These inventions are making the world a better, smarter, and in some cases, a little more fun.

Easy-On Shoes

This year, Nike came out with their solution: the Flyease. The basketball shoe can be tied with only one hand. The idea for it came from ＂opening and closing a door,＂ says Tobie Hatfield, the shoe’s inventor. A pair of Nike Flyease shoes sells for $130.

Bionic Ears (仿生耳)

If you’re tired of loud noise, you have two choices: cover your ears or leave. But what if you could turn off or lower the sound, just as you would on a TV? That’s the promise of the Here Active Listening system. The Bionic Ears are connected with a smartphone app. Users can pick which sounds they don’t want. They are priced at $249.

A Virtual Pencil and Paper

In the 450 years or so since its invention, the pencil has become so common; it’s easy to forget how great a technology it is. It writes darker when you press harder. Its marks can be erased. It’s difficult to copy the way it works. That’s what makes Apple’s latest effort so different. The Apple Pencil allows users to draw, paint, or write on a screen, just as they would on a sheet of paper. The Apple Pencil goes for $99.

The Artiphon

Having a hard time choosing an instrument (乐器)? You might want to try the Artiphon. It can imitate (模仿) dozens of instruments—not just how they sound but also how they’re played. It can be like a guitar. It can be like a piano. The Artiphon is priced at $399.

【1】Matthew, a student with a disability of one arm, most probably chooses .

A. Easy-On Shoes B. Bionic Ears

C. A Virtual Pencil and Paper D. Be Creative

【2】How much will you most probably pay if you are a music fan who is tired of loud noise?

A. $ 229. B. $ 339. C. $ 498. D. $ 648.

【3】What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?

A. To introduce some problem-solving apps.

B. To call on more students to love inventing.

C. To share ways of making inventions.

D. To introduce some coolest inventions.

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

Volunteer Opportunities Abroad

On this project you will spend two weeks living with a host family and coaching soccer in friendly West Africa! You will spend your two weeks in Accra helping local children develop their soccer skills. You will develop their skills and confidence while having fun playing soccer at the same time.

【1】“The Village” is the name for _________.

A. a local magazine

B. a volunteer project

C. the task given by the editor

D. the place where volunteers live

【2】 What will the volunteers in Cambodia do?

A. Help with fishing.

B. Give a diving course.

C. Do some cleaning work.

D. Teach the village children.

【3】The underlined word “coaching” probably means ________.

A. nursing B. watching

C. playing D. teaching

【4】All the volunteers of the three projects will ________.

A. work for two weeks

B. be at least 16 years old

C. stay with local families

D. learn the local language

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项 （A 、B 、C 和 D ）中，选出最佳选项。

Apple is to open a research lab in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, according to Tim Cook, its chief executive, as it seeks to boost sales in the country and improve ties with the authorities.

Beijing has been encouraging foreign technology companies to carry out more high-end work on the mainland as part of efforts to revitalize local industry.

It will be Apple’s second facility in China. It already has a new research and development facility in Beijing.

The two R&D centers were “aimed at strengthening relationships with local partners and universities as we work to support talent development across the country”, Apple said in a statement.

A closer relationship with the Chinese authorities has been a priority following setbacks for the US technology company this year.

The iPhone has been losing market share to high-end handsets made by local competitors including Huawei, Vivo and Oppo, which topped the rankings in the second quarter, while Apple languished in fifth place, according to Canalys data.

Analysts said the announcement of the R&D centre was Mr. Cook’s latest attempt to gain favour with Beijing, following the US group’s $1billion investment in Didi Chuxing, the Chinese car-hailing company, in May.

Apple has had to change its approach in China as it faces rising nationalism and high-quality local competition, according to Ge Jia, a tech blogger, who wrote yesterday: “It’s time for Apple to cast aside their pride.” “Their previous strategy of only selling devices to China without leaving anything behind is not working any more and they are starting their process of localisation in China through the Shenzhen lab.”

【1】Apple is going to open a research lab in Shenzhen to _____________.

A. promote Shenzhen’s economy

B. promote its sales in China

C. get help of Chinese experts

D. join in local competition

【2】Which of the following is true?

A. There is only one research facility in China.

B. Apple has always been in good relationship with Chinese authorities.

C. Huawei has ranked to No.1 in the second sales quarter.

D. Apple is changing its strategy in order to boost sales.

【3】What caused Apple’s sales in China to fall?

A. Its bad quality and high price.

B. Nationalism and high-quality local competition.

C. Out-of-date design and false advertisement.

D. Chinese government’s ban on purchase.

【4】According to Ge Jia, what is Apple’s previous sales approach in China?

A. taking part in high-quality local competition.

B. choosing certain customers in China.

C. only selling devices.

D. selling devices as well as technology.

（1）根据图表中税收增速和GDP增速的情况，简要说明调查结果。

（2）根据图表调查结果，写出一条关于税收增收的建议。

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

Yosemite is a national park in California. It is very beautiful and big. The park includes more than 760,000 acres (英亩) in the California Mountains. Most of the park is wild (荒凉的).

The part of Yosemite that everyone likes is Yosemite Valley. It is a small valley that is 7 miles long and less than 1 mile wide. It has tall rock walls and streams that flow down in waterfalls. More than two million visitors come to the valley each year.

It’s said that the number of visitors is more than the land can hold. The valley has 4,500 camping places. It has a hotel that can hold 4,000 families. This is still not enough to serve all of the visitors. The valley has grown so big that it has a lot of traffic.

A worker says the park is trying to keep the beauty of the park and let everyone visit. Some areas have been rounded up (圈起来) to keep people away and planted with seeds to try to keep them beautiful.

A former worker thinks Yosemite should get more money to take better care of the park. He would also like to teach people what the park service is trying to do.

Some people are trying to save Yosemite Valley. A plan has been made to remove some buildings. There will be fewer cars allowed inside the park. More buses will help get people around.

【1】According to the passage, which of the following should be removed?

A. Some of the trees.

B. Some of the water.

C. Some of the families.

D. Some of the buildings.

【2】Which of the following about Yosemite is TRUE?

A. Most parts of Yosemite park are full of traffic.

B. The valley has 4,500 parking places and some hotels.

C. Yosemite is a national park located in the California desert.

D. Some people think they should control the number of visitors to the park.

【3】There are some areas of the park that are closed ________.

A. and workers will plant seeds

B. so some visitors can stay there alone

C. in order to supply an area for camping

D. so visitors can go fishing and swimming

【4】The passage mainly tells us________.

A. Yosemite is a wild big park

B. Yosemite is a beautiful national park

C. Yosemite is faced with a new problem

D. Yosemite interests a great many visitors each year

阅读短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

Camping wild is a wonderful way to experience the natural world and, at its best, it makes little environmental influence. But with increasing numbers of people wanting to escape into the wilderness, it is becoming more and more important to camp unobtrusively（不引人注意地）and leave no mark.

Wild camping is not permitted in many places, particularly in crowded lowland Britain. Wherever you are, find out about organizations responsible for managing wild spaces, and contact them to find out their policy on camping and shelter building. For example, it is fine to camp wild in remote parts of Scotland, but in England you must ask the landowner’s permission, except in natural parks.

Camping is about having relaxation, sleeping outdoors, experiencing bad weather, and making do without modern conveniences. A busy, fully-equipped campsite（野营地）seems to go against this, so seek out smaller, more remote places with easy access to open spaces and perhaps beaches. Better still, find a campsite with no road access: walking in makes a real adventure.

Finding the right spot to camp is the first step to guaranteeing a good night’s sleep. Choose a campsite with privacy and minimum（最小化的） influence on others and the environment. Try to use an area where people have obviously camped before rather than creating a new spot. When camping in woodland, avoid standing dead trees, which may fall on a windy night. Avoid animal runs and caves, and possible homes of biting insects. Make sure you have most protection on the windward side. If you make a fire, do so downwind of your shelter. Always consider what influence you might have on the natural world. Avoid damaging plants. A good campsite is found, not made—changing it should be unnecessary.

【1】You needn’t ask for permission when camping in ________.

A．national parks in England

B．most parts of Scotland

C．crowded lowland Britain

D．most parts of England

【2】The last paragraph mainly deals with ________.

A．protecting animals

B．building a campfire

C．camping in woodland

D．finding a campsite with privacy

【3】The passage is mainly about ________.

A．the protection of campsites

B．the importance of wild camping

C．the human influence on campsites

D．the dos and don’ts of wild camping

斜阳外，寒鸦数点，流水绕孤村。

根据短文内容，从短文后的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。

Quick tips for better time management

Are you a good time manager? If your answer is “no”, here are some tips on how to be a better time manager:

1. Create a daily plan. Plan your day before it starts. The plan gives you a good description of how the day will go on. That way, you will be ready to deal with most of the things you meet. 【1】2. Focus. Are you multi-tasking so much that you’re just not getting anything done? 【2】 Only focus on what you’re doing. You’ll be more efficient that way.

3. Stay away from your time wasters. What takes your time away from your work? QQ? Email checking? 【3】One thing you can do is make it hard to check them— remove them from your browser quick links.

【4】Don’t take on more than you can deal with. For the distractions that come in when you’re doing other things, give a firm no. Or do it later.

5. Decide to be early. When you prepare to be on time, you’ll either be on time or late. 【5】However, if you decide to be early, you’ll most likely to be on time. For appointments, try to be early. For your deadlines, meet them earlier than required.

A. Learn to say “No”.

B. Most of the time you’ll be late.

C. Great ways to know your time spent.

D. Cut off when you need to.

E. Stop checkingthem so often.

F. Your job for the day is to follow the plan as best as possible.

G. If so, focus on just one key task at one time

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

Actually, long-distance bicycle camping is one of the most pleasurable activities I have ever experienced.

I generally sleep poorly at night, but in the woods on a tour, I sleep like a baby, falling asleep with the music of insects. In the morning, I am awakened by the cheeps of birds. I eat a snack before getting up, and then I quickly pack my sleeping bag, air mattress (垫), tent, and other things and get on with my road. I'm slower in the morning, having less speed but a greater desire to stop at pleasant spots and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Traveling by bike allows me to stop anywhere, such as grasslands, lakes, woods, and scenic spots. Near lunch, I find a small grocery and buy some bread, sandwiches and fruit. Then I will find a town park or other shady spots to wait out the high mid-day sun. In the afternoon, my speeds are higher, and I spend less time on stops. In the late afternoon, I start riding more slowly, and I start thinking about where I will stop. I finally find a place in the early evening, cook a simple meal and have a rest. As it starts to get dark, I put up my tent, crawl in and fall asleep.

There are exciting times and difficult times as well. Visiting strange or famous places and accomplishing goals are always exciting to me. I meet and talk with interesting people along the way, sometimes other traveling cyclists. Appreciating beautiful views, meeting wild animals, and traveling up and down hills also. On the other hand, I may run into a rainy or hot spell(一段时间), have to repair my bike, or just find myself in a bad mood. The problems are infrequent and are easy to deal with. The pleasures remain in my mind for years.

【1】We can learn from the passage that the author can have a good sleep ______.

A. in a hotel

B. at home

C. in the shade

D. in the woods

【2】 In the first paragraph, the author tells us that ________.

A. how he sleeps during his travel

B. the route of his bicycle travel

C. why he rides slowly all the time

D. one day’s activities of his bicycle travel

【3】It can be inferred from the first paragraph that the author ________.

A. enjoys a free and pleasant journey

B. likes riding in the woods

C. rides fast in the morning

D. cooks a simple lunch

【4】 According to the passage, a cycle tourist may prefer ________.

A. a beautiful view

B. a rainy day

C. a hot day

D. a strong wind

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

Nearly a quarter century after a German boy threw a message in a bottle off a ship in the Baltic Sea, he's received an answer.

A 13yearold Russian, Daniil Korotkikh, was walking with his parents on a beach when he saw something lying in the sand.

“I saw that bottle and it looked interesting, ” Korotkikh told The Associated Press on Tuesday.“It looked like a German beer bottle and there was a message inside.”

It said, “My name is Frank, and I'm five years old. My dad and I are travelling on a ship to Denmark. If you find this letter, please write back to me, and I will write back to you.” The letter, dated 1987, included an address in the town of Coesfeld.

The boy in the letter, Frank Uesbeck, is now 29. His parents still live at the letter's address.

The Russian boy and the German man met each other earlier this month through an Internet video link. The Russian boy said he did not believe that the bottle actually spent 24 years in the sea. He believed it had been hidden under the sand where he found it for a long time.

Uesbeck was especially happy that he was able to have a positive effect on a life of a young person far away from Germany. “It's really a wonderful story, ” he said.“And who knows? Perhaps one day we will actually be able to arrange a meeting in person.”

【1】What is this passagemainly about?

A．Message in a bottle. B．A beautiful beer bottle.

C．Travelling on a ship. D．Meeting an old friend.

【2】When the German boy threw the bottle into the sea, ________．

A．he was going back home

B．he was already 29 years old

C．he was walking with his parents on a beach

D．he was travelling to Denmark by ship with his dad

【3】According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Korotkikh's parents still live in the town of Coesfeld.

B．The German boy did not believe that the bottle actually spent 24 years in the sea.

C．Frank Uesbeck and Daniil Korotkikh have met each other in person.

D．Daniil Korotkikh and Frank Uesbeck have got in touch with each other.

【4】Why was Uesbeck very happy when he got the information of the 24 years' message bottle?

A．Because he could have a new friend.

B．Because the two boys could surf the Internet together.

C．Because he finally got what he had lost.

D．Because he could have a positive influence on a life of a young person.