News report 1 来自50年前的漂流瓶
A message in a bottle sent out to sea by a New Hampshire man more than
five decades ago was found 1,500 miles away. And it has been returned to his daughter.
A long-last message was discovered by Clint Buffington of Utah while he was vacationing.
Buffington says he found a soda bottle half-buried in the sand that looked like it had been there
since the beginning of time. The note inside the bottle said, ‘Return to 419 Ocean Street,
and receive a reward of $150 from Richard and Tina Pierce, owners of a beachcomber motel.’
The motel was owned by the parents of Paula Piece in 1960. Her father had written the
note as a joke and had thrown it into the Atlantic Ocean. Buffington flew to New Hampshire to
deliver the message to Paula Piece. She held up to her father’s promise, giving Buffington
that reward. But the biggest reward is the message in the bottle finding its way back home.
Question 1. What is the news report mainly about?
1. A）The return of a bottled message to its owner's daughter.
Question 2. Why did Paula Piece give Clint Buffington the reward?
2. B）She wanted to honor her father's promise.
News report 2 数百万蜜蜂在南卡罗来纳州死亡
Millions of bees have died in South Carolina during aerial insect spraying operations that were
carried out to combat the Zika virus. The insect spraying over the weekends left more than 2
million bees dead on the spot in Dorchester County, South Carolina, where 4 travel-related cases
of Zika disease have been confirmed in the area. Most of the deaths came from the Flowertown
Bee Farm, a company in Summerville that sells bees and honey products. Juanita Stanley who
owns the company said the farm looks like it’s been destroyed. The farm lost about 2.5
million bees. Dorchester County officials apologized for the accidental mass killing of
bees. Dorchester County is aware that some bee keepers in the area that were sprayed on Sunday
lost their bee colonies, county manager Jason Wars said in the statement, ‘I’m not pleased
hat so many bees were killed’.
Question 3. Why was spraying operations carried out in Dorchester County?
3. B）Several cases of Zika disease had been identified.
Question 4. What does news report say about Flowertown Bee Farm?
4. C）It lost a huge stock of bees.
News report 3 世界上最大的飞机首次试飞
The world’s largest aircraft has taken to the sky for the first time. The Airlander 10 spent
nearly 2 hours in the air, having taken off from Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire. During its
flight, it reached 3,000 feet and performed a series of gentle turns all over a safe area.
The aircraft isn’t massive as long as a football field and as tall as a 6 double-decker
buses and capable of flying for up to 5 days. It was first developed for the US government
as a long-wing spy aircraft. But it was abandoned following budget cutbacks. The aircraft
costs 25 million pounds and can carry heavier loads than huge jet planes while also producing
less noise and emitting less pollution. The makers believe it’s the future of aircraft,
and one day we’ll be using them to go places. But there’s still a long way to go. The
Airlander will need to have 200 hours flying time before being allowed to fly by the aviation
administration. If it passes through, we can hope we’ll all get some extra leg room.
Question 5. What do we learn about the first flight of the Airlander 10?
5. A）It stayed in the air for about two hours.
Question 6. What caused the US government to abandon the Airlander 10 as a spy aircraft?
6. C）Inadequate funding.
Question 7. What is the advantage of Airlander 10 over huge jet planes?
7. D）It is more environmentally friendly.
长对话
Conversation 1 长对话1 气候变化 vs 西班牙舞蹈节
M: Do you feel like going out tonight?
W: yeah, why not? We haven’t been out for ages! What’s on?
M: Well, there is a film about climate change. Dose it sound good to you?
W: Oh, not really. It doesn’t really appeal to me. What’s it about? Just climate change?
M: I think it’s about how climate change affects everyday life. I wonder how they make it
entertaining.
W: Well, it sounds really awful. It’s an important subject, I agree. But I’m not in the mood
for anything depressing. What else is on?
M: There’s a Spanish dance festival.
W: Oh, I love dance. That sounds really interesting.
M: apparently, it’s absolutely brilliant. Let’s see what it says in the paper. Anna Gomez leads
in an exciting production of a great Spanish love story, Carmen.
W: Okay then, what time is it on?
M: at 7:30
W: well, that’s no good. We haven’t got enough time to get there. Is there anything else?
M: There’s a comedy special on.
W: where is it on?
M: It’s at the city theater. It’s a charity comedy night with lots of different acts.
It looks pretty good. The critic in the local paper says it’s the funniest things he’s
ever seen. It says here Roger white head is an amazing host to a night a fun performances.
W: Hummm, I’m not keen on him. He is not very funny.
M: Are you sure you fancy going out tonight? You are not very enthusiastic.
W: Perhaps you are right. Okay, let’s go see the dance. But tomorrow, not tonight.
M: Great, I’ll book the tickets online.
Q8: What dose the woman think about climate change?
8. A）It seems a depressing topic.
Q9: Why do the speakers give up going to the Spanish dance festival tonight?
9. D）They can't make it to the theater.
Q10: What dose the credit says about the comedy performed in the city theater?
10. C）It is the most amusing show he has ever seen.
Q11: What does the woman decide to do tomorrow?
11. B）Go and see the dance.
Conversation 2 长对话2 转校生
W: Good morning Mr. Lee, may I have a minute of your time?
M: Sure, Catherine. What can I do for you?
W: I’m quite anxious about transferring over to your college. I’m afraid I won’t fit in.
M: Don’t worry, Catherine. It’s completely normal for you to be nervous about transferring schools.
This happens to many transfer students.
W: Yes, I know, but I’m younger than most students in my year and that worries me a lot.
M: Well, you may be the only younger one in your year, but you know we have a lot of afterschool
activities you can join in, and so this way, you’ll be able to meet new friends of different age
groups.
W: That’s nice! I love games and hobby groups.
M: I’m sure you do. So you will be just fine. Don’t worry so much and try to make the most of
what we have on offer here. Also, remember you can come to me any time of the day if you need help.
W: Thanks so much. I definitely feel better now. As a matter of fact, I’ve already contacted one
of
the girls who’s been living in the same house with me, and she seems really nice. I guess living on
campus, I’ll have a chance to have a close circle of friends since we’ll be living together.
M: All students are very friendly with new arrivals. Let me check who would be living with you
in your flat. Okay, there hare Hannah, Kelly and Bree. Bree is also a new student here like you.
I’m sure you two will have more to share with each other.
Q12: Why does Catherine feel anxious?
Q13: What does Mr. Lee encourage Catherine to do?
Q14: What does Mr. Lee promise to do for Catherine?
Q15: What do we learn about Catherine's schoolmate Bree?
12. D）She worries she won't fit in as a transfer student.
13. C）Participate in after-school activities.
14. A）Give her help whenever she needs.
15. D）She has just transferred to college.
Passage 1 饥饿强大的推动力
Have you ever felt like you would do just about anything to satisfy your hunger? A new study in mice
may help to explain why hunger can feel like such a powerful motivating force. In the study,
researchers found that hunger out weights other physical drives including fear, thirst and
social needs. To determine which feeling won out, the researchers did a series of experiments.
In one experiment, the mice were both hungry and thirsty. When given the choice of either eating
food or drinking water, the mice went for the food, the researchers found. However, when the mice
were well-fed but thirsty, they opted to drink according to the study. In the second experiment,
meant to pit the mice’s hunger against their fear, hungry mice were placed in a cage that has
certain fox scented areas and other places that smell safer; in other words, not like an animal
that could eat them but also had food. It turned out that when the mice were hungry, they
ventured into the unsafe areas for food. But when the mice were well-fed, they stayed in the area
of the cage that were considered safe. Hunger also out weights the mice’s social needs, the
researchers found. Mice are usually social animals and prefer to be in the company of other
mice according to the study. When the mice were hungry, they opted to leave the company of other
mice to go get food.
Q16: What is the researchers’ purpose in carrying out the series of experiments with mice?
Q17: In what circumstances do mice venture into unsafe areas?
Q18: What is said about mice at the end of the passage?
16. B）To find out which physical drive is the most powerful.
17. A）When they are hungry.
18. C）They prefer to be with other mice.
Passage 2 美国高速公路系统
The United States has one of the best highway systems in the world. Interstate highways connect
just about every large and mid-sized city in the country. Did you ever wonder why such a complete
system of excellent roads exists? For an answer, you would have to go back to the early 1920s.
In those years, just after World War I, the military wanted to build an American highway system
for national defense. Such a system could, if necessary, move troops quickly from one area to
another. It could also get people out of cities and danger of being bombed. So-called roads of
national
importance were designated, but they were mostly small country roads. In 1944, Congress passed
a bill
to upgrade the system but did not fund the plan right away. In the 1950s, the plan began to
become a
reality. Over 25 billion dollars was appropriated by Congress, and construction began on about 40
thousand miles of new roads. The idea was to connect the new system to existing express ways and
freeways. And though the system was built mostly to make car travel easier, defense was not
forgotten.
For instance, highway overpasses have to be high enough to allow trailers carrying military
missiles
to pass under them. By 1974, the system was mostly completed. A few additional roads would
come later.
Quick and easy travel between all parts of the country was now possible.
Q19: What does the speaker say about the American highway system?
Q20: What was the original purpose of building a highway system?
Q21: When was the interstate highway system mostly completed?
19. D）It is one of the best in the world.
20. B）To move troops quickly from place to place.
21. A）In the 1970s.
Passage 3 开车用手机发消息是车祸致死的主要原因/智能方向盘
Texting while driving was listed as a major cause of road deaths among young Americans back in 2013.
A recent study said that 40% of American teens claim to have been in a car when the driver used a
cellphone in the way that put people in danger. It sounds like a wide-spread disease, but it’s one
that technology may now help to cure. TJ Evarts, a 20-year-old inventor, has come up with a novel
solution that could easily put texting drivers on notice. It’s called ‘Smart Wheel’. And it’s
a design to fit over the steering wheel of most standard vehicles to track whether or not the
driver
has two hands on the wheel at all times. Evarts’ invention warns the drivers with a light
and a sound
when they hold the wheel with one hand only. But as soon as they place another hand back on
the wheel, the light turns back to green and the sound stops. It also watches for what’s called
‘close-by hands’, where both hands are close together near the top of the wheel, so the
driver can type with both thumbs and drive at the same time. All the data Smart Wheel
collects is also sent to a connected app. So any parent who installs Smart Wheel can keep
track of the teens’ driving habits. If they try to remove or damage the cover that’s
reported as well.
Question 22. What is a major cause of road deaths among young Americans?
Question 23. What is ‘Smart Wheel’?
Question 24. What happens if the driver has one hand on the wheel?
Question 25. How do parents keep track of their teens’ driving habits?
22. B）Messaging while driving
23. D）A device to ensure people drive with both hands.
24. C）They are alerted with a light and a sound.
25. B）Using a connected app.