11．　　Is it good to be in the middle? Sometimes, no, like when you're in the middle (1)       on a long car ride. But sometimes, yes, like when you're in the middle of a great movie. What will happen next? Middle school is a little bit like that.
　　For a kid, going to middle school is a big (2)      : First, it often means (3)       to a new building. You have to take some time to adjust (适应). Second, it may mean taking a (4)       bus, with different students. Third, the friends you made in primary school may (5)       going to different middle schools.
　　All of this can make you feel a bit (6)       on the first day of school. Here is some (7)       to help you on your first day. Get to bed on time the night before. Before bed, put all your things into your schoolbag so you won't forget (8)      .
　　On the big day, eat breakfast (9)       be brave. On your way out the door, take everything you need and try to say "hi" to everyone you meet.
　　In class, listen to the teachers (10)       and take notes. Try to write down the most important things and then you can look them over when you get home and be prepared for the next day.

12．How to say goodbye
　　SUMMER is coming. Junior 3 students are going to say goodbye to each other. "We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun..." Everyone must have a lot to say to their classmates at this moment. But where can they put all their warm words?
　　In the past, each student would buy a big beautiful notebook and ask their classmates to write in it. But this year, things are a bit different in Anhui Hefei Hupo Middle School.
　　The Junior 3 students there use floppy disks (软盘) instead of notebooks. With the help of a computer, students write, draw or even make flashes (动画) for each other.
　　"I am not good at Chinese. I can't think of any beautiful words to say to show how deeply I love my friends," said Zhang Shoukun, 16, a boy. "Now I can make a short flash for them. It's a really cool thing to do!" In his flash, Zhang made his classmates' pictures flash one by one, with beautiful music. "I think they say much more than words," said Zhang.
　　Some girls also like floppy disks and Han Lei, 15, is one of them. "A floppy disk costs less than five yuan but a good notebook costs more than 20 yuan," said Han, "and there is a lot of space on the floppy disk. I can write many words on it."
　　But some students still like notebooks better. "Words in computers are cold. I like to keep my classmates' handwriting," said Tong Jie, 16, a boy, "I have a good friend. His handwriting is just like a girl's. Every time I saw his handwriting in the notebook, I would think of him!"

13．　　For many people, having a cup of coffee right out of bed is the best way to start a day. But a report from Asap Science says otherwise.
　　It says the worst time for coffee is soon after we get up. When we wake up, our bodies start to make cortisol (皮质醇). Cortisol helps us to think clearly and be quick to understand and act. The cortisol levels (数值; 浓度) rise after we wake up and climb to the highest in about an hour. So there are two problems when we drink coffee during this time: ① our bodies will make less cortisol, and ② the cortisol will make coffee less useful. And that's why some of us drink more and more coffee.
　　Then, when's the best time to have coffee? When the cortisol levels are going down, the report says. Cortisol levels are usually highest between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., between noon and 1 p.m., and between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. So if you want to have coffee, enjoy it after these times, and this popular drink will help you the most.

14．　　Has anyone ever told you that eating carrots will help you see in the dark?
　　This is just one of many incorrect sayings you may have heard. Below, we have picked out scientific explanations for three mistakes that people make about their eyes. Let's take a look.
　　(1)      
　　Carrots are rich in vitamin A, which helps the eyes to turn light into information for your brain. This allows people to see in darker places.
　　(2)       A certain minimum amount will help, but a large number of carrots will not give you superhuman vision (视力).
　　If your parents have bad eyesight, will you have bad eyesight, too?
　　(3)       A study by the American Optometric Association found that if both parents are myopic, there's a 33 to 60 percent chance that their child will be. For children who have one parent with myopia, the chance is 23 to 40 percent, and it's down to 6 to 15 percent for kids with non-myopic parents. So if your eyesight is bad, your children might still have good vision.
　　Do color blind people see the world in black and white?
　　(4)       They usually can't tell certain colors apart, especially green and red. Another commonly confused (混乱的) pair of colors is yellow and blue.
　　Our eyes have cone cells (视锥细胞) that sense different wavelengths (波长) of light. If these cells don't work properly, color blindness happens.
　　(5)       Some people are only color blind in low light. However, in the most serious form of color blindness, everything is shades (阴影) of gray.

15．Improving masks throughout (自始至终) time
　　Masks, a simple protective tool, have been used by people for a long time. They can protect us from other harmful things, such as smog (雾霾) and chemicals (化学物品). (1)             was the protective mask first invented and how did it develop? Let's take a look.
　　1st century
　　At this time, lots (2)             people in the Roman Empire worked underground. Many died of lung (肺部) diseases caused by dust. Pliny the Elder (23—79), a Roman philosopher (哲学家), used animal bladders (膀胱) to protect miners (矿工) from the dust. This (3)            (be) the first recorded use of protective masks.
　　16th century
　　Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci (1452—1519) advised people to wear a cloth dipped (蘸) in water over their (4)            (face) to protect against harmful chemicals.
　　(5)            (十九) century
　　In 1848, American Lewis Hassley became the first person to patent (注册专利) a protective mask. In 1897, Polish-Austrian doctor Johann von Mikulicz Radecki designed a simple mask (6)             one layer (层) of gauze (纱布). He advised medical workers to wear it, too. This was the first use of a surgical (外科的) mask.
　　20th century
　　In 1910, the pneumonic plague (肺鼠疫) broke out in Northeast China. Chinese doctor Wu Liande designed (设计) a face mask called "Wu's mask". It was made with two layers of gauze. The mask (7)            (praise) by experts around the world because it could be produced easily (8)             cheaply.
　　Today
　　With several outbreaks of flu and the air pollution in recent years, masks have (9)            (继续) to develop. For example, in 2012, when China suffered (遭受) from smog, mask models such as N95 and KN90 became popular. They can filter out (过滤掉) fine particulate matter (微粒物). China is now the world's (10)            (large) mask producer, making about half of the world's masks.

16．Our world is shaped by design
　　Nearly everything you use in daily life requires thoughtful design.
　　A book cover that interests you to read, an app that keeps you exercising, a search engine (引擎) that is easy to use... these all require good design. Good design makes our lives easier and better. But what makes good design?
　　Fortune magazine recently listed the 100 greatest designs of modern times. The list shows a clear change in design philosophy (理念) over the past decades (数十年), according to Fortune. In the 1950s, design mostly meant the aesthetics (美学) of a product, such as the sleek (造型优美的) design of a sports car. But today, the focus is on how it can solve problems and change society in a positive way.
　　One example is Google Search, No. 3 on the list. The search engine is seen as a great design not because its pages look pretty, but because it organizes a huge amount of information in a smart way and allows people to find anything they want just by typing in one simple box. Its value lies in bringing knowledge and information to everyone.
　　The top design, Apple's iPhone, was not chosen because of its physical appearance. People were more impressed (印象深刻的) by how the iPhone has made life easier for its users.
　　"The iPhone is a flexible (灵活的) design that becomes whatever each user wants it to be," said Kathleen Brandenburg, a world famous designer. In Apple's App Store, people from all walks of life can create their own apps for different purposes. By providing a platform (平台) for people to be creative, the iPhone provides users with great possibilities.
　　The Chinese app WeChat is also on the list. It offers many kinds of functions (功能), including messaging, video calling and online payment. It's a "one-stop shop that makes our life much easier," Fortune wrote.

根据上文内容，用英语回答问题。

17．　　Para 1 On the fourth Thursday in April each year, across the US, kids are skipping school (缺课) and going to work with their parents. They'll be making copies, sending faxes (传真) and sweeping floors. This is because the day is Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day all over the US. This holiday shows kids what it means to be a grown-up in the working world.
　　Para 2 I still remember when this day started—I was very excited. Not only did I have the chance to miss school, but I also got to sit in my dad's taxi all day long and we would go to a restaurant for lunch.
　　Para 3 But after only 20 minutes of driving around the city, I was very bored. I couldn't read my book in the car as I would get carsick and my dad didn't like to turn on the radio. I got hot and uncomfortable. People wouldn't get into his taxi because they thought he already had a passenger—me. So nothing happened. It seemed like years before we got to go for lunch. I actually started to miss school.
　　Para 4 While the point of the day is to give kids a chance to experience real-life jobs and give them an idea of the possibilities for their futures, I got something completely different from the day. I learned to appreciate (重视) school. Where else do you get to play with your friends, do science experiments, read great books and write stories all in one day?
　　Para 5 Just as you'll have to learn to love your job later in life, learn to love school now. If you don't __________, try spending the day at work with your dad.
根据上文内容，完成下列任务。

18．按要求完成下面书信(市长信箱)。
建议：建立“公交司机节”(Bus Drivers' Day )
背景：
*越来越多的人乘公共汽车出行；
*公交车司机辛苦；
*……
时间：在每年……月……日
原因：……
注意：
1. 书信必须包括所提示内容，但不要逐词翻译。
2. 请你自定节日的时间并简要说明选择这个时间的理由。
3. 书信的开头和结尾已经为你写好，不计入总词数。(字数要求：80)

Dear Mr. Mayor,
　　I'm writing to you about starting a Bus Drivers' Day. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
　　Buses have become an important part of our life. I hope you will think about it very seriously.
　　Thank you. Best wishes.
Li Hua