1 . Gardeners who use pesticides are contributing to the decline of British songbirds, a study suggests. Scientists have urged people to stop “spraying their gardens with poisons” in order to halt bird decline and adopt instead wildlife-friendly practices. The results of the University of Sussex study, which researchers call the first of its kind, were published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

The experiment, which surveyed 615 gardens in Britain, found 25% fewer house sparrows when glyphosate (草甘膦) was used regularly. This is an ingredient found in commonly used herbicide (除草剂) brands such as Roundup or Gallup. Slug pellets (鼻涕虫杀虫剂) also seemed to have an impact on bird sightings; in gardens where Slug pellets were used, house sparrow numbers were down by almost 40%.

Prof. Dave Goulson, of the school of life sciences at the University of Sussex, said, “The UK has 22 million gardens, which collectively could be a fantastic refuge for wildlife, but not if they are overly tidy and sprayed with poisons. We just don’t need pesticides in our gardens. Many towns around the world are now pesticide free. We should simply ban the use of these poisons in urban areas, following the example of France.” The Royal Horticultural Society, the UK’s leading gardening charity, said the use of pesticides and herbicides should be avoided if possible and they should only be used, if ever, in small and targeted applications.

The research also found that those who adopted wildlife-friendly practices such as planting native shrubs and flowers, or digging a wildlife pond, saw more birds than those who did not. Cannelle Tassin de Montaigu, a PhD researcher within the school of life sciences and an author of the study, said, “It’s encouraging to find that simple measures, such as planting native shrubs and trees and creating a pond, together with avoiding the use of pesticides, really make a measurable difference to the number of birds you will see in your garden.”

1. What does the underlined word “halt” in paragraph 1 most probably mean?

A．Stop.

B．Attract.

C．Note.

D．Witness.

2. Why are the statistics mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To reveal the severe influence of pesticides on birds.

B．To compare the effects of two kinds of pesticides.

C．To convince readers of the importance of house sparrows.

D．To help gardeners choose the proper pesticides.

3. What can be inferred from Prof. Dave Goulson’s words?

A．The ideal places for wildlife in the UK are extremely tidy gardens.

B．The gardens in the UK are so tidy that pesticides are not needed.

C．Pesticides should be prohibited from use throughout the UK.

D．Some countries like France have made urban areas pesticide free.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．Alternative methods to keep gardens tidy.

B．Assistant ways to increase the number of birds.

C．Gardeners’ attitudes towards the experiment.

D．Other researchers’ interest in the experiment.

2 . I have always loved the Arthurian legend (传奇), as there is something quite special about King Arthur, and of course Merlin, my favourite character from the stories.

Death of an Empire is the second volume in MK Hume’s “Merlin” series which details Merlin’s life from birth. Merlin travels across the Roman Empire in search of his father, a voyage of discovery to understand just who he was. Eventually Merlin gets involved in the fight against the Hun’s invasion (入侵) of Europe at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plain.

Serving under the General Flavius Aetius, Merlin builds a reputation by saving the lives of thousands of soldiers. When he finally reaches Rome, he saves many more. But a far deadlier conflict between Emperor Valentinian and Senator Petronius Maximus is around the corner and Merlin must use all his strength to carry out his work.

If I had to choose just one word to describe this novel, there would be no other choice than “immersive (身临其境的)”. There has clearly been a serious amount of research carried out by the author. Combined with the descriptive prose and imaginative story, the book really does attract you from almost the very start. The story really does feel like you are a part of it as Merlin travels across the Roman Empire.

The author does a great job of mixing the rich history with established Arthurian legend. The battle scene is handled very effectively. The author employs a very effective form to show the main fight and this not only adds a degree of tension and a good level of excitement but almost makes you feel like you are right there hearing about what happened.

Death of an Empire is a very fine novel, a wonderfully rich tale and a rewarding story.

1. Why does Merlin travel across the Roman Empire?

A．To visit King Arthur.	B．To enjoy a nice view.
C．To get a well-paid job.	D．To find out his origin.

2. What can we learn about the novel?

A．It is a mixture of history and legend.

B．It features difficult language.

C．It speaks highly of an emperor.

D．It is a masterpiece of Merlin.

3. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 5 refer to?

A．An effective description.	B．A long-running battle.
C．A wonderful feeling.	D．A well-known legend.

4. What is the text?

A．A news report.	B．A history story.
C．A book review.	D．A science fiction.

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。

Hua Zhibing announced     1     June 3 in her blog that she will study in the Department of Computer Science at Tsinghua University in the upcoming semester. Hua is China’s first virtual student     2     (power) by Wudao 2.0,     3     artificial intelligence (AI) system.

    4     really sets Hua apart from any average college student is her amazing learning     5     (able). She can learn much     6     (fast) than any average human being. “If she begins learning at the six year-old level this year, she can reach the level of a twelve year-old in one year,” said Tang Jie, the     7     (develop) of Hua Zhibing. “We aim     8     (teach) her to think and feel like a human being. Now, Hua is     9     (closely) to breaking the Turing Test in painting pictures, writing poems and answering questions. We hope that she will master these basic skills first and then seek breakthroughs in     10     (reason) and feeling.”

4 . The AIDA model is the foundation of modern marketing and advertising practice. It outlines the four basic steps used to persuade potentials to make a purchase. The first three steps lie in creating attention (A), decorating interest (I), and building desire (D) for the product, before the fourth step — the “call to action” (A) — tells them exactly how and where to buy. AIDA can channel the customer’s feelings through each stage toward reaching a sale.

Attracting the customer’s attention is the first challenge and this may be achieved by using an attracting phrase or picture. Once someone’s attention has been clutched, it must be turned into real interest. This is best done by providing a brief description of the product’s benefits to the consumer rather than simply listing the product’s main features or problem-solving claims.

Now, it is time to transform that interest into a desire for a product or service. This is where consumers need to believe their lives could be better by possessing the product. It could be a vital step towards turning a potential into a real customer.

“Call-to-action” is where all of the initial hard work pays off and leads to the action from a potential customer. For example, they might pick up the phone to discuss the idea of a trial of the services or, alternatively, they may just buy that product or service that has been promoted to them all along.

And AIDA is used to great effect in the movie industry. Movie studios begin their marketing campaigns months in advance. The campaigns develop by offering attractive flashes of the movie without giving too much away. Desire is inspired by the release of the full preview which is fully designed to show the exciting moments of the movie, from special effects to humorous lines of dialogue on the opening weekend. Advertisements in newspapers and on television focus on the movie’s release, inviting the consumer to go and buy a ticket.

1. What is the purpose of practising AIDA?

A．To create jobs.	B．To increase sales.
C．To research markets.	D．To introduce products.

2. What does the underlined word “clutched” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Seized.

B．Freed.

C．Cheated.

D．Affected.

3. In which stage of the AIDA model may a customer call to try the service?

A．Action.

B．Interest.

C．Desire.

D．Attention.

4. Why does the author mention the movie industry in the last paragraph?

A．To design an AIDA model.	B．To display how AIDA works.
C．To show how to make a movie.	D．To advertise the movie industry.

5 . 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。

Tea is a healthy drink. Drinking tea in China could be considered as an art and to help people achieve a sense of calm and renewed energy. It is also     1     way to enjoy life better.

Stories     2     are about the discovery of tea are different depending on the people who you ask, but we know that Chinese people have been drinking tea since Shennong, 5,000 years ago. Usually, tea     3     (believe) to be medicinal, and is so central to     4     (day) life that an old Chinese saying includes tea in a list of seven important contents to be gathered each morning, along with firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy and vinegar.

Tea serves three primary     5     (purpose) traditionally in Chinese society: to show status, to bring people together and to improve wellness.

Drinking tea together is a sign of respect. In ancient times, “tribute tea”(贡茶) was     6     (special) kept for and presented to the Emperor. Tea still has a place in the life of the average people. It is common     7     (give) guests a cup of tea to welcome them into the home. But tea is more than a key of social customs. It is meant to act     8     a medium through which people can become much     9     (close) to nature. Drinking tea out in nature will create a spiritual connection to the environment and make people feel     10     (relax).

6 . Imagine mountains enveloped in silver water, shining in the spring sun. Summer sees the mountains turn bright green with growing rice. During autumn, these mountains are gold, and in winter they are covered with white frost.     1    

These terraces (梯田) were built by the local Zhuang and Yao people. Starting in the Yuan Dynasty, work on the terraces took hundreds of years.     2     Reaching as far as the eye can see, these terraces cover tall mountains, often from the bottom to the very top.

    3     Firstly, there are few large flat areas of land in the region. Building the terraces could increase the areas to grow rice. Secondly, although the region has plenty of rain, the mountains are steep (陡峭) and the soil is shallow. The fat terraces help catch the rainwater and prevent the soil from being washed away.

But perhaps the most important is the way people have worked in peace with nature. The terraces are cleverly designed, with hundreds of waterways connecting with each other. During the rainy season, rainwater moves down the mountains and into the terraces along these waterways. The sun heats the water and turns it into vapour (水蒸气).     4     These terraces also provide a perfect environment for birds and fish, some of which feed on insects harmful to crops.

Although modern technology helps produce more crops, these terraces still mean a lot to the local people for whom traditions hold much value.     5     Thus, new generations continue to use ancient methods of agriculture to maintain the terraces. Today, the Longji Rice Terraces attract thousands of visitors to admire this great wonder created by people and nature working together.

A．Terraces were built to collect the rain.

B．These are the colors of the Longji Terraces.

C．This knowledge is passed down through families.

D．It wasn’t completed until the early Qing Dynasty.

E．So how did people change the entire mountains into terraces?

F．This forms clouds from which rain falls down onto the terraces again.

G．So why did these people take trouble turning the entire mountains into terraces?

7 . In our home it was natural to fear our father. Even our mother was afraid of him. As children, my sister and I thought every family was like that.       1       We discovered we could draw pictures with chalk on our wooden front door. We could have lots of fun, so we started drawing and making lots of pretty pictures all over it. We had a great time. We decided to finish our pictures, knowing Mom would love it.

    2     We did not understand why, but we knew all about anger, and we were in big trouble. Off we ran to find a place to hide. In our yard it was not hard for two small children to find safety. Together, we hid behind a tree and did not move. Soon we heard the frightened voices of Mom and our neighbours calling out to us. We were afraid of being found.     3     Those around us became more anxious, and we became more frightened. As we stayed together in the dark, we heard another voice, one we recognized with great fear: our daddy.         4     In it we heard something we had never heard before: fear and despair (绝望). Then came his prayers (祈祷). We saw our daddy with tears running down his face, promising God that he would give his life to Him if He would safely return his girls.

Things were different after that. We had a new daddy. It was like the old one was buried that day in the forest.     5    

A．The praise we expected did not come.

B．The sun set and it began to get dark.

C．Our daddy worked very hard to support the family.

D．Then came the day we found something new and fun to do.

E．Our whole family was changed with a piece of chalk.

F．But there was something different in it.

G．Our mom knew that he cared for us.

8 . “We said no to the invitation to the birthday party because my child says they're not even friends.”

When I read the above words, I felt heartache.

I know birthday parties can be like a trouble, but let's believe the parents who sent that invitation weren't trying to get more gifts for their kids or make things more complicated(复杂的) .

For some kids, managing school and friends is easy. Maybe you have a child who's outgoing, self­confident or maybe you have a child who doesn't have any problems. However, for some kids, school and friends can be very difficult.

A birthday party is a fun, exciting and good opportunity. It is a chance for the kid on the sidelines to play with other kids who don't play with him/her at school or who don't call him/her a friend.

Sometimes even when the birthday party and the theme have been decided on and the difficult decision about whom to invite has been made, there can still be doubts. Those invitations can stay untouched in the bottom of the child's backpack for days, because he/she is too scared to hand them out.

I don't know your child, and I don't know you. I do know there are parents who lie awake at night wondering if their child will have the courage to hand out the invitations in the morning; I do know there are parents who hope they can depend on other parents to teach their children to be kind enough to show up. Maybe you'll never have to be one of the parents who find it hard. I know what that's like, because I have children who find it easy. But I also have a child who doesn't. And because of that, we've become a family that says yes to every invitation we receive.

Sometimes a birthday party invitation is not just a birthday party invitation; it's also an invitation to be a friend.

1. What's the author's attitude toward the words in Para.1?

A．Worried.	B．Sad.
C．Interested.	D．Excited.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Children are very different from each other.

B．Some children at school need special attention.

C．Children should be encouraged to play games.

D．Not all children can deal with school problems well.

3. To some children, what does a birthday party mean?

A．A chance to have some fun outdoors.	B．A chance to get many gifts from others.
C．A chance to play and make friends with others.	D．A chance to invite other children to their homes.

4. What does the author mainly want to tell us?

A．Kids really love going to parties.	B．Kids should learn to make friends.
C．Some kids aren't good at making friends.	D．We'd better accept birthday party invitations.

9 . The Munfords were moving into a house they bought. They wanted to see if all the furniture was in good condition before they used it. James Munford was_________ the built-in drawers in the closet last month, when he found two cases holding 46 gold Liberty $5 coins and 18 Morgan silver dollars that were made in the 1800s. They looked really old, like they were really worth a lot of _________.

James and his wife, Clarrisa, who are both retired thought the coins are _________a family heirloom (传家宝), so they went ahead and made sure the owner _________them back. James texted pictures of the _________to the home’s former owner and made plans to _________them.

“We really didn’t know anything about the _________of the coins. We really didn’t _________, to be honest with you. We knew they were not ours,” said Clarrisa Munford, who runs a restaurant business.

The home’s _________owner, who asked not to be __________, estimated (估算) that the coins were worth about $25,000. He said he’d put the containers in the back of his sock drawer a few months ago for safe keeping and didn’t see it in his__________ to get packed up and moved out of the house. The rest of his coin collection was in his safe. He didn’t realize the coins were __________until the Munfords contacted him. He added that he would never have known if they had __________to sell the coins and keep the money for themselves.

The Munfords are still unpacking and their furniture just arrived last week, so they haven’t had a __________to see if there are any other __________.

1.

A．trying

B．repairing

C．removing

D．checking

2.

A．trouble

B．money

C．effort

D．time

3.

A．specially

B．actually

C．probably

D．exactly

4.

A．got

B．put

C．gave

D．held

5.

A．closets

B．drawers

C．cases

D．coins

6.

A．return

B．collect

C．sell

D．examine

7.

A．number

B．origin

C．value

D．use

8.

A．believe

B．care

C．understand

D．agree

9.

A．generous

B．real

C．kind

D．former

10.

A．named

B．paid

C．rewarded

D．praised

11.

A．attempt

B．hope

C．hurry

D．demand

12.

A．missing

B．old

C．dangerous

D．secure

13.

A．struggled

B．decided

C．helped

D．promised

14.

A．place

B．means

C．chance

D．desire

15.

A．choices

B．problems

C．suggestions

D．surprises

10 . Working provides good experience

Working part-time is a good experience for students. Of course, it has some bad points. As for me, I have a part-time job working at a supermarket. It is harder than it looks. Sometimes I have to give up my sleeping time in order to do my homework.     1     However, thanks to it, or because of it, I have learned to use my time more wisely.

    2     Of course we do, but I don’t think students work just for money. We get other things from working. For example, I have learned to communicate better with other generations.

    3     I can’t spend as much time at school as I did before. I don’t have as much time to see my friends. It’s harder to get my schoolwork done. Sometimes, I have to ask for time off from work because I need time to finish school projects.

I can’t act the same way at my workplace as I do at school. However, to communicate with different generations is a useful experience for me.     4     When I am part of it, thanks to my part-time work experience now, I’ll have learned how to communicate better with adults.

What I want to say is that although working part-time has some bad points for students, it also gives us valuable experience for whatever we do later in life.     5    

A．That is not good, I know.

B．However, working does affect my life as a student.

C．I think schoolwork is more important for students.

D．Sooner or later, I have to be a member of adult society.

E．In conclusion, students should balance part-time job and study.

F．Some people say that students take part-time jobs only for money.

G．Therefore, working part-time is really a good experience for students.