寫在前面：題目可能有些太難的，或是有爭議的，請?jiān)谠u論區(qū)提出。有些詞不太清楚是不是初中單詞。。文本反正大抵是高中文本，不影響，題目初中生完全可以做出來很多，中文也標(biāo)注了不少。答案于8月2日上傳。

DIFFICULTIES:

(A): Easy: (1); (2) ; (3) ; (5) -? Medium: (4) ; (6)? - Hard: (7)

(B): Easy: (10); (12) -? Medium: (8) ; (9) ; (11)? - Hard: (13) ; (14)

(C): Easy: (17); (18) ; (19) -? Medium: (15) ; (16) ; (20)? - Hard: (21) ; (22)[21太難不符合首字母要求]

(D): Easy: (27); -? Medium: (23); (25) ; (26) ; (29)? - Hard: (24) ; (28); (30)[24太難不符合首字母要求]

評分標(biāo)準(zhǔn)：及格：16道；良好：21道；優(yōu)秀：24道；完美：27道

21和24瞎出的，我知道不合理，考試不會出，但是作為有上進(jìn)心的學(xué)生，我們應(yīng)該挑戰(zhàn)一下自己。當(dāng)然，大可以當(dāng)這兩題不存在做。

(A) ★★★☆☆

Many people underestimate the importance of writing skills. They think that as long as they can speak and understand the language, they know it. Truth is, we live in the a____(1) of internet and smart phones where most of the communication happens in writing. An ability to express ideas in a clear and literate way has become extremely necessary for work, study and everyday life.

Do you have trouble e____(2) yourself in written English? Don’t worry, even n____(3) speakers find it difficult.

Here are some tips that will help you improve your English writing skills:

1. Read as much as you can. It is the best way to learn sentence structures and build a w___(4) vocabulary. We will share a writing for you to read on Facebook every week.

2. Translate from your native language into English and vice versa. However, if you write more, you would start thinking in English. You will know you have become fluent o___(5) you no longer need to translate your thoughts.

3. Use social media. By posting on Twitter or Facebook, you can get comments and feedback from your peers. It also helps overcome a fear of writing in public. You can always get your writings c_____(6) by reviewers at Daily Themes before you share it on other channels.

4. Take an online course. There are a few very good free online courses on writing, English composition, and grammar on Cousera, Alison, edX, and Future Learn. You can take courses on these websites, and share your learning by writing on Daily Themes.

5. Get a writing coach at Daily Themes. The fastest way to learn is to have someone, who has already m____(7) the language, check your writings.

Happy writing!

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(B) ★★★★☆

Thirteen years after the l____(8) of Taobao, China has risen to become the world’s second busiest online marketplace, behind only the United States. This is the kind of statistic that economists love, but it doesn’t really tell us anything about why so many people like to buy so many things online.

　　Is it because its easy? Is it because of the vast s_____(9)? Is it because we want to feel connected to others without leaving the house?

　　Taobao was in fact a r_____(10) to ebay’s entrance into the Chinese market in 2003. Jack Ma knew that he knew China better than the Americans did, and that Taobao could b___(11) ebay at its own game here. He was right, and Jack Ma has helped to shape the nature of online commerce in China—what it looks like, how it works, and, most importantly, who its users are.

　　Taobao’s aesthetic (美學(xué)) is distinctive, and has influenced and inspired competitors in China and around the world. The way it works is also different from other m____(12) online retailers (零售店) . But the real genius of Taobao lies in its u____(13) of its users. What it looks like and how it works, after all, were designed with the users in mind: a young, increasingly “connected” and increasingly wealthy Chinese generation.

When they designed Taobao, Jack Ma and his team realized that many young people in China strongly

v___(14) social interaction with their peers, so they made such interaction—everything from messaging to live chats to recommendations and reviews—a core part of the Taobao shopping experience.?

(C) ★★★★☆

Here are four simple, healthy and, dare we say, fun ways to help you s___(15) down and stay healthy.

Have your cake …for breakfast

Aside from being depressing, the way to m___(16) weight loss isn’t by feeling deprived.

Scientists say that people who started off the day with a(n) treat felt fuller and more satisfied, and that led to their sticking with the program as the day went on. Being hungry is no way to start your day, so fuel up with protein and a mouthful of something sweet. And most of all, enjoy!

Sleep your way to weight loss

Dr. Andrew Calvin, one expert of Mayo Clinic study, is quoted as saying, “If individuals are seeking to maintain a healthy weight or to lose weight, they should seek to get enough sleep on a(n) regular b___(17).”

If you find it tricky to wind down at night, turn off the e____(18) and engage in relaxing activities, like taking a bath or listening to calming music.

Journal to drop pounds

The best w___(19) for a dieter? Pen and paper! Women who wrote down everything they ate lost more weight than those who didn’t track their food intake. Journaling makes you accountable and more aware of what you’re eating, so it makes sense that it’ll keep you from m____(20) chewing if you aren’t actually hungry.

Even a tiny bit of exercise helps your health

Even 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the weeks (broken up into smaller c____(21) is fine) reduces your risk for all sorts of physical ills. And even 20 minutes a week can improve your mood. That really stuck with me. It’s easy to criticize ourselves or b___(22) out if we make goals that are incredibly hard to achieve, but walking a few times a week is doable– and meaningful, too.

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(D) ★★★★★

In 1867 the United States faced the task of r___(23) after the destruction of the Civil War, so it looked westward for the raw materials needed to f___(24) industrial growth. Geological surveys and mapping journeys were set forth to explore this unfamiliar territory. These groups, in turn, hired mapmakers, scientists, cooks, drivers, and doctors. They also hired painters and photographers as part of the teams. Painters needed few s_____(25), making it relatively easy for them to travel in the wilderness, while photographers were not so lucky; they had to transport a fully stocked darkroom on the journey.

Until the late 1870s, most photographers used the difficult wet-collodion process. The first step was to wash a clean sheet of glass with a sticky m____(26) of collodion and chemicals. (collodion or “gun-cotton” was a recent medical discovery used to cover wounds because the viscous (粘性的) solution turned into a protective film when dry.) After it was washed, the plate went into another bath that the picture was stopped from getting darker. Finally, the glass negative (底片) was washed clean with fresh water. Printing a photograph from the negative had to wait until the photographer went back to the studio. The size of the negative depended on the size of the camera. Some negatives could be as large as 20 by 24 inches.

Imagine the c____(27) of taking photographs in the 1860s and 1870s in the remote western wilderness! Photographers went over rocky mountains and through rushing rivers. They were b___(28) in the terrible desert heat, with cameras, sheets of glass, and vats of chemicals. Bad weather, equipment f____(29), and accidents were frequent problems. They persevered, but success in creating a negative did not g____(30) the production of a photograph; plates still had to be safely transported back to the studio before the image could be printed on paper. A photographer could carry 120 pounds of many miles to capture a magnificent view only to have the easily broken plate destroyed in transportation.