Summer vacation is the perfect time to catch up on all that reading you couldn't do during the busy school year・Here are some of the best YA books to read this summer.
◆Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
More than anything, Spensa wants to become a pilot and defend her planet against the frequent attacks from alien starfighters ・ When she discovers the wreckage （残骸）of an old battleship, she realizes that her dreams might be within reach.
◆ Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
Put on your crime-solving cap and get swept away in this thrilling novel about a girl, a boy, and a string of unsolved murders・ As threats and clues pile up, you'll be burning the midnight oil trying to finish the book before dawn.
◆Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
The five Dunbar brothers haven't seen their father in eight years. When he reappears and asks for help building a bridge, only the middle brother, Clay, agrees to go with him. Unforgettable and touching, it is a must-read story .
♦If I'm Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
In an effort to win her boyfriend back, Cameron decides to become a nicer person and make up for people she's hurt. Loosely based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, this is a delightfully sweet and positive tale of self-discovery, and true love.
1.Who may be interested in Skyward?
A.Pilots on battleships. B.Fans of outer space.
C.Peace keepers. D.Planet defenders.
2.Which book is probably a detective story?
A.Skyward B.Two Can Keep a Secret
C.Bridge of Clay D.If I'm Being Honest
3.What is special about If I'm Being Honest?
A.It is a work of joint authors.
B.It is one of Shakespeare's plays.
C.It mainly talks about being honest.
D.It appeals to readers feeling hopeless.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
I work at a grocery store in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood, which gets a lot of regulars. On March 12, the Quebec government announced to close all public places to stop the spread of the pandemic(流行病)of coronavirus.
The next day the store was the busiest I've ever seen. The six cash registers had to be kept open from 10 a. m. until close. It was nuts. I didn't have time to eat lunch, and whenever one of us on cash had to use the bathroom, we’d have to bring in a coworker off the floor to cover for us.
Since then, the atmosphere in the store has been different. Customers are mostly considerate, but whenever someone coughs or sneezes, everyone turns around to make sure that person sneezed into their elbow. I've even seen customers come in wearing some strange get-ups. One guy even came in with a plastic Walmart bag wrapped around his entire head, with a slit cut out for his eyes.
A lot of my coworkers have left to avoid a public-facing job during the pandemic. Grocery store workers across Canada are putting their health at risk every time they come in to work, but a lot of us are still making close to minimum wage. I realized that I feel more exhausted than normal even though I'm working the same hours.
There still have been some moments of kindness in the midst of the chaos. I've overheard people talking on the phone who sounded as though they were organizing grocery deliveries for those stuck at home. And this past weekend a very nice lady thanked us for continuing to work. I know everyone is worried, but it's uneless having the same scary conversations day after day. Instead, tell us a funny anecdote, or about Homething nice. We'll appreciate the distraction, and you'll make our day just a bit brighter.
1.What does the author intend to show by " It was nuts." in paragraph 2?
A.The goods were in short supply.
B.The store was having a big sale.
C.The cashiers complained about their work.
D.The locals rushed to do shopping like crazy.
2.What does paragraph 3 convey about customers?
A.They like to shop here in disguise.
B.They are panicky about the disease .
C.They are more friendly to each other.
D.They have taken proper preventive measures.
3.Which of the following best describes the author?
A.Optimistic. B.Talented. C.Ambitious. D.Efficient.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.It is not work but worry that kills
B.Helping others is helping ourselves
C.Moments of kindness shine in a time of chaos
D.Here is what it's like working in the pandemic
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Blue whales, the earth’s largest animals, call to others of their kind, though exactly what these cries communicate remains a mystery. But these sounds have begun evolving (演变). Since at least the 1960s, the pitch (音调) of Antarctic blue whales has downshifted. Scientists have theories as to why: all involving humans.
The deepening of their sounds is not unique. Many blue whales around the world have also dropped their pitch. In a study last year that analyzed more than 1 million individual recordings of whale calls, scale shifts were found across species, and among populations that don’t necessarily interact with one another. This is to say, whatever has caused the change doesn’t seem to have a specific geographic origin.
The underwater noises caused by ocean traffic and at-sea industries might seem a likely criminal. However, scientists have identified lowered pitches even across populations of whales that live in seas without major shipping routes.
One possible explanation for the change is the achievements of global conservation efforts. As their populations have grown, then, the whales may have decreased their volume because they are more likely to be communicating over short distances.
Last year’s study of whale calls also suggests a threatening reason for the drop in pitch, however. Perhaps whales don't need to be so loud because sound waves travel farther in oceans made acidic by the absorption of carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, meanwhile, may also indirectly influence whale voices in other ways. Recent study shows that, during the summer, the whales must use their top volume to be heard in the cracking ice — a natural sound increased by unnatural processes, as rising temperatures worsen ice-melt. So the impacts of a warming planet may modulate animal sounds even in remote places.
1.To what extent is whales’ pitch drop?
A.Across the species.
B.In the Antarctic Ocean.
C.Among some populations.
D.Within one million individuals.
2.What causes the evolving of whales’ pitch according to the text?
A.Less communication and more threat.
B.Protection efforts and acidic sea water.
C.Sharp decrease of whales’ populations.
D.Underwater noises by ships and industries.
3.What does the underlined word “modulate” mean in the last paragraph?
A.Produce. B.Damage. C.Balance. D.Change.
4.What can we infer from the text?
A.Man is the soul of nature.
B.Man and nature are in one.
C.Nature pardons no mistakes .
D.Nature has the final say over man.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Those driving forward the movement of paying college athletes are forgetting the reason one goes to college: to get an education.
In an era struggling for competitive balance, how would the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) keep from giving schools like Kentucky and Alabama even more of a competitive advantage than schools like Valparaiso and Florida Gulf Coast? The issue gets complicated when taking into consideration how the salary difference between different teams gets decided.
Even worse, imagine athletes just coming to college for the money. We call college athletes amateurs. Oxford's definition of amateur is "a person who engages in a pursuit, especially a sport, on an unpaid basis." The keyword is unpaid. The history of the word "amateur" dates back to the French word "amator”, which means lover. Essentially, college athletes should be playing their sport for the love of the game, not the money that would be given to them.
Rules should not be made for the minority, and in this instance only two percent of athletes play professional sports. The expected career span of that two percent is 10 years, three and a half years in the National Football League (NFL). An astonishing 80 percent of retired NFL players go broke within three years of retirement, 60 percent in the NBA within five years. This is why the NCAA and its member institutions should apply a "stay and learn”, rule.
This rule should state that if athletes choose to come to college, they will get paid in scholarships that last the entire educational process and the athlete must stay in school until they earn a degree in the area of study they choose. That money from going professional is going to run out sometime, but the degree will always be there.
Look at college athletics for what it is and should always be, a high-pressure learning environment and an avenue to earn an education. A much more fun extension of the classroom if you will. After all, they are called student-athletes.
1.How can the salary difference influence college teams?
A.It is likely to promote cooperation.
B.It can increase their independence.
C.It can lead to more communication.
D.It will probably cause more imbalance.
2.Why does the author give explanations to the word "amateur”?
A.To give an individual comment.
B.To confirm the origin of the word.
C.To make the point more authoritative.
D.To provide an example for the argument.
3.How will college athletes benefit from the "stay and learn” rule?
A.Increase their earnings.
B.Get trained for scholarships.
C.Ensure themselves to get a degree.
D.Continue their professional careers.
4.What does the author mainly argue about in the text?
A.For money or for career?
B.A college education or not?
C.Going professional or being amateur?
D.To pay or not to pay college athletes?
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Including children in the farming lifestyle has many benefits. Sure, it is nice to have the additional help with chores(家庭杂务),but it also fosters so much growth, sending our kids down a good path towards who they will someday become. It is possible that our children will grow up to lead lives that do not include farming. 1.
Through caring for farm animals, kids learn that in life others often come before self.
2. It doesn't matter if we don't feel like it or if we are sick and tired. What matters is that we take care of the animals that take care of us and do so in a timely manner.
3. If the work on a farm does not get done, the operation fails. It takes discipline and commitment to get down to business every day, and seeing this in action will give kids a good work attitude. They will know and understand that nothing good comes easy and that they have to work to survive. 4. Functioning as part of a productive team will surely be playing a crucial role sooner or later in all walks of life.
Additionally, fanning teaches patience. 5. Cattle will be difficult to control. Horses will run away when you try to catch them. Goats will kick over that bucket of hard-earned milk. A rooster will decide you got too close to his hens and give you a run for your money. In spite of all that, kids will learn to be patient and take things easy.
There may not be any instant reward, but in the long-term kids will see the benefit of all their efforts during those hard days.
A.At the same time, they learn to work with others.
B.Farm life also teaches kids the value of hard work.
C.Children learn to be grateful for animals for eating purpose.
D.Teamwork is no longer an important skill to develop and use.
E.There are going to be a lot of days when things do not go your way.
F.However, what they learn on a farm can also be instrumental in their future lives.
G.Animals need to be fed, watered, and cared for before we get to sit down and relax.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Hansen and his 10-year-old son Chase search the streets of Salt Lake City every weekend for the homeless to take to lunch. They started Project Empathy(共情)four years ago to _______a meal, listen to their stories and figured out how they could _______ help .
"Just start with a smile, a hello. It really just starts with that. If you do it, you can make a connection. A small gesture can have a _______ impact on others less fortunate," Hansen _______ in an interview.
Some of these shared meals have turned into stronger _______Ward, a homeless, was _______ in a flat. He credited the Hansens with helping him _______the difficult process of moving off the streets. "It is great to have friends who make us feel _______ and I'm impressed with the pair," Ward said.
Father and son's _______have developed into a passion project that ________ faith and community, which emphasizes the ________ community members can have in uplifting the homeless. They know they can't settle the homeless ________ alone. They're hoping empathy will ________
"My hope for the future is to ________ more connection across our country. We could and we will succeed ________ we have other people join in and help the homeless," Chase said.
1.A.buy B.cook C.share D.eat
2.A.often B.further C.also D.even
3.A.dramatic B.different C.minimum D.decisive
4.A.remarked B.praised C.joked D.quoted
5.A.desires B.connections C.motivations D.opinions
6.A.provided B.permitted C.abandoned D.housed
7.A.through B.for C.despite D.to
8.A.surprised B.relaxed C.awesome D.calm
9.A.dreams B.influences C.experiences D.efforts
10.A.assesses B.compares C.highlights D.respects
11.A.importance B.task C.chance D.role
12.A.argument B.problem C.debt D.conflict
13.A.go away B.catch on C.fade out D.give off
14.A.spread B.miss C.exchange D.maintain
15.A.before B.if C.until D.so
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Chris Waba, a sixth grade math teacher in South Dakota, is getting praise in his own way. He went to help a student1.(lock) down at home with her homework after schools switched 2. virtual learning because of the coronavirus pandemic.
After receiving a message from Rylee Anderson, 12, 3. she was struggling with a math problem, Waba grabbed a whiteboard and hurried to her front door.
"We had really tried to work through it 4.(digital), but you can just tell when you need to do something else. I just said, ' I'll be over in 5. couple of minutes.' "Then all Rylee was looking forward to 6.(be) to be able to see Waba's appearance.
7.( help) her figure out the problem, Waba spent about 15 minutes kneeling outside the front door and drawing on the whiteboard while Rylee stood safely inside. The moment 8.(shoot) on camera by Ry lee's dad, Josh Anders on. He then posted the photo on Twitter, where it quickly went viral.
Waba stressed that as an 9.(educate) it is right to go above and beyond for their students in this tough time. "I'm not one on an island," he said. “There are thousands and thousands of teachers 10.(go) the extra mile for their kids."
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，受母亲影响，喜欢中国传统手工艺刺绣。最近，得知你的英国朋友 Lisa正在苏州学习刺绣。请你给她写封邮件，内容包括：
1.询问学习情况；
2.分享你的作品；
3.希望保持交流。
注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
注:刺绣 embroidery
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。 续写的词数应为150左右。
I received an urgent call from my aunt. " Turn on the TV. Granny's on the Channel 10 news. " It turned out that Granny had made a sandwich run for her office and was stopped at a red light downtown. She had the window rolled down to enjoy the breeze when a man rushed up to the driver's side window, intending to carjack（劫车）her.
Now, what the would-be carjacker couldn't have known was that this woman simply wasn't " a granny" . This was Nancy Johnson — the same woman who owned and lived on a Texas cattle farm, drove her own tractors, and dug her own post holes to lay fence. The week before, she had shot a rattlesnake and chopped off its head with a shovel . She was the proud owner of the new minivan（小型货车）she was driving. In other words, she was not your normal kind of granny.
The carjacker leaned into the open window, one hand stuffed in his pocket, and said, " Get out of this car. I have a gun, and I will shoot you.” A statement like that would have terrified anyone else. Instead, Granny saw it as a challenge." If you really had a gun in your pocket, you would've pulled it out and led with that first," she shouted at him, apparently unworried.
She was right. The criminal didn't have a gun. He instead reached into the window, grabbed her, and tried to pull her out of the van. He pulled open the door, wildly catching Granny's arms. Granny leaned her shoulder inside to press the horn（喇叭) and started yelling to make people around notice what was happening. With the door now open, she held tight the steering wheel with one arm and started kicking the man anywhere her foot could make contact. This tall woman had quite a reach.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析