I have received many gifts in my life. I’ve never been the kind of person to say “it’s the thought that ______” when it comes to gifts. That was until a couple of weeks ago, when my kids gave me a present that ______ me away.
For years, I’ve been wanting to ______ our house, the place where my husband and I ______ our kids. But to me, this house is much ______ just a building. In the front room, there’s a ______ that has hundreds of pencil lines, marking the ______ of my children’s growth. Every growth stage is marked in grey, with each child’s name and the date when they were ______. Over the years, I’ve talked about how much I would ______ leaving that wall behind when I moved, even though the ______ marks were made 10 years ago when my kids stopped growing.
So one day, while I was at work, my children ______ a professional photographer whose work is about ______ the beautiful things in life, from clear lakes and skies to diamonds and ball gowns. She came to our house and over several hours, took photos of the hundreds of drawings, ______ and little grey fingerprints. Somehow, she ______ to photograph all those years of memories ______. Afterwards, she put all the ______ together into one image, transforming them into a beautiful ______ of my family.
Three weeks later, my children’s ______ gift made its way to me—a life-size photo of the pencil lines and fingerprints that ______ entire lifetimes of all my family members, especially of my children’s love and ______.
1.A.helps B.troubles C.counts D.improves
2.A.sent B.blew C.gave D.put
3.A.sell B.build C.afford D.return
4.A.fed B.comforted C.educated D.raised
5.A.less than B.more than C.better than D.worse than
6.A.board B.door C.wall D.window
7.A.memory B.progress C.influence D.story
8.A.described B.told C.found D.measured
9.A.imagine B.hate C.keep D.miss
10.A.last B.early C.unforgettable D.grey
11.A.found B.became C.hired D.went
12.A.taking B.covering C.enjoying D.recording
13.A.spots B.circles C.prints D.lines
14.A.managed B.meant C.remembered D.intended
15.A.happily B.fortunately C.eagerly D.perfectly
16.A.fingerprints B.marks C.photos D.drawings
17.A.history B.future C.difference D.experience
18.A.powerful B.encouraging C.wonderful D.hopeful
19.A.offers B.represents C.brings D.leaves
20.A.growth B.courage C.excitement D.need
Most people have developed some hobbies at a point in their lives, such as doing sports, playing an instrument, painting, cooking and something else. There are many reasons and skills for taking up a hobby.
Realize you have more time than you think.
This is probably the first thing that keeps most people away from developing a hobby.1. But we waste so much time on social media and television commercials and then worry about the life in which we have no time to develop a hobby. Spare some time for a hobby in your day. Plan ahead and just do it.
Involve other people.
Why? Well, have you ever noticed that you stick to something longer when you feel that you cannot let another person down? Therefore, get someone jog with you, make music with you, or share recipes with you. Meanwhile, you will inspire them to stick to their hobby. 2.
Put your money where your mouth is.
3. So give out a bit of your budget to the hobby you choose so that you cannot blame a lack of “materials” for not doing anything.
4.
For me, this has been the most important step to stick to a hobby. If you jog, decide which race you want to enter this year. If you practice music, organize a concert.
Find the pleasure in what you do.
As with most things, the starting of only getting a few things ready can be difficult. But don’t give up. 5.
A. It is a total win-win situation.
B. Work towards something.
C. Think of a hobby that might interest you.
D. Others’ help will definitely do you good.
E. You don’t think that you have enough time to start it.
F. The fact is that people put money where their heart is.
G. Once you have started, you’ll find the beauty and relaxation.
Lucy， whose skeleton（骨骼） was discovered in Ethiopia in 1974， died shortly after she fell out of a tree， according to a new study published Monday in the British journal Nature．
For their research， Kappelman and Dr． Richard Ketcham used a CT scanner to create more than 35，000 "slices" of Lucy's skeleton． Scientists named her Lucy from the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"， which was played at the camp the night of her discovery．
The following analysis of the slices showed sharp， clean breaks seen at the end of Lucy's right humerus （肱骨） are similar to bone breaks seen in victims of falls．
The researchers concluded that these and other breaks in her skeleton show that Lucy， who is believed to have stood about 3 feet 6 inches and weighed about 60 pounds， fell feet first and used her arms to support herself ﹣ but that the injury was too severe to have been survivable．
The researchers estimate that Lucy was going about 35 miles an hour when she hit the ground after falling from a height of roughly 40 feet， according to the statement．
That sounds plausible． But other scientists are doubtful． "There are countless explanations for bone breaks，" Dr， Donald C， Johanson， director of the Institute of Human Origins and one of the scientists who discovered Lucy， said， "The suggestion that she fell out of a tree is largely a just﹣so story and therefore unprovable． " Johanson said it was more likely that Lucy's breaks occurred long after she died， saying that "elephant bones appear to have the same kind of breaks， It's unlikely they fell out of a tree．
But the new research focused on "a small number of breaks" that are consistent with "high﹣energy bone﹣to﹣bone influences" and which differ from the sorts of breaks commonly seen in other collected bones． Kappelman responded in an email， "These appear to have occurred at or near the time of death． "
1.What can we infer about Lucy from Kappelman and Dr． Richard Ketcham's research？
A.She got her name from a song．
B.She had more than 35，000 slices．
C.She couldn't use her arms properly．
D.She made an effort to save herself．
2.What does the underlined word "plausible" in Paragraph 6 probably mean？
A.Reasonable．
B.Creative．
C.Surprising．
D.Unbelievable．
3.Which of the following would Johanson probably agree？
A.Elephants are unlikely to die from falling．
B.Lucy got breaks at or near the time of death．
C.Other reasons for the breaks should be considered．
D.Lucy's bone breaks differ from other bone breaks．
4.What conclusion can we draw from the passage？
A.Lucy didn't die from falling out of a tree．
B.The newly published study was meaningless．
C.The argument on how Lucy died will continue．
D.Scientists will find another way to solve the problem．
Cameron is no ordinary dog, and not just because he was born on Valentine's Day. To Maggie, a first grader at Burgundy Farm Country Day School, the dog who spends most days on campus is more like a friend. When Cameron is near, Maggie feels "really, really, happy," she said, "I feel safe around him, she added. "He '11 lie down and ask me to scratch his tummy," she explained, because Cameron likes Maggie.
Cameron is one of a handful of dogs at Burgundy, a K-8 private day school in Alexandria, Virginia. Dogs started showing up there when the head of school, Jeff Sindler, brought his clumsy Labrador, Luke, to the main office building where Sindler works. After Luke died, Sindler adopted Cameron and brought him to campus, too, where the dog Maggie described as really cute" became a school favorite.
“They don’t care if you are good at basketball or a great reader, or popular," Sindler said. “They just want to be loved — equal opportunity," he added. "Cameron and the other dogs on campus—are always fastened with a rope and with their owner一go a long way toward improving students' social and emotional well-being," he said. They reduce tension and ease anxiety, and inspire happy feelings from students.
“They bring out some important emotions/' he said, “and are especially helpful to children and adults who struggle in social communication, Children often came from challenging backgrounds: many lived in poverty, or had to travel through dangerous neighborhoods to get to school, or shared a too-crowded home. When these emotionally needy children met the dogs, they relaxed and were more prepared to learn.
Just as important, dogs on school grounds set a positive, welcoming tone. They help preserve the school climate that is accepting, supportive and curious・"Dogs are one way to hold on to Sindler said, adding that "schools should be fun and exciting, and dogs can be a big part of that."
For Sindler, including Cameron was all part of an effort to create a safe environment where learning could flourish.
1.What makes the dog Cameron really special?
A.His rare species B.His particular birthmark.
C.His attractive appearance. D.His friendly nature.
2.How do dogs on campus improve students' social and emotional well-being?
A.By playing fetch together fondly.
B.By offering them comfort equally.
C.By playing basketball together freely.
D.By walking a long way together happily.
3.What docs the underlined word"that" in paragraph 5 refer to?
A.A positive tom. B.The school ground.
C.A welcoming attitude. D.The school atmosphere.
4.What’s the purpose of the passage?
A.To encourage schools to bring in more dogs.
B.To explain why dogs help students with learning.
C.To introduce a way to help students grow healthily,
D.To explore the possibility to challenge no-dog rules.
Perhaps there is no sport in the world more connected to sneakers than basketball. Many NBA players wear them to send important messages and showcase their personalities on court.
And now, thanks to a new policy, the NBA will strengthen its status as the most stylish sports league in the world. When the 2018-2019 NBA season kicked off in October, the NBA lifted its color restrictions on players’ sneakers. It is the first time in the league’s 72-year history that it has allowed shoes to be of any color a player likes, as long as no reflective (反光的) material is included.
In the past, the NBA required “uniformity (一致性) of uniform”, meaning each players’ shoes had to match those worn by the rest of the team. Their sneakers had to be at least 51 percent black or white, with an element of team color.
This landmark rule change is part of the NBA’s collective effort to support players “statements” on and off the court. “ More and more people realize that limitation of the color of players’ shoes actually constrains (限制) their personal expression and storytelling,” CNN News noted.
Sometimes a shoe was worn in a memorable game, or the design of a shoe has meaning for the player.
Before Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, nicknamed “the Black Mamba”, retired, it was said that he wore a new pair of sneakers to each game and stored his used sneakers.
Bryant brought the low-top style of sneaker with a Mamba print to the forefront in 2008 to symbolize the spirit of perseverance and bravery. In 2013, Bryant added nine red stitches (缝针) to the back of his shoe to represent the nine stitches from his Achilles tendon surgery. “It has become an attitude. That is my Mamba personality,” Bryant told Sports Illustrated magazine.
Kyrie Irving of the Boston, Celtics wears probably the most famous signature sneakers. Inspired by his mother, who died when he was four, he has a rose on one side of his shoe to represent her. All of his sneakers are also inscribed (刻) with the words, “JBY (Just Be You)”. “Just Be You is the motto I live by every single day, because I’m happy to be an individual. It’s a beautiful thing,” Irving told UK media site GiveMeSport.
There is no end to the stories about sneakers in basketball. It’s certain that they will remain a platform for players who want to use them to express their ideas and personalities.
1.According to the new policy, the NBA players ________.
A.may choose sneakers they like without restriction
B.should wear sneakers in their own team color
C.have to choose sneakers either in black or in white
D.have more freedom in choosing personal sneakers
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A.Uniformity guarantees better results.
B.The new rule leads to controversy.
C.The NBA cares little about players’ statements.
D.Players’ personal expression also counts.
3.Which of the following is used to express family value?
A.A rose. B.JBY.
C.A Mamba print. D.Nine red stitches.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.The NBA lifts color restrictions.
B.Our shoes have stories.
C.Bryant has a unique dress style.
D.The NBA players are particular about the colors of their sneakers.
Places to avoid travelling
India
The main distinction in wealth and class may explain some of the risk of crimes in this country. But according to John Gobbels, vice president and chief operating officer for Medjet (an international emergency service), it’s medical safety that actually makes India so dangerous. He explains that the U. S. State Department gives the country Level 2 travel advisory status. (Level 1 means you should exercise normal precautions（预防措施）；Level 4 is “ do not go ” .)
Hawaii
Considering this destination is a very hot spot for honeymooners, it might be surprising to see the Big Island of Hawaii as a dangerous place to visit. The eruption of a volcano has put Kilauea in a state of emergency, with poisonous gas, lava flows, and earthquakes all a risk. You’ll likely see special airline deals cancelled, so think twice before making this flight.
Acapulco
This beach resort town on Mexico’s Pacific coast isn’t exactly the white-sand party destination it once was. With a Level 4 travel advisory, Gobbels explains, it’s in the same category as places like Iran, Syria, and North Korea. It’s regarded as the murder capital of the country.
Cairo, Egypt
According to a recent report from the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Cairo is considered the most insecure city for women in the world. Even though the political tensions are easing in this area, according to Gobbels, sexual violence and cultural expectations make it extremely problematic, for both locals and visitors.
1.According to John Gobbels, what should visitors pay special attention to in India?
A.Personal belongings. B.Travel insurance.
C.Cultural difference. D.Medical safety.
2.Which place mentioned above is especially dangerous for a woman tourist?
A.India. B.Cairo.
C.Acapulco. D.Hawaii.
3.What can be inferred from the text?
A.Syria isn’t a risky destination where you’ll have a wonderful vacation.
B.The political unrest in Cairo is responsible for its insecurity at present.
C.A Level 3 travel advisory indicates you can go with normal precautions.
D.The flights to Hawaii may be changeable due to the eruption of the volcano.
