1 . A fresh and gentle wind on your face, soft sand under your feet and blue waters as far as the eye can see. Is there any other Olympic sport that is played in such pleasant conditions as beach volleyball？
“I’ve gone to a lot of beautiful places, and met a lot of beautiful people. That wouldn’t have happened if I had been playing another sport.” said Randy Stoklos, America’s most famous beach volleyball player.
The sport began as a four-a-side game on beaches in Southern California in the 1920s. The first recorded two-man game took place there in 1930, and the first tournament (锦标赛) was held in Los Angeles 18 years later. The winners were awarded a case of Pepsi. In the 1950s, women started playing and the sport soon spread to Europe and South America. Yet at that time, beach volleyball was more an entertainment show than a sport, with beauty contests included. The Association of Volleyball Professionals was founded in 1983 and beach volleyball developed into a fast, athletic sport. Its world-wide popularity won beach volleyball a place at the 1996 Olympics in Atalanta, where 24 male teams and 16 female teams took part. At present, the US and Brazil are the best in the world at beach volleyball.
The game came to China in the early 1990s and there have been national tournaments since 1994. It became an official event at the Eighth National Games in 1997. China’s You Wenhui and Wang Lu finished ninth in the women’s beach volleyball world championships in Brazil.
1. The passage is mainly about ______.| A．the history of beach volleyball |
| B．how to play beach volleyball |
| C．the importance of beach volleyball |
| D．women’s beach volleyball in China |
| A．Beach volleyball was first played like other Olympic: sports. |
| B．Beach volleyball has always been an entertainment show rather than a sport. |
| C．Beach volleyball began on beaches in Souther California. |
| D．Women started playing beach volleyball in South America in 1945. |
| A．In 1948, | B．In 1996. | C．In 1950. | D．In 1997. |
| A．in 1996, beach volleyball became an official event in China |
| B．China’s beach volleyball team is the best in the world |
| C．China’s beach volleyball players won the first place in Brazil |
| D．beach volleyball came to China in the early 1990s |
2 . One form of social prejudice (偏见) against older people is the belief that they cannot understand or use modern technology. Activities like playing computer games, going on the Net and downloading MP3s are only for the youngsters. Isn’t it unfair that older people enjoying a computer game should be frowned upon (反对) by their children and grandchildren?
Nowadays older people have more control over their lives and they play a full part in society. Moreover, better health care has let more people in their sixties and seventies feeling fit and active after retirement. Mental activity, as well as physical exercise, can contribute to better health. Playing computer games is a very effective way of exercising the brain. So that’s why grey gamers are often seen now.
When personal computers were first introduced, most older people didn’t believe they would ever get familiar with them. Now computers have been around for a few generations and retired people have gradually become more relaxed about using them for fun. Gamers over 65 prefer playing puzzle games and card games. Kate Stevens, aged 72, says, “I find it very relaxing. It’s not very demanding, but you still need to concentrate.”
Another development that has favored “grey games” is a change in the type of video games available on the market. There’s a greater variety of games to choose from, including more intellectual and complex strategy and simulation (模拟) games. For example, Internet Chess and Train Simulator are among the most popular of these. Train Simulator is based on real — world rail activities. Players can choose from a variety of challengers, such as keeping to a strict timetable and using helper engines during a winter storm.
Some people argue that “grey gamers” simply don’t have the skills required for computer games, and that teenagers are better. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most computer games require the kind of analytical thinking that improves with practice, which means that the “grey gamers” may well be far better than the young. In games where speed is the main consideration, older people would be at a disadvantage because they may have slower reaction. time. On the other hand, “grey gamers” have a preference for slower — paced, mind challenging games.
1. The second paragraph is intended to___________.| A．show the best way to exercise the brain | B．stress the importance of good health |
| C．explain why grey gamers exist | D．teach how to play video games |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Concerned. | C．Enthusiastic. | D．Supportive. |
| A．offering numbers | B．giving examples | C．making comparisons | D．providing details |
| A．mind challenging games are not suitable for older people |
| B．teenagers should improve their skills with practice |
| C．playing computer games requires analytical thinking |
| D．older people may perform well in computer games |
3 .
The documentary displays Lang’s inspiring journey from her gold medal victory as a volleyball player in the 1984 Olympics to her amazing career as a successful coach for both Team USA from 2005 to 2008 and China since 2013. She was the first person to win Olympic volleyball gold as a player and coach. Lang Ping revealed the secret to such remarkable achievements in the documentary. As she said, “
But illness is certainly not the only difficulty Lang has faced. In 2005, she struggled with balancing raising her daughter Lydia Bai Lang, who lived in the US, and her coaching career. She eventually decided to work for USA Volleyball that year.
There is no doubt that Lang is one of the greatest players and coaches in history. As an American athlete commented in the documentary,
| A．Who is Lang Ping? |
| B．Lang is the hardest to defeat. |
| C．I believe volleyball was my life. |
| D．What makes one a great person? |
| E．Glory and challenges go hand in hand. |
| F．Lang Ping is like Michael Jordan in our minds. |
| G．This decision aroused a lot of negative comments in China. |
For many years, I had a recurring dream. I was a little girl again, rushing about, trying to get ready for school.
“Hurry, you'll be late for school,” my mother called to me.
“I am hurrying, Mom! What did I do with my books?”
Deep inside I knew where the dream came from. It was about some unfinished business in my life. As a kid, I loved everything about school. I loved books, teachers, tests and homework. Most of all I longed to someday march down the aisle to receive my diploma. That seemed more appealing even than getting married.
But at 15, I had to drop out because my parents couldn't afford tuition. My hope of getting a diploma was dead, or so I thought. Pretty soon, I married and had three children, and I thought: “There goes my diploma.”
Even so, I wanted my children to be educated. But Linda, our youngest child, had juvenile arthritis in her hands and knees, which made it impossible for her to function in a normal classroom. I felt sorry for her and I didn't want her to live her life with regret. I didn't give up hope of her being back to school in some way.
One day, I saw an ad in the newspaper for evening courses. “That's the answer,” I said to myself. Linda always feels better in the evening, so I'll just sign her up for night school.
Linda was busy filling out enrollment forms when the secretary said: “Mrs. Schantz, why don't you come back to school?”
I laughed: “There's no way! I'm 55!” But he persisted, and before I knew what I had done, I was enrolled for classes in English and crafts. “This is only an experiment,” I warned him, but he just smiled. So, I told myself to try for just a semester and to see if it would work. Anyway, my dream was still there in my heart.
1. 写作词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1：
It was exciting to go to school again but________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Linda and I saw each other through the time.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 . A night at the movies is always a good idea. But when you leave the theater and realize you just dropped $45 on a ticket and some snacks, you’ll wish you had been patient enough to wait until the movie came out on Netflix. The average movie ticket price in the United States in 2000 was $5.39; now, a ticket is over $9.
The main reason that movie tickets have gotten so expensive is because of inflation (通货膨胀). It was actually more expensive to go to the movies in the 70s than it is now. A ticket in 1978 cost $2.34. If you plug that into an inflation calculator, the same ticket would cost you $9.46 today. According to the National Association of Theater Owners, the average cost for a ticket today is $9.11.
Another reason you need to spend some of your life savings to see a movie on the big screen is that theaters are competing with streaming services that produce their own films, such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. And let’s be honest, sitting at home on your sofa or in your bed is more comfortable than sitting in a cold theater.
Because of streaming technology, theaters have to do something to bring in customers. Attractions—including alcohol, reclining seats (躺椅), surround sound, and 3-D movies are all examples of that. And those upgrades come at a price, leading to more expensive tickets.
“There’s all that extra cost, and it’s really important for theater owners and companies to make that experience as enjoyable as possible,” Patrick Corcoran, vice president of the National Association of Theatre Owners told Marketplace. “Because you’re offering a superb experience—audience expectations are for the latest and greatest technology. Audiences are willing to pay more for a particular experience.”
1. According to the passage, what makes movie tickets so expensive?| A．The viewers are wealthier than before. |
| B．The movie theatres offer popcorns, alcohol for free. |
| C．Inflation has made the ticket price appear higher than before. |
| D．The popular movies with famous stars deserve the high price. |
| A．Netflix is always a better choice for movie viewers than theatres |
| B．with comfortable seats, theatres are more attractive than streaming services |
| C．the viewers actually pay more for the updates of the movie theatres |
| D．the theater owners and companies update the theaters to make the theatres famous |
| A．It’s unwise for viewers to pay so much to watch a movie in the theater. |
| B．The high price of a movie ticket is supposed to agree with a wonderful experience. |
| C．It’s a waste of money to provide the latest technology in the theatre. |
| D．The viewers would prefer to sit at home on the sofas or in the beds. |
| A．Behind the Increasing Price of Movie Tickets |
| B．Technological Improvement on Movie Theatres |
| C．The Competition between Movie Theatre and Streaming Services |
| D．How to Save the Viewers’ Wallets |
6 . Have you seen people who take pictures of food for more than 10 minutes before eating? My friend Stella is such an example. Every time we went to a restaurant she would not take a bite until all the dishes we
Many people care too much about others’ opinions and try too hard to
If they really want an elegant life, they should put more
| A．ordered | B．served | C．offered | D．prepared |
| A．cooking | B．washing | C．setting | D．collecting |
| A．messy | B．arranged | C．casual | D．missed |
| A．dishes | B．restaurants | C．tables | D．pictures |
| A．chance | B．choice | C．excuse | D．reason |
| A．comfort | B．please | C．inspire | D．discourage |
| A．independent | B．generous | C．responsible | D．confident |
| A．real | B．secret | C．peaceful | D．healthy |
| A．rarely | B．hardly | C．exactly | D．nearly |
| A．difficulty | B．change | C．guidance | D．harm |
| A．question | B．dislike | C．doubt | D．follow |
| A．effort | B．ambitions | C．feeling | D．money |
| A．other than | B．more than | C．rather than | D．less than |
| A．identifying | B．accepting | C．persuading | D．amusing |
| A．simplifying | B．ruining | C．beautifying | D．worsening |
7 . Louis Pasteur was born in Dole, France on December 27, 1822. His family was poor, and during his early education, Pasteur was an ordinary student who enjoyed art and singing. However, when Pasteur was exposed to science as a teenager, he knew he found his career.
In 1848, Pasteur went to college to become a science teacher. He then became a chemistry professor at the University of Strasbourg. He got married in 1849 and had five children. However, three died young from typhoid fever (伤寒). It was the deaths of his children that drove Pasteur to investigate infectious diseases in order to find a cure. During Pasteur’s time, people believed that bacteria appeared due to “spontaneous generation”(自然发生). They thought that the bacteria just appeared out of nowhere. Pasteur carried out experiments to see if this was true.
Through his experiments he proved that bacteria were living things that came from other living things. They didn’t just spontaneously appear. This was a major discovery in the study of biology and earned Pasteur the title of Father of Microbiology.
As Pasteur learned more about bacteria, he began to think they may be the cause of diseases in humans. When the French silk market was threatened by a disease to silkworms(蚕), Pasteur decided to investigate. He discovered that this disease was caused by bacteria. By killing them from the silkworm farms, he was able to cease the disease and save the French silk business.
Today Louis Pasteur is known as one of the most important scientists in history. His discoveries led to an understanding of bacteria and diseases that has helped save millions and millions of lives.
1. After his children’s deaths, Louis Pasteur ________.| A．became afraid of infectious diseases |
| B．was frustrated and wanted to do nothing |
| C．decided to find out how to treat the disease |
| D．didn’t know it was typhoid fever that caused their deaths |
| A．It supported what most people thought at that time. |
| B．It revealed that bacteria often appeared out of nowhere. |
| C．It attracted the attention of the Father of Microbiology. |
| D．It was a very important discovery in the history of biology. |
| A．End. | B．Find. |
| C．Develop. | D．Spread. |
| A．A disease that killed children easily in history. |
| B．A great scientist in the field of biology in history. |
| C．Some of the most important scientists in history. |
| D．Some of the most important discoveries in history. |
8 . Surfing the Internet for fun will make you a better employee, according to an Australian study.
The University of Melbourne study shows that people who use the Internet for their own reasons at work are about 9 percent more productive (有效率的) than those who do not. Study author Brent Coker said “Surfing the Internet at times helps increase an employee’s attention.”
“People need to relax for a bit to get back their attention,” Coker said on the university’s website.” Having a short break, such as a quick surfing of the Internet, helps the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total Internet attention for a day’s work, and as a result, increase productivity (生产效率),” he said.
According to the study of 300 workers, 70 percent of people who use the Internet at work surf the Internet for their own reasons during office hours. Among the most popular surfing activities are searching for information about products, reading online news, playing online games and watching videos.” Firms spend a lot of money on software to block their employees from watching video, using social networking sites or shopping online,” said Coker. “That’s not always a good idea.”
However, Coker said the study looked at people who surfed the Internet in moderation (适度), or were on the Internet for less than 20 percent of their total time in the office. “Those who spend too much time surfing the Internet will have a lower productivity than those without.” he said.
1. What does the University of Melbourne study mainly show?| A．People who surf the Internet are good employees. |
| B．Not everyone surfs the Internet for fun during office hours. |
| C．Surfing the Internet for fun during office hours increases productivity. |
| D．The Internet is becoming more and more important in people’s life. |
| A．the longer a person’s mind rests the better attention he will have. |
| B．surfing the Internet is the best way to increase productivity. |
| C．workers should have a long break during office hours |
| D．workers should let their minds rest now and then. |
| A．prevent | B．cycle | C．burst (爆裂) | D．breathe |
| A．People should spend as little time as possible surfing the Internet. |
| B．Those who never surf the Internet have the lowest productivity. |
| C．Most people don’t surf the internet in moderation during office hours. |
| D．Spending too much time surfing the Internet reduces productivity. |
It was Mother's Day and I was shopping at a local supermarket with my son who was five years old, Tennyson. As we were leaving after finishing our shopping, we realized that only minutes earlier an elderly woman had fallen over at the entrance and hit her head on the ground badly. Her husband was with her, but there was blood everywhere and the woman was embarrassed and clearly in shock. Fortunately, a lot of people stopped to help out.
While we were walking towards the scene, Tennyson became very worried about what had happened to the elderly couple. He said to me, “Mom, it's not much fun falling over in front of everyone.” Seeing that there was a flower stall(摊位)at the front of the supermarket, he added, “Why shouldn't we buy the lady a flower? It will make her feel better.” I was amazed that he'd come up with this sweet idea. So we went over and told the flower seller what we wanted. “Just take it,” she replied. “I can't take your money for such a wonderful deed.”
By now medical staff had arrived, and were looking after the injured woman. There we saw the old man was also in great horror, but he tried to comfort his wife and held her hands tightly to encourage her to be strong. We gave the flower to the woman's husband and I told him it was from my son. At that time, the old man started crying and said, “Thank you very much.” He then turned to me, “You have a wonderful son. Happy Mother's Day to you.”
The man bent down and gave his wife the flower, telling her who it was from. Regardless of being badly hurt, the old lady looked up at Tennyson with love in her eyes and gave him a little smile. And my son bent down his body to the injured lady and tenderly said, “Happy Mother's Day to you, too.”
Paragraph 1:
After a moment, the elderly lady was taken into an ambulance,
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Paragraph 2:
One year later,
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10 . Over the years, I never thought of my father as being very emotional. He never was,
On November 9th, 1990, I received
A few days after Thanksgiving I was able to call my wife. She told me that my father said his usual Thanksgiving prayer (祷告). But this time he
Eight months later, when I returned home from
Ever since that day, my
| A．at most | B．at least | C．at all | D．at first |
| A．confident | B．responsibility | C．pride | D．satisfaction |
| A．word | B．sentence | C．warning | D．wisdom |
| A．amazed | B．confused | C．satisfied | D．worried |
| A．quarrelled | B．argued | C．talked | D．discussed |
| A．added | B．affected | C．approved | D．attracted |
| A．over | B．down | C．beyond | D．under |
| A．observe | B．notice | C．watch | D．look |
| A．fights | B．serves | C．supports | D．saves |
| A．surprisingly | B．fortunately | C．safely | D．dangerously |
| A．war | B．setting | C．spot | D．work |
| A．up | B．under | C．through | D．straight |
| A．friendship | B．relationship | C．partnership | D．membership |
| A．bright | B．blank | C．deep | D．smart |
| A．Along | B．Also | C．So | D．Neither |
