In my professional life I am fortunate to have acquired some skills that I find I am able to use even though I’ve retired．
Last week while at church in the morning，I met a that had just moved to our state. Unfortunately they were robbed shortly after their ．and had the valuable belongings with all their papers stolen．A very kind person in the neighborhood had them in，but the family had very little ，no transportation，and no to enroll(注册)their son in school without the paperwork．
Enrolling that little boy in school to be the highest priority for the family. But the school district was playing hardball with them with no for them．They had gone to the library to how to replace this paperwork，but they found they could not the fees to replace the items quickly．
Because of my background as a(n) administrator and my computer skills，I was able to research for them online how to ．the needed documents at low cost with only a slight delay．I was able to speak with them and positively about the process and explain that waiting the few days would make very little in getting their little guy enrolled and attending school again．They told me they my taking the time to sit down with them and help them see the“forest for the trees”，for they had felt with what initially had seemed the impossibility of their situation．
Taking the time to my skills and “be present’’ with them had truly helped them regain some of the they had come to our city with when they moved— a better 1ife．
1.A．beggar B．boy C．family D．driver
2.A．arrival B．return C．flight D．change
3.A．criminal B．important C．beneficial D. expensive
4.A．forced B．hidden C．shown D．taken
5.A．money B．energy C．position D．courage
6.A．Plan B．aim C．way D．idea
7.A．happened B．seemed C．intended D．preferred
8.A．patience B．direction C．confidence D．sympathy
9.A．practice B．research C．suggest D．realize
10.A．afford B．support C．manage D．desire
11.A．politics B．education C．culture D．history
12.A．invent B．protect C．design D．replace
13.A．coldly B．shyly C．calmly D．wildly
14.A．exact B．proper C．extra D．final
15.A．sense B．difference C．room D．use
16.A．disliked B．considered C．insisted D．appreciated
17.A．surprised B．depressed C．excited D．amused
18.A．use B．pass C．take D．get
19.A．spirit B．task C．hope D．sense
20.A．putting in B．making C．taking up D．looking for
Everyone wants to achieve happiness and smile． 1. How do we find real happiness and smile? By getting rich'? In case you are scratching your head，looking for some reasons or ideas to be happy．here are a few．
1．Throw an impromptu(即兴的) party． 2. An impromptu one increases the．joy to a new level．And of course making other people happy is bound to have the same effect on you．
2．Treat yourself Sometimes all it takes to make one happy is a little indulgence(放纵)．So，go ahead and grab a cup of coffee and sit inside a blanket with a good book! You will be surprised at how happy it makes you．
3． 3. Happiness is can be transformed! When we feel happy and excited，it can lift the spirits of others．Your simple gesture can transform a person’s day and get him or her prepared to take on any challenge．
4．Have a conversation with a parent．If you are like most kids，you possibly spend more time texting or surfing the Internet than talking to．your family． 4. You will be surprised at the feeling of joy that it brings to you．
5．Finally，don’t forget to be happy every day! While International Day of Happiness may come about only once a year，happiness is around you all day and night 5.
A．You just have to seek it out and grab it．
B．Most of your family members show no interest in texting or the Internet．
C．But life is hard，so it is very difficult to find real happiness and smile．
D．Be friendly to others and smile at a stranger．
E．Set aside your mobile phone for a few minutes and have a chat with a family member．
F．You should try to celebrate the Day of Happiness every day and everywhere．
G．Nothing makes people happier than being invited to a party.
If you’re secretly worried about your smartphone addiction, then the new NoPhone might be just the thing you need．It looks and feels exactly like a smartphone，but it does nothing．It's just a piece of plastic that you can carry around in your hand to fool yourself．
Dutch designer lngmar Larsen came up with the idea as a joke along with his two friends．To their great surprise，the idea received a lot of attention online and people from all over the world stated placing requests for NoPhones of their own．So that’s when the three friends decided to turn to collect enough fund for mass production．
NoPhone is currently a prototype(模型)that will cost only $12 once it hits the market．It is 5.5 inches high，2.6 inches wide and 0.29 inches thick, bringing it quite close to the latest smartphones on the market．It is described as“battery free”，“no upgrades necessary”，“shatterproof(抗震)”，“waterproof'’and“an alternative to constant hand-to-phone contact that allows you to stay connected with the real world”．
“Phone addiction is everywhere．”the designers insist．“It’s ruining your dates．It’s distracting you at concerts．It’s blocking sidewalks．Now，there is a real solution．With a thin．1ight and completely wireless design，the NoPhone acts as a substitute to any smart mobile device，enabling you to always have a phone to hold without giving up potential engagement with your direct environment．”
If you’re interested in NoPhone，but concerned about not being able to take selfies(自拍) anymore．Don’t feel upset．The makers do have an upgrade at no extra charge—the mirror sticker．That way，they say，you can enjoy‘real-time’selfies with your friends when they’re standing right behind you．
1.What can NoPhone do for people according to the text?
A．It is actually a new kind of real smartphone．
B．It can help us stay away from the real world．
C．It helps get rid of people’s smartphone addiction．
D．It’s just a piece of plastic and can do nothing．
2.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
A．The size of Nophone．
B．The inventors of Nophone．
C．The material of Nophone．
D．A brief description of Nophone．
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A．NoPhone has received unexpected attention．
B．NoPhone can completely replace smartphones．
C．The designers have made lots of money from Nophone．
D．NoPhone is able to take selfies as smartphones do．
4.What type of writing is this passage?
A．A traveI guide． B．A scientific report．
C．A medical record． D．An official document．
Film director James Cameron first became interested in sea exploration when he was a little boy．His love for the ocean grew after he made the 1989 undersea adventure film The Abyss and the 1997 blockbuster Titanic，one of the most successful movies of all time．Following that big success，James Cameron decided to put his film career on hold to become an explorer．
In 2012，James Cameron made a journey to the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench，known as Challenger Deep．And now the great journey has been made into a documentary film，named James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D．
In James Cameron’s fantasy films，such as Avatar and The Abyss，the unexplored areas are decorated in colors and full of danger．But on his dive into Challenger Deep，the reality proved far different: white, deserted and dull．
“I felt like I had gone to another planet,”Cameron said after returning from the cold and dark place in the Western Pacific Ocean，nearly 7 miles below the surface．“I really have a sense of being separated and realize how tiny I am down in this big, black and unexplored place．”
Cameron captured(获取)the moon-like landscape of the deep sea and documented the sea creatures he observed in the ocean．
James Cameron’s Deep—sea Challenger 3D tells the story of Cameron’ s journey．It is a film about determination，danger and the ocean’S greatest depths．The movie shows a unique insight into Cameron’s world when he makes his dream reality and makes history by becoming the first person to travel alone to the deepest point on the planet．
It’s an exciting film and inspiring reminder that our beautiful planet still has a lot to explore．
1.When did James Cameron become interested in the ocean?
A．When he was in his childhood．
B．After his films The Abyss and Titanic．
C．After he achieved great Success in movies．
D．When he began to explore the deep sea alone．
2.What is the unexplored ocean like?
A．Colorful and dangerous．
B．Boring and deserted．
C．White and attractive．
D．Small and dull．
3.What can we know about James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D?
A．It is a film about the exploration of ocean creatures．
B．It is a story about Cameron’s film-making dream．
C．It aims to attract more people to explore the deep sea．
D．It tells us about James’ journey into Challenger Deep．
4.What is the best title for this passage?
A．The great dream of a film director
B．A film director exploring deep sea
C．James Cameron and his documentary film
D．The first person to make films about the deep sea
Coral reefs(珊 瑚 礁)are not just beautiful to look at，but also very useful．They shelter nearly 25％ of ocean life and provide food for billions of people．However, like many other species，this amazing ecosystem(生态系统)is in danger of dying out!
There are two main reasons for the destruction—the rising carbon dioxide levels caused by global warming as well as human influences like bottom operation．While not much can be done about the former，the loss caused by the latter can be reduced．
Bottom operation involves dropping nets to the ocean bed and then dragging them up when filled with fish．This action damaged the ocean floor，causing the coral branches to separate from the reefs．While that is very discouraging，the good news is that if these branches are found quickly，they can be saved．At present，that work is being performed by volunteer divers. But the method has only limited success because they cannot stay long underwater, nor reach depths of over 200 meters where some of the deep-sea coral grows．
However，this is not the case for Coral bots—the robots that can constantly seek out broken branches．A team of ‘coral bots’，each individually working to simple rules will piece together’ damaged bits of coral, allowing them to regrow. They are programmed to be able to distinguish between other things and the coral．The robots work together in groups，similar to bees．If one coralbot is damaged then the others will still be able to complete the task．
Dr Lea-Anne Henry said：“The project of using coral bots offers us the possibility to restore(修复)the function of reefs．It is in the final stage of testing．Once ready, the researchers hope to build hundreds of them and use them effectively in the waters off Scotland and then hopefully in the oceans across the world．”
1.Which of the following is a cause of the danger that coral reefs are facing?
A．The appearance of new creatures．
B．The seriously polluted sea water．
C．The activities of volunteer divers．
D．Human activities like bottom operation．
2.Compared with volunteer divers，coralbots ______________．
A．can stay longer underwater
B．must work as bees do
C．can distinguish what is coral
D．can never be damaged
3.What does the underlined word“them”in the last paragraph refer to?
A．Coralbots． B．Broken branches．
C．working bees． D．Bits of coral．
4.We can infer from the passage that _______________．
A．bottom operation has affected most underwater creatures
B．broken branches of coral can regrow if saved in time
C．hundreds of the coralbots have worked well in the oceans
D．with the coralbots all damaged coral reefs can be restored
Dear Ms．Smith，
It is with great interest and enthusiasm that I am applying for the arts education internship (实习)advertised in Sunday’s New York Times．This position is exactly what I am looking for and an ideal opportunity for me to use my knowledge，educational background，and experience．
My arts education at Pratt Institute has helped me develop a firm foundation in the arts．The courses I have completed at Pratt，along with my study abroad in Paris，has prepared me well for a position in arts education．I have always enjoyed a passion for the arts but my undergraduate (本科)education has taken my interest to a whole new level．I not only enjoy doing art but I find myself even more enthusiastic when I have the opportunity to teach what I have learned．
For the past two summers I have worked directly with children at CityArts．These experiences were amazing since my responsibilities included planning and directing major projects that were planned for the summer program that goes on each year for local children interested in the arts．I was given a concept at the beginning of each summer and I had complete control of how the projects were to be completed．The children were the creative force and often were the inspiration for the artwork that was eventually presented to the public．
I am very excited about the summer opportunity with the Children’s Museum of the Arts since I know that I can definitely make a positive contribution while doing what I love，teaching art to children．I will contact you in one week to discuss my candidacy(候选资格)and see if you have any questions about my education or experience．Thank you for your time and consideration．
Sincerely，
Samantha R．Gray
1.What is Gray’s purpose of writing this letter?
A．To advertise for herself in New York Times．
B．To show her great enthusiasm for CityArts．
C．To obtain the chance of teaching art to children．
D．To prove her successful educational experiences．
2.Paragraph 2 mainly tells us that _______________．
A．Gray tries to find chance to devote her rich art knowledge to children
B．Gray has gotten her undergraduate education at college in Paris
C．Gray had given up the art courses at Pratt Institute and left for Paris
D．the education Gray has received makes her optimistic about the opportunity
3.Which of the following isn’t mentioned by Gray in Paragraph 3？
A．Her management ability．
B．Her family background．
C．Her love for children．
D．Her working experience．
