题型：阅读理解 题类：期中考试 难易度：较难
年份：2016
D
While reading a story on 20-somethings complaining about how the economy is ruining their life plans, I couldn’t help but think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children who grow up expecting everything to be easy for them. As a 20-something myself, I certainly share their disappointment—my husband and I probably won’t be able to buy a house until we’re in our forties, and we two are burdened by student loans. But why should it be different? Being young people in America, shouldn’t they take up all of the challenges and opportunities that this country offers?
Consider some of these views shared in the story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, worries that she won’t be able to have children for at least a decade because they can’t afford to buy a house yet.
I read that, and I thought what planet she is living where you need to own a house in order to have kids? Has she ever visited a developing country, or even downtown areas in this one? Home ownership is a luxury(奢华), not a fertility requirement.
A 26-year-old man in the story is disappointed that he can’t afford to get a Ph. D. in literature. Well, that sounds a bit like expressing disappointment that no one will pay you to write poetry on the beach in Thailand for five years.
Yes, it’s sad that these young people feel so lost. But I think the problem is their extremely high expectations, not economic reality. Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people’s expectations grow up when their wealth appears to be increasing. Their parents probably see their home values rise along with their investments. “So we have people who have grown up in an environment where people have great expectations of what living well means, ”says Kobliner.
This recession(经济衰退)will certainly play a role in forcing those expectations into more realistic group. In the meantime, it seems much better for our mental health to focus on being grateful—for our one-bedroom apartments, for living in modern cities, or perhaps just for being able to eat three meals a day—than on longing for some kind of luxurious life.
| A. They expect everything to be easy for them. |
| B. They complain that the economy is ruining their life plans. |
| C. They are unwilling to face all of the challenges. |
| D. They are burdened by student loans. |
| A. baby production | B. pleasure |
| C. baby comfort | D. comfort |
| A. Unbearable. |
| B. Opposing. |
| C. Doubtful. |
| D. Understanding. |
题型：阅读理解 题类：期中考试 难易度：较难
年份：2016
If you go to the seaside in Britain, you may see some small hills of sand, but nothing very impressive. Of course, Africa is home to many beautiful “sandscapes”, but I was in China, so I went to Dunhuang.
I had spent my first day looking at the beautiful Mogao caves. Now I wanted to experience something very different.
I have been walking in Asia, Europe and America, but nothing prepared me for walking over hills of sand. Whenever I took a step up a hill, my feet would sink into the sand and move backwards. Sometimes it seemed as if I were moving in the wrong direction.
I wanted to see the sunset so I had to climb to the top of the highest sand dune.（沙丘）The sun was beating down upon my back as I walked slowly over the sand. Some plants had managed to survive in the dry ground but not many.
As I climbed higher, the hills of sand became steeper and my feet started to slip further backwards. I ended up with my hands and knees, crawling (爬行)upwards through the top. I just let go if I would fall the way down. But I refused to give up: inch by inch, I made my way to the top of the sand dune.
When I got there I was amazed by what I saw. The sand formed a very sharp point, just like a knife-edge. One side of the dune was bathed in sunshine, the other covered by shade. As I looked into the distance, the same pattern was repeated on all of the hilltops, and the difference between dark and light was beautiful.
As the sun began to sink, the shadows grew longer and the light became warm and orange. The wind had come to life and sand was blown against my legs as I walked along the dunes. Soon it was getting dark and I could only just make out the line of footprints that marked my journey to the top of the hill. I slowly made my way down to the bottom, my path lit by the dying sun.
| A. on the afternoon of the first day |
| B. on the afternoon of the second day |
| C. on the evening of the second day |
| D. on the evening of the first day |
| A. Africa has many beautiful sand dunes. |
| B. The author could see nothing but his own footprints on his way back. |
| C. The author had seen some kinds of sand dunes before he visited Dunhuang |
| D. What attracted the author most was that the sand formed a very sharp point. |
| A. on his hands and knees all the way |
| B. with falls to the bottom many times |
| C. on his hands and knees in the last leg (一段旅程) |
| D. with a few rests all the way |
| A. the beautiful sunset |
| B. his experience of climbing the sand hills |
| C. the joy of traveling in nature |
| D. the difficulty of climbing the sand dunes |
题型：阅读理解 题类：期中考试 难易度：较难
年份：2016
B
The Los Angeles Zoo has many public programs that aim to teach the public about animals and natural protection.
Safari shuttle(旅游电车)
While you’re here, take the Safari shuttle for a quick trip from one end of the Zoo to the other. All day long, seven days a week (from 10 am to 5 pm), the Safari Shuttle picks up passengers, circles the Zoo, and returns to the main flamingo (火烈鸟) exhibit near the front entrance. You can get on and off the shuttle as often as you like.
Food
Safari Café (at the Zoo entrance) offers Starbucks coffee, fresh-baked cookies, and ice cream. Gorilla Grill is the spot for toasted food, kids’ meals, snacks, and ice cream. La Casita serves a variety of Mexican food and refreshments（甜点）. Silverback’s Cafe offers sandwiches, salads, bread bowls, cold beer, and refreshments.
Hour
The Zoo is open from 10 am to 5 pm every day of the year except Christmas Day. Special summer long hours are until 6 pm. from July 1 to September 7. Please remember, the Zoo starts putting animals in for the night at 4 pm during regular hours, and at 5 pm. during summer hours.
Admission Prices(票价)
Adults (aged 13 and above): $ 9
Seniors (aged 62 and above): $ 6
Children (aged 2 to 12): $ 4
Children (under 2): free
Items Not Allowed on Zoo Grounds
Alcohol, Glass bottles, Pets, Bicycles, Skateboards, and In-line skate.
If you are planning a picnic while visiting the Zoo, please do not bring any glass items or other things that are easy to break. Also for the safety of the animals, no plastic bags are allowed within the Zoo.
| A. Safari Café. |
| B. Gorilla Grill. |
| C. La Casita. |
| D. Silverback’s Café. |
| A. 11 am. on Christmas Day |
| B. 4:30 pm. on May 5 |
| C. 6 pm. on September 7 |
| D. 3 pm. on March 5 |
| A. $18. | B. $26. |
| C. $22. | D. $17. |
| A. ride a bike through the Zoo |
| B. take food with plastic bags
|
| C. have a picnic on the Zoo grounds |
| D. take their pets along |
题型：阅读理解 题类：期中考试 难易度：较难
年份：2016
In this influential work about the surprising divide between children and the outdoors，child supporter expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today’s wired generation—he calls it nature-deficit(赤字)—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity，attention disorders，and depression·
Last Child in the Woods is the first book to bring together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults．More than just raising an alarm，Louv offers practical solutions and simple ways to heal the broken bond --and many are right in our own backyard．
This new edition reflects the great changes that have taken place since the book was originally published．It includes：
﹒100 actions you can take to create change in your community，school，and family.
﹒35 discussion points to inspire people of all ages to talk about the importance of nature in their lives．
﹒A new progress report by the author about the growing Leave No Child Inside movement.
﹒New and updated research confirming that direct exposure to nature is essential for the physical and emotional health of children and adults·
Last Child in the Woods：Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorderhas promoted a national dialogue among educators，health professionals，parents，developers and conservationists．This is a book that will change the way you think about the future of your children·
| A. Exposure to nature. |
| B. Connection between children and nature. |
| C. Parent-child relationship. |
| D. Childhood development. |
| A. Overweight problems. | B. School performances. |
| C. Outside activities. | D. Physical labor. |
| A. Website links and related videos. |
| B. Latest research and practical instructions. |
| C. Training courses and expert supports. |
| D. Vivid pictures and personal examples. |
| A. A book review. | B. A science report. |
| C. A fairy tale. | D. A guide book. |
题型：阅读理解 题类：期中考试 难易度：较难
年份：2016
D
Wind is the great maker of waves. There are exceptions, such as the tidal（潮汐的）waves sometimes
produced by earthquakes under the sea. But the waves most of us know are produced by winds blowing over the sea .
Now before constructing an imaginary life history of a typical wave, we need to know certain physical
things about it. A wave has height, from trough ( low point) to crest ( high Point) . It has lengh-the
distance from this crest to that of the following wave. The period of the wave means the time it takes for succeeding crests to pass
a fixed point. None of these things stays the same--for all depend upon the
wind, upon the depth of the water and many other matters.
The water that makes up a wave does not advance with it across the sea. Each drop of water turns
around in a little circle with the passing of the wave, but returns very nearly to its original position. And it is fortunate that this is so.
For if the huge masses of water that make up a wave actually moved across the sea, sailing would be impossible.
If we want to find the speed of a wave, we may use the following way :
Speed = wavelength × frequency
Here, wavelength is the distance between two high points (crests) , frequency means the number of
cycles per second
| A. Earthquakes and nothing else. |
| B. Only wind. |
| C. Wind causes most waves. |
| D. Wind causes some waves. |
| A. The water of a wave moves away across the sea. |
| B. The water of a wave remains almost at the same place. |
| C. The water of a wave goes with the passing of the wave. |
| D. The length of a wave means the distance from the top of a wave to the bottom. |
of the following is right?
| A. The wavelengths of the two are equal. |
| B. The wavelength of Wave 1 is 10 times longer than that of Wave 2. |
| C. The wavelength of Wave 2 is longer than that of Wave 1. |
| D. The wavelength of Wave 1 is longer than that of Wave 2. |
题型：阅读理解 题类：期中考试 难易度：较难
年份：2016
| A. They are often forgotten by their owners． |
| B. They are used to living outdoors． |
| C. They build their own shelters． |
| D. They like to stay in warm places． |
| A. To know when to bring them inside． |
| B. To keep them from eating bad food． |
| C. To help them find shelters． |
| D. To keep them company． |
| A. run short of clean water |
| B. dig deep holes for fun |
| C. dirty the snow nearby |
| D. get lost in the wild |
| A. To solve a problem． |
| B. To give practical advice． |
| C. To tell an interesting story． |
| D. To present a research result． |
题型：阅读理解 题类：期中考试 难易度：较难
年份：2016
If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy (哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
| A. attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
| B. provide some key facts about Confucius |
| C. show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D. prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
| A. take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| B. have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| C. try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| D. fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
| A. Forgotten Wisdom in America |
| B. Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
| C. Old Thinker with a Big Future |
| D. Chinese Culture for Westerners |
| A. a biography |
| B. a history paper |
| C. a philosophy textbook |
| D. a newspaper |
题型：阅读理解 题类：期中考试 难易度：较难
年份：2016
Have you ever run into a careless cell phone user on the street？Perhaps they were busy talking，texting or checking updates on WeChat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new“species”of human has kept rising. They have been given a new name－phubbers(低头族)．
Recently，a cartoon created by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film，phubbers with various social identities bury themselves in their phones. A doctor plays with his cell phone while letting his patient die，a pretty woman takes selfie in front of a car accident site，and a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone. A chain of similar events eventually leads to the destruction of the world.
Although the ending sounds overstated the damage phubbing can bring is real.
Your health is the first to bear the effect and result of it.“Constantly bending your head to check your cell phone could damage your neck，”Guangming Daily quoted doctors as saying，“the neck is like a rope that breaks after longterm stretching.”Also，staring at cell phones for long periods of time will damage your eyesight gradually，according to the report.
But that’s not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. At reunions with family or friends，many people tend to stick to their cell phones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere，Beijing Evening News reported.
It can also cost you your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death，suffered accidents，and were robbed of their cell phones in broad daylight.
| A. To advertise the cartoon made by students. |
| B. To indicate the world will finally be destroyed by phubbers. |
| C. To inform people of the bad effects of phubbing. |
| D. To warn doctors against using cell phones while treating patients. |
| A. He will cause the destruction of the world. |
| B. His neck and eyesight will be gradually harmed. |
| C. He might get separated from his friends and family. |
| D. His social skills could be affected. |
| A. Supportive. |
| B. Opposed. |
| C. Optimistic. |
| D. Objective. |
| A. Consequences of phubbing. |
| B. People addicted to phubbing. |
| C. Definition of phubbers. |
| D. Measures to reduce the risks of phubbing. |
题型：阅读理解 题类：期中考试 难易度：较难
年份：2016
| A. To have a family lunch. |
| B. To ask for help from his friends. |
| C. To go for a drink with his friends. |
| D. To invite his friends to a barbecue. |
| A. extremely busy |
| B. very bored. |
| C. buried under snow |
| D. entirely relaxed |
| A. Maz has to visit his uncle for he is ill. |
| B. Bobby is not available this Sunday. |
| C. The barbecue will take place on time. |
| D. Tom will hold a party with his friends. |
| A. Have a rest. |
| B. Go to the pub. |
| C. Prepare the barbecue. |
| D. Call his friends. |
题型：阅读理解 题类：期中考试 难易度：较难
年份：2016
B
Several years ago, April Hollingsworth went to a local animal shelter, looking for her missing cat. She’d had no intention (意向) of coming home with a dog, but when she saw Piggy, the dog smiled at her.
“I’d never seen a dog smile before, so I had to have her,” she told KLS News. Piggy loved to run and play, but the dog’s life changed three and a half years ago when she was struck by a car outside Hollingsworth’s house. Hollings-worth came out to find her dog covered with blood, unable to move. When she took Piggy to the vet, the news wasn’t good. “It wasn’t until I picked her up that I really understood that she was paralyzed (瘫痪的),” Hollingsworth said. “No one came out and said, ‘You should put her down,’ but that was what they thought.”
But Hollingsworth decided that she would give her dog as much care and help as she needed to stay alive. She bought the dog a cart (手推车), letting her walk without use of her back legs. Now, Piggy is pretty good at getting around on her own and her favorite place to go to is the children’s wing of Shriners Hospital.
Piggy visits children who also have physical problems. “As soon as the children see her, they think of their own situation,” said Andrea Mathers, a nurse. “I think that is what makes her unique coming here to the hosp
ital, so it is really something that these kids look forward to.”
“I think if we’re lucky we have something to give the world to make people happy,” said April. “I have a great dog who spreads happiness wherever she goes, so I feel it’s as much my duty as it is something that makes me really happy.”
| A. she would never find her missing cat |
| B. she loved dogs more than cats |
| C. the dog couldn’t walk |
| D. the dog smiled at her |
| A. She loves it all the time. |
| B. She thinks it is useless for her. |
| C. She is tired of taking care of it. |
| D. She loves it more than the kids. |
| A. their life in the hospital was boring |
| B. they needed a pet like Piggy |
| C. they could learn something from Piggy |
| D. they wanted carts to help them walk |
| A. Lucky dog, lovely kids |
| B. Love me, love my dog |
| C. The importance of keeping a dog |
| D. A disabled dog inspires the disabled kids |
