1 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

It was in the afternoon before the end of the Second World War that Antonio Black, who was twelve, caught sight of a beautiful brooch (胸针) in a shop window. The brooch is so beautiful that he was unwilling to leave the store until he had purchased it. But it was too expensive — $5. His family was very poor and his parents struggled to make ends meet. Five dollars would buy almost a week’s food for his family.

Antonio couldn’t ask his father for the money. Everything his father made through fishing went to his mother, Susan. Slim and beautiful, his mother was the center of the home and the glue that held it together. The housework was never-ending, and she struggled to feed and clothe their five children, but she was happy as her family and their well-being were all she cared about.

Nevertheless, he opened the shop’s door and went inside. Standing proudly and straight in his flour-sack (面粉袋改做的) shirt and washed-out trousers, he told the shopkeeper what he wanted, adding, “But I don’t have the money right now. Can you please hold it for me for some time?”

“I’ll try,” the shopkeeper smiled. “People around here don’t usually have that kind of money to spend on things. It should keep for a while.”

Antonio respectfully touched his worn cap and walked out. He would raise the money and not tell anybody, for he thought Mum would be surprised when she saw that brooch. On hearing the sound of hammering (锤打) from a side street, Antonio suddenly had an idea that he could raise money by selling the used nail bags. People built their own homes in Bay Roberts, using nails bought in bags from a local factory. Sometimes the used bags were thrown away at the construction site, and Antonio knew he could sell them back to the factory for five cents a piece. That day he sold two nail bags and hid the money in a rusty soda tin.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Every day after school, Antonio started his plan.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The day finally came!

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2 . Vehicles on our roads are now mostly petrol and diesel (柴油) cars, but their days cannot continue for much longer. A recent university study found that current electric cars could be used for 87 percent of daily car journeys in the US. That figure could rise to 98 percent by 2020.

One hurdle to the widespread adoption of electric cars has been “range anxiety” — drivers concerns about running out of electricity on a journey. While petrol stations are conveniently located across national road systems, the necessary network of electric charging stations is still being developed. That said, charging points are becoming increasingly common throughout the USA.

Attitudes towards electric vehicles have changed greatly over the last few years. Not that long ago, electric cars were met with distrust, and their high prices drove customers away. Thanks to improvements in battery capacity, recharging times, performance and price, the current generation of electric cars are starting to persuade picky consumers. Plug-in cars will soon give internal combustion engine (内燃机) models a run for their money.

As well as development on the road, electric vehicles are taking to the seas and skies. Electric boats are among the oldest methods of electric travel, having enjoyed several decades of popularity from the late 19th to the early 20th century before petrol-powered outboard motors took over. Now, the global drive for renewable energy sources is bringing electric boats back. Steps towards electric air travel are also being made, with Airbus and NASA among the organizations developing and testing battery-powered planes. The experiments could soon make commercial electric flight a reality.

Electric vehicles do not produce any emissions (排放). If the US could replace 87 percent of its cars with electric vehicles, it would reduce the national demand for petrol by 61 percent. However, because of the production processes and the generation of electricity required to charge these vehicles, they cannot claim (声称) to be completely emission-free. That said, as many countries continue to increase their use of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles will become even cleaner.

1. The underlined word “hurdle” in Paragraph 2 probably means________.

A．aim

B．difficulty

C．result

D．step

2. Why did many people refuse to buy the electric cars in the past?

A．They were very poorly made.	B．They were not widely promoted.
C．They were expensive.	D．They couldn’t travel at a high speed.

3. What is the function of Paragraph 4?

A．To introduce the history of electric travel.

B．To explain why the world needs more electric cars.

C．To show why more people have interest in electric cars.

D．To describe different ways electric vehicles can be used.

4. Which is the best title for this passage?

A．Driving into a Cleaner Future	B．History of Electric Cars
C．Problems with Petrol and Diesel Cars	D．Best Means of Transportation

3 . Many kids help out around the house with chores such as emptying the dishwasher, putting laundry away, and taking out the trash. In exchange, some kids get allowances or other rewards such as extra computer time.

But some people do not think that kids should get rewards for doing chores. Susie Walton, a parenting educator and family coach, believes that by rewarding kids, parents are sending a message that work isn’t worth doing unless you get something in return. “Running any kind of household is a team effort,” Susie said. “A home is a living space for everyone in the family. It’s important for kids to see that we all have responsibilities in the house, and that families decide together how they want their home to look, and how they are going to keep it looking like everyone wants it to look.”

Other people believe that getting a cash allowance or other rewards motivates kids to do chores, and it also teaches them real world lessons about how we need to work to earn money. There are also new applications that give kids points and digital gifts that can be redeemed (兑取) either online or in the real world. With the Chore Monster app, kids earn digital points by completing chores that they can turn in for real-life rewards such as extra Xbox time or a trip to the mall. “Our goal is to encourage kids to earn rewards.” says Chris Bergman, founder of Chore Monster. “Kids need positive reinforcement to help motivate them.”

What do you think? Should kids be rewarded for doing chores? Or should kids help out around their homes without getting anything in return?

Write a 200-word response. Send it to tfkasks4you@timeforkids. com. Your response may be published in a future issue of Time For Kids. Please include your grade and contact information of your parent or teacher if you want your response to be published. The deadline for responding is 18 February.

1. How does the author start the passage?

A．By stating his own experiences.	B．By presenting some facts.
C．By comparing different views.	D．By listing some evidence.

2. What can we learn from Susie Walton’s words?

A．Kids should be rewarded for doing chores.

B．Parents decide what kids can do for the family.

C．Kids have the responsibility to share housework.

D．Kids can get extra computer time for doing chores.

3. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Chris Bergman’s opinion on raising kids.

B．Main reasons why kids need encouragement

C．How to motivate kids to try new applications.

D．The advantage of rewarding kids for doing chores.

4. What is the purpose of writing the text?

A．To invite readers to express their opinions.	B．To present the author’s viewpoint about parenting.
C．To call on readers to reflect on their behavior.	D．To inform readers of two different opinions.

4 . 语法填空

The fresh thin air, snow-covered mountains and graceful animals running on the plains are     1    we’re here-to observe Tibetan antelopes, which are being hunted,     2    (legal), for their valuable fur.

My guide is Zhaxi, who works at the Changtang National Nature Reserve. “We’re not trying to save the animals,”he says. “Actually, we’re trying to save     3    (we).”

     During the 1980s and 1990s, the population of Tibetan antelopes dropped by more than 50 percent, as hunters were shooting antelopes to make     4    (profit). To save this species from extinction, the Chinese government placed it under national protection. Zhaxi and other volunteers watched over the antelopes day and night to keep them safe from    5    (attack). Bridges and gates    6    ( add ) to let the antelopes move easily and keep them safe from cars and trains.

As    7    result, the antelope population has recovered and in June 2015, the Tibetan antelope was removed from the     8     (danger) species list. The govermment, however, does not intend    9    (stop) the protection programmes, since the threats to the Tibetan antelope have not yet disappeared.

   Only when we learn to live in harmony with nature     10     we stop being a threat to wildlife and to our planet.

5 . The Glover kids in Newburgh, New York, want to make a little extra money themselves before the school opens. So, earlier this week, they set up a lemonade stand on the side of the road. _______ was good during the rush hour, at which point some police officers stopped and _______ Whitney Glover, the mother of the young businessmen, that some _______ person had called to complain(投诉)about kids’selling lemonade.

Now, in most stories, that’s when the police _______the stand, telling kids to take a food handling course,and get a _______ from the related department...Then the children go home completely _______ for their business is broken. But not in this _______. The police officers said the kids weren’t doing anything wrong _______causing traffic jams, and that their motivation(积极性)should be _________.The kids also promised to make ________ to their schedule to avoid traffic problems. After ________ for a photo with the kids, they left.

Whitney posted the picture on social media with explanatory words. The __________ story has gained a great deal of local ________ and the lemonade business is now booming.

Dozens of customers have ________ for lemonade. “Every single time you buy a glass, children look amazed by the __________ from time and efforts to coins in their hands,”Whitney said.

1.

A．Progress

B．Business

C．Budget

D．Service

2.

A．demanded

B．proposed

C．warned

D．informed

3.

A．angry

B．generous

C．anxious

D．responsible

4.

A．take over

B．leave out

C．shut down

D．tear apart

5.

A．course

B．licence

C．fund

D．record

6.

A．surprised

B．tired

C．upset

D．confused

7.

A．context

B．case

C．reason

D．issue

8.

A．other than

B．instead of

C．as for

D．due to

9.

A．investigated

B．prevented

C．praised

D．punished

10.

A．contributions

B．differences

C．objections

D．adjustments

11.

A．posing

B．exchanging

C．preparing

D．searching

12.

A．refreshing

B．effective

C．amusing

D．creative

13.

A．apology

B．development

C．support

D．debate

14.

A．stood out

B．stood by

C．stopped out

D．stopped by

15.

A．change

B．donation

C．supply

D．application

6 . Many leading AI researchers think that in a matter of decades, artificial intelligence will be able to do not merely some of our jobs, but all of our jobs, forever transforming life on the earth.

The reason why many people reject this as science fiction is that we’ve traditionally thought of intelligence as something mysterious that can only exist in biological organisms,especially humans. But such an idea is unscientific.

From my point of view as a physicist and AI researcher, intelligence is simply a certain kind of information-processing performed by elementary particles (基本粒子) moving around,and there is no law of physics that says one can’t build machines more intelligent than us in all ways. This suggests that we’ve only seen the tip of the intelligence iceberg and that there is an amazing potential to unlock the full intelligence that is potential in nature and use it to help humanity.

If we get it right, the upside is huge. Since everything we love about civilization is the product of intelligence, amplifying our own intelligence with AI has the potential to solve tomorrow’s toughest problems. For example, why risk our loved ones dying in traffic accidents that self-driving cars could prevent or dying of cancers that AI might help us find cures for? Why not increase productivity through automation and use AI to accelerate our research and development of affordable sustainable (可持续的) energy?

I’m optimistic that we can develop rapidly with advanced AI as long as we win the race between the growing power of our technology and the knowledge with which we manage it. But this requires giving up our outdated concept of learning from mistakes. That helped us win the race with less powerful technology. We messed up with fire and then invented fire extinguishers (灭火器), and we messed up with cars and then invented seat belts. However, it’s an awful idea for more powerful technologies, such as nuclear weapons or super intelligent AI-where even a single mistake is unacceptable and we need to get things right the first time.

1. How do many people feel about leading AI researchers’ predictions?

A．Worried.	B．Curious.
C．Doubtful.	D．Disappointed.

2. What does the author think of intelligence?

A．We know little about it.	B．It belongs to human beings.
C．It is too difficult to understand.	D．We have a good command of it.

3. What does the underlined word “upside” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Cost.	B．Potential.
C．Quantity.	D．Advantage.

4. What’s important for us in the race between people and technology?

A．Learning from failure.	B．Increasing our intelligence.
C．Avoiding making mistakes.	D．Making accurate predictions.

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 a. m. When I arrived, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute, ”answered a weak, elderly voice.

After a long time, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.

I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly towards the car. She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing, “I told her. ”I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”

“ Oh, you’re such a good man. ” She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “ Could you drive through downtown?”

“ It’s not the shortest way, ” I answered quickly.

“ Oh, I’m in no hurry, ” she said. “ I’m on my way to a hospice(临终安养院).”   I saw her eyes shining with tears.I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器). For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. At dawn, she suddenly said, “ I’m tired. Let’s go now. ” We drove in silence according to the address she had given me.

“ How much do l owe you?” she asked. “ Nothing. ” I said.

“ You have to make a living, ”she answered. “ Oh, there are other passengers, ” I answered. She said thanks to me, but she looked so sad.

注意：1.续写词数应为 150 左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Para1:Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Para 2: The next day, I was on my way to visit her.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . 假定你是李华，你的新西兰朋友Noah在给你的邮件中说他对中国古代建筑很感兴趣，并打算利用暑假参观一下。请你给他回封邮件，内容包括：
1．推荐要参观的建筑；
2．约定参观的时间；
3．提出其他建议。
注意：
1．词数80左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . “Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton (骨骼）in the closet (衣橱）?” Jessica asked. “A skeleton in the closet ?” her mother paused thoughtfully. “Well, it’s something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad’s family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be‘a skeleton in his family’s closet’. He really wouldn’t want any neighbor to know about it. ”

“Why pick on my family ?” Jessica’s father said with anger. “ Your family history isn’t so good, you know. Wasn’t your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes ? ” “ Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners.” “ Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now,” Jessica cut in before things grew worse.

After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica’s parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica's closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica's mother sank into a faint(晕倒），waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.

“What happened? Where am I?” she asked. “You just destroyed the school’s skeleton, Mum,” explained Jessica. “I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as l mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad. ” Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They're both crazy,” she thought.

1. According to Jessica’s mother, “a skeleton in the closet” means ________.

A．a family honor	B．a family secret
C．a family story	D．a family treasure

2. What can we learn about some Australians’ ancestors from Paragraph 2?

A．They were brought to Australia as prisoners.

B．They were the earliest people living in Australia.

C．They were involved in some crimes in Australia.

D．They were not regarded as criminals in their days.

3. Jessica’s mother fell down into a faint because she was ________.

A．knocked	B．frightened
C．injured	D．surprised

4. Jessica’s parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because ________.

A．they were crazy

B．they were overexcited

C．they realized their misunderstanding

D．they both thought they had won the quarrel

10 . Find Your Chicago Architecture Tour

Chicago is known around the world for its architecture. Whether you tour downtown or a neighborhood, our guides will tell you the stories behind the buildings.

Must-see Chicago

Must-see Chicago is a fast-paced, 90-minute tour to Chicago featuring(以…为特色) some of its most famous buildings, including the Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower and more! Get a brief overview of more than a dozen buildings—as well as Chicago landmarks like Millennium Park, the Loop and the Chicago River.

Duration: 1.5 hours

Price: $ 26 public, free for CAC members

Architecture Highlights

Discover the exciting diversity(多样性) of Chicago architecture, which traces the city’s development from its founding through present day. We cover about 30 miles of Chicago design, passing through the Loop and the Gold Coast, as well as Hyde Park and other areas of the South Side. We’ll see two university campuses and several parks.

Duration: 3.5 hours

Price: $ 55 public, free for CAC members

Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age

Learn about the great architectural landmarks of Michigan Avenue and State Street, with views inside beautiful buildings from the 1890s〜1930s. The most memorable parts include the amazing interiors(内部) of the Palmer House Hotel and the Chicago Cultural Center.

Duration: 2 hours

Price: $ 26 public, free for CAC members

Elevated Architecture: Downtown “L” Train

Explore Chicago’s amazing architecture from the unique view of elevated trains and station platforms. Learn the history behind the famous “L” system and hear how it has shaped the development of buildings within the Loop. The city’s first elevated train started making trips in 1892. Now considered one of Chicago’s most wonderful features, the “L” offers impressive views of downtown.

Duration: 2 hours

Price: $ 26 public, free for CAC members

1. Which tour can you choose if you want to see Millennium Park?

A．Must-see Chicago.

B．Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age

C．Architecture Highlights.

D．Elevated Architecture： Downtown “L” Train.

2. When visiting Architecture Highlights, a couple should pay ______.

A．$55

B．$ 110

C．$ 165

D．$ 220

3. What can you see on the third tour?

A．The Chicago River.	B．The Gold Coast.
C．The elevated trains.	D．The Palmer House Hotel.