1 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。

It’s 5 p.m., and you’ve just realized that report you’ve been putting off is due tomorrow. It’s time to buckle down and open your computer. Actually, you should probably make dinner first. You usually like cooking, though it’s hard to enjoy with this work hanging over your head, and oh—it’s actually pretty late! Maybe you should just try again in the morning. This is the cycle of procrastination, and I promise you, we have all been there.

Procrastination is when we avoid a task we said we would do, for no good reason, despite expecting our behavior to bring negative consequences. Obviously, it’s irrational to do something you expect to harm you. But ironically, procrastination is the result of our bodies trying to protect us, specifically by avoiding a task we see as threatening.

We’re most likely to procrastinate tasks that evoke negative feelings, such as dread, incompetence, and insecurity. Because procrastination is motivated by our negative feelings, some individuals are more susceptible (易受影响的) to it than others. People who have difficulty regulating their emotions and those who struggle with low self-esteem are much more likely to procrastinate. However, it’s a common misconception that all procrastinators are lazy. When you’re feeling lazy, you’re more likely to sit around doing nothing than distract yourself with unimportant tasks. In fact, many people procrastinate because they care too much. Procrastinators often report a high fear of failure, putting things off because they’re afraid their work won’t live up to their high standards.

Whatever the reason for procrastination, the results are often the same. Procrastinators are likely to suffer from anxiety and depression, ongoing feelings of shame and physical ailments (轻病) associated with high stress.

So, how can we break the cycle of procrastination?

Traditionally, people thought procrastinators needed to cultivate discipline and practice strict time management. But today, many researchers feel the exact opposite. Being too hard on yourself can layer additional bad emotions onto a task. What we really need to do is to address and reduce these negative emotions.

1. What is procrastination?
_____________________________________________
2. What kinds of people are more likely to procrastinate?
_____________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Ø Procrastinators are affected by negative emotions, are all lazy and are likely to suffer from physical ailments associated with high stress.
_____________________________________________
4. What strategies can you use to break the cycle of procrastination in your daily life? (In about 40 words)
_____________________________________________

2 . Art Builds Understanding

Despite the long history of scholarship on experiences of art, researchers have yet to capture and understand the most meaningful aspects of such experiences, including the thoughts and insights we gain when we visit a museum, the sense of encounter after seeing a meaningful work of art, or the changed thinking after experiences with art. These powerful encounters can be inspiring, uplifting, and contribute to well-being and flourishing.

    1     It contributes to facilitating a better understanding of ourselves, the human condition, and moral and spiritual concepts. The question is how that happens — what are the attributes of meaningful experiences of art?

According to the mirror model of art developed by Pablo P. L. Tinio, aesthetic reception corresponds to artistic creation in a mirror-reversed fashion. Artists aim to express ideas and messages about the human condition or the world at large.     2     This results in the build-up of layers of materials — from initial studies and sketches to the final, refined piece. A viewer’s initial interaction with an artwork starts where the artist has left off. Their interaction first involves the processing surface features, such as color, texture, and the finishing touches applied by the artist during the final stages of the creative process.     3    

In addition, art making and art viewing are connected by creative thinking. Research in a lab at Yale University shows that an educational program that uses art appreciation activities builds creative thinking skills. It showed that the more time visitors spent engaging with art and the more they reflected on it, the greater the correspondence with the artists’ intentions and ideas.     4    

Correspondence in feeling and thinking suggests a transfer — between creator and viewer — of ideas, concepts, and emotions contained in the works of art. Art has the potential to communicate across space and time.     5     What it takes for this to happen is active engagement with art in contexts that facilitate this engagement, especially museums.

A．The viewers gain a new perspective on the story.

B．The theory of aesthetic cognitivism describes the value of art.

C．This helps to create connections and insights that otherwise would not happen.

D．To do so, they explore key ideas and continually expand them as they develop their work.

E．After spending more time with the work, the viewer begins to access the ideas of the artist.

F．For example, in one activity, people are asked to view a work of art from different perspectives.

G．Participants were more original in their thinking when compared to those who did not take part in the program.

3 . While I was in hospital for a heart surgery, something affected me and made me do something meaningful. Before my surgery, my doctor showed me a video, in which there were patients like me and they each had a heart pillow, so I decided I would get one.

Right after my _______, I asked about the heart pillow. Unluckily, I was told they didn’t offer it but it could be _______ at the hospital gift shop. So my daughter bought one for me. It was comfortable and became my “security blanket”. However I was _______ that many patients couldn’t get that comfort. So I took this whole mission upon myself. I called various hospitals to find out what they used for patients after heart surgeries. I also found a site _______ that the cloth pillows were considered dangerous because it might spread bacteria to patients. I _______ understood, but that didn’t stop my mission. I continued to call the manufacturers. Finally, a lady called back and told me about the heart pillow that they had produced, which could be _______ and disinfected (消毒).

I did all my _______ so that no one could think of a reason why this wouldn’t work. It took me over a month to be able to meet with the hospital authorities to _______ my finding. I’m glad that they agreed and are _____ getting these pillows for patients. I cannot be ________— I actually did something that will help many patients.

1.

A．operation

B．experiment

C．search

D．checkup

2.

A．examined

B．purchased

C．allowed

D．observed

3.

A．satisfied

B．upset

C．scared

D．grateful

4.

A．hoping

B．complaining

C．stating

D．promising

5.

A．secretly

B．suddenly

C．currently

D．totally

6.

A．washed

B．abandoned

C．repaired

D．packed

7.

A．essay

B．homework

C．practice

D．magic

8.

A．grab

B．trace

C．present

D．return

9.

A．depending on

B．carrying on

C．insisting on

D．working on

10.

A．happier

B．calmer

C．wiser

D．luckier

4 . 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。

There is a saying that when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. But what if you are in     1     town on the French Riviera and life gives you extraordinarily delicious lemons? You sell them at high prices, of course! Then you have a big festival. Well, that’s     2     the city of Menton does anyway.

During this celebration, there are parades of floats, interspersed (点缀) with marching bands and costumed     3     (entertainer), just like any other carnival parade. But there’s one big     4     (different) — all of the floats     5     (make) of lemons and oranges. It’s an all-natural and refreshing change. But the real show-stopper is the exhibition of huge fruit sculptures in the Biovès Gardens. Some of these figures can be up to 10 metres tall.

First held in Menton, France in 1934, the festival is held every year     6     (celebrate) the coming of spring. It is spread over a couple of weeks,     7     (typical) near the end of February. During the festival, about 300 designers and builders spend several weeks     8     (create) structures with lemons and oranges     9     (base) on a particular theme. For example, this year all these structures are related     10     “Operas and Dances”.

5 . Lingjiatan Ancient Cultural Site

Position

Lingjiatan site is located in Lingjiatan village, Hanshan County, Anhui Province.

Status

·With a history of about 5,600 years, it is the largest and best preserved Neolithic settlement site found in Chaohu Lake Basin in the lower reaches of the Changjiang River.

·The unearthed area is 2,200 square meters, including 1 altar in the late Neolithic age, 66 tombs, 1 relic built with large-area red pottery blocks, 1 house site, and 1,300 precious cultural relics such as delicate jade ritual vessels, stone tools and pottery, of which jade accounted for more than half.

Importance

·The “Stonehenge” unearthed at the site is the only site found so far that there are Stonehenge remains in the Neolithic period in China, and its construction age is about 1,000 years earlier than that of Stonehenge in Britain.

·Unearthed “jade dragon”, the flat round jade dragon connected end to end is called “the first dragon in China”.

·The unearthed stone drill is one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the Neolithic Age in China in the 20th century.

Research value

·Studying urban elements

Lingjiatan site is the first settlement site in China with hierarchical architecture based on terrain. It plays a noticeable role in studying the evolution of Chinese ancient society and the exchange and collision of East, West, North and South cultures.

·Moving the history of Chinese cities forward for more than 1,000 years.

Mysteries to be solved

·Did the Youchao people master the metal smelting technology at that time? Have they produced the most primitive text symbols?

·After the discovery of Lingjiatan site, does Youchao’s birthplace lie in Chaohu Lake Basin?

1. How many precious cultural relics were unearthed according to the text?

A．1,000.

B．1,300.

C．2,200.

D．5,600.

2. Why is Lingjiatan site important?

A．There exists the only Stonehenge in the world.

B．The jade dragon is considered as “the first dragon in China”.

C．The stone drill is the most important archaeological discovery in history.

D．Moving the history of Chinese history forward for more than 1,000 years.

3. Which has proved true about Lingjiatan site?

A．Youchao’s birthplace lies in Chaohu Lake Basin.

B．The Youchao people mastered the metal smelting technology.

C．Lingjiatan site was the first settlement site for the ancient people.

D．The exchange of four-direction cultures ever happened in Lingjiatan site.

6 . How to Get Along with Your Roommate

Unless you plan to live at home while attending college, you’re going to be faced with sharing personal space, bathrooms, TVs, closets and much more. Getting along with your college roommate can be a difficult situation because sharing space with others is not always easy.     1    .

Get to know your roommate.

Before college starts, spend time together to learn about each other’s hometown, friends and family. Knowing a bit of your roommate’s background will help you understand them and hopefully get your living situation stared off on the right foot.     2    , but showing mutual respect will make for better living conditions.

Learn to communicate.

Be clear with your message but don’t forget to listen as well. You will achieve very little if you don’t communicate and actively listen.

    3    ! Approach your roommate in private when they have time to hold a meaningful conversation, and be clear about what is bothering you.

    4    .

While texting or e-mailing your roommate is not a good idea, it will allow you to write down your concerns and edit the message before sending it. For those who get stressed out over conflict, this may be a good solution. If you and your roommate cannot find a compromise to your problems, it may be time to get your counsellors involved. They are trained to deal with such situations and can usually help find reasonable solutions.

Don’t be nervous.     5    , and learn to let the small things go. Consider all of the positives that come with having a roommate. Who knows, in the meantime, you may have just found your best friend for life!

A．You don’t have to be best friends

B．Consider different ways to solve conflict

C．College life is supposed to be most challenging

D．Stay flexible, accept your roommates for who they are

E．Here are some tips that can help the change go more smoothly

F．To expand your circle of friends, consider joining an interest club

G．Talking directly with your roommate is always better than talking behind their back

7 . Build your own first aid kit

Emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere, so being prepared for one is important. Having a proper first aid kit in your home is an easy but essential part of good emergency preparation.     1    . Instead of getting such one, you can save money and ensure the kit is personalized to suit you and your family’s particular needs by creating your own.

Pick a good container. One good option is a large, water resistant, rigid or flexible plastic container. This makes the materials inside visible for easy identification and safe.     2    . A handle is ideal out of consideration for that. Regardless of your container choice, clearly identify it, for example, by writing “ FIRST AID” with a permanent marker.

    3    . One should include all of your basic medicinal supplies, such as bandages (绷带), gloves and scissors, while the second one includes medicine. Make sure that the important basic medical tools and medicines are contained in it.     4    . However, when it comes to bandages, wipes and other lightweight items, the more the merrier. And remember that everything is kept in small sealed plastic bags.

    5    . When one of your family is crying about a cut on her finger, you don’t want your home kit buried at the back of a cupboard or lost because it’s not being returned to the same spot after each use. Establish a clearly-defined, consistent spot for it. Let small children know where the kit is located, but place it where they cannot reach it.

A．Make your first aid kit safely accessible

B．Separate the first aid kit into two sections

C．The ready-made first aid kits in the store are usually expensive

D．The kit should be easy to transport as needed to the emergency

E．The number of each item will depend on the size of your family

F．Having several first aid kits means you can get one of them anytime

G．First aid kits on the market often lack what you want or have something useless for you

8 . Canadians are blessed with an abundance of natural wonders with enough lakes, mountains and rivers to explore for a lifetime. We’ve also got some of the most amazing waterfalls on Earth.

Horseshoe Falls Niagara Falls, Ontario

Niagara Falls are the most famous waterfalls in Canada — and understandably so. Actually they are made up of three different falls, and the fittingly named Horseshoe Falls is the only one located on the Canadian side, which is the most powerful in North America. Multiple viewing options are available including tourist ships and sightseeing buses.

Nailicho (Nirginia Falls) Nahanni National Park Reserve, Northwest Territories

Coming in at twice the height of Niagara Falls, this massive waterfall is located on the South Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories. The remote location means it receives only about 1,000 visitors per year who must make their way by either boat or floatplane.

Takakkaw Falls — Yoho National Park, British Columbia

Takakkaw translated from Cree loosely means “the magnificent (壮丽的)”, and it’s a suitable word for the second-highest waterfall in Canada. After a steep drive up a winding road, Takakkaw Falls is only a short distance from the parking lot along a wheelchair accessible path.

Bridal Veil Falls — Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park, British Columbia

Pretty and delicate, Bridal Veil Falls is located just east of Chilliwack, British Columbia, and really does look like its name, with water gently pouring over smooth rock. An easy 15-minute walk to the waterfall takes you through rich leaves. Tables are available to have a meal outdoors, and there are lots of opportunities for viewing wildlife along the way.

1. What do we know about Horseshoe Falls?

A．It is easily accessible.

B．It consists of three falls.

C．It limits tourist numbers.

D．It crosses North America.

2. How can visitors go to Takakkaw Falls?

A．By tourist ship.	B．By cable car.
C．By floatplane.	D．By car.

3. What can visitors do in Bridal Veil Falls?

A．Swim.

B．Camp.

C．Picnic.

D．Hunt.

9 . Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas. Critical thinking has been the subject of much debate and thought since the time of early Greek philosophers such as Plato and Socrates and has continued to be a subject of discussion into the modern age, for example the ability to recognise fake news.

Critical thinking might be described as the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. In nature, critical thinking requires you to use your ability to reason. It is about being an active learner rather than a passive recipient of information.

Critical thinkers rigorously (严厉地) question ideas and assumptions rather than accepting them at face value. They will always seek to determine whether the ideas, arguments and findings represent the entire picture and are open to finding that they do not.

One of the most important aspects of critical thinking is to decide what you are aiming to achieve and then make a decision based on a range of possibilities.

Once you have clarified that aim for yourself you should use it as the starting point in all future situations requiring thought and, possibly, further decision making. Where needed, make your workmates, family or those around you aware of your intention to pursue this goal. You must then discipline yourself to keep on track until changing circumstances mean you have to revisit the start of the decision-making process.

However, there are things that get in the way of simple decision making. We all carry with us a range of likes and dislikes, learnt behaviours and personal preferences developed throughout our lives; they are the hallmarks of being human. A major contribution to ensuring we think critically is to be aware of these personal characteristics, preferences and biases (偏见) and make allowance for them when considering possible next steps.

The more clearly, we are aware of ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses, the more likely our critical thinking will be productive.

1. What will you be by using critical thinking?

A．A creative philosopher.	B．A passive recipient of information.
C．An independent organizer.	D．An active learner.

2. Which of the followings belongs to critical thinking?

A．Setting up direct targets.	B．Coming up with imaginative ideas.
C．Analysing original reasons.	D．Making various possible decisions.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 6?

A．Personal preferences will change critical thinking.

B．Individual behaviours will stop you pursuing the goal.

C．Tastes and preferences vary from individual to individual.

D．Critical thinking gets in the way of simple decision making.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．What is Critical Thinking?

B．How does Critical Thinking work?

C．How is Critical Thinking Productive?

D．What effect does Critical Thinking cause?

10 . Right at this moment, cockroaches (蟑螂) are doing more to save the environment than you are. A big overstatement? Not if you’ve ever thrown away leftovers from your plate or bought more food than you could manage to cook in a week. You’re part of the food waste problem. But just like cockroaches, you can also be part of the solution.

For example, some farmers in Asia and Africa collect tomatoes in big bags, which means that many of them get crushed out of shape and spoiled before they can be sold or eaten. Switching the bags for large wooden containers already lowers the amount of food lost. Similar successes can and have been achieved in various regions with weather-protected storage facilities.

Let’s focus on China for a second. It’s one of the few countries with an innovative approach to minimizing the environmental impact of food waste. How does it do it? Cockroaches. Millions of the tiny creatures are kept in farms in the suburban districts of big cities. Every morning, food waste is delivered by the tonnes and fed to the cockroaches. Just like tiny pigs, they’re not picky and devour everything quickly. After they die, they’re processed into protein-rich feed for animals such as cows or sheep, or used for cosmetic products and Chinese medicine. It’s an efficient and environmentally-friendly alternative to dumping leftover food in a landfill. Cockroaches aren’t going to solve the problem with food waste, but they can serve as an inspiration for finding other similar solutions on a wider scale.

To avoid food waste completely, improvements are needed at every step of the food supply chain, from production to retail. These take time and are often out of your hands as a consumer. But a meaningful reduction of food waste is definitely in your hands. You can not only buy less and shop more often, but also cut down on animal products.

1. Which link in the food supply chain does paragraph 2 focus on?

A．Processing.

B．Packaging.

C．Transporting.

D．Trading.

2. What does the underlined word “devour” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Preserve.

B．Transform.

C．Grasp.

D．Swallow.

3. What do we know about the practice of raising cockroaches in paragraph 3?

A．It is widely used around the world.

B．It solves the problem with food waste.

C．It lessens the environmental impact of pigs.

D．It inspires people to seek creative solutions.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Some solutions to food waste.

B．The current state of food waste.

C．Cockroaches’ help to save the environment.

D．Some factors contributing to food waste.