1 . 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。

The concept of “gap days”     1     (appear) on a variety of social media platforms recently. Unlike a gap year, a gap day means an     2     (extreme) brief period of relaxation and escape from everyday routine. After resting, people will continue to devote     3     (they) to the busy pace of normal life.

Apart from “gap days”, other similar expressions have made     4     hit on the Internet, such as “city walk”, “da zi (activity partner)” and so on. This growing trend of creating new phrases or euphemisms (委婉语) for something otherwise ordinary and common has caused     5     (heat) discussion.

Some people think that these kinds of new phrases better cater to (迎合) people’s mindsets,     6     (show) their optimism. For example, the common expression “taking a walk” is neutral (中性的). But “city walk”     7     (be) the positive version of it, meaning “to explore the city with a curious mind”.

Others disagree, however, and think that it’s simply just a kind of “sugaring up”, satisfying one’s need for showing off. For example, “city walk” is the same as “taking a walk”     8     general. But by calling it a “city walk”, people feel like they are doing something fancier than it actually is.

But no matter how we think of these phrases, they have taken root in our daily lives and have already gained wide     9     (recognize) among the younger generation. So     10     we need to do is not make them out to be bigger than they actually are.

2 . Taking a vacation may be the last thing on the mind of a cancer patient. ________ can be expensive, time-consuming and sometimes hard work. While people facing illness may be ________ of resources for vacation, they are ________ a stress-free time away. I’m one such ________.

I’m suffering from lung cancer. Diagnosed in March 2017, I was ________ beyond belief. At that time, I was ________ 60 hours a week as a billing clerk. Due to my medications’ side effects, I ________ my career and what I thought made me who I was, though I now discover that ________ is what matters.

Through the Internet, I ________ Little Pink Houses of Hope, a nonprofit that provided a free week-long ________ to cancer patients and their families. After applying and being ________, we drove from Houston all the way to Hatteras Island in North Carolina. It rained most of the time, so I ________ the beauty along the way. I had no idea what to expect and was ________.

Looking back, I am so glad I went. I hadn’t felt such ________ love and such a sense of family. We went to the beach, had wonderful meals and went surfing which I had never thought I would get the chance to do. We ________ in a way that I thought was impossible, not only with the other ________ but also with the volunteers. It was nice to see my husband get along with the other husbands. Being a(n) ________ and the breadwinner,” he had a lot on his plate.

I’ve suffered from the cancer for many years and I undergo ________ every year. I want people to know that though I am living with a serious disease, I am still living ________. So don’t feel sorry for me, but make the ________ of life with me.

1.

A．Writing

B．Driving

C．Traveling

D．Shopping

2.

A．sure

B．short

C．careful

D．capable

3.

A．in need of

B．in front of

C．by means of

D．on top of

4.

A．guide

B．volunteer

C．consultant

D．patient

5.

A．confident

B．relieved

C．scared

D．cautious

6.

A．working

B．sleeping

C．playing

D．wandering

7.

A．found

B．remembered

C．lost

D．chose

8.

A．work

B．love

C．friendship

D．luck

9.

A．complained about

B．worried about

C．talked about

D．learned about

10.

A．arrangement

B．treatment

C．vacation

D．conference

11.

A．proved

B．approved

C．ignored

D．doubted

12.

A．designed

B．exposed

C．grasped

D．missed

13.

A．concerned

B．efficient

C．beneficial

D．embarrassed

14.

A．weak

B．potential

C．uncomfortable

D．unconditional

15.

A．bonded

B．succeeded

C．chatted

D．competed

16.

A．doctors

B．colleagues

C．participants

D．employees

17.

A．assistant

B．carer

C．organizer

D．specialist

18.

A．education

B．surgery

C．development

D．punishment

19.

A．curiously

B．patiently

C．independently

D．wonderfully

20.

A．memories

B．judgements

C．preparations

D．promises

3 . While there are many summer programs for high school students in NYC, the Career Edge, an NYU high school summer program, affords students an exceptional college and career readiness experience. It has served thousands of high school students from around the world in exploring career paths and experiencing what it is like to live on the NYU campus and learn at a well-known university.

Program overview

The program offers you the chance to explore a career path before you declare it as a college major. Many students choose to attend multiple weeks, taking a different course each session.

Academic experience

The courses focus on the content that provides a comprehensive overview of your area of interest. Field trips to related companies and organizations bring what you learn in class to life.

NYC experience

Living and learning in NYC is an unforgettable adventure. You’ll dive deep into the course content that immerses you in industry, while enjoying the culture and excitement of the city.

Students’ feedback

Tony: The Finance class was great. We explored Wall Street, visited Federal Hall and the Museum of American Finance, and learned how to trade stocks. The instructor made the course interesting and entertaining.

Ava: The Integrated Marketing class was very informative. The instructor was a real professional. Visits to digital agencies and marketing firms gave me an insider’s view of what it’s like to work in the field.

1. Who is the program intended for?

A．College students.	B．Primary school students.
C．Junior middle school students.	D．Senior high school students.

2. What can the students do after joining in the program?

A．Learn American history.	B．Set up new organizations.
C．Visit some places in NYC.	D．Work in a foreign company.

3. What may Tony and Ava think of the program?

A．It’s costly.

B．It’s boring.

C．It’s ordinary.

D．It’s wonderful.

5 . The following small European villages will provide you with a chance to experience the beauty of nature and a sense of adventure, from climbing a mountain to taking a dive in the ocean.

Deià, Spain

Hidden between the towering Tramuntana Mountain and the blue Mediterranean, the village’s natural beauty inspires not just writers and painters, but adventure-seekers, too. From this peaceful village, cyclists can ride across this mountainous but bike-friendly region. After working up a sweat, they can go to the best beach, Cala Deià, in Spain. Its waters are perfect for giving the tired muscles a break with a relaxing dive.

Mürren, Switzerland

In Mürren, the fun starts before you arrive. This beautiful Swiss village sits on a Bernese Oberland mountain shelf so high that travelers must arrive by cable car. Like many mountain resort towns these days, Mürren offers year-round activities. Besides downhill skiing in winter, brave climbers can enjoy themselves from June to October, with or without a guide.

San Gimignano, Italy

In the Middle Age, wealthy families of this hill town went on a tower-building competition. At one point there were more than 70 towers, some of which were nearly 200 feet in height. Initially built as defenses in wars with neighboring villages, the towers became symbols of wealth and fame. Today, the village draws both history and wine lovers. Visitors can enjoy the famous white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, at the tasting centers which overlook the surrounding grape hills.

Chipping Campden, England

Arguably the loveliest village in England, Chipping Campden isn’t just a photographer’s dream. It is also known for the annual Olympic Games in summer, a 400-year tradition that copies the Greek Olympics. It includes horseracing, coursing, jumping, backswords and country dancing. But the highlight is the wrestling that thankfully has never caught on anywhere else.

1. What can visitors do in Mürren?

A．Ski and climb mountains.	B．Ride bikes and dive in the sea.
C．Enjoy the Olympic Games.	D．Learn from writers and painters.

2. Which place is most likely to be a wine lover’s top choice?

A．Deià.

B．Mürren.

C．San Gimignano.

D．Chipping Campden.

3. What is the unique game at the Olympic Games?

A．Horseracing.

B．Coursing.

C．Wrestling.

D．Jumping.

6 . A new study finds that less than seven percent of the adult population in the US have what health experts consider good cardiometabolic (心脏代谢) health.

Using information on roughly 55,000 people over the age of 20, the results show just 6.8 percent of American adults reached optimal (最佳的) levels of health in 2018. Moreover, the study found American health has been in sharp decline over the last 20 years. In 1999, one in three adults had a healthy weight. By 2018, that number fell to just one in four Americans. At the same time, three in five people were free of diabetes in 1999. By 2018, however, more than six in ten adults had the condition!

“These numbers are striking. It’s deeply problematic that in the United States, fewer than 1 in 15 adults have optimal cardiometabolic health,” says Meghan O’Hearn, one of the researchers from Tufts University. “We need a complete overhaul (革新) of our healthcare system, food system, and living conditions, because this is a crisis for everyone.”

Instead of just looking for signs of disease, the team focused their study on the signs of good, moderate, and poor cardiometabolic health. “Disease is not the only problem,” O’Hearn explains. “We don’t just want to be free of disease. We want to achieve optimal health and well-being.”

Researchers also found large health gaps between US adults of different genders, ages, and education levels. Specifically, the study found Americans with less education were half as likely to be in peak cardiometabolic health.

O’Hearn adds, “Identifying these individuals and addressing their health conditions and lifestyle early is critical to reducing growing healthcare burdens. Its impacts on national healthcare spending and the financial health of the entire economy are enormous. And these conditions are largely preventable. We have the public health and clinical interventions and policies to be able to address these problems.”

1. What percentage of American adults had optimal cardiometabolic health in 2018?

A．Over 7 percent.	B．Just 6.8 percent.
C．Around 33 percent.	D．About 60 percent.

2. What does O’Hearn think of the results of the study?

A．They’re unreal.	B．They’re acceptable.
C．They’re expected.	D．They’re shocking.

3. What is the purpose of the team’s research?

A．To find the big age gap.	B．To help people keep fit.
C．To develop new drugs.	D．To earn lots of profits.

4. What can we infer from O’Hearn’s words in the last paragraph?

A．Joint effort is needed to improve public health.

B．Economic growth affects personal health condition.

C．America saw a slow decrease in healthcare costs.

D．Rich people tend to suffer from health problems.

7 . As we all know, insects can be remarkably agile (灵活的) in flight. This is really hard to build into flying robots, but MIT Assistant Professor Kevin Yufeng Chen has developed an insect-sized drone (无人机) that approaches insects’ agility.

Typically, drones require wide open spaces. “If we look at most drones today, they’re usually quite big,” says Chen. “Most of their applications involve flying outdoors. The question is: Can you create an insect-sized drone that can move around in very crowded and complex spaces?”

According to Chen, he overcame many problems when building the drone. The insect-sized drone requires a fundamentally different construction from a larger one. The large drone is usually powered by a motor, but the motor loses efficiency as you shrink it. So, Chen says, “For an insect-sized drone, you need to look for alternatives.” The principal alternative until now has been employing a small, rigid actuator (执行器) built from new materials. Chen designed a more agile tiny drone using soft actuators instead of hard ones.

Each actuator can beat nearly 500 times per second and weighs just 0.6 gram, approximately the mass of a large bee. It gives the drone insect-like agility. “You can hit it when it’s flying, and it can recover,” says Chen. “It can also turn over in the air.” The drone looks a bit like a tiny cassette tape with wings, though Chen is also working on a new one shaped like a dragonfly.

Chen says his drone can be useful in industry and agriculture. It can perform machinery inspections to ensure safety and function. Its potential applications include completing search-and-rescue missions following a disaster. “All those things can be very difficult for existing large-scale drones,” Chen explains.

1. What can we know about the actuator designed by Chen?

A．It weighs about six grams.

B．It drives the insect-sized drone.

C．It loses efficiency too much.

D．It employs conventional materials.

2. Which word can best describe Chen’s work?

A．Easy.

B．Costly.

C．Fruitless.

D．Challenging.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us about the new drone?

A．Its safety standards.	B．Its flying range.
C．Its possible applications.	D．Its design principle.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．An Insect-like Small Drone

B．The Future of Insect-sized Drones

C．How Drones Will Change the Agriculture

D．What Challenge Drone Development Faces

8 . I have always loved the Arthurian legend (传奇), as there is something quite special about King Arthur, and of course Merlin, my favourite character from the stories.

Death of an Empire is the second volume in MK Hume’s “Merlin” series which details Merlin’s life from birth. Merlin travels across the Roman Empire in search of his father, a voyage of discovery to understand just who he was. Eventually Merlin gets involved in the fight against the Hun’s invasion (入侵) of Europe at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plain.

Serving under the General Flavius Aetius, Merlin builds a reputation by saving the lives of thousands of soldiers. When he finally reaches Rome, he saves many more. But a far deadlier conflict between Emperor Valentinian and Senator Petronius Maximus is around the corner and Merlin must use all his strength to carry out his work.

If I had to choose just one word to describe this novel, there would be no other choice than “immersive (身临其境的)”. There has clearly been a serious amount of research carried out by the author. Combined with the descriptive prose and imaginative story, the book really does attract you from almost the very start. The story really does feel like you are a part of it as Merlin travels across the Roman Empire.

The author does a great job of mixing the rich history with established Arthurian legend. The battle scene is handled very effectively. The author employs a very effective form to show the main fight and this not only adds a degree of tension and a good level of excitement but almost makes you feel like you are right there hearing about what happened.

Death of an Empire is a very fine novel, a wonderfully rich tale and a rewarding story.

1. Why does Merlin travel across the Roman Empire?

A．To visit King Arthur.	B．To enjoy a nice view.
C．To get a well-paid job.	D．To find out his origin.

2. What can we learn about the novel?

A．It is a mixture of history and legend.

B．It features difficult language.

C．It speaks highly of an emperor.

D．It is a masterpiece of Merlin.

3. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 5 refer to?

A．An effective description.	B．A long-running battle.
C．A wonderful feeling.	D．A well-known legend.

4. What is the text?

A．A news report.	B．A history story.
C．A book review.	D．A science fiction.

10 . 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。

Drinking two or more cups of black tea a day     1    (be) associated with lower risk of death from all causes, according to a new study     2    (publish) Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The study looked at nearly 500,000 men and women aged 40 to 69 years old who participated     3     the UK Biobank, which houses in-depth genetic and health information, between 2006 and 2010. The database included information participants reported about     4    (they) own tea drinking habits, such as     5    (frequent) and what they added to their cup.

Some participants didn’t drink black tea a tall, but since the data came from the United Kingdom, there were plenty of people who drank it     6    (regular) and some who drank up to 10 cups a day, said lead study author Maki Inoue-Choi.

The Biobank followed up about 10 years after the     7    (origin) survey, and researchers found that people who drank two or more cups of tea daily in the interim(其间) were less likely     8    (die) from causes such as heart disease.

The research is     9     exciting look into tea drinking habits, but there is still more work     10     needs to be done before recommending dietary changes, said Howard Sesso, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, who was involved in the study.