Hundreds of years ago, Native-American tribes lived in Mexico. The Aztecs built beautiful cities. They had a calendar (历法) and a written language. However, the Spanish destroyed the Aztecs in l521. For the next 300 years, Spain ruled over Mexico. That’s why Mexicans speak Spanish.
Every September l6 the Mexican people hold a celebration in Mexico City, their country’s capital. It is their Independence Day. On that date in 1821 they told Spain they would no longer be ruled. Breaking free from Spain caused a war. When it was over, the Mexicans had their own government. They made their own laws.
Today America and Mexico are friends, but it wasn’t always that way. President James Polk wanted America to reach from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. He tried to buy what is now the American southwest from Mexico. Mexico would not sell. So from l846 to 1848 Mexico and America fought a war to ascertain where their borders would be. When the war ended, Mexico had lost a lot of land. Now the Rio Grande River forms the border between the two nations. America is on the north side of the river. Mexico is on the south side.
Mexico has mountains and a hot, dry climate. Crops can grow on only a small part of the land. Still, Mexicans grow much of the coffee, oranges, and sugar used in the US. Mexicans have influenced building styles in southwestern US and added words such as patio and canton to American English. Americans also enjoy eating many Mexican foods like burritos, tacos, tortillas, and tamales.According to the passage, what happened second on historical timeline?
| A．Mexicans declared their independence from Spain. |
| B．The Spanish ruled Mexico. |
| C．The Aztecs lived in Mexico. |
| D．Americans fought a war with Mexico. |
The passage says that President Polk wanted ______.
| A．the US to expand its borders to the Pacific Ocean |
| B．Mexico to change its Independence Day to July 4th |
| C．Mexico to become one of the states of the Union |
| D．Americans to adopt the Mexican language |
Another word for the underlined word “ascertain” is ______.
| A．inspect | B．cover |
| C．change | D．determine |
Mexicans have the following influences on America EXCEPT ______.
| A．building styles | B．vocabulary |
| C．clothes | D．food |
Before the Aztecs were conquered(征服), these Native Americans probably ______.
| A．didn’t speak Spanish |
| B．couldn’t read or write any language |
| C．didn’t have tools |
| D．didn’t understand the concept of time |
Phantom vibrations-the phenomenon where you think your phone is vibrating but it's not-have been around since the mobile age. Today, they’re so common that researchers have devoted studies to them．
For Valerie Kusler, who works on a cattle farm, the feeling is complicated by the cows“The cows’moo is very muffled, it kinda sounds like…errrr,”she says.“So that's very similar to what my phone sounds like when it vibrates on my desk or in my purse.”
Other people may not confuse cows for their phones, but research shows phantom vibration symptom is a near-universal experience for people with smartphones.
Nearly 90 percent of college undergraduates in a 2012 study said they felt phantom vibrations. The number was just as high for a survey of hospital workers, who reported feeling phantom vibrations on either a weekly or monthly basis．
“Something in your brain is being triggered（触发）that's different than what was triggered just a few short years ago,” says Dr Larry Rosen, a research psychologist who studies how technology affects our minds.
“If you'd asked me 10 years ago, or maybe even five years ago if I- felt an itch beneath where my pocket of my jeans was, and asked me what I would do, I'd reach down and scratch it because it was probably a little itch caused by the neurons firing（神经元刺激），”he says. Now, of course, the itch triggers him to reach for his phone. Rosen says it's an example of how our devices are changing how our brains process information．
“we’re seeing a lot of what looks like obsessive behavior. People who are constantly picking up their phone look like they have an obsession. They don't look much different from someone who's constantly washing their hands. I’m not saying that it is an obsession, but I’m saying that it could turn into one, very easily," Rosen says.
While 9 out of 10 participants in the study of college students said the vibration feeling bothered them only a little or not at all, Rosen still recommends backing away from our phones every once in a while to keep our anxiety levels down.
“One of the things I’m really adamant about in spite of being very pro-technology, is just away from the technology for short periods," Rosen says．"And by short periods. I mean; maybe just 30 minutes or an hour.”According to the article, phantom vibrations_____．
| A．are mainly caused by neurons firing |
| B．affect people mostly working on farms |
| C．help our brains better process information |
| D．started troubling people in recent years |
The underlined word "adamant" in the last paragraph probably means_____.
| A．curious | B．determined | C．satisfied | D．cautious |
It can be concluded from Larry Rosen's research that_____.
| A．phantom vibrations could probably result in obsessive behavior |
| B．the use of smart phones has completely changed the way our minds work |
| C．most people feel uncomfortable when they experience phantom vibrations |
| D．hospital workers are more likely to suffer from phantom vibrations than students |
According to Larry Rosen, the most effective measure against phantom vibrations is to_____．
| A．move to a quieter neighborhood |
| B．stop using smartphones in poor condition |
| C．take a break from using smartphones occasionally |
| D．keep a close watch on your anxiety levels |
Volunteering abroad is great. Not only do you travel to an exotic country, you also meet like-minded people, and at the end of it all you have something to put on your CV to impress employers with. But did you ever stop to think about how great it is for the people on the receiving end?
In this context, Daniela Papi has a point---foreigners rushing heroically to volunteer in a country they’ve never heard of are unlikely to make a difference. But turning volunteering camps into classrooms, as Papi seems to advocate in her article, risks throwing the baby out with the bath water by putting people off of volunteering.
Rather, learning should be a natural part of the experience, and the key to creating such an environment is positioning everyone as equals. In order for that to happen, volunteers need competent leaders who create an environment of equality:
When, a few years ago, I joined a group of international volunteers to help a small farming community in the Swiss Alps, we were all quite ignorant about the local conditions. But thanks to our group leader, it was both a helpful project for the locals and a fun and eye-opening experience for us．Before we had even traveled (at our own expense) to the mountaintop village, our group leader had spent time with the villagers preparing the project to make sure it would be of benefit to them. She arranged for us to help in different areas, ensuring that we always worked alongside locals rather than for them. It was never "us" and "them", but always "we", like a big family. As a result, conversation flowed and we learned a great deal just by casually talking to the locals as we worked．At the end, we left with a deep appreciation for the labor of love that goes into producing the food we eat every day一一an appreciation we could treasure ourselves and share with our peers．
Volunteering isn't about saving someone's life, or even about changing it. It's about touching a different world and reminding ourselves that there is much, much more to life than the daily routines we take for granted．With that knowledge, maybe, just maybe, we can go on to really change the world．
By Lukas ThibautFrom Paragraphs 1 and 2, we can learn that＿＿＿＿in international volunteering.
| A．foreigners are not welcome in some local communities |
| B．blind enthusiasm fails to make the experience rewarding |
| C．the author agrees with Daniela Papi's opinions |
| D．international volunteering is actually a poor approach to education |
The underlined word "that" in Paragraph 3 refers to＿＿＿，
| A．a natural part of the experience |
| B．the learning of volunteering |
| C．creating such an environment |
| D．positioning everyone as equals |
What contributed to the success of the author's volunteering project in the Alps?
| A．The volunteers were quite familiar with Swiss farmers' lives. |
| B．The volunteers worked in areas separated from the locals. |
| C．The group leader ensured that the project would be beneficial to both sides. |
| D．The group leader ensured that the volunteers got to know the local conditions． |
From the author's viewpoint, what should international volunteers avoid?
| A．Placing themselves above the locals. |
| B．Taking food for granted. |
| C．Disrespecting others' labor. |
| D．Being proud of volunteering. |
Which best describes the author's attitude toward international volunteering?
| A．Objective. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Supportive. |
A mouse happened to look through a hole in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. “What food might this contain?” The mouse wondered. But he was sad to discover it was a mousetrap.
Back to the farmyard, the mouse announced this warning; “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mouse trap in the house!”
The hen clucked (咯咯地叫) and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a great concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”
Then the mouse turned to the pig. The pig sympathized, but said, “I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”
Then the mouse turned to the cow and repeated the same words. The cow said, “Moo, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you,but it’s no skin off my nose.”
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and sadly faced the farmer’s mousetrap alone. That very right a sound was heard throughout the house – the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey (猎物). The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it. It was a poisonous snake whose tail was caught in the trap. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. When she returned home, she still had a fever.
Everyone knows fresh chicken soup is good to treat a fever. So the farmer took his knife to the farmyard. The hen was killed.
But his wife’s sickness continued. Friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer’s wife did not get well but died. So many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow killed to provide enough meat for all of them for the lunch.
The mouse looked upon it all from his hole in the wall with great sadness. What surprised the mouse when looking through the hole?
| A．The farmer and his wife. | B．A dangerous mousetrap. |
| C．A package with food in. | D．A poisonous snake. |
What did the mouse do when it returned to the farmyard?
| A．It had a warn talk with his friends. |
| B．It warned its neighbors of the danger. |
| C．It argued with its neighbors loudly. |
| D．It tried hard to cheer its neighbors. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the story?
| A．The hen was sure that it needn’t be bothered by it. |
| B．The pig only expressed its sympathy for the mouse. |
| C．The farmer’s wife was bitten by the poisonous snake. |
| D．The farmer’s neighbors came to his home for meat. |
What does the underlined sentence “but it’s no skin off my nose” in paragraph 5 mean?
| A．It is none of my business. |
| B．It is out of the question. |
| C．It doesn’t affect my smell. |
| D．It is not interesting at all. |
Which of the following can best express the moral of the story?
| A．Mind works faster in time of danger. |
| B．Never put your nose into others’ business. |
| C．We should pull together in time of trouble. |
| D．Out of sight, out of mind. |
During the summer holidays there will be a revised(修改过的)schedule(时刻表) of services for the students. Changes for dining-room and library service hours and for bus schedules will be posted on the wall outside of the dining-hall. Weekly film and concert schedules, which are being arranged(安排), will be posted each Wednesday outside of the student club.
In the summer holidays, buses going to the town center will leave the main hall every hour on the half hour during the day. The dining-room will serve three meals a day from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm during the week and two meals from noon to 7:00 pm on weekends.The library will continue its usual hours during the week, but have shorter hours on Saturdays and Sundays. The weekend hours are from noon to 5:00 pm.
All students who want to use the library borrowing services must have a new summer card. This announcement will also appear in the next week's student newspaper.The main purpose of this announcement is to .
| A．tell students of important schedule changes |
| B．tell students of new bus and library services |
| C．show the excellent services for students |
| D．ask students to renew their library cards |
At which of the following times will the bus leave the main hall?
| A．8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 | B．8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 |
| C．8:30, 9:00, 9:30, 10:00 | D．8:00, 9:30, 11:00, 12:30 |
Times for films and concerts are not listed in this announcement because .
| A．they are not to be announced |
| B．they are hard to arrange |
| C．the full list is not ready |
| D．the full list is too long |
In the summer holidays, the library will have .
| A．no special hours |
| B．special hours on weekdays |
| C．special hours on weekends |
| D．special hours both on weekdays and weekends. |
We may infer that during the summer holidays .
| A．the student newspaper will sell more copies |
| B．there will be a concert or a film once a week |
| C．all students will stay in the university |
| D．no breakfast will be served on weekends |
No one doubts that students should study languages, maths and science in high school, but some may be against the idea that they should study art and music as well. To them, these subjects are useless for students' future and are not worth the time and effort. In my opinion, however, it is necessary for middle school students to study art and music.
Art and music are a valuable culture legacy（遗产）, which bring us pleasure and enjoyment. Have you ever been deeply moved by Beethoven's famous Fifth Symphony? Have you ever been shocked by the colorful starry night produced by Vincent van Gogh in his paint? Have you ever longed for the moving love between the Butterfly Lovers when you hear this well-known Chinese melody（曲调）? Art and music are not only images and sounds, but something beyond them. They are the products of passion and human wisdom.
Art and music help make students more creative. Artists and musicians are considered the most creative people in the world. It is because art and music sharpen their senses and provide a different perspective (视角)for them to see the world. Many great scientists benefited from art and music. Einstein, the greatest physicist in the 20th century, as well as an excellent violin player, is a good example.
Enjoying art and music is also a good way to relax ourselves. Middle school students, who typically carry heavy burdens of study, will definitely benefit from it.
In a word, art and music should absolutely be included in the middle school courses, for they can bring students pleasure,creativity and relaxation.According to the author, people who think art and music are useless for middle school students_____.
| A．don't realize the value of art and music |
| B．don't know the history of art and music at all |
| C．never benefit from artists and musicians |
| D．know little about the future education |
In paragraph 2, the author tries to argue that______.
| A．Beethoven is one of the greatest musicians |
| B．art and music help express people's feelings |
| C．art and music are valuable pictures and sounds |
| D．art and music bring people joy and relaxation |
The example of Einstein is used to_______.
| A．show the importance of creativity |
| B．prove that scientists are creative |
| C．encourage students to study art and music |
| D．provide students with a new way to see the world |
Which of the following is used to support the writer's opinion?
| A．Art and music are helpful to make students creative learners. |
| B．Art and music provide people with more opportunities. |
| C．Art and music help people become scientists. |
| D．Art and music must help students in other subjects. |
Which of the following is an effective way for middle school students to study ?
| A．Relaxing themselves regularly while studying. |
| B．Attending concerts during holidays or after school. |
| C．Avoiding too much homework by studying art and music. |
| D．Listening to music while studying language, maths or other subjects. |