In kindergarten, I met my first love – dancing. For the last eleven years, I have spent many hours at the dance studio. The ______ I began as a little girl has shaped my personality, forming __________ that I will have for the rest of my life.
Once while our dance team ______ for the state competition, six senior members quit without notice, leaving our team without a ______. My team’s enthusiasm for the season was cut in half. ______, I was determined to become the new captain and lead my team past this obstacle.
During the first practice after the seniors quit, my team’s emotion was ______. As a leader, I tried to motivate my team through ______. I started to do ______ work outside practice to improve my kicking technique. My team respected me as a coach because I showed ______. On weekends, I spent hours trying to make up a creative competition routine. I wanted my team members to ______ the dance and perform well.
Before the state meet, I drilled the ______ into the girls’ heads and constantly encouraged them to work harder. I would shout out names of people who were ______ well during the dance, and the girls would ______ with even more energy. Through my dance experience, I also found I got better by ______ myself. I mixed new skills into the routine for the state competition to ______ my team’s technique. We wanted to prove to ourselves and our school that we could still be a(n) ______ dance team without the girls who ______.
On the stage, I felt my team’s ______. I was proud that we were able to rebuild our confidence and go beyond our expectations at the state competition. We were ______ for all our hard work by placing in the top five. This experience taught me a lesson: with a passion for something, I could ______ any obstacle with creativity and determination.
1.A. education B. activity C. travel D. research
2.A. qualities B. competitions C. connections D. opinions
3.A. looked B. left C. practiced D. hoped
4.A. target B. captain C. project D. guide
5.A. Otherwise B. Besides C. Instead D. However
6.A. growing B. normal C. low D. appealing
7.A. example B. award C. promise D. experience
8.A. new B. extra C. little D. personal
9.A. production B. expectation C. promotion D. devotion
10.A. love B. check C. believe D. ignore
11.A. result B. failure C. routine D. function
12.A. planning B. judging C. predicting D. performing
13.A. deal B. respond C. defend D. compare
14.A. reminding B. teaching C. protecting D. challenging
15.A. admire B. share C. improve D. prove
16.A. familiar B. similar C. ordinary D. brilliant
17.A. quit B. joined C. appreciated D. approached
18.A. patience B. kindness C. energy D. pride
19.A. rewarded B. thanked C. prepared D. moved
20.A. think of B. get over C. care about D. keep off
Five steps to make a difference to the oceans
The oceans are being seriously polluted now. Plastics are harming the marine (海产的) life. Carbon pollution is warming the oceans and increasing their acidity(酸度). Waters are being overfished. 1. Here are some steps we can take to help make a difference.
1. Bring our own bags. 2. Try carrying a reusable bag at all times, including while traveling, and bringing our own things to work to avoid relying on plastic items.
2. Talk about it now. We should carry that conversation into public places. Talk to our friends and family about why the ocean is important and why we take steps to help it, and challenge them to do the same.
3. 3. A good way to make a difference is to organize a garbage cleanup now. Whether it’s an inland cleanup or one near the coast, plan one in our community.
4. Throw away our cars. 4. When we hang out, we should reduce our carbon footprint, which may help slow global warming and ocean acidification as well as conserve energy
5. Recycle, obviously. Experts say recycling is an obvious action to take. Check on what can be recycled in our community, and make sure you’re separating out your plastic.
In summary, think about it more and act on it more. The more someone thinks about plastics and plastics pollution, the environment and the consequences of our actions, the more likely they are to act on it. 5.
A. Plan a cleanup.
B. Choose public transportation over driving our cars.
C. Driving cars is not a good way to protect the oceans.
D. However, experts say there’s still hope to make a difference.
E. However, marine life plays a very important role in the oceans.
F. If everyone can contribute to the oceans, the oceans will be well preserved.
G. Whenever we put something, we should bring our own bag, but not a plastic one.
It’s a real case of fish out of water. Blennies (鲇鱼) in the South Pacific Ocean are gradually relocating to land to escape their predators (捕食者), in an example of evolution in action.
Fish first began crawling onto dry land about 400 million years ago, kicking off an evolutionary chain of events that led to humans. But their reasons for exiting the sea have been uncertain.
To look for clues, Terry Ord at the University of New South Wales in Australia has been studying several species of blennies at Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands.
At low tide, blennies are commonly found swimming in rock pools around the edges of the island. But when high tide moves in, they climb up to dry land and move around the rocks until the tide retreats.
The researchers found that this is most likely to avoid predators that swim in with the rising tide – mainly bigger fish like lionfish.
To test what would happen if blennies did not have an escape plan, they made blenny models and sank them in the sea. The mimics ended up with wounds, bite marks and chunks-missing.
Of course, there are still dangers for blennies on land, like the occasional bird attack, but the predation risk on land is a third that of underwater.
What’s more, moving onto land has additional benefits for blennies. Holes in the rocks provide sheltered nests for laying eggs, and they can maintain their diet of bacteria.
In fact, several species of blenny fish at Rarotonga have already made the full transition to land-dwelling (陆生的) species. They continue to breathe with their gills, but have developed stronger tail fins and jump from rock to rock.
Ord believes that many evolutionary processes have been driven by the need to escape predators. “It is often assumed that animals move homes to find new sources of food, but in many cases, escaping predators is a stronger motivation.” he says.
1.Why do blennies climb to dry land when high tide comes?
A. To acquire better health. B. To search for more food.
C. To seek safer living conditions. D. To adapt to a new environment.
2.What does the underlined part “The mimics” in Paragraph 6 refer to?
A. The rocks in the water. B. The predators of blennies.
C. The researchers of blennies. D. The models of blennies.
3.What can be concluded from the last paragraph?
A. Ord’s research opens a new view.
B. Ord wonders why animals move homes.
C. Ord shows us the benefits of blennies’ evolution.
D. Ord has discovered how fish have become land dwellers.
4.Which of the following could be the best title for the text?
A. Blennies’ Living Habits
B. Why Blennies Choose to Live on Land
C. Blennies’ Evolutionary Process
D. How Blennies Escape from their Predators
A new app aims to help parents interpret what their baby wants based on the sound of their cry. The free app ChatterBaby, which was released last month, analyzes the acoustic (声学的) features of a baby’s cry, to help parents understand whether their child might be hungry, fussy or in pain. While critics say caregivers should not rely too much on their smartphone, others say it’s a helpful tool for new or tired parents.
Ariana Anderson, a mother of four, developed the app. She originally designed the technology to help deaf parents better understand why their baby was upset, but soon realized it could be a helpful tool for all new parents.
To build a database, Anderson and her team uploaded 2,000 audio samples of infant(婴儿) cries. She used cries recorded during ear piercings and vaccinations to distinguish pain cries. And to create a baseline for the other two categories, a group of moms had to agree on whether the cry was either hungry or fussy.
Anderson’s team continues to collect data and hopes to make the app more accurate by asking parents to get specific about what certain sounds mean.
Pediatrician Eric Ball pointed out that evaluating cries can never be an exact science. “I think that all of the apps and technology that new parents are using now can be helpful but need to be taken seriously,” Ball said ,“ I do worry that some parents will get stuck in big data and turn their parenting into basically a spreadsheet(电子表格) which I think will take away the love and caring that parents are supposed to be providing for the children. ”
But Anderson said the aim of the app is to have parents interpret the results, not to provide a yes or no answer. The Bells, a couple using this app, say it’s a win-win. They believe they are not only helping their baby now but potentially others in the future.
1.How does the app judge what babies want?
A. By collecting data.
B. By recording all the sounds.
C. By analyzing the sound of their cries.
D. By asking parents about specific messages.
2.What was the app designed for in the beginning?
A. All new parents. B. Deaf parents.
C. Ariana Anderson. D. Crying babies.
3.What is Ball’s opinion about the app?
A. Parents should use the app wisely.
B. The app can create an accurate result.
C. Parents and babies are addicted to the app.
D. The app makes babies lose love and caring.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. Parents should not rely too much on their smartphones.
B. A new app helps parents figure out why their babies are crying.
C. Parents can deal with babies’ hunger with the help of a new app.
D. A new app called ChatterBaby can prevent babies from crying.
It was hard to accept, but the sad day had finally arrived. I still remember the tears welling up in my six-year-old sister’s eyes as she looked around the empty closet in wonder. The space once filled with her clothes now held only loneliness and sorrow. This little child had come to the realization that her father was gone. He had left us, and there was simply no way to change it.
Being the oldest of four girls has never been easy, but with the departure of our father, our world and dreams were broken beyond repair. My mother, the most amazingly warm-hearted person in the world, has worked harder than anyone should simply to mend our broken household. However, long hours at work often prevented her from physically being there in our times of need. This is where I have stepped up as the temporary caretaker of my three small sisters.
Many students write college essays about their leadership positions in school and the community but I feel that my greatest accomplishment is the role I have played within my own family.
Senior year in high school is not simple for anyone, especially when it feels like the entire world is resting on your shoulders, but this is how I have felt for the past two years, I have continually tried to fulfill the dream my mother holds for my future. My mother was not able to complete her college education, and so this success is her top significance for her children.
A leader is defined as one who has influence on others. I hope that my leadership affects the lives of my sisters and everyone around me. In dedicating myself to my family and school, I have set goals that I will do anything to accomplish. I am an extremely determined individual, and my university will help me take the next step in climbing the ladder of success.
1.What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 1?
A. Show a topic for discussion.
B. Provide some advice for readers.
C. Summarize the following paragraphs.
D. Introduce some background information.
2.What was the author’s dream in her senior year in high school?
A. To be admitted into a college.
B. To look after her sisters well.
C. To set an example to her sisters.
D. To lead her family out of trouble.
3.What is the author’s present life like?
A. Happy and quiet. B. Hard but hopeful.
C. Busy but successful. D. Inspiring and rich.
4.What role does the author play in her family?
A. A winner. B. A teacher.
C. A leader. D. A dreamer.
Bus Tours in Washington DC
The Blossoms Tour In Washington DC
Duration: 3 hours $56.99
BEST WAY to Experience the Cherry Blossoms! Each year from mid March to mid April, see the beautiful Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC and get great photos because you’ll be led to all the best spots by the best guides. The annual spring bloom in DC is a magical time and this tour promises to provide the very best tour opportunity for you!
The Lights Night Tour in Washington DC
Duration: 3 hours $56.33
Highest-rated Night Tour in DC! The ONLY DC Night Tour where the Tour Guides HOP OFF with you at each stop and tell you about each monument and attracton. HOP aboard the The Lights Night Tour! The best time to take a tour of Washington DC is at night.
The Best Minibus Tour in Washington DC
Duration: 3 hours $ 46.92
See all the key atractions DC has to offer in a 3-hour format. You will learn all about the history and trivia (琐事) that surrounds Washington and visit the major monuments and attractions DC has to offer.
Please Note: Rates for this tour vary by day of the week. When you choose your specific date on the availability calendar, the rates for that date will be displayed.
Best Mount Vernon & Arlington Cemetery Tour from Washington DC
Duration: 6 hours $ 78.96
See Arlington Cemetery, Old Town Alexandria and George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate on this small group bus tour from Washington DC. Your tour guide will accompany you through Mount Vernon, telling you about all of the atractions there and the history of George Washington’s home on the Potomac River.
1.Which date suits The Blossoms Tour most?
A. July 4. B. August 15.
C. March 27. D. October 8.
2.What is special about The Best Minibus Tour?
A. Its price is not fixed. B. The best time to take it is at night.
C. The tour guide accompanies you. D. You can get great photos of cherry.
3.Which tour would offer you a chance to learn about George Washington’s home?
A. The Blossoms Tour. B. The Lights Night Tour.
C. Tbe Best Minibus Tour. D. Best Mount Vermon & Arlington Cemetery Tour.
