The Greatest Olympic Stadiums of All Time
The following are some buildings that have stood the test of time and continue to be as amazing and groundbreaking as the games themselves.
Montreal Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Canada
The 1976 Summer Games were a perfect excuse for then-mayor Jean Drapeau to green light a stadium that could be used for the city’s Major League Baseball team. The building is an extraordinary achievement of engineering and its 45-degree angled tower is the world’s tallest inclined (倾斜的) tower.
Aquatics Centre, London, the United Kingdom
This roof that bends both inside and outside is one of the most recognizable structures by the famous architect Zaha Hadid. Built for the 2012 Summer Olympics, this building is meant to copy the movement of not only the water inside the structure, but also of the neighboring Waterworks River.
Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece
The two bent poles running over the open roof of this stadium from the 2004 Summer Olympics look more like a bridge than a stadium. The stadium itself was built in 1982, but its most recognizable aspects were added during the 2004 refurbishment (翻新).
Beijing National Stadium, Beijing, China
Built for the 2008 Summer Games, the Beijing National Stadium stands apart for its unique appearance like a bird’s nest and the plans for it to be reused at the 2022 Winter Games. Designed to allow the audience a clear view from anywhere in the stands, the stadium is especially eye-catching when lit up at nigh.
1.What is special about Montreal Olympic Stadium?
A.It copies the movement of water.
B.It is shaped like a bridge.
C.It looks like a birds nest.
D.It is recognizable for its inclined tower.
2.Where is the stadium that relatively has the shortest history?
A.In Montreal. B.In London. C.In Athens. D.In Beijing.
3.Which of the stadiums will be reused for the Winter Olympics?
A.Montreal Olympic Stadium. B.Aquatics Centre.
C.Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium. D.Beijing National Stadium.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
In times of crisis (危机), people can be truly amazing. Age, wealth, race, religion, politics and all the other things that make us who we are as individuals seem to matter a little less, and the fact that we are all humans in this world together comes to matter more.
Seni Felic owns a restaurant in San Francisco called Bistro SF Grill, and he is feeling optimistic despite the crisis caused by COVID-19 “We’re going to pool our resources and people will pull together, and it will have a strong effect on solving any problems,” he told Reader’s Digest. With this in mind, he decided to offer nonprofit lunches and dinners in his restaurant.
“We are inviting all to stop by Bistro SF Grill to take a lunch or dinner box with food prepared in advance. The price is only $5.50 and it covers our expenses. We’d like to give for free, but we can’t afford it. Our idea was: Let’s try to help.” he said.
Despite San Francisco’s “shelter-in-place” order, Felic said they still plan to offer meals. The move deals with three problems in the community: offering various high-quality food to people who may not be able to cook or who can’t afford Whole Foods prices; helping the business continue operating during the crisis; and paying some of the hourly workers who make the food so that they can earn enough money to get through the hard times.
He believes that working together and helping others will be the key to helping all to get through this. “This problem will be controlled, and I just feel optimistic,” he added. “When people come together and cooperate, I think we can overcome almost anything.”
1.What made Seni Felic optimistic during the time of COVID-19?
A.His religious belief. B.His decision to offer meals.
C.People’s working together. D.The government’s order.
2.What can we learn about the restaurant’s move to offer nonprofit meals?
A.People should take a box to pack the food.
B.The meals will be given for free.
C.Only poor people can get the food.
D.It can help its workers survive the crisis.
3.Which of the following best describes Seni Felic?
A.Kind and optimistic. B.Brave and energetic.
C.Caring and humorous. D.Helpful and patient.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
One Australian state government has become the first in the world to carry out a statewide camera program to automatically detect (探测) drivers using their cell phones while driving.
The program came into effect in the state of New South Wales on December 1 following a six-month trial earlier this year, which the government claims caught over 100,000 drivers. Similar technology has been tested in England and Saudi Arabia, but the NSW program marks the first time it has been widely carried out.
There won’t be any signs signalling the cameras’ presence, either. “We have to unfortunately use the element of surprise to get people to think ‘well, I could get caught at any time,’” said NSW Roads Minister Andrew Constance. “I want behaviour to change and I want it changed immediately.”
The cell phone detection camera can’t actually discover people using their phones in time. Instead, it takes photographs of every single vehicle that passes by it, using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse them later. If the software detects a likely offender (违法者), the image is then checked by an employee before a punishment notice is sent out.
Drivers will only receive warnings for the first three months the cell phone detection cameras are in operation. After that, drivers who are caught will be fined 344 dollars, as well as losing five points from their driver’s license.
According to the NSW government, if the AI doesn’t detect any phone use in a photo it will be deleted without any human seeing it, usually within an hour.
1.Why does the NSW government carry out the camera program?
A.To detect the number of drivers using cell phones.
B.To help drivers avoid being caught in surprise.
C.To change drivers’ behavior of using cell phones while driving.
D.To test similar technology like some European countries.
2.What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 4 refer to?
A.Cameras. B.Drivers. C.Photos. D.Passers-by.
3.What may happen to the offenders detected by the camera?
A.Some regular written warnings. B.No punishment in the limited time.
C.A heavy fine without point loss. D.A make-up test of the driver’s license.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.A road Al camera system in Australia.
B.A test of world-first AI camera system.
C.The behaviors of Australian drivers.
D.The development of AI camera system.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Three Ways to Protect Yourself From Today’s Unreal News
Nowadays with so much news available, many people consume media in an automatic, unconscious state-similar to knowing you drove home but not being able to recall the trip. 1.. These strategies can help you become wiser news consumers in three simple steps.
Seek out your own news
Like most people, you probably get a fair amount of your news from social media. You should change that. Their goal is to maximize the time you spend on their sites and apps, getting advertising income. That means instead of presenting you with the most important news of the day, social media feed you what will hold your attention. 2.. These organizations actually produce news, usually in the spirit of serving the public interest.
Use basic mathematics
Untrustworthy news often use some data to make unreal claims. 3.. For example, a widely spread rumour (谣言) falsely claimed 10,150 Americans were killed by illegal immigrants in 2019. On the surface, it’s hard to know whether it is true, but one way to start is to think about finding out how many total murders there were in the US in 2019.
4.
Humans are biased (倾向性的) to believe what’s in front of their eyes. Video content is considered more trustworthy-even though some videos can be very misleading. 5.. Seeing and hearing should not necessarily be believing. Treat video content with just as much doubt as news text, checking any facts with news from a trusted source.
A.Watch out for biases
B.Believe video content
C.You’ll see a more complete range of information
D.Think carefully about how you determine something is true
E.Instead, regularly visit trusted news apps and news websites directly
F.Simple mathematical calculations can help you better spot false data
G.However, you can develop habits to control your news intake more consciously
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
As I held my father’s hands one night, I couldn’t help but notice their roughness. His hands tell the story of his life as a _________, including all his efforts.
One summer, I remember, a drought (旱灾) hit Ontario, turning it into a _________ desert. On one of those hot mornings I was picking sweet corn with my dad to fill the last _________ from the grocery store. Fifty dozen was all we needed, which_________ took twenty minutes. That morning, however, the process didn’t _________ quickly. After forty minutes of aimlessly walking in the field, we _________ needed twenty dozen. I was completely frustrated (沮丧的) and _________. Dropping the basket heavily, I said, “If the store wants its last twenty dozen, they can pick it themselves” Dad _________, “Just think, my little girl, only ten dozen left for each of us and then we _________.” Such is Dad-whatever problem he meets with, he never ____________.
__________, the disastrous effects of the drought were felt all over our county. It was a challenging time for everyone, ____________ Dad remained optimistic. He ____________ to be thankful for other things like good health and food on our plates. Only then did I truly begin to ____________ Dad, who guided us through the hard times.
Dad is also a living example of real ____________. From dawn to dusk, he works countless hours to ____________ our family. He always puts our happiness ____________ his own, and never fails to cheer me on at my sports games in spite of his ____________ after long days. His loving and selfless nature has inspired me to become more sympathetic (同情心的) and ____________, putting others first.
Dad, the life ____________ I have learned from you will stay with me forever. You are my father, teacher, friend and, most importantly, my hero.
1.A.gardener B.teacher C.grocer D.farmer
2.A.lively B.stormy C.burning D.disappearing
3.A.gap B.order C.form D.position
4.A.really B.finally C.repeatedly D.usually
5.A.go B.begin C.change D.occur
6.A.yet B.even C.still D.nearly
7.A.angry B.surprised C.frightened D.nervous
8.A.smiled B.cried C.shouted D.apologized
9.A.come B.finish C.lose D.appear
10.A.gives off B.gives out C.gives away D.gives up
11.A.Strangely B.Hopefully C.Thankfully D.Unluckily
12.A.or B.but C.so D.for
13.A.aimed B.continued C.seemed D.happened
14.A.face B.question C.understand D.examine
15.A.love B.pride C.honesty D.friendship
16.A.settle B.start C.support D.leave
17.A.after B.under C.beside D.before
18.A.happiness B.carefulness C.tiredness D.sadness
19.A.considerate B.careful C.regretful D.humorous
20.A.history B.lessons C.patterns D.saying
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Something is happening to the British. They seem to be developing green fingers! The number of people growing their own fruit and vegetables 1. (increase) in the past year, according to Gardeners’ World.
Gardens and private land for vegetables and fruit across the UK have been put to use with people’s 2. (discover) of the joys of home-grown produce. But not everyone has space for a vegetable land or a flowerbed. And sometimes a window box just isn’t enough for 3. gardening challenge. This is why people plant flowers or vegetables in public spaces to make them 4. (green) and more pleasing to the eye.
Many people would approve 5. beautifying towns and cities, but this type of gardening is not 6. (strict) legal. Therefore, the special gardening often takes place late at night. But the image of the enthusiastic gardener is not someone 7. breaks the law. It is of someone spending all their time in 8. (greenhouse) and potting sheds (育秧棚), a person knowing every aspect of how to tend and grow the plants.
Yet, despite the increase in people growing their own, half of the UK population 9. (be) still puzzled about when most fruit and vegetables are in season, according to Gardeners’ World. It seems that Britain still has a long way 10. (go) before being called a nation of gardeners
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，准备参加学校英语角演讲比赛，谈论聚餐时公筷公勺的使用。请你写一篇演讲稿，内容如下：
1. 好处；
2. 弊端；
3. 你的态度。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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。
My family and I go to the Big Island of Hawaii in the United States every year. Each year, we do the same things-spend time at the beaches, surfing and fishing. On this trip, however, my family got tired of this holiday style and wanted to do something different. We learned from a local that there was a hot spring on the island called the Boiling Pots. Without doing any research, we decided to set off on an adventure to that spot.
We drove to the destination, but were surprised to find that the area was closed off by a fence (栅栏). Reading the sign placed in front of the gate, we found out it was, in fact, a forbidden area that lay at the bottom of the mountain. And we were on the mountaintop. Seemingly out of nowhere, a strange man came up to us. He told us he would go to the Boiling Pots and that he would show us the way down there if we would just jump over the fence and follow him. After some discussion, my family, 8 members, followed the man past the fence.
The ''path'' was a slope (斜坡) covered in mud and high grass. Several times, our members fell but nobody gave up and turned back because it seemed an amazing adventure.
After about one hour's walk, we arrived at the bottom finally, but a large river stopped us. The strange man went to borrow a boat from his friend living nearby. We stood on the bank, waiting for him and joking that we could swim across the river.
Just then, I heard the voice of my father screaming at us to move. I looked up to the sky and saw a large tree falling towards us. I ran forward, pushing the people in front of me. I fell to the ground, hearing a loud sound of the tree hitting the ground, along with pieces of branches surrounding us.
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:
In a second, all went quiet
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
When we had no idea what to do, the strange man came back.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
难度: 中等查看答案及解析