1 . Important Things to Know When Dining Out
Cultural dining etiquette (礼节) might surprise you with some of its important rules.
The way you handle chopsticks is important to avoid annoying your companions. When you put them down between bites, always put them down together so they are parallel with the edge of the table in front of you.
In India and the Middle East, it’s considered very rude to eat with your left hand. People in France expect you to eat with a utensil in each hand.
Some of these cultural dining etiquette rules may seem random and strange, but they are important in various countries.
| A．The more friends you make in your lifetime |
| B．The more time you spend in any given country |
| C．Mexicans consider it inappropriate to eat with utensils |
| D．Don’t get caught making an embarrassing mistake at a restaurant |
| E．It’s a good sign for the chef if you make a mess around your plate |
| F．Never stick them upright in your food or cross them as you use them |
| G．It may seem like a simple request to ask for salt and pepper at a meal |
Grandfather was a wise and honorable man. His house was not far from ours, and I would visit him often going home after school.
No matter how rotten I had been, I could tell Grandpa anything. My secrets were safe. Whenever there was a problem, he gave me the tools to fix it. I knew I would always find the best answer from him. He always understood. He loved me.
I remember a time when a bunch of us were playing baseball in the field behind Mrs. Ferguson’s house. I hit one pitch just right and slam! It was a home run that soared high and away, and ended up breaking Old Lady Ferguson’s kitchen window! We all ran! Walking home, my best friend, Tom, asked, “How will she ever know who did it? She’s blinder than a bat!” He had a point.
I was afraid that Mrs. Ferguson would stay mad at me, so I ran. I didn’t know what she would do. I tried to calm down. However, my stomach was in knots. On the way home. I imagined that she was a mean witch (女巫) chasing me, and the further way I ran, the larger she grew... until finally she towered over the whole town, seeing my every move with an evil eye. Thoughts rushed through my mind. Would Mrs. Ferguson stay mad at me? Would she call police? Worse still, would she tell my parents I couldn’t even imagine the disappointment on Mom and Dad’s face. They were hoping I would act honestly and in a responsible way
I decided to stop by Grandpa’s. I felt ashamed. I wanted to hide. I wanted to knock my head against a tree a thousand times and make the world just go away —as if punishing myself could undo things.
“I would tell everything to Grandpa,” a voice inside me said.
“I was wrong.” I told him, with my head down. He must have known something was up by the expression on my face. He knew we had been warned many times about the dangers of playing where we shouldn’t.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答
Para 1: But he just listened while I continued talking.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Para 2: Grandpa smiled when he knew I had figured it out.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. What impresses the man most about the house?
| A．The bathrooms. | B．The gym. | C．The kitchen. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Six. |
| A．Remy. | B．Ella. | C．Linda. |
| A．It's too large. | B．It has a small yard. | C．It's too far from the city. |
4 . There’s just a 1 in 3, 700, 000 chance that a person will be killed by a shark in their lifetime, but the fear is still enough to have swimmers worrying about being perceived as prey (猎物). Now, new research supports the long-standing theory that when great whites do go in for a bite, it’s a case of “mistaken identity”.
A team of biologists from the UK and Australia compared videos of seals swimming with videos of humans swimming. They then edited the videos to simulate (模拟) a great white’s vision — the sharks are likely colorblind, and they can’t make out fine detail-and found that from the point of view of the ocean creatures, humans do indeed bear a strong resemblance to seals.
“Great white sharks are often regarded as ‘mindless killers’ and ‘fond of human flesh’. However, that's not the case — we just look like their food,” Laura Ryan, lead author of the study, said.
Despite their dissatisfying vision and spatial perception, great white sharks are highly visual creatures, and rely on motion and shadows when on the lookout for prey. To really see through the species’s eyes, the research team had to get creative.
“We attached a camera to an underwater scooter (轻便小车), and set it to travel at a typical speed for predatory sharks,” Ryan said in a statement. The researchers then paired the recordings with computer models to simulate how similar people look from a shark's view below the surface.
“I knew there would be some similarities, but not to the extent we have found,” Ryan said. “Specifically, I thought swimmers might not be as similar as surfers to seals as they typically aren’t involved in as many shark bites. However, the swimmers are also difficult to tell apart from seals.”
Ryan put it in a statement, “Understanding why shark bites occur can help us find ways to prevent them, while keeping both humans and sharks safer.”
1. What do the underlined words “the ocean creatures” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Seals. | B．Sharks. | C．Humans. | D．Swimmers. |
| A．To measure the speed of predatory sharks. |
| B．To take clear pictures of underwater seals. |
| C．To keep track of sharks’ travel underwater. |
| D．To see human beings through sharks' view. |
| A．Swimmers are easy to tell apart from seals. |
| B．Swimmers are not as similar as surfers to seals. |
| C．The similarities between humans and seals are few. |
| D．Swimmers surprisingly resemble seals in sharks’ eyes. |
| A．Why Sharks Attack Humans | B．Are Shark Bites Common? |
| C．How Sharks Hunt for Food | D．Are Sharks Really Dangerous? |
5 . Most young people are always on their phones, which may upset many people.
Each teen spent at least an hour of one-on-one time with their oldsters. Based on their
Some of the oldsters actually wanted to take part in e-commerce (电子商务), and needed help to
In addition to arranging group lessons for all of the seniors to
The eighth graders earned their “Silver Award,, for their job. After experiencing the
| A．Otherwise | B．Therefore | C．However | D．Besides |
| A．service | B．praise | C．invitation | D．donation |
| A．keep | B．untie | C．share | D．unlock |
| A．technological | B．medical | C．psychological | D．physical |
| A．record | B．teach | C．recall | D．investigate |
| A．get back | B．set up | C．check out | D．pay off |
| A．patience | B．luck | C．fun | D．trouble |
| A．write | B．phone | C．text | D．read |
| A．sweet | B．simple | C．rare | D．common |
| A．play | B．live | C．talk | D．review |
| A．amazed | B．experienced | C．confused | D．respected |
| A．success | B．arrangement | C．change | D．pressure |
| A．performances | B．clinics | C．clubs | D．competitions |
| A．organized | B．managed | C．visited | D．funded |
| A．needed | B．refused | C．enjoyed | D．deserved |
6 . There are three things you can watch forever: Instagram feeds, YouTube videos and water. Among them, water is definitely something no one argues about, and there are many unusual water attractions that you can find around the world.
Bangkok Floating Markets
There are many floating markets where goods are sold from boats. While modern markets are more popular, floating markets still are a huge attraction for local tourism. Any visitors can purchase local foods and traditional handcrafted (手工的) souvenirs. Bargaining is a part of experience. So, start low and get the price you are ready to pay.
Bregenzer Festspiele
The Bregenz Festival is held every year from July to August in Vorarlberg. It has the world’s largest stage on the water. The performances are different every year but they are usually united by one theme. The decorations are very impressive and are worth seeing.
Marina Bay Stadium
This stadium was built as a temporary solution while Singapore National Stadium was rebuilt. The stadium was used for the opening and closing ceremonies during 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. It was a floating platform where the Formula One Grand Prix event was successfully held.
Archipelago Cinema
Archipelago Cinema is probably one of the world’s most scenic open-air cinemas that floats in the middle of a lake. The cinema was designed by German architect Ole Scheeren, who built it using techniques popular among local people. This cinema stage was built specially for the film festival Film on the Rocks Yao Noi.
1. What is special about Bangkok Floating Markets?| A．Local foods are free to taste. |
| B．Visitors can make boats by themselves. |
| C．Bargaining for a good price is an experience. |
| D．Performances on water are impressive to see. |
| A．Archipelago Cinema. | B．Marina Bay Stadium. |
| C．Bregenzer Festspiele. | D．Bangkok Floating Markets. |
| A．They both hold ceremonies every year. |
| B．They both used local building techniques. |
| C．They were both built for a special purpose. |
| D．They both provide visitors with sports events. |
Here’s the story of my growth over the past year. It’s a story of how I found the strength to change myself for better and then how I get rid of my fears to be even better. If anyone is inspired by this, that’s wonderful.
I’d been stuck as this incredibly insecure, under-confident and just scared individual for years and years. Since childhood I’d been stuck like this. Kids I met for the first time looked at me rudely and unkindly. Even my friends—actually, I had very few friends because I just felt too ashamed and frightened to make some, though I was eager to and felt extremely lonely in the depth of my heart—laughed at me and gave me bad nicknames. I felt terrible, but I’d just resigned to a life where I’d be afraid of everything and be this “introvert” (内向的人) or whatever. I thought I would never be able to change, never, for my whole life.
But then it all started changing. Something clicked. I suddenly determined to go on a diet, and lost some weight. It was tough. I felt hungry all the time. I was always tempted by the smell of bread and hamburger, even when I didn’t see them. But the toughest thing was that even if I had just had my meals, I felt hunger mentally. However, I held on. In over a period of 6 months I finally managed to stick to one of my diets. I didn’t know how. But I did make it.
The loss of 90 lbs brought me from overweight straight down to underweight. This isn’t the best part. More importantly and inspiringly, I suddenly found strength in me. I realized I could be totally different. And maybe, I could even be whatever I wanted to be. This taught me that I could change myself.
Then I wondered, perhaps, I could also get rid of those of my fears, just like I succeeded in losing my extra pounds. It might not be easy, but it might not be that difficult.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右：
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Chance presented itself soon.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It was from that point on that I started changing rapidly.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 . I began a new job in a new city six months ago. Big moments of changing like this have a way of dragging up deep, hidden fears we don’t face in our longer periods of stability.
Change is risk. Our primitive brains translate risk into danger, and our survival as a species depends on avoiding it. Though philosopher Nietzsche famously said, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger”, the risk that it could kill you can easily cause anxiety.
Unluckily, there are always big changes we must face at some point.
Change, while requiring adjustment—sometimes painful adjustment—often finds its way back to balance. Change and struggle are usually the only ways to get to someplace better.
| A．Crisis is also opportunity |
| B．Change also never goes away |
| C．I also managed to learn from the past |
| D．That’s how species and individuals live together |
| E．I managed poorly at the beginning of this change |
| F．That’s why we are so restless when faced with changes |
| G．That means finding the wisdom that helps us make the change |
9 . The Earth is already 1.1 degrees Celsius hotter than it was 150 years ago. Though a half-degree Celsius difference in temperature increase might seem unimportant, the difference for life on Earth could be huge.
Off the coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is known for being large enough to be seen from space. It’s the size of Germany—a biodiversity hot spot that was once thought to be too big to fail. But over the last few decades, marine（海洋的）biologists like Hoegh-Guldberg have watched its rapid decline.
Oceans are warming along with the atmosphere, since they absorb much of the excess heat from climate change. Repeated marine heat waves over the last five years have turned much of the Great Barrier Reef a terribly white color. When temperatures rise, corals（珊瑚）remove the microscopic algae（海藻）inside them, losing their food source in the process. Sometimes the corals can recover, but increasingly, they’re dying off.
“Something around 50% of the shallow water corals were killed literally over a couple of months, in some cases over a couple of weeks,” Hoegh-Guldberg says. “If you extend that out into the future, we’ll get to a point where the damage overwhelms the ability of corals to bounce back. ”
Marine heat waves have already doubled in number since 1980 and are expected to become more intense as temperatures rise. At 1.5 degrees Celsius, it’s likely that 70% to 90% of coral reefs will die off worldwide. At 2 degrees Celsius of warming, 99% are lost. “If we delay even a year or two more, we really are going down a pathway where there will be no return. We need to act and we need to act decisively, without question and solve this problem. ” Hoegh-Guldberg adds.
1. What do we know about the Great Barrier Reef?| A．It is supposed to never disappear. |
| B．It used to be indescribably massive. |
| C．It is too large to be seen from space. |
| D．It is growing over the last few decades. |
| A．Changes in the shape of coral. |
| B．Increasing risk of coral death. |
| C．Growing coral recovery capacity. |
| D．Abundant food sources of corals. |
| A．Decidedly. | B．Gradually. |
| C．Constantly. | D．Regularly. |
| A．The temperature affects the life. |
| B．Climate change causes warming oceans. |
| C．Coral reefs face almost complete die-off. |
| D．Extreme heat waves double greatly in number. |
10 . Over the phone, Jack's mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
“Jack, did you hear me?"
“Oh, sorry, Mum. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack replied.
“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life,' she said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mum stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture. Jack stopped suddenly ...
“What's wrong, Jack?” his Mum asked.
“The box is gone," he said.
“What box?" Mum asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever told me was the thing he valued most. Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said.
Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. 'Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days,' the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack s hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life.'
Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved (雕刻): 'Jack, Thanks for your time!- Harold Belser.'
1. What did Mr. Belser do when Jack was a child?| A．He played the role of a father. |
| B．He taught Jack school subjects. |
| C．He sponsored Jack for education. |
| D．He brought Jack longer memories. |
| A．It belonged to Mr. Belser. | B．It remained a mystery to him. |
| C．It was his childhood memory. | D．It was worth a lot of money. |
| A．Take over. | B．Reach for. | C．Pull out. | D．Get back. |
| A．A gold pocket watch is the best gift. |
| B．Good company deserves treasuring. |
| C．Loss of father influences a boy deeply. |
| D．Close neighbors should help each other. |
