1 . Parkinson’s is a progressive brain disease which leads to shaky hands and slow movement, and there is no cure. Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese martial art that combines (结合) slow, gentle movements with deep breathing and relaxation, may be an effective means of reducing the suffering. Recently, the researchers say that those who practised the martial art twice a week had fewer complications (并发症) and better quality of life than those who didn’t. Experts say the findings back up previous studies on the benefits of exercise for those with Parkinson’s.

The study, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, monitored the health of hundreds of Parkinson’s patients for up to five years. One group of 147 people practised regular Tai Chi while another group of 187 did not. The researchers found that the disease progressed more slowly in the Tai Chi group on measurements of symptoms (症状), movement and balance. This group also saw fewer falls, less back pain and dizziness, with memory and concentration problems also lower than in the other group. At the same time, sleep and quality of life continuously improved.

Prof. Alastair Noyce, professor in neurology and neuroepidemiology at Queen Mary University of London, called it “an important study”—the positive effects on aspects of motor (运动的) and non-motor functions are impressive — but said there were limitations in its design, and more tests were needed.

“We already recommend Tai Chi, as well as other forms of exercise, but understanding which forms of exercise are most beneficial is an important goal to improve the long-term management of patients,” he said.

1. Why was the study conducted?

A．To find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

B．To improve the sleep quality of Parkinson’s patients.

C．To remove the misunderstanding of the previous studies.

D．To research the benefits of Tai Chi for those with Parkinson’s.

2. Which of the following is not the researchers’ finding?

A．Concentration problem was lower in the Tai Chi group.

B．The disease progressed more slowly in the Tai Chi group.

C．Patients in the non-Tai Chi group continuously fell down.

D．Back pain and dizziness were relieved in the Tai Chi group.

3. What can we learn from Prof. Alastair Noyce’s words?

A．Tai Chi should be given more preference.

B．Finding the most beneficial exercise is of importance.

C．It is unnecessary to do more related studies.

D．Improve the long-term management of patients is impossible.

4. What is Prof. Alastair Noyce’s attitude towards the study?

A．Confused.

B．Doubtful.

C．Positive.

D．Worried.

5 . Nowadays, it is common to see people wearing Hanfu, the traditional clothing of the Han ethnic group, at parks and attractions. More and more people are falling in love with Hanfu culture. The development of Hanfu culture has witnessed (见证) numerous changes in recent years and is taking on various forms.

Zhang Xiaomin has been a fan of Hanfu for five years now. Thanks to the popularity of social media, she can easily learn the latest trends and knowledge about Hanfu online now. “People used to only collect or appreciate Hanfu privately,” Zhang said. “But now it has moved to the mass market.” In the past, many people had the misunderstanding that “Han” refers to the Han Dynasty. Now more people are knowledgeable about Hanfu, and even expert in distinguishing (区分) the differences in Hanfu from different dynasties.

Miss Tang has also noticed a similar change. “Fans have become particular about the design and style of Hanfu,” Miss Tang said. “For advanced hobbyists, those seemingly fairy-like Hanfu dresses are not enough, since this style has been adapted to meet the tastes of the masses. They care more about how original Hanfu style are, like Quju (曲裾) and Mamianqun or ‘horse-face skirts’, which look more serious and complicated.”

The development of Hanfu has also triggered (引发) different events. You Gancheng has been in Hanfu circles for 13 years. “The Hanfu festival that a museum held in April offered many interesting activities like lectures, ceremonies, concerts and fairs,” she said. “Hanfu culture weeks, festivals and academic forums all provide platforms for fans to communicate.”

The rise of Hanfu culture also means the birth of an emerging business. Miss Cang has been running a Hanfu store for four years. The store provides Hanfu rental and photography services. “Many international schools now come to us for Hanfu events on traditional holidays,” Miss Cang said. Her store also actively participates in Hanfu festivals. “We often run a stand in Hanfu fairs, selling and displaying Hanfu we’ve designed. Sometimes we even provide Hanfu as prizes for competitions,” she said.

1. In recent years, the people who are interested in Hanfu ________.

A．are now focusing on the Han Dynasty style

B．have gained a deeper understanding of Hanfu

C．tend to collect or admire Hanfu privately

D．are exploring the regional diversity of Hanfu

2. According to Miss Tang, what aspect of Hanfu do advanced hobbyists care more about?

A．Its fairy-like design.	B．Its historical accuracy.
C．Its modern adaptations.	D．Its practicality for everyday wear.

3. Why is the Hanfu store mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．To give an example of a successful Hanfu store.

B．To show the increasing popularity of Hanfu culture.

C．To illustrate the impact of Hanfu culture on business.

D．To stress the role of Hanfu stores in promoting Hanfu.

4. What does the article mainly talk about?

A．The development of Hanfu culture.

B．The significance of Hanfu in Chinese society.

C．The growing interest in Hanfu around China.

D．The different types of Hanfu events and festivals.

7 . 阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

I had just finished my dance class, and it was a disaster: I started on the wrong foot and couldn’t get the steps that other students seemed to do easily. I began to doubt my talent for ballet.

Just then, my big sister Julissa arrived. She took one look at me and asked, “What’s wrong Lakeisha?”

“Nothing,” I said quietly. I was too shy to be perfectly frank with my sister.

“Uh huh,” Julissa replied. “Looks like a bad ‘nothing’ to me, so tell me what happened.”

“Well,” I mumbled (咕哝), “maybe I shouldn’t be taking dance classes? It felt like I was the only one who couldn’t land her pirouettes (单脚尖旋转) today.”

“Listen,” she said, “not every day is a great one, and not everything you try is going to work out the way you want. The point is to keep trying. Remember that and you’ll be fine.”

“I tried my best, but…” I replied.

Looking at me seriously, Julissa said, “Maybe ballet is not your thing, but dance is. I see how beautifully you shake and move all the time. There are all kinds of ways to dance, so maybe you just need to find your own style. Why not stick to jazz dance? You are so good at it.”

I thought about her words and my performances carefully. Yes, why had I never thought of that? I wanted to be a ballet dancer, but it may not be a good choice for me. It seemed as if I suddenly saw the light

“You’re right,” I replied. “Thank you. I’m so lucky to have you to guide me!”

1. What did Lakeisha think of her dance class? (no more than 5 words)
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2. Why didn’t Lakeisha show her true feelings at first? (no more than 5 words)
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3. How do you understand the underlined part in paragraph 8? (no more than 10 words)
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4. What advice from Julissa made Lakeisha happy in the end? (no more than 10 words)
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5. What is your understanding of finding one’s style? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
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8 . 阅读表达

When I was ten years old, on a family vacation to Las Vegas, I felt very uncomfortable. I was immediately taken to the hospital. It turned out that I had a big stroke(中风). It made me no longer able to talk, read, write and understand what anyone was saying to me. The entire right side of my body had no feeling.

I stayed in the hospital for months. There I met my favorite doctor. Her last visit was the most important visit of all. She sent me a box as a gift. Inside was a little toy figure of a soldier. She said, “He’s a fighter. You should be like him, David. As long as you try to be him, you can triumph over your illness at last.” She moved her arms as she was fighting to help me understand.

The next few years’ fighting was really hard. I went to lots of speech and physical treatments. I did learn to walk again, but my right arm remained unable to feel anything. Slowly, I learned to talk again. I started with one syllable(音节)-then more. It allowed me to go to a special school. But I couldn’t even spell my own name. Everything was about language and letters. Talking was hard. So was reading. I was sad. But I was still intelligent. Eventually, I decided to let life move on and do something for other stroke survivors.

To help them, I founded a nonprofit organization. I wrote a book on stroke recovery, which has become a guide for stroke survivors and their family members. To help people like me, I also keep speaking at national conferences and hospitals about how to better recover from the disease. Recently, I was invited to speak at a stroke conference to doctors and patients and tell my story.

Today, I can walk, run, and drive. But I still can’t use my right arm. However, there are so many things I can do. The fight to recover is hard. I’ll never, ever give up.

1. What happened to the author when he was ten years old?(No more than 10 words)
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2. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?(1 word)
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3. Why was the author sad in the special school? (No more than 10 words)
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4. What’s Paragraph 4 mainly about?(No more than 10 words)
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5. What do you think of the author? Please explain.(No more than 20 words)
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10 . According to scientists, some tomatoes grown indoors are now just as flavorful as the ones grown outdoors in perfect summer conditions. There has been a lot of research and investment (投资) in hydroponic (水栽的) greenhouses, which allow farmers to grow tomatoes without soil, in recent years as consumers have needed more and better fresh vegetables year-round. “There’s a lot of techniques you can use to grow tomatoes off-season,” says Neil Mattson, co-director of Cornell University’s Controlled Environment Agriculture program. In the past five years, greenhouse tomato production has doubled.

That doesn’t mean all the tomatoes currently being grown in greenhouses are very flavorful. Flavor sometimes gets sacrificed for high yields   (产量), just as it does in the production of commercial field-grown tomatoes. “The greenhouse is such an expensive structure that we’re paying a lot to heat and light,” Mattson says. Therefore, farmers often need to grow a lot of tomatoes to make up for it. “And just like the field-grown varieties, much greenhouse-grown fruit is harvested before its peak (顶峰) and travels long distances before it ends up in a supermarket,” he says.

But that’s all changing with the new hydroponic system. Researchers are now trying their best to save some ripening (成熟的) time by growing produce locally. Gotham Greens, based in New York City, grows hydroponic tomatoes year-round and sells them to local restaurants and supermarkets. And Backyard Farms, based in Maine, supplies its hydroponically grown crop to nearby markets in the Northeast.

“It’s becoming increasingly important now that global warming is making outdoor farming less predictable (可预料的) , but greenhouse growers don’t have to worry about a heavy rain or a cold day destroying their fruit,” says Gene Giacomelli, who directs the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at the University of Arizona. The advantages of a greenhouse are that growers can control the amount of heat and light their crops get. Many are equipped with man-made lights that growers can turn on when sunlight is not enough. And the hydroponic system allows them to control pretty much everything else.

“That’s not to say we’ll value the summer harvest any less. In the end, I still love growing my own tomatoes in my backyard in the summer,” Mattson says. “It’s psychological (心理的) ,but I think they taste best.”

1. What benefited the doubling of greenhouse tomato production?

A．Improving the taste of tomatoes.

B．Developing high-yielding tomatoes.

C．Growing tomatoes all year round outdoors now.

D．Using technology for tomatoes’ growth off-season.

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

A．Settled for.

B．Turned up.

C．Given up.

D．Looked down.

3. By mentioning Gotham Greens and Backyard Farms, the author wants to stress ______.

A．farmers’ expectation to ensure tomatoes’ high yield

B．researchers’ efforts to make tomatoes more flavorful

C．the need for locally grow n high-quality tomatoes

D．the important change in produce transportation systems

4. How does the hydroponic system help farmers fight global warming?

A．By making the soil richer for planting.

B．By improving crop’s adaptability to climate change.

C．By providing better conditions for crops’ growth.

D．By giving much more correct and timely weather predictions.

5. What’s Mattson’s attitude towards outdoor farming?

A．Supportive.

B．Negative.

C．Objective.

D．Unconcerned.