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A sign can be found in the front yard of a house in the US. The people living here want to let their dog play outside and ensure it won’t run into the street. So, they hire a company to set up an “invisible fence”, an electric wire buried in the ground around the yard. The dog wears a special collar and when it walks near to the “fence”, the wire will send out a small shock. The dog quickly learns to stay away from the edge of the yard. As it says at the bottom of the sign, the fence will keep your dog “safe” (away from the street) and “at home” (contained inside the yard).
The small word “BRAND” printed in blue means that “Invisible Fence” is registered as the company’s brand name. Similarly, the “TM” printed after “your dog safe at home” stands for “trade mark”, a slogan registered specifically to one company.
1. The people set up an “invisible fence” _________.
A. to let their dog play outside their house
B. to keep their dog away from the edge of the yard
C. to keep their dog inside their yard
D. to warn others not to enter their house
2. Which is NOT true about the “invisible fence”?
A. The fence does not exist at all.
B. The “Invisible Fence” is the name of a company.
C. Without the special collar, the fence won’t work on the dog.
D. Science and technology play an important part in it.
3.
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Signs can sometimes be seen at the entrance of a house, expressing that a tramp（流浪汉）has passed. This special sign-language is frequently 50 by tramps to inform their 51 whether the host of a certain house is friendly or unfriendly, and to 52 them the trouble of making unnecessary calls.
Quite 53 one day, I came across a real tramp. He was such a rare sight these days that I stood some distance away and watched him. He was dressed just as a tramp should be in, old worn trousers, and a jacket many sizes too big for him. On his head there was a battered old hat and his boots were so old and worn; they were almost coming into pieces.
But the man himself looked cheerful as if he had not a 54 in________the world. He rubbed his nose with his forefinger, 55 a________funny turn, laid a small parcel 56 the front gate, and began 57 a________sign made by a former caller. Although the sign was meaningless to me, it must have been58 , for the tramp’s face lit up with satisfaction. He entered the front gate 59 and rang the bell. When the door opened, I saw him raise his hat 60 couldn’t hear his words. The 61 was very short indeed, for no sooner had he spoken a few words than the door closed fiercely in his face.
I felt 62 for him as he walked sadly out of the house. But just as quickly, his face lit up again and he moved quickly towards the gate. There he stopped, looked at the sign, and shook his head seriously as if he had made a bad mistake. 63 deeply into his pockets, he produced a piece of chalk, rubbed out the existing sign and made a new one in its place. He stared at it for a moment smiling to himself, then gathered his belongings, pushed back his hat and began walking towards the next house at an unhurried 64 , whistling as he went along.
1. A．employed B．made C．taken D．put up
2. A．coaches B．classmates C．fellows D．friends
3. A．share B．save C．give D．urge
4. A．in a way B．by mistake C．by the way D．by chance
5. A．success B．care C．failure D．responsibility
6. A．gave B．launched C．set D．made
7. A．by B．to C．in D．behind
8. A．drawing B．kissing C．correcting D．studying
9. A．sad B．strange C．funny D．exciting
10. A．confidently B．innocently C．consequently D．consciously
11. A．and B．but C．however D．therefore
12. A．conversation B．introduction C．argument D．greeting
13. A．happy B．frightened C．capable D．sorry
14. A．Digging B．Stealing C．Putting D．Looking
15. A．step B．position C．pace D．situation
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Signs can sometimes be seen at the entrance of a house, expressing that a tramp（流浪汉） has passed. This special sign-language is frequently 36 by tramps to inform their 37 whether the host of a certain house is friendly or unfriendly, and to 38 them the trouble of making unnecessary calls.
Quite 39 one day, I came across a real tramp. He was such a rare sight these days that I stood some distance away and watched him. He was dressed just as a tramp should be 40, old worn trousers, and a jacket many sizes too big for him. On his head there was a battered old hat and his boots were so old and worn; they were almost coming into 41. But the man himself looked cheerful as if he had not been a 42 in the world. He rubbed his nose with his forefinger, 43 a funny turn, laid a small parcel by the front gate, and began 44 a sign made by a former caller. Although the sign was meaningless to me, it must have been 45 , for the tramp’s face lit up with 46 . He entered the front gate confidently and rang the bell. When the door opened, I saw him 47 his hat but couldn’t hear his words. The 48 was very short indeed, for no sooner had he spoken a few words than the door closed fiercely in his face. I felt 49 for him as he walked 50 out of the house, But just as quickly, his face lit up again and he moved quickly towards the gate. There he stopped, looked at the sign, and 51 his head seriously as if he had made a bad mistake. 52deeply into his pockets, he produced a piece of chalk, rubbed out the 53 sign and made a new one in its place. He stared at it for a moment smiling to himself, then gathered his 54, pushed back his hat and began walking towards the next house at an unhurried 55, whistling as he went along.
1. A．employed B．made C．taken D．put up
2. A．parents B．classmates C．fellows D．friends
3. A．share B．save C．give D．put
4. A．in a way B．by mistake C．by the way D．by chance
5. A．with B．in C．by D．on
6. A．a fashion B．a design C．pieces D．blocks
7. A．success B．care C．failure D．family
8. A．gave B．got C．set D．made
9. A．drawing B．kissing C．correcting D．studying
10. A．pleased B．strange C．funny D．exciting
11. A．surprise B．satisfaction C．worry D．disappointment
12. A．rise B．put on C．raise D．throw
13. A．conversation B．introduction C．quarrel D．greeting
14. A．happy B．frightened C．worried D．sorry
15. A．cheerful B．sadly C．bravely D．eagerly
16. A．waved B．swung C．shook D．nodded
17. A．Digging B．Stealing C．Putting D．Looking
18. A．appearing B．moving C．shining D．existing
19. A．belongings B．clothes C．umbrella D．stick
20. A．step B．position C．pace D．situation
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Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge
This modern-art gallery in a Victorian house was founded in the 1950s by Tate Jim and reopened in February following a two-year redevelopment by Jamie Fobert Architects, the team behind the 2017 Tate Steves extension. This means a new cafe, a four-floor education wing and improved gallery space that can accommodate more visitors. The gallery’s permanent collection includes works by Joan Miró, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.
Being Brunel, Bristol
To celebrate the life and work of famous civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunei, Being Brunei will open in March on Bristol’s harbourside. The museum will include a range of interactive and entertaining exhibits, including talking portraits of his friends and family and personal possessions, including an 1821 school report. It is a good place for families to strengthen connections.
Royal Academy of Arts, London
The RA reopens on 19 May for its 250th anniversary, following a £50m renovation (翻新) with a gallery and expanded exhibition programme. These will include three day-lit galleries, which will host exhibitions with a focus on contemporary art and architecture. The grand frontwall of the Burlington Gardens building has also been restored—possibly the first time it’s had a proper clean in its 150 year history.
V&A, Dundee
One of the most significant new openings of the year will be Scotland’s first design museum and also the first V&A anywhere outside of London on 15 September. The museum building sits on the river Tay. It will celebrate Scottish design and objects in its collection.
1.What do we know about Being Brunel?
A. It has a long school report.
B. It includes three day-lit galleries.
C. It is family-friendly.
D. It possesses permanent collections.
2.The purpose of the RA reopening is _______.
A. to expand the exhibition
B. to mark its 250th anniversary
C. to display contemporary art
D. to present its 150-year history
3.What does the writer intend to tell us?
A. To compare different tourist attractions.
B. To attract more visitors to the UK.
C. To describe some famous museums and artists.
D. To introduce openings of some famous art museums.
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Don’t be afraid! If the person standing in front of us were a witch, she _______ us into frogs already.
A.would turn B.would have turned C.may turn D.may have turned
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Public Speaking
Public speaking can be defined as the act of making a speech in front of a group of listeners.
The types of public speaking are deliberately structured with three general purposes: to inform, to persuade and to entertain. An informative speech has a purpose to inform, or give knowledge to its audience. 1.For persuasive speech, the speaker would try to change the mindset, perception, or behavior of the audience for their own good. Thus, the speaker needs to look for common ground with the audience and try to relate to what they might agree on. The last type is a ceremonial speech. It tends to be less formal and more personal than the other types of speeches. No matter how well you know the person you are giving speech about, try not to say bad things about them, even if it is meant to be a joke.
2.Sparing some time to practice will help build confidence and help determine how long the presentation will last. Aside from it, knowing who the audience will be is quite necessary. Try to get as much information as possible regarding this particular area related to the audience. Knowing the “battlefield” in advance will give the speakers a huge advantage.
Language is the main aspect a speaker needs to pay attention to while giving a speech.
3.A speaker needs to choose their words carefully and make it clear to the audience what they mean. Often, when given a speech, the audience look up to the speaker to give them something new and useful. 4.Language and delivery alone will not be sufficient if the speaker does not have the body language. The movement and gesture of a speaker also affect the audience. While closing the speech or presentation, speakers can restate their main points, just to remind the audience of the important things that have been said. 5.
A. It needs to be used clearly.
B. These speeches mark special occasions.
C. The important thing to watch about is not to put in too much information.
D. The key of perfecting anything is through practice, including public speaking.
E. They can also end it with a special message and encourage the audience to ask questions.
F. Knowing how public speaking is done is a key part in understanding the importance of it.
G. Thus, the speaker needs to know how to deliver their speech to fulfill the audience‟s expectation.
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Let’s play a word game. What word can be put in front of the words “stick, maker and point” to make three new compound words? Ready for the answer? Match. Match will combine to make the words “match-stick, match-maker and match-point”. And the point of tasks like this is to measure creativity.
Maybe you have music playing as you think about the words. And, of course, many listen to music while they work. So Emma Threadgold, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire in England, and her colleagues recently used such word puzzles to investigate whether listening to music affects creativity. They asked volunteers to solve 19 puzzles, while listening to either a foreign-language tune, an instrumental version of the same song, a familiar English-language tune, or silence. In every case, volunteers listening to music solved fewer puzzles than their counterparts in total quiet, suggesting that background music does not really aid this kind of creative task. Besides, the researchers tested library noise as well, like the sounds of typing and rustling papers. None of those noises decreased volunteers’ performance at all, compared to the silent control group.
The results are in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology. Still, if you do insist on listening to music while working, you might try something a little more low-key than Lady Gaga, says Threadgold’s colleague John Marsh. A sound with a lot of changes in state information or pitches is more disruptive (干扰的) than one with fewer of those changes. So if you compared a modern pop song with some classical music, you’d expect less disruption from that classical music, just as in actual silence.
1.What is the purpose of the word game mentioned in the passage?
A.To make fun with others. B.To test memory.
C.To evaluate creativity. D.To create new words.
2.Why can the volunteers in total quiet solve more puzzles?
A.Because they can concentrate on the problems.
B.Because other groups are not as clever as them.
C.Because other groups are into listening to music.
D.Because they are better at word puzzle games.
3.What can we infer from Emma Threadgold and her colleagues’ experiment?
A.Volunteers in library can do as well as the ones in quiet.
B.Library noises can affect the volunteers’ performance.
C.Sound has a negative influence on one’s creativity.
D.Those who listen to foreign songs perform worse.
4.If you do insist on listening to music while working, which one is the best?
A.Fast-paced songs. B.High-key songs.
C.Pop music. D.Classic music.
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You can’t legally ______ the house before the contract（合同） is signed．
A．take advantage of B．take the place of
C．take care of D．take possession of
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Our house is on the top of the hill, and in winter the winds ________be pretty cold .
A. must B. can C. ought to D. need
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Our house is on the top of the hill, and in winter the winds ________ be very cold.
A. can B. need C. would D. shall