When you are sitting in the car, do you ever notice the drivers looking over their shoulders or side to side in the car? Well, they are doing this to check their blind spots! Blind spots take driving extremely difficult and increase the potential for car accidents.
Fourteen-year-old Alaina Gassler from Pennsylvania noticed her mother struggling with blind spots while driving their family car. So she came up with an ingenious solution that won the first place and $25,000 in the Broadcom Masters Competition.
Blind spots are the areas around the car that cannot be directly observed by the driver. There are two kinds of blind spots---on the back of the car that cannot be seen with mirrors, and blind spots at the front of the car as well.
When a driver is changing lanes, he has to look over his shoulder through the side windows to make sure that there is no vehicle in the blind spot. This invisible area is big enough to hide a car!
The other blind spot is created in the front by the A-pillar（柱子）---the material on either side on the windshield（挡风玻璃）that holds the glass and forms the frame of the car. In some cars, this pillar can be quite thick. Usually, people or cyclists can be hidden by this pillar.
Alaina's design was to get rid of the blind spot created by the front A-pillar of the car, the one that helps hold up the windshield.
She put a camera on the outside passenger side of the car which then sent the photos to a projector above the drivers' head. Then, she covered the inside of the pillar in reflective fabric onto which the image was projected. Basically, her device made the pillar "see through" and removed the blind spot on that side of the car.
Alnina's solution is very creative and could be improved by using LCD displays that will make it easier to see during day time as well.
1.What can be learned about blind spots during driving?
A.They call for careful driving. B.They make driving thrilling.
C.They are many in kinds. D.They can't be get rid of.
2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word "ingenious" in paragraph 2?
A.interesting B.creative
C.inspiring D.invisible
3.How did Alaina solve the problem?
A.By improving the A-pillar. B.By using a mirror on the outside of the A-pillar.
C.By relying on LCD displays. D.By using a camera to capture images.
4.What's the best title for the text?
A.An Introduction to Blind Spots B.A Warning About the Road Safety
C.A Teen's Creative Solution to Blind Spots D.Scientific Research on Blind Spots
As part of his role in the Air Force Volunteer Reserve, John Lewis often visited military schools. But it was at a London school in 2014 that an accident happened. He had 11 operations in total and it was two years before he could walk again.
Although John improved physically, he couldn’t recover from what had happened. John was diagnosed with post -traumatic (创伤后) stress disorder (PTSD), but none of the treatment seemed to help. Then last year, at a hospital, a doctor told him a puppy (小狗) could manage stress and might help with his anxiety.
In May 2019, they adopted a black puppy called Gibson. He says, “I'd never thought of it as a comfort. After just a few weeks, I could feel myself improving. If I was feeling anxious, he would jump up on the sofa and sit on my chest and I found that really relaxing and comforting. Wherever I go, he will follow me and it’s really helpful to my anxiety. We go out and play Frisbee (飞盘) and I now look forward to going out for walks while I would always make excuses to stay in the house before.”
His wife Anna has also noticed a difference. She says, “Gibson is an incredible dog that adores John. He is a fantastic companion. It has given him a focus and a lease on life.”
John is now. taking part in Generation Pup, a groundbreaking study that tracks puppies through adulthood to learn how their early experiences and environment affect their development. John says, “I really enjoy tracking this through the study, watching his personality begin to grow and support me on my road back to mental health, which he is playing a big part in.” “Gibson has done so much for me in a short space of time. I want to do something for him.”
1.What can we learn about John Lewis after the accident?
A.He couldn't bear the pain of the operations.
B.He soon stood up and returned to his post.
C.He suffered a lot from mental problems.
D.He still focused on the life in military schools.
2.What do John’s words in paragraph 3 show?
A.How to raise a puppy. B.How naughty Gibson was.
C.How to get on with a puppy. D.How Gibson comforted him.
3.What does the underlined part “a lease on life” in paragraph 4 mean?
A.More wisdom. B.Better life.
C.Great wealth. D.Lifelong ambition.
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.John is grateful to Gibson. B.John makes full use of Gibson.
C.John has recovered from PTSD. D.John has researched a lot on puppies.
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◆8-Day Tour in China
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◆10-Day Tour in China
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1.Which tour provides visitors with a chance to see pandas?
A.8-Day Tour in China. B.10-Day Tour in China.
C.12-Day Tour in China. D.15-Day Tour in China.
2.Who may prefer to take 8-Day Tour in China?
A.Nature lovers. B.Folk custom and culture lovers.
C.Swimming lovers. D.Animal lovers.
3.Why is 15-Day Tour in China unique compared with the other tours?
A.It costs visitors the least to visit. B.It lets visitors communicate with local people.
C.Visitors can visit ancient buildings. D.Visitors can see water scenery.
第五部分 书面表达（满分20分）
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
Like many students, Ryan believes that the time and money spent on his education will pay off: he will eventually be able to get a good job and do well in the field he has chosen. Yet, in spite of all of the years spent in school preparing to enter the workplace, many recent graduates say that they struggle with the shift from classroom to career world and have difficulty adjusting to life on the job.
Writer and editor Joseph Lewis suggests one reason why this is the case.Lewis believes that most of our school experiences--from childhood through university-- are fairly predictable, while life in the working world is far more uncertain.In school,for example,the.pattern stays more or less the same from year to year. In the workplace, however, constant change is the norm, and one has to adapt quickly.
Another problem that graduates entering the workforce encounter is that they are unprepared to think analytically. In school, many students, including those in college, spend a lot of time memorizing facts and repeating what they“learned”on tests.But in the workplace employees“are often expected to think critically and make decisions about their work, not just follow a supervisor's instructions.” Less time needs to be spent in school on testing, says one recent report, and more on helping students to analyze and interpret information,solve problems,and communicate their ideas effectively--skills that will prepare them to succeed in today’s workplace.
Finally many recent graduates say that one of the biggest difficulties they face is adapting to teamwork on the job. In the workplace, employees must regularly interact with others and are often dependent on their co-workers for their success. In other words, if an employee has to work with others to complete a given project, that employee's success not only depends on his hard work and expertise(专业知识), but also on how well his colleagues perform.Knowing how to participate in teamwork--and deal with problems when they arise--is extremely important, and yet, it is also something many students didn’t get quite exposed to in a school setting.
How can we better prepare young adults for the workplace? Recent graduates, looking back on their educational experience, have some advice. Many think that all students should be required to do an internship(实习) while they are in school. Volunteering part time at a company, hospital, or government organization, for example, can help one gain experience and learn skills needed to succeed in the real world.Pairing this kind of practical work experience with classroom instruction, say the graduates, will help prepare students for the realities of the workplace and make the transition from school to career world less stressful.
单词拼写
1.Interacting with the seniors has proven____________（有益的）for the young ones,making them more open-minded.
2.According to____________（统计数据），if we can decrease the time for having the television on by one hour each day,we can deduce the amount of carbon emission by 4.71 kilogram each month.
3.One of his biggest problems when he started his business in 1988,he recalls, was the attitude of his workers:they___________（吐唾沫）on the floor and generally behaved in a disrespectful manner.
4.If I could obtain a$9,000 scholarship________（每年），I would be able to complete any studies.
5.To protect our eyesight,we are supposed to have our eyes examined at regular_________（间隔）.
6.Audience a ____________ heavily as the super star appeared on the stage.
7.He is suffering from alcohol a ____________ and just can't stop drinking.
8.The police finally arrested the c ____________ related to the bank robbery as they were about to board the ship.
9.This dictionary is i___________ for beginners and thus too easy for high school students.
10.Doctors say many diseases can be b____________ from spreading by hand washing.
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。
How Do Avalanches(雪崩) Happen
If you're ever skiing in the mountains,you'll have to be aware of avalanches. An avalanche is a sudden flow of snow down a slope,such as.a mountain.The amount of snow in an avalanche varies based on many things,but it can be such a huge amount 1. it can bury the bottom of a slope in dozens of feet of snow.
Avalanches2. be caused by natural things.For example,new snow or rain can cause built-up snow to loosen and fall down the side of a mountain. Artificial triggers(诱发因素) can also cause avalanches. For example, snowmobiles, skiers, and explosives 3.(know)to lead to avalanches.
Avalanches usually occur during the winter and spring, 4.snowfall is greatest.As they are dangerous to any living beings in their path,avalanches have destroyed forests,roads,railroads and even entire towns.Warning signs exist that allow experts to predict--and often prevent--avalanches from occurring.When over a foot of fresh snow falls,experts know to be on the lookout for avalanches.
Explosives can be used in places5. massive snow buildups to trigger much smaller avalanches that don't pose 6. danger to persons or property.
When deadly avalanches do occur,the moving snow can quickly reach over 80 miles per hour.Skiers caught in such avalanches can be buried under dozens of feet of snow. 7.it's possible to dig out of such avalanches,not all are able to escape.
If you get tossed about by an avalanche and find yourself 8.(bury) under many feet of snow,you might not have a true sense of which way is up and which way is down.Some avalanche victims have tried to dig their way out,only to find that they were upside down and digging themselves farther under the snow 9. than to the top!
Experts suggest that people caught in an avalanche 10.(try)to dig around you to create a space for air,so you can breathe more easily.Then,do your best to figure out which way is up and dig in that direction to reach the surface and signal rescuers.
