My uncle has a very beautiful umbrella. He's had it for years. As he is very careful with it, so it still looks as good as new. 1.____He shook his head. "Then how did you get it?" I asked. "Well," he answered, "there' s a strange true story about the umbrella. About ten years ago, I was walking along a quiet London street one evening when it suddenly rained. I had no raincoat or umbrella. 2._____ And the people in the streets were fewer and fewer. As I was on my way to a party, I was afraid to get wet. So I stood in a doorway and waited for the rain to stop. 3._____ What was worse, there even wasn't a person around, and still it rained and rained. At last a young man came to the place where I was standing. 4.____ As I hoped he would allow me to walk to the next corner with him, where I could get a taxi, I stepped out of the dark doorway where I had been standing. 5._____ As I suddenly appeared before him, the young man was so shocked that he dropped the umbrella. He ran away and disappeared into the darkness. I picked up the umbrella and continued my walk. I knew it would be hard in this big city to find the owner, so I've kept it ever since."
A. Gradually, it grew quite dark.
B. He held a large umbrella over his head.
C. I asked him where he was going with that umbrella.
D. No buses ran through the street and there were no taxis.
E. I asked my uncle if he bought it or some one sent him as a gift.
What would the world be like if cars could drive themselves? Imagine seeing an empty car passing by on its way to pick up its owner, or a car full of passengers who are reading, listening to music or even sleeping, but none of them are worried about the road ahead.
Well, all of this could be the future of driving. There are several companies, including Google, working on driverless (无人驾驶的) cars, which are currently in the testing stages. If the tests are successful, these electric, self-driven cars could be available very soon. But, how is it possible for a car to drive itself?
Cars already have many features allowing them to take over for drivers in certain situations. Some features include cars being able to park themselves, or slow down when they detect objects (物体) close by. They can also control the speed if there are dangerous conditions, such as snow or slippery (滑的) roads.
Other features have also changed the way drivers react to some situations. Scientists and engineers believe, with the help of wireless signals, cameras and GPS, we are now at a stage where creating a safe self-driving car might be possible.
The self-driven car may be the answer to lowering the number of deadly (致命的) accidents caused by careless drivers or dangerous conditions. However, there are still some people who do not like the idea. American lawyer Whit Drake, for example, doesn’t believe these cars are safe. He thinks the possibility of the technology making a mistake will be too high.
1.What does the underlined phrase “take over for” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. direct the way for B. take the place of
C. work better than D. make use of
2.Cars already have the following features EXCEPT ________.
A. parking itself
B. controlling its speed in dangerous situations
C. slowing itself down near an object
D. avoiding car accidents one hundred percent
3.Scientists and engineers think that ________.
A. it’s possible to make safe self-driven cars
B. it’s a long way for self-driven cars
C. there will be no drivers in the future
D. self-driven cars may cause more accidents
4.What does the article mainly talk about?
A. Advantages of self-driven cars.
B. Different opinions on self-driven cars.
C. Possibilities of self-driven cars.
D. Google’s new technology—self-driven cars.
Lin Xiao, 21, a student at Guangdong University, has a big family – her two parents, a younger brother and two younger sisters. Lin took her role as the “big sister” seriously. When her first sister was born, Lin took turns with her mom holding the baby late into the night. “I almost did everything that was supposed to be a parent’s job, but I felt proud of myself,” she said.
Not all of Lin’s classmates shared her experiences because of the family planning policy (政策), a law that was carried out in China about forty years ago. But the situation is about to change. A new policy made on October 29 said all couples can now have two children.
The new policy is expected to help raise the population of China. Recently, China has been facing an aging population and labor shortages because of the low birth rate (比率).
The two-child policy may also be the gift for every only child. Researchers found that growing up with a brother or sister can have good influence on one’s mental health.
“Brothers and sisters do matter in unique ways. They give kids something that parents don’t.” Laura Walker, a professor from Beijing University, told China Daily. She noted that having a brother or a sister protects teenagers against loneliness, fear and so on.
Liu Fang, 20, from Shenzhen University, has a 2-year-younger sister. When her sister disagreed with parents over choosing a college major, she helped her to communicate with parents. “If necessary, I would always have her back,” said Liu. “The best part of having a sister is that you have a partner, friend and supporter throughout your life.”
But children with brothers or sisters also have to learn to understand and look after each other, said Laura.
1.There are ________ children in Lin Xiao’s family.
A. three B. four C. five D. six
2.The one-child policy caused some problems except ________.
A. the aging population B. labor shortages
C. the population growth D. the low birth rate
3.We can infer from the article that ________.
A. Lin Xiao doesn’t like her sister
B. Liu Fang has a 17-year-old sister
C. Laura is against the two-child policy
D. The one-child policy is out of date now
4.The best title for this article should be ________.
A. Brothers and sisters are good for us.
B. The family planning policy is bad.
C. The two-child policy helps a lot.
D. A new policy was made.
His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day late in the afternoon, while working to support his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby pond(池塘).He dropped his tools and ran to the pond. There, up to his neck in the water, was a terrified boy, crying and struggling to free himself. Obviously the boy did not know how to swim. Fleming jumped into the pond and quickly swam toward the boy. He saved the boy who could have been a terrible death.
The next day, a very cool carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s house. A well-dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Fleming saved the day before.
“I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.”
“No, I can’t accept any payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.
At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the farmhouse, confused by who was visiting them.
“Is that your son?” the nobleman asked.
“Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.
“I’ll make you a deal. Let me take him with me. I promise you that I will give him a good education. If the boy is anything like his father, he’ll grow up to be a man you can be proud of.”
And he did. In time, Fleming’s son graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London and went on to become a famous doctor.
Years later, the nobleman’s son became seriously ill. Who saved him? The farmer’s son did.
It’s important to help people no matter how successful you are in life. You never know when you are going to be the one who needs the help.
1.What happened to Fleming one afternoon?
A. He fell into a pond by accident.
B. He fell asleep near a pond.
C. He made a lot money from his job.
D. He saved a boy out of a pond.
2.According to the story, Fleming ________.
A. accepted the nobleman’s payment
B. didn’t accept money for helping others
C. hoped to get more money by refusing
D. asked the nobleman to support his son’s education
3.Which of the following about Fleming’s son is NOT true?
A. He took the place of the nobleman’s son.
B. He got a college education.
C. He became a famous doctor.
D. He cured the nobleman’s son.
4.What can we learn from the story?
A. A friend in need is a friend indeed
B. Don’t try to get payment for helping others.
C. An act of kindness always helps.
D. You can get a lot more by helping the rich.
Young Music Scene Concert Young musicians from all over Germany perform at Young Scene Concert at Berlin’s famous Quasimodo music hall. The concert is part of the Berlin Festival. Time: 15—20 Nov. Place: 45, 18756 Berlin, Germany Cost: Various
Email: info@quasimodo.de Phone: +34 (0) 45 839 5986 |
Documentary Film Month Cinemas, schools and libraries across France and the French-speaking world take part in November’s Documentary Film Month. About 120, 000 visitors take part each year. Time: 1—20 Mar. Place: 25 Road Pyramids, 75001 Paris Cost: Various Phone: +12 (0)1 43 38 19 73 Email: info@paris-touristoffice.com |
Craft (工艺) Show You can come to the show twice a year, in spring and at Christmas. There are hundreds of artisans (手艺人) from across Canada selling jewellery, pottery, glass, ironwork and clothing.
Time: 26 Nov.—7 Dec. Mon.—Fri. 11 am—10 pm Sat. 10 am—8 pm Sun. 9 am—6 pm Place: Direct Energy Centre Cost: $10 Phone: +7 658 198 3245 Email: askus@oneofakindshow.com |
Canada Blooms Toronto Garden and Flower Show The Canada Blooms Show every year at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre is the country’s largest indoor garden show.
Time: Mar. 9 am—6 pm Sun. 11 am—5 pm Place: Metro Toronto Convention Centre Cost: $18; under 12 free Phone: +1 235 447 8768 Email: info@mtccc.com |
1.People can enjoy music at Young Scene Concert from____________.
A. 1—20 Mar. B. 15—20 Nov.
C. 26 Nov—7 Dec. D. 1 Mar—20 Nov.
2.You can e-mail ________if you want to see Documentary Film.
A. info@mtccc.com
B. askus@oneofakindshow.com
C. info@paris-touristoffice.com
D. info@quasimodo.de
3. If two adults and two boys of 9 want to see Flower Show and Craft Show, it will cost them ____________.
A. $40 B. $56 C. $76 D. $112
阅读下列短文，掌握其大意，用方框中词中适当的形式填空。
much , arm , wait, see, when , spend, she, worry , have , grow |
Only Mother Love is true love. It gives everybody everything all his life. 1._______you are still a baby, mother takes good care of you as much as possible. In your waking hours she always holds you in her 2.________. When you are ill, she stops her work right now to look after you day and night and forgets about 3._______. When you are 4. ______up day by day, she feels very happy. When you are old enough to go to school, mother still looks after you all the time. On cold winter days, she always tells you to put on 5.______clothes. She always stands in the wind 6._______for you back from school. When you hurry to leave home for school with little breakfast, she always feels 7.________about you at home. She usually knows about your study and 8.________much money on your school things. When you do well at school, the brightest smile will be 9.________on her face.
Mother is always ready to give everything she 10.______to her children, not to receive. What true love that is in the world! We will remember Mother Love for ever.
