A little boy always thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world because polio (小儿麻痹症) made his leg lame and his teeth uneven. He seldom played with his classmates; when the teacher asked him to answer questions, he always lowered his head without a word.
One spring, the boy’s father asked for some seeds from the neighbor. He wanted to plant them in front of the house. He told his children to plant a seed each. The father said to them, “Whose seed grows best, I will buy him or her a gift.” The boy also wanted to get his father’s gift, but seeing his brothers and sisters watering the trees joyfully, anyhow, he hit upon an idea: he hoped the tree he planted would die soon. So watering it once or twice, he never attended to it.
A few days later, when the little boy went to see his tree again, he was surprised to find it not only didn’t become weak, but also grew some fresh leaves, and compared with the trees of his brothers and sisters, his tree appeared greener and more vital. His father kept his promise, bought the little boy his favorite gift and said to him, “From the tree you planted, you would become an outstanding botanist (植物学家) when you grew up.”
Since then, the little boy gradually became optimistic. One day, the little boy lay on the bed but couldn’t sleep. Looking at the bright moonlight outside the window, he suddenly recalled what the biology teacher once said, plants generally grow at night. Why not go to see the tree? When he came to the courtyard on tiptoe, he found his father was splashing something under his tree with a large spoon. All of a sudden, he understood: his father had been secretly fertilizing his small tree! He returned to his room, tears running down his face. Even if it is just a spoon of clear water, it can make the tree of life thrive.
1.It can be learned from paragraphs 1-2 that the little boy ______ .
A.was ambitious in spite of his disability
B.was disabled and therefore less confident
C.showed no interest in plants and quit watering the tree
D.felt lonely and unlucky due to the prejudice against him
2.Why did father help the little boy in the competition?
A.He intended to offer him a gift.
B.He believed that he is gifted in botany.
C.He attempted to give him more encouragement.
D.He wanted to help him adapt to his disability.
3.Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
A.The Best Nutrition of Life
B.A Precious Gift from Father
C.An Unforgettable Competition in Life
D.The Most Powerful Support for the Disabled
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Exercise is an important part of staying healthy. Studies show that it can help strengthen the body’s natural defenses against disease. But exercise does not just keep us healthy. For many people, it is part of their daily routine, making them feel better about themselves. Getting enough exercise at difficult times, such as the current coronavirus pandemic (新冠疫情), is important.
However, due to the bans on close contact between individuals, gyms and exercise studios are not open. In areas with stay-at-home orders, exercising outside may not be as simple as usual. So, people are changing the way they exercise during this pandemic.
Beth Berglin is the director of a gallery in Miami, Florida. Before the pandemic, her exercise routine involved going to camp-style classes four mornings a week. Now, the area where she trains is closed. But she is staying active through online classes. “Part of the reason we exercise is to have that mental break,” she said. “I can’t imagine getting through this without having some form of physical activity.”
Fitness companies are changing to meet the new environment. Some are helping people stay active by offering online classes, some of which are free or have reduced cost. Some are offering longer trial periods for at-home workouts. During a trial period, people can try a product or service for free. Some have completely moved their training programs online. Many of these online exercise classes are made for smaller spaces and do not require any special equipment.
Fitness companies that have been using an online model seem better prepared than others. They are using the pandemic to expand their fitness offerings and appeal to new customers. Some of those new customers include children who are now learning at home during the pandemic. Founders of one online exercise company, named Obe, said that they received requests for children’s classes from parents. So, they launched four 10-minute dance and strength workouts for children 10 years old and younger.
1.What does the word “this” in paragraph 3 probably refer to?
A.The unexpected loneliness. B.The daily exercise routine.
C.The great loss of business. D.The lasting health catastrophe.
2.According to the author, online fitness courses ______ .
A.call for less demanding places but more costs
B.face some challenges in developing new learning models
C.attract more customers by meeting their individual needs
D.are more popular compared with the usual way of exercise
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Those who keep exercising have no risk of infection.
B.Regular exercise is an effective way to keep mental health.
C.Obe’s founders are optimistic about the future of their company.
D.The widespread pandemic forces people to break the exercise routine.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
April is National Poetry Month and naturally a great time to explore the powers of poetry. Reading and writing poetry engage our senses along with our emotions. Both have highly therapeutic (治疗的) effects on the mind.
The structure of a poem favors brief language yet the best poems also capture brief detail, making them powerful in getting a message across to the reader. Writing poetry requires extremely disciplined choice of words and the number of words, to create a sharp and accurate snapshot of the poet’s feeling. This combination of conciseness and detail gives the reader open access to the poet’s mind and enables the reader to truly connect with him.
Writing poetry requires us to be open and honest about our feelings so that we can voice them through pen and paper. This acknowledgement of our innermost thoughts allows us to be true to ourselves and boosts our self-respect.
The best poetry is written when we are truly in the midst of our emotions. This is when the release of emotions to pen and then paper as an outlet calms us and enables us to move forward.
Poetry’s powerful healing qualities have been documented during both world wars and the American civil war: poems were read to soldiers to help them cope with sufferings and the cruelty of war. Doctors would write poems for patients, emotionally connecting with them. A good example of this is John Keats who also trained as a doctor.
Poetry has also been used by modern-day doctors and physicians at Yale University School of Medicine and University College London School of Medicine. Yale actually has a committee that maintains a required literary reading list which includes poetry. Poetry allows both the doctor and the patient to understand the emotions that the patient might be going through.
The use of poetry continues to grow as a recognized form of therapy. More psychotherapists across the US, UK and Europe continue to use poetry therapy as part of their practice. Globally the International Federation for Poetry Therapy sets standards of excellence in the training of practitioners in the field of poetry therapy, qualifying them to practice.
1.What contributes to the highly therapeutic power of reading and writing poetry?
A.The close link in emotions between readers and poets.
B.The accurate snapshot of poets’ feeling.
C.The deliberate choice of words.
D.The brief structure of poetry.
2.According to the author, which of the following is most likely to be a best poem?
A.A poem applying effective writing techniques.
B.A poem describing the beauty of nature by imagination.
C.A poem borrowing ideas from other poets’ masterpieces.
D.A poem conveying one’s real thoughts and true feelings.
3.The author explains the use of poetry as a form of therapy in history by ______ .
A.analyzing causes B.giving examples
C.making a comparison D.presenting research findings
4.What message does the passage mainly convey?
A.Poetry is an opening to let out your emotions.
B.Poetry is a good medicine to cure a variety of diseases.
C.Poetry’s healing qualities can make a difference to a reader’s mind.
D.Poetry’s unique art form makes poems gain wide popularity in history.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Overflowing rivers can cause enormous damage. 1. And it continues to rise. So far it has not been evident how climate change influences the magnitude (规模) of river floods.
Austrian flood expert Prof. Günter Blöschl from TU Wien (Vienna) has led a large international study involving a total of 35 research groups. The study provides clear evidence that it is climate change that causes the change of magnitude of flood events observed in recent decades. 2. In northwestern Europe, floods are becoming increasingly severe; in southern and eastern Europe, flood magnitudes mostly tend to decrease, although in small catchments (集水区) they may actually increase.
“We already knew that climate change is shifting the timing of floods within a year,” says Günter Blöschl. “But the key question is: Does climate change also control the magnitude of flood events? The previous available data had not been adequate to figure out whether this is the case or not. We have now examined this question in great detail and can say with confidence: 3. ”
For the study, data from 3,738 flood measurement stations in Europe from 1960 to 2010 were analyzed. For a longtime it has been assumed that climate change is having an impact on the magnitude of flood waters because a warmer atmosphere can store more water. 4. In central and north-western Europe, between Iceland and Austria, flood magnitudes are increasing because rainfall is increasing and the soils are becoming wetter. In southern Europe, on the other hand, flood levels are decreasing, as climate change results in declining rainfall and the higher temperatures cause increased evaporation of water in the soil. In the more continental climate of Eastern Europe, the magnitudes of floods tend to decrease due to shallower snow packs in winter associated with higher temperatures.
5. “But the regional patterns all match well with predicted climate change impacts,” says Blöschl, “This shows us that we are already in the midst of climate change.”
A.Processes differ across Europe.
B.Yes, climate change is a vital factor.
C.The magnitude of the changes is remarkable.
D.Flood management must adapt to these new realities.
E.However, climate change does not have the same effect on floods everywhere.
F.The latest findings show that this is not the only effect, things are more complicated.
G.Worldwide, the annual damage caused by river floods is estimated at over 100 billion dollars.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
It takes a special person to see a life in danger and go out of his way to make a difference. But that’s exactly what Kole Devisscher did when he _________ the thin ice of a river to save 10-year-old Chartrand from _________ .
The young man was _________ for his bravery by MP Joy Smith. Smith _________ him with a certificate and said Devisscher would be nominated (提名) for the Governor General’s Medal of Bravery.
Describing the _________ , Devisscher said he thought it was something _________ when he saw a blue jacket in the river. _________ for Chartrand, the teenager decided to back up his truck and take another look.
When Devisscher realized somebody was _________ in the cold water, he leapt into _________ . “I got out of the truck and grabbed the tow strap from the backseat.” explained Devisscher.
“He couldn’t quite grab onto the rope because his hands were already turning blue. Then I made a loop on the hook and got him to put it around his shoulders.”
Devisscher’s dad, Gerry, says his son remembered some of the __________ he learned while snowmobiling over the years. “He was listening. He just couldn’t refuse to __________ it. He wanted to help, __________ at that time I was nervous he went out there.”
To honour Kole’s __________ and to thank him for saving her son, the mother of the boy gave Devisscher Nathaniel’s eagle feather.
“When he called, saying he __________ someone, it didn’t sink in at first. Today’s the first time I’ve heard the whole __________ .”
“It’s just __________ that a young man like Kole stopped... He got him out of the river and he calmed him,” MP Smith said at the presentation ceremony.
“I think he is an outstanding young man, and all of Canada should be __________ of what he’s done.”
Devisscher said he just __________ others would do the same. “It feels good, not everybody gets this __________ . It’s pretty awesome,” said Devisscher. “I hope someone else would do that for me if I was under the same __________ .”
1.A.braved B.melted C.assessed D.transformed
2.A.swelling B.drowning C.panicking D.trembling
3.A.appreciated B.exchanged C.rewarded D.honored
4.A.guaranteed B.congratulated C.presented D.appointed
5.A.consequence B.dilemma C.risk D.incident
6.A.floating by B.coming about C.going up D.trying out
7.A.Steadily B.Fortunately C.Accurately D.Eventually
8.A.waving B.screaming C.struggling D.appealing
9.A.action B.judgment C.process D.commitment
10.A.professions B.symptoms C.emotions D.lessons
11.A.take notice of B.put up with C.subscribe to D.concentrate on
12.A.since B.unless C.though D.until
13.A.achievements B.efforts C.reputation D.encouragement
14.A.informed B.ignored C.treated D.rescued
15.A.story B.assistance C.experience D.state
16.A.appropriate B.flexible C.amazing D.annoying
17.A.guilty B.worthy C.conscious D.proud
18.A.advocated B.expected C.approved D.demanded
19.A.comment B.access C.award D.profit
20.A.circumstance B.case C.trend D.phenomenon
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
假设你是李华。你的美国朋友George下学期将作为交换生来你校学习。最近，他在来信中表达了对中国画的浓厚兴趣，想请你就“学习国画”这一主题给出建议。请你用英语回信，要点如下：
1.介绍国画；
2.提出建议（至少两条）；
3.表达祝愿。
注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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难度: 困难查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
Growing up, my parents and older brothers all smoked. Being a child of the 80s, it was normal for the adults to be smoking inside and during trips in the car. There just wasn’t the same awareness of the dangers of second-hand smoke exposure that there is today.
I remember the day when I started smoking. I was 11. I was trying to impress one of the “bad boys” at school. I stole tobacco from my father and rather clumsily rolled a cigarette that I took to school with me. Smoking gave me a sense of autonomy and choice over my own life, and at 11 it was the ultimate act of rebellion. Soon I got addicted to it and was taking cigarettes from dad’s packets on a regular basis. I knew he never started counting them until he had less than half a pack left.
After a while I got caught smoking at school. My parents struck a deal with me: if I stopped smoking at school, they would purchase more tobaccos for me to smoke at home. This was perhaps a misguided attempt to keep me out of trouble. I jumped at the idea, and simply got smarter about smoking at school.
I smoked right through my teens and early 20s, spending thousands of dollars on cigarettes, sacrificing food and other necessities to ensure I had cigarettes.
I tried many methods to quit, but each time I would go back to smoking. I have always had a love-hate relationship with cigarettes. On the one hand, they were a friend to me when I had no other, one constant in my life I could rely on. On the other hand, I despised (鄙视) being dependent on something that was going to kill me.
I grew concerned about the effect my smoking would have on my children and I felt guilty putting cigarettes over other things that could have benefited my family. It is with great shame that I admit that I continued smoking even after having a daughter born with cystic fibrosis (囊性纤维). My daughter fights every day to breathe — and here I was intentionally causing damage to my lungs.
注意：
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
The turning point for me was an incredibly painful experience.
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Paragraph 2:
I set myself further little goals, such as only taking my e-cigarettes whenever I went.
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难度: 困难查看答案及解析