When I was 10 years old, I asked a neighborhood kid who was older than me, “Which city is further west: Reno. Nev., or Los Angeles?” The correct answer is Reno. Nevada. But he was convinced it was the other way around.
He was so convinced that Los Angeles was west of Reno that he was willing to bet me two dollars. So I went into the house to get my Rand McNally Map. The kid looked at the map and said. “The map is drawn funny.” It wasn’t. Was his argument that the map didn’t preserve east, west, north and south? What kind of map would that be? I showed him if you trace down the 120-degree west line of longitude (经度)---which runs almost directly through Reno, Nev. --- you end up in the Pacific Ocean, somewhere west of Los Angeles.
He replied that lines of longitude don’t cross the ocean.
What? I told him that the lines of longitude were there to show how far west or east some location was, regardless of whether it was on land or on sea.
There was one problem, however. He was bigger than me.
I drew a number of conclusions from this story.
There is such a thing as truth, but we often tend to ignore it. Also, it’s not just thinking something that makes it true. Truth not relative. It’s not subjective. It may be hidden. People may wish to ignore it. But there is such a thing as truth and pursuit (追求) of truth: trying to figure out what has really happened, trying to figure out how things really are.
Almost 15 years ago, I came across a story about an innocent man, a man who had been sentenced to death in the Huntsville, Texas, electric chair. And through hard work and luck, I was able to make the movie The Thin Blue Line and to help get him out of prison.
What kept me going was the belief that there had to be answers to the questions. “Did he do it?” “Was he guilty or innocent?” “If he didn’t do it, who did?” and that I could find an answer to these questions through investigating (调查).
It’s not that we find truth with big “T”. We investigate and sometimes we find things out and sometimes don’t. There’s no way to know in advance. It’s just that we have to go ahead as though there are answers to questions. We must go ahead as though, in principle, we can find things out-even if we can’t. The alternative is unacceptable.
I will never know whether the neighborhood kid really didn’t understand the logic of my argument about Reno. Nev. Or whether he understood it completely and just didn’t want to admit it. Or whether he understood it and just didn’t want to admit it. Or whether he understood it and just didn’t want to pay up. I’ll never know.
All I know is I never got my two dollars.
1.Why does the author tell the story of the neighborhood boy?
A.To recall his good old days. B.To show his good sense of direction.
C.To introduce the topic of finding truth. D.To stress the importance of geography.
2.Why did the boy say “The map is drawn funny.” in Paragraph 2?
A.Because he had fun reading maps.
B.Because he refused to admit his mistake.
C.Because the map was drawn in a different way.
D.Because there were some mistakes in the map.
3.What encouraged the author to make the movie The Thin blue Line?
A.His devotion to films. B.His willingness to help.
C.His belief in finding answers. D.His mercy for the innocent man.
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Great minds think alike. B.It’s never too late to learn.
C.Truth never fears investigation. D.Honesty is the best policy.
You may have heard the expression “buying into the dip”. We usually think of this in terms of nesting (投资) --- for example, recessions (经济萧条) offer an opportunity to take advantage of buying cheap stocks that were once expensive.
But to me, “buying into the dip” is a term which covers a lot more than that. There are a few reasons that I was able to “buying into the dip” and start a business during the Great Recession: ChopDawg.com had zero upstart costs, with no need for any credit to get started. No loans, just $10 for the domain name. I picked a service that only required my own time and labor and that’s basically it, Not needing credit was a big deal for me, and I didn’t even think about this at the time.
I was also selling a service that was priced at just the right rock-bottom level to fill a need local small business badly needed more sales, since so many had cut their spending due to the recession. A website could give these businesses a new way to reach their customers, new and old.
From an economic standpoint, the Great Recession was an opportunity to start if you were selling the right thing at the right cost. During recessions, the pool gets way less crowded. Potential competitors become much more unwilling to risk, but for those who have an in-demand service, and the means to provide it, you are in business.
Back in 2009, website design had not yet become a commercial service, Offering web design as a service for small businesses was a novel idea, and many mom-and-pop shops didn’t know they needed it yet, which brings me to this: if you can solve a fresh-out-of-the-recession pain point at the right price, you have a chance of buying into the dip and helping a lot of people at the same.
1.What is “buying into the dip” to the author?
A.Selling things at low costs.
B.Buying cheap stocks in time.
C.Offering help to small businesses.
D.Starting a business with the least investment.
2.What does the underlined word “novel” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A.Familiar. B.Simple.
C.Clear. D.New.
3.What can be a suitable title for the passage?
A.Start small--very small.
B.Keep an eye on what you may need.
C.Serve right--quite right.
D.Adapt to changes in the Internet service.
The new wave of plant-based “meat” is going mainstream and straight into one of America’s most iconic chain fast-food burgers, the White Castle Slider. White Castle announced Thursday it is introducing a vegetarian fake-meat version of its famous mini-burgers. The burgers is one of several scientifically engineered products made to make plant ingredients (成分) taste just like beef. Called the Impossible Slider, it will be first sold at 140 White Castle eateries in the New York, New Jersey and greater Chicago areas with the potential for a nationwide promotion.
The White Castle Impossible Slider---made with smoked cheddar cheese, pickles, onions and a bun---features a 2-ounce patty and costs $1.99. That compares to the chains traditional 0.9-ounce mini-cheeseburger at about 94 cents. “Plant-based proteins are growing. We felt it was a good opportunity to test it with our customers,” CEO Lisa Ingram said. “We think it will appeal to a broad range of customers---those that are meat caters who want to try something different and non-meat eaters who want this.” She also said the new sliders might bring in new customers, too.
The Impossible Slider represents what few in the traditional beef industry thought possible---that cowless meat would be a hit in a country known for its meat-and-potatoes diet and love of burgers. Plant-based meat alternatives are growing at rate of about l1% a year, according to the research firm Acosta. The market isn’t just vegetarians: Some 71% of people who buy plant-based meat also eat the real thing.
“Interest in meat alternatives seems to be driven by consumers at large, not just those looking for vegetarian lifestyles, but looking for diversification( HF1c)of tastes and health benefits,” said Billy Roberts, senior food and drink analyst at the global market research firm Mintel. “Our business is a growth business. There’ll be increased demands for products like the Impossible Burger,” Impossible Foods Chief Operating Officer David Lee said. “People are increasingly asking about what impact food has on the environment and our health.”
1.What is the selling point of the Impossible Slider?
A.Its low price. B.Its good taste.
C.Its high technology. D.Its plant-based ingredients.
2.According to the passage, who may be attracted by the Impossible Slider?
① People living a vegetarian life
② people looking for various tastes
③ people valuing health
④ people dislike fast-food
A.① B.①② C.①②③ D.①②③④
3.What can be inferred from David Lee’s words?
A.Curiosity drives more people to buy the Impossible Slider.
B.People’s concern over the environment and health may help the new business.
C.People’s doubt about food impact may stop the Impossible Slider’s popularity.
D.Eco-friendly people play an important part in promoting the Impossible Slider.
假设你是王森，十一月二十一日是你在美国的笔友汤姆的生日。你给他寄了一盒中国的绿茶（green tea）作为生日礼物。现在，请你用英语写一封110字左右的信给他，祝贺他生日快乐，并根据下面的六幅图和提示词语详细描绘一下怎么沏茶。
提示词：壶 kettle茶匙 teaspoon茶壶 teapot
茶叶 tea-leaves 茶杯 teacup 茶壶盖 lid
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按下列要求改正：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。
1.I really enjoyed your party. It was such a good fun.
2.We’re considering sell the house at the corner of the street.
3.He was absolutely exhausting after the long journey.
4.Andrew as well as Martin and Jim are fond of music.
5.Great changes taken place in the last ten years in my hometown.
单句语法填空
1.You will be __________ (amaze) at the progress you have made in such a short time.
2.First __________ (impress) seems to be very important when you are looking for jobs.
3.That lovely summer holiday in Beijing feels like a __________ (distance) memory.
4.The kind woman has adopted six sick babies __________ (abandon) by others
5.A fire broke out in the market yesterday, but___________(fortunate) no one was hurt.
6.What is your __________(反应) to what the newspaper said?
7.He was making a speech without __________(参考) to his notes.
8.He noticed a piece of wood __________(飘浮) on the water.
9.This is the second time that I __________(visit) the Palace Museum.
10.When the delayed flight will take __________ depends much on the weather.
