The Two-Dollar Bill
Returning from a trip to Washington D. C., I arrived in Anchorage at about 2: 00 A. M. At 9: 00 A.M., I was_______to talk at local high school to students in a _______designed to educate the troubled kids in school.
The school is well_______because most of the kids are troublemakers who become involved with the law. I found it very_______to deliver a speech to the multi-cultural_______and talk about things that could stimulate them for their_______. I wasn’t making any headway _______I started talking about what I do so well, helping people with money.
I_______a stack(堆) of $2 bills and started giving them out. The kids started to_______because it was free money. The________thing I asked them was to spend it on________people. Some of them asked me for my signature. I think I________some of them with my honesty. I started________a copy of the book I had written for the dollar bills. Then I told them that my grandfather’s care had always________me to go forward.________I closed with telling them no matter what happens, someone out there________cares about them and is pulling for their ________.
This is not the________of the story. When I left the classroom, I told them to call me________they ever had problems.
Three days later, I received a thank-you letter with a new $2 bill in it________by a girl who heard my talk.
1.A. permitted B. recommended C. scheduled D. persuaded
2.A. program B. report C. performance D. situation
3.A. praised B. known C. trained D. secured
4.A. comfortable B. challenging C. unforgettable D. impressive
5.A. races B. group C. girls D. players
6.A. future B. lessons C. families D. cities
7.A. before B. unless C. until D. because
8.A. took out B. picked up C. put away D. found out
9.A. stand up B. rush out C. line up D. wake up
10.A. happy B. only C. sad D. exciting
11.A. all B. other C. any D. some
12.A. recognized B. shook C. excited D. touched
13.A. paying B. changing C. exchanging D. taking
14.A. begged B. motivated C. allowed D. forbade
15.A. Finally B. Therefore C. Suddenly D. Surprisingly
16.A. normally B. immediately C. really D. quickly
17.A. jobs B. success C. comfort D. desire
18.A. symbol B. value C. theme D. end
19.A. if B. wherever C. though D. since
20.A. struck B. guaranteed C. addressed D. promised
Do you still remember the haze（雾霾）in the winter? So many people got terribly ill during or after the haze. 1.Here is advice for you to protect yourself in hazy weather.
Spend less time outdoors.This is the most effective way for self-protection in such bad weather.With PM2.5 increasing 103mg per cubic meter,residents will risk a 2.29% increase of death,which experts found out in 2012.If you have to get out,avoid riding bicycles.2.
Close your windows.Experts advice residents to avoid opening windows at home.If you have to ,avoid the time when smog is at its densest（浓的）.3.Besides,you can keep plants with broad leaves at home to absorb dust,and use air purifiers（清洁器）.
Smoke less.4.In hazy weather,smoking would be even more harmful.Smokers are advised to keep their distance from cigarettes before the weather gets better.
5.For example ,wear special masks outside to avoid breathing in PM2.5.Then take off your coat after getting indoors and keep it away from your other clean clothes,Don’t forget to wash your face,rinse（漱）your mouth,and clean your nasal cavity（鼻腔）to clean the particulate matters（颗粒物）that fall on you.Last but not least,keep off stimulating（刺激性）foods.
A.Wear masks.
B.Pay attention to other daily things.
C.Also avoid rush hours,when pollutants will be denser.
D.That’s because haze does harm to the health of people.
E.Cigarettes could cause more particulate matters,which are included in PM2.5 .
F.Take more fruits and vegetables instead,which are good for lung,spleen（脾）and kidney（肾）.
G.For residents who use air-conditioner,make sure your apartment has enough oxygen indoors.
Pigeons may only have a brain the size of a thimble (顶针), but it appears that pigeons can categorize and name objects in the same way human children learn new words.
A new study from the University of Iowa has shown that the birds are capable of learning to categorize 128 different photographs into 16 basic categories.
Scientists taught three pigeons to sort out different kinds of dogs or types of shoes, for example by using a particular symbol in exchange for a reward. When they were shown black and white pictures of previously unseen dogs or shoes, the birds were able to correctly match these with the corresponding symbols.
The scientists behind the project say this is a similar approach taken by young children when they are first learning words for objects. However, the researchers said it look their birds around 40 days to perfect the task of learning just 16 categories.
Professor Edward Wasserman, who led the work, said: “Our birds’ rate of learning appears to have been quite slow. Would children learn faster than pigeons? Almost certainly. However, our pigeons came to the experiment with no background knowledge at all. Thus, the more relevant comparison group may be newborn babies, who indeed take 6-9 months to learn their first words.”
Writing in the journal Cognition, the researchers said their experiment was a very simple mirror of the way children are taught words — by their parents pointing to pictures and asking them to name the object.
Pigeons are known to be smarter than many birds. Professor Bob McMurray, who also took part in the study, said the results showed that human learning is not as unique as was previously believed.
He said: “Children are facing a huge task of learning thousands of words without a lot of background knowledge to go on. For a long time, people thought that such learning is special to humans. What this research shows is that the ways in which children solve this huge problem may be shared with many species.
1.What’s the main idea of this passage?
A. Pigeons and young children take a similar approach to learn words.
B. Pigeons are known to be smarter than newborn babies.
C. Pigeons recognize objects in the same way children learn words.
D. Pigeons are unique as they can learn like humans.
2.Why does the writer think newborn babies are the more relevant comparison group?
A. They don’t have any background knowledge.
B. They learn relatively slow.
C. Pigeons and newborn babies learn at a similar speed.
D. Young children are smarter.
3.From the passage, we can learn that ________.
A. learning without background knowledge is unique to humans
B. many species may be able to learn without background knowledge
C. pigeons are able to solve many huge problems
D. pigeons are known to be the smartest birds
4.The passage is intended to ________.
A. introduce pigeons B. prove a fact
C. support an opinion D. report a study
Imagine you’ve finally landed a job of your dreams in another city. It’s everything you’d hoped for, but there’s only one problem — housing costs in the area are so high that you’re forced to live in a parking lot.
While this sounds like an impossible situation, this predicament is a reality for one man.
Brandon, 25, is a software engineer for Google at its San Francisco, California campus.
“I realized I was paying too large an amount of money for the apartment I was staying in, and I was almost never home,” he told Business Insider. “It’s really hard to justify throwing that money away. You’re not putting money into anything and you are not building it up for a future.”
Since scoring his job in May 2015 following a successful internship, he’s been living in a truck on a parking lot a short distance from his workplace.
The tech worker makes up for the lack of facilities by eating, using the bathroom and showering at work, also charging his phone and computer there.
San Francisco is home to the most expensive rental market in the US, with the average rental for a one-bedroom apartment coming to $3,590 (24,900 yuan) a month, according to property site Zumper.
And while some may not be able to handle giving up life’s luxuries just to put aside some cash, Brandon estimates that he’s saved almost $28,000 since he moved in just over 18 months ago.
“Not only do I get to invest all of that redirected rent money, but I get to invest all the money I’m not spending on furniture, facilities and buying food,” Brandon wrote on his blog.
1.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “predicament” in Paragraph 2？
A. possibility B. disappointment C. dilemma D. mess
2.Why does Brandon prefer to live in a truck on a parking lot?
A. Because he has no time to go back to an apartment.
B. Because the rent is too high and he thinks it isn’t worthwhile
C. Because his workplace provides him with what he needs
D. Because he wants to save money for an apartment of his own.
3.What does Brandon think of his choice?
A. Difficult. B. Embarrassing. C. Painful. D. Wise.
When I was a freshman, on Christmas break I went home and looked through the bags of clothes Mom intended to give away. I took a baggy red shirt, for I needed something to wear in art class. Mom was surprised. She wore that when she was pregnant with my younger brother.
The red shirt became a part of my college wardrobe. After graduation, I wore the shirt the day I moved into my new apartment and on Saturday morning when I cleaned. When I became pregnant, I wore the red shirt during big-belly days. I missed Mom and the rest of my family. But that shirt helped. I smiled, remembering that Mother had worn it when she was pregnant, 15 years earlier. That Christmas, thinking of the warm feelings the shirt had given me, I wrapped it in holiday paper and sent it to Mom. When Mom wrote to thank me for her “real” gift, she said the red shirt was lovely. She never mentioned it again. The next year, when my husband and I moved the kitchen table, I noticed something red taped to its bottom. It was the shirt! And so the pattern was set.
On our next visit home, I secretly placed the shirt under Mom and Dad’s mattress. Two years passed before I discovered it under the base of our living-room floor lamp. The red shirt was just what I needed now while refinishing furniture. The walnut stains added character.
Years later, my husband and I divorced. With my three children, I prepared to move back to Illinois, depressed. Suddenly I saw the stained red shirt. I smiled. After unpacking in our new home I visited her, and I hid it in her bottom dresser drawer. Meanwhile, I found a good job at a radio station. A year later I discovered the red shirt hidden in a rag bag in my cleaning closet. The shirt was Mother’s final gift. Mother died three months later.
I was tempted to send the red shirt, faded but in decent shape, with her to her grave. But I’m glad I didn’t, my older daughter is in college now, majoring in art. And every art student needs a baggy red shirt to wear to art class.
1.Where did the author get the shirt for the first time?
A. In art class in college. B. In unwanted bags of clothes.
C. In her college wardrobe. D. In the kitchen.
2.How did the shirt help the author?
A. The shirt relieved homesickness from the author.
B. The shirt made her find a good job at a radio station.
C. The shirt was the only clothes that the author had for art class.
D. The shirt was the cheapest gift to give to her Mom tor Christmas.
3.What does the underlined phrase “the pattern” refer to in the text?
A. Visiting the parents regularly.
B. Moving the kitchen table regularly.
C. Secretly giving and receiving the shirt.
D. Often tapping something to the bottom of the table.
4.What is the important reason for the author’s valuing the shirt so much?
A. That her daughter needs it in art class.
B. That it is from her dead Mom.
C. That it is still in decent shape though faded.
D. That it symbolizes mother’s love.
Here is a list of some of the best museums for children in America.
Please Touch Children’s Museum
This museum lies in Philadelphia. It offers Alice in Wonderland exhibits where young children can play with giant flowers and have tea parties. Kids can also play on musical instruments and babies can crawl on lily pads, which make musical sounds.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
This museum lies in Indiana. It holds a fair share of dinosaur fossils (化石). There are many fossils like the T. Rex, Bucky and many others in an 8,000-square-foot area. Around 10,000 man-made objects, including a 55-ton steam engine and a 33-foot tall water clock, are there in the 365,000-square-foot area. It also offers activities like dinosaur building, camps and classes featuring space themes and other educational programs.
Boston Children’s Museum
This museum lies in Massachusetts. The exhibits here are of health, art, science, culture and environment. In this museum, children also learn about Japanese culture. Activities like Play Lab, New Balance Climb and The Recycle Shop bring out the creativity in children.
National Museum of Play
This museum, which lies in Rochester area of New York, has a wide collection of dolls, games, toys and other home crafts dating back to the 19th century. Here, educational tours include stories of machines and other toys. Kids can walk in Sesame Street exhibit and cook food at play or TV studios.
Children’s Museum of Houston
This museum lies in Texas. Termed as the best playground for mind, this museum offers scores of activities for kids of every age. It even offers free family adventure events where families with their kids are encouraged to work on math activities and games. Children also learn about broadcasting activities and preserving ecosystems.
1.One who has interest in environmental protection can choose to visit “________”.
A. National Museum of Play or Children’s Museum of Houston
B. Boston Children’s Museum or Children’s Museum of Houston
C. Please Touch Children’s Museum or Boston Children’s Museum
D. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis or National Museum of Play
2.While visiting National Museum of Play, you can take part in ________.
A. dinosaur building B. New Balance Climb
C. playing with giant flowers D. cooking food at play or TV studios
3.If a couple with kids of different ages want to do activities together, they should go to ________.
A. Texas B. Indiana
C. New York D. Massachusetts
4.Who might be most interested in this passage?
A. Parents. B. Students.
C. Teachers. D. Researchers.
