1 . 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。

Before highspeed rail, it took around 34 hours to travel more than l,600 kilometers by train from Beijing to Lanzhou via Baotou. For railway fans, the trip was, and still is, really    1     treat. After     2     (leave) at night from Beijing, you wake up the next morning to be greeted by the sight of the plains of Inner Mongolia. In the distance, to the north you see low mountains, and to the south, hills. The plains themselves are mostly empty, except for grass and periodically sheep, or     3     (end) fields of wheat or sunflowers shining in all     4     (they) glory in the summer sun. Within the sleeper carriage,     5    little else to do, people talk or play cards, and soon a small community     6     (develop) among the passengers. Near Baotou the Yellow River winds along the hills south of the rail line. Its waters     7     (fill) with the characteristic silt (淤泥) that gives it its light brownish color.     8     the sky grows dark once more, you return to your bed and go to sleep, to be awakened early the next morning     9     (happy) by the sight of a deep desert valley just outside Lanzhou. The train crosses the Yellow River, bidding it goodbye,     10     pulls into Lanzhou Station.

2 . Tips for Submitting a Good Letter of Recommendation

If you consider applying for any colleges abroad, one of the most important parts is the recommendation letter. Its purpose is to give universities a complete picture of you.

    1    

But a credible (可信的) reference saying you’ve consistently worked hard on a project can be the difference between getting accepted or rejected.

Choose the right references

Universities want to know how well you work under pressure and how you react to criticism, basically your characteristics, abilities and mentality. A good referee (推荐人) should have a solid professional relationship with you and be able to communicate your academic and personal strengths.

    2    

Most universities ask for two recommendation letters. They are regularly split between a school professor and an extracurricular (课外的) source. Undoubtedly, it’s good to show your skills in the subject you want to study.     3    

Time

Professionals can sometimes find it hard to make time for writing recommendations.     4     So give them plenty of time and send them a link of your university’s recommendation letter guidance page, if possible.

Clear goals

Don’t be afraid to ask your referees to include certain qualities or examples you want to highlight. You should inform at least one of your referees about your career goals, grades and recent projects. They may not be referenced. But giving referees additional evidence to back up their points can make the letter more convincing.

    5     It’s where you can find what a university lays stress on, as well as some important information such as deadlines and so on.

A．Make sure to know more about your university.

B．You can write that you’re hard-working yourself.

C．They can be quite occupied during application season.

D．The more information you include, the better it may be.

E．Don’t forget to check each university’s guidelines for reference letters.

F．Examples of how you have demonstrated them are needed to add more credibility.

G．But other abilities that may not be apparent in the classroom can be equally valuable.

3 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头话续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

After an exhausting day, Jack wandered in the street, smiling while thinking of his students. Jack was a respectable and considerate teacher while his students took good care of him, too.

Suddenly, a familiar figure flashed into Jack's eyes. It was Mark, his junior high school teacher. With thrill, Jack dashed forward, greeting enthusiastically, “Mark, how are you?” Taking out his presbyopia (老花镜)，Mark studied the passionate young man in front of him, hesitated for a moment, and got confused, “Sorry? Have we met before? ”

Not disappointed at all, Jack introduced himself in delight, "Sorry, Mark. I'm Jack Smith, from Class 2, Grade 8, graduating from Kevin Junior High School in 2001. Now I'm a teacher." Hearing the words, Mark was puzzled but also delighted, asking a series of questions, “Why can't I remember you? Are you a teacher now?" In spite of poor eyesight, Mark did have such a brilliant memory that he could even remember almost all his students,

“Well, in fact, you only took charge of our class for only one day, and something happened that day. I became a teacher because of your inspiration/'

The old Mark, curious, kept raising questions such as when they met, how he had inspired him to be a teacher, and so on.

“One day, a friend of mine came in with a nice new watch. I was so crazy about it that I decided to take it and I did. After a short while, my friend found it disappear and immediately reported to the teacher, you, who happened to be in charge of our class for that day because our teacher was ill”

A mixture of emotions floated in Jack's eyes on recalling the shameful history. That day, Mark came and told the whole class that someone in the class could not find his watch and whoever took it, please return it. Jack was too frightened to hand it in.

注意：
1..续写词数应为150左右；
2.清按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Then, Mark closed the door and told all students to get up.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

But Mark kept searching everyone's pockets.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . Keeping curious kids from disrupting wildlife

Interacting with the wild, naturally curious kids tend to collect seashells at the beach or keep small wildlife as pets.     1     So how to help kids protect the wild while enjoying spending time outsides? Here are alternatives for some of the most common outdoor behavior no-nos.

Take an interest, not things. Kids show interest in picking flowers, rocks, or shells outdoors. They’re part of wildlife's habitat and play an important role.     2     Let kids explore with a magnifying glass (放大镜)instead of their curious fingers. Let whatever they find outside stay outside.

    3     It seems a fun idea to throw pieces of bread to ducks. Animals have unique dietary needs that are different from humans. Eating human food can make them sick or become dependent on human food. Bears are an example of animals that often have to be killed after developing a taste for human food.

Admire animal afar, not disrupt nearby. The urge to take a photo with a squirrel, bird, or slow-moving turtle can be strong for kids.     4     Instead, remind kids to stay away and show them how to use a camera's zoom button, or just admire with their eyes.

Take well-worn paths, not off-road romps (嬉戏). Kicking piles of leaves, stepping on bushes, and walking through forested areas can unintentionally scare wildlife. If surprised animals defend their homes, everyone could get hurt. Nobody likes having a guest come in and destroy their home and act rudely.    5    

A．Keep snacks away from animals.

B．Share food if animals are hungry.

C．Exposure to them develops kids’ love and curiosity.

D．The same rule applies to visiting wildlife in their homes.

E．Animals rely on plants for hiding; rocks and shells, for homes.

F．Approaching animals disrupts what they do for survival, such as eating.

G．Despite innocent purposes, kids’ curiosity accidentally damages the wild.

5 . More than half the world’s population live in cities, and by 2050 the UN expects that proportion to reach 68%. This means more homes, roads and other infrastructure. In India alone, a city the size of Chicago will have to be developed every year to meet demand for housing. Such a construction increase is a bad sign for dealing with climate change, because making steel and concrete, two of the most common building materials, generates around 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions (排放). If cities are to expand and become greener at the same time, they will have to be made from something else.

Wood is one of the most promising sustainable (可持续的) alternatives to steel and concrete. It is not, however, everyday wood that is attracting the interest of architects.

Rather, it is a material called engineered timber. This is a combination of different layers, each designed to meet the requirements of specific parts such as floors, panels and beams (横梁). Designers can use it to provide levels of strength like steel, in a product that is up to 80% lighter. In addition, engineered timber is usually made into large sections in a factory for future use, which reduces the number of deliveries to a construction site.

According to Michael Ramage of the University of Cambridge, a wooden building produces 75% less CO2 than a steel and concrete one of the same size. However, if building with wood takes off, it does raise concern about there being enough trees to go round. But with sustainably managed forests that should not be a problem, says Dr Ramage. A family-sized apartment requires about 30 cubic metres of timber, and he estimates Europe’s sustainable forests alone grow that amount every seven seconds. Nor is fire a risk, for engineered timber does not burn easily. Besides, fireproofing layers can be added to the timber. All in all, then, it looks as if wood as a building material may get a new lease of life.

1. Why is India mentioned in paragraph 1?

A．To point out the severe pollution.

B．To predict the population increase.

C．To indicate the high degree of urbanization.

D．To show the great need for building materials.

2. What can be learned about engineered timber?

A．It is produced at a low cost.

B．It hardly appeals to architects.

C．It helps save energy in transportation.

D．It possesses greater strength than steel.

3. What does the underlined phrase “takes off” in the last paragraph mean ?

A．Becomes cheaper.	B．Gains popularity.
C．Requires less work.	D．Proves sustainable.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Making Future Cities More Attractive

B．Living in a World with Less Emission

C．Building Sustainable Cities with Woods

D．Growing More Trees for Future Building