As I held my father’s hands one night, I couldn’t help but notice their calluses (老茧) and roughness. His hands tell the story of his life as a ______, including all his struggles.
One summer, I remember, a drought (旱灾) hit Ontario, turning it into a ______ desert. On one of those hot mornings I was picking sweet com with my dad to fill the last ______ from the grocery store. Fifty dozen was all we needed, which ______ took twenty minutes. That morning, however, the process didn’t ______ quickly. After forty minutes of aimlessly walking in the field, we ______ needed twenty dozen. I was completely frustrated (挫败的) and ______. Dropping the basket heavily, I declared, “If the store wants its last twenty dozen, they can pick it themselves”. Dad ______. “Just think, my little girl, only ten dozen left for each of us and then we’re ______.” Such is Dad----whatever problem he ______, he never gives up.
____, the bad effects of the drought were felt all over our county. It was a challenging time for everyone,______ Dad remained optimistic (乐观的). He ______ to be grateful for other things like good health and food on our plates. Only then did I truly begin to ______ Dad and his faith that guided us through the hard times.
Dad is also a living example of real ______. From dawn to dusk, he works countless hours to ______ our family. He always puts our happiness ______ his own and never fails to cheer me on at my sports games ______ his tiredness after long days. His loving and selfless nature has encouraged me to become more sympathetic (有同情心的) and ______, putting others first.
Dad, the life ______ I have learned from you will stay with me forever. You are my father, teacher, friend and, most importantly, my hero.
1.A.teacher B.gardener C.farmer D.grocer
2.A.stormy B.lively C.disappearing D.burning
3.A.order B.form C.room D.position
4.A.repeatedly B.normally C.finally D.really
5.A.go B.begin C.happen D.change
6.A.yet B.still C.even D.nearly
7.A.surprised B.nervous C.angry D.frightened
8.A.apologized B.cried C.complained D.laughed
9.A.lost B.done C.gone D.touched
10.A.meets with B.brings up C.works out D.thinks about
11.A.Thankfully B.Hopefully C.Unfortunately D.Strangely
12.A.or B.for C.so D.but
13.A.happened B.seemed C.continued D.looked
14.A.face B.appreciate C.examine D.question
15.A.love B.pride C.friendship D.honesty
16.A.support B.settle C.start D.impress
17.A.after B.before C.beside D.under
18.A.in spite of B.in support of C.in control of D.in place of
19.A.careful B.regretful C.considerate D.humorous
20.A.history B.stories C.patterns D.lessons
Most people will agree that it is good to read, but not all reading is equal. Here are some tips for productive reading.
1. Take notes.
Even if you never refer to your notes again, the process of taking notes helps you sort out something important and will help you remember it. You can choose between computers or paper for your notes. 1.. On the other hand, many people feel they recall information better when they write it by hand.
2. 2..
If you are like me, once you commit to reading a book, it is very hard to give up until you’ve finished it. Given the number of books that are available and our limited life, it just doesn’t make sense to read a book that you aren’t getting anything from.
3. Variety is good.
While you don’t want to give up on a book that you are benefiting from, it is important to give yourself variety. You can pick up a book at random or intentionally looking for something different from what you normally read. 3..
4. Review what you’ve read.
If you want to remember what you read, take the time to review. 4.. When you finish a book, spend 15 minutes examining your notes in 2 to 4 days. Then 2 to 4 weeks after that and then 2 to 4 months after that. This will strengthen the knowledge in your mind.
5. Discuss what you read with others.
5.. If you can talk with people in person, that is ideal, but don t overlook the power of the Internet in connecting people with similar interests but different geography.
A. Don’t be afraid to give up
B. Make full use of reading time
C. It’s hard to get more out of your normal reading
D. This can be very valuable in giving you a different opinion
E. And you，d better go over things at ever increasing time intervals
F. Using computers will make it easy to find your notes later by search
G. The best way to get more from your reading is to discuss it with others
If you follow any people who like traveling on Instagram，you’ve probably noticed they’ve posted amazing photos from Portugal in the last few years，especially during peak summer months.Mario Fernandes，a cocreator and the editor of GoLisbon said he had seen increased interest in traveling to Portugal in the past five years，particularly in the last two or three.Cindy Goldberger，a travel adviser for Hiatus，an agency in Brooklyn，New York，said that she noticed an increase in Portugal trips about three years ago and that she gets more requests to plan people’s visits there every year.According to Reuters，the number of foreign tourists visiting Portugal hit a record for 2017，and in the same year the country won the world’s leading destination at the World Travel Awards.
Fernandes suggested it’s because Portugal is safe and more affordable than many other Western European countries.The country’s frequent sunshine is also attractive to many visitors.The Algarve，the southernmost area of Portugal，is home to “some of Europe’s most beautiful beaches”，according to Fernandes.Goldberger noted that many airlines have offered better routes to the country in recent years.She’s also a fan of the new hotels that have opened，including farms that have become hotels.
Eric Hrubant，the president of Cire Travel，noted that there is another reason.“It’s a small country，yet you have cities with rich history，culture and food，as well as a lot of beach and golfing options，” he said.“In five to ten days，you can have a vacation or honeymoon that caters to(满足) all of your senses and desires.”
Hrubant pointed out that celebrities(名人) like Madonna and newlyweds Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander have moved to Portugal，which has put the country on more people’s radar(受到更多人的关注)．
So you don’t know where to go for a vacation this summer？Now you can make a better decision.
1.What does Paragraph 1 mainly say about Portugal?
A.It’s doing its best to attract tourists. B.It’s been made popular by Instagram.
C.It’s become a popular tourist destination. D.Its development depends on its tourism.
2.According to Cindy Goldberger，what encourages more people to go to Portugal?
A.Lower expenses. B.Beautiful beaches.
C.Frequent sunshine. D.Convenient transportation.
3.How did Madonna make Portugal more popular?
A.By recommending it. B.By settling down there.
C.By spending her honeymoon there. D.By inviting her friends to pay a visit there.
4.What’s the author’s main purpose in writing the text?
A.To encourage people to visit Portugal. B.To recommend some Portuguese trips.
C.To tell some basic facts about Portugal. D.To explain why Portugal has become famous.
Insects could disappear within a century at current rate of decline, says Global Review.
The world’ s insects are moving quickly down the path to dying out, indicating a disastrous collapse（崩溃）of nature’ s ecosystems is likely to happen, according to the first global scientific review. More than 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered, the analysis found. The rate of extinction（灭绝）is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds and reptiles.
“It should be of huge concern to all of us, for insects are at the heart of every food web—they pollinate（授粉） the large majority of plant species, keep the soil healthy, recycle nutrients, control pests, and much more. Love them or hate them, we humans cannot survive without insects,” said Prof Dave Goulson at the University of Sussex in the UK.
The analysis, published in the journal Biological Conservation, says intensive agriculture is the main driver of the declines, particularly the heavy use of pesticides（杀虫剂）. Urbanisation and climate change are also significant factors.
One of the biggest impacts of insect loss is on the many birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish that eat insects. A small number of adaptable species are increasing in number, but not nearly enough to outweigh the big losses.
Matt Shardlow, at the conservation charity Buglife, said, “It is alarming to see this collation（整理） of evidence that shows the state of the world’ s insect populations. It is increasingly obvious that the planet’ s ecology is breaking and there is a need for an intense and global effort to stop and reverse（反转）these terrible trends.”
1.What did Prof Dave stress in his speech?
A.Insects are vital to food webs.
B.Not all people love insects.
C.Scientists are concerned about insect loss.
D.Humans need certain conditions for survival.
2.Which of the following is most influenced by insect loss?
A.Animals that feed on insects. B.Adaptable animal species.
C.Pests that are used to pesticides. D.Crops produced by intensive agriculture.
3.How did Matt Shardlow sound when talking about the state of insect loss?
A.Relaxed. B.Uncaring.
C.Humorous. D.Worried.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.The extinction rate of insects gets slowed down.
B.The failure of nature’ s ecosystems can be avoided.
C.Sharp drops in insect numbers endanger ecosystems.
D.Insect extinction harms the diversity of animal species.
For some years，my mother worked for a charity as President and Secretary.Selling raffle tickets(兑奖券) was her main means of bringing in the charity’s muchneeded funds.We girls would accompany her，selling tickets with great success.My father made and donated beautiful wooden toys，jewellery boxes and other lovely items as prizes.
Now my sister was always coming up with “good ideas”，most of which didn’t work out to plan.But that didn’t deter her.She had many just waiting to be tested.When she was eight and I was just five，we had a wonderful idea for a business adventure.We decided we would sell raffle tickets for charity，and that charity was us!
So one afternoon，we told our mother we were going to play in the park with our cousins as we did most days after school.But instead，we walked around the streets armed with a raffle book，a pen and a large cloth bag to carry the money.
We’d accompanied our mother many times when she sold tickets，so people were familiar with us when we appeared at their doors.Despite the blank looks they received when asking about the prizes on offer，they were very generous.Although there were no actual prizes，our mother’s previous track record enabled us to sell nearly the whole book of raffle tickets.
Like a little pair of lottery(彩票) winners，we walked home and proudly showed off our takings.But our enjoyment of this sudden wealth was shortlived，and our plans for spending it quickly failed.Our angry mother took us back to every ticket buyer，making us apologise and give the money back.Thankfully，our sweet neighbours didn’t make a big deal of our “clever” misbehavior and thus my mother’s
fundraising career could continue safely.We were taught a good lesson by our mother that day.Also I remember my sister’s entrepreneurial(企业家的) spirit dried up a bit after that.
1.What did the author’s father do?
A.He got prizes ready. B.He sold handmade items.
C.He was in charge of a charity. D.He helped design raffle tickets.
2.What does the underlined word “deter” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.Embarrass. B.Shock.
C.Discourage. D.Mislead.
3.What can be learned about the author and her sister while selling raffle tickets?
A.They ran into their mother.
B.They met some generous strangers.
C.They got lost while walking around the streets.
D.They took advantage of people’s trust in their mother.
4.What lesson did the author and her sister learn?
A.Honesty is the best policy. B.What’s done can’t be undone.
C.Misfortune never comes alone. D.Good advice is beyond all price.
Here are some best sellers of 2018 at Amazon.
The Car
Fourteenyearold Terry’s parents never pay him much attention.So when they both disappear after one of their alltoofrequent arguments，Terry isn’t exactly eager for them to come home.On his own，he fixes an abandoned car.Though he doesn’t know much about driving，he gets behind the wheel and heads west，with the intention of visiting an uncle in Oregon.It’s an exciting and sometimes dangerous journey.Along the way，he learns a lot about people，about America—and most importantly，about himself.
Boy Robot
Seventeenyearold Isaak discovers the truth about his origin：a governmentmade human.But a deadly military force is trying to kill him.He and the other robots can only find protection from the Underground—a secret network of robots and humans working together to ensure a coexistent future.Isaak must decide whether to hold on to his humanity and face possible death or to embrace his true nature in order to survive.
The Running Dream
Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident.
As she struggles to cope with her prosthesis(义肢) and many other difficulties，Jessica develops a close relationship with Rosa，a girl who has a cancer and sees right into Jessica’s heart.With the support of family，friends，a coach，and her teammates，Jessica is able to run again.But that’s not enough for her now.She doesn’t just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.
Have a New Teenager by Friday
Do you know this person?
His bedroom looks like a garbage dump.
She changes clothes three times before breakfast.
It seems that he/she never agrees with you.
Congratulations! You have a teenager in your home.But you needn’t feel helpless.In fact，you’re just five days away from your teenager asking，“What can I do to help？”Internationally recognized family expert Dr.Kevin Leman will help you get real results—really fast.
If you are interested in any of the books，click here for further information：
https：//www.amazon.com/.
1.Which book is a science fiction?
A.The Car. B.The Running Dream.
C.Have a New Teenager by Friday. D.Boy Robot.
2.Which of the following isn’t conveyed in The Running Dream?
A.Friendship. B.Modesty.
C.Bravery. D.Determination.
3.Who is the book Have a New Teenager by Friday intended for?
A.Experts. B.Teenagers.
C.Parents. D.Teachers.
