3 . Cape Town, the second-biggest city in South Africa, is now in danger.     1     From June to July, the city may have no water for homes and businesses, according to Quartz.

How can a city run out of water?     2    

Water covers about 70 percent of Earth’s surface. But most of that is seawater. Freshwater is what we use to drink, take showers and cook food. Less than 1 percent of the planet’s water is fresh and accessible (可利用的).

Usually, freshwater comes from rivers and lakes. But the amount of accessible water changes over time. People build reservoirs (水库) to help store water so that they always have enough water to use.     3     When rivers are dry, reservoirs release water back into them.

Underground water is another source of freshwater. For example, water from wells is a kind of underground water.

The ocean can also give us water.     4     This can be expensive, so it is not very common in poor countries.

Cape Town’s water problem is due to population growth and a record drought, National Geographic reported.     5     Each person is using less than 100 liters of water a day, according to Xinhua News Agency. The government in Cape Town is trying to find a way to use ocean water to help solve the problem.

A．During rainy times, the reservoir stores water from rivers.

B．People are still wasting water every day.

C．The city is running out of water.

D．Now, people in this city are trying to save water.

E．Collecting rainwater is another important way to save water.

F．To answer this question, we need to take a look at where our water comes from.

G．But we need to get rid of its salt before we can use it.

4 . A lot of films have tried to describe the afterlife and our memories of family members who have passed away. But few have done as well as Coco, Disney-Pixar’s latest masterpiece animation, which hit the big screen on Nov 24.

Inspired by the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos — Day of the Dead — the film’s team created a young boy, Miguel, who wants his family to understand his love of music. On that year’s Day of the Dead, an accident takes him to the Land of the Dead. While there, Miguel has an unforgettable and adventurous night.

According to the Times, the Land of the Dead is one of Disney-Pixar’s “most visually ambitious worlds yet”. In this land, there are friendly skeletons who can cross a bridge made of flowers on the Day of the Dead to “visit” their living family in the world of the living — that is, as long as their family still puts their photos on the family shrine (神龛). Those spirits who are forgotten by their family will disappear completely.

It’s in this magical world that Miguel gets to meet and discover the truth about his great-great-grandpa. To save him from disappearing, Miguel has to bring his photo back to the living world as soon as possible.

While told with a wild imagination, the story sends out a clear and warm message about family. Family is a concept at the center of Mexican culture. On the Day of the Dead every year, people in Mexico honor their ancestors by putting their photos up on the family shrine, as shown in the film, and share food and drinks to keep the spirits of their family members alive.

“In a time when young people are so easily attracted by celebrities, the film Coco teaches kids to protect and respect the memory of their elders” wrote reporter Peter.

1. According to the passage, in the film Coco, ________.

A．Miguel’s family are very supportive of his love for music

B．Miguel was born with the ability to travel to the Land of the Dead

C．Miguel has a happy time with the spirits in the Land of the Dead

D．Miguel tries to save the spirit of his great-great-grandpa

2. Which of the following about the film Coco is TRUE?

A．It is set in the frightening world of the dead.

B．It shows great imagination and visual effects.

C．It is full of funny and exciting moments.

D．It is based on a real story that is sad but warm.

3. What does Coco intend to tell the audience, according to the article?

A．It’s important to value the memories of our family members.

B．The support from our family helps us to overcome difficulties.

C．Family tradition has a big influence on children.

D．Family should always come before anything else.

5 . Japan has long been regarded as having one of the strongest economies in the world, but according to recent reports this could be set to change. The nation’s increasingly strict immigration policies, low birth rates, and aging society means that Japan’s population is said to decrease by 500,000 a year over the next few decades, which could mean life in Japan could dramatically change. But what does daily life look like for those who live in Japan today?

In Japan, more than 126 million people live in 145,000 square miles — that make for pretty tight living places. Many Japanese are packed together on crowded sidewalks or are pushed into subway cars like sardines. Thus, personal space is hard to find and the concept of privacy has been more of a state of mind rather than actually being alone.

From an early age the people of Japan are known to be very hard workers. If you work in a company, you can expect to work long hours on top of overtime, which is usually unpaid. But it is usually considered normal to stand this stress in hopes of getting promoted. And believe it or not, part of getting promoted means drinking alcohol — a lot of alcohol. Here, having beers with your boss may seem an essential way to build trust within the office.

While men in Japan usually work and play hard, life can be very different if you are a woman. Traditionally women have stayed at home and though many want to get out to work, limited childcare facilities, a lack of career support and the prejudice against women has kept them at home. But this could be about to change, as the government has pushed for more child care centers and better working conditions for women. But there’s still a long way to go. Many pregnant working women experience improper treatment from their bosses or their co-workers who imply think that they should be fired.

1. Which of the following is NOT the cause of the decrease in Japan’s population?

A．It has a low birth rate.

B．There are increasingly more elderly people.

C．It has been one of the largest economies in the world.

D．The immigration to Japan is strictly limited.

2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．More Japanese like to stay alone.

B．Privacy is a state of mind.

C．Japanese cannot understand the concept of privacy.

D．It’s hard for Japanese to find a place entirely to themselves.

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Japanese working in a company may face a great stress from overwork.

B．It’s still not that easy for Japanese women to get out to work.

C．If you drink a lot of alcohol with your boss, you will be fired.

D．Japanese government has tried to help more women to work in society.

4. What does the author mainly tell us in the passage?

A．The population of Japan has decreased because of its strong economy.

B．What the daily life in Japan is like.

C．Women in Japan prefer to stay at home rather than work in society.

D．Every Japanese lives in a tight place.

6 . Mark Zuckerberg, one of the richest people in the world, features in a long line of university dropouts who became millionaires after founding technology companies — Bill Gates and Steve Jobs among them.

But 12 years after leaving Harvard to work on Facebook full time, he has returned to pick up his degree.

Zuckerberg founded what was then called "The Facebook" in his college dormitory in 2004. The service was at first limited only to Harvard students before expanding to other Ivy League universities.

He was asked to deliver a speech given to graduating students. After receiving the honor, he posted a photo of him with his parents Edward and Karen Zuckerberg. During his speech, Mr. Zuckerberg praised students for finishing “something I never could”.

“If I get through this speech, it will be the first time I will have actually finished something at Harvard”.

Even after the company moved its headquarters to California, Zuckerberg continued to be enrolled at Harvard until he dropped out in November 2005.

His honorary degree comes 12 years later, a little quicker than it took Bill Gates, another famous Harvard dropout to get his. Gates, who left to found Microsoft in 1975, did not receive his honorary degree until 2007.

Earlier before Zuckerberg came back to Harvard, Forbes magazine named Facebook the world’s fourth most valuable brand. Zuckerberg is the world’s fifth-richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. In 2010, Time magazine named Zuckerberg Person of the Year and Vanity Fair magazine listed him among its “top 100 most influential people of the information age”.

1. According to the passage, it can be inferred that ________

A．Mark Zuckerberg left college without getting his degree in 2004.

B．Bill Gates received his honorary degree earlier than Zuckerberg.

C．Mark Zuckerberg received his honorary degree in 2007.

D．Bill Gates set up his own technology company in the college dormitory.

2. For whom was The Face Book intended at the beginning?

A．Students in Ivy League universities.

B．Students in Harvard only.

C．Students in Harvard and other Ivy League universities.

D．Students in his dormitory only.

3. What does the underlined sentence mean in Paragraph Four?

A．He encourages students to challenge themselves.

B．He encourages students to leave school.

C．He encourages students to do anything they want.

D．He encourages students to do something easy.

4. The underlined word “dropouts” in the first paragraph refers to ________.

A．people who go to famous universities	B．people who have their own companies
C．people who don’t finish school or college	D．people who aren’t admitted to universities

7 . A

.

1. What is the purpose of the group chat?

A．To find a new sports club.

B．To catch up on old times.

C．To discuss what films they like.

D．To make arrangements for the night.

2. Which of the following would be the correct order of events the three people plan to do?
a. watch a film       b. have a coffee       c. go dancing   d. have something to eat

A．a-d-b-c

B．a-b-c-d

C．b-a-d-c

D．b-d-a-c

3. What will they watch that night?

A．An art film.	B．A violent film.
C．A Japanese gangster film.	D．A new comedy with Zac Efron.

4. Which of the following about the group chat is TRUE?

A．The messages are open-minded and friendly.

B．Everyone sticks to their own opinions.

C．Cat Lakey is dissatisfied with the outcome.

D．Iggy is proud of being the smartest member.

8 . Do Historical Films Need to Be Accurate?

Historical inaccuracies can be found in many films.     1    , or much bigger, such as changing whether someone was good or bad.

Historic films give us a glimpse (一瞥) into the past. Yet some criticize that there are fictional details in them.     2    ?

Yes — otherwise they’re misleading

There are so many great people from history and interesting events to learn about the past, particularly when you find the subject boring at school. Yet if films aren’t being completely accurate, then people will be misinformed, and it may mean that historical figures are remembered in the wrong way.     3    . However, in real life he actually helped to rescue a lot of people. For his family, and the families of other people in such films, that might be very upsetting. History is interesting enough as it is; there is no reason for filmmakers to make things up.

    4    

The cinema is not a classroom. If the audience learns something while watching a film, that’s great. But filmmakers are just trying to make something entertaining and dramatic. They should be allowed to change facts to create the best experience. After all, certain events in real life might have taken place over several years, but in order to be shown in a film, they may need to be packed into less than two hours. Some changes will have to be made for that to work.     5    . Writers and directors have no choice but to imagine what might have happened, and fill in the gaps.

A．Yes — films help us learn from the past

B．Besides, not all historical films can be completely accurate

C．So should film makers be sticking more closely to the truth in their films

D．No — films are meant to be creative

E．So should films transport viewers into a world of make-believe

F．For example, in the film Titanic, a man on the ship was shown as a selfish one

G．They can be small, like changing a location

9 . Today’s 14-and 15-year-olds are ambitious. They are optimistic about their future, but their career ideas are rather unclear. A job for life is not in their vocabulary. Almost half the boys surveyed expected that their hobbies would lead them into the right sort of job, while most girls seemed determined to avoid traditionally female careers such as nursing.

In the past, this might have counted as bad news. But the world has changed. The global economy is not kind to yesterday’s hardworking and dependable workers. The future belongs to quick-thinking people who are resourceful, ambitious and creative. This means that young people need training and guidance to help them develop the right skills for today’s market; not the rigid preparation for a workplace that disappeared 20 years ago.

So what is to be done? A good first step would be to change the way in which schools prepare young people for adult life. The education system is becoming less flexible and paying more attention to traditional skills when the employment market is going in the opposite direction.

Accurate, latest information on new jobs and qualifications can help guidance counselors to help their students. Young people need solid information on the sort of training they need to their dream career. Also, a little bit of encouragement can go a long way.

What, then, can we as parents do to help them? The best thing is to forget all the advice that our parents gave us, and step into our teenager’s shoes. It is important for them to learn how to be independent and resourceful. Give them courage to follow their dreams—however odd they might sound right now. In a world that offers economic security to almost no one, imagination is a terrible thing to waste.

1. According to the survey, how are boys and girls different in career ideas?

A．Male teenagers are more ambitious and optimistic.

B．Dead-end but secure jobs are more popular with girls.

C．Boys prefer to choose jobs based on their interest.

D．Girl teenagers have clearer career ideas than boys.

2. What word can best describe the person who is fluent in the global economy?

A．Inventive.

B．Hardworking.

C．Modest.

D．Reliable.

3. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph imply?

A．Wasting is the main cause of terrible economy.

B．Creativity should be valued most in the changing world.

C．No one can be secure in such a terrible world.

D．Wasting imagination leads to economic insecurity.

4. Why is the passage written?

A．To analyze teenagers’ ideas about the economic world.

B．To explain how the world has changed the young.

C．To encourage parents to help the young to be independent.

D．To offer advice on how to prepare teenagers for careers.

10 . Some creatures have developed ways to protect the most valuable in their group by practicing social distancing strategically. The most impressive examples occur in social insects, where different members of the group have different roles.

Nathalie Stroeymeyt, a professor of the University of Bristol in England used tiny digital tags to track the movements of garden ant groups during an outbreak of a deadly fungus(真菌). The fungi are passed from ant to ant through physical contact.

To measure how ants respond when disease first invades(入侵) their group, the researchers applied the fungi directly to a small group of the worker ants that regularly leave the group. The worker ants are most likely to accidentally encounter fungi while out searching for food. The researchers used the natural way this fungus would be introduced. The behavioral responses of ants in 11 fungus-treated groups were then compared with the same number of control groups, where a harmless liquid was applied to worker ants. Ants in fungus-exposed groups started rapid and strategic social distancing after treatment. Within 24 hours those worker ants self-isolated by spending more time away from the group compared with control-treated worker ants.

Healthy ants in fungus-treated groups also strongly reduced their social interaction. Uninfected worker ants, which interact frequently with other worker ants that might carry disease, kept their distance from the group, when disease was present. This prevents them from putting the valuable group members (the queen and “nurses”that care for young ants) at risk. The nurses also took actions, moving young ants farther inside the nest and away from the worker ants once the fungus was detected in the group. The signals that the ants use to detect and rapidly respond to fungus exposure are still unknown. This strategic group was so effective that all queens and most nurses from the study groups were still alive at the end of the experimental outbreaks.

1. What aspect does the first paragraph discuss about the research?

A．Its background.

B．Its findings.

C．Its significance.

D．Its process.

2. Why did the researchers apply fungi to worker ants?

A．To compare how differently ants respond to the invasion.

B．To watch how worker ants send signals to others.

C．To do the research in a natural and convincing way.

D．To prevent fungi from spreading in the ant group.

3. What does the underlined word “where” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．In fungus-treated groups.	B．In garden ant groups.
C．In 11 control groups.	D．In social insects.

4. How do we know ants’ social distancing was successful?

A．All queens and most nurses survived the invasion.

B．All the worker ants spend more time outside the nest.

C．Researchers have found how the ants found fungus exposure.

D．Worker ants in both study and control groups self-isolated.