ROME— four people, including the wife of the factory's owner, died on Wednesday after explosions （爆炸）at the Barcelona Pozzo di Gotto fireworks company, Italian media reported.
According to online reports by La Republic and TGCOM24, at least one other person is missing and three others are seriously injured, with two of them in dangerous condition. Among the dead was 71-year-old Venera Mazzeo, the wife of the factory owner Vito Costa. Mazzeo reportedly died on the scene. Antonio Costa, the owner's son, was seriously injured and was transported to a hospital in the regional capital of Palermo for treatment. Less seriously injured persons were moved to the nearby Milazzo Hospital to be treated for burns and other injuries. Many were transported by local people who reached the scene before ambulances could arrive, reports said.
The factory, located near the northeast of the southern Italian island of Sicily, near the city of Messina, has been in operation for more than ten years without any accident. Police reports showed that two separate explosions took place, with the first explosion likely causing the second one. Media reports said that police have guessed that sparks （火花）from a repairing project reached some of the explosive material stored in the factory and was likely the cause of the first explosion.
Reports also showed that firefighters were able to control the flame, which burnt buildings on the factory and threatened nearby structures.
1.How many people lost their lives in the accident except Venera Mazzeo?
A.Three. B.Four.
C.Five. D.Six.
2.What probably caused the first explosion according to the passage?
A.One worker's cigarette spark.
B.A fire nearby the factory.
C.The explosive material in the factory.
D.The sparks from a repairing project.
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Antonio Costa died on the scene because of the flame.
B.Most injured persons were sent to hospital by ambulance.
C.The factory had been in safe operation before the explosions.
D.There were three explosions in total in the accident.
4.Where does the passage probably come from?
A.A travel guide. B.A newspaper.
C.A magazine. D.A science report.
When your alarm clock rings and you drag yourself out of bed, you probably wonder： Why on earth does school have to start so early?
Fortunately, there is a new law to support—or better still, science.
A law in California, passed on Oct 13, requires that public middle schools begin classes no earlier than 8：00 am and that high schools start no earlier than 8：30 am. The law will go into effect by July 1, 2022.
Starting school at 8：00 or 8：30 in the morning may not sound like too big of a change, but it could mean one more hour of sleep for students who used to start school at 7:30 or even earlier.
"The effect of that one hour is something they will be feeling as 40-year-old adults," Sumit Bhargava, a sleep expert at Stanford University, told The New York Times. He said that not having enough sleep can affect students' mental health and increase the risk of being overweight and diabetes （糖尿病）.
In the short run, students' school performances should improve almost immediately. Kyla Wahlstrom, a researcher at the University of Minnesota's College of Education, found that students who have enough sleep are alert in class and get much more satisfying grades.
Some might say that asking students to go to bed earlier could have been a much easier solution than changing the school timetable across an entire state. But according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, teenagers go through biological changes when they enter puberty （青春期）,which makes it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11：00 pm. So when school starts at 8：00 or earlier, they can hardly get the ideal 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep that experts suggest they need to do their best in the daytime.
This is why when the new law came out, its author, Anthony Portantino, said, "Generations of children will come to appreciate this historic day and our governor for taking action."
1.Which of the following is TRUE about the law?
A.The law has not been put into practice.
B.The law requires schools to start later than 8：30am.
C.The law will be passed by July 1, 2022.
D.The law is made by a university in California.
2.What does the underlined word alert in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
A.Friendly. B.Sharp.
C.Calm. D.Honest.
3.For a better academic performance in the daytime, how long do teenagers probably need to sleep?
A.About 8 hours. B.About 9 hours.
C.At least 10 hours. D.At most 8. 5 hours.
4.What's the main idea of the text?
A.Lack of sleep could lead to health problems.
B.The amount of sleep people need changes with age.
C.A new law lets students sleep longer.
D.Sleeping problems are leading problems for teenagers.
Letter to My Daughter （Hardcover $10. 00）
This book of essay and poems by Maya Angelou, a respectable American poet, is written for "the daughter she never had" —the millions of women, both young and old, who she considers to be her "family". From the viewpoint of a caring, older relative, this book contains lessons taken from her own life experiences, including the birth of her only child, a son, as well as the development and loss of friendship.
Ordinary Light （Paperback $6. 46）
"She left us at night,” Tracy K. Smith, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, writes in the first sentence in Ordinary Light. She gives a description of her mother's last days and moments, and her own private farewell. She moves on to search for her mother through memories. She remembers her as a steady presence during visits to grandparents, while spending time with her much-older sisters and brothers. Ordinary Light is a memory, a discovery, a blessing.
A Room of One’s Own （Hardcover $19. 48）
This essay by English writer Virginia Woolf is based on her several lectures given to two women's colleges at Cambridge University in 1928. In it, Woolf describes that it's situation not talent alone that allows men to be more successful at writing. Women, in other words, spend so much time cooking, cleaning ? and tending to their children that they have no time left for art. To write well, therefore, a woman must have "a room of her own". While on its surface, this essay appears to be only about writing, it is actually about wealth and class, freedom and imprisonment （囚禁），and the power struggle between sexes.
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? （Hardcover $8. 44）
"When you think things are bad, when you start to get mad... you should do what I do!"
The classic book by Dr Seuss begins with the advice of a wise man and provides the perfect ways for readers of all ages who are feeling down. Thanks to Dr. Seuss's trademark rhymes （韵律）and signature illustrations （插画），readers will realize just how lucky they truly are.
1.How many different books can you buy at most with $25?
A.One. B.Two.
C.Three. D.Four.
2.If you are feeling a bit low, you can read .
A.Letter to My Daughter
B.A Room of One's Own
C.Ordinary Light
D.Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A.Maya spends most of her time fighting for women's rights.
B.Woolf thinks many factors influence women's success at writing.
C.Tracy often spends much time with her older sisters and brothers.
D.Dr. Seuss always gives more encouragement to young people.
阅读下面的短文，根据短文内容回答问题。
Go, commonly known in China as weiqi, is a board game for two players that needs logical (逻辑的) strategies. To win, the player must use black and white playing pieces to surround more field than the other player. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago. It enjoys a wide fan base, mostly in East Asia—but it is becoming more popular in other areas of the world.
Schreiber, vice chair of Berlin Go Association, was introduced to the game 16 years ago, but thought the game rather boring at first. Similarly, Urban, chair of Berlin Go Association, accidentally discovered a book on Go on his mother’s bookshelf when he was 37 years old. “I tried to understand the rules because I love board games and I did not get it,” added Urban. But they both found the game more and more interesting after practice. “It’s like speaking to another but with your hands. You make a very direct message,” explained Schreiber.
Schreiber recommended children learn Go because he believed it could be beneficial for them. “They learn that there is always someone stronger and they learn that it’s okay to lose. They learn how to improve from their mistakes and say tomorrow will be better than today,” he explained.
To the experienced players, Go can be very addictive, as it carries meanings not just in leisure, but also in culture. Many are too quick to judge other people’s cultures. Confucius said, “Tell me, I’ll forget; Show me, I may remember; Involve me, and I will understand.” With Go, people only get stronger if they play against different players. With culture, one need ot go and talk to people, even better if in their language. If you can’t, maybe it’s enough to use the Go board as the language.
As cooperation between China and Germany deepens in many aspects of life, efforts have been made to further popularize Go in Europe. The European. Go Congress has been hosting annual competitions since 1983. Training courses are also offered, and professional players from China are invited to deliver lectures for game loves in Europe.
1.When was Go invented in China?
2.How did Schreiber and Urban feel about Go after practice?
3.Why did Schreiber recommend children learn Go?
4.What has happened as a cooperation between China and Germany deepens?
“You’ll get square eyes!” my mother used to say as I sat for hour after hour glued to the TV. I ignored her, of course. Past-forward a few decades and now I’m the parent. My 5-year-old lives in a world where screens aren’t fixed pieces of furniture. You can’t even avoid them by going outside. Screens are not only in our pockets; they’re everywhere.
The concerns have grown with the screens. In the past decade, we have heard that they will damage our mental health. Many of us feel more distracted by them, feeling guiltier and more tired as a result.
The apps and websites we can access on our phones have also sparked widespread concern. Big tech companies are also good at making use of our need for social recognition, hooking us on likes, retweets and follower counts. Social media has created a culture of mass narcissism (自恋), which has led many to worry about the emotional stresses on teenagers. A quick online search brings up dozens of papers linking screen use or social media with harmful effects on mental health, including depression and suicide.
Such statements are alarming. They are also widely believed, thanks to popular books like iGen by Jean Twenge, which claims that digital technology has ruined a generation. Yet, Amy Orben at the University of Oxford, who studies the impact of digital technology and social media in particular on mental health, holds different views. She claims that the underlying data can be used to tell different stories. She also spotted shortcomings in several large studies that claimed to show correlations (相关性) between the use of devices with screens and depression in users.
Twenge stands by her own finding, pointing in turn to what she considers flaws in Orben’s research methods. For David Max, at Royal College of Child Health in London, the effect of screen time and social media use on mental health remains speculative. “We cannot regard social media overall as good or bad,” says Davie. “We don’t know whether in individual cases social media is not responsible,” he says.
The explosion of mobile phone use has revolutionized our lives. I can download movies, write articles, communicate with my family and broadcast to the world all at the push of a button. Rather than impose constraints (限制), we should take a look at our use of screens and ask how they fit with the activities and lifestyle.
Every new technology with widespread impact has given rise to new fears. So the best bet may simply be to ask yourself what level of screen use makes you and those around you happy and try to stick to it. If you find yourself over addictive, don’t panic—and certainly don’t feel guilty. Nobody knows anything worth getting scared about.
1.According to the passage, people give likes, retweet or count followers to __________.
A.share one’s lifestyles B.show respect for others
C.seek social recognition D.relieve emotional stresses
2.The underlined word “speculative” probably means “__________”.
A.doubtful B.specific
C.important D.abstract
3.What can be learned from the passage?
A.Teenagers are more affected by screen use both physically and mentally.
B.Orben claims it is far too early to blame screen use for ruining a generation.
C.Big tech companies help to produce many research papers on mental health.
D.Twenge mainly introduces the overall benefits of digital technology in her books.
4.The passage is written to __________.
A.encourage readers to reduce the time of screen use
B.share different opinions on the effects of screen use
C.explain why screen use may have negative effects on people
D.relieve people’s concerns and worries about the use of screens
Georiga O’Keeffe always thought of herself as an artist. By 1928, the rest of the world did, too. At the age of 41 she was living in New York City and becoming a well-known painter. Still, O’Keeffe wasn’t happy. New York had been a good source of ideas for almost ten years. Now those ideas were drying up. O’Keeffe felt like she needed a change. She had visited New Mexico in 1917 with her sister. The wide open space had thrilled her. “Maybe I should go back,” she thought. In April of 1929, O’Keeffe packed her bags.
The wide open space of New Mexico drew O’Keeffe in. She spent hours just watching the sky change. Because the light was so clear, she felt like she could see for the first time. The beauty of the land renewed her. She couldn’t wait to start painting. Cow and horse skulls and desert flowers filled her canvases (画布). The colors of the desert inspired O’Keeffe. As a result, she made new choices in her artwork. “The color up there is different,” she explained. She loved the dusty blues and greens.
That August, O’Keeffe went home to New York. It was the start of a pattern. Each spring, she traveled to New Mexico to paint. These trips restored her spirit. Then, in the fall, she would return to New York. There, she showed her work. Each time O’Keeffe visited New Mexico, she explored a little more.
The bleached animal bones and skulls that O’Keeffe found excited her because she could see their special beauty. The bones didn’t mean death to O’Keeffe. To her, they showed the lasting beauty of the desert. The landscapes, clear light, and bright colors also spoke to her. She often painted close-ups of the rocks and mountains. Later, she began to travel more in search of new ideas. However, she always came back to New Mexico.
As O’Keeffe grew older, her eyesight began to fail. Still, O’Keeffe wasn’t ready to give up. Her friend Juan Hamilton helped her work with watercolors. He also taught her to sculpt. As a result, she made art into her 90s. When she died at the age of 98, Hamilton sprinkled her ashes over the desert. Her body became part of the land that had touched her art and her life.
1.O’Keeffe was unhappy in New York in 1928 because __________.
A.she was lack of the creative ideas B.she felt disappointed about her job
C.she was not successful as an artist D.she felt bored about life in a big city
2.After her trips to New Mexico, O’Keeffe __________.
A.received great reputation there B.discovered the meaning in her life
C.chose to settle down in that country D.got new thoughts from the scenery
3.What can we know about O’Keeffe from the passage?
A.She was never afraid of failure and death. B.She was devoted and passionate about art.
C.She was patient with the coming chances. D.She was curious about the nature of people.
4.Which of the following could be the best title for this article?
A.Lifestyle in the Desert B.Special Love for Art
C.Inspiration from the Desert D.Modern Women Artists
