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Dear Friends,
You may be familiar with our growing collection of remarkable true stories from around the world about young animals facing disaster and misfortune: a baby hippo orphaned during the Asian tsunami and adopted and raised by a 130-year-old giant tortoise; a baby polar bear abandoned at birth by his mother and hand-raised by a caring zookeeper at the Berlin Zoo.
We are now pleased to introduce you another remarkable true story—unlike our other land-based stories, this one rises from the sea. The name of the book is called Winter’s Tail. This is the story of Winter, a young female dolphin who injures and then loses her tail after being injured off the coast of Florida. The injured Winter is rescued from a crab trap and brought to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a marine animal hospital, where she at first adjusts and learns to swim without her tail by moving her body with a side-to-side action. Winter’s actions and behaviors cause great concern among her caretakers because it is clear to them that she is injuring her body and internal organs with this painful and inelegant method of movement.
But luckily, an engineer designed an artificial tail that enables Winter to once again swim like a dolphin. The solution to this problem came from the miracle of modern technology. It was very challenging but now Winter is thriving and using her new tail with great command. Winter has already become an inspiration and an icon for millions touched directly and indirectly by all types of challenges.
This is an interesting book. I hope you enjoy the interesting and touching story of one brave little dolphin who learned how to swim again.
With love and hope,
Juliana
1.From the passage, what can we know about Winter?
A.She was rescued by a zookeeper.
B.She gets used to living without her tail.
C.She was abandoned at birth by her mother.
D.She swims again with the help of an engineer.
2.The letter is probably written to .
A.teenagers B.engineers
C.swimmers D.zookeepers
3.Why does the author write this letter?
A.To call on people to protect the animals.
B.To arouse people’s interest in this story book.
C.To attract more people to watch the dolphin show.
D.To inform the development of modern technology.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Every day on her walk to school, Khloe Thompson, a nine-year-old girl, kept noticing the same homeless people and couldn’t help but feel troubled. She kept asking her mom why or how they were there, and at the end of the conversation she always wondered, “What can I do to help?” Seeing these struggling individuals in her community, Khloe made a resolution to create her own charity devoted to improving the lives of local homeless people. After Khloe made the decision firmly, she quickly began to effect change in the homeless community, raising spirits while lending some much-needed assistance to those living on the street.
“No dream is too small or too big!” writes Khloe on her GoFundMe page, which was set up by Khloe and her mom Alisha and has raised $14,000 in the two months since it was established, exceeding its original $10,000 goal. “Any funds raised on this page will go toward our charity filing fees and any future volunteer projects. The more we raise, the more people we can help!”
The charity, called Khloe Kares, is a community service-oriented organization that plans different projects to give some assistance to those in need. Khloe’s first project was Kare Bags, which are intended to help the homeless. “I like to give them a nice sturdy bag that they can have forever,” says Khloe, “Sometimes they give me hugs and then they say thank you.”
“As a parent, you’re going to be concerned about her walking up to random strangers,” says Alisha, who accompanies Khloe when she hands out her Kare Bags. After seeing people’s positive reactions, she said “People really warm up to her quickly.”
As Khloe strives to help those near her, homelessness has become an increasingly pressing issue. For Khloe, Kare Bags are just the beginning. She is currently planning a toy drive for kids living in group homes, which will take place on July. She has collected about $1,000 worth of toys to give out, and additional voluntary gifts will go towards The Raise Foundation of Orange County, whose goal is to stop child abuse and neglect.
1.Khloe created her own charity to .
A.collect money for children’s toys
B.help homeless people of the local area
C.protect more children from abuse and neglect
D.improve the living condition of the community
2.From the passage, we can know that GoFundMe page .
A.is a community service-oriented organization
B.was set up by Khloe and some local volunteers
C.plans different projects to help those people in need
D.raises fund for filing fees and future volunteer projects
3.Which of the following words can best describe Khole?
A.Devoted and open-minded.
B.Humorous and strong-willed.
C.Determined and warm-hearted.
D.Knowledgeable and hard-working.
4.Which of the following can be the best title?
A.No Life is Easy
B.The Road to Success
C.The Power of Volunteers
D.Lend a Hand to Strangers
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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While gazing at an airplane passing thousands of feet overhead, or when you are just about to board a flight at the airport, have you ever noticed that the majority of airplanes are white? Sure, some have decorations and names in different colors, but the base color behind those add-ons is almost always white.
Now, thinking of your summer wardrobe, which has at least a couple of white items, be it a T-shirt, a pair of pants, or a skirt. The main reason people prefer white on a hot day is its particular ability to reflect sunlight. The color white is a terrific reflector of sunlight, and reflects almost all the light that falls on it, unlike other colors, which absorb some of the light. So, just like clothing, aircraft producers use white paint to keep airplanes cool. It minimizes the heating as well as the potential harm from solar radiation. Planes have some parts made from plastic, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. Those things in particular need the most protection from the blazing sun.
The next reason for painting planes white is even more practical. It’s just cheaper to have white-colored plane. You see, all airplanes start out white when they’re made. But what if an airline decides to paint theirs, say, bright yellow? An additional layer of paint will add more than 1,000 pounds of weight to the aircraft. The paint on a Boeing 737 weighs 180kg and on a Boeing 747 is around 500kg. Weight increment means the increase of fuel burnt, and that can get pricey. Most airlines want to avoid the higher cost.
When flying at high altitudes, exposed to various atmospheric conditions, colored airplanes tend to fade, and thus require a lot of paint jobs to maintain their artistic appeal. A white-colored airplane, on the other hand, doesn’t appear significantly different, even after spending a considerable amount of time in the air.
Besides, airplanes are regularly inspected for cracks and any other form of surface damage for obvious safety reasons. Nothing works better than white when it comes to spotting a crack on the surface, as the crack is almost always darker than white. Plus, a white plane is easier to spot visually in the event of a crash or any other mishap, especially at night, or in a massive body of water.
Additionally, a study published in Human-Wildlife Interactions found that the paint job does make a difference to birds: “This finding suggests that a whiter airframe would stand out more against the sky from the perspective of the flying bird’s visual system.” According to ABC, approximately $300 million dollars’ worth of damage to planes is caused by birds each year. There you have it: Planes are white to keep you as safe and comfortable as possible, with the added bonus of hitting by fewer birds.
1.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Colored airplane is easier to spot when in the event of a crash.
B.White color can absorb some of the light and make the plane cool.
C.White paint can decrease the possible damage of the sun radiation.
D.Colored aircrafts do not fade easily and maintain the color for a long time.
2.The underlined word “that” in paragraph 3 refers to .
A.the aircrafts B.white-colored plane
C.most airlines D.the increase of fuel burnt
3.Why does the author mention the birds in the last paragraph?
A.To introduce how the birds’ visual system works.
B.To show the cost of an airplane is quite expensive.
C.To state white plane is more obvious to flying birds.
D.To stress how serious damage birds can do to planes.
4.The main purpose of this passage is to .
A.inform and explain B.discuss and clarify
C.analyze and advise D.compare and evaluate
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Sometimes, when looking at the things that have been lying around for a long time in our lives, we probably realize that those items may be useful to others. With the development of the internet, online communities have figured out a way to generate profit from the sharing of those underused assets. Using websites and social media platforms that facilitate the buying and selling of second-hand goods, it is now easier than ever for peer-to-peer sharing activities to take place. And this is what we call sharing economy.
One of the things consumers appreciate when using or working in the sharing economy is the flexibility. It offers services to people when and where they want them. For those who don’t care for traditional office work, sharing economies do not require professional working environments, so there is no need to put yourself in an atmosphere that unfits for your personality. It allows people to choose flexible atmosphere to work remotely instead of in one physical office space.
A sharing economy helps consumers to earn money by renting out underused goods or resources. For example, you can rent out a home using Airbnb, expensive tools from one’s garage, cars, or even sharing the groceries before going on a holiday. All of these provide a way for items to be resold and repurposed instead of just thrown away. Therefore, it helps to reduce waste and make or save money for the provider and users.
But the sharing economy is not without criticisms. The sharing economy is developing faster than existing regulations or ongoing supervision. One downside is that in many cases there is a lack of regulation to check the products and services exchanged during these deals. Unlike formal companies, unregulated individuals do not follow certain regulations and this can lead to poorer and inconsistent quality of goods and services and a higher risk of fraud. For example, hotels are inspected to assure quality, whereas some apartments for short-term rental online are not. The digitally-driven peer-to-peer nature of the sharing economy services sometimes doesn’t match well with certain regulations, which on the other hand, helps keep the provided services more affordable.
Another problem is related to safety concerns. Most sharing economy platforms are based on trust, as well as ratings by guests and hosts. But sometimes it happens that one uses a car, or rents an apartment and it is totally different than one imagines. After all, we have heard some unpleasant tales of guests and hosts.
The sharing economy definitely has its lovers and haters. Many are not ready to switch to that model, where others are already using more than four platforms in their daily lives.
1.What makes peer-to-peer sharing activities easier?
A.The convenience of the network.
B.The development of community.
C.People’s keeping underused things.
D.People’s demand of second-hand goods.
2.The example in paragraph 4 is used to show .
A.sharing economy services are more affordable
B.short-term rental apartments are cheaper than hotels
C.the current rules can’t regulate the quality of online business
D.apartments rental online can’t ensure the safety of the guests
3.What is the author’s attitude towards sharing economy?
A.Supportive. B.Neutral. C.Disapproving. D.Doubtful.
4.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?
I: Introduction P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion
A.
B.
C.
D.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
