In anticipation (预料) of an extraordinary visit, the streets and buildings of Havana, Cuba, were cleaned and painted by dozens of workers. What was the occasion?
For the first time in nearly 90 years, a sitting United States president was coming to Cuba, an island nation 90 miles south of Florida. On Sunday, President Barack Obama, joined by his family, stepped off Air Force One and onto a rainy runway, where Cuban dignitaries (高官) eagerly awaited him. “It’s wonderful to be here, ” the president said. The last time a U.S. president came to Cuba was in 1928. It was President Calvin Coolidge, and he arrived on a battleship. Obama will be in Cuba through Tuesday. He is set to meet with Cuba’s president, Raul Castro, attend a state dinner and even take in a baseball game.
The U.S. cut all ties with Cuba after Fidel Castro’s communist government took control of the island in 1959. In the years that followed, both countries’ opposing political views furthered the separation. Plans for social and economic change began after President Fidel Castro transferred power to his brother, Raul in 2008. Raul Castro then set a plan in motion to revive the country’s economy.
Since then, Cuba has been taking small, yet lasting steps toward change by removing a number of restrictions that had been set on its citizens, such as access to the Internet, the use of cellphones, and by allowing people to work at jobs not controlled by the government. Cuba, however, still has tough limits on media, public assembly and political opposition.
Obama hopes to share his vision for Cuba’s future during a speech he will deliver. Before the trip, Senior Advisor Ben Rhodes said the president hoped to use this visit as a way to “continue to create openings for great engagement between the American and Cuban people.”
1.What is stressed in the second paragraph?
A. President Obama’s arrival on television.
B. Obama and Castro talk about human rights.
C. The first serving U.S. president to visit Cuba recently.
D. First lady Michelle Obama was later welcomed.
2.What was the event showing Cuba’s change for the better?
A. Fidel Castro rose to power.
B. Raul Castro came to power.
C. Calvin Coolidge arrived in Cuba.
D. The U.S. officials arrived in Cuba.
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Cuba is central to conflict.
B. Cuba takes on media freedoms.
C. Cuba is working towards progress.
D. Cuba makes sure the right to healthcare.
4.According to Ben Rhodes, which is the purpose of Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba?[
A. To bring negative change for Cubans.
B. To carry out his vision for Cuba’s future.
C. To break silence and no communications.
D. To give Mr Castro a list of political views.
A machine that takes sweat-laden (浸满汗水的) clothes and turns the sweat into drinking water is in use in Sweden. The machine makes the clothes turn round quickly, heats them to remove the sweat, and then passes the steam through a kind of special material to make purified water.
Since it has been brought into use, its creators say more than 1000 people have drunk others’ “sweat” in Gothenburg. They add the liquid is cleaner than local tap water.
The device was built for the United Nations’ child-focused charity UNICEF to promote a campaign highlighting the fact that 780 million people in the world lack access to clean water.
The machine was designed and built by the engineer Andreas Hammar, known locally for his appearances on TV tech show “Mekatronik”. He said the key part of the sweat machine was a new water purification part developed by a company named HVR.
“It uses a technique called membrane distillation (膜蒸馏),” he told the BBC. “We use a special kind of material that only lets steam through but keeps bacteria, salts, clothing fibers and other things out. They have something similar to the International Space Station, but our machine is cheaper to build. The amount of water it produces depends on how sweaty the person is, but one person’s T-shirt typically produces 10ml, about a mouthful.”
The device has been put on show at the Gothia Cup-the world’s largest international youth football tournament. Mattias Ronge, chief executive of Stockholm-based advertising agency Deportivo, said the machine had helped raise awareness for UNICEF, but in reality had its limitations.
“People haven’t produced as much sweat as we hoped – right now the weather in Gothenburg is lousy,” Mattias Ronge said. “So we’ve equipped the machine with exercise bikes and volunteers are cycling like crazy. Even so, the demand for sweat is greater than the supply. And the machine will never be produced in large numbers, since there are better solutions out there such as water purifying pills.”
1. Which of the following is the disadvantage of the sweat machine?
A. It takes too long for the machine to produce water.
B. It costs a large amount of money to build the machine.
C. The amount of water the machine produces is rather limited.
D. The water processed by the machine is not clean enough.
2. UNICEF is mentioned in the text to ________.
A. show how the sweat machine works
B. tell us who invented the sweat machine
C. show the importance of the United Nations
D. explain why the sweat machine was invented
3. What did Mattias Ronge think of the sweat machine?
A. It did not work at all.
B. It was not worth popularizing.
C. It could only be used in summer.
D. The water it produced tasted sweet.
4.The text is written mainly to tell us that ______________.
A. a better solution to purifying dirty water is discovered
B. 780 million people in the world lack access to clean water
C. a machine which turns sweat into drinking water is invented
D. the pill which turns dirty water into clean water is produced
On a hot August morning, in a classroom overlooking New York’s Hudson River, a teacher guides a group of 3-year-olds completely in Chinese. This is just a language summer camp run by the primary school Bilingual Buds, which offers a year-round course in Chinese as well as Spanish for kids as young as 2.
A lot of research now shows the regular, high-level use of more than one language may actually improve early brain development. Knowing two or more languages can improve the ability to focus, decide and deal with information better. These important skills are grouped together, known in brain terms as “executive function”. The research suggests they develop ahead of time in bilingual children, and are already evident in kids as young as 3 or 4. Bilingual education, common in many countries, is a growing trend across the United States, with 440 elementary schools offering the study in Spanish, Chinese and French.
But Tamar Gollan, a professor at the University of California, has found a vocabulary gap between children who speak only one language and those who grow up with more. On average, the more language spoken, the smaller the vocabulary in each one. Gollan’s research suggests that while that gap narrows as children grow, it does not disappear completely. Gollan says, “Vocabulary tests help us find that bilinguals have the disadvantage, where you know the word but you just can’t get it out.”
In fact some of the values of bilingualism can’t be measured at all, of course. To speak more than one language is to open the mind to more than one culture or way of life.
Bilinguals also appear to be better at learning other new languages. Clarisse spent her early childhood in Switzerland speaking French. At 6, she learned English. Later she learned Spanish, German, and, during three years living in Tokyo, Japanese. Now she has easily mastered several languages.
1.Why should children learn more than one language according to Paragraph 2?
A. Because it can do good to children’s brain development.
B. Because it’s part of a language summer camp.
C. Because it is common in many countries.
D. Because it is popular with children.
2.The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to _________.
A. many countries
B. bilingual children
C. these important skills
D. two or more languages
3.According to Tamar Gollan, __________.
A. knowing two or more languages can improve children’s skills
B. the more languages children know, the better they will be
C. children had better not take vocabulary tests
D. bilingual education is not always good to children
4. From the passage we can learn_________.
A. Clarisse likes French best instead of Japanese
B. bilingual education is mainly loved by children
C. bilinguals can have a disadvantage in learning other new languages
D. knowing more languages can help children learn more about foreign cultures
Lego Bricks & More 10664 Creative Tower
List Price: $119.99
Price: $101.35 & FREE Shipping
You Save: $ 18.64 (16%)
Featuring 160 colorful Lego bricks to create anything your young kids can imagine, this item is designed to allow children complete flexibility and not to keep them to specific items made of certain parts. If you are looking for instruction sheets, many are found on the Lego site.
If you buy it together with the LEGO Ideas Book, the price for both will be $115.44.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
★★★★ Spectacular value!
By Marissa McRoberts on November 29
The typical price per piece of Lego has been slightly more than $10 since 2005. At $101 for 160 pieces, this set is about $ 0.6 per piece. It is a great deal.
But there are some downsides: no wheels, bushes, trees, grass, technic elements and that sort of thing, otherwise this is a fantastic starter set.
★★★★★ A great deal!
By Shawn Bosworth on December 6
I got this set as a Black Friday deal for an amazing $30! I wanted 2 sets but they were gone before I could even get my hands on one. A very nice man gave me a spare that he grabbed. It’s huge, strong and well-made. The box is about 2 feet tall and is strong enough for a storage option. I will absolutely be looking to get another set one day!
★★★★★ Impressive gift, even more impressive value!
By Katie Kate on December 25
It’s a great variety of pieces. The box is about 2 feet tall and is strong enough for a storage option. If you’re looking to add some basic bricks to start a collection, this is your set!
1.The Lego Bricks & More 10664 Creative Tower includes ______.
A. a few wheels B. a strong container
C. technic elements D. the LEGO Ideas Book
2.According to Marissa McRoberts, this set of Lego Bricks ______.
A. is a perfect starter set
B. costs too much money
C. should contain more pieces of bricks
D. is much cheaper compared with similar products
3. How did Shawn Bosworth get a set of Lego Bricks for $30?
A. He got the chance from a man who had an additional set.
B. He ordered two sets and was then offered a discount.
C. He grabbed the bargain when it was first served.
D. He made a deal with the seller for a lower price.
书面表达
高考在即，你发现班级中有的同学的压力很大，平时不眠不休拼命做题。请在校英语报上，就此现象，结合自己的经历，写一篇100-120个词的短文，向大家宣传正确的应试态度和做法。（开头已给出，不计入总字数）
We Should Lessen the Test Anxiety
As the College Entrance Examination draws near, quite a few of my classmates suffer much pressure.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文， 请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加: 在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除: 把多余的词用斜线( \ )划掉。
修改: 在错词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意: 1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
An American and a Frenchman decided to cross the sea between France and England in the balloon in 1784. High over the water, they discover a hole in the balloon. The hole became bigger and bigger. The air keeps the balloon up was escaping quickly and the balloon was coming up. The two men threw all their equipments into the water to make the balloon light. It started to rise higher again. So it was still too close to the water. Finally, the men threw away most of his clothes to save themselves. The crowd waiting for to greet them in England were very surprised see this when the balloon landed in front of them.
