1 . Sustainability(可持续性), one of the biggest topics of the last decade, has become the ray of hope to protect the planet. It's a topic we can't ignore and we must act now in a more sustainable way.

What does that mean for the world of technology? E-waste is one of the planet's biggest contributing waste problems.

Not only e-waste, but the materials that go into tech products are part of the problem. Take the smartphone industry for example, dozens of metals, minerals which have to be taken from the earth(including 16 of 17 rare metals) go into making phones. And with demand for mobile phones bigger than ever, it's a problem that needs to be solved.

With a challenge comes an opportunity, and there's already some progress happening - great news for those of us wanting to be more sustainable with our tech. People used to turn their noses up at the idea of a second-hand product, but there's been a huge increase in demand for refurbished tech(翻新技术). For example, refurbished smartphone sales in the US have risen by 28% in the last 12 months while brand new sales have fallen by 21%.

Many communities are making an effort to deal with e-waste as well. Cities, schools, or churches will sometimes hold events to collect e-waste and send it to recycling centers. Some companies even offer buy-back programs where people will be given cash if they turn in old devices.

So the next time you want to deal with your e-waste, whether a smartphone, a laptop, an MP4 player or other, consider the more environmentally-friendly choices. It is possible to be sustainable with your tech after all.

1. What is the main purpose of paragraph 1?

A．To explain what is sustainability.

B．To introduce the topic of the text. .

C．To give us an example of sustainability.

D．To show different topics of sustainability.

2. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．E-waste is the biggest waste problem.

B．E-waste can't be dealt with in the end.

C．People act in a more sustainable way than before.

D．People would choose second-hand products in the past.

3. Which of the following can be e-waste EXCEPT?

A．MP4 players	B．e-books
C．laptops	D．smartphones

4. Which word best describes the author's attitude to sustainability?

A．Doubtful.	B．Unclear,
C．Negative.	D．Supportive.

2 . With the young unable to afford to leave home and the old at risk of isolation(孤独), more families are choosing to live together.

The doorway to peace and quiet, for Nick Bright at least, leads straight to his mother-in-law, she lives on the ground floor, while he lives upstairs with his wife and their two daughters.

Four years ago they all moved into a three-storey Victorian house in Bristol - one of a growing number of multigenerational families in the UK living together under the same roof. They share a front door and a washing machine, but Rita Whitehead has her own kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room on the ground floor.

“We floated the idea to my mum of sharing at a house,” says Kathryn Whitehead. Rita cuts in: “We spoke more with Nick because I think it’s a big thing for Nick to live with his mother-in-law.”

And what does Nick think? “From my standpoint, it all seems to work very well. Would I recommend it? Yes, I think I would.”

It’s hard to tell exactly how many people agree with him, but research indicates that the numbers have been rising for some time. Official reports suggest that the number of households with three generations living together had risen from 325,000 in 2001to 419,000 in 2013.

Other varieties of multigenerational family are more common. Some people live with their elderly parents; many more adult children are returning to the family home, if they ever left. It is said that about 20% of 25-34-year-olds live with their parents, compared with 16% in 1991.The total number of all multigenerational households in Britain is thought to be about 1.8 million.

Stories like that are more common in parts of the world where multigenerational living is more firmly rooted. In India, particularly outside cities, young women are expected to move in with their husband’s family when they get married.

1. Who mainly uses the ground floor in the Victorian house in Bristol?

A．Nick.

B．Rita.

C．Kathryn

D．The daughters.

2. What is Nick’s attitude towards sharing the house with his mother-in -law?

A．Positive.

B．Carefree.

C．Tolerant.

D．Unwilling.

3. What is the author’s statement about multigenerational family based on?

A．Family traditions.

B．Financial reports.

C．Published statistics.

D．Public opinions.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Lifestyles in different countries.	B．Conflicts between generations.
C．A housing problem in Britain.	D．A rising trend of living in the UK.

3 . There are multiple experiences a Westerner can describe as a “culture shock” in China, one of the fastest-growing economies, like eating mouthwatering baozi for breakfast. These experiences, however, paled in comparison to the one I experienced during my time in an organization I’ve been serving in for two years to provide free educational tours at my leisure — the advancement and equalizing of China’s known wealth disparity（差异）through the social network and cashless payment giant（巨头）, WeChat, which I rarely used before.

Last month, the organization led a thrilling trip to camp. Initially, we went through a village kept alive by the residents. The views there are so attractive and refreshing. Walking through endless red apple trees, I saw an elderly woman who gently offered to sell me apples. Unfortunately, I informed her I didn’t have cash on hand. She quickly told me to scan the QR code（二维码）on her phone, which in seconds would get my money into her bank account via WeChat. Needless to say, I was blown away. And of course, the apples were tasty.

As an advocate of financial growth opportunities in under-served communities, it was inspiring to witness that technology lets people contribute to the economy regardless of socioeconomic background in China. Though the socioeconomic problems remain to some extent, access to and adoption of technology creating financial opportunities transforms the lives of everyday citizens and enables communities to flower.

While I once didn’t believe a “cashless society” was possible and thought it could cause more unfavorable conditions, I now stand corrected. Perhaps it might take longer for New York City to adapt, as we lag behind in this transformation and there is so much we can learn. I also wonder what the human race can achieve when technology provides endless opportunities for people of all backgrounds to advance.

1. What does the first paragraph tell us about the author?

A．She is struggling with culture shock.

B．She really enjoys Chinese breakfast.

C．She does voluntary work when free.

D．She likes using social networks.

2. Which of the following surprised the author during the trip?

A．Scenery of the village.	B．Taste of the apples.
C．Popularity of WeChat.	D．The way of paying.

3. What is the author’s attitude to a cashless society?

A．Critical.	B．Positive.
C．Concerned.	D．Curious.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Technology helps narrow the wealth gap

B．New York will be the next cashless society

C．Humans will achieve more with technology

D．China becomes the fastest-growing economy

4 . Working or learning in a foreign country can be a difficult experience. The hardest part of working abroad isn't finding a place to stay or learning the language. It's learning to overcome the culture shock.

These things are part of everyday life, and include many signs, gestures, facial expressions ,and customs. When we enter a new culture, these cues (提示)are usually not present or so different that they’re no longer understandable to us.

“When a person enters a foreign culture, ” wrote Oberg, “all or most of these familiar cues are eliminated. He or she is like a fish out of water. No matter how broad-minded he or she may be, lots of props(支柱) have been knocked out from the environment.”

This is what happened to Lara, a young IT consultant (顾问) from America moved last year to their company in southern Europe. Three weeks after she arrived in Europe. Lara sent a desperate e-mail begging to return home. “The people are so unfriendly, ”Lara wrote ,"They eat at strange hours and I'm starting to get allergic (过敏的)to the local food. I can't get anything done because their way of doing business is so disorganized and so inefficient and I have a terrible skin itch because of the water. I want to come home! ”

What Lara and other IT consultants meet on their first assignment abroad is a culture shock. While you can’t prevent the culture shock from happening, you can take some measures to cut down its effects.

1. What is the most difficult part for a foreign student?

A．Entering a famous school.

B．Finding a right place to live.

C．Adapting to the local culture.

D．Learning the foreign language.

2. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “eliminated”in Paragraph 4?

A．solved	B．measured
C．observed	D．removed.

3. What happened to Lara when she arrived in Europe?

A．Her life got into a mess.

B．She worked more efficient than at home.

C．She couldn’t get on well with her colleagues.

D．She was out of condition because of the weather

4. Why does the author describe Lara’s experience?

A．To tell us how she manages to work well.

B．To explain to us what the culture shock is.

C．To show us how to adapt to the culture shock.

D．To show us where we'll meet with the culture shock.

5 . High school biology teacher Kelly Chavis knew smartphones were a problem in her class. But not even the students realized how much of a problem the devices were until Chavis did an in-class experiment.

For one class period, students used a whiteboard to count every Snapchat, Instagram, text, call that appeared on their phones. Chavis is among a growing number of teachers, parents and health experts who believe that smartphones are now partly to blame for increasing the levels of student anxiety. “One girl, just during the one hour, got close to 150 Snapchat notifications. 150!” she said.

Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University in California, said it is not a coincidence that youth mental health issues have risen with the number of phones. “This use of phones has led to a loss of sleep and face-to-face interactions necessary for their growth,” she said.

Researchers are still not sure whether phones cause student depression or depression causes phone use. But nearly 60 percent of parents said they worry about the influence of social media on their child’s physical and mental health.

Both schools and parents are starting to take steps to deal with the problem. Many public schools pay outside companies to watch students’ social media activity for signs of anxiety. Other schools invite in yoga teachers and comfort dogs to help calm students.

1. What’s the purpose of Chavis’s experiment?

A．To see how many students have smartphones.

B．To find out how popular her students are.

C．To show smartphones influence teenagers greatly.

D．To tell her students how to use smartphones wisely.

2. How did Kelly Chavis feel about the result?

A．Shocked.

B．Excited.

C．Satisfied.

D．Frightened.

3. Which of the following is true according to Jean Twenge?

A．Students are now under great stress.

B．Students spend too much money on smartphones.

C．Over-using phones cause drops in students’ grades.

D．Over-using phones may harm students’ body and mind.

4. What might be talked about if the passage is continued?

A．How other schools deal with students’ phones.

B．Whether the ways to handle phones are effective.

C．How some parents deal with their children’s phones.

D．Whether students are willing to give up using phones.

6 . Fights at school have become an increasingly familiar sight for children. You should know what to do if you are in a fight, or see a fight at school.     1    

You should try to get away if you can. If you know someone is coming up behind you to attack, turn toward the person with your hands up in front of your body and loudly say “stop” before walking away.     2     If the person doesn’t stop, cry for help by calling out the name of a teacher whose office is nearby.

    3     In some school areas, everyone involved in a fight can be punished, no matter who started it.

What should you do if you see a fight? You mustn’t jump in to break up a fight or help a friend. If you get involved in a fight，you may suffer injuries and punishment.     4     It’s a good choice to find an adult or call the police. Shout loudly to break up the fight or warn that an adult is coming.

    5     It only provides temporary（临时的）relief for the attacker and causes more trouble. If you are concerned about fights at school, the best thing you can do is talk to an adult who will listen and take action.

A．Violence never solves problems.

B．You should support one side for good reason.

C．There’re a few ways for you to protect yourself.

D．The attacker usually stops when you’re running fast.

E．Loud voice can usually make the attacker calm down.

F．You can do something if a fight breaks out at school.

G．Fighting, even in self-protection, should always be a last choice.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How did the woman get to know about third-hand smoke?

A．From young smokers.

B．From a newspaper article.

C．From some smoking parents.

2. Why does the man say that he would keep away from babies?

A．He has just become a father.

B．He wears dirty clothes.

C．He is a smoker.

3. What does the woman suggest smoking parents should do?

A．Stop smoking altogether.

B．Smoke only outside their rooms.

C．Reduce dangerous matters in cigarettes.

8 . It has long been believed that the smart phones in our pockets are actually making us duller； but now there is evidence for it.

Researchers at the University of Texas discovered that people are worse at conducting tasks and remembering information if they have a smart phone within eye shot. In two experiments they found phones sitting on a desk or even in a pocket or handbag would distract users and lead to worse test scores even when it was set up not to disturb test subjects. The effect was measurable even when the phones were switched off, and was worse for those who were more dependent on their mobiles.

The researchers tested 520 university students on their memory and intelligence when in the presence of a smart phone to see how it affected them. Participants were told to complete tests in mathematics, memory and reasoning with their smart phones either on their desk, in their bag or pockets，or in another room. Those who had their phones on the desk recorded a 10 per cent lower score than those who left them in a different room on operational tasks, which measures working memory and focus. Those who kept their phones further out of sight in their pockets or their bags scored only slightly better than when phones were placed on desks.

The researchers found that the negative effect of having a phone within eye shot was much greater among those who said they were dependent on their smart phones. Participants who had expressed sympathy with phrases such as “I would have trouble getting through a normal day without my cellphone” and “using my cellphone makes me feel happy” performed as well as others when their phone was in a different room，but worse when it was placed on their desk.

The researchers said the effect arises because part of a smart phone users’ mind is devoted to trying not to think about distractions such as whether they have any messages when the smart phone is in their sight.

1. For the people who scored the lowest, where did they put their cellphone?

A．On the desk	B．In their bags.
C．In their pockets.	D．In a different room.

2. Which of the following will the researchers most probably agree with?

A．People shouldn’t have a smart phone.

B．Phones wouldn’t distract users when switched off.

C．Those depending on mobiles are more likely to be distracted.

D．Their research has completely changed people’s view on smart phones.

3. According to the study, why did cellphones affect the participants?

A．Using cellphones made them feel happy.

B．They focused on trying to ignore distractions.

C．They spent much time on the received messages.

D．They couldn’t get through a day without cellphones.

4. Where does the text probably come from?

A．Book review.	B．A Science fiction.
C．Cellphone advertisement.	D．A news report.

9 . 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。

Up to 82 percent of children with healthy mothers are not easy to be obese（肥胖的）, according to research. A mother,     1     has a healthy weight, exercises regularly, eats a healthy diet, doesn’t smoke and only     2    (drink) wine in moderation, is significantly less likely     3    (have)a fat child, scientists say.

And research suggests it could be more to do with nurture(养育)    4     nature, as a mother's lifestyle appears     5    (direct) linked to the health of her child. When both mother and child follow a healthy lifestyle, the risk of obesity     6    (reduce)even more, the study of more than 24,000 children found.

The study examined the medical history and lifestyles of more than 24,000 children aged nine     7     fourteen, born to almost 17,000 women in the US. Researchers looked at the link between overall mother health and likelihood of a child     8    (be) obese.

The mother's health was judged on her height-to-weight ratio(比例), her diet, amount of physical     9    (active), smoking status and how much alcohol she drank. A healthy weight and diet, regular exercise, no smoking and moderate drinking all reduce the chance of a woman having     10     obese child.

10 . On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that 42% of Americans could be overweight by 2030. Our expanding waistlines lead to not only a medical problem, but according to a recent article In The New York Times, it could also endanger personal safety in some situations—in an airplane crash, for example.

The New York Times’ Christen Negroni reports that engineers and scientists are questioning whether airplane seats are adequately constructed to protect overweight travelers. Government standards for airplane seat strength（强度）— first set moe than 60 years ago — require that the seats be made for a passenger weighing 170 pounds (77kg). Today, the average American man weighs nearly 194 pounds (88kg) and the average woman 165 pounds (75kg). Negroni reports:

“If a heavier person completely fills seat, the seat is not likely to behave as intended during a crash,” said Robert Salazar, the leading scientist at the Center for Applied Biomechanics at the University of Virginia. “The energy absorption that is built into the aircraft seat is likely to be overpowered and the passengers will not be protected properly.”

“Nor would the injury be limited to that passenger only,” Dr. Salzar said. “If a seat or a seat belt fails,” he said, “those people who are seated nearby could be endangered from ‘the uncontrolled movements of the passenger’.”

Most complaints about airplane seats focus on their lack of comfort and high ticket price, and whether overweight passengers should be made to buy two seats. But The New York Times’ article brings up another reason to feel anxious about flying. Investigators of the issue got in touch with the airplane seat and seat belt makers, but they refused to comment on the problem. Experts agreed that crash testing should be done with overweight dummies （人体模型）. Both airplane seats and seat belts should be tested, they said.

Fortunately, however, according to Nora Marshall, a senior adviser at the National Transportation Safety Board, the board’s investigators have never seen an accident involving a commercial plane in which the weight of a passenger was a problem.

1. What is the article in The New York Times mainly concerned with?

A．The size of airplane seats and seat belts.

B．Safety of overweight airplane passengers.

C．Airplane crashes involving commercial planes.

D．A medical problem caused by being overweight.

2. Robert Salzar would probably agree that         .

A．overweight passengers should buy two seats

B．the government should help produce safer planes

C．standards for airplane seat strength should be raised

D．passengers should know how to protect themselves

3. We can learn from the text that         .

A．airplane seat makers have taken action now

B．there are few complaints about airplane seats

C．those seate near the overweight may suffer too

D．only a small number of airplane accidents involve the overweight

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Why Do Passengers Feel Anxious about Flying?

B．Will 42% of Americans Be OVERWEIGHT BY 2030?

C．When Will the Overweight Enjoy Their Flight?

D．Are Airplane Seats Safe Enough for the Overweight?