On Thursday morning, two teenage boys were rescued by a drone (无人机) in Australia while lifeguards were still training to use the machine.
The ______, aged 15-17, got into difficulties about 700 feet off the coast of Lennox Head, New South Wales (NSW). A passerby saw them ______ in dangerous waves. Lifesavers ______ sent the drone to drop a lifeboat, and the pair made their way safely to the ______.
The drone, known as “Little Pipper”, was actually not ______ to be saving anyone just yet---lifeguards were being trained to ______ the machine. When a call came about the swimmers ______, the drone happened to be nearby.
Jai Sheridan was the lifeguard who ______ the drone. He described the experience as ______. “The Little Ripper ______ proved itself today. It is a highly efficient (高效的) piece of lifesaving equipment. I was ______ the drone when the alarm was raised. I directed it towards the swimmers, and dropped the ______. With its support they made their way to safety. They were ______, but not hurt. The teens were rescued in just 70 seconds with the drone---while a lifeguard would have taken up to six minutes to ______ the rescue.”
John Barilaro, an official of the state, ______ the rescue as historic. “It was the world’s ______ rescue by the unmanned aircraft”, he said. “Never before has a drone been used to ______ swimmers like this.”
Last December, the NSW state government ______ some “Little Ripper” drones for 247,000 pounds. ______ some are designed to spot sharks, others are ______ with lifeboats, alarms and loudspeakers. “It was money well spent,” said John Barilaro.
1.A. swimmers B. pilots C. visitors D. rescuers
2.A. playing B. surfing C. struggling D. training
3.A. finally B. secretly C. immediately D. gratefully
4.A. island B. ship C. hospital D. shore
5.A. advised B. supposed C. allowed D. guided
6.A. operate B. repair C. work D. power
7.A. in charge B. in place C. in action D. in trouble
8.A. flew B. brought C. checked D. designed
9.A. funny B. useful C. amazing D. important
10.A. necessarily B. basically C. probably D. certainly
11.A. studying B. piloting C. boarding D. inspecting
12.A. lifebelt B. lifeline C. lifeguard D. lifeboat
13.A. sick B. tired C. excited D. surprised
14.A. record B. complete C. experience D. report
15.A. thanked B. greeted C. imagined D. praised
16.A. latest B. best C. first D. quickest
17.A. rescue B. warn C. protect D. reward
18.A. offered B. bought C. booked D. made
19.A. Since B. Unless C. While D. Before
20.A. equipped B. connected C. covered D. filled
Make Stress Work for You
Stress can come from all directions. 1. Rather than only looking for ways to change the stress-filled situations, look for stress that can work for you. These methods are suggestions to make stress work in your favor.
2. Colors of the walls, floor coverings, and furniture can reduce stress. Cooling greens and blues are positive colors that can reduce stress and create a sense of well-being.
Choose friends carefully. Your choice of friends can be the key to stress reduction. Friends should be people who help us to increase our strengths and create solutions to stressful situations. 3.
Stop and look at yourself. Take time to recognize signs of stress like anger, work and sleep habits. As you become aware of these signs, you are beginning to identify how to make stress work.
4. We can accept what we cannot change by changing what we can Make choices that are realistic, not out of reach.
Don’t say yes to everything. Recognize what your strengths are and focus on taking the time to do a project built on them. Taking on too many projects results in loss of control and creates stress.
Maintain a sense of humor. 5. And laughing creates less wrinkles (皱纹) than worrying.
A. We live in a stress-filled world.
B Leave time for the unexpected.
C Accept what cannot be changed.
D. Create environments that reduce stress.
E. They support us and make us feel that we are not alone.
F. Laughing at oneself can release potential stress from the inside.
G. When you come across a difficult situation, stop and think of how to use it to make things better.
Kong Zi, also called Confucius (551—479B.C.), and Socrates(苏格拉底) (469—399 B.C.) lived only a hundred years apart, and during their lifetimes there was no contact between China and Greece, but it is interesting to look at how the world that each of these great philosophers came from shaped their ideas, and how these ideas in turn, shaped their societies.
Neither philosopher lived in times of peace, though there were more wars in Greece than in China. The Chinese states were very large and feudal, while the Greek city-states were small and urban. The urban environment in which Socrates lived allowed him to be more radical (激进的) than Confucius. Unlike Confucius, Socrates was not asked by rulers how to govern effectively. Thus, Socrates was able to be more idealistic, focusing on issues like freedom, and knowledge for its own sake. Confucius, on the other hand, advised those in government service, and many of his students went out to government service.
Confucius suggested the Golden Rule as a principle for the conduct of life: "Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you." He assumed that all men were equal at birth, though some had more potential than others, and that it was knowledge that set men apart. Socrates focused on the individual, and thought that the greatest purpose of man was to seek wisdom. He believed that the superior class should rule the inferior (下层的) classes.
For Socrates, the family was of no importance, and the community of little concern. For Confucius, however, the family was the centre of the society, with family relations considered much more important than political relations.
Both men are respected much more today than they were in their lifetimes.
1.Which of the following is TURE according to the first paragraph?
A. Socrates and Confucius had much in common
B. Confucius had much influence on Socrates’ ideas.
C. The societies were influenced by the philosophers’ ideas.
D. There were cultural exchanges between China and Greece.
2.Socrates shared with Confucius the idea that ________.
A. all men were equal when they were born
B. the lower classed should be ruled by the upper class
C. the purpose of man was to seek freedom and wisdom
3.What made some people different from others according to Confucius?
A. Family. B. Potential. C. Knowledge. D. Community.
4.This passage is organized in the pattern of ________.
A. time and events B. comparison and contrast
C. cause and effect D. definition and classification
JERUSALEM—Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry asked citizens Wednesday to avoid unnecessary physical activity and stay indoors, as a serious sandstorm struck the Middle East in a thick yellow haze (霾) for a second day with no hope to see things clearly.
The ministry said heavy levels of dust and sand in the air were a threat to cities throughout the country. The ministry’s website advised pregnant women, the elderly and those with heart and respiratory (呼吸的) conditions to stay indoors, and asked schools to keep children indoors.
The emergency service Magen David Adom reported that it has treated more than 300 Israelis suffering from breathing problems, and that hospitals have more respiratory-related patients, including a large number of the elderly and those with asthma and related conditions.
The domestic Israeli airlines Arkia and Israir continued to ground their flights to Eilat because of reduced visibility.
The sandstorm has affected Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, where at least five deaths have been reported.
“There has been nothing that came close to the magnitude of this sandstorm,” said Daniel Rosenfeld, a professor with the Institute of Earth Sciences at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
“While Israel has experienced a number of sandstorms in the past, they started from the Sinai Desert and the Sahara Desert to the south and were joined by winter windstorms that cleared the air,” he said. In this case, the storm comes from Syria and Iraq to the north and east.
Because the storm is hitting during the summer, at a time of both little wind and severe heat and humidity, forecasters expect the particles to remain in the air throughout the weekend and possibly into next week.
“This is really puzzling,” said Rosenfeld, adding that he and his colleague will conduct research into the origins of the unprecedented (前所未有的) storm. (326 words)
1.What’s the probable meaning of the underlined word “ground” in Paragraph 4?
A. add B. reduce
C. cancel D. fuel
2.It can be learned from the text that the sandstorm ________.
A. happened in winter B. showed no sign of weakening
C. came from Syria and Iraq to the south D. could clear the air
3.How did Rosenfeld feel about the origins of the storm?
A. confused B. upset
C. confident D. happy
4.Where does the text probably come from?
A. a novel B. a news story
C. a geography book D. a travel guide
Check out our tsunami (海啸) facts and lean some interesting information related to these great walls of water that can cause so much destruction. Find out what causes tsunamis and read about some notable recent examples of tsunamis that have occurred around the globe.
Tsunamis are huge waves of water that are usually caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
As a tsunami approaches the shore, water may move back from the coast. If it is shallow enough, the water may be pulled back hundreds of meters. If you are in the area, observing this is a good indication that a tsunami is on the way.
Regions in tsunami danger zones often have warning systems in place to give people as much time to evacuate (撤离) as possible.
When tsunamis hit shallow water (often near the coast), they slow down but increase in height.
An earthquake in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia in December 2004 caused a tsunami that killed over 200, 000 people in 14 countries.
In March 2011, the Tohoku earthquake off the eastern coast of Japan caused a tsunami that was a major factor in the death of over 15, 000 people.
The tsunami waves created by the Tohoku earthquake reached heights of over 40 metres (131feet) in mine areas, wiping out coastal towns and causing a number of nuclear accidents.
The Japanese word “tsunami” literally means “harbour wave”.
Tsunamis are sometimes referred to as tidal waves but this term has fallen out of favour because tsunamis are not related to tides.
1.Which of the following shows a tsunami is coming soon?
A. An earthquake takes place.
B. The water marches towards the coast.
C. The water near the shore is pulled back.
D. The water near the shore is very shallow.
2.In the Tohoku earthquake, over 15,000 people died mainly because of ________.
A. the earthquake itself
B. the lack of warming systems
C. the tsunami caused by the earthquake
D. the nuclear accidents caused by the tsunami
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. The word “tsunami” is from British English.
B. The term “tidal wave” is used more often than “tsunami.”
C. Some nuclear accidents happened after Indonesia tsunami.
D. More people died in Indonesia tsunami than in Tohaku tsunami.
4.The passage is developed mainly by _________.
A. listing some facts B. making some comparison
C. providing some numbers D. making some conclusions
The dream to travel the world has always been in the mind of many. The national geographic and Discovery Channel videos are just not enough. You can only feel the excitement of experiencing all those fascinating wildlife, countryside or adventure tourism documentaries by traveling the world. Here are the best destination countries based on safety, culture, ease of transportation, and accommodation for single travelers in 2018.
Bali Island, Indonesia
The cheapest of all countries to visit. Living in a comfortable room, having three meals a day and a few beers for only 25 dollars per day! Accommodation and goods are cheap everywhere, especially when you move further to the north.
Italy
Lined with olive trees, hilltop towns, and wonderful beaches, Italy is one of the most sought-after destinations; Not forgetting the wine and wine-cooked barbecues. All the cities of Italy are always full of tourists all year around.
Vietnam
Vietnam suburbs or the city of Hanoi is just where you need to be. Amazing landscapes, friendly locals, cheap food and affordable services, Cab services are a mere 10 dollars or less compared to cab services in the States which can get as high as 30 dollars for a couple of blocks away.
France
You don’t talk of France without mentioning Eiffel tower. At night, it gives the most incredible view of France. Avoid the long lines to the tower and book your trip earlier For Catholics or historians, the Notre Dame and its surroundings will attract you with its ancient mummified (制成木乃伊的) cats, while Les Invalides military museum has all types of the world war weapons.
1.Which country will probably be your choice if you like beaches?
A. Indonesia. B. Vietnam.
C. France D. Italy.
2.What can you do in Bali Island?
A. See mummified animals. B. Appreciate splendid scenery.
C. Buy cheap things. D. Have wine-cooked barbecues.
3.What can you infer from the text?
A. You can take a taxi at only 25 dollars in Vietnam.
B. You can see different kinds of weapons in France.
C. You can taste wine and barbecues from all over the world in Italy.
D. You can spend only 10 dollars to have a comfortable day in Indonesia.
