When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into cars and go straight for the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk being killed by floods or 100-kilometer-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.
“Storm chasing (追逐)” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby, especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop.
Although anyone can do it, storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm-chasing vacations during the storm seasons.
Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement. “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm-chasing. “Sometimes you can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”
However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life,” says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature. It is the greatest show on Earth.”
1.For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to ____.
A.get quickly into their cars for safety
B.wait patiently for the storm to develop
C.head straight for the center of the storm
D.collect information about a coming storm
2.Beginners of storm chasing are advised ____.
A.to do it in an organized way B.to spend much more time on it
C.not to get too close to a storm D.not to drive in a heavy rain
3.By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that ___.
A.storm chasing costs a lot of money B.efforts in storm chasing are well paid
C.storm chasing is worth hours of waiting D.a storm presents the greatest show on Earth
4.What can we learn from the text?
A.Storm chasing is only fit for young people.
B.Some storm chasers were killed during the storms.
C.Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world.
D.Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment.
Imagine you’re at the supermarket checkout. You pay the cashier, load your food into the cart, then take one third of your newly purchased items outside and throw them into the trash. This may sound unbelievable, but millions of us worldwide do this regularly, although in a more non-direct way.
In the West, most of this food is thrown away by businesses that are unable to sell it, or by consumers who buy too much. And the majority of this food, despite being past its shelf life, is still perfectly fit for human consumption. So where do these excess products end up?
“We receive food from various sources, including food banks, restaurants, cafes, food photographers, and events” says Adam Smith, founder of The Real Junk Food Project. The British company recently made headlines in the UK after it became the country’s first “food waste supermarket”, offering products that would otherwise have ended up in waste. Most of its customers are low-income families, or even college students who find it difficult to afford food.“We ask our customers to pay what they feel in time, money or skills. We do have people coming with the intention of paying and if it carries on like it does, it will pay for the cost of the warehouse,” Smith explains.
Some shops across Europe are also taking action. France recently passed a law that says all supermarkets must now donate all of their unsold produce to charities, while the Italian government has also put similar measures in place. Hundreds of cafes that serve meals made from surplus food have been set up across the continent too, selling dishes at bottom prices or even giving them away for free.
So what can we do to prevent our dinner ending up in the bin? “Buy less. Or at least shop smarter,” said Smith. After all, the best place for food is in our stomachs, not the trash.
1.What’s the meaning of the underlined “being past its shelf life” in Paragraph 2?
A.Being past its “sell-by” date. B.Being far from enough.
C.Being past the length of being eatable. D.Being out of date.
2.What do we know about The Real Junk Food Project?
A.It gets food from the waste. B.It wants to make a fat profit.
C.It drew massive attention lately. D.Its main aim is to do charities.
3.What can we learn from Paragraph 4?
A.Some countries in Europe are actively helping poor people.
B.Some countries in Europe are trying to address food waste.
C.Related shops in Europe are willing to give away their food.
D.All the countries in Europe have made laws to handle food waste.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A.Turning Trash into Treats B.Buying Less and Smarter
C.Food Trash Industry D.Warn against Food Waste
“I have cancer.”Mom said and held me in a tight hug.I could feel her chest shaking as she tried not to cry but failed.
For all of my twenty-four years,my mom had been supportive.Strength and protection had always flowed from her to me.Now I knew it would have to flow the other way.
Mom didn’t stay down for long.After the shock of breast-cancer,she armed herself with a notebook and a pen and a thousand questions for the doctors.She took notes on white blood cell counts and medications(药物)with long names as though she were studying for entrance exams into medical school.”The not-knowing is the worst.”she said.
The operation was successful.The chemo(化疗)was the harder part.I went with Mom to every chemo treatment.She rarely complained,though her hair was gone and her toenails and fingernails fell out one by one.She joked that she could save money on nail polish and put it toward the doctor bills,even though she never wore nail polish.”Cancer can take my hair,my nails,my health,my very life. But it can’t take my smile.”Mom said.
Mom learned to share her fears with me,and it formed an even deeper bond between us.Yet I am certain there were fears she didn’t share because she was still protecting me-worries she only shared with Dad.Even in the darkest hours,she would just joke about the cancer. Mom always said,”When you look your greatest fear in the eye and laugh at it,you take away some of its power.”
Mom was one of the lucky ones.She did beat her cancer,though not without scars.From her,I’ve learned I may not get to choose what I face,but I do get to choose how I face it.
1.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.There were other ways to treat cancer.
B.Knowledge of cancer would be helpful.
C.Mom had to stay stronger to beat cancer.
D.I should be the one being there for Mom.
2.Which of the following words can best describe Mom?
A.Humorous and generous.
B.Considerate and ambitious.
C.Optimistic and determined.
D.Caring and knowledgeable.
3.What is the fifth paragraph mainly about?
A.The fear Mom shared with me.
B.The ways Mom faced fear.
C.The jokes Mom told me.
D.The bond Mom and I formed.
4.What lesson did the author learn from Mom?
A.Luck counts in beating diseases.
B.Complaint does no good to one’s health.
C.Positive attitudes get one through hardship for
D.Sharing feelings helps reduce sufferings a lot.
Some places in the world have strange laws. It’s important for you to know about them before going there.
Whoever likes to chew gum (口香糖) may have to leave Singapore. The government really wants to keep the city clean and will fine you for chewing gum.
Before you leave for the United Arab Emirates you’d better make sure you aren’t visiting during Ramadan (斋月). During that time you aren’t allowed to eat or drink in public. Tourists have been fined up to $275 for drinking in public.
Lovers spend so much time kissing each other goodbye at train stations that trains often start late. This law---no kissing your lover goodbye at train stations---is rather old, and isn’t in use today in France.
In Thailand it’s against the law to drive a car or motorcycle without a shirt on, no matter how hot it is. Punishments are different in different areas and can include warnings and tickets costing about $10. No joke ---the local police will stop you.
Studies in Denmark have shown that cars with their headlights on are more noticeable by other drivers than those with their headlights off. Drivers there are required to leave their headlights on even during the day, or they may face a fine up to $100.
Do you often buy things using coins? Don’t do it in Canada. The Currency Law of 1985 doesn’t allow using only coins to buy things. Even the use of the dollar-coin is limited (受限制的). The shop owner has the right to choose whether to take your coins or not.
Make sure you know about these laws before your next trip. Better safe than sorry.
1.What is mainly talked about in the text?
A. How to make your trip around the world safe.
B. Some strange laws you should know about for your trip.
C. Interesting places you can go to around the world.
D. Why there are strange laws in the world.
2.If you are driving a car in Thailand, __________.
A. the police will play a joke on you
B. the police will give you tickets costing about $10
C. you should wear your shirt even though it’s hot
D. you should always keep your headlights on
3.What can we learn from the text?
A. You can turn your headlights off in daytime in Denmark.
B. Kissing goodbye at train stations isn’t allowed in France today.
C. Tourists in the United Arab Emirates shouldn’t eat in public.
D. The Singaporean government cares a lot about its environment.
阅读下面材料, 根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。
'Usual boring day!' This would be the answer from Roman if somebody asked him how his day was. These days he found everything boring, nothing excited him.
One day he was lying in his room as usual. Suddenly light went off. His room was rather hot without an air conditioner. Though he did not want to leave his room, he had to. Unwillingly, he left his room and came to living room. Living room was slightly cool as it had two huge windows.
His young brother was playing with his friend. They were rolling on the floor. He was looking out for the TV remote, but couldn't find. He got up and searched it everywhere, but remote was nowhere. He looked at his brother who was still lying on the floor playing.
He asked him, "Where is the remote?"
"Under the Sofa," his brother yelled.
He tried to look through, but it was dark. He put his hand under the sofa. He touched something, grabbed it and took his hand out. OMG! It was a snake in his hand!
After seeing that his brother started to yell, “ Snake, snake!” Mom came as soon as she heard their shouting. She too was horrified to see a snake. She was so scared that she even couldn’t speak a word. Two kids were trying to hide into each other's back. “What an old trick!” Roman thought and threw it over kids.
As the snake landed on the floor near to the kids, it started moving from left side to the right. Only then did Roman realize that the snake was real, not a toy. He threw the snake over kids because he thought it was a fake snake and kids were playing some tricks.
This time mom almost got heart attack. Now he was scared too. The snake was only 10 meters away from kids and was staring at kids. They even couldn’t call a rescue team. There might be some deadly damage before their arrival. There was not much time to think. It was the time for a quick action.
Paragraph 1：
As Roman was farther from the snake, he jumped to the window and grabbed the curtain.
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Paragraph 2：
After the rescue team caught and took the snake away, everyone went inside the home.
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假如你是李华，你的英国笔友Jean来信了解中国青少年的上网喜好。请你予以回复，并以自己为例，谈谈你最喜欢的网站或APP及理由。
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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