Premier Li Keqiang delivered a speech at the conference, _________ university graduates to start their own business.

A． encouraging B． to encourage

C． having encouraged D． encouraged

What’s on Your Pet’s Mind?In 1977, Irene Pepperberg of Harvard University began studying what was on another creature’s mind by talking to it．Her first experiments began with Alex．Alex was a one-year-old African grey parrot and Irene taught him to produce the sounds of the English language．“I thought if he learned to communicate, I could ask him questions about how he sees the world.”

At the time, most scientists didn’t believe animals had any thoughts．They thought animals were more like robots but didn’t have the ability to think or feel．Of course, if you own a pet you probably disagree．But it is the job of a scientist to prove this and nowadays more scientists accept that animals can think for themselves．

“That’s why I started my studies with Alex,” Irene said, “Some people actually called me crazy for trying this.”

Nowadays, we have more and more evidence that animals have all sorts of mental abilities．Sheep can recognize faces．Chimpanzees (黑猩猩) use a variety of tools and even use weapons to hunt．And Alex the parrot became a very good talker.

Thirty years after the Alex studies began．Irene was still giving him English lessons up until his recent death．For example, if Alex was hungry he could say “want grape”．Alex could count to six and was learning the sounds for seven and eight．“He has to hear the words over and over before he can correctly say them.” Irene said, after pronouncing “seven” for Alex a few times in a row．Alex could also tell the difference between colors, shapes, sizes, and materials (e.g．wood and metal)．Before he finally died, Alex managed to say “seven”.

Another famous pet that proved some animals have greater mental skills was a dog called Rico．He appeared on a German TV game show in 2011．Rico knew the names of 200 different toys and easily learned the names of new ones．When Rico became famous, many other dog owners wanted to show how clever their pets were．Another dog called Betsy could understand 300 words.

One theory for dogs’ ability to learn a language is that they have ben close companions to humans for many centuries and so their ability to understand us is constantly evolving (进化)．While animals can’t do what humans do yet, some scientists believe that examples like Alex and Rico prove that evolution develops intelligence, as well as physical appearance.

1.Irene wanted to find out __________.

A． what a parrot thinks

B． why a parrot can speak

C． how parrots make sounds

D． if parrots speak English

2.Alex learnt new words by __________.

A． singing them

B． reading them

C． writing them

D． rehearing them

3.The two dogs mentioned in the article could _______.

A． understand some words

B． recognize strange voices

C． copy human gestures

D． tell different colors

4.The article concludes that ___________.

A． our pets understand what we say

B． dogs may speak to humans one day

C． humans are related to chimpanzees

D． mental ability can evolve in animals

As we grow old, we realize that we have so little time to read and there are so many great books that we’ve yet to get around to．Yet re-readers are everywhere around us．For certain fans, re-reading The Lord of the Rings is a conventional practice annually．One friend told me that Jane Austen’s Emma can still surprise him, despite his having read it over 50 times．

New sudden clear understandings can be gained from the process of re-reading．Journalist Rebacca Mead, a long-time Englishwoman in New York, first came across George Eliot’s Middlemarch at 17．Since then, she has read it again every five years．With each re-reading, it has opened up further; in each chapter of her life, it has resonated (引起共鸣) differently．Mead evidenced the large number of ways in which really good books not only stand the test of repeat reads, but also offer fresh gifts each time we crack their spines．These kinds of books grow with us.

Scientists have also recognized the mental health benefits of re-reading．Research conducted with readers in the US found that on our first reading, we are concerned with the “what” and the “why”．Second time round, we’re able to better appreciate the emotions that the plot continues to express．As researcher CristelRussell of the American University explained, returning to a book “brings new or renewed appreciation of both the great book and its readers.”

It’s true that we often find former selves on the pages of old books (if we’re fond of making notes on the pages)．These texts can carry us back to a time and place, and remind us of the kind of person that we were then．We’re changed not only by lived experience but also by read experience – by the books that we’ve discovered since last reading the one in our hand.

More so than the movie director or the musician, the writer calls upon our imaginations, using words to lead us to picture this declaration of love or that unfaithfulness in life．A book is a joint project between writers and readers, and we must pour so much of ourselves into reading that our own life story can become connected with the story in the book.

Perhaps what’s really strange is that we don’t re-read more often．After all, we watch our favourite films again and we wouldn’t think of listening to an album only once．We treasure messy old paintings as objects, yet of all art forms, literature alone is a largely one-time delight．A book, of course, takes up more time, but as Mead confirms, the rewards make it adequately worthwhile.

1.The two books are mentioned in Paragraph 1 mainly to __________．

A． attract the attention of readers

B． introduce the topic of the passage

C． provide some background information

D． show the similarity between re-readers

2.The underlined expression “crack their spines” in Paragraph 2 refers to ________.

A． recite them

B． re-read them

C． recall them

D． retell them

3.It can be learned from the passage that __________.

A． reading benefits people both mentally and physically

B． readers mainly focus on feelings on their first reading

C． we know ourselves better through re-reading experience

D． writers inspire the same imaginations as film directors do

4.The purpose of the passage is to __________.

A． call on different understandings of old books

B． focus on the mental health benefits of reading

C． bring awareness to the significance of re-reading

D． introduce the effective ways of re-reading old books

Every day we are exposed to images, videos, music and news．In this age of visual and aural hyper-stimulation, the medium of radio is making a great comeback.

“We’re at the beginning of a golden age of audio,” said US-based podcaster Alex Blumberg in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald． In the last month alone, 15 percent of US adults listened to a radio podcast (播客)．These statistics, released by Edison Research, show the successful evolution of traditional radio broadcasts to the present day’s digital podcast format．The term “podcast” was invented in 2004, but the trend only started gaining mainstream popularity in recent years．With the sharp increase in consumer demand for smartphones and tablets, podcast sales have jumped.

The appeal of the podcast partly lies in its multiplatform delivery and on-demand capabilities (功能)．You can listen during those extra minutes of the day when you’re walking to the shops, waiting in a queue or riding the subway．Similar to television shows, podcasts are generally free to download and most offer new content every week.

Donna Jackson, 22, Sydney University media graduate, listens to podcasts two or three times a week, via iTurns．“I listen while I’m wandering around the house doing something else．It makes completing a boring task much more enjoyable… And it’s an easy way of keeping in touch with what’s going on in the rest of the world,” she said, “I mainly listen to BBC podcasts, but recently I’ve also been listening to This American Life and Serial．They have a special skill to really draw you in.”

Unlike television and music, the audio format has the potential to create a deep impression on readers．Blumberg says this owes to the podcast’s ability “to create close relationship and emotional connection.” Sydney University undergraduate Hazel Proust, majoring in social work and arts, agrees．“When you’re listening, it feels as if the voice of the podcast’s storyteller is talking directly to you．It’s comforting, ” said Proust.

It seems the age-old tradition of verbal storytelling is very much alive and well.

1.From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that ________.

A． traditional broadcast has come back

B． Americans love listening to the radio

C． podcasts have become very popular today

D． smartphones sell well because of podcasts

2.The writer mentions Donna Jackson mainly to ________.

A． tell how young people relax themselves

B． explain why young people like podcasts

C． introduce what programs podcasts are presenting

D． show how popular podcasts are presenting

3.Paragraph 5 is mainly about ________.

A． the influence of radios

B． the advantage of podcasts

C． readers’ impression on radios

D． people’s reaction to the medium

4.What is probably the best title of the passage?

A． Return of Radio

B． Opinions of Podcast

C． Features of Radio

D． Technology of Podcast

根据短文内容，从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

House Sitting

In many countries of the world people do what is called house sitting．It means that if owners of the house are going away, they want someone to come into their home and look after the house and maybe pets while they are away．

In Australia, many people travel．After people retire, they might buy a van and travel all over the country．1.

So if someone wants to travel or go away for some reason, they might want someone in their home to care for it and keep the gardens tidy．House sitters might have to care for pets．Also, quite a few people have swimming pools in their back yard and they need cleaning．2.I feel it is a great way of seeing the country, because you go and stay in a new city, get to meet new people, and have time to go sightseeing in a new area．

3. There are websites where you find the advertisements by people who want to travel, and by replying to the advertisement, you can make arrangements to go and look after their home.

There are some requirements to be a house sitter．You must be a trusted person, so that the home owner knows you will not steal anything．You must be able to go when the house owner wants you to go, so you need lots of free time．4.You need to be good with pets, able to care for cats and dogs, or other pets they may have.

Some house sitting jobs are just for a few days or a couple of weeks while the house owner have a short holiday．Sometimes it is for much longer．We have had one house sit for six months, while the home owner travelled to Europe.

5.Then you can travel to many different countries and stay there．One of the important things to get are references from the home owners where you have stayed． A reference is a written letter to say that you are trustworthy and have looked after their home well．You can show these letters to prospective house sitting jobs and they know you will do a good job.

A． I have done house sitting many times.

B． Thousands of people do this all the time.

C． It is also possible to do house sitting in other countries.

D． Generally you have many opportunities to get a house sitting job.

E． You must take a little care over what your description says about you.

F． This is an international house sitting service for all city and country areas.

G． You must have a good car, so you can travel to different parts of the country.

假设你是红星中学高二（1）班的学生李华，请根据以下四幅图的先后顺序，为校刊“英语园地”写一篇短文，记述寒假期间你在中国国家博物馆做志愿讲解员的经历。

注意：1．词数不少于60。

2．短文的开头已给出，不计入总词数。

During this winter vacation, I worked as a volunteer guide in the National Museum of China.

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.

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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。

To most people, noise pollution is a jet flying over their head． For one Spanish woman, it is a neighbor playing the piano．The woman has taken her neighbor to court．Now she wants to send her neighbor to prison for over seven years on the charges of psychological damage and noise pollution.

In a country known for its noisiness, the case has raised eyebrows．Neighbors often complain about street noise in Spain, but people seeking prison time for someone practicing the piano is unheard of．At the trial, Sonia Bosom says she has been suffering noise pollution up to now due to the practice sessions of Laia Martin, who lives below her．Martin, 27, didn’t admit that she played at home that often, saying she took regular classes in other towns and mostly practiced at home on the weekends.

On the first day of the trial, the newspaper reported that Bosom told the court she now hated pianos so much that she couldn’t even stand seeing them in a film.

Bosom says years of hearing constant playing has caused her “psychological injury”．Medical reports show she has suffered from a variety of problems, including insomnia (失眠), anxiety, and panic attacks.

She says tests by local authorities have found that the sound levels made by the piano are up to 10 decibels (分贝) higher than the limit．City authorities have asked the family several times to either stop the piano playing or soundproof (隔音) the room．The family told the court they carried out soundproofing work twice but the complaints continued.

The court hasn’t made a final decision．A spokeswoman says the trial will end before May.

1.Bosom wants to send Martin to prison because _______.

A． Martin’s playing the piano damaged her health

B． Bosom suffered from heart attack

C． Martin refused to take regular classes in other towns

D． Martin flew a jet over her head

2.How did Laia Martin respond to the complaints?

A． She stopped playing the piano.

B． She soundproofed the room.

C． She didn’t admit she played at home.

D． She took her neighbor to court.

3.Which of the following may probably be the best title for the passage?

A． A 7-year Sentence Caused by the Piano

B． Pianist Charged with Noise Pollution

C． Health Problems of a Spanish Woman

D． Actions Against Noise by Local Authority

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。

The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC has thousands of objects on display, including the 1903 Wright Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St．Louis, the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, and a lunar rock you can touch．In addition to our exhibition galleries, you may want to visit the Albert Einstein Planetarium, Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater, and the Public Observatory on the east end． There are many things to do at the Museum in DC． We offer daily tours and educational activities for both children and adults．We also have scheduled lectures and events throughout the year.

Hours & Admission: Open every day except December 25．Admission is free.

Regular Hours: 10: 00 am to 5: 30 pm

Extended Hours: 10: 00 am to 7: 30 pm

December 26—30, 2014.

March 30—April 20, 2015.

Fridays and Saturdays, April 24—May 16, 2015.

May 17—September 7, 2015.

VISITING TIPS:

Limit the Number of Bags: All visitors are screened through metal detectors upon entry．The fewer items you bring inside the Museum, the faster your entry．Before you visit, please review the list of prohibited items, which include pocket knives and tripods (三脚架)．Visitors carrying prohibited items will not be allowed inside the Museum, so please leave them at home or in your car.

No Food and Drink: Only bottled water is permitted in the Museum．You may only consume food and other drinks in the Food Court, not in the Museum．Groups who bring food are encouraged to picnic on the National Mall.

Please Take Photos: You are welcome to take photos for personal use．However, tripods and monopods (单脚架) are not permitted without approval.

First Aid: The Museum has a First Aid office and a nurse on duty．Please contact the nearest security officer or the Welcome Center for assistance.

Visit the Welcome Center:

At our Welcome Center in the South Lobby, staff and volunteers can answer any questions you have during your visit.

Open 10: 00 am to 5: 30 pm

Phone: 202-633-2214

E-mail: NASM-VisitorServices@ si．edu

1.According to the passage, the National Air and Space Museum is a museum __.

A． where only adults can take part in some educational activities

B． everyone can pay a visit to without buying tickets

C． where one can touch anything he likes

D． everyone can visit without time limits all the year round

2.If the Greens plan to visit the Museum at 6: 00 pm, it is accessible on _______.

A． December 24, 2014 (Wednesday) B． March 1, 2015 (Sunday)

C． July 6, 2015 (Monday) D． September 15, 2015 (Tuesday)

3.A visitor to the museum can _______.

A． eat and drink in the Museum or in the Food Court

B． take photos with tripods for personal use

C． bring fewer bags to go through metal detectors

D． get some medical treatment if he suddenly falls ill

4.The purpose of this passage is to _______.

A． make an advertisement for the museum

B． attract people to explore the universe

C． encourage adults to bring their children there

D． show what is on display in the museum

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。

The stories we share with one another are important． They show wisdom and provide inspiration． They are important to our development． But sometimes people choose not to tell.

Consider the negative effects of not sharing a story in the news: People are wondering if public health officials are holding back too much information about the recent outbreak of Ebola.

There is a danger in holding back stories that ought to be told． Bobette Buster said it like this, “The fact is, history has shown us that stories not told can become like a dangerous genie (妖怪) left in a bottle．When they are finally uncorked, their power to destroy is set free.”

There are a number of reasons why we hide parts of our story: they often show our weaknesses or expose our disadvantages; they require courage and strength to share; and of course, there are some stories that should be kept secret—especially those that embarrass someone else.

Most of us have two selves: the one we display on the outside and the one we actually are on the inside． And the better we get at hiding the stories that show our true selves, the more damage we may be causing to ourselves and to others.

Honesty and openness is important: It proves we are trustworthy． It displays we are human． We are not perfect or better． It highlights the importance of hard work and personal development． Hard work may not allow us to overcome our disadvantages completely． But with hard work, we do not have to be restricted to our mistakes.

Does this mean we admit every weakness, every disadvantage, and every secret regret to everybody we meet? No, of course not．There is a time and a place and a certain level of relationship necessary for some stories to be told in an appropriate manner.

1.What’s the function of the example in Paragraph 2?

A． It reflects that people are concerning about the spread of Ebola.

B． It shows the bad effect caused by sharing a story.

C． It proves not sharing a story can cause trouble.

D． It concludes that one should share a story at a proper time.

2.One of the reasons why people are unwilling to share experiences is that _______.

A． story-sharing highlights the importance of hard work

B． people are used to exposing their weaknesses

C． people sometimes have no courage to share their stories

D． some stories make themselves feel uneasy

3.Which is close in meaning to the underlined word “uncorked” in Paragraph 3?

A． freed B． broken C． unfolded D． untouched

4.The writer aims to convince us to _______.

A． be open to people close to you by sharing some secrets

B． share stories appropriately for the good of others and ourselves

C． remove the dangers that can be caused by untold stories

D． realize the importance of being honest when making friends

Camels certainly like eating green grass, not dry grass．But 1. (strange), camels always keep looking for dry grass2. their stomachs are filled up.

A classmate of 3.(I) whose home is on the edge of Turpan Basin in Xinjiang told me his home has two camels; he said you could imagine a camel’s appetite, for it can slowly swallow dozens of kilograms of hay (干草)．I asked him 4. camels eat hay, not green grass．He said the camel is a kind of animal with 5. strong sense of suffering,6.(fear) its master letting it travel through the desert the next day, and the hay in its stomach is more hunger-resistant 7. green grass.

The camel has the best tolerance．Unfortunately, many people can only see a camel’s outstanding performance, but few understand its 8. (prepare) made for it.

Life, 9.a camel traveling through the desert,10. (need) the adequate accumulation, but not everyone can understand it.