1 . The literature teacher entered the classroom and, with a smile on his face, said, “Hello, fellows!” Then he placed his notebook and books on his desk before stepping to the blackboard and picking up the chalk. Then he wrote down: “Who do I want to be?”
While reading the question, all of a sudden, I remembered what my grandmother said. Every time she scolded me, she would ask, “When are you going to become a person?” When I told my friend Firoz about these words, he burst into laughter.
Remembering my grandmother’s question and anger, I quickly covered my lips with my hand to hide my smile from the teacher’s eyes. But to be honest, I really had a dream deep in my heart. I wanted to explore outer space.
Our literature teacher had already announced that we would write an essay on an open topic. He wrote the topic on the board and took his place.
Most of my classmates had their heads bent over their blank papers. Some raised their heads and stared at the white ceiling, others scratched at the back of their notebooks. Baba Morad was biting his lips thought fully. Firoz was looking around. Part of my mind was busy searching for an essay topic, while the other was wondering whether dreams and wishes for the future are the same things.
My eyes wandered outside through the large glass window and stared at the sky where a bird was flying. I gathered my thoughts and began to write my essay, filling up the back and front of three white sheets.
Once again, I read my writing from the beginning to the end and was satisfied with the way I created it and the greatness of my desire. I looked around at my classmates, some of whom had finished their work, and some were writing, and then I looked outside.
The teacher, who had a long, dry stick in his hand to beat us sometimes, was walking around in the classroom. At the same time, walking under the watchful eye he would collect the essays of those who had finished writing.
1. 根据语篇内容填写表格（每空不限词数）| Where | In the classroom |
| Who | I, the literature teacher, other students |
| What | 1. The literature teacher asked students to 2. I remembered what my grandmother said. Every time she scolded me, she would ask 3. The dream deep in my heart is to 4. I began to write my essay, 5. At the same time, the teacher would |
按情节推进，用完整句子回答问题。
2. What did the teacher do after he collected students’ essays?
3. How did the classmates react to the author’s dream? Give your reasons?
4. How did the teacher judge the author’s dream and how did the author feel?
2 . To snack or not to snack? That is the question for doctors and for you, as you try to decide what to do about your hungry stomach when it’s nowhere close to mealtime.
The short answer is:
Weight loss
Snacking is a way to add a variety of nutrients (营养) to your diet. Maya Feller, a registered dietitian nutritionist, says you can’t go wrong with a handful of mixed nuts, which can help your heart. Snacking on protein - rich foods helps preserve your muscle mass and stamina (耐力). The body can absorb only a limited amount of protein per meal, so distributing protein throughout the day via snacking can maximize protein intake.
Mood and mental health
If you’ve ever been unhappy with someone when you were hungry, you know that food can influence your mood.
The bottom line
There are different ways to go about (处理) this whole snacking things. Choose a healthy, filling option in an appropriate size, and the benefits don’t stop at weight loss and improved health; your general approach to life might be affected.
| A．Can snacking help you drop a few pounds |
| B．a word of caution |
| C．Snacking helps you avoid that position, resulting in fewer mood swings and better focus |
| D．have the snack |
| E．When you snack mindfully, it’s easier to take a deep breath, focus on exactly what you’re eating at that moment, and enjoy the day around you too |
| F．Overall health |
| G．If you must have a snack at night, try cottage cheese |
3 . We’ve all heard about techniques to get us more physically active — take the stairs and park the car a bit further from your destination. Now a study led by Dr. Buchman finds even simple housework may benefit brain health for the elderly.
“Our study shows exercise is an inexpensive way to improve health. It also shows exercise may have a protective effect on the brain,” says Dr. Buchman.
Previous research found just 45 minutes of walking three days a week actually increased brain volume.
The new study is unique. Dr. Buchman was able to analyze the actual brains of the study participants.
The study looked at 454 older adults who were over 70 years old when the research began. Of those adults, 191 had behavioral signs of dementia(痴呆) and 263 did not.
In the research, each participant wore an activity monitor called an accelerometer(加速度计). It measured those participants’ physical activity around the clock — everything from walking around the house to exercise routines. Researchers collected and evaluated ten days of movement data for each participant and calculated the levels of daily movement.
The findings show that higher levels of daily movement were linked to better thinking and memory skills. And when Dr. Buchman analyzed brain tissue under a microscope, this finding turned out to be the case even for individuals with at least three signs of Alzheimer’s disease(阿尔茨海默病). Even though these individuals might have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, 30 percent of them had“normal”cognition(认知), says Dr. Buchman.
Why one person shows signs of dementia and another, who has similar degenerative(退行的) changes in the brain, does not, is a mystery. But Dr. Buchman says the new findings suggest that physical activity may be protective, even among developing Alzheimer’s. It sort of masks the symptoms, he says. It suggests that you can have some control over your brain health even if you don’t have control over developing Alzheimer’s.
And, while intense exercise is highly beneficial, light activity can make a difference as well. “As long as you are doing exercise and you’re moving, whether you’re chopping onions or sweeping the floor, you can reduce your risk of cognitive decline,” says Dr. Buchman.
1. What does the new study led by Dr. Buchman find out?| A．Simple housework is a good way to get us more physically active. |
| B．Walking for 45 minutes twice a week can increase brain volume. |
| C．Exercise is the most expensive way to improve our mental and physical health. |
| D．Exercise may help improve brain health among elderly people. |
| A．it analyzed the actual brains of the participants |
| B．the participants involved were over 70 years old |
| C．the participants had signs of dementia |
| D．the participants were equipped with a special activity monitor |
| A．The study looks into why young people develop Alzheimer’s disease. |
| B．The study indicates that people with signs of Alzheimer’s disease will lose cognition. |
| C．The study finds out why some people with signs of Alzheimer’s disease have the abnormal cognitive ability. |
| D．The study shows higher levels of daily movement were linked to better thinking and memory skills. |
| A．Alzheimer’s disease can be totally cured by doing exercise |
| B．only intense exercise is beneficial to our health |
| C．doing exercise can help reduce the risk of cognitive decline |
| D．people with Alzheimer’s disease cannot control their brain health |
4 . For any spaceman hoping to survive on the surface of the moon, growing crops will be important. Now, scientists have taken “one small step” towards growing plants on the lunar surface, after showing it’s possible to grow thale cress, a small flowering plant, in the lunar soil.
The findings raise hopes that plants could be grown on the moon during future space missions(任务), and even enable mankind to set up a lunar settlement. “For future, longer space missions, we may use the moon as a launching platform(平台),” explained Professor Rob Ferl. “It makes sense that we would want to use the soil that’s already there to grow plants.” Until now, scientists have not grown plants in the soil. “So, what happens when you grow plants in the lunar soil? What would plants do in a lunar greenhouse? Could we have lunar farmers?” Professor Ferl questioned.
To answer these questions, researchers from Florida set out to plant thale cress seeds in the lunar soil, add water, nutrients and light, and see what happened. The researchers chose to use thale cress because its genetic code(基因序列)has already been fully mapped. For comparison, the researchers also planted seeds in a range of soils, including those that are similar to the Martian soil. To their delight, the researchers found that nearly all of the seeds grew. However, they did observe differences between the plants grown in the lunar soil and those grown in the control soils. Some of the plants grown in the lunar soil were smaller, while others grew more slowly or were more varied in size.
Growing plants in the lunar soil may also change the moon itself, according to Dr. Stephen Elardo. “The moon is a very, very dry place,” he said. How will minerals in the lunar soil respond to having a plant grown in them, with the added water and nutrients? Will adding water make the minerals friendlier to plants? The researchers hope to answer these questions in follow-up studies.
1. What’s the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The plants grown in the lunar soil. |
| B．The significance of the findings. |
| C．The missions of future space exploration. |
| D．The hope for setting up a lunar settlement. |
| A．Its genes are suitable for the lunar soil. |
| B．People have a good knowledge of its genes. |
| C．It has been tested with the lunar soil before. |
| D．It has a long evolutionary history. |
| A．They absorbed few minerals. |
| B．They grew slowly in the dark. |
| C．They didn’t grow well enough. |
| D．They needed more water to grow bigger. |
| A．Preparing for Farming on the Moon |
| B．Conducting a Study on the Lunar Soil |
| C．Growing Plants in the Lunar Soil |
| D．Making the Lunar Soil Friendlier to Plants |
5 . Bob and Eliza Shaw started taking pictures of their son, Noah, practically from the moment he was born. When he was about three months old, Eliza noticed something strange when she took his picture. The flash on their digital camera created the typical red do t in the center of Noah’s left eye, but the right eye had a white spot at the center, almost as if the flash was being reflected back at the camera by something. When Eliza mentioned the strange phenomenon to their ophthalmologist (眼科医生), she shined a light into Noah’s eye and saw the same white reflection instead of a red one, which is a sign of retinal (视网膜的) cancer, and that is exactly what Noah had. He endured months of treatment, but doctors could not save his eye.
Noah’s disease would be treatable if diagnosed (诊断) early. Bob couldn’t help but wonder whether there were signs he’d missed. He went back over every baby picture of Noah he could find — thousands of them — and discovered the first white spot in a photo taken when Noah was 12 days old. As time went on, it appeared more frequently.
It was too late for Noah’s eye, but Bob was determined to put his hard-won insights to good use. He created a database that charted the cancer’s appearance in every photo. He also collected photos and data from eight other children with retinal cancer. Armed with those data, he began to work with colleagues in the computer science department to develop a smart phone App that can scan the photos in the user’s camera roll to search for the white eye spot and can be used as a kind of ophthalmoscope (眼底镜). Called White Eye Detector, it is now available for free. “I just kept telling myself, I really need to do this,” Bob told People. “This disease is tough to detect. Not only can this software save vision, but it can save lives.”
1. How did Eliza find Noah with retinal cancer?| A．She took Noah to have a regular health check. |
| B．She found something strange with their ophthalmologist. |
| C．She noticed the colors of reflections were different in Noah’s eyes. |
| D．She noticed a white reflection in the center of Noah’s left eye. |
| A．Because he wanted to figure out what signs he had missed. |
| B．Because he tried to find some methods to cure his son. |
| C．Because he could recall the past through these pictures. |
| D．Because he decided to put this experience to good use. |
| A．treat | B．spot | C．cure | D．feel |
| A．Loyal and helpful. | B．Persistent and selfless. |
| C．Diligent and smart. | D．Responsible and independent, |
6 . With summer approaching, it’s time to find some good books to read. Here are some you might like to try.
The Big Miss
The author was Tiger Woods’ coach for six years, and the book is a behind - the - scenes look into the famous golfer’s private life. One reader wrote on Amazon. com , “I’m a big Tiger fan, and I read this in one sitting. Brilliant!”
Steve Jobs
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passed away.
This is the official biography of his life. It’s based on over forty interview s with Steve, his friends and family members, plus a few enemies.
The Hunger Games
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic（世界末日后的）future. Most people are very poor. Every year, there’s a game show（called “The Hunger Games”）in which 18 teenagers are sent into the wild to battle it out until only one survives. The book has just been made into a highly successful Hollywood movie.
Imagine How Creativity Works
This is a very fun and very convincing book about the creative parts of our brain. It looks at people such as Bob Dylan, and the man who invented post-it notes and asks why they were so creatively successful. The author writes, “Once we know how creativity works, we can make it work for us.”
The Venice Experiment: A Year of Trial and Error Living Abroad
A few years ago, real-life American couple Barry and Debbie decided to escape the rat race and live in Venice for a year. This is the story of their experiences there, and it’s full of funny anecdotes (奇闻轶事) about their struggle to adapt to the Venetian lifestyle. A fellow author said, “For anyone thinking of an overseas adventure, The Venice Experiment is a laugh-out-loud read.”
1. What is special about The Hunger Games?| A．It tells adventures. | B．It is based on real stories. |
| C．It hits the screen | D．It is the most popular book. |
| A．Creative | B．Relaxing. | C．Inspiring | D．Convictive. |
| A．The Big Miss. |
| B．The Hunger Games. |
| C．Imagine How Creativity Works. |
| D．The Venice Experiment: A Year of Trial and Error Living Abroad |
7 . Have you ever seen a car without a driver? It sounds crazy, but these computer-driven driverless cars will soon be filling roads near you. Tech companies around the world have been designing and testing driverless vehicles and the technology is available already.
So, how do they work? The cars are covered in sensors that can detect other cars and obstacles on the road. Sensors on the wheels also help when parking. Road signs are read by cameras, and satellite navigation systems are used. Finally, a central computer system takes in all the information and processes this to work out when to accelerate, brake and steer. All you have to do is type in the destination.
Sounds like your idea of heaven? Sitting back, looking out of the windows and even watching a film while “driving” will all be possible with this new technology. In addition,computers are generally more efficient drivers than humans, meaning emissions can be reduced.They also drive more safely than people — they don’t get distracted by music or friends, they obey the speed limit and they have quicker reaction times in case of an emergency.
However, there are still many drawbacks of driverless cars. Computers will have difficulties making ethical (道德上的) decisions. If a child ran out into the road, would the computer choose to hit the child or turn aside sharply and potentially hurt the car’s passengers instead? Moreover,there would also be legal questions. Should children or drunk people, be allowed in a driverless car by themselves? Or would there need to be a responsible adult with a driving license in the car at all times?
Although being driven around by a machine would perhaps mean that no one needs a driving license, many people would be put out of a job by the popularization of driverless cars. Bus, taxi and train drivers would be made redundant.(多余的)
I’m not convinced I’d want a driverless car, but it’s only a matter of time before they’ll become more affordable and commonplace on our roads.
1. What do you need to do when using a driverless car?| A．Control the sensors. | B．Read the road signs carefully. |
| C．Check the satellite navigation systems. | D．Put the address into the computer. |
| A．Their emissions. | B．Their testing process. |
| C．Their advantages. | D．Their reaction to an emergency. |
| A．By raising some questions. |
| B．By analyzing their harmful effects. |
| C．By making a comparison. |
| D．By sharing personal experiences. |
| A．indifferent | B．objective |
| C．supportive | D．doubtful |
8 . People’s first memories are all autobiographical (自传式的) , or memories of significant experiences in their lives, and these events typically didn’t happen before the age of 2 or 3. In fact, most people can’t remember things from the first few years of their lives ---- a phenomenon researchers have called infantile amnesia (婴儿期失忆症) .
However, research suggests that infants (婴儿) can form other kinds of memories. Within the first few days of life, infants can recall their own mother’s face and distinguish it from the face of a stranger. A few months later, infants can demonstrate (证明) that they remember lots of familiar faces by smiling most at the ones they see most often.
But if so, why do people experience infantile amnesia? Though it still isn’t clear whether it’s because we can’t form autobiographical memories, or whether we just have no way to retrieve (找回) them, scientists have a few guesses.
One is that autobiographical memories require you to have some sense of self. Researchers have tested this ability using a mirror recognition task called the rouge test. It involves marking a baby’s nose with a spot of red lipstick. Researchers then place the infant in front of a mirror. Infants younger than 18 months just smile at the baby in the reflection, not showing any evidence of recognizing themselves or the red mark on their face. Between 18 and 24 months, infants touch their own nose, even looking embarrassed, suggesting that they connect the red dot in the mirror with their own face — they start to form some sense of self.
Another possible explanation is that because infants don’t have language until later in the second year of life, they can’t form narratives (叙述) about their own lives that they can later recall. Finally, the hippocampus, which is the region of the brain that’s largely responsible for memory, isn’t fully developed in the infancy period. Scientists will continue to investigate how these factors might contribute to infantile amnesia.
1. What can infants do in their first few months?| A．Memorize most of their family members. |
| B．Identify their own reflections in the mirror. |
| C．Remember a string of events from the recent past. |
| D．Distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar faces. |
| A．See their reflections as themselves. |
| B．Ignore the marks on their faces. |
| C．Enjoy playing with their reflections. |
| D．Show a strong interest in the mirror. |
| A．Infants have a strong sense of self. |
| B．Infants lack communication skills. |
| C．The hippocampus isn’t fully developed in the infancy period. |
| D．Infants haven’t experienced significant things. |
| A．Why is it hard to retrieve lost memories? |
| B．Why can’t we remember being a baby? |
| C．How do kids form their first memories? |
| D．When do babies start remembering things? |
9 . In 2019, after retiring from her career as a social worker, Ane Freed - Kernis decided to build a home workshop and devote all of her free time to stone carving. “I might be covered head to to e in dust but I’m happy — it was something I needed more of in my life when I hit 60,” she says.
This appeal has its origins in Freed - Kernis’ childhood. Growing up on her father’s farm in Denmark, she used to wander through the fields with her eyes fixed on the ground, looking for stones to add to her collection. “I’ve always been drawn to the shapes and textures (质地) of stones,” she says.
After moving to England in 1977 and training as a social worker, Freed - Kernis soon became occupied with her busy career and the demands of raising her son. Stones were the last thing on her mind, until her father died in 2005. “He took a stone carving course in his retirement, and I always thought stone seemed so fun but never had the time to look into it myself,” she says. “After he died, I became determined to learn in his honour.”
Signing up for a week-long stone carving course at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Freed-Kernis began to learn how to turn a block of rock into well-designed shapes. “It was really scary at the start because you would spend hours just hammering (锤打).”
Now 65, Freed-Kernis has a thriving small business built largely through word of mouth. She creates 12 to 15 pieces a year that can take anywhere from a few days to three weeks to complete, while her prices range from £ 200 to £ 3,000. “I’m making smaller ones,” she says. “I don’t have to depend on the money much, so I want to keep prices in the range that people can afford, mainly just covering costs and labour (劳动力).”
1. Freed-Kernis was first attracted by stones when ______.| A．she was 60 | B．she was a child |
| C．her father died | D．she moved to England |
| A．She never cared about her father. |
| B．She led a disappointing life in Denmark. |
| C．She spent lots of time studying stone carving. |
| D．She learned stone carving under the influence of her dad. |
| A．Hopeful and proud. |
| B．Confident and satisfied. |
| C．Nervous and frightened. |
| D．Impatient and unprepared. |
| A．They are easier to move by her. |
| B．They are more affordable to people. |
| C．She wants to save costs and labour. |
| D．She is too old to focus on making large ones. |
10 . In San Francisco, a large group of sea lions move themselves out of the bay waters and hang out on PIER 39, which is a popular tourist destination. According to dock (码头) officials, this is the most sea lions seen in the region in 15 years.
“Over 1,000 sea lions have been counted this week,” PIER 39 harbormaster Sheila Chandor told many different media. “The surge in sea lions is usually a good sign of their strong population and healthy living environment,” said Adam Ratner, Director of Conservation Engagement at the Marine Mammal (海洋哺乳动物) Center in Sausalito, California.
“California sea lions are sentinels (哨兵) of the ocean,” Ratner said. Their population to some extent reflects the health of the ocean. Therefore, seeing a large number of California sea lions is clearly a good thing.
For nearly 35 years, the slippery (滑的) residents have been a star attraction for tourists. That autumn in 1989, PIER 39 had just been repaired, but the ships had not yet been moved back. At that moment, the sea lions unexpected arrival not only attracted fans but also created enemies. According to a website, some dock residents and workers were scared away by the strong and very unpleasant smell and noise of their new neighbors, while others saw these animals as a bright spot after the destructive Loma Prieta earthquake.
The officials sought help from the Marine Mammal Center to find a way to deal with sea lions. Ratner said that the final decision is to let the sea lions stay and coexist with humans. “The fact proves that this is really a good thing,” he said. “This is just a proof of how we can truly work together and think about how we can share our coasts with marine mammals and other wildlife in a way that benefits all the parties involved.”
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By describing a situation. |
| B．By answering a question. |
| C．By holding a conversation. |
| D．By comparing different opinions. |
| A．Sharp increase. | B．Tight control. |
| C．Slow development. | D．Sudden movement. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Uninterested. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Sea lions are pretty cool animals. |
| B．Animals and humans can live in harmony. |
| C．Watching sea lions might not be a proper action. |
| D．Sea lions should be driven out of PIER 39. |
