1 . Here are four best destinations to be after heart-stopping adventure, a close-up look at history, or the perfect meal.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires becomes a hub for art, sports, and politics. Though the Argentinean capital is already home to a collection of galleries, Art Basel Cities promises to promote Buenos Aires’ reputation in the global art scene by offering professional support for local artists, as well as lectures and workshops throughout the year to draw art lovers to the city.
Los Cabos, Mexico
Located at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, the two small colonial towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo have become the hottest vacation destinations in Mexico in recent years. With wide, original beaches, lively nightclubs, natural resorts, and a farm-to-table food scene, the oasis of Los Cabos is drawing tourists in record numbers. As a result, the hotel scene is booming, with lots of new developments and renovations completed this year.
Zambia
Until now, Zambia has had little recognition as one of Africa’s great safari (狩猎远征) destinations. Yet experts know it as the birthplace of the walking safari In South Luangwa National Park, visitors can expect to see more animals than baobab trees, while Liuwa Plain National Park is the setting for the world’s second-largest wildebeest migration, when tens of thousands of the creatures head across the plain from neighboring Angola.
Brussels, Belgium
Visitors may want to return to the Belgian capital in 2018 to visit two cutting-edge museums. The Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art opened to show contemporary art from around the world. There’s also the Citroen Cultural Centre, which will launch its first exhibition in May. The JAM Hotel with exposed brickwork and concrete beams housed in a former art school, is the perfect place for culture lovers to stay. Don’t leave town without experiencing beer culture at youthful breweries (啤酒厂) like Brasserie de la Senne or Brussels Beer Project.
1. How does Art Basel Cities promote Buenos Aires’ reputation?| A．By offering lectures only. | B．By giving professional help. |
| C．By building workshops. | D．By drawing some pictures. |
| A．Its wild climate. | B．The booming hotels. |
| C．Its charming attractions. | D．The special location. |
| A．Zambia. | B．Los Cabos, Mexico. |
| C．Buenos Aires, Argentina. | D．Brussels, Belgium. |
| A．Visit modern museums. | B．Live in luxury hotels. |
| C．Enjoy beer culture. | D．Attend the art exhibition activities. |
| A．A teachers’ handbook. | B．A story book. |
| C．A science magazine. | D．A travel journal. |
| A．shelter | B．source |
| C．channel | D．background |
3 . Wild animals are equipped with a variety of techniques to avoid becoming lunch for a bigger animal, also known as a predator (捕食者) in nature. The most well-known methods include the classic fight and flight as well as freeze.
A team of researchers wondered whether closeness to people might impact those survival strategies. “We often see that animals are more tolerant around us in urban areas, but we don’t really know why.” says evolutionary biologist Dan Blumstein. “Is it individual plasticity, meaning individuals change their fear of us and that leads to tolerance? Or can there be an evolutionary factor involved?”
To find out, Blumstein and his colleagues combined information from 173 studies of over 100 species, including mammals, birds, fish and even mollusks. It turns out that regardless of evolutionary ancestry, the animals react in a similar way to life among humans: they lose their anti-predator characteristics. That pattern is especially pronounced for plant-eating animals and for social species. This behavioral change is perhaps unsurprising when it’s intentional, the result of domestication or controlled breeding. But it turns out that urbanization alone results in a similar change, though around three times more slowly.
The main point is: we’re essentially domesticating animals by urbanization. We’re selecting for the same sorts of characteristics that we would if we were actually trying to domesticate them. If the urbanization process helps animals better co-exist with people, it could be to their benefit. But if it makes them more defenseless to their nonhuman predators, it could be a real problem. Either way, these results, mean that city living has enough of an influence on wild animals that evolutionary processes kick in. Those reductions in anti-predator characteristics become encoded in their genes. We’re changing the population genetics one way or another.
What the researchers now wonder is whether the mere presence of tourists in less urbanized areas can cause similar changes in wild animals. If so, serious questions exist for the idea of ethical, welfare-oriented eco-tourism. If we wish to help animals keep their anti-predator defenses, the researchers say, we might have to intentionally expose animals to predators. It’s just yet one other way that we’re changing the world around us.
1. The research led by Blumstein is aimed at ________.| A．determining how animals’ survival is impacted by individual plasticity. |
| B．studying how living among humans affects animals’ survival strategies |
| C．comparing the effectiveness of different survival techniques |
| D．finding out which evolutionary factor impacts animals’ survival methods |
| A．Controlled breeding of animals. | B．Banning the operation of eco-tourism. |
| C．Planned selection of favorable genes. | D．Eliminating domestication. |
| A．Urbanization has made wild animals more alert. |
| B．Urbanization has brought concrete benefits to animals. |
| C．City living has led to animals’ genetic variations. |
| D．City living has helped to preserve animal species. |
| A．expose the fox to the urban environment repeatedly |
| B．train the fox to co-exist with the less aggressive predators |
| C．intentionally get the fox accustomed to the presence of humans |
| D．purposefully adapt the fox to predator related environment |
| A．To amuse people with recent interesting scientific findings. |
| B．To remind people to help animals survive in a correct way. |
| C．To promote eco-tourism in cities around the world. |
| D．To warn people of the danger of animal presence in cities. |
4 . At thirteen, I was diagnosed (诊断) with kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.”
She glanced down at me through her glasses, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.” I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braile. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was not different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problem, why should I ever give up?
I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day—with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words, “See what you can do when you keep trying?”
1. What problem did the author meet when he was in class?| A．He didn’t like the teacher. | B．He was not fond of literature. |
| C．The classroom was too noisy. | D．He couldn’t focus his attention in class. |
| A．He managed to cure his blindness. |
| B．He got a good education at school. |
| C．He made an invention which helped the blind. |
| D．He couldn’t see and read for the whole life. |
| A．She encouraged him. | B．She looked down on him. |
| C．She hurt him. | D．She was angry with him. |
| A．The author couldn’t read. | B．The author overcame his difficulty. |
| C．The author gave up finally. | D．The author got a low grade. |
| A．How to be a great teacher. | B．Keep trying, and you can do it. |
| C．What should you do as a blind. | D．Ways to overcome attention disorder. |
5 . Like all big cities, Paris has a traffic problem: lots of cars, lots of traffic jams and lots of pollution from exhaust fumes. So the city began a project to improve the situation.
Under the Velib project (‘Velib’ comes from velo liberty, or ‘bicycle freedom’) people can take a bicycle, use it for as long as they want, and then leave it at the same or another bicycle station. The first half-hour on the bike is free, but if you don’t return it after 30 minutes, you have to pay. But it’s only €1 a day or €29 a year! The bicycles are heavy (25kg), and they are all gray and have baskets. There are about 20, 000 of them in the city, and around 1, 450 bicycle stations. So there are a lot more Velib stations than the 298 subway stations!
Paris is not the first city to have a project like this. But not everybody thinks it’s a great idea. One Parisian said, “These bicycles are only for short journeys. If people want to travel across the city, they won’t use a bicycle —they’ll still use their cars.”
A city spokesman said, “The bicycle project won’t solve all our traffic problems, of course. But it might help reduce air pollution. Traffic, together with factory fumes, is a big problem. There aren’t any simple answers to traffic problems and pollution in cities. But unless we do something now, there will be more traffic jams and temperatures will continue to rise, so the problems in our environment will get worse. The bikes might help people to lead a healthier life, too.”
1. What can we learn about the Velib project?| A．Its bikes have no baskets. | B．Its bikes are light and colorful. |
| C．It aims to make traveling easier. | D．It owns more stations than the subway. |
| A．Free. | B．€1. | C．€29. | D．€30. |
| A．The cost is rather high. | B．It’s hard to find a Velib station. |
| C．It’s not suitable for a long journey. | D．The distance between two Velib stations is long. |
| A．position. | B．smoke. | C．quality. | D．loss. |
| A．Worried. | B．Positive. | C．Uncaring. | D．Doubtful. |
6 . My name is Matthew. I’m not someone who has many secrets, because I’m a terrible liar. But there is one huge secret that I kept for years—I failed my driving test. I had never failed a test before, and had never even come close. Driving made me anxious, but my parents told me I had to. They signed me up for driving lessons. I had gotten a perfect score for my written permit exam, but getting behind the wheel was a different story.
But when October 30th rolled around, my pride set in. I wanted to be like everyone else at my school, showing off the brand new license they’d gotten. Looking back on that special day, I can’t remember if I was nervous. What I do remember is starting the test, pausing at a stop sign after a few seconds, and being asked by the instructor to pull over. I had received an auto-fail since my pause was indeed a pause and not a real stop. I wasn’t upset that I was leaving without a license, but I was scared everyone would know that I had failed. So when I got to class, I told everyone I didn’t want to take the test on my birthday.
One Friday a month later, I went to the test spot again and passed. Later that night I drove for the first time by myself, which brought to me an amazing feeling I’ve never experienced—but still, I couldn’t imagine ever telling anyone the truth. So I didn’t. It wasn’t until midway through college that I came clean. It turned out plenty of my college friends had failed too! And I gathered enough courage to speak the fact out. Yes, I had also failed.
Now I realize failure and imperfection are two things everyone has to experience, without which one couldn’t make a true man.
1. What can we learn about Matthew?| A．He was a slow learner of driving. | B．He relied heavily on his parents. |
| C．He was afraid of taking exams. | D．He was bored with telling lies. |
| A．To put an end to his test. | B．To check his parking skills. |
| C．To give him a second chance. | D．To show him a better way of driving. |
| A．Failing to get a driving license. | B．Missing his birthday celebration. |
| C．Making his parents disappointed. | D．Losing face before his classmates. |
| A．Matthew has many secrets. |
| B．Matthew didn’t want to take the test on his birthday. |
| C．Matthew kept the secret until he went to college. |
| D．Matthew’ friends all passed the driving test for the first time. |
| A．Honesty is the best policy. | B．Failure is a way to grow up. |
| C．Truth stands the test of time. | D．Imperfection is another form of perfection. |
7 . I was travelling on an overnight bus from Kolhapur to Aurangabad. The ordinary bus was more than
After around two very long hours, I was
Just then, something magical happened. Our observer stood up and
The bus reached its destination (目的地) the next morning. The groups quickly said goodbye and went their
| A．crowded | B．odd | C．noisy | D．dirty |
| A．travelling | B．standing | C．running | D．reading |
| A．uncertainly | B．unusually | C．uncomfortably | D．unsuccessfully |
| A．confused | B．worried | C．surprised | D．tired |
| A．blame | B．remind | C．balance | D．introduce |
| A．kicking | B．beating | C．touching | D．holding |
| A．appreciated | B．recognized | C．felt | D．saw |
| A．hand | B．advice | C．chance | D．seat |
| A．accepted | B．forgot | C．remembered | D．refused |
| A．relief | B．regret | C．concern | D．pain |
| A．followed | B．signaled | C．begged | D．taught |
| A．difference | B．connection | C．business | D．behavior |
| A．returned | B．offered | C．ordered | D．kept |
| A．competed | B．spread | C．developed | D．pulled |
| A．quarreling with | B．talking about | C．chatting with | D．complaining about |
| A．replacing | B．sharing | C．advertising | D．collecting |
| A．enjoyable | B．suitable | C．important | D．admirable |
| A．ways | B．fields | C．aims | D．routines |
| A．dream | B．present | C．experience | D．arrangement |
| A．know | B．make | C．discover | D．have |
8 . When you choose a friend, you should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather (晴天) friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability .
Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person’s place, and he tries, to think of ways to be helpful. He is, also a good listener.
At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, good friends will be honest to each other and accept each other.
Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favour, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humour, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I’ve found a friend!
1. If you have fair weather friends, what will happen to you?| A．You will become rich. |
| B．You can be sure that you get real friends. |
| C．You will be refused when you get into trouble. |
| D．They will give you all that they have when you need help. |
| A．Honesty. | B．Reliability. | C．Understanding. | D．A sense of humour. |
| A．Cloudy. | B．Unusual. | C．Unhappy. | D．Pleased. |
| A．He will look for faults in others. | B．He will do his best to help me. |
| C．He likes to laugh at me. | D．He is funny. |
| A．the qualities of a friend | B．where to choose friends |
| C．how to get along with friends | D．the importance of having a friend |
—The telephone bill? ________.
| A．I mean it | B．That isn’t due yet |
| C．My telephone is out of order | D．Please remember the amount |
10 . “Ouch!” I howled in pain as I
It was pouring with rain, and, lame for a moment, I hopped around to the driver’s side.
“No luck?” said George. We had a
We had driven ten hours along the road
“So what do we do now? How can we find a
About fifteen minutes later, the rain stopped. Out of the jungle came an old woman. She walked towards us carrying something long and thin.
“Uh oh, here comes
She was wearing traditional garments, with short sleeves, a colorful necklace and other jewelry. As she got closer, we saw the spear was just a wooden
“Hello!” I said, in English. “Can you help us?” I
She stared at it, and then made a gesture to follow her back to the jungle. George and I
Soon we came to a tent under some trees. It had a firm framework of wooden poles, like
The woman folded back a cloth and invited us in. My eyes had to adjust to the
Our hostess poured some tea, and watched smiling as we drank.
“Say something.” said George.
“
Suddenly, there was a tap at the door. It was the man in the photo. The old woman said something, and he looked at us. I felt
“No problem.” he said, in English. He pulled out a mobile phone and made a call.
“Twenty minutes. No problem. Let’s wait by the car,” he said.
| A．held | B．dropped | C．lifted | D．pushed |
| A．even | B．smooth | C．worn | D．flat |
| A．tighten | B．loosen | C．change | D．rotate |
| A．under | B．across | C．beyond | D．through |
| A．soul | B．creature | C．plant | D．destination |
| A．shelter | B．access | C．path | D．garage |
| A．aid | B．danger | C．hope | D．motivation |
| A．pole | B．stick | C．weapon | D．setting |
| A．withdrew | B．tuned | C．pointed | D．submitted |
| A．looked | B．smiled | C．glared | D．laughed |
| A．set off | B．ran away | C．hung out | D．wound up |
| A．one | B．the one | C．it | D．this |
| A．lengthened | B．hardened | C．fastened | D．connected |
| A．fruit | B．vegetable | C．nuts | D．grain |
| A．warmth | B．darkness | C．decoration | D．surroundings |
| A．filled | B．decorated | C．furnished | D．equipped |
| A．probably | B．consequently | C．definitely | D．apparently |
| A．Congratulations | B．Cheers | C．Awesome | D．Exactly |
| A．despair | B．pleasant | C．relieved | D．awkward |
| A．Until | B．Since | C．As | D．Unless |
