A Letter to August
Priscilla and I wrote our newly-born daughter August a letter about the world we hope she grows up in, and also hoping she doesn’t grow up too fast.
Dear August,
Welcome to the world! Your mom and I are so excited to see who you will ______.
When your sister was ______, we wrote a letter about the world we hoped she and now you will grow up in - a world with better education, ______ diseases, stronger communities, and greater equality. Your ______ should live better lives than ours, and we have a(n) ______ to do our part to make that happen. ______ headlines often ______ what’s wrong, we still believe these ______ trends will win out. We’re ______ about your generation and the future.
But ______ write about growing up, we want to talk about ______.
Childhood is magical. You only get to be a child once, so don’t spend it ______ too much about the future. We’ll do everything we ______ can to ______ the world is a better place for you and all children in your generation.
The world can be a serious place. That’s why it’s ______ to make time to go outside and play. You will be ______ when you，re older, so I hope you take time to ______ all the flowers and put all the leaves you want in your bucket now. I hope you sleep soundly and take frequent ______. And I hope even in your ______ you can feel how much we love you.
August, we love you so much and we’re so excited to go on this ______ with you. We wish you a life of joy, love and the same hope you give us.
Love,
Mom and Dad
1.A. meet B. know C. become D. recognize
2.A. happy B. born C. puzzled D. excited
3.A. rare B. less C. incurable D. fewer
4.A. friends B. cousins C. generation D. classmates
5.A. responsibility B. concern C. satisfaction D. experience
6.A. Since B. While C. Because D. But
7.A. depend on B. stick to C. hold on D. focus on
8.A. negative B. normal C. positive D. reasonable
9.A. optimistic B. particular C. curious D. concerned
10.A. rather than B. on purpose C. by chance D. instead of
11.A. neighborhood B. childhood C. friendship D. relationship
12.A. knowing B. complaining C. arguing D. worrying
13.A. likely B. occasionally C. gradually D. possibly
14.A. make sure B. believe in C. figure out D. build up
15.A. perfect B. difficult C. important D. comfortable
16.A. energetic B. busy C. eager D. patient
17.A. smell B. touch C. spot D. taste
18.A. tasks B. pictures C. naps D. yawns
19.A. reality B. dreams C. future D. smile
20.A. vacation B. goal C. event D. adventure
There is no doubt that going without sleep for too long makes us feel terrible, and that getting a good night’s sleep can make us feel ready to take on the world. 1. Here are some top tips on getting the most out of the night.
2. You’d better avoid eating any food three hours before bed, as it will lower your blood sugar during sleep and help minimize damage from too much sugar floating around.
Keep your bedroom dark. To get a good night’s sleep, you need a bedroom that is pleasant, inviting and welcoming. 3. This is because the all important sleep-inducing (催眠) hormone melatonin is extremely sensitive to light, and may not be produced optimally (最佳的) unless it’s completely dark.
4. The foundation of good sleep is a comfortable bed. The right mattress (床垫) can make the difference between a refreshing night’s sleep and poor quality sleep resulting in tiredness and fatigue.
Get into a relaxed state. 5. Both of them will help to take the mind off the daytime pressures.
Since the start of the 21st century, studies have linked a lack of sleep to many diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. Taking action now will lead to long-term benefits for you.
A. Take a bath or listen to soft music.
B. Never eat too much before bedtime.
C. Above all, it should be dark.
D. Healthy people value a good night’s sleep.
E. However, not all of us know the best way of getting it.
F. Experts suggest putting away your mobile phone.
G. Have a suitable bed, especially a suitable mattress.
Cigarette butts (烟蒂) are everywhere - clogging up our streets, littering our beaches - and for decades they’ve been thought of as “unrecyclable”. But a New Jersey-based company, called TerraCycle, has taken on the challenge, and has come up with a way to recycle millions of cigarette butts and turn them into industrial plastic products. Its aim is to take items that people normally consider impossible to recycle, and then use science to figure out a way to do just that.
Despite the increase in anti-smoking ads and messaging over the past 20 years, global sales of cigarettes increased by 8 percent, and a whole lot of those cigarette butts are ending up as trash, which can surely pollute the surrounding environment.
So how do you go about turning all those poisonous ends into something useful? TerraCycle does this by first breaking them down into separate parts. They mix the remaining materials, such as the tobacco and the paper, with other kinds of rubbish, and use it on non-agricultural land, such as golf courses. The filters (过滤嘴) are a little harder. To recycle these, TerraCycle first makes them clean and cuts them into small pieces, and then combines them with other recycled materials, making them into liquid for industrial plastic products.
They now have more than 7,000 cigarette recycling bins in nine countries around the world. They’re also expanding their recycling offerings to the rest of the 80 percent of household waste that currently can’t be recycled, such as chocolate packaging, pens, and mobile phones. The goal is to use the latest research to find a way to stop so much waste ending up in. landfill (垃圾填埋), and then get companies to fund the process. And so far, it’s working.
“We haven’t found anything that we can’t recycle,” communications director of Terra Cycle, Albe Zakes, said. “But with the amount and variety of packaging and litter in the world, we are always looking for new waste streams to address.”
1.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. It is impossible for the filters to be recycled.
B. Terra Cycle has achieved a lot in recycling what used to be considered “unrecyclable”.
C. Anti-smoking ads and messaging have led to people’s quitting smoking.
D. Mobile phones can’t be recycled by means of the latest research.
2.What can we learn about the approach to recycling cigarette butts?
A. Unbelievable and costly.
B. Excellent but hard to carry out.
C. Useless in dealing with other household waste.
D. Practical and environmentally friendly
3.The underlined word ‘“trash” in Paragraph 2 probably means .
A. mineral B. fertilizer
C. rubbish D. poison
4.In Albe Zakes’s opinion, .
A. TerraCycle has successfully recycled everything.
B. they still have a long way to go.
C. it will be too difficult for them to find new ways.
D. the public should be aware of the environmental pollution.
A few weeks ago, Yuan Chaojun quit his well-paid job with a trading company in Shanghai and started teaching people how to “escape from rooms”.
Room escape is a real-life adventure game, during which “imprisoned” players are required to escape from “dungeons”, “prisons” and mysterious cells by solving puzzles and connecting clues in a fixed period of time. Stress relief is one of the major reasons why these games are so popular. Mixed with excitement, challenges and fear of the unknown, the game allows people to play different roles and experience another life for a short time.
Room escape has become popular in China, attracting people from all walks of life. The games often require group thinking, making it a good alternative for company team-building activities.
Ye Kai works for a film production company. He and colleagues recently took on a room escape game called “Assassin”, and only made it out “with the help of everyone”.
“The game gave me a strong sense of involvement and teamwork,” Ye said. “I will definitely come back and try other themes.”
In Shanghai alone, more than 200 locations offer these adventures. Across the country thousands of such escape rooms with various themes have sprung up.
But escape games are not without their critics. According to a report, a venue (场馆) opened in a basement in a residential area in Shanghai’s Jingan district recently, attracting a large number of devotees (热爱者) to the area. As the door to the community is now constantly open, some residents have been left annoyed. “How can our safety be guaranteed if they allow these random strangers into our community freely?” one of the residents complained.
“We are thinking about employing security guards at the entrance to check on our customers,” the game developer said. “We want people to have fun. It was never our intention to disturb the neighborhood.”
1.Room escape games are popular mainly because they .
A. help release pressure B. are exciting and challenging
C. require teamwork D. must be finished in a fixed time
2.To win the game, people are required to .
A. cooperate with each other
B. manage it independently
C. solve puzzles and find clues alone
D. have a strong sense of direction
3.We can infer from Paragraph 7 that some residents .
A. are also fond of the games
B. have left the community
C. are concerned about the safety of their community
D. have great conflicts with the devotees
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Experience another life
B. How to escape from reality
C. An alternative team-building activity
D. Games offer an escape from stress
Tiny Device Allows You To Track Your Car Using Your Smartphone
Have you ever lost your car on a parking lot? It happens. You park and go shopping. When you get back, you don’t have a clue where your car is. Then you start roaming around clicking on the panic button on your car keys so the alarm goes off. It can be frustrating, especially on a hot, sunny day.
Now, you don’t need to turn to a GPS system or tracking service. Nobody wants to pay expensive monthly subscription fees. A California-based startup company has created a tiny device, TrackR, which works with your smartphone. It could track your vehicle without costing you a fortune.
It’s easy! Install the free TrackR app on your smartphone, connect the app to your device and you’re ready to go! Simply attach TrackR to whatever you want to keep tabs on. The entire process of setting it up only takes 5 minutes or less. Then use the TrackR app to locate your missing item in seconds.
You’re probably thinking that this device is very expensive… False! TrackR only costs $ 29! You can buy it directly from the company’s website. They ship worldwide and you’ll receive your TrackR within a week.
As we said before, TrackR has unlimited possibilities. The device is small and unobtrusive (不引人注目的) enough that you can attach it to your pet, your keys, your briefcase and anything else you don’t want to lose. TrackR even comes with a double-sided adhesive (胶) so you can stick it to your laptop or under your bike seat. Track down and punish the thieves who steal your expensive things!
1.Why does the author mention the lost car in the first paragraph?
A. To stress the importance of protecting your car.
B. To introduce TrackR.
C. To tell you not to be worried about it.
D. To warn you not to park your car casually
2.What do we know about TrackR?
A. TrackR is free of charge.
B. TrackR app costs you only $ 29.
C. TrackR helps you find anything you lose within a week.
D. TrackR is sold to people throughout the world.
3.What does the author mean by “keep tabs on” in paragraph 3?
A. lose sight of B. come across
C. keep track of D. take charge of
4.The text probably comes from .
A. a book review B. a popular science magazine
C. a science fiction D. an official document
Insider Travel Tips for Your Next Journey
Anyone can book a trip, but not everyone can plan an adventure that’s affordable, accommodating, and fun for everyone in your group. At Tripslnsider.com, we aim to provide you with the best insider secrets in the travel business and a state-of-the-art travel comparison tool to make planning easier than ever.
Embrace Tuesday Travel
The strategy of buying airline tickets on Tuesdays for the best deals is still a good idea. For tickets purchased three or more weeks in advance, the average price of a ticket on Tuesday is cheaper than any of the other days between Monday and Friday. Prices skyrocket when you purchase on Saturdays and Sundays.
Ask for a Corner Room
When you check in at a hotel, ask if there’s a comer room available. These are usually larger and quieter for the same price as ones in the middle of the hall. Upgrades are most often offered at the end of the day when hotels have a better sense of their occupancy.
Get the Weekly Car Rental Rate
It’s a bit puzzling that car rental companies charge more for driving less, but the weekly rate is often cheaper than driving just four days. You may be able to get the weekly rate for just five days, so keep the car a bit longer if you can.
Fill Up a Reusable Water Bottle
Bottled water on cruise ships can cost up to $ 4! Save money by bringing an empty reusable one in your bag. The water is clean and flows from a filtered reservoir on the ship.
1.It is generally the most expensive to buy an airline ticket on .
A. Saturday B. Tuesday
C. Wednesday D. Friday
2.You can save money by the following tips except .
A. asking for a Comer Room
B. taking a reusable bottle with you
C. keeping the car as long as possible
D. book an airline ticket on Tuesdays in advance
3.The passage is taken from .
A. A website B. A travel brochure
C. A scientific report D. A local newspaper
