There I stood with tears in my eyes, I looked at a face which was so _________ that I might mistake it for own. I stared at her in _________. It felt like a dream. I hugged her; she was real.
Adopted at a very young age, I _________ surrounded by people loved as family._________, the faces weren't like mine. They were people that loved me. As I got older, the curiosity to learn more about myself took hold and didn't _________. Who was I? Where did I come from?
At the age of 21, I was given the chance to _________ it out thanks to my adoptive parents' _________. They accompanied me to the adoption agency. Then the staff _________ the process of finding my birth mother. But the process was _________ and I didn't expect there would be many complex procedures. And the agency also had caution to move the procedures to ensure both parties' privacy especially ____________ my birth mother didn't choose to meet me.
Months later the agency told me that my birth mother was found and that she ____________ to meet me. We were excited. My parents said my birth mother made great sacrifice as she gave me away, which __________ them to support the family. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible on their own. I was ____________ what my birth mother might be doing and what she might look like. I created a(n) ____________ in my head.
Alter a long process, the moment finally came---we were to ____________. So, there we were, in a room. I found we had much ____________: we shared a sense of humor; we ____________ old pictures, finding both like the "V" gesture. She apologized for any problems with my frizzy（卷曲的）, crazy hair and __________ herself. We laughed, when admitting both were in a close relationship with flatirons（熨斗）because of frequently __________ the wildness of our hair.
She said she had made a(n)____________ decision, when watching me leave with only the hope that another family could provide what she couldn't. She said she hesitated for long but knew she was right, I knew she loved me very much.
1.A.familiar B.ugly C.old D.unclear
2.A.sorrow B.anger C.disbelief D.panic
3.A.stood up B.came up C.warmed up D.grew up
4.A.However B.Meanwhile C.Therefore D.Instead
5.A.help B.stop C.increase D.arrive
6.A.figure B.pick C.turn D.sort
7.A.request B.appreciation C.support D.forgiveness
8.A.delayed B.updated C.refused D.explained
9.A.important B.discouraging C.different D.abstract
10.A.now that B.in case C.even though D.only if
11.A.continued B.managed C.agreed D.happened
12.A.convinced B.warned C.demanded D.allowed
13.A.wondering B.consulting C.guaranteeing D.anticipating
14.A.schedule B.dream C.picture D.error
15.A.register B.reunite C.review D.rest
16.A.confidence B.sympathy C.similarity D.expectation
17.A.shared B.lost C.bought D.changed
18.A.taught B.blamed C.dressed D.treated
19.A.enjoying B.creating C.adding D.handling
20.A.necessary B.quick C.impossible D.difficult
Your children are watching you. 1. According to the Health Program, developing healthy habits is an important part for your children. And when it comes to developing healthy habits, parents influence their children more than anyone else.
2. What happens during those early years can influence children for the rest of their lives. This includes some eating and exercise habits. Children are very careful, even at a young age. Children watch what others do carefully and imitate the behaviors of those closest to them. As parents, you should do the following: 3. If you do that, your children are more likely to be enthusiastic about developing theirs.
Let your children see you taking care of your own physical health by eating fruit and vegetables. Talk to them about healthy habits in appropriate terms and at a proper time. 4.
5. Computers , televisions and other forms of technology are a major part of life in the 21st century. Unfortunately, as the use of technology in the home increases, so does the time spent watching TV or playing on the computer. So as parents, you should also arrange the time for your children wisely.
A.Don’t get rid of technology, but use it wisely.
B.Take part in physical activities and exercise regularly.
C.Be enthusiastic about developing healthy habits of your own.
D.Your actions are speaking to them louder than your words will.
E.Children prefer to imitate their parents rather than listen to them.
F.This can be helpful to teach your children to form good eating habits.
G.It’s easy for the children to form their healthy habits when they are young.
Ever called a movie theater to find out showtime? Or called a customer service center for help? Chances are you didn't speak to a human being. You probably gave commands to an Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) system. These types of systems are efficient money-saving tools that allow companies to address many customer concerns with minimum human intervention.
The technology for such a system has advanced greatly since its appearance in the 1950s. One significant recent achievement is the launching of virtual personal assistants (VPAs) on mobile phones. The most well-known of these is Apple’s iPhone VPA, Siri. If you tell Siri that you want to schedule lunch with a friend, “she” can set the appointment on your phone in seconds. The VPA can also hold a basic “conversation” with a sense of humor. However, it can only be set off when the human user speaks certain key phrases or words.
While the potential for communication between a human and a machine may seem exciting, this possibility concerns some people. Some experts worry about people’s attachment to these machines and fear that the art of successful human-to-human conversation will be undeveloped in younger generations. They worry that people won’t be able to display the right emotion or tone in conversations because they haven’t been practicing those skills. Others fear that machines will take over functions that were traditionally performed by humans, such as customer service.
Another concern often associated with the development of new technology is the invasion of privacy. When people use certain speech recognition applications, they leave behind an audio track of their speech. When you ask a VPA for directions, your speech is often sent and saved to a remote server for processing. This digital information may lead to data mining, or the collection of large quantities of personal data.
For now, however, the continuing evolution of ASR software is thrilling to behold. Asking for and acquiring information from an automated source has never been easier. Leading companies in the speech recognition world will make human communication with machines as seamless as possible - in other words, just like communicating with another human.
1.What can we say about Apple’s Siri?
A.It’s a helpful VPA. B.It first appeared in the 1950s.
C.It’s the most advanced ASR system. D.It has the same sense of humor as humans.
2.What are Paragraphs 3 and 4 mainly about?
A.The broad definition of ASR. B.Potential problems with ASR.
C.The fast development of ASR. D.Movements against using ASR.
3.What is the author's attitude towards the future of ASR?
A.Worried. B.Doubtful. C.Hopeful. D.Indifferent.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Talking to Technology B.The Application of Siri
C.The Art of Conversation D.VPAs on Mobile Phones
When you are sitting in the car, do you ever notice the drivers looking over their shoulders or side to side in the car? Well, they are doing this to check their blind spots! Blind spots take driving extremely difficult and increase the potential for car accidents.
Fourteen-year-old Alaina Gassler from Pennsylvania noticed her mother struggling with blind spots while driving their family car. So she came up with an ingenious solution that won the first place and $25,000 in the Broadcom Masters Competition.
Blind spots are the areas around the car that cannot be directly observed by the driver. There are two kinds of blind spots---on the back of the car that cannot be seen with mirrors, and blind spots at the front of the car as well.
When a driver is changing lanes, he has to look over his shoulder through the side windows to make sure that there is no vehicle in the blind spot. This invisible area is big enough to hide a car!
The other blind spot is created in the front by the A-pillar（柱子）---the material on either side on the windshield（挡风玻璃）that holds the glass and forms the frame of the car. In some cars, this pillar can be quite thick. Usually, people or cyclists can be hidden by this pillar.
Alaina's design was to get rid of the blind spot created by the front A-pillar of the car, the one that helps hold up the windshield.
She put a camera on the outside passenger side of the car which then sent the photos to a projector above the drivers' head. Then, she covered the inside of the pillar in reflective fabric onto which the image was projected. Basically, her device made the pillar "see through" and removed the blind spot on that side of the car.
Alnina's solution is very creative and could be improved by using LCD displays that will make it easier to see during day time as well.
1.What can be learned about blind spots during driving?
A.They call for careful driving. B.They make driving thrilling.
C.They are many in kinds. D.They can't be get rid of.
2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word "ingenious" in paragraph 2?
A.interesting B.creative
C.inspiring D.invisible
3.How did Alaina solve the problem?
A.By improving the A-pillar. B.By using a mirror on the outside of the A-pillar.
C.By relying on LCD displays. D.By using a camera to capture images.
4.What's the best title for the text?
A.An Introduction to Blind Spots B.A Warning About the Road Safety
C.A Teen's Creative Solution to Blind Spots D.Scientific Research on Blind Spots
That warm day was the only day of the week without rain.I opened the door,took a seat and began to enjoy the wonderful sunshine.Suddenly,I noticed that the house near mine had been sold.An elderly lady was in front of the door,with some beautiful flowers beside her.I walked to her.She looked to be in her early eighties and had the prettiest white hair.
“Hi!My name is Karmen,” I said smiling brightly at the old lady.She smiled back and said,“Hello,Karmen.I’m Kitty.” Her voice was very strong for someone at her age.Later,I learned that she was alone and had no family or relatives to help her.From that day on,I often visited her and helped her with her housework and sometimes she gave me some delicious food.A year passed,and I considered her to be one of my best friends.
One day,I walked over for my morning visit and knocked on the door,but there was no answer.I knocked again,and she still didn’t turn up.So I let myself in,using the key she had given me.I checked her living room and then her kitchen.I finally went into her bedroom,and she was lying peacefully on her bed.Beside her there were two notes.One was her will(遗嘱),which said all that she had would be given to me.The other was a thank-you note.I went to her bedside and cried sadly.
Though several years has gone by,I still miss her deeply.Whenever I look at the beautiful flowers in front of her house,I remember the wonderful friendship we had.
1.Through visiting the old lady,the author learned that the old lady .
A.disliked all her relatives
B.had no one to look after her
C.didn’t want to live with her family
D.was looking for someone to look after her
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A.The old lady was not kind.
B.The author didn’t have any good friends.
C.The old lady didn’t know how to make food.
D.The author got along very well with the old lady.
3.What does “turn up” mean in Paragraph 3?
A.appear B.leave
C.try D.change
4.In order to thank the author,the old lady decided to .
A.give the author her favourite flowers
B.let the author know she was her best friend
C.give the author a key to her house
D.leave all that she had to the author
Fantastic Magazines for Learning English
Digital Photogra pher
Perfect if you like: taking pictures with your camera or phone.
What you’ll find inside: This magazine is full of colorful photos and very pleasing to look at. There are many tips and guides on how to take great pictures, and they are written in simple and easy-to-understand English though there are some technical camera terms. You feel like the writers are tolking to you! You can impress your friends with your irnproved English and your new photography skills!
Fast Company
Perfect if you like: business and learning how successful companies work.
What you’ll find inside: Fast Company is one of the most approachable magazines about business and companies. It has many interviews of successful people, as well as general news about interesting new companics. It does use a higher level of writing than what is usual for magazines, so give it a try first to make sure you can understand the articles.
Cricket and Cicada
Perfect if you like: excellent literature and short stories.
What you’ll find inside: Cricket and Cicada are literary magazines aimed at teenagers. Each issue is full of wonderful short stories and poems, and beautiful illustrations. Even though these are technically children’s magazines, they are perfect for learning English because they have high quality writing.
Mental Floss
Perfect if you like: interesting trivia and facts.
What you’ll find inside: What does outer space smell like？ Why isn’t cat food mouse-flavored？ If you’re the kind of person who asks yourself these questions, you’ll love Meriful Floss, Each issue is full of bite-sized trivia and mostly short articles with really interesting facts that you’ll want to share with others.
While the print edition of the magazine stopped publishing in 2016, you can still read Mental Floss online. Click here to get more information.
1.Which magazine tells something about business and companies？
A.Digital Photographer. B.Fast Company
C.Cricket. D.Menial Floss.
2.What is special about Cricket and Cicada？
A.They focus on drawing skills B.They can only be bought online.
C.They are intended for teenagers. D.They are full of colorful pictures.
3.Where is the text most probably taken？
A.On a website. B.In a newspaper.
C.In an English textbook. D.From a science magazine.
