When the young donkey Daisy May came to us，she was pregnant. With no donkey experience. I was unprepared for what might come next.
After some difficulty，Daisy’s baby was born. I thought the poor thing was dead. I planned to put the loss behind us and make sure she never got pregnant again. Just then，I heard a little noise. I couldn’t believe that baby was breathing and looking at me!We called him Samson，and of course I became his mother as much as Daisy was.
When Samson was nine months old，I had to separate Daisy and Samson for a few hours a day to wean(使断奶)him，but otherwise he went wherever she did. I think she would be lost without him. His donkey stepdad Bernard taught him to always be ready to have fun. They enjoy playing football together and going for a roll on a hot summer day.
I asked a worker to make a harness(马具)for my three little donkeys. When I brought it home I taught them one by one how to pull a cart. Samson watched and freely followed Daisy. When he was three，I put the harnness on him and he knew exactly what to do.
That was 15 years ago. Now，the most exciting thing about Samson is that he has become a little renowned. People come from all over to see him perform. The neighbors bring their grandchildren，and my sons bring their friends.
Samson shakes hands，unties my shoe，picks up a hat and more. And when I ask him if he has any bad habits，he tries to pick my pocket!He surprisingly learned these tricks himself. I just ask him to do them and he understands.
The relationship I have with my“baby”Samson has been an amazing experience. Every day is a fun day with this superstar donkey.
1.Why was the author at a loss for what might happen next at first?
A.She wasn’t ready to be a mother.
B.She never raised a donkey before.
C.The donkey was pregnant by accident.
D.The donkey gave birth to a dead baby.
2.What can we learn about Samson when he was little?
A.He was surrounded by love.
B.He was separated from his family.
C.He was unwelcome to the neighbors.
D.He was skilled in entertaining people.
3.Which of the following can best describe Samson?
A.Friendly and courageous. B.Intelligent and lively.
C.Carefree and creative. D.Patient and fortunate.
4.What does the underlined word“renowned”in Paragraph 5 probably refer to?
A.Strange. B.Proud.
C.Humorous. D.Famous.
Since it first opened after four years of construction in 1937 at a cost of $27 million，the Golden Gate Bridge has made its appearance in films and poetry.
CNN Travel spent a day climbing into and ground the bridge，learning these secrets from the people who know and love it best.
Why is it called the Golden Gate Bridge?It’s not golden.
“The Golden Gate Bridge gets its name because it spans what is called the Golden Gate Strait，”said Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz，spokesman for the Golden Gate Bridge，Highway and Transportation District，which operates the bridge. It’s a three-mile-long and one-mile-wide body of water that connects the Pacific Ocean to the San Francisco Bay.
What color is the bridge?It looks red.
“It’s not red，although you’re not crazy to think so. Visitors all call it red，”said Russell. “Back in the day，the US Navy，then part of the War Department，oversaw the waterways and wanted to paint this bridge black and yellow for high visibility，”said fellow painter Jarrod Bauer. “They ended up mixing paint to create the color International Orange，which is similar to the color of red lead，”he said.
Does the bridge get entirely painted every year?
No，and it doesn’t need to be. It’s true that the top coat has been fully repainted over time with new and environmentally-improved International Orange top coats.
Who performs bridge rescues?
McVeigh and his fellow ironworkers，the so—called“Cowboys of the Sky”，have that responsibility. McVeigh has lost count of how many troubled souls he’s been called to rescue over the past 17 years.
In September in 2018，the bridge started constructing a suicide(自杀)prevention system，also known as the safety net，to keep people from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s expected to be completed in 2021.
1.What’s the true color of the Golden Gate Bridge?
A.Red. B.Red lead.
C.Black and yellow. D.International Orange.
2.Who can probably be called a hero on the Golden Gate Bridge?
A.McVeigh. B.Jarrod Bauer.
C.Russell. D.Paolo.
3.What can we know about the Golden Gate Bridge?
A.It is safer now because of the safety net.
B.It got its name because of its color.
C.It took much time and money to be built.
D.It needs to be repainted once a year.
请认真阅读下文信息，并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
China’s New Wildlife Trade Ban and Upcoming Law Amendment（修正案）
March 05, 2020 “Lisa” Ning Hua
The Coronavirus Outbreak in China, has been identified by the World Health Organization as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” or “PHEIC.” Seventeen years after the horrific SARS outbreak, the coronavirus has once again shown a spotlight on the risks of consuming wildlife as food and encouraged public outcry to ban wild meat consumption in China.
This challenge is not unique to China. Epidemics, such as Ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or Mad Cow Disease, Avian Influenza, and SARS, all originate from wildlife.
To combat the outbreak, China announced a suspension on wildlife trade across the country in January and a crackdown (i.e., stricter enforcement) on illegal activities involving wildlife. The country’s top legislature also initiated a process for amending the current Wildlife Protection Law and announcing a decision this week to ban the trade of wildlife as food and tighten the crackdown on illegal wildlife trade.
While this is all very good news, it should be noted that the ban is not permanent and will automatically expire（失效）when the amendments to the Wildlife Protection Law become effective. Further, key details regarding ban enforcement have yet to be clarified to ensure it serves its purpose.
（写作内容）
1. 用约30个单词概述上述信息的主要内容；
2. 谈谈你如何看待保护野生动物，并说明理由（至少两点）。
（写作要求）
1. 写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
3. 不必写标题。
（评分标准）
内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。
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请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。
Why Do Smart People Do Foolish Things?
We all probably know someone who is intelligent but does surprisingly stupid things. What does it mean to be smart or intelligent? Our everyday use of the term is meant to describe someone who is knowledgeable and makes wise decisions, but this definition is at odds with how intelligence is traditionally measured. The most widely known measure of intelligence is the intelligence quotient, more commonly known as the IQ test, which includes visuospatial puzzles, math problems, pattern recognition, vocabulary questions and visual searches.
The advantages of being intelligent are undeniable. Intelligent people are more likely to get better grades and go farther in school. They are more likely to be successful at work. And they are less likely to get into trouble (for example, commit crimes) as adolescents.
Given all the advantages of intelligence, though, you may be surprised to learn that it does not predict other life outcomes, such as well-being. You might imagine that doing well in school or at work might lead to greater life satisfaction, but several large-scale studies have failed to find evidence that IQ impacts life satisfaction or longevity (长寿). Most intelligence tests fail to assess the extent of rational thinking, such as real-world decision-making and our ability to interact well with others. This is, in other words, perhaps why “smart” people do “dumb” things.
The ability to think critically, on the other hand, has been associated with wellness and longevity. Though often confused with intelligence, critical thinking is not intelligence. Critical thinking is a collection of cognitive (认知的) skills that allow us to think rationally (理性地) in a goal-orientated fashion and a disposition to use those skills when appropriate. Critical thinkers have self-confidence in their own abilities to reason. They possess great flexibility in requiring evidence to support their beliefs. Critical thinking means overcoming all kinds of cognitive biases (偏见).
Critical thinking predicts a wide range of life events. Researchers have found that critical thinkers experience fewer negative life events such as academic (“I forgot about an exam”), health (“I received HIV through unprotected sex”), legal (“I was arrested for driving under the influence”), interpersonal (“I cheated on my partner for more than a year”), financial (“I have over $5,000 of credit-card debt”), and so on.
Intelligence and improving intelligence are hot topics that receive a lot of attention. It is time for critical thinking to receive a little more of that attention. Reasoning and rationality more closely resemble what we mean when we say a person is smart rather than spatial skills and math ability. Furthermore, improving intelligence is difficult. Intelligence is largely determined by genetics. Critical thinking, though, can improve with training, and the benefits have been shown to continue over time. Anyone can improve their critical thinking skills. Doing so, we can say with certainty, is a smart thing to do.
Why Do Smart People Do Foolish Things? | |
Introduction | The defining term of intelligence in daily life 1.largely from how it is traditionally measured. |
The advantages of intelligence | ●Intelligent people may have better academic and job 2.. ●Intelligence may predict less trouble during adolescence. |
3. for smart people doing foolish things | ●Intelligent people don’t 4. enjoy greater life satisfaction or longevity. ●What most intelligence tests 5. are rational thinking skills like decision-making. |
The importance of critical thinking | ●Critical thinkers are more likely to be 6. in life and live longer. ●Critical thinkers are rational, self-confident, 7. and open-minded. ●Critical thinking is believed to be 8. with fewer negative life events. |
Conclusion | We should 9. more on critical thinking than on intelligence, as intelligence is something, to a large extent, that one is 10. with while critical thinking can be trained and improved. |
As John George remembers it, the Detroit neighborhood he grew up in was straight out of Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life. ''We knew all our neighbors,'' George, 60, told Detroit's Metro Times. ''On Christmas Eve, we'd all go to midnight Mass, and there would be 300 people in our house at one o'clock to about five in the morning. The folks were just really good, hardworking people. ''
By the 80s, however, the old neighborhood was more Pottersville than Bedford Falls. Due in part to economic downturns and a nationwide drug epidemic (泛滥), well-kept homes had been abandoned and kindly neighbors had fled to the suburbs. But not George. ''Living in any city, it's like being in a relationship,'' he told Reader's Digest. ''Some days are better than others. But it was my home. And when I saw it deteriorating, I had two choices: I could leave, or I could stay and fight. I decided to stay and fight. ''
When the abandoned home behind his turned into a crack den, the father of two grabbed some plywood and nails and began boarding up the house. After two neighbors stopped to ask what he was doing, they decided to help, with great results. ''When the drug dealers came back, they turned around and went home,'' says George. ''That's how it all got started. ''
''It'' is Detroit Blight Busters, or DBB, an organization of civic-minded volunteers devoted to reviving the city they love, one abandoned house, one vacant lot, and one garbage-strewn park at a time.
In the 30 years since that first home rescue, an army of approximately 182,000 volunteers, along with corporate and private donors, has helped George destroy around 300 abandoned homes, mostly in the poorer Northwest area of Detroit. They've also secured 400-some homes by boarding them up, thus keeping bad actors out. They've painted and renovated nearly 900 homes and built over 100 from scratch. According to Forbes, more than 1,000 Detroiters have been housed as a result of DBB's work.
''I'm half Lebanese, half Italian, and 100 percent Detroit stubborn, '' George told nationswell.com. ''Once we get something in our heart and in our head, it's almost autopilot. ''
But that was only the beginning. In 2003, George also breathed life into a dilapidated (破旧的) square mile of Detroit by turning it into Artist Village, an area now filled with galleries, a performance space, community gardens, a coffee shop, and outdoor courtyards. Because this region of North Detroit was a food desert, George also persuaded a supermarket chain to move into the neighborhood.
''Blight is like a cancer: If you don't set upon it, it will spread,'' George told thehubdetroit.com. And then there's Halloween. In Detroit, October 30 was ruefully known as Devil's Night, a period when all hell would break loose in the form of crime and vandalism. In response, George created a citizens' patrol (巡逻队) that would take to the streets, keeping an eye on suspicious behavior. He called it Angels’ Night. What began with 12 neighbors on patrol in 1990 has grown to more than 60,000 citywide.
George's inspired ideas have not gone unnoticed by the city he loves.''John wants to show that there is still something to Detroit. That it's still worth it,'' says real estate agent Robert LaBute. And others are buying into it.''We're seeing the trend of younger homeowners coming in.''
Is George proud of having boosted his once-ailing hometown? You'd better believe he is. As he puts it: ''We are on the front porch of the greatest urban comeback story in this nation’s history. ''
1.Why was John George reluctant to leave Detroit?
A.He wanted to save his city.
B.He enjoyed a wonderful life.
C.He stayed to fight against drugs.
D.He got along with his neighbors.
2.What was the result of the first home rescue?
A.An official organization was founded.
B.A voluntary movement began with it.
C.A better neighbor relationship was formed.
D.The drug dealers mended their ways at last.
3.The data provided in Paragraph 5 suggest that ______.
A.many people have been lifted out of poverty
B.many abandoned homes have been destroyed
C.DBB has done a lot to bring the city back to life
D.the number of the volunteers has been increasing
4.What did John George do to revive the city of Detroit ?
A.He transformed the city into an industrial area.
B.He created a citizen's patrol to prevent crimes.
C.He expanded investment in real estate business.
D.He built a supermarket chain in the neighborhood.
5.According to the passage, John George can be described as ______.
A.cautious and creative
B.stubborn and ambitious
C.proud and self-centered
D.strong-willed and inspiring
6.What's the best title for the passage?
A.The Life of a Hero
B.Detroit's Proud Tiger
C.The Power of Devotion
D.The Blooming of Detroit
Dec 21st 2018
On December 19th Gatwick airport, Britain’s second-biggest, was forced to close due to several sightings of drones（无人机）flying near its runways. The airport only reopened on the morning of December 21st. ① .
The potential for an incident of this scale has been recognized for some years now. The falling price of small drones in recent years has resulted in the number flying dangerously near aircraft to rise sharply. ② .
This is a threat that the authorities have to take seriously. Recent research suggests that small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be much more damaging than birds — a surprisingly common cause of aircraft crashes — at the same impact speed, even if they are a similar weight. The researchers found that the drones’ rigid and dense materials—such as metal, plastic and lithium batteries—can put aero planes at much greater risk than a bird carcass（动物尸体）. If a drone were to hit an aircraft’s fan blades when it is operating at its highest speed, the blades could break and power to the engine could be lost.
③ . But it also underlined the potential for destruction that drones afford. The British police do not think that terrorism was the motivation behind the latest incident at Gatwick. According to the Daily Telegraph, a British newspaper, environmental activists are suspected of being behind the attack, which has happened before.
As attention turns to what can be done to prevent a repeat, two solutions stand out. The first is regulation. Regulators in America and Britain already ban drones from flying too close to airports. America has introduced a compulsory registration scheme for drones and Britain plans to follow suit.
But as the chaos at Gatwick shows, even serious punishments will not stop those intending to cause harm deliberately. ④ . Technology is the second, and more important, answer to the threat. In the US the FAA has experimented with a system. Drones can have pre-programmed software that keeps them away from prohibited areas, an approach known as “geofencing”. British engineers have come up with a system that catches drones with a net and then softly lands them with a parachute. Dutch police have even attempted to train eagles to catch drones in the sky and return them to their trainers as if they were song birds. The closure at Gatwick will give ideas such as these a mighty push forward.
1.Compared to birds, drones have become a more serious threat to airplane crash in that _____.
A.drones are much heavier than birds in general
B.drones usually fly even faster than birds
C.drones will attack airplanes on purpose
D.drones are made of rigid and dense materials
2.The sentence “The extended closure of Gatwick was a justified response to this threat.” should be put in _____.
A.① B.②
C.③ D.④
3.It can be inferred from the article that _____.
A.The decreasing size of drones recently has led to frequent accidents of this kind.
B.Among the solutions, technology is considered to be a more reliable one.
C.The FAA has adopted a “geofencing” system with the help of trained eagles.
D.The British police think environmentalists conducted the latest incident at Gatwick.
4.What can be a suitable title for the article?
A.Drones or birds, which is more harmful?
B.How to stop unmanned aerial vehicles?
C.Several drones close Gatwick airport.
D.Drones have become a pressing issue.
