If you have ever been disappointed because you don’t have a good gardener, the clever robot may one day become the helper of your indoor plants.
The Hexa Plant is a six-legged robot that has been specially made to care for the potted (盆栽的) plant that it carries on top of its head. Using light and heat sensors (传感器), the robot has the ability to carry its plant in and out of the daylight. If the houseplant needs more sun, the Hexa will walk into the sunlight; and if the houseplant is getting too hot, the Hexa will go back into the area that blocks direct light. The Hexa Plant will even do a little dance when it senses that the plant needs to be watered to warn its owner.
The robot was developed by Vincross engineer and founder Sun Tianqi after he saw a dead sunflower sitting in the darkness in a room back in 2014. “Plants only receive an action without responding,” Sun Tianqi wrote in a blog post. “Whether they are being cut, bitten, burned or pulled from the earth, or when they haven’t received enough sunshine, water, or are too hot or cold, they will hold still and take whatever is happening to them.”
According to Sun Tianqi, for billions of years, plants have never experienced movement of any kind, not even the simplest movement. In their whole lives, they stick to where they were born. Sun Tianqi continued, “Do they want to break their own settings or have a tendency (趋向) towards this? I do not know the answer, but I would love to try to share some of this human tendency and technology with plants. With the help of the robot, plants can experience the move.”
The Hexa Plant model robots are not for sale, though Vincross does sell a Hexa robot model. It is said that in the near future the robots can open up a new market to watch over our household plants.
1.What can we learn about the Hexa Plant?
A.It helps people do some gardening. B.It waters the plants through dancing.
C.It helps indoor plants get proper sunlight. D.It carries the potted plant with its hands.
2.What does the author try to show through Paragraph 3?
A.The way plants spend their whole lives.
B.The common way people deal with plants.
C.The difference between plants and humans.
D.The cause of making the indoor plants’ helper.
3.What does Sun Tianqi try to do using this technology?
A.To develop gardening skills. B.To draw people’s attention to plants.
C.To make plants experience move. D.To study the living conditions of plants.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.A New Market for Robots B.An Indoor Plants’ Helper
C.An Important Development in Gardening D.The Tendency of Gardening in the Future
The Red Cross is known for carrying out some of the most heroic acts in the world. There are Red Cross societies in 190 countries all over the world. Their task is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of sudden serious situations by organizing volunteers and the people who want to donate(捐献).
In 1860, Swiss businessman and social activist, Jean Henri Dunant, saw the effects of war, and countries not prepared or able to deal with the suffering of those who had been injured in the Battle of Solferino during the second War of Italian Independence. Dunant organized a group of volunteers to help bring water and food to the injured, to help with medical treatment, or to write letters to the families of those who were dying. After that moment, he knew that more had to be done, and he wrote the book, A Memory of Solferino, which encouraged the public to create an organization which would help the wounded. His writing encouraged more people to support him in creating the International Federation of the Red Cross. And in 1863, International Committee of the Red Cross was founded.
The modern-day Red Cross does more than nursing soldiers during wartime. The group began to devote itself largely to disaster relief (灾难救援) and epidemic (流行病) treatment. It has achieved even greater service in humanitarian (人道主义的) programs that serve continuously in both peace and war.
One of the easiest ways you can help the Red Cross is to make sure you are able to donate blood and make an appointment at the Red Cross website. But, donating blood isn’t the only way you can help out —the Red Cross also encourages you to donate your time if you can, along with other things the modern-day Red Cross wants you to know.
1.What does the underlined word “alleviate” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A.Reduce. B.Report.
C.Express. D.Find.
2.Why did Dunant write A Memory of Solferino?
A.To make more people know the Red Cross.
B.To ask more people to help the wounded.
C.To let people see the cruelty of wars.
D.To call on people to stop wars.
3.What is the purpose of the last paragraph?
A.To introduce the Red Cross website.
B.To explain the Red Cross’s future work.
C.To show how the Red Cross helps needy people.
D.To encourage people to offer help to the Red Cross.
It has been four years since Grandma Joy told her grandson that she had never seen the most beautiful views of America. Since then, they have gone on many cross-country trips.
Brad Ryan had been feeling tired of studying in a vet school when he visited his 85-year-old grandma in 2015. He hoped that spending some quality family time would make him cheerful.
As he was telling his grandma stories of his travels, however, he was heartbroken to hear that she had never seen the ocean or mountains. Ryan then asked his grandmother if she would like to go hiking with him. Needless to say, she was more than happy to agree.
They have since visited 29 different national parks across America—from the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado to the Acadia National Park in Maine. Over the four years, Ryan and his grandma have driven 25,000 miles through 38 states. And it has greatly affected his quality of life. “Seeing it through my grandmother’s eyes, who every morning wakes up and is thankful to be alive, has taught me how to live,” Ryan said. “With her, I’ve had to slow down and see life in a different way, which has made it a lot richer.”
“I love my grandma so much, and it’s just really giving me a lot of peace when she passed away. I can go back to these places, feel her spirit, and feel connected to her,” he added.
Ryan posted all of their trips on Facebook. He hopes more young people will spare time to be with their elders. “I want young people to know that hanging out with your grandparents is cool. And there’s so much we can learn from our elders,” Ryan said.
1.Why did Brad Ryan visit his grandma in 2015?
A.To cheer himself up. B.To please his grandma.
C.To take his grandma to travel. D.To share his travelling experiences.
2.What influence did Brad Ryan’s grandma have on him?
A.She made him live a richer life. B.She helped him find his life goal.
C.She told him to have peace of mind. D.She gave him a lot of encouragement.
3.What is Brad Ryan’s purpose of posting their trips online?
A.To advise young people to take a trip.
B.To share his joy of travelling with his grandma.
C.To show young people what they can learn from their elders.
D.To encourage the young to spend time with their elders.
假如你是李华，在校报英语专栏看到有关“英语文化节”的一则招募启事。阅读启事，并根据要求写一封应征邮件。
Volunteers Wanted
Our annual English Festival, which will be held on March 15-17, is now looking for 20 student volunteers to provide service for Talent Show, Speech Contest, and English Debate. If you are interested, please send an application email to Ms. Chen at chenlaoshiaef.com.
Volunteers Wanted
Our annual English Festival, which will be held on March 15-17, is now looking for 20 student volunteers to provide service for Talent Show, Speech Contest, and English Debate. If you are interested, please send an application email to Ms. Chen at chenlaoshiaef.com.
写作要求：1. 表达写信意图；陈述应征目的；说明应征条件（性格、能力等）；
2. 开头已写好，不计入总词数；
3. 可根据情况增加细节，使行文连贯；
4. 词数100词左右。
Dear Ms. Chen,
I’m Li Hua, a student from Class 2, Grade 3. ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Looking forward to your reply.
Yours truly,
Li Hua
下面短文中共有10处语言错误，请在有错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1、每处错误及其修改均限一词；
2、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Dear Brown，
Last summer I take a parttime job in the International Camp for children. I have been told one more worker will needed this year and I think you are fit to it. How about join us? The camp is at the foot of a small hill close to a river. It is so a beautiful place！We can hear birds singing happy all around. Everybody sleeps in tents，that is very exciting. We usually work only five hours a day，so they will have plenty of spare time to visit the area and have a fun. I am sure it will be an unforgettable experience. If you have interests in it，reply to me soon.
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填人一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空（不多于3个词）。
One morning, I was waiting at the bus stop, worried about 1. (be) late for school.
There were many people waiting at the bus stop, 2. some of them looked very anxious and 3.(disappoint) . when the bus finally came, we all hurried on board. I got a place next 4. the window, so I had a good view of the sidewalk. A boy on a bike 5. (catch ) my attention. He was riding beside the bus and waving his arms. I heard a passenger behind me shouting to the driver, but he refused 6.(stop) until we reached the next stop. Still, the boy kept 7.(ride). He was carrying something over his shoulder and shouting. Finally, when we came to the next stop, the boy ran up the door of the bus. I heard an excited conversation. Then the driver stood up and asked,“8. anyone lose a suitcase at the last stop?” A woman on the bus shouted, “Oh, dear! It ‘s 9. (I )”. She pushed her way to the driver and took the suitcase thankfully. Five others on the bus began talking about what the boy had done and the crowd of strangers10.(sudden) became friendly to one another.
