raised to keep water away from the city.
In the course of history, London has witnessed many cases of extreme flooding. The worst event took place in 1958, when 300 people died during a heavy storm that spread across the North Sea and flooded the city. After this disaster, city planners decided that something had to be done to protect the city.
Today, 10 rotating（旋转）steel gates span the 520-metre wide Thames River. Under normal conditions, the five storey high gates are down and ships can pass through. When danger approaches, the 3000-ton gates can be raised within minutes to keep extra water out of the city area. Since the opening of the barrier in 1982, the gates have been closed over 170 times. Recently, however, the gates have been closed very often due to rising sea levels.
The Thames Barrier protects over a million people who live and work in Central London. It also protects historic buildings, infrastructure（基础设施）and the London Underground. Climate experts say that sea levels are rising slower than predicted so that the barrier will be operational through to 2070.
25. What can we know about the Thames Barrier? A. It lies in the north of London. C. It costs 500 million a year.
B. It was used to store water. D. It started to be used in 1982.
26. Why did city planners decide to do something to protect the city? A. Tides rise and fall about 5 metres twice a day. B. Rising tides can easily flood central parts of the city. C. The Environment Agency hoped to reduce losses. D. The flood in 1953 made 300 people lose their lives. 27. What caused the Thames Barrier to close very often? A. Frequent ships. C. Extreme weather.
B. Rising sea levels D. Too much rain.
28. What does the author think of the Thames Barrier? A. Attractive. C. Concerned.
C
After being unemployed for a few years, I was looking for something to do in my spare time
B. Vital. D. Controversial.
that would also help to increase my skills and confidence.
Having previously suffered from depression（沮丧）and anxiety, I knew a full-time job would be more of a long-term goal. When I was introduced to Volunteering Matters, I was particularly interested in the handyperson service. I was a bit nervous though as it was brand new to me. After chatting with the project coordinator, I signed up and went through some initial training, which was really relaxing and enjoyable.
In February, I took up the role as a handyperson organizer, which means it is my responsibility to speak to older people who require our service. After that, I assign the job request to the most appropriate volunteers, based on their location and skills. It usually takes about one hour per evening to complete my task.
Having done this role now for six months, I have learned a great deal and am very proud to be a part of this project. I have seen first-hand how important it is to help older people, who would really struggle without our service. I really feel that I am doing my bit to help others and give something back. It has helped me to believe in myself and I have learned some new skills, which I didn’t believe I could ever do, especially my communication, organization and interpersonal skills.
It’s great to be able to build a relationship with our clients and volunteers and it is also a lot of fun. My confidence has increased and I absolutely love my volunteer organizer role. Most recently, I have also been helping the project coordinator with administration tasks and publicity（宣传）work for the service, which means I am improving my IT knowledge as well. It means a lot that I have received help and support from Volunteering Matters. At the same time, I am helping the organization and its beneficiaries too. 29. Why did the author turn to Volunteering Matters? A. To meet new friends.
B. To make more money.
D. To get rid of depression and anxiety.
C. To make himself a better person.
30. What does the underlined phrase “handyperson service” mean? A. Convenient help. C. Careful thought.
B. Total support.
D. Friendly communication.
31. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about? A. What the author is supposed to do. B. The reason why the author volunteers.
C. How this project benefits the author.
D. Why the author loves the volunteer organizer role. 32. What can we infer from the text about the author’s attitude? A. It is worthwhile to do voluntary work. B. The old are badly in need of volunteers. C. Volunteering will lead to employment. D. Being a volunteer requires IT knowledge.
D
Pronunciation matters, and no one should know that better than an educator. But Adam Levne-Peres knows how easy it is for some teachers to fall into the habit of mispronouncing the names of their black and brown students. That’s why he made a video breaking down why name pronunciation matters.
Levine-Peres explains that there are three common problems that occur when a teacher continuously mispronounces a student’s name. It creates a distrust between pupils and instructors, when teachers stop trying to learn a name it teaches students that it’s OK to give up, and it just simply goes against common courtesy（礼貌）.
“You wouldn’t like it if it happened to you, so please learn to say their names properly,” he says toward the end of the video. “I guarantee you, and it’ll go a long way in the classroom. If you don’t know how to say their names, ask them. Ask them, again, and ask them to say it slower. Ask them to say it in their native language and then spell it out phonetically in your attendance sheet（考勤表）.”
Levine-Peres gave another reason why he thinks a student’s name should be shown respect for by class instructors: As an educator that has worked in the classroom, I have witnessed the worst butchering（弄糟）of Latino and African-American names. Names hold ancestral importance for many people of color. Our “names” bring with them passion, history and stories. It is sad when I say that students are forced to adopt an “Americanized” version of their names.
Last year, a national campaign was launched by the Santa Clara Country Office of Education, titled “My name, My Identity”, which asked teachers, cities and districts to pledge to pronounce names correctly as a way to honor a student’s identity.
33. What will happen if a teacher mispronounces a student’s name?
A. Students will become angry.
B. Students will trust teachers less. D. Students will refuse to go to school.
C. Students will argue with teachers.
34. What can be suggested when a teacher can’t pronounce a student’s name? A. To repeat the student’s name again and again. B. To learn some expressions after class. C. To pronounce the name in a slow way. D. To learn from the student on his (her) name.
35. What can we know about the names of African Americans? A. The names show cultural backgrounds. B. The names are harder to remember.
C. African names will be pronounced right by law. D. American names are similar to African Americans’. 第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
To Be Happy and Successful, Develop These Soft Skills
Have you come across the term “soft skills” before? Most likely not. However, to be truly happy and successful, you need to develop a wide range of soft skills. 36 Without them, you’ll struggle to find work and happiness. Here are several vital soft skills.
37 I remember reading a self-help book that states: “Winners make decisions quickly, losers make them slowly.” There’s definitely something to this. If you spend days making decisions, you’ll often find yourself left behind by those who make decisions quickly and also act on these decisions quickly.
Have great interpersonal（人际的）relationship skills. Happy people know how to communicate with others. 38 They also know how to participate in constructive conversations. The best way to learn interpersonal skills is to listen and watch others who are great at this skill.
Understand the power of team working. Being able to team up with others is a vital skill. Wherever you work, it’s certain that you’ll be part of a team. You must learn how to get on with others. 39
Know how to make other people laugh. Can you imagine if humor didn’t exist? We’d be stuck
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