1 . This could be Micah Fitz, first spring without football practices. The 14-year-old has been playing since he was 3, but because he’s home-schooled, he can’t try out for the local team at Patriot High School in Prince William County, Virginia.

“I can’t play this half of the year and my friends are going to be playing five or six times a week,” he said. “They’re going to be getting better and stronger playing with kids that are good.”

Micah and his family---along with many other home-schooling families across Virginia---are hoping the Virginia General Assemble will approve a bill this year that would allow kids like him to try out for sports on public school athletic teams. The bill, called the “Tebow bill”, is named after football player Tim Tebow, who was home-schooled but was allowed to play on a high school team before going to the University of Florida, where he led his team to two national championships.

Many major statewide education organizations said the bill wouldn’t be fair to public school students. Ken Tilley, the executive director of the Virginia High School League, said the bill would violate two of the league’s most long-standing standards for qualification: enrollment (注册入学) and academic standing.

Home-school advocates argue that they are required by the law to document academic progress. But many opponents say students always have the option of attending public high school. That might be what Sydney Bowman, a 12-year-old from Luchetts, will do to keep wrestling, although she would prefer to continue to be taught at home. In her case, girls’ wrestling teams are rare enough that there aren’t many options other than public school.

But Micah’ mom, Terri Fits, a former public school teacher, said that although they support the local schools and love to cheer on the teams, they like the flexibility of home-schooling.

1. What kind of feeling is expressed in Paragraph 2?

A．Sympathy.	B．Disappointment.
C．Embarrassment.	D．Satisfaction.

2. If the bill is passed in Virginia,      .

A．home-schoolers will be able to compete in public school sport events

B．public high schools will accept home-schooled students

C．home-schoolers will have to reach higher academic standards

D．children will have the right to be taught at home

3. What was Ken Tilley’s attitude towards the bill?

A．He doubted it.	B．He was against it.
C．He was curious about it.	D．He paid little attention to it.

4. Sydney Bows most likely to       .

A．give up team sports	B．stop taking part in wrestling
C．go to a public high school	D．report her academic progress

2 . Judge Frank Caprio is a famous person in the city of Providence, Rhode Island. And, he is starting to get noticed around the world, too. He is an 80-year-old judge in the capital city of Rhode Island, the smallest state in the U. S.. One of his jobs is to take charge of traffic court. That involves talking to people who have gotten traffic tickets for going though red lights or parking illegally. They go to traffic court to question the tickets. Caprio hears what they have to say. Then, he decides whether or not the ticket is legal.

Caprio recently heard the case of a young man who was driving his mother’s car. He went through a light after it turned red. After he spoke with the high school student, Caprio decided to let him off with a warning----if he promised to go to college and graduate.

Another video from the Providence traffic court came out earlier this week. It showed a woman speaking with Judge Caprio about a parking ticket. She went to traffic court after getting a ticket for parking in an area that only permitted parking after 10 a. m. . The ticket was written at 9:59 a. m. . The woman said the clock in her car showed 10 a. m., so she thought it would be OK. After some conversation, the judge decided to dismiss the ticket.

But Caprio did tell her, “You violated the city laws.” He held up a large book of rules. He smiled and the woman laughed. He said: “Our parking enforcement officers are second to none in the country!” After talking with the court officer, he said “I think 9:59 is close enough. Matter is dismissed.”

The video was viewed over 1 million times in just two days. One person wrote of the video: “This is so cute. What a great judge. LOVE THIS.” Others wondered if the video was real, because it seemed so funny. But, there actually are judges out there like Frank Caprio. He is as real as they come.

1. What punishment did the young man receive?

A．None	B．Fine
C．Education	D．Blame

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

A．ignored	B．followed
C．understood	D．broke

3. What did the author think of the video about the parking ticket?

A．It was funny	B．It was so cute
C．It was not real	D．It was quite true

3 . Consumers who value their privacy (隐私) can limit what they post on Facebook and adjust settings on sites such as Instagram. But Internet service providers (ISPs) have the best advantage point on what consumers do online, and there’s much less you can do about it. After all, your ISP is the conduit (中转机构) for everything you read, view, or shop for while you’re accessing the web at home.

New rules governing the way ISPs can use consumers’ data were adopted in 2016 and scheduled to go into effect this December. But they were rejected by Congress this spring That leaves the future of broadband (宽带) privacy practices unsettled. Consumers say they want more, not less, regulation of broadband privacy. In a nationally representative survey of 1,008 Americans conducted in early May for the Consumer Reports National Research Center, 80 Percent of respondents told us that ISPs should need to get permission before sharing consumers’ data. Six out of 10 didn’t think ISPs should be allowed to sell or share this information at all. Eighty-five percent of respondents said the data rightfully belongs to them.

Under the recently defeated rules，broadband providers would have faced a new login requirement, forcing them to get permission before using data such as web browsing histories. Opponents of the rules said it was unfair to hold ISPs to stricter standards than Internet companies such as Amazon, Google, and Facebook, which are regulated more loosely.

Going forward, state laws could pick up some of the conflict. By the end of May, more than a dozen states had proposed some laws mentioning the issue. Privacy protection bills were also being discussed in Washington, D. C. But privacy experts don’t expect much from the bills. After all, this is the same Congress that voted to roll back the existing privacy protections.

1. What do the new rules focus on?

A．Keeping the Internet steady.

B．Settling broadband practices.

C．Forbidding ISPs to use consumers’ data.

D．Protecting Internet consumers’ privacy.

2. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A．Regulations on ISPs using consumers’ data.

B．A survey of privacy conducted by Congress.

C．Consumers, opinions about broadband privacy.

D．The argument about who owns consumers’ data.

3. What does the underlined part “Opponents of the rules” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Broadband providers.	B．Internet companies.
C．Internet consumers.	D．Survey representatives.

4. What can we learn from the text?

A．The future of broadband privacy will be clear.

B．Internet companies rejected the rules together with ISPs.

C．Privacy experts have a negative attitude to the privacy protection bills.

D．Consumers will go on arguing with Congress about the Internet privacy.

4 . In a historic moment on June 26, the US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a legal right across all 50 states. The Supreme Court justices ruled states cannot deny gay men and women the same marriage rights. The decision means the 13 states with bans on same-sex marriage are no longer able to enforce them.

Same-sex couples “ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law”. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion: “The Constitution grants them that right.”

The decision came after decades of litigation（诉讼） and activism. It set off celebrations across the US. In affected states including Georgia, Michigan, Ohio and Texas, same-sex couples rushed to wed, while officials in Mississippi and Louisiana said marriages had to wait until procedural issues were addressed, reported the BBC.

According to “The New York Times”, the ruling came against the backdrop of fast-moving changes in public opinion in the US, with polls indicating that most Americans now approve of same-sex marriage.
US President Barack Obama welcomed the ruling, saying it “affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts.” “Today,” he said in a press release, “we can say, in no uncertain terms, that we have made our union a little more perfect.”

Another win.

This was the second time the Supreme Court took up same-sex marriage, according to an article in “Business Insider”. The first time, in June 2013, the court made a decision that allowed the US federal government to recognize same-sex marriages in states where they were already legal.

But at that time, the Supreme Court declined to rule on the broader question about gay marriage: Is there a constitutional（宪法的） right to same-sex marriage? The June 26 ruling gave a positive answer to that question.

Justice Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion that the Constitution should evolve with societal changes.

“The nature of injustice is that we may not always see it in our own times,” he wrote. “The generations that wrote and ratified the “Bill of Rights” and the “Fourteenth Amendment（修正案）” did not exactly know the extent of freedom in all of its dimensions, and so they hoped the future generations can protect the right of all persons to enjoy liberty as we learn its meaning.”

The Fourteenth Amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the law. In the June 26 ruling, the Supreme Court declared that the equal protection clause of the amendment requires marriage rights be extended to same-sex couples, too.

1. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A．The majority of Americans now object to same-sex marriage.

B．Gay men and women did not care about the ruling.

C．All the US states did not ban same-sex marriage before the ruling.

D．The US president believes the country will be less perfect after the ruling.

2. It can be inferred that ________.

A．before June 26, most Americans have doubt about same-sex marriage.

B．this is the first time the Americans have got the same-sex marriage right.

C．thanks to the amendment, all the Same-sex couples can get married immediately.

D．Americans struggled for decades to win the same-sex right.

3. Why does the author refer to Justice Kennedy’s “ the nature of injustice is that we may not always see it in our own times” ?

A．The author thinks that it is unfair for same-sex marriage not to have the marriage right.

B．The author wants to show that it is difficult for same-sex marriage couple to get the right.

C．The author thinks that in our own times we can not see the justice.

D．The author shows his dissatisfaction with the delayed approval of the legal same-sex marriage.

5 . Flying devices called drones(无人机) may be one of the most important technologies of the future.
The number of jobs for people who know how to design, build and control them is increasing. Because of this increase, several U.S. universities have started offering degrees in unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS.
One of these universities is the University of Washington in Seattle. Ward Handley is seeking a master’s degree in UAS at the university. When the drone program first began, he did not think it was a good idea. “Drones can be used to invade privacy(侵犯隐私).” He said. But later, Handley changed his opinion. He said, “I think there are good enough purposes for them.”
The FAA (the part of the U.S. government that controls air travel and traffic) is creating new rules to control the use of drones, however. A new law requires drone owners to register(登记) their drones. People who do not register their drones could face fines of up to US$20,000.
The new rules may also present problems for students. One problem is finding a legal place to fly.
Students at Blue Mountain Community College fly inside the college gym. In Seattle, University of Washington students test their drones in a big room.
Christopher Lum, a scientist at the University of Washington, helps students explore how drones can safely share the sky with regular aircraft. Lum explained why they test drones inside a building, “We need to register our aircraft and get permission to fly outside. That process can take months.”
At this time, Kansas State University is the only school with permission to offer unmanned aircraft flight classes to students outside. The FAA selected Kansas State University and 15 other universities to be part of a national research group.
Lum and some of his students recently moved their research to Australia. Australia has fewer rules limiting drones. A professor at Western Washington University also took his department’s drones to Canada for the same reason.
1. Degrees in UAS were created in several U.S. universities because of ________.

A．the increasing interest in the field

B．the increasing employment opportunities

C．the support from the government

D．the development of this technology

2. Why didn’t Handley think the drone program was a good idea at first?

A．Drones can be used for bad purposes.

B．The use of drones was very limited.

C．Few people can benefit from the program.

D．The university didn’t attach great importance to the program.

3. According to Lum, why does he teach flight classes inside a building?

A．It’s safer for the students.

B．It’s very expensive to register the aircraft.

C．It takes a very long time to get official permission.

D．He hasn’t got permission from the university.

4. What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

A．Australia is promoting the use of drones.

B．Kansas State University is the first to offer a UAS degree.

C．Australia has fewer rules than Canada to control the use of drones.

D．The U.S. has more rules than Canada to control the use of drones.

6 . It's not right for an adult to leave a child locked in a parked car in the burning heat while they chat with a friend or do anything else without supervising their child. This kind of behavior is so wrong that states have even carried out laws allowing good citizens to rescue trapped kids. Unluckily one Georgia man learned that these laws aren't true to pets after he decided to save a dog and was arrested(逮捕).

According to a story from USA Today, Michael Hammons, used his wife's wheelchair leg to break the window of a parked car after hearing from bystanders that there was a dog   inside.

One witness(目击者)told reporters that“if it is 80 degrees outside, within 30 minutes, it will be 114 degrees inside a car, even with the windows broken.” Bystanders had reportedly already phoned 911 before and were waiting for police to arrive, but for Hammons there was no time to lose.

Police were forced to take action after the owner of both the dog and car came out of the store and requested police arrest Hammons. Oconee County Chief Deputy Lee Weems told USA Today, “We would not have made those charges on our own.” But the owner of the car insisted that Hammons be charged with criminal trespassing(非法入侵).     The dog's owner said that she had only been gone five minutes, even though bystanders said it was actually much longer. No matter how long it actually was, the decision to leave her dog locked in a car in 80 degree weather wasn't a bright one on her part. Interestingly enough, USA Today reports that Georgia state law does allow a person to break a window to save a child in a hot or cold car, just not a pet.

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

A．Watching.	B．Raising.
C．Feeding.	D．Helping.

2. The police arrested Hammons according to________.

A．the car owner's evidence	B．a witness' words
C．their own judgment	D．the Georgia state law

3. What do we know about Hammons?

A．He was praised by his wife.

B．He knew the law well before the rescue.

C．He saved the dog at the request of bystanders.

D．He used a wheelchair to break the car window.

4. What's the main idea of the text?

A．A witness reported an accident to the police.

B．A man saved a dog but got arrested.

C．A dog was saved from a hot car.

D．A woman found her car broken

7 . A passenger has been fined almost 550 after he was caught without a train ticket—that would have cost just 2.80.

Nicky Haywood，from Nottingham，was found guilty of travelling on an East Midlands train from Nottingham to Newstead without a ticket.

The 27­year­old，who did not appear for his hearing at Nottingham Magistrates Court(地方法庭)，is now being made to pay the price—which is almost 200 times the original price—for the 20 minute journey.

According to the Nottingham Post，Magistrates have ordered Haywood to pay a 220 fine，302 in costs，a 22 government surcharge(追加费用) and the 2.80 fare.

Senior conductor，Yvonne Clay was working on the day of the incident，according to the Nottingham Post.

The newspaper reported that she said Haywood had got on the train without a ticket，though he had the chance to buy one from both vending machines and booking offices on the platform.

She said，“He offered a Solo Electron card but we could not take that on the train.I informed him with a notice to pay.He gave his name and address and had 21 days to pay the fare.”

Even though he was given three weeks to pay the 2.80，a payment from Haywood was not received.

1. How much should Nicky Haywood pay according to the court?

A．2.80.	B．544.
C．550.	D．546.8.

2. Nicky Haywood can buy a ticket from         .

A．convenience shops	B．booking offices
C．the conductor	D．the court

3. Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Nicky Haywood was heading to Nottingham in this incident.

B．The conductor didn’t inform him to pay the ticket.

C．Nicky Haywood offered a card but it couldn’t be used on that train.

D．If Nicky Haywood had been given some days after the incident，he would have paid the ticket.

4. Which of the following can best describe Nicky Haywood?

A．Well­educated.	B．Responsible.
C．Dishonest.	D．Mean.

8 . Spring soccer season is under way, and many youth leagues are playing under new safety rules. In November, the US Soccer Federation said that players on its teams who are 10 or younger are no longer allowed to head the ball Players ages 11 to 13 have limits on how often they can practice heading. The new rules are made to prevent kids from getting concussions (脑震荡)—injuries caused by a blow to the head that shakes the brain. Common problems include headaches and dizziness. Severe concussions can lead to long brain damage.

Heading the ball can be one of the riskiest parts of soccer. Sometimes the force of hitting the ball with their heads gives players concussions. But more often, players receive concussions when they accidentally knock heads with other players and hit their heads on the grass. “More concussions happen during the act of heading than any other action in soccer,” explains Dr. Robert Cantu, an expert on brain injuries.

So far, the new rules are made only to teams that are part of the US Soccer Federation. But the group says it hopes other leagues will soon follow its example.

Former US soccer star Brandi Chastain is one of the leaders of the activity to ban heading in youth soccer. She applauds the rule change. Last month, Chastain showed her determination of learning more about the effects of heading when she promised to donate her brain to science after she dies.

“If there’s any information to be gathered on the study of someone like me，who has played soccer for 40 years, it feels like my responsibility,” Chastain told The New York Times.

1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?

A．Players needn’t take the risk of heading the ball in soccer.

B．All of the players, headaches result from hitting heads on the grass.

C．Players must receive concussions when knocking heads with other players.

D．The act 0f heading can cause more concussions than other actions in soccer.

2. What is Brandi Chastain’s attitude towards the new safety rules in playing soccer?

A．Unconcerned.	B．Positive.
C．Negative.	D．Doubtful.

3. From the text, we can learn         .

A．Brandi Chastain suffers from very severe concussions

B．concussions caused by heading the ball can not be healed

C．Brandi Chastain is willing to devote herself to the security of soccer players

D．the new rules in soccer have been carried out among all of the American leagues

9 . A Samoan airline says that it is the world’s first carrier to charge passengers by their weight. Samoa Air, which opened in 2012, asks passengers to give their personal weight during booking, which is then charged according to the length of a flight. The customers will also be weighed just before they board the plane.

"It is believed that all people throughout the world are the same size," Samoa Air CEO Chris Langton said. "Airplanes always run on weight, not seats."

"There is no doubt in my mind that this is the concept of the future. This is the fairest way of your travelling with your family or yourself."

Though the airline introduced the plan last November, it caught people's attention last week when the carrier began international flights to neighboring American Samoa.

Almost at the same time, a Norwegian economist, Bharat Bhatta, published a report suggesting that airlines should charge obese passengers more.

The Pacific Islands contain some of the world’s most common countries for obesity, many ranking in the top 10, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Samoa is ranked number four, with 59.6 percent of the population considered obese, said the most recent WHO report.

According to Samoa Air's latest schedule, the airline charges up to $0.57 per kg for flights in Samoa and $1.03 per kg for its only international flight to American Samoa, around 250 miles.

Children under 12 are charged 75 percent of the adult rate, with fares also based on weight. Any overweight baggage is calculated at the same rate as the passenger's personal weight.

The plan could actually prove cheaper in some cases, such as for families travelling with small children, and Langton said customer reaction has mainly been "amazingly positive".

The idea of charging passengers by weight has been hotly discussed before, and in the US some airlines require those who do not fit into a seat comfortably to buy a second seat.

1. What does the underlined word "this" in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Airlines should charge passengers by flight length.

B．All people throughout the world are the same size.

C．It is unfair to weigh passengers at the airport.

D．Airplanes always run on weight, not seats.

2. In Bharat Bhatta’s eyes, Samoa Air's plan might be _______.

A．funny	B．acceptable
C．strange	D．disappointing

3. A 100 kg adult flying to American Samoa would be charged _______.

A．$57	B．$75
C．$103	D．$125

4. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．59.6% of Samoans are considered obese.

B．Samoa Air introduces pay-by-weight pricing.

C．Airlines should charge obese passengers more.

D．Baggage must be calculated as passengers’ weight.

10 . Cyclist Alain Such has been dropped from the Ingotel cycling team for two years after a positive drug test at the Institute of drug Free Sport. “ I was flabbergasted.” Said Didier Garcia, from Team Ingotel. “Alain joined our team last month and we had no idea that he was being examined.”

It’s a story that has become more and more familiar in recent years. Dr. Mohammad Farnood, a leading sports scientist from Cairo, Egypt, said, “ It is thought that some athletes will look for other ways to improve performance in addition to using drugs.”

However, it has not always been against the law. In the Olympics in 1904, Thomas Hicks won the marathon after using drugs in the middle of the race. In fact, the first one didn’t make him feel better for long, so he was given another and, as a result, he fell down soon after finishing and knew nothing. Another one may well have killed him.

Things are very different today. Some scientists are considering the possibilities of using genetic engineering to further develop athletes’ abilities. “If it works with no risk of discovering,” said Dr Farnood, “ then it’s likely to become common practice for athletes.”

Researchers are looking at the possibility of identifying “athletic” genes and correcting weak ones. Put into practice, this would make a person healthier and stronger. Once scientists understand what genes of top athletes look like , it might even become possible to identify “athletic” genes in young people, and then money could be spent on children who have the most promising genes.

“People are beginning to recognize that genetics can in many ways do good to our society, for example in saving lives and in creating better quality food for people.” Dr Farnood says. “ So, is it fair to use genetic engineering in sport? You could ask if it’s fair for some runners to use the latest scientifically developed footwear. The key question is whether it’s available to everyone.”

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

A．Shy .	B．Proud.
C．Excited.	D．Surprised.

2. What happened to Thomas Hicks in 1904 ?

A．He was badly hurt in training.

B．He broke the law when running in a race.

C．He took drugs and almost got killed.

D．He lost the match in the Olympic Games.

3. Who may show the greatest concern about using genetic engineering in sport ?

A．Didier Garcia .

B．Thomas Hicks.

C．Cyclist Alain Such .

D．Dr Mohammad Farnood.

4. What can we learn from Paragraph 5 and 6 ?

A．The possibility of identifying “athletic” genes has become available .

B．It’s not clear whether it is fair to use genetic engineering in sport.

C．The practice of using drugs in sport has a long history.

D．It’s dangerous to use drugs in sport.