Soft winds blew throughout the Windy City today. We welcomed the winds, as it was another hot day in Chicago. The wind blew, bringing us some coolness and making the weather not that hot. But it was a beautiful summer day with a blue sky.
Chicago is a great city for eating, and we have enjoyed tasting the different foods. Last night, we tried one of the city's most famous foods: deep-dish pizza. Chicago claims credit for the rich and cheesy thick-crust pizza, covered with a sweet tomato sauce. We topped it with olives and green peppers.
We were touring the city, mainly looking for delicious local foods. Today, we enjoyed a Polish specialty at lunch: Pierogis, an Eastern European dumpling-like dish, filled with foods like potatoes, cheese, mushrooms, cabbage and meat. Polish immigrants started settling in Chicago in the 1850s, and the city has one of the largest Polish communities in the U.S.
We took a break from exploring the city to talk with some of you! Ashley and Caty logged onto the Internet for an on-the-road version of TALK2US. We spoke to an English teacher in Tokyo, Japan, and a graduate student in India.
Meanwhile, Adam searched for some locations around the city to shoot some video. He chose a spectacular spot: Navy Pier, Chicago's most-visited attraction. The winds from Lake Michigan keep visitors cool, and the view of the Chicago skyline never fails to impress. In fact, the view made all of us head over heels!
Our time in Chicago has come to an end. Tomorrow, the true journey begins, as we pass through Illinois and into Missouri via Route 66. Springfield, the home of Abe Lincoln, and St. Louis, the "gateway to the West," wait for us.
1.Why did the author and her companions like the soft winds?
A. It brought warmth to them.
B. It made them feel comfortable.
C. It improved the quality of the air.
D. It left the sky blue and beautiful.
2. What did the author and her companions mainly do in Chicago?
A. They explored for foreign customs.
B. They visited Polish communities.
C. They studied the history of the city.
D. They enjoyed famous local foods.
3.The author and her companions stayed online ________.
A. communicating with strangers abroad
B. asking for information on foreign foods
C. sharing their travel plan with strangers
D. learning about different cultures in the world
4.The underlined part “head over heels” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by ________.
A. boredB. relaxedC. FascinatedD. Disappointed
NASA on September 28, 2015 announced the strongest evidence yet for liquid water on the red planet, increasing the possibility that astronauts journeying to Mars could someday rely on the planet's own water for their drinking needs.
You may feel like you've heard about the hunt for liquid water on Mars before—and the researchers involved know it may seem played out. But science has yet to truly prove that water flows on Mars once and for all, and doing so could completely change the way we view the planet. This new data is a big step in the right direction.
"Liquid water is an attractive topic, and we like the thousandth time someone has discovered water on Mars," Lujendra Ojha, the Georgia Tech PhD candidate who led the research announced Monday, told The Post. But there's a good reason that liquid water is so "attractive": Mars is now the only planet in our solar system to show evidence of the stuff on its surface, other than our own. Other worlds have it in subsurface oceans, or scattered around as vapor in the atmosphere. But Mars is the only place where we have solid evidence for liquid that sits right there in the open air. While it would be a major leap to suggest that Mars might harbor life—even microbial life—liquid water at least makes it possible that parts of the planet are habitable.
The study builds on research from April, when scientists using data from the Curiosity rover noted that the planet had the seasonal potential for liquid water. We know that because of the extremely low pressure on Mars, water has a boiling point of just a few degrees Celsius, after which it evaporates. The April study noted the presence of perchlorates (高氯酸盐) —a kind of salt—which could make the boiling point of Mars' water much higher, theoretically allowing it to remain liquid. They affirmed that the planet's temperature would be right for liquid, perchlorate-filled water to form every day during winter and spring.
1.What does the Paragraph 2 mainly tell us?
A. The significance of the discovery.
B. The doubt of the discovery.
C. The difficulty of the discovery.
D. The expense of the discovery.
2.The underlined words "our own" in Paragraph 3 refer to ________.
A. Mars
B. the earth
C. liquid water
D. the solar system
3. What plays an important role in making Mars' water in the state of liquid?
A. The thick atmosphere around Mars.
B. The physical structure of Mars.
C. The extremely low pressure on Mars.
D. Perchlorates in Mar's water.
4. The best title for the passage can be "________".
A. Water on Mars could be used for dringking
B. There might be some kinds of life on Mars
C. NASA would send astronauts to journey to Mars
D. NASA confirms the best-ever evidence for water on Mars
1. The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough
Another must-read for history fans, McCullough tells the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright, the brothers who taught the world how to fly. Drawing on all types of historical data — from personal diaries and scrapbooks, to thousands of private letters of family letters — we get a close look at the actual personalities behind one of the most influential moments in history.
2. The Wonder Garden, by Lauren Acampora
This novel is really a collection of several interwoven（交织）stories of people living in the rich Connecticut suburbs. From tales of an elderly artist to a young mother to a woman whose husband just behaves carelessly, The Wonder Garden gives us an unforgettable reminder that there’s often so much we don’t know about what happens with our neighbors behind closed doors.
3. Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen, by Mary Norris
Does someone mistaking who for whom make your blood boil? Do you want to throw a dictionary at someone for mistaking sit for cite? Enter Between You & Me. Mary Norris brings her experience working in The New Yorker’s copy department to eager grammar fans in this laugh-out-loud book that looks at some of the most common spelling, punctuation, and usage problems in the English language.
4. My Struggle: Book Four, by Karl Ove Knausgaard
My Struggle is a six-volume autobiographical novel that follows the life of Karl Ove Knausgaard, a Norwegian father of three. In Book Four, he writes of his decision at the age of 18 to move to a fisherman’s village in the far north of the Arctic circle to work as a school teacher. It’s there that he struggles with love, alcoholism, and becoming loved by one of his students.
1. What does the book The Wright brothers focus on?
A. Invention of airplanes.
B. Nature of the characters.
C. History of airplanes.
D. Ordinary life of the characters.
2.Who describes his or her real life experiences in the novel?
A. David McCullough.
B. Lauren Acampora.
C. Karl Ove Knausgaard.
D. Mary Norris.
3.Which of the following books might make you burst into laughter?
A. My Struggle. B. The Wonder Garden.
C. The Wright brothers. D. Between You & Me.
In a touching story, a family was shocked to find that a stranger had secretly paid for more than half of their Christmas gifts.
When Ayers went to make a payment toward the $283 balance for her family’s Christmas gifts at Walmart, her money was refused. According to a Walmart employee, a woman had paid a part of Ayers’ bill after seeing her shopping in the store. The unknown woman also left Ayers a touching note, which left the mother of two in tears.
Ayers, whose sons are 11 and 3, says the stranger’s great generosity came at the perfect time for her family. Before the anonymous payment was made, Ayers had worried she would not be able to get her kids’ toys in time for Christmas.
Ayers is still looking for the woman who helped pay for their Christmas gifts for her kids. She took a picture of her receipt with the headline: This stranger paid 4 gifts for us. I wish I could thank her for helping give our kids a Merry Christmas!
For thousands of families like Ayers’, feeling this financial pressure around Christmastime is nothing new. These families who still have a roof over their heads and food on their tables often slip through the cracks — they can afford all the necessities, but the “extras” are harder to come by. Considering that Americans are estimated to spend $882 on Christmas gifts this year, it makes sense that a family with a few financial problems would have a hard time filling the stockings for their kids.
Realizing how common this Christmas problem really is makes Ayers’ story even more special. These random acts of kindness around the holidays, often from nameless strangers, can determine what a family’s Christmas looks like. Christmas may not be all about the material stuff, but for families, and especially for kids, it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference.
1.Why did the Walmart employee refuse Ayers’ money?
A. She was too poor to afford it.
B. Her money was not enough.
C. Someone had paid for her.
D. The charismas gifts were free.
2.Why is Ayers still looking for the nameless woman?
A. To say thanks to her.
B. To pay her money back.
C. To praise her online.
D. To make friends with her.
3. Which of the following best describes families like Ayers’?
A. They value Christmas very much.
B. They try their best to buy kids gifts.
C. They hate to spend Christmas.
D. They live from hand to mouth.
4.What’s the author’s attitude towards the acts of kindness?
A. Praiseful. B. Helpful.
C. Troublesome. D. Useless.
在学习、生活和工作中，学会与人合作是非常重要的。请根据下表中提供的信息，写一篇主题为 “Being a good partner”的英文发言稿。
为何合作 | 有利于互相学习，增进友谊，节省时间与精力。 | |
与谁合作 | 与喜欢的人合作 | 心情愉快，同甘共苦。 |
与不喜欢的人合作 | 学会容忍，发现优点。 | |
怎样合作 | 你的观点……(至少2条) | |
注意：1. 对所给要点进行陈述，适当发挥，不要逐字翻译。
2. 词数110左右。开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：合作cooperation n. cooperate v.
Good afternoon, everyone!
The topic of my speech today is “Being a good partner.”
Wish my views would be helpful. Thank you for your listening!
短文中共有10处语言错误，每行中最多两处错误。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在此处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出增加的词;
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉;
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在其下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从十一处起）不计分。
On a later summer evening, my father and I was walking happily home. We have just had a big meal in a restaurant near our home. As we were walking slowly down the street, I asked my father in a low voice, "What does the word 'drunk' mean?" "That's easily, boy," said my father. "Do you see these two policemen over there? If I look at them, I see four instead two, and I'm drunk. Understand?" Hearing at this, I pretended to be puzzled, and said, "My God, and there are six policemen over there. Can't you see?" My father looked at me in great surprised. "You are really drink, son."
