Neumann was the oldest of 3 children of a banker, and his speed of learning new ideas and of solving problems stood out early. At 17, his father tried to persuade him not to become a mathematician because he may lead a poor life being a mathematician, and so Neumann agreed to study chemistry as well. In 1926, at 23, he received a degree in chemical engineering and a Ph. D. in mathematics. From then on, mathematic provided well enough for him, and he never had to turn to chemistry.

In 1930, Neumann visited Princeton University for a year and then became a professor there. His first book was published in 1932. In 1933, the Institute for Advanced Study was formed, and he became one of the 6 full-time people in the School of Mathematics (Einstein was one of the others).

World War II hugely changed Neumann’s areas of interest. Until 1940 he had been a great pure (纯粹的) mathematician. During and after the war, he became one of the best mathematicians who put mathematics theories into practice. During the last part of the war he became interested in computing machines and made several contributions. After the war, Neumann continued his work with computers, and was generally very active in government service. He received many awards, was president of American Mathematical Society and was a member of the Atomic Energy Commission. He died in 1957 of cancer.

Neumann really was a legend(传奇) in his own time, and there are a number of stories about him. His driving ability is a part of this legend. He reported one accident this way: “I was driving down the road. The trees on the right were passing me in an orderly fashion at 60 miles per hour. Suddenly one of them stepped in my path.”

1.According to the text, Neumann’s father believed that __________.

A. a mathematician needed a good memory

B. a mathematician couldn’t earn a lot of money

C. Neumann has a gift for solving problems at a high speed

D. Neumann had the ability to learn two subjects at the same time

2.How did World War II affect Neumann?

A. He lost interest in chemistry.

B. He realized the importance of engineering.

C. He began to research how to put mathematics into practice.

D. He left college and served at the government department.

3.Which of the following is true of Neumann?

A. He had three children.

B. He died from an accident.

C. He received many awards in his life.

D. He and Einstein were classmates in Princeton University.

4.From the last paragraph, we can infer Neumann was ________.

A. humorous B. calm C. intelligent D. brave

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。

There is an old Spanish saying which states, “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.” How many times have we put off out dreams tomorrow? _1.___ We have to go for them now!

Tomorrow is not promised.

Nobody likes to talk about death, but everybody is going to die at one point. None of us know the day or the hour. ____2.____ Don’t go to your tomb(坟墓) with unrealized dreams. Make the decision to go after every dream, big or small right now.

____3.____

One of the biggest dream killers is fear. Many people could have achieved amazing things if only they weren’t afraid. Just think about all the things you’ve wanted to go, but allowed fear to convince you that you weren’t talented, or good enough. Fear is not real. It is a product of thoughts you create.

Take action to realize your dream.

You can dream about writing a great play, but it’s never going to happen unless you actually put pen to paper. You can dream about finding a cure for cancer, but it will never happen unless you actually become equipped with the necessary tools to find that cure. ____4.___

Possibilities are waiting on you.

There are so many amazing opportunities and people waiting on you. How do you get to them? Simple! Follow your dream. __5.____ You’ll never see those doors if you sit around waiting on a dream to happen, instead of actually working to make it happen.

A. Don’t let fear win.

B. In other words, dreams don’t work unless you do.

C. Our dreams should not, and cannot wait.

D. Therefore, today is all we have.

E. You’ll be much happier if you go for it.

F. You were born into the world with a unique gift, which nobody can copy.

G. Doors that you couldn’t imagine open up when you go after what you want.

短文改错

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：在缺词处加一个漏子符号（^）,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：在错的词下面划一横线，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。

A girl called Jennifer left home three days before. She wandered about in the streets, tiring and hungry. She could no longer bear it, but she made up her mind to return home. On her way back to home, she was wondering how her parents would react after the three day of her disappearance. Returned home, she saw note lying on the table in the kitchen room. Her father sat in the sofa. Her mother was so tired that she slept soundly. Instead of waking her, Jennifer lay beside her mother and go to sleep soon. When she was awake, she found she wasn’t in her mother’s room and her old and dirty clothes was gone. She was in her own comfortable and warm bed in his sleeping clothes.

Kate

You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.

“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “They (elevators) are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”

We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.

He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.

New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.

Why are we so awkward in lifts?

“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”

In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be construed (理解) as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.

1.The main purpose of the article is to _____.

A．remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator

B．tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette

C．share an interesting but awkward elevator ride

D．analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator

2.According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually _____.

A．turn around and greet one another

B．look around or examine their phone

C．make eye contact with those in the elevator

D．try to keep a distance from other people

3.Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator?

4.The writer wrote the passage in a tone of ___________.

A．disapproved B．objective

C．negative D．supportive

An eight-year-old Arthur Gonzaga from Minas Gerais, Brazil has taken the Internet by a storm, as first reported by TheHuffingtonPost, with his online YouTube series videos “Arthur Gourmand”. And while it would not be a far stretch of the imagination to assume an 8-year-old’s cooking show would be filled with dishes like pizza and burgers, Arthur’s show actually features recipes like fruit salad a la créme de passion fruit and filet mignon (菲力牛排).

The idea to record Arthur’s cooking adventures on YouTube was rooted in the young chef’s leukemia diagnosis (白血病诊断) in August 2013.Treatment and recovery for the cancer left the young boy in the hospital for the second half of the year and Aruthur was even forced to spend Christmas Eve in the emergency room of So Paulo’s A.C. Camargo Cancer Center. That’s when his family—father Renato Gonzaga and stepmother Priscila Inserra—decided that Arthur should create something positive that would distract him from his health.

The videos, which are filmed in the kitchen of a friend of the family, are in Portuguese. They show Arthur walking the viewers through a step-by-step process of the entire recipe—from preparation to cooking. Occasionally, viewers can see Arthur’s father serving as his son’s sous chef, passing ingredients and following his lead.

Fluent in Portuguese or not, viewers can immediately notice Arthur’s optimistic and friendly personality. It is perhaps these qualities that have given the young rising Internet star almost 5,000 likes on his Facebook Fan Page. There are currently three videos on YouTube and according to his most recent Facebook post, the young boy will be taking suggestions for his next video.

Fortunately, according to what Inserra told TheHuffingtonPost, Arthur is responding well to his treatments and is on his path to recovery. “The secret of life is to let it take you, to have fun and to know how to turn lemons into lemonade (柠檬水),” wrote her family, fittingly, on their most recent Facebook post. Hats off to Arthur, who truly serves as a shining example of how to turn lemons into lemonade.

1.Arthur Gourmand is a name of .

A.the boy B.the boy’s illness

C.a newspaper D.the boy’s cooking show

2.Arthur performs his cooking show .

A.on the stage B.in his friend’s kitchen

C.in his own kitchen D.in the emergency room

3.The underlined phrase “sous chef” probably means .

A.a assistant of a chef B.a adviser of a chef

C.a companion of a chef D.a friend of a chef

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A.Arthur has finished all his videos.

B.Arthur doesn’t speak Portuguese fluently.

C.Arthur had to spend the New Year’s Eve in the hospital.

D.Arthur sets a good example to those with serious illness.

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。

Eccentrics are people who have an unusual or odd personality, set of beliefs, or behavior pattern. They may or may not comprehend the standards for normal behavior in their culture. They simply don’t care about the society’s disapproval of their habits or beliefs.

Once considered socially unacceptable, eccentric people have been found to possess some positive characteristics. 1. They often have more curiosity about the world and, in many cases, are contentedly obsessed by hobbies and interests. 2. They live in a world of their own and do not worry about what others think of them. So they are usually less restricted and therefore more carefree in forming new ideas.

3. Statistics show they visit their doctors less—about once in eight to nine years, which is 20 times less than the average person. This could be partly due to their innate traits such as humor and happiness. 4. This may explain why eccentrics are, on the whole, healthier.

Psychologists therefore suggest that we pay attention to those who do not conform. It could be our aunt who has been raising pet lizards. 5. Their crazy hobby or strange sense of humor is what keeps them going. Eccentric people may seem odd, but they will likely live a happier and healthier life because they enjoy what they are doing. In fact, many of history’s most brilliant minds have displayed some unusual behaviors and habits.

A．Eccentrics are also found to be healthier.

B．According to a recent study in England, eccentrics are more creative.

C．Or it could be our best friend’s brother who wears shorts to a formal dance.

D．People may have eccentric taste in clothes, or have eccentric hobbies.

E．Psychologists also find that eccentric people do not follow conventions.

F．Such personal traits are found to play an important role in boosting the body’s immune system.

G．Psychologist Dr David Weeks mentions people with a mental illness “suffer” from their behavior while eccentrics are quite happy.

短文改错

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。

SQ3R stand for five steps in the reading process: Survey, Question, Read, Review and Recite. The first step is survey, which helps you to predict how the author is going to say. The second step is question, which means to form questions basing on your survey. The third step is read and note something down. You’d better take note or underline something importantly while reading. The fourth step is review, which means to go over the text check your understanding and try to answer for all the questions you’ve written down while reading. The fifth step is recite, which means to make the summary of the reading in your own words. You can be sure you have understood the text although you can recite them without referring to the notes.

Singles' Day ---- the Chinese opposite of Valentine’s Day has turned into a massive online shopping event. It is a day when single people are supposed to buy themselves presents. But there are sociological reasons behind China's “celebration” of single life. And the imbalance could have big consequences for the country.

There were 34 million more men than women in China in 2011. Part of that is natural – usually there are 105 boys born for every 100 girls. But the Chinese gender ratio (性别比例) at birth is much more obvious. It was 116 boys to 100 girls in 2012. The one child policy is largely to blame. Brought in to limit population expansion, the policy allows only one child per family. But because male children are seen as more valuable, as well as more likely to support their parents in old age, some parents choose to have a son over a daughter. The result is that large numbers of men will likely never get married. In fact, one study has predicted that by 2030, 1 in 5 Chinese men in their 30s will never have married, while another states that 94% of unmarried people in China are men.

Traditionally, China has seen high levels of marriage, usually among the young. Besides, the increased education and career opportunities for women have meant that marriages are happening later. It is also traditional that women often marry men of a higher socioeconomic status than themselves. So women at the top and men at the bottom find themselves alone. One study has even suggested a link between an imbalanced gender ratio and growth in violent crime in the country.

Singles ' Day can’t solve all the problems China’s singles face. Indeed, it is possible that it is causing even more problems, as men resort to increasingly risky lines of work to increase their chances of gaining money and thus a wife. I am worried that as money starts to overcome romance, there is evidence that China ' s marriage market is increasingly materialistic.

1.In 2012, if 50 girls were born, how many boys were probably born?

A. 50. B. 52. C. 58. D. 60.

2.What made women in China get married late?

A. Their support of the government’s late marriage policy.

B. Their higher education level and more work chances.

C. That they expect to enjoy their single time when young.

D. That there are too many excellent young men to choose from.

3.What’s the writer’s attitude to the imbalance gender ratio in China?

A. Optimistic B. Concerned

C. Indifferent D. Unknown

4.We can learn from the passage that .

A. Singles' Day is celebrated all over the world.

B. by 2030, 1 in 5 Chinese women in their 30s will be out of marriage.

C. an imbalanced gender ratio is related to the growth in violent crime.

D. Singles' Day will solve all the problems China’s singles face.

在短文空白处填写适当的词（每空不多余3个词）或所给词的正确形式。

A CCTV journalist succeeded in arousing a _1.____ (heat) discussion among netizens by asking people _2.____ they are happy. The responses to the question were 3._____ (variety), even some quite funny ones included. Although some people played jokes on the answers, it didn’t take long before they began to figure out the true meanings of happiness.

It is certain that people’s views on happiness _4._____ (affect) greatly by their own life experience. 5.________ (fortunate), too many people refer to being rich as happiness. Some people _6.______ intention is to make big money appreciate being given any chance to multiply their income, _7._____ (believe) that is where their happiness lies. Some are eager to inherit their parents’ property, especially those who are known as silver-spoon kids. Even worse, some would rather break the law8. _______ (satisfy) their financial desire or seek their fortune legally.

_9.____ my opinion, happiness is not about pursuing wealth merely but about admiring 10.___ beautiful things in life. Therefore, live your life to the fullest and be happy.

The world consumes hundreds of billions of single-use plastic bags each year. They are difficult to recycle, wasteful and damage the nature. Environmental activists want to ban plastic bags or---as many communities have done ---charge a fee for them. But the plastic bag industry defends their use, saying people reuse plastic bags, and industry officials argue recycling is a matter of personal responsibility and should not be forced.

City officials say New Yorkers use 5.2 billion plastic bags each year. They are offered free with nearly every supermarket, or convenience store purchase. Many people like them, even if they sometimes feel guilty about using them. But what happens to those bags after they’ve been used in a huge environmental problem. They are found on beaches. They are caught in trees. They are swallowed by marine life.

Plastic bags are made of petroleum products and natural gas, and do not biodegrade (分解). And they are difficult to recycle. So New York City spends nearly $ 10 million dollars a year to send 100---thousand tons of plastic bags to landfills out of state.

In Washington, D.C., a five percent charge on all single-use bags led to about a 60 percent reduction and in Los Angeles County in California , a 10 cent charge on single-use bags led to a 95 percent reduction. With a 10 cent charge on bags, customers are much more likely to stop and think about whether they need a bag or not. And that’s really all that these laws are doing.

1.Who object to the limit of using plastic bags?

A. Plastic bag makers. B. Government officials.

C. Stores and supermarkets. D. Most of the consumers.

2.Paragraph 2 mainly tells us _____.

A. the difficulty about dealing with plastic bags

B. the popularity of plastic bags in New York

C. the great convenience brought by using plastic bags

D. the usage and problems of plastic bags in New York

3.What measure does the writer introduce to reduce the use of plastic bags?

A. Reducing the production of plastic bags.

B. Charging for the use of plastic bags.

C. Offering paper bags instead of plastic bags.

D. Making people realize the harm of plastic bags.