The sharing economy has grown in recent years to include everything from apartment' sharing to car sharing to community tool sharing. Since 2009, a new form of sharing economy has been emerging in neighborhoods throughout the US and around the world-Little Free Library. The libraries are boxes placed in neighborhoods from which residents can withdraw and deposit books. Little Free Libraries come in all shapes and sizes. Some libraries also have themes, focusing on books for children, adults, or tour guides.
In 2009. Tod Bol built the first Little Free Library as a gift to his mother, who was a devoted reader. When he saw the people of his community gathering around it, exchanging conversation as well as books, he knew he wanted to take his simple idea further. "I think Little Free Libraries open the door to conversations we want to have with each other," Bol said. .
Since then, his idea has become a movement, spreading from state to state and country to country. According to Little FreeLibrary.org, there are now 18,000 0f the little structures around the world, located in each of the 50 US states and 70 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.
The Internet has helped to spread Little Free Libraries. But an Atlantic article says the little, structures serve as a cure for a world of e-reader downloads . The little wooden boxes are refreshingly physical and human. For many people, the sense of discovery is Little Free Libraries' main appeal. "A girl walking home from school might pick up a graphic novel that gets her excited about reading; a man on his way to the bus stop might find a volume of poetry that changes his outlook on life," says the Atlantic article. "Every book is a potential source of inspiration "How do Little Free Libraries get their books?
| A．Citizens shared them. | B．Tod Bol donated them. |
| C．US government provided them. | D．The communities bought them. |
Why did Tod Bol want to build more Little Free Libraries?
| A．He wanted to promote his idea worldwide. |
| B．He was inspired by the sharing economy. |
| C．They can offer neighbors more chances to talk. |
| D．They are a gift to please his mother. |
What does the author of the Atlantic article believe?
| A．The Internet has helped to spread Little Free Libraries. |
| B．Little Free Libraries are physical and human. |
| C．E-reader downloads are undoubtedly beneficial. |
| D．Little Free Libraries are more popular than e-reader downloads. |
Little Free Libraries attract readers most in that ______.
| A．they connect strangers together |
| B．they are located all over the world |
| C．they are in various shapes and sizes |
| D．they may give readers a sense of discovery |
Fire Station No．6 in Livermore，California，houses a celebrity—a 107-year-old light bulb(灯泡)that has been on for over a million hours，earning the title of the“World’s longest continuously burning bulb”by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!The bulb also holds the Guinness World Record．
Nobody knows why this bulb has stayed alive for so many years．Most people believe that it is due to two reasons—it has almost never been turned off and it is really well made．Its perfect seal lets no air in．keeping its carbon filament(灯丝)from burning out．
The bulb was first installed at the fire department hose cart house on L Street in 1901．In 1903 it was moved to the new Station 1 on First and McLeod，and survived the renovation(翻修)of the Firehouse in 1937．when it was off for about a week．The last time the bulb was switched off was in July l976，when it was moved to Fire Station No．6．Thousands of people watched as the electrician tried to re-attach the bulb at its new location．At first nothing happened and people thought the bulb had finally died．However，a slight touch of its switch and then，the bulb came on and has been on since．Nobody at the station dares to touch it，even to clean it．
A local reporter first discovered the bulb’s significance in 1972．He recommended his readers to go visit it if they ever went to Livermore．All of a sudden thousands of people came to Fire Station No．6 and the bulb became famous．
Needless to say，the bulb is now a big source of pride and joy for the city of Livermore．So when some folks offered to buy it，the answer from the city was“NO!”Which of the following may not be a reason for the bulb to stay alive for so long?
| A．It was seldom switched off. |
| B．It was made of high quality． |
| C．Its carbon filament was special． |
| D．Its seal was perfect． |
What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
| A．The brief history of the bulb． |
| B．The problems with the bulb． |
| C．The main function of the bulb． |
| D．The location where the bulb is． |
We can learn from the text that the bulb _______________．
| A．will eventually be owned by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not |
| B．is now becoming a proud symbol of the locals in livermore |
| C．has never been touched or cleaned in Fire Station No．6 |
| D．wouldn’t have been discovered without the local reporter |
Georgia Aquarium is open 365 days a year. Please note that hours of operation do vary．Last ticket sold and entry is 30 minutes before closing time．
Regular Hours
Sunday—Friday：10 a．m．—5 P．m．
Saturday：9 a．m．—6 p．m．
Summer Hours：May 27-August 16
Monday-Saturday：9 a．m．—9 P．m．
Sunday：9 a．m．—6 p．m．
Full Price Total Ticket
Adult(ages 13-64)：$38.95
Child(ages 3-12)：$32.95
Senior(age 65+)：$34.95
Total Ticket Online Discount
Adult(ages 13-64)：$35.95
Child(ages 3-12)：$29.95
Senior(age 65+)：$31.95
Animal Encounters：$59.95
Beluga＆Friends Interactive Program：$179.95
Journey with Gentle Giants Immersion Program：$234.95
AT&T Dolphin Tales
Our new dolphin gallery, theater and show are now open．The gallery and viewing window are open to general admission guests periodically throughout the day．Show times vary each day, so check for times when you are purchasing general admission tickets．Don’t forget-AT&T Dolphin Tales is included in Total Ticket general admission，so don’t miss this spectacular show !
4D Theater—Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow Presented by AT&T
With multiple shows throughout the day,be sure to catch this unique experience at Georgia Aquarium．Admission to the 4D Theater is included in Total Ticket general admission!
Journey with Gentle Giants Immersion Program
Swim or scuba dive in the Ocean Voyager exhibit，built by The Home Depot．Swims are daily at 4：30 p．m．，and scuba dives are daily at 3 p．m．and Saturday and Sunday at ll a．m．Spots are limited，so it’s best to book in advance．
Beluga&Friends Interactive Program
Interact with belugas and harbor seals in the Georgia-Pacific Cold Water Quest gallery．This animal interaction occurs daily at 10 a．m．and 1：30 p．m．Spots are limited，so it’s best to book in advance．
Animal Encounters
Interact with a penguin daily at l1：30 a．m．and l：45 p．m．You can also experience a special encounter with a dolphin．Spots are limited，so it’s best to book in advance．How much can they save if grandparents in their seventies with a 10-year-old boy visit Georgia Aquarium with online tickets?
| A．$3． | B．$6． | C．$9． | D．$12 |
Which of the following about AT&T Dolphin Tales is TRUE?
| A．It is open all day long to visitors． |
| B．It is really worth watching for visitors． |
| C．Visitors have to pay extra money to watch it． |
| D．visitors should book their tickets in advance． |
With a Total Ticket，visitors are allowed to visit________．
| A．Animal Encounters |
| B．Beluga&Friends Interactive Program |
| C．4D Theater-Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow |
| D．Journey with Gentle Giants Immersion Program |
A public primary school in New York City has stopped giving its students homework．
P．S．116 Principal Jane Hsu wrote a letter to parents last month explaining that after more than a year of analyzing studies，the school had concluded that students’after-school time would be better spent on activities like reading at their own pace and playing rather than working on homework．
Hsu’s letter says that many studies indicate that there is no connection between homework and academic success．Indeed，there are some studies that show that the link between homework and success is doubtful at the primary school level．
An important 1989 study on homework by Professor Cooper found that doing homework led students to perform better in school as they grew older．In later grades，students who did homework performed increasingly better than students who did not．In 2006，Cooper published a study that analyzed 15 years’worth of data on the effectiveness of homework．He found that homework had a more positive impact on students as they aged，and identified stronger relations between homework and achievement for students in grades seven through 12 than for students in kindergarten through sixth grade．
A 2012 study from the Indiana University School of Education on 10th-graders found little relation between time spent on homework and better course grades，although it did find a positive relation between homework time and standardized test performance．
Some parents of P．S．116 students are not happy with the decision to eliminate homework．
“I think they should have homework—some of it is about discipline．I want(my daughter)to have fun，but I also want her to be working towards a goal，”Daniel Tasman，the father of a second—grader at the schoo1．
“You have to do homework in order to gain；you have to do homework because they may not be able to comprehend everything in school，”Sharon Blake，a grandmother of a P．S．116 student．Principal Jane Hsu wrote the letter to the parents to_________．
| A．analyze the test results of the students |
| B．suggest students’reading at their own pace and playing |
| C．tell them about the conclusion of the research |
| D．give them the reason for the decision of the school |
The decision to stop giving students homework depends upon________．
| A．studies on the link between homework and academic success |
| B．students’wish to spend their time on activities or playing |
| C．Professor Cooper’s research on the effectiveness of homework |
| D．the ideas of both school authorities and parents |
Harris Cooper found in his research that________．
| A．kindergarten students spent too much time doing activities |
| B．doing homework made the kindergarten students cleverer |
| C．only elderly students should be given homework to do |
| D．students benefit more from doing homework as they grow older |
What does the underlined word“eliminate”in Paragraph 6 mean?
| A．Refuse． | B．Cancel． | C．Increase． | D．Reduce． |
October sixteenth is World Food Day．This day is also the anniversary of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization(F．A．O．)．The UN agency leads international efforts to defeat world hunger．It was created in 1945．
The F．A．O．says more than one hundred fifty countries are to hold special events to celebrate World Food Day．At F．A．O．headquarters in Rome，for example，runners will compete in a five-kilometer race through the city’s historical area．Events in other countries include discussions among experts，press conferences and musical programs．
The message of this year’s World Food Day is“investing in agriculture for food security”．The F．A．O．says，“During the early 1990s，the foreign aid for agriculture was nine thousand million dollars each year．But now, it has declined to less than five thousand million dollars a year．”Yet, the F．A．O．estimates that more than eight hundred and fifty million people around the world do not get enough food．
The UN agency notes that seventy percent of the world’s hungry lies in the farmers who grow small amount of food．Many also face problems of feeding themselves．The F．A．O．says agricultural aid could help small farmers make a profit from their crops．Farmers would also be able to feed their families throughout the year and re-invest in their farms．They could buy better seeds，equipment and chemical fertilizers to help their crops grow．
Muhammad Yunis．the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to improve the lives of poor people，as well as his Bangladesh microfinance organization，the Grameen Bank，has lent small amount of money to poor people who are unable to get traditional loans，especially women．Minister Yunis says that he plans to give his share of the one million three hundred thousand dollars Nobel award to good causes．He says he wants to establish an eye hospital and start a project to produce low-cost food for the poor．To celebrate the World Food Day, how many kinds of activities are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Two． | B．Three． | C．Four． | D．Five． |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A． The F．A．O．is established to invest in agriculture for food security．
B．The foreign aid for agriculture has reduced by nearly 50％in recent decades．
C．The Grameen Bank has provided large amount of loans for poor farmers．
D．Yunis will donate his entire Nobel award to help solve the hunger for the poor．With agricultural aid，farmers can_________________.
| A．promote the production of crops |
| B．produce low-cost food |
| C．invest money in other fields |
| D．help to improve crop seeds |
The writer wrote the passage mainly to____________．
A．give an introduction of the F．A．O．
B．inform us of the situations of the world food
C．appeal for more investment on agriculture
D．show how to deal with the world’s hunger
So far,this year’s global music market has definitely been dominated (支配)by women：Beyonce Knowles，Taylor Swirl，and Iggy Azalea are all making waves．And one hot name that adds more conviction to the list is US singer Ariana Grande．
Almost exactly a year ago，Grande released her first album，Yours Truly． And over the past 12 months，the 21-year-old former Nickelodeon(an American TV channel for kids and adolescents)star has transformed from a pop artist you might recognize to an outstanding superstar．She now possesses three top 10 singles in the current Billboard Hot 100 chart，an impressive opening performance at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards，and millions of followers on social networking sites．
Her second album，My Everything, which was released on Aug 25，is the latest sign of her coming dominance．It hit No．1 on the Billboard 200 album chart this week，making her the only other female singer after Scotland’s Susan Boyle to have two continuous No．1 albums in a single year.
Grande’s strength lies in her powerful voice and wide voiced range．Unlike her companions Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato，Grande’s star power is rooted in the fact that she can really sing．More importantly，Grande knows how to control her voice，which is at once strong and sensitive，and use it to expand her musical territory．
My Everything is the best example．In this album，Grande literally tries her hand at everything：dance music，R&B jams，hip-hop tunes，power ballads and even’60s-inflected pop．
While you can clearly sense her ambition as a singer，you will be impressed by how effortlessly she handles these different styles of music，especially if you have listened to Yours Truly，a more refreshing．’90s R&B—influenced project．
Of course，one suggestion for Grande’s future music would be for her to display more personality instead of simply showing her voiced talent．But not to worry, based on what we’ve heard thus far, it's safe to say Grande is well on her way to growing into her own．
Which of the following contributes to Grande’s great success?
A．The impressive opening performance．
B．Her followers on social networking sites．
C．The influence of’60s pop and’90s R&B．
D．Her powerful voice and wide voiced range．We can conclude from the last paragraph that Grande_________．
| A．1ikes to show off her voice |
| B．is a promising superstar |
| C．1acks her own personality |
| D．has difficulty going further |
What can we learn about Ariana Grande?
| A．She prefers hip-hop tunes in particular． |
| B．She used to be a pop star in a TV channel． |
| C．She has two top 10 singles of Billboard’s Hot 100． |
| D．She is the only singer to have two No．1 albums in a year． |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．A Rising Music Genius |
| B．The Music Market of Women |
| C．Susan Boyle and Her Companions |
| D．Different Styles of Grande’s Music |