1 . Kids take risks.

According to Laurence Hammerstein, professor of psychology at Temple University, there’s not much parents can do to stop that._________ seems to be pre-programmed into young brains, especially in adolescence (青春期).

Trying to get kids not to take risks, he says. “is an uphill battle against evolution, and we’re not going to _________ it,” he says. “Going out in the world is a(n)_________ risky thing to do.” Kids have to take those risks in older to become adults. So how can parents start _________ that help kids take the healthy risks—and avoid dangerous ones?

To start with, it’s never too early for parents to encourage kids to think about _________, both good and bad. So if kids have questions about risky situations, parents can _________ questions of their own, like “Why do you want to do this? Do you think something good will happen? Do you think anything bad might happen?”

Middle school kids are approaching adolescence, when body chemistry makes them more likely to _________ risks—both good and bad. So parents can talk with them about the fact that they’re going to need to take more risks as they grow up, and start conversations about how to _________ whether something is a good risk or a bad one. This is also a good time for parents to _________ kids to think about questions like, what are the chances this will turn out well? What are the chances something might __________?

The risks high school kids are likely to take might seem __________. But Hammerstein says it’s important for parents to realize that from the kid’s point of view, “there’s a positive side that may only be __________ to the adolescent.” That’s a good place to start a conversation. Understanding what motivates a kid to take a risk can help parents direct that motivation in positive ways and kids __________ dangerous risks. Kids don’t take those dangerous risks because they don’t know better, says Hammerstein. If you ask teenagers __________ about risky behaviors, “they all know that they’re risky because they have read many articles on the psychology of risk-taking.”

__________, “while they are taking risks,” says Hammerstein, “the reasonable part of kids’ brains is often overpowered (被打败的).”So part of helping kids managing risk is helping them think about the kind of situations they do and don’t want to be in before they get into them.

1.

A．Problem-solving

B．Science-learning

C．Risk-taking

D．Brain-washing

2.

A．win

B．afford

C．take

D．start

3.

A．extremely

B．naturally

C．amazingly

D．disappointingly

4.

A．instructions

B．requests

C．explanations

D．conversations

5.

A．wishes

B．solutions

C．results

D．measures

6.

A．answer

B．discover

C．ask

D．discuss

7.

A．engage in

B．suffer from

C．turn down

D．show up

8.

A．tell

B．wonder

C．express

D．admit

9.

A．cause

B．forbid

C．encourage

D．order

10.

A．go wrong

B．take place

C．work well

D．prove itself

11.

A．courageous

B．unpleasant

C．endangered

D．incomprehensible

12.

A．visible

B．practical

C．hidden

D．available

13.

A．select

B．avoid

C．affect

D．arouse

14.

A．in fact

B．in total

C．in theory

D．in detail

15.

A．Otherwise

B．Similarly

C．Therefore

D．However

2 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Carrying Firewood to Put Out a Fire

In 273 BC, the Qin army launched a more serious attack upon the State of Wei, which was too weak to defend itself. The king of the State of Wei gathered his officials, and asked them with a     1     (worry) look if anyone could propose a way to defeat the Qin army.

After years of difficulties     2     (cause) by the wars, the officials trembled when fighting was mentioned, and no one dared to speak of resistance.

At the critical moment     3     a large enemy force was approaching the border, most of the officials persuaded the king to beg for peace     4     the cost of giving away to the State of Qin, a large area of land.

However, Su Dai, a counselor, didn’t agree. He hurried up to the king and said, “Once there was a man     5     house was on fire. People told him to put out the fire with water, but he would not listen. Instead, he carried firewood to put out the fire, only     6     (make) the fire fiercer. Isn’t it similar to carrying firewood to put out a fire     7     you agree to trade the land of the State of Wei for peace?”

    8     Su Dai’s argument was very convincing, the king accepted the suggestion of those officials. Finally, the State of Wei was destroyed by the State of Qin. This story appears in the Historical Records written by Sima Qian. The phrase “carrying firewood to put out a fire”     9     (use) to mean adopting a wrong method to save a situation and ending up by making it     10     (bad).

3 . It is widely believed that adolescents engage in risky behaviors because of tolerance for risks by nature, but a study by researchers at New York University, Yale’s School of Medicine, and Fordham University has found this is not the case.

Their findings show adolescents appear to _________ their older peers in the taste for the uncertain. When faced with situations that have highly uncertain outcomes, most _________ groups react with dislike; adolescents, _________, often find these uncertain situations quite tolerable. Rather than having a taste for risk, as is commonly thought, the risky behaviors of adolescents _________ their comfort with the ambiguous (模棱两可的).

These findings, which are reported in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, point to basic differences between adolescents and adults and offer new _________ of how to communicate about risk to teenagers and pre-teens.

“Our findings show that teenagers enter unsafe situations not because they are _________ to dangerous or risky situations, but, rather, because they aren’t informed enough of the possibility of the consequences of their actions,” explained Agnieszka Tymula, one of the study’ co-authors. “Once they truly _________ a risky situation, they are, if anything, even more unwilling to take risks than adults. The study also offers new possibilities for _________ with this age group—providing adolescents with statistics highlighting the risks of dangerous behaviors or training that allows them to learn about risks in a safe way, which may be effective in _________ them.”

“What we found was that when risks were clearly stated, adolescents __________ them at least as much as, and sometimes more than, adults,” added Ifat Levy, one of the study’s co-authors at the Yale School of Medicine. “Adolescents were, however, much more __________ for ambiguity. __________, this makes a lot of sense: young organisms need to be open to the __________ in order to gain information about their world.”

Studies have previously established that adolescents are more __________ than are their older and younger peers to engage in behaviors that, on rare occasions, lead to terrible consequences. “It is not that adolescents actually choose to engage in risks, but, rather, they are willing to gamble (赌博) when they __________ complete knowledge,” the researchers wrote.

1.

A．differ from

B．run after

C．agree with

D．divide from

2.

A．family

B．age

C．study

D．work

3.

A．as a result

B．in conclusion

C．for example

D．by contrast

4.

A．add to

B．lead to

C．contribute to

D．originate from

5.

A．story

B．study

C．understanding

D．news

6.

A．drawn

B．pushed

C．brought

D．taken

7.

A．define

B．understand

C．create

D．destroy

8.

A．starting

B．identifying

C．communicating

D．agreeing

9.

A．frightening

B．limiting

C．encouraging

D．punishing

10.

A．tried

B．abandoned

C．fixed

D．avoided

11.

A．tolerant

B．enthusiastic

C．concerned

D．eager

12.

A．Materially

B．Psychologically

C．Biologically

D．Geologically

13.

A．new

B．exciting

C．specific

D．unknown

14.

A．likely

B．cheerful

C．reluctant

D．able

15.

A．need

B．lack

C．gain

D．apply

4 . 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. ceremony	B. competition	C. completed	D. final	AB. originally	AC. mainly
AD. performing	BC. predicted	BD. impressive	CD. requirement	ABC. televised

The Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous architectural wonders of the modern world. Instantly recognizable both for its roof shells and its     1     location in Sydney Harbour, it has become one of the best known images of Australia.

Situated close to Sydney Harbour Bridge, this large     2    arts center was started in 1959 and completed in 1973. After a(n)     3    to choose the design, the Danish architect Jorn Utzon was chosen. The Opera House includes five theatres, five rehearsal studios, two main halls, four restaurants, six bars, and several shops.

The construction of the Opera House was fairly controversial (有争议的) as the     4     cost of the building was much higher than     5    . It was expected to cost $7 million, but in fact, the final cost was $102 million. This was     6     due to difficult weather conditions, problems with the structural design, and changes in the contract. The remarkable roof shells were also difficult to construct. Furthermore, the construction took longer than planned. Completion of the building was     7     expected in four years, in 1963. Unfortunately, because of the many problems and changes which were necessary in the design, the building was not     8     until ten years later, in 1973.

It was inaugurated (落成）by Queen Elizabeth II on 20^th October, 1973, and millions of people attended the     9    . The event was     10    , and included a fireworks display and a classical music performance.

5 . Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

A few years ago, nobody could have imagined buying a whole dictionary on CD-Rom—but we do now, and it’s a booming business. It looks     1     people are already interested in the general idea. Stephen King, the best-selling writer of horror books, posted his newest short story on the Internet and it sold more copies in its first days than many of his     2     (print) novels had.

Well, is this really the end of the book and the newspaper? I doubt it, and it seems that even Stephen King agrees.     3     his success on the Internet, he does not seem to think anything can replace the book!

First of all, it takes much     4     (long) for us to read on the net. Did you know that we can read 50% more quickly on paper than we can on a computer screen? There is another problem, too. People simply prefer paper. It doesn’t matter how many books, magazines or newspapers       5     (produce) –we never stop buying them. It seems that we like the feel of books and magazines—we like to put     6     in our bags or pockets. We like to sit and read in the park or on the beach.

Publishers will be happy to satisfy the needs of readers     7     (prefer) to use a screen but paper lovers shouldn’t worry, as the physical newspaper will undoubtedly keep its pace in our lives. There is even news that a system is being developed     8     we can tell our computers what we want to read, and then they will print our own personal newspaper for us. The difference will be that we will only have to read about people and things     9     interest us. Just think—if you hate the business section, you     10     not order it. If you dislike tennis, you can ask only for the football results. It sounds like this could be good news for everyone!

6 . Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Just a craze … or crazy?

When an estimated one in sixty participants will die, why would anyone want to base jump?

The world record for base jumping     1     (break) again, when Nasr Al Niyadi and his trainer Omar Al Hegelan jumped 672 meters from the 16^th floor of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. They were not the first ones     2     (attempt) this. In 2008, two other men illegally jumped from unfinished building. Having got into the building dressed as engineers, they were arrested     3     they jumped from the building. This is not unusual for base jumpers though,     4     often act without permission.

For those who may not know, base jumping is an increasingly popular extreme sport which involves jumping off high building, bridges or cliffs with a parachute. It is unbelievably dangerous. Although a sky diver     5     have up to three minutes to open his or her parachute, a base jumper has only seconds. There is also the risk of hitting the building or cliff on the way down. Since its invention in 1981, there     6     (be) at least 147 fatalities (死亡事件)related to the sport. Even fans of the sport estimate that one in sixty participants will die. Brave, or simply foolhardy?

I find     7     hard to understand why such dangerous sports are so popular. Many psychologists believe that it is all a question of individual personality. Men are     8     (likely) to enjoy thrill seeking than women, and our desire to experience these excitements is highest in     9     late teens and early twenties. But some people are naturally drawn to enjoy thrills and danger, while others are not. Both types are important in any society, as low-excitement seekers will happily carry out relatively unexciting jobs, while high-excitement seekers will work very well     10     firefighters or on the stock market.

7 . Is there a need to rebuild the Old Summer Palace? In reply to such a proposal from a national lawmaker, the National Cultural Heritage Administration said there was no such need.

The Summer palace on the outskirts of China’s capital is a tranquil park with canals, bridges, pagodas, ginkgo tone ruins, and a few traditional buildings. Despite still covering a large area, the site today represents only a shadow of what stood before.The ruins have long been a potent symbol of China's"humiliation"at the hands of foreign powers.

In 1860, British and French troops looted and burned the Summer Palace in response to the killings of 20 European emissaries during the Second Opium War: Forty years later, it was further damaged by a coalition of foreign nations. Historian Bernard Brizay described these acts of cultural destruction as equivalent to invaders blowing up the Palace of Versaille (凡尔赛宫), looting thousands' of priceless artworks from the Louvre((卢浮宫), and burning France's national library to the ground。

Since rebuilding the Old Summer Palace was first proposed in 1980, there has been an ongoing public debate about whether its ruins should be left to stand as a permanent reminder of China's dark history. The state-run newspaper Guangming Daily called the remains of the Summer Palace "the most realistic teaching materials" for instilling a patriotic education. "Though humiliating, they cause people to think, "an author wrote. “They use a cruei reality to tell all Chinese people: Those who fall behind are struck down, while the strong rise and prosper.”

Those in the rebuild camp want to recapture old glory, but they don't understand the importance of cultural relics. A ruin like Yuan Ming Yuan is a historical record. In this case the history includes its destruction by fire. If you rebuild, you erase the record.

1. What does the underlined word"shadow"mean in paragraph 2?

A．The dark shape that the palace made on the ground

B．The strong and bad influence of the palace

C．The shame that the palace suffered from its history

D．The inseparable follower of the palace

2. Why are the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre mentioned in paragraph 3?

A．To imply that they are also cultural heritage

B．To contrast Chinese palace with French palace

C．To report these palaces were destroyed severely

D．To indicate the damage to the Summer Palace was unbearable

3. Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage?

A．The authorities have made specific comments on the lawmaker's proposal.

B．The European troops destroyed the palace in revenge for their loss of emissaries.

C．The palace is a living textbook as a negative example.

D．The disgrace of what the palace experienced shakes people' love for the country.

4. What is the author most likely to agree with?

A．Rebuilding palace won't hide scars.

B．Reproducing the palace history is humiliating.

C．Bringing back the palace's glory can be expected.

D．Whether the palace should be rebuilt remains to be seen.

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

A.fascination   B.luxury   C.adventurers     D. snow-capped   E.significantly   F.accessible G. hopefully   H. vast   I.draw   J.tempted     K.accommodate

Few countries have such a diverse and appealing“ Outdoors” as the USA. The landscape is     1     varied and spectacular. In the west there are Rocky Mountains with their     2     peaks, and in the east the forest-covered Appalachians, whose highest

summit is nearly 7000 feet. There is also an abundance of waterfalls, rivers, lakes that are small and intimate or     3     like the Great Lakes. In winter and spring, tourists are     4     by the clear skies and breathtaking multi-colored rocks of Arizona,Colorado and New Mexico.

Everything worth seeing in the USA is     5     to picnickers and vacationers by highways and unpaved secondary roads, which     6     people to places from where where they can push off onto the wilderness. Once in the wilderness,the chief worry will be, not how to avoid other hikers, but how not to get lost!

Many Americans, young and old, prefer camping in vehicles called"campers”. There exist many different kinds from the extremely extravagant to the cheap convertible pick-up truck. There are monster campers with every imaginable     7    , from deep freezers and microwave ovens, to plush carpets and color television sets.They can     8     four people comfortably.

Horseback riding also holds a     9     for many but it's a more expensive sport.There are ranches in Texas and other border states where you can stay and live the life of a cowboy or cowgirl. Other great outdoor pastimes for     10     can be skiing in the Rockies and hunting in Alaska, surfing, waterskiing in Florida.

9 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

In Europe, more than half of 100 designers employed in the car-making industry are art graduate. Carmakers such as Audi, Jaguar and Ford all have artists designing new cars for the future. It goes without saying that new models are incorporating the latest technology. However, increasingly the cars of tomorrow are designed with artistic styles. Nowadays, customers demand that their new cars look as up-to-date and fashionable as possible.

Artists are not only designing cars. Increasingly, art students are influencing modern architecture, including the designing of new buildings. Artists are also helping with the restoration of old buildings by using specialized techniques learnt at art school.

Interestingly, artists are also finding ways of making life easier for us. Recently, one young artist has received a design award for a lifting aid. The newly-designed aid is a simple supportive framework that helps people who care for the weak or sick to lift their patients more easily. Another art student has received an award for creating a revolutionary baby feeder. The artist invented a tool that allows parents to feed small children with only one hand.

The marriage between art and business is set to continue. Industry recognizes the importance and value of young artists designing for the future. As one art professor commented, “Today, people understand that problems can be solved using artists’ eyes.”

10 . A New Exhibition Explores the Science and Math in Children’s Book Illustrations

Think back to a favorite picture book, the one where the edges of the cover grew worn and a few pages loosened from the binding after so many readings. Perhaps it was the unfolding story or the vivid illustrations that enthralled a young you.     1    .

“Picture books are some of the first memories I have for looking at and understanding the world around me,” says J.D. Talasek, the director of the Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences. But one doesn’t have to be a child to find delight and wonder in images from children’s books. That’s the premise behind a new exhibition, “Igniting the Imagination,” which opened this week at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in Washington D.C.

The exhibition features 29 artworks from the collection of children’s book illustrations at the Mazza Museum, located at the University of Findlay in Ohio.     2    In one, an old gentleman wearing glasses and his companion, a young boy in a red T-shirt, lean to the side as they feel the centrifugal force of a rollercoaster’s curve. The man’s hat floats above and behind him, pushed off by the wind of his motion. In another, sea turtles appear to take off like a flock of sea-green-colored birds from a tower of pink, branching coral.

    3     The oldest is from Project Boy by Lois Lenski, published in 1954, and shows a group of children building a fort out of “junk.” The subjects range from the magic of math to the biology of a decaying log to the engineering of a skyscraper.

“The exhibit is framed through these disciplines, but it uses the power of art to help make broader connections to how inventions, practices and discoveries frame our experiences,” Talasek says.

The museum’s collection was born in 1982, as part of a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Findlay College, the university's predecessor institution. Jerry Mallett, a professor of education at the time, spearheaded the establishment of the children's book illustration collection.     4     The artworks include a diversity of styles and media.

A．What began as four pieces then has grown to more than 10,500 now through donations and acquisitions.

B．Most likely it was the view the book offered into a different world.

C．The illustrations come from books that span the past half-century.

D．In 1938, the American Library Association (ALA) began presenting annually the Caldecott Medal to the most distinguished children’s book illustration published in the year.

E．Each illustration explores the worlds of science, engineering or medicine.

F．Many wonderful free picture books for children are available to read, download, and print.