Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on 2 Dec, 2015 that he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, plan to donate 99% of their Facebook shares to charity. The money, about £45 billion, will go to causes such as _______disease, improving education, and helping local communities. According to Zuckerberg, the money is _______on “advancing human possible ability and improving equality”.
Their _______came in the form of an _______letter to their newborn daughter, Max. “Your mother and I don’t yet have the words to describe the _______you give us for the future,” the letter started. “Like all parents, we want you to grow up in a world that is _______than ours today.”
Not _______, the social media CEO believes that technology will play a big role in _______a better future. “Many of the_______opportunities for your generation will come from giving everyone access to the Internet. Can we ________the world so you have access to every idea, person, and opportunity?”
The couple also sees technology as the ________to improving education and curing diseases. “You’ll have technology that understands how you learn best and ________you need to focus,” they said. “As technology ________, we have a real shot at preventing, curing, or managing most of the rest of the ________in the next 100 years.”
In order to put their plan into action, the couple is ________a new organization which will use money to ________its goals to help make life better for other people.
Zuckerberg and Chan ended their ________with a message to their daughter and kids around the world. “We love you and feel a great ________to leave the world a better place ________you and all children,” the letter concluded. “We can’t ________to see what you bring to this world.”
1.A.spreading B.having C.fighting D.catching
2.A.based B.saved C.called D.focused
3.A.story B.plan C.document D.paper
4.A.open B.official C.entire D.important
5.A.reward B.hope C.power D.burden
6.A.safer B.richer C.better D.harder
7.A.seriously B.sincerely C.exactly D.surprisingly
8.A.creating B.considering C.facing D.seeing
9.A.rarest B.greatest C.smallest D.nicest
10.A.travel B.control C.connect D.make
11.A.measure B.tool C.way D.path
12.A.how B.where C.why D.when
13.A.survives B.develops C.explodes D.responds
14.A.concerns B.pains C.diseases D.threats
15.A.persuading B.devoting C.affecting D.forming
16.A.achieve B.set C.get D.record
17.A.speech B.letter C.notice D.message
18.A.pressure B.regret C.responsibility D.pity
19.A.in B.at C.with D.for
20.A.pretend B.afford C.hesitate D.wait
Sometimes, when considering our own beliefs, we can find it challenging to accept other ways of life and rituals. However, close-mindedness and prejudice (偏见) are not the way to go, especially when there is so much we can learn about other cultures. Learning to accept and respect other cultures is an important step that opens your mind to the world around you and everyone’s unique differences.
Develop an open mind. Open the doors of your mind to accept what other people believe in. Try not to stereotype or brush things off when you haven’t actually taken a closer look yet. 1.
Take a look at history. The way some civilizations developed can be fascinating! 2. When you start studying, you’ll understand how things moved together to form the world we live in today. It’s a great piece of knowledge to have, so don’t rob yourself of it! There are plenty of books and sites available to fuel your curiosity. Appreciate the way different people fought for what they believed in, even if those beliefs differ from yours.
3..Sample some Italian or try your hand at cooking curry. Enjoy different foods and the different way meals are prepared. Don’t limit yourself, try everything and smile.
Talk to people. 4.It will help you understand that though they may believe and practice different things. That doesn’t make them strange or backward. Developing friendships with those from other cultures can be a really great experience.
Watching movies from different countries, like Bollywood movies or those on ancient happenings can be eye opening and help you appreciate different societies. If you’re into fashion, try sampling different culture’s dress and styles 5. If you’re having issues with racism and discrimination, try talking to someone to understand why you feel this way.
A. Try some new cooking.
B. Try doing something magical.
C. Try studying about ancient times.
D. Learn as much foreign culture as possible.
E. Talk with people from different cultures.
F. Try to get away from the personal opinions.
G. There are lots of magazines available on different fashions.
It is reported that a record-breaking high-speed rail will connect Inner Mongolia in the north to Hainan in the south. According to the Shaanxi Development and Reform Commission，the proposed line will operate at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour（217 mph）．
Beginning in Inner Mongolia's Baotou city and running through southern Shaanxi， Hubei， Hunan， Guangxi and Guangdong， its final stop would be in Haikou city on Hainan Island，China's southernmost province．
Though the exact length of the proposed route has not been released，it will likely become the world's longest high-speed rail line as the journey by road between Baotou and Haikou is approximately 3，000 kilometers（1，864 miles） long． Currently， the world's longest high-speed rail line is almost 2，300 kilometers long （1，429 miles）， running from Beijing to Guangzhou．
The proposed rail is part of China's aim to create another "Silk Road of the 21st Century" and improve the country's transportation network while driving land development and urbanization（城市化） in some provincial areas．
Many of the provinces through which the high-speed trains will travel are near major bodies of water，such as the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi province，the Yangtzi River in Hubei and the South China Sea， where the line would end． It will also take passengers to popular tourist attractions including Zhangjiajie，Xi'an，Guilin and minority areas in western Hunan and Hubei．
"The country is now shifting its focus and investing in the western regions and economically underdeveloped areas，making up for China's long debt to these areas，" Tan yuzhi，professor of the School of Economics and Management at Hubei University for Nationalities， told local media． " The project will significantly narrow regional disparities（差异） and solve minority issues．"
However，Deng Hongbing，director of China University of Geosciences' Center for Regional Economic and Investment Center，said that if the north-to-south railway is to go ahead，there needs to be a sound ecological program in place to ensure the protection of these underdeveloped and ecologically sensitive areas．
1.What is the passage mainly talking about？ ______
A.China has decided to invest in the western areas．
B.Another high-speed train line is being planned．
C.The train will speed up to 350 kilometers per hour．
D.China has produced the best high-speed train line．
2.How many provinces will the proposed line cross？ ______.
A.9 B.8
C.7 D.6
3.Once the high-speed rain line is built，______ ．
A.It will be the most convenient high-speed rail line in China
B.It will benefit the underdeveloped areas a lot in the west
C.It will transport goods faster from north to south
D.It will do good to the environment alongside the line
4.What is Tan Yuzhi's attitude towards the proposed project？ ______.
A.Ironical B.Doubtful
C.Puzzled D.Supportive
On 7, August, 2015, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) got to eat a special treat. No, it wasn’t a cookie or cake. It was red lettuce they had grown themselves in space.
“It was one small bite for man, one giant leap for NASAVEGGIE,” astronaut Scott Kelly wrote on Twitter. (Kelly based his tweet on the words astronaut Neil Armstrong famously used in 1969, after becoming the first person to ever walk on the moon. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” he said at the time.)
“NASAVEGGIE” refers to the ISS’s Veggie plant-growth system. It uses special red, blue, and green LED lights to grow plants. The system is a big step toward NASA’s goal of developing a way to grow food in space during future long space missions deep into the solar system.
Kelly and fellow NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren prepared the red romaine lettuce like many people do on Earth. They cleaned it, and then mixed it with olive oil and vinegar. Then they gobbled up the leafy red greens. “That’s awesome!” Lindgren said after taking a bite.
It was the first taste of fresh food the astronauts had had in a long time, since there is no refrigeration on the ISS. They ate half the lettuce. The rest was packaged and frozen so that it could be returned to Earth for testing.
Lindgren and Kelly are the only two NASA astronauts currently on the space station. The other crew members are Russian astronauts Gennady Padalka, Mikhail Komienko, and Lleg Kononenko, and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui.
Kelly and Kornienko have been on the ISS since March. They plan to spend 342 days in space, in part to help determine the effects of long-term space travel on astronauts’ bodies. They traveled to the ISS with Padalka, who will return to Earth in September.
Kelly and Komiendo’s job — which will be one of the longest-ever stay in space by astronauts — will help pave the way for future long-term space tasks. NASA plans to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars by the 2030s.
1.Why is growing food in space very important?
A.It is a symbol of scientific development.
B.It will help solve the hunger problem
C.Astronauts can get enough nutritious food.
D.People plan to go into the deep space.
2.What Kelly said in Para. 2 suggests that _____.
A.it is a great success to grow fresh food in space
B.he respected Neil Armstrong very much
C.mankind makes great progress in exploring space
D.humans should speed up to land on Mars
3.Who will remain in the ISS until March, 2016?
A.Padalka and Kononenko. B.Yui and Lindgren.
C.Kelly and Kormienko. D.Kelly and Lindgren.
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Astronauts grow their favorite food in space.
B.Astronauts get more fresh food from space.
C.Astronauts plant vegetables for a journey to Mars.
D.Astronauts eat fresh food grown on the ISS.
Choose Your One-Day-Tours!
Tour A - Bath &Stonehenge including entrance fees to the ancient Roman bathrooms and Stonehenge -￡37 until 26 March and ￡39 thereafter. Visit the city with over 2,000 years of history and Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent and the Costume Museum, Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments dating back over 5,000 years.
Tour B - Oxford & Stratford including entrance fees to the University St Mary’s Church Tower and Anne Hathaway’s -￡32 until 12 March and ￡36 thereafter. Oxford: Includes a guided tour of England’s oldest university city and colleges. Look over the “city of dreaming spires(尖顶）” from St Mary‘s Church Tower. Stratford: Includes a guided tour exploring much of the Shakespeare wonder.
Tour C - Windsor Castle &Hampton Court: including entrance fees to Hampton Court Palace -￡34 until 11 March and ￡37 thereafter. Includes a guided tour of Windsor and Hampton Court, Henry VILL’s favorite palace. Free time to visit Windsor Castle(entrance fees not included).With 500 years of history, Hampton Court was once the home of four Kings and one Queen. Now this former royal palace is open to the public as a major tourist attraction. Visit the palace and its various historic gardens, which include the famous maze(迷宫) where it is easy to get lost!
Tour D –Cambridge including entrance fees to the Tower of Saint Mary the Great -￡33 until 18 March and ￡37 thereafter. Includes a guided tour of Cambridge, the famous university town, and the gardens of the 18th century.
1.Which tour will you choose if you want to see England’s oldest university city?
A.Tour A B.Tour B
C.Tour C D.Tour D
2.Which of the following tours charges the lowest fee on 17 March?
A.Windsor Castle & Hampton Court B.Oxford & Stratford
C.Bath & Stonehenge D.Cambridge
3.Why is Hampton Court a major tourist attraction?
A.It used to be the home of royal families B.It used to be a well-known maze
C.It is the oldest palace in Britain D.It is a world-famous castle
My color television has given me nothing but a headache. I was able to buy it a little over a year ago because I had my relatives give me money for my birthday instead of a lot of clothes that wouldn’t fit. I let a salesclerk fool me into buying a discontinued model. I realized this a day later, when I saw newspaper advertisements for the set at seventy-five dollars less than I had paid. The set worked so beautifully when I first got it home that I would keep it on until stations signed off for the night. Fortunately, I didn’t got any channels showing all-night movies or I would never have gotten to bed.
Then I started developing a problem with the set that involved static (静电) noise. For some reason, when certain shows switched into a commercial, a loud noise would sound for a few seconds. Gradually, this noise began to appear during a show, and to get rid of it. I had to change to another channel and then change it back. Sometimes this technique would not work, and I had to pick up the set and shake it to remove the sound. I actually began to build up my arm muscles (肌肉) shaking my set.
When neither of these methods removed the static noise, I would sit helplessly and wait for the noise to go away. At last I ended up hitting the set with my fist, and it stopped working altogether. My trip to the repair shop cost me $62, and the set is working well now, but I keep expecting more trouble.
1.Why did the author say he was fooled into buying the TV set?
A.He got an older model than he had expected.
B.He couldn’t return it when it was broken.
C.He could have bought it at a lower price.
D.He failed to find any movie shows on it.
2.Which of the following can best replace the phrase “signed off” in Paragraph 1?
A.ended all their programs B.provided fewer channels
C.changed to commercials D.showed all-night movies
3.How did the author finally get his TV set working again?
A.By shaking and hitting it. B.By turning it on and off.
C.By switching channels. D.By having it repaired.
4.How does the author sound when telling the story?
A.Curious B.Anxious
C.Cautious D.Humorous
