1 . With cities growing faster than ever, more and more _______ urban spaces are appearing all around the world. Dealing with the increase in these lifeless spaces has been a serious problem for almost every major city.

Valero Square is located in the center of the city’s downtown at a busy tram line station and next to a large market. With such a good location, the site should have been a(n) _______ area, but the reality couldn’t have been more _______ . While thousands of people move through the square every day, few stopped to spend time in the square. People would instead simply _______ without a second thought.

That was until the installation of a project titled “Warde”.

The installation is a cluster of giant red “flowers”, which open to 30 feet wide, on top of 30-foot-tall “stems”. The flowers can be filled with _______ . This inflation (膨胀) and deflation enable the flowers to open and close.

The new installation is difficult to neglect, but what is truly _______ is the way that these flowers interact with their surroundings. Standing under one of the flowers will cause it to open and stay _______ until you choose to leave, providing shade and _______ from the hot sun. Warde is also programmed to _______ to public transport service, springing to life as the trams arrive and depart from the square, ________ travellers not to miss their tram.

Temporary ________ projects such as Warde are being used more and more as a way to reengage communities with neglected spaces. ________ it’s still too early to say if Valero Square has been brought back to life by Warde, the project has certainly managed to generate increased public ________ in the space. ________ , Warde is an excellent example of how urban art projects can be a great tool for getting people to stop and really take notice of their ________ .

1.

A．rebuilt

B．monitored

C．neglected

D．resolved

2.

A．positive

B．memorable

C．enormous

D．lively

3.

A．ideal

B．different

C．complex

D．enjoyable

4.

A．hold back

B．turn up

C．pass by

D．look over

5.

A．air

B．traps

C．smog

D．pipes

6.

A．confusing

B．amazing

C．demanding

D．embarrassing

7.

A．faint

B．dense

C．still

D．separate

8.

A．vacancy

B．relief

C．tolerance

D．distance

9.

A．connect

B．shift

C．react

D．subject

10.

A．reminding

B．persuading

C．warning

D．urging

11.

A．investment

B．science

C．construction

D．art

12.

A．While

B．If

C．Considering

D．As

13.

A．relations

B．interest

C．trust

D．order

14.

A．In other words

B．In any case

C．In return

D．In addition

15.

A．surroundings

B．atmosphere

C．neighborhood

D．location

2 . 听下面一段对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does the woman like about the restaurant?

A．The atmosphere.

B．The fresh air.

C．The service.

2. Why does the owner go to Italy every year?

A．To go shopping.

B．To visit some friends.

C．To keep up with fashion.

3. How does the owner attract customers?

A．By changing the menu.

B．By playing the latest music.

C．By keeping the decoration unchanged.

4. What will both the speakers order?

A．Beef.

B．Wine.

C．Chicken.

3 . China’s highest academic institution for natural sciences opened its doors to science lovers to share the latest scientific and technological achievements, with the goal of popularizing science and allowing the public to engage with noted scientists and key research facilities.

The institute featured dozens of exhibitions on China’s latest achievements in artificial intelligence, autonomous underwater vehicles, lunar exploration and experiments onboard the Tiangong space station.

The public were feverish since this was the first time in three years that the academy had been able to hold live activities on Public Science Day.

Parents and children began queuing outside the front doors of the academy’s Institute of Physics early in the morning. The Institute of Automation extended opening hours several times to accommodate visitors, and tickets were sold out in hours.

Children of all ages came to see the institute’s scientists conduct colorful and thought-provoking (发人深省的) physics experiments. After the show, they were able to use the instruments themselves and ask questions about their use.

Cao Ying, a Beijing resident attending the event with her 3-year-old son, said that she had previously only known about these scientific achievements through the news. She added that it had been eye-opening to experience them firsthand and to talk to the scientists behind them. “Science education should start at an early age,” she said. “Seeing these scientific achievements in person makes me appreciate the hard work and ingenuity (独创性) of our scientists even more.”

Chinese scientists and engineers have accomplished many great things, and the achievements should not be locked away in an ivory tower.

By communicating their findings to the public, scientists also learn more about the actual needs of the people, which helps open up new areas of research and use. One example is using humanoid robots to care for the elderly.

1. How did the institute involve the public in scientific events?

A．By popularizing scientific findings.

B．By communicating with scientists and engineers.

C．By engaging the public in scientific experiments.

D．By exhibiting the newest achievements of science and technology.

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

A．Patient.

B．Worried.

C．Excited.

D．Cautious.

3. What is paragraph 6 mainly about?

A．Admiration for hard work.

B．Advice for science education.

C．Recommendation from experts.

D．Supportive response from the audience.

4. What can scientists benefit from the activity?

A．They can get inspiration.

B．They can be known to the public.

C．They can invent humanoid robots.

D．They can exhibit their achievements.

4 . Directions: Rearrange the following sentences to form a logical paragraph by space order.
1. A river runs beside the path.
2. The Botanical Garden is large.
3. A small hill stands on one side of the river.
4. On both sides of the river are flowering shrubs.
5. There are a lot of pine trees on the slope of the hill.
6. An attractive path cuts straight through the garden.
7. Near the hill, tucked into a corner, there is a children’s playground with swings, seesaws and model vehicles.

5 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Back in my country, when I was a child, I used to go to “market day” with my mother. One day each week, farmers used to bring their fruit and vegetables into the city. They closed one street    1     all cars, and the farmers set up tables for their produce. This outdoor market was a great place to shop. Everything was fresher than produce in grocery stores    2     the farmers brought it in immediately after the harvest. My mother and I always got there early in the morning to get    3    (fresh)produce.

The outdoor market was a wonderful adventure for a small child,     4     was like a festival-full of colours and sounds. There are red tomatoes, yellow lemons, green lettuce, peppers, grapes, onions. The farmers did their own advertising. They all shouted loudly for customers to buy their produce. “Come and buy my beautiful oranges! They’re juicy and delicious and full of vitamins    5     (make)your children healthy and strong!”

Everyone used to argue with the farmers    6     the price of their produce. It was like a wonderful drama in a theatre; the buyers and sellers were the “actors” in this drama. My mother was an expert    7     this. First, she picked the freshest, most attractive tomatoes, for example. Then she asked the price. The seller told her.

“What?” she said. She looked very surprised. “So expensive?”

The seller looked terribly hurt. “My dear lady!” he replied. “I’m a poor, honest farmer. These    8    (be)the cheapest tomatoes on the market!”

They always argued for several minutes before    9    (agree)on a price. My mother took her tomatoes and left.     10     buyer and seller were satisfied. The drama was over.

6 . 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。

When we think of green buildings, we tend to think of new ones — the kind of modern, solar-paneled masterpieces. But the US     1     (have) more than 100 million existing homes, and it would be incredibly wasteful to tear them all down.

An enormous amount of energy and     2     (resource) went into the construction of those houses. And it would take     3     average of 65 years for the reduced carbon emissions from a new energy-efficient home to make up for the resources       4     (lose) by destroying an old one. So in the broadest sense, the     5     (green) home is the one that has already been built. But at the same time, nearly half of US carbon emissions come from heating, cooling     6     powering our buildings. They can’t deal with climate change without dealing     7     existing buildings.

The oldest homes tend to be the least energy-efficient, mainly due to the tiny cracks and gaps that expand over time and let in more outside air.

    8     (fortune), there are a vast number of relatively simple changes     9     can green older homes. And efficiency upgrades can save more than just the earth; they can help protect property owners from     10     (rise) power costs.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why can’t the man use the bathroom on the first floor?

A．It is under repair.

B．It only has cold water.

C．It is for the woman’s family.

2. Where is the man’s bedroom?

A．On the first floor.

B．On the second floor.

C．On the third floor.

3. What can the man do with the phone in the living room?

A．Dial up the Internet.

B．Make calls out.

C．Take calls.

8 . Clean Up, the KonMari Way

Walk into your room. Hold the first thing you see. Does it bring you joy? If so, keep it; if not, toss it. Interesting way of decluttering, right? Well, that’s the KonMari Method, developed by Marie Kondo.

Her method does not stop there, though. Once you’ve finished discarding, start organizing. While many preach (鼓吹) that you start at one end of the room and finish at the other, the KonMari Method states that organizing proves to be more effective if you base cleaning around category rather than location. For example, the KonMari Method suggests that you begin with clothes, then miscellaneous items, and lastly, sentimental items.

So, Does This Work?

Well, about 8 million people think so! She has her own show on Netflix and is on Time Magazine’s list of 100 influential people. More than anything, followers of this method seem to appreciate its effectiveness and the benefits from tidiness.

What are the benefits, you ask? For one, a healthier lifestyle. As a result of a cleaner room, many people reportedly experienced a better night’s sleep. Whether you’re aware of it or not, sometimes clutter around your room can be the source of your stress.

In a study by Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, people in messy rooms had high cortisol (皮质醇) levels; high cortisol levels can trigger weight gain, a slower immune system, and stress. In a clean room, studies have shown reduced levels of heart attack risk and better eating choices. According to a study on the impact of a tidy room on an individual’s eating habits, people in a clean room are two times as likely to choose an apple over a chocolate bar!

Now, for the Other Side…

If you have a messy room, don’t fret, there are definitely some pros to having some clutter.

Countless studies, published in The New York Times and the University of Minnesota to name a couple, have proven that messiness and creativity are strongly correlated. Take a look at Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs. Their workspaces were nowhere close to tidy! And what came from that? An author whose pieces of literature continue to be taught in classrooms across the United States, a legendary physicist who changed the way scientists approached gravity and time, and the creator of Apple!

So which one is better — tidiness or messiness? That’s your call to make!

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the KonMari Method?

A．Take your emotion into account when discarding.

B．Throw away the things you might not use later.

C．Organize unwanted items according to category.

D．Clean up items depending on where they are.

2. What are the benefits of cleaning up a messy room?
a. a healthier lifestyle                    b. weight gain                              c. better eating habits
d. a slower immune system            e. reduced stress                            f. heart attack

A．a, b, c, d, e, f

B．a, b, c, d, e

C．a, c, e

D．a, c, d, e

3. Which of the following charts shows the relationship between messiness (x) and creativity (y)?

A．

B．

C．

D．

9 . One morning soon, you’ll get on your bike and ride from one end of America to the other, because the Great American Rail Trail is 53% complete, making a cross-country bike ride closer to a reality.

The idea of a bike trail(小路) made up of scenic paths, trails and former rail lines from Washington DC to Washington State has been 30 years in the making. Now, with more than 50% of the trail up and running, the project, run by the Rails to Trails in cooperation with local authorities, is building up, with hundreds of miles of trails in development now. Though not entirely complete, the rail trail has drawn people of all types.

Last August, Ryan Gardill and a colleague biked 350 miles from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. Their travels took them through some beautiful and historical parts of the American East. “The trail connected me to our revolutionary and industrial history. Most of the towns on the trail were once important to America.”

The major goal of the trail is to provide the American public with the opportunity to explore their beautiful country, without getting in their car. A secondary objective is to bring prosperity(繁荣) back to the small towns and cities that once prospered along the country’s now diminished rail system, according to National Geographic.

One of these is Muncie, Indiana, a city located on a former rail system and a part of the Rail Trail. The city is already seeing the economic benefits of the trail. “A large majority of our customers are local, but the Rail Trail could help grow tourism,” said Jason Allardt, owner of the historic Kirk’s Bike Shop.

This is the hope for many once-prosperous towns and cities all throughout America, though it may take nearly 20 years to get the entire trail up and running.

1. What has made the trail attractive to people?

A．It’s a bike trail with good scenery.	B．It’s a rail line across the country.
C．It offers good adventurous paths.	D．Its construction lasted 30 years.

2. What can be inferred about most towns along the trail?

A．They were the basic part of the U.S. railways.

B．They are mostly located in the mountains.

C．They enjoy great popularity as destinations.

D．They’re no longer important towns in America.

3. What does the underlined word “diminished” mean in Para. 4?

A．Enlarged.

B．Protected.

C．Decreased.

D．Destroyed.

4. What can we learn about the city Muncie?

A．The Trail will link its scenery to the outside.	B．The Trail will help its economic recovery.
C．It has bike paths designed for local citizens.	D．The railway has brought about its prosperity.

10 . There is fierce debate about the best city and the most desirable county to settle down in Texas. No doubt Montgomery County is one of the state’s top competitors.     1    

There are several thriving (蓬勃发展的) industries. Employment opportunities matter and Montgomery County has some thriving industries that are always looking for some new employees.     2     Besides, Prist Aerospace is one of the area’s biggest employers. You can also work in the aerospace industry.

    3     Many point to the Cozy Grape Wine Bar and Bistro as being one of the best places to try some local dishes. The Walden Yacht Club has its admirers, but perhaps The Big Sombrero is the best-loved restaurant in the entire county.

You’ll find nearby wildlife. You’re close to the Highlands, where you can see animal species,     4     You can visit John Burge Park at Shadow Lake. You’ll find towering, shady trees, pleasant hiking trails and picnic areas.

It has the feel of a small town. When you move to Montgomery County, you’re very close to Houston. You can go shopping there or catch a Rockets or Astros game any time you like. At the same time, there’s a decidedly small- town feel to the place.     5     So your kids can get lots of individual attention.

A．There’s absolutely amazing food.

B．Conditions vary from school to school.

C．You may get into the healthcare industries.

D．There’s a new restaurant opening up in the county.

E．The community is close-knit, and there are small-sized classes.

F．The following are several reasons why it is such a pleasant place.

G．You’re also surrounded by incredible natural beauty in Montgomery County.