Adrian’s “Amazing Race” started early when his parents realized that he, as a baby, couldn’t hear a thing, not even loud noises. In a special school for the hearing-impaired (听觉受损的)，he learned sign language and got to mix with other disabled children. However, the sight of all the disabled children communicating with one another upset his mother. She wanted him to lead a normal life. So after speaking to an advisor, she sent him to private classes where he learned to read lips and pronounce words.
Later on, Adrian’s parents decided to send him to a regular school. But the headmaster tried to prevent them from doing so, saying regular school couldn’t take care of a special needs students. His parents were determined to take the risk and push him hard to go through his work everyday because they wanted to prove that, given the opportunity, he could do anything. Adrian made the grade and got accepted. It was a big challenge. The pace（节奏）was faster so he had to sit at the front of the class and really pay attention to the teacher, which wasn’t always easy. But he stuck to it and did a lot of extra work after school.
The efforts made by Adrian and his parents paid off. Adrian graduated with good grades and got into a top high school. He also achieved a lot in life outside school. He developed a love for the outdoors and went to Nepal to climb mountains. He even entered the World Yacht Race 05/06--- being the first hearing-impaired Asian to do so.
But none of these achievements would have been possible without one of the most important lessons from his mother.” “If you believe in yourself and work hard, you can achieve great results.” She often said.How did Adrian communicate with other children in the special school?
| A．By speaking. | B．By making loud noises. |
| C．By reading lips | D．By using sign language. |
Adrian’s parents decided to send him to a regular school because .
| A．they wanted to prove the headmaster wrong |
| B．they wanted him to live a normal life |
| C．he wouldn’t mix with other disabled children |
| D．he wasn’t taken good care of in the special school |
How did Adrian finally succeed in his study?
| A．He did a lot of outdoor activities. |
| B．He was pushed hard to study every day. |
| C．He worked very hard both in and after class |
| D．He attended private classes after school. |
Why is Adrian’s life described as an “Amazing Race”?
| A．He did very well in his study |
| B．He succeeded in entering a regular school |
| C．He reached his goals in spite of his disability |
| D．He took part in the World Yacht Race 05/06 |
If you’re secretly worried about your smartphone addiction, then the new NoPhone might be just the thing you need．It looks and feels exactly like a smartphone，but it does nothing．It's just a piece of plastic that you can carry around in your hand to fool yourself．
Dutch designer lngmar Larsen came up with the idea as a joke along with his two friends．To their great surprise，the idea received a lot of attention online and people from all over the world stated placing requests for NoPhones of their own．So that’s when the three friends decided to turn to collect enough fund for mass production．
NoPhone is currently a prototype(模型)that will cost only $12 once it hits the market．It is 5.5 inches high，2.6 inches wide and 0.29 inches thick, bringing it quite close to the latest smartphones on the market．It is described as“battery free”，“no upgrades necessary”，“shatterproof(抗震)”，“waterproof'’and“an alternative to constant hand-to-phone contact that allows you to stay connected with the real world”．
“Phone addiction is everywhere．”the designers insist．“It’s ruining your dates．It’s distracting you at concerts．It’s blocking sidewalks．Now，there is a real solution．With a thin．1ight and completely wireless design，the NoPhone acts as a substitute to any smart mobile device，enabling you to always have a phone to hold without giving up potential engagement with your direct environment．”
If you’re interested in NoPhone，but concerned about not being able to take selfies(自拍) anymore．Don’t feel upset．The makers do have an upgrade at no extra charge—the mirror sticker．That way，they say，you can enjoy‘real-time’selfies with your friends when they’re standing right behind you．What can NoPhone do for people according to the text?
| A．It is actually a new kind of real smartphone． |
| B．It can help us stay away from the real world． |
| C．It helps get rid of people’s smartphone addiction． |
| D．It’s just a piece of plastic and can do nothing． |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
| A．The size of Nophone． |
| B．The inventors of Nophone． |
| C．The material of Nophone． |
| D．A brief description of Nophone． |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．NoPhone has received unexpected attention． |
| B．NoPhone can completely replace smartphones． |
| C．The designers have made lots of money from Nophone． |
| D．NoPhone is able to take selfies as smartphones do． |
What type of writing is this passage?
| A．A traveI guide． | B．A scientific report． |
| C．A medical record． | D．An official document． |
Film director James Cameron first became interested in sea exploration when he was a little boy．His love for the ocean grew after he made the 1989 undersea adventure film The Abyss and the 1997 blockbuster Titanic，one of the most successful movies of all time．Following that big success，James Cameron decided to put his film career on hold to become an explorer．
In 2012，James Cameron made a journey to the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench，known as Challenger Deep．And now the great journey has been made into a documentary film，named James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D．
In James Cameron’s fantasy films，such as Avatar and The Abyss，the unexplored areas are decorated in colors and full of danger．But on his dive into Challenger Deep，the reality proved far different: white, deserted and dull．
“I felt like I had gone to another planet,”Cameron said after returning from the cold and dark place in the Western Pacific Ocean，nearly 7 miles below the surface．“I really have a sense of being separated and realize how tiny I am down in this big, black and unexplored place．”
Cameron captured(获取)the moon-like landscape of the deep sea and documented the sea creatures he observed in the ocean．
James Cameron’s Deep—sea Challenger 3D tells the story of Cameron’ s journey．It is a film about determination，danger and the ocean’S greatest depths．The movie shows a unique insight into Cameron’s world when he makes his dream reality and makes history by becoming the first person to travel alone to the deepest point on the planet．
It’s an exciting film and inspiring reminder that our beautiful planet still has a lot to explore．When did James Cameron become interested in the ocean?
| A．When he was in his childhood． |
| B．After his films The Abyss and Titanic． |
| C．After he achieved great Success in movies． |
| D．When he began to explore the deep sea alone． |
What is the unexplored ocean like?
| A．Colorful and dangerous． |
| B．Boring and deserted． |
| C．White and attractive． |
| D．Small and dull． |
What can we know about James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D?
| A．It is a film about the exploration of ocean creatures． |
| B．It is a story about Cameron’s film-making dream． |
| C．It aims to attract more people to explore the deep sea． |
| D．It tells us about James’ journey into Challenger Deep． |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．The great dream of a film director |
| B．A film director exploring deep sea |
| C．James Cameron and his documentary film |
| D．The first person to make films about the deep sea |
Coral reefs(珊 瑚 礁)are not just beautiful to look at，but also very useful．They shelter nearly 25％ of ocean life and provide food for billions of people．However, like many other species，this amazing ecosystem(生态系统)is in danger of dying out!
There are two main reasons for the destruction—the rising carbon dioxide levels caused by global warming as well as human influences like bottom operation．While not much can be done about the former，the loss caused by the latter can be reduced．
Bottom operation involves dropping nets to the ocean bed and then dragging them up when filled with fish．This action damaged the ocean floor，causing the coral branches to separate from the reefs．While that is very discouraging，the good news is that if these branches are found quickly，they can be saved．At present，that work is being performed by volunteer divers. But the method has only limited success because they cannot stay long underwater, nor reach depths of over 200 meters where some of the deep-sea coral grows．
However，this is not the case for Coral bots—the robots that can constantly seek out broken branches．A team of ‘coral bots’，each individually working to simple rules will piece together’ damaged bits of coral, allowing them to regrow. They are programmed to be able to distinguish between other things and the coral．The robots work together in groups，similar to bees．If one coralbot is damaged then the others will still be able to complete the task．
Dr Lea-Anne Henry said：“The project of using coral bots offers us the possibility to restore(修复)the function of reefs．It is in the final stage of testing．Once ready, the researchers hope to build hundreds of them and use them effectively in the waters off Scotland and then hopefully in the oceans across the world．”Which of the following is a cause of the danger that coral reefs are facing?
| A．The appearance of new creatures． |
| B．The seriously polluted sea water． |
| C．The activities of volunteer divers． |
| D．Human activities like bottom operation． |
Compared with volunteer divers，coralbots ______________．
| A．can stay longer underwater |
| B．must work as bees do |
| C．can distinguish what is coral |
| D．can never be damaged |
What does the underlined word“them”in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．Coralbots． | B．Broken branches． |
| C．working bees． | D．Bits of coral． |
We can infer from the passage that _______________．
| A．bottom operation has affected most underwater creatures |
| B．broken branches of coral can regrow if saved in time |
| C．hundreds of the coralbots have worked well in the oceans |
| D．with the coralbots all damaged coral reefs can be restored |
Dear Ms．Smith，
It is with great interest and enthusiasm that I am applying for the arts education internship (实习)advertised in Sunday’s New York Times．This position is exactly what I am looking for and an ideal opportunity for me to use my knowledge，educational background，and experience．
My arts education at Pratt Institute has helped me develop a firm foundation in the arts．The courses I have completed at Pratt，along with my study abroad in Paris，has prepared me well for a position in arts education．I have always enjoyed a passion for the arts but my undergraduate (本科)education has taken my interest to a whole new level．I not only enjoy doing art but I find myself even more enthusiastic when I have the opportunity to teach what I have learned．
For the past two summers I have worked directly with children at CityArts．These experiences were amazing since my responsibilities included planning and directing major projects that were planned for the summer program that goes on each year for local children interested in the arts．I was given a concept at the beginning of each summer and I had complete control of how the projects were to be completed．The children were the creative force and often were the inspiration for the artwork that was eventually presented to the public．
I am very excited about the summer opportunity with the Children’s Museum of the Arts since I know that I can definitely make a positive contribution while doing what I love，teaching art to children．I will contact you in one week to discuss my candidacy(候选资格)and see if you have any questions about my education or experience．Thank you for your time and consideration．
Sincerely，
Samantha R．GrayWhat is Gray’s purpose of writing this letter?
| A．To advertise for herself in New York Times． |
| B．To show her great enthusiasm for CityArts． |
| C．To obtain the chance of teaching art to children． |
| D．To prove her successful educational experiences． |
Paragraph 2 mainly tells us that _______________．
| A．Gray tries to find chance to devote her rich art knowledge to children |
| B．Gray has gotten her undergraduate education at college in Paris |
| C．Gray had given up the art courses at Pratt Institute and left for Paris |
| D．the education Gray has received makes her optimistic about the opportunity |
Which of the following isn’t mentioned by Gray in Paragraph 3？
| A．Her management ability． |
| B．Her family background． |
| C．Her love for children． |
| D．Her working experience． |
Cambridge graduates are the most employable in the world，according to a global league table．The ancient university is the best at producing graduates who are‘ready to work’，a poll of major employers found．
Oxford slipped to fourth place in the rankings having taken top spot last year．Harvard and Yale—part of the US‘Ivy League’of universities—were second and third respectively．
Five British universities were ranked in the top 20—one more than last year—and 12 were in the full list of 150．
But the UK as a country came third—behind the US and Germany—when companies were asked to name the best nation for producing work—ready graduates．
The table—the Global Employability(就业能力)University Ranking published by the International New York Times—also showed that universities in Asian countries were rapidly gaining ground on their western counterparts (对手)．
Asian universities claimed 20 percent of the top 150 places in 2014 compared with only 10 percent when the tables were first published in 2010．
The other British universities in the top 20 were University College London，in 14th place，Imperial College London，in 15th，and Edinburgh，18th．
The table showed the gap between a small number of top UK universities and less famous institutions．
Laurent Dupasquier，managing partner at Emerging，a French human resources consultancy，said：“The top tier players．global brands (which tend to be all American and British)．continue to lead，while other Anglo—Saxon universities，those that are mainly regional players，tend to develop less well，with an average of five places lost in comparison with last year．”
“Like the Premier League(英超联赛)，the champions have an international community of students and think internationally，unlike their more locally oriented counterparts．”
The table was made following a survey of 2,500 major companies in 20 countries．Employers were asked to rank universities against a range of criteria including their production of graduates who are ready to work and their links with business．
The study claimed that‘the days of ivory towers are over’．Which university had the best work-ready graduates last year?
| A．Cambridge． | B．Oxford． | C．Harvard． | D．Yale． |
The underlined phrase“gaining ground”in Paragraph 5 probably refers to ____________．
| A．falling behind |
| B．coming into conflict |
| C．making room |
| D．becoming more successful |
What can we learn about the UK universities from the text?
| A．There are many quality gaps between UK universities． |
| B．The UK produced the most work-ready graduates this year． |
| C．Universities in the UK make up most of the top 20． |
| D．Almost all UK university graduates are employable． |
Why do regional UK universities tend to develop less well this year?
| A．They couldn’t raise enough education fund． |
| B．They have students from all over the world． |
| C．They lack international students and think locally． |
| D．The UK government didn’t support them at a11． |