University graduates Mallorie Brodie and Lauren Hasegawa, who invented a smartphone app that tracks construction defects for commercial builders, had a tiger by the tail.
Bridgit, which they founded in 2012, launched a cloud-based communications platform that helped manage defects on construction sites, which can delay projects and result in costly repairs if left unchecked. The smartphone application lets site supervisors take photos of cracks or damaged paint, share them with employees and track the problems to solution.
More than 600 subcontractors used the pilot version in many building sites before the commercial version, called Closeout, officially launched.
Feedback(反馈)was so good that they began to wonder: Why limit their invention to a specific industry? Why not turn it into some kind of a handy tool for consumers too? This became their dilemma. In other words, should they stay the course or look for wider applications of their app?
The experts polled all agreed Bridgit should stay focused on its original goal. Ms. Hasegawa and Ms. Brodie took that advice.
As more business customers signed on, it became clear that they made the right decision. Since then, the company’s growth has been rapid.
Earlier this year, Bridgit launched Closeout, which is designed so that even the least tech-savvy can use it easily. Today, the app is being used on sites across Canada and the United States and even by top general contractors.
In October, Bridgit was named to the Canadian Innovation Exchange’s top 20 list of Canada’s most innovative (创新的) companies working in digital media and information and communication technology .
But Ms. Hasegawa and Ms. Brodie are not resting on their glories. They have also been collecting feedback on Closeout from customers, and they’ll launch a new version in the spring. It will target not only general contractors but developers and building owners, too.
1.What does the underlined word ＂defects＂ in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Style. B. Process.
C. Drawback. D. Material.
2.What did the two graduates decide to do when the pilot version was well received?
A. Turn to the ordinary consumer market.
B. Look for wider applications of their app.
C. Turn it into a widely-used tool for consumers.
D. Continue centering on the development in construction industry.
3.Who could be their potential customers?
A. Smartphone users. B. Architects.
C. Computer programmers. D. Photographers.
4.Which of the following might be the best title?
A. Graduates’ smartphone application takes off
B. Graduates’ smartphone application has a bright future
C. Graduates’ smartphone application meets with challenges
D. Graduates’ smartphone application plays an important role in our life
Kathy Fletcher and David Simpson have a son named Santi. He had a friend who sometimes went to school hungry. So Santi invited him to occasionally eat and sleep at his house.
That friend had a friend and that friend had a friend, and now when you go to dinner at Kathy and David’s house on Thursday night there might be 15 to 20 teenagers gathering around the table, and later there will be groups of them crashing in the basement or in the few small bedrooms upstairs. The kids who show up at Kathy and David ’s have suffered the pains of modern poverty: homelessness, hunger, abuse.
And yet by some miracle, hostile soil has produced beautiful flowers. Kids come from around the city. Spicy chicken and black rice are served. Cellphones are banned. The kids who call Kathy and David “Momma” and “Dad,” are polite and clear the dishes. Birthdays and graduations are celebrated. Songs are performed. Each meal we go around the table and everybody has to say something nobody else knows about them. Each meal the kids show their promise to care for one another.
The adults in this community give the kids the chance to present their gifts. “At my first dinner, Edd read a poem that I first thought was from Langston Hughes, but it turned out to be his own. Kesari has a voice that somehow appeared from New Orleans jazz from the 1920s. Madeline and Thalya practice friendship as if it were the highest art form.”
“They give us a gift — complete intolerance of social distance. When I first met Edd, I held out my hand to shake his. He looked at it and said, “We hug here,” and we’ve been hugging since.”
Bill Milliken, a veteran youth activist, is often asked which programs turn around kids’ lives. “I still haven’t seen one program change one kid’s life,” he says. “What changes people is relationships. Somebody is willing to walk through the shadow of the valley of adolescence with them.” Souls are not saved in bundles. Love is the necessary force.
1.Why do kids come to Kathy and David’s house on Thursdays?
A. To help the homeless at first hand.
B. To experience the feeling of home.
C. To learn about the modern poverty.
D. To plant beautiful flowers in poor soil.
2.Why isn’t the use of cell phones allowed at Thursday dinners?
A. Kids need to tell stories about themselves.
B. Kids are expected to care more for each other.
C. Kids have to do house chores around the home.
D. Kids prepare songs for birthdays and graduations.
3.What gift did the writer get at a Thursday dinner?
A. The practice of the art form.
B. The pleasure of enjoying jazz.
C. The chance to listen to poems.
D. The zero distance between souls.
4.What does Bill mean in his words?
A. Love is the power to change a kid’s life.
B. Money is needed to start programs for kids.
C. A program can change a group of kid’s lives.
D. Kids change their relationships in a program.
Safety and Security Procedures
Your safety and the security of y
our personal property are of the primary concern to those of us who welcome you as our guest. We urge you to take advantage of the following suggestions.
YOUR VEHICLE Lock your vehicle and do not leave money or valuable items inside. We are not responsible for their loss. |
TRAVELING Be go |
GUEST ROOM SECURITY For additional security, use the deadbolt (插锁) provided on your door and make sure the windows are locked. As an additional precautious measure, please secure the secondary locks provided. Do not admit anyone to your room without first making identification. A one-way viewer is provided in your door to assist with identification. If there is any doubt about the person’s identity, please contact the Front Desk. |
SAFETY BOXES Do not leave money or valuables in your room or vehicle. We provide free safety boxes for you. We are not responsible for items left in room valued over $200. |
KEYS Safeguard your key. Please do not leave it in the door. Do not give your key to others or leave it unattended. Please leave your key at the Front Desk when you check out. |
FIRE Please familiarize yourself with the nearest fire exits. Report fire or smoke to the hotel operator. In the unlikely event of a fire, please move quickly and calmly to the nearest safe exit and leave the building. Avoid the use of the elevator. |
REPORTING Please report any suspicious activity, or safety concerns to management. |
1.What should you do when a fire breaks out according to the passage?
A. Try your best to put out the fire.
B. Report fire to your leader first.
C. Leave the building through the safe exit.
D. Use the electric lift to leave as fast as possible.
2.What should you do with a suspicious-looking stranger who knocks at your door?
A. Pretend you are not in the room.
B. Send him to the police station.
C. Get in touch with the Front Desk.
D. Let him in to make sure of his identity.
3.Where might you see these suggestions?
A. At a gym. B. At a hotel.
C. At a shop. D. At a bank.
假设你是李华，你的美国朋友Tom在来信中提到对中国唐诗感兴趣，并请求你介绍一位你最喜欢的唐代诗人。请你给Tom回信，内容包括诗人简介及你喜欢他的原因。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
Dear Tom,
You have told me that you are very interested in how we Chinese celebrate our traditional festivals. With the Dragon Boat Festival around the corner, ____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
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（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
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限一词;
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Of all the things that make me happy, music is that I like best. Music has a strong effect on me in different way. Sometimes it helps me feel in relief even when things go wrongly. Sometimes it makes me to burst into tears in an instant but I still want to enjoy it again. More importantly, music is just like a devoting friend who cares about me all the time. With this friend encouraged me now and then, I have learned to be confident of me and smile at the world. Honestly speaking, music plays so an important part in my life that nothing can take place of it. What a wonder that human begins had ever created!
Diet and way of life are often a problem for teenagers. However, if you eat the right food and exercise regularly, you can feel better, look better and have more energy. So healthy eating along with regular exercise is probably the first step 1.(become)fit.
As a teenager, it is necessary to eat healthily and give your body the energy 2.needs. For a healthy diet, you should eat mostly rice, bread, vegetables and fruit. The important thing to remember when you choose food is to protect yourself 3.some tricks. 4.number of people out there who want to make quick money are always fooling you into 5.(believe)what they say so their products can sell well. Don’t be tricked by them. What you need is just to trust a diet that is right for your body.
Exercise is also something 6.you can depend to make you look good, feel good and be healthy. It is obvious that exercise is 7.(benefit)to you. When you exercise, you build up the 8.(strong) of your muscles and your body produces some chemicals that make you feel peaceful and 9.(relax).
Follow the suggestions above, 10.you will look and feel much better in no time at all.
