For centuries, Beijing has been one of China's most important cities. _______ a place for emperors and officials, today it is an international city and a popular tourist_______. People from all over the country are moving to Beijing to _______ jobs and opportunities as this exciting city is a place where dreams can come true. Throughout the city, _______ dressed business people _______ for their offices, mobile phones held to their ears and visitors can only watch and imagine the deals and _______ being made at that very second.
Beijing's streets provide a fascinating _______ of the past and the present. In tea houses, groups of old men play chess _______ the Macdonald's next door is filled with laughing teenagers sipping milkshakes. Walking through the broad streets _______ with designer stores and multi-storey skyscrapers, you can________ a turn and suddenly find yourself in a century’s old ________ where a fruit seller chats happily to an old woman sitting in the sun. Many of the road signs and advertising billboards are now in ________, making Beijing more ________to foreigners. Public transport is efficient, new businesses are ________, and every modern convenience and international brand is ________ in this booming global city.
Beijing has some of China's most stunning ________. Visitors often come to Beijing with the single ________ to see the Great Wall, one of the ancient wonders of the world, but once they’ve arrived, they realize that this is only one of the city's ________. In fact, what visitors ever seem to only________about Beijing, is that they simply________time before seeing it all.
1.A.Separately B.Importantly C.Originally D.Specially
2.A.place B.destination C.scenery D.feast
3.A.search for B.look into C.race with D.struggle against
4.A.casually B.seriously C.smartly D.traditionally
5.A.call B.work C.advertise D.head
6.A.benefits B.fortunes C.calls D.appointments
7.A.development B.description C.introduction D.mix
8.A.while B.when C.as D.although
9.A.filled B.accompanied C.lined D.equipped
10.A.take B.cross C.find D.face
11.A.shop B.square C.house D.lane
12.A.English B.Chinese C.sight D.order
13.A.attractive B.impressive C.unforgettable D.accessible
14.A.changing B.growing C.trading D.declining
15.A.affordable B.beneficial C.available D.significant
16.A.sights B.traditions C.events D.records
17.A.advantage B.desire C.benefit D.routine
18.A.descriptions B.attractions C.possessions D.marks
19.A.enjoy B.travel C.complain D.praise
20.A.take up B.get rid of C.make use of D.run out of
Do you think studying in a different country is something that sounds very exciting? Certainly, it is a new experience, which brings the opportunity of discovering fascinating things and a feeling of freedom. 1. You will experience culture shock. Evidently, at least four essential stages of culture-shock adjustment occur.
The first stage is called "the honeymoon". In this stage, you feel excitement about living in a different place, and everything seems to be marvelous. 2.
Eventually, however, the second stage of culture shock appears. This is the "hostility stage". 3. You become tired of many things about the new culture. Moreover, people don't treat you like a guest anymore. Everything that seemed to be so wonderful at first is now awful, and everything makes you feel distressed and tired.
Then you come to the third stage called "recovery". You start feeling more positive, and you try to develop comprehension of everything you don't understand. The whole situation starts to become more favorable. 4.
The last stage of culture shock is called "adjustment". 5. The things that initially made you feel uncomfortable or strange are now things that you understand. Now you feel comfortable; you have adjusted to the new culture.
A.Actually, culture shock is something you cannot avoid when studying in a foreign country.
B.You have reached a point where you feel good because you have learned enough to understand the new culture.
C.You like everything, and everybody seems to be so nice to you.
D.You recover from the symptoms of the first two stages.
E.In spite of these advantages, however, there are also some challenges you will encounter.
F.However, when you have completely adjusted to a new culture you can more fully enjoy it.
G.You begin to notice that not everything is as good as you had originally thought it was.
Recently I rolled into a local restaurant to try an Impossible Burger, an all-plant patty(人造肉饼) invented by Impossible Foods. It's well known for having an strangely chewy(有咀嚼感), even bloody, meat-like quality, a surprising verisimilitude(逼真) that has made it ''perhaps the country's most famous burger, '' as New York magazine wrote. One bite into its wonderful, smoky taste and, damn, I was convinced.
This is good news, because the time has come to consume fake meat. In the fight against climate change, meat replacement is something we can try. A University of Oxford study recently found that, to keep global warming below 2 degrees this century, we need to be eating 75 percent less beef and 90 percent less pork.
However, diets are culturally enshrined, so changing them will be hard. It isn't easy to replace 75 to 90 percent of beef and pork with fake meat. The first taste of an Impossible Burger—a moment when low expectations work a powerful magic in the product's favor—is one thing. But how do you keep meat-eaters asking for more after their sixth, and their 26th？
To get to true mass adoption, fake meat will need to compete favorably with the real thing on multiple fronts. Impossible Foods' goal is to drive the price of its product below that of Safeway's 80/20 hamburger meat, at which point people will simply vote with their wallets. The new industry also wants to improve on animal flesh in various ways. Fake meat has an advantage over traditional meat because ''you won't need to refrigerate it'' cofounder Niko Koffeman says. Plus, custom(定制的) production could improve choice. ''You could have very soft and tender meat for elderly people,'' Koffeman adds. ''You could have a tailored meat for whatever you need.''
You can tell the world is shifting this way, because the ranchers(牧场主) are nervous. Last year, the US Cattlemen's Association asked the government to define ''meat'' as a product ''coming directly from animals.'' That anxiety—and the power of the science driving it—goes to show that this grand shift isn't impossible.
1.According to passage, the author was convinced by the Impossible Burger because__.
A.it has a special taste that is different from normal ones.
B.it contains all non-meat materials that taste like meat.
C.more vegetables are used as main materials for the burger.
D.one bite of this burger can provide people with the energy needed for a whole day.
2.What does the author mean by saying "Diets are culturally enshrined"?
A.That people think their diet is the best in the world.
B.That people are unwilling to go against their culture by changing their diets.
C.That people's preference for food is linked to the food choice available to them.
D.That people's eating habits are consistently observed and closely connected with their culture.
3.Which of the following statements is true about the advantages that fake meat will have to beat over traditional meat?
A.Fake meat will not be necessarily stored in a refrigerator.
B.The price of fake meat will be just one-fourth of traditional meat's.
C.Fake meat will win over older people thanks to its tender and soft taste.
D.Fake meat will own a taste that is not found in traditional meat.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.Meat must come from animals.
B.The world will probably embrace the idea of fake meat.
C.The ranchers are suffering economic loss due to fake meat.
D.The definition of meat has been changed because of fake meat.
You have probably read about robots replacing human labor as a new era of automation takes root in one industry after another. But a new report suggests humans are not the only ones who might lose their jobs.
In New Zealand, farmers are using drones(无人机) to herd and monitor cows and sheep, taking up a position that highly intelligent dogs have held for more than a century. The robots have not replaced the dogs entirely, Radio New Zealand reports, but they have appropriated(盗用) one of the animal's most powerful tools: barking. The DJI Mavic Enterprise, a $3,500 drone favored by farmers, has a feature that lets the machine record sounds and play them over a loudspeaker, giving the machine the ability to act as the dogs.
Corey Lambeth, a shepherd on a farm, told RNZ the machines are surprisingly effective. ''That's the one thing I've noticed when you're moving cows that the old cows stand up to the dogs, but with the drones, they've never done that,'' he said, noting the drones move cows faster, with less stress, than the dogs do.
The drones come in handy for more than just herding(放牧) cows and sheep. The robots allow farmers to monitor their land from afar, monitoring water and feed levels and checking on the animals' health without disturbing them. Jason Rentoul told RNZ that a two-hour herding job that used to require two people and two teams of dogs could be accomplished in 45 minutes using a single drone. ''Being a hilly farm where a lot of stuff is done on foot, the drones really saved a lot of man hours, '' he said.
For now, farmers say, there is still a need for herding dogs, primarily because they have a longer life span than drones, can work in bad weather and do not require an electrical socket every few hours to recharge.
1.What is the main advantage of the drones over herding dogs?
A.The drones can take up a job that the dogs hardly do well any longer.
B.The drones can frighten the old cows which are not afraid of the dogs.
C.The drones can finish a herding job more efficiently than the dogs.
D.The drones can work on a hilly farm and extreme weather while the dogs can't.
2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.Herding dogs will gradually lose their position on the farmland.
B.The drones can only copy the dogs' barking with the current technology.
C.The drones are multi-functional and leave the animals undisturbed.
D.The market for the DJI Mavic Enterprise is pretty small because of its high price.
3.According to the passage, why can't the drones replace the dogs entirely?
A.Because the drones can't bark as loudly as the dogs do.
B.Because cows are not used to seeing the drones.
C.Because the drones are much more expensive than the animal.
D.Because the drones' power is limited and they need charging from time to time.
4.What is the author’s attitude towards the drones in the passage?
A.supportive B.objective
C.critical D.doubtful
Growing up, I thought math class was something to be endured, not enjoyed. I disliked memorizing formulas(公式) and taking tests, all for the dull goal of getting a good grade. One of my teachers told my mother that I was “slow”. But my problem wasn't with math itself. In fact, when a topic seemed particularly interesting, I would go to the library and read more about it.
By high school, no one told me that I could become a professional mathematician. What I wanted to do then was to play college football. My ambition was to get an athletic scholarship to attend a Big Ten school.
The chances of that happening were very low. But that didn’t stop my coaches from encouraging me to believe I could reach my goal, and preparing and pushing me to work for it. They made video tapes of my performances and sent them to college coaches around the country. In the end, a Big Ten school, Penn State, did offer me a scholarship.
I wish math teachers were more like football coaches. Students are affected by more than just the quality of a lesson plan. They also respond to the passion of their teachers and the engagement of their peers, and they seek a sense of purpose. They benefit from specific instructions and constant feedback(反馈).
Until I got to college, I didn't really know what mathematics was. I still thought of it as laborious(耗时费力的) calculations. Then my professor handed me a book and suggested that I think about a particular problem. It wasn't easy, but it was fascinating. My professor kept giving me problems, and I kept pursuing them, even though I couldn’t always solve them immediately. The mathematical research I was doing had little in common with what I did in my high school classrooms. Instead, it was closer to the math and logic puzzles I did on my own as a boy. It gave me that same sense of wonder and curiosity, and it rewarded creativity. I am now a Ph. D candidate in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
1.Why did the writer think math class in school was “something to be endured” before entering college?
A.Because he wasn’t interested in math.
B.Because his math teachers didn't care to push him.
C.Because he was too smart and talented for math class.
D.Because he was training hard for an athletic scholarship.
2.According to the writer, students are affected by the following things from teachers or coaches EXCEPT ________.
A.a sense of purpose B.constant feedback
C.passion D.specific instructions
3.We can conclude that after entering college, the writer ________.
A.was busy looking for math problems to solve
B.studied on his own just as he was in high school
C.met with laborious calculations in his studies
D.began to realize what mathematics really is
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Interest is the best teacher
B.Be the best—you can make it
C.Math, taught like football
D.Once your teacher, always your teacher
Attractive lakeside cottages and cabins
Lafitte’s Landing Guest Quarters, Uncertain, Texas
There are five cottages featuring high ceilings and spacious bedrooms. Lafitte’s is a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat, so you don’t have to go far for bird-watching. Explore the lake on a steamboat, or head to Caddo Lake State Park for night adventures such as Owl Nights and Bat Watches.
Rates: Summer nightly rates range from $559 to $1,899
Lake Placid Lodge, Lake Placid, New York
With 17 cabins sitting along the shores of Lake Placid, the arts-and-crafts-style Lake Placid Lodge offers an exciting summer lake experience. Lakefront cabins come outfitted with hand-built beds and stone fireplaces. Go for a hike, or hit the lake for swimming, fishing, or boating.
Rates: Rates are $120 per night for double occupancy; each additional person is $20 per night.
Lake Crescent Lodge, Olympic National Park, Washington
Its cottages and cabins are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Choose between one-and two-bedroom Singer Tavern Cottages, or stay in the always favored (and often booked) Roosevelt Fireplace Cabins. Spend your days hiking in the surrounding Olympic National Park, or exploring Lake Crescent by boat.
Rates: Nightly rates for cottages and cabins range between $317 and $398.
Tamarack Lodge Resort, Mammoth Lakes, California
It is on the peaceful shores of the Twin Lakes. Choose between recently built Deluxe Cabins and old wood-and-stone cabins. Swimming, fishing, boating, biking, and hiking are popular pastimes.
Rates: Summer cabin rates range from $369 to $999 per night.
1.Where can you observe bats at night?
A.At Caddo Lake State Park B.At Lake Placid
C.At Olympic National Park D.At the Twin Lakes
2.If three people share one room in Lake Placid Lodge, how much will they pay?
A.$60 B.$120 C.$140 D.$360
3.Which of the following is difficult to reserve?
A.Cottages at Lafitte’s Landing Guest Quarters B.Cabins at Lake Placid Lodge
C.Deluxe Cabins D.Roosevelt Fireplace Cabins
