The morning after an evening struggle to care for my three-year-old daughter, I couldn’t wait to get her to school. I, as a mother, was tired from the anger and her inability to communicate because of her slowed language development.
As I accompanied her into the car, I felt desperate. Nothing was right with our world. She’d been born around the same time when the nation was witnessing the birth of another Great Recession. My job and my house had been victims. Then this happened. My child’s language delay was identified, but doctors struggled to properly help her, I felt like we both needed to he rescued.
I returned that afternoon as disenchanted with the little girl I loved as when I left. Walking slowly toward the school’s playground gate, I found her preschool teacher racing to greet me.
“You should have seen her today!” His breathy words were supported by excitement. I didn’t interrupt. “See that climber. ” He pointed to a wooden piece of playground equipment that looked like a rock wall. I nodded. “Well, every day since she started school, she’s tried and failed to make it to the top. ” He took a breath. “And today she did it!”
He expressed his joy just as he’d witnessed her conquering Mount Everest! “She cheered and celebrated! I wish I’d recorded it!” His words comforted me. My daughter had conquered her mountain.
As she ran toward me, I recognized something I hadn’t before. I saw her perseverance(毅力). I saw her strength. I saw a Hero.
Everyday greatness celebrates ordinary people who do unusual things in big and small ways, showing courage, kindness, love and selflessness. We encourage you to click these brief accounts and invite you to share your own story.
1.Why did the author rush her daughter to school?
A.She was busy with her work as a doctor.
B.She had a fight with her daughter last night.
C.She broke down when dealing with her daughter.
D.She had to sell their house due to Great Recession.
2.Which of the following best explains “disenchanted” underlined in paragraph 3?
A.Happy. B.Concerned.
C.Careful. D.Disappointed.
3.Why did the little girl’s preschool teacher feel excited?
A.She succeeded in standing on Mount Everest.
B.She managed to climb up the wooden equipment.
C.She got the first place in the school sports meet.
D.She began to communicate with others normally.
4.From which is the text most probably taken?
A.The radio. B.A magazine.
C.A newspaper. D.The Internet.
Smart Home Products for Living a Connected Life
What makes something a smart home product? Generally, it’s defined by its ability to connect to a Wi-Fi network, allowing users to interact（互动）with it from their smartphones.We’ve rounded up some cool, diverse offerings that you’ll love to have in your home.
Nest Cam IQ
walmart.com
$299.00
The Nest Cam IQ is a beautifully designed home security camera that can recognize faces. It can warn you if there’s a stranger in your home. The device also supports two-way communication via built-in microphones and a powerful speaker.
Logitech Harmony Elite
amazon.com
$249.99
The Logitech Harmony Elite is one of the best universal remote controls available on the market. It can control just about every piece of electronics you own（it supports over 270，000 devices！）in every room of your house or apartment, including TVs，streaming devices, and sound systems.
Apple HomePod
bhphotovideo.com
$349.00
The Apple HomePod has better audio quality than any other smart speaker available today. Available in white or space gray, the Siri-powered device also allows you to control a number of devices with your voice.
August Smart Lock Pro
amazon.com
$279.99
The August Smart Lock Pro is compatible（兼容的）with most locks. A mobile app allows you to manage access to the lock, check its usage history, and get informed when someone opens the door. You can control it and check on the state of your door with voice commands.
1.What can the Nest Cam IQ help you do？
A.Properly use your smartphone camera
B.Control electronics with your voice.
C.Check the locks of your house.
D.Keep your home safe.
2.Which device can help you operate almost all your electronic equipment remotely？
A.Nest Cam IQ.
B.Apple HomePod.
C.August Smart Lock Pro.
D.Logitech Harmony Elite.
3.Which column of a website is the text most probably taken from？
A.Technology.
B.News.
C.Society.
D.Education.
请按照下列要求，根据自己的亲身经历，用日记体裁，记述一段难忘的家庭往事。
要求：1. 日记体裁，时间自拟，星期和日期要写完整单词；
2. 记述一件发生在家庭成员之间的事件, 要有细节描写；
3. 要有自己对这件事情的看法或感受；
4. 提示：注意体裁和时态；
5. 字数：80个单词左右。
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Why do we dream? It’s a question researchers have been studying for years. Now new research suggests that some dreams may result from the brain’s effort to keep learning, even as we sleep.
In a study in Boston, 100 volunteers were trained for an hour on a maze (迷宫). They tried to find their way through the difficult puzzle as quickly as possible. Then half of the volunteers were allowed to sleep for 90 minutes. The other half stayed awake, reading or relaxing. The ones who slept were asked to describe their dreams when they woke up.
After the rest, the volunteers were asked again to solve the maze. Those who hadn’t slept showed no improvement or did even worse after the break. Sleepers who didn’t report any maze-related dreams did better but showed only a little improvement. However, 4 nap-takers who reported dreaming about maze showed a surprising improvement. They scored 10 times higher after sleeping and dreaming about the maze.
Even though the number of dreamers was small, the researchers noted that the gap in learning between the dreamers and the non-dreamers was so wide that the finding was significant.
The dreamers had all performed poorly on the test before dreaming about it. That suggests that struggling with a task might be the trigger that leads the sleeping brain to focus on it and work on how to deal with it.
“It’s almost as if your brain is going through everything that happened today,” Dr. Stickgold, a scientist at Harvard Medical School, said, “The things you are obsessed (着迷的) with are the ones that your brain forces you to continue to do with. ”
1.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.Learning while you dream. B.What dreams stand for.
C.Dream a good dream. D.Dreams and health.
2.What were the volunteers asked to do after the rest?
A.To work on a new maze.
B.To continue to do the maze.
C.To talk with each other about their dreams.
D.To tell what they thought about the maze.
3.According to the study, which group showed the greatest improvement?
A.Those who didn’t sleep.
B.Those who slept but didn’t dream.
C.Those who dreamed about the maze while sleeping.
D.Those who thought about the maze before falling asleep.
4.The underlined word “trigger” in paragraph 5 probably means ________.
A.chance B.idea
C.way D.cause
5.In which part of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?
A.Business B.Science
C.Education D.Life
I must have always known reading was very important because the first memories I have as a child deal with books. There was not one night that I don’t remember mom reading me a storybook by my bedside. I was extremely inspired by the elegant way the words sounded.
I always wanted to know what my mom was reading. Hearing mom say, “I can’t believe what’s printed in the newspaper this morning,” made me want to grab it out of her hands and read it myself. I wanted to be like my mom and know all of the things she knew. So I carried around a book, and each night, just to be like her, I would pretend to be reading.
This is how everyone learned to read. We would start off with sentences, then paragraphs, and then stories. It seemed an unending journey, but even as a six-year-old girl I realized that knowing how to read could open many doors. When mom said, “The C-A-N-D-Y is hidden on the top shelf,” I knew where the candy was. My progress in reading raised my curiosity, and I wanted to know everything. I often found myself telling my mom to drive more slowly, so that I could read all of the road signs we passed.
Most of my reading through primary, middle and high school was factual reading. I read for knowledge, and to make A’s on my tests. Occasionally, I would read a novel that was assigned, but I didn’t enjoy this type of reading. I liked facts, things that are concrete. I thought anything abstract left too much room for argument.
Yet, now that I’m growing and the world I once knew as being so simple is becoming more complex, I find myself needing a way to escape. By opening a novel, I can leave behind my burdens and enter into a wonderful and mysterious world where I am now a new character. In these worlds I can become anyone. I don’t have to write down what happened or what technique the author was using when he or she wrote this. I just read to relax.
We’re taught to read because it’s necessary for much of human understanding. Reading is a vital part of my life. Reading satisfies my desire to keep learning. And I’ve found that the possibilities that lie within books are limitless.
1.Why did the author want to grab the newspaper out of mom’s hands?
A.She wanted mom to read the news to her.
B.She was anxious to know what had happened.
C.She couldn’t wait to tear the newspaper apart.
D.She couldn’t help but stop mom from reading.
2.According to Paragraph 3, the author’s reading of road signs indicates ________.
A.her unique way to locate herself
B.her eagerness to develop her reading ability
C.her effort to remind mom to obey traffic rules
D.her growing desire to know the world around her
3.What was the author’s view on factual reading?
A.It would help her update test-taking skills.
B.It would allow much room for free thinking.
C.It would provide true and objective information.
D.It would help shape a realistic and serious attitude to life.
4.The author takes novel reading as a way to ________.
A.explore a fantasy land
B.develop a passion for learning
C.learn about the adult community
D.get away from a confusing world
5.What could be the best title for the passage?
A.The Magic of Reading
B.The Pleasure of Reading
C.Growing Up with Reading
D.Reading Makes a Full Man
Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son’s team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son’s teammate Mickey O’Donnel. With shouts of “Kick it!” echoing across the playground, Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted (沸腾). O’Donnel had scored!
Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome (唐氏综合症) and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.
The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, “I scored! I scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!” For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five salute and started chanting, “Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!” Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal.
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied. “It was a tie. Everybody won.”
1.What was the result of the soccer match?
A.Two to two, equal to both the teams.
B.Three to one in Mickey’s team’s favor.
C.Two to one in the opposite team’s favor.
D.Nobody won because of Mickey’s goal.
2.The underlined word “hush” in paragraph 3 means “________”.
A.cheer B.silence
C.laughter D.cry
3.What did the author worry about when Mickey scored and hugged his son?
A.The result would disappoint his son.
B.His son would shout at Mickey for his goal.
C.Mickey would again hug the opposing players.
D.The opposite team would laugh at Mickey’s goal.
4.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A.both teams liked and respected Mickey
B.both teams were thankful for Mickey’s goal
C.Mickey didn’t mind though his goal was wrong
D.Mickey was a kind-hearted boy and hoped everybody won
5.The purpose of the author in writing the passage is ________.
A.to tell a joke to make readers laugh
B.to suggest we should not mind losing
C.to show enjoying a game is more than winning a game
D.to present his son’s fine qualities of understanding others
