It’s hard to talk to Dad sometimes. His silence about his feelings and thoughts made him mysterious and hard to see through. You could never break his hard shell and get to know him. And he seemed to want to stay that way too.
But a year ago when my relationship with my wife and career took a hit, I needed my dad to pull back the curtain so I could see him as real and accessible. I was facing serious problems, and I wanted to know whether he had faced them before and how he had found his way, because I felt like I had lost mine. In desperation, it occurred to me that sending an email might be the key, so I wrote him one, telling him about my regrets and fears, and I asked him to answer, if he felt like it.
Two weeks later, it showed up in my inbox: a muchthought, threepage letter. Dad, a 68yearold retired technologist and grandfather of four, had carefully considered my message, and crafted a response. He mentioned his lost love, the foolish mistake he made in career and the stupid pride he had between him and his parents. He comforted me that “life will still find its right track despite many of its twists and turns”.
I closed the email and started to cry, because I wished I had opened it up earlier but was grateful it wasn’t too late. I cried because at first, in the midst of my own struggles, his letter instantly put me at ease. And I cried because in the end, it was so simple: I just had to hit “Send”.
We’ve since had many email exchanges. This increasing communication opened a door into his world. My problems haven’t been magically solved, but getting to know my dad better has made the tough stuff more manageable and life sweeter. It’s hard to talk to Dad sometimes, but I’m glad I found a way to talk to mine.
1.The author’s dad can be best described as ________.
A. quiet and caring
B. optimistic and careless
C. selfish and lonely
D. indifferent and serious
2.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 can be best replaced by “________”.
A. draw the curtain
B. become more optimistic
C. show his true self
D. clear the misunderstanding
3.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Communication Is the Best Policy.
B. Emails from My Dad.
C. A Man of Few Words.
D. My Mysterious Dad.
4.Which of the following is NOT true?
A. My dad’s email was quickly written.
B. I was moved when reading the email.
C. The email contained much information.
D. I wished I could have consulted him earlier.
Nola (August 21, 1974 -November 22, 2015) was a northern white rhino(犀牛) who lived at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park near Escondido, California. At her death, she was one of only four remaining northern white rhinos in the world. The other three lived in Kenya. World Rhino Day, held on September 2, is to raise awareness(意识) of the less than 30,000 other rhinos left on Earth.
“Rhinos need our help today, not tomorrow,”Nola’s lead keeper Jane Kennedy said. “Last year we lost over 1,200 rhinos just in South Africa. If we continue to lose more than 1,000 rhinos a year, in 10 to 20 years all the rhinos on the planet will be gone.”
“Unfortunately, most animals are in danger of dying out because of humans,” Kennedy says.“ Humans have either poached animals, or because there are over seven billion of us, we’ ve taken up too much of the world’s resources ”. Poachers illegally hunt rhinos for their horns. They sell the horns for thousands of dollars per pound, to be used for art, jewelry, and decorations.Experts believe that one rhino is poached every eight hours.
In 1975, the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research started the Frozen Zoo, a program through which researchers have collected cell (细胞) samples from more than 8,000 different types of animals, including the northern white rhino. Scientists hope that by studying the rhino cells, they will get greater understanding of it, and will find ways to increase its numbers.
Jane Kennedy describes World Rhino Day as “a celebration of rhinos along with an awareness campaign for everybody across the world to know that rhinos need our help.”At the San Diego Zoo, children and adults are welcome to visit and speak with zookeepers to learn about rhinos. But you don’ t have to live in San Diego to celebrate World Rhino Day. It is observed around the world, with zoos and wildlife parks holding special events and programs to teach people about rhinos, and enable them to see the animals up close. For more information, go to www.worldrhinoday.org.
1.What do we know about Nola?
A. It was a baby white rhino.
B. It was one of the last of its kind.
C. It lived with other northern white rhinos in Kenya.
D. It died on September 22 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
2.What troubled Jane Kennedy according to Paragraph 2?
A. The rhinos’ uncertain future. B. The rhinos’ strange activities.
C. The limited natural resources. D. The rare animals in South Africa.
3.What does the Frozen Zoo aim to do?
A. Invent new kinds of animals. B. Keep animals from dying out.
C. Prevent rhinos from being hunted. D. Raise public awareness of rhinos.
Since 1904, Ravinia Festival has been Chicago’s “sound of summer”, a place where you can meet up with your friends, have a wonderful time and hear some of the greatest music in the world. We’ ve got stars on the stage and stars in the sky, and it’s all within your reach. But there’s more to Ravinia than merely the world’s greatest music. For as many people who walk through Ravinia’s gate each summer, there are just as many ways to enjoy what we call “The Ravinia Experience”. For some, it all starts with a picnic picked up along the way, greeting your friends at your favorite spot on the lawn.
Ravinia Dining
Whether you want to add a bottle of wine and some cheese to your picnic on the lawn or sit down to a meal, Ravinia has a wide variety of choices and we welcome you to explore them all.
Ravinia gifts
There are two locations for your shopping convenience! Visit our Main Store in the Dining Pavilion. There you will find different CDs, jewelry, games and more. Or fill your more immediate needs at the shop located behind the Martin Theatre.
How to Buy Tickets Online
Tickets for the 2018 season begin to go on sale online on Tuesday April 25. Ravinia Festival’s online ticketing makes ordering tickets for your favorite performances easier than ever before.It is available 24 hours a day at www.ravinia.org.
Click on the date of your choice to select an event, select your seats and add it to your ticket order. Once you have selected all the events you wish to attend, simply enter your payment information and submit your order.
By Phone
Phone sales for the 2018 season start on Monday May 22.
Order tickets by phone by calling 847-266-5100.
Monday- Friday: 10: 00 am-5: 00 pm
Saturday/Sunday: Closed
1.It can be inferred that Ravinia Festival is ____________.
A. an annual music festival B. a celebration of old folk music
C. a big food party with music performances D. a traditional holiday with music and food
2.What does the underlined word “stars”in the first paragraph refer to?
A. Big movie stars B. Famous cooks or bands
C. Guests at an evening party. D. Famous musicians or singers
3.If you buy tickets online for the festival, you can _________.
A. decide the time of any performance B. get some discount
C. choose where to sit D. change the date of an event after payment
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.When does the box office open?
A. 40 minutes before show time.
B. 45 minutes before show time.
C. 50 minutes before show time.
2.How long is the running time of Road Trip?
A. 1 hour 37 minutes. B. 1 hour 49 minutes. C. 1 hour 53 minutes.
3.What film can you see at 6:15?
A. C Line. B. Go for the Gold. C. Friends Forever.
4.How much would a 12-year-old child pay for a ticket on the weekend?
A. $2.00. B. $4.50. C. $6.00.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Which city is almost always warm?
A. Seattle. B. Boston. C. San Diego.
2.In which part of the United States most cities are hot all year round?
A. The southern part.
B. The eastern part.
C. The western part.
3.What is the weather like in Portland?
A. It is very hot. B. It rains a lot. C. It is very cold.
4.What do we know about the weather in Chicago and Boston?
A. It is rainy in summer.
B. It is cold all year round.
C. It is very pleasant in the spring and autumn.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What did the woman do before the conversation?
A. She had a meeting.
B. She went to a club.
C. She played tennis.
2.How does the woman react to the news?
A. Excited. B. Worried. C. Disappointed.
3.What does the man want to do?
A. Travel to Sweden.
B. Become a professional athlete.
C. Work and save money for college.
