My father died when I was nine, and I remember doing the household chores to help my mother. I hated changing the vacuum cleaner(真空吸尘器) bag and ___________ things the machine did not suck up.
Twenty years later, in 1978, I was doing chores at home alongside my ___________. One day the vacuum cleaner was screaming away, and I had to ___________ the bag because I could not find a new one to replace it. With this lifelong hatred of the way the machine worked, I decided to make a ___________ vacuum cleaner.
Easier said than done, of course. I didn't ___________ that l would spend the next five years perfecting my design, a ___________ that resulted in 5,127 different prototypes(设计原型). By the time I made my 15th prototype, my third child was born. By 2,627, my wife and I were really counting our ___________. By 3,727, my wife was giving art lessons for some extra cash, and we were getting further and further into ___________. These were tough times, but each failure brought me closer to ___________ the problem.
I just had a passion for the vacuum cleaner as a product, but I ____________ thought of going into a business with it. In the early 1980 s, I started trying to ____________ licensing agreements for my technology. The reality was very different, ____________. The major vacuum makers had built a business model based on the ____________ from bags. No one would license my idea, not because it was a (an) ____________ one, but because it was bad for business.
That gave me the courage to keep going, but soon after, the companies that I had talked with started making machines ____________ mine. I had to fight legal battles to protect the patents on my vacuum cleaner. However, I was still in ____________ difficulties until 1993, when my bank manager personally ____________ Lloyds Bank to lend me $1 million. Then I was able to go into production. Within two years, the Dyson vacuum cleaner became a ____________ in Britain.
Today, I still embrace risk and the potential for failure as part of the process. Nothing ____________ the excitement of invention. Go out and brainstorm your ideas. You are not ____________ to any rules-in fact, the stranger and riskier your idea, the better.
1.A.making out B.picking up C.holding onto D.noting down
2.A.porter B.designer C.dad D.wife
3.A.desert B.empty C.fill D.pack
4.A.waterproof B.silent C.cheap D.bagless
5.A.realize B.regret C.doubt D.recall
6.A.compromise B.process C.bargain D.choice
7.A.babies B.bags C.sheep D.pennies
8.A.debt B.success C.quarrel D.wealth
9.A.facing B.settling C.raising D.avoiding
10.A.also B.occasionally C.nearly D.never
11.A.sell B.break C.get D.conclude
12.A.though B.instead C.as usual D.in theory
13.A.information B.sufferings C.profits D.lesson
14.A.new B.realistic C.illegal D.bad
15.A.above B.like C.without D.beside
16.A.financial B.household C.technological D.moral
17.A.forbade B.ordered C.helped D.persuaded
18.A.failure B.joke C.hit D.patent
19.A.recovers B.beats C.arouses D.adds
20.A.open B.accustomed C.bound D.opposed
Are you a bookworm? Is your head permanently stuck in a book? 1. There are many benefits to reading. Getting into a good novel improves our literacy. But who or what encourages us to pick up a book and start reading?
Of course, when we are young, our parents and teachers inspire us by introducing us to characters that we love or hate. As a child, I loved books written by Roald Dahl, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Twits. 2. They are popular with children even today, despite competition from contemporary authors.
One modern-day children's author is J. K. Rowling, who's known for her books about the wizard, Harry Potter. 3. The UK's National Literacy Trust awarded her the title for “turning a generation of children into readers”.
4. It can also help people in difficult circumstances. The author Pat Winslow worked as a writer in prisons and found reading and discussing stories helped prisoners reflect on their patterns of behavior. She says, “very often we would have discussions about the moral compass of a character. What was the motivation of somebody? Why did they behave that way?”
Today I like to read factual books such as biographies, where you get an insight into the lives of important and well-known people. I also enjoy looking at travel books and learning about journeys and new destinations. 5.
But the main benefit of reading is the improvement it brings to our literacy. The more we do it, the better we get and who knows—one day you may become the next Tolstoy, Jackie Collins or even William Shakespeare.
A.If so, that's a good thing for you.
B.It's a good substitute if you can't visit in person.
C.Good writing can really capture our imagination.
D.Reading books is more than an enjoyable leisure time.
E.These fictional stories were funny, twisted and slightly evil.
F.Who are your favorite authors and which are your favorite books?
G.She was named as a “literacy hero” for improving people's love of reading.
Schools are under constant pressure to make budget cuts, and music programs are often first on the chopping block. However, a recent study from the University of British Columbia in Canada has shown that students who took music lessons in high school performed better in subjects such as English, science, and math.
The researchers collected data from over 100,000 students at public high schools across the province of British Columbia. Some of them took music lessons during high school while others never attended them. Checking the test scores of students who took music classes with those of their peers, the study found that the musicians got higher grades in a range of different school subjects.
Research like this has been done before, but as for the number of respondents, this study is much larger, and it took into account other factors that may have affected the results. For example, perhaps students who took music classes were encouraged to do so because they already had good grades. This UBC study rules out a number of other factors that could explain why music students performed better academically, and the researchers still find a clear effect of music lessons on academic performance.
Not only did music students perform better than non-musicians, but students who played an instrument did even better than those who sang. “Learning to play a musical instrument and playing in an ensemble(乐团) is very rewarding,” says Martin Guhn, one of the researchers, “A student can learn to read music notes, achieve eye-hand-mind coordination, develop keen listening skills and establish interpersonal relationships.”
What this study doesn't tell us, though, is why music makes these students perform better academically, but the research paper mentions a few possible explanations. Music practice is linked with neurological(神经系统的) changes that improves certain brain functions, affecting memory and planning skills. Besides, there is a possible motivational factor. Students who take music lessons see a tangible result from practice—they get better—and they might apply that to their other work. And the non-competitive team aspect of making music together could strengthen students' social development, which would also help them in other alias.
1.How did the researchers find the result of the research?
A.By conducting tests. B.By analyzing causes.
C.By making comparisons. D.By building models.
2.How is the recent study different from previous ones?
A.It covered more school subjects.
B.It allowed for students who sang.
C.It was carried out nationwide.
D.It produced a more convincing result.
3.Why did the author mention Martin Guhn's words in Paragraph 4?
A.To speak highly of music students.
B.To explain why music helps students perform better.
C.To present the benefits of playing instruments.
D.To encourage students to join an ensemble.
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.Music practice can make an overall improvement in students’ brain.
B.Progress made in music may motivate students to work harder in math.
C.Singing can't make any difference in improving students' memory.
D.Playing in an orchestra could make students less competitive in other fields.
Native woodlands can resist the spread of invasive species by blocking daylight reaching the forest floor, researchers have suggested.
The team, consisting of researchers from US universities, decided to focus its attention on common buckthorn(沙棘), which is all invasive species in North America. It out-competes native plants and degrades soils and forests, doing harm to humans and other wildlife. In order to create environments that resist invasion by buckthorn, and thus avoid those costs, it was necessary to understand which forest characteristics offered the greatest influence on the success or failure of buckthorn plants becoming established.
In their experiment, the team grew buckthorn under a variety of different levels of shade and measured the light available to the buckthorn. These included one made up from deciduous species, such as birch, another from evergreen species, such as pine, and another from a mixture of both species.
Dr. Schuster observed: “Results showed that forests that are able to block out 96% of incoming light in the spring or autumn can successfully resist buckthorn invasion.” He added that, in general, evergreen species were much more capable of creating this level of shade compared with deciduous species.
“We anticipated that buckthorn would fail in areas with extremely low light levels, since having some light is necessary for most plants to live,” he said. Yet the team were surprised by how much the buckthorn depended upon light availability in spring or autumn.
He added that if forest managers were seeking to improve the long-term resistance of their forests to buckthorn invasions, then it might be necessary to introduce species that helped reduce the amount of light reaching the forest floor, such as evergreens.
But this approach was not risk-free, warned Dr. Schuster. He added: “If we change forests to get rid of buckthorn, we may push out some desirable native species at the same time. So, the question becomes whether we can select plant communities both to have the species we want and to produce ample shade in spring and autumn to keep buckthorn out.”
1.This experiment was carried out to study ________.
A.why soil conditions matter to plants B.how to help native plants grow better and faster
C.the impact invasive species have on humans D.the factors influencing the growth of buckthorn
2.What kinds of trees were chosen for the experiment?
A.Trees providing different amounts of shade. B.Trees growing and declining at different rates.
C.Trees of different heights. D.Trees of different origins.
3.What does Dr. Schuster imply in the last paragraph?
A.We must get rid of buckthorn whatever the cost.
B.Keeping native species ought to be the top priority.
C.We should be careful about selecting species of plants.
D.Communities need to work together to fight the alien plants.
4.You may likely find this article in a ________.
A.psychological and behavioural paper B.travel guide
C.nature and environment journal D.fashion magazine
Two motorists saved the life of a good man who had moments earlier helped them.
Victor, 61, stopped his pickup along an interstate highway in western Wisconsin to help two stranded women change a flat tire. Minutes later, his life was in their hands.
Sara Berg, and her cousin, Lisa, were headed home Saturday night on Interstate 94 when they heard an awful noise. They were somewhere between Menomonie and Eau Claire when they pulled to the side of the road with a flat tire-something neither knew how to fix. Ann showed up and asked whether they needed help. “We were so grateful.” Berg said. “Nowadays, nobody ever really stops to offer their help. It's kind of scary sometimes, because you really don't know what you're getting into.”
Victor is the type of person who gives you 100 percent and worries about himself later. When Victor finished, Berg thanked him and they shook hands. Berg recalled Victor's farewell words to her: “Someone up above always puts me in the right place at the right time.”
And then they parted. Victor and his wife puffed back onto the interstate. Seconds later, Berg followed. Less than a quarter mile down the road, Berg noticed Victor's red truck pulled over. She passed it and then pulled over herself, figuring the couple may have forgotten something. No sooner had she gotten out of her car when she saw Victor's wife waving anxiously at passing motorists. She called out to Berg that her husband was having a heart attack. Berg, a certified nursing assistant trained in CPR, jumped into the truck. Victor had no pulse and wasn't breathing. Berg began chest compressions. Lisa called 911. Emergency personnel arrived in about five minutes, “but it always feels like forever at a time like that,” Berg said.
“It was a nice twist of fate.” said the doctor who is treating Victor at the Eau Claire hospital.
“We know for sure that the CPR the woman did increased his chances for survival.”
Ann, who was also part of her husband's good luck when she guided their vehicle to the shoulder during his heart attack, is grateful.
1.The underlined word “stranded” in Paragraph 2 means ________.
A.trapped B.exhausted
C.frightened D.threatened
2.What do Victor's farewell words mean?
A.Victor and Berg share a common religious belief.
B.Victor feels it his mission to lend a helping hand.
C.Victor happens to be expert in changing flat tires.
D.Victor expects Berg to do him a favor in return.
3.What happened to Victor shortly after they parted?
A.His pickup broke down and had to stop on the shoulder.
B.His heart was badly injured due to a terrible accident.
C.He pulled over to collect something left in Berg's car.
D.He suffered a sudden heart attack and lost his consciousness.
4.Which can be the best title?
A.A Twist of Fate B.A Lucky Man
C.An Adventurous Journey D.An Instant Rescue
Feb. 29, or Leap Day, arrives on your calendar once every four years—and 2020 is one of them. The reason there are 366 days every four years instead of the standard 365 is that the calendar doesn't precisely line up since the Earth orbits the sun in approximately 365 days and 6 hours. Hence, every 4 years a leap day, February 29th, has to be added to correct for the difference.
It's not a federally recognized holiday, but Leap Day is a special occasion, so retailers typically offer many sales, deals and discounts. From food to travel deals, here are 29 Leap Day 2020 discounts.
●Hard Rock Café: Customers with a Leap Day birthday receive a free entrée from the restaurant's Leaplings Eat Free menu with a valid photo ID.
●Dog Hans: Enjoy a free upgrade from a single to a double burger on Feb. 29, which will save you $2.49.
●Legal Sea Foods: Get two 1-pound lobsters and two sides at any of the East Coast eatery's 30 non-airport locations for $29(over a $50 value) on Feb. 29.
●Big Frog Custom T-Shirts ＆More: Get a free Leap Year 2020 T-shirt at any of the retailers participating locations on Feb. 29—no purchase required.
●Foot Locker: Save 15 percent on purchases of $70 or more through Feb. 29.
●Expedia: Save up to 29 percent off select hotels worldwide with reservations made on the Expedia mobile app on or before Feb. 29. Some restrictions apply.
●Avis: Take $25 off the cost of a weekly car rental with code MUWA169 through March 30.
●Marriott: Enjoy up to 20 percent in savings when you use code ADP to book a room in advance through March 19.
1.Why is there an extra day in February 2020?
A.To remain in line with the true astronomical year.
B.To officially celebrate a special occasion.
C.To pass down a time-honored tradition.
D.To offer a business promotional opportunity.
2.How much will you pay for a pair of shoes priced at $100 on Feb. 29?
A.$15. B.$85.
C.$75. D.$70.
3.Which of the following offers discounts beyond Feb. 29?
A.Dog Hans. B.Legal Sea Foods.
C.Expedia. D.Marriott.
