1 . Imagine this: You walk into a place and the atmosphere is light and airy. The subtle scent of coffee beans fills the air and everyone that approaches you is friendly and welcoming. You’re comfortable and feel like you belong. As in most cities, it’s a place where people meet, discuss ideas, and conduct business. After taking a few sips of that Caramel Macchiato, you immediately get that feeling of energy and optimism. Perhaps it’s partly due to the caffeine and sugar rush, or maybe it’s that the presence of a Starbucks typically indicates a city on the rise.

In December of 2017, Trenton’s first Starbuck’s café was opened to the public at 102 Warren Street. Walking in, people living in Trenton scream at everything about this café, from the diverse but local stuff to the Trenton themed décor (室内装饰) and art. To make things better, this Starbucks also serves as an “opportunity café” which essentially means the young people in our communities are recruited and offered job training and employment. This program not only uplifts our youth, but also increases the amount of minority business in the city.

In the interviews with customers, a trend in responses arose. To many, the Starbucks was a “favorite place to stop in after work” and provided “a very relaxing environment.” The staff were often highly praised, noted as being friendly, helpful, and working in harmony. The interior décor of the café struck a lot of people’s attention, given the familiarity of the atmosphere. Painted on the walls, all around the store, are murals (壁画) with bright, colorful, graffiti-like designs very sui generis in Trenton, showcasing local monuments like the State House and the famous “Trenton Makes” bridge.

This new Starbucks brings a sense of modernity to Downtown Trenton and reminds us that our city is always developing. Open from 6 a. m. until 7 p.m. every day, the building is hardly ever empty. This space is made for everyone in Trenton, even the non-coffee lovers.

1. What is the major function of Paragraph 1 in the passage?

A．To present an introduction to the topic.

B．To set a background for the main theme.

C．To summarize the main idea of the passage.

D．To describe a common phenomenon for the readers.

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．People are amazed at the number of job opportunities provided by the Starbucks.

B．“Opportunity café” program helps achieve booming economy and bring spiritual benefits.

C．Most respondents regarded the Starbucks as a harmonious and entertaining workplace.

D．Numerous people are attracted to stop in after work by the murals with original designs.

3. What does the underlined word “sui generis” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Substantial.

B．Delicate.

C．Inspirational.

D．Unique.

4. What could be the best title for the passage?

A．Starbucks Is Designed for Everyone

B．Starbucks Gains Popularity in Trenton

C．Starbucks Sets an Atmosphere of Progress

D．Starbucks Creates More Job Opportunities

3 . On paper, Joyxee Island sounds like an attractive vacation accommodation. Located in Isla Mujeres Bay, a short distance from the Mexican Caribbean hot spot of Cancun, this private island features swimming ponds, Internet access, a fully functioning bathroom, a rainwater collection system, private beach space, solar power, a three-story home and a total area of 750 square meters.

The island, owned by British artist Richart Sowa, isn’t an island at all, at least not in the typical sense. Joyxee is floating (漂浮) on a man-made base of about 150,000 air-filled bottles held inside large nets. This floating bottom layer is covered with sand and soil. The roots from the island’s mangrove (红树林植物) forest have grown through these nets, providing natural structural strength. Creating this island has been a long process. Joyxee began as a small raft, but has grown into a space that’s large enough to allow Sowa to live a mostly self-sufficient lifestyle.

Joyxee is not Sowa’s first try at a plastic-bottle island. Sowa built Spiral Island on Mexico’s Caribbean coast in the late 1990s. Spiral did not survive Hurricane Emily, though, which struck the Caribbean in 2005. Fortunately, some of the bottle-filled nets were preserved. Sowa used these re-recycled bottles to start Joyxee with the help of local environmentalists who wanted to support his eco-island idea. He decided to place it inside a lagoon (濒海湖) in Isla Mujeres Bay to protect Joyxee from suffering the same misfortune as Spiral Island.

While the media have covered the island as a novelty, Sowa’s statements on his website show that he thinks that his island constructions could be the start of something bigger. “Environmentally, the island is an example of a wind-, solar- and wave-powered living space. Furthermore, the mangroves can clean the air by absorbing CO₂. And because such islands are floating, they would not be affected by rising sea levels, flooding or other disasters.” Sowa welcomes guests to Joyxee and also offers tours. For tours, including a return trip to the shore, he requests a “donation of S5 or more.”

1. What do we know about Joyxee?

A．It offers good living facilities.	B．It was designed by volunteers.
C．It was built within a short period.	D．It borders the Mexican city of Cancun.

2. What role does Joyxee’s mangrove forest play?

A．Adjust the temperatures of the island.

B．Serve as the islanders’ food sources.

C．Provide structural support for the island.

D．Act as the island’s rainwater collection system.

3. What does the underlined part “the same misfortune” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Being destroyed by a hurricane.	B．Being short of bottle-filled nets.
C．Being criticized by environmentalists.	D．Being separated from land by a lagoon.

4. Why does Sowa make the statements on his website?

A．To attract more artists.	B．To show off his island.
C．To promote the eco-island idea.	D．To draw the media’s attention.

5 . Coming into the town of Santa Catarina Palopó, in the highlands of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, the first thing you notice is the bright colors. Most of the buildings along the main street are eye-catching, in deep, varied hues of blues and greens; interspersed with red and yellow to form complex patterns and designs.

Santa Catarina Palopó was once a sleepy town of 5,000 people, most of them indigenous (土著的) and dependent on agricultural work. As agriculture began to dry up here, decline for the town and poverty for many of its families came. To deal with poverty and stimulate economic growth through tourism, a small but mighty group of laborers, artisans, domestic workers and stay-at-home moms created the Pintando Santa Catarina Palopó project.

The project was initially to paint all 850 homes and buildings in bright colors, in an effort to change the hillside town into a work of art.   “We wanted to paint the houses with colors and figures that represent the community,” says the project’s executive director Stephany Blanco.   “A range of designs were created so that families can choose designs for their house that are representative of the family.”

One of the most representative characteristics of the region is the blue huipil, a traditional blouse which has been worn prominently by local women since the 16th century. That deep sky blue was chosen as the primary color for the Pintando project, with secondary colors found in the sunsets and the nearby lake to make the design more attractive. As for the designs that would be used, they would also find inspiration in local culture, symbols such as volcanoes, flowers, Mayan-styled butterflies and the national bird of Guatemala.

Each week, local artists, community members and tourists pick up paintbrushes to make buildings colorful.   “At first, the idea of the project left many unsure about participating, but now you can see a considerable difference in the town,” Melissa Whitbeck said. “The color of the buildings is believed to improve the quality of life of the people. It uplifts the people’s mood and encourages them to be proud of where they come from.”

1. What problem did Santa Catarina Palopó face?

A．A labor shortage.	B．Poor economic conditions.
C．A rapid increase in population.	D．Outdated agricultural technology.

2. What is the project about?

A．Building art galleries in Guatemala.

B．Creating job opportunities for local artisans.

C．Developing local tourism by selling artworks.

D．Transforming the town into a cultural destination.

3. What is the inspiration of the primary color for the project?

A．The nearby lake.	B．Mayan-styled butterflies.
C．A type of traditional clothing.	D．The national bird of Guatemala.

4. What is Melissa’s attitude towards the project?

A．Positive.

B．Uncaring.

C．Ambiguous.

D．Disapproving.

6 . I wanted the pleasure of being in Africa again. Feeling that the place was so large that it contained many untold tales and some hope and comedy and sweetness too, I aimed to reinsert myself in the bundy, as we used to call the bush, and to wander around. There I had lived and worked, happily, almost forty years ago, in the heart of the greenest continent.

In those old undramatic days of my school teaching in the bundu, folks lived their lives on bush paths at the end of unpaved roads of red clay, in villages of grass-roofed huts. They had a new national flag, they had just gotten the vote, some had bikes, many talked about buying their first pair of shoes. They were hopeful, and, so was I, a schoolteacher living near a settlement of mud-huts among trees and fields—children shouting at play; and women bent double—most with infants on their backs—hoeing(锄地) the corn beans; and the men sitting in the shade.

The Swahili word safari means “journey”, it has nothing to do with animals, someone “on safari” is just away and unobtainable and out of touch. Out of touch in Africa was where I wanted to be. The wish to disappear sends many travellers away. If you are thoroughly sick of being kept waiting at home or at work, travel is perfect: let other people wait for a change. Travel is a sort of revenge(报复) for having been put on hold, or having to leave messages on answering machines, not knowing your party’s extension, being kept waiting all your working life. But also being kept waiting is the human condition.

Travel in the African bush can also be a sort of revenge on mobile phones and email, on telephones and the daily paper, on the aspects of globalization that allow anyone who chooses to get their hands on you. I desired to be unobtainable. I was going to Africa for the best of reasons—in a spirit of discovery—simply to disappear, to light out, with a suggestion of I dare you to try to find me.

Home had become a routine, and routine made time pass quickly. I was a sitting duck in this predictable routine: people knew when to call me, they knew when I would be at my desk. I was in such regular touch that it was like having a job, a mode of life I hated. I was sick of being called up and asked for favors, hit up for money. You stick around too long and people begin to impose their own deadlines on you.

1. What did the writer expect from his journey?

A．To have a variety of enjoyable experiences.	B．To see how Africa had changed.
C．To see impressive scenery.	D．To meet some old friend.

2. Forty years ago, how did the writer feel about the future of the country where he was living?

A．Little was likely to change.	B．Things were likely to improve.
C．Women would do most of the work.	D．People’s expectations were too limited.

3. In Paragraph 3, what reason does the writer give for wanting to travel to Africa?

A．He wanted a change of activity.	B．He wanted people to be unable to contact him.
C．His health was suffering from staying at home.	D．He had been waiting to return to Africa for long.

4. The writer says “I was a sitting duck” in Paragraph 5 to show that _______.

A．he was boring	B．he was easy to find
C．he is fond of ducks	D．he was always lending money

8 . The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), located in the West Kowloon Cultural District of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, was established on June 22 and is scheduled to open to the public on July 2. More than 40,000 tickets were sold or reserved within eight hours on the first day of public sale, and all free visits on Wednesdays in July were fully booked.

The HKPM, not only adds to cultural atmosphere in the city, but also provides a new site for local residents and visitors to learn about the development of Chinese civilization and culture. More than 900 pieces of treasures from the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing will be put on display at the opening exhibitions. From paintings to ancient architectures, the exhibits span the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization, covering all categories of the collection of the Palace Museum, including 166 pieces of first-class cultural relics of the country. This will be the largest and highest-level cultural heritage exhibitions of the Palace Museum outside of the mainland since its establishment in 1925.

Prepare work for the exhibitions began in 2018, with the Palace Museum fielding a team of leading experts and scholars, associated with the manage team of the HKPM.

“It is a great thing to display the pieces of cultural relics in Hong Kong, which reflects the central government’s support to the development of Hong Kong’s cultural projects,” said Ng, adding that the exhibits from the Palace Museum will present a cultural feast to Hong Kong residents by telling them about the motherland’s long history and splendid culture.

“Promoting traditional Chinese culture is one of our important tasks,” said Betty Fung, chief executive officer of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. She said the HKPM will actively push ahead with the publicity of the motherland’s culture and history after its opening, enhancing Hong Kong residents’ cultural confidence in the country, especially among youths.

Fung said that the HKPM will actively enhance cooperation with international museums, telling the world the stories of China, including the stories of Hong Kong.

1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A．Hong Kong citizens can visit the museum freely.

B．Hong Kong Palace Museum is warmly welcomed.

C．Hong Kong citizens can enjoy the exhibition in June.

D．Hong Kong Palace Museum opens within eight hours per day.

2. What can a visitor enjoy in The Hong Kong Palace Museum?

A．900 pieces of first-class cultural relics.

B．The history of Hong Kong since 1925.

C．The development of international civilization.

D．All categories of the collection of the Palace Museum.

3. What is Betty Fung’s attitude towards the museum?

A．Favorable.

B．Disappointed.

C．Doubtful.

D．Puzzled.

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

A．HKPM: Hong Kong’s Cultural Authority

B．HKPM: Cooperation with International Museums

C．HKPM: A New Cultural Landmark of Hong Kong

D．HKPM: Showcase of Hong Kong’s Cultural Relics

9 . Have you heard of Yangshi Lei? For some 200 years, the Lei family provided their design and architectural talent to the Qing Dynasty as imperial builders. Spanning seven generations, their skills along with excellent craftsmanship ensured that they rose to great fame and influence in China. In their later work, they incorporated details of the southern architectural style and garden design ideas in their designs.

One of the places showing this is the Summer Palace. Situated in Haidian District, northwest of Beijing, it shows the beauty and the grandeur of royal gardens. In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List and described it as “a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design.” With over 3,000 man-made structures, which include bridges, pavilions, and corridors, even the lake area alone is a showcase of many of the Lei family’s excellent designs.

Kunming Lake is designed to represent the traditional Chinese gardening practice of “one pond, three hills.” There are three small islands within Kunming Lake: Nanhu Island, Zaojiantang Island, and Zhijingge Island.

Many features of Kunming Lake are inspired by the scenery from the region south of the Yangtze River. In particular, the West Dike is a recreation of the famous Sudi Dike on West Lake in Hangzhou. The causeway, which can be walked across, cuts diagonally through the southern part of the lake. Like the Sudi Dike, the West Dike is connected by six bridges, each with its own distinctive style. The largest bridge on Kunming Lake, however, is the 17-Arch Bridge. It combines features of the Precious Belt Bridge in Suzhou and the Lugou Bridge in Beijing. The entire bridge is 150 meters long and eight meters wide.

If you can’t go further than Beijing, then don’t miss the National Library of China. This is where most of the Lei family’s architectural design drafts are kept. These include projective drawings, front and side elevations, revolving drawings, and even some architectural models which look remarkably like digital models made today. This shows the advanced drawing technology and skill of the Lei architects. Their architectural ability was way ahead of their time.

Like the Summer Palace, many others of the Lei family’s structures have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Also, in 2007, their architectural drawings and models were included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. The Lei family’s significant influence on Chinese imperial architecture ensures that their work is still remembered and appreciated.

1. What can we learn from this passage?

A．There are three small ponds within Kunming Lake.

B．The Summer Palace was put on the World Heritage List in 1998.

C．West Lake is described as a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design.

D．The 17-Arch Bridge on Kunming Lake is a copy of the Precious Belt Bridge in Suzhou.

2. What does the underlined word “incorporated” in Paragraph I mean?

A．Contained.

B．Ignored.

C．Compared.

D．Described.

3. The author suggests visiting the National Library of China to ________.

A．see the drawings of famous painters

B．know about the new digital products

C．learn the history of the Qing Dynasty

D．see the design drafts of the Lei Family

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To compare the architectural style between the north and the south.

B．To present the wonderful design and beautiful scenery of Kunming Lake.

C．To stress the Lei family’s great influence on Chinese imperial architecture.

D．To call on people to protect the scenery and architecture of the Summer Palace.

10 . At Cleveland Bridge, in Bath, a long line of traffic is building up. Although the Georgian structure was praised for its handsome Greek Revival style by Nikolaus Pevsner, an architectural master, it was built for horses, not cars. Repairs will close the bridge for several months, causing bigger jams and more pollution in a city where air quality is already a cause of concern.

Bath is an extreme example of a tradeoff faced by much of the country. Britain has the oldest housing stock in Europe, with one in five homes more than 100 years old. Period features are prized and often protected by law. Yet as efforts to cut carbon emissions intensify, they are clashing with attempts to preserve heritage. It is a “delicate balance” says Wera Hobhouse, Bath’s MP “What is the public benefit of dealing with the climate emergency, versus protecting a heritage asset?”

Two years ago, Bath was among the first British cities to declare a “climate emergency” when it also promised to go carbon-neutral by 2030. Yet Bath also wants-and is legally required to preserve its heritage. With Roman remains and Georgian streets that spread across the Avon Valley in shades of honey and butter, the city is designated a world heritage site by UNESCO. About 60% of it is further protected by the government as a conservation area, more than 5.000 of Bath’s buildings-nearly 10% of the total-are listed as being of special architectural or historical interest, making it a criminal offence to alter them without permission.

Many of the features that make Bath’s Georgian buildings so delicate also make them leaky. Buildings of traditional construction make up 30% of Bath’s housing stock but account for 40% of domestic carbon emissions, according to the Centre for Sustainable Energy, a charity. British homes are rated for energy efficiency on a scale from A to G; most traditional buildings in the city are an F or G.

Transport is another area where climate and heritage clash. Bath’s 17t-century streets lack room for bike lanes. Joanna Wright was recently booted out of her role as Bath’s climate chief after proposing that North Road, which leads to the university, should be closed to traffic. In two years she was unable to install any on-street electric-vehicle charging points, partly because of the “nightmare" of getting permission to dig up old pavements.

All this means going carbon neutral by 2030 looks hard, but the city is at least beginning to make compromises. In March it launched the first “clean-air zone” outside London, charging drivers to enter central Bath. A trial has made 160 electric motoreycles available to hire. And local opinion seems to be shifting in favour of sustainability. “The discussion has moved dramatically towards considering the climate emergency,” says Ms. Hobhouse.

1. What problem does Bath face?

A．It is getting more and more crowded due to the repairs that are under way.

B．Its historical significance makes it hard to reform it into an eco-friendly city.

C．It refuses to admit that the climate emergency is already a cause of concern.

D．Its promise to go carbon-neutral by 2030 wins no support from the city residents.

2. The percentage mentioned in the underlined sentence (paragraph 4) is intended to _________.

A．question the validity of the A-G scale

B．highlight the long history of Bath’s buildings

C．emphasize the buildings are not energy efficient

D．illustrate the features that Bath’s buildings share

3. It can be inferred from paragraph 5 that Joanna Wright _________.

A．failed to perform her duties well

B．managed to dig up some old pavements

C．succeeded in building bike lanes in Bath

D．removed charging points from Bath’s streets

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Wera Hobhouse doesn’t care much about the public benefit.

B．Traditional buildings in Bath are not accessible to tourists now.

C．Local people in Bath used to favour heritage over sustainability.

D．Bath has been leading the way in constructing a carbon-neutral city.