1 . It’s a hot time for Chinese language learning across the world, not only because of China’s higher position in the world but also because of the increasing economic and cultural connections between China and the other countries.
For example, the United Arab Emirates(UAE)plans to open Chinese language courses in 200 public primary and middle schools, so experienced Chinese teachers are needed.
Other Chinese courses opened across the world show the increasing need for Chinese-speaking talent. Mandarin(普通话)became an elective(选修的)foreign language in Russia＇s college entrance exam. Following English, German, French and Spanish, Mandarin has become the fifth elective test subject for the exam.
Spain has more than 40,000 people learning Chinese. Last year about 8,000 people took the Chinese Proficiency Test(HSK) exam. The number of people who took the test was the biggest, according to Xinhua News Agency.
In the USA, learning Chinese has been growing fast for many years and is now a popular choice for American children, especially those who were born in rich families. The children begin to learn Chinese at an early age because their parents believe that learning Chinese will help them build successful international business.
1. Why is Chinese language learning so hot?| A．Many foreigners like China’s culturc. |
| B．China helps a lot of countries to develop. |
| C．China has the highest position in the world. |
| D．China has more international influence around the world. |
| A．The UAE needs experienced English teachers. |
| B．All American children learn Chinese at an early age. |
| C．About one fifth of the Spanish learning Chinese took the HSK. |
| D．The Mandarin exam must be taken before going to Russia’s colleges. |
| A．Helpful. | B．Difficult. | C．Boring. | D．Interesting. |
| A．More people in the UAE begin to learn Chinese. |
| B．Chinese language learning is popular around the world. |
| C．Some foreign countries want more Chinese teachers. |
| D．Many American children are learning Chinese now. |
2 . Do you like travelling? Do you want to travel with less money? OK, let me introduce something about couch surfers(沙发漫游)to you? They are travelers who spend the night in an Internet friend’s house. Let’s share some of their stories.
After spending the whole day traveling in Paris, I met Theo at the bus station. At his apartment I met his roommate Roger. Both of them were very friendly. They took me to a party the next day. I went back to Theo’s apartment on the back of his bicycle. Peter |
When I traveled in Vienna, I stayed with Artur, a college student. One day I forgot to turn off the tap after having a bath. The bathroom was full of water. However, Artur did not get angry with me. Henri |
I got off the bus at the wrong station, so I had to take a taxi to Judit’s apartment. Judit was a reporter and she was always busy. The next day we went shopping together and she bought a dress for a party. In the evening she went to the party and I stayed at the apartment alone. Lucy |
| A．To London. | B．To Paris. | C．To Vienna. | D．To Budapest. |
| A．got on the wrong bus | B．couldn’t find his partner |
| C．forgot to turn off the tap | D．did not know how to use the tap |
| A．By bike. | B．By taxi. | C．By train. | D．On foot, |
| A．Peter. | B．Judit. | C．Theo. | D．Lucy. |
3 . TV was one of the greatest inventions in the 20th century. Nowadays, nearly every house has at least one TV set.
Television came into being based on the inventions and discoveries of many scientists. On April 7, 1927, the first public television programme was broadcast in the USA. The signals were received on a very small screen. It was only about the size of a business card. The pictures were reddish (微红色的) and not clear.
In the 1930s, bigger screens appeared with black-and-white pictures. However, a snowy picture was the best many TV viewers could hope for. Often, they could only get one station, and only when the weather conditions were good.
When World War II(1939~1945) began, the development of TV stopped. There were a very small number of TV sets in the hands of the public. By 1945, there were fewer than 7,000 working TV sets in the USA. A TV set cost about half the price of a car at that time.
The time after World War II is considered one of the golden periods of television. Families saved money during the war years, and wanted to buy a lot of things after the war. TV sets were soon put onto the “must-have” list.1950~1959 was an exciting period for television. Colour television and remote (遥控的) controls came out during this time. By 1955, the cost of TV sets came down a lot. Instead of being equal to half the price of a car, they were now just equal to the cost of a new set of tyres (轮胎). This marked the beginning of the booming age of TV.
1. Where was the first public television programme broadcast?| A．In America. | B．In British. | C．In Russia. | D．In Canada. |
| A．It’s beautiful. | B．It’s boring. | C．It’s expensive. | D．It’s cheap. |
| A．In the 1930s, TV signals became very easy to receive. |
| B．During World War II, TV sets went into lots of families. |
| C．After World War II, TV was invented. |
| D．TV developed fast in the 1950s. |
| A．The Birth of Television | B．The Development of Television |
| C．The Need for Television | D．The Price of Television |
4 . Some Ways to Improve Your Study
As a high school student, it is important for you to do well in study. The better ways you have, the better you will learn. But do you know how to improve your study?
●Pay attention in class. First, don’t make any noise in class.
●
●Go over your lessons.
●Learn from your classmates. Everyone has his own advantages. You should learn not only from your teachers but also from your classmates. You can learn in pairs or in groups to solve problems.
I’m sure you will improve your study sooner or later if you follow the ways above.
| A．Take good notes. |
| B．Believe in yourself. |
| C．Here are some ways to help you. |
| D．It is necessary for you to go over your lessons. |
| E．You should take part in out-of-school activities. |
| F．Second, pay attention to what the teacher says. |
| G．In this way, you can learn from each other and know more. |
5 . With Alibaba outsizing other IT giants such as Facebook, and Google in terms of its IPO valuation, Jack Ma might just have become one of the most popular English majors of all time. When his IPO road show video, delivered to shareholders in the US, went viral, for many, it was the first time they’d heard Ma speak English. Ma learned English in an academic setting, but here he adapted his language skills to cross the threshold into the financial and business contexts. This speech released last week finds Ma’s tone spot on as he tries to tell the tale of a Chinese business pursuing its dreams, big and small.
“Hello, I’m Jack Ma, founder and chairman of Alibaba Group. Fifteen years ago, 18 founders in my apartment had a dream that someday we can build up a company that can serve millions of small business. Today, it remains our mission to make it easy to do business anywhere.
At Alibaba, we fight for the little guy, the small businessmen and women and their customers. Our role is simple: through our ecosystem, we help merchants and customers find each other and conduct business on their terms and in ways that best serve their unique needs. We help merchants to grow, create jobs and open new markets in ways that were never before possible.
Today, 15 years has passed. We’ve grown so significantly and have become a household name in China. And soon, we’ll be ready for the world to know us.
You will hear details from our business later. But first let me take you on a journey around China, to see some of the real people, real stories that Alibaba has an impact on.
[Personal stories of small businesses]
I am proud to share with you these stories that show the heart and spirit of Alibaba. I’m proud that we ignite(激发)innovation, create jobs benefit customers and help entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams.
With Alibaba’s platforms, people are improving their lives today, and have hope for a better tomorrow. From our humble beginnings and throughout the past 15 years, Alibaba has changed commerce in China. Our business has grown, but we never lost sight of our customers, focusing on solving their problems, leading to the best outcome for our business.
Alibaba has come a long way, but we want to be a company that can last 102 years. We still have 87 years to go, and we believe one thing, ‘Today is difficult, tomorrow is more difficult, but the day after tomorrow is beautiful’ . So we have to work very hard in order to survive the long journey.”
1. Which of the following has a WRONG interpretation of the underlined phrases?| A．outsize: surpass, or do better than. |
| B．go viral: become popular and spread like virus. |
| C．cross the threshold: enter. |
| D．the little guy: Ma Yun himself. |
| A．Alibaba has defeated Facebook and Google in one respect. |
| B．Ma Yun is the founder who adapted academic English for financial and business contexts. |
| C．The 8 founders of the Alibaba team has fully realized the dream they had 15 years ago. |
| D．Alibaba Group has already been world-famous. |
| A．Johnson Rodriguez, who earns money from the share market in the US. |
| B．Angela Wang, who owns a small private company. |
| C．Wu Gang, a wine-merchant who just started his own business. |
| D．Gong Xiao wei, who is an online shopaholic. |
| A．Exaggerating (夸张的). | B．Encouraging. |
| C．Explicit. | D．Enjoyable. |
6 . 
The American seafood staple of Maine lobster, or “lobsta” as they say in Maine, is becoming very popular on Asian dining tables. Maine lobsters were a featured course at last year’s state dinner when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the White House. Now, the creatures with claws are becoming a big export to Asia.
The lobster’s home is in the Atlantic Ocean, anywhere from Newfoundland in Canada to North Carolina in the United States. But nearly 90 percent of the fishery activity happens in the state of Maine.
And the prices for fresh lobster have risen to a higher level. “Three years ago, the price was mediocre. We averaged around $2.50 to $3 per pound (or nearly half a kilogram) for the year,” said Chris Welch, a lobster boat captain. “This year, the price has been excellent. It’s better than I can remember in a lot of years.”
During one morning, a lobster order was being prepared for shipment to Hong Kong. The biggest challenge in shipping was logistics. Shippers have only 36 hours from the time lobsters are packed until arrival in China. Any lobster arriving after that time loses quality.
American shellfish (水生有壳动物) exports have grown rapidly in recent years. More than 23,000 kilograms of that type of seafood is exported to Asia every week via air. “We primarily export lobsters to Asia; probably about 80 percent to China and the other 20 percent to some other Asian countries,” said lobster dealer Stephanie Nadeau. “The countries of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea and Japan are big lobster fans,” he said.
1. According to the text, we can know that most fishing of lobsters is done in ________.| A．Newfoundland | B．North Carolina | C．Maine | D．the Atlantic Ocean |
| A．China is the largest lobster import country in Asia. |
| B．American shellfish imports have grown sharply in recent years. |
| C．The lobsters can only stay high-quality within one and a half days while being shipped. |
| D．In a way, the popularity of lobsters in Asia has something to do with President Xi Jinping’s visit to the White House. |
| A．Maine Lobsters Becoming Popular in China |
| B．President Xi’s Visit to the White House |
| C．The Price of Lobsters 5 Times Higher than Before |
| D．Sales of American Shellfish Growing Rapidly Worldwide |
| A．a research paper | B．a geography textbook |
| C．an advertisement | D．a newspaper report |
7 . We buy what we need and want. But at the same time, we also need to make sure that we are not short of cash while shopping and we are saving our money with every purchase we make. Below are some simple tips.
Make a shopping list.
When you list the items you want to shop for, you don’t buy excessively or impulsively (过度或冲动地) while shopping.
Compare prices.
Leave the store when in doubt.
If you cannot decide whether to buy a product, do not make a purchase. Instead, leave the store. If you decide later that you want it, you can always visit the shop next time.
Watch out for sale offers.
Don’t go for items on sale if they are not needed, even if they are being offered at a cheap price. Only buy what you need.
Don’t choose friends who are shopaholics (购物狂) themselves and love to see you spending because it makes them feel better about their purchases. Instead, go to malls with friends who do not pressure you to buy anything but give you an honest opinion and help you in making your purchase.
| A．If you can make it, then don’t buy. |
| B．Saving while shopping is not easy. |
| C．Pick your shopping friends wisely. |
| D．Think before buying: Am I going to need it? |
| E．The rule allows you to buy only what’s on the list. |
| F．Chances are that you’ll be glad that you saved the money. |
| G．Don’t just buy right away on seeing a product you find. |
8 . A giant 18-wheel transport truck is moving very quickly down a Texas highway (公路) , and there is no one behind the wheel.
The futuristic idea is being tested in Texas, which has become the center of a rapidly developing self-driving vehicle industry.
Self-driving technology companies didn’t land in Texas by chance. The state has the largest number of truck drivers and engineers. Its sunny climate is great for the trucks’ sensors, and neighboring Mexico exports 85 percent of its goods to Texas by road. But most of all, Texas passed a law that gave autonomous cars the same position as traditional vehicles in 2018.
With the United States so vast (辽阔的) and trucking such an important part of its economy, companies see self-driving as a way to cut costs and reduce risk, since unlike human drivers, autonomous vehicles don’t get tired. While it will take a person three days to drive a truck from Los Angeles to Dallas, a self-driving truck will complete the journey in 24 hours. And it will be nearly twice as cheap. The per-mile cost would drop from $1.76 to $0.96 if the truck drives itself.
Alex Rodrigues, CEO and co-founder of Embark Technology, insists self-driving trucks will play a key role in dealing with the current shortage of long-distance truck drivers in the US, some of whom are unwilling to be away from their families for weeks at a time. And Rodrigues promises that the self-driving truck industry will create “attractive” jobs for local drivers, who will take over the autonomous trucks at transfer (中转) points and drive them to their final destination points.
Still, about 294,000 trucking jobs would be threatened by the industry’s automation, according to a 2018 study.
For Julio Moscoso, a 56-year-old driver in Texas, the arrival of driverless trucks is “not good news”. He still remembers a time not long ago when “there wasn’t as much work”. And most importantly, Moscoso says he wouldn’t trust driverless trucks. “It’s dangerous. What happens if the sensors fail?” he asks.
1. What contributes most to the position of Texas in the self-driving truck industry?| A．Its special law. | B．Its bright weather. |
| C．Its attraction to talents. | D．Its unique geographical location. |
| A．The future of driverless trucks. |
| B．The influences of driverless trucks. |
| C．The production of driverless trucks. |
| D．The advantages of driverless trucks. |
| A．It will make transport safer. |
| B．It will have fewer transport costs. |
| C．It will offer good job opportunities. |
| D．It will lift drivers’ competitive spirit. |
| A．He is against them. |
| B．He appreciates them. |
| C．He is doubtful about them. |
| D．He pays little attention to them. |
9 . Every year, as many as 50, 000 elephants in Africa are killed illegally for their tusks (象牙). Now scientists have improved DNA methods that allow them to match up elephant tusks, and help track down criminals that are selling them.
Even though it’s against the law, African elephants have long been killed by criminals for their tusks. Other people, called “traffickers”, buy the tusks and transport them out of the country on a ship. The traffickers re-sell the tusks for even more money, usually in Asia. Elephant tusks can sell for about $1, 000 a kilogram.
In the past, it was hard to catch the criminals. Usually by the time the dead animals were found, the illegal hunters had been far away. And when traffickers were caught with elephant tusks, it was impossible to say where the tusks came from. Traffickers usually hide them in tricky ways inside shipments of other products. That means that only about 10% of tusks from illegally killed elephants are ever found.
Several years ago, scientists led by Dr. Samuel Wasser figured out a new way to solve the problem. Using elephant waste, they built a list of the DNA of almost all elephants in Africa.
Now when elephant tusks are found on a ship in another country, DNA tests can show where they came from. This information can trigger quick action in the country where the animals were killed. It can also help the police discover patterns in the ways the illegal hunters and traffickers work.
Dr. Wasser is hopeful that the method of using DNA information from elephants to track illegally killed wildlife will soon be adopted to help protect other kinds of animals and break up more criminal groups.
1. Why do scientists use DNA information from elephants?| A．To improve the health of elephant tusks. |
| B．To keep track of the illegal dealers. |
| C．To protect elephants against natural disasters. |
| D．To research into elephants’ habits. |
| A．The way they are transported. |
| B．The lack of tracking technology. |
| C．The difficulty in catching criminals. |
| D．The various tricks of illegal hunters. |
| A．start with | B．result from | C．hold back | D．lead to |
| A．It can make all criminals have nowhere to hide. |
| B．It can scare away potential illegal hunters. |
| C．It can be widely used in wildlife protection. |
| D．It can make elephant tusk sales unprofitable. |
10 . The time between full wakefulness and being sound asleep may be packed with creative potential. In a new experiment, people who fell into a light sleep were better problem-solvers later.
Thomas Edison inspired the new study. It’s said that the famous inventor used to value the moments between wakefulness and sleep. Supposedly, he used to fall asleep in a chair holding two steel balls. As he nodded off, the balls fell into metal pans. The resulting noise woke him. Then, he could write down his inventive ideas before he fell into a deep sleep and forgot them.
Researchers tested Edison’s method of developing creativity with 103 healthy people. Volunteers came to the lab to solve a difficult number problem. They were asked to change a string of numbers into a shorter sequence (数列) following two simple rules. What the volunteers weren’t told was that there was an easy trick to do this task. The second number in the sequence would always be the correct final number, too. Once discovered, this trick greatly cut the solving time. After doing this task 60 times, the volunteers earned a 20-minute break in a quiet, dark room. Volunteers lay in chairs and held a version of the steel balls that Edison used as “alarm clocks”. The researchers told participants to close their eyes and rest or sleep if they desired. All the while, their brain waves were monitored.
After their rest, participants returned to their number problem. The researchers saw a big difference between the groups. People who had fallen into a shallow, early sleep were 2.7 times as likely to spot the hidden trick as people who had stayed awake. Shallow sleepers were 5.8 times as likely to spot the trick as people who reached the deeper stage.
More work is needed to prove the link between the shallow stage of sleep and creativity. But the results raise an interesting possibility. People may be able to learn to reach that stage of sleep.
1. What was the function of the steel balls and metal pans for Thomas Edison?| A．To help him stay on guard during sleep. |
| B．To stop others from disturbing his sleep. |
| C．To make his brain work even during sleep. |
| D．To prevent him from falling sound asleep. |
| A．Its results are well worth wide promotion. |
| B．It proves researchers’ work is demanding. |
| C．Its findings still need to be further confirmed. |
| D．It will motivate more people to practice light sleep. |
| A．Edison’s Method of Developing Creativity |
| B．Nodding off May Turn Your Creativity on |
| C．A Better Sleep Helps with Problem-Solving |
| D．Links Between Sleep Quality and Creativity |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A museum guide. | D．A diary. |
