I have two kids, a boy and a girl. I don’t worry about my girl; I’m sure she’ll be well trained in mixed martial arts. I worry about my son. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be feminine (女性化的). Sorry to say that, but let’s face it. No dad wants his son to go feminine.
At the rate we’re moving in a couple of years you won’t be able to tell the difference between boys and girls. Sound extreme? Think about this. In every movie where advanced time-traveling beings come to our planet there’s one constant: You can’t tell the male aliens from the female aliens!
But that’s the future. Kids today are soft and fat. People ask why. Is it junk food? No. Junk food has been around for fifty years. Is it video games? No. Video games have been around for thirty years. None of the kids playing them back in the day were terribly obese. We’re all scratching our heads trying to figure out what we’ve introduced to society to ruin our kids. But it’s not anything we’ve added that has ruined our kids. It’s stuff we’ve gotten rid of.
Take the gym rope for example. Remember that thing that stretched from the floor to the ceiling in your gym class that you could never climb? Most of the kids couldn’t make it to the top. But that wasn’t the point; the point was you had to try while some middle-aged guy who couldn’t make it up a flight of stairs shouted at you. We should have put our son on that rope, and given him a head start, but we didn’t want to shame the boy, so we took it down.
Taking down the rope would be a good idea if there were no ropes in life. But they’re everywhere. You just can’t see them. They’re in every goal unrealized and expectation not met. The point everyone missed about the rope is you weren’t supposed to make it to the top. It was there to create a fire that burned in the oversized belly of every kid.
1.What is the example of aliens used to show?
A.Girls are growing like boys. B.Boys are going feminine.
C.There are really time-traveling beings. D.Alien movies are popular with children.
2.What causes kids today to be soft and fat?
A.Junk food. B.Video games.
C.Stuff introduced to society. D.Things removed from society.
3.How does the author find teenagers today?
A.They have too much dignity. B.They are overprotected.
C.They are less independent. D.They are thought too highly of.
4.What does the rope probably symbolize?
A.Goals. B.Expectations.
C.Competition. D.Assistance.
I’m a student in my third year at Robert Gordon University, but I also work 35 hours a week at Sainsbury’s to make ends meet.
I constantly have to force myself to stay awake, and to be alert, whatever it takes. The work I do at Sainsbury’s is very physical like stacking shelves. I am lucky because the amount I lift at work is nothing compared with the weight I lift in the gym. I know I have the strength to bear it.
I am originally from Nigeria. I came here when I was seven. Money was always tight. My parents gave me everything I needed, but there was no money for luxuries. I worked hard at school though and, with the help of professors, I got the best A-level grades in my class.
Unfortunately, though I had applied for “settled” British residential status the Home Office waited until I was in sixth form to approve my application. That meant I was not eligible for a student loan. The only way I could afford to go to university was that I got a job that would pay for all my living costs and my parents paid for my tuition fees.
I don’t have much time to socialize because of my job. Ideally, Id like to have more time to study so I can excel at my course. Yes, I have a lot on my plate, but working hard isnt new for me. Growing up, my parents cultivated in me the importance of working hard for what I want in life.
My dream is to get a job in the NHS. But now, Im just focused on trying to get the best grades I can. Whenever I find life hard, I tell myself this is about my future.
1.Why does the author work long hours and sometimes overtime every week?
A.To pay for his own living expenses B.To pay for his tuition fees
C.To prove his ability to earn money D.To help his parents pay off the debts
2.What does the underlined word “eligible” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A.Responsible. B.Anxious.
C.Qualified. D.Accessible.
3.Which of the following can NOT be used to describe the author?
A.Persistent. B.Diligent.
C.Sociable. D.Ambitious.
4.Which proverb can best summarize the passage?
A.Actions speak louder than words. B.God help those who help themselves.
C.A penny saved is a penny earned. D.Where there is life, there is hope.
Coral reefs (珊瑚礁) are not just beautiful to look at, but also very useful. They shelter nearly 25％ of ocean life and provide food for billions of people. However, like many other species, this amazing ecosystem (生态系统) is in danger of dying out!
There are two main reasons for the destruction — the rising carbon dioxide levels caused by global warming as well as human influences like bottom operation. While not much can be done about the former, the loss caused by the latter can be reduced.
Bottom operation involves dropping nets to the ocean bed and then dragging them up when filled with fish. This action damaged the ocean floor, causing the coral branches to separate from the reefs. While that is very discouraging, the good news is that if these branches are found quickly, they can be saved. At present, that work is being performed by volunteer divers. But the method has only limited success because they cannot stay long underwater, nor reach depths of over 200 meters where some of the deep-sea coral grows.
However, this is not the case for Coralbots — the robots that can constantly seek out broken branches. A team of “coralbots”, each individually working to simple rules will piece together damaged bits of coral, allowing them to regrow. They are programmed to be able to distinguish between other things and the coral. The robots work together in groups, similar to bees. If one coral bot is damaged, then the others will still be able to complete the task.
Dr Lea-Anne Henry said: “The project of using coralbots offers us the possibility to restore (修复) the function of reefs. It is in the final stage of testing. Once ready, the researchers hope to build hundreds of them and use them effectively in the waters off Scotland and then hopefully in the oceans across the world.”
1.Which of the following is a cause of the danger that coral reefs are facing?
A.The appearance of new creatures.
B.The seriously polluted sea water.
C.The activities of volunteer divers.
D.Human activities like bottom operation.
2.Compared with volunteer divers, coralbots ________.
A.can stay longer underwater
B.must work as bees do
C.can distinguish what is coral
D.can never be damaged
3.What does the underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refer to?
A.Coralbots. B.Broken branches.
C.Working bees. D.Bits of coral.
4.We can infer from the passage that ________.
A.bottom operation has affected most underwater creatures
B.broken branches of coral can regrow if saved in time
C.hundreds of the coralbots have worked well in the oceans
D.with the coralbots all damaged coral reefs can be restored
The International Voluntary Service runs a number of Youth Exchanges throughout the year. Youth Exchanges give small groups of 4-5 young people the opportunity to take part in volunteering trips abroad for an average of two weeks．These young people are joined by 4-5 young people from 3-4 other nationalities and are a wonderful intercultural experience in a safe environment.
Example Youth Exchanges：
Youth Exchange 1
Location：Ireland
Other nationalities：Ireland，Spain，Italy，Hungary
Theme：Focuses on the topic of community reconstruction and community activities—exploring how local issues facing our communities are connected to global issues．The group will also learn about the eco-village as an example of a community and take part in team-building activities.
Youth Exchange 2
Location：France
Other nationalities：Bulgaria，Italy，France
Theme：Organic gardening & continual living．This project will take place in a natural park，where the group will take part in gardening activities and games／workshops about continuous development．
Youth Exchange 3
Location：Macedonia
Other nationalities：Serbia，Turkey，Ireland
Theme：Foster social inclusion and motivate personal development of young people through sports and outdoor activities．Promote outdoor activities as a tool to help inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities．
Youth Exchange 4
Location：Italy
Other nationalities：Italy，Bulgaria，Greece
Theme：A sociaI-environmental project that intends to promote social inclusion and continuable development，regarded as a process of civil rights and active citizenship. Over 10 days, the group will participate in activities to raise awareness about the effect of our behavior on the environment．
1.What do you focus on when travelling in France?
A.Gardening work.
B.Civil rights.
C.Developing social inclusion.
D.Rebuilding communities.
2.If you are interested in protecting the environment，you can take part in ________.
A.Youth Exchange 1 B.Youth Exchange 2
C.Youth Exchange 3 D.Youth Exchange 4
3.Which nationality are Youth Exchanges most popular with?
A.Spain． B.Italy. C.Ireland. D.France.
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。
When I spent the last summer with my Grandmother in Warwick, N.Y., she sent me down to the grocery store with a long shopping list. Staring at all the items on the list, I wondered how I could find anything on the packed shelves around me. But she insisted.
I walked up to the counter. Behind it was a lady like no one I’d ever seen. Thick glasses rested on the tip of her nose, gray hair was piled on her head.
“Excuse me,” I said. She looked up.
“You’re that Clements kid,” she said. “I’m Miss Bee. Come closer and let me get a look at you.” She pushed her glasses up her nose. “I want to be able to describe you to the policeman if something goes missing from the store.”
“I’m not a thief!” I was shocked. I was too young to be a thief!
“Maybe not, but I can tell you’ve got potential.” She went back to reading her newspaper.
“I need to get these.” I said, holding up my list.
“So? Go get them.” She ignored my need of a favor, “There’s no one here except you and me and I’m not your servant, so I suggest you start looking for the things on that list.”
The store was a puzzle to a seven-year-old, and it seemed to hold all the goods in the world. I complained about this task Grandma had set me to do while trying to find all the items on my list. It took me one and half an hour to do it, and the mean lady behind the counter didn’t even bother to look at me once.
I visited Miss Bee a couple of times a week that summer. Sometimes she sold me an old newspaper instead of one that was the latest. Sometimes she overcharged me and didn’t seem embarrassed when I pointed it out. Going to the store was more like going into battle, but I survived. By summer’s end the shopping trip that had once taken me an hour was done in 15 minutes. The morning I was to return to Brooklyn, I stopped in to get a soda.
Para. 1:
“All right, Miss Potential, what did you learn this summer?” she said.
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Para. 2:
One day after all those years my seven-year-old daughter came to me with homework troubles.
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假设你是李华，你校外教老师Chris特别喜欢戏曲文化。本周六滨江大剧院将上演越剧《梁山伯与祝英台》。请你用英语给Chris写一封电子邮件，邀请他一起观看演出。内容包括：
1. 演出时间地点；2. 提出邀请；3. 观剧后活动建议。
注意：
1.词数 80 左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：越剧：Shaoxing Opera 《梁山伯与祝英台》Butterfly Lovers
Dear Chris,
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Yours,
Li Hua
