A number of years ago I lost all of the hearing in one of my ears overnight. At first, it seemed like it could be a minor _______. Two days later, I was supposed to perform at an event, and I sat ___my turn in the dark,____some medicine from my doctor with orange juice. The hearing didn’t____. Soon after, I was____I had a brain tumor (肿瘤). The following ___left me exhausted and I was spending more time alone; but that____me with a lot more time for art.
I had spent most of my time in college studying _____and wishing there was a ______to combine technology with the work instead of just using computers as a tool. As a girl who had spent most of my time _____, it had simply never _____to me or anyone else that I could do technical work. In the 90s, that didn’t even ___. But, later, as part of the Design and Technology department at Parsons, I went through a crash ___in hardware and software engineering and fell in love with it for the purpose of art.
So as my body was ____well, I began doing small _____at night: sketches(素描), models, studying circuits(电路). I was_____that if anything happened to my other____, I wouldn’t be able to communicate. As I focused on the reality of daily____failure in my own life, I began to pay more attention to the physical objects such as our phones, our Internet, our radios, etc. I began building objects to____possible future disasters of communication in our society.
Over these years of hard work, the most______things I’ve learned are that we have to make our own opportunities, we have to make time for the work, and we can’t give up.
1.A.success B.problem C.change D.dream
2.A.thinking about B.caring about C.asking for D.waiting for
3.A.washing down B.taking out C.searching for D.paying for
4.A.lose B.affect C.return D.hurt
5.A.agreed B.told C.armed D.covered
6.A.instruction B.discovery C.treatment D.promise
7.A.left B.interrupted C.rescued D.surprised
8.A.dance B.computer C.medicine D.art
9.A.way B.accident C.corner D.luck
10.A.reading B.writing C.teaching D.drawing
11.A.appealed B.passed C.occurred D.continued
12.A.permit B.exist C.end D.move
13.A.meeting B.understanding C.check D.course
14.A.recovering B.running C.playing D.falling
15.A.talks B.discussions C.experiments D.predictions
16.A.interested B.afraid C.satisfied D.curious
17.A.arm B.hand C.ear D.leg
18.A.power B.heart C.business D.communication
19.A.mark B.avoid C.accept D.forget
20.A.important B.necessary C.possible D.difficult
In some US states, gym class is changing. Many schools are focusing on getting students ready for life after high school. They are looking for ways to leave even the least athletic kids with the will and skills to keep moving. For gym teachers, that means less focus on who is best at a sport. It means less rope climbing and dodgeball(躲避球).1.
A New Model
In one New York school district, there is no “gym” class. 2.They include dance, self- defense and rock climbing. They include mountain biking, in-line skating, and boating.
“We want our kids…, to be active for life,” said Ron Whitcomb. He manages the physical education, or PE, program for the Victor, New York, school district.
A US law passed in 2015 increased the importance of health and fitness in education. It also gave more funding(资金) to PE programs.
Whitcomb’s program started before that law passed. 3.Connecticut, Vermont and Michigan are all planning to improve PE’s place in their schools.
Outside the Gym
Tracy Krause teaches PE in Washington State. For a few years, she has taken students fly-fishing and rock climbing. 4.It combines PE, English, and science into one program. “We want kids to leave with a plan for the future,” Krause said. “I think the same needs to be true about their health.”
Lifelong Skills
In Washington, D. C, all second-graders learn to ride bikes. Fourth- and seventh-graders learn parkour(跑酷). Parkour teaches students to jump, climb and roll in the fastest way they can. Sixth- graders learn how to read a compass. High schoolers swim. 5.
Teachers hope to keep students liking, not hating, PE. That means finding sports or activities they enjoy.
A.They are also cutting back on team sports.
B.It means more bike riding and outdoor hikes.
C.Other schools are now following his program.
D.Instead there is a list of different fitness classes.
E.The school district’s goal is to teach lifelong skills.
F.She is part of her school’s “Outdoor Academy” program.
G.Kids who are not as athletic sometimes hate playing team sports.
Cattle manure(粪肥) has become one of the world’s greatest environmental killers, but one Dutch artist is using chemistry to turn it into something that is both eco-friendly and valuable.
In recent years, scientists around the world have made great progress in their attempts to recycle cattle manure, including turning it into natural fertilizer, but Eindhoven designer Jalila Essaidi didn’t think they were efficient enough to solve the global manure problem. So she started on her very own solution, one that approached animal waste as a valuable material that could be processed into useful products.
She started by separating the waste, with the dry manure used to get pure cellulose(纤维素) from the grass that cows eat. From the wet manure, she got acids used to create a natural liquid plastic which was used to make fiber that are later turned into fabric(material used for making clothes).
This new material was named Mestic, from mest, the Dutch word for manure. Essaidi claim that it has the same function as plastic from fossil fuels, but is bio-degradable(可生物降解的). Better yet, the degradability can be dealt with in the lab, making it possible to create materials that last for different periods of time depending on their purpose. “This is not the first time that scientists have been looking for ways to solve the manure problem, but it is the first time that manure is being considered as a valuable resource.” the Dutch designer said.
Last year, Jalila Essaldi partnered with the city of Eindhoven to produce a fashion show using Mestic-based fabrics. Her Mestic collection was so impressive that clothing giant H&M awarded her the Global Change Award and a $1million prize. And cow manure is just the beginning of Jalila Essaldi’s experiments with animal waste. “After cows, we’ll deal with pigs and other animals,” she said.
1.Why has the author written the text?
A.To suggest practical ways to deal with cattle manure.
B.To advertise for some clothes made by a Dutch company.
C.To introduce a designer who turns cow manure into clothing.
D.To persuade people to purchase products made from manure.
2.Which is the correct order of making Mestic-based clothing?
A.acids→liquid plastic→manure→fabric→fibers→clothing
B.manure→acids→liquid plastic→fibers→fabric→clothing
C.liquid plastic→manure→fabric→fibers→ acids→clothing
D.fibers→manure→acids→fabric→liquid plastic→clothing
3.What do we know about Mestic?
A.Its smell is rather terrible. B.It is made from fossil fuels.
C.Its name has a Dutch origin. D.It can only be made in the lab.
4.What do Jalila Essaidi’s words in the last paragraph mean?
A.Something more needs to be done about cow manure.
B.She will switch to other animals waste in the future.
C.What experiments to do next really puzzles her.
D.The future of fashionable clothing is optimistic.
Mercury(水星) is the closest planet to the sun. It is a planet slightly larger than the Earth’s moon. It is covered in craters. Some craters have ice in them, even though the planet is hot. Sunlight never touches some parts because of the planet’s special position. Without air, there are great temperature differences between the coldest and hottest parts. Mercury days are so long that there are big differences between temperatures on the daylight side and the night side.
Mercury was created billions of years ago, when big rocks ran into each other. After these accidents, the planet was frequently visited by meteorites (流星) for several hundred million years. There were also many volcanic eruptions. As the planet cooled, the thin, rocky outside shell reduced in diameter(直径) by about 3 kilometers.
The Caloris Basin is one of the largest craters on Mercury. This big crater is 1, 300 kilometers wide and was formed when a large rock, about 100 kilometers across, knocked into the surface. Beethoven, another large crater, is 643 kilometers across.
The cliffs on Mercury are up to 2 kilometers high and hundreds of kilometers long. The cliffs were formed when the thin surface fell apart, as volcanic activity slowed down and Mercury became cooler.
One Mercury day lasts about 59 Earth days. Mercury takes about 88 Earth days to have a complete year, instead of the 365 days that we have on the Earth. Mercury speeds around the sun so that there are three Mercury days every two Mercury years! Mercury has a strange relationship with the Earth. Every 117 days, when Mercury is closest to the Earth, it always has the same side facing us.
Mariner 10 is the only spacecraft to visit Mercury. It made three visits to Mercury in, the 1970s, taking photos of many cliffs and craters. Although the first three visits answered many questions, they have raised others.
1.What is the surface of Mercury like?
A.It’s generally flat. B.It’s hot everywhere.
C.It’s bright everywhere. D.It’s cold in some parts.
2.Why did Mercury’s diameter get smaller?
A.A drop in temperature changed its size.
B.A great many meteorites ran into it.
C.It got out of shape as time passed.
D.Lots of surface rocks fell off.
3.What do we know about Mercury?
A.One Mercury day lasts about 88 Earth days.
B.It turns around the sun faster than the Earth.
C.Six Mercury days are two Mercury years.
D.It has more cliffs than large craters.
4.What happened after Mariner 10’s three visits to Mercury?
A.Another spacecraft visited Mercury.
B.New cliffs and craters were formed.
C.New signs of volcanic activity appeared.
D.Lots of new puzzles needed to be solved.
The bus stops in the Dutch city of Utrecht are as beautiful as they are practical. Now, 316 bus stops feature a green roof that adds some life to the city, while also storing rainwater, catching dust, and providing some much needed shade during the warmer months. This project is good for the honey bee population that is attracted to the plants on the roof. To keep up this successful ecosystem, municipal（市政的）workers drive around in electric cars, taking care of the mini gardens.
Another one of the biggest benefits to come out of these green stops is the improved air quality. Smoking, cars, and bacteria all contribute to polluting the air we breathe. These eco-friendly public spaces act as an air purifier for city people, though humans aren’t the only group that benefit from them.
Utrecht has also made great efforts towards moving their transportation system away from gas-guzzling（高耗油的）buses. The city replaced 10 gas-guzzling buses with electric powered buses and plans to have only CO2 inactive buses on the road by 2028.
The buses have a system that records the driver’s efficiency and rider’s comfort levels. Drivers can win prizes based on how safe and comfortable the ride was. The city is also one of the most bicycle-friendly places in the world. Roads have been redesigned for cyclists’ convenience and there is a new state-of-the-art 6,000 space bicycle parking area that is located beneath Utrecht’s central train station.
Utrecht offers prize money to keep citizens energized and motivated to live greener lives. There are even prize money for people to transform their roofs into green roofs too. Achieving the goals of an eco-friendlier city takes cooperation and Utrecht is leading the way to protect our environment.
1.What is special about the bus stops in Utrecht?
A.They are eco-friendly.
B.They can save a lot of energy.
C.They are artificially-intelligent.
D.They can provide electric power for buses.
2.What can we infer about the changes to the transportation system in Utrecht?
A.Not all buses are gas-guzzling at present.
B.Gas-guzzling cars have been completely replaced.
C.Only electric private cars are allowed on the roads.
D.Buses have air purifiers fixed on them.
3.What might passengers think of the bus service in Utrecht?
A.Buses are always too crowded.
B.Buses are often behind schedule.
C.Buses are too big for redesigned roads.
D.Buses are generally comfortable and safe.
4.What are people living in Utrecht encouraged to do?
A.Give up smoking. B.Create gardens on their roofs.
C.Paint their roofs green. D.Buy more honey.
National Park Association of Queensland Activities Vegetation Management Group
Saturday 14th March 2020
Location: Jolly’ s Lookout carpark, D’Aguilar National Park
Leader: Angus McElnea (0429854446 or gus mcelnea@hotmail.com)
Get your hands dirty! Come and spend a couple of hours to help with lantana(a type of flowering plant) control and revegetation(植被再造) work in the Boombana and Jolly’s Lookout areas of D’Aguilar National Park, west of Brisbane.
Wynnum North Boardwalk
Sunday 15th March 2020
Location: Wynnum North Boardwalk Leader: Jocelyn Dixon (0733788486)
Fee: $5(members) $10(non-members)
Join with us to view the water and bush birds of this area. A track from Wynnum North Road leads to a secret place for viewing a diverse mix of birds walking around in water. From there we will take a short walk to the Mangrove Boardwalk.
May Long Weekend Camp
Saturday 2nd May to Monday 4th May 2020 Leader: Tony Parsons (0433224544)
Join us for a long weekend in Border Rangers National Park, camping at Sheep Station Creek campground. Spend the days exploring the national park, and evenings around the campfire. We will have the chance to view Mt Warning from the Pinnacle at sunrise and sunset. Bring your family and stay for the weekend or come down for a day. It will be enjoyable.
Central West Qld National Parks
Saturday 29th August to Sunday 6th September 2020 Leader: Wendy Bell(0733002473)
Exciting opportunity to visit and explore at least six national parks in the comfort of a big coach and be accommodated, rather than camping. Basic cost of the tour is $3, 400 per person. Total cost includes all transport, all meals, and activity fees.
1.Who will you call if you are interested in bird-watching?
A.Angus McElnea. B.Jocelyn Dixon. C.Tony Parsons. D.Wendy Bell.
2.In which of the activities will a fire be built?
A.May Long Weekend Camp. B.Wynnum North Boardwalk.
C.Vegetation Management Group. D.Central West Qld National Parks.
3.How is Central West Qld National Parks different from the other activities?
A.It is a weekend activity.
B.Lots of walking is involved.
C.The organizer provides the transport.
D.Visitors have to bring their own food.
