阅读下面短文，在空白处填入一个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Paul Lucas can often be seen walking around the city of San Francisco. Sometimes people are surprised to see him walking 1. any shoes or socks, but Lucas doesn’t mind at all. He likes to walk barefoot, and so do 640 other 2.(member) of Dirty Sole Society, the club that Lucas 3. (start) years ago. Lucas’ idea for this is to encourage others to live freely－free of shoes.
Lucas says that walking barefoot allows you to experience the world directly by touching it with your feet. In addition, the feet do not smell so much because they stay dry, 4. (make) it hard for bacteria(细菌) to grow. And, of course, walking barefoot keeps your feet in good shape, so it’s actually 5. (healthy) than wearing shoes.
Draper, the owner of a second-hand bookstore, was looking through a pile of old books when an envelope fell from one. Inside was an undated______and a photo of a woman holding a little girl on her lap. The letter said if Bethany was______it, it meant the author had died.
Tears were filling Draper’s eyes. These were a______woman’s last words to her child. He had to______Bethany. Whoever it is will want this, he thought, you wouldn’t______a letter like that.
He supposed if the______ended up in his shop then Bethany was likely from around Bishop Auckland. And he thought he would______the little girl’s face. ___ she’d left the area, there might be someone in town who would recognize the picture.
He started with the local newspaper. The Northern Echo ran the story of the______letter. At the same time, Bethany Gash, now 21 and a(n)______herself, was on Facebook about 10 miles away when a close friend messaged her to check out the ____. As she read her mother’s words, which she thought had been lost forever, she said she thought she must be______.
Gash was only 4 when her mother passed away. Five years later, her family moved to a new home and the letter, put away in the pages of a book for safe keeping, was donated by accident. She remembers unpacking and looking for the letter, and then______searching through everything in hopes that it was there. That’s when she realized she’d never see it again.
Draper _____ the letter. He also brought a children’s book for Gash’s son. Gash was greatly moved to have the letter back, and also touched by the stranger’s______.
1.A.message B.email C.postcard D.letter
2.A.reading B.destroying C.forgetting D.copying
3.A.determined B.kind C.selfish D.dying
4.A.find B.introduce C.phone D.comfort
5.A.put away B.cut up C.throw away D.break down
6.A.girl B.book C.reporter D.news
7.A.imagine B.recognize C.prefer D.appreciate
8.A.As if B.Unless C.Even if D.Although
9.A.lost B.valuable C.wet D.broken
10.A.editor B.mother C.daughter D.assistant
11.A.ticket B.magazine C.article D.homework
12.A.writing B.joking C.playing D.dreaming
13.A.secretly B.suddenly C.madly D.regularly
14.A.kept B.returned C.sold D.published
15.A.carelessness B.intelligence C.kindness D.selflessness
Does this situation seem familiar to you？Your English is progressing well, the grammar is now familiar, the reading comprehension is no problem, and you are speaking quite fluently.1.First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening is probably the most difficult job for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. The most important thing is to listen as often as possible.
2.The Internet is really a useful tool for English students. You can download The RealPlayer from RealMedia.com.The RealPlayer allows you to use the Internet like a radio station.
Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated(受阻) by limited understanding.3.Here is some of the advice I give my students：
▲ Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything.
▲Stay relaxed when you do not understand, and try listening to the material for more times.
▲Do not translate everything into your native language.
▲4.Don ‘t concentrate on details before you have understood the main ideas.
▲Listen to something you enjoy.
I remember the problems I had in understanding spoken German when I first went to Germany. In the beginning, when I didn’t understand a word, I insisted on translating it in my mind. This method usually resulted in confusion.5.Firstly, translating creates a barrier between the listener and the speaker. Secondly, most people repeat themselves constantly. By remaining calm, I noticed that even if I didn’t pay much attention I could usually understand what the speaker had said.
A．Then, after the first six months, I discovered two extremely important facts.
B．But listening is a problem for most of the beginners.
C．But you can’t follow a native English speaker at all!
D. However, after several weeks, I got used to the new environment in Germany.
E．So, what you need to do is to find listening resources.
F．What should you do?
G．Listen for the general idea of the conversation.
In the United States, a company is working on a project that could change the way we think about public transportation. Its planned system would move people around in steel tubes. Those passengers would be traveling at speeds of up to 1, 200 kilometers per hour.
The futuristic transportation system is called Hyperloop. Workers plan to test the system next year in a specially built community called Quay Valley. The town will be powered entirely by energy from the sun.
The Hyperloop transport system is the idea of businessman Elon Musk. Dirk Ahlborn is head of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. He says his company has taken Mr Musk's idea and is developing a system that will be safe, environmentally friendly and fast.
" It's 100 percent solar-powered...we’re not going to get up to 760 miles per hour, but we believe we can actually break the records that are existing right now.”
This means that a four-hour drive from Los Angeles, California to Las Vegas, Nevada, could someday take only 30 minutes by Hyperloop.
The system involves a series of capsules (密封舱) that float inside a long tube. These containers wouldn’t need to travel along a pathway or track. The system has been designed to operate above or below ground.
Inside the tube there is a low pressure environment very similar to an airplane that’s high in the sky . So now the capsule travelling inside the tube doesn’t meet with as much resistance(阻力), and therefore can travel really fast with very little energy.
Dick Ahlborn and his company will use an eight-kilometer track in Quay Valley to find the best way to set up passenger traffic and repair capsules. A larger system will cost an estimated(估算的) 6-10 billion dollars to build.
If Mr Ahlborn and his company succeed, we may one day see these very fast Hyperloo capsules speeding through tubes around the world.
1.Quay Valley is said to be a special town because________.
A.it is very passenger-friendly.
B.it will be powered by solar energy
C.the public transportation system is well developed
D.the Hyperloop steel tubes will be produced there
2.We can learn from the text that the Hyperloop transport system________.
A.travels along a pathway or track B.mainly runs above ground
C.was developed by a businessman D.aims to operate environmentally friendly
3.Why can the Hyperloop capsules travel fast?
A.They are solar-powered.
B.They travel high in the sky.
C.There is little resistance inside the tube.
D.There is a powerful engine to drive them.
4.What is the author’s attitude towards the Hyperloop transport system?
A.Objective B.Doubtful
C.Supportive. D.Negative
5.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Steel Tubes B.A Creative Businessman
C.Hyperloop Transport System D.Quay Valley
Recently, I experienced a wonderful lesson in how little things still mean a lot. My brother, mother and I live in Hawaii. Our farm is at least a dozen miles from even the most basic of services. Therefore, I take weekly trips to the shop to get supplies. About a month ago, I finished loading up the car and was about to leave, when a piece of paper on the ground caught my eye. I picked it up and read it carefully.
It was a receipt from the State Motor Vehicle Division, recording the owners payment of her Vehicles Registration fees. At first I thought that I could find the owner. So I waited there for about an hour. Although the receipt had been borne on the wind, where in the busy, crowded parking lot would I find the owner? I looked over the receipt for contact or any personal data, perhaps a license tag (牌照) or telephone number. I checked the date, the fees paid, noted the name of the owner and pocketed the paper. I concluded that the best and easiest step to take was to put the receipt in an envelope and send it to the owner first the next morning.
By the end of the week, I received a beautiful "thank you " letter from a woman containing a handwritten message and a card. In the letter, the woman explained how the wind snatched (夺去) her receipt from a pocket in her car’s passenger door. She had searched everywhere for quite some time before giving up.
It felt great to know I had helped someone avoid a loss by doing something that at first glance(一瞥) seemed little and unimportant.
1.What can be the best title for the text?
A.A Lesson I Will Never Forget B.Never Lose Heart or Give up
C.Little Things Still Mean a Lot D.Think Carefully Before You Act
2.What can we learn about the author?
A.He lives downtown in Hawaii.
B.He goes to the shop to get supplies once a week on foot.
C.He is too poor to have basic supplies for his family.
D.He is patient and willing to help others.
3.The underlined word "it"in paragraph 2 most probably refers to_______.
A.the receipt B.the license tag
C.the telephone number D.the personal data
4.How did the woman feel when receiving the author's envelope?
A.Proud B.Disappointed
C.Appreciated D.Angry.
5.How did the woman lose her receipt?
A.She forgot where she had put it. B.A strong wind blew it away.
C.A thief took it away. D.She left it in the parking lot
Voyages
Travel with young Abe Lincoln down the Mississippi River, taking his boat down to New Orleans. Along the way, Lincoln finds himself on his own voyage of discovery. It is an amazing experience with risk and excitement. ( Chapter book )
The People Could Fly
By Leo Hamilton and Diane Dillon
It tells a folktale(民间故事)about African people who could fly. Long ago in Africa, people wings were lost, but an old man uses magic, and helps them fly away to freedom. ( Chapter book )
Through Georgia's Eyes
By Rachel Rodriquez and Julie Paschkis
Discover the wilderness and wonder of deserts and rivers through the eyes of painter Georgia O'Keefe. Deep-colored paper paintings show the artist's imagination and the amazing sightseeing that inspired her work. (Picture book)
A Horn(喇叭) for Louis
By Eric A Kinmel and James Bemardin
Louis Armstrong was too poor to have a real music instrument, but he had a horn. Jazz and blues music was everywhere in the streets of New Orleans. This is the story of how Louis got his first real "horn" , when he was just a boy with a dream of becoming a musician. ( Chapter book )
Go, Go America
By Alan Bamard
50 states of fun, with interesting facts---in what state the entertainment capital of the world is, where the first hamburgers were served, what the Cereal Festival is, who hosts the Hog Calling Contest and more. ( Picture book )
Stitchin‘ and Pullin’
By Patricia C . McKissack, Cozbi A . Cabrera
For a hundred years, generations of women from Gee's Bend have quilted together, sharing stories and singing. Every day Baby Girl listens, watches, and waits, until she's called to sit at the quilting frame(框架). Piece by piece, she creates her quilt--- telling not just her story, but the story of her family, the story of Gee's Bend, and the story of her ancestors’ struggle for freedom.
1.If you are interested in adventure, you may prefer .
A.A Horn for Louis B.Go, Go America C.The People Could Fly D.Voyages
2.What do Through Georgia's Eves and Go, Go America have in common?
A.They are both about the US. B.They are both written by two authors.
C.There are lots of pictures in both books. D.There are funny stories in both books.
3.The book A Horn for Louis is mainly about .
A.how jazz and blues music was formed in its birthplace, New Orleans
B.how Louis got his instrument when he dreamed of becoming a musician
C.how Louis got the horn to become a famous musician
D.how Louis supported his whole family
4.If you are collecting folktales for an essay, which book will you probably choose?
A.The people Could Fly. B.Go, Go America.
C.Through Georgia's Eyes. D.Stitchin’ and Pullin’
5.If you want to read a family story, you will choose .
A.Through Georgia's Eyes B.Stichin’ and Pullin’ C.The People Could Fly D.Voyages
