1 . Are you looking for some informative magazines? The following ones can surely meet your needs.

Mental Foss is a magazine full of bite-sized（small bits） trivia（琐事）and mostly short articles with really interesting facts that you'll want to share with others. The writing is fun and friendly, so it’s easy to understand the answers to the more difficult questions, like: What does outer space smell like? Why isn't cat food mouse-flavored? While the print edition of the magazine stopped publishing in 2016, you can still read Mental Floss online.

Reader's Digest is not actually about books reading. Instead, it is about people. Inside you'll find anecdotes—short, personal articles about things that have happened to people. There are stories in simple writing about everything from funny celebrity moments and inspiring personal store to funny jokes and articles.

Cricket and Cicada are easy-to-read literary magazines aimed at teenagers. Each issue is full of wonderful short stories and poems, and beautiful illustrations. Even though these are technically children's magazines, they are perfect for learning English because they have high quality writing.

Time is one of the most well-known magazines in the world. Inside you'll find news, beautiful photographs and everything you need to get a" deeper understanding of the world in which we live. "Since Time is very high quality and provides deep insight on many serious topics, it can also be difficult for English learners to read. If you have trouble understanding Time, try Time For Kids, which has similarly great content but is written in a simpler way.

1. What can readers obtain from Mental Floss?

A．They can be inspired by the comments on the magazine.

B．They can understand some tough facts in a funny way.

C．They can enjoy a variety of eye-catching pictures.

D．They can have a deep understanding about the current events.

2. What similarity do the fist three magazines have in common?

A．The language is easy and friendly to readers.

B．The articles are mostly adapted from books.

C．The stories are all based on private experiences.

D．The topics are serious and difficult to comprehend.

3. What do we know about Time?

A．It's of great help for English beginners.

B．It has two editions for readers to choose from.

C．People can have an access to it online.

D．It is perfect for teenagers who love anecdotes.

2 . Are you relatively skinny but growing a “beer belly”?

Then don’t be surprised at your next checkup if the nurse measures your waistline to determine your healthy weight. That’s because research is showing that a protruding (鼓出的) belly may be a sign of VAT — a dangerous form of fat around organs deep inside your body. “Studies confirm that visceral (内脏的) fat is a clear health risk,” said Dr. Tiffany Wiley, a senior expert at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Unlike the fat just under your skin, visceral fat raises your risk for heart disease. Experts think that’s because visceral fat raises blood pressure and inflames (使发炎) tissues and organs.

However, you can’t assume you’re safe from visceral fat if your overall weight is healthy, experts stress. That’s because you can have dangerous visceral fat even if you’re not considered overweight — and not have any visceral fat even if you are overweight.

How do you know if your stomach is protruding into dangerous size? Do a check. Non-pregnant women with a waist size greater than 88 cm and men with a waist larger than 102 cm, are at higher risk according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you’re Asian, it drops to 80 cm for women and 90 cm for men. But it is only a rough measure. “The only sure way to know is to check your visceral fat levels on a CT scan or MRI,” say experts.

According to the AHA committee, the most salutary physical activity to “shrink” belly is aerobic exercise. Aerobic means “with oxygen”, so aerobic exercise increases your breathing rate and promotes the circulation of oxygen through the blood. This type of exercise makes the heart work more effectively and improves its ability to move oxygen-carrying blood with every beat. Speed walking, jogging, stair climbing, cycling and swimming are all examples of aerobic exercise.

“However, more studies are needed to determine the best physical activity, food and other lifestyle changes to reduce heart disease risk,” Dr. Tiffany Wiley added.

1. What would a “beer belly” cause?

A．Enlarged organs inside the body.	B．Higher risk of heart disease.
C．Raised mental pressure.	D．Inflamed stomach.

2. Who would be relatively healthier according to the experts?

A．A white man with a waist size of 120 cm.

B．A white woman with a waist size of 90 cm.

C．An Asian man with a waist size of 102 cm.

D．An Asian woman with a waist size of 75 cm.

3. Which word can replace the underlined word “salutary” in paragraph 5?

A．Beneficial.

B．Difficult.

C．Enthusiastic.

D．Useless.

4. What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A．Doing aerobic exercise can remove visceral fat completely.

B．Heart ability improves when one does speed walking.

C．Further studies are needed to reduce heart disease risk.

D．Food and life style determine one’s body shape.

3 . The SNAG stands for stereotyped nature-inspired aerial grasper and it’s a 3D-printed bird robot with claws. It can fly, stay on various surfaces catch and carry objects, just like the mighty falcon（隼）that was used as the source of inspiration in its development.

Each leg of the SNAG has two motors, one for helping it move back and forth, and the other one for grasping. Twenty printing attempts were necessary for the robot to finally reach its current structure, but it was worth it. Now, according to researchers, the flying machine has an impressively strong and high-speed clutch（离合器），being able to land and wrap its claws around a branch in about 20 milliseconds. SNAG has ankles lock, and there’s an accelerometer （加速计）on its right foot that reports that it’s landed while triggering（触发）a balancing process to stabilize it.

Scientists have already conducted several tests with the robot in rural areas and on different surfaces. In all the situations, the SNAG was able to catch objects thrown by hand, such as bean bags, a tennis ball, and more.

As for the applications of the bird-like robot, the SNAG can get attached to drones（无人机）and be used for search and rescue missions, wildfire monitoring, to offer just a few examples. Another great application is environmental research, with the SNAG also featuring a temperature and humidity（湿度）sensor. By using a robot that can act like a bird, you can unlock new ways of studying the environment, as explained by William Roderick, mechanical engineer and one of the researchers involved in the project. Now scientists are moving on to improving the robot’s situational awareness and flight control.

This isn’t the first time that nature has inspired groundbreaking technologies. We also wrote a piece recently about the F-SAM micro drone, which was inspired by the flight of samara（翼果）seeds, also known as “twisters” which have a special way of spinning down to the ground.

1. What gave the researchers inspiration for the SNAG’s development?

A．The plane.	B．The falcon.
C．The micro drone.	D．The samara seeds.

2. What’s the function of the accelerometer on the SNAG?

A．To balance the SNAG in flight.

B．To change the SNAG’s flying speed.

C．To keep the SNAG’s feet in balance.

D．To make the SNAG steady on a surface.

3. What does Paragraph 4 mainly tell us about the SNAG?

A．The SNAG has huge potential for practical use.

B．The SNAG has a long way to go before being used.

C．The SNAG will be helpful in putting out forest fires.

D．The SNAG is sensitive to temperature and humidity.

4. What may be one disadvantage of the SNAG right now?

A．It doesn’t know its situation well.

B．It can’t fly fast enough in the air.

C．It is easily broken by the branches.

D．It can’t catch objects with smooth surfaces.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What do we know from the conversation?

A．Joe Johnson is a rap singer and actor.

B．Joe Johnson comes from South America.

C．Joe Johnson starred in a movie as a singer.

2. Why did the man watch old movies?

A．To relax himself from busy work.

B．To learn acting skills from them.

C．To know people’s life at that time.

3. What does the man think of Laura?

A．Unfriendly.

B．Helpful.

C．Humorous.

5 . The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.

Lead researcher Dr. Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said : "These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular （心血管的）fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia. "

For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak （最大值的） cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.

A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher. A total of 92 women were in the medium fitness category; and 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.

These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.

"However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association. More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important. " She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were form Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.

1. What is on the ever-growing list mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．Positive effects of doing exercises.

B．Exercises suitable for the middle-aged.

C．Experimental studies on diseases.

D．Advantages of sporty woman over man

2. Why did the researchers ask the women to do bicycle exercise?

A．To predict their maximum heart rate.

B．To assess their cardiovascular capacity

C．To change their habits of working out

D．To detect their potential health problems

3. What do we know about Dr Horder's study?

A．It aimed to find a cure for dementia.

B．Data collection was a lengthy process.

C．Some participants withdrew from it.

D．The results were far from satisfactory.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．More Women Are Exercising to Prevent Dementia

B．Middle-Aged Women Need to Do More Exercise

C．Fit Women Are Less Likely to Develop Dementia

D．Biking Improves Women's Cardiovascular Fitness

6 . Leanne Carrasco ordered 95 pizzas (比萨饼). The high school senior and her friends filled up goody bags. But this was not your typical graduation party.     1     Instead, she decided to mark her high school graduation by giving back to the community. So she threw a pizza party at a homeless shelter for women and children in Houston, Texas. It took her a month to prepare.

Carrasco had volunteered before, with her family, at the Star of Hope Family Development Center. But this time was different.     2     In the month leading up to the party they collected toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap (肥皂). They packed them into 400 bags to hand out to residents (居民) of the shelter.

On Sunday, it was party time. The pizza was a hit, and so were the bags.     3     They had respect for these people. They made sure the residents knew that someone cared.

In all Carrasco and her friends served about 200 people. For the shelter residents, it was a magical day.     4    

Carrasco did a good job but she won’t let it go to her head anytime soon. The graduating senior plans to study nursing at Briar Cliff University in Iowa in the fall.     5     “I’d rather make a difference in the lives of the homeless residents at Star of Hope than have a big party,” she said.

A．Carrasco didn’t want that.

B．She was able to think of other people.

C．They lined up to give thanks to Carrasco.

D．She said she would continue giving back.

E．Carrasco decided to spend money on a party.

F．She invited a group of her friends and got to work.

G．But Carrasco and her friends gave the residents something more than just food and soap.

7 . Races

Virtual(虚拟的）races-but the running is real! Here are some of the best online races.

RAINBOWS VIRTUAL 5K

This is a fun run designed to be completed in any way that is proper for you-whether you run or walk in the garden,dance and walk fast along with your dog. All the organisers ask is that you complete 5K—in one go or over several days of your choice.

￡20,rainbows.co,uk/events/rainbows-virtual-5k

MILTON KEYNES MARATHON WEEKEND VIRTUAL 5K

Part of the yearly September Milton Keynes running festival, this year you can complete the 5Kvirtually. Complete it in your own time—in the garden or on an exercise machine if need be. You can also complete it in smaller runs.

From ￡18,mkmarathon. com/virtual-race

10K GARDEN CHALLENGE

A virtual race you can complete in your garden or at a local open space or park. Put on your shoes and complete 10K as speedily as you can. The event helps raise money for mental(精神的)health,with 15% of the entry fee being given to Bath Mind.By the way,the medal(奖牌)is environment-friendly.

￡15,womensrunning.co. uk/ neus/ keep-motivated-with-our-womens-runing-virtual-challenges

ROCK 'N' ROLL VIRTUAL

Sign up with the virtual running club and compete in weekly events alongside runners from around the world. Challenges include running an 8K and 15K in one weekend or running a l5Kwithin a 30-hour time window. Running challenges are all free to enter, but you can buy merchandise(商品）and medals if you want to add to your wall.

Free to join,buy your medals from ￡20,runrocknrollvr.com

1. If Mary wants to run just for fun,she will most likely visit________.

A．womensrunning.co.uk/news /keep-motivated-with-our-womens-running-virtual-challenges

B．rainbows.co.uk/events/rainbows-virtual-5k

C．mkmarathon.com/virtual-race

D．runrocknrollvr.com

2. Which of the following races cares about people's mental health?

A．10K GARDEN CHALLENGE.

B．RAINBOWS VIRTUAL 5K.

C．ROCK ' N' ROLL VIRTUAL.

D．MILTON KEYNES MARATHON WEEKEND VIRTUAL 5K.

3. What do we know about ROCK'N'ROLL VIRTUAL?

A．It is held once a year.

B．It welcomes local runners only.

C．It offers different choices to people.

D．It requires people to pay the entry fee.

8 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填 入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Peru, a county     1     the Pacific coast of South America, is well-known for its diverse geography. time honored history and magnificent civilization. The county was the center of the powerful ancient Inca Empire in the 1400s and 1500s, when the Inca emperor     2     (live) in the now-famous site Machu Picchu.     3     nation was under the control of Spain from the 16^th century to 1821. It is because of this     4     Spanish is the main     5    (office) language of Peru.

If you are to visit Peru, you may consider spending a day or two     6     (wander) along the beautiful streets in Cusco,     7     was the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13^th until the 16^th century. It is also recommended that you     8     (pay) a visit to Machu Picchu, where you can admire the     9     (amaze) dry stone method of building. Being the world's catalogue, Peru is sure to leave an     10     (impress) on everyone.

9 .

	The Battle at Lake Changiin is a historical epic jointly directed by three top directors-Chen Kaige, Hark Tsui and Dante Lam. The film is this year's second-biggest earner so far, both in China and globally, following the domestic comedy Hi, Mom. Set during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea（1950-1953）and starring Wu Jing and Jackson Yee, the movie tells the story of the Chinese People's Volunteers fighting bravely in freezing temperatures in a key campaign at Lake Changjin, or Chosin Reservoir.
	Hi, Mom, the first movie directed by Chinese comedian and actress Jia Ling, hit international theaters. The best-moving film was released in North America, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Britain, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia and several other countries and regions, according to Ruyi Films, one of the producers. Hi, Mom, widely considered as the top dark horse thanks to its moving plot of mother-daughter affection, has earned 1.7 billion yuan in rising to the second slot.
	Taking second place, The Wandering Earth, a sci-fi blockbuster was adapted from the eponymous novel by Liu Cixin. It was the 12th top-earning film worldwide. Along with director Ning Hao's Crazy Alien, and other Spring Festival blockbusters such as Han Han's directorial effort Pegasus, The Wandering Earth took the monthly gross in February to 11.2 billion yuan, the world's highest for a single month.

1. Which film can arouse the strong love for our country?

A．Hi, Mom.

B．The Wandering Earth.

C．Crazy Alien.

D．The Battle at Lake Changiin.

2. How many films are mentioned in the text?

A．Three.

B．Four.

C．Five.

D．Six.

3. Where is the text probably from?

A．A magazine.

B．A travel guide.

C．A novel.

D．A science report.

10 . NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Last year, the National Park Service (NPS) marked its 100th anniversary with a year-long celebration.

    1    . It recognized the preservation and protection of the 417 park service units. Now that those festivities have wrapped up, it’s time to look toward what the next 100 years might look like for the nation’s parks. Here’s a look at some of the major issues facing the nation s parks now and over the next century.

    2    . For example, at Shenandoah National Park, park officials note that rising temperatures in streams have already impacted native fish. They are also concerned that climate change will lead to more droughts, floods and wildfires. At Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California, park officials are predicting heat waves, coastal flooding and habitat destruction in response to climate change.

Visitors behave badly. Today, visitors still aim to make their mark on the natural and cultural resources.

    3    . But the NPS now has its own branch of law enforcement (执法) officials who are tasked with protecting those resources for and often from park visitors.

There is maintenance backlog (积压).    4    . But the donations may drop sharply and raise the possibility of handing the parks over to private corporations. With budget shortfalls and maintenance at all-time highs, it’s likely that these sorts of partnerships will only become more likely in the future.

Despite some major concerns, the future of the NPS looks promising. With a renewed level of interest, and the help of some corporate donations, the parks will be protected for the next century.    5    .

A．Climate change will affect all parks

B．Yellowstone National Park deserves a visit

C．The NPS took a look back at the last century

D．The maintenance burden will be removed soon

E．And they may look different in the next 100 years

F．Those are protected by the National Park Service as they did years ago

G．At the moment, donations from private corporations are limited to signs and certain exhibits