1 . There has recently been a lot of arguments about homework. As a teacher, I strongly believe in the benefits of quality homework. Besides preparing students for university life, it teaches important life skills that will benefit students for the rest of their lives.

Some people argue that homework is causing stress and depression to rise in children. But to blame homework for these health problems is wrong. Social pressures cause more stress for teenagers than homework. If people are really concerned about the health of students, they would spend more time solving the problems that cause pressure in schools rather than complaining about homework.

In addition, those who are opposed to homework believe that students end up hating the time spent instead of enjoying learning. However, the problem is the type of homework being assigned (布置). It is the quality not quantity (数量) of homework that will improve students’ learning and their enjoyment. Repetitive worksheets where students memorize historical dates and names or solve math problems over and over again are less beneficial than more creative project-based homework.

Primary students will eventually be in middle and high school where homework will be assigned. If they have no preparation in primary schools, they will have the stress of suddenly trying to adjust to life with homework later. The important thing is to assign just enough homework to help students learn.

In fact, homework allows parents to be aware of what their child is doing at school and how well their academic and thinking skills are developing. If they notice that their child is taking an unreasonable amount of time completing their homework, parents can call the teacher’s attention to the problem.

Finally, homework helps to teach students important study and life skills that will set them up for future success. They learn how to manage their time so that they can finish their homework and other activities. At times, they might struggle to complete the homework, but by working through it, they learn not to give up. These are skills that will not only benefit them in their academic life but in their adult lives as well.

We should recognize quality homework can help to show children the connection between what they are learning in school and how it can be applied outside of schools, and it should allow the students to have fun while doing it. Learning should not only be contained within a classroom; it should be extended to all areas of our lives.

1. According to the passage, quality homework can ________.

A．only be assigned at high school

B．cause pressures to rise in teenagers

C．have influence on students in many ways

D．draw parents’ attention to the problems it brings

2. What’s the author’s attitude towards homework in primary school?

A．Supportive.

B．Critical.

C．Doubtful.

D．Unconcerned.

3. What does the underlined expression “opposed to” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Against.

B．Worried about.

C．Tired of.

D．Favor.

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．Pressures Caused by Homework

B．The Benefits of Quality Homework

C．Quality and Quantity of Homework

D．Different Opinions about Homework

2 . Saihanba is a green miracle passed on from generation to generation.

The Saihanba Forest Farm is the world’s largest manmade forest, a 750-square-kilometer barrier (屏障), 300 kilometers north of Beijing, planted to save the Chinese capital from desertification (the gradual change of habitable land into desert, which is usually caused by climate change or by destructive use of the land).

Today, overlooking the sea of green, it would be hard to imagine that a half century ago, the area was wasteland.

The big change began 59 years ago with the effort of a group of foresters and engineers who were determined to turn the area into a forest. In 1962, the Ministry of Forestry Saihanba Mechanical Forest Farm was formally established. Some 369 young people from different parts of the country went all the way north to Saihanba.

Food and shelter was in short supply, so the group grew their own potatoes and corn and set up simple shelters and tents, sometimes using only brunches and straw that gave little shelter from the freezing wind.

In the beginning, planting trees on the very cold highland was an impossible task due to the high winds. Over 90 percent of the young seedlings planted in the first two years died and the forest farm was nearly shut down. After trying different ways of planting trees, the survival rate of the newly planted young trees topped 90 percent in 1964.

Planting trees is not enough. Carefully protecting the woods and managing well the whole forest farm is even harder. That is what later generations will do.

During fire prevention periods in spring and autumn, they check the vast expanse of forest every 15 minutes during the day, and once an hour at night.

Now as third-generation tree planters in Saihanba, they need to solve even more difficult problems in the never-ending effort of planting more trees. Since there is much less flat land left for planting trees, they have to work on the rocky mountain slopes (斜坡) where the topsoil is only 10 centimeters thick. But before giving the young trees a home, they need to dig holes about 40 centimeters deep.

Three generations of hard work have turned Saihanba from a nascent (新生的) stand of trees into a million acres of forest, from a desert into an oasis.

1. The author showed the difficulty of planting trees in Saihanba by ________.

A．telling stories

B．showing causes

C．listing numbers

D．giving examples

2. From the passage we know that Saihanba Forest Farm ________.

A．was changed by 369 engineers

B．used to be a 750-square-kilometer farm

C．provided good living conditions for people there

D．was turned into the world’s largest manmade forest

3. The passage is mainly about ________.

A．how people created a green miracle

B．why it was hard to manage the forest well

C．what people did to deal with climate change

D．what measures were taken to protect the capital

3 . I opened my eyes and started to stretch, wishing it was just a dream, but of course it wasn’t! I was extremely tired from staying up late the night before because I was so anxious for the big day. I dragged myself out of my bed to do my normal routine. As I was brushing my teeth, I looked up at the mirror and it hit me that I was about to graduate from high school. This was the first time that I’d been so happy and extremely sad at the same time and the only thing running through my mind was that this was really happening.

All I had was English that day because my other teachers let us have a free day to catch up on late homework or just hang out with our friends. After suffering through eight hours of boring classes, it was time to get ready for graduation night. As my friends and I were getting our caps and gowns on, my favorite teacher Ms. Sue walked up and said to me, “Congratulations to you, Lily!” She gave me a special book. I looked down at it and it said, “The places you’ll go!” I read it right before I headed up to gym for practice.

I never knew a book could give me such inspiration. I just kept on thinking to myself that this was finally it! I was so happy that it was time to move on to a new chapter in my life. As everyone was taking their seats, I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles, I was so nervous. Once and for all it was time they called out my name. I started walking up those stairs and it felt like the whole entire world was behind me. All I could see was a beautiful future ahead. This opened up many possibilities for me, like going to college, moving out on my own, and paying bills. I’ve never felt so proud of myself and the person I’ve become. This experience has made me become a better person.

1. What was the main cause for Lily’s anxiety?

A．Her bad dream.	B．Her normal routine.
C．Her graduation day.	D．Her extreme tiredness.

2. How did Lily feel during the last day’s classes?

A．Angry.

B．Uninterested.

C．Confident.

D．Thankful.

3. Ms. Sue’s gift made Lily ________.

A．decide to get prepared for the ceremony

B．learn about the harm of too many wishes

C．taste the sweetness of a good relationship

D．begin to think about fighting for her future

4. What can we learn from this passage?

A．Every book must be chewed carefully to get out its nice juice.

B．Something very magical can happen after reading a good book.

C．Reading books removes sorrows from someone’s breaking heart.

D．When you read a book for a second time, you meet an old friend.

4 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写一个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。请在答题卡指定区域作答。

As a nature photographer, I enjoy working outside in the wild. Last summer in Yellowstone National Park, I followed a path that took me through a dark forest.     1     I was photographing an eagle, I suddenly found that four     2     (meter) away from me was a bear. It     3     (look) back at me. A second later, the bear     4     (turn) and ran into the forest. Somehow, I forced my finger to press the button and took the picture of the moment.

5 . Carter Evans, a 16-year-old boy, was camping in a tent with friends in a parking area near Pascagoula River in July when a car with three teenage girls inside fell off a boat ramp (匝道) and into the river, then sank. The driver had blindly _________ wrong directions from her GPS.

It was around 2:30 a.m. when Evans and his friends got to the river’s edge. In the darkness, they could _________ make out the girls clinging (抱紧) to the roof, the only part of the car still above water. But they could hear _________.

Evans took off his shirt and shoes, threw his phone down and dived into the water, a river he knew crocodiles called home. He helped the first girl he saw and, keeping her head above water, led her to the _________.

Just then, Garry Mercer, a police officer, arrived. He _________ into the river to help another of the girls. But halfway back to shore, she was too _________ and went underwater, pulling Mercer down with her. Evans jumped back in the _________ and helped them until they could stand.

There was still one girl, Cora Watson, in the water. She was _________ to stay above water.

“I just knew my last _________ was coming,” Watson said. “I thought I was slowly losing myself.” She began to go under. Then, Evans grabbed her.

Evans was taken to the hospital. The three girls are alive because Evans risked his __________ to save them.

1.

A．followed

B．studied

C．seen

D．kept

2.

A．finally

B．clearly

C．certainly

D．hardly

3.

A．fighting

B．shouting

C．swimming

D．quarrelling

4.

A．riverbank

B．car

C．tent

D．park

5.

A．walked

B．fell

C．dived

D．sank

6.

A．excited

B．surprised

C．scared

D．disappointed

7.

A．sand

B．crowd

C．darkness

D．water

8.

A．waiting

B．struggling

C．considering

D．lying

9.

A．challenge

B．choice

C．breath

D．dream

10.

A．health

B．life

C．job

D．fortune

6 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。

How AI Will Impact the Future of Work and Life

AI, or artificial intelligence, seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue these days. While I’ve been aware of this major trend in tech development for a while, I’ve noticed AI appearing more and more as one of the most in-demand areas of expertise for job seekers.

I’m sure that for many of us, the term “AI” conjures up sci-fi fantasies or fear about robots taking over the world. The depictions of AI in the media have run the gamut, and while no one can predict exactly how it will evolve in the future, the current trends and developments paint a much different picture of how AI will become part of our lives.

In reality, AI is already at work all around us, impacting everything from our search results, to our online dating prospects, to the way we shop. Data shows that the use of AI in many sectors of business has grown by 270% over the last four years.

But what will AI mean for the future of work? As computers and technology have evolved, this has been one of the most pressing questions. As with many technological developments throughout history, the advancement of artificial intelligence has created fears that human workers will become obsolete.

The reality is probably a lot less dire, but maybe even more complicated.

What is AI?

Before we do a deep dive on the ways in which AI will impact the future of work, it’s important to start simple: what is AI? A straightforward definition from Britannica states that artificial intelligence is “the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings.”

“AI” has become a catchall term to describe any advancements in computing, systems and technology in which computer programs can perform tasks or solve problems that require the kind of reason we associate with human intelligence, even learning from past processes.

This ability to learn is a key component of AI. Algorithms, like the dreaded Facebook algorithm that replaced all our friends with sponsored content, are often associated with AI.

AI will probably not make human workers obsolete, at least not for a long time.

1. According to the passage, what is “AI”?
________________
2. How does AI affect our life?
________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
No one can predict exactly how AI will develop in the future, and the key component of it has not been found.
________________
4. Will AI replace the jobs of humans in the future? Please give your reasons. (In about 40 words)
________________

7 . It’s been said that good cooking is an art form. The truth is that it’s much more than that.

    1     It invites kids to make connections to the broader world by asking, “Where does our food come from?” and “What is the history of this recipe?” It allows them to apply what they are learning in school in a new context. They also test the math skills of young chefs. Measuring ingredients(原料)are frequent tasks in cooking or baking.     2     It is a perfect opportunity for them to learn that oil and water don’t usually mix.

Recipe failures matter as much as the successes.     3     When Helen, 11, took her cake out of the oven, she was disappointed to find that it was flat as a board. I told her about how, as a preteen, I accidentally made cookies with garlic powder instead of powdered ginger. Then we worked together to figure out what had gone wrong with her cake.

    4     It encourages kids to work with others. It also encourages them to be open to foods they otherwise might not have tried. Jad, 11, had never eaten quinoa(藜麦)before testing a recipe for quinoa with herbs. His parents reported that he was so excited about this new ingredient that he cooked it for his family the next night.

Of course, the best part of cooking with kids isn’t the basic skills.     5     This year, Olive and I have already done a lot of holiday baking, including our favorite chocolate-chip cookies. We both felt excited despite the mess that accompanied that experience.

A．It is patience that really matters.

B．Cooking also brings science concepts to life.

C．In some ways, they help kids develop resilience.

D．It’s the memories you make together in the kitchen.

E．Beyond the practical skills, cooking builds character.

F．When using oil or fat for cooking, use as little as possible.

G．It’s a way to teach kids vital skills, such as critical thinking, creativity and cooperation.

8 . HOW ONE MAN MADE A DIFFERENCE

Swiss businessman Henry Dunant, at the age of 31, was already a successful businessman. At the time, France was fighting with the Italian army in a war against Austria. However, he needed the help of Napoleon Ⅲ for one of his business deals. Dunant knew that Napoleon Ⅲ would be with his army in northern Italy, so he travelled to the city of Solferino to look for him.

Dunant arrived on the night of 24 June and found a battlefield filled with 40,000 dead and wounded soldiers. Dunant was horrified by the scene and was filled with compassion for the wounded men. At once, Dunant began attending to the wounded men. In the days that followed, he led local people in helping take care of the wounded and dying. They looked after the soldiers without regard to country or uniform, saying, “All are brothers!”

When Dunant returned to Switzerland the following month, he wrote a book about his experience called A Memory of Solferino. Within the book, he described the battle, its costs, and the chaotic circumstances afterwards. He also developed the idea that in the future, a neutral organization should exist to provide care to wounded soldiers. Dunant began to travel through Europe to distribute the book and promote his ideas. His book was largely positively received. This eventually led to the forming of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863.

The first act of the Red Cross was to organize an international conference (the Geneva Convention) where countries adopted guidelines and measures for protecting the wounded and medical workers during and after battles. While the Red Cross is mostly tasked with helping people in times of war, it also responds to natural disasters and gives aid to people who have to leave their homes. For example, the Red Cross provided aid and relief after the May 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in Sichuan, China.

Dunant himself gave up everything to save the world. His business failed because he was too busy with his work in the Red Cross. Then Dunant had to leave the Red Cross because of a personal conflict. Despite this, he continued to work as a volunteer, helping provide relief to people caught up in war. In the end, he lost all his money, fell ill, and had to be taken in by a charity. By this time, the Red Cross had become famous, but he was mostly forgotten. In the last years of his life, though, he was discovered by a newspaper reporter. From then on, he was celebrated around the world as the man responsible for saving many thousands of lives. Though he is long gone, his spirit continues with us until this day.

1. Where does Dunant’s idea of forming the Red Cross come from?

A．The encouragement of other devoted volunteers.

B．His travel through Europe to distribute the book.

C．His unsuccessful business deals with Napoleon Ⅲ.

D．His experience to help wounded soldiers in Solferino.

2. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?

A．Dunant’s business failed because of the outbreak of war.

B．Dunant finally left the Red Cross and no longer continued to volunteer.

C．In Solferino, the volunteers attended to the soldiers only from Austria.

D．Dunant travelled Solferino originally to look for Napoleon Ⅲ for business deals.

3. How does the Red Cross aid people in need according to the author?

A．Organizing international conferences.	B．Giving aid to homeless bankrupt people.
C．Helping people in times of natural disasters.	D．Providing guidelines for protecting soldiers.

4. What can best describe Henry Dunant’s quality?

A．Generous and confident.	B．Responsible and selfless.
C．Easygoing and intelligent.	D．Determined and independent.

9 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写 1个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace, is a marble Hellenistic sculpture of Nike,     1     was created about the second century BC. Since 1884, it     2    (display) in the Louvre and is one of the most celebrated     3     (sculpture) in the world.

10 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写 1个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Benjamin Franklin once       1     (carry) out a famous experiment to prove that lightning was a form of electricity. He raised     2     kite with a piece of string tied to it and a metal key     3     (attach) to the string. When a flash of lightning hit the kite, Franklin got an electric shock by     4     (touch) the key.