1 . Winter is a great time to experiment with new sports. The key is to find one that matches your interests and natural abilities. If you like to walk, keep walking—on snowshoes. If you want to try an endurance sport, go for cross-country skiing. Besides, snowboarding is just great fun.

Not satisfied with these? Try downhill skiing, then. Downhill skiing is not as hard as it used to be—shorter, lightweight, curved skis make any beginner feel like an Olympic winner. These newer skis—along with another type of equipment called ski boards, which are even shorter than skis—help you control your speed and body movements.

Consider testing the latest high-tech skis or snowboards? Check with your local sports shops or the rental places at the ski mountains about sample programmes.

You could also try sledding. Use a wood-framed sled with steel runners or a plastic sled to head down a snowy hill. If you prefer ice to snow, think hockey or figure skating.

Runners can also train during the winter in spite of wet or slippery roads. One of the easiest sports around, snowshoeing can be excellent cold-weather cross-training for runners and cyclists—or anyone wanting to take a wintry walk in the woods. Snowshoes are smaller, lighter, and better than ever. If you want to try them out, you may be able to rent a pair for a day at many of the larger outdoor or sporting goods stores.

Whatever sport you choose, don’t rely on a friend for instruction. You wouldn’t let an inexperienced doctor perform a brain operation on you, but why let one teach you to ski or skate? That’s what instructors are for—to help newcomers start out right. Instructors can give you advice about equipment, techniques, safety, and dealing with injuries if they do happen to you.

Above all, if you want to progress, invest your time in learning the basic skills thoroughly. Everything else you do as a skier, boarder, or skater will be built on these first skills.

1. How many different types of sports are mentioned in the FIRST TWO paragraphs?

A．Six.

B．Five.

C．Four.

D．Three.

2. What do we learn from the passage?

A．Runners and cyclists cannot train because of the wet or slippery roads in winter.

B．Downhill skiing used to be more difficult to learn because of the old-fashioned skis.

C．People cann’t rent snowshoes for a day at their local sports shops or the rental places.

D．In general, first skills are more important in skiing than in snowboarding or skating.

3. Who are the most likely readers of the passage?

A．High school students.	B．Physical educators.
C．Winter sports lovers.	D．Professional athletes.

2 . At the beginning of every school year, I feared coming home with the heavy homework of the first day after a summer of fun. And I feared getting another teacher who had a long list of rules and a stare that could kill a cat.

But there was always one part of beginning a new school year that I enjoyed. I always liked going to the store to arm myself with new school supplies—even if I didn’t need them.

Sure, my pencils, erasers and notebooks from the previous school year may have had some life left in them. But this didn’t matter. Every year, Dad would pile us into the car, take us to Wal-Mart and let us buy the newest and coolest pencils, rainbow-coloured erasers and spiral notebooks.

Besides school supplies, many parents also take their kids on annual shopping spree for new clothes and book bags just in time for school. During the whole process, children are in high spirits, buying a lot of stuff and are back home exhausted.

Every year, most of my classmates and I show up to school on the first day with something smelling like a new car. We’d put our new stationery on top of the desks, just to make sure others see them.

Leftover supplies from past years were always stuffed into the living room desk. Used clothes that had lost their appeal were sent to second-hand shops, where they would be sold for 50 cents a piece.

However, all of the new stuff could only make us excited about going to school for one week, after which the usual boredom and fear come back.

1. What is NOT TRUE about the author at the beginning of a new school year in the passage?

A．He often has to face a new teacher.

B．He doesn’t enjoy the load of work from school.

C．He doesn’t appreciate strict teachers.

D．He obtains new school supplies from the school.

2. Why do the students look forward to getting new pencils every year?

A．Because the old ones are used up.

B．Because new pencils help them to study better.

C．Because they want to show their new stuff off.

D．Because it’s required by the school.

3. The underlined word “spree” in the passage probably means _________.

A．competition	B．considerable embarrassment
C．wild celebration	D．emotional pain

4. How are the old supplies dealt with?

A．They are put aside and forgotten.	B．They are given to poorer children.
C．They are sold online .	D．They are treasured by the students.

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. prizes B. program     C. stages       D. contestants     E. seek       F. right G. normally H. asking     I. benefited J. incorrect        K. broadcasted

Honestly speaking, I’m not a huge fan of TV. When I’m at leisure, I’d rather browse some websites or enjoy a nice movie online. Anyhow, I do have a favorite TV     1    —“Happy Dictionary”, which is a quiz show. In this program, a wide range of     2     are offered to the winners. It’s kind of like “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”, a famous quiz show in America.

In the beginning, the hostess will introduce the five    3    . Then they will be presented a question. The one who answers the question correctly and quickly will be given an opportunity to take the quiz. The quiz is divided into three or four     4    , I can’t remember exactly how many right now. Anyway, the contestant can get each prize after going through each stage. The prizes are randomly decided by participant himself before the quiz, e.g. a computer, a laptop, a digital camera, a free package holiday, things like that. There are three questions in each stage, The way the hostess asks these questions makes the quiz more difficult. For example, when the contestant has given an answer, the hostess will confuse him by asking whether he is sure or not. Someone might at this time change the     5     answer into a wrong one. I really enjoy this part. The contestant can     6     help for only three times during the whole procedure by calling a friend,     7     the audience to vote for the right answer or letting the computer erase one of the wrong answer. Most of the questions are multiple choices.

This program     8     lasts for an hour and is usually     9     at 9:00 pm. For all these years, I think I have     10     a lot from watching this quiz show. Unlike all the sitcoms (情景剧), this is the kind of program in which I can get to participate and rack my brains (苦思冥想).

4 . Saturday 28 April, 2001: Denis Tito was setting off on his holiday. Mr. Tito’s journey was certainly unusual. So was the transport he chose and the price of his trip.

The 60-year-old multi-millionaire from New York was sitting on board a Russian spaceship. He was on a journey to the International Space Station. It might have been a routine trip for the two astronauts who were traveling with him, but for him it was certainly no ordinary journey. Dennis Tito was the first tourist ever in space, and he had paid the sum of $ 20 million to go there. As the spacecraft left the earth’s atmosphere, Tito drank a glass of fruit juice to celebrate and looked down at the earth’s blue-green surface. Two minutes later, he was sick. Luckily, it was only a minor problem. He soon recovered, and from then on enjoyed a smooth journey. When he arrived at the space station, there was a big smile on his face. “A great trip!” he commented. “I love space.”

For a long time space travel was something for heroes. But all this is going to change. Companies like ProSpace are investing large amounts of money in space travel. They want space and space travel to belong to the public, not just governments. There are other plans, like voyages through space from one side of the world to the other. Maybe we will be able to depart from New York at nine o'clock in the morning, and arrive an hour later --- in Tokyo! Such a schedule would allow the business travel to return to New York on the same day, and still have eight hours for a meeting!

1. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Business Travelers.	B．Space Tourists.
C．A space Exploration.	D．A frightening Adventure.

2. According to the passage, Dennis Tito ________.

A．enjoyed his trip very much.	B．was too sick to eat anything in space.
C．suffered a lot during the trip.	D．didn’t think the trip was worthwhile.

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

A．Tito was the first American tourist in space.

B．Tito contributed all of his wealth to his space trip.

C．Tito visited the Russian Space Station during his trip.

D．Space travel has become a routine for Tito since then.

4. It can be expected from the passage that ________.

A．space travel will belong to the public instead of governments.

B．airplanes will some day reach the speed of space vehicles.

C．we will be able to circle the earth within less than an hour.

D．travel between two places on earth will be made through space.

5 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main points of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

You still need a better reason to plant a tree?

Police aren’t cheap and neither are lawyers, judges, and all the other layers that make up the justice system. But trees and some grass, in comparison, are a real bargain, and they prove to be effective in lighting crimes.

Many cities used to launch programs to plant vegetation along roadways to help absorb rainwater. After tracking 14 types of crime in nearby areas, Michelle Kondo, a social scientist found that a variety of crimes including property crimes such as theft and burglary, and violent crimes such as armed fights and mayhem in those areas decreased to 27 percent, a stunning 18 percent fall. Kondo believed the appearance of city trucks and vans in the landscaped areas— for planting and maintenance— was enough to scare away potential criminals.

Kondo’s study also worked on the link between grassland care and decrease of the crime in downtown areas. It’s tempting to use income as the connection. After all, if you have the crime and money to water your lawn, you probably live in a neighborhood that sees less crime. But actually, people are less likely to hang in those areas where the streets are maintained or cleaned. “You will see less kids hanging on the corners.’’ Kondo said. He argued that caution of the local people implied by the organized greenery helped to frighten away ill-intentioned guys, by announcing to would-be criminals that there are “eyes on the street’’ that care for their neighborhood and would be more likely to report a crime.

We already know greenery is beautiful to look at and can help improve mood and health while reducing pollution. Now we can add crime-fighting to the list of vegetation’s many benefits. Therefore, are you ready to plant a tree?

6 . You may be familiar with the statistic that 90% of the world’s data were created in the last few years. The biggest setback with such a rate of information increase is that the present moment will always emerge far larger than the past. Short-sightedness is built into the structure, in the form of an overwhelming tendency to over-estimate near-term messages at the expense of history.

To understand why this matters, consider the findings from social science about ‘recency bias (倾向)’, which describes the tendency to assume that future events will closely resemble recent experience. People tend to base thinking disproportionately on whatever comes most easily to mind.

It’s also worth remembering that novelty tends to be a dominant consideration when deciding what data to keep or delete. Out with the old and in with the new. That’s the digital trend in a world where search algorithms (算法) are systematically biased towards freshness. They are designed in line with human preference. Such a bias towards the present is structurally rooted in the human weakness that we keep deserting things we once cherished simply because we grow tired of them.

What’s really needed is something thought of as “intelligent forgetting”: learning to let go of the immediate past in order to keep its larger continuities in view. It’s an act similar to organising a photograph album— although with more maths. When are two million photographs less valuable than two thousand?

Many data sets are irreducible and most precious when complete: gene sequences; demographic (人口的) data; the raw, hard knowledge of geography and physics. The softer the science, however, the more that scale is likely to be reversely connected with quality. In these cases, time itself is rather important as a touch stone to judge the value of data. Either we choose carefully what endures, matters and meaningfully captures our past— or its toot print is silently replaced by the present’s growing noise. Mere gathering is no cure-all answer. In an era of bigger and bigger data, the leading warning for those who have to make decisions is that what you choose not to know matters just as much as what you do.

1. What is the major problem with the explosion of recent information?

A．Trends are too quickly produced.

B．People have poor eyesight alter viewing too much information.

C．Present information is given too much emphasis.

D．Prediction for future development largely depends on the past information.

2. What causes widespread preference for newness?

A．That algorithms requires the latest to make accurate prediction.

B．That humans are accustomed to losing interest in old things.

C．That short renewed period is the feature of modern data.

D．That search algorithms keep uncovering the value of the newness.

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

A．Recent past experience is rarely used to provide reference for future events.

B．The quality of geographic knowledge depends on photo sorting rather than full data.

C．Intelligent forgetting refers to replacing the immediate past with far-back data.

D．Time helps us to evaluate data when the quality isn’t in line with quality.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The side effect of digital innovation.

B．The values of complete data in softer subjects.

C．The data discrimination caused by algorithms.

D．The faulty preference for fresh data and ways out.

7 . These summer festivals in New Orleans are few of the hottest happenings the City has to offer for holiday seekers.

Oyster Festival

There’s an old saying that it’s only safe to eat oysters in months ending in ‘R’, which was good advice in the age before refrigeration became a fashion. And that’s exactly why originally the New Orleans Oyster Festival was held in June, to break up the myth as locals never bothered to preserve the creatures with their habit of directly eating the seafood, fresh from the sea. Today, featuring oysters harvested from the Gulf of Mexico, Oyster Fest is a celebration of the world’s favorite food. If you’ve ever wanted to enjoy the legendary oysters at Drago’s where the recipe originated or take a bite out of an oyster the size of a hamburger. Oyster Fest is for you.

When to Co: June 3-4

Essence Festival

New Orleans holds a special place in African-American life and history so it should be no surprise the city hosts a festival celebrating African-American music and culture in the United States. With free admission, Essence Festival, organized by the African-American women’s magazine of the same name, is a combination of tour days of dynamic speeches and a showcase of African-American artists.

When to Co: June 29-July 2

Cajun-Zydeco Festival

Southern Louisiana is home to a variety of rich, unique cultures, and on a weekend in June in New Orleans, one of them— Cajun— is on lull display. The heart of Cajun country is in south-central Louisiana, a strong showcase of Cajun culture, for which the Cajun-Zydeco Festival emerged. On the particular weekend, you get ready to chew down on traditional food like Cajun gumbo at eateries, buy Cajun crafts, and purchase a Cajun T-shirt.

When to Co: June 24-25

Running of the Bulls

Due to its history, the Spanish influence still shows itself in New Orleans. The architectural style of the French Quarter is actually from Spain, and New Orleans’s annual Running of the Bulls is, in part, a nod to the city’s Spanish heritage. Unlike the Spanish festival in Pamplona, the “bulls” in the Fest are not actual bulls but the women of the Big Roller derby team. However they do chase down white-and=red-clothed festival-goers, if infuriated. Therefore behave yourself or be prepared to run tor life.

When to Co: JuIy7-9

1. Why was New Orleans Oyster Festival held in June in the first place?

A．Because refrigerator could be used to store oysters.

B．Because it was not easy for oysters to go bad in summer.

C．Because oysters could be cooked in various ways to extend storage period.

D．Because New Orleans oysters were usually seized raw.

2. The underlined word “infuriated” is closest in meaning to ______.

A．exhibited	B．color-blinded
C．angered	D．cheated

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

A．Oyster Festival nowadays is designed for people seeking the history of oyster harvest.

B．Essence Festival celebrates the freedom of African-American women.

C．Cajun-Zydeco Festival is mainly celebrated through dining and shopping.

D．New Orleans has been stripped of Spanish influence.

4. In which magazine does the passage most probably appear?

A．Vacation Guide.	B．Genuine Recipe.
C．Architecture Vision.	D．Music Billboard.

8 . Most of us have no difficulty recognizing luck when it’s on apparent display, as when someone wins the lottery. But _________ often plays out in delicate ways and it’s easy to construct narratives that portray success as out of everything but luck. These misleading stories have surprising implications for human mindset, downplaying the power of chances.

Consider the history of the Mona Lisa. After having staved in the _________ for most of its early existence, the painting was pushed into the spotlight in 1911 when it was stolen from Louvre. The famous theft remained _________ for two years until a maintenance worker was arrested after trying to sell the painting. His arrest caused a second wave of _________, with the painting on everyone’s lips. As in the art world, it is so too in the world of work. Almost every career path consists of a sequence of steps, each of which depends on former ones. Inevitably, some of those _________ steps can be influenced by chance factors, which, as a result, are sure to affect the following process. So it is reasonable to conclude that _________ all successful careers involve at least a certain degree of luck.

One’s date of birth _________, for example. According to a study, most children born in the summer tend to be among the youngest members of their class, which explains why they are less likely to hold _________ positions during high school and thus, less likely to land good jobs later in life.

To acknowledge the power of chance events is not to suggest that success is independent of _________. Charlie Munger has said. “The safest way to get what you want is to __________ what you want.”

Of course, luck counts too. Being born in a good education system is a kind of luck we can control— that is, at least we can decide how lucky our children will be. But in America, we’ve been doing a bad job as the budget for education has __________. The human tendency to __________ luck’s role has caused this troubling state by unwillingness to invest in education, the strong system of which can produce __________ for the next generation.

Luckily, there is a solution. Guiding people to __________ their good fortune tends to make them more willing to contribute to the __________, according to a study. So try to engage your successful friends in reviews about their experiences with luck. In the process, the next generation’s odds of success may well increase and meanwhile, all the social members are more likely to enjoy the improved public service.

1.

A．randomness

B．potential

C．masterpiece

D．success

2.

A．emergency-

B．maintenance

C．review

D．shade

3.

A．accidental

B．unsolved

C．official

D．objective

4.

A．protest

B．suspicion

C．publicity

D．investigation

5.

A．previous

B．negative

C．realistic

D．entire

6.

A．virtually

B．sustainably

C．adequately

D．negatively

7.

A．occurs

B．contracts

C．matters

D．approaches

8.

A．accessible

B．original

C．superior

D．secure

9.

A．effort

B．logic

C．relationship

D．investment

10.

A．deserve

B．evaluate

C．modify

D．exploit

11.

A．shone

B．shrunk

C．ballooned

D．flown

12.

A．preserve

B．popularize

C．underestimate

D．revolutionize

13.

A．challenge

B．luck

C．motivation

D．experience

14.

A．reflect on

B．save on

C．adjust to

D．live on

15.

A．mutual understanding

B．mental fitness

C．family value

D．common good

9 . A line of men tugged on ropes and dropped from the ship into the sea, with a group of Saibs prepared to pull them later from the sea bottom. Nasser, one of the divers, climbed over the railing of the ship and his Saib emptied his basket full of shells onto the deck.

“Get me something to fill my stomach with, boy.” I knew he was teasing as he is my father’s good friend.

“But I’m no longer an errand boy. I’m a diver, like my father was.”

“Your father was bald and deaf, like the rest of us,” Nasser laughed.

The salty Arabian Gulf produced the finest pearls in the world while the salty water also made divers lose their hair. Let alone the high pressure which cost them their hearing. I had shaved my head, in which way I felt more like a real diver. Of course, there’s no need for me to worry about the hair problem.

“I’ve dived the shallow seas before, and I can hold my breath fora whole minute.”

“Just pull your rope before you feel breathless.” He then disappeared into the water again.

I tied a heavy stone to my foot with a rope. Taking one more deep breath. I plugged my nose and jumped. With the stone finally hitting the seabed with a thump. I freed my foot from the rope. I scratched at the rocky ridge (脊), when three oysters dropped into my hands. I even didn’t have enough time to feel surprised at how easy the job was before I felt breathless.

Out of honor, I dragged the rope. Knowing that, tar above, the Saib’s strong arms strained to pull me toward the surface. I reminded myself to endure for a little more time. Just when I thought my lungs would burst, my cars popped and there was light.

Nasser burst through the water. He removed his nose plug and grinned at me looking at the three pitiful shells on the deck. “Not bad for an errand boy.” Seeing me upset with my head down, he patted me “It’s your first for such a depth. You did better than all of us.” Cheering up, I wrapped the empty basket around my neck and raised my chin, “I’m a pearl diver.”

1. According to Nasser, what did an errand boy usually do?

A．Pull divers from the sea.	B．Empty baskets for divers.
C．Serve snacks for divers.	D．Dive for shells.

2. Why did the author have his hair cut?

A．Because he tried to avoid losing hair.

B．Because all divers had shaved hair.

C．Because high pressure made him bald.

D．Because he wanted to look professional.

3. Why did the author get little harvest?

A．Because there were not many pearls in the area.

B．Because he still lacked experience in the job.

C．Because the Saib pulled him up too early without permission.

D．Because the rocky ridge was too rough.

10 . Deep below the ground, radioactive elements break up water molecules（分子）, producing ingredients that can fuel subsurface life. This process, known as radio-lysis（辐射分解）, has sustained bacteria in isolated, water-filled cracks on Earth for millions to billions of years. Now a study published in Astro-biology shows that radiolysis may have supported life in the Martian subsurface.

Dust storms, rays in the universe and solar winds ruin the Red Planet's surface. But below-ground, some life might find refuge. "The environment with the best chance of habitability on Mars is the subsurface," says Jesse Tarnas, a planetary scientist at NASA. Examining the Martin underground could help scientists learn whether life could have survived there. And the best subsurface samples available today are Martin meteorites（陨石）that have crash-landed on Earth.

Tarnas and his colleague evaluated the mineral makeup and radio-active element abundance in the Martin surface using satellite and rover data. They input these data into a computer model that simulated（模拟）radiolysis to see how efficiently the process would have generated hydrogen gas and other chemical ingredients that can sustain the underground bacteria. The researchers report that if water was present, radiolysis in the Martin subsurface could have sustained life for billions of years and perhaps still could today.

Scientists previously studied Mars radiolysis, but this marks the first estimate using Martin rocks to quantify the planet's subsurface habitability. Tarnas and his colleagues also evaluated the potential richness of life in the Martin underground and found that as many as a million bacteria could exist in a kilogram of rock.

The most habitable meteorite samples analysed appeared to be made of a rock type called regolith breccia. "These are thought to come from the southern highlands of Mars, which is the most ancient area on Mars," Tarnas says.

Underground life, as described by this research, would require water and it remains unknown if groundwater exists on the planet, says Lujendra Ojha, a planetary scientist at Rutgers University. Determining whether the Martin subsurface contains water will be an important next step, but this investigation helps to motivate that search. Ojha says, "Where there is groundwater, there could be life."

1. Scientists believe the Martian subsurface might be habitable probably because _________.

A．the Martin surface absorbs rays in the universe

B．radio-lysis may exist in the Martian underground

C．radiation combines ingredients for subsurface life to survive

D．cracks in Martian meteorites overflow with bacteria

2. What's the purpose of using Martian meteorites?

A．To measure the Martian habitability below-ground

B．To simulate the process of producing hydrogen.

C．To help life find shelter from solar winds

D．To explore the source of hydrogen gas.

3. What can be inferred from the last 3 paragraphs?

A．Tarnas was the first to study Mars radiolysis.

B．The Martian underground proved to be rich in bacteria.

C．The southern highlands of Mars are the most habitable.

D．The existence of groundwater is key to the investigation findings.

4. The passage is mainly concerned with _________.

A．the reason for no life on the Martian surface

B．the source of data for the study of Martian habitability

C．the possibility of Mars sustaining life through radiation

D．the richness of radioactive elements below the Martian surface