1 . “Tell me the story of me, Momma,” my daughter Sophie always asks when we sit on my grandmother’s rocking chair at the end of the day. “The first time I saw your beautiful face, it was nearly covered by a blue-and-white hat. You were surrounded by a soft blue blanket (毛毯). All I could see was a rosy face.” “And I looked like a tiny fairy baby?” she asks. “You did, and you weren’t older than a minute,” I always answer. “The nurse handed a tiny little girl to me, and I was so surprised because you felt so light. I thought if I threw off the blanket, I’d find no baby there at all, only air.”
From that moment, I became a mother. But that moment was just special and magical as if she’d come from my body directly into my arms. From that day on, she was my daughter in every way that mattered.
It’s easy sometimes to forget there was another mother out there with whom I share my title. Sophie’s birth mother, who was also my friend, lost her life to cancer not long after giving birth to Sophie. And I’ll never forget that it was her difficult decision — her tears and her pain — that made me a mom.
As my daughter grows, she will understand that sometimes life is a relay race (接力赛), and you never know who in this world will hand you your baton (接力棒). It could be someone you know for years, or it could be someone who you even never meet, someone you will never be able to repay for giving you the life you always wanted.
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By remembering her grandmother. | B．By asking her daughter questions. |
| C．By describing her past life. | D．By showing a conversation. |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Worried. | C．Thankful. | D．Surprised. |
| A．Taking up the baton | B．Being thankful for life |
| C．Two mothers’ love | D．The mystery of Sophie’s birth |
2 . It’s 3 o’clock and you’ve been hard at work. As you sit at your desk, a strong desire for chocolate overcomes you. You try to busy yourself to make it go away. But it doesn’t. Here is another situation. Perhaps you are not feeling well. The only thing you want to eat is a big bowl of chicken soup, like your mom used to make when you were sick as a child. Food cravings area strong desire for a specific type of food. And they are normal.
Scientists at the website How Stuff Works compare hunger and cravings this way. Hunger is a fairly simple connection between the stomach and the brain. They even call it simply “stomach hunger.” When our stomachs bur x up all of the food we have eaten, a hormone (荷尔蒙) sends a message to one part of the brain for more food, which regulates our most basic body functions such as thirst, hunger and sleep. The brain then produces a chemical to start the appetite and you eat. Hunger is a function of survival.
A craving is more complex. It activates (使活跃) brain areas related to emotion, memory and reward. These are the same areas of the brain activated during drug-craving studies. So, some scientists call food cravings “mind hunger.” People often crave foods that are high in fat and sugar. Foods that are high in fat or high in sugar produce chemicals in the brain. These chemicals give us feelings of pleasure.
In a 2017 study, researchers at Cambridge University found that “dieting or restricted eating generally increases the possibility of food craving”. So, the more you deny yourself a food that you want, the more you may crave it. However, fasting is a bit different. They found that eating no food at all for a short period of time lessened food cravings.
So, the next time you crave something very specific, know that your brain maybe more to blame than your stomach.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．To remind readers of their own special food. |
| B．To deepen the understanding of hunger. |
| C．To report the discovery of craving study. |
| D．To lead to the topic of the whole passage. |
| A．It shows food is linked to feelings. |
| B．It ensures a person survives hunger. |
| C．It means the stomach functions well. |
| D．It proves the brain decides your appetite. |
| A．The decrease of chemicals. | B．The increase of food desire. |
| C．The refusal of fat and sugar. | D．The disappearance of appetite. |
| A．The functions of brain areas. | B．What hunger is all about. |
| C．The findings of food craving. | D．What dieting may bring us. |
Mary waited anxiously for her turn in the empty dressing room. Never had she been so nervous before. This competition was of vital importance to her comeback. “If I can win today,” she said to herself, “I can dance on the national stage next month.” Three months ago, she hurt her left arm in a car accident. After the medical treatment, she began to recover slowly. She practiced over and over again in order to regain her dancing skills.
“Hi, Mary,” in rushed her friend Jessica. “How is your arm? Is it going to affect your performance?”
“I guess it can be tolerated for I am to win the match,” said Mary with a determined look.
“Admirable! But I hear that a girl called Linda is really gifted and strong. She can be your real well-matched competitor. Come on!”
After Jessica left, Mary decided to practice the most difficult spin (高速旋转). “If I don’t try harder, I won’t grasp this chance,” she thought. But her arm began to hurt, making her worried. After the pain was gone, she continued to warm up.
Then a slim girl hurried in and put down a bag on the chair. Then, she took out her dance dress quickly and put it on skillfully. Seeing Mary, she smiled politely and said, “Hi, I’m Linda. I am a participant in the competition, too.” Mary nodded in reply but felt uncomfortable. “She is just my competitor. Because of her, I may lose tonight.” Her mind was wandering when Linda screamed, “Oh, I can’t find my music tape!” Linda searched her bag but in vain. “It might have been missing on the way.” With these words, she then rushed out.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
Paragraph 1:
Suddenly, Mary caught sight of a black box under the chair where Linda put her bag. ______
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Hearing her name called, Mary walked on stage with her heart beating fast. ________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 . The beach may seem like an inviting place to run on a cool summer morning, but is running on the sand good for your body? It can be, but it’s important to be aware of the challenges that some beach runners experience before you get ready.
Running on the beach can be a good thing. It’s certainly different from running on a track or a pavement. For starters, sand can be a challenge because it has an uneven(不平坦的) surface. As you push off, you’re going to lose some of your push as the sand moves. So, you’re not going to be able to push yourself forward as you would on a track or a pavement. But this unevenness has an upside: It gives your body an extra workout, forcing you to exercise muscles that don’t get as much use during runs on firm surfaces. For example, your feet, ankles and lower back might feel sorer and more tired than usual after a beach run just because the surface is constantly moving and changing step to step.
You also might feel sore afterward because beaches tend to slope (倾斜) down to the water. If you’re going for a long run on the beach, you might notice that one side of your body might feel sorer because you’re putting more pressure on it due to the slope.
Some beach runners prefer to run barefoot-- not wearing anything on feet. However, if you’re not used to barefoot running, start slowly and don’t run long distances at first. That’s because running barefoot uses more different muscles than running with shoes does, and it’s important to strengthen these muscles and adapt your feet. If you want to run barefoot and as long as you run carefully enough into it, go for it!
Running on the sand can be a smart choice for you, because running on softer ground surfaces can reduce muscle damage.
1. Why is it difficult to run on the beach for starters? ________| A．The soft surface makes people fall over easily. |
| B．It’s hard to keep one’s balance on its hard surface. |
| C．People need to run carefully on its smooth surface. |
| D．Running on its uneven surface takes much effort. |
| A．Challenge. | B．Advantage. | C．Reason. | D．Character. |
| A．Positive. | B．Critical. | C．Doubtful. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．a primary school textbook | B．a tourist guide |
| C．a sports magazine | D．a scientific report |
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1. What do Tour Route 1 and Tour Route 2 have in common?| A．They have cycling activities. |
| B．They include a visit to Tibet. |
| C．Visitors enjoy the Three Gorges scenery. |
| D．Visitors pay the same amount of money. |
| A．Tourists can travel by bike. |
| B．Tourists can visit a huge dam. |
| C．Tourists can dine with a family. |
| D．It is the most expensive of the four. |
| A．Tour Route 1. |
| B．Tour Route 2. |
| C．Tour Route 3. |
| D．Tour Route 4. |
6 . Organic food (有机食品) is very popular. It is also expensive. Some organic food costs twice as much as non-organic food. Some parents and pet owners pay up to 200 percent more for organic food while some people think organic food is a waste of money.
There is one main difference between organic and non-organic food. Organic farms do not use agricultural chemicals, such as pesticides (杀虫剂). This makes sure that the products are natural.
Some people think “organic” means “locally grown”. In the beginning, this was true. Over time organic farming became more difficult. The demand for organic food grew larger than the supply. Small companies had to sell out to large companies. There weren’t enough organic materials. This made it difficult for many organic companies to stay in business. Today, many large companies have an organic line of products.
Is organic food more nutritious ( 有 营 养 的 )? This is part of the debate. Many farmers and consumers (消费者) believe it is. They think agricultural chemicals cause health problems, such as cancer. Many health experts disagree. Few studies prove that organic food prevents health problems. Health experts worry more about bacteria (细 菌 ). These can come into contact with organic and non-organic food. Doctors recommend washing produce very carefully.
Most people agree that naturally grown food tastes better. Is tastier food worth the extra money? This is a matter of opinion. Whether it is healthier or not may require more research. However, organic consumers argue it is better to be safe than sorry.
1. What is the doctors’ suggestion?| A．Grow your own food. | B．Reduce the use of pesticides. |
| C．Make sure the food is clean. | D．Buy large companies’ products. |
| A．It tastes better. | B．It is easier to grow. |
| C．It contains more fat. | D．It is more nutritious. |
| A．Price. | B．Safety. | C．Freshness. | D．Variety. |
| A．A health magazine. | B．A medical report. |
| C．A chemistry paper. | D．A menu of a restaurant. |
7 . Alibaba Cloud and the Hangzhou city government announced the launch of ET City Brain 2.0, a cloud-powered and AI-driven urban traffic-management system that aims to increase the city’s efficiency.
After over two years of testing in Alibaba’s home base, ET City Brain has become the new infrastructure (基础设施) for Hangzhou, with a total coverage of 420 square kilometers in area, including over 1,300 traffic lights. Over 200 traffic officers are connected via mobile phones, enabling them to receive real-time alerts on any traffic-related emergencies.
In version 2.0, the system will optimize the city’s firefighting abilities by providing key information to firefighters, such as water pressure, the number and position of fire hydrants (消防栓) in a given area, the location of gas pipes and other details they need to know. The information is instant, making the entire firefighting process faster, safer and more accurate.
City Brain gives meaning to data. By using AI and advanced algorithms (计算程序), City Brain is able to analyze a large amount of data and turn them into useful information in real-time speed.
As a result of City Brain’s ability to predict traffic flow, detect accidents and provide instant feedback, Hangzhou has dropped from 5th to the 57th on the list of China’s most congested cities. Hangzhou is probably the only city that can tell you how many cars are on the street at any given time.
In the case of medical emergencies, City Brain is able to change traffic lights, so emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks can head to the scene without interruption, accelerating their arrival time by 49%.
Dr. Wang Jian, head of Alibaba’s Technology Steering Committee who invented the term “City Brain”，said the system is designed to empower a city to act quickly and directly. It is more than just about traffic management. It’s really about how to make city more livable at a time of shrinking natural resources around the globe. “It is a matter of sustainability, while using as little natural resources as possible,” Wang said, “This is just the beginning.”
1. What benefit will ET City Brain bring?| A．Less traffic jam. |
| B．Lower crime rates. |
| C．Efficient government. |
| D．Improved medical care. |
| A．Predicting traffic flow. |
| B．Giving quick feedback. |
| C．Changing traffic lights. |
| D．Handling traffic accidents. |
| A．Practise. | B．Better. |
| C．Operate. | D．Emphasize. |
| A．ET City Brain 2.0 is a mature version. |
| B．Alibaba targets environment-friendly development. |
| C．The government is devoted to improving the system. |
| D．The system can solve the problem of lack of resources. |
8 . The iPod Generation
Today it is common to see people who walk about with colored wires hanging from their ears wherever they go. They move about in their personal bubbles, sometimes unaware of what’s happening around them.
For me, walking around in my own personal bubble is perfect.
Suppose you’re at work and about to make an incredible breakthrough, but a colleague suddenly turns up. His sudden appearance would break your concentration and cause mistakes.
Pretty soon, not only will we have pretty colored wires hanging from our ears, but also our brains will be directly plugged into some new high-tech instruments. We’ll be in a virtual world, communicating with everyone else, or choosing not to, as we like.
In the end, there is a thin line between using technology as a tool for making life better and being a slave to it! It’s so strange — suddenly, I don’t feel like wearing my earphones anymore.
| A．Our instruments are changing quickly. |
| B．I don’t have to deal with the noise from the environment. |
| C．In the home situation, teenagers love these wires. |
| D．I also have wires hanging from my ears. |
| E．After all, I am listening to my favourite music and would rather not be disturbed. |
| F．Listening to music through earphones is the perfect way to ignore such interruptions (中断). |
| G．They walk around in their own spaces, with their personal “digital noise reduction systems”. |
采访内容:
1.你或你身边的人在日常生活中使用移动支付的情况；
2.移动支付带来的好处
3.你的看法。
参考词汇: 微信: Wechat 支付宝: Alipay 二维码: QR code
注意:1.词数120左右;
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯
Dear Jenny,
How is your survey on mobile payment going？ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours faithfully
Li Hua
10 . Love your parents
Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited at times, loving your parents is a normal and fulfilling （满意的）part of life. You love them for the fact that they created you, raised you, and are in part a source of who you are. Here are some ways to love your parents.
Respect them more and cherish（珍惜）these moments. You can use these moments to learn from them when you're off on your own. It's OK to get angry but angry actions don't help you or your parents. Act calmly, cool off, journal about your feelings, or talk to a friend.
Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem like you are going through hell when you don't get what you want or you have to clean. However, you had better remember they keep a roof over your head when it's cold, raining, snowing, or too hot. Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes.
Keep company with them. Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them.
Some people simply may not be able to love their parents. .
| A．There can be realistic reasons for this, family violence for example. |
| B．Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can. |
| C．Tell them you love them every morning. |
| D．Forgiveness is the key. |
| E．Parents will turn express their love to you. |
| F．After this, share your feelings with your parents. |
| G．Please remember parents are as important as friends. |
