Some people are so rude. Who sends an e-mail or a text message that just says “Thank you?” Who leaves a voice mail message rather than texts you? Who asks for a fact easily found on the Internet? 1.
Maybe I’m the rude one for not appreciating life’s little courtesies(礼节). But many social norms(规范) just don’t make sense to people drowning in digital communication.
Take the thank-you note. Daniel Post Senning, a coauthor of Emily Post’s Etiquette，asked, “At what point does showing appreciation outweigh the cost?”
2. Think of how long it takes to listen to one of those messages. In texts, you don’t have to declare who you are or even say hello. E-mail, too, is slower than a text. The worst are those who leave a voice mail and then send an e-mail message to tell you they left a voice mail.
This isn’t the first time technology has changed our manners, 3. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, suggested that people say, " Ahoy! "Finally, hello won out, and the victory sped up the greeting's use in face-to-face communications.
In the age of the smart phone, there is no reason to ask once-acceptable questions about:the weather forecast, a business’s phone number, or directions to a house, a restaurant, or an office, which can be easily found on a digital map. 4. And when you answer, they respond with a thank-you e-mail.
How to handle these differing standards? Easy: Consider your audience. Some people,especially older ones, appreciate a thank-you message. 5. In traditional societies, the young learn from the old. But in modern societies, the old can also learn from the young. Here's hoping that politeness never goes out of fashion but that time-wasting forms of communication do.
A. Then there is voice mail.
B. Others, like me, want no reply.
C. But people still ask these things.
D. Don’t these people realize that they’re wasting your time?
E. Won't new technology bring about changes in our daily life?
F. Face-to-face communication makes comprehension much easier.
G. When the telephone was invented, people didn't know how to greet a caller.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Here are four fantastic experiences for you to enjoy wonderful countryside spots, breath-taking scenery and clean, fresh air. Pack your bags and get outside!
Horse-riding
Here’s a novel way of chasing the Northern Lights — on horseback, which is a back-to-nature experience hunting for the aurora borealis. You’ll saddle up (给马备鞍) at dusk and head deeper into the wilds near the Pallas Yllas National Park.
GO: Three-night full-board guided trip, including two nights in a cottage and one night glamping, from £965 per person. See aurora zone. com.
Mountain-biking
You can choose from guided downhill or cross-country mountain biking to road cycling and families can enjoy peaceful, slower paths and farm trails.
Extra activities include hiking, water park.
GO: Five-night B&B packages including transfers and guided biking, from £374 per person. Bike hire from around £15 a day. See wizzair. com.
Camping
Get back to basics on a campsite with none of that fancy glamping. The pitches are large so you can light your own campfire at night. Walkers are in heaven here, hiking among the limestone hills filled with traditional stone walls.
Also a great destination for fishing, sailing and windsurfing on nearby Lake Semerwater.
GO: Non-electric grass tent pitches from £20 a night. Tipi already pitched from £70 a night. See pitchup. com.
Whale-watching
Scotland’s west coast, one of Europe’s best places to catch sight of whales, has launched a new whale trail. It features 30 top places offering opportunities to see the wildlife and showcases whale heritage sites.
GO: Accommodation along the trail is reasonable including B&B in a double room at Torran in Ullapool from £70 a night. See bandbullapool. co. uk.
1.How much might you pay for two days’ bike-hiring in Mountain-biking?
A.£15. B.£20.
C.£30. D.£374.
2.What will you do in Camping?
A.Hunt for animals. B.Enjoy challenging camping.
C.Visit traditional stone walls. D.Climb an across-country mountain.
3.Where can you find coastal B&Bs?
A.At bandbullapool. co. uk. B.At aurora zone. com.
C.At pitchup. com. D.At wizzair. com.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
For decades, television networks have produced no shortage of entertaining shows featuring food. The success of these shows is a clear indication of the strong appeal of the cookery experience to people. Whether it’s recipe instructions, review of a restaurant or coverage (专访) of a chef, people are hungry to find out more about the food they eat.
One of the latest entries among the food programs is the Emmy-nominated Award Netflix series, Chef’s Table, which features more than just ways to prepare fine food. Viewers tune in to each episode (一集) to hear a personal story from a distinguished chef. Each chef’s tale is heart-touching with their own unique life experience. Take American chef Grant Achatz for example. The journey to operating one of the highest ranked restaurants in North America took a very personal turn. In 2007, Achatz was diagnosed with mouth cancer and lost his sense of taste. Amazingly, he regained it, and has gone on to pioneer a new “progressive American” style of cooking.
Each chef has his own fascinating story, and the series highlights an important common thread among them: culture. Because food is so connected with the culture it comes from, each chef represents whatever traditions and cooking techniques they’ve come out of. They combine their culture’s traditional cooking with new tastes. In fact, many chefs work tirelessly at redefining an entire culture’s expectation for eating.
Despite having a number of unconventional elements associated with their cooking, one thing is clear: Cooking is an incredibly meaningful experience for each chef. One guest described his time at one chef’s restaurant by saying “Eating there is like looking at someone who has put his soul into the food”.
1.What does the success of the food programs show?
A.More and more chefs are in demand.
B.These programs are a new fashion trend.
C.People are hungry to find out what they eat.
D.People are interested in the cookery experience.
2.What do we know about Chef’s Table?
A.It is the latest entry among the food programs.
B.It is an award-winning TV series featuring unique chefs.
C.People watch it just to hear the heart-touching stories.
D.Grant Achatz is the most famous chef in the program.
3.What does the author intend to tell readers in Paragraph 3?
A.Culture counts a lot in cooking and eating.
B.The chefs are trying to change the eating culture.
C.A good chef should highlight traditional cooking.
D.Each chef has his own attractive story about culture.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Chef’s Story B.Food and Culture
C.A Popular Entertaining Program D.Chef’s Table: Food with a Story
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Does it matter if a language dies out? The traditional answer is yes, because every language is a repository (智囊) of ideas and culture and represents a unique way of looking at the world. The planet only has about 7,000 languages; the extinction of even one decreases the sum total of human knowledge.
But in some cases, extinction can be seen in a more positive light. Take Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language（ABSL）for example, restricted to about 1,000 users in a small Israeli village with a high level of born deafness, the language seems to be bound to die by the spread of Israeli sign language.
The natural reaction to the loss of ABSL is regret. It is a fascinating language that has kept linguists busy since it came to their attention around 15 years ago. But for the deaf villagers, Israeli sign language is an upgrade: it allows them to speak to tens of thousands of people rather than a few hundred, and enables them to work and marry outside the village. It is hard to see that as anything other than progress. Similarly, other endangered languages die out because people abandon them in favor of ones that serve their needs better.
Technology also softens the blow, as endangered languages can now be captured in detail — which also means they could eventually be brought back from the dead, much as the Hebrew language was in the 19th century. It is now the first language of 9 million people.
Linguists naturally condemn the loss of language much as conservationists (环保主义者) once mourned the loss of every single species. But they are moving towards acceptance that not all species can be saved, that invasive species are not always bad and that human-engineered ecosystems are not necessarily inferior to natural ones. Perhaps our attitudes to language extinction are due for a similar change.
1.What can we infer about ABSL?
A.Another language replaced it. B.It is an endangered language.
C.Deaf villagers prefer to use it. D.It has been studied for over 15 years.
2.What does the underlined word “upgrade” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Recovery. B.Opportunity.
C.Improvement. D.Update.
3.How does technology affect languages?
A.Technology can remove people’s regret.
B.Languages may be rescued from the extinction.
C.Technology increases the number of endangered languages.
D.Endangered languages might be abandoned because of technology.
4.What’s the main idea of the text?
A.More and more languages are dying out.
B.Technology creates some new languages.
C.People feel ashamed of language extinction.
D.Language extinction is not necessarily a bad thing.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
As the world’s population continues to increase, so does the amount of global waste people produce. According to data collected by the World Bank Group, nations will generate 4 billion tons of waste annually by the year 2100. The pollution from trash is not only ruining the world’s oceans, air and soil but endangering all living creatures.
For years government agencies have been telling citizens to live a zero-waste lifestyle. Traditionally, manufacturers would make a product to be used and thrown by consumers. This linear model of production offered no help in the fight against global waste. Alternatively, a circular economy has been introduced. This is a system which aims to minimize waste and restore used materials. Once a product’s value is exhausted, the materials are recycled and returned to manufactures. The outcome is less waste.
In 2016, The Wall Street Journal reported on the Taiwan island’s recycling success rate in an article titled The World’s Geniuses of Garbage Disposal. In 1997, Taiwan established its signature 4-in-l Recycling Program, consisting of communities, recycling enterprises, government cleaning teams and the Recycling Fund. Residents separate their recyclable waste and bring it to their community’s recycling locations. The local government collection teams and private collectors collect it. Recycling companies buy waste materials from them to generate profits. Importers and manufacturers who are responsible for the recyclable products pay a fee into the Recycling Fund. The Recycling Fund is an essential aspect of the program used to subsidize (资助) the recycling disposal system, support education and research and development as well as finance recycling efforts in the future.
By following a circular system, more products than ever are being manufactured using recycled materials. For example, used tires can be recovered to pave roads, while plastic is reused to make new plastic products. And it also helps to conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, save landfill space and even create new job opportunities.
1.Why has a circular economy been introduced?
A.The population is on the rise.
B.It can help handle global waste.
C.The living creatures on earth are getting less diverse.
D.Traditional products are not environmentally friendly.
2.What can we learn about 4-in-l Recycle Program?
A.The recyclable materials can be collected officially or privately.
B.The importers and manufactures cover the costs of the program.
C.Recycling companies buy waste materials from the residents.
D.The government invests money as the recycling fund.
3.What’s the effect of the circular system?
A.It will cause no waste or pollution. B.It reduces the costs of the products.
C.It helps lower the unemployment rate. D.All the materials can be recycled again.
4.Which of the following does the text suggest?
A.Do nothing by halves. B.All that glisters isn’t gold.
C.Actions speak louder than words. D.One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Eleven years ago, the world I was familiar with ended. My _______ was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Over the course of seven months, Bill went from_______ me at tennis to needing my help to go to the bathroom.
It was the_______ time of my life. Maybe not_______. But it was certainly the time when I felt most alive. I _______ that a flat tire or the small complaints of a child with the sniffles (抽鼻子)_______ in comparison with the beauty of sudden laughter, the night sky, the _______ of a bakery. I found I could _______ myself to see more beauty.
In the days after Bill’s diagnosis and brain surgery, being his caregiver _______ me to find clinical trials and talk to different oncologists, which gave me a sense of________. In the later days, it meant being fully present for almost every moment. During his last weekend, a relative________ him. I noticed that she’d changed her appearance, and not in a good way. It was the kind of thought I’d ________ keep to myself. Just then, Bill ________ exactly what I’d been thinking, in that ruthlessly (鲁莽地) truthful way he had, and I found myself________ out loud.
“I could live with this man forever, even________ as much care as he does,” I thought. However, he would be dead in four________!
Eleven years later, I still try to be the ________ I became during those seven months. I try to be a little more ________ and generous, a little more grateful for the small __________ in life. It was my husband’s last, best __________ to me.
1.A.child B.husband C.father D.brother
2.A.teaching B.encouraging C.beating D.hugging
3.A.best B.worst C.hardest D.longest
4.A.correctly B.exactly C.fortunately D.fluently
5.A.discovered B.figured C.confirmed D.hoped
6.A.changed B.expanded C.appeared D.faded
7.A.tastes B.sales C.smells D.noises
8.A.persuade B.force C.command D.train
9.A.allowed B.required C.requested D.forbade
10.A.security B.dignity C.purpose D.humor
11.A.comforted B.visited C.inspected D.invited
12.A.regularly B.currently C.usually D.occasionally
13.A.announced B.repeated C.yelled D.voiced
14.A.laughing B.smiling C.crying D.breaking
15.A.declining B.accepting C.claiming D.needing
16.A.days B.weeks C.months D.years
17.A.caregiver B.person C.advisor D.nurse
18.A.demanding B.promising C.forgiving D.living
19.A.complaints B.points C.talks D.moments
20.A.gift B.lesson C.memory D.information
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
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。
When people 1.(face) with health or nutrition questions, it is 2.(increase) common to go online and diagnose themselves. But the Internet is full of conflicting health warnings with no regulation to get rid of the wrong advice, some of which3. (be) extremely dangerous! Also, search engines rank results by 4.(popular) rather than accuracy, so solid facts can be quite tricky to find. It is worth 5.(check) if the writer of an online piece is properly qualified as an expert. Anyone can call6. (he) a “diet expert”, “nutritionist” and even a “doctor” — given it could refer to qualifications like a PhD. But remember, only officially7. (recognize) doctors as well as dietitians have degrees8. giving practical medical suggestions. So if you are unsure and still wondering 9. the chocolate diet really does work or not, then it pays to make 10. appointment with your dietician or doctor. The truth is out there, and you just need to look in the right place!
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
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。
删减：把多余的词用斜线( \ )划掉。
修改：在错词下面划一横线, 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。
I still remember that at the age of twelve, I was asked to deliver a speech entitled An Unforgettable Experience before the whole class! How terrible shy I was the moment when I thought of that. I had no choice but prepare for it, though. First, I drafted the speech, which was easy. But the hardest part lies in my oral presentation. The real moment began as I stood on the platform with my legs trembled and my mind blank. But my listener were waiting patiently. Gradually I found myself back, giving my speech fluently. After which seemed to be ages, I found my audience applauding. I made it! From then on, my fear disappeared. Actually with your confidence building up, I now turn out to be the great speaker. Looking back, I know the greatest difficulty on the way to success is fear. Overcome it, or you will be able to achieve your goals.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，你班交换生 Jim 因“新冠”肺炎的原因无法返校，来信向你咨询学习事宜。请你给他写一封邮件，内容包括：1.开学日期推迟；
2.学校辅导（在线教育、心理……）；
3.如有调整，及时通知。
注意: 1.字数 100 左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，使文章行文连贯。
参考词汇：新型冠状病毒 novel coronavirus; 心理的 psychological
Dear Jim,
I hope everything goes well with you.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours truly,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析