When I was a child I used to look forward to Saturday mornings. That was when my brother, Bernard, and I got our pocket money from our father. I would put half of it in my money box, ____ run off happily with the rest to Bartlett’s, a little, local ____ at the end of our street.
There I would join the other children ____ to spend their pocket money, and we’d ask Mrs. Bartlett to ____ us “the tray (托盘)”. In those days, there weren’t all the ____ of sweets and chocolate bars you see on sale now. All Mrs. Bartlett ____ were a few items arranged on a simple wooden ____, which she kept under the counter. But to us it was a wonderful ____: toffees, lollipops, barley sugar, and sweets wrapped in colorful paper. It always took ages for each child to ____ what to buy. But Mrs. Bartlett didn’t ____: as long as there were no grown-up customers waiting to be ____, she let us take our time.
Bernard liked sweets, too. The ____ was he didn’t like buying them. When I went to Bartlett’s, he went to a newsagent’s shop that sold football cards. He was ____ about these picture cards of famous footballers and spent all his pocket money trying to ____ whole teams of players.
On Saturday afternoons he would ____ the house and find out where I was. He knew I had been to Bartlett’s. If I didn’t ____ my bag of sweets quickly enough, he’d see it and say, “Can I have one?” And I would say, “Why should I give you one? You had your pocket money, too — you could have____ your own sweets.” Then Bernard would go to our mother to ____, “Mom, Helen has a whole bag of sweets and she won’t give me one.” To which Mum would say, “Helen, don’t be so ____. Share your sweets with your brother!” I thought this was really ____, but of course I gave him some sweets.
1.A. and B. but C. or D. until
2.A. restaurant B. theatre C. barbershop D. grocery
3.A. careful B. slow C. eager D. afraid
4.A. sell B. show C. make D. teach
5.A. prices B. tastes C. varieties D. smells
6.A. provided B. wanted C. noticed D. controlled
7.A. floor B. tray C. chair D. house
8.A. atmosphere B. line C. way D. sight
9.A. imagine B. decide C. realize D. guess
10.A. escape B. change C. mind D. succeed
11.A. served B. accepted C. paid D. checked
12.A. problem B. mistake C. difficulty D. disadvantage
13.A. anxious B. cautious C. puzzled D. mad
14.A. collect B. return C. organize D. protect
15.A. paint B. repair C. share D. search
16.A. sew B. hide C. pack D. deliver
17.A. divided B. saved C. bought D. eaten
18.A. recommend B. complain C. apologize D. reply
19.A. surprised B. modest C. smart D. mean
20.A. unfair B. unusual C. impolite D. inconvenient
People elect a mayor (市长) to help run a city in the United States. The mayor must keep track of all city activities. 1. They run the city government with the help from city council (市议会).
Mayors may be “weak” or “strong.” In cities that use a weak-mayor system, the city council has most of the power. Under this system, people elect council members and leaders of some departments, or city offices. 2. A city may have many boards and committees, which are groups that make decisions. Each group manages one city department. Although people elect the mayor, he or she has little power. The weak mayor may suggest leaders for city departments. However, the council must approve these suggestions.
In a strong-mayor system, the elected mayor chooses the leaders of each department. 3. The elected city council doesn’t have the power to approve the leaders that the mayor chooses. Strong mayors check the work of many different city departments. These departments plan the way that the city will grow and develop.
A strong mayor prepares the city budget. 4. Citizens know whom to blame if services fail. However, the mayor works with the council to figure out the needs of the city and to complete city projects.
Strong mayors have a great deal of control over the government of a city. 5. Most cities have written city charter (章程) that explains the duties of the mayor and other officials.
A. However, mayors do not work alone.
B. However, they must stay within the law.
C. The council never prepares the city budget.
D. The council also may choose leaders for city departments.
E. The mayor makes sure that people who break the laws are punished.
F. In this sense, the mayor decides how to spend money for city services.
G. He or she makes sure that these leaders run their departments efficiently.
Along with my co-founder, I run Harry’s, a men’s grooming (美容) company. And my wife Lacey is a senior writer and editor at The Hollywood Reporter. Our careers are important to us. So we always agreed that when it came time to build our family, we wanted to co-parent. In theory, it sounded like a lot of fun.
So far it has been. But as I’ve learned since the birth of my not theoretical daughter, Chloe, it’s also really hard.
To be clear, becoming a parent is much, much harder for my wife. But Lacey does have one thing that I’ve struggled to find: a space to talk about balancing work with parenthood. Due in part to the physical, mental, and emotional tolls (损伤) of pregnancy and childbirth, moms often find community in those shared experiences. In addition, there are blogs, books, and resources for mothers returning to work; for better or for worse, the demands of raising a baby are often assumed by women.
But there are plenty of working dads out there, too. In fact, I feel if I’m struggling with this whole ‘working dad’ thing, then other guys must be struggling, too. If I’m craving a space to share experiences and normalize true co-parenthood, I have to believe I’m not the only one.
Dealing with the problem at a macro (大的) level is hard. But I do have the power to make real change within Harry’s. My co-founder and I want to make sure that everyone on our team feels 100% supported, as employees and as parents. To that end, we’re excited to offer a new, progressive policy: 16 weeks of paid parental leave, taken any time within the first year, to every person on our team.
Some people might decide to take the full 4 months and others won’t. That’s OK. The goal is not to dictate right or wrong, but to offer our team real flexibility and control. Because all parents deserve the resources and tools to make the best decisions for their families; to be great coworkers, and also great parents.
1.What is bothering the author?
A. His wife is fully occupied.
B. His daughter is troublesome.
C. He is failing to balance work and life.
D. He can find nowhere to seek child-raising advice.
2.Which of the following would the author agree with?
A. It’s easier for a woman to be a parent. B. Kids benefit a lot from co-parenting.
C. Women suffer a lot from parenthood. D. It’s women’s duty to take care of kids.
3.What does the underlined word “craving” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A. Using. B. Desiring.
C. Creating. D. Saving.
4.What’s the aim of the new policy?
A. To promote equality.
B. To free working dads.
C. To nurse great coworkers.
D. To encourage true co-parenthood.
When you go to the doctor, you receive a diagnosis (诊断) and a treatment. However, with the continued use of technology in healthcare, the process of diagnosing and treating patients has been changing.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help doctors analyze a patient’s symptoms and offer the best treatment. With new advancements in medical technology, it makes receiving medical care faster and more accurate. Technology companies provide the data analyzing tools that are necessary to analyze the efficiency (效率) of the healthcare system, which makes the care more efficient and improves the quality of care. Technology is also being used to help patients achieve their health goals as well as help patients when doctors are not present. Patients can rely on apps, trackers, and programs to remind them to have themselves checked, track their symptoms or call for help.
In the United States, the creation of AI technology has done better than that of other countries. However, compared to some countries like Canada, the United States has failed in using AI in its healthcare system. The reality is that AI is not used in medical care because of the high costs and the insurance barriers. It is the private healthcare system that puts all the costs on consumers of healthcare.
Undoubtedly, using more technology in healthcare can be better for the system. It can improve efficiency, limit errors, and cut down waiting time. But the high cost of creating this technology can make it difficult to provide service in every hospital and healthcare clinic in the United States. It also changes the practice of medicine, making it less personal and more about the technology. Doctors wouldn’t have to rely on their own knowledge and skill but could turn to robots and computers for help or use better equipment to help them perform a procedure.
As the medical field continues to change, so will the technology that is used in the medical field, making receiving medical care a highly computerized process that could improve the health of the population.
1.What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A. Recent studies in health technology.
B. The future of personalized health care.
C. New advancements in medical technology.
D. The advantages of using AI in medical care.
2.How can AI help patients?
A. By feeding medicine to them.
B. By recording their symptoms.
C. By analyzing the efficiency of health care.
D. By providing them with the best treatment.
3.Why do Americans use less AI in medical care?
A. They want to keep their treatment secret.
B. Their health insurance is very expensive.
C. Their AI technology is not advanced enough.
D. They don’t think the new technology is secure.
4.What is the author’s attitude towards the technology in medical care?
A. Doubtful. B. Hopeful.
C. Cautious. D. Uninterested.
I was watching Family Feud a few years ago when they asked something like “What’s one thing you want your pilot to be?” And one of the answers was “A man.” Yes, I was upset, but that just inspired me more. It’s rare enough to see women pilots — for the first two years of my flight training classes, I was the only female student — and even more unusual to see a pilot who’s a woman of color. Black women make up about 7 percent of the U.S. population, but less than 1 percent of pilots. And of course, most of them are a bit older than I am. I just graduated from high school in May.
My mom is crazy about aviation (航空), so she always took me to air shows when I was younger. We’d watch the Thunderbirds or Blue Angles, and I’d get pilots’ autographs (亲笔签名). With her encouragement, I started taking lessons after I turned 12. Friends would ask me to hang out, and I’d say, “Sorry, I have a flight” — they’d look at me as if I had four heads. But the air felt like where I was supposed to be.
Flying is amazing for many reasons. You can see the beauty only from above and visit impressive places. But to me, one of the coolest things is being in charge of the plane and holding the controls. I plan to fly the big jets as an airline transport pilot, which means doing lots of ground training, banking 1,500 hours of flight time, and earning a bunch of certificates.
On my first plane ride when I was 4, the flight attendants (乘务员) gave me a little pin with wings. We took a picture of me standing next to the captain. Who would have guessed that someday I’d be sitting in his seat?
1.Why did the author feel upset after hearing the answer?
A. It was too simple. B. It dealt with racial differences.
C. It talked about pilots negatively. D. It was prejudiced against women.
2.What does the author say about black women?
A. They are uncommon sights in flight training classes.
B. They make up 7 percent of the U.S. pilots.
C. Most of them are high school graduates.
D. Few of them are interested in aviation.
3.What’s the author’s mom’s attitude to her becoming a pilot?
A. Skeptical. B. Supportive.
C. Unconcerned. D. Disapproving.
4.What happened when the author was four years old?
A. She sat in a captain’s seat. B. She had a hard plane ride.
C. She was gifted a winged pin. D. She helped some flight attendants.
“All animal products contain much more concentrated levels of pesticides residue (杀虫剂残留) than either vegetables or grains. Red meat, chicken and fish contain no beneficial carbonhydrates (碳水化合物), fiber...
“Fish contain far more heavy metals and industrial pollutants than land animals...
“There is a common misconception that vegetarians have limited food choices. Just the opposite is true. Vegetarians commonly eat a wider variety of foods than most meat eaters.”
―“Vegetarian FAQ”, North American
Vegetarian Society
“The more I got educated about cruel treatment, it really was a no-brainer to become a vegetarian. You know, no one would barbecue their family dog. You know, a pig or a chicken isn’t different. They are just as gentle as a dog or a cat...”
—Public service announcement, Mike Ness
“I’m not a vegetarian because I enjoy eating meat. Meat is nutritious food, and I believe there are ways to eat meat that are in keeping with my environmental and ethical (道德的) values. I don’t make the decision to eat meat lightly. Meat-eating has always been a messy business, shadowed by the shame of killing...
“I have a sincere respect for vegetarians, for they have actually done the work of thinking through the consequences of their eating decisions, something most of the rest of us have not done. My own examination of those consequences has led me to the conclusion that eating a small amount of meat from certain kinds of farms is something I can feel good about.”
―“Animal Welfare: FAQ & Useful
Links”, Michael Pollan
“The centerpiece of a truly healthy diet must be animal foods. That means a large part of meat, seafood, eggs or raw dairy at just about every meal. That is how one recovers from vegetarianism and builds lasting health and strength.”
—“Recovering from Vegetarianism”,
Ron Schmid
1.Which of the following is mentioned in “Vegetarian FAQ”?
A. Fish is better for human health than chicken.
B. Vegetarians are much healthier than meat eaters.
C. There are more kinds of plant foods than animal products.
D. There is more pesticide in vegetables than in animal products.
2.What might Michael Pollan agree with?
A. Vegetarians are thoughtful.
B. Meat-eating should be forbidden.
C. Vegetarians do something unnecessary.
D. Meat-eating is helpful for the environment.
3.What topic is discussed in the text?
A. What are healthy foods?
B. How to get the best nutrition.
C. Reasons to become vegetarians.
D. Should people become vegetarians?
