1 . On a Friday evening in December, I lost my job. That was
Over the next week, I applied for
Back at home, I looked out the window at the heavy snow and
Later on when I opened her card, I was
| A．unexpected | B．unfair | C．unavoidable | D．unnecessary |
| A．forgot | B．refused | C．managed | D．planned |
| A．judge | B．monitor | C．fire | D．charge |
| A．encouraged | B．thoughtful | C．surprised | D．cheerful |
| A．puddings | B．posts | C．shares | D．places |
| A．small | B．safe | C．wealthy | D．unique |
| A．remember | B．afford | C．find | D．appreciate |
| A．spotted | B．felt | C．imagined | D．recognized |
| A．came in | B．walked away | C．settled down | D．got out |
| A．business | B．weather | C．room | D．situation |
| A．company | B．school | C．hotel | D．house |
| A．call | B．drive | C．visit | D．pay |
| A．shocked | B．satisfied | C．confused | D．inspired |
| A．searched | B．counted | C．packed | D．celebrated |
| A．guidance | B．joy | C．care | D．advice |
2 . Exploring China is not easy even for experienced travelers, but the history instructor Jessica Gerard from Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) knows from experience the trip is worth it. Since 2008, she’s led five groups of students across China to study its culture and history.
Gerard often reminds interested students that the trip is not a vacation—it’s an academic (学术的) course. “Anyone interested in the trip must take an online course about the history of China before they can go,” she said. “And, most importantly, students continue to learn while in China. They’re expected to listen to guides, keep a diary and write about their experiences afterward.”
OTC student Ross Weis believed his experiences in China easily transcended (超越) anything he could have learned in the classroom. In fact, it was his long-held interest in China that led him to ask about the trip after seeing a poster in the OTC library. “I’ve always been drawn to China and its rich culture and history,” Weis said. “My dad studied history in college, and I suppose that has some influence on me.”
Of all the cities and historical sites Weis visited, he said nothing could top his experience at the Great Wall. “I’d read about the Great Wall and seen it on TV, but it is so different to go there and actually experience it,” he said. “It wasn’t as worn as I had expected it to be. That was pretty cool.”
Every OTC group Gerard has taken to China has been led by her trusty tourist agent, Jim Lieu. Gerard plans her trips directly through Lieu, who keeps travel costs down for students. “Lieu and I have an excellent relationship with one another. He always knows what I want for my students, and I know what he can do,” said Gerard. “He sincerely believes that in order to build stronger communities and a better world, people around the world should get to know each other through travel.”
1. Why did Gerard organize travel to China for her students?| A．To help students relax after exams. | B．To get students interested in travel. |
| C．To teach history in a productive way. | D．To give an interesting life experience. |
| A．Take a course online. | B．Consult a native guide. |
| C．Show their anxiety. | D．Share their preparation. |
| A．His passion for travel. | B．His interest in China. |
| C．His teacher’s invitation. | D．His father’s inspiration. |
| A．Brave. | B．Patient. | C．Helpful. | D．Humorous. |
“April 23 is English Language Day,” says Melissa, jumping up and down. “What a surprise, dear. What would we have done without you reminding us?” jokes Lindsay.
Melissa burst out laughing loudly. “What I meant was that April 23 is a very special day for all of us and I just wanted to make sure non e of you forgot about it.”
“What are your plans for that day?” questions Rocky. “I want to do something special to promote our beautiful English language,” dreams Jennifer.
“I have an idea,” says Lindsay. “Mango Street’s house No. 10 has been recently occupied (居住) by a family who is not fluent in the English language.”
“Where are they from?” asks Melissa. “I don’t know that but I heard the lady talking to the grocery store owner. She had great difficulty explaining her requirements. Her son and daughter also could not understand much. Why don’t we help them improve their English?” wonders Jennifer.
“It is a wonderful idea. Shall we go and let them know what we think?” asks Rocky. “Not now. We will go to meet them tomorrow,” decides Jason.
The next day, the five friends ring the doorbell of house No.10. A young girl opens the door and smiles at them. “May we come in?” asks Melissa. “We are your neighbors.”
The girl calls her mother. The sweet fat lady invites them inside with a smile. All of them sit on the chairs laid out on the front porch (门廊).
Jason explains their plan of helping them understand and speak English better. The lady seems grateful.
“We will help you in learning how to speak and understand our language,” says Lindsay.
The lady smiles her thanks. She point s to the fruits on the table. Rocky picks up one fruit at a time and names it. Jason asks her to repeat. She tries a few times and is able to call each fruit by its name. Her son and daughter learn the names too.
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。
Paragraph 1:
The friends stay for about an hour.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
On April 23, the new family holds a party for the five children.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . Being healthy is important. Often, we’re crazy about articles in health magazines talking about the latest popular diets, or advertisements that offer cures (疗法) for fatness that are often too good to be true. One of the latest crazy phenomena (现象) is intermittent fasting (间歇性禁食).
There are different ways of intermittent fasting.
Some people try intermittent fasting for weight management, and others use the method to deal with some conditions such as high cholesterol or arthritis.
As with many diets, it’s always wise to speak to your doctor or weight-loss professional before changing your eating habits. And, at the end of the day, it could just come down to what lifestyle choice suits you.
| A．But what is intermittent fasting? |
| B．However, this diet isn’t for everyone. |
| C．Intermittent fasting has two main origins. |
| D．Let’s look at some of the possible benefits. |
| E．The idea of this is to reduce calories over a period. |
| F．In a word, you should avoid turning to intermittent fasting blindly. |
| G．You can eat normally on five days of a week and reduce calorie intake on the other two. |
5 . Taking exercise in a crowded, noisy gym will improve your muscle but may not make much difference in your stress level. By contrast, hiking improves not only your physical fitness level, but your mental health as well. “I hike with friends every week. Whether I am wandering down a flat path along a river or climbing a rock y mountain in the wilderness, hiking can be beneficial to me because it exposes (使接触) me to outdoor scenes such as mountain s and rivers, which can always offer me good ideas about paintings and music,” Marry Copper, a hiker said.
Experts agree that hiking reduces stress. According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA), hiking increases the body’s production of endorphins, a type of chemical that improves mood (情绪). Endorphins also help you sleep more soundly, which will lower your stress level. However, not all scientists agree that hiking raises your endorphin level. Instead, some researchers believe that hiking causes the release of the chemical norepinephrine, which helps make you less excited or upset.
The controversy (争议) is ongoing, but it is clear that however it happens, hiking is useful when you are feeling anxious. Hiking can also help improve your confidence. Walking down a path is a repetitive motion, which can lead your brain into relaxing; you may “zone out” to the point where you won’t be thinking about anything in particular. Being outside in the open air may also help you exercise better because most people do indoors; getting out from under a roof can lift your spirits.
Hiking may improve your mood more than a gym workout will, but your risks are also greater. People sometimes try to make their own way rather than stick to established paths. They are proud to say they like to have an adventure. However, people who try to do something new could be attacked by wildlife and get hurt and lost. So stick to the known roads and bring a cellphone with you, and always tell someone where and when you are going hiking, even if you have a partner going with you.
1. Why does Marry Copper like hiking?| A．She dislikes exercising in the gym. | B．She can meet new friends when hiking. |
| C．She can draw inspiration from nature. | D．She has the spirit of adventure in the wilderness. |
| A．Scientists have reached an agreement. |
| B．Sound sleep can increase the body’s endorphin level. |
| C．Stress is caused by the body’s production of endorphin. |
| D．The chemical norepinephrine could make people calm. |
| A．Negative | B．Positive | C．Objective | D．Unclear |
| A．How can hiking cause controversy? | B．Why do people like exercising outdoors? |
| C．What do hikers like to do in the wilderness? | D．What benefits can hiking bring to people? |
6 . Workers at the National Galleries of Scotland recently experienced quite a surprise after they X-rayed a painting by Vincent van Gogh. Hidden on the back of the painting Head of a Peasant Woman, which Van Gogh completed in 1885, was a self-portrait (自画像) of the Dutch painter. No one had ever found it.
The hidden self-portrait had been covered by glue and cardboard that had been attached to the back of the painting. “It was absolutely exciting,” Lesley Stevenson, the museum’s worker, said about the discovery. “We weren’t expecting much of the little painting when we performed the scans,” she said. But museum experts quickly changed their expectations when they looked at the X-rays. “We didn’t see much of the peasant woman, but we saw the lead white that Van Gogh used for his face showing up after the X-ray went through the cardboard,” she added.
Van Gogh painted Head of a Peasant Woman as part of a series of works focused on the working-class residents of Nuenen, a small farming community in the southern part of the Netherlands where he lived briefly in the 1880s. The woman in the painting is Gordina de Groot, a farm worker. She wears a white headpiece. In a letter that Van Gogh penned about the series in 1885 to Anton Kerssemakers, a friend, he described his excitement at his working-class subjects. “I’m working with great pleasure these days, for I would rather paint people than paint anything else,” he wrote.
Van Gogh also loved creating self-portraits, producing about 20 paintings of himself by the end of his life while he was living in Paris. Recreating his own image was a cheap way for him to practice portraiture as he didn’t have to spend money hiring models, according to a report.
Art historians at the National Galleries hope that the hidden self-portrait may help us understand the life of the artist. The museum is currently considering how to best remove the unwanted protective materials without harming the painting.
1. What can be learned about the self-portrait on the back of the painting?| A．It isn’t in very good condition. | B．It describes a well-known woman. |
| C．It wasn’t known to exist for a long time. | D．It was sold to another artist by Van Gogh. |
| A．It was a wonderful surprise. | B．It failed to meet her expectations. |
| C．It was the result of her great efforts. | D．It deepened her understanding of Van Gogh’s life. |
| A．He was encouraged to try different subjects. |
| B．He was glad to find his love for figure paintings. |
| C．He was attracted by the lifestyle of people in Nuenen. |
| D．He wanted to improve the living conditions of the farmers. |
| A．X-rays can do harm to artworks |
| B．Van Gogh sent a secret message to his friend |
| C．Modern technology has a great influence on art |
| D．Van Gogh’s hidden self-portrait draws public attention |
| integrate into acknowledge...as… commit...to... differ from subscribe to place emphasis on convince...of... set aside |
2. Education of information technology is necessary for individuals
3. in order to raise her children's awareness of environmental protection, she discussed pollution with them.
4. With no extra money
5.
6.
7. My main reason for
8.
1. When did the man’s boss call Jeff?
| A．In the morning. | B．In the afternoon. | C．In the evening. |
| A．Over the phone. | B．By e-mail. | C．In person. |
| A．He was sick. |
| B．He was off the day. |
| C．He was working somewhere else. |
| A．Excited. | B．Angry. | C．Surprised. |
The failure of that experiment
