1 . On Wednesday, two things happened. In Syria, 80 people were killed by government airstrikes. Meanwhile, in Florida, Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully launched and fired a sports car into space. Guess which story has dominated mainstream news sites?

The launch of Musk’s Falcon Heavy rocket, the most powerful ever launched by a private company, went off successfully. Musk sent his cherry-red Tesla roadster running toward Mars, launching “a new space age”. The event attracted phenomenal publicity and made the rocket launch a masterstroke of advertising for Tesla.

Meanwhile, in Syria, where hundreds of thousands of refugees(难民) may be forced to return to unsafe homes, a UN human rights coordinator for Syria said despondently(沮丧地) that he was no longer sure why he bothers to videotape the effects of bombing, since nobody ever pays attention. He wondered what level of violence it would take to make the world care.

There is, perhaps, no better way to appreciate the tragedy of 21st-century global inequality than by watching a billionaire spend $90m launching a $100,000 car into space.

Musk said he wanted to participate in a space race because “races are exciting” and that while strapping his car to a rocket may be “silly and fun … silly and fun things are important”. Thus, anyone who mentions the huge waste the project involves, or the various social uses to which these resources could be put, can be dismissed as a killjoy.

But one doesn’t have to hate fun to question the justification for pursuing a costly new space race at exactly this moment. If we examine the situation honestly, it becomes hard to defend a project like this.

A mission to Mars does indeed sound exciting, but it’s important to have our priorities straight. First, perhaps we could make it so that a child no longer dies of malaria every two minutes. Or we could try to address the level of poverty in Alabama which has become so extreme that the UN investigator did not believe it could occur in a first-world country. Perhaps when violence, poverty and disease are solved, then we can head for the stars.

Many might think that what Elon Musk chooses to do with his billions is Elon Musk’s business alone. If he wanted to spend all his money on medicine for children, that would be nice, but if he’d like to spend it making big explosions and sending his convertible on a million-mile space voyage, that’s his right.

But Musk is only rich enough to afford these money-consuming projects because we have allowed social inequalities to arise in the first place. If wealth were actually distributed fairly in this country, nobody would be in a position to fund his own private space program.

Elon Musk is right: silly and fun things are important. But some of them are an indefensible waste of resources. While there are still humanitarian crises such as that in Syria, nobody can justify vast spending on rocketry experiments.

1. Why does the writer mention the two pieces of news at the beginning of the passage?

A．To illustrate the inequality of wealth distribution and the consequent inequality of attention distribution.

B．To highlight the significance of SpaceX’s successful launch of a rocket and a car into space.

C．To appeal to the government for more attention to the air strikes and refugee crisis in Syria.

D．To find out which news dominated the mainstream news sites.

2. Why did the UN human rights coordinator for Syria feel disappointed?

A．Because nobody appreciated his work and all the efforts he made.

B．Because the violence in Syria is not serious enough to make the world care.

C．Because however hard he tried, nobody seemed to care about the situation in Syria.

D．Because he had great difficulty videotaping the effects of bombing.

3. What is implied in Paragraph 6 and 7?

A．The space project of SpaceX cost the government too much money.

B．It kills the fun to question the justification of the pursuit of space programs.

C．Space programs are a waste of money that cannot be justified.

D．Addressing problems of violence, poverty and diseases should be our top priority.

4. What does the writer mainly want to tell us?

A．We should pay equal attention to space projects and solving social problems.

B．No private companies should be allowed to spend money in rocketry experiments.

C．The money and resources used in space projects could have been used to deal with various social problems.

D．Elon Musk should be blamed for misleading the public.

2 . How to Use a Modern Public Library

Has it been a while since your last visit to a public library? If so, you may be surprised to learn that libraries have changed for the better. It’s been years since they were dusty little rooms with books. They have transformed themselves into places where you can develop your love of knowledge meet interesting people, or find out how to start a business.

Check out a book. While libraries still loan out(出借)books, you’ll find it easier to get a copy of whatever you’re looking for, thanks to a cooperative network of area libraries. Via such networks, libraries share their books with each other through the use of delivery vehicles. Once the book you’ve requested is delivered to the nearest branch, they will inform you by e-mail, so you can pick it up.

Check out other items. The library is now a multimedia zone, loaded with information in many formats(载体形式). You can borrow movies on DVDs, music on CDs, and popular magazines. Some libraries even loan out toys and games. If a popular magazine you want isn’t offered and the library keeps a list of such requests, they may bring it in when enough interest is shown.

Join targeted reading groups. Libraries will often hold reading-group sessions targeted to various age groups. Perhaps you’d like to learn a language or improve your English. The library may sponsor a language group you could join. If you have difficulties reading, ask about special reading opportunities. Your library might be able to accommodate you. And you might find it relaxing to bring your small kid to a half-hour Story Time while you sit quietly in a corner with a good book.

Start a business using the help of your local library. If you want to have a business of your own, your local library can become a launch space for it. In library books and computers, you can find information on starting a business. Many libraries will help you with locally supplied information about business management shared through chambers of commerce(商会)and government agencies, and they will offer printing, faxing and database services you need.

1. Public libraries connected by a cooperative network benefit readers by______.

A．sharing their books on the Internet

B．giving access to online reading at a library branch

C．sending a needed book to a library branch nearby

D．making the checkout procedures diverse

2. According to Paragraph 3, what items may be checked out from a public library?

A．A magazine and an e-book.

B．A game and an oil painting.

C．A music CD and a kid’s toy.

D．A DVD and a video player

3. As is described in Paragraph 4, taking a small kid to a half-hour Story Time allows ______.

A．the kid to learn a new language

B．the parent to enjoy quiet reading

C．the kid to overcome reading difficulties

D．the parent to meet their program sponsor

4. Your local library can help you start a business by ______.

A．providing relevant information and supporting services

B．offering professional advice on business management

C．supplying useful information of your potential buyers

D．arranging meetings with government officials

5. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To point out the importance of public libraries.

B．To encourage people to work in public libraries.

C．To introduce the improved services of public libraries.

D．To call for the modernization of public library systems.

3 . 阅读短文, 按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

I remember the day shyness took over my life. I was 14 and having a French lesson The teacher told us to record ourselves speaking about a holiday. Perfect！ I recorded myself with confidence. Then, I pressed "play" to listen back. All I heard was a little kid talking. My immediate reaction was to assume I was listening to someone else's recording. But that was my voice. I realised there was something strange about me.

My little voice has made me feel really shy. And my shyness has caused me to avoid attending events, not make important connections, and keep my ideas to myself. As a shy person, working from home, hiding behind my computer was brilliant. But the more time I spent hidden away, the more my comfort zone shrank（缩小）. Everyday interactions, like ordering a coffee, became increasingly awkward and uncomfortable.

And then, one day I was at a big conference and it suddenly hit me like lightning. All speakers were confident, comfortable with being seen. There were no quieter voices. But the trouble is, if the loud voices are the only ones you hear, we quiet people feel even more alienated（疏远的）。 The world needs a mixture of personalities. Success is not just about who can shout the loudest. The world needs quieter people, too. That day I chose to stop hiding and embrace my shyness. No more feeling like I needed to change who I am in order to succeed. No more living a small life.

Then I created the Shy and Mighty Society, a space for shy people like me to shine, and in the process of helping others, I could also push myself forward, bit by bit. Now, I'm happy to tell people I feel shy. I'm not ashamed any more. And I know that I’m not alone.

1. Why did the author feel strange about herself after listening to the recording? （no more than 10 words）
2. What is the main idea of Para.2? （no more than 10 words
3. What does the underlined word in Para.3 mean? （1 word）
4. Why did the author create the Shy and Mighty Society? （no more than 10 words）
5. Suppose you are in charge of the Shy and Mighty Society, what will you do to help other shy people? And why? （no more than 20 words）

4 . Brian Hamilton used to occupy himself with a six-figure job, but his life changed in a prison when he was accompanying his friend, Reverend Robert J. Harris, who often went to local prisons to do his work. During the visit, Hamilton started talking to one of the prisoners and asked what he was going to do when he got out. “He said he was going to get a job,” Hamilton says. “I thought to myself, wow, that’s going to be difficult.”

The conversation made Hamilton consider how prisoners could benefit from operating their own business, something he thought about for years. Finally in 2008, 16 years after that initial conversation, Hamilton created Inmates to Entrepreneurs, a nonprofit organization that helps people with criminal backgrounds start their own small businesses. “Harris and I taught our first course at a prison called ‘How to Start Your Own Business When You Get Out’,” he says.

At the time, Hamilton was building his own company, Sageworks. He was the chairman and co-founder of Sageworks. As Sageworks grew, so did Hamilton’s time spent teaching at prisons throughout North Carolina.

Eventually, Hamilton decided it was time to change his focus to his true passion. In May 2018, he sold his stake (股份) in Sageworks, focusing his commitment on Inmates to Entrepreneurs.

“Now, anyone is able to access the course, either to become a teacher to go into prisons to teach it or to access it for themselves as a prisoner or part of the general population,” Hamilton explains. In addition, he visits middle schools and presents the course to at-risk students to lead the so-called bad students to the right path.

The free course is funded by the Brian Hamilton Foundation, which offers help to soldiers as they adjust to civilian life and provides loans to small businesses. “We’re giving prisoners something they can do independent of a system that isn’t working for them. If you can make people know that other people care about them, it will make a difference.”

1. What does Paragraph 1 mainly talk about?

A．Hamilton lost his six-figure job.

B．Harris often visited local prisons to interview.

C．Hamilton’s life changed after visiting a prison.

D．Harris was optimistic about prisoners’ job prospects.

2. What does the passage say about Inmates to Entrepreneurs?

A．It is often short of prison teachers.	B．It provides loans to at-risk students.
C．It’s independent of the social system.	D．Its course has been largely broadened.

3. What can we know about Hamilton?

A．He often went to prisons before 2008.

B．He tried to prevent possible crimes in advance.

C．He wrote a book titled “How to Start Your Own Business”.

D．He gave away his company to those who were released from prison.

4. What does Hamilton value?

A．Offering care to others.	B．Giving trust to strangers.
C．Showing respect for teachers.	D．Providing education for children.

5. What does the author mainly want to tell us in the passage?

A．A man made a fruitless visit to the prison.

B．A man sold his business to teach prisoners.

C．A man realized his dream of being a teacher.

D．A man successfully created two organisations.

5 . When people get old and have difficulty working full time, they retire and begin a new, more relaxing lifestyle. But what about old industrial buildings? Can they start anew?

China seems to find a good solution for them. In recent years, many abandoned factories, railway yards, warehouses and mills( 磨 坊 )have been transformed into cultural and tourist sites. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, there are now 194 items on the country’s national industrial heritage list.

The 798 Art Zone in Beijing is an iconic example. Built in the 1950s as No. 718 Joint Factory, it was gradually abandoned in the 1990s as production slowed down. In 2006, Beijing’s municipal government invested over 120 million yuan and improved its infrastructure( 基础设施)condition, turning the factory complex into a cultural and creative industrial base. Now the art zone holds about 200 galleries, art centers as well as fashionable boutiques( 精品店), cafes, and restaurants, which also earns it a place on the bucket list of many tourists, noted The Paper.

Jack Liu is a frequenter of the art zone who visits it every weekend. “In the art zone, you can refresh memories of the development of Chinese manufacturing through its old buildings,” said the 28-year-old to Teens. “However, in art galleries here you will feel pulled into a fashionable, modern world. It’s amazing.”

Industrial heritage sites, which used to be filled with the rumbling of machines, are now precious pages of the book on the industrial culture of China, noted People’s Daily.

Since these heritage sites are rich and diverse in content, cities in China also spare no effort to explore new ways and models to protect and utilize them.

For example, a beer museum has been set up inside a century-old plant of the Tsingtao Brewery in Qingdao, Shandong province, bringing people closer to the long history of the brewery. Some abandoned plants in Beijing have also been remade for city explorers to take adventures in.

Just as the elderly need our care and love, these industrial heritages are also expected to be injected with vitality through protection and development. “It is not only an inevitable trend of the innovation-driven development of cities, but a necessity for promoting new drivers of development,” noted People’s Daily.

1. What is China’s solution for old industrial buildings?

A．Expanding their space and uses.

B．Upgrading them to become attractions.

C．Integrating them with new buildings.

D．Returning them to their original condition.

2. What do we know about the 798 Art Zone?

A．It was established in the 1990s.

B．It mainly provides venues for fashion shows.

C．It’s China’s first cultural and creative industrial base.

D．It’s a successful example of transforming old industrial sites.

3. Why does the author mention the beer museum?

A．To show the popularity of industrial heritage sites.

B．To explain the importance of remaking old plants.

C．To introduce the features of industrial heritage sites.

D．To illustrate how industrial heritage sites can be used effectively.

4. What does the author think of industrial heritage sites?

A．They deserve to be brought back to life.

B．They can be drivers for city development.

C．They should give way to modern buildings.

D．They are reminders of a city’s development.

5. According to People’s Daily, which of the statements is not included?

A．Used to be filled with the rumbling of machines, industrial heritage sites are valuable pages of the book on the industrial culture of China.

B．The transformed old industrial buildings are an inevitable trend of the innovation-driven development of cities.

C．The transformed old industrial buildings really bring back memories of the development of Chinese manufacturing through its old buildings.

D．The transformed old industrial buildings are highly required for promoting new development.

6 . No business would welcome being compared to gambling. Yet that is what is happening to makers of video games. For years parents have complained that their children are “addicted” to their video games and smartphones. Today, however, even more doctors are using the term. On January 1 this year, “gaming disorder” — in which games are played uncontrollably, despite causing harm — gained recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Are games really addictive? Psychologists have different opinions. Those who don’t think so say that this is just another moral panic. Similar warnings have been given about television, rock’n’roll, jazz, comic books, novels and even crossword puzzles, but it turns out that they are not as harmful as expected.

However, supporters argue that game developers have the motivation and the means to design their products to make them extremely attractive. For one thing, the business- model has changed: In the old days, games were bought once and for all. But these days, games are free and money is earned from purchases of in-game goods, which ties playtime directly to revenue (收益). For another, game-makers combine psychological theory and data, which helps them maximize the playtime. Smartphones and modern video game machines use their permanent Internet connections to send gameplay data back to developers. In this way products are constantly adjusted to encourage players’ spending. The biggest spenders are known as “whales”, a term that originated in casinos (赌场).

The gaming industry should realize that, in the real world, it has a problem, and that problem is growing. Now that gaming addiction comes with an official WHO recognition, diagnoses will become more common. Anyway, being put together with gambling in the public mind, fairly or not, will not do the industry any good.

1. What do we know from Paragraph 1?

A．It is not suitable to compare video games to gambling.

B．Parents complain about their children’s addiction to gambling.

C．Gaming addiction was officially recognized as a disease.

D．More doctors are against the use of the term “addicted”.

2. What does the underlined words “moral panic” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Unexpected addiction caused by science and technology.

B．Wrong judgment on how harmful something is.

C．Trouble caused by someone’s immoral behavior.

D．An astonishing claim of the unexpected panic.

3. What do games developers do to make games attractive?

A．They don’t charge players for in-game goods.

B．They keep players’ video game machines updated.

C．They reward big spenders with a unique title.

D．They adjust products based on received data.

4. In the last paragraph, the author aims to _______.

A．offer a suggestion

B．make a prediction

C．give a warning

D．put forward a solution

5. What is the best title for the text?

A．Addiction: A Warning to the Gaming Industry

B．Addiction: Not a Blame on Games

C．Games: A New Kind of Gambling

D．Games: The Cause of Mental Disorder

7 . Children as young as ten are becoming dependent on social media for their sense of self-worth, a major study warned.

It found many youngsters(少年）now measure their status by how much public approval they get online, often through “likes”. Some change their behaviour in real life to improve their image on the web.

The report into youngsters aged from 8 to 12 was carried out by Children's Commissioner (专员) Anne Longfield. She said social media firms were exposing children to major emotional risks, with some youngsters starting secondary school ill-equipped to cope with the tremendous pressure they faced online.

Some social apps were popular among the children even though they supposedly require users to be at least 13. The youngsters admitted planning trips around potential photo-opportunities and then messaging friends—and friends of friends — to demand “likes” for their online posts.

The report found that youngsters felt their friendships could be at risk if they did not respond to social media posts quickly, and around the clock.

Children aged 8 to 10 were "starting to feel happy" when others liked their posts. However, those in the 10 to 12 age group were "concerned with how many people like their posts", suggesting a “need” for social recognition that gets stronger the older they become.

Miss Longfield warned that a generation of children risked growing up "worried about their appearance and image as a result of the unrealistic lifestyles they follow on platforms, and increasingly anxious about switching off due to the constant demands of social media.

She said: "Children are using social media with family and friends and to play games when they are in primary school. But what starts as fun usage of apps turns into tremendous pressure in real social media interaction at secondary school."

As their world expanded, she said, children compared themselves to others online in a way that was "hugely damaging in terms of their self-identity, in terms of their confidence, but also in terms of their ability to develop themselves".

Miss Longfield added: "Then there is this push to connect—if you go offline, will you miss something, will you miss out, will you show that you don't care about those people you are following, all of those come together in a huge way at once." "For children it is very, very difficult to cope with emotionally." The Children's Commissioner for England's study—life in Likes—found that children as young as 8 were using social media platforms largely for play.

However, the research—involving eight groups of 32 children aged 8 to 12—suggested that as they headed toward their teens, they became increasingly anxious online.

By the time they started secondary school—at age 11—children were already far more aware of their image online and felt under huge pressure to ensure their posts were popular, the report found.

However, they still did not know how to cope with mean-spirited jokes, or the sense of incompetence they might feel if they compared themselves to celebrities(名人) or more brilliant friends online. The report said they also faced pressure to respond to messages at all hours of the day—especially at secondary school when more youngsters have mobile phones.

The Children’s Commissioner said schools and parents must now do more to prepare children for the emotional minefield(雷区) they faced online. And she said social media companies must also "take more responsibility". They should either monitor their websites better so that children do not sign up too early, or they should adjust their websites to the needs of younger users.

Javed Khan, of children's charity Bamardo's, said: "It's vital that new compulsory age-appropriate relationship and sex education lessons in England should help equip children to deal with the growing demands of social media.”

“It’s also hugely important for parents to know which apps their children are using.”

1. Why did some secondary school students feel too much pressure?

A．They were not provided with adequate equipment.

B．They were not well prepared for emotional risks.

C．They were required to give quick responses.

D．They were prevented from using mobile phones.

2. Some social app companies were to blame because ________.

A．they didn't adequately check their users' registration

B．they organized photo trips to attract more youngsters

C．they encouraged youngsters to post more photos

D．they didn't stop youngsters from staying up late

3. Children's comparing themselves to others online may lead to ________.

A．less friendliness to each other

B．lower self-identity and confidence

C．an increase in online cheating

D．a stronger desire to stay online

4. According to Life in Likes, as children grew, they became more anxious to ________.

A．circulate their posts quickly

B．know the qualities of their posts

C．use mobile phones for play

D．get more public approval

5. What should parents do to solve the problem?

A．Communicate more with secondary schools.

B．Urge media companies to create safer apps.

C．Keep track of children's use of social media.

D．Forbid their children from visiting the web.

6. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The influence of social media on children.

B．The importance of social media to children.

C．The problem in building a healthy relationship.

D．The measure to reduce risks from social media.

8 . Jonathan Cranwell sat on hard bench behind the long narrow desk and watched the flies fly lazily in the sun. The drone of the younger boys reading letters and older boys reciting Latin verbs made him sleepy. Jonathan had to force his eyes to stay open. He wanted to learn something new!

He looked up at the schoolmaster’s high desk in the front of the room. The new teacher was from Harvard College. Jonathan’s father had been impressed with him. The boys had already had several other teachers, but none of them seemed to inspire Jonathan. So far, there was nothing to show that this one was special, though he’d only been there two days.

“It’s too hot to sit and memorize lessons,” the schoolmaster said. “We’ll move outdoors for the next part of our lesson.” He led the group of boys into the schoolyard. “You younger boys, dig for grubs and beetles (幼虫和甲虫). Count their feet. See if you can describe their shells (壳).”

Jonathan watched the teacher surrounded by laughing young students. No one had ever used the schoolyard itself for a classroom. “What next?” he thought. Soon he didn’t have time to think about the younger boys, for he was running after butterflies and dragonflies himself.

Jonathan and his friends liked this new way of learning.

“It will be a clear night tonight. Go outside and look at the sky,” said the schoolmaster. “Look at the stars and notice their brightness and the patterns they make. These patterns have names from Greek mythology (神话), names like Orion, Aries, and others. Tomorrow we will learn about the ancient stories on them.”

“How is the new schoolmaster?” asked Jonathan’s father that evening, when Jonathan announced he was going out to look at the sky.

“He’s different from any schoolmaster we’ve had,” Jonathan admitted. “He seems interested in everything around him, and he wants us to be curious too. He even used the schoolyard as a classroom!”

“So Mr. John Adam and his new ways make school useful to you after all,” joked Jonathan’s father.

“I believe he has,” said Jonathan. “I know I won’t forget the lessons he has taught us!”

1. What does the underlined word “drone” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Boring sounds.

B．Clear talks.

C．Enthusiastic responses.

D．Loud noises.

2. Which statement shows that the new schoolmaster understood the children?

A．“Go outside and look at the sky,…”	B．“See if you can describe their shells.”
C．“It’s too hot to sit and memorize lessons,…”	D．“Tomorrow we will learn about the ancient stories…”

3. The students’ laughter in Paragraph 4 suggests that they were ________.

A．silly

B．confused

C．delighted

D．easygoing

4. According to Paragraph 9, we can learn that ________.

A．Mr. Cranwell had met the new schoolmaster	B．Jonathan had previously complained about school
C．Mr. Cranwell was not satisfied with the new ways	D．Jonathan had shown his father his homework

5. What is the main idea of this story?

A．Science is all around us.	B．School provides us with the best education.
C．Homework is an important part of education.	D．There is more than one way to learn.