1 . The connection between people and plants has long been the subject of scientific research. Recent studies have found positive effects. A study conducted in Youngstown，Ohio，for example, discovered that greener areas of the city experienced less crime. In another，employees were shown to be 15% more productive when their workplaces were decorated with houseplants.

The engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT)have taken it a step further changing the actual composition of plants in order to get them to perform diverse，even unusual functions. These include plants that have sensors printed onto their leaves to show when they’re short of water and a plant that can detect harmful chemicals in groundwater. ＂We’re thinking about how we can engineer plants to replace functions of the things that we use every day,＂explained Michael Strano, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT.

One of his latest projects has been to make plants glow(发光)in experiments using some common vegetables. Strano’s team found that they could create a faint light for three-and-a-half hours. The light，about one-thousandth of the amount needed to read by，is just a start. The technology, Strano said, could one day be used to light the rooms or even to turn trees into self-powered street lamps.

In the future，the team hopes to develop a version of the technology that can be sprayed onto plant leaves in a one-off treatment that would last the plant’s lifetime. The engineers are also trying to develop an on and off＂switch＂where the glow would fade when exposed to daylight.

Lighting accounts for about 7% of the total electricity consumed in the US. Since lighting is often far removed from the power source(电源)-such as the distance from a power plant to street lamps on a remote highway-a lot of energy is lost during transmission(传输).Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy.

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．A new study of different plants.

B．A big fall in crime rates.

C．Employees from various workplaces.

D．Benefits from green plants.

2. What is the function of the sensors printed on plant leaves by MIT engineer?

A．To detect plants’ lack of water

B．To change compositions of plants

C．To make the life of plants longer.

D．To test chemicals in plants.

3. What can we expect of the glowing plants in the future?

A．They will speed up energy production.

B．They may transmit electricity to the home.

C．They might help reduce energy consumption.

D．They could take the place of power plants.

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

A．Can we grow more glowing plants?

B．How do we live with glowing plants?

C．Could glowing plants replace lamps?

D．How are glowing plants made pollution-free?

2 . Is Fresh Air Really Good for You?

We all grew up hearing people tell us to “go out and get some fresh air.”     1     According to recent studies, the answer is a big YES, if the air quality in your camping area is good.

    2     If the air you’re breathing is clean—which it would be if you’re away from the smog of cities—then the air is filled with life-giving, energizing oxygen. If you exercise out of doors, your body will learn to breathe more deeply, allowing even more oxygen to get to your muscles(肌肉) and your brain.

Recently, people have begun studying the connection between the natural world and healing(治愈).     3     In these places patients can go to be near nature during their recovery. It turns out that just looking at green, growing things can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and put people into a better mood(情绪).Greenery is good for us. Hospital patients who see tree branches out their window are likely to recover at a faster rate than patients who see buildings or sky instead.     4     It gives us a great feeling of peace.

    5    While the sun’s rays can age and harm our skin, they also give us beneficial Vitamin D   . To make sure you get enough Vitamin D—but still protect your skin—put on sunscreen right as you head outside. It takes sunscreen about fifteen minutes to start working, and that’s plenty of time for your skin to absorb a day’s worth of Vitamin D   .

A．Fresh air cleans our lungs.

B．So what are you waiting for?

C．Being in nature refreshes us.

D．Another side benefit of getting fresh air is sunlight.

E．But is fresh air really as good for you as your mother always said?

F．Just as importantly, we tend to associate air with health care.

G．All across the country, recovery centers have begun building Healing Gardens.

3 . A housewarming party is a special party to be held when someone buys or moves into a new apartment or house. The person who bought the house or moved is the one who throws the party. The party is a chance for friends and family to congratulate the person on the new home.     1     And it is good time to fill the new space with love and hopeful presents.

    2     Some people register a list of things they want or need for their new home at a local stores. Some common things people will put on a gift registry include kitchen tools like knives and things like curtains. Even if there isn’t a registry, a good housewarming gift is something to decorate the new house with, like a piece of art or a plant.

    3     This is often appreciated since at a housewarming there isn’t a lot of food served. There are usually no planned activities like games at a housewarming party. The host or hostess of the party will, however, probably give all the guests a tour of their new home. Sometimes, because a housewarming party happens shortly after a person moves into their new home, people may be asked to help unpack boxes.     4    

Housewarming parties get their name from the fact that a long time ago people would actually bring firewood to a new home as a gift.     5     Now most homes have central heating and don’t use fires to keep warm.

A．This isn’t usual though.

B．It is traditional to bring a gift to a housewarming party.

C．You can also bring food or drinks to share with the other guests.

D．If you’re lucky enough to receive gifts, keep them in a safe place.

E．It also gives people a chance to see what the new home looks like.

F．The best housewarming parties encourage old friends to get together.

G．This was so that the person could keep their home warm for the winter.

4 . Why Do We Get Angry?

Anger seems simple when we are feeling it, but the causes of anger are various. Knowing these causes can make us examine our behavior, and correct bad habits. The main reasons we get angry are triggering（触发）events, personality traits（特征）, and our assessment of situations.     1    

Triggering events for anger are so many that to describe them all would take hundreds of pages. However, here are some examples: being cut off in traffic, a deadline approaching, experiencing physical pain, and much more.     2     The reason why someone is triggered by something and others are not is often due to one’s personal history and psychological traits.

Each person, no matter who they are, has psychological imbalances. People who have personality traits that connect with competitiveness and low upset tolerance are much more likely to get angry.     3     Also, sometimes pre-anger does not have to do with a lasting condition, but rather a temporary state before a triggering event has occurred.

    4    Sometimes even routine occurrences become sources of pre-anger, or anger itself. Sometimes ignorance and negative (消极的) outlooks on situations can create anger.

    5    However, anger can easily turn violent, and it is best to know the reasons for anger to appear in order to prevent its presence. With these main reasons in mind, we can evaluate our level of anger throughout the day and prevent cases of outbursts by comprehending the reasons for our feelings.

A．Our attitude and viewpoint on situations can create anger within us as well.

B．But some types of situations can help us to get rid of the occurrence of anger.

C．Anger is rarely looked upon as a beneficial character trait, and is usually advised to reduce it.

D．Anger is a particularly strong feeling and maybe people think that they have reasons to feel angry.

E．Having these personality traits implies the pre-anger state, where anger is in the background of your mind.

F．Understanding these reasons will control our own anger if we are willing to evaluate ourselves with a critical eye.

G．Not everyone acts the same in response to events, and that is why what triggers one person may or may not trigger another.

5 . Self-driving is an area _________China and the rest of the world are on the same starting line.(用适当的词填空)

6 . A year back I received a full scholarship to attend the University of San Francisco. All of my hard work had paid off. My mom had spent a lot in my attending a private high school, so I made sure to push myself: I volunteered, joined different clubs, and graduated with honors.

I was so excited to start a new life. I had totally packed two weeks and wanted to go to college at once before it was time to leave.

Soon enough, the big day came, but it wasn’t like what I had thought. The first two weeks were the most difficult days of my entire life. Every night I would cry myself to sleep.

I was so homesick (想家) and I didn’t know how to deal with my broken heart. To distract myself, I threw myself into my studies and I applied for a lot of jobs. In any remaining free time, I started forcing myself to the gym. I wanted to keep every part of my day busy so I wouldn’t think how lonely I felt.

Soon after, I began to limit food, and then I became worse. Finally, I went to see a doctor. When the doctor weighed me, I was crazy about the number of my weight. So I continued to lower my goal, and convinced that controlling this number was the solution to my homesickness. But when I was told that I had no choice but to spend time on my studies. I quickly started recovery in my mind.

How could I do? I told myself that school was what I was best at. I decided to get rid of my homesickness and took exercise actively. My first term of college had passed by at last and I had gotten straight A’s. That’s why I want to share my story—to help other students feel less lonely.

1. How was the author during the two weeks before she left for the college?

A．She was as normal as before.

B．She couldn’t wait to leave for the college.

C．She was afraid to leave her home.

D．She didn’t enjoy her mother’s company.

2. What is the author’s problem at the beginning of studying in the university?

A．Her weight.	B．Her diet.
C．Her homesickness.	D．Her bad study habit.

3. Which can best replace the underlined phrase “distract myself” in paragraph 2?

A．achieve my dream	B．earn money by myself
C．improve my studies	D．take my attention away

4. What is the main purpose of the author in writing the text?

A．To look back at her past middle school life.

B．To help girls to lose weight.

C．To help lonely college students.

D．To increase her own confidence.

7 . We live in an age ________________more information is available with greater ease than ever before. (用适当的词填空)

8 . Regardless __________ danger, the brave man gathered all his strength and climbed the tower. (用适当的词填空)

9 . My school appeared on the news last week because we had made an important change in our local area. Our class had planted a large garden in what was once only a vacant lot. It was a lot of work but it was all worth it. I got blisters(水泡) from digging, and we all got insect bites, too.

I learned a lot about gardening and collaboration(合作), and then I learned about the media. Our teacher telephoned the TV station and informed them of what we had accomplished. She spoke with the producer. The producer checked with the directors, but they said there were plenty of stories similar to ours. They wanted to know what was special about our particular garden, since many schools plant them.

The teacher explained that, after going on the Internet to learn about the prairie(大草原), we had made a prairie garden. We had gone to a prairie and gotten seeds from the plants, and then we planted them. We did not water the garden, but we did weed it. We decided to let nature water it with rain, since that was how prairies grew in the past. We sent a picture of the garden to the news station. In the picture, the grass was so high that it stood taller than the fourth grade students.

As a result, the producer sent a reporter to our school. He interviewed the headmaster and asked him many questions about the garden. After that, they interviewed us, and we explained to them what we had learned through this project.

That night, we watched the news, and there we were. The news reporter told our story. It was only two minutes long, but it was us. We were famous. All that work, all those blisters, it was worth it. We knew that when we saw the garden every day, but now we knew that the whole city thought so, too.

1. What seemed to be the TV directors’ initial reaction to the garden?

A．They were excited.	B．They were surprised.
C．They were worried.	D．They were uninterested.

2. What is special about the garden?

A．Weeds were allowed to spread naturally.

B．The grass grew faster than common grass.

C．The seeds came from the plants of a prairie.

D．Underground water was used for the plants.

3. What does the underlined word “that” refer to in the last paragraph?

A．We got blisters on our hands.	B．Our hard work was worthwhile.
C．The garden would be famous.	D．The project would be finished.

4. How did the author feel about the project?

A．Annoyed.

B．Curious.

C．Proud.

D．Regretful.

10 . There have been a lot of comments recently surrounding 5G, the next generation of wireless technology.    1    ? How might it change our lives?

5G stands for fifth generation, meaning the next step in the progression of technology to replace the current 4G system. Earlier “G” systems were designed to improve mobile communication operations. Each new technology brought major improvements in speed and greatly increased network capacity (容量).    2     It is expected to permit more users to do more things at a faster rate.

However, technology experts say there is a major way that 5G is different from the earlier systems.    3       It will affect many more devices and industries than other “G” versions.

5G will help fuel future “smart cities” by connecting sensor networks. 5G is also expected to connect self-driving cars and support new technologies involving virtual reality (虚拟现实). Higher 5G speeds could also permit doctors to commonly perform remote medical operations. Factories and businesses could use 5G technology to increase automation and improve the collection of information.

    4       The increased data flow across 5G networks would give Internet attackers a lot more possibilities to steal and misuse data. In addition, the wider use of a 5G wireless network means any breakdown of the system would have more widespread and severe results. Such difficulties could affect public safety.    5    , or a network breakdown could cause self-driving vehicles to crash.

A．Why is 5G so popular

B．What is this technology

C．Every coin has two sides

D．The new 5G system promises more of the same

E．It will move beyond mobile network technology

F．A breakdown of 5G networks may cause economic losses

G．A failure during a doctor's remote operation could lead to death