阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
The 1. (tradition) Chinese lunar year divides the year into 24 solar terms. On the first day of Winter Solstice (冬至), the Northern Hemisphere (半球) experiences the 2. (short) day in the year. The Winter Solstice also 3. (mark) the arrival of the coldest season in the year.
There was a saying 4. ancient China, “The Winter Solstice is as important as the Spring Festival.” As early as the Zhou Dynasty, people worshipped (崇拜) the gods on the first day of the Winter Solstice, 5. also was the first day of the new year. The Winter Solstice 6. (become) a winter festival during the Han Dynasty. 7. (celebrate) were officially organized. On this day, both officials and common people would have 8. rest.
During the following dynasties, such 9. the Tang, Song and Qing dynasties, the Winter Solstice was a day 10. (offer) sacrifices (祭祀) to Heaven and to ancestors.
I was visiting Costa Rica when I found myself in a bad situation: all my bank cards weren’t ______ abroad, and I only had $5 and a return ticket in two weeks. Back then, there were no cellphones or Internet. It was _______who came to my rescue to get me home.
I thought the city dangerous and decided to find kind people in the ______. With my remaining coins, I ______ to the bus station and found a countryside that I could ______. Five hours later, I arrived at Santa Rosa. I went knocking door to door, ______ my situation with my very poor Spanish, ______ everyone pointed me to another house.
Finally, I ______ a Chinese restaurant. The owner was extremely ______. She heard my story and felt ______ for me. She said her son had a similar ______. At that time, some other people were very kind to him, and she remembered how ______ that made her feel. She invited me in, gave me food, and called the Red Cross to ______ me. I spent my remaining days in Costa Rica with the head of Red Cross.
I realized that being able to receive kindness is a ______ for other people as well. And kindness ______ more kindness in small ripples (波纹).
1.A.working B.paying C.travelling D.increasing
2.A.villagers B.tourists C.visitors D.strangers
3.A.street B.town C.countryside D.community
4.A.drove B.flew C.headed D.slid
5.A.buy B.afford C.rent D.earn
6.A.explaining B.sharing C.exchanging D.exploring
7.A.or B.but C.and D.therefore
8.A.thought of B.heard of C.arrived at D.aimed at
9.A.rich B.kind C.busy D.serious
10.A.proud B.happy C.excited D.sorry
11.A.adventure B.experience C.failure D.strategy
12.A.warm B.curious C.cool D.strange
13.A.choose B.calm C.comfort D.rescue
14.A.gift B.trouble C.trap D.request
15.A.improves B.challenges C.encourages D.designs
We’ve all been there: Just when you’re getting used to your new workout routine, suddenly your knee is killing you. 1. Before injury strikes, listen to these signs that might show your body needs some time off.
You’re always sore (酸疼). 2. But if you’re exercising regularly, you shouldn’t constantly be feeling sore. You should always give your muscles 24 to 48 hours to recover between training sessions. If you still feel sore, it’s possible you’re overtraining.
3. Anger, anxiety, and tiredness are also signs. It is known that exercise can make us happier because of endorphins — a stress-fighting chemical — in the brain. However, those endorphins are also accompanied by cortisol, a stress chemical. And when cortisol levels remain high for an extended period, they cause harm on mental health.
Your heart rate is abnormal. One of the best ways to tell if you’ve been overtraining is to check your heart rate. If you’re above your normal, then your body is not really ready for a hard workout that day. 4.
The best thing about noticing these symptoms (症状)? 5. A little R&R (rest and recovery) is just what your body ordered!
A.You’re constantly tired or emotional.
B.Yes, you’ve over-worked yourself into an injury.
C.Fortunately, recovery is simple — just take it easy for a few days!
D.That’s one of the best ways to judge your readiness to exercise.
E.Sure, a bit of muscle soreness after some workout is totally normal.
F.It’s much easier to relax and check heart rate than it is to recover from an injury.
G.Doing the same activity over and over without proper recovery is going to cause injury.
If you’re reading this story, the chances are you’ve got a pretty good command of English. You’re not alone — an estimated 1.5 billion people speak English today, making it the most commonly used language in the world. Most are non-native speakers with English as their second language, while it serves as a third or fourth language for hundreds of millions more. So which place has the most fluent non-native English speakers?
According to a new report by international education company, the Netherlands is the best non-native English speakers across the globe. The results of its English Proficiency Index (英语能力指数), based on a free online test taken by 2.3 million volunteers, show that the Dutch are the most fluent. Sweden was positioned just below, with a score of 68.74 out of 100, while Norway came in third with 67.93 points.
Although the places with “very high proficiency” were largely made up of European countries, Singapore and South Africa also scored highly, coming in fifth and sixth place respectively.
The report also found that English was the most widely studied second language in the world by far. This may be the reason why just 20% of school students in the United States were studying a foreign language.
The survey was measured by testing non-native English speakers in 100 countries and over 400 cities and regions who voluntarily agreed to take the test. But there’s one thing that should be noticed. People are more likely to participate (参与) in the survey if they can surf the internet more easily. And this may greatly influence the accuracy (准确性) of the results.
1.Which of the following country has the most fluent non-native English speakers?
A.America. B.Singapore.
C.Sweden. D.The Netherlands.
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A.Americans do not need to learn a second language.
B.Americans dislike languages other than English.
C.More and more people are taking English as a second language.
D.Not many Americans would like to learn another language.
3.How was the survey carried out?
A.By asking volunteers to test online.
B.By handing out paper survey in some places.
C.By inviting volunteers to participate in the company.
D.By cooperating with other organizations.
4.What’s the attitude of the author towards the results of the survey?
A.Positive. B.Doubtful.
C.Supportive. D.Objective.
The victims were carried in one by one, their paws burned and fur burnt, suffering from dehydration (脱水) and fear. Their caretakers bandaged (用绷带包扎) their wounds and laid them in baskets with the only thing that was familiar — the leaves of a eucalyptus (桉树) tree. As fires have burned more than two million acres in Australia, dozens of koalas have been rescued from burned trees and pale ground. The animals are being treated in rescue centers, and at least one private home, along the country’s east coast.
The difficult situation of the koala — a national symbol of Australia — has raised questions among environmentalists and scientists about what it will take to protect biodiversity (生物多样性) in a country with intense fire, extreme heat and lack of water. Australia has already been among the highest rates of species extinction in the world.
The bad situation goes beyond koalas. Recently, tens of thousands of bats fell from the sky in temperatures over 107 degrees Fahrenheit in northern Australia. Kangaroos destroyed the grapes in Canberra because of drought.
“Climate change and other human impacts have so changed the situation that the government needs to rethink its way to protect at once,” Dr. Bowman said, suggesting interventions (干预) like irrigating, feeding and moving animals to new places.
Koalas, unlike kangaroos, birds or snakes, do not escape from fires. Therefore, though the fires are still burning, a rescue team began to search the area carefully. Walking in a human chain, they looked up to the tree top, searching for survivors.
1.What do the victims in the first paragraph refer to?
A.Animals injured in fires.
B.Kangaroos driven by drought.
C.Bats that fell from the sky.
D.Koalas rescued from the fire.
2.Which of the following may cause the extinction of wildlife?
A.Wildfires that seldom happened.
B.Extreme hot weather in Australia.
C.The never-changing climate in Australia.
D.Not having enough money to take measures in Australia.
3.What can we draw from Dr. Bowman?
A.Human activities have little influence on animals.
B.The government should take immediate action.
C.The government does not care about the wild animals.
D.Scientists are concerned about the bad situation of wildlife.
4.What’s the best title for the text?
A.Saving the Fire Victims Who Cannot Escape: Australia’s Koalas
B.Saving the Endangered Wild Animals in Australia
C.Actions Needed to Protect Habitat for Koalas
D.National Symbol of Australia Needs Rescue
Before she could even talk, Ellie Heath spent hours drawing pictures. When she grew older, the 15-year-old discovered the joy of sewing (缝纫). She says she finds it calming. She started out making small things, like jewelry and soft toys. Over time, she began making clothing. Her love of the creative work led her to open a business. Three Blue Bunnies is the name of her company, which makes what she calls “wearable art.”
“My definition of wearable art is something that makes you feel unique. It’s one of a kind, often handmade,” she explains. She sells her creations in farmers markets and at sales for local churches.
All the pieces Ellie creates are made of used or donated fabrics. She works a lot with jean jackets, renewing them with artistic additions. The process starts with finding cloth material that looks good with the jackets. “Then, I find out the design that works on it through trial and error (反复尝试) or the design comes to me,” she explains.
Ellie sharpened her creative skills at school. Cheryl Crow was one of her teachers early on. Crow calls Ellie “a dream student.” She says Ellie worked hard and made progress. “She was always very creative, but also very kind, helpful to the other students.”
Ellie has many dreams. She wants to be a teacher and to spread the joy of creativity among children. She also dreams her business will grow and become a model for other young people who have a dream they want to come true.
1.What does “wearable art” mean according to Ellie Heath?
A.Something that can be worn.
B.Something that is valuable.
C.Something that makes you different from others.
D.Something that cannot be found anywhere else.
2.Which of the following words can best describe Ellie?
A.Creative and determined. B.Generous and outgoing.
C.Warm-hearted and clever. D.Hard-working and unique.
3.What can we can learn from paragraph three?
A.All of the cloth comes from donation.
B.Ellie got a lot of pleasure from her design.
C.It is a piece of cake for Ellie to create a wearable art.
D.The process of artistic design is usually not easy.
4.What does the word “sharpened” mean in paragraph 4?
A.Performed. B.Challenged.
C.Improved. D.Applied.
