1 . Becca was 6 when she was told she had cancer on Sept. 8, 2014. She clearly remembers the bad days of her 26 months of non -stop treatment. Luckily, Becca celebrated her final treatment on Nov. 13, 2016, and she has been cancer-free ever since. But she was thinking about what her life was like while experiencing the treatment.

“I was never able to do much, and that’s what the kids lying in their hospital beds right now experience, asking their mom and dad, ‘When are we leaving? When can I play with my friends?’ So I decided I have to help them.”

In February, 2017, Becca came up with the idea for Knots and Arrows, a company that makes bracelets (手镯) out of swimsuit materials (泳衣布料). Part of the money made from each bracelet goes to the organizations that help people with cancer.

Becca created the company with her father, Gerhard Salmins. Gerhard Salmins once had cancer and already recovered from it. “I would be in the hospital sitting there crying and then my dad would come in and he would play games with me,” she said. “It made me forget about what I was going through” Becca said the name of the organization shows the motto (座右铭) she stuck to through her personal cancer journey.

Her organization has already given thousands of dollars to research organizations and families in need. Becca said she hoped her bracelets would make people remember that great things can result from small changes. “No matter what age you are, what you look like, and how you act, you can make a difference!”she said.

1. What happened to Becca at the end of 2016?

A．She recovered from cancer.	B．She created an organization.
C．She raised a lot of money.	D．She was helped by a company.

2. What do we know about Becca’s father?

A．He showed Becca a famous motto.	B．He fought off cancer successfully.
C．He advised Becca to forget her pain.	D．He named the company Knots and Arrows.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Becca?

A．Negative.

B．Creative.

C．Caring.

D．Clever.

4. In Becca’s opinion, what’s the meaning of her bracelets?

A．To tell us having a motto is important.

B．To prove cancer can be got over successfully.

C．To show there’s always someone who needs help.

D．To make us realize everyone can make a difference.

2 . How similar are language and music?

Language is part of our daily lives, no matter where we live in the world.     1     Both language and music play a huge role in our culture and here are some of their similarities.

Both language and music have a writing system.

In English we record language using the alphabet, which is a collection of letters. Similarly, we use notes (音符) to keep a record of music. Musicians read notes and create meaning in the form of music.     2     By writing pieces of text or music, we are able to share experiences through time. We can read the ideas or hear the composition (作品) of someone who lived hundreds of years ago.

    3    

You can make a good guess at where someone is from by listening to the language he uses. In the same way, we know that styles of music are different around the world, giving us the opportunity to explore many different cultures through their music and providing us with music for every situation.

Both share emotion.

    4     Of course you may be able to see it in my face, but you will know for sure through my words. Similarly, music can sound angry, sad or happy. Music can show you exactly how the composer was or is feeling, and allows us to share that emotion. When you feel happy, you might want to sing and dance to a happy song to celebrate your happiness.     5     I think we have all used music to express or process our emotions, often combining it with language in the form of song lyrics (歌词).

A．Both are expressive.

B．Both vary with culture.

C．How do you know that I am angry?

D．We use language to express our thoughts.

E．Similarly, music is part of many people’s lives.

F．So just as you read English, you can read music.

G．In contrast, you probably also listen to sad music when you are feeling down.

3 . Some students get so nervous before a test. They do poorly even if they know the material. Sian Beilock, a professor at the University of Chicago in Illinois, has studied these highly anxious test-takers. The students start worrying about the results. And when they worry, it actually uses up attention and memory resources (资源).

Professor Beilock and another researcher, Gerardo Ramirez, have developed a possible solution. Just before an exam, highly anxious test-takers spend ten minutes writing about their worries about the test.

The researchers tested the idea on a group of twenty anxious college students. They gave them two short maths tests. After the first one, they asked the students to either sit quietly or write about their feelings about the upcoming second test.

Professor Beilock says those who sat quietly scored an average of 12% worse on the second test. But the students who had written about their fears improved their performance by an average of 5%. Next, the researchers used younger students in a biology class. They told them before final exams either to write about their feelings or to think about things unrelated to the test. Professor Beilock says highly anxious students who did the writing got an average grade of B+, compared to a B- for those who did not.

“What we showed is that for students who are highly test-anxious, who’d done our writing intervention (干预), all of a sudden there was no relationship between test anxiety and performance. They were performing just as well as their classmates who don’t normally get nervous in these tests.”

But what if students do not have a chance to write about their fears immediately before an exam? Professor Beilock says students can try it themselves at home or in the library and still improve their performance.

1. What may the students start worrying about before an exam?

A．Whether they can pass the exams.

B．What other students do during the test.

C．Whether they have remembered the materials.

D．What kind of problems they will meet on the test paper.

2. What is the solution developed by the two researchers?

A．Asking the students to think nothing of the test.

B．Asking the students to focus on the test.

C．Asking the students to sit quietly before the test.

D．Asking the students to write about their worries before the test.

3. According to Professor Beilock, those who thought about things unrelated to the test_____.

A．became less nervous before the test.

B．were better at controlling their feelings.

C．did worse than those who wrote about their feelings.

D．did better than those who took two tests.

4. What can be learned from the last paragraph?

A．Writing about worries before an exam can work a bit.

B．Studying in the library can improve students’ performance.

C．Students can only write about worries right before an exam.

D．It doesn’t matter where to write about worries before an exam.

4 . I have invented robots that crawl(爬)through pipes to check them for damage. Two of my_______allow cars to be used as power plants on wheels. My love of building things_______when I was a kid. It wasn’t until I leaned about Thomas Edison, though, that I really became excited about inventing. 

When I was in fourth grade, our teacher gave us a_______. We had to write to a company and learn about the_______it made. Each student would then give a report in front of the class. I_______the Thomas A.Edison Company.  

Soon after I wrote to the company, our mailman_______a package to me. It contained a book about the life of Thomas Edison. How I_______reading and rereading about his inventions! The ones that impressed me most were movies, recorded sound and the electric light. Edison became my hero. 

My dad noticed my interest in inventing and_______me. He showed me how to turn my ideas into plans and, finally into new things.  

Together, my dad and I repaired radios and televisions. Once, I surprised my dad with a_______I made to adjust the brakes(刹车)of our car. Later, we found a similar tool in a store. That’s when I learned that________inventors often invent similar things. It is not________for this to happen. I learned, too, that not all great ideas work.________is a common part of the inventing process.  

As my father and I worked together, I began to________that my dad was quite an inventor himself. His guiding hands, combined with my________in inventing, led me to become an engineer and inventor. But I am________to Thomas Edison, too, for first lighting that bulb(电灯泡)inside me.

1.

A．approaches

B．experiments

C．inventions

D．conclusion

2.

A．died

B．began

C．fade

D．won

3.

A．project

B．lesson

C．surprise

D．present

4.

A．decisions

B．products

C．orders

D．accounts

5.

A．joined

B．owned

C．started

D．chose

6.

A．opened

B．offered

C．delivered

D．lent

7.

A．enjoyed

B．minded

C．avoided

D．hated

8.

A．stopped

B．blamed

C．controlled

D．encouraged

9.

A．tool

B．promise

C．mistake

D．trick

10.

A．young

B．different

C．great

D．real

11.

A．reasonable

B．improper

C．practical

D．unusual

12.

A．Imagination

B．Failure

C．Happiness

D．Wealth

13.

A．hope

B．suggest

C．realize

D．consider

14.

A．honor

B．difficulty

C．experience

D．interest

15.

A．grateful

B．polite

C．related

D．equal

5 . “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.

2. What can we learn about Sophie?

A．She was given up by her birth mother.

B．She and the author aren’t related by blood.

C．She had a hard time growing up.

D．She hated her birth mother.

3. How does the author feel towards Sophie’s birth mother?

A．Disappointed.

B．Worried.

C．Thankful.

D．Surprised.

6 . When 12, I knew my teen years would be the _______ years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied (欺凌) at school. I felt _______ alone in my small town. _______ , by doing volunteer work when 14, I turned my _______ into a chance to help others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel my life had a greater _______. The more _______ energy shared, the more kindness and appreciation I _______. I realized my purpose in life would be to help people, especially teenagers, feel less alone.

Books were my true friends back then. I was so _______ that the authors wrote those books. The _______ they offered with their books saved my life. My biggest dream was to become an author to write books that would ________ other teenagers as those books helped me.

After ________ terrible experiences at school and at home, I chose to take the positive road in later steps of my journey. I have been a full-time ________ of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach ________ to readers every day.

Kindness saved me ________ I needed help the most. Small acts of kindness can change someone’s life. You never know what someone else is ________. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.

1.

A．best

B．worst

C．calmest

D．craziest

2.

A．completely

B．obviously

C．suitably

D．amazingly

3.

A．Therefore

B．However

C．Besides

D．Finally

4.

A．appreciation

B．impression

C．problem

D．organisation

5.

A．strategy

B．personality

C．purpose

D．style

6.

A．formal

B．suitable

C．negative

D．positive

7.

A．believed

B．arranged

C．received

D．addicted

8.

A．confused

B．obvious

C．fluent

D．thankful

9.

A．comment

B．recommendation

C．accommodation

D．kindness

10.

A．help

B．master

C．honor

D．rescue

11.

A．shocking

B．surviving

C．calming

D．sharing

12.

A．author

B．summary

C．shelter

D．volunteer

13.

A．away

B．in

C．for

D．out

14.

A．when

B．if

C．although

D．because

15.

A．working out

B．making a difference

C．going through

D．working on

7 . Eyes can speak

Much meaning can be conveyed, clearly, with our eyes, so it is often said that eyes can speak.     1    In a bus you may look at a stranger, but not for too long. And if he senses that you are staring at him, he may feel uncomfortable.

The same is true in our daily life. If you are stared at for more than necessary, you will look at yourself up and down to see if there is anything wrong with you.     2    Eyes do speak, right?

Looking too long at someone may seem to be rude and aggressive.     3    If a man stares at a woman for more than 10 seconds and refuses to look away from her, his intentions are obvious. He wishes to attract her attention and let her know that he is admiring her.

However, when two people are engaged in a conversation, the speaker will only look into the listener’s eyes from time to time to make sure that the listener does pay attention to what the former is speaking.     4    If a speaker looks at you continuously when speaking as if trying to control you, you will feel awkward. A poor liar usually exposes himself by looking too long at the victim. He wrongly believes that looking straight in the eye is a sign of honest communication.     5    

Actually, eye contact should be made based on specific relationships and situations.

A．That’s what normal eye contact is all about.

B．But things are different when it comes to staring at the opposite sex

C．Therefore, continuous eye contact is limited to lovers only.

D．On the contrary, it will give him away.

E．After all, nobody likes to be stared at for quite a long time.

F．Do you have such kind of experience?

G．If nothing goes wrong, you will feel annoyed at being stared at that way.

8 . Last weekend, I had an opportunity to serve as a volunteer at a nursing home in another city. I don’t have a car and even the _________ train station is far away from my house. _________， I wasn’t sure how to get there.

I posted a request for a ride on the ride share board. Soon an individual I’d never met _________ that he’d be able to pick me up and drop me off at the station. He said he’d wait until my train arrived before he drove away. My heart _________ and the stress I’d been feeling disappeared immediately and thus our friendship began.

I _________ arriving at the nursing home in time. The tiny team of workers there were _________ for the additional help. We all worked together as a team. I was glad to be a part of this and be of _________ to the elderly.

That evening when my new _________ dropped me off at the station, he noticed that it was in a deserted (空寂无人的) area. So he parked his car and said, “We will wait for the train to come together.” I couldn’t believe his _________.

With five minutes left before the train arrived, he __________ with me stories of his childhood. As a young boy, he __________ to sit near the edge of the railway tracks, waiting __________ for the trains to rush by with all their force. That night he waited with me as my train __________. It didn’t rush by with full force but I left that station __________ the full force of his kindness and generosity. People like him would always __________ me how to love and how to give.

1.

A．best

B．largest

C．closest

D．newest

2.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Instead

D．Otherwise

3.

A．replied

B．joked

C．remembered

D．pretended

4.

A．broke

B．warmed

C．sank

D．changed

5.

A．ended up

B．gave up

C．put off

D．insisted on

6.

A．grateful

B．regretful

C．responsible

D．sorry

7.

A．interest

B．service

C．hope

D．curiosity

8.

A．driver

B．customer

C．neighbor

D．friend

9.

A．bravery

B．confidence

C．courage

D．kindness

10.

A．argued

B．shared

C．discussed

D．compared

11.

A．used

B．refused

C．wished

D．decided

12.

A．unwillingly

B．proudly

C．excitedly

D．embarrassedly

13.

A．started

B．passed

C．stopped

D．approached

14.

A．doubting

B．ignoring

C．feeling

D．wondering

15.

A．warn

B．remind

C．expect

D．promise

9 . Fantastic Fall Festivals You Won’t Want to Miss

Seymour Apple Festival

Admission to the Seymour Apple Festival is free and so is the entertainment! More than 15,000 people from all over the region come out to take part in the activities, ranging from drawings, vendor booths, food, apple contests, bike decorating contests, and more.

Marionville Apple Festival

The popular Marionville Apple Festival is home to countless activities and events. The carnival, pony rides, and games will keep the kids busy, while adults will enjoy watching the pie-eating contest and browsing dozens of craft vendor booths.

Humansville Fall Festival

The Humansville Fall Festival may be hosted by a small town, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking big fun. Perfect for all ages, this fall festival is celebrating its 70th year and will provide three full days of fun. This year’s festival will feature live music from fantastic local musicians, which will definitely make it different from the ones in other years. You’ll also find fun carnival rides, talented artisans selling their goods, and an amazing parade to wrap up the event on Saturday.

Southside Fall Festival

The Southside Fall Festival is perfect for family celebrations, with an alcohol-free environment and free admission. Enjoy a colorful parade and float contest, delicious food vendors, live music, karaoke, and more.

Fall Into Arts Festival

Make sure to bring the kids along for this festival that celebrates all things creative. The Fall Into Arts Festival features a host of kid-friendly activities like a lego build, sand art, bubble stations, chalk the sidewalk, a jump house, and more. Parents will have plenty to do as well, with an excellent variety of artists, festival food, a mini film festival, and much more.

1. Which festivals are free of charge?

A．Seymour Apple Festival and Southside Fall Festival.

B．Southside Fall Festival and Fall Into Arts Festival.

C．Humansville Fall Festival and Fall Into Arts Festival.

D．Seymour Apple Festival and Marionville Apple Festival.

2. What makes Humansville Fall Festival special this year?

A．Fun activities on Saturday.

B．The duration of the festival,

C．The area of the hosting town.

D．Musicians’ live performance.

3. Fall Into Arts Festival is specially welcomed by_________.

A．families with kids	B．modern artists
C．visitors of all ages	D．Movie lovers

10 . For the British, the home is a private place in which he or she goes to hide away from the troubles of life. It is very seldom that one would be invited to a British person’s home. It is rude to knock on a person’s door if you are not invited. If you are invited, don’t ask to see more than the downstairs that your British host invites you into. Never ask how much the house or any of the items in it cost.

To the American, most of them want their home to be a place where they can entertain (款待) and share their lives with their friends. They may be delighted to give you a full tour of their houses. They may also be pleased when you show your interest and pleasure in their houses.

Both British and American people will engage in quite a bit of chat and a drink or two before the meal is served. After the first mouthful, you should say how delicious the food is and ask something about it. Remember, never eat with your mouth open and make very little noise while eating. It would be nice of you to help your host in any way. Maybe offer to pour some drinks or clear up after the meal.

1. If your British friend invites you to his home, you can _________.

A．see anything you like

B．ask how much his house is

C．only see the downstairs that you’re invited into

D．ask the cost of any the items in it

2. When you show your interest and pleasure in American people’s houses, they may be _______.

A．happy

B．angry

C．sad

D．worried

3. What does the underlined phrase “engage in” mean in Chinese?

A．参与

B．陷入

C．回避

D．限制

4. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Different table manners between British and American people.

B．Some manners on visiting British and American people’s home.

C．Different ideas about the home between British and American people.

D．Different ideas about how to get along well with neighbors between British and American people.