1 . In the American workplace, all the machines are no longer monitored by human labor. High-powered computers and robots are increasingly taking over more complicated tasks--from bookkeeping to research--with surprising efficiency. Over the next 15 years, machines will be likely to take the place of truck drivers as self-driving vehicles become the norm, putting millions of people around the world out of a job. Already, about 5.5 million jobs which are connected with manufacturing have been lost to automation (自动化) since the year 1990. And the trend shows no signs of stopping: In the first quarter of 2017, American companies bought 32 percent more robots than they did in the same period last year.

But human work is far from obsolete . A 2013 study found just 5 percent of all jobs can be completely done by high-powered computers and robots. And while automation takes the place of certain kinds of jobs, particularly in manufacturing, it generates others as well.

As robots are growing in numbers, more and more human labor is needed to operate and repair these machines. What’s more, the higher productivity of mechanized work can cut down the cost and make the prices low and increase demand in some industries, creating the need for more robots to increase output and thus more human labor to man them.

In the last seven years, American manufacturers have created almost a million new factory jobs, according to a recent report in Associated Press. As of this year, still 390000 of these jobs are still remaining open. And experts have estimated that factories will add another two million jobs in the next decade, many of which will make human workers work together with robots. The challenge will be equipping American workers with the more advanced skillsets needed for this new cyborgian (生控体系的) partnership.

1. What does the author want to tell in Paragraph 1?

A．The unemployment rate is raising in America.

B．More tasks will be done by robots in America.

C．Robots can work more efficiently than humans.

D．Robots are becoming more important than human labor.

2. What does the underlined word “obsolete” probably mean?

A．Useless.	B．Powerful.
C．Popular	D．Challenging.

3. What is the American to-be workers’ possible task according to the text?

A．Learning to live together with robot.

B．Being skilled in designing a new robots.

C．Having more advanced skills for new robot.

D．Learning more skills to cooperate with robots.

4. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．The advantages of robot workers.

B．The development of robot workers.

C．The influence of robots on human workers.

D．The comparison between robots and human workers.

2 . For centuries humans believed the ocean was so vast that it was impossible to do it measurable harm. But we now know human activities can destroy marine (海洋的) habitats, dangerously pollute seawater and make sea environments more acidic. Overharvesting has even directly pushed many ocean species into the especially endangered category. This past March, the smooth handfish (光滑手鱼) officially became the first modern-day marine fish to be declared extinct.

Handfish are a family of 14 unusual bottom-living species. Unlike most other fishes, they do not have a larval phase (幼虫期) and do not move around very much as adults; these features make them sensitive to environmental changes, according to Graham Edgar, a marine ecologist at the University of Tasmania. The smooth handfish was once common enough to be one of the first fish species described by European explorers in Australia. Now none has been reported in over a century. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List guidelines officially define “extinct” as meaning “there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.” Edgar and the members of Australia’s National Handfish Recovery Team were forced to that conclusion earlier this year, and it was placed in the extinct category.

Scientists are unsure exactly what finished off the species, but others in the region are threatened by trawl fishing (拖网捕鱼), pollution and climate change. Edgar says additional marine fish species may already be extinct as well, and many more are endangered. “It might be hard to imagine why a little organism in a place that few humans ever visit might be important,” says Katie Matthews, chief scientist for the non-profit conservation group Oceana. “But biodiversity matters, even if you can’t see it with your own eyes.”

Ideally, this news will be a sad wakeup call: “Some remaining species of handfish are endangered,” Matthews says, “but with smart action we can lessen those threats.”

1. According to the text, which is NOT the problems caused by human activities to the ocean?

A．The habitats of marine creatures are damaged.

B．The seawater is heavily polluted.

C．The handfish are extinct completely.

D．The sea contains more acid than before.

2. What does the word “it” underlined in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．National Handfish Recovery Team.

B．IUCN Red list.

C．The bottom-living species.

D．The smooth handfish.

3. What can we infer about marine conservation according to Katie Matthews?

A．Some species in rarely visited places are of little importance.

B．Measures should be taken to maintain the diversity of species.

C．It is too late to protect the endangered handfish.

D．Additional marine fish species may become extinct or endangered.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Human Activities.

B．A Marine Fish Extinction.

C．Species Diversity Conservation.

D．Marine Protection.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Xiangsheng, sometimes translated as crosstalk, is a traditional Chinese comedic performance. It is one of China’s most important and most popular performing     1     (art), and is typically performed in Beijing local language.

The term Xiangsheng originally     2     (refer) to the act of copying someone’s speech and actions. It rose     3     a performing act during the Ming Dynasty. From Qing Dynasty to the 1920s, Xiangsheng     4     (steady) developed to become a style of personal comedic performance. Later Xiangsheng came to be performed as a dialog and sometimes even in groups of three or more. The earliest Xiangsheng comedian     5     (know) by name is Zhang Sanlu,     6     performed in the mid-nineteenth century.

Since the widespread use of Mandarin(普通话) from 1949, the popularity of Xiangsheng     7     (increase) throughout the People’s Republic of China. It is     8     standard characteristic of annual CCTV New Year’s Gala and other performing art shows in China.

    9     (appeal) to younger audiences, cartoon makers have created cartoon versions of     10     (variety) humorous Xiangsheng performances using sound recording from past broadcasts.

4 . Claudio Viera de Oliveira is from Brazil. He was born with an upside down head and deformed (畸形的) legs. His mother was told by doctors that she should allow him to die. But she ignored their advice. Oliveira grew up and now he has written a book about his life after the age of 40. Since he was a child, Oliveira has liked to keep himself busy. He didn't like to depend totally on others. He learned to do things all by himself. At eight, Oliveira began to walk on his knees. His family had to change the floor of the house, so he could walk without injuring humself. His bed, plugs and lights had to be made lower so that he could do things for himself.

He couldn't use a wheelchair because of his unusual shape, making it hard for him to be independent outside the home, but he begged his mother to allow him to go to school and learn with other children. He learned to use a pen with his mouth to type words and even use his lips to operate a mouse or a phone. He also went on to qualify as an accountant and gave speeches at special events. Now Oliveira has published his first book, called"O mundo esta ao(The world is the wrong way around)".

Oliveira said, “Throughout my life I was able to adapt my body to the world. Right now, I don't see myself as being different. I am a normal person. I don't see things upside down. Nowadays I can say that I am a professional, international public speaker and that I receive invitations from all over the world."

1. What was the doctors' attitude towards Oliveira's disease?

A．Hopeless.	B．Concerned.
C．Confident.	D．Doubtful.

2. What do we know about Oliveira?

A．He adapted himself to society.

B．He managed to walk on foot at eight.

C．He used a normal bed and lights at home.

D．He controlled a wheelchair with his mouth.

3. What does Oliveira do at present?

A．A doctor.

B．An accountant

C．A publisher.

D．A professor.

4. Which saying can best describe Oliveira's experience?

A．All that glitters is not gold.

B．Where there is a will there is a way.

C．Health is not valued till sickness comes.

D．It is more blessed to give than to receive.

5 . Making finger puppets(木偶)is a simple and cheap craft project for children and adults alike. These ________ can be crafted from colorful paper or felt (a thick soft material made of wool, hair or fur), or other ________ materials around the house.

Some people are ________ enough to make custom finger puppets based on their own imagination, while others get ________from books or websites. If you don’t know what to ________, there are models for both felt and paper hand puppets around the web. Remember that you are not ________ to humans and animals; flowers, household objects, and heavenly bodies can also be ________ in a finger puppet story.

First,________ what materials the hand puppets will be made from and gather them up. You will also ________ scissors, needle and thread or glue, and things to decorate the base with. Regular glue is unreliable when________ felt finger puppets. Such glue can be ________ by hot glue, a very strong kind of glue.

The second step is to make a base for your puppet.________ two pieces of paper or felt and glue or sew them together, leaving enough room to fit a(n)________ inside. If you are creating a felt finger puppet, turn the newly crafted base inside out to________ the seam (the line where things have been sewed together).

________ the base is finished, it is time to ________ your finger puppet. You can sew, draw, or glue on the ________ of a finger puppet--- you can give it whatever expression you want. To________ the design, some people even buy pre-made accessories(饰品) like googly eyes, felt mouths, or animal parts. If using glue, give the finger puppet time to ________ before playing with it.

Finally, fit the puppet on your finger and determine if any final additions should be made before putting away the ________ crafting materials.

1.

A．clothes

B．toys

C．presents

D．cards

2.

A．healthy

B．strange

C．simple

D．special

3.

A．creative

B．fast

C．patient

D．careful

4.

A．results

B．ideas

C．tasks

D．chances

5.

A．keep

B．search

C．bring

D．make

6.

A．directed

B．led

C．limited

D．connected

7.

A．characters

B．names

C．pictures

D．secrets

8.

A．imagine

B．learn

C．conclude

D．decide

9.

A．need

B．show

C．expect

D．allow

10.

A．dealing with

B．working with

C．checking with

D．playing with

11.

A．changed

B．replaced

C．covered

D．influenced

12.

A．Fetch

B．Turn

C．Buy

D．Take

13.

A．hand

B．arm

C．finger

D．head

14.

A．control

B．desert

C．reproduce

D．hide

15.

A．Though

B．Until

C．Once

D．Unless

16.

A．decorate

B．paint

C．abandon

D．mend

17.

A．eyes

B．ears

C．nose

D．face

18.

A．develop

B．recognize

C．improve

D．finish

19.

A．grow

B．dry

C．practice

D．exercise

20.

A．leftover

B．unfinished

C．cheap

D．satisfying

6 . What do you think when you hear the phrase “when pigs fly?”     1    This common saying is used to express the idea that something is highly impossible. For example, if you ask your parents to buy you something very expensive, the answer might be “when pigs fly?”

    2    An old mention of pigs flying appeared in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. However, it is believed that Carroll may have picked up the phrase from the Scottish, who had been using the phrase for several hundred years. That may be right.

There are also those who believe the phrase may have gotten its start in America.     3    It’s not surprising that many common sayings that developed back then had an animal or farm background. For example, farmers used to take pigs to slaughterhouse (屠宰场) along rivers on small boats. If it was foggy, people on the bank could only see the pigs’ heads above the fog     4     This might have caused the saying to appear.

Other countries also use animals to show impossibility.     5     Other countries, such as France and Spain, use phrases like “when frogs grow hair or when hens grow teeth”.

A．The phrase was used as a clever reply.

B．Long ago, most Americans worked in farming.

C．You may want to know the origin (起源) of this phrase.

D．Maybe funny pictures of pigs with wings fill your mind.

E．People like to use colorful phrases to get a message across.

F．For example, many countries use the phrase “when cows fly”.

G．This made them look like they were flying through the clouds.

7 . A street in Toronto was turned into a river of knowledge. It was covered with over 10, 000 books as part of a yearly art festival.

Luzinterruptus, a group of anonymous (匿名的)artists from Spain, built a river of books for the Nuit Blanche Toronto 2016 festival with the help of 50 volunteers. They filled one of the city’s streets with thousands of books to fight pollution, noise and traffic, with the final result being called Literature VS Traffic.

Hagerman Street in downtown Toronto was closed and volunteers went about carefully laying out the books along with glowing lights. Pedestrians(行人)were welcomed into the street to walk among the books, sit down and read, or even take a title or two home with them. The lights twinkled beneath the books’ pages, making it a truly magical experience.

Throughout the display, plenty of pedestrians took photos of themselves lying among the books, or having a flick(翻阅)through a few pages. “Exactly burying myself in knowledge!” wrote one Instagram(一种移动应用)user as she shared a photo of herself among the books. “We want literature to take over the streets and public spaces, freely offering passers-by a traffic-free place which, for some hours, will give in to the power of the written word,” the group wrote on their website. “The books will be there for those who want to take them so the installation(设备)will recycle itself and will last as long as users want it there.” All in all it took about 10 hours for the whole installation to come apart, with just a few books left lying in the area by the break of dawn.

“Cars will finally fill their space but for many of those who walked by this place that night, the memory of those books that took over the space will improve their relationship with these surroundings,” they added.

1. The artists from Spain want to __________ by filling the city street with books.

A．raise money for children in the countryside

B．spread literature knowledge to people

C．fight against pollution and heavy traffic

D．attract people’s attention to education

2. Which of the following statements is right?

A．Passers-by may sell books in the street.

B．Pedestrians can stop to read on the streets.

C．Literature will take the place of traffic after this activity.

D．People can take away the lights beneath books after the activity.

3. What can we infer from the text?

A．The activity itself is environmentally friendly.

B．Toronto will have more such reading programs after that.

C．Instagram is an only important platform(平台)to report this activity.

D．The Literature VS Traffic is not popular in the neighborhood.

4. In which of the following sections of a newspaper will you read this passage?

A．Travel.

B．Sports.

C．Pets.

D．Society.

8 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

A couple of years ago, just as I did every winter, I bagged up all the items in my closet that I no longer wore, along with the clothes my sons had outgrown. I made a call to action to all of my family and friends, asking them to do the same. It is always my hope to repurpose those things that do nothing more than take up space in our homes, things others might make better use of.

I found an old, ugly pair of hand-woven socks in one of the bags donated (捐赠) by a friend. They were an unpleasant mixture of colored yarn: orange, purple, yellow and blue. I had to decide— garbage or donation? It wasn't like they were unusable. I imagined they were a homemade gift gone bad.

I put the ugly socks in the garbage, but ten minutes later, I took them back and put them in the donation pile. Later that afternoon, my mother and I drove down to Madison Avenue in downtown Phoenix. Every winter we load up my Jeep with our own cast-offs and the donations from friends, and we take them downtown, along with food and water, to distribute (分发) them to the men and women living on the street. Sometimes I even got my boys involved.

On this particular afternoon, as Mom and I distributed warm clothes and hot food to a small crowd of people outside a local homeless shelter, I reached into the bag and pulled out the last of the donations, the ugly socks. Just as I was about to drop the socks back into the empty bag, laughing at myself for even bringing them along for the ride, a teenage boy came to me. “Can I please have those socks?” he asked, his blue eyes sparkling in the sun.

My eyebrows lifted. I was ashamed to say it but I was still a little embarrassed by the donation and disappointed that we hadn’t anything left to give him except for those socks.

注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:

“Of course, ” I replied, handing the boy the thick, ugly, hand-woven socks.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

“Thank you so much, Ma’am!” he smiled.

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9 . 阅读下面材料, 在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Football, as an attractive ball game, used to     1    (play) with a hanging goal in the air by a group of people and was called Cuju in ancient China. But modern football is started in Great Britain     2     it was given new rules, allowing players to use any part of their bodies except their hands and arms.

One of the     3     (reason) for its popularity is the cost of playing football.     4     any expensive equipment, playing football is cheap and fun. Creativity and excitement are another factors for football’s global popularity. It is fun enough     5     (attract) more audience. Even     6     people have no professional knowledge about football, they can understand and feel the     7    (excite) moments. The unity of the team members is also another factor.

Even on Christmas Day 1914, British and German soldiers put down their guns and       8     (kick) football together. It was a moment there was no conflict. Bill Shankly, a famous footballer and manager, once shared     9    (he) agreement with some people’s belief that football is about life and death. Additionally, he made sure it is much     10     (important) than that, because our planet is shaped like a football.

10 . 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。 续写的词数应为150左右。

I walked into a restaurant and sat down at a table. I picked up a menu, trying to decide what to eat.“Excuse me. Is your name Roger?” asked someone, who touched me on the shoulder. I looked up and turned to the side to see a rather nice looking woman standing before me. “Yes.” I replied, looking rather confused as I had never seen the woman before.

“My name is Barbara and my husband is Tony. He is from George High School.” she said, pointing to a distant table near the door. I looked in the direction but I did not recognize the man who was sitting alone at the table, with a wheelchair (轮椅) around the corner.

“I'm really sorry. The name doesn't ring a bell.”I said.

She turned and walked back to her table. She and her husband immediately began talking and once in a while looked directly at me.

I sat there, thinking hard and tried to remember who this Tony guy was. “I must know him, ”I thought to myself. “He recognizes me for some reason.” I picked up my coffee and took a sip. All of a sudden, it came to me like a flash lightning.

“Tony. THE BULLY (校园霸凌者). The bully of my seventh grade geography class.” I said to myself. I turned around and faced in his direction.

How many times that guy had made fun of my big ears in front of girls? How many times he called me “four-eyed toad”? How many times he pushed me up against the lockers just to make himself look like a big man to all the other students?

He raised his hand and waved at me. I smiled, returned the wave and turned back and began to eat my breakfast.

“Goodness. He's so thin now. Not the big guy that I remembered,” I thought to myself.

All of a sudden I heard the sound of dishes breaking so I turned around to see what had happened.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Could you help me get into the wheelchair?” asked Tony.

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