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
Metro Pocket Guide
Metrorail(地铁)
Each passenger needs a farecard to enter and go out. Up to two children under age five may travel free with a paying customer.
Farecard machines are in every station. Bring small bills because there are no change machines in the stations and fare card machines only provide up to $ 5 in change.
Get one day of unlimited Metrorail rides with a One Day Pass. Buy it from a farecard machine in Metro stations. Use it after 9:30 a. m. until closing on weekdays, and all day on weekends and holidays.
Hours of Service
Open: 5 a. m. Mon.-Fri. 7a. m. Sat.—Sun.
Close: midnight Sun.—Thur. 3a.m.Fri. —-Sat.nights
Last train times vary. To avoid missing the last train, please check the last train times posted in the stations.
Metrobus
When paying with exact change, the fare is $ 1. 35 and when paying with a SmarTrip card, the fare is $1. 25
Fares for the Senior /disabled customers
Senior citizens 65 and older and disabled customers may ride for half the regular fare. On Metrorail and Metrobus, use a senior/disabled farecard or SmarTrip card. For more information about buying senior/disabled farecards,SmarTrip cards and passes, please visit MetroOpenDoors. com or call 202-637-7000 and 202-637-8000.
Senior citizens and disabled customers can get free guide on how to use proper Metrobus and Metrorail services by calling 202-962-1100
Travel tips
●Avoid riding during weekday rush periods –before 9:30 a. m. and between 4 and 6 p. m.
●If you lose something on a bus or train or in a station, please call Lost & Found at 202-962-1195.
1.What should you know about farecard machines?
A.They start selling tickets at 9:30 a. m.
B.They are connected to change machines.
C.They offer special service to the elderly.
D.They make change for no more than $5.
2.What is good about a SmarTrip card?
A.It is convenient for old people. B.It saves money for its users.
C.it can be bought at any time. D.it is sold on the Internet.
3.Which number should you call if you lose something on the Metro?
A.202-962-1195 B.202-962-1100
C.202-637-7000 D.202-637-8000
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Basketball fans around the world are mourning the death of American superstar Kobe Bryant.
Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash Sunday in California, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people. He was 41 years old.
Bryant was an 18-time All-Star player. He won five NBA championships and two Olympic gold medals. He was widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The helicopter carrying Bryant and the others crashed into a hilly area in foggy conditions outside Los Angeles. Bryant lived south of Los Angeles and often used helicopters to travel around the area to save time and avoid Southern California traffic.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. It took place about 32 kilometers from Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy, a basketball training center in Newbury Park, California. Bryant was on his way to attend a youth basketball competition on Sunday with his daughter. Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, had four daughters.
When he retired from the NBA in 2016, Bryant was the third-leading scorer in NBA history with 33,643 points. He is widely expected to be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year.
The basketball world and the Los Angeles community reacted to Bryant’s death with an outpouring of sadness, disbelief and support.
In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Bryant was one of the greatest stars in the game. But he added, He will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability.
On Twitter, U.S. President Donald Trump noted the terrible news. He called Bryant one of the truly great basketball players of all time who was just getting started in life.
1.Where is the passage probably taken from?
A.A science report. B.A biography.
C.A textbook. D.A newspaper.
2.What Kobe Bryant impressed people in the world most was .
A.his death B.his achievements
C.his inspiration D.his talent
3.The underlined words “under investigation” in Paragraph 5 mean______.
A.careful examination B.evidence
C.discussion D.argument
4.Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
A.Hearing the death of Kobe, fans around the world were very sad.
B.There were nine passengers on board, including one of his daughters.
C.Bryant was to attend a basketball competition with his daughter.
D.Bryant used the helicopter to save time and avoid the traffic jam on a fine day.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Whether in the home or the workplace, social robots are going to become a lot more common in the next few years. Social robots are about to bring technology to the everyday world in a more humanized way, said Cynthia Breazeal, chief scientist at the robot company Jibo.
While household robots today do the normal housework, social robots will be much more like companions than mere tools. For example, these robots will be able to distinguish when someone is happy or sad. This allows them to respond more appropriately to the user.
The Jibo robot, arranged to ship later this year, is designed to be a personalized assistant. You can talk to the robot, ask it questions, and make requests for it to perform different tasks. The robot doesn’t just deliver general answers to questions; it responds based on what it learns about each individual in the household. It can do things such as reminding an elderly family member to take medicine or taking family photos.
Social robots are not just finding their way into the home. They have potential applications in everything from education to health care and are already finding their way into some of these spaces.
Fellow Robots is one company bringing social robots to the market. The company’s “Oshbot” robot is built to assist customers in a store, which can help the customers find items and help guide them to the product’s location in the store. It can also speak different languages and make recommendations for different items based on what the customer is shopping for.
The more interaction the robot has with humans, the more it learns. But Oshbot, like other social robots, is not intended to replace workers, but to work alongside other employees. “We have technologies to train social robots to do things not for us, but with us,” said Breazeal.
1.What can a Jibo robot do according to Paragraph 3?
A.Communicate with you and perform operations.
B.Answer your questions and make requests.
C.Take your family pictures and deliver milk.
D.Obey your orders and remind you to take pills.
2.What can Oshbot work as?
A.A language teacher. B.A tour guide.
C.A shop assistant. D.A private nurse.
3.We can learn from the last paragraph that social robots will ______.
A.train employees B.be our workmates
C.improve technologies D.take the place of workers
4.What does the passage mainly present?
A.A new design idea of household robots. B.Marketing strategies for social robots.
C.Information on household robots. D.An introduction to social robots.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Whenever we hear about "the homeless", most of us think of the developing world. But the _____ is that homelessness is everywhere. For example, how many of us would expect to see people living on the streets of a_______country like Germany?
Kurt Muller and his wife Rita have spent eleven years making_______ for the homeless of Berlin, Germany's capital. They first_______ one long hot summer when most Germans were_______ on holiday. Kurt Muller and his wife stayed at home, made sandwiches, _______ a table in the street and gave food to the homeless.
The Mullers soon realized that food and clothing weren't _______. “What these people also need is warmth and______, ” says Rita. The Mullers didn’t _______to give their phone number to the street people and told them to phone anytime. Rita _______ there was somebody at home to answer the phone and their home was always_______ to anyone who couldn’t face another night on the street.
The couple were soon_______all their time and money, so Kurt visited food and clothing companies to_______ donations. Today, over thirty companies _______donate food and other goods to the cause and volunteers help to_______them to the homeless. The public also give clothes and money and a shoe producer_______ new shoes.
Kurt and Rita receive no______ for their hard work. “We feel like parents,” says Rita, “and parents shouldn’t_______ money for helping their children. The love we get on the streets is our salary. Though Rita admits she often gets_______. She says she will continue with her work because she likes the feeling of having made a_______ in the world.
1.A.result B.truth C.reason D.idea
2.A.traditional B.developing C.typical D.wealthy
3.A.preparations B.houses C.meals D.suggestions
4.A.began B.met C.called D.left
5.A.asleep B.alone C.across D.away
6.A.brought up B.set up C.put aside D.gave away
7.A.enough B.necessary C.helpful D.expensive
8.A.fame B.freedom C.courage D.caring
9.A.hesitate B.agree C.pretend D.intend
10.A.made sense B.found out C.made sure D.worked out
11.A.open B.crowded C.noisy D.near
12.A.costing B.wasting C.taking D.spending
13.A.pay for B.ask for C.look into D.carry out
14.A.completely B.calmly C.regularly D.roughly
15.A.advertise B.sell C.deliver D.lend
16.A.donates B.produces C.designs D.collects
17.A.permission B.payment C.direction D.support
18.A.borrow B.raise C.save D.expect
19.A.surprised B.excited C.tired D.amused
20.A.profit B.difference C.decision D.rule
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Body language is the quiet, secret and most powerful language of all! 1.
According to specialists, our bodies send out more messages than we realize. In fact, non-verbal(非言语) communication takes up about 50% of what we really mean. 2. Indeed, what is called body language is so much a part of us that it’s actually often unnoticed.
And misunderstandings occur as a result of it. 3. Northern Europeans usually do not like having bodily contact(接触) even with friends, and certainly not with strangers. People from Latin American countries, on the other hand, touch each other quite a lot. Therefore, it's possible that in conversation, it may look like a Latino is following a Norwegian all over the room. 4.The Norwegian, very probably seeing this as pushiness, will keep backing away —which the Latino will in return regard as coldness.
5. And only a part of it is in the words themselves. And when parties are from different cultures, there's a strong possibility of misunderstanding. But whatever the situation, the best advice is to obey the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated.
A.The Latino, trying to express friendship, will keep moving closer.
B.It speaks louder than words.
C.Your body Language will give others a general impression of you.
D.And body language is particularly important when we attempt to communicate across cultures.
E.In many American cultures, it is inappropriate for men and women to touch in public.
F.Clearly, a great deal is going on when people talk.
G.For example, different societies treat the distance between people differently.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Natural resources are things 1. exist in nature and can be used by people. Some natural resources are renewable, like trees. When one tree is cut down, we can plant a new tree to replace it. Others, 2., are not renewable, like the coal dug out of the ground. Once it is used, it is 3.. (go)
Although we all know that our natural resources are limited, we often waste them in our daily life. Paper, bottles and cans 4. (throw) away carelessly; food is wasted just because of its poor taste; clothes are rejected 5. (simple) due to their old fashion. These valuable natural resources will run out before long 6. better use is made of them.
Actually, everyone can make contributions (贡献) to 7. (protect) our natural resources. For example, 8.riding a bicycle or walking instead of driving, we can save lots of petrol. Water is a very important natural resource because we all need 9. to stay alive. We can make wise10. (choose) to save water, like reusing the water that has been used to wash vegetables to water flowers.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
某英文杂志正在举办以“fancy yourself as an interviewer”为主题的征文活动，请你以“A Famous Chinese I Would Like to Interview”为题，写一篇英语短文。
内容包括：1. 采访的对象;
2. 采访的原因;
3. 采访的问题。
注意:词数100左右;
A Famous Chinese I Would Like to Interview
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析