B

　　More People Are Leaving the Rat Race for the Simple Life

　　Time is more precious than money for an increasing number of people who are choosing to live more with less—and liking it.

　　Kay and Charles Giddens, two lawyers, sold their home to start a B&B hotel. Four years later, the couple dishes out banana pancake breakfast, cleans toilets and serves homemade chocolate chip cookies to guests in a B&B hotel surrounded by trees on a hill known for colorful sunsets.

“Do I miss the freeways? Do I miss the traffic? Do I miss the stress? No,” says Ms. Giddens, “This is a phenomenon that’s fairly widespread. A lot of people are reevaluating their lives and figuring out what they want to do. If their base is being damaged, what’s the payoff?”

　　Simple living ranges from cutting down on weeknight activities to sharing housing, living closer to work, avoiding shopping malls, borrowing books from the library instead of buying them, and taking a cut in pay to work at a more pleasurable job.

　　Vicki Robin, a writer, lives on a budget equal to a fifth of what she used to make. “You become conscious about where your money is going and how valuable it is,” Ms. Robin says, “You tend not to use things up. You cook at home rather than eat out…”

　　Janet Luhrs, a lawyer, quit her job after giving birth and leaving her daughter with a nanny for two weeks. “It was not the way I wanted to raise my kids,” she says, “Simplicity is not just about saving money; it’s about me sitting down every night with my kids to a candlelit dinner with classical music.”

　　Mrs. Luhrs now edits a magazine, Simple Living, which publishes tips on how to buy recycled furniture and shoes, organize potluck dinners instead of expensive receptions, and generally how to consume less.

　　“It’s not about poverty,” Mrs. Luhrs explains, “It’s about conscious living and creating the life you want. The less stuff you buy, the less money goes out of the door, and the less money you have to earn.”

　　59. Kay and Charles Giddens sold their home to ______.

　　A. pay off the debt B. start a private hotel

　　C. cut down expenses D. buy living necessities

　　60. Simple living includes ______.

　　A. building a home library B. living in the countryside

　　C. enjoying a colorful night life D. sharing housing with others

　　61. It can be learned from the passage that now Janet Luhrs ______.

　　A. spends more time with her kids B. has an interest in classical music

　　C. works as a reporter of a magazine D. helps people buy recycled clothes

　　62. How does the author develop the passage?

　　A. By using figures. B. By asking questions.

　　C. By giving examples. D. By making comparisons.

　　C

　　Showrooming

　　One of the biggest challenges facing brick-and-mortar retailers(實(shí)體零售店) in recent years has been the “showrooming”. Driven by the desire to get the best prices, many shoppers are now visiting brick-and-mortar stores to personally check on products that interest them, only to leave and then buy the items online. The new trend is forcing retailers to find out new ways to keep consumers from leaving their store for cheaper prices online.

　　Recent research found that 40 percent of U.S. shoppers have showroomed previously, with big-box retailers suffering the most. Specifically, the study shows that Best Buy, Walmart and Target are the most likely brick-and-mortar stores to have shoppers test out a product in-store and then purchase it online later, while Amazon is benefiting most from the practice, with nearly 60 percent of shoppers using the online retail giant(巨人) most often to make their showrooming purchases.

　　Smartphones have pushed showrooming into the front. Shoppers no longer have to wait until they get home to see if they can find a cheaper price for the products they’re considering buying. With smartphones, consumers can now compare virtual prices, at both other brick-and-mortar stores and online ones while still inside a retail store. If they can find what they’re seeking for less online, the majority will be seeking the first exit. A recent study showed that 45 percent of customers shopping at brick-and-mortar stores walk out and buy their purchase online for a discount of as little as 2.5 percent.

　　This puts pressure on retailers to provide both an in-store experience worth staying for and an online presence that can attract shoppers who are showrooming in other businesses.

　　To cut down on showrooming, many retailers are adopting new methods to keep shoppers in their stores. Among the steps they’re taking are price-matching guarantees that allow shoppers to pay a discounted price if they find it cheaper online. This ensures that even a showrooming shopper can make the purchase in the store—regardless of whether they find the cheaper price online.

　　Another popular method to fight against showrooming is to give shoppers the ability to buy something online and pick it up at the store. This reduces shipping costs and gets customers in the store, where they may be encouraged to make an additional purchase.

　　It is also important for businesses to take into consideration what makes shoppers purchase something in-store rather than online, and meet those needs. Research has found that more than 8 in 10 Americans consider being able to take the goods home immediately and the ability to touch and feel them—the most important aspects when deciding to purchase in a store rather than online.

　　63. According to the passage, a showrooming shopper tends to ______.

　　A. pay for everything online B. have better bargaining skills

　　C. rush to buy things in a store D. purchase online for a lower price

　　64. What contributes to the growing popularity of showrooming?

　　A. The wide use of smartphones.

　　B. The competition between big stores.

　　C. The advertisement by online retail giants.

　　D. The decline of the brick-and-mortar stores.

　　65. The underlined words “seeking the first exit” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ______.

　　A. searching for lower prices B. leaving as soon as possible

　　C. locating the first exit quickly D. making a purchase on the spot

　　66. The last three paragraphs mainly talk about ways of ______.

　　A. increasing sales at stores B. preventing purchase online

　　C. satisfying customers’ needs D. advising shoppers to buy more

　　D

　　Traveler

　　My fifteen-year-old son has just returned from abroad with rolls of exposed film and a hundred dollars in uncashed traveler’s checks, and is asleep at the moment. His blue duffel(粗呢) bag lies on the floor where he dropped it. Obviously, he postponed as much sleep as he could: when he walked in and we hugged, his electrical system suddenly switched off, and he headed directly for the bed, where I imagine he beat his old record of sixteen hours.

　　It was his first trip overseas, so weeks before it, I pressed travel books on him, and a tape cassette of useful French phrases; drew up a list of people to visit; advised him on clothing and other things. At the luggage store where we went to buy him a suitcase, he headed for the duffels, saying that suitcases were more for old people.

During the trip, he called home three times: from London, Paris, and a village named Ullapool. Near Ullapool, he climbed a mountain in a rainstorm that almost blew him off. In the village, a man spoke to him in Gaelic, and, too polite to interrupt, my son listened to him for ten or fifteen minutes, trying to nod in the right places. The French he learned from the cassette didn’t hold water in Paris. The French he talked to shrugged and walked on.

　　When my son called, I sat down at the kitchen table and leaned forward and hung on every word. His voice came through clearly, though two of the calls were like ship-to-shore communication. When I interrupted him with a “Great!” or a “Really?”, I knocked a little hole in his communication. So I just sat and listened. I have never listened to a telephone so attentively and with so much pleasure. It was wonderful to hear news from him that was so new to me. In my book, he was the first man to land on the moon, and I knew that I had no advice to give him and that what I had already given was probably not much help.

　　The unused checks are certainly evidence of that. Youth travels light. No suitcase, not much luggage and a slim expense account, and yet he went to the scene, and came back safely. I sit here amazed. The night when your child returns with dust on his shoes from a country you’ve never seen is a night you would gladly turn into a week.

　　67. During the trip, the author’s son ______.

　　A. ran out of money B. had inadequate sleep

　　C. forgot to call his mother D. failed to take good pictures

　　68. According to the passage, which of the following could best describe the author’s son?

　　A. Polite and careless. B. Creative and stubborn.

　　C. Considerate and independent. D. Self-centered and adventurous.

　　69. What does the underlined word “that” in the last paragraph refer to?

　　A. It is important to listen to your child’s story.

　　B. It’s easy to interrupt the chat with your child.

　　C. The author is proud of her son landing on the moon.

　　D. The son no longer needs much help from his mother.

　　70. What can we infer from the passage?

　　A. Good parents should protect their children from potential dangers.

　　B. The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.

　　C. It’s a win-win choice to give a child space to experience and explore.

　　D. Communication between parents and children is extremely important.

　　第二節(jié)(共5小題;每小題2分，共10分)

　　根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的七個(gè)選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。

　　Trampolining

　　What’s more fun than standing still? Jumping up and down on a springy piece of fabric (織物)! This activity is known as trampolining and it’s sweeping the nation.

　　The idea of trampolining is ancient. Eskimos have been throwing each other in the air for thousands of years. Firemen began using a life net to catch people jumping from buildings in 1887. 71

　　A gymnast named George Nissan and his coach Larry Griswold made the first modern trampoline in 1936. They got the idea by watching swing artists bouncing off of a tight net at the circus. They named their equipment after the Spanish word trampolín, which means diving board.

　　72 In 1942 they began making trampolines to sell to the public.

　　73 Experts find that more than 100,000 people hurt themselves while using one each year. Clubs and gyms use large safety nets or other equipment to make it safer. Most trampoline injuries happen at home. Since trampolines are more affordable than ever, injuries are even more common.

　　These injuries happen for many reasons. People may bounce too high and land off of the trampoline or onto the springs. 74 Perhaps the worst injuries happen when untrained people try to do flips (快速翻轉(zhuǎn)). Landing on your neck or head can cause injuries or even kill you.

　　But don’t let all that bad news keep you down. There are many things that you can do to practice safe trampolining. Trampolines have been around for a while now. They have brought a lot of joy to many people. They can be a good source of exercise and activity. 75 But they can also be deadly. It is important to follow some professional guidance. Be sure that you are practicing safety while having a good time. Happy bouncing!

　　A. They can help people improve their balance and moves.

　　B. Trampolines may be fun, but they can also be dangerous.

　　C. The men wanted to share their idea with the whole world.

　　D. Injuries also happen when many people are jumping at the same time.

E. You can surround your trampoline with a net so that people don’t fall off of it.

　　F. They found a winner when they performed a piece of spring across a steel frame.

　　G. And in the early 1900s, circus performers began bouncing off of netting to amuse audiences.

　　第四部分：書面表達(dá) (共兩節(jié)，35分)

　　第一節(jié)(15分)

　　作為交換項(xiàng)目的一部分，學(xué)校將于本周五下午兩點(diǎn)組織美國交換生到紅星小學(xué)進(jìn)行志愿者活動(dòng)。假設(shè)你是校學(xué)生會(huì)主席，請(qǐng)向他們口頭通知此事，內(nèi)容包括：

　　1. 集合時(shí)間、地點(diǎn);

　　2. 活動(dòng)內(nèi)容(介紹美國文化、教英文歌等);

　　3. 活動(dòng)意義。

　　注意： 1. 詞數(shù)不少于50;

　　2. 開頭和結(jié)尾已給出，不計(jì)入總詞數(shù)。

　　May I have your attention, please?

　　That’s all. Thank you.

　　第二節(jié)(20分)

　　假設(shè)你是紅星中學(xué)高三學(xué)生李華。請(qǐng)根據(jù)以下四幅圖的先后順序，介紹你和家人在去年9月3日觀看國慶閱兵活動(dòng)的過程，并以“An Unforgettable Day”為題，給校刊“英語角”寫一篇英文稿。

　　注意： 1. 詞數(shù)不少于60;

　　2. 短文的開頭已給出，不計(jì)入總詞數(shù)。

　　提示詞：陽臺(tái) balcony

　　朋友圈 WeChat Moments

　　An Unforgettable Day

　　On September 3, a military parade was held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory of World War II.

　　(請(qǐng)務(wù)必將情景作文寫在答題卡指定區(qū)域內(nèi))

　　參考答案

　　第一部分：聽力理解(共三節(jié)，30分)

　　第一節(jié)(共5小題;每小題1.5分，共7.5分)

　　1.A 2.B 3.B 4.C 5.A

　　第二節(jié)(共10小題;每小題1.5分，共15分)

　　6.A 7.B 8.A 9.C 10.C

　　11.A 12.C 13.C 14.B 15.B

　　第三節(jié)(共5小題;每小題1.5分，共7.5分)

　　每小題1.5分。如出現(xiàn)拼寫錯(cuò)誤不計(jì)分;出現(xiàn)大小寫、單復(fù)數(shù)錯(cuò)誤扣0.5分;如每小題超過一個(gè)詞不計(jì)分。

　　16. apartment 17. fridge 18. walk 19. 200 20. Friday

　　第二部分：知識(shí)運(yùn)用(共兩節(jié)，45分)

　　第一節(jié) 單項(xiàng)填空(共15小題;每小題1分，共15分)

　　21.C 22.A 23.D 24.B 25.D

　　26.A 27.B 28.B 29.C 30.A

　　31.C 32.A 33.C 34.D 35.B

　　第二節(jié) 完形填空(共20小題;每小題1.5分，共30分)

　　36.B 37.D 38.B 39.C 40.A

　　41.D 42.A 43.D 44.C 45.B

　　46.C 47.B 48.D 49.A 50.C

　　51.A 52.C 53.A 54.B 55.D

　　第三部分：閱讀理解(共兩節(jié)，40分)

　　第一節(jié)(共15小題;每小題2分，共30分)

　　56.B 57.C 58.A 59.B 60.D

　　61.A 62.C 63.D 64.A 65.B

　　66.A 67.B 68.C 69.D 70.C

　　第二節(jié)(共5小題;每小題2分，共10分)

　　71.G 72.C 73.B 74.D 75.A

　　第四部分：書面表達(dá)(共兩節(jié)，35分)

　　第一節(jié) (15分)

　　One possible version:

　　May I have your attention, please?

This Friday you will visit Hong Xing Primary School as volunteers, which is a very important part of the exchange program. The school bus will pick you up at the school gate at 2 p.m. This trip aims to give the kids there a taste of American culture. You may prepare some mini lectures and teach the kids some simple but beautiful songs.

　　Through sharing your culture with them, you will know more about this country in return. We wish you all a good trip!

　　That’s all. Thank you.

　　第二節(jié)(20分)

　　One possible version:

　　An Unforgettable Day

　　On September 3, a military parade was held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory of World War II. Ten minutes before the big event, we seated ourselves in front of the TV, eager to watch the live broadcast.

　　Soon the parade started. Seeing the soldiers and military equipment proceed along Chang’an Street, past Tian’anmen Square, we couldn’t help cheering and applauding for our powerful country.

Then the roaring of military aircraft overhead caught our attention. We rushed to the balcony and took photos of the planes flying in formation. What an impressive scene!

　　I couldn’t wait to share my pictures and feelings with friends on WeChat Moments. To my surprise, WeChat was already flooded with numerous pictures and comments expressing love for our motherland. What an unforgettable day!