1 . Welcome to your future life!
You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. Your face is firm and young-looking. In 2045, medical technology is better than ever. Many people at your age could live to be 150, so at 40, you’re not old at all. And your parents just had an anti-aging (抗衰老的) treatment. Now, all three of you look the same age!
You say to your shirt, “Turn red.” It changes from blue to red. In 2045, “smart clothes” contain particles (粒子) much smaller than the cells in your body. The particles can be programmed to change clothes’ color or pattern.
You walk into the kitchen. You pick up the milk, but a voice says, “You shouldn’t drink that!” Your fridge has read the chip (芯片) that contains information about the milk, and it knows the milk is old. In 2045, every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip.
It’s time to go to work. In 2045, cars drive themselves. Just tell your “smart car” where to go. On the way, you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve. Such “smart technology” is all around you.
So will all these things come true? “For new technology to succeed,” says scientist Andrew Zolli, “it has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already.” The Internet is one example—what will be the next?
1. What can we learn from the text that in the future?| A．People will never get old. | B．Everyone will look the same. |
| C．Red will be the most popular color. | D．Clothes will change their pattern. |
| A．Milk will be harmful to health. |
| B．More drinks will be available for sale. |
| C．Food in the grocery store will carry electronic information. |
| D．Milk and meat in the grocery store will stay fresh much longer. |
| A．Nothing can replace the Internet. |
| B．Fridges will know what people need. |
| C．Jacket sleeves can be used as a guide. |
| D．Cars will be able to drive automatically (自动地). |
| A．Future technology in daily life. |
| B．Medical treatment of the future. |
| C．Food and clothing in many years later. |
| D．The reason for the success of new technology. |
2 . If you are crazy about paintings, you shouldn’t miss the following four famous masterpieces which have stood the test of time.
The Arnolfini Portrait
Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, an oil painting on wood produced in 1434, in which a man and a woman hold hands with a window behind him and a bed behind her, is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces in the National Gallery, London. This painting is as visually interesting as it is famed. It is also an informative document in fifteenth-century society, through Van Eyck’s heavy use of symbolism—while husbands went out to engage in business, wives concerned themselves with domestic duties.
The Starry Night
Vincent van Gogh painted The Starry Night, oil on canvas, a moderately abstract landscape painting of an expressive night sky over a small hillside village, during his 12-month stay at the mental hospital near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France between 1889 and 1890. When the Museum of Modern Art in New York City purchased the painting from a private collector in 1941, it was not well known, but it has since become one of Van Gogh’s most famous works.
The Harvesters
The Harvesters is an oil painting on wood completed by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565. It depicts the harvest time which most commonly occurs within the months of August and September. Nicolaes Jonghelinck, a merchant banker and art collector from Antwerp, commissioned this painting. The painting has been at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City since 1919.
Guernica
Guernica, a large black-and-white oil painting, was painted by the Cubist Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso in 1937. The title “Guernica” refers to the city that was bombed by Nazi planes during the Spanish Civil War. The painting depicts the horrors of war and as a result, has come to be an anti-war symbol and a reminder of the tragedies of war. Today, the painting is housed at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofaí in Madrid.
1. Which of the following paintings was produced earliest?| A．The Arnolfini Portrait. | B．The Starry Night. |
| C．The Harvesters. | D．Guernica. |
| A．It was painted on wood in oil. |
| B．It wasn’t widely recognized before 1940s. |
| C．It described the painter’s life in hospital. |
| D．It was given away to the museum by a private collector. |
| A．Pieter Bruegel the Elder. | B．Vincent van Gogh. |
| C．Jan van Eyck. | D．Pablo Picasso. |
3 . It was the last day of the final examination in a university. On the steps of one building, a group of students who majored in engineering were talking about the exam that was going to begin in a few
Some talked of jobs they already had; others talked of jobs they would get. With the certainty of four years of college, they felt ready and able to take
The coming exam, they knew, would be an easy task. The professor had said they could
Joyfully they entered the examination room. The professor handed out the papers. And smiles
Three hours had passed
He looked at the
“How many answered four?” Still no hands.
“Three? Two?” The students moved restlessly (不安地) in their seats.
“One, then? Certainly somebody finished
The professor put down the papers.“That is exactly what I
The years have
| A．seconds | B．minutes | C．hours | D．days |
| A．interview | B．discussion | C．education | D．graduation |
| A．care | B．control | C．order | D．place |
| A．borrow | B．read | C．bring | D．buy |
| A．listen to | B．look at | C．refer to | D．talk to |
| A．appeared | B．changed | C．froze | D．stopped |
| A．then | B．as | C．before | D．after |
| A．pleased | B．worried | C．surprised | D．moved |
| A．Not | B．Once | C．Only | D．Even |
| A．all | B．none | C．one | D．it |
| A．wondered | B．enjoyed | C．hated | D．expected |
| A．as | B．because | C．now that | D．although |
| A．exam | B．subject | C．question | D．college |
| A．pass | B．fail | C．take | D．start |
| A．forgotten | B．remembered | C．strengthened | D．weakened |
4 . Babies appear to know how to help those in need, according to researchers who studied signs of altruism in almost 100 children.
Researchers who wanted to see whether children would give up their food to a stranger without encouragement found the kids did just that — even when they were hungry.
The scientists recruited 96 19-month-old children. During the experiments, a child and a researcher sat across from each other. In the control group of the first set of experiments, researchers threw a piece of fruit onto a plate where they couldn’t reach, but the child could. They then waited. In contrast, researchers in the test group pretended to drop the fruit on the plate, then tried and failed to reach it. This signaled to the child that the adult wanted the food.
Among the control group, only 4 percent of the children gave the piece of fruit to the researchers, compared with 58 percent, or over half, in the test group.
Next, the team explored if children would still be generous when it was at a cost to themselves. The first set of experiments was repeated with a separate group of kids before their lunchtime, when they were likely to be hungry. Similarly, 37 percent of the test group handed over their fruit, compared with none in the control group.
The experiments were repeated four times. Researchers got similar results each time. Babies with siblings (兄弟姐妹) and babies from Latino or Asian families shared more of the fruit, the team also found.
Carter Morgan, lead professor of the study, said, “We often think of babies as selfish. But here we find that they are willing to help others even when it comes at some ‘cost’ to the self.”
Addressing why children with siblings or from certain cultural backgrounds were more likely to share their fruit, Morgan said, “We believe this partly reflects what social psychologists call ‘ interdependence’, which stresses on the importance of interpersonal connections and adjusting to others. These social experiences that shape attitudes towards sharing appear to have an effect very early in life.”
1. The underlined word “altruism” most probably means ________.| A．generosity | B．creativity |
| C．friendliness | D．confidence |
| A．They know when to have lunch. |
| B．They understand signals for help. |
| C．They can classify different fruits. |
| D．They can express their needs freely. |
A． |
B． |
C． |
D． |
| A．Attitudes towards sharing change greatly as people get older. |
| B．Babies from families with an only child are not willing to share. |
| C．It’s easier to control babies’ selfish desires when they are hungry. |
| D．Social experiences play a role in affecting babies’ behavior of sharing. |
The story of The Farmer and The Mule (骡子) makes us smile.
When
You see, the farmer thought the mule was not worth
The mule, despite the fact that it was
6 . “They’re following me!” I thought to myself, as I watched the two young men on motorbikes slow down next to me as I drove. “Ignore them. They’ll go away.” I decided and turned my attention back to the road. As a woman living in a big city, such encounters were not new, but I was unusually disturbed by a strange sadness that day. I realized that whenever I stopped at a signal, the two bikers would also pause alongside, staring intently (热切地).
This continued through three traffic signals, leaving no room for doubt. I drove as fast as I could to stay ahead of them, but I couldn’t shake them off for the busy evening traffic. I finally reached home and released a sigh of relief until I realized that they had chased me all the way to my doorstep. Even scarier, they were now off the bike and at the gates, trying to talk to me.
Feeling safer on familiar ground, I turned back to tell them off. “Please don’t get us wrong,” one of them said, his tone low and concerned. “We saw you weeping inside your car and wanted to make sure you were okay.”
I realized in an instant what must have happened. The men had seen me breaking down in my car and followed me out of concern. I thanked them sincerely. My emotions got better at the time. I never saw them again. But even more than 10 years later, I still am struck by their selfless concern for a stranger and remember them with gratitude.
1. Why was it difficult for the author to get rid of the bikers?| A．They rode so fast. | B．The road was crowded. |
| C．She wasn’t good at driving. | D．She wanted to know who they were. |
| A．To ask for help. | B．To figure out why she broke down. |
| C．To make sure that she was fine. | D．To find out where her home was. |
| A．Her weeping in her car. | B．Her unusual driving way. |
| C．Her telling of her trouble. | D．Her stop at every traffic signal. |
| A．Admirable. | B．Hateful. | C．Satisfied. | D．Grateful. |
7 . One evening, Catherine was at home as usual. As her
With a deep love of the environment, Catherine, Davey, and a group of
Catherine and Davey
Being at the right place at the right time became almost normal, and they realized that much of what they
| A．hands | B．balances | C．thoughts | D．positions |
| A．blamed | B．interrupted | C．moved | D．frightened |
| A．dropped | B．cheered | C．found | D．taught |
| A．abandoning | B．shaking | C．raising | D．hiding |
| A．corrected | B．described | C．repeated | D．discovered |
| A．driving | B．fixing | C．riding | D．covering |
| A．slowly | B．secretly | C．helplessly | D．frequently |
| A．heard | B．shared | C．wrote | D．read |
| A．efforts | B．costs | C．problems | D．choices |
| A．time | B．food | C．money | D．room |
| A．equipped | B．supplied | C．decorated | D．filled |
| A．set off | B．broke down | C．headed for | D．held on |
| A．members | B．volunteers | C．tourists | D．reporters |
| A．introduced | B．expected | C．experienced | D．examined |
| A．turn | B．limit | C．compare | D．Devote |
8 . Liu Jichen, 23, a student from Tsinghua University, has developed a WeChat mini-program called “Clear Your Plate”. After a meal, users can open the mini-program and take a picture of their empty plates. Once the image is recognized by the AI(Artificial Intelligence), students can collect points and use them to buy gifts or purchase charity meals to children in impoverished(贫困的) rural areas.
Liu and his team, together with other organizations, launched the “Clear Your Plate” campaign in November for the third year. It has swept over 1,017 universities across the country. The one-month campaign attracted almost 1.6 million participants and collectively reduced food waste by 862 tons and carbon emissions(碳排放) by 3,337 tons.
“Technological innovation is a good way to reduce food waste,” Liu thought. He organized a team of 20 members to work on the project at the end of 2017. To solve the AI’s problem of identifying photos of empty plates, the team spent half a year collecting over 100,000 samples in canteens and restaurants. In 2018, the mini-program was officially put into operation on Oct 16, World Food Day. They then launched a campaign later that year.
“There were so many unknowns in research and development. For our team members, the biggest challenge was whether we were confident enough to complete it,” Liu said. They not only achieved their goal, but now, the mini-program has more than 5 million registered users, according to Liu. “We hope our efforts can start a new trend among the younger generation by encouraging them to cherish(珍惜) their food and develop the habit of thrift(节约),” Liu added.
1. What can we know about the “Clear Your Plate” mini-program?| A．It aims to put an end to waste and encourage thrift. |
| B．Its 6 million users are mostly students. |
| C．It helped reduce food waste by 3,337 tons. |
| D．It is an exchange of food for rewards to help poor children. |
| A．They found it tough to promote the campaign. |
| B．They felt uncertain whether they could complete the project. |
| C．They lacked professional technical support. |
| D．They had difficulty gathering enough samples. |
| A．Optimistic and demanding. | B．Generous and responsible. |
| C．Talented and humorous. | D．Creative and determined. |
| A．A guidebook. | B．A news report. | C．A book review. | D．A textbook. |
9 . Most college students think that there are only two choices after graduation—finding a job or entering graduate school. An opportunity that is often missed is volunteering with an organized volunteer program.
Volunteering provides a year of intention (计划) in a community where recent graduates can learn about the world they are entering, about themselves as individuals (个体) and about their role in this world. It provides intentional time to understand the purpose that drives one as an individual in life. Taking a year off after graduation to volunteer allows students to slow down and really understand where they want their future to lie. Not only this, but students will also be helping others, getting work experience, living in a community and giving back to society.
Volunteering often leads to a job opportunity. A volunteer might stay and work with the organization, shifting from a volunteer position to a paid position. For example, an individual doing volunteer teaching with an organization might be offered a teaching position at their school. Even if the volunteer position does not lead to a paid position, the volunteer should keep in touch with their organization. One reason is that the organization can write letters of recommendation (推荐) for the volunteer’s job applications. What’s more, volunteer experience on a resume could catch the attention of schoolmates from the organization or program who work at a place of employment (雇用). A shared volunteer experience with the manager might help one find a job!
Volunteers have fun together and like helping others a lot. They share a common mission and vision (使命和愿景), continue personal and professional development, and get new ideas about the world around them. They get to know the community, practice their social responsibility, and build their skill set and network with others. Even if volunteers are not paid, they receive these and many other benefits through their service.
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．Why students should volunteer during college. |
| B．What the value of volunteering after graduation is. |
| C．Whether recent graduates should have a yearly plan. |
| D．How to find a volunteer program that works for you. |
| A．To receive a job offer. | B．To find old schoolmates. |
| C．To apply for a new program. | D．To get support when seeking jobs. |
| A．Sharing your future plans. |
| B．Showing your social responsibility. |
| C．Letting others know more about you. |
| D．Catching the attention of your schoolmates. |
| A．To explain what volunteering is. |
| B．To offer new volunteer opportunities. |
| C．To encourage recent graduates to volunteer. |
| D．To discuss whether to volunteer without pay. |
10 . Fitness and exercise play an important role in the development and education of students.
It’s easy for students to get frustrated or distracted (沮丧或分心) when they are sitting doing schoolwork for long periods of time.
Choose a night during the week when the entire family spends time together doing something active. Taking a walk around the block, riding your bikes, or playing in the park are all activities that will help keep your family active while also having fun.
Organized sports like soccer are a great way for students to get the exercise they need while learning other skills like communication.
| A．Try scheduling short homework breaks. |
| B．Children need help to find their interests. |
| C．Take turns planning the activity each week. |
| D．When students exercise their bodies they are also exercising their minds. |
| E．Regular exercise encourages students to connect with the world around them. |
| F．Physical activity is just one of the building blocks of achieving success at school. |
| G．Students can get active by joining other activities or clubs that are organized by their school. |
