Years ago, my grandmother was in a nursing home. She was a retired university professor, which brought her an ocean of _______ she had taught before.
In sharp _______ with my grandmother, almost no one came to see the old man next door. He was _______ most of the time.
Once I_______ him, “How are you doing recently?” He gave me a look, saying nothing. Thinking he was _______ of hearing, I raised my voice and asked again. He just shook his head slightly. After a long while, finding I was _______ there, he just said, “Fine.” Then he looked away. I had to shut up, feeling rather _______.
Later, I learned that the old man had got quite a few companies from his family. Since he was not a good _______, he annoyed many people and even made his family and friends _______. And ________, his companies all failed.
So what is the most important ________ a person can have? Perhaps you think making money is the answer. No! But the ability to ________ your thoughts is. It’s extremely important for a person to learn to put what he thinks into ________. It makes a relationship ________ and a career flourish (繁荣). I’m afraid this is something many of us ________. Just think: How many of us have ever hurt those who love us just because we are not good at speaking? So, more often than not, it is not what we think but how we speak that determines how far we can go in life.
1.A.neighbors B.friends C.relatives D.visitors
2.A.agreement B.contrast C.conflict D.company
3.A.alone B.calm C.high-spirited D.impatient
4.A.questioned B.greeted C.encountered D.encouraged
5.A.tired B.ashamed C.hard D.short
6.A.always B.already C.also D.still
7.A.uncomfortable B.concerned C.helpless D.innocent
8.A.expert B.competitor C.speaker D.partner
9.A.break down B.pull away C.fall behind D.drop out
10.A.typically B.obviously C.unexpectedly D.consequently
11.A.skill B.challenge C.principle D.qualification
12.A.update B.develop C.express D.dominate
13.A.action B.words C.plans D.consideration
14.A.appear B.worsen C.collapse D.last
15.A.lack B.possess C.oppose D.defense
Cycling or Running?
Aerobic (有氧) exercise is an effective tool to assist with fat loss. It can be fun and help build up your body. Running and cycling, for example, are both good for you. 1. Read on and make an informed decision.
Metabolic (代谢) Level
At the metabolic level, fast running beats fast cycling. There is also the fact that when you’re riding downhill, you’re essentially at rest because you’re coasting. Not so with running. 2. You’re also getting more of a total body workout with running than you get with cycling.
Difficulty Of Adoption
You could ride a bike for hours. With no pounding on your joints, you can go far and fast. Now compare that to taking up running. The first few times you try running, you will breathe heavily, wondering why on earth you’re putting yourself through such suffering. It takes enormous determination for most people to become runners. 3.
Racing
Foot races are popular the world over. There are 5Ks, 10Ks, half and full and ultra-marathons. Any decent-sized city will have your choice of races. 4. It forces you to train and pushes you to get better. Contrarily，it’s harder to find many races for cycling.
Convenience
In terms of convenience, running can’t match cycling. You will reach a specific destination way faster on a bike than by running. It’s also easier for carrying things on a bike.
5. Both cycling and running have something to offer. It’s about analyzing their respective advantages and deciding what’s right for you.
A.Truth be told, there is no winner.
B.Entering them can be very motivating.
C.You can do more caloric burn in less time with running.
D.So it’s not hard to find that cycling is just easier to get into.
E.It is definitely beneficial to take part in both of the two sports.
F.But maybe you are in two minds about which one to engage in.
G.You can handle any kind of bad condition when it comes to running.
Although the Poetry Out Loud (POL) National Finals were cancelled due to COVID-19, it is announced that they’re working with their POL partner, the Poetry Foundation, to explore ways to honor the 2020 state POL champions.
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self- confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Since 2005, POL has grown to reach more than 3. 8 million students and 60,000 teachers from 16,000 schools.
POL uses a pyramid structure that starts at the classroom level. Winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to a state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals. Awards and placements are determined only by the judges’ scores based on the POL Evaluation Criteria.
Each winner at the state level receives $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip with an adult to Washington, DC to compete for the national championship. The state winner’s school receives $500 for the purchase of poetry materials. At the national finals, a total of $50,000 is awarded annually.
The free materials POL provides include an online poetry anthology (诗集), a teacher’s guide, videos of student performances, lesson plans and promotional and media resources. Hard copies of materials are available for teachers participating in the official program but anyone can access the online materials at poetryoutloud.org.
Poetry creates a space for empathy (共鸣) that no other art does, so POL as a program creates a really inclusive space where the students read poets of different cultural backgrounds. Khadijah Ceesay, the 2019 POL champion, said at the award ceremony, “Going out to compete and meet different people after the same goal, to share poetry, has been eye opening because It’s given me a chance to see different interpretations and meanings behind words. It’s also taught me the power and weight that words hold.”
1.We can infer from the text that ________.
A.no 2020 POL final champion will be honored
B.the POL will come to an end because of COVID-19
C.the 2020 POL admits the fewest participants since 2005
D.the Poetry Foundation saves a lot in honoring the champions
2.How can participants qualify for the finals?
A.By gaining judges’ favorable evaluation.
B.By obtaining schools’ recommendation.
C.By winning step-by-step promotion.
D.By getting online public support.
3.What do we know about the POL materials?
A.They are only accessible online.
B.All participants should buy them.
C.Only teachers can get some hard copies.
D.Schools are allowed to buy the materials.
4.What’s the best title of the text?
A.The Magic of English Poetry
B.POL Boosts the Development of Poetry
C.Celebrate the 2020 State POL Champions
D.Poetry Out Loud—a Nice Instructive Program
On February 6, 2020, American astronaut Christina Koch arrived back on Earth after 328 days in space. Her time in space is just one of the records set by herself. That’s the longest spaceflight ever made by a woman, and just one of the many things Ms. Koch achieved in space.
Ms. Koch took off from Earth for the International Space Station (ISS) on March 12, 2019. While in space, she made 5, 248 trips around the Earth, travelling 2, 237 million kilometers, which is roughly the same as 291 trips to the Moon and back. During her 11 months on the ISS, Ms. Koch took part in six spacewalks, spending over 42 hours in all outside the station. In October of 2019, Ms. Koch led the first ever all-female spacewalk with Jessica Meir.
But for most astronauts, space travel isn’t about setting records. It’s about doing science. Ms. Koch took part in a wide variety of special experiments, including studying how crystals (晶体) grow in space, how atoms (原子) behave in extreme cold and learning more about growing plants in low gravity. Growing plants in space could be an important way to provide food on future trips. She also tested a new way of separating liquids from gases. This experiment could lead to simple methods of cleaning water and air in space, which could be very important for future space travel.
Ms. Koch isn’t just a scientist and an astronaut. She is also being studied. She’s part of a NASA program studying how astronauts are affected by being in space for long periods of time. Her trip was only 12 days shorter than the American record set by Scott Kelly in 2016. As they did with Mr. Kelly, NASA scientists are looking carefully at ways Ms. Koch’s body has been affected by her time in space. That research is important for the longer space trips NASA hopes to make in the future, such as for a base on the moon or a trip to Mars.
1.Which of the following is an achievement Ms. Koch has made?
A.Making the longest spaceflight by herself.
B.Leading the first women-only spacewalk.
C.Cleaning water and air successfully in space.
D.Staying outside the ISS continuously for 42 hours.
2.What does the author want to tell us with so many detailed figures in Paragraph 2?
A.Koch made historic breakthroughs in space.
B.Koch went through a life-threatening space trip.
C.Koch completed admirable tasks in the space travel.
D.Koch is the most experienced astronaut in NASA.
3.Which statement agrees with the text?
A.Astronauts are competing to set new records.
B.Koch’s team produced their own food in space.
C.NASA has founded a scientific base on the moon.
D.Koch’s research is significant for space exploration.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Record-Setting Astronaut Koch Returns to Earth
B.US Astronauts Carried out Experiments in Space
C.Spacewalks Have Successfully Been Done on the ISS
D.NASA is Studying Astronauts for Longer Space Trips
Unhealthy diets are responsible for preventable deaths globally per year, more even than smoking tobacco, according to a major study.
“But the biggest problem is not the junk we eat but the nutritious food we don’t eat,” say researchers, calling for a global shift in policy to promote vegetables, fruit, nuts and beans. While sugar and trans-fats are harmful, more deaths are caused by the absence of healthy foods in our diet. Heart attacks are the main diet-related causes of death, followed by cancers and diabetes (糖尿病).
The study found that eating and drinking better could prevent one in five deaths around the world. “Rather than trying to persuade people to cut down on sugar, salt and fat, which has been the main focus of diet policy debate in the past two decades, it would be better to promote healthy options. Adoption of diets emphasizing beans and other healthy plant sources of protein, for instance, will have important benefits for human health,” note the researchers.
The study is the most comprehensive analysis on the health effects of diet ever conducted. It looked at 15 different nutrients, giving detailed knowledge of the analysis and summary of the risk factors of them.
Tom Sanders, a professor of nutrition and dietetics (饮食学), said the analysis put too much emphasis on individual components rather than the overall diet. “Overweight is a major driver for risk of diabetes as well as cancer and the health evidence for this relationship is strong. Overweight is caused by eating more food energy than required rather than specific dietary components such as sugar. The trend for populations to sit too much is a major reason why there is an imbalance between energy intake and consumption but Increased availability of foods with high calories makes it too easy to overeat.”
1.What do the researchers think is the best way to lower preventable death rate?
A.Restricting junk food. B.Trying to eat healthily.
C.Avoiding risk factors. D.Adopting high-calorie diets.
2.What’s the major concern of the current diet policy?
A.The diversity of food.
B.The importance of nutritious food.
C.The reduction of unhealthy food intake.
D.The balance between diet and exercise.
3.Which of the following does Tom Sanders agree with?
A.The analysis overlooks dietary integrity.
B.Overweight results from diabetes and cancer.
C.People who rarely exercise must diet strictly.
D.Particular dietary components lead to overweight.
4.Where is the text most likely from?
A.A product brochure. B.A cookbook.
C.A medical textbook. D.A health journal.
Bahamas’ 4 Best Budget Beachfront Hotels
Hundreds of islands and beaches in Bahamas have long been attractions for travelers. Here are 4 unique beach destinations.
Pigeon Cay Beach Club
Pigeon Cay Beach Club is located on the largely undeveloped Cat Island, where it’s possible to wander the coastline for miles without spotting a soul. TVs, AC, and Wi-Fi are all off-duty, leaving guests to explore the island by bike and boat. Meals can be served at the beach bar, on the beach, or in the cottages, which all have full kitchens and furnished outdoor spaces.
Compass Point Beach Resort
Compass Point Beach Resort may be Bahamas’ most interesting property. The resort was opened in 1995 by a music producer. Its appearance is as noticeable as its history. It’s composed of 18 rainbow-colored small wooden houses. All rooms have surround-sound music systems, open-air kitchens and dining spaces.
Stella Maris Resort Club
If you’re looking for a casual, cheerful, and cheap life, the beachfront Stella Maris Resort Club more than fits the bill. The large, family-owned complex is a bargain for its competitive rates and accommodations that suit larger parties. One of the highlights of the resort is its range of activities, many of which are free, including day trips, boating, nature walks and caving.
St Francis Resort
If you want to go off the Internet, St Francis Resort is as remote as you can get. The resort is only accessible by boat and has little human development: no cars, no roads, and only about two dozen residents. But it’s not all peace and quiet: the restaurant draws plenty of boaters and day-travelers and the hotel hosts activities like poker nights and weekly barbecues.
1.What characteristic do Pigeon Cay Beach Club and St Francis Resort share?
A.They are undeveloped and poorly-furnished. B.They offer various night outdoor activities.
C.They are rich in unique local culture. D.They have no access to the Internet.
2.Where would you prefer to go if you are a music fan?
A.Pigeon Cay Beach Club. B.Stella Maris Resort Club.
C.Compass Point Beach Resort. D.St Francis Resort.
3.Which of the following can best describe life in Stella Maris Resort Club?
A.Luxury and comfortable. B.Relaxing and inexpensive.
C.Exciting and competitive. D.Informal and peaceful.
