I watch from the wooden bench in my backyard as the water from the pipe quietly flows out onto the tomato plants. I watch the plants and rest easy, knowing the pipe is taking care of the plants. The drops soon seem to become rivers on the ground.
I see these red-brown ants, crawling(爬行) along around their home. What will happen when the water reaches the ants? Smelling the danger, these poor tiny creatures all run away from the water and rush back to their home. They spend their whole lives working together to create and make better things, but now they are facing the end of it all. I think this is just a reflection of the world. I keep watching as the water first attacks and then surrounds two ants. They struggle to stay floating as the water closes in on them, getting deeper and deeper. I try to get these two to come on my finger, but they refuse to let me save them. The water soon flows over them, as I remain helpless. Only then do they decide to climb onto my dirt-covered finger. Not until facing the moment of death would they trust one like me.
I check to see if they are alive, and both can move fine. Then I go to save other ants. However, the water washes everything away. How much I wish I could turn off this machine of death, but I cannot. I must complete my job.
It knocks me how much these little lives mean to me. When I was a small child, I would make a sport of killing them. Now, I can't hurt an insect, always thinking about what it would be like to be so small.
1.What is the ants' first reaction as the water approaches them?
A. They attempt to stop it.
B. They seek help at once.
C. They ignore it and continue to work.
D. They try to avoid the danger caused by it.
2.What can we infer from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?
A. Behind bad luck comes good luck.
B. Where there is a will, there is a way.
C. God helps those who help themselves.
D. Life is likely to be affected by setbacks.
3.How does the author help save the two ants?
A. He turns off the water pipe. B. He helps them float on the water.
C. He lets them climb onto his finger. D. He changes the direction of the water.
4.What's the author's attitude towards those ants now?
A. Sympathetic. B. Indifferent.
C. Favorable. D. Cruel.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
People who report news sometimes find themselves in the news. This is especially true for foreign correspondents(记者), who risk their lives to bring us important stories from dangerous parts of the world. To learn more about the life of a foreign correspondent, we interviewed Tim Craig, who has covered the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Q1: What draw you personally to dangerous places?
Tim Craig (TC): Experiencing problems that still exist in the world, seeing the struggles that soldiers face to keep peace, and the calamity that people meet during the war, and gaining a better understanding of how people from different countries live.
Q2: What do you like about your job?
TC: I like being able to talk to lots of different people about their problems and concerns. Sometimes the job can make you sad. You have to talk to kids who don't get enough to eat, or to someone whose mother or father was killed. But then I get to try to help these people by writing about their lives and problems.
Q3 : Do you worry about your own safety? How do you deal with that?
TC: Yes, I do worry, but I try not to think about it all the time. In Pakistan, many places are still safe enough for me to travel to without having to worry a lot about being injured, killed or kidnapped(绑架). There are, however, some places where I have to think about my safety all the time. Generally, it's best to travel with someone else so that we can help each other if something goes wrong. In dangerous places,. I also try not to stay in one spot for too long.
Q4: What are the most important qualities or skills a foreign correspondent needs?
TC : Being independent and able to quickly make decisions, being a good planner in order to reach places that may be hard to get to by car or plane, and being a good listener.
1.What do we know about Tim Craig?
A. He-suffers a lot during the war.
B. He covers news in foreign areas.
C. He works for world peace with soldiers.
D. He once helped look after homeless children.
2.What does the underlined word "calamity" in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. Dilemma. B. Confusion.
C. Misfortune. D. Embarrassment.
3.When does Tim Craig feel sad about his job?
A. When he tries to meet some requirements.
B. When he has to travel to dangerous places.
C. When he writes his experiences in the war.
D. When he learns about people's sufferings due to the war.
4.Which of the following can best describe the job of a foreign correspondent?
A. Challenging but significant. B. Dangerous and boring.
C. Demanding but profitable. D. Impressive and relaxing.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Helping and supporting others may be key to living a longer and healthier life, according to a new research from the University of Bagel in Switzerland. The findings published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, show that grandparents who care for their grandchildren enjoy longer lifespans. So do old people who care for others within their social networks.
Using data from the Berlin Aging Study, the researchers analyzed the longevity(寿命) and caregiving habits of more than 500 old people between the ages of 70 and 103. The study compared grandparents who acted as occasional caregivers with those who did not. It also compared these grandparents with old adults who did not have grandchildren but cared for people within their social networks.
Those grandparents who did not play the role of attending to grandchildren were more likely to have died within just five years of the testing period. While those old adults who provided, support to their family lived for an extra seven years on average and those provided support to their social networks lived for an extra four years on average.
Although the new study only focused on old adults, it's safe to assume that the health benefits of helping and taking care of others also reach those of all ages. However, it's important to note that too much caregiving often has just the opposite effect. There's a clear link between too much caregiving and a number of negative physical and mental health consequences.
1.How many groups of old people are involved in the study?
A. Two. B. Three.
C. Four. D. Five.
2.What does the research show?
A. Old people are more likely to support others.
B. Grandparents live longer than childless old adults.
C. Supporting others prevents diseases of old patients.
D. Helping others properly has a good effect on health.
3.What does the last paragraph imply?
A. Reducing earegiving can avoid bad health.
B. It's a good quality of all ages to be helpful.
C. Caregiving is not always beneficial to health.
D. Mental disorder is often caused by much caregiving.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
As the saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." That's because this healthy food choice is supposed to be full of nutrients. The apple at the supermarket, though, might be so o1d that it has lost many of its nutrients. But soon there might be a way to check the quality of fruit by scanning it.
Scientists at Food+Future coLAB have come up with the idea of a handheld spectrometer(分光仪) that scans food. The machine will work by shining infrared(红外线的)light on a piece of produce. By measuring how chemicals in the fruit or vegetable take in the light, the scanner can recognize the food's chemical makeup.
"The machine can tell you exactly how old an apple is, how many calories it contains, what nutrients are present inside it, and even small differences in taste," Greg Shewmaker of Food+Future coLAB recently said.
For the new machine to be useful to consumers, researchers first need to create a database that contains possible chemicals for a particular type of fruit, like an apple, for example. Scientists will need to scan lots of pieces of produce to collect this data. The information collected will allow the scanners to tell customers the quality of fruit.
Once consumers know what's inside an apple, they can decide if they want to buy it. Knowing fruit quality may also affect how a store prices produce. "We can price produce based on the nutritional value," Shewmaker explained.
Food+Future coLAB has already created a working model of its machine. It says you may see one in your local supermarket within the next few years. Then deciding whether you've picked the healthiest fruit will be just a quick scan.
1.Why does the author mention the saying about apple at the beginning?
A. To prove that the apple is full of nutrients.
B. To introduce the topic of the fruit scanner.
C. To advise people to keep healthy by eating apples.
D. To state that the apple is the most tasty among fruits.
2.What do we know about the spectrometer?
A. It is powered by infrared light.
B. It is not useful in many customers' eyes.
C. It can help customers decide which fruit to buy.
D. It can improve the quality of fruit and vegetables.
3.According to Shewmaker, what's a spectrometer's influence on a store?
A. It makes a store more attractive.
B. It provides price reference for produce.
C. It enriches customers' knowledge about food nutrition.
D. It creates a database about the chemical makeup of fruit.
4.What would be the best title for this text?
A. The Fruit Scanner B. The Priced Fruit
C. How to Scan Fruits D. How to Pick Fruits
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Since technology has become popular, a new term was created for trouble on the web. cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is willful and repeated harm caused by the use of computers, cell phones or other electronic devices. Research on teens shows that 50% of them in our country have been bullied in their lifetime and 1/3 have been bullied online. 1.
Before that, it' s important to understand why cyberbullying happens. One reason is revenge(报复). 2. Another is that they sometimes just don' t understand what they are doing is wrong. In some cases, they think they are being funny.
3. But they couldn't be more wrong. The potential problem is that bullies will get into trouble in school, at home or even by the police if what they are doing is a threat. 4. Experiences with cyberbullying are linked to low self-respect, depression and even killing oneself.
If you have been affected by a cyberbully, there are some things you can do. If someone posts a mean comment, don't feel like you need to revenge. 5. You can also counteract(抵消) the negativity by creating positive content, such as posting nice and uplifting things on your Weibo or Wechat accounts. Finally, if the abuse really affects your social relationships, get help from a trusted adult or turn to the law. Together, cyberbullying will become a thing of the past.
A. Then what about their victims?
B. The victims are in need of help.
C. Bullies may think their comments are no big deal.
D. This problem is affecting so many teens across the country.
E. Delete it or keep all evidence by taking screenshots and report it to the app.
F. The other person did something to the bullies, and they feel it right to do it.
G. Therefore, we should look into the problem more carefully to see what can be done to end cyberbullying.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
When Katherine and her daughter drove past Katherine's beloved old home, she would say, "I'd like to have that house back." On her 90th birthday, that wish came true.
All Katherine wanted for her 90th birthday was to ______ childhood home. Her daughter, Emily wasn't so ______ for the idea. And, as the old saying goes, you can ______ really go home again However, the mom and daughter often drove from their ______ town to pass Katherine's beloved old home.
One day, as Emily visited her local craft store, inspiration ______ her: Her mother could have her house back—in replica(复制品) ______. Emily connected with Ray Meyers, a local retired dentist with a ______ for woodworking. Ray took precise measurements and ______ details with the help of the current homeowners.
The replica home and the amazing story behind it deserved a special ______. Emily arranged a surprise party at which the replica and Katherine would be ______, But keeping Katherine in the ______ was a painful task.
"Ray would ask me questions about the house," Emily says of the planning ______." I couldn't ______ everything because the last time I was inside was when I was a teenager. I would ______ mother and start a conversation where I would say, ' Oh, by the way, do you remember...' and ask her something about the house. She would give details from her memory about the ______ and the color. She would tell me ______ what something looked like or where it was in the house. "
On the very day, Emily went to ______ Katherine to her house. "When we went inside, I was just ______," Katherine says. "There was a house load of people singing Happy Birthday to me." Emily presented Katherine with the carefully ______ replica home.
"The moment I opened the present, I just couldn't believe it,” Katherine says." I have ______ memories of that house. I have had several family dinners where we eat around it. I now turn on the tiny lights within it. It's so pretty. " For Katherine, it turned out that it is possible to go home again.
1.A. access B. decorate C. build D. own
2.A. eager B. fit C. prepared D. good
3.A. generally B. sometimes C. frequently D. never
4.A. primary B. temporary C. current D. permanent
5.A. overcame B. struck C. failed D. amazed
6.A. appearance B. pattern C. outline D. form
7.A. basis B. preference C. talent D. hunger
8.A. commented B. recorded C. committed D. compared
9.A. mention B. analysis C. research D. inspection
10.A. congratulated B. appreciated C. exhibited D. honored
11.A. back B. shadows C. clouds D. dark
12.A. expectation B. process C. advance D. destination
13.A. remember B. do C. make D. bring
14.A. chat with B. stick with C. deal with D. hold with
15.A. management B. equipment C. arrangement D. measurement
16.A. briefly B. partly C. exactly D. wrongly
17.A. fetch B. join C. welcome D. receive
18.A. embarrassed B. shocked C. inspired D. confused
19.A. sorted B. wrapped C. folded D. stored
20.A. recent B. distant C. fond D. collective
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
语法填空（请在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。）
As we do in the west, the Chinese also have an annual day devoted to love. Qi Qiao Jie 1.(think) as Chinese Valentine's Day. According to a legend, the seventh daughter of the Goddess of Heaven 2.(catch) sight of a cowboy during one of her 3.(visit) to earth. The daughter, Zhi Nu, and the cowboy, Niu Lang, got 4.(marry) and the couple lived happily for several years. 5.(eventual), the Goddess of Heaven became fed up with her daughter's 6.(absent), and ordered her to return to heaven. However, the mother took pity on the couple 7. allowed them to be reunited once a year. Legend has it that on the seventh night of the seventh month on the lunar calendar, magpies(喜鹊) form a bridge with their wings for Zhi Nu to cross 8.(meet) her husband. Today, star observers celebrate Qi Qiao Jie by looking up at the star Vega, 9. represents Zhi Nu, and at the star Altair, on the other side of the Milky Way, where NiuLang waits 10. his lover to join him.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文，文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删改或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（Λ），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词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（从第11处起）不计分。
Nowadays, there exists a common phenomenon. A man walks on the sidewalk, a smartphone in hand and complete absorbed in the digital world. Just as what computers achieved before, smartphones are now changing your life.
I used to communicating with friends by phone or QQ, but now I have been switched to WeChat, a popular app that allow me to contact my friends. It's good way to know my friends' daily life. I can also receive the late news through WeChat.
I am truly grateful to the convenience brought by it, but meanwhile I feel deeply anxious. To stay informed, I constantly update my WeChat. That's because I often find myself distracted. Therefore, we should be careful not to become slave of the smartphones.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，想邀请外教Henry一起参观人工智能展览。请给他写封邮件，内容包括：
1．展览时间、地点（四月1~7日，科技馆）；
2．展览内容（如智能家用机器人、无人驾驶、人脸识别技术等）。
注意：1．词数100左右；可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Henry,
How is everything going?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
LiHua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析