When I was 17, I paid a long visit to Iowa to see a college I was thinking of attending. While the _______ was fun for the most part, I was feeling depressed and _______. I was realizing that I wouldn't be seeing my family _______ if I went to school here. I was also _______ the forests in Appalachian mountains of my home. I loved how the leaves turned a thousand _______ of green in spring and then became a sea of colors in autumn. I loved the _______ of the forget-me-nots and countless wild flowers that grew on the hillsides.
Here in Iowa everything was _______. The grass looked brown and _______. All that I could smell was a_______ of corn, mud, and pigs. One day I lay down on the ground. Eyes closed, I ________ being back home over and over again. When I ________ opened them, however, I saw something that ________ my soul: a prairie (草原) sunset. It seemed to fill the whole sky from the________. Gold, red, purple and pink clouds all flowed together and________ an amazing picture. It was so huge that I was________. In comparison with it, our mountain sunsets ________. I was filled with wonder and a sense of ________. I realized too that I had been picky and________. This place too had its own special ________
Over the years to come I learned something else. Each of us has a special beauty too —everyone has their own________talents and abilities to share.
1.A.story B.process C.trip D.performance
2.A.ashamed B.separated C.embarrassed D.shocked
3.A.very much B.any more C.long before D.ever since
4.A.crossing B.counting C.memorizing D.missing
5.A.manners B.shades C.pictures D.scenes
6.A.appearance B.color C.smell D.strength
7.A.flat B.tiring C.tiny D.certain
8.A.thick B.easy C.cozy D.burnt
9.A.variety B.pile C.mixture D.group
10.A.dreamed of B.gave up C.applied to D.insisted on
11.A.patiently B.secretly C.gently D.finally
12.A.bared B.touched C.freed D.sold
13.A.altitude B.sea C.horizon D.top
14.A.formed B.developed C.represented D.praised
15.A.worn out B.carried away C.put off D.taken in
16.A.landed B.varied C.arrived D.paled
17.A.harmony B.honor C.duty D.direction
18.A.guilty B.sensitive C.foolish D.selfless
19.A.meaning B.beauty C.card D.gift
20.A.strange B.reliable C.flexible D.unique
Undoubtedly, the best way to prevent illnesses of the mind is to exercise the brain. Here’re some great exercises to sharpen your mind.
Never stop learning. 1. One way is to take classes online through websites like Coursera, org or Edx. org, where you can take courses from the top universities for free. Perhaps you would like to learn a new language. 2. There are wonderful language programs available through RosettaStone. com and Duolingo.com which offer many lessons to choose from.
Read something everyday. Reading itself is a wonderful brain exercise. Make a point to read something every day. It could be a newspaper, book, blog or magazine, but the more informative it is, the more of a workout it will be for your thinking cap. 3.
Exercise your body. Exercising your body affects your strength, mood and fitness. Exercise excites the nervous system and causes you to perform at a higher level.
4. Communicating with others on topics of common interest is a great workout. Talking about in-depth topics like headline news and political interests exercises your ability to pay attention and focus. There are always many like-minded people who enjoy the same hobbies or share the same beliefs.
Play games. The act of solving problems and figuring out puzzles is excellent for keeping your brain in shape. 5. Solving math equations or word puzzles, and even just a quick game of Bubble Witch will do wonders for your thinking processes.
A.Associate with others.
B.Refer to professionals.
C.If you are short on time, just read the dictionary.
D.Such exercises promoted the growth of new stem cells in humans.
E.It’ll encourage areas of the brain that will improve your native tongue too.
F.The great news is, there are so many possible ways of learning new things.
G.Whether you prefer Crossword or Sudoku, playing puzzles will help you stay sharp.
It's October and you know what that means —the return of pumpkin Kit Kats, spooky (幽灵般的，怪异的)costumes for the kids and, of course, homemade Halloween treats. The whole spooky season leads up to tricks on October 31, but Halloween as we know it may be changing.
It's pretty common knowledge that Halloween takes place on October 31. For a lot of parents, it's a night of headaches. Sure enough, parents are fully occupied with an unforgettable Halloween party and have no time to be with the kids. Then the kids have to be dressed and out the door for two hours of trick-or-treating time, which can be tough to manage. Most remarkably, it's hard to pack all the holiday fun into a school night. Eating all that candy right before bed won't make for an easy school day the next morning.
Last year, a nonprofit organization called the Halloween and Costume Association(HCA) began a petition (请愿)to change the date of Halloween. They proposed that Halloween take place on the last Saturday of the month. Thus, parents can have time to celebrate it with their kids.
Though the petition started in 2018, it has really picked up steam this year. Right now, more than 148, 000 people have signed. When a quota(限额) of 150,000 signatures is met, the petition will be delivered to the President of the States, and the government will be making the final call.
Really, the petition isn't about breaking tradition but about making Halloween more family-friendly. It technically makes Halloween longer, so who wouldn't be taking about all-day spooks? If you'd like to sign the petition and make your voice heard before October, you can find it here.
1.What troubles parents most on Halloween?
A.They can't find the kids in the night. B.They have little time to prepare for it.
C.It's hard for kids to behave themselves. D.Halloween may take place on a school day.
2.The petition for Halloween is actually intended to____.
A.help kids gain more freedom B.create more parent-child time
C.allow parents to have a day off D.promote the event to a new level
3.What can be inferred about the petition?
A.No one desired to sign their name at first. B.It has been put aside by the government.
C.The US president thinks nothing of it. D.It has gained increasing favor.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Break the traditional barriers? B.Make Halloween Much Longer?
C.Celebrate it in another manner? D.Necessary to observe Halloween?
The Internet has become part of modern life, bringing convenient services to everyone who can connect. While it seems hard to live without the Internet, it also brings new problems. For example, individuals, organizations and even governments can become targets of cyber attacks.
The past week marked China's sixth annual Cybersecurity Week, held from Sept 16 to 22 nationwide. The opening ceremony and major activities were held in Tianjin. First launched in 2014, the event was designed to raise public awareness of the importance of fighting online threats and cyber attacks. The theme of this year's event is "cybersecurity for the people and by the people".
The leaking (泄露）of personal information now stands out. " Efforts should be made to raise people's sense of fulfillment, happiness and security in cyberspace," said President Xi Jinping in an instruction for the event. "The country will safeguard the security of personal information and citizens' legal rights and interests in cyberspace. According to a report from the 2017 China Internet Security Conference, more than 90 percent of Android smartphones for sale in China contained serious safety bugs. Such flaws (缺陷)allow hackers to control entire phones and obtain the users' passwords, bank information and more.
To protect personal information, China issued its first cybersecurity law in June 2017. One key part of this law is meant to protect personal information. It rules that network operators are not allowed to leak, change or damage the personal information they gather. They are also not allowed to give personal information to others freely.
Apart from China, issuing laws to protect personal information and prevent junk electronic information is a common practice in other countries.
1.What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
A.To introduce the new Internet-based problems.
B.To show readers a new Internet-based trend.
C.To make a list of new cybercrimes online.
D.To call for protection of personal security.
2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
A.Android smartphones sales are on the decrease.
B.Personal data protection comes into focus.
C.Netizens are sensitive to online information.
D.Nearly all smartphones contain security flaws.
3.Who does China's first cybersecurity law mainly intend to regulate?
A.Website designers. B.Illegal hackers.
C.Network operators. D.Internet-based companies.
4.What will be probably mentioned after the last paragraph?
A.Foreign practices to safeguard cybersecurity.
B.Countries producing laws of national security.
C.Effective ways to deal with personal security.
D.Advice on how to avoid leaking personal data.
A bull bison(野牛)in Yellowstone National park charged at a 9-year-old Florida girl. Luckily, the girl was left with only relatively minor injuries. Eyewitnesses say that a group of around 50 people—including the unidentified girl—were standing within 5 ~ 10 feet of the bison for at least 20 minutes near Observation Point Trail before the animal decided to charge. "We saw through the trees some people petting the bison, super close,” Hailey Dayton, 18, an eyewitness who filmed the incident. " Because it was agitated by all the people and noise, it just attacked.''
In Yellowstone, there are about 4 ,500 bison, the nation's largest and most important bison population on public land. Yellowstone is the only place in the lower 48 states where free-ranging bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times, according to a statement from the National Park Service (NPS). The Yellowstone population is also significant for being one of the few herds(群)in the country that has not been inter- bred(杂交)with cattle.
While they feed primarily on grass, they can be aggressive if annoyed. " Stay 25 yards away from all large animals—bison, bighorn sheep, deer etc. —and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves," the statement read. " If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in a close distance. ”
Despite the presence of seemingly more dangerous animals such as bears and wolves, bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other creature. "This is what happens when you make fun of wildlife and pay no mind to an animal's personal space,'' Dayton wrote in a tweet. " This family was petting the buffalo before it charged. And as you can see the parents saved themselves over their daughter. That really put me off. ”
1.What does the underlined word "agitated" probably mean?
A.Amused. B.Released.
C.Comforted. D.Disturbed.
2.What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A.The remaining population of bison. B.What Yellowstone means to bison.
C.How bison survived the hardships. D.Bison's living conditions in Yellowstone.
3.What is the NPS statement in Paragraph 3 meant to do?
A.To warn people not to tease bison. B.To inform readers of some large animals.
C.To persuade readers to protect the wildlife. D.To urge people to give bison enough space.
4.What is Dayton 's attitude towards the family's act?
A.Positive. B.Pitiful.
C.Unfavorable. D.Admirable.
As autumn sets in, cities around the globe turn their attention to art, architecture, and design with a wealth of exciting events worth traveling for.
New York City
October is a major month for architecture in New York, with Archtober New York ( October 1 〜31 ) and Open House New York ( October 12 ~ 14 ) taking place. Highlights of Archtober include National Design Week, and the Architecture and Design Film Festival. And Open House New York will open hundreds of sites for unique access, tours, and parties.
Bangkok
The Bangkok Art Bienniale will kick off on October 19 with events spread out along the famous sites along the Chao Praya River, including Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and Suan Lumpini Park. As part of the Biennial, the Marina Abramovic Institute will put on a new performance lasting for three weeks in mid-October.
Eindhoven, Netherlands
You've probably been to Amsterdam, but what about Eindhoven? The midsize Dutch city—home to the famous Design Academy Eindhoven —becomes a major destination every October for designers, when Dutch Design Week takes over. Across hundreds of locations around the city, Dutch Design Week will present works by more than 2 ,500 designers over the course of the week of October 20 〜28. It's also home to a booming design scene crowded with graduates of the Academy who have remained and set up studios.
Mexico City
Mexico's dynamic capital draws aesthetes(美学)and architecture fans all year long, but this October is an especially exciting time to go, as Mexico City is celebrating its status as the World Design Capital. Taking place October 10 ~ 14, Design Week Mexico will motivate the city's architects and designers around a series of events at cultural institutions like the Tamayo Museum, the National Museum, and Lincoln Park.
1.Which of the following events lasts for a month?
A.Archtober New York. B.Open House New York.
C.Bangkok Art Bienniale. D.Dutch Design Week.
2.What is special about Eindhoven?
A.It is a middle-sized European city.
B.It has some first-class universities.
C.It holds a noticeable design event every October.
D.It has produced many famous modem designers.
3.What is special for Mexico City this October?
A.It is observing its special status in the design field.
B.It houses many first-class museums.
C.It is celebrating its status as capital city.
D.It has produced many world-famous artists.
