Around this time a few years ago, it was common to see videos of friends on social media having a bucket of icy water thrown on them. Known as the “ice bucket challenge”, it was created as a way to raise money for the medical condition ALS. But now, there’s a new challenge and this time, no water is involved.
What is it? Well, think of a fruit that you’d never normally sink your teeth into. Perhaps you’ve got it: a lemon. While we enjoy using lemons to add flavor to dishes, very few of us would actually eat one as we’d eat an apple or an orange.
But the horrible taste is the precise reason why the “lemon face challenge” is taking off. Participants bite into a lemon, taking a selfie as they do it before posting the photo online. The fun is all about expression people make as all that citric acid (柠檬酸) hits their taste buds (味蕾). Every expression seems to say, “This is worse than freezing water.”
The serious side to this trend is the good cause it’s all in aid of. The challenge aims to raise awareness of a rare brain cancer that affects young children. It was started by Aubregh Nicholas, an 11-year-old US kid. She was diagnosed with this rare brain cancer herself in September 2017, but has since raised almost $50000 to cover her medical expenses thanks to the challenge.
If a challenge is going to raise publicity and contributions from people, it has to be something interesting and original. That way the ice bucket challenge took off in 2014 and it explains why so many people are now sharing their lemon faces. There are a lot of stories about the downside of social media these days. The charity challenges, however, show how online culture can unite the world and bring help to the people who most need it.
1.Why is the icy bucket challenge mentioned in the article?
A. To show how charity gained its popularity online.
B. To introduce a similar challenge that raises money for charity.
C. To attract people’s attention to a rare disease.
D. To prove its popularity around the world.
2.Compared with the pre-Internet charity, what is the advantage of online charity?
A. It raises more money than ever before.
B. It is started by the people who suffer rare diseases.
C. It brings people together easily and quickly.
D. It causes little doubt among people.
3.What does the underlined phrase “take off’ in the last paragraph mean?
A. Go away suddenly. B. Become successful and popular.
C. Remove your clothes. D. Take a break.
4.What is the author’s attitude towards online charity?
A. Positive. B. Indifferent.
C. Negative. D. Ambiguous.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Polish President Andrzej Duda has signed a bill into law that largely limits trade on Sundays, saying it will benefit family life.
The legislation（立法）, worked out by the government and the Polish trade union, is expected to draw protests from large western supermarket chains that are the main target of the law. A large part of their profit is earned on weekends.
As of March 1, shops and markets are closed on two Sundays per month; in 2019 only one Sunday a month will be open for shopping; and starting in 2020, there will be no Sunday shopping with a few exceptions.
Duda praised the law as giving children a chance to be with parents and giving shop workers some needed time off. He also said big traders will need to adjust their practices to the new system and asked them for “understanding”. But critics say some of them make employees work long hours for modest pay.
“A family should be together on Sundays,” Olszewska said after buying some food at a local Biedronka, a large discount supermarket chain. She said that before she retired she served cold cuts in a grocery store, and was grateful she never had to work on Sundays.
There are some exceptions to the ban. For instance, gas stations, cafes, pharmacies and some other businesses are allowed to keep operating on Sundays.
Anyone breaking the new rules faces a fine of up to 100,000 zlotys （$ 29,500）, while repeat offenders may face a prison sentence. Polish trade union appealed to people to report any violators to the National Labor Inspectorate, a state body.
1.Who will get some loss from the bill according to the passage?
A. The polish President Andrzej Duda.
B. Some large western supermarket chains.
C. All the markets in Poland.
D. Some common Polish families.
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A. Children had no time to play with their parents before.
B. Duda paid great attention to the shop workers.
C. Some workers will work extra hours on weekdays.
D. All the businesses will make adjustments to the bill.
3.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Family life will be more important than shopping in Poland.
B. More and more western supermarket chains will leave Poland.
C. The supermarket employees will have no job on Sundays in Poland.
D. Sunday shopping will be limited by the government in Poland.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Everyone experiences tiredness at work sometimes. At some point (usually around 2:00 pm), you find yourself ready for a nap (打盹). Your energy changes naturally throughout the day. Productivity expert Chris Bailey examined this motivation, focus and energy levels for 21 days and found that all three tend to spike between 7:00 and 8:00 am, 11:00 and 12:00pm, and 6:00 and 7:00 pm. In addition to all those highs, he also noticed time when focus, energy, and motivation were nowhere to be found. Chris was tired at work.
Your peak time productivity time may be different from Mr. Bailey’s, but the overall shape of your energetic graph would still look like a series of zigzags (锯齿). The amount of sleep you have, the food you eat, and how you exercise are a few of the factors that cause rises and falls in your energy level.
We can fill up on coffee and sugar as much as we want, but we are fighting a natural downturn in energy when we do this. Your tiredness may seem like an inconvenience, but it’s really your body tell you that it needs rest.
Our bodies operate on a natural clock called circadian rhythm(生理节律). This sleep/wake cycle is perfectly adapted to give us enough sleep over the course of a 24-hour period. Natural light is the primary means that your body uses to assess whether or not you should be asleep.
Therefore, circadian rhythms do not agree with the average 9-5 job. Irregular sleep schedules, the light from electronic devices, and natural light exposure for a long time can also affect the cycle. This is why people working the graveyard shift have an increased risk for developing health problems. They must remain awake when their body tells them it’s time for bed, and their sleep constantly disrupted when they try to stay awake on days off.
1.Which of the factors does not contribute to the differences of the peak of productivity time according to the author?
A. Diet B. Sleep
C. Exercise D. Character
2.Why do people fail to work energetically for eight hours according to the author?
A. Because our body assesses our needs for sleep according to natural light.
B. Because the light from electronic devices stops them from concentrating on their jobs.
C. Because most people choose to stay up late at night for recreational activities.
D. Because of the stress from their jobs and busy schedule that they can not cope with.
3.Who is likely to develop sleeping problems according to the passage?
A. A manager who needs to travel a lot.
B. An athlete who trains hard for champions.
C. A guard who has to work in a museum at night.
D. A bus driver who drives from 6 am. to 1 pm.
4.What does the passage mainly tell us?
A. The reasons for sleeping problems.
B. People have downturns when they work for natural causes.
C. How people can fight against the low energy levels when they work.
D. How to develop healthy sleeping habits.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Steven Spielberg never fails to blow us away with his imagination.
The US director’s latest film Ready Player One （头号玩家），which was released in Chinese cinemas on March 30, is a story set in the year 2045, when people escape their hopeless everyday lives by putting on a VR mask and entering a virtual（虚拟）world named Oasis. This fantasy land is filled with characters and settings right out of classic films and videogames. At the age of 71, Spielberg is still at the top of his game.
Indeed, Spielberg has always been a “gamer” himself- or more precisely, a “game changer”.
When his thriller Jaws（大白鲨）came out in 1975, it struck a chord （引起共鸣）with audiences all around the world and even kept people from going swimming for fear of the “teeth in the sea”. The film was also an example of what we know as summer hits. And again in 1982 his alien film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Spielberg challenged people’s belief that aliens are something to be feared by telling a story about a loving friendship between a space culture and a little boy.
Now comes Ready Player One. When Wade Watts, the film’s teenager leading figure, finally prevents Oasis from falling into the wrong hands, he is given ownership of the virtual world by its late designer James Haliday. But Watts makes a decision that he hopes will make people want to appreciate their real lives, instead of spending all their free time escaping reality in Oasis, which is a real-life message that Spielberg is trying to deliver to the audience.
1.Which movie mentioned in the passage is not a science fiction?
A. Ready Player One B. Jaws
C. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial D. All the above
2.Why Spielberg is referred to as a “game changer” ?
A. because his movies are very thrilling.
B. because he could still make a breakthrough at the age of 71.
C. because he tries to convey an important message to his audiences.
D. because his movies are always leading the trend.
3.What message does Spielberg try to send to his audiences in his latest movie Ready Player One?
A. He holds an optimistic view about human’s future.
B. VR technology will be widely used in our society in the future.
C. We shouldn’t escape from reality.
D. There might be friendships between aliens and human beings.
4.What is the best title of this passage?
A. A leading director B. Remember Reality
C. Classical movies D. A game changer
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Causes of sandstorms
In desert areas, sandstorms are most commonly caused by either thunderstorm outflows, or by strong pressure gradients（气压梯度）which cause an increase in wind speed over a wide area. In some cases, dust and sand may set a limit to a shallow depth by a low-lying temperature change. 1. Drought is another cause of sand storms. Poor farming practices make dust and sand free of protection from the wind. 2. A sandstorm can transport and carry large amounts of sand. Desert is the key source of sandstorms. Saharan sandstorms have increased abut 10 times during the half century since the 1950’s, causing topsoil loss in nearby countries. In Mauritania, there were just two sandstorms a year in the early 1960’s, but there are 80 a year today.3.
Sand storms have also been shown to increase the spread of disease across the globe. Virus in the dust is blown into the atmosphere by the storms. Some diseases may not be urgent at the very beginning, but they can develop into deadly ones if left untreated. 4.
Sandstorms cause soil loss from the dry lands, doing harm to agriculture. Sandstorms also reduce visibility, affecting airplanes and road transportation. 5.
Dust can also have good effects. Central and South American rainforests get most of their mineral nutrients from the Sahara; iron-poor ocean regions get iron.
A.Effects of sandstorms.
B.Bad results caused by sandstorms.
C.People know little about the effects about sandstorms.
D.In other cases, dust may be blown as high as 6,100 meters high.
E.Dryland farming is one of the most serious practices.
F.For example, a breathing problem can lead to lung cancer, while dry eyes lead to blindness.
G.In addition, sandstorms also discourage visitors from visiting these places, striking tourism.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A 9 year-old boy is called a hero after he rescued his dad when a car fell on him. Brave J.T. Parker’s quick thinking ______his father’s life.
____ dad Stephen Parker said that last July, he and his sons J.T.,9 and Mason, 17, were in the backyard working ______ a Toyota car when the ______ happened.
“ We were______ the engines out of the car and, after we got it jacked（用千斤顶顶起）up, I climbed under there to take the parts off,” he said. “The one part came off pretty ______but the other side was not coming off.
At that moment, Mason had gone inside the house ______he cut himself, but the dad ____ working. Suddenly, the car ______on top of him.
He said he _______at J.T. to jack the car up but he didn’t think his young son would______ it.
“ I couldn’t move at all,” Parker said. “I was totally______, and then I passed out. It was all in his hands.”
J.T., who ______ about 50 pounds, said he, too, didn’t think he would be able to ______the car off his father, but he started jumping up and down on the jack right away.
It took him______, but J.T. was to able save his father______. He then ran to get his brother out of the house. They called the ______immediately.
Parker was then sent to the ______ hospital with 13 broken ribs(肋骨). He was released two days later thanks to the _______rescue from his young ______.
1.A. won B. saved C. took D. made
2.A. Fearful B. Considerate C. Proud D. Brave
3.A. for B. out C. in D. on
4.A. incident B. event C. conflict D. disaster
5.A. pushing B. pulling C. fixing D. repairing
6.A. easily B. vividly C. hardly D. unwillingly
7.A. though B. until C. because D. before
8.A. resumed B. suspended C. continued D. stopped
9.A. rose B. fell C. disappeared D. lay
10.A. yelled B. ran C. aimed D. pointed
11.A. put B. get C. make D. find
12.A. buried B. trapped C. kept D. fed
13.A. measures B. weighs C. stands D. balances
14.A. lift B. push C. step D. blow
15.A. seconds B. minutes C. hours D. days
16.A. gradually B. eventually C. absolutely D. simply
17.A. doctor B. police C. neighbor D. manger
18.A. latest B. nearest C. cheapest D. greatest
19.A. lovely B. timely C. friendly D. lively
20.A. hero B. assistant C. guide D. fan
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
We may not have to wait much longer before immortality (永生，不朽) becomes a reality. 1.(science) from Sweden are reportedly developing ways related to artificial intelligence technology to create “fully conscious copies” of people 2. their death. They want to use AI to reconstruct the voices of the dead to allow people to communicate with their friends and family 3. are no longer alive. The robots might 4.(equip) to answer simple questions related to the weather, time and more. Put simply, a robot clone of your grandma could become a next generation voice assistant, just like 5. we communicate with Siri.
“This is not the 6.(one) time such an idea has come into mind,” famous futurist Dr. MIchio Kaku said. He believes we could soon be able to upload our minds to machines, 7.allow) us to speak to our loved ones after we or they die. Billionaire tech giant Elon Musk has an entire company to 8.(potential) do that, called Neuralink. It focuses 9. developing a technology that will enable uploading and downloading of thoughts.
For this, researchers are seeking volunteers willing to offer10.(they) dead relatives for study.
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。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），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。
Yesterday I was asked to send my grandmother to the school bus stop, because she is not able to walk through the snow with his walker. There was a mom walked with her little son in the same direction. The boy was screaming and crying all way. Before my grandmother left by bus, I walked back with the mom and she told me that the boy could make up sounds but no words at this point. I held up my hand to the boy, which was walking, and he took it. He was content with my hands while I chatted with his mom. I felt he trusted me. It made me very happily, too.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
随着年龄的增长，我们总想挣脱父母的怀抱，渐渐和父母产生分歧。假设你是李华，某中学英语杂志社正在开展题为 “How to get along well with your parents” 的征文活动。请你根据以下要点写一篇征文稿。
1. 事前要跟父母沟通，征求他们的建议；
2. 跟父母意见不一致时要保持冷静；
3. 多花时间跟父母在一起，跟他们一块郊游等。
注意：1. 词数：120左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
How to get along well with your parents
As you are growing, you may want to be free from your parents _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析