One of the biggest challenges1.(face) students today is how to concentrate on studies.Almost all of them are struggling for their concentration power.In an age2.mobile phones and Internet are eating up most of our time and energy,one can understand how different it is to focus attention and energy on studies.
One of the most important3.(factor) for developing concentration on a task,whether it is study or anything else,4.(be) to develop an interest in that task.We are able to focus5.(easy)and more long periods of time on tasks that we find more interesting.If you ever want to concentrate on anything and studies are no6.(expect),you need7.(ensure) that the environmental around you is distraction（注意力分散）free.So the question is not how to concentrate on studies8.how to avoid distractions that have swallowed up mankind today.The only way to guarantee9.distraction free environment is by getting rid of all the unnecessary things around you,including the electronic gadgets（小器具）10.mobile phones.
An old woman was sitting outside an ice-cream shop with dirty clothes and rough hair.She____and walked,but it seemed quite____,her legs shivering（颤抖）and her eyes showing deep sorrow of being left alone and homeless.
I didn't____an ice cream,so I was outside the shop,____her,while my family went in.Her legs were weak.I saw her difficulties and came up to her with 10 dollars in my____and handed it over to her.She was so____and started blessing me instantly.
I wanted to talk with her as that seemed very important____.I asked her about her____.She said there was no one,and that all died one by one,with tears in her eyes.
"Where does she live?"I____.The response was quite____.I noticed her “luggage”,two plastic bags,containing her____.At this point,I gave her my____,thin stole（披肩）.It was bright yellow and looked new.
But she was not ready to accept____.She was worried about my feeling cold for few minutes before I got home. She finally____the stole and covered herself,when I insisted.She was____me even more.I checked my bag and kept giving anything that I thought she could use.How grateful she was!At this moment,I saw change in her____state of mind.By this time,she seemed calm and____.And so did I.
The look of____and hopelessness was transformed.She looked at the people who passed by us with more____in that moment.
I realized it was my small kind act____had counted a lot to the old woman.
1.A. got out B. got over C. got off D. got up
2.A. tunny B. interesting C. difficult D. attractive
3.A. want B. touch C. serve D. taste
4.A. finding B. leading C. ignoring D. watching
5.A. pocket B. bag C. hand D. luggage
6.A. angry B. thankful C. strange D. cautious
7.A. as well B. in all C. so well D. at all
8.A. friend B. habit C. career D. family
9.A. replied B. wondered C. claimed D. stated
10.A. different B. serious C. obvious D. weak
11.A. belongings B. goods C. clothes D. books
12.A. smooth B. warm C. special D. rough
13.A. one B. them C. those D. it
14.A. brought B. received C. took D. carried
15.A. calming B. supporting C. blessing D. helping
16.A. emotional B. common C. conventional D. unique
17.A. convenient B. content C. appropriate D. available
18.A. desperation B. expression C. confusion D. devotion
19.A. doubt B. trust C. regret D. confidence
20.A. since B. which C. when D. that
Johannes Gutenberg was chosen to be the most important figure of the past millennium（千年）by the media. You may not be familiar with him.1.Gutenberg is praised for having invented the printing press and therefore preparing the way for printing books.
He was born into a wealthy family in the city of Mainz,Germany.In 1428,he moved to Strasbourg and lived there for almost 20 years.2.
Gutenberg used his skills in metalwork for the mass production of books.3.That means that each copy of the Catholic Bible and all of its 73 books were painstakingly handwritten by penmen.Gutenberg fashioned a font（字体）of over 300 characters,far larger than the fonts of today.To make this possible,he invented the variable-width mold（模具）and perfected the mixture of materials used by type factories up to the present century.
4.Between 1450 and 1455,while preparing to produce a large Latin Bible,Gutenberg is thought to have printed a number of smaller books,a calendar,and so on.The Bible of 42 Lines,the oldest surviving printed book in the Western world,was completed by August 15,1456.
The discovery of the modem printing press changed the way information was delivered.5.
Even today in the computer age,we rely heavily on the printed word or text for instruction,information,and for the pleasure of reading literature.
A.Gutenberg made the world a much richer place.
B.But he has certainly influenced your life in some ways.
C.Gutenberg's idea was one of the greatest of all mankind.
D.By 1450,Gutenberg was back in Mainz at work on a printing press.
E.This invention was also responsible for educating the masses worldwide.
F.Before the spread of Gutenberg's idea,literature was primarily handwritten.
G.It was in Strasbourg that he probably made his first experiments with moveable type.
Red wolves used to be a common sight across the southeastern United States.But today,there are just 50 left in the wild.
The red wolf is one of the most endangered wild canine species（犬科动物）in the world.In the past five years, the species' population in the wild has dropped by half.The US Fish and Wildlife Service had been working for decades to reintroduce the species into the wild,but the organization recently put the program on hold.
According to Cindy Dohner,the southeast regional director for the Fish and Wildlife Service,the agency is focusing on "our commitment to get the science right and rebuild trust with our neighbors in those communities as we address problems regarding the recovery of the red wolf."But the animal-rights group Defenders of Wildlife said on its website that the decision made by the Fish and Wildlife Service "falls well short of what is needed to continue red wolf recovery."
The red wolf was declared an endangered species in 1967.By 1980,it had been hunted to extinction（灭绝）in the wild.Some hunters thought the red wolves were coyotes（土狼）, so most people killed them because they believed wolves were dangerous and would attack people.This wrong belief has made it difficult to restore the species, because people are afraid to have red wolves reintroduced near human communities.
Experts say that one way to fight these fears is simply to teach people about red wolves.In reality,they are shy animals that they don't get close to humans and hunt mostly at night.According to the Fish and Mildlife Service, captive breeding centers in the US are home to about 200 red wolves.But without continued efforts from the government and private groups,red wolves will continue to suffer.
1.The underlined phrase "put...on hold" in Paragraph 2 probably means “ ”.
A. paused B. promoted
C. overlooked D. accomplished
2.What does Defenders of Wildlife think of the Fish and Wildlife Service's decision?
A. Practical. B. Annoying.
C. Satisfactory. D. Disappointing.
3.The trouble in reintroducing red wolves near human communities lies in____.
A. humans' over-hunting
B. fears in human beings
C. shortage of food in the wild
D. lack of governmental support
4.What can we know about red wolves from the text?
A. They don't hunt in the daytime at all.
B. Their total population in the world is only 50.
C. They keep away from humans due to shyness.
D. They are dangerous because they attack people.
Andrew Jackson has been sitting pretty on the $20 bill for 87 years.Is it time to bring some new blood to the banknote?
The non-profit organization called Women on 20s is campaigning to put a woman's face on American money. Barbara Ortiz Howard,the company's founder,would like to see a woman on the $20 bill by 2020.That year marks the 100-year anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution,which gave women the right to vote.
Howard got the idea when she realized that her daughter had no everyday reminders of famous women in history.She asked her friend Susan Ades Stone,a journalist,to join her cause."Part of the aim is to educate as many people as possible about as many women as possible,"Ades says."We want to see how many people we can reach."
American money values the successes of former presidents and founding fathers.Currently,there are only two women on money: Susan B.Anthony is the face of the rare dollar coin,and Sacagawea can be seen on the gold dollar coin.There are no women on paper bills.
With help from writers and historians,Howard and Stone came up with a voting list featuring 15 important women.Ades says there is a standard for choosing candidates.They look at the women's contributions to our world, and at what challenges they faced.
More than 72,000 people have voted so far in the poll.Ades says the competition has narrowed to a "very close race",but won't say who's in the lead.After two rounds of voting,Women on 20s will send their campaign to the White House for consideration.The final decision is up to the Treasury Secretary,Jack Lew.Lew is unlikely to make a change without the president's approval.But last year,when a little girl asked the president why there aren't any women on US currency,he said that adding a woman is a "pretty good idea".
1.When did American women begin to enjoy voting rights?
A. In the 1920s. B. In the 19th century.
C. Fewer than 20 years ago. D. More than 200 years ago.
2.We can know from the text that_______.
A. Howard and Stone decided the voting list on their own
B. Howard's idea has something to do with her daughter
C. so far no American women have appeared on coins
D. former presidents rule American money
3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Ades has announced the victor of the voting.
B. It's impossible for Jack Lew to make a change.
C. The president will probably support such a change.
D. The final decision is due to be made by the president.
4.What can be the best title of the text?
A. The future faces of money
B. Different faces chosen on money
C. Constant changes in money faces
D. A campaign for women's faces on money
Christmas was near a season that we took seriously in our house. But a week or so before the 25th, my father would give each of his children $ 20. This was the 1970s, and $ 20 was quite a bit of money.
But I saw it differently. My father trusted me to have the smart to spend money wisely. Even better, he gave me the means to get it. On a very basic level, my father was giving me a shopping spree (狂欢) every year.. But he was also giving me charge over my own fun, trusting my ability to manage money and making me feel like a grown-up. He didn’t buy me Sherlock Holmes, but he gave me the means to walk into the bookstore and choose it for myself, so it felt like a gift from him.
My mother had a gift for giving me what I needed, usually right at the moment I needed it most. This was when I was 25, I failed at being an adult on my very first try. I had quitted my previous job but had no new one. But when my mother paid me a visit, I put on a good show, telling her I had started my own company.
My mother knew that I was trying hard and failing at that time. It wasn’t until after she left that I noticed at the foot of my bed an envelope thick with cash. She knew how desperately I needed it. She knew that had she just shown up with groceries, or offered to pay my rent, she would have made me feel much worse. The cold, hard cash meant she was helping me. And, funnily enough, the distance with which she gave the gift felt like she was giving me space to fix my life and preserve my dignity. My mother and father both did the same thing. One was giving me the means to take my own decisions, and the other was giving me a second chance when those decisions had cost me dearly.
1.What can we learn about the author from the first two paragraphs?
A. His family once celebrated Christmas happily.
B. His father gave the author chances to make decisions.
C. His best memories about Christmas were in the 1970s.
D. He used to choose books as his father’s gift on Christmas.
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. money offered by his father. B. father generous with money.
C. Christmas being important. D. the means of spending money.
3.When he was 25 years old, the author .
A. planned to open his company B. became interested in shows
C. gave his mother a gift D. was out of work
4.Which word can best describe the author’s mother?
A. sensitive. B. optimistic.
C. considerate. D. determined.
