Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge
This modern-art gallery in a Victorian house was founded in the 1950s by Tate Jim and reopened in February following a two-year redevelopment by Jamie Fobert Architects, the team behind the 2017 Tate Steves extension. This means a new cafe, a four-floor education wing and improved gallery space that can accommodate more visitors. The gallery’s permanent collection includes works by Joan Miró, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.
Being Brunel, Bristol
To celebrate the life and work of famous civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunei, Being Brunei will open in March on Bristol’s harbourside. The museum will include a range of interactive and entertaining exhibits, including talking portraits of his friends and family and personal possessions, including an 1821 school report. It is a good place for families to strengthen connections.
Royal Academy of Arts, London
The RA reopens on 19 May for its 250th anniversary, following a £50m renovation (翻新) with a gallery and expanded exhibition programme. These will include three day-lit galleries, which will host exhibitions with a focus on contemporary art and architecture. The grand frontwall of the Burlington Gardens building has also been restored—possibly the first time it’s had a proper clean in its 150 year history.
V&A, Dundee
One of the most significant new openings of the year will be Scotland’s first design museum and also the first V&A anywhere outside of London on 15 September. The museum building sits on the river Tay. It will celebrate Scottish design and objects in its collection.
1.What do we know about Being Brunel?
A. It has a long school report.
B. It includes three day-lit galleries.
C. It is family-friendly.
D. It possesses permanent collections.
2.The purpose of the RA reopening is _______.
A. to expand the exhibition
B. to mark its 250th anniversary
C. to display contemporary art
D. to present its 150-year history
3.What does the writer intend to tell us?
A. To compare different tourist attractions.
B. To attract more visitors to the UK.
C. To describe some famous museums and artists.
D. To introduce openings of some famous art museums.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
If you thought pilots dimmed（调暗）the lights before takeoff to give you some shuteye, think again. Believe it or not, the dim lighting could actually help save your life in case of a plane emergency.
The dimmed lights before taking off the runway and landing are a flight precaution used to help passengers’ eyes adjust quicker during an emergency escape. “Going from a brightly lit environment to one that’s completely dark would require some time for our eyes to focus and see the escape slide,” Alice Theriault, service director for Air Canada wrote in a press statement. “Since we need to have all the seconds on our side in the event of an emergency, dimming the lights is one of many steps we take to ensure the safety of our customers.”
The phenomenon that your eyes see those strange speckles (小斑点) as your sight adjusts to a dark place after being in a light place is called dark adaptation. It normally takes our eyes about 20 to 30 seconds to see best in a dark room. The brighter the lights, the longer it takes for our eyes to adjust, which is why dimming the plane lights could shorten your “dark adaptation” time since you haven’t been sitting under fluorescent bulbs (荧光灯) all flight.
Not only does dimming lights add valuable time to the escape process, but it reduces the tension on your eyes if you need to look outside, or see the emergency lighting along the passage. “It helps keep you in the right direction.” Patrick Smith, an airline pilot and author of Cockpit Confidential told The Telegraph. “It also makes it easier for flight attendants to assess any outside risks, such as fire or debris, that might affect an escape.” So next time a pilot dims the lights, just know it’s for your safety, even though it creates a gentle atmosphere for your takeoff into the sky.
1.The lights are turned down before takeoff to help passengers_______.
A. escape in time of emergency
B. take a short break
C. create a comfortable atmosphere
D. enjoy themselves
2.Which of the following is True according to Paragragh 2 and 3?
A. Dimming lights is required when accidents happen.
B. Our eyes need some time to adapt to the change of light.
C. Speckles are caused by the use of dimmed lights.
D. It is required for pilots to turn off lights during the flight.
3.What is the function of shortening “dark adaptation” time?
A. Slowing down the landing.
B. Adjusting the plane lights.
C. Keeping passengers calm.
D. Helping the crew judge outside risks.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. A tip to make air travel safer.
B. An emergency event happening on a plane.
C. An explanation of an airline safety measure.
D. A warning message from the pilot.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Grown-ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since. A man who has not had a chance to go swimming for years can still swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after many years and still ride away. He can play catch and hit a ball as well as his son. A mother who has not thought about the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” or remember the story of Cinderella or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
One explanation is the law of overlearning, which can be stated as follows: Once we have learned something, additional learning trials will help strengthen the related knowledge and skills.
In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and remind ourselves of words such as “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” and childhood tales such as Cinderella and Goldilocks. We not only learn but overlearn.
The multiplication tables (乘法口诀表) are also an exception to the general rule that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, because they are another of the things we overlearn in childhood.
The law of overlearning explains why cramming for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little overlearning, on the other hand, is really necessary for one’s future development.
1.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 1?
A. People remember well what they learned in childhood.
B. Children have a better memory than grown-ups.
C. Poem reading is a good way to learn words.
D. Stories for children are easy to remember.
2.The author explains the law of overlearning by _______.
A. presenting research findings B. analysing statistics
C. making a comparison D. using examples
3.According to the author, being able to use multiplication tables is _______.
A. a result of overlearning
B. a special case of cramming
C. a skill to deal with math problems
D. a basic step towards advanced studies
4.What does the underlined word “cramming” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. A way which leads to failure in college exams.
B. A study method only helpful in a limited way.
C. A way that will result in good memory.
D. An approach to increasing students’ learning interest.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
When I spent the summer with my grandmother, she always set me down to the general store with a list. Behind the counter was a lady like no one I’d ever seen.
“Excuse me,” I said. She looked up and said, “I’m Miss Bee.”
“I need to get these.” I said, holding up my list. “So? Go get them. ” Miss Bee pointed to a sign. “There’s no one here except you and me and I’m not your servant, so get yourself a basket from that pile.”
I visited Miss Bee twice a week that summer. Sometimes she shortcharged me. Other times she overcharged. Going to the store was like going into battle. All summer long she found ways to trick me. No sooner had I learned how to pronounce “bicarbonate of soda” and memorized its location on the shelves than she made me hunt for it all over again. But by summer’s end the shopping trip that had once taken me an hour was done in 15 minutes.
“All right, little girl,” she said. “What did you learn this summer?” “That you’re a meanie!” I replied. Miss Bee just laughed and said, “I know what you think of me. Well, I don’t care! My job is to teach every child I meet life lessons. When you get older you’ll be glad!” Glad I met Miss Bee? Ha! The idea was absurd…
Until one day my daughter came to me with homework troubles. “It’s too hard,” she said. “Could you finish my math problems for me?”
“If I do it for you, how will you ever learn to do it yourself?” I said. Suddenly, I was back at that general store where I had learned the hard way to add up my bill by myself. Had I ever been overcharged since?
1.What did the author’s grandmother always ask her to do during her summer vacation?
A. Make lists for her shopping.
B. Buy something in the general store.
C. Send lists to the lady in the general store.
D. Go to see the lady in a store.
2.What can we infer about Miss Bee?
A. She used to learn to pronounce the names of some goods in the store.
B. She neither shortcharged the author nor overcharged her.
C. Teaching kids lessons was Miss Bee’s job at that time.
D. Her tricks made the author finish shopping in a shorter time.
3.The author mentioned her daughter to __________.
A. show her satisfaction with her kid’s homework
B. inform readers of her irresponsibility for her kid
C. tell readers Miss Bee’s influence on her
D. express her opposition to Miss Bee
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. An unforgettable summer travel
B. Being a responsible mother
C. Mean grandma giving a precious lesson
D. Making a meaningful life list
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
I chose to take psychology because one is able to better understand himself, understand others, and learn how people think, so I can use that to my advantage in the business world.
1.By learning psychology I will learn how and why I think the way I think. This is important to me because I want to know whether my up-bringing or the genes I possess from my parents influence me.2.I hope to find an answer this year through my studies.
I also think it is important to be accepting and tolerant of others and their certain beliefs about different matters. Some people like activities and subjects that I may not entirely agree with. It is important to learn why they believe what they do. People are different throughout the world. 3. I would like to learn what customs, traditions, and ways of thinking are witnessed worldwide and why some are apparent one place but not another.
My final reason for taking psychology is that I can better understand people from a business standpoint. 4. Knowing how they think will help in making major marketing and promotional decisions. I hope to learn how people react to certain situations or ads to see what will get them interested.
I know the effort I put into this course will benefit me later in life. Of course, learning the course may be challenging at times. 5.
A. If I had to predict, I would say a mix of both.
B. But there are similarities between them.
C. Psychology is beneficial to my future.
D. Positive psychology has developed rapidly via the Internet.
E. It is vital to know what consumers want and need.
F. I often wonder why I like the items, subjects, and activities that I do.
G. However, what I learn will influence my future decisions and goals.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Growing up, I always hid my thumbs in my fists because of their unusual shape. ________ they do look more like a big toe（脚趾）________ a thumb. And from an early age, my thumbs ________ another name “toe thumbs” .
In high school, I served as a cashier in a grocery store. One day, I was ________ a sweet little old lady and as I ________ her change back to her, she suddenly took my hands and said in a thick Polish ________, “You are Polish! Look at those ________ Polish thumbs! They match mine!” She raised her hands and ________ her thumbs to me that ________ weathered and wrinkled, looked exactly like mine! She ________ my hands again and said, “Be ________ of those thumbs!”
I’ll never forget that 30-second ________ with a stranger that forever ________ my view of a part of me I once was ________ by and now accept. As I was eating dinner with my Samuel tonight, he looked down at my hand ________ on the table next to his and said, “Mommy! Our thumbs ________!” I smiled and answered, “Yes, they do, buddy! Those are strong Polish ________ you have! Take pride in them! Maybe someday you’ll have a little boy or girl who will have the same thumbs!” I ________ my son never hides his thumbs like I did. I hope he’ll be proud of their “unusualness” and the ________ behind them. He carries on a(n) ________ part of me and that for me will always be beautiful!
1.A. Admittedly B. Fortunately C. Normally D. Basically
2.A. other than B. due to C. instead of D. along with
3.A. earned B. cloned C. found D. deserved
4.A. waiting for B. checking out C. talking with D. watching over
5.A. paid B. charged C. counted D. donated
6.A. tune B. voice C. language D. accent
7.A. beautiful B. strange C. long D. clumsy
8.A. passed B. recommended C. showed D. offered
9.A. till B. unless C. once D. although
10.A. raised B. inspected C. examined D. held
11.A. sure B. skeptical C. afraid D. proud
12.A. appointment B. conversation C. bargain D. deal
13.A. supported B. changed C. proved D. hurt
14.A. embarrassed B. frightened C. delighted D. amazed
15.A. scratching B. resting C. knocking D. drawing
16.A. differ B. suit C. fight D. match
17.A. fists B. thumbs C. toes D. hands
18.A. guarantee B. figure C. insist D. pray
19.A. scene B. lesson C. history D. moment
20.A. unique B. elegant C. frank D. sensitive
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay succeeded 1. climbing to the top of Mount Everest, at 11:30 am, on May 29. They were the first people 2.(reach) the top of Mount Everest.
Edmund Hilary was a New Zealand mountaineer, 3. (explore) and philanthropist (慈善家)，and Tenzing Norgay was a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer. Both of them were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest 4. (lead) by John Hunt in 1953. For this expedition, Hunt selected a group of people who were 5. (experience) in climbing mountains in the whole British Empire. In the group, Edmund Hilary6. (select) from New Zealand, and Tensing Norgay was actually recruited (招收) from India where he lived. Before climbing, the expedition had been organized and planned for months. They made nine camps on their way up, some of 7. have been still used by climbers up to now.
In fact, the first team made 8. to the place which was just 300 feet below the summit, 9. they left on May 26. They actually had already reached the point that no man had reached before. They were forced to leave because of the bad weather and because there were 10. (problem) with their oxygen tanks.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
What is the relationship between the two speakers?
A. Customer and waiter.
B. Doctor and patient.
C. Interviewer and interviewee.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Why is the man late?
A. Because of the heavy traffic.
B. Because of the bad weather.
C. Because of the basketball match.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
What will the woman probably do?
A. Charge her phone. B. Leave the house. C. Call her mother.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
What are the two speakers talking about?
A. A souvenir. B. A place. C. A piece of cloth.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
How much will the woman pay to rent the car?
A. 200 dollars. B. 210 dollars. C. 240 dollars.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does the man want to do?
A. Pay taxes. B. Get information. C. Answer questions.
2.What does the woman advise the man to do?
A. Call back later. B. Send an e-mail. C. Speak to someone else.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the weather probably like now?
A. Rainy. B. Cloudy. C. Sunny.
2.What happened last year at the get-together?
A. No one wanted to play any games.
B. The weather was sunny and nice.
C. The man felt satisfied with the picnic.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.How many days will the woman stay at the hotel?
A. One. B. Three. C. Five.
2.When did the woman reserve the room?
A. On the 11th. B. On the 12th. C. On the 13th.
3.What does the woman request be sent to her room?
A. Breakfast. B. A newspaper. C. A guest book.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What’s the woman doing now?
A. Giving a lecture on animals.
B. Introducing some special events.
C. Providing some practical advice.
2.What will David Crocker talk about?
A. Ants’ life. B. Birds’ migration. C. Garden wildlife.
3.Where will the film The Great Migration be shown?
A. In Theater A. B. In Theater B. C. In Theater C.
4.What will the visitors know in Encouraging Garden Wildlife?
A. Useful ideas to protect garden wildlife.
B. Practical ways to invite wildlife to gardens.
C. Interesting life habits of garden wildlife.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：
1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Zhou Yan is the Senior Three student. Last week, he goes to see a doctor because of his arms and fingers hurt. The doctor told him the fact that had a “mobile phone disease”. Zhou sent messages for his friends with his mobile phone all the time, even in bed. Zhou started to do badly in all the exam last term because he spent so many time on his mobile phone. He didn’t stop use the mobile phone until his arms hurt. Yang Ling, which is an expert from a health center, said students should try to use their mobile phones less, especial at school.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，近期你校举办了主题为“美丽中国”的现场国画（traditional Chinese painting）比赛。请为校报英文专栏写一篇活动报道。内容包括：
1. 活动时间、地点：
2. 活动概况：
3. 活动意义。
注意：
1. 词数100左右：
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析