There was an American writer who often told such a story to his friends and readers:
It was an exhibition of the artists’ works organized by the Red Cross. I was invited as a special guest to take part in the exhibition. During this period, two cute girls of 16 or 17 years old came to me and asked for my signature(签名).
“I haven’t brought my pen. Is the pencil okay?” I asked. In fact I knew they wouldn’t refuse. I just wanted to show a well-known writer’s good manners to the common readers.
“Certainly,” the young girls readily agreed. I could see they were very excited. Of course, their excitement also made me more pleased with myself. One of the girls handed her notebook to me. I took out my pencil, wrote a few words of encouragement, and signed my name. The girl read my signature, frowned(皱眉), looked at me carefully and asked, “Aren’t you Robert Charboss?”
“NO,”I told her proudly, “I’m the author of Alice Adams, the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes.”
The young girl turned to another one, and said, “Mary, lend your eraser to me.”
At the moment, all my pride turned into a bubble (泡沫) immediately. Since then, I always warn(告诫)myself：Don’t think too highly of yourself even though you are so outstanding（杰出的）.The writer went to the exhibition because he .
| A．would put out his new book |
| B．got a special invitation |
| C．wanted to meet his fans |
| D．wanted show off (炫耀) that he was an outstanding writer |
We can infer that the two girls were the fans of .
| A．the writer | B．Alice Adams | C．Robert Charboss | D．the Red Cross |
The underlined sentence “all my pride turned into a bubble immediately” means that the writer .
| A．had realized that he was too proud of himself |
| B．felt very angry when he heard the girl’s words |
| C．was so polite to the girls and helped them a lot |
| D．was regret to sign his name for the girl |
This story teaches us to be a(an) person.
| A．careful | B．outstanding | C．modest | D．easy-going |
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
We all know fresh is best when it comes to food. However, most produce at the store went through weeks of travel and covered hundreds of miles before reaching the table. While farmer’s markets are a solid choice to reduce the journey, Babylon Micro-Farm（BMF）shortens it even more.
BMF is an indoor garden system. It can be set up for a family. Additionally, it could serve a larger audience such as a hospital, restaurant or school. The innovative design requires little effort to achieve a reliable weekly supply of fresh greens.
Specifically, it’s a farm that relies on new technology. By connecting through the Cloud, BMF is remotely monitored. Also, there is a convenient app that provides growing data in real time. Because the system is automated, it significantly reduces the amount of water needed to grow plants. Rather than watering rows of soil, the system provides just the right amount to each plant. After harvest, users simply replace the plants with a new pre-seeded pod（容器）to get the next growth cycle started.
Moreover, having a system in the same building where it’s eaten means zero emissions（排放）from transporting plants from soil to salad. In addition, there’s no need for pesticides and other chemicals that pollute traditional farms and the surrounding environment.
BMF employees live out sustainability in their everyday lives. About half of them walk or bike to work. Inside the office, they encourage recycling and waste reduction by limiting garbage cans and avoiding single-use plastic. “We are passionate about reducing waste, carbon and chemicals in our environment,” said a BMF employee.
（1）What can be learned about BMF from paragraph 1?
| A． |
It guarantees the variety of food. |
B． |
It requires day-to-day care. |
| C． |
It cuts the farm-to-table distance. |
D． |
It relies on farmer’s markets. |
（2）What information does the convenient app offer?
| A． |
Real-time weather changes. |
B． |
Current condition of the plants. |
| C． |
Chemical pollutants in the soil. |
D． |
Availability of pre-seeded pods. |
（3）What can be concluded about BMF employees?
| A． |
They have a great passion for sports. |
| B． |
They are devoted to community service. |
| C． |
They are fond of sharing daily experiences. |
| D． |
They have a strong environmental awareness. |
（4）What does the text mainly talk about?
| A． |
BMF’s major strengths. |
B． |
BMF’s general management. |
| C． |
BMF’s global influence. |
D． |
BMF’s technical standards. |
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
Do you ever get to the train station and realize you forgot to bring something to read? Yes, we all have our phones, but many of us still like to go old school and read something printed.
Well, there’s a kiosk（小亭）for that. In the San Francisco Bay Area, at least.
“You enter the fare gates（检票口）and you’ll see a kiosk that is lit up and it tells you can get a one-minute, a three-minute, or a five-minute story,” says Alicia Trost, the chief communications officer for the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit — known as BART. “You choose which length you want and it gives you a receipt-like short story.”
It’s that simple. Riders have printed nearly 20,000 short stories and poems since the program was launched last March. Some are classic short stories, and some are new original works.
Trost also wants to introduce local writers to local riders. “We wanted to do something where we do a call to artists in the Bay Area to submit stories for a contest,” Trost says. “And as of right now, we’ve received about 120 submissions. The winning stories would go into our kiosk and then you would be a published artist.”
Ridership on transit（交通）systems across the country has been down the past half century, so could short stories save transit?
Trost thinks so.
“At the end of the day all transit agencies right now are doing everything they can to improve the rider experience. So I absolutely think we will get more riders just because of short stories,” she says.
And you’ll never be without something to read.
（1）Why did BART start the kiosk program?
| A． |
To promote the local culture. |
B． |
To discourage phone use. |
| C． |
To meet passengers’ needs. |
D． |
To reduce its running costs. |
（2）How are the stories categorized in the kiosk?
| A． |
By popularity. |
B． |
By length. |
| C． |
By theme. |
D． |
By language. |
（3）What has Trost been doing recently?
| A． |
Organizing a story contest. |
B． |
Doing a survey of customers. |
| C． |
Choosing a print publisher. |
D． |
Conducting interviews with artists. |
（4）What is Trost’s opinion about BART’s future?
| A． |
It will close down. |
B． |
Its profits will decline. |
| C． |
It will expand nationwide. |
D． |
Its ridership will increase. |
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
Choice of Walks for Beginner and Experienced Walkers
The Carlow Autumn Walking Festival is a great opportunity for the beginner, experienced or advanced walker to enjoy the challenges of Carlow’s mountain hikes or the peace of its woodland walks.
Walk 1 — The Natural World
With environmentalist Éanna Lamhna as the guide, this walk promises to be an informative tour. Walkers are sure to learn lots about the habitats and natural world of the Blackstairs.
Date and Time: Saturday, 1st October, at 09:00
Start Point: Scratoes Bridge
Walk Duration: 6 hours
Walk 2 — Introduction to Hillwalking
Emmanuel Chappard, an experienced guide, has a passion for making the great outdoors accessible to all. This mountain walk provides an insight into the skills required for hillwalking to ensure you get the most from future walking trips.
Date and Time: Sunday, 2nd October, at 09:00
Start Point: Deerpark Car Park
Walk Duration: 5 hours
Walk 3 — Moonlight Under the Stars
Walking at night-time is a great way to step out of your comfort zone. Breathtaking views of the lowlands of Carlow can be enjoyed in the presence of welcoming guides from local walking clubs. A torch（手电筒）along with suitable clothing is essential for walking in the dark. Those who are dressed inappropriately will be refused permission to participate.
Date and Time: Saturday, 1st October, at 18:30
Start Point: The Town Hall
Walk Duration: 3 hours
Walk 4 — Photographic Walk in Kilbrannish Forest
This informative walk led by Richard Smyth introduces you to the basic principles of photography in the wild. Bring along your camera and enjoy the wonderful views along this well-surfaced forest path.
Date and Time: Sunday, 2nd October, at 11:45
Start Point: Kilbrannish Forest Recreation Area
Walk Duration: 1.5 hours
（1）Which walk takes the shortest time?
| A． |
The Natural World. |
B． |
Introduction to Hillwalking. |
| C． |
Moonlight Under the Stars. |
D． |
Photographic Walk in Kilbrannish Forest. |
（2）What are participants in Walk 3 required to do?
| A． |
Wear proper clothes. |
B． |
Join a walking club. |
| C． |
Get special permits. |
D． |
Bring a survival guide. |
（3）What do the four walks have in common?
| A． |
They involve difficult climbing. |
B． |
They are for experienced walkers. |
| C． |
They share the same start point. |
D． |
They are scheduled for the weekend. |
阅读下面短文，从短文后的选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Not all great writers are great spellers. If you want to be published, it’s vital to submit a perfect, professionally presented manuscript（原稿）. （1） No editor is likely to tolerate a writer who does not take the trouble to spell words correctly.
I keep two reference books close-by on my desk: dictionary and thesaurus（同义词词典）. I don’t trust my laptop’s spellchecker. （2） Of course, these days there are plenty of online dictionaries and thesauruses, but I’m old-fashioned enough to prefer a hard cover and pages I can leaf through with my fingers. I use the Concise Oxford Dictionary and the Collins Thesaurus.
（3） It should give you a precise definition of each word, thus differentiating it from other words whose meanings are similar, but not identical. It will also usually show how the word is pronounced.
In addition, I have an old two-volume copy of the Shorter Oxford Dictionary, picked up a few years ago in a bookshop sale for just 99 pence. Of course, with its 2,672 pages, it’s not exactly short. It contains around 163,000 words, plus word combinations and idiomatic phrases. （4） However, if I need to check the origin of a word or to look up examples of its usage, there’s nothing better.
For well over a hundred years the most influential English dictionary was Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language published in 1755. “To make dictionaries is dull（乏味）work,”wrote Johnson, illustrating one definition of“dull”. （5） A few minutes spent casting your eye over a page or two can be a rewarding experience.
|
A. I don’t often use this dictionary. B. It takes no account of the context. C. But I still don’t want to replace them. D. But a dictionary can be a pleasure to read. E. Of course, a dictionary is not only for spelling. F. That means good grammar and no spelling mistakes. G. Dictionaries don’t always give you enough information. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
In the race to document the species on Earth before they go extinct, researchers and citizen scientists have collected billions of records. Today, most records of biodiversity are often in the form of photos, videos, and other digital records. Though they are useful for detecting shifts in the number and variety of species in an area, a new Stanford study has found that this type of record is not perfect.
“With the rise of technology it is easy for people to make observations of different species with the aid of a mobile application,” said Barnabas Daru, who is lead author of the study and assistant professor of biology in the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. “These observations now outnumber the primary data that comes from physical specimens（标本）, and since we are increasingly using observational data to investigate how species are responding to global change, I wanted to know: Are they usable?”
Using a global dataset of 1.9 billion records of plants, insects, birds, and animals, Daru and his team tested how well these data represent actual global biodiversity patterns.
“We were particularly interested in exploring the aspects of sampling that tend to bias（使有偏差）data, like the greater likelihood of a citizen scientist to take a picture of a flowering plant instead of the grass right next to it,” said Daru.
Their study revealed that the large number of observation-only records did not lead to better global coverage. Moreover, these data are biased and favor certain regions, time periods, and species. This makes sense because the people who get observational biodiversity data on mobile devices are often citizen scientists recording their encounters with species in areas nearby. These data are also biased toward certain species with attractive or eye-catching features.
What can we do with the imperfect datasets of biodiversity?
“Quite a lot,” Daru explained. “Biodiversity apps can use our study results to inform users of oversampled areas and lead them to places — and even species — that are not well-sampled. To improve the quality of observational data, biodiversity apps can also encourage users to have an expert confirm the identification of their uploaded image.”
（1）What do we know about the records of species collected now?
| A． |
They are becoming outdated. |
B． |
They are mostly in electronic form. |
| C． |
They are limited in number. |
D． |
They are used for public exhibition. |
（2）What does Daru’s study focus on?
| A． |
Threatened species. |
B． |
Physical specimens. |
| C． |
Observational data. |
D． |
Mobile applications. |
（3）What has led to the biases according to the study?
| A． |
Mistakes in data analysis. |
B． |
Poor quality of uploaded pictures. |
| C． |
Improper way of sampling. |
D． |
Unreliable data collection devices. |
（4）What is Daru’s suggestion for biodiversity apps?
| A． |
Review data from certain areas. |
B． |
Hire experts to check the records. |
| C． |
Confirm the identity of the users. |
D． |
Give guidance to citizen scientists. |