1 . A scientist is a person who explores and examines aspects of a certain field to better understand how they function. The process of exploration follows a strict set of rules known as the scientific method.     1    .

The primary duty of a scientist in any fields is to do research.     2    . A scientist who specializes in microbiology could study germs, while a scientist who studies the atmosphere could research the pattern of the wind.

Apart from devoting himself to the research, a scientist can also work for employers.     3    . Besides, universities and some governmental organizations also require scientists to teach and research. Some scientists are able to get research funds independently or participate in a funded scientific project and spend their time working toward a clear goal.

    4    . This usually means getting a PhD in the chosen field. In many cases, it also means finding work opportunities during school. They can provide the person with practical experience. Many scientists regularly publish their findings or notes of their work.

Some scientists, such as a doctor, might require official certificates (证书).     5     The requirements and duties of scientists are as broad and various as the area which they study.

A．Being a scientist requires a very good education.

B．In different fields, their researches can be different.

C．Others might only need membership in an association.

D．A scientist may make use of the results of others’ researches.

E．The purpose of science is to produce useful models of reality.

F．There are large companies that hire scientists to help with their products.

G．The method ensures that new discoveries are factual and not just theories

2 . U.S. actor Brent Hill studied the violin for seven years during his childhood. But, now, he couldn’t make a sound out of it. His latest role as Dewey Finn in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, School of Rock, in which he plays with 36 talented child musicians, reminds him of his time as an instrumentalist.

Hill shared his story on arriving in Beijing. School of Rock is being staged in Beijing from March 22 until April 14 on its debut China tour. The musical staged its world premiere on Broadway in 2015.

The musical is based on the successful 2003 Hollywood comedy, starring Jack Black. The plot follows Dewey Finn, a failed rock star forced to make money as a substitute teacher at a private elementary school, where he turns a class of straight-A students into a rock band.

“The role, Dewey, is the biggest kid. I am a big kid in real life, so this part is not challenge. When I got the role, I did the exact same thing as Dewey who is a loser,” Hill says. “Working with child actors is exciting.”

Thousands of kids auditioned. Three-and-a-half months later, 36 made the cut. Samantha Zhang plays the role of Katie. She has practiced piano for seven years and violin for four but had to learn to play bass for the musical. “No many girls play bass. It’s so cool, and I feel like a rock star,” says the 13-year-old, who made her musical-theater debut in 2014. It’s the first time for the girl, who lives in Sydney with her Chinese parents, to visit China.

Webber became interested in the movie. He wrote 12 new songs. Hill says it’s difficult to get Black’s acting out of his subconsciousness. However, Webber’s songs enable Hill to make the role his own.

“School of Rock is about how music reaches and transforms everyone’s life especially children.” Webber said. “When the substitute teacher turned the straight-A student class into a rock band, it changed his life and theirs forever.”

1. What caused Hill to realize he was an unsuccessful violinist?

A．His latest role as Dewey Finn.	B．His childhood sufferings.
C．Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical.	D．36 talented child musicians’ performance.

2. Why did Brant Hill play the role successfully?

A．He is the biggest child in his family.	B．He has staged the musical many times.
C．He liked to work with child actors.	D．He had the same experience as Dewey Finn.

3. What do we know about Samantha Zhang?

A．She has little talent for music.	B．She enjoys her role of Katie.
C．She made her debut in China.	D．She was born in China.

4. What can we learn from the text?

A．Musicals lead to one’s success.	B．Webber’s new songs make little sense.
C．Music has significant effects in life.	D．Hill has performed in many musicals successfully.

3 . How to build good relationships with people from other cultures? Actually, it is important to learn some skills to communicate with them. Armed with the knowledge of how to communicate effectively, you can make things easier.     1    

Learn about the culture beforehand.     2     So if you have time before going abroad or meeting with someone from another culture, try to take time to learn the basic. "do's and don'ts " of that culture. You can find information on this from the Internet sources such as those provided by the National Center for Cultural Competence.

Be respectful and tolerant.     3     Signs of these may appear when you communicate with people from other cultures. However, it is not the time to judge people based on these differences during basic communication. Instead, respect them for what they are, and tolerate them. You may even learn something new.

Speak clearly and slowly if necessary. But do not shout at others even if they don't understand you.     4     Instead, it can be seen as rude. Likewise, even if there are difficulties in communicating with people from other cultures, do not treat other people as though they were unintelligent.

    5     In some cultures, looking another person in the eye when you speak is seen as a sign of honesty and interest. However, in other cultures, it may be seen as disrespectful.

A．A little knowledge can go a long way.

B．It takes time to know about other cultures.

C．Keep eye contact when talking with others.

D．Know whether to make eye contact or avoid it.

E．Each culture has its own set of values and beliefs.

F．The following are some tips that may help you greatly.

G．Raising your voice cannot make yourself easier to be understood.

4 . Volunteering offers great help to people in need, but the benefits (好处) can be even greater for you, the volunteer.

    1    . Being a volunteer helps you make new friends and improve your social skills. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. It develops your ties to the community, broadens your support network and offers you chances to know people with common interests and fun activities.

    2    , others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests.

Volunteering is good for your mind and body.     3    . Nothing reduces (减少) stress better than a meaningful connection to another person. Working with pets and other animals has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety. Studies have found that older volunteers are likely to walk more and find it easier to sleep regularly.     4    .

If you’re considering a new job, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field.     5     , volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork communication, problem solving and organization. You might feel more comfortable stretching (伸展) your wings at work once you have improved these skills in a volunteer position first.

A．Volunteering increases self-confidence

B．Volunteering connects you to others

C．Even if you're not planning on changing your job

D．While some people are naturally outgoing

E．It provides many benefits to both mental and physical health

F．Many people volunteer in order to make time for hobbies outside of work

G．Volunteering can also reduce the risk of heart disease

5 . Starting this year, Scholastic Aptitude Test(SAT)scores will be about more than just how many correct answers a person has on the test.The College Board in charge of the SAT recently published a new policy.It will include something called an "adversity score", based on 31 different factors and ranging from I to 100.A score of 50 is an "average level of disadvantage", said The New York Times.A higher score means a student has faced more adversity.It will cover 150 colleges later this year and be available to all US colleges in 2020.

What kind of adversity do students face? African-American students, for example, are more likely to attend underfunded(资金不足的) schools, and their families usually can’t afford extra SAT lessons.Higher SAT scores have been found to have a close tie with students from richer families and those with better-educated parents, reported The New York Times.As a result, the SAT has long been criticized for its unfairness.

The new adversity score tries to deal with that reality.If a student came from a poor neighborhood or attended a high school without enough funding, this information will be given to college administrators.While one student's SAT score may be lower than her rich classmates, college administrators may assume that she did her best in a bad situation.

This sounds good, but the College Board has received a lot of criticism for this new development.Parents are worried.They’re concerned that their children's hard work would be "completely neglected“(忽视)just because they happened to come from a rich family.

Writing in Time, Andre J.Washington and Daniel Hemel call the adversity score a half-hearted effort＂.They say the score fails to directly deal with racial inequality(种族不平等).They also say that the problems experienced by African-Americans are deeper than just low scores and school funding.For example, they point out that African-American students are less likely to have supportive relationships with teachers, so they are less likely to have satisfying recommendation letters.

At least they're trying, says Richard D Kahlenberg, a senior fellow aThe Century Foundation.”An imperfect adversity score is better than failing to consider the difficulty so many students get through”, he said."The adversity score is simple and direct.”

1. What does “adversity" probably mean in the passage?

A．Mess

B．Difficulty

C．Confusion

D．Failure

2. What is "that reality "in paragraph 3?

A．Schools are underfunded.

B．The media have caused the unfairness.

C．Parents are not well-educated.

D．Family status greatly affects students' scores.

3. What might the influence of ”adversity score”?

A．It will narrow the gap between the white and the black.

B．Students from poor families are likely to benefit from it.

C．It will encourage students to work harder for high scores.

D．Students from rich families may have higher adversity scores..

4. Why is there criticism of the adversity score?

A．It fails to take students' difficulties into consideration.

B．It will make racial inequality a more serious problem.

C．The relationship between teachers and students will be affected.

D．Efforts made by students from rich families will be undervalued.

6 . Astronauts drink their own pee (尿)—after it's been cleaned.     1     Many experts, though, argue that recycling pee and other waste is an excellent and safe solution when there isn't enough fresh water to go around.

    2     All of the water that astronauts use to drink, brush their teeth, or make coffee comes out of one limited container that has to be resupplied—from Earth. To help conserve water, the waste from sinks, toilets, and even the pee from lab animals on board flows into a recycling system. First, the water goes through a series of filters(过滤器) to get rid of large particles(微粒) and impurities. Then, chemical reactions remove poisonous chemicals and kill any bacteria or viruses.     3    

Chris Hadfield, who lived on the space station for five months, says, "Before you feel uncomfortable with the thought of drinking your leftover wash water and your leftover pee, keep in mind that the water that we end up with is purer than most of the water that you drink on a daily basis at home."

Astronauts, however, tend to be more adventurous than the average person. On Earth, cities in very dry parts of the world have attempted to introduce wastewater purification systems.     4     Citizens recoiled(退缩) in disgust. Despite scientific evidence that the water is clean, many people just can't get over the fact that it once flowed through a toilet. In the 1990s, activists in San Diego and Los Angeles campaigned against "toilet to tap" water.     5     In a survey of 2,000 Americans, 26 percent agreed with the statement: "It is impossible for recycled water to be treated to a high enough quality that I would want to use it."

A．And you wouldn't be alone.

B．And the disapproval remained strong.

C．what comes out is clean enough to drink.

D．On the International Space Station, water is a precious resource.

E．Lots of people feel sick at the thought of drinking recycled wastewater.

F．Though some of these programs have succeeded, others failed miserably.

G．Would you pick up a glass of water that's been through a wastewater cleaning system?

7 . The electricity workers' strike has been going on for three days. Below are some statements about the strike.

Mr. Mike Smith:

It wasn't an easy decision, but we have been asking for a reasonable wage for years. Now at last people are beginning to listen to us. We're only asking for a 25 percent increase in our wages. It's a pity so many people have to be inconvenienced by our strike, but please don't blame us. Blame the government for refusing our claim.

Mr. Tom Brown:

It's totally unreasonable to demand so much money when we are trying desperately to stop the prices going up. If wages go up, so do prices. If we give in to them, all the other unions would want more, with the inevitable result that the crisis would become uncontrollable. We offer them a 10 percent increase. And that's already too much. My stand on the strike is to persuade the Union to see the reason.

Mr. Bob Davis:

Everybody will be hurt by this strike, including the electricity workers themselves. The economy will be destroyed and many people will lose their jobs. Already people are saying that the big unions have too much power and shouldn't be allowed to strike. Of course the electricity workers want to get more money. Don't we all?

Miss Stater:

Let's face it. It's neither here nor there. The electricity workers are in a strong position. Perhaps we can't do anything about it. What I say is：let them have their 250 dollars so they can return to work. I mean, the government wastes the taxpayers' money all the time on unimportant things. How can anyone say 250 dollars is “too much”？Pop singers get more. Nurses get less. It's just one of those things.

1. Who is most likely to be an employee in electricity industry?

A．Mr. Mike Smith.	B．Mr. Tom Brown.
C．Mr. Bob Davis.	D．Miss Stater.

2. The underlined word in Paragraph 3 most probably means ________.

A．avoidable

B．inspiring

C．automatic

D．sensitive

3. We can learn from the text that ________.

A．the electricity workers won't achieve their goal	B．the government won't meet the workers' demand
C．the strike caused little trouble for the society	D．the workers got little support from the society

8 . Smiling is a global smart language. Everybody smiles in the same language. We smile when we feel good.     1    There's a bidirectional effect between smiling and feeling positive: Both can be reason and effect of the other one.

The act of smiling is connected with neurotransmitters related to pleasure sensations and psychological tensions, as well as with certain stress hormones.     2     When we smile, even when we force it, our body releases the “feel good” hormones, which will put us in a much better mood and relieve our stress. Meanwhile, our creativity and self-confidence increase, leading us towards the right mental balance we need.

    3     Plentiful evidence shows that smiling can help boost the immune system by decreasing stress levels, which in turn increases white blood cell count and releases beneficial antibodies that help fight infection and disease. Besides, smiling can even reduce our heart rate after a stressful situation.

But positive effects of smiling aren't limited to our own mental and physical well-being: Our smile goes beyond us having a positive effect on the people around. Research suggests that happy people influence the people closest to them and provide a boost of good energy.     4     When others see us smiling, chances are that we'll find them smiling as well. The more we smile, the more we'll receive smiles back.

Attractive smiles suggest confidence, capability and authority, and these feelings can motivate others. A smile is the prettiest thing we can wear.     5     When we smile, life smiles as well.

A．Smiling can even improve our physical health.

B．That's why life isn't always full of reasons to smile.

C．Smiling may be the most effective and cheapest anti-stress.

D．And we can create well-being feelings just by raising a smile.

E．Smiling is one of the most infectious expressions of emotion.

F．Never let negative emotions prevent you bonding with others.

G．So we should smile more and then benefit ourselves and others.

9 . Bob enjoys breakfasts of caviar, swims in his own saltwater pool and receives foot massages on the beach. A comfortable life, perhaps, but you could say he deserves it: Bob serves as an ambassador for conservation(保护大使). Bob,you see,is a flamingo(火烈鸟).

Odette Doest rescued Bob in 2016,after the bird crashed into a window in Curacao and hurt his left wing. While taking care of the bird at her wildlife sanctuary(庇护所），Doest discovered that Bob previously had been trained by people: He felt at ease with people,but he suffered from bumblefoot. The foot disease would have weakened his ability to catch food in the wild.

For those reasons, Doest decided to keep him as an educational animal at her sanctuary, alongside 90 other animals. When Doest began taking Bob on her foundation's weekly visits to schools on the island,the flamingo became famous instantly.

“Bob is like the hot item-everyone likes Bob,”Doest says. That's because most people have never seen such an elegant colorful bird up close.“Just don't try to take a Bobselfie. That's not what Bob is about,” Doest says firmly.“I have Bob for students to think about nature and the environment, and how a slight change in their habits can have a big effect on nature around us.”

That could mean choosing reusable cups instead of plastic bottles or skipping the balloons at a birthday party or picking up rubbish on the beach--all things Doest says children take to heart because they're so dazzled by Bob. Many of Doest's rescued birds were caught in fishing lines. In her talks, she stressed the environmental threat caused by fishing lines, along with plastic pollution.

1. What can we learn about Bob's life?

A．It is strange and meaningless.	B．It is relaxing and meaningful.
C．It is difficult but exciting.	D．It is hard but interesting.

2. What happened to Bob before he got hurt?

A．He was often beaten by people.	B．His left wing was badly broken.
C．There was something wrong with his foot.	D．He often got lost while looking for food in the wild.

3. Why does Doest like to bring Bob to schools?

A．To take photos with the students.	B．To teach students how to raise flamingos.
C．To make herself well-known on the island.	D．To educate students about environmental protection.

4. What does the underlined word “dazzled” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Attracted.

B．Disappointed.

C．Upset.

D．Challenged

10 . Reading is an important part of learning English, but many students find it difficult.    1     .

●Read for the main ideas

Read the text for the first time, and don't stop. Read to understand the main ideas    2    . You' ll be surprised that you can usually understand the main idea of the story.

●    3     .

Context（上下文）refers to words and situations that are around a word you don't understand. Look at the example sentence:

I went to the schlumping to buy some chitla for dinner.

What's "schlumping"?-It must be a store because you bought something there. What's "chitla"?-It must be food because you are going to eat it for dinner.

●Use your own language

One of the best tips on improving reading is to think about how you read in your own language. Start by thinking about how you read different documents. How do you read the newspaper?    4    ?How do you read train schedules? And so on. Taking time to think about this will help give you clues（线索）on how to read in English-even if you don't understand every single word.    5     .

●Understand different reading skills

Here is a quick overview of the four types of reading skills used in every language:

Skimming-used to understand the main idea

Scanning-used to find a particular piece of information

Extensive reading- used for pleasure and general understanding

Intensive reading- accurate reading for detailed understanding

A．Use context

B．What are you doing

C．Put away your pencil-boxes

D．How do you read novels

E．and don't look up new words

F．Here are some tips that will help you improve reading by using skills

G．It is not always necessary to read and understand every single word in English