高中英语阅读理解

A new collection of photos brings an unsuccessful Antarctic voyage back to life.

Frank Hurley's pictures would be outstanding----undoubtedly first-rate photo-journalism---if they had been made last week. In fact, they were shot from 1914 through 1916, most of them after a disastrous shipwreck(海滩), by a cameraman who had no reasonable expectation of survival. Many of the images were stored in an ice chest, under freezing water, in the damaged wooden ship.

The ship was the Endurance, a small, tight, Norwegian-built three-master that was intended to take Sir Ernest Shackleton and a small crew of seamen and scientists, 27 men in all, to the southernmost shore of Antarctica's Weddell Sea. From that point Shackleton wanted to force a passage by dog sled(雪橇) across the continent. The journey was intended to achieve more than what Captain Robert Falcon Scott had done. Captain Scott had reached the South Pole early in 1912 but had died with his four companions on the march back.

As writer Caroline Alexander makes clear in her forceful and well-researched story The Endurance, adventuring was even then a thoroughly commercial effort. Scott's last journey, completed as be lay in a tent dying of cold and hunger, caught the world's imagination, and a film made in his honor drew crowds. Shackleton, a onetime British merchant-navy officer who had got to within 100 miles of the South Pole in 1908, started a business before his 1914 voyage to make money from movie and still photography. Frank Hurley, a confident and gifted Australian photographer who knew the Antarctic, was hired to make the images, most of which have never before been published.

13. What do we know about the photos taken by Hurley?

A．	They were made last week
B．	They showed undersea sceneries
C．	They were found by a cameraman
D．	They recorded a disastrous adventure

14. Who reached the South Pole first according to the text?

A．	Frank Hurley	B．	Ernest Shackleton
C．	Robert Falcon Scott	D．	Caroline Alexander

15. What does Alexander think was the purpose of the 1914 voyage?

A．	Artistic creation	B．	Scientific research
C．	Money making	D．	Treasure hunting

Find Your Adventure at the Space and Aviation(航空) Center

If you're looking for a unique adventure, the Space and Aviation Center (SAC) is the place to be. The Center offers programs designed to challenge and inspire with hands-on tasks and lots of fun.

More than 750,000 have graduated from SAC, with many seeking employment in engineering, aviation, education, medicine and a wide variety of other professions. They come to camp, wanting to know what it is like to be an astronaut or a pilot, and they leave with real-world applications for what they're studying in the classroom.

For the trainees, the programs also offer a great way to earn merit badges(荣誉徽章). At Space Camp, trainees can earn their Space Exploration badge as they build and fire model rockets, learn about space tasks and try simulated(模拟) flying to space with the crew from all over the world. The Aviation Challenge program gives trainees the chance to earn their Aviation badge. They learn the principles of flight and test their operating skills in the cockpit(驾驶舱) of a variety of flight simulators. Trainees also get a good start on their Wilderness Survival badge as they learn about water- and land-survival through designed tasks and their search and rescue of ＂downed＂ pilot.

With all the programs, teamwork is key as trainees learn the importance of leadership and being part of a bigger task.

All this fun is available for ages 9 to 18. Families can enjoy the experience together, too, with Family Camp programs for families with children as young as 7.

Stay an hour or stay a week - there is something here for everyone!

For more details, please visit us online at www.oursac.com.

（1）Why do people come to SAC?            

A．	To experience adventures.
B．	To look for jobs in aviation.
C．	To get a degree in engineering.
D．	To learn more about medicine.

（2）To earn a Space Exploration badge, a trainee needs to .

A．	fly to space
B．	get an Aviation badge first
C．	study the principles of flight
D．	build and fire model rockets

（3）What is the most important for trainees?            

A．	Leadership.
B．	Team spirit.
C．	Task planning.
D．	Survival skills.

The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups. Silences may be thoughtful, or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say. A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness, or worry. Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable; therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap(间隙)with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a

person's needs.

Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people, just as some

traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore, when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and

suddenly stops, what maybe implied(暗示) is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing. In these cultures, silence is a call for reflection.

Other cultures may use silence in other ways, particularly when dealing with conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. For example, Russian, French, and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion. However, Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her. In still another use, persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect, particularly to an elder or a person in authority.

Nurses and other care-givers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be experiencing. Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient's silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily. A nurse who understands the healing(治愈) value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.

32. What does the author say about silence in conversations?

A．	It implies anger.
B．	It promotes friendship.
C．	It is culture-specific.
D．	It is content-based.

33. Which of the following people might regard silence as a call for careful thought?

A．	The Chinese.
B．	The French.
C．	The Mexicans.
D．	The Russians.

34. What does the author advise nurses to do about silence?

A．	Let it continue as the patient pleases.
B．	Break it while treating patients.
C．	Evaluate its harm to patients.
D．	Make use of its healing effects.

35. What may be the best title for the text?

A．	Sound and Silence
B．	What It Means to Be Silent
C．	Silence to Native Americans
D．	Speech Is Silver; Silence Is Gold

Moving a Giant

   The logistics of excavating （挖掘） and relocating a town's century﹣old， living sequoia （红杉） tree． Inhabitants of Boise， Idaho， watched with trepidation earlier this year as the city's oldest， tallest resident moved two blocks． The 105﹣year﹣old sequoia tree serves as a local landmark， not only for its longevity but also because renowned naturalist and Sierra Club cofounder John Muir provided the original seedling． So， when Saint Luke's Health System found that the 10﹣story﹣tall conifer （针叶树） stood in the way ofits planned hospital expansion， officials called tree﹣moving firm Environmental Design．

   The Texas﹣based company has developed and patented scooping and lifting technology to move missive trees． Weighing in at more than 800，000 pounds， the Boise sequoia is its largest undertaking yet． "I（had） lost enough sleep over this，" says David Cox， the company's Western region vice president and that was before the hospital mentioned the tree's distinguished origin． Before the heavy lifting began， the team assessed the root system and dug a five﹣foot﹣deep cylinder， measuring 40 feet in diameter， around the trunk to protect all essential roots． After encapsulating the root ball in wire mesh， the movers allowed the tree to adapt to its new situation for seven months before relocating it． The illustration details what followed．﹣﹣Leslie Nemo

   1． Mark A． Merit and his team at Environmental Design installed underneath the root ball a platform of seven﹣inch﹣diameter， 44﹣foot﹣long steelbars and， just below the rods， a first set of uninflated airbags （shown in gray）． The team also dug a shallow ramp．

   2． In roughly 15 minutes， the movers inflated the airbags to about three feet in diameter to raise the root ball to the surface of the hole．

   3． By underinflating the front bags， the team allowed the platform carrying the tree to roll up the ramp and out of the hole while staying level． A trailer hauled the tree along as team members removed the airbags from the back of the platform and replaced them in the front． They repeated the process until the tree arrived at the edge of its new home．

   4． There a second set of partially inflated bags （shown in white） waited inside the hole． Soil surrounding the sequoia in its original location was relocated as well， because trees are more likely to survive a transplant when they move with their original soil．

   5． Using the first set of airbags， the movers rolled the platform into the new hole．

   6． The bags waiting there were then inflated further to take the weight of the sequoia while the transportation bags were deflated and removed from under the tree．

   7． The white bags were then deflated in about half an hour to lower the sequoia's root ball to the bottom of its hole． The bags were removed， but the metal bars were left with the tree because they rust and degrade over a number of years．

   8． For the next five years the local park service will monitor and maintain the tree in its new home．

（1）Which of the following words can be used to replace the words underlined "stood in the way of"？ 　　

A．	Resisted．
B．	Balanced．
C．	Blocked．
D．	Promoted．

（2）What is the reason for the relocation of Sequoia trees？ 　 　

A．	Because the Scooping and lifting technology should be put into use．
B．	Because it blocks local hospital expansion plans．
C．	Because it corresponds to government's plan of Environmental Design．
D．	Because sequoia trees are over a hundred years old．

（3）How will the migrated sequoia trees be dealt with？ 　　

A．	They will be given new soil in the new living environment．
B．	Metal rods used to move sequoia trees will not be left on the trees．
C．	They will be kept in transport bags all the time．
D．	They will be managed by specialists in the next five years．

Grandparents Answer a Call

As a third generation native of Brownsville, Texas, Mildred Garza never pleased move away,. Even when her daughter and son asked her to move to San Antonio to help their children, she politely refused . Only after a year of friendly discussion did Ms Gaf finally say yes. That was four years ago. Today all three generations regard the move to a success, giving them a closer relationship than they would have had in separate cities.

No statistics show the number of grandparents like Garza who are moving closer to the children and grandchildren. Yet there is evidence suggesting that the trend is growing. Even President Obama's mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, has agreed to leave Chicago and into the White House to help care for her granddaughters. According to a study grandparents com. 83 percent of the people said Mrs. Robinson 's decision will influence the grandparents in the American family. Two-thirds believe more families will follow the example of Obama's family.

"in the 1960s we were all a little wild and couldn't get away from home far enough fast enough to prove we could do it on our own," says Christine Crosby, publisher of grate magazine for grandparents .We now realize how important family is and how important"" to be near them, especially when you're raining children."

Moving is not for everyone. Almost every grandparent wants to be with his or her grandchildren and is willing to make sacrifices, but sometimes it is wiser to say no and visit frequently instead. Having your grandchildren far away is hard, especially knowing your adult child is struggling, but giving up the life you know may be harder.

25. Why was Garza's move a success?

A．	It strengthened her family ties.
B．	It improved her living conditions.
C．	It enabled her make more friends.
D．	It helped her know more new places.

26.What was the reaction of the public to Mrs. Robinson's decision?

A．	17% expressed their support for it.
B．	Few people responded sympathetically.
C．	83% believed it had a bad influence.
D．	The majority thought it was a trend.

27. What did Crosby say about people in the 1960s?

A．	They were unsure of raise more children.
B．	They were eager to raise more children.
C．	They wanted to live away from their parents.
D．	They bad little respect for their grandparent.

28. What does the author suggest the grandparents do in the lasr paragraph?

A．	Make decisions in the best interests' of their own
B．	Ask their children to pay more visits to them
C．	Sacrifice for their struggling children
D．	Get to know themselves better

We've all been there：in a lift，in line at the bank or on an airplane，surrounded by people who are，like us，deeply focused on their smartphones or，worse，struggling with the uncomfortable silence．

What's the problem？ It's possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence． It's more likely that none of us start a conversation because it's awkward and challenging， or we think it's annoying and unnecessary． But the next time you find yourself among strangers， consider that small talk is worth the trouble． Experts say it's an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits．

Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy， but we can't forget that deep relationships wouldn't even exist if it weren't for casual conversation． Small talk is the grease （润滑剂） for social communication， says Bernardo Carducci， director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast． "Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk，" he explains． "The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others， not just communicate with them．"

In a 2014 study， Elizabeth Dunn， associate professor of psychology at UBC， invited people on their way into a coffee shop． One group was asked to seek out an interaction（互动） with its waiter； the other， to speak only when necessary． The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience．"It's not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband，" says Dunn．"But interactions with peripheral（边缘的） members of our social network matter for our well﹣being also．"

Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging， a bond with others． Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk．"Small talk is the basis of good manners，" he says．

（1）What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph？ 　    　

A．	Addiction to smartphones．
B．	Inappropriate behaviours in public places．
C．	Absence of communication between strangers．
D．	Impatience with slow service．

（2）What is important for successful small talk according to Carducci？ 　    　

A．	Showing good manners．
B．	Relating to other people．
C．	Focusing on a topic．
D．	Making business deals．

（3）What does the coffee﹣shop study suggest about small talk？ 　    　

A．	It improves family relationships．
B．	It raises people's confidence．
C．	It matters as much as a formal talk．
D．	It makes people feel good．

（4）What is the best title for the text？ 　    　

A．	Conversation Counts
B．	Ways of Making Small Talk
C．	Benefits of Small Talk
D．	Uncomfortable Silence

Not so long ago, most people didn't know who Shelly Ann Francis Pryce was going to become. She was just an average high school athlete. There was every indication that she was just another American teenager without much of a future. However, one person wants to change this. Stephen Francis observed then eighteen-year-old Shelly Ann as a track meet and was convinced that he had seen the beginning of true greatness. Her time were not exactly impressive, but even so, he seemed there was something trying to get out, something the other coaches had overlooked when they had assessed her and found her lacking. He decided to offer Shelly Ann a place in his very strict training seasons. Their cooperation quickly produced results, and a few year later at Jamaica's Olympic games in early 2008, Shelly Ann, who at that time only ranked number 70 in the world, beat Jamaica's unchallenged queen of the sprint(短跑).

"Where did she come from?" asked an astonished sprinting world, before concluding that she must be one of those one-hit wonders that spring up from time to time, only to disappear again without signs. But Shelly Ann was to prove that she was anything but a one-hit wonder. At the Beijing Olympic she swept away any doubts about her ability to perform consistently by becoming the first Jamaican woman ever to win the 100 meters Olympic gold. She did it again one year on at the World Championship in Briton, becoming world champion with a time of 10.73--- the fourth record ever.

Shelly-Ann is a little woman with a big smile. She has a mental toughness that did not come about by chance. Her journey to becoming the fastest woman on earth has been anything but smooth and effortless. She grew up in one of Jamaica's toughest inner-city communities known as Waterhouse, where she lived in a one-room apartment, sleeping four in a bed with her mother and two brothers. Waterhouse, one of the poorest communities in Jamaica, is a really violent and overpopulated place. Several of Shelly-Ann's friends and family were caught up in the killings; one of her cousins was shot dead only a few streets away from where she lived. Sometimes her family didn't have enough to eat. She ran at the school championships barefooted because she couldn't afford shoes. Her mother Maxime, one of a family of fourteen, had been an athlete herself as a young girl but, like so many other girls in Waterhouse, had to stop after she had her first baby. Maxime's early entry into the adult world with its responsibilities gave her the determination to ensure that her kids would not end up in Waterhouse's roundabout of poverty. One of the first things Maxime used to do with Shelly-Ann was taking her to the track, and she was ready to sacrifice everything.

It didn't take long for Shelly-Ann to realize that sports could be her way out of Waterhouse. On a summer evening in Beijing in 2008, all those long, hard hours of work and commitment finally bore fruit. The barefoot kid who just a few years previously had been living in poverty, surrounded by criminals and violence, had written a new chapter in the history of sports.

But Shelly-Ann's victory was far greater than that. The night she won Olympic gold in Beijing, the routine murders in Waterhouse and the drug wars in the neighbouring streets stopped. The dark cloud above one of the world's toughest criminal neighbourhoods simply disappeared for a few days. " I have so much fire burning for my country，"Shelly said. She plans to start a foundation for homeless children and wants to build a community centre in Waterhouse. She hopes to inspire the Jamaicans to lay down their weapons. She intends to fight to make it a woman's as well as a man's world.

As Muhammad Ali puts it, " Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them. A desire, a dream, a vision." One of the things Shelly-Ann can be proud of is her understanding of this truth.

65.Why did Stephen Francis decide to coach Shelly-Ann?

A．	He had a strong desire to free her family from trouble.
B．	He sensed a great potential in her despite her weaknesses.
C．	She had big problems maintaining her performance.
D．	She suffered a lot of defeats at the previous track meets.

66.What did the sprinting world think of Shelly-Ann before the 2008 Olympic Games?

A．	She would become a promising star.
B．	She badly needed to set higher goals.
C．	Her sprinting career would not last long.
D．	Her talent for sprinting was known to all.

67.What made Maxime decide to train her daughter on the track?

A．	Her success and lessons in her career.
B．	Her interest in Shelly-Ann's quick profit.
C．	Her wish to get Shelly-Ann out of poverty.
D．	Her early entrance into the sprinting world.

68.What can we infer from Shelly-Ann's statement underlined in Paragraph 5?

A．	She was highly rewarded for her efforts.
B．	She was eager to do more for her country.
C．	She became an athletic star in her country.
D．	She was the envy of the whole community.

69.By mentioning Muhammad Ali's words, the author intends to tell us that ____.

A．	players should be highly inspired by coaches
B．	great athletes need to concentrate on patience
C．	hard work is necessary in one's achievements
D．	motivation allows great athletes to be on the top

70.What is the best title for the passage?

A．	The Making of a Great Athlete
B．	The Dream for Championship
C．	The Key to High Performance
D．	The Power of Full Responsibility

The International Olympic Committee（IOC）Young Leaders programme empowers talents to make a positive difference in their communities through sport. Twenty﹣five Young Leaders are being selected every two years for a four﹣year period. They promote the Olympic values，spreading the message of sport for good.

To be an IOC Young Leader，you need to first complete the 4﹣Week Learning Sprint（冲刺）.

4﹣Week Learning Sprint

The 4﹣Week Learning Sprint，which will take place during November 2023，is a virtual learning programme. The sessions can be attended live or watched back after they are made available on the IOC channel. Each week，participants will be asked to complete a topic﹣specific reflection task.

The 4﹣Week Learning Sprint is open to anyone，with the target audience aged between 20 and 28.

After successfully completing the 4﹣Week Learning Sprint，you will need to submit a plan for a sport﹣based project，which you will work on if selected as an IOC Young Leader.

Requirements for the Applicants

•You have successfully completed the 4﹣Week Learning Sprint.

•You have completed your high school studies.

•You have at least one year of work experience.

•You have strong public speaking skills.

•You are self﹣motivated and committed.

•You are passionate about creating positive change in your community.

•You are open to being coached and advised by experts and peers（同伴）.

•You are able to work with people from different backgrounds.

（1）In the 4﹣Week Learning Sprint，participants will 　 　.

A．	create change in their community
B．	attend a virtual learning programme
C．	meet people from different backgrounds
D．	promote the IOC Young Leaders project

（2）If selected as an IOC Young Leader, one will need to 　 　.

A．	complete a reflection task each week
B．	watch sports on the IOC channel
C．	work on a sport﹣based project
D．	coach and advise their peers

（3）Which is a requirement for the applicants？ 　 　

A．	Spreading the message of sport for good.
B．	Having at least one﹣year work experience.
C．	Showing great passion for project planning.
D．	Committing themselves to becoming an expert.

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。

On March 7，1907，the English statistician Francis Galton published a paper which illustrated what has come to be known as the "wisdom of crowds" effect. The experiment of estimation he conducted showed that in some cases，the average of a large number of independent estimates could be quite accurate.

ㅤThis effect capitalizes on the fact that when people make errors，those errors aren't always the same. Some people will tend to overestimate，and some to underestimate. When enough of these errors are averaged together，they cancel each other out，resulting in a more accurate estimate. If people are similar and tend to make the same errors，then their errors won't cancel each other out. In more technical terms，the wisdom of crowds requires that people's estimates be independent. If for whatever reasons，people's errors become correlated or dependent，the accuracy of the estimate will go down.

ㅤBut a new study led by Joaquin Navajas offered an interesting twist （转折） on this classic phenomenon. The key finding of the study was that when crowds were further divided into smaller groups that were allowed to have a discussion，the averages from these groups were more accurate than those from an equal number of independent individuals. For instance，the average obtained from the estimates of four discussion groups of five was significantly more accurate than the average obtained from 20 independent individuals.

ㅤIn a follow﹣up study with 100 university students，the researchers tried to get a better sense of what the group members actually did in their discussion. Did they tend to go with those most confident about their estimates？Did they follow those least willing to change their minds？This happened some of the time，but it wasn't the dominant response. Most frequently，the groups reported that they "shared arguments and reasoned together." Somehow，these arguments and reasoning resulted in a global reduction in error. Although the studies led by Navajas have limitations and many questions remain，the potential implications for group discussion and decision﹣making are enormous.

（1）What is paragraph 2 of the text mainly about？ ＿＿＿＿

A．	The methods of estimation.
B．	The underlying logic of the effect.
C．	The causes of people's errors.
D．	The design of Galton's experiment.

（2）Navajas' study found that the average accuracy could increase even if ＿＿＿＿

A．	the crowds were relatively small
B．	there were occasional underestimates
C．	individuals did not communicate
D．	estimates were not fully independent

（3）What did the follow﹣up study focus on？ ＿＿＿＿

A．	The size of the groups.
B．	The dominant members
C．	The discussion process.
D．	The individual estimates.

（4）What is the author's attitude toward Navajas' studies？＿＿＿＿

A．	Unclear.
B．	Dismissive.
C．	Doubtful.
D．	Approving.

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。

When John Todd was a child，he loved to explore the woods around his house，observing how nature solved problems. A dirty stream，for example，often became clear after flowing through plants and along rocks where tiny creatures lived. When he got older，John started to wonder if this process could be used to clean up the messes people were making.

ㅤAfter studying agriculture，medicine，and fisheries in college，John went back to observing nature and asking questions. Why can certain plants trap harmful bacteria（细菌）？Which kinds of fish can eat cancer﹣causing chemicals？With the right combination of animals and plants，he figured，maybe he could clean up waste the way nature did. He decided to build what he would later call an eco﹣machine.

ㅤThe task John set for himself was to remove harmful substances from some sludge（污泥）.First，he constructed a series of clear fiberglass tanks connected to each other. Then he went around to local ponds and streams and brought back some plants and animals. He placed them in the tanks and waited. Little by little，these different kinds of life got used to one another and formed their own ecosystem. After a few weeks，John added the sludge.

ㅤHe was amazed at the results. The plants and animals in the eco﹣machine took the sludge as food and began to eat it! Within weeks，it had all been digested，and all that was left was pure water.

ㅤOver the years，John has taken on many big jobs. He developed a greenhouse﹣like facility that treated sewage （污水）from 1，600 homes in South Burlington. He also designed an eco﹣machine to clean canal water in Fuzhou，a city in southeast China.

ㅤ"Ecological design"is the name John gives to what he does. "Life on Earth is kind of a box of spare parts for the inventor，"he says. "You put organisms in new relationships and observe what's happening. Then you let these new systems develop their own ways to self﹣repair."

（1）What can we learn about John from the first two paragraphs？ ＿＿＿＿

A．	He was fond of traveling.
B．	He enjoyed being alone.
C．	He had an inquiring mind.
D．	He longed to be a doctor.

（2）Why did John put the sludge into the tanks？ ＿＿＿＿

A．	To feed the animals.
B．	To build an ecosystem.
C．	To protect the plants.
D．	To test the eco﹣machine.

（3）What is the author's purpose in mentioning Fuzhou？ ＿＿＿＿

A．	To review John's research plans.
B．	To show an application of John's idea.
C．	To compare John's different jobs.
D．	To erase doubts about John's invention.

（4）What is the basis for John's work？ ＿＿＿＿

A．	Nature can repair itself.
B．	Organisms need water to survive.
C．	Life on Earth is diverse.
D．	Most tiny creatures live in groups.

ㅤLiving in Iowa and trying to become a photographer specializing in landscape（风景） can be quite a challenge ，mainly because the corn state lacks geographical variation.

ㅤAlthough landscapes in the Midwest tend to be quite similar，either farm fields or highway，sometimes I find distinctive character in the hills or lakes.To make some of my landscape shots，I have traveled up to four hours away to shoot within a 10﹣minute time frame.I tend to travel with a few of my friends to state parks or to the countryside to go on adventures and take photos along the way.

ㅤBeing at the right place at the right time is decisive in any style of photography.I often leave early to seek the right destinations so I can set up early to avoid missing the moment I am attempting to photograph. I have missed plenty of beautiful sunsets/sunrises due to being on the spot only five minutes before the best moment.

ㅤOne time my friends and I drove three hours to Devil's Lake，Wisconsin，to climb the purple quartz（石英）rock around the lake.After we found a crazy﹣looking road that hung over a bunch of rocks，we decided to photograph the scene at sunset.The position enabled us to look over the lake with the sunset in the background.We managed to leave this spot to climb higher because of the spare time until sunset.However，we did not mark the route（路线）so we ended up almost missing the sunset entirely.Once we found the place，it was stressful getting lights and cameras set up in the limited time.Still，looking back on the photos，they are some of my best shots though they could have been so much better if I would have been prepared and managed my time wisely.

（1）How does the author deal with the challenge as a landscape photographer in the Midwest？＿＿＿＿＿

A．	By teaming up with other photographers.
B．	By shooting in the countryside or state parks.
C．	By studying the geographical conditions.
D．	By creating settings in the corn fields.

（2）What is the key to successful landscape photography according to the author？ ＿＿＿＿＿

A．	Proper time management.
B．	Good shooting techniques.
C．	Adventurous spirit.
D．	Distinctive styles.

（3）What can we infer from the author's trip with friends to Devil's Lake？ ＿＿＿＿＿

A．	They went crazy with the purple quartz rock.
B．	They felt stressed while waiting for the sunset.
C．	They reached the shooting spot later than expected.
D．	They had problems with their equipment.

（4）How does the author find his photos taken at Devil's Lake？ ＿＿＿＿＿

A．	Amusing.
B．	Satisfying.
C．	Encouraging.
D．	Comforting.

Sitting in the garden for my friend's birthday. felt a buzz（振动） in my pocket. My heart raced when I saw the email sender's name. The email started off："Dear Mr Green，thank you for your interest" and "the review process took longer than expected." It ended with "We are sorry to inform you…"and my vision blurred（模糊）.The position﹣measuring soil quality in the Sahara Desert as part of an undergraduate research programme﹣had felt like the answer I had spent years looking for. I had put so much time and emotional energy into applying，and I thought the rejection meant the end of the road for my science career.

So I was shocked when，not long after the email，Professor Mary Devon，who was running the programme，invited me to observe the work being done in her lab. I jumped at the chance，and a few weeks later I was equally shocked﹣and overjoyed﹣when she invited me to talk with her about potential projects I could pursue in her lab. What she proposed didn't seem as exciting as the original project I had applied to，but I was going to give it my all.

I found myself working with a robotics professor on techniques for collecting data from the desert remotely. That project，which I could complete from my sofa instead of in the burning heat of the desert，not only survived the lockdown but worked where traditional methods didn't. In the end. I had a new scientific interest to pursue.

When I applied to graduate school，I found three programmes promising to allow me to follow my desired research direction. And I applied with the same anxious excitement as before. When I was rejected from one that had seemed like a perfect fit，it was undoubtedly difficult. But this time I had the perspective（视角）to keep it from sending me into panic. It helped that in the end I was accepted into one of the other programmes I was also excited about.

Rather than setting plans in stone，I've learned that sometimes I need to take the opportunities that are offered，even if they don't sound perfect at the time，and make the most of them.

（1）How did the author feel upon seeing the email sender's name？ 　 　

A．	Anxious.
B．	Angry.
C．	Surprised.
D．	Settled.

（2）After talking with Professor Devon，the author decided to 　 　.

A．	criticise the review process
B．	stay longer in the Sahara Desert
C．	apply to the original project again
D．	put his heart and soul into the lab work

（3）According to the author，the project with the robotics professor was 　 　.

A．	demanding
B．	inspiring
C．	misleading
D．	amusing

（4）What can we learn from this passage？ 　 　

A．	An invitation is a reputation.
B．	An innovation is a resolution.
C．	A rejection can be a redirection.
D．	A reflection can be a restriction.

Understand the Economic Concept of a Budget Line

   The term "budget line" has several related meanings， including a couple that are self﹣evident and a third that is not．

   The Budget Line as an Informal Consumer Understanding

   The budget line is an elementary concept that most consumers understand intuitively without a need for graphs and equations    it's the household budget， for example．

   Taken informally， the budget line describes the boundary of affordability for a given budget and specific goods．

   Given a limited amount of money， a consumer can only spend that same amount buying goods． If the consumer has X amount of money and wants to buy two goods A and B， she can only purchase goods totaling X． If the consumer needs an amount of A costing 0.75 X， she can then spend only 0.25 X， the amount remaining， on her purchase of B．

   This seems almost too obvious to bother writing or reading about． As it turns out， however， this same concept one that most consumers make many times each day with reflecting on it is the basis of the more formal budget line concept in economics， which is explained below．

   Lines in a Budget

   Before turning to the economics definition of "budget line"， consider another concept： the line﹣item budget． This is effectively a map of future expenditures， with all the constituent expenditures individually noted and quantified． There's nothing very complicated about this： in this usage， a budget line is one of the lines in the budget， with the service or good to be purchased named and the cost quantified．

   The Budget Line as an Economics Concept

   One of the interesting ways the study of economics relates to human behavior generally is that a lot of economic theory is the formalization of the kind of simple concept outlined above a consumer's informal understanding of the amount she has to spend and what that amount will buy．

   In the process of formalization， the concept can be expressed as a mathematical equation that can be applied generally．

   A Simple Budget Line Graph

   To understand this， think of a graph where the vertical lines quantify how many movie tickets you can buy and where the horizontal lines do the same for crime novels． You like going to the movies and reading crime novels and you have ＄150 to spend． In the example below， assume that each movie costs ＄10 and each crime novel costs ＄15． The more formal economics term for these two items is budget set．

   If movies cost ＄10 each， then the maximum number of movies you can see with the money available is 15． To note this you make a dot at the number 15 （for total movie tickets） at the extreme left﹣hand side of the chart． This same dot appears at the extreme left above "0" on the horizontal axis because you have no money left for books    the number of books available in this example is 0．

   You can also graph the other extreme    all crime novels and no movies． Since crime novels in the example cost ＄15 and you have ＄150 available， if you spend all the available money crime novels， you can buy 10． So you put a dot on the horizontal axis at the number 10．

   You'll place the dot at the bottom of the vertical axis because in this instance you have ＄0 available for movie tickets．

   If you now draw a line from the highest， leftmost dot to the lowest， rightmost dot you'll have created a budget line． Any combination of movies and crime novels that falls below the budget line is affordable． Any combination above it is not．

（1）Which sentence about the budget line is NOT TRUE？ 　 　

A．	It is a limitation of affordability for a given budget and specific goods．
B．	Most costumers will be confused with this concept because of its complex．
C．	It is the effectively a map of future expenditures．
D．	It can be expressed as a mathematical equation．

（2）What is the purpose of the passage？ 　 　

A．	To tell us any concept can be expressed as a mathematical equation．
B．	To help us figure out the meaning Budget Line．
C．	To tell us we should budget before we buy goods．
D．	To give an instruction of drawing a budget Line．

（3）Assume that each movie costs ＄10 and each crime novel costs ＄15， you have ＄150． Which is RIGHT according to this passage？ 　　

A．	The maximum number of movies you can see is 10．
B．	The maximum number of crime novels you can buy is 15．
C．	You can buy 7 crime novels and see 5 movies．
D．	You can buy 7 crime novels and see 4 movies．

（4）What is the best title of this passage？ 　　

A．	Do we really know the economic concept of a budget line？
B．	The Budget Line as an Economics Concept
C．	The Budget Line as an Informal Consumer Understanding
D．	The Complex Concept Budget Line

Plastic-Eating Worms

Humans produce more than 300 million tons of plastic every year. Almost half of that winds up in landfills(垃圾填埋场), and up to 12 million tons pollute the oceans. So far there is no effective way to get rid of it, but a new study suggests an answer may lie in the stomachs of some hungry worms.

Researchers in Spain and England recently found that the worms of the greater wax moth can break down polyethylene, which accounts for 40% of plastics. The team left 100 wax worms on a commercial polyethylene shopping bag for 12 hours, and the worms consumed and broke down about 92 milligrams, or almost 3% of it. To confirm that the worms' chewing alone was not responsible for the polyethylene breakdown, the researchers made some worms into paste(糊状物) and applied it to plastic films. 14 hours later the films had lost 13% of their mass - apparently broken down by enzymes (酶) from the worms' stomachs. Their findings were published in Current Biologyin 2017.

Federica Bertocchini, co-author of the study, says the worms' ability to break down their everyday food - beeswax - also allows them to break down plastic. ＂Wax is a complex mixture, but the basic bond in polyethylene, the carbon-carbon bond, is there as well, ＂she explains, ＂The wax worm evolved a method or system to break this bond. ＂

Jennifer DeBruyn, a microbiologist at the University of Tennessee, who was not involved in the study, says it is not surprising that such worms can break down polyethylene. But compared with previous studies, she finds the speed of breaking down in this one exciting. The next step, DeBruyn says, will be to identify the cause of the breakdown. Is it an enzyme produced by the worm itself or by its gut microbes(肠道微生物)?

Bertocchini agrees and hopes her team's findings might one day help employ the enzyme to break down plastics in landfills. But she expects using the chemical in some kind of industrial process - not simply ＂millions of worms thrown on top of the plastic.＂

（1）What can we learn about the worms in the study?

A．	They take plastics as their everyday food.
B．	They are newly evolved creatures.
C．	They can consume plastics.
D．	They wind up in landfills.

（2）According to Jennifer DeBruyn, the next step of the study is to .

A．	identify other means of the breakdown
B．	find out the source of the enzyme
C．	confirm the research findings
D．	increase the breakdown speed

（3）It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the chemical might .            

A．	help to raise worms
B．	help make plastic bags
C．	be used to clean the oceans
D．	be produced in factories in future

（4）What is the main purpose of the passage?            

A．	To explain a study method on worms.
B．	To introduce the diet of a special worm.
C．	To present a way to break down plastics.
D．	To propose new means to keep eco-balance.

Reading can be a social activity. Think of the people who belong to book groups. They choose books to read and then meet to discuss them. Now, the website BookCrossing.comturns the page on the traditional idea of a book group.

Members go on the site and register the books they own and would like to share. BookCrossing provides an identification number to stick inside the book. Then the person leaves it in a public place, hoping that the book will have an adventure, traveling far and wide with each new reader who finds it.

Bruce Pederson, the managing director of BookCrossing, says, "The two things that change your life are the people you meet and books you read. BookCrossing combines both."

Members leave books on park benches and buses, in train stations and coffee shops. Whoever finds their book will go to the site and record where they found it.

People who find a book can also leave a journal entry describing what they thought of it. E-mails are then sent to the BookCrossing to keep them updated about where their books have been found. Bruce peterson says the idea is for people not to be selfish by keeping a book to gather dust on a shelf at home.

BookCrossing is part of a trend among people who want to get back to the "real" and not the virtual(虚拟). The site now has more than one million members in more than one hundred thirty-five countries.

9. Why does the author mention book groups in the first paragraph?

A．	To explain what they are.
B．	To introduce BookCrossing.
C．	To stress the importance of reading.
D．	To encourage readers to share their ideas.

10. What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 2refer to?

A．	The book.	B．	An adventure.
C．	A public place.	D．	The identification number.

11. What will a BookCrosser do with a book after reading it?

A．	Meet other readers to discuss it.	B．	Keep it safe in his bookcase.
C．	Pass it on to another reader.	D．	Mail it back to its owner.

12. What is the best title for the text?

A．	Online Reading: A Virtual Tour	B．	Electronic Books: A new Trend
C．	A Book Group Brings Tradition Back	D．	A Website Links People through Books