1 . Heman Bekele, a 14-year-old student from Annandale, Virginia, has created a bar soap (肥皂) to treat melanoma, the most common kind of skin cancer, which earned him the title of America’s Top Young Scientist and a $25,000 cash prize after his innovation won first place in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge.

“I made this soap by mixing regular medicinal soap with different cancer fighting chemicals.” Bekele said in an interview. Rather than a cure, Bekele’s soap aims to help the patient’s immune cells stay active while fighting melanoma.

While similar methods are available for skin cancer treatments, his solution is a more affordable alternative, especially for those in developing countries. Though the product is very promising on paper, studies would have to be carried out to test its efficiency in the real world.

For now, the young scientist said he has a five-year plan: At the end of it, he hopes to have created a nonprofit organization where he can provide fair and accessible skin cancer treatment to as many people as possible. But to accomplish his goal, he would have to get his treatment through clinical trials, obtain a temporary patent and have it licensed by the Food and Drug Administration, he said.

“I applied for the 3M Young Scientist Challenge because I believe that young minds can make a positive impact on the world,” Bekele said. “I have always been interested in biology and technology, and this challenge gave me the perfect platform to showcase my ideas. The opportunity to work with 3M mentors and show my project to judges was an exciting prospect. I am passionate about finding sustainable solutions to global problems, and I hope to inspire others to do the same.”

1. Why does Bekele invent the bar soap?

A．To deal with a kind of skin cancer.

B．To reduce the cost of making soap.

C．To change people’s immune system.

D．To complete the task for 3M challenge.

2. What aspect of the soap does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．Its making process.	B．Its working method.
C．Its advantage.	D．Its development.

3. What is Bekele’s next plan for his invention?

A．To create a company.

B．To get approval by the authority.

C．To promote the soap in the market.

D．To work with a nonprofit organization.

4. Which of the following can best describe Bekele?

A．Innovative and ambitious.	B．Inspiring and tolerant.
C．Honest and accessible.	D．Energetic and thoughtful.

2 . New York Times best-selling author Susan Casey travelled globally, joining scientists and explorers on dives to the deepest places on the planet. She takes us on an interesting journey through the history of deep-sea exploration, from the legends of the ancient world to storied shipwrecks we can now reach on the bottom. Throughout this journey, she learned how important the deep is to the future of the planet, and how necessary it is that we understand and protect it. The Underworld is Susan Casey’s most beautiful and thrilling book, a wonderful show of the natural world.

Event location: The lecture and book signing (签名) will be held at the Linda Hall Library,5109 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Missouri.

Event time: Thursday, January 14th,7:00 pm-8:00 pm

Book signing: Hard copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event courtesy of Rainy Day Books. A book signing will immediately follow the lecture.

Admission package (admits one)

Click to order tickets through the Kauffman Center. Admission is $40.00 plus Kauffman ticket fee and includes one hardcover of the book and one admission ticket. Reserved seating.

Please note: Attendees (参与者) will receive their books as they arrive at this event. Your electronic ticket will be needed for event entry and to receive your hardcover of the book as you arrive.

Disclaimer (免责声明): All Rainy Day Books Author Event sales are final and non-refundable.

1. What is the topic of Susan Casey’s book?

A．A show of the heights of the earth.	B．Some discoveries made by explorers.
C．Some measures to protect the ocean.	D．Journey s to the depths of the ocean.

2. What kind of event is it?

A．A lecture and book signing.	B．A discussion between readers.
C．A sales meeting of a new book.	D．A party of celebrating the success.

3. What should attendees do with their electronic tickets?

A．Return them to the Kauffman Center.	B．Get a discount of the book with them.
C．Get hardcovers of the book with them.	D．Exchange them with other book lovers.

3 . It is important to think about one’s health. Write an article calling for a healthy lifestyle.
注意：1.写作词数应为80词左右；
2.所给信息不计入总词数。

Nowadays, many people have unhealthy lifestyles, often without realizing it. For example,

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Living healthily is very important.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

To improve our lifestyle,

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Having a healthy lifestyle is not hard or expensive. Let’s make a change right now!

4 . Feed your mind

We have known about the link between what we eat and our physical health for a long time.     1    

The Mental Health Foundation produced a report called “Feeding Minds”. The report states that the brain is a physical part of our body that needs the correct food to work properly, just like the heart. The food should contain carbohydrates (碳水化合物), vitamins and fish oil.

There is also research that shows how a good diet can improve the behavior of children and their concentration. Daniel Brown is the head teacher of Barnet School.     2    

With regard to serious mental illnesses Jacka and Sanchez-Villegas say that eating fruit, vegetables and fish helps to prevent depression.     3     Some research also reveals that a healthy diet can prevent Alzheimer’s (a serious mental health problem for the elderly).

However, many medical professionals feel that the research by Jacka and Sanchez-Villegas is too early.     4     Dr John Powell, psychologist (心理学家), thinks that although many of his patients with depression have a poor diet, that is probably not the reason for their illness.

The research recommends that people eat particular food for particular mental health issues. To improve your memory, eat salmon and nuts. To improve your concentration, eat vegetables.     5     If depression is a problem, eat brown rice.

Overall, it seems clear that we need to eat healthy food for our mind. Although we do not fully understand the link between the two, we suggest that we choose this as an important topic for publicity.

A．We still need to test their findings.

B．If you have problems sleeping, eat nuts.

C．Is your usual diet healthy for both your mind and body?

D．But eating a lot of sugar makes depression more likely.

E．Try eating a good breakfast because that gives you a lot of energy for the day.

F．Recently, we have learned more about the link between our diet and our mind.

G．He says after his school stopped selling junk food, the students’ concentration levels increased.

5 . Years ago, when I was working as a sales manager, there were people on my team who were always the top-performing employees. We all knew how to get the job done, but there were a few who had interpersonal (人际的) skill s and persuasive abilities to land the sales.

To get hired, you obviously need to have the necessary skills to complete the required tasks. For example, you’re not going to be interviewed for a position in IT if you don’t know how to work a computer. These kinds of skills are called hard skills. However, many employers are looking for applicants who possess certain soft skills that relate to one’s personality, such as leadership qualities, time management abilities, and communication skills.

The biggest difference between hard and soft skills is how each type of skill is got. While hard skills are abilities learned through education or training, soft skills are more subjective personality qualities that you’re either born with or you develop through life experiences. Hard skills are the technical knowledge you gain through training that get you in the door, and soft skills are the personality qualities that make you a good employee and keep you there.

It’s easy to quantify hard skills because they’re specific and often define the basic requirements of a job. Soft skills are more difficult to measure. But they’re transferable (可转移的) across all industries.

So in addition to hiring people who know what they’re doing, employers look for applicants with a specific set of soft skills that can’t be taught as easily as hard skills. These innate (先天的) personality qualities can be developed, but it takes time, and employers would rather hi re someone who’s already there.

1. Why did the author mention her experience of being a sales manager?

A．To praise her colleagues’wonderful skills.

B．To introduce the topic of two kinds of skills.

C．To stress the importance of interpersonal skills

D．To prove that she has much experience in managing.

2. Which of the following belongs to soft skills?

A．The ability to get knowledge.

B．The ability to interview a leader.

C．The ability to play a computer game.

D．The ability to communicate with others.

3. What is the biggest difference between soft and hard skills?

A．How they are got in our life.	B．When they are needed in our work.
C．Which is easier to develop in us.	D．Which is more important in daily life.

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

A．Soft skills are as important as hard skills

B．Hard skills can be changed into soft skills

C．Applicants need more soft skills than hard skills

D．Employers put more stress on hard skills than soft skills

6 . Kai Ture, at 11 years old, is a budding (崭露头角的) actress. All of her acting roles mean that Kai has to ________ her acting and school life. ________, she doesn’t let those ________ upset her and takes a positive attitude to them. For her, going to auditions (试演) and getting acting roles mean that she is only ________ her acting career.

When Kai isn’t ________, she focuses on putting her ________ and community first. ________ her hard work, she was able to be ________ into a school for top students. Despite all her acting credentials (证书), Kai still regards her educational achievements as her biggest ________. Acting isn’t her only fine arts skill—Kai can ________ play the violin and piano.

Kai has worked hard to help her local community as well. With the help of her Girl Scout group leaders, Kai was able to ________ some of Atlanta’s homeless communities with food in a community service event. Kai remains ________ when helping the homeless and is working again with her Girl Scout group to organize a larger ________.

Kai enjoys her ________ schedule, doing all the activities she loves. Kai first started off in smaller roles and has been able to get larger roles. Start off with some small steps and you’ll ________ achieve your biggest dreams!

1.

A．balance

B．influence

C．record

D．continue

2.

A．Besides

B．However

C．Otherwise

D．Therefore

3.

A．challenges

B．arguments

C．adventures

D．shortages

4.

A．judging

B．simplifying

C．developing

D．rebuilding

5.

A．studying

B．suffering

C．exploring

D．acting

6.

A．education

B．family

C．health

D．interest

7.

A．As for

B．Thanks to

C．Despite

D．Besides

8.

A．refused

B．turned

C．accepted

D．forced

9.

A．comfort

B．success

C．problem

D．surprise

10.

A．again

B．soon

C．also

D．instead

11.

A．connect

B．avoid

C．feed

D．teach

12.

A．unusual

B．tired

C．unknown

D．devoted

13.

A．event

B．group

C．competition

D．dinner

14.

A．past

B．boring

C．familiar

D．busy

15.

A．immediately

B．finally

C．nearly

D．suddenly

7 . 听下面一段长对话，回答小题。
1. Why did the man arrive late?

A．He got stuck in traffic.

B．He was unable to park.

C．He had to take a different route.

2. What was the weather like in the morning?

A．It was raining.

B．It was sunny.

C．It was cloudy.

3. What event did the man miss?

A．A sports event.

B．A food fair.

C．A concert.

4. Where will the dancing events happen?

A．At a park.

B．At a stadium.

C．At a television station.

8 . 听下面一段长对话，回答小题。
1. What does the woman plan to do?

A．Rent an apartment.

B．Have a business meeting.

C．Meet her wedding organizer.

2. How much time will the woman be late for her appointment?

A．At least Five minutes.

B．At least ten minutes.

C．At least fifteen minutes.

3. Where is the woman now?

A．On Reindeer Way.

B．In an apartment.

C．At a police station.

9 . 听下面一段长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the conversation mainly about?

A．Weekend plans.

B．Phone usage.

C．Social apps.

2. How many people does the man usually text?

A．5.

B．6.

C．60.

10 . Summer Camps for Teenagers

There are many types of summer camps for teenagers to attend. They’re a great way for teens to make friends and learn valuable lessons about life. If you’re seeking a good summer camp to attend, the first thing you should do is to decide what type of camp would be most suitable to your interests and goals.

Traditional Camps

When you just want the sort of camp in classic films, a traditional overnight camp might be just what you need to grow, learn, and relax this coming summer. These sorts of camps offer more vigorous outdoors activities, yet often allow campers to customize their camping experiences.

Chewonki Camp

As one of the best summer camps in the country by Boston Magazine, this camp aims to help teens learn about natural history and ecology, and the campers get treats like sailing trips and hiking excursions, besides formal instruction in such things as kayaking, swimming, field sports, and photography.

Camp Wicosuta

As a top-rated, traditional four-week sleep away camp especially for young ladies, Camp Wicosuta has more than 30 different activities to help teens learn to cook and wash themselves, which aims to help young girls focus on building their self-confidence.

Academic Camps

Many teens like to advance their education during the summer months while also having fun. There are hundreds of academic camps for them to choose from that specialize in various academic subjects like journalism, languages, law, computers, and sciences.

1. You should decide what camp to attend according to _______.

A．personal interests and goals	B．camping time and place
C．items and activities	D．your values and customs

2. Which can be the most suitable for a person who likes sailing and hiking?

A．Traditional Camps.

B．Camp Wicosuta.

C．Chewonki Camp.

D．Academic Camps.

3. What is the purpose of the activities that teach teens to cook themselves?

A．To let teens learn and get relaxed.	B．To help girls learn practical skills.
C．To make teens focus on science.	D．To help girls build self-confidence.