Surviving Hurricane Sandy (飓风桑迪)
Natalie Doan, 14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the wave from her house. “It’s the ocean that makes Rockaway so special,” she says.
On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned fierce. That night, Hurricane Sandy attacked the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Natalie’s family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the city’s bridge closed.
When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Natalie’s friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Natalie’s school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.
In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway recover inspired Natalie. Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to deliver water and food to elderly people trapped in powerless high-rise buildings.
“My mom tells me that I can’t control what happens to me,” Natalie says. “but I can always choose how I deal with it.”
Natalie’s choice was to help.
She created a website page matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to help. Natalie posted introduction about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball card collecting when his house burned down. Within days, Patrick’s collection was replaced.
In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Natalie also worked with other organizations to bring much-need supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.
Today, the scars (创痕) of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt. “I can’t imagine living anywhere but Rockaway,” Natalie declares. “My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before.”
1.When Natalie returned to Rockaway after the hurricane, she found ______.
A. some friends had lost their lives.
B. her neighborhood was destroyed.
C. her school had moved to Brooklyn.
D. the elderly were free from suffering.
2.According to paragraph 4, who inspired Natalie most?
A. The people helping Rockaway rebuild.
B. The people trapped in high-rise building.
C. The volunteers donating money to survivors.
D. Local teenagers bringing clothing to elderly people.
3.How did Natalie help the survivors?
A. She gave her toys to the kids.
B. She took care of younger children.
C. She called on the White House to help.
D. She built an information sharing platform.
4.What does the story intend to tell us?
A. Little people can make a big difference.
B. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
C. East or West, home is best.
D. Technology is power.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
In Europe many people died during the Second World War. As a result, at the end of the war there were many orphans (孤儿) there. A man called Hermann Gmeiner wanted to help these children. His idea was simple. He wanted orphans to have a home, and he wanted them to have the care and kindness of parents. Gmeiner asked people to give him some money. With this money he built the first SOS Children's Village at Imst, in Austria. It opened in1949. This is how the SOS stand for “Save Our Souls.” This means, “Please help us!” An SOS Children’ village gives help to orphans. Hermann Gmeiner’s idea for helping orphans soon spread all over the world. By 1983 there were 170 SOS Children's Villages in the world. People in many countries give money to help the villages.
Today the children from the first village have grown up. Now some of them work in other SOS Children’s Villages. In SOS Villages orphans live in family groups. There are several houses in each village. The biggest village has 40 or 50 houses! Between seven and ten children live in a house. A woman lives with each group of children and looks after them. She gives the children a lot of love and kindness. She cooks meals for them and makes comfortable, happy home for them.
Of course, the children don’t spend all their time in the village. They go to school; they go out with their friends. But the village gives them a home—sometimes for the first time in their lives.
1.The SOS Children’s Villages are built for________ first.
A.the children who are poor B.the orphans in Europe
C.the kind women D.people who died in the war.
2.We can conclude from the article that the money for helping the SOS Villages mainly comes from ________ .
A.governments B.special organization
C.people in different countries D.the orphans themselves
3.Which of the following is NOT the work a woman in an SOS Village does for each group of children?
A.She lives with the children and looks after them.
B.She gives the children a lot of love and kindness.
C.She cooks meals for children.
D.She teaches the children how to use the computer.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
People born in winter are more likely to suffer mental health disorders, according to a recent study carried out by researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
Researchers raised baby mice from birth to weaning in either “summer” light cycles of 16 hours of light and 8 hours of dark or “winter” cycles of 8 hours of light and 16 hours of dark. A third group experienced 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark a day.
Then half the winter mice stayed in a winter cycle, while half switched to a summer schedule. The summer mice were similarly split. The mice raised in equal periods of light and dark were split into three groups, one of which stayed on the 12hour schedule, one of which joined the winter group, and one of which joined the summer group.
After 28 days, it turns out the summerborn mice behaved the same whether they stayed on the summer cycle or switched to winter. But among the winterborn mice, those that stayed in winter kept their previous schedule, while those that switched to summer stayed active for an extra hour and a half, which indicates that mice born and weaned in a winter light cycle showed dramatic disruptions in their biological clocks.
The finding is the first of its kind in mammals, and it could explain why people born in winter are at higher risk for mental health disorders.
“We know that the biological clock regulates mood in humans,” said study researcher McMahon. “If the mechanism similar to the one that we found in mice operates in humans, then it could not only have an effect on a number of behavioral disorders, but also have a more general effect on personality.”
1.What’s the main idea of the text?
A.The biological clock regulates mood in humans.
B.Being born in winter has a negative effect on people’s mental health.
C.People born in winter are at higher risk for physical health disorders.
D.The length of light will influence the behavior of the mice.
2.The underlined word “split”(Paragraph 3) can be replaced by ________.
A.divided B.torn
C.hit D.ended
3.Who is probably the reader of the passage?
A.A jobhunter. B.A student in the university.
C.A newlymarried couple. D.An experienced dentist.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的概要。
Look inside any family home in the evening, and you might see a typical enough scene: Mom and Dad, each on their own laptop or tablet, streaming movies, catching up on work or maybe answering emails on their smartphones. Meanwhile, one child is chatting online with one school friend while texting another. The other is playing a video game with a friend on the other side of the city at the same time. Each member of the family is totally absorbed in his or her own piece of technology.
According to some experts, the effect of technology on human relationships is worrying as technology becomes a substitute for face-to-face human relationships. It appears to be the case that many people would much rather spend time with their electronic gadgets(电子产品) than with one another. Young people say it is difficult to get their parents’ attention and they have to compete with smartphones, tablets and other technology.
However, a report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project offers a more helpful and encouraging view, suggesting that far from replacing human contact, technology can actually better family relationships. Just over half of the 2,253 people surveyed agreed that technology had enabled them to increase their contact with distant family members and 47 percent said it had improved the communication with the people they lived with. Moreover, even the closest members of families need time away from each other at some point to seek their own interests. Family members who might otherwise have sat in separate rooms can now be in the same one while still occupying a different mental space.
Look back at our typical family scene above. Is it any different from four people reading their own books? Or is it driving families apart? Where technology will lead us remains to be seen. Yet there is no need to worry. As a matter of fact how it affects our family relationships depends on our attitude toward technology.
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Long ago there was a poor farmer in Russia. He had been very ______ with everything he had. However, when he found his elder brother was ______ than him, he felt disappointed. So he ______ hard about how he could also be richer. Finally he got an idea. He started to spend less money on food and clothes to ______ some money to buy more land. Once he had enough money, he started ______ for land.
He ______ that on the neighboring land, there were some nomads (游牧民) living there. He bought some gifts and went to ______ their head. He presented the gifts to the head and told him the ______ of his visit. The head welcomed him, accepted the gifts and agreed to his ______ to get the land. The head told him that he could have the land ______ giving him anything. He can take as much land as he could ______ by walking through the land before sunset (日落). He should start in the morning and whatever distance he could travel during the ______, he could have it.
The farmer became very ______ when he heard this offer. Now he could have lots of ______ without paying anything. He came ______ the next morning and started running, not walking,______ he could cover the largest area. To reach his goal, he neither ate food, nor drank water, nor had any rest. He just continued ______. Without eating, or drinking, or resting he just got very ______. When he came back to the head in the evening, he ______ right on the spot. Sadly his son buried him in a piece of land about 6 x 4 feet.
Don’t be greedy (贪婪的) or you will ______ everything finally.
1.A.careful B.bored C.pleased D.busy
2.A.healthier B.stronger C.cleverer D.richer
3.A.learned B.thought C.tried D.worked
4.A.save B.spend C.make D.borrow
5.A.waiting B.preparing C.looking D.caring
6.A.explained B.hoped C.guessed D.noticed
7.A.follow B.see C.help D.cheat
8.A.purpose B.result C.condition D.chance
9.A.promise B.suggestion C.request D.order
10.A.for B.by C.before D.without
11.A.farm B.cover C.buy D.have
12.A.day B.month C.week D.year
13.A.interested B.sad C.calm D.happy
14.A.crop B.land C.experience D.knowledge
15.A.quietly B.finally C.early D.suddenly
16.A.even if B.so that C.because D.whether
17.A.running B.walking C.speaking D.dreaming
18.A.nervous B.excited C.worried D.tired
19.A.refused B.appeared C.died D.rested
20.A.face B.lose C.change D.defeat
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Tips on Young Adult Life
As you grow rapidly through your teenage years, you will experience a lot of changes. The changes may seem difficult. 1. Don’t panic! You will deal successfully with them! You are a young adult now!
With more responsibility, you will find more freedom to make your own choices. This is a time to be well informed about making choices. In this way you can make healthy balanced decisions. 2. You may already know your career path or you may have no idea at all what you want to do. Both situations are fine! Work hard and the right opportunity will show itself to you.
Young adulthood means greater freedom and more choices. 3. But try not to shut your family out of your life. You should learn to think of others even though you are old enough to look after yourself.
It is also perfectly natural at this time for you to spend more time with your friends than your family. 4. A true friend will stand by you no matter what happens.
This period is a part of the life cycle. There are some people who will be with you throughout life’s journey. There will be some people with whom you part and go separate ways. Leaving school can be hard. The reality is that you may not even see all of your classmates again.
You are a young adult. It is your life. No one can live it for you. 5. So making the right choices will be important to you. Life is for living. Enjoy your life wisely!
A.Choose your friends wisely.
B.They may seem to happen quickly.
C.They will help shape the future.
D.You may appreciate what you have in your own life.
E.You will probably want to be independent.
F.The choices that you make from now on will be your choices.
G.Your family has been with you since you came into this world.
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。
Wang Peng and Yong Hui are couples. Before they got married, they opened their own restaurants and competed fiercely.
Wang Peng thought his meal was good and his restaurant ought to be full of people, but they all went to a newly-opened restaurant 1.belonged to Yong Hui. Driven by 2.curious), Wang Ping came in and 3.(give) a menu. He was amazed at the 4.(limit) food with high prices. But Yong Hui told the customers that they could lose weight 5.they ate there every day. He couldn’t have Yong Hui 6.(get) away with telling lies. After doing research, he realized that neither his restaurant 7.Yong Hui’s offered a healthy diet. Arriving home, Wang Peng rewrote his own sign and hoped to win his 8. (customer) back. But Yong Hui came to his restaurant glaring 9.him angrily. Instead of arguing, they chatted and thought they should combine their ideas and provide 10. balanced menu with foods full of energy and fiber. After some time, they cooperated and got married.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
为响应我市“低碳生活”的号召，学生会向全校学生发出了“告别纸巾，使用手帕”(Using Handkerchiefs Instead of Facial Tissue)的倡议。请你代表学生会，用英语写一封倡议书，内容包括：
①使用纸巾的弊端； ②使用手帕的好处； ③呼吁全体学生一起加入。
注意：1. 词数在80左右；
2. 开头已给出，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：面巾纸facial tissue 手帕handkerchief/hanky
Dear fellow students,
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The Students’ Union
难度: 困难查看答案及解析