1 . In the spring and summer months, thunderstorms are common.     1     In thunderstorms, lightning can strike people and buildings and is very dangerous.

It was reported that a man was struck by lightning when he was making a phone call under a tree. He died at once. You may not know it, but nearly 1,800 thunderstorms are happening at any moment around the world.     2     So what should you do during a lightning storm? Scientists say that a person’s chances of   being struck by lightning are 1 in 600,000.     3    

If you are indoors during a thunderstorm:

*Stay away from anything that is metal because lightning can come into the house through it.

*Don’t stand near the windows.

*Don’t take a shower or bath. Lightning can travel through water.

* Never use the phone.       4    

If you are caught in a thunderstorm outdoors:

*     5     If there’s no building around, try to find a low place to stay in.

*Do not go under a tree because the lightning could hit the tree and travel through the tree to hit you.

* Never use a cell phone.

A．Try to get home as soon as possible.

B．Go into a nearby building or car right away.

C．But it is very important for us to learn about lightning.

D．In fact, many people are killed by lightning every year.

E．Lightning could travel through the phone line and hit you.

F．Since they happen often, some people don’t take them seriously.

G．But you can reduce those chances by following these safety rules.

2 . Chinese cuisine is widely known and enjoyed all around the world. Who doesn’t long for a favorite Chinese dish? But there is one interesting concept concerning Chinese food which is almost unheard of in the West, and which is becoming increasingly ignored by the youth of the East—the ancient custom of “tonic food”.

Tonic food is food which is consumed to improve one’s well-being or avoid sickness. For instance, it was once the custom for new mothers to eat a sesame oil(麻油) chicken soup every day for the first month after giving birth. It was believed that this dish would benefit the muscles, reduce pain, improve circulation, stimulate sweating, and warm the body. Some foods, such as goat meat and spinach, are seen as “hot”, while others, such as Chinese cabbage and radishes, are seen as “cold”. One should be careful not to eat too much of either “hot” or “cold” food. However, how much “hot” or “cold” food one should eat depends on the time of the year, how the food is prepared and what it is prepared with, and the individual’s health.

The custom of employing tonic food for a healthier life also influences the catering industry. Chinese herbal medicines, such as wolfberry(枸杞子), can be found on many a restaurant menu, either added to fruit tea or as a beneficial addition to a dish. These herbs attract customers, such as overworked office staff, in need of a modest pick-me-up.

So, whether you need to boost your strength with a large helping of chicken soup, or increase your mental powers with a serving of fish soup, you may find that this ancient Chinese custom could be just the tonic you were looking for.

1. What is the present situation of tonic food?

A．It is catching less attention.	B．It is enjoyed by many young people.
C．It is well-known worldwide.	D．It is becoming increasingly popular.

2. What is believed to benefit new mothers?

A．Chinese cabbage.	B．Fruit tea.
C．Sesame oil chicken soup.	D．Fish soup.

3. Which of the following best explains “catering” underlined in Paragraph 3?

A．Medicine.

B．Restaurant.

C．Manufacture.

D．Agriculture.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Charm of Chinese Cuisine	B．The Popularity of Tonic Food
C．An Introduction of Chinese Tonic Food	D．Differences Between “Hot” Food and “Cold” Food

4 . Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways.     1    . Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.

You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report.     2    . Whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective process.     3    . The following methods may work best for you.

● Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.

●Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.

● Write your notes in your own words.

●    4    .

● Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.

As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand (速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time.     5    

A．First, the simple act of writing something down makes it easier for you to understand and remember it.

B．There are three practical note-taking methods.

C．You must write your notes on separate paper.

D．Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later.

E．You will also want to develop your own method for taking notes.

F．That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes.

G．Use words, not complete sentences.

5 . Learning to say “yes, and”

When I first heard about the improvisation (即兴交流) class, I was hesitating. As a quiet and shy girl, I feared improvising in front of strangers. However, I knew I wanted to work as a science communicator after finishing my Ph.D., so it seemed like a perfect chance to learn how to speak and communicate with others effectively. I signed up, knowing the experience would give me help.

During our first class, we learned an important concept of improvisation: “yes, and.” It means that, as improvisers, we’d better accept what fellow performers say. If someone says that rhinos (犀牛) are librarians, for example, then rhinos are librarians. We do not question the logic; we say “yes” and then continue with the scene as if nothing is wrong.

The first few scenes were hard, but as weeks turned into months, I became more comfortable and even started to enjoy our classes. I became better at listening, relating to my conversation partners, and communicating clearly in the moment. Once when I was giving a presentation about my science, an audience member surprised me with a question that didn’t grow out of the information I’d presented. Instead of getting confused and nervous, I took the “yes, and” approach—accepting the question and letting my mind focus on why it was asked. That helped me find an appropriate answer. I got pretty excited about it.

The benefits of improvisation go beyond communication. Before attending the class, I would get stuck when my experiments produced unexpected data, thinking that I had made a mistake. But now, instead of getting discouraged, I will stay open to the possibility that the results are real, keep exploring the data and end up identifying a new type of cell—one that isn’t behaving as expected.

I think all scientists can benefit from this lesson. If the data say rhinos are librarians, then it’s worth finding out whether rhinos are, in fact, librarians. As scientists, our job isn’t to challenge data that support, a preconceived story, but to say “yes, and.”

1. Why did the author attend the improvisation class?

A．To get a different experience.

B．To finish her Ph.D. at university.

C．To give up her job as a science communicator.

D．To improve her speaking and communicating ability.

2. What was the author’s change after attending the improvisation class?

A．She formed her own idea quickly.

B．She came up with lots of creative responses.

C．She paid more attention to the logic of answers.

D．She became a good listener before giving an opinion.

3. The author mentions applying the “yes, and” approach to her scientific experiments to ________.

A．explain the process of using the method

B．prove the benefits of the improvisation class

C．share her own research experiences with readers

D．attract fellow scientists to attend the improvisation class

4. What can be inferred about scientists from the last paragraph?

A．They should attend the improvisation class.

B．They should question all preconceived ideas.

C．They should carry on research by admitting earlier data.

D．They should try to improve their academic knowledge.

6 . Sonja Redding and her family were on their way home to Omaha, Nebraska, after a weeklong visit to Washington, D. C. with her two sons, one of whom, 5-year-old Xayvior, has autism(自闭症).

Although all of the other flights had gone fine, Xayvior became angry during one of the flights, and Redding couldn’t calm him.

“It felt like everyone on the plane was looking at us and got angry with my son, ” she wrote in a Facebook post after she got home. “I don’t know what to do when others just don’t understand that he is not just a kid with no discipline(自制力)，but a child with special needs who doesn’t know how to control himself.”

The day was saved by Delta flight attendant(空乘人员)Amanda Amburgy. She tried to help Xayvior watch a movie, but when that failed, she offered to take him on a tour of the airplane. That worked, and soon the child was not only calm, but having a good time.

“When they came back, Xayvior was much calmer and happier,” wrote Redding in the post，which now has 2,700 likes and over 500 shares. “I want to thank this Delta attendant. She didn’t judge, and she just showed love. We need more people like this in the world. ”

It wasn’t long before Amburgy was told about the post.“ We’re there to help, and that’s what we want to do,” she said in an interview. “So, we always want to make anything easier for the family as well as other passengers.”

She also shared what she felt when she read Redding’s story. “When I read it, it touched my heart. It’s something I would do for anyone on the plane, because that’s what I’m here for. It really made a difference in her life.”

1. How did Redding feel on the plane?

A．Tired.	B．Uncomfortable.
C．Very angry.	D．Deeply afraid.

2. What did Amburgy do to help the family?

A．She asked the family to stay beside her.

B．She asked the other passengers for help.

C．She tried her best to calm the boy.

D．She helped look after the other boy.

3. Why did Redding post the story?

A．To show her thanks.

B．To help kids with autism.

C．To get in touch with Amburgy.

D．To share her travel experience.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Amburgy?

A．Proud.	B．Honest.
C．Hard-working.	D．Warm-hearted.

9 . Although problems are a part of our lives, it certainly doesn't mean that we let them rule our lives forever. One day or another, you'll have to stand up and say—problems, I don't want you in my life.

    1    Problems with friends, parents, girlfriends, husbands, and children—the list goes on. Apart from these, the inner conflicts within ourselves work, too. These keep adding to our problems. Problems come in different shaped and colors and feelings.

But good news is that all problems can be dealt with. Now read on to know how to solve your problems.

Talk, it really helps. What most of us think is that our problem can be understood only by us and that no talking is going to help.     2    Talking helps you move on and let go.

Write your problems.     3    When you write down your problems, you are setting free all the tension from your system. You can try throwing away the paper on which you wrote your problems. By doing this, imagine yourself throwing away the problems from your life.

Don't lose faith and hope. No matter what you lose in life, don't lose faith and hope. Even if you lose all your money, family…you should still have faith.     4    

Your problems aren't the worst. No matter what problem you get in life, there are another one million people whose problems are huger than yours.     5    Your problems might just seem big and worse, but in reality they can be removed.

Go about and solve your problems because every problem, however big or small, always has a way out.

A．Of course, we've been fighting troubles ever since we were born.

B．When we have a problem, a pressing, critical, urgent, life-threatening problem, how do we try and solve it？

C．Having a personal diary can also be of huge help if you don't want a real person to talk with.

D．But the truth is that when you talk about it, you're setting free the negative energies that have been gathering within you.

E．We can often overcome the problem and achieve the goal by making a direct attack.

F．Tell yourself：when they can deal with them, why can't I？

G．With faith and hope, you can rebuild everything that you lose.

10 . Toni Morrison was an American writer who received the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her novels, Beloved, Song of Solomon and others explored the way African-Americans search for freedom and identity in a country obsessed (受困扰的) with skin colour. Morrison was nearly 40 when she published her first novel The Bluest Eye in 1970. The Nobel Prize committee described her writing as “language itself, a language she wants to liberate from race”. Her novels discussed America’s past, focusing on black history and the effects of slavery and racism. She called her characters “the unfree at the heart of the democratic experiment”.

In 1988, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved, the story of a mother who kills her baby daughter rather than permit her to return to slavery. It became a best-seller and was later made into a film. Many Americans admired her as the country’s greatest writer, including former President Barack Obama.

She was born in 1931. She attended Howard University, an all-black university in Washington, DC. At Howard, she read African, British and American literature, including writers William Faulkner and Virginia Woolf. After a short marriage, she became a single mother of two sons and worked as a book editor in New York.

Several publishers rejected her first book The Bluest Eye, but it impressed The New York Times’ book critic John Leonard, who believed Morrison was an important new voice. He said her writing was “so full of pain and wonder that the novel becomes poetry”.

Morrison enjoyed her literary fame and was proud of her Nobel Prize.

1. What are Toni Morrison’s books mainly about?

A．Women’s equality and rights.	B．The development of America.
C．The literature of America.	D．Black history and racism.

2. Which of the following helped Toni Morrison receive the Pulitzer Prize?

A．Beloved.	B．Song of Solomon.
C．The Bluest Eye.	D．The New York Times.

3. Why is former President Barack Obama mentioned?

A．To show Barack Obama’s support in literature.

B．To prove Toni Morrison’s greatness as a writer.

C．To stress Toni Morrison’s contribution to America.

D．To remind readers of the skin colour of Barack Obama.

4. What can we infer from John Leonard’s words?

A．He thought highly of Morrison.

B．He rejected the book The Bluest Eye.

C．The book The Bluest Eye made him painful.

D．Toni Morrison’s book was hard to understand.