I’m Jessica. Roland, my father, was a carpenter. When I was just a baby, I was so weak and sick that I had been in and out of the ________ for a whole year. The doctors were not ________ that I would live another year.
Taking care of me was ________, so our family was deep in debt. My father saw no ________ at the end of this tunnel. Then one day he saw a(n) ________ in the newspaper: “Security guards ________. $100,000 a year.” Without any hesitation, he ________ the number. The line was busy, but he kept calling and ________ got through. He was worried that the jobs were all ________, but they told him plenty of jobs were still available. And they would fly him to Iraq for his ________ in five days.
My father ________ it was dangerous; he might get injured or killed, but the money was too good; ________, the family would have full medical benefits, which would ________ me to get the care I needed. He said if he ________ the first year, he would probably sign up for a second year.
My mother was ________. She asked, “What if you get killed? What are we going to do ________ you?”
“You’ve got to think ________. Think about how well of we’ll be in two or three years after I bring back all that money. This is the ________ thing I could do for this family.” He said to my mom. Then my dear father ________ to Iraq five days later.
Roland, my beloved father, put all his heart to support our family just ________ he loved me, loved us.
1.A. school B. hospital C. gym D. store
2.A. aware B. content C. expert D. confident
3.A. worthwhile B. expensive C. necessary D. desperate
4.A. light B. fire C. wind D. traffic
5.A. warning B. essay C. notice D. advertisement
6.A. lost B. found C. wanted D. provided
7.A. chose B. called C. discovered D. recorded
8.A. finally B. easily C. actually D. quickly
9.A. applied for B. taken C. given up D. declared
10.A. study B. guidance C. goal D. assignment
11.A. knew B. insisted C. suspected D. warned
12.A. instead B. besides C. therefore D. otherwise
13.A. convince B. persuade C. enable D. require
14.A. survived B. failed C. recovered D. disappeared
15.A. brave B. upset C. happy D. curious
16.A. behind B. against C. without D. beyond
17.A. positively B. carefully C. generally D. fairly
18.A. simplest B. best C. cheapest D. toughest
19.A. ran B. drove C. flew D. rode
20.A. as if B. when C. in case D. because
We accomplish our goals one step at a time, doing a little each day. So, starting your day on the right foot is most important. 1.
■ Get up an hour early.
People who get up early in the morning have a jump on the day. In American English, we like to say, “The early bird gets the worm.” 2. This expressions means that people who rise up early have a head start and, therefore, are more likely to succeed.
■ Don’t answer e-mail or jump into social media as soon as you get up.
We’ve all done it. You see a Facebook post from a friend you haven’t seen for a long time. He is angry about some political issue and the heated discussion pulls you in. 3. You hurry out the door so as not to be late for work. This is not the best way to start your day.
■ Exercise!
Physical fitness experts and trainers often suggest some form of exercise in the morning because the middle of the day is a busy time for most people. By the day’s end, you may not have the time or energy to exercise. 4.
■ Think about your day at night.
Take time at the end of the day to think back on all the things that have happened. 5. It may help you to prepare if you take a few minutes to think about what you need to do the next day.
A. And spend a little time to think about tomorrow.
B. Here, if you’re a bird, the worm is the reward.
C. In fact, the morning may be the most productive part of your day.
D. Exercising in the morning prevents that from happening.
E. Avoid jumping into social media as soon as you get up.
F. Here are four ideas on how to start your day off right.
G. Before you know it, an hour has passed.
Many people traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada last week for the 50th Consumer Electronics Show, or CES. The show is said to have the largest collection of new electronic devices in the world.
The show had many examples of “smart home” devices. “Smart home” technology is designed to make life easier for people by letting computers control many things inside our homes. One such device actually begins working outside the home, when someone arrives and rings the doorbell.
“When someone comes to your front door and rings the doorbell, the light can turn on immediately. I get a notification when I’m halfway around the world that someone came, and I can start talking to the person who’s at my front door, and I can say, ‘Oh, here let me let you in,’ I can unlock the door for them very easily.” Said Vivint, a smart home service provider.
One electronics maker launched a device that lets people see and interact with their animals when they are away. The device, from Petcube, lets you remotely watch and talk to your pet through a personal device, according to a company official. It can even give the pet a treat—if you approve and order it.
For heating or cooling, there is a smart thermostat. This device can also send you a message if a big storm causes leaks of flooding. “We’re trying to catch it with just a few drips before it becomes a real big problem,” said Mike Sale of iDevices.
A concern for many homeowners is the possibility that someone else might find a way to attack these smart home devices. An official from Vivint said his company is sure that only owners of the home can gain use of information on the devices. Warren Katz from iDevices said his company employs engineers from the defense industry to help prevent hacking.
1.What can be learned about the show?
A. It created much attraction to consumers.
B. It has been held in Las Vegas many times.
C. It only exhibited smart home devices.
D. It is the largest show ever held.
2.What’s the purpose of Paragraph 3?
A. To explain how to answer the door.
B. To illustrate a smart home device.
C. To tell a story about nice devices.
D. To introduce a home service provider.
3.What may happen in the future according to the given examples?
A. Computers may replace human workers one day.
B. A stranger can come into your house even if you’re out.
C. The house can repair for itself if a storm causes damage.
D. You can take good care of your animals while you’re away.
4.What can be inferred about the smart home device from the last paragraph?
A. Information on the devices is easy to get.
B. Many of the devices are not available now.
C. Homeowners are concerned about its operation.
D. Its safety can be guaranteed at present.
In 1869, the Smiley family purchased an area of land about 100 miles north of New York City. Over time, some of their property and much of the surrounding landscape became the Mohonk Preserve, which has since grown to 8,000 acres and attracts visitors and rock climbers.
But the Mohonk Preserve also has a long scientific legacy. In the 1930s, Dan Smiley, a descendent of the original owners, began keeping track of the plants and animals that lived in the area.
Megan Napoli is a research ecologist with the Mohonk Preserve in New York. She thinks Smiley’s efforts produced a rare long-term data set of observations, which is useful for studying the impacts of climate change. For instance, other research has shown that songbirds are migrating north earlier and earlier in the spring.
It's important for the birds to arrive at the proper time in the spring, because they need to time their arrival with the insect emergence. So they need to be here to establish their nesting sites, lay their eggs. Once the eggs hatch, they have their baby birds, so they need to time it when the insects are most abundant.
Napoli has begun analyzing about 76,000 observations of songbird migration dates collected by Smiley and his team to see if they, too, show that climate change has altered the timing of migrations. Her results suggest that they do.
Napoli found that short-distance migrants that spend their winters in the southern U. S. now arrive an average of eleven days earlier than they did in the 1930s. Long-distance migrants that overwinter in the tropics arrive roughly a week earlier. Napoli presented her results at a recent Ecological Society of America meeting in Portland, Oregon.
Meanwhile, who knows how many other long-term, personal data collections like Smiley’s are out there, waiting to be discovered and to help improve official attempts to track the planet’s changes.
1.What do we know about Dan Smiley?
A. He lived in New York City.
B. He was a scientific researcher.
C. He owned the Mohonk Preserve.
D. He kept a record of wildlife.
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A. The birds’ birth. B. The birds’ arrival.
C. The nest building. D. The insect appearance.
3.What does Megan Napoli think of Smiley’s long-term record?
A. It has affected the birds’ migration.
B. It challenges the previous research.
C. It has changed official attitudes.
D. It is of great value to her research.
4.What can we learn from Napoli’s research?
A. It is totally based on Smiley’s long-term notes.
B. Scientists have to rely on more personal data.
C. Climate change affects birds’ migration time.
D. It contributes greatly to other personal research.
Lions are the top tourist attraction to Kenya and also considered critically endangered. One of the main causes of their death is that people kill them in return for lions attacking their cows. “We put our cows in a small cow shelter at night,” locals said, “and that’s when the trouble would start. Lions would jump in the shelter and kill the cows”.
There have been a lot of efforts to try to protect the lions, but it’s a crisis and everyone is looking for a solution. One idea was land leases(租用), another was lion-proof fences. However, no one even knew that Richard Turere, a 13-year-old Maasai from Kenya, had already come up with something that worked.
One night Richard was walking around with a flashlight and discovered the lions were scared of a moving light. An idea was born. Three weeks and much repairing later, Richard invented a system of lights that flash around the cow shelter, mimicking a human walking around with a flashlight. His system is made from broken flashlight parts and an indicator box from a motorcycle. “The only thing I bought was a solar panel（电池板）, which charges a battery that supplies power to the lights at night.” Richard says. He calls the system Lion Lights.
His simple solution was so successful: his neighbors heard about it and wanted Lion Lights, too. He put in the lights for them. From there, the lights spread and are now being used all around Kenya. Someone in India is trying them out for tigers. In Zambia and Tanzania they’re being used as well.
1.Why do local people kill lions?
A. To attract tourists. B. To protect their cows.
C. To sell them for money. D. To scare away large animals.
2.What makes Richard’s idea successful?
A. That the lights will cost nothing.
B. That the system can protect lions.
C. That the lions are afraid of light.
D. That the cows are lawfully killed.
3.What may be the best title of the text?
A. Lion Lights B. Protecting Lions
C. Endangered Cows D. Lion-proof Fences
The Guggenheim Museum attempts to help educators connect students with art. It offers programs for educators, including free arts curricula, professional development courses and workshops, as well as professional meet and greets that pair artists with public school teachers throughout New York City.
● Visiting with your students
The museum offers a variety of ways for educators and their students to visit, from self-guided tours to a guided experience.
Guggenheim Museum Highlights | Perfect for first-time visitors, the Highlights Tour focuses on the museum’s innovative architecture, history, and permanent collection. |
Special Exhibition | This tour offers an opportunity to engage in a lively, in-depth exploration of one of our special exhibitions. Learn about the artistic processes and movements behind some of the most revolutionary artists of the modern and contemporary age. |
Custom Tour | Tour can be customized to accommodate a variety of interests, learning styles and subject matter. Our gallery educators can create a one-of-a-kind experience tailored to your group’s needs. |
Lecturer’s Badge | Conduct a group tour of up to 20 people. |
● Arts curriculum online
The Guggenheim produces free curriculum materials on exhibitions for educators to use both during school visits and in the classroom. While the material focuses on recent exhibitions, a comprehensive range of lessons cover many works and artists in the museum’s collection.
● Learning through Art
Learning Through Art sends experienced teaching artists into New York City public schools, where they work with classroom teachers to develop and facilitate art projects into the school curriculum.
● Education facilities
Housed in the Sackler Center for Arts Education, the Guggenheim’s education facilities include studio art and multimedia labs, a theater, an exhibition gallery, and a conference room.
1.Who are the museum’s programs intended for?
A. Students. B. Parents.
C. Educators. D. Artists.
2.Which tour can be designed based on your own interest?
A. Custom Tour.
B. Lecturer’s Badge.
C. Special Exhibition.
D. Guggenheim Museum Highlights.
3.How do teaching artists help to make art projects into the school curriculum?
A. By giving lessons online.
B. By working with teachers.
C. By providing free materials.
D. By designing projects alone.
4.What can we do in the Sackler Center?
A. Appreciate art works.
B. Dine with your friends.
C. Perform science experiments.
D. Collect your favorite exhibits.
