1 . You run into the grocery store to pick up one bottle of water. You get what you need, head to the front, and choose the line that looks fastest.

You chose wrong. People who you swear got in other lines long after you are already checked out and off to the parking lot.     1    

It turns out, it’s just math working against you; chances are, the other line really is faster.

Grocery stores try to have enough employees at checkout to get all their customers through with minimum delay.     2    Any small interruption-a price check, a chatty customer-can have downstream effects, holding up an entire line.

If there are three lines in the store, delays will happen randomly at different registers. Think about the probability:    3    So it's not just in your mind: Another line probably is moving faster.

Researchers have a good way to deal with this problem. Make all customers stand in one long, snaking line- called a serpentine line-and serve each person at the front with the next available register.     4    This is what they do at most banks and fast-food restaurants. With a serpentine line, a long delay at one register won't unfairly punish the people who lined up behind it. Instead, it will slow down everyone a little bit but speed up checkout overall.

    5    It takes many registers to keep one line moving quickly, and some stores can't afford the space or manpower. So wherever your next wait may be: Good luck.

A．Why does this always seem to happen to you?

B．So why don’t most places encourage serpentine lines?

C．Some of the may have stood in a queue for almost an hour.

D．The chances of your line being the fastest are only one in three.

E．How high is the probability that you are in the fastest waiting line?

F．With three registers, this method is much faster than the traditional approach.

G．But sometimes, as on a Sunday afternoon, the system gets particularly busy.

2 . While rock-climbing, you need to remain very ________ so that you won't make any dangerous errors.

A．satisfied

B．focused

C．amused

D．delighted

3 . For Western designers, China and its rich culture have long been an inspiration for Western creative.

“It’s no secret that China has always been a source(来源) of inspiration for designers,” says Amanda Hill, chief creative officer at A+E Networks, a global media company and home to some of the biggest fashion(时尚) shows.

Earlier this year, the China Through A Looking Glass exhibition in New York exhibited 140 pieces of China-inspired fashionable clothing alongside Chinese works of art, with the aim of exploring the influence of Chinese aesthetics(美学) on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries. The exhibition had record attendance, showing that there is huge interest in Chinese influences.

“China is impossible to overlook,” says Hill. “Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns that sell dreams to women all over the world, which means Chinese women are not just consumers of fashion — they are central to its movement.” Of course, not only are today’s top Western designers being influenced by China—some of the best designers of contemporary fashion are themselves Chinese. “Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu are taking on Galliano, Albaz, Marc Jacobs—and beating them hands down in design and sales,” adds Hill.

For Hill, it is impossible not to talk about China as the leading player when discussing fashion. “The most famous designers are Chinese, so are the models, and so are the consumers,” she says. “China is no longer just another market; in many senses it has become the market. If you talk about fashion today, you are talking about China—its influences, its direction, its breathtaking clothes, and how young designers and models are finally acknowledging that in many ways.”

1. What can we learn about the exhibition in New York?

A．It promoted the sales of artworks.	B．It attracted a large number of visitors.
C．It showed ancient Chinese clothes.	D．It aimed to introduce Chinese models.

2. What does Hill say about Chinese women?

A．They are setting the fashion.	B．They start many fashion campaigns.
C．They admire super models.	D．They do business all over the world.

3. What do the underlined words “taking on” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．learning from

B．looking down on

C．working with

D．competing against

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

A．Young Models Selling Dreams to the World

B．A Chinese Art Exhibition Held in New York

C．Differences Between Eastern and Western Aesthetics

D．Chinese Culture Fueling International Fashion Trends

4 . 假定你是李华，下周有新西兰学生访问你校，你将作为学生代表致欢迎辞。请为此写一篇发言稿，内容包括：
1. 表示欢迎；
2. 介绍活动安排；
3. 表达祝愿。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

5 . I experienced years of loneliness as a child.     1     His friends teased him about babysitting his sister and his interests were far different from mine. With no other kids of my age in the neighborhood, I had to spend hours by myself.

A bright spot for me turned out to be reading. My love of the written word began early as my mother read to me every evening.     2     I started reading books on my own before age 5 and my mother took me to the public library once a week to borrow several books. I quickly graduated from typical children’s books to ones with fewer pictures and longer chapters. Reading opened new worlds to me.     3    

My mother also encouraged me to make what I wanted. I tried making toy cars with cardboard boxes and constructing buildings from leftover cardboard and bits of wood my father gave me. When my mother saw my creations, she told me how creative my designs were.     4     I learned a lot about how to extend the life of objects and transform them into something new and useful. It was a trait(特点) others found helpful, and I soon had friends who wanted to make things with me.

    5    My parents made it a point for their two kids to spend time outside, no matter the weather or season. My brother, of course, raced off to be with his friends, while I had plenty to do myself. There was making leaf houses in autumn, ice skating in winter, and so much more. They’re all memories I treasure today.

A．I wasn't alone any longer.

B．I enjoyed reading stories aloud.

C．I was invited to play with another kid.

D．I loved the colorful photographs in the books.

E．Another habit I formed early was being outdoors.

F．Thus, I began my lifelong interest in making things.

G．My older brother couldn’t be bothered to play with me.

6 . 假定你是李华，暑假在伦敦学习，得知当地美术馆要举办中国画展览。请写一封信申请做志愿者，内容包括：
1. 写信目的；
2. 个人优势；
3. 能做的事情。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 结束语已为你写好。
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . 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。

Diets have changed in China — and so too has its top crop. Since 2011, the country     1    （grow）more corn than rice. Corn production has jumped nearly 125 percent over     2     past 25 years, while rice has increased only 7 percent.

A taste for meat is     3     (actual) behind the change: An important part of its corn is used to feed chickens, pigs, and cattle. Another reason for corn's rise: The government encourages farmers to grow corn instead of rice     4     (improve) water quality. Corn uses less water     5     rice and creates less fertilizer(化肥) runoff. This switch has decreased     6     (pollute) in the country's major lakes and reservoirs and made drinking water safer for people.

According to the World Bank, China accounts for about 30 percent of total     7     (globe)fertilizer consumption. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture finds that between 2005—when the government     8     (start) a soil-testing program     9     gives specific fertilizer recommendations to farmers - and 2011, fertilizer use dropped by 7.7 million tons. That prevented the emission(排放) of 51.8 million tons of carbon dioxide. China's approach to protecting its environment while     10     (feed) its citizens "offers useful lessons for agriculture and food policymakers worldwide." says the bank's Juergen Voegele.

8 . My Favourite Books

Jo Usmar is a writer for Cosmopolitan and co-author of the This Book Will series(系列) of lifestyle books. Here she picks her top reads.

Matilda
Roald Dahl

I once wrote a paper on the influence of fairy tales on Roald Dahl’s writing and it gave me a new appreciation for his strange and delightful words. Matilda’s battles with her cruel parents and the bossy headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, are equally funny and frightening, but they’re also aspirational.

After Dark
Haruki Murakami

It’s about two sisters—Eri, a model who either won’t or can’t stop sleeping, and Mari, a young student. In trying to connect to her sister, Mari starts changing her life and discovers a world of diverse “night people” who are hiding secrets.

Gone Girl
Gillian Fynn

There was a bit of me that didn’t want to love this when everyone else on the planet did, but the horror story is brilliant. There’s tension and anxiety from the beginning as Nick and Amy battle for your trust. It’s a real whodunit and the frustration when you realise what’s going on is horribly enjoyable.

The Stand
Stephen King

This is an excellent fantasy novel from one of the best storytellers around. After a serious flu outbreak wipes out 99.4% of the world’s population, a battle unfolds between good and evil among those left. Randall Flagg is one of the scariest characters ever.

1. Who does “I” refer to in the text?

A．Stephen King.	B．Gillian Flynn.
C．Jo Usmar.	D．Roald Dahl.

2. Which of the following tells about Mari and Eri?

A．Cosmopolitan.	B．Matilda.
C．After Dark.	D．The Stand.

3. What kind of book is Gone Girl?

A．A folk tale.	B．A biography.
C．A love story.	D．A horror story.

9 . Languages have been coming and going for thousands of years, but in recent times there has been less coming and a lot more going. When the world was still populated by hunter-gatherers, small, tightly knit(联系) groups developed their own patterns of speech independent of each other. Some language experts believe that 10,000 years ago, when the world had just five to ten million people, they spoke perhaps 12,000 languages between them.

Soon afterwards, many of those people started settling down to become farmers, and their languages too became more settled and fewer in number. In recent centuries, trade, industrialization, the development of the nation-state and the spread of universal compulsory education, especially globalisation and better communications in the past few decades, all have caused many languages to disappear, and dominant languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese are increasingly taking over.

At present, the world has about 6,800 languages. The distribution of these languages is hugely uneven. The general rule is that mild zones have relatively few languages. Often spoken by many people while hot, wet zones have lots, often spoken by small numbers. Europe has only around 200 Languages: the Americas about 1,000, Africa 2,400; and Asia and the Pacific perhaps 3,200, of which Papua New Guinea alone accounts for well over 800. The median number(中位数) of speakers is a mere 6，000, which means that half the worlds languages are spoken by fewer people than that.

Already well over 400 of the total of 6,800 languages are close to extinction(消亡), with only a few elderly speakers left. Pick, at random, Busuu in Cameroon (eight remaining speakers), Chiapaneco in Mexico(150). Lipan Apache in the United States(two or three) or Wadjigu in Australia (one, with a question-mark): none of these seems to have much chance of survival.

1. What can we infer about languages in hunter-gatherer times?

A．They developed very fast.	B．They were large in number.
C．They had similar patters.	D．They were closely connected

2. Which of the following best explains "dominant" underlined in paragraph 2？

A．Complex.	B．Advanced.
C．Powerful.	D．Modern.

3. How many languages are spoken by less than 6, 000 people at present?

A．About 6,800 .	B．About 3,400
C．About 2,400	D．About 1,200.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．New languages will be created.

B．Peoples lifestyles are reflected in languages.

C．Human development results in fewer languages.

D．Geography determines language evolution.

10 . “You can use me as a last resort(选择), and if nobody else volunteers, then I will do it.” This was an actual reply from a parent after I put out a request for volunteers for my kids’ lacrosse(长曲棍球) club.

I guess that there’s probably some demanding work schedule, or social anxiety around stepping up to help for an unknown sport. She may just need a little persuading. So I try again and tug at the heartstrings. I mention the single parent with four kids running the show and I talk about the dad coaching a team that his kids aren’t even on … At this point the unwilling parent speaks up, “Alright. Yes, I’ll do it.”

I’m secretly relieved because I know there’s real power in sharing volunteer responsibilities among many. The unwilling parent organizes the meal schedule, sends out emails, and collects money for end-of-season gifts. Somewhere along the way, the same parent ends up becoming an invaluable member of the team. The coach is able to focus on the kids while the other parents are relieved to be off the hook for another season. Handing out sliced oranges to bloodthirsty kids can be as exciting as watching your own kid score a goal.

Still, most of us volunteers breathe a sigh of relief when the season comes to a close. That relief is coupled with a deep understanding of why the same people keep coming back for more: Connecting to the community(社区) as you freely give your time, money, skills, or services provides a real joy. Volunteering just feels so good.

In that sense, I’m pretty sure volunteering is more of a selfish act than I’d freely like to admit. However, if others benefit in the process, and I get some reward too, does it really matter where my motivation lies?

1. What can we infer about the parent from her reply in paragraph l？

A．She knows little about the club.

B．She isn’t good at sports.

C．She just doesn’t want to volunteer.

D．She’s unable to meet her schedule.

2. What does the underlined phrase “tug at the heartstrings” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Encourage teamwork.

B．Appeal to feelings.

C．Promote good deeds.

D．Provide advice.

3. What can we learn about the parent from paragraph 3?

A．She gets interested in lacrosse.

B．She is proud of her kids.

C．She’ll work for another season.

D．She becomes a good helper.

4. Why does the author like doing volunteer work?

A．It gives her a sense of duty.

B．It makes her very happy.

C．It enables her to work hard.

D．It brings her material rewards.