When you measure the distance between towns on foot, walk to places that you thought could only be reached by car, and it will change your mind.
I live in the suburb north of San Francisco, and _______ is considered the main transportation for most people here. I still remember how _______ I was when I first learned to drive 10 years ago. While driving with music gently _______ my heart, I was filled with joy, a joy of independence in a _______ land! I had a photo taken of me hugging my white car and sent it to my family in China. I love my car!
However, as time went by, that excitement _______. I feared driving, and felt worried and _______. Everyone seems to be in my way especially when I am in a _______. One night, a deer ran out from the dark, knocked off the hood(引擎盖) of my moving car, and landed across the street. I didn’t dare to get out of my car to see her. Crying on the _______, I hated my car.
When I joined the 21-day mindful walking _______, I began to walk with a mind. During the walking days, I said “hello” to a neighbor, who’s lived next to me for a year. But I’ve never ________ attention to her. I smiled at every stranger passing by me. I walked to the streets that I normally would not pass through and ________ a tiny free library on the sidewalk. I began to ________ if I had really lived in this town all these years. It’s a completely ________ town that I know so little about!
I felt deeply ________ for the walking challenge. Maybe I will ________ foot on far lands again, yet I know wonder is right here and right now.
1.A.walking B.driving C.flying D.biking
2.A.worried B.surprised C.excited D.frightened
3.A.beating B.hitting C.hurting D.comforting
4.A.foreign B.lonely C.rich D.fantastic
5.A.went down B.picked up C.broke down D.turned down
6.A.angry B.upset C.foolish D.hungry
7.A.mess B.way C.hurry D.corner
8.A.wheel B.carpet C.street D.hood
9.A.organization B.challenge C.schedule D.competition
10.A.taken B.made C.kept D.paid
11.A.discovered B.built C.entered D.rented
12.A.answer B.question C.argue D.check
13.A.special B.similar C.secure D.new
14.A.grateful B.hopeful C.helpful D.doubtful
15.A.reach B.set C.carry D.measure
Rumors(谣言):we’ve all heard some and we’ve all spread some. In more traditional times they shook entire families. Today, they circulate differently because the way we share information has also changed.
The fact is that rumors have great potential to upset things, whether socially or personally. We don’t enjoy being on the receiving end of one, since they usually don’t have good intentions. They are somewhat veiled(掩饰的) messages.
Normally rumors are oral messages: word of mouth. The paradox(自相矛盾) is that there is no evidence to support rumors, but the more people share it, the more they see it as true. To finish defining rumors, we think that they follow certain very clear laws. Secrecy:The source is unknown. There is also a proven phenomenon that human beings usually forget the source of a message before they forget its content. Certainty: We hardly question rumors simply because of the mental effort involved. On the other hand, no one likes to doubt a person who convinces us that the information they spread is true. Change: It acts like a tree. New rumors branch out to fill in the gaps left by the initial rumor.
Another property of rumors is that they tend to become viral. Each receiver is at the same time a potential transmitter of the information. The receiver often adds their own opinion. Their manner and tone of transmitting it also changes it.
How can we end rumors? The answer is as simple as it is impossible: preventing people from communicating. A more realistic response is equally difficult, although less than the first one. It is that we should be critical of the information we receive. We should ask ourselves if the source is reliable. Ask (if possible) the person you heard it from whether they also trust the information. We should also think about if the rumor benefits someone, and if that someone started the rumor.
One rumor to be especially cautious of is a rumor about groups relatively unable to defend themselves. That’s why we say, “history is always told by the victors.” The first payment the defeated must make is to accept the victor’s version of the story.
1.What’s the author’s attitude towards rumors?
A.Critical. B.Positive.
C.Approving. D.Cautious.
2.What can we learn about rumors?
A.We have all heard some and believed them.
B.We’re happy to be the receiving end of them.
C.They may have negative influence on society.
D.They often hide good intentions in the messages.
3.How are rumors like trees?
A.Rumors keep changing, just as trees change their color.
B.Rumors are deeply rooted in reality, like tree roots in the earth.
C.New rumors have gaps, like the space between tree branches.
D.New rumors grow out of the original, like branches out of a trunk.
4.What does the underlined word “viral” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Something easily spread B.Something acceptable
C.Something easily defended. D.Something beneficial.
5.Which of the following may the author agree with?
A.It is easy to prevent people from spreading rumors.
B.People are often active in judging the rumors critically.
C.We should think about the hidden message of the rumors.
D.Stories told by the victors are usually better worth trusting.
Spending Christmas in a foreign country can be a truly eye-opening experience, especially since it’s easy to believe that as a worldwide festival, most countries probably celebrate it in a fairly similar manner. Being from the UK, Christmas for me means spending time with family and friends, exchanging presents, eating and drinking, and, of course, hiding from the cold. In Colombia, however, Christmas is viewed much more as a time which devotes itself to religion.
With celebrations beginning on 7 December, Columbia is recognized as having the longest Christmas celebrations period in the world. The celebrations generally begin in the evening with the lighting of candles, either in the streets, parks or outside people’s homes. Cities are lit up by candles, as this day marks the beginning of the Christmas period. Although decorations have been up since early November, another tradition in Colombia is that during the nine days before Christmas, family members and friends meet up to pray, sing songs and share traditional foods at home.
Probably the biggest surprise for me has been the music people listen to during the Christmas period. At first, you could easily mistake these songs for the classic salsa, which is played all year round. However, after asking a Colombian if it really felt like Christmas music, they explained to me that the songs are loved more for the memories they symbolize than for the way they sound, and that Colombia has been through so many dark periods in history, it was important to hold on to the good memories of years gone past.
Being in a country like Colombia during this festive period has taught me that you don’t need to be religious to take part in these Christmas traditions.
1.What’s the authors opinion of Christmas?
A.It isn’t a global festival. B.It isn’t a time for being alone.
C.It is mainly devoted to religion. D.It’s celebrated only in some places.
2.What can we learn about the Christmas music?
A.It is celebrated in the same way as in the UK.
B.It is celebrated mainly as a religious festival.
C.It is celebrated for nine days or so.
D.It is celebrated with lanterns and fireworks.
3.What do Colombians do during the Christmas celebration period?
A.Enjoy traditional foods. B.Go to the church together.
C.Learn abut home decorations. D.Have a one-month-long holiday.
4.Colombians love the songs mainly because ______.
A.they sound extremely wonderful
B.they express best wishes for the future
C.they represent good memories of the past
D.they have been passed down for generations
As the summer travel season rolls in, prices at the gas pump are usually going in the wrong direction for our wallets. That’s when drivers become more concerned about how to squeeze the most miles from their fuel dollars and keep their cars running their best. To help you stay in the know, here are some common questions that our auto-experts often get asked about gas mileage and related topics:
What if I need to carry stuff on my car’s roof?
Carrying things on the roof hurts fuel economy. When tested a 2013 Honda Accord at a steady 65 mph①, it got 42 mpg② with nothing on the roof. Adding even an empty bike rack（架子）dropped the mileage by 5 mpg. And with two bikes on the roof, gas mileage dropped to 27mpg.
Does running the A/C① hurt fuel economy compared with opening the windows?
It depends on-how hard the air-conditioning system has to work. When we measured the fuel-economy difference, we found that fuel use with the A/C running went up with higher outside temperatures. At 55℃ F, there were unnoticeable differences. But when we measured again on days when the temperature was in the low 70s and high 80s, we got fewer miles per gallon with the A/C on.
How far can I go when my low-fuel warning light comes on?
There is no set rule, but most cars have a reserve of between 1 and 2 gallons of gas when the light goes on, or enough to travel about 40 miles or so at a moderate speed. To maximize those last couple of gallons, we suggest slowing down and maintaining a steady pace.
Can I improve gas mileage by installing a special air filter（过滤器）?
With modern cars, changing your air filter probably won’t improve your fuel economy. When we tested a car to see whether a dirty air filter hurt its gas mileage because of reduced air intake, we found that the car’s fuel economy wasn’t hurt. The engine’s computer automatically made up for the restricted airflow by reducing fuel use to maintain the right air/fuel proportion. We expect similar results from any air-filter change.
①mph: mile per hour
②mpg: mile per gallon
③A/C: air-conditioning
1.The passage is intended to give answers to questions related to _____.
A.how to save fuel
B.what fuel drivers can use
C.how to keep cars working well
D.what mileage is most suitable for a car
2.It is suggested in the passage that ______.
A.a special air filter be installed to improve air intake
B.the engine’s computer be updated as often as possible
C.drivers carry an empty bike rack on the roof just in case
D.cars move at a fixed low speed with a warning of low fuel
3.At which temperature is there a most noticeable difference in fuel economy between running A/C and opening the window?
A.40° F B.51° F
C.55° F D.73° F
After reading the book The Last of the Mohicans, we can know that Cora is very _____.
A.cold B.brave C.selfish D.pitiful
All of the following are the themes of The Call of the Wild, EXCEPT _____.
A.everyone must be bold to face reality in a gesture to make a living.
B.the love between humans and animals deserves to be highly praised.
C.human beings are supposed to live in harmony with all kinds of creatures.
D.it is not the strongest of the species that survive, but the one that must be responsive to changes.
