Two years ago，my friend and I were at college.With his birthday quickly _______ ，he came to me with an unusual _______ :instead of receiving presents，he wanted to do some acts of kindness.
I was _______ with such all idea._______ instead of taking for the birthday was really different.I asked him how he could come up with such a _______ idea.He told me about a TED talk he had watched on generosity.which had _______ him.So we started to _______ creative things we could do.
Our university employed some security guards to _______ its students.They have to work _______ ，keeping watch on every corner throughout the university. For the most part it's a thankless job as most people grow ________ to seeing the guards all around and eventually barely notice their ________ ，let alone acknowledge their efforts.How could we show them our appreciation?
We decided to make a large pot of hot ________ .We hired a Uber and asked the driver to take us around the campus where we knew the ________ would be and we poured them each a cup of hot chocolate.The Uber driver was ________ a bit doubtful to the entire plan but after a while he was helping us ________ the guards and our lively spirit had ________ to him as well.We were met with many ________ and appreciative words.It was amazing to see how a ________ act or even intention of generosity can lift everyone’s spirit.
I now realize that special energy is created when you choose to think bigger than yourself and act in ________ of others. You’ll find it's actually the greatest ________ you’never get，especially when it’s your birthday.
1.A. ending B. passing C. advancing D. approaching
2.A. order B. request C. problem D. story
3.A. struck B. blessed C. burdened D. bored
4.A. Refusing B. Earning C. Giving D. Donating
5.A. traditional B. complex C. familiar D. novel
6.A. controlled B. supported C. inspired D. rewarded
7.A. plan out B. take over C. watch for D. hold back
8.A. judge B. help C. monitor D. protect
9.A. step by step B. around the clock C. more or less D. now and then
10.A. addicted B. devoted C. attached D. accustomed
11.A. presence B. hunger C. poverty D. thirsty
12.A. tea B. milk C. porridge D. chocolate
13.A. workers B. students C. guards D. drivers
14.A. finally B. initially C. occasionally D. frequently
15.A. remind B. track C. spot D. recognize
16.A. spread B. moved C. happened D. returned
17.A. friends B. difficulties C. greetings D. smiles
18.A. similar B. small C. daily D. modest
19.A. service B. place C. charge D. memory
20.A. 1esson B. attention C. gift D. care
I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I never traveled.Traveling has given me tons of great lessons that I’ll never forget.
1.Appreciating another culture
Learning about another culture in school is one thing，but actually experiencing it is another._______ You can visit art museums，watch landmarks，or just stop at a café. Before you know it，you’ll pick up on local customs or fall in love with unfamiliar foods.
2.The pleasure of unplugging from social media
Social media takes up a lot of our time and it's really distracting and even damaging.So for me，when I travel I love the fact that I'm often cut off from any Internet.I stop caring about what others are doing and instead focus on having fun. _______
3.Exploring your capability(能力)
_______ It brings the best out of you.As a shy person.I feel a sense of pride when I make friends with complete strangers or talk in broken foreign languages.Travelling has truly changed me in the best way.Now，whatever happens，I’m capable of meeting the challenge !
4.Patience
I have never taken a vacation where nothing goes wrong.I ever lost my luggage，got hopelessly confused with directions，and waited 5 hours on a train that broke down mid journey._______ Unexpected things can happen at any moment.The accidents traveling throws your way teaches you to be more patient with your everyday problems.
5.The world isn’t as scary as you think
If you watch the news as much as I do, it's easy to start thinking that the entire world is a scary，dangerous place.___5___ But in general，the average country is just as safe as the one you live in now.Why let your fear prevent you?
A. Travelling is a transforming experience.
B. Life doesn’t always go according to plan.
C. Travelling，however，let’s us stop and enjoy the moment.
D. The world is a giant place，and we each just make up a tiny part of it.
E. I find a life behind a screen can never compare with a life being lived fully.
F. It’s important when travelling to keep your wisdom and take special precautions.
G. Traveling exposes you to people and lifestyles quite different from those back at home.
For the first time ever scientists prepare to set about a 3-year-long project，the Nekton Mission，to explore the Indian Ocean and document changes taking place beneath the waves that could affect the surrounding region over the coming decades.
The ambitious exploration team will reach one of the last major unexplored frontiers on the planet，a vast body of water that’s already feeling the effects of global warming with rising water temperatures damaging its coral reefs(珊瑚礁).Understanding the Indian Ocean’s ecosystem is important not just for the species that live in it，but also for the 2.5 billion people living in the region.
The Nekton Mission is supported by more than 40 organizations.Researchers will spend seven weeks surveying underwater life，map the sea floor，and drop sensors(传感器)to depths of up to 6，560 feet in the seas around the Seychelles.
The Seychelles aims to become a leader in the development of a“blue economy”that draws on the resources of the ocean.It relies on fishing and tourism，but has lately also been exploiting oil and gas from beneath the sea floor.“Our ocean is undergoing rapid ecological transformation by human activities.The Nekton Mission is vital to help us better know our ocean space and resources to make wise decisions.Only when we know what we have in the ocean and what is its value call we properly decide what to exploit and what to leave untouched，”said Jumeau，the Seychelles’ambassador to the UN.
The mission will conduct further dives in other parts of the Indian Ocean over three years.The researchers expect to discover new species and send videos to the world by satellite.The research will provide information for a summit(峰会)about the Indian Ocean planned for late 2021.
1.Why do the scientists plan to explore the Indian Ocean?
A. To save the endangered creatures living in the sea.
B. To discover the damage mankind has done to the ocean.
C. To make the best use of the natural resources in the sea.
D. To protect its species and people living around the region.
2.Which is not included in the tasks to be carried out around the Seychelles?
A. Drawing maps of the sea floor. B. Finding treasures under the sea.
C. Putting sensors into the deep sea. D. Studying underwater life.
3.What can be learned about the Nek-ton Mission?
A. It will extend beyond the Indian Ocean.
B. It will benefit a lot from“blue economy”.
C. It will contribute to the 2021 conference.
D. It will find solutions to global warming.
4.What can be a suitable title fur the text?
A. Scientists Are to Explore the Indian Ocean
B. The Seychelles Aims to Build a“Blue Economy”
C. Effects of Global Warming on Marine Ecosystem
D. Indian Ocean:the Last Unexplored Frontier on the Planet
There are about 6，500 languages spoken throughout the world，but about half of them are in danger of disappearing.
One of the primary causes driving language loss is that support for language communities drastically varies.While some languages are recognized by governments and taught in schools，the majority go unrecognized，unsupported，and untaught，leaving communities ill-equipped to pass their languages on to future generations.Tsakonian，a“dialect(方言)”in Greece，has declined to the point that only 100 speakers remain.
When a language disappears，many other things can go away as well.For example，parts of a community’s culture，knowledge and identity can also be lost.
One organization seeking to save world languages is Wikitongues，which was founded as a school project by Daniel Bogre Udell in 2012，when he began recording short oral histories in New York to explore the city’s rich cultural diversity with the simple idea:tell me about yourself or your home in your native language.When he posted the videos online，the channel quickly got wide attention.
There are currently over 400 languages and dialects represented on Wikitongues’channel and more than 1，500 people from 70 different countries have added videos to it.But that’s far from enough.The organization seeks to serve as an Internet resource to keep as many languages as possible alive.Udell believes they can make it happen.“There are many examples of languages that disappeared but later returned to use.Hebrew went extinct in the 4th century BC，and was revived(恢复)in the 1800s.Now once again，it's the mother tongue of half of the world’s Jewish population，”said Udell.
1.What can be inferred about Tsakonian in Greece?
A. It’s hard to speak and understand.
B. It will definitely die out in the future.
C. It’s not allowed to speak in Greece.
D. It lacks recognition and support.
2.What effect may be brought by the extinction of languages?
A. Harming future generations. B. Reducing cultural diversity.
C. Preventing daily communication. D. Changing school projects.
3.What’s the purpose of Wikitongues?
A. To support people in saving their languages.
B. To revive languages that have disappeared.
C. To record enough short oral histories.
D. To explore the world’s rich cultures.
4.What does Udell want to tell us by giving Hebrew as an example in the last paragraph?
A. All extinct languages will be brought back to life.
B. It’s possible to prevent languages from dying out.
C. More languages will be presented on Wikitongues’channel.
D. Hebrew has become one of the most popular languages in the world.
Children in rural areas of Cambodia often suffer from or even die of preventable illnesses because there is not any soap available.
In 2014，Samir Lakhani，an American college student，saw the issue while volunteering in a Cambodian village.“I remember quite vividly a mother bathing her newborn baby with laundry powder，which is so harmful to the skin，”said Lakhani.“It’s difficult for rural Cambodians to access soap.First is affordability.If you earn only$1.50 every day，you won’t spend $1 on a bar of soap.Then comes access.The demand is so low that local shops don’t stock soap.The last reason，because many Cambodians don’t really understand where diseases come from，they don’t know how to prevent them，including using soap.”
After figuring out a solution to the problem:the barely-used soap in hotels，Lakhani started asking hotels to donate leftover soap.“They were all eager to help，”he explained.
Lakhani registered Eco-Soap Bank shortly afterwards.Soon，he received enough funds to hire disadvantaged Cambodian women to collect and reproduce the used soap.
Today，the organization has four recycling centers across the country，providing jobs to 35 local women.And so far，some 174，000 bars of soap have been donated，about 24，000 pounds of soap has been recycled，and hygiene(卫生)has been improved for about 661，000 people.“We are killing three birds with one stone，”Lakhani said.
When it comes to the future of Eco-Soap Bank，Lakhani said，“We’ve just scratched the surface.Lack of hygiene is not something unique to Cambodia.The demand for improved hygiene in the developing world is huge，and much remains to be done.We’re looking at seven countries to expand to in the near future.”
1.Which of the following is not mentioned as the reason why rural Cambodians don’t use soap?
A. Poverty. B. Inaccessibility. C. Unawareness. D. Tradition.
2.What does the underlined part“killing three birds”in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A. Saving soap，curing diseases and providing education.
B. Stopping pollution，proving jobs and inspiring donation.
C. Reducing waste，providing employment and improving health.
D. Recycling waste，helping charity and improving community hygiene.
3.What can we infer about Eco-Soap Bank?
A. It won’t be long before it expands to the whole world.
B. There’s little it can do without other countries’assistance.
C. It will make greater contributions to the developing world.
D. It will soon settle the problem of poor hygiene in Cambodia.
4.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. Eco-Soap Bank helps improve hygiene.
B. Cambodian women have a bright future.
C. A US young man calls for helping poor countries.
D. Lack of hygiene remains a serious problem in the world.
Magical History Tour
Join us for our fifth annual exploration of fascinating historic sites around Greater Portland that you’ve never seen or maybe didn’t even know existed! The Magical History Tour is your key to unlocking fascinating historical places that are not usually open to the public.It is a self-guided adventure guaranteed to amaze and amuse both adults and children.Equipped with a map，and at your own pace，you will be greeted by guides at each location ready to share the history of the tour stop.
In the 5th year of the Magical History Tour，we will be presenting an exciting mix of both new sites and favorites from the past four years.
The Magical History Tour check in begins at 9:45 am at Maine Historical Society’s Brown Library.At this time，you will find out where the tour will take you as you receive your map and ticket into each site.
Follow us on Facebook，Twitter，and Instagram for updates，chances to win tickets and some other exciting opportunities；and feel free to share your tour experiences to our social media pages using # MHStour!
●Time:10:00 am—4:00 pm，Saturday，May 11，2019
●Location:485 Congress Street
●Tickets:Get your tickets online，by calling us at 207-774-1 822，or by visiting our Museum Store at 489 Congress Street.$25／Adult MHS Member；$35／Adult General Admission；$5／Juniors under age 18.
●Volunteering:We need volunteers for the Magical History Tour! Volunteers help for half the day of the tour and are given a free ticket to the tour to enjoy either before or after their volunteer shift!
For more information，email us at events@mainehistory org or call us at 207-774-1822.
1.What’s the purpose of the Magical History Tour?
A. To explore unfamiliar historic sites.
B. To visit some world-famous attractions.
C. To provide children with history classes.
D. To make some private places known to the public.
2.How much should a couple(one is MHS Member)and a kid pay?
A. $55. B. $65. C. $75. D. $105.
3.What can we learn from the text?
A. You can buy a ticket by emailing.
B. Tourists will only be guided by a map.
C. Only new sites are available for the tour.
D. Volunteers can take part in the tour for free.
