1 . “Fire! Fire!” What terrible words to hear when one
I began to
“My baby! My baby!” She cried. The crowd
| A．gets up | B．calls up | C．wakes up | D．turns up |
| A．clean | B．empty | C．strong | D．wooden |
| A．opened | B．closed | C．locked | D．answered |
| A．run | B．walk | C．climb | D．jump |
| A．sleep | B．stand | C．speak | D．breathe |
| A．hard | B．hot | C．cold | D．dirty |
| A．window | B．bathroom | C．door | D．roof |
| A．hands | B．arms | C．feet | D．face |
| A．rose | B．broke | C．locked | D．trapped |
| A．burning | B．freezing | C．lighting | D．bursting |
| A．Strangely | B．Chiefly | C．Luckily | D．Exactly |
| A．laugh | B．cry | C．scream | D．regard |
| A．shock | B．excitement | C．sadness | D．curiosity |
| A．madly | B．slowly | C．sadly | D．joyfully |
| A．cried | B．suffered | C．cheered | D．watched |
2 . A new study finds sales of sugary drinks obviously fell across several US cities, after they carried out soda taxes (汽水税) aiming those drinks — and those changes continued over time. Taxes ranged from 1 to 2 cents. For a 2-liter bottle of soda, that comes out to between 67 cents to $1.30 extra in taxes.
“While prior (先前的) studies have looked at the impact of soda taxes, they usually studied one city at a time. This new study looked at the overall effect of the taxes on several cities to get an idea of what might happen if these taxes were more widespread — or enlarged to the state or national level,” says Scott Kaplan, an economics professor and the study’s lead author.
Kaplan and his co-workers found that prices for sugary drinks went up by 33.1% and purchases (购买量) went down by basically the same amount. So when people had to pay more for sugary drinks, they reduced their purchases — the effect was large and continued.
As Kaplan notes, “Sugary drinks make up a quarter of all the added sugar we see in the average adult American diet. And that’s a really big amount.” Jennifer Pomeranz, a professor at the School of Public Health, says, “Taxes that aim sugary drinks are good public health policy because these drinks have no nutritional (营养的) value, but they are linked with diet-related diseases. Too much added sugar is linked to a host of poor health outcomes, including overweight and heart disease.” Last month, WHO called on countries to increase taxes on sugary drinks as a way to promote healthier diets.
Today, the sugary drink industry’s strategy of offering consumers more choices with less sugar is working, and nearly 60% of drinks sold have zero sugar. The calories that people get from drinks have decreased to the lowest level in decades.
1. What’s the difference between the new study and the prior ones?| A．The range. | B．The challenge. | C．The expense. | D．The benefit. |
| A．They bought them in overseas markets. |
| B．They turned to the government for help. |
| C．They cut down the drinks’ consumption. |
| D．They added sugar to drinks by themselves. |
| A．To better protect people’s health. |
| B．To encourage research into drinks. |
| C．To improve the nutrition of drinks. |
| D．To make more money for the government. |
| A．It is a short-sighted decision. |
| B．It is a success story. |
| C．It benefits sugary drinks industry. |
| D．It upsets customers. |
3 . One minute, Peggy Lewis and her husband, Harris Lee, were watching the trees blow in the wind. The next, they were surrounded by flying pieces of glass from the house’s broken windows. The roof was torn off. The walls caved in (塌陷). After the 152-mph tornado (龙卷风) had passed, it took a team of neighbors to pull the couple from the rubble (碎砖) and take them to the hospital.
When the pair returned to their house three days later, it was clear that what remained of the house would need to be torn down, but before Peggy would let that happen, she wanted one thing first—her family Bible.
Peggy had bought the Bible 35 years earlier, at the start of her marriage. Like many people, she’d used it to hold her family’s history — old photos, and a handkerchief from her great-grandmother.
The Bible was the first thing Peggy looked for when she returned to the house. When two volunteers showed up, Peggy had one task for them.
After an hour of searching, one of the volunteers ran up to her. Peggy had tears running down her face. The young woman had found the book while looking through rubble. Surprisingly, while many other books inside the house had been destroyed beyond recognition, the Bible was still complete, even though it had sat in the rain for days. “I completely broke down,” says Peggy. “I thought it was gone forever.” She was extremely grateful.
Peggy and her family were living at a friend’s house until they got back on their feet. But the book already has its well-deserved place of honor, in Peggy’ borrowed dresser. She knows that while every good book tells stories of disastrous (灾难性的) weather and unlikely survival, this one actually lived it.
1. What happened to the couple during the tornado?| A．They were hurt by glass. | B．They were buried in ruins. |
| C．They were blown to the wall. | D．They were forced to leave their house. |
| A．To help find her Bible. | B．To get her a new dresser. |
| C．To dig out all the buried things. | D．To tear down the dangerous house. |
| A．It’s very expensive. | B．It’s a gift from her husband. |
| C．It marked her marriage. | D．It held important things. |
| A．Excited but surprised. | B．Sad but thankful. |
| C．Excited and thankful. | D．Surprised but sad. |
| A．An important book. | B．All of her books. |
| C．Her house. | D．Some of her relatives. |
4 . When Americans think of the lunch menu at their childhood school dining halls, they probably imagine the shapeless, tasteless meat — plus some brown mush (糊状物) to match. But for children in Japan, school lunches are a rich experience where the students learn about culture and nutrition (营养) of foods.
“Japan’s opinion is that school lunches are a part of education, not a break from it,” Masahiro Oji, a government director of school health education in Japan said. The food offered at schools in Japan is affordable, fresh, and made by the students themselves. And Japanese children don’t just eat the food they prepare; they learn about the nutrition and culture of their meals, too. The food is grown locally and includes a balanced menu of rice, vegetables, fish, and soups. Even better, each meal only costs just $2.50.
“Parents hear their kids talking about what they had for lunch,” Tatsuji Shino, the headmaster at Umejima Elementary School in Tokyo said, “and kids ask them to re-create the meals at home.” Japanese students also learn cooperation (合作) and etiquette skills as they serve and clean up after each other.
Considering the fact that Japan has one of the world’s lowest childhood obesity rates (肥胖), the US probably has a lot to learn from this country’s school lunches. A recent study found that American students who regularly ate the school lunch — where choices include pizza, chicken, and French fries — were 29 percent more likely to be obese than those who brought lunch from home.
For American parents who want to be a little more like the Japanese, try sending your children to school with these great school lunches for kids who hate sandwiches.
1. How does Japan treat school lunches?| A．It considers lunch an important way of keeping fit. |
| B．It takes lunch as time for students to feed themselves up. |
| C．It considers lunch a part of school education. |
| D．It considers lunch a chance to help students relax |
| A．They are cheap. | B．They are cold. |
| C．They are full of meat. | D．They are home-made. |
| A．eat quietly | B．help others | C．make friends | D．work together |
| A．American school lunches are likely to make people fat. |
| B．American school lunches are more popular. |
| C．More people prefer studying at American schools. |
| D．American kids are the fattest in the world. |
| A．Expensive. | B．Unhealthy. | C．Great. | D．Nutritional. |
Imagine having the
1. How many factors of car accidents are mentioned?
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. |
| A．Improved highway design. |
| B．Stricter traffic management. |
| C．Strengthened training for drivers. |
| A．Poor traffic control. | B．Some driver-less cars. | C．Drivers’ carelessness. |
7 . Are you happy with your appearance?
“Almost all the girls with single-fold eyelids (单眼皮) in our class have had double eyelid operations,” Zeng, a Senior 2 student from Chengdu, told Xinhua. Zeng had the same surgery done this summer.
From popular photo-editing apps to plastic surgery (整形手术), it seems that large eyes, pale skin and a skinny body are the only standard for beauty these days. But can following this standard really make us feel good about ourselves?
“Many teenagers are upset about their appearance because they believe in unrealistic standards of beauty,” experts say.
However, trying to live up to strict standards can make us feel anxious. What troubles us is not just our “imperfect” looks, but the fact that we criticize ourselves too much.
| A．Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. |
| B．Body image anxiety is common among teenagers. |
| C．Guys care just as much as girls do about their body image. |
| D．Some teenagers might feel negative about their appearance. |
| E．It’s common for teenagers to feel confident about their appearance. |
| F．She and many of her classmates believe bigger eyes look more beautiful. |
| G．Perfect faces and bodies are everywhere in advertising, TV shows and social media. |
8 . A group of middle-aged dads formed a dance team to perform at their kids’ school but unexpectedly gained popularity on social media, having over 300,000 followers—one of them is famous actor Hugh Jackman. The “Outta” Puff Daddys first came together in 2012 in Brighton for a surprise performance at their children’s annual dance show.
Having never danced professionally before and ranging in age from 42 to 60, the dads were taught by their kids’ street dance teacher for the surprise performance. They received a good reception, so they decided to carry on permanently.
Paul Jukes, 48, said dancing together has enabled the members to get through unemployment and anxiety. “Even though I’m the leader and artistic director of the team, I’m not normally the most confident guy.” said Jukes, whose team name is Jukebox. “If we’re in a party situation, we’re off at the side, but when we’re together those inhibitions (拘束感) are lost, and we just accept life to the fullest.”
The dance team members remember the moment when they surprised their kids at the dance show. “We performed at the Brighton Dome which seats 2,000 people, so for our first live dance performance, it was quite something. We took the roof off,” Jukes said. “The noise was crazy and of course, the kids in the audience were blown away. They were shouting, ”Hang on a second; that’s your dad.“ Most people might think our kids would be embarrassed by us but none of them had that feeling. All our families and kids were really supportive and really loved it. And it has been considered cool by them to have such a large following on Instagram.”
The team has to adapt to its members’ changing bodies as they get older, but that has not stopped them from continuing to dream big. “We take care of and support each other to make sure what we do is achievable,” said Jukes. “One of our members is 60 years old now and he’s just excellent.”
1. What is special about the dance team?| A．Its members are inexperienced. | B．It helps with school dance instruction. |
| C．It regularly posts videos on social media. | D．Its members are guided by famous dancers. |
| A．It has inspired him to take up new hobbies. |
| B．It has improved his health and leadership skills. |
| C．It has strengthened his relationship with his family. |
| D．It has helped him build confidence in a difficult time. |
| A．They were amazed and proud of their dads. |
| B．They were embarrassed but showed understanding. |
| C．They considered following Jukebox on social media. |
| D．They joined their dads to complete the performance together. |
| A．Dancing is beneficial to people of all ages | B．Talented dads celebrate their kids’ interest |
| C．Middle-aged dads prove age is just a number | D．A dance team is winning popularity among adults |
9 . More and more travelers in China nowadays prefer homestays rather than traditional hotels, as they seek private living experiences. The house-sharing model was first introduced by the website couchsurfing. com in 2003. It is still the largest website for travelers to find accommodation without much money to spend.
Encouraged by her great experience of homestays in France, Maggita, 30, considered short-term hire as her first choice in her future trips. She later went back to her hometown-Shanghai and ran a “shared accommodation” business.
The short-term hire idea has been a win-win business model. For travellers, they can rent a special room at a reasonable price and also enjoy a first-hand experience of the local culture, compared with traditional hotels. For owners, they can gain much with daily rental. Now Maggita has deserted her last job in an IT company and become a host of some 20 homestays, which enables her to earn a monthly income of around 40,000-50,000 yuan.
In recent years, China has seen many homestay booking websites such as Xiaozhu and Tujia. Chen Chi, the founder and CEO of Xiaozhu, says the model is to share rooms or apartments that are not in use with people who need them. Instead of the traditional view that Chinese people feel uncomfortable living with strangers, Chen finds that a large number of travellers get along well with homeowners.
However, experts have pointed out a series of problems brought about by the fashion. Lacking supervision(监管) of those accommodation sharing websites, the service quality and accommodation safety cannot be guaranteed(保障) . Experts suggest that the online websites should closely work together with communities and local police stations to improve the services.
1. What can we learn about homestays from the first paragraph?| A．They started in China. | B．They offer the best service. |
| C．They are popular with the youth. | D．They can be money-saving. |
| A．Taken up. | B．Given up. | C．Looked for. | D．Gone for. |
| A．Useless. | B．Relaxing. | C．Uncomfortable. | D．Well-accepted. |
| A．Homestays need to be improved. |
| B．Some experts don’t support homestays. |
| C．Lacking supervision is the biggest problem of homestays. |
| D．The police should manage the homestay services. |
1. What does the man do?
| A．An animal keeper. | B．A zoo manager. | C．A park cleaner. |
| A．A lion escaped into the zoo. |
| B．A lion escaped from the zoo. |
| C．A hurricane blew a lion away. |
| A．In the zoo. | B．In the police station. | C．In a lady’s garden. |
| A．Eating in the bushes. | B．Sleeping in the garden. | C．Playing in the park. |
