阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
People from every corner flooded into the streets that Christmas Eve. "Frosty the Snowman," and "Jingle Bells" ________ in stores; on the pavements, the street singers performed happily. Everyone, was ________ by someone else, delighted and cheerful. I was alone.
As one of 8 kids of a Brazilian family, brought up in America's crowded apartment, I'd spent several years searching for aloneness. Now, ________, at 27, a college student after the ________ with my girlfriend, every cell inside me wanted to be alone, ________ not at Christmas. My family had ________ to Brazil and my friends were ________ with their own lives. Dusk was approaching, and the fact that I had to return to my ________ home made me sad. Lights from windows blinked, and I hoped someone would ________ from one of those homes to invite me inside with a Christmas tree decorated with shiny fake snow and ________ presents.
At a market, I felt more ________ when people were buying lots of goods, which ________ the gifts we received as children in my mind. I missed my family and wanted to cry for wanting to be alone and for having achieved it.
Outside the church, a manger(小耶稣) had been set ________. I stood with others watching the scene, some of them ________ themselves, praying. As I walked home, I realized that leaving Brazil was still a ________ experience as I struggled with what I had become in 15 years in America. I'd mourned the ________, but for the first time, I recognized what I’d gained. I was independent, ________ and healthy. My life was still ahead, full of ________.
Sometimes the best gift is the one that you give yourself. That Christmas, I gave myself ________ for what I'd obtained up to now and promise to go forward. It is the best gift I've ever got, the one that I most ________.
1.A. sharedB. playedC. servedD. held
2.A. accompaniedB. employedC. attendedD. supported
3.A. usuallyB. extremelyC. reallyD. eventually
4.A. breakupB. dateC. sympathyD. concern
5.A. soB. butC. andD. or
6.A. movedB. slippedC. cameD. returned
7.A. pleasedB. satisfiedC. occupiedD. bored
8.A. shabbyB. emptyC. warmD. cozy
9.A. turn upB. hang outC. go awayD. break in
10.A. dealtB. discountedC. wrappedD. donated
11.A. tiredB. nervousC. excitedD. upset
12.A. called upB. called forC. called onD. called in
13.A. downB. upC. asideD. about
14.A. huggingB. bowingC. crossingD. bending
15.A. greatB. joyfulC. painfulD. potential
16.A. casesB. limitsC. lossesD. worries
17.A. lonelyB. educatedC. shyD. wealthy
18.A. possibilityB. sightC. sadnessD. hardship
19.A. surpriseB. defeatC. prizeD. credit
20.A. selectB. valueC. saveD. admit
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。
In your life, sometimes you may be asked to speak in front of a large group of people. Although it sounds a little scary, even those with stage fright can speak successfully to the group with adequate preparation.
1. Practice your speech before the big day. 1. If possible, practice the speech in front of a friend or family member to get used to saying it to real people. If you feel you must have note cards, limit the amount to about three cards. This will force you to keep your speech concise and help you keep your eyes focused on your audience.
2. Remember why you've been invited to speak. If you're battling fear over speaking to a large group of people, keep your mind on the fact that you were selected for this important role. The speech organizers must have seen something valuable in you or your expertise. 2.
3. Remember that fear of public speaking is very common. 3. Most of the people in the audience would be feeling the same fear and stress that you do in your position. Knowing this may make you feel better.
4. 4. What you say should be tailored to why you're there and who you're speaking to in order to avoid sounding general. If speaking to a charity group, mention the good work certain specific individuals have done for the cause. If speaking at a business conference, briefly state why you want to help these people.
5. Keep eye contact with the crowd. 5. Pick one person in each section and look at him while you're speaking. After each important point in your speech, switch your focus to another section. When you focus only on one person at a time, the size of the crowd isn't as frightening.
A. A good memory is really helpful.
B. Show appreciation to your audience.
C. Mention your audience in your speech.
D. The more you have it memorized, the better.
E. In fact, it's normal to feel nervous or stressed out before a big speech.
F. Separate the crowd into three sections mentally as you get up to speak.
G. The knowledge of other people's respect for you should reduce some of the fear.
Walt Disney World is banning selfie-sticks from its theme parks because selfie-sticks have become a growing safety concern for both our guests and cast," Disney World spokeswoman Kim Prunty said.
Under a new policy, which takes effect Tuesday, the poles won’t make it past the bag check at any Disney World theme park. The sticks also won't be allowed in Disney World water parks or Disney Quest, a gaming attraction at Downtown Disney. Selfie-sticks will also become forbidden at Disneyland Resort in California on June 30. The prohibition begins at Disney's parks in Paris and Hong Kong on July 1.
Guests will be checked for the equipment during the routine bag check that happens near the parks' entrances. They will have an option of turning in their selfie-sticks for pick-up later or to go back to their cars or hotel rooms to keep them. Visitors will be told of the policy in locations such as the parking lots and at the resort's hotels. The prohibition will be added to the park rules post on Disney World's website.
The issue has been building at Disney. Previously, the sticks were prohibited from its rides, and "no selfie-sticks" signs were at select rides, such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom. Cast members have given oral warnings to rule breakers.
Selfie-stick users put smartphones and cameras on the ends of poles to extend their reach, frequently capturing theme-park moments through self-portraits. The tools have been banned in public places — including some museums and stadiums — worldwide for obstructing views or causing safety issues.
Disney World already prohibits items such as skateboards, inline skates, wagon, folding chairs and glass containers, according to its official website, which also lists “other items that we determine may be harmful.”
Universal Orlando has banned selfie-sticks and other loose items from certain thrill rides at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure theme parks, but it has not set park wide bans.
1.Which of the following objects has already been banned in Disney theme parks before the new policy takes effect?
A. smart phonesB. folding chairs
C. camerasD. containers
2.According to the ban, if the guests are found carrying selfie-sticks during the routine bagcheck, they may __________.
A. abandon them at the bag check
B. get fined and pick them up later
C. turn them in to the police
D. put them in the trunk of their cars
3.The underlined word in the fifth paragraph probably means __________.
A. changingB. broadeningC. blockingD. narrowing
4.According to the passage, it can be inferred that __________.
A. the ban on the use of selfie-sticks is aimed at ensuring security
B. previously guests can take photos with selfie-sticks on thrill rides
C. the staff in Disneyland will inform visitors of the ban only orally
D. Universal Orlando has banned selfie-sticks parkwide
Have you ever found yourself in this situation: You hear a song you used to sing when you were a child – a bit of nostalgia(怀旧) or “blast from the past,” as we say. But it is not a distant childhood memory. The words come back to you as clearly as when you sang them all those years ago.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied the relationship between music and remembering a foreign language. They found that remembering words in a song was the best way to remember even one of the most difficult languages.
Here is what they did. Researchers took 60 adults and randomly divided them into three groups of 20. Then they gave the groups three different types of “listen-and-repeat” learning conditions. Researchers had one group simply speak the words. They had the second group speak the words to a rhythm, or beat. And they asked the third group to sing the words.
All three groups studied words from the Hungarian language for 15 minutes. Then they took part in a series of language tests to see what they remembered.
Why Hungarian, you ask? Researchers said they chose Hungarian because not many people know the language. It does not share any roots with Germanic or Romance languages, such as Italian or Spanish. After the tests were over, the singers came out on top. The people who learned these new Hungarian words by singing them showed a higher overall performance. They did the best in four out of five of the tests. They also performed two times better than those who simply learned the words by speaking them.
Dr. Katie Overy says singing could lead to new ways to learn a foreign language. The brain likes to remember things when they are contained in a catchy 3, or memorable 4, tune 5.
Dr. Ludke said the findings could help those who struggle to learn foreign languages. On the University of Edinburgh’s website Dr. Ludke writes, “This study provides the first experimental evidence that a listen-and-repeat singing method can support foreign language learning, and opens the door for future research in this area.”
1.The “song” mentioned in the first paragraph is intended to ________.
A. recall the past
B. attract the readers
C. introduce the topic
D. compare the childhood with the present
2.According to the passage which language doesn’t share the same root with Germanic or Romance languages?
A. Hungarian. B. Spanish. C. Italian. D. English.
3.Based on the last two paragraphs, we can conclude that ________.
A. singing is the best way to learn a language
B. the brain probably works best when the foreign language learners sing the words
C. a listen-repeat method is very effective for any language learner
D. Dr. Katie Overy and Dr. Ludke disagree with each other
4.In which situation can the finding of the research be applied?
A. A mother is going to teach her baby how to speak.
B. A child is going to have his first music lesson.
C. A student is going to learn a new English song.
D. An American is going to learn some Chinese.
Born in the State of New York on May 14th, 1984, Mark Zuckerberg was an instant success. In his high school years, he was considered one of top students in the classics, before moving into the arts, sciences, and literature, again picking up high marks and receiving academic praise. It earned him admission to Harvard University.
As a rebellious yet relatively quiet student, he created a website called Facemash in the university — an instantly controversial website that encouraged students to rate each other based on appearance.
The site was controversial for several reasons. The first was its illegal use of photographs, which the university and students took issue with. The second was its controversial nature — not every student like being ranked based on their appearance. The third was its huge resource use — while it was hosted on Harvard servers, it was the most popular page in the university’s entire network.
Zuckerberg was soon forced to shut the site down, but its popularity and controversy had made him consider its future potential. He soon turned the simple site into a personal one for Harvard students, encouraging them to network with their peers at the college. It was then, together with his two friends, that they launched “The Facebook”, which immediately spread to other colleges and grew into a public service that anyone could access in the United States, whether to network with friends and family, or to play games.
The company has been criticized frequently, nevertheless, Zuckerberg has remained true to his initial vision — to create a website that the entire world can use to communicate openly and easily with one another and to keep the user experience clean and pure. The end result is one of the world’s biggest online businesses.
Although its true value is debatable, it’s safe to say that Facebook, and its creator Mark Zuckerberg, are two of the twenty-first century’s most influential, controversial, and potentially powerful figures.
1.When Mark Zuckerberg was a student, he ________.
A. was often praised by teachers for the website he created
B. had good academic performance
C. alone created a website called Facebook
D. encouraged students to set up business like him
2.The reason why Zuckerberg shut the site down was probably that ________.
A. his website was not popular
B. he was doubted for the way he used photographs
C. he needed time to reconsider his choice
D. he stole resource on Harvard server
3.Which words can best describe Zuckerberg?
A. easy-going and smart.B. quiet and shy.
C. talented and outgoing.D. rebellious and creative.
4.The best title of the passage should be ________.
A. Mark Zuckerberg and his Facebook
B. The Foundation of Facebook
C. A Talent from Harvard University
D. The Development of Facebook
When you're on the go, your best friend and resource can be your phone. In the age of smart phones, apps are like guiding stars: They can point you in the right direction for a hotel, list expenses, send postcards, and much more. When used together, these apps can be the basic travel tool, placing a wealth of information at your fingertips no matter where you are on the planet. U.S. News Travel has picked the essential travel apps, known for their utility and reliability. Best of all, they cost absolutely nothing.
Trip It
Your Personal Travel Agent
Be your own travel agent and plan every detail of your trip—from car rental to accommodating restaurants—with Trip It. You can make travel schedule by hand, or simply forward the email confirmations of your flight, rental car, train tickets, and hotels to plans.
Weather Free
Your Go-To Meteorologist(气象学者)
Stop trying to explain the weather forecast on the evening news (particularly when it's in a foreign language). The Weather Free app informs you (in English) of the climate in various locations. It features the local weather, and other key factors that will inform your decision about what to wear before stepping outside.
Goby
Your Event Guru
When you're in a foreign city, you sometimes look around and ask: Where are all the people? Goby has the answer. This app pinpoints the neighborhood hot spots (including museums, hotels, eateries, and more) in your neighborhood. But its true value comes in finding nearby events. You'll discover concerts, plays, and more right around the corner.
1.What is the advantage of using travel apps picked by the U.S. News Travel?
A. They can solve any problem you come across.
B. They reduce your travel budget.
C. They exercise your fingertips.
D. They are reliable and free of charge.
2.With the help of the travel apps used together, travelers can do the following things EXCEPT ________.
A. rent a car
B. decide what to wear
C. look for a friend while traveling
D. find the nearby museums
3.Where are the readers likely to read the passage above?
A. In a geography textbookB. In a science fiction
C. On a popular websiteD. In a business report
