1 . Intrigued by Maya civilization from a very young age, 15-year-old Canadian William Gadoury thought he had made an incredible discovery from his study of ancient star charts. Through comparison, he found that the locations of the 117 known Maya cities correspond to the positions of the stars. Based on this, he believed he had spotted an unknown Maya city buried deep in the jungle.     1    

It isn’t difficult to see why. Extending south from parts of what we now know as Mexico into Central America, Maya civilization has been surrounded by mystery since its rediscovery in the 19th century. The Maya built impressive palaces and temples, including their representative step pyramids. What is most extraordinary about these complex structures is how they were built without the use of wheels, metal tools or even animal power. The Maya’s understanding of mathematics and astronomy was also quite amazing.     2    

The fact that Maya society was technologically primitive makes its achievements all the more incredible and mysterious.     3     By 700 AD, Maya civilization was at its peak. Yet, within just a couple of generations, it began to mysteriously decline. The cities were left to be taken back by the jungle. When Europeans arrived in Central America in the early 16th century to claim its riches, the remaining Maya people were living in small settlements.

Why Maya civilization collapsed remains a mystery. Was it a natural disaster? A deadly disease? Conflicts between cities? Or was it a combination of several different factors?     4     They had turned wetlands into fields for growing grains, and had dug huge canal systems. As their population expanded, yet more land was needed for agriculture and more trees for construction. By changing the landscape in this way, it is possible that the Maya people unknowingly reduced their ability to deal with natural disasters.

Whatever the reasons, Maya civilization largely disappeared within the deep jungle. Its once—great cities fell into ruin, leaving various mysteries for later people to solve.

A．Research suggests that those natural disasters may have led to the decline of the Maya.

B．But the greatest mystery of all is what caused the Maya to abandon most of their great cities.

C．It turned out that the lucky boy hit the jackpot and the Maya city was eventually brought to light.

D．Some research seems to indicate that the Maya people themselves may have played a part in their downfall.

E．Although his theory has been dismissed by scholars, it shows how powerful the secrets of Ancient Maya civilization are among people.

F．They applied this understanding to the Maya calendar, which was accurate to within 30 seconds per year.

2 . No Guts, No Glory? The Fear and Attraction of Risky Winter Sports

Once I went flying off the side of a mountain on skis. Certainly, I didn’t mean to. Before I _________ the ground, there was a surprising amount of time for reflection—and more on the long painful journey down to the ambulance.

The Winter Olympics are here, and I’ll be astonished with my heart in my mouth, watching ski-jumping and people hurtling downhill at _________ speed one way and another. But why are we so attracted to doing, watching and glamorizing dangerous activity? Is it really the thrill (兴奋) of the adrenaline (肾上腺素) rush? I hate that part when I take a big risk of any kind.

It _________ out I’m not the only one. The popular “thrill-seeker” explanation put forward by Marvin Zuckerman and others that sensation seeking is a basic personality trait has been strongly _________. Thrill-seeking is common in the young, especially young males. Many pay a high _________ for it. But our relationship with fear, courage and risk-taking is _________.

Eric Brymer and Robert Schweitzer asked people who had been doing an extreme sport for many years, to reflect   _________ on the experience. For these people, it wasn’t that they didn’t feel fear, or that they were attracted to the feeling of fear. They saw fear as an important tool to _________ danger—and working through it was a transformative experience. Part of the reward was the sense of one-ness with nature that lay beyond the _________.

For me, reading what the research participants said was __________ and there was a lot that was easy to relate to. __________, it seemed as though they believed they were only taking on risks over which they could prevail (战胜). Presumably, many of the people who are severely injured thought so too. I wonder if many who draw the short __________ regret it?

I have an almost total lack of mastery of winter sports. The contrast between my enthusiasm and lack of skill   __________ the somewhat spectacular accident at the start of this post. But just what kind of risks are we talking about with winter sports more commonly? For example, Brian Chaze and Patrick McDonald gathered published data on head injuries in winter sports. They advocated __________ use for sledding and skating as well. Children who hurt their heads sledding need hospitalization twice as much as for head injuries in other sports. Helmets aren’t used much, though.

Perhaps the best __________ from watching the winter Olympians is not the glamour of their risk-taking, but the way they rock those helmets.

1.

A．left

B．hit

C．flew

D．lost

2.

A．short-lived

B．mind-numbing

C．break-neck

D．long-drawn-out

3.

A．turns

B．hangs

C．takes

D．bursts

4.

A．applauded

B．prohibited

C．recommended

D．challenged

5.

A．interest

B．respect

C．priority

D．price

6.

A．simple

B．straightforward

C．complicated

D．close

7.

A．swiftly

B．deeply

C．intensely

D．temporarily

8.

A．identify

B．dread

C．treasure

D．conduct

9.

A．experience

B．society

C．fear

D．environment

10.

A．enlightening

B．distressing

C．entertaining

D．confusing

11.

A．Hence

B．Furthermore

C．Rather

D．However

12.

A．scene

B．picture

C．odds

D．straw

13.

A．stands for

B．accounts for

C．checks out

D．points out

14.

A．belt

B．helmet

C．protection

D．blade

15.

A．take-away

B．carry-out

C．take-off

D．try-out

3 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. celebrated       B. ideals       C. currently       D. enlarged E. formerly       F. incomparable       G. laid       H. referred I. restored       J. scale        K. seat

If you only had an afternoon to experience London on a grand     1    , the Houses of Parliament, also called Palace of Westminster would be a wise place to start. The     2     of the bicameral (两院制的) Parliament including the House of Commons and the House of Lords, is located on the left bank of the River Thames in the borough of Westminster, London.

A royal palace was said to have existed at the site under the Danish king of England Canute. The building, however, spoken of by William Fitzstephen as a(n) “    3     structure,” was built for Edward the Confessor in the 11th century and     4     by William I (the Conqueror). In 1512 the palace suffered greatly from fire and thereafter ceased to be used as a royal residence. A fire in 1834 destroyed the whole palace except the historic Westminster Hall, the Jewel Tower, the cloisters, and the crypt of St. Stephen’s Chapel.

Sir Charles Barry, assisted by A.W.N. Pugin, designed the present buildings in the Gothic Revival style. Construction was begun in 1837, the cornerstone was     5     in 1840, and work was finished in 1860. The Commons Chamber was burned out in one of the numerous air raids that targeted London during World War II, but it was     6     and reopened in 1950. The House of Lords is an ornate chamber 97 feet in length; the Commons is 70 feet long. The southwestern Victoria Tower is 336 feet high. The Elizabeth Tower,     7     St. Stephen’s Tower, about 320 feet in height, contains the famous tower clock Big Ben. Along with Westminster Abbey and St, Margaret’s Church, the Houses of Parliament were named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, as symbols of spiritual and democratic     8    .

The Palace is one of the centers of political life in the United Kingdom; “Westminster” has become a metaphor for the UK Parliament and the British Government. The Elizabeth Tower, in particular, often     9     to by the name of its main bell, Big Ben, has become an iconic landmark of London and of the United Kingdom in general, one of the most     10     tourist attractions in the city, and a symbol of parliamentary democracy.

4 . Which Way Home, a documentary by Rebecca Cammisa, charts the journeys to Mexican and Central American children who leave their home countries to come to the United States riding on top of a train they call “La Bestia” (the beast). All of the children dream of a better life for themselves and their families. Some of them hope to reunite with family members in the U. S. Others have dreams of going to school or getting a job so they can send money back home.

Kevin

Fourteen-year-old Kevin is from Honduras. A seemingly happy-go-lucky guy, Kevin is the group’s ring leader, telling jokes, making leaps across car roofs, and providing some comic relief in the film. Kevin has a strong sense of duty to his family. His mother, Lupe, tells him to buy a house for them in the U. S., so she can escape Kevin’s violent stepfather. He plans to head to Manhattan once he crosses the border, but during the filming he is taken off of the train by American border agents who send him back to Honduras. Without hesitation, Kevin leaves Honduras again and jumps on the train. Throughout his journey, Kevin encounters violence and brutality that should never be a part of childhood.

Juan Carlos

Juan Carlos is a 13-year-old from Guatemala. When we meet him, we learn that his father abandoned the family years ago and moved to America for a better life, leaving Juan Carlos’s mother, Esmeralda, to care for several children on her own. His younger brother, Francisco, made it into the U. S. a month earlier and now lives with their grandmother in Los Angeles. Juan Carlos feels responsible for providing for his mother and his other family members and decides he must do something to help support them. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, he writes a letter telling Esmeralda that he, too, is leaving for the U. S.

Olga

Olga is the only female migrant featured in the film. She is nine years old and travelling with her friend, Freddy, who is also nine. They are being taken to the U. S. illegally. Both are headed for Minnesota, where Olga hopes to reunite with her mother, and Freddy hopes to find his father. During the making of the documentary, the film crew loses track of Olga and Freddy, and we never find out what becomes of them.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Feature-Length Documentary. Director Rebecca Camissa said her goal for the film was to create public awareness of child migration, and to “promote a dialogue that leads to creating humane immigration policy reform in the United States

1. Which of the following is true of Which Way Home?

A．It is adapted from a book which tells stories about three child migrants.

B．It won an Academy Award for its theme that corresponds to the reality.

C．It aims to make viewers conscious of the phenomenon of child migration.

D．Its director has managed to create humane immigration policy reform

2. While the documentary was being made, the crew lost touch with ________.

A．Kevin and Juan Carlos	B．Juan Carlos and Olga
C．Juan Carlos and Freddy	D．Olga and Freedy

3. What can be learned from the passage about Kevin and Juan Carlos?

A．Both of them felt responsible for their families

B．Neither of them managed to get to the United States

C．Neither of them had any relative in the United States

D．Both of them were found on the way to their destinations

5 . Housing prices have been growing less and less affordable across the U. S.     1    

Paragon Real Estate, a San Francisco real estate(房地产)company, has calculated that the median housing price in the city has risen $205, 000 since the end of 2017, the highest six - month gain in at least a quarter century.     2    . That’s more than double the 7.2% rise in 2017, but not as high as the 26.1% rise in housing prices in 2000, during the peak of the bubble. It’s also below the 20% rise in 2007, just before the housing market crashed.

    3    . But it also reflects a broader trend in the U. S. The average home price in U. S. stands at around $260,000, after having risen for the past six years, Paragon said.

Home-buyers who can’t afford such inflationary(通货膨胀引起的)housing prices might consider buying an apartment.     4    .

Paragon said that a sudden increase in both the asking prices for homes and the bids being placed by buyers, coupled with a multi - year decline in the number of homes listed for sale, have contributed to the sudden increase in prices. Housing activists in the Bay Area have grown more outspoken in calling for more available housing in the region.

There are signs that the affordable - housing problems that many residents in San Francisco struggle with are recurring in other cities, even if at a smaller scale. Home prices across the U. S. are by some measures at their least affordable levels since the financial crisis.

A．The median price for San Francisco apartments rose by $71,000 in the first half of 2018, a comparative bargain.

B．On a percentage basis, the median home price in San Francisco rose 14.5% over the past year to $1.6 million.

C．No city is a more fitting poster child for that trend than San Francisco.

D．The current housing construction pick-up supported overall GDP growth in first quarter and should do so in second quarter.

E．San Francisco may offer an extreme example of rising home prices.

F．In part, house prices have risen because interest have fallen and incomes have risen.

6 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. hike       B. requires          C. hosts          D. man-made       E. attraction      F. Belonging   G. peak   H. introduce   I. romantic     J. fascinating     K. sun-bathe

Touring “Treasure Island”

Chinese mainland tourists will be able to visit Taiwan via charted flights in July according to two landmark agreements signed on June 13. So, 21^st Century invited two young Taiwanese to     1     their favorite site on the island.

Yangming Mountain, north of Taipei

Young couples can definitely enjoy a     2     evening on the mountain and a bird’s eye view of the Taipei city. College students often visit the mountain for a     3    : others ride motorbike to the top. The mountain and the nearby town of Pei-tou have many hot springs, which often appear in romantic Taiwan TV dramas.

Ali Mountain, Jiayi County

Ali Mountain is the general name for 18 hills. The highest     4     of Ali Mountain is Tower Hill, which has a height of 2,663 meters. Ali Mountain is famous for its “five rare sites” - the sunrise, the Ali mountain Forest Railway, the famous Alishan Sacred Tree, the Grand Sea of Clouds and the Flamboyant Cherry Blossom. The best time to visit the     5     scenery is during the comfortable midsummer.

Taipei 101 tower, Taipei

The 101-floor landmark is one of the world’s tallest completed skyscrapers. Besides the shops inside and outside the tower, Taipei 101     6     splendid firework shows during festivals. A new     7     next to the tower is under construction. It will be a     8     beach on which the public will be permitted to     9    .

Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Memorial Hall and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei

The squares in front of these halls are open all day to the public. They have become a paradise to colleges students, who often meet there for an activity that     10     space. You will run into students dancing, rehearsing skits or even playing musical instruments.

7 . Directions: Complete the following passages by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. public             B. inadequate             C. lowered             D. released               E. disappointment F. casting          G. possibility          H. objective          I. desperately          J. balance K. compared

Why Aren’t Women Happier?

Why aren’t women happier these days?

That’s the question raised by a thought-provoking study, The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness,     1     last month. The research showed that over the past 35 years women’s happiness has declined, both     2     to the past and relative to men even though the lives of women in the US have improved in recent decades by most     3     measures.

The research, by University of Pennsylvania economists Stevenson and Wolfers, and made     4     by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found the decline in happiness to be widespread among women across a variety of demographic(人口统计)groups. The researchers, for instance, measured similar declines in happiness among women who were single parents and married parents, “    5     doubt on the hypothesis(假设)that trends in marriage and divorce, single parenthood or work/family     6     are at the root of the happiness declines among women,” they wrote.

One theory for the decline in happiness is that expectations for workplace and general advancement were raised too high by the women’s movement and women might feel     7     for not “having it all,” as a Los Angeles Times columnist recently put it.

The researchers acknowledge that’s a     8     :

“If the women’s movement raised women’s expectations faster than society was able to meet them,” the paper says, “they would be more likely to experience     9     in their lives.” But they add things could change for the better: “As women’s expectations move into adjustment with their experiences, this decline in happiness may reverse.”

Readers, why do you think women are unhappier than in the past? Do you think that if expectations for “having it all” were     10     to “move into adjustment with experiences,” women might be happier?

8 . Directions: Suppose you are going to visit Rome, who would you like to go with? Write a paragraph of 60-80 words,explaining ONE of your reasons with supporting details.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . Travel has existed since the beginning of time, when primitive man set out, often traversing great distances in search of game, which provided the food and clothing necessary for his survival. Throughout the course of history, people have travelled for purposes of trade, religious conviction, economic gain, war, migration and other equally compelling motivations. In the Roman era, wealthy aristocrats and high government officials also travelled for pleasure. Seaside resorts located at Pompeii and Herculaneum afforded citizens the opportunity to escape to their vacation villas in order to avoid the summer heat of Rome.     1    

Tourism in the mass form as we know it today is a distinctly twentieth-century phenomenon. Historians suggest that the advent of mass tourism began in England during the industrial revolution with the rise of the middle class and the availability of relatively inexpensive transportation. The creation of the commercial airline industry following the Second World War and the subsequent development of the jet aircraft in the 1950s signaled the rapid growth and expansion of international travel.     2    . In turn, international tourism became the concern of a number of world governments since it not only provided new employment opportunities but also produced a means of earning foreign exchange.

    3    . In most industrialized countries over the past few years the fastest growth has been seen in the area of services. One of the largest segments of the service industry, although largely unrecognized as an entity in some of these countries, is travel and tourism. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council（1992）, ‘Travel and tourism is the largest in the world on virtually any economic measure including value-added capital investment, employment and tax contributions’. In 1992, the industry’s gross output was estimated to be $3.5 trillion, over 12 percent of all consumer spending. The travel and tourism industry is the world's largest employer with almost 130 million jobs, or almost 7 percent of all employees. This industry is the world’s leading industrial contributor, producing over 6 percent of the world’s gross national product and accounting for capital investment in excess of $422 billion in direct, indirect and personal taxes each year. Thus, tourism has a profound impact both on the world economy and, because of the educative effect of travel and the effects on employment, on society itself.

However, the major problems of the travel and tourism industry that have hidden, or obscured, its economic impact are the diversity and fragmentation of the industry itself. The travel industry includes: hotels, motels and other types of accommodation; restaurants and other food services; transportation services and facilities; amusements, attractions and other leisure facilities; gift shops and a large number of other enterprises. Since many of these businesses also serve local residents, the impact of spending by visitors can easily be overlooked or underestimated.     4    . In fact, in all nations this problem has made it difficult for the industry to develop any type of reliable or credible tourism information base in order to estimate the contribution it makes to reginal, national and global economies. However, the nature of this very diversity makes travel and tourism ideal vehicles for economic development in a wide variety of countries, regions or communities.

A．Tourism today has grown significantly in both economic and social importance.

B．Now travel and tourism have become an institutionalized way of life for most of the population in this world.

C．Travel has continued to grow and played a vital role in the development of civilizations and their economies.

D．Experts point out that the tourism industry involves concepts that have remained amorphous（难以界定的）to both analysts and decision makers.

E．Because of this growth,tourism industry has emerged as the number one ranked employer.

F．This growth led to the development of a major new industry: tourism.

10 . Schools are not just a microcosm (缩影) of society; they mediate it too. The best ________ to alleviate the external pressures on their pupils while equipping them better to understand and handle the world outside—at once sheltering them and broadening their horizons. This is ambitious in any circumstances, and in a divided and unequal society the two ________ can clash outright (直接地).

Trips that many adults would consider the ________ of a lifetime—treks in Borneo, a sports tour to Barbados—appear to have become almost routine at some state schools. Parents are being asked for thousands of pounds. Though schools cannot ________ from these trips, the companies that arrange them do. ________ , pupils arrive at school hungry because their families can't afford breakfast. The Child Poverty Action Group says nine in every classroom of 30 fall below the poverty line. The discrepancy is startlingly apparent.   ________ a fundraising requirement for students does not help, as better-off children can tap up richer aunts and neighbors.

Probing the rock pools of a local beach or practicing French on a language exchange can fire children's passions, boost their skills and open their eyes to life's possibilities. The Sutton Trust, which focuses on improving social mobility, says educational outings help bright but ________ students to get better A-levels. In this globalized age, there is a good ________ for international travel, and some parents say they can manage the cost of a school trip abroad more easily than a family holiday. Even in the face of immense and mounting financial pressures, some schools have shown remarkable determination and ingenuity in ________ that all their pupils are able to take up opportunities that may be truly life-changing. They should be ________ . Methods such as whole-school fundraising, with the proceeds (收益) ________ , can help to extend opportunities and fuel community spirit.

But £3,000 trips cannot be ________ when the median income for families with children is just over £30,000. Such initiatives close doors for many pupils. The NASUWT teaching union has warned of parents pulling their children out of school because of expensive ________ trips; for other students, these trips confirm their intuition that the world has wonderful things to show—but not to people like them. Even parents who can see that a trip is little more than a party or celebration may well feel ________ that their child is left behind.

The Department for Education's guidance says schools can charge only for board and lodging if the trip is part of the syllabus, and that students receiving government aid are exempt from these costs. However, many schools seem to ignore the advice；and it does not cover the kind of glamorous, exotic trips, which are becoming increasingly ________ . Schools cannot be expected to bring together communities single-handed. But the least we should expect is that they do not foster divisions and exclude those who are already disadvantaged.

1.

A．pretend

B．forget

C．seek

D．fail

2.

A．examples

B．connections

C．extremes

D．ideals

3.

A．encounter

B．adventure

C．invitation

D．advantage

4.

A．profit

B．escape

C．suffer

D．choose

5.

A．Furthermore

B．Therefore

C．Meanwhile

D．Thus

6.

A．Introducing

B．Fulfilling

C．Relaxing

D．Rejecting

7.

A．disabled

B．disciplined

C．distinguished

D．disadvantaged

8.

A．case

B．prospect

C．performance

D．chance

9.

A．claiming

B．ensuring

C．expecting

D．foreseeing

10.

A．scolded

B．applauded

C．inspected

D．exposed

11.

A．pooled

B．invested

C．sold

D．spent

12.

A．booked

B．taken

C．enjoyed

D．justified

13.

A．business

B．field

C．gift

D．conch

14.

A．gratitude

B．satisfaction

C．guilt

D．relief

15.

A．rare

B．unique

C．common

D．special