Fruit growers in the United States depend heavily on immigrants to grow and harvest their crops. Most immigrants working on American farms are Hispanic and come from Mexico or Central America. Many of them entered the United States, and have settled in rural communities across the country. They often raise families by working in the fields. Just like US citizens, they should perform some duties and tax is also often paid on their goods and services.
Recently, in the eastern state of Pennsylvania, fruit farmers are concerned about the government's immigration policies. The fear is that they will not have enough workers to stay in business. Spring is pruning season for apple trees in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Hispanic immigrant workers care for the trees in many of the area's apple orchards (果园).
The work takes many hours and is tiring and repetitive. An apple grower says very few Americans are willing to do this kind of work anymore. She helps monitor her family's farm and orchard in Adams County. And, she worries that immigration officers will take her work- ers away.
Some of the immigrants who secretly came to America and now work on the farms live in the town of York Springs. Almost half of the people in the town speak Spanish. But, these days, they would rather stay at home than go out on the streets in the community. They are fearful now because of recent arrests by immigration officers.
An estimated 800,000 workers harvest crops in the United States. About 40 percent of them arc thought to be immigrants who entered the country secretly.
The Rice Fruit Company is the largest apple-packing house in the eastern United States. It prepares apples from Adams County farms for shipping to buyers across the country. But, if inmigrant workers start to leave the area, Rice says his company will be forced to reduce operations.
Rice says the company is exploring ways to reduce labor costs now, including using more machinery and robots. He says his company may also need to work with only the most profitable, efficient orchards.
1.What can We learn about immigrants in America from the text?
A.They have to pay taxes.
B.Most of them are from Africa.
C.None of them entered America secretly.
D.They often monitor their farm owners* families.
2.What are American farmers most worried about recently?
A.They will lose their workers.
B.Their work is tiring and repetitive.
C.They will face immigration officers' questioning・
D.Their orchards are short of harvesting machinery.
3.Why do many immigrants in York Springs choose to stay inside now?
A.To fight for higher pay.
B.To protest for proper working conditions.
C.To avoid being driven out of America・
D.To stay away from working in the fields.
4.What is the Rice Fruit Company doing now?
A.Stopping its operations.
B.Encouraging immigrants to stay.
C.Asking for help from the local government.
D.Considering using more technological equipment.
Tired of seeing so much garbage along the bank of River Schie in Rotterdam Dutch artist Tommy Kleyn decided to step up and do something about it. He alone organized a cleanup of the entire bank without leaving any garbage, proving that anyone can indeed make a difference if they want to.
Kleyn would cycle past a part of the Rotterdam riverway and see so much garbage along the bank. The situation troubled him, so he decided to spend 30 minutes every day cleaning the place up, filling one garbage bag a time. And when he posted pictures of his work on Facebook, a few of his friends volunteered to join as well. In five weeks, they had a 100 meter riverbank clean and completely rubbish-free.
Kleyn's action has received great support online, and he has managed to turn it into a small movement. He has set up a Facebook page through which he challenges people to spend 30 minutes a year to fill a garbage bag with rubbish. “It feels great and you'll make a big difference," he wrote. “People are free to share their 'before' and 'after' pictures on the page. The challenge has attracted people in countries・ The people came from as far as China to respond with their own photos and stories!"
“I want to show how easy it is to remove rubbish," he added. “Hopefully there will come a time when makers are thoughtful and their goods are no longer wrapped in layers of plastic."
Local officials praised Kleyn's work on the riverbank and helped him raise money for future projects as well. “People can sign up to help me one day a year. For this, they received a coupon, like going to a local restaurant at the lowest price. You can imagine what I've man- aged to do in 22 days, and what 22 men could do in a day. he said.
1.What happened after Kleyn posted pictures of his work on Facebook?
A.Some of his friends were forced to join him.
B.The whole riverbank was completely rubbish-free.
C.His Pictures received little attention from foreigners.
D.His work on the bank of River Schie started to pay off.
2.What do we know about Kleyn's action?
A.It has influenced many people.
B.It is opposed by local officials.
C.It is difficult for Chinese to accept.
D.It has made people stop using layers of plastic.
3.What does the underlined word "coupon” in the last paragraph refer to?
A.A job lasting 22 days.
B.A kind of plastic garbage.
C.A piece of printed discount paper.
D.A fund for supporting future projects.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.River pollution in Dutch has been solved by Tommy Kleyn.
B.A Dutch eco-hero proves that one man can make a difference・
C.Environmental protection needs support from the government・
D.Facebook plays an important role in environmental protection.
Scientific Books
Amazon offers a wide range of books for readers to choose from. Here are some splendid books for lovely kids.
How to be a Scientist
Steve Mould
Price: $8.81
This book is for the child who is forever asking questions. It encourages young readers to hug those questions, seek out answers, and try out some fun experiments that will entertain the whole family. We can't wait to get our hands on this one!
LEGO Women of NASA: Space Heroes
DK
Price: $11.72
Not only is this splendid book filled with many LEGO characters, but it's also filled with educational facts! Your little one will love learning about ladies like Mae Jemison, Sally Ride, Margaret Hamilton, and Nancy Grace Roman through this fun-to-read book.
Hidden Figures
Margot Lee Shetterly
Price: $12.75
You've likely seen the Academy Award-winning film Hidden Figures, but now you can introduce these amazing women to your kids as role models. This picture book explores the story of these amazing mathematicians and the barriers they overcame to have extraordinary careers with NASA.
If I Built a Car
Chris Van Dusen
Price: $ 6. 39
It' s a fact—kids love things that move. They are cars, planes, trains, and all you name it! This fun story describes little Jack's dream about designing a perfect car, including a pool, a fireplace, and much more. The young engineer in your family will be begging you to read If I Built a Car each night before bedtime.
1.For whom is the book How to be a Scientist most suitable?
A.Parents admiring famous scientists.
B.Parents loving entertainment.
C.Kids with curiosity about science.
D.Kids with a preference for Chinese characters.
2.Which of the following books was made into a film?
A.How to be a Scientist
B.If I Built a Car.
C.LEGO Women of NASA : Space Heroes.
D.Hidden Figures.
3.Who wrote the book about a young designer?
A.Chris Van Dusen. B.DK.
C.Steve Mould. D.Margot Lee Shetterly.
阅读下面材料,根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段,使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。
Ten-year-old Sami loved to visit his grandfather's house. The house was near the beautiful blue sea. At the seaside stood thick and tall palm trees with green coconuts hanging from them. When the coconuts fell down, Sami would break them open and drink the coconut water. Sami liked to play under the trees. It was always great fun to spend the holidays at Grandpa's place.
This winter vacation, Sami was surprised when he came to his grandfather's village. There were hardly any trees left. He saw houses built near the sea. People had cut down many palm trees and there was hardly any greenery left.
Grandpa's house was different. He never allowed his trees to be cut. He hugged each palm tree in his courtyard. He also named the two big trees near the front door--one was Petu, and the other Betu. He had planted them with his own hands and today they had become large, massive trees with thick trunks. They were tall and green and gave the sweetest, juiciest coconuts.
One night, Sami was awakened by a strange sound. He could not sleep. He tossed(辗转)and turned in bed.
Suddenly, the ground shook as if the earth was splitting. He sat up straight and then ran to Grandpa. He clung(附 着)to his grandpa tightly. Grandpa cried out, “It's an earthquake! It's an earthquake!" They ran outside the house. They thought that would be safe.
Suddenly, there was a loud sound; the earth was not splitting but the sea was roaring. People were shouting, screaming and crying, “The sea is rising! The sea is rising." The villagers started running away from the beach.
Sami watched dumbstruck(呆若木鸡).
The waves were rising higher and higher. Sami thought, “How big the waves are!" He went into the house again and saw water coming in from all sides. He was scared.
Sami remembered his mother telling him long ago, “You must always get out of the house if the floods come too near." He ran outside the house with Grandpa. But the water came surging(汹涌) in.
Waves about twelve meters high came rushing in, drowning everything. Water was all around and everywhere.
Paragraph 1:
Grandpa held Sami's hand tightly but a huge wave separated them.
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Paragraph 2:
“Sami, Sami!” Grandpa cried. “Don't be scared, little one, come to me, quickly.”
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假定你是李华,乘坐FL753航班抵达伦教后发现钱包遗失。请给航空公司写一封邮件说明情况并寻求帮助。内容包括:
1. 行程信息;
2. 钱包特征;
3. 联系方式。
注意:
1. 词数80左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
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阅读下面材料,在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Agricultural experts say crop diversity is important to feed the1.(increase) population of our planet. They say having a large variety of plants also2.(help) to protect against possible crop diseases and future crises. But many experts say the number has decreased sharply during the past century.
One of the world's 3.(large) seed conservation projects has predicted further losses. The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership is warning that up to one hundred thousand plant species could 4. (permanent) disappear. The rich collection of genes5. decide their qualities would disappear with them.
Many experts blame climate change and loss of habitat, normal growth area, for damaging plant life. They say human6.(activity) and poorly planned, overly heavy use of land also are responsible. Modern business farming is responsible7.loss of farmers' traditional crop varieties. The "Green Revolution" of the twentieth century changed agriculture. Some experts say the use of modern commercial farming methods saved millions of people from8.(starve). Farmers planted, watered, and fertilized their crops with the help of machines. They treated their fields with chemicals9.(control) diseases and insects. Harvests grew larger and higher quality,10. another result was that some traditional crops were lost. Damage to the environment over the past century makes people believe that crop diversity also suffered.