People release (放) balloons for special occasions like memorial services and grand openings. It is fun and exciting. But it really causes great destruction to the environment and threatens the 1. (life) of our wildlife.
When a balloon 2. (fly) into the sky, it doesn’t end up 3. (stay) there. It eventually bursts and returns to the earth as ugly litter. Balloons can even travel thousands of miles and pollute the most remote and pure places. More 4. (sad), they can present a threat to many animals. Birds, whales, turtles and other animals often mistake balloons 5. food, which can do damage to them because balloons contain 6. (harm) chemicals. Balloons even kill animals. When an animal swallows a balloon，it can block its intestinal tract (肠道), resulting in starvation.
Part of the reason why releasing balloons 7. (permit) in so many places is that some balloons do break down eventually. However, it takes about four years 8. (break) down completely.
Watching hundreds of balloons slowly going up into the sky might give you a five-second thrill, 9. is it worth a bunch of dead animals and so many places full of rubbish? Absolutely not. 10. we should do is to get creative and come up with alternative ways to celebrate.
13-year-old Madison was studying at home when her mother burst in. She said a boy had fallen into a septic tank (化粪池) and made an urgent ____ for Madison’s help.
They ran to a neighbor yard, where the ____ adults surrounded the septic tank opening ____wider than a basketball. The boy, aged only 2, had slipped in and was ____.
Madison quickly ____ the situation. She was the only one who could ____ through the small opening. Without ____, she got close to the opening and said, “____ me in.”
Some people held her waist and ____. She wiggled (扭动) arms and shoulders until she ____ the opening. Inside, the tank was dark and the air smelly. When she stuck her arms into the dirty water, she jammed her left wrist against a hidden stick, ____ it severely.
____ tend to her injury, Madison scanned the surface of the dirty water, hoping to ____ the underwater boy. Suddenly she saw his little toes stick out. When spotting the vague ____ of his foot again, Madison shot out her ____ hand, grasped the foot tightly and shouted, “Pull me up!”
As they nearly reached the surface, the boy’s other foot got stuck. She wiggled his foot until it was ____. Eventually they were lifted out.
____, the kid wasn’t out of trouble. Having suffered from lack of ____ that long, he wasn’t breathing. He was then given hard hits on the back until he coughed up water. At the sight of this, Madison sighed with ____.
Madison received months of treatment for her wrist, which made her ____ actions more impressive.
1.A. appointment B. attempt C. choice D. request
2.A. anxious B. curious C. annoyed D. merciful
3.A. partly B. previously C. slightly D. dramatically
4.A. floating B. weeping C. trembling D. drowning
5.A. controlled B. examined C. took part in D. gave up
6.A. look B. jump C. fill D. fit
7.A. time B. permission C. hesitation D. judgment
8.A. Throw B. Lower C. Force D. Push
9.A. legs B. arms C. head D. hands
10.A. adjusted to B. got through C. tore down D. held on to
11.A. touching B. trapping C. injuring D. striking
12.A. In an effort to B. Rather than C. Likely to D. Ready to
13.A. feel B. smell C. follow D. attract
14.A. skin B. gesture C. picture D. outline
15.A. left B. single C. good D. clumsy
16.A. frozen B. free C. flexible D. bare
17.A. However B. Instead C. Therefore D. Personally
18.A. protection B. oxygen C. gravity D. energy
19.A. fright B. cold C. relief D. respect
20.A. unselfish B. thoughtless C. unconscious D. random
Culture shock is the emotional and mental reaction to being in a completely new cultural environment. 1. it generally consists of several stages of feelings.
The “honeymoon stage” is usually, the first stage that people go through when surrounded by different cultural values and lifestyles. During this stage, people have positive images of their new cultural surroundings. They tend to view these in an idealistic way and ignore problems. 2. This stage is usually quite short and quickly replaced by the second stage called “the frustration stage”.
During the “frustration stage”, newcomers begin to act negatively. 3. Visitors tend to exaggerate (夸大) problems in the new culture. They may feel isolated (孤立) during this stage. Depending on one’s situation, this stage can last days, months, or even years.
With the frustration stage ending, the adjustment stage begins. This marks the time when newcomers try their best to accept the differences of the new culture and the challenges of everyday life.
4. Some newcomers enter the “mastery stage” and are completely accustomed to the values and beliefs of the new culture. They are able to handle the new culture like a native while keeping some of their own original cultural values. Some choose the “rejection stage” and decide against fitting in with the new culture. 5. _ Other newcomers completely adopt the identity of the new culture and give up the values and beliefs of their home culture.
A. Meeting new people is seen as fascinating.
B. The new cultural surroundings are no longer novel.
C. They regain their sense of balance and become confident.
D. This process opens the door to three possible outcomes.
E. For many people this is often a very difficult experience.
F. A person experiencing culture shock may display many symptoms.
G. They usually permanently withdraw from the culture through isolation or returning home.
A Japanese company is developing a pair of smart glasses that can help those with visual or comprehension problems to read written text more easily. Called the Oton Glass, the glasses are meant to translate text into sound using two cameras and an earpiece, both fitted to its frame.
Half of the lens (镜片) is a mirror that reflects the wearer’s eyes back to the first camera, which tracks eye movement. The other camera captures the text. Wearers use the glasses by staring at the text they can’t read and blinking (眨眼) to trigger the glasses. Then the captured words are sent to a cloud system, which processes the text and turns it into sound played through the earpiece. If the system is unable to identify the words, the images are sent to a remote worker who can deal with them.
The Oton Glass lead designer, Keisuke Shimakage, started working on the glasses in 2012 to aid his father, who had developed dyslexia, a condition that makes it difficult for someone to read and spell. While his father eventually recovered, Shimakage continued his development in order to help others with the disorder.
Currently, the Oton Glass is seeking funding. Backers can get a pair of the glasses for 5,000 yen (roughly $47).
Smart glasses aren’t a new concept, but it’s difficult to point to any single pair of smart glasses that people have reviewed favorably. It could, perhaps, be that previous products tried to do too much, or were too expensive. That’s why Intel’s Vaunt smart glasses stripped out some features, like its camera, LCD screen, and speakers. The Oton Glass is for a very specific audience, and its relatively low price could make it more appealing to those who want an affordable way to understand the text around them.
1.What was Keisuke’s original purpose in designing the Oton Glass?
A. To treat his father’s disease.
B. To translate text into sound.
C. To assist his father to read.
D. To make written text easier to read.
2.What is the right order how the Oton Glass works?
a. The camera captures the words.
b. The wearer stares at the text.
c. The wearer hears the sound via the earpiece.
d. The cloud system turns the text into sound.
e. The wearer blinks to get the glasses working.
A. a, b, e, c, d B. e, b, c, d, a
C. b, d, a, e, c D. b, e, a, d, c
3.The underlined part “stripped out” in the last paragraph can be replaced by ________.
A. improved B. removed
C. increased D. invented
4.What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A. The advantages of the Oton Glass.
B. The characteristics of smart glasses.
C. Consumers’ evaluation of the Oton Glass.
D. The target audiences of various smart glasses.
Dogs and humans have been living side-by-side for about 15,000 years, but there are tons of facts about dogs that perhaps we have never heard of.
Night vision
Dogs have good night vision. Their large pupils let more light in and the rods (视杆细胞) work better in poor light. But the biggest factor is the tapetum (反光组织), which reflect light at the back of the eye. Besides, dogs’ whiskers (胡须) also help them “see” in the dark because they pick up on very small changes in air, providing dogs with information about the size, shape, and speed of things nearby.
Secret tail code
Dogs can use their tails to communicate. They wag their tails to the right when they are relaxed or happy, and to the left when nervous or threatened. When they’ re aggressive, the tails will stick straight-up in the air. A broad wag is friendly while a slow wag is neutral, neither excited nor anxious.
Dreams
We often see a dog’s body making sudden movements in its sleep. Dogs have the same brain wave patterns as humans’ while they are asleep, so they dream just like we do.
Super nose
Dogs can find their way home despite long distances. Their noses are a vital part of their incredible sense of direction. The part of a dog’s brain that controls smell is 40 times larger than humans’. They’re able to follow smells for miles. Furthermore, dogs have an amazing ability to recognize the smells given off by the abnormal cells in human bodies, including cancer. This is something scientists are eager to explore further. And interesting, a dog’s “fingerprint” is on its nose. The patterns on dogs’ noses are so distinct that they can actually be used to identify the animals.
A sixth sense
Dogs act strangely before something bad, like a storm or earthquake, happens, for they are sensitive to low frequencies that humans can’t sense. So don’t let their strange behavior go unnoticed next time. It could save your life.
1.Which of the following indirectly helps dogs see well in the dark?
A. Their rods. B. Their tapetum.
C. Their whiskers. D. Their pupils.
2.If a dog holds up the tail, it indicates ________.
A. happiness B. attack
C. friendliness D. relaxation
3.What hasn’t been discovered about a dog?
A. Why it can sense natural disasters. B. Why it has an acute sense of smell.
C. What emotions it shows with its tail. D. How it can smell humans’ illnesses.
4.In what way are dogs like humans?
A. They dream when they sleep. B. They have good night vision.
C. They have distinct nose patterns. D. They can react to low frequencies.
For years going home for the holidays has been bittersweet. I appreciate the opportunity to spend quality time with my mom but it is painful for me to see her house littered with stuff (物品). Clothes bought but never worn, and new items in their original packaging carelessly purchased and never used. It’s evident that seeing the stuff on a daily basis reminds my mom of a time when shopping was her way of spending money.
I didn’t fully understand the extent to which my mom was suffering until this week, when I saw piles of clothes on her bed, “How do you manage to sleep every night with all that stuff, Mom?” I asked. To my horror, she replied to it because I know I have to get rid of all this stuff eventually; I am punishing myself by sleeping with them until I do that.”
Shocked and upset, I gently explained to her that punishing herself was only to make things worse, and that everybody deserves a place to sleep in peace, no matter what mistakes they’ve made. I suggested she move all the stuff upstairs, leaving her room comfortable to sleep in.
With patience and her slow but steady guidance, I helped her go through some of the piles and move them upstairs. For the rest of the week I stayed there, she was in a better mood and was excited about going-through the rest of the house to finally get rid of her stuff—past mistakes and painful times. The items brought back painful memories as we inspected and moved them, but I kept reminding her that removing them would allow her to move on and heal. We finally sold so many things and took bag after bag to charity.
The stuff is just a sign of the destructive patterns of self-hatred on past mistakes. Only through the act of self-forgiveness can we bring about a chain reaction of reorganizing— both of the house and heart.
1.What made the author feel bitter?
A. She couldn’t understand her mom’s sorrows.
B. Her mom was stuck in the painful memories.
C. Her mom was always left alone at home.
D. Her mom wasted money on useless things,
2.The underlined word “that” in the second paragraph refers to ________.
A. getting rid of the stuff. B. buying the stuff
C. opening the stuff D. moving the stuff
3.We can infer from the passage that ________.
A. the author never bought her mom anything
B. the author’s mom has no money to purchase now
C. the author s mom regrets buying so many things
D. the author knows her mom’s suffering only this week
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. How to do shopping wisely B. The importance of self-forgiveness.
C. Keep an eye on the elderly’s behavior D. Clearance helps remove suffering
