I love winter birds and I love photographing them in snow. That being said, I admit that I'm a fair-weather birder(猎鸟者).Worse, I'm a lazy, fair-weather birder. I don't like weather extremes, so when it's very hot or really cold, it is hard to get me to leave the comfort of home. In summer, I only photograph hummingbirds(蜂鸟)in my yard, and in winter, I try to only go out on relatively mild days. Most of my bird photography is done within an hour's drive of my hometown of Elmira, Ont. So it's all about finding a balance that works.
The winter of 2014 was a great year for snowy owls(雪枭)here in Woolwich Township. One day in early March, I was on my way home from work when I noticed a beautiful snowy owl sitting in a tree right at the crossing. I pulled over to admire him, and then kept heading home unwillingly.
Two hundred meters or so down the road, there were two more snowy owls in a field by a fence, and in the next field over, another on top of a fence post. I couldn't find words to express my feeling at that moment. Thus I rushed home, grabbed my camera and went right back out to get some pictures. It was one of the most magical local birding moments I've ever experienced.
When I'm looking for excellent opportunities to photograph snowy owls and other birds without spending dozens of hours searching for them-and if I'm lucky, finding one that's semi-cooperative-I head to the Canadian Raptor Conservancy (CRC) or the Mountsberg Raptor Centre. I've attended so many photo sessions at each of these fantastic facilities that I've lost count.
1.What factor has the most effect on whether the author goes out to photograph birds or not?
A.Road conditions. B.Personal emotion.
C.Weather conditions. D.Time arrangement.
2.How did the author feel when he saw the snowy owls on the way home?
A.Sad. B.Excited.
C.Untouched. D.Proud.
3.What does the underlined word "them" in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A.Opportunities. B.Moments.
C.Pictures. D.Birds.
4.What can we infer about the author?
A.The author only photographs snowy owls.
B.The author can take excellent photos easily.
C.The author makes a living by photographing birds.
D.The author values each chance to photograph birds.
It can be really hard to learn a new language. I had always enjoyed learning languages in school, but only recently did I start learning German. I found that I could understand and learn individual words easily, but when it came to literature, I really struggled. That was when my tutor at university suggested reading some children's books printed in the target language.
At first, I felt a bit silly going on a hunt for a book designed for someone half my age, but then I realised that everyone has to start somewhere. As children, we are given these basic texts to familiarise our brains with certain vocabulary and writing structures, and from there, we can learn and develop. I started with books which are taught to us as children in the UK. I managed to find Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.
The beauty of reading books that were introduced to you as a child is that you are already familiar with the plot. Therefore you can work out some words with your knowledge of the story. At first, I used to read with the book in one hand and a dictionary in the other, but this did not work well. The method I would recommend is to read a chapter first and at the end of that chapter, highlight the new words and then look up the definitions. If you can wait a bit before using a dictionary, you may be surprised what you can understand merely from the context. Additionally, a lot of children's books have pictures which may give you a clue as to what or to whom the passage is referring.
If you can find a translation of the books you have read as a child, I would strongly advise reading those if you are a complete beginner. However, if you feel a bit more confident reading in English, I would personally recommend the series of ‘Harry Potter’ books by J. K. Rowling or any of the Roald Dahl children's books.
1.What makes it hard for the author to learn German?
A.The author had a poor memory. B.The author had no interest in it.
C.The author had no one to ask for help. D.The author couldn't read books fluently.
2.What did the author think of reading children's books in the target language at first?
A.Interesting. B.Stupid.
C.Helpful. D.Boring.
3.What does the author try to express mainly in Paragraph 3?
A.How to deal with new words while reading.
B.Why it is helpful to read children's book at first.
C.How to choose a proper book to match your level.
D.How to form the habit of reading in the target language.
4.Why does the author write this text?
A.To give tips on how to learn a new language.
B.To persuade the readers to learn a new language.
C.To stress the importance of reading in language learning.
D.To share the author's stories of learning a new language.
Istanbul & Faces
Titled "Timeless City: Istanbul & Faces", the Turkey photography exhibition celebrates the 30th anniversary of Istanbul and Shanghai's sistership. The 42-year-old photographer focuses on the distinctive(独特的)historical quarters and the atmosphere that spreads in Istanbul. His work also pays respects to its people as well, with well-defined portraits.
Date: Till Jan. 18, 10am-4pm. Venue: Shanghai Art Collection Museum.
Knitted Works
The knitted(编织的)show is aimed at raising awareness of post natal depression. The works were created by more than 20 mothers from different cities. All the knitted dolls and other works will be sold with the profits(利益)going to charity when the exhibition ends. If you are interested in the knitted works, you can order a special piece.
Date: Till Jan. 1, 7am-9pm. Venue: B1 Jinxiu Fun.
Old Shanghai Teahouse
The newly-opened zone at Shanghai Dungeon features nostalgic sets and experiences for visitors to have "scary fun". Visitors can wear traditional Chinese costumes and take photos with the performers.
Date: Daily, 11am-8pm. Venue: Mosaic Shanghai Mail.
Musical Titanic
The Tony Awards winning musical "Titanic" is in Shanghai with more than 100 characters cast. The impressive stage effects promise to take the audience to the bottom of the ocean.
Date: Till Jan 22, 2 pm-7:30 pm. Venue; SAIC Shanghai Culture Square.
1.Where should you go if you want to learn more about Turkey's history?
A.B1 Jinxiu Fun. B.Mosaic Shanghai Mail.
C.Shanghai Art Collection Museum. D.SAIC Shanghai Culture Square.
2.What can we know about knitted works?
A.People can have a talk with the creators.
B.All the works can be sold when the show begins.
C.They were made by people from different places.
D.The show offers people chances to learn how to make one.
3.What makes the Musical Titanic special?
A.Its opening time is the longest.
B.It raises money for a special purpose.
C.It allows interacting with performers.
D.It offers a lifelike experience under water.
假定你是李华。你的笔友Alex来信说，他将于下周来中国旅行，并询问住宿情况。请你根据提示给他回信，内容包括：
1.表示欢迎；
2.可以提供住宿。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Alex，
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
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。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧）,并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（﹨）划掉。
删除：在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词
2.只允许修改10处,多者（从第11处起）不计分
Jenny is a girl whom loves writing. Both of her parents were writers. She dreams that to be a writer, too. She believes though creativity is so importance that a good writer can’t lose it, hard-working is more crucial. So in her spare time, she reads varieties of books instead playing games. She learned a lot by read other passages. With his hard work, she got first prize in a writing competition in 2019 and since then she began to works for the school newspaper. She was very happily because she has taken the first step to be the writer.
阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式
Amazon exposed some customers’ names and emails due to a “1.(technique) error,” according to emails the company sent to 2.(affect) customers. Several people shared screenshots of the emails online Wednesday morning. Beta News first reported the incident.
In a statement, Amazon said, “We 3.(fix) the issue and informed customers who may have been impacted.”
Despite the exposure, Amazon told the affected customers they did not need 4.(change) their passwords. But even with just their names and emails exposed, people could attempt to reset their 5.(account) or target their emails for 6.(follow) attacks.
Amazon did not answer questions about how many customers were affected7. the error nor about how long information was exposed. Amazon’s website and systems were not damaged, 8. Amazon spokesperson told CNBC. The company did not say where the customer information was visible.
In a customer forum, people who received the cryptic message from Amazon were 9.(surprise) that the company did not recommend they reset their passwords and that the link to Amazon’s website in the email signature did not contain a secure link, 10. would contain “https” rather than “http.”
