15．Benefits of readingThe benefits of reading start with the first book a baby hears and continue into childhood and throughout the child's life．Here are some reasons why reading is important．
Reading teaches children about the world around them．（36）G They are exposed to ways of life，ideas and beliefs about the world which may be different from those which surround them．This builds a store of background knowledge，which helps younger children learn to read confidently．
（37）BWhen we read，our brains translate the descriptions we read of people，places and things into pictures．When we're reading a story，we're also imagining how the characters are feeling．We use our own experiences to imagine how we would feel in the same situation．
Children who read do better at school．And they don't just do better at subjects like reading，English and history．（38）E
Reading is a great form of entertainment!A paperback （平裝的） book or an e-reader doesn't take up much space so you can take it anywhere and you'll never be lonely or bored if you have a book in your bag．（39）F
Reading relaxes the body and calms the mind．（40）CThe constant movement，flashing lights and noise are quite stressful for our brains．When we read，we read in silence and the black print on a white page is much less stressful for our eyes and brains．

A．Reading improves concentration．
B．Reading develops a child's imagination．
C．We seem to have forgotten how to relax and how to be silent．
D．Children learn new words and absorb information as they read．
E．They do better at all subjects and they do better all the way through school．
F．You can read while waiting for a friend or during a flight delay at an airport．
G．By reading，children learn about people，places and events outside their own experience．

14．Are you sometimes a little tired and sleepy in the early afternoon？Many people feel this way after lunch．They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness．Or，in summer，they may think it is the heat．However，the real reason lies inside their bodies．At that time-about eight hours after you wake up-your body temperature goes down．This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy．Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments where there was no night or day．The people in these experiments almost always followed a similar sleeping pattern．They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours later．
In many parts of the world，people take naps（小睡） in the middle of the day．This is especially true in warmer climates（氣候），where the heat makes work difficult in the early afternoon．Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate．A daily nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general．In countries where naps are traditional （傳統(tǒng)的），people often suffer less from problems such as heart disease．
Many working people，unfortunately，have no time to take naps．Though doctors may advise taking naps，employers do not allow it!If you do have the chance，however，here are a few tips about making the most of your nap．Remember that the best time to take a nap is about eight hours after you get up．A short sleep too late in the day may only make you feel more tired and sleepy afterward．This can also happen if you sleep for too long．If you do not have enough time，try a short nap-even ten minutes of sleep can be helpful．

29．Why do people feel sleepy in the early afternoon according to the text？A
A．Their body temperature becomes lower．
B．They sleep too little at night．
C．They eat too much for lunch．
D．The weather becomes a lot warmer．
30．If you get up at 6：30 am，what is the best time for you to take a nap？B
A．About 12：30 pm．
B．About 2：30 pm
C．About 1：30 pm．
D．About 3：30 pm
31．What advice does the writer give on taking a nap？D
A．You'd better take a nap about an hour after you have lunch．
B．You can sleep as long as you like so that you will not feel tied or sleepy．
C．Only people in warmer climate need to take a nap．
D．If your time is limited，a short nap can also help．
32．Naps are good for everyone in any climate becauseD．
A．a(chǎn) nap makes both your body and mind have a good rest．
B．a(chǎn) daily nap benefits your health．
C．people who often take naps suffer less from problems such as heart disease than those who don't．
D．All the above．

13．It may come as a shock to owners，but dogs hate being hugged，a study has shown．
Animal psychologists say dogs feel stressed and unhappy when they are hugged by their owners，because it stops them being able to run away．
In a study which analysed 25 pictures of dogs as they were being hugged，eight out of 10animals looked clearly uncomfortable．
Experts at The Kennel Club，and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home，also agreed that owners should not treat their dogs like children，because most pets did not like to be hugged．
The new study was carried out by Dr Stanley Coren，a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia．He analysed images of dogs being hugged by adults and children he found on the Internet，looking for signs of stress．
At an extreme end，when a dog is especially anxious it shows its teeth or may bite，but Dr Coren said there are other signs that it may be uncomfortable but they are small and not obvious．
Signs of stress include the dog folding its ears down，half-moon eyes or turning its head away to avoid eye contact．If the dog has its eyes closed，it could also be a sign of anxiety．Open its mouth or raising one paw is another warning sign．
"The clear suggestion to come out of this research is to save your hugs for your two-footed family members and lovers．
"It is clearly better from the dog's point of view if you express your fondness for your pet with a pat，a kind word，and maybe a treat．
"Some people think that giving their dog a hug is a nice thing to do，but the reality is that a family pet will often tolerate a hug but doesn't like it．
"On the whole dogs are sociable animals and love communicating with people，but any action that restricts a dog's movement could make them uncomfortable and it is important for an owner to recognize the signs of stress or anxiety．"

9．According to the study，what might a dog not feel when it is being hugged？C
A．Stressed．
B．Uncomfortable．
C．Shocked．
D．Unhappy．
10．Which of the following is not the sign of stress for dogs？D
A．Showing its teeth
B．Folding its ears down．
C．Raising one paw．
D．Keeping eye contact．
11．According to the passage，what are dog owners suggested to do？A
A．Hug their family members more．
B．Stop touching their dogs．
C．Stop treating their dogs as friends．
D．Leave their dogs alone．
12．What's the main idea of this passage？B
A．A study shows that dogs hate being treated like children．
B．A study tells owners that dogs dislike being hugged．
C．A study teaches owners how to treat a stressed dog．
D．A study teaches owners how to recognize an uncomfortable dog．

12．Stepinac has become one of the first high schools in the country to drop all textbooks and replace them with a"digital library"．When students started classes on Monday，they were zipping to an app on their tablets or laptops and bad instant access to all 40texts in the Stepinac curriculum （課程）．
Dennis Lauro，director of an information center which provides technical support to public schools in New York，said neither he nor his colleagues were aware of a similar digital effort in a public school setting．"This is the wave of the future．"Lauro said．"I'm not surprised that a private school would beat the public schools to it．They have the ability to just do it．There is so much politics involved in public schools，when it comes to a move like that，needing approval from boards and committees．"
For Tom Collins，Stepinac's president，the commitment to digital source material was not so difficult a decision．In the past，students'families had to spend up to 700ayearontextbooks．Thisyear-aftertheone-timepurchaseofatabletorlaptop-familiesonlyneedtopay 150．Using the digital library is almost as easy as opening a new book．A student can instantly lap into a digital book and open a map of Egypt or a speech by President John F．Kennedy．A teacher can show a page from a digital book on a whiteboard at the front of the class or send students a link to a particular math problem with notes added in．
The first few weeks may bring some challenges．Stepinac officials expect some parental discomfort over dropping concrete books．They recognize there may be technical faults at first．And they will have to encourage students to leave space-eating photos and music off their tablets-and to keep their tablets charged．

24．What is going on in Stepinac？B
A．It's building a new library．
B．It's reforming its textbooks．
C．It's updating its digital resources．
D．It's changing its management pattern．
25．By saying the underlined sentence．Lauro believesD．
A．public schools face great challenges
B．private schools have their advantages
C．the effort is to cause instant changes
D．it's a trend for schools to go digital
26．Who may worry about the move in Stepinac？C
A．Officials．
B．Technicians．
C．Parents．
D．Teachers．

11．A new study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family claims that all that time you spend parenting just doesn't matter．But it's a claim that，despite the enthusiastic and widespread coverage by the media，does not hold water．
The research suggests that child outcomes （including behavior problems，emotional problems，and academic performance） are barely connected with the time that parents spend with their children．The researchers examined the time diaries of 1，600 children，looking at parenting time and outcomes when the kids were aged 3 to 11 in 1997，and again in 2002，when they were between 8 and 16．
This research largely reflects the failure of the authors to correctly measure parental input （投入）．It just looked at time diaries from two particular days-one a weekday and the other a weekend day．
Trying to get a sense of the time you spend parenting from a single day's diary is a bit like trying to measure your income from a single day．If yesterday was payday，you looked rich，but if it's not，you would be reported as poor．You get a clearer picture only by looking at your income-or your parenting time-over a more meaningful period．
What you did yesterday should not be taken as representative of what you did last year．This is why most high-quality studies of parenting time focus instead on how often parents read to their children，play with them or help them with homework over a period of a month or longer-long enough to represent their different approaches to parenting．
As an exhausted parent who doesn't get enough time to work out，and who hasn't seen a movie for months，I understand why so many of us might seize on studies suggesting that we should take more time for ourselves．Perhaps we should．But I agree with Ariel Kalil，a developmental psychologist，on the suggestion"that when parents spend high-quality time with their children，their children are more likely to succeed．"

32．What do the underlined words"hold water"in the first paragraph probably mean？A
A．To be valid．
B．To be surprising．
C．To be confusing．
D．To be usual．
33．What's the purpose of conducting the study？A
A．To explore the link between parenting time and child outcomes
B．To explore the link between time diaries and child development．
C．To explore the link between children's habits and parents'influence．
D．To explore the link between daily activities and children's problems，
34．How is Paragraph 4 mainly developed？C
A．By giving descriptions．
B．By analyzing the cause．
C．By making a comparison，
D．By offering research findings．
35．The author may agree that high-quality-studies of parenting time shouldD．
A．be completed in one month                       
B．a(chǎn)dopt some different approaches
C．concentrate mainly on learning time          
D．be based on data of a longer time period．

10．A walker seriously injured in a mountain-top lightning strike which killed two others is showing signs of improvement，the police have said．A major rescue operation was performed on Sunday following two strikes which hit the Brecon Beacons，South Wales．Two men died，while two others were taken to hospital．
A police spokeswoman said，"A man in a serious condition in hospital，following simultaneous （同時(shí)發(fā)生的） incidents in the Brecon Beacons，has now improved and he is recovering．Officers are continuing to get in touch with the next of relatives of the dead men and enquiries are ongoing．All men were believed to be from England．"
Mark Jones，of the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team，described the lightning strike as a freak accident，and something he had not been called out to in 30 years of service．
The walking group Ramblers Cymru said that while incidents involving thunder and lightning were rare，electrical storms should be taken seriously by walkers．
The organisation's delivery officer，Elly Hannigan Popp，said，"We'd advise everyone to check the weather forecast before starting a walk．If you hear thunder，see lightning or if your hair stands on end，postpone activities even if the sky looks blue and clear．Lightning will strike as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall．Lightning can strike the same place repeatedly-especially tall，pointed，isolated objects．"
"If there is no shelter you should keep moving．And if you become the tallest object，crouch （蹲） in the open twice as far away from the nearest pointed object as it is tall．Make yourself as small as possible，stay on your toes and keep your heels together，as it will allow electricity to go up one foot，through the heels and back into the ground through the other．"

29．What can we learn about the victims of the incident？C
A．Both of the injured men are recovering slowly，
B．The bodies of the two men haven't been found．
C．The four men involved may be from the same country．
D．The police cannot contact the two dead men's relatives．
30．Why did the author quote the police spokeswoman in Paragraph 2？D
A．Because the accident is very serious．
B．To announce where the victims come from．
C．Because the police are looking into the accident．
D．To tell the readers some facts of the incident．
31．What do the last two paragraphs tell us？D
A．Harm done by lightning．
B．Warnings from a delivery officer．
C．First aid in a lightning incident．
D．Safety tips on a lightning strike．

9．In the winters of 2012 and 2013，National Geographic grantee （被批準(zhǔn)人） Anders Angerbjorn and his Ph．D．student，Rasmus Erlandsson，studied an extremely threatened species，the Scandinavian arctic fox，The current population numbers are fewer than 150 individuals in mainland Europe so many of the young foxes are having difficulty finding a non-related partner．Other threats to the species include competition from the red fox for the rare small rodents （嚙齒目動(dòng)物） they both depend upon for food．Angerbjorn and Erlandsson monitored the arctic fox population in Vasterbotten and Norrbotten，Sweden，to identify the best areas for further conservation actions．This included tagging （貼標(biāo)簽于） the baby foxes，which proved to be a challenge．
"When catching arctic foxes it is easy to believe that the smaller ones are the easiest to handle．In some aspects it is true．Their teeth are smaller and the jaws less powerful．However，just as human children have a hard time keeping still，the really small cubs （幼獸） do too．"
"We handle the foxes in a bag while tagging，and the trick is to keep the animal still between your legs while kneeling．And here comes the tricky part．How do you keep a small，wild fox still？You cannot apply too much force．You really do not want to hurt it．Just as with small children the best tool is patience，but at the same time you want the handling to be as short as possible．"
"One particular cub had a technique I had never experienced before as it continuously tried to turn onto its back，for no obvious reason．I had to reach the ears，so I quickly turned the cub upright．The cub stayed still for a few seconds，and then began to roll onto its back again．The same thing happened over and over again!Finally，I got the tags in place，and after making measurements and taking some samples，I finally let it go．"

25．According to the text，the red foxD．
A．looks like the arctic fox                            
B．is an endangered species
C．needs more conservation actions                
D．competes with the arctic fox for food
26．What does the underlined word"This"in Paragraph 1 refer to？B
A．Providing food for the arctic fox．
B．Checking the number of the arctic fox．
C．Building conservation areas for the arctic fox．
D．Helping the arctic fox find a non-related partner．
27．Human children are mentioned in Paragraph 2 to explain thatC．
A．kids love the arctic fox                             
B．baby foxes can be dangerous
C it is difficult to tag baby foxes                          
D．the smaller foxes are easier to handle
28．To tag small cubs，Angerbjorn and Erlandsson had to beB．
A．brave                  
B．patient                           
C．creative                  
D．strong．

8．Owls are equipped with highly developed stealth technology （隱形技術(shù)） that helps them charge towards prey-an animal hunted and eaten by another-undetected，a study has shown．
Owls have flight feathers that absorb aerodynamic sound and control the vibrations （振動(dòng)） that occur when a bird beats its wings．The result is perfect silence as it approaches a mouse or other prey．
Scientists used lasers and high-speed cameras to analyze and compare long-eared owl，eagle and pigeon feathers during flight．While differing in size，all three birds have a similar wing-beat style．
Professor Jinkui Chu led the research．He said，"Many owls have a unique and fascinating ability to fly so silently that they are out of their prey's hearing range，due to their feather structure．"
This behaviour has long been of interest to engineers，as we seek to apply the owls'noise-reduction mechanisms （機(jī)制） to other purposes and situations that benefit society．
Now，however，we know the owls'silent flight ability is even better than we thought．Of all birds the owl is the king of acoustic stealth．It not only manages to prevent aerodynamic noise when gliding，but also mechanical noise caused by vibration during flying．
This is remarkable，considering the sudden jumping，bending and twisting the wings are subjected to when flapping and the noise that is created by other birds．
In the scientific world，the process used to remove this mechanical noise is called'damping'，which means the removal of mechanical energy from a vibrating system usually by changing it into heat and allowing it to remain steady．
"Our research showed the long-eared owl has superior damping skill，meaning it can remain amazingly stable and remove mechanical noise caused by the movement of its feathers-quite an impressive achievement of engineering.99
He added，"This study will hopefully provide further insight into the owls'silent flight mechanism and help engineers develop ideas for special materials or structures，such as on-shore wind turbines，where similar noise removal can be applied．"

29．What can be true about owls according to the text？B
A．They are active during the day．
B．They attract much attention from engineers．
C．They have similar wings to eagles．
D．They beat wings without vibrations．
30．By saying"the owl is the king of acoustic stealth"in Paragraph 6，Jinkui Chu means owlsD．
A．a(chǎn)re good at capturing prey
B．have a good sense of hearing
C．a(chǎn)re good at jumping and twisting
D．have silent flight ability
31．What does the underlined word"it"in Paragraph 8refer to？C
A．Mechanical noise．
B．The vibrating system．
C．Mechanical energy．
D．The removal of mechanical energy．

7．What is big data exactly？Good question．After all，we've always had large amounts of data．As Laurie Miles，head，of analytics for big data specialist SAS，says，"The term big data has been around for decades and we've been，doing analytics all the time．It's not big； it's just bigger．"Most traditional data was structured，or neatly organized in databases．Then the world went digital and the Internet came along．Most of what we1 do could be translated into data capable of being recorded，stored，searched，and analyzed．There was also so-called unstructured data generated by all our digital interactions （互動(dòng)），from emails to online'shopping，text messages to tweets，and Facebook updates to YouTube video's．
Some say that about 90% of all the data in the world today has been created in the past few years．"About 75% of data is unstructured，coming from sources such as text voice and video，"says Mr Miles．
"Big data is not just historic business intelligence，''says Mr，Miles．"It's the addition of real-time data and the ability to combine together several data sets that makes it so valuable．"Practically，anyone who makes，grows and sells anything Can use big data analytics to make their manufacturing and production processes more efficient arid their marketing more targeted and cost-effective．
And many businesses are only just beginning to realize that data is something that they need to protect and use．"Banks only use a third of their available data because it often sits in databases that are hard to access，"says Mr Miles，"We need to find ways to make this data more easily accessible．"
Who owns it all？Social media platforms will often，say that their users own their own content，but then lay claim to how that content is used，reserving the right to share it with third parties!So when you tweet you effectively give up any control over how that tweet is used in future，even though Twitter terms and conditions say，"What's yours is yours．"Privacy （隱私） and intellectual property1 laws have not kept up with the pace of technological change．

32．According to the first paragraph，big dataD．
A．is also called modern data                         
B．means we don't have enough data
C．gets its name from a research institute        
D．has been researched for many years
33．What contributes greatly to the development of unstructured data？B
A．The increasing number of databases．
B．Our increasing exposure to digital activities．
C．A great decrease in structured data．
D．The lack of people who can translate data．
34．What is the third paragraph mainly about？B
A．The future of big data．
B．The value of big data．
C．The protection of big data．
D．The problems of big data．
35．Why do banks only use a small part of their data？D
A．Because it has different resources．
B．Because the speed is too slow．
C．Because the cost is very high．
D．Because it is difficult to obtain．

6．The Cardboard Box Office is a project created by Lilly and Leon Mackie，who recently moved from New Zealand to Sydney，Australia．The transfer left them with a mountain of cardboard boxes，and the arrival of their baby son Orson 10 months ago meant their social lives were"completely altered （改變．"So the couple decided to try to make some fun of the situation．
"We started after creating a one-off photo where we wanted to portray the general mess and sleep-deprivation （睡眠） that comes with being new parents，"Lilly Mackie said in an email．"People seemed to really love it and asked for more．We had a lot of weekends at home and a stockpile of cardboard so we thought‘Why not？'It went from there．"
The Mackies took the first photos in September and have portrayed 14 movies so far，including their versions of"Cast Away"（or"Castababy"）and"Jurassic Park"（or"Goo-goo Gaa-gaa-rassic Park"）．Even"Star Wars"gets the Mackie treatment，with Orson holding a cardboard tube in place of a saber （軍刀）and mom sporting impressive Princess Leia-like hair buns （HI made out of brown paper in the photo titled"Wah Wars．"
The family usually creates the sets on'Saturdays and posts the whimsical pictures on their blog and Facebook page，which have almost 3，000 fans．Besides cardboard boxes，the photos feature costumes，props （道具），and sets created out of everyday household items，toys，"and three individuals slowly losing their sense，"they joked on their blog．
Leon，a children's book designer at a large publishing company，and Lilly，a stay-at-home mom，are both film buffs and photography fans．The baby is also becoming a connoisseur（鑒賞家）of movies and cardboard boxes．
"Orson seems to find the photo shoots quite fascinating and enjoys exploring the sets-and tearing things apart．There's never a dull moment for him on Saturday nights，"Lilly said．"When he gets a little older，we'11 bring in a lot more of his input，asking for his ideas on films and sets．Make it a real family thing．I think he may come up with some quite funny things．"

28．The original reason why the Mackies create family movies is thatD．
A．they want to earn a great deal of money            
B．both of them are children's book designers
C．they have no friends in their new community
D．they want to make their family life interesting
29．What do we know about the Mackies'family movies？C
A．They are usually made on Sundays．
B．They are not popular on the Internet．
C．Some of them are made based on famous films．
D．They are mainly about early childhood education．
30．Which word is closest in meaning to the underlined word"whimsical"in Paragraph 4？A
A．Unusual．
B．Valuable．
C．Famous．
D．Disgusting．
31．What's the final purpose of the Mackies'making family movies？C
A．To teach audiences how to make films．
B．To prove their baby is very bright．
C．To develop Orson's skills in art．
D．To make themselves．famous．