1 . The British government declared that a ''proper piece of work'' was being carried out to look into the possibility of linking Scotland to Northern Ireland via a bridge spanning the Irish Sea. At the moment, the leading candidates for the locations of the route are Portpatrick on the Scottish coast and Larne on the Northern Irish coast.

Length aside, there are a number of other significant challenges that such an enormous project would raise. For example, there’s the depth of the sea, which at times reaches 300 metres, and the large spans that would be required to let any ships pass under the bridge safely, explained Ian Firth, a structural engineer at the Institution of Civil Engineers.

''One solution might be to use floating foundations. '' he said. ''You have a floating pontoon(水上浮台) held below the surface of the water.You still have to get down there and drill holes in the rock down below, but you're now just tying it down with some cables. Then the floating platform is held below the waves----you don't want it at the surface because then you’re getting wave action and tidal action. You stand your bridge structures on those floating platforms. That’s the sort of thing that potentially could be doable. ''

Even so, such a structure would still leave those travelling across it at the mercy of high winds and heavy rain, even taking into account any weather shielding measures that could be fitted. However, there may be another solution.

''There's another type of floating structure, a submerged(水下的) floating tunnel. It’s not through the rock but under the water, '' said Firth. ''You attach it down, shall we say 20 metres below the water, so that ships can go happily across the top of it, but the thing is actually floating. If you're in your car, you’re driving, in effect, through a tunnel. That is a very interesting, and I think really quite potentially practical solution. ''

But it's early days and there are many factors to consider, such as the ability of the transport links either side of the crossing to cope with additional traffic, and the fact that it may be more efficient to upgrade the existing ferry infrastructure, before any kind of design work could begin.

''At the moment it is an idea and not much more than that. To begin with, we'd need a pre-feasibility study which looks at what the options are so that we can actually frame the range of a feasibility(可行性) study, '' said Firth, ''After that people like me could go away and turn over what the options are. I believe it's possible. But 'possible' and 'affordable' are two different things. I’m not trying to put numbers to it, but it is eye-wateringly expensive, and nothing like it has been attempted before. But we're in the business of finding solutions to challenges. We civil structural engineers are good at that kind of thing. ''

1. From Paragraphs 1 and 2, engineers may focus efforts on the ______ of the bridge-to-be.

A．cost	B．location
C．structure	D．reliability

2. What might be the major drawback to the first solution?

A．It is impossible to build a bridge on floating platforms.

B．It takes much labor to tie floating platforms with cables.

C．Wave and tidal action can easily destroy floating platforms.

D．Traffic flow will be subject to severe weather conditions.

3. What can we learn from Firth's words in the last paragraph?

A．Bridge construction is more of an assumption than a detailed plan.

B．Engineers have reached a consensus on the feasibility of the project.

C．They are trying to update the structural design to control costs.

D．Previous similar attempts do help them draw up a feasible plan.

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Why not float?

B．A bridge too far?

C．Overlooking the Irish Sea

D．Meeting new Scottish friends

2 . A decade ago, colored lights danced around the living room on New Year's Eve and happy music was played. Upstairs, the children were asleep. But I wasn't feeling happy. In mid-December, my husband and I had been informed that he had cancer and that he was going to die. He had less than a year left, the doctors said.

In the years since that painful season, I have come to look back upon New Year's Eve as an ending and a beginning. New Year's Eve brings a halt to the endless commitments that fill our daily lives and a chance to reflect.

New Year's Eve is full of possibility, and anticipation. What will be the surprising experiences and delightful successes in the coming year? But also, what disappointments are waiting for us in the next twelve months?

In many ways, New Year's Eve and the days that surround it are a line between past and future. That line is made up of a series of moments of transition that take us out of the old and into the new. Transition can be challenging for many of us. It's about letting go of the familiar and diving headlong （迅猛地）into the unfamiliar.

Just as, back then, I had to face letting go of the life I had led with my beloved husband and stepping into a new world as a widowed（丧偶的）mom. I find that each year I have to step out of the version of me that suited the year that is ending and ease into the version of me who will rise to the goals I am holding for myself for the year ahead.

Last year at this time, I sat in a chair in southern France and drank in the stillness and beauty of the countryside around me. The three children and I had brought into this world talked and laughed around the table beside me as we enjoyed a lunch of bread and cheese.

I was filled with a sense of joy and I had a glowing （热情洋溢的）heart that was full of hope. It was another ending and another beginning. May we all transition into the best of what lies ahead. May we all find happiness in this holiday season.

1. What made the author unhappy on New Year's Eve a decade before?

A．The pressure she faced in her work.

B．The health problem her husband faced.

C．The information received from her family.

D．The relationship between her and husband.

2. What does the underlined word "halt" in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Stop.

B．Beginning.

C．Meaning.

D．Tradition.

3. What does the author think people should do at a new year?

A．Set challenging goals for the next year.

B．Break with daily routines and form a new habit.

C．Spend more time with family members.

D．Think about the past and get ready for the future.

4. What is the author's attitude toward the future?

A．Calm.

B．Indifferent.

C．Doubtful.

D．Expectant.

5. What is the main purpose of the article?

A．To memorialize her husband.

B．To show how she got through a hard time.

C．To share her view of New Year's Eve.

D．To remind us that uncertainty is part of life.

3 . I used to be the most determined resolution-maker. Even as a child, I was always goal-centered and loved the feeling of accomplishing things, and every January 1st, I would sit down and write out my resolutions (目标) for the upcoming year. And what resolutions they were! I always picked big goals, like: In the New Year, I will lose 50 pounds! And run a marathon! And study scripture (圣经) every day!

The problem? I’d start out strong, but by February or March, I’d be out of willpower and I’d slide quietly back into my old habits. Every winter, I’d feel guilty and ashamed, looking back at all of the amazing things... I think one of my biggest problems with New Years resolutions was wanting to “dream big” but not having the skills and ability to do those things.

Now I take the opposite approach I’m all about the little goals. First, little goals are easy to set. Instead of saying I’m going to run a marathon, I’ve decided I’m going to run 20 minutes three days a week. Second, little goals are easier to accomplish. Every time I check one of my mini goals off my list, I feel a burst of pride and accomplishment. It’s a great feeling, and I don’t have to wait until the end of the year to enjoy it!

The other great thing about making small goals instead of resolutions is that you can build small goals on top of each other, adding the achievements together. For instance, recently I decided to make sure I ate five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. After a few months, this became a solid habit.

1. Why did the author feel guilty and ashamed?

A．Because she picked big goals as her resolutions.

B．Because she failed to accomplish her resolutions.

C．Because she was looking back at the amazing things.

D．Because she loved the feeling of accomplishing things.

2. How did she change her new year’s resolutions?

A．She put all of her goals together.

B．She checked mini goals off her list.

C．She set small goals instead of big ones.

D．She didn’t make resolutions any more.

3. What did the author want to say in the last paragraph?

A．Small goals are easy to set.

B．Making resolutions is not reasonable.

C．Eating fruits and vegetable is a good habit.

D．Small goal can contribute to big achievements.

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

A．Setting Small Goals Not Big Ones	B．Combining Big and Small Goals
C．Making New Year’s Resolutions	D．Setting and Achieving My Goals

4 . New Year’s resolutions you should be making about time management

You likely already have too many goals and too many disappointments from this past year. So as you look ahead to 2020, the idea of adding more seems kind of exciting but also a bit forbidding. That’s why as a time management coach, I recommend that you do the opposite:     1    

Know less

It’s okay not to be up-to-date on everything. To cut down on these distractions, you might turn off social media notifications on your phone.     2     Unsubscribe from notification emails or newsletters you don’t read regularly.

Resolution: I resolve to be less aware of “interesting” things so I can be interested in and present for the people around me.

Care less

This one may sound a bit unfeeling.You may want to be a kind and thoughtful person for your friends and family and to serve your clients well.     3     What that means is that you say “No” a lot.

Here is a way:

I am at the service of my customers Monday through Friday, during the day.     4     Being able to unplug from work in my personal time increases my ability to serve my clients well when I’m in the office.

Resolution:     5     Consequently, I can match my time with my highest priorities and take better care of the people closest to me.

Is it easy to do less? No. But will it lead you to the best outcomes in the end? Yes. You’ll thank yourself for it at the end of 2020.

A．Resolve to do less.

B．Contact people face to face.

C．I have to manage my time strategically.

D．But I don’t feel the need to be available 24/7.

E．Alternatively, you could offload the apps altogether.

F．I resolve to care less about what others want me to do.

G．But you can’t care about everyone who wants your attention professionally.

5 . One summer my friend and I decided to go to Italy for a holiday and we decided to travel there without going through a travel agency. You know, you would be submerged (淹没) in crowds of tourists and lose lots of opportunities to get familiar with the country more closely. We started to think over our trip and managed to come up with a free tour of Italy.

The trip was not very long but it was still very impressive. We look forward to going there again! Of course, we spent lots of time arranging the trip, but it was well worth it!   Of course I was afraid that something would go wrong and I was especially anxious about my visa, but everything went quite smoothly in the end.

The most difficult part was getting a visa without an invitation. In the Italian consulate(领事馆), one must hand in some official papers proving that one has a hotel booked for oneself in order to get the visa. Then we had to solve the ticket problem. Airlines often sell cheap tickets and we bought ours far in advance. The next step was to book a hotel. We finally booked a hotel about thirty km away from the heart of Rome and it was the perfect choice for our trip.

Every day we took a train that carried us to the heart of Rome. Our big house, which was surrounded by the forest, was a rare place for the fresh air and absolute silence, beautiful views, hospitable (好客的) hosts, comfortable living conditions delighted us to no end. Besides this, we were very lucky that our mistress was Russian. She gave us a lot of advice that was of great use. She told us what transport to choose and where the best places to go.

Don’t be afraid to arrange your trip by yourself. It’s not difficult! The only thing I’ll say right now is that we really enjoyed traveling by ourselves. We walked with a map and a guide-book to wherever we wanted and we even met some of our fellow countrymen on the way just two or three times. So, if you’re also planning a “single” trip, don’t forget to take a Russian-Italian phrasebook as people in Italy prefer to speak in their native tongue.

1. Why does the author want to go to Italy again?

A．He had a great time there.	B．Italy has a lot of attractions.
C．His friend invited him there.	D．He didn’t stay in Italy long enough.

2. What does the author think was the hardest in preparing for his Italian trip?

A．Buying cheap airline tickets to Italy before the traveling.

B．Getting a visa without an invitation from the Italian consulate.

C．Booking a comfortable hotel on his own in Rome.

D．Solving the ticket problem far in advance.

3. In the fourth paragraph the author mainly explains _______.

A．the reason why he chose to live in the center of Rome

B．the reason why the hotel he booked was the right choice

C．what transport they chose to travel in their Italian trip

D．the reason why the mistress gave them some advice

4. From the text we can know the author _______.

A．enjoys traveling everywhere in the world

B．likes being accompanied by tour guides

C．advises us to arrange trips by ourselves

D．met with a lot of his countrymen in Italy

6 . Directions: Read the following memo and complete the map with the names of the events according to the information given in the memo. Write one word or more in each space.

Memo To: Andy White From: Rita Brown Date: 3rd June Subject: Winter Carnival 10th January to 12th February at the Universal Park. We also propose an entrance fee of $10. The site will be divided into six areas. In the centre, there will be a flower show. We will invite both growers from home and abroad to participate. To the side of the flower show, next to Kent Road and Bedford P.F. Productions Road, there will be two areas for amusement rides. We will set up thirty rides in these areas. This year, we propose holding two new events-a fancy dress contest and an ice sculpture exhibition. We suggest that we should set aside an area for the fancy dress contest, which is close to the entrance and next to Bedford Road. We are also considering building an exhibition hall for the ice sculpture exhibition. Finally, next to the entrance, there will be a food fair, where visitors can enjoy food from around the world. Please give me your feedback on our arrangements. Thank you for your help. Rita

Andy’s Map of the Winter Carnival

1    1    
2    2    
3    3    
4    4    

7 . It's amazing how we grow from careless kids to responsible teens. What happens in the course that makes us responsible now? It’s the seed that we sow in the beginning which grows and becomes a huge tree.

As a kid, I used to read a lot of story books. In one particular book, I read a story of a bird. It described a male bird which takes a lot of pain to build a nest and the female bird takes shelter in it and nourishes the baby. When the bird learns to fly, the whole family flies off to a different place leaving behind the beautiful nest for other birds to grow their family in it. It made me wonder. How could they so easily sacrifice their house built with so much effort?

One night, when I was deep in sleep, I got this particular dream. I was walking miles on the endless road, totally isolated but lined with beautiful trees on either side. I happened to stop upon seeing something. It was a wonderful house with every corner touched artistically and lovingly. I don’t know why I felt that it was done lovingly. Maybe because, things turn out to be beautiful only when we put our love into it - just like the food prepared by mom which tastes more delicious with her love.

I explored the house only to fall more in love with it. There was a sloping roof which matched with the greenery around; the large central open courtyard reminded me of the activities that might have taken place there which felt lively even now when it is completely deserted. The small water body that kept the house cool added to the beauty of the house - of course, it was all dried up now. It's really wonderful how such things add life to the spaces which otherwise just become structures. Such liveliness and happening turns the house into a home.

When I woke up from the dream, I was clear about everything. I realized where that mile of walk was intending me to lead. I realized what message my dream wanted to convey me. And years later, when finally my turn of choosing my destination came, I simply closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes, I was sure what to do. I decided to choose the road - less traveled. Yes, I took up architecture as my profession because this is what I am destined to do. I wanted to do the same thing that the male bird in the story did, to take pain in building a beautiful house and let others stay in it.

1. When the writer read the story of the bird, he probably felt _______.

A．upset	B．confused
C．amazed	D．amused

2. To the writer, ''the seed that we sow in the beginning'' (Paragraph 1) is _______.

A．the story of the bird	B．his mother's food
C．the house in his dream	D．his story books

3. Mom's food always tastes better because _______.

A．mom cooks with her love	B．we are so familiar with mom's food
C．moms are better cooks than fathers	D．mom is experienced in cooking

4. In the writer's dream, what part of the house attracted him most?

A．The greenery surrounding the house.

B．The body of water that keeps the house cool.

C．The liveliness he sensed around the house.

D．The fact that the house was very large.

5. The above passage is mainly about _______.

A．how the writer finally becomes an honest citizen

B．where the true meaning of responsibility lies

C．what we need to do when we are seeking fortune

D．why the writer takes up architecture as his career

8 . A bunch of strangers showed up at the gym in the early morning of the last Sunday of April. A few athletes were already stretching their arms, but most of us could barely focus. As I was burning off last night's wrong decision—a big meal, I spotted a poster about a gym's 21-day workout challenge, and I immediately signed up. I always wanted to train for a marathon, so I considered this as my warm-up. Besides, I needed to stop being lazy and this was my chance to make a change.

It was easy to promise on paper, but three weeks of recommended exercise routines and diet restrictions wouldn't be easy. I stuck to working out 30 minutes a day, and I didn't disturb my normal routine. Instead, I had to be faced with the tough work of being more creative in my spare time, thus breaking some bad habits.

Overcoming weaknesses with willpower was my goal for the next part of the journey. But the difficult part about making a challenge is realizing that “wanting" and “doing" are two very different things. Just like a career, you have to physically work for it rather than just wait for it to happen. But that's hard. Throughout the 21 days, I often told myself that the challenge was meaningless and tried to sabotage myself from exercising. However, finally I overcame that negative thought and kept working out.

At the end of the challenge, I learned something even more important: Feeling the results is better than seeing them. I had fewer headaches and more energy, and was simply happier. I even felt a little smarter as I researched which foods were better for my body, and learned how to make healthier meals. I felt a sense of accomplishment, too, because even though I wanted to give up dozens of times, I didn't. I felt my waist got smaller and my arms got stronger, and I no longer felt guilty after having a piece of cake or a drink.

1. What was the author's wrong decision?

A．Going to the gym early.

B．Training for a marathon.

C．Eating a lot the previous night.

D．Stopping being lazy for a change.

2. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Some of the author's bad habits.

B．Some ways of the author's killing his spare time.

C．The importance of sticking to the normal daily routine.

D．The difficulty of the author's keeping on with the workout plan.

3. What does the underlined word “sabotage" in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Prevent.	B．Hear.
C．Improve.	D．Distinguish.

4. What did the author learn from the workout challenge?

A．Eating healthy food is more important than exercising.

B．Overcoming a challenge could bring good feelings to him.

C．It's more important to see what he likes than just feel it.

D．There was no need to feel guilty about things he disliked to do.

9 . The year I turned fifty, I resolved to do something new every day. However, balancing 365 new things with work and family, while still managing to do the laundry and get dinner on the table every night, was not always easy. In the early weeks of the project, I found it difficult to find so many new things.

It wasn’t long before my friends learned that I was open to almost anything I could consider a new thing, and the invitations began pouring in not just from friends, but friends of friends. As a result, my life was new. I went dog sledding. I attended a fashion show. I went to numerous lectures on all kinds of topics that I never would have previously considered useful or interesting and found something to appreciate in every single one. I even signed up immediately when learning about a local group trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records by doing something unusual.

As time went by, whenever I learned about something that seemed remarkable, I did what I could to pursue it. Instead of “Why”, I began to ask “Why not”. Now I find it is easier to just keep my eyes open to the possibilities that surrounded me. It turned out that there were new things everywhere, and all I had to do was make a little effort to enjoy them.

I looked back on the year. It doesn’t matter to me that many of my “new things” weren’t exactly meaningful. What matters is how to make full use of them when discovering there is an endless number of new things for me. It seemed to me an obvious sign that at fifty, my life was full of promise. I could continue to grow, stretch my wings, and learn more every day for the rest of my life. I enjoyed the idea of something new, and it gave me a reason to welcome each day as an opportunity to experience the world a little differently.

1. Which of the following can best describe the author’s feeling according to Paragraph 1?

A．Better late than never.	B．Action speaks louder than words.
C．Saying is one thing but doing is another.	D．Experience is the best teacher.

2. What’s the author’s attitude toward new things?

A．Skeptical.

B．Appreciative.

C．Cautious.

D．Tolerant.

3. What does the author intend to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．Make the most of new things.	B．Wait for your life to start over.
C．Try to find more new things.	D．Never say never when in trouble.

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

A．Dream for a New Life	B．The Value of Friendship
C．Remarkable New Things	D．A Year of New Things

10 . Remember Vitainwater’s “free of rolling screen for a year” challenge that dared people to be free from smart phones for a whole year will win $ 100,000? Well, Elana Mugdan, a New York woman, has been into it for eight months, and just four months away from claiming grand prize.

Vitaminwater made news headlines last December when it announced its unique challenge. Thousands of people applied to be chosen as the perfect candidate to spend a year without touching their smart phones, but in the end, the only person who got to try and survive for an entire year without a handheld smart phone was Elana Mugdan, a 29-year-old fiction writer from Queens, New York. Eight months into the challenge, she claims it has been a free and eye-opening experience that shows her just how dependent she becomes on her smart phone. Even though there are times when she misses her handheld smart phone, she plans to go on living without it even after the challenge ends, because she really doesn’t want to go back to days when she abused it, wasted time, stayed up all hours of the night on it, and was obsessed with social media.

But not having access to her smart phone really made certain situations a lot harder than she could have imagined them before. “Many people did me a favor. However, once, I almost got stranded (滞留) in the SeaTac airport because the phone number I’d written down was wrong, and I had no way of referring to the right one, no way of calling a cab, and no one in the state who could help me,” the young writer said.

Another time, her car’s “check engine” light turned on while she was driving in an unfamiliar area at night. She couldn’t use her phone’s GPS location feature, r even check what the light meant on Google or find a nearby car repair shop. Still, she learned to overcome these situations. And now she claims the last eight months of phone-free life have been one of the best adventures of her life and that she’ll keep it for another four months.

1. What’s the challenge “free of rolling screen for a year”?

A．People free from smart phones can live a richer life.

B．People living a telephone-free life can be awarded every year.

C．People living without computers for a year will win grand prize.

D．People spending a year free from smart phones will get a reward.

2. Which phrase can replace the underlined part “obsessed with” in paragraph 2?

A．satisfied with	B．accustomed to
C．addicted to	D．popular with

3. What does Elana Mugdan mainly want to express in paragraph 3?

A．It’s fantastic to have someone to help her all the way.

B．It’s unimaginable to lose her phone number on the way.

C．It’s unnecessary to refer to information with a smart phone.

D．It’s difficult to get out of the trouble without a smart phone.

4. What can we learn about Elana Mudgan?

A．She couldn’t live without a smart phone.

B．She finds no one can help her in the adventure.

C．She has not won the grand $ 100,000 prize yet.

D．She used to use her smart phone to write fiction.