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。

As a nature photographer, I have to brave the wind and the rain, but I still enjoy working outside in the wild. I enjoy observing animals in their     1     (nature) environment.

Last spring, I followed a path that took me through     2     dark forest. When I finally stepped out of the trees, the view was breathtaking. An eagle flew over the snow-capped mountains, which     3     (reflect) in the still lake below. While I was concentrated on photographing this     4     (amaze) thing, I suddenly had a feeling that I was being watched.    5    (slow) and with the camera still held to my eye, I turned …and froze. Only meters away from me was a bear. With water falling off its thick, brown hair, the bear stared back at     6     (I). Time stood still as the bear and I both waited to see     7     would move first. My legs started shaking. Somehow I forced my finger     8     (press) the button. A second later, the bear turned and ran back into the forest. When I recovered     9     the shock, I looked at my camera. My most frightening but magical experience was now captured forever in a single image.

From time to time I look at the photo as a reminder to show respect to all animals. It is after all we who are the     10     (visitor) to their world.

2 . Shamarr Allen was dozing at home one evening Inst July when he was shocked awake by a TV news item. There had been a _______ among a group of children in the 7th Ward of New Orleans, and a nine-year-old boy named Devante Bryant had been killed. Allen was _______ and heartbroken. He thought of his own nine -year-old son.

_______ from the city's rough Lower 9th Ward, Allen is one of the most celebrated jazz trumpeters in the city. After seeing the _______ news that morning, it didn't take long for Allen to _______ a possible solution. He had a few spare _______ lying around. Maybe he could offer them to kids in exchange for their guns.

Allen named the _______ My Trumpet Is My Weapon. He met with the New Orleans mayor to _________ how to make children feel safe coming forward with their guns.

Allen has _______ seven guns so far, a small but symbolically important __________. But he doesn’t stop with the __________ of gun for instrument. After the exchanges, Allen connects the children with local __________ who give diem free virtual trumpet lessons.

More importantly, he has brought hope for his city and young people __________ for a better life. “I just say, ‘Look, I come from where you come from, and I can show you the __________ that got me out,’” says Allen. “And __________ may not be the way for you, but it will at least open your mind to see what's out there.”

1.

A．cheering

B．gathering

C．shooting

D．hunting

2.

A．expected

B．grateful

C．guilty

D．horrified

3.

A．Surprisingly

B．Originally

C．Accidentally

D．Unfortunately

4.

A．tragic

B．imaginary

C．comic

D．humorous

5.

A．hit on

B．insist on

C．count on

D．focus on

6.

A．coins

B．carpets

C．toys

D．trumpets

7.

A．experience

B．program

C．news

D．gun

8.

A．give out

B．turn out

C．figure out

D．pull out

9.

A．sold

B．collected

C．saved

D．ruined

10.

A．start

B．conclusion

C．ceremony

D．success

11.

A．sales

B．repairs

C．donations

D．exchanges

12.

A．composers

B．musicians

C．officials

D．instructors

13.

A．begging

B．confusing

C．looking

D．bringing

14.

A．way

B．advice

C．warning

D．commitment

15.

A．knowledge

B．wisdom

C．music

D．hope

3 . The first thing we notice about new people are their faces. The next time we see these people, we remember them because we remember their faces. This seems like a simple process. However, scientists found that it is not such a simple process. The section of the brain that is responsible for face recognition seems to work differently for different people. Some people have great difficulty remembering and recognizing faces, while others almost never forget a face.

Normal babies are born with a natural ability to recognize faces. In fact, their face recognition abilities are much better than their parents. Babies are highly skilled at face recognition at six months. But by nine months, they lose this skill, By nine months, a baby’s face-recognition skills are about the same as an adult’s.

Unfortunately, some people are not born with this ability to recognize faces. The part of the brain that is responsible for face recognition doesn’t work for them. This condition is called face blindness. People with very severe face blindness cannot even recognize their own faces. In fact, people with this condition can sometimes be frightened when they look in the mirror. They don’t recognize their own face, so for a second they are startled when they see this unfamiliar face.

Face blindness is not always severe. Scientists believe up to 10 percent of the population may be affected by face blindness to some degree, yet many people with mild face blindness might not even know they have it. They have no reason to know they are different from anyone else until someone points it out. This is similar to people with color blindness.

Colorblind people can’t see the difference between certain colors such as red and green, until someone tells them that green and red are two different colors.

There is no cure for face blindness. So for the time being. people with face blindness need to find simple techniques to compensate for their problem. They can try to recognize people by their hairstyle, their voice, or their glasses. Hopefully, in the future as scientists learn more about this condition, they will find a cure.

1. The first paragraph is mainly about ____________.

A．the way to improve one’s face-recognition skills

B．the fact that some people have face-recognition problems

C．the simple process of the brain to recognize others’ faces

D．the importance of face recognition in human communication

2. When do people have the keen skills of face-recognition?

A．At birth.	B．In adolescence.
C．Half a year old.	D．Nine months old.

3. The bold word “startled” in the 3rd paragraph is closes in meaning to _______________.

A．confused	B．surprised
C．excited	D．depressed

4. What does the author think of the problem of face blindness?

A．People need to take it seriously.	B．It affects a great number of people.
C．It can be cured in the near future.	D．Certain techniques can make up for it.

4 . Most people aren’t good at creative problem solving for two reasons: First, they are not trained in how to be creative. Second, they don’t understand group strength well enough to harness(驾驭) their power to maximize group creativity.

A key element of creativity is applying existing knowledge to a new problem. The more people getting involved in solving it, the more knowledge there is to work on it. Unfortunately, research shows that the traditional brainstorming methods fail to achieve that goal. When groups get together to exchange ideas, they actually come up with fewer ideas overall than if they each had worked alone.

To fix this problem, you should consider the two stages of group problem-solving: divergence(分散) and convergence(集中). Divergence happens when the group considers as many different potential solutions as possible. Convergence happens when the various proposed solutions are evaluated and reduced to a smaller set of candidate solutions to the current problem.

The essential principle of group creativity is that individuals working alone diverge, whereas group members working together converge. In groups, once a member states a potential solution, it makes others think about the problem similarly. That is why groups working together diverge less than individuals working alone.

Therefore, be aware of when to diverge and when to converge. For example, early in the problem-solving process, have group members work alone to write down statements describing the problem. Then get them back to discuss their descriptions. The group discussion will lead everyone to accept one or a small number of these statements to work on—this is healthy convergence.

When starting to generate solutions, you again want divergence. Have people work alone to start. Then collect people’s initial ideas and send them around to others and allow the divergence to continue as everyone individually builds on the ideas of other members. Finally, let the group discuss the resulting ideas. This discussion will gradually lead the group to converge on a small number of candidate solutions.

This simple method works effectively, because it respects what individuals and groups do best.

1. We can infer that the traditional brainstorming methods ______.

A．enable people to form more ideas together

B．greatly encourage group creativity

C．actually limit group creativity

D．prevent people’s involvement in the problems

2. According to Para. 4, when a member presents an idea, others tend to _____.

A．think the other way round	B．follow his way of thinking
C．be more confident in their own ideas	D．be less willing to share their own ideas

3. What should group members first do early in the problem-solving process?

A．Discuss the problem.	B．Put down group statements together.
C．Simplify the problem.	D．Write down their individual descriptions.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．A simple way to make group thinking more effective

B．Difficulties in organizing group thinking

C．Differences between divergence and convergence

D．Advantages of group thinking over individual thinking

5 . The killdeer, a small bird known for its high-pitched call, could lead to the cancellation of one of Canada’ biggest music festivals.

The first hint of trouble for Ottawa’s Bluesfest, an outdoor festival that draws around 300,000 people each year, came last week after workers at the site found one of the birds. It had laid four eggs nearby, effectively claiming the main stage area as its nesting ground. “This is one of the most challenging problems we’ve been presented with, but we feel we can work through this,” said Mark Monahan, executive director of the festival.

“Anything that changes the schedule has a major effect, so we’re taking it very seriously.” The discovery meant that government officials rushed to protect the nest and the eggs, hiring a security guard to watch over them 24 hours a day. Environmentalists were also brought in.

“We don’t know when the eggs might hatch,” said Monahan. What is known is that the young killdeer will likely leave the nest soon after they are hatched, leading many to hope that the eggs hatch in the next day or so.

The festival is now seeking permission from Environment Canada to relocate the nest some 50 meters away or take it to a wildlife center. Moving the nest would also ensure the bird and its young would be protected during the festival’s 11-day run, said Monahan. It’s highly likely that the festival’s thousands of attendees would cause huge problems for the bird and its eggs.

Monahan was confident that the festival would go on as planned, however. “Most of the people we’re working with are looking for a positive solution,” Monahan said. “There is no one saying that the festival can’t go on.”

As news of the dilemma spread, it left residents divided. Some supported the bird, saying that moving the nest might result in the eggs being abandoned. Others expressed annoyance that protecting the eggs of the small bird, which is widespread across North America, was risking an annual festival that contributes millions of dollars to the local economy.

The killdeer’s tendency to build its nest in open fields or flat areas has caused issues in other areas of the US: earlier this year, construction on a health center in Wisconsin was temporarily stopped after a killdeer and its four eggs were discovered.

1. Which is TRUE about Bluesfest?

A．It is the first music festival in Canada.

B．It is an important event for music lovers.

C．It is a music festival held every two years.

D．It is a challenging outdoor activity in Ottawa.

2. What was especially challenging for Bluesfest this year?

A．Pressure from the government.

B．Disagreements with the public.

C．The need to protect the bird’s eggs.

D．The lack of experience in hosting the event.

3. How did the festival plan to deal with the problem?

A．Move the nest to another place.

B．Ask government officials for help.

C．Seek advice from environmentalists.

D．Hire security guards to protect the eggs.

4. What was Monahan’s attitude toward hosting the festival?

A．Negative.	B．Indifferent.
C．Unsure.	D．Positive.