| 1. 难度：中等 | |
|
If you've gone through all your jigsaw puzzles and are looking for a real challenge, Kodak just released what it calls ''the world's largest puzzle'' that you can buy.
Putting your patience and jigsaw solving skills to the test will cost you both real money and a lot of space. Featuring images of symbolic landmarks shot by professional photographers, Kodak's new product will set you back between $409.99 and $599.99, and will probably take up a decent-sized room when completed. Matching over 51,000 jigsaw puzzle pieces is sure to be a time-consuming affair, but to make it less stressful for those willing to give it a go, Kodak split the puzzle into 27 images of different international landmarks, from the Great Wall of China to the Statue of Liberty and the Taj Mahal. They've actually made it too easy, if you ask me, packaging the pieces for each of the 27 different images in different bags, allowing you to finish them one by one before putting them together. So you're basically getting 27 smaller puzzles that you can then fix into the world's largest puzzle. Kind of tricky, if you ask me… The only real challenge will be finding somewhere to display the completed puzzle, as at 28.5 feet by 6.25 feet, it's probably going to need its own room. Despite its subjective faults, Kodak's gigantic jigsaw puzzle is in high demand. It's already sold out on Amazon, where it was priced at $410, leaving interested parties with the option of acquiring it for at least $500 from two other retailers (零售商) listed on the official Kodak website. 1.What makes the Kodak jigsaw puzzle special? A.It is made up of the most pieces. B.It has the most beautiful images. C.It is giant and takes up much space. D.It can be bought by various means. 2.What makes it easier to complete the Kdak jigsaw puzzle? A.Various choices of getting it. B.Skills of professional photographers. C.Players' patience and jigsaw solving skills. D.Separately packaged images of world famous landmarks. 3.How much will it cost you at least to buy one jigsaw puzzle from retailers? A.$ 409.99. B.$410. C.$500. D.$599.99.
|
|
| 2. 难度：中等 | |
|
Sasha Olsen, a fourth-grader at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, is working on releasing a book this summer to illustrate how the state of the oceans affects children. The 10-year old went on a trip last summer with her family to Vietnam and Japan. She was horrified at the ocean’s pollution levels and dying sea animals. Back home she grew even more disturbed learning about the ocean conditions in South Florida. She sought the help of her cousin Narmina Aliyev. Together, they started a nonprofit, Iwantmyoceanback, in October. Originally, the group started small, with friends coming together on the weekends to clean the beaches in Bal Harbour. Recently, however, it has hosted events to raise funds for beach cleanups and donate to conservation groups. The nonprofit is also trying to broaden its base by tapping into YouTube and other social media. Sasha has started a YouTube channel where she posts videos from events and has begun a web series called Table Talks. In it, she interviews people from different professions about the oceans. After the interview, she and her guest will create a painting, signed by the guest, that will be auctioned (拍卖) off to raise money to donate to conservation-based organizations. Jencarlos Canela, a popular Cuban American singer and telenovela star, was one of Iwantmyoceanback’s first followers and Sasha’s first guest. Canela, who has 3.4 million followers on Instagram, posted about the experience. “Sasha, you can count on me from now on for anything and congratulations on the work you’re doing to keep our oceans clean. You are so special and very talented!” he wrote. Sasha and Aliyev hope to extend their work to neighboring cities such as Hollywood and Miami Beach. “We really want to make ourselves visible and accessible to all,” said Aliyev, the nonprofit’s vice president. 1.What do we know about Iwantmyoceanback? A.It was set up by Sasha’s cousin. B.It aims at ocean protection. C.It was inspired by Sasha’s domestic travel. D.It organizes cleanup activities in the neighborhood. 2.How does Sasha raise money on social media? A.By calling on friends and relatives to donate. B.By starting a YouTube channel and Table Talks. C.By interviewing people from different professions. D.By selling paintings created and signed by her guests. 3.What can we infer from Canela’s post on Instagram? A.He is proud of being Sasha’s first guest. B.He is one of Iwantmyoceanback’s first followers. C.He is willing to make contributions to Sasha’s project. D.His followers on Instagram posted about their cleanup experiences. 4.What is the best title of the text? A.Sasha: a popular girl on the social media B.Fourth-graders: devoted to beach cleanups C.A 10-year old: making a difference to a better beach D.A 10-year old: working on releasing a book this summer
|
|
| 3. 难度：中等 | |
|
When you’ve finished your studies at school and college, do you feel like a well-earned rest? If you’re about to embark on a course at university, you’ll want to recharge your batteries and have some fun. But how long should you do that for? Now the idea of taking a year off before you move into further education seems to be the thing to do. A year off—also called a gap year—is not a new concept, but there’s now a focus on making the most of this break from academic life. Long gone are the days of just hanging out on a beach or backpacking round the world. While that is still an option, a gap year is now more about gaining skills that will help you in later life. The BBC’s Smart Consumer podcast spoke to a student called Meg, who said “I just always had in the back of my mind I’d spend a year doing something productive and something that would just be good fun.” Doing something productive is exactly what students are being encouraged to do because doing more purposeful things like work experience or charity work helps them acquire skills to use when competing for a place at university. It looks good on their CV and ultimately makes them more employable. While the benefits of taking a gap year are clear to see, some students worry they can’t afford it. Another student, Tom, told the BBC that to him, a gap year was an ‘alien concept’. He said “it would have been far too expensive and it’s not something that I would have been able to rely on my parents or family members for.” But some experts say that it needn’t burn a hole in your pocket; you don’t need to travel far and you can even earn money by doing paid work. For those who do have the funds, a combination of working, volunteering and travelling is undoubtedly an amazing opportunity. It increases confidence and independence, gives you a chance to learn new crafts, and gives you time to contemplate whether university is right for you. 1.What is the new focus of “taking a gap year”? A.Hanging out on a beach. B.Backpacking round the world. C.Spending time trying challenges. D.Gaining useful skills for future life. 2.Why are students encouraged to do something productive? A.To make them capable in later life. B.To get the best result in the competition. C.To enrich the experience of doing voluntary work. D.To gain the sense of achievement during the participation. 3.What’s the attitude of some experts towards a gap year? A.They approve of it. B.They are against it. C.They are indifferent to it. D.They think it unworthy. 4.What can we infer from the text? A.You must go to university after taking a gap year. B.A gap year makes sense if you have the fund to take. C.All students can afford a gap year if they prefer to. D.Fund is the most important factor for taking a gap year.
|
|
| 4. 难度：中等 | |
|
The COVID-19 pandemic has spread far and wide. Because of this, countries around the world have carried out containment measures to help stop the virus in its tracks. As more and more people stay inside to stay safe, the outside world seems to have become much quieter. In fact, scientists have seen this change in their research, too. Seismologists—scientists who study earthquakes—have heard a lot less seismic (地震的) noise recently. Seismic noise is made from vibrations (震动) in the ground that are caused by things like ocean waves and human activity, such as construction work and traffic. Thomas Lecocq, a scientist at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, located in Brussels, was the first to notice this phenomenon. According to Lecocq, the amount of seismic noise in Brussels has been reduced by about 30 to 50 percent since mid-March. Interestingly enough, this is around the same time Belgium started its containment measures. Because of this reduction in background noise, scientists like Lecocq have been able to pick up on smaller earthquakes that some seismic stations—like the one in Brussels—wouldn’t have been able to before. This phenomenon isn’t unique to Brussels, though. Once Lecocq shared his findings online, seismologists from all over the world echoed similar findings. Celeste Labedz, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, mentioned in a tweet that Los Angeles also experienced less background noise. “The drop is seriously wild,” she wrote. Researchers from the UK, France and New Zealand also noted a decrease in background noise since containment measures were put in place. These global efforts to contain the COVID-19 virus have helped to shed light on seismic activity that may have gone unnoticed. It also shows that people are listening to health officials and following lockdown guidelines. 1.What did seismologists find out recently? A.More smaller earthquakes are likely to happen. B.Less seismic activity has been detected recently. C.Reduced seismic vibration makes Earth quieter. D.Seismic noise is caused by vibrations underground. 2.What can we learn from the text? A.More seismic noise is being picked up. B.More data on smaller earthquakes is being collected. C.Scientists will shift their focus to smaller earthquakes. D.Future big earthquakes can be more accurately predicted. 3.What does the underlined word “echoed” in paragraph 5 mean? A.Questioned. B.Demanded. C.Explored. D.Repeated. 4.What can we conclude from the last two paragraphs? A.The drop in seismic noise is unique to Europe. B.Seismic noise is mainly caused by human activity. C.Many seismologists wanted tighter restrictions for their research. D.The phenomenon proved that people are practicing social distancing.
|
|
| 5. 难度：中等 | |
|
When I commute (通勤) into London, there are certainly plenty of people conversing on their mobile phones—discussing and sharing personal details with a friend. 1. In fact, they don't even acknowledge the person who is actually sitting beside them. Many of us spend part of each day surrounded by strangers, whether on our daily commute, or sitting in a park or a cafe. 2. However, new evidence has shown that gathering the courage to strike up a conversation might be good for our health. Behavioural scientists Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder looked at this silent relationship and whether solitude (独处) is a more positive experience than interacting with strangers. 3. Their research suggested that when we make an initial conversation, ''we consistently underestimate how much a new person likes us. '' It seems we carry a negative voice in our head telling us all the things that could go wrong and why someone wouldn't want to converse with us. 4. It found that ''every participant in our experiment who actually tried to talk to a stranger found the person sitting next to them was happy to chat.'' The conclusion is that connecting with strangers is surprisingly pleasant. It has a positive impact on our wellbeing. It's true that talking can make you feel happier and happiness can lead to better mental health. It's good to talk. So maybe, if you're a loner, it's time to come out of your shell and make some small talk with a stranger. 5. A.The experiment proved to be successful. B.It could be the beginning of a new friendship. C.But most of them remain just that—strangers. D.They talk as though the person is sitting next to them. E.Talking to strangers can change the communication skills and habits. F.Their research involved an experiment with a group of Chicago commuters. G.They found that many people feel uncomfortable and frightened talking to others.
|
|
| 6. 难度：中等 | |
|
I attended my 35th high school reunion recently. It was held at the 4-H camp that I _______ next to as a child. When I got there the very first thing I _______ was the little Oak trees that I used to climb up as a boy now seemed as tall as Redwoods. _______ had that happened? I had arrived early so I _______ to help get things set up. I _______ some chairs around the tables and then got drafted to blow up the party balloons. For some reason my aging _______ couldn’t seem to get my balloons quite as _______ as my friend’s, who was helping me out. As I started to talk to my _______ high school friends I noticed something else too. We all looked a little _______. There was some with gray hair. And we all seemed to have a few extra ________ and a few extra wrinkles. Yet, the moment we started to talk and catch up the years melted away, our ________ souls shined through. On the outside we all seemed a little wiser and more mature, but on the ________ every single one of us was bright, beautiful, and energetic. 35 years may have ________ our bodies a bit, ________ it hadn’t had any effect whatever on our souls. Our souls are created in Love. And Love ________ ages. Love is both unfading and forever young. 1.A.ended up B.grew up C.pulled out D.set out 2.A.explored B.described C.noticed D.counted 3.A.Why B.How C.When D.Where 4.A.happened B.promised C.agreed D.volunteered 5.A.placed B.designed C.decorated D.fixed 6.A.bone B.heart C.lungs D.muscle 7.A.large B.flat C.empty D.full 8.A.generous B.new C.old D.honest 9.A.simple B.nervous C.mild D.different 10.A.fees B.pounds C.jobs D.aids 11.A.young B.healthy C.active D.beautiful 12.A.contrary B.surface C.spot D.inside 13.A.weakened B.aged C.strengthened D.enriched 14.A.or B.and C.but D.for 15.A.never B.always C.seldom D.often
|
|
| 7. 难度：中等 | |
|
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。 Today was my first day back in San Francisco after camping in the Redwood Forest and visiting the wine country of Napa Valley. It 1. (definite) feels great to be back in the city again which was able to rebuild itself after the earthquake that 2. (occur) in 1906. There are a wide range of beautiful old buildings—many sitting on top of big hills, 3. (offer) great views of the city, the ocean, and the Golden Gate Bridge. My hotel is near downtown in the Mission District, one of the 4. (old) parts of the city. Many people living here are from Mexico or Central America. Here, an art movement 5. (call) the ''Mission School'' started here. It's influenced by graffiti art and comic art. In the afternoon, I headed 6. a local museum that showed the 7. (history) changes in California. In 1848, gold was discovered here, which started a gold rush. A large number of people across 8. globe came to seek their fortune. The museum did a good job of showing how America 9. (build) by immigrants from different countries and cultures. This evening, I went to Chinatown, 10. I selected a Cantonese restaurant to taste good food. That's enough for today. Tomorrow evening, I'm going to visit a Jazz bar in the Richmond District. Can't wait!
|
|
| 8. 难度：困难 | |
|
为让学生走进农业，体验生活，学生会打算本周六组织英语俱乐部成员和交换生去生态园参与体验活动。请你代表学生会，根据所给信息，写一则通知，内容包括： 1.活动主要内容（观农业成果展、采摘等）； 2.集合时间、地点。 参考词汇：生态园：ecological garden 注意：1.词数80左右； 2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
| 9. 难度：中等 | |
|
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。 On March 3, Eric Johnson was asleep when the family’s six-year-old Australian shepherd, Bella, woke him up. Bella was acting unpredictably, giving Johnson the sense that “something just didn’t feel right.” Bella sensed danger, and alerted the family to the tornado that soon destroyed their home. When Johnson woke up, he turned on the TV and found out that a tornado was headed toward their town of Cookeville, Tennessee. He quickly grabbed his wife and their three children and put them in the bathtub. Nearly 45 minutes later, around 2:00 am, the tornado hit and destroyed the house. Johnson was thrown into the backyard. Johnson said, “Bella was hiding under our bed when the tornado hit our house. She was thrown into our yard and survived and was missing after that. It was hard for us knowing she had survived but we couldn’t find her. She was the piece of our family that was missing.” The furious 175 mph twister destroyed everything in its path. The Johnsons would not have survived if not for Bella. Johnson suffered a head injury and his wife had broken ribs, but they soon set about searching for their beloved heroic dog. They left pieces of clothing around the destroyed neighborhood, hoping that Bella would recognize the scent and find her way back home. Church friend and dog tracker Sarah Romeyn also joined in. She borrowed cameras from a local animal rescue group and set them up in areas where people reported seeing her. She also worked with other dog trackers and even sought tips from residents with the help of the Putnam County Police Department. When leads dried up, the Johnsons and Romeyn pressed on. “I was still finding time searching in parking lots, but it was tough. Because nobody had found a body, in rescue you can’t give up until you know you don’t have a positive outcome. And I hadn’t given up,” Romeyn said. Paragraph 1: In time, they found a glimmer of hope when Romeyn got a call from friend Karen Ritacco, who said that Bella was behind her shop._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Paragraph 2: Romeyn was happy to play a part in the rescue, but also credits the community for their help.___________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
