Look to many of history’s cultural symbols, and there you’ll find an ancestor of Frosty, the snowman in the movie Frozen. It appeared on some of the first postcards, starred in some of the earliest silent movies, and was the subject of a couple of the earliest photos, dating all the way back to the 1800s. I discovered even more about one of humanity’s earliest forms of life art during several years of research around the world.
For example, snowmen were a phenomenon in the Middle Ages, built with great skill and thought. At a time of limited means of expression, snow was like free art supplies dropped from the sky. It was a popular activity for couples to leisurely walk through town to view the temporary works of chilly art. Some were created by famous artists, including a 19-year-old Michelangelo, who in 1494 was appointed by the ruler of Florence, Italy, to build a snowman in his mansion’s courtyard.
The Miracle of 1511 took place during six freezing works called the Winter of Death. The city of Brussels was covered in snowmen—an impressive scene that told stories on every street corner. Some were political in nature, criticizing the church and government. Some were a reflection of people’s imagination. For the people of Brussels, this was a defining moment of defining freedom. At least until spring arrived, by which time they were dealing with damaging floods.
If you fear the heyday of the snowman has passed, don’t worry: I’ve learned that some explosive snowman history is still being made today. Every year since 1818, the people of Zurich, Switzerland, celebrate the beginning of spring by blowing up a snowman. On the third Monday of April, the holiday Sechselauten is kicked off when a cotton snowman called the Boogg is stuffed with explosive and paraded through town by bakers and other tradesmen who throw bread to the crowds. The parade ends with the Boogg being placed on a 40-foot pile of firewood. After the bells of the Church of St. Peter have rung six times, representing the passing of winter, the pile is lit. When the snowman explodes, winter is considered officially over—the quicker it is burnt down, the longer summer is said to be.
1.According to the passage, why did snowmen become a phenomenon in the Middle Ages?
A.People thought of snow as holy art supplies.
B.People longed to see masterpieces of snow.
C.Building snowmen was a way for people to express themselves.
D.Building snowmen helped people develop their skill and thought.
2.“The heyday of the snowman” （paragraph 4） means the time when___________.
A.snowmen were made mainly by artists
B.snowmen enjoyed great popularity
C.snowmen were politically criticized
D.snowmen caused damaging floods
3.In Zurich, the blowing up of the Boogg symbolizes__________________.
A.the start of the parade
B.the coming of a longer summer
C.the passing of the winter
D.the success of tradesmen
4.What can be concluded about snowmen from the passage?
A.They were appreciated in history
B.They have lost their value
C.They were related to movies
D.They vary in shape and size
Though people have discussed the relationship between science and nature for many years, there is no consensual(统一的) explanation. While some view science as a powerful tool in ______ nature’s source of power, others view it as a danger. One example is Barry Commoner’s article, Unraveling(解开) the DNA Myth, which explains the recent developments in DNA technology and expresses ______. Another example is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, The Birthmark. It is a tale about a famous scientist, Aylmer, who seems to be unraveling nature’s deepest secrets one by one. Despite all of his ______ and vast understanding of science, Aylmer is unable to direct that knowledge into ______ free from nature’s grasp. He was unable to rid his wife of her birthmark and, in the end, killed her.
Despite the different presentations of the concepts, though time separated the two men, both pieces express a similar view on the relationship between science and nature. Both pieces suggest that nature is ______ and holds wonders, secrets, and powers that many scientists constantly dream about discovering. Although there is a gap of one hundred and sixty years, Commoner still shares and gives evidence to Hawthorne’s beliefs that there is a unique ______ in nature that cannot be discovered or understood through science and that the ______ to uncover nature’s secrets are ______ and can lead to disaster. According to Commoner, nature’s universal power continues to prevent and control their discoveries. Commoner criticizes and ______ doubt on the true power of science.
As Commoner’s article suggests, nature only allows science to have limited power and success. Both men believe that complete trust in science is ______, however wonderful and groundbreaking some scientific discoveries are. Commoner believes that people only seem to focus on the few achievements, while avoiding and ignoring all of the laws. For example, “most clones exhibit developmental failure before or soon after birth”. By stressing all of the ______ and shortcomings of science, he conveys the notion that nature’s secrets are well kept and far from being understood and ______ by man. The government and private companies have invested billions of dollars in mapping the human genome, but we still have no ______ for it. Such a discovery is useless, however interesting it might be.
Commoner’s article clearly represents science as weak and useless, but more importantly, dangerous. It gives evidence to support the suggested dangers ______ with science’s attempts to discover nature’s power. If the result is not ______ dangerous, it can still have harmful side effects.
1.A.building B.defining C.showing D.uncovering
2.A.concerns B.views C.findings D.achievements
3.A.interests B.ambitions C.discoveries D.thoughts
4.A.preventing B.earning C.destroying D.breaking
5.A.mysterious B.powerful C.fantastic D.special
6.A.prosperity B.perfection C.improvement D.integrity
7.A.beliefs B.experiences C.actions D.attempts
8.A.disappointing B.meaningful C.useless D.significant
9.A.throws B.expresses C.holds D.casts
10.A.improper B.unbelievable C.dangerous D.unwise
11.A.reforms B.failures C.experiments D.changes
12.A.controlled B.digested C.shared D.applied
13.A.question B.doubt C.hope D.use
14.A.provided B.supplied C.associated D.compared
15.A.directly B.especially C.definitely D.necessarily
On the morning of September 11,2001, computer sales manager Michael Hingson, who is blind, went early to his office on the 78th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center to prepare for a meeting. As Michael worked, his guide dog, a Labrador retriever 1. (name) Roselle, dozed by his feet.
At 8:46 a.m., a tremendous boom rocked the building, eliciting screams throughout the floor. Michael grabbed Roselle, trusting that the dog 2. (lead) him out of the danger, and they navigated their way to a stairwell.
“Forward,” Michael instructed, and they descended the first of 1,463 steps to the lobby. 3. about ten floors, the stairwell grew crowded and hot, and the fumes from jet fuel had made it hard to breathe.
When a woman became crazy, yelling that they wouldn’t make it. Roselle accompanied the woman 4. she finally petted the dog, calmed herself, and kept walking down the stairs.
Around the 30th floor, firefighters started passing Michael on their way up. Each one stopped to offer him assistance. He declined but let Roselle be petted, 5. (provide) many of the firefighters with 6. would be their last experience of unconditional love.
After about 45 minutes, Michael and Roselle reached 7. looby, and 15 minutes later, they emerged outside to a scene of chaos. Suddenly the police yelled for everyone to run as the South Tower began to collapse.
Michael kept a tight grip on Roselle’s harness, using voice and hand commands, as they ran to a street opposite the crumbling tower. The street bounced like a trampoline, and “a deafening roar” like a hellish freight train filled the air. Hours later, Michael and Roselle made it home safely. At that moment, they thought they were 8. (lucky ) in the world.
In the months that followed, Michael became a spokesperson for Guide Dogs for the Blind, the organization by which Roselle 9. (train). Together, they spread their message about trust and teamwork.
In 2004, Roselle developed a blood disorder, 10. prevented her from guiding and touring. She died in 2011.
“I’ve had many other dogs,” Michael wrote, “but there is only one Roselle.”
假如你是李华，你班开展主题“不忘初心，牢记使命”演讲比赛。请你就以下要点，结合自身的经历写一篇讲稿，谈谈自己的理解。
内容要点如下:
1.你的“初心”:
2.选择此“初心”的原因或意义；
3.如何实现
注意:
1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节.以使行文连贯；
3.参考词汇:不忘初心:remain true to our original aspirations／never forget why we started
Dear classmates,
It is my honour to be here and share with you my idea on this topic.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you!
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
As far as I'm concerned, houses in the future will be likely to be built with environment-friendly materials. The materials are wonderful, that can not only produce electricity by take in air and sunshine, and also keep the houses warm in winter and cool in summer. On addition, if there is an accident happen in the house, the host will receive an alarm call immediate. Most importantly, once some disasters such as earthquakes or storm happen, the house will fly away to avoid the danger.
In a word, as the development of science and technology,I believe my dream will be come true.And the houses in the future will become comfortable to live in.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式，并将答案填写在答题卡上。
A population of the world's most invasive mosquito species was almost completely wiped out by1.experiment on two islands in the southem Chinese province of Guangdong, according to a study , which 2.(publish) Wednesday
The experiment successfully reduced the female Asian Tiger Mosquito population-the main source of bites and disease transmission-by up to 94%,3. (reduce) the number of reported human bites by 97%.
One of the Chinese study's4.(researcher), Xi Zhiyong, a professor at Michigan State University, has been a longtime pioneer in this field of study,5.is running a mosquito factory in southern China. He6.(previous) attempted to use sterilized(绝育的) male mosquitoes to mate with unaltered females In the new study,7. (publish) by the International Journal of Science, Xi and his colleagues attempted to cut mosquito numbers even8.(far) by limiting both males and females' ability to reproduce.
The results were so successful that they nearly9. (wipe) out the entire female mosquito population on the two islands.
Mosquitoes pose grave threats to human health beyond just irritating bites. However, there is currently no effective vaccine or treatment 10.most mosquito-transmitted diseases, leaving controlling the insects' populations one of the most effective control methods, according to the International Journal of Science.
