1 . J. K. Rowling frequently shows there is magic every day. Her Harry Potter series has helped people through times of stress and depression and she is always there to deliver wise words of encouragement.

She is one celebrity who is very active on Twitter. So when a single dad named Matt Burke sent her a message thanking her for the series, she noticed. Her series had helped strengthen his relationship with his 9­year­old daughter Bailey.

He included a link to his article titled Being a Broke Parent. He explained how he hadn’t found a level of financial stability that allowed him to pay bills on time and take his daughter on more activities and events. The family also doesn’t have the Internet or TV, which means there’s no “digital babysitter” and he has to rely on his own creative ways to bond with his daughter. Since he received the series, the main thing that has occupied them these days is reading books together.

Burke admits that he thought he was “too cool” for the books when they first came out and he was in his twenties, but he’s loving reading them now. “We switch off chapter by chapter reading them out loud，“Burke explains.” This not only allows her to get more used to reading aloud in front of someone, but it gets me directly involved in something she loves, and it gives me the chance to be very dramatic when I read my chapters and bring myself into the characters in the book, which has proven to be a ton of fun.”

After hearing Burke’s story, Rowling said how honored she was when Harry Potter was a part of his family’s life and offered Burke more books. Besides, people are also offering to send Burke more books as gifts. For Burke, this experience, far more than gifts, will be what he treasures.

1. Why did Burke thank J. K. Rowling according to the text?

A．She guided him how to write a good story.

B．She encouraged him when he was in trouble.

C．Her books helped him through times of confusion.

D．Her books helped him improve his bond with his daughter.

2. What is implied in Burke’s words in paragraph 4?

A．He has found it interesting to read the series.	B．He was too old to understand the series better.
C．He has chosen a better way of reading the series.	D．He hopes to play a role in the drama in the future.

3. Which word can best describe Burke’s experience according to the text?

A．Useless.

B．Normal.

C．Valuable.

D．Boring.

4. What is the main idea of this text?

A．J. K. Rowling chooses to help improve kids’ health.

B．J. K. Rowling gives a magical gift to a single father.

C．J. K. Rowling has a deep influence on others’ growth.

D．Burke comes to know J. K. Rowling through her series.

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Technology is changing the face of the world, and now faces are changing technology too. Facial recognition technology,     1     its capacity to analyse a huge amount of data, has come into widespread use. It works by comparing the facial features of     2     (give) images with what are in a database. It offers a quick and cool alternative to traditional passwords, and you cannot forget your own face! In theory, networks which use our own body as passwords should also be     3     (safe) from hackers and better protect us from identity theft than those who use traditional passwords, mainly because every individual is unique. This technology is     4     (especial) useful in public places: banks, airports and railway stations, to name but a few.

However, facial recognition technology has also started to pose some difficult questions. Experts have been giving     5     (warn) about this technology, saying it may not be as good as we think. Facial expressions often vary,     6     (make) facial recognition less effective. Moreover, there is growing concern     7     we might fall victim to this technology, as there are cases in which hackers have broken into facial recognition systems by using people’s social media photos     8     (build) models of their faces.

Scientists and engineers     9     (urge) to improve existing technology and make it fail-safe in recent years. Apparently, this will be     10     tough task. Whatever happens, we need to make sure that facial recognition technology can be trusted—or we will have to face the consequences.

3 . In habitats across the planet, animals periodically drop everything to walk, fly or swim to a new place. Wildlife such as whales and geese learn migration paths by following their parents. Others, including small songbirds, gain the distance and direction of their migration within their genetic code. And some animals use a combination of genetics and culture to guide their migration.

Another group of migrators does not quite fit either model, and researchers have only recently started to figure out how they find their way. Take the Cory’s shearwater, an oceangoing sea bird that migrates over the Atlantic every year. The young do not migrate with their parents, so culture cannot explain their journeys. And the exact paths vary wildly from individual to individual, making genetics equally unlikely.

Cory’s shearwaters are long-lived, rarely producing young successfully before age nine. This leaves an opening for learning and practice to develop their migration patterns. Researchers call this the “exploration-refinement”, and until now it has been hypothetical (假设的) because of difficulties in tracking migratory animals’ movements.

But a team of researchers has done that by attaching small geolocators to more than 150 of the birds aged four to nine. They found that younger birds traveled longer distances, for longer periods, and had more diverse paths than older birds. “We finally have evidence of the ‘exploration-refinement’ for migratory birds,” says Letizia Campioni, who led the study. Younger Cory’s shearwaters are able to fly just as fast as the adults—but they do not, suggesting that the young do more exploring, which gradually fades as they mature and settle into a preferred course.

Although it may seem less efficient than other strategies, “exploration refinement could be beneficial to birds and other organisms in a rapidly changing world due to unpredictable man-made changes,” says Barbara Frei. “It might be safer to repeat a behavior that was recently successful than to rely on patterns that were perfected long ago but might no longer be safe.”

1. Why does the author mention different migration models in Paragraph 1?

A．To give an example.	B．To lead in the topic.
C．To make a comparison.	D．To support an idea.

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

A．The opening for learning and practice.

B．The unique living habit of Cory’s shearwaters.

C．The way Cory’s shearwaters form their migration patterns.

D．The process scientists track Cory’s shearwaters’ movements.

3. What does Letizia’s study find about the younger Cory’s shearwaters?

A．They lower the speed for exploration.	B．They move in a predictable manner.
C．They travel as much as adult birds.	D．They look for a course with their parents.

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

A．Fixed Tracks: Safer Migration Model

B．Migration Models: Important Ways to Deal With Changes

C．A Combination of Strategies: A Wise Choice for Migration

D．Exploration Refinement: Migration Model With Better Adaptability

4 . 假如你是李华，你的美国朋友Mike最近迷上了中国诗歌，他写信向你询问你最喜欢的诗人。请你用英语给他写封回信，要点如下：
1. 介绍你最喜爱的诗人和他/她的诗歌。
2. 他/她对你的影响或启示。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Mike,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

5 . Every year I’d read over 2,000 college applications from students all over the world. It is quite ________ to choose whom to admit. ________, in the chaos of SAT scores and recommendations, one ________ is always irresistible in a candidate: kindness.

The most surprising ________ of kindness I’ve ever come across came from a student who had excellent scores and a supportive recommendation from his college consultant. Even with these qualifications, he might not have ________. But one letter of recommendation caught my eye. It was from a school security ________. Letters of recommendation are ________ written by people like former presidents, celebrities, and Olympic athletes.

The security guard wrote that he supported this student’s admission because of his ________. This young man was the only person in the school who knew the ________ of every member of the guard staff. He turned off lights in empty rooms, consistently ________ the hallway monitor each morning and tidied up the classroom after his ________ left school even if nobody was watching. This student, the security guard wrote, had a(n) ________ respect for every person at the school, regardless of position, popularity or power.

It gave us a ________ onto a student’s life in the moments when nothing “counted”. That student was admitted by unanimous (一致的) vote of the admissions committee.

Next year there might be a flood of security guard recommendations due to this essay. But if it means students will start paying as much ________ to the people who clean their classrooms as they do to their principals and teachers, I’m happy to help start that ________.

1.

A．decent

B．difficult

C．ridiculous

D．desperate

2.

A．However

B．Otherwise

C．Besides

D．Therefore

3.

A．capacity

B．quality

C．dignity

D．liberty

4.

A．signal

B．image

C．appearance

D．indication

5.

A．stood up

B．stood out

C．given up

D．given out

6.

A．guard

B．teacher

C．principal

D．consultant

7.

A．roughly

B．permanently

C．typically

D．respectively

8.

A．wisdom

B．bravery

C．encouragement

D．consideration

9.

A．names

B．wages

C．locations

D．careers

10.

A．bothered

B．answered

C．visited

D．thanked

11.

A．staff

B．students

C．peers

D．monitors

12.

A．demanding

B．amusing

C．refreshing

D．puzzling

13.

A．passion

B．licence

C．guarantee

D．window

14.

A．money

B．notice

C．attention

D．curiosity

15.

A．policy

B．trend

C．arrangement

D．occupation

6 . Bristol Old Vic

When the Theatre Royal (now Bristol Old Vic) was built, electricity hadn’t been discovered. For over 250 years the people who have owned, worked inside and visited the theatre have kept records about their activity. These are kept safe at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, and you’ll discover a range of documents which record the history of the theatre, from its foundation in 1764 up until the present day. Here are some of them.

BEGINNING

In 1764 businessmen Alexander Edgar and Thomas Symons suggested building a new theatre between Baldwin Street and the back of Coopers’ Hall in King Street. The estimated cost was f2, 000 to be split among 40 subscribers, but the building work cost more than expected. Owning shares allowed them to influence decisions about the theatre.

SILVER TICKET

Each of the original Bristol Old Vic shareholders was given a silver ticket that promised sight of any performance held at the theatre. As the holders were clever businessmen, they insisted that the silver tickets could be loaned or traded. This enabled them to make some extra money but made it extremely difficult for the theatre managers to keep track of who was allowed to see shows for free.

250TH BIRTHDAY

In May 2016, the theatre celebrated its 250th birthday! As the oldest continuously-working theatre in the English-speaking world, it deserved a proper party, so Bristol-based Limbic Cinema was hired to create a film of the theatre’s historical highlights which was projected (放映) onto the theatre itself.

1. Where can you find the three mentioned documents?

A．At Baldwin Street.

B．At Coopers’ Hall in King Street.

C．At Bristol-based Limbic Cinema.

D．At the University of Bristol Theatre Collection.

2. How was the theatre’s 250th birthday celebrated?

A．By creating a film about its history.

B．By building Bristol-based Limbic Cinema.

C．By releasing silver ticket in memory of the birthday.

D．By making a film projected in theatres across England.

3. What’s the purpose of the text?

A．To compare the theatre and others.

B．To change people’s view on Bristol Old Vic.

C．To introduce some information of Bristol Old Vic.

D．To recommend a movie related to the theatre.

10 . Rich, heavy food is a major part of the end of the year holidays in the United States. People in the U.S. celebrate Thanksgiving on the third Thursday of November. People around the world celebrate Christmas on December 25. Both holidays involve (包含) traditions of cooking very large meals. The food at these meals usually has lots of sugar, salt, and butter in it. Turkey and pie are some of the most common foods in these holidays.

Terri Price has hosted a holiday party on the last Saturday before every Christmas for 30 years. It started when her children were very, very small. She has been preparing many of the dishes for most of the 30 years.

But over time, some traditions do change. The Neveldines are a family who hope to be healthier by changing what they eat. Mick Fury, the Neveldine’s oldest child, said this change is important during the holidays and the rest of the year, too.

Mick and his wife, Michelle, try to eat only organic food. Organic food is any plant or animal food product made without the use of unnatural chemicals or processes. But, Mick is not the only Neveldine who changed their diet. Felicia Neveldine, Mick’s sister, decided nine years ago to become a vegan. A vegan is a person who does not eat or use animal products of any kind.

Felicia became a vegan because of her concern for the treatment of animals and the environmental effects of animal farming. She said that her change in diet also improved her health.

Choosing these special diets means the Neveldines choose their foods carefully. Mick grows a garden behind his house where he gets fresh vegetables.

Holiday traditions may not change, but the way these traditions happen just might.

1. What does paragraph I mainly tell us?

A．The end-of-year holidays is vital.

B．Heavy food is rich in nutrition.

C．Cooking large meals is a tradition in USA.

D．Heavy food is popular in holidays for Americans.

2. What do we learn about the Neveldines’ holiday diets?

A．They have turned healthier.	B．They have given up the tradition.
C．They have remained the same.	D．They have grown unhealthy.

3. What does the underlined word “vegan” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．sportsman.

B．vegetarian.

C．dieter.

D．volunteer.

4. What may be the author’s attitude to traditional heavy food in holidays?

A．Favorable.

B．Critical.

C．Objective.

D．Unclear.