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D．7/24 customer service.

2 . Jose Hernandez made his dream of becoming an astronaut a reality and he did so despite unbelievable difficulties.

“I was working in a field near Stockton, and I heard on my radio that Franklin Chang-Diaz had been selected for the Astronaut Corps," said Jose, who was a senior in high school at the timed was already interested in science and engineering, Jose remembered, "but that was the moment I said, "I want to fly in space.' "

As one of four children in a migrant（移民）farming family from Mexico, Jose - who didn't learn English until he was 12 years old - spent much of his childhood traveling with his family from Mexico to southern California each March, then working northward to the Stockton area by November, picking strawberries and cucumbers at farms along the route. They would then return to Mexico for Christmas and start the cycle all over again in the spring. "Some kids might think it would be fun to travel like that,“ Jose laughed, "but we had to work”.

After graduating from high school, Jose was admitted into the University of the Pacific, In 1987, he accepted a full-time job with Lawrence National Laboratory. In 2001, Jose joinedtheJohnson Space Center, where he came face-to-face with Franklin Chang-Diaz.

“We actually had common experiences —asimilar upbringing, the same language issues. That built up my confidence. Any barriers that existed, he had already overcome them.” Jose smiled. "Now it's my turn!^,,

“NASA rejected me not once, not twice, not three times but 11 times. It wasn't until the 12th time that I got selected, he said. Jose was selected as part of the 19th class of astronauts in 2004. He circled the globe 217 times but remains a down to Earth guy.

Jose Hernandez received the 2016 National Hispanic Hero Award and he continues his long history in the field of engineering and space.

1. What made Jose determined to be an astronaut?

A．The influence of Astronaut Corps.

B．The success of Franklin Chang-Diaz.

C．His interest in science and engineering.

D．The experience of working in the field.

2. What can we learn about Jose as a child?

A．He did much farm work.	B．He travelled a lot for fun.
C．He hated learning English.	D．He obeyed his family in everything.

3. How did Jose feel when he met Franklin Chang-Diaz personally?

A．Inspired.

B．Valued.

C．Relaxed.

D．Puzzled.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Climb over Barriers	B．Reach for the Stars
C．Work the Hard Way	D．Learn from Your Past

3 . Texas has been one of the most restrictive gun-rights states in America.Thanks to a new law,however,the state will be one of the most relaxed,to the degree that police are discouraged from even asking about someone's guns. And if they do, they may not have much power to do anything if the person refuses to show a license.

To be sure, the law is strict in its own way,offering a model for regulation. Under the law, open-carry citizens have to be licensed, a process that includes safety and shooting tests. They also have to show no prior psychological problems, and they have to be at least 21 years old.

It is true that gun violence dropped sharply after restrictive laws were put in place in countries like Great Britain and Australia. However,the US public seems more interested than ever in weapons and the power they convey,despite gun control groups' concern over the increase of violence. Most states in America have steadily expanded gun rights since the end of a 10-year assault(攻击)weapons ban in 2004. Black Friday this year saw the biggest gun cache(贮存)ever purchased in one day.

Considering those trends,there's a heated debate about whether the new Texas law is a model piece of legislation(立法)for a changing America,or a walking disaster just begging for trouble. As the law doesn't provide any punishment for those who refuse to show a license to a police officer, critics fear that officers may find it tough to handle potentially deadly situations. After all, armed citizens will no longer be considered suspicious, even though a lot of people might be alarmed by the sight. Most police in Texas have been told to not engage gun carriers unless they are doing something questionable or appear drunk.

For sure,New Year's Day will be an exciting one for Texas gun owners. What's not yet known is how the rest of Texas will respond.

1. All of the following are required in the new Texas law for open carry EXCEPT

A．age limit

B．mental condition

C．online registration

D．gun-operating skills

2. What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3?

A．The reason for putting forward the new Texas law.

B．The present situation of gun possession in America.

C．The impact of the assault weapons ban in 2004.

D．The inaction of the US government as to gun control.

3. What do critics think the new Texas law will probably lead to?

A．Heavier workload for policemen.

B．Disrespect for officers.

C．Lack of trust among citizens.

D．Difficulty in crime prevention.

4. What is the author's attitude towards the new Texas law?

A．Negative.

B．Cautious.

C．Indifferent.

D．Approving.

4 . As every mobile-phone owner knows, after a year or so the battery starts to fade and the beast needs recharging more frequently. That is troublesome, but a phone’s batteries can be replaced fairly cheaply — or the whole device traded in for the latest model. An electric car, though, is a much bigger investment. And batteries are its priciest component, representing around 30% of an average mid-size vehicle.

To provide buyers with some peace of mind, carmakers guarantee their batteries, typically for eight years or around 200,000km. Producers, planning to go much further than that, though, are racing to launch “million mile” (1.6m kilometers) batteries. Contemporary Amperex Technology, a giant Chinese firm which produces batteries for a number of carmakers, was said to be ready to start producing batteries which would last for 16 years or 2m kilometres. Elon Musk has suggested that Tesla,a Californian maker of electric vehicles, has a million-mile battery in the works. And over in Detroit,General Motors is in the final stages of developing an advanced battery which it says has similar longevity (寿命)。

Regular fast-charging reduces battery life, as do overcharging and deep discharging. Driving in extremely hot or cold weather does not help either. And battery life will diminish even if you just leave the car in the garage. The real point of a million-mile battery is that the technological advances required to make it possible will deal with these things as well.

Battery technology is improving all the time, and by no means are million-mile batteries the limit of engineers’ ambition. The next objective is to replace Li-ions’ liquid electrolytes (电解质) with solid ones. That would allow even longer driving ranges, which could make a two-million-mile battery an achievable objective. If that day comes,the tables would have been turned. From being the first part of a car to fail, its battery will have become the last.

1. The battery problem of mobile phones is mentioned to_____.

A．show electrical devices may have drawbacks

B．stress the disturbing battery problem of cars

C．call for investment in battery development

D．compare the function of battery in devices

2. What do we know about the million-mile battery plan?

A．It is eagerly anticipated by car consumers.

B．It is aimed to save repair cost for customers.

C．It targets the longevity of 8 years and above.

D．It has drawn the interest of many enterprises.

3. What does the author think is the focus of developing the million-mile battery?

A．Exploring new materials to construct batteries.

B．Guiding users on how to maintain the battery.

C．Addressing factors that decrease battery life.

D．Researching the principle of battering aging.

4. What does the author think of the future of car batteries?

A．Promising.

B．Unpredictable.

C．Concerning.

D．Unlimited.

5 . The factors that cause youth unemployment often differ among regions and labor systems.     1     Since firing full-time workers is so complicated and expensive, employers are unwilling to take on new staff, while people who are already employed, mainly older workers, often keep their jobs for life. In developing countries with high birthrates and very young populations, like the Philippines, growth isn’t strong enough to absorb the wave of youngsters entering the workforce each year.     2     Young people entering the workforce are often the most vulnerable（易受伤害的）in economic downturns — new employees are often the first to get sacked, while college graduates find few employers willing to hire.

    3     In Spain, Italy and Japan, for instance, companies looking to gain flexibility in regulated labor markets often offer new, young staffers only short-term contracts. These contracts, which sometimes last for only a few days, usually come with low salaries and few benefits. Since such staff is temporary, employers have little intention to invest in training.

Facing such obstacles, young people everywhere are finding that traditional route to success — education — isn’t paying off as much as in the past.     4     They will often be offered low-skilled jobs from waiters to supermarket clerks. A March report form the UK’s Office for National Statistics showed that the share of recent college graduates in Britain working in lower-skilled jobs rose to nearly 35% in 2011 form less than 27% a decade earlier.     5     Typical is Cairo’s Ahmed Said. He graduated from college with a business degree, and after performing the obligatory（义务的）year of military service, he applied for jobs in accounting and data entry. But Said, 24, had no luck, and today he works as a waiter at a cafe near Tahrir Square. “This was my last choice,” he says, “and this is the job that I got.”

A．Young graduates often find themselves competing with more-experienced workers.

B．More and more college graduates are forced to take jobs below their skill level.

C．They started applying for any positions they could find in other countries.

D．In some parts of the world, such jobs are all that is available to college graduates.

E．Yet youth unemployment also has common roots throughout the world.

F．Those young workers who do find employment are often trapped in awful contracts.

G．In much of Western Europe overemphasized labor protection makes it more difficult for youths to land good jobs.

6 . 第二节   读后续写

阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

On a bright, warm July afternoon, Mac Hollan, a primary school teacher, was cycling from his home to Alaska with his friends. One of his friends had stopped to make a bicycle repair, but they had encouraged Mac to carry on, and they would catch up with him soon. As Mac pedaled (骑行) along alone, he thought fondly of his wife and two young daughters at home. He hoped to show them this beautiful place someday.

Then Mac heard quick and loud breathing behind him. “Man, that's a big dog!” he thought. But when he looked to the side, he saw instantly that it wasn’t a dog at all, but a wolf, quickly catching up with him.

Mac’s heart jumped. He found out his can of hear spray. With one hand on the bars, he fired the spray at the wolf. A bright red cloud enveloped the animal, and to Mac's relief, it fell back, shaking its head. But a minute later, it was by his side again. Then it attacked the back of Mac's bike, tearing open his tent bag. He fired at the wolf a second time, and again, it fell back only to quickly restart the chase（追赶）。

Mac was pedaling hard now. He waved and yelled at passing cars but was careful not to show down. He saw a steep uphill climb before him. He knew that   once he hit the hill, he’d be easy caught up and the wolf’s teeth would be tearing into his flesh.

At this moment, Paul and Beeky were driving their car on their way to Alaska. They didn’t think much of it when they saw two cyclists repairing their bike on the side of the road. A bit later, they spotted what they, too, assumed was a dog running alongside a man on a bike. As they got closer, they realized that the dog was a wolf. Mac heard a large vehicle behind him. He pulled in front of it as the wolf was catching up fast, just a dozen yards away now.

注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
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