18．Today's museums include plenty of high culture，but you can still find shrines（圣地）to the extraordinary．Here's a look at five curious museum stops across Canada．
Vancouver Police Museum
The setting，terrible enough，is the old Coroner's（验尸官）Court and forensics lab，including the morgue（room where dead bodies are kept）．Artifacts，from the 1870s on，include badges，uniforms，police equipment，items from criminals，and even preserved organs-all in all an arresting experience．
Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station
Designed to resemble a spacecraft，the Treck Station celebrates Vulcan's coincidental relationship to Mr．Spock's planet，Go to a building that features an 800-piece collection of Star Trek memorabilia-including Spock's ears and floor-to-ceiling space paintings．If you want to know more about it，click here：http∥www．Vulcantourism．com
Accordion（手风琴）Museum
Through instruments，photos and recordings，the museum traces the history of the accordion and its influence on Quebec culture．They've even acquired Asian instruments that show the use of the free reed-call them ancient ancestors of the accordion-that date back 4000years．
Chocolate Museum
It's chocoholic heaven-whole museum featuring displays on how chocolate is made，hands-on exhibits，collections of historic chocolate boxes，and antique candy-making equipment and，of course，lots of chocolate treats，located in an old candy factory building．Click below to learn all about their hours and admission rates．http://www．Chocolate museum．com
Potato museum
A 14--foot high potato greets you at what's billed as the world's largest exhibit of potato artifacts．Explore the humble potato's role in the economy，a collection of farm tools related to growing and harvesting potatoes，Hall of Fame．
25．If you are very interested in thrilling movies，you will probably be attracted    byB．
A．Accordion Museum              
B．Vancouver Police Museum
C．Potato Museum        
D．Chocolate Museum
26．We can infer from the passage that the ancestors of accordion originated  inC．
A．Canada
B．America
C．Asia     
D．Africa
27．The passage is most likely to be taken fromC．
A．a magazine
B．a newspaper
C．a website
D．a brochure．

17．A terrible competition is going on in England，with billions of dollars and hundreds of lives at risk．OK，that's not true．But competitors from around the world gathered on Thursday for the annual competition to compete for the world's biggest person who tells lies．
Each participant（参与者） is given up to five minutes to make up the best fib in the contest，which was founded in honor of 1 9th-century Bridge Inn landlord Will Ritson，who was reportedly famous for his lies．Competitors gather at the Bridge Inn every year for the competition，a small pub in northwestern England．Anyone but lawyers and politicians can take part in the competition．
A study found that nearly all lies are detectable （可检测的） through visible facial muscle reactions（反应）in the person telling a lie．"Thus，while interpersonal cheat often is highly successful，signs of hidden emotional states are communicated clearly to the informed observer，"the study concluded．
A churchman of Carlisle reportedly holds what may be the greatest lie of all time in the competition，simply stating，"I have never told a lie in my life．"
In 2003，Abrie Krueger from South Africa became the first one to win the competition．In 2006，comedian Sue Perkins became the first female to win the competition，telling a tale about people riding camels to work as a result of climate change．
28．Why does the author tell a lie at the beginning of the passage？B
A．He likes telling lies．
B．He intends to talk about a contest．
C．Lies can be detected by someone．
D．Nearly everyone has told lies．
29．What does the underlined word"fib"in Paragraph 2 probably mean？C
A．Experience．
B．Story．
C．Lie．
D．Plot．
30．W ho can't take part in the competition？A
A．Lawyers & politicians．
B．Reporters & editors．
C．Doctors & teachers．
D．Students & managers．
31．What's the author's main purpose of this passage？D
A．To explain how to deal with lies．
B．To invite people to take part in the competition．
C．To discuss how to avoid telling lies．
D．To introduce a strange competition．

16．There are stock markets （股票市场） in large cities in many countries．Stock markets in Paris，London，Tokyo，Shanghai and New York are among the largest and most well-known．The stock，also called stock exchange，is a place where people can buy or sell shares of a factory or  company．And each share means certain ownership（所有权） of a factory or company．
Different people go to stock markets．Some are rich，who want to get more money than they have．Others are not very rich，who buy stocks to try to become rich．Still others buy stocks as part of their plan to save money．
Of course，investing （投资） money in the stock market is not the safest way to make money．
No one can tell exactly whether the shares will be doing well．The factory or company may do badly．Then the stocks will go down，and the investors will lose money．The stock may go up or down for a number of untold reasons．Everyone wants the stock to go up，but sometimes even if a factory or company does a good job，the stock may still go down．
     Going to the stock market is often like gambling （赌博）．All want to make money by"gambling'in the stock market．Factories and companies that need money are pleased that so many people are ready to"gamble"．Indeed，the stock market is an attractive（吸引人的） but complex part of the business world．
33．The passage mainly wants to tell usC．
A．how to buy or sell shares        
B．the stock market is like gambling
C．a general idea of stock market     
D．investing money in the stock market is not the safest way
34．Factories and companies are pleased that so many people"gamble"becauseB．
A．they can make them rich
B．they need their money to do business
C．they need more people to work for them
D．some people win and some lose
35．If you are a good investor，Cin the stock market．
A．you can always make money      
B．you can tell exactly when the stock goes up or down
C．you may sometimes lose money   
D．your gambling is always safe．

15．The U．S．Postal Service （USPS） is losing billions of dollars a year．The government company that delive rs"small mail"is losing out to email and other types of electronic communication．First-class mail amount fell from a high point of 104 million pieces in 2000 to just 64 million pieces by 2015．
Congress permits the 600.000-employee USPS to hold a monopoly （垄断） over first-class and standard mail．The company pays no federal，state or local taxes； pays no vehicle fees； and is free from many regulations on other businesses．Despite these advantages，the USPS has lost $52 billion since 2007，and will continue losing money without major reforms．
The problem is that Congress is preventing the USPS from reducing costs as its sales decline，and is blocking efforts to end Saturday service and close unneeded post office locations．USPS also has a costly union-dominated workforce that slows the introduction of new ideas or methods down．USPS workers earn significantly higher payment than comparable private-sector workers．The answer is to privatize the USPS and open postal markets to competition．With the rise of the Internet，the argument that mail is a natural monopoly that needs government protection is weaker than ever．
Other countries facing declining letter amounts have made reforms．Germany and the Netherlands privatized their national postal companies over a decade ago，and other European countries have followed suit．Britain floated shares of the Royal Mail on its stock exchange in 2013．Some countries，such us Sweden and New Zealand，h ave not privatized their national postal companies，but they have opened them up to competition．
These reforms have driven efficiency improvements in all of these countries．Additional number of workers have been reduced，productivity has risen and consumers have benefited．Also，note that cost-cutting measures-such as closing tone post offices-are good for both the economy and the environment．
Privatization and competition also encourage new changes．When the USPS monopoly over"extremely urgent"mail was stopped in 1979，we saw an explosion in efficient overnight private delivery by firms such as FedEx．
The government needs to wake up to changing technology，study postal reforms abroad and let businessmen reinvent our out-of-date postal system．
62．What do we know about the USPS？D
A．Its great competitor is the delivery firm FedEx．
B．It is an old public service open to competitions．
C．Its employees don't pay federal，state or local taxes．
D．It has complete control of first-class and standard mail．
63．The author mentions some other countries in Paragraph 4 toC．
A．explain the procedures of reform to the USPS
B．show the advantages of private postal services
C．set some examples for the government to learn from
D．prove the situation is very common around the world
64．The author probably agree that the USPSD．
A．needs government's protection as ever
B．can work together with other businesses
C．must be replaced by international companies
D．should be sold out and become a private service
65．Which of the following shows the development of ideas in this passage？B

（ I：Introduction   CP：Central point    P：Point   Sp：Sub-point （次要点）    C：Conclusion）

14．Feeling lonely has a bigger influence on older people's life expectancy（预期寿命） than smoking，top government adviser David Halpern said earlier this year．
This shocking fact，given that loneliness is reaching high levels in the UK-with 3.1 million over-65s going more than a week without seeing a friend or family member-has caused quite a debate．Later retirement age is one idea for how the government might respond，but I think we can make a change without waiting for a new law．
My solution？Yup，you guessed it：the web．OK，I'm not mad enough to suggest that a piece of electronic equipment is a magic bullet（灵丹妙药） to loneliness，but I do，hand on heart，think that encouraging more older people to get online is the simplest and cheapest tool we can equip them with so they can reawaken old，or form new，friendships．
One of my favorite jobs as Digital Champion is judging Age UK's Internet Champion of the Year Award．Looking through this year's shortlist，it was obvious that each participant had been suddenly filled with a desire to socialize because of the way the net had widened their social circle．Reading the shortlist，what also struck me was how far from rocket science getting older people online is．
One of this year's winners，Brenda，has a great story that's both totally special and also ver y typical．Brenda felt extremely lonely after her husband's death．Several months later，she got online．Having quickly got used to using the computer，Brenda amazingly managed to make contact with a soldier who had stayed with her family during the Second World War．Starting up their friendship again after more than half a century is the kind of miracle（奇迹） the Internet has made us almost take for granted-but which would have been almost unthinkable just ten years ago．
32．Why did the author suggest the web as a solution？D
A．It is an all-purpose tool．
B．It is strongly advised by the government．
C．It is the only way older people make new friends．
D．It can solve the problem of loneliness in an easy way．
33．What did the author learn from the shortlist？C
A．Participants had a similar social circle．
B．Participants found it difficult to get online．
C．Participants benefited greatly from the web．
D．Participants knew each other because of the net．
34．As a lonely old woman，BrendaD．
A．searched hard for her old friend        
B．became a new friend of a soldier
C．lived alone for more than half a century  
D．got in touch with an old friend on the net
35．What is the best title for the text？A
A．Friends Online                     
B．Debate on Loneliness  
C．Encourage Older People             
D．Help an Internet Beginner．

13．Shopping for clothes is not the same experience for a man as it is for a woman．A man goes shopping because he needs something．His purpose is settled and decided in advance．He knows what he wants，and his objective is to find it and buy it； the price is a secondary consideration．All men simply walk into a shop and ask the assistant for what they want．If the shop has it in stock，the salesman promptly produces it，and the business of trying it on follows at once．All being well，the deal can be and often is completed in less than five minutes，with hardly any chat and to everyone's satisfaction．
For a man，slight problems may begin when the shop doesn't have what he wants．In that case the salesman，as the name implies，tries to sell the customer something else，he offers the nearest he can to the article required．No good salesman brings out such a substitute impolitely； he does so with skill："I know this jacket is not the style you want，sir，but would you like to try it for size？It happens to be the colour you mentioned．"Few men have patience with this treatment，and the usual response is："This is the right colour and may be the right size，but I should be wasting my time and yours by trying it on．"
Now how does a woman go about buying clothes？In almost every respect she does so in the opposite way．Her shopping is not often based on need．She has never fully made up her mind what she wants，and she is only"having a look round"．She is always open to persuasion； indeed she sets great store by what the saleswoman tells her，even by what companions tell her．She will try on any number of things．Uppermost in her mind is the thought of finding something that everyone thinks suits her．Contrary to a lot of jokes，most women have an excellent sense of value when they buy clothes．They are always on the lock-out for the unexpected bargain．Faced with a roomful of dresses，a woman may easily spend an hour going from one rail to another，to and fro，often retracing her steps，before selecting the dresses she wants to try on．It is a laborious process，but apparently an enjoyable one．Most dress shops provide chairs for the waiting husbands．

29．When a man is buying clothes，heD．
A．doesn't always know what to buy
B．puts price in the first place
C．is easily persuaded by the salesman
D．may finish the deal quickly
30．What will happen if a man cannot get exactly what he wants？B
A．He will take the salesman's advice to buy another one
B．He will usually leave the shop without what he wants
C．He will choose a similar one in size or in colour
D．He will spend more time to find what he likes
31．When shopping for clothes，womenC．
A．have their husbands wait for them
B．don't enjoy the tiring process
C．welcome suggestions from anyone
D．don't always care about price
32．What is the most obvious difference between men and women shoppers？D
A．Men buy things of good quality while women don't．
B．Women bargain for their clothes while men do not．
C．The fact whether they try on clothes before buying．
D．The time they take over buying clothes．

12．Abandoned babies can be left in a‘baby hatch'at a German hospital where newborns are looked after and put up for adoption．
The heated box，lined with a pillow and blankets，is at Berlin's St Joseph hospital．Mothers can leave their unwanted children at the baby hatch，and statistics show it is used about twice a year．
The stainless-steel hatch slides out and after a person has placed their baby inside and slid it shut，it touches an alarm inside the hospital so staff can pick the child up．It takes about two or three minutes for staff to get to the hatch so the parent has enough time to slip away without being noticed．
Inside the box is a letter which tells the mother German authorities will look after the baby for eight weeks．Mums that change their mind can come back to reclaim their babies within two months．However，if the parent does not come back to be reunited with their child after the two months it well be put up for adoption．
The practice was common in medieval times but has come under fire from the UN recently，the BBC reports．It believes that children have a right to know who their parents are and that right is denied to children left in the baby hatch．
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child says there are baby boxes across Europe but Germany has the most with 99across the country．
However，some people support the use of baby hatches．They argue without such places of safety，parents conceal （隐藏） newborns in hidden places that are not easily found，causing the deaths of many unwanted babies．
German chancellor Angela Merkel put forward legislation （立法） earlier this year to find an alternative to baby hatches．
Women will be allowed to give birth without revealing their identity to anyone outside the hospital．The information would be kept for 16years which would allow children who have been abandoned to find out who their birth mother is when they are older．

66．A baby hatch is set up mainly toD．
A．treat sick babies．
B．aid helpless mothers．
C．deal with dead babies．
D．save abandoned babies．
67．What can we learn about the baby hatch at Berlin's St Joseph hospital？A
A．It allows the mother to leave unseen．
B．The baby will be adopted immediately．
C．The mother can never get her baby back．
D．It was introduced to the hospital recently．
68．The UN criticises the baby hatch because itC．
A．reduces the sense of parental guilt．
B．increases the death rate of new babies．
C．denies children's right to know the parents．
D．encourages such acts as abandoning babies．
69．What can we learn about German chancellor Angela Merkel's new legislation？D
A．It requires mothers to keep their identity open．
B．It bans parents from abandoning their children．
C．It forbids the establishment of baby hatches in Germany．
D．It gives abandoned babies the chance to know their origins．
70．The text mainly talks aboutA．
A．the debate about baby hatches
B．the popularity of baby hatches．
C．the alternative to baby hatches．
D．the importance of baby hatches．

11．It had been a nice and sunny day．I stepped slowly towards the edge of the cliff and looked out．The  （41）C  was wonderful．I could  （42）B the gentle wind coming from the coast while watching the brilliant sunset．
My dad and I used to enjoy the sunset together on that very  （43）A．We would also watch the waves crash into the（44）D  below．My mother would always annoy us how  （45）D   it was．I was never worried，（46）A  I always felt safe next to my father，who spent most of his life out （47）D in his boat．
I remember one time on his boat I had  （48）B   off the back and into the cold water accidentally．My dad immediately jumped off to （49）C   me．I would never forget that day，and from that point I knew （50）C  would prevent my dad protecting me if I was in danger．
As I  （51）A  there on top of the cliff，I remembered the time I spent with my dad．I looked down sorrowfully at the urn（骨灰瓮） （52）B．My father was my rock，someone I could  （53）C  when I needed him most．But now he was gone，and I felt sorrowful and （54）B．
It had always been my father's last （55）D  to have his ashes scattered at sea．I （56）C   the urn，said a （57）A  farewell（告别），and then slowly twisted off the lid．The wind started to change  （58）D，blowing out towards the sea．I looked last time down at my father's ashes and then  （59）B for a moment．Finally，I scattered the contents over the cliff．
I wiped away tears，but it was perfect happiness rather than sadness，because I finally knew the man who （60）B so much to me，my father，was finally at peace．

41．A．journey	B．condition	C．view	D．food
42．A．see	B．feel	C．hear	D．smell
43．A．spot	B．river	C．field	D．moment
44．A．wind	B．rubbish	C．walls	D．rocks
45．A．embarrassing	B．interesting	C．beautiful	D．dangerous
46．A．because	B．when	C．if	D．though
47．A．at peace	B．at rest	C．at sunset	D．at sea
48．A．jumped	B．fallen	C．dived	D．swam
49．A．comfort	B．search	C．rescue	D．follow
50．A．everything	B．something	C．nothing	D．anything
51．A．stood	B．lay	C．hanged	D．slept
52．A．under my arm	B．in my hand	C．on my shoulder	D．around my neck
53．A．care for	B．learn from	C．depend on	D．turn down
54．A．fearless	B．hopeless	C．careless	D．shameless
55．A．chance	B．behaviour	C．ambition	D．wish
56．A．looked back on	B．looked out for	C．looked down at	D．looked up to
57．A．silent	B．shocking	C．sudden	D．strange
58．A．speed	B．distance	C．force	D．direction
59．A．screamed	B．hesitated	C．laughed	D．complained
60．A．helped	B．meant	C．owed	D．did

10．In October 2010，I left my hometown and family in Virginia and moved to Iowa so I could be coached by Liang Chow．I'd been dreaming of an Olympic gold medal since I was eight--but gradually，that dream seemed like a million miles away．
On January 2，2012，while Mom was visiting me in Iowa，I told her，"I don't like gymnastics anymore．I want to try dancing，or become a singer．I can get a job in Virginia．I just want to come home．"
Mom's eyes narrowed and her expression turned to stone．"You're breaking my heart Brie．"She said．"you've been doing gymnastics for ten years，and now you want to quit？Have you lost your mind？"
I hadn't lost my mind，but I had lost my fire．It's an entirely different thing to push toward that dream when you feel alone．
"I'm not trying to break your heart，Mom，"I said．"I just don't want to do it anymore．"
"I know you miss home．But you've signed a contract that says you will represent your country to the best of your ability．You've got a responsibility to your teammates．And now you just want to walk away？I will not let you be dishonorable．If you don't like gymnastics，then at the very least，you will finish the season．"
The next afternoon as I dragged myself into Chow's gym．I thought of the efforts Mom had made in order to pay for my training．I thought of my two sisters：Arielle，who gave up ballroom dancing，and Joyelle，who stopped ice skating so that our single mom could afford to keep me in gymnastics．
For now，here's what you need to know：Exactly 210days before I ever attempted my first vault（跳跃）in the London Summer Olympics，my leap of faith came this close to ending in a crash of disaster．
66．The author wanted to give up gymnastics becauseB．
A．she thought she loved music more
B．she was overcome with homesickness
C．an Olympic gold was beyond her reach
D．the training for the Olympics was too hard
67．How did the author's mother feel on hearing her words？A
A．Heart-broken．B．Sympathetic．C．Helpless．D．Calm．
68．We can infer from the passage that the authorC．
A．was born into an athletic familyB．realized her Olympic dream
C．changed her mind in the end D．had a bad childhood
69．What would be the best title for the passage？B
A．A Dream Come True
B．My Leap of Faith
C．My Mother
D．A Quitter
70．Who will be interested in the passage？D
A．A medical student who will graduate from university．
B．A healthcare professional who will give a lecture on cancer．
C．A marketing professional who is looking for customers．
D．A gymnastic player who wants to give up competition．

9．Space TouristsSaturday 28April，2001：Dennis Tito was setting off on his holiday．"So what？"you might think．Well，Mr．Tito's journey was certainly unusual!So was the transport he chose，and the price of his trip．
The 60-year-old millionaire from New York was sitting on board a Russian spaceship．He was on a journey to the International Space Station．It might have been a routine  trip for the two Russian astronauts who were travelling with him，but for him it was certainly no ordinary journey．Dennis Tito was the first tourist ever in space，and he had paid $20million to go there．As the spacecraft left the earth's atmosphere，Tito drank a glass of fruit juice to celebrate and looked down at the earth's blue-green surface．Two minutes later，he was sick．Luckily it was only a minor problem．He soon recovered，and from then on enjoyed a smooth  journey．When he arrived at the space station，there was a big smile on his face．"A great trip!"he commented．"I love space．"
For a long time space travel was something for heroes．But if some people are right，all this is going to change．One of them is Charles Miller，Director of a company called ProSpace．They are investing¹ large amounts of money in space travel．"Tito's adventure was just the beginning．We're going to see exciting new things in the next twenty years!"Charles Miller says．
Companies like ProSpace want space and space travel to belong to the public，not just governments．There are other future plans，like cruises² through space from one side of the world to the other．Maybe we will be able to leave from New York at nine o'clock in the morning，and arrive in Tokyo an hour later!Such a schedule would allow the business traveller to return to New York on the same day，and still have eight hours for a meeting!How's that for speed？
1．invest：to spend money in order to make something succeed
2．cruise：journey

Questions 61to 65．Judge if the following statements agree with the information given in the passage．Choose A for TRUE if the statements agree with it； choose B for FALSE if the statements don't agree with it； choose C for NOT GIVEN if the information the statements carry is not mentioned anywhere in the passage．根据文章内容判断下列表述．如果表述与文章内容一致，选A项；表述与文章内容不一致，选B项；文章中未提及表述的信息，则选C项．
61．Mr．Tito started an ordinary journey in April，2001．B
62．It cost Mr．Tito a lot of money to go to the space station．A
63．Mr．Tito really enjoyed his journey although he had a health problem at first．A
64．Many tourists have been to space since 2001．C
65．ProSpace doesn't want space travel to belong to governments．B

Questions 66 to 69．Match the following words with their meanings in the passage．Note that there are two choices more than you need．判断下列词汇在文章中的含义，并从表格中选择恰当的释义．（提示：6个选项中有2项是多余的）

A．not serious B．completely correct C．normal and regular D．likely to exist later

66．routineC
67．minorA
68．smoothF
69．futureD

Question 70．Choose the best answer from A，B，C or D．选择最佳答案．
70．What is the main subject of the passage？A
A．For the first time in history，a tourist made a trip into space．
B．Dennis Tito is a hero because he flew into space when he was 60．
C．The first tourist in space was sick when he drank a glass of fruit juice．
D．ProSpace is planning space trips from one side of the world to the other．