Juili Kale was looking forward to receiving her master's degree at Arizona State University. She planned to invite her family living in India to the United States for her graduation ceremony. But then, in March, the coronavirus pandemic ended those plans as schools nationwide closed to stop the spread. Kale's dream of spending time with family members on her big day came crashing down. Yet the graduation ceremony is taking place—just not as she expected.
University officials have turned to robots so Arizona State graduates and their families can take part in the event online. Cameras recorded images of Kale and about 140 other graduates online this month. They were wearing robes and mortar board caps. They took turns moving a robot at the university that held an eye-level display showing their face. With the help of the robot, they stepped forward to receive their diplomas and take pictures. The robots are from Double Robotics, a company based in Burlingame, California. Before the health crisis, they had been used to help people attend funerals and even marriage ceremonies without traveling.
Sanjeev Khagram is dean of Arizona State's Thunderbird School of Global Management. He said that the video- a ''bittersweet'' experience—was recorded and produced over two days. It may not have been ideal for the students. Khagram admitted. '' But, we want to show that we did everything that we could to celebrate them. When the crisis is over, the class of 2020 can do a real-life walk at any future graduation ceremony they choose. ''
Kale planned to throw a ''watch party'' with her husband at home and her family in India.
Getting used to the online experience was easy for Nancy Sierras Morales. ''We have been able to adapt very quickly because we are used to being on a computer and on the phone almost like 24/7, '' the 22-year-old said. She said that, while it is not the best, it is ''cool...to be like the first class ever to do this''.
''I'm disappointed.'' said 41-year-old Douglas Northcott. He is graduating with a master's degree in applied leadership and management. He called the online event with robots ''creative''. But he looked forward to the real thing. ''And if anything, that makes it better , in that it is spread over two times rather than one. ''
1.What had the robots mainly been used for before the graduation ceremony?
A.Saving travelling for people to attend ceremonies like weddings.
B.Hosting all kinds of ceremonies for people unable to travel.
C.Helping professors with their teaching plans in universities.
D.Amusing people during their travelling to funerals.
2.According to the text, ________ made a fast adjustment to the new situation.
A.Juili Kale B.Sanjeev Khagram
C.Nancy Sierras Morales D.Douglas Northcott
3.According to Sanjeev Khagram, to have a real graduation ceremony, the 2020 graduates can ________.
A.throw an online ''watch party''
B.attend any future graduation ceremony
C.hold another real one by themselves
D.do everything they can to celebrate
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.A disappointing graduation ceremony
B.A graduation ceremony with the help of robots
C.A multifunctional robot from Double Robotics
D.A special experience of students in the health crisis
Ralph Waldo Emerson once quoted that “Nothing great can ever be achieved without enthusiasm.” I have a lot of enthusiasm. This is Northlandz in Flemington, New Jersey. Northlandz is the world’s largest model railroad. Well I guess, you know, everybody has a passion for something, my thing was trains.
I had trains around the Christmas tree as a kid. Wherever I lived I was planning track plans and then over 18 years I added five basements onto the house. And from that I got fairly good at making mountains and bridges and design work and we decided to give it to the world so we tore it all down, bought this land and built Northlandz.
Any given day we run between 85 and 90 trains. Here are some of the details in Northlandz inside—about 40,000 feet of track, and about 4,000 buildings over 400 bridges. Many of the mountains in here are three and a half stories high. Most things in here are scratch built. Underneath the entire superstructure there’s enough lumber to build about 42 large houses. It takes a few hours to go through for the average person to see everything.
We went millions into debt to build this place. Everybody thought we were nuts. The only one that believed in what I wanted to do was my wife and she was totally with me on this big time. It’s an artistic effort. It’s a gift to the world of what I can do and it makes a lot of people happy.
1.In Para. 1 the quote of Ralph Waldo Emerson is used to .
A.show that the author is as outstanding as Ralph Waldo Emerson
B.illustrate the author’s passion for the creation of Northlandz
C.draw readers’ interest in the model railroad called Northlandz
D.explain why the author is successful in his career
2.What can be inferred from Para. 2?
A.The author could drive trains around as a kid.
B.The author decided to donate the house to the world.
C.When he was 18. the author built five basements of the house.
D.The author’s hobby since childhood inspired his building Northlandz.
3.What can we learn about Northlandz?
A.It is the largest real railroad throughout the world.
B.There run 85 trains on the 40,000 feet of track every day.
C.People have to spend much time appreciating every detail of it.
D.Many mountains in it are so high as to reach three and a half meters.
4.What did people think of the author’s devotion to building the place?
A.Crazy and skeptical.
B.Artistic and admirable.
C.Ambitious and pleasant.
D.Frustrating and unbelievable.
♦ How It Feels to Float
by Helena Fox
If you’re looking for a moving story that explores themes of mental illness，grief, and love, pick up a copy of How It Feels to Float and follow Biz as she comes of age. This moving novel will stay with you long after you finish reading it.
♦ Two Can Keep a Secret
by Karen M. McManus
Put on your crime-solving cap and get swept away in this thriller about a girl, a boy, and a string of unsolved murders. As threats and hints pile up, you’ll be burning the midnight oil trying to finish the book before dawn.
♦ Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
by Julie C. Dao
The first book in the Rise of the Empress series takes the bones of a traditional fairy tale—a poor girl fated for power, an evil queen determined to stop her, love for someone who doesn’t love back . and magic— and gives them a richly imagined East Asian setting.
♦ Dune
by Frank Herbert
If the Star Wars movies have made you fall in love with the space opera, eventually you’re going to read, Dune Trilogy (沙丘三部曲), Frank Herbert’s most famous creation. The story of centuries-old political plotting—about warring factions battling over control of the extremely valuable planet Arrakis—is a classic and remains a wonderful introduction to the larger, more complex world of science fiction, the Dune Trilogy, just beyond the Star Wars trilogy.
1.What is How It Feels to Float mainly about?
A.A girl’s space adventures.
B.Challenges of growing up.
C.The murder of a teenage girl.
D.An old women’s happy life.
2.What kind of book is Two Can Keep a Secret ?
A.A fairy tale.
B.A love story.
C.A mystery story.
D.A science-fiction story.
3.What do Forest of a Thousand Lanterns and Dune have in common?
A.Both are one of a book series.
B.Both have an authentic setting.
C.Both have been adapted to movies.
D.Both involve seeking magic power.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。续写词数为150字左右。
The spot of red was what first caught Randy Heiss’s attention on December 16, 2018. He was hiking the remote land behind his farm in a small town near the U.S.-Mexico border, and there lying on the grass was a balloon. He walked toward it with his dog, thinking he should pick it up and throw it away.
That’s when he noticed the balloon’s string was attached to a piece of paper. “Dayami,” it read on one side, in a child’s writing. Heiss flipped the paper over. On the back he saw a numbered list, all in Spanish. His Spanish wasn’t very good, but he could see it was a Christmas list!
Heiss was charmed. He suspected that a child had tried to send Santa Claus a Christmas wish list by balloon, something he used to do himself when he was a kid. Nobody had ever returned the letters Heiss had sent, but he wondered whether he could find the girl who had sent this one.
It would be difficult, but Heiss had a few clues. About 20 miles to the southwest, just across the border, was the city of Nogales, Mexico, with a population of about a quarter million. Based on the wind direction, he was almost sure that was where it came from. Heiss brought the note home to his wife, who is fluent in Spanish and helped him translate the list. They determined that Dayami, probably a girl, had asked for a doll, a dollhouse, doll clothes and art supplies.
Heiss then posted his search about finding Dayami on Facebook, attaching photos, hoping some of his friends in Nogales might know the girl’s family. A few days passed with no results; Heiss worried that time was running out before Christmas. On December 19, 2018, he decided to send a private Facebook message to Radio Xeny, an AM radio station based in Nogales. To his surprise, someone from the station called him back right away and promised him to post his search on the station’s Facebook page immediately.
Paragraph 1:
The next morning, Heiss awoke to a message from Radio Xeny.
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Paragraph 2:
Dayami’s eyes were wide open with wonder.
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假定你是学生会主席李华。2018年瑞典人发起了一种在慢跑过程中捡拾垃圾的运动，即plogging, 目前这一运动在世界各地广受欢迎，请你以学生会的名义写一封倡议书，呼吁全体同学积极参与这项运动。内容包括：
1.介绍plogging；
2.开展plogging的好处
3.发出倡议。
注意：1.词数80词左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
词汇：瑞典人 the Swedish
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阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入1个恰当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
We often like new things—new clothes, new phones, new furniture. But when it comes to cities, older is often better. This is 1. (certain) true of Montreal, one of Canada’s oldest cities.
Begin your visit with Mount Royal, the 2. (high) point in the city. At various viewing 3. (point) you can see and photograph much of the city below. If your visit is in the fall, enjoy Montreal’s glorious autumn colors. The foliage (树叶) on every tree will be bright red, orange, yellow and purple. But at any time of year, you will likely meet people 4. (speak)many languages from many backgrounds.
The road down from Mount Royal 5. (pass) through McGill University, one of Canada’s top schools. Below McGill is the Golden Square Mile, 6. is a great area for walking tour. If it is too hot 7. too cold outside, you can walk Montreal’s more than 32 kilometers of underground streets.
8. you may not want to miss is to wander in the Old Port of Montreal district, ride the huge Observation Wheel for wonderful views of the city and look for huge “Grand Chapiteau”, or circus tent 9. (see) Cirque du Soleil’s travelling shows. Each show carries with it 10. unique feeling. It’s a flavor of the historic city, Montreal.
