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As doctors and nurses struggle for medical supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic, help is coming from an unlikely place – high school students.
The Career Technical Education Charter (CTEC) High School, US, has been utilizing (利用) its nine 3D printers to make face shields (防护面罩) for healthcare workers on the frontline.
Face masks have been particularly challenging to find across the US since the outbreak. Gavin Newsom, Governor of the State of California, announced recently that the state is set to spend $1 billion (about 7 billion yuan) to purchase 200 million masks each month to boost its supply.
Valerie Castro, 16, a CTEC sophomore, is part of a team of teachers and students who came up with design tweaks (改进) that cut almost 30 minutes off the time it takes to build a face shield.
“That’s what makes this school kind of different,” she said. “Even though all these bad things are happening, we’re able to make an impact positively. It’s like leaving your little mark on the world.”
Makerbot, a New York-based company that makes 3D printers, has also helped CTEC to maximize the building process.
They’ve been churning out (大量生产) nearly 100 shields each day, and that production rate is set to triple as 20 more 3D printers come online at the school.
CTEC staff and students have provided masks to hospitals, dentists, urgent care centers and retirement homes in Fresno County and the surrounding areas in California.
“I was shocked,” Stacy Vohra told school staff in a video. “We were so thrilled to have the donation from CTEC. This is something that we’ve been needing.”
The entire staff has switched from daily teaching to face shield production, said Jonathan Delano, director of CTEC.
When the new 3D printers arrive, some of them will go to students’ houses so kids can help with the hands-on process, Delano said.
“That’s how we get through these things,” Delano said. “Our high school focuses on giving back to the community. Students should know the skills they hold can have an impact on a community.”
1.What sets The Career Technical Education Charter High School apart, according to Castro?
A.They joined healthcare workers on the frontline.
B.They donated about 200 million masks in a month.
C.They designed a more protective face shield.
D.They made a difference in such difficult times.
2.According to Paragraph 7, what will happen when they triple their production rate?
A.They will get 20 more 3D printers from Makerbot.
B.They will produce a face shield in less than 30 minutes.
C.They will be able to produce about 300 face shields every day.
D.They will start to sell their face shields on their school’s website.
3.What does Delano think of CTEC’s face shield production?
A.It has boosted the supply of masks in Los Angeles.
B.It has interrupted the school’s daily teaching.
C.It reminds the students of the value of their skills.
D.It challenges students to handle 3D printers by themselves.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.Teenagers helping design and produce face masks.
B.3D printing technology being used to produce face masks.
C.Donations from high schools to fight the pandemic.
D.A high school making contributions by producing face shields.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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The year 2019 saw the end of the hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Now, another popular comedy, Modern Family, follows in their footsteps. After 11 seasons the final episode aired on April 8, bringing an end to a sitcom “widely recognized as one of the funniest and most decorated sitcoms of this century”, according to EOnline.
Hitting our screens in 2009, the show claimed 22 Emmys in total, an American award that recognizes excellence in television. At its peak the show attracted over 9 million viewers for its relatable family dynamic, loveable characters and mockumentary (伪纪录片) style. In this format, characters can convey their own thoughts and feelings directly to the audience via a short sit-down interview.
Over the course of the series, fans have witnessed the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan (家族), an extended Los Angeles family, overcome the trials and tribulations of any modern family, including death, adoption and mental health.
The big family’s highs and lows have made it so relatable that we see them as part of our own family and care about their stories. From fights between siblings (兄弟姐妹) to parental disagreement about children’s education, the show, despite being a comedy, deals with serious modern issues that are familiar to the audience.
Despite its success, showrunners admitted that the sitcom had been running on fumes (后劲不足的) during the last few seasons. The final episode went as expected, with the growing branches of each family going their separate ways following one giant on-screen embrace involving every cast member.
As the camera cut to each departing family member, Jay Pritchett, the patriarch (大家长) of the family, expressed an important theme of the show. “Life is full of change. I learned a long time ago you can fight it, or you can try to make the best of it. And that’s a whole lot easier if you’ve got people helping you face whatever life throws at you,” he said emotionally.
Just as the final episode concluded, fans were treated to one last heartfelt moment. As each family switched off their porch (门廊) light, Claire asks Phil (a couple in the show) what they’ll do now that their kids have grown up and moved on. Phil said, “Leave the porch light on – they come back,” a subtle (巧妙的) hint that the show might someday return.
1.How can we define Modern Family?
A.A mockumentary series about an extended family’s history.
B.Sit-down interviews about people’s emotional problems.
C.A comedy encouraging people to adapt to changes.
D.A sitcom about funny family stories and social issues.
2.Why has Modern Family appealed to the audience so much?
A.It applies a variety of shooting formats.
B.It won the most Emmy Awards.
C.Its characters, plot and style are quite relatable.
D.It teaches them how to deal with challenges in life.
3.What does the underlined phrase “trials and tribulations” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A.fears B.problems
C.changes D.boundaries
4.What does Modern Family convey to us, according to Jay Pritchett?
A.Parenting and education are important.
B.Fighting is the best way to handle changes.
C.Life will be easier if you are able to get help.
D.Changes in life shape a harmonious family.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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Almost everyone has heard the expression, “the calm before the storm”. It is usually used to describe a peaceful period just before a very stressful situation or a tense argument.
British sailors coined the phrase in the late 1600s; they noted that before certain storms the seas would seem to become static and the winds would drop.
But why is it often so calm before a storm?
Science has given us the answer. According to US infotainment (资讯娱乐) website HowStuffWorks, a calm period occurs because many storms, such as tornadoes and hurricanes, draw in all the warm and humid air from the surrounding area. As this air rises into the storm clouds, it cools and acts as “fuel for the storm, like petrol in a car”.
Once the storm has taken all the energy it can from the air, it is pushed out from the top of the storm clouds and falls back down to ground level. As the air descends (下降), it becomes warm and dry. Warm, dry air is stable, so once it covers an area, it causes a calm period before the storm.
This same process also causes the “eye of the storm” in hurricanes and tornadoes. In these conditions, the calm occurs in the center of the storm because of the strong rotating (旋转的) winds.
The Weather Network has a tip for working out how far away a storm is. First, count how many seconds there are between a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder. Roughly three seconds equal one kilometer. So, for example, if you count nine seconds, the storm is about 3 kilometers away. A good gauge (评估) is that if your count is below 30 seconds, you should seek shelter straight away.
However, due to the complexity of storm system, not all storms are preceded by calm. Given the right conditions, some storms announce themselves with heavy rain and chilling (寒冷的) winds. So, your best bet is to keep yourself updated with weather reports for any predictions regarding a coming storm in your area. That’s the most reliable and sensible way to predict the next display of nature’s temper (脾气).
1.What is the main idea of Paragraphs 4 and 5?
A.To explain how a storm comes into being.
B.To support previous research on storm clouds.
C.To explain why a peaceful period occurs before a storm.
D.To show how dangerous a storm can be in certain situations.
2.If there are 15 seconds between a flash of lightning and a thunder clap, how far away is the storm?
A.Three kilometers. B.Four kilometers.
C.Five kilometers. D.Six kilometers.
3.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.It is not always quiet before a storm.
B.Storms have a big influence on life.
C.Heavy storms don’t usually last for a long time.
D.Weather reports may fail to predict a storm.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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When I tell people I wrote a book with my dad, they usually say, “It must be nice to think of the legacy (留下来的东西) you created with someone who means so much to you.”
This was a beautiful idea, but it was not the way I, or my dad, ever thought about the cooperation. Though we created something we’re proud of, “nice” is not the word either of us uses to describe the process.
“It was more confrontation (对抗) than cooperation,” my dad likes to say. I agree.
When we landed a book deal, we began a writing journey that was more difficult than either of us had anticipated, but also far more rewarding.
For almost three years, we met once or twice a week at my parents’ house and talked daily to plan and outline each chapter. After these meetings, one of us would write a rough draft that the other would build on. I wanted the book to focus on positive vices (不良习惯): such as moderate (适度的) chocolate. However, my dad felt the book should include chapters dealing with things like walking and spending time with family. Ultimately , I saw it his way. He said the book was about more than just good vices. It was about encouraging people to enjoy life in healthy ways.
Writing this book was a reminder that our family members share not only our faults but also our strengths. My dad is smart, funny, critical and caring. He has a strong passion for the truth. I hope I share these great qualities. For this book, he researched each topic with an enthusiasm I’d never seen from him, and he insisted that we constantly question and critically analyze every piece of information – even our own conclusions. He was determined to cooperate with me on a book, not because he couldn’t write one on his own, but because he believed that we could create something better together than we could alone.
I’m not sure if our cooperation led to better writing, but I’m sure it led to a better writing experience. Writing this book was difficult, sometimes more difficult than past projects, but it was never lonely.
1.How would the author describe the writing process according to the first 3 paragraphs?
A.Nice. B.Struggling.
C.Relaxing. D.Disappointing.
2.What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?
A.A healthy lifestyle.
B.The theme of the book.
C.How the author and his father worked together.
D.Why the author wanted to write the book.
3.What can we learn about the author’s father?
A.He is not good at writing.
B.He lacks confidence in himself.
C.He likes to criticize others’ works.
D.He likes to get to the bottom of things.
4.What did the author learn from the cooperation with his father?
A.It’s important to make a plan before work.
B.Their cooperation resulted in a better book than the author expected.
C.It’s worthwhile to work with someone close to you.
D.Communicate more when there is an argument.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析