2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Curly the robot beats athletes at curling

A robot has beaten top-class humans at the sport of curling (冰壶运动). Klaus-Robert Muller at the Berlin Institute of Technology in Germany and his workmates built the robot,    1    (call) Curly, to master the sport.

In curling, players slide heavy stones down an icy path towards a target (宫垒). Players compete in two teams of four, with most players    2    (take) turns to “throw” a stone or to use brooms (冰壶刷)    3    (sweep) the ice in front of a moving stone. Points are given for stones closest    4     the centre of the target and a team wins by having the highest score.

Curly won three out of four     5    (match) against top-class South Korean women’ s curling teams. The robot throws stones, but doesn’t sweep.

Placed on wheels, the robot has     6     long neck with a video camera to check     7     stones are. Curly’s     8    (power) learning program takes into consideration the position (位置) of other stones and the state of the ice when deciding the next moves. Once the game     9    (begin), Curly continuously learned how to improve on    10    (it) earlier moves, based on the errors it had made.

4 . Learning to read provides foundation for future learning in all areas of study. And experts say students need to have a working knowledge of 10,000 words. Now, a new vocabulary program claims to greatly speed up a child’s understanding of language.     1     , which uses pictures and short word exercises to improve a student’s performance on tests.

Sofia Fenichell created the system.     2     “We call it the 10,000-word journey. We believe that children can master these words from the age of seven to 17. And they don’t have to cram (临时 死记硬背).     3    . We’ re accelerating their ability to communicate, as well as improving their reading and writing”   she said.

Each word in the Mrs. Wordsmith system of teaching has a child-friendly definition.     4    .

For example, the word shriveled is defined as “ wrinkled, like hippo skin that’s been in the bath too long. ” Underneath the definition is a drawing of a very wet hippopotamus. There are also exercises to help strengthen the student’s understanding.

Fenichell spoke at a recent education technology show in London.     5    . “The teachers are reporting back that the kids love it. They want to do more, they’ re putting it in their writing, and they’re learning more words. It’s so easy to teach them the vocabulary. Little children are using words like： ‘ the brazen(厚颜无耻的)attitude of the British in World War Two’ , and teachers are writing to us and saying they can’t believe how much their writing has improved. ”

Mrs. Wordsmith is now set to expand into schools in other countries, including the United States.

A．Words bring meaning to life

B．It is called Mrs. Wordsmith

C．Children will search for the right words to use

D．And each word has a picture showing how the word is used

E．She said the Mrs. Wordsmith system has been popular in schools across Britain

F．She worked with researchers from Cambridge University in Britain to develop the list of words

G．These words are typically the words they find in the books they read, in newspapers, in adult conversation

5 . Fun facts about Antarctica

At the southernmost point of the world, you find Antarctica a giant mass of ice that’s its own continent. You, may not know much about the continent, so why not read on?

There’ s a lake that runs blood red in Antarctica.

As though someone has cut into the ice, the properly named Blood Falls come out over the Taylor Glacier. The water is extremely high in iron and salt, and when it comes into contact with the air, it shows the special red color against the pure white surroundings. The water here is three times saltier than ocean water, and therefore, too salty to become ice.

Antarctica has its own treaty (条约).

Because the environment of Antarctica is so delicate and unique, there is a treaty saying that only peaceful research can be done there. In 1959, 12 countries signed this treaty, with the number now sitting at 53. This also makes it certain that Antarctica doesn’t end up being caught in an international conflict, and that the continent is only used for scientific purposes and sensible traveling. The treaty prevents army and nuclear activities, and also mineral mining.

There is a unique phenomenon in Antarctica called diamond dust.

While there are low levels of precipitation (降水) in Antarctica, that doesn’t mean the air is clear of nature’s beauty! The air is so cold there that moisture (水汽) can condense while air-borne. This results in ice falling to the ground. The sun’s light will cause the ice to shine, creating a shining shower called diamond dust. It happens when the skies are clear, known as clear-sky precipitation.

If any of these Antarctic facts have increased your interest in visiting this unique continent, be sure to get in touch with the team al Aurora Expeditions today.

Phone：+61 (0)2 9252 1033

1. What do we know about the Blood Falls?

A．The water has been polluted.	B．The water comes from a river.
C．The water is rich in iron and salt.	D．The water usually freezes in winter.

2. The last fun fact is mainly about________.

A．where moisture comes from	B．how diamond dust is formed
C．where diamond dust can be found	D．how precipitation can be increased

3. What is the text most probably?

A．A tour report.	B．research plan.
C．An advertisement.	D．An exploration guide.

9 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

For as long as I can remember. I have spent every Sunday afternoon until I was a teen, around the table at Grandma’s house. As soon as Grandma and I would return from Sunday Morning Mass at St Joseph’s Parish. Grandma got started on the meatball.

Ever since I was just two years old, Grandma would always allow me, her only granddaughter at the time, to sneak a meatball before dinner was served. There was something about that snuck meatball. For some reason, it tasted so much better than the one she placed beside my macaroni, once we all sat down. My Italian Gamma had a way of keeping an eye on all of her meatballs, to make sure no one snuck a meatball but me, who she gave that special VIP sneak. How did she do it? Well, she would make my “before dinner meatball” slightly bigger than the rest.

The meatball stealing games was all fun until Jeanine came along. Allow me to introduce you to my sister Jeanine, my Gramma’s second granddaughter born five years after me, just three years after I fell in love with Gramma’s yummy meatballs.

My younger sister Jeanine was quite the fussy eater. She did not care that her gramma made the world’s best meatballs, or that our mama made almost as yummy meatballs as her mother did. All Jeanine cared about was being done with dinner as fast as possible so she can go back to playing, and so she can get her evening snack, cocoa and popcorn. Jeanine knew the rules. She knew no snack unless you finish your dinner at least 90 percent. Jeanine was not giving up her favourite snack. She knew she had to develop a plan! She did indeed!

注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

So, one day when she was given a meatball on her plate, she stole that meatball.

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One day my mother noticed that something smelt funny in our closet.

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10 . America’s youth is turning its back on tobacco. According to a study recently published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarette smoking among US high school students is at an all-time low. One in 5 US high school students in 2016 reported using a tobacco product within the past 30 days, an improvement from 1 in 4 students just one year before.

“These findings show the importance of continuing to implement the evidence-based strategies that we now work to reduce all forms of tobacco product use, including e-cigarettes, among our nation’s youth,” says Brian King, of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health and senior author of the study.

And it’s not just tobacco: Drug use among US teens is down across the board. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has published annual reports on US teens’ drug use since 1996, and the 2016 survey shows the lowest rates of illegal drug and alcohol use. Marijuana (大麻) use remained “mostly steady”. “It is encouraging to see more young people making healthy choices not to use illegal substances,” says former National Drug Control Policy Director Michael Botticelli.

All individual forms of tobacco such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, and smoke-less tobacco saw declines in usage in 2016. Experts are especially encouraged by the decline in cigarettes, the most popular tobacco product among teens. In 2016, 11.3 percent of high school students reported using e-cigarettes, down from 16 percent in 2015.

Dr. King says adaptation is key to the decline of e-cigarettes. “We have over a half-century of science telling students about the harmful effects of tobacco use and what works best to prevent it,” says King. “E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among our nation’s youth, and it’s critical that our proven strategies are modernized to keep pace with the changing tobacco product landscape.”

1. What does the underlined word “implement” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Delay.

B．Perform.

C．Schedule.

D．Control.

2. What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．US teens’ drug use has decreased.

B．There are many forms of tobacco.

C．E-cigarettes are popular among US teens.

D．The strategies are put forward by experts.

3. What may be the experts’ attitude towards future declines in cigarette use?

A．Disapproving.

B．Suspicious.

C．Favorable.

D．Ambiguous.

4. What would be the best title of the text?

A．US teen tobacco use declines.	B．High percent of teen tobacco use.
C．The harmful effects of tobacco use.	D．The strategies to reduce tabasco use.