Suddenly another thought went through Kate’s mind like an electric shock. An express train was due to go past about thirty minutes later. If it were not stopped, that long train, full of passengers, would fall into the stream. “Someone must go to the station and warn the station-master，” Kate thought. But who was to go? She would have to go herself. There was no one else.

In wind and rain she started on her difficult way. Soon she was at the bridge that crossed the Des Moines River, a bridge also built of wood, just like the bridge across Honey Creek. The storm had not washed this away, but there was no footpath across it. She would have to cross it by stepping from sleeper (枕木)to sleeper. With great care she began the dangerous crossing, sometimes on her hands and knees, hardly daring to look down between the sleepers into the wild flood waters below. If she should slip, she would fall between the sleepers, into the rapidly flowing stream.

At last -- she never knew how long it had taken her- - she felt solid ground under her feet. But there was no time to rest. She still had to run more than half a mile and had only a few minutes left. Unless she reached the station before the express did, many, many lives would be lost.

She did reach the station just as the train came into sight. Fortunately the station-master was standing outside. “The bridge is down! Stop the train! Oh, please stop it!” Kate shouted breathlessly.

The station-master went pale. He rushed into the station building and came back with a signal light. He waved the red light as the train came into the station. It was not a second too early.

21. What did Kate decide to do?

A. Stop the express train.          B. Check the signal light.

C. Meet the passengers.                 D. Visit the station-master

22. Which of the following words best describes Kate’s journey

A. Fruitless.       B. Boring.      C. Well-planned.        D. Risky.

23. Why did the station-master turn pale?

A. He suddenly fell ill.                B. He realized the danger.

C. He discovered his mistake.       D. He became over-excited.

It is good to get in touch with your inner child from time to time，and obviously some people are willing to pay big money for the chance to do so in a proper environment．A Brooklyn-based adult preschool is charging customers between $333 and $999 for the chance to act like a kid again．
    At Preschool Mastermind in New York adults get to participate in show—and—tell，arts—and—crafts such as finger paint，games like musical chairs and even take naps．The month-long course also has class picture day where the adults are expected to have a field trip and a parent day．
    30-year-old Michelle Joni Lapidos，the brain behind the adult preschool，studied childhood education and has always wanted to be a preschool teacher．She’s always on the lookout for new ways to get people in touch with the freedom of childhood．A friend encouraged her to start the mastermind course instead．
    According to Candice，her blogger friend，Preschool Mastermind gives adults a chance to relearn and master the things that they failed to understand as children．“I realized all the significances of what we learn in preschool，”said founder Michelle Joni，“People come here and get in touch with their inner child．It’s magical．We are bringing ourselves back to another place，another time with ourselves when we are more believing in ourselves，more confident and ready to take on the world．”
    “One person’s here because they want to learn not to be so serious．”Michelle said．“Another's here to learn to be more confident．”She explained that most of the classes were planned．However，Joni added that while the planned activities were fun，it was often the spontaneous(自发的)moments that attracted students．“It’s the things you don’t plan for，the sharing between friends and learning from each other．’’
24. What is the purpose of Preschool Mastermind?
    A. To give adults a chance to return to childhood. 
    B. To help parents understand their children better. 
    C. To provide practical training courses for teachers. 
    D. To introduce some ways of playing with children. 
25. What is mainly discussed about Preschool Mastermind in Paragraph 2 ?
    A. Its customers.     B. Its activities.     C. Its environment.  D. Its schedule
26. According to Candice，people come to this program to________.
    A. enjoy freedom of thinking                B. realize their childhood dreams
    C. discover their inner abilities           D. figure out childhood puzzles
27. What do we know about Michelle Joni?
    A. She used to be a preschool teacher.     B. She likes to make plans in advance. 
    C. She founded Preschool Mastermind.    D. She gained confidence by sharing. 

Humans have been keeping animals as pets for tens of thousands of years, but Dr Jean-Loup Rault, an animal scientist at the University of Melbourne in Australia, believes new companions are coming: robot pets.
    “Technology is moving very fast,” Rault told ABC News, “The Tamagotchi in the early 1990s was really the first robotic pet, and now Sony and other big companies have improved them a lot.”
    This may not sit well with pet lovers. After all, who would choose a plastic toy over a lovely puppy? But Rault argues that the robotic kind has a lot going for it: “You don’t have to feed it, you don’t have to walk it, it won’t make a mess in your house, and you can go on a holiday without feeling guilty.” The technology also benefits those who are allergic to pets, short on space, or fearful of real animals.
    It’s not clear whether robot pets can replace real ones. But studies do suggest that we can bond with these smart machines. People give their cars names and kids give their toy animals life stories. It’s the same with robots. When Sony stopped its repair service for its robot dog Aibo in March 2014, owners in Japan held funerals.
    As an animal welfare researcher, Rault is concerned about how robotic pets could affect our attitudes towards live animals. “If we become used to a robotic companion that doesn’t need food, water or exercises, perhaps it will change how humans care about other living beings,” he said.
    So are dogs and cats a thing of the past, as Rault predicts? For those who grew up with living and breathing pets, the mechanical kind might not do. But for our next generation who are in constant touch with smart technology, a future in which lovely pets needn’t have a heartbeat might not be a far-fetched dream.
28. What does the underlined phrase “sit well with” means? 
    A．be refused by                    B．be beneficial to
    C．make a difference to                 D．receive support from
29.What are the advantages of robot pets?
    a. They are plastic and feel smooth.
    b. Owners needn’t worry about them when going out.
    c. They can help cure allergies（过敏）.
    d. They save space and costs. 
    A．ab          B．bc          C．bd      D．cd
30. We can learn from the passage that___________. 
    A．Sony is the first company to produce robot pets Aibo.
    B．People can develop strong bond with their robot pets.
    C．Rault thinks robot pets still have a long way to go.
    D．Robot toys may help people care more about living beings.
31.  The passage mainly tells us___________. 
   A．the advantages of robot toys     B．the popularity of robot pets
    C．living pets are dying out            D．robot pets are coming

Traffic problems are an everyday concern in many cities，including Washington，DC．A growing number of Washingtonians are turning to bicycles to get to and from work．In fact，the number of commuters who use bicycles has doubled in the city since 2007．

Ralph Buehler teaches urban planning at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University，popularly known as Virginia Tech．He has written a book about urban biking，calledCity Cyclin . g．He says there is a reason why urban bike tiding is now becoming more popular．

“Over the last 60 to 70 years，cities in America have adapted to the automobile．”

“Most cities took advantage of the money coming for the interstate highway system，from the federal government，  starting in 1956．There was a 90 percent federal match(补贴)so the cities only had to put up 10％．It was very tempting．”

In the years after World War Two，many Americans moved to suburban communities，just outside major cities．They decided to travel great distances to and from work in exchange for a home in the suburbs．Their cars became a symbol of freedom．

But today，many people believe they can save money by living in the city．

Greg Billing is with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association．“When a person makes a change from using a car to using a bike，he／she is saving anywhere between 8 or $9，000 a year．”

Ralph Buehler says governments save money when people use bicycles．“Building bicycling facilities is much cheaper than building and maintaining road facilities or public transport．”

Washington，DC has also taken steps to protect bike riders．It approved a safe passing law and created areas on the road between cars and bikes．

The United States Census Bureau says 4％of the city’s workers ride to work by bike．The only city on the East Coast with more bike commuters is New York．

32．What does the writer mainly talk about in this passage?

A．Bicycling to work in Washington, DC grows in popularity
    B．Bikes lead to new problems in Washington，DC

C．Washington，DC has taken steps to protect bike riders

D．People in Washington，DC prefers cars to bicycles

33．What can we know from Ralph Buehler’s statement?

A．A lot has been invested to build bicycling facilities in cities．

B．The federal government supported building public transport．

C．Cities didn’t use the money from the government wisely．

D．Urban biking has been popular in the last 60 to 70 years．

34．In the years after World War Two，many Americans prefer to____．

A．go to and from work by bike              B．live out of the major cities

C．travel long distances a lot                  D．rent houses rather than buy ones

35．What do Ralph Buehler and Greg Billing agree with?

A．Public transport develop too rapidly recent years．

B．Government should build more bicycle facilities．

C．The cost of living in cities is lower than in the country．

D．More people using bicycles can save money．

Although most games have winners and losers, the goal of sports is not to win every game. The real goals include getting exercise, having fun, and learning important social skills, like good sportsmanship.

Good sportsmanship is all about respect. Good sports (具有运动家品格的人) respect their teammates and also their opponents. They respect their coaches, and they also respect the referees or other officials involved in their games. ____36____ They yell at their teammates and they talk back to coaches or referees.

Kids usually learn sportsmanship — good and bad — from the adults in their lives. ____37____ If parents and coaches show disrespect to other fans, referees, or each other, kids will likely act the same way on the field.

____38____ Some of them are very basic and easy to do, like shaking hands with other players before a game. Other examples may take a little more courage, such as acknowledging a great play made by the opposing team.

Learning good sportsmanship is important because it helps you develop an attitude of graciousness (礼貌) and respect that will carry over into all the other areas of your life._ ____39____ Being a good sport in the classroom will eventually lead to being a good sport in the workplace.

So be a good sport in whatever you do！____40____ When others see you acting in a way that makes it clear that winning isn't the most important thing, you can move on to focusing on the important things, like having fun, getting exercise, and improving your skills!

A．Good sportsmanship can be shown in many ways.

B．On the contrary, bad sportsmanship is all about disrespect.

C．The example you set can be a powerful teaching tool for others.

D．Players' parents and coaches set examples that kids tend to follow.

E．We can be good sports by encouraging others but not laughing at them.

F．Starting as a good sport earlier will help you be a good sport as you get old.

G．If you're a good sport on the field, you'll also likely be a good sport in the classroom.