1 . Honors Program

The honors program is for students who have enjoyed their experience in research with a guide teacher and are looking for a highlight experience during their final year. The program has specific requirements for our majors described below.

Application

Students participate in the honors program during their final year. Students who expect to have a 3.5 accumulative GPA by the fall of senior year should have identified a guide teacher and applied for NBB honors by May 1st of their third year. Applications are brief and include basic information such as guide teacher name, project title, and current GPA.

Coursework

During senior year, honors students take two research-experience courses. Participation in these courses includes at least 12 hours of work on the research project each week as well as weekly meetings with other researchers to develop professional skills.

Essay

The majority of our major work with guide teachers in research experiences, and many students co-author manuscripts(手稿) published in leading journals. However, only honors students are guided and helped through the process of writing an essay. All students’ essays are published online through the university library and, after the data being forbidden to be included in other articles, the essays are available to search.

1. Which of the following is the requirement of the honors program?

A．Students should take two relevant courses.

B．Students should spend 12 hours researching.

C．Students should finish their essays on their own.

D．Students should apply by May 1st in the fourth year.

2. What privilege do honors students have?

A．Access to leading journals.	B．Guidance in writing an essay.
C．Including the data in other articles.	D．Publishing essays through the library.

3. Who is the passage intended for?

A．Guide teachers.	B．College Students
C．Researchers.	D．Professors.

2 . 假设你是李华。你的英国网友Tony听说中国的很多高中生都在上晚自习（evening classes），他想知道具体的情况，请你写一封邮件告诉他。内容包括：
1. 上晚自习的原因；
2. 上晚自习的内容；
3. 学生的看法。
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。

3 . He gave a sigh ________ ________ (如释重负), and fell asleep soon. （根据汉语提示完成句子）

4 . 你校正在组织英语作文比赛，请以A role model to learn from为题，写一篇短文参赛。
1. 榜样的优秀品质；
2. 获得的启示。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 题目已为你写好。

A role model to learn from

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . At six feet, seven inches tall and weighing 253 pounds, Father was a quiet giant（巨人） who only roared when he was angry. He would work long days, often_________when I was already in bed. My two younger sisters and I both loved and feared him. Hearing the words, “Just wait until your father comes home,” would guarantee the three of us would start_________immediately. I was seven years old the night the “giant” became a person, and my_________. All it took was the_________of a tiny, dirty kitten.

I_________to the sounds of my father coming home from work. I slipped out of bed and moved quietly towards the living room in hopes of spending a few precious minutes_________with my parents without my annoying sisters around.

I heard mum say, “We cannot _________ it.” What was the “it”? The giant saw me and _________ I should sit down near him. I was at a loss, although terrified might be a _________ word, for I had never seen or heard of a giant crying before. Unshed（ 满 眶 ）tears__________ up in his eyes. His cheeks were __________ from the ones he had cried earlier.

The giant reached into a cardboard box and brought out a dirty young cat and __________ it on my lap. I was soon__________, as the giant shared a story with mum. As he spoke, with shaking shoulders caused by__________and at times sorrow, he transformed from a giant to a man who became my hero.

He explained that he was on his __________ home when he heard two men laughing and talking. As he rounded the corner, he heard the most terrible scream of pain. He couldn’t__________what he saw. The men had thrown a kitten into a furnace（火炉）. He yelled and ran up to them but it was too__________. He couldn’t save the kitten. The men had run away and he was about to run after them when he saw another kitten at his feet.

“We have to__________it; we have to keep it!” said the giant. “It needs a__________,” said mum. “I can help, Mommy!”

Reminded of my presence, mum and my hero sent me off to bed. As I fell asleep, I heard mum running some water.

We named the kitten Cinder and it joined our family. I never saw “the giant” again; I only saw my hero and a man whose heart was__________than he was.

1.

A．greeting

B．chatting

C．returning

D．wandering

2.

A．waiting

B．escaping

C．preparing

D．behaving

3.

A．model

B．hero

C．tutor

D．friend

4.

A．visit

B．story

C．arrival

D．life

5.

A．awoke

B．listened

C．rushed

D．dreamed

6.

A．straight

B．alone

C．indoors

D．gradually

7.

A．keep

B．leave

C．train

D．clean

8.

A．admitted

B．declared

C．indicated

D．found

9.

A．quieter

B．rather

C．worse

D．better

10.

A．built

B．made

C．put

D．welled

11.

A．wet

B．red

C．bright

D．fresh

12.

A．spread

B．placed

C．led

D．dropped

13.

A．discovered

B．forgotten

C．convinced

D．relieved

14.

A．fear

B．surprise

C．anxiety

D．anger

15.

A．road

B．street

C．way

D．route

16.

A．believe

B．prove

C．guess

D．judge

17.

A．bad

B．late

C．fast

D．far

18.

A．help

B．cure

C．feed

D．buy

19.

A．meal

B．rest

C．bath

D．lift

20.

A．lighter

B．purer

C．warmer

D．larger

7 . I was 11 years old standing outside in just my underwear while I watched the house that I grew up in rapidly burn to the ground.

A few minutes earlier I had been in bed when a _________ woke me up. A fire had _________ in my grandma’s room and awakened her. _________ hearing her, my brother had jumped into _________, running from room to room quickly waking everyone in the house. _________ we could do anything, the fire consumed it. We all barely _________ it outside before the flames had taken hold of every room.

I stood there _________ while the fire destroyed my books, clothes, and toys. I watched _________ while my mom cried and my dad sighed. I wondered what was going to happen to us _________ we had lost all of our things.

As I looked around, though, I ____________ something for the first time: The things that ____________ aren’t things. I saw my brother running across the swinging bridge by our house to get help. I saw my grandma and dad wrapped in each other’s arms and my mom ____________ our little dog. I realized at that moment that we were all ____________. Everything that was ____________ had survived the fire. Our life would ____________. We would survive without the “stuff” that was ____________. We would all be around to love each other for many years to come. And that was all that mattered.

I still think of that fire in the night. It helped me to become who I am today. It showed me for the very first time what was ____________ valuable in this life. It helped me to learn that the ____________ we share is far more important than the things we own.

Live your life for the things that matter, not for the things you ____________. Love your family. Love others. Let the fire inside of you make this world a ____________ place. Let your soul shine bright.

1.

A．scream

B．dream

C．thunderstorm

D．bell

2.

A．turned down

B．shown up

C．broken out

D．faded away

3.

A．Without

B．As

C．Beyond

D．Upon

4.

A．water

B．bed

C．conclusion

D．action

5.

A．Until

B．When

C．Before

D．After

6.

A．put

B．made

C．got

D．took

7.

A．trembling

B．twisting

C．wondering

D．dreaming

8.

A．carelessly

B．helplessly

C．uselessly

D．fearlessly

9.

A．even though

B．now that

C．as if

D．in case

10.

A．supposed

B．predicted

C．remembered

D．realized

11.

A．matter

B．weigh

C．inspire

D．improve

12.

A．raising

B．holding

C．feeding

D．cleaning

13.

A．afraid

B．alike

C．alone

D．alive

14.

A．delicate

B．essential

C．beneficial

D．profitable

15.

A．stop

B．remain

C．continue

D．progress

16.

A．burning

B．appearing

C．coming

D．leaving

17.

A．barely

B．simply

C．nearly

D．truly

18.

A．dog

B．fire

C．love

D．luck

19.

A．deserve

B．reserve

C．possess

D．value

20.

A．warmer

B．cooler

C．quieter

D．safer

8 . Last year, Americans spent over $30 billion at retail (零售) stores in the month of December alone. Aside from purchasing holiday gifts, most people regularly buy presents for other occasions throughout the year, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and baby showers. This frequent experience of gift-giving can create ambivalent feelings in gift-givers. Many believe that gift-giving offers a powerful means to build stronger bonds with intended receivers. At the same time, many worry that their purchases will disappoint rather than delight the intended receivers.

Anthropologists (人类学家) describe gift-giving as a positive social process, serving various political, religious, and psychological functions. Economists, however, offer a less favorable view. They think that gift-giving represents an objective waste of resources. People buy gifts that receivers would not choose to buy on their own, or at least not spend as much money to purchase. Givers are likely to spend $100 to purchase a gift that receivers would spend only $80 to buy themselves.

What is surprising is that gift-givers have considerable experience acting as both gift-givers and gift-receivers, but still tend to overspend each time they set out to purchase a meaningful gift. In the present research, psychologists find a unique explanation for this overspending problem — gift-givers equate (等同) how much they spend with how much receivers will appreciate the gift. Although a link between gift price and feelings of appreciation might seem relevant to gift-givers, such an assumption may be unfounded. Indeed, we find that gift-receivers will be less willing to base their feelings of appreciation on the gift price than givers assume.

The thoughts of gift-givers and gift-receivers being unable to account for the other party’s perspective (立场) seems puzzling because people slip in and out of these roles every day. Yet, despite the extensive experience that people have as both givers and receivers, they often struggle to transfer information gained from one role and apply it in another.

1. What does the underlined word “ambivalent” in Paragraph1 probably mean?

A．Concerned.	B．Positive.
C．Unrealistic.	D．Conflicting.

2. What do the economists think of gift-giving?

A．It strengthens the bonds between people.

B．It is economically beneficial to the receiver.

C．It is actually a process of wasting resources.

D．It increases the financial burden to the giver.

3. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．Personal preferences are the least to be considered.

B．Gift-givers tend to link the gift cost to gift-receivers’ appreciation.

C．More gift-receiving experience helps prevent overspending.

D．The assumption made by gift-givers turned out to be correct.

4. According to the author, the different thoughts between the gift-givers and receivers are caused by _________.

A．a trend of overspending

B．an inability to change perspectives

C．a growing opposition to gift-giving

D．a misunderstanding of gift-receivers’ tastes

9 . Calling someone a “birdbrain” is considered rude. It implies that someone has a small brain and thus is not smart. A new study found that the expression doesn’t do birds justice either: Birds’ brains are much bigger than we thought — at least compared to their small bodies.

An international team of 37 scientists measured the brain volume (脑容量) of hundreds of dinosaurs and extinct birds by scanning fossils of their skulls. The readings were compared to a large database containing the brain sizes of modern birds. These measurements were then analyzed, taking into consideration each bird’s body size — resulting in something called “relative brain size”. The results showed that a dramatic change of birds’ body size happened right after the mass extinction of dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

According to the study, published on April 23 in the journal Current Biology, birds and dinosaurs had similar brain sizes before the extinction. After the extinction of the dinosaurs, however, birds had to find a way to survive, so they shrank their bodies — since smaller animals need less food — but they kept their big brains.

“The changed landscape may have caused the rapid evolution of new brainbody scaling patterns (缩放比例) by favoring both larger brains and smaller bodies,” US paleontologist (古生物学家) Daniel Ksepka, who is the lead author of the study, told CNN.

This “evolutionary brain leap” — as scientists call it — also happened very rapidly. Without dinosaurs, birds quickly repopulated. They came in all types and sizes, which contributed to the diverse species of birds we see today.

But among all the bird species, certain ones “show above average rates of brain and body size evolution”, study co-author Adam Smith at Clemson University, US, said in a statement — with crows and parrots being the most evident. In fact, previous studies have already discovered that these birds have an amazing cognitive capacity (认知能力). They are able to use tools, imitate human speech and even remember human faces.

So, in the words of Smith, “calling someone ‘birdbrained’ is actually quite a compliment (恭维)”!

1. How did the scientists learn the brain sizes of dinosaurs and extinct birds?

A．By studying their fossil skulls.	B．By searching the database.
C．By experimenting on their brains.	D．By analyzing their body size.

2. How did the birds change after the extinction of the dinosaurs?

A．The birds’ bodies shrank as their brains became smaller.

B．The birds’ bodies became larger while their brains became smaller.

C．The birds’ brains remained almost the same as their bodies shrank.

D．The birds’ brains became larger to adapt to the environment.

3. According to Adam Smith, calling someone “birdbrained” is ________.

A．to make rude remarks	B．to laugh at one’s small body size
C．to praise one’s intelligence	D．to suggest the person is not smart

4. What is the purpose of this text?

A．To describe how birds’ evolution happened.

B．To explain the origin of the word “birdbrain”.

C．To show the amazing abilities of bird species.

D．To present the latest study on birds’ brain size.