I joined the army as an infantryman (步兵) instead of as a helicopter pilot because I only had the literacy (读写) level of an 11-year-old. I had no idea that I had a reading level that_______; I had just _______words when I didn’t know them, and usually ended up getting them wrong.
It was just before I turned 19 that I _______ my very first book. I can vividly remember the sense of _______and achievement I felt. It was meant for primary school children but I didn’t _______. I had read a whole book, and I was _______. From then on I read anything and everything I could get. I just wanted to get as much_______ as I could.
I learned in those days at the _______education centre. There are always people looking forward to helping you and _______you stuff. But you are never going to progress __________you keep learning. The unbelievable educational__________that the army offers make it one of the few places that can help you climb up the ladder of social classes in the UK.
For me, improving my literacy level had another more surprising__________. When I left the army, I was asked to write a(n)__________of the Bravo Two Zero Mission and that led to the unexpected career change of becoming a(n)__________.
I have spent quite a bit of time over the past few years__________schools, and workplaces, as well as army bases and businesses, to talk about my past and__________others to start reading and writing like me. The__________I give to all the people that I chat to is that if I can do it, anyone can. If that is a message that even one of them accepts and__________, then it has been__________. My experience shows that the best soldier out there is the one with a __________card.
1.A.high B.new C.low D.senior
2.A.gone over B.made up C.put down D.taken back
3.A.wrote B.received C.bought D.read
4.A.pride B.beauty C.duty D.security
5.A.panic B.care C.doubt D.agree
6.A.depressed B.puzzled C.trapped D.hooked
7.A.wealth B.knowledge. C.support D.freedom
8.A.community B.nursery C.army D.health
9.A.showing B.selling C.lending D.teaching
10.A.unless B.until C.though D.since
11.A.expenses B.backgrounds C.opportunities D.requirements
12.A.trouble B.burden C.outcome D.challenge
13.A.email B.diary C.scheme D.account
14.A.athlete B.typist C.author D.reporter
15.A.visiting B.attending C.constructing D.inspecting
16.A.permitting B.encouraging C.commanding D.preferring
17.A.message B.story C.impression D.influence
18.A.changes B.uses C.questions D.ignores
19.A.controversial B.arbitrary C.ridiculous D.worthwhile
20.A.library B.credit C.business D.fitness
Is there a link between social media and depression? Do social media have a negative impact on your mental health? It’s complicated.
In a recent study, the investigators compared social media use and depression between teens.
1.Specifically, for every hour per day that one teen spent on social media more than her peers, she likely had a 0.64 point higher depression score.
A different study published in 2018 identified five distinct types of social media users. The finding was that "problematic social media use" was one of the main themes for people whose mental health was affected by social media. You can have alcohol in your life without it being a problem, or your alcohol use may become problematic. 2.
There's one important thing to remember about survey research just because two things happen together, it's not necessarily true that one causes the other. 3.For all we know, it could be that people who are already more depressed choose to spend more time on social media.
4.If you think that we shouldn't paint social media with one broad brush, you're on the right track. On the one hand, participants often described social media as a valuable way to cope with stress. On the other hand, cyberbullying via social media was also a common experience for participants. Some also said that constantly checking their own social media profile was stressful.
It’s certainly possible that experiences like cyberbullying, comparing yourself to idealized images, and constantly monitoring your profile, are bad for your mood. It's also true for many that social media offer community support and positive messages. Given the inconclusive research, it's safe to say that at least we shouldn't write off social media altogether. 5.Anyway, you cannot use it as a crutch for coping with other stressors and mental health problems.
A.It's the same with social media.
B.Social media can be a double-edged sword.
C.People get more opinionated about the potential problems of social media.
D.They found that those who used social media more had higher depression scores.
E.They reviewed all existing research and found that there were both benefits and drawbacks.
F.The key to benefiting from social media may lie in using it in moderation and staying socially connected.
G.For example, just because higher social media use co-occurs with higher levels of depression doesn't mean social media use causes depression.
Forget about the “post-1995 generation”. Young people born in 1995 or later have another name in English — Generation Z. They are entering adulthood and will soon shape our future, which is why policy makers, as well as employers and marketers, are trying their best to understand these young people. So, how should we pin down the Gen Z-ers?
Most people will agree that the single biggest difference between Gen-Z and other generations is how connected they are. This is a group of people who were hooked up to social media as soon as they were born. Social media has changed the way Gen Z-ers interact with each other and how they get and process information. They read news from Twitter, watch videos from Vine, share experiences in Instagram and post recipes in Pinterest.
“We are the first true digital natives. I can almost simultaneously create a document, edit it, post a photo on Instagram and talk on the phone, all from the user-friendly iPhone,” said Hannah Payne, an 18-year-old UCLA student.
It is noted that young people in the UK are becoming more active in Politics. Young people regard voting as one option among many to show their political engagement that can potentially influence policies. Instead of party politics, they focus more on single-topic issues such as feminism(女权主义) or climate change. And “much of the engagement and organizing they do takes place on social media rather than through traditional political structures,” according to the Guardians.
Gen Z-ers are also culture creators. Growing up with the Internet has freed this generation from traditional cultural expression. They are no longer willing to let their creativity be limited by their parents or traditional rules. “We decide what kind of content we want to experience and choose how we experience it,” wrote Masback, a Huffington Post blogger and a Gen Z-er herself.
1.What does the underlined phrase “pin down” mean in Paragraph 1?
A.Cooperate with. B.Firmly convince.
C.Communicate with. D.Clearly understand.
2.What is special about the Gen Z-ers’ engagement in politics?
A.It’s topic-specific. B.It stresses social response.
C.It’s party-based. D.It has an immediate effect.
3.What can be inferred about the Gen Z-ers?
A.They are socially responsible.
B.They are friendly and generous.
C.They are addicted to social media.
D.They are rooted in traditional culture.
4.What is the author’s attitude towards Gen Z-ers?
A.Worried. B.Ambiguous.
C.Objective. D.Disapproving.
Living with your parents has its benefits at least when it comes to raising your kids― their grandkids. Two new studies add to the evidence that grandmothers can enhance the survival of grandchildren. That is, unless grandma's too old or lives too far away.
Humans are unusual in that the females live long past the age at which they stop having babies. Patrick Bergeron, professor of biology at Bishop's University in Quebec, said that most of the organisms will reproduce up to their very last moment. This increase is often explained by the so-called "grandmother effect". He thinks there could still be a benefit for women who stop having babies to increase their genetic footprint by helping their daughters to raise larger families.
To explore the "grandmother effect" hypothesis （假设），Bergeron and his colleagues examined nearly 200 years' worth of French-Canadian population records from the 17th and 18th centuries. "At the time, life was tough. In some years, a third o£ the kids were not even making it to one year of age.” But the researchers found that having a grandmother still alive was a definite plus."Families with grandmothers alive were larger by about two and the survival of these grandchildren to age 15 was much improved."
This beneficial effect was only seen when the matriarchs （女家长）lived nearby. That role is tougher for them to fulfills as they get older in poor health, which brings us to the second study. The researchers found that the benefits associated with having a grandmother on hand depended on her age. Once manna hit 75, the grandchild survival benefit disappeared. This was almost certainly due to some form of indirect resource competition, though, rather than wickedness （邪恶）on the part of co- resident grandmothers.
So a healthy grandma helps make for a healthy grandchild. If ',over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house" isn't too long a trip.
1.What's the second paragraph mainly about?
A.Differences between animals and human beings.
B.Disadvantages of living with grandmas
C.Grandmothers' influence on the kids.
D.What's called“grandmother effect”.
2.How does the writer describe about the French-Canadian population more than three hundred years ago?
A.By voicing opinions. B.By providing facts.
C.By giving examples. D.By telling stories.
3.What can we infer from the second study?
A.Society should be concerned about the old women.
B.Grandmothers over 75 years old are unwilling to help.
C.Some grandmothers may occupy kids' relative recourses.
D.Some grandmothers are getting wicked after they are old.
4.Which of the following can be the most helpful grandmother according to the passage?
A.A healthy one living nearby. ,
B.A healthy one living abroad.
C.An old one living in a nursing home.
D.A knowledgeable one living together.
Early February, I was flying up to Ohio. Well prepared, I had everything in my favour—fuel for five hours, charts in order, my flight plan on my lap, and a beautiful clear sky.
I was wrong.
I had heard about Alberta Clippers coming out of Canada. I knew all about them―how an entire air mass was streaming along at over sixty miles an hour.
That morning, the Weather Briefer informed me that an Alberta Clipper was going over Chicago about the time I got to the airport. Chicago was some 400 miles from my destination—not a factor, or so I thought. That was the first hint I missed.
The controller called and asked if I wanted to adjust my flight plan. I did the check and everything was in the green. So I told him no. Twenty minutes later the controller called again asking whether I wanted to adjust my flight plan. I checked everything. All was fine. I ignored that hint. I was fooled by the smooth air and limited experience with a rapidly moving air mass that was not changing violently. The Alberta Clipper was clipping along.
The first blast of turbulence（气流）struck my plane. I got slammed into the roof, and then slammed sideways hitting the window with such force up my nose that I started bleeding.
After a 2-hour flight of 100 miles, I realized fuel was now an issue. So was landing. I called Flight Following. We figured out the airport I could land.
The engine stopped. So did my heart. There is no quiet as quietly stunning as this one at such an altitude. I had run out of fuel in the left tank, and only a little in my right tank. The engine quit for a second time. I declared an emergency. I was told that I might get another few minutes of fuel if I gently banked the airplane. Luckily, it worked. Then, the engine quit for the last time. I was a glider now. I made a long lazy spiral descent. Down I went. I stopped at the very end of the runway.
I made so many mistakes, missed so many clues, and showed my ignorance so much that I beat myself up over and over again in my mind. I learned textbook descriptions of Alberta Clippers and real-life experience with one are totally different. I will never forget the sound of that silence.
I flew home the next day. Older. Wiser. Humbler. Lucky.
1.We can know from the passage that Alberta Clippers ______.
A.can bring snowstorms
B.are quick-moving air masses
C.are violently changing air pressure
D.can lead to a sudden temperature drop
2.What mainly led to the author's missing all the hints?
A.His lack of flying experience.
B.His poor preparation for the journey.
C.His misjudgement about the air mass.
D.His overconfidence in his piloting skills.
3.Which is the right order of the events?
a. I declared an emergency.
b. My airplane was running out of fuel.
c. I insisted on carrying on my flight plan.
d. I was thrown to the roof by the violent air mass.
e. I slightly banked my airplane and made a landing.
A.dcbea B.dceba
C.cdabe D.cdbae
4.The passage describes ______.
A.a rewarding training B.a narrow escape
C.a painful exploration D.a serious accident
World Heritage Sites (遗址) You Need to Visit
Los Glaciares National Park
Located in the southwest of Santa Cruz province of the Argentine part of Patagonia in a remote area known as the Austral Andes, Los Glaciares National Park is a heaven of mountains lakes. and countless glaciers ( 冰川) that cover half the 600, 000-hectare expanse. Travelling through this amazing scenery is a once- in-a-lifetime experience.
Jeronimos Monastery
Travel to the Belem district at the entrance to the port of Lisbon to find the Jeronimos Monastery, which dates back to the 15th century. This highly religious building was constructed and donated to the monks (和尚) of Saint Hieronymus to pray for sailors on their voyages. It’s the characteristic of Portuguese Gothic style.
Old Québec
Founded by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1608, Québec is among the oldest settlements in North America and one of the most popular travel destinations in Canada. Centuries-old attraction is on full display in its perfectly preserved historic district, a shining example of a city built by early settlers with stone paths, churches. And landmarks like Chateau Frontenac and Place Royale.
Angkor Wat
Exploring Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia lops our list of unforgettable trips that won’t break the bank. It is part of one of the most significant archaeological (考古的) sites in Southeast Asia in the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 14th century. This great temple complex was originally constructed as a place of showing respect to the god Vishnu and is the largest religious structure on the planet !
1.If you’re interested in natural scenery, which of the four places would you visit?
A.Los Glaciares National Park. B.Jeronimos Monastery.
C.Old Québec. D.Angkor Wat.
2.Which of the following are religious sites?
A.Old Québce and Angkor Wat.
B.Jeronimos Monastery and Old Québec.
C.Jeronimos Monastery and Angkor Wat.
D.Los Glaciarcs National Park and Jeronimos Monastery.
3.What can a traveler to Angkor Wat expect?
A.Mountain views. B.Great voyages.
C.Gothic style landmarks. D.Low expenses.
