1 . One form of social prejudice (偏见) against older people is the belief that they cannot understand or use modern technology. Activities like playing computer games, going on the Net and downloading MP3s are only for the youngsters. Isn’t it unfair that older people enjoying a computer game should be frowned upon (反对) by their children and grandchildren?
Nowadays older people have more control over their lives and they play a full part in society. Moreover, better health care has let more people in their sixties and seventies feeling fit and active after retirement. Mental activity, as well as physical exercise, can contribute to better health. Playing computer games is a very effective way of exercising the brain. So that’s why grey gamers are often seen now.
When personal computers were first introduced, most older people didn’t believe they would ever get familiar with them. Now computers have been around for a few generations and retired people have gradually become more relaxed about using them for fun. Gamers over 65 prefer playing puzzle games and card games. Kate Stevens, aged 72, says, “I find it very relaxing. It’s not very demanding, but you still need to concentrate.”
Another development that has favored “grey games” is a change in the type of video games available on the market. There’s a greater variety of games to choose from, including more intellectual and complex strategy and simulation (模拟) games. For example, Internet Chess and Train Simulator are among the most popular of these. Train Simulator is based on real — world rail activities. Players can choose from a variety of challengers, such as keeping to a strict timetable and using helper engines during a winter storm.
Some people argue that “grey gamers” simply don’t have the skills required for computer games, and that teenagers are better. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most computer games require the kind of analytical thinking that improves with practice, which means that the “grey gamers” may well be far better than the young. In games where speed is the main consideration, older people would be at a disadvantage because they may have slower reaction. time. On the other hand, “grey gamers” have a preference for slower — paced, mind challenging games.
1. The second paragraph is intended to___________.| A．show the best way to exercise the brain | B．stress the importance of good health |
| C．explain why grey gamers exist | D．teach how to play video games |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Concerned. | C．Enthusiastic. | D．Supportive. |
| A．offering numbers | B．giving examples | C．making comparisons | D．providing details |
| A．mind challenging games are not suitable for older people |
| B．teenagers should improve their skills with practice |
| C．playing computer games requires analytical thinking |
| D．older people may perform well in computer games |
2 . You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams (1860-1935)Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community (社区) by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson (1907-1964)If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness(意识) of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.
Sandra Day O’Connor (1930-present)When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator (参议员) and in 1981, the first woman to join the U. S. Supreme Court (最高法院). O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.
Rosa Parks(1913-2005)On December 1,1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rasa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott (抵制). It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil-rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” said Parks.
1. What is Jane Addams famous for in history?| A．Her social work. | B．Her teaching skills. |
| C．Her efforts to win a prize. | D．Her community background. |
| A．Not having training in law. | B．Her little work experience in court. |
| C．Her identity as a woman. | D．Her poor financial conditions. |
| A．Jane Addams. | B．Rachel Carson. |
| C．Sandra Day O’Connor. | D．Rosa Parks. |
| A．They are highly educated. | B．They are truly creative. |
| C．They are pioneers. | D．They are peace-lovers. |
A court case (官司) over a photo has finally come to an end. Many find the case interesting because a monkey took the photo. It was a selfie (自拍). The dispute is over who has the rights to the photo: the monkey or the owner of the camera.
In 2011, a photographer was on an island in Indonesia. He was taking pictures of wildlife. A monkey pressed the button on the camera. The monkey’s name is Naruto. In the picture, the monkey looks as if he is smiling.
After that the photo went viral on the Internet. The photographer was able to earn a lot of money from the photo. But an animal rights group says that the monkey should have the rights to the photo. There was a long legal battle. Finally, an agreement was reached; the photographer will donate a part of the money he has earned to wildlife protection.
American Classic Banned in Mississippi November 3, 2017
If you have attended an American high school, then you have probably read To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel has long been a favorite among high school literature teachers. It is the story of a young girl growing up in rural Alabama in the 1930s. The story deals with the issue of racism.
Well, now a school district in Mississippi wants to remove the book from their reading list. The reason: some parents say it “makes people feel uncomfortable.” They do not want their children to read the book.
Harper Lee released the book in 1960. Lee’s novel became a bestseller and won the Pulitzer Prize. The book is on most lists of the best American novels of all time. So not only is it an important story of how bad racism was in America, but most critics think it was a great story too. That is why children should read it.
1. What is the court case about?| A．The photographer and an animal rights group fought over the ownership of the photo. |
| B．The monkey wanted to get back the right to the photo. |
| C．The monkey and the owner of the camera had a dispute over the photo. |
| D．An animal group and the photographer had a long legal battle over the monkey. |
| A．The photo carried a computer virus through the Internet. |
| B．The photo spread very quickly all over the Internet. |
| C．The photo was made by means of virtual reality. |
| D．The photo brought deadly virus to people who touched it. |
| A．Some parents have no interest in literature. |
| B．The book deals with the issue of racism. |
| C．Some literature teachers don’t like it. |
| D．It was published in 1960 and is out of date now. |
| A．Critical. | B．Disapproving. | C．Positive. | D．Negative. |
4 . It is commonly believed that all over the world, boys and girls attend a mixed school, where they study together. But boys' schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and involve them in activities such as art, dance and music.
Always boys at single-sex schools were said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that helped develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they had to correspond to(和…相符) the "boy code" of hiding their emotions to be a "real man".
Surprisingly, the findings of the study go against received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls.
George Carl, headmaster of Eton, warned that boys were being failed by the British education system because it had become too focused on girls. He criticized teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls.
The research argued that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when girls do better earlier in speaking and reading skills.
But in single-sex schools teachers can adjust lessons to boys' learning style, letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, wrote the study's author, Abigail James, of the University of Virginia.
Teachers could encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with "boy-focused" approaches such as themes and characters that appeal to them. Because boys generally have more acute vision, learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given "hands-on" lessons where they are allowed to walk around. "Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine (女性的) and prefer the modern genre (类型) in which violence and sexism are major themes," James wrote.
Single-sex education also made it less likely that boys would feel that they had to be "masterful and in charge" in relationships. "In mixed schools, boys feel forced to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means," the study reported.
1. The writer argues that a single-sex school would ________.| A．force boys to hide their emotions to be "real men". |
| B．help boys to be more competitive in schools. |
| C．encourage boys to express their emotions more freely |
| D．naturally strengthen boys’ traditional image of a man |
| A．perform relatively better. | B．behave more responsibly. |
| C．grow up more healthily. | D．receive a better education. |
| A．boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in |
| B．teaching can be adjusted to suiting the characteristics of boys |
| C．boys can focus on their lessons without being distracted |
| D．teaching can be designed to promote boys' team spirit |
| A．lovely | B．sharp |
| C．serious | D．dull |
5 . After a long day of taking your children around by their hand or in a pushchair, we don’t blame you if you’ve ever thought about keeping them on a leash (栓狗的皮带). You’re not alone , and it’s not a sign that you’re a bad parent.
Daddy blogger Clint Edwards spoke out about the prejudice (偏见) against child leashes by explaining why he put his young daughter on a leash during a recent trip to a farmer’s market. What he said on the Internet immediately received both praise and blame from readers.
“She’s a wild child and this thing has already kept her out of the road and from sticking her hand in an ice-cream machine,” Edwards wrote on his blog. “Sure, I get dirty looks from strangers. But I’m going to do whatever I can to keep her out of danger, even if it means a leash.”
“Parents of truly active and spirited children just get it, no explanation needed,” wrote one reader. Another said, “I used to be pretty judgemental about those things. Then I had kids. Keep on keeping on, man.”
According to the Scary Mommy blog, parents don’t depend on child leashes because of laziness or carelessness. In fact, the real reason behind leashes is one of the things every parent of young children wants you to know. “It’s easy for people to forget that parents aren’t just walking around with their kids all day long – sometimes they actually have to get things done,” Maria Guido wrote. “Sometimes food and other goods have to be bought, a letter has to be mailed, and general life things have to be done at a certain time. Imagine that!”
So the next time you feel sorry for putting your child on a leash, remember that it’s for their safety… and your peace of mind.
1. What does the author mean by saying “You’re not alone” in paragraph 1?| A．Your children are always with you. |
| B．You’re supported by many other parents. |
| C．The author also takes his/her children around. |
| D．Many parents also keep their children on a leash. |
| A．To help his daughter practice walking. |
| B．To make sure of his daughter’s safety. |
| C．To keep his daughter from getting dirty. |
| D．To completely take control of his daughter. |
| A．lively children are difficult to control |
| B．parents with babies care about the problem |
| C．some people understand why Edwards does that |
| D．there is no need to explain why parents use leashes |
| A．Angry. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Interested | D．Surprised. |
6 . Life can be challenging for teens. They must deal with schoolwork, family life and friends at the same time to fit. Feelings of sadness, frustration and irritability are common.
It's easy to think that depressed people simply feel sad or hopeless. For many teens that may be true.
Even depressed teens may not realize they have this problem.
Dee says, peers should also seek for signs of depression. Keep an eye on your friends, she recommends. Watch for symptoms of isolation (孤立) or hopelessness.
Overall, knowing who—and how—to help is essential for successfully treating depression in teens.
| A．And the share of those affected is high. |
| B．Some may start abusing alcohol or drugs. |
| C．Teens should be honest with their answers. |
| D．The problem is that depression in teens can be hard to spot. |
| E．There is a link between mental illness and suicide in teens. |
| F．But for some teens, those emotions take a more extreme turn. |
| G．Even skipping classes can be a sign that something serious is going on. |
Last week Meituan co-published a suggestion with a number of business organizations, calling on restaurants
On Friday the China Cuisine（餐饮）Association
Across the country, about 40% of all the food
The state of Vermont has long been a
8 . Some people like modern art, while others say that it is rubbish. But a cleaner who works in the Tate Britain Gallery in London isn’t able to tell the difference. The woman, whose name isn’t known, mistook a work of art by the German painter Gustav Metzger for a bag of rubbish, and threw it out with other bags. The plastic bag, which contained pieces of paper and cardboard, was later recovered outside the gallery, but the artist thought that it was too badly damaged to be put on show again, and so he found another bag. 78-year-old Mr. Metzger explained that the exhibit, which he said was a copy of a similar work he had created in 1960, was meant to show that all art is temporary (暂时的).
Embarrassed officials at the museum said that they had had to call a meeting with cleaners to explain which things should not be touched. They would not say whether Mr. Metzger would be paid for the incident. However, to make absolutely sure the same thing would not happen again, they decided to cover Mr. Metzger’s work every evening with a coloured cloth. In this way cleaners arriving after the gallery had closed to the general public would realize that they should not touch it.
This is not the first time that museum cleaners have had trouble distinguishing exhibits from rubbish. In 2001, in another London gallery, a cleaner threw away a work by the well-known British artist Damien Hirst. It was an arrangement of empty beer bottles, coffee cups, and ashtrays (烟灰缸), which were meant to show the disorder in the life of an artist.
However, cleaners don’t always throw things away—sometimes they clean them! This was the case with a dirty bath, which was on show in a gallery in Germany. Without asking what the bath was doing in the gallery, the cleaner simply cleaned it.
1. The woman cleaner threw away the plastic bag because__________.| A．the plastic bag was badly damaged |
| B．she didn’t recognize it was a work of art |
| C．she hated modern art and considered it rubbish |
| D．The exhibit on show was taken the place of by another bag |
| A．collecting | B．replacing | C．telling | D．exchanging |
| A．Mr Metzger would be paid some money for the incident. |
| B．Tate British Gallery will be closed to avoid the same mistake. |
| C．Artists often use rubbish to show how content they feel with life. |
| D．More than one cleaner threw away works of art in galleries. |
| A．Cleaner Mistakes Modern Art for Rubbish | B．Good Cleaners Make Mistakes |
| C．Damaged Modern Art Works | D．Dangerous Galleries and Cleaners |
9 . In the U. S. there are more prisoners than farmers. In fact, the U. S. houses about one-fourth of the prison population worldwide, which amounts to
Many prisons
Today more and more prison officials are
Part of what makes planting a garden so effective is that it represents
And the prisoners aren’t the only ones who
Through programs that
| A．merely | B．hardly | C．only | D．nearly |
| A．devote to | B．focus on | C．turn into | D．give up |
| A．function | B．reform | C．change | D．recover |
| A．planning | B．accusing | C．reporting | D．committing |
| A．performing | B．recommending | C．recognizing | D．promoting |
| A．sign | B．interest | C．aim | D．value |
| A．prisons | B．schools | C．farms | D．towns |
| A．escaped from | B．stayed in | C．returned to | D．went to |
| A．reality | B．success | C．challenge | D．wisdom |
| A．finally | B．initially | C．constantly | D．frequently |
| A．relationship | B．self-confidence | C．reputation | D．trust |
| A．force | B．forbid | C．allow | D．remind |
| A．contributions | B．comments | C．discoveries | D．decisions |
| A．assist | B．care | C．benefit | D．participate |
| A．raised | B．grown | C．brought | D．developed |
| A．content | B．able | C．likely | D．certain |
| A．create | B．improve | C．assess | D．teach |
| A．thoughtfulness | B．expectation | C．hopelessness | D．ambition |
| A．job | B．garden | C．program | D．science |
| A．ecological | B．technological | C．academic | D．spiritual |
10 . New Zealand’s chief conservation (环保) officer, Lou Sanson, caused an argument in October by suggesting that it should be time to start charging tourists for entering national parks. New Zealanders are keen fans of these parks. Many would be annoyed at having to pay. But many also worry about the incoming foreign tourists who have been seeking the same fun.
In 2016 New Zealand hosted 3.5m tourists from overseas; by 2022 more than 4.5m are expected every year — about the same as the country’s population. Tourism has become the biggest export. The national parks, which make up about one-third of the country, are a huge draw. About half of the foreign tourists visit one. They are keen to experience the natural beauty promised by the country’s “100% Pure New Zealand” advertising campaign (and shown off in the film adaptations of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit”, which were shot in New Zealand’s breath-taking wilderness).
But for every happy foreign couple posting for a selfie next to a tuatara(楔齿蜥) there is a New Zealander who remembers the way things used to be — when you could walk the tracks without running into crowds at every clearing. Many locals now wonder why their taxes, as they see it, are paying for someone else’s holiday. Mr. Sanson would seem to agree. Entry fees could be used to upgrade facilities such as car parks and trails. A charge could also help reduce numbers at some of the popular locations by making it cheaper to use lesser-known, but no less beautiful, trails far away from home.
Some are not so sure it would work. Hugh Logan, a former chief of conservation for the government who now runs a mountain climbing club, worries it would cost too much to employ staff to take money from hikers at entrances. It would also be difficult to prevent tourists from entering the parks without paying.
Some argue that it would be easier to charge visitors a “conservation tax” when they enter the country. The Green Party, the third-largest in parliament(议会), says that adding around NZ$18 ($12.50) is still acceptable to foreign tourists. But some travel companies don’t quite agree with the idea. They note that tourists already contribute around NZ$1.1bn through the country’s 15% sales tax. Better, such firms say, to use foreign tourists’ contribution to this tax for the protection of the parks.
Among the fiercest critics of a charge are those who point out that free access to wilderness areas is an important principle for New Zealanders. It is documented in a National Parks Act (法案) which inspires almost constitution-like devotion among the country’s nature-lovers. Mr. Sanson has a rocky path ahead.
1. Why do some people support charging tourists visiting national parks?| A．Breath-taking wilderness deserves higher charge. |
| B．Locations become more popular because of movies. |
| C．Tourists have disturbed the peace of the locals. |
| D．The government needs more money to upgrade facilities. |
| A．Shelter. | B．Attraction |
| C．Business | D．Puzzle. |
| A．It may not be easy to collect the entry fee in some cases. |
| B．It would be more practical to charge at the border of the country. |
| C．It would be more acceptable if only foreign visitors are charged. |
| D．It may not be reasonable to charge as tourists have already paid taxes. |
| A．Social documentary. | B．A news report. |
| C．A scientific paper. | D．A travel leaflet. |
