1 . Learning anything by sitting in the comfort of your home can be very easy and at the same time, there will not be any pressure to complete some task or anything like that.     1    . Then there are many ways to learn it comfortably by sitting at your home.

Watching English movies and shows

Watching English movies can help you a lot with improving your spoken English skills. Observe the expressions of the character, which is an excellent way to improve your English conversations in daily life.     2    . Observe them when they speak every single word. This will help to improve your vocabulary.

Recording your voice

Recording your voice can be an easy way to understand how you speak. This method can help you with understanding your accent (口音) and your pronunciation. You will be able to understand your mistakes when you speak. Then you can improve them. It may sound uncomfortable at the beginning.     3    .

Practicing grammatical concepts

Having basic grammar knowledge is crucial (至关重要的).     4    . If you don’t have any grammar knowledge, you may find it difficult to build proper sentences and it can lead to a lack of confidence whenever you will speak. You should take related classes to improve your basic grammatical concepts and also try practicing various grammatical exercises.

    5    

This can be an effective way to understand the way you speak including your facial expressions. Practicing your speech in front of the mirror can help you to encourage your confidence. This method is effective if you don’t have a speaking partner or if there is no one to judge you.

A．Speaking in front of the mirror

B．Speaking English with yourself

C．It helps in building correct sentences

D．Similarly, maybe you are planning to learn English at home

E．There is a lot of fun in the process and you will also enjoy it

F．You can also watch English interviews of successful people

G．But over time your accent and pronunciation will be improved by practicing

3 . 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。

Ieoh Ming Pei, an influential architect of the twentieth century, has created many cross-cultural projects. His distinctive identity — as     1     American architect born in China — gives him a special transnational background. Scholars typically try to locate his design inspirations in his childhood memories, connecting Pei with his dual-cultural (双文化) background and     2     (describe) his buildings based on his biography. Suzhou, the town     3     Pei family was located, is often mentioned by scholars as a way     4     (understand) I. M. Pei’s Chinese cultural background. The city is famous     5     its architecture and landscape, especially its ancient gardens.

    6     (found) in 1960 and originally located in the national historic landmark, Zhong Wang Fu Palace complex, the Suzhou Museum has been a highly-regarded regional museum with a number of significant Chinese cultural     7     (relic).

A new museum designed by world-famous architect I. M. Pei     8     (complete) in October 2006, covering over 10,700 square meters and located at the cross of Dongbei Street and Qimen Road. The design of this new museum     9     (visual) adds to the traditional architecture of Zhong Wang Fu. I. M. Pei designed the current building of the Suzhou Museum in     10     (associate) with Pei Partnership Architects at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

4 . Justin Gavin, 18, was on a walk to a local shop. Then he saw something that made his heart _________. A small SUV _________ in flames (火焰) drove past him.

“I’m yelling (叫喊) to stop the car! Your car is on fire! Your car is on fire!” Gavin said. But the driver — a mother of three kids, couldn’t stop. That’s when, Gavin says, he didn’t have _________ to think and fell into action. He ran after the burning car to help the family _________. “I just felt like if I were in that _________, I would want somebody to help me out,” Gavin said. “I guess my instincts (本能) _________.”

When Gavin finally reached the _________, it had come to a stop. He _________ the car door and helped the mother out of the driver’s seat first. As the flames grew larger, he pulled the three children in the back seat to _________. Moments later the car was swallowed by flames.

“It kind of got __________ because I didn’t know whether I was going to be able to get everyone out in time. And __________, I did,” Gavin said.

The mother __________ the teen with saving her family’s life. The police department honored Gavin as a __________ and awarded the teenager with a “challenge coin” to acknowledge his __________ act.

Gavin said the experience was inspiring and changed his __________ of life. “It made me realize life is short and valuable,” Gavin said.

1.

A．sing

B．freeze

C．sink

D．hurt

2.

A．covered

B．built

C．packed

D．hidden

3.

A．plan

B．time

C．money

D．energy

4.

A．escape

B．rest

C．reflect

D．participate

5.

A．interruption

B．performance

C．situation

D．presence

6.

A．gave away

B．took over

C．settled down

D．dropped in

7.

A．vehicle

B．bus

C．root

D．peak

8.

A．fixed

B．designed

C．decorated

D．opened

9.

A．safety

B．destinations

C．function

D．conflicts

10.

A．easy

B．exciting

C．scary

D．interesting

11.

A．gradually

B．luckily

C．skillfully

D．angrily

12.

A．charged

B．interpreted

C．credited

D．bothered

13.

A．tutor

B．hero

C．firefighter

D．journalist

14.

A．anxious

B．curious

C．serious

D．courageous

15.

A．composition

B．logic

C．flavor

D．perspective

5 . The best travel destinations are not only beautiful but also safe, and offer a unique experience.     1    . The following factors will help you pick your next travel destination.

Explore new travel destinations

    2    . It would be impossible for you to travel to all of them. One of the best ways to narrow down your choices is by looking at new places that have caught your interest recently. And ensure that you have never been there before. If you are an adventurous traveler, explore remote and less popular destinations that offer unique experiences.

    3    

When choosing your next travel destination, visa requirements can be a game-changer. You don’t want to go through the hassle (麻烦) of applying for a visa only to find out that getting one is not possible. Some countries offer visa-free entry or visas on arrival for certain nationalities. That’s something to consider when making your decision.

Think of your travel budget

That’s probably the most important factor when choosing a holiday destination. You need to ensure that your chosen destination is within your budget. But don’t worry; there are plenty of affordable places to travel to. Southeast Asia, for example, is very budget-friendly.     4    .

Consider the mode of travel

That might not be important for some of you, but it is for some people who try to avoid flying, sailing, or bus as much as possible due to fear of heights, enclosed spaces, or motion sickness. And that’s completely understandable.     5    . If you have any fear or simply don’t like certain types of transportation, ensure to factor that in when making your decision.

A．Consider visa requirements

B．Get to know the exchange rate in advance

C．And they don’t break your bank as well

D．There are over 190 countries in the world right now

E．No one wants to spend their vacation feeling anxious

F．You can find accommodation and food for as low as $10 per day

G．This will help you budget your trip better and avoid any embarrassment

6 . When we’re facing a complex problem, we often gather a group to brainstorm. We’re looking to get the best ideas as quickly as possible. We love seeing it happen — except for one problem. Group brainstorming usually backfires.

Extensive evidence shows that when we generate ideas together, we fail to maximize collective intelligence. Brainstorming groups fall so far short of their potential that we get more ideas — and better ideas —if we all work alone. As the humorist Dave Barry quipped (打趣道),“If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be: ‘meetings’.” But the problem isn’t meetings themselves — it’s how we run them.

To unearth the hidden potential in teams, instead of brainstorming, we’d better turn to a process called “brain writing”. The initial steps are solo. You start by asking everyone to generate ideas separately. Next, you pool them and share them anonymously (匿名地) among the group. To preserve independent judgment, each member evaluates them on their own. Only then does the team come together to select and refine (完善) the most promising options. By developing and assessing ideas individually before choosing and stating them, teams can surface and advance possibilities that might not get attention otherwise.

An example of great brain writing was in 2010 when 33 miners were trapped underground in Chile. With time of the essence, the rescue team didn’t hold long brainstorming sessions. They established a global brain writing system to crowd source independent ideas. A tiny plastic telephone ended up becoming the only means of communicating with the miners. And the specialized drill that ultimately made it possible to save the miners was suggested by a 24-year-old engineer.

Organizational behavior scholar Anita Woolley helps to explain why this method works. They find that a key to collective intelligence is balanced participation. In brainstorming meetings, it’s easy for participants to become in favor of the most powerful people. The brain writing process makes sure that all ideas are brought to the table. The goal isn’t to be the smartest person in the room — it’s to make the room smarter.

1. What does the underlined word “backfires” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Fails.

B．Freezes.

C．Arises.

D．Expands.

2. Why was Dave Barry mentioned in Paragraph 2?

A．To explain the power of humor on efficiency.

B．To illustrate the drawback of brainstorming meetings.

C．To review the achievement of Dave Barry in history.

D．To show approaches to reaching human potential.

3. How does brainwriting differ from brainstorming according to the text?

A．Brainstorming allows for more diverse thoughts.

B．Brainstorming involves sharing ideas anonymously.

C．Brainwriting requires teams to refine and polish ideas together.

D．Brainwriting involves individual idea generation and evaluation.

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

A．Why Brainstorming Doesn’t Work

B．What Brainstormers Usually Do

C．Why Brainstorming Boosts Creativity

D．How We Become the Smartest Person in the Team

7 . The “mark test” (or “mirror test”) is a way to test animal intelligence — whether an animal can recognize itself, especially animals with large brains. A mark is put on an animal, usually in a spot that can only be seen with a mirror. Then the animal is allowed to look in a mirror. If the animal seems to pay attention to the mark, scientists believe the animal has recognized itself.

But some scientists believe the mark test doesn’t work well for all animals. Roosters (公鸡) are a good example. Scientists at the University of Bonn recently ran the mark test on roosters. They put a pinkish triangle on the chest of the roosters. But when the roosters looked in a mirror, they didn’t seem to notice the mark.

The scientists needed a different way to test whether the roosters could recognize themselves. When there’s danger — like a hawk (鹰) flying above — roosters make loud calls to warn nearby chickens. But roosters only make the cries if other chickens can hear them. If they’re alone, they remain quiet so the hawk won’t see them. The scientists realized that they could use the shadow of a hawk to test if roosters could recognize themselves in a mirror.

First, the scientists let the roosters spend time getting used to being in a closed-in space and having a mirror around. Then, they ran several tests by making a hawk shadow appear above the bird and watching how the rooster reacted.

When there was no mirror, the roosters reacted as usual. They called out when they were near another rooster, but remained quiet when they were alone. But when a rooster was in a space where it could see itself in the mirror, it wasn’t fooled into thinking there was another rooster. It remained silent despite the hawk shadow.

It proves the roosters knew they were seeing themselves in the mirror, and not other roosters. That suggests that the mark test may not be a good test of whether an animal can recognize itself.

The scientists hope their results will encourage other scientists to look for better ways of testing self-recognition in animals.

1. What is the purpose of the “mark test”?

A．To test a bird’s ability to fly.

B．To measure an animal’s brain size.

C．To see if an animal can recognize itself.

D．To compare different animals’ intelligence.

2. How did scientists test whether the roosters thought they were alone?

A．By testing their eyesight with a mirror.

B．By putting a mark on the roosters’ chest.

C．By placing two roosters before the mirror.

D．By observing their reactions to a hawk shadow,

3. What do the results of the rooster experiment suggest?

A．Roosters are not intelligent animals.

B．The mark test is a reliable measure of self-recognition.

C．The mark test may not accurately determine self-recognition.

D．Roosters can recognize themselves better than other animals.

4. What do the scientists expect of further studies?

A．Conducting more experiments on roosters.

B．Using the mark test on other bird species.

C．Studying self-recognition in dolphins and elephants.

D．Searching for better ways to test animal intelligence.

8 . South Baltimore is surrounded by water, highways, and train tracks. It’s also often thought of as a place to avoid—folks are taught to be careful of or even avoid South Baltimore. “People think South Baltimore is a place filled with danger. It’s not. It’s just we’re surrounded by dangerous things,” says Taysia, 17.

Taysia is part of a group of student activists fighting against a very different kind of danger in their neighborhood: air pollution and climate change. Lots of trucks with their noise pass through the neighborhood. South Baltimore is also home to a junkyard where they crush (压碎)cars, an old landfill, chemical plants, and mountains of coal. These are not the communities anyone wants.

The residents of South Baltimore are breathing polluted air today. Coal releases a black dust that’s small enough to get into people’s lungs. It can cause disease and death if you’re breathing it day after day. The mountains of coal are the focus of a growing opposition movement called Free Your Voice, led by South Baltimore teenagers.

The teens of Free Your Voice are taking on a big opponent (对手): the massive transportation company CSX, which transports more than 8 million tons of coal through South Baltimore annually. CSX makes billions of dollars a year.

The teens went door to door, warning their neighbors about the dangers of the coal transportation. Not everyone was on board at first. “We were talking to people and that’s just like, ‘You’re a kid! Like this is not gonna change, it’s been happening forever.’” Taysia says.

Meanwhile, the students spent the summer using sticky paper to gather samples of dust from all over the neighborhood to prove that the dust was from coal and to pinpoint which parts of the neighborhood were most affected.

The goal is to eventually get the state regulators to deny the permit that CSX needs to operate, or at least require the company to enclose all the coal, or at the very least put water onto all of it so there’s less dust blowing around. And the state is considering all of those requests.

1. How did people describe South Baltimore according to Taysia?

A．Wealthy.

B．Dangerous.

C．Peaceful.

D．Inclusive.

2. What is the main focus of the opposition movement called Free Your Voice?

A．The junkyard.	B．The old landfill.
C．The chemical plants.	D．The coal transportation.

3. Why did some people in the neighborhood initially doubt the students’ efforts?

A．They believed the pollution was harmless.

B．They trusted CSX’s environmental practices.

C．They had no awareness of the pollution and climate change.

D．They thought the students were too young to make a change.

4. What method did the students use to gather evidence of coal-related pollution?

A．Conducting surveys.	B．Distributing leaflets.
C．Using sticky paper for dust samples.	D．Organizing protests.

9 . AMTRAK TRAIN TICKETS FROM WASHINGTON TO NEW YORK

	Departure	Arrival	Duration	Price
Union Station — Penn Station	1:50 PM	4:38 PM	2h 48m	$184
Union Station — Penn Station	4:00 PM	6:40 PM	2h 40m	$190
Union Station — Penn Station	10:30 AM	1:20 PM	2h 50m	$175
Union Station — Penn Station	8:00 AM	10:30 AM	2h 30m	$195

Deals and discounts

The train company has a discount policy on train tickets. It offers a discount for family groups (3 or more people) and babies. It offers a 50% discount for babies under the age of 24 months. Disabled people and people with reduced mobility can receive free assistance at the train station and on the train.

Ticket refunds and exchanges

If the passenger has any problem before the trip, the train company allows some kind of changes like: refund if the client won’t travel anymore or schedule changes. But remember, there are cancellation fees that vary according to the advance of the change request.

Boarding on train

It’s important to arrive at the station one hour before your train leaves, so you can check your ticket without problems.

Baggage size and weight limits

Each train company has its own rules about carrying luggage. The company allows the transport of one or two pieces of luggage weighing up to 20kg.

Pets on train

American train companies do not allow the transport of animals in their carriages.

Have an awesome train trip!

1. Which train takes the least time?

A．1:50 PM.

B．4:00 PM.

C．10:30 AM.

D．8:00 AM.

2. How much should two teenagers pay if they choose the 4: 00 PM train?

A．$190.

B．$195.

C．$380.

D．$390.

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．Tourists can carry luggage weighing above 20kg.

B．Tourists can take their pets onto the train with themselves.

C．Tourists can get a full refund if they have a problem before the trip.

D．Tourists had better arrive at the station one hour before train departure.

10 . 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。

Kiton and his parents lived near the forest. They didn’t have much money, but they loved each other very much. Every day Kiton’s parents worked hard to earn more money for the family. Kiton did very well in his studies, which made his parents happy. They were sure that one day their son would become a big man. They always told Kiton that hard work was the best way to succeed.

Kiton cared about his parents and always helped them with the housework after he finished his homework. Whenever he saw his parents were tired, he felt very sad. How he wished his family could become rich quickly. Many times, Kiton dreamed of earning a lot of money in his sleep.

One day Kiton heard that there was huge treasure in a cave across the forest. Kiton thought if he found the treasure, his family would become rich. He told his parents about it. But they said he should not believe that and should work hard in his studies instead. But Kiton made up his mind to find the treasure. So he secretly made his plan.

The next day after school, Kiton started off without telling his parents. He reached far into the forest and the night was getting dark. In the dark, he felt as if an animal were following him. So he tried all his best to run. Because he couldn’t see the way clearly, he lost his footing and fell into a pit (坑). He tried but couldn’t get out. He listened, but heard nothing from any animals. He didn’t know how much time had passed. He heard someone calling his name from far away.

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。

Realizing his parents were looking for him, Kiton started shouting as loudly as possible, “I’m here, Mom, Dad!”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kiton and his parents got home, where Kiton’s favorite food was on the table, and Kiton decided to explain it to his parents after dinner.

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