I won’t forget my voluntary experience a while back. It always reminds me what people truly need is not always so _____. This story is a lesson which has stayed with me and helped me ever since.
It was Thanksgiving and I was volunteering with my mother at a ____ for the needy. We stood behind the counter ____ food to whoever came in. It seemed that most of our diners had been having _____ times. Their clothes were ragged, worn and dry; they were hungry and tired. ____ , they looked needy!
When we were busy with the unlucky fellows, a well-dressed man came in who looked ____ but poor. I wondered what he was doing there and my jaw dropped in_____ when he joined the line for food. The closer he came to my service station, the more I muttered. What was this man doing? I wanted to know. Surely he wasn’t going to take the food_____ for those really in need! He had small talks with ____ and the look on his face suggested that he just wished to_____ being alone.
Then my mother_____ took me to one side, saying, “You have_____ that the needs of the people who come here must be purely____ : hunger, inadequate shelter, clothing, etc. But this gentleman seems to have none of those problems. What if his needs are emotional? What if he needs _____, friends, or just to be among other human beings?” Her words _____ me like a ton of bricks! I felt like I should apologize to the man, but I didn’t.
About a week later, from an ______source, the shelter received a large donation. I can’t help but______ if it came from that man.
Now, whenever I meet others, I remember my mother’s words and try to send kindness and blessings to them,______how they look. Needs aren’t always visible. Maybe emotional _____ is not only the loneliest feeling, but the most difficult need to get ____ . But kindness always makes a difference.
1.A. immediate B. universal C. obvious D. similar
2.A. station B. hospital C. canteen D. shelter
3.A. distributing B. processing C. appointing D. reserving
4.A. enjoyable B. smooth C. rough D. permanent
5.A. In vain B. In Brief C. In particular D. In contrast
6.A. anything B. nothing C. everything D. something
7.A. sorrow B. amazement C. delight D. relief
8.A. lent B. paid C. meant D. rewarded
9.A. the organizer B. the volunteer C. the donor D. the poor
10.A. escape B. appreciate C. compromise D. represent
11.A. violently B. quietly C. angrily D. curiously
12.A. grasped B. supposed C. doubted D. confirmed
13.A. practical B. mental C. personal D. physical
14.A. food B. income C. comfort D. clothes
15.A. hit B. persuaded C. attracted D. injured
16.A. unbelievable B. unique C. unwilling D. unknown
17.A. forecast B. wonder C. imagine D. reflect
18.A. regardless of B. but for C. apart from D. due to
19.A. support B. character C. behavior D. hunger
20.A. advocated B. solved C. met D. provided
Tips for Using Google Maps When You Travel
Traveling somewhere new can bring exciting adventures. But it can also bring unwelcome surprises. That may be in the tools you use before and during your trip. With the right technology, you can make the most of your time on the road. 1. While people most commonly use Google Maps for directions from one place to another, it offers many other kinds of travel tools. Today, we bring you several tips for using Google Maps.
1.Plan a road trip route
When you are traveling on a road trip, you do not have to plan each part of the trip separately with Google Maps. 2. To plan a road trip, open Google Maps. Search for your first destination, and then click on the arrow to get directions. Then ,click on the plus + sign to add more destinations to your trip.
2.Save your maps for offline use
3. Or you may not want to pay international charges for using your phone in other countries. The good news is that you can still use Google Maps even without the Internet. You can download a map from Google Maps to your phone. To do this, open the Google Maps app on your phone and search for the area you want to save. Click on the address at the bottom of the screen, then choose Download.
3.Use Google Maps for a walk or bike ride
While Google Maps may first give users directions to a place by car, it also offers biking or walking directions.4. The results also tell you the elevation change of the route, so you know how much energy you will have to use by choosing to walk or ride a bicycle.
4.Save money on gas
If you are planning a car trip in North America, Google Maps can show you the lowest gas prices in the United States and Canada. Search for “gas stations” on the Google Maps app and you will see a list of nearby stations with gas prices.5. Therefore, Google Maps is really a great convenience to tourists.
A. Google Maps has many tech tools that help make traveling easier.
B. When traveling, you may not always have access to the Internet.
C. You can get those directions by clicking the walking or bicycle icon.
D. The “gas stations” on the Google Maps app are sometimes difficult to find.
E. They will also be marked on the map so that you can see the closest ones to you.
F. The apps and maps are of great help when people are going to a store or supermarket.
G. You can search for all of the parts of the trip in order to prepare your route more efficiently.
When you think of a jungle adventure, what comes to mind? Are they gorgeous birds flying through the air or monkeys jumping through the forest? Do you think of plants? Probably not. After all, plants aren’t the most exciting living things in the world. They just sit there and absorb water and nutrients from the soil and the sun. But actually there are also some plants that eat insects and even small animals from time to time. We call these unusual things carnivorous(食肉性) plants. Although most carnivorous plants eat small insects, larger carnivorous plants in some hot and wet areas have been known to capture rats, birds, and frogs.
One carnivorous plant many people are familiar with is the Venus flytrap. Its unique “jaws” will function when flies and other small insects touch it. Once its jaws close on its victim, it produces a chemical substance that breaks down the insect and absorbs the insect’s nutrients.
There are several other examples of carnivorous plants. For example, some plants can catch insects with their leaves, which are like a tall narrow wineglass, while some trap their victims with sticky tentacles(触手). And some growing in ponds and streams absorb their victims like underwater cleaners. Carnivorous plants tend to grow in areas where the soil is very thin and lacks necessary nutrients. These plants must find other sources for the nutrients they need.
Trapping and eating insects allows these unique plants to survive. Unfortunately, human and environmental factors continue to threaten the limited environments where you can find wild carnivorous plants.
Still for many people, the thought of a plant eating an animal seems very strange. In fact, more than one person has turned the idea into a scary story or movie. Carnivorous plants don’t pose any danger to humans, though. Unless you’re the size of a tiny insect, you don’t have to worry about falling prey to a Venus flytrap.
1.What can we learn about the Venus flytrap?
A. It produces a special smell to attract insects.
B. It is the most important carnivorous plant.
C. It catches insects with its unique “jaws”.
D. It is a kind of poisonous plant.
2.Why do carnivorous plants hunt animals for food?
A. They try to reduce the harmful insects. B. They help keep the balance of nature.
C. They need some nutrients to survive. D. They enjoy the taste of animals.
3.What’s the challenge faced by carnivorous plants?
A. Trapping and eating them from human beings. B. Poorer environments to live in.
C. Threats from bigger animals. D. Limited choices of food.
4.What can be the best title for the passage?
A. Human’s influence towards insects B. Potential dangers in the jungle
C. Plants that eat living things D. Various survival skills of plants
An international group of coffee experts has considered Ethiopia’s coffee as the best in the world. Coffee is a top export of the country. But at home, it is seen as national pride. Ethiopians feel good about their coffee, and enjoying a drink with friends is a long tradition.
International coffee experts travel the world to find the best coffee. They keep returning to Ethiopia. Some people say the climate produces quality beans. Morton Wenner is a coffee importer. He said, “Ethiopia has different ancient types of coffee. They are planted in places with perfect soil, perfect altitude, and climates that are really suitable for coffee processing, such as drying and things like that.”
Finding the best quality beans is often an issue of taste. The process is known as cupping — tasting and comparing coffee from different roasted beans, grading and then pricing them.
But before international experts come to taste, coffee beans are studied in small coffee laboratories. Helen Assefa, a lab technician, describes the process, “When the coffee comes to the lab, we assess its quality first by recording the details. Then we weigh the wetness level and screen the beans for analysis. After that we polish the coffee beans and taste the samples. At the end we check for imperfect beans.”
Ethiopia is making big profits on its coffee reputation by exporting coffee to more than 120 countries. The country has an export income of more than $840 million a year. But not all the best coffee leaves Ethiopia. Forty percent of the coffee grown in the country stays there. It remains an important part of everyday life at work, at home and at ceremonies just to celebrate that special cup.
1.Where does the Ethiopian’s pride mainly come from?
A. Traditional practices. B. Food export. C. International experts. D. Best coffee.
2.Ethiopia produces best coffee because of ____________.
A. the special coffee taste B. the long-standing tradition
C. the satisfactory mild climate D. the favorable growing environment
3.Which of the following describes the process of studying coffee beans in the lab?
a. polish and taste
b. weigh the dampness level
c. record quality facts
d. analyze the beans
e. check for imperfection
A. d-c-b-a-e B. c-b-d-a-e C. e-c-a-b-d D. c-d-a-b-e
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Coffee is essential in Ethiopians’ daily lives.
B. Coffee is the most profitable industry in Ethiopia.
C. Most of the coffee production remains in Ethiopia.
D. Ethiopians often hold ceremonies to celebrate harvest.
Kieron Graham has known from a young age that he was adopted. While he loves his adoptive family, he has always wondered about his birth mother and brother. When his adoptive mom gave him a DNA test tool, they both hoped it might lead to his birth family. But neither guessed it would work so quickly, or that when it did, Graham would learn he and his long-lost brother may have crossed paths every day.
It took just one week from the time Graham, a college student at Georgia's Kennesaw State University, received his DNA results on Ancestry.com for him to connect with his brother. Graham's DNA results showed that his closest match was a man named Vincent Ghant, and it turned out Ghant lived just a few minutes away.
Graham reached out and learned that the two were in fact long-lost brothers. Their mother, Shawn Ghant, made the difficult decision to place Kieron in adoptive care when he was just a baby. And she has worried and wondered about her youngest son ever since. Graham has since been reunited with his mother and both of his brothers on his mother's side.
“It’s all surreal(离奇的), too many emotions to describe exactly what I’m feeling about the entire situation, but it’s a good situation,” Graham tells MNN.
As fate would have it, Kieron and Vincent are both students at Kennesaw State. They even have the same major: political science. So it's a safe bet the two crossed paths many times over the past three years. And now, thanks to some DNA sleuthing(筛查), the two will cross paths many more times in the years to come.
“We’re getting together on Christmas with everyone, birth mother included,” Graham says. “That's sure to be a very indelible Christmas indeed, which will always be treasured by us.”
1.According to the passage, Graham ___________.
A. is quite familiar with his birth family
B. relied on a website to find his birth family
C. happens to be working in Ancestry.com
D. is studying engineering in the state university
2.What can we infer from the third paragraph?
A. It was hard for Shawn to place her son in adoptive care.
B. Graham has three adoptive brothers on his mother’s side.
C. It was too difficult for the whole family to get united.
D. Shawn Ghant loves her older sons more.
3.What does Graham probably think of his experience?
A. Unbelievable and exciting. B. Surprising but common.
C. Undoubted and inspiring. D. Moving but painful.
4.What does the underlined word “indelible” in the last paragraph mean?
A. Normal. B. Silent. C. Traditional. D. Unforgettable.
Springtime In Paris
Departure: May 5, 12, 19 and June 9
4 days for £129 per person
Paris in the springtime was, is and always will be something rather special. Why not experience it for yourself with this excellent break for four days? This attractive city has something to offer everyone and with prices at just ￡129, it's great value too.
Your break begins with executive coach transfer from regional pickup points and travel to Paris is via cross-channel ferry, arriving at your hotel in the evening. The hotel is an excellent quality one with private facilities in all rooms: satellite TV, radio, telephone and alarm clock. It has a bar and restaurant and is situated about two miles south of Notre Dame enabling you to explore Paris with ease.
The following day, after continental breakfast(included), the coach takes you on a comprehensive sightseeing tour of the city, during which you will see the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, L'Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, and in fact almost every famous landmark you have ever heard of. You then leave Paris and take a short drive to the magnificent Palace of Versailles, the home of Louis XIV. The tour ends mid-afternoon back in Paris where you will have the remainder of the day at your leisure. In the evening there is a "Paris By Night" tour showing you the beautiful buildings with bright lights.
Day three takes you to Montmartre, perhaps the most picturesque of Paris and home of the Saere Coeur and the Moulin Rouge. In the afternoon you are free to explore this beautiful city as you wish, perhaps a pleasure voyage on the River Seine, wander around the picturesque gardens or look through among the antique shops. In the evening you will have the opportunity to visit the best nightclub in the city, the splendid Paradis Latin. On the final day we're back to the U.K. via channel ferry.
Included in the price of ￡129 per person
Return executive coach travel to Paris
Return ferry crossings
3 nights accommodation in a twin bedded room in a Central Paris hotel with private facilities
Continental breakfast during your stay
Guided sightseeing tour of "Paris By Day" and "Paris By Night"
Visit to Chateau of Versailles (admission not included)
Tour on Montmartre
Services of an experienced bi-lingual tour guide at all times
1.During the stay in Paris, the tourists will have ___________.
A. free time for more than half a day
B. a “Paris By Night” tour on the first evening
C. a pleasure voyage on the River Seine together
D. a chance to live in a hotel two miles away from Paris
2.Which of the following can we learn about the travel schedule from the text?
A. The tourists will return on June 9.
B. The tourists may set off on May 12.
C. The tourists may explore Notre Dame in depth.
D. The tourists will spend one night in Paradis Latin.
3.After paying ￡129, the tourists will have to pay ____.
A. the continental breakfasts
B. the tour on Montmartre
C. admission ticket to Chateau of Versailles
D. services of a bi-lingual tour guide
