Spring will soon be upon us and a new term is here. All over the world spring is the season of new life: flowers bloom, baby animals are born, and the weather becomes warmer. During this time of year, people usually walk around with a spring in their steps and a feeling of fresh beginnings. However, for a fresh beginning it takes more than the bright colors and fresh air of spring. We need to look at ourselves, set new goals, and decide how to improve ourselves.

In England people usually do this on the first day of the year. We look at the past year and think about what we’d like to change or improve in our lives, and we call this a New Year’s resolution. These can be anything from improving one’s health through exercise or cutting out bad habits, to studying harder for better grades or trying to find a good work or life balance.

Luckily, we don’t have to wait for the beginning of a new year to try and become better people. We can do this whenever we like. The milestone of a new term is just a good place to start.

Sometimes it’s difficult to take the first step in achieving newly set goals, but an old saying is "to begin is to be half-way there." I agree with this because taking on a new task or changing habits can seem daunting at first, but once we begin, they get easier. For example, spending less time on QQ or playing video games and more time studying or communicating face-to-face can be difficult habits to change at first. But once we settle into the new routine（例行常态）and start to see the results, it’s difficult not to wonder why we didn’t do it sooner.

The trick with deciding on a resolution for a new term is not to set unrealistic targets. If we do this, it's easy to lose motivation (动力) because the end goal seems so far away. Try to make many small targets you want to reach on the way to your final goal. This way, you can see your progress easily.

21. In Paragraph one, the author wants to tell us that spring is a time ________.

   A. to take a walk around outdoors         B. to enjoy fresh air and bright colors

   C. to set goals for a fresh beginning      D. for animals to have babies

22. A New Year's resolution is ________.

   A. a decision made to improve ourselves   B. a ceremony to celebrate New Year

    C. a promise made to your parents     D. a recall of what happened last year

23. Which of the following might the writer agree with according to Paragraph Four?

    A. Be swift to hear, slow to speak.     B. All that ends well is well.

    C. Well begun is half done.             D. All roads lead to Rome. 

24. What does the underlined word "daunting" probably mean in Paragraph Four?

     A. changeable       B. difficult                                        C. extreme      D. confusing

The heat is on: which animals will win or lose in climate change?

It’s hard to miss a moose

It’s harder to spot a moose in North America these days. From British Columbia to New Hampshire, moose populations are in decline. From shorter winters increasing the numbers of moose parasites like winter ticks, to warmer winters exposing these cold-weather animals to heat, the moose doesn’t seem to be surviving the weather.

Walrus Worries

Another animal that’s losing out as winters warm up is the Pacific walrus. With less floating ice, they’re gathering on Arctic coast land in larger groups than ever. This kind of togetherness isn’t good for the species, as it could increase danger from stampedes and raise the possibility of disease outbreak.

Penguin Prospects

That much-loved film starred Emperor penguins of the Antarctic may die out from Terre Adélie as a result of climate change. If greenhouse gas emissions continue at current levels, then by the year 2100 the Emperor population at Terre Adélie in East Antarctica will drop from the current 3,000 breeding pairs to about 500-600 breeding pairs.

Bark Beetles on the March

The bark beetle is an insect that’s making a meal out of climate change: This tiny creature is a decimator of forests. In times of drought, the trees that could normally defend themselves are stressed, and stressed trees are typically what the beetles mostly feast on. A study says that the damage done by mountain pine beetles in British Columbia may result in the forest emitting more carbon dioxide than it now collects.

25. ______ may win in climate change.

  A. Mooses           B. Penguin         C. Walrus       D. Bark Beetles

26. Warmer winters may ______.

  A. reduce the numbers of moose parasites

  B. expose these cold-weather animals to heat

  C. result in the forest emitting carbon dioxide

  D. cause tropical trees to move up much slower

27. The togetherness on Arctic coast land isn’t good for walrus for ______.

  A. it could decrease danger from stampedes

B. they could get to the cooler temperatures

C. it could increase the possibility of disease outbreak

D. they could lose out as winters warm up in the Pacific

Hu Li's heart sank due to the color of the air. Driving 140 kilometers from Tianjin City to Beijing last week, she held her breath as the air became a charcoal grey haze(炭灰色的阴霾). The 39­year­old businesswoman has lived in Beijing for a decade, and this past month, she said, brought the worst air pollution she has ever seen It gave her husband a cough and left her seven­year­old daughter housebound(足不出户).“My husband as well as I is working here, so we have no choice,” she said. “But if we had a choice, we'd like to escape from Beijing.”

The extended heavy pollution over the last month has largely changed the way that Chinese think about the country's air. On one day, pollution levels were 30 times higher than levels considered safe by the World Health Organization (WHO).Flights were cancelled. Roads were closed. One hospital in east Beijing reported they had treated more than 900 children for breathing issues. Bloomberg found that for most of January, Beijing's air was worse than that of an airport smoking area.

The smog's(烟雾) most threatening aspect is its high concentration(浓度) of PM 2.5 -particulate matter that is small enough to breathe deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing breathing infections, lung cancer and possibly damaging children's development. The WHO has estimated that outdoor air pollution accounts for two million deaths per year, 65% of them in Asia.

28. Which conclusion can we draw from the first paragraph?

A. Hu Li is living in Beijing.                B. Hu Li traveled to Tianjin for business.

C. The haze is harmful to people.            D. The pollution is the worst in Beijing's history.

29. According to the passage, the haze has changed the people mainly in the way ________.

A. they travel                            B. they think about the national air

C. they live their life                      D. they have their education

30. From the passage we know high concentration of PM 2.5________.

A. can lead to choke                      B. can cause heart cancer

C. will damage children's development       D. will damage people's organ

31. What's the best title for the passage?

A. Hu Li's attitudes to Beijing's haze          B. The damages of Beijing's haze

C. WHO suggests improving Beijing's air      D. What caused air pollution in Beijing

Buckingham Palace is where the Queen lives. It is the Queen’s official and main royal London home.

Buckingham Palace was originally a splendid house built by the Duke(公爵) of Buckingham for his wife. George IV began changing it into a palace in 1826. It has been the official London home of Britain’s royal family since 1837. Buckingham Palace is also an office and used for the administrative work of the royal family.

When the Queen is at home you can see her royal flag (the Royal Standard) flying from the flag pole on top of Buckingham Palace.

The flag is divided into four equal parts. The first and fourth parts represent England and contain three gold lions waking on a red field; the second part represents Scotland and contains a red lion standing on a gold field; the third part represents Ireland and contains the gold coat of arms of Ireland on a blue field.

In flag protocol (礼仪), the Royal Standard which must only be flown from buildings where the Queen is present is supreme (至高无上的). It flies above the British Union Flag (the Union Jack ), and other British flags. It never flies at half mast.

The guards of the Palace wear red jackets and tall, furry hats. When the first guards come on duty, there is a ceremony called the Changing of the Guard. A familiar sight at Buckingham Palace is the Changing of the Guard ceremony that takes place in the open space in front of it each morning.

The Palace has around 750 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, 92 offices, a cinema and a swimming pool. It also has its own post office and police station. About 400 people work at the Palace, including servants, chefs, footmen, cleaners, gardeners, electricians, and so on. More than 50,000 people come to the Palace each year as guests to dinners, receptions and Royal Garden Parties.

32. For whom was the original Buckingham Palace built?

  A. The Duke of Buckingham.             B. George IV.   

C. The Duke of Buckingham’s wife.        D. George IV’s wife.   

33. According to the text, the Royal Standard_________.

A. is flown at Buckingham Palace every morning

B. represents the four countries of the UK 

C. flies at half mast only on a few occasions  

D. flies higher than the British Union Flag

34. When can a visitor see the Changing of the Guard ceremony?

A. Every morning and evening.            B. Every morning.

C. When the Queen’s flag is flying.         D. When a flag is flying at the Palace.

35. What is the last paragraph about?

A. What you can see inside Buckingham Palace.       

B. The royal parties at Buckingham Palace.      

C. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.  

D. People living and working at Buckingham Palace.

 Bad habits to drop

When unfortunate events happen in your life，you'll wonder how they all came about without realizing what had happened all resulted from bad habits.  36   and you may be a lucky dog again.

The “later” mind. It's the small steps that need to be done to settle serious problems. This principle is true to all areas of your life. For example，instead of holding off the task you've been putting off for weeks or months，work on it step by step now.

37  ．Learning to say “no” is important for everyone. It's one thing to do a favor for a friend or co­worker，but overextending yourself is another. There's always a nice way of saying “no”, so don't worry about hurting people's feelings.

Unhealthy addictions (瘾).  38  ．Addictions can be costly to your health，so you'd better assess your addictions and figure out the easiest one to drop at the beginning.

Self doubt. Insecurities (不安全感) can hold you back and set negative thoughts that will make you feel upset or give up easily.  39  ．For example，you may be overly sensitive to what others say，and this may affect the way you get along with them. To remove self doubt and go on a self－improvement journey now.

Living in the now. People usually quote (引用) the popular phrase “you only live once” and use it as an excuse for short－term pleasure.  40  ，but it's usually the long－term approach that achieves the biggest accomplishments and goals.

A．Nodding to everything

B．Drop the bad habits

C．It's true that life is short

D．Saying “no” to something

E．Carry out the following behaviors firmly

F．It can also worsen your relationships with people

G．Self－control is a key to a healthy and balanced lifestyle