Sixteen brave runners recently gathered in the Russian village of Oymyakon, also known as the world’s pole of cold, to compete in the coldest official race in history.
Oymyakon is the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth, with temperatures constantly dropping to under -50 degrees Celsius in winter time. This place is so cold that a person’s unprotected face can suffer frostbite(冻伤) in a matter of second. Oymyakon can barely be called livable, let alone suitable for a marathon, and yet at the beginning of this year, 16 runners gathered here to take part in a series of extreme races.
On January 5, the brave runners — aged 21 to 71 and very well-trained — competed in bone-chilling marathons for 5, 10, 20, 30 and 42 kilometers across the frozen taiga(泰加森林) of central Yakutia. At the start of the run, the air temperature was an almost unbearable -52 degrees Celsius, and by the time the first and only runner reached the 39km mark, it had increased to -48 degrees Celsius.
“We could see entire amazement in the eyes of tourists who traveled here from Australia, Taiwan, Japan and India to watch the world’s coldest race,” runner Sargylana Neustroyeva told The Siberian Times. “This was our first try at organizing the extremely cold marathon. Next year we are definitely doing another race, and all athletes from around the world are welcome!”
“We wanted to make running in -450C and colder more popular, and to show that athletes can adapt to extremely low temperatures” champion runner Yegor Abramov added.
The world’s coldest race was organized by Alexander Krylov, head of Turuu Tour agency. He plans to do it again next year, hopefully with more brave runners able to endure the extreme winter temperatures of Oymyakon.
1.What can we learn about Oymyakon?
A.It’s a Russian village with people living there normally.
B.It’s a Russian village often for runners to try cold marathon.
C.There are no plants growing around the village.
D.Many tourists from around the world come here to spend winter.
2.Why did the sixteen runners hold the coldest race?
A.To make a new record for the running races.
B.To challenge their body limit in the cold climate.
C.To make running in low temperature popular.
D.To help promote the tourism in Oymyakon.
3.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.The World Pole of Cold B.Sixteen Brave Runners
C.An Icy Journey D.The World’s Coldest Race
A Facebook user uploaded photos of a dog, Leo, sharing that he had seen the animal sitting in the same spot every day, as if waiting for someone. They originally thought the dog had been abandoned, but then realized that he looked well-fed. It turned out that the dog had indeed been spending most of his around that intersection, but a woman had been coming around regularly to bring him food and water.
The 45-year-old woman, named Saowalak, said that when she first found him in that very same spot, several years ago, Leo was all skin and bones and plagued by skin disease, so she took him home and nursed him back to health. However, Leo returned to the same place she first saw him, making her assume that he was waiting there for his owner. She just came and brought him food and water every few days.
After learning about the story, the Facebook user decided to share it on social media, documenting with photos of the dog and the kind-hearted woman who looked after him. The post soon went viral and the photos of Leo got shared hundreds of times online.
Nang Noi Sittisam, a 64-year-old woman, almost had a heart-attack when her daughter showed her a photo of a dog that looked a lot like BonBon, the beloved dog she had lost during a car trip. Learning that he had been waiting for her in the same spot for the last four years, her heart melted.
Auntie Noi told her daughter to drive her to where the dog was waiting instantly she saw the photo and heard the story. When she got there and called his name, “Bon Bon”, the poor dog started wiggling his tail and came to her, but when she tried to take him home with her, he was reluctant to follow. She then understood that her BonBon had become attached to Saowalak, the woman who had nursed him back to health.
1.What can we learn about the dog, Leo?
A.He was abandoned by his former owner because of his disease.
B.He stayed at the same spot hoping to wait for a good owner.
C.He was lost but finally reunited with his master.
D.He waited at the same place because he didn’t like to stay with Saowalak.
2.Why did the Facebook user upload the photos of Leo and a woman?
A.To make an ad for Facebook.
B.To share a moving story.
C.To honor the woman for her kindness.
D.To help Leo find his former owner.
3.Which of the following words best describe the dog?
A.Stubborn but attached.
B.Considerate but discouraged.
C.Optimistic and cute.
D.Loyal and faithful.
假设你叫李华，是你班上的英语课代表。为了弘扬中国传统文化，你校艺术俱乐部准备举办一次关于“国画(Chinese painting)”的讲座。你班外籍教师Peter对国画很感兴趣，给你发来邮件询问本次讲座的情况。请给Peter回复一封邀请信，内容包括：
1）讲座目的；
2）讲座内容；
3）讲座时间和地点；
4）邀请Peter参加。
注意：1）词数80左右(信的开头与结束语已为你写好，但不计入总词数)；
2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：弘扬 promote;
Dear Peter,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧ )，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（一），并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Last Friday, we went to Beijing Survival Island to go on an outing, that left us with a deep impression.
Early in the morning, we gathered the school gate and the school bus takes us there. In the way, we talked and laughed, full of excitement. Upon arrive, we were attracted by various activities and got involved immediate. The monkey bars were really challenging. One of the boys managed to make it with the encouragement of her classmates. I was interested in making cakes. I was being taught to make my first cake on my own! At lunchtime, we sat around, enjoying the delicious food. Everyone had the good time.
We really enjoyed our stay there. Before we left, we had a photo taken to record the unforgettable days.
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。
Mochi (年糕) is a traditional food popular in Chinese and Japanese cooking, made from 1. (special) treated rice. It is often presented in the form of a round cake, and is traditionally exchanged at the New Year.
Mochi is made by 2. (put) sticky rice into water overnight, cooking it and pounding it into a sticky paste. The paste is made into shapes ranging from simple to complex rounds, some of 3. are stuffed with sweet fillings. Mochi is often decorated with 4. (flower) or fruits, especially when it is exchanged as 5. gift at celebrations like birthdays and the New Year.
Traditionally, wooden mortars (臼) and pestles (杵) 6. (use) to pound mochi rice. Fresh mochi is usually cooked and served warm 7. a variety of sauces. Steaming and boiling are both popular preparations in Japan, along with cooking. Fresh mochi is soft but it8. (hard) quickly. Prepacked mochi blocks, flattened and cut into square pieces or shaped into rounds, are available at grocery stores. Mochi can go bad easily, so it’s 9. (good) to cook soon than to keep it in your fridge.
Hard mochi pieces can be cooked, deep-fried, boiled, and more. Cooked mochi is very sticky, so be careful not 10. (choke) on it.
Our world is more connected than ever before thanks to technology. 1. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly important that we all learn how to deal with this painful feeling.
You should be determined to actively end your loneliness. We often end up passively waiting for someone else to make us feel less lonely. You may feel that your loneliness indicates that nobody is willing to connect with you. And there is nothing you can do about it. But that is far from the truth. 2.
You should find reasons why you are lonely. We all feel lonely for different reasons. Some of us have no one to interact with on a consistent basis and that’s why we feel lonely. You may feel that the people in your life don’t share your thoughts and ideas. 3. you need to identify it. And you know exactly how to handle your loneliness.
4. People who are lonely tend to fall into destructive mental habits. They try to avoid the pain of not being understood and being disconnected by not giving people an opportunity to understand and connect with them. So the solution is to share your thoughts and feelings with others and to do so openly and fearlessly.
You should find people who share your interests. 5. everybody is interested in something. And just as there are many interests, there are many people who share those interests. Find what interests you and connect with others on that basis.
A. Whatever the reason is,
B. When you feel really lonely,
C. If you want to make friends with them,
D. Whether it’s coin collecting or video games,
E. You should be open about your thoughts, ideas and desires.
F. Ending loneliness is something that you can and should pursue actively.
G. However, more and more of us find ourselves having to stand loneliness.
