When she first started learning about climate change from one of her elders, Fawn Sharp was invited on a helicopter flight over the Olympic Mountains to survey the Mount Anderson glacier.
But the glacier was gone, melted away by the warming climate.
Sharp, president of the Quinault Indian Nation, Washington, US, remembers a deep sense of loss when she discovered the glacier wasn’t there anymore.
Loss is a growing issue for people working and living on the front lines of climate change. And that gave Jennifer Wren Atkinson, a full-time lecturer at the University of Washington Bothell, US, an idea for a class.
This quarter, she taught students on the Bothell campus about the emotional burdens of environmental study. She drew on the experiences of Native American tribes (部落), scientists and activists, and asked her 24 students to face the reality that there is no easy fix – that “this is such an intractable problem that they’re going to be dealing with it for the rest of their lives.”
Student Cody Dillon used to be a climate science skeptic (怀疑论者). Then he did his own reading and research, and changed his mind.
Dillon isn’t going into environmental work – he’s a computer-science major. Yet, the potential for a worldwide environmental catastrophe seemed so real to him five years ago that he quit his job and became a full-time volunteer for an environmental group that worked on restoration projects.
But six months into the work, he decided that wasn’t the right response, either. “I didn’t really feel like I had an impact,” he said.
Atkinson’s class was just what he was looking for – a place where he could discuss his concerns about a changing climate, and also learn more about what’s being done in response. “You really see the amount of passion and drive a lot of these activists are putting in,” he said.
Atkinson said she hopes the class helped her students prepare themselves for the amount of environmental loss that will happen over their lifetimes.
“We are already transforming the planet – so many species and communities are going to be lost, displaced or massively (巨大地) impacted,” she said. “The future isn’t going to be what they imagined.”
Lauren Morrison, another student, said she felt empowered by learning about climate change actions around the globe.
“It’s easy to feel defeated, but all over the world, people are stepping up,” she said.
1.Why did the author mention the case of Fawn Sharp?
A.To lay a basis for Fawn Sharp’s further research.
B.To lead into the issue of loss caused by climate change.
C.To show scientists’ concern about the Mount Anderson glacier.
D.To show Fawn Sharp’s work is similar to Atkinson’s.
2.What’s the main purpose of Atkinson’s class?
A.To help students face emotional impact of a warming planet.
B.To explore how different people deal with climate change.
C.To find solutions to the Olympic Mountains’ environmental issue.
D.To make students aware of the current state of the global climate.
3.The underlined word “intractable” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to ________.
A.simple B.interesting
C.complicated D.common
4.How did Atkinson’s class influence Dillon?
A.It changed his mind and aroused his interest in climate science.
B.It made him realize a planet-wide climate disaster would happen.
C.It encouraged him to be more involved in environmental protection.
D.It inspired him to work on restoration projects for the environment.
Teenagers in the US know they’ll probably need tech skills to land good jobs, but a new survey suggests that interest in tech careers may be decreasing (减少).
The percentage of boys aged 13 to 17 who are interested in science, technology, engineering (工程) and math – or STEM – careers dropped from 36 percent in 2017 to 24 percent this year, according to a survey by Junior Achievement USA. The amount of girls interested in STEM careers stayed unchanged at 11 percent.
But the 1,000 survey participants still named technology as one of two key skills that will be necessary to prepare them for their future careers.
“Kids don’t understand how technology can be applied to careers outside of computers, coding (编码) and maybe robotics (机器人学),” said Tammera L. Holmes, president of aviation consulting firm AeroStar Consulting. “That’s all they know, so they can’t really translate that interest to career pathways (职业道路).”
When Holmes was in high school, her mom sent her to an event that featured (以……为专题) the Tuskegee Airmen, famous military (军事的) pilots from World War II. One of the pilots took her for a ride and let her take the wheel. “I was 16 years old, flying over Lake Michigan, facing down the skyline, and I knew immediately that was the career for me,” she said.
Women remain outnumbered by men in fields like technology. For people working to increase the number of women in these areas, the lack of growth in girls’ interest in STEM careers is concerning.
Teenage girls are more interested than their male classmates in pursuing (追求) careers in which they can help others, said Ed Grocholski from Junior Achievement. Even with all the programs aimed at increasing girls’ interest in STEM, “I don’t think we really talk that much about how we improve people’s lives through STEM,” Grocholski said.
Society needs to do better at making those connections for kids, said Katherine Latham, founder of an engineering firm. She used civil engineering (土木工程) as an example of a career that will continue to be crucial.
However, the fact that students know they will need tech skills in their future careers is encouraging. The second skill they said they need? Relationship-building.
“That’s going to be the new breed (类型) of engineers,” Latham said.
1.What is the reason behind kids’ falling interest in tech careers?
A.They find tech careers too boring.
B.They find tech skills are less important than before.
C.They can’t connect their tech interest to future careers.
D.They don’t think tech careers are rewarding enough.
2.What started Holmes’ interest in her current career?
A.A documentary about the life of pilots.
B.A summer camp for trainee pilots.
C.Her parents’ wish for her to become a pilot.
D.Her flight experience with a pilot.
3.According to Grocholski, teenage girls are more interested in careers that ______.
A.can improve people’s lives.
B.will make them look beautiful.
C.are different from those of their parents.
D.can socialize more with other people.
4.What is the article mainly about?
A.The popularity of tech careers among kids and its reasons.
B.Reasons behind the change of kids’ interest in tech careers.
C.The different careers boys and girls in the US will pursue.
D.Some examples of kids pursuing tech careers successfully.
Late US artist Andy Warhol is believed to have once said, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”
But in this age of social media, selfies (自拍), and the Internet, it’s hard to say what “fame” actually is.
In the movie Vox Lux (《光之声》), which was first shown this month at the Venice Film Festival, US director Brady Corbet tries to answer that question.
“Fame is a commodification of everything, where violence becomes something you sell, news becomes something you sell, even private life does,” the movie’s star Natalie Portman told reporters at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In the movie, the Israeli-US actress plays the lead role of Celeste, a pop singer who’s 14 years into a hugely successful career. By that point, however, the character has become bitter (忿忿不平的) and her fame is beginning to fade – compared to her younger self, a sweet and carefree girl who suddenly finds herself in the spotlight.
This is a classic (经典的) tale of a rise to fame, but in today’s world of social media, it’s easy for just about anyone with a smartphone to become famous. But as more and more people search for the spotlight, this may add pressure on many of us to keep up with the “perfect” lives we see on the Internet.
“It appears that most people ... are living lives full of nothing but happiness, love, and rewarding events and experiences,” psychologist (心理学家) Kurt Smith wrote on HuffPost.
That isn’t to say that everyone uses their popularity to make others feel bad about themselves. Take UK beauty blogger Em Ford for example. In 2015, the online star, known for her makeup tutorials (教程), posted a video in which she slowly removed her flawless makeup, showing her bad skin underneath (在下面). “I wanted to create a film that showed how social media can set unrealistic expectations for both women and men,” Ford wrote in the video’s description.
So, it seems that the definition of fame changes all the time. But if Vox Lux teaches us one lesson, it’s that if we’re lucky enough to obtain the “commodity” of fame, we should spend it wisely.
1.What is fame in Natalie Portman’s eyes?
A.It is something one should try to avoid.
B.It is becoming famous in a short time.
C.It changes everything in our life into a commodity.
D.It is the popularity created by social media, selfies and the Internet.
2.What is the movie Vox Lux mainly about, according to the article?
A.It’s about how fame puts pressure on all of us.
B.It’s about how we should deal with fame well.
C.It’s about the life of a troubled pop star.
D.It’s about why most people take to fame.
3.The author uses Em Ford’s example mainly to ______.
A.stress the importance of showing the truth to the public
B.prove that some people use their fame to guide others
C.explain how social media sets unrealistic expectations on people
D.show that the definition of fame changes all the time
4.What is the author’s attitude toward fame?
A.Worried. B.Objective.
C.Unclear. D.Approving.
Wolfsheim returned to me (Nick, narrator of the story).
“I understand you are looking for a business connection,” he said.
Gatsby answered for me, “No, this isn’t the man. He’s just a friend. We’ll talk about that another time”.
“I’m sorry. I made a mistake.” He seemed disappointed.
Our food arrived and Mr Wolfsheim started to eat hungrily. Gatsby leaned towards me. “I’m sorry, old sport. I think I made you angry this morning.”
“I don’t like mysteries,” I replied coldly. “Why did you involve Miss Baker? Can’t you tell me yourself?”
“Oh, she doesn’t mind,” he said.
Then he looked at his watch, jumped up suddenly and hurried from the room.
“He has to telephone,” Wolfsheim explained. He followed Gatsby with his eyes. “A handsome man and a perfect gentleman, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“He is an Oxford man.”
“Oh.”
“He went to Oxford College in England. Do you know it?”
“I’ve heard of it.”
“It’s one of the most famous colleges in the world.”
“Have you known Gatsby long?” I enquired.
“For several years,” he answered. “I met him just after the war. After talking to him for an hour, I knew he was a gentleman---the kind of man you would introduce to your mother, or your sister.”
“Yes.”
“Yeah, Gatsby’s careful about women. He would never look at a friend’s wife.”
When Gatsby returned, Wolfsheim drank his coffee and got up. “I enjoyed my lunch,” he said, “but now I’m going to leave you two young men together.”
“Don’t hurry, Meyer!” Gatsby said, but there was no enthusiasm in his voice.
“You’re very polite, but I’m an old man,” Wolfsheim replied. “You stay here and discuss your sports and ladies.”
After he had left, Gatsby said, “Everyone in New York knows him.”
“Is he an actor?”
“No, Meyer Wolfsheim’s a gambler.” Gatsby hesitated, then added coolly, “He’s the man who fixed the World Series in 1919.”
I was shocked. I had never imagined that only one man was responsible for cheating fifty million people.
“How did he do that?” I asked.
“He just saw an opportunity.”
“Why isn’t he in jail?”
“They can’t get him, old sport. He’s a smart man.”
1.What impression of Gatsby is Mr. Wolfsheim trying to give Nick?
A.Dangerous and should never be trusted.
B.On the edge of bankruptcy with bad investment
C.Interested in politics other than anything else
D.A gentleman who is worthy of people’s trust
2.What do you think the relationship between Gatsby and Wolfsheim is?
A.Business partners. B.Relatives.
C.Neighbours. D.Friends.
3.Which of the following word can be used to describe Gatsby’s attitude to Wolfsheim?
A.positive B.supportive
C.appreciative D.sensitive
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。（不得直接引用原文句子）
The main benefit you get from studying abroad is independence. I feel great to know that you can manage on your own when necessary. This ability gives you more freedom as well as tolerance. After moving abroad you have to start a totally new life. Setting in a new environment is a big challenge for you, but you have to keep in mind that it is only a small part of studying abroad, and experiences like these can help you build your character and understand the world better.
When I went abroad I knew that I had to find a job and learn to handle my money myself. I did not have a choice. I had to manage on my own. I found a job as a mail carrier for the local newspaper. Not all my co-students were as lucky as me in finding a job right away. You have to keep in mind that besides working you have to attend lectures and do your homework. Carrying mail was not always an easy job, but thanks to it, I got to know many nice people and saw the town and local people from a different view.
Besides looking for a job, I also had to find a place to live in and take care of everyday chores from cooking to doing laundry. When you have only begun with your independent life, this can be quite a challenge. You don’t have experience, nor does anyone give a helping hand---you’re on your own. So it might happen that the first potato you fry ending up darker than intended, but from that on you can only do better.
All the trials you go through increase your independence, teach you a lesson and give you a wonderful experience to manage in difficult situations in the future. Learning in a new environment and taking full responsibility for yourself make your time abroad quite extraordinary.
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你的朋友Wang Wei进入高中后觉得英语太难，担心跟不上其他同学，想放弃，苦恼之余向你写信寻求建议。请你以李华的名义给她写一封回信，和她分享自己学习英语的体会，并给她提供一些英语学习方面的建议。
要点：1. 知道高中英语比初中英语难，但不能放弃；
2. 意识到学习英语的重要性；
3. 简要地从听、说、读、写四方面给建议。
要求：1. 词数100左右。
2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入词数，但要注意衔接。
3. 参考词汇： junior/senior high school, keep up with, freshman, challenge, quit, recommend, fluent
Dear Wang Wei,
You wrote that you have been worried about
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I’m looking forwards to hearing good news from you.
Best wishes!
Li Hua
