Last night, my husband and I were taking a post-dinner walk in a nearby parking lot, when we saw a man breaking something with a rock. He was completely ________ his task and didn’t look up at anyone passing by. We kept ________ him as we walked around the parking lot and talked between ourselves about what he might be doing. I ________ he was breaking stones to make sand, but why would he do that?
_____, we decided to go up and speak to him. He was ________ pieces of leftover bread that he had collected from his housemates to make ________ for the birds that come there every morning. The large pieces of bread would be ________ for the birds to eat, so he ground（研磨）them into a fine powder（粉末）with the ________.
It was moving to hear that he’s been doing this every ________,by himself, for the last three or four years. What ________ us more was that he was surprised we were even taking ________ in this, since for him it wasn’t a big deal. Every night, he ________ leftover bread from his housemates. He then spends the next one or two hours in the parking lot crushing（压碎）each piece of ________ and making a neat pile（堆）for the birds, which he says will be ________ by the next evening. He also ________ fresh water and adds birdseed（鸟食）on top of the pile.
When we asked him why he does this small and simple act of ________, he shrugged and said, “It’s just something ________ I do so that the leftover bread doesn’t go into the ________ and the birds get food.”
We shared his story with the hope that it might remind us to be more ________ with our leftover food. Perhaps it might ________ someone to do something similar in their own area.
1.A. worried about B. focused on C. tired from D. satisfied with
2.A. questioning B. showing C. helping D. noticing
3.A. thought B. discussed C. wondered D. admitted
4.A. Naturally B. Patiently C. Surely D. Finally
5.A. picking up B. breaking up C. spreading D. piling
6.A. food B. drink C. nests D. desserts
7.A. perfect B. healthy C. difficult D. enough
8.A. necessary B. difficult C. natural D. possible
9.A. morning B. afternoon C. night D. weekend
10.A. embarrassed B. pleased C. confused D. moved
11.A. a role B. an interest C. part D. pride
12.A. collects B. buys C. borrows D. steals
13.A. cake B. bread C. chocolate D. birdseed
14.A. removed B. lost C. gone D. discovered
15.A. leaves B. takes C. drops D. saves
16.A. faith B. choice C. courage D. service
17.A. special B. interesting C. small D. useful
18.A. plate B. trash C. market D. ground
19.A. fun B. content C. patient D. careful
20.A. inspire B. guide C. allow D. require
We’ve all been there - when lining up at the supermarket checkout counter, the lines next to us always seem to be moving faster than the one we are standing in. Recently a report by The New York Times looked into the math and psychology of queuing. 1., either in a supermarket, a bank or anywhere else.
Study the customers
It’s important to know who the customers are. For example, if they are elderly people, they are more likely to move slower. 2.. For example, four bottles of the same milk will go faster than four different items.
3.
US mathematician Dan Meyer believes that a cart full of items doesn’t tell the whole story. “Every person needs a fixed amount of time to say hello, pay, say goodbye and leave,” he said. And that amount of time is about 4l seconds per person. 4..
This means if there are five people ahead of you, each with 10 items in their carts, the waiting time will be 355 seconds. But if there is only one person ahead of you, with 50 items in the cart, the waiting time is 191 seconds. You do the math.
Go left
According to US science writer Robert Samuel, around 90 percent of people are right-handed. 5. So heading to the left will give you a better chance of finding a faster line.
A. Be patient
B. Pick someone with a full cart
C. The items in their carts are also important
D. Each item in the cart only takes 3 seconds
E. It also gave tips on how to pick the fastest line
F. That means they will naturally choose lines on the right
G. How many people are ahead of you is one thing, and who they are is another
Researchers say public mistrust of vaccines（疫苗）is causing diseases like measles（麻疹）and yellow fever to spread. The scientists said the lower levels of trust can lead to people refusing vaccines. This, in turn, can cause diseases to spread quickly, they warmed.
But the researchers said they also found a high level of support worldwide for vaccinating children against disease.
The researchers questioned 66,000 people in 67 countries to discover their ideas on whether vaccines are important, safe and effective. The survey showed people in Southeast Asia had the highest level of trust in vaccines. Africa showed the second highest level of confidence. Europeans showed the lowest level of confidence in vaccines. In France, 41 percent of the population questioned the safety of vaccines.
Heidi Larson is with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She says recent media reports of problems involving vaccines have hurt public confidence in France. Larson noted that many Europeans worried about reports of possible links between hepatitis B vaccines（乙型肝炎疫苗）and the disease multiple sclerosis（多发性硬化症）. But she said scientists found no linkage between the two. Mistrust in France was also driven by public reaction to the H1N1 influenza（甲型H1N1流感）outbreak fears in 2009. The French government spent $1.4 billion on 94 million doses of the vaccine. The majority were sold or destroyed.
The findings come as a major yellow fever vaccination program has been launched in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. The disease has already killed hundreds of people in the area. The World Health Organization aims to vaccinate over 15 million people in both countries. “If everyone agrees to be vaccinated, we can remove yellow fever from our country,” said Mosala Mireille, one of the doctors directing the program.
1.The author develops the Paragraph 1 mainly ________.
A. by telling experiences B. by giving instructions
C. by offering descriptions D. by analyzing cause and effect
2.The underlined words “The disease” in the last paragraph probably refer to ________.
A. measles B. yellow fever
C. H1N1 influenza D. multiple sclerosis
3.Mistrust of vaccines in France was driven by the following reasons except ________.
A. media reports of problems linked to vaccines
B. public reaction to the H1N1 influenza outbreak fears in 2009
C. connections between hepatitis B vaccines and the disease multiple sclerosis
D. most of the doses of the vaccine were sold or disposed of by the French government
4.Mosala Mireille’s attitude towards the yellow fever vaccination program is ________.
A. Expectant B. Skeptical
C. Critical D. Cautious
The United States is the country we most associate with “road culture”. The US, after all, is a vast land with a network of roads built for travel and communications.
One road in particular, Route 66, stands for the importance of road travel in the US. This east-west highway takes travelers between Chicago in the east and California in the west. The experience of doing this long drive is the stuff of American mythology（神话）. Indeed, many films and novels have been produced about it.
But now, it seems the US has a competitor in road-culture: Scotland. This country is far smaller than the US, but it’s still big enough to have a 500-mile scenic route - and, potentially, a 1,500-mile road trip.
The name of the route is North Coast 500 (NC500). It’s a young route, only introduced in 2015. It takes travelers who wish to drive the whole route around the coast of the north of Scotland and across the country.
But what’s so special about NC500? It’s the scenery, which is best viewed in spring, according to Travel magazine. During that time, travelers can enjoy “sparkling（波光粼粼的）lakes, valleys filled with blossoming（开花的）trees, and views of the mineral-blue ocean and strawberry-blonde beaches”.
The introduction of the route has done wonders for the region’s economy. The number of drivers it has attracted has meant hotels and restaurants along the route are often fully booked. In fact, it’s believed that the north of Scotland is now £9 million richer a year because of it.
And hopefully someday soon, people will be making movies and writing novels about NC500, just as they do about its US cousin.
1.What’s the main purpose of the first two paragraphs?
A. To recommend that readers go on a trip along Route 66.
B. To explain why road travel is popular in the US.
C. To introduce the topic of road culture in Scotland.
D. To compare road travel in the US with that in Scotland.
2.What can we learn about NC500 from the article?
A. It covers a distance of about 500 kilometers.
B. It’s a new road that opened this year.
C. It’s much longer than Route 66 in the US.
D. It’s a coastal route around northern Scotland.
3.What makes NC500 attractive to people?
A. It’s the longest road in the UK.
B. It offers striking scenery to travelers.
C. It has appeared in many movies.
D. It connects all the lakes in Scotland.
4.What benefit has NC500 brought to northern Scotland?
A. It has reduced traffic pressure in the region.
B. It has helped to improve its economy.
C. It has attracted more people to live in Scotland.
D. It has created more job opportunities than ever before.
Gary Oldman is like the English version of Leonardo DiCaprio. They are both actors who are “underappreciated”, as GQ magazine said. DiCaprio didn’t win his first Oscar until 2016 at the age of 42. Oldman finally got his first Oscar at the age of 59 on March5.
He took home the Best Actor award at the 90th Academy Awards. He won the award for his performance as former British prime minister Winston Churchill in the movie Darkest Hour. Many believe that Oldman accurately reproduced Churchill’s appearance and personality, such as his round body, large jowls and cigars. Reporter Brian Truitt wrote in USA Today that after watching the movie for just 10 minutes, you forget that you’re seeing Gary Oldman - there is just Winston Churchill.
Oldman was already seen as an excellent actor even before winning his Oscar. In a 2015 survey, he was voted Greatest Actor to Never Win an Oscar, according to Ranker.com. He is known for his versatility（可塑性）. His acting style is expressive due to his theater training. He has played many classic roles: the vampire（吸血鬼）Count Dracula in Dracula, the corrupt（腐败的）policeman Norman Stansfield in Leon, and Harry Potter’s noble godfather Sirius Black.
Oldman said he acts not in order to win awards, but simply for the pleasure of acting. “Acting was my way out,” Oldman told Interview magazine. “The fun of it was getting away from myself and stepping into the characteristics and the behavior of someone else.”
1.Who did Gary Oldman play in Darkest Hour?
A. Winston Churchill. B. Count Dracula.
C. A policeman. D. Sirius Black.
2.According to Brian Truitt, Gary Oldman’s performance was ________.
A. unsatisfactory B. successful
C. boring D. disappointing
3.Why does Gary Oldman act?
A. To win as many awards as he can. B. To enjoy playing different roles.
C. To get away from his daily life. D. To research the behavior of others.
4.This passage is mainly about ________.
A. Gary Oldman B. Some famous films
C. The Oscar winners D. Leonardo DiCaprio
Europe’s busiest shopping street
London is a shopper’s paradise（天堂）, and one of the best places to go is Oxford Street. Selfridges, one of the world’s first department stores, is here. There are at least four other major stores and Europe’s largest music shop. In December the Christmas lights are always switched on by a famous person.
Kids’ heaven
Nearby in Regent Street is Hamleys. This is the biggest toy store in the world, opened in 1881. There are seven floors, so kids can always find something they haven’t got.
Markets
You can’t leave London without visiting a market. One of the oldest is Borough market. Walk around and look at the fresh fish, bakeries, and fruit and vegetable sellers. You can also buy specialist food, like cheeses, pork pies and chutney. For antiques（古玩）, jewellery or collector’s items go to Portobello Road on a Saturday. You never know what you will find. If you like browsing（浏览）for jewellery and gifts, there is nothing better than Covent Garden market. There are lots of cafés here and always some kind of street entertainment.
Back in time
If you are in the north of England, why not explore York’s picturesque medieval（中世纪的）quarter, known as The Shambles. The narrow streets are always filled with shoppers. The old wooden buildings are so close they almost touch each other.
1.Oxford Street becomes special in December for ________.
A. the busiest shopping street in Europe
B. the largest music shop in Europe
C. the lights are always lighted by a famous person
D. many bargains to choose from
2.To enjoy food, you can go to ________.
A. Borough market B. Portobello Road
C. The Shambles D. Covent Garden market
3.Where is this passage probably taken from?
A. A science book B. A traveler’s journal
C. A news report D. A trip guide
