On winter nights, the wind usually blows strongly. Most of us stay inside our warm homes. Few of us think about the homeless. These people have no choice but to sleep on the streets. Some of them are so poor that they have no money to buy food.
A young man in Birmingham, England, made a decision to do something about this. Every night, he puts on a Spider-Man suit and gives food to the homeless he meets. He makes sure that these people won't go hungry.
The man refuses to make his name public. The local people call him the "Birmingham Spider-Man". The young man hopes his action will show others that everybody deserves (应得) a helping hand.
The 25-year-old man started his night activities in 2015. Every night at 9, he buys some sandwiches. Then. he finds a quiet alley and puts on his "uniform". After that, the "Spider-Man" starts handing his food out to people in need.
The man said, "I wear the Spider-Man suit in order to get attention." Without the suit, few people took a second look at him when he was handing out food. When people see the "Spider-Stan",however, they come over and ask what he is doing.
"The Birmingham Spider-Man" has already got lots of attention. Many people have offered to give away money to him. But the young man never accepts the money. Instead, he encourages people to go out and help people in need on their own. He said, "If more people offer a helping hand, the cold winter nights won't be so cold any longer."
1.How does the young man in Birmingham, England help the homeless people?
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2.When did the young man start his night activities?
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3.What does the young man hope his action will show others?
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4.Why does the young man wear the Spider-Man suit when he helps the homeless people?
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5.Why does the young man never accept the money that many people have given away to him?
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In Pontevedra, a city in Spain, people don't shout. Since cars are banned (明令禁止) in the city, there are no noises from cars. People don't have to try hard to make themselves heard. What you hear in the street, instead, is the singing of birds.
Miguel Lores, the mayor (市长), opens the windows of his office, and the sound of human voices1. (rise) from the street below. Lores says, "More than 14,000 cars used to pass along this street every day. There 2.(be) more cars passing through the city in a day than people living here."
Lores became mayor in 1999. He spent months3.(walk) around the city. "The historical city is dead," he said one day. "It is full of cars. It4.(pollute) heavily. There are a lot of traffic accidents. The elderly and children aren't able to use the streets because of cars. People who had a chance to leave have done so."
At first, Lores thought of improving traffic conditions. However, he couldn't come up with a good plan. After lots of discussions, the government finally decided5.( take ) action to ban cars.
The change6.(bring ) Pontevedra many advantages since then. Traffic accidents seldom happen. CO2emissions (排放物) are down 70 percent. Many people are moving to the city, making it lively again. Most local people in the city like the change. Ramiro Armesto, a mother of two young children, said, "In the past, the first thing to see in the morning was traffic jams. Now, the city is cleaner, quieter and safer." Raquel Garcia, another parent, said she had stayed in many cities around the world. However, she had never lived in a city as "easy to live in" as Pontevedra. "Even while it7.(rain). I walk everywhere. The feeling is wonderful," she added. "Pontevedra is paradise(天堂)”.
Wake up, boys and girls! Put up your hand if you try to repair your tired body by sleeping in(睡懒觉)on weekends. A new study says the habit might not be a good idea for your health.
The ten-day study came out in the magazine Current Biology. Volunteers were divided into three groups. The first group enjoyed nine hours' sleep each night. The second group was allowed to sleep only five hours each night. The third group was given five hours' sleep Monday through Friday.1.But they were put back on the short sleep schedule the next Monday.
Both the second and third groups ate more snacks at night and put on weight. They also saw a decrease (减少) in insulin sensitivity (胰岛素敏感性), a warning sign for diabetes (糖尿病). Researchers have long known a tack (缺乏) of sleep can increase health risks.2.
"Even though people in the third group slept as much as they could on the weekend, it was not enough," said Dr Kenneth Wright, who led the study. "When they went back to the short sleep schedule the next week, their body failed to control blood sugar. 3.
So what should we do if sleeping in over the weekend is not a good choice? 4. Cut out the "sleep stealers" such as watching television shows or spending time on computers or mobile phones. Always remember. Getting enough sleep is as important as having good caring habits or doing exercise regularly.
A.That was partly because their biological clock (生物钟) had been changed.
B.People can repair their tired body by sleeping in on weekends.
C.But it was surprising that the third group had been worse than the second one.
D.Dr Wright gave advice in two words: sleep longer.
E.And then they were allowed to sleep as much as they liked over a weekend.
The longest river in the world is the Nile. It is 4,160 miles long. But the Nile is not the mightiest (浩荡的) river. The Amazon is. The Amazon is also the second longest river in the world. It is 3,900 miles long. How long is that? It is longer than a road going from New York City to San Francisco.
The Amazon is the mightiest for this reason. It has the greatest amount of water. More water runs out to sea than from the Nile. Mississippi, and Yangtze rivers combined. That's a lot of fresh water! The force of its current (水流) is great too. The current can be seen 200 miles out in the sea. There's a story to show the Amazon's amazing current. A ship sailed (航行) far away from Brazil. It ran out of drinking water. Another ship passed by. The first ship asked for water. Someone on the second ship said. "Just put your buckets (桶) into the sea."
Here are a few more facts. At its mouth, the Amazon is 90 miles wide. Even up the river, you can't see the opposite bank. The river is also very deep(from 22 to 76 meters). During rainy season, the river rises about 16 meters more. Big ocean ships can sail about 1,800 miles upstream (向上游). Smaller ships can sail 1,000 miles farther.
What's the most bloodthirsty fish in the world? No. It's not the shark. It's the Amazon's piranha. It is only about 10 cm to 20 cm long. It has sharp teeth. Thousands travel in a group. No animal can swim across the rivet. A 1,000-pound horse would be just bones (骨头) in three minutes. Are you planning a trip to the Amazon? Here's a piece of advice. Leave your swimsuit at home!
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
1.After reading this passage it seems clear that____________.
A.people do not drink the Amazon’s water
B.it would not be good to visit the Amazon during rainy season
C.sailing on the Amazon requires knowledge of its current
2.The writer helps you understand how long the Amazon is by___________.
A.telling how long the Nile is B.comparing it to a distance(距离)on land
C.comparing it with the Yangtze River
3.In Paragraph Four, the word“sharp”means“_________”in Chinese.
A.锋利的 B.急剧的 C.强烈的
4.The passage mainly tells us____________.
A.piranha in the Amazon B.traveling in the Amazon C.interesting facts about the Amazon
Wearing a white blouse, Ai-Da studies her subject and begins to draw. She looks like any artist at work. However, the "beep ... beep ... beep" noise from her arm gives her away. Ai-Da is, in fact, a robot.
Ai-Da has been described as the world's "first AI (人工智能) robot artist". She takes her name from Ada Lovelace, the world's first female computer programmer. Scientists at Oxford University developed AI systems (系统) for Ai-Da. The robot has cameras in her eyeballs. After she has studied a subject, she will use her left arm to draw. Now, Ai-Da can only use a pencil for sketches (素描). The plan is for her to paint.
Ai-Da is not the first AI system to produce artworks. Since 2006, scientists have been developing software (软件) to turn photos into drawings. Last year, an artwork created using AI was sold in New York for $132,500. However, Ai-Da's human-like appearance brings something new to the field.
In June, Ai-Da opened her first exhibition at Oxford. There were about 30 drawings by the robot. Ai-Da, standing next to her artworks, attracted (吸引) many visitors.
Ai-Da's inventor, Aidan Meller, talked about the importance of the robot. "Ai-Da brings a new voice to the art world," she said. "AI is going to be the big thing of the 2020s. That influences us greatly." Meller hopes the exhibition was just the start and that more will follow to show how AI is influencing human life.
根据短文内容，判断下列句子正误。正确的用“A”表示，不正确的用“B”表示。
1.Ai-Da is a real artist who helps scientists at Oxford University develop AI systems.
2.Last year, scientists began to develop software to turn photos into drawings.
3.In June, Ai-Da opened her first exhibition at Oxford successfully.
4.Aidan Meller thinks AI is going to influence human life more and more greatly.
In America, Thanksgiving is a holiday_____________celebrates the love of family.
A.who B./ C.that
