I played a racquetball game against my cousin Ed last week .It was one of the most _______and tiring games I’ve ever had. When Ed first phoned and _______ we play, I laughed quietly, figuring on an _______ victory. After all, Ed’s idea of _______ has always been nothing more _______ than lifting a fork to his mouth. _______ I can remember, Ed’s been the least physically fit member in the family, and _______ proud of himself. His big stomach has always ballooned out between his T-shirt and trousers. Although the family often _______ about that, Ed refused to buy a _______ T-shirt or to lose weight. So when Ed __________ for our game not only with the bottom of his shirt gathered inside his trousers but also with a stomach you could hardly __________ I was so surprised that I was __________.My cousin must have made an effort to get himself into shape. __________, at the point in our game when I’d have predicted(预计) the score to be about 9 to 1 in my favor, it was __________ 7 to 9-and Ed was __________ . The sudden realization was painful. We __________ to play like two mad men. When the score was 16 up, I was having serious __________ about staying alive until 21 years old, let alone __________ that many points. When the game finally ended, both of us were lying flat on our backs, too tired to __________. In a way, I think we both won in the game: I won the game, but cousin Ed my __________.
1.A.encouraging B.hopeless C.surprising D.regular
2.A.declared B.mentioned C.persuaded D.suggested
3.A.unforgettable B.unexpected C.easy D.early
4.A.exercise B.preparation C.joy D.fitness
5.A.time-saving B.comfortable C.suitable D.effort-making
6.A.As soon as B.As long as C.When D.Since
7.A.strangely B.personally C.reasonably D.eagerly
8.A.cared B.forgot C.quarreled D.joked
9.A.clean B.larger C.straight D.darker
10.A.set out B.got ready C.arrived D.returned
11.A.notice B.admire C.believe D.measure
12.A.nervous B.curious C.careless D.speechless
13.A.After all B.As a result C.Above all D.At last
14.A.mistakenly B.then C.instead D.naturally
15.A.leading B.coming C.waiting D.counting
16.A.pretended B.stopped C.continued D.decided
17.A.thoughts B.doubts C.situations D.problems
18.A.scoring B.completing C.receiving D.keeping
19.A.play B.start C.sleep D.move
20.A.friendship B.respect C.support D.favor
The idea that history is an outdated course of study that will lead to limited career options has spread. 1. It is a wonderful way to prepare for a successful future. Here are a few reasons why it’s important that today’s students continue to learn about the past.
Understanding where people come from is key in understanding who we are. 2. It’s deeply influenced the world and its citizens. For this reason, it’s important to understand history in order to understand why people are the way that they are.
3. Through history classes, you can experience a change in the way you think. You’ll look at things from a new angle, as you understand the world in a new way. In the end, this change can improve your ability to assess and understand situations, make educated decisions, and learn how to weigh the consequences linked with each choice before you.
Learning from the past prevents future mistakes. 4. From wars to fashion to political trends, historians are often able to make predictions about the future based upon the past. By having a firm grasp on what happened in the past, today’s generation can better prepare for a brighter future by making the right decisions — instead of repeating old mistakes.
5. The idea that a degree in history can’t lead to a good career is untrue. In fact, students who graduate with degrees in history can become lawyers, business owners, foundation leaders, and non-profit leaders. Besides, history degrees can lead to working as an educator, a leader in a historical organization, a writer, an editor, a journalist, or a producer of multimedia materials.
A.You will understand the world much better.
B.History degrees can lead to well-paying careers.
C.Many people don’t know well about themselves.
D.Learning history can change how you think.
E.But the truth is that studying history is still important.
F.The idea that history repeats itself is rooted in truth.
G.History has shaped cultures, attitudes, and social structures.
For all the technological wonders of modem medicine, health care-with its fax machines and clipboards(写字板)—is out of date. This outdated era is slowly drawing to a close as the industry catches up with the artificial-intelligence ( AI) revolution.
Eric Topol, an expert in heart disease and enthusiast for digital medicine, thinks AI will be particularly useful for such tasks as examining images, observing heart traces for abnormalities or turning doctors' words into patient records. It will be able to use masses of data to work out the best treatments, and improve workflows in hospitals. In short, AI is set to save time, lives and money.
The fear some people have is that AI will be used to deepen the assembly-line culture of modem medicine. If it gives a “ gift of time” to doctors, they argue that this bonus should be used to extend consultations, rather than simply speeding through them more efficiently.
That is a fine idea, but as health swallows an ever-bigger share of national wealth, greater efficiency is exactly what is needed, at least so far as governments and insurers are concerned. Otherwise, rich societies may fail to cope with the needs of ageing and growing populations. An extra five minutes spent chatting with a patient is costly as well as valuable. The AI revolution will also enable managerial accountants to adjust and evaluate every aspect of treatment. The autonomy of the doctor will surely be weakened, especially, perhaps, in public-health systems which are duty-bound to cut unnecessary costs.
The Hippocratic Oath(誓言) holds that there is an art to medicine as well as a science, and that “warmth, sympathy and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug”. There's lots of sense in it: the patients of sympathetic physicians have been shown to recover better. Yet as the supply of human carers fails to satisfy the demand for health care, the future may involve consultations on smartphones and measurements monitored by chatbots. The considerately warmed stethoscope ( 听诊器) ,placed gently on a patient's back, may become a relic of the past.
1.What's Dr Topol's attitude toward AI's coming into medicine?
A.Concerned. B.Doubtful. C.Optimistic. D.Cautious.
2.What does the author of the text attach more importance to?
A.Medical costs. B.National wealth.
C.Longer consultation. D.Greater efficiency.
3.Why is the Hippocratic Oath mentioned?
A.To prove the bright future of AI.
B.To show the advantage of a human doctor.
C.To explain medical equipment is more important.
D.To argue a human doctor performs as well as a robot.
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A.Health care and AI B.AI and its applications
C.Doctors and Patients D.Dr Topol and digital medicine
Every year, thousands of new high school graduates pack their bags, move to new cities, and sign papers accepting loans, the money borrowed from a bank or lenders etc, which they might not be able to pay back. Without proper education on personal finance, especially as it relates to paying for college, young adults are guided into improper loan plans that result in years of debt after graduation. In order to set students up to succeed financially, it is important to educate students and parents on their financial options before school in the fall. The best way to support families heading for college is to require that every high school student take a personal finance class before graduation. This will help smooth the transition into adulthood.
The average student takes out at least one loan to cover the costs of their education each year. In 2014 the average student graduating from college carried a negative balance of about $20,000 in debt, which often spread over multiple lenders. Upon graduation, students rarely know exactly how much money they owe, and even though they are in the state of being unable to pay their debts, they cannot wipe out student loans. These students spend much of their adult lives paying off the gradual increasing debts.
A personal finance course would teach students how to manage their income and expenditures, while helping to significantly reduce the amount of debt students carry into adulthood. By teaching students how to save money and live within their means, this course will provide the next generation with a foundation to progress financially. Students choosing to get a job straight out of high school would also benefit from finance education for these very reasons. With education on how to manage their finances, all young people will have the knowledge to make healthy decisions, leading them to improve good credit and purchase needed items like cars and homes with skill and confidence.
While not every young person makes financial mistakes, those who do can face years of difficulty trying to get their finances back under control. Rather than help them through these hard times when they happen, we should try to prevent them from happening at all. Making the completion of personal finance coursework a requirement for graduation would ensure that young people are at least aware of the basics of preserving a financial stability.
1.After graduation from college, many young people ______.
A.struggle to support their families
B.spend years paying off their debts
C.get through the hard times smoothly
D.are able to manage their own finances well
2.What is the third paragraph mainly about?
A.Ways to improve financial credits.
B.Advantages of taking a finance course.
C.Skills of balancing income and expenditures.
D.Introduction to the education on personal finance.
3.Having financial knowledge, high school students are probably able to ______.
A.smooth their way for college
B.get out of their financial trap
C.free from the cost of their college education
D.avoid the risk of the future financial trouble
4.The main purpose of the passage is to_______.
A.inform and explain B.argue and persuade
C.analyze and evaluate D.discuss and examine
Quietly siting there reading, I found myself suddenly listening to the train guard’s announcement. Train travelers will surely agree that when the guard makes an announcement, whether it’s the recorded message or the guard’s message, few people listen to it, because it’s often quite dull or hard to understand. This one was different. I noticed that other passengers appeared to be listening, too. Not only that, everyone was smiling!
Why was so much attention being paid to this message? As best I can recall, the guard said something along these lines, “Good Morning Ladies, Gentlemen and Children, this is the 7:35 a.m. from Penrith to Central and you’ll be pleased to know that we are right on time. And what a lovely morning it is in Sydney today. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and all’s right with the world. I trust you have a great day wherever you’re going. Thanks for catching my train this morning and I hope to see you again soon.”
Quite a few people (obviously previous strangers) started talking to one another about the guard’s excellent message and how good it had made everyone feel. I started thinking about this, and then I found the young guard and said “Were you the guard on the 7:35 a.m. from Penrith?” The guard seemed a bit stunned at first, replying, “Yes, yyyyes.”“Well, I really appreciate your announcement. Thank you for your extremely good message, which gave me and the other passengers such a good start to the day. Please keep doing it.”I said.
There are two messages for me in what happened that day. Firstly, when people are happy in their work it shows in what they do and say. Secondly, the story attaches much importance to the benefits that accumulate from thanking people for something they’ve done, particularly when it’s not expected. Can you imagine the conversation that guard would have when he got home?
1.Why do few train travelers listen to the announcements?
A.They usually feel sleepy.
B.The messages are unattractive.
C.The guard’s voice is not clear.
D.They are absorbed in books.
2.What does the underlined word “stunned”in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Patient.
B.Cautious.
C.Excited.
D.Surprise.
3.What might the guard talk about with his family when he got home?
A.The beautiful weather.
B.The recorded message.
C.The train from Penrith.
D.The unexpected appreciation.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.A Boring Train Story
B.An Intelligent Guard
C.A Different Train Announcement
D.A Lovely Morning in Sydney
If you’re new to San Francisco, paying the city a visit, or simply looking for a new playground for you and your dog, here are four of the finest dog parks in San Francisco.
Corona Heights Dog Park
Often visited by residents from all over the city because of its nearness to the Randall Museum, Corona Heights Dog Park offers pets and owners breathtaking view after a steep hillside climb, and a fenced dog area that allows dogs to let loose without a leash（狗链）. Owners will also enjoy the playground, tennis courts and basketball courts.
Dolores Dog Park
The grounds of Dolores Park once served as camps for those who were left homeless by the 1906 earthquake, but now are often visited by crowds of Mission District people. Four-legged friends can also wander about carefree off-leash while making friends with other members of the doggie community.
Pine Lake Dog Park
Famous for its place as a rest stop for hundreds of species of birds to fly to and from warmer climates, Pine Lake Park is also prized by city dogs and their owners for their nice hiking paths, picturesque lake suited for swimming, and off-leash area on the park’s west end that lets dogs run free.
Buena Vista Dog Park
With a history of 146 years, Buena Vista Park is San Francisco’s oldest park. Dogs and owners with plus energy will love burning it on this park’s steep paths and winding staircases. Dog owners should have good control over their dogs, as it’s quite easy for dogs to get separated when going through Buena Vista’s many twists and turns.
1.Why do dog owners take their pets to Dolores Dog Park?
A.To let them socialize. B.To give them rescue lessons.
C.To help them lose weight. D.To increase their physical activities.
2.Which dog park is popular with bird lovers?
A.Dolores Dog Park. B.Pine Lake Dog Park.
C.Buena Vista Dog Park. D.Corona Heights Dog Park.
3.What is special about Buena Vista Dog Park?
A.Dogs can go climbing. B.It is close to a museum.
C.Dogs must be on a leash. D.It is suitable for swimming.
