During the war, my husband was stationed at an army camp in a desert in California. I went to live there in order to be ____ him. I hated the place. I had never ____ been so unhappy. My husband was ordered out on a long-term duty, and I was left in a tiny shack(棚屋) alone. The heat was ______almost 125 0F even in the shade of a cactus(仙人掌). ____ a soul to talk to. The wind blew non-stop, and all the food I ate, and the very air I breathed, were ____ with sand, sand, sand !
I was so sorry for myself that I wrote to my parents. I told them I was ____ and coming back home. I said I couldn’t stand it one minute longer. I ____ be in prison! My father answered my ______with just two lines — two lines that will always sing in my ____— two lines that completely changed my life:
Two men looked out from prison bars,
One saw the mud, the other saw the stars.
I read those two lines ____. I was ashamed of myself. I made up my mind I would find out what was good in my present ____; I would look for the stars.
I made friends with the natives, and their ____ amazed me. They gave me presents of their favorite artworks which they had ____ to sell to tourists. I studied the delightful forms of the cactus. I watched for the desert sunsets, and ____ for seashells that had been left there millions of years ago when the desert had been an ocean ____.
What brought about this ____ change in me? The desert hadn’t changed, ____ I had. I had changed my ____. And by doing so, I changed an unhappy experience into the most amazing ____ of my life. I was excited by this new world that I had discovered. I had looked out of my self-created prison and ____ the stars.
1.A. off B. near C. behind D. beyond
2.A. already B. before C. then D. still
3.A. inflexible B. incomprehensible C. uncontrollable D. unbearable
4.A. Only B. Many C. Not D. Such
5.A. filled B. buried C. covered D. charged
6.A. catching up B. keeping up C. getting up D. giving up
7.A. would rather B. might well C. ought to D. had better
8.A. request B. call C. question D. letter
9.A. comparison B. imagination C. memory D. consideration
10.A. up and down B. by and by C. over and over D. now and then
11.A. company B. situation C. occupation D. relationship
12.A. reaction B. movement C. guidance D. purpose
13.A. refused B. failed C. managed D. happened
14.A. asked B. waited C. hunted D. headed
15.A. surface B. floor C. rock D. level
16.A. shocking B. challenging C. puzzling D. astonishing
17.A. as B. for C. but D. or
18.A. attitude B. principle C. identity D. standard
19.A. vacation B. operation C. affair D. adventure
20.A. sought B. found C. counted D. reached
Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. 1..
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream at low prices. 2., then probably children would buy less take-away food.
3.. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If parents often give their children fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, they will go for sweet and salty foods, and children will find it hard to get rid of the habit.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. 4.. What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem. 5., as well as forcing them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.
A. There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight
B. Adults are becoming fatter and unhealthier too
C. If there were fewer of these restaurants
D. So we have to encourage young people to be more active
E. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime (消遣), it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food
F. I feel there are a number of reasons for this
G. It’s a good idea to allow children to eat what they choose
If you want to disturb the car industry, you’d better have a few billion dollars: Mom-and-pop carmakers are unlikely to beat the biggest car companies. But in agriculture, small farmers can get the best of the major players. By connecting directly with customers, and by responding quickly to changes in the markets as well as in the ecosystems(生态系统), small farmers can keep one step ahead of the big guys. As the co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC, 美国青年农会) and a family farmer myself, I have a front-row seat to the innovations among small farmers that are transforming the industry.
For example, take the Quick Cut Greens Harvester, a tool developed just a couple of years ago by a young farmer, Jonathan Dysinger, in Tennessee, with a small loan from a local Slow Money group. It enables small-scale farmers to harvest 175 pounds of green vegetables per hour—a huge improvement over harvesting just a few dozen pounds by hand—suddenly making it possible for the little guys to compete with large farms of California. Before the tool came out, small farmers couldn’t touch the price per pound offered by California farms. But now, with the combination of a better price point and a generally fresher product, they can stay in business.
The sustainable success of small farmers, though, won’t happen without fundamental changes to the industry. One crucial factor is secure access to land. Competition from investors, developers, and established large farmers makes owning one’s own land unattainable for many new farmers. From 2004 to 2013, agricultural land values doubled, and they continue to rise in many regions.
Another challenge for more than a million of the most qualified farm workers and managers is a non-existent path to citizenship — the greatest barrier to building a farm of their own. With farmers over the age of 65 outnumbering(多于) farmers younger than 35 by six to one, and with two-thirds of the nation’s farmland in need of a new farmer, we must clear the path for talented people willing to grow the nation’s food.
There are solutions that could light a path toward a more sustainable and fair farm economy, but farmers can’t clumsily put them together before us. We at the NYFC need broad support as we urge Congress to increase farmland conservation, as we push for immigration reform, and as we seek policies that will ensure the success of a diverse and ambitious next generation of farmers from all backgrounds. With a new farm bill to be debated in Congress, consumers must take a stand with young farmers.
1.The author mentions car industry at the beginning of the passage to introduce .
A. the progress made in car industry B. the importance of investing in car industry
C. a trend of development in agriculture D. a special feature of agriculture
2.What does the author want to illustrate with the example in paragraph 2?
A. Small farmers may gain some advantages over big ones.
B. Loans to small local farmers are necessary.
C. Technology is vital for agricultural development.
D. Competition between small and big farms is fierce.
3.What is the difficulty for those new farmers?
A. To gain more financial aid. B. To hire good farm managers.
C. To have farms of their own. D. To win old farmers’ support.
4.What should farmers do for a more sustainable and fair farm economy?
A. Invest more to improve technology. B. Expand farmland conservation.
C. Become members of NYFC. D. Seek support beyond NYFC.
Teens and younger children are reading a lot less for fun, according to a Common Sense Media report published Monday.
While the decline over the past decade is steep for teen readers, some data in the report shows that reading remains a big part of many children’s lives, and indicates how parents might help encourage more reading.
According to the report’s key findings, “the proportion (比例) who say they ‘hardly ever’ read for fun has gone from 8 percent of 13-year-olds and 9 percent of 17-year-olds in 1984 to 22 percent and 27 percent respectively today.”
The report data shows that pleasure reading levels for younger children, ages 2-8, remain largely the same. But the amount of time spent in reading each session has declined, from closer to an hour or more to closer to a half hour per session.
When it comes to technology and reading, the report does little to counsel(建议) parents looking for data about the effect of e-readers and tablets on reading. It does point out that many parents still limit electronic reading, mainly due to concerns about increased screen time.
The most hopeful data shared in the report shows clear evidence of parents serving as examples and important guides for their kids when it comes to reading. Data shows that kids and teens who do read frequently, compared to infrequent readers, have more books in the home, more books purchased for them, parents who read more often, and parents who set aside time for them to read.
As the end of school approaches, and school vacation reading lists loom(逼近) ahead, parents might take this chance to step in and make their own summer reading list and plan a family trip to the library or bookstore.
1.What is the Common Sense Media report probably about?
A. Children’s after-class activities. B. Quality of children’s books.
C. Children’s reading habits. D. Parent-child relationships.
2.Where can you find the data that best supports “children are reading a lot less for fun”?
A. In paragraph 2. B. In paragraph 3.
C. In paragraph 4. D. In paragraph 5.
3.Why do many parents limit electronic reading?
A. E-books are of poor quality. B. It may harm children’s health.
C. It could be a waste of time. D. E-readers are expensive.
4.How should parents encourage their children to read more?
A. Set up reading groups for them. B. Ask them to write book reports.
C. Act as role models for them. D. Talk with their reading class teachers.
My First Marathon
A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later informed me that I was “not athletic”.
The idea that I was “not athletic” stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!
At mile 3, I passed a sign: “GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!”
By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, I was starving!
As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a “marathon winner”.
1.A month before the marathon, the author ____________.
A. made up his mind to run B. was well trained
C. felt scared D. lost hope
2.Why did the author mention the P.E.class in his 7th year?
A. To acknowledge the support of his teacher. B. To amuse the readers with a funny story.
C. To show he was not talented in sports. D. To share a precious memory.
3.How was the author’s first marathon?
A. He quit halfway. B. He made it.
C. He got the first prize. D. He walked to the end.
4.What does the story mainly tell us?
A. A man owes his success to his family support. B. Failure is the mother of success.
C. One is never too old to learn. D. A winner is one with a great effort of will.
Washington, D.C. Bicycle Tours
Cherry Blossom Bike Tour in Washington, D.C.
Duration: 3 hours
This small group bike tour is a fantastic way to see a world-famous cherry trees with beautiful flowers of Washington, D.C. Your guide will provide a history lesson about the trees and the famous monuments where they blossom. Reserve your spot before availability—and the cherry blossoms—disappear!
Washington Capital Monuments Bicycle Tour
Duration: 3 hours (4 miles)
Join a guided bike tour and view some of the most popular monuments in Washington, D.C. Explore the monuments and memorials on the National Mall as your guide shares unique facts and history at each stop. Guided tour includes bike, helmet, cookies and bottled water.
Capital City Bike Tour In Washington, D.C.
Duration: 3 hours
Morning or afternoon, this bike tour is the perfect tour for D. C. newcomers and locals looking to experience Washington, D.C. in a healthy way with minimum effort. Knowledgeable guides will entertain you with the most interesting stories about Presidents, Congress, memorials, and parks. Comfortable bikes and a smooth tour route(路线) make cycling between the sites fun and relaxing.
Washington Capital Sites at Night Bicycle Tour
Duration: 3 hours(7miles)
Join a small group bike tour for an evening of exploration in the heart of Washington, D.C. Get up close to the monuments and memorials as you bike the sites of Capitol Hill and the National Mall. Frequent stops are made for photo taking as your guide offers unique facts and history. Tour includes bike, helmet, and bottled water. All riders are equipped with reflective vests and safety lights.
1.Which tour do you need to book in advance?
A. Washington Capital Monuments Bicycle Tour.
B. Capital City Bike Tour in Washington, D.
C. C. Washington Capital Sites at Night Bicycle Tour.
D. Cherry Blossom Bike Tour in Washington, D.C.
2.What will you do on the Capital City Bike Tour?
A. Meet famous people. B. Enjoy interesting stories.
C. Visit well-known museums. D. Go to a national park.
3.Which of the following does the bicycle tour at night provide?
A. City maps. B. Cameras.
C. Safety lights D. Meals
