The Spring Festival, known 1. the Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on February 16th this year and 2. (mark) the start of the Year of Dog in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Meanwhile, the Spring Festival travel season, known as Chunyun in Chinese, officially begins. It is 3. time for family reunions, so millions of Chinese people will return to their hometowns or travel around the country in 4. has become the largest human migration in the world.
Around 2.98 billion trips are expected to be made during the Spring Festival. Several years ago, some people had no 5. (choose) but to turn to ticket scalpers (黄牛党) for help. However, at present, unlike previous years, people find 6. much easier to get tickets. High-speed trains make trips home 7. (considerable) faster. China Railway Corp. has launched a series of 8. (service) for passengers which involve self-service counters, free smartphone apps and ubiquitous(随处可见的) travel notices, thus 9. (save) much time for the passengers. As for travel by road, the electronic toll collection system helps enhance the efficiency of travel with the system 10. (update).
Yesterday, our teacher asked us when a man could be referred to as an old man. David stood up and said people with wrinkles could be called old people, However, Mary didn’t _______ for some people may gain wrinkles at an earlier age owing to their. _______ life. Then Lily expressed her idea that those reaching their 60s or more could be called old people. However, Emily expressed her _______ and said some old people may still be energetic and trying to pursue their dreams, which makes them appear _______. The class was over and we still didn’t reach any _______, so the teacher asked us to think about it after class.
The _______ has reminded me of the saying of J. Barrymore that a man isn’t old as long as he is _______ something.
My grandma is such a woman who pursues her dream _______ when she’s 70 now. She has _______ her dream of being a painter since she was a little child. ________, because her family was poor, she had to ________ her dream and stepped into the ________ to raise money so as to support her family. Though she has ________ abandoned her dream, she could hardly find any ________ to realize it because of the tough work. ________, chance came when she retired from her work. She began taking her painting lessons ________ she had all-white hair and lots of wrinkles. At first, I was ________ her idea of attending school at so old an age, but after seeing her paint happily and enjoyably, I ________ feeling it a good choice. She seems ________ and looks fine.
So if we have our dreams and seek for them, we aren’t old. It’s when we don’t know what we want and let ________ be the center point of our lives that we can finally be regarded as the old.
1.A. respond B. agree C. identify D. understand
2.A. negative B. boring C. tough D. complex
3.A. certainty B. wish C. doubt D. concern
4.A. attractive B. young C. intelligent D. ambitious
5.A. conclusion B. contract C. decision D. destination
6.A. embarrassment B. barrier C. question D. confusion
7.A. preserving B. seeking C. treasuring D. possessing
8.A. even B. nearly C. only D. hardly
9.A. realized B. changed C. promoted D. kept
10.A. Therefore B. Instead C. Moreover D. However
11.A. give up B. search for C. put aside D. stick to
12.A. society B. reality C. world D. office
13.A. seldom B. occasionally C. already D. never
14.A. time B. excuse C. help D. money
15.A. Suddenly B. Eventually C. Soon D. Gradually
16.A. because B. once C. though D. unless
17.A. with B. for C. at D. against
18.A. risked B. rejected C. continued D. began
19.A. energetic B. gentle C. optimistic D. wealthy
20.A. achievements B. regrets C. dreams D. difficulties
Technological innovation (创新)may not give you a warm feeling. 1. Messaging apps are examples of technology that are helping bring people together. It’s ready to continue improving our lives as innovation allows technology to really understand how we live.
2.
Some of the most popular and widely adopted innovations make things we’re already doing easier. A well-designed piece of technology can transform something that consumes time into a worry-free swipe of your finger, giving you more time to spend with friends and family.
Proving that you really are you
Developers keep finding new and brilliant ways to prove our identities online. With fingerprints and voice recognition, technology keeps getting better at proving we are who we say we are. 3.. The more trust we have, the easier it will be to fully embrace the empowering aspects of fintech (金融科技) and having control of our financial data.
Helping make good ideas a reality
Crowdfunding (众筹) technology keeps breaking down barriers that may have previously kept good ideas from being realized. Here’s how it works: You pitch (拋) your project to people through an online platform. 4.. By connecting dreamers and inventors to a new type of capital, technology is giving more creative ideas their opportunity to become a reality.
Adding even more quality to quality time
As technology continues improving, it becomes easier to build and maintain a connection with someone who isn’t in the same location as you. 5.. And think about how great it will be when you can interact with your friends and relatives in virtual reality. It will be the next best thing to being together in person.
A. Sparing some time to make researches
B. Freeing up more time for friends and family
C. However, when at its best, it opens our eyes to many things
D. Actually, it can do wonders . to deepen our interpersonal connections
E. That technology can make it easier to trust the connections we make online
F. If they are interested in your project, they donate money to fund your project
G. Think about how much easier it is to connect via video conferencing than before
Nature has its own way of balancing itself out, but when we humans get involved, we tend to throw things out of control. Forests and oceans are natural carbon sinks that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but since we’ve been pumping too much into the air, those sinks can’t keep up. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, led by biologist Tobias Erb, have figured out a way to supercharge plants to make them better at absorbing CO2, which could be a key defense against climate change.
Erb and his team figured out a way to make plants more efficient at absorbing carbon, so that they consumed more carbon in a shorter amount of time. “If you think about plants, they are efficient CO2-fixing filters, but they are not fast, ” Erb said. “I think there is a chance to improve existing biology with synthetic(人造的) biology.”
Erb’s team identified 17 enzymes(酶) from nine different organisms, re-engineering three of them, that had an enlarged carbon consumption. When those enzymes worked together as a team, they worked better at not only plants’ natural enzymes, but also themselves individually. Existing enzymes in plants consume about 5 to 10 molecules(摩尔) of CO2 per second. The team of enzymes that Erb used consumed 80 molecules per second.
So far, these enzymes have only been tested in test tubes in the lab, but the next step is real world testing where the enzymes would be introduced into plants to see if the same result occurs. If those tests show that plants really can be supercharged, we could have a new tool in the fight against climate change where not only do we protect the amazing carbon-absorbing forests we have, but we also add these super plants or an artificial leaf technology using the enzymes into other mixed fields.
1.Why can’t forests and oceans balance nature?
A. Because oceans and forests are getting smaller.
B. Because a large number of forests are cut down.
C. Because we human beings give off too much CO2.
D. Because there are too many creatures in the world.
2.Which is the key defense against climate change according to Erb and his team?
A. To increase the plants’ ability and efficiency to absorb CO2.
B. To make oceans and forests to absorb more CO2 quickly.
C. To reduce the human’s activities giving off too much CO2.
D. To increase the number of plants in the world.
3.What can we get from the last paragraph?
A. The enzymes have proved useful in real world.
B. The technology has worked against climate change.
C. The enzymes have not been used in the lab.
D. The technology may have a bright future.
4.This passage is intended to ________.
A. call on people to pay more attention to the balance of nature
B. introduce a possible way to better plants’ ability of absorbing CO2
C. analyze the cause and result of climate change related to plants
D. explore the possibility of using plants to fight against climate change
I’d like to share a little story with you about something that happened when I was four. I remember it clearly. Our loving family dog was nearing the end of his life. My father picked him up and put him in a little bed we had made for him. Our dog, my companion, whom we had cared for, bit my father when he attempted to help him. How could he? Why? I couldn’t understand it. I didn’t like him anymore.
I hadn’t thought about that story for a long time but something that happened last week brought it back to me. I went to speak with a friend. When I knocked on the door, I met in an instant an angry look and a few harsh(尖刻的)words. When the door was slammed(砰地关上)in my face, I stood there shocked, and in a rush, I was reminded of my dog bit my father 20 years ago or so. What brought that story back was that same feeling of betrayal.
Both stories taught me something the next day. You see, when I got up in the morning and was told my dog had died, it became clear to me that he must have been in great pain. For him to have bitten a family member, he could not have been himself. Much the same for the other story when I learned that my friend’s wife had just left him.
We are all beings of our environments, our opinions and feelings. And all of those things can cause you to say and do things that can’t be understood by those who are not in the same situation with you.
If you meet someone either behaving out of character or acting in a way that doesn’t seem to fit the situation, put out your hand and be patient when you think it is least possible for him to do so. You may turn around a story that has a sad ending simply by your actions.
1.What is the influence of the incident mentioned in Paragraph 1?
A. It hurt his father’s feeling deeply.
B. It has puzzled the author ever since.
C. It left a deep impression on the author.
D. It made the author dislike dogs.
2.What made the author think of the story of about 20 years ago?
A. His friend’s attitude.
B. The photo of the dog.
C. His father’s wound.
D. His friend’s suffering.
3.Why did the author’s friend say harsh words to the author?
A. He was ill-tempered.
B. He was suffering the pain of losing his wife.
C. He was bothered by an unexpected visit.
D. They once quarreled and he couldn’t forgive the author.
4.What’s the author’s advice to us?
A. Help those in need.
B. Look before you leap.
C. Respect for others is a kind of virtue.
D. Learn to put yourself in others’ shoes.
When my son was first diagnosed with Autism (自闭症), it was a very hard time for us. However, in some ways it was a relief, because we finally had a name for what was going on in our lives, but it also meant years more of uncertainty, and we didn’t know what the future held.
When I shared the news with my coworkers, I was so surprised and happy to receive so much immediate love and support from them. They were focused on what we needed, as opposed to how it would affect my ability to make it to work.
One co-worker, Jackie, in particular, was amazing to my family and me. She called me into her office a few days later, and gave me a “ worry stone”. It gives you something to focus on when you’re worried, rubbing your thumb around on this stone. It was a lovely gesture.
She then extended a permanent offer to drive us to any appointments or tests we needed. Considering the fact that we lived 90 minutes from where most treatment took place, this was a tremendous offer. She made it very clear to me that this offer included last minute trips or emergencies. Anytime we needed to go anywhere, she was willing to be our transportation. She said that we needed to be able to focus on our son instead of having to divide our attention between the road and him.
We never did need to take her up on her wonderful offer, but knowing it was there and that she was so willing to help made it feel like we were much less alone.
1.What does “a relief” refer to in the first paragraph ?
A. My son’s recovery from the disease.
B. The help from my co-workers.
C. Knowing what my boy’s problem is.
D. The sign of a better future.
2.Why did the co-worker offer to drive for us?
A. She is a more experienced driver.
B. We live far away from the hospital.
C. She lives very close to our house.
D. She wishes to reduce our worries.
3.What does the writer think of the offer by Jackie?
A. It’s a great comfort.
B. It’s a last-minute offer.
C. It’s not necessary.
D. It’s a difficult decision for her.
4.What might be the best title for the text?
A. Years of Uncertainty
B. The Most Generous Woman
C. In Time of Need
D. A Story of Sacrifice
