1 . The three men sat in the truck, unaware of the hot Nevada sun. Their attention was focused on a fourth man, middle-aged, tall slender, and rather well dressed for the desert-like land of the Carson River Valley. He walked purposefully over the sandy soil, systematically covering the area of a gentle rise. In his outstretched hands was a Y-shaped tree branch.
“I feel silly about this,” one of the men in the truck said. “What he's doing is contrary to all my beliefs.”
“Just you wait” one of the other two told him. “Then you won't feel so silly anymore.”
At length, the man with the branch stopped his walking. The stick he carried by the two ends of the Y no longer pointed toward the sky. Instead, it was pointing to the ground with a definite swinging motion.
“That's it,” one of the men in the truck called. He jumped over the side and ran toward the man with the stick. Within minutes, a stake had been driven into the ground at the point where the forked stick was pointing. Early the next morning，a drilling rig (钻机) lowered its bit into the earth at the same point and mechanical digging began. Less than twenty feet down, the drill stuck something the man who said he felt silly had been seeking for months: water.
It had been an uncommonly dry summer, even for that part of Nevada. One well had gone dry, and livestock were thirsty. Previous attempts at well drilling had failed, government geologists and soil engineers had gone over the area with maps, testing equipment, and sounding device. The best they could accomplish for the farmer was a gloomy series of dry holes. All the farmer had to show for his faith in men of science was a considerable drilling bill and a thirsty herd.
He had felt silly because he had been pushed by desperation into listening to some of his neighbours who suggested he try a water witch: the man with the forked stick.
After the well was completed and plenty water flowed forth, the farmer smiled nervously as he paid the water witch his twenty-five-dollar fee. “It seems so crazy to be doing this,” he said. Perhaps part of the craziness came because the farmer was a university graduate, a teacher of science at a nearby high school. However, even odder was the water witch's request for anonymity. “I don't mind you telling people you had searched for water through the use of a diving rod,” the water witch had said, “but I'll be grateful to you if you don't mention my name in any way that gets into print. I don't think my boss would like it.”
1. The farmer occasionally expressed the feeling that _________.| A．geologists would be able to do a better job. |
| B．he was foolish to hire a witch to find water |
| C．he firmly believed in water witching |
| D．the water witch's fee was too high |
| A．immediately | B．exactly |
| C．eventually | D．inevitably |
| A．brought him innumerable benefits |
| B．helped him to overcome difficulties |
| C．enabled him to maintain his livestock |
| D．made him waste a lot of money |
| A．to hire him for any future well drilling |
| B．not to reveal his name |
| C．to pay more for his service |
| D．not to tell people how he searched for water |
2 . Last week, our forum(论坛)asked if you had any funny or strange stories about using English. We didn’t expect to get so many posts! Here are some of our favorites, to remind us that some of the English we learn in the classroom is rather different from the English in the outside world.
| People say that the British always play safe with what they eat. Not true! I went to a summer school in Manchester and my English teacher was called Maggie. One day, a different teacher took our class. He told us that Maggie couldn’t teach that day COZ she had a frog in her throat. Poor Maggie-but why did she try to eat such a big frog?
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| When I first visited New York, I went to a downtown shopping centre to buy some winter boots. At the information desk at the entrance, I asked a lady where the shoe shop was. She said that it was on the first floor. So I went up to the first floor, but I couldn’t find any shoes. I decided to leave. When I was looking for the exit, I saw that shoes were actually sold downstairs on the ground floor, not the first floor. Why did she give me the wrong information?
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| The British must have really high standards. I was part of a student exchange programme between a university in England and my university in China. I spent days preparing and writing my first English paper. I knew I had done a good job and was looking forward to getting a positive comment. When I got the paper back, I found my teacher had written the comment “Not bad!” Not bad? But there weren’t any errors in my paper.
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| A．She didn’t play safe with what she ate. |
| B．She has drawn a picture of frog on her face. |
| C．She ate a big frog and her throat was blocked. |
| D．She couldn’t speak clearly because her throat is dry. |
| A．Both of them have difficulty in learning English. |
| B．They didn’t know the words’ different meanings in other countries. |
| C．The spellings are too complicated for both of them to understand. |
| D．The speakers spoke so fast that Sophie and Zheng Xu couldn’t follow. |
| A．In a novel. | B．In a magazine. | C．On the Internet. | D．In a diary. |
3 . A Portland, Oregon man has become the first person to travel across Antarctica by himself without receiving any assistance.
Colin O’Brady has completed the 1,500-kilometer trip. He crossed the continent in 54 days. Friends, family and other people followed his progress through messages and pictures he left on social media.
O’Brady spoke with his wife Jenna Besaw by telephone soon after he completed the journey. “It was an emotional call,” she said. “He seemed overwhelmed by love and appreciation, and he really wanted to say ‘thank you’ to all of us.”
The 33-year-old O’Brady documented the trip on the social networking services Instagram. He called his journey “The Impossible First”. He wrote that he traveled the last 129 kilometers in one big, final push to the finish line. The distance took over one day to complete. O’Brady wrote, “While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced.”
The day before, he wrote that he was “in the zone” and thought he could make it to the end without stopping. “I was listening to my body and taking care of the details to keep myself safe,” he wrote. “I called home and talked to my mom, sister and wife. I promised them I would stop when I need to.”
Other people have traveled across Antarctica, but they all had some form of assistance. They either had better, more plentiful supplies or devices that helped move them forward.
In 2016, British explorer Henry Worsley died in his attempt to travel alone across Antarctica unassisted. Worsley’s friend Louis Rudd, also from Britain, is attempting an unaided solo journey in Worsley’s honor. He was competing against O’Brady to be the first to do it. Besaw told the Associated Press that her husband plans to stay in Antarctica until Rudd finishes his trip.
1. What did O’Brady think of his journey in Antarctica?| A．It was pleasant. | B．It was discouraging. |
| C．It was impossible to complete. | D．It was hard to complete. |
| A．Making sure of his safety. | B．Trying to achieve the goal. |
| C．Keeping in touch with them. | D．Stopping the travel halfway. |
| A．To wait for another explorer. | B．To compete with others. |
| C．To help other explorers. | D．To make his victory recognized. |
| A．The Antarctic Continent | B．The Impossible First |
| C．Traveling in Antarctica | D．An Incomplete Journey |
4 . A cancer survivor has become the first woman to complete an exhausting “Sea to Summit” triathlon（三项全能运动） which saw her swim, cycle, and run over 330 miles in just five days. Andrea Mason was overjoyed when she crossed the finish line early Wednesday morning.
The race was set in the French Alps. Setting off at 6:15am on Friday, 39-year-old Mason battled through severe pain, and hallucinations(幻觉)，but she pushed on --managing to complete the race in an impressive four days, 23 hours, and 41 minutes. Andrea had been diagnosed with cancer and needed life-saving surgery. Following a successful operation, she is now hoping to raise awareness of women’s health. In the past year，Andrea set up her own charity, Lady Talk Matters, in order to improve surrounding female’s health.
Andrea, from Blackpool in Lancashire, England, said，“I am so happy all went according to plan as there were so many things that could have gone wrong. I wanted to do it in five days， and I did，but it was very tough. I had some low moments, particularly when I couldn’t sleep in my limited rest periods, and when I couldn’t keep any food down as I was running. For sure I had some doubts along the way as I was exploring the unknown with such a huge run, particularly as large parts of it were in the dark. It was bigger than I imagined, the impact on my body was huge. But every time I felt like giving up，I thought about all the women out there in pain or who still hadn’t been diagnosed. That is why I put myself through this.”
Andrea had to swim 23 miles around Lake Annecy, cycle 205 miles with 30,000 feet of vertical climbing around Mont Blanc, and run 105 miles with 4,000 feet of vertical climbing around The Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. You could say Andrea’s actually spent a lifetime training for an event like this. She completed her first three-mile race “powered by chocolate bars＂ when she was just four.
1. What brought Andrea Mason so much joy？| A．She joined a race | B．She defeated cancer. |
| C．She finished a marathon in five days. | D．She finished a triathlon lately. |
| A．To help the poor women. | B．To promote women’s health. |
| C．To focus on women’s life. | D．To raise the status of women. |
| A．When she couldn’t eat. | B．When she couldn’t sleep. |
| C．When she was running at night. | D．When she met too many difficulties. |
| A．Her strong willpower. | B．Her family’s support. |
| C．Thinking of other women who might have cancer. | D．Thinking of other women who had more pain. |
| A．Andrea liked sports very much. | B．Andrea faced huge challenges. |
| C．As a little girl, Andrea won many races. | D．Andrea’s success lied in long-term effort. |
5 . Along the coast of Cornwall, the UK, by the white beaches near St Austell, a superhero stands tall. What is this superheroes weapon of choice? She has two, actually: in one hand, a large recycling bag, and in the other, a heavy-duty litter picker.
Meet Pat Smith, the 71-year-old eco-warrior (环境卫士) also known as “Action Granny”. Pat set herself a task to clear the plastic from 52 beaches in Cornwall and Devon. The former teacher jumped into action after watching a film called A Plastic Ocean, which described the range of plastic pollution damaging the world's oceans and killing sea life.
“It was really life-changing for me,” says Pat. “Until that point, I hadn’t realized there was a problem with plastic in the ocean. I went home from the theater and was really bothered. We have been consuming so much plastic that we are causing an ocean crisis. I said to myself ‘I’ve got to do something about it.’”
From January 1 until December 31, 2018, Pat cleaned one beach every week. Yet even with the year over and her task completed, she hasn’t stopped. Pat is also picking up litter — and so are her children in the playground, “My daughter-in-law said last week that she had organize a lifter-picking activity in the playground with other children. That just shows you that when people are exposed to what you do, they are very likely to follow in your footsteps.”
Joining Pat today is Marta, a research fellow at the Basque Center for climate Change, who has travelled from Spain to Cornwall to show support for Pat's action. She also explained her intention of cooperation to Pat. As an environmentalist herself Marta knows how important it is to work hand in hand, and she would like to show her sincerity.
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By raising a question. | B．By giving a definition. |
| C．By describing a situation. | D．By introducing a familiar film. |
| A．Her title as a superhero. | B．Her using too much plastic. |
| C．Her previous job as a teacher. | D．Her watching A Plastic Ocean. |
| A．It need urgent support. | B．It has its own limitations. |
| C．It’s a time-consuming thing. | D．It is influential among her kids. |
| A．To ask for support from Pat. |
| B．To advocate Pat and work together with her. |
| C．To raise people’s awareness of climate change. |
| D．To show the importance of protecting the environment. |
| A．A retired teacher’s war on plastic waste. |
| B．The cooperation between Pat and Marta. |
| C．A considerate granny and national superhero. |
| D．AN elderly granny’s study on climate change. |
6 . I went to a small and poor elementary school. I remember the first time a computer showed up in class. It was 5th grade and the computer was an Apple. It was the only computer in my school. This was the 80s and it was a $2600 machine.
Before I discovered computers, I took typing class on old typewriters and I was the kid in class that repaired the typewriters. I remember spending hours trying to figure out what each typewriter needed to fix a stuck key. I was also the Audio/Visual geek （狂热的人）. This meant I was the only one in the class who can thread （穿过）film onto the projector.
Anyway, when this Apple showed up, I immediately opened it. I had to see what was inside. This totally freaked out the teacher but it seemed clear I wasn't going to break it. I quickly learned how to get out of educational games and write things in BASIC. This was all in 5th grade.
I and my 5th grade teacher stayed in touch until her passing. I honestly don't know what I'd be doing if she hadn't done something extraordinary. She let my father and me took the Apple home. I'd spend the weekend programming, reading the massive notebooks. This was a $ 2000+computer in the middle of the 80s — the pride of the school —and they let me take it home. A year later, I came home from school one day and the family car was gone and there was a Commodore 64 left in its place. My parents had sold the car and bought a Commodore.
Now, I think about this crazy journey. I am standing on the shoulders not only of computer science giants, but also heroes like my parents and my 5th grade teacher. Thanks Mrs. Hill, for introducing me to computers even though you were breaking rules. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for bringing a computer home even when there wasn't money for one.
1. What can we learn about the author from paragraph 2?| A．He was a hard-working student. |
| B．His family was too poor to buy him a computer. |
| C．He had already had some skills to operate a computer. |
| D．He was one of the clever ones who could handle a computer. |
| A．Frightened. | B．Interested. | C．Amused. | D．Annoyed. |
| A．Thoughtful. | B．Grateful. | C．Relaxed. | D．Anxious. |
| A．Why We Need Computers | B．How I Learned to Use a Computer |
| C．How I Got My First Computer | D．Thanks For Giving Me a Computer |
7 . Ray Tokuda,a 54-year-old Japanese American,takes pride in the title his school has already given him.He is a Shifu,a Chinese word literally meaning a master,mentor or senior practioner of martial arts.
Surely, he has reason to be proud.He has been involved with Chinese martial arts for almost 40 years.After learning them at the martial arts school in New Mexico State,he is among the most experienced kung fu teachers of the school today.
Practicing martial arts two to three hours and helping students improve their skills have become Tokuda’s daily routine.He expects to practice and teach martial arts for the rest of his life.“I’m still learning.It’s worth more than a lifetime to learn Chinese martial arts,”he said.“Once I started,I just couldn’t stop.I think it’s also the magic of Chinese culture.”
Tokuda was sent to the martial arts school when he was 10.He still remembers how unwilling he was when starting out.“I remember my father had always wanted to learn Chinese martial arts but never got the chance,so he put his kid in,”he said.“I was so afraid at that time because I thought kung fu was all about fighting.”
But things changed after he learned that martial arts were more than punching and kicking.
“One of the things martial arts teach me is to overcome adversity,”Tokuda said.“As a little kid,my first lesson was like,oh,look,this is a thing that I can get through by diligence,perseverance（毅力）and dedication,and that was priceless for my life.”
Learning Chinese martial arts opened a gateway for him to better understand the culture of China.
Meanwhile,Tokuda has also been invited to various events in his home state to showcase traditional Chinese culture,including the dragon dance and lion dance,which he also learnt at the martial arts school.Because of this,he is now considered a cultural envoy(使者)in the eyes of the public.
1. At first,Tokuda weren’t willing to learn kung fu because he had thought it was______.| A．practical | B．magical | C．violent | D．difficult |
| A．He learnt martial arts from his mother. |
| B．He is the founder of the kung fu school. |
| C．He learnt from martial arts how to solve difficulties. |
| D．He is the most experienced kung fu teacher of his state. |
| A．Modest and friendly. |
| B．Persevering and devoted. |
| C．Talented and humorous. |
| D．Motivated and considerate. |
8 . At first, Michael Surrell didn’t see the black smoke or flames shooting from the windows of his neighbors’ home. Then they got a call from one of his daughters: “The house next door is on fire!” He went over and saw three women crying madly on their porch(门廊).
“The baby’s in the second floor!” one of the women cried. Though the fire department had been called, Surrell, then 64, bravely ran inside. “The baby” was Tiara Roberts, the woman’s granddaughter and a playmate of Surrell’s three youngest kids.
Entering the burning house was like “running into a bucket of black paint,” Surrell says. The thick smoke caused him to stumble blindly around, burned his eyes, and made it impossible to breathe. The conditions would have been dangerous for anyone, but for Surrell, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (慢性阻塞性肺病), they were life-threatening.
Taking a deep breath, he moved around in the overwhelming darkness. Because the house had a similar layout to his, he found the stairs and made it to the second floor. Then he heard a soft but clear moan. Still unable to see, Surrell fell to his knees on the hot wood floor. He crawled toward the sound, feeling around for any sign of the girl. Finally, he touched something. A shoe, then an ankle. He pulled Tiara toward him, scooped her into his arms and stood. Turning, he fought through the smoke and ran blindly into the blackness…
Surrell woke up in the hospital a couple of days later and spent over a week in the hospital. Tiara was released from the hospital after a few days. The fire worsened Surrell’s pulmonary condition, and he feels the effects even two years later. As a result, he takes extra medication that helps open his airways. “It’s a small price to pay,” he says. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t give it a second thought.”
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?| A．Tiara Roberts was the Surrell’s youngest granddaughter. |
| B．Surrell was familiar with the structure of the burning house. |
| C．Surell ran into the fire before the fire department was called. |
| D．The fire was life-threatening for Surrell, mostly considering his age. |
| A．Normal. | B．Unexpected. |
| C．Mild. | D．Extreme. |
| A．Humorous and patient. |
| B．Outgoing and intelligent. |
| C．Determined and ambitious. |
| D．Warm-hearted and selfless. |
9 . My father was left fatherless at the age of 12, and pretty much on his own then.
Because of that, he was never the loving type. He didn’t have time to offer a pat on the back or a loving hug（拥抱）. He was built for work, and work he did—7 days a week—expecting my brothers and me to do the same.
Growing up, I spent much of my free time laboring with him on jobs around the house. To him, working alongside someone was the best way to show you cared. The way you felt about a person was clear from the fact you spent time with the person; you didn’t need to express your feelings. As far as I know, he never did. Except once.
I was 22, graduated from college, and leaving home for the last time. He and I had loaded my things into the car and were talking in the garage. Without warning, he wrapped me in his huge arms and hugged me tight.“You were always my favorite,”he said.“I love you, and I’m going to miss you.”
With that, he shooed（用“嘘”声驱赶）me into the car and then left for the house, tears in his eyes.
I was floored by his response—and then felt proud, pleased and grateful. Yet some small part of me also wondered why it had taken him so long to express his love.
I can accept now that it wasn’t possible for him to be warm—his feelings were buried too deeply under the layers of a tough life. Thanks to my father’s once-in-a-lifetime hug, I’ve come to realize something he never could. A hug is more than simple physical touch. It is a lightning-like connection between two people. A link that expresses love, encouragement, comfort-all the emotions that can strengthen a relationship, even turn a life around.
1. According to the author, his father didn’t show his feelings easily because of all the following reasons EXCEPT _____.| A．he didn’t think it important to show his love |
| B．he always worked around the house and paid no attention to his kids |
| C．he himself grew up without love from his own father |
| D．he thought the best way to show feelings was to spend time together |
| A．frightened | B．flooded |
| C．hit | D．confused |
| A．hide his feelings for his kids as deeply as his father did |
| B．offer physical touch like hugs to his own kids quite often |
| C．not spend time working around the house with his own kids |
| D．not understand his father’s love for him for the rest of his life |
| A．mention the importance of a hug in our life |
| B．tell us an unhappy childhood without father’s care |
| C．share a touching story of the author and his father |
| D．show the difficult relationship between child and parents |
10 . An unusual trip to Hawaii brought two strangers closer and closer and their story deserves a wide spread.
As her plane sliced through the sky above the ocean, there came a sudden thunderstorm. Five minutes later, Uemoto and her copilot McMahon heard a strange sound. Then, without warning, they lost power to both of the engines. It took them a moment to process the fact that they might crash. The pilots powered through the items on the emergency checklist. Nothing worked. As the plane was falling, they jumped into the ocean.
By ten that night, their bodies began trembling uncontrollably in the cool night air. Something must be done to pull them through. Swimming on her stomach, Uemoto had McMahon wrap his arms around her knees so he could rest his head on the back of her legs. To be with someone else and to feel another person's comforting presence in the darkness somehow made the suffering bearable.
When the sun rose the next morning, they caught sight of the island of Hawaii, the destination they had dared dream! Suddenly, Uemoto saw a shark, which made her breath catch in her throat. "What do we do? What do we do?" Uemoto asked, panicked. "Just keep looking forward! If it comes close, I'll kick it in the eye!" said McMahon evenly. Unexpectedly, the shark circled them for about 30 minutes. Then, as quietly as it had appeared, it swam off. Uemoto and McMahon breathed a sigh of relief.
After struggling in the water for over 20 hours, there came a US Navy helicopter. It flew overhead and next banked towards them. Uemoto and McMahon burst into tears. Alone, either of them would have died. But together, they made it.
1. What caused the plane to crash?| A．A sudden thunderstorm hit the plane. |
| B．The engines of the plane broke down. |
| C．The pilots operated the plane improperly. |
| D．The emergency list failed to help the pilots. |
| A．He calmed his partner down. |
| B．He kicked the shark in the eye. |
| C．He was scared to death at the shark. |
| D．He managed to drive the shark away. |
| A．Ambitious and humorous. | B．Clear-headed and generous. |
| C．Demanding and appealing. | D．Strong-willed and considerate. |
| A．A Race against Death |
| B．A Test of Friendship |
| C．A Wonder Made by Joined Hands |
| D．A Struggle Fought in the Darkness |
