Four friends live in a small town and play basketball together. Lane is new to the town. He, s really good at basketball. “If anyone in this small town beats me on the court (球场), I’ll eat my hat.” He really thought no one could beat him at basketball.
One night after shooting hoops, the four friends were in a restaurant. As Lane talked about how great he had played, the owner of the restaurant came over with their food.
The old man smiled. “I used to shoot a lot,” he remembered fondly. “It’s quite a game.” The friends agreed with him. They had a great conversation with the old man about how basketball had changed over the years.
Lane, however, was upset. “It’s nice that you played once. But basketball is a game for young people like me,” he said.
“That’s the truth,” the old man laughed. “My tired old legs could never go up and down the court.”
“Yeah, restaurant work is more suited to an old person.” Lane said.
Lane said “an old person” as if it were a bad phrase. Lane’s friends were embarrassed at his behavior. The old man just smiled.
“Well, there is one thing that I can still do quite well. I can shoot a mean free throw.” He added, “In fact, I might even beat you, young man.”
Lane laughed at this. His friends, who knew the old man better than Lane, said nothing. Lane invited the old man to a friendly free-throw competition the next day.
“If you beat me at free throws, I’ll...” Lane paused, not knowing what to bet.
The owner thought of it for him. “If you lose, you must wait tables in my restaurant for a week.”
Lane agreed and they shook on it. They arranged to meet at the basketball court the next day at noon. The town is that small. At the appointed time, spectators (观众) filled the seats around the basketball court.
Lane went first. He made 24 excellent free-throw shots. But he missed his 25th throw.
The old man walked slowly over to the free-throw line. He sank shot after shot, all of them perfect.
The old man was still shooting to the roar of the crowd when Lane left the court with his tail between his legs.
At first Lane was too embarrassed to go into the restaurant. But finally, he swallowed his pride and apologized to the old man. The old man graciously (和蔼地) gave Lane an apron, then watched as the young man waited on his first customer.
1.What do we know about Lane?
A.He was honest with old people.
B.He felt too proud of his basketball skills.
C.He looked down upon his friends.
D.He was the best basketball player in his town.
2.How did Lane’s friends feel about his behavior towards the old man?
A.Satisfying. B.Frightening.
C.Brave. D.Embarrassing.
3.What did Lane do after seeing the restaurant owner’s good performance?
A.He went away halfway.
B.He congratulated him.
C.He showed anger to it.
D.He admired his success.
4.How did the story end up?
A.Lane refused to wait tables there.
B.Lane no longer played basketball.
C.Lane lost face and accepted the result of the bet.
D.Lane tried harder to play basketball.
The British have long been known for their love of tea, but people in London also drink a lot of coffee. In fact, the average Londoner reportedly drinks 2.3 cups of coffee every day.
And now, waste coffee grounds (咖啡渣) will be used to help fuel part of the city’s transportation system.
A technology company announced on Monday that some buses will be using a biofuel (生物燃料) that contains coffee oil.
The company, bio-bean, and its partner, Argent Energy, say they have made enough coffee oil to power one of London’s famous double-decker buses for a year.
The announcement made bio-bean a trending story on social media.
The government agency Transport for London has been turning to biofuels to cut production of carbon emissions. Carbon emissions are the gas produced by the burning of carbon, and the gas is released into the atmosphere.
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, said last month that his city has a “health crisis ... caused directly by poor-quality air”. The government has taken steps to discourage people from driving cars that do not meet European Union emissions requirements.
bio-bean said Londoners produce over 200, 000 tons of waste coffee grounds a year. The company said it collects waste grounds from chain coffee shops and factories. The grounds are dried and processed to remove coffee oil.
“It’s a great example of what can be done when we start to reimagine waste as an untapped resource,” said one of bio-bean founders Arthur Kay. The coffee fuel technology has been receiving support from the oil company Royal Dutch Shell plc.
1.The main reason why some buses use biofuels is ______.
A.to show the Londoners prefer coffee to tea
B.to improve the speed of the bus in London
C.to lower carbon emissions
D.to encourage people to go to work by bus
2.Where do the waste coffee grounds come from?
A.The city’s transportation system.
B.The European Union.
C.Royal Dutch Shell pic.
D.Chain coffee shops and factories.
3.What does the underlined word “untapped” mean in the last paragraph?
A.undeveloped B.unforgotten
C.explored D.abandoned
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A.Coffee Grounds to Help Power London’s Buses
B.The Use of Coffee
C.Coffee Culture in London
D.A New Way of Using a Biofuel
You may have a drink at a coffee shop near your campus. But have you ever imagined running a school coffee shop all by yourself?
Eli Gutierrez and Isabella Bacciarini are both 17-year-old students in the USA. Along with some other students, they’re seeing what it’s like to work in the coffee business.
The school principal Jack Carr once suggested that being able to serve drinks at a comfortable area would “be great”. So, Gutierrez and his friends came up with the idea of Cafe Vine.
In order to manage the coffee business well, Gutierrez took a one-month online course. After he had learned from professionals, Cafe Vine attracted many customers.
Given the success of the business, Gutierrez realized he needed help at the cafe. So he started teaching skills to other students, who could make up their community service hours by serving coffee.
“I actually run a business,” said Bacciarini, a junior at String Theory High School and manager at Cafe Vine. “Being a girl, We always been told it’s usually a guy who opens a business.”
After becoming the manager and roaster (烘培师) at the cafe, Gutierrez started to use his new skills after school at other coffee shops. And a surprise visit in the spring to Cafe Vine by David Wagaman, president and owner of Capriccio Management, led to another opportunity.
“I said to him, ‘It would be a good idea for you to buy our coffee beans,’” Gulierrez said. Bags of coffee beans from Cafe Vine are now available (可获得的) to buy at all three Capriccio cafes.
While lie’s helping the business in its early stages, Wagaman said he is also benefiting from the school’s coffee start-up.
“It’s helped us find qualified employees,” he said. “It’s not just a job. They feel worthy.”
1.Why does the author use a question at the beginning of this passage?
A.To show having a knowledge of coffee is difficult.
B.To prove running a cafe is impossible.
C.To ask the readers to answer this question.
D.To draw the readers’ interest in reading this passage.
2.How did Eli Gutierrez and Isabella Bacciarini think of the idea of running a cafe?
A.By learning online courses.
B.By learning from others.
C.By listening to a suggestion from the principal.
D.By teaching skills to other students.
3.What’s Bacciarini’s attitude towards Cafe Vine?
A.Doubtful. B.Proud.
C.Worried. D.Critical.
4.What benefit did Wagaman get through cooperation?
A.Running coffee shops near school.
B.Learning management.
C.Selling a lot of coffee beans.
D.Selecting more high quality employees.
The Terracotta Army is one of the must-visit attractions for all travellers to China. The attraction is located in Xi’an, in west China’s Shaanxi Province.
What’s special?
The Terracotta Army is the buried army of Qin Shi Huang, an ancient Chinese emperor. These ancient sculptures were built and buried over two thousand years ago near the city of Xi’an. They were discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well looking for underground water. Over eight thousand terracotta warriors and horses have been uncovered since then. Each warrior is made of clay (黏土). They are around two meters tall. The sculptures are so detailed that it is possible to guess the age, rank and personality of each one. None of the soldiers are the same.
The best time to visit
The Terracotta Army is an indoor attraction， which is not likely to be affected by weather, so it can be visited all year round.
As the museum is one of the must-visit attractions in China, it is crowded most of the time. We advise our customers to avoid the following periods when the museum is particularly crowded:
• National Day Holiday (October 1 -7), when it is fully packed.
• Labour Day Holiday
Weather in winter is dry, cold and the least comfortable, and it’s also the worst season for air quality, but it’s also low season.
Travel style: private, group or independent?
A private tour means a lot of flexibility (灵活性), and you will be well taken care of by a private guide and a driver. The museum is crowded most of the time, but our guides know how to escape the crowds, and help you to enjoy more in the museum. See our 3-Day Terracotta Warriors Private Tour.
Going with a group you won’t get lost, but it lacks flexibility and personal service.
Travelling on your own, you may meet a lot of trouble, such as wasting time on finding a taxi or public bus to the attraction, lining up for tickets, reading maps, making sense of Chinese signs, etc.
1.What can we know about the Terracotta Army?
A. The warriors are made of clay.
B. The warriors are of the same age.
C. It is closed on rainy days.
D. It is usually displayed outdoors.
2.Which is the best time to avoid crowds?
A. Summer holidays.
B. National Day Holiday.
C. Labour Day Holiday.
D. Clear winter days.
3.If you want to travel with least trouble, which should you choose?
A. A private tour.
B. A tour group.
C. Travelling on your own.
D. A family tour.
语法填空
(课文缩写)Zhou Kai’s mother feeds 1. (he) well, and she has always made sure they eat very healthily. For example, fresh fruit and vegetables are 2. very important part of their diet. They live near the sea and they have fish about four times a week. They don’t eat much fat 3. sugar. Zhou Kai is quite fit and 4. (rare) gets colds. He has healthy 5. (tooth) because he would eat a nice piece of fruit rather than eat sweets like some of his friends. However, Zhou Kai 6. ( have) a bad cold last week because he played football in the rain. So his mother asks him 7. ( get) his jacket whenever he goes to play football. Zhou Kai is crazy 8. football. He is captain of the class team and also a member of the Senior High team. He takes a lot of exercise. But two years ago, Zhou Kai had a 9. ( pain) experience, because he broke his arm 10. ( play) football.
This is new to me and I don’t know what I will say really so I’m just giving it a try. I was always a runner and in pretty good shape for most of my life. Then I hit a bad patch and each day just couldn’t get myself out there to run. I put on weight, which just made me feel worse about myself.
I finally got the running back again after a few years but it was much harder than it used to be and I struggled to get through even the shortest, slowest jog.
I was out in a run the other day and I had almost convinced (说服) myself to give up when I heard someone say, “You can do it! It’s hard, but you can do it!” There was a lady walking the other way and had the biggest smile on her face.
Those words of encouragement at a time when I was ready to give up were like a perfect intervention (干预). I finished my run and now every time I feel like quitting I will hear her words in my head and they give me motivation (动力) and encouragement.
I’ve never seen her again so I’ve never been able to thank her and let her know the effect something as simple as a few words of encouragement from a stranger had and still has on me. It always encourages me in my life and has great influence on my life. I will never forget it and place it in my heart. I will tell it to others and make others believe encouragement is very important to us.
1.What was the author like before putting on weight?
A.He was very tall. B.He was in good shape.
C.He was very thin. D.He was in poor health.
2.What does the underlined sentence mean in the first paragraph?
A.The author had trouble in life. B.The author’s clothes were worn out.
C.The author was very lucky. D.The author was in good spirits.
3.What made the author not give up running?
A.His own hard work. B.A strange lady’s encouraging words.
C.His friends’ encouragement. D.His parents’ encouragement.
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.An exciting experience. B.A story about losing weight.
C.Kind words from a stranger. D.The importance of determination.
