3 . Plastic is everywhere in our modern world. Its toughness makes it an extremely useful material from household items to vehicle parts, but that same toughness makes it hard to break down for recycling or disposal (处理). However, Japanese scientists at the University of Tokyo have developed a new plastic material that can be broken down more easily and can self-heal and remember past shapes.

Based on a kind of plastic called an epoxy resin vitrimer, which is brittle (脆性的), the new plastic has a huge range of advantages. Once scratched (刮划) with a knife, it can completely patch itself up after being heated to 150 ℃ for just 60 seconds. When shaped into the shape of a crane, then flattened, it can fold itself back into the crane shape by being heated up. It does all of this much faster than others of its type.

The new plastic can also break down easier. Even if it’s thrown into the environment, it still has less of a problem than other kinds of plastic, which the team demonstrated by placing it in seawater for 30 days. It biodegraded (生物降解) by 25% and released something that is eatable for ocean life.

The new plastic is more resistant to breaking. It can also repair itself, and can recover its original memorized shape. It even biodegrades safely in a ocean environment, according to Shota Ando, a researcher of the study.

The material can be used in a variety of applications. “Building materials for roads and bridges are often composed of epoxy resins mixed with compounds (化合物) such as concrete and carbon,” said Ando. “By using the new plastic, these would be easier to maintain as they would be stronger and healable using heat. Unlike conventional epoxy resins, this new material is hard but flexible, so it could also be expected to strongly bond materials of different hardness and stretch.”

1. What is the author’s purpose in writing paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the topic of the text.	B．To show the disadvantages of plastic.
C．To highlight the importance of plastic.	D．To show his views on previous plastic.

2. What do the underlined words “patch itself up” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Change itself.

B．Destroy itself.

C．Repair itself.

D．Burn itself.

3. What do we know about the new plastic?

A．It is safe for animals in the ocean.	B．It is made up of concrete and carbon.
C．It can change its shape when frozen.	D．It is more brittle than previous plastic.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．How to Make a New Plastic	B．An Interesting Scientific Study
C．The Widespread Application of Plastic	D．A New Environmentally Friendly Plastic

4 . Imagine this: You’re at a movie theater food stand loading up on snacks. You have a choice of a small, medium or large soda. The small is $3.50 and the large is $5.50. It’s a tough decision: The small size may not last you through the whole movie, but $5.50 for some sugary drink seems unreasonable. But there’s a third option (选择), a medium soda for $5.25. The medium might be just right for you, but the large only cost a quarter more. If you’re like the majority of people, you end up buying the large.

If you’re wondering who would purchase the medium soda, the answer is almost no one. Actually, there’s a good chance that the marketing department purposely priced the medium soda as a decoy (诱饵), making you more likely to buy the large soda rather than the small.

I have written about this unique human nature previously with my friend Dan Ariely, who, after noticing pricing for subscription (订阅) to The Economist, studied this phenomenon extensively. The digital subscription was $59, the print subscription was $125, and the print plus digital subscription was also $125. No one in their right mind would buy the print subscription when you could get digital as well for the same price, so why was it even an option? Ariely ran an experiment and found that when only the two “real” choices were offered, more people chose the less-expensive digital subscription. However, the bad option increased people’s likelihood of selecting the expensive print plus digital option.

Brain scientists call this effect “asymmetric dominance” and it means that people are attracted to the option that is closest to an obviously inferior (较差的) option. Marketing professors call it the decoy effect, which is certainly easier to remember. It works because of the way our brain assigns value when making choices. Value is rarely absolute; rather, we decide an object’s value relative to other choices. If more options are introduced, the value equation (方程) changes.

1. Why do the shops give the third option — the medium soda?

A．To offer people more choices.	B．To give people the right size of soda.
C．To help people save some money.	D．To earn more money.

2. What do we learn from Dan Ariely’s experiment?

A．The Economist’s print edition turns out to sell the best.

B．More readers choose the digital over the print edition.

C．Lower-priced goods attract more customers.

D．The Economist’s promotional strategy works.

3. From which website would you most probably find this text?

A．https://www.lifestyle.com/health	B．https://www.science.com/local
C．https://www.consumers.com/money	D．https://www.education.com/science

4. How do we often assess the value of a product according to the text?

A．By considering its usefulness.	B．By comparing it with other choices.
C．By examining its former value.	D．By taking its low quality into account.

6 . Growing up, I understood one thing about my dad: He knew everything. In my teen years, he taught me things I’d need to know to survive in the real world: how to drive a stick shift, how to check the car tyre’s (轮胎) pressure, and the correct knife to use to cut a cantaloupe.

When I moved out on my own, I called him at least once a week, usually when something broke in my apartment and I needed to know how to fix it: the toilet, the air-conditioning, the wall, once, when I threw a shoe at a terrifying spider.

But then, eventually, I needed him less. I got married, and my husband had most of the knowledge I lacked about gutter (排水沟) cleaning and water heaters and nondestructive insect removal. For everything else, we had Google. I didn’t know when it happened, but our conversations turned into six words when I called. Me: “Hi, Dad.” Him: “Hi, sweet. Here’s Mom.”

I loved my dad, of course, but I wondered at times if maybe he had already shared everything I needed to know. Maybe I’d heard all his stories. Maybe, after knowing a man for 40 years, there’s nothing left to say. Then, two summers ago, my husband, our four kids and I moved in with my parents for three weeks while our house was being painted. They owned a lake house, and my dad asked me to help him rebuild the bulkhead (舱壁). It was a hard and manual job. We got wet and sandy. But as we put the new bulkhead together piece by piece, my dad knew exactly what went where. I looked at him, “How do you know how to build a bulkhead?” “I spent a summer in college building it on the Jersey Shore.”

“You did?” I thought I knew everything about my dad, but I never knew this. I realized that maybe it’s not that there’s nothing left to say. Maybe it’s just that I’ve spent my life asking him the wrong questions. That day, my dad talked about what he had learned and what he could do excitedly. We chatted and chatted for a long time.

A few weeks later, after my family and I moved back into our painted house, I called my parents. “Hi, sweets,” he said. “Here’s Mom.” “Wait, Dad,” I said. “How are you?” We ended up talking about everything he was working on. To anyone else, it would sound like a normal conversation between a dad and his daughter. But to me, it was novel and a new beginning. I spent the first part of my life needing to talk to my dad. Now I talk to him because I want to.

1. Why did the author feel that she needed to call her dad before she got married?

A．She called to make sure he was pleased.	B．She wanted to talk to him for knowledge.
C．She knew her parents missed her so much.	D．She was asked to call him once a week.

2. Why hadn’t the author got something to talk with her father before she moved back to be with him?

A．Her father was old and he didn’t keep up with the world.

B．Her father always thought he was right in everything.

C．She didn’t have more to learn from him than she thought.

D．She spent her younger ages asking him too many questions.

3. What does the father’s answer “Hi, sweet. Here’s Mom.” mean?

A．The author’s mother is answering the phone.	B．The author’s mother knows what has happened.
C．He will give the phone to the author’s mother.	D．He finds the author’s mother sweet and kind.

4. Which of the following words best describe the father?

A．Creative and faithful.	B．Selfless and brave.
C．Inspiring and generous.	D．Loving and experienced.

7 . Paris is one of the most-visited destinations in the world. There are lots to explore and there’s delicious food on every corner. A relaxing trip to Paris takes a little bit of planning. Here are some tips for you to make your trip smooth.

Planning your trip

Have a valid (有效的) passport for international travel. A passport costs $110 and takes 6~8 weeks to arrive after you apply.

Booking Flights

The cheapest period to fly is during the spring time, especially if you can leave on the first three days of the week. You’ll save even more money by booking around 100 days in advance. In the summer months, tickets will be more expensive no matter when you book.

Enjoying Your Time

·Visit the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower is the most recognizable symbol of Paris. To avoid the crowds, go to the Eiffel Tower early in the morning. It costs€25to go to the top, or€10 to climb to the first 2 levels on foot.

·See the Notre Dame Cathedral.

At present, the Notre Dame Cathedral is not accessible to tourists due to the fire that ruined parts of the cathedral. However, you can still visit the outside of the cathedral.

·Go to the Louvre to world-famous art.

The Louvre hosts the Mona Lisa along with 35,000 other pieces of art. If you’re pressed for time, visit the highlights. The Louvre costs€15at the museum or €17 in advance (to skip most of the line).

·Take a day trip to Versailles.

If you have a day to spare, head to the palace of Versailles, around 14 miles southwest of the city. Take a tour to see King Louis XVI’s palace and gardens. It costs€20 to visit the palace and grounds.

1. How much does a passport cost?

A．$15.

B．$17.

C．$25.

D．$110.

2. Which tourist attraction is not open to visitors at the moment?

A．The Notre Dame Cathedral.	B．The Eiffel Tower.
C．The Louvre.	D．Versailles.

3. Which of the following is right?

A．You can get a free passport when you apply.

B．You can only see a small part of works in the Louvre.

C．Early morning is a better time to visit the Eiffel Tower.

D．The trip to Versailles costs the most money.

9 . 假定你是李华，你的爱尔兰笔友Adam热衷于中国历史文化和名胜古迹。他计划今年五一假期来华旅游，希望你给他推荐旅游城市。请你给他写一封邮件，内容包括：
1. 表示欢迎；
2. 推荐旅游城市；
3. 表达祝愿。
注意：1. 写作词数应为80个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Adam,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

10 . Preet Chandi, an Asian woman, returned from a trek (徒步旅行) across Greenland last year. She hopes to _________ an unsupported trek across Antaretica to the south pole by herself. The 700-mile journey will take about 45 days. She will face the _________ cold of -50℃ while dragging a sled (拖拽雪橇) weighing 95kg after she _________.

Preet Chandi _________ it is a tough journey but she feels well prepared after years of _________. In recent weeks she has been _________ tyres around the streets near her home. She has received a number of curious questions from _________. “If you come from a community that has no sense of _________ at all, it can be really hard,” she said, adding that a number of people thought she was to _________ for Southall, in west London, not to the south pole. “It’s just beyond their ____________.”

In the south pole, one may ____________ nothing in front for days except snow. It is quite a mental ____________. Thus, her partner has left messages inside her tent, while friends have ____________ voice notes for her to listen to on the journey.

When she returns, she plans to put aside some money to ____________ more women to try outdoor adventures. She is pleased to see change in what has ____________ been a male-dominated (主导) area. What an inspiring woman!

1.

A．apply

B．design

C．complete

D．introduce

2.

A．refreshing

B．extreme

C．bearable

D．slight

3.

A．falls down

B．checks out

C．sets off

D．turns up

4.

A．admits

B．doubts

C．hopes

D．prays

5.

A．working

B．adjustment

C．struggle

D．training

6.

A．buying

B．dragging

C．painting

D．collecting

7.

A．passers-by

B．explorers

C．visitors

D．cyclists

8.

A．activities

B．adventures

C．competitions

D．sports

9.

A．push

B．run

C．head

D．look

10.

A．control

B．ability

C．reach

D．knowledge

11.

A．make

B．taste

C．see

D．smell

12.

A．challenge

B．trouble

C．dilemma

D．success

13.

A．played

B．recorded

C．presented

D．taken

14.

A．remind

B．persuade

C．command

D．fund

15.

A．seldom

B．morally

C．legally

D．typically