmas gift. Because of her leg disease, it was painful for her to move around. She called ahead but the employee (雇员) wasn’t willing to help. She gave me about $100 in cash and her credit card.

I walked back in and bought the Kinect.Then it occurred to me that this woman, a complete stranger, trusted me. What was it that stopped me from lying about the payment method and just pocketing her cash? She couldn’t know I wasn’t a cheat; and how could she possibly believe in someone so much?

I handed her the cash back, explaining I had to pay with her card—it was above $100 at the time, and handed over the game device and her credit card. “This is what my son’s been longing for.Thank you! By the way, just from glancing at you, I know you are the one who will be a friend to someone in need. You have a face of an angel!”she said. She gave me $10 and refused to take it back. Then she drove away.

She had no idea how much of a difference even $10 made. I was able to buy a few cheap groceries for the week and it really made the hard time in my life a little better. She might think I helped her; however, I truly felt like the one who was being gifted something amazing.

1. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?

A．The author cancelled the video game for saving money．

B．The author worked so hard that there was no time for games．

C．The author was unwilling to help and kept a distance from the woman．

D．The woman requested the author to purchase a Kinect for her son’s birthday．

2. What can we know about the woman?

A．She gave the author $10 for the game device．

B．She chose the author because he was handsome．

C．She might not know exactly how much the game device would cost．

D．She didn’t buy the game device by herself because of her laziness．

3. Which of the following words can best describe the author?

A．Kind and honest．	B．Brave and curious．
C．Humorous and wise．	D．Determined and energetic．

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Kinect, a Popular Game Device	B．Help Others, Help Yourself
C．A Stranger Who Had Faith in Me	D．An Experience That Changed My Life

7 . We’ve all heard the stories of an actor’s struggles before a career breakthrough: living a hard life, working part-time, being a couch potato before getting that major role. Shelby, the star of “A Dog’s Way Home”, has an unfortunate tale that could top them all. Before her big break, she was living in a landfill, rooting through garbage for her next meal.

Shelby’s big break came in April 2017, when animal-control officer Megan Buhler was driving in Cheatham County, Tennessee. Out on an unrelated call, Buhler spotted and approached what she recalled was a noticeably scared puppy emerging from the dump. “I knelt down and just said, ‘Oh, come here, baby,’” said Buhler. “She was so scared, but she came right up to me, and I was able to put her in my truck.” They headed to the county animal shelter, where the staff began calling the new resident Baby Girl.

Buhler and others didn’t know that 3,200 kilometers away, Hollywood was looking for a dog to play Bella in a film written by Cathryn Michon. The find-a-Bella job went to freelance trainer Teresa Ann Miller. Her mission was to search shelters nationwide for a dog that could play Bella. One day, Miller spotted Baby Girl’s adoption photo. “Honestly, it was a really good picture, and she was flat-out smiling,” Miller said. Then she met Baby Girl, and assessed her on personality and the ability to respond to simple commands. After assessment, she adopted Baby Girl from the shelter, renamed her Shelby and took her to California for training. Miller and Shelby had trained for just over three months before filming began. Then they were together each day on the set.

Most of the film’s reviews have praised Shelby’s performance. Variety made the comments “an amazing dog, perfect performance!”

Shelby has come a long way from the garbage dump. But Buhler said when she saw Shelby recently she just needed only a second to compare the movie star with the dog she found from piles of trash. “She’s exactly the same,” Buhler said.

1. Why does the author mention an actor’s struggles before a career breakthrough at the very beginning?

A．To clearly point out the main idea of the passage.

B．To attract reader’s attention by giving dramatic examples.

C．To introduce a dog’s similar but even more striking experiences.

D．To make a sharp contrast between an actor’s struggle and a dog’s struggle.

2. What finally helped Baby Girl get the big role in the film?

A．Her adoption picture.	B．Her personality and ability.
C．Her flat-out smiling.	D．Her miserable experiences.

3. By saying “She is exactly the same” in the last paragraph, what does Buhler probably mean?

A．The dog looked sad as before.

B．The dog was really excited to live such a happy life.

C．The dog returned to the piles of trash where she found it.

D．The dramatic change of the dog’s life hasn’t changed her inner quality.

4. What do you think may serve as the best title of the passage?

A．The Trainer and Her Star Dog.	B．Shelby’s Unfortunate Story.
C．From a Landfill Puppy to a Movie Star.	D．The Success of “A Dog’s Way Home”.

8 . King Tut, Egypt’s famous boy king, was buried with many valuable objects. A dagger (匕首)discovered in his tomb has recently attracted extra attention. Researchers have concluded that the dagger was probably made from a special material.

King Tut was only about nine years old when he became ruler of Egypt more than 3, 300 years ago. The young king died when he was just 19, His body was buried in a tomb filled with objects that people believed he would need in the afterlife.

In 1922, Howard Carter discovered Tut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Up to now, it was the best preserved ancient Egyptian tomb ever found. In 1925, Carter found the dagger which has a gold handle and an iron blade (刀片).The blade had confused experts because iron was hardly used at that time in ancient Egypt. In fact, it was so rare that it was considered more valuable than gold. Where did the iron for the blade come from?

Around the time of King Tut, ancient Egyptians started using a new word for iron that translates as “iron from the sky”. This led some experts to believe that the iron for the blade came from a meteorite (陨石).But studies of the dagger carried out in the 1970s and 1990s didn’t support that idea.

That’s where modern technology comes in. Researchers used a new technique to examine the blade. They discovered that it was made up of iron and other materials found in meteorites. After comparing it to several meteorites, they even found its possible match — a meteorite that landed in northern Egypt thousands of years ago.

Scientists hope the new study will lead to more discoveries about other ancient Egyptian relics, “It would be very interesting to analyze more Pre-iron Age objects and we could gain precious discoveries.” Daniela Comelli, who is a professor, said.

1. What do we know about Tut’s tomb?

A．It was perfectly kept when discovered.	B．It was built when he was 9.
C．It has a lot of iron objects in it.	D．It was the first tomb to be found.

2. Scientists paid extra attention to the dagger because________.

A．it is King Tut’s favorite object	B．its blade is made of iron
C．it was more valuable than gold	D．it leads to more discoveries

3. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 5 refer to?

A．The iron.

B．The material.

C．A meteorite.

D．The blade.

4. The researchers used modern technology to show_______.

A．more valuable objects are hidden in the tombs

B．iron is widely used in ancient Egypt

C．Tut’s dagger was likely made from a meteorite

D．ancient Egyptian objects are excellent

9 . A new APP uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tell you what your pet is thinking. It’s called Happy Pets and it analyses an animal’s facial features, tells you what breed(血统) it is and indicates which of the five most common animal emotions—happy, angry, neutral, sad and scared.

The Happy Pets app uses AI, or machine learning. It’s a technology that’s used for vision in robotics and self-driving cars and it works by taking in images and assigning importance to them. One common use for AI is in facial recognition technology. Many of us can unlock our mobile phones with an image of our face and it’s important part of security processes in, for instance, airports.

But this is the first time this kind of technology has been used for animals. It then had to learn to recognize facial features. This is sophisticated because photos can be taken in so many different ways: from the side, above, below, in bright light. And different animals can have such different facial features. Think about how different the noses of a border collie(边境牧羊犬) and bulldog are, for instance. Once the AI behind Happy Pets had learned all this, it then had to be able to detect emotions based on specific facial features that are associated with each emotion, which it has learned from thousands of examples. For instance, if a dog tightens its eyes and mouth while changing the position of its ears in a particular way, it’s a sign of being scared.

In an online article for Melbourne University’s Pursuit, the researchers write they’re happy with how the app performs. The researchers would love feedback about how they could develop the app further.

1. Which of the following may go beyond Happy Pets’ function?

A．Learning the kinds of pets.

B．Showing pets’ main feelings.

C．Teaching pets’ facial recognition.

D．Analyzing the pets’ facial features.

2. What is the facial recognition technology commonly used as now?

A．The robot’s eye.	B．A security system.
C．The vision of self driving.	D．A machine learning system.

3. What does the underlying word “sophisticated” in Paragraph 3 meaning?

A．Typical.

B．Complex.

C．Scientific.

D．Traditional.

4. Why does Happy Pets have to learn to recognize faces?

A．Because faces can definitely show animals feelings.

B．Because it wants to have emotions of humans.

C．Because it enables Happy Pets to detect emotions based on specific facial features.

D．Because the types of animals are based on the looks.

10 . The exhibit, Digital Dunhuang — Tales of Heaven and Earth, which was held at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, brought to Hong Kong more than 100 exhibits including the visual murals and other related programs that could allow visitors to learn about the art and history of the Mogao Caves in a fun way.

“Dunhuang was an international city, a place where East met West, on the old Silk Road. So the Mogao Caves, which were completed in a period of over 1,000 years, record the ways of life and beliefs of the different peoples that crossed paths there,” explained Fion Lin of Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

Visitors can now get up close and personal with these faraway treasures without having to step into the caves, thanks to the digitization project of the Dunhuang Academy, a pioneer that has made great progress in the digitization and 3D scanning of the Dunhuang treasures.

“Studies have shown that in a cave, both temperature and CO₂ concentration level can rise with 15 tourists inside for ten minutes. As a result, the wall paintings are going to eventually fade. Digital technology has helped to strike a balance between sharing the treasures and protecting them,” said Lin.

However, digitization of the caves faces many challenges such as poor lighting and rough wall surfaces. On average, 40,000 pictures have to be taken to cover 300 m². Great amount of efforts have been made to piece the pictures together. What the exhibition presented is the result of years of hard work.

During the exhibition period, a mini display on Dunhuang music culture was also being held at the Museum for public participation.

1. What could visitors see at the Digital Dunhuang exhibit?

A．The Mogao Caves.	B．About 40,000 Dunhuang pictures.
C．Digital Dunhuang wall paintings.	D．Ancient records of Dunhuang.

2. What is the significance of the digitization project of the Dunhuang Academy?

A．It helps Dunhuang become an international city.

B．It lets people better appreciate the Dunhuang art.

C．It is effective in cutting the CO₂ level in the caves.

D．It attracts more tourists from East and West to Hong Kong.

3. What do we know about the Dunhuang wall paintings?

A．They are brightly lit.	B．They are very rough.
C．It is very hard to protect them.	D．It is impossible for the tourists to see them.

4. Where can you find the evidence that supports “digitization of the caves isn’t easy”?

A．In paragraph 2.	B．In paragraph 3.
C．In paragraph 4.	D．In paragraph 5.