Imagine you walk into a store. Strangely enough, you see no staff (店员) inside. You pick up things and prepare to wait in line and pay. But even more oddly, there is no cashier at all. So what has happened to this store?
Well, you may have entered Tao Café, a cashless store created by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. In July, the public got to see the store for the first time at Alibaba’s Taobao Maker Festival in Hangzhou.
The 200-square-meter store sells drinks, fast food and snacks. It can hold up to 50 shoppers at a time. To enter and shop, people only need a smartphone with a Taobao app and an Alipay account (账户).
By scanning their Taobao QR code (二维码), shoppers are followed with cameras for facial recognition. The store has also digitalized (数字化) all goods and their placement on the shelves. So when shoppers pick up goods, the system will be able to “watch” and “remember” their selection.
When shoppers are ready to leave, they don’t wait in line to pay. Instead, they go through two checkout doors. Then the bills will be paid with a Taobao account connected to Alipay.
According to Alibaba, the checkout machines can recognize goods even when shoppers put them in pockets or bags. So it is almost impossible to steal things from the store.
Tao Café is not the only cashless store in China. A 24-hour convenience store with no staff called BingoBox opened in Shanghai in June. To enter the store, shoppers scan a QR code on WeChat or Alipay. But unlike the Tao Café, they have to scan another QR code to leave the BingoBox.
1.The underlined word “oddly” means “_____”.
A.strangely B.surprisingly C.importantly D.helpfully
2.Tao Café is known as _____.
A.a coffee shop B.a cashless store C.an online store D.a shopping app
3.To buy things from Tao Café, you need to have all of the following EXCEPT _____.
A.a smartphone B.a Taobao app C.an Alipay account D.two QR codes
4.What are paragraphs 4 and 5 mainly about?
A.How to check out in Tao Café. B.Why Tao Café needs cameras.
C.How the system in Tao Café works. D.When the bills are paid in the store.
5.What can we infer (推断) from the passage?
A.The elders would enjoy shopping in Tao Café.
B.Lots of things will be lost in the cashless store.
C.Shopping at BingoBox is the most convenient.
D.It saves people much time to shop at Tao Café.
He was a poet known for the nostalgia he describes in his poems. Now, it’s time for us to express our nostalgia for this great writer.
On Dec 14, 2017, the famous Chinese poet Yu Guangzhong passed away in Taiwan.
Born in 1928 in Nanjing, Jiangsu, Yu studied in Sichuan when he was young. At that time, he had showed great interest in Chinese poems and spent a lot of his free time trying writing poems himself. Then he managed to publish his first poem at the age of 20. A year later, Yu and his family moved to Taiwan. He lived and worked there until his death.
Nostalgia (《乡愁》) is Yu’s masterpiece in which he expresses his homesickness for the Chinese mainland when he was in Taiwan.
Published in 1971, the poem remains highly popular among Chinese speakers worldwide. Even those who know little about literature (文学) are familiar with lines from the poem. The poem is included in Chinese high school textbooks.
Besides his achievements in poetry, Yu was also a successful essay writer, critic and translator.
He once translated English poet Siegfried Sassoon’s poem In Me, Past, Present, Future Meet into Chinese. It is regarded as an accurate and powerful translation, in which the most famous line is “心有猛虎，细嗅蔷薇” for “In me the tiger sniffs the rose”.
Yu spent his whole life writing. “The reason why I stick to writing till today comes down to my passion for the Chinese language,” he once said in a 2015 interview. He then added that this passion was strengthened by his love for his mother and his motherland.
Now, let’s appreciate the poem Nostalgia.
Nostalgia
When I was young,
Nostalgia was a tiny, tiny stamp,
Me on this side,
Mother was on the other side.
When I grew up,
Nostalgia was a narrow boat ticket,
Me on this side,
Bride on the other side.
But later on,
Nostalgia was a low grave,
Me on the outside,
Mother on the inside.
And at present,
Nostalgia becomes a shallow strait,
Me on this side,
Mainland on the other side.
1.What is Yu Guangzhong?
A.A poet, reporter and critic. B.A translator and publisher.
C.A critic, poet and translator. D.A translator and song writer.
2.Which of the following statements is true?
A.Yu lived with his family in Taiwan all his life.
B.Many Chinese people know the poem Nostalgia.
C.We can find Nostalgia in primary school textbooks.
D.Yu translated Siegfried Sassoon’s poem into English.
3.In what order did the events take place in Yu’s life?
① Yu and his family moved to Taiwan.
② Yu told the reason why he stuck to writing.
③ Yu’s poem Nostalgia was published.
④ Yu passed away in Taiwan.
⑤ Yu wrote and published his first poem.
A.①⑤②④③ B.⑤②①③④ C.①⑤④②③ D.⑤①③②④
4.Why did Yu spend all his life writing?
A.He made a lot of money from writing. B.He had great interest in English poems.
C.He loved his family and mainland a lot. D.He had a lot of free time and was bored.
5.What can we learn from the Poem Nostalgia?
A.He missed his family and homeland a lot. B.He didn’t want to come to his homeland.
C.He lived with his mother on the riverside. D.His mother had died when he got married.
Oct 31, 2013 wasn’t just another Halloween for me. While I was driving home, a vehicle struck my new car from behind, with a blow that sent me into the busy road. I fought hard to open my eyes for a second, but I lost consciousness (知觉).
After I was taken to hospital, the doctors told me I wasn’t going to be able to move anything from my neck down.
I had lost the use of almost every muscle and was very weak.
But at the rehab centre (康复中心), I saw a glimpse of hope and was inspired by other patients with injuries like mine.
The first year was slow and I didn’t see much progress. My head felt like a heavy ball and I couldn’t hold it up, and my blood pressure would drop all the time.
And while the idea of walking or even standing was out of the question, I sure did try.
Six months later, I was finally given the green light to return home.
However, that’s when the reality of the situation became clear to me.
I realized that my life was so different. I was unable to use a phone, and unable to feed or wash myself.
I couldn’t grip on to anything, a fork or spoon was too heavy to pick up.
I had to learn to be patient with myself, and to enjoy every moment going forward.
I was determined to walk again, so giving up was no longer a choice.
I fought hard on my recovery and still do to this day. I’m now moving my legs and arms on my own, doing things like working out, swimming, and yoga.
All of this is proving my doctors wrong, and is turning the page from the impossible to the possible.
My faith (信念), supportive family, friends, and team encourage me to continue to work harder.
I believe that this difficulty is an opportunity to grow, become stronger, and keep on fighting to hopefully inspire others not to give up.
I learned one lesson from my car accident: Never give up on faith, and never give up on hope.
1.Why wasn’t the writer able to move anything from his neck down?
A.The road was busy on Halloween.
B.He had a fight with other people.
C.He was driving carelessly on his way home.
D.His car was stuck by a vehicle from behind.
2.The underline expression “out of the question” is closest in meaning to “______”.
A.important B.hopeful C.impossible D.different
3.How is the writer now?
A.He is still fighting for recovery.
B.He has recovered and runs well.
C.He can’t move his legs or arms.
D.He has almost given up all hope.
4.Which word can best describe the writer?
A.Supportive. B.Faithful. C.Hard-working. D.Strong-minded.
5.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Life is Not Easy. B.Never Give Up.
C.A Terrible Accident. D.On Recovery Road.
A girl was working as a nurse in a private hospital. One day, a man was brought to her hospital, but soon he had to be transferred to a different hospital for an operation. The director of the hospital said that the ______ couldn’t be transferred unless he paid his bill first. The man was ______ ill and his family asked if they could pay the bill after the operation. But the director ______.
The nurse, who had just arrived to work, heard about the situation and made a _____ decision. She removed her golden bracelet (手镯), took it to the cashier’s desk and said she would use it to cover the patient’s ______. Thanks to her help, the patient was immediately transferred to the other hospital and his life was ______. Although the bracelet was the only piece of ______ jewelry (珠宝) she owned, the nurse donated (捐赠) it to save the patient, even though he was a ______ to her.
The nurse’s actions caught the attention of the doctor who was on duty that day. He later fell in love with the nurse and they at last got married.
We may give without loving, but we cannot love without ______. Love means giving as much as we can. Love is like a smile – neither has any value unless they are ______. As Mother Teresa once said, “It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do.”
1.A.nurse B.doctor C.patient D.visitor
2.A.seriously B.suddenly C.nervously D.certainly
3.A.failed B.fought C.refused D.agreed
4.A.interesting B.surprising C.exciting D.frightening
5.A.bill B.pain C.danger D.illness
6.A.injured B.damaged C.cured D.saved
7.A.comfortable B.wonderful C.enjoyable D.valuable
8.A.neighbour B.stranger C.relative D.leader
9.A.sending B.asking C.giving D.taking
10.A.given away B.taken away C.put away D.flown away
Alan was a skinny old man who lived all alone. One day he got a bad cold and he called for _____ doctor.
While the doctor was examining Alan, he asked: “Don’t you have a friend who could come and take care _____ you?”
“No, I’ve never had _____ friends,” the old man said.
“You’ve lived here all your life and never had a friend?” the doctor said in _____.
“I’m 64 years old, _____ I’ve never met anyone I could call a friend,” Alan said. “If it isn’t one thing wrong with _____, it’s another.” the doctor said. “Our village head, Robin, will surely help you if he _____ you are sick,”
“It’s so boring _____ to Robin,” Alan added. “You’d imagine there was nothing _____ than his wheat field and his wonderful, healthy pigs.”
“Then what about Max, the man ______ lives down the road?”
“A selfish man, ______ he’s smart and interesting to talk to,” Alan continued. “He visited me a lot before. But he’d come only when he felt like ______ so. I don’t call that neighbour.”
“You can’t bring up anything against Toby. Everyone loves him,” the doctor laughed.
“Right,” agreed Alan. “Toby would live on my doorstep if I let him. But he’s so noisy______ I can’t stand him for more than five minutes.”
“You’re a hard nut to crack, old man! You see too much of your neighbours’ weakness, and you don’t notice ______ good people they actually are. Anyway, please call me if you need me.” the doctor left and not a word of “thank you” ______.
Driving people away may end up lonely.
1.A.an B.a C.the D./
2.A.with B.for C.of D.at
3.A.any B.some C.many D.lots
4.A.surprised B.surprising C.surprise D.to surprise
5.A.or B.but C.and D.so
6.A.they B.them C.their D.theirs
7.A.will know B.knew C.know D.knows
8.A.to listen B.listening C.listened D.listen
9.A.most important B.more important C.most importantly D.more importantly
10.A.which B.why C.what D.who
11.A.whether B.though C.until D.because
12.A.doing B.to do C.did D.does
13.A.if B.so C.this D.that
14.A.why B.where C.what D.how
15.A.was heard B.heard C.hears D.hearing
手机正改变着人们的联系、娱乐和出行等方式。你知道手机的起源和发展吗？请根据下面表格的提示信息，结合手机的发展情况、外形、用途等方面，谈谈它的变化与发展。
要求：
（1）80 词左右（开头已给出，不计入总词数）；
（2）可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
（3）短文中不得出现你的真实姓名、学校名和地名。
第一部手机由美国人 Martin Cooper 发明于 1973 年。 |
外形特点；以前的手机屏幕较小并且多为黑白屏幕；现在的手机屏幕多为彩色，并且屏幕越来 越大，有的还拥有全屏(full screens)等。 |
功能用途：以前一般用于打电话和发短信(text messages)等；现在手机拥有各种软件(apps)，被应 |
用于生活的各个方面，如：听音乐、支付、购票、上网等。 |
Mobile phones are becoming more and more important in people’s daily life.
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