At the very beginning of this school year, I got myself into a regretful situation. It was a Wednesday _______ and I went to see a friend to watch the sunrise before school. It was about 4:30 a.m. and we were _______ outside next to my car. To our _______, someone in a neighboring house had gotten in his _______ and shown the headlights on us, yelling at us to _______ . As we got into my car, he had called the policemen. Since I had my _______ for only about 6 months and not a full year, I was charged for _______ a passenger.
This was the first time that I had ever got in _______. For about two months, I was _______ and had no one to _______. I kept everything to myself because I was not _______ talking about everything that had _______. I didn’t even talk to my head teacher and lied to him by saying everything was _______. But my attendance and _______ became worse. I was among the top 30% of my class _______ my rank had dropped by about 6 marks. I was under lots of stress and lacked _______ to do well in school. My biology teacher noticed I didn’t try my _______ and talked with me. She made me realize the last two months was not me.
Now, my working habits have been much better and I know what I want to do with my _______. I plan to take courses in graphic design (平面设计) in university because I can express my thoughts in a _______ way. I’ll work to my fullest potential (潜能). This is what I _______ and I know that now.
1.A. midnight B. afternoon C. evening D. morning
2.A. playing B. sleeping C. sitting D. studying
3.A. surprise B. regret C. relief D. shame
4.A. bed B. truck C. room D. office
5.A. leave B. apologize C. hide D. hurry
6.A. degree B. license C. card D. course
7.A. injuring B. visiting C. disturbing D. carrying
8.A. test B. debt C. trouble D. danger
9.A. embarrassed B. shocked C. delighted D. depressed
10.A. care about B. attend to C. turn to D. listen to
11.A. comfortable with B. curious about C. mad about D. ready for
12.A. changed B. happened C. worked D. stopped
13.A. important B. different C. fine D. useful
14.A. skills B. memories C. examples D. grades
15.A. for B. but C. because D. though
16.A. determination B. time C. sight D. acquirement
17.A. luck B. hand C. best D. fullest
18.A. power B. adventure C. job D. future
19.A. short B. creative C. friendly D. familiar
20.A. want B. discover C. give D. prove
Lots of people stress out about talking in front of the class or getting laughed at if they make a mistake in front of an audience. 1. And it’s part of your body’s way of helping you do your best. However, when you feel too stressed about performing, it can cause you to feel cold or sweaty or to feel like you can’t think straight. Luckily, here are some tips that can help you manage that feeling.
● Be prepared. Rehearse (排练) as much as you can — alone or in front of others — at every opportunity. 2. Nothing calms you like the confidence that comes from knowing you’re prepared.
● Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, increase some positive energy. Watch a football team before they run onto the field. They get in a group and sing a team song to pump themselves up with positive energy and team spirit. 3. For example, you can tell yourself “I got this!” “I’m ready to do this — here goes!” or “This is going to be fun!”
● Don’t be afraid of the nervous feeling. 4. Just let it be there. Meanwhile, manage it by using your positive pep talks (鼓励士气的讲话) and calming ways.
●5. You’ll look and feel your best if you get enough sleep and eat healthy meals before your performance. Along with sleep and nutrition, exercise is also an excellent way of keeping your stress under control.
A. Remind yourself that it’s natural.
B. Practice until you feel relaxed and ready.
C. Take care of yourself before big performances.
D. Feeling nervous before a performance is natural.
E. Some need to be active to relax while others need to be still and calm.
F. You can do this whether you’re performing alone or as part of a group.
G. When you feel nervous before a performance, don’t let the feeling stop you.
When an earthquake hit the Los Angeles area on Monday morning at 6:25 am, the Los Angeles Times had their story published in about three minutes. It was the first media to report on the breaking news. How?
It used a robot. Ken Schwencke, a journalist and programmer for the LA Times said that an algorithm (算法) he created called Quakebot was behind the story. It’s the latest example of robot journalism, a developing practice that has interested many news organizations as it could change the game of breaking news.
Schwencke said that when he was woken by the earthquake on Monday morning, he simply got out of bed, opened his computer, and found the robot-written story already finished in the system. All he had to do was click (点击) “publish”.
The algorithms can produce news stories on earthquakes and crime in the city, and it is then the job of the paper’s staff to determine which stories should be developed further. For this reason, Schwencke disagrees with the guess that robo-journalism could replace human writers. “It saves people a lot of time, and for certain types of stories, it gets the information out there in usually about as good a way as anybody else would. It doesn’t eliminate anybody’s job as much as it makes everybody’s job more interesting,” he said.
Check out the robot’s original report below: An earthquake measuring 4.7 was reported five miles from Westwood, California on Monday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake happened at 6:25 a.m. Pacific time at a depth of 5.0 miles. In the past ten days, there have been no earthquakes measuring 3.0 and greater centered nearby.
This information came from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service and this post was created by an algorithm written by the author.
1.In covering the earthquake, the Los Angeles Times was _______.
A. very serious B. open-minded
C. well informed D. highly efficient
2.What do we know about Quakebot?
A. It makes printing much easier.
B. It writes news reports all by itself.
C. It’s a game designed for journalists.
D. It’s used to entertain people at work.
3.What does the word “eliminate” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Affect. B. Handle.
C. Remove. D. Defend.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. How a robot journalist does its work
B. Programs created for predicting earthquakes
C. LA hit by an earthquake on Monday morning
D. Robot writes earthquake breaking news articles
July 20, 1969 is a day that will forever go down in the history books as a day that changed the world forever. That was the day when American astronaut and explorer Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon.
The moon is located almost 240,000 miles from the Earth. Armstrong and his crew, which included fellow astronauts Michael Collins and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, began their journey into space on the Apollo 11 Lunar Module (登月 舱) on July 16, 1969. Armstrong was the commander of the mission (任务) and he was the one who piloted the aircraft to the surface of the moon. At almost 11 pm on July 20, 1969, Armstrong exited the craft and set foot on the moon, saying the now famous words, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Aldrin later exited the Apollo 11 Lunar Module as he and Armstrong collected samples (样品) from the moon that they could bring back to the Earth with them and study. Also, they took photographs of the moon and its surroundings as well as their footprints on the moon. Michael Collins, the third member of the crew, remained in the command module during this time.
The mission began its return from the moon on July 24, 1969, four days after its historic landing. The Apollo 11 returned, landing just west of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The three-member crew was kept away from others for three weeks just to be sure they were not carrying any unknown diseases or illnesses. After all, it was the first time the moon had been explored, so nobody really knew what to expect. Following that, they were treated as heroes.
1.What do we know about the mission?
A. It ended on July 16, 1969.
B. Michael Collins piloted the craft.
C. Three astronauts were in the craft.
D. Edwin Aldrin was the commander.
2.What does the underlined part “giant leap” refer to?
A. The first time man has landed on the moon.
B. Three members’ successful cooperation.
C. Mankind’s first time to know the unknown.
D. The shortening distance between the moon and the Earth.
3.What did Michael Collins do as the others were collecting samples?
A. He studied the samples. B. He also collected samples.
C. He took some photographs. D. He stayed in the command module.
4.Why were the astronauts kept away from others after their return?
A. Because they had become ill.
B. Because they needed to take a good rest.
C. Because they carried unknown diseases on them.
D. Because they might have brought back hidden dangers.
Callaghan, father of a teenage girl — Emma, couldn’t understand why he had developed a disease which normally affects men twice his age.
“I was by myself,” Callaghan recalled. “I thought it was a kidney stone (肾结石). I was in the doctor’s office for about 45 minutes that day. I don’t remember anything more than one minute of it.” He believed anyone who had his condition would live only 12 months. And he would take tablets every day, possibly for the rest of his life.
Callaghan began finding hope in a small act of love for Emma: handwriting notes of love on a napkin and placing it in her lunch box; nothing unusual or life-changing, just some words of encouragement to Emma to think of during the day. His numbered days meant numbered napkins. “The reason why I started writing notes to her is that I want to matter in her life,” Callaghan said. “I see so many working parents today who give up a lot of their parenting. I want Emma to be able to look at me at whatever age she is and say ‘My dad loves me. I need his advice, I need his love and I trust that my dad’s going to be there.’”
But what started out as a father’s way of showing his daughter his love quickly grew. His idea of sharing his inspirational napkin messages with friends and family on Facebook got a generous response from the media. His new book Napkin Notes shares each message he’s ever sent to his daughter as well as more about his brave battle against cancer and life lessons he hopes Emma and maybe even grown readers can learn.
Now Callaghan is still fighting for his life. “The act of taking a napkin, holding my pen and thinking of something to write down inspires me just as much as I hope it inspires my daughter,” Callaghan said.
1.What doubt did Callaghan have in Para. 1?
A. Why he suffered the disease twice.
B. Why he had the disease at an early age.
C. Why he had to receive treatment twice.
D. Why the disease affected more men than women.
2.Why did Callaghan write notes to his daughter?
A. He felt lucky to be her father. B. He desired to change her life.
C. He decided to number his days in this way. D. He found it a good way to inspire both of them.
3.According to the text, what’s Callaghan like?
A. Creative. B. Confident.
C. Humorous. D. Patient.
Here are some of the most influential print journalists in history.
John Peter Zenger
This man published the New York Weekly Journal in the 1700s. He wrote honestly about the British government, and in 1735 he was arrested (逮捕). He was found not guilty, since what he wrote was based on truth. His case helped influence the American Revolution.
Benjamin Franklin
We know that Benjamin Franklin had a lot of interests. But many people don’t realize that the inventor and founding father was also a journalist. His The Pennsylvania Gazette began in the 1730s, and Franklin used it to help get his ideas out and influence the public leading up to the American Revolution.
William Randolph Hearst
Hearst was well known as one of the biggest publishers and journalists of his time. He started with The San Francisco Examiner, and went from there. Hearst was one of the starters of “yellow journalism”, which started a new field of journalism that used eye-catching headlines to draw the attention of readers.
Helen Thomas
This woman is the first lady of print journalism. Helen Thomas has been a White House reporter since 1961. She is known for her bold (大胆的) questions, and for her ability to get to the heart of the matter. Thomas gained new influence and fame when George W. Bush was President for her sharp questions and comments.
1.Why was John Peter Zenger not guilty?
A. He didn’t lie at all.
B. The police got the wrong guy.
C. He took part in the American Revolution.
D. His achievements were greater than his faults.
2.Which role of Franklin may surprise you most?
A. A father. B. A leader.
C. An inventor. D. A journalist.
3.What’s the biggest feature of “yellow journalism”?
A. It was created by Hearst. B. Its newspapers were in yellow.
C. It used little tricks to attract readers. D. It came from The San Francisco Examiner.
4.Who has the most contact with the White House?
A. John Peter Zenger. B. Helen Thomas.
C. Benjamin Franklin. D. William Randolph Hearst.
