Task 1

題材：人物 文章詞數(shù)：312 難度：★★★ 建議用時：6分鐘

A 63-year-old Chinese carpenters traditional skills have become an Internet sensation as he creates woodwork with nothing more than a single piece of wood， without glue， screws or nails. The

Chinese master carpenter， Wang Dewen， known as “Grandpa Amu” on YouTube， has been dubbed（給……起綽號） the modern Lu Ban， a famous Chinese structural engineer during the Zhou Dynasty， thanks to his vast carpentry knowledge. His most popular video， in which he was making a fantastic wooden arch bridge， went viral on the platform， gaining more than 42 million views.

“If you do something， you have to love it， and you have to be interested in it; however， being interested doesnt mean theres only happiness and no pain，” Grandpa Amu shared when talking about his excellent carpentry skills.

His most popular works include a folding stool， a model of the China pavilion from the 2010 Shanghai Expo， and an apple-shaped interlocking puzzle， known as a Lu Ban lock. Grandpa Amu follows an ancient Chinese mortise（榫卯） and tenon（雄榫） technique， which means no nails or glue is involved in the entire process of building the arch bridge.

The master carpenter has also made several wooden toys for his grandson using the same technique. His young grandsons favorites include a walking Peppa Pig and a bubble blowing machine. Attracting over 1.17 million fans on YouTube， Grandpa Amus videos so far have gained more than 200 million views.

His wonderful woodworking skills， using the same mortise and tenon joints found in the Forbidden City， were developed from the age of thirteen as a way of supporting his family in East Chinas Shandong Province. “The grandson is so happy， as there have been so many fine and unique toys made by grandpa from an early age，” commented one netizen; while another said， “Its amazing. I hope these traditional crafts can be passed on！”

1. What do we know about Grandpa Amu from the first paragraph？

A. He is made fun of on the Internet.

B. He aims at spreading Chinese culture.

C. He is highly thought of on the Internet.

D. He has made a lot of fortune on the Internet.

2. What is the key to be a great carpenter according to Grandpa Amu？

A. Talent. B. Passion. C. Patience. D. Persistence.

3. How did Grandpa Amu make the wooden arch bridge？

A. With glue and screws.

B. By using modern crafts.

C. Without using nails or glue.

D. By using only a piece of wood.

4. What urged Grandpa Amu to work as a carpenter？

A. His early living conditions.

B. His early interest in woodworking.

C. His grandsons requirement.

D. Passing on the traditional culture.

Task 2

題材：醫(yī)院經(jīng)歷 文章詞數(shù)：386 難度：★★★ 建議用時：7分鐘

Steam filled the bathroom when I stepped out of the shower. I was still a little sleepy as I ran a hand over the mirror to wipe away the fog. My reflection looked back at me： wet hair sticking up and damp cheeks. Then my gaze dropped to the marks on my chest. My scars had faded after all these years and were hardly noticeable. But the memory they brought back was as clear as ever： I had only really known the little girl for a few weeks. But I carried her with me every day.

We met in the Childrens Hospital of Columbus. I was 11. I was born with a hole in my heart. So was the five-year-old girl in the bed beside me. We were both recovering from the same surgery. Being older and wiser， I thought it was my job to look out for her. “Do you want to hear a story？” I recall asking her one afternoon. “Great！” she said.

It was so easy to make her happy. She seemed always to be smiling or laughing or singing songs.

Life wasnt fair. She passed away. My own recovery went well. “Youre really lucky，” a nurse told me.“But how come my operation was so easy and hers wasnt？” I asked. “Easy？” my dad said. “David， your surgery wasnt easy at all. We thought we were going to lose you because of the amount of internal bleeding. You cant remember it because you were in a coma（昏迷），” Dad said. “For two weeks after your operation many things could go wrong.” “Im really lucky. I wasnt too old to need someone to look out for me.” “You wouldnt remember this either. When you were in the coma， she used to come over to your bed and sing to you. She was watching over you.”

My surgery scars were hidden under my shirt. But I knew they were there， along with the memory of that little girl. The one whod been at my side like a tiny angel when I didnt even know she was there. I was older now and hopefully somewhat wiser. Wise enough to know that I have angels watching over me， when life is fair and when its not.

1. Why did the author look after the little girl？

A. Her parents were busy.

B. He thought it was his duty.

C. She wanted to hear stories.

D. She was seriously ill.

2. How was the girls character？

A. Positive. ? ? ? ? B. Shy.

C. Anxious. ? ? D. Nervous.

3. Why did the author think his operation was easy？

A. He stayed in hospital for a short time.

B. A nurse told him about his operation.

C. He was unconscious when his ill was serious.

D. His father said he was very lucky.

4. What most probably made the girl into the authors memory？

A. The girls death.

B. The girls unfair life.

C. The authors growth.

D. The girls help.

Task 3

題材：免費圖書館 文章詞數(shù)：351 難度：★★★ 建議用時：7分鐘

To see it is to feel as if youve been transported into a fairy tale. Stone steps lead up to a tree trunk thats been hollowed out. The green， glass-paned door is bordered on top by shapes of small books. Inside， three shelves are filled with books just waiting to be read.

Little Free Libraries are already pretty magical， considering they house books that can be borrowed and returned for free. But this one—made out of a 110-year-old tree—is a little extra special.

Coeur dAlene， Idaho， resident Sharalee Armitage Howard told KREM 2 News that a huge cottonwood tree in their yard had started to rot and became a danger for parked cars and the sidewalk beneath it because of falling branches. So， sadly， the family had to cut the tree down. But instead of removing the entire tree， they left a stump （樹樁） behind and changed it into something useful for the entire neighborhood.

Where a towering 110-year-old tree once stood now stands an attractive Little Free Library. Its one of the thousands of free libraries that exist across the world as part of the Little Free Library non-profit organization， which helps people set up tiny libraries anywhere to create a neighborhood book exchange. And while there are plenty of interesting Little Free Library designs out there， this one is certainly far from average.

Howard took the time to carve out the trees stump and added a door with glass window panes to create the attractive little library for storing books. Shes proud that her library can help meet the need for books outside library and bookstore hours and that her library would brighten a visitors day and encourage them to pick up a new book.

“It doesnt need to be there; its unexpected; its not required，” she said. “The library is giving people the joy of stumbling upon something thats just there to be neat， to be a bonus， to be magical， to add a little bit of joy to somebodys day.”

1. Whats special about Howards library？

A. It looks like a big tree.

B. It is made of a stump.

C. It belongs to a non-profit organization.

D. It is intended for people in the neighborhood.

2. What is the purpose of the Free Little Library non-profit organization？

A. To compete with traditional libraries.

B. To make reading more interesting.

C. To help people exchange books.

D. To provide a place for reading.

3. What can we know about the Little Free Library？

A. It has a 110-year-old history.

B. It is run by a community.

C. It was designed by famous artists.

D. It was built mainly by Howard.

4. What is the text mainly about？

A. A creative artist.

B. A little tree library.

C. A 110-year-old tree.

D. A non-profit organization.

Task 3

題材：環(huán)保衛(wèi)士 文章詞數(shù)：373 難度：★★★ 建議用時：7分鐘

Army veteran Wayne Dixon and his dog Koda have collected 50 tons of rubbish so far on an epic litter pick around Britain.

Wayne， 47， along with Koda， 8， has already filled 10，000 bin bags and the pair are still only half way into their trip along the coastline. They set out from their home in Lancashire almost three years ago and have covered 3，500 miles so far after crossing off Scotland， Wales， Devon and Cornwall. They have now made their way along the South coast to Brighton where Wayne joined a party of litter pickers for the Silent Disco Beach Clean to help remove thousands more abandoned items. The pairs series of walks are in memory of Waynes father John， who died in 2012. Funds are being raised for the mental health charity Mind. John suffered a kind of disease for many years but was an avid walker and loved coastal paths.

Wayne， who is also backed by Keep Britain Tidy， said， “You would think the environmental mess-age about the harm caused by littering would have hit home by now but people still discard rubbish on the beaches which then gets washed out to sea causing marine pollution. Im halfway through my journey round the coast of Britain and Ive been astonished by how much rubbish I have picked up. It is truly shocking that the message is still not getting to some people.”

Amy Gibson， organiser of the Brighton clean-up， said， “Over 100 volunteers joined in and in just two hours we removed over 60 kilos of litter from the area in little over half a mile. Over 50，000 people visited Brighton beach on Saturday—the hottest day of the year so far—and we are in desperate need of more bins down there and for people to start taking ownership of their trash.”

On his epic journey， Wayne has been giving talks to children in schools and community groups about the need to drum home the environmental message and stop littering. Despite having 3，500 miles to go， Wayne aims to take a short break from the coast to embark on “Waynes Walk to Westminster” where he aims to deliver a letter to the Prime Minister urging tougher penalties for litterbugs.

1. What do we know about Waynes father？

A. He liked to collect rubbish.

B. He loved walking along the coast.

C. He used to be an environmentalist.

D. He worked for the mental health charity Mind.

2. What does the underlined word “discard” most probably mean？

A. Pick up.

B. Throw away.

C. Take away.

D. Bring up.

3. How does Wayne feel about the rubbish collected？

A. Shocked. ? ? B. Worried.

C. Satisfied. ? ? D. Disappointed.

4. What can we learn from the fourth paragraph？

A. There are not enough dustbins on the beach.

B. Over 50，000 volunteers took part in the activity on Saturday.

C. Tourists awareness of environmental protection has greatly improved.

D. More and more volunteers come to work on Brighton beach every day.