A cloudless Southern California sky looms over the Pro Park Course for the Pro Skate Park Series. Here to compete are some of the top female skaters in the world. The women skaters range in age from early adolescence to early 30s, but in a sport that embraces youth, there is one who stands out. At 8 years old, Sky Brown, would be the youngest skater, male or female, ever to compete at this series.
She is known to some — a minor star of the viral age. When her first video was posted to YouTube, Sky initially gained a little internet fame as a premature and level-headed 4-year-old — highly intelligent, well-spoken beyond her years, hugely talented, and yet grounded. Four years later, it was announced that she would be competing at Huntington Beach. Still, the question remains: Is she truly ready, or will this be another case where reality comes crashing down hard on all the hype?
And then, it turns out to be anything but. Sky goes out and presents one surprise after another. Commentators Neal Hendrix and Chris Pastras are left in awe, “Half of the pros can't do.” The only thing that makes the prodigy look like a kid is her size. In every other regard, she holds her own with skaters 10 and 20 years her senior. Before the competition at Huntington, Sky was a curiosity. After, she is a competitor.
Sky's first memory of a skateboard is seeing her father, Stuart, doing a few tricks in front of the family home. “It always looked really fun,” says Sky. “I just kept begging to try it.” Sky progressed quickly, although she never had a formal coach. Somehow she just had the knack. Every movement, every shift in weight, every push and pull of body on board, she absorbed. Then, she did it herself.
“You get so close to making it,” she says of her process, “and think you're about to land it, and then it takes you 100 more times. I'm always saying to my parents, 'Just one last try.'” If anyone was pushing, striving to get better, it was Sky herself, learning new tricks the same way everyone else does — by trying, failing, falling, and getting back up again.
1.What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 2?
A.To show Sky’s early experience.
B.To show Sky’s talents from varied aspects.
C.To show the public’s doubt about Sky’s competence.
D.To show the public’s recognition of Sky’s performances.
2.What do we know about Sky?
A.She equals the senior skaters in the competition.
B.She looks like a professional skater in terms of her figure.
C.She participates in a competition inappropriate for the young.
D.She has already become a household name before the competition.
3.What is the main reason for Sky’s achievements?
A.Her parents push her too hard.
B.She practices hard and never quits.
C.Her coach is very strict with her.
D.Her father exerts a strong influence on her.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.A Rocky Road Leads to Internet Fame
B.A Strong Competitor Stands out from Crowd
C.An 8-year-old Skater Amazes the World
D.A Wonder Shows at the Pro Skate Park Series
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Kinder Camp
This is a week-long camp, Monday through Friday, for children from three years old to those entering first grade in the fall. Early childhood educators guide your child through activities including songs, games, stories and walks in the woods. Daily themes include dirt, furry animals, insects and more! Parents sign up to bring a snack(小吃). Choose from either morning or afternoon sessions, from June 9 to July 1, 2020.
Kids Camp
Children explore all day in the natural world. Art, music, cooperative games and hikes through the woods are some of the activities in this fun-filled week. Each grade level has its own camp program especially designed with the campers’ interests in mind.
Camp takes place Monday through Friday, 9 am to 3 pm. Level 1 (completed 1st grade): July 28 to August 1, 2020.
Level 2 (completed 2nd grade): August 4 to 8, 2020.
Level 3 (completed 3rd grade): August 11 to 15, 2020. Please note: children must bring their own lunches.
Outdoor Expeditions
Send your child on a traveling adventure. Teenagers will investigate the natural, cultural and historical facts that make their hometown a great city. Activities will include unique field trips and tours.
Outdoor Expedition: from 9 am to 3 pm, August 11 to 15, 2020. Please note: children must bring their own lunches.
Rainbow Camp
Campers enjoy all kinds of activities including arts and crafts, music and singing, drama, active games, cooking and a host of special events that go with our theme weeks! Special guests are invited to the camp every week to entertain our campers and may include storytellers, musicians and magicians.
Week-long camp, June 14 to 18.
Campers must be at least 4 years old to take part.
For more information, call Frick Environmental Center at (412) 422—6538.
1.According to the passage, we can infer that Kinder Camp is probably organized to ____.
A.help children learn about nature while playing
B.get children prepared for primary school
C.offer parents a chance to play with their children
D.develop children’s language skills
2.Jack, aged 13, interested in nature and is free in August, would probably take ____ .
A.Rainbow Camp B.Kids Camp
C.Kinder Camp D.Outdoor Expeditions
3.Of the four camps, the common thing is that ____ .
A.they are all whole-day camps for children
B.they all last five days for each group
C.they all require campers to bring their own lunches
D.they are all for children over five years old
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A Swiss airplane powered only by energy from the sun left from Abu Dhabi early on March 9. Its creators hope the plane will make the first around-the-world journey without any fuel. The plane is called Solar Impulse 2. It has one seat and is made from carbon fiber. The plane weighs only as much as a car but its wings are wider than a Boeing 747. The plane’s wings stretch 72 meters across. Those wings include 17,000 solar units, or cells, which capture the sun’s energy. The energy allows the plane to fly day and night.
Two Swiss scientists built the plane. Bertrand Piccard is also an explorer who made the first non-stop flight around the world in a balloon. Andre Borschberg is an engineer and trained fighter pilot. The scientists say they are not trying to alter the airplane industry. Instead, they want to show that new energy sources and technologies can achieve what some say is impossible. “We want to show we can fly day and night in an aircraft without a drop of fuel.” Mr. Piccard said.
Some parts of the trip will require the pilots to be in the tiny plane for five to six days and nights in a row. So it is good that the pilot’s seat is also a toilet.
The plane’s route begins in the United Arab Emirates. The pilots also plan stops in Oman, India, and China. They will cross the Pacific Ocean, stop in the United States, and continue over southern Europe or North Africa. They plan to arrive back in the United Arab Emirates in late July or early August.
Internet viewers can go to the Solar Impulse website to see the plane’s location and listen to broadcasts from the pilots.
1.Why does the plane have wider wings?
A. It can fly faster and land safely.
B. It can get the sun’s energy easily.
C. It may look like a Boeing 747.
D. It will make the plane appear larger.
2.What does the underlined word “alter” in Para 2 probably mean?
A. Improve. B. Change.
C. Rebuild. D. Destroy.
3.What do we know about the trip made in the plane?
A. It will take five to six days and nights.
B. It is a non-stop flight around the world.
C. It is broadcast live on the Internet.
D. It doesn’t include North America.
4.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. A solar-powered plane will travel the globe.
B. A good way to save energy has been found.
C. A newly-built plane consumes no energy.
D. Solar energy waits to be fully explored.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Don't get mad the next time you catch your teenager texting when he promised to be studying. He simply may not be able to resist. A University of lowa(UI) study found teenagers are far more sensitive than adults to the immediate effect or reward of their behaviors. The findings may help explain why the initial rush of texting may be more attractive for adolescents than the long-term pay off of studying.
"For the teenager, 'the rewards are attractive." says Professor Jatin Vaidya，an author of the study. "They draw adolescent. Sometimes, the rewards are a kind of motivation for them. Even when a behavior is no longer in a teenager's best interest to continue, they will, because the effect of the reward is still there and lasts much longer in adolescents than in adults ."
For parents,that means limiting distraction (分心的事情）so teenagers can make better choices. Take the homework and social media dilemma: At 9 p.m., shut off everything except a computer that has no access to Facehook or Twitter, the researchers advise. "I'm not saying they shouldn't be allowed access to technology," Vaidya says. But some help in netting their concentration is necessary for them so they can develop those impulse-control skills.”
In their study,Vaidya and co-author Shaun Vecera note researchers generally believe teenagers are impulsive（冲动的)，make bad decisions，and engage in risky behavior because the frontal lobes（额叶）of their trains are not fully developed. But the UI researchers wondered. whether something more fundamental was going on with adolescents to cause behaviors independent of higher-level reasoning.
"We wanted to try to understand the brain's reward system how it change from chillhood to adulthood," Says Vaidya, who adds the reward character in the human brain is easier than decision-making. “We've been trying to understand the reward process in adolescence and whether there is more to adolescence behavior than an under-developed frontal lobe,”he adds.For their study ,the researchers persuaded 40 adolescents, aged 13 and 16,and 40 adults, aged 20 and 35 to participate.
In the future,researchers hope to look into the psychological and neurological（神经学上的）aspects of their results.
1.What does the passage mainly tell us?
A.The initial rush of texting is less attractive for adolescents than the long-term pay off of studying.
B.Always, rewards are attractive to teenagers.
C.Resistance can be controlled well by adolescents.
D.Getting rewards is the greatest motivation for adolescents to study.
2.Which statement agrees with Vaidya's idea?
A.The influence of the reward is weak in adolescents.
B.Parents should help children in making decisions.
C.Children should have access to the Internet.
D.Children need help in refocusing their attention.
3.What result does teenagers' brain underdevelopment lead to?
A.Doing things after some thought.
B.Making good decisions.
C.Joining in dangerous actions.
D.Escaping risky behavior.
4.How did the researchers carry out their study?
A.By making a comparison of brain examinations.
B.By examining adults’ brain.
C.By examining teenage brain.
D.By building the train’s reward system.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Bobby the mountain climber was famous for his attempts to climb the big snowy mountain. He had tried it at least thirty times, but had always failed halfway.
For the sake of ________ Bobby to try again, Old Peeper, the town optician, who bore witness to his ________, presented him with a pair of ________ sunglasses. "If it starts clouding over or if your feet start hurting, put on these glasses. They'll help you.” Bobby accepted the ________ without giving it much mind, but when his feet started _________ again he remembered his words and put on the glasses. Then ________ came as usual in the form of cloud cover, but seemingly not so thick this time. So Bobby ________climbing, leaving the clouds behind, forgetting his ________, and finally arriving at the summit. It was ___________ worth it. His feeling of triumph was ________, almost as magnificent as that wonderful ________. Resplendent in its silence, the mountain below was surrounded by a dense sea of clouds. Bobby didn't remember the clouds being as ________ as that, so he looked more closely at the sunglasses, and ________ everything.
Peeper had carved a light ________ on the lenses (镜片), in the form of the snow-covered summit. It was made in such a way that you could only ________ it if you looked upwards. Peeper had understood that whenever Bobby lost sight of his ________, he would similarly lose sight of his dream, and his ________ to continue would weaken.
Bobby realised that the only obstacle to reaching the summit had been his own _______. When he could no longer see the top of the mountain, the problems ________. He thanked Peeper for using that little ________ to help him see that his aims were not impossible, and that they were still there, where they had always been.
1.A.convincing B.encouraging C.educating D.entertaining
2.A.practice B.disadvantage C.growth D.failure
3.A.special B.beautiful C.fancy D.expensive
4.A.gift B.challenge C.award D.request
5.A.breaking B.damaging C.aching D.swelling
6.A.danger B.adventure C.pressure D.misfortune
7.A.quitted B.kept C.accomplished D.abandoned
8.A.problem B.pain C.injury D.anxiety
9.A.normally B.practically C.certainly D.exactly
10.A.incomparable B.invisible C.undesirable D.unmeasurable
11.A.experience B.attempt C.view D.present
12.A.white B.thin C.dark D.thick
13.A.recognized B.grasped C.believed D.acknowledged
14.A.image B.spot C.photo D.message
15.A.move B.feel C.change D.see
16.A.objective B.power C.success D.journey
17.A.preference B.will C.competence D.concentration
18.A.mistake B.prejudice C.ignorance D.discouragement
19.A.set off B.cut in C.set in D.showed off
20.A.technology B.tool C.trick D.mark
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Birth order plays a vital role in deciding the characteristics of a child. And when it comes to the middle child, it certainly plays a huge role. The middle children go through some things only they can understand. 1.
Mostly, middle children have to share a room. 2. They need to share a room with an elder one because they're too young to sleep alone. And just when they think they'll finally have a room of their own, a voice is heard saying, “Dear, please share the room with your younger one, as he's too small to sleep alone.”
Middle children tend to share clothes with their siblings (兄弟姐妹). Their cupboard is full of handmedowns from their older sibling, and they need to wear his clothes. 3. They can always show off their elder sibling's clothes and things at school. Also, they get to pass their own clothes to their younger sibling.
4. They're liked by both, because they can relate well to both generations. On one hand they can recall how much fun it was watching Garfield and Friends, and on the other hand they can talk about the latest video game released in the market.
Siblings' talking is one interesting thing about a middle child. They are not as boring as they appear.5. Also, thanks to the divided attention at home, middle children are independent and need not rely on anyone.
A．Instead, they are very artistic and creative.
B．But this comes with its own advantage too.
C．Here are some things a middle child can relate to.
D．They rarely enjoy the experience of having their own room.
E．And the dream of having their own room is completely destroyed.
F．They're the problem solvers between their older and younger siblings.
G．As a middle kid, they are the bridge between their younger and older siblings.
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。
In late April 2014, a 1. (violence) storm swept through the southern United States, destroying more than $ 1 billion in property and killing 35 people. But a group of migratory(迁徙的) birds in eastern Tennessee sensed the oncoming mess and left long before the first clouds arrived. A year 2. (early), the team had tagged golden-winged warblers ( 莺 ) with leg trackers 3. (study) their annual migrations to South America. Two days before the storms 4. (strike)，five golden-winged warblers slipped away, traveling nearly 700 kilometers south to the Florida coast.
It's the first time that the birds which normally migrate with the seasons 5. (observe) to slip away when a big storm hits. The researchers suspect this 6. (behave) occurs only when the threat of injury outweighs the energy costs of a long trip. But nobody knows 7. the birds guessed the storm's severity and left so soon. Puzzled by it, the scientists initially reasoned that delicate changes in weather — atmospheric pressure, temperature, wind speed, cloud cover, or rainfall signaled 8. upcoming disaster. Yet when they checked weather records, none of these factors waved significantly 9. the storm. Instead, the team assumes that the 10. (approach) storms created a disorder of infrasounds—low-frequency sound waves that birds can hear, but humans can't.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文
中共有 10 处错误，每句最多有两处。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。
My senior high school life started with military training(军训). It consisted in two parts: the theory exam and the physical training, which was lasted about two weeks. The latter was much tough than the former. Dressed in green uniforms and exposing to the sun, we had to follow the soldier daily routine and go through hard training. Each morning, we had to get up and fold quilts rapid. We should finish our meals in limited time, too. Then I think it unbearable. Besides, now looking back, I find it necessary. It is the military training which teaches me how to bear hardship and lead better life.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是高三学生李华，你的美国朋友 David 寒假去武汉探亲，但是因新冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）疫情，目前暂时滞留武汉，无法返深。请你给此时处于焦虑和郁闷中的他写一封英文慰问信，内容包括：
1. 对其表示关心和安慰。
2. 鼓励他积极应对现状。
3. 表达愿望和祝福。
注意：1. 词数 100 左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇: epidemic n. 流行病
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难度: 困难查看答案及解析