Last summer over 12,000 fans were at Wembley Arena in London, shouting and cheering. Thousands more were watching online.1.It was esports, or competitive computer gaming.
Millions of people in the UK play computer games for fun. Some of them have become professional gamers, playing games as their full-time job.2.They practice for ten or more hours a day, five or six days a week. They do exercises like typing something and trying to type it faster and faster. They also study videos of other players and plan ways to beat them.
3.Are players athletes? Some say no. Esports players don’t need to run, jump, throw or do big physical actions. At the moment, the UK government classifies esports as kinds of games, not as sports.
But others say yes: esports are sports. Players do need some physical skills, especially hand-eye coordination, reflexes, accuracy and timing. If darts, snooker and shooting are classified as sports, then perhaps esports should be too.
4.And they will be an official medal sport in the Asian Games starting from 2022. Next step: the Olympics?
For many esports fans and players, though, the most important thing is that esports are growing in popularity and importance.5.
A. But are esports really sports?
B. All like playing computer games.
C. It’s not easy being a professional gamer, though.
D. But this wasn’t a football, basketball or tennis match.
E. It is certain that esports will come into the 2024 Olympics.
F. In fact, China and South Korea do classify esports as sports.
G. If esports are not as important as sports now, they definitely will be in the near future.
The year 2018 will mark the 100th anniversary of the deadliest influenza outbreak in history. It is estimated that the influenza pandemic(瘟疫) of 1918 killed more than 50 million people around the world. Other estimates go much higher. Because of a lack of medical record—keeping, we may never know the exact number.
The influenza was a fast killer. Some victims died within hours of their first symptoms. Others died after a few days. “their lungs filled with liquid and they choked to death.” The 1918 flu pandemic was also different from other outbreaks. It struck many young, healthy people. Viruses usually affect sick or old people.
Although modern medicine effectively controls many diseases, influenza remains difficult to protect against. The World Health Organization estimates that every year influenza kills 250,000 to 500,000 people around the world. Each year, medical scientists develop flu vaccines(疫苗) which offer immunity(免疫) from some influenza viruses. But they can only guess which form of the virus will spread.
Health officials remain concerned about another flu pandemic. New forms of the flu virus appear regularly. One example was the “swine flu” or H1N1 outbreak in 2009. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in the United States says that virus caused a true pandemic.
To stop the next pandemic, scientists are now researching how to create a universal influenza vaccine. In October 2017, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the U. S. announced the Universal Influenza Vaccine Initiative. The university said researchers are leading an international effort to develop a universal influenza vaccine that will protect everyone against all forms of the flu anywhere in the world. The university added that researchers will begin tests in early 2018. the Human Vaccines Project, a public—private partnership, is funding the project. However, until a universal influenza vaccine is available, today’s seasonal flu vaccine remains important.
1.What do we know about the influenza in 1918?
A. It swept across the whole Europe.
B. No one survived the first few days.
C. It killed the largest number of people.
D. It struck only young and healthy people.
2.Why is influenza difficult to protect against?
A. It spreads too rapidly.
B. It is quite easy to catch.
C. No vaccine is available.
D. It’s hard to judge the form of virus.
3.What does the author want to tell by mentioning H1N1 in 2009?
A. New forms of flu virus keeps appearing.
B. It was the most serious in recent years.
C. It was caused by the same flu virus of 1918.
D. The H1N1 virus was deadly as well.
4.What can we learn about the universal influenza vaccine?
A. The development is quite costly.
B. It will be used all over the world.
C. It can protect against all forms of flu.
D. It will soon come into use in 2019.
3D printing is becoming more and more popular. We are now able to create things we need very quickly and easily using 3D printers. But can you imagine printing food?
Some scientists are trying to revolutionize the dining experience by doing this. They hope that having a 3D printer in the kitchen will be as common as the microwave oven or blender.
Scientists say that it’ll be quite easy: you simply have to select a recipe and put the raw food ‘inks’ into the printer. You can also modify the instructions to make the food exactly how you want it. This means that it would be very quick and easy to create tasty and nutritious meals.
Using 3D printers to create your meals would also be saving the environment. There would be less need for traditional growing, transporting and packaging processes as food production would be a lot more efficient. For example, alternative ingredients(原料) such as proteins from algae, beetroot leaves and insects could be converted into tasty products.
Printing food could also help people who suffer from dysphasia (a swallowing disorder). They could program the printer to print softer versions of their favorite foods so that they would not have trouble in swallowing them.
However, some people think that a future of 3D food printing would be a disaster. It could take away many jobs, including those fro growing, transporting and packaging food. Imagine a world where there was no need for farming or growing crops and the same tastes could be printed from a raw “food ink”. Likewise, traditional cafes and restaurants might lose business. Also, there are concerns about the nutritional value of printed food: is it really possible to be get the nutrients we need from food –based inks and gels(凝胶)?
What’s more , cooking and eating together with family and friends has long been a traditional and enjoyable activity. It is hard to imagine a world where the pleasure of cooking is dead and meals can be created at the touch of a button.
1.Which of the following best describes 3D food printing?
A. Quick and popular.
B. Easy and efficient.
C. Nutritious and tasty.
D. Soft and convenient.
2.Why do some think that 3D food printing would be a disaster?
A. Traditional food would disappear.
B. Many people could lose their jobs.
C. It would affect the people’s health.
D. We could all eat the same food.
3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. 3D food printing will replace traditional cooking.
B. The future of 3D food printing is uncertain.
C. It would hurt our tradition of food culture.
D. 3D food printing would be a failure.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. 3D food “printing”: coming to the kitchen
B. Can 3D printing create everything?
C. 3D—printing food will be in fashion!
D. The disadvantage of 3D food printing
Natalie Trayling is a famous street artist in Melbourne. At first, those who happened to pass by her and spare some change didn’t even realize what a musical genius was playing. The emotional tune was not only masterfully played but also composed by Natalie herself when she was only 14. Gradually, as long as she appears, people will stop, absorbed in her music. Her music makes you think about calmness, the good things in life, and never giving up.
But what people do not know is that behind the beautiful music of the old woman, it is full of bitterness. At the age of 12, she won a music scholarship at Santa Maria College. At 15 she knocked back a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London because her parents couldn’t pay non-tuition costs. When she left school, she taught piano at Santa Maria. Later she met her husband, Denis. They had four children, but the two of them died. In 1984, Denis asked for a divorce. Natalie’s son, Nathan, was given medication for depression. Natalie lived either outdoors in Royal Park or in boarding houses for nine years. In late 2003 Natalie collapsed with anaemia(贫血) and was hospitalized for six months.
For half a century, Natalie has been teased by fate. But even so, she never gave up her love for music. When asked why the music was so important to her, she said: “Music is everything. I do feel part of it. The whole world is music.”
When Natalie went on the Internet, she became a sign of Melbourne. People are impressed by her persistence in dreams and the optimism of life. Now she is no longer wandering around. She can play the piano at any time, but as long as the weather is good, she will walk to the streets of Melbourne, and play a touching melody for the rush of the city.
1.Why is Natalie’s music so touching to the passers-by?
A. It is full of bitterness.
B. She composed it herself.
C. It’s a reflection of her own life.
D. It reminds of the beauty of life.
2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “knocked back” in Paragraph 2?
A. gave up
B. obtained
C. accepted
D. was awarded
3.What does music mean to Natalie?
A. It’s her hobby.
B. It’s the source of her misfortune.
C. It is part of her life.
D. It’s a way to earn a living.
4.What does the author try to tell us?
A. Natalie is a musical genius.
B. Life is not easy for everyone.
C. Never give up halfway.
D. Natalie has a strong and brave heart.
Four apps for students to learn English
Quizlet
Quizlet is a learning app---a computer program you use on your mobile device. It can help users build and test
their knowledge of English words and terms. Quizlet has word sets for millions of subjects. And, it is quickly becoming a useful mobile tool for language learners.
Socrative
In Socrative, teachers can create timed learning games. In class, students compete individually or as part of a team against classmates. One game students love is called space Race. In this game, if a team answers a question correctly, their rocket moves forward. This team whose rocket gets to the end first wins. Also, teachers can use Socrative as an “exit ticket,” a question they can ask students about what they learned in that day’s class. Students write their answers on their mobile devices. Then, the teacher can show the answers on a shared video screen.
QR Codes
A QR Code is a kind of sign that a smartphone can read with its camera. When your phone camera reads a QR code, it takes you to a website, image, video or anything you want to share. For example, one will take you to the VOA Learning English website.
Evernote
Evernote lets users store and share notes, images and recordings in one place. Teachers can also use Evernote to give homework.
1.Which is the best for students to build up vocabulary?
A. Quizlet.
B. QR Codes.
C. Evernote.
D. Socrative.
2.What can a teacher do by using Socrative?
A. Give homework.
B. Carry out a classroom test.
C. Look up new words.
D. Visit an English-learning website.
3.What’s the purpose of the text?
A. To make an advertisement.
B. To encourage using mobile phones.
C. To improve English learning.
D. To introduce some learning apps.
It was a cold December day． After saying goodbye to his neighbor， David， Tom set out for a run with his dog， Taz．As a professional athlete， Tom often went for training runs by himself， and had done this particular route many times before， but that day something unusual happened to him．
About an hour later， Tom hit some black ice． He found himself slipping down the rock face， which became steeper and steeper （陡峭的）until suddenly he was in free fall． He fell 60 feet into the canyon （峡谷），landing on grass and dry branches． If he'd missed them， there was no way he would have survived． He could feel his legs，so he knew he wasn't paralyzed （瘫痪的），but he was in great pain． Taz had managed to find his way back to Tom， so Tom knew there must be a way out of the canyon， but he couldn't stand or even crawl （爬行）． He later learned that he had broken his pelvis （骨盆）．
Tom shouted for help， and tried to pull himself forward． Every inch was an effort． It took him five hours to go a quarter of a mile． Eventually it got so dark that he couldn't see where he was going． He decided to stay next to a river which he could drink some water from． All he had on him were his jogging clothes， a water bottle， two boxes of medicine， a bar of chocolate， and a shower cap which adventure racers often wear to prevent heat loss．
At night， the temperature dropped below freezing． Tom couldn't go to sleep or he would die， so he stayed awake lifting his head a few inches，over and over． Throughout the night，Taz curled up next to him and kept him company． The next morning， he couldn't move any more． He tried to stay positive． He was sure somebody would find he was missing or hear him screaming for help． But there was nobody around．
注意：
1．所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2．应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4．续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语．
Paragraph 1：
As time went by， Tom felt himself growing weaker and he knew he must take action，
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Paragraph 2：
About three hours later， Taz returned and Tom heard an engine in the distance．
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