In elementary school, I was living with my parents and my brother in a rented apartment in New York City. At the time, I never thought of myself as comfortable or ______ —it was just the way life was.
Everything ______ before I started the sixth grade. Our landlord (房东) kicked us out ______ notice. My family had to ______ to the Life Family Shelter. We had a private room to sleep in at the shelter, which housed 90 ______, but it was a quarter of the size of our ______ living space, so we always ______ crowded.
I didn’t fully understand what was happening, but after a few weeks, it ______ sank in: I was homeless. I felt so ______ that I didn’t tell anyone at school. I felt like I could never truly be myself and open up to friends, because I carried around this secret. It was a ______ time.
The only good part about living in the shelter was that I got to go to a(n) ______ program that was run by the Coalition for the Homeless. It was a quiet place where I could do my ______ or arts.
After three years, my parents finally ______ affordable housing. I was so excited. We have two bedrooms and one bathroom that we don’t have to ______ with strangers. It’s so nice to have ______ again. It’s funny — you don’t realize how valuable something is until you are ______ to live without it.
Last April, I started feeling different about my ______ being homeless. For the first time, I didn’t feel ashamed. I decided that it was time to tell my ______ Jason. He was shocked. ______, he was supportive and didn’t treat me any differently.
I also started volunteering at the after-school program because I want to help other kids who are ______ the same thing as I did.
1.A. curious B. unafraid C. happy D. confident
2.A. happened B. changed C. appeared D. exchanged
3.A. without B. along C. within D. beyond
4.A. occur B. appeal C. belong D. move
5.A. families B. classes C. teams D. grades
6.A. new B. simple C. small D. old
7.A. seemed B. felt C. looked D. became
8.A. gradually B. really C. immediately D. finally
9.A. tired B. confused C. embarrassed D. surprised
10.A. lonely B. guilty C. slow D. quiet
11.A. adventurous B. after-school C. real-life D. personal
12.A. homework B. job C. dream D. housework
13.A. recognized B. created C. found D. explored
14.A. agree B. communicate C. share D. compete
15.A. freedom B. wealth C. fame D. privacy
16.A. forced B. attracted C. persuaded D. ordered
17.A. story B. background C. experience D. introduction
18.A. father B. brother C. relative D. friend
19.A. However B. Therefore C. After all D. Moreover
20.A. seeing through B. going through C. going around D. looking through
How to drive greener
Buying green can produce great benefits and so can small changes in your driving behavior. 1.
1. Avoid aggressive driving. Sudden starts and aggressive driving can waste your gas. 2. That’s because just one second of high-powered driving can produce the same level of CO as 30 minutes of normal driving.
2. 3. A lot of us like to push the speedometer up to 75 miles per hour on the highway. However, slowing down to 65 miles per hour can increase your fuel economy by up to 10 percent and reduce the amount of pollution coming from your car.
3. Plan ahead. When possible, plan your trips to avoid the stop-and-go of rush hour. And remember to pack all of your tasks into one trip since a warmed-up engine produces fewer emissions (排放物).
4. Pay attention at the gas station. Don’t overfill your gas tank or try to top it off because spilled (溢出) gas changes into mixture of fog and smoke and can pollute groundwater. When you are finished filling up, be sure you tighten your gas cap. 4.
5. Park smart. Parking your car in the shade not only helps you avoid feeling very hot in your car, but it helps minimize evaporation (蒸发) of fuel.
6. 5. By walking, cycling or public transport, you will make a big difference for our planet. Leave your car at home just two days a week. And you will help cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1,500 pounds a year.
A. Change the oil.
B. Slow down.
C. Leave your car at home.
D. And this type of driving behavior adds to pollution.
E. In this way you can save as much as 30 gallons a year.
F. The following advice can help you save gas and contribute to the well-being of our planet.
G. Parking in your garage when possible to cut down on summer heat and keep off frost in the winter.
Today we think of Abraham Lincoln as a great leader. What most of us don’t know is that he was a well-known humorist and storyteller in his day.
Lincoln learned to tell jokes and stories from his father. When Lincoln became a lawyer, he used his jokes and stories to gain the good will of the jury (陪审团), and more than once his opposing lawyer would complain to the judge that Lincoln’s stories were irrelevant and distracting (转移、分心) to the jury. The trouble for them was that Judge David Davis loved Lincoln’s jokes more than anyone else in the court room.
As a politician, Lincoln made excellent use of his humorous stories. His long time political opponent Stephen A. Douglas complained that “Nothing else — not any of his arguments or any of his replies to my questions — disturbs me. But when he begins to tell a story, I feel that I am to be overmatched.” More than once Douglas and other political opponents of Lincoln’s saw their well presented arguments forgotten by the audience after Lincoln followed up their speeches with a homely story.
As the responsibilities of the office of President became greater and heavier, Lincoln used humor to find relief. He wanted to reduce the stresses in himself and those around him. One of Lincoln’s neighbors told that one day, he saw Lincoln walking past with two young shouting boys. “What’s the matter, Mr. Lincoln?” the neighbor asked. “The same thing that’s the matter with the whole world,” Lincoln answered. “I have three walnuts, and each one of them wants two of them.”
One cannot truly appreciate Lincoln without understanding his humorous side. He used his jokes and stories both for the purpose of winning over his audience and relieving the pressure he experienced as President during the terrible Civil War.
1.When Lincoln was a lawyer, what was his purpose of telling jokes and stories?
A. He wanted to satisfy the judge’s desire for jokes.
B. He wanted to distract his opposing lawyer.
C. He wanted to relieve his pressure.
D. He wanted to impress the jury.
2.What might be Douglas’ attitude towards Lincoln’s humorous stories?
A. Appreciative. B. Annoyed.
C. Concerned. D. Surprised.
3.What’s the purpose of the text?
A. To educate. B. To inform.
C. To persuade. D. To entertain.
The value of the U.S. penny has been dropping for years. Many countries have stopped using pennies. Is it time for the U.S. to do the same?
Those who think we should keep the U.S. penny offer the following arguments to support their positions:
Prices will increase. If we get rid of the penny, everything will have to be rounded to the nickel (五分硬币), costing us more for everything we buy.
Charities need pennies. There are thousands of small charities that depend on pennies to bring in donations. People think nothing of pouring out their old penny jars to support charity, but they won’t part with nickels so easily.
Nickels cost even more to make. If we get rid of the penny, we will need more nickels in circulation. Nickels cost 7.7 cents to make, 2.7 cents over face value, as opposed to 0.26 cents over face value to make a penny. Since the penny costs 0.26 more than face value to make, the Mint (铸币厂) can make 5 pennies and still lose less money than making 1 nickel.
People who want to retire the penny also have some persuasive arguments, including these:
Pennies waste time. The average American wastes 2.4 hours a year handling pennies, or waiting for people who handle them. This statistics is the result of collecting a number of penny-handling related events, including the 30-second period we sometimes spend waiting for someone who just has to dig through their pockets or purse to find that last cent so they can pay for something with exact change (probably so they don’t get stuck with any more pennies).
Making pennies wastes taxpayers’ money. It costs the U.S. Mint 1.26 cents to make each 1 cent coin, meaning that taxpayers are losing 0.26 of a cent for each one of the 7.4 billion pennies the Mint produces each year.
History will repeat itself. In 1857, the Mint stopped making the half-cent coin, partly because the cost of making it was considered to be no longer needed. Yet, commerce continued without any catastrophic effects. History has shown us that updating the monetary supply in countries where the currency (货币) is very stable has had little, if any, negative effect on the economy, or on people’s acceptance of the coinage.
1.According to people who want to keep the penny, getting rid of the penny .
A. is good for ordinary consumers
B. is especially bad for rich people
C. will be convenient for them
D. may lead to fewer donations to small charities
2.Why do pennies waste time?
A. Because consumers don’t always have enough change.
B. Because it takes time for people to get them from their pockets or purse.
C. Because pennies are not easy to take.
D. Because pennies are difficult to collect.
3.The underlined word “catastrophic” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “ ”.
A. direct B. positive
C. important D. disastrous
4.The text is mainly developed by .
A. giving examples
B. setting down general rules
C. comparing different opinions
D. following the natural time order
Known as “wolf girl” at her West Warwick, R.I., school, Alyssa Grayson has spent much of her young life teaching others to protect and respect animals. After starting a wolf club in second grade, Alyssa learned all she could about her favorite animals. Today, she gives presentations about protecting wolves at libraries and schools — she’s even spoken at a university. In fact, she’s become such a wolf expert that she was appointed as the first junior advisor to the National Wolfwatcher Coalition.
When she’s not teaching others about wolves, Alyssa can be found volunteering at her local animal shelter, taking care of dogs and cats. She’s also trained as a citizen scientist for Frog Watch USA. In short, Alyssa Grayson proves that you are never too young to make a difference for animals.
When asked how she got interested in saving wolves, Alyssa says, “I’ve loved wolves since I saw them in a movie when I was 2 or 3 years old. Then one day I saw a commercial about wolf hunting. I asked my mother why people do this, and she told me because people don’t like wolves. I decided from then that I wanted to save wolves.”
Today, wolves are hunted, trapped, or poisoned. Hunters chase wolves for miles in an airplane until the wolves are too exhausted to run anymore. Then they shoot them. The animal doesn’t have a chance to escape. Animals are also trapped for their fur. They are left to suffer in a trap with no food, water, or shelter. Alyssa thinks the fur looks better on the animal in the wild, where it’s meant to be, than on a human.
Alyssa believes wolves are important to our worlds. She says, “Wolves are an apex predator, which means they are at the top of the food chain. Removing them from the ecosystem is a big mistake. The ecosystem is like a chain of dominoes (多米诺骨牌)—with the apex predator as the one in front. If you were to knock down that domino, the rest of the chain would go down too.”
People usually think of “the Big Bad Wolf” when they hear about wolves. However, Alyssa says, “If they would base their thoughts on facts, not fairy tales, we wouldn’t have people wanting to kill wolves.”
1.Alyssa is known as “wolf girl” at her school because .
A. she keeps wolves as pets
B. she was raised by wolves
C. she does a lot to protect wolves
D. she started a wolf club at her school
2.According to the first and second paragraphs, Alyssa .
A. gained knowledge about wolves at libraries
B. cares about other animals besides wolves
C. started to give presentations since second grade
D. is the first junior citizen scientist for Frog Watch USA
3.Paragraph four is mainly about .
A. why wolves are killed
B. why wolves are trapped
C. the tools used to hunt wolves
D. how wolves are treated
4.From the last paragraph we can infer that Alyssa .
A. doesn’t need fairy tales
B. doesn’t believe in fairy tales
C. encourages people to find out the facts about wolves
D. believes that more people will work to save wolves
One of the best student cities: Boston
Boston, Massachusetts is the unofficial student capital of the United States. The greater Boston area contains some of the most famous universities in the world，including Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). With their reputation attracting some of the brightest students from around the globe, the heart of New England is young, energetic and active.
Best spots
The Fenway area — home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team — attracts students from nearby schools. On game days, the neighborhood’s many sports bars are packed with college students.
The Harvard Square is also a popular gathering spot for Harvard and MIT students, with several restaurants serving up affordable and tasty food.
Student activities
Boston’s most popular college events are the universities’ annual music festivals — like Yardfest at Harvard and Spring Fling at Tufts University — during which big-name stars perform free concerts before the spring semester ends.
The Berklee College of Music, which attracts top international talent and counts the band Passion Pit among its alumni (男校友), often organizes free student performances in such picture-perfect locations as the Boston Harbor National Park. The free-to-watch boating races on the Charles River are also well-attended on fair-weather race days, when students cheer on their classmates.
Student discounts
The Museum of Fine Arts, one of Boston ’ s leading cultural institutions, is free for students carrying ID from one of the many schools in the city and the museum’s special exhibits and film screenings are discounted for students.
The historic Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the New England Aquarium offer discounts for all university students, while admission to Harvard’s museum is free for Harvard students and discounted for all other college kids. Even movie theatres like Regal Cinemas Fenway and AMC Loews Boston Common cut students a discount.
1.The underlined part “the heart of New England” in paragraph one refers to .
A. Boston B. Massachusetts
C. Harvard D. the MIT
2.The Fenway area most probably attracts students who have interest in .
A. food B. sports
C. music D. science
3.We learn from the text that the Berklee College of Music .
A. often gives free performances
B. often invites big stars to perform
C. organises performances along the Charles River
D. attracts talented teachers such as the Passion Pit members
4.Which of the following is free for students carrying ID from one of the schools in Boston?
A. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
B. The New England Aquarium.
C. The Museum of Fine Arts.
D. Regal Cinemas Fenway.
