1 . Humans are pretty unique among life on Earth. As far as we know, we’re the only living species to evolve the higher intelligence, wear clothes, cook our food, and even invent smartphones. But what if humans suddenly went extinct? What other animals might evolve to have the smarts and skills to create large,complex societies as we have?
With modern genetic technology and our understanding of evolution, “we’re pretty good at making short-term predictions. “Martha Reiskind, an ecologist, told Live Science. For example, we can predict that if humans were to disappear tomorrow, climate change would continue to drive many species to adapt to drought. And species living in cold areas would continue to struggle to live as well.
“A big thing will be the concept of convergence.” Dougal Dixon, a geologist, told Live Science Convergence is an evolutionary process by which two unrelated creatures develop similar features in order to succeed in a particular environment. For example, with their sleek (光滑的) bodies and fins, fish are suitable for living in water. However, dolphins have evolved a very similar body plan—and unlike fish, they are warm-blooded, air-breathing animals with a totally different evolutionary background.
One feature that makes humans uniquely good at building is our skillful hands. In order to fill the same role as humans—that is, building cities and heavily modifying our environment—another species would need to develop a similar ability to control objects. Other primates (灵长目动物), like chimpanzees. our closest living relatives, already can make tools in the wild. It’s possible that if humans disappeared, they might replace us.
But any disaster terrible enough to destroy humans is also likely to destroy chimpanzees, which leaves another tool-using candidate to fill humans place: birds. Birds are very brainy. Some birds can use their feet to form wire into hooks. And trained African grey parrots can learn upwards of 100 words and do simple math, including understanding the concept of zero. Birds can also gather in large groups, and some even build group nesting sites.
Of course, all of these are predictions. Scientists have said it’s almost impossible to truly predict how evolution will unfold. As we go further and further out, the prediction is less accurate. And it’s even more difficult to predict whether another species will develop human-level intelligence, Some think that it could happen. Others, however, are less optimistic because they don’t think nature will make mistakes twice.
1. Why does the author mention fish and dolphins in Para. 3?| A．To show how dolphins evolved |
| B．To explain what convergence is. |
| C．To show the advantage of the fish shape |
| D．To explain the feature of animals living in water. |
| A．The ability to make tools | B．The habit of group living |
| C．The ability to do simple math | D．The close relationship with humans |
| A．Sea animals. | B．Chimpanzees |
| C．Birds. | D．Dogs. |
| A．Hopeless. | B．Challenging. |
| C．Promising. | D．Uncertain. |
2 . Social customs and ways of behaving change. Things which were considered impolite many years ago are now acceptable. Just a few years ago, it was considered impolite behavior for a man to smoke on the street. No man who thought of himself as being a gentleman would make a fool of himself by smoking when a lady was in a room.
Customs also differ from country to country. Does a man walk on the left or the right of a woman in your country? Or doesn’t it matter? What about table manners? Should you use both hands when you are eating? Should you leave one on your lap, or on the table?
The Americans and the British not only speak the same language but also share a large number of social customs. For example, in both America and England people shake hands when they meet each other for the first time. Also Englishmen will open a door for a woman or offer their seat to a woman, and so will most Americans. If a dinner invitation is for 7 o’clock, the dinner guest either arrives close to that time or calls up to explain his delay.
The important thing to remember about social customs is not to do anything that might make other people feel uncomfortable, especially if they are your guests. There is an old story about a man who gave a formal dinner party. When the food was served, one of the guests started to eat his peas (豆) with a knife. The other guests were amused or shocked, but the host calmly picked up his knife and began eating in the same way. It would have been bad manners to make his guest feel foolish or uncomfortable.
1. What’s the Chinese meaning of the underlined word?| A．礼貌的 | B．可接受的 | C．粗鲁的 | D．拒绝的 |
| A．He should find an excuse. | B．He should ask for excuse. |
| C．He should say “sorry”. | D．He should telephone to explain his being late. |
| A．Social Customs and Behavior | B．Social Life. |
| C．American and British Customs. | D．To be on time is Important. |
| A．tries his best to make his guests feel comfortable |
| B．makes his guests feel excited |
| C．tries to avoid being naughty to his guests |
| D．tries to avoid being foolish |
| A．The guest who ate his peas with a knife. |
| B．The other guests who were amused or shocked. |
| C．The host who picked up his knife and began eating in the same way. |
| D．None of the above. |
3 . An American architect (建筑师) was visiting London. He wanted to see all the famous buildings there so he stopped a taxi and asked the driver to take him to all the old and famous buildings in London.
The driver drove him to the Tower of London. “This is the Tower of London. It was a prison (监狱) in the old days,” he said.
“It is so small. In America we could build this in a day.” said the American.
The taxi driver took the American to Westminster Abbey. He said, “This is a famous church. Kings and queens get married here.”
The American looked at the old building and said, “Huh… we could build this in two days.”
The driver decided to take the American to a bigger church so he drove him to St Paul’s Cathedral. He stopped outside the church and said, “This is the most famous church in England. The great architect Christopher Wren built this church.”
The American got out of the taxi and looked at the church. “Huh. We could build this church in three days,” he said.
Next the driver took the American to the House of Parliament. “This is where British politicians (政治家) meet.”
“Huh.” The American said, “We could build this in four days.”
The driver said nothing and drove past Buckingham Palace, the home of Queen Elizabeth. As the taxi passed the palace, the American said, “Hey! What is this building? I have never seen such a beautiful one.”
The taxi driver looked at the palace and said, “I don’t know. It wasn’t there this morning.”
1. How many old and famous buildings in London are mentioned in the passage?| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
| A．In the Tower of London. | B．In St Paul’s Cathedral. |
| C．In the House of Parliament. | D．In Westminster Abbey. |
| A．one day | B．two days | C．three days | D．four days |
| A．got a great surprise |
| B．felt very disappointed |
| C．said nothing and went away |
| D．said they could build this in five days in America. |
| A．honest | B．proud | C．modest | D．hard-working |
4 . I want to
There is no need to book the ticket ahead of time. All that you need is a
I always enjoy any
As a kid, I used to dream of being a bird flying in the sky. Now I am
| A．spare | B．share | C．spend | D．stop |
| A．wishing | B．working | C．sleeping | D．playing |
| A．Forget | B．Remember | C．Think | D．Read |
| A．music | B．dream | C．book | D．Internet |
| A．cup | B．disk | C．pen | D．computer |
| A．guide | B．scientist | C．doctor | D．manager |
| A．write | B．go | C．break | D．look |
| A．car | B．image | C．right | D．chance |
| A．wonderful | B．friendly | C．exciting | D．native |
| A．listening | B．reading | C．writing | D．chatting |
| A．ideas | B．pages | C．times | D．games |
| A．unhappy | B．painful | C．sad | D．glad |
| A．and | B．so | C．for | D．but |
| A．with | B．without | C．by | D．upon |
| A．colorful | B．useful | C．healthy | D．doubtful |
5 . The library is the heart of a university——its collections, services, and study spaces are central to every student’s educational journey. Let’s take a look at some famous university libraries around the world.
Magdalen College Old Library
Oxford University is famous for its academic programs, but it’s also known for its outstanding libraries that are said to include more than 11 million books. The Old Library at Magdalen College is the crown jewel of the university’s library system. It contains more than 20,000 rare books and manuscripts. Nearly all of these volumes were published before 1800.
TU Delft Library
The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997, which has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum. But it will only take a glance to be attracted, as it is a sight to remember. The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can’t really see the actual library. What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill.
Trinity College Library
The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It contains more than 200,000 of the library’s oldest books. Treasures of the library’s extensive collection include a rare copy of the 1916 proclamation of the Irish Republic and a beautiful 15th century harp (竖琴).
Joe and Rika Mansueto Library
Opened in 2011, the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago is designed with a grand glass roof, perfect for staring out when you are tired. The library can hold around 3.5 million volumes through its underground automatic storage and retrieval system. If you are not already impressed, the librarians, robotic cranes, will knock your socks off. They can locate and bring you any book within an average time of 3 minutes.
1. What do Magdalen College Old Library & Trinity College Library have in common?| A．Both house stringed instruments. | B．Both feature attractive designs. |
| C．Both boast numerous ancient books. | D．Both gain recognition as crown jewels. |
| A．TU Delft Library. | B．Trinity College Library. |
| C．Magdalen College Old Library. | D．Joe and Rika Mansueto Library. |
| A．The glass roof. | B．The volume of books. |
| C．The storage system. | D．The robotic librarians. |
6 . It is most likely that you have seen a train, it may have been passing through your town, or you might have even been
Around 1775, steam was being experimented with as
7 . Have you gotten price shock lately when you looked at the cost of a new car? It’s not your imagination .The average price of a new car is the highest ever for the first quarter, according to CNBC. At $33, 319, the price is about $1,000 more than in 2018. Because of that, new car sales dropped by as many as 2.5 million units compared to the same quarter last year.
You’d think the drop might concern car makers, but as it turns out, the increase of the price reflects a choice. Many carmakers are stopping producing less expensive cars in favor of SUVS and pickup trucks, which bring in bigger profits(利润).
“Carmakers always say they build what people want.” The Wall Street Journal reporter Dan Neil said. “But they never mention the fact that they spend billions telling people what they want. It wasn’t that consumers wanted to have a truck that was as big as a house. No, that was a gradual process. And it has been mainly pushed by carmakers because bigger equals more profits.”
In late 2018, Ford announced it was gradually stopping producing its Fiesta, Focus, and C-max models in the United States while continuing to make the Mustang and Focus Active. Other big carmakers did the same, with General Motors ending production of the Chevy Volt, Cruz, Impala, Buick Lacrosse. Cadillac XTS, and Cadillac CT6 in the United States. And Fiat Chrysler is putting the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 to an end. “I can tell you right now that both the Chrysler 200 and the Dodge Dart, as great products as they were, are the least financially rewarding business that we’ve carried out in the last eight years,” said Fiat Chrysler CEO.
So where does that leave consumers? Well, if you’re in the market for an SUV or a top-of-the-line pickup truck, you can expect better features. But if you’re looking for a smaller, less expensive car you might be squeezed (挤)out of the market. More and more buyers are likely to look to used cars instead. But before car shopping, make sure you know the secrets car dealers don’t want to tell you.
1. What caused the drop in new car sales this year?| A．The decline of cars quality | B．The rising price of new cars |
| C．The change of market demand | D．The decrease of carmakers’ number |
| A．Carmakers always know the true need of consumers |
| B．Carmakers produce bigger cars because of the social trend |
| C．Consumers really depend less on carmakers in buying cars |
| D．Consumers’ shopping decisions are influenced by carmakers |
| A．are driven by profits | B．can be unwise sometimes |
| C．may influence the quality of cars | D．fail to meet some people’s demands |
| A．Most people don’t prefer small cars any more. |
| B．Producing small cars brings less profit to carmakers. |
| C．Small cars can’t provide better features for consumers. |
| D．Buying second-hand cars is a good choice for some people. |
8 . Do you want to travel the world? Toronto-based travel company G Adventures has picked out the best places to visit in 2019.
Uzbekistan
In 2018, Uzbekistan relaxed its visa entry requirements(签证政策) by introducing a new e-visa for 51 countries, including Canada. Because of the easy visa entry requirements, it attracts more travellers. And G Adventures has seen a 72 percent increase in travellers to Uzbekistan. It’s no wonder that the beautiful buildings, historical importance and friendly people make Uzbekistan one of the best places to visit in 2019.
Taiwan China
Recently called by The New York Times “Asia’s most- food- obsessed (对食物着迷的) place”, Taiwan is heaven for travellers who enjoy food very much. Its culture shows through its busy cities natural landscapes (风景) and mouthwatering night markets。
Jordan
With year-over-year traveller growth of 71 percent for G Adventures, it’s probably safe to say that Jordan is back. Travellers can see Petras amazing tombs and ancient buildings carved (雕刻) into rock walls, and learn about Bedouin culture during an overnight stay in the desert.
Iceland
Winter is coming, and so is the craze for places in the north as the final season of Game of Thrones again shows its filming locations to audience. Iceland is no exception. The beautiful landscapes of this island nation offer perhaps the closest thing one can have to an out-of-body travel experience. From the building of Reykjavik to the black sand beaches of Reynisfjara, the country offers the perfect landscapes to travelers
1. What makes travellers to Uzbekistan increase?| A．Its improved traffic | B．Its new scenic spots |
| C．Its visa entry policy | D．Its living conditions |
| A．Uzbekistan | B．Taiwan China |
| C．Jordan | D．Iceland |
| A．A news report. | B．A travel magazine |
| C．A job guide. | D．A science book |
