We talk about the persistence(坚持不懈) needed to make our dream come true today. Just think of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Their ___certainly didn’t happen overnight!
Wilbur was 12 years old and Orville 8 when their father brought home a____. It was a rubber____made in France. They____it so much that they played with it until it broke. Immediately, they began____copies. They were hooked on aviation(飞行器制造)! In 1900, as young men, having built their first glider(滑翔机), they decided to ____it out at Kitty Hawk on Kill Devil Hills. The place____consistent strong winds, and the somewhat cushioning effects of sand. That first flight was unsuccessful, ___it didn’t stop them. After several more tries, on December 17, 1903, with a much____plane, they risked their lives to drive it in the wind. They____flying the world’s first powered airplane. Beginning at 10:35 a.m. that day, Orville____it 120 feet in about 12 seconds. At 12:00, Wilbur flew it 852 feet in 59 seconds! Johnny Moore, one of five men who____them that morning (in charge of dragging the plane across the sand for positioning), ran to the village of Kitty Hawk____, “They’ve made it!” This was the ____of aviation! At this time, Wilbur was 36 and Orville 32. Roughly 24 years had passed____their father gave them that toy!
If you have a____, work at it. If it doesn’t turn out as____, don’t give up! Try again! Who wants to live and say somewhere, “If only” or “What if?” ___what you want and accomplish it. Don’t ever give up! ___in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more____than unsuccessful men with talent. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts(流浪汉). Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent(无所不能的).
1.A. failure B. accident C. achievement D. change
2.A. toy B. tool C. book D. pet
3.A. car B. bicycle C. helicopter D. ship
4.A. desired B. missed C. needed D. liked
5.A. building B. selling C. buying D. drawing
6.A. put B. try C. pick D. carry
7.A. avoided B. prevented C. provided D. caught
8.A. but B. and C. so D. or
9.A. ordinary B. similar C. organized D. improved
10.A. objected to B. added to C. gave up D. ended up
11.A. flew B. placed C. dragged D. pulled
12.A. noticed B. met C. visited D. helped
13.A. laughing B. complaining C. crying D. explaining
14.A. result B. birth C. target D. chance
15.A. since B. until C. though D. when
16.A. reason B. dream C. present D. task
17.A. allowed B. decided C. expected D. required
18.A. Worry about B. Return to C. Forget about D. Stick to
19.A. Something B. Nothing C. Anything D. Everything
20.A. common B. active C. satisfactory D. exciting
Have you ever tried to write a poem? It’s easier than you might think. Poems are a lot like song lyrics(歌词). A good poem conveys an honest feeling about something. Follow these steps to write a poem.
First, pay attention to the world around you-----little things, big things, people, animals, buildings, events, etc.1.You can do just about anything in a poem. That’s why poetry writing is so wild and free: there are no rules.
2.What would you like your poem to be about? Your poem will be more powerful if you choose a topic you feel strongly about.
Now free-write for 5 minutes about your topic. Then go back and read it.3.Circle these to use in your poem.
Write your poem. Remember, a poem doesn’t have to rhyme. It doesn’t have to use sentences. 4. And it should sound nice to you.
Have a friend read your poem aloud to you. Do you like the way it sounds?5.
I believe that poetry is the most exquisite(优美的) form of writing. And anyone can write a poem if they want to.
A. Then, choose your topic.
B. Explore different types of poems.
C. Do any words or phrases stand out?
D. What do you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel?
E. But it should show your feelings about the topic.
F. If not, go back and rewrite the parts you don’t like.
G. Choose a paragraph from a favorite book and turn it into a poem
At the end of last summer my parents’ house in Tunstall went up in flames. Several months on, we’re still trying to find out exactly what happened, but my parents John and Carole were out when more than half the house was burned to the ground. What was left behind needed to be pulled down and most of the things that were not actually destroyed were so smoke-damaged that they would have to be thrown away.
My parents were both teachers and not the kind of people to fill their house with expensive furniture, so most of their belongings were memories-----including photos and the tracksuit(运动服) that Dad was given when he carried the Olympic torch (火炬). But what really upset me was not the loss of these things.
Dad had an album(唱片) for every occasion. Once his car got broken into and he was more upset that his cassettes had been nicked(划伤) than about all the rest of the damage. So when I was considering doing something to help after the fire, I immediately thought about his music. We couldn’t get the old photos back, but we could replace his CDs and records. Then I started a little page about my dad on the blogging site Tumblr.
Within a few days, news of what had happened spread by word of mouth, and I was getting messages from friends I hadn’t spoken to for years. I also heard from Dad’s mates and even from people neither of us had ever met. Soon packages arrived from all over the country. I expected 100CDs if we were lucky, but his new collection would now run into the thousands!
On Christmas Day, all the records, tapes and CDs were packed into a beautiful box, which of course, was for my dad. A lot of them came from his previous students and he was touched to realize what an effect he had had on their lives. Eventually , he told me, “What could have been a bad Christmas has been a very good one.”
1.Last summer, the author’s parents___________.
A. rebuilt their house in Tunstall
B. lost their house due to a big fire
C. got burned while putting out a fire
D. found their house was broken into
2.Which of the following things does John care about most?
A. His tracksuit. B. The Olympic torch.
C. The old photos. D. His music collection.
3.We can infer from the text that John_______.
A. was a very popular teacher
B. had a hard time last Christmas
C. sang a lot for various occasions
D. lost interest in all things after the fire
4.What does the author probably try to tell us in the text?
A. One father is more than a hundred school masters.
B. Music washes away from the heart the dust of everyday life.
C. The world is full of people happy to do something for someone.
D. Accidents may happen to everyone if they are not careful enough.
Something’s happening at the lowest point on our planet.
The Dead Sea, a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west, is shrinking(缩小) at an alarming rate-----about 3.3 feet per year, according to the environmentalist group EcoPeace Middle East. And human actions are largely to blame.
“It’s not just like one country is punishing the Dead Sea; it’s more like the whole area,” said photographer Mortize Kustner, who visited the area in February to work on his series “The Dying Dead Sea”.
The Dead Sea needs water from the other natural sources surrounding it, such as the Jordan River basin. But around the 1960s, some of the water sources it relied on were diverted(使改道).Israel, for instance, built a pipeline during that time so it could supply water throughout the country.
Mineral extraction(开采) industries are another main reason the water levels are falling, experts say. The Dead Sea’s minerals have been used as medicine and can often be found in cosmetics(化妆品) and other consumer products.
And then, of course, there’s the Middle East’s hot, dry climate, which makes it difficult for the lake to replenish itself.
Last year, Israel and Jordan signed a $900 million deal in an effort to keep the Dead Sea’s water levels stable（稳定）. It includes building a canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea which would be able to not only supply water to Israel and Jordan but also to pump water into the Dead Sea.
But for now, Kustner shows us that the Dead Sea remains very much a place of interest, with people from all over the world going there to swim in its salty waters.
The Dead Sea, known as the Salt Sea in the language of Hebrew, is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. And because of what has been happening over the years, the salt is only getting saltier.
1.Which of the following is NOT a reason for the Dead Sea’s shrinking mentioned in the text?
A. Some of its water sources being diverted.
B. The extraction of the minerals in the sea.
C. Visitors from all over the world swimming in it.
D. The hot, dry climate in the Middle East.
2.What can we learn about the Dead Sea’s minerals?
A. They have practical value.
B. They are controlled by Israel.
C. They can be extracted very easily.
D. They are mainly used in heavy industries.
3.What does the underlined word “replenish” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
A. To clean something. B. To improve something.
C. To fill something again. D. To find something again.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. What we should do to save the Dead Sea
B. More people travel to the Dead Sea
C. Why the Dead Sea is salty
D. The Dead Sea is drying out.
It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently.
My father realized it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I’m so glad I did.
On the road to the harbour we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape. After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big hums(脊背)in the distance.
On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn’t believe it –---there aren’t any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.
The little baby whale----actually as big as our boat----was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools(漩涡)and waves. “She’s trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side,” my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe –---and to give us a trusting(信任的) look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.
In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.
1.The author says “I’m so glad I did.”(in para.2)because______.
A. he witnessed the whole process of fishing
B. he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea
C. he experienced the rescue of the whales
D. he spent the weekend with his family
2.The harbour survived the storm thanks to ______.
A. the shape of the harbour B. the arms of the bay
C. the still water in the channel D. the long coast line
3.The mother whale failed to help her baby because _______.
A. she had stayed in the polluted water for too long
B. the whirlpools she had made were not big enough
C. she had no other whales around to turn to for help
D. the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction
4.What is the theme of the story?
A. Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness.
B. Fishing provides excitement for children.
C. It’s necessary to live in harmony with animals
D. It’s vital to protect the environment.
Live in Cave
Kokopelli’s Cave Bed &Breakfast, Farmington, New Mexico.
The idea may seem very stone age, but this lone unit, which was carved into a 65-million-year-old sandstone rock, is filled with modern amenities(便利设施). The Travel Channel says these “cave comforts” include a comfortable bedroom, large fire circle, and rainfall shower. Plus, the views of the La Plata River and nearby mountains are breathtaking.
$260/ night;bbonline.com
Sleep below the Surface
Jules’ Undersea Lodge, Key Largo, Florida.
This hotel, which is named after20,000 Leagues Under the Sea author Jules Verne, is the world’s only underwater hotel. Lonely Planet says that this former research station has been turned into a pleasant hotel. Guests must make the 21-foot dive to its two rooms, fully stocked kitchen, and showers. Don’t want to cook? The staff will dive and bring your food to you.
$400/night; jul.com
Sail into History
The Queen Mary, Long Beach, California
Wish you could experience the greatness of a ship like the Titanic? According to CNN Travel, here’s your chance. Book a room to get a taste of a bygone time on this ship-turned hotel. You may not be able to sail into the sunset like Kate and Leo, but you can enjoy onboard attractions like original 1930s artwork and tours of strange and mysterious hot spots.
$129/night;queenmary.com
1.What can you enjoy in Kokopelli’s Cave Bed &Breakfast?
A. The original 1930s artwork.
B. The pleasure of cooking .
C. The excitement of diving.
D. Beautiful views of a river and mountains.
2.The Queen Mary used to be a _____.
A. cave B. ship
C. kitchen D. research station
3.In which part of a website can we find the text?
A. Literature. B. History.
C. Travel. D. Science.
