Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have gotten a lot “greener” toward the environment. “We didn’t know at that time there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it,” says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement .Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. “The understanding has increased many， many times,” says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first. According to US government reports, emissions (排放)from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 tons .The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9. Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with, the world is a safer and healthier place. A kind of “Green thinking” has become part of practices.
Great improvement has been achieved. In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs; today in 1995 there are about 6,600. Advanced lights, motors, and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution.
Twenty –five years ago, there were hardly any education programs for environment. Today, it’s hard to find a public school, university, or law school that does not have such a kind of program. “Until we do that, nothing else will change!” say Bruce Anderson.
1.According to Anderson, before 1970, Americans had little idea about ___
A. the social movement B. recycling techniques
C. environmental problems D. the importance of Earth Day
2.Where does the support for environmental protection mainly come from?
A. The grass –roots level B. The business circle
C. Government officials D. University professors
3.What have Americans achieved in environmental protection?
A. They have cut car emissions to the lowest
B. They have settled their environmental problems
C. They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities.
D. They have reduced pollution through effective measures.
4.What is especially important for environmental protection according to the last paragraph?
A. Education B. Planning
C. Green living D. CO reduction
My First Marathon
Three weeks before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only one week 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. My performance was really terrible. 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 I was ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces 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 and move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a “marathon winner”.
1.Three weeks before the marathon, the author ________.
A. was well trained
B. felt scared
C. made up his mind to run
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 show he was not talented in sports.
C. To amuse the readers with a funny story.
D. To share a precious memory.
3.How was the author's first marathon?
A. He made it.
B. He quit halfway
C. He got the first prize.
D. He walked to the end.
4.What does the story mainly tell us?
A. A man contributes his success to his family support.
B. A winner is one with a great effort of will.
C. Failure is the mother of success.
D. One is never too old to learn.
Educational APP Store
Duolingo
Duolingo is regarded as one of the best English language apps today, which is strongly recommended for English amateurs. The system of the app helps you learn English quickly by spending twenty minutes a day. Duolingo structures your lessons that teach you about seven new words based on a topic and skill points being awarded for completing the lessons.
Busuu
Busuu helps you learn English language on the go and the lesson’s quality is guaranteed as it is based on CEFR language framework. Lessons range from beginners to advanced learners. Busuu is actually a great English app if you want to improve your spoken English by talking with native speakers.
Memrise
Memrise uses some creative and easy ways to memorize English words. The focus of this app is to help the users expand their vocabulary by learning English words in an effective way. Memrise also offers an offline mode to continue learning without Internet connection.
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone is designed differently from average language apps on the marketplace today. It’s trying to teach us English the way we’d learn it, as if we were children starting to learn the language. Furthermore, it has exercises designed to help you learn basic words. A variety of lessons are offered that Rosetta Stone has been using for years.
1.Which app mentions the time for daily study?
A. Busuu.
B. Duolingo.
C. Memrise.
D. Rosetta Stone.
2.Why is Memrise distinct from the others?
A. It will give learners quick progress.
B. It has many vocabulary lessons.
C. It is designed for English beginners.
D. It can be applied offline as well.
3.The passage is written to ________.
A. inform readers of research results
B. encourage English beginners
C. recommend English-learning apps
D. introduce ways of learning
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
Love makes the world go around and a mother’s love never changes
After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. It’s hard to imagine that the other woman was my mother, who has been living alone for 19 years, but I am too busy to visit her often. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.
“What’s wrong? Are you well?” she asked. My mother always doubts that a late night call is a sign of bad news.
“It would be pleasant to spend some time with you,” I responded.
As I drove over to pick her up, I noticed that she seemed to be nervous about our date. But she smiled from a face that was as beautiful as an angel’s. “I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed,” she said.
We went to a restaurant that was very nice and comfortable. My mother look my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. I saw mom sitting there looking at me with a smile on her lips.
“I used to have to read the menu when you were small,” she said. “Then it’s time to let me return the favor,” I responded.
During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation - nothing special but catching up on recent events. We talked so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.
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:
When I got home, my wife shared her story about her mom who passed away years ago. _________________
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Paragraph 2:
Several days later, I received my mother’s invitation. _____________________________________________
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假设你是李华，你打算向你的外国朋友Eric推荐一部最近刚刚看过的中文电影《流浪地球》，要点如下：
1. 观影时间和地点；
2. 电影亮点（科幻电影、保护地球……）；
3. 推荐观影。
注意：
1. 词数80词左右
2. 可适当增加细节以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：
推荐 recommend 科幻电影 science fiction film 流浪地球 The Wandering earth
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单词拼写（根据汉语和首字母提示，写出单词的正确形式，每空一词。）
1.She entered the room without p________ (许可).
2.Guba gained i_______ (独立) from Spain in1898.
3.Today, we b________ (受益) from countless inventions and innovations.
4.We should have a b________ (平衡) diet.
5.He sat on the steps, s________ (盯着) at the space.
