1 . Sometimes the simple act of being outside every day can be good to you. We often forget about what nature has to offer by staying inside too much. Going outside, you’ll probably be exposed to numerous sensations. You might hear the crinkle of leaves under your feet, concentrate on how the breeze cools your skin, and feel the sun offering its natural warmth.

Time outside also reminds you how you share your time on Earth with countless creatures and that you must live in harmony with them. The more often you encounter animals in their natural habitats, the easier it will be to recall why it’s so important to treat the outdoors with respect. After coming in contact with a squirrel, for example, you may be especially careful to throw your trash away in the nearest garbage can in case of some harmful leftover food. That’s because you’ve just been reminded that you’re not the only living thing to come in contact with what’s now rubbish.

Spending too much time indoors may cause us to become too isolated from others, especially if we use up much time in front of computer screens. It seems that a computer connected to the Internet allows you to share parts of your world with other people, but actually it can also make us feel more disconnected from others for lack of face-to-face communication. The time outside with a loved one allows you to take part in a shared experience. For instance, you can call attention to a type of flower that’s just started blooming and allow your companions to marvel at its beauty. That’s a similar shared experience.

Anyhow, it is not as hard as you might imagine. You may just decide to start an outdoor practice that takes you outside for a certain amount of time, preferably every day. The last 15 minutes of your lunch break strolling outside with a friend and some after-dinner family time discussing your days can be good options. Get off the computer and head outside! You’ll feel how your choice pays off.

1. According to paragraph 1, going outside offers an opportunity for people to ________.

A．enjoy sensory experience	B．bring back distant memories
C．achieve better concentration	D．participate in simple activities

2. Why does the author mention a squirrel in paragraph 2?

A．To present the means of feeding animals.

B．To show the consequence of littering trash.

C．To stress the significance of experiencing nature.

D．To discuss the possibility of encountering wildlife.

3. According to the passage, those spending most time indoors may suffer from ________.

A．attention disorder	B．loneliness attack
C．Internet addiction	D．communication barrier

4. Which of the following is the best title?

A．Time Outside Involves A Shared Experience

B．Too Much Time Indoors Does Great Harm

C．Going Outdoors Gives A Different Perspective

D．A Daily Exposure to Nature Makes a Difference

2 . The courses below bring together heart and mind expanding materials designed to inspire your personal growth and expand your awareness of all that is happening in our world.

The Hidden Knowledge

It is designed for those who want to dive into the deep cover-ups in our world. This course inspires learners to make a difference and build a better world, yet unlike the other courses here, the focus is largely on exploring and exposing all that is hidden and secret in our world. This eye-opening course is careful to present only reliable materials.

The Transformation

Have you ever felt that you are here to help transform our planet to a new way of living based on love? If so, this course may be the choice for you. This profound course harmonizes the light and inspiring aspects of life with the more challenging shadow sides of existence.

The Inspiration

While the other courses include materials on the challenging aspects of our lives sometimes referred to as the shadow, this course focuses almost exclusively on the lighter side. Every page of the course will touch and inspire you to open to more love and deeper connections in your life. With all of the violence in the media today, this course is like a fresh mountain breeze-so rich and fulfilling!

The Insight

Are you ready to be the change you want to see in your life and in our world? This journey will enhance your awareness and provide tools enabling you to build a better life and world. Course lessons in this new academic year will deepen your insight and embolden you to be the change you want to see in the world. To begin this journey, click below.

See our quick guide to help you decide which course is best for you.

1. The Hidden Knowledge encourages learners to ________.

A．spread the truth	B．create positive impacts on the world
C．show their courage	D．offer reliable materials to the course

2. Which course best suits those who desire entirely cheerful contents?

A．The Insight.	B．The Transformation.
C．The Inspiration.	D．The Hidden Knowledge.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A course notice.	B．An academic magazine.
C．A school website.	D．An entertainment guide.

3 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

It was a cold yet sunny Saturday morning in February. Dad’s New Year’s resolution had been to get fit. Mum pushed him out of bed and told him to go jogging by the river. Later, after a nice lie-in, she went downstairs in her dressing gown and found the kids watching TV. She turned it off and said she was going to do something really special for Dad’s birthday. If they overheard anything, just promised to keep it secret.

Jenny looked at Mum with a puzzled expression on her forehead and promised they wouldn’t say anything whatever happened. But Jenny reminded Dad’s birthday was in June and it might be a little too early to get all steamed up about it.

Silent for a moment, Mum said she was not getting everything ready but just wanted to spare enough time for preparation as this year it’s a bigger deal than usual. Dad was going to be 50.

“50! Gosh, that’s half a century,” spluttered Gerry. “I knew he was old, but I didn’t realize he was ancient!”

Indeed, that was why Mum started planning a special party for him. Mum talked with grandma about the plan because her house was the only one in the family that is spacious enough for all friends and relatives. Grandma quite agreed and also started preparing.

“But you know how Dad feels guilty to bother others. You’ve got to admit,” reminded Jenny. Thinking over the special occasion, Mum was continuing with her secret when one evening, Dad was sitting at the dinner table and he suddenly slapped his forehead, “I just realized that I am going to be 50 in June. Let’s just quietly forget about it. I want to mourn (哀悼) the passing of my youth in private.”

“Oh, come on Dad, don’t be such a spoil-sport!” begged the kids, hoping to give mum a hand.

Realizing no more chance to hide the secret, Mum carefully worded her thought and shared her plan of having a little party at grandma’s house. Dad was stunned (震惊的) to no reply.

注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:

Frustrated, Mum made a call to grandma.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

They got everything ready as planned when June finally came.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

It might be surprising to know that ice-skating has appeared in the ancient times. Believe it or not, it     1     (be) once a warriors’ (战士的) art with ice skates. The sport was then called bingxi, and it was practiced because Manchu men needed to master the skill of moving 350 kilometers in a single day     2     (reach) their enemies.

When the Manchu men moved from the north to the capital city of Beijing     3     came to power in the Qing Dynasty, ice-skating became     4     traditional sport. Every winter, there were 200 proficient ice-skaters     5     (select) to perform on the frozen royal lake.

Ice-skaters during those times wore knee pads, and they secured their shoes with leather. Their shoes     6     (fit) with single iron blades for speed, and double blades for security. There were also     7     (compete) for figure skating, ice acrobatics (杂技), and speed skating     8     were held for the benefit of the royal family.

China being one of the oldest and longest     9     (last) civilizations in the history of the world, the ancient Chinese were also involved     10     different sports. And most of their popular sports are still being played up to the present time.

5 . The engineer’s motto is: “Keep it simple and serious.” But Dr. Arnold, though the fifth woman engineer in history to win the Nobel Prize, is somewhat ________. She always seems to meet something unexpected or have the talent to make things ________.

Here’s a picture of a beaming President Obama, ________ her for winning the National Medal. That should have been a moment of ________. But you can never imagine what happened to her. The minibus that ________ the medal receivers should catch fire at the White House door. The bus filled with smoke, passengers within were gasping and crying and staggering toward the ________, the younger ones carrying the older ones — and all were greeted by a team of Secret Service agents, ________ aimed at the medalists’ heads. They were amusingly ________ as terrorists. What a joke!

Another ________ story! When Dr. Arnold and her little son, landed in London, the border agent asked what brought them to the UK. Feeling very proud and hot-stuff, Dr. Arnold ________ she was going to a reception to meet the Queen. She then ________ shot her mouth off about her next award ceremony at the palace in Italy. The agent skeptically ________ her slightly disheveled (凌乱的) clothes and demanded the invitation letter. But she said it was in her suitcase. Without more ________, she, along with her son, was grabbed to the detention room (拘留室). They spent the next two and a half hours there ________ their story was verified (证实), and ________ made it to meet the Queen. Once again, the should-be ________ engineer was mistaken. Afterwards, she ________, “We should have been simple, sensed the environment and then respond.” Her son replied, “Mom, next time why don’t you keep your mouth ________.”

See what the engineer has ________ ! Yes, indeed we can never tell one’s experiences from their ________.

1.

A．different

B．popular

C．ordinary

D．difficult

2.

A．back to normal

B．off course

C．to the point

D．beyond perfection

3.

A．instructing

B．calling

C．thanking

D．congratulating

4.

A．shame

B．honor

C．relief

D．fear

5.

A．delivered

B．guided

C．separated

D．sheltered

6.

A．agency

B．exit

C．bus

D．house

7.

A．guns

B．fingers

C．sticks

D．arrows

8.

A．awarded

B．rescued

C．mistaken

D．teased

9.

A．familiar

B．great

C．frightening

D．fun

10.

A．pretended

B．agreed

C．announced

D．proved

11.

A．still

B．only

C．thus

D．even

12.

A．touched

B．cleaned

C．eyed

D．removed

13.

A．inquiry

B．request

C．greeting

D．comfort

14.

A．or

B．before

C．once

D．if

15.

A．gradually

B．suddenly

C．surely

D．barely

16.

A．serious

B．talkative

C．careless

D．dishonest

17.

A．doubted

B．regretted

C．insisted

D．argued

18.

A．wide

B．sweet

C．shut

D．open

19.

A．looked into

B．showed off

C．gone through

D．played with

20.

A．talents

B．appearances

C．stories

D．professions

6 . On June 7, 1195, a fiery spinning ball emerged from a dark cloud in the sunny sky close to the London city. An account of this extraordinary moment survives in a chronicle (编年史) between about 1180 and 1199 by Gervase. It would appear that this is the first credible record of ball lightning in England, and much more convincing than the earliest European description, which was believed to be from the 17th century.

Historians discovered the account of what appears to be ball lightning while exploring Gervase’s records of natural events in his chronicle, a treasure of historical details giving insights into medieval culture. They dug through hundreds of pages in Latin and came across this sighting. Gervase’s records of natural events appear within the historical narrative, often with no opening statement, and the account of ball lightning is sandwiched between the events of the changing of kings at that time.

No attempt is made to explain the “marvellous sign” in the sky seen near London. Readers are left to draw their own conclusions. But Gervase appears to have been a sharp-eyed observer and reporter of celestial (天空的) activity. His fanciful description of ball lightning is remarkably similar to modern reports.

For a long time, ball lightning was regarded with skepticism. Although it is now generally accepted as a genuine phenomenon with thousands of reported sightings, there is still no accepted scientific explanation of its origin. Understanding the phenomenon has been blocked by an inability to reproduce the effect convincingly in the lab and partly because of the variations in eyewitness reports. Whatever the case, centuries later, Gervase’s record makes stimulating reading for modern scientists as well as historians.

1. What’s special about the account of ball lightning by Gervase?

A．It’s the most confusing version.	B．It’s written in different languages.
C．It’s the earliest acknowledged record.	D．It’s the only copy from the 17th Century.

2. Historians spotted Gervase’s account of ball lightning ______.

A．with ease	B．as planned
C．at the start	D．by accident

3. It’s difficult to explain the origin of ball lightning mainly because of ______

A．no qualified scientists	B．no accurate reproductions
C．few eyewitness reports	D．little support from historians

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Scientists Search for Explanations for Ball Lightning

B．Gervase Was Found as The Eyewitness of Ball Lightning

C．Account of First Ball Lightning Sighting Was Uncovered

D．Historians Gain a Breakthrough in a Natural Phenomenon

7 . Why Are Tigers Orange?

The colors of an animal serve lots of different purposes — for instance, to help them hide into surroundings and escape from being noticed by preys (猎物). For tigers, their ability to be invisible will just decide whether they catch dinner or go hungry.     1    

As for humans, orange is a color used for items that need to stand out, like traffic lights and safety vests. That’s because we have what’s called trichromatic color vision, which differentiate three types of color: blue, green and red.     2     But most other mammals, including dogs, horses and deer, have dichromatic (二色的) color vision for only two colors: blue and green. Humans who get information only of blue and green are considered color-blind, and can’t distinguish between red and green colors.     3    

Mammals like deer are the tiger’s main prey, and their dichromatic vision means they don’t see tigers as orange — they see them as green. That makes the tiger much harder to spot as it’s prowling behind a bush or crouching in the grass. Although green tigers would probably be even harder to spot, evolution (进化) just doesn’t work with the ingredients necessary to make green fur.     4     The only recognizably green mammal is a sloth, and its fur isn’t green in fact. That’s an alga that grows in its fur.

    5     There seems to be no evolutionary pressure, particularly for deer, which are the main prey of the tiger, to become trichromatic. That’s probably because the tiger doesn’t know it’s orange either. So, the evolutionary race really doesn’t exist for that color. It’s just that the tiger has evolved over the sweep of evolution to have a coloring, a hiding system, which protects it very well in its jungle setting.

A．Actually, there are no green furry animals.

B．Orange fur makes tigers relatively easy to spot.

C．The same is likely true for dichromatic animals.

D．Then, why don’t deer evolve the ability to see orange?

E．So, of all the colors they could be, why are tigers orange?

F．Colors of humans’ eyes are quite similar to many other mammals’.

G．We share this style of vision with some mammals like apes and certain monkeys.

8 . The first thing my wife, Peg, said when I retired was “Good news! Now you’ll have time to clean the garage!” Not exactly good news-it was the one task I’d been putting off. Inside the garage had been gaps so big you could see all the way down to the ground and all the junk that had piled up since I’d started my job.

I’d earned a job as a news director, a position where I could use my skills. I threw my whole into it and put aside all the family trifles. I’d even worked my way up to head of the office. And after 30 years’ service, I knew it was time to retire. But after decades of long hours and strict deadlines, now what?

This dusty garage didn’t seem like much compared to the marble halls of the office building. Sure, I would have more time to spend with my family, but I worried I’d lose the sense of purpose and identity I had felt in my job.

I picked my way past coolers, snow shovels and folded canvas. Here I was puttering (磨蹭), of all things. I pulled on work gloves, then removed a box of motor oil out of the way, intending to empty some shelves when my hand hit something hard. What could that be?

“Just a dusty tin of seeds.” I sighed. “Huh, maybe older than me.”

I grabbed a plastic tray and pushed them into the soil. “What are my chances?” I asked an experienced gardener. “Not very good,” he said. I told Peg with a sigh, wanting to get rid of the tray, but something made me hesitate.

One morning, a sprig of green accidentally came into my view. Was it just grass? A weed? Or could it be...? I found myself checking first thing every morning, until one day I saw leaves unfurled. I proudly showed off the broad, healthy leaves to Peg and our grandchildren. “I just feel it even something this old can still come up. Pretty cool, right? Just like your papal!”

1. Why did the author put off cleaning the garage?

A．The garage was not in use.	B．He was lazy with cleaning.
C．The garage was full of wastes.	D．He was occupied in his work.

2. How did the author feel about his retirement at first?

A．He felt a sense of loss.	B．He was worried about housework.
C．He felt freed from burdens.	D．He was hopeful about the future life.

3. What does the underlined word “something” in paragraph 6 mean?

A．The experience of planting seeds.

B．The ability to take care of the seeds.

C．The words from the gardener about chances.

D．The expectation for the coming up of the seeds.

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What will the speaker do tomorrow?

A．Find a new house.

B．Call the postman.

C．Look after her mother.

2. How often is Jim required to clean the house?

A．Every Tuesday.

B．Every two days.

C．Every day.

3. What will Jim do every day?

A．Send Kitty to see a doctor.

B．Play with Kitty for 15 minutes.

C．Brush Kitty’s hair with a comb.

4. Why does the speaker remind to close all windows and doors?

A．To avoid Kitty going out.

B．To prevent Kitty from getting sick.

C．To make Jim feel warm in the house.

10 . Why did Pierce eat so much at the party?

A．He liked the food very much.

B．He didn’t eat enough recently.

C．He had no money to buy food.