1 . Elmer Whitaker sighed as he looked over his muddy crops. A terrible ________ had swept through his farm the night before, and his crops were now covered in ________ and destroyed. His neighbor, a kind young man named Thomas, ________ to offer his help.

"What a disaster, “Whitaker said.” My whole family has always survived on the harvests of this field. I feel ________ and don't know what to do now.

Thomas calmed him down and thought for a moment. “I see this not as a disaster but as an ________ ,” he said. Whitaker looked at him ________. “How can it be?” he asked. Thomas smiled ________, “Now you have a chance to try something new. You’ve always grown beans and cabbages. Why not try planting ________ crops that will also fit in this soil? You can diversify and therefore ________ your farm once again.”

Elmer Whitaker considered this. Thomas was right-he had become set in his ways. This disaster could push him to make his farm ________ and sustainable in a new way. “You have ________ me,” Whitaker said. He clapped Thomas on the back. “Thank you for showing me the opportunity in this difficulty. ”

And so Whitaker ________ new crops and soon, the farm was full of life again. Farmers from neighboring towns were ________ with the wonder of Whitaker’s fields, and they began to ________ their crops as well. Elmer Whitaker’s farm has become a ________ of adaptability and hope, telling everyone that in every storm, there is a chance for new growth.

1.

A．force

B．smoke

C．war

D．storm

2.

A．mud

B．grass

C．mist

D．dust

3.

A．went on

B．set off

C．came by

D．burst in

4.

A．special

B．desperate

C．sensitive

D．tireless

5.

A．opportunity

B．agreement

C．intention

D．element

6.

A．as usual

B．in disbelief

C．on purpose

D．with pride

7.

A．innocently

B．gratefully

C．politely

D．cheerfully

8.

A．major

B．traditional

C．different

D．natural

9.

A．restore

B．exchange

C．donate

D．abandon

10.

A．formal

B．diverse

C．realistic

D．obvious

11.

A．informed

B．demanded

C．enlightened

D．promised

12.

A．tasted

B．planted

C．shared

D．received

13.

A．careful

B．troubled

C．familiar

D．impressed

14.

A．diversify

B．remove

C．deliver

D．observe

15.

A．manner

B．dream

C．symbol

D．cause

2 . 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。

Shu embroidery (蜀绣) enjoys a long history in China. As early as the Han Dynasty, Shu embroidery was already famous, enjoying a high reputation as “    1     treasure of Sichuan”. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, a     2     (relative) peaceful society and large demand provided     3     (advance) conditions for the rapid development of the Shu embroidery industry. Shu embroidery experienced its peak development in the Song Dynasty,     4     (rank) first in both production and     5     (excellent). In the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Shu embroidery industry was formed.     6     the People’s Republic of China was founded, Shu embroidery factories were set up and the craft entered a new period of development.

Shu embroidery     7     (form) its own unique characteristics, since it originated among the common people in the west of Sichuan Province. Shu embroidery has strong expression and artistic effect,     8     features are said as “fine and smooth needlework, simple and elegant colors, graceful and easy lines and the traditional Chinese paintings style”. Altogether, there are 122     9     (approach) in 12 categories for weaving. The embroidery took locally-produced colorful satin (缎子) and threads     10     its materials.

3 . I was annoyed that my mom had even scheduled the appointment with a doctor for me. As doctors so often do, when he arrived he went straight into the basic small talk about my _______ history.

But then he _______ a question that took me off guard. “So Robin, what are you going to do after high school?” He wrote something at his notes, with not even a glance in my _______. “I don’t know,” I mumbled(嘟哝). I was seventeen. I had no _______ what I was going to do after high school. My high school guidance counselor told me that I wasn’t “college material” and I believed her. Education wasn’t exactly _______ in my family.

“You don’t know? Well, why don’t you go to college to become a _______ like me?” He smiled as he glanced at his watch. I thought he was _______ for even suggesting it. No one in my family had even graduated from college, let alone become a doctor. “I’m not smart enough to be a doctor.”

He looked me straight in the eyes when he _______ said, “Let me tell you something; you don’t have to be smart to be a doctor. You just have to be persistent(坚持不懈的).” Then the doctor hurriedly gathered his things and _______ to his next appointment.

I ________ to think about it when I was at school. What would I do after high-school? Even though I wasn’t college material, that doctor made a(n) ________ on me. I applied to a college and soon found myself walking in the ________ as a new student. I often questioned what I was doing there. Maybe I wasn’t smart enough for college, but I could be persistent.

I was ________ to find that with each individual achievement came newfound ________ in myself. I graduated with a master’s degree in September 2014, two decades after that ________ with my doctor.

1.

A．career

B．health

C．credit

D．growth

2.

A．threw in

B．took in

C．consisted in

D．broke in

3.

A．account

B．activity

C．direction

D．movement

4.

A．idea

B．evidence

C．reason

D．discovery

5.

A．protected

B．explored

C．provided

D．emphasized

6.

A．professor

B．doctor

C．lawyer

D．lecturer

7.

A．crazy

B．anxious

C．violent

D．greedy

8.

A．casually

B．automatically

C．seriously

D．doubtfully

9.

A．got away

B．passed out

C．put down

D．rushed off

10.

A．continued

B．hesitated

C．intended

D．pretended

11.

A．comment

B．conclusion

C．impression

D．burden

12.

A．park

B．campus

C．workshop

D．stadium

13.

A．frightened

B．annoyed

C．surprised

D．discouraged

14.

A．anxiety

B．sympathy

C．guilt

D．confidence

15.

A．argument

B．conversation

C．conflict

D．negotiation

4 . Shortly before he turned 60, Mark Fuhrmann realized what he wanted. He, now, at 65, has just returned from a second voyage. His 6,835 mile-round trip from Nova Scotia took in the great lakes of the US, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.

Fuhrmann started these journeys “to kickstart retirement” from the maritime PR business he ran in Oslo for the past 30 years. Before he set off, in June last year, he swapped (交换) his house for a flat, and greatly reduced his possessions. “It was good to get rid of all of those things and say: ‘This isn’t a phase; this is a new season,’” he says.

Amazingly, he didn’t plan his trip, beyond committing to fundraise for Medecins Sans Frontières. “I thought: ‘I’ll try to do 40km each day.’ But I never knew where I was going to lay down my head.”

The challenges were psychological, physical, and sometimes life-threatening. In Florida, he was chased by an alligator (短吻鳄), but narrowly escaped from it. In the Boston area, he saw “a black fin moving towards me like a snake”. He lay his oar (划桨) across his lap and waited. “If a great white shark can swim leisurely, that’s exactly what it did. It just passed me,” he says. Ten minutes later, Fuhrmann pulled his kayak (小艇) into a cove, where he ran into a man who invited him into his home for coffee and apple pie. His whole trip was filled with these switchbacks and moments of connection with strangers, which Fuhrmann experienced as “a call to authenticity”.

What does he mean? “Nature is born within us. If you avoid that, you avoid experiencing something that is vital to who you are as a person. I want real things — life isn’t about having more. I think we need to accept where we are at this stage of life, at 60 or 65.”

“I look at retirement as a season,” he says. He started his latest voyage because “I wanted to have a better understanding of who I was. I wanted to have time for my thoughts to wander, to restart, to discover the value and power within myself.”

1. Why did Fuhrmann get rid of most of his possessions?

A．To make donations to charity.	B．To start a new life in retirement.
C．To make up for his business loss.	D．To collect money for the journey.

2. What does the underlined word “switchbacks” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Blessings.

B．Ambitions.

C．Defeats.

D．Challenges.

3. Which of the following might Fuhrmann agree with?

A．The meaning of life is achieving more.

B．Old people should take things as they are.

C．It is good to have nature-based experience.

D．It is advisable for aging people to play safe.

4. Why did Fuhrmann start his latest voyage?

A．To reflect on his past.	B．To discover his true self.
C．To relax his mind and body.	D．To be free from the noisy world.

5 . When you think of a new place for growing food, you might think of Mars. But one Italian family believes one possible place is right here on the Earth: the ocean.

Nemo’s Garden is the world’s first underwater system of land plants. Located off the coast of Noli, Italy, it consists of several greenhouses called biospheres, each of which is attached to the seafloor. “The aim of it is to change agriculture, and add a possibility for growing produce in the ocean,” says co-founder Luca Gamberini.

His father Sergio Gamberini came up with the idea by combining his two passions — diving and gardening. In 2012, the project began with planting basil (罗勒) underwater. Now Nemo’s Garden is growing strong.

“Our limited number of resources can not promise sustainable (可持续的) development,” Luca says, “and we believe that underwater gives us some advantages over traditional agriculture.”

Floating six to ten meters underwater, plants in Nemo’s Garden are separated from any outside pathogens (病原体). Also, the temperature of the ocean water is an ideal environment for plant life. Besides, Nemo’s Garden uses a technique that uses water-based nutrients (养分) instead of soil. “Also, there is little interaction with the underwater environment and related ecosystems, which means no harm is caused to sea creatures,” adds Luca.

Everything is monitored on land through cameras and sensors, and settings can be adjusted. When it’s time to harvest, a diver will cut the vegetation, place it in bags and float them to the surface.

The team at Nemo’s Garden has plans for even bigger biospheres in the future, as well as other locations. Luca believes the future of Nemo’s Garden will be mostly along the coastlines where communities could benefit from the added space it offers.

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

A．The greenhouse.

B．The seafloor.

C．Underwater system.

D．Nemo’s Garden.

2. Why did Luca start the underwater system?

A．To combine his two hobbies.	B．To feed the growing population.
C．To seek sustainable farming.	D．To develop healthy ways of life.

3. What’s the main idea of paragraph 5?

A．The advantages of Nemo’s Garden.	B．The construction of Nemo’s Garden.
C．The structure of Nemo’s Garden.	D．The techniques used in Nemo’s Garden.

4. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A research paper.

B．A science magazine.

C．A journal entry.

D．A science fiction.

6 . 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。

As the afternoon sun bathed the local beach with its warm, golden rays, four-year-old William sat on the beach with a mix of expectation and confusion. His dad, Steven, sat by his side. They were waiting for William’s friends to arrive and celebrate his long-awaited birthday party. William’s wide eyes, filled with hope and happiness, stared at the shoreline, looking for familiar faces.

He kept asking his dad where everyone was, and Steven just told him “they’re coming soon, ”trying to ease his son’s growing impatience. But the longer they waited, the more hopeless William became. He was extremely disappointed when the two invited families called and said they couldn’t make it to the celebration because of unexpected situations.

Steven watched his son, who had been eagerly expecting his special day for what seemed like ages. This year, William had been more aware than ever of his upcoming birthday, asking throughout the month when his birthday was, eagerly expecting a good time.

Feeling a sense of guilt for his son’s disappointment, Steven decided to turn to social media for help. He posted a lovely picture of him and William on the beach. Their faces were filled with a mix of hope and disappointment. The sincere words with the picture read, “William would love some friends to play with on the beach. To celebrate his fourth birthday, he has Hot Wheels, sand toys, dinosaurs, and we have some snacks and drinks. Any and all welcome. ”

William’s wish for companionship produced a strong response from the local people. They flooded the post with messages of support, birthday wishes, and offers to join the celebration. They were determined to make William’s day special.

“Going there. See you soon, ”one warm-hearted local commented on the post, promising to bring her family along. The message aroused the same feeling from many others, who were quick to follow suit.

注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Soon, the beach was filled with scenes of joy.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After hours of laughter and games, the sun began to set.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . Michael and his wife, new residents in a San Francisco apartment, learned about their neighbor Jeff Dunan’s volunteer work for Bangladesh Relief, an organization that provides food, clothing and essential supplies for disadvantaged people in northern Bangladesh. Inspired, Michael donated $150 to Dunan’s GoFundMe campaign. However, a credit card notification alerted him to an unintended $15,041 charge.

When he saw the five-figure number, he was confused. Soon, it all made sense. Michael’s credit card number started with four and one. Clearly, he accidentally began typing his credit card information while his cursor (光标) was still in the donation box.

Michael planned to call Dunan to explain, but before he had the chance to do that, he started receiving Facebook messages from Shohag Chandra, the charity’s Bangladesh-based program manager, thanking him for his generous donation. After he looked through the photos of people holding thank-you signs that read his name, Michael’s heart sank. He felt terrible that he had to withdraw his handsome donation. Once his original contribution was refunded, he decided to donate $1,500.

Although Michael had told his family and friends about the tale, he decided to share it publicly on social media, after Dunan told him the organization was desperately in need of funds. “The least I could do was take the time to post this story online and see if I could inspire other people to donate to the cause,” Michael said.

Little did he know, though, that the story would be seen far and wide, ending up raising more than $120,000 for Bangladesh Relief in the span of only a few weeks—about eight times Michael’s mistaken donation. According to Dunan, more than 3,700 people have contributed because of Michael’s post. Michael has been stunned (震惊) by the ongoing outpouring of support. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this reaction,” he said. “People can be amazing when they come together for something like this.”

1. How did Michael make the large donation?

A．He input an incorrect amount.	B．He encountered a system error.
C．He was greatly inspired by Dunan.	D．He entered wrong credit card details.

2. Why did Michael’s heart sink according to Paragraph 3?

A．He saw people in despair.	B．He failed to offer enough money.
C．He didn’t receive the full refund.	D．He realized the scale of his mistake.

3. What motivated Michael to share the story on social media?

A．Dunan’s request for publicity.	B．A desire for personal recognition.
C．The organization’s urgent need for funds.	D．Pressure from his family and friends.

4. What message does the story convey?

A．Actions speak louder than words.	B．Many hands make light work.
C．Always prepare for a rainy day.	D．A good beginning is half of victory.

8 . In a new study, the researchers examined trends in subjective well-being (幸福) over the course of a lifespan based on 443 samples from a total of 460,902 participants. “We focused on changes in three central components of subjective well-being: life satisfaction, positive emotional states and negative emotional states,” explains Professor Susanne Bücker.

The findings show that life satisfaction decreased between the ages of 9 and 16, then increased slightly until the age of 70, and then decreased once again until the age of 96. Positive emotional states showed a general decline from age 9 to age 94, while negative emotional states fluctuated (波动) slightly between ages 9 and 22, then declined until age 60 and then increased once again. The authors identified greater median changes in positive and negative emotional states than in life satisfaction.

“Overall, the study indicated a positive trend over a wide period of life, if we look at life satisfaction and negative emotional states,” Susanne Bücker concludes. The researchers attribute (把……归因于) the slight decline in life satisfaction between the ages of 9 and 16 to, for example, changes to the body and to the social life that take place during puberty. Satisfaction rose again from young adulthood onwards. Positive feelings tended to decrease from childhood to late adulthood. In very late adulthood, all components of subjective well-being tended to worsen rather than improve. “This could be related to the fact that in very old people, physical performance decreases, health often worsens, and social contacts reduce; not least because their peers pass away,” calculates the researcher.

The study highlights the need to consider and promote subjective well-being with its various components across the life, as the authors of the study conclude. Their findings could provide significant guidance for the development of intervention programmes, especially those aimed at maintaining or improving subjective well-being late in life.

1. What is exactly the subject of the study?

A．Life satisfaction of the elderly.	B．Trends in lifelong subjective well-being.
C．Ways to control negative emotional states.	D．Factors affecting positive emotional states.

2. When do all components of subjective well-being go worse?

A．During childhood.

B．In late adulthood.

C．At middle age.

D．In young adulthood.

3. What is the positive significance of this study?

A．Teaching to improve physical performance.

B．Giving suggestions on the lifetime increase.

C．Providing a theoretical basis for healthy growth.

D．Guiding to improve the well-being of the elderly.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．When does happiness matter most to us?

B．What does subjective well-being consist of?

C．Why will we be more positive as we get older?

D．How does subjective well-being develop over the lifetime?

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is Michael’s problem?

A．He’s not sure about his future.

B．He has no interest in studying.

C．He isn’t allowed to attend a film school until he’s eighteen.

2. What does Michael often do after school?

A．He plays football.

B．He goes to acting classes.

C．He watches English plays.

3. What advice does the woman give Michael?

A．Talking with his friends.

B．Performing in the school play.

C．Staying at school until he’s eighteen.

10 . A proposal released in China recently would require all mobile devices, apps and app stores to have a built-in “minor mode” that would restrict daily screen time to two hours a day, depending on the age group. The restrictions, if approved, would mark an expansion of existing measures rolled out in recent years as China aims to limit screen time among kids and reduce their exposure to undesirable information.

Under the draft rules open for public discussion, children and teens using devices in minor mode would automatically see online applications close when respective time limits are up. They would also be offered age-based content.

No one under 18 would be able to access their screens between 10 p. m. and 6 a. m. while using the mode. Children under eight would be able to use their phones for only 40 minutes a day, while those between 8 and 16 would get an hour of screen time. Teenagers over 16 and under 18 would be allowed two hours. All age groups would receive a reminder to rest after using their device for more than 30 minutes. Parents would be able to override time restrictions, and certain educational and emergency services would not be subject to the time limits.

Parents said the proposal can help protect children’s vision as many young kids cannot stop themselves while watching something they like. On the other hand, it’s easier for parents to control their kids’ screen time. Most importantly, the content under the minor mode is more positive and healthier.

The effectiveness of the new proposed measures may depend on parents’ example, according to a father of two in southeastern China’s Zhuhai city, who said children sometimes use their parents’ accounts to play online. “Even we adults need it!” he joked.

1. What is the main purpose of the “minor mode”?

A．To regulate the legality and standard of apps.

B．To increase the variety of mobile applications.

C．To restrict under-age kids’ screen time and content.

D．To improve the convenience of mobile equipment.

2. Which of the following agrees with the “minor mode”?

A．Children under 8 use phones for an hour daily.

B．People under 18 can access their screens at 2 a. m.

C．10-year-old students get 90 minutes of screen time a day.

D．17-year-old teenagers play on phones for 2 hours every day.

3. What is parents’ attitude toward the proposal?

A．Critical.

B．Doubtful.

C．Supportive.

D．Uncaring.

4. Which of the following may determine the effective operation of the proposal?

A．Parents’ leading by example.	B．Flexible control of time limits.
C．Children’s ability of self-discipline.	D．Diverse outdoor activities after school.