Chris Mazdzer won a silver medal in a men’s luge (无舵雪橇) singles event at 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, South Korea — equaling the best finish ever for any member of the US Olympic luge team. In the luge, competitors lie flat, feet first, on a small sled (雪橇). They can travel around an icy track at speeds up to 140 kilometers an hour. The riders control the sled’s speed by changing the position of their feet or by moving their shoulders.
So why did the US luge team win a medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics? Most credit must go to Chris Mazdzer himself. The American said his win was a product of 16 years of preparation and intense training. But another reason for Mazdzer’s success could have been the 3-D printing technology, which his team used to make its equipment.
The term 3-D is short for three dimensional, meaning an object with length, width and height. In 3-D printing, 3-D models are first created as files, or documents, on a computer. The printer then uses a substance (物质) like plastic or metal to create physical objects. The process involves making one layer of material at a time until the objects reach full form.
The US luge team worked with an American company called Stratasys on the designing and manufacturing process for the sleds. First, the company made a scan, or image, of the body of every member of the luge team. Then, 3-D printing technology was used to create tools for making molds (模子) in the shape of Olympians on top of a sled. The process of designing and tooling sled parts is highly complex and can take several weeks. Officials from the US luge team say 3-D printing can greatly simplify the process, speeding up the production of parts.
Jon Owen, says the use of 3-D printing has made the team more competitive. It helps the team “continuously adjust designs and run the sleds on the track much faster than traditional processes,” he said. He added that the technology also provides a way to perfectly fit each rider to the sled, while cutting production time and costs.
1.According to the author, what mainly contributed to Mazdzer’s winning the medal?
A.His own great efforts. B.His using a new technique.
C.The cooperation with his luge team. D.The US Olympic luge team’s encouragement.
2.To make the sleds for the team, what did the company have to do?
A.To create tools for making sled parts.
B.To take some photos of the members first.
C.To create molds according to the members’ bodies.
D.To ask the Olympians to be present for several weeks.
3.From the last paragraph we learn that 3-D printing most probably __________.
A.saves plenty of competitors’ training time
B.helps competitors achieve their full potential
C.requires great skills of riders to fit the track
D.allows riders to change their sleds continuously
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.How 3-D printing usually works.
B.How we take advantage of 3-D printing.
C.How the US luge team performed this year.
D.How 3-D printing helped Team US go for gold.
My husband and I wanted desperately the instant transformation from typical consumers to eco-conscious people. We switched our light bulbs to CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs to conserve energy. We went about the house turning off lights and unplugging appliances that weren’t in use. But the rate of global warming exceeded our snail’s pace conversion to greenhood. So I pressed onward.
I decided to put veganism (素食主义) at the top of our agenda. Vegans refuse any animal flesh or commercial goods made from any animal byproducts such as milk or fats. All the family applauded this option except for my husband. Some kind of animal needed to sacrifice its dear life for his meal or it wasn’t his dinner. I cooked up a storm, struggling to prepare nutritious meals dominated by not — so — obvious vegan dishes like bean burritos and high-fiber vegetable stir-fry. It took a few days before he realized that he hadn’t been eating any meat.
“I feel like eating beef.” he announced. So that night, I took full advantage of a zucchini (西葫芦), cut it into chunky (粗大的) pieces and cooked them. Then I covered them with spices. My beef-starved husband had some and a curious look crossed his face.
“Where’s the beef?”
“Living peacefully somewhere on an open plain where it belongs.”
“I knew it!” he murmured. “You’ve surely made great contributions to the boom in cattle.” His taste buds were developed completely around the flavor of every kind of animal: cattle, pigs, deer, lambs, chickens and ducks. Converting him was like feeding grass to a lion.
I’m all for preserving our planet, but what good would it do to save the earth for tomorrow’s generation if today’s died of starvation? The next day, we went out for burgers. I was very careful to place the paper bag into our recycling bin.
1.Which of the following best explains “exceeded” underlined in Paragraph 1?
A.Defeated. B.Absorbed.
C.Bound. D.Distributed.
2.What do we know about the author’s husband from Paragraph 2?
A.He supported the meat-free diet.
B.He was a preserver of animals.
C.He was regarded as a meat lover.
D.He played a dominant role in cooking.
3.Which of the following is TRUE about the author?
A.She had a good sense of humor.
B.She successfully transformed her husband.
C.She advocated raising more cattle.
D.She had a perfect recipe for cooking meals.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Greens or Lions? B.Hunger or Anger?
C.Economy or Environment? D.Discrimination or Appreciation?
Did you know that badminton is also a fast-paced competitive sport? Badminton has been a Summer Olympic sport since 1992. Para-badminton will be included in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. Here is what you need to know if your child is interested in badminton.
Badminton is played on a 44-foot-long rectangular (矩形的) court that is 17 feet wide for singles and 20 feet wide for doubles. It is the only sport that has mixed doubles events in the Olympic Games. It is divided in the middle by a net placed 5 feet off the ground, like volleyball, not at ground level like tennis.
In competition, each match is a set of three games played to 21 points. There is a one-minute break when a player or team reaches 11 points, and a two-minute break in between the first and second games and the second and third games.
Age kids can start: About 6 years old.
Best for kids who: Have good skills, are patient and hardworking, and can handle the pressure of one-on-one or two-on-two competition.
Team or individual: Matches can be singles (one-on-one) or doubles (two-on-two).
Costs: Beginners are expected to pay $30 to $40 for an entry-level racquet (球拍). Badminton shoes are similar in price to other athletic shoes. Join a club or team for lessons. A one-hour group lesson for beginners should cost $20 to $25, with costs increasing as your child moves up the ranks. You will also pay entry fees for competitions.
Time commitment required: Beginners will play for just an hour or two per week.
Potential for injury: Players have a very low risk of injury. Players who wear glasses should use eye protection.
1.From the passage, we can learn that ________.
A.badminton is a fast-paced competitive sport which began in 1992
B.badminton has mixed doubles events in the Olympic Games
C.the court for singles has the same width as that for doubles
D.para-badminton has been included in the Summer Olympic Games
2.How many minutes in all will a player have for a rest in a set of three games?
A.2. B.3.
C.5. D.7.
3.According to the passage, for the beginners, they should ________.
A.wear glasses to protect their eyes
B.start to learn badminton at the age of 8
C.play for at least an hour or two every day
D.pay at least $20 for a one-hour group lesson
假定你是李华，你的英国朋友 Tim 想要在暑假时到中国旅游，发邮件向你征求建议。请你回复一封邮件，内容包括：
1. 推荐一个城市。
2. 给出推荐理由。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tim,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours
LiHua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文，文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删改或修改。
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仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
It was Monday morning, and the writing class had just begin. Everyone was silent, wait to see who would be called upon to read his and her paragraph aloud. Some of us were confident and eager take part in the class activity, others were nervous and anxious. I had done myself homework but I was shy. I was afraid that to speak in front of a larger group of people. At that moment, I remembered that my father once said, "The classroom is a place for learning and that include learning from textbooks, and mistake as well." Immediate, I raised my hand.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Traditional Chinese culture, 1. (fantastic), is beginning to capture the attention of the world. Kung fu, in particular, has had a great impact 2.the millions of people who first learned about China through 3.. From that, they may come to China and learn about some other 4.(aspect) of this culture. Other Asian nations have long known about the greatness of ancient Chinese culture. Their own cultures are 5.mix of native ones and those Chinese characteristics. Confucianism(孔子学说), which was adopted long ago by Korea and Japan, still 6.(continue) today even as it is challenged by pop culture.
This strength comes from the ideas 7. (give) in the Four Books of Confucianism, which built upon the ideas of an even 8.(much) ancient period codified (编纂) in the Five Classics. From them, the West learns 9.is uniquely Chinese, for example, Feng shui. So far China has taken steps 10.(further) this spread of its culture by establishing Chinese Cultural Centers in such places as the United States and Europe.
