Last winter holiday, I visited a village with only 11 houses. Although the village 1. very small, I spent a whole day in it.
The village became popular because of Grandpa Huang's hard work. He bought a house there over 30 years ago, but in 2010 the village was to be pulled down. In order2. save the old village, Grandpa Huang painted on the walls of his own house and other houses. He painted things that he liked.3. most popular paintings for visitors were of famous people. One of them was a picture of Andy. I liked him so much that I asked a visitor to take a photo of that painting and me. On the ground of the village, Grandpa Huang 4. painted a lot of wellknown Chinese sayings.
I really had 5. good time in the village and wished to visit it again.
Once when I was a young boy, I boasted that I made my mind to win the first place at the coming piano competition, but I knew this goal was_____ impossible. Every year, the best players from all over the state took part in this _____. It was a huge deal, especially _____ a beginner like me.
My mom was my number one_____. Every day after school, she would sit down right next to me while Miss Green was giving me piano lessons or I was _____ my piano piece. When I couldn't and wouldn't play any longer, she would always say, "If you make up your mind to win, then act like it. Don't _____." After every practice, my whole body was in pain for numb fingers and stiff back. However, I didn't want to disappoint my mom, so I kept on practicing _____I finally slept on the piano keys.
Finally, the big day_____. Right before my _____ to perform, my mom said, "I know you want to win, but listen to me: Be there for the _____ not for the success, okay?" I managed to nod.
When I walked onto the stage, I was_____ that the judges would hear the beating of my heart instead of the music. Carefully, I took a _____ before the piano and began to play. Slowly, I began to _____ the world around me. I just let _____ fall deeper and deeper into the music.
Naturally I really won the first place. The experience made me realize that determination is not just saying that you will win. As my mom always said, "It's _____ to beat the person who is the best, but it is harder to beat the person who never gives up."
1.A.nearly B.mainly C.hardly D.exactly
2.A.competition B.exam C.concert D.test
3.A.with B.of C.for D.from
4.A.teacher B.director C.actor D.reader
5.A.writing B.making C.singing D.practicing
6.A.give off B.give away C.give up D.give out
7.A.until B.since C.after D.though
8.A.followed B.came C.reached D.left
9.A.way B.method C.turn D.task
10.A.praise B.record C.purpose D.experience
11.A.afraid B.interested C.excited D.surprised
12.A.look B.seat C.rest D.break
13.A.understand B.love C.forget D.visit
14.A.itself B.herself C.myself D.himself
15.A.wise B.easy C.common D.difficult
From a young age, I've had a really deep connection with being outside. I've been skiing since I was eight or nine years old. I've been on expeditions in many places like China, Pakistan and so on. 1.
It was April 1, 2011. I was skiing in the Tetons with my friends Jeremy and Xavier. That day, I was the last person to ski. They were watching me from a safe area. Suddenly, I heard someone cry loudly. I turned around and saw the whole mountain start to move behind me. 2. The kind of avalanche can destroy trees, cars, buses, even houses! Tens of thousands of tons of snow were coming straight down the mountain behind me. I felt the snow pushed me forward, hundreds of meters, and then covered me. 3. And then it pushed me forward again and up, out of the snowpack. I looked around and for a few seconds, I actually stopped being terrified. I had a moment to pause and to look at the power of the avalanche.
4. I could see trees that were 30m tall because I was so far away. They looked so small to me. Then the snow pushed me again down the mountain another 450m. I thought the force of the snow would destroy me, because it was powerful. But in the end, I felt the avalanche slow down.
5. They couldn't believe it when they saw me. I was so lucky. Has the experience changed me? Do I think about life differently? I don't know, maybe. But I know that it's important to live your life with meaning. Life is a gift, so use it wisely.
A.It was a massive avalanche.
B.It was so heavy that I couldn't breathe.
C.I looked down into the bottom of the valley.
D.It took Jeremy and Xavier about 20 minutes to reach me.
E.But I came closest to death in my home country, the USA.
My favourite inventor is Wang Xuan. As we all know, Wang Xuan was 1. of the most famous computer scientists and inventors. He invented the technology for printing Chinese characters. As a result, he is known 2. “The Father of the Chinese Language Laser Typesetting”.
Since there is a big difference3. Chinese and English writing systems, laser typesetting of the Chinese language was a serious problem for scientists all over the world. For this reason, Wang Xuan decided 4. try to come up with a solution. In 1975, he began researching laser typesetting and electronic publishing systems. Finally, he achieved it. Now, Wang Xuan's amazing invention is used all over the world. And it 5. been especially helpful to the Chinese newspaper publishing industry. He made great contributions to our country.
Word Bank
laser typesetting激光照排
Inventions make our life easier and better. A big invention makes us feel it all the time. There are also small inventions around us which are _____ and interesting.
Do you ever find it annoying to look for the TV remote? Are you tired of _____ shoes when playing different sports? Don't worry. Students at Clayton Middle School in the US might be able to _____ you.
Dylan Glick, an 8thgrade student, thought _____ the idea of a "retractable remote". The remote has a rope to connect with its resting place. _____ people push a button on the remote, the rope will give the remote back to its resting place.
"It is something that I would use, and I'm sure _____ parents would too, " said Glick. He said that sometimes at night when he wants to go to bed, he needs at least ten minutes _____ the remote. So he came up with the _____．
Allison Bicking, also a student in Grade Eight, had _____ similar idea. Bicking is a soccer player. She _____ spiked shoes when she practices running. If she plays soccer after she runs, she has to change her shoes.
To solve the _____, she designed many kinds of shoes. Finally, she invented "speedy spikes" after three months' hard _____. The spikes are retractable with a small button on each shoe. If you push the button, the spikes will come out or go back into the shoe _____, making the shoes suit different kinds of sports. It seems that inventing something is not _____. Inspiration always comes from our daily life, so keep your eyes open. Maybe the next great _____ who will make a difference to our life is you!
1.A.strange B.common C.useful D.dangerous
2.A.washing B.changing C.buying D.selling
3.A.help B.find C.see D.hear
4.A.about B.at C.on D.of
5.A.Although B.When C.Because D.Until
6.A.my B.her C.our D.their
7.A.find B.finding C.found D.to find
8.A.choice B.idea C.purpose D.plan
9.A.a B.the C.an D./
10.A.lends B.designs C.wears D.draws
11.A.example B.trouble C.mystery D.event
12.A.life B.study C.work D.task
13.A.quickly B.finally C.clearly D.happily
14.A.funny B.necessary C.successful D.difficult
15.A.doctor B.scientist C.inventor D.reporter
(素材选自21st CENTURY READING Book 1)
社交机器人
Nexi is one of a new generation of robots. It moves on wheels and can pick up objects. But robots like Nexi are more than just entertaining toys.
Nexi, a social robot created by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) , can express human emotions. Roboticists at MIT call Nexi a "social robot". A social robot is a robot that can communicate like a human. Nexi can look sad, mad, and even bored. Some social robots can also "read" our facial expressions. Roboticists believe that it won't be long before we have social robots in our homes, helping us live better lives.
Autom is another social robot developed at MIT. Autom is a robot health coach. It has a screen where you enter information about what food you ate that day or how much you exercised. Autom has a face with eyes that move. It speaks with a synthesized voice. Autom gives you advice about your diet and exercise and drives you to do better.
In a test, Autom helped people lose weight better than other ways of recording diet information. Roboticists think this is because Autom used facial expressions and words of encouragement. In other words, Autom communicated like a real person. In fact, many people who used Autom gave the robot a new name and talked to it. When robots use human expressions and body language, people reply to them a lot like they reply to people.
In the future, humans may communicate with social robots just like they do with other people. Let's wait and see what will happen in the future!
1.What can't Nexi do according to the passage?
A.Walk on foot. B.Pick up things.
C.Express human emotions. D.Communicate like a human.
2.What does the underlined word "emotions" mean in Chinese?
A.表情 B.行为 C.喜好 D.情感
3.How will our life be if we have a social robot at home?
A.Busier. B.Easier. C.Poorer. D.Richer.
4.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about Autom?
A.Autom's eyes can move. B.Autom speaks with a person's voice.
C.Autom always does exercise with people. D.Autom often encourages people to lose weight.
5.What's the best title for the text?
A.How to use a robot B.The life in the future
C.Two kinds of robots D.A group of great scientists
