A while back I caught a news report on something called ―couch surfing and the network of trusting souls who make this phenomenon possible. They offer to put up travelers free of charge and help them on their ways. At first, it sounded unbelievable. I mean, inviting strangers into one’s home for one or two nights? Give me a break.
However, I was intrigued. I decided to find it out. The only way to truly learn about this phenomenon was to dive in. So I planned a trip to Finland, a country I’ve always wanted to explore. I would couch surf at every stop there.
If ever any anxiety existed when stepping into the unknown, it disappeared when my first host met me at the train station. Ari looked like my idea of a typical Finn: tall and blue-eyed. Finns were also supposed to be famously reserved (寡言少语的). Ari was anything but. He was a live wire, giving me a warm welcome and walking with me to his apartment, where he showed me the sleeper sofa, served me tea, and engaged me in warm conversations. He also handed me a key to come and go as I pleased.
If this was what couch surfing was all about—trust and friendship—then I had gotten off to a good start. As I boarded my next train to continue my journey, I began to think about this couch-surfing idea. What encouraged these people to open their homes to strangers? I concluded that there was a desire to lend a hand to like-minded folks who might enrich their own lives.
Seven cities in 14 days. Seven hosts. Seven new friends. If couch surfing taught me anything, it’s this: Most people are good and generous. Where will couch surfing take me next? Who knows? But I can’t wait to find out.
1.Which of the following best explains the underlined word in the second paragraph?
A.relaxed. B.bored.
C.interested. D.pleased.
2.What can we know about Ari?
A.He was reserved like most Finns.
B.He talked less but he was friendly.
C.He treated the author as a friend.
D.He saw off the author at the train station.
3.Why did people offer couch surfing to strangers?
A.To take an adventure with strangers.
B.To exchange houses for a short time.
C.To learn more about others’ family lives.
D.To enrich their own lives by helping others.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Travel on Trust and Couches
B.A Free Travel in Finland
C.Experiences in Strangers’ Houses
D.A Plan for Couch Surfing
The sun is going to expand into the orbit of Mercury (水星) according to scientific calculations, which will result in the entire Earth catching fire, destroying all life. In order to survive, the United Earth Government prepares 10,000 giant engines on Earth to drive it away from its original orbit. The whole trip is expected to last 2,500 years.
This imaginative tale is at the heart of the science-fiction movie The Wandering Earth. The original novel was written by Liu Cixin, one of China’s most outstanding science-fiction writers and a prize winner of the Hugo Award in 2015 for his novel The Three-Body Problem.
Perhaps thanks to Liu’s fame, as well as the huge marketing efforts of the movie team, The Wandering Earth posted ticket sales of 670 million yuan when it was shown on the first day. More importantly, The Wandering Earth is the first “made-in-China” science-fiction movie on the big screen, as the director, Guo Fan, is also Chinese.
As a fan of Liu, having read almost all of his science-fiction books, I should mention the movie follows a rather different form from his novel. Actually, it only borrows from the novel the idea of the Earth having to escape the solar system. That’s just the point. It means Chinese movie production teams have grown enough to develop new ideas on the creative basis of science-fiction writers, while the writers are willing to work together with movie productions so that the film results in the best possible performance.
Liu may be a highly regarded science-fiction writer in China, but he is not the only one. There are many writers with rich imaginations, and their works can be adapted into movies, too. Someone has predicted that 2019 will mark the starting year of success for Chinese science-fiction movies. Only time will tell whether that prediction will come true. But if more professional movie teams and creative writers could work together, we can certainly expect more success for the domestic (国内的) science-fiction movie industry.
1.Why does the Earth have to escape from its original orbit in the story?
A.Because the sun is about to hit the Earth.
B.Because its original orbit will be occupied by Mercury.
C.Because the giant engines’ strong power will drive it away.
D.Because it has to avoid being destroyed by the coming disaster.
2.What can we learn about the movie from the passage?
A.It is adapted from a science-fiction novel.
B.Its author was once awarded for The Wandering Earth.
C.It achieved huge success mainly because of its author’s fame.
D.Its director Guo Fan is also a famous science-fiction writer in China.
3.What does the underlined word “it” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
A.The unexpected success of the movie.
B.The great success of the original novel.
C.The creative adaptation from the novel.
D.The imaginative idea from the novel.
4.What does the author think of the future of Chinese science-fiction movies?
A.There is a long way to go.
B.They will definitely success.
C.They have great potential.
D.It cannot be predicted.
Surviving Hurricane Sandy (飓风桑迪)
Natalie Doan, 14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the wave from her house. “It’s the ocean that makes Rockaway so special,” she says.
On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned fierce. That night, Hurricane Sandy attacked the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Natalie’s family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the city’s bridge closed.
When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Natalie’s friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Natalie’s school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.
In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway recover inspired Natalie. Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to deliver water and food to elderly people trapped in powerless high-rise buildings.
“My mom tells me that I can’t control what happens to me,” Natalie says. “but I can always choose how I deal with it.”
Natalie’s choice was to help.
She created a website page matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to help. Natalie posted introduction about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball card collecting when his house burned down. Within days, Patrick’s collection was replaced.
In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Natalie also worked with other organizations to bring much-need supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.
Today, the scars (创痕) of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt. “I can’t imagine living anywhere but Rockaway,” Natalie declares. “My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before.”
1.When Natalie returned to Rockaway after the hurricane, she found ______.
A. some friends had lost their lives.
B. her neighborhood was destroyed.
C. her school had moved to Brooklyn.
D. the elderly were free from suffering.
2.According to paragraph 4, who inspired Natalie most?
A. The people helping Rockaway rebuild.
B. The people trapped in high-rise building.
C. The volunteers donating money to survivors.
D. Local teenagers bringing clothing to elderly people.
3.How did Natalie help the survivors?
A. She gave her toys to the kids.
B. She took care of younger children.
C. She called on the White House to help.
D. She built an information sharing platform.
4.What does the story intend to tell us?
A. Little people can make a big difference.
B. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
C. East or West, home is best.
D. Technology is power.
Everyday Food
by Martha Stewart
No matter how busy you are, at the end of the day you want meals that are easy to prepare. And you want lots of choices and variations. You'll find all of that in this book: 250 simple recipes for delicious meals that bring freshness and nutrition.
Paperback, published by Random House, $16.79
Zeroes
By Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, Deborah Biancotti
The New York Times best-selling author Scott Westerfeld teams up with Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti in the book about six teenagers with amazing abilities. These teenagers have powers that set them apart. They can do things ordinary people can’t.
Paperback, published by Simon & Schuster, $12.99
Mighty Jack
By Ben Hatke
Jack dislikes summer. But he’s got a good reason: summer is when his single mom takes a second job and leaves him at home to watch his sister, Maddy. It's lots of responsibility, and it's boring, too, because Maddy doesn't talk. But one day, at the market, Maddy does talk—to tell Jack to trade their mom's car for a box of mysterious seeds. It's the best mistake Jack has ever made.
Hardcover, published by First Second, $14.15
Only Daughter
By Anna Snoekstra
She’s caught stealing. She’s homeless and on the run. But she happens to look the same as a girl who went missing a decade ago, Rebecca Winter. She takes Rebecca’s identity, using it as a way out. Little does she know her new life as Rebecca is itself a prison and it looks like a killer might be after her.
Kindle edition, published by Harlequin Enterprises, $8.88
1.Who wrote a book to help you cook a meal?
A.Martha Stewart.
B.Anna Snoekstra.
C.Ben Hatke.
D.Scott Westerfeld.
2.How much should readers pay for a story about a boy’s amazing experience?
A.$8.88.
B.$12. 99.
C.$14. 15.
D.$16. 79.
3.What do we know about Only Daughter?
A.Its heroine enjoys her life on the run.
B.Its heroine lives with a false identity
C.It provides different kinds of editions.
D.It is written by Harlequin Enterprises.
阅读下面的短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize (强调) the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries -like the UK or France -people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment (多元文化环境)will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
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假定你是李华，对源自爱尔兰的St. Patrick's Day很感兴趣，想了解并向同学们介绍这个节日。请你给爱尔兰的朋友Peter写一封信，询问关于St. Patrick's Day的一些信息。
内容包括：
1. 写信原因；
2. 需要的帮助；
3. 你的感激之情。
注意:1. 词数80左右
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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