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In the future those who are taking care of old people may get help from the house itself. Over the last few years, new technology, such as the Internet, Wi-Fi and flat TV screens, has changed our homes and the way that we live. Now, another technology revolution is happening. A new project at the University of Hertfordshire wants to create a home that monitors people living in it who are elderly. The researchers have developed a wristband device（装置）which helps us to watch the elderly person who is wearing it. The device collects information to see if the person has fallen or has wandered away from where he or she should be. The assisted-living project is part of the university’s wider Interhome project, which is the development of a smart house. The house remembers the habits of the person who lives there and it uses very low amounts of energy. The Interhome team hope that offering this service will help take care of the elderly. They say, “It’s very important that these technologies are there to help and support and not replace any of the existing services.” The Interhome is not just a research method. It’s also a way for students from different scientific backgrounds to learn and develop technology. The university uses the latest technology to help students get experience by developing new hardware and software themselves. The team includes design, engineering and computer science students working together. “We are working on a smart-home project in Watford with some companies at the moment,” says the project leader. “We are looking at how a smart home can provide even more services.” This could help millions of old people around the world have a better and safer life in the future. 1.The wristband device benefits its users by . A. changing the living habits of the elderly B. monitoring people who live in a smart home C. offering information to the person wearing it D. watching over the elderly who may fall or get lost 2.Whom does the University of Hertfordshire have in its research team? A. Students who want to find a job eagerly. B. Students who prefer to work on their own. C. Students from different scientific backgrounds. D. Students with a lot of rich working experience. 3.What is the project leader’s attitude towards the future of the smart home project? A. Uncertain. B. Uninterested. C. Optimistic. D. Disappointed. 4.What might be the main idea of the passage? A. A wristband device has changed the way that we live. B. A smart home helps students develop hardware and software. C. An Interhome project has been put into use to help the elderly. D. An Interhome project will help the old live a better and safer life.
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The University of Sheffield Back to its origin The University of Sheffield is a research university in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original “red brick” universities, which are a group of top and famous old universities. The University of Sheffield was originally formed by the combination of three colleges. The Sheffield School of Medicine was founded in 1828, followed in 1879 by the opening of Firth College by Mark Firth, a steel manufacturer (制造商), to teach arts and science subjects. Firth College then helped to provide money for the opening of the Sheffield Technical School in 1884 to teach applied science. In 1897 the three institutions were joined together to form the University College of Sheffield, which in turn became the University of Sheffield by Royal Charter (特许) in 1905. This university is famous for its good education and boasts a number of Nobel Prize winners among its former students. More information System: The University has five departments: Arts and Humanities; Engineering; Pure Science; Social Sciences; Medicine, Dentistry and Health. Sheffield also has many research programs in fields including aerospace, environmental science, psychology, and biology. City show: Sheffield is a lively city in the north of England. Sheffield is known as the greenest city in Europe because of its 2 million trees. As a result, there are many parks and woods throughout the city and beyond. Sheffield is the greenest city in England with 150 woodlands and 50 public parks within the city. Once, in Sheffield, the folk hero—Robin Hood lived in Sherwood Forest with 150 of his loyal friends. And Charlotte Bronte, the English writer noted for her novel Jane Eyre was born in Sheffield. 1.Sheffield is in the of England. A. east B. west C. south D. north 2.Which statement about the University of Sheffield is not TRUE? A. It has a good fame for many great graduates. B. It has a long history of more than 180 years. C. It is one member of “red brick” universities. D. It owns different departments and research programs. 3.What can we infer from the text? A. Sheffield has very beautiful scenery. B. Charlotte Bronte is an English writer. C. Sheffield is the biggest city of England. D. Robin Hood is a character in Jane Eyre.
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假定你是某国际学校高中生李华，最近你发现你校图书馆阅览室中存在高声喧哗和乱丢垃圾的现象。请用英语给馆长Mr. Smith写一封信，要点如下： 1. 说明写信目的；2. 提出合理建议。 注意：1. 词数100左右； 2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯； 3. 信的开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数。 Dear Mr. Smith, I am Li Hua, a student from Class Five, Senior Two. ______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Thank you for your consideration. Yours sincerely, Li Hua
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。 增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号( 删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。 修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。 注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词； 2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。 Dear Mr. Zhang, Known that our school is going to set up elective (选修的) English courses, I'd like to give some advices. English Visual-Audio-Oral Course is a good choice. Most of us are interested at English videos and songs, that provide us with great images and beautiful music to listen to. As result, we can enjoy some local customs and singing English songs with joy. In addition, we need to improve our oral English. When we are always learning English, we may not be able to make a fluent speech. We can't easy communicate with others like native speakers. That is why I suggested taking a Speech Course. I'll be glad that if you can consider my suggestions. Yours Li Hua
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阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。 I started working as a volunteer for the City of Surrey this summer. I did this because I've always enjoyed 1. (help) people in any way I can. I thought if I became a volunteer for the City of Surrey, I would be able to achieve that goal. And being a volunteer for the City of Surrey 2. (real) helped me branch out in many different directions. I volunteered over 256 hours of 3. (serve) during the summer helping with day camps, teen dances and so on. I worked hard and did my best to show everyone that this is 4. I love to do. I started by taking every course 5. (offer) through the volunteer program and then began to apply for paid positions. By the end of the summer I 6. (hire) as a dance instructor. Working for the City of Surrey has provided me with so many opportunities 7. would not have presented them-selves anywhere else. I got a well-paid job much8. (early) than I had expected. I was 9. (thank) that I had been given the chance 10. (work) for such an amazing city and do my part to make it the best it can be.
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In my second year of high school, I met the anthropology (人类学) teacher, Mr. Croft. I didn’t know anything about anthropology, so I never signed up for Mr. Croft’s class. _____, this didn’t stop him from positively _____ my life. Mr. Croft was a _____ twenty-four hours a day — after school, before school, and in and out of his _____. Mr. Croft inspired and taught every student at East High, _____ me. He often _____ me to become all I could possibly be. How could I possibly _____ Mr. Croft? After I graduated from high school, I had an opportunity to _____ football for thirteen-year-olds. To get a feel for the boys’ _____, I had each of them run out for a _____. I wanted to see who could run, catch and throw so I could ____ a team in my mind. Two days into practice, a tall kid appeared on the field. He got in _____, and when he ran out for a pass, I threw the ball. It hit him square in the _____. He picked up the _____ and ran it back to me. It came time for his second pass and I _____ him in the head again. With his nose bleeding and his lip swelling, he _____ the ball, raced it back to me, and got back in line. Later I got to know that he was the son of my anthropology teacher, Tommy Croft. I was _____. He said, “I’m here because I want to play football. And I promise _____ you’ll help me, I know I can do it!” “Get back in line,” I told him. Here, at last, was my _____ to be a Mr. Croft to a Croft. Here was my chance to give something back. For the first time in my life, I _____ the meaning of “an educational system”. What goes around really does come around! 1.A. Besides B. Otherwise C. However D. Therefore 2.A. controlling B. influencing C. saving D. supporting 3.A. teacher B. worker C. helper D. director 4.A. office B. bedroom C. home D. classroom 5.A. directly B. especially C. simply D. eventually 6.A. encouraged B. asked C. persuaded D. reminded 7.A. repay B. forget C. refuse D. respect 8.A. play B. coach C. follow D. watch 9.A. characters B. courage C. abilities D. success 10.A. show B. test C. pass D. score 11.A. join B. train C. manage D. organize 12.A. way B. line C. team D. competition 13.A. chest B. back C. arm D. head 14.A. glove B. hat C. ball D. sweater 15.A. kicked B. knocked C. beat D. hit 16.A. threw away B. put aside C. picked up D. got back 17.A. interested B. touched C. puzzled D. shocked 18.A. when B. if C. because D. though 19.A. aim B. dream C. part D. chance 20.A. understood B. found C. conveyed D. interpreted
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How to overcome challenges in your life We all face tough and difficult challenges in life. To overcome challenges you need to have that “never quit” attitude in life. If you develop it, you’ll overcome quite a bit. Motivate yourself. Say “YES, I CAN.” The challenge should bring out the best of you in this situation. Slow it down, and think that process through. 1. If you develop that mindset (心态), you’ll get it done. 2. Remain calm when you’re facing serious troubles and problems in life. You have to recollect yourself, and calm down. You can’t solve problems when you’re panicking. Take a deep breath, relax, and slow it down. Think things through calmly. Let failure and fear fuel you in a positive way. Everyone fails at times. If you fail the first, second, or third time, don’t give up. 3. Learn what made you fail at overcoming these challenges. Simplify the challenge you’re facing. Make the challenge easier than it is. 4. As you get through each step, you develop more confidence and you believe you can get it done, and then you will. Stay positive and confident. 5. You have to find out all the ways you can use to overcome it, and put them to full use with all your effort. It’s our own mental stability that’s the difficult part. When you do it mentally, you’ll actually be able to do it. A. Stay calm and cool headed. B. Think the best, not the worst. C. Start by breaking it down into steps. D. To overcome a challenge, you have to believe you can really do it. E. Most people will avoid any challenge, because they’re scared of failing. F. Develop that confidence in saying there’s no way you’re going to fail at this. G. Pick yourself up, and learn from why you’ve failed, and move on in a positive direction.
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It‟s no secret that American infrastructure is aging. Concrete(混凝土) structures, in particular, are in desperate need of repair. Cracks (缝隙) are very common due to various chemical and physical phenomena that occur during everyday use, which can be quite harmful as they provide an easy route in for liquids and gasses and the harmful substances they might contain. But continuous repair work is difficult because it usually requires a huge amount of labor and investment. So since 2013, I‟ve been trying to figure out how these harmful cracks could heal themselves without human involvement. The idea was originally inspired by the amazing ability of the human body to heal itself of cuts, bruises and broken bones. In the same way, can we provide necessary products to concrete to fill in cracks when damage happens? My colleagues from Binghamton University and I have found an unusual candidate to help concrete heal itself: a fungus (真菌) called Trichoderma reesei. We initially screened about 20 different species of fungi in order to find one that could stand the difficult conditions in concrete. Of all the fungi we tested, only T. reesei could survive this environment. Despite the sudden PHincrease, its spores (孢子) developed into threadlike things and grew equally well with or without concrete. We propose including fungal spores, together with nutrients, during the initial mixing process when building a new concrete structure. When the unavoidable cracking occurs and water finds its way in, the sleeping fungal spores will start to grow. They then will work as an activator within the calcium-rich conditions of the concrete to promote precipitation (析出) of calcium carbonatecrystals. These mineral deposits can fill in the cracks. If cracks form again and environmental conditions become favorable, the spores could wake up and repeat the process. Our research is still in the initial stage and there’s a long way to go to make self-healing concrete practical and cost-effective. But the scope of American infrastructure’s challenges makes exploring creative solutions like this worthwhile. 1.Why does the author mention the self-healing of human body? A. To show how amazing human body is. B. To prove everything will turn out to be fine. C. To provide a possibility of concrete healing itself. D. To stress that it’s unnecessary to have medicines. 2.What do we know about T. reesei? A. It has been applied to building a new concrete. B. It can bear the tough conditions in concrete. C. Its spores will be useless after one repair. D. It poses potential risks to environment. 3.What does the underlined word “this” in the last paragraph refer to? A. The challenges of American infrastructure. B. The research on self-healing concrete. C. The process of cracking. D. The promotion of spores. 4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text? A. The Danger of Cracks B. The Aging of American Infrastructure C. The Most Powerful Fungus D. Concrete Filling Its Own Cracks
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Scientists have solved the mystery of why the overwhelming majority of mammoth fossils(化石)are male. Much like wild elephants today, young male Ice Age mammoths probably travelled around alone and more often got themselves into risky situations where they were swept into rivers, or fell through ice or into mud, lakes or sinkholes that preserved their bones for thousands of years, scientists say. Females, on the other hand, travelled in groups led by an older matriarch who knew the landscape and directed her group away from danger. "Without the benefit of living in a herd led by an experienced female, male mammoths had a much higher risk of dying in natural traps such as mud holes, rock cracks and lakes, "said co-author Love Dalen of the Swedish Museum of Natural History in a report published on Thursday in the journal Current Biology. The study used genetic data to determine the sex of 98 woolly mammoth fossils in Siberia Researchers found that 69% of the samples were male, a heavily unbalanced sex ratio, assuming that the sexes were fairly even at birth. "We were very surprised because there was no reason to expect a sex bias in the fossil record," said first author Patricia Pecnerova, also of the Swedish Museum of Natural History. Therefore, researchers believe that something about the way they lived influenced the way they died.Most bones, tusks, and teeth from mammoths and other Ice Age animals haven't survived," explained Dalen. "It is highly likely that the remains that are found in Siberia these days have been preserved because they have been buried, and thus protected from weathering." These giant, tusked plant eaters disappeared about 4,000 years ago. While there is no scientific agreement about the causes of their disappearance from the planet, most believe that climate change, excessive hunting by humans and the spread of other animals into mammoth feeding grounds were influential factors. 1.The underlined word "matriarch" in paragraph 3 means _______. A. figure head B. female leader C. experienced animal D. mature mammoth 2.Why do the majority of mammoth fossils come from male animals? A. Scientists find it easier to study male fossilized bones. B. There were more male mammoths in comparison to females C. Male mammoths were better able to adapt to the changing circumstances. D. Male mammoths more frequently died in places where fossils could form. 3.Which of the following is suggested as a reason for mammoths dying out? A. The increasing competition for food. B. The cooling of the earth's temperature. C. The disappearance of male mammoths. D. The risky behaviour of younger mammoths. 4.What is the text type of the passage? A. A newspaper article. B. An academic essay. C. A historical description. D. A science fiction story.
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Who decided that blue jeans and T-shirts are “cool” for kids to wear today? Who designs the clothes you see for sale in stores? All of these questions concern the world of fashion. Fashion refers to the styles of dress that are currently popular. Fashion goes beyond just clothes, though. It’s important for some people to wear only the latest fashions and styles. For others, though, keeping up with trends isn’t that important. The one thing that stays the same with fashion is this: it always changes! In the 1960s and 1970s, hippies made bell-bottomed blue jeans popular. In the 1980s, Michael Jackson made parachute pants (降落伞裤) all the fashion. Now try to find these items in today’s clothing stores! Why do fashions change? The answer is probably as simple as the fact that people change. Over time, the new replaces the old. People are influenced greatly by popular culture, including athletes, musicians, movie stars, as well as popular films, television shows, books and music. We are also influenced by the fashion industry’s advertising. The stars of popular culture are always searching for a new angle to maintain (保持) their popularity. Often these new angles come in the form of new clothing or hairstyles. When people see these new styles, they often want to imitate their favorite stars. To do so, they seek out the latest fashions to make themselves look like the people they want to imitate. In this way, fashions evolve and change over time. For years, clothes have been used to separate people into groups. Even today, brand-name clothing that is more expensive than other types of clothing can be used by some people to distinguish themselves from others. Unfortunately, this can often have the effect of distancing certain groups from others. Don’t forget that it’s always OK to develop your own sense of style that is unique and separate from what the fashion world determines! Stay true to yourself and let your personality — not your clothes — speak for who you are! 1.The examples of bell-bottomed blue jeans and parachute pants in Paragraph 3 suggest that _____. A. fashion always changes B. stars are always influential C. people have different dressing styles D. hippies and Michael Jackson are good designers 2.Fashions change mainly because _____. A. advertisements change rapidly B. popular culture influences people C. movie stars are changing over time D. new films and shows replace the old 3.In the last paragraph, the author mainly wants to stress _____. A. the advantages of staying unique B. the bad effects of following fashion C. the good influences of popular styles D. the importance of having one’s own personality 4.We can learn from the text that _____. A. fashion is all about clothes B. the author has gone out of fashion C. clothes may separate and distance people D. people like imitating others’ dressing style
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