2 . Many libraries around the world are as amazing in their architecture and organization as they are in the huge amount of knowledge they contain. With shelves and shelves of books, various collections and amazing historical and cultural displays. there are plenty of undiscovered wonders.

Beinecke Rare Book Library (New Haven, Connecticut)

Yale University has one of the most beautiful college campuses in America, and one of its most interesting features is the Beinecke Rare Book Library. It is one of the largest buildings in the world devoted to rare books and manuscripts (手稿) of famous people. From 2015-16 the library building was closed for 18 months for major improvement. Inside there is a stat ue of its main founder that rises up high.

Vennesla Library (Vennesla, Norway)

Located near the southernmost tip of Norway, Vennesla Library is more than a collection of books—it’s a city cultural center and meeting place. The building hosts a coffee shop, open meeting spaces, classrooms for children and adult education courses. and a cinema. It is mainly built out of wood. The long. thin beams (横梁) on the inside were designed to look like the inside of a whale.

Suzzallo Library (Seattle)

Among the many beautiful features of the campus at the University of Washington, such as its cherry flowers and a light rail station, Suzzallo Library was built in the Collegiate Gothic style. Its buttresses (扶壁) are decorated with 18 statues featuring famous academics and writers such as Plato, Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci, Dante, Galileo, Beethoven, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

Library of Muyinga (Muyinga, Burundi)

A school for deaf children, the Library of Muyinga in Burundi was built with local techniques and traditions. A rope hammock (吊床) that hangs between the first and second floors of the library serves as part of the children’s reading room, a great place for indoor activities.

More information of them is just a click away.

1. Which library is suitable for people who want to appreciate statues?

A．Beinecke Rare Book Library.	B．Vennesla Library.
C．Suzzallo Library.	D．Library of Muyinga.

2. What makes Vennesla Library different from others?

A．It is mainly intended for children.

B．It is a kind of culture complex.

C．It is located within the campus.

D．It is in a shape of a whale outside.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A culture magazine	B．A travel brochure.
C．A website.	D．A historical book.

3 . Nixon, 59 years old, was born and grew up in St. Petersburg. Each morning, he sits on a bench, watches the sunrise, and connects with _________ from all walks of life.

Eight years ago, he decided to begin each day from a bench (a kind of chair) with an impressive view of the St. Petersburg waterfront (圣彼得堡海滨), because it made him feel calm and _________ before starting his day.

About a year later, a woman stopped to say hello, and she said something that _________ Nixon’s view on his daily visit. She said, “Every morning when I see you sitting here, I know everything is going to be OK.” That’s when Nixon _________ he needed to pay attention to the people walking past.

Instead of staring straight ahead at the waterfront, Nixon started _________ at people and talking to them. And pretty soon, some early risers began _________ him on the bench, sometimes sharing their pressure and asking him for advice about personal problems.

No matter what problem a person wants to _________, Nixon lends an ear. One day, a couple came by to talk about their problems. The husband was always working. It was destroying their _________. Nixon told him, “You have to know what’s really important.” The man admitted he’d put everything he had into his _________ for many years instead of focusing on his family. “He started to cry and agreed that he needed to __________,” Nixon says. “We hugged each other and became friends after that.”

Nixon was always happy to listen, and he listens without __________ and without any kind of return expected. “You have to listen with an open heart, because you never know who’s going to walk up,” Nixon says. He is a loving and loyal __________ to many. For those who walked past the bench, they were always __________ with a smile and asked how they were doing. No topic is off limits, but some people don’t want to talk. They simply want to sit next to someone and share the __________. Once a woman stopped and just sat with Nixon for an hour; then she said thanks and walked away. She just wanted a moment of peace and to know she wasn’t __________.

And at that moment, she truly wasn’t.

1.

A．teenagers

B．relatives

C．strangers

D．neighbors

2.

A．peaceful

B．excited

C．proud

D．surprised

3.

A．formed

B．changed

C．developed

D．supported

4.

A．agreed

B．realized

C．imagined

D．remembered

5.

A．pointing

B．laughing

C．shouting

D．smiling

6.

A．joining

B．noticing

C．leaving

D．praising

7.

A．say

B．face

C．hear

D．create

8.

A．fame

B．success

C．marriage

D．privacy

9.

A．health

B．hobbies

C．kids

D．job

10.

A．give up

B．calm down

C．speak up

D．slow down

11.

A．emotion

B．consideration

C．judgment

D．interest

12.

A．guide

B．teacher

C．friend

D．workmate

13.

A．hugged

B．greeted

C．competed

D．satisfied

14.

A．secrets

B．worries

C．happiness

D．silence

15.

A．sad

B．alone

C．stressed

D．hopeless

4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The Class Poet(诗人)

When Thanksgiving Day was approaching (临近), my primary school decided to celebrate(庆祝 ) by presenting shows with dancing and singing that all students could join in. Parents would also be invited to watch.

One afternoon, my teacher called me into his office. He said with a smile, “Nancy, could you write a poem (诗) and read it during the coming event?” “Of course,” I answered excitedly. I had loved poetry since fifth grade. When my first poem was published, my friends and teachers started to describe me as the class poet.

I left the schoolmaster’s office that afternoon feeling quite happy. Then, for weeks, I worked on my poem, carefully designing the content, structure and sound. I practiced reciting(朗诵)it aloud every day.

When the evening for the event finally came, I was ready. Well, I was ready until I looked around and realized how many people there were in the school hall. How could I present my poem in front of more than 400 people? I was just a seventh-grader. No one would take my work seriously. What was worse, I had never spoken in front of a huge crowd before. I sat in my chair, wanting to bury(隐藏) myself. Maybe they would forget I was supposed to read.

“Hey, Nancie, I saw your name in the program. Good luck,” my little brother shouted. His voice rose as he took his seat a few rows (排)down with his class. I nodded (点头), struggling to keep calm. I knew my parents were somewhere in the hall. Before long, the lights faded (暗下来), the crowd went quiet, and the schoolmaster got on stage to introduce the list of performers. My name was at the end of the list, so I had to sit through an hour of absolute anxiety.

It wasn’t until the students from the fourth grade were singing that my teacher led me downstairs to the area next to the stage. My mind was blank (空白的). Then suddenly, I was on stage with the bright white lights blinding (使眼花) my view of the audience. When I walked to the microphone in the center of the stage, I somehow tripped (绊倒) over something and stupidly fell down. All of the kids burst into laughter.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150 个左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

I was about to run away when my teacher came up to me

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When I finished my reading, the hall was silent at first.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . 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。

Ellen Lee DeGeneres, an American actress, television host, writer, and producer, was born in Metairie, Louisiana.

After     1    (graduate) from Atlanta High School in 1976, Ellen attended the University of New Orleans,     2     she studied communication studies, but she gave up after one semester. She held various     3     (job) until she turned to performing at small clubs and coffee houses. By 1981, she worked her way up to be the host at Clyde’s Comedy Club. In the early 1980s, she toured     4    (national) and in the competition     5    (support) by the cable network Showtime, she was named the     6    (fun) comedian (喜剧演员) in America.

    7     early attempts at television series didn’t succeed, Ellen became popular by headlining her own sitcom (情景喜剧) These Friends of Mine, which was broadcast from 1994 to 1998. In 2001, Ellen launched series The Ellen Show on CBS.

In 2003, she     8    (award) the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress because she provided the voice of Dory in the film Finding Nemo, becoming the first actress     9    (win) a Saturn Award for a voice performance.

Ellen was also well known     10     a host of awards shows. She hosted the Grammy Awards in 1996 and 1997, as well as the Emmy Awards in 2001 and 2005. In February 2007, she was the host of the Academy Awards, which she hosted again in 2014.

7 . Why we cry with happiness showed: Responding with a negative reaction helps us deal with extreme joy. If you cry with happiness at weddings, you are responding to a happy experience with a negative reaction. The researchers believe the unusual reaction may help renew emotional balance in us and keep extreme emotions under control. The findings make it clear how people express and control their emotions, which could help improve their understanding of people’s mental (精神的) health.

Dr Oriana Aragon set out to explore the phrase “tears of joy”, which she said never made sense to her. But after studying a series of incongruous (不和谐的) expressions, she now understands better why people cry when they are happy. “People may be renewing emotional balance with these expressions,” she explained. “They seem to take place when people are struck by strong positive emotions. People, who do this, seem to recover better from those strong emotions.”

The report showed various examples of responding to a positive experience with a negative emotion, such as, a crying wife seeing the husband returning from war again, and teenage girls screaming at a Justin Bieber concert. Examples also include a baseball player who hits a home run, only to be slapped (拍) on the back by teammates, as well as when people cannot help kissing babies’ faces who they consider lovely.

Dr Aragon and her team discovered that people, who expressed negative reactions to positive news, were able to moderate (缓和) strong emotions more quickly. There is also some evidence that strong negative feelings may provoke positive expressions. For example, nervous laughter often happens when people are faced with a hard situation. We’ve seen people smiling during times of extreme sadness.

“The findings affect our knowledge of how people express and control their emotions, which is importantly related to mental and physical health, the quality of relationships with others, and even how well people work together,” Dr Aragon said.

1. What will an extremely happy person do, according to the passage?

A．He will calm down as usual.	B．He will burst into tears.
C．He will jump with joy.	D．He will keep silent.

2. By responding to happiness with negative reactions, people can ________.

A．express themselves carefully in a special way

B．show off their rich emotions now and then

C．renew emotional balance and control strong emotions

D．hide the true feelings under a mask of politeness

3. What does the underlined word “provoke” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Take in.	B．Get over.
C．Lead to.	D．Hold back.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Differences between positive and negative emotions.

B．Expressing and controlling emotions is important for humans.

C．When people cry, it means they are very happy.

D．It’s common to express negative reactions to positive feelings.

8 . My violin is like a soul mate that whispers words of wisdom to me. Together, we’ve gone through both tears and happiness.

About 12 years ago, I made acquaintance with it following an order from my mom. Many hours of boredom were spent practicing it. And to make things worse, the disappointment in my teacher’s eyes as I played the wrong notes was like an invisible hammer, striking on my heart. One day, I finally decided: I hate it!

By chance, things changed when I was seven. I was at home lying on the sofa, wondering how those famous violinists dealt with this terrible dilemma. I searched online for the E-minor Concerto, a well-known violin work by German composer Felix Mendelssohn, and listened to it.

A beautiful and mysterious sound came from the violin as the bow moved across it. It was like the music slid over the flowers, rose up, and started to fill the air. The violin’s voice woke up the sun, made the trees green, and freshened the air. As the music changed, the sky turned back to gray. A gloomy shade covered the grass as all the sunshine disappeared. I could hear children crying and men shouting. It was like an invisible claw had grabbed my heart tightly, making it unable to beat.

That glorious day set off my passion and interest in violin — I grabbed mine and never let it go. Before the memories faded, I stared at my instrument. Without hesitating, I picked it up, rosined (用松香擦) the bow, and began to play. Peace filled my heart.

My violin has been by my side for 12 years. When I feel happy, an energetic tune makes it even better; when I’m deep in sorrow, a peaceful tune washes it away, when I’m walking on air, feeling especially pleased with my achievements, solemn (庄严的) tunes calm me down. Gradually, it has become a part of my life.

My violin, shall I compare you to a summer’s day?

1. What further contributed to the author’s dislike of violin-playing?

A．Loss of passion for violin.	B．Boredom of practice.
C．Orders from mum.	D．Disappointment in the teacher’s eyes.

2. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A．The scenery outside the room was quite attractive.

B．The sudden change made the author’s heart unable to beat.

C．The weather actually changed because of the tune.

D．The author’s feeling was continuously influenced by the music.

3. Why did the author pick up the violin again?

A．A famous tune aroused his interest and passion.

B．He was crazy about Felix Mendelssohn’s works.

C．The invisible hammer and claw are gone.

D．The beautiful imagination changed his attitude.

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

A．An inspiring violin	B．Musical soul mate—violin
C．Deep love for music	D．My dislike and like of violin

9 . Over the last century, engineers all over the world have spared no effort to achieve the unachievable in bridge design.

Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge

No bridge is as long as the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in the world. The 164.8-kilometre-long bridge built in 2011 in China serves as part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The trip from Ningbo to Jiaxing that previously took 4.5 hours has been reduced to two, thanks to this bridge.

Rio-Niterói Bridge

Completed in 1974, the Rio-Niterói Bridge in Brazil is the second-longest bridge in all of Latin America connecting the cities of Rio and Niterói across the Guanabara Bay. The Rio-Niterói Bridge is technically known as a “box-girder (箱形梁)” bridge, made of special concrete. It receives an astonishing 140,000 (or more) vehicles per day.

Hartland Covered Bridge

The Hartland Covered Bridge is the world’s longest covered bridge. The 1,282-foot-long bridge was opened in 1901 and has been on Canada’s list of National Historic Sites since 1980. Although it was originally built without a roof, the bridge was capped with wooden materials during the repairs in 1921.

Jiaozhou Bay Bridge

The newly-built Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in China was named “world’s longest bridge over water” by Guinness Book of World Records in 2011, a title previously held by the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The dispute was settled when the title of “longest continuous bridge over water” was given to the causeway, with the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge receiving the title of “longest bridge over water”.

1. On which of the following can trains pass?

A．Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge.

B．Rio-Niterói Bridge.

C．Hartland Covered Bridge.

D．Jiaozhou Bay Bridge.

2. What is special about the Hartland Covered Bridge?

A．It is a busy bridge.	B．It was built in 1980.
C．It has a roof.	D．It is a wooden bridge.

3. Where can you find the longest bridge over water?

A．In America.

B．In Brazil.

C．In Canada.

D．In China.

10 . As you walk around the UK in March, you might notice that some people are wearing a daffodil (水仙花) on their coats. The British wear these yellow flowers to show they support one of this country’s best-known charities: Marie Curie.

Marie Curie tries to ensure everyone who has cancer is cared for in the best possible way. It also helps fun d research into possible cures. Founded in 1948, it has been continuing with its goal ever since.

The charity was named after Marie Curie, a famous scientist. She experimented with newly-discovered elements to create the theory of radioactivity (放射性). Unfortunately, over-exposure to the radioactive elements made her develop a disease and die in 1934. Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in two different fields. Because of her pioneering work, the charity decided on the name of Marie Curie.

The daffodil is one of the first plants to flower during spring in the UK, which marks the return of flowering plants to the ecosystem after winter. Because of this, the charity uses the daffodil as a symbol, hoping cancer patients could recover from sickness.

Everyone you see wearing a daffodil has contributed to the charity, but each daffodil is worth only what you want to pay for it. The charity does ask that you stick to a minimum amount of £1.

The charity encourages people to start wearing their daffodils at the start of March, when the “Great Daffodil Appeal” kicks off. But that doesn’t mean you can only wear them in March. People are sometimes seen walking around with daffodils on their clothes all year round.

1. Why do some British people wear a daffodil?

A．To advocate a charity.	B．To celebrate patients’ recovery.
C．To remember a scientist.	D．To offer hope to cancer patients.

2. What makes the charity use the name of Marie Curie?

A．Marie Curie’s support for the charity.	B．Marie Curie’s achievement in cancer treatment.
C．Marie Curie’s study on radioactivity.	D．Marie Curie’s concern over cancer patients.

3. What does the daffodil imply according to the charity?

A．Bringing life to other people.	B．Returning of flowering plants.
C．Contributing money to the charity.	D．Encouraging patients to cheer up.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．A change in a British custom.	B．The effect of a campaign.
C．A special activity held in March.	D．The time to wear daffodils.