Once upon a time, there was a man from the State of Chu who loved his sword very much. One day, he was sitting in a boat preparing to cross a river1. he accidentally dropped his sword into the water. 2. the ship moving fast on and the water running, the people on board reminded that he should go into the water to find his beloved sword back. The man felt in great 3. ( anxious) too. However, he turned a deaf ear to that and instead, he 4. (immediate) took out a knife and made a notch（刻痕） on the side of the boat 5. his dear sword fell. The people wondered why he did so. He said proudly the notch could help 6. (get) his sword back. Shortly after the 7. (arrive) at the shore, he entered the water just beneath the notch he made. Though 8. (spend) rather a long time, he returned empty-handed. Without doubt, he was laughed at in public and his story became 9. well-known joke in China.
Today the idiom 10. (relate) to the story is used to describe a person who stick to rigid rules without considering a changing environment or describes an action made pointless by changing circumstances.
A few years ago, an elderly woman entered my video store, along with her daughter. The daughter was displaying a serious case of ______ , ____ her watch every few seconds. If she had possessed a leash(绳子), her mother would have been ____ to it as a means of pulling her along to _____ the rush of other shoppers.
I ____ and asked if I could help her find something. The woman smiled up at me and showed me a _____ on a piece of paper. _____ rushing off to find the DVD for the woman, I asked her to walk with me ____ I could show her where she could find it and I want to enjoy her ____ for a moment. As we walked along the back of the store, I ___ its floor plan: old television shows, action movies, cartoons, science fiction. The woman seemed glad of the unrushed “trip” and _____ conversation.
I said to her daughter, “ ____ some advice?” “Of course not,” said the daughter. “_____ her ,” I said. “When she's gone, it's the little _____ that will come back to you. Times like this. I know.” It was ____ . I still missed my mom and remembered the times when I'd used my impatience to make her ____ .
Together they made their way toward the store's resting area. They sat there for a moment, side by side, _____ the holiday crowds. Then the daughter _____ and immediately regarded her mother lovingly. And slowly she placed her arm with ____ unaccustomed affection around her mother's shoulders and _____ guided her back into the crowd.
1.A. warmth B. strictness C. impatience D. depression
2.A. fixing B. checking C. adjusting D. winding
3.A. accustomed B. fastened C. applied D. stuck
4.A. keep step with B. get away from C. keep off D. escape from
5.A. jumped over B. walked over C. sat still D. lined up
6.A. receipt B. title C. theme D. subject
7.A. Rather than B. Apart from C. Afraid of D. Worrying about
8.A. because B. though C. so D. unless
9.A. time B. stay C. company D. conversation
10.A. changed B. described C. updated D. ignored
11.A. serious B. meaningless C. rough D. casual
12.A. Offer B. Mind C. Take D. Have
13.A. Forgive B. Seize C. Follow D. Cherish
14.A. chances B. feelings C. moments D. presents
15.A. true B. impossible C. unusual D. rare
16.A. different B. puzzled C. upset D. critical
17.A. expecting B. observing C. approaching D. blaming
18.A. glanced over B. looked down C. watched out D. set out
19.A. suddenly B. gradually C. apparently D. basically
20.A. smoothly B. gently C. wisely D. hurriedly
Although most games have winners and losers, the goal of sports is not to win every game. The real goals include getting exercise, having fun, and learning important social skills, like good sportsmanship.
Good sportsmanship is all about respect. Good sports (具有运动家品格的人) respect their teammates and also their opponents. They respect their coaches, and they also respect the referees or other officials involved in their games. 1. They yell at their teammates and they talk back to coaches or referees.
Kids usually learn sportsmanship — good and bad — from the adults in their lives. 2. If parents and coaches show disrespect to other fans, referees, or each other, kids will likely act the same way on the field.
3. Some of them are very basic and easy to do, like shaking hands with other players before a game. Other examples may take a little more courage, such as acknowledging a great play made by the opposing team.
Learning good sportsmanship is important because it helps you develop an attitude of graciousness (礼貌) and respect that will carry over into all the other areas of your life.4. Being a good sport in the classroom will eventually lead to being a good sport in the workplace.
So be a good sport in whatever you do！5. When others see you acting in a way that makes it clear that winning isn't the most important thing, you can move on to focusing on the important things, like having fun, getting exercise, and improving your skills!
A．Good sportsmanship can be shown in many ways.
B．On the contrary, bad sportsmanship is all about disrespect.
C．The example you set can be a powerful teaching tool for others.
D．Players' parents and coaches set examples that kids tend to follow.
E．We can be good sports by encouraging others but not laughing at them.
F．Starting as a good sport earlier will help you be a good sport as you get old.
G．If you're a good sport on the field, you'll also likely be a good sport in the classroom.
Traffic problems are an everyday concern in many cities，including Washington，DC．A growing number of Washingtonians are turning to bicycles to get to and from work．In fact，the number of commuters who use bicycles has doubled in the city since 2007．
Ralph Buehler teaches urban planning at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University，popularly known as Virginia Tech．He has written a book about urban biking，calledCity Cyclin . g．He says there is a reason why urban bike tiding is now becoming more popular．
“Over the last 60 to 70 years，cities in America have adapted to the automobile．”
“Most cities took advantage of the money coming for the interstate highway system，from the federal government， starting in 1956．There was a 90 percent federal match(补贴)so the cities only had to put up 10％．It was very tempting．”
In the years after World War Two，many Americans moved to suburban communities，just outside major cities．They decided to travel great distances to and from work in exchange for a home in the suburbs．Their cars became a symbol of freedom．
But today，many people believe they can save money by living in the city．
Greg Billing is with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association．“When a person makes a change from using a car to using a bike，he／she is saving anywhere between 8 or $9，000 a year．”
Ralph Buehler says governments save money when people use bicycles．“Building bicycling facilities is much cheaper than building and maintaining road facilities or public transport．”
Washington，DC has also taken steps to protect bike riders．It approved a safe passing law and created areas on the road between cars and bikes．
The United States Census Bureau says 4％of the city’s workers ride to work by bike．The only city on the East Coast with more bike commuters is New York．
1.What does the writer mainly talk about in this passage?
A. Bicycling to work in Washington, DC grows in popularity
B. Bikes lead to new problems in Washington，DC
C. Washington，DC has taken steps to protect bike riders
D. People in Washington，DC prefers cars to bicycles
2.What can we know from Ralph Buehler’s statement?
A. A lot has been invested to build bicycling facilities in cities．
B. The federal government supported building public transport．
C. Cities didn’t use the money from the government wisely．
D. Urban biking has been popular in the last 60 to 70 years．
3.In the years after World War Two，many Americans prefer to____．
A. go to and from work by bike
B. live out of the major cities
C. travel long distances a lot
D. rent houses rather than buy ones
4.What do Ralph Buehler and Greg Billing agree with?
A. Public transport develop too rapidly recent years．
B. Government should build more bicycle facilities．
C. The cost of living in cities is lower than in the country．
D. More people using bicycles can save money．
Humans have been keeping animals as pets for tens of thousands of years, but Dr Jean-Loup Rault, an animal scientist at the University of Melbourne in Australia, believes new companions are coming: robot pets.
“Technology is moving very fast,” Rault told ABC News, “The Tamagotchi in the early 1990s was really the first robotic pet, and now Sony and other big companies have improved them a lot.”
This may not sit well with pet lovers. After all, who would choose a plastic toy over a lovely puppy? But Rault argues that the robotic kind has a lot going for it: “You don’t have to feed it, you don’t have to walk it, it won’t make a mess in your house, and you can go on a holiday without feeling guilty.” The technology also benefits those who are allergic to pets, short on space, or fearful of real animals.
It’s not clear whether robot pets can replace real ones. But studies do suggest that we can bond with these smart machines. People give their cars names and kids give their toy animals life stories. It’s the same with robots. When Sony stopped its repair service for its robot dog Aibo in March 2014, owners in Japan held funerals.
As an animal welfare researcher, Rault is concerned about how robotic pets could affect our attitudes towards live animals. “If we become used to a robotic companion that doesn’t need food, water or exercises, perhaps it will change how humans care about other living beings,” he said.
So are dogs and cats a thing of the past, as Rault predicts? For those who grew up with living and breathing pets, the mechanical kind might not do. But for our next generation who are in constant touch with smart technology, a future in which lovely pets needn’t have a heartbeat might not be a far-fetched dream.
1.What does the underlined phrase “sit well with” means?
A. be refused by B. be beneficial to
C. make a difference to D. receive support from
2.What are the advantages of robot pets?
a. They are plastic and feel smooth.
b. Owners needn’t worry about them when going out.
c. They can help cure allergies(过敏).
d. They save space and costs.
A. ab B. bc
C. bd D. cd
3.We can learn from the passage that___________.
A. Sony is the first company to produce robot pets Aibo.
B. People can develop strong bond(联系、关系) with their robot pets.
C. Rault thinks robot pets still have a long way to go.
D. Robot toys may help people care more about living beings.
4.The passage mainly tells us___________.
A. the advantages of robot toys B. the popularity of robot pets
C. living pets are dying out. D. robot pets are coming.
It is good to get in touch with your inner child from time to time，and obviously some people are willing to pay big money for the chance to do so in a proper environment．A Brooklyn-based adult preschool is charging customers between $333 and $999 for the chance to act like a kid again．
At Preschool Mastermind in New York adults get to participate in show—and—tell，arts—and—crafts such as finger paint，games like musical chairs and even take naps．The month-long course also has class picture day where the adults are expected to have a field trip and a parent day．
30-year-old Michelle Joni Lapidos，the brain behind the adult preschool，studied childhood education and has always wanted to be a preschool teacher．She’s always on the lookout for new ways to get people in touch with the freedom of childhood．A friend encouraged her to start the mastermind course instead．
According to Candice，her blogger friend，Preschool Mastermind gives adults a chance to relearn and master the things that they failed to understand as children．“I realized all the significances of what we learn in preschool，”said founder Michelle Joni，“People come here and get in touch with their inner child．It’s magical．We are bringing ourselves back to another place，another time with ourselves when we are more believing in ourselves，more confident and ready to take on the world.”
“One person’s here because they want to learn not to be so serious．”Michelle said．“Another's here to learn to be more confident.” She explained that most of the classes were planned．However，Joni added that while the planned activities were fun，it was often the spontaneous(自发的)moments that attracted students．“It’s the things you don’t plan for，the sharing between friends and learning from each other.’’
1.What is the purpose of Preschool Mastermind?
A. To give adults a chance to return to childhood．
B. To help parents understand their children better．
C. To provide practical training courses for teachers．
D. To introduce some ways of playing with children．
2.What is mainly discussed about Preschool Mastermind in Paragraph 2 ?
A. Its customers． B. Its activities．
C. Its environment． D. Its schedule.
3.According to Candice，people come to this program to________.
A. enjoy freedom of thinking B. realize their childhood dreams
C. discover their inner abilities D. figure out childhood puzzles
4.What do we know about Michelle Joni?
A. She used to be a preschool teacher．
B. She likes to make plans in advance．
C. She founded Preschool Mastermind．
D. She gained confidence by sharing．
