1 . A new study establishes that environmental damage caused by corn production results in 4,300 premature deaths annually in the United States, representing cost of $39 billion.

The paper, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Sustainability, presents how researchers have estimated for the first time the health damages caused by corn production using detailed information on pollution emissions, pollution transport by wind, and human exposure to increased air pollution levels.

The study also shows how the damage to human health of producing a litre (升) of corn differs from region to region and how, in some areas, the health damages of corn production are greater than its market price.

“The deaths caused per litre in western corn belt states such as Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska tend to be lower than in eastern corn belt states such as Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio,” said lead researcher Jason Hill.

It’s important for farmers to have this information so that they can carry out practices that reduce the environmental influence of the crops they grow. Farmers can greatly improve the environmental profile of their corn by using precision agriculture tools and switching to fertilizers that have lower ammonia (氨) emissions. The study’s results also suggest potential benefits from improving nitrogen use efficiency, switching to crops requiring less fertilizer, and changing the location where corn is grown.

Aware that changes in practices can take time and planning, Hill suggests farmers could be offered motivation to switch to crops that demand less applied nitrogen while still offering market and nutritional benefits.

Hill said, “The number of deaths related to corn production could be reduced through these key strategies”.

1. Which of the states has the lowest death rate caused by corn production?

A．Nebraska.	B．Illinois.
C．Indiana.	D．Ohio.

2. Which of the following is not advised to do for farmers to reduce the environmental impact of corn?

A．Improve nitrogen use efficiency.

B．Plant crops with no fertilizer.

C．Change the corn’s location.

D．Using precision agriculture tools.

3. What is Jason Hill’s attitude to preventing deaths caused by corn production?

A．Indifferent.	B．Optimistic.
C．Pessimistic.	D．Neutral.

4. In which part of a website will you find this text?

A．Health and lifestyle.

B．Art and design.

C．Science and environment.

D．Fashion and business.

2 . Even though these monuments are extremely well known, they hold secrets that not many people are aware of.

Empire State Building

On the 103rd floor of the Empire State Building in New York, there is a secret observation deck that not a lot of people know about. To access the balcony, you have to take a series of elevators and then a very steep, narrow staircase. The observation deck isn’t open to the public, but many celebrities have been photographed there.

Eiffel Tower

There is a secret apartment and office at the very top of the Eiffel Tower that has just recently become open to the public. In 1889, Gustave Eiffel, the engineer of this famous Paris landmark, built himself a private apartment and office. It has been restored and has wax models of Gustave, his daughter, and American inventor Thomas Edison on display.

Statue of Liberty

There is actually a room in the torch of the Statue of Liberty that showcases breathtaking views of the city. People used to be able to visit that room until 1916 when German agents blew up a nearby wharf (码头). The explosion sent broken pieces into the raised arm of Lady Liberty, making the staircase up to the hidden room unsafe.

Disneyland

Hardcore Disney fans might think they know all of the secrets of the park, a famous U.S. landmark, but many haven’t heard of Club 33. This exclusive restaurant is hidden behind an unmarked door in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square. If you want to dine here on your next trip to Disneyland, don’t get your hopes up. It costs $25,000 to join the club, plus an annual fee of $12,000.

1. What do the monuments have in common?

A．They are all in Europe.

B．They all have skyscrapers.

C．They are all the best-known.

D．They all hide little-known secrets.

2. Which of the four has the easiest access?

A．Disneyland.	B．Eiffel Tower.
C．Statue of Liberty.	D．Empire State Building.

3. Which can be used to replace the underlined word “exclusive” in the last paragraph?

A．Attractive.	B．Expensive.
C．Wonderful.	D．Beautiful.

3 . 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。

In our home, there are two coins apparently pressed by something heavy. One is in my father’s hand, the other mine. Both of them remind us of the history…

Doing things with my father was always fun due to his rich imagination. I don’t recall a time when Dad stood across my path; he always walked beside me, guiding me with his own steps. When, at 10, I announced that I was going to Africa to bring back wild animals, my mother and sisters pointed out my age, the problems of transportation and all such ordinary and unimportant facts.

But not Dad. He brought home books about Africa, train and boat schedules, and even some iron bars which we used to build cages for the animals I was to bring back. When the departure day was approaching and I was becoming anxious, my father brought home a newspaper that told of an accident on the railroad that was to take me to Baltimore. This postponed my trip and, by the time the train tracks were repaired, he and I were off on a new and more exciting project.

When a neighbor’s dog killed my dog Bounce, I was determined to kill that dog. I thought about it day after day, almost making myself ill. “Let’s get it done,” my father stated unexpectedly in a whisper one evening. I followed him, to discover that he had tied the dog. He gave me a gun, and then stepped back for me to do the work. The dog and I looked at each other. He shook his tail to express friendship. Suddenly the gun was too heavy for me to hold and it dropped to the ground. The dog came up and kissed my hand. The three of us walked home together, the dog jumping in front. No word was ever said about what had happened. None was needed.

When President Harding died, the funeral train was scheduled to pass through a town about 20 miles from ours. I wanted desperately to go and see this train, but Mother pointed out that there would be school the next day and that it would be a long trip. That ended the discussion.

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 :

But when the day arrived, Dad did not forget.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2 :

Dad put two pennies into my hand and asked me to put them on the rails.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . 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。

A Chinese wildlife park has aroused a     1     (heat) discussion after making visitors submit to a facial recognition scanning, with one law professor taking it     2     court. Having made enough     3     (prepare), Professor Guo Bing is taking action against Hangzhou safari park, after it replaced its existing fingerprinting system with the new technology. “I filed this case because I feel that not only my privacy rights are being violated but     4     (that) of many others,” Guo, from Zhejiang University of Sci-Tech, said according to an audio recording of     5     interview posted by state-run Beijing News. Guo is attempting to force the park     6     (return) the money he paid for an annual pass and highlight its misuse of data gathered by the software. A court in Fuyang has accepted his case recently. He questions why a wildlife park will need to collect such information and has doubt over data security and who will be responsible if the information     7     (leak).

The case could     8     (possible) open wider debate in China over the use of such technology. The park introduced the technology in July and announced the annual pass holders       9     did not register their biometric (生物识别的) information by 17 October would make their passes invalid, Beijing News reported. About 10,000 visitors hold the annual park passes which cost £150 ($195) for a family of four. If he wins the case, the result will be     10    (benefit) to them.

5 . George Eliot took a book off the shelf in a San Diego library. He found himself interested in the ________ penciled in the margin(页边空白). In the front of the book, he discovered the ________ owner’s name, Miss Julie Pankhurst. With time and effort he ________ her address and wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for ________ in World War Ⅱ.

During the next year the two ________ to know each other through the mail. George Eliot discovered that Julie Pankhurst was such a considerate lady that he couldn’t help but ________ in love with her gradually. He requested a photograph, but she refused, responding, “ ________ you love me, you won’t mind my appearance. Unless you don’t really love me…” When the day ________ came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first ________ — 7:00 at the Grand Central Station in New York. “You’ll ________ me,” she wrote, “by the red rose I’ll be wearing on my lapel(翻领).”

So at 7:00 George Eliot was in the station ________ a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he’d never seen. Just then a pretty young woman ________ a green suit was coming toward him, her figure long and slim. He was ________ entirely and forgot to notice that she was not wearing a rose.

Almost uncontrollably George Eliot made one step ________ to her, and then he saw Julie Pankhurst. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. She was well past 50 and had ________ hair. The girl wearing the green suit was walking quickly away. George Eliot ________ to follow her, and yet had desire for the woman whose ________ had truly accompanied him.

“I’m Lieutenant George Eliot, and you must be Miss Julie Pankhurst. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?” The woman’s face ________ into a tolerant smile.

“I don’t know ________ this is about, son,” she answered, “but the young lady ________ me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!”

1.

A．letters

B．notes

C．secrets

D．signs

2.

A．symbolic

B．hospitable

C．familiar

D．previous

3.

A．located

B．mentioned

C．founded

D．contrasted

4.

A．business

B．information

C．service

D．session

5.

A．grew

B．decided

C．chose

D．agreed

6.

A．to fall

B．falling

C．fell

D．fall

7.

A．Provided

B．Considering

C．Assumed

D．Regarding

8.

A．frequently

B．occasionally

C．instantly

D．eventually

9.

A．discussion

B．meeting

C．negotiation

D．reception

10.

A．support

B．know

C．recognize

D．realize

11.

A．seeking for

B．finding out

C．running after

D．figuring out

12.

A．on

B．in

C．at

D．of

13.

A．confused

B．excited

C．attracted

D．appealed

14.

A．handier

B．farther

C．slower

D．closer

15.

A．curly

B．gray

C．straight

D．thick

16.

A．dreamed

B．managed

C．longed

D．attempted

17.

A．spirit

B．courage

C．dream

D．power

18.

A．shortened

B．lengthened

C．deepened

D．broadened

19.

A．that

B．which

C．what

D．where

20.

A．murmured

B．begged

C．forced

D．resisted

6 . 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.

7 . 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.

8 . 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.

9 . 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。

Now that Maria was a tenth grader, she felt she was too grown-up to have to go on family vacation. Last year, the family had driven three hundred miles to see their uncle in West Covina. After the first four days of doing nothing while the adults sat around talking, the kids finally got to go to Disneyland.

The parents gave each child five dollars. Maria’s younger sister, Irma, bought a Pinocchio coloring book. Her brothers, Rudy and John, spent their money on candies. Maria knew everything was overpriced so she saved her money. She sat on a bench, jealously (嫉妒地) watching other teenage girls who seemed much better dressed than she was. She felt stricken by poverty.

This year Maria’s family planned to visit an uncle in San Jose. Her father promised to take them to Great America, but she knew that the grown-ups would sit around talking for days before they remembered the kids. They would have to wait until the last day before they could go to Great America. It wasn’t worth the boredom.

“Dad, I’m not going with you this year,” Maria said to her father. He thought for a moment and said, “When I was a kid, we didn’t have money for vacations. I would be happy to go with my father.”

“I know, I know. You’ve said that a hundred times, ”she said in a sharp voice. The father’s eyes were fixed on her with a dark stare. It seemed as though time had frozen.

“Let the girl stay. She’s big now,” Eva, his wife, said. The father argued, but eventually (最终) agreed to let his daughter stay.

The family rose just after six the next day and was ready to go by seven-thirty. Maria stayed in her room. She wanted to apologize to her father but she couldn’t. She knew that if she said sorry to her father, she would break into tears. Her father wanted to come into her room and say “We’ll do something really special this vacation. Come with us, honey”, but it was hard for him to show his feelings.

They left at last, leaving Maria at home on her own.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“It must be from them,” she talked to herself.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . Developing and maintaining healthy friendships involves give-and-take. Sometimes you’re the one giving support, and other times you’re on the receiving end. Letting friends know you care about them and appreciate them can help strengthen your bond (联系). It’s as important for you to be a good friend as it is to surround yourself with good friends.     1    .

Be kind.

This most-basic behavior, emphasized during childhood, remains the core(核心) to successful adult relationships. Think of friendship as an emotional bank account. Kindness and thanks are deposits(存款)into this account.     2    

Open up.

    3    . Being willing to share personal experiences and concerns shows that your friend holds a special place in your life, and deepens your connection.

Show that you can be trusted.

Being responsible, reliable and dependable is the key to forming strong friendship. Keep your promise and arrive on time. Follow through on commitment(承诺)you’ve made to your friends.     4    .

    5    .

You may find yourself imagining the worst of social situations with your friends, and feel comfortable to stay at home. Use mindfulness exercises to reshape your thinking. Each time you imagine the worst, pay attention to how often the embarrassing situations you’re afraid of actually take place. You may notice that the scenes you fear usually don’t happen.

A．Manage your thoughts with mindfulness.

B．Keep your friends secrets strictly private .

C．Do mind-body relaxation exercises to help you.

D．Remember, it’s never too late to build new friendships.

E．However, quarrels and conflicts are taking money from it.

F．Here are some suggestions on how to develop your friendship.

G．Build a close bond with your friends by opening up about yourself.