1 . A Plastic Ocean is a documentary to make you think. Think, and then act. We need to take action on our dependence on plastic. We’ve been producing plastic in huge quantities. Some bottles, shopping bags and toys are made of plastic.
The documentary begins with a journey to film the largest animal on the planet, the blue whale. But during the journey, the producers made a shocking discovery of a huge, thick layer of plastic floating in the Indian Ocean.
In the documentary there are beautiful shots of the seas and marine life.
We make a shocking amount of plastic. Over 300 million tons of plastic is produced every year, and at least 8 million of it is dumped into the oceans. The results are disastrous, but it isn’t too late to change.
| A．It has raised public concern all over the world. |
| B．In conclusion, we only have one earth to live on. |
| C．But the documentary doesn’t only present the negative side. |
| D．These are contrasted with plastic rubbish. |
| E．Once you’ve seen the documentary, you’ll realize it is time to do our part. |
| F．We live in a world full of plastic, and only a small amount is recycled. |
| G．This caused them to travel around the world to look at other affected areas. |
2 . Last week when I was reading at home, my younger sister rushed in and told me an old man was lying on the ground in front of our house. I immediately took my first- aid kit and ran downstairs. He was suffering a slight heart attack. And I performed CPR on him. Luckily, an ambulance came soon and he was taken to the hospital. Later that day I was told by the hospital what I did helped rescue the old man’s life. I was happy to hear that.
You can gain the knowledge, skills and confidence. You never know when you might need them—you could be at home, at work, at school or on holiday. If you have the skills, you can act whenever you’re needed.
You can stay safe at work.
It’s helpful in choosing your future career. The first-hand experience you gain through learning first aid and using your skills could help you decide if you want to pursue a career in the health profession.
| A．I received a phone call from the hospital. |
| B．However, at the same time I felt a bit sad. |
| C．You can be a resource for your community. |
| D．Illness and injury can happen any time at any place. |
| E．You can take first-aid courses in your community for free. |
| F．I think everyone should learn at least some basic first-aid techniques, which can be very helpful. |
| G．It also shows your commitment to a career in the health profession when it comes to applying for jobs. |
3 . As I watched my son Nathan play basketball for his high school team, I was starting to feel sorry for myself and for him. His team was facing adversity on the court and he was playing in a hostile environment-it was the opponents’ home gym filled with their supporters, and Nathan’s team was trailing (落后) for three quarters (节) of the game. As for me, I had been fired from my job earlier in the day.
During my drive home, I kept telling myself that I would find work again in a short time-I am confident in my experience and abilities. This is the same belief as I always try to teach my son.
The basketball game entered the fourth quarter with Nathan’s team still trailing. I saw the determination on his face, as well as his teammates’ faces as they fought back to not only tie with the other team, but then go ahead by three points. Then, a player from the other team made an unbelievable shot to tie the score again. With the game in a tie and few seconds on the clock, Nathan found himself with the ball. With skill and confidence, he proceeded to make a basket with a defender hanging his hands all over him. The defender was warned for a foul (犯规).As Nathan stood at the free-throw line preparing for a shot that would make his team one point ahead, I saw the determination on his face again. There was no room for self- doubt. Nathan was able to tune out all the distractions and nail the free throw with such skill. It was as if he had done it a thousand times.
As I sat there, my heart bursting with pride. It dawned on me that I had taught him perseverance in the face of adversity, and he had just taught me the same lesson. That brief moment of self-doubt and feeling sorry for myself was blown away by the actions of my son on the basketball court. He would play in the finals, but it didn’t matter if he would win or lose. At this moment, we both won.
1. Why did the author feel sorry?| A．He had made a big mistake in his work. |
| B．He used to be too busy to accompany Nathan. |
| C．Nathan’s team was too weak to compete in the game. |
| D．He and Nathan were both going through a hard time. |
| A．Self-centred and pessimistic. | B．Self-confident and optimistic. |
| C．Hard-working and intelligent. | D．Easy-going and warm-hearted. |
| A．Ignore. | B．Focus. | C．Create. | D．Receive. |
| A．Father and Son in Life | B．A Lesson in Life and Basketball |
| C．It Matters Whether to Win or Lose | D．Life Goes Just like Playing Basketball |
4 . Courage is a quality that everyone has, but it sometimes disappears because of bad experiences or memories.
Determine your specific fears. People are often unwilling to admit that they are afraid of something. In order to begin building courage, you need to determine your specific fears.
Recognize your courage. Just as it’s important to identify your fears, you should also recognize that you also have courage in many situations.
Make a practical plan to build your courage. Once you’ve identified your specific fears and recognized situations where you exhibit courage, make your plan to build your courage and update it when necessary.
Avoid comparing yourself with others. Every person is different and comparing yourself with other people can minimize your self-confidence. Focusing on yourself is essential to building your confidence and courage.
| A．Part of building your courage is taking risks. |
| B．Embrace the positive and avoid the negative. |
| C．Make a list of your fears as you figure them out. |
| D．Having a clear strategy you can follow is important. |
| E．Take the time to acknowledge that you are courageous. |
| F．Have confidence and believe in your ability to be courageous. |
| G．Showing courage is necessary to succeed in many situations in life. |
5 . When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours. Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Now, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast.
On that Fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense that she could hardly see her support boats. Against the freezing cold water, she struggled on-hour after hour-while millions watched on national television.
In one of the boats alongside Florence, her mother and her trainer offered encouragement. They told her it wasn’t much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. However, with only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out.
Still warming her chilled body several hours later, she told a reporter, “Look, I’m not excusing myself, but if I had seen land, I might have made it.” It was not tiredness or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal.
Two months later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, overshadowing the men’s record by two hours!
1. What can we learn about that fourth of July morning in 1952?| A．The thick fog cleared by mid-morning. |
| B．Chadwick managed to swim the Catalina Channel. |
| C．The support boats accompanied Chadwick all the way. |
| D．A live broadcast of Chadwick’s swim was watched on TV. |
| A．Sharks threatened her life. |
| B．She was completely worn out. |
| C．The chilly water made her body numb. |
| D．The destination was out of sight due to the fog. |
| A．Changed. | B．Undamaged. | C．Weakened. | D．Unexplored. |
| A．To explain why Chadwick failed in the first attempt. |
| B．To stress the importance of picturing a clear goal in the mind. |
| C．To introduce the process of Chadwick’s swimming the Catalina Channel. |
| D．To report Chadwick was the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. |
6 . It sounds like something from the field of science fiction — a space exploration into vast outer space, heading towards the Red Planet While we’re not quite ready to put a person on it, the question we ask today is:
The space race saw the USSR (the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) and USA compete to achieve firsts in spaceflight. The USSR released Sputnik 1, an artificial satellite, before anyone else,
However, not everyone agrees. Leading astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has said the concept of changing habitability of a planet is not always practical.
It seems that the main reason at the moment is the search for alien (外星的) life.
| A．and the US landed on the moon first. |
| B．Instead, it makes no sense when we can simply terraform Earth because of the damage we have done to it. |
| C．One of these could be the survival of our species. |
| D．Why are so many countries interested in going to Mars? |
| E．It has been believed that, at one time, a certain form of life did exist in this red planet. |
| F．Surely inspiring a new generation to visit the stars is reasonable enough. |
| G．May landing on Mars inspire more people to become interested in exploring space? |
7 . A One-woman Cinderella Show Is Coming to Fairfield
A one-woman show that reimagines the classic fairytale Cinderella is coming to the Fairfield Community Arts Center. The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati will present Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots for one night only on Jan.26. The traveling show is for children ages 4 and up and promises “knee-slapping” comedic moments and heartwarming life lessons.
“I love children's theatre,” says Rosvic Siason, who plays Cinderella. “Kids are our future and we introduce them to these stories. We all have situations at one point in our life that look like this conversation. It just kind of helps you develop your brain and learn how to think as a developing person. It’s really important to expose kids to theatre and well-rounded actors they can talk to for guidance.”
These one-man, one-woman shows have so much beauty because it is very raw. People actually follow along much easier than you think. It’s easy to share a feeling. They will be expected to interact, deliver lines and repeat after Cinderella throughout the production. Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots will deliver a funny, meaningful twist on the classic fairytale that encourages audiences to expand their imagination.
“Using imagination helps kids to think of things in more ways than one,” Siason says. “It opens them up and makes them think, ‘Hey, this is one way this could work.’ Or, ‘I could try this way,’ and then see what happens.”
Visit fairfield-city. org for tickets and more information.
1. What is Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots?| A．A book. | B．A theatre. | C．A performance. | D．A lesson. |
| A．offer temporary amusement | B．help deal with life’s challenges |
| C．allow individuals to avoid reality | D．provide opportunities to make friends |
| A．Stick to the rules. | B．Dare to dream big. |
| C．Always follow the crowd. | D．Think outside the box. |
8 . The Internet plays a big part in human life. We use it for work and pleasure. We use it to learn a new language. We find advice on it. We use it to connect with our family and friends. We use it to stay in touch with events we care about. The list gods on and on.
As far as the Internet being a part of our lives — well, that train has left the station — there is no possibility of going back to an Internet-free life. But can using the Internet too much be bad for our health? It might be, say researchers. A new study finds that heavy Internet use may be connected with high blood pressure (血压)in a young group: teenagers.
The study results show that tens who spend at least 14 hours a week only online may cause high blood pressure, which makes your heart and blood vessels(血管) work too hard. Over time, this extra pressure increased your risk of a heart attack. High blood pressure can also cause other diseases.
The Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan did the study. 335 young people, from 14 to 17 years old, took part in it. 134 of the teens are described as “heavy Internet users” And researchers find that out of these 134 tens, 26 have high blood pressure. The rescarchers say the study is the first to connect heavy web use with high blood pressure.
The lead researcher is Andrea Cassidy-Bushrow. She says, “Using the Internet is part of our daily life, but it shouldn't ruin us.” Ms Cassidy-Bushrow adds that it is important for teens to stop to have a rest regularly from their computers or smartphones and do some kinds of physical activities. She also suggests that parents shouldn't let their children use the Internet for more than two hours a day, five days a week.
1. What does the underlined part “that train has left the station” mean in Paragraph 2?| A．The train has stopped at the wrong station. |
| B．Life without the Internet is nowhere to be found. |
| C．The train has changed its course. |
| D．There is something wrong with the station. |
| A．The advantaged of Internet use. | B．The harm of high blood pressure. |
| C．The harm of Internet over use to tens. | D．Ways to prevent high blood pressure. |
| A．Teenagers shouldn't use the Internet. |
| B．The Internet will ruin human life in the future. |
| C．Regular breaks are necessary when using the Internet. |
| D．Smartphones are more harmful than computers. |
| A．Heavy Internet users are mostly teenagers |
| B．How to prevent teenagers from the Internet |
| C．Every coin has two sides—so does the Internet |
| D．Too much Internet use may be bad for teenagers |
9 . Pullman is a superb writer and Seagull is a brilliant communicator. They had a debate after Seagull posted a question on his social media platform: “When you were trying to create an environment for learning, what were your best pieces of classical music to listen to?” He received hundreds of suggestions — and one negative reply, from Pullman: “That’s not what classical music is for. Treat it with respect.”
That did it! Everyone — professional musicians, students, teachers — weighed into the argument, and the majority supported Seagull and were criticizing Pullman.
It’s easy to see why people are annoyed. We all want classical music to be as accessible as possible, especially to the young. If some of them are using Bach or Schubert as a tool to help them study, what’s the problem? They may also develop an attachment to classical music.
So is Pullman ridiculous and supercilious by objecting to classical music being used as background music? At first sight, his idea seems stuffy and extreme. By suggesting that classical music should be “treated with respect” and not used as background music, Pullman seems to be closing classical music of to millions of people.
It’s worth pointing out, however, that he isn’t the first to express concerns about classical music being devalued by becoming too commonplace in today’s technologically shaped world. In Benjamin Britten’s 1964 speech, the composer expressed exactly the same worries as Pullman. Britten suggested, “The true musical experience demands some preparation, some effort, a journey to a special place, saving up for a ticket, some homework perhaps”. In short, it demands as much effort from listeners as from composers and performers.
I don’t agree with such an extreme viewpoint, but I do think it touches on a reality. You will never fully grasp the beauty of classical music if you half-hear it only in the background. That doesn’t necessarily matter. Music can be enjoyed on many levels. What Pullman and Britten are really saying is that, in a drive for “accessibility”, we shouldn’t deny the emotional and intellectual complexity underpinning (构成) much classical music.
1. What did Seagull’s posting result in?| A．Great admiration for Seagull. |
| B．Public criticism of classical music. |
| C．A discussion about learning environments. |
| D．An argument over the role of classical music. |
| A．Self-important. | B．Open-minded. | C．Impatient. | D．Considerate. |
| A．To show his affection for classical music. |
| B．To introduce young people to classical music. |
| C．To demonstrate classical music is demanding. |
| D．To support Pullman’s idea over classical music. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Doubtful. | C．Objective. | D．Uninterested. |
10 . Educational technology such as apps can help students with time management, organization skills, study skills, homework and more. Below is a list of apps for college students recommended by educational technology experts. The needs of individual students differ and experts suggest that students try out several apps to find the right one. Unless costs are noted in the apps’ descriptions below, these learning tools are free to users:
Blackboard App. A popular learning management system, Blackboard is used at many colleges across the U. S. It allows students to get course work for online classes or in-person classes. Students can view course content, complete assignments and tests, view graded and more.
Duolingo. Advertising itself as “the world’s best way to learn a language”, Duolingo offers lessons in 35- plus languages, helping users with speaking, reading, listening, writing, grammar and vocabulary. Duolingo offers both free and paid versions, the latter with an ad-free experience and of line access to lessons.
Evernote. A note-taking and task-management system that offers the ability to sync across devices. Evernote allows users to create to-do lists, save web pages and change documents into a digital form via a device’s camera.
Ever note is free, though an advanced version with more feature costs $7.99 a month or $69.99 a year.
College mobile apps. College-specific apps have become fairly common among U. S. college students. While these apps may differ by college, users can often find campus maps, news, safety information, scheduled events and more.
1. Why do students need to try out several apps?| A．To avoid paying for any app. |
| B．To apply these alps to different tasks. |
| C．To see as many different functions as possible. |
| D．To find one that can best meet their needs. |
| A．They cannot be used continuously until paid. |
| B．They can help college students learn better. |
| C．They have different versions for college students. |
| D．They have been quite popular among college students. |
| A．Blackboard app. | B．Duolingo. |
| C．Evernote. | D．College mobile apps. |
