1 . Mary Shelley bends over her latest creation. Although the carving is only half complete, the image of a waitress holding a plate of eggs comes out from the board. Of Shelley’s nearly seven hundred carvings, many show scenes with cows on farms and people in restaurants.

From memories to carvings

“My work is a visual diary, ” Shelley says. “The carvings describe things I have experienced and felt at different times in my life.”

Every one of her carvings tells a story. Many of the stories in Shelley’s woodcarvings come from memories of her childhood in a rural (乡村的) area outside of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Shelley’s family managed a small farm. Mary was a serious girl who spent a lot of time raising animals, exploring outdoors, and reading. Although Shelley never felt especially artistic as a child, there was always an art project in the works in the Shelley household. Her grandmother painted. Her father was a commercial artist, who drew and wrote to make a living.

______

Shelley attended Cornell University and hoped to become a writer, but an unusual present took her in another direction. At age 23, she received a gift her father had made-a woodcarving of her as a girl on the farm. The gift caught her interest. After gathering boards from a building site where she worked as a carpenter, Shelley bought some tools and taught herself to carve.

Shelley soon realized that she loved the slow, thoughtful process of working with wood and painting. “A carving is like a jigsaw puzzle (拼图游戏),”   she explains. “I didn’t know how it would all fit together, but the process of solving the puzzle kept me going.”

The Shelley style

Early in her career, people hired Shelley to carve special pieces that took four or five weeks to complete. The money she received motivated her to try more complicated scenes created by carving deeper in the wood. Over time, Shelley’s art began to have its own style. In a typical Shelley woodcarving, some objects seem to reach out of the frame while others drop back, creating a feeling of depth.

1. What can we infer from the “From memories to carvings” part?

A．Art is from but beyond life.	B．Life is short and art is long.
C．It is great art to laugh at your own misfortune.	D．Knowledge without practice makes but half an artist

2. Which can be the best title for the second part?

A．Life in School	B．A Dream Come True
C．A Life-Changing Gift	D．Jigsaw Puzzles and Carving

3. What made Mary take up carving?

A．The dream to be an artist in her childhood.	B．Her father’s low-relief carving for her.
C．The rugs hooked by her grandmother.	D．Her school life in Cornell University.

4. According to the text, Shelley’s art ______.

A．is very popular	B．is very expensive
C．has simple scenes	D．creates a feeling of depth

2 . The Most Beautiful Train Stations in the World

Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building

The wide-open entrance square on the Marunouchi side of Tokyo’s main train station would look more at home in Amsterdam or Paris. Kingo Tatsuno’s classical European design took over six years to complete, finally opening in 1914. The statin has received several facelifts since the Second World War, most recently in 2012. It’s one of the biggest and busiest train stations in the world.

Beijing West Railway Station

The idea of building this station in the capital of China was put forward as early as 1959 but didn’t come to reality until 1996. It was the largest station in Asia at the time, although Shanghai’s Hongqiao Station has since surpassed it. The station itself has a unique architectural (建筑的) style, with the main body of the building having quite a functional Russian look, but the rooftop is decorated with three amazing Chinese pagodas.

Duoliang Station, Taiwan

This is the smallest station on this lit by a distance. In fact we’re not really choosing Duoliang for architectural reasons. This station is all about location, location, location. Surrounded by hi top greenery on one side and amazing Pacific Ocean scenery on the other, it’s one of the most scenic spots in all of Taiwan. This isn’t even a working station anymore, but the platforms have been adapted into viewing spots, extremely popular with local train spotters.

Stazione Milano Centrale in Milan

Milan’s central train station looks pretty much exactly as you’d imagine it. There are a mix of styles at play here, from Art Nouveau to Art Deco, but the entire building is filled with a classic sense of Roman monumentality. The outer look is guarded by two statues, while its insides are equally impressive, as grand stonewalls curve (弯曲) into the station’s glass ceilings.

1. What do Tokyo Station and Beijing West Railway Station have in common?

A．Both have European features.

B．Both were built in the early 1990s.

C．Both have been rebuilt several times.

D．Both are the largest domestic stations.

2. What do train spotters favor most about Duoliang Station?

A．Its distance.	B．Its small size.
C．Its surrounding scenery.	D．Its architectural style.

3. What makes Stazione Milano Centrale impressive?

A．Roman buildings	B．Its various styles.
C．Statues on the walls	D．The curving ceilings.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Now, as drone (无人机) technology has advanced so rapidly, high-tech drone shows are more likely to replace fireworks to light up the sky during special events.     1    (compare) to fireworks, drone shows have several advantages. “While fireworks can create a     2    (joy) atmosphere, drone shows can be tailored and can present more specific information,” Yang said, “They are safer and more environmentally friendly, and with their high-tech touch, are     3     next-generation communication platform.”

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Picture yourself traveling along the ancient Silk Road. The air     1     (fill) with the pleasant sound of camel (骆驼) bells, the appealing smell of spices, and the rising steam from cooking pots. In this diverse scene, traders exchange not only silks and treasures but also lamb kebabs     2     (dance) on open fires, hand-pulled noodles moving like acrobats (杂技演员), and sweet-smelling rice dishes shining with spice diamonds.     3     they are lamb kebabs or hand-pulled noodles, each offering tells a story of trade and the harmonious mixing of cultures.

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Yuan Longping, known as the “father of hybrid rice”, is one of China’s most famous scientists. After overcoming numerous technical challenges, Yuan     1     (pioneer) hybrid rice—the first hybrid rice that could be used for farming.     2     is estimated that about 60% of China’s rice consumption now comes from his hybrids. Yuan’s innovation has benefited not only China but also rice-dependent     3     (country) like India and Vietnam. Despite wealth and fame, he considered himself a farmer and made substantial donations for agricultural research, showing his     4     (commit) to the land and its people.

6 . 他让人把手柄去掉，这样它就用不成了。（汉译英）

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Growing up, Li Bai displayed a love for literature, reading Chinese classics.     1     (follow) the Li family tradition, Li read a lot of books and started composing poetry at a very young age.

Soon, Li travelled extensively, most famously to Chang’an where the Tang court was located, and his literary     2     (excellent) impressed Emperor Xuanzong. Li     3     (offer) a job at the court and allowed     4     (hold) a respected position in the Hanlin Academy by the emperor. It was during this time that Li made the acquaintance of (结实) Du Fu, a poet     5     politician, who he established a close literary friendship with.

Li’s poetry is one of     6     most read poetry on Chinese curriculums today. His poetry stuck to the traditional poetic form. But he also bent the rules of formal poetry to create a(n)     7     (person) form of writing. The common themes in Li’s poetry were nostalgia (怀旧), country, peace, and humanity. His ability to     8     (accurate) recall scenes in his poetry with so much vividness demonstrates his skill to evoke (唤起) memories and emotions.

    9     most readers of Li’s poetry would identify him with is his fascination with the moon and especially wine, often     10     (enjoy) at the same time. The moon and moonlight is a popular subject in his poetry, often leaking him relive a long-ago memory.

8 . If you dream about working and meanwhile travelling in different countries, we’ve made a list of jobs that allow you to tour around the globe while earning some money!

A Travel Nurse

If you’re in the medical field, becoming a travel nurse is a good option. A travel nurse in worldwide demand is well paid, so medical professionals can wear uniforms on any continent. The nursing assignments vary in the length of working time. You can enjoy accommodation payment and insurance benefits, but you have to work in the high-stress environment.

A Waiter

A waiter abroad is a popular choice for young travelers because some restaurants don’t require much precious experience or qualifications, but they do not have access to high health insurance. Many people do service work for a while to earn enough money to travel abroad for the rest of the year. It’s OK for those without family to deal with customers at night, but they can’t get high wages.

An English Teacher

English is one of the world’s most spoken languages, so there is always a demand for people who can teach it. Being an English teacher abroad often requires a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification. There are some popular destinations for prospective teachers. However, as teachers abroad, especially part-time teachers, their salaries are not high.

An Oil Industry Worker

Oil industry is one of the highest paying fields for both skilled and unskilled workers, with plenty of opportunities to travel whether they fulfill a position in exploration or production. You can be a researcher or an engineer on deep sea drilling rigs (钻塔). The job is well paid, and you can help companies do less harm to the sea.

1. What should travel nurses do?

A．Assign nursing tasks.	B．Get a TEFL certification.
C．Pay for their own accommodation.	D．Develop a good anti-pressure ability.

2. What’s the common feature of working as a waiter and an English teacher in traveling?

A．The low pay.	B．The prospective career growth.
C．Large health insurance benefits.	D．Professional training opportunities.

3. Which job is best suited to a traveller wanting to contribute to the environment?

A．A travel nurse.	B．A waiter.
C．An English teacher.	D．An oil industry worker.

9 . 事实上，他所说的话对我没有意义。
In fact, what he said didn’t ________ to me.

10 . 根据语境，选择下框中的单词替换句中划线部分的词或词块，使之意思一致。

A. work out             B. variety             C. specific             D. affect                    E. make it F. error                    G. supply

1. In writing, you need to support your topic sentences with detailed examples.
2. We often make decisions which will influence our lives.
3. As long as you have dreams, keep trying and you will succeed.
4. The expert has invented a new kind of rose.
5. Careless often leads to mistake.
6. I go to the sports club and exercise once a week.
7. The store owner used to provide us with a lot of food.