1 . When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note — “Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery” — and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically (魔术般) appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊) . Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
1. Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer to __________.| A．show his magical power | B．pay for the delivery |
| C．satisfy his curiosity | D．please his mother |
| A．He wanted to have tea there. | B．He was a respectable person. |
| C．He was treated as a family member. | D．He was fully trusted by the family. |
| A．Nobody wants to be a milkman now. | B．It has been driven out of the market. |
| C．Its service is getting poor. | D．It is not allowed by law. |
| A．He missed the good old days. | B．He wanted to tell interesting stories. |
| C．He needed it for his milk bottles. | D．He planted flowers in it. |
2 . Today, the original Beetle has largely disappeared from the world’s roads since Volkswagen stopped producing it in Germany in 1978. But the instantly recognizable car was once everywhere. From the 1970s to the 1990s, more than 21 million Beetles were produced worldwide. Many adults in their 40s or above have a story about the Beetle, or at least a memory.
Part of its universal appeal is its unique look. There’s something about the car that just makes people smile: its happy shape, its cheerful colors, and perhaps its small size. However, the smiles that beetles evoke, in people are not simply due to their design. It has a character almost. It has a sort of soul in a way. It’s beyond a machine. For the better part of a century this car has been a part in people’s lives. Seeing these cars on the road is like a time capsule. It opens people to memories and stories that might otherwise go untold. By allowing us to travel back in time, they remind us of what’s important. In today’s world, this car represents something very basic and earthy and genuine. Exactly the kind of travel we need right now.
“My parents had three, a white one, then a red one, and then an orange one. It was the car I grew up with,” said actor Ewan McGregor. “They would put us in the back of the Beetle in Scotland and drive to France for camping holidays in summer. My first car was a 1978 Beetle and now I own two, parked at my home in Los Angeles.”
McGregor thinks the car’s future is electric. He has recently turned his 1978 model into a fully electric car. “Moving forward, maybe we’ll just have to think; smaller cars, low emissions (排放), and something that makes us feel happy,” he says.
1. When was the production of Beetles stopped in Germany?| A．In the 1990s. | B．In the 1980s. | C．In the late 1970s. | D．In the early 1960s. |
| A．To keep an unpleasant feeling in one’s mind. |
| B．To find out information about one’s character. |
| C．To bring a feeling or a memory into one’s mind. |
| D．To ask somebody to do something in a rude way. |
| A．He wants to be reminded of his childhood. |
| B．They are used to decorate his new home. |
| C．He has too many children for just one car. |
| D．His parents have left one of their cars to him. |
| A．Advertisement. | B．Lifestyle. | C．Environment. | D．Economy. |
3 . If you had asked me then if I would accept a job as a restaurant critic for The New York Times or others, I would have replied, “Definitely not! ” This was partly because I did not want to think of myself as an ambitious sort. Working in restaurants was honest labor, and anyone could see that. Writing about them for the mainstream press was not.
However, the renewing was fun, so much fun that when mainstream publishers started paying me for my opinions, I didn’t do the decent (体面的) thing, and before I knew it, I had stopped cooking professionally. Then I stopped cooking altogether. “She’s joined the leisure class.” my friend said.
I disarmed my critics by inviting them along; nobody I knew could afford to eat out and nobody refused. We went with equal amounts of guilt and pleasure, with a feeling that we were stepping onto the playgrounds of the rich.
We knew we didn’t belong to these grand restaurants. We always got the worst table, and since I didn’t own a credit card, I had to pay in cash. The year turned into two and three, and more. Then, I got a credit card as well as good clothes. I was writing for increasingly prestigious (声誉高的) publications. Meanwhile, a voice inside me kept whispering, “How could you?”
The voice is still there, never coming to a stop. When I receive weekly letters from people who think it is unacceptable to write about $100 meals while half the world is hungry, the voice rings right along, “They’re absolutely right, you elitist (精英) pig is not”. When it asks, “When are you going to grow up and get a real job?”, it sounds a lot like my mother.
It is just at that moment that I tell the voice to shut up because I realize all I’m doing with my life is telling rich people where to eat and how much the world has changed.
Yes, there are still restaurants where rich people go to remind themselves that they are different from you and me, but there are fewer and fewer of them. Going out to eat used to be like going to the opera; today, it is more like going to the movies.
Therefore, everyone has become a critic and I couldn’t be happier with this. The more people pay attention to what and how they eat, the more accustomed they become to their own senses and the world around them. As A. J. Liebling once said, all it really takes to be a restaurant critic is a good appetite.
1. What can we know from the first two paragraphs?| A．The author was too honest to work as a restaurant critic. |
| B．The author found it hard to work for the mainstream press. |
| C．The author didn’t think highly of the job as a restaurant critic. |
| D．The author wasn’t able to renew the work as a professional cook. |
| A．She felt like eating out with the rich. |
| B．She refused to eat out with the critics. |
| C．She had a mixed feeling about eating out. |
| D．She got much fun from being invited to eat out. |
| A．She stayed in the career as a professional cook for years. |
| B．She took up the job of writing as a restaurant critic for years. |
| C．It took a long time for the publications to increase their prestige. |
| D．It was years before her application for a credit card got approved. |
| A．Restaurants make people confused about their social status. |
| B．Rich people can get special treat in some restaurants. |
| C．Ordinary people have become accustomed to fancy restaurants. o |
| D．Restaurants have become affordable to common people. |
| A．Eating out is not a privilege of the rich. |
| B．There is no need for restaurant critics at all. |
| C．The writer is getting tired of her current job. |
| D．Good appetite makes a good restaurant critic. |
4 . Bournemouth in Dorset has always been my favourite seaside town. When I was growing up, Mum and Dad didn’t have much money, but they’d saved enough for a few days in Bournemouth. I was four years old at the time. I don’t actually remember much about the trip, apart from being devastated when we had to leave. Mum said I fell in love with the place and insisted on waving goodbye to the sea when it was time to go. So I grew up believing Bournemouth was a wonderful place.
Forty years on, my wife and I returned for a week’s break. I was nervous, wondering if I’d be able to bring back that delight I’d felt as a child. I needn’t have worried. We had a fantastic time. It helped that the British weather had decided to provide us with high temperatures and plenty of sun. But it was Bournemouth that kept me spellbound, making me feel like a child again.
Bournemouth and its neighbour, Boscombe, are always busy, alive with chatter, music and other lively sounds. But as we stepped into Boscombe Chine Gardens, all the noise faded away. A sense of peace spread through us as we meandered along the paths, delighting in the squirrels climbing up and down the trees and the bright colours of the pretty plants.
One morning, we made a short trip to Poole Quay and took the ferry to Brownsea Island. Owned by the National Trust, it’s a feast for the eyes, from its mock Tudor entrance, to the many peacocks walking around, to the magnificent views of the sun sparkling on the shining waters and boats bobbing up and down, seen from the island’s highest point.
Before we knew it, it was time to return home—but not before waving goodbye to the sea.
1. Which of the following best explains “devastated” underlined in Paragraph 1?| A．Sorrowful. | B．Surprised. |
| C．Thrilled. | D．Desperate. |
| A．The fear of losing childhood memories. |
| B．The adjustment to the new circumstances. |
| C．The uncertainty of recalling childhood delight. |
| D．The exposure to high temperatures and sunshine. |
| A．It boasts seaside views. | B．It belongs to wild animals. |
| C．It is free of the town’s noise. | D．It reminds him of his childhood. |
| A．Farewell to Bournemouth. | B．Working in a wonderful place. |
| C．A childhood unforgettable story. | D．Revisiting a childhood favourite. |
5 . Since several organisations plan to put the first man on Mars by 2030, new trips to the Moon will take place around 2025. If you go to the Moon, you need a place to stay in. So what will it be like? Maybe the following article can give us some inspiration.
August 23, 2025—Today a new chapter in space travel was written. Rod Markham and his wife-to-be Susan Millster arrived safely on the Moon to spend 5 nights as the first guests at the Starbright Hotel that was set up for this purpose two years ago.
Not only are they the first hotel guests on the Moon, but they also set a new record for expensive accommodation since the price was $3.7 million per night, per person. However, the move from the Earth to the hotel is included in the price.
The hotel itself will probably have a hard time just to try to gain one star in any hotel rating system, because there is no room service. The guests have to do the cleaning of the room themselves and there is no bathroom in it. However. they have more stars than they need just outside their windows.
Rod and Susan will get married by linking their local minister in San Diego, California at 9:00 p.m. EST tonight, and the wedding will be broadcast live by several major TV networks in a 1-hour special report, including the preparations for the trip.
Six astronauts are along with them and during the stay they’ll set up further accommodations for the guests who have made reservations at the Starbright Hotel next year. The hotel has no employees, only some workers when guests stay at it.
1. What does the new chapter in space travel refer to according to paragraph 2?| A．That humans landed on Mars for the first time. |
| B．That the first hotel on the Moon was set up. |
| C．That the first hotel guests landed on the Moon. |
| D．That the hotel on Mars welcomed its first guests. |
| A．They can't find much help. |
| B．They will get five-star service. |
| C．They have to cook food themselves. |
| D．They can use the bathroom in their room. |
| A．It will last for an hour. |
| B．It can be watched live on the Earth. |
| C．A minister on the Moon will host it. |
| D．Their relatives and friends will be present. |
| A．Accept reservations from others. |
| B．Improve room service for the couple. |
| C．Look for several employees for the hotel. |
| D．Prepare accommodations for future guests. |
6 . Do flying cars only exist in dreams of a far-off future? Well, the future may be closer than you think. Let’s take a look at some modes of transport that we could be using in the future.
Flying taxi
Slovakian engineering company AeroMobil has designed the world’s first 4-seater flying taxi. AeroMobil’s AM Next is a hybrid(混合物) —half supercar, half lightweight aircraft. It’s able to transform between the two modes of transport in fewer than 3 minutes as its wings move into the appropriate positions. It is expected to be released in 2027 and will be able to fly a distance of up to 500 miles (about 800 kilometers) between major cities.
Gyroscopic transport
Gyroscopic transport is a revolutionary new mode of transport that is being planned. It is the use of large pods supported by flexible legs that transport passengers over existing roads. These legs can adjust their length according to traffic demands and to allow passengers to board. One of the best elements of this mode of transport is that it can operate over existing infrastructure(基础设施) .
Hyperloop
Hyperloop has created a lot of excitement recently and received backing from many influential people in the tech world. Elon Musk, CEO of Space X, is one of the main advocates of the hyperloop. He has argued it could ease traffic in Los Angeles, US. The hyperloop is a high-speed public transportation system in which passengers travel in autonomous electric pods at about 965 kilometers per hour. Virgin Hyperloop, a US transport technology company, conducted its first human trials of a hyperloop system in November 2020.
1. What do we know about AeroMobil’s AM Next?| A．It will be the world’s first flying car. |
| B．It could be in use in just 2 years’ time. |
| C．It can fly a maximum of 800 miles each trip. |
| D．It can switch between modes within 3 minutes. |
| A．It can travel either above or below ground. |
| B．It can travel independent of traffic flow on the roads. |
| C．It’s quicker and cheaper to build than other vehicles. |
| D．It can hold more passengers than other forms of transport. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Worried. | C．Critical. | D．Positive. |
7 . Space tourism is the term used to describe space travel for recreational or leisure purposes. What was once only a dream, as described in A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, is now becoming a reality.
Futurologists attempt to make predictions of what life will be like in the future. After the first man landed on the moon, they thought that hotels would be built on the moon by the year 2000. They also considered the possibility that, in the 21st century, families might go for a holiday on the moon. Neither of these predictions have come true yet-but the rapid development of technology may mean these predictions are possible in the years to come.
Space Adventures is currently the only company to have succeeded in sending paying passengers into space. It worked with the Federal Space Agency of Russia and Rocket and Space Corporation Energia to provide flights for the world’s first private space explorers. Each paid over $20 million for their 10-day trip to the International Space Station.
Following successful explorations into space, other companies are now considering the possibility of enabling tourists to visit space. To make it affordable, suborbital space travel is being considered by some companies, like Virgin Galactic. Passengers would be transported to a height of between 100 and 160 km above earth, experience 3 — 6 minutes of weightlessness and a view of the stars before back to earth. This is expected to cost around $200, 000 per person.
Whilst it could be an enriching experience, there are some disadvantages. Many critics say that a huge growth in the spaceflight industry could drastically speed up the process of global warming. The ozone layer would be damaged further and the polar regions would suffer. In addition, space travel is only really affordable for the super-rich, though Virgin Galactic claims to be ‘opening space to the rest of us’.
1. What do you know about space tourism?| A．It is nothing but a dream. | B．It’s only in some fairy tales. |
| C．It’s a sightseeing tour in space. | D．It’s a scientific expedition. |
| A．The future life on the moon. | B．Landing on the moon in 1969. |
| C．Predictions about trips to the moon. | D．The history of the moon exploration. |
| A．It’s cheaper. | B．It’s safer. | C．It’s greener. | D．It’s convenient. |
| A．Its safety. | B．Environmental effect. |
| C．Social equality. | D．Its expense. |
8 . Most of the 20th century has been a development on the Industrial Revolution taken to an extreme（极端）: people now own more products than ever before; there are enough nuclear weapons to destroy the earth several times over; there is hardly any forest left and pollution has got to the point where we buy water. Within a few years I predict you will be able to buy air—there once was a time when you didn't need to buy food or shelter either.
Important developments in the last century are the breaking down of the class structures left over from the Industrial Revolution stage, bringing with it the empowerment（授权）of the "common man": the working day is set by law to only 8 hours a day; everyone has the vote; the media has less obvious government control; people have landed on the moon, sent spacecraft to Mars and so on. Families have also been shrinking; the nuclear family came about, and especially in the last half of the 20th century, one-parent families are becoming more common. The smaller size of the family shows the increased independence of people—once upon a time people had to live in large groups to survive.
Humans have realized their personality and independence and taken their control of the world to an extreme. In many countries the land is almost completely used in the production of food and as living space. People live in small cities which are entirely human constructed ,made from materials which are also entirely human constructed（concrete bricks）with hardly any remains of nature. Weeds are poisoned because they are messy; even parks have trees grown in tidy lines; grass is mowed to keep it short and soon. I think the massive drug "problem" troubling people is a result of too much of this influence, humans needing to escape the dull world they have created by entering fantasy worlds.
Over the last 100 years, the 20th century consciousness has spread throughout the world. Most of Asia has been thoroughly "Westernized", and most of the Third World is being over-run by Western ways of doing things and living.
1. How is the text mainly developed?| A．By giving examples and stating facts. |
| B．By stating facts and making comparisons. |
| C．By listing facts and arguing. |
| D．By predicting and concluding. |
| A．Becoming smaller. | B．Getting better off. |
| C．Disappearing sharply. | D．Becoming popular. |
| A．Effects of pollution. | B．Changes in people's way of living. |
| C．Development in science and technology. | D．Control of population. |
| A．Birth rate is over controlled. | B．Population quality has greatly improved. |
| C．People have more rights and freedom. | D．Government has lost control of society. |
9 . My greatest regret in life is that I failed to tell my superb teachers how much they contributed to my early education.
Ruth Hammerman taught English to the eighth-graders. She was the first to show me the rules of what Evelyn Waugh called our “rich and delicate language.” She was a no-nonsense instructor. Unlike common teachers, she diagramed (用图表展示) sentences so we could know the grammar rules. She never seemed to be tired of the simple pleasures of sharing her learning.
Under her influence, I had the strong belief that language needs to be well-spoken and properly written. Yet over the years I never made the effort to find her and to express my thankfulness for what she did for me. Two years after being in her class, I began the study of Latin and French, and the foundation (基础) she provided in English grammar served me well. Sadly, I never looked back.
In high school I took advanced French in a class taught by Richard Miller, the finest teacher I have ever experienced at any level. Mr. Miller brought to his subject a surprisingly deep understanding and new analysis (分析). Reading “Phèdre”, Racine’s classic play, he asked us to note there were 1,654 lines in it, and then pointed out the care Racine devoted to structure. Years later I made the same point — giving Mr. Miller credit — in a college French class, and my professor was surprised by my understanding of the play. Mr. Miller taught us to enjoy literature with particular points of view. Yet I never made the effort in later years to tell him what he meant to me.
Mr. Miller is certainly long dead. If she is alive, Miss Hammerman would likely be in her 90s. In preparing this article, I tried to find her but was unsuccessful.
I am certain my act is common. People often forget to express love and thankfulness to their teachers. I ought to have told Miss Hammerman and Mr. Miller how much they did for me. I suppose they knew their work was effective because they believed in what they were doing. Now I appreciate how special they were.
1. What is the most beneficial part to the author in Miss Hammerman’s class?| A．Grammar. | B．Writing. | C．Speaking. | D．Reading. |
| A．He asked students to count lines. |
| B．He stressed the importance of play. |
| C．He analyzed literature in a new way. |
| D．He showed great devotion to students. |
| A．Preparing the article. | B．Looking for the teachers. |
| C．Failing to thank teachers. | D．Copying teachers’ points. |
| A．Creative. | B．Frank. | C．Humorous. | D．Strict. |
| A．To show love for French literature. |
| B．To explore the meaning of education. |
| C．To explain why teachers are important. |
| D．To share memories of the two teachers. |
10 . Technologically, the 20-year jump from 2015 to 2035 will be huge. Back in 1995 we were in the early days of the Internet, we worked in small rooms and our computers were heavy and powered by Windows 95. There were no touch screen phones or flat screen TVs; people laughed at the idea of reading electronic books.
So, what will our world really be like in 2035? What will the future jobs and technology be like? The world in 2035 will probably be much like it is today, but smarter and more automatic. We can see the future of our work first.
Taxi drivers will be replaced by self-driving Uber cars and receptionists will be replaced by robots. Doctors can use vast medical databases and travel agents will be wiped out by trip-planning, flight-booking web services. Even writers are threatened by companies such as Narrative Science, which currently uses AI to create sports reports and financial updates.
Obviously, there will also be new jobs created: the computer engineer who fixes the self-driving Uber taxis, programmers, space tour guides and vertical (垂直的) farmers. Technology will continue to disrupt (扰乱) businesses and get rid of jobs, creating new professions we can’t yet envisage now.
Those of us who work probably won’t do so in a traditional office either. We’re already seeing a shift in the definition of work. It’s now a task you perform, not a place you go to. Productivity is no longer measured by sitting at a desk. There’s no nine to five. No job for life.
The biggest advantage of working from home is that you save a lot of time commuting back and forth to work. You can spend extra time with your children or spouse and read the newspaper instead of sitting in traffic. Of course, advanced technology will ensure that most of us can work from home.
1. What’s the function of the questions in paragraph 2?| A．Leading in the topic of the article. | B．Raising the thinking of the readers. |
| C．Introducing the work of the future. | D．Inspiring readers to explore the future. |
| A．Assess. | B．Ignore. | C．Imagine. | D．Reject. |
| A．In the office. | B．At the hotel. | C．In the open air. | D．At home. |
| A．The future health. | B．The future technology. | C．The future marriage. | D．The future transportation. |
