For the past two years I have been travelling and living abroad. ______ has become more of a feeling than a place. I feel at home ______I am with my family in London, but I _____feel at home in Italy with friends I ____ , or in Spain with my partner. Home is no longer a picture of a ______with a front door and some windows. It is more _____than that.
This is one of the reasons that ______the New Year has become very important for me. New Year’s Eve has become my time to reconnect with the________that make me feel at home. Every year we try to reunite, no matter where the world has _______us, and remember a time when we knew each other so______that we felt like a family. It is a moment to reconnect and get to______each other again. Last year, we ______to a cottage(村舍)in Ireland______ we had no Internet and no neighbours. In the middle of the______, away from our big and constantly changing lives, we were able to become like a little______again.
This year, we went to Barcelona. It was a very big change. We were ______by culture and joy. There were bars and parties. It was_______, but one thing stayed much the same---I felt at home and we felt like a family________.
Two hours into 2017, I realized that I was______enough to be with people who didn’t mind and just wanted to ______the first day of the New Year with me even if it was on a sofa watching TV!
1.A. Mind B. Life C. Home D. Advice
2.A. since B. until C. before D. when
3.A. also B. either C. never D. ever
4.A. meet B. love C. help D. touch
5.A. temple B. tower C. house D. castle
6.A. interesting B. wealthy C. difficult D. complicated
7.A. celebrating B. decorating C. congratulating D. making
8.A. classmates B. friends C. relatives D. workers
9.A. invited B. brought C. taken D. attracted
10.A. seriously B. easily C. closely D. well
11.A. notice B. hear C. know D. find
12.A. travelled B. led C. belonged D. submitted
13.A. how B. why C. where D. which
14.A. city B. countryside C. capital D. river
15.A. organization B. team C. group D. family
16.A. refused B. surrounded C. buried D. connected
17.A. different B. grateful C. normal D. lost
18.A. already B. yet C. just D. again
19.A. wrong B. lucky C. clever D. cool
20.A. spend B. pass C. admire D. approach
How to Communicate With a Deaf Person
Communicating with a deaf person doesn’t have to be as difficult as it might seem. The trick is to be patient, straightforward, and to remember that deaf people communicate visually. Before you know it, you’ll forget you were ever worried!
Method 1: Staring Your Conversation
1.You can do this by moving into the person’s field of vision and waving from a polite distance, or by tapping the person gently on the shoulder. If it’s a real emergency, you can also turn the lights off and on quickly.
Position yourself carefully. Make sure that the light in the room is shining directly onto your face, and that you’re not standing with your back to a light. 2.
Find out how the person prefers to communicate. Some deaf people are better lip-readers than others. Some deaf people may prefer to write back and forth or to use an interpreter. Man interactions between the deaf and the hearing require a combination of these methods. 3.
Method 2: Communicating through Lip-reading.
Keep your sentences simple and use plain language. 4.The more complex your phrasing and vocabulary, the more likely your deaf companion is to miss something. Try to avoid using slang or expressions that aren’t widely known.
When someone else is speaking, don’t turn away from the deaf person in your group. 5.You don’t have to look at the deaf person while someone else is talking, but try to make sure your face is visible.
A. Get the person’s attention.
B. It’s important not talk too quickly.
C. Or, they’ll miss parts of the conversation.
D. If so, it’ll make them feel left out of the conversation.
E. Stand directly in front of the person, at a normal distance.
F. The best way to know which methods are most effective is to ask.
G. Try not to be too difficult when using your words in the beginning.
In my opinion, classical music is a bit like mushrooms! You don’t see the link? Let me explain. When I was younger, I didn’t like mushrooms. They had a horrible texture(质地)and no taste at all, and I used to pick them out of every dish in which my mum tired to hide them. But gradually, as I got older, my view changed. I started to enjoy mushrooms-flavoured things like soups and sauces, and eventually I found I could eat mushrooms without grimacing(痛苦的表情). And now I even quite enjoy them! So my mum’s prediction that I would “grow into them” was proved quite correct.
Similarly, I always thought of classical music as this boring genre(类型)that only boring grown-ups liked. Whenever my parents played it in the car, I would count down the minutes until we could change it to my preferred genre: pop. But while at university, I found that calming orchestral music was just the thing for library revision playlists---it had no lyrics to stop me concentrating on my study, and the pieces tended to be very long; perfect for long work sessions!
Recently, my developing relationship with classical music reached a new level when I voluntarily chose to go to a ballet. Admittedly, it was the dancing that originally attracted me, but once there I thoroughly enjoyed the music too. It was The Nutcracker, and I was surprised by just how much of music I recognized! The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, The Russian Dance, The Waltz of the Flowers—they all sounded familiar. I didn’t know how I knew them, I just knew that I did! And I loved them. My parents would be proud.
1.Why did the author first hate eating mushrooms?
A. The author’s mother always cooked them
B. The mushrooms had terrible look and no taste
C. Some mushrooms had bad effects on health
D. Some mushrooms tasted terrible
2.How does the writer connect classical music with mushrooms?
A. By comparison B. By the order of time
C. By telling facts D. By imagination
3.What did the author’s parents think of classical music?
A. Uninterested B. Favorite
C. Curious D. Bored
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. The Art and Life
B. The Change of Hobbies
C. Classical Music and Mushrooms!
D. Music or Mushrooms?
I used to believe courtesy was a thing of the past. Very seldom have I encountered a courteous human being in this modern era.
Recently, I had to change my thinking, when I came face to face with just such a human being in a coffee place, with my two daughters. The place was crowded as usual and we had to climb steep(陡峭)stairs in order to find an empty table. After enjoying coffee and snacks, we went down the narrow stairs, where there was hardly any space for another person to either climb up or come down.
Just as I was in the middle of the stairs, a gentleman entered the main entrance of the restaurant which was right in front of the staircase(楼梯). I was sure I would be pushed roughly by this man going up. I kept coming down as fast as I could. My daughters were already down, looking up at me worriedly, hoping I would reach them before the stranger started walking up the stairs, knowing I was a nervous sort.
Nearly reaching them, I noticed the man still standing near the door. I reached my daughters and passed the stranger at the entrance door which he kept holding open. I looked back thinking he was still at the door, deciding whether to go in or find another less crowded place. I saw him going up the stairs, two at a time. I told my daughters about it and all three of us felt bad that we did not even thank the courteous gentleman who was actually holding the door open for us ladies to pass through before going up.
Such well mannered people are hard to find these days, when pushing is very common in our advanced but aggressive society. We applauded for his chivalry(骑士精神).
1.What is the meaning of the underlined word “courtesy” in Paragraph 1?
A. A brave action B. Sacrifice spirit
C. A considerate action D. Selfish behavior
2.What did the author think of the man at the first sight of him?
A. He was in a hurry
B. He would wait for her
C. He would cross her rudely
D. He was a man with good manners
3.Why did the author’s daughters worry about her?
A. She was easy to be nervious
B. She took up too much space
C. She was too old to walk fast
D. She focused too much on the man
4.What can we learn about the man from Paragraph 4?
A. He might be a waiter of the café
B. He might have an urgent business to do
C. He loved a daughter of the author
D. He would hold the door open for all
Learning new cultures is one of my favorite things to do.
College is a time for new and exciting experiences as well as a time to explore diverse and innovative(创新的)ideas. What could be better than traveling to China to learn about their ideas, history, and culture? I believe studying abroad is something that every college student should do to help to expand his or her horizons, and to appreciate everything the world has to offer. I spent the first eight of my early years living abroad in two countries. From this rich period of growth, I acquired an identity as a global citizen, and the skills to independently navigate life in a foreign culture. It seems appropriate to support my next jump in life with an abroad experience that will show the directions in which I have grown since my early years, as well as provide a unique context for exploring the limits of my education.
Here is an undeniable advantage to living and studying in China; to be submersed in (投入)the Chinese life is the only way to fully understand and learn about how the country impacts and is impacted by the rest of the world. Not only am I learning about China, but I have also come to appreciate other countries in the world from a different point of view. Being in China has given me the change to learn in a different environment, and I do not think there is any better way to learn the culture than to actually be there. I have a very strong admiration for the Chinese language, people, and culture. I will continue to apply my newfound knowledge to my entire life and the way I look at the world around me.
1.What does the author say about studying abroad?
A. College can be barrier to study abroad
B. Studying abroad can replace the college education
C. Not every college student suits for studying abroad
D. Studying abroad can enrich the experiences of living abroad
2.What did the author benefit from living abroad?
A. Skills to live independently
B. All nationalities of the world
C. Growing to be a strong person
D. Unlimited education chances
3.What does the author advise students to do about learning foreign cultures?
A. Learn foreign cultures locally
B. When in Rome, do as the Romans do
C. Appreciate cultures from different point of views
D. Try to impact foreign cultures with their own ones
Soon enough, we will lose some of the most amazing sites on Earth!
The Great Barrier Reef---Rising air temperatures will cause sea temperatures to rise as well. All life supported by the oceans will be affected with this shock to their ecosystem. Coral are some of the most vulnerable marine animals and we are already watching whole reefs disappear. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is no exception and will continue to shrink as the temperatures rise! These reefs are some of the best in the world for diving, but they will soon disappear!
Venice---Sprawing across(横跨)hundreds of small islands in Northeast Italy, Venice is at extreme risk of sinking into the Adriatic Sea. Rising sea levels are in fact a serious threat to many coastal cities located at sea level. Lucky for us, however, Venice is developing a series of sea walls to protect the city in times of high tide.
Glacier(冰川)National Park---Glacier National Park was once covered by over 150 glaciers, but by 2005 it only had about 27! Located in Montana, Canada, this park is over a million acres and has a huge plant and wildlife population. As temperatures rise, the glaciers and ice melt, which will upset the ecosystems sustaining over a thousand plant species and hundreds of animals.
The Amazon---The cause behind the disappearance of these fantastic places ultimately comes down to humans. Our expansion usually requires cutting down forests for land, fuel and materials, but rarely considers the consequences. These forests are sources of food and medicine for just about everyone on the planet!
What will happen if we lose these valuable places and beautiful destinations?!
1.According to the text, what is causing coral’s death?
A. Rising sea levels
B. Humans’ diving activities
C. Rising sea temperatures
D. The shrinkage(缩小)of their habitats
2.What can we infer from the part of “Venice”?
A. Venice is the only coastal city of Italy
B. Many places are in the risk of sinking below the sea level
C. Venice will never sink because of the protection of sea walls
D. Italy consists of hundreds of small islands in the Adriatic Sea
3.What can we learn about Glacier National Park from the text?
A. It covers a large area in Montana
B. It is covered by over 150 glaciers
C. Plant species and animals in it have died out
D. It doesn’t support any living thing for its cold
4.Which site’s shrinking reason differs from the other sites?
A. The Great Barrier Reef B. Venice
C. Glacier National Park D. The Amazon
