I had been burning some leaves as part of my housework, unfortunately the fire grew, and grew...I wasn’t one to panic, but my fun had turned to fear and desperation, and I realized help was needed. So while I still beat at the flames with my shovel (铲), I gave up my pride, turned my face to the house, and began to shout for Mom.
By now, the flames behind me had crawled through the rocky area, ran through thick grass, and now were halfway to the big ditch (沟渠). Fire was everywhere.
“We’ll have to let the hill go,” Mom said when I reached her. “Have to. We can’t stop it there.” Her voice was lower than usual, and controlled. Mom was known as an enthusiastic person in everyday conversation. But in time of emergency, she was calm. I’d seen it once when I cut my foot and we had trouble getting the bleeding stopped; another time when Dad developed a serious illness and his face and throat started swelling up-as if dying! Mom was using that controlled voice right now.” Help me here, Jamie. Over here.”
She was already in action, stopping flames with each throw of her wet blanket. But it was like trying to stop a flood with a sponge (海绵)—it just wasn’t fast enough.
A flood! That was it! I was extremely clever! “Here, Mom. I've got it! I know what to do,” I shouted. Our garden channel could save us. My shovel made four or five quick digs into the bank, and in a moment the stream was rushing across the small field.
The effect was impressive. The fire immediately lost its power as its roots were killed. In one place fire had come within a few feet of the fence, but to our relief, nowhere had the wood or the brush been touched.
1.It is suggested in Paragraph 2 that the flames are______.
A.moving faster. B.growing higher. C.getting hotter. D.roaring louder.
2.The two examples in Paragraph 3 are given to .
A.support that Mom is a doctor with excellent skills.
B.prove that Mom is always active in daily conversation.
C.show that Mom is capable of dealing with difficulty calmly.
D.indicate that there are too many troubles in the author's family.
3.What kind of person is the writer?
A.wise but naughty. B.practical but incapable.
C.calm and caring. D.courageous and quick-minded.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
This time of year many of us are determined to get back into shape. But if you are having trouble fitting into your tight jeans, it may not be your fault. Scientists now believe that willpower alone is not enough to lose weight. They say success depends on your genes, hormones (荷尔蒙) and psychology.
A study of 75 people by BBC Science and Oxford and Cambridge Universities has looked into why one-size-fits-all diets are often not successful. The scientists divided over-eaters into three groups—people who feast, people who constantly crave food and emotional eaters. They tailored (定制) diets to the needs of each group.
Feasters can’t stop eating once they start. This is because they don’t have the hormones that tell them when they are full. Scientists designed a diet for this group paying special attention to high protein foods that make them feel full for a long time. This included fish, chicken, basmati rice and grains. Bread and potatoes were not allowed because they do not fill you up for long.
Constant cravers always feel hungry. Scientists say that certain genes stop the messages the stomach sends to the brain saying it is full, meaning the cravers always feel like they need more fatty, sugary food. Dieting seven days a week is very hard for these people, so scientists put them on a normal, healthy diet five days a week, and eating whenever they feel stressed. To help them change this behaviour, scientists offered them group support in meetings and online as well as a diet.
During the study, people from all three groups lost weight on the tailored diets, with feasters losing the most and constant cravers losing the least.
So what about you? If any of the eating habits sound familiar, perhaps you should consider a new approach to slimming for now.
1.What is the solution that scientists suggest for feasters?
A.Providing them with a certain hormone.
B.Designing a high-protein diet for them.
C.Reducing their calorie intake on the weekend.
D.Giving them group support in meetings and online.
2.It can be inferred from the passage that______.
A.Bread and potatoes are harder to digest than fish and chicken.
B.Anyone can lose weight only if he or she has strong determination.
C.Emotional eaters are more likely to lose weight than constant cravers.
D.Scientists will find one-size-fits-all diets for those who want to lose weight.
3.The passage is mainly about______.
A.Three factors that determine our success in getting back into shape.
B.Three approaches to losing weight according to eating habits.
C.Willpower is not enough to lose weight.
D.A research on tailored diets.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
For most people today, their GPS (Global Positioning System) has become a lifeline, giving directions to the nearest bathroom or restaurant. But the price we pay for the convenience could be our sense of direction.
“I do think GPS devices cause our navigational skills atrophy.” said Nora Newcombe, a psychologist at Temple University in the US who studies how the human brain navigates. “The problem is that you don’t see an overview of the area and where you are in relation to other things.”
To understand the risk, you first need to understand how our brain keeps us from getting lost. Through experiments, researchers have found that our navigational strategies usually fall into two groups. The first involves a spatial map inside your brain. As you explore an area, you think about how the streets fit together and the best way to get between different places. Eventually, the map lets you navigate between any two points in the area. The second involves a series of landmarks and steps: turn right at the gas station, and your school is on the left. It’s quick and reliable, but less flexible—it doesn’t help you get from your school to a totally new place, even if it’s nearby.
These two methods might not sound all that different, but according to Nora Newcombe, a psychologist at Temple University in the US, people who are bad at navigation have trouble with the first strategy – creating spatial maps. What’s more, people’s ability to create maps is decided by how often we use the skill.
That helps explain what happens when people trust themselves with GPS devices. According to Professor Veronique Bohbot of McGill University, people depending on GPS show more activity in the part of the brain that is good at following directions—but less activity in the part which creates the spatial maps.
It turns out that our sense of direction isn’t the only thing we could lose. One more thing that could go is our connection to the environment we travel through. Researchers have found that when people rely on GPS while driving, their memory of their trip is of a route on a screen, rather than the landscape they traveled through. Moreover, researchers believe that active navigation improves the type of thinking used in all kinds of spatial processes. “It’s things like urban planning, and looking at a map to see where resources are. That’s not replaceable by your phone.” Newcombe said.
1.______is what we may lose for the convenience of using GPS.
A.The ability to read maps B.The sense of feeling the sun
C.The chance to do urban planning D.The connection to where we travel
2.The underlined word “atrophy” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to______.
A.become weaker B.become stronger
C.become more useful D.become less important
3.What may be Veronique Bohbot’s purpose in his research?
A.To explain why people use navigation
B.To prove what happens when we use GPS devices.
C.To find out people’s ability to create the spatial maps.
D.To tell the differences between the first strategy and the second direction.
4.What may be the writer’s attitude towards people relying on GPS devices?
A.Objective B.Ambiguous C.Negative D.Indifferent
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
In school，do you rush from one subject to another? When things happen at such a fast pace, it is easy to get lost of what you are doing or learning. It is important to stop yourself every now and then to think about what you’ve been doing or learning.
1.. By being calm and going slowly, you give your brain a chance to evaluate the input it has already received. Some people prefer to do these self-reflections only in their mind. Others keep a journal or written notes. 2..
Use natural breaks as opportunities to stop and reflect. 3.. This makes it easier for someone to begin self-reflection. Sometimes you know the unit is over because there is some kind of test.
Find a quiet place. You can even be sitting at your desk at school when you finish something early and the other students are still working. 4.. Let your mind think about the notes you have written and make some connections. Sometimes just pausing to think deeply allows your brain to make connections. Having a lot of connections allows your brain to quickly get back information when you need it again.
5.. For example, maybe you learned about a certain body system, but you’re not sure how it works together with the other body systems. Maybe you learned a new way to work out a math problem，but you’re not sure when to use it. Writing down your questions will help you remember to look for answers the next time you are working with the same topic.
Self-reflection is important to a successful student. If you have never taken the time to do self-reflection, try it now.
A.Slow down and calm your mind.
B.Think about things that you are not sure of.
C.School textbooks are divided into chapters and units of study.
D.If you are going to review,take out paper or your reflection diary.
E.Write down some notes on the new things that you learned in the unit.
F.Either method works,depending on your own personal learning.
G.Self-reflection means slowing down and calming yourself,including calming your mind.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, a rude waiter, or an angry employee ruin your day? The mark of your ___________ reply is how soon you can come back to smiling to them.
Years ago I learned this ___________. One day I was in a taxi and we were driving in the right lane ___________ suddenly, a black car jumped out of a parking space right ___________ us. My taxi driver slammed on his brake, ___________ sideways, and at the very last moment our car stopped and ___________ missed the back of the car by just inches！The driver of the car looked around and started yelling at us.
However, my taxi driver just smiled and ___________ the guy. I was ___________ and said, “Why did you just do that? This guy ___________ have killed us！” He told me ____________ I now call “The Law of the Garbage Truck”.
He said, “Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of ____________, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage ____________, they look for a place to get rid of it. And if you let them, they’ll ____________ it on you. So one day when someone wants to do so, don’t take it ____________. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Believe me. You’ll be ____________.”
So I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and ____________ it to other people at work, at home, or on the street? Then I knew clearly what I should do. ____________ the “The Law of the Garbage Truck”, and you’ll take ____________ of your life. You make room ____________ the good by letting go of the bad.
Have a day ____________ of garbage! Have a day full of marvelousness！
1.A.immediate B.wise C.particular D.successful
2.A.experience B.theory C.lesson D.case
3.A.before B.when C.until D.while
4.A.beside B.next to C.behind D.ahead of
5.A.slid B.drove C.moved D.paused
6.A.suddenly B.hardly C.narrowly D.abruptly
7.A.yelled at B.waved at C.ignored D.greeted
8.A.shocked B.depressed C.dissatisfied D.pleased
9.A.could B.should C.would D.must
10.A.that B.how C.which D.what
11.A.expectation B.trash C.emotions D.frustration
12.A.piles up B.heats up C.keeps up D.goes up
13.A.drop B.throw C.pour D.litter
14.A.gently B.personally C.surprisingly D.naturally
15.A.stronger B.smarter C.safer D.happier
16.A.spread B.show C.share D.offer
17.A.Keep B.Follow C.Break D.Believe
18.A.charge B.control C.place D.care
19.A.of B.with C.in D.for
20.A.loose B.occupied C.free D.avoidable
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华。你校新来的外教Mr. Smith周末想去博物馆游览，想找一名向导陪同。得知此事后，你写信向他推荐自己，内容包括：1.写信目的；2.推荐理由；3.表达期待。
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。
Getting to watch surgeries should be exciting for any medical student. But in my case, while two doctors were doing the operation, I was checking my phone every 20 seconds to see how much longer until I could leave. I didn’t belong there; I was only pretending to be there. The truth was, halfway through university, I knew I didn’t want to be a doctor. And I had to decide whether to keep lying to myself, or change course.
Before university, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I’d always wanted to do English but my parents didn’t approve, saying there was no money in it. So I figured I’d just pick a career that looked well-paid, satisfying, and would make my parents proud. “Doctor” hit all three, so I decided to do medicine. I knew all the coursework wouldn’t be easy, but didn't expect to find it as hard as I did. I spent many late nights and weekends studying my brains out, but still didn’t get good grades. I just couldn’t get the material to stick to my brain. By exam time, my grades were terrible and I felt like a fool, but I thought maybe a medical internship (实习医生期) would help raise my spirits. Absurdly, my internship was where I realized how little I wanted to be a doctor.
Every day I’d just go into work and do exactly what I was told, go where I was told to go, and watch what I was told to watch. And then I’d go home. It was fun whenever I got to play with expensive microscopes or watch crazy surgeries, but the rest of the time I struggled to get through the day. The other interns, however, practically worked so hard. They were so driven. I thought, “Wow, these interns really want to be doctors. I obviously don’t.” It was a sad realization that led to a sadder, scarier question: If I didn’t want to be doctor, what did I want to do?
注意：
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.应使用5个以上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:
It wasn’t an easy decision.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Eventually, I changed my course to English writing and suddenly I was enjoying university.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
难度: 中等查看答案及解析