Taking toddlers to the hairdressers isn’t always a walk in the park. But worry no more. There are lots of great kids’ hair salons in Singapore that make the whole process a breeze.

LA Kids Cowboy

Wouldn’t it be good if you or your partner could head somewhere for a quick cut and have the kids’ hair cut at the same time? Sure would, which is why we’re loving LA Kids Cowboy. It’s Singapore’s first parent-child haircut and styling concept. Cut s are a great value of $20, making it a cheap and cheerful barber for kids.

Bonbon Blowout Bar

Bonbon Blowout Bar comes with individual tablets and sweets, so haircuts won’t seem like such a terrible affair for kids. The full-service salon provides haircuts, styling, and hair perm services for children from $28; and if it’s their first haircut, your kid will even bring home a First Haircut Certificate!

BabySpa

If you’re looking for a baby haircut, look no further. At BabySpa, your kids’ hair is in good hands. The wonderful stylists will ensure the gentles t of haircuts while your baby watches Barney, sitting in a toy car. BabySpa also offers a bathing service for kids up to age two.

Kids ‘N’ Me

This kids’ hairdressers over at United Square are a firm fan favorite. It’s down to the experienced hairstylists, who are known and loved for their awesome kids’ haircuts for football matches, from simple “short back and sides” to a full-on Mohawk. We hear children can even have their hair sprayed with temporary hair d ye for special occasions!

1. Where will a boy probably have a haircut for a football match?

A．At LA Kids Cowboy.	B．At Bonbon Blowout Bar.
C．At BabySpa.	D．At Kids ‘N’ Me.

2. What is offered by LA Kids Cowboy?

A．An adult haircut.

B．A toy football.

C．A bathing service.

D．A Haircut Certificate.

3. Who are the target readers of the text?

A．Parents.

B．Hairstylists.

C．Children.

D．Athletes.

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” opens Leo Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina. While Tolstoy’s quote is famous, it is also inaccurate. It ignores the fact that happiness is a subjective (主观的) experience. Therefore, happy families and individuals come in all shapes and sizes. Even nations, we now know, can be happy in different ways.

Since 2012, the World Happiness Report has been ranking countries according to their levels of happiness. The latest report ranks Finland as the happiest country in the world, followed by Denmark and Iceland. Happiness matters.

Happier people more often engage in their communities and help others, making them important building blocks for advancing societies. So nations worldwide have increasingly focused on promoting people’s happiness.

Scientists employ “subjective well-being”, commonly termed “happiness”, to include both happiness and life satisfaction. They have identified characteristics typical of countries with high levels of happiness. Studies suggest richer countries are happier. Institutional quality, such as strong courts and good laws, also plays a vital role in shaping happier nations.

A country’s culture also influences subjective well-being. It is frequently analyzed from four main aspects: individualism, masculinity (男子气概), power distance and uncertainty avoidance. In individualistic countries, people tend to put their own interests first, leading to higher levels of happiness. Happier nations usually have lower levels of masculinity, which show a preference for cooperation, care and equal opportunities for both men and women. Happier nations also tend to more evenly distribute (分配) power, called “low power distance”. Finally, happier nations appear to be more tolerant of uncertainty, less anxious about risk-taking, and therefore more likely to seize life’s opportunities.

Although the image of a happy country sounds similar as described in these terms, all happy nations are not alike. That’s because each nation has different cultural, economic, and social factors that shape their unique identities and experiences.

The takeaway from this research is that governments worldwide should adopt a flexible approach to policy making, recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to promoting well-being.

8. Why does the author quote Leo Tolstoy?

A．To give the definition of happiness.	B．To introduce the topic of happiness.
C．To show the inaccuracy of his statement.	D．To recommend his novel Anna Karenina.

9. Why are nations placing great emphasis on people’s happiness?

A．It is related to people’s satisfaction with the government.

B．Happiness of a nation helps improve its international image.

C．Individual happiness contributes positively to social progress.

D．Nations worldwide are competing for high happiness rankings.

10. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The importance of happiness.	B．The differences among happy nations.
C．The ways to promote happiness.	D．The impact of culture on happiness.

11. What does the underlined word “takeaway” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Message.

B．Method.

C．Reason.

D．Result.

In times of intense stress, people sometimes let it out with a scream and a new study suggests that plants might do the same. Researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel has found that plants let out ultrasonic (超声的) screams when damaged or stressed by drought.

The noises, falling within a range of 20 to 100 kilohertz, are too high-frequency for humans to hear, but other plants and some animals perceive them. Insects might be listening for sounds from stressed plants to assess their condition before laying eggs on their leaves. A moth (蛾) may decide against laying eggs on a plant that sounds water-stressed.

Researchers attached recording devices directly to plants to listen for secret sounds inside their stems (茎). In drought, air bubbles formed, burst and caused vibrations (振动) within the tissue that normally carries water up the plants’ stems. The process was picked up by the attached recording devices, but researchers wanted to know if any plant sounds could travel through the air.

So the team placed microphones 10 centimetres from stressed-out tomato and tobacco plants. They subjected one set of crops to drought and another to physical damage. A third group was untouched.

The microphones did pick up distinct sounds. On average, drought-stressed tomato plants let out about 35 ultrasonic screams per hour, while those with cut stems made about 25. Drought-stressed tobacco plants let out about 11 screams per hour, and cut crops made about 15 sounds in the same time. The average number of sounds from untouched plants fell below one per hour.

The researchers also attempted to identify each plant group just based on its screams. Using a type of artificial intelligence calculations, the team picked out distinct features in each set of sounds and successfully sorted their plants into three kinds: “dry, cut or untouched.”

If it is not too costly to set up the recording in a field situation, farmers might be able to hear these stress signals too. In future, enabling farmers to listen for water-stressed plants could “open a new direction”, which will be increasingly important as climate change exposes more areas to drought.

12. The moth is mentioned in paragraph 2 to show __________.

A．moths need enough water when laying eggs

B．some animals are able to hear plants scream

C．some insects are picky about their surroundings

D．wildlife species depend on each other when stressed

13. What can we learn from the research?

A．Plants’ sounds couldn’t be detected by humans.

B．Plants can be grouped according to their features.

C．Plants’ screams are related to stress types in a way.

D．Air bubbles contribute to the lack of water in plants.

14. What does the last paragraph focus on?

A．Supporting evidence for the research result.

B．Potential application of the research findings.

C．A further explanation of the research methods.

D．A reasonable doubt about the research process.

15. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Plants’ Vibrations: Way to React to Stress

B．Stress Signals: Secret Newly Found in Plants

C．Green Screams: Plants Make Noises When Stressed

D．Ultrasonic Screams: Discovery Opens a New Chapter

As humans, we’re meant to be social creatures. In fact, being socially connected is key to our mental and emotional health.     16    This can cause us to cut ourselves off from others and gradually become lonely. Social situations can seem frightening, but the truth is never quite so black-and-white.

People aren’t thinking about you—at least not to the degree that you think.     17     Just like you’re thinking about yourself, other people are thinking about themselves. They’re not spending their free time judging you, so stop wasting time worrying about what others think of you.

    18     When you’re socially anxious, it can seem as though everyone else is fully confident. But that’s not the case. There are still many shy people out there struggling with the same self-doubts as you are. The next person you speak to is just as likely to be worried about what you think of them!

You don’t have to be perfect to be liked. In fact, our imperfections can be pleasant.     19     If you can cheerfully accept your awkwardness and imperfections, you’ll likely find that others will, too. They may even like you better for it!

It’s okay to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes; it’s part of being human.     20     Your value doesn’t come from being perfect. If you find self-forgiveness difficult, try to look at your own mistakes as you would those of a friend.

Overcoming social fear requires practice. Don’t expect to become socially comfortable without putting in the time. That said, you can start small. Take baby steps towards being more confident and social, and then build on those successes.

A．So give yourself a break when you mess up.

B．Most people are caught up in their own lives.

C．The good news is that you can learn from them.

D．People are much more confident than you think.

E．Even our weaknesses can bring us closer to others.

F．Many other people feel just as awkward and nervous as you do.

G．Yet many of us are shy and feel awkward around unfamiliar people.

Long ago, Anne and I had a big argument over a piano!

“The family should learn to play,” she said, having seen one in a shop. I told her there was ________ I’d pay so much money for a(n) ________ none of us could play.

Later, I found a grand piano at an auction (拍卖). It was a fine piece, if a bit ________. I told the auctioneer I would buy it if it went for less than £50. ________ , it ended up in our living room. Anne had ________ it and placed a vase of flowers on top.

She was ________ of her piano. The children took lessons, but it turned out they weren’t naturally talented in ________.

One day, Anne came back from tea with a friend, full of praise for her friend’s ________ room. “There was room to move, with the chairs set well back —no ________.” She quietly indicated that our piano should be ________. I didn’t react. The matter was ________, but not for long.

When I returned home one day, the piano was in the doorway, ready for the removers to take it to a sale. We came as near to a ________ as we had ever been. “Do you love the piano or me?” she ________ firmly.

In fairness to Anne, she loves the house and I am proud of it. I couldn’t handle the ________ anymore. The piano was sold. I’m sorry, but ________ I never could play the thing.

21.

A．no way

B．no problem

C．no doubt

D．no risk

22.

A．sport

B．game

C．song

D．instrument

23.

A．ugly

B．light

C．old

D．big

24.

A．Eventually

B．Gradually

C．Surprisingly

D．Fortunately

25.

A．repaired

B．examined

C．painted

D．polished

26.

A．critical

B．ashamed

C．proud

D．careful

27.

A．thinking

B．acting

C．music

D．entertainment

28.

A．spacious

B．comfortable

C．bright

D．elegant

29.

A．furniture

B．piano

C．vase

D．flower

30.

A．removed

B．replaced

C．valued

D．played

31.

A．tackled

B．dropped

C．discussed

D．clarified

32.

A．comeback

B．comedown

C．breakup

D．breakthrough

33.

A．repeated

B．asked

C．announced

D．suggested

34.

A．pain

B．loss

C．pressure

D．failure

35.

A．in the end

B．in general

C．above all

D．after all

47. 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

“Hey! Don’t tell me you’re scared!” Sasha smiled at Rosie, then leaned into her horse’s cheek and circled his head with her arms, as if he were nothing but a big stuffed animal.

“I’m not.” The lie didn’t sound as definite as Rosie wished it did. She turned away from Sasha. How could her roommate be so comfortable around these huge animals?

Rosie shook as Nugget blew out a long snort（响鼻）. After begging to come to two weeks of riding camp, Rosie’s cowgirl riding dreams had dried up like the red -brown dirt at her feet.

All winter Rosie had pictured herself galloping（骑马奔驰）on a horse down the country roads and fields in the camp brochure. Since she was little, whenever she and her parents headed out of town to where Chicago turned into country, Rosie would imagine she was outside the car, galloping on the back of a beautiful horse, hair long and windblown.

“You are so, scared,” Sasha said. “I can tell.” A strange smile grew on her face. “It’s in the eyes,” Sasha said in an odd, silly voice.

Rosie forced a smile and took a small step toward Nugget. “Hi,” she said softly, reaching out an arm.

Nugget gave start, and Rosie jumped back. Her throat closed up, and tears burned the corners of her eyes. “You’ll just scare her, doing that,” Sasha said. She walked over to Nugget and stroked her neck. “It’s OK, girl. Calm down, it’s OK.”

“Sasha, get back to your horse, please.” Callie, the riding instructor, came over, planting herself between Rosie and Sasha. “You afraid, Rosie?” she asked quietly.

“A little,” Rosie whispered to Callie.

“Watch out, Rosie!” Sasha said, and then laughed. “Don’t let Nugget get you!”

“Sasha! Mount up and quiet down,” Callie said.

Sasha reached up to her saddle（马鞍）with the reins（缰绳）in her left hand, and in one quick, smooth move, was up and settled.

“Ready to mount up?” Callie’s eyes questioned Rosie silently.

A cry escaped from Rosie’s throat. Her heart pounded wildly.

注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1: “You can wait till you’re ready, Rosie,” Callie said.
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Paragraph 2: “I want to get down,” Rosie thought.
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