Tom Avery is one of the only 41 people ever to have reached both the South and North Poles. He was born in December 1975 and brought up in England, Brazil and France. His passion (强烈爱好) for adventure began when he was just seven years old and first read about the expeditions (探险) of famous explorers. Perhaps this was the start of his plan to put together the ultimate (终极的) journey — to the very top of the world, the North Pole, following the route taken by Robert Peary in his 1909 adventure.
Both Peary and Avery set off from Cape Columbia in Canada. Peary had a larger team and in fact had four support groups. Every 160 kilometers, a group would leave plenty of food and then turn back. The team therefore got smaller the further north they travelled. While Avery didn’t have as many on his team, they did have food dropped by plane for them at four locations.
Avery’s team also had the obvious benefit of modern technology, but Avery doesn’t believe this made a big difference. He credits (把……归功于) his team’s success to the 16 Inuit dogs that pull the sledges (雪橇). “It wouldn’t have been possible without them,” he said. “Your speed depends on the dogs and how quickly you can get a sledge through the ice.” His team were travelling at the end of winter and this meant that the ice was thinner and could easily break under a person’s weight. This was an added danger.
Another difference between both men’s journeys was that Peary was far more experienced than Avery and had already been on several trips to the Arctic.
Peary claimed (声称) to have reached the North Pole in 39 days, but some historians argue that this was not possible. Avery’s team actually beat this time and became the fastest to get there on foot. Avery says, “We told everyone we could do it and that we wouldn’t fail. But it certainly wasn’t easy.”
1.What is the purpose of the text?
A.To explain why Avery and Peary travelled to the North Pole.
B.To compare Avery and Peary’s personalities.
C.To describe ways of reaching the North Pole.
D.To describe two difficult journeys to the North Pole.
2.How did Peary’s North Pole expedition differ from Avery’s?
A.Peary’s team was smaller than Avery’s. B.Avery’s team was offered food by air.
C.Avery started from a different place. D.Peary took a very different route.
3.Avery believed that having modern technology ___________.
A.slowed his team down B.improved the safety for the team
C.wasn’t of great importance D.helped his team to travel faster
4.How did Avery feel about the Inuit dogs?
A.He was very thankful to them. B.He would take more dogs next time.
C.He was surprised at the speed of the dogs. D.He thought they were well-trained.
5.What is the best title for the text?
A.Great Danger in the Arctic! B.Record-breaking Journey to the North Pole
C.How to Lead a Successful Team D.Finding a New Route to the Arctic
Lynne Edwards collects interesting materials for making quilts. She started making quilts many years ago, and is well known for this work at art centers around the world.
“When I see a piece of material I love, I must have it cut into shapes,” Lynne says.
Making quilts wasn’t the popular hobby as it is today. It started around the 18th century in America, when mothers and daughters at home wanted something to do. They spent days cutting and fitting small shapes together to hang on the wall. In those days, many people couldn’t afford much material. So they made simpler quilts for keeping themselves warm in winter. They cut larger square, rectangle (长方形), and triangle shapes. These shapes, or “patches (补丁)” , of material fitted together well, with very little waste of material.
In America, the “patchwork” had names like Bear’s Foot, Duck Tracks, and The Snowy Mountains. Each quilt told a story about the animals and the countryside where they were made. These old artworks are displayed, now, in museums and art shops where people copy the colors and shapes.
The skills to make quilts by hand were nearly lost in the early 20th century. More people had jobs in cities and the shops sold cheap new machine-made material for homes. People were too busy to cut material and join shapes together using their hands. In the late 20th century, people’s interest in old countryside hand skills helped in making homes look interesting. Making handmade quilts soon became the trend (趋势) of that time.
“It’s always better” says Lynne, “to make your own quilt by hand, or better still, with family. A handmade family quilt is special. Sharing quilt making with family is a social event. This is the one you want to keep forever.”
1.What was the most important reason for making quilts in the 18th century?
A.To keep people warm. B.To add interest to homes.
C.To have a special hobby. D.To find something to do.
2.Some people used large squares, rectangles and triangles in order to ___________.
A.use less material B.make the shapes easily
C.enjoy the artwork D.keep the shapes the same size
3.What do we know about the quilts in America from the names of the artworks?
A.People had a great love for small animals.
B.Some quilts showed a picture of a modern city.
C.All the quilts were made in country villages.
D.Most quilts were made using the same shapes.
4.Making handmade quilts was a popular activity in the late 20th century because ___________.
A.more farmers left their hometown to work in cities
B.machines could join different shapes together easily
C.cheap machine-made material was available everywhere
D.people became interested in old countryside hand skills
5.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.Sharing quilt making skills can let us make new friends.
B.A handmade family quilt is always unforgettable.
C.A handmade quilt is warmer than a machine-made one.
D.A quilt can be made easily if the whole family did it.
There were once two brothers who lived near a forest. Their parents died. The elder brother was very bad to his younger brother. He ate up all the food and took all his brother’s good clothes.
One day, the elder brother went into the forest to find some firewood to sell in the market. As he went around, cutting down the branches (枝条) of tree after tree, he came upon a magical tree. The tree said to him, “Oh, kind sir, please do not cut my branches. If you spare (放过) me, I will give you golden apples.” The elder brother agreed, but he was disappointed with the number of apples the tree gave him. Greed overcame him, and he said to the tree he would cut the whole trunk if the tree didn’t give him more apples. Instead of giving him more golden apples, the magical tree sent out hundreds of tiny needles (刺) and stuck them onto the elder brother’s body. The elder brother lay on the ground, crying in pain.
When it became dark, the younger brother grew worried and went in search of his brother. He found him lying in pain near the tree, with hundreds of needles on his body. He rushed to his brother and removed each needles with love. After he finished, the elder brother said sorry for treating him badly and promised to be better. The tree saw the change of the elder brother, and gave them all the golden apples they could ever need.
1.Why did the elder brother go to the forest?
A.He wanted to find golden apples. B.He wanted to find the magical tree.
C.He wanted to find some wood to sell. D.He wanted to keep away from his brother.
2.What does the underlined word “Greed” mean in Paragraph 2?
A.愤怒 B.胆怯 C.感激 D.贪婪
3.Where did the younger brother find the elder brother?
A.Near their house. B.Near the magical tree.
C.Near a market. D.Near a river.
4.What does the story mainly tell us?
A.It is important to be kind, as it will always be rewarded.
B.We should protect trees and shouldn’t cut down trees.
C.We’d better not cut down trees with needles on them.
D.It’s dangerous for you to go into the forest by yourself.
5.Where does this article probably come from?
A.From a science report. B.From a fashion magazine.
C.From a fairy tale. D.From a news website.
阅读对话，从每题A、B、C、D 四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案完成对话。
A: Hi, Jack! _________
B: Hi, Amy. I’ve had an online class called DIY Your Own Desserts.
A: Wow, it’s fantastic! _________
B: Because it’s not safe to go out to buy desserts during these special days.
A: Well, how do you have lessons?
B: The teacher shows me how to cook and guides me how to prepare and make the food on the Internet.
A: _________ Sounds like you really enjoy the class!
B: Yeah. Can you imagine how happy my parents are when I give them DIY food?
A: Of course. You are their pride.
B: Thanks. _________
A: Sure I am. It’s great fun to enjoy the home-made food.
B: Would you like to join us? The class runs every day and you can start at any time!
A: Wonderful! _________
B: Each lesson will only cost 10 dollars. During each lesson, we’ll learn three kinds of desserts.
A: Sounds cool! I can’t wait to sign up for it. Thank you, Jack!
1.
A.Did you study hard at home? B.Have you been back to school?
C.What have you been up to these days? D.How is your online class?
2.
A.What do you think of the cooking class? B.Where can you buy the desserts?
C.Why do you have the cooking class? D.Do you want to do it by yourself?
3.
A.How interesting! B.Nothing special.
C.That’s true. D.Feel free to do it.
4.
A.Would you like to cook by yourself? B.Am I good enough at cooking?
C.Are you busy doing schoolwork? D.Are you interested in cooking?
5.
A.How many lessons are there in total? B.How much should I pay for the lessons?
C.How long does each lesson last? D.How do you like each lesson?
I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch (牧场). He told me a story of a young boy when I last saw him.
When the young boy was in high school, his teacher asked him to write a paper about what he wanted to be when he ________ up. He wrote a seven-page paper describing his ________ of someday owning a ranch. He put a great deal of his ________ into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later, he received his paper ________. On the front page was a large red F. The teacher said, “This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. Owning a horse ranch ________ a lot of money. You can’t make your dream come true with no money. If you rewrite this paper with a more realistic dream, I will ________ your grade.”
The boy went home and asked his father for ________. His father said, “Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. And ________, I think it is an important decision for you.” Finally, the boy turned in the same paper, ________ making any changes at all. He said to the teacher peacefully, “You ________ keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”
Monty turned to me and said, “I tell you this story ________ you are now sitting in the 4,000-square-foot house in that young boy’s ranch. And I think the ________ part of the story is that two summers ago that same teacher brought 30 kids to ________ out on my ranch for a week.” When the teacher was leaving, he said, ‘Monty, when I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. I stole a lot of kids’ dreams in those years. Luckily, you had enough courage not to give up on ________.’
Once you decide to do something, follow your heart and keep it. Don’t let ________ steal your dreams.
1.A.came B.grew C.brought D.thought
2.A.goal B.choice C.research D.work
3.A.mind B.action C.heart D.attention
4.A.up B.back C.away D.out
5.A.makes B.wastes C.requires D.saves
6.A.reconsider B.repeat C.reuse D.review
7.A.money B.prediction C.guide D.advice
8.A.anymore B.again C.anyway D.actually
9.A.without B.through C.by D.against
10.A.must B.need C.should D.can
11.A.when B.since C.because D.before
12.A.best B.most C.worst D.least
13.A.get B.camp C.take D.cut
14.A.mine B.ours C.theirs D.yours
15.A.no one B.everyone C.someone D.anyone
—Father’s Day is coming. I’m thinking about ________.
—Good boy!
A.what present I gave my father B.how I can give my father a surprise
C.if I planned a party for my father D.where will my family have a big meal
