Have you noticed your life becoming a little easier? Now, when you go to a certain shopping mall, you can enjoy its free Wi-Fi there. When you want to take a taxi, you can book one with your phone. In fact, all these can be seen as the basic parts of a smart city.
The idea of a smart city was brought up by US company IBM in 2010. Generally, a smart city is a city that uses digital technologies such as the Internet to improve city planning, save money and resources, and make our life convenient. How smart can a city be? Here are great examples that we can learn from.
In 2009, Dubuque became the first smart city in the US. The city used smart water meters to take the place of traditional water meters. They can detect（探测〉water waste and leakage（泄漏）and send data to let the house owner know. The same system is used for other city resources like electricity and natural gas. This way, people know how they use their resources and are glad to help reduce waste.
Santander in Spain also gives us a look at the future. If people point a phone toward a nearby bus stop, the phone immediately shows all bus lines that serve the stop as well as their arrival times. The government organized a research team and provided an App（应用程序〉that collects data on almost everything: light, temperature, and the movements of cars and people. Opening the App near a supermarket provides immediate information on special
1.According to the passage, which of the following is RIGHT?
A. Digital technologies are used in smart cities.
B. An English company first raised the idea of a smart city.
C. A smart city is mainly made up of free Wi-Fi and phones.
D. A smart city is still an idea and hasn’t come into being.
2.The underlined word “convenient” is the closest in meaning to _____.
A. useful B. normal C. suitable D. easy
3.Compared to traditional water meters, smart water meters do better in .
A. cleaning water B. supplying water
C. saving water D. producing water
4.The example of Santander shows the use of smart systems in aspects（方面）EXCEPT _____.
A. business B. health care
C. traffic controlling D. public transportation
5.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Digital technologies help improve city planning.
B. Smart cities will make our future life better and smarter.
C. Smart cities are very common in both Dubuque and Santander.
D. Spain and the US take the leading position in building smart cities.
Canada Day
Since 1982, July 1st has been officially known as Canada Day. Canadians of all ages take part in this festival across the country.
Canada Day is the year’s biggest national party. In many towns and cities, the government organizes a lot of events, often outdoors. These include parades（游行）, concerts, festivals, firework displays and ceremonies for new Canadian citizens（公民）.The celebrations often have a patriotic mood. Canada’s national flag, a symbol for Canada Day, can be seen everywhere and a lot of people paint their faces red and white, which are Canada’s national colors. The celebrations in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, are especially grand and exciting.
In the province of Quebec, many home rentals（租赁）start on July 1st and last for exactly one year, and many people in Quebec spend Canada Day moving from one house to another. So in Quebec, Canada Day is also known as Moving Day.
Many organizations, businesses and stores are closed this day. Only some bookstores, hospitals and gas stations may be open. Post offices are closed, too. As Canada Day falls in the Canadian summer holiday period, all schools are closed as well. In some areas, special services are provided for large events. The concerts, parades and festivals may cause some traffic jams.
1.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A. Canada Day falls on the first day of June.
B. Canada Day was celebrated before 1982.
C. Canada Day is celebrated throughout Canada.
D. Canadians except new citizens celebrate Canada Day.
2.The underlined word “patriotic” means _____ in Chinese.
A. 温馨的 B. 爱国的 C. 肃穆的 D. 紧张的
3.Canada Day is known as Moving Day in Quebec because on this day _____.
A. people think it lucky to move to new houses
B. people look for houses from one place to another
C. people like moving from house to house to visit friends
D. people move home when new home rentals go into effect
4.From Paragraph 4, we know that on Canada Day _____.
A. no student goes to school
B. traffic jams happen everywhere
C. all Canadians stop working
D. few businesses and stores are closed
5.Which of the following is NOT mentioned about Canada Day?
A. Background B. Symbol.
C. Public life. D. Events and activities.
Flow like the river of change
Little stream ran down from a high mountain through many villages and forests. Then it reached a desert. “I went through so many difficulties. I should have no problem crossing the desert,” she thought. As she started, she found herself slowly disappearing into the sand. After many tries, she still failed. “Maybe I can’t reach the ocean,’’ she said sadly to herself.
At this time, a deep voice said, “If a breeze（微风）can cross the desert, so can a river.” It was the voice of the desert. But the little stream answered, ‘‘That’s because a breeze can fly, but I cannot.”
“That’s because you can’t give up what you are. Let yourself evaporate（蒸发）into the breeze, and it can take you across,” said the desert. “Give up what I am now? No! No!” The little stream could not accept this idea. “The breeze can carry the vapor（蒸汽）across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again,” said the desert. “And whether you’re a river or vapor, your nature never changes.” Hearing this, the little stream went into the open arms of the breeze. It carried her to the next stage of her life.
The course of our lives is like the experience of the little stream. If you want to go through difficulties in your life to head for success, you should also change the way you are.
1.The little stream aimed to reach _____.
A. the forest B. the ocean
C. the desert D. the river
2.The little stream _____ before she got to the desert.
A. didn’t meet much difficulty
B. was worried about herself
C. knew well about the desert
D. was confident about herself
3.At first, the little stream didn’t accept the desert’s advice because _____.
A. she failed many times
B. she was afraid of the breeze
C. she wasn’t able to fly
D. she wouldn’t give up what she was
4.The little stream finally crossed the desert by _____.
A. evaporating into the breeze
B. forming a river
C. disappearing into the sand
D. changing her nature
5.What does the story mainly tell us?
A. The road to success is not always easy and smooth.
B. Whatever others say, we should always be ourselves.
C. To succeed, we should change the way we are if necessary.
D. We may experience difficulty in life just like the little stream.
1.The material above is a _____ for Expo Milano 2015.
A. poster B. guidebook
C. webpage D. noticeboard
2.Expo Milano 2015 lasts _____ and is open for _____ every day.
A. half a year; 13 hours B. 5 months; 13 hours
C. six months; 10 hours D. 5 months; 23 hours
3._____ kinds of tickets are introduced here for Expo Milano.
A. Three B. Four C. Five D. Six
4.SPECIAL DISCOUNT isn’t suitable for _____.
A. the disabled
B. children aged 13 or less
C. students over 26 years
D. old people aged over 65
5.Which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A. Visitors are able to save money if they buy SEASON PASS.
B. Parents with children may probably choose FAMILY PACKAGE.
C. Visitors with EVENING TICKET can enjoy delicious food.
D. Visitors with FAMILY PACKAGE can enter through a special gate.
Night after night, she came to help me sleep, even long after my childhood years.
I don’t remember it first started making me a little angry 一 my mom’s hands pushing my hair that way. But it really made me uncomfortable, for they rough（粗糙的）against my young skin. Finally, one night, I her, ‘‘Don’t do that any more. Your hands are too rough!” She didn’t say anything, she never did it again.
Years later, I missed my mother’s and her goodnight kiss on my face. I’m not a little girl any more. My mom is her mid-seventies, and her rough hands are still doing things for my family and me.
Now my own children have . It was late on Thanksgiving Eve. As I slept in my bedroom, a familiar hand ran across my to push the hair from my head. Then a kiss, ever so softly, touched my brow（额头).
Taking my mom’s hand, I told her how I was for that night I shouted at her. But my mom didn’t know what I was talking about. She had forgotten it long ago.
That night, I with a new appreciation（感激）for my mother’s caring hands. And the guilt（内疚）that I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.
1.A. when B. where C. why
2.A. looked B. felt C. seemed
3.A. nodded at B. shouted at C. seemed
4.A. so B. or C. but
5.A. hands B. words C. smiles
6.A. on B. in C. at
7.A. stayed up B. woken up C. grown up
8.A. nose B. face C. mouth
9.A. sorry B. tired C. relaxed
10.A. left home B. kept working C. fell asleep
A：Dad, we were told to collect some information about Fuzhou Subway. 1.
B：Sure. It’s reported that Subway Line 1 will have its test run at the end of this year.
A：Great! 2.
B：It has a total length of 29.2 kilometers.
A：How many stations are there?
B： 3. And it connects four main areas of the city from the north to the south.
A：Then how about the ticket price?
B：Well, it still remains unknown. 4.
A：Hope not. 5.
