From old times, crows (乌鸦) have been famous for their cleverness. They use tools, work out problems, and even enjoy playing. 1.
To make tools, crows cut off leaves with their ''mouths'', shape them, and use them to look for bugs in wood or plants. 2.When the leaf isn't needed for the moment, the bird stores the tool at its feet or somewhere else.
To test wild crows' abilities to work out problems, scientists placed food outdoors in covered bowls. They watched with interest as the birds smartly opened the bowls to get the food. Scientists also found out that crows can make use of the traffic. 3.
4.Young crows will carry a stick or nut into the air, drop it, and fly to catch the object as it falls.
So just how smart are crows? Perhaps a crow will never do tricks as a dog will. 5.
A. Many people don't like crows.
B. Just as a carpenter (木匠) carries his tools with him, a crow will carry its tool around.
C. Crows are cleverer than many other birds.
D. For example, crows would drop a nut on the road and wait for a car to run over the nut to break it.
E. Besides, crows seem to enjoy playing.
F. Scientists have studied carefully how crows go about these activities.
G. But scientists agree that there's a lot going on in the brain of a clever crow.
A few years ago, my sister-in-law started to feel concerned about her teenage daughter. What was she doing after school? Where was she spending her time? My niece was an excellent student, and took part in all kinds of after-class activities. Even so, her mom decided to put a tracking app (跟踪应用程序) on the kid's phone.
At first, this made my sister-in-law ''feel better''. Then the good situation suddenly ended. She recalled, ''I found out that she was someplace that she said she wasn't. I went out in the middle of the night and found her walking without shoes in the middle of the street with some friends. '' Things went quickly downhill for the mother and the daughter after that.
With 73% of teens having their own smartphones now, according to a 2015 Pew study, more and more of their parents are facing the question: To watch or not?
Ana Homayoun, founder of Green Ivy Educational Consulting, has advised many parents and their kids about this. ''I've found teens are more acceptable to tracking apps when it is included as part of a family agreement to improve safety than when it is placed as a secret tool to watch them, '' she said.
Mark Bell, a father of a teenage girl, said, ''We don't have tracking apps, but we have set some ground rules that my daughter must follow in exchange for us providing a smart phone, ''he said. For example, his daughter must ''friend'' him on social media so that he can read posts, and must share all passwords.
When you're trying to build trust, you need to create an environment that encourages it. So, to win their trust, you always need to be straight with your children. ''Parents must let children know how and when they'll be watching them, '' said Doctor Pauleh Weigle. If they're not open about it, he warns, it can ''greatly damage the parent and child relationship''.
1.What’s result of the author's sister-in-law using the app?
A.She felt good with knowing her daughter's after school activities.
B.She wasn't worried about her daughter any more.
C.She had more communication with her daughter.
D.She had more conflicts with her daughter.
2.What can we learn about today's teens from Homayoun?
A.They doubt family agreements.
B.They are worried about online safety.
C.They dislike being watched secretly with tracking apps.
D.They welcome the use of tracking apps.
3.Why are Mark Bell and his daughter mentioned in Paragraph 5?
A.To show how to use smart phone safely.
B.To give an example of being straight with children.
C.To teach how to put tracking app on phones.
D.To tell the importance of being children's friend.
4.What should be done before using a tracking app according to Weigle?
A.Teach the kid how to use it. B.Check the kid's phone.
C.Tell the kid about it. D.Advise the kid to use his phone less.
What is an accent (口音)? An accent is a flavoring to you that influences the sounds of words and sentences. In Birmingham you might hear ''lake'' sounding close to ''like'', and in Ireland you might hear ''this'' sounding close to ''diss''.
Accents are related to social group. Everyone has an accent, and for every accent there are groups of people who react badly to it. These reactions are the result of prejudice (偏见)-an unreasoned jumping to conclusions.
Everybody has prejudices about accents. I certainly do. I have held prejudices about other people's accents. But over the years, my experience of working with people from all kinds of backgrounds has led me to give up these prejudices. However, I still have prejudices that I find difficult to control.
Studies tell us that no accent is better than any other. But the reality is that many people judge others according to accents.
Jacob, Member of Parliament (议会), remembers when he first stood unsuccessfully for election in Fife, Scotland, ''I gradually realized that whatever I happened to be speaking about, the number of voters in my favor dropped as soon as I opened my mouth. ''
And some people change their accents to sound more refined (文雅的) when talking to people outside their circle of family and friends.
Sky News ran a report recently in which an 18-year-old woman was trying to sound less posh (上等人的), that is speaking non-standard English, because she didn't like the strangers telling her that she must be rich and from a famous family.
Lastly, it's worth being reminded that people can have an accent and still be recognized.
1.What does the author think of accent prejudice?
A.It is reasonable. B.It should be banned(禁止).
C.It is hard to avoid. D.It causes serious social issues.
2.Why did Jacob fail in the election?
A.What he said was unwise.
B.He spoke with an accent.
C.He broke the election rules.
D.He was unable to make himself understood.
3.What did the 18-year-old woman try to do according to Sky News?
A.To keep her ways of speaking.
B.To change her accent.
C.To pretend to be a well-educated person.
D.To learn the upper-class British accent.
4.What does the last sentence of the passage mean?
A.The accent tells what kind of people you are.
B.It is easy to recognize people with accent.
C.People with accent can also be successful.
D.It is important to recognize one’s accent.
At thirteen, I was diagnosed (诊断) with a kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, ''Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it. ''
She glanced down at me through her glasses, ''You are not different from your classmates, young man. '' I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Lous Braile. He lived in a time when the blind couldn't get much education. But Louis didn't give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn't I the ''blind'' in my class, being made to learn like the ''sighted'' students? My thoughts, spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was not different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problem, why should I ever give up?
I didn't expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day-with an ''A'' on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words, ''See what you can do when you keep trying? ''
1.Why didn't the author finish the reading in class?
A.Because he didn't like the teacher.
B.Because he was not fond of literature.
C.Because the class room was too noisy.
D.Because he got a kind of attention disorder.
2.What can we learn about Louis Braille from the passage?
A.He couldn't see and read for the whole life.
B.He got a good education at school.
C.He made an invention which helps the blind.
D.He managed to cure his blindness.
3.What's Mrs. Smith's attitude to the author in the classroom?
A.She encouraged him. B.She looked down on him.
C.She sympathized(同情) him. D.She was angry with him.
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Keep trying, and you can do it.
B.Ways to overcome attention disorder.
C.How to be a great teacher.
D.What should you do as a blind.
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
Where: Becket, Massachusetts
When: Jun.15---Aug.24
Each summer, this influential dance center presents a number of classes and performances by more than 50 companies from around the world. Highlights (最精彩的部分) in this season include the Dance Theater of Harlem's production of Alvin Ailey's ''The Lark Ascending'', which opens the festival.
Many events are free. Ticketed performances start at $22. Jacobspillow.org.
Moab Music Festival
Where: Moab, Utah
When: Aug.29---Sept.9
This area is better known for mountain biking than for music. But since 1992, it has hosted a private festival that brings classical, jazz, Latin and other types of music to the land. This year there will be 16 concerts, including three ''Grotto Concerts'', where guests take a 45-minute boat ride down the Colorado River to performances.
Events start at $25. moabmusicfest.org.
Cheyenne Frontier Days
Where: Cheyenne, Wyoming
When: July19---28
There is something for everyone at this 117-year-old festival, from an ''Indian village and Old West museum'' to country concerts. But the competition is still the main attraction, with cowboys and cowgirls competing for major money in the world's largest outdoor stage.
Competition tickets start at $18, and concert tickets at $23. cfdrodeo.com.
The Glimmerglass Festival
Where: Cooperstown, New York
When: July6---Aug.24
Each summer, opera lovers from around the country travel to upstate New York to watch productions that include stars like Nathan Gunn and Ginger Costa-Jackson. This year's performances include Wagner's ''The Flying Dutchman'' and Verdi's ''King for a Day'', in honor of the 200th birthdays of both composers(作曲家).
Tickets start at $26. glimmerglass.org.
1.If you are interested in dance performance, which date suits you best?
A.June 6. B.June 28. C.August 29. D.September 9.
2.Where can you watch a competition and enjoy concerts?
A.Becket, Massachusetts. B.Moab, Utah.
C.Cheyenne, Wyoming. D.Cooperstown, New York.
3.If you are a big fan of Wagner, which one should you choose?
A.Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival B.The Glimmerglass Festival
C.Cheyenne Frontier Days D.Moab Music Festival
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the discount(折扣) on wines?
A.20% off. B.Three dollars off. C.50% off.
2.What will be served free tomorrow?
A.Potato salad. B.Coffee. C.Baked goods.
3.Who will be in the back of the store tomorrow?
A.An actor. B.A painter. C.A photographer.
4.When will the Easter egg hunt begin?
A.At 8:00 a.m. B.At 10:00 a.m. C.At 11:00 a.m.
