Fifteen years ago, I took a summer vacation in Lecce in southern Italy. After climbing up a hill for a panoramic(全景的) view of the blue sea, white buildings and green olive trees, I paused to catch my breath and then positioned myself to take the best photo of this panorama.
Unfortunately, just as I took out my camera, a woman approached from behind, and planted herself right in front of my view. Like me, this woman was here to stop, sigh and appreciate the view.
Patient as I was, after about 15 minutes, my camera scanning the sun and reviewing the shot I would eventually take, I grew frustrated. Was it too much to ask her to move so I could take just one picture of the landscape? Sure, I could have asked her, but something prevented me from doing so. She seemed so content in her observation. I didn’t want to mess with that.
Another 15 minutes passed and I grew bored. The woman was still there. I decided to take the photo anyway. And now when I look at it, I think her presence in the photo is what makes the image interesting. The landscape, beautiful on its own, somehow comes to life and breathes because this woman is engaging with it.
This photo, with the unique beauty that unfolded before me and that woman who “ruined” it, now hangs on a wall in my bedroom. What would she think if she knew that her figure is captured(捕捉) and frozen on some stranger’s bedroom wall? A bedroom, after all, is a very private space, in which some woman I don’t even know has been immortalized(使……永存). In some ways, she lives in my house.
Perhaps we all live in each others’ spaces. Perhaps this is what photos are for: to remind us that we all appreciate beauty, that we all share a common desire for pleasure, for connection, for something that is greater than us.
That photo is a reminder, a captured moment, an unspoken conversation between two women, separated only by a thin square of glass.
1.What happened when the author was about to take a photo?
A.Her camera stopped working.
B.A woman blocked her view.
C.Someone asked her to leave.
D.A friend approached from behind.
2.According to the author, the woman was probably___________.
A.enjoying herself
B.losing her patience
C.waiting for the sunset
D.thinking about her past
3.In the author’s opinion, what makes the photo so alive?
A.The rich color of the landscape.
B.The perfect positioning of the camera.
C.The woman’s existence in the photo.
D.The soft sunlight that summer day.
4.The photo on the bedroom wall enables the author to better understand ____________.
A.the need to be close to nature
B.the importance of private space
C.the joy of the vacation in Italy
D.the shared passion for beauty
Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are, like a nearby port or river. People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade. New York City, for example, is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million. But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight. In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness (荒野). But gold was discovered there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of 30,000.
Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris. People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers. The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warming. An avalanche (雪崩) once closed the path, killing 63 people. For many who made it to Dawson, however, the rewards were worth the difficult trip. Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives.
But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities like food and wood were very expensive. But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found. The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come. Today, people still come and go — to see where the Canadian gold rush happened. Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City — its present population is 762.
1.What attracted the early settlers to New York City?
A.Its business culture. B.Its small population.
C.Its geographical position. D.Its favourable climate.
2.What do we know about those who first dug for gold in Dawson?
A.Two-thirds of them stayed there.
B.One out of five people got rich.
C.Almost everyone gave up.
D.Half of them died.
3.What was the main reason for many people to leave Dawson?
A.They found the city too crowded.
B.They wanted to try their luck elsewhere.
C.They were unable to stand the winter.
D.They were short of food.
My First Marathon（马拉松）
A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P. E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn't do either well. He later informed me that I was “not athletic".
The idea that I was “not athletic" stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn't even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces（鞋带）became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!
At mile 3, I passed a sign： "GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!”
By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, I was starving!
As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a. m. or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels（世俗标签），I can now call myself a “marathon winner".
1.A month before the marathon, the author .
A.was well trained B.felt scared
C.made up his mind to run D.lost hope
2.Why did the author mention the P. E.class in his 7th year?
A.To acknowledge the support of his teacher.
B.To amuse the readers with a funny story.
C.To show he was not talented in sports.
D.To share a precious memory.
3.What does the story mainly tell us?
A.A man owes his success to his family support.
B.A winner is one with a great effort of will.
C.Failure is the mother of success.
D.One is never too old to learn.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整故事。续写的词数应为150词左右。
The big Town Hall clock was striking midnight when Frank began to cross the bridge. The dark night air was cold and a little wet, and the street lamp gave little light. Frank was anxious to get home and his footsteps rang loudly on the silent night.
When he reached the middle of the bridge, he thought he could hear someone coming near behind him. He looked back but could see no one. However , the sound continued and Frank began to walk more quickly. Then he slowed down again , thinking there was nothing to fear in a town as quiet as this.
Just then , he heard short , quick steps closely behind him. By the time he reached the other side of the bridge , he could almost feel someone at his heels. He turned round and there stood a man in a large coat. A hat was pulled down over his eyes and very little of his face could be seen.
Frank said something about the weather in an effort to be friendly. The man did not answer but asked roughly where Oakfield House was. Frank pointed to a big house in the distance and the stranger continued his way.
Then Frank wondered why the stranger had wanted to find Oakfield House at such an hour. He knew that the people who lived there were very rich. Almost without realizing what he was doing , he began following the stranger quickly.
The man was soon outside the house and Frank saw him look up at the windows. A light was still on and the man waited until it went out. When about half an hour had passed, Frank saw him climb noiselessly over the wall and heard him drop on the ground at the other side.
Paragraph 1:
Now Frank knew what the man wanted to do.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Frank couldn’t just stand in the dark and wait.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定你是李华，你的美国朋友Amy来信询问有关新型冠状病毒（novel coronavirus）在中国的情况。请你给Amy回信，内容包括：
1. 新型冠状病毒简况；
2. 应对措施；
3. 是否有信心战胜病毒。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
阅读下面短文,在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The heavy smoke from devastating Australian bushfires cloaked Auckland, 1.(turn) the city's skyline into strange, mysterious and frightening orange color 2. Sunday afternoon.
New Zealand meteorology service MetService forecast that 3. upper level jet of westerly winds was driving the smoke across the Tasman Sea towards New Zealand. The smoke 4.(expect) to arrive Sunday evening and was likely to be 5.(large) gone by the morning.
It is the second layer of smoke coming from the Australian bushfires, 6. is cloaking the North Island and upper parts of the South Island. Much of the South Island 7.(awake) to reddish-brown skies on New Year's Day before the smoke spread to the North Island.
MetService said it is possible 8. people would be able to smell and taste the smoke. However, long-lasting health 9.(effect) are not expected.
On Friday, the New Zealand government pledged twenty two 10.(many) firefighters to help fight the Australian bushfires.
