Our apartment has been hit by a “hurricane”. Every bit of furniture is _______ with paper chains, scissors, tape and modeling clay. _______, I’m so exhausted tonight, recovering from a surgery.
The phone rings—for the sixth time in less than an hour. We know it is my mother, again. A stroke claimed her brain, but not her life. She is troubled by a severe mental _______— She has no idea that she has _______ the things she is about to say a million times. Nor can she recall I had a _______.
Each time she calls, I play a game with _______ called “How Good a Person Can I Be?” I’ve won five rounds of the game tonight; I am due for a _______ this time.
“Mom!” I _______. “You are not being removed from your home! And we visited two days ago!” Silence. Then:
“I was only calling to say hi.” My mother continues, “Why are you yelling?”
I sink into the couch, aware that my daughter is _______. She hears me scold my mother and lose my _______. I have not only failed at being a good person; I have failed at being a good _______ to my daughter.
“Can I talk to Grandma Ellie?” My five-year-old _______ the phone. _______, I hand it over.
Then, I hear my mother _______ through the receiver. “Sweetheart! How are you? Did you go to school today?”
What magic is this? All she says is “Hi, Grandma,” Out of the phone comes a waterfall of good _______. My mother tells her how much she loves her and how lovely her voice sounds.
I am not tired or angry; I am _______ inside, watching my kindergartner _______ her fragile grandmother with such skillfulness. I’m fascinated by their _______.
The mess in our apartment still _______ around me. I listen to my daughter whispering to her grandmother, caring for her with extreme _______.
1.A.covered B.decorated C.mixed D.filled
2.A.What’s more B.Above all C.Worse still D.Needless to say
3.A.disorder B.fitness C.performance D.function
4.A.created B.completed C.confirmed D.repeated
5.A.stroke B.surgery C.headache D.problem
6.A.my daughter B.myself C.my mom D.my grandma
7.A.success B.winner C.quarrel D.fall
8.A.whisper B.explain C.yell D.promise
9.A.imitating B.witnessing C.laughing D.sleeping
10.A.belief B.face C.temper D.way
11.A.friend B.companion C.caregiver D.example
12.A.reaches for B.picks up C.plays with D.hangs up
13.A.Excitedly B.Aimlessly C.Wordlessly D.Unwillingly
14.A.call out B.break down C.give up D.set out
15.A.ideas B.cheers C.relationship D.applause
16.A.shocked B.weak C.firm D.soft
17.A.teach B.bother C.handle D.acknowledge
18.A.exchange B.declaration C.voices D.behavior
19.A.counts B.settles C.expands D.disappears
20.A.conditions B.confidence C.efforts D.patience
Kids with special needs refer to any kid who might need extra help because of a medical,emotional,or learning problem.For example,kids who cannot walk need wheelchairs.They not only need equipment that helps them get around,but they might need to have ramps（坡道）or elevators available.1.
Kids with an illness would have special needs,too2.Kids with sight problems might need Braille books to read.Kids with hearing problems might need hearing aids.
3.It might be harder to do normal things,like learning to read or just getting around the school.The good news is that parents,doctors,nurses,teachers,and others can help.The goal is to help kids be as independent as possible.
Other kids can also be a big help.How?By being a friend.Kids who use a wheelchair or have lots of health problems want friends just as you do.But meeting people and making friends can be difficult.4.Be sure to tell a teacher if you see someone being bullied（欺辱）or teased.
5.Being friendly to kids with special needs is one of the best ways to be helpful.As you get to know them they may help you understand what it's like to be in their shoes.And you'll be helping fill a very special need,one that everybody has-the need for good mends.
A.Some kids might laugh at or make fun of them.
B.It is good manners to offer help to kids with special needs.
C.Life can be challenging for a kid with special needs.
D.They also might need to get a special bus to school.
E.They might need medicine or other help as they go about their daily activities.
F.Also,try to be helpful if you know someone with special needs.
G.Someone could have trouble with anxiety,but you wouldn't know it unless told about it
Natural selection is the process by which one type of animal within a species thrives because of certain characteristics that make it more likely to live than others in its group. The history of the peppered moth（灰蛾）is an example of the natural selection process.
In 19th century England, certain types of peppered moths were able to better blend（融合）into their surroundings. During that time period, great changes were happening in Great Britain. The Industrial Revolution was part of this change, and with it came air pollution. Natural selection often takes hundred or even thousands of years to occur. For the peppered moth, this process occurred comparatively quickly.
At the beginning of the Industrial Age, most peppered moths in England were light-colored and covered with black markings, although a few moths had dark-colored wings. Because the light-colored moths blended into the light-colored bark on the trees, they could not be easily seen by birds that would eat them. As the air grew more polluted, however, tree trunks became covered with soot（烟煤）and became darker. The light-colored moths became easy for birds to see against the dark tree trunks. Since the dark-colored moths now had the advantage, their numbers grew. Within 50 years, the peppered moth went from being mostly light-colored to being mostly dark-colored.
In the 20th century, the air cleared up, and the peppered moth population changed again. As tree trunks lighted due to less soot in the air, light-colored moths once again had an advantage. Their numbers increased as soot levels declined. Depending on their environment, the coloration of the moths helped them to be “naturally selected” to survive.
1.In 19th century, what was one of the causes of great changes in Great Britain?
A.The surroundings. B.The Industrial Revolution.
C.The natural selection. D.The peppered moth.
2.What can we infer about the peppered moth’s natural selection process?
A.The length of time was unusual.
B.The soot levels in England did not affect it.
C.The color of peppered moths changed at random.
D.It was a good example of environmental protection.
3.What’s the difference between light-colored and dark-colored moths?
A.Dark-colored moths were originally easy to see on trees.
B.Both kinds of moths preferred the dark-colored trees.
C.Birds failed to see light-colored moths.
D.The color of moths was unimportant.
4.Which would most likely happen if soot darkened England’s trees again?
A.Birds would eat fewer moths.
B.Moths would not be able to stay alive.
C.Light-colored moths would disturb people’s life.
D.The population of dark-colored moths would increase.
What is the first thing you notice when you walk into a shop? The products displayed (展示) at the entrance? Or the soft background music?
But have you ever notice the smell? Unless it is bad, the answer is likely to be no. But while a shop’s scent may not be outstanding compared with sights and sounds, it is certainly there. And it is providing to be an increasing powerful tool in encouraging people to purchase.
A brand store has become famous for its distinctive scent which floats through the fairly dark hall and out to the entrance, via scent machines. A smell may be attractive but it may not just be used for freshening air. One sports goods company once reported that when it first introduced scent into its stores, customers’ intension to purchase increased by 80 percent.
When it comes to the best shopping streets in Pairs, scent is just as important to a brand’s success as the quality of its window displays and goods on sales. That is mainly because shopping is a very different experience to what it used to be.
Some years ago, the focus for brand name shopping was on a few people with sales assistants’ disproving attitude and don’t-touch-what-you-can’t-afford displays. Now the rise of electronic commerce (e-commerce) has opened up famous brands to a wider audience. But while e-shops can use sights and sounds, only bricks-and-mortar stores (实体店) can offer a full experience from the minute customers step through the door to the moment they leave. Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop, but rather a destination. And scent is just one way to achieve this.
Now a famous store uses complex man-made smell to make sure that the soft scent of baby powder floats through the kid department, and coconut (椰子) scent in the swimsuit section. A department store has even opened a new lab, inviting customers on a journey into the store’s windows to smell books, pots and drawers, in search of their perfect scent.
1.According to the passage, what is an increasingly powerful tool in the success of some brand store?
A.Friendly assistant. B.Unique scents.
C.Soft background music. D.Attractive window display.
2.E-shops are mentioned in the passage to ______.
A.show the advantages of brick-and-mortar stores
B.urge shop assistants to change their attitude
C.push stores to use sights and sounds
D.introduce the rise of e-commerce
3.The underlined word “destination” in Paragraph 5 means ______.
A.a platform that exhibits goods
B.a spot where travelers like to stay
C.a place where customers love to go
D.a target that a store expects to meet
4.The main purpose of the passage is to ______.
A.compare and evaluate B.examine and assess
C.argue and discuss D.inform and explain
Thirteen, for me, was a challenging year. My parents divorced and I moved to a new town with my father, far from my old family and friends. I was terribly lonely and would cry myself to sleep each night. To ease my sadness, my father purchased an old horse for me at a local auction. I named him Cowboy.
Cowboy was undoubtedly the ugliest horse in the world. But I didn’t care. I loved him beyond all reason.
I joined a riding club and suffered rude comments and mean snickersabout Cowboy’s looks. I never let on about how I felt, but deep inside, my heart was breaking. The other members rode beautiful, registered horses.
When Cowboy and I entered the events where the horse is judged on appearance, we were quickly shown the gate. No amount of preparation and love would turn Cowboy into a beauty. My only chance to compete would be in the speed events. I chose the jumping race.
One girl named Becky rode a big brown horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons. Needless to say, she didn’t feel threatened when I competed against her at the next show. She didn’t need to. I came in next to last.
The stinging memory of Becky’s smirks(得意的笑) made me determined to beat her. For the whole next month I woke up early every day and rode Cowboy five miles to the arena. We practiced running and jumping for hours in the hot sun and then I would walk Cowboy home totally exhausted.
All of our hard work didn’t make me feel confident by the time the show came. I sat at the gate and sweated it out while I watched Becky and her horse charge through the course and finish in first place.
My turn finally came. I put on my hat, rubbed Cowboy’s neck and entered the arena. At the signal, we dashed toward the first fence, jumped it without trouble and raced on to the next one. Cowboy then flew over the second, third and fourth fences like a bird and I turned him toward the finish line.
As we crossed the line the crowd was shocked into silence. Cowboy and I had beaten Becky and her fancy horse by two seconds!
I gained much more than a blue ribbon that day. At thirteen, I realized that no matter what the odds, I’d always come out a winner if I wanted something badly enough to work for it.
1.The underlined expression “shown the gate” (paragraph 4) most probably means “_________”.
A.told how to enter the arena B.shown how to make the horse beautiful
C.removed from the competition early D.told to enter the timed-speed events
2.Why was the writer not confident of victory?
A.He was an inexperienced rider.
B.He believed he was unpopular with the crowd.
C.He had not practiced enough.
D.He thought his horse wasn’t as good as the others.
3.What did the writer learn from his experience?
A.Life can sometimes be unfair.
B.Anything is possible if one tries hard enough.
C.A positive attitude will bring success.
D.One should not make judgments based on appearance.
4.The best title for the story is ________.
A.A Run to Remember B.A Horse’s Tale
C.Neck and Neck D.A Difficult Age
The editor of the new Cool Camping Britain guide chooses some of his favorite new finds in England, Wales and Scotland.
Cleadale, Isle of Eigg, Inner Hebrides
Is this Britain’s most beautiful campsite? From the grassy point looking seaward to the mountains, it’s not hard for campers to see how the island inspired The Lord of the Rings author’s fantasy landscapes. The campsite itself is as wild and wonderful as its setting.
Open April — September, from ￡5 per tent per night.
Swattesfield, Thornham Magna, Suffolk
Deep in the wilds of north Suffolk, this seven-acre campsite has only been open for a few years, with two fields separated by a lake and surrounded by woodland. The position is perfect. It’s a great place to do nothing but get into nature. You can put up your tent in the bottom field or the woodland beyond.
Open Easter —October, from ￡10 per tent per night.
Pleasant Streams Farm, near St Austell, Cornwall
This site, by a lake, is all about simple pleasures. Located in the former mining village, it has a summerhouse（凉亭）with books and games for a rainy day. There are many animals including pigs, hens, goats and ducks on the farm and a pub just a 10- minute stroll away. There’s very little to do here, no bells and no whistles. Campfires are encouraged.
Open Easter — September, from ￡10 per tent per night.
Troytown Campsite, St Agnes, Isles of Sciily
Its only campsite, Troytown, couldn’t be in a more remote position. Isolation is its greatest advantage — so bring plenty of books to read and don’t expect a phone signal. But at least one of life’s necessities is available. Lying on the hillside overlooking the bay and near the island of the Gugh, it might just win the prize for best beer garden view in England.
Open March-- October, from ￡7. 50 per tent per night,
1.Which of the following is TRUE about Cleadale, Isle of Eigg, Inner Hebrides?
A.It has been open for a few years. B.A beautiful lake surrounds it.
C.It offers the longest service. D.The rent of a tent per night is the lowest.
2.Which place can you choose if you like a simple farm life?
A.Cleadale, Isle of Eigg, Inner Hebrides.
B.Swattesfield, Thornham Magna, Suffolk.
C.Pleasant Streams Farm, near St Austell, Cornwall.
D.Troytown Campsite, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly.
3.In Troytown Campsite, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, you can’t ________.
A.contact others by phones B.view the bay from the hillside
C.get everyday necessities D.relax yourself by reading
