Therapy (治疗) Appointment
“You want out again, Marmalade? You were just out. What, not the back door, you want out the front?” I was very surprised that our beautiful cat wanted out again.
Several days later, I realized that almost every day she had been asking to be let out at 1: 00 p.m. and always wanted the front door instead of the back door she normally used to go to the yard. I hadn’t been paying much attention, but I realized this had been going on for a while, and I had no idea why. Therefore, the next time it happened, I watched out the front room window to see what Marmalade was doing every day.
Marm went down the front stairs and out to the city sidewalk then just sat there. About three minutes later, she flopped (跳) down and rolled over so her belly (肚子) was showing.
This is unusual. She never does that unless she wants to be petted — but there is no one there. Wait-on the sidewalk just crossing a block down from our house was a group of about fifteen young adults from the nearby group home for young adults with Down syndrome (唐氏综合症). They were out for a walk.
As they approached, I could hear, “There’s the kitty, there’s the kitty,” coming from their mouths. When they were close enough to touch Marm, she lay quietly while each person took a turn petting her. This took quite a while, and obviously these teens were very comfortable petting her. When everyone had given Marm a petting, she turned over, stood up and gave herself a shake, then walked back up the sidewalk to the front door to be let in.
It had been a breathtaking experience to see. The next day, at the same time, I watched it happen again.
After a few more days of this, I wondered how long this had been lasting, so I went out and asked the adults. What I was told was both interesting and humbling. Our wonderful cat had been doing this every weekday for months, and these young adults thought it was the highlight of the walk to be able to have a chance to pet her.
How had she come to understand that these young people would enjoy petting her and could trust them? How could she comfort people when they felt sad, and how would she lick away the tears until she had made them feel better?
1.Marm’s owner was puzzled because Marm always _____.
A.desired to the front yard
B.went out from the front door
C.rolled over to show her belly
D.wanted out from the window
2.Marm flopped down and rolled over on the sidewalk to ________.
A.play with other cats
B.make the teens pet her
C.wait for passers-by to feed her
D.have a rest and enjoy the sunshine
3.What does the writer think of Marm?
A.Loving and caring.
B.Funny and helpful.
C.Mysterious and weird.
D.Vulnerable and puzzling.
4.What can we learn from Marm’s story?
A.No one can be neglected.
B.Cats can understand each other.
C.People need to give pets more petting.
D.Animals can believe and support human.
Changing Bit by Bit
A new contest challenges people to use micro:bit computers to solve problems.
Could you use your computing skills to aid the fight against illegal animal hunting? How about tackling ocean pollution or monitoring animals under threat of extinction?
A new global challenge called Do Your Bit aims to get young people using their computing creativity to solve real-world problems. It’s being run by a partnership involving the BBC’s micro:bit computer, the technology company ARM and a campaign called World’s Largest Lesson, and it's aimed at people aged 10 to 16. It kicks off on 16 September.
The contest in 2019 is based on two Global Goals: to protect life on land and under the water. To take part, young people first choose a problem that affects them and their community, then design something involving the micro:bit computer that could help to tackle that problem.
Participants need to write up to 500 words about the problem and their solution, as well as providing a photo of their drawn plans or a hex file of their prototype code (编码), plus any other photos and videos showing what they’ve done.
This is the second micro:bit Global Challenge to be held. In 2018, the contest's winning designs included a homemade thief alarm, a classroom health monitor, a food-waste watcher and a device to remind people to sit up straight.
The deadline for entering the challenge is 28 February 2020: the winners will be announced the following month.
1.The main purpose of BBC’s involvement is to _______.
A.report for this contest
B.call for ocean protection
C.introduce the Global Goals
D.promote micro:bit computers
2.The Do Your Bit in 2019 is based on the theme of________.
A.getting rid of hunger
B.providing clean water
C.taking care of children
D.protecting life on the earth
3.To take part in the contest, contestants need ______.
A.buy micro:bit computers
B.sign up for it before 16 September 2020
C.choose a real problem and offer solutions
D.prepare photos and videos of group members
My neighbor Josie, a college professor, ran circles around women twenty years younger than her. For some reason, she took a(n) ____ to me and always chose to fit me into her days. She would call me to taste-test recipes, which was a _____. Her garden was a testament (证明) to Josie's green thumb. In some instances, I could not even ____ what was growing, but we had the freshest salads in the neighborhood all summer long!
Early each morning, Josie forced me to _____ her on her “daily constitutional”, as she liked to call it. I believe we were supposed to be walking, but it felt more like mini-sprints (running at full speed). I had my rules. If I couldn’t talk or _____, I would stop. I stopped every day at the end of our block. Josie would _____ a half hour later and make me breakfast as a _____ for making the attempt!
Each night around sunset, Josie and I would touch our base on our porches (门廊) before retiring for the evening. We would _____ back and forth, exchanging worldviews.
One evening, Josie was a “no-show.” I started over to her door when I _____ the ambulance and saw her husband and children _____ outside. Josie had suffered a stroke (中风).
When I next set eyes on her, she was leaning in a wheelchair. She looked smaller and older than I remembered, but her eyes were clear and her smile was _____bright. Her speech was ______, but her voice still had the lift I loved.
Josie’s world had changed overnight from travel destinations to the few rooms in her house. ______ it’s what she does with her surroundings that gives me pause and perspective.
When Josie feels well enough to ______, her husband brings her breakfast in bed. She calls it “dining out”. They listen to soft music and light candles. On days when Josie has some _____, her husband wheels her into the living room, and they watch old movies together. She calls it “date night.” When Josie is doing really well, her husband takes her for a(n) _____ outside in her wheelchair. She calls it “going on vacation”.
Despite the _____ that Josie is not expected to make a full recovery, she _____ to dine out, go to the movies and take lots of mini-vacations. She is grateful to smell a summer barbecue, to share a laugh with her favorite neighbor, and to be here for _____ day.
I am _____ for her simple life lesson. Find the positive, and you’ve found your reason to live.
1.A.opinion B.feeling C.chance D.liking
2.A.task B.matter C.pleasure D.burden
3.A.deliver B.identify C.assess D.compare
4.A.assist B.promote C.inspire D.join
5.A.wave B.cheer C.jump D.breathe
6.A.return B.disappear C.stretch D.practise
7.A.push B.reward C.response D.contribution
8.A.skip B.chat C.think D.swing
9.A.heard B.called C.left D.ignored
10.A.dining B.escaping C.running D.wandering
11.A.still B.ever C.once D.already
12.A.deeper B.longer C.clearer D.slower
13.A.For B.Or C.So D.But
14.A.eat B.speak C.relax D.sleep
15.A.space B.strength C.lessons D.worries
16.A.hike B.examination C.walk D.meeting
17.A.fact B.faith C.plan D.attempt
18.A.rejected B.continues C.postponed D.paused
19.A.either B.certain C.another D.neither
20.A.helpful B.pitiful C.thankful D.painful
阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。
William Shakespeare was one of the famous English 1. (write). He mostly wrote plays and special poems. Those poems 2. (call) sonnets (十四行诗), and they have a unique pattern. Besides, they aren’t easy to write. That didn’t stop scientists, though. One team just trained a computer to write poetry like Shakespeare’s. They entered nearly 3,000 sonnets into their machine. Those included the 154 sonnets that Shakespeare created. After that, they used a special program. It emphasized the rules of poetry and made sure the machine followed 3. (they). Through AI, the computer is able to put out sonnets. They are so good that they 4. (fool) humans. Ordinary readers couldn’t tell whether a person or a machine wrote them. That doesn't mean they are perfect, though.
阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。
How can horses find their way back from a strange environment? For most people, that would be impossible without a map. Horses have a special system in their brains, and it works just 1. GPS. It shows signs for trees and other objects in their home areas. It also takes notes of new things in new areas. 2. horses keep their attention on those signs, they know which directions 3. (go). Who needs a self-driving car when you can have a horse? You’ll always get home safe and sound.
阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。
You are never too old to go after your dreams. Many people don’t let age stop them. If they want to do something, they just do it. For example, Gladys Burrill ran her first marathon at 86. She became famous when she 1. (finish) the Honolulu Marathon (檀香山马拉松). She was 92 then. Life is about change, so don’t be afraid to take your 2. (one) step. It is easy after you do that. So, stop 3. (think) about your dreams, and start doing something about them.
