If you have never ever heard of pawpaw，you are not alone. Most Americans do not know of the fruit，although it is native to the United States. Once，however，it was one of the most popular fruits in North America. Happily，those who love the pawpaw are trying to return it to its former position in American foods.
The pawpaw is a kind of fruit that grows on trees found all over the eastern United States. It is similar in size to a typical mango. It has a dull green-colored skin，and a soft，almost creamy orange inside. Most people agree that the pawpaw tastes like a combination of bananas，apricots （杏）and mangos. Most people are very surprised by its sweet taste. The fruit has a very short harvest season，from two to three weeks in September and October.
The pawpaw has never been sold commercially. The fruit requires a very special environment-low，wet areas that sometimes flood. In addition，the fruit is good to eat for only two to three days after harvesting. This makes it hard to sell anywhere distant from the pawpaw trees.
Planters are again growing pawpaw trees and harvesting the fruit. In several states farmers have organized “pawpaw festivals” to reintroduce the food to people.
Farmers are trying to grow different kinds of paw paws that will be easier to ship and sell commercially. Donna and Jim Davis are pawpaw farmers in Westminster，Maryland. They told National Public Radio that they purchased their pawpaw trees in the 1990s and now sell the fruit at farmer markets and online.
So, who knows? Maybe the pawpaw will show up soon at a market near you.
1.What is the pawpaw's most outstanding nature?
A. It grows on trees all over the US.
B. Its sour taste is like an apricot.
C. It looks like a combination of bananas and mangos.
D. It is very rich in sugar.
2.Why is it difficult for the pawpaw to become a big business?
A. It has to be sold far from the pawpaw tree.
B. It is difficult to harvest in the low and wet areas.
C. It is hard to keep its freshness for long.
D. It needs expensive transportation to the market.
3.What do farmers do to deal with the disadvantage of paw paws?
A. They advertise on National Public Radio.
B. They plant improved pawpaw trees.
C. They organize pawpaw festivals.
D. They sell the fruit at farmer markets.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. A forgotten American fruit is becoming popular again.
B. Fruit of pawpaw plays an important part in America.
C. Most people have hardly eaten fresh paw paws.
D. A traditional fruit has changed people's diet.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral church in Paris, is the most famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages. For the French, it represents something immortal, ever-present and unchanging, like a mountain. Built over almost two centuries, the Notre-Dame is, as President Emmanuel Macron said, “where the French lived all their great moments”. Soldiers prayed here before leaving for the Crusades; Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned here; it survived the French Revolution, two World Wars and the Nazi occupation. It is where men bend their knees to profess love and thousands of tourists take photos every day.
A fire, whose cause was not identified yet, engulfed (吞没), on April 15th, the cathedral's upper structure. More than 400 firefighters took part in the 15-hour battle to control the blaze (火苗) that triggered sorrow over the globe. The extent of the damage is still unknown, but the fire destroyed much of the gothic cathedral’s wood-timbered roof and spire (塔尖). The cathedral will certainly be restored (the French government promises), but the sight of flames bringing down the spire moved the world in a manner far exceeding its religious significance.
French Culture Minister Franck Riester on Thursday said the government would draw all the consequences from the huge flames that destroyed the centuries-old Notre Dame Cathedral, adding measures to protect the national heritage were on the table. “Staff from the fire department, the culture ministry and the city town hall rushed to the Cathedral, when the fire started, to protect the main artworks that were inside. The artworks, which include relics such as the Christ's crown of thorns and French king Saint-Louis's 13th century tunic, were first moved to the city town hall and will now be transferred to the nearby Louvre Museum .” the minister told Le Parisian newspaper in an interview without giving details on the possible measures.
1.What can we learn about the Notre-Dame de Paris?
A.It is the most well-known cathedral. B.Most of the French think little of it.
C.It was built by Napoleon Bonaparte. D.It’s still in existence after two World Wars.
2.What is true about the Cathedral in the accident?
A.Only the spire was brought down by the flames.
B.It was completely burnt in the fire.
C.The gilded crown of thorns in it was gone forever.
D.The cause of the accident to the Cathedral was still unknown.
3.According to Franck Riester, what has already done by the government?
A.Rebuild the cathedral.
B.Rescue the artworks inside the cathedral.
C.Transfer the relics to the nearby Louvre Museum.
D.Release the cause of the fire to the public.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a family of seven children, she often felt like she had “seven fathers,” because her six brothers, as well as her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she retreated (躲避) into books. Despite her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.
In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because he thought it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University of Iowa. At the university’s Writers’ Workshop, however, she felt lonely — a Mexican American from a poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros find her “creative voice”.
“It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice. I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That’s when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn’t write about.”
Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street, when she was twenty-nine. The book talks about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in classes from high school to graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books of poetry, a children’s book and a short-story collection.
1.What can we know about Cisneros in her childhood?
A.Her brothers disliked her.
B.She felt herself a nobody.
C.She was too shy to go to school.
D.She did not meet any good teachers.
2.The graduate program gave Cisneros a chance to ________.
A.run away from her family B.develop her writing style
C.make a lot of friends D.search for a husband
3.According to Cisneros, what was the key factor in her success?
A.Her childhood experience.
B.Her training in the Workshop.
C.Her feeling of being different.
D.Her early years in college.
4.What do we learn about The House on Mango Street?
A.It enjoys great popularity among students.
B.It is a book of poetry written by Cisneros.
C.It wasn’t a success as it was written in Spanish.
D.It won an award when Cisneros was twenty-nine.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Recently, a scientist did some experiments. He left a group of 4-year-olds in a room with a bell and a candy. If they rang the bell, he would come back and they could eat the candy. If, however, they didn’t ring the bell and waited for him to come back on his own, they could then have two candies.
In the videos of the experiments, he can see the children hiding their eyes, trying to exercise self-control so they can wait and get two candies. The results are different. Some broke down and rang the bell within a minute. Others lasted 15 minutes.
The children who waited longer went on to get higher academic scores. They got into better colleges and had better adult success. The children who rang the bell quickest were more likely to have received worse teacher and parental evaluations (评价) 10 years later and were more likely to have drug problems at age 32.
The experiments are worth noting because people spend a lot of time thinking about how to improve education, and how to become rich. But when the result is not good, they will come back to ask “How do we get people to get the sort of self-control that leads to success?” This is to enter the world of human nature.
So these experiments, along with everyday experience, tell us that self-control is most important. Young people who can sit through sometimes boring classes to get a degree can work hard in order to learn a language well. They can avoid drugs and alcohol. For people without self-control skills, however, school is a series of failed and painful experience. No wonder they drop out and their later life is a group of foolish ideas, such as drug use, stealing and so on.
1.The scientist did some experiments to ________.
A. find good ways of training children to learn
B. show that children’s education is important
C. test children’s self-control and later success
D. test children’s intelligence of ringing the bell
2.What do the underlined words “broke down” probably mean?
A. failed to wait. B. kept waiting.
C. hid the candy. D. ate the candy.
3.How long did the scientist’s experiments last according to the text?
A. Just 15 minutes. B. Within 10 years.
C. Less than 14 years. D. About 28 years.
4.What will the children without self-control do at school according to the text?
A. They will improve their education.
B. They will suffer a lot from boring lessons.
C. They will become very rich and successful.
D. They will work hard to catch up with others.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Anyone who has children has likely heard "I'm bored!" too many times. When you're on a budget, it can be tough to think of ways to entertain the family that don't cost a lot of money. 1.
Head to the library, and not just check out books. Look at the library's community events calendar. Most libraries have everything from story times for children to game nights for teens. 2.
Camp in a national forest or build a sandcastle. A lot of the sites are free to use, though they do lack facilities. 3. If there's no beach nearby, do the same in the sandbox at a playground.
4. Most cities have at least one local community center.There, you can pick up a park and recreation schedule, with information on free events taking place throughout the year, such as hikes,holiday parties, art festivals, outdoor movies and concerts in the park.
Tour the fire station. Most fire fighters will give you and your kids a free tour,as long as you call and schedule ahead of time. 5. For safety reasons, fire stations do not generally accommodate children under the age of four.
Check out a state park. Stop by the ranger station and ask about free programmes for kids, such as nature walks and hands-on science classes. Some parks have junior ranger badges(徽章)children can earn by completing conservation related activities.
A. Visit the local community center.
B. Go to the beach and build a sandcastle.
C. The time when children visit is very important.
D. Spend more time finding much free information.
E. Kids can learn about fire safety and tour the facilities.
F. Many libraries also have enrichment classes offered free of charge.
G. Fortunately, there are many options available to you if you know where to look.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Holding on regret is like dragging (拖) the weight of the past with us everywhere we go. It consumes our _________, leaving less available for life in the present _________ we are constantly feeding an old issue. This attachment can _________illness the same way watering a dead plant creates decay (腐烂).We know that _________ new and beautiful can grow in its place if we only prepare the soil and plant the right seeds. We also know that we create our lives from our _________, so focusing on the past may actually recreate a situation in our lives where we are _________ to make the choice again and again. We can choose to move _________right now by applying what we have learned to the present and perhaps even sharing with others, _________ the energy into something that is constructive and creative for ourselves and others.
Forgiveness can heal _________. In meditation (冥想), we can ____________discussing the issue with the self of our past and ____________our forgiveness for the choice. ____________, we can ask for ourselves' forgiveness for keeping them locked in that space of judgment for so long. We may also want to ask for ____________from anyone else who may have been ____________and perhaps offer our forgiveness. By replaying the event in our ____________, we can choose a new ending using all that we now know. Imagine that you have actually gone back into the ____________ and made this change, and then say goodbye to it. ____________your former self with a hug and bring the forgiveness and love back with you to the present. Since we are usually hard on ourselves, it is amazing how ____________ healing it can be to offer ourselves love.
Keeping our minds and our energy fully in the present allows us to fuel our ____________ and emotional well-being today. This action frees our energy to create the dreams we dream for the future. By ____________responsibility and action in the present, we can let go of the past.
1.A.resource B.fuel C.time D.energy
2.A.because B.after C.until D.although
3.A.develop B.cause C.cure D.treat
4.A.anything B.everything C.something D.nothing
5.A.thoughts B.performance C.affection D.goals
6.A.instructed B.reminded C.forced D.warned
7.A.on B.away C.up D.down
8.A.persuading B.transforming C.pushing D.tricking
9.A.pain B.anxiety C.anger D.regret
10.A.enjoy B.understand C.imagine D.finish
11.A.begging B.offering C.burying D.attaining
12.A.In all B.In fact C.In case D.In return
13.A.willingness B.forgiveness C.happiness D.gentleness
14.A.teased B.greeted C.forgotten D.affected
15.A.hands B.bodies C.minds D.hearts
16.A.future B.present C.beginning D.past
17.A.Release B.Exchange C.Supply D.Share
18.A.useless B.bitter C.powerful D.slow
19.A.physical B.facial C.sound D.poor
20.A.possessing B.taking C.denying D.displaying
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
语法填空
Over the centuries, there have been a few people who plan the future of the world for a living and they 1. (call) futurologists.
Hundreds of futurologists will gather at Newcastle University to hold a seminar about the future. Many people will attend the seminar with dreams of starting new enterprises 2. (base) on the predictions they will hear. I clicked 3. the websites of a few futurologists and got several predictions.
4. (short), computers will become handier. Then all of us can use our voices to control computers such as downloading files 5. updating computers just by saying a few words. By 2015, garments will have been made of new materials that will remain stainless 6. you spill on them, and they will never get old and worn. By 2025, there will have been no 7. (starve), no people who have to live on welfare, no discrimination, no conflict and people 8. (live) in peace and equality. By 2030, tiny, insect-like robots may be sent around the cells of our bodies 9. (assess) our health , which will have made it possible for us to live for at least 150 years. By 2050, we will be linking our brains to the much 10. (smart) computers and a huge database9 and a new type of electronic human might have developed!
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
When we are happy, we would like share our happiness with others, making them know our enjoyment. When we are not in a good mood, we wanted to get someone whom can listen to us. Be a listener is not easy. People always complain about our worries, and a good listener should listen to them but learn to comfort them. To be a good listener can help us make good friend with others. The one who always listen to others is more likely to be easy-going. When he is in the trouble, his friends will be willingly to help him. So let’s learn to be a good listener from now on.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如你是李华，在过去一周你在英国参加中学生文化交流活动，期间一直住在你的英国好友Peter家，现在已经回国。请你根据以下要点给他写一封感谢信。
要点包括：
1. 表达感激之情；
2. 回忆各种收获；
3. 邀请他有空时来中国玩。
注意：词数100左右；可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
难度: 中等查看答案及解析