I spent my childhood walking a fine line between being an energetic young boy and avoiding contact sports to protect my eyesight. I had lost the sight in one eye at the age of five, so instead of football, I put my energy into rowing and sailing. By the time I was 22, I was working towards rowing for my country.
Then, during a training session, I noticed my vision was unclear in my remaining eye. I had an operation and spent two weeks with bandages over my eyes. Sadly, it didn’t work, and the second operation two months later was also a failure. My world came crashing down. I had been flying high---- as well as my shining rowing career, I had been about to take my finals and get a job in the city. Now, as my fellow graduates celebrated their results, I lay in my childhood bedroom, angry. I would wake up in the morning and convince myself I could see a shadow, but I felt bitterly angry when I realized I couldn’t.
Previously, I had lots of assumptions about blind people, but now I joined their ranks. I had no choice but to change my attitude. I started to realize that my challenge was not about seeing but about creating a new life for myself. The simple pleasure of just sitting in a café and watching the world go by or even making eye contact with anyone is no longer possible. I had to rethink how to engage with the world. As much as I disliked the things of blindness---- white sticks, talking computers and guide dogs---- I welcomed these as the tools that would enable me to regain my independence. I moved out of my mum’s house and got a job in entertainment. I also started seeking out projects that would help me get out and mix with people. A big part of my identity has always been about the thrill of competing---- success and failure. I am excited when I am giving it my all, so I started to compete again, first in rowing and then in extreme physical challenges such as completing six marathons in seven days in Gobi desert. Filling my life with experiences helped to sweep the blindness to one side.
It took me 10 years really to deal with losing my sight. When I walked to the South Pole in 2009, the first blind person ever to go there, standing shoulder to shoulder with sighted people, I felt “normal” again.
But two years ago, my sense of “being normal” was challenged again. I was staying at a friend’s house when I fell out of a second-floor window onto the ground below. I have no idea how it happened---- I was just going to bed but ended up waking up in hospital. I hurt my brain, and my back in three places. I discovered that I couldn’t feel my legs. Doctors said that there was a 12-week period for sensation(知觉) to return, and when this came and went with no change in my legs, I began to despair.
I was due to get married, but on the day of our wedding my fiancée(未婚妻) was sitting by my bedside as I prepared for another operation to put metalwork in my back.
I’m still in a wheelchair, but I refuse to accept that my story ends here. I have got involved with a training program, which aims to redirect the nerve pathways in my legs through training. I’m now teaching myself to use sit-skis and a hand-powered bike. I’m sure how I’d manage emotionally without a sporting goal to drive myself forward. It has saved my life in a way. I may never win a gold medal, but that doesn’t stop me trying.
1.After the second operation, the writer __________________.
A. was full of confidence
B. found a job in the city
C. lost his sight completely
D. lay in bed sleeplessly
2.The challenge mentioned in Paragraph 3 refers to ________________.
A. building a new life
B. being unable to see any more
C. replacing the things for the blind
D. making eye contact with others
3.Having fallen out of a second-floor window, the writer felt despaired because _______________.
A. his fiancée broke away from him
B. he didn’t know how it took place
C. he might be unable to walk forever
D. he had to put metalwork in his back
4.We can learn from the passage that _________________.
A. the writer is a person who never gives up
B. the blindness has made the writer lose heart
C. winning a gold medal is impossible for the writer
D. the writer has never received any training in sports
WHEN you buy cooking oil in the supermarket, you may notice that some brands are labeled as “GM (genetically modified)-free”. So, what is genetic modification? Are GM foods safe?
These questions have been put back into the spotlight recently. On Nov 19, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US announced that it had approved the AquAdvantage salmon (三文鱼) to go on the market, making it the first genetically modified animal to be approved as food anywhere in the world.
GM foods are plants or animals that have been given a gene from another plant or animal to make them stronger in some way. The AquAdvantage salmon contains a gene from another type of salmon that makes it grow faster.
Although the FDA has said “food from the fish is safe to eat”, some believe that scientists can’t completely understand the potential health risks of GM foods, simply because they’re so new. Others worry that the fish could escape into the wild and cause ecological (生态的) problems.
GM crops have experienced the same controversy, even though GM technology cuts down on the use of pesticides (杀虫剂) on crops and increases yields.
While GM animals are new, GM crops have already appeared on our plates. A total of 28 countries in the world including the US, Brazil and India planted 181.5 million hectares (1.815 million km2) of GM crops in 2014, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications. In China, we grow GM cotton and papaya (木瓜) and import GM soybeans, corn, rape (油菜), cotton and beets (甜菜) from abroad.
Due to safety worries, many countries have regulations for producing and selling GM food.
In European Union countries, each GM food must be approved before it can be used. This process can take up to 17 months. The origin of all GM foods must also be traceable (可追溯的) , and all food with a GM content of more than 0.9 percent must also be labeled, according to EU website europa.eu.
The US is less strict about GM foods. According to FDA regulations, companies introducing new GM foods to the market should report them at least 120 days before release. The labeling is voluntary (自愿的), except that a product cannot be labeled as “GM-free” if genetically modified materials are used.
In China, GM foods can only be produced after strict tests by the Ministry of Agriculture say that they are safe. All food that is made from GM crops or contains GM ingredients must be clearly labeled on the wrapper (包装).
1.According to the text, the AquAdvantage salmon ______.
A. tastes better than normal salmon
B. is a product that mixes several types of fish
C. has a gene from a different type of salmon
D. remains to be approved in several countries
2.One of the reasons for many people to worry about the AquAdvantage salmon is that ______.
A. the gene that makes them grow faster can work on humans too
B. there are possible health risks that even scientists might not have figured out yet
C. they could possibly become threats to other wild species
D. they are not nutritious enough or might taste strange
3.From the text, it can be concluded that GM crops _____.
A. no longer cause any controversy
B. have already been planted in some countries
C. are popular because they don’t need pesticides
D. can increase yields, making them welcome in countries like Japan
4.Which of the following is TRUE about regulations for producing and selling GM food?
A. All food with GM content must be labeled in European countries.
B. In the US, the AquAdvantage salmon will have to be labeled as GM food.
C. In France, every GM food that is about to go on the market must be reported at least 120 days before release.
D. In China, all food that is made from GM crops or contains GM ingredients must be clearly labeled on the package.
If you haven’t heard of the expression, you must have been living under a rock for the past year, because “the world is big, and I owe it a visit” was all over the Internet last year.
This expression was chosen as one of 2015’s “popular cyber phrases” in China. When a year comes to an end, many institutions, including the National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center, People’s Daily Online and CCTV, put together their lists of the Internet’s most used words and phrases.
Most of the selected words and phrases may seem funny and playful, but they can show lifestyle changes. The term “duoshoudang” meaning shopping addicts is a good example. The past year saw record-high online shopping sales in China, the world’s largest e-commerce market. In fact, according to Xinhua, e-commerce (电子商务) is “a new engine” for China’s economic development.
Meanwhile, although phrases like “xiasibaobaole” meaning “you scared the pants off me”may be a fun expression, they reflect the desire for attention now that social networking sites and apps such as weibo and WeChat have become part of people’s lives. “People now have a need to express emotion in bite-size, 140-character bits,” wrote The New York Times.
Here, Teens has picked some phrases from last year’s popular “cyber words” lists. Did you use them often?
The world is big, and I owe it a visit.
Seeing more of the world has become a hot topic for Chinese people in recent years. But never before had someone used it as an excuse to quit a job until Gu Shaoqiang did. The 35-year-old middle school teacher in Henan province struck a chord with (产生共鸣) the nation by posting her 10-word resignation letter: “The world is big, and I owe it a visit.”
The letter’s simplicity, honesty and bravery are what made it one of 2015’s top catchphrases (流行语), wrote Zhang Shixuan, a commentator for People’s Daily.
A pretty face can feed you, yet you choose to make a living off your talent.
Comedian Jia Ling is well known for her funny performances as well as her plump figure. So it came as a great surprise when a photo of her surfaced online, showing how slim and pretty she was in her younger years. In response, true to her humorous nature, Jia wrote this on Sina Weibo: “My story shows that I could totally have lived on my pretty face, yet I chose to rely on my talent.” Since then, the words have become popular when describing good-looking people who are still hardworking.
Other popular “cyber words” include “it’s your charm that matters”, “important things should be stressed three times”, “makers” (创客), “memeda”, a phrase to show cuteness and affection and “xiaoxianrou” referring to young and pretty men.
1.Which is the most popular network buzzword of 2015?
A. It scared me to death.
B. It’s your charm that matters.
C. Important things should be stressed three times.
D. It is not mentioned in the passage.
2.The underlined phrase“ living under a rock” is closest in meaning to ____________.
A. living far from satisfaction
B. living out your fantasy
C. living unexposed to the world
D. living up to others’ expectation
3.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Gu Shaoqiang resigned because of financial and mental pressure.
B. If you think Jia ling is fat and humorous, you may get the wrong end of the stick.
C. Hot online words basically bring more harm than good to Chinese culture.
D. New words are a reflection of changing technology, politics, morals, and worldviews.
Dear Alcohol,
You’ve been around forever. I can remember all the pain you’ve caused for me.
Do you remember the night you almost took my father’s life? I do. He loves you. Sometimes I think he loves you more than he loves me. He’s addicted to you, to the way you promise to rid him of his problems only to cause more of them. You just sat back and laughed as his car went spinning through the street, crashing into two other cars. He wasn’t the only one hurt by you that night.
Do you remember the night of my first high school party? You were there. My friends were intrigued by you. They treated you as if they were never going to see you again, drinking all of you that they could. I spent two hours that night helping my friends who had fallen completely. “I’m so embarrassed,” they said as I held their hair back so that they could vomit (呕吐). “I’m sorry,” they said when I called taxies for them, walking them out and paying the driver in advance. “This won’t happen again,” they said as they were sent to the hospital to have their stomachs pumped. Two 15-year-old girls slept in hospital beds that night thanks to you.
Do you remember the night when you took advantage of my 17-year-old neighbor who had to drive to pick up his sister from her dance lessons? Do you know how we all felt when he hit another car and killed the two people in the other car? He died the next morning too. His sister walked home from her dance lesson, and passed police cars and a crowd of people gathering on the sidewalk just two blocks away from the dance studio. She didn’t realize her brother was in the midst of it all. She never saw him again. And it’s all your fault.
I wish you’d walk out of my life forever. I don’t want anything to do with you. Look at all the pain you’ve caused. Sure, you’ve made people happy too from time to time. But the damage you’ve caused in the lives of millions is inexcusable. Stop luring（诱惑）in the people I love. Stop hurting me, please.
Sincerely,
Anonymous
1.What is author’s purpose in writing to alcohol?
A. To introduce Mr. Alcohol to the readers
B. To describe the harm alcohol did to his family.
C. To show how much alcohol can hurt people.
D. To show the great fun that alcohol can bring to people’s life.
2.What did alcohol do to the author’s father?
A. It made him crash into two other cars and took his life.
B. It made him drink too much and he had to get his stomach pumped.
C. It made him kill two other people when driving.
D. It made him get into a car accident and badly injure himself.
3.What is the tone of the article?
A. Critical. B. Doubtful.
C. Unconcerned. D. Humorous.
4.What is the main writing technique of the passage?
A. Making something less noticeable than usual.
B. Representing something in the form of a person.
C. Describing something by listing its harmfulness.
D. Comparing one thing with another to make his point clear.
完形填空
阅读下面的短文，从短文所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳答案。
From my second year of primary school on, there was one event I dreaded(害怕) every year: the piano recital(独奏会). A recital meant I had to practice a ______ piece of music and perform in front of strangers who knew the ______ much better than I. Each year I would ask my father if I could skip the recital “just this once”. And he ______ say something about building self-confidence and working toward a goal.
So it was with great satisfaction that I stood in church one recent Sunday, and watched my father ______ in his shirt and tie before rising to play the piano in his very first recital. My father had ______to play music when he was small. But his mother couldn’t afford lessons. A ______ couple helped him, but he soon ______ after being teased by other boys. Three years ago, when he retired he asked his church music director, Charles Staples, to take him as a/an ______. One recent Sunday just before the recital, he told me my dad was playing “the best I’ve ever seen him. I keep waiting for him to reach his ______, but he hasn’t yet.”
For a moment ______ my father sat down at the keyboard to play, he simply stared ______ at his fingers, and I wondered whether he would even begin. He’s forgotten the notes, I worried, remembering those moments decades ago when my mind would go ______ and my fingers would ______. But then Aram Khachaturian’s melody came, and I realized he has been doing what music teachers always tell their new students to do: focus on the music and ______ the rest of us aren’t there.
My dad______ it through Melody and then through another one. What he lacked in skill, he more than ______ in feeling. He rose, turned to his audience and bowed, making us laugh ______ relief and affection (爱).
Also in the audience was my 11-year-old son Jeff.
“So what did you think about your granddad?” I asked Jeff later.
“He was great,” Jeff replied.
“I’m proud of him for starting something new at his age,” I said.
“Yeah, and doing it so well,” Jeff added.
My father may not have reached his peak ______, but as far as his grandson is concerned, he’s at the top of the mountain.
1.A. sweet B. bright C. boring D. sad
2.A. profession B. notes C. recital D. event
3.A. would B. should C. could D. might
4.A. wearing B. sweating C. gathering D. switching
5.A. longed B. learned C. managed D. started
6.A. senior B. rough C. gifted D. kindly
7.A. started B. stopped C. enjoyed D. progressed
8.A. student B. teacher C. player D. assistant
9.A. goal B. aim C. peak D. standard
10.A. after B. while C. since D. as
11.A. away B. down C. out D. through
12.A. mad B. wild C. blank D. cool
13.A. move B. apply C. slide D. freeze
14.A. ignore B. pretend C. guess D. announce
15.A. made B. got C. reached D. played
16.A. put hands on B. made up for C. take the place D. came to life
17.A. with B. at C. from D. by
18.A. purposely B. thoroughly C. musically D. originally
----How does the story The Emperor's New Clothes ________?
----Once upon a time, there was a silly Emperor who loved clothing more than anything else…
A. clarify B. spread C. go D. advance
