Honest Thanks
I sat down at my desk and started writing. I wrote an emotional letter of gratitude. I put the notecard into the ______， sealed it and stuck the stamps on it, but when it came to actually placing the letter into the mailbox ...I ______.
The letter was to a schoolmate with whom I kept in contact via Facebook ______. She had inspired me to live a(n) ______ life — for example, by ______ more.
Her volunteer efforts weren't ______ — she wasn't building wells in Uganda, but ______ she was doing small, local good deeds, such as serving as a crossing guard. These were things I could do, too. She made me ______ I could make a difference here at home. I felt I should let her know how her ______ positively influenced my life. I could have easily sent her an email, ______ that seemed a bit lame for such an important thank you. That's why I ended up ______ the letter. But now I stood before the mailbox, unable to place the envelope inside. What was ______ me? Why was this so ______ to do? I guess I felt strange because it wasn't like she was my best friend. I just knew her. “People don't ______ do this，” I thought to myself. However, ______ thinking it over, I still felt a(n) ______ to let her know how grateful I was. Finally, I put the envelope in the mailbox.
Weeks later I received her reply. She was ______ a tough time and my letter meant the ______ to her. She didn't know she had such a(n) ______ on others. Not only did this letter make her happy, but her response to it increased my ______ of happiness. I decided to write a gratitude letter to someone each month. Cultivating gratitude is a great skill to practice. Life is too short not to do it.
1.A. envelope B. drawer C. handbag D. pocket
2.A. sighed B. froze C. panicked D. smiled
3.A. usually B. formally C. occasionally D. secretly
4.A. different B. tough C. enthusiastic D. rich
5.A. enjoying B. volunteering C. exercising D. travelling
6.A. essential B. meaningful C. ordinary D. huge
7.A. once B. also C. still D. instead
8.A. accept B. realize C. admit D. prove
9.A. words B. thoughts C. example D. emotion
10.A. and B. but C. so D. or
11.A. editing B. receiving C. answering D. handwriting
12.A. stopping B. urging C. encouraging D. confusing
13.A. boring B. pleasant C. hard D. cool
14.A. directly B. constantly C. equally D. normally
15.A. until B. after C. while D. before
16.A. desire B. ambition C. fear D. curiosity
17.A. going through B. going for C. going against D. going over
18.A. earth B. world C. dream D. future
19.A. comment B. honor C. influence D. concern
20.A. search B. appreciation C. level D. experience
I was interested in reading a newspaper article about a new concept in old people’s homes in France. The idea is simple, but revolutionarycombining a residential home for the elderly with a nursery school in the same building.
1. In the afternoon, the residents enjoy reading or telling stories to the children, and if a child is feeling sad or tired, there is always a kind lap to sit on and a cuddle (拥抱). There are trips out and birthday parties too.
2.The children are happy because they get a lot more individual attention, and respond well because someone has time for them. They see illness and death and learn to accept them. The residents are happy because they feel useful and needed. They are more active and more interested in life when the children are around and they take more interest in their appearance too.
3.There are many reasons for this, including the breakdown of the extended family, working parents with no time to care for aging relations, families that have moved away, and smaller flats with no room for grandparents. But the result is the sameincreasing numbers of children without grandparents and old people who have no contact with children. And more old people who are lonely and feel useless, along with more and more families with young children who desperately need more support. 4.
That’s why intergenerational programmes, designed to bring the old and the young together, are growing in popularity all over the world. 5. Using young people to teach IT skills to older people is one obvious example.
Using old people as volunteer assistants in schools is another, perhaps reading with children who need extra attention.
A．The advantages are enormous for everyone concerned.
B．There are examples of successful attempts all over the world.
C．Nowadays there is less and less contact between the old and the young.
D．However, there are some similarities between the old and the young
E．The children and the residents eat lunch together and share activities.
F．No previous experience can we use to communicate between them.
G．It’s a major problem in many societies.
Half the world’s population could face a food crisis (危机) by 2100 due to climate change, a new report by US scientists warns. Rapid warming is likely to reduce crop yields in the tropics (热带地区) and subtropics (亚热带地区), according to Prof David Battisti of the University of Washington.
The most extreme summers of the last century will become common, he calculates, using 23 climate models. “We must urgently create crops that can bear heat and drought if we are to adapt in time，” he writes in Science Journal.
“The stresses on global food production from temperature alone are going to be huge，” said Mr Battisti. “And that doesn’t take into account water supplies stressed by the higher temperatures.”
He worked with Prof Rosamond Naylor on Food Security and the Environment, to examine the impact of climate change on the world’s food security. They predict there is greater than 90% probability that by 2100, the average growingseason temperatures in the tropics and subtropics will be higher than any temperatures recorded there to date.
“We are taking the worst of what we’ve seen historically and saying that in the future it is going to be a lot worse unless there is some kind of adaptation，” said Prof Naylor. “This is a powerful reason for us to invest in adaptation, because it is clear that this is the direction we are going in terms of temperature and it will take decades to develop new food crop varieties that can better bear a warmer climate.”
In the tropics, the higher temperatures could be expected to cut yields of the primary food crops by 20%－40%, the researchers said. Rising temperatures also are likely to reduce soil moisture (湿度), cutting yields even further.
Currently three billion people live in the tropics and subtropics, and their number is expected nearly to double by the end of the century.
“You are talking about hundreds of millions of additional people looking for food because they won’t be able to find it where they find it now，” said Prof Battisti.
Crop failures would not be limited to the tropics, the scientists concluded.
1.The passage intends to tell us ________.
A. our world is becoming warmer
B. the consequences of global warming
C. the high temperatures may cause food crisis
D. the ways to adapt to the high temperatures
2.According to the passage, as a result of the high temperatures, ________.
a．crops will grow more quickly
b．water supplies will be stressed
c．soil moisture will be reduced
d．more food will be consumed
A. a b B. a c
C. b c D. c d
3.We can draw the following conclusions EXCEPT that ________.
A. more people will live in the tropics
B. temperatures in the tropics will be higher
C. crop failures won’t be limited to the tropics
D. new food crop varieties will be developed soon
The reason why blues became so popular can only be understood when you look at its time of creation. The origin of blues is too unclear to pinpoint (准确定位) to one artist or one year.It’s believed that the blues music was created in the late 19th century by the black slaves that were forced to work in the cotton fields.Blues has firm roots in African traditional music.But above all else, the purpose of making the blues is always the same: the expression of intense emotions.It is one reason why this type of music had such a deep effect on America, and eventually the world.
Blues_is_usually_categorized_by_the_location_of_a_style_because_everywhere_the_blues_went,_it_caught_a_different_feel.
Mississippi delta (三角洲) blues came from the Mississippi delta region. It’s the oldest known form of blues, from which other forms later developed.Artists included in this style are Muddy Waters and Memphis Minnie.
Chicago blues came next, when the delta musicians started traveling to the big city to look for a better life. That is why Muddy Waters can be considered as both a delta blues man and a Chicago blues artist.The biggest difference between the two styles is the use of electric guitars and a slightly faster pace in the latter.
Texas blues came out after America saw how big Chicago blues was getting. The style was made famous by artists like Lightnin’ Hopkins and Freddie King.
Blues rock was one of the last big blues styles to hit it big.It’s largely inspired by the Chicago blues and started in the 1960s by bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and ZZ Top.
1.What do we know about blues from Paragraph 1?
A. It was created by a very famous artist.
B. It came into being in the late 1800s.
C. It was created by black people in Africa.
D. It was created to encourage slaves to work harder.
2.We can infer from the underlined sentence that ________.
A. it’s very hard to categorize blues
B. blues isn’t popular in all cities in America
C. blues is a mixture of various kinds of music
D. blues developed when it arrived in a new city
3.Which of the following artists can be considered a representative of both delta blues and Chicago blues?
A. Memphis Minnie.
B. Muddy Waters.
C. Lightnin’ Hopkins.
D. Freddie King.
4.We infer Creedence Clearwater Revival and ZZ Top mainly played ________.
A. Mississippi delta blues
B. Chicago blues
C. Texas blues
D. blues rock
Researchers have developed new software using smartphones’ GPS and imaging abilities that determine the exact location of distant objects as well as monitor the speed and direction of moving objects.The software could eventually allow smartphonearmed soldiers to target the location of their enemies.On the home front, the software could be used by everyone, including golfers judging distance to the green and biologists documenting the location of a rare animal without disturbing it.
“The great advantage of a smartphone is that it provides so many tools in a single, readily available, relatively inexpensive package，” said Wang Qia, a doctoral student who led the development of the software.“For example, on the battlefield, a soldier needs a rangefinder, compass, GPS and other tools to get information before calling in an air strike.With our software, the soldier can have all those instruments in one device that can be purchased off the shelf.When that soldier returns from war, she can use the same software to protect her family by clocking a speeder near her cauldron’s school and cat clung the criminal on video.
Wang and his colleagues developed their software to locate and track:
Targets of known size — when the size of the target is known, a single image is enough to pinpoint the target’s location.
Targets of unknown size — if the exact size of a target is unknown, the software uses two images to triangulate the location of the target.
Moving targets — by taking a short video of a moving target, the smartphone software can calculate how fast the target is moving and in what direction it is going.
“Currently, our software is limited by the physical abilities of smartphone hardware, but the devices are improving rapidly，” Wang said.“We expect that improvements in GPS accuracy, battery life and camera resolution will allow our software to make even more accurate observations.”
1.From Paragraph 1 we can know that the new software can ________.
A. determine the speed of moving objects
B. locate objects in the distance exactly
C. defend soldiers against their enemies
D. help biologists protect rare animals
2.How does the software calculate the speed of a moving object?
A. By taking a short video.
B. By locating its position.
C. By taking a single image.
D. By measuring its reallife size.
3.What’s Wang Qia’s attitude towards the future of the software?
A. Casual. B. Optimistic.
C. Cautious. D. Flexible.
4.What is the best title of the text?
A. Wang Qia, a Talented Doctoral Student
B. Use Smartphones to Their Full Potential
C. Targeting and Tracking with Smartphones
D. Smartphone — Armed Soldiers on the Battlefield
In presentday China, we can find two types of fast food — western food and Chinese food.However, not until the recent decade has western fast food become popular in China.Before the first hamburger walked its way into the Chinese food market, we had little idea about such terms as hot dogs, pizza, potato chips, let alone KFC and McDonald’s.It is the reform and openingup policy that has brought about the interflow of the food culture between China and the western countries.
Fast food, both Chinese food and western food, has several advantages.In the first place, fast food, as is characterized by its name, is fast.The food is always ready and fresh, waiting for its customers.This saves people’s precious time, and consequently goes well with the tempo of life in modern society.
Secondly, it is very convenient.As we know, fast food restaurants are much the same as cafeterias.Customers_may_feel_free_to_help_themselves_to_any_variety_provided_and_eat_to_their_hearts’_content.
Thirdly, fast food restaurants are environmentally_comfortable.Clean dishes, shiny tables, decent service and light music all stimulate people’s appetite to eat more.
The above mentioned advantages make fast food become rooted in almost all parts of the country and enjoy popularity among people.That’s also why nowadays Singapore fast food, Turkish fast food and IndiaPakistan fast food have found their homes in China.
As every coin has two sides, fast food also has its disadvantages such as lack of nutrition and dull taste.Nevertheless, these are minor points compared with its advantages.Since most people agree with fast food, it tends to grow more rapidly.
1.What’s the best title for this passage?
A. The Road to the Western Fast Food
B. The Growth of Fast Food in China
C. Singapore Fast Food in China
D. Every Coin Has Two Sides
2.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. All the fast food is cooked hot.
B. Fast food is worth its name.
C. Fast food is ready for pupils.
D. Fast food is especially convenient for those going to offices.
3.The sentence “Customers may feel free to help themselves to any variety provided and eat to their hearts’ content” means “Customers may ________”．
A. only have fast food at the restaurants beside the schools
B. have to run to the fast food restaurants
C. eat whatever they like in the restaurant
D. have meals according to the boss order
4.What do the words“environmentally comfortable”mean?
A. It will help keep the babies healthy.
B. It will help fight against disease.
C. It will help form good habits.
D. It’s a pleasure for a customer to have fast food in the restaurant.
