I was excited to take my dog Georgie to the river the other day, as it’s within walking distance of our new home. Having spent her first six years in a cage, George had never seen a body of _________, and I wanted to get there before sunset to watch her _________ it.
I was growing increasingly _________ about all the stops. She _________ the grass, dirt and trees, and licked whatever was stuck to the road. These were all new _________ for her and she took her time studying them.
When I accepted that it was _________ to hurry her along, I _________ my cell phone and began texting. I thought that I needed something to do while Georgie was _________ us down.
Then, I heard the cicadas (蝉), and I remembered that the sound of cicadas is my favorite sound in the world. That awakened something buried within me that _________ for the simple pleasures that had been ____________ by technology.
I made a __________ decision to be present, and to enjoy the ____________ to the river, just like Georgie. The journey was just as ____________ as the final destination would be, and it took that Georgie to ____________ me.
Now. I ____________ the wonder of the winding plants on our path. I felt the occasional warm raindrop on my skin from a gray sky ____________ to burst at any moment. I smelled the grass, the flowers, the dirt and the air. I treasured each one ____________, as if discovering them for the first time.
As we neared our destination. I realized something even more ____________ It didn’t matter whether we even reached the river. Why must there always be a ____________? Georgie had no idea that we had a destination. She was present for the journey, and she ____________ every bit of that sweet experience.
1.A.water B.land C.work D.people
2.A.drink B.experience C.waste D.clean
3.A.worried B.curious C.upset D.impatient
4.A.protected B.removed C.inspected D.damaged
5.A.discoveries B.gifts C.jobs D.problems
6.A.necessary B.fruitless C.wise D.better
7.A.picked up B.turned off C.looked for D.took out
8.A.letting B.turning C.slowing D.breaking
9.A.paid B.longed C.applied D.planned
10.A.replaced B.determined C.required D.followed
11.A.curious B.flexible C.panic D.conscious
12.A.journey B.freedom C.cycling D.swimming
13.A.hard B.dangerous C.wonderful D.long
14.A.give B.leave C.remind D.convince
15.A.admired B.expressed C.discovered D.worked
16.A.beginning B.continuing C.threatening D.leading
17.A.equally B.secretly C.greatly D.absolutely
18.A.interesting B.serious C.useful D.important
19.A.difference B.destination C.change D.reason
20.A.provided B.used C.lacked D.enjoyed
The Value of Tears
Tears can ruin make-up, bring conversation to a stop, and give you a runny nose. Tears leave you embarrassed and without energy. Still, crying is a fact of life, and your tears are very useful. Even when you’re not crying, they make a film over the eye’s surface.1.
When tears fall, they reduce stress. But we tend to fight them for all sorts of reasons. “People worry about showing their emotions, afraid that once they lose control they’ll never get it back.”2. After we cry, the feelings that caused the tears often disappear.
Sometimes people become much stressed and can’t cry. Whatever emotion they are feeling—shock, anger, fear, or sadness—is being held back.
But everyone has the need to cry. Psychologist Vera Diamond explains that her treatment often consists of giving people permission to cry. 3.Patients practice crying just to become used to expressing emotions. She suggests safe, private places to cry, like under the bedcovers or in the car. Crying is a way of reducing tension, but people don’t like it when others cry because it makes them tense.4. And they’ll do just about anything to make you stop.
In certain situations, such as at work, tears are not appropriate. It’s good not to cry during a tense business discussion.5.You should also act out the whole situation again and be as noisy and angry as you like. It will help you feel better. “And,” she adds, “Once your tears have taken away the stress, you can begin to think calmly of ways to deal with the problem.”
Tears are a sign of our ability to feel. If you find yourself near someone crying, deal with it. And never be afraid to cry yourself.
A.They too may be holding back a need to cry.
B.They cry for different reasons.
C.She gives crying exercises.
D.It contains a chemical against infection.
E.The fact is that no emotion lasts forever.
F.It forms in response to the stress on the surface of the eye.
G.But once you’re safely behind closed doors, don’t just cry.
New App Helps People Remember Faces
Large gatherings such as weddings and conferences can be socially overwhelming. Pressure to learn people’s names only adds to the stress. A new facial-recognition app could come to the rescue, but privacy experts recommend proceeding with caution.
The app, called SocialRecall, connects names with faces via smartphone cameras and facial recognition, potentially avoiding the need for formal introductions. “It breaks down these social barriers we all have when meeting somebody,” says Barry Sandrew, who created the app and tested it at an event attended by about 1,000 people.
After receiving an invitation to download SocialRecall from an event organizer, the user is asked to take two selfies and sign in via social media. At the event, the app is active within a previously defined geographical area. When a user points his or her phone camera at an attendee’s face, the app identifies the individual, displays the person’s name, and links to his or her social media profile. To protect privacy, it recognizes only those who have agreed to participate. And the app's creators say it automatically deletes users’ data after an event.
Ann Cavoukian, a privacy expert who runs the Privacy by Design Center of Excellence praises the app’s creators for these protective measures. She cautions, however, that when people choose to share their personal information with the app, they should know that “there may be unintended consequences down the road with that information being used in another context that might come back to bite you.”
The start-up has also developed a version of the app for individuals who suffer from prosopagnosia, or “face blindness,” a condition that prevents people from recognizing individuals they have met. To use this app, a person first acquires an image of someone’s face, from either the smartphone’s camera or a photograph, and then tags it with a name. When the camera spots that same face in real life, the previously entered information is displayed. The collected data are stored only on a user’s phone, according to the team behind the app.
1.SocialRecall is used to ________.
A.take photos B.identify people
C.organize events D.make friends
2.Paragraph 3 is mainly about ________.
A.how the app works
B.how the app was created
C.what makes the app popular
D.what people can do with the app
3.SocialRecall helps people with prosopagnosia by ________.
A.giving names to the photos kept in their smartphones
B.collecting information previously entered in the phone
C.providing the information of a person when they first meet
D.showing the person’s information when it spots a stored face
4.What can we learn about SocialRecall from the passage?
A.It may put people’s privacy at risk.
B.It has caused unintended consequences.
C.It can prevent some communication disorders.
D.It is praised by users for its protective measures.
Maple syrup (枫糖浆) is a sweetener from maple tree sap (树汁). Many people use it in baking in place of sugar or other sweeteners, some use it in tea instead of honey and it is frequently used as a topping for pancakes, waffles, and other breakfast foods. Since true maple syrup is rather expensive, a wide range of false maple syrup exist.
This sweetener originated in the northeast region of North America, and it is in this region that most of the world’s maple syrup is still produced. Vermont, New Hampshire Maine, and the eastern portion of Canada are all known for their fine syrup, each with slightly different flavor qualities.
This sweetener is produced by tapping maple trees to release and collect their sap. A tree's sap is the liquid that, much like blood in animals, carries water and food to different parts of the tree to keep it nourished. A mature maple produces about ten gallons of sap in a given season, after which the tree will wall off the channel that has been tapped, so that a new tap has to be drilled the next season. Maples are not tapped for syrup until they are at least 40 years old and have reached a certain size, to ensure that no harm comes to the tree through the tapping process .
An immense amount of sap is required to produce maple syrup because the watery sap must be reduced to achieve the proper thickness and taste. Although the exact amount depends on the sweetness of the sap, in general it takes about 40 times as much maple sap to produce a portion of syrup. This may be further reduced to create thicker delicacies, such as maple butter, maple cream , and maple sugar.
In the Us, there are grade A and Grade B syrups, with three sub-divisions of Grade A: light amber, medium amber, and dark amber. Grade B is even darker than Grade A dark amber. Many people assume that the grading system is also indicative of quality, but in reality, it only helps to differentiate the color and taste of the syrup, which is a matter of personal preference. The tastes are different, but to say one is objectively “better” than another would be incorrect.
1.What do we know about the maple syrup from the first two paragraphs?
A.It can be a substitute of sugar and honey.
B.It varies greatly in flavor qualities.
C.It is produced in the northeast of the US.
D.It is too expensive to gain popularity.
2.The underlined word "nourished" in paragraph 3 can be replaced by “__________”.
A.warm. B.healthy.
C.complete. D.mature.
3.Why is a large amount of sap needed?
A.Because it is widely used in most delicacies.
B.Because it helps to protect old trees from harm.
C.Because it needs to be concentrated to make maple syrup.
D.Because the more sap is used, the better maple syrup tastes.
4.What's the main purpose of writing the text?
A.To teach people how to make maple syrup.
B.To attract more people to buy maple syrup.
C.To introduce basic knowledge of maple syrup.
D.To help people choose maple syrup of good quality.
I am in my 40s,but today I look more like a teenage girl. Not because I'm wearing the latest fashion or having a wild hair day. It's because I have a pimple(青春痘) that looks like a volcano getting ready to erupt on my chin.
“Mom, what is that?” my 8-year-old daughter Lucy exclaimed, pointing at the ugly bump on my face.
My in-laws were visiting and brought me a box of chocolates-one of my favorite foods. Eating properly seemed like a good idea until I was alone with that box of chocolates! I enjoyed them greatly, and my pimple proved my enthusiasm clearly.
Food can be a large block for me. Broccoli(西蓝花)seldom appeals to me, but baked goods with sugar or crispy chips certainly do. I have no problem dipping a large spoon into a jar of peanut butter or frosting to satisfy my desires. But you won't catch me tasting a spoonful of cottage cheese for a late-night snack.
Please don't misunderstand me. There is certainly a place for celebration foods such as cake and ice cream. But a regular serving of daily junk food robs me of the nutrition offered in the foods I eat.
I know I feel better after eating an apple than I do after eating a candy bar. It's so easy in our society to eat processed food out of boxes, bags, and at the drive-thru. But that ease comes at a cost: We suffer physically. Our taste buds may be very, lack nutrition, which opens the door to diseases, I'm trying to ask myself a few questions before reaching for a snack or making a meal: Is this really food?
Is there something God made in it? Am I really hungry? Will I feel satisfied, but our bodies better after eating this?
1.What made the author feel she looked like a teenage girl?
A.Her wild hair. B.Her ugly face.
C.Her facial features. D.Her fashionable clothes.
2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
A.The author eats chocolates as food.
B.Chocolates may cause her pimples.
C.The author's parents-in-law often visit her.
D.The author eats chocolates to cure pimples.
3.What do you think of the author's eating habit?
A.It lacks protein. B.It isn't delicious.
C.It makes her healthy. D.It isn't a balanced diet.
4.What is the author's attitude towards processed food?
A.Favorable. B.Optimistic.
C.Positive. D.Critical.
National Zoo in Australia
OPEN TIME
9: 30 am-5: 00 pm every day of the year, except Christmas Day.
TICKET PRICES
Children: 3-15 years $26
Students: 16 years or above with student card $40
Seniors Card: $40
Adults: $47
Family: 2 adults and up to 3 children: $130
CARERS FOR SPECIAL VISITORS
Carers for visitors with disabilities are admitted free of charge. Carers ID is required upon entry.
COMPANION CARD holders receive free entry, as well as their carers.
Please note, we aren’t a government funded zoo and don’t receive a subsidy (补贴) to accept many of the government concession (减价票).
GROUP RATES
If you are visiting the zoo in a group of 10 or more, you may qualify for our Special Group rates on General Entry prices.
DAILY ACTIVITIES & KEEPER TALKS
Make the most of your zoo visit and check out our daily keeper activities. There are great opportunities to see animals in action. Watch them enjoy a treat and interact with their keepers as they receive a feed.
On weekends and during school holidays, additional Keeper Talks are added to the schedule and visitors have the chance to meet or even feed some of our wonderful animals!
WALK ON THE WILDSIDE
Become a zoo keeper for a day with the ultimate all day wildlife experience.
ZOOVENTURE TOUR
Hand feed a tiger, and pat a rhino, which may be your most unforgettable experience.
GETTING HERE
BY CAR
We are located on Lady Denman Drive, next to Scrivener Dam. Find us on Google Maps.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Unfortunately, there are no bus services running to the zoo at present.
1.How much will a 70-year-old man pay ?
A.$ 40. B.$ 47.
C.$ 26. D.$ 130.
2.Which of the following may be the most unforgettable experience?
A.Being a zoo keeper. B.Feeding the tiger.
C.Talking with the keepers D.Watching animals in action.
3.What can be learned from the text?
A.People can take a free bus to the zoo.
B.Keeper Talks are available every day.
C.People caring for disabled people can visit for free.
D.Senior people have a free visit.
