| 1. 难度：中等 | |
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Sand Safari Arts Festival 2020 Date: 14 February—1 March, 2020 Price: Free Address: Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast Once upon a time, in the magical Surfers Paradise, 15 world-famous artists turned a famous beach into a wonderful place of large sculptures(雕塑). Running over 17 days from mid-February to early March, the Sand Safari Arts Festival (SSAF) now brings together art installations(现代雕塑装置), larger than life art pieces and sand sculptures. In 2020, the main subject of the festival fairy-tale (童话) classics. Visitors can watch the sculptures take form between Friday, 14 February and Sunday, 16 February, with the SSAF Award presentation to take place at 5: 30 pm on 16 February. For the rest of the festival, the public can vote on the People’s Choice Award by making a gold coin donation, with the winner to be announced publicly on Saturday, 29 February. The festival will provide a host of public art and entertainment in addition to the sand sculptures. American artists Joseph Burgess and Joshua Wilkinson will present“The Harps(竖琴) of the City”, eight giant harps hand-carved from wood, each with a different sound, while local artists Clayton Blake and Courtenay McCue will take over the beach with their sculptures inspired by sea animals. During the festival people can go to the Artist Plaza, a centre where all kinds of artworks are shown and visitors can buy their favourite art pieces, and The Castle of Ever After, which offers readings, live music, games, and a chance for people to get their hands dirty and create their own sand art. The festival will take place at Surfers Paradise beach and along Cavill Mall. After the festival, why not go to enjoy delicious food, check out the markets, play a round of mini golf or explore the unknown? 1.Which of the following can enter the competition held by the festival? A.Artworks on nature. B.“The Harps of the City”. C.Sand sculptures of fairy-tale characters. D.Clayton Blake’s wooden sculptures. 2.When will the best sculpture chosen by visitors be made public? A.On 29 February. B.On 16 February. C.On 14 February. D.On 1 March. 3.What can visitors do in the Artist plaza? A.Meet famous artists. B.Enjoy public concerts. C.Make sand sculptures. D.Buy some artworks.
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| 2. 难度：简单 | |
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I teach online and have been doing so for years .I understand the value of traditional face-to-face course offerings for certain courses and certain subjects. I doubt an online course in chemistry can ever be as effective (有效的) as a face-to-face course held in a lab. Fortunately, I teach writing, and the Internet is an effective place for teaching subjects that call for careful reading and discussion. It is true that there are things I cannot do in my classes on the Internet. It is also true, however, that there are things I cannot do in my classes held in traditional classrooms. So the question we should ask is: What works better or worse in face-to-face classes rather than in online courses, and vice versa(反之亦然)? One of the things I value most in my online classes is the necessity for everyone to take part in order to show their presence. In my face-to-face classes, a student can sit quietly and appear to be engaged in(积极参与) the discussion without ever offering a thought or opinion. Online, I consider a student who sits quietly but who does not join in the discussion to be simply not present. Further, students in face-to-face classes who are too shy or who are talked over by quicker and louder voices have the chance to take part in an online discussion. When I teach online, my students and I can be inside or outside and we can sit wherever and however we want. In Michigan, where a winter storm can make going to campus dangerous or even impossible, the ability to learn in class from the comfort of wherever you live is a big advantage. When the weather is not nice, I often teach while sitting in a local coffee shop. When the weather is nice, I often teach while sitting in my backyard. I agree that online education is not a “recipe (秘诀)for personal success.” Then again, I’m not sure traditional face-to-face education is such a recipe, either. 1.What does the author think of online courses and traditional courses? A.Chemistry courses can be done online. B.Online courses are more popular. C.Traditional courses are more helpful. D.Both have their advantages. 2.How can shy students benefit from online discussion? A.They can do a better job than louder students. B.They can sit quietly to listen to others opinions. C.They can think independently and take an active part. D.They can appear to be engaged in online discussion. 3.Which advantage of online teaching is mentioned in Paragraph 4? A.It is much safer. B.It is less affected by weather. C.It is more comfortable. D.It happens anytime. 4.What would be the best title for the text? A.Why I teach online. B.I’ m online. C.A recipe for success. D.A new teaching style.
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| 3. 难度：中等 | |
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The Apollo Programme was set up by NASA, the US space agency, to land a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s. Once this had been achieved by Apollo 11in 1969, other Moon missions didn’t create the same level of public excitement. The Apollo 13 astronauts were Fred Haise, Jim Lovell and Jack Swigert. Lovell later told the BBC that people were getting bored of the Moon. When the astronauts filmed a message to Earth after 55 hours of space flight, none of the major TV channels in the US took time to show it live. Nine minutes after filming the message to Earth, one of the ship’s two oxygen tanks exploded. Swigert got in touch with mission control, which was in the city of Houston in Texas, US, and said, “Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” The explosion meant that the astronauts would no longer be able to land on the Moon. Instead, the goal was simply to get back to Earth alive. The crew used the lunar module as a lifeboat. By now, Apollo 13 had drawn the world’s attention, Millions of people watched television on17 April to see whether the astronauts would get back to Earth. There were fears that damage to the command module might mean that the parachutes needed for landing wouldn’t work. To make matters worse, for four minutes. Mission control lost connection with the astronauts. Luckily, the astronauts landed safely in the Pacific Ocean. NASA referred to Apollo 13 as a “successful failure”. It didn’t complete its original mission, but the calm and quick thinking of the astronauts and mission control experts prevented a disaster. The tanks were redesigned and a third one added to future spacecraft as backup, to make sure that such an accident never happened again. In 1995, the events of Apollo /3 were made into a hit film starring Tom Hanks. 1.What was people’s attitude towards Apollo 13 at first? A.They were interested in it. B.They were tired of it. C.They were excited about it. D.They were uncertain about it. 2.What was wrong with Apollo 13? A.One of its oxygen tanks blew up. B.It went in the wrong direction. C.It lost its connection with Earth completely. D.One of its astronauts didn’t operate it properly. 3.Why was Apollo 13 called a “successful failure”? A.It caused a lot of loss but created a lot of business value as well. B.It didn’t attract much attention but landed on Earth safely. C.It didn’t finish its task but a disaster was avoided. D.It was ruined but speeded up space exploration. 4.What is this text mainly about? A.The history of space exploration. B.A discussion about space exploration. C.The big events of the Apollo programme. D.An introduction to a space survival incident.
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| 4. 难度：中等 | |
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It’s said that every Irish “mammy” has her own way to cook Irish stew(炖菜). Simple but satisfying, it has fed the poor over centuries, which makes it a national dish. The ingredients tell the story. First up, there’s the “spud”, as the Irish call the potato. First brought to Ireland in the 16th century, it was an unbelievable food, providing bumper crops that could be stored over the cold winter months. Soon, everyone was eating it — for breakfast, lunch and tea. With the arrival of the spud, the population increased from one million to eight million in less than three centuries. But this dependence on the vegetable would prove disastrous when crops were struck by disease in the 1840s. The great famine(饥荒)that followed killed over a million people — and forced millions more to run to other countries. It’s hard to believe that during the years of famine, Ireland continued to export huge quantities of food to Great Britain, its colonial master at the time. Today, Ireland is an independent nation. Nobody thinks about the potato famine as they enjoy their Irish stew but there’s a bone-deep awareness of the country’s long connection with the spud. Potatoes are all well and good, but the stew gets its taste from the meat. It used to be made with mutton as it was the only meat available to the poor. However, the only way to make it good enough to eat was to stew it in the pot for hours. Today, most people use lamb. However, this remains slightly traditional among purists, who also criticize(批评)the addition of ingredients like carrots, parsnips, thyme and supermarket-bought materials. 1.Why was the potato called an unbelievable food in the 16th century? A.It could be accepted by both the poor and the rich. B.It could be cooked into many delicious dishes. C.It could be kept for a long time. D.It could grow in winter in Ireland. 2.What did the dependence on the potato lead to in the 1840s? A.The growing population. B.A very serious famine. C.A war between Ireland and Britain. D.Millions of people rushing to Ireland. 3.What is the most important step when cooking Irish stew? A.Stewing the dish for hours. B.Using enough potatoes. C.Picking up the high-quality lamb. D.Adding different kinds of ingredients. 4.What is this text mainly about? A.Ways to cook Irish stew. B.The present situation of Irish stew. C.The importance of potatoes. D.An Irish national dish about potatoes.
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| 5. 难度：中等 | |
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Children love to have pets, and having these furry animals in your family does good to children. Many studies have shown that kids who have pets do better at school because they have higher scores of emotional intelligence(EI)(情商). Here are some of the ways pets can help children develop their EI. Grow empathy(同情) Children are naturally empathetic and having pets can develop this. Researchers Nienke Endenburg and Ben Baard wrote a book The Waltham Book of Human-Animal Interaction, which is an overview of scientific studies about raising pets. 1.. It also shows that even young children who have pets show more empathy towards other animals and people. Reduce stress Today, some doctors are writing social prescriptions(处方) to get a pet. Even just petting a dog has been shown to reduce stress in children. 2., because they are great listeners. Raise self-esteem(自尊) 3. In fact, the authors said that research “found that children’s self-esteem scores increased greatly over a nine-month period of keeping pets in their school classroom. Besides, it was children with originally low self-esteem scores who showed the greatest improvements.” 4. Many parents find it difficult to talk to their kids about sensitive topics like birth, illness, and death. Learning about these through the lives of their furry family members helps make it easier to understand the cycles of life. 5., but the authors say it can also be a very valuable learning experience. Children will learn how to deal with feelings of sadness and anger. A.Help prevent loneliness B.Teach about life cycle events C.Animals can provide emotional support for kids D.Of course, experiencing the death of a beloved pet is difficult for kids E.Kids who take care of pets feel proud and have a sense of achievement F.The book shows kids who take care of their pets are more caring than those who don’t G.Having a pet around also helps children better socialize with other kids of the same age
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| 6. 难度：中等 | |
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We are certain to face challenges(挑战) in life and that is what makes life beautiful. One could argue living life _____facing any challenges is the best thing. On the surface this might seem to be true, _____without challenges, true _____cannot be achieved. My dream has always been to work in the tech field and to be able to solve most of life’s challenges through _____ One of the skills _____in the tech field is the _____to create software(软件) to solve real-life problems. That means in order to work in the tech field you need to ____ programming knowledge. Given that I come from an economics background, learning how to program became the ____challenge for me. I did not know where to ____ because at the time I did not have anyone to teach me or provide any form of ____. After months of struggling with ____ online programming courses and not ___ exactly what I wanted to do, I decided it was time to try something _____ The first step I took was to find people who were good at _____and ask for mentorship (师徒制). I did this by joining several tech communities. This played a(n) ____ role in my journey of learning how to program and also built my confidence. But this alone was not _____ In order to be good at what you do, a lot of _____is needed. Through practice, I was able to learn programming knowledge. I also challenged myself and worked on a couple of beginner projects that ____ me to apply(应用) the knowledge I had learned. Challenges are part of _____and they help us grow in different aspects(方面) of life and we should always _____challenges. 1.A.by B.for C.without D.after 2.A.but B.if C.because D.so 3.A.kindness B.happiness C.courage D.friendship 4.A.science B.culture C.technology D.art 5.A.required B.limited C.described D.shared 6.A.way B.chance C.need D.ability 7.A.change B.forget C.learn D.create 8.A.latest B.biggest C.most special D.most interesting 9.A.begin B.find C.stay D.stop 10.A.guidance B.communication C.exercise D.money 11.A.dangerous B.enjoyable C.difficult D.horrible 12.A.supporting B.remembering C.admitting D.knowing 13.A.similar B.new C.normal D.regular 14.A.programming B.talking C.believing D.pursuing 15.A.natural B.small C.indirect D.important 16.A.sufficient B.necessary C.expensive D.skillful 17.A.desire B.fortune C.practice D.education 18.A.warned B.chose C.helped D.forced 19.A.future B.life C.belief D.truth 20.A.carry on B.figure out C.take up D.run out
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| 7. 难度：中等 | |
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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。 Rescue in a Bottle Curtis Whitson had rafted (v.乘筏) down the Arroyo Seco, a river in central California, several times before. This year, Curtis Whitson knew the water-fall was coming. He figured he would get out of his raft into the shallow water, get down the rocks along ropes on either side of the falls, and continue on his way, as he had on a previous trip. But this year was different. Heavy snow and spring rains had turned the usually manageable falls into something fierce. And this year, instead of his friends, Whitson’s companions were his girlfriend, Krystal Ramirez, and his 13-year-old son, Hunter. As the three of them approached the falls late in the afternoon of the third day of their camping trip, Whitson could tell from the increasing roar of water in the narrowing canyon(峡谷) that they were in serious trouble. There was no way they’d be able to get down the rocks as planned. “The water was just roaring through there with tremendous force,” recalls Whitson, 45. They had no smart phone service, and they hadn’t seen a single person in the past three days. And Whitson knew that they’d be sharing the ground there with rattlesnakes and mountain lions. As he was thinking what to do, Whitson hit on a bit of luck---he heard voices coming from the other side of the falls. He yelled, but the sound of the rushing water drowned him out. “We have to get these people a message,” Whitson thought. He grabbed a stick and pulled out his pocketknife to carve “Help” in it. Then he tied a rope to it so the people would know it wasn’t just any stick. He tried throwing it over the falls, but it floated away in the wrong direction. “We’ve got to do something!” Whitson yelled to his son. “Have we got anything else?” Then he spotted his water bottle. Whitson grabbed it and carved “Help!”on it. Ramirez also reminded him that he had a pen and paper in his backpack. Whitson knew it was a slim hope. But he wrote “6-15 19:00 We are stuck here@ the waterfall. Get help please” and pushed the note into the bottle. This time, his throw over the waterfall was perfect. “All right, that’s all we can do,” Whitson told Hunter. 注意： 1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右； 2. 续写部分分为两段，每段开头语已为你写好； Paragraph 1: It took 30 minutes to get back upstream to the beach where they’d had lunch. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Paragraph 2: The next morning, the helicopter returned. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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