"I never knew before, Cecil, that you were so fond of drawing," said Aunt Sophia, as she looked over the shoulder of her nephew, who was busy with his pencil. "You really have made great progress."

"I need to do so," cried Cecil, "if I am to carry off the prize for drawing, as I am determined to do this term."

"I should have thought," said the aunt, "that you had little chance against Lee. He is an artist's son, and has used the pencil, one might almost say, from his cradle.（摇篮）"

"That will double the pleasure of beating him!" cried Cecil, dashing the bough of a tree into his picture, as if he meant what he said. "I'm working now at this four hours a day; he never draws more than two."

"You are not neglecting（忽视） your Latin for it, I hope? You have had the Latin prize every term for these three years past," said Aunt Sophia.

"Yes," replied Cecil, with a proud smile; "there is no boy in our class can match me in that, though Russell is now working hard. But I am not content with one prize: I cannot rest till I have won the paint-box for drawing, of which Tom Lee makes so sure. It would be glorious to beat the son of an artist on his own ground!"

"Take care," said his aunt, gently laying her hand on his shoulder, "that you do not lose the Latin prize, in trying for that which you are not likely to gain. Remember the fable of the dog that dropped the substance, in catching at the shadow."

On the evening of the day on which the names of the prize-winners were read out, Cecil came home from school gloomy and grave. His looks told his aunt enough to make her spare him the pain of questions; but his little sister Rosey was not so thoughtful.

" Cecil," she cried, running eagerly up to him, "tell me, are you to get the two prizes?"

"No, not even one. I was so busy trying to beat Lee, that I could not hold my ground against Russell." Cecil threw himself into a sofa in an angry mood.

Their aunt silently hoped that the lesson might prove worth the pain which it cost.

21. What made Cecil keep practicing drawing?

A. His interest in drawing.      B. His desire to win the prize.
C. Lee’s being the son of an artist.    D. Russell’s working hard on Latin.

22. Which of the following words best describes Aunt Sophia?

A. Considerate     B. Strict       C. Determined     D. Optimistic

23. Why did Cecil fail to win any prizes?
A. He didn’t put in enough time.     B. He had no talent  

C. He was too ambitious           D. He was too tired

A gaming company in New Zealand is luring employees from around the world by offering unlimited paid annual leave, a share in the company’s profits and no set work hours.

Dean Hall became famous in international gaming circles for being the lead designer on popular video game DayZ.After searching the world for a location for his new gaming studio, Rocketwerkz, New Zealander Hall settled on the small university town of Dunedin on the south island’s east coast, where land is cheap and creative start-ups have become an important part of the city’s identity.

Rocketwerkz’s flexible work culture is now drawing talent from around the globe, with Hall receiving 300 messages of inquiry since a local newspaper wrote about his studio last week.

Last year, when the company was still in its infancy(婴儿期), baby cats would also make a regular appearance in the office as a form of fighting stress, and Friday afternoons are generally reserved for sports and games to end the week on a playful note.

“The first time I heard about the idea of unlimited paid leave in places like Silicon Valley it was about the problems it caused. A culture had appeared where employees took no leave,” said Hall.

“So to address that, our staff are issued the standard New Zealand annual leave of four weeks, but they can also take unlimited leave in addition to that. ”

Emily Lampitt , from Britain, is a 3D junior artist who has been with the company for a yearandahalf.She says the flexible work culture was a huge factor in her decision to move to New Zealand.

“The flexibility here has made me feel much more relaxed ” she says. “That internal stress I used to feel in a traditional work environment has gone, so when I am at work now it is because I want to be, because I am passionate(有激情的) ,not because I am afraid of my boss or watching the clock.”

24.The underlined word “luring” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______.
A.cheating    B.disturbing     C.inspiring    D.attracting

25.Why are baby cats mentioned in Paragraph 4?
A. To show the company focuses on pressure relief.
B. To explain how the company motivates its staff.
C. To stress the significance of harmony in workplaces.
D. To introduce a new way to promote creativity

26.According to the passage, unlimited paid leave in Silicon Valley________.
A.set a good example to Rochetwerkz      B.didn’t work out as expected 
C.helped develop the local culture     D.solved the problem of unemployment

27.What is the writing purpose of the above text?
A. To encourage It companies to be more flexible.
B. To describe what a creative company should be like.
C. To give a report on the flexible management of a company.
D. To discuss how to make a traditional company more competitive.

In 2013, Bezos, the CEO and founder of Amazon Inc., made headlines when he announced that within a few years, the company would use unmanned drones(无人机)to deliver packages within 30 minutes after an order was placed. Since Amazon Prime Air was publicized the night before “Cyber Monday,” some just regarded it apublicity stunt(噱头) designed to draw attention to the company. It turns out they were wrong.

On December 7, 2016, Amazon revealed that it had completed its first Prime Air delivery in Cambridge, UK. The package, containing a bag of popcorn and an Amazon Fire TV, were loaded on to the unmanned vehicle from a local fulfillment center and delivered to a two-story farmhouse several miles away – all within 13 minutes after the items were bought!

The company also announced that the service is now available within the five-square-mile range of the Cambridge area, seven days a week during daylight hours. The thinly populated rural area, with few dozen residents distributed amidst vast areas of farmland and fields, is perfect for testing the drones.

Unfortunately, even if the trial is wildly successful, many challenges still remain before drone delivery becomes a reality for most of us. While the drone may do fine in rural areas, they remain untested in crowdedurban cities where they would bump into barriers like buildings or trees. There is also fear that theautonomous flying vehicles could injure people as they come down to drop their packages. The drones and their load are also damaged by destroyers.

  Then there are the delivery logistics(后勤保障). Amazon will not only have to ensure that every Prime Air customer has a special landing flat surface, but also come up with a practical solution for apartment residents who do not have accessto an open space where the drone can land. Hence, while Amazon Prime Air may someday be a reality, for now, we will just have to wait for two “long” days to receive our packages!

28. Why was the trial carried out in Cambridge area?

A. Amazon couldn’t find out drone landing space in crowded urban cities.

B. The vast rural areas with smaller population were perfect test sites.

C. Drone flight was prohibited where there were impassable barriers.

D. The company had many logistics to guarantee service quality there.

29. It can be inferred from the text that _________.

A. the new service will save customers more time and money.

B Amazon is the early pioneer of drone flight in the world

C universal drone package delivery has still a long way to go

D the injuries by drones have got the local residents in panic

30.What is the main idea of the text?

A. Drone delivery reached customers in a shorter time.

B Bezos tried to expand its delivery service in Cambridge.

C. Amazon was the first company to use drone technology.

D Amazon tried to deliver package to customers by drone.

第

How to create better phone habits

If you find yourself constantly checking your cell phone, you may have a problem with overuse of cell phone. ____31___________ Here for four tips on how to create better phone habits:

1.       Put your phone away an hour before you go to sleep. Staring at a screen right before you try to go to sleep is going to make it more difficult to fall asleep. __32_____________ Don’t try to sleep with it right next to your head because you will spend more time focuesd on who might be texting you than sleeping.

2.       Carry your phone in your bag or pocket. When you take your phone with you, don’t carry it in your hand. ____33_____ This is especially important when you drive. Make sure your phone is hidden away when you drive so you are not tempeted to look at it and text.

3.       ___34_________ Think of the best times of the day for you to not be on your phone texting and make it a “no phone time.” Turn your phone completely off and put it away somewhere  where you can’t get to it for a few hours. Forcing yourself to do this daily will help train your brain to not get anxious when you are not on your phone.

4.       Pretend like your cell phone is a home phone. ____35____ Try pretending like your cell phone is a landline phone. Place it in one spot in your house and always leave it there and only use it there, instead of taking it with you everywhere you go.

A.      An hour before you go to sleep, text anyone you are talking to that you are going to sleep.

B.      Call phones are an annoying invention.

C.      Have set times where you are away from your phone.

D.     Turn off your cell phone before you leave your home.

E.      Probably one of the major reasons you are addicted to texting is because you can take your phone with you anywhere.

F.      It can lead to reduced quality fo personal relationships and lack of productivity in daily life.

G.     Put your phone somewhere where you can’t see it.

HURRICANE STRIKES---MANY HURT

Hurrican Irene hit southeastern Florida on Friday night, causing damage and destruction everywhere. The storm poured 18 ___56___(inch) of rain on the area. The high winds that blew up to 85 miles per hour ___57___(be) responsible for most of the damage to the area. The winds knocked down trees and power lines, broke hotel windows, and damaged t roofs. The wind also was to blame __58___ ten serious injuries and several car accidents. Much of the city was without electricity and water this morning.

The hurricane caused severe flooding. Hundreds of people lost __59___(they) homes or offices because of high winds and heavy rains. Some of the worst flooding was in Miami, __60___ police sometimes needed boats to get through up to 4 feet of standing water.

Thousands of acres of crops ___61____(destroy) in South Florida, which supplies 75 percent of the nation’s winter produce. No one knows yet __62____(exact) how much money was lost in crop damage. “I could not give you an estimate of damage to the crops, but I would not be surprised ___63__ it were $100 million,” said the mayor of Miami.

Local officials called Irene the ___64___( bad) storm of the hurricane season for the area. It will take the people of Florida a long time __65__(recover) from the effects of this hurricane.