1 . Rising water temperatures and the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in our oceans are killing our beautiful coral reefs at a surprising speed. Add the current extreme weather pattern, and things look even worse.

So what makes coral so sensitive? Although it may be hard to believe, corals are not plants, but animals. The colorful reefs we admire so much happen to be skeletons(骨骼) given up by hundreds of thousands of polyps(珊瑚虫). To survive, these animals live with an algae(海藻). The coral polyps give the algae a home and then the algae provide the polyps with their bright color and food.

But the rising water temperatures are causing the coral polyps to lose their algae friends. As a result, the corals are not only losing their food source but also their beautiful colors.

The disappearance of the coral not only makes humans lose the chance to admire the beautiful coral reefs. It also removes a natural barrier which protects shorelines from storms and also fewer living places for fish and other sea animals.

To prevent these important animals from disappearing, a team of researchers are attempting to raise ‘super’ corals.

They began by selecting certain coral species that seems to have got used to the changing ocean conditions. Then they made them even more adaptable to warmer water. Once ready, the researchers plan to transplant the coral into Hawaii’s Kaneohe Bay.

This sounds simple, but they are not sure that it will work because coral is sensitive to touch and also develops very slowly and infrequently. Also, past attempts to remove coral have failed because they were either eaten by fish or died of disease.

Though there exist these dangers, researchers believe there’s no other choice to prevent the reefs from disappearing. Tom Oliver, a scientist says, “The question is not ‘can they do it?’, but ‘can they do it fast enough?’”

1. Which fact might surprise people according to the text?

A．Corals come in different colors.

B．Corals are not plants but animals.

C．Corals are sensitive to water temperatures.

D．Coral reefs can protect the coast from storms.

2. What make coral lose its color?

A．The failure to raise them.

B．Too much sunshine.

C．The polluted sea water.

D．The loss of algae friends.

3. What does the underlined word “transplant” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?

A．Remove.	B．Admire.
C．Export.	D．Exchange.

4. What is mainly talked about in the text?

A．Corals are of great use to people.

B．People are trying to prevent corals disappearing.

C．Human activities are affecting the growth of corals.

D．Coral polyps depend on an algae for color and food.

2 . Scientists have studied cats’ social relationships—both with other cats and humans—but it can be difficult to tell whether two cats are playing or fighting, says cat behavior researcher Noema Gajdoš-Kmecová.

To assess and classify interactions, Gajdoš-Kmecová and colleagues watched about 100 videos of different cats interacting in pairs. After viewing about one-third of the videos, Gajdoš-Kmecová identified six types of behaviors, including wrestling and staying still. She then watched all of the videos and noted how often each cat displayed one of the specific behaviors, and for how long. By running statistical analyses on the behaviors, she found three types of interactions between the cat pairs: playful, aggressive and intermediate. To confirm the outcome, other members of the team also watched the videos and classified each interaction between cats.

Some clear connections appeared. Quietly wrestling, for example, suggested playtime, while chasing and vocalizations(发声), like growling, hissing or gurgling, implied aggressive encounters.

Intermediate interactions had elements of both playful and aggressive encounters, but especially included prolonged activity of one cat toward the other, such as pouncing(突袭) on or grooming(梳毛) its fellow cat. These in-between encounters could suggest that one cat wants to keep playing while the other doesn’t, with the more playful cat gently pushing to see if its partner wants to continue, the authors say.

This work provides an understanding of cat interactions for the first time, Gajdoš-Kmecová says, but it’s just the start. In the future, she plans to study more subtle behaviors, like ear twitches and tail swishes. Gajdoš-Kmecová also stresses that one potentially controversial encounter doesn't necessarily signal a terrible cat relationship.

1. What did the study focus on?

A．The cats' social relationships with humans.

B．The real meaning of the interactions between cats.

C．The ways cats communicate with each other.

D．The benefits of being a cat owner.

2. What can we learn about the study from Paragraph 2?

A．Researchers determined nine types of interactions finally.

B．The frequency and length of certain behaviors were noticed.

C．The cats were trained and grouped before they were filmed.

D．100 pairs of different cats interacting were watched on the spot.

3. Which can be viewed as intermediate interactions?

A．The two cats are wrestling quietly.	B．The two cats are grooming each other.
C．One cat is pouncing while the other stays still.	D．One cat is running after the other violently.

4. What can be found according to the last paragraph?

A．A future idea of the study.	B．A data analysis of the study.
C．A conclusion of the study.	D．An application of the study.

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What sport does the man like best?

A．Volleyball.

B．Softball.

C．Basketball.

2. What kind of music does the man like?

A．Classical music.

B．Pop music.

C．Jazz.

3. What does the man do with friends to keep friendship?

A．He hangs out with them.

B．He plays sports with them.

C．He shares music with them.

4. When will the woman’s movie begin?

A．At 2:30 p.m.

B．At 3:30 p.m.

C．At 3:00 p.m.

4 . “May 17, 2157

Dear diary,

Today, Tommy found a real book!...”

“What’s it about?” Margie asked.

“School.” replied Tommy, turning the yellow pages.

“Why would anyone write about school? I hope they can take my geography teacher away.”

“It’s not our school. This is the old sort that they had centuries ago.”

“Anyway, they had a teacher.” Margie said, reading the book over his shoulder.

“Sure, they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”

“A man? How could a man be a teacher?”

“Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave them assignments and asked them questions.”

“A man isn’t smart enough.”

“Sure, he is. My father knows as much as my teacher.”

Margie wasn’t prepared to argue about that. She said, “I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.”

Tommy laughed. “The teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there.”

“And all the kids learned the same thing?”

“Sure, if they were the same age.”

“But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.”

“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read the book.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly.

They weren’t even half-finished when Margie’s mother called, “Margie! School!”

“Not yet, Mamma.”

“Now!” said Mrs. Jones.

Margie said to Tommy, “Can I read the book some more with you after school?”

“Maybe,” Tommy said.

Margie went into the schoolroom, right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on waiting for her.

The screen was lit up, and it said, “Please insert yesterday’s assignments in the proper slot.”

Margie was still thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things, so they could help one another on the assignments and discussed them.

And the teachers were people…

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A．Margie doesn’t like her school.

B．It’s common to read paper books in 2157.

C．Online learning is what Margie wants.

D．Tommy feels his father is smarter than his teacher.

2. Which of the following is TRUE about a school in 2157?

A．There are only female teachers at school.

B．Teachers give no assignments to students.

C．A special building is constructed for teachers.

D．Students learn different things at their own pace.

3. What does the underlined word “slot” probably mean?

A．Envelope.	B．Opening.
C．Screen.	D．Schoolroom.

4. What can we learn about Margie’s feelings about old schools?

A．Longing.	B．Objection.
C．Suspicion.	D．Tolerance.

5 . Marilu Arce loves her job, but for a time she considered leaving. The traffic-plagued commute from her home to her office, nearly two hours each way, meant her daughters couldn’t enroll in after school activities because she couldn’t get home in time to take them.

Then her employer adopted a policy permitting her to work from home two days a week, and “I feel like it changed my life,” she said. Her stress level has dropped. Her daughters are thrilled. She likes her job more. That’s the type of reaction Arce’s boss likes to hear as the company measures the success of the work-from-home policy which was instituted three years ago in hopes of improving employee retention. So far, it seems to be working: turnover was less than five percent last year—its lowest ever.

Flexible work policies top employee wish lists when they look for a job, and employers increasingly have been offering them. Studies have shown working remotely increases employee engagement, but in moderation because there is still value in the relationships nurtured when colleagues are face to face. The key, advocates of flexible work policies say, is to match the environment with the type of work that needs to be done.

The flexibility hasn’t hurt productivity, which is up 50 percent. There is “something lost” when colleagues don’t gather at the water cooler, but it’s outweighed by the retention and happiness gains, he said. As jobs that require physical work decline, thanks to technological advances, life superficially appears to get better. Consumers benefit in the form of cheaper prices. Labor-saving appliances all make things easier and suggest that even more and better benefits are on the horizon. But is something lost?

Talk long enough to the most accomplished academics, they will brag about a long-ago college summer job waiting tables or repairing hiking trails. They might praise the installer who redid their kitchen. There seems to be a human instinct to want to do physical work. The proliferation of hard-work reality-television programming reflects this apparent need. Indeed, the more we have become immobile and urbanized, the more we tune in to watch reality television’s truckers, loggers, farmers, drillers and rail engineers. In a society that supposedly despises menial jobs, the television ratings for such programmes suggest that lots of Americans enjoy watching people of action, who work with their hands.

Physical work, in its eleventh hour within a rapidly changing Western culture, still intrigues us in part because it remains the foundation for 21st century complexity. Before any of us can teach, write or speculate, we must first have food, shelter and safety. And for a bit longer, that will require some people to cut grapes and nail two-by-sixes. No apps or 3D printers exist to produce brown rice. Physical labour also promotes human versatility: Those who do not do it, or who do not know how to do it, become divorced from—and, at the same time, dependent on—labourers. Lawyers, accountants and journalists living in houses with yards and driving cars to work thus count on a supporting infrastructure of electricians, landscapers and mechanics. In that context, physical labour can provide independence, at least in a limited sense of not being entirely reliant on a host of hired workers.

1. The author mentions the example of Arce to show that________.

A．she dislikes the present job for the long commuting time

B．she is having trouble balancing work and school life

C．people usually don’t work hard outside office

D．employers are facing the problem of staff drain

2. The practice of flexible working time is based on the belief that________.

A．it helps to increase job satisfaction for the employees

B．it improves harmonious relationship among colleagues

C．the decline in physical work gives employees more mobility

D．employees are entitled to request it according to their work

3. What is the possible reason for the popularity of hard-work reality-television programmes?

A．They entertain those employees burned out with overwork.

B．People can learn some basic labour skills from these programmes.

C．There’s an ongoing need for physical labour skills that technology doesn’t possess.

D．They offer instructive information for both employers and employees.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．The Emergence of Alternative Work Arrangements

B．The Rise of Automation, the Decline in Need for Labour

C．Time to Rethink in the Face of the Evolution of Work

D．New Challenges for Today’s Employers and Academics

6 . Map reading, growing fruit and vegetable and basic car service are also more common skills among the baby boomer generation. But according to a new survey, just one in three 18- to 25-year-olds are able to do basic DIY, compared to two-thirds of those aged 58 and over.

Sarah Clarke-Kuehn, Chief Operating Officer-Commercial, said, “The survey findings are so interesting as they highlight a very common incorrect conception related to ‘getting old’.”

When asked at what age they thought developing new skills becomes “difficult”, Gen Z respondents said they were 35 years old, while those aged over 58 believed this number was 63 years old. The belief is that there is a boundary between learning new skills and getting a sense of achievement. But we know that this is just not the case. The benefits in continuing to enjoy life, as well as developing new talents are very significant—both physically and mentally as we grow older.

Neuroscientist and author, Dr Julia Jones, said, “We underestimate our brain’s ability to continue learning. Our brain is the most complex and precise structure in the known universe but we only use a small part of its true potential throughout our lifetimes. To boost continued brain health, we should learn complex and novel skills at all ages. This becomes more important as we age, because these learning experiences help to build new connections between neurons (神经细胞) that maintain intelligence and reduce the risk of future brain decline.”

“Learning languages and musical instruments are believed to be effective at boosting neuroplasticity (神经可塑性) due to their complex nature, but all learning is beneficial and can bring a sense of achievement, purpose and social engagement.”

Dr Jones added. “Find a new hobby and throw yourself into a wonderful learning experience or pick up an old pastime and improve those skills. I’m currently learning to play the guitar and it’s opened up a whole new world of music and fun.”

1. What is mentioned about the young generation in the text?

A．They lose interest in DIY.

B．They have no idea in plants.

C．Many of them lack some basic skills.

D．Many of them own poor reading skills.

2. What does the author imply in paragraph 3?

A．Learning brings a sense of belonging.

B．It is never too late to learn in one’s life.

C．It is necessary to show off one’s talents.

D．The benefits of lifelong learning are temporary.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The significance of knowing the structure of the brain.

B．The difficulties in improving the ability of the brain.

C．The reasons for taking full advantage of the brain.

D．The process of protecting the brain from risk.

4. What is Dr Jones’ attitude to learning musical instruments?

A．Favorable.

B．Negative.

C．Doubtful.

D．Unclear.

7 . Do you find yourself pulling away from others, especially if you’ve experienced a deep disappointment? Maybe the most ______ thing most of us can do is to be with people when we don’t feel like being around anybody.

A man who lost his wife to cancer found himself wanting to be ______ . He dropped out of his community and ______ all of the activities he and his wife were used to for year. He ______ socializing at work and returned ______ home to an empty house after work. He turned down ______ from friends and co-workers.

His friends became ______ . One came by to visit and invite him over for supper the next evening. The two old friends sat in comfortable chairs by a ______ . The visitor extended the dinner invitation and ______ him to come, “You may need to ______ others to share your pain.”

The man responded that he felt better ______ staying with other people. “And ______ ,” he said, “it’s just too difficult to get out anymore.”

They sat in ______ for a while, watching the wood burn in the fireplace. Then the visitor did a(n) ______ thing. He took tongs (火钳) by the fireplace, reached into the fire, pulled out a ______ coal and laid down by itself on the earth. “That’s you,” he said.

The man sat in silence, ______ the red-hot ember. Neither man looked ______ as the once hot coal gradually transformed into a black lump. After some moments, the man said, “I get the ______ , my friend. I’ll be over tomorrow evening.”

We cannot ______ in any healthy way by ourselves. The leaf needs the branch. The branch needs the trunk. The trunk needs the roots. And the roots need the rest of the tree. We are ______ . And in that connection life and vitality (活力) are found.

1.

A．exciting

B．common

C．difficult

D．obvious

2.

A．independent

B．cheerful

C．sociable

D．alone

3.

A．enjoyed

B．refused

C．looked back to

D．took part in

4.

A．quit

B．reduced

C．kept

D．became fond of

5.

A．hurriedly

B．hopefully

C．straight

D．eagerly

6.

A．greetings

B．visits

C．kindness

D．invitations

7.

A．annoyed

B．alarmed

C．disappointed

D．curious

8.

A．warm fireplace

B．beautiful garden

C．bright window

D．TV set

9.

A．inspired

B．told

C．encouraged

D．required

10.

A．inform

B．expect

C．leave

D．allow

11.

A．while

B．without

C．regardless of

D．because of

12.

A．besides

B．otherwise

C．generally

D．therefore

13.

A．turn

B．silence

C．tears

D．talks

14.

A．frightening

B．heartwarming

C．unusual

D．interesting

15.

A．black

B．burnt

C．dark

D．flaming

16.

A．watching

B．holding

C．admiring

D．ignoring

17.

A．down

B．away

C．ahead

D．around

18.

A．point

B．invitation

C．news

D．notice

19.

A．think

B．understand

C．escape

D．survive

20.

A．welcomed

B．concerned

C．connected

D．affected

8 . In the early 1990s, Eric Domb, a highly successful lawyer, came up with the idea of building a bird park. His father-in-law ________ the idea in the beginning, but when the ________ started to make shape he backed out. Domb thus had to ________ money from former clients, his two brothers and father as well as a bank to build a zoological park known as Pairi Daiza.

After the park opened in 1994, his inexperience led to many ________, but he pushed on with his venture (冒险). By 2000, the park was turning a profit, and Domb’s ambitions were ________. The park needed more than birds, he believed, and other creatures and cultural gardens would help turn it into something ________.

Since his childhood he has been fascinated by Chinese ________. In 2006, he built the first Chinese garden, Dream of Han Wu Di in his zoo. It was said to be the largest Chinese garden in Europe. Domb kept ________ new elements. It finally took more than six years to complete the project.

Domb felt ________ by the joint panda breeding program. Domb and his people spent the following months ________ building giant panda houses with no guarantee that Pairi Daiza would be fortunate enough to ________ giant pandas. The huge enclosure built includes a pool, cave and ________ plantation.

Now, Domb is eager to tell how he ________ a pair of giant pandas, Xing Hui and Hao Hao in February 2014. The sense of ________ is all the more profound in that Pairi Daiza is one of the few private zoos outside China to ________ giant pandas.

1.

A．rejected

B．supported

C．doubted

D．raised

2.

A．project

B．rule

C．law

D．document

3.

A．steal

B．win

C．earn

D．borrow

4.

A．rewards

B．wonders

C．mistakes

D．regrets

5.

A．missing

B．spreading

C．shaking

D．growing

6.

A．extreme

B．unusual

C．irregular

D．essential

7.

A．culture

B．food

C．poetry

D．dream

8.

A．containing

B．changing

C．adding

D．removing

9.

A．embarrassed

B．surprised

C．confused

D．inspired

10.

A．willingly

B．enthusiastically

C．automatically

D．confidently

11.

A．take charge of

B．pay attention to

C．get hold of

D．gain knowledge of

12.

A．grass

B．tea

C．coffee

D．bamboo

13.

A．bought

B．protected

C．received

D．tracked

14.

A．pride

B．humor

C．security

D．duty

15.

A．hide

B．house

C．train

D．save

9 . This national park is the unique area __________ live both wild Siberian tigers and Siberian leopards.

A．where	B．which
C．as	D．who

10 . One of the oldest metaphors (隐喻) for human interaction with technology is the relationship of master and slave. Aristotle imagined that technology could replace slavery if machine became automated. Marx and Engels saw things differently. “Masses of laborers are daily and hourly enslaved by the machine,” they wrote in the Communist Manifesto.

Today, computers often play both roles. Nicholas Carr, in his new book The Glass Cage: Automation and Us, takes a stand on whether such technology imprisons or liberates its users. We are increasingly engaged, he argues, but the invisibility of our high-tech traps gives us the ‘image of freedom’. He describes doctors who rely so much on decision-assistance software that they overlook signals that are not obvious from patients.

All of this has obvious implications for the use of technology in classrooms: When do technologies free students to think about more interesting and complex questions, and when do they destroy the very cognitive (认知) capacities that they are meant to improve? The effect of spell check and AutoCorrect software is an example. Psychologists have found the act of forming a word in your mind strengthens your capacity to remember it. When a computer automatically corrects a spelling mistake, we’re no longer forced to form the correct spelling in our minds.

This might not seem very important. The process of word formation is not just supplementing spelling skills, it’s also destroying students. When students find themselves without automated spelling assistance, they don’t face the prospect of freezing to death, as the Inuits did when their GPS malfunctioned, but they’re more likely to make errors. This creates a vicious cycle: The more we use the technology, the more we need to use it in all circumstances. Suddenly, our position as masters of technology starts to seem more insecure.

1. What did Marx and Engels think of the machine?

A．It did the boring daily work for people.

B．It failed to free people from being enslaved.

C．It gave people more time to enjoy themselves.

D．It was the result of the development of technology.

2. Which of the following is Nicholas Carr most likely to agree with?

A．Technology is a guarantee of freedom.

B．Doctors should stay away from technology.

C．Too much involvement with technology may be risky.

D．Some decision-assistance software needs improving.

3. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph4 refer to?

A．Students being unable to spell words correctly.

B．Spell check helping students remember more words.

C．Students depending too much on spelling software.

D．Spellcheck destroying students’ cognitive capacities.

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Is technology making people stupid or not?

B．Which areas are most affected by technology?

C．Are people satisfied with the advancement of technology?

D．Why shouldn’t technology be employed in the classroom?