On one of her trips to New York several years ago, Eudora Welty decided to take a couple of New York friends out to dinner. They settled in at a comfortable East Side cafe and within minutes, another customer was approaching their table.
"Hey, aren't you from Mississippi?" the elegant, white-haired writer remembered being asked by the stranger. "I'm from Mississippi too."
Without a second thought, the woman joined the Welty party. When her dinner partner showed up, she also pulled up a chair.
"They began telling me all the news of Mississippi," Welty said. "I didn't know what my New York friends were thinking."
Taxis on a rainy New York night are rarer than sunshine. By the time the group got up to leave, it was pouring outside. Welty's new friends immediately sent a waiter to find a cab. Heading back downtown toward her hotel, her big-city friends were amazed at the turn of events that had changed their Big Apple dinner into a Mississippi.
"My friends said: 'Now we believe your stories,'" Welty added. "And I said: 'Now you know. These are the people that make me write them.'"
Sitting on a sofa in her room, Welty, a slim figure in a simple gray dress, looked pleased with this explanation.
"I don't make them up," she said of the characters in her fiction these last 50 or so years. "I don't have to."
Beauticians, bartenders, piano players and people with purple hats, Welty's people come from afternoons spent visiting with old friends, from walks through the streets of her native Jackson, Miss., from conversations overheard on a bus. It annoys Welty that, at 78, her left ear has now given out. Sometimes, sitting on a bus or a train, she hears only a fragment(片段) of a particularly interesting story.
5.What happened when Welty was with her friends at the cafe?
| A． |
Two strangers joined her. |
| B． |
Her childhood friends came in. |
| C． |
A heavy rain ruined the dinner. |
| D． |
Some people held a party there. |
6.The underlined word "them" in Paragraph 6 refers to Welty's＿＿＿＿.
| A． |
readers |
B． |
parties |
C． |
friends |
D． |
stories |
7.What can we learn about the characters in Welty's fiction?
| A． |
They live in big cities. |
| B． |
They are mostly women. |
| C． |
They come from real life. |
| D． |
They are pleasure seekers. |
I have a special place in my heart for libraries．I have for as long as I can remember．I was always an enthusiastic reader，sometimes reading up to three books a day as a child．Stories were like air to me and while other kids played ball or went to parties，I lived out adventures through the books I checked out from the library．
My first job was working at the Ukiah Library when I was 16 years old． It was a dream job and I did everything from shelving books to reading to the children for story time．
As I grew older and became a mother， the library took on a new place and an added meaningin my life． I had several children and books were our main source （来源） of entertainment． It was a big deal for us to load up and go to the local library， where my kids could pick out books to read or books they wanted me to read to them．
I always read， using different voices， as though I were acting out the stories with my voice and they loved it! It was a special time to bond with my children and it filled them with the wonderment of books．
Now，I see my children taking their children to the library and I love that the excitement of going to the library lives on from generation to generation．
As a novelist， I've found a new relationship with libraries． I encourage readers to go to their local library when they can't afford to purchase a book． I see libraries as a safe haven （避风港）for readers and writers， a bridge that helps put together a reader with a book． Libraries， in their own way， help fight book piracy （盗版行为）and I think all writers should support libraries in a significant way when they can． Encourage readers to use the library． Share library announcements on your social media． Frequent them and talk about them when you can．
（1）Which word best describes the author's relationship with books as a child？
| A． |
Cooperative． |
| B． |
Uneasy． |
| C． |
Inseparable． |
| D． |
Casual． |
（2）What does the underlined phrase "an added meaning" in paragraph 3 refer to？
| A． |
Pleasure from working in the library． |
| B． |
Joy of reading passed on in the family． |
| C． |
Wonderment from acting out the stories． |
| D． |
A closer bond developed with the readers． |
（3）What does the author call on other writers to do？
| A． |
Sponsor book fairs． |
| B． |
Write for social media． |
| C． |
Support libraries． |
| D． |
Purchase her novels． |
（4）Which can be a suitable title for the text？
| A． |
Reading： A Source of Knowledge |
| B． |
My Idea about Writing |
| C． |
Library： A Haven for the Young |
| D． |
My Love of the Library |
When you were trying to figure out what to buy for the environmentalist on your holiday list，fur probably didn't cross your mind．But some ecologists and fashion（时装）enthusiasts are trying to bring back the market for fur made from nutria（海狸鼠）．
Unusual fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn have showcased nutria fur made into clothes in different styles．"It sounds crazy to talk about guilt﹣free fur ﹣unless you understand that the nutria are destroying vast wetlands every year，" says Cree McCree，project director of Righteous Fur．
Scientists in Louisiana were so concerned that they decided to pay hunters ＄5 a tail．Some of the fur ends up in the fashion shows like the one in Brooklyn last month．
Nutria were brought there from Argentina by fur farmers and let go into the wild．"The ecosystem down there can't handle this non﹣native species（物种）．It's destroying the environment．It's them or us，" says Michael Massimi，an expert in this field．
The fur trade kept nutria in check for decades，but when the market for nutria collapsedin the late 1980s，the cat﹣sized animals multiplied like crazy．
Biologist Edmond Mouton runs the nutria control program for Louisiana．He says it's not easy to convince people that nutria fur is green，but he has no doubt about it．Hunters bring in more than 300，000 nutria tails a year，so part of Mouton's job these days is trying to promote fur．
Then there's Righteous Fur and its unusual fashions．Model Paige Morgan says，"To give people a guilt﹣free option that they can wear without someone throwing paint on them ﹣ I think that's going to be a massive thing，at least here in New York．" Designer Jennifer Anderson admits it took her a while to come around to the opinion that using nutria fur for her creations is morally acceptable．She's trying to come up with a label to attach to nutria fashions to show it is eco﹣friendly．
（1）What is the purpose of the fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn？
| A． |
To promote guilt﹣free fur． |
| B． |
To expand the fashion market． |
| C． |
To introduce a new brand． |
| D． |
To celebrate a winter holiday． |
（2）Why are scientists concerned about nutria？
| A． |
Nutria damage the ecosystem seriously． |
| B． |
Nutria are an endangered species． |
| C． |
Nutria hurt local cat﹣sized animals． |
| D． |
Nutria are illegally hunted． |
（3）What does the underlined word "collapsed" in paragraph 5 probably mean？
| A． |
Boomed． |
| B． |
Became mature． |
| C． |
Remained stable． |
| D． |
Crashed． |
（4）What can we infer about wearing fur in New York according to Morgan？
| A． |
It's formal． |
| B． |
It's risky． |
| C． |
It's harmful． |
| D． |
It's traditional． |
Some parents will buy any high﹣tech toy if they think it will help their child，but researchers said puzzles help children with math﹣related skills．
Psychologist Susan Levine，an expert on mathematics development in young children at the University of Chicago，found children who play with puzzles between ages 2 and 4 later develop better spatial skills．Puzzle play was found to be a significant predictor of cognition（认知）after controlling for differences in parents' income，education and the amount of parent talk，Levine said．
The researchers analyzed video recordings of 53 child﹣parent pairs during everyday activities at home and found children who play with puzzles between 26 and 46 months of age have better spatial skills when assessed at 54 months of age．
"The children who played with puzzles performed better than those who did not，on tasks that assessed their ability to rotate（旋转）and translate shapes，" Levine said in a statement．
The parents were asked to interact with their children as they normally would， and about half of the children in the study played with puzzles at one time．Higher﹣income parents tended to have children play with puzzles more frequently，and both boys and girls who played with puzzles had better spatial skills．However，boys tended to play with more complex puzzles than girls，and the parents of boys provided more spatial language and were more active during puzzle play than the parents of girls．
The findings were published in the journal Developmental Science．
（1）In which aspect do children benefit from puzzle play？
| A． |
Building confidence． |
| B． |
Developing spatial skills． |
| C． |
Learning self﹣control． |
| D． |
Gaining high﹣tech knowledge． |
（2）What did Levine take into consideration when designing her experiment？
| A． |
Parents' age． |
| B． |
Children's imagination． |
| C． |
Parents' education． |
| D． |
Child﹣parent relationship． |
（3）How do boys differ from girls in puzzle play？
| A． |
They play with puzzles more often． |
| B． |
They tend to talk less during the game． |
| C． |
They prefer to use more spatial language． |
| D． |
They are likely to play with tougher puzzles． |
（4）What is the text mainly about？
| A． |
A mathematical method． |
| B． |
A scientific study． |
| C． |
A woman psychologist． |
| D． |
A teaching program． |
The Lake District Attractions Guide
Dalemain Mansion & Historic Gardens
History， Culture & Landscape（景观）．Discover and enjoy 4 centuries of history，5 acres of celebrated and award﹣winning gardens with parkland walk．Owned by the Hasell family since 1679，home to the International Marmalade Festival．Gifts and antiques， plant sales，museums & Mediaeval Hall Tearoom．
Open：29 Mar﹣29 Oct， Sun to Thurs．
Tearoom，Gardens & Gift Shop：10.30﹣ 17.00（16.00 in Oct）．
House：11.15﹣ 16.00（15.00 in Oct）．
Town：Pooley Bridge & Penrith
Abbot Hall Art Gallery & Museum
Those viewing the quality of Abbot Hall's temporary exhibitions may be forgiven for thinking they are in a city gallery．The impressive permanent collection includes Turners and Romneys and the temporary exhibition programme has Canaletto and the artists from St Ives．
Open：Mon to Sat and Summer Sundays．10.30﹣17.00 Summer．10.30﹣16.00 Winter．
Town：Kendal
Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery
Discover，explore and enjoy award﹣winning Tullie House，where historic collections，contemporary art and family fun are brought together in one impressive museum and art gallery．There are four fantastic galleries to visit from fine art to interactive fun，so there's something for everyone!
Open：High Season1 Apr﹣31 Oct：Mon to Sat 10.00﹣17.00，Sun 11.00﹣ 17.00．
Low Season1 Nov﹣31 Mar：Mon to Sat 10.00﹣16.30，Sun 12.00﹣ 16.30．
Town：Carlisle
Dove Cottage & The Wordsworth Museum
Discover William Wordsworth's inspirational home．Take a tour of his Lakeland cottage，walk through his hillside garden and explore the riches of the collection in the Museum．Visit the shop and relax in the café．Exhibitions，events and family activities throughout the year．
Open：Daily，09.30﹣17.30（last admission 17.00）．
Town：Grasmere
（1）When is the House at Dalemain Mansion & Historic Gardens open on Sundays in July？
| A． |
09.30﹣17.30． |
| B． |
10.30﹣16.00． |
| C． |
11.15﹣16.00． |
| D． |
12.00﹣16.30． |
（2）What can visitors do at Abbot Hall Art Gallery & Museum？
| A． |
Enjoy Romney's works． |
| B． |
Have some interactive fun． |
| C． |
Attend a famous festival． |
| D． |
Learn the history of a family． |
（3）Where should visitors go if they want to explore Wordsworth's life？
| A． |
Penrith． |
| B． |
Kendal． |
| C． |
Carlisle． |
| D． |
Grasmere． |
The connection between people and plants has long been the subject of scientific research．Recent studies have found positive effects．A study conducted in Youngstown，Ohio，for example，discovered that greener areas of the city experienced less crime．In another，employees were shown to be 15% more productive when their workplaces were decorated with houseplants．
The engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology（MIT） have taken it a step further ﹣ changing the actual composition of plants in order to get them to perform diverse，even unusual functions．These include plants that have sensors printed onto their leaves to show when they're short of water and a plant that can detect harmful chemicals in groundwater．"We're thinking about how we can engineer plants to replace functions of the things that we use every day，" explained Michael Strano，a professor of chemical engineering at MIT．
One of his latest projects has been to make plants glow（发光） in experiments using some common vegetables．Strano's team found that they could create a faint light for three﹣and﹣a﹣half hours．The light，about one﹣thousandth of the amount needed to read by，is just a start．The technology，Strano said，could one day be used to light the rooms or even to turn trees into self﹣powered street lamps．
In the future，the team hopes to develop a version of the technology that can be sprayed onto plant leaves in a on﹣off treatment that would last the plant's lifetime．The engineers are also trying to develop an on and off "switch" where the glow would fade when exposed to daylight．
Lighting accounts for about 7% of the total electricity consumed in the US．Since lighting is often far removed from the power source（电源） ﹣ such as the distance from a power plant to street lamps on a remote highway ﹣ a lot of energy is lost during transmission（传输）．Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy．
（1）What is the first paragraph mainly about？
| A． |
A new study of different plants． |
| B． |
A big fall in crime rates． |
| C． |
Employees from various workplaces． |
| D． |
Benefits from green plants． |
（2）What is the function of the sensors printed on plant leaves by MIT engineers？
| A． |
To detect plants' lack of water． |
| B． |
To change compositions of plants． |
| C． |
To make the life of plants longer． |
| D． |
To test chemicals in plants． |
（3）What can we expect of the glowing plants in the future？
| A． |
They will speed up energy production． |
| B． |
They may transmit electricity to the home． |
| C． |
They might help reduce energy consumption． |
| D． |
They could take the place of power plants． |
（4）Which of the following can be the best title for the text？
| A． |
Can we grow more glowing plants？ |
| B． |
How do we live with glowing plants？ |
| C． |
Could glowing plants replace lamps？ |
| D． |
How are glowing plants made pollution﹣free？ |